Where is Beast of Beacon?

Due to me being ill last week and not updating this story, I'm doing Rabbit this week and Beast next week. I've altered the dates on the bottom of beast and made a message at the top of the last chapter to explain it as best I can. Thanks for understanding.

Cover Art: Serox

Chapter 22

"Coco, no!"

"I haven't even done anything."

"Coco!" Velvet repeated, shouting at the top of her voice. "No!"

What was she, a dog? Coco looked to Fox and Yatsu for help but neither knew what to do with a Velvet who had gone from shy wallflower to angry mom. Sat upon her bed with her hands behind her and feet crossed, Coco watched her teammate pace back and forth, ears erect and feet stomping down so loud the room below them must have had a headache.

This wasn't even the worst of what she'd expected. Call it PR or a clever trap or just the heat of the moment, but after watching Jaune Arc save that donkey faunus with her, show the same concern she had and take her down the catwalk to expose the crooked fashionistas and singlehandedly reform the fashion industry in one move, she'd not been thinking straight.

Velvet might have thought that was just hormones or because Coco loved fashion, but it was more than that. It was plain heroism. And yeah, it was heroism from a terrorist and that didn't balance out the bad things he'd done, but how much bad had he really done? In Vale at least, she couldn't really see all that much and he'd just been so reasonable when she spoke to him. While she'd fully intended her commentary on enemies not having to hate one another, it'd also been a test to get a feel for him. If he'd been a vengeful, angry, human-hating asshole then she'd have happily sent Team RWBY after him.

Kind of annoying that he's such a good guy. Why are all the good ones gay or terrorists?

"I thought you had a brain!" Velvet ranted. "I thought you were smart. I thought you knew what you were doing!"

"I thought you were gay!" Fox blurted out.

Velvet glared at him, then bobbed her head and looked back awkwardly. "Me too…"

"Yeah, and?" This had to be the first time she'd ever felt defensive about her sexuality, and ironically enough it wasn't because someone was angry she liked women. It shouldn't have been normal to have to defend being interested in a guy. "That mean I can't experiment a little? Maybe I was curious."

"About being straight…?"

"More bi, baby, but sure. Why not? I didn't get on your back when you kissed Yats, Fox."

"That was because it was truth or dare and you made us!"

"Same difference."

"Kissing a confirmed terrorist is not the same!" Velvet growled, stomping her foot. "And I see what you're doing, Coco. This subject isn't getting changed anytime soon!"

"Not even if I say that by questioning my sexual choices you're making me uncomfortable?"

"Don't you dare try pull the oppressed card here!"

Coco winced. Okay, yeah, that was pretty scummy. You know what hadn't been? Jaune Arc. "Look, I don't know what to say," she said with an angry sigh. "I only did it the first time to get him worked up, see if I could make him show some hatred towards humans or something. You know, trip him up on live TV. It wasn't even a proper kiss."

"And the flirting after…?"

"I was in a happy mood! You know what I'm like, I tease. Everything I say is flirty when I'm like that. I practically flirt with Oobleck and Glynda." Coco sighed, thinking back. "You had to be there, guys. It was a brown-haired donkey faunus, and I swear from the back she looked like Velvet. I saw blood, holes and tears and lost it."

Velvet's face softened. "Coco…"

"I was angry and about ready to spit shit, holding onto some sobbing girl bleeding all over me. Maybe I wasn't thinking straight, but he was there and he helped. In that moment I put aside the fact he was an enemy to look after Swan, and say what you want about the White Fang, but they did the same. We all ignored what issues we had to look after some poor woman being treat like shit. And this was right after a fashion-off!" Coco giggled helplessly. "How was I meant to look at them like enemies after that? Terrorists don't strut their stuff like that. It was funny."

"I'll admit that the fashion show was impressive." Yatsuhashi said. "From both sides. Your new team showed off well with their Semblances. It was artistic."

"They were good, weren't they?" Coco preened. They weren't her team, but she felt proud of them all the same. "The White Fang were good, too. It was a battle alright, but it was the best kind of battle from my point of view. No bloodshed and all for a good cause. I… I guess I let my guard down." She shrugged, not too upset about it. "It's not like I'm going to do that if they're legitimately attacking innocent people. The second he does something wrong, I'm on him."

"Kicking his ass or to make out with him?"

Coco chucked a pillow at Velvet's head. "Lesbian does not equal sex pest."

"It doesn't even equal lesbian by the sounds of it."

"Oh, whatever. I've never been interested in guys before, but I have other girls. This is literally the first guy I've thought I wanted to get to know more so maybe I'm bi leaning ninety-nine per cent towards women. There's a colour scale for this somewhere, I'm sure. That doesn't mean I'm compromised or going to run off and join a terrorist org."

"What does it mean?" Fox asked. "For the White Fang and you, I mean. Whatever this guy is doing, the White Fang as a whole are still, well, terrorists."

Yeah, and they were terrorists. Bombings, kidnappings, attacks and even murder. The kind of shit that had Coco's fists clenched tight. Jaune Arc wasn't like that, or she wanted to think it, but he was still part of the White Fang.

"I don't know. Blake wants him arrested and brought in, but to be honest I don't…"

"Coco," Velvet warned. "That's a dangerous thing to say."

"And it's not what you think, babe. Right now, he's playing this nice and friendly. The rest of the White Fang is still being violent maniacs, though. So, what do you think happens if Jaune Arc is killed or arrested and a new leader is put in charge of Vale's lot?"

"They would revert to violence." Yats said. Velvet's eyes widened and the swore quietly.

"Bingo, big man. They'd either go violent because they'd say his approach didn't work or because the new leader is one of those nutcases they usually have, someone like Adam Taurus or Sienna Khan. So as much as my broody little minion might want him behind bars, that's the last thing I want."

"Ideally, what do you want…? If you could force any conclusion?"

Coco considered it, humming and kicking her legs. "I guess I want to trap him."

"Coco!"

"Oh, get your head out the gutter, Vel. Trap him in his role, not between my legs. Sheesh. He's stuck having to play the good-guy liberator at the moment. If he's legit about that, great. If not, then I could weave such a web around him that he daren't step out of line or the White Fang's reputation tanks. In an ideal world I'd like to see him, and the White Fang stuck having to take this good-guy angle and expand it across the whole group. Turn from terrorists into freedom fighters."

"Wow." Velvet stopped pacing to stare at her. "That's… I mean, that would be great, but do you think it's possible? There are a lot of angry people in the White Fang."

She hadn't said it would be easy and there was for sure a lot of people who wouldn't like it, but any group like that had to work based on a goal, an objective. If those people were willing to risk their lives for equality, then they should be willing to risk their comfort, too. If Jaune Arc's approach could be proved to work then the White Fang leadership might think it worth testing out elsewhere, and if that worked, too. Well…

Why not try it full-scale? Lots of faunus would angrily quit or rail against it, but she could only hope enough would want to achieve their goals bad enough to grit their teeth and act like good people even if deep inside they hated humans. You couldn't erase bigotry, but if you could make people want the alternative hard enough then you could at least stamp it down and make those who were racist not feel it was a good idea to act on it.

"I think it's worth trying," Coco eventually said. "And besides, it's not like I can just attack him before he does anything wrong. He has nipple lasers, Vel. Nipple lasers!"

Velvet sighed. "Yes, he has cameras. I guess you have a point…"

"Good. So, can we leave this be?"

"You still flirted with him! It was on the nine o'clock news!"

"Fucking Lisa Lavender." Coco groused. "And to think I used to call her a hot piece of ass."

/-/

"Jaune Arc."

"Sienna Khan."

Jaune remained on one knee, which was slightly more horrific than he would have liked given that the floor was a wet sewer full of rat droppings, rats and also human droppings. The trousers would need to be incinerated later.

"You place me in a difficult position. Not one I'm used to. On the one hand I should congratulate you for not only exposing the cruelty of humans on live television broadcast across every Kingdom of Remnant, not only revealing the depths of their inhumanity but forcing them to address and accept it."

Jaune smiled awkwardly. That had been a good thing he'd done, hadn't it? For all that his goals were to reveal himself as not a bad guy and get out the White Fang, he felt proud about that. "Thank you, Sienna."

"On the other hand!" she said. "You have trained and well-respected members of the White Fang stripping down to their underwear and parading themselves on a catwalk. What am I supposed to think of our war against the humans when one of our own is busy doing that?"

That warring was a bad idea? That all conflicts should be solved via the medium of catwalks? Jaune went with his usual approach to be told off by a woman older than him. He stayed quiet and hoped that if he didn't move or make a sound, they'd not be able to see him. It was a Juniper-tested approach.

"You are fortunate this all worked out in the end. Had it not, you would have made us look like fools! As it is, I cannot criticise what has yielded results."

His relief was palpable. "Thank you, Sienna."

"You ought to watch your progress, however. While I and the Albain brothers are pleased with your success, there are others who believe your methods to be `untrue` to the White Fang. Fanatics and extremists who might very well seek to undermine you. I shouldn't have to tell you that a single masked faunus shooting someone in Vale will completely wipe away anything you have achieved thus far. The humans will not care for you claiming it was not under your orders."

He didn't doubt it. There was nothing he could do about it, though. If someone decided to do that, he couldn't stop them until it was too late. Swallowing, he looked up to the screen. "Is anyone like that coming to Vale?"

"Not under my orders. Then again, with the Vytal Festival approaching who can keep track of every person? I am warning you of this not as a threat but so that you might be aware of the possibility."

"Do you… Do you have any advice on how I could prevent it?"

Sienna appeared pleased with the question – or maybe that he needed her help. "The stronger your position among all faunus in the city, the stronger your claims will be. Even the most extreme of extremists will think twice about damaging your position if it's abundantly clear your actions are helping the cause."

"The fashion show will help!" he argued.

"I know that. The Albain brothers know that. You know that. Muscle-bound idiots who don't consider a battle a victory without a Schnee head rolling on the floor do not. They will see your victories as pathetic games and worthless distractions from the real war."

"Then… what would they see as good?" he asked. Then, to be safe, he added, "That isn't killing, I mean."

"Your recent recruitment is one example. Whether they approve of your methods or not, they can look at the number of people you've recruited and accept that this has benefitted the White Fang. Your attack on the SDC lumber camp was another because it exposed the Schnee and rescued several faunus. Think of it in terms of factions," she said, taking on a strangely lecturing tone. "The White Fang, like any organisation, is compromised of several groups with differing ideas and opinions. I must balance the support of each, and so must you. So far you have appealed to the moderates and the peaceful but ostracised the violent. You may think that is a fair trade, but they will not, and the more extreme factions are the ones you should be most afraid of upsetting!"

Because their reactions would be, as suggested, extreme. Jaune sighed and nodded his head. He'd never thought about it because everyone in the White Fang here seemed so normal. Adam was the most extreme and he was dead. Though, maybe one could say Fenris or whatever that idiot's name was, counted among the number. He'd planned to just ignore them, but now that looked like a bad idea.

I should have figured that out myself. People who are ignored will try and take matters into their own hands sooner or later.

"Thank you for warning me." He was genuine in it. "I'll do my best to balance their needs and stop anything bad happening. Just as an example, would another raid exposing people as corrupt help?"

"It might. So long as it's a military raid and not a fashion or cookery show." Sienna's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Even so, you should make sure it exposes humans and benefits faunus. That might buy you time, but it won't alleviate the problem entirely. All of this reputation you're gaining, all of this kudos among the population of Vale, must serve some greater purpose." Sienna leaned in. "The immediate benefit is better recruitment and a lowering of Vale's defences around you, but that is a means to an end, not an end in itself. I trust that you are aiming toward something."

"Of course," he lied. "This is… This is but the first step of my grand plan…"

"Excellent. Then take steps towards that. Make them obvious enough that the other factions can see where you are headed, and they will give you leeway. It is precisely `because` your actions appear directionless that they are frustrated. They see the forces you have gathered, the influence you are gaining, and wonder when you will use it to strike!"

Jaune jumped at the last word. Strike. Kill. He swallowed. "I… I understand, Sienna. Thank you for your warning and let everyone in Menagerie know I will show them the fruits of our labour here soon."

"I am pleased to hear that, Jaune Arc. You do the White Fang proud."

The screen flickered off and Ilia began to dismantle the miniature CCT transmitter, storing it away while Jaune remained on one knee, face wrought with frustration. Yet another promise he couldn't hold up to, and this time to satisfy people thirsting for blood. As much as he hated to say it, he could see where they were coming from. All his efforts so far were great for bolstering recruitment and giving the White Fang a family-friendly image, but that was useless if it didn't serve a greater purpose - and it did, the purpose of clearing his name. That wouldn't satisfy the White Fang, though.

What would Adam do?

No. Bad idea.

Something else, then. Some way of showing – or at least implying – that he had a bigger plan this was all in support of. Ideally, something that wouldn't be instantly illegal and get him thrown in jail, but something the radicals would see as valuable.

"Hey, Ilia." He called over to her when she was done and ready to leave. "You dealt with Adam before me. What kind of plans did he have for Vale? Other than killing everyone, I mean."

"I'm not sure there was more to it than that if I'm being honest. Make people afraid of the White Fang, rip away the security blanket that was Beacon, show the humans we're as if not more dangerous than the Grimm. Kill everyone Blake has grown close to out of some weird idea that it'll make her run into his arms for comfort."

"And working with Cinder?"

"All I know is that she had plans for Beacon and Vale, and that Adam was fine with us being used in them because she wanted something in particular and didn't care who took the credit. Adam wanted to claim this was all the White Fang's doing. Is this about pleasing the radical factions?" she asked. "Are you trying to think of a way around what Sienna said?"

He shrugged and admitted it. "Pretty much. You have any ideas?"

"The aggressive factions – there's more than one and the radicals are just the extreme aggressive – mostly care about a few things; higher numbers of recruits, victories in battle, anything that damages the SDC and causing problems for Atlas. They also care about the things everyone in the White Fang does like helping faunus and such, but they're more excited by the idea of taking the fight to the enemy than staying home and bolstering our reputation."

Well that wasn't helpful. He couldn't do any of those things! Going after the SDC would just draw parallels to him and every terrorist ever, attacking a Kingdom like Atlas was not only suicide but again, terrorism, and he'd already gotten high numbers of recruits. The question on their minds now was how he intended to use them.

"That doesn't help at all…"

"Sorry." Ilia said. "If it helps, they're the kind of people who like to lash out. They like to blame people and they see themselves as warriors. The strong and bold faunus willing to stand up and do what is necessary for faunus everywhere. They model themselves as protectors, even if they're mostly just a bunch of maniacs."

"Like Adam?"

Ilia nodded happily. "Like Adam."

Protectors, huh…? That was a thought.

/-/

Lisa Lavender sat back in her penthouse, lips playing coyly as she fought a smile threatening to come tumbling out. She kept swirling white wine around the inside of a glass but hadn't drunk any for a while. Her eyes were practically glinting like diamonds. Another fresh set of quashed stories lay on the table, stories of inequality and oppression suppressed by wealth or power, but for once those went ignored as Jaune laid out his current problem and his rather unorthodox solution.

"That," Lisa said, "Is singlehandedly the most ambitious and possibly the most reckless plan I have ever heard. I love it."

"Do you love it because you think it will work or because it will make an amazing story for you even if it fails?"

"A little bit of both. I can't say if it'll work or not but there's no way it won't become the biggest defining act of your rise to power. If you succeed or not will depend on you, but this – this will be the turning point in many people's eyes." Lisa shuddered violently, biting her lip and gripping her armrest, digging her nails into the fabric. "I cannot wait to cover it!"

Jaune sighed. Lisa was so useful in so many ways, but this? Useless. "What do you think, Sun?" he asked. "You're meant to be our resident good guy? Is this going too far? Is it too evil?"

"Eh. I reckon some people will say you've gone off the deep end. Me, though? I like it." Sun hesitated. "Then again, maybe that's because I know what the plan is. Other people might take it the wrong way."

"That's what I want Lisa's help for. To dress it up nicely."

"I'll see what I can do," the newscaster said. "I do think something like this had to happen eventually. Those factions of yours aren't wrong to demand action, and you were going to need to go somewhere with all this work you've been doing."

"Do you think it'll satisfy the radicals?"

"I think that if it does not, it will at least answer their questions and alleviate concern. To see, or at least have a glimpse, of your end goal will tell them you're not just wasting time or playing things nice because you're a coward."

Jaune winced. "Y-Yeah. Totally not."

"Pft. As if anyone could think that!" Sun laughed and hooked an arm around his shoulder. "I'm in. As long as you stick to the main goal, I'm with you. Deviate from that…? Well, you won't need to worry about Vale taking you down in that case."

"I get it. And I intend to."

"Hah. I believe you, man. I believe you. Why else do you think I'm here?"

"It's decided then." Lisa said, all smiles, all hunger for the story. "All we need now is a suitable stage for your… ah. Declaration. Somewhere I can be in my normal job. It would certainly help if this was broadcast everywhere, even internationally. You want the White Fang to see it."

"Is it safe for you to be involved as Lisa Lavender?"

"If I'm already expected to be there, sure. I'd be an idiot not to drop tools and record something like this. These won't do." Lisa swept a hand across the table to remove the documents, but Jaune stopped her by catching her wrist.

"Wait. I think I will take these. The message would only be better with results, wouldn't it?"

Lisa looked like she was on the verge of an orgasm. It was honestly a little awkward, especially as she tried to hold onto his hand when he was pulling away. He had to give a solid yank to escape. Sun was no help, winking and grinning like a loon.

"Ahem." Jaune coughed, cheeks red. "I'll get this started. Can you find me a time and place to make it happen?"

"Oh Jaune." Lisa purred. "I have just the place in mind. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah." Jaune closed his eyes and thought back on brown eyes winking his way. "I think we need new masks for the recruits. Something that doesn't make people instantly think of Grimm. Something that can inspire people…"

"I think that's a good first step – especially if you want to show the differences between the White fang and you. As for the rest, well, with the Vytal Festival approaching there are going to be a few big events. Speeches, displays, shows – even a small parade. If you want a public stage from which to send your message, I can't think of a better time than that. The whole world will be watching."

Oh hell. No pressure, then. Jaune took a deep breath and nodded along. This… This needed to be public, whether he liked it or not. There'd be little going back from it either, but if he did it well, if it went as he hoped, then it would deal with the White Fang's concerns. He'd rather not bother at all, but Sienna was right that someone would get dissatisfied and try to pull something. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep an eye on every faunus entering the city. All it would take was one with a gun to ruin everything. If he wanted to keep hold of this revolution, he had to own it. And that was what it was.

A revolution.

/-/

"I have the report, General."

Winter Schnee set the folder down on General Ironwood's desk, stepped back and linked her hands behind her back, waiting for him to pick it up and skim through. He didn't read it yet but instead checked to make sure all was in order. Winter stood patiently, trusting he would find no fault in her work.

"Very good, Winter. You're as precise as ever."

A tiny smile. "Thank you, General Ironwood."

"At ease."

Her arms relaxed and fell to her sides. "Sir."

"What do you think of this so far? This… Jaune Arc."

"A charismatic manipulator, sir. He's got a good head when it comes to public relations and how to send a message. As a diplomat or ambassador, he would excel. If I may, sir, I'm surprised the White Fang haven't tried to use someone like this before."

"Hmph. It's because they've been run by madmen for the longest time. That's made them dangerous but also easy to predict." He set the papers down. "I'm not sure I like this new facet any better. A wild animal like Taurus was a threat, but one easily contained. He made enemies of everyone he interacted with. Someone charismatic like this, able and willing to twist hearts and minds to his side, is far more dangerous."

"I agree, sir. He's the larger threat in the grand scheme of things."

"I'm glad someone sees it. Ozpin cannot – or perhaps he can but feels he cannot act without sufficient evidence. That man isn't a fool, but he has been overly cautious in the past…"

"There was quite the scandal at the docks, sir."

"I remember. I've also heard about what he has your sister doing. Foolish." He snorted and shook his head. "Or rather, wasteful. It's nor a bad idea to fight back against what the White Fang is doing, but by engaging them in a challenge of their own making, Ozpin is legitimising them. He's making them appear as equals to the huntsmen, when they should be hunted down as terrorists."

Winter nodded. This was why you didn't negotiate with terrorists. People might have thought that attitude was a hard-line decision from Atlas or a warning for their enemies not to try, but in truth the reason for it was because to negotiate with someone was to suggest you were both on an even level. It humanised the other party, showing everyone that they could be negotiated with. Whether or not Ozpin had meant it that way, he'd begun negotiations and now the White Fang had a foothold in Vale.

"This is a disaster." Ironwood said. "The Vytal Festival is soon, and you just know the White Fang have something big planned. This." He waved the images of the catwalk. "This is a means to an end. They're planning something, and we all know whatever that is will take place in Amity." Ge let the folder fall, slapping it down on his desk. "They need to be rooted out and dealt with before then. We must root them out swiftly and eradicate them, preferably before they can play any more of these games and worm their way even deeper into Vale."

"Agreed, sir. Shall I prepare more soldiers for our journey to Vale?"

"Yes. Being the Ace Ops as well. I will speak with the Council of Vale and push for them to grant me power to control the security around the festival. Once that happens, we can have boots on the ground. Ozpin may be content to let terrorists run around his city making a fool of him, but I shall not." He slammed his hand down. "Jaune Arc will be rotting in a cell before the month is out."

/-/

Trifa and Yuma looked over their mission, sharing a quick look before glancing over to where Perry, Deery and Tukson were working on their own and Sun and Bane were planning a third. Three raids at once, three sets of corruption – one crooked police officer taking bribes from criminals, one recruitment agency forcing faunus into zero-hour contracts and one judge who had spared a man jail for drunk-driving and running down a faunus couple; the drunk had been his nephew.

Three high-profile and high-reward raids that'd go a long way to highlighting just how fucked up the system could be where faunus were concerned. Yuma liked the effort, but still, it was sudden.

"Three at once?" he asked the boss. "I'm not saying we can't manage it, but is there a reason we're speeding things up? This isn't going to be easy."

"You're free to take from the new recruits for any help you need. In fact, I want you to. Use them even if you don't need them. Have them stand guard, lookout or man getaway vehicles. I want them all to feel involved, whether or not they actually are. Better still, I need all three of these raids to finish at the same time. Six. Or just before six – aim for five-thirty or a quarter to six, but make sure no one knows. If you can capture them and keep it secret for longer, do so. They need to be caught and incriminated by six, though. Next week – next Monday."

"Monday?" Tukson asked. "That gives us four days. It should be doable…"

Four days was more than enough to plan an attack, and this would need to be planned if they were all to pull them off at once. Some would be easier than others, so some would need to start sooner. Keeping all that activity hidden would be the rough part. Not impossible, though, Yuma thought. Most of these, bar the police chief, were out the way. They'd been given the chief, too, and he assumed that was because he and Trifa were the more experienced.

"Will Ilia be helping?" he asked. "We could use her on ours."

"I need Ilia with me." Jaune said.

"Ahh. You're planning a fourth event, huh? Something that you need all the other three done for?" Yuma watched him nod and felt a grin creep over his face. "Damn, this is going to be big, isn't it?" Another nod. A laugh from him. "Hell yeah. This is what I signed up for! Showing off my hot bod was fun but making a scene like this will be even better."

"What about evidence?" Trifa asked, ever the more careful. "How much will we need?"

"Enough to convict all three people. The judge should be easy – it's a clear conflict of interest even if the guy ends up cleared a second time. He shouldn't have been involved in the case at all. The police officer will be the harder one. Lisa has evidence, though. It should be enough to get you started and I included it with your package."

Yuma picked it out and set it aside to read through later. They'd probably need to break into the precinct, which more realistically meant looking through their recruits to see if any had ties to the police they could use. They'd understandably be reluctant to use those, but if they explained it was to bust a crooked cop supply intel and protection to Roman Torchwick, known asshole and racist, then he was sure they'd budge. As long as they promised not to hurt anyone else in the precinct.

"Are you going to keep us guessing or what?" Perry asked. "Come on, boss. Give us a hint of what you're up to. You can trust us."

"I guess I should tell you." the boss said. He sighed, turned toward them and set his hands down on the planning table. "We're going to go public, more public than we already are, and send our message out across the world."

"We're already pretty public," Deery said. "Everyone knows of us. What else is there we can do?"

"Ladies and gentlemen." Jaune looked to each of them in turn. "We are going to declare war."

Though, not war as you know it for obvious reasons. I've a feeling this is going to end up looking a little more Code Geass-y now that I look at the plan. It's funny because I never thought it was until someone commented on the big robot and the idea of a revolution, and now someone has put the words "Code Geass" in my head I can't stop seeing bits of it everywhere.

Jaune wants new masks – it's Code Geass! Jaune has a robot – it's Code Geass! Jaune has a brunette alter-ego on the other side – it's Suzacoco Adelarugi! General Ironwood is after him – it's Britannia! Ozpin is technically immortal – Gasp, Charles or VV! There is a girl with green hair and vision-based hallucination powers – argh, Emerald is CC!

I'm probably just falling into the trap of looking for similarities now, but I can't help it. Curses!

Though given Jaune isn't a strategic genius I can't help but imagine a scene where Ironwood invites him to play chess on his huge battleship, except Jaune has no idea how chess works and instead they end up playing naughts and crosses while everyone watches in awe.

"You have taken the top left corner? Foolish. He who takes the centre wins."

"If the King does not back himself into a corner first, how can he expect to draw a straight line?"

Next Chapter: 22nd September

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur