She had to get away from Remnant to clear her head. Her thoughts kept drawing her back to a place that didn't exist, not there, anyway. A memory that had been buried a long time ago pulled her to the spot, as She stepped between the fabric of space, color and light receded as her vision went black, only to spring back into existence a moment later.

She stood in the middle of a large tropical valley. The sun beat down on top of the trees, pushing rays through the gaps of the canopy above. The entire place was overrun with vegetation. She knew this place well, though, and managed to appear on the only cobbled path that existed there. A low wind blew through the trees, ruffling her hair in greeting as her shoes on the cobblestone created the only sound for miles around made by something other than wildlife.

The trees in this place were tall, planted hundreds of years ago, in the time after the great war. She had fought in the war, and remembered, as she stepped into the clearing that marked the mass graveyard for all those that had fallen… she had died in the war.

She had not been alone, though. Her friends had been there with her, her companions. Through thick and thin. Years, they had spent, fighting on the front lines against an evil that threatened to take over the land. Sharing laughs, sharing food, at times even sharing a bed, if only to distract themselves from the pain in the world around them.

She sat down against the only gravestone. A large marble slab, etched with the names of thousands and towering above her. A solitary tear curled down her cheek. This had been the place. The time when she had created her first rule. Her secret rule. The rule she herself had eventually forgotten.

'Don't get attached.'

They all died, eventually. Whether it was an accident, from violence, disease, or old age. They never stayed with her, always leaving her in the end. Alone. Lost. Unloved. A wandering soul desperately trying to find a new place to call home. She could recreate them. She had tried that, but their deaths had haunted her every time she looked into their eyes. Every time, she would see their bodies bent, broken, lifeless.

Even still, She had never been able to keep to that rule for long. She was still a being that desired those attachments, and avoiding that had led her to boredom, so instead, another rule had taken its place.

'Never look back.'

And She had broken that rule. In her desperate ploy to avoid telling her team the truth, she had looked back at the years of sadness, the bodies left in her wake. It had all caught up to her at once, catching her off guard with the wave of ignored emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. She closed her eyes, leaning back against the monument, and let the feelings wash over her. But she was shocked to realize that with the sadness, and regret, came the years of happiness along with it, outweighing her despair. Thousands of years worth of memories of friendships and love crashed down on her like a landslide, filling the emptiness that threatened to consume her. Despite herself, a smile played across her lips. She sighed raggedly, even her breath itself quavering under the dual onslaught. She needed a new rule, one that better encompassed the feelings she felt. One that held true to the memories She had.

'Enjoy it while it lasts.'

Yang was sitting in her seat uncomfortably shifting back and forth. No matter what Ruby said, Violet's story didn't make sense. The way Violet had so easily recalled events, mentioning things that she doubted some 'sister' would think important, like the wagon, or how Yang herself had been staring at the beowulf just as hard, weren't details she could just look past to accept Violet's lie. Ruby was adamant though, fiercely denying Yang any line of questioning when she tried to bring it up. Her sister had pointed out that no matter what the truth was, it had brought Violet to tears. 'Do you want her to cry!?' Ruby had reprimanded her, glaring with cold silver eyes.

Yang sighed as she looked towards the classroom door like she had so many times already. No, she didn't want Violet to be upset. She didn't like being lied to, though. Her father and uncle had spent her entire life avoiding the truth when it came to Yang's mother. Getting just her name out of them had taken years. Violet's secret wasn't like the ones being kept from her by her family, though. It was a secret that had saved her life and Ruby's, at a time when they'd had no chance of escaping with their lives without it.

Yang stared down at her desk, thought it over once more, and decided to just let it go.

The door creaked open seconds before the bell rang, Violet slipping in quietly and heading over towards them. Her expression was unreadable, but Yang could see the small tear tracks left on her cheeks. Professor Port waited until she was seated next to the rest of her team, next to Yang, before beginning his lecture.

Yang leaned over to whisper to Violet, "Where'd you go? We looked everywhere for you while we could."

"I took that walk in the gardens," Violet replied with a single sad laugh, also keeping her voice down to avoid Port's ire.

"Well, I'm sorry for what we did. I… don't believe what you said, and I know you don't either," Yang whispered slowly, trying to get her thoughts in order, "But… I won't ask anymore. Not if it's something that makes you that upset. You can tell us, though. When you're ready."

Violet smiled lightly to Yang as her only reply, and with the sleeve on her hand, wiped away at the tear tracks left on her face. They sat through Port's lecture, a silence fallen between the entire team as they took comfort in each other's presence.

The rest of the week was business as usual from then on. Violet cracked jokes, if only to keep their spirits up and show there were no hard feelings between her and the group. She accepted Blake and Ruby's apologies. Blake was particularly hard on herself, realizing she had tried to force Violet into talking about something only minutes after Violet had been so caring in letting Blake reveal her secret when she felt ready. She didn't hold anything against her, though.

And so they found themselves in the last combat class of the week, a happy bunch, readily chatting with each other and team Siren as they watched some of the other fights play out. Violet looked across the group with a secretive smile. She hadn't yet used her challenge for the week, and was debating with herself on who she wanted to use it on. Violet's eyes focused on one person in particular, and she set her jaw in firm determination.

When the fight ended on stage, Ms. Goodwitch announced the winner and stepped back into the middle of the stage, "That concludes the planned bouts for the day. If anyone would like to issue a challenge, please make it known."

Violet stood up, getting the room, and Glynda's, attention. She turned towards her team, then let her eyes drift past dramatically, settling on a pair of beautiful green eyes, "Pyrrha Nikos! I challenge you!" Violet shouted in mock seriousness, a smile breaking through the facade. Pyrrha smiled back and stood, nodding her acceptance. The two left for the shared locker room as Goodwitch began pulling their aura readings up on to the large display for the entire class to see. Violet could hear excited murmurs from the room behind her, as both she and Pyrrha entered the locker room.

"This oughta be fun," Violet laughed, reaching her locker and beginning to switch into her combat outfit, "Don't go easy on me. I want the full Pyrrha Nikos experience."

"You want me to go Full Nikos?" Pyrrha gasped, giving Violet a mournful look, as if she was thinking about what flowers to leave on her gravestone.

"I want to fight Pyrrha freakin' Nikos," Violet corrected, turning back to her locker to grab Zenith.

Pyrrha hefted Milo, inspecting it as she spoke, "Is that my name, now?"

"God given, I'm afraid," Violet grinned.

Pyrrha sighed, "As if 'The Invincible Girl' wasn't bad enough already."

"Who knows, maybe after today they won't be able to call you that anymore," Violet smirked, giving Pyrrha a reassuring pat on the back as they both exited the locker room.

They took up positions across from each other. The crowd grew silent as the fighters both settled into their respective stances, faces lit by the spotlights above and the screen off to their side, now displaying both their aura readings. Both at max capacity. Violet knew how fast Pyrrha was in her fights. She had a speed and versatility that Violet couldn't hope to match on the best of days, but Violet had one trick up her sleeve, reserved for when things started to get too desperate.

The buzzer sounded, announcing the start of the fight, but neither fighter rushed forward immediately. They began to circle each other slowly, keeping an eye on the other's defensive stance as they moved. Violet could only sigh, Pyrrha's was perfect. She could see no openings in the girl's stance, no dip of the shield when she stepped. Pyrrha was firmly resolute, an impregnable wall of shield and sword that dared any to approach.

Pyrrha's eyes had caught on to something, though. And with a speed Violet still hadn't been expecting, flashed forward towards her defense. What came after was a series of swipes, lunges, gun fire, and shield bashes that left Violet reeling, barely capable of withstanding the ferocity that gave her no time to counter, no time to do anything except react. Violet's eyes burned in concentration, keeping track of every little movement, every twinge that betrayed Pyrrha's intentions the millisecond before they happened. It was all she could do to not fall beneath the blows.

Pyrrha finally let up, backing off and giving Violet a moment to recover. She was smiling, they both were. This was the experience she had been looking for when she invited Pyrrha to spar with her. This was Pyrrha Nikos.

'Guess I'm not going to be able to hold out on that trick,' Violet smiled as she thought it.

Violet didn't betray her intentions. One moment she was standing, arms slack. The next she had removed almost the entire weight from her body and Zenith, letting her flash forward as Pyrrha had, her muscles exhilarated by the lack of anything holding them back. Pyrrha brought her guard up, but was surprised as her movements became slow, lethargic. That first moment of surprise allowed Violet to get the first hit in, Zenith dipping above Pyrrha's shield in a downward lunge. Violet continued the onslaught, but after the first couple hits, Pyrrha's defense managed to recover enough to keep Violet at bay. Her sword was slower, her shield heavy, as Violet had taken the entire mass she'd removed from herself, and dumped it into Pyrrha's equipment. That wasn't enough to pull a full 180 on the fight, though. Pyrrha was a natural born fighter, and with the increased mass to her weapons, was having an easier time blocking the strikes by the greatsword, even when Violet did let its entire weight return. Violet backed off as Pyrrha had done, giving them both a chance to recover.

Pyrrha regarded Violet with a newfound respect. While it hadn't spelled the end for her, it was a good strategy. It kept Pyrrha from retaliating, kept her on the defense instead, and saved Violet from the sheer difference in agility that Pyrrha held over her opponents.

Violet grew wary as Pyrrha's smile grew darker, a curl to her lips that spoke of some nasty surprise she was ready to unleash. Violet's guard came up, Zenith held steadily between herself and Pyrrha. Violet couldn't help but notice the dark glow that started to emanate from Pyrrha's weapons. Understanding flickered through her mind, even as Pyrrha did the same across the arena floor.

Pyrrha's speed had returned. Her movements aided by her own semblance, using the additional power and strength, along with the weight Violet had added to her weapons, against her. Violet stopped as many hits as she could, but she was severely outmatched and outgunned. Pyrrha knocked Violet's guard up with her shield, slipping in a strike across her abdomen. Zenith came crashing down in an attempt to trade for the blow, Pyrrha deflected it to the side with her own sword, letting the greatsword slam into the ground next to her. Pyrrha took the moment to spin backwards, dipped as she turned back towards Violet, and hurled her shield directly into Violet's chest.

Violet staggered backward, the extra weight of the shield, given by her own body, causing far more damage than it would have otherwise. The breath was violently expelled from her lungs on impact, but she refused to let go of Zenith, dragging it back with her as she stumbled. In that moment, Violet's semblance dropped, concentration broken by the heavy blow, and Pyrrha wasted no time capitalizing on that fact. With a final series of strikes that Violet couldn't hope to dodge, she fell back on to the ground, breath ragged and chest heaving after the entire exchange.

"And that's the match," Glynda Goodwitch's voice boomed from somewhere nearby. Violet glanced up at the aura meters on display and sighed. Her own was in the red, and Pyrrha's had only dipped slightly past eighty percent.

Pyrrha stepped up next to her, Milo and her shield returned to her back, holding a hand down to Violet. She took it gratefully, drawing Pyrrha into a hug as she stood that surprised the girl.

"That was amazing!" Violet excitedly announced, pulling back and giving Pyrrha a look of pure respect and admiration. Pyrrha's cheeks heated up at the attention, but there was still a self-satisfied smile on her lips. Together, the two left the sounds of the cheering crowd to return to the locker room and change.

As they changed, Pyrrha turned to Violet, face thoughtful, "You know, if you alternated between giving my weapons more weight while I moved to defend, and removing that weight when your strikes were about to hit, you could have overwhelmed me with your attacks."

Violet shook her head, "I've tried that before. My semblance is limited, in a way. It causes a strain that's hard to describe. Removing the mass from items is easiest. It's a little bit harder with people, but only because they weigh much more than the average weapon. Adding mass to something where it doesn't belong is the most fatiguing, but it's only the initial effort that takes so much. Once that mass has been established, maintaining it becomes easier."

"So you would have tired yourself out faster by trying to switch between the two?" Pyrrha asked, if only for clarification.

"Yeah. I could maybe last a minute doing that, but the concentration required is monumental in comparison, and hardly worth the effort when it will leave me exhausted in so short a time."

"Why not remove my weight? Your blows would stagger me more, and my own would have less of an effect on you."

Violet just shook her head again, "I can't force my semblance on to people, not if they have their aura still, anyway. The instant you felt your own weight dipping, your aura would help you fight against it. You can let it happen, but I doubt you'd do that while we were in the middle of a fight."

Pyrrha nodded along as she finished changing and placed her weapons back in her locker. The two exited the locker room to find their teams waiting for them. The rest of the class and Ms. Goodwitch had left already, leaving the group to excitedly talk in earnest about the fight while they walked back to their dorms.

"Nice try, Vi," Yang laughed, putting a reassuring arm around her shoulders, "But next time, maybe choose someone you have a chance against."

"Like you?" Violet smirked.

"No, I'll kick your ass," Yang squeezed Violet's shoulder playfully.

"I'll take you on!" Nora grinned from Violet's other side.

Violet thought about trying the same trick against Nora and paled. No, making Magnhild hit harder would not be in her best interests. With how much of a beast Nora was in her fights, she doubted it would slow the girl down in the slightest. Ruby and Weiss were busy praising Pyrrha, the girl in question shying away from their affections with rosy cheeks. Ren and Blake took up the rear, content to watch the back and forth tirade of chatter from the sidelines. They arrived outside their dorms, and were giving their farewells before Nora interrupted.

"Guys, we can't just go to bed now! We just finished our first week at Beacon! We should celebrate!" Nora yelled energetically, flexing her arms up to try and get the rest of them pumped.

The others glanced among each other. Ren shrugged, Yang grinned, Blake scowled while she stared at the book she'd been wanting to read. The general consensus was in agreement, though, and half an hour later, they were all dressed in more casual attire, riding a bullhead down to Vale to celebrate their first week at Beacon.

"So… where are we going?" Ruby peeped out, looking around her fellow students.

"I know a place," Yang said with a grin, "We'll just have to sneak Ruby in."

"Is this a place dad wouldn't want me to go?" Ruby asked, eyes narrowed at Yang, who put her hands up in a placating gesture.

"Hey, Ruby, ya gotta grow up some time! Don't you want to try some adult things while under the supervision of your loving sister? Better me than on your own some day, right? Or with Uncle Qrow," Yang managed to get out, but even she was struggling with the farce.

"We'll corrupt you yet, Little Red," Violet grinned devilishly.

"No one is corrupting my innocent little sister!" Yang growled, bawling her hands into fists before forcibly calming herself, "We're just gonna… show her the ropes, that's all."

"Works for me," Violet said with a shrug, turning the question over to the rest of the group.

A myriad of shrugs and nods silently agreed to the proposal.

"We are going to get pancakes after," Nora amended.

The group wound their way through busy streets. It was late, but it was also a Friday, so there were plenty of people out and about. They arrived outside a large brick building after twenty minutes of walking. Violet looked up at the familiar sight, large double doors, windows high up towards the top, letting out a pulsating mixture of reds, blues, golds, and white.

Two guards dressed in black suits with red ties stood outside, carding anyone that tried to enter. The line was small, but it was still early enough that the club had likely opened recently for the night. Their group joined the queue behind a few others, the line slowly moving as they checked every ID.

Ruby's eyes were wide, and she leaned over to tug on Yang's sleeve, pulling her down to whisper in her ear. Violet was right behind them, close enough to overhear the girl's panicked words.

"I beat up these guys before Beacon. That's how I got in," Ruby admitted to her sister, who looked up thoughtfully at the guards at the door.

"Don't worry, sis. These guys aren't much of a threat. Just keep your Scroll out with your Beacon ID on it. They won't give us trouble," Yang said it with such confidence that Ruby immediately complied. Ruby paused as she was pulling out her Scroll, "Wait. Isn't this the place where you-"

Yang cut her off as they reached the front of the line, stepping in front of Ruby and flashing her own Beacon ID with a playful smile. The two bouncers recoiled, hands going to their weapons, but one look at the group standing behind Yang holding out seven more Beacon IDs told them that was a bad idea.

"The boss isn't gonna like this," the one on the left said gruffly.

"Calm down, boys. I'm not here to start anything~" Yang said with a smirk. They looked at each other through red tinted sunglasses and shook their heads, each pushing a door open to let the group pass.

The lights washed over them all as they entered, the pulsating revealed to be from strobe lights on the ceiling, spinning in place to wash the dance floor in a dizzying display of color. Next was the sound, nearly deafening at first until their ears got used to it. Some better than others, as Blake raised her hands up to her head and pushed her ears down beneath her bow, looking all the while like she regretted not staying at the dorm with her books. Books were quiet, just how she liked them.

There were already quite a few patrons inside. Many of them took up the seating at the bar, but there were more at the tables around the sides of the dance floor. A few people were dancing, but most hadn't drank enough liquid courage to step out on to the floor just yet. Violet saw several of the nearby guards in similar suits visibly tense when they saw Yang walking across the dance floor to the bar, but thought better than to attack her.

'She kicked their ass the first time.'

Yang pulled up one of the bar stools and sat down, looking down the bar to get Junior's attention. He froze, mid poor, and spilled excess booze across the counter top before catching himself. Junior cursed, wiping it up with a rag, and adjusted his tie as he walked over to Yang.

"Didn't think I'd be seeing you so soon again, Blondie," Junior grumbled, standing a few feet out of Yang's reach. His eyes checked her wrists, and he relaxed slightly when her gauntlets were nowhere to be seen.

"We're just here to have some fun. Blow off some steam from studying at Beacon," Yang replied, putting emphasis on the last word to draw Junior's attention past her. Junior's confidence wavered, but he turned to eye Yang up and down.

"As long as you don't destroy my bar again, and pay for your drinks."

"Of course. One strawberry sunrise, if you don't mind," Yang smiled, setting her card down on the table. Junior shrugged and took her card, mixing the drink and handing both back to her a minute later.

"And your friends?" Junior inquired, sparing a glance their way. The rest finally moved into action, the tense air having dissipated. They all got their drinks of choice. Violet bought a strawberry sunrise for herself, 'Always wanted to try one', and for Ruby. It had a surprising kick to it, but was quickly taken over by the delicious after taste. Ruby blanched on her first sip, eyes closing at the momentary intensity before warming up to it when the aftertaste hit.

"Take it slow, sis. That's the only one you're getting for the night. I don't need to carry my darling little sister back to the dorm because it turned out she was the world's worst lightweight," Yang warned, keeping a close eye on Ruby like she'd said she would.

Ruby paled and looked down at her drink, taking care to only sip from it every few minutes or so. Once they all had their drinks, they moved off to a table, arranging themselves around it at random. Violet ended up between Nora and Ren, and decided to take the opportunity to finally talk with the two in earnest.

"So, where are you two from?"

"Oooooh, here and there. Me and Renny travelled all over the place before we came to Beacon!" Nora excitedly replied. She had ordered a drink similar to Yang's, fruity but with a kick to it judging by her expression each time she drank it. Ren only gave a 'hmm' of agreement, busy with his own drink.

Violet asked them about some of their travels, all of which Nora was more than happy to share. Ren would interject a correction here or there. The correct name of a village, how many Grimm they had actually been fighting, how much they had actually been paid. It was all rather amusing when she listened to the way they played off each other so well. 'Ren has the patience of a saint.'

Yang had pulled Weiss, Ruby, Blake, and Pyrrha out to the dance floor, drink still in hand. She was heartily egging them on, trying to get them to dance with her. Blake was the most resolute of the bunch and stood to the sidelines with her arms crossed, but Yang was having none of it, and grabbed her hand to pull her out on to the floor with her. Blake still didn't dance, but a small smile threatened to overpower her scowl. Yang's antics got the better of her, and she finally put in the effort of at least nodding her head to the music.

Violet turned back to the new story that Nora was telling, diverting her full attention to it. With that, and the music pumping over head, she failed to notice the first couple shouts coming from just outside the front door. The doors were flung open, hitting the walls with a resounding slam, before a familiar voice yelled out over the music.

"Junior! I've come to take you in!"

Violet's head slammed down on to the table a second later. 'What the hell are you doing here, Jaune!?'

The boy himself was causing a ruckus. He stood next to the open doors still, eyes darting around the establishment as he tried to track down the goon's boss.

"Not another damn blonde!" Junior yelled in annoyance from his place behind the bar. He reached down beneath it and picked up his massive club, nodding to several of his guards that pulled out their weapons and paced in Jaune's direction.

Jaune nervously glanced around at the guards pushing towards him and pulled up his shield, Crocea Mors raised at his side in the worst combat stance Violet had ever seen aside from children play acting as huntsman.

'Just ignore it, Violet. It's not your fight. You don't owe him anything,' Violet thought to herself, turning her back to the commotion. Nora had stopped her story, both hers and Ren's eyes were focused on what was happening. It looked like the ones on the dance floor hadn't quite noticed anything yet, they were too busy with their own shenanigans and further away from it all.

"Should we help him?" Ren asked seriously, likely able to tell just as easily as Violet had that Jaune was not a capable fighter.

"He's the one breaking in and causing havoc," Violet pointed out, still not turning around as the sounds of steel on steel rang out across the clubroom. The rest of their group finally noticed once the sounds of fighting grew loud enough. Their eyes gazed towards the door with uncertainty, none of them stepping in yet.

A cry of pain got Violet moving before she could think about it, as Jaune was struck across the back with Junior's club, sending him crashing into a table that slid five feet across the floor. Chairs went flying off to the sides, startling several other patrons that had to dodge out of their way or risk getting smacked in the shins. Jaune groaned and slipped off the table, lying face down, his shield and Crocea Mors in loose outstretched hands. Violet took the opportunity to take them off him, much to his distress.

"Shut up or I'll hurt you worse than they did," Violet lashed out in annoyance. She held up a hand to the approaching Junior and his cronies.

"Friend of yours?" Junior asked warily, eyeing the two of them and then the rest of the Beacon students that had pushed forward through the crowd by then.

"No, just some dumb kid that thinks he's a hero. One who is far past his bedtime," Violet made sure to put all the irritation she felt into her words. Junior took the hint and backed off, content to let the students deal with it. Violet shifted the shield into sheath form and put the sword into it before tossing it to someone behind her. She didn't care who caught it.

Jaune had recovered enough to see it happen, and jumped up, "Hey! Give that back!"

"Not until you've proven to me that you're responsible enough to have it," Violet replied heatedly, giving him a glare that brooked no arguments. Even still, he tried to step towards where his weapon had gone. Violet reached over and grabbed him by the shoulder, using her semblance to remove as much of Jaune's weight as she could, before picking him up bodily and holding him over her head. 'Good thing you don't have aura, 'ey Jauny boy?'

Jaune struggled in surprise but couldn't break free as Violet carried him out the front door. She could hear the rest of her friends following along. 'Ruin our night, why don't ya?' Violet was half tempted to throw him on to the ground, but instead just let him drop into a stumble that still nearly ended with him off his feet.

She crossed her arms and glared at him, "Why the hell would you try something so foolish?"

"Hey, come on! I'm trying to get into Beacon! I heard about a girl that beat up some thugs, so they let her in two years early!" Jaune whined, eyes looking past Violet back towards the club.

"So you decided to call out Junior in what amounts to basically his base of operations, untrained, and with no back up, hoping to what… get lucky?" Violet mocked him, trying to drive home how unthought out his plan was, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Becoming a huntsman is my dream! You wouldn't understand!"

Violet laughed and turned back to the rest of the group, only to find that most of them didn't share her mirth. 'Eh, whatever. They just don't know how useless he is. How he fails all of you.' Instead she turned back and raised an eyebrow at him, "I go to Beacon. As do the rest of them."

Jaune's mouth gaped, and he looked among them, eyes going wide, "But then, can you put in a good word for me?"

Violet placed a hand across her face and shook her head slowly, "You aren't ready for this. You aren't ready for any of this. Go home. Go train. You should try again next year. I promise that by then, you might at least be able to match up against a member of team Cardinal."

Jaune's eyes were downcast, as no one stepped forward to offer him their support. Violet felt a little bad, despite herself. It wasn't easy hearing your dreams were only that, dreams. It had to be done though. He really wasn't ready for any of what was to come.

"Do you have a place for the night?" Violet sighed, getting his eyes back on her. From the look he gave, the answer was no. Violet grabbed him again, not picking him up this time, just steering him away from the club as they walked away.

The others stuck behind, talking amongst themselves in whispers, as Violet and Jaune took the lead a dozen feet ahead of them. Once they were far enough away from the club, she let go of his forearm, but spared him a glare that kept him walking next to her in submission.

"What a night," Violet muttered. Jaune gave her a sideways glance but didn't speak.

Violet led them in silence the rest of the way. She knew where she was going, but didn't bother to clue anyone else in. After half an hour of walking, they reached the residential district. Ten minutes after that, and they were standing outside the gate of a large two story mansion. The hedges were trimmed into squares that blocked the garden from view. Short brick walls topped with metal rods, sharpened on top, wrapped around the perimeter of the hedge. Violet stepped towards the side of the gate, pressing a button that buzzed loudly. A few seconds later, a voice could be heard yelling "Coming! Coming!", followed by the appearance of an older gentleman, in his sixties, that peered at his side of the screen, looking at the group of disheveled teens through the camera affixed to the wall.

His eyes widened in surprise, "Ah! Ms. Regalia! A pleasure to see you ma'am! What may I do for you?"

"This hoodlum needs a place to stay for the night before he heads back home tomorrow morning. I was hoping we might provide him a room and some food until then."

The gates buzzed open, swinging on their own, "Yes, of course Ma'am. I'll see you inside!"

Violet grabbed Jaune by the arm again, his face showing the bafflement he must have felt as she led him through the garden, and up the stone steps to the front door. The old man was already at it by the time they arrived, holding it open welcomingly, other arm outstretched to gesture into the room. The rest of team Vibrant and Siren followed wordlessly.

"Wow… I mean, you said your family was rich, but…" Yang said, looking around the brightly lit entrance hall. A set of stairs led up to the second floor, carpeted in a deep maroon with gold trim, the railings smooth marble. The only one not staring around wide-eyed was Weiss, the only other one used to this sort of thing.

Violet wrinkled her nose at Jaune, finally catching that the boy smelled like he hadn't showered since arriving in Vale over a week ago, "Mr. Slate, please see that our guest is given a bath and a change of clothes. He looks like he might be close enough in size to Peri, so just use some of his."

Violet looked around the group and sighed, "And have one of the cooks make us all pancakes," She looked at the glee on Nora's face, "A lot of pancakes."

The old man nodded and left the group, taking Jaune with him and ignoring the young man's protests. His struggling was weak, at best. Violet led them to the dining room, since aside from the study it was the only place with enough seating to accommodate all of them. Violet pulled out a chair for Weiss, which she gladly accepted, while the rest chose their own spots.

Ruby was scooting in excitedly when she finally broke the silence, "Wow, Violet! Your house is amazing! Are your parents home? I wanna meet them!"

"My family lives in Atlas, Ruby. I told you that already. This is just another place they own and pay to have maintained for when they're visiting Vale."

"But it's so…." Blake started before trailing off.

"Big?" Violet tried to fill in.

"Awesome!" Nora shouted, "You can have people make pancakes whenever you want!"

It was Violet's turn to get a little red in the cheeks for once.

"Why become a huntress when you could have lived so peacefully?" Ren asked, surprising Violet. 'Right. Two orphans that barely had a full belly their entire lives.'

"Money isn't everything. Weiss's family has even more than mine, yet she's also becoming a huntress. We all have our reasons for the things we do, Ren. Even if they aren't always plain to see."

Ren nodded in understanding, then repeated his question with a little variation, "So why do you want to become a huntress?"

Violet thought over her answer carefully before she spoke, "There are... people I want to protect, and I need the skills to do that."

"Sounds like me and Renny!" Nora chirped up from her place next to him. Ren nodded, accepting her answer along with Nora's outburst.

"You guys have fun, I need to go do something. Be right back!" Violet excused herself to head up to the room she stayed in whenever her family had visited Vale, stepping in through her door quietly and closing it behind her before turning the lights on. Violet headed over to her desk, where her safe sat underneath, and withdrew what she wanted from it. She placed it in her pocket and left, making sure to turn the lights back off as she did.

When she returned, the pancakes had been served, and Jaune was awkwardly sitting off to one side, in new loose fitting clothes with a plate of pancakes in front of him. It looked like he hadn't eaten in a while either, as he was digging into the plate nearly as voraciously as Nora. Violet let them eat, having a couple pancakes of her own while she waited for them all to finish.

With a few burps on Nora's part, and some giggling at that by Ruby, their meal reached its end. Violet went over and sat down next to Jaune, catching his attention. She pulled out the object from her safe and presented it to him, as his eyes looked at her in confusion.

"This is a lien mastercard, tied to one of my accounts. When you leave here tomorrow, I want you to go home, and use the money on this to pay for a tutor. One on one practice will do you a lot more good than joining a class full of other students. This card is to be used only to pay for that tutor, and for your trip home. I will keep an eye on the account, and I'll know if you break your promise. Do I make myself clear?"

Jaune stared at her dumbly, looking back and forth between her eyes and the card, before a hand slowly reached up and took it from hers, "I… I promise. I won't use it on anything else. Only to get home, and pay for a teacher."

"Good," Violet gave him a smile and touched his shoulder reassuringly, "You can give it back to me when you get into Beacon next year. Failure is not an option."

'If Beacon is even still standing in a year.'

Tears brimmed at the corners of Jaune's eyes, and he turned away, whispering at the floor, "Thank you, god."

Violet smacked him on the back of the head, "God has nothing to do with this. Your fate is in your own hands, Jaune. It's your job to make the most of it. This is just a little push in the right direction. Don't forget that, or your promise." Jaune's eyes firmed, face growing determined.

"Now, it's about time we all got back to our dorms," Violet stated, looking back at the other students. Ruby yawned into her hand in agreement, and they all excused themselves. Violet was sure to thank the old man as she left, "Oh! Who has the sword?" Pyrrha held it out, and Violet had her give it to Mr. Slate. "See that this is returned to him in the morning, would you?"

"As you wish, Ma'am."

The group left together, headed in the direction of the bullheads that would take them back up to Beacon. All of them were at various stages of lethargy after the meal, so it was slow going.

"That was really nice, what you did for him," Pyrrha spoke up after a time.

Violet sighed, "I couldn't help myself. He was just so…"

"Weak?" Yang tried to fill in.

"Hopeless," Violet corrected quietly.

They made mild small talk as they boarded the bullhead and set off back to Beacon. Violet didn't jump in on the conversation, content to just listen while the others chatted about other things. The bullhead landed, they walked off the platforms back to the dorm building, up to their shared hallway, and excused themselves for the night.

Violet climbed in bed immediately, and laid her head down to rest.

That night, she watched over Jaune.