So, Valheim is fun. And I finished writing yesterday at 3pm then played it with some friends until midnight, bar a few breaks to play with my dog. Uh-oh, it's one of those games. T_T

Cover Art: Serox

Chapter 33

"Arc: Revolutionary or Repugnant."

On the front cover of "Vale", the Kingdom's most popular magazine, Jaune's image stood with his hands on the edge of the float, shouting out at the reader. Underneath read, "experts weigh in on Vale's most influential civil rights leader."

Putting that magazine down, he picked up the local newspaper, which again featured him – to be expected given the absolute mess he'd made of things the other day – but this one was even worse. It had shots of him from different angles and the headline read, "Monster without mask takes over Beacon float."

Finally came `Faunus Monthly`, a subscription-based magazine for faunus that Jaune really hadn't realised existed at all, but which was apparently a big deal among the community. He was yet again on the front cover, but this time with circles pointing out specific parts of his body; his eyes, his chin, his lips, and each pointing out to a question mark. The headline went, "Discovering what type of faunus Jaune Arc is."

"That one's interesting," Trifa said. "There's a lot of mystery over it since you've never outed yourself. Plenty of people are trying to find out what your animal traits are. People have even been writing in on page fourteen."

Jaune flicked ahead.

.

Hi FM.

It is my humble opinion that Jaune Arc is a naked mole-rat faunus. This would explain his lack of features – his skin IS his faunus feature – and also his ability to survive when being chased by Atlas.

Yours sincerely, Sammy West

.

Hi Faunus Monthly.

A lot of people are missing the obvious signs. His faunus features aren't obvious because they are hidden under his clothing, or perhaps under his skin. He's an echidna faunus. His feature is his cloaca, and he faces the shame of having one with the staunch dignity of his species.

Sincerely, Ted Brown

.

Dear FM.

I think Jaune is a faunus with a rare trait, one that would never be accepted into normal society, even among faunus, and that's why he continues to hide what he is even to those close to him.

His battle is not only for all faunus, but also on an internal and emotional level, as he wrestles with doubt and fear that his closest allies will judge and ultimately leave him for something beyond his control.

Such motives have driven him from an early age to be the change this world needs, not only in faunus-human relations but also faunus-faunus. Too often do we look at our features and judge others for what they have. Now comes a stand, for us all to realise that it DOES NOT MATTER what type of faunus you are. Herbivore or carnivore, armed or unarmed, venomous or no. We are all one and nothing shall change that.

Also, he's totally a dog faunus with a bright red- [Edited]

Yours sincerely, I. Amitola

.

FM.

HE IS NOT A FAUNUS – HE IS A VERY NAUGHTY BOY!

Juniper A.

.

Jaune put down the magazine with a sigh. "Did Ilia write that?"

"I'm sure if we asked her it would be a no." Trifa replied. "This does raise a point, though. A lot of members are dying of curiosity over what type of faunus you are. There's a betting ring and everything."

"Are you in on it?"

"No." Trifa said.

Unconvincingly…

"They'll have to continue living in suspense because I'm not saying." He ignored the unsubtle complaints from White Fang nearby pretending to be bust and not shamelessly eavesdropping. "Overall, how would you say things are? After my… uh…"

"Glorious speech?"

"Sure. Let's go with that. I know Lisa was excited, but she'd be turned on by the end of the world if it meant she got to cover it."

"Not untrue. Well, it's polarising from what I can see, and that's among both faunus and humans. There are a lot of people of both sides who were… not happy with the status quo, but willing to accept it. As well as challenging humans for not doing their best, you've challenged faunus for accepting less than equal conditions. Some of those people hate you for rocking the boat."

Jaune winced. "Ah…"

"On the other hand, some love you for it."

"Really?"

"Hmhm." Trifa nodded. "There are faunus who have been unhappy but too small to be noticed. There are humans who have wanted to do better, or who are genuinely good people but never realised how little they were doing. While they probably don't appreciate you pointing it out, they're doing things better to prove you wrong. Which is good for the faunus. There are a couple of businesses getting involved, too."

Remembering Ozpin and the floats, Jaune wasn't optimistic. "How so?"

"Some have taken to revealing their pay records to show they pay faunus and humans equally. The rare few that do and have nothing to fear, that is. That includes A&A, the fashion brand we met before. There are also a couple of other companies who didn't discriminate and now they're getting the chance to phrase that as a good thing. Of course, there are more who did, and their silence in the matter isn't exactly a good sign."

"I can imagine. Will there be change?"

"Probably not. The SDC is leading the charge of not revealing a thing, and I'm sure you can imagine why. No company in Atlas has gotten involved in this because they're all labelling you a terrorist."

How convenient for them. He was sure they'd happily show everything if he was just a regular person. Oh, absolutely. They'd be bending over backwards to show what he was sure were perfectly legitimate records. Not.

"Things over here are a little more in flux. Vale doesn't really see you as a dangerous terrorist because you haven't done anything to them. It's about split in terms of opinion. Some people are calling out companies for their silence while others are calling out the ones showing their records for virtue signalling. Then there are those who say they're caving to the demands of criminals, upsetting the natural order or giving animals ideas." Trifa shrugged. "The usual."

The usual for her, maybe. Imagine people calling them animals just because of a physical feature. He sighed and moved away from the table with its newspapers and magazines, over to the main warehouse room with the giant death robot and several White Fang working on shining its kneecaps. If he had his way, the thing was never going to see the world outside.

"Hey boss," a faunus called out. "Congratulations."

"Nice work, boss." another said.

"I knew you had it in you!"

"Aheh. Thank you." Jaune waved back, blushing under the praise. That made them laugh even harder for some reason, elbowing one another and catcalling.

"You're the man, boss! Arooo!"

"Y-Yeah. Thanks…"

The compliments and well wishes continued until he walked through to the break room where Yuma was tyring to steal candy from the vending machine. He stopped on seeing them, yanking his arm out and scratching his hair innocently. "Boss."

"Yuma. You realise this is our vending machine, right? We have a key to open the money box…"

"It's just not the same. Hey, congratulations though. I heard the news."

"Thanks? Everyone is being really supportive today…"

"Yeah well, it's not everyday you find out your boss is banging Sienna Khan."

/-/

Jaune shoved the magazine cover in Ilia's face. "EXPLAIN!"

When people said a person's face might turn white to express horror and red for embarrassment, they were talking in generalisations of blood vessels near the skin. They were not talking about a chameleon faunus like Ilia, who went literally white and then quite literally red on seeing the article in question.

"It was a joke!" she said. "I don't really think you're a dog faunus-"

"Not that!" he yelled shrilly. Jaune pointed. "THIS!"

"News just in." Ilia read. "Sienna Khan and Jaune Arc, the Power Couple shaking the White Fang confirmed to be lovers!?" Her jaw fell open. "S-Since when? W-What was it like?" Ilia leaned in. "Does she use claws?"

"Focus, Ilia!" He slapped her with the magazine. "I've never even been in the same room as her."

"What?" Understanding dawned and Ilia breathed out. "Ooooh. It's fake. Yeah, I should have figured that out. Ha ha. But, uh, if you ever did and all, as your most trusted warrior and bestest friend, you totally would share the details, right?"

"Damn it, Ilia. Online dating!"

"I'm saving myself for someone special," she whined.

"You mean Blake." Jaune said flatly. "You realise she wants us dead."

"She's just a little… uh… hating everything I stand for, right now. She'll calm down. Eventually. I think. A-Anyway, this isn't about me, it's about you and Sienna. When did this even happen?"

"I don't know."

Jaune and Ilia slammed the magazine down on a table and smashed their cheeks together, reading through it as one. The information was hilariously inaccurate, ridiculously sappy and full of assumptions. Sadly, not everyone would be able to tell that, and since most people were still trying to understand where Jaune Arc came from and how he so quickly rose to power, being the secret lover of the White Fang's leader made a strange amount of sense.

"On the one hand it's nice to see it not always being the woman put into positions of authority because of a successful spouse." Ilia said. "On the other hand, it makes the White Fang sound really corrupt. We're not like this at all. Sienna hated Adam and she was willing to let him lead because he was good at his job."

Jaune was less calm. "This is all made up!"

"Pretty much." Ilia flipped the page to a double spread photo of Jaune and Sienna stood back to back. He wasn't sure where they'd gotten it or who had doctored it to make it look like a thing, but it was a good job. "This is like one of those celebrity fakes you see going around. I guess you are a celebrity after the other day. FM probably put a bounty out for any information or photos of you, and someone saw the chance to make some quick money making one up."

"Aren't there laws against this!?"

"Of course there are. People are always being blamed for scandals that aren't real. Movie stars and the like. The articles get retracted and an apology is printed."

"Then let's do that…"

"Only problem is that requires getting in contact and talking to a lawyer. Not a simple thing for people like us. Honestly, you could just ignore it," she said. "Some people will believe it, some won't, but Sienna actually has the power to release statements from the White Fang and you've got Lisa. If you `let her discover` that this isn't real, she'd broadcast it."

True. Jaune breathed out, shoulders relaxing. Embarrassing as this was, it was only that. If he ignored it, it would go away. The only real danger was… oh hell, that was a big danger, wasn't it? Jaune swallowed. Ilia noticed his sudden panic and asked what was wrong.

"What if Sienna thinks I arranged this?"

"You didn't."

"I know that. You know that! Does she?"

Ilia's mouth opened and closed. "Good point. I don't think she'd go crazy over it, but if she thought you were trying to usurp power from her then I could see a world in which she trusts you less…" Jaune's panic rose. "But we'll fix that!" Ilia said. "I'm her agent here, I know you didn't do this, and we can patch a call through to her today to tell her."

"Will she believe me…?"

"Sienna is way more reasonable than the Kingdoms portray her. Trust me, she's nothing like Adam. Tell her the truth and she'll be on your side, as long as you're being honest about it."

"I am!"

"I know." Ilia grinned and elbowed his side. "It'll be fine. Let's go do it now before news of this reaches her and there's a chance for other people to influence her."

/-/

Down in the sewer, down on one knee, Jaune released the longest breath when Sienna Khan threw back her head and laughed. Not a cruel cackle or some malicious and psychotic heaving, but a rich and genuine sound of purest amusement.

Ilia had been right; Sienna was more than reasonable.

"Incredible. You've been active less than a month and you're already my lover," she teased, leaning back on her throne with a cattish smile. Jaune laughed awkwardly, blushing up to his ears. "I can see why you might be afraid, and how some might see it as overstepping your bounds on my part. Ilia assures me you had no part in this however, and I would not believe it either. If you wanted my place, you'd be better off challenging me for it, not lying that you're my partner."

"It's just gossip." Ilia promised. "The picture is fake-"

"Seeing as I have not once in my life met Jaune in person, yes, I can tell." Chuckling, Sienna leaned her cheek on one fist, tilting her face to the left. "We've never faced this kind of scrutiny before. Our faces have only ever appeared as cruel and terrible figures, monsters commanding legions of unfeeling terrorists in Grimm masks. The few articles that shine a different light on us usually do so to call us misled."

On the screen, one of the two faunus that had been introduced as the Albain brothers coughed to draw attention to himself. Sienna frowned and beckoned him over with one finger, her feline ear twitching as he leaned in and whispered into it. Annoyed at first, her expression became thoughtful.

"Fennec believes this is a shift caused by yourself, that people now see you as less of a terrorist and more of a celebrity figure. Ilia. Do you believe this to be true?"

Ilia nodded. "I think so. No one ever gossiped about Adam."

"Adam was a brute." Sienna's callous words had the Albain brothers scowling. "He was useful in that regard, a brilliant leader of our people in combat. Outside of fighting, however, he was lacking. Everyone knew that. He was a good symbol of the faunus willingness to fight, but only that. You may well have become a symbol of something entirely different."

The Albain brothers nodded and this time whispered to one another. Sienna's ear twitched again, suggesting she could hear them perfectly. Once more, Fennec approached Sienna and waited for her to beckon him over. Once more, he whispered into her ear.

This time, Sienna whispered back. Whatever went on between them appeared more a discussion than a disagreement, with Sienna nodding slowly at first and then more firmly. Fennec's smile grew and he made a few gestures toward Jaune, or the screen they were watching him on.

Jaune looked to Ilia for help. She shrugged back, as confused as he.

"I agree." Sienna said, nodding to her advisors. "Jaune. Ilia. We are pleased with your work so far, especially your passionate attack on the indolent and arrogant, Jaune. As for these rumours, we believe we have a way to deal with them – non-violently," she assured them, "so as not to interfere with the work you have done."

"Thank you…"

"That said, I do believe it is past time you and I met in person."

Jaune sucked in a sharp breath. "I-In person…?"

"Yes. You have served the White Fang well and your popularity within the ranks is growing. As I believe I've said before, there are those who might expect you and I to come to blows over leadership of the White Fang. If we were to meet in person and express our support for one another, this matter would be dealt with. We can also handle the rumours of our relationship while we are there."

It didn't sound like she wanted to kill him so Jaune nodded. What else could he do when Sienna was the one in charge? As long as she wasn't coming to start an attack or plunge the White Fang into war, it shouldn't be a problem. Maybe this would even work to his advantage. If Sienna Khan, the leader of the violent side of the White Fang, could show her non-violent side then it would go even further to disarming tensions.

"Are you talking about coming to Vale?" he asked. "Or me to Menagerie? I'm not sure I could get out of Vale in one piece if I tried…"

"Menagerie would be ideal, but you are doing good work in Vale and we wouldn't want to change that. I shall make my way there with a trusted escort, under the guise of visitors to the festival. How we reveal ourselves will be left to you. Ilia tells me you have a member of the local media who is loyal to you. Consult with her and decide upon the best course of action, be it a private interview or something more… public. Though I lead, I shall follow in this new arena you have opened."

"Yes. Thank you again. I'll get on that." No choice but to. "W-When will you be arriving? A week? Next week?"

"Two days."

Of course. Why wouldn't it be so punishingly early? Jaune whined through gritted teeth but bowed his head and promised he would have something decided by then. Lisa was going to have to work overtime. The screen flickered off and Jaune sagged.

"Wow." Ilia said. "Making Sienna Khan come meet you is a pretty big deal."

"Is that how it sounded to you? It felt more like she invited herself to crash at my place and didn't give me a choice in the matter…"

Ilia laughed. "She is kind of intense, isn't she? What are you going to do?"

"Do I look like I have an idea…?"

/-/

Throughout his years, Ozpin believed he'd done well for himself and faunus rights and his record reflected that. As such, he felt little in the way of guilt after Mr Arc's explosive outburst. In fact, he agreed with much of it. Bystander behaviour was a problem in all walks of life, including his battle against Salem. Personally, he had always pushed for equality in Beacon. After all, faunus and human alike could fight against her, and would be hunted by her Grimm.

The problem was not Jaune Arc of his message; it was the timing.

"The Vytal Festival is going to be trouble enough as it is without faunus tensions rising," he told Qrow. "I don't disagree change is needed, I only wish it could have come last year, or at least in month or two from now."

"Change waits for no man," Qrow said sagely. Or drunkenly.

"Were you able to find anything off the video Arc provided us?"

"Quite a bit, actually. That woman is the same as the one who attacked Ruby and Glynda. Judging from the fire used and the burns on her, she's probably the same one that hit Amber."

"I feared so."

"On the bright side, this all but confirms the White Fang aren't working with her."

"That is good news, yes," Ozpin agreed. "It appears that Roman Torchwick is working with her, however, as evidenced by all the stolen dust and the intervention of his associate here. Again, it all comes down to timing. They intend to strike during he Vytal Festival, I'm sure of it."

There was no grand deduction there, just obvious pattern recognition. Even James could tell something big was coming. No one stole that much dust without wanting a big explosion. If this person knew he had Amber, which was a given by now, then they would want to distract him long enough to claim her power. What better way than to involve all of Vale in their schemes?

"James wants to turn Vale into a military state to prevent this," Ozpin said. "You know it's bad when a part of me agrees with him." He noticed Qrow's alarm. "Only a part of me. I won't let Vale become a new Atlas. Still, we can't ignore the threat and hope it goes away and I can't ignore the fact that the White Fang is providing ample distraction for this to happen, whether or not that is their intent."

"Can't you just end the White Fang problem once and for all?" Qrow asked.

"How?" Ozpin fired back. "Kill him? Morality aside, that would backfire horrendously given his popularity. It wouldn't make them go away, either."

"Not that. I mean can't you give him what he wants?"

"Would that I could, I would have centuries ago!" End discrimination, make everyone work together and deal with Salem. Oh, it all sounded so simple and convenient. "I've never had the power to change people's minds, Qrow. I don't even have the power to change Vale's laws right now. What the White Fang want will take decades to achieve, if it can be at all, and it was that fact which drove them to violence in the first place."

"So, you want a way to… what, delay the White Fang?"

"Not delay. Mollify." Ozpin slammed his hand down on the desk. "Yes. That's it! The White Fang cannot be dealt with right now, but if I can appease them in the short term, it may be enough to keep them from interfering too much. Then we can deal with the real threat."

"I dunno." Qrow said. "That sounds a little dishonest. This could backfire…"

"I'm not talking about lying to them, Qrow. Assuming we can deal with our current issue and transfer the maiden power on, I'm perfectly happy to dedicate time to assisting the White Fang in peacefully changing the status quo. It's something that needs to be done anyway."

"No arguments here. So, what's the plan?"

Technically, he'd already taken the first step to appeasing Jaune Arc by inviting him to the opening ceremony. While that had blown up in his face a little, the fallout hadn't negatively impacted Beacon. If it made some of their more racially motivated students stop and think, all the better.

More of the same, Ozpin thought. If he could keep offering Mr Arc chances to peacefully speak out, then it would prevent the White Fang striking out. After all, they wouldn't want to ruin a good thing. If I tie that to the Vytal Festival, they may even be on our side during it. Then if Salem's forces do attack as I fear they shall, the White Fang would be obligated to help defend us. They may even want to since it would be a great PR win for them to be seen fighting alongside Beacon against the Grimm.

An excited smile bubbled up on Ozpin's face as he reached for his notepad and jotted down ideas. This was perfect! The White Fang would be content in feeling they were being legitimised, Salem would lose potential allies and while James would be upset – livid, even – he would accept that it was better to remove an enemy without bloodshed than with.

"Qrow. Deliver this to Mr Sun Wukong of Team SSSN."

"What is it?" the huntsman asked, taking it.

"An invitation for Mr Arc."

"To…?"

"To open dialogue between Beacon and the White Fang. To take the first step in peaceful discourse. And, if it comes to it, to ensure that even the most radical of elements within their group see the virtue of working with me rather than with Salem."

"And this Wukong kid? How is he going to-?"

"James is not the only person capable of recognising a pair of abs. Mr Wukong is a part of the White Fang. I have known this since the fashion show, but I felt content to leave it be, both better to know your enemy and also because they had yet to become my enemy."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "You recognised his abs…?"

"Let's just say not every person I have reincarnated into is the same. I have been many people. I have had my soul merge with many others, not all of whom had the same tastes in life partners."

"Oh." Reddish eyes widened. "Ohhh."

"Oh indeed." Ozpin adjusted his glasses, smiling. "I have been both human and faunus myself. I have been black and white; young and old; rich and poor; straight and otherwise. I have experienced discrimination, Qrow, in many different ways. I can sympathise with the White Fang as few others can, but I have never been able to condone their violent tendencies. This is the perfect chance for me to resolve this once and for all."

"James is going to throw a fit…"

"Yes." Ozpin agreed. "Yes, he is. Especially when I invite Mr Arc to the school dance."

Qrow's jaw fell open. "WHAT!?"

/-/

Cinder Fall paced her room in Beacon, aura at the ready and eyes locked on the door waiting for Ozpin and his fools to slam through and try to arrest her. Every hour that went by brought both relief and more fear, the tension rising so high that Mercury and Emerald dared not move or speak lest they draw her ire.

Had she been discovered? Was their cover still clear? Jaune Arc had interacted with her, and now he had interacted with Ozpin as well. If he saw her again, she would be revealed in a heartbeat. The only relief for now was that he'd only fought Neo during her failed recruitment drive hitting the local gangs. He might not have seen her face well enough to tell Ozpin, but `might` did not assuage her concern.

He's become too big a figure, she thought angrily. Adam had been easy to deal with, angry and vengeful and eager to do whatever she said if it led to him striking at Beacon. His motives had been easy to understand and manipulate, but Arc's were not. At least not easy to control. Cinder could not give him the acceptance he craved for faunus everywhere, nor could she spin the idea of attacking Beacon into achieving it.

Non-violent. Pah. So sickening an idea, that power should not be used to take what you wanted. It made her shudder. He was a different beast to Adam, and a beast she now had to deal with.

"He has to die," she decided out loud. Mercury and Emerald flinched at so calm and calculated a statement. "Jaune Arc must die. That is simple."

"Will his death really make the White Fang join us?" Emerald dared ask.

"It won't, but what does that matter? If he is killed in a public manner, suspicion will be laid at the feet of so many. Who did it? Ironwood? Atlas? Ozpin? Racist businesses in Vale? Rivals in the White Fang?"

Cinder laughed cruelly. Yes, this idea had legs. It could stand up and run on its own. Pacing her room, she formulated her plans, eyes glinting with light and fire drifting from her fingertips.

"People will be lashing out in every direction. His supporters will clamour for justice, while his detractors will become scapegoats. They may not work alongside us, but the chaos caused will serve our purpose all the same."

"If we can frame Atlas or Beacon as the cause, the White Fang may well offer to attack it for us again." Mercury said.

"Precisely. What we need is an accident for our dear friend. A fatal and tragic end to such a beloved and influential figure, staged just before – or even during – the Vytal Festival."

"I can do it." Mercury offered. "My old man taught me a few tricks."

"No. This is too important. Too dangerous. I shall be conducting it, and you shall be supporting me. I don't want another failed attempt like the Fall Maiden. This needs to be planned out fully, and it shall be me who pulls the trigger."

Jaune Arc was already dead. He just didn't know it yet.

Ah Sienna Khan. I wish you had more in the show. Your design was so awesome, so exciting. I saw this person and just knew she was going to be the most kickass thing we would ever see- oh wait, she's dead. Why must you kill the interesting villains? Give me back Sienna. Give me back Roman!

On an amusing note, sometimes when you work in a magazine or newspaper you don't actually get enough of those "letters" sent in by readers - or the ones you get are so ridiculous or downright racist/misogynist/homophobic that you can't publish them, and you have to make up your own. Either make them up from scratch or take the horrible ones and re-write them to be less stupid. That used to be our work for new members of the editorial team and they had to trawl comments on our online articles (most of which are about as dumb as youtube comments) and pick some out. Then make up names for them. I ran out of names for friends and family a while back so we've had letters from "A. Taurus", "B. Belladonna" and "R. Rose" in our magazine.

Always wondered if anyone ever notices.

Next Chapter: 16th March

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur