Champion of the zodiac
Chapter 10
The old man, a cat and a crow.
Jaune awoke in his hotel room to the sound of his scroll going off. After reaching over to turn it off he noticed his left wrist. A stylised dragon wound from his wrist to the back of his hand. He took a few moments to look it over and remember his dream, The night it showed up. He ran a single finger over the tail, then up its back. Only stopping over the bright gold horns that rested over his last two knuckles.
With a deep sigh he got up and got dressed. Now he slept in boxers, but when he was a kid he would sleep in this god awful onesie. His sisters would make one for him every year. On top of dressing him up and putting his hair in pink tails he often felt like a plaything for them. Funny, no matter how strong he got his sisters always seemed stronger somehow.
That dream was messing with him. Couldn't shake off some kind of melancholy. He needed to be on his game today too, no distractions. Decked out in his normal wear, his favorite hoodie, a few pieces of armour, and a single black glove to cover his left hand. He always thought people would notice how he only ever wore one glove, but it never came up.
After settling with the hotel office he took off for the bullhead yard. Beacon was known for only being accessible by air. He found out that students with an I.D could take the trip for free anytime of day or night. Licensed huntemen as well. Unfortunately he had to drop two-hundred Lien. It would seem he would have to sell some of his jewels soon no matter what.
The trip up to the school was terrible for Jaune. The moment the damn plane took off his stomach was in knots. How was flying on a dragon and in a tin can so different? A few other teenagers looked at him sideways and scooted a seat away. No surprise, his face was probably green by now. One girl with dark hair and a bow was the most grossed out. He could even swear she hissed at him or something.
After stumbling out of the plane with his backpack he took a moment to appreciate solid ground. The other passengers all walked around him with a wide berth. One guy with seafoam green hair said "tough luck bro" while he passed.
Once the world stopped spinning he dug out the letter his master had given him and started walking towards the main building that had a tower attached to it. It seemed like everyone else knew exactly where to go either by virtue of already being a student or with a paper he had no idea how they got.
Shrugging, he entered the giant doors of the academy he'd dreamed about for the last several years. Looking first this way then that, he picks a random hallway and starts looking for a front counter or something. This place has got to have some kind of secretary somewhere. Luckily he didn't have to search too far.
"Excuse me, you're not a student, are you? What are you doing wandering around? All applicants should be in the testing area." A tall blonde woman said after exiting a side door.
"Uhh… sorry. I'm here to apply actually. Just arrived." Jaune said standing as straight as possible. This lady was built. Impeccably clean work dress. Piercing eyes. Her whole deal screamed sexy librarian. But he could instantly tell she was a hardass. He'd dealt with enough to know the look.
"Then you're a day late. No exceptions. Today is the first day of practical. Try again next year." The blond said curtly and turned around.
"Wait! I have a letter! For either the headmaster or a Glynda Goodwitch. Please, my teacher told me this letter was important." Jaune shouts and runs after her.
The blonde stops and spins around so fast Jaune nearly collides with her. After stopping and looking up into her now narrowed eyes, he held out the letter in a shaky hand.
"and just who is this teacher of yours that knows me personally? Because if they did know me then they would know there. Are. No. Exceptions!" Glynda says, holding out her hand.
"Yōuměi de lóng, A… huntress." Jaune says with a level face.
Glynda took a step back and raised a… riding crop? She looked like she just saw a ghost. Was her face a shade more pale? What did you do master?
"I… see. Ver- very well. The letter please." Glynda says curtly.
She takes the letter and opens it slowly. As her eyes scan the page they grow more and more hard, but besides that she shows nothing else. Subtlety, Jaune opens his own aura for a quick read of hers. Whoa, this lady was pissed. He was told not to read the letter and to hand it straight over the moment he set foot in the school.
Dear headmaster,
Hello Ozzy. I hope this letter finds you well. Actually I don't, but we both know the chances of it finding you dead are slim. So we will all assume you are in fine health. Say hello to your little lap dog Glynda for me. Your little birdie as well. And that if either of them mistreat Jaune I will personally dismantle your school, brick by brick, with my own two hands.
Jaune Arc is the blonde boy in front of you, and he is my ward. His wish is to be a huntsmen, despite the fact that it is but a pale shadow of what it should stand for. He bears my mark, which should be more than enough for proof. I know you have a spell that can authenticate it. He has been informed to show it to you at your request.
He is well trained in every aspect your school would look for, and several it wouldn't. He's a bit shy, but I have no doubt he will excel in your care. With or without your machinations.
I ask you to admit him on his own merit regardless of my word. Simply give him the chance and the boy will shine. He's rarely dealt with others his age and is under the impression he isn't good enough. I may have… simply let him go on without correction. I advise you to keep an eye on him, both for his sake, and the rest of the students.
I'd appeal to your better nature (if you had any) to try and convince you to admit him, but we both know how badly you need soldiers for your little war. He is already aware of the state of the world and understands not to speak of it. I have informed him of the enemy well, but saw fit to leave your personal connections secret. He knows your age, and a little of what you can do. Your history is best left in the past, I believe those were the words you once told me.
But remember that history has a nasty way of repeating, and the time is fast approaching for such a thing once again. You're a smart man, and I have no doubt you were quick to pick up on just why I took on the boy when he was so young. He is unaware of my own history in that regard. See that it stays that way, and does not repeat. If he dies in your care I will be… unhappy. And a scorned lover will be the least of your worries then.
Your ally,
Yōuměi de lóng
P.S. Tell Min to up the time table. She will understand.
Jaune stood there silently while the professor read his master's letter. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about what it said, but had a feeling it held nothing he didn't already know or care to know.
After reading through it several times and gripping it tighter and tighter until it nearly ripped, she closed her eyes and mouthed something. If Juane didn't know any better one might think she just said "that bitch."
"Follow me." Is all Glynda said and strode off towards an elevator.
Jaune followed silently as ordered. Whatever was in that letter was probably not the best introduction he could have gotten, but he'd take it. The ride up was very uncomfortable for the both of them. Every few seconds the professor would glance at him like he was about to turn into a Grimm and go wild.
After the longest elevator ride of his life, Jaune stepped out into a wide circular clock tower. A desk with a white haired man behind it was busy with paperwork. His eyes and suit were green with a black undershirt. He seemed completely absorbed in his work to the point he didn't even notice them. Jaune couldn't help but stare. He knew this man was immortal after all.
"Glynda, you know I always value a visit from you, but shouldn't you be testing hopeful students just now?" Ozpin says without looking up once.
"Headmaster. A letter for you. It's… important." Glynda says striding up to his desk.
"And who is this young man? I don't believe he's a student here. Glynda…" Ozpin says warily.
"The letter. Headmaster." Glynda says nearly shoving the note under his nose.
Eyeing her like she just sprouted complete gibberish and tentacles, Ozpin takes the letter and reads it slowly. Unlike Glynda however, instead of anger he seemed genuinely amused. As the seconds ticked by Jaune couldn't help but try and read his aura. What would a human aura that old even feel like? The moment he reached for it however, Ozpin spoke up.
"I wouldn't advise that young man… Jaune is it? If you would be so kind as to keep your aura to yourself I would be grateful. That is an invasion of privacy. I see you inherited her bad habits as well." Ozpin said with a half smile.
Jaune's face pales and he mumbles out a sorry. He certainly didn't expect that of all things. He'd… honestly never thought of it like that before. But now that he did think about it, it probably was incredibly rude to read people without consent… Why did Yōuměi teach him to do so as often as possible?
"That's quite alright, I have a feeling you were simply doing as taught. But please know that such invasions will not be taken lightly here. I ask you to apologize to professor Goodwitch as well. I can tell you read her not ten minutes ago." Ozpin says while going back to the letter.
With a small bow of the head he turned to Glynda and bowed a little lower and said sorry much louder than before. When he raised his head, the woman in question had her lips at a fine line, but she gave a curt nod and turned to the headmaster.
"He can read aura's? A Semblance?" Glynda asks softly, a finger on her lower lip.
" Not in the way you're thinking. It would seem his training was more… classical in nature. Such an ability is rarely known about or used in this day and age. I haven't seen it in… well, a long time. It fell to the wayside because It was often misused, imagine that. It would seem his teacher taught him how, but not when. Now Jaune, if you please. Show me the mark." Ozpin says with the same half smile. He seemed to find everything about this situation funny.
"Sure." Jaune says and walks forward, removing his glove.
0zpin holds out a hand and places it over his and closes his eyes. Soon, a green glow envelops his hand. It felt like icy water.
"Well this is a surprise…" Ozpin mutters.
"Sir?" Jaune says.
"Nothing my boy. Now… Do you want to be a huntsman? Go to my school?" Ozpin said, looking straight into Jaunes eyes over his spectacles.
"Y-yes sir. More than anything." Jaune says with a nod.
"Curious. If you and this letter are to be believed you have already been trained by one of the brightest minds in existence. Why come to me?" Ozpin says seriously.
"Because sir… this is the best school out there. I've dreamed of coming here ever since my parents told me about it when I was six. And may she forgive me, as my master is a wonderful person... But I want to see the world more. Make friends. Meet a girl. I know what I've signed up for with this." Jaune says holding up his left hand.
"But I want some time away from all that. Maybe do some good while I'm at it. I felt this would be a good place to do so. Am I wrong?"Jaune says without breaking eye contact.
Ozpin's half smile turned into a full grin. It was… kind of unsettling, actually.
"I'd say you've come to the right place. Now, I need you to fill out a form or two… ahh, here we go. You're not the first student YōuměI has sent me, you know." Ozpin said while pulling out a few papers from his desk and pushing them towards Jaune.
"I'm not?" Jaune says.
He fills out some kind of insurance policy first. 'Any permanent injury sustained while enrolled at Beacon…' this place doesn't mess around. A clause for medical bills. Property damage…
The second paper was for an I.D. and basic information. Blood type. Eye color. That kind of stuff. Emergency contact? Uhh, his dad's number ought to do.
"No. You're very similar to her last student in fact." Ozpin says looking over the two now filled enrollment forms.
"Really? How so… headmaster?" Jaune says with his own smile.
"... A story for another time, I'm afraid. Take the elevator down to the first floor. Take an immediate left and head all the way down to the courtyard. Once there pass through until you find our testing area… say, testing ground one. There you will find other hopeful students that didn't come from the primary huntsmen prep schools and don't have transcripts, like yourself. Do you have a room in vale?" Ozpin says and stuffs his papers into a slim folder. It seemed there were only one other person's files in it.
"I got a hotel room last night. But at the moment, no." Jaune says.
"You will be directed to an open room here on campus once testing is completed, should you pass. Now off you go, young man. And good luck." Ozpin says and walks over to the window behind his desk, sipping coffee from a mug.
Hearing the dismissal for what it was, Jaune nods his head and walks out to find the testing grounds. He didn't know what to make of Ozpin just yet. Yōuměi was pretty dismissive of him, or didn't speak about him at all. Some kind of history there. But he supposed that was to be expected from two immortals.
A mere moment after the click of the doors is heard, professor Goodwitch steps forward.
"Really Ozpin? Another exception? First the youngest trainee in forty years and now some upstart from god knows where who's in with that snake? Does he even need training? And the new staff member..." Glynda huffs out, more than a little annoyed.
Ozpin merely sipped his coffee for a moment with an air of calm.
"My dear, you worry far too much. Bad for blood pressure you know. I have my reasons. As I have always had them, by the way. Were you able to read between the lines?" Ozpin said over his steaming cup of coffee.
"Nothing we didn't already know. Salem was on the move again." Glynda says with a sigh.
"Indeed. But because of the source of that information it bears importance. If the Zodiac are active once more it could mean a new kind of war. The kind with a lot more casualties." Ozpin says slowly.
"You can't be serious. She wouldn't risk all out war would she?" Glynda says with a frown. To her chagrin, Ozpin lets out a soft laugh.
"Now that's funny. To which she are you referring? I can easily see both Yōuměi and Salem starting a war if they felt the time was right. My dear, I would start a war if the time was right, no matter how much I loathe the very thought. Such things have happened before and they will happen again. The best we can do… is prepare." Ozpin says with closed eyes.
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Jaune found himself stepping into some kind of high tech arena. A large open fighting ring lined by some kind of light wall. A light blue sheen ran all around the ring up to the ceiling. Outside of the arena were bleachers filling up with teenagers and even a few huntsmen by the look of them. On the far side were several groups of four coming in with what looked like popcorn and soda. What is this, a show?
"Hey, don't just stand there blondey. You're blocking the way." a tall black haired girl in a bow told him before trying to squeeze past him.
"Oh! Uh, sorry. Yeah, go ahead." Jaune said in surprise.
He was pretty sure it was the same girl from the bullhead. As she passed right by him her shoulder lightly checked his chest. He swore he could smell vanilla from her because she was so close. He watched her walk past and subconsciously leaned a few inches over. She was wearing all black and white. Black button up vest with coattails running down her back over a crop top white shirt. Boots over black stockings that run up to some form fitting white shorts. A small emblem shone on her thighs. Some kinda flower maybe. She had a sway to her hips that reminded him of Yang. But where Yang's was more pronounced, this one was more graceful. Both were natural strides, but this one seemed…
"Creep…" a girl in leather armor said looking at him.
"What? No, no, I wasn't… uhh… Sorry." Jaune said and hurried down into the bleachers nearly tripping into another guy.
Smooth Jaune. Real smooth. Are you going to check every girl out like a weirdo?
Sigh… not a great start. Hell, he hasn't even really started yet and is already making an ass of himself. The boss librarian lady Glynda already doesn't like him, that was obvious. He gets sick on the ride up and now he gets caught staring at a girl's butt. Oh, and almost falls over the bleachers. He was starting to think this was going to be a bad day.
"Attention! For all of you here for the first day of practical evaluations please stay seated until called forward. If you are here with your guardian or trainer they must not interfere with the test. I advise any students who are Second years or above in Beacon to refrain from heckling the applicants in any way. You are to stay on the spectator side of the arena at all times. You will be expelled from the training hall and you will receive a week of detention should you break these rules. You will also get on my bad side. A far worse fate as most of you know. I see you smiling miss Adel. You won't worm your way out of trouble with me again young lady! No second chances." Glynda said from the edge of the arena with a mic.
"Whooooo! You got it sexy!" A girl in black and Brown clothes calls from the opposite side. A bunny faunus sitting close to the girl who yelled buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. A very faint "coco!" Could be heard. Most of the other students laughed at her jeer. All the applicants just seemed sick from nerves.
The girl who yelled had a beret on and some black shades over her eyes. Jaune didn't really know much about fashion. Uh, anything at all really. But he noticed she looked way cooler than most of the applicants on his side. Actually, every student on the opposite side was making one hell of a fashion statement. Scarfs and tailored clothes. Belts and jewelry. Arm bands and ribbons. Jaune looked down at his clothes and frowned. Maybe he should get a new look?
"You've just earned a night of cleaning your common room, miss Adel. For the last time, No sexual harassment! Now, most of you have been waiting patiently and I apologize for the delay. We will begin immediately. Azul Ash, please step forward into the ring." Glynda calls out to the whole arena.
A boy in gray and light blue clothes steps forward a few spots from Jaune's left. After walking over to Glynda she turns off her Mic somehow and says a few words to him and he nods. He enters the ring to stand in the middle.
"You are to disable your opponents within the time limit with any means necessary. The faster you are, the more will enter the ring. After every set the enemies will be harder. Do not hold back and do your best. Should your aura drop below thirty percent, the test will stop. Are you ready?... Mark!" Glynda finishes with a loud bark.
The boy pulled out twin pistols and held them aloft in a rudimentary stance for firearms. The floor opened up around him and several lithe faceless robots were brought up. As one, they all pulled out swords or spears. A loud buzz went off and a timer started from fifteen minutes on the twin giant displays on either side of the walls. It also showed an aura level by percentage.
The boy never even moved from his starting position. Five quick shots went off one after the other right through the head of each robot. Faster than the first ones had arrived, five more robots jumped up into the ring. This time one of the robots was bigger by a foot and thicker too. It was holding a halberd while two of the others had swords, one had a spear and another had a pistol of its own.
Another five shots, but this time only the three with swords or spears dropped. The pistol holding robot dodged and the bigger one charged and took the shot without slowing. The guy didn't hesitate and began
Running around and away from the bigger one. He focused fire into its legs until it fell, then dropped it once and for all with a shot to its head. The pistol robot got a shot off into the boy's shoulder and took about fifteen percent off his aura. A few traded shots went off leaving him alone in the arena, but only for a few seconds. About three minutes had passed since the start.
The fight lasted eleven minutes before his aura dipped into the yellow. He was panting by the end and seemed pretty winded. His second to last group of robots were a hodgepodge group. One monstrous robot even bigger than the last outfitted with some serious hardware. A minigun, light shield and a hell of a punch. Terribly slow, however. The boy was able to out maneuver it eventually and brought it down with a few well placed shots into its back with some fire dust.
Another fifth type that only showed up on his last fight was the one that took him out. It was the only robot that wasn't the same pale white. It was accented with red and had its own arsenal of weapons and seemed to be able switch on the fly. Twin swords that Mecca-shifted into rifles. Fast footwork that Jaune had trouble following at first. He had to relax his eyes to catch it. It's armor seemed thicker and lighter than the others. Some kind of composite alloy. A knife on its hip and a pair of batons on the other. It ran right at him, dodged three shots, and knees the kid in the face sending him hurling through the air. It landed two slashes of its swords on the guy's torso and the buzz sounded.
Jaune looked to the scoreboard and everything on it faded until it showed 360/500 and the time it took to finish. Guess that was the grade somehow.
"Well done applicant. You may stay and watch the rest of the matches if you wish or retire to a waiting room to rest. The academic test will begin at two-thirty." Glynda called out.
several of the students that came out to watch were cheering loudly. It was apparently a good score. If Jaune had to guess it was either making it to the red robot or lasting so long. Either way, Glynda called the next fighter up. The girl in leather that called him a creep earlier. She lasted five minutes or so and only got a 130/500.
The students politely clapped for her, but she stormed out before the professor even finished talking to her. A bad score then.
A few others went up but it was the girl in black and white, Blake Belladonna, that caught his interest the most. She was fast and never made a sound. Her weapon had a bunch of different variants all tied up into one, but her main use of it seemed to be a katana. Even the sheathe for it was a decent weapon, a cleaver or something close. Just like the first guy her first wave dropped in seconds with a few short bursts from her weapon while it was a pistol. Unlike the first guy, her second wave nearly dropped just as fast. She didn't even use what had to be her semblance until the fourth wave.
Thirteen minutes. Thirteen minutes of Blake weaving in and out of her opponents with grace and leaving shadows of herself to explode on contact. When she made it to the red robot she gave the test a run for its money. But no matter how many times she slashed or shot it, it just wouldn't go down. She did manage to cut off one of its arms and damage its torso though. The students went wild over her performance and she earned a nice 415/500 score. The best one yet. She was one of the few to hang back and watch the rest of the fights.
After another twenty or so teens most of the day's fights were over. No one had topped Blake's score. Or even beat four-hundred for that matter. Two-hundred seemed to be the median for scores here. Jaune had seen at least seven different arenas besides this one when he was walking the grounds as well. A lot of hopefuls had come today. Finally the last person to be called up was him.
"Well done applicant. Our next test will be the last for today. Jaune Arc. Please come forward." Glynda called out.
Jaune hopped down and walked up to the professor with butterflies in his stomach. After watching all the matches he wasn't worried about passing. But he was still going to be fighting in front of a lot of people. Not something he's had to do often. He barely noticed when miss Goodwitch placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you ready?" Glynda asked him.
"I'm good." was all Jaune could muster out.
He felt every pair of eyes follow him to the center stage. This close to the students he heard a few of them placing bets. The girl in the beret and shades put thirty Lien on him going down in under five minutes. Another placed fifty on a score under two hundred. Well if that wasn't rude he didn't know what was. Did he look that weak? Maybe he really should get a new look.
"Mark!"
Oh shit! I gotta pay attention!
Jaune pulls his sword out and puts aura into his legs. A few quick flash steps and the first wave was downgraded into parts. Before the second wave was even fully ready he was thrusting the point of his blade into the torso of the slightly bigger one. He brought his shield up to take a bullet from the only robot with a gun and then pivoted to slice a trio in two. The last dropped after Jaune picked up a spear and threw it through it's faceplate.
The third wave would have A few more of the bigger ones but Jaune never stopped moving. It wasn't until the fourth wave he had to parry a melee weapon. Jaune fell into a well practised trance by that point. Enhanced kicks flowed into slashes. Parry and thrust into the sidestep. Backpedal block reverse-grip strike. Finally the largest robot showed up with a minigun. He ran behind the other robots and used them as bullet sponges. He had to throw his shield to get the second one however. Without any ranged weapons his choices were limited.
He got grazed by a few shots from the ones with guns that had a high fire rate, and had to catch a sword with an aura covered hand, lowering his aura by an inch. But all in all he was doing great. He had stopped counting the waves however and this proved to be a heavy mistake. He felt something slam into his back with the force of a battering ram, sending him flying. After coming up from a roll he turned to find red already in his face. The damn thing blocked his first two attacks and Jaune had to backpedal away for space. It was an unrelenting assault from this thing.
Every time their weapons clashed he felt it in his arms like it weighed a ton. He was starting to get why no one had beat this thing. It took him a full minute to be able to concentrate enough to use his aura in any more complex ways than simply harden for protection.
After two minutes of a brutal back and forth he saw his chance. He brought his leg up and planted his foot on the robot's hip. He covered his heel in aura and made it bouncy, forcing its own momentum against it. A moment after landing on its back It shot back up and charged Jaune, pulling out two stun batons since it's swords went flying. Before it could reach Jaune he sent sharpened aura Into his blade and slashed out with a roar. A crackling crescent of white aura flashed across the few paces between them cleaving his foe in two. The blade of aura flashed across the length of the arena to hit the light shield on the other side, sending sparks everywhere.
The buzzer went off to silence. None of the students made a sound as he caught his breath. When he finally started walking towards the door he looked at the scoreboard. Nine minutes forty seconds with a score of 490/500. Aura at 62%. He put a little too much into that last attack. Not to mention the beating it could pump out.
"Well done applicant. As that was the last test for today I would ask every applicant still here to make their way into the waiting room. Please make use of the lounge there to recuperate until the next text. The written exam will begin in one hour." Glynda said into the mic.
Jaune finally noticed the murmurs coming from all around him. especially from the older students. He couldn't make any of it out, but they sounded pretty damned impressed. At least he hoped so. Not a bad day after all.
Before he made it to the waiting room he felt a chill run down his spine. Turning to scan the bleachers he saw Blake watching him with narrowed eyes. Was she angry he got a better score?
He noticed two things instantly when he reached the waiting room. One, it had a spread of great looking food and comfortable chairs. Second, there was a large display on the opposite wall with a view of the arena, and most of the people who just took the same test turned towards him with hard eyes as he entered. Almost all of them seemed hostile.
Jaune grabbed a sandwich off a nearby table and sat by himself with a sigh.
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Qrow Brawnwen was a professional. He was no slouch with his scythe, but his true speciality was recon and espionage. Anyone who knew him well could take a guess why. It wasn't just his ability to move silently or eye for detail. Nor was it the excellent sleight of hand he picked up as a somewhat troubled youth. It was his magic.
Well, not his magic. But magic that was granted to him for his use. He had made great use of it over the many years since his Beacon days. Being able to turn into a crow was a boon he took for granted often. Never once has it ever failed him before. Which is probably why he screamed like a girl when for no reason that Qrow could tell he found himself hurtling towards the ground in his human form.
After crashing through a few branches he drew his scythe and turned his embarrassing fall into something slightly more dignified. He nearly screamed like a girl again when he heard a voice call out of nowhere.
"Hello birdie. And why is the little crow so far from home?" A sultry female voice calls out.
"Who's there?" Qrow says, raising his weapon and looking around like a madman.
"Fierce claw. Queen of the sky. Mountain bearer. I have many names, little crow… but you should remember me by another." A woman in red said walking out from behind a tree.
"Yōuměi… great. As if I didn't have enough problems. That was you wasn't it? Making me fall?" Qrow said.
"Not so bird brained then… Why are you here Qrow? I've seen you circling my town for a few days now." Yōuměi says mockingly, while leaning against a tree.
"You don't own the town, and it's none of your damn business." Qrow spits out and turns around to leave.
Before Qrow could take a second step, Yōuměi appeared a few steps in front of him under the shade of a large fir tree, eyes shining gold against the shadows.
"Careful, little bird. You've been asking questions about the Arc family. They are under my protection." Yōuměi says with narrowed eyes.
"Protection? You've got to be joking. You and the rest of your little cult won't lift a finger for the rest of us, but you'll watch over a bunch of blondes? A second rate huntsmen family in the boonies... What a joke." Qrow says.
Yōuměi's outline fades a moment before her eyes do, but she hasn't left just yet.
"Why are you interested in them?" Yōuměi's voice projects from everywhere.
"I said, none of your damn business." Qrow answers. He starts walking towards the town, hands in his pockets. A Few moments of quiet follow.
"Ahh, there it is. It's not for the old man then. But for another, a brother. No, just like a brother. A blonde of your own." Yōuměi whispers in the wind.
Qrow starts walking faster, face a grimace.
"Stay out of my head, witch." Qrow mumbles. A faint laugh echoes around him.
After several minutes of walking in a dead silence Qrow realized he passed the same tree formation for the third time. He stops and sighs. He hated magic. Wasn't particularly fond of animals either. Magical immortal animals top the chart, however. Benevolent beings his ass.
"Alright, alright. Whatever you're doing, stop. I'll talk ok? Enough with the theatrics." Qrow says and sits down on a rock.
"You never did enjoy a good drama. Always more of a tragedy type, eh Qrow?" Yōuměi says, walking towards him from his left with a grin.
"Har har, you damn lizard. Heard you're no stranger to tragedy yourself." Qrow said with a grin of his own.
" then it sounds like Ozpin should keep his mouth shut. Now, the Arcs?" Yōuměi says sitting down in the grass near him.
"An old friend of mine put up a kid for a week. Said his name was Jaune Arc and was suspicious as all hell. Asked me to look into him. Where he came from. Make sure he's on the level." Qrow says warily.
"I see… and? Is he 'on the level'?" Yōuměi says with a raised eyebrow.
"As far as I can tell… yes. Known around this little hamlet as a good kid. Parents are licensed huntsmen. Various sisters who sometimes stir up trouble. All very ordinary. Except the town's people say he made a deal with a spirit for power. Those that would talk at least. Most of the old timers made a motion with their hands and refused to talk about him. That he travels up to the sacred mountain to trade favors. Let me guess… you?" Qrow says putting his elbows on his knees.
"Indeed. If your friend was willing to let Jaune stay, why was he so suspicious?" Yōuměi asked. Qrow barks out a loud laugh in response.
"His daughters took a liking to the boy and he got protective. But if the kids got something to do with you, I can see why he'd be weird." Qrow says.
"Hmph. Says the shape-shifter. Sounds like Jaune is growing up just fine on his own at least." Yōuměi says with a sigh.
"You say that as if he's yours… he's not, is he?" Qrow says surprised. It was Yōuměi's turn to laugh.
"Not like you're thinking, no. I train him. Teach him. Treat him like a son… but no, He's not mine." Yōuměi says softly.
Qrow narrows his eyes. He would almost say she looked sad for a moment, before she looked up and smiled.
"is that all you're doing out here? Pretty far from Beacon just to check in on a kid as a favor for a friend. Not at all creepy by the way." Yōuměi asked.
"On a mission that took me close." Qrow says waving a dismissive hand.
"Ohh? Anything I can help with? I was napping when you came to town, but I'm awake now. And it's frightfully boring now that Jaune is gone." Yōuměi says lightly.
"I'm looking for the fall maiden. Often seen riding a white horse. Oz thinks she's in danger." Qrow says with a defeated slump. Not even going to try to hide it from her. She'd just figure it out anyways if she wanted too.
"And I do want too… hmm, fall. Give me a moment." Yōuměi says. Qrow mumbles something about a witch again.
Yōuměi closes her eyes and crosses her legs. It shouldn't be too difficult to do. Finding a source of magic in a magicless land wasn't exactly hard… but something is keeping her from pinpointing the girl.
"Is she in vale at least?" Yōuměi says with a frown.
"Uh, damn well better be. Amber knows not to go abroad." Qrow says rubbing his chin.
Waaaaay up north was the winter maiden. But that life force was weak. Yōuměi could barely read her at all. Spring was somewhere in Mistral, but hers was even fainter. Like the power hadn't been used almost at all for years. Far into Vacuo was another. The summer maiden, if she had to guess. That one was strong. She could feel several of her fellow zodiacs as well but...
"She's on the move and… something is wrong. Fall is somewhere to the north-west, but I can barely feel her. It's like someone is hiding her in darkness. Or she is hiding. I'm sorry, that's the best I can do." Yōuměi says, opening her eyes.
"Better than nothing. Which is exactly what I had to go on before today. Heh, thanks. Good work for a lizard. I better get to searching then." Qrow says, standing up and dusting himself off.
"No problem bird brain." Yōuměi says before disappearing into the forest with a wave.
Qrow sighs and tries to take off but quickly turns back into a human a few feet off the ground, catching himself just a few inches away from slamming his face into the dirt. He shouts a few of his favorite curses when that damn Laugh echoes around again.
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Reviews! Yay!
EnteTheSlayer: you're welcome!
MogtheGnome: me too! You have no idea how awesome it feels for someone to find your work interesting.
ConsumedPolecat: right? So much you can do with it! And I've always felt pretty attached to RWBY ya know? Like it was a world begging to be expanded on.
hirshja: that is actually an interesting plot point I've already got committed to paper. Just not up to the point where I want it in the story yet. I hate flat and one dimensional characters. I'm trying my best to have everyone be… Engaging? Interesting? At the very least not boring. I feel like Youmei is a big focus right now, but it's one of those things where I'm hoping her motivations will slowly Dawn on my readers. And her influence on our resident knight will be more evident. It was left vague intentionally. For now at least haha.
iron-slayer-dragon: yo, glad you're liking it so far. It's awesome to see these reviews from people who make it all the way to what i have posted so far. Live for this stuff. Badass handle btw. You can probably tell… but dragons are one of my favorite things.