Before anything else: I have hinted at the idea of making omake (Japanese for extra) chapter for this story to a few of my dear readers.
These chapters would not actually be part of the story but some might get some laugh out of them.
I have put up a poll on my profile on which you may vote Yes/No/Don't care.

Chapter 22

The day after JNPR's team match was a quiet one.

The arena was having repairs done and general maintenance carried out. The only thing regarding the tournament to happen this day was the reveal of the upcoming doubles matches.

The Arcs once again turned up at JNPR's dorm in the morning.
After the sisters had teased Pyrrha and Jaune (not to mention asking for details about what all they had been up to together) it was time for some more serious matters to discuss.

Jaune was quite relieved about his family accepting what he had become and what he had been. Now after a good night's sleep their tempers were calmer and they were talking like usual.
They were a bit worried about the legion that might be at his beck and call, but hey, what can you do?

Jaune had told them that a meeting with these warriors most likely would be eminent after the tournament as his existence was now public knowledge. Jaune had assumed that the astartes would find him then.

He explained to his family about his dreams and how the astartes would come forth at some point and fight grimm.
It was weird and difficult having to explain his prophetic dreams to them.
When asked for more about these dreams he told them of the dream he had had about the breach and how that had turned out.

He didn't mention his past musings about the 'weave of time'. He did not bring up how merely observing a thread of time might alter it.
He could no more predict the tomorrow than he could dictate the motion of the stars.
It was difficult enough to talk of his dreams without contemplating such matters.
That was another source of worry, the fact that he could not hold his visions for certain at all. He would know the future when time came, not a moment before.

They then turned to the other set of dreams he tended to have, those of his past life.
To his surprise did his mother tell him that he had actually had these dreams since before Beacon. Roughly once a year, beginning at the day he was born.

In hindsight it made sense in a way. When he had been born he had bellowed like he was in pain and someone had hurt him.
Now they knew the why, the how and the who - it was the pain of dying at his brother's hand.
Jaune's mother had been on the verge of tears when he told her of that final battle.

Before Jaune could go into detail about the events of Horus' rebellion they heard the sound of fighting from outside.
He darted up from his chair and jumped out from an open window, letting his wings catch carry him to the source of the disturbance.
'Please don't let it happen yet.'

Beacon's courtyard - a few minutes earlier

"Weiss, wait up!"

"This can't wait up Ruby!" said the heiress as she all but sprinted across the courtyard, watching the sky.
"There! That's her ship!"

"Her ship?"
Ruby looked up and indeed there was an airship. It was of Atlesian make and in military colors but it was still beautiful.
That only left one question: who was she?

"My sister!"

The ship landed and soon a tall and slender woman stepped out followed by a soldier and an Atlesian battle droid.
There was no doubt of which family she hailed from.
She looked like an carbon copy of Weiss Schnee minus the scar over the eye and plus a bit of height and mass… in "the right places".

Her white hair was in a tight knot on her head and she carried herself with all the dignity and professionalism one could expect from an Atlesian specialist…. or a Schnee that had actually earned her position.
*cough* Unlike a certain man who had married into the family and then proceeded to ruin the family name forever *cough*.

"Winter!" shouted Weiss as she kept moving forward. "Winter! It's so good to see you again! Your presence honors us." Weiss actually stopped to give a courtesy.
Winter however did not seem to be as touched by her sisters sudden appearance as she kept looking around her, taking in the air.
"So Winter, what brings you here?"

Winter did not even make eye contact when she answered "Classified".

"Oh, well, how long are you staying?"

"Classified."

"I see." Weiss could not help but feel a bit proud of her sister. She was having secret tasks. Surely there were not many who were trusted with that.

Ruby did not share Weiss' sentiment however.
"Well… that's nice... I guess."

"Oh, but never mind that, Winter. You're going to like it here! I know you travel a lot, but Beacon is so much different from Atlas! Vale, too. The government and school have little to no connection! I could scarcely believe it! I-"
Weiss was getting excited.

"I'm quite familiar with how this kingdom handles its... bureaucracy. That is not why I am here." Winter said with and icy tone.
"Nor did I come here to watch my own kin fail so miserably in battle. But it appears that I have no choice."

Weiss' and Ruby's jaws almost hit the ground in surprise.
"But we won!"

"It was a novice's victory. I counted at least three strikes missed."

Weiss bowed her head in shame while Winter dismissed her security. The soldier saluted and then left followed by the machine.
Now alone Winter turned back to her sister with what looked like a smile.
"So Weiss, how have you been?"

"Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the very top ranking of our sparring class, and grimm studies an-"

Winter-chop!

Weiss' eyes watered as a large and solid bump on her head took shape.
"Silence, you boob! I didn't ask about your ranking. I asked how you've been. You still look flat as a board. Have you been eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Have you made new friends?"

"Well, there's Ruby." Weiss muttered as she tried to feel how large a bump she had gotten.

Ruby just giggled.
"Heh, boob. Your sister said boob."
'But Weiss doesn't even have boobs, only mosquito bites.'

"Ah, so this is the leader you wrote of. I must admit that I expected something more." said Winter and cocked a curious eyebrow.

"Heh... Thanks!"

"Greetings, Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister."

"Oh! Uh, yes, sure." Ruby tried to courtesy but only ended up almost falling on her ass.
Winter held back a snicker.

"I actually have business with the General and your Headmaster but there is still time until then. Why don't you take me to your quarters?

"Really?"

"Yes. I wish to inspect them and make sure that they are up to my personal standards."

"Naturally. But for your information, the bunk beds are more stable than they seem."

"Bunk beds? Weren't those things outlawed by the council over a decade ago? Who ever got the idea of putting up bunk beds in a school?"

Ruby took this as an ideal moment to hightail it outta there, leaving Winter and Weiss to eat her dust and semblance-generated flower petals.
"We'll catch up at a later time. K-thanks-bye!"

"So, Weiss, out of curiosity. You wouldn't happen to know anything about Jaune Arc, the so-called "Angel"?" Winter's voice was now serious again. It was not a laughing matter they were discussing anymore.
Arc's appearance had stirred up quite the commotion all over Remnant. Including the Atlas military.

"Yes. His teams' dorm is right across mine. Our teams interact quite frequently."

"I see. Is there anything you could tell me?"

"Well, he is quite a mystery but he has hinted at telling everyone more once the tournament is over. For now we only have rumors."

"Such as?"

"That he is royalty of a previously unknown empire. That he has legions worth of troops at his beck and call. That he has been sent by the gods to us. There is a myriad of them."

"And from where do these rumors originate?"

"His teammate, Nora Valkyrie but he has tried to keep them under wraps. Personally I think he is actually letting her do it while he denies them in order to misdirect others from the truth."

"Perhaps."

Qrow knew he shouldn't be doing this but he had nothing better to do.
He and Port had already wrecked all the decent bars in town, the arena was closed for maintenance and he had no active mission right now.

On the other hand, messing with Jimmy's little snowflake was always fun. And she was parading around with her new little toys. Bunch of junk if anyone asked Qrow.

He had been going around the grounds when he had seen Snow Queen's ship.
He had contemplated drawing a penis on it but instead he opted for a more direct approach.

Now he was sneaking up on the white heads, weapon at the ready.
Then he swung his blade.

Before Winter could ask anything else there was the sound of metal hitting the ground behind them. Then there was a voice of a drunk.
"Hey!"

The Schnees turned around only to see the drunk in question tossing a headless droid to the ground.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!"

Winter's eyes narrowed as she stopped the remains of the security from engaging the offending party.
Weiss was offended beyond belief. How did this drunk have the gall to talk to her sister like that?
"Do you have any idea who you are talking to!?"

The drunk just proceeded to plant his palm in Weiss' face and pushed her away.
"Not you. That's for sure."
He pointed a not so steady finger at Winter.
"You. I saw that gaudy ship of yours. I guess you're here as well."

"I'm standing right before you. Or maybe you are seeing two of me."
Winter narrowed her eyes at the annoying drunk.

Qrow squinted.
"No, I only see one of you. Thank dust for that."

"I hope you realize that you just destroyed Atlas Military property. Expensive property."

"Oh no. I thought it was some sort of… walking garbage can." he said making a wobbly gesture to the broken machine.

Winter scowled. "I don't have time for your games, Qrow."

Weiss almost gagged at this. Did these two know each other?

"Geez, you Specialists think you're so special, don't you?"

"It's in the title."

"Well, you know what you lot really are? A bunch of sellouts. Just like your boss."

"I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough."

"Oh I heard, too. I heard ol' Mornin'wood finally turned his back on Oz."

Winter tightened her grip on her sable.
"Weiss, it's time for you to go."

"But-"

"Listen to sister, Snowflake. She'll protect you. Just like Atlas is going to protect us, huh?"

"If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly cut it out from you!"
Steel flashed and Winter pointed her blade at Qrow.

Qrow smirked. This is what he had come for. He slicked his hair out of his eyes.
"Alright then... Come take it."

Weiss couldn't do anything to stop them fighting. She knew that she couldn't face up against Winter even if she wanted to and the drunk, Qrow was his name...
No, just no.
Drunk or not, he was holding his ground. Hell, he almost seemed like he was having fun while going head-to-head against Winter.

Weiss felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Ruby.
"What's happening?"

"Some drunk just started a fight with my sister!"

"Who would do such a thin-" Before Ruby finished she caught a glimpse of Winter's opponent. "Uncle!"

"What?!"

"Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!"

'Well this is awkward.' thought Weiss. 'I can either sheer on my sister or my partner's uncle but i don't want Winter to think too badly of me, nor Ruby. Oh, the hell with it! He pushed me in the face!'
"Teach him some manners, Winter!"

Mercury Black was having a good day. Cinder had given him the day off and he had managed to get one over Emerald in their eternal feuding.
Emerald had then buggered off for the day and now there was free entertainment. A good ol' battle to the death in broad daylight.
Life was good for Mercury Black.

Mercury enjoyed stuff like this. He liked fights, he liked wanton destruction. The sheer spontaneousness of it, the hurting and the screaming, and not to mention the chaos. He was an agent of chaos.
At least that is how he saw himself at times. In reality he was just an asshole, a trait he had inherited from his (now dead) deadbeat dad.

Mercury walked closer, wanting to get a better look at the fight. He recognized Winter Schnee, Specialist of the Atlesian Military.

Then he saw her opponent. The man with the red and tattered cloak landed right in front of Mercury. He was so close that Mercury could practically smell the man, or at least the smell of booze.

"Oh f#ck all kinds of duck."
It was him! The drunken deadbeat that had almost caught them when they did the thing so that Cinder could do her thing with the grimm-thing in order to get the thing from the maiden-thing!

'Fuck this shit I'm out!' thought Mercury as he beat a hasty retreat. He made sure to keep his head down and face hidden.

Cinder must know of this. This man could ruin everything

Winter launched herself at Qrow once more.
They had already been over the entire landing area only to get back to where the fight had started.

To her surprise did the Qrow not do anything to defend like he had done previously. Instead he just stood there with a grin on his face, looking at something behind her…
'Oh crap baskets.'

She barely managed to stop her blade by the drunk's throat when she heard the all too familiar voice of general Ironwood, her direct superior.
"SCHNEE!"Indeed, behind her was General Ironwood. Behind him was Penny Polendina.

"General Ironwood, sir!" Winter sheeted her blade and made a salute.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?"

"He started it, sir!"

"That's actually not true. She attacked me first." pointed Qrow out.

"Is that so?" The general pinned her with his glare. He was really not happy with her.

Winter bowed her head in shame.
Qrow was right. She had just done the cardinal sin of all international military matters on Remnant: struck first without proper justification.

Ironwood shifted his ire to Qrow. Winter may have messed up but she was not the kind of person to do something like this without provocation. Said provocation had probably come from Qrow.
What was the drunk even doing here? Ozpin had given him no task to do here at Beacon.
"You. What are you doing?"

"I could be asking you the same thing actually."

"I'm -"

"Now, now, everyone. Let's calm ourselves."

Walking up to the group was Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch.
"The arena may be closed for maintenance but I'm sure they would let you test it out if you really want to fight. Of course, I would get to sell tickets, and popcorn."

As Goodwitch began breaking up the crowd and dealing with all of the collateral damage Ironwood left with Winter in tow. Penny waved Ruby off, getting a wave in return.

Qrow surveyed the devastation he had managed to created.
Not a bad day's work. He felt like he had earned himself a drink. Before he could get said drink did he feel his (honorable) niece jumping onto him.
"Uncle Qrow! Hi. It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?"

"Nope."

Ruby faked sad puppy eyes only to start grinning with her uncle as he patted her on the head.
Their little family reunion was however cut short by Professor Ozpin.

"Qrow! A word, please."

"I think I'm in trouble." whispered Qrow, faking worry.
"Catch ya later, kid."

Weiss walked up to her partner.
"You know, now your recklessness makes sense."

"You're just mad because he kicked your sister's butt."

"That was a draw, at best! He totally surrendered at the end."

"Suuure."

At the arena

The repairs for the arena were completed early that day. Cinder had to admit that the Atlesian knew how to build and maintain. Work crews from any other nation would have taken a much longer time to complete this task.

"And now, deciding on the doubles matches for tomorrow." said the voice of Bartholomew Oobleck.

'Deciding? Oh, you silly little man. I'm the one doing the deciding.' thought Cinder as she pulled out her scroll and began to do her thing.

Soon she had set up the matches in her favour. There were CFVY going up against her disciples. CFVY were no threat to her plans but she needed Mercury and Emerald to win and CFVY would serve as the sacrifice for that.

Then there was RWBY. It had been difficult to figure out who they would send to the doubles round.
Who would have thought that starting a nasty rumour about their friend(s) and almost ruining their relationship would make it so difficult to mingle with people?

Still, Emerald had managed to figure it out somehow.

"The bimbo and the heiress" as Mercury called them would go up against FNKI.
It was a quarantined win for RWBY and that suited Cinder just fine.
Cinder needed them to move on to the singles matches for her plans.

But what for JNPR? They had the champion. Any team would lose against them so there was no need to do anything to their selection.
Cinder had decided to make them a part of her plans as well. The angel and the champion, what delicious unease their fall from grace would create.
'Yeessss, make him fallll…'

Cinder hadn't come up with how to screw them over yet but she would just have Emerald do her thing when the time came.

The children were only human, she figured that also went for the angel somehow, and human had a tendency to screw up. Cinder would just make sure they did so. In the right way and at the right time of course.

"And that concludes the sortings of the doubles matches. And now to our next bit of programming: a free for all weapons demonstration of the Atlas Military!" said the moronic professor over the speakers, finally shutting up. His constant prattle was getting on Cinder's nerves.

Cinder leaned back in her seat. There was nothing left for her to do. She might as well enjoy the show.
It was nothing spectacular really. The show was really meant for civilians, not for people like her. The weapons they demonstrated were low grade and were not even firing live rounds.
'Still, it's the small things in life.' thought Cinder and kept eating her popcorn that she had actually stolen from some helpless sap.

She wasn't really looking at the demonstration but at her scroll. She was now busy looking into who had hijacked the broadcast the day before.
It wasn't any official power, that's for sure and she somehow suspected it had to do with Arc somehow.
How did she suspect that? No clue really. Maybe it was a suspicion in the back of her head. She had been having a lot of those lately.

Her scroll buzzed in her hands.
A message?

"We have a problem. -Hg"
And there went Cinder's good mood.
If Mercury believed something to be a problem then it probably was a real problem.

Ozpin's office

"Now then, would anyone care to explain why the two of you were duking it out in my yard like a pair of drunk students?"
Ozpin was not happy, not happy at all. He could expect this sort of behaviour from Qrow but from Winter? Good grief.

"Qrow, If you were one of my men I would put you in front of a firing squad." said Ironwood.

"If I was one of your men I would do it myself." retorted Qrow.

"While we don't condone Qrow's behavior, acting the way you did did most certainly not improve the situation." Glynda scolded Winter.

"He was drunk!" protested the specialist.

"He is always drunk. Just look."

True to Goodwitch's word, Qrow was having a drink from his bottle before quickly hiding it away.

Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Qrow, what are you doing here at Beacon? You went dark weeks ago, then you pop up here again only to keep getting off the radar."

"Hey, lay off with the protocols. I'm not one of you black-ops dopes, Jimmy."

"That's general." said Winter.

"Who cares? Besides, you sent me out to get intel on the enemy and I can only tell you that the enemy is here. As for me going on and off the grid all the time: I've been busy looking into other stuff for you, like the Arc kid. Seriously, I've been working my ass of trying to keep tabs on the enemy and Arc at the same time."

"We know." Ironwood was getting annoyed with Qrow. Nothing unusual.

"Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!"

"Qrow-"

"Communication's goes two ways." Qrow pulled out his scroll and pointed at it. "You see that? That's the SEND-button. Very useful for getting intel to OTHERS!"

"They had reason to believe you to be compromised." Winter cut in.

"And I have reason to believe you don't belong here. No really, who invited her?"
Ironwood actually relented. With a sigh he turned to Winter and made a sign for her to leave. She obeyed, even if she did protest a bit.

"There, now there's only us. Go on."

"Our little infiltrator is not some mere pawn. She is the one who attacked Amber."

"Qrow, are you serious?"

"Do you think I would joke about this? Do you think anyone of us would joke about this?"
He took a swig from his flask before addressing the others in the group.

"Just to remind you all: we're not just teachers, or generals, or headmasters or vagabonds. We and the leaders of the other academies are the ones that keep the world safe from evils no one even knows about! It's why we meet behind the scenes and why we work in the shadows. Discrete is how we operate."

"Are you getting somewhere with this Qrow?" asked Goodwitch. This all sounded like some poorly executed exposition to her.

"I'm getting to it." said Qrow and stepped up to Ironwood, really closely.
"Which one was it, James?"

"What?"

"Which concussion did you suffer that made bringing your entire fucking military to Vale in broad f#ckin' daylight seem like a good idea!? That's not discrete! That is obvious at its worst! Were you even thinking?"

"Discrete wasn't working!" roared the general in retaliation.
He stepped to the desk to plug in his scroll but thought better of it. The virus was still very much a problem. Instead he stepped towards the window and gestured out towards the arena in the sky as well as the ships.

"I'm here, they are here, because we are needed to safeguard everything."

"No, you're here because Ozpin let you into this little group of ours and told you of the real fight that's coming to us."

"And I am grateful for that. And I intend to show my gratitude by protecting the people of Vale. Don't you get it? The people needed someone to protect them, someone who would act. When they look up and see my fleet they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength. The enemy will think twice about trying something when the ships are around."

Qrow gave a dry laugh.
"You really think the enemy is scared of your toys? I've seen the things she's made, and let me tell you - they are fear."

Ozpin figured that this discussion had gone on long enough.
They stood together as a group but if he didn't step in they would soon fall divided.
"And fear will bring the Grimm." he said.
"A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's something in the air now, a worry on everyone's minds…"

He gestured out the window.
"If this is the size of our defenses, then what is it we're expecting to fight?"

Ironwood nodded if a bit reluctantly but he did not back down.
"There is another reason why I haven't sent them away."

"Arc's claim that the grimm will attack?"

"Yes. If the grimm were to strike I would stake my reputation on it happening around the festival. But that is only my suggestion." stated Ironwood.
"Even if the grimm do not strike there is this hidden "legion" of his to think about."

"What do you suggest we do, Ozpin?" asked Goodwitch.

"I would suggest we find ourselves guardian."

"A guardian would be an option." admitted Ironwood. "I also think that it would be a good idea to keep Amber's remaining power out off enemy hands."
All nodded. Poor Amber.
"I don't know for how long she will last like this. Even with our technology sustaining her." continued Ironwood.
"And even if we could keep her like this forever there are ethical aspects to consider."

All nodded again. Living on like Amber was now… it just wasn't right.
Qrow agreed the most, partially because he considered himself partially responsible for Amber's condition. If he only had been a bit faster he could have prevented it.

"So, on to the next object on our to-do-list." said Qrow wishing to change the subject.
"The virus, any changes?"

Ironwood shook his head.
There had been no changes. They didn't know who had done it, except that it was the work of the enemy. His technicians had gone over the CCT's code dozens of times already. They still couldn't get the virus out without a full shutdown of the tower.
And with the festival right around the corner that would not be an option. Not to mention the outrage it would cause if this information got out.

They had barely been able to track who's scrolls and machines that had been hacked.
"We are now focusing on containing the virus. What already is infected can't be fixed until after the festival. By our estimate that number is limited however."

"Right, and what about the ones who told us about the virus? Have you managed to contact the astartes?" asked Glynda.

"Yes, we were able to establish communications with them soon after we learned of the virus. Text only, though. They revealed that they were looking for someone but didn't exactly know who. I decided to keep this under wraps until I knew more."

Qrow interrupted him.
"Hang on a moment. You said you "were able" to establish communications with them. What changed?"

"And who or what are they looking for?" asked Glynda.

"They ceased all communications with us once Arc revealed himself at the tournament. We also know for certain that it was they who caused the broadcast after JNPR's match. I guess he is the one they were looking for."

"And this new broadcast seemed to stop when Arc addressed Them." Glynda pointed out.
She had gone over that moment many times. He had obviously greeted them through the broadcast and then he had given them an order to prepare and wait… for something.
It was impossible to know what Arc had said. There had simply been too much noise back then.
"They are up to something."

"But what?" asked Ozpin worriedly.

"We don't know." said Ironwood.
"But I intend to be ready for it, whatever it is."

"James." Ozpin cautioned his friend.
"We may not trust them fully yet, nor do I suggest that we trust them fully yet but do NOT do anything that might ruin possible future relations. They might turn out to be valuable allies yet."

Ozpin hardly believed his own words. He tended to only trust things and people as far as he could throw them. And all things Arc had made Ozpin doubt the state of his throwing arm as of late.

"If he hasn't done that already." muttered Goodwitch.

"How so?" asked Qrow.

"It would be fairly obvious who they were looking for. They were looking for Arc, obviously. Anyone could have figured that out. If these astartes learn that we knowingly withheld information about him from them they might not be kind to us when the time comes. Need I remind you all that if what Arc has told us is true, he is very important to them."

"Yes, but it would be foolhardy to just give them what they want without getting anything in return. If we had just handed Arc over to them what would have stopped them from just going into hiding again?" countered the general.
"I was hoping to establish a chance for diplomatic talks."

"A good idea." said Ozpin. "And I do hope that we will get a chance to talk with them peacefully. Until then, we will proceed with caution and play our cards close to our chests."

'A viiice mooove. Diiiscretiooon isss thee betterrr paarrrt of valourrr…'

One day later - Amity Colosseum

It was time for the doubles matches. The Arcs were all seated on the highest seats in the entire arena with team JNPR, enjoying the show. They were all enjoying themselves, even treating themselves to a few treats.
That went double for Nora.

She and Pyrrha had just won their doubles match earlier that day.
A lot of people had been disappointed that Jaune Arc hadn't participated but he just stated that he wasn't the best fighter of the team.
Besides, he had a family to hang out with. Also, it wasn't like Nora minded fighting in his stead.

"Hey, guys. It's time for Coco and Yatsuhashi's match." said Ren.
"Looks like they will be going up against Mercury and Emerald."

"Kick their butts!" shouted Nora from behind her fort of popcorn boxes and cotton candy.
The rest of her team shared her sentiment.

The arena began to change and the fighters stepped forward. Soon they were surrounded by forest and geysers and a bit of high grass.

"So, who do you think is going to win?" asked Ren and took a small piece of candy from Nora's pile.

"I would guess Coco and Yatsuhashi but given how well Emerald's and Mercury's team fought in the team matches I suppose it could go either way." stated Jaune as he saw the match begin.
"But if I had to guess, I would say Coco and Yatsuhashi."

Coco didn't seem to hold anything back as she whipped out her gun from the start.
Instead of charging in head first, Mercury and Emerald just retreated into the grass, hiding themselves from view of their opponents.

Cinder watched the fight with amusement. The outcome of the match was never really in doubt. Emerald and Mercury had planned ahead for this match. With the field advantage Cinder had given them with the virus and Emeralds talent, there was no way they would lose.

She reached into her box of popcorn but found it empty. Well, almost empty.

She picked up a kernel and looked at it. She knew that really shouldn't do this in public.
"But it's only one kernel" she told herself as she let the power flow into it. Besides, all were focused on the match, not her. Who could possibly notice?

*Pop!*
The kernel popped.

Cinder smirked as she admired her handiwork that she then proceeded to eat.
'Popcorn always taste better when you make it yourself.'

Jaune was watching Coco trim the grass with her gun when it happened.
His mind went away and he lost his focus. He was there and yet not there. He saw something but not through his eyes.

He was having a vision. It couldn't be anything else

He saw Ruby in a corridor. Maybe someplace in the arena. And there was Mercury.
They were facing each other. The look of hostility on Mercury' face couldn't be mistaken.

"Jaune? Jaune, can you hear me?"
As Jaune came back to he was being held up by his dad, keeping him from falling over.

"Thank goodness, you had me worried there."
Jaune straightened up and tried to clear his head.

"What happened?" asked Augustus.

"I just had a vision." said Jaune.

"Something bad?" asked Pyrrha worriedly. She already knew the answer.

"Very bad I think." Jaune said. Dust, couldn't it ever be something positive?

He told them all of what he had seen. They all grew concerned with Mercury who was currently dealing with Yatsuhashi by the geyser field. Why would Mercury want to confront Ruby outside of a match?

Whatever the reason, it would happen soon for the vision had been of the arena - a service corridors perhaps - and it would not remain long after the tournament was finished. And the finals were approaching fast.

"Jaune, you have to make sure to warn Ruby Rose about this." said Gaius Arc, his experience as a huntsman weighing their options.
"She should not to go anywhere alone. At least one person should always know where she is at all times."

"You're right. I will see to that. But for now all we can do is to stay on guard around Mercury."

"Agreed." said Ren.
"We will also be cautious around Emerald as well."

"Don't forget Cinder." said Nora.
All nodded and then turned their full attention back to the match.

Augustus and Gaius were chatting about the match. They did not like what they saw.

"Say, son?"

"Yes dad?"

"You said that Coco and Yatsuhashi were good at what they do, right?"

"Yeah. They are some of Beacon's finest."

"Then how come they didn't notice their enemies sneak away from the grass field and get behind their backs like this?"

"I don't know." said Jaune. In the back of his mind he had thought that something was off but his concern for Ruby had distracted him from it until now.
"Something is off. Did any of you see it?"

His team nodded. Ren suggested that Coco and Yatsuhashi just had made an mistake due to stress but Jaune did not believe that. Neither did Sanguinius' memories.

Making mistakes due to stress in battle was not unheard of but for such experienced fighters like Coco and Yatsuhashi to do it so early in a match? It boggles the mind.
The way Yatsu and Coco acted was not natural, even if they were stress by the fight.
Pyrrha nodded, being more than used to tournament matches she had seen a lot happen but nothing quite like this.

All looked up at the monitor.
Emerald had just pulled Coco into the trees, away from her teammate. The only way to see them among the trees was through the cameras.

Coco got up and called for her teammate. He didn't appear for he was was currently fighting Mercury.
Instead Emerald stepped forward. And Coco did nothing! She acted as if it was her partner who was approaching her.

Why? Why did they keep acting so weirdly to what was happening around them? Had they gone insane? It was like something was messing with their heads.
…Their heads. That couldn't be good.

The match ended soon after. Yatsuhashi and Coco both had their aura in the red when then dragged themselves to their teammates after the match.
All the attendants got up to refill their drinks or to empty their bladders. Jaune got up as well.
"I'm going to have a word with them." he said.

He was worried. He was worried about his two visions: the grimm attacking Vale and Mercury confronting Ruby as well as this strange win by Mercury and Emerald. It all felt wrong.

"Then I'll try to get in touch with Ruby." said Ren.
"Best that someone more discreet than does something as well."

Jaune nodded his approval and kicked off and glided down to Team CFVY.

"Hey guys."

"Hi Jaune." said Velvet.
"Sorry if we seem a bit moody. Coco and Yatsu lost quite badly."

"Actually that's what I'm here to talk about."

"If you're going to rub it in our faces then you can show it where the sun don't shine!" barked Coco. Losing like this wasn't her thing.

"No, I'm here to ask you what happened."

"Oh, well then…where do we start?"

"At the beginning."

Jaune returned to his seat troubled. He had not learned anything solid from Coco and Yatsuhashi but inconclusive details.

They both claimed to having seen some things that weren't there and not seen things that were there.

All it did was support his idea that something had been messing with their heads.

Ren returned soon after Jaune, just in time for the next match.

"Ruby listened to your warning and promised to keep an eye out for trouble. She will want an explanation from you later though."

"Fair enough. Now all we can do is keep our eyes peeled."

"Whose match is it now?" asked Virdine from the other side of the group.

"I think it's SSSN next but I haven't heard of their opponents before." said Ren.

"That makes it the last match for for our friends today." noted Jaune.

"What about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is Cardin's teammates versus Atlas' team. I think Ruby is friends with one of them." said Nora who had spent the break restocking her supply of unhealthy stuff.

One day later

"Son, where is your partner? I thought she was going to watch the matches with us?"

"She got a message from professor Ozpin. There was something he wanted to talk to her about."

"Do you think it might be about you?"

Jaune shrugged.
"Maybe. Most likely."

"Don't you care?"

"Sure I do, but I trust her. I doubt she will say anything bad or something that might upset the headmaster."

"Let's hope so."

They turned to the match.
Jaune had been thinking about his vision all night. Ruby had taken him seriously enough when he warned her but she had been hesitant about his motivations. She had stuff of her own to think about.
She had had a visit from her uncle and he had given her a heads up as well.
Apparently her uncle didn't quite seem to trust Jaune for some reason.

When Jaune had asked who this uncle was Ruby had just told him that the man worked with Ozpin from time to time.
'So Ozpin doesn't trust me? I can hardly blame the man. Maybe I should tell him everything?'

It was a tempting thought. Problem was however how the man would react. The reaction of a simple headmaster would not be too bad but Ozpin had the ear of General Ironwood and thus, the largest armed force on Remnant.

If Ozpin got the idea of Jaune, and thus the astartes, being malevolent towards Remnant then shit would hit the fan hard.
Hopefully Pyrrha would be able to calm the headmaster down. Hopefully.

CRDL's match against Penny Polendina went as expected With Penny winning with ease.
Sure, officially it was Russel Thrush and Sky Lark vs. Penny Polendina and Ciel Soleil but it really only was Penny who did all the fighting.
Penny put on a very good show and was even quite a good sport. Too bad her partner had to be such a party pooper and forced Penny to finish the fight quickly.

It had been weird watching the girl fight. She used a bunch of swords that seemed to hang in the air. Whoever had to fight Penny in the 1v1 fights was going to have a hard time.
Still, Penny was a crowd favorite. It couldn't be denied.

Next up was Weiss & Yang vs Flynt Coal and Neon Katt.
Flynt and Neon were not what anyone had expected from Atlesians. Weiss had probably expected military discipline, preformulated plans and strategies.

What she instead got was an annoyance.
And they were quite rude as well.

Flynt gave Weiss a lot of shit for being a Schnee and her family driving his father out of business. Not unjustified scorn but he didn't have to be such a jerk about it.
Then there was Neon who thought it would be a good idea to insult Yang's hair and bust.

They would come to regret that.

Flynt and Neon actually managed to hold their ground for while.
… And then Neon called Yang fat. Stupid girl.

The subsequent ass beating was swift and merciless.

Ozpin's office

In professor Ozpin's office, undisturbed by the cries for mercy from Neon and Flynt, Qrow Branwen and professor Ozpin were waiting around.
"So Oz, have you found your guardian yet?"

"No, I have merely found a candidate. I had a good guess it would be her since the day I first met her. She is intelligent, capable, caring, but most importantly, she is ready."

As if on cue the door opened and in stepped Pyrrha Nikos.
"Hello again, professor Ozpin."

"Ah, Miss Nikos, how good of you to join us. Please have a seat. We have much to discuss."

"I am not surprised about your team choosing you for the singles matches. Ever since your first day at this academy you have performed most excellently.

"Thank you headmaster, but we wouldn't have done so well unless the rest of my team worked so hard."

The man in the back scoffed.
"The way I see it it is thanks to your hard work that they have gotten so far."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at the man. True, she had worked hard for her team but so had Jaune, Ren and Nora. She was not going to let this vagabond talk shit about them.
"Well, I would disagree, Mr…"

"Name's Qrow."

"Yes, this is Qrow, a trusted colleague of mine." said Ozpin.
"Don't mind him too much. He tends to get on people's nerves."

The man grunted something but remained silent.

"Professor, I doubt that you asked me here to congratulate me on MY TEAM's success in the tournament." said Pyrrha and turned back to Ozpin. She suspected this had something to do with her relation to Jaune. Perhaps even his vision of grimm attacking Beacon.

Ozpin leaned back in his chair.
"Tell me, are you familiar with the tale of the four maidens?"

"Of course, there is not a child on Remnant who doesn't know it. One maiden for spring, one for summer, one for fall and one for winter."

"Good. Now what would you say if i told you that the legend was real?"

Pyrrha was silent for a while.
"You're joking, surely."

"What if there were people, four individuals, who could wield great power, like magic, without any dust?"

"Surely can't be-"

"And surely the existence of an empire and its legions couldn't hide from all of Remnant for centuries?" said Qrow, invoking what Jaune had informed them of.

"That's different! We have someone from there. There is proof." protested Pyrrha but she saw what the man meant.

"Pyrrha, I assure you that the tale is true." said the headmaster and got up from his seat. He walked over to the girl and but his hand on her shoulder.
"We believe that you, Pyrrha Nikos, is next in line to receive the Fall maiden's power."

"We?"

The elevator opened and in stepped general Ironwood and professor Goodwitch.
"Come with me and we'll show you." said Ozpin and gestured to the elevator.

The trip down the elevator was long. Longer than she had thought possible. Her trip up to the headmaster's office hadn't taken this long.

The atmosphere was tense. Pyrrha did not even relax when Goodwitch tried to comfort her. Something just felt wrong about this.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the elevator stopped and opened to a massive underground complex. It was a hallway with lanterns on the walls for illumination.

"What is this place?"

"A vault." said Ozpin. "Under Beacon."

"I just don't understand." said Pyrrha and looked around.
"Why? And what did you mean by me being in line for the Fall maiden's power?"

"The Maidens have existed for millennia. But the seasons change and no year is quite like the other. Like how no two summers are alike. When a Maiden passes on, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring that the seasons are never lost, and that no one can hold on to that power forever."

"How does the power chose?"

"Through a bunch of stupid and convoluted rules." said Qrow.
"And don't pretend that isn't the case Glynda. You know I'm right."

Goodwitch sighed but nodded.
"At first, the only thing known was that the powers were only passed on to young women. But with time it was discovered that the selection process was much more... intimate."

"Intimate?"

"We think that, when a Maiden dies, the one who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power."

"Unless it's a dude or some old hag. Then the power choice turns random, and our job gets a lot harder." Qrow shot in.

"Why tell me all of this now? Why not later?"

"Because we're running out of time. I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting scarier out in the world again. Tensions are high. Grimm are growing stronger, bolder and more cunning. It won't be long before the peace we've been enjoying for so long is over."

"Do you mean war?"
The prospect of war terrified Pyrrha. She had had the horrors of war drilled into her skull since she was young so that she would seek to prevent it and spare others from it. Jaune's tales of how the Imperium had fought in Sanguinius' brother's rebellion had solidified those beliefs.

"Not a war between nations. Or so we hope." said the general.

"We can fill you on the details once we know that you're with us." said Qrow.
"For now, all you need to know is that the Fall Maiden has been attacked. And for the first time ever, part of her power was stolen."

The man nodded forward. There was a light at the end of the hallway and something else. It was like a coffin of glass stood up by machines and electronics. There was a person inside.

"Is that….?"

Ozpin nodded. "Amber, the current Fall Maiden."

"Is she alive?"
The girl looked so bleak. It was like her very life had been drained from her. And the marks on her face. Her tanned skin was marred by a mark that looked like a spiderweb.

"For now. We are using the latest in Atlesian tech to keep her alive. For how much longer we can do it, we don't know." said the general.
"But there is a lot about this that we don't understand."

"Wouldn't the power just move on if she were to… pass on?"

"Normally yes, but we dare not count on it. For one, it is not uncommon that one's last thought are of one's attacker. Secondly, the power has never been split like this before. The power might seek to become whole again."

"...To her attacker."

Ozpin nodded.
"And that would be bad for all of Remnant."

Pyrrha looked on at the girl, at Amber.
"Why? Why doesn't anyone know about this? If the legend is true then why is this a secret?"

"It used to be common knowledge." said Qrow and had a drink.
"The way we figure it, all tales and legends had to start somewhere. Even the crazy ones."

"Our fellowship was founded to protect both mankind and the Maidens. The Power of the Maidens was sought, is still sought, by those hungry for power. And those who desired this power were not the ones we would trust with this power." said Goodwitch.
"The Maidens were hidden from the masses, and their existence became myths and legends. Eventually history swept them under the rug and religions called it heathen."

"Even if we were to tell people no one would want to believe us at best. But at worst it would cause an uproar." said the general.

"No." interjected Ozpin, his voice serious.
"It would cause panic. And that would bring the grimm."

Ozpin sighed. "That is why we would ask you to-"

"I'll do it." said Pyrrha, voice wavering but determined.
"Someone has to step up and keep the power safe. I'll do it if it will keep humanity safe. It's why I came to Beacon. It's why I decided to become a huntress."

Ozpin nodded but the way he did it told Pyrrha there was more to it than she had been told so far.
"Good, but there is one thing you must know about the transfer. There is no way for us to grab the power itself and then give it to you. But we can hold what it is attached to: Amber's aura. That is what we can give to you."

"How?"

"Over the last few years Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint. The progress we have made far exceeds that made in the previous centuries. We now have an idea of how it's generated, how to manage it-"

"And how to cram it into something else." interrupted Qrow.
"Or in your case, into someone else."

Pyrrha went pale. Aura was a thing of the soul. It was not something to be taken and just handed to someone else.
To even suggest that, it, it was heresy!
"It's not right."

"We agree." said Goodwitch sincerely.
"We do not like it either but we are out of options. Things are desperate and calls for desperate measures."

"If we do this, we will for all intents and purposes transfer Amber's life to you." Ozpin said grimly.

Qrow nodded.
"The thing is that we don't know what it might do to you. You might get the power or you might get something more. Maybe you would even lose all."

"What do you mean, lose all?"

"The process might change you. For all we know, you might end up as someone completely different if you chose to take on Amber's life." Ozpin clarified.
"That is why we are giving you to until the end of the festival to decide. We cannot wait any longer than that. Amber's assailant has made her first move and we don't know when the next will come."

Pyrrha was conflicted. She wanted to protect Remnant, yes. But at what cost? Her life? Amber's life or Pyrrha's very self?
"I must think about this. I must know if my team would support me if I-"

"NO!" said Ironwood. "You must not inform your team about this."

"But-"

Ozpin raised his hand, signaling for silence.
"It is not your team we are worried about specifically, but your partner."

"Jaune? But why?"

"We do not know if we can trust him or this 'Imperium' with this." said Ironwood with disdain.

Ozpin just nodded.
"I know this is much to ask, but until we know for certain that he and the astartes can be trusted with this secret we cannot take any chances. He and the astartes may be forces of good-"

Qrow cut the headmaster off.
"...But the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Even if they may act to help us when the time comes, we will protect Remnant in what ways we can. Even if it is underhanded."

"I understand."
Pyrrha did not like it, but she understood. Until they knew for certain, this had to remain in house. Pyrrha just hoped Jaune would forgive her once the time came.
"There is something else." she said. "Jaune claimed yesterday that he had another vision."

"About the astartes?"

"No, but he fears it might be connected to them. He is worried about Ruby. He said that he saw Mercury Black confront her."

"Mercury, that's the guy who had a match yesterday." noted Qrow.

Qrow was a bit worried. He remembered what Tai had told him about what the Emperor had showed him: Jaune standing between Ruby and an enemy. Was this connected to that?

"I see." said Ozpin.
"Thank you for telling us this. We will make sure to keep an eye out. Now, I do believe your friends must be wondering what is keeping you. Best get back to them."

Pyrrha nodded and turned away.
"And Miss Nikos." Ozpin said from behind her. "Remember, this stays between us."

As Pyrrha Nikos left Qrow turned to Ozpin.
"So, the kid claims to have seen something from the future again. What do you think?"

"It's folly." said the general. He had contemplated what Arc had told them and come to a conclusion.
"Seeing the future is impossible. Even the strangest of semblances have physical restrictions that they cannot pass. Seeing the future simply isn't possible."

"Loathe as I am to agree with James on this, but he is right." said Glynda.
"For all we know he is simply setting something up."

"And what would he possibly be able to set up with this?" barked Qrow.
Didn't the others realize what was at stake? His nieces could be in danger and these people did not realize it.

"He might try to get us to divert resources and manpower from something vital." said Ironwood.

Qrow felt betrayed. Arc had given a warning for his niece and these assholes would just disregard it.
"Oz, please…"

The headmaster had been quiet since Nikos left, looking over the motionless Amber. A lot was on his mind.
Ozpin was growing ever more suspicious of Jaune Arc.

"Qrow…" the headmaster spoke up.
"Keep an eye on Mr. Black for now and keep us informed. As for the rest, we will proceed as planned."

Not my best chapter, I admit. Nor are the characters written in the best way either. But hey, I do what I can.