The Great Games
Cinder Fall could feel the fire burning in her veins, the power of her semblance flowing alongside the power of the maidens. The heat of it burned away the cold all around her, filled the empty vacuum, made the tundratic landscape blur. At last she was strong, complete, whole. Something more than just another mere woman.
The whipping winds slowed, stilled, finally letting her hear a blessed silence. There was no baying of animals, no screaming of men, no howling of Grimm... just the heat within her breast, the cold air upon her skin, the certainty that she had done it, that what she had sought for so long was finally hers. No more was she chained and bound, now, at last, she was-
Her cup reached her lips, and proved to be empty.
Disappointing and cold reality returned at once, rolling back in as her eyes slowly opened. The teacher's lounge on a Friday morning was a quiet place, with most of the professors absent, preparing for their final day of lessons before the weekend. As she had no such classes, it was the only morning where she allowed herself a few hours of respite to unwind after the stress of maintaining her role.
And, if nothing else, it allowed her to fit with the others.
Today her only company was Arc, though the... unusual doctor had been in the room when she had begun drinking her coffee. Normally she didn't care for it, especially Nirvana... the fugue state left her feeling vulnerable and paranoid, but once in a while one simply had to enjoy the luxuries for what they were.
Otherwise what is the point in having them?
"A pleasant blend today." She murmured, setting her cup aside. "I had feared that dear old Ozpin had left nothing but that mixed variation behind."
Her fellow 'professor' made a sound of agreement, his own empty cup resting beside his armchair. "It's rather bitter when he mixes it, I don't care for it either."
Cinder chuckled, slowly rising to her feet and stretching. Jaune's attention wavered along her body, but only for the barest of moments. Proof that he was alive, considering her beauty, but likely little else. "Would mind walking with me, Jaune? I had hoped to discuss your lesson techniques."
He regarded her without real expression for several seconds before nodding. "Sure, why not?"
The pair exited the room, entering the main hall, and he kept his strides short to match her relaxed pace as she headed for the nearest exit. She waited until they were outdoors, the cawing of a raven and chatter of children filling the air, then spoke quietly as the way walked down a side path.
"Your companion was rather rough with Emerald on Monday." Cinder murmured, "She was most upset."
"Apologies." Arc replied quietly, "But we had thought that we had all agreed not to step on one another's toes."
"We did," She agreed, "But I had also thought we had agreed to avoid uncouth threats."
He shrugged. "Neo's idea of polite could use some work, I'll admit."
Cinder's lips curled, "It had nothing to do with your lovely sister's presence in Vale?"
Arc was too good a player to let her see him flinch, but his voice came out cooler. "...perhaps it had something to do with it."
She looked away, still smiling, glancing around the beautifully sculpted gardens, the green trees and soaring columns stretching above them. What in the world was a man like this doing, allowing a sibling to enter the picture? An untrained collegiate student of a sibling, if the chatter she had heard from Ironwood and Goodwitch was true.
Are you simply so estranged you did not anticipate it? Or do they not know who you truly are?
"You are a surprising man, Jaune Arc." She murmured, contemplating his puzzle.
To her surprise he replied in the same tones, "You are hard to read, Cinder Fall."
That made her laugh quietly, genuinely pleased. Dealing with him was so much more interesting than managing Emerald's temper tantrum and Mercury's teasing of the irate girl. She idly wondered if he would actually carry out his implied threat, if he would kill her disciple if he believed she was moving against his sibling or his evident own cabal of children.
I honestly believe that you would... perhaps you have some shreds of morality left, some desire to protect meaningless blood, but I do not believe that you would allow such things to stop you from doing what became necessary.
"Relax... I am not in the habit of indirect action." Her left hand rose, resting on his forearm, testing him once more. "I am much like you..I prefer to deal with problems directly."
From the slight exhalation that came from his nose, he felt the heat rising from her fingers, "I can respect that, but all the same I would rather not change my lesson plans."
"And I," She murmured, impressed by the lack of response. "Need free access to the student body. You are not the only one looking for more disciples, dear Jaune."
That seemed to startle him for a bare moment, and her eyes sharpened. "Do not think me blind, Jaune. You've chosen your teams well... you cannot blame me for wanting to keep tabs on them."
Jaune pursed his lips, then reached across with his other hand. She tightened her grip when his fingers touched her wrist, but rather than simply trying to pull, he twisted gently but firmly towards her thumb, her grip breaking at the weakest point without any real pain on her end.
A gentleman, even in a struggle. You are fascinating.
"I can understand that." He said quietly, "Just as you can understand my position. How about an addendum to our arrangement? Team EMRD is clearly the top of their year, they hardly need Neo's supervision anymore. If they want to make friends they have three other years to pick from."
It seemed a fair arrangement on the surface, but for the fact that two of the three most interesting teams at the school were freshman. But then again... she didn't really care, and this served as all the proof that she needed that he did for one reason or another.
"Hmm..." She hummed, letting a frown appear on her face, as though she need to consider it for a few moments. "I suppose that is a fair arrangement."
"Thank you." Arc tipped his head slightly in her direction.
Cinder contained her amusement through long practice, simply smiling slightly as she returned the gesture.
The poor man thought he had scored a point, not realizing her apathy. Not that she could blame him, he was operating under assumptions that he wouldn't, couldn't, know were wrong. Where Jaune believed they were in a race, trying to locate the Relic before the school year ended, before the Festival ended in her case... she knew that she was operating under no such deadline. Beacon would fall, either next month, during the Festival, or at its very end if she had to go to her final contingency.
He needed her distracted, diverted, not looking for hostages in his past... not knowing that she had more than enough time to do idle research. Her plans were in motion, and if Roman was a bit more rebellious than she liked... well, there were plans to deal with that as well.
You already belong to Salem, dear Jaune...
"How have you taken to teaching?" Cinder asked, raising her voice to its normal ranges. She had the confirmation that she needed, that Jaune and Neopolitan were looking to expand their operations with new potentials, and even better, she had an arrangement for them to stop following Emerald and Mercury around.
Now was the time to relax, unwind... and to follow Salem's orders. "Your class seems very highly rated by the students."
Jaune blinked, visibly taken aback by the abrupt change in subject, then he seemed to shrug and accept it. "It's... been surprisingly enjoyable to be honest. Something almost fulfilling."
Cinder chuckled softly, a genuine smile curling her lips. "I know what you mean. Teaching the upper years advanced dust manipulation has proven to be... more informative than I had thought."
"It's amazing what you figure out when you have to look at the basics for the first time in years." He agreed, "Don't you also teach the lower years sociology and politics?"
Her smile faded into a grimace, "Please do not remind me of that course, I deeply regret accepting it."
Arc laughed at that, looking honestly amused. "It's that bad?"
"Worse." She shook her head, "Whatever preparatory school Vale uses taught them little or nothing about the subject, beyond the basic laws that apply to anyone with their aura unlocked. The Atlesians seems to be the only ones who even grasp my lectures."
Which was both a blessing and a curse. It meant that, when the Festival came nearer, and it truly came time to sow discord and animosity between the various groups, it would likely be all too easy. It also meant that, until such time, she was stuck teaching little brats basic political theory and simple sociology... it was enough to make her want to tear her hair out.
True, she could start on the more relevant subjects; the White Fang, Atlesian aggression, Valean hypocrisy on the notion of 'liberty', Mistral's horrible wealth imbalance, or Vacuo's... everything. But while such subjects would indulge herself, let her see the little children crack under the cruel realities of the kingdoms, it would probably also draw Ozpin's attention her way far earlier than she could afford.
So, until the opportune moment came...
"I vastly prefer the upper years." Cinder admitted, "Especially since the course is an elective, and I only have to bother with those who already familiar with the dust techniques in question."
"Tell me about it..." Arc sighed, "I've got one team, FRST, who just does.. not.. get.. it. Individually they're all right, and they're one of the tightest nit teams in terms of personalities, but gods they just aren't improving anywhere close to the others."
"And I trust they are too arrogant to realize it?" She asked.
"Mostly." He shook his head, "They're going to get bounced in the first round of Vytal, horribly. I'm just hoping they all make it through their mid-year assignment."
They likely would, Ozpin would restrict such a weak group to something pathetic so as not to challenge them. Still... perhaps an ideal first round target for dear Emerald.
"Not everyone is truly cut out for this life." Cinder rolled a shoulder. "Some realize that too late to change."
Arc waved a hand, "It's not that they're poor combatants or are awful hunters. They might be at the bottom of their year but they do know how to use their weapons, and they can kill Grimm as well as any other team... they just don't have the drive to do more than that."
"They're mediocre." She couldn't stop the sneer from inflecting her voice. "Little more than exterminators... it's a common enough type of Hunter, as much as many pretend to be something more."
He glanced at her, lifting an eyebrow. "You make that sound like a swear word."
"I despite mediocrity." Cinder fought the urge to summon fire to punctuate her words. "What is it but a contentment with a pointless life? A lack of desire to make ones mark upon the world, to simply shuffle along like a baying sheep until it comes time for your death... to become nothing more than a memory held by a paltry few, and then little more than a statistic in a book somewhere."
Jaune was silent for several steps, "Is it so wrong to want a simple life, a peaceful one?"
She narrowed her eyes, "What is the point of such a life, Jaune? We are given only the one, to waste it... especially for a Hunter to waste it, is something I view akin to insanity. I would have thought you would agree with me, were you not just complaining of your team FRST, that they have no desire to become more than average, typical Hunters? Doomed to live an unexceptional life, all too likely to end in pointless deaths?"
He glanced at her, then sighed and looked away. "I... suppose I do, after a fashion. Remnant... maybe some day it'll be a place where people can all live quiet lives, but between the kingdoms, the Grimm, criminals, discrimination... some days it just feels like too few people even notice how thin of a line we're standing on, and even fewer want to become strong enough to do something about it."
Cinder relaxed slightly, chuckling once more. "Now you understand my frustration with my class."
Jaune seemed to smile, "You're passionate on the subject."
"Everyone has their beliefs." She replied, "This matter happens to be one of mine. Would you be any less emotional if the subject was the Academy of Vacuo?"
The small smile became almost frigid. "...no. No I wouldn't, and I would appreciate it if you," there was a subtle but definite emphasis on the word, "Did not bring it up."
She regarded him obliquely as their paced slowed, allowing them to avoid a group of students heading from one building to another. Ah... an unexpected downside.
Making Jaune believe that Hazel and Tyrian were her subordinates had been intended as nothing more than a throw away line to make it clear he needed to negotiate with her, rather than with anyone else... but that also came with the implication that the attack on his Academy had been her plot, rather than Salem's.
Cinder briefly considered correcting that mistake, but... oblique and quiet conversation was not sufficient for that level of discussion. Not in public, and likely not anywhere in Beacon for that matter. Still, if Salem wished for her to... ingratiate herself with him, to learn his tics and desires to that he could be controlled and drawn in, Cinder would have to reveal that she was not responsible, and do so in a believable fashion.
Perhaps Watts could be utilized... a video recording created? An idea, if nothing else.
"I understand." She injected as much compassion as she could into her voice, "I did not mean to bring up poor memories."
Arc didn't quite look like he believed her, and she sensed that their momentary camaraderie had come to an abrupt end.
Cinder continued before he could speak, "But, I believe that I have grading to attend to before lunch and my weekend. Thank you for the conversation Jaune, perhaps we can speak again another time."
He dipped his head slightly, "Likewise, Cinder... and I'll think about it."
She returned his node before lengthening her strides, noting that he turned away into the gardens almost at once. Probably to track down his partner and discuss what had just happened, much as she herself had a long distance call to make, and a report to compose.
...and grading to do.
Cinder Fall sighed, and once more reminded herself that all of this dreariness would be worth it, someday very soon now... so very soon.
Yang Xiao-Long splashed water in her face, looking up to glare at her reflection. Her normally vibrant and beautiful golden hair was now a dark, ragged black... which was a bitter improvement over what it had looked like when she'd first washed it, saw the black in her hands, and nearly blown the glass door out in her rush to get to the mirror.
She'd looked like she had a giant bumblebee attached to her head, and after an entirely justified interrogation of her team to make sure none of them had been responsible... and thirty frantic minutes trying to wash the crap out, she'd been forced to summon up her backbone and finish the job.
Flat black may have been awful... but it was better than the alternative.
"Yang." Her partner poked her head into the locker's bathroom, "You already missed Port's class, Ruby says you can't miss Miss Goodwitch's."
"I know." She muttered, fighting to keep her eyes from turning red. Yang had seen that version of herself earlier the morning, and had nearly had a heart attack when she realized that she looked exactly like the image of her mother she'd found at Qrow's place. "I'm coming... and I'm going to find out who did this."
Blake sighed, "We know Yang. You've promised us that about twenty times today."
Yang pushed away from the counter, paused to glare at her uniform shoes... "You don't mess with a woman's hair. You just don't. And you definitely don't screw with a Huntress's shoes."
"Such things obviously demand vengeance." Blake drawled, rolling her eyes, "Come on."
Her partner just didn't understand... then again her priorities were generally skewed towards smut, fish, and terrorist activity. Don't get her wrong, Blake was a great partner and was turning out to be a good friend, but there were times where Yang had to wonder just what in the world had happened to make her... Blake, especially when her mother had seemed so normal.
Yang stomped out of the locker room, noting her partner trailing just behind her, as if she intended to push her along if she tried to skip another class. "I'm fine Blake. I'm not crazy enough to skip this and piss off Miss G."
"Considering that we had to stop you from throwing yourself out of the window this morning," Blake replied dryly, "I'm not going to take any chances."
She glowered over her shoulder at the other girl before huffing, bracing herself, and finishing the short walk into the sparring arena. Everyone's attention was mostly on idle chatter, wondering which teams would get sent next door to work with Miss Neo compared to who'd be staying behind with Miss Goodwitch, and no one noticed her slinking into the back as quickly as she could.
Or, no one did until Sun Wukong saw his crush following behind her, and opened his damned mouth when she tried to get around his team to where Ruby and Weiss were sitting near the back.
"Hey Blake, Yanggggg-wow." he completely missed Blake's frantic 'abort' motions, "What's up with your hair?"
Yang felt a muscle in her cheek twitch as her eyes shifted colors. "Why? Is there something wrong with my hair, Sun?"
"N-no! Of course not!" The boy backtracked as quickly as he could, desperately looking for help among this friends and finding them all wisely looking in other directions. "You... look great?"
Her hands reached down and grabbed his shirt. "Do I? You like dark haired girls do you... were you the one who did this?"
Sun blinked a few times, leaning back as best he could, "Um... I'm not really sure what you're talking about?"
Blake stepped around her, gently tugging at her wrists, "Yang, Sun didn't do it, you really need to calm down."
Calm down? Calm down!? Her glorious mane was ruined! Nothing about this was worth being calm about!
"I'm sorry." Her partner continued, nudging her to keep going. "She was pranked this morning, and she's a little sensitive about it."
"Ohhhh..." He nodded slowly, "You ladies need help tracking them down?"
"No." Yang said flatly. "I'm going to deal with this myself."
Sun shrank back at her tone, chuckling awkwardly and rubbing the back of his head as she stomped past him and up the stairs. Ruby was shaking her head at her while Weiss checked something on her scroll, not so much as looking up before offering an amused, "So, you decided not to hang yourself after all."
Yang glowered at her, dropping onto the bench beside her sister with a huff. "I'm still not convinced it wasn't you."
"I would have used a color other than black." Weiss replied as she collapsed her scroll, "And I wouldn't have lowered myself to touch your man-shoes."
Her fingers twitched. "...Ruby, hit your partner for me."
Ruby groaned, "Yang, Weiss, please-"
The bell interrupted her, everyone falling quiet as it tolled. Miss Goodwitch didn't wait more than a few seconds after it ended before raising her voice, "Teams RWBY, RAVN, SSSN, and MINT please proceed to Arena Two with Professor Neopolitan."
Scowling, she hauled herself right back up to her feet, trudging along with the others. Her mood was not improved by a flash of light as soon as she stepped into the next room. She blinked furiously to clear her vision and saw Miss Neo lowering her scroll, smirking as she regarded the picture she'd just taken.
"Oh no..." Ruby murmured as she abruptly veered away from the stands, heading right for the tiny woman.
The tiny professor looked up at her as she approached, her head tilting in a silent question.
"Did you do this?" Yang asked, barely managing to keep her voice low. "I haven't even looked at Jaune's ass in at least a week!"
That seemed to amuse the hell out of the older woman, who simply smirked and shook her head.
Yang felt her eyes narrow as she thought about it. Miss Neo was always a bit of a troll, so she could have been lying... but if she had done it, she would have probably going for something way worse than basic black, and she would have done more than just the ineffective prank on her shoes.
"... but you know who did, didn't you?" She asked.
The smirk widened, and that was answer enough even if she didn't nod or shake her head.
"Who!?"
A petite hand waved and made a shooing motion as the professor turned away, heading for the console near the back of the room. Yang felt her fists clench before she forced herself to relax. Right... didn't offer her payment.
Nora had gotten Jaune's lesson plans, such as they were, by buying her a bunch of ice cream... if she offered her a few bottles of booze, she could always steal them from Qrow, that would definitely be enough.
I just have to be patient.
That wasn't exactly her strong-suit, her uncle had nicknamed her firecracker for more than just her semblance, but it wasn't like she had to wait for very long. Just until class was over. She could survive that long... and she was definitely going into Vale to try and find something to fix her glory anyway. She could swing by her uncle's condo and see what she could acquire at the same time.
Letting a heavy breath of air, she turned around and walked back to the stands, finding a spot between Ruby and Ilia. A sharp whistle from the teacher made everyone look up as the display started up, two spinning images blurring as she used a randomizer to find opponents for them. Not wanting to sit down and have to get right back up again, she crossed her arms and remained standing until the images settled on Sage and Tealle, the two boys hefting up their heavy weapons before trotting out.
Damn...
"Don't worry Yang." Ruby patted her arm as she sat, "You'll get to blow off some steam. It's a double today, so you'll get two for sure."
"I'd just rather it be sooner." She muttered, trying to ignore the eyes she could feel staring at her as another whistle signaled the start of the fight.
The men were pretty evenly matched, Sage with his heavy sword up against Tealle with his halberd, but even a few seconds in it looked like the guy from Haven was going to take the fight. He wasn't all that much more skilled than the Beacon student, but he seemed to already know how to counter the quick cutting motions and slashes from Tealle's weapon.
...oh yeah, Neptune uses a weapon like that. Probably trains against it all the time.
Yang exhaled, leaning back and wishing she was de-stressing via combat instead of being stuck watching Tealle trying to think his way out of his situation. That left her stuck thinking as well, and she really only had the one thing on her mind. Her first suspects had been Weiss, because the Weiss-queen had gotten vocal about her lack of appreciation for her awesome puns, and then Miss Neo, because Jaune was hot and the other woman was possessive as hell.
She believed them both, which didn't leave her with many options as to who could have gotten into and out of their room, and who would have also wanted to prank her in such a vicious fashion.
"Come on..." Yang muttered as the spar continued to drag on, both guys fighting way too cautiously. "Get it over with, I want to fight."
"Impatient much?" Ilia asked with a slight glance at her.
"You know how much work I put into looking this..." She shook her head, "As good as I normally do? I look ridiculous."
"I don't know," The other girl murmured, turning her attention back to the fight. "I think it really brings out the red in your eyes, makes a nice contrast."
Yang glowered at her, "Don't start, I got enough of that from Rubes trying to cheer me up."
Ilia chuckled and shook her head, and sounded like she was fighting not to laugh. "Typical Ruby."
"It does though!" Ruby protested, leaning forwards, "I mean, it's not like it looks bad, just different!"
"Thanks Rubes." Yang absently reached over to ruffle her sisters hair, making her promptly flail and bat at her hand, "Look, I'll admit it could be worse, but there's things you just don't do! And touching Yang Xiao-Long's hair is one of them!"
Blake sighed from Ruby's other side, "Dramatic as ever."
Yang glowered at her partner, and was about to respond when the fight ended at a piercing whistle from Miss Neo. A look back at the arena showed her hands on her hips and face tilted skywards, her default 'why did I get stuck teaching these idiots' pose. Tealle flinched, though Sage didn't quite recognize it until she strode back to the console and started typing.
The only thing I could learn from you two is how to imitate the speed and grace of rocks, and slow, fat rocks at that. The woman paused, glowered at them both, and then resumed, You two are going to fight Rose and Nikos once your aura is recovered.
If she'd been in a better mood, she'd have felt sorry for the two guys. Her sister and Pyrrha were some the most stupidly aggressive people in their year, excepting herself. Miss Neo's teaching style seemed to rely on her picking out your weakness, and then repeatedly hammering you over the head with it until you got better. It wasn't usually fun... but she'd admit it seemed to be making them all better.
Miss G must have asked her to go easy on them for at least one of the day's fights, because she didn't keep berating them, and instead of picking out two students the randomizer spun once more... and again, her face didn't come up. Instead Meral and Sun trotted out, the boy's staff and the girl's gunblade smashing into each other a second or so after the starting whistle.
"At least this one will be faster." She murmured before leaning forwards and raising her voice. "Nora! You want to volunteer for a brawl with me after this one?"
"Sure!" The other girl cheered from across Pyrrha and Ilia, looking as excited for a good fight as ever.
Yang grinned, feeling herself relax a little, then found her grin falter for a moment as she noticed something. When she'd learned forwards, both Ilia and Pyrrha had shifted slightly away, and seemed engrossed in the fight to the point where they didn't even glance at her. Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer to the faunus girl, getting into her bubble and finally making the other girl turn to look at her.
"You... want something?" Ilia asked. "I didn't think you swung my way."
The words were light and bantery, but where her freckles... a little orange?
"Pyrrha." She asked, her eyes closing to near slits. "What do you think of my hair?"
Pyrrha shifted a little, glancing at her for a bare moment before looking away. "It's quite lovely Yang, I don't think it's that bad."
Yang felt her eyes widen. "It was you!"
Everyone around jumped in surprise at her sudden shout, and from the cursing from the ring she'd managed to startle both of the fighters still going at it.
"I d-don't know-"
"You're stuttering!" She stabbed a finger at Pyrrha, "And all shifty, not looking at me, and you!" Yang felt her eyes redden as she glared at Ilia,"You're acting all smug and cocky and trying not to laugh! You... you...!"
Ilia smiled, leaning back against Pyrrha's side while the champion flushed and looked anywhere but at Yang. "Ruby, I think you should look after your sister, she's getting paranoid in her old age."
Yang felt her jaw drop, then a whistle made her head whirl around as the fight ended with Sun's victory. "Professor! I want next fight, and I want Ilia!"
Miss Neo had been half-way back to he console, and turned to stare at them. She regarded them both, seemed to shrug and smirk, then beckoned them forwards.
Ruby tried to grab her, but Yang was already out of her seat and moving forwards, Ilia following more sedately behind after saying something to her partner. Meral and Sun edged around her, and it was only then that she realized her dark hair was shimmering with heat.
"You really need to relax." Her opponent.. no, the vile fiend who had ruined her hair shook her head as she approached, "It'll wash out in a couple of days, week or three at the outside."
A week or... Yang shook her head, lowering her voice, "Why?"
"Let's just say Pyrrha and I made a little bet on how you'd react." Ilia's own eyes flickered to red when she blinked, her weapon coming up to an at-ready stance.
They'd made a... "You bet on... oh. Oh... you, uh, found out about that?"
"Yes." The other girl stated flatly, narrowing her own eyes. "Consider this a formal declaration of war."
Yang exhaled and brought her arms up. That explained this, almost entirely, and she wasted most of a second wondering how they'd found out... Then she remembered that her hair was black and that she was going to spending all weekend trying to get super-glued teflon pads off of her favorite shoes.
"You're supposed to do that before you launch a sneak attack on someone." Ember Cecilia whirred as she flexed, expanding over her hands and forearms. "And usually after you, ya know, negotiate for a bit."
Ilia's own weapon shifted as she loaded dust, the lines of it filling in with a golden glow as the dust was drawn through the entire whip. "I've never really been one for rules."
Her lips twitched. "Yeah... me neither."
And then, without waiting for Miss Neo to tell her to go, or for Sun and Meral to get entirely clear, she flung herself forwards, leading with her right fist.
Normally Jaune's Fridays were fairly relaxed. He'd have a slow day finishing up his grading, perhaps a student or two would come by to complain about something, then there would be a meeting with Ilia in the evening, which usually meant a nice spar. After that, a pleasant dinner with Neo before she went off exploring, and he'd be able to get plenty of sleep before a busy Saturday.
He should have known that today would be different, considering it had started with a rare sighting of an introspective Neo, and it had followed it up with mixed messages from Cinder. On one hand, she'd been her usual criminal, threatening, arrogant self... on the other, she'd been almost relaxed, bantering with him like any other coworker.
It either meant she wanted something, was trying to manipulate him, or... she was just a woman delighting in being complicated for its own sake.
Still, Bart stopping by in the afternoon to have a pleasant chat over tea had seemed safe enough, and he'd welcomed the older man in without any real worries.
"No students this afternoon?" His friend asked as he settled into an armchair, Jaune gratefully leaving his desk chair behind to sit across from him instead.
"No, not today." He replied, groaning as he sat back in the far more comfortable seat. "An Atlesian girl with a crisis of confidence this morning, I let her vent about not being good enough for her boyfriend for most of an hour and she seemed to feel better after."
Oobleck chuckled, "Ah, to be young again. Still, I'm surprised, I expected more students to avail themselves to your services."
Jaune shrugged, sipping his hot tea. "I said the same thing to Ozpin... last week I think. He said he wasn't, that it was a pride thing. That he expected this to be a long term kind of build-up, letting me interact with the freshman and getting them to trust me enough to talk with me. Or... I think that was the gist of it."
"Dozed off again?"
"Spat coffee everywhere." He corrected him, with a small smirk. "We were in the library and he made the mistake of trusting another one of his hidden cups."
Bart snorted and shook his head, "And he still has no idea that your darling partner is behind it?"
"Doesn't seem to." Jaune said with another shrug, "So far as I know only you and Glynda have figured it out, and she's obviously not about to tell."
"He has been far more... alert without his addiction." Bart nodded, but there was a frown behind his glasses as he did. "Still, he is also far more... I suppose the word grim is the only word that seems to apply. He spends even more time in his office where he trusts the coffee without reservation."
Jaune blinked and then frowned as well, "You think it means something?"
"Ozpin has led a... long life." His friend shook his head, "And we all have our coping mechanisms, I believe he was merely a little too attached to his crutch. He'll adjust in time, so long as he isn't cut off entirely or allowed to over-indulge once more."
He hadn't really thought about it like that before, and it made him feel a little bad about Neo's pranks. Just because he was professionally opposed to the man for hiding the Relics in schools, and allowing people like Haley to run said schools, that didn't mean he wished him ill personally. Then again... some of the things that Ozpin had done in his coffee-induced hazes had been irritating and disturbing enough that it was clear he'd needed to cut back. Maybe this was a rougher way of doing it, but at least it seemed to be doing something.
"But," Oobleck continued, leaning forwards almost eagerly, "I believe that's enough serious chatter. I believe it was your turn, was it not?"
Jaune grinned into his tea, taking another sip, "It was, yeah. Let me guess, the Tomb of the Fallen King?"
Bart nodded, "I still cannot believe someone your age made that trek."
"It's not all that far from the Krauf mines really." He waved a hand, "Actually... it was about the nearest place we could get to, since the White Fang didn't want us using the rail lines after that debacle. Neo and I told the others about it, and we decided to hold up there until a storm passed and we could signal someone in Vacuo for a ride."
"Here we are." Jaune exhaled through the cloth covering his mouth. The storm was still a ways off, but bits of sand and dust were already getting kicked up. "Right on time too."
"Yeah yeah." Charcoal grumbled through her own makeshift mask, already moving past him, her bared arms covered in deathstalker-themed tattoos. "Brag about it later, get us inside now."
He rolled his eyes, making Neo shake with silent laughter as they started after her. Rajah and Fusia trailing behind, the taciturn husband and wife quiet as ever, while Vest brought up the rear with his ax lazily held on a shoulder, his deep tones carrying easily, "Surprised the SDC hasn't staked out this place... or that the Fang didn't use it as a base."
Jaune shrugged, "From what we read, the migratory tribes like to make pilgrimages here, and they don't much care for people trying to exploit it."
The older man's voice turned dry, long salt and pepper hair whipping behind him as the wind kicked up another notch. "And you're leading us here?"
"We're seeking shelter, not grave robbing." He flapped a hand at the approaching wall of sand, "And if you want to stay out here, be my guest."
"Fair enough."
The Tomb of the Fallen King, the last true ruler of all of Vacuo before the Atlesians, Valeans, and Mistralians had started carving up the resource rich but militarily weak kingdom for their own, was set against an ancient cliff facing. Recessed statues stood silent guard, all of them faunus women, the most ornately carved that of his personal bodyguard, the same woman who give birth to the dynasty that would go on to rule the increasingly constrained kingdom until the Great War.
"Fetish much?" Fusia muttered as the reached the entrance, having clearly noted the uniform nature of the statues.
"Everyone's got a weakness." Her husband shrugged. "What do you know about the tomb itself kid?"
"Not as much as I'd like." Jaune admitted, pulling his scroll out for light. The first chamber was fairly large, but entirely open, kind of a reception area where priests would have met with pilgrims if he remembered the books correctly. "If you guys want to start setting up camp here, me and Neo-"
"Neo and I." Charcoal interrupted.
"...Neo and I for the grammar terrorist." Jaune continued, earning a rude gesture from the huntress, "Can check the back rooms for Grimm or squatters."
"Works for me." Vest nodded, glancing at them all before falling into his commanding role, much as he had at the mess they'd just left. "We'll probably be here until the storm passes, then I can call a friend for an airlift. Let's get a fire setup and some food cooking, and make sure there aren't any snakes or scorpions in here to bother us while we sleep. Rajah? Take a rest, you're taking first watch. I want..."
Jaune stopped listening as he and Neo got moving into the only hallway, heading farther underground. It began to split off almost immediately, but they ignored those side passages in favor of the main run. They'd have to check them later, naturally... but it was the central chamber where they hoped to see if there was anything worth learning here.
And, he admitted to himself, It'll keep our minds off of what just happened.
Even slightly thinking about it made him shudder and draw closer to Neo, then nearly stumble as he remembered exactly what they'd done in an old cot two nights ago. His partner noticed his distraction and smirked-
"Jaune, please keep your focus on the archaeology." Bart sighed. "I don't need the details."
Jaune glowered at him, "One, I wasn't going to give you any. Two, this is my story, isn't it? Did I interrupt you once when you described that catacomb you found in Mantle, even when you went on the tangent about that Atlesian woman you were with?"
"I suppose you did not." His friend set his empty tea cup aside, "My apologies, do continue."
He sighed. "The tomb itself is... well, it's huge. Way larger than you'd think from the outside, and even from the inner chamber. He apparently had it built to hold his entire family, and all of the descendants that he thought he would have. Mostly it's just empty rooms with half-carved murals, except the area where he is and where he interned his siblings and parents."
Bart perked up, "They are still intact?"
"Mostly." Jaune shifted a hand back and forth, "Quite a few of them have been damaged, you can tell where raiders and bandit tribes have taken up residence once and a while to avoid storms or Grimm. But the core chamber itself is entirely intact, if missing any gold or valuables he was buried with."
Which had been good, in that it had let him and Neo look at all of the old artwork carved into the stone and try to find any hints of Relics. But it had also been disappointing, since aside from a few weird images of his wife with fire emerging from her eyes while she floated above the ground, probably a stylized picture of some kind of semblance, there hadn't really been anything of note.
"It' is incredibly well carved." He focused on what his audience would want to know, "I mean, they even chiseled out the writing on the scrolls that people are holding... and you can read it!It's also kind of depressing in areas though... they had scenes of him receiving diplomats from the foreign kingdoms. Their offers of technology and pieces of paper for dust, slaves, that kind of thing."
Bart sighed, knowing how that story had gone. "And I'm sure it recorded his refusal, but not of the events after his death."
"Pretty much."
The other man lapsed into silence for a moment, then shook himself, rising to head to the kitchen. "More tea? Excellent, were you able to see the sarcophagus itself?"
Jaune nodded and described the intricacy of the stone work, and the fact that it had been made of solid stone was probably the only reason it hadn't been taken away with all of the gold that had probably once been scattered around it. Midway through Neo returned from her last class with Glynda, looking incredibly pleased with herself, even as she rolled her eyes and dramatically signed the word 'nerds' before heading to the bedroom to get cleaned up.
"Ah, Miss Neo." Bart smiled when she emerged, "Jaune was just telling me about your visit to the King's tomb in Vacuo. Fascinating place, I hope to visit myself some day."
Neo shook her head, flicking her hands quickly while Jaune translated, "She hopes you like sand and Deathstalkers."
"There were Grimm inside then?"
He sighed and nodded, "Once you started into the side passages... yeah. Let's just say we had a more active two days waiting out that damned sandstorm than we'd hoped."
Oobleck sighed as well, "The Grimm, always finding a way to make history difficult to learn... ah, well. Thank you for the discussion Jaune, the same time next week? I don't want to intrude upon your time together."
Jaune waved a hand, "She's taking RAVN out clubbing, I'd appreciate the company for dinner if you're not busy."
The doctor seemed about to agree when there was a rapid knock on the door. Jaune glanced at his clock, grimaced as he noticed he had five minutes before he officially 'closed', and then raised his voice, "Come in."
His door promptly swung open to reveal Yang... who looked wildly different with raven-black hair. It was actually rather astonishing what that simple shift did, removing the almost soft glow and leaving nothing but dangerous strength behind. "Jaune, Miss Neo... sorry for the time!"
"It's all right." He shook his head, from the way she half-stumbled in and leaned on the back of his couch, she'd sprinted here after a fast shower that had left her hair still wet. "In a rush?"
"Yeah... wanted to catch you, before you let." She shook her head, reaching up to run a hand through her hair and wincing. "Um... can I borrow a towel? Sorry about the floor."
"Go for it."
Yang gave him a quick grin and slipped into the kitchen, grabbing a the two towels hanging from the small oven to start dabbing at her rough ponytail. Bart regarded her almost... strangely, shaking his head a little.
"You all right?" He asked, lowering his voice.
"Hm? Oh yes, just, startled I suppose." Oobleck shook his head, "With her hair, she looks almost exactly like... well, it doesn't matter."
Jaune frowned, shared a confused look with Neo, and was about to push when Yang returned, still working on her hair. "I need your help getting back at Ilia and Pyrrha for their sacrilege."
"Sacrilege... long word, and I'm not sure it really applies." He leaned back in his chair, "What could you need our help for? This isn't something teachers should be involved in."
She held up her hands, "Woah, totally not asking for you, know direct help. Just supplies. I need... some of the you-know-what."
Jaune had to blink a few times before sighing. "Really? For what exactly?"
Yang glanced at Bart rather pointedly, "Uh... reasons?"
"Jaune..." Oobleck sighed, "Please tell me you haven't been giving students any of Ozpin's coffee."
The girl's awkward wince and even more awkward look of confusion gave it away before he could even try to lie.
Dammit Yang... "Very limited situations where I think they need to relax." He glared at Yang and got an apologetic grin and a shrug in return. "And again, what could you possibly need some of it for?"
"Well..."
There were advantages to being able to turn into a raven, though the sensation of transforming back was never one she would get used to.
She landed lightly in the pretentious club's upper floor, behind some vibrating sound equipment and out of anyone's sight. Of course the cameras would record her suddenly appearing, but she hardly cared, and the nearby college teens were too high to even notice her as she strode past them.
All around, people, mostly civilians, most of them with more money than brains, danced, drank, drugged, and otherwise tried to pretend that they weren't on Remnant for a few hours.
"Idiots." Raven murmured as she removed her mask. It had its uses, its role, but tonight it would simply draw more attention to her.
Once it was secure on her belt, she cast a final glance around, located her target, and began striding down the stairs. They'd been designed to make it hard for two people to walk up and down without touching each other, but no one made the mistake of coming anywhere near her. The entire stairwell cleared out to make room before she was a third of the way down.
Thus proving that even idiots still possess some survival instinct.
The bartender and owner noticed her approach, as he should have, and motioned for his little twin goons to stay back. A man who knows his strength, his limitations... rare, in this day and age.
"What can I do for you, Huntress?" He asked as soon as she was at his bar.
"Whiskey." Raven answered, "A booth, and a glass of your worst sent the moldy Hunter sulking in the corner."
The bearded man stared at her for a few moments, then frowned. "I know you from somewhere... someone was looking for you."
Her eyes narrowed, even as she felt a small stirring of pride in her chest. Yang was willing to come to an underworld bar for information? Perhaps her fool of a father hadn't quite indoctrinated her after all.
"Drinks and a booth, or should I emulate a certain blonde?" She offered, "I can assure you that you won't be re-opening once I am done with you."
He flinched and spread his hands, "Take booth twelve, down at the end. Tell the kids to beat it. Drinks will be sent out shortly."
Raven regarded him flatly, then pulled out a card of lien and tossed it onto the bar. He picked it up, started slightly at the value, then seemed to get understand her message and nodded. "Good business, I hear you. She won't hear about you from me or mine."
She tipped her head before turning and striding away, a hand casually resting on the hilt of her weapon. More civilians tittered and drank, but even in inebriated ones could recognize a huntress when they saw one and none came near her. Aside from her fool of a brother and a few inebriated students dancing, the only true hunter within the building was the intriguing mute from Beacon.
The tiny woman noticed her at once, her back straightening as her hands vanished beneath her own table. Raven slowed, staring back as pink eyes tracked her movements. There was no spark of recognition in those eyes, but there was strength. She met Raven's gaze without fear, and was clearly ready to either fight or flee if she felt threatened.
Not tonight, little huntress... but soon.
Raven turned aside, moving beyond the girl's view before settling into the booth while a pair of startled, pimpled college boys stared at her from over drinks that even she could tell held nothing more than a light splash of alcohol. When they didn't get the immediate hint, she pointedly unbuckled her weapon and hefted it up beside her before leaning an arm on the table and stating without any inflection, "Get lost."
They nearly moved as quickly as Summer's brat in their haste to flee, and she settled back into the comfortable leather. She did not have to wait long before a waitress silently bustled over, placing a drink before her before retreating just as quietly and rapidly.
Bribe or no bribe, she still took a small tester from a pocket and checked it for toxins before lifting it to her lips, sipping the sharp alcohol as she waited. It wasn't a long one, her brother cautiously approaching, a hand on the hilt of his own weapon as soon as he spotted her.
"Raven." He didn't quite growl her name, tossing his drink onto the table. "What do you want?"
"A girl can't catch up with her family?" She asked with as much saccharine sweetness as she could manage.
Qrow snorted, "She can, but you're you. What do you want?"
"You to stop pestering me for one." Raven replied, "The screeching yesterday wasn't terribly manly, brother mine."
His eyes narrowed as he lifted the cheap drink, throwing the swill back without more than a slight grimace. "I'll stop when you leave Yang alone. Stop watching her in her outdoor classes."
Raven sipped from her glass, narrowing her own eyes in return. "She's gotten strong."
"Knock it off." Qrow's voice lowered further, his rasp becoming a snarl. "You lost your rights to her a long time ago, when you left Tai to raise her alone."
"Hardly alone." She spat, the old anger resurfacing. "And at least I didn't abandon my duty to the Tribe like you did."
"No," He retaliated, "You just left your daughter, your husband, me, Summer, Oz... for a bunch of murderers and killers. What do you call that besides abandoning us?"
"Leaving that old fool and his little cabal was an act of sanity. And the Tribe..." Raven countered, nearly rising before she caught herself. As pleasant as it would be to beat her little brother's smug face in... this wasn't the time or the place. "No, I won't allow you to bait me. I'm not here to talk about the Tribe, or about Yang. I'm here to talk about the enemy."
Qrow stared back at her, then visibly forced himself to sit back as well. "Since when do you care? I thought you were out."
"Out of Ozpin's control." She replied flatly. "Not off of Remnant entirely. It's not safe at Beacon. Neither is she, if she's even still breathing."
Her brother's jaw worked, he was clearly uncomfortable with her knowledge. "They're safe enough at the school."
She nearly laughed in his face. The old wizard had allowed not one, but two different groups to infiltrate his fortress, his bastion, and if her guesses were anything like correct, neither wished him well. If anything he was lucky they seemed to dislike each other as much as they disparaged him, it was the only reason she was going to give him any kind of chance in the game that was unfolding.
Still... it didn't matter. His precious Relic of Choice was anything but safe, and his naive fool of a Fall Maiden would be dead before the year was out.
"Beacon is going to fall." Raven informed him, stating the reality of it in as cold, blunt terms as she could to get it into his thick skull. "Ozpin is going to fail. If they are to be kept out of her hands, they need to be moved."
"Where?" He asked, sarcasm dripping so thick they'd need a mop to clean it up, "To the Branwen tribe? Maybe the Corrawen? How about we hide them in the ruins of the Academy, I'm sure the criminals squatting there won't sell it to the highest bidder."
"I don't care where." She hissed. "Atlas, Menagerie, Shade, wherever. Vale and Beacon are doomed, what do you not understand about that?"
Qrow snorted, "Jimmy's little legion of airships... the army... me and the rest of Oz's hunters... take your pick sis."
"Tch." She looked away, throwing back the last of her drink. Useless... as blind a fool as ever.
"You should come back."
"What?" Her head snapped around, eyes locking onto his.
"You should come back." He repeated, more quietly. "Look, you don't want to work with Oz, fine, but we could use your help all the same. You don't have to take his orders or be on our side to oppose that creature. If you know something that might help, we need to know it. Yang still has her one save, doesn't she? Wouldn't this count?"
Raven scoffed, "If you're going to try and manipulate me, at least be subtle about it. This is insulting."
Her brother stared at her, playing with his empty glass, then shook his head and changed the subject. "You know Tai's looking for you? He make it to Mistral?"
She concentrated for a moment, focusing on her semblance, then shrugged. "He's landed on the southern coast, alive if you're so concerned that the White Fang would kill him."
And they'd tried. It had been nearly a guilty pleasure to watch him in action last night, seeing the dragon emerge, the little terrorists falling to its power. They hadn't even been particularly subtle about their following him, though they'd at least had the sense to wait until he was away from Menagerie. Not that it had helped them any, he'd treated it like it was a particularly droll warm-up for an actual fight that didn't have the decency to happen.
Qrow nodded slightly "You going to talk to him?"
In response she grabbed her weapon's handle, sliding out of her booth and rising to her feet. "Let me know when you come to your senses."
He caught her wrist before she could move past, turning to glare up at her. "Not yet Raven. I have more questions for you."
"And why," She rolled her arm, breaking his grip before reaching for her weapon. "Should I care?"
"Because I think you know where Spring is." He replied, lowering his voice. "Your semblance is good, but it's not jump across continents powerful, not at the rate you're using it. If you know where she is, I need to know."
Raven regarded him stonily, her hands automatically affixing her blades to her belt once more. "You need a lot of things today, brother. Maybe you should man up and actually do some legwork of your own for once."
"You have her, don't you?"
She ignored him, turning away. She had other things to focus on than a whining fool of a sibling, who had forgotten what it meant to be loyal to his own people, who instead followed a senile old fool who had spent millennia only barely keeping Salem at bay.
It doesn't matter, I warned him.
Qrow and Tai had chosen their paths, chosen to believe in Ozpin. They're strength had seen them survive that mistake, much as her own had once upon a time. But against what was coming...
Letting the Fall Maiden fall into Salem's hands was unacceptable, but something she didn't think she could personally influence. Not without being dragged back into the open of the eternal conflict. Her power could keep the Tribe safe, but it was a power she had to restrain and hide. They were only safe so long as Salem and Ozpin thought of them as nothing more than another group of bandits. So long as the two unkillable creatures disguised as something like humans were focused on one another, and not on her people.
But if we controlled not one Maiden, but two...
It was a thought she hadn't truly considered until she'd seen a tiny woman appear out of thin air in Ozpin's office, and then vanish after rifling through his desk as though she'd never been present at all. Until she'd seen two new professors at the school, studied them, observed them... and watched through a window as they plotted out a map of the ruins beneath the school.
It's still a risk. I don't know their end game, their objective. They could very well be Salem's left arm, acting without total knowledge of the right.
She glanced at the booth as she passed it once more, and once more found two eyes locked onto her own as she strode by.
I won't make the mistake of blind trust ever again. Once I know your objective... know if you are truly your own masters... then we will talk, or I will abandon this place to its fate.
Thought we could get a little glimpse into how I view Cinder's head, and just what might be motivating her given her evident desires. Yang... well, we seemed to be a little overdue for a bit honest teenagers-going-to-teenager, and Yang and her hair seemed as viable a place for that as any. Jaune tells another bit of a story and drops some names while he and Bart discuss their hobby/passion. Then Raven is... well, Raven. We know she warned Qrow about Beacon falling at some point, and even if it probably happened between S2 and S3 in canon, this seemed appropriate given what she's observed while flitting around Beacon spying on people.
I know we were supposed to get White Fang business, but that got pushed to the next chapter, though there's a few minor hints to things in this one. Next two chapters will probably be hitting on the rally timeframe pretty hard, then we'll get a little break before the mid-term missions and... events... occur.
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