I am back! Did you miss me? Want a long winded intro? Probably not so let's get this going.

Winter watched as her summon was crushed flat by an unseen force. The Atlas Specialist was completely stunned. So stunned she was late sending her last three glyphs forward. Glyphs which then inexplicably exploded just a scant few feet in front of her. Jaune looked at her. He seemed somehow unfocused yet determined. She noted his breaths were coming in ragged gasps. He smiled.

Winter swallowed because Jaune Arc's dazed smile was one of triumph.

Winter felt doubt. She had no idea what to do next, and doubts were not something she dealt with well. This particular doubt even caused the Specialist to mentally lock up. Then the mental freeze became a tactile sensation. Winter felt honest panic when her body become seized by some unknown and alien force. For a moment, terror pulsed through her being as she became sure that this unknown force was the precursor of Jaune Arc's next attack.

"Jaune Arc's aura has now dropped into the red." It took a few moments for Winter to comprehend that Professor Goodwitch was even speaking, much less the vital information she was now disclosing. "This, by rules, concludes the spar. If both combatants would please put away your weapons and release your semblances we can… Mr. Arc? Mr. Arc!" Professor Goodwitch was suddenly rushing forward.

When the instructor moved, Winter was released. This caused at least some obfuscation of the events to clear. The Specialist instantly gathered that it was Glynda Goodwitch who had in fact seized her. A measure the instructor obviously felt was needed to prevent anyone from doing anything reckless after the bout had ended. Winter was shamed that she had lost this much control of self during a simple spar. She felt honestly shamed that a school instructor deemed such measures necessary. Then Winter saw Jaune Arc collapse. Only then did she comprehend her opponent had somehow fallen unconscious.

Nora and Ren were already rushing towards their friend. Winter took a few hesitant steps that way, but was stopped when a rushing Weiss grabbed the Specialist by the shoulder. "Winter what just happened? What did you do?"

The unexpected climax of the sparring session had momentarily left Winter numb and unable to process the situation properly. But only for a moment. Winter closed her eyes and quickly flipped the mental crisis switch in her brain, thus regaining her focus as a professional soldier. Winter pushed past Weiss and moved with purpose to Goodwitch's side. With a commanding voice the Atlas Specialist yelled, "Stand back. Give him space! That includes you Nora!" Nora jumped away as if jolted by electricity. Winter nodded in acceptance of the rapid compliance by Jaune's friends. Winter then addressed the kneeling Professor before her. "Goodwitch, what's his aura level reading?"

Professor Goodwitch looked at Winter, the Specialist was surprised to see panic in the formidable woman's face. "The reader isn't getting anything!"

Winter was honestly concerned, but thought Professor Goodwitch was, perhaps, overly alarmed. Jaune looked largely uninjured, and the Specialist remained calm. "Are you sure? I didn't see it break."

Glynda shook her head, which was a confusing response in and of itself. "It's not reading zero! It's receiving no reading! Nothing at all!"

Winter frowned, turned the device on herself, fifty-nine percent. Aimed it at Professor Goodwitch, one hundred percent. Turned it on Jaune Arc… nothing. Not zero… a total non-reading. She might as well have been aiming it at the ground. Winter felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. "How is this possible?"

The question was meant rhetorically, but Glynda Goodwitch still responded, "It has to be with how he was using his Semblance at the end."

Winter nodded even though all she knew about Jaune Arc's Semblance was that it had somehow saved Weiss's life. The Specialist knelt down, removed a glove, and touched Jaune's face to feel his skin. The moment she did, there was a distinct lurch. Winter felt momentarily dizzy. So much so, she needed to blink the sensation away. Jaune's eyes fluttered. Across his skin, Jaune Arc's aura suddenly and inexplicably began crackling. Crackling loudly. To the point Winter heard the noise echoing softly off of the building walls. Winter could even feel a small amount of momentary heat where her hand was still touching him.

Goodwitch rechecked her reader. Jaune Arc: zero percent. Glynda Goodwitch closed her eyes and sighed with absolute relief. Jaune groaned softly. Winter ran her finger tips over his brow softly, which seemed to calm him. She did use her gloved hand though. Her right hand, the one that touched Jaune a moment ago, was shaking slightly. Winter glanced at the reader just as its reading went from zero to one percent. It was Winter's turn to let out a sigh of relief.

Qrow appeared. Winter smelled the distinct waft of alcohol on his breath, although it was noticeably less than what she was accustomed to when talking with the battered Huntsman. "You guys have any idea just what the hell he was doing at the end?"

Goodwitch rounded, more than eager to find a person to be angry at. "You were supposed to be monitoring him!"

Qrow Branwen barely reacted to the shout. Branwen was calm, detatched, and, to Winter's ears, perhaps overly callous. "Kid was up over thirty percent. That's like another solid minute of someone just beating on him before things get critical. Figured the Ice Queen was just gunna push him over the line and end it that way."

Winter had a moment of shock as she thought of the overall series of attacks she had landed on Jaune when the man just refused to stay down. Jaune Arc was still over thirty percent? Just how much aura does he have?

Glynda Goodwitch's focus was elsewhere and her green eyes narrowed into pinpricks. "Have you been drinking while monitoring my students?"

This time Qrow did look concerned. Very, very concerned. He smiled what he obviously hoped was a winning smile and attempted some form of jest, "Don't you mean pseudo—"

Qrow never finished his thought. One moment he was standing next to Winter Schnee, the next there was sizable hole through a wall and Qrow Branwen was nowhere to be seen. "I am going to make that man truly hate the fact he was born when he stumbles back here." Goodwitch seethed. This was a sentiment with which Winter fully concurred.

Winter checked the reader. Jaune Arc: three percent. Good, it was steadily going up. Winter felt herself truly regain calm as she began to check Jaune's vitals, all of which were steady and strong. Unfortunately his eyes remained rolled up inside his skull, but Winter still believed the inexplicable crisis was largely past.

Weiss touched Winter's shoulder, "Is Jaune okay?"

Winter looked at the troubled face of her sister and then all of Jaune's other friends. She smiled a calmly reassuring smile, even if it was still a bit plastic to cover her own concerns. "Jaune is stable. I see no reason for immediate worry." Winter looked at Professor Goodwitch. "I have a personal med-kit on my belt. It has aura boosters and smelling salts if you think it advisable to wake him up."

Goodwitch negated that thought almost instantly. "Mr. Arc seems to be recovering. Whatever actually happened, I don't want to alter with his aura in any way so long as it continues to rise. As far as him being unconscious, I'm not worried about a concussion. The way he was standing at the end honestly leads me to believe this is some form of exhaustion." Professor Goodwitch did her own thorough check on Jaune's vital readings. After one more moment, Goodwitch fully committed to the plan of, "We'll let him rest for a few minutes. We can still reevaluate if his condition worsens or he remains unconscious for too long."

Winter hesitated as there were other factors that could be in play, but nodded in acquiescence regardless. Leaning heavily towards caution was not the worst reaction when facing unforeseen circumstances.

Weiss's hand squeezed Winter's shoulder to regain her sister's attention. Weiss then softly whispered a question that was obviously very difficult for the younger sibling to ask. "Did you do something to cause this?"

Winter blinked, then mentally ran back through the last thirty seconds of the fight. Winter didn't mean to ignore Weiss's question, but she did so anyways. "Professor?" Professor Goodwitch looked at Winter, "What exactly is Jaune's Semblance?"

Professor Goodwitch paused before responding. "It's odd. He has a strange way of amplifying the Semblances of others, at least to a limited extent. He can also share his aura with other people if he chooses. Unfortunately, we haven't had a lot of time to work out just what his limits are as he didn't discover it until recently."

Weiss stiffened at the mention of Jaune's discovery of his Semblance. Winter instantly understood. The Specialist reached up and grabbed the small hand that was still on her shoulder and even stroked it softly with her thumb. Winter didn't turn, but she nonetheless addressed Weiss directly. "So you know, I wasn't even able to hit Jaune at the very end. Honestly Weiss, those were simple Earth glyphs laced with energy propellant and fire dust. Nothing more. Whatever happened, Jaune decided to make it happen." Winter looked at the faces around her, "Has anyone been helping Jaune with his Semblance?

Nora raised her hand. "We were playing around with it a week ago or so. I was holding a big electrical crystal I borrowed from the armory so I could see just how far I could knock some boulders with Magnhild." Nora smiled a little wanly. Winter smiled softly in encouragement. "When Jaune said he wanted to work with his Semblance I was happy to help him." Nora's smile became a bit more normal when she added, "It was awesome because Jaune's hair got extra spikey when he was holding on to me." Nora took one more moment before she ended with, "Things got a bit crazy once Jaune really started using his Amp though. We even lost sight of one rock that I hit with the hammer."

Professor Goodwitch groaned. "Is that why a half-ton boulder crashed into the Imperial Palace?"

Winter blinked and Nora paled, "We totally stopped after that! Honest!"

Glynda Goodwitch started rubbing her temples. "Miss Valkyrie, just… Why!?" After a rather long and very quiet pause, the professor looked at her student and said, "So you understand, you, Mr. Arc and I are going down there tomorrow morning. You two are going to explain exactly what happened and then apologize. Do you understand?"

Nora nodded meekly.

Ruby Rose patted Nora's shoulder comfortingly, then unexpectedly added. "Yeah I tried something out with him on the track a few days ago, but I ended up crashing really hard into a wall and pretty much quit. His Amp works, but it's really hard to control."

Winter looked at Miss Rose and asked, "How so?"

Miss Rose paled noticeably at being addressed by the Specialist, but still answered the question. "With me, it's weird because Jaune controls just how much boost I get when he lets me go. I don't really feel any different, at least as far as I can tell, but I activate my Semblance and suddenly I am moving anywhere from a little bit above my normal semblance speed to like way past super-duper rocket speed. Which is why I crashed into that wall."

Winter looked to Glynda Goodwitch who was slowly calming down. After one more deep breath, Goodwitch said, "I apologize students. The fault here is mine. If we were at Beacon I would have done several experiments with him by this point. Late bloomers with Semblances aren't that uncommon after all. But here and now… I have been distracted." Glynda faced all of her charges equally, then turned to address Winter directly. "Unfortunately, I don't exactly know what Jaune Arc is capable of. Worse though, it seems Jaune Arc isn't sure either, given he just came very near to injuring himself in a way I don't comprehend as of yet." Glynda Goodwitch touched Jaune's face in a way that was somehow formally intimate. It was a gesture that showed just how much Glynda Goodwitch cared for her students. It was a look of such honest and open concern, that Winter felt deeply touched. So much so that the Specialist almost reached for Goodwitch's hand to offer comfort.

Then the moment passed. Glynda Goodwitch reformed herself into that terrifying symbol of unflexing authority that gave Beacon's combat instructor her legendary reputation. Glynda Goodwitch, two time Vytal Champion, Team Leader of GILD, hand-picked successor of the mighty Professor Ozpin himself, and, perhaps more impressively, the woman James Ironwood would whisper fond and terrible stories about when he and his adjutant worked far too long into the night. That was the Glynda Goodwitch that turned to face Winter Schnee to make a stone cold promise. One that Winter Schnee did not doubt for a moment.

"I have no idea what he was doing at the end or how he was managing it." There was one of Goodwitch's very meaningful pauses, "But I will make sure he knows not to do it again in anything less than an absolute necessity."

Winter wasn't remotely surprised when the unconscious Jaune Arc shivered.

Blake watched the spar turn into a fight, and most surprisingly of all, not a completely one-sided fight. At least initially. Jaune Arc even managed to somehow disarm an Atlas Specialist. Blake took no small amount of personal joy in just how furious the Specialist looked when Jaune Arc threw her weapon over the wall. From that point on, Blake couldn't help but silently cheer JNPR's leader on, but that was also when the tide turned. The end of the fight was an honestly vicious thing as the powerful Specialist relentlessly brutalized Jaune Arc until he seemed on the verge of collapse.

Blake wished she had been surprised.

Then something strange happened. Jaune Arc decided he just wasn't going to take it anymore. One moment, Arc was the helpless and hapless target of an Atlas Specialist. Then, Blake still didn't even know how, the coin flipped. Winter Schnee, an all-powerful Atlas Specialist, became the one that was completely helpless. For roughly fifteen glorious seconds, the stunned Specialist watched all her constructs come crumbling down around her. For just a few moments, an Atlas Specialist came to understand just what life was like when you ran out of options.

Then, like all of Jaune Arc's everything just imploded at once, the spell was broken. Whatever Jaune had been doing, led the guy to completely collapse just before the finish line. For Blake Belladonna, it was a perfect metaphor for the reality of life.

Glynda Goodwitch immediately rushed to Arc's side. After a moment, and somewhat surprisingly, the Atlas Specialist was kneeling by Arc as well. Blake hung back, honestly not sure what good she could do, although the faunus still somewhat resented Winter Schnee's tone when she told the others to back away. Ruby hovered anxiously around the fringes of Jaune's concerned friends while Professor Goodwitch and Specialist Schnee continued a mumbled conversation. A conversation Ruby's uncle wasn't allowed to be privy to given how suddenly and violently Professor Goodwitch ejected him.

Blake shrugged. It was none of her business. Finally Blake's teacher seemed to relax, shortly followed by Weiss's sister. Weiss eventually came up to talk to her sister. Nora and Ruby also started speaking to the Specialist.

Blake decided to step away. It wasn't like Jaune and Blake were really friends, and everyone was making noises like he was going to be fine. Because of the injury, Blake guessed her little sparring group was probably going to be wrapping things up for the day. Blake wondered if she should call her father so he could arrange a taxi to come and pick her up. Blake, pulled her scroll out. She sighed. No signal. That was life now wasn't it? She checked the scene one more time, and saw Ms. Goodwitch use her Semblance to move Jaune Arc gently into the shade.

Goodwitch then addressed them as a whole, "Okay students. Mr. Branwen has unfortunately become indisposed, and I am going to be personally monitoring Mr. Arc for a while. I would normally ask Specialist Schnee to supervise." Blake tensed, but needn't have worried, "However Ms. Schnee has come to visit her sister and to impose on her seems crass." Specialist Schnee was still stepping forward, and Blake held a breath, but Professor Goodwitch's mind was made up and she casually waved the Specialist back. "Miss Schnee, why don't you and your sister do a few contact drills? That will allow you to visit a bit and still show off your considerable improvements." Weiss smiled a bit tentatively, but looked concernedly at Jaune Arc for a few moments longer.

Surprisingly the Specialist spoke next. "Weiss I understand your concern, but there are answers that just aren't going to come to light until he wakes. A little light exercise would do both of us some good and occupy our minds."

Blake expected Weiss to huff and dig in, but surprisingly Weiss didn't. She smiled kindly at the elder Schnee and simply stated. "I know. It's just I've never seen him react like that."

Winter nodded and attempted a weak joke, "I can't imagine he ends many bouts by falling unconscious."

Yang laughed in response. Blake was perceptive enough to realize Yang was doing this mostly for Weiss's sake and not make light of Jaune Arc's collapse. "You're telling me. I've seen him golfed halfway to the moon and just get up and dust himself off."

Weiss giggled a bit as the mood relaxed a bit of its tenseness. Weiss asked, "Didn't Nora do that to you too once?"

Yang laughed, and Blake remembered the food fight with her own smile. Yang then said, "Yep. Only with me, she just got me with a watermelon. She smack's Jaune full on with that hammer of hers!"

Two of Blake's friends shared a laugh meant to remind themselves that Jaune was tough. he should be fine. Unfortunately, it was also a laugh that Blake stood apart from.

Almost shockingly, Winter smiled at Yang as she offered her own assessment. "I will admit, Jaune proved a great deal more… resilient than I had expected." Given her inflection, the Schnee seemed to think her choice of words somehow incorrect.

Weiss laughed what was truly now a normal sounding laugh. Then like always, Weiss said what she thought most fitting. "Stubborn is the word I think you're looking for. Jaune Arc is easily the most stubborn individual I have ever met."

Yang sniggered. "That's Jaune alright. Weiss could tell you horror stories from back at Beacon."

Winter frowned, and Blake was in for another surprise. Weiss rapidly stepped forward to defend Jaune. "Winter, he apologized. He also meant it when he did so."

Yang wilted a bit. "Yeah, I didn't mean to imply... Listen I wasn't thinking okay? He's honestly a good guy. He's just doofy and tries way too hard sometimes-"

Weiss smiled and let Yang off the hook with a chuckle. "-and he's stubborn. Absurdly stubborn."

Yang smirked, but it was the Specialist who finished the conversation. "I honestly see that. Considering just how hard I was hitting him at the end, Jaune Arc is a very stubborn man indeed."

Weiss and Yang shared a chuckle, while the Specialist graced the two of them with a smile that somehow hurt Blake's soul. Blake felt a familiar aching hollow. Even an Atlas Specialist somehow got along with her friends better than she did herself. After one more moment, Blake turned and moved away.

Ruby Rose didn't fail to notice when Blake made that decision either. Honestly Ruby had been waiting for it.

Slowly, mind feeling like it was full of mud, Jaune struggled back towards waking. His exhausted being briefly felt this comforting touch of something stern, but warm, that served as a guiding light back towards the real world.

With effort, like his arm weighed a good three times what it should, Jaune raised his hand to rub his eyes.

"Try not to move Mr. Arc." Jaune stilled. The voice brokered no argument. This particular voice never did. Jaune slowly moved his hand back to his side.

Ever so cautiously he turned his head to find Professor Glynda Goodwitch sitting in the shade beside him. Professor Goodwitch's palm was then placed gently on his brow. For whatever silly reason, Jaune was somewhat surprised by the sheer amount of callouses on that palm. The palm implied a life Jaune Arc knew very little about, and that ignorance only added to his innate fear of Glynda Goodwitch.

Jaune still dared to ask, "Did I pass out?" The hand on his brow stilled, then softly the back of that hand was placed on his cheek. Here the skin was smooth and cool. It instantly felt comforting, and somehow allegorical. That mysterious allegory didn't change the fact Jaune felt a little silly. This was almost like he was a little kid faking sick, and his mom was checking for a nonexistent fever Jaune kept insisting existed.

Eventually, Professor Goodwitch responded. "That would be an understatement Mr. Arc. You have been out like a light for the better part of an hour." Jaune shivered a bit in shock. He moved to sit up, but a firm hand was placed on his chest to keep him from doing so. "Lie still Mr. Arc. I need to talk to you and the moment your friends know you've awakened I will be unable to get a word in edgewise."

Jaune relaxed… or at least lay back down. In fact he was whatever the opposite of relaxed was. This sounded like he was in for one hell of a tongue lashing. Jaune had some long dormant holdover from adolescence make his voice squeak at the least manly moment possible. "What are we going to talk about?"

Jaune was pretty sure he imagined it, but he thought he heard Glynda Goodwitch chuckle softly. "Several things Mr. Arc, but let's start with what you were attempting to do during the last few moments of your spar with Specialist Schnee."

Jaune nodded slightly, and tried vainly to relax at least a bit. "I guess I was pretty angry at the end, wasn't I?"

Professor Goodwitch nodded, "You were indeed. If it is at all comforting, I think Winter Schnee was no less angry than yourself."

"I don't see how facing an angry Specialist is very comforting."

Professor Goodwitch sighed a somewhat bemused sigh. "I meant only that she was as committed as you to winning, and unwilling to hold anything back in order to do so. So much so I thought it best to restrain both of you when you're aura suddenly fell past the red mark." Professor Goodwitch gave Jaune some strange look that he found mildly irritating. After a moment she broke eye contact, but there was a smile on her face when she turned away. "I was admittedly surprised by your reaction Mr. Arc. That was the very first time I ever witnessed you losing control of yourself."

Jaune thought back and grimaced. The criticism was completely fair. "I won't let it happen again."

There was a snort. Jaune was again irritated by something he wasn't quite able to grasp. "That would be best, but alas is a problem beyond even the best of us." Jaune had a moment where he wondered briefly if Professor Goodwitch was talking to him or at him.

Then the spell broke and his instructor as he knew and understood her was back in full force. Her face became the dictionary definition of stern. "Unfortunately Mr. Arc, being angry wasn't what I was asking you about. I would like to know just what aspect of your Semblance you were using to deal with the Specialist's constructs."

Jaune closed his eyes and tried to explain. "I have the ability to Amp my own aura and make it bigger if I take a moment to think about it."

Professor Goodwitch tilted her head slightly, and somewhat incredulously. "Are you saying you multiply the literal amount of Aura in your being?" She blinked in obvious misunderstanding before finishing with, "That would be a very powerful Semblance indeed."

Jaune was already shaking his head. "No, nothing like what you're thinking. I can't go from like five percent to like fifty percent just because I want to or anything. When I say 'bigger' I simply mean 'bigger.' I have a lot of aura, and if I want, I can push it out and make the field extend quite bit past me. It's exhausting, but I can do it."

Jaune's instructor was somehow more incredulous still, "Are you saying Mr. Arc… That you were destroying those constructs with your Aura. Not some aspect of your Semblance, just pure aura?"

Jaune shrugged ever so slightly. Admittedly he was now a bit nervous. "Is it really that much weirder than how some other Semblances work. Pyrrha could grab anything that was metal and turn it into a pretzel whenever she wanted. You can throw a boulder the size of a car for like a mile with just the wave of your hand." Jaune felt a sudden clinch of nerves as Professor Goodwitch seemed to dislike his boulder analogy for some reason. Still he soldiered forward, "Ren taught me the basics on how Hunters can focus aura into blows with their fists. So I started to learn how to punch with aura, just a bit further away than most people can."

Professor Goodwitch stiffened and held a hand up to tell Jaune to pause. "There are distinct differences Mr. Arc. I will put it simply, because I seldom know just how deep the gaps in your knowledge with Hunters extends," Jaune blushed but there was no accusation in his teacher's words, just truth. "Mr. Arc, I need you to consider that a Semblance is fueled with aura, but it is not aura itself. Hitting an object I hold through my Semblance damages my aura not at all. True, some Semblances often react differently to different materials, such as polarity, and many semblances can often be amplified by dust, like Miss Valkyrie's affinity for electrical dust, but aura powers a Semblance without truly being a part of it. Consider it, in very base terms, like a scroll. Aura would be the signal that makes a scroll work and allows images, but the signal exists whether or not the device is on. This is not true in reverse, should the signal cease, a Semblance has all the worth of Scroll cut off from the towers. Which is why a Hunter becomes so powerless when their aura breaks. Understand Mr. Arc, should I exhaust myself of aura, my Semblance becomes moot and I become little more powerful than any other woman my age or build."

Jaune was about to respond, but Professor Goodwitch silenced him with a gesture. "Secondly, an aura strike while very effective, often causes near equal damage to the striker as his target. True, if implemented correctly, an aura strike can end a fight quickly. But trust me Mr. Arc when I say, if implemented incorrectly, it will end the fight just as quickly."

Jaune nodded, "I already know that—"

Ms. Goodwitch did not pause, "Then know this very carefully Mr. Arc. What you were doing, should I understand you correctly, is a very dangerous idea. You are essentially using those massive aura levels to try and punch with them." Goodwitch sighed, "No I take that back, you used those massive aura levels to successfully punch with them. However, Mr. Arc, I want you to understand that your aura was falling like a stone while you were doing this. Having your most precious resource as a Hunter take a pummeling ten feet from your body, extending a bubble of force in such a little understood way, is only ever going to be situationally more advantageous than having them hit you where you have the addition of armor and shield to mitigate the damage."

Jaune sighed, "Yeah I figured it was kinda limited. I knew I needed it to be a surprise if it was going to work. Still, if Winter had just been a little closer, I might have surprised her enough to win."

Glynda Goodwitch paused then chuckled for a moment. "That well may be true. If it is any consolation, in addition to being rather angry, Winter Schnee was very, very surprised." Jaune wanted to smile, but the Professor's face was now showing naked concern. "There is one more thing I need you to understand Mr. Arc. Otherwise I'll be terrified you'll continue to run recklessly face first into trouble." Jaune looked at her. Professor Goodwitch fixed her emerald gaze on Jaune fully. "Mr. Arc, when you collapsed, for a moment I was unable to get a reading on the aura reader."

Jaune paused. No one had yet cracked his aura. It wasn't because his friends were incapable, but just that spars usually stopped before it happened. There were accidental late blows sometimes, and rapid apologies when they occurred, but it would take Nora, or even an angry Yang, at least two more flush hits to successfully snap Jaune's aura. That just hadn't happened.

Jaune felt a moment of concern, but not overly so. He pretty much felt fine. Eventually he shrugged. "Well it happens. I don't feel hurt, just a little tired. So I think I'm fine."

"You misunderstand. Not zero Mr. Arc. I was unable to get a reading at all. It was like you never had aura to begin with."

Glynda Goodwitch then explained the moment of terror when the reader seemed to fail her. Jaune swallowed, asked if he was doing okay now. His teacher assured Jaune his aura was already over seventy percent, and still rising just fine. Jaune breathed deep and settled back.

Goodwitch did not let him relax very long before she continued. "I just need you to fully understand the risks should you keep pushing yourself in foolish ways, Mr. Arc. Experimentation is good and necessary, but we all have our limits. Should any Hunter exceed them, the consequences are often very dire." She paused briefly. Jaune understood she was considering whether or not she was going to tell him something. Something important by the look on her face. Jaune remained silent until she decided. Finally his teacher asked him, "Do you understand that I am very angry with you?"

Jaune tried a half-smile. "Given you just had an Atlas Specialist that is very invested in her win-loss ratio beat me up, I kinda guessed."

Glynda smiled softly, her eyes still on Jaune's friends. Eventually she said, "I guess subtlety was never my strong suit." She then fixed Jaune with a look that might have been faintly apologetic, but still left that apology very deniable. "Do you know why I am angry with you Mr. Arc?"

Jaune paused, "This isn't about me taking chances with my Aura with my aura anymore is it?"

She shook her head somewhat sadly. "No Mr. Arc, I blame myself for that more than any student with limited experience."

"You're mad because I snuck into Beacon, right?"

Professor Goodwitch eventually nodded, although while doing so she was again facing Jaune's friends instead of Jaune himself. There was even a somewhat wistful smile on her face as she watched Jaune's friends. Then after a moment, she very much stopped smiling. For the briefest of moments, she looked like she was going to cry. After another moment, she just started talking. Some of it was aimed at Jaune Arc, but he had the sneaking suspicion that a great deal of what she said next was intended for other people entirely.

"I wasn't mad at first Mr. Arc. In fact, your confession made what I understood about you start making a great deal more sense. Then you made a joke and laughed about being thrown off the cliff at initiation. Like it was just some silly little thing that just kind of happened. Like it wasn't a big deal. That your life wasn't important. That moment is when I became angry. I know you understand that a lot of people, including far too many students, died during the assaults on the Vytal Festival. But knowing is not the same as seeing. For more than two weeks, I did very little but attend the funerals of those I dedicated myself to teaching and protecting. And as sad as that is, please understand that those were also far from the first students I've had to bury." She paused for a moment, and Jaune briefly thought she was done speaking. "I have seen so many young Huntsman and Huntresses that were completely convinced of their own immortality. Absolute believers that they cannot be beaten. This world is merely the stage for their story to be told. The future is theirs, and because of this, no foe can win against them if they just believe in themselves hard enough. There are often horrific consequences when their unwavering belief is shattered. Not just death Mr. Arc, but loss. The loss of all the good deeds they will henceforth be unable to accomplish. The loss we all feel when we are left to pick up the pieces and try to make sense of senselessness. The loss every one of us feel when bright lights are snuffed into nonexistence." Professor Goodwitch turned and what she said next was undeniably addressed to no other soul but his. "You should know something Mr. Arc. It angers me very much when one of my students thinks it's funny that I could have stood over his broken body, never understanding what even happened to him, before I look his parents in the eye, and finally bare witness to two people's souls dying within them."

Jaune paled, but he knew what to say next. "I never actually apologized did I?"

The barest of smiles made Ms. Goodwitch look suddenly very human. "No Mr. Arc. A confession is a confession, and an apology is an apology."

Jaune didn't smile, but he did nod. "I am sorry. For being careless. For continuing to be so. I will do better. You have my word, and an Arc never goes back on his word."

Ms. Goodwitch nodded then stood up. After brushing her skirt off, she offered Jaune her hand. Jaune accepted, and she easily jerked him to his feet without noticeable effort. She also dusted some of the twigs off of his back.

There was a squeal. Even though standing made him feel woozy, Jaune still saw Nora incoming long before she arrived. He happily wrapped his arms around her as she lifted him then squeezed her team leader for all her worth.

Nora hugs were sincerely awesome!

Jaune laughed, and while laughing, distinctly heard Ms. Goodwitch say:

"Apology accepted Mr. Arc."

Weiss watched Jaune receive the business end of a Nora hug. She was thoroughly relieved, but somehow mildly conflicted. Weiss was distinctly aware Winter was smiling and fighting the urge to join Jaune herself. A battle Winter rapidly lost as she walked over to Weiss's friend without even a backwards glance at her sister. That made things a little more uncomfortable for Weiss than she liked.

Weiss was introspective enough to know she was experiencing more than a little bit of jealousy right now. Winter smiles had become rare and treasured things as the two Schnee sisters grew older. That Winter loved Weiss was not something the younger sister ever doubted. Their relationship was admittedly difficult to explain to a loving family like what Ruby and Yang shared, but the bond was every bit as strong. It was just under greater and more constant assault. Often that assault came from within, by no less a person than father himself. So Weiss's relationship with her sister had always been something that needed to be guarded.

Admittedly, guarding her love and regard for Winter was never something Weiss had excelled at. A fact, Weiss realized in retrospect, that led Winter to being more and more standoffish. Winter tried to subtly warn her sister that her continued carelessness would eventually lead to Weiss's place as heir to the SDC becoming jeopardized. Winter had often warned Weiss that if anyone was going to rectify how the SDC did business, it was going to have to be her. Jacques had long lost trust and favor for his eldest child, and Whitley seemingly embraced everything Jacques Schnee taught his son.

Did Winter know father had already elevated Whitley into Weiss's former station?

Weiss sighed, because in all likelihood, Winter probably didn't know. Weiss also wasn't overly eager to tell her sister. The burden Winter placed on Weiss was something both sisters knew to be intrinsically unfair, but it was still one Weiss willingly shouldered. Winter trusted her, and Weiss always relished being worthy of that trust. It was the main reason Weiss so readily gave in to father's demand after Beacon's fall. Once Weiss's dispute with father could no longer hope to be put off by feigning misunderstandings or school work, when father himself stood in front of her, Winter's trust meant enough to Weiss that it had been the deciding factor in abandoning her team in a time of crisis.

An action that was already Weiss's most enduring regret. Not that she blamed Winter it was just… well it was just all so very complicated. Even now, no matter how Winter reacted, letting down that trust hurt. True, the SDC was something Weiss wanted to be proud of again. Weiss also dearly wanted to never feel secretly ashamed of the name Schnee again, but Weiss knew and understood it probably meant more to Winter. It was probably Winter's most enduring regret with her relationship with father.

Weiss had dedicated a large part of her young life to ending that regret… only to be suddenly and completely upstaged by Jaune Arc. Was it childish? Yes. Was it petty? Yes. Was it something that should be utterly beneath Weiss Schnee? Absolutely. Those facts did not make Weiss's possessiveness over her sister's attention and regard any less of a reality.

A heavy metallic hand landed with zero subtleness on Weiss's shoulder. Weiss sighed indulgently.

"You know she's just worried about Vomit Boy. She was the one he was sparring with when he collapsed."

Weiss nodded to Yang, "I know."

"There is something you're not telling me isn't there."

"Yes."

"You don't want to talk about it do you?"

"Not really."

Yang hummed briefly as she considered her options. Weiss approved of her friend's intuition when she acknowledged, "Okay then. We won't talk about it."

"Thank you."

Yang inexplicably started chuckling. "You know, your sister was pretty impressed when you were contact sparring with her."

Weiss smiled. Whatever Remnant threw at her from now on, Weiss didn't want to hold in any honest smile any longer. "Do you think so?"

"Definitely." Yang continued, "You should have seen her face when you slipped that wheel kick over hands and hit her in the nose."

Weiss chuckled softly. That had been a good moment. "I wish someone got a shot of that."

"Ask and you shall receive." Yang then pushed something into Weiss's hands. Weiss looked down to see Yang's scroll was now currently playing a sixty second loop of Weiss and Winter maneuvering around each other. Several blows were exchanged. Weiss was obviously hit more often, but none were clean. Then came the moment where Winter dropped her hands to push one of Weiss's feints away. Winter stepped back, believing she had gotten out of Weiss's range, only to find out she was very wrong.

The angle wasn't perfect, but you could still tell Weiss's foot tagged Winter right on the button. There was a moment where Winter looked shocked, but unfortunately Weiss was overly cautious and didn't follow up.

Weiss's grin threatened to take in her ears. "I really want a copy of this."

Yang sniggered, "Even though it is a crime against big sisters everywhere, I'll get it copied as soon as we get back to the house."

Weiss was very happy with the results, and restarted the loop again, but still wondered enough to ask something. "Why were you filming us?"

Yang seemed to shrug, Weiss wasn't looking at her since the video loop was rapidly approaching the good part. It definitely felt like a shrug to Weiss. Finally Yang said, "I work with Ren a lot, but my leg striking is still kind of underwhelming. I was mostly filming your two's footwork."

Pop! Foot meet nose! Weiss paused the video to give Yang her undivided attention. She looked up at Yang, thought for a moment about how her friend liked to fight, and offered her opinion. "I think you're too eager to get hit sometimes so you can activate your Semblance. That leads to you often losing your balance while kicking. After all, it is much more difficult to strike when most all of your weight is going backwards. Even for Yang Xiao Long."

Yang nodded, "Yeah I know. Which is why I like to plant myself with both feet on the ground and just punch. Which has its own limitations." Yang sighed, "Limitations my dad really tried to drill into me even though he still treats me like I'm made of glass sometimes."

Weiss was a bit incredulous, "Has your father ever met you?"

Yang smirked. "My Dad loves me, and he can hit crazy hard. Like large holes in the countryside hard when he wants to." Weiss nodded, Tai Xiao Long was a well renowned Huntsman. "So dad isn't going to really plant himself to hit his little girl." Yang smirked and shook mane of hair, Weiss could feel it briefly tickle the side of her face. "Me and Ruby sometimes think he can be a real ninny about stuff like that."

In spite of herself, Weiss could resist correcting, "'Ruby and I.'"

Yang didn't bat an eye, "So I was filming your feet, because I need more basis of comparison. Especially with people who are more or less physical equals."

Weiss smiled at what she instantly took as a compliment. So she returned the favor, "Well I think you should also understand your dad might be worried if he hits you, you just might hit him back."

Yang honestly looked like she had never even considered the idea. Her smile bloomed into something beautifully happy. "Think so?"

Weiss smiled, "You should consider it at least." Weiss went back to her video, but still added, "At least I know you aren't a fetishist."

Yang lightly chuckled, then whispered near Weiss's ear, "Who said I wasn't?"

Weiss snorted. Then they both laughed. Weiss snuck an arm around Yang's waist and briefly hugged her with one arm. Yang even refrained from locking Weiss into a headlock, although the twitch from the mechanical arm was a dead giveaway Yang had considered it. A chuckling Weiss eventually patted Yang's prosthetic, which still hadn't really moved from where it was draped over her shoulders. Yang unexpectedly tensed when she did, and Weiss tensed when Yang did. There was something sad in Yang's eyes when Weiss glanced at her. Weiss, concerned, was about to force the issue when Glynda Goodwitch unexpectedly cleared her throat. Everyone turned instantly in her direction.

"Attention students, I need you all to look this way." This seemed a silly request since it had long ago become a reflex for any student that heard Professor Goodwitch's voice to immediately give her their undivided attention. "Before all of you justly badger Mr. Arc over his conduct in the last spar of the day, I have an announcement."

Everyone gathered around Professor Goodwitch. Who paused, then smiled a radiant smile. A smile that made Weiss stand straighter just looking at it. Ms. Goodwitch then said, "I just want each of you to understand just how very proud I am of all of you."

There was some murmurs, but every one of Weiss's friends were already standing straighter. Jaune must have mumbled or done something, because Ms. Goodwitch zeroed in on him... before she simply started laughing, "Yes Mr. Arc. The word, 'All' means you as well."

Jaune straightened, "I didn't say anything!"

Ms. Goodwitch continued to laugh, "Mr. Arc, sometimes you don't have to." Most of the group chuckled, and Weiss honestly smiled as well before Glynda Goodwitch continued. "I doubt any of you have bothered to consider, but I am a fully vetted member of Vale's Hunter Licensing board. As a member of that board, I have deemed every single one of you worthy of a fully valid Hunter's License. All of you, from this point on, are recognized as legal Hunters of the Grimm. Congratulations."

Weiss, who had already been standing proud, had her heart swell in her chest. She looked around and saw similar looks on every one of her friend's faces.

After a moment to let the news sink in Ms. Goodwitch continued. "I do not enjoy repeating myself, but on some rare occasions, it feels warranted. So let me again tell every single one of you, that I am very proud of all of you."

There was a murmur, and no one yet dared to move until Glynda Goodwitch levitated a large stack of folders from some hidden place. The licenses were then handed out in alphabetical order. Ms. Goodwitch shook all of their hands while doing so. Weiss felt Winter stand next to her as the precious folder, including her very first license, was handed over.

Winter whispered, "Congratulations Weiss. I am very proud of you." Winter then gave Weiss a warm squeeze. Weiss couldn't help it. She just started crying. This was an important moment, and while it wasn't at a large assembly of graduates for a prestigious academy, it was still everything she wanted. A moment shared with those that loved her.

It was in turning to stare up into the face of her beloved sister, for the first time that day, Weiss just happened to notice Winter's Officer Epaulettes, and became confused. That was when Ruby Rose tackled her with a flying hug from behind.

Jaune Arc received and gave hugs to every single one of his friends. For whatever reason, the news that they were all now fully bonded Hunters basically made every one of his friends forget his spar with Winter Schnee. Jaune was kind of grateful for that. He also thought Ms. Goodwitch might have timed the news in such a way as to give him a little breathing room.

Somewhat surprisingly, Blake worked her way around to give him a hug. Well maybe hug was an inappropriate term for the polite thing that was more a clasp of hands and a brief shoulder touch than a hug.

Actually, Jaune noticed none of Blake's hugs were warmer than the one she gave Jaune. All of them were distant things. Especially the one she offered Yang, who returned the gesture with little more than a tepid smile. Nothing like the naked squeal of happiness Ruby displayed as RWBY's leader quickly decided Weiss needed to be hug tackled. Weiss's laughter was a bit late in coming, but carried far as Weiss didn't hold back her joy. Jaune did see Blake's brief naked longing before she began to drift off. Jaune looked away from a situation he could do nothing to control.

Funnily enough, Nora was similarly quiet to Blake. Jaune's friend was so thunderstruck she barely squeezed anyone at all… well until it came to Ren. Ren got squeezed. He started it by picking up his girlfriend and swinging her around laughing. Then, like a spell was broken, Nora woke up and rapidly turned the tables. How Ren could participate in a spontaneous make out session while obviously suffering from complete lack of oxygen was anyone's guess. Ren managed though. Jaune was impressed.

Jaune looked at his team, missed Pyrrha Nikos dearly, but allowed himself to feel his own happiness.

Eventually after the rounds of surprised well wishes began to subside, Winter Schnee made her way over to him. Jaune hadn't quite gotten around to dealing with his overreaction in their spar and was about to apologize, but she spoke first. "Congratulations Jaune. Your parents will obviously be very proud."

The comment hit Jaune strange, and he briefly wondered if his parents would in fact be proud. Jaune felt a surge of longing he was rather surprised had been hidden within him. He missed his sisters. He missed his mother. Jaune knew he had a rather hefty and unresolved conversation with his father that needed to be addressed, but his father's disapproval was feeling less and less important. Answers might give context, but Jaune was ready to live his life. The decisions have all been made. Still, that surprising bit of longing reminded Jaune, more than anything, that he needed to talk to his family so they would at least know where he was going and what he was doing.

Well the parts of Jaune's life that were at least plausibly believable.

"Are you well? You looked far away for a moment," Winter asked.

Jaune refocused his attention and smiled at Winter, "Just remembering that my parents have no idea where I currently am. I guess I am feeling more than a little guilty about that."

Winter frowned, "Jaune that seems," there was a pause, "kind of awful."

Jaune didn't want to be flippant because he fully agreed with her. "No denying that it isn't good. I guess family is complicated right now, and there are things I need to deal with concerning my parents." Winter was closely eyeing him, her face inscrutable. Because Jaune was young and really wanted a woman he already admired to like him, felt the need to add more. "I did talk to them after Beacon fell, they know that I was okay through that much." Jaune unsuccessfully tried to hide a wince when he was forced to continue with, "I'm sure they expected me to come home though instead of marching off to Haven."

Winter raised an eyebrow, "They would expect this because…"

Jaune really wanted to wince again, but he didn't, "Because I lied to them."

Winter's frown became a bit angry. "Jaune..."

Jaune talked over her a bit. "I know it was childish. I regret it. I do. I am planning to address it when all of us get to Argus."

The mention of the Kingdom of Mistral's most northern city caused something strange to flash in Winter's eyes, but it didn't lessen her frown. "Surely there is some greater expedient. I think you mentioned you were from somewhere near Vale. Why then are you waiting until you travel to Argus?"

Jaune would admit to suddenly feeling a little like he was being cross-examined, and the urge to put up a wall was there. Still, Jaune didn't deflect. He was not going to keep repeating his same mistakes over and over again. "Well, firstly my sister Saffron lives in Argus. Because of that, I know the old Atlas relays are still in use there. Locals are still allowed to use them to send messages to most of the towns in Eastern Sanus. It'll be expensive, but I should be able to arrange for a message that would reach my parents in Ansel in just a few days. I'll tell them everything I can then."

Winter's frown did not lessen, in fact it somehow deepened, although it now looked less angry. Maybe angry was a bad word… disappointed would have been probably be a more true description. "There is another possible option."

Jaune was confused, "There is?"

Winter shook her head briefly to regain focus, "Firstly, the main Mistral Tower is, by treaty, still considered an Atlas Military facility. It has a small relay station so it can communicate readily with any part of the Atlas fleet within its range."

Jaune looked at Winter, "How am I going to convince the Atlas military to relay a message between ships."

Winter smiled, "I can arrange something for you. Due to political matters, it wouldn't arrive in Vale directly, but it would reach Eastern Sanus mere hours from now. This way you wouldn't have to wait further weeks to alleviate their concern."

Jaune looked Winter, suddenly a little wary. Although, as to why he was worried, was not something Jaune wasn't able to immediately figure out. "Would that get you in trouble?"

Winter paused, "Not in any way I believe you are considering. Private messages are indeed officially frowned upon, but I have a person I can ask a favor of. One inclined to grant such favors, especially when asking on the behalf of the young man that saved my sister's life."

Jaune almost triple checked, but was slowly learning to be better than that. Instead he simply said, "Thank you, Winter."

Winter's smile fully blossomed, "You're Welcome Jaune."

Jaune kind of felt instantly happy to receive such a smile, which led him immediately to offer an apology for earlier. "I am sorry for getting angry in our spar."

Winter's smile became more polite, but lost little of its warmth. "Apology accepted, but I would be remiss if I didn't also apologize for my own behavior." Winter's expression became rueful, "I can oft times be highly competitive, and thus I am sorry for my poor form in striking you in such a manner."

Jaune didn't want to belabor the point. "Apology accepted."

Somewhat unexpectedly, Winter didn't let things end there, "Would you still allow me to make it up to you?"

Jaune suddenly felt a bit nervous, but he made every effort to keep that from showing. "I don't think you need to, but I'd be happy to accept if it leads to spending more time with you."

Winter straightened a bit, and her expression gained a hint of a smirk. "That was actually reasonably smooth for you Mr. Arc," she teased. Then her expression became something a little more open. "Honestly Jaune, that is a very nice compliment and I am very glad to hear you feel that way." There was a polite pause. No more and no less. "Jaune, I was hoping you would accompany me to an event as my plus one.

Jaune replied very quickly, "I would be honored to."

Winter inclined her head, then smiled a little more broadly, "Wonderful. I should inform you it is going to be a strictly black tie affair." Jaune felt his throat constrict ever so slightly, he had absolutely no money and— "You should also know there is a wonderful tailor down the street from where we had lunch a couple weeks back."

Jaune just kind of had to ask, "Are you offering…?"

"To pay for your tux? Yes Jaune, I can afford getting you a rental considering your current financial circumstances."

There were sudden conflicted feelings inside Jaune. This offer honestly was a blow to Jaune's pride… but was that remotely important right now? Wait! What the was he thinking?

Hell no that wasn't important!

Jaune smiled a genuinely thankful smile. "Thank you Winter. What time would you like to meet at the tailor?"

Winter relaxed, a tenseness Jaune hadn't realized she was feeling drained out of her posture. "It will have to be in two days. I have several meetings to arrange both this evening and tomorrow. In fact I need to leave rather soon as I have an important briefing with Mistral Security." Winter sighed. It was the sigh of someone who honestly didn't want to leave but knew they needed to.

Jaune liked very much that Winter didn't want to leave.

Winter then unexpectedly turned and, for a reason Jaune was slow to grasp, began to walk over to the wall near their little makeshift sparring ring. Almost absently she asked, "Jaune, where is the passageway to the other side of this wall?"

Jaune felt the pit drop out of his stomach as he began connecting dots that quick spelled out one word in all capital letters.

SHIT!

Winter looked carefully at the wall. Jaune was staring at her with an expression that had her warm feeling morphing into something more concerning. She shook it off, summoned a glyph, and sprang to the top of the wall. Once up there, her heart dropped. There was shock. She turned to Jaune who had already moved up to the base of the wall. With a leap and an awkward scramble, he climbed up the wall and earnestly looked down the side. He was obviously desperate to see if her weapon was somehow visible.

It was not. The sabre was nowhere to be seen. Winter half expected to feel anger bubble up, but it didn't. It was drowning in more personal concerns.

"You really were angry weren't you?"

Jaune didn't lie to her. "I was. I am sorry for overreacting like this."

Winter looked down, it would take hours to find the sabre. Time she did not have right now. She thought of military ordinances, protocols, politics, and a particular replacement of hers who would be very eager to pounce once she was found wanting in any way.

A demerit or possible disciplinary letter weren't the worst of things, but far from how she wanted this truly good day to end. Winter then realized she would already have to run to make her meeting with Mistral's Security Chief and General Ironwood. Which meant that it would be Ironwood himself who would be writing up her lacking.

That hurt. That hurt a lot.

"I messed up bad didn't I?" Jaune's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Jaune, there is no way you could know."

"What can I do to fix it?"

Winter smiled at him crookedly, "I don't see how you can."

Jaune gave her a similarly crooked smile that really was endearing. That did not mean he had yet conceded defeat on the issue. "At least tell me what's actually wrong so I can try."

Winter sighed. "Atlas Military Personnel are under a protocol, for their own safety, to remain suitably armed while in uniform."

Jaune looked at her, "I guess your meeting wouldn't let you arrive in normal clothes."

"Indeed not."

Jaune asked, "Is it a sabre that you specifically need?"

Winter looked at him curiously, "What are you getting at?"

Jaune looked at her, then leaned over the cliff edge. "I mean, if you showed up with a different weapon, would that be okay?"

Winter had a near encyclopedic knowledge of Atlas Military procedures and protocols because of her long standing position on Ironwood's staff. She thought she understood where Jaune was going with this. The suggestion was plausible at least. She smiled, "It might look a bit silly, but I guess if I really rush I could reach the armory in Haven and request a training weapon. It might look a bit—"

"Take this." Winter blinked. Her words already forgotten. Jaune was extending no less than Crocea Mors to her. He was holding it by the sheath so its handle was aimed at her chest.

"Jaune… do you even realize…"

Jaune smiled… and his smile was sad. More tellingly, Winter understood Jaune actually did not want to hand the weapon over. "I do. I absolutely do. A dear friend, when her life was falling down around her, when I knew nothing about what was actually going on, told me the story. She told me almost everything that day, although I did not understand why until it was too late to do any good." He shuddered from memory before focusing his gaze fully on Winter herself. "I am getting my weapon back." He then smiled crookedly, to soften the statement, "I just need to find your weapon first."

The words Jaune spoke were almost nakedly honest. The young Huntsman explained much with his statement and hinted at more. There was only one way to reply. Winter hesitantly took the famous weapon from Jaune's hand. Then nearly ruined the moment by almost dropping it when he let go. Crocea Mors in its sheath easily weighed ten times what her sabre did.

He quickly showed her how it buckled to either her arm or belt, the Sheath's binding system were actually a quite clever bit of mecha-shift technology. She noticed the logo on the inside and instantly understood why.

She didn't let the long dead maker ruin this moment though.

Winter stepped forward, and softly, on top of a wall, in front of all of Jaune's friends, kissed him on the cheek.

"Aren't you going to yell something inappropriate right about now?" young Miss Schnee asked her teammate.

"Nah. The guy deserves a win," was Miss Xiao Long's reply.

There was some grumbling from young Miss Schnee, but the ears of a boy named Oscar were too far away to make it out.

"You actually do want me to yell something don't you?"

Young Miss Schnee again said something inaudible from this position, but it sounded like some form of denial. Then Miss Belladonna left the sparring yard speaking on her scroll, and the focus of the conversation shifted. Miss Xiao Long became upset, although she tried to hide that fact from Miss Schnee. Eventually RWBY's 'Y' wandered off in a direction deliberately different from the one her faunus partner had taken. Something that had gone by many names, although the name Ozpin was still most relevant, understood what was now at stake for the partners.

So did Ruby Rose.

Young Miss Rose had also been watching. Normally Ruby Rose was such a ball of energy that when she went still, one could easily forget she was in the area. Despite being decked out in a bright crimson hood. Even an ancient spirit could be caught unawares from time to time. Weiss Schnee was obviously even more susceptible given she didn't realize Miss Rose was approaching until the young huntress touched the heiress on the shoulder. The SDC heiress and her team leader had a quiet, but fervent conversation. The spirit could hear none of the conversation as Oscar was too intimidated and too infatuated by Miss Rose to even approach, but the former headmaster that resided in Oscar understood Miss Rose had made a decision. A very firm decision. It was in the set of her jaw. It was an expression so like the one her mother sometimes made that a smile that didn't belong to Oscar crossed the boy's face. A smile Oscar didn't even feel, much less understand why it was there.

Ruby Rose left to follow Blake Belladonna. After a few moments, Weiss Schnee left to follow Yang Xiao Long. Oscar nodded, even though he never intended to. This caused the boy to tense. Admittedly a slight overstep on the spirit's part, so it faded further back into the boy's subconscious lest Oscar's disquiet grow.

The ancient spirit honestly couldn't take full control of their body unless Oscar allowed him to. So far. That time though was fast approaching. The spirit was not cruel, at least it was not deliberately cruel, and it certainly took no delight in the cruelty it was inflicting on Oscar. Most times when it switched hosts, it tried to leave the new vessel's previous owner in charge for as long as possible. But this wasn't most times, and the spirit was taking steps that would grant it dominance in months instead of years.

The spirit was already causing Oscar to grow… for lack of a better term… inattentive. The boy still held the dominant position in their shared brain, and would for a while yet, but the ancient being within him was rapidly and deliberately overlaying Oscar's subconscious impressions and understandings.

This overlay was easy for many reasons. Some of that ease was due to the boy's life going from mundane to fantastical. Oscar Pine now stood in the epicenter of world events. The boy secretly rejoiced at being chosen; for being given the secret knowledge on how the world truly worked. Sure, Oscar was scared and still easily intimidated, but he had also met briefly with world leaders. Oscar had helped save the Academy of Haven by unmasking the foul traitor Lionheart. A Headmaster that had secretly been undermining Mistral's safety by consulting with both the White Fang and the Branwen Tribe. He had even born witness to the faunus forces that heroically beat back the terrorists who presumed to speak for them, and then helped send the dark monster known as Raven Branwen fleeing in terror.

At least officially.

Oscar also understood the truth of that story, and couldn't help but feel a bit smug at knowing what was actually going on. He had, after all, survived an encounter with the world's true great enemy, seen proof that magic did in fact exist, and even knew what truly shaped the world. Something most of the people actually running the world failed to grasp. That Oscar suspected he was disappearing was not in dispute. The boy was not stupid. But the boy was living a life that mattered, and couldn't help but be a little thankful and a little bit in denial over this.

Then, when one added a pretty girl with silver eyes? Well Oscar had grown up lonely on an isolated farm. The spirit made sure it never touched anything that reminded Oscar of that loneliness.

If there was any defining cruelty in this process, it was simply that the boy was a boy. The Brothers had equipped Oscar Pine in no way to deal with what had invaded his being. The spirit had honest sympathy for Oscar over this fact, but it no longer held empathy. It couldn't empathize any longer. Its own childhood was so far removed it couldn't even remember its parents' names much less their faces or voices. It didn't know if it ever had brothers or sisters, much less friends. All of that was so long ago, and so irrelevant, the spirit rarely even marveled at those facts anymore.

Salem, the Brothers, and the goal were all that mattered now.

Dark thoughts maybe, but also mundane thoughts for the spirit. Certainly not thoughts profound enough to distract it from noticing Glynda Goodwitch's approach. She stopped, tried to gauge whether the man she still called Ozpin or the boy named Oscar was in control. She guessed correctly. "I need to speak to Ozpin."

The voice that spoke did not belong to the spirit. Yet. "Now ma'am?"

Glynda Goodwitch had long ceased being inscrutable to the spirit, and her face told him most of what she wanted to convey. It still sunk further down. More a postponement so it could better strategize than actually hiding. Once further down in their shared brain, Oscar couldn't find him. Of course going down caused Glynda's words to become stranger. Any words now spoken were filtered through Oscar's interpretations of them, as the spirit no longer could actually hear them. Not that this garbled the spirit's understanding very much. Something as old as Ozpin had long since mastered this form of communication. It was kind of quaint actually. Oscar made a very slight noise that might have been a soft chuckle if anyone could have noticed it.

It was, after all, kind of funny how Goodwitch gained two feet of height and was gifted a shining dark nimbus by Oscar's overactive imagination. With an amused mental wave, the spirit added a memory of Glynda's panicked and borderline hyperventilating first day of teaching. This calmed the boy quickly. Once calmed, Glynda lost her perceived aura of menace and Oscar started to intently listen to what she said, which was good because Glynda never liked repeating herself.

A needed conversation for later was demanded. A suitable time was named. A place was decided upon. Oscar was unsure. A statue in Haven's courtyard? Oscar had no idea. He had never noticed it. Ozpin supplied the mental image so that the boy gained understanding. The boy's response was firmed now. Oscar promised to tell Ozpin as soon as he came back from where he was in the boy's mind. Glynda thanked him. Oscar was still relieved when she walked away. Oscar did note that she looked sad when she did, and that added to the boy's disquiet and mounting fear.

The spirit mentally shrugged about that. Things were in motion now and Oscar wouldn't be able to resist for much longer. His fears would do him no good. The same fears hadn't helped Ozpin. They hadn't helped Ozymandias. It never helped any of the hundreds of hosts the spirit had conquered in its ancient existence.

They, after all, had been mere boys contending with the will of something so old their minds had never been capable of even understanding it.

Ozma, now relaxed from trifling matters, set about his conundrum with Glynda.

I wonder how best to convince Glynda Goodwitch to stay this time…

Whew. Long chapter for me. Don't feel to sympathetic to me though, Wolfe had to read this thing like 3 times total after rewrites.

Sooooo.

Thus ends the training. There are reasons this got so much focus. I needed the characters, specifically Mr. Arc, to show discernible improvement. Can't have him being the guy stuck in the tree anymore now can we?

Anyways. Now Jaune has gotten himself another date! So we can now set up how the relationship will actually feel. I also have two more character conflicts I honestly feel need to be resolved before the start of Volume 6 feels earned. It should not take long. Then the gala will happen and we can hop on a train. So everyone knows, Volume 6 is where my knowledge of canon is basically going to end. If you have a favorite Volume 7 character, I am sorry to inform you they most likely aren't going to appear in this story. This isn't a slight, just that my outline for Argus and Atlas is basically written. I could worm someone in as fluff, but Wolf hasn't mentioned anyone I need to include other than Willow Schnee. Willow wasn't someone I was going to bypass anyways.

Also, I am deliberately bending Ozpin. This is because I honestly thought it was going to go this way after Volume 5. Maybe a hint of that direction happened in Volume 6, but then Ozpin just decided to [Bleep] off and disappear. My outline kind of demands Ozpin to be different, so I hope you all are okay with that change.

For the record and on a more joyful note… I am so itching for Winter Schnee to meet the Atlas Military personnel in Argus. So very, very eager! I may watch too many horror movies given my thought processes concerning the matter.

Muwhahahahahaha!

Anyways, thank you Wolfgarde you poor unsainted bastard.

Thank all 775 of you readers as well. You really are a rather patient bunch!

Be safe and well.