After Ruby and Weiss's dominating performance, the following matches were lacking in flair.

Cinder's half of team CMSN fought against Yatsuhashi and Velvet of team CFVY. Jaune had expected to see a loss for the Beacon team. Surprisingly they managed to win without too much difficulty. Cinder's strength and skill that she showed in their spar was nowhere to be seen. He had expected her to perform better than she did.

Her team members Emerald and Mercury performed much better, taking out a team from Atlas. But even that match seemed to happen the way it did because their opponents were weak.

In the end, Jaune chalked it up to nerves. Cut down to a smaller team and facing off opponents that had already won a match, the pressure had risen. Not every team would be able to perform their best under those conditions.

"Come on Renny, it'll be our turn soon! Record these fights for us would you Jaune? I don't want to miss a thing." Said Nora.

"You want me to record your fight because you don't want to miss it?" Jaune asked.

"Mhm!" Nora said, nodding enthusiastically. "Just because I was there, doesn't mean I don't want to watch it too. That would be like Spruce Willis not watching his films."

That would be a sin...

"You got it. Go kick some butt guys." Jaune replied.

Ren looked like he was about to be marched off to the gallows, not at all sharing his partner's optimism.

"Ren, stop worrying so much. Just go out there and do what I do." Jaune ordered.

"What do you do again?" Ren sarcastically asked.

"Try to not get burned alive usually. Seriously, that happens way too often for my liking... But also, I try to make the best of every situation. Even if you get disqualified, you're not 'losing a match'. You're learning a few of your weaknesses so you can improve next time." Jaune said, trying to lift his friend's spirits.

"If we get disqualified we are literally losing a match just so we're clear... But I guess you're right." Ren replied. "Nora, let's go blow some stuff up and try not to get Jaune caught in it."

"Now that's the ninja we all know and lo-" Nora paused. "-like."

Nora then took off running, leaving the situation she created behind. Ren followed after her at his own pace.

"Good luck!" Jaune shouted after them both.

The professors began to announce the next competitors. On one side were two members from team FNKI(Funky) of Atlas. Against them were Yang and Blake.

As the match started, Jaune's scroll exploded with a torrent of messages.

Several were from his sisters. Most were wishing him luck as his match had just started being broadcast. A few minutes later, one came from Coral. It was a screenshot of his face as he'd been stabbed. It was captioned with several crying-laughing emojis.

His mother sent a few texts both en masse with his sisters and when the fight would have finished. Each saying how proud she was and congratulating him for making it as far as he had. His father had sent a single text after all of them stating nothing more than 'Sloppy. Needs work.'

That was par for the course with his father as he remembered it, so he wasn't too put off by it.

Jaune had missed Yang and Blake's fight. It had been entertaining but swift based on the crowd's reaction. Jaune readied his camera for Ren and Nora's entrance, but as he did, he received one more text.

"Can you come to meet me please?" Pyrrha's text read.

There weren't any details, which was weird. Weirder still was that she was being so polite. She didn't have to say 'please' and he was pretty sure she knew that. Something wasn't right.

"Hey, can you record this for me? Something came up." Jaune asked Ruby who was sitting in her recently vacated sister's seat.

"Sure." She replied, taking his scroll. "It's nothing serious, is it?"

"I hope not. It shouldn't be. Pyrrha just seemed a little off, so I don't want to waste time. You can hold onto that until you see me next, no need to chase me down."

Ruby nodded and turned to the arena to record it to the best of her abilities.

Time to see what's going on.

/-/

As the doors opened, the first thing Jaune noticed was the complete silence inside the room. It wasn't the hushed quiet of a room that stopped talking to greet a newcomer. It was the awkward quiet of a room that had been waiting.

The second thing he noticed was that despite the silence, the room was full of people.

Pyrrha sat politely with her hands in her lap in front of the professor's desk. Ms. Goodwitch and Oz both were opposite her, watching as he walked in. Ruby's uncle was here as well, leaned against one of the walls with a flask in hand. Across the room from him was the general.

Jaune knew instantly something was going on.

He ignored everyone else in the room and walked straight up to his partner.

"Pyrrha, what's going on?" he asked.

"Your little girlfriend-" Qrow started.

"I was talking to Pyrrha." Jaune interrupted. "I'll hear it from her first if you all don't mind."

Qrow raised an eyebrow and looked away while the professor leaned back in his chair.

"Is everything okay?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha looked at the professors as if she wasn't sure what to say.

"I don't know. Yes? Sort of. Maybe it would be best if they explained." Pyrrha replied. It did nothing to alleviate Jaune's concern.

"Okay, go on then Oz. What has my partner acting like this?" Jaune prompted.

"We had an offer for her. The exclusive, once in a lifetime top-secret kind. She is not in any trouble, but it was a lot to take in. It's a lot for anyone to take in. This is why she has called you here. She needed someone to help her... wrap her head around it. It should be mentioned that she called in her favor from me to have this done. Were it up to me, you would not be here before her having accepted my offer. As it stands, you are both to keep everything you hear today a secret from everybody." Professor Ozpin explained.

"Even our team?" Jaune inquired.

"Yes. Your team, your families, your friends, and the staff members that aren't in this room. Unless I give express permission, the six of us in this room are the only people to know." The professor confirmed.

That was not what he had been expecting to hear. It was good that no one was in trouble, but with all the secrecy...

"So what's the offer then?"

"I'll get to that in a moment. There is a process to all this. Tell me Jaune, what is your favorite fairy tale?"

Jaune sighed.

There better be a point to this.

"The warrior of the woods," Jaune replied.

"Hmmm, yes I suppose I can see that aligning quite well with your personality. Do you know of any others?" the professor asked.

"Yeah, I do, there's like a hundred different fairy tales out there. What's the point of all this?" Jaune impatiently asked.

"What if I told you that some of those fairy tales were true? Take, for example, the story of the seasons. What if I were to tell you four Maidens truly existed in this world. That they could wield tremendous power, all without dust."

Jaune looked at the professor's face for several seconds, searching for a hint that this was a joke.

There wasn't one.

"Why are you telling me-" he looked at Pyrrha. "-us this?"

"Because we believe that your partner, Pyrrha Nikos, is next in line to receive the Fall Maiden's powers. We need her help." The professor explained.

Jaune knew that Pyrrha, just like he, would struggle to refuse a cry for help. It wasn't in her nature.

"Why does it have to be her?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha jolted a little bit when he asked.

"Pyrrha, did you not ask that question? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you called me here, but you didn't think to ask something that important first?"

"I don't know! I was shocked. How are you keeping such a level head about all this, doesn't it sound crazy to you? Magical powers that go beyond dust and Semblances are real." She exclaimed.

That was... fair. This wasn't affecting him directly, but for Pyrrha, this must be overwhelming.

"To answer your question Jaune, I have a few reasons. Though I should mention that by no means does it 'have' to be her. There are other options if she chooses to refuse. For the record, she can refuse. You will both just be asked to remain quiet about it." Oz waited for Jaune to nod to show that he understood. Pyrrha did the same. "For starters, as you know this is a matter of absolute secrecy. Ms. Nikos has gone years in the public eye without exposing her Semblance. This makes her an ideal candidate for keeping new powers private too."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement. It made sense. She must have faced hundreds of opponents who tried to work out her Semblance. None had come forward thus far.

"Additionally, she is an incredibly talented fighter for her age. Any candidate we picked had to be able to defend herself-"

"Why?" Jaune instantly interrupted. "Why does the candidate specifically need to be able to defend herself."

The professor looked at Qrow, Glynda, and James before sighing.

"I shall show you both. I planned on doing so anyway."

/-/

The six of them were standing shoulder to shoulder inside the elevator as it descended.

"Where are we going?" Pyrrha asked.

"The vault, under the school," Oz replied.

The elevator finally reached its destination and the doors opened. Jaune was faced with the largest hallway he had ever seen.

In length, it easily reached from one side of the academy to the other. Rows of lights along the walls blurred together in the distance.

As they walked, Ms. Goodwitch began to speak with Pyrrha.

"You said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's powers... What do you mean by that?" Pyrrha asked.

"The Maiden's have existed for thousands of years. But, much like in nature, the seasons change. No two summers are alike. When a Maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host. This ensures that the seasons are never lost and that no individual can hold onto the power forever." Glynda explained.

Jaune chose to stay quiet and let Pyrrha handle the questions. As much as he had his own, it was Pyrrha who was affected most. He was there to support her, not take over for her. Only if he urgently needed answers would he interrupt.

"So how does the power choose?" Pyrrha asked.

"Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules," Qrow interjected from in front.

"Qrow." Ms. Goodwitch warned.

"Don't get mad because I'm right."

"At first, the only certain thing was that the powers were passed onto young women. As time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more... intimate." Ms. Goodwitch explained with a sigh, choosing to ignore Qrow.

"Intimate?" Pyrrha asked.

"When a Maiden dies, the one who was in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power," Glynda explained.

"Unless it's a dude or some old hag. Then the power goes to someone random, and our jobs get a lot harder." Qrow added.

"Why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune had been wondering the very same thing, especially with the tournament going on.

"Honestly, we've run out of time," Qrow answered. "I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high. Grimm are growing stronger, more prevalent. It's not going to be much longer before this peace we've all been enjoying so much goes out the window."

The Breach is proof of that.

"You're not talking about war, are you?" Pyrrha asked.

"Not between nations." The general replied.

"We'll fill you in on the details once we know you're with us," Qrow added.

Jaune frowned. "Do I not qualify as 'with you'? I thought that Ozpin had something planned for me beyond just hunting Beowolves."

"This is one of those situations where I had hoped to let you focus on your training until you were ready. You're right though, I gave my word to teach you everything I knew and this was included in that. You were as good as one of us, I just wanted you to be ready." Ozpin responded.

"'One of those situations', as in there's more you're not telling us?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, and if I sat you down and told you everything, you would miss out on the tournament entirely. There is a lot you don't know." The professor stopped walking and turned to face Jaune and Pyrrha. "Please trust me to tell you what you need to know when you need to know it."

Jaune clicked his tongue but said no more on the matter. Pyrrha grabbed his hand and they continued to walk down the hall.

"All you need to know is that one of the Maidens was attacked, and for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen."

Finally, after a few more minutes of walking, they approached a large machine at the end of the hall.

In one of the large pods was a dark-skinned woman, who was either asleep or unconscious. The second was empty and attached to the first with a tube and a large console.

"Is that...?" Pyrrha began to ask.

"The current Fall Maiden, Amber," Oz said with a sigh.

"She's... still alive." Pyrrha hesitantly stated.

"For now. We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable. But there is a lot about this situation which is... unprecedented." The general explained.

"What do you mean?" Both Pyrrha and Jaune asked.

Jaune was relieved to see Pyrrha asking the important questions that she hadn't been earlier.

"Well, we don't know what will happen if... when she passes." The general answered.

"Won't her power just transfer to the next host?"

"Look who's been listening, she is smart" Qrow sarcastically quipped. Jaune shot him a glare.

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be that of their attacker. To make matters worse, no one's ever seen the power split like this before. For all we know, it will seek out its other half."

"The one who attacked her," Jaune said, verbalizing the unsaid component.

"Obviously, that would not bode well for any of us." Said Oz.

Pyrrha walked up to the Fall Maiden's body and placed a hand upon the glass. Jaune came with her if only to give her the comfort of standing by her side.

She had scars running across her face as if she had been burned by something shaped like a spider's web.

"If all of this is true, why keep it secret?" Pyrrha asked. "If this girl is so important… If we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell everyone?"

"To protect the Maidens," Jaune answered, looking at the professors. "Right?"

"Correct," Oz replied.

"Those hungry for power hunted them with the hope of inheriting their strength," Glynda explained.

"As you can imagine, the ones that succeeded weren't exactly the people you'd want to have unimaginable power," Qrow added, taking a drink from his flask.

"Thus, this brotherhood chose to remove the Maidens from the public eye. We allowed their existence to fade away into legend." General Ironwood continued.

"To become nothing more than a fairy tale." Oz finished. "This sort of information goes against hundreds of years of 'common knowledge'. It would bring panic, and with it, the Grimm. Which is why... we would like-"

"I'll do it." Pyrrha interrupted.

"What? No! Pyrrha, give it some more thought, you're not thinking properly." Jaune shouted, pulling her to face him.

"Jaune, you of all people can't convince me that this isn't the right thing to do. You've done so many stupid things to save our friends. If this will help all of humanity, then I will become their Fall Maiden."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Professor Ozpin interjected.

"Is that not what you wanted?" Pyrrha asked.

"It is, but, given Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her power naturally," Oz explained. "However, the general believes he has a solution."

"For the past few years, Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint. How it works; what it's made of; how it can be used. We've made significant strides, and we believe we've found a way to capture it." The general stated.

"Capture it and cram it into something else... Or in your case..." Qrow added.

"We can't give you her powers. But we can give you what those powers are bound to." Said James.

"Her aura," Pyrrha responded.

"Her life would become intertwined with yours. The question is..." Oz stated.

"What's that going to do to you?" said Qrow.

Pyrrha looked down at her feet so Jaune squeezed her hand to remind her that he was here with her.

"You have an important decision to make Ms. Nikos. There's no guarantee this transfer will work, and there's no telling if you will be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time to think on this matter. But understand, that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."

Pyrrha turned back to look at Jaune, before continuing to re-examine the body of the Fall Maiden.

"The assailant who attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move. There's no telling when their next move will be." Oz stated.

"I think we will be leaving now. My partner and I have much to talk about." Jaune firmly stated. He wanted to get Pyrrha out of there now so they could talk about this without interruptions.

It wasn't to be though.

"There is one more thing Jaune." Said Oz.

"What?" Jaune asked.

"You asked me why I chose Pyrrha. There was one more reason. Yes, Pyrrha is an ideal candidate with talent and skill, and yes we need someone now and don't have time to search around. But that's not the biggest reason. I chose Pyrrha, because of you Jaune."

"I beg your pardon?" Jaune said almost in anger.

"The previous maiden was inexperienced but skilled, much like Ms. Nikos. Unlike your partner, however, she was alone. We thought that her solitary lifestyle would keep her safe and we were wrong. We wanted our next Maiden to have people around her that can keep her safe. You Jaune would keep Ms. Nikos safe at all costs. She has friends in team RWBY and a team to keep her safe. But most importantly, you would be beside her every step of the way." Oz explained.

"If Ms. Nikos was to accept this offer, I have offered to take you and your team back with me to Atlas after the tournament." The general stated. "Oz is busy and doesn't have as much time to train you or Ms. Nikos on how to control her new powers. You would have the backing of the entire Atlas Military and the academy to take you to new heights."

"That's quite the offer," Jaune replied.

"Then-"

"One which we will keep in mind as we talk this over. We're leaving." Jaune interrupted.

He took Pyrrha by the hand and led her back to the elevator.

/-/

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune didn't answer. He was rubbing his eyes with both hands as he tried to organize his thoughts.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha said louder.

"Sorry! I'm just... Why did you accept so readily?"

"Because it's the right thing to do?" Pyrrha responded confidently.

"For who?" Jaune asked.

"For everyone. You heard him, this sort of thing affects everyone. The whole world is relying on me to do this, and if I don't someone else will have to. Someone less qualified."

"Is it the right thing to do for you though?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha went to answer but he cut her off. "Okay fine, I'm the last person who gets to say that. But is it the right thing to do for me, and your friends?"

Pyrrha didn't have an answer for that one immediately.

"You always get so annoyed whenever I find myself in a bad spot and I put myself in danger to help other people. But now you're choosing to bring that danger to you. You're going to be hunted, he said you might become a different person when your auras combine. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." Jaune admitted.

"Then what should I do? What would you do if they'd offered the power to you?" Pyrrha asked.

She reached out with her Semblance and locked their doors and closed their windows. She didn't want their rising voices to reach other's ears.

"Ask me not to take it and I won't. What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know." Jaune finally sighed. "I don't have a good answer for you. This is exactly the kind of thing that I would accept if it was offered to me. But because it's not me, because it's you, I don't want you to get hurt."

Pyrrha flopped down on the bed beside him and Jaune lay down to match her.

"So you're saying if it was you, you'd take it, knowing that I wouldn't want you to. But because it's me I shouldn't take it because you don't want me to?" Pyrrha asked, rolling over and resting her head on his chest.

"Pretty stupid when you say it like that," Jaune replied. "But yeah, that about wraps it up."

"Not exactly a helpful stance to take on the issue."

"I know..."

They sat there for a few moments, each thinking it over and unsure of what to say next.

"What about the tournament?" Jaune asked.

"Hm? What about it?"

"He needs an answer before it's over, but what about our fight? I was already the underdog without you getting this aura-steroid magic bullshit." Jaune explained.

"I... I don't know. He needs an answer before the tournament, but maybe as long as we give our word, he'd let us have our match first?"

"Maybe..."

A few more moments of silence.

"What would we tell Ren and Nora?" Pyrrha asked.

"Is this assuming you keep your personality? I don't know. That depends on if we took the general up on his offer too."

"Are you considering it?"

"If you're putting yourself in danger by accepting, we are going to Atlas and taking that training. All of us."

"What about team RWBY?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune didn't have a good answer for that.

"I'm sure we'd be allowed to visit them..." Jaune weakly offered.

"I'd miss them. They're the first friends I've ever had." Said Pyrrha.

"If you didn't take the powers, I bet it would be someone from team RWBY who'd be picked next. They're all really good fighters too. There's a chance they'd move away as well."

Pyrrha nodded.

"Are you worried that if you take these powers you'll end up in a similar situation as before you came to Beacon?" Jaune asked.

"What do you mean?"

"All that power, you used to hate being put on a pedestal over other people. Won't this do the same thing?"

"I hadn't thought of that before you mentioned it..." Pyrrha admitted.

"Sorry." Jaune apologized.

Jaune shuffled on the bed so that he was laying down properly with his legs not hanging off the side. Pyrrha came up to join him, placing a kiss on his lips.

"What do you think the professor meant when he said you'd become a different person?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know. Maybe Amber's personality and memories would mix with mine? Maybe she'd take over. Maybe I'd start hearing voices in the back of my head. I don't think even he knows."

"I guess you're right. Pyrrha, if you were going to make this choice without thinking about us, would you choose to accept the power?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know. I've spent all my life training to become a huntress. This throws a big wrench into those plans. I'm not going to be just a huntress, am I? I think even if I wasn't worried about everyone else I wouldn't know what to choose. This wasn't what I thought I was fated for."

"Fate huh? I had always wished to become a great hero in an epic story. It seems like you're the protagonist though, I'm just the sidekick."

"Jaune... you're not the sidekick. You're the love interest at least. Maybe this is a story with two main characters?" Pyrrha suggested.

Jaune chuckled despite himself.

"The love interest huh? So what do you think the ending of our tale is? Happily ever after? Or something more 'Romeo and Juliet'?"

"I'd like to think we get a happy ending. Defeat the person who attacked Amber, live a long life together saving the world. Settle down and have a-" Pyrrha cut herself off.

"Have a...?" Jaune prompted.

"Have a few kids or something." She quickly muttered. Suddenly her words began to pour out of her mouth as she seemed to lose control of what she was saying. "I'm not saying I've put any thought into it. I'm not saying I haven't either. I'm just saying that in a normal happy ending that's what happens. Of course, we only turned 18 recently so that's a long way off and-"

"Pyrrha." Jaune interrupted while biting down on his laughter. "It's fine. I don't know what the future holds, especially with everything we just learned. But I couldn't see myself spending it with anyone else. I told you right? If I lost you, I wouldn't know what to do."

"You'd work something out." Said Pyrrha.

"No, I wouldn't. I'm serious. You're it for me Pyrrha. You're part of who I am now. If you die, I'd die with you."

"Jaune! Don't talk like that." Pyrrha rebuked. "Would you want me to just give up if something happened to you?"

"No." Jaune answered.

"Then no matter what you have to promise me, that no matter what happens you won't just give up."

"I didn't say I'd give up. I didn't even mean that I'd... do that. I just meant that if I was to lose you, I'd never be the same."

Pyrrha huffed. "Honestly... Pick your words more carefully. If you're going to be like that, I should just tell the professor no right now."

"Don't do that." Jaune instantly replied.

"What?"

"Don't make your decision for me. For something like this, you have to make it for you. I'll support you no matter what you choose. But I can't support a choice if it's not what you wanted."

"So if I chose to accept their offer?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'd follow you and keep you safe."

"And if I chose to refuse?"

"Then a few years after graduation when we're both rich and famous we can start thinking about that happy ending."

Pyrrha finally laughed, and when she did, the wall that had been holding everything back broke. She forced herself not to cry and wiped away the few small tears that fell, holding herself together.

"You've decided haven't you?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha nodded.

"I wouldn't be the person you think I am if I didn't."

"Then can I just make one request?"

Pyrrha nodded once more.

"Leave it until after our match. We can go let him know now, but... if you take these powers, any win I have against you will be because you held back. I want to try and keep my promise before I lose that chance."

"I think I can agree with that," Pyrrha replied.

Bang!

"Oh! Look who I found hiding in the dorm room while their team members were out there getting their butts kicked!" Nora shouted as she walked through the door she just kicked open.

Jaune took a quick peek at the damage. The lock was mangled beyond repair.

"We weren't hiding, and I recorded your fight just like I promised!" Jaune lied. "You guys did fine."

"We did fine, did we? Let's have a look-see, shall we?" said Nora, throwing Jaune's scroll on the table.

It was intentionally paused at the end of the video where Ruby was in the shot. The way the scroll was being held made it clear that Ruby was also the one doing the recording.

Ren calmly took a seat beside Nora. Considering how animated she was being right now, that was a sign that he was on her side. He was calm, but not pleased.

When Nora's foot began to tap Jaune started the video from the start and watched it through.

Nora and Coco paired off while Ren and Fox did the same.

Nora's grenades unleashed widespread destruction that no cover could truly negate. Meanwhile, Coco's bullets were ripping through trees and concrete walls like paper. It was a battle of who could deal the most amount of damage as fast as possible. Unfortunately for Nora, her grenades flew slower than Coco's bullets, and her rate of fire was slower too. Coco was able to stay out of the explosion radii for the most part. Nora however was forced to block bullets with her weapon as Coco sprayed her with flicks of her mini-gun.

Uninhibited by the smokescreen, Ren and Fox fought hand-to-hand. Jaune assumed that both fighters were using aura sight to maintain vision on each other. Eventually, something in their fight shifted. Ren's shadow started to take a one-sided beating as if he could no longer see his opponent properly.

"What happened there?" Jaune asked, pausing the video.

Ren sighed. "I guess that proves you didn't watch us. You can't see it in the recording, but I know you would've known if you were there."

"I told you I didn't see either of them in the stands," Nora complained.

"Ok, fine, I didn't stay to watch your match. Something important came up." Jaune admitted.

"What could have been so important that you would miss our fight?!" asked Nora.

She was not happy about this in the slightest. Jaune knew he would have to do some damage control here.

He gave Pyrrha a look to see if she had any clues on how to handle it, but she didn't. So he just had to wing it.

"It's a private issue. I can't say anything else about it, but I promise I didn't skip out on you guys for no reason at all. I got Ruby to record for me because I had to leave suddenly. It was honestly right before your match that I found out." Jaune explained.

"You're not just saying that because Nora's upset are you? Because if she finds out you're not being honest she'll make you regret it. She knows how to hold a grudge when it suits her, trust me." Said Ren.

"I promise, and Pyrrha will back me up. If we could have been there, we would have been. But we can't tell you anything more about it." Jaune swore. Pyrrha nodded to confirm.

Speak up any time Pyrrha...

Nora grumbled under her breath for a while Ren sat and waited.

It was fortunate then that while Nora's moods burned bright, they also burned fast.

"Fine! But you both owe us. Slave for a day, no exceptions." She finally stated.

"Slave for the day?" Jaune asked.

"It means you both have to do anything we tell you to do for a day. She might make you do something embarrassing, or just have you wait on her hand and foot. Honestly, I'd take the deal, it could have been worse." Ren advised.

Jaune nodded. "Ok, fine. We're your slaves for a day, we're sorry for missing your match. What do you want me to do Nora?"

"Master." Nora corrected.

"What?"

"For the next 24 hours, you will call me and Renny master." She stated.

Jaune looked at Pyrrha. It was clear she still had her mind elsewhere. The shock he was experiencing from this situation looked muted in her expression.

Jaune placed his hand over hers and gave her a shot of aura and willpower infused with vague positivity. It wouldn't do much, but he hoped it would help at least a little.

"Yes, master..." Jaune finally replied, knowing that it would be up to him to play the role the hardest.

"Better. Now, Ren, I'm feeling a little bit peckish. Would you like something to eat?" Nora asked.

Ren nodded.

"I could get you both something and bring it back for you?" Jaune offered hesitantly.

"Nonsense, foolish slave. You will take us to the cafeteria and make us a meal there. Won't you?" Nora asked.

Jaune looked down at his leg. It hadn't been that long since he started re-healing his stab wound. He could probably pull off carrying them around without hurting himself.

"... Yes." Nora shot him a dirty glare. "Yes, master..."

Jaune picked up Nora, who insisted she is carried bridal style. Fortunately, when he motioned to turn to Ren, he was shut down. this was meant to be Jaune's punishment after all, not Ren's.

When he finally arrived at the cafeteria and placed Nora in her seat, she demanded to be made a feast fit for a king. Jaune settled on pancakes.

As he cooked he could hear Nora complaining about the match and close it had been.

"Why didn't you guys try to switch up your game plan?" Jaune loudly asked from the kitchen.

"What?"

"I mean that you guys seemed so dead-set on your first plan. Why didn't you try taking out Fox with a few of your grenades when you saw Coco was able to dodge them? For that matter, Ren, why didn't you try to break away once you had the smokescreen? Fox could see you, but I bet Coco wouldn't have been able to." He explained.

There was no response for a long ten seconds.

"Aaaarghh! Why didn't I think of that!?" Nora suddenly screamed.

"I must admit, perhaps I was too focused on trying to prove myself against a fellow monk..." Ren admitted.

"I know that you guys were trying to match yourselves against the opponents who fight in your style. But when that didn't work, you should've played to their weaknesses, not your strengths. Coco doesn't have a real melee weapon, just that handbag. Either of you could have beat her up close. Similarly, Fox would have been fighting with his other senses. Grenades on his location would have thrown him off way more than Coco who could see."

"Not a bad rundown there newbie." Jaune heard Coco say from nearby. "Looks like I didn't need to come here after all."

"You didn't need to come here in the first place," Nora said with a hint of annoyance.

Did this loss bother her that much?

"Of course we did. We're your seniors. It's our responsibility to make sure you guys learn from your mistakes." Fox countered.

Jaune brought out the stacked plate as well as Nora's regular toppings and placed them all in front of her. When he did he saw that the entirety of team CFVY was here together.

"Fortunately, you've got your leader watching your back." Said Coco.

"Watching our back maybe but not our match," Nora complained.

"I said I was sorry!" Jaune replied.

"Silence! Feed me my meal, slave." Nora ordered.

Jaune sighed.

"Yes, master..."

/-/

After 15 minutes of making Jaune fulfill all her requests, finally, the tide turned on Pyrrha. Nora ordered Jaune to follow Ren while she took Pyrrha for her uses.

"So you got any requests, master?" Jaune asked exasperatedly.

"You can relax while she's not around. I was a bit annoyed when I thought you skipped out, but you said you had your reasons." Ren replied.

Jaune sighed in relief. "Thanks. So you want to tell me what happened in your match? We kind of glossed over that in the end."

"I suppose we did. You did miss out though. Knowing what you're like, you would have been just as excited as I am."

"This is you excited?" Jaune asked.

Ren raised an eyebrow.

"My aura sight stopped working during the match. One moment I could follow Fox's movements, the next he was just a shadow amongst the smoke." Ren finally explained.

"You didn't just lose sight of him? Maybe he hid behind cover or something. Aura sight doesn't give us X-ray vision." Jaune suggested.

Ren shook his head. "No, he was doing something to mask his aura. As I said, I could still see him when he got close enough to strike. But I couldn't see his aura."

"He was using some kind of aura technique then maybe?" Jaune suggested. "He didn't just expend all his aura or he would have been eliminated, so something that conceals it? Or maybe it's a technique specifically to counter aura sight."

Jaune scratched his chin for a few seconds.

"Want to try and steal it?" Jaune asked.

Ren gave one of his very rare smiles.

"It's like you read my mind."

/-/

Jaune and Ren took to one of the classrooms. For a change, their training didn't require open space. Instead, they fully utilized the whiteboards for keeping track of their thought processes.

The central board was covered with a network of ideas and experiences that they both had had.

"So you're saying it wasn't instant then?" Jaune asked, writing down 'not instant' on the board.

Ren nodded, eyes closed in meditation and reflection.

"Yes, I was distracted, but it happened slowly enough for me to notice as it happened, rather than after. It was like he was turning off a tap."

"Could you still see everyone else's aura?" Jaune asked.

Ren nodded so Jaune drew a line from that point to the bubble labeled 'concealment'. So far a lot of the little signs were pointing toward a technique that hides aura.

"One thing I did notice was that he started using his weapons a lot more after it happened. At first, I was thinking it was because he had the opportunity to land clean hits. But now I'm wondering..." Ren trailed off.

"You think maybe this technique means he couldn't use aura at all?"

Wait...

Jaune looked over the board once more, then wrote down his own addition.

'Fox's aura doesn't leak. Good Control or something else?'

"His aura 'doesn't leak'?" Ren asked, having opened his eyes as Jaune suddenly hopped up to mark down what he had.

"Yeah, I saw him in the gym once and he gave me a proper display of what his aura looked like. Colour, control, that sort of thing." Jaune generated his aura shield. "If you look closely, you can probably see small amounts of my aura evaporating. It doesn't expend anything, but it probably affects my aura generation."

"Right, I can see that." Ren agreed.

"Well... what if he turned that up to 11 and stopped all his aura from escaping?" Jaune asked.

"It's as good a lead as any. But how?"

"Same as any aura technique I guess."

Visualization.

Jaune used the metaphor that Ren had posed earlier. Like a tap being turned off.

His aura shield deactivated instantly. Unfortunately, his aura still leaked out through his skin and wisped away. After a few moments of trying, Jaune reactivated his aura sight to see how Ren was going.

His control was better than Jaune's and it showed in how much aura escaped him. Despite that, it seemed that he too was unsuccessful in stopping it completely.

Jaune tried several other phrases and images in his attempts to get it working. It wasn't until he thought of suppressing or containing his aura that he got a reaction.

The layer of aura that was always present around his body retracted into his body. Jaune lost concentration and it returned to the surface and began acting like normal.

"Jaune?" Ren asked. "I felt your aura disappear for a second."

"You 'felt' it?"

"Yeah, it was different from Fox. I think because you have more aura than average, if you hide yours it leaves a more noticeable void. How did you do it?"

"I thought less about turning my aura off, and more about containing it within my body," Jaune explained.

Ren closed his eyes to concentrate and make his attempt, and the results were nearly instant. Jaune was looking right at him with aura sight active, but it was as if his aura was becoming transparent.

If he concentrated, he could still see Ren's aura, but only if he focused intently.

Jaune made a second attempt. After a minute of maintaining it that he received several notifications.

You have unlocked the [Aura Concealment] skill.

[Aura Concealment: Level 0]
Aura Recovery while aura is concealed +10%
Aura awareness while aura is concealed improved by 10%
Concealed aura is harder to detect.

That's… really useful.

The information that came with the skill also included the basic theory of how it worked.

He had been correct in his assumption that the escaping aura was wasted. By containing it he could increase his aura regeneration. What he hadn't realized that it would come with other effects that were just as useful.

Aura control was all about directing the flow of aura, this skill now allowed him to limit the flow as well. The efficiency of his skills will enhance as he learns to control that limiter. Of course, he could only contain the aura within his body. So aura skills that worked outside the body, like his emission would not gain anything.

Jaune also realized that he had used a part of this skill when he first unlocked his aura sight. The absence of one's aura allowed them to see external sources of aura more clearly. If he concealed his aura while maintaining aura sight, he would be able to see aura more clearly.

With his concealment skill active, he was able to once again see Ren's aura.

"I suppose this makes your match worthwhile, regardless of the result then, right?" Jaune asked.

"Hmm, it certainly is useful. It explains how you've grown as fast as you have. You've lost more than anyone, you must have learned so much." Ren replied.

"Okay, first, ouch. But come on, I haven't come that far. I still struggled against team CRDL after all." Jaune said, gesturing at his leg.

"In case you forgot, Nora and I struggled in a match just like that. Not to mention team CRDL is much stronger than they used to be." Ren countered.

That was a good point that Jaune had forgotten. Sure, he'd had Pyrrha to cover for him. Any team with Pyrrha has an advantage, but CRDL was much stronger as a team than they were a month ago.

"So, what now?" Jaune asked, changing the subject.

"I'm going to meditate and reflect on what I've learned. As long as you don't get caught by Nora, you can do what you want. You did help me unlock this skill after all." Ren answered.

"Right," Jaune said, ending the conversation.

He pulled out his scroll and sent Pyrrha a quick text.

"Should I tell the professors or do you want to do it?"

"Pyrrha is busy right now but she said to let her handle it."

The answer came from Pyrrha's scroll, but it was certainly not her responding.

Nora must have confiscated her phone. I don't even want to think about what she is doing to her.

"Tell her to call me if she needs me then." Jaune texted back. He doubted she would, especially with Nora calling the shots. But the offer needed to be made.

/-/

Jaune slowly pushed open the door to his dorm room. He had hoped that he could get in and pretend to sleep by meditating while they were out. Unfortunately, she was right inside with Pyrrha and had been for quite some time.

"Oh! Hey Jauney." Nora cheerily greeted.

She seems… better?

"Hey… master…" Jaune obediently replied.

"Oh, right I told you to do that huh? Well, you can stop now, I'm over it now." Said Nora with a smile.

Oh, thank Oum.

"I'm glad to hear you're not upset. I am sorry for missing that fight though." Jaune apologized once more for good measure.

"It's fine. Pyrrha covered for you."

Now that he was looking, Pyrrha looked like she was… embarrassed?

"Well, thanks Pyrr-"

"So a camping trip huh?" Nora suddenly asked.

Jaune stopped mid-sentence, completely frozen.

Does she know? Or does she just think she knows?

"Yeah, it was pretty fun. Pyrrha made sandwiches." Jaune replied.

"Is that all she did? Strange, that's not what I heard."

"She also helped me train to get used to flames. Pyrrha's always ready to give a helping hand like that, you know?"

"No…" Pyrrha whined.

"A 'helping hand' huh? Yeah, that sounds more like what I heard." She said, making air-quotes with her fingers.

"You told her?!" Jaune shouted once he knew for sure that she knew.

"Don't put this on me! You got to go be buddy-buddy with Ren and learn a new skill from what I heard. You had the easy job!" Pyrrha shouted back, covering her face.

"Couldn't you have just lied to her?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, she tried." Nora cut in. "But she's just no good at it. "

Pyrrha hung her head in shame since she had no rebuttal for that. Jaune sighed in response.

"Can we… can we just pretend like we never had this conversation?" Jaune asked.

Nora smiled.

Jaune pulled out his scroll and opened the Vytal Festival's match list and thrust the screen at the two girls.

"So how about that next match huh? Pretty interesting, right? We should talk about that instead!" Jaune practically shouted, trying desperately to change the conversation.

"I haven't had a chance to look at these yet." Said Pyrrha as she leaned forward. "Ah, there we are. Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos versus-"

"Oh my god! You guys are up against Ruby and Weiss!" Nora shouted.

"Wait, what?!" said Jaune, turning the scroll around to confirm.

Sure enough, the second last match of the day read Jaune and Pyrrha against Ruby and Weiss.

"This has to be the worst possible match we could have asked for…" Jaune complained.

"It's not that bad is it?" Pyrrha asked.

"I would genuinely take any other match. Even Blake and Yang are a better matchup for me. At least they have to come into range to fight me. Neither of us can catch Ruby and her rifle packs a big enough punch to chip away at my aura. You can probably dodge her shots at least. As for Weiss, her dust is going to demolish me…" Jaune explained.

Jaune had gotten faster over the last few weeks thanks to his aura step, but nobody was as fast as Ruby. She could move in any direction, across any terrain at a speed no one could hope to match. She and Weiss have dominated in every match they've been in. A stark contrast to how he struggled in his last match.

"Well, I hope you come up with a plan to fix that then." Said Nora. "You have to win for team JNPR. We can't let team RWBY get their entire team into the finals."

"Don't worry Nora. Jaune always finds a way, doesn't he?" Pyrrha reassured.

No pressure.

/-/

Jaune Arc

Level 14

Novice

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Strength: 30 (75)

Fortitude: 35 (88)

Dexterity: 23 (57)

Aura: 30/30

Base Aura Regeneration Rate: ~4/hour

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Known Skills

[Observe]
Focus on an item or willing creature to glean information about them.

[Construction: Level 0]
Reduced mistakes when performing construction or repair jobs.
An innate understanding of structures comes with skill level.

[Dedication] (Passive) (Class)
Double all base attributes.
Able to unlock all skills through training.
No benefits from leveling.

?
Increase the effect of aura skills.
Secondary pool of aura.

[Aura Control: Level 6]
Able to feel and manipulate aura.
All stats increased by 26%
All Aura abilities are 60% more efficient.

[Aura Shielding: Level 4]
While active, aura will be absorbed to mitigate damage. 10 Aura: 14(22) Damage

[Aura Channelling: Level 4]
Aura can enhance weapon attacks. 1 Aura/minute: 14(22) % Increased weapon damage.

[Aura Healing: Level Max]
Passively siphon up to 50% of aura regeneration to heal injuries or recover stamina.
Active use of skill can siphon 200% faster.
Recovery speed is equal to +150(240)% per aura/hr drained.

[Aura Awareness: Level 4]
You can feel the shape and movement of anything within the area covered by your aura. Additionally, within the same radius, you can observe aura in all creatures that have it.
Precision: Low.
Maximum Radius: 100(160) cm.
Drains 1 Aura/minute/meter when using aura.

[Aura Emission: Level 5]
Disconnect your aura from its source and project it outwards.
Aura Emission techniques cost 50% more aura.
Aura Emission techniques weaken over distance. 5% reduction over 1(1.6) meters.
Aura Slash: For each 1(1.5) points of aura used in this technique, deal base attack damage + base aura spent x0.6

[Aura Step: Level 5]
Channel aura through your feet into a surface to generate increased friction and force.
Error margin : 5%

[Aura Concealment: Level 0]
Aura Recovery while aura is concealed +10%
Aura awareness while aura is concealed improved by 10%
Concealed aura is harder to detect.

[Muscle Augmentation: Level 5]
Strength and/or Dexterity increased by 15(24) % per aura point used.
Aura depletes at 1 aura/minute while active.
If Strength and/or Dexterity exceed 2xFortitude, injury can occur.

[Meditation: Level 8]
Aura Recovery Rate +180% while meditating.
Base Aura Recovery Rate +20%

[Footwork: Level 9] (Passive)
Affects hit and dodge rate.

[Sword Skill: Level 9] (Passive)
Increase damage with all sword-type weapons by 90%
Increase hit rate with all sword-type weapons by 9%
Increase parry efficiency with swords by 45%

[Shield Skill: Level 7] (Passive)
Increase damage reduction of blocked strikes by 70%
Increase damage with all shield attacks by 35%

[Hand to Hand Skill: Level 4] (Passive)
Increase damage with all unarmed attacks by 20%
Increase hit rate with all unarmed attacks by 4%
Increase unarmed defense efficiency by 20%

[Willpower: Level 1]
Force your will onto others through your aura.
Can simulate emotion or even cause a variety of mental conditions in the target.
Use of this skill is also the defense against this skill.

[Heavy Strike]
Increase the force of your blows by using the full potential of your weapon's weight.
Deal 10% extra weapon damage per pound of your weapon's weight.
Cooldown 1 second.
Recharge 3 seconds.

[Leap Slam]
Jump and Strike! Put the weight of gravity behind your swings.
Leap a horizontal distance of up to 10% of your strength.
Upon landing, attack with increased damage. Damage increase is based on your weight.
Current damage increase: 20%
Current distance: 9 meters.
Cooldown 1 second.

[Coup de grâce!]
A finishing blow to an injured opponent.
Deal 2% bonus damage (max 50%) with a strike for every point of damage a target has taken.
Deal 100% bonus damage if target has an injury.
Cooldown 3 seconds.
Recharge 60 seconds.