The fly home was uneventful, to say the least; though, for team RWBY, having to listen to a music box play on repeat, and with a tune none of them would consider 'calming' was less than comfortable. And yet, their blond medic appeared pleased with his purchase. Ruby was busy with purchases of her own; ammunition and a few magazines that kept her up to date on the latest weapon trends. Weiss and Blake were eerily quiet, neither had much to say, but the way their eyes kept glancing over to the blond medic was unsettling. Though, both did so for different reasons. Yang was leaning against the bullhead's window, watching the clouds float by with her eyelids fluttering each second. Her eyes glanced over to where her fellow blond sat, he'd fallen asleep with his music box open, and for some odd reason none of her team thought to shut the thing off.

How Jaune was able to sleep so soundly, much less consider that form of music a lullaby, was a mystery. But damned if it wasn't making itself appealing after a while. Sparing him a glance, she wondered what exactly was going through his head, all things considered. Most folks tended to be a bit paranoid when assassins were called in to send a message, yet he seemed oddly calm, relaxed even. But, then again, she remembered him saying it wasn't the first time he'd been targeted, and damned if it didn't make her worried for her younger sibling. After all, Ruby considered him a friend, and if he was being targeted, there was a chance her baby sister might get caught in the crossfire.

It made her ponder whether she should consider shifting Ruby away from his social group; avert danger before it had a chance to rear itself as a possibility. But…when her eyes fell on her little sister, a haunting thought echoed in her head; Ruby wouldn't detach herself so easily. Everytime she looked, her sister would look older and older, to the point that the girl was now her team leader, two years ahead of her peers. She had finally made friends here, and her first being the medic of their 'sister team' and the one with a target on his head. Knowing Ruby, she'd want to protect her friend, playing the part of hero and standing beside him to prove justice would prevail. And thankfully, from what little she knew of the blond; he'd do the same. To an unnerving degree, hell, if pushed enough, she was sure the two of them would cheerfully exact revenge on anyone who dared harm Ruby. On that, she had a feeling she could count on him to take her side on.

For a moment, there was silence, something the four students found small comfort in before the music box began playing again, much to the ice queen's chagrin.

"Ya know, it kinda gets to you after a while." Yang commented, leaning her head against the seat and closing her eyes, somehow finding the music comforting now that she'd been hearing it on loop.

"He said his mom used to play it for him, like a lullaby to help him sleep." Weiss commented, her own eyes focused on the scenery through the window, just as their school was coming into view. She quickly took note of a rather large airship docked in.

"That's a lullaby?...Doctor Ziegler has an…interesting taste in music, apparently." Blake noted, her eyes took a quick glance at the music box before reaching out and gently shutting the thing close. Her teammates gave her a look, then quickly turning their heads to the blond. Although the music had stopped, he was still sound asleep, far off in his dreams. His hair shifted with the sudden pocket of air the Bullhead hit. Seeing his hair shift prompted a sudden revelation to plop its way back into the forefront of the young ninja's mind. A piece of information she had forgotten to relay to her team, and given their resident snow queen, she wondered whether it would be wise to reveal who he is. Being a faunus was dangerous enough, but if his father's involvement with the Fang was brought into the equation; Blake wasn't sure how'd the heiress would react, but it wouldn't be calm and collected, that was for sure.

"Damn, sleeping like a baby." Yang whispered with a toothy grin. "A giant baby." Her hand subconsciously ruffled the blond's hair, gently enough to avoid waking him. Being an older sibling, she'd done this long enough to know how much pressure to apply so as to not wake the victim. Though, in the midst of ruffling his hair, the brawler's hand stopped abruptly. Her fingers gently danced along his head, feeling up two areas that made her brows furrow.

Blake was sweating bullets at this point, being the only one to know what her teammate was probably feeling up; scars. While she was curious as to what type of faunus the blond was, she was more inclined to hear from him rather than to have her team come up with assumptions as to why he had symmetrical scars on his head akin to where one would expect an extra pair of ears to be.

Ruby was, if anything, curious as to what her sister was doing. Weiss was silent, though, she was as well slightly curious as to what drew the brawler's curiosity.

Very carefully, Yang parted the blond's hair, her eyes widened at the sight. Her hands recoiled, feeling something she shouldn't have made the brawler realize the sudden invasion of space she had just committed; all for the sake of curiosity…Nora was going to kill her, no question there. That bubbly bomber was overly protective of her teammates, barely even knowing them and she considered the lot her family. Well, she knew Ren prior to attending, but Pyrrha and Jaune were quickly added to her roster.

"You done?" Weiss asked, believing her teammate to have come to her senses and realized what she'd been doing.

"Uh…yea…" Yang muttered.

"You ok, Yang?" Ruby asked, seeing her sister pale when she sat back down and her eyes occasionally darting up to the medic's head.

"I..uh…I don't know. I think I touched something I shouldn't have." The brawler muttered, earning confused expressions from the heiress and her sister, yet a faint glare from her partner.

"That's an understatement." The four nearly jumped at the sound of the medic's voice, although groggy, revealed he was very much awake. And slightly irritated, that or the fatigue from being woken up so suddenly had him in a temporary state of ire. As he sat up, he ruffled up his hair again, his fingers brushing lightly around the same areas the brawler's flinched at. "Quick tip; buy me a drink before you start getting handsy." He threw a half-hearted toothy grin her way, allowing the teen to let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. While she would normally respond with her own quirk, Yang opted for silence instead.

The blond yawned loudly before gazing at the ever growing closer academy, his eyes immediately catching sight of a customized airship, bigger and bulkier than the standard bulkheads, almost as if it were a portable home in the sky. The ship itself was adorned with a coat of snow white paint, streaks of black and gold lined the wings and hull. Plastered proudly on the rear of the ship was his mother's emblem; the golden halo adorned with angelic wings. It was a sight he detested, more for what the emblem was associated with; freedom and heroism. Two words devoid of meaning in the Ziegler household, and ones rarely, if ever, practiced.

He averted his gaze from the eyesore, smirking lightly with a tint of malice when reminded that this was his mother's third personal ship. The first was an unfortunate 'accidental' joyride that ended with charred chunks of metal still found scattered across the mountain side of his hometown. The second…was both to poke the ire of his dear ole mother, and to send a strong message to a group of fanatics that thought it a good idea to set up another base in his home town. Now those were some fireworks…

The blond felt a grin tug at his lips as he leaned back in his seat, his brow raised at the sight of his friends glancing at him curiously, Blake in particular.

"So Jaune…" Weiss began, coughing into her fist to gain the blond's attention. To which when he gave her a faint gaze, she gestured to the oversized airship on the school's rather small airpad. "I'm assuming that's…"

"My mother's ship." He answered curtly, with as little irritation as he could manage. "Seeing as how the school is still in one piece and Ozpin isn't crying for merc…my grandparents probably came with her." His near uttering of that word had the brawler with a shit-eating grin, waiting for him to deliver the punch-line, only for her face to drop as he jumped right over that little obstacle.

Although, his comments did indeed capture the the girl's attention, in particular the bit of the good doctor and Ozpin slightly unsettled the sister team. Though, before any words could be spoken, the teens felt the airship shutter just as it finally touched down, there was a moment of hesitation as the girls rose from their seats while the blond remained in place.

At first, the girls assumed he needed a moment to stand from the long trip; maybe his foot had fallen asleep. But as time passed, and the blond remained firmly planted in his seat; they had begun to wonder if their friend was alright. It was the reaper of the huntresses in training that noticed the slight trembling in his breathing, and how he referred to his mother's personal vessel made his voice harden a little.

The blond collected his thoughts for a moment, taking in a deep breath before rising up and walking towards the ramp. Though, before he could even take a step down; the blond stopped dead in his tracks. The girls behind him conversing amongst themselves were unaware of his sudden halt and bumped somewhat harshly into him. With Yang being at the front of her team, she had crashed into what she felt akin to a brick wall with skin.

"Oi, bunny boy, you thinking of moving?" Her question was met with silence. When her eyes peered over his shoulder, she caught sight of what appeared to be dark tanned woman standing at the end of the ramp. She had medium length raven hair, battle-hardened ebony eyes with an odd tattoo under her right eye, and a rather impressive show of muscle tone displayed by her skin-tight navy blue muscle shirt. A rather well-endowed bosom section, something that made the brawler feel just a tad bit out-gunned. The known as well had grey training paints, and a nearly worn-out set of running shoes. What demanded attention at the moment was her rather piercing glare aimed directly at the blond.

The unknown raised her right arm, finger extended and pointed directly at the blond, then pointing to the space in front of her, all the while eyeing him with that heated glare. Both Ruby and Yang felt the urge to stand in front of their friend to act as a shield, especially when they noticed something they should've at first; an extra pair of ears atop the woman's head; jackal ears to be precise.

Both the heiress' assumed the obvious, and though they lacked their weapons; the girls had in mind to use their semblances to keep this possible intruder busy while their weapon-lockers came in.

Though, much to their shock, Jaune instead walked forward, ignoring their somewhat silent pleas for either answers or to go back with them.

Jaune knew this would come eventually, he had hoped it would be later on, perhaps he'd be given enough time to allow the weight of his actions to simmer down before eventually confronting his family. And of all the kin he chose to hide his intentions from, the woman awaiting him was the one he least wanted to leave in the dark. But knowing her; she would've either attempted every civil way to talk him out of it…or, she would've gone the usual route and gotten the good ole doctor involved.

As he inched ever closer, he could see her expression was in a struggle between unbridled anger; and relief.

As he stopped before her, his eye aiming upward, hers casted downwards just slightly.

A pregnant silence followed, leaving the students halfway down the ramp both cautious and confused at the turn of events. They were able to relax seeing as no confrontation or brawl broke out between the two. Though, they kept their guards up just in case.

While the woman was eyeing him down, the blond wanted so badly to avert his gaze, to turn away from her glare with his head hung low. Her crossed arms had balled fists, trembling each second as she pondered what her next move would be.

Realizing there was no easy way out of this; Jaune released a light sigh before steeling himself for what came next.

"I…before yo-" Before he could finish, the woman chose instead to cut in sternly.

"Do you know where I was?" The question, albeit asked in a hush tone, came with enough authority to throw the blond off, and shutting him up instantly. The woman's glare remained, even when the girls tried approaching. It took only a single glance their way to make the huntresses in training freeze on the spot. Seeding fear into the hearts of people was a specialty of hers, hell; she did it for a living. But, nothing could've prepared her for the aching pain at seeing the boy, as well, recoil when under her gaze. It was not something she ever enjoyed, however… "I was in Vacuo, a continent away, when I suddenly get a call from Angela. Do you have any idea how much pain and fear you caused with your little stunt?" She faintly growled. "Or would you rather I list it off?"

Jaune turned his head away, either knowing the answer and ashamed to admit it or he truly didn't realize the wider scope of repercussions for his actions. Which, justifiably, served to piss her off just as much as when he decided to run off.

"You left no note; purposely hid from every contact we had, applied for an academy we've warned you about countless times over. Your mother pulled every string she had, unearthed every little oddity you tried to obscure, and even fought her way through nearby Fang cells in the hopes that you were in them." That last bit in particular caught the amber eyes girl's attention rather intently as she remembered the unbridled hatred this family holds for the White Fang. And as it appears, they have friends amongst the faunus who shared the same sentiment. The woman gestured to the Valkyrie on the platform. "That is the fourth replacement; the last was downed in a Fang camp near the outskirts of Husk."

"There's Fang in Husk?" Jaune asked, genuinely curious.

The woman's glare did not ease, but it did ease her rant. "Not anymore." She growled out, causing Blake to flinch. With each talk of their family actively fighting the White Fang, it made her wonder what their reactions would be if they discovered her previous association.

The blond let out a faint whistle, his brow rose for a second before his eyes averted. "How many more can she afford? I didn't think she got payed much in Overwatch."

The girls behind him blinked at the mention of the organization of hunters who once held such influence across Remnant that made each member a celebrity of sorts. The best of each kingdom's academy, and the infamous emblem was known to all. That is, until their inevitable downfall seventeen years prior. Now, only the deeds and rumors of their actions were remembered, be it for better or worst.

"Don't change the subject." The woman scolded, directing the topic back to their original discussion. "And don't get any ideas." She seethed out.

Jaune shrugged, shaking his head as he turned to leave. "Fine." He only took two steps towards the airship before he felt a hand grip at his shoulder tightly, making him wince. Not a second later either, he was just about to sprint it to the airship and close the doors. Still, he was at least able to reach a few steps before being turned around and now held within the vice grip of an angered woman.

"And where do you think you're going?" Her tone was flat, and her expression was just as lifeless as her eyes.

"I was thinking tacos for lunch; maybe even grab a couple beers. Who's in? I'm paying."

Yang's hand immediately shot up, only for her partner to force it down when the woman's eyes spared them a glance.

Weiss on the other hand crossed her arms before answering. "It's eleven-thirty, Jaune." She replied.

"Thank you, Weiss." He retorted dryly.

*ahem*

Both the woman and the blond froze in place, their expressions shifted to one of shock just as a shiver ran up their spines.

"I wondered what was taking so long." Appearing, as if from thin air, was an elderly woman walking calmly towards the group. The blond and woman quickly stood at attention, facing forward and stood straight. The woman's eyes gave a quick peek towards the blond; she quickly licked the tip of her finger before adjusting his hair. Much to the medic's annoyance, she continued with adjusting his uniform and wiping specks of dirt from his cheeks. Though he grumbled and lightly swatted her away, she continued. All of this played out with a healthy dose of confusion for the huntresses in training. The elderly woman stopped just as she was a few feet from the blond. Her lips curled into a smile as she gazed up at her grandson with open arms, to which he accepted, holding her tightly. "Hello again, Habibatan." She greeted him with a soft voice, and as he broke from the embrace, she was quick to grab hold of his cheek, pulling him down and planting a soft peck before pinching and pulling playfully, earning a chuckle from the teen. One thing she took quick notice was the faint droplet building at the corner of his eyes. "It is good to see you again."

"And you as well, Nana." Jaune's expression shifted, more so when he noticed the slight limp in her walk over to him. "I'm sorry you had to come all the way out here. To Vale I mean."

To which Ana swatted his chest and scoffed with a mirthful grin. "You think I would miss seeing all my grandbabies in one place?"

Jaune crossed his arms, his playful smirk remaining, though mixed in with skepticism. "Right, and seeing my mother give Ozpin a piece of her mind wasn't a factor?"

"That's just a bonus." The two shared a jovial laugh, all the while leaving the students with the blond all the more confused, and slightly concerned with the inclination that the Ziegler family also held a grudge against the school's headmaster. Ana took a moment to look over her grandson in his uniform before her eyes caught sight of the girls behind him, each of which shifting slightly whilst under her sights. If one took a close enough peer into the woman's eyes, they could see a spark of joyful cheer. She quickly grabbed his hands and led him towards the girls, the woman kept in tow, keeping a close eye on the blond. "And who are these young ones? Friends I hope?"

Hearing this, Ruby was the first to chime in her confirmation. "Yes ma'am, Jaunes' been my first friend since I came to Beacon."

Blake, albeit a bit hesitant, also confirmed with a nod. Yang threw out a thumb up, along with a toothy grin.

Weiss…

"That remains to be seen."

Was rather neutral, though, when she saw the widened eyes of the medic and woman, she had wondered if she had spoken too soon. Her fears were only slightly amplified when the amazon of a woman's brows furrowed at her. Though, the older woman's smile did not cease, but rather, it appeared to widen.

"Aww, Weiss, I'm touched." His little taunt was met with a playful swat to his shoulder by the elder woman.

"So, a work in progress? That is fine as well, no need for rushing; friendships are not forged in a day." She had had released her hold on the boy, allowing him to caress his slightly reddened cheek. "Besides, it isn't uncommon for my little one to step on people's nerves; he gets it from his mother." She feigned an attempt to whisper that last bit, though the tone of her voice proved loud enough for all to hear. "The social awkwardness and constant lack of communication comes from her, though." She gestured to the woman behind Jaune, beaming red with a crimson blush as she glared angrily at the smirking elder.

"MOM!"

Rather than just simply leave it at that, the elder woman chose to continue onward, seeing as her words elicited a few stifled giggles from the slightly-relaxed teens.

"Ah, but first, introductions." Her smile was warm and soothing, it made the young huntresses feel at ease; safe, if you will. "Habibatan, if you will."

Momentarily relishing on the still flustered woman, the blond walked over, standing side-by-side with his grandmother. "Nana these are my friends, and my team's sister team…whatever that means." He mumbled none so softly, introducing each girl respectively. "Ruby, Yang, Blake, and….princess." He threw a quick jab at the young heiress, catching a faint narrowed gazed aimed at him. "Ladies, this lovely woman is my nana; Ana Amari. The only woman in this world who can scare the hell out of you whilst also making you feel as though you're only safe near her."

Ana waved politely at the girls, slightly enjoying their gaping jaws, stifling a giggle at the white-haired one. It didn't take much for the sniper to recognize the heiress, much less the one with the black bow. But for them to recognize her, well, that was another story.

Who wouldn't know the name of one of the original founding members of an organization of hunters and huntresses brought together to spread peace and justice throughout all of Remnant. Or at least, that was the idea.

Still, Amari was a household name, her achievements and battlefield prowess made her a force to be reckoned with. And it only dawned on the young huntresses that the woman was related to the blond, if the word nana hasn't changed in its meaning. For Ruby, this going to take a lot longer to take in, it was one thing for the blond to be related to a Crusader and doctor Ziegler; but add in one of the most decorated and renowned snipers of an bygone age and the young huntress was close to blowing a gasket in her excitement. There were so many questions she had in mind to ask, the priority being was asking of a certain metallic badge she had once found amongst her father's belongings, and its significance to the organization the sniper belonged to.

As for the heiress, her brain was still processing the fact that the blond's mother was the world-renowned doctor Ziegler, a woman whose research paved the way for much more innovative medical feats. And now, a former member to a once proud organization was revealed to be his grandmother. It was sending the heiress through a hurdle of mental loops she was not yet ready to cope with.

There was a slight nudge from the sniper as she gestured to the towering woman, the blond sparing her a quick glance. She seemed hesitant, though the mild tint of pink in her cheeks proved something akin to shyness. This was nothing like the image they were greeted to not minutes prior. The first impression was a person projecting authority and demanding your respect and attention. Since the arrival of Amari, her demeanor seemed to have mellowed, allowing for a more pacified, yet still intimidating aura. A mix of Blake and Ruby if you will.

Jaune's smile softened, he had managed to wrap a free arm around the woman and bring her in for an embrace. Judging by her reaction; it was unexpected, and due to lack of resistance, it was not unwelcomed either. "Girls, this is someone who means just as much to me as my mother does. She's stuck by me through the hardest parts of my life, and I can never thank her enough for choosing to be in my life. And trust me, I've got some stories that would make you think she was a saint of patience." His words managed to broker a twinging mix of a smile and irritation on her lips. "I'm proud to introduce you to Fareeha Amari, my mom."

The girls looked upon this amazon with just as much awe as when they first met her. To think she meant that much to their medic, for her to be seen in such high regard that to him she was his…wait…

It took the teens a minute to reboot, longer for the team leader as they allowed those bits of information to process carefully. Their eyes shifted from the medic, to the amazon, and so forth in a continuous loop.

This came as one helluva surprise to them, mostly because the blond did not mention this woman at all, and adding in she appeared almost as young as the Vaswani woman. There were many questions these girls had, and neither of them wondered if they'd get answers to them considering the secretive nature the blond preferred to keep his life in.

Of course, if they implications were correct with their assumptions, they had nothing against the idea of the blond having two mothers, hell it was the least of the social issues plaguing society. Make no mistake, there still remained a fraction of folks against the idea, but the girls were in no way judgmental. Though the Schnee heiress had her reserves, considering how the blond turned out, with what little she had to compare between him and herself; she got the short-end of the stick. It was one thing for him to be Angela Ziegler's son, but to also be raised by this Amazonian of a woman whose mother was a previous member of Overwatch; she could only wonder what that did for a person's reputation.

Whereas she was met with furrowed brows and suspicious glances, he was probably met with adoration and admiration. There was an aching pain igniting in her chest at the seemingly lucky life this brute had, and yet unlike her, he chose not to flaunt his family name. Not once did she hear him brag about his mother's achievements, or that his family was made up of legends and warrior-like people, with the cat-girl being the only exception.

Blake suddenly felt irritated; most of her ire was focused on the heiress, for some strange reason.

Well, it this was certainly an eye-opening moment, particularly since she remembered her father berating the idea of two same-sexed individuals being capable of raising a family, and yet here stood the contradiction to his very words. A medic-hunter, leader of his team, and from first glance; a walking tank. In a way, it made the heiress feel smaller than how she usually felt, height aside, she took a glance at him, then to herself.

While there was a clear difference in upbringing, and surely in their fighting style, she still knew her reasons for being in Beacon, and she was not going to allow herself to be brought down so easily just yet. Like the blond, there were still a number of tricks she could pull out to gain the upper hand. She was in no way going to play second to this medic.

Ana clasped her hands together, her infectious smile allowed the sense of comfort to settle once more in the teens. "Now that we're all acquainted, I believe it is time to face your maker, habibatan."

Though he showed no visible reaction, Jaune could feel his body hair standing on end, the image of a visibly angered blonde was an issue; after he'd played a normal prank. An angry mother was something he was sued to, but given the severity of his actions; he'd be feeling a burning pain in his cheeks for years to come. And knowing his nana was here too, he couldn't find it in him to just run off…again. And judging by the fact that the school was still in one piece, there was hope he wouldn't be in as much trouble as he thought.

Without awaiting his input, he felt a hand press on his shoulder. He glanced up to see his mom gazing down on him, her expression was a mix of anger and worry. "I'll step in if Angela goes too far."

"Why would you say that?" He groaned out, remembering the moments in his life he deeply regretted pissing his mother off intentionally. Woman had a knack for delivering unique punishments, none of them ever physical.

-Outside JNPR's dorm-

He couldn't do it.

He felt his heart rate increase when the elevator dinged, indicating they'd stopped on the appropriate floor. It increased with each step towards his team's room. And it was pounding against his chest when he stood just outside his dorm room. There was no avenue for escape either, with team RWBY on one side, and his family on the other, he had no choice but to face the music. To top it all off, the teens had no clue as to what was happening, but their curiosity was maxed out when they were quickly informed, after the elder sniper's morbid-sounding comment, of who Jaune's maker was. It turned out his mother, the good doctor, was in Beacon, and waiting for him in his dorm.

As such, they chose to tag along, each for their own reasons. Ruby was obviously curious, wanting to meet another legendary member of a bygone age, and to meet more of the colorful members of her friend's family. And hopefully, to get an answer as to why each one who had shown up wanted to take the blond out of Beacon.

Yang was more curious than anything, like her sister she was giddy to meet a war hero. Though, she was less inclined to intrude on whatever family business they had to settle, so she tagged along just to make sure her little sister stayed out of it. Contrary to popular belief, the brawler was in no way nosy when it came to a person's private family matters. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't curious, she just chose to respect the privacy of the issue.

Blake and Weiss both wanted to meet the doctor, possibly ask a couple questions, and answer a set of questions each had.

Jaune's hands tightly gripped the doorknob, his chest showing visible signs of his heart rate going at a pace one would consider seeing a doctor for. Ironic, in a sense. Though, steeling himself for what was to come, the blond swung the door open, his eyes momentarily shut and braced…

But after a few seconds; nothing. He opened his eyes, only to find himself at the entrance of an empty room. No sign of scrolls or loose articles of clothing he expected from his teammates, instead everything was prim and proper. To which he could assume who was to blame for the sudden cleanliness.

"Well, that was anticlimactic." He muttered, somewhat bitterly.

"Mr. Ziegler. Ms. Belladonna." Goodwitch called out, making both him and the amber-eyed girl jump in place. The professor walked calmly towards them with a clipboard in hand, and an expression one would normally reserve for a long winded berating. "Neither of you returned the previous night. Care to share the nature of your whereabouts the night prior?" Her cold tone was unnerving, more so when she had her riding crop in hand. But before the shell-shocked teens could muster a coherent response, she held up a hand. "Of course, as much as I would enjoy listening to whatever half-baked excuse your teenage minds could conjure up; it can wait. Headmaster Ozpin has requested you and team RWBY to report to the new combat arena, entrance B. And before you say anything, a package came for you and is waiting in the armory. Once you've been geared, report to the debrief lounge, just outside the armory." She pushed up the tip of her glasses before glaring down at her students. "And if you're searching for Doctor Ziegler, I'm afraid she and Ozpin crossed paths just before your arrival." That sentence filled the adults and the blond with a momentary sense of dread. "However, surprising as it is, the school is still in one piece. Regardless, you and a select few of your classmates have been called on for a training exercise, and try not to keep the headmaster waiting." She took one last glance at Fareeha, her stare lingered for a few seconds before a tint of red sprouted on her cheeks. Goodwitch was quick to arrive, and even quicker in her leave.

All the while, Ana elbowed her daughter lightly, giving her a mischievous grin. "See, it's always the blondes." She commented, earning a chuckle from the medic, and a blushing mess of a daughter.

Jaune, wasting no time, was quick to fast-pace away, with the brawler and heiress quickly realizing they too had been called on to partake in the training exercise. With a giddy grin, Yang ran up to the blond, snaking an arm around his neck, all the while whispering something in his ear that made the blond blush heavily. He stole a glance towards his mom, then to Yang. Soon after, he was sprinting towards the combat arena, with the brawler cackling behind him. The heiress had only just broken from her stupor before following them as well, albeit at a slow and brisk pace.

Leaving the four onlookers to question what exactly had just happened, more so Fareeha as she could swore she heard something along the lines of 'mommy' in the brawler's whisper.

"Does this combat arena have a place for us to observe I wonder?" Ana asked the remaining students.

To which the two were at a loss. They knew the arena was being remolded a while before they were enrolled, but neither knew that it had been completed. All the same, they guided the two women towards the stadium, unaware of a pair of crimson orbs eyeing them from afar.

-Training Arena-

It didn't take long for the brawler or the heiress to change into their respective combat gear. Hell, their battle attire could technically count as regular attire if you cut out the weaponry and ammo pouches. Still, what was surprising to them was finding Nora waiting for them, her arms crossed and an expression one would akin to a mother catching her children sneaking in after curfew. It took quite a bit to calm her down, especially when she waved her hammer at them nonchalantly. Though, they could only assume she hadn't done anything due to the other two participants waiting in the entry way with them. Upper classmen, a mountain of a man wielding a greatsword, and an orange-themed teen sharpening his blades; Yatsuhashi and Fox, respectively.

"So, where were our partners last night?" Nora asked, holstering her hammer, though the glint of annoyance remained, mostly due to her not being able to threaten anyone with broken legs. All the while Yang was using backing into the heiress, causing said Schnee to keep the blonde from inching backwards and answering the red-head's questions.

"Jaune said they stayed at his uncle's home." She answered, a bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. Yang was afraid of very few things, Nora being one of the things she couldn't fathom understanding. The two were close in prowess and power, however, while the brawler was not one to back down from a challenge, she was less than inclined to face off against a girl who'd cut the blonde's locks just to get a fight out of her…that was one of the reasons Nora was not allowed anywhere near Yang with scissors, lest the two end up in a brawl just at the sounds of snipping metal.

Though she didn't appear to buy it, the red-head chose to accept it on account of the rest of her teammates, RWBY, and the upper classmen's team arrived. Ren and Pyrrha were walking with the rest of their sister team, Ren seemingly minding his own thoughts, meanwhile Pyrrha seemed enthralled with whatever the young reaper was going on about.

"She's really sweet, told me she'd make me some cookies after whatever it is Professor Ozpin needs from us."

"She really is, isn't she?" Pyrrha agreed, if Nora had to guess, they were probably discussing the little moment of hosting the Ziegler family in their dorm room. It was…an experience to say the least. It was one thing to meet his other mom, and it was an absolute delight to meet his grandparents, the big lug for sure…but…

"What about Mercy, did you guys meet her?" Ruby asked with stars in her eyes, beaming happily at her friend, only to see both Pyrrha and Ren express different reactions from what she expected. For one, Ren appeared almost troubled by the mention of the good doctor, unnerved if you will. And Pyrrha? She was almost downtrodden, for she had indeed met her idol. However, suffice to say, the old saying is true; never meet your heroes.

"Yes…" Pyrrha managed to mutter a response, her eyes shifting away as she could now feel the eyes of her sister team locked on to her with confusion and curiosity. "She…she didn't say a lot…or, at all. She was very quiet, didn't talk or look at anyone. She just kept an eye on a picture frame Jaune keeps on his nightstand."

"You mean the one of his mother?" Blake asked, garnering a questioning gaze from her teammates, as well as the Spartan.

"Ummm…yes, that one." She answered, unsure of how the amber-eyed girl knew, though, she didn't even know if that bit of information was worth knowing at all.

The two upperclassmen ignored the ramblings, choosing instead to meet up with what was possibly the rest of their team.

The sounds of metal clanking against metal echoed in the room, garnering all eyes to zero in on the cause of the sound. And much to the surprise of the students present, it was the blond medic, fully armored and prepped for combat. Although, this latest rendition of his attire was…interesting to say the least. To those who knew Mercy and knew her white armor variant and the classic Rein armor design; the set was a near mix of the two. With a less bulky exterior, the blond moved much more quietly, albeit with still the occasional clanking of his set. Though his armor was less dense there was less of a chance to give away his location from restricted movement and thundering steps. The shades were now a pure white coating, with the outlines of gold, and a gold/orange serape wrapped neatly around his waist. Attached to his prosthetic was a port for his scroll, and gripped tightly in his fingers was his trusty mace. His shield was of a different variant to the one he had used during initiation; yet if it was anything like the one he used then, it would extend and provide a healthy cover for him to fall back on. He still bared no helmet, but rather, adorned on his head was a metal band of sorts, something akin to a halo. The gold band was a snug fit, and it appeared as thought the blond's constant fiddling with it suggested he was not quite sure with the added ensemble.

However, what did catch the eye of the bubbly red-head, was the back in his shield hand. like the previous version, it was a hefty thing, and it had those three nails she was none too comfortable with.

Jaune stretched out his limbs a little more, adjusting his body to the feel and weight of his new gear. Without warning, he holstered his mace and turned to his partner, the bubbly bomber blinked once before glancing her eyes upwards to meet his.

The two stared at one another in silence, Nora's brows furrowed, remembering how he didn't come back to his dorm and instead chose to party it up in Vale without his team. Not to mention, leaving her and the team to deal with the silent mother an overprotective aunt who rambled on about how they married the wrong cowboy.

"Hey…" He greeted her, treading lightly.

Good. He knew he messed up keeping her in the dark, all the more reason for her to plan out how to punish him for worrying her the way he did.

"Could you give me a hand?" He gestured to his pack.

Without uttering a word, Nora, still livid, held out her palms. Though, when she received the device she nearly fell over, not realizing how heavy the damn thing was. She managed to recover her ire, though, there was little to salvage with how spectacular her shock was when given the pack. Jaune turned around, going down on one knee and giving her a clear idea where to place the pack; the three holes on his armor were a dead giveaway. Reluctantly, she hoisted the pack and managed to insert the nails.

From his end, she could hear a set of beeps just as the nails whirled to life, each inserting one by one. Her fingers lingered on him, gripping his shoulders absentmindedly. She felt his body tense, trembling with each inserted nail. Her heart clenched, hoping it was not what her imagination had conjured that was what her partner was going through at the moment.

"I'll never get used to that." He muttered, lifting himself off the ground. Only to feel a hand gripping his.

He turned to find his partner glaring at him, as well as the rest of his team.

"You and I are gonna have a long talk after this." Nora promised, her finger jabbing vigorously at his chestplate, and he felt every jab.

There was a census that the blond would either ignore her threat, or he'd play it off.

"Alright, I owe you that much."

While it wasn't what they expected, there was still a lingering thought that he'd just find a way to avoid the conversation all together. But then, when it came to his partner…

'Students…'

A female voice spoke through a holographic panel; a series of images covered the display, allowing them full view of hunters and huntresses from ages long since passed. To their surprise, portraits of themselves popped up on the upper left former of the display.

'Welcome to the Field Simulated Training Arena, with the art of conflict growing and changing with each passing year, it has come to the decision of the headmasters that hunters in training will be tested in a variety of simulations that licensed hunters face on a daily basis. To make it brief, welcome to the war games, where you and your fellow classmates will be placed in randomized/assigned teams of six, pitted against one another in several of the more common assignments hunters are tasked for. Keep in mind, this is by no means a literal game, and must be treated as though an actual mission debrief. With that in mind…'

The portraits of the students enlarged, and a blank text block appeared.

'For your simulation…your war game shall be...'

The monitor ran through several different files, the students caught glimpses of images from each possible simulation. After several seconds, the text finally produced a simulation variant.

'Payload.'

The eleven present students were clearly confused; the blond medic however was more or less thrilled.

'In this simulation, there will be two teams; Defenders and Attackers. Defenders will be tasked with defending marked checkpoints across a single path on the map, while the Attackers will be tasked with escorting the payload past the checkpoints to its final destination. Simple enough, though, keep in mind; there are no 'respawns' in this simulation. Once your aura is shattered, you are effectively out of commission. For Defenders, with each lost member, a battle bot will replace the fallen teammate, controllable only through the leader's scroll. As for Attackers, there will be no reinforcements.'

The room felt uneasy, more so for the young reaper who chose to voice her opinion regarding this particular set of rules.

"That hardly seems fair." Ruby commented, earning a side glance from the medic.

"Actual missions rarely are. Besides, it makes sense; the Defenders have the homefield advantage, while the Attackers are going into enemy territory, whatever they have on them is what they will have to work with." Jaune spoke those words as if talking through a lens of experience, and perhaps in a way, he did speak with wisdom. However, that didn't allow it to go down any easier for the reaper.

'Attackers have ten minutes to escort their payload, with each cleared checkpoint a small addition of time will be given. The missions ends when either of the following is met; the delivery of the payload, the complete decimation of the Attacking team, or the allotted time has run out.'

"Seems simple enough." Blake commented, gaining a faint nod from the heiress.

"Agreed, but this is starting to sound more and more like an actual game." Weiss pointed out, masterfully hiding the giddy in her voice as, unbeknownst to those present; she was indeed a fan of these forms of games. And now, she was about to partake in what appeared to be a live-action version of one. And though she knew the important and significance of these simulations, she was still over the shattered moon with this simulation.

Of course, there was one underlying fact of all of this; she would not lose. Under any circumstance.

'Selecting teams now.'

Now here was were breaths hitched. Randomized teams meant there was an obvious chance the teams were not going to stick with their original members, or at least not all of them. Meaning they'd have to adapt to their new members and their fighting styles. Which, for the three team leaders, meant one of them would have to stand down, and work the simulation under another's orders.

'Team A, Defenders, will consist of; Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel, Lie Ren, and Velvet Scarlatina.'

The aforementioned team's portraits were highlighted with a blue hue around their frames, as well as a door opposite of them lighting up, indicating their entry point. The Defenders looked to one another, albeit wary at first, eventually were met with awkward smiles and waves; primarily between the rabbit upperclassman and the young reaper.

'Team B, Attackers, will consist of; Jaune Ziegler, Yatsuhashi Daichi, Nora Valkyrie, Blake Belladonna, Fox Alistair, and Weiss Schnee.'

Their portraits were highlighted with a red hue, the door opposite the blue door opened, allowing both teams their entryways into the simulation. Weiss felt her eye twitch at the idea of having the medic on her team, however, if there was one thing a team always needed, especially one with limited supplies; it was someone to patch them up when they're down. When she gave the blond a quick glance, her eyes met his, and though she wanted to look away, she was instead met with a faint grin and a curt nod from the blond.

She was indifferent on how to feel about that gesture, but one thing was for certain, she was going all out on this simulation.

'This simulation marks the first of many for Beacon's aspiring huntsmen. Do keep in mind, you shall be observed, not only by your headmaster and professors, but also by a small gathering of individuals present today to determine the effectiveness and importance of these war games. Now then, each respective team make your way towards your assigned areas. The match will begin in five minutes.'

And with that, the program shut off for the time being, allowing the few present to glance at one another respectively. Neither had gotten a chance to coin in their cents over how they felt regarding this whole simulation thing. Though, they couldn't deny the appeal of being able to act out actual missions licensed hunters performed.

"Guess we'll be fighting each other this time around." That voice popped their small delusions of the training, eyeing the blond as he spoke to his male teammate. "No hard feelings after we mop the floor with you?" Jaune offered a hand to Ren, to which the teen shook it with a subtle glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Heh, funny, I was gonna say the same thing." Ren shot back, earning a feral grin from Nora as she clung on to the blond's back.

"We're not gonna lose, Renny." Nora declared with a raised fist, earning a chuckle from the Mistral champion.

"Weiss…" The heiress found herself staring at her partner, mumbling to herself as she twiddled her fingers together. "Looks like we aren't gonna be on the same side for this one partner."

Before the reaper could speak further, the heiress raised a palm up, silencing the reaper. "I promise I'll take it easy on you." Those words brought color back to the young leader's skin. She let out a relieved sigh as her shoulders slumped. "However…" Weiss' eyes glossed over the Defenders roster. "I make no promises for them."

"Oh…" Ruby's bright smile returned after affirming she was safe from her partner's enthusiasm. "That's fine."

'Four minutes remaining'

And with that little reminder, the teams were quick to scurry off to their assigned areas. Or rather, the first years were quick to scramble, the upper classmen looked at one another with suspicious glances before dividing and making their way to their respective sides. All the while, the debrief room, as well as the entry ways were being monitored, for the audience seated around the simulation area to observe the teams before undergoing the mission. Those being the professors, a handful of students who decided to show up when given the announcement of the initiation of the war games. In an observer's booth overlooking the stadium sat the family of the young Ziegler, waiting for the simulation to start, and worrying over where the matriarch was. In the same booth were a collection of faces recognizable to the family, in particular, a certain chieftain and father to a runaway currently attending Beacon. One of them at least.

-Attacker's Entryway-

Upon the Attackers all meeting up and prepping themselves for the match to start, the blond opened up his scroll and made his way to the center of the group. From what he could tell, the two upperclassmen had distanced themselves from the rest, probably with the intent of going out on their own to complete whatever task they had in mind. Blake seemed uninterested in all of this, seemingly only staying due to this being a request from the headmaster himself. Weiss was…well, she seemed uncaring and stoic on the outside, but the constant tapping of her feet and the slight smile that would grace her lips before she hid it was a suggestion that she might just be a bit ecstatic for this little venture. Nora was…Nora. She was adjusting her weapon, tinkering here and there and waiting for the match to start.

"Alright…" Jaune began, bringing up a small 3d model of the map from his scroll. Though, the map showed only a small portion of their side, and up until the first checkpoint. "Group up, we gotta plan this out."

"Where did you get that?" Weiss asked, her eyes furrowed at the advanced tech the scroll consisted of, and who it was that gave the blond that little device. Although, it did give her a sense of ease considering the blond was on her side.

"It's standard issue, we all have it." The minute he said those words, the rest of his team brought out their scrolls and peered over that particular function. Sure enough, after enough tinkering, Yatsu and Weiss were able to activate their 3d projections.

"Huh, what do you know?" Blake mumbled, completely unaware of this little function.

"Must be new, it was in the war games application." Yatsu chimed in, allowing the rest of the team to bring up their maps.

"As I was saying." The medic mumbled. "We only have visibility of our area, everything else we'll need to map out as we go along. Keep in mind, since this is their home turf; Defenders will have the entire map outlined for them." Jaune was able to interact with the hologram, zooming in on their current location. "Even where we'll be starting off."

"How do you know?" Fox asked, breaking a small streak of silence he had going.

"I've played Payload before; it's an old war game simulation Overwatch used to run for their trainees." The blond answered, though, keeping his eyes fixed on the map. Without warning, the flattened stadium had begun reshaping, pillars and active holograms masked the blank field; in place was an empty street lane in the dead of night. The zigzag pattern gave room for a team to bunker down, while the canopies and hollow buildings gave plenty of opportunity for sharpshooters and stealth operatives to flank the opposing side.

'Now arriving in Queen's Row, Mantle'

An image of the real life Queen's Row appeared on the screen above them, the Attackers gathered together, if only to listen in on whatever new bit of information was going to be given of them.

'Scenario; Mantle is in a state of unrest due to increase in Grimm attacks and White Fang activity. As such; Atlas' military has declared Martial Law, giving the military complete control over the kingdom's laws and finances. Resistance within the land based city has grown into a fully formed militia. However, with Atlas having full control over resources, supplies are limited for the resistance. Atlesian bots and hunters have been deployed to roam the streets at night, making the following mission all the more difficult. Attackers, you are tasked with delivering supplies to the resistance camp at the other end of Queen's Row. The Defenders, Atlas' forces, will be tasked with intercepting and eliminating your relief efforts.'

The blond hummed a thoughtful tune. "Alright, we're part of the resistance then."

"I had thought the scenario would've been more…detailed. Or at least with something a little less vague." Yatsu commented, rubbing the tip of his chin as he went over the landscape of the map on his scroll.

"Seems pretty straight forward, although, given my partner's tendency to 'justice', and considering we're also branded as 'relief effort' I doubt she'd be willing to go all out." Weiss commented.

Jaune, though, met her opinion with a hardened stare. "Hmmm, we'll see."

'Attack commencing in; sixty second.'

Hearing this, the blond walked over towards the glass door and took a peak outside. Sure enough, he caught a glint of metal from a balcony. He couldn't make out whom, but he could guess it. Either Ruby was up there acting as a sniper, or they had something else up their sleeve.

He turned his head to the upperclassmen, all the while formulating a plan in his head. "What are your teammate's weapons?"

Both Yatsu and Fox were quiet for a moment, glancing at one another briefly before the smaller one answered. "Velvet doesn't have one per se, her semblance allows her to mimic anyone's fighting style, and her camera can project a hardlight copy of a weapon she's taken a picture of. Coco on the other hand has a gatling gun."

Jaune nodded, peering again outside to see the metal glint again.

"So they knew where we are then?" Weiss asked, peeking out as well, glancing around for any signs of their opposing team.

"Yea, and I bet you five lien they'll be waiting for us. After all, it's a one-way street." Jaune adjusting his chest plate as he walked back to the group.

'Attack commences in thirty seconds'

"Ok, so what's the plan?" Blake's eyes, as well as those in the room turned to the blond, a unanimous, albeit quiet; decision to designate him as the leader. And the heiress, much to his surprise, made no objections either. Rather, she seemed focused on something out of the corner of her eye, moving just along the darkened streets.

Jaune felt the weight of their expectation being hoisted unto his back. Like the war games he'd played before, the teams that worked together tended to be the ones who came out on top as opposed to each member going out and doing their own thing. But, at the moment, he was low on intel, severely unprepared, and with an audience peering down on him, every and any mistake he made here on out would reflect more on whether or not he had the ability to even lead. Yes, these were technically games, nothing more than simulations, but they mirrored actual scenarios and missions hunters had to partake in. And if he was right in his assumptions, Ruby's team, in particular the aforementioned leader herself, would very much go all out in this. Knowing he had to take the reins in the limited time he had, the blond gestured to the members of his team. "All of you, semblances and attack range."

Though initially confused, the members quickly gave the required information. And yet, it did little to alleviate the blond's worries.

Weiss and Nora were the two that could do both short ranged and long range. The other three and himself were more proficient in short ranged combat. To an extent, the heiress could as well attempt a long range atack, but it would require time and accuracy, something he wasn't sure they'd have in the heat of combat. Not to mention, Yatsu admitted to being rather sluggish in combat, and though his attacks were indeed powerful, his opponents would use their speed to an advantage. And two of their CQC members were mostly masters of stealth and guerrilla attacks.

Meanwhile, Yang, Ren, and Velvet were the cqc of the group, with speed being their best factors. Pyrrrha was both the ranged and close quarters fighter, not to mention being the more advanced fighter of the group, she would prove to be a major hindrance alone, the team would just add on to the overwhelming obstacles. Ruby, the sniper, thanks to Weiss, was reported to not being entirely all that accurate, was still a force to be reckoned with. The bigger issue lay with Coco, the gatling gun wielder, if positioned right, she could halt their advance and possible take out a couple of them in the blink of an eye.

In summary;

Attackers; Two tanks, two stealth, one ranged, and one support.

Defenders; One long ranged, two CQC, one stealth, and two ranged.

'Attack commencing in ten seconds.'

Jaune turned to the heiress. "Weiss, on me."

Without missing a beat, the heiress was quick to his side. Jaune leaned over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"On my signal..." He whispered to her, and though she gave him a shocked look, she nonetheless nodded and readied her stance and glyph, noting the blond had not removed his hand from her shoulder.

'9…'

And then she felt it, a flow of energy surging into her body. Raw power merging with her own, it was intoxicating. And she could feel her glyphs growing, it took every ounce of her will power to keep it restricted to the door frame.

'8…'

The chamber in her rapier shifted to a new element, her stance changed, and her eyes shined a sky blue hue.

'7…'

"Get ready." Jaune announced, the others drew their weapons and prepped themselves.

'6…'

'5…'

'4…'

'3…'

'2…'

The world seemingly came to a standstill, the breathing of the Attackers hitched as they waited for what felt like an eternity for the doors to open. Jaune's hand remained on Weiss, the energy no longer surging, but more for moral support. It helped, though the heiress would not admit it. yet.

'1…'

The doors opened.

"NOW!"

Not gonna lie, this was hella fun to write, especially the simulation; that's right, it's almost done. All that's left is to edit a few scenes, proof read, and publish. Just gonna do some double checking to make sure I didn't skimp out or misread certain people's semblance's. Now, yes in the last chapter I revealed Jaune's father…vaguely. Am I happy with who I chose; yes, yes I am. Why? Because I feel like, given how the following volumes have depicted our blond noodle, the same path his father fell down might very well be one he could follow down given the right set of circumstances. The blond will discover who his father is later on, and of course i plan to make it a pretty big deal for the story arc.

Now, as for how the story is gonna play out, and if characters from the newer volumes are gonna make an appearance?...boy do I have a surprise for you in the next chapters.

Also, I had come up with a variety of names to replace Overwatch, mostly in the hopes of having something unique to bring to the table, but nothing came to mind in the moment. I thought Hunterwatch, but that felt too on the nose. After much thought, I just decided to stick with the original name. makes it easier I guess.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, the next will be along soon. Ciao.