Mentioned it on other fics, but her we go. I now know the date of the week off I have to take for my work event and speech, etc. My week with no fanfiction is going to start Sat 22nd and last until Friday 29th. Which, for this story, will mean no update on the 28th March.

Updates will continue as normal from the week after. 4th April in this story's case.

Cover Art: Jack Wayne

Chapter 3

Duck.

Step back.

Attack.

Panic.

The method repeated over and over as Jaune tried to push Neo back, swinging Crocea Mors in short and careful arcs, never over-extending for fear of what Neo would do to him when he did. She liked taking advantage of his mistakes. If she could talk, she'd probably have explained that it was the best way to teach him and that she took his education seriously, and that – as someone who couldn't speak with words – the only real way to help him was to make her actions speak for her.

Really though, he was just sure she just liked beating on him.

When it came to skill however, there was no arguing with results. He'd been trained in the school of Neo, bathed in it and used its powers to help him defeat even his father. Which was to say he'd learned to fight dirty and cheat. Neo style.

At that exact moment, his sword caught Neo's wrist. Blood flew through the air, along with her severed hand, and she screamed silently, clutching onto it and looking up at him with tearstained eyes and a trembling lip.

"Like I'm going to fall for that!" he roared, swinging to decapitate her.

Crocea Mors passed through her body without leaving a wound. A second Neo – the real Neo – had ducked under it with a put-upon scowl.

Once.

He'd fallen for the tearful Neo one time.

That was one time too many. Like other silly notions like `fighting fair` and `honour`, Neo had beaten `mercy` out of him a long time ago. That wasn't to say she was against him leaving enemies alive – she thought it was hilarious because it humiliated them – but he knew better than to stop a fight halfway through because one side looked hurt.

Better to make sure they were hurt, end the fight and then seek medical attention for them if they really needed it.

Their fight carried on for another five or so minutes, carrying them across the interior of the Atlas battleship. They could have fought outside, but Neo wanted it in here. More teaching, he would have said. The uneven floor better mimicked the arenas he actually ended up fighting in. How often had those been on flat and even grass?

Not very…

His skill still wasn't at the level of some of the better students. Not in terms of rawskill anyway. In an even fight, Pyrrha would have been able to wipe the floor with him. But then, in what world would he accept an even fight against Pyrrha Nikos? That wasn't what Neo was teaching him.

She taught him how to survive.

But not, sadly, how to beat her. Not yet anyway. Neo twisted around Crocea Mors, rolled forward, planted both hands on the ground and flipped herself up onto his shoulders, literally landing with het thighs on either side of his cheeks and her crotch directly in his face.

Jaune's skin flushed bright red. "Mffppphhhh!" he yelled into her pelvis.

Giggling silently, Neo twisted her hips, leaned back and somehow rolled them over. It was hard to explain. One moment he was standing, and then the next he was falling forward, dragged down by her, flipped onto his back and then laid flat out, Neo sitting on his face.

Shimmying her bum back a little so that she sat on his chest instead, Neo looked down at him with a coy smile and pink cheeks.

Jaune's face was bright red.

Neo placed her sword against his throat.

"I yield," he groaned. "And what the hell was that!?"

Tossing the thin sword aside, Neo shrugged one shoulder and held up her fingers to her lips. He managed to push her off just before she could poke her tongue through them and lick the air suggestively, but he'd already imagined it, so she won in the end anyway.

"Good fight," he said, looking anywhere but her smug face. After so long with her, it would have been nice not to be reduced to embarrassment by every little thing she did, but then that was asking for a miracle. Neo's goal in life seemed to be teasing him.

It wasn't work if you were having fun…

"Am I getting any better, Neo?"

Happily, the girl nodded.

"I am?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. No fishing for compliments allowed.

"Sorry. It's just hard to judge when you kick my ass every single morning. You ever think of, I don't know, throwing a match to make me feel better?"

An eyebrow quirked up.

"Guess not. Well, I appreciate it anyway. It's a shame you can only help me with this, though. There's so much going wrong at Beacon at the moment and-"

Neo interrupted him, pulling him around and waving her hands energetically. She motioned to him, then to herself, then nodded and puffed herself up proudly, before adopting a starry-eyed expression and a grim smile.

Somehow, in some strange way, he understood it all.

"I appreciate it, Neo, and I know you've offered to help, but I don't think there's much you can help with."

Affronted, Neo made a stabby-stabby gesture.

"I don't need anyone murdered though…"

Neo spread her legs, gripped an imaginary phallus with both hands and swung it around. She then cut it off and flailed about in theatrical agony.

"As much as killing Ironwood would make us both feel better, I don't think it'll solve the problem."

Neo huffed and pouted.

"I also don't think it will end the ice-cream embargo. Why is that even a problem for you? You can sneak out under an illusion and go buy as much as you want."

Stamping one foot, Neo pointed to him, herself and then threw her arms wide in exasperation.

"It's not the same if you have to buy it?"

She nodded glumly, kicked the floor and mimed opening a door.

"Well, we could try and install a mini-freezer in the room."

It wouldn't be the same, Neo's forlorn expression seemed to say. Like him, she missed their more spacious rooms. The office, the kitchenette, the huge fridge-freezer and the large, well-equipped, bathroom with its super-size tub.

"We'll make do. Once the battleship is up and running…" He paused. That sounded wrong. "As a part of the school and not a battleship." Better. "I'll see if we can't steal a better room."

Neo wept without tears or sound.

Yeah, he could see it too. Ironwood didn't strike him as the kind of person to have nice or comfortable rooms on a battleship. He was probably looking at bunk beds and such. Apart from the Captain's Quarters, which some asshole had stolen already. Considering the ship's nautical nature (though not very if it flew in the sky), Peter had renamed it `Port Port`.

Not very imaginative, old Peter…

Neo was waving to catch his attention again, no holding a small piece of white paper. Looking at it and expecting words, Jaune found himself looking down on a black splotch of ink, as if she'd destroyed a pen over it and just let all the ink splatter out.

Looking at her again, Neo was smiling prettily.

"No."

Neo pouted and narrowed her eyes.

"No, Neo. You're not being the school's new counsellor. I have far too much respect for the students to put them through that."

With a huff and a final glare, Neo disappeared.

/-/

"Is your father still insisting on this madness?"

Winter stood at attention. "He is, sir. I have been unable to change his mind."

"Do not blame yourself," Ironwood said, sat behind his desk with a large frown. "That mas has always been stubborn. He believes he knows best in every matter, and it's not as though he would listen to you after you spurned the family name. No offence," he added.

"None taken, sir. I'm proud of my actions."

"As you should be, Specialist. As you should be."

"If I may, sir. What are we to do?"

"There is not much we can do. A large part of our funding comes from the SDC, not to mention taxes on their profits. We can hardly afford to offend him when he might move more of his operations overseas." Enough of the SDC's profits were taxed in Vacuo as it was, allowing them to dodge higher rates and still benefit from Atlas' infrastructure. "We shall attend and avoid trouble."

"And if he is there?"

"If he is brave enough to attend, we shall have to abide by the rules of hospitality."

"I see…"

Winter's silence was awkward enough that no one could have missed it. The Specialist, normally so self-assured and confident, bit her lip. Ironwood felt he knew why. "Is she still refusing to speak with you?"

"I…" Winter swallowed. "Yes sir."

"At ease, Winter. There's no need for formality here." He waited for Winter to adopt a slightly less rigid posture, though for any other soldier it would have still been formal. That was just the kind of person she was. "You need not push her if it is causing you problems."

"No sir, it's… It is alright. You asked me to do this and I-"

"I asked you. I did not order you." Though he'd known she would take it as a command, he still felt the need to add, "If my request is causing a rift between you and your sister then I shall rescind the request here and now."

"Sir-"

"That is non-negotiable, Specialist."

Saluting, Winter said, "Sir!" A moment later, she relaxed. Not enough to act casually around him, but enough to speak her mind. "I am frustrated, though. Weiss is… She has always been stubborn, but never to me. The lack of faith…"

"Not a lack, Winter. Just shaken faith."

It didn't do much for her. "That's already too much! I have done nothing wrong with her."

"You have not," he agreed. "But see it from her view. She trusted that man, Jaune Arc, and then he was revealed as a treacherous liar and a criminal. Her world view has been shaken and she is no doubt questioning her beliefs. In this matter, it's not unreasonable for her to question her belief in you as well. I'm sure it is only temporary."

"Sir, I…" Winter looked nervous. "I'm not sure she believes he is a criminal, sir. I think she is still loyal to him, and angry at me for my part in his investigation. And in bringing her back to Atlas."

"What? Nonsense." Ironwood laughed. "She is an intelligent young woman and I'm sure she understands. More likely, she is simply upset at being taken away from her friends. Give her time to make new ones here and she will see that life in Atlas is better than it could ever be at Beacon. Once that happens, she will come back to you and apologise, Winter. I am sure of it."

"As you say, sir…" Winter obviously wasn't quite as certain.

"Don't pressure her for information if she isn't willing to give it. Focus on repairing your relationship instead. Enough of Weiss, though. I didn't ask you here to make you feel uncomfortable. What of our reclamation efforts? Has Beacon agreed to relinquish our property back to us?"

"Ah…" Winter drew out a letter from her breast pocket. Already opened, as was her right as his assistant, she opened it up and coughed. "We did receive a response, sir. From Miss Glynda Goodwitch and signed by the headmas-"

"The criminal," Ironwood repeated. "That man is not the headmaster."

"As you say, sir."

Leaning back, Ironwood smiled. "Well, go on. What did they have to say?"

Winter began to sweat. "It is… a short response, sir."

"Yes? Good. It's a straightforward issue. If they say yes, we will demand it returned. If they refuse, we will push for sanctions against them. It's a yes or no answer at the end of the day, so tell me which they chose."

"Neither…"

Ironwood paused.

Slowly, he leaned forward.

"What?"

"They chose neither, sir." Winter cringed. "My apologies…"

"What do you mean `neither`?" he snapped. "How can they have responded with neither a yes or a no? Give that here," he said, holding out one hand. Winter quickly passed it over, linking both hands behind her back and waiting patiently as he laid the message out flat and glared down at it.

The top half was his previous message, demanding the return of his Class-A Atlas-BTech Battleship, image included, and threats of action against them if they did not comply. In response, Beacon had provided a far shorter message. Three words, in fact.

`Battleship? What battleship? `

/-/

"We really need to decide what to do about Atlas," Glynda said, walking beside him between lessons. She was in a good mood for once, having had both a good lesson and no sign of Roman for at least an hour or two.

"In general?" Jaune asked.

"I mean the Schnee event."

"Ah." Jaune made a sound of understanding. "I thought just the two of us would go."

Glynda hummed, unsure what to say or feel about that. On the one hand, Jaune was right in saying he had to go, and, as the only other sane member of staff, it was a good idea to take her along. The problem was that it meant they'd be going together, which wouldn't have been a problem two months ago, but was suddenly a lot more of one now that she knew he was seventeen.

Eighteen, her mind whispered. As if it made a difference. Three years between seventeen and twenty hadn't been much, but it had been enough to let her pretend otherwise. It differentiated him from a first-year student.

Until the truth came out and – surprise – he was the age of a first-year student.

She had slept with a seventeen-year-old.

Worse, all her colleagues now knew it. Oh sure, they were understanding – except Roman, but honestly to hell with him. Peter and Bart never commented on it and Tsune found it funny, urging her to jump back into the sack.

But frankly, Tsune had started dating Peter again, so Glynda considered her opinion on men, romance or anything else to be highly suspect. To find that loud-mouthed fool attractive? She must be huffing her own medical supplies…

"Glynda?"

"Ah?" Her head shot up and she stammered, embarrassed to have been caught in her own mind. "I – Sorry, what was it you said?"

"I asked if you're okay with the suggestion."

Unwilling to just say `yes` to avoid embarrassment – she'd made that error with Ozpin in the past – Glynda bit the bullet. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. What was the suggestion?"

"Team RVNN for the mandatory guests."

"Ah." Glynda considered it. They were good students and nice enough. Three problems occurred to her, however. "I'd be cautious of taking the Maiden out of the school for one. The SDC has many enemies. I'm also worried on how Miss Scarlatina and Valkyrie will handle the occasion."

"Okay, Nora I can see, but Velvet? She's been better lately. Team RVNN and CFVY are friends."

"It's not her team issues I was worried about, more her faunus heritage."

"In…?"

"I believe Miss Scarlatina could put up with any systematic abuse she might receive from Mr Schnee and his other guests, but I don't think we should ask her to do so on our behalf. I would suggest Team CFVY myself, without Miss Scarlatina. I would suggest Team CRDL, but Mr Thrush's hair is a no-no."

"Seriously?"

"You would not believe how conservative these people can be, Jaune. If I dare say it `anal` might even be a better way of putting it." Glynda rolled her eyes. "Mr Schnee surrounds himself with likeminded individuals who will not disagree with his views. Racists are among them, but so are old businessmen who would disparage Mr Thrust for his… new-age hairstyle."

Jaune looked her way. "Did you really just call a mohawk `new-age`?"

Flushing, Glynda said, "I'm only using the words they would…"

"Right. Well, I suppose you have a point. If they're going to be rude to faunus, taking Velvet and forcing her to be polite would just be cruel. Not to mention it'll be a race to see whether Nora or Pyrrha lose their patience first and hurt someone for insulting her."

"Miss Valkyrie by a landslide," Glynda scoffed.

"I dunno. Pyrrha can be protective. Anyway, CFVY isn't a bad choice. At least Coco would be good for making sure her teammates are dressed fashionably."

Glynda nodded but also made a mental note to corner Miss Adel later and impose a `no belts` rule on her. Perhaps also no sunglasses, no berets and no pants for herself. Old-fashioned as it was, those fossils would expect the women to come in dresses. Miss Adel would complain – and Glynda would sympathise, she really would – but there was little either of them could do.

"Well, at least we're getting this sorted and out of the…" Glynda's words died, along with her happiness, as he came around the corner. Huffing, she turned her head to the side as he approached. "Jaune, please inform Mr Torchwick, if you see him, that he is unwelcome here."

"Really, woman? Now of all times?"

"My name-" Glynda scowled and tore her eyes away. "If you should see him, also remind the cretin of referring to people by their names and not their gender. Preferably before a certain `woman` loses her patience and eviscerates him."

"You know, if people weren't sure you and Jaune were banging, they'd probably say you had a thing for me."

Roman's cigar was blown out of his mouth be an invisible force.

"Cute." Turning to Jaune, he said, "Boss, we have a problem."

Jaune stared back.

"Boss?"

"Sorry, I thought that was just an empty statement of fact. A new problem, you mean?"

"Yeah, sorry. Should have made that clear." Roman laughed and drew a new cigar, wincing when that, too, was telepathically launched out of a window. "Oi! Do you know how hard it is to bribe students to smuggle these in?"

Glynda looked away innocently and hummed to herself.

"The news, Roman," Jaune said. "Finish your words please…"

"Right. We have a new problem. A new development. It's about the trip to the Schnee manor."

"Oh, we just solved that," Jaune said, smiling. "Glynda and I are going to take Team CFVY and-"

"No," Roman said, laughing. He handed over an opened envelope. "No, you're not."

/-/

"I'm disappointed in each of you…"

Ruby wilted pathetically at the words and Jaune felt bad just for saying them, but the stiff shoulders of Yang and Blake, mixed with the determined expressions, told him that the soft approach wasn't going to work here. On his desk lay a response letter from Jacques Schnee, thanking him for attending his ball and providing personalised invitations for each guest. Those included the three girls in front of him, who would not have to attend. To his left and right respectively, Roman and Glynda stood.

"There are not enough words to express my disappointment. I'd like to say I'm shocked to learn you'd go behind my back to do this, but I'm not. And that disappoints me even further. That I'd not only expect this of you but be proven correct despite my trust."

The youngest member of the team shrunk even further, making a pathetic little sound without opening her mouth. Jaune fixed his eyes on Blake and Yang instead, knowing that to look at Ruby was to give in entirely.

"Luckily for me, I'm not the only one affected by this," he said, "So if I can't find the words, I'm sure one of my colleagues will be able to."

Roman opened his mouth.

Glynda beat him to it, slamming a hand down on his desk. "What were the three of you thinking!?"

"We-" Blake began.

"Do not answer that Question, Miss Belladonna! It was rhetorical. There is no answer that does not involve the three of you being the most foolish, reckless and downright idiotic students I have ever had the misfortune to see stood before me. This-" Glynda grabbed one of the opened letters and waved it in their faces, "-represents the single most important event in Beacon's calendar to date. Every single one of your fellow students' continued lives here at Beacon depends upon us making a good impression and securing funding. You, Miss Belladonna, know this personally, having seen the black hole that is our current accounts."

Blake looked down miserably, "Yes, Miss Goodwitch…"

"And yet despite the importance, despite the risks, despite how much we need this, the three of you thought to do this!?" Glynda threw the letter at them. "Irresponsible children! No, that gives you an excuse. Even children would not be so pathetic, so stupid, so incredibly selfish."

Now even Yang looked distraught, face pointed to the floor and shoulders hanging.

"Glynda," he whispered, "I think they understand what they've done wrong. We don't need to completely crush their-"

"I mean, really," Glynda snapped, ignoring him entirely. "Of all the things you could have done, of all the idiotic things in life, you put Torchwick on the list of invitees!?"

"Eh?" Ruby looked up.

"Eh?" Yang.

"Huh?" Blake.

"Hey…" Torchwick whined.

"Glynda…"

"Torchwick!" she screamed, eyes wide. "Roman Torchwick! Have you lost your minds!? Have I put you through so many combat classes that the tiny brains between your skulls have been beaten out of you already? That you would invite him to the home of the single richest man on Remnant is not just stupidity. It's insanity!"

Jaune sighed into the palm of his hand. Why had he thought they were talking about the same thing again? Oh right, when he'd thought it a good idea to have Glynda and Roman in the same room. Maybe he was the insane one.

"B-But we had to save Weiss…" Ruby whispered.

"And you thought Torchwick would somehow aid in that!?"

"Well, no…"

Glynda ground her teeth together and rounded on him. "Jaune, I humbly suggest execution as punishment."

"You mean expulsion."

"No. No, I do not."

"We're not a rogue state, Glynda."

"Actually," Roman said, "According to-"

"I don't care what Ironwood classes us as. I'm not even sure why I invited you here." Shaking his head, Jaune looked back to the girls. "Glynda's complaints aside, and I'm forced to admit they're fairly good complaints, I'm still disappointed in you for going behind my back for this."

"We had to," Blake argued, "You were never going to tell us."

"I wasn't. And for good reason."

"We have a right to try and help Weiss! She's our teammate!"

"And I don't argue that, but this isn't the right moment for you to be trying to help her. I mean, if she vanishes from this party then we really are going to be classed as a rogue state. We'll have Atlas' military knocking on our door and they'll take both Weiss and me back to Atlas. We can't kidnap a student from another school."

"Why not? Atlas did it."

"Because two wrongs don't make a right. Which is why even if you think it wrong of me to keep this truth from you, what you did in return still isn't right." It was too late to do anything about it, though. They were on the guest list. They had a table set aside for them, including their names on the seating plan. "I can't stop the three of you from going now…"

Their faces lit up.

"But I can sure as hell make you regret it."

Yang cringed. "Isn't that just being petty?"

"Yep." Jaune wasn't afraid to admit it. "But I'm feeling rather petty right now. Roman?"

"Very petty."

"Glynda?"

"Suffer…"

Even he winced at the venom in her voice. "Well, there you have it. We'll start off with the obvious; you cannot try and sneak Weiss out. If you do, I'll be taking up Winter's old offer to send a team to Atlas for a cultural exchange."

"That doesn't sound so bad. We can get Weiss and-"

"Permanently."

Silence. Complete silence.

"Yeah. That's what I thought. The three of you will also be coached on what to say and not say. I think Glynda could be good for that. You'll have detention with her for the next three nights in a row in preparation."

They looked terrified. Good.

"Finally, I'd like to know who came up with the plan for Blake to steal my documents."

Blake didn't move an inch.

Yang crossed her arms, defiant.

Ruby's eyes slid to Blake for a nanosecond before fixing on the floor.

"Great. Blake it is."

"Damn it, Ruby…"

"I'd have considered giving you more paperwork but that feels pointless if you've been using it to your advantage. Instead, I think it would be a good idea to have you clean up your own mistakes for once. You're the one who invited Roman to this thing, so you can chaperone him."

"WHAT!?" Blake screeched, ears laid flat on her head. "B-B-But…"

"I think that is a wonderful idea," Glynda said.

"Yeah? I don't. Why the hell do I need a chaperone? And her of all people."

"You need a chaperone because you're you. Blake will be going as your… I won't use the word date for this, but close enough. You will be partnered for the duration of this dinner. And you, Blake, will be responsible for any misdeeds Roman performs."

"That's not fair!"

"Life isn't fair."

"He's a criminal!"

"Technically, so are you."

"But I left the White Fang. I repented!"

"I didn't mean that." Jaune waved the letter in front of him. "Looking through other people's mail and falsifying documents. I'm sure there's a crime in there somewhere. And you don't look very sorry about it."

Blake's eyes looked left and right, wide and alarmed. Neither Ruby nor Yang met her eyes or were willing to help her by offering to take Roman off her hands. "B-But…" Blake looked to Roman, paled, and then turned to Jaune. "Can I take the expulsion?"

"No."

"How about the execution…?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "Now I'm just offended…"

"Death won't save you from this, Blake," Jaune said. "I'm sure you'll look wonderful in a dress designed to match Roman's. What do you think, Glynda?"

"I think it is the best idea you've had so far." Probably because it was punishment both for Blake and Roman, but he'd take it. "As for the other two, I will be sure to force propriety into their heads. There is much for them to learn on the matter of formal dinners."

"I know how to eat," Yang muttered.

"Do you? And do you know which of three spoons to use in each course? Or the correct way to pour water from a decanter for a guest wearing a suit worth more than your house?"

"Uh…"

"Worry not, Miss Xiao-Long. With my Semblance, I will teach you."

"How would your Semblance help teach dining?"

"Why, I will be launching the cutlery at you and demanding you explain what the purpose of each is for." Glynda's smile was vicious. "I'm sure I can drill the knowledge in your head somehow. Come along, girls. Your punishment begins now."

Yang and Blake marched out after Glynda with the looks of women on the way to the firing squad, while Ruby looked desperately back to him, begging silently for mercy. In response, Jaune raised one eyebrow, picked up the opened invitation list and used it to shoo her away.

Left behind, Roman sighed.

"Can you explain why I'm being punished for this as well as those three? What did I ever do to deserve this?"

Jaune shot him a flat look. "You pushed Neo onto me."

Roman blinked.

"Huh. Yeah, that sounds fair…"

/-/

"We must strike while we have the opportunity!"

"You will do no such thing," Sienna said, leaning forward. "The White Fang's reputation is already in tatters thanks to your actions. We attacked a huntsman academy. The people see us as monsters."

"Precisely! They fear us."

"They fear us as people fear the Grimm! Wild creatures to be put down without a hint of mercy. That is not conductive to our aims, Adam." Sienna glared at the arrogant pup, wishing she could tear out his throat and leave him for dead.

Sadly, that wouldn't fly. Not by a long shot.

Adam, for all his foolishness, had delivered the White Fang what many saw as a victory. Not the old guard, not the clever ones. That knew that Adam's actions marked the White Fang for death in an explosive battle, but the young, passionate and stupid ones didn't see it that way.

Striking down Beacon. Defeating Ironwood. Slaying the headmaster.

They parroted those things as if it meant something. As if it helped their cause and were badges of honour to be worn and boasted about. The short-sighted fools would have the White Fang march on Haven next and burn it to the ground.

Sienna honestly wasn't sure what had happened to the White Fang.

Recruitment, she thought to herself. It has to be recruitment. Did our standards slip? Did we push too far for believers and end up with fanatics? They'd turned from a well-run terrorist organisation into the kind of psychopaths that wanted to slaughter every human on the planet. Worse, some of those idiots actually believed that would help. Adam was among them, and, to her frustration, beloved by them.

Enough so that she couldn't kill him without speaking a revolt within her own ranks. The arrogant little fool knew it, too.

"This Schnee event will have more protection than any other and you wish to send our people there? They will be slaughtered en masse."

"Do you lack the confidence, Sienna? Or is it just faith in our people?"

"What I lack is a complete detachment from reality!" she snapped back. "Or did your precious girlfriend leaving you cause your mind to break entirely?" When Adam's lips twisted into a snarl, she laughed. "How pathetic. Punishing the world for your own failures."

"Blake has nothing to do with this."

"Blake has everything to do with every decision you have ever made." Obsessed did not begin to describe him. Frankly, Sienna was amazed the girl put up with it for as long as she had. "My decision is made on the matter. No White Fang shall attack the Schnee event. If they do, it will spark a manhunt to find and slaughter us once and for all. You would bring war to Menagerie."

"We won the last war."

"Those times were different. You Know that, Adam. The faunus now are disjointed and lesser in number."

"Because of humans!"

"Yes!" she roared. "Because of humans. But that fact does not change reality, nor what will happen if we make yet more enemies for your wounded pride." Sienna waved a hand dismissively. "You will wait until after my meeting with the new headmaster to do anything. I cannot remove you, but I shall leash you if necessary."

Adam growled and stood his ground. Proud, powerful and determined, he could have made such a good lieutenant for the White Fang and had in the past. These last few years, though. Something had changed in the man.

"You're going to go through with this foolishness, then," he sneered.

"Meeting this Jaune Arc? Yes. I am. He's proven himself one of the most capable men on Beacon, and already stands against Atlas and General Ironwood." Sienna leaned back and crossed one leg over her knee. "Apart from forming some peace between Beacon and the White Fang, we might also be able to forge an alliance of sorts."

"An alliance with Beacon! Humans!"

"There are more than enough faunus students at Beacon, as you well know. They are independent."

"They killed our people!"

"In self-defence."

"Not at the docks," Adam sneered, "Nor at the rally. Beacon had no right to interfere in matters left for the police. We did not strike the first blow against the huntsmen. They attacked us. Everything after was just a matter of retaliation."

"I do not dispute it. Either way, Beacon is vulnerable at the moment. Not to applications of force, but diplomacy. What the White Fang lacks, truly lacks, is legitimacy. We're seen as mindless beasts. By apologising to Beacon and offering reparations, we show the world we are more than just animals. What's more, by accepting it, Beacon shows the world that it considers the White Fang legitimate enough to entreat with. That will go a long way to convincing the Kingdoms themselves that they can open channels of communication with us."

"Communication…" Adam spat on the floor. "Words have always failed us."

"Failed you, Adam. Failed Ghira and even Kali. Words alone will not sway people, but neither will action on its own. In that regard, both you and Ghira had the wrong idea. A measured balance of both will be my approach." Action to draw their attention, and to prove how dangerous they could be, and then words offered in conciliation. Negation between equals.

Adam took a step back and half-turned away. "You're not the woman I once followed, Sienna."

Scowling, she waved a hand, dismissing him. "Nothing about me has changed. Look in the mirror and you'll find the one who has. Will you follow my orders with regards to the Schnee, or will I have to find a minder for you? I'm sure Ilia would love to keep you company."

"We shall do things your way this one time," Adam said, turning his back on her. "But you should be careful, Sienna. There are those among us who will not accept such passive methods. Our patience is not eternal…"

"Yours never was, Adam. That's always been your problem."

Sienna waited for him to leave before one of her guards, an old and loyal friend, leaned over to whisper, "I don't trust him."

"Neither do I. Adam's power base is growing and he's impatient…"

"Foolish, you mean. His and his people seem to think equality will be on at the point of a sword in some glorious battle filled with martyrs."

"Well, they're right about the martyr part if that comes to pass." If battle alone could have won them what they wanted, Sienna would have been at the forefront of it. "Keep an eye on him for me. If he tries anything, I want him put down."

"As you command, Sienna. And this human…?"

"I will meet with him as planned."

"Do you believe you can get the best of him? I don't mean to doubt, but he has defeated many dangerous people. Adam in battle and Ironwood in politics. I was sceptical at first, but it's hard to argue with the accomplishments. This man is dangerous…"

"Of course." Sienna snorted. How could he not be? "But I will not underestimate him as others have, and I will not cross him in battle, either. All men have their weaknesses. It's just a matter of finding and exploiting them."

And women had ever been the bane of men.

Purring, Sienna looked down on a newspaper clipping of the man. He was handsome enough, in an unassuming way. Had she passed him on the street, she thought her eye might not have been caught. He looked normal. Plain. Innocent.

Like a tiger hiding in the tall grass.

But was he the predator, or was she?

It would be interesting to find out.

"I shall have him eating from the palm of my hand."

Just to let people know that last chapter I suggested Oscar was fifteen and some people thought I was "changing the facts to suit my own needs". He can be fourteen if you like. I really don't care. It was just a simple mistake of me forgetting his age, lol. He's not the most exciting or interesting character in the show and as such wasn't very memorable for me…

Anyway, I'll write him fourteen from now on. It literally makes no difference.

Next chapter, on to Atlas.

Omake:

"Winter! So good to see you."

Winter Schnee narrowed her eyes but responded in kind to the jovial greeting, offering a polite, if fake, smile back to him. "Thank you for allowing me here, Professor Arc."

"That's headmaster now."

"Mr Arc," she said, hoping for an acceptable compromise. Atlas' official position was that he was not the headmaster of Beacon, and as such she could not say it.

"That'll have to do, I guess."

"Thank you for understanding. I've come on behalf of General Ironwood to…" Call their life, prove their fraudulent claims? "Ascertain the location of our missing battleship," she said diplomatically. Or as best as she could. "Will that be a problem?"

He smiled. "Not at all."

Winter stared at him. "You're sure? No problem."

"None. I'm confident in our report."

"The report that you cannot locate the battleship that crashed into your school."

"We've looked everywhere."

"The battleship that is, as we speak, directly behind you, imprinted into the wall?"

Jaune turned to look at the marvel of Atlas engineering and said, "I don't see anything."

Really?

This was the game they wanted to play?

"That," Winter said, pointing to the hull. "That thing right there, sticking out with the thrusters pointed directly at us."

"The dorm wing?"

"If that is what you are calling it, then yes."

"It's nice, isn't it." Jaune Arc said, looking at it proudly. "We had it re-modelled after an Atlas battleship so that we would never forget what happened here." He paused to laugh. "Wait, don't tell me it's that realistic. Oh wow, that's hilarious!"

"That is not just realistic; it is our battleship!"

Jaune looked at her askance. "It's made of brick."

Scowling, Winter dipped, picked up a stone and threw it at the battleship. It made a loud, metallic clanking sound. "Painting metal in a brick pattern does not change its physical properties. That is our battleship."

"I'll thank you not to do that to our new building. You may be a guest, but that's still rude. Also, we invested in hardier building materials."

With a loud crack, the battleship discharged a canon. Luckily, no shell was fired, but it still went off.

"Sorry!" a guilty voice yelled.

"Your building has working canons now, Mr Arc?"

"Yep. We were just invaded, you know. I figured it was about time some of the budget got allocated towards defence. We tacked them on as part of the repairs."

"You cannot… I…" Winter's hands clenched into fists. "I cannot believe you are trying this. You there," she snapped, catching the attention of a passing student. He looked at her nervously but came over, too afraid to try and run.

"Ah. Mr Winchester."

"Yes, sir."

"Winchester, is it?" Winter waited for the nod. "Very well. Look behind you and tell me what you see, young man." Turning him with her hand, Winter pointed to the obvious piece of military aircraft painted like brown bricks and with flimsy wooden window frames attached to its portholes. "Tell me the first thing you see when looking at that."

The boy blinked. "It's our new dorm."

Winter's teeth ground together. "Yes, but what is it?"

"A building."

Her nails dug into his shoulder. "And where did this building come from?"

The boy looked at her with a confused expression. "Ma'am, it's always been there."

"You're joking…"

"No, ma'am."

"IT HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN THERE!" Winter exploded. "I was here at Beacon not one month ago. I fought in the battle here-"

"On our side, or the White Fang's?" Jaune asked innocently.

"And a hacking attempt of our hardware aside, Atlas helped to protect Vale," she said, dodging the question. "I visited, stayed at and even walked around the school and I can say categorically that this was not a part of the structure at any point in time."

Jaune crossed his arms and smiled challengingly at her.

"Prove it."

"I will." Turning, Winter marched away. "Give me two hours."

/-/

"How did you falsify Vale's records for the last twenty years?" Winter demanded, eyes red and body shaking as she slammed her hands down on his desk, in what was clearly the bridge of a battleship. "HOW!? Architectural images show this blasted thing dating back twenty years. That's impossible! This wasn't even developed twenty years ago."

"Ozpin always did move in mysterious ways." Jaune leaned forward. "I think he's a wizard…"

"Torchwick… Torchwick did this!"

"How dare you," Glynda snapped. "Roman Torchwick is a respected member of this organisation and I will not see you slander him in front of me."

Oobleck, Port and Roman all turned to stare at Glynda. Oobleck removed his glasses, cleaned them, and then looked again, just to make sure it actually was her and not some very ill-informed doppelganger.

"This won't stand," Winter threatened, storming away. "This will not stand!"

"This dorm wing has stood for decades and will for many more."

"ARGHHH!"

Next Chapter: 21st March

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur