Hello everyone! Back again after a longer than planned absence. I'll try to make sure the next few chapters don't have nearly as long of a waiting time. Here's hoping life doesn't butt in to ruin that.

So, we're moving right along now, we're going to see some familiar faces and the plot is going to start picking up quite a bit now that we're past the introduction. For those that are concerned about it, we'll be in Beacon before ya know it.

Chapter 5: Tit for Tat

"Another set?"

Glass figures clinked against the board while the two occupants of the room reset the game. Jaune said nothing but his eyes spoke of nothing but frustration and anger, blue orbs glaring at the board.

A lanky arm reached out and moved a center pawn forward, taking prime real estate in the middle of the 'battlefield'. An undiscernible noise made its way out of the boy's throat, lost somewhere between a growl and a groan. It wasn't surprising in the slightest, Jaune had seen the same move made a hundred times by now and yet he hadn't found a way around it.

Oobleck had to wonder if it would take a hundred more times before Jaune would take a new approach to his strategy. The boy moved predictably, matching the opening move with a pawn of his own, the two pieces now locked in an eternal stalemate. He had to resist the urge to sigh but decided against his normal opening.

He doubted Jaune would fare any better than the last match, and beating him in the exact same way wouldn't serve any purpose now. The boy was already frustrated after losing so often, not that he would voice such concerns. No, he was far too disciplined for that. Perhaps that wasn't quite the right word. Prideful may be a better term to be applied to the boy.

Pride in his family name and the weight of one's own words defined the boy. Even if he wanted nothing more than to throw the board away and storm off, which he clearly did by the look on his face, he wouldn't, no matter how many times he lost. Jaune had made a deal and as long as he received what was promised he would deliver on his end.

It was an admirable trait for one so young but even Jaune had his limits. Oobleck had little doubt that crushing Jaune in the usual manner would send him over the proverbial edge. Perhaps a different approach to this game would be more fruitful.

Oobleck moved a pawn to the side of the previous one, angling his position to the outside but more importantly putting it in direct danger of Jaune's own pawn. The boy's eyes lit up at the mistake. They darted between the board and Oobleck's face, confusion clear as day. But Jaune could not find any trap or hidden attack avenue and hesitantly took the piece to which Oobleck had no recourse for.

And so, the match progressed with Jaune having the rare piece advantage to which he tried to utilize to the fullest, trading whenever he could. But sadly, for all of his early game success, the board seemed to flip on itself as Oobleck, piece by piece, decimated Jaune's forces. It didn't take long for Jaune to realize that he had been completely outmaneuvered, losing more of his backline while his pawns were trapped in their eternal head to head struggle. Eventually little remained of his pieces and with a put off sigh he knocked his own king over.

"I still can't beat you. I thought I had you when you messed up early."

Oobleck tried to hide the smirk that came to his lips, truly he did. Despite Jaune's initial protests about learning the game, the boy had picked up on its finer nuances relatively quickly and had quite the competitive streak in him. Though he supposed it was only natural, Jaune did not enjoy losing, regardless of the situation or activity. "Oh, did I make a mistake? I don't seem to recall having made any, especially so early on."

"You did, with the pawn on like your second turn. It was a free piece, you taught me that you should never give away free pieces but you did. Maybe you're getting rusty, old man."

He let the old man comment slide, more than ready for the taunt. But just because he would let it slide would not mean it would be forgotten. He would show Jaune just how old he was during their next spar. "Indeed, I did, and I'm glad to see you're remembering what I'm teaching you. That said, do you really think that I made that mistake? Something so obvious and blatant that even a rank amateur could see?"

Uncertainty washed over the blond's face, his eyes roaming over the scattered pieces before returning to meet Oobleck's gaze. "I… I wasn't sure. I thought it was too good to be true but I couldn't see any way for you to hit me back. And you didn't! You did make a mistake."

"Did I? I don't believe I did. I may have sacrificed a piece without taking one in return but I acquired something far more powerful, positioning. The Queen's Gambit is a favorite opening of a friend of mine, a strategy that sacrifices pieces for fast expansion of forces to later dominate the game. Did you notice how quickly the landscape changed once my pieces were in position?"

Jaune's head drooped at Oobleck's words, no doubt connecting the dots and realizing his early game successes weren't quite as successful as he once thought. "Ah, I see…"

Crushing Jaune's spirit wasn't what he was after however, despite how easy it was. No, what Oobleck wanted was always something far more difficult to impart, knowledge. "Jaune, do you know why we play this game every so often?"

Jaune's head perked up at the question, a small smile coming to his lips. "Because you can't beat Ozpin and you need someone to practice on?"

Oobleck's face was covered in a rare flush but was quickly replaced by a scowl, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "Cute, but not quite. Predators will teach their young how to hunt by playing with them. They impart invaluable lessons onto their offspring through these games and human's do much the same. In this instance, chess is a game of patience and strategy. Reading an opponent's moves and motivations so one can obtain victory."

Continuing, he gestured to the board. "Victory here merely gives one bragging rights, but if you apply these lessons to things outside of chess, victory could entail saving the lives of those you care about or bringing dangerous criminals to justice."

He knew he had Jaune's attention with the last sentence. Those blue orbs went from disinterested to a sharp focus in the span of a second. As loathe as he was to bring up such things, it was always a sure-fire way to make Jaune pay attention. The boy was motivated, more motivated than anyone his age had any right to be. He wanted to be a paragon of justice, someone that could protect not only himself but those around him.

Perhaps a bit foolish and naïve, but only when coming out of the mouth of a normal child. Jaune was anything but normal; circumstance had made sure of that. When he spoke those words, he meant every word of it and knew the full ramifications of said words. Which led him to absorb everything he could in relation to fulfilling that dream.

"You must understand Jaune, not everything will be as obvious as losing a piece for another piece. The purpose of a trap is that once it's sprung, it's too late for the victim to react. You must always be thinking ahead, trying to understand and figure out what it is the other person is doing or wants. No one does anything in this world for nothing. If you understand what motivates an individual you can anticipate what they will do. Everyone is self-interested, everyone."

"But more directly speaking here, if you are in combat against a superior opponent and they make a mistake that is too good to be true, it likely is. Do not fall into their trap. Do you understand?"

Jaune nodded his head vigorously, a smile on his face as he moved to set the board up for another match. Oobleck smiled as well, something that was becoming more commonplace with each passing day.

A series of knocks interrupted the two, Jaune pausing and turning to look at his adopted father. Oobleck in turn could only raise an eyebrow at the unannounced visitor. "Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to greet our guest?"

Not needing to be told twice, Jaune leapt from his chair and scurried towards the door. Oobleck could only smile as he watched him go. It was something of a habit as of late. He had always enjoyed teaching and nothing was more rewarding than someone taking those lessons to heart. With Jaune, that sense of pride somehow became something more, something he couldn't quite place. He found himself more invested than ever before and when Jaune would accomplish something he felt like he had done much the same. It was a fascinating phenomenon that he planned to research in its entirety.

Such thoughts would have to wait however. It didn't take long for Jaune to return, albeit at a much more reserved pace than when he left. His attention was taken by the person accompanying him however, a very noticeable flush on the young boy's cheeks. Oobleck couldn't help but smirk at his adoptive son while he spoke to one of his colleagues.

To her credit, Glynda's expression was far more inviting than it normally was. The stone-faced mistress of Beacon was known for her stern nature and unyielding force of will. Here however, or at least in Jaune's presence, she held a soft visage, one of patience and interest. If only her students could see her now, well they would faint from shock. Of that he had little doubt. Even he was taken aback with how different she acted around Jaune.

"Ah, Glynda. A pleasant surprise. Or at least I hope it is, I didn't miss any calls or messages, did I?"

She rolled her eyes at his comment, letting Jaune lead her fully into the small living area. "No, for once you've been rather prudent to respond on time. Something I wish Peter would take up as well, though you would have a better chance at him giving up his Grimm hunts."

He chuckled at the comment, all too familiar with her dry humor. "Indeed. Old dogs and new tricks and all that. Please, take a seat. Jaune, why don't you get us some refreshments? Red tea is still your favorite, correct?"

She took the offered seat, one leg crossed over the other as she sunk into the surprisingly comfortable cushioned chair across from him. "Thank you, Bart. And yes, if you have some I would love a cup."

Jaune scrambled out of the room and the distinctive noise of dishware clicking against one another could be heard. Glynda's smile stayed on her face, her eyes following the small ruckus being made in the kitchen. "He seems to be adjusting well. Far better than I dared hope. I'll admit when you first agreed to this I was concerned. I believe we all were."

Oobleck merely smiled at the comment, not at all offended by their lack of faith. "None more so than I, I'm afraid. Raising a child is no small task. Thankfully, I was able to skip over some of the messier stages of his upbringing. But Jaune is adapting far better than I could have hoped for. Everything isn't perfect but we have reached an agreement of sorts. He's more mature than even I expected and I'll admit it's made this entire transition go far smoother. Though that isn't to say he doesn't act out every now and then."

The clattering of dishes coming closer stopped the conversation, Jaune reappearing not a moment later with a full set of tea cups and a kettle on a tray. He placed the silverware on the small coffee table next to the chess set and moved to try and pour the tea. He was stopped by Glynda who gave him a small smile. "Allow me, I would hate for you to have to do everything."

She poured two cups of tea, Oobleck refusing in favor of the coffee still fresh in his mug. Glynda claimed hers and took a quick sip, the warm fluid soothing her throat. "Ah, I do love tea. I can't comprehend how you and Ozpin prefer coffee. It makes no sense."

This time Oobleck did let out a short bark of laughter, the long-time debate having been brought up hundreds of times before. "Don't bring up that dead horse. We'll be here for hours if you do. Which while not an unpleasant idea, I'm sure you don't have the time. To what do we owe the pleasure for your visit?"

Her smile faded slightly, the markings of an irritated expression slowly spread across her face. "Sadly, it's not as pleasant as I would hope. I'm in Vale on business and I thought I would just stop by to see how you both are doing. I don't get out to Vale very often during the semester. There's far too much to be done at Beacon."

Even more so now that he was on a temporary leave of absence. The comment was left unsaid, but he was more than aware of the circumstances he had left behind. He had offered to continue teaching after adopting Jaune but both Glynda and the Headmaster wouldn't have it. They were adamant that if he were to do this he would need to give his full attention to Jaune, at least for some time and while he couldn't disagree with their logic, he hated to leave them with his share of work. He had no doubt that most of it fell to Glynda, the poor woman was overworked as it was and he couldn't see Ozpin subbing in to take over his role as the academy's history professor and treasurer.

"At least the semester is coming to a close is it not? The finals should be this week and then a month off, well, not off but you know what I mean." Oobleck commented with a sympathetic smile.

The small smile that worked its way to her lips said she did. "Yes, believe me I'm looking forward to the slightly smaller workload that is to come. If only there wasn't that infernal fundraiser being held tonight. I know how necessary they are for Beacon but I just can't stand them. Half those people only come to show off how much money they have. And don't get me started on our guest of honor. I can already feel a headache coming on."

He couldn't help but chuckle at his colleague. Those events could be brutal for even the most sociable among them. Ozpin was the only one that didn't seem bothered by them but it was hard to tell if that was more his impenetrable poker face or if he actually enjoyed them. Some things about that man were impossible to discern.

"I do not envy you my friend, these things have a tendency to drag on. Give my condolences to Ozpin and heaven forbid Peter if he's going."

The confused look she gave him sent a shiver of worry through him. The feeling only intensified with her next few words. "Peter isn't going tonight, why would he when you volunteered? You do remember promising to attend the fundraiser tonight, don't you? You kept requesting to help out the academy in some way and Ozpin thought this would be a perfect way for you to contribute."

He had to stop himself from swallowing the nervous lump that formed in his throat. He vaguely remembered sending those emails some time ago. Had he really agreed to such a thing? Judging by the growing look of annoyance of Glynda's face he most certainly had. With how her frown deepened with each passing second, he doubted she would allow him to wiggle out of it now. If he didn't act quickly he knew he would be facing the entirety of her wrath. He was already in enough trouble as it was, the best he could do now was prevent as much collateral damage as possible. Speaking of…

"Jaune, perhaps you should start working on your forms. I'll join you shortly after I finish up with Glynda. No need for both of us to be bored by work matters."

Jaune hesitated, stuck between wanting to stay and his desire to train. As expected, the boy eventually relented and offered a short farewell before dashing to his room. It hadn't taken Oobleck long to figure out that Jaune enjoyed the physical aspect of his training far more than any other and little could deter him from it.

Still, he waited until he heard a door slam shut before he turned back to his fellow educator, a small smile on his lips. "He fancies you."

The small glare she sent him wasn't the expression he was hoping for. "Don't you dare try to change the subject. Gods, you're just as bad as ever. I should have known it was too good to be true." Glynda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, no doubt trying to prevent the headache that was bound to come. "You're a brilliant educator Bartholomew but I swear your organizational skills are on par with Ozpin's. Tell me, do you even know what fundraiser is being held tonight?"

With a shake of his head he confirmed the beleaguered woman's assumptions. There was no point in trying to lie at this point.

With another shake of her head she gave him a disapproving glare. "It's our annual Gala and this year we're going to have some very important potential donors attending. The Schnee Dust Company is even sponsoring the entire event, how could you forget? This is vital to Beacon's continued functionality, even more so given that the council has been pushing back on the extra funding Ozpin has requested for expansion."

That was the question, wasn't it? How could he have forgotten something so important? Even at his worst he had always been able to keep his schedule intact and in mind. As someone who had balanced Beacon's accounts for a decade he knew more than most just how important the Gala was.

Despite what most in the Kingdom thought, the council of Vale didn't provide the entire budget for Beacon, far from it in fact. Donations accounted for more than fifty percent of the annual budget. People often times contributed to the school, their small donations coming in sporadically and while those were always appreciated, even those contributions didn't come close to funding the school.

Sadly, a large part of their budget came in the form of donations from large corporations across all of Remnant. While most companies tended to stick to giving to charities and non-profits within their own kingdom and communities, huntsman academies transcended that thought process. Few things could unite the world like the threat of the Grimm did. This often led to large corporations not only donating towards the school in their kingdom, but to all schools.

Sadly, that generosity was rarely genuine. There were plenty of benefits for those that donated, be it tax relief, positive PR or even trying to buy the favor of huntsman before they entered the real world. It was never too early to try and build one's contacts after all. Who knew when you might need an aggressive expansion on the frontier and needed strong enough people to protect it?

But just because it benefited these companies to donate to the school didn't necessarily mean that they would. Those that made these decisions tended to have egos to match the size of their pocket books and if they weren't catered to, they may choose to go elsewhere with their donations.

So, Beacon would hold several of these events a year and put on a show for all those that attended, all in the hopes to attract more businesses to help fund their student's development. It was a necessary evil and one that they suffered through time and time again. All for the betterment of their students and for the continued survival of humanity.

Tonight's event however was more important than any of the other smaller events, perhaps even put together. The annual Gala brought not only wealthy individuals from across the planet, but other dignitaries as well. Influential people from every facet of life would be coming. Politicians, military leaders, even some celebrities were known to attend from time to time.

It went without saying that such an event had a lot riding on it. It was critical that Beacon put its best foot forward. One could not overstate the importance of this event.

And he had completely forgotten about it. Not only that, he had forgot that he had volunteered to participate in the infernal thing. He wasn't prepared in the slightest and that wasn't even considering what he was to do with Jaune. He couldn't possibly find someone to watch after the boy on such short notice. Not to mention he didn't even have any evening wear. This was already turning out to be a complete and utter disaster and the blasted party hadn't started yet.

Glynda let out a beleaguered sigh and rubbed the crown of her head. Taking a closer look at the poor woman, he noticed some signs that had been absent only a few minutes ago. Her entire body seemed to slump slightly, not enough to be noticed by the casual person but to one who had known her for years it was very stark to her normal posture. And while she hid it well, the faintest signs of rings around her eyes were noticeable. Again, barely so but they were most certainly there. What was most telling however was her eyes themselves. While they still held a firmness that she was well known for, they seemed lacking, as if the fire inside had been put out. Frankly speaking, she was exhausted.

Despite that, here she was, not only handling god knows how many things for Ozpin but even having to deal with the fallout of his own failings. She didn't deserve that, not with everything else she had on her plate. But perhaps it wasn't too late to rectify it and maybe even help ease her burdens, if only slightly.

"I'm sorry Glynda. It appears that taking care of Jaune has taken more of my attention than I had accounted for. But do not worry, I won't make you pick up my mess. After all, what kind of example would I be setting if I did such a thing? No, it just won't do. I'll be sure to be there tonight. Now I just need to find someone to watch after Jaune while I'm gone."

Glynda slowly opened her eyes and met his. He didn't avert his gaze or back down, knowing full well she what she was looking for. She found it soon after as a small smile etched itself onto her face. With another put upon sigh, she let herself fall deeper into the cushions.

"I'm sorry as well Bart. I feel like I've been working around the clock the last few months keeping Beacon together. I've been so preoccupied that I never bothered to double check with you about the event tonight. I had just assumed that you would remember. You have more than enough to deal with here, I shouldn't have taken out my frustrations on you."

Oobleck waved the apology off, the effort appreciated but completely unnecessary. "Let's just agree to put it behind us. Now isn't the time to be feel sorry for ourselves, we have work to do."

His words were followed by the soft sound of a chess piece gliding across the board. Glynda only raised an eyebrow in response before she let an exasperated sigh, shaking her head despite the small smile still on her face.

She moved a pawn forward to meet Oobleck's. "Indeed. I have much to do today aside from finishing any preparations for the party. Some arrangements for the new semester are being made and I must iron out the details with an Atlas tech company to see if your proposal is even possible."

Oobleck paused, his hand hovering over a knight before it moved to a pawn on the opposite side of the field. "Oh? I had thought that idea was dead and buried. What made you reconsider?"

Glynda didn't even look at the board as she made her next move. "Ozpin let Peter take over your position as history professor."

Genuine shock washed over his face. The surprise so heavy that he didn't even notice his rook in danger. "Oh dear."

It looked like Glynda had to suppress a shudder before she moved, taking a piece of Oobleck's rear guard. "Quite. As a result, we have decided to let you resume your lecturing next semester, though it will be done through video conferencing. That is, if they come down on the price to install it."

Oobleck's response was fast, almost expecting the play. "Well I can't say I envy the poor soul who will get in your path. I'm sure you'll manage."

The smirk on her face said she did as well. "The only problem is that I also need to stop and pick up a textbook order that Peter put in. It was through a local shop here in Vale and they aren't equipped to deliver it to Beacon." She paused while looking over the battlefield, sighing as she retreated. "There just aren't enough hours in the day."

Oobleck could sympathize with the statement. Even with not having to fulfill his commitments to Beacon currently, he never felt like he had a moments rest. Still he gave Glynda a calm smile, despite the fact that he just took an exposed bishop. "How very strange. Usually Peter doesn't even use a textbook, let alone one that isn't carried by one of our publishers."

Glynda's eyes narrowed at her quickly dwindling pieces before she turned her icy glare to him. She held it for all of ten seconds before flicking the crown of her king, the delicate piece rolling across the board. "If I wanted to play Ozpin I would've stayed at Beacon."

He couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped his throat. He had wondered if she had noticed the similarity or not. "I'm sorry Glynda. Normally I detest this type of style, but Ozpin is infuriatingly skilled at this manner of play. I hope that by playing like him that I could find any openings. Sadly, I have not made much progress on that front."

Glynda held her gaze, whether her displeasure came from being used as a test dummy or from simply being reminded of the individual responsible for lumping her with even more work was yet to be seen. In hindsight, it may not have been the best move. Given how overworked she was and the man responsible for it, any reminder of Ozpin was likely to put her in a fool mood.

Perhaps he had pushed his luck too far on that front? Best to let it die a quick death and move on. "Well, it was still a good match, but I find myself curious about this text that Peter is using, do you know the author?"

Glynda's gaze remained for a few more seconds before sighing, clearly not finding it worth the effort to pursue the issue. "Unfortunately…" The blonde headmistress mumbled. At his questioning gaze she elaborated. "Peter published it himself, he merely used the bookstore's resources to get them all printed."

The silence that followed was deafening.

A few moments passed before Oobleck rebooted, a small smile on his face while he took a sip from his mug. "Oh, I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. For a second it sounded like you let Peter write and teach from his own book. How preposterous. Such a silly thought. Ludicrous even."

He searched Glynda's face for any sign that she was joking, any tell whatsoever that told him that she couldn't have been serious. But as minutes dragged by and the look of defeat remained on her face his own lost its color. "You can't be serious Glynda. How did this even get approved? What was wrong with the last book?"

He didn't mean to sound so incredulous, he truly didn't. Peter was a valued colleague and one of his best friends. He had nothing but respect for the long-time huntsman. But he also had his pride for his profession as an educator and any book written by Peter would be far from educational. The student's depended on them to impart useful knowledge so that they could use it later in their lives.

Peter was quite effective at the practical aspect of being a huntsman, the problem fell in line with his theory, or rather lack thereof.

"Believe me, it wasn't my decision to make. Ozpin signed off on it without a second thought. I didn't even know about it until I saw the requisition forms."

He took the response for what it was. Knowing Ozpin, he probably hadn't even bothered to read the proposal. It was a trait with Ozpin that hadn't made much sense for a man in his position.

Ozpin was a mysterious individual, even for people that had known him for years. He came off as aloof for most things, even those that involved the inner workings of the school. But if that was Ozpin's true nature he would have never risen to such a position. Being the Headmaster of one of the four main academies was not something obtained on a whim. It took a lifetime of dedication, arduous training and a certain discipline that few possessed.

Frankly speaking, you simply could not become a Headmaster with the temperament that Ozpin extruded. That meant that either the man merely put on a persona for dealing with most things or that there were things on his plate that were so important that he couldn't be bothered with tiny details. Even details that pertained to the school's budget or one of his professors writing a fictitious story and teaching it as if it were fact.

Given how long he had known the man, he had to assume it was the latter. It made him wonder just what Ozpin was dealing with that occupied so much of his time that things such as this could easily slip through the cracks. Curiosities aside, there was little he could do to change the way the man ran Beacon. What he could do however was make sure the students didn't suffer from such lapses of attention.

"I see. This is… unexpected, to say least. I take it that you haven't had a chance to review the, uh, material?"

A shake of her head confirmed the worst and he let out a beleaguered sigh, much like Glynda had earlier. "Well, I suppose there is only one course of action to take then. Give me the order form and I'll pick up the order of books myself. I'll of course need to go through them, make changes and hopefully add beneficial information to them before returning to the store to have them republished. Hopefully I can convince Ozpin to cover the costs of the additional printing."

She raised a delicate eyebrow at the suggestion but the fact that she didn't instantly reject his proposal was promising. Getting the opportunity to do anything for Beacon in any official capacity was difficult as of late. Now however, it appeared that cracks too big to fill were becoming painfully obvious. So much so that even Glynda was willing to bend.

"Are you sure you can handle that, Bart? Teaching classes remotely is one thing but to edit an entire text, especially the one we're dealing with, is an exceptional time-consuming process. You'll only have a month to have it ready for classes next semester. That includes time for the book store to publish all the updates. You'll have three weeks at best."

Under any normal circumstances she would be correct. Most times professors of any school of thought would spend months going through a potential text. Verifying its usefulness, accuracy and how well it conveys the message to the reader. Developing lesson plans around said text would also take a significant amount of time. Luckily, these were all things that didn't apply to him.

"A monumental task for most no doubt. Thankfully I do not believe it to be as difficult as you think it will be. I'm not rewriting the book, far from it. I'll merely be adding what I can to it, filling in any confusing bits or clarifications. After all, it's Peter's class to teach, not mine. And despite what the students say, he does have useful information hidden in his stories, some are just more buried than others. I think I can manage to do that in the time allotted."

She regarded him with a measured look, her face belaying nothing as she considered his proposal. He could see the gears turning in her head before she gave him the faintest of smiles. From her skirt she withdrew a small piece of paper folded neatly upon itself and handed it to him.

He took it without a word and grimaced at the number of requested texts. What on Remnant was Peter going to do with two hundred copies? There weren't even that many students in all four years!

Glynda's soft voice pulled him from his own mind, her tone a mix of satisfied and amused. "Well, if you're so sure of yourself by all means. Maybe something good will come of this. At the very least it's one less thing I need to deal with today so for that I owe you."

An erratic beating came from her pocket and he could have sworn he heard a mumbled curse before she fished out her scroll. "Yes? What do you mean you need to move the meeting up by an hour? That's only twenty minutes from now. Yes. Yes. Alright, I understand. I'll be there."

The call ended as abruptly as it started. From the look on his friend's face he doubted she appreciated it. Her face had morphed into a fierce scowl and her eyes burned with the fire that he was so used to seeing on the woman.

Her eyes turned to him and softened somewhat. She released a breathless sigh before standing and straightening her skirt and blouse. "I'm sorry to cut this short but I'm afraid I must leave. Please let Jaune know I said goodbye."

He waved off her concern with a small laugh and rose to see her out. "Think nothing of it. Duty calls after all. I'll be sure to let Jaune know. It'll make his day."

He said the last bit with a bit of a smirk which only got him a roll of the eyes from his fellow huntress. "I'm sure it will. I suppose I'll be seeing you tonight. As for what to do with Jaune, you could always bring him along. You know it's not unusual for attendees to bring their children, there's no reason you can't do the same. It might even be good for him."

"Hmm, not a terrible idea. I'll have to find him formal wear for the night but that might be the best option. Though I do have my concerns with how he'll react to such a large crowd. I suppose I'll have to cross that bridge eventually however. I'll consider it."

A slight nod was all the answer he received, her emerald eyes now roving over her scroll, no doubt checking on some last second preparations for whatever meeting she had scheduled. "I'm sure he'll be fine Bart. Despite everything that's happened he appears to be doing well. I'll see you tonight. Goodbye."

He stepped to the side, pulling the door with him. As Glynda made her way through the opening his words stopped her. "Despite the pretense of your visit, it was rather enjoyable. I'm sure Jaune would agree as well. If possible, you should see if you are able to visit more often."

Her eyes moved from her scroll and regarded him with not quite suspicion but something he couldn't place. After a moment it was gone and replaced with a soft smile. "I'll see what I can do."

With that she was gone. He silently shut the door behind her and walked his way through the living room, grabbing his thermos along the way. He reached the yard in no time and watched as Jaune went through a various number of different swings. All variations that he had learned through his family's book.

A light sheen of sweat coated the boy's face and he couldn't help the same feeling from before swell up inside of him. Jaune's dedication was inspiring. The drive to better oneself was rare in one so young. It made him want to follow suit, to be better.

His hand touched the piece of paper Glynda had given him. He read over the order once more but focused instead on the actual store itself. Tukson's Book Trade. The name was unfamiliar but that wasn't too surprising, most of Beacon's books coming from large publishers from across Remnant. His eyes wandered back to Jaune. The boy's pace was unrelenting. Anyone his age probably would have given up a while ago, but it appeared the boy had stamina to match his shockingly large aura reserves.

Perhaps Glynda was right, maybe tonight's event would be good for Jaune. He had taken to heart what Qrow had told him about the boy. In private and in the presence of people he knew Jaune was very much a normal child. From the few times that he had taken him in public that case was quite the opposite.

He wasn't sure the extent of the damage caused by his tragic past, but it was something that he had avoided at all costs. He wanted to build a safe environment for Jaune. A place that he could open up and begin to heal. Though as a result Jaune was rather isolated from others his age.

While he wasn't keen on enrolling Jaune in a school given his unique circumstances, he needed to interact with others. Maybe this Gala was just what he needed. And a little stroll through Vale beforehand couldn't hurt either.

\-\

The city was as noisy as it always was whenever he came here. The first time Qrow had brought him to the city he hadn't paid any attention to what Vale was actually like. All he remembered was a constant buzzing of noise and activity. It didn't look like that was the exception to the rule, his eyes roaming over the cityscape as he followed Oobleck. People seemed to move with a dulled purpose as they went place to place. They rarely stopped to chat, only ever continuing on with whatever they needed to do.

Vale was nothing like his home. The village he had grown up in was quiet and peaceful. People moved about at their own pace, never having to rush to be somewhere. You would greet and talk to those you ran into on the street and there was never an unfamiliar face.

An adult brushed past his side, the edge of the man's leg striking his shoulder. He didn't cry out in pain but the action forced him to stumble and catch himself on Oobleck's pant leg. Angry blue eyes turned towards the retreating figure, a dull gray suit that moved through the throngs of people, never once stopping to check on who he had hit.

"Are you alright Jaune?"

Jaune pulled his gaze away from the person that had crashed into him, having lost the man in the crowds. Oobleck was bent over slightly, his face covered with concern. He hated it when Oobleck looked at him like that, as if he was too weak to look after himself. If Oobleck thought he was too weak he may pull back on their training, or even worse, completely end it.

That was something he couldn't allow to happen. Oobleck had been many things over the past few months, some of them he didn't fully understand. Despite that, he couldn't deny Oobleck's ability or strength. Jaune had never been able to spare with his father but he could imagine it was something similar to his fights with Oobleck.

The man was unrelenting and drove for perfection. He didn't pull his punches and he never let anything slide past his attention. If a form was off he would point it out. If he showed an opening during a spare he would exploit it. Oobleck never even let him win at any of the games they would play.

It was the opposite with his family, especially his sisters. Whenever they played games he knew they let him win. Before it had made him angry, it made him think that he wasn't good enough for them to try against.

Now though? Gods he missed them. He would give anything for them to 'lose' to him again. To see them smile and giggle when he would pout and point it out. Calling him silly and rubbing his hair a little too roughly. He felt his eyes begin to water at the thought and quickly killed it. They were gone, taken by a monster and they were never coming back

In all honesty he preferred Oobleck's method. He had told Oobleck he didn't want any special treatment in their training sessions and the man had taken his request to heart.

It was one of the reasons why he gave it his all no matter what they were doing. He hated the lessons Oobleck would teach him. He didn't care for math; the numbers were boring and mostly useless. History left him feeling uneasy. Oobleck clearly loved the subject but it didn't interest him at all. At times it even annoyed him whenever they covered anything involving the Great War.

But he put up with all of it and more than that, he tried his best to learn it. Oobleck had been good on his word and given him his full attention while they were training. He knew it would be insulting if he did anything other than give his all back for things Oobleck wanted. More than that however, he had given his word as well and that was something he wasn't prepared to break.

Oobleck was still watching him and with a quick smile he waved off the older man's concern, letting go of his pant leg and walking forward to try and move past what had happened. "I'm fine! He just caught me by surprise, that's all. Let's keep going."

Oobleck watched him go, his eyes clearly following him but he couldn't make out what the man was thinking. He hated those stupid glasses. They were so thick and reflected light in a way that he couldn't see Oobleck's eyes. It made it impossible to tell what the he was thinking.

After a moment Oobleck shook his head and easily caught up to him, a small smile coming to his face. "Well then, if you're as fine as you say then you shouldn't have any problem carrying your suit. Here."

Jaune accepted the bag with a grumble, the clothes folding over awkwardly in his arms. "Tell me why I have to go to this tonight? Can't I stay at the house and train?"

He refused to call the house he lived in his home. It was something that he refused to do, even though he knew it bothered Oobleck. There were just some things that he couldn't do, even with everything Oobleck had provided. His home was in Aerilon, not the house he lived in currently.

Oobleck didn't seem to mind the question, in fact he laughed at it which only made Jaune pout further. "As I have said countless times already, I must attend and I don't want to leave you home alone incase something happens. And you never know, you may enjoy it."

Jaune couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the statement. "Will I get to train while I'm there?"

"Heh, no, I do not believe you will."

"Then it'll be boring." Jaune responded in a matter of fact way.

He knew that Oobleck didn't appreciate his view on the event but he couldn't help it. He'd seen 'parties' like what Oobleck had described was going to be held tonight. There was nothing fun about it. All it was were people dressing up and talking about stupid things. There were no games or fights or anything, just talking. Not to mention the suit that Oobleck made him try on was tight and uncomfortable. He couldn't move at all in that thing!

He spared a glance at his… caretaker? After all these months he still didn't know what to call Oobleck. He wasn't going to call the man his father, adoptive or otherwise. Only his real dad deserved to be called that. But he could admit that he was more than anyone else that had looked after him.

The orphanage looked at him as a troubled child that they put up with because they hoped it would be a temporary thing. Qrow had treated him like a burden and it was obvious to even him that Qrow couldn't wait to get rid of him. Oobleck on the other hand never made him feel that way.

Nothing ever felt forced between them. Sure, things were awkward in the beginning and they still were every now and then but it wasn't like when he was with Qrow. Oobleck never acted like he wished Jaune wasn't there. He never acted like life would be easier if Jaune wasn't around. There were even times where Oobleck actually seemed to care about him.

But that was the thing, it seemed like Oobleck cared. It didn't make sense as to why the man would care. He had seen potential adopters come and go from the orphanage and they all had their reasons for wanting to adopt. He had also seen what happened when they didn't get what they wanted from the child they adopted, the poor soul being dropped back off more broken than when they left. Sometimes even physically.

Oobleck had said it himself earlier. Everyone was self-interested and that made sense. If they didn't get something out of a deal then they wouldn't go through with it. For everything that Oobleck had agreed to and delivered on, he didn't seem to get anything in return. Jaune received huntsman training, good training too. At the same time what did Oobleck get? Oobleck got to give him lessons on things he couldn't care less about and whatever minor things Oobleck could come up with.

It didn't make any sense. Oobleck didn't get anything out of their deal. But he never raised any concerns and acted like he wanted to raise him. Nothing of it made any sense.

But did it have to? He got what he wanted. A safe place to live, food, and huntsman training. Oobleck never hurt him or mistreated him so what did it matter if Oobleck was getting nothing out of their deal? He would take full advantage of this as long as it lasted and when it ended he would move on. He had survived on his own before and he could do so again.

"I apologize Jaune but this isn't something that is negotiable. I would like you to try your best to make some friends at the party tonight. There should be plenty of kids your age to speak to, many of which with a similar dream of being a huntsman. Try to keep an open mind."

Jaune couldn't help but scoff at that. He doubted he would meet anyone like him at the party. How could he? Beacon was like a castle in the fairy tales his mom would read him. The people that would come to this party would be used to these kinds of parties. People with money, people that didn't suffer the kind of problems he had faced. There wouldn't be anyone like Ren or Nora at this party. The entire thing was a waste of time.

Oobleck seemed to read the thoughts running through his mind, not that it would've been hard given his vocal dislike of the entire situation. The man hummed in thought, something that he did quite often whenever he wasn't quite sure what to do. It only lasted a few seconds before a smirk grew on the older man's face. The look instantly put him on edge, he knew what that smirk meant.

"Then why don't we make it worth your while? If you give an honest attempt at making friends and interacting with your peers at tonight's party then I'll begin teaching you the basics of aura manipulation. If you can prove to me that you can handle this then I won't have any reservations about increasing your training."

Jaune stumbled at the deal, not at all ready for it. There was one thing he wanted to learn more than anything else and it was to manipulate his aura like his father had. It was also the one thing that Oobleck refused to instruct him on. He claimed that the technique was too advanced for someone his age. That he was more likely to hurt himself or someone around him than make any progress with the ability.

The entire Arc fighting style revolved around using their massive aura reserves to the fullest. The book had said because of how much aura the Arc's had, they could use their aura in ways that other people couldn't. Everyone thought the Arc semblance was their use of aura as an external weapon or shield. But it wasn't that, anyone could do the things that were in his family's book. All they needed was the aura reserves. But the thing was, almost no one had their kind of reserves. That was the true semblance of the Arc family.

Jaune desperately wanted to learn how to do the things he had seen his father do. If he could do that, use that kind of power, no one could hurt him again, not even the demon with red hair.

And all he had to do was talk to other people? It seemed too good to be true. Oobleck's words from earlier echoed in his head. Was it too good to be true? What was Oobleck getting out of it? He seemed so against the idea in the past, why was this event worth such a change?

Nothing came to his mind. Nothing explained why Oobleck wanted him to make friends so much as to offer up this training. But just like before, did it really matter? As long as he got the training he wanted he didn't care what he had to do. Making friends wasn't even that difficult. He made friends with Ren and Nora almost instantly, he was sure that he could do it with someone at the party.

"So Jaune, what do you say?"

Not seeing what he had to lose, he smiled at the much older man and nodded. "Okay! But you better keep your end of the deal!"

Oobleck chuckled at his words, amused by the enthusiasm if nothing else. He stopped in his walk, the sudden change causing Jaune to nearly trip on his own feet. "And when have I ever not? And here we are, Tukson's Book Trade: Home to every Book under the Sun. Quite the boast if I say so myself."

Jaune took in the building for all that it was. The store was unassuming and if Oobleck hadn't been seeking it in the first place he was sure he would've never even registered the place. The sign was just large piece of wood, not even decorated save the name of the shop. The walls to the building were a dull gray and the windows were tinted in a way that he couldn't see inside.

A bell chimed as they moved through the doorway. The inside was even more dull than the outside if that was even possible. Six bookshelves decorated the small shop, filled to the brim with countless texts. Off to the side were a few glass cases and boxes piled beneath those.

The room itself was dimly lit, more than one light having gone out. The air was musty, not necessarily in an uncomfortable way but in one that he wasn't used to. Jaune quietly followed Oobleck to the back of the store where a counter sat. A dozen books were scattered across the desk. Some were open with markers in them while a few were stacked neatly to the side.

A frown found its way onto Jaune's face as he looked around the room. There wasn't anyone here. Who would leave their shop open if they weren't here?

Oobleck didn't seem at all bothered by the strangeness and rapped a small bell placed near the register. A few seconds went by and nothing happened. Oobleck again hit the small metal piece and waited a few seconds.

"I'll be right there! Just wrapping up an order quick!"

The voice was deep but friendly, if not a little hoarse. It only took a minute before the owner of said voice made their way out from the back room. He was a tall man, not quite as tall as Oobleck but certainly taller than most. He had jet black hair that was buzzed short with equally black side burns running down either side of his face. The man's broad shoulders were barely contained by the tight shirt he was wearing, all the more pronounced due to him carrying a heavy looking box.

Despite its size, he placed it delicately on the floor and turned to them with a smile despite the sweat rolling down his face. "Sorry about that, there was an order that needed to be finished for today. How can I help you?"

Despite the man's size and rough appearance, his smile was easy going and genuine. Even so Jaune couldn't help but feel put off whenever he looked at the man. It was something in the man's eyes, something primal that he didn't understand.

Oobleck seemed uneasy as well, though his eyes were focused on the box on the floor instead of the man behind the counter. "It's no trouble. Tukson I presume?

The man, Tukson, laughed at the question. "Got it in one. Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun. What can I do for you?"

"I'm actually here to pick up an order for Beacon Academy." Oobleck gestured to the large box on the floor behind the man. "That by chance wouldn't be the order, would it?"

The man smiled seemed to broaden and his chest puffed out slightly. "As requested, got it all done in short order. I'm sure you'll be happy with the quality."

Oobleck's smile didn't quite reach his eyes, the pastel haired man giving a nervous shuffle before he adjusted his glasses. "I'm sure we will. Unfortunately, we are going to have to make some changes to the order itself. I hope that won't be too much trouble."

The man's eyes narrowed, the hazel orbs shining dangerously as he leaned against the counter. His long sleeve shirt was pushed up to reveal patches of hair, almost like fur, on his forearms. Jaune could've sworn that hair was standing up like that of a cat. "What kind of changes? The order is already done."

The easy going feeling the man had previously given off wasn't anywhere to be found, replaced with an aura of tension. He noticed the smaller things that weren't there before. A tensing in the man's overly hairy but muscular arms. His sharpened eyes. Were Tukson's nails growing longer?

Jaune narrowed in on the last fact and panic started to fill him. He wasn't imaging it, Tukson's nails were growing, if only slightly. They were almost claw-like.

His breathes came in shallow and labored, his own body tensing to match Tukson's. What could he do? He didn't have his weapon here. He couldn't run away, Tukson was so much bigger than him. His muscles were massive, like he could physically tear him apart.

"Jaune, why not look for something that you might like? I saw some comics in the front. Why not give them a once over?"

The voice shocked him out of his stupor, shaky blue eyes peeled themselves off of the shop owner, who's expression had changed from one of rage to concern directed at him of all people. Wasn't he just about to attack them?

He felt Oobleck's hands on his own and slowly removed them from the older man's pants leg. When had he grabbed onto Oobleck? He didn't even notice.

"It's alright Jaune, I just need to discuss some business with Tukson. It'll be quite boring I'm sure. Go up front while I finish up here."

Oobleck was eye level with him now and it was one of the rare times that the man's glasses didn't obscure his eyes. They were full of worry and something else, something he had seen in his dad countless times in Aerilon.

It was enough to get his hands to stop shaking. This wasn't Aerilon, Tukson wasn't one of those monsters in the white masks. He tried to force himself to believe Oobleck's words. They were only going to talk about business or money or something.

With a silent gulp, Jaune met Oobleck's eyes and gave a nod with a shaky response. "O-okay."

He didn't really care much for reading but he had seen comics a few times back in Aerilon. He might find something he liked. Regardless of if he found something or not wasn't what mattered. Oobleck didn't want him around when he was talking to the hairy man, just like when he spoke with Glynda earlier. Whenever Oobleck wanted to talk about 'business', he would send him away.

Truth be told, he didn't want to be anywhere near Tukson. It didn't matter what Oobleck had tried to teach him over the last few months. He knew what kind of monster's faunus were, even if they were good at tricking other people.

But Oobleck would be fine. He was the strongest person he had ever met. But his father had been strong too…

He banished such thoughts from his mind. They were only going to talk about books. Just boring business stuff. He convinced himself of that as he moved through the bookshelves until he was by the glass cases he had seen when he entered. He couldn't see Oobleck or Tukson but their voices carried throughout the small store. He caught a few words, something about payment, services rendered and some other things he didn't understand. Yep, just business things, boring business things.

It relaxed him somewhat, not hearing any sounds of battle but just simple words. It allowed him to focus on the comics instead, a small smile coming to his face as he looked through his options. Despite the small size of the bookstore itself, Tukson had a lot of comics. He didn't recognize any of them but that didn't matter and he picked one up and opened it.

The title was something about forging but the cover didn't look anything like the title described. It had a man in shining silver armor with a sword held out in an awesome pose. He opened it with a smile on his face, his eyes roving over the images. The human man stood in a full set of armor, set against a horde of monsters, a smirk plastered on his face despite the overwhelming odds before him. His only ally was a woman with black hair that was shrouded in black and purple cloth, a dagger held in each hand.

The ring of the store bell brought him out of the story, his blue orbs locking onto the new people walking in. One was a man not that much shorter than Oobleck who had a shade of blond hair darker than his own. The man looked a mess, his clothes completely disheveled, his blue eyes were bloodshot and it looked like his hair hadn't seen a comb in weeks.

Next to him stood a bundle of red, grasping desperately to his pant leg. The person, for it could only be one, barely reached his waist and was completely covered by the blood red cloak they wore. The man patted the shorter person's head and whispered something that Jaune couldn't quite catch.

The cloak shook slightly, a response equally quiet to the question the blond man had said. It clung to the man tighter, almost like it was trying to fuse with him. He didn't get angry with the action, he only chuckled and gently peeled the bundle of red off of him and slowly moved them both over to the comics.

Jaune tried to look like he wasn't paying attention to them, bringing the comic up to cover his face but not obscure his full vision. They stopped on the other side of the glass case, the blond man kneeling to grab a comic and put it in the girl's pale hands.

And it was a girl, one or two years younger than himself. She had a round face with black hair that was tipped red at the ends. He couldn't tell anything else about the girl as the red cloak she wore shrouded the rest of her body from view. Only now did he realize that the piece of clothing was far too big for her as the ends of it dragged across the ground.

"Now Ruby, just stay here and try to find something you like. I'll be right back. I just need to talk to Tukson about an order for Signal. Can you be a good girl for daddy and do that?"

The girl didn't respond with words, her silver eyes shining and she nodded tentatively. The man smiled at the action and rubbed her head affectionately before walking towards the front of the room. He watched those silver orbs trail the back of the man until he was out of sight. The second she did lose sight of him, her vision shifted suddenly, eyes staring directly into his.

He looked away as fast as he could but the burning of his cheeks revealed his guilt. He had been caught staring and from the look on her face she didn't like it one bit. He swallowed and spared a glance back at the girl. Thankfully she wasn't watching him anymore, her attention taken by the comic her father had put in her hands. He did notice that her cheeks were flushed in the same way his were. Yeah, she definitely noticed him staring.

He tried reading the story in his hands again but he couldn't focus with the girl next to him. Should he apologize? Should he say anything at all? How much longer was Oobleck going to take?

Wait, hadn't Oobleck wanted him to try and make friends? Wasn't that the point for taking him to the party? Maybe if he could show Oobleck he could make friends then he wouldn't have to waste his time at Beacon tonight. Yes, Oobleck would have to let him stay at the house if he could prove he had made a friend.

He looked at the girl again and found she was looking at him as well, her eyes widening at being caught and returning to the pages in front of her. Her cheeks were doing their best to match the girl's hood. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself, not sure how to start the conversation.

He was never good at making friends back at Aerilon. He had his sister's and never needed to make any friends except those that he was forced to make at school. Even those weren't really friends. Sure, he knew them and could be around them but they never talked more than they needed to and he never hung out with them outside of class.

Even Ren and Nora had kind of just taken him in. They saved him from the Grimm and that was that. They were best friends from that moment onward. So, unless a Grimm burst through the door, that option probably wasn't available here. Did he just say hi? That sounded so lame though.

Oh great, she was looking at him again, this time pointedly at his still open mouth. Just say something! "Uh… hi?"

Gods that sounded even worse than he thought it would. Why did he make it sound like a question? The girl must have thought he was a weirdo with how she 'eepd' at his question/greeting and turn away from him.

"My name's Jaune, what's your name?"

What was it that Oobleck had said before? In for a Lien? He really couldn't make it worse so what did he have to lose? Maybe he could still make friends with the overly quiet girl.

Said girl brought her silver eyes back to his but refused to say anything. He could tell she was nervous but in truth so was he. Making friends wasn't something he was good at, despite his earlier thoughts. Maybe Oobleck was onto something with this deal?

"Umm… Do you like comics?"

Another stupid question. Of course, she liked comics, her dad left her here to find something she liked. He didn't take her over to the kid's books. She must have thought he was as stupid as he was weird, those silver eyes watching him intently. Despite that she hadn't made any noise since her first eep.

Maybe he needed to listen to his dad's advice? He said that when dealing with girl's all he needed was confidence. He hadn't understood what his dad meant by that at the time but maybe this was it? He took a step towards the girl and then another, a smile on his face as he did so.

"What are you reading?"

He tried to get behind her to look at the comic in her hands but didn't get the chance. He noticed the girl shake slightly as he approached and the moment he got within reaching distance she moved.

"Fast!"

The girl was a blur of red, moving so fast that he couldn't hope to keep sight of her. She must have slammed into him at one point as he felt a pain in his side and then found himself flat on his butt, the red blur flying towards the front of the store to where the main counter was.

It all happened within the span of a second. One moment he was reaching out to the girl and the next he was on his ass. He looked around to make sure he hadn't just imagined it. The only thing that seemed to prove that something happened was that the comics were blown all over the place and for some reason a few rose petals fluttered around him.

He made to get up and chase after the girl, now legitimately curious to how she got so fast before a round of laughter stopped him dead.

He turned to see Oobleck standing by one of the many bookcases, a small bag held at his side and the biggest grin he'd ever seen the man wear. He mustered his fiercest scowl which only made the tall man laugh all the louder.

Oobleck fought to get words out between his laughter. "Oh Jaune, a good effort no doubt. Perhaps you'll have better luck at tonight's party. Come along, we still have lots to do today."

He huffed at the still chuckling man but obeyed. He moved to walk beside Oobleck as they made their way out of the store, turning his head one more time to try and catch a hint at the girl who had ran away from him.

"I guess it's not that easy to make friends."

And there we go, another one in the books. Truth be told the original chapter was actually done like a month ago but after sending it to my beta he sent it back and told me that there just wasn't enough for a real chapter, that it was too slow paced and I needed to add more.

I have to say I agree. While we are officially starting a new arc, and by definition it should be a bit slower, it was too slow with almost nothing happening other than the first scene. So, I took what was going to be the opening to the next chapter and added it here since it didn't break up the next chapter that much.

And the next chapter should be a fun one. We'll see some more of the cast, just in a smaller form.

On the note of how long this took to update, I apologize for that. As some of you know from previous AN's, I decided to go back to school to switch careers and while not planned, I was offered a full-time job in my field before I even graduated and I took it. That meant I had less time to do anything other than do school and work since I was full-time at both. Now though I've cut back on school to focus more on work and to not be burned out. I mean the point of school was to get a job so if I already have the job why not take a little extra time to graduate? No point in killing myself for another year.

Couple that with a bit of illness and a death in the family kind of left me with little to no time to write. Luckily, I'm past that and I have time to write every day, so progress on all my stories should be fairly regular.

On that note, you should actually see an update from me this weekend on A Different Kind of Hunter. I know this story may have appeared dead given its long hiatus but it's back and with more chapters to come. So, if you're a fan of that story look forward to that.

As for my other story, well I've included a long AN in A Different Kind of Hunter going over that.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoy and I appreciate all of the reviews and comments I receive for the story, even the criticisms! It helps keep me motivated to keep bringing you fresh free content!