Hey everyone, how are you? I've been pretty stressed for time recently*. (*read as: lazy)

Obviously, with my delay to get JaFP out not too long ago, I've had trouble getting this out on time as well. What am I, three weeks past what would have been my deadline? I apologize for that. I could have dedicated more time to getting this out, but simply decided not to. I wish I could devote all of my time to writing my stories, but I simply can't.

On the bright side, this will probably be one of the longest gaps between two chapters I'll ever had. It can only get better from here.

With that said, enjoy this little chapter. Big things are on their way.

Beta: Knight of Cerberus

"The second act is about to begin. We'll be busy."

Jaune breathed steadily, his feet trudging through the currently muddy path that had become all too familiar to his team over their time at Beacon, the rain falling on his head annoying him slightly. Over his shoulder Aquila clattered softly against his wet armor, the only reminder his spear was there now that he was used to its weight. It, with Horizon holstered across his back and Crocea Mors strapped to his arm, made him feel secure.

Miss Goodwitch, however, and the words she'd casually – yet eerily – mentioned to him the other day, did not.

The blonde woman had approached him, the day immediately after their mysterious and concerning meeting with the headmaster – which still plagued his thoughts – and told him to meet her at their regular training ground at noon in two days, and there'd be a test waiting for him. Those words probably wouldn't be cause for alarm under normal circumstances.

But Goodwitch never gave tests. She'd 'tested' them before, JWYN, as a whole. She faced off against them nearly every day, with the exception being the past week or so, but she never actually gave them a test.

The boy drew in a breath through his nose, taking in the smell of the rain, calming himself. If it truly was a test, then he was taking it alone. Without his teammates.

He was fine with that... but he had to admit: it was a strange feeling.

Keeping an eye on the trees around him as he moved, Jaune considered everything that could happen. Would she take him out to the Emerald Forest in this rain, perhaps? Maybe a one on one, where he was expected to survive for longer than seven minutes against Miss Goodwitch herself? He figured he might be able to manage six minutes, but seven? In this weather? That was pushing it.

The moment Jaune passed into the clearing, a whole new plethora of options had to be considered, taking note of the four grumpy-looking students standing alongside his mentor, instantly recognizable to him.

What's CFVY doing here?

As Jaune moved closer, even more scenarios started popping into his head. Would he have to fight Coco? Yatsuhashi? All of them? The boy swallowed the lump in his throat, stopping across from the five who'd been waiting for him. He'd seen them all fight. Each of them was more than an even match for him.

What did his mentor have planned?

"You're on time" Goodwitch called out. "See, CFVY? We didn't have to wait long."

"He could have been early though. Then we could have started early, and maybe gotten out of this damn rain already."

"You knew it was going to be raining today, Coco. You refused to bring an umbrella, because you said you didn't have one that would look good with your top." Yatsuhashi remarked, probably the longest sentence Jaune had ever heard the boy say. "You also said none of us were allowed to bring umbrellas, because we would all suffer together as a team."

"My ears are cold..." Velvet complained.

The blond boy recognized the banter for what it was – an attempt to distract him, to not give him time to think. "Okay... so I'm here." He casually mentions, reminding the others of his presence.

Goodwitch scrutinized him for a moment. "...I'm assuming I don't have to ask you whether or not you're prepared?"

Coco Adel barked out a short laugh. "Everytime I see him, I still can't believe he lugs all those weapons around with him."

The rest of CFVY, and even Miss Goodwitch, turned to the team's leader.

"You have a minigun in your purse." The dark skinned member of the team mentioned plainly.

Jaune couldn't see past the girl's sunglasses, but he was sure she blinked once or twice, before turning. "Shut up."

"I really don't know why I put up with you. Can we get this show on the road?"

It seemed like the majority shared his sentiment with regards to getting out of the rain as quickly as possible. "What am I doing?" He asked.

"We'll get to that eventually, Jaune." It still bothered him slightly, Goodwitch using his first name – especially in front of other students, like Coco, who he was pretty sure his mentor would still be referring to as Miss Adel. "I don't need to ask whether you're prepared or not, but I do need to ask you this: How long of an engagement are you prepared for?"

Jaune hummed, thinking at everything he'd packed into his pouch. Checking off his inventory in his head... He realized that wasn't exactly what Goodwitch was asking. "Twenty to thirty minutes of continuous, all-out fighting. An hour and a quarter to an hour and a half of long-term engagement. With just my sword and shield though? Until I drop."

"Excellent. Miss Adel-" Called it. "-what we agreed upon before is still fine?"

"More than fine." Coco had replied, adjusting her stance slightly, with a grin on her face.

That... didn't look promising.

"Jaune Arc." Goodwitch began again, "I'm assuming you're familiar with the members of team CFVY at this point?"

The boy nodded rigidly. "I am."

"Name two of them."

Blinking, Jaune looked over the four members of CFVY. He knew all their names – it was an odd request. "Uhh... Velvet and Fox."

"Tch." Fox clicked his tongue, walking forwards, Velvet following him shortly after. "I'm honestly surprised... I didn't think you'd remember my name."

Jaune looked from Fox, to Velvet, and then back to Fox. They were going to be his opponents? Both of them?

He needed to come up with a strategy, fast-

Fox and Velvet didn't stop before him, instead coming to stand beside him.

"In a moment," Goodwitch called out, "we will begin our three on three match. Jaune Arc, Fox Alistar, and Velvet Scarlatina versus Coco Adel, Yatsuhashi Daichi... and me. You have two minutes to strategize."

Wait, what?

"We were told you're supposed to lead us." Velvet mentioned casually, flicking droplets of water from her top pair of ears. "We'll follow your orders. I can't wait to see more of your Dust rounds in action."

Fox grunted. "You could always just surrender, though. Get us out of this rain..."

Jaune snorted, his mind whirling as he focused on thinking up a plan. "Not an option. Fox, you and Velvet do your best to take down Coco. Yatsuhashi will try to stop you, seeing as he's the heavier close combat fighter, but we're going to try and power through that. The quicker we turn this into a numbers advantage, the better off we... are..." The boy trailed off, noticing both Velvet and Fox staring at him, eyes wide. "What?"

"Have you been watching us train?" Velvet asked curiously.

The blond furrowed his brow in confusion. "No, why?"

"That's what we usually do during our two on two training, when we're put into these pairs." Fox explained. "It'll work well enough. What about Goodwitch?"

"It seemed pretty obvious to me…" Jaune muttered, but he didn't give it a second thought. "We can't do anything about Goodwitch until either Coco or Yatsuhashi is out – preferably both."

"What if they come to us instead?" Velvet asked.

That was a tougher question to answer. "Then we'll retreat. I'll be the rear guard, while you and... Fox, do you know how to shoot?"

"Do I breathe?"

"Right. Stupid question. Take this." Jaune reached around his back, retrieving Horizon, and holding it out to the older boy who was to be his temporary teammate. He also offered two magazines, holding them out as Fox inspected the gun. "You two do whatever you can to hit them while I cover you..."

A thought ran through Jaune's head – a stray one, but a thought to consider regardless.

"Hey." Fox looked up from Horizon, as did Velvet, both of having been inspecting the weapon. "If I go down, I'll get back up. But if I get taken out of the match, however which way, and it becomes a two versus three, you should surrender."

The two members of CFVY stared at him blankly, one of Velvet's ears twitching.

"That's not happening." Velvet stated firmly.

Jaune blinked, taken aback.

"I'll be perfectly honest with you." Fox started, more serious than he had been before. "Did you ever doubt yourself as a leader? If you did, don't ever have that doubt again. But at the same time... never say that to your teammates."

"What?"

The dark skinned boy ran a hand through his hair. "Your teammates? All they have to do is believe. To have faith that you'll pull them through whatever hell you're going up against." Fox took a deep breath. "If they doubt you, they doubt themselves. Coco was like you, once. We learned something the hard way, and now I'm telling you this so you don't have to."

"It's our duty to help you first years." Velvet continued in the boy's place. "No matter what – if it becomes a two on three, or if it's even just myself or Fox against the three of them – we won't stop. Because I get the feeling you won't quit, even if we fall. Because that's what huntsmen and huntresses do. They don't ever give up."

Wow... that was some inspiring stuff. "Thanks guys."

"Well, that isn't the only reason we have for wanting to win..." Velvet admitted, looking to the side, seemingly ashamed.

Fox nodded his head in agreement. "True."

"One minute!" Goodwitch called from across the clearing.

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Jaune felt compelled to ask, looking between Fox and Velvet.

"Goodwitch said if whoever was called to your side won, she'd get each of them reservations for two at Shino's..."

Jaune let out a whistle at that. That was some pretty high class dining. Everyone knew about Shino's. Hell, the head chef was a huge crush of Juncea's all through high school, if Jaune could remember correctly.

Wait, wasn't that bribery? Couldn't they just all go together if the ones on Goodwitch's side let them win?

"It isn't like we don't have anything else to fight for, though." Fox pointed out, answering Jaune's question. "Coco's been bugging me a lot lately, trying to get me to go out clothes shopping with her. Last time I went, she put me in a dress. A dress! It's time for some payback."

Velvet let out something that resembled a growl. "Just the other day, Yatsuhashi teased me by holding my lunch tray way above his head, out of reach."

Jaune was confused by that, tilting his head. "Couldn't you have just taken it back? Can't you, like, jump three stories or something?"

"It's not that I couldn't take it back; it's a matter of principle." She turned, to look at the other group. "Your reign of terror ends here..."

The blond turned to Fox, but the boy just shook his head, as if to say not to bother. "Well, are we all ready?" The CFVY member asked.

Inspiration struck. "Wait." Jaune reached into his pouch. "I have a plan. Like, an actual plan."

Both second-years turned back to him, facing him square on.

He held his clenched hand out to Fox.

"Take this."

"Friend-Nora, what are we going to be doing today?"

Nora turned towards Penny with a bright smile. The Atlesian girl smiled in return a second later, her eyes wide as she waited for a response.

"Today – like every day – we're going to have some fun!" Nora declared, giving the girl a thumbs up. "First things first, though. We're going to see if Ren'll come along with us!"

"Lie Ren? I remember you telling me about him." Penny nodded, before her face contorted to a look of deep thought. "But I remember you saying he was boring, and tends to be a... stick in the mud? That's what I believe I remember you saying."

The hammer wielder felt her cheeks heat up at that in slight embarrassment, before the feeling quickly faded. "Ren is boring. But being around him isn't! You'll see."

The two girls were slowly making their way down the halls of Beacon's dorms, busier than they'd ever been, which was likely a result of the downpour outside: a storm warning grounded air traffic, meaning the first years who were supposed to be headed back to Vale were offered places in the dorms.

Dorms that rightfully should have been theirs... Nora still didn't think that policy made sense at all – the one where the students had to be on a team to stay in a dorm. If there was actually a good reason for it, the girl couldn't think of one. Maybe it was some kind of stupid policy the headmaster couldn't work around? But at the same time, he was the headmaster; what couldn't he work around?

If she was being honest with herself, there was something fishy about all of that... Only three teams of first-years, then grouping up the 'free students' into teams for their second year, instead of just getting them all together to start?

Nora's thoughts strayed to her own, busy team: After classes, Weiss had gone to the library, Yang went somewhere with her sister, and Jaune went to meet Goodwitch for some kind of training – even though that in particular wasn't supposed to be common knowledge. With them all occupied, Nora had decided to visit Penny again, but spending time alone with the girl was taxing, even for her.

So she sought the one other person who could brighten her day.

"This is their room?"

Nora blinked rapidly, having been lost in her own thoughts. She looked up, realizing she was standing outside PBRL's dorm when she hadn't been before.

I've got to stop thinking so much...

She winked at Penny, her friend standing off to the side. "Yep!" Nora gave the door a quick knock, clasping her hands behind her back as she waited.

The door was pulled open, and Nora's eyes met the green of PBRL's leader.

"Hello again." Pyrrha's greeted cheerily, her red ponytail bouncing along with her smile. Nora liked Pyrrha. "Here for Ren? Nevermind, that's really not much of a question." The girl's eyes turned to Penny, tilting her head in curiosity. "And who's this?"

Before Nora could open her mouth to reply, the girl next to her spoke. "I'm Penny. I'm a friend of Nora's. And you are?"

"Pyrrha." The redhead replied with a light smile. "Nice to meet you."

"So... yeah! Here for Ren." Nora confirmed, leaning over a little bit to look into the room. "He is here, right?"

"He's just in the washroom. You two can come in," Pyrrha offered, stepping back, "but please be quiet."

"Okay."

Walking into PBRL's room, Nora took but a moment to glance around. The layout was generally the same as her own dorm, save for the abundance of books on the shelves and the lack of fancy paintings Weiss felt the need to put up. In one of the beds in the corner of the room, a pair of eyes poked up over the top of a book, and the girl behind it offered a wave. Nora waved to Blake in return, smiling politely.

She looked... she looked like she needed a really long nap. Perhaps that was why Pyrrha wanted her and Penny to be quiet?

"Please, make yourself at home." Pyrrha offered, laying back down on what Nora assumed was her bed. "Have a seat, if you'd like. Ren probably won't be much longer."

Nora looked towards the closed bathroom door and nodded, pulling their desk chair out and turning it towards the center of the room. She looked to Penny to offer it, but the offer was waved off before she could even ask. "I'm actually surprised you guys aren't with Oobleck."

"He gave us some time off, after what happened a couple days ago."

"A couple- Oh." It wasn't like Nora had forgotten, but it hadn't come to mind immediately. Of course, that might have been because she'd heard about it from Weiss, who heard it from Jaune, who heard it from Yang, who heard it from Ruby. About the White Fang raiding that Dust shipment, and PBRL being there to stop it.

"Yeah, we're still beating ourselves up about it a little." Pyrrha looked over to Blake, whose eyes strayed to the side as she closed her book. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty and all that. There are so many ways we could have gone about that better."

Nora tilted her head. "But from what I heard, you guys did a good job."

"Not really." Blake called out from across the room, sitting up. "Analyzing it, there were actions we could have taken to reduce, well... to reduce the damages and the casualties."

The orange haired girl drew her lips tight. Part of her wanted to ask now about the specifics, and a part of her wanted to wait until she had Ren alone, so she could talk to him about it.

Pyrrha spoke next. "We could have done better, yes. They got away with a lot of the Dust too."

Nora looked back and forth between the P and B of PBRL, both of them seemingly lost in their thoughts. A moment passed, and the clicking of a door latch resounded in the quiet room.

"Oh, Nora."

The girl could feel the grin spread across her face, turning to her long time friend. "Ren!"

The boy just leaving the dorm's washroom smiled – how she enjoyed seeing that – turning off the light behind him. "I'm surprised you aren't with your team." He turned his bright eyes to Penny. "Who's this?"

"This is Penny from Atlas!" Nora jumped on the opportunity. "She's a new friend of mine."

"From Atlas?" Ren pondered.

"Here for the Vytal Festival, and participating in the tournament."

Though she was sure nobody else really noticed it, Nora saw the way Ren's shoulders tensed beneath his shirt, as well as the slight quirk in his lips. In passing, she'd heard of people picking up on subtle cues that people themselves wouldn't notice – usually from knowing somebody so well, and for so long. She'd never really seen those in Ren before, but she was seeing them now.

It was odd, but the boy's slight change in posture, and the silence in the room after Nora's statement told her one thing: Ren was interested in this girl. Not interested-interested, but interested. If it were the other type, Nora would have dragged Penny from the room if it killed her. But it wasn't just Ren. She glanced to the side, noticing Pyrrha looking at the newcomer more intently than before.

The boy offered a curt bow and nod in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

"You're here for the tournament?" Nora heard Blake ask from across the room, turning alongside the foreign girl. "You're a little early."

"I'm here because Headmaster Ironwood considered it an important experience for me to spend time in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. I believe he and my father called it..." The girl paused for a moment, blinking. "I don't recall them referring to it as anything, actually."

Nora looked to Ren, the boy looking back to her with a quirked eyebrow. Nora just shrugged and smiled.

"Wait a minute." Pyrrha interjected. "Ruby told us about you already. I remember." The redheaded girl looked over to Blake, then back to Ren. "Didn't Ruby say something about this earlier, a couple days back? About there being a student from Atlas that team JWYN were showing around Vale?"

"I do remember that." Ren confirmed, a look of recognition on his face as he turned to Penny.

Pyrrha pushed herself up from where she'd just recently sat, walking over. "What's Atlas Academy like?"

Penny seemed to brighten up at that, quickly switching from being taken aback in surprise. Nora just sighed, pulling the chair away from the nearby desk and sitting quietly. One thing Ren had never lost was his curiosity. With his team in on it too, they'd be there for a while.

"Oh, it's wonderful! Let's see... what can I say..."

Jaune panted heavily, ducking behind a fallen log before he heard a sound that had grown equal parts familiar and terrifying. He moved, the log behind him torn to chunks as he searched for new cover. Holding his shield open behind him as best he could while he sprinted further back, he felt one or two rounds ping off its surface, another catching him on his armored shoulder. He cursed as he dived behind a rock, skidding into the mud as the rain pelted him where he lay, catching his breath.

More bullets chipped away at the rock before Jaune heard Coco's minigun wind down – which was just as terrifying as when it spun up. A hand gripped his shoulder, and helped pulled him to his feet. He looked up at the rabbit faunus as he rose, the girl running a hand over her forehead, leaving a smear of mud.

The last three plans they'd tried failed horrendously. Aquila was somewhere back near the clearing, having been knocked from his hands by the sheer force of Yatsuhashi's swings. Fox still had Horizon, and even then, Jaune was sure all he had left were the few Dust rounds he'd given the older student before the battle begun.

All in all, things weren't looking great.

It may not have been the kindest thing, but Jaune didn't waste time thanking Velvet for her help, instead thinking of their next move. "Can you hold Yatsuhashi?"

The girl nodded quickly, her typically upright ears sopping wet, hanging in front of her face a little.

"Then I'll hold Coco. We'll see about giving our first plan another shot. It didn-" Jaune's eyes widened, realizing why he hadn't heard Coco's minigun for a while. "Move!" He pushed against Velvet quickly, moving backwards as Yastuhashi's massive sword cleaved the rock they'd been using for cover. Once the rock was split, the massive boy's head swiveled towards him as Jaune kept backpedaling.

The blond then heard that skin-prickling whirl. For a moment he doubted they could pull it off, before he turned away from the mountain of a man bearing down on him, holding his shield between himself and Coco, crouching for maximum coverage.

He couldn't even count the seconds before the bullets began to rattle against his shield, numbing his arm with the powerful, successive impacts. If he had to choose between trying to block Coco's minigun and trying to block a swing of Nora's hammer, he knew which one would be easier.

Jaune took a moment to glance back in Yatsuhashi's direction, seeing Velvet swinging something large, bright, and blue at him. He could trust her to keep the big guy off his back.

The hail of rounds striking against his shield, Jaune smiled. Was using his shield to protect himself against a barrage of bullets going to become something he did on a regular basis?

The blond kept his balance as best he could while putting one leg behind him, foot digging into the mud. Adjusting the angle of his shield as he leaned forwards, the boy put one foot in front of the other, pushing forward against Coco's assault. He could swear he heard the girl yell something over the pinging noises, but it was distorted.

Jaune's feet found purchase beneath him, and he ran forwards, shield held strong against the stream of metal. The sound of the shots firing got louder as he pushed through, and the boy lowered his shoulder, ready to careen into CFVY's leader.

The rapid pings of the bullets hitting his shield stopped, while the numb feeling in his arm remained. He peeked over the lip of his shield, realizing he'd made a grave mistake as he saw Coco's handbag at eye level for but a moment. His entire world was flipped upside down and turned inside out, his head echoing with pain.

When he finally had the wherewithal to open his eyes again, he took in a gasping breath, before spitting quickly, the earth that somehow found its way in his mouth leaving forcefully. He peeled his face from the mud, feeling it caked with the wet ground. He blinked more rapidly, his head still spinning.

When had he...?

Jaune pushed himself up, grabbing Crocea Mors after seeing it laying in the mud just within his reach, his hand gripping its slick handle. He suppressed a coming sneeze, and assessed the small clearing around him. A clearing that was unfamiliar to him.

A clearing that was fresh.

The sound of metal striking metal – weapons clashing – hit his ears, and he began to move in that direction. It wasn't something so cliché as him having forgot what he was doing, like those times when someone was knocked unconscious in Ninjas of Love. He knew exactly what he'd been doing. He pushed his way between a couple of trees, seeing the bodies moving through the gaps.

Jaune emerged in another clearing. The first three people he noticed were the ones fighting in the middle of the clearing. Yatsuhashi pushed back, sending Fox flying, before being forced to block an incoming kick from Velvet.

"What..." Jaune breathed, looking around the clearing. "...Where's Coco?" He hadn't seen Goodwitch in a while either.

Then, he saw them.

Standing beneath a particularly large tree, not to far away, was his mentor, her arms crossed as she watched the fight unfolding before her. Behind her, sitting up against the trunk of the very same tree, was Coco, the girl fiddling with her beret as she held it in her hands.

Jaune pointed Crocea Mors out towards them, and waited, standing in the rain.

"You were eliminated." Goodwitch called out, not looking over. At the professor's words, Coco looked up in his direction, and waved him over.

Sighing at receiving confirmation of his loss, the blond sheathed his sword and walked over. He'd sort of figured it was the case, but he didn't feel satisfied. He didn't feel like he'd given it his all.

"You did a damn good job for a first year, kiddo." Coco called out as he walked over. "Caught me by surprise with that last charge there."

"Wasn't very effective, though." Jaune offered in a vague sense of protest, deflating more. "You knocked me flat."

"It takes a lot of effort to swing this thing around, as much as I try and make it look easy." She patted the... mini-bag? bag-gun? that was at her side. "Besides, it wasn't like your efforts were wasted or anything. Fox took me out right after."

Jaune heard gunshots, and turned back to the ongoing fight. Fox was still using Horizon, Jaune surprised that he still had ammunition for but a second, until he noticed the pouch slung from the guy's hip. A hand went down reactively, finding that, yes indeed, Fox had taken his pouch.

Taking a moment to more closely examine the fight... the three left standing looked tired. Yatsuhashi knocked Velvet back with the flat of his sword, the girl tumbling through the mud until she rose to her feet, breathing heavily.

Wait...

"You weren't taken out, Miss Goodwitch." Jaune said matter-of-factly, not turning from the ensuing fight.

"I refuse to comment." She answered succinctly

Jaune just shook his head lightly, watching as Yatsuhashi blocked a couple of shots from Fox with the flat of his blade as the dark-skinned boy closed the distance. Once Fox got close enough, he swung around with his left hand, catching the edge of Yatsuhashi's counter attack with one of his arm-blades.

Twisting his arm and back, Fox pulled Yatsuhashi's blade down, jamming the point in the mud as far as he could. Jaune's eyes went wide as Fox pointed Horizon down.

Horizon fired as Fox flipped back, the area around Yatsuhashi igniting in a roaring blaze before it quickly died down in the heavy rain. It didn't look very effective on the surface, as Yatsuhashi was still standing strong, the broadside of his blade having taken the brunt of the blast, but it was the closest they'd gotten to having their initial plan work – and Coco was already out.

Yatsuhashi looked at Fox from beyond his sword's hilt, and took a step forward.

When he went to pull his blade from the baked earth, and it refused to budge, Jaune looked skyward in silent thanks to whatever gods were out there. Velvet ran forwards, Jaune seeing what Yatsuhashi could not. When the larger boy began to turn, the rabbit faunus was already in the air, spinning.

The length of the girl's leg collided with Yatsuhashi's head, and the boy was flipped from the force, falling face first in the mud. Jaune cringed in solidarity as he heard the older student groan from where he was standing. That had to hurt.

"Oh, he's going to feel that one for weeks." Coco noted, Jaune nodding in agreement.

With Yatsuhashi down, Fox mounted his back, putting the edge of his arm-blade to his neck.

It was over.

"The match is over." Goodwitch called out, mirroring Jaune's thoughts.

"Yes! Thank you!" Velvet yelled, throwing her arms in the air, before collapsing to her knees, and then falling onto her back in the mud. Goodwitch started to walk towards the group, Coco standing up to do the same as Jaune followed them.

"Oh, right. Here." Coco turned, tossing him Aquila. "First time seeing that up close. Fancy stuff. I went out and got it after Fox took me out."

"Thanks." Jaune returned Aquila to his back, more thankful she'd returned it to him than for the compliment. He really was thankful: The longer it spent out in the rain and mud, honestly, the more he felt bad about it. As if he'd affronted it somehow.

Maybe that was just Ruby rubbing off on him.

"Nice try, Yats." Coco said as Fox helped the big guy back up, the girl offering Velvet a hand herself. "Looks like JWYN has quite the tactician, doesn't it?"

Now that compliment caused Jaune to blush a little, rubbing the back of his wet head.

"Well." Goodwitch began, everyone present turning to her. "For a three against two match where you assumed you had a disadvantage, that wasn't a bad performance."

Jaune's face scrunched up in confusion. "Three against two?"

"I didn't participate aside from throwing that log at your team at the start of the match." Goodwitch continued. "I put the idea in your head that you'd be at a massive disadvantage, and you acted accordingly. You fought an uphill battle against a force that was – numbers wise – weaker than yours."

Jaune nodded in false understanding. "Why?"

"To put you under pressure." Yatsuhashi answered, scraping the mud from his face. "...this stuff gets everywhere."

Velvet sneezes cutely, rubbing a hand across her own, slightly dirty face. "Fox and I didn't know that..."

"I told them after we'd split into our groups, and I gave you time to strategize." The professor confirmed. "You reacted and performed as I expected."

"And that means...?"

Goodwitch tilted her head at Jaune's urging. "That's a good thing."

Jaune let out a breath of relief at that.

"In a week's time, you and your team will meet me at the training ground. CFVY, report to my office tomorrow morning. You're all dismissed."

Jaune and the members of CFVY watched Goodwitch turn and stalk away, the rain falling around them as they were so quickly dismissed. As appeared to be standard practice, everyone waited until the woman left the clearing before they started griping.

"Everything is cold and wet." Yatsuhashi stated plainly.

"We can finally get out this rain..." Fox sighed. He walked over, his hair disheveled as he held Horizon out for Jaune to take. "Here."

Velvet sneezed again, and looked down at her clothes. "I'm covered in mud. I swear I weigh five pounds more than usual. Let's head back."

"We should all get inside." Coco agreed.

Jaune just stood there in slight wonder, as they began to walk back, himself following a little behind. They weren't going to talk about the fight at all?

"That hurt, Velvet."

Ahh, there it was.

"What do you think has more force? My kicks or Coco's purse? You weren't knocked unconscious from my kick."

At Velvet's words, Coco looked back towards Jaune. The boy met her covered eyes with a tilt of his head. "You okay there, cupcake?" She asked.

The blond blinked a couple times. "Cupcake...?"

"She gives everyone nicknames once she knows them." Fox answered. "She likes to have fun with them. I'm surprised she gave you something so affectionate."

"Really?"

"My nickname used to be 'Big Guy'." Yatsuhashi stated.

"She's been calling me Bun-Bun for weeks."

"I'm still Prick." Fox said dryly. "Since day one."

"Ouch." Jaune offered in sympathy, a smile on his face.

"Tell me about it."

"Hey!" Coco protested. "I'm trying to be generous."

"Try better." Yatsuhashi said in a straight tone.

Everyone turned to look at Jaune as he snorted in laughter. The blond met their eyes, and in the falling rain, he began laughing.

"What?"

"You guys are great!"

That got him an array of smiles, before Velvet began to giggle, followed by the low, rumbling laugh of Yatsuhashi. Coco and Fox joined in their merriment shortly after.

Goodwitch smiled to herself as she stood behind a nearby tree, the leaves above providing her respite from the rain as she watched Jaune and CFVY leave the clearing, laughing amongst themselves as they began to make their way towards Beacon. A part of her wanted to go and get the drop on them, ignoring their surroundings as they were, but she figured she would relent this once.

They'd just finished putting each other through hell, after all.

The blonde professor pushed off from the tree, turning to the small clearing. The discarded casings from the shots of Jaune's rifle, while Fox had been using it. An empty vial of Dust Velvet had used. The lines in the mud where Yatsuhashi's blade had slashed filling with water.

The sound of the student's laughter faded. She crossed the clearing, adding her own footprints to the chaotic ground until she reached the treeline. She pushed through the wet shrubs, finding them only the slightest inconvenience.

Goodwitch eventually broke through into another clearing – the one that had practically been cleared by the fighting. There were still tree stumps scattered throughout, the tops looking like they'd been chewed off by a ravenous beast, or in this case, Coco's minigun.

She supposed they could still be children for a while longer... but they would be Hunters.

A lone Beowolf entered the clearing from the other side, and Goodwitch impaled it on one of the thinner stumps, quickly and efficiently.

She would make them the best.

And that's it for this little chapter. It may not seem like much, but there's little things to pick up here and there that are important. As is the beauty of the limited PoVs.

As for why this chapter may not seem like much? Pardon my language, but we're going to be getting into the shit now. Prepare yourselves. Let me know what you think in a review or PM. Don't forget to wipe.

Later.