"There really wasn't much more than that. I got her to talk for a while, but she really didn't say anything all that important." Jaune explained, sitting uncomfortably in Headmaster Ozpin's office. The chair wasn't uncomfortable, rather, the two grown men staring him down were. One was the owner of the previously mentioned chair, but the other…
Name: James Ironwood
[OK]
"And you don't know why she was there to begin with?" The general of Atlas grilled.
"Well, she gestured to the terminal at one point when it made a 'ding' sound, but she destroyed everything with fire before I could examine it closer. Maybe she did something to the computer system?" Jaune offered all he could. Mostly, it was speculation. Finally, he had revealed Cinder Fall's identity to the authorities, though he honestly should have done so right after the breach. Not telling everybody when Neo informed him was a good play, but once he came face to face with her himself, all suspicion was off the petite criminal. Oh well, better late than never.
"Unlikely," Ironwood dismissed. "While the terminals all share access to the cloud, the pathway to the main system is heavily protected by firewalls. If she was indeed doing something to the computer, it would almost certainly have a localized effect, but nothing more."
"But why did she use that specific terminal? Uh- Sir?" The leader of team JWLR added the last bit of respect, unsure if he was pushing his boundaries with the man.
"It's a good point." Ironwood actually conceded. "Better safe than sorry, as they say. I'll have my top programmers run diagnostics on the system to make sure everything is still in order. I won't have anything go wrong at this year's Vital Festival, even if I have to take every precaution." The general vowed.
"Tell me, Mr. Arc," Ozpin suddenly spoke up. "Did Ms. Fall's fire power seem… Magical to you?"
"I'm not sure I understand…" Jaune confessed.
"Magical: as in, beyond a mere semblance. Does that ring a bell?" The headmaster pushed.
"Now that you mention it, I guess it did seem 'magical'. I mean, I've seen people use dust in insane ways, but she didn't use any dust at all." Just like him, but Jaune neglected to add that piece of information.
"Interesting…" Ozpin responded simply. He seemed neither concerned nor distressed about this information, but rather… He seemed pleased? There was only a hint of a smile on his face, but Jaune couldn't stop himself from noticing. "In that case, I have made my decision on another issue, concerning your team."
"My team? What do you mean?" The team leader asked.
"As you know, all first year teams will be departing for their Second Semester missions this weekend. However, considering your… Uncanny ability to find trouble no matter where you are- especially concerning terrorist groups like the White Fang- I have decided that you and your team will not be sent out for a mission."
"What?! But that's not fair!" Jaune couldn't say that he was particularly excited about the idea of going on a real Grimm hunting mission, but Weiss had been hyped for this mission ever since they got the announcement. And now, because of him, they weren't allowed to go? Jaune really didn't want to have to break this news to his white haired teammate, so he pulled some tactics that others might consider to be 'scummy.' Mainly, throwing Team PBNY under the bullhead. "All of Team Penny has been involved with the White Fang too! Multiple times when it comes to Yang and Blake!"
"Perhaps the first few encounters could be called a coincidence," Ironwood butted in. "But I have it on good authority from the Valean Police Department that you have an informant within the White Fang."
"Has Sun really told everybody that?" Jaune lamented. So much for secrecy.
"Not to worry, Mr. Arc. Sun has not been spreading your secret around- He dealt with informants before. He told me because he and I have… History." History? Sun looked to be around Jaune's age, how did he have 'history' with James Ironwood? Then again, if he was Jaune's age, why would he be serving the police department already? Wouldn't he still be in combat school? Eh, questions for later. "Now, like Sun, I won't pressure you into revealing your contact. However, if the White Fang make any moves while most Hunter teams are out of the city, I'd rather have you here to stay informed. The Breach would have been far worse without your heads up. The same might be said for any attack in the future."
General Ironwood's case was sound, so as much as he hated to let Weiss down again, there was nothing to be done.
"I understand, sir." Jaune mumbled, rather disappointed in the whole situation. Suddenly, Ironwood clapped a strong- metal?- hand on his shoulder.
"Chin up, Jaune Arc. You're a fighter, much like how I was in the early days. And the mark of a true fighter is the ability to make personal sacrifices for the good of the people. I certainly hope you won't go down the same path I did, but I can feel that- wherever you end up- you'll be a man always committed to the people."
You've gained a Bond with:
James Ironwood
Bond LV: 10/200
[OK]
"Wow, uh… Thank you, sir." Jaune thanked, standing up from his chair. The General nodded away his thanks.
"Go on now, soldier. Break the news to your friends."
"Oh, and one last thing." Ozpin called right before he entered the elevator. Jaune turned back to look at the man. "Please keep Cinder Fall's identity to yourself for now. For security reasons, you understand."
"So that's it? No mission?" The heiress spoke without feeling. Jaune met up with Weiss only a few minutes later to deliver the bad news. He pulled her aside into an abandoned classroom instead of telling her with the rest of the team out of fear as to how she might react.
"I'm really sorry, Weiss. I know that you were looking forward to this, and I tried to argue for you, but there was nothing I could do." Jaune admitted. Weiss didn't respond. He didn't want her to be mad or upset, but even those emotions would be better than nothing. Before he could say anything else, though, she finally spoke up.
"No one's ever fought for what I wanted before." She admitted. This took him by surprise.
"No one? Ever?"
"No one." The heiress affirmed, staring him dead in the eye with a determined look.
"What about your sister and your father-" Weiss flinched at his mention.
"I don't want to talk about them right now. Just… Dance with me."
"Dance with you?" Jaune was put off by the sudden change of pace.
"You were too busy stopping terrorists again to dance with me last night, so I want to cash in the debt." The white haired woman insisted. Then that determination disappeared. "U- Unless you don't want to…"
"No!" Jaune responded a little too quickly, grabbing the heiress in the ballroom style. Perhaps it was sudden, but Weiss had dealt with enough things recently to where she didn't need to be given mixed messages. "I'd be happy to dance with you." Weiss smiled and rested her head on his shoulder like she had during the Breach, and they started to sway.
There was no music, but there didn't need to be. Ruby, Blake, Yang, Pyrrha- they'd all been given his attention previously, but now it was Weiss' turn. And she had come so far since they first met. From complete hostility, to acceptance and trust. She earned this attention- No. She deserved this attention.
+7 Bond with:
Weiss Schnee
Bond LV: 24/200
[OK]
Looks like Weiss got that dance after all.
Until next time,
-RMV