Here we go… written up today, so hopefully not rife with spelling mistakes.


Cover Art: Exvnir

Chapter 51


"-and your father forced him out of business!"

Weiss felt a pang of guilt in her stomach, and made to apologise – only to pause when Yang held an arm in front of her, glaring at the dark-skinned man who'd spoken.

"What Weiss' dad does isn't anything she can control." Yang growled. "If you want to blame someone, blame him. Don't try to push your issues onto my teammate."

Yang…? Weiss stared at her partner's sister for a moment, before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Yang was right, it wasn't her fault and she couldn't let it affect her composure. For all she knew, it might be their plan all along. The professor had driven the importance of planning into their heads. He'd also pointed out Yang's biggest weakness of rushing in without a plan, but it seemed this Flint and Neon instead wanted to play with her head. A clever ploy…

The audience around them started to chant, as the countdown for the match slowly began. Weiss bent her legs, prepared to dodge in any direction at a moment's notice. She inched her eyes to the left, in time to see Yang imperceptibly nod behind them. Weiss blinked once and looked back to their opponents.

Flynt Coal and Neon Katt, students of Atlas. The leader focused on using the sound waves generated by his trumpet as a weapon, while the other used simple melee combat combined with speed and agility – hit and run tactics using her roller blades. An unorthodox style for sure, but together it worked well. They'd watched the team's last few fights on VODs and saw how Flynt could control and set the battlefield while Neon harassed their opponents.

It was a good strategy… but they'd only ever shown the one approach to their battles. Did they have flexibility? They'd soon find out.

"Begin!" Port commanded.

Flynt drew his instrument to his lips, fingers flying across it as he sent out a blast of musical weaponry.

Weiss was already backing away, however, and as Yang did the same, she scraped Myrtenaster across the ground and summoned a wall of ice before them. It cracked slightly as the attack held, but the solid structure did its job of preventing the soundwaves from hitting them – and also blocking off their line of sight. If Neon came around, she'd be alone and cut off from support. Wisely, the faunus realised and chose not to.

"We can't let him set the tempo," Yang said. "We need to shut him down and fast."

Weiss wondered idly if Yang even recognised her pun, for it was one of the only good ones she'd ever heard from the girl. "We can't stay on the defensive. I've no idea if his attacks use ammunition, but if it's a Semblance, then he will be able to keep this up forever." Left unsaid was that her ice walls could not, since those required dust.

"We could use freezer burn," Yang suggested, "obstruct their vision?"

"It wouldn't work. His attacks have pushed aside physical objects before, I'm fairly sure he could drive the smoke away easily enough. She could just skate around the outskirts too, making it just about impossible to catch her."

The wall started to crack a little more, but Weiss sighed and summoned another behind it, the two taking a step back.

"How do you counter sound?" Yang asked.

"Take it out at the source, I suppose… that, or counter it with more, louder sound. You wouldn't be able to cancel his out, however. Not unless you can perfectly match it."

"I don't need to match it though, do I?" Yang grinned. "I just need to stop it doing what it's meant to. We hear loud noise all the time. He's doing something special to make it actually cause damage."

And if they could change the properties of it, the very sound waves he used, then there was as good a chance as any that they could turn it into regular sound. He'd be puffing on a trumpet until he was red in the face, but it wouldn't make any difference.

"Yang, I think I've got a plan…"

The wall went down after a few more attacks. The ice crumbled away, to reveal the two girls crouched by a pool of ice. Yang struct at it and fired her gauntlets, causing the same mist to erupt that they'd summoned before.

"Like that'll work," Flynt scowled and blasted some music to push it away. Neon, less able to clear the fog herself, took to skating a wide circle around the arena, keeping her distance so they couldn't reach her.

As expected.

The fog blew away where Flynt's attack struck, and the two members were revealed dashing towards him. "Tch," he laughed, "Nice try." The sound waves flew from his trumpet, somehow visible in the air – his aura or semblance giving them colour and consistency.

Weiss smirked. "Yang, do it."

"Got it!" the blonde yelled. She leapt up into the air and flipped over, Ember Celica pointed towards the ground. She fired one shot behind her, propelling her towards the arena, while the other crashed down into stone, driving it up in an almighty crash.

It was impossible to see the noise she'd made, at least in the conventional sense, but they could both see Flynt's attack waver and distort. It washed over them still, but it was like insects biting at their skin, a buzzing in their ears.

Now! Weiss knelt and summoned a glyph beneath her, using it to shoot herself forward like a rocket. Mytenaster lunged towards his midriff, using the brief moment of opportunity she had.

He cried out and fell back, the blade catching him enough to drain his aura, but not blast him away like she'd desired. "Damn it," he howled. "Neon – help!"

"Rarghhh!" Weiss heard the sound of whirring wheels at almost the same time she did the girl. Coming from behind, far faster than she could react to – Weiss grinned and fell to her knees, stabbing her rapier down into the ground as the chamber whirred and clicked.

She didn't need to look behind her to know that a thin sheet of ice had formed, not vertically like the last, but sloped up and over her kneeling form.

"Ah, ah – whoah!" Neon hit it hard, losing all control of her skates as she stumbled onto her rear and flew over them, the girl's own momentum offering her no opportunity to stop.

Yang chased after her, and while she was still in the air – unable to dodge – the blonde leapt up and placed both gauntlets against the girl's chest, blasting her back. The faunus cartwheeled through the air, landing on her feet – but looked horrified as she realised the ground was grassy and soft.

"Oh, and that's Neon Katt out by ring out," Port called. "A clever ploy by Miss Xiao-Long and Schnee, to remove an opponent who still has almost all of her aura."

"Of course, Peter," Professor Arc followed, "Of course, they used the girl's own weapons against her. Her unusual method of attack offers speed and acceleration, but sacrifices control."

Weiss and Yang shared a quick look and a wide smile – especially as the crowd roared and cheered their names. This was a fight… not the clumsy one they'd fought before. She felt alive, strong and in control.

This was how it should have been against Team ABRN.

"Damn you!" their remaining competitor cried. He hefted his trumpet once more, but it was to their wide-eyed gasps that he shimmered and seemed to… extend.

"There's four of him?" Yang whispered.

"A Semblance," Weiss countered, "It has to be. Nothing's changed – even if there are more of him. They're still using sound-based attacks so we can still counter them."

"Right," Yang nodded and rushed in, Weiss close behind. The four Flynt's regarded them cockily, before sending out another attack. Again, they were visible in the air, but this time subtly different colours.

Did that mean something? She didn't know.

Yang responded as she had the last time, striking the ground and distorting the sound waves – but this time, the pain was greater.

"The frequency has been multiplied," Weiss growled. "We're still interrupting it, but there's just so much. We can push through, but it's going to mean brute forcing it."

"Let's not," Yang said, grabbing her arm and dragging her behind a broken-down building. The arena was a strange one, but gave them plenty of places to hide against the Atlesian student. He didn't follow, content to wait in the open space that gave him the greatest advantage.

"Scared already?" he taunted. "Why not come out and fight instead of hiding?"

Yang growled, but Weiss grabbed her shoulder. "Don't let him bait you," she said. "This is a two versus two, and we have the advantage."

"Right," Yang nodded, eyes turning back to lilac. "Those two wanted to split us up, but it's not like they actually worked together. Let's show him what real teamwork is."

Weiss nodded and dashed out from cover to the left. From the corner of her eye, she saw him follow her, turn and bring the trumpet to his lips. She summoned a glyph beneath her and accelerated, wincing as a loud explosion sounded behind her.

A wall of ice sprung up, only to be destroyed almost immediately. Flynt's eyed widened as he realised no one was behind it.

"Hey there," Yang grinned. She leapt up behind one of the clones and punched a fist through its head, dispelling it – but also revealing her choice a poor one.

Flynt turned and blasted a soundwave out towards her, only for another wall of ice to get in the way. It shattered like the last, but Yang had already rushed away, using the brief distraction for what it was. "Damn it," he scowled.

He was getting angry. Good. Weiss smirked as she hung low and rushed across the open plain to his left. He turned and attacked again, eager to take one of them out and even out the playing field, but she was able to skirt between the attacks and even start to close the distance. If she could just cut another, she'd be able to remove a clone – or maybe even get lucky and mark which one was real.

"Don't think I'll let you, Schnee!" Flynt blasted the ground beneath her feet, forcing her into the air.

Panic shot through as she saw the other two clones aim up towards her. They can move independently!? He'd never shown that kind of control before! She crossed her arms over her face and prepared for agony.

What she got instead was an arm touching hers, and then the sensation of sailing through the air. Yang cried out behind her.

Weiss' eyes snapped open, seeing her teammate fall to the ground from where she'd taken the attack for her, knocking her aside. "Yang!" she yelled, one arm held out towards the blonde.

"I'm okay," she shot back. "Don't get distracted!"

Right… Weiss nodded and charged forwards. Teamwork required trust, even if Yang had taken an attack for her, she needed to keep the pressure up. Mytenaster swished up and into Flynt's guard, and she kept the blade flashing towards the one on the left – the one which had spoken. His clones made to turn, but the dust chamber twirled and she summoned another wall, cutting them off from the real one.

"These blasted walls," he scowled and staggered back, cupping his cheek. He had a lot of aura, it seemed… he took attacks well. "Enough of them and enough of you, Schnee!"

"My name," she howled and flung her weapon towards his face, "is Weiss!"

The blade struck him above the brow, knocking him back and causing him to cry out. He caught himself, however, and glared at her with furious eyes. "Nice try," he said, "but now you're a weapon down and stuck out in the open."

"Yeah," she smirked. "Good night."

"Wha-?" He was cut off as the ice wall behind him exploded into a shower of shards and chips. He cried and held up his trumpet and arms to shield his eyes as the shards blasted into him. That proved a mistake, however, as it let Yang charge in unopposed.

"Rargh!" the blonde yelled, eyes red as she slugged Flynt in the jaw. He flew back and landed in a clumsy roll. The trumpet slipped from his fingers and fell a few metres away, but when he tried to reach for it, a shot from Ember Celica sent it flying away. "Surrender," she called. "Unless you want to try and fight me unarmed. By all means… try it."

"I… I give," he scowled.

"And there we have it, ladies and gentlemen," Port yelled, "Beacon claims victory in a stunning display of teamwork and strategy!"

The crowd cheered… cheered for them! Weiss felt her eyes sparkle at it, even more so when Yang strolled up and held a hand out to pick her up. "Nice throw," she complimented, handing the blade back once she was up. "It distracted him just long enough."

"You took out the clones?"

"You were right. He had less control of them when he couldn't see them." Yang clapped Weiss on the shoulder. "They just sort of meandered around, firing wildly. It was a piece of cake."

Weiss smiled. She was so pleased with the fight, she couldn't even bring herself to complain when Yang threw an arm around her and cheered their victory. It was childish, incredibly so, but it had been her plan and it worked. It worked because Yang trusted her, and because they'd both known what to do.

Sure, they could have finished it sooner… they could have rushed in, sacrificed one of them and then taken him out with the other, but that wasn't a plan. It had an element of risk, giving Flynt a chance to fight back and win. This plan, even if it took longer, ensured their victory.

It allowed them to dominate the other team – and that felt incredible.

Weiss looked into the crowd and saw the audience cheer and clap for them. She spied Winter too, a distant speck, but clearly impressed as she stood and applauded. Yang touched her shoulder and pointed a little to the side, where Blake and Ruby, along with Ruby's strange friend – Penny, stood. They cheered and waved, holding a banner with their team name on it.

She shook her head with a loud laugh. This… this had been a good fight.

"Team RWBY!" Yang yelled.

How childish… Yang was certainly that and more, but as the crowd roared. she couldn't help it if she raised her fist in victory as well. Maybe it was okay to be childish every now and then.

Ruby leapt onto her sister when they met up in the stands ten minutes later. "That was amazing!" she cheered. "You two were so good out there!"

"Weiss' plan," Yang laughed, putting her sister down. "She came up with the strategy."

"Which I couldn't have done without Yang's suggestion on soundwaves."

"Yeah, but your ice walls helped us keep them at bay."

"And you saved me, Yang. I might have been knocked out of the ring if that attack hit."

"You both did well," Blake interrupted. "Both of you were instrumental in the victory and you both should feel proud."

Weiss hummed. She supposed she could accept that, even if Yang deserved more praise than she did. The girl in question looked back, but nodded after a short pause.

"You two…" Ruby giggled.

"I must agree with Ruby and Blake," the rather strange girl – Ruby's friend, obviously – said. "Team FNKI are known as one of the stronger within Atlas, and were expected to do very well, perhaps even to reach the finals. That you were able to defeat them, and in so convincing a manner, surely places your team higher than many expected."

Was that a compliment? This Penny girl was hard to understand at the best of times.

"Who else was expected to make the finals?" Yang asked.

"Why, myself, of course," Penny said. "I am expected to prove victorious in the tournament, although local bookmakers place Pyrrha Nikos as the clear favourite."

"I can imagine why," Weiss sighed. "You're not worried about facing her?"

"I am combat ready!"

"Riiight," Yang rolled her eyes. "You might want to update your numbers, though, because us? We're going to win this."

"I will make the suggested adjustments," Penny nodded. It seemed to catch Yang off-guard, who'd clearly expected some denial or degree of banter. Really, this girl was too strange…

"Who will go into the next round?" Blake asked.

"Weiss is better at making plans," Yang said.

"I'm not strong enough to impose them, however," Weiss argued. "If I end up against someone like Pyrrha, I will be defeated with ease. It would be easier to get you up to my level on strategy, then it would be for I to reach your level of skill." It hurt to admit that, but there was no point beating around the bush. Yang was the strongest member of their team. That was just the way it was.

Sometimes strategy means making a personal sacrifice, and this one is a fairly safe thing to give up. I don't `need` to be the one who fights, but we'll all benefit if the team wins.

"I agree," Blake said. "There are only so many people you could go up against, Yang. We can re-watch their fights tonight and come up with some strategies for each. There's nothing wrong with your memory and it'll give you a better advantage than most."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "We've got a full day to plan and apart from Pyrrha. I bet you could smash through the others."

Weiss coughed and tried to indicate the girl standing right next to Ruby, but the odd girl didn't seem the slightest bit offended at hearing her chances be dismissed in such a manner. There really was something wrong with that one…

"Well, if you guys think so…" Yang said, waiting for any complaints. There were none. Weiss couldn't have chosen a better person to represent them. "Heh," the blonde grinned. "We're going to break this tournament wide open. Team RWBY to the top!"

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered, along with Penny for some reason. Blake simply smiled and shook her head, but try as she might to appear uninterested, there was a competitive gleam in her yellow eyes.

Weiss felt it too, try as she might to pretend she was above such petty things. We can really do this, she thought, the enthusiasm gripping even her. With Yang as our fighter, and with her Semblance, what can go wrong?

/-/

Jaune whistled a happy tune as he wandered through the stalls of the festival, in search of his family. The day had started off well, with both his teams winning, and looked to continue on in that fashion with his date with Glynda in the evening. A small, selfish part of him also remembered what happened after their last date, which left his legs feeling a little weak, but another part of his anatomy quite the opposite. Get down, he told himself.

He was going to spend some time with his family… a hard-on was the last thing he needed. Honestly, I'm just lucky they were all willing to listen to me when I apologised. He hadn't been sure they would, and a part of him didn't think he needed to apologise.

But… as Coral pointed out, he really did. Sure, they'd been wrong to assume as they had, and perhaps they'd placed his secret in danger, but at the same time, he'd lied to them, he'd made them worry and then he'd gone and ignored them entirely. Two wrongs didn't make a right, and he'd wronged them far more than they had him.

Sapphire saw him coming and placed one hand on her waist. "Well, someone looks to be in a good mood," she said with a little smile. "Something go your way?"

Jaune laughed and scratched the back of his head. Yeah, his grin was perhaps a little too self-satisfied, but who could blame him? Both RWBY and RVNN had won their doubles matches, and both in commanding fashion. Weiss and Yang were great, while Pyrrha and Velvet had created their own strategy based around switching opponents rapidly and confusing their foes, who clearly wanted two separate one versus one duels. Some might have called it dishonourable, but those were swiftly silenced by the roaring of the crowds.

Sure, they could have probably won the individual fights, but why take that risk when they could make sure of their victory?

"I'm just proud of my teams," he admitted. "It's kinda weird, but I helped train them, even if they did all the hard work themselves. It feels good when they do well. I can't really explain it."

"You don't have to. It wasn't much different when you, Lavender and Amber were younger." Sapphire flicked her blonde braid behind her. She was the oldest of the sisters, and had raised many of them alongside Juniper. "I used to help you with your times table, then you'd come running up to tell me how well you did. Believe me, little brother, I know what it feels like to be proud of someone."

His cheeks grew warm, but he ignored the embarrassing reminder and shrugged one shoulder. What could he say to that? He'd been a bit of an attention-seeking child. It was hard not to be when you grew up with so many siblings. Sapphire's praised used to mean everything to him, as much – if not more – than his parents did.

Parents were meant to be proud, but you had to earn Sapphire's compliments.

"It was pretty kick-ass," Hazel said, slugging him in the arm. It didn't hurt, and in fact felt like she made it as light as possible. The irony, of course, was that he could remember always complaining and rubbing his arm whenever she did that before. Had he really been that weak?

The answer was obvious… he'd been pretty pathetic. I always used to run to them to protect me, and hid behind them rather than facing any of my problems. Sheesh, it's no wonder I was too weak to make it as a huntsman.

It took Neo's utterly merciless teaching to whip him into shape. He doubted any of his sisters could have brought themselves to do that to him.

"What happens now, then?" Hazel asked.

"Quarter and semi-finals. Those will take place on the day after tomorrow."

"Why not tomorrow?" Amber whined. "Why do we have to wait a whole day?"

"Because, squirt," Jade interrupted, "The fighters need time to rest, right Jaune?"

Well, true, but the real reason was just to milk the tournament for as much as the kingdom could. This was big business, after all, and also a chance to promote peace and co-operation. Compared to all of that, the `fairness` of the fights wasn't really a big concern. "Sure," he shrugged, "Why not."

"We'll be taking the girls out into Vale tomorrow," Nicholas said. "It's their first time in the city, so it makes sense to show them a little more than the colosseum."

"That, and we've already played on all the stalls," Amber complained. "I want to see if Vale has an arcade as big as the one back home."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "This is a major city, Amber. It has at least twenty arcades, each ten times the size of the one in Ansel. I'll see if I can't send you a map to dad's scroll later." He had to laugh when Amber's eyes sparkled, hands balling into fists. She was obsessed with video games. Honestly, she might have gotten on well with Ruby were it not for their tumultuous first meeting.

"That reminds me," he said, reaching into a bag by his side. He tossed it to one of his sisters, a little pleased with himself when she looked surprised.

"What is this for?" Coral asked.

"It's a book. I figure I owed you a thank you gift for pointing out how stupid I was being."

"You didn't," she deadpanned. She looked fairly uninterested with the gift, until she turned it over and skimmed the back. "Hmm… this actually looks interesting."

"I thought it might be up your alley," he sighed. "I went to a specialist stall and asked them for hardest, most bizarre and tacky smut they had on offer."

"Coral…" their mother groaned.

"Well, well, well…" Coral's eyes flicked up, staring at him from behind her glasses. She didn't show excitement for many things, nor this, really – but her reading habits were very similar to Weiss'. It was one of the few things she found enjoyment in… no one ever figured out why, but their family had been assured people with her condition might have unique interests. "If you keep this up, I might start to regard you more fondly, dear brother. Perhaps you should come and read it with me?"

He was pleased to see she liked the gift. Coral was as strange with those as she was with everything else. If she liked something, she liked it and you for having given it. If she didn't, she would simply ignore it – usually with some polite and empty words of acceptance. Her pragmatism, as ever, came to the fore. If the gift had a use, she would appreciate it and the giver.

"I can't," he shrugged, "I have a date tonight."

He might as well have set a bomb off, for how his sisters all stared at him.

"Oh, Glynda?" Juniper asked. She smiled when he nodded his head. "Oh, that's sweet. Are you going anywhere nice?"

"A social event on the colosseum when everyone leaves. It's for dignitaries and VIPs, so it's more work than anything, but Glynda asked me to accompany her."

"Make sure to be respectful," Nicholas warned. "If there are important people there, then her reputation could be affected by you. Keep your head high, and remember, all you need is a little-"

"Confidence," Jaune laughed. "Trust me, I know. I've had to pretty much rely on that little lesson of yours for the last few months."

"Then I'm glad to see you learned it well."

"Wait, wait, wait," Hazel pushed between them, arms held wide. Her blonde hair, edged with blue dye, fell across her face. "You don't get to all talk about this without explaining anything to us," she protested. "Bro, Jaune… the fuck? You have a girlfriend!?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes," just about every sister responded at once. To her credit, Lavender blushed and apologised afterwards.

"I was never that weedy."

"You kind of were, little brother," Sapphire giggled. "I seem to recall you rushing home one day to tell us how a girl held your hand. You wouldn't stop talking about it for hours, and said you were going to marry her. It was honestly heart-breaking to see your face when you realised she was just being friendly."

Jaune coughed and looked away, wishing he could hide his head entirely. "I was a kid," he whined. "You can't judge me based on that."

"You were fifteen…" Jade pointed out. "That was like, two years ago. You never even kissed a girl. Trust me, you'd have let us all know if you did. Now, you've got a girlfriend? What's next, you going to tell us you slept with her?" Jade raised an eyebrow in challenge. It took a few seconds before her face fell, eyes going wide. "No way…"

"It's really not a big deal. People change, you know?"

"Oh, my god," Sable blinked and shook her head, as though to ask whether this was real. "My little brother isn't a little boy anymore."

"My little brother lost his virginity before me," Hazel echoed, "No fucking way… n-not that I tried or anything," she added when she noticed her father's suddenly interested – and stony – expression.

"Life is not a race to lose your virginity," he growled. "Least of all one I want you entering, daughter."

"It really isn't that big of a deal, you guys," he sighed. The look on their faces said he was insane, and maybe he was, but right now he had bigger things to think of. "The point I'm trying to make is that I can't spend more time with you all tonight. I need to get ready and then pick her up."

"What time are you going-?" Nicholas cut off suddenly, mouth settling into a thin line as he stared emotionlessly over Jaune's shoulder. The rest of his family went silent as well, a sort of close-lipped refusal to utter a word. Why were they-?

"Jaune," a deadly voice spoke from behind him. He froze. "Do you mind if the two of us had a quick word with one another? I promise it won't take long."

"Cinder," he laughed, turning on his stool and wishing he could be just about anywhere else. The dark-haired and deadly woman stood before him in an elegant red dress. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you around much today."

"Oh, I've been around, and I'm doing splendidly, Jaune, thank you." She smiled and tilted her head to the side, letting her raven tresses fall across her eyes. "I simply wanted to ask you something work-related. I don't want to ruin your family's fun, however…"

Her meaning was clear. He turned to his family and made his excuses, more than aware of their stone-faced expressions, and thanks to Coral, the reasons behind it. They knew about Cinder… or at the very least, they knew her presence at the school was as much a lie as his own. After all, how could she claim to know him from Vacuo, if he'd never been there? The question was what they would do with the knowledge. Hopefully Coral had passed the message on that they shouldn't approach her. He wanted this woman far away from his family. Hell, he wanted her far away from Beacon and himself in general.

Cinder drew him aside and away from the crowd, into a small alcove between the stands. The benches were empty now that the fights were over. By the very fact she felt she needed privacy, he knew the conversation would be a bad one.

"I need to ask a favour, Jaune…"

Her words more than confirmed his premonition.

"A favour? I thought we'd worked those out between us. I helped you with arranging the matches in your favour… the debt is paid off."

"It is," she said, "but I'd like to speak a new favour of you."

A new one? Jaune swallowed his panic and tried to look as calm as he could. The last one hadn't gone too badly, but he'd become leery of favours thanks to Roman. It was one thing to owe him and Neo, in some messed-up way, he trusted those two. Cinder was another matter.

But could he say that? She already didn't trust him. What would she do if he said no?

"What kind of favour?" he asked.

"A small one. Naturally, you would have the opportunity to ask one in return." The woman smiled at him. "Tit for tat, as it were… you know that I can be generous, Jaune. Did I not save you before, with the matter of the dust for this very tournament?"

"You did…"

"And did I ask so much in return? Certainly, for the hard work involved, I believe I was very lenient on you."

That much was true, but it only made him more nervous. If she considered millions of lien in dust to be balanced by placing a scroll by a computer, then how big were her plans? It would be easy to assume he'd gotten the best out of the deal, but his gut instinct said otherwise.

His thoughts were jumbled, his emotions even more so. Reluctance, was perhaps the greatest, mixed with fear and a little frustration. Could he even afford to say no? This might well be a test from her, and with her threats towards his family before, he didn't want to see what she would do if he disappointed her.

"I need details," he said, "You knew what the terms of the favour were before. I'd like to know what I'm agreeing to."

"A prudent decision," she said. If anything, she seemed amused – and that didn't bode well. "I do not need you to do anything overt, nor something that would place you in danger. I simply wish to suggest something to the headmaster, and my favour is to have you support my decision."

"That's all?"

"It is," she nodded. "In fact, I shall not even ask you to expand upon your support. The words `I agree with Miss Fall` would be enough for me, or any variation upon that. You may hedge your bets as you wish, but I do require you to support my proposition."

"And what is it you'll be suggesting?"

"Ah, ah," she smiled and placed a finger against his lips. "I've told you what the terms of the favour are, my dear. Allow a woman a few secrets."

Damn it, so she wouldn't tell him. His eyes darkened as he tried to think. If she suggested something to Ozpin, then it was still up to the headmaster to agree. Even if he had to support Cinder's idea, if it was something that would damage the school, Ozpin would say no. It wasn't like this would be a suggestion to kill someone, or even to do anything that would harm Beacon. Cinder wasn't an idiot, and she wouldn't do something so obviously criminal.

It sounds like an easy favour…

That was exactly why he felt so nervous. It was too easy… too simple. As Roman might say, if something looked too good to be true, it probably was.

"When are you going to make this suggestion?" he asked.

"In a day or two." Cinder blinked. "Why?"

"I'm… busy tonight."

"The social event? Hm, I turned down the invitation myself." Her eyes narrowed, the woman's smile growing. "There will be several powerful and influential people in attendance, but that's not something I have much interest in. I take it the same cannot be said for you. Well, worry not, dear friend, I shall not interfere with your goals in that regard."

His goals? Ah, of course… this was Cinder. To her, the only explanation for why he would go and waste his time at such an event would be because he had something to gain from it. "Thanks," he said, more because it was probably expected. If she assumed he had some nefarious purpose, then that was fine with him. It might stop her looking deeper.

Still… she wasn't interested in the powerful people? That would have seemed like something she might want.

"I'm waiting, Jaune… I do need this favour from you. I hate to insist, but it really is important to me." The implication was clear; he didn't have as much a choice over this as she was pretending.

What can it hurt? Ozpin would never agree to anything bad, and I stand to gain a lot if I can use a favour in return to give me an advantage.

"If the headmaster turns your proposal down…"

"Then that will be my loss. I shall consider your end of the bargain fulfilled regardless."

It was too good… it was too good, but he didn't see any way out of it. For all he knew, this could be nothing more than a test from her, and one which he'd fail the moment he said no. In the end, he did the only thing he could do.

"Fine. I agree."

Ozpin would veto anything terrible down… there was no way she would be able to put something forward to harm Beacon, and if he didn't, then Glynda surely would – not to mention Peter and Bart. It would be fine. She was grasping at straws.

It was just a test.

"Thank you, Jaune." Cinder smiled and placed a hand against his cheek. "If you have need of me in return, don't hesitate to call."

"Yeah," Jaune mumbled as the woman strode away. "I'll keep that in mind…"

/-/

Jaune looked down at the suit that lay on his bed. It had been undamaged in the attack, a lucky thing, but he supposed the infiltrator – or infiltrators – had focused on the room and furniture, rather than the contents of his wardrobe. It was freshly cleaned and ready for the party that would take place in only a few hours. I'm meeting Glynda at the Bullhead docks, then we can take one to Amity where the event is taking place. He'd offered to pick her up at her room, but Glynda warned that would only feed the rumour mill among the students.

"Strange to think it was Roman who bought this for me," he sighed. Now, the man was behind bars, and it felt like events had spiralled out of his control ever since. Actually, that happened from the moment he went to Misenwood and left Cinder alone to wreck her havoc.

And I'm still no closer to guessing her motive… all I know is that she was willing to orchestrate a terrorist attack to achieve it.

That, and he knew he would do whatever it took to stop her. This favour of hers… he'd need to honour it for now, if only to avoid any trouble. It might even give him a hint as to what her next step would be; let him react to it and figure out how to stop her. The last favour hadn't been too bad, and maybe he could use the return one he'd get to his advantage too. She obviously wouldn't agree to anything that might damage her plans, but by testing her – by seeing what she would and wouldn't agree to, he might be able to narrow down what his options were.

It wasn't a great plan, but at least it was one.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, soft and hesitant, as though the person on the other side wasn't quite sure whether they wanted it to be answered or not. There was nothing for a few seconds afterwards, not even a voice to call out his name.

Who could be coming around so late? It was seven in the afternoon, with most of the students exhausted and relaxing. Surely not Glynda… she'd still be getting ready, and even if she wasn't, hers would be a far more confident entrance. He pulled his coat back on and strolled over, pulling the door open.

"Miss Nikos?" he asked, surprised. "Why are yo-"

She looked up at him.

Her cheeks were stained with tears.

His heart fell. "Pyrrha?" he asked, taking a step towards her. "What's wrong?"

The girl looked down to the floor, her left hand reaching across her body to grip her right elbow. "I… I think I need some advice, sir. Can I… can I come in?"

He had a party in two hours. He needed to get ready and Glynda would no doubt be upset if he arrived late. Despite that, he pulled open the door and gestured for Pyrrha to enter. When she did, he placed his hands on her shoulders and steered the girl over to one of the seats. She didn't resist when he pushed her down into it, nor when he made her some hot chocolate and gently placed it in her hands. She smiled weakly, cheeks red and eyes rimmed the same colour. He waited for her to take a quick sip, and then watched as she took a longer one, shoulders slowly relaxing. It looked like she'd been crying before she arrived.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I've never seen you like this, Pyrrha. Did something happen with your team?"

"Not them," she said. "I… I don't want to bother them with this. They're all so excited for the festival, and we're doing well. I don't want to drag down the mood by telling them about this."

"About what, Pyrrha?"

"The headmaster summoned me to his office after the matches… I-I met with Miss Goodwitch and General Ironwood."

Ironwood, Glynda and Ozpin?

"He told me some things. I... it's hard to explain. I'be only got a limited time to make a decision and I have no idea what to do." Pyrrha's slumped in her seat, hands coming to rest between her knees as she looked down into the carpet. "I know it's important, but there are risks and… and I'm so happy with where I am right now. Things are finally going right, both with my team and my friends. I don't want to lose Ruby, Velvet, Nora or Ren. I'm finally happy." She took a deep breath of air, more a gasp than anything. "I don't want to not be me anymore."

Her despair was obvious, both in her voice and posture. He knew it was serious, but her words gave little away. He wanted to push, but it was clear she still had more to say. He waited, letting her take another drink.

"I'm not sure what to do," she said, "but when I got back to my room, I heard everyone laughing inside and I just knew telling them would kill all the happiness we have. They'd be worried… for me, sure, but it wouldn't serve any purpose. I'd just be… I'd just be upsetting them, and there's nothing they can do to help me. Then I remembered the last time, and how you helped me when I didn't know what to do. What you said back then, that the worst that can happen is you can't help… but there's a chance you'd be able to make everything better. You saved my life in Misenwood too. I.. I wanted to ask you again, to see if you could help me."

"Pyrrha," he whispered, "I'll try my best, you know that. It's just… I need to know what's going on here. I need you to tell me what the problem is."

"I know, it's… Ren told me how he saw you in the library a few days ago, asking about fairy tales."

"Yes, a few days ago. Why? What do fairy tales have to do with anything?"

Pyrrha laughed. It sounded bitter, morose - perhaps even defeated.

"I think I've found the one you've been looking for, professor."


Gasp, Maidens, magic and silly shenanigans. I'm still pretty meh on the whole "maidens" ordeal, since as I've gone on record saying endless times before, I prefer to see people gainm power and ability through hard work and dedication, not random super powers and even less so, hereditary ones (like Ruby's eyes). It just feels like it's saying no one else could achieve the same, not because they're lazy or don't try as hard, but because they didn't have the fortune to be born as important as the character did. Anyway, we're rather close now to the climax of V3, all things considered. I'd love to say something poignant here, but it's 8pm and I've been up since 7am writing, so my poignancy has all but run out.

If I was ever poignant in the first place… okay, going to stop now, I'm losing it.


Omake: by Coeur al'Aran


"More adverts," Sapphire sighed. "You sure you've got time to sit and watch these before your date?"

"I've got time," Jaune said. "Don't worry about it. Honestly, the thing can't even start until the colosseum is empty."

"I guess so."

"Shhh," Jade shushed, "It's starting."

Jaune rolled his eyes at his oldest sister, who smiled back and slapped his arm jokingly. Together, they turned back to the screen in time to see a corridor of Beacon appear. The camera seemed to move, bobbing up and down, almost as though it were someone's point of view.

It panned out, revealing Glynda, expression as stern as it always was.

"She's the deputy of Beacon," the narrator turned to the left and nodded to Ozpin, who sent one back at her. "Everyone looks up to her…"

The camera panned again, showing Peter and Bart. The two of them looked towards Glynda, then nodded slowly, almost reverently.

"Those who misbehave… fear her."

Several students bullying another looked up in panic as she approached. They looked down to the young man at their feet, and quickly fled the scene.

"But she knows what she wants…"

The camera moved again, and it showed a mop of blonde hair. It looked like him, but he couldn't remember casting in it. It flicked back to Glynda's face, and she raised a single eyebrow as her lips quirked devilishly. Her pace increased, the woman pushed the blonde around and captured his lips with her own.

"Mhmhmm…"

The sounds were… well, he felt confident in saying the advert would be banned long before it made it to official television.

"She's a woman with… desires."

Glynda pulled back with a wide smile, lips stained red from lipstick. She paused, however, the colour fading from her cheeks as she slowly reached up to remove her glasses. She looked at them, and then down. The camera turned too.

Yang Xiao-Long blinked prettily, her cheeks almost Ruby Rose red, and her lips parted. The student took several deep breaths and glanced away.

"But she should have gone to ValeSavers," the narrator said. "ValeSavers. Purveyors of quality spectacles and eyewear."

"Sheesh," Sapphire sighed. "Talk about fan service."

"Wasn't that your girlfriend though, bro?" Jade asked. "Aren't you a little upset she was making…"

"Sorry?" Jaune asked, looking at his sister. A great triangle of red flowed from his nose, covering his lips, chin and a good portion of his shirt. His wide smile shone through, however. "What were you saying?"

"Never mind…"


Yeah, I sort of ran out of ideas here. I looked up some "funny TV adverts" on youtube for at least an hour, but gods, those compilations are just really bad. Almost all of those were just fan service themselves, wherein women in bikinis wander around doing things that are… honestly not all that funny.

Then one of the "funniest" apparently, was that Coca Cola one with the two brothers, where the older one teases the younger, then is nice in the end. I mean, I guess it's heart-warming, but funny?


Next Chapter: 2nd April

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur