Vale – Downtown
"Blaaaake."
"Blaaaake."
"Blakeeey."
Teams RWBY and JNPR called out as they walked down the street, shouting the girl's name as they searched desperately for her. Occasionally they'd stop to ask passerby's or shops owners if they'd seen her recently, showing a picture of her that Yang had managed to take without her realizing during their first week together. They'd been going at it for a good two hours with noon closely approaching and still they'd made no headway as to where the Faunus girl had rushed off to. To make matters worse Weiss, while agreeing to come out and look with them, did little besides standing there with a sour look on her face, refusing to call out her teammate's name. It was a small detail that honestly annoyed Jaune more than he let on. His initial opinion of the heiress had been low from the start and while it had improved somewhat as the weeks had passed and their teams spent time together, she'd all but shattered it with her reaction to Blake's past, putting her squarely back where she'd began when they first met and doing little to improve his overall opinion of her.
Another stressor had been Jade. The young girl was all too eager to come along and help look for Blake, even going so far as to strap her sword to her hip in mimicry of her brother. While he appreciated the gesture and her willingness to go looking for a friend and someone he hoped she would come to see as a potential role model, in more ways than one, he'd had to make the difficult decision to leave her behind. That had not ended well. Jade flat out rebelled against his insistence that she stay behind, pleading with him to let her come. Jaune had been insistent, citing that they would probably be gone for hours with only short breaks in-between to rest or eat. With how much endurance and stamina she currently had she would no doubt become too tired halfway through, requesting she be carried by one of them before becoming cranky as she got tired and in desperate need of a nap.
He'd put his foot down and stated that she would be staying at Beacon at the daycare while they went out. At this point Jade had resorted to her final tactic, throwing herself on the ground as she threw a tantrum. She wailed and screamed, crying out that she wanted to help find Blake but it was to no avail. Even with Pyrrha's assistance in attempting to calm the girl and supporting Jaune in his decision, it had been like trying to handle a rabid dog as they struggled to pick her up, removing her sword, before dragging her down to the daycare. He'd been met there by one of Lexi's assistants, the woman having gone into labor a week or two back and currently on maternity leave with her two new additions. He gave the poor girl an apologetic look as she grimaced, taking hold of Jade and struggling to keep the young Faunus from escaping her grasp and running down the hall after him. He'd no doubt have hell to pay later on when he returned but, for now, he needed to focus his attention to more important matters.
"Excuse me, have you seen this girl around?" Yang asked, walking up to an elderly shop owner who was outside sweeping the entryway of his store.
The man shook his head, causing Yang to wilt slightly but nonetheless thanked the man for his help before returning to her search. While no one said anything, it was obvious they were beginning to lose hope. Vale was a large city which meant there was a lot of ground to cover. Even if they split the city into sections with each of them checking their own area (Weiss excluded for obvious reasons) they'd still have a lot of ground to cover individually with no guarantee that they'd find any trace of Blake at all. Even if they were to somehow find the girl, there was also the problem of convincing her to return. Jaune had brought his team up to speed on the events that had led to the Faunus girl's departure from Beacon the previous night so no one would be surprised to hear her mention she had been prior White Fang. It was really a matter of how she felt or what she expected to happen upon her return. If anything he wouldn't blame the girl if she assumed there were a couple of police officers waiting with a pair of handcuffs and a jail cell with her name on it. Regardless, they couldn't give up. More than anything she needed to know her team hadn't abandoned her yet and that they were willing to hear her out. Well, most of them anyway. He just hoped she was somewhere safe and not in some kind of trouble.
/-/
Vale – A Small Café
"So, you want to talk about what happened or are you just going to sit there, sipping your tea and glaring at me like you did all of yesterday?" Sun asked, sitting across from Blake at the small café while he sipped his own drink.
"I'm not sure I should trust a man who only recently was caught hitching a ride across the ocean and nearly caught," she replied.
"Finally, she speaks. Truth be told, I wasn't technically stowing away. I go to Haven Academy and would have come along with the rest of my team but I decided to hitch an early ride over."
"Sure," she drawled, her tone making it obvious she didn't exactly believe what he claimed.
"So, you going to explain what happened?" he asked again.
"Nothing happened," she replied flatly.
"Sure because it's a natural occurrence for someone to come racing out of their school, eyes red with tears, mere hours after having a rather public dispute with their teammate," he replied sarcastically. "It wasn't nothing, Blake. Obviously you guys had a fight, a really nasty one judging by how quickly you fled the scene. I'm not here to judge, I just want to know what happened and see if I can offer some sort of support."
"Why, because you a Faunus too?" she asked.
"No, because I'm a friend," he replied, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair.
Blake wasn't sure how much of that statement she believed but it was obvious from how he was acting that she wasn't going to shake his presence anytime soon. She'd attempted to do that earlier, going through several alleys and back tracking a few times in an effort to either tire him out or lose him altogether. Unfortunately for her, he had the stamina and endurance of a Huntsman which meant he'd allowed him to follow her ceaselessly without tiring at all. That and he was so damn persistent. It had only been after they sat down at this café that he'd started asking her questions, introducing himself as Sun Wukong, originally born in Vacuo before moving to Mistral to attend Haven Academy to get away from the oppressive sun and sand of the desert.
"Have you ever heard of the White Fang?" she asked, deciding to take a chance on him.
"Who hasn't?" Sun replied easily. "Bunch of 'holier than thou' Faunus who claim their actions are meant to target Humans and liberate their fellow Faunus when all it does is cause more problems for all of us. Bunch of freaks if you ask me."
"I used to be one of them," Blake said easily, suppressing a laugh as she watched Sun sputter, spilling his drink all over the table and his exposed chest.
"You what?" he asked in surprise, though maintaining a low volume on his voice to not draw unwanted attention.
Blake waited until Sun had calmed down before she started to explain everything from the beginning. She watched his expression settled into a serious tone, something she appreciated given the nature of the subject they were discussing. She talked about how she was practically born into the White Fang (there being more truth to that statement than she was willing to go into), having been an active part of it from the beginning. She spoke how their methods and protests had gone unheard or ignored with the Faunus continuing to be mistreated by the Kingdoms despite their actions during the Rebellion some years back and the establishment of the Academies. Then their previous leader decided to step down and his replacement brought with them new methods, new ideas, and a completely new White Fang.
The changes had been small at first, subtle. Their actions were more aggressive with their members no longer sitting by while they were pelted with rocks and people shouted obscenities at them. Instead, if they were attacked they rose to defend themselves, catching many people by surprise as they'd expected them to either cower in fear or run away. They started training new recruits in self-defense, ensuring they could fight to defend themselves as well as their fellow Faunus. It was a step in the right direction, one which would start to get them noticed and their voices heard. Blake had been a major proponent for it in the beginning until things took a drastic change.
They started by attacking stores and businesses that refused to cater to Faunus customers. It was a message, one that reverberated throughout the Kingdoms. Refuse to treat the Faunus fairly and there would be dire consequences. After some time they managed to get a hold of weapons and with them they began performing raids, most notably on the SDC. There attacks began getting bigger and more violent. As a result the Faunus were starting to see changes as they were finally given the respect they deserved, although one born out of fear rather than admiration. After a while Blake found herself unable to ignore the atrocities they were committing. Sure, in the beginning it had all been for a purpose, but the more they fought the more she began to see how their actions were not only targeting innocent civilians but their fellow Faunus as well. In the end she made her decision, cutting ties with them altogether and started over by enrolling at Beacon to become a Huntress.
"Now I wear this bow to keep my heritage and identity hidden," she finished, flexing her ears beneath the fabric to emphasize her point.
"I see," Sun said, having remained silent throughout her explanation and giving each word careful thought. "I do have one question."
"What's that?"
"Your combat uniform, was it something you wore while in the White Fang?"
"Yes," she said, wondering where he was going with this.
"And the only change you made to it was the bow," he replied, his eyes drifting up the subject on her head.
It didn't take long for Blake to put two and two together, averting her eyes as she pouted and said, "It's enough, alright?"
"If you say so," he replied, obviously unconvinced. "So, what now?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do you what do I mean? Blake, you ran out on your team and have been gone for nearly twenty four hours. You haven't called or sent them any messages telling them you're alright and don't lie because I've watched you and you haven't once touched your scroll," he said, causing a pang of guilt spark through her. "They have a right to know that you're alright and not dead or dying in some back ally somewhere at the very least."
"I know, I know," she said, glancing to her pocket where the offending piece of technology lay tucked away.
"And what about going back?"
"I can't," she snapped.
"Why not? You owe them an explanation at the very least."
"I know but… I just can't right now," she said, her ears flattening the bow on her head.
"What if you had a mediator?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, a go-between, someone to act as a negotiator for you, someone you can trust," he explained.
"Is this your way of volunteering?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Hey, I'd volunteer to help in a heartbeat but I don't think your friends will accept me, not without some proof," he said, earning an agreeing nod from Blake. "What about that tall blond guy I saw you with yesterday? The one with the little girl Faunus riding on his shoulders."
"You mean Jaune?" she asked, Sun nodding in return. "I don't know. He's the leader of our sister team but he isn't someone I know all that well."
"He at least doesn't have any problems with Faunus if that little girl with him is anything to go by. What's their connection anyway?"
"Her name's Jade and she's Jaune's adopted sister," Blake replied, earning a pleased nod from Sun. "He's technically her legal guardian. I don't know all the details but their families were killed in a fire about a year back. He'd been watching out for her ever since, adopting her and even coming to Beacon to help give her a stable life."
"Sounds like a standout guy in my books," Sun replied, "and certainly someone you can trust to act on your behalf," he pointed out.
Blake wanted to argue but decided to take a moment to reconsider. Jaune was, by all accounts, a decent person. From the few interactions she'd had with him he'd always been polite with her, never once treating her any less than the others. Granted he wasn't aware that she was a Faunus at the time but he even went out of his way to treat other Faunus with the same decency and respect he showed the rest of them. His actions against Cardin and his team after they hurt Jade were certainly proof of that. He was also very loving when it came to Jade. He made sure she was a major part of his life and even got the rest of them involved with Jade having spent the last few nights with her learning how to read. Thinking back on it now, she actually missed those times. It was nice and even fun to watch as Jade slowly but surely got a hold of reading and understanding what was read. She especially loved how excited she became when she managed to read a whole sentence by herself without any help.
Blake sighed, "Alright, I'll call him but we're doing things on my terms," she said.
"Sounds good to me," Sun replied with a smirk.
/-/
Jaune felt his scroll vibrate in his pocket, catching his attention as he paused to take it out. His eyes nearly shot out of their sockets as he read that he'd received a message from Blake. Quickly unlocking his scroll, he was about to yell out to the others when he noticed the contents.
Don't tell anyone. Are you alone?
It was strange and rather suspicious. Looking towards the group, he saw there was a fair bit of distance between them and him. He quickly tapped out a message saying that he was and waited for her reply. It didn't take her very long to respond.
Find somewhere for us to speak alone. I have a favor to ask of you.
"Jaune, is something wrong?"
Jaune nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Pyrrha was gazing at him with a look of concern. No doubt she'd seen his confused and concerned expression as he read Blake's messages.
"Uh, nothing much, just a message from the daycare," he lied, keeping his scroll's screen out of her view.
"Oh, is everything alright? Jade was pretty upset when we left her behind," Pyrrha recalled.
That's one way of putting it he thought as he stowed away his scroll. "Yea, they were just messaging me to keep me updated. She'd still upset so I'm going to call her, hopefully talk her down."
"That sounds like a good idea. I'll let the others know so you can have some time to yourself," she offered.
"Thanks Pyr, you're the best," he said, waiting until the girl, who was now sporting a rather large smile, was out of earshot before ducking around the corner.
He quickly tapped out another message, letting Blake know he was alone and that they were free to talk. It was a moment before her number flashed across his screen along with the photo Yang had snagged of her. Pressing the Accept button he watched as the screen flashed before Blake's face appeared on it.
"Hey Jaune," she said.
"Where the hell are you!" he snapped, causing her to jump in surprise and earning some looks from the people passing by. "Do you have any idea what kind of state your team is in? Yang is in a panic, Ruby is struggling to keep herself as well as everyone else together and Weiss is- "he stopped, taking a moment to consider his words before saying, "Weiss is a couple snippy comments away from finding me stabbing her with her own weapon."
"You know what, I take it back, maybe he wasn't the best idea to act as a mediator," a new voice spoke through the speakers.
"Who was that?"
Blake tilted her scroll to show a boy with blonde hair, tan skin, and an unbuttoned white shirt waving in the background.
"Isn't that the stowaway we saw yesterday?"
"Yes," Blake replied with a guilty look.
"Name's Sun Wukong, nice to meet you," he replied cheerily.
"Blake," Jaune moaned, "I'm doing my best here to help you out but you're literally giving Weiss as much ammo as possible to argue otherwise."
"I know, I know," she replied.
"If you know then why did you run?" he snapped, earning a surprised look from the girl. "Never mind, just tell me where you are so we can come get you and start fixing this messed up situation."
"I can't," she replied sheepishly.
"What do you mean you can't?" he all but snarled.
"I have to prove to Weiss that she's wrong about the White Fang. I have to show her all her preconceptions about the Faunus are ill-conceived."
"So you're basically saying this is a matter of pride," he concluded.
"Jaune- "she started.
"Fuck your pride!" he snapped, earning a surprised look from both Blake and Sun. "You want to show up Weiss, be the bigger person by coming back to Beacon, apologizing to your team, and explaining your reasoning for hiding your heritage or I swear to the Gods I will hunt you down and drag you back to Beacon by your ears, all four of them."
There was a moment's pause as the two Faunus let his words sink in. Jaune's little tirade had also caused his face to turn a deep shade of red and, coupled with his little outburst, he'd caught the two off guard with how uncharacteristically he'd acted.
"Jaune, are you alright?" she asked in a soft, concerned tone.
He let out a long, deep sigh before replying, "No Blake, I am most certainly not alright. Your team has been in full panic mode since you bailed. We've been worried sick about your whereabouts, not to mention whether or not you were alright or hurt or worse, and to top it all off I had a hell of a time attempting to drop Jade off at daycare while we went out looking for you."
"I take it from your tone Jade didn't take too kindly to being left behind," Sun replied.
"That's one way of putting it," he sighed. "I love her but that child still managed to get in a few good blows despite my aura and that was after we managed to take her sword away."
The two Faunus cringed, obviously imagining the hell he'd gone through that morning. "Ow, so she punched and kicked?" Sun asked.
"No, she used her teeth," he said, earning a horrified look from the pair. "Say what you will about her being a Faunus having nothing to do with animals but that girl is more wolf than you realize and I have the bit marks to prove it."
"Ouch," Sun cringed.
"Jaune, I'm so sorry, for everything," Blake apologized.
"You can save your apologies for your team when you get back. Now, when can we expect you?"
"After we've proven the White Fang had nothing to do with the Dust robberies," she replied.
"Blake," he said in a warning tone usually reserved for Jade.
"Jaune, please, I know you won't understand but this is something I have to do. Maybe it's a matter of pride but I can't simply sit by while my people are falsely accused of crimes they didn't commit."
"Allegedly," Sun added, earning a sharp glare from Blake.
"Hah, alright, fine, have it your way."
"Thank you," she said.
"However," he continued, fixing the girl with a mean glare of his own that she could feel through the scroll, "I want you to keep me appraised of where you are. If something goes wrong, I want to be able to help you out in any way possible, that includes your team, got it?"
"Yea, sure," she conceded, her ears drooping as a result.
"Here, I'll send you my scroll number so you can keep in contact," Sun replied. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble."
"No offense Sun but your less than stellar track record doesn't give me much confidence," Jaune replied.
"In my defense, I tried to get her to contact her team and succeeded in convincing her to contact you at the very least," he replied as Blake rolled her eyes next to him.
"Thank you," he replied, willing to give him that one, at least. "And Blake, just so you know I will be informing your teammates about this. Gods know Yang would murder me if she found out I kept this conversation from her."
"I understand Jaune and thank you. And give Jade my love as well. I promise to read with her when this is all over," she replied.
"I'm holding you to it," he said.
Blake nodded her affirmation before ending the call, leaving him gazing down at his reflection on his scroll. A moment later a message appeared from Sun which included his contact info along with a promise to keep Blake safe and let them know of their whereabouts.
Jaune sighed, saving the contact information before heading back to his team. The easy part was over. Now he had to inform her teammates of what just happened and hopefully convince them not to go gallivanting off after Blake. He massaged his temple, frustrated by the events that had barely encompassed a single day. Why did things have to be so damn complicated?
/-/
"I don't understand why we can't just go out and look for here," Yang argued.
"We can't because once she tells us where she is, we could find ourselves walking in the opposite direction altogether. It'll be better for us to use Beacon as a staging point until we know exactly where to go," Jaune explained.
Shortly after his conversation with Blake, Jaune had returned to the group to inform them of what had happened. He'd wondered why no one had come looking for him given how long they'd talked but soon found the reason why in the form of the peculiar girl known as Penny who'd they'd run into (quite literally) the other day. The girl was apparently more observant than they had been as, when they'd mentioned Blake, she'd immediately replied by calling her the "Faunus girl." That statement alone made them all feel stupid but she quickly remedied the situation by promising to help them look for her, a suggestion which Jaune quickly jumped on as he informed them of what happened.
"I still think we should inform Headmaster Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch. They'll at least be able to inform the proper authorities," Weiss added.
"We're not calling the cops on Blake. She hasn't done anything," Yang snapped.
Jaune began massaging his temples once more, feeling a fresh headache returning as Yang and Weiss ignited their argument once more.
"As much as I hate to admit it, our resident Ice Queen has a point," he said.
"What!?" Yang said, turning on him with crimson eyes.
"Thank you," Weiss replied, before taking a moment to think about he'd just said and added, "Hey!"
"I'm not suggesting we call the cops on her," Jaune said, ignoring Weiss altogether as he held his hands up defensively towards Yang. "What I'm saying is that it would be a good idea to inform the Headmaster of what's happened so far. He'll, at the very least, be able to help us in finding Blake and possibly getting her out of any bad situation she runs into. Not only that, but it'll be easier to have him on our side rather than trying to explain our logic should this all blow up in our faces."
"Jaune has a point," Ruby piped in, "we spent all morning and afternoon looking for Blake with no results. The fact that she contacted Jaune shows she's willing to talk. The least we can do is trust her to tell us where she is and go to her with Ozpin's help."
"But won't Blake be mad we got the headmaster involved?" Yang asked.
"Maybe but I'm willing to deal with Blake being angry with us so long as she's safe," Ruby pointed out.
Just as Ruby made her point, Jaune's scroll buzzed, alerting him to a message he'd just received. Pulling it out he wasn't surprised to see it was from Sun, not Blake, letting him know they were at the docks, waiting for signs of the White Fang to show up. Apparently they'd heard of a shipment of Dust being brought in by sea, something which they figured might attract the people responsible for the recent Dust heists plaguing Vale.
"They're at the docks. We should get going," he said, looking to their teams.
"Alright, let's go get out teammate back," Ruby cheered.
"You can go, I'm staying here," Weiss replied.
"Seriously Weiss. Why do you have to be such a colossal bitch?" Yang asked.
"How dare you," Weiss snapped.
"Perhaps it would be better if she did stay," Jaune cut in, drawing their attention. "We need someone to inform Professor Ozpin of where we'll be going anyway and having her here in case Blake returns would be more preferable than her coming along with us. Besides, I need someone to watch Jade while we're out. Gods know she'd try and sneak out to follow us if she could."
"I'll message Penny. She said she wanted to help us anyway," Ruby replied.
They all nodded in agreement, shuffling their way towards the door one at a time. Jaune hung back, waiting for everyone to leave before he would follow.
"Jaune, aren't you coming?" Pyrrha asked as she stood in the doorway.
"In a minute. I need to get Jade and I have to speak with Weiss about something."
"Oh, alright, we'll hold the bullhead for you as long as we can."
"Thanks Pyr," he replied, giving her as good a smile as he could manage.
The redhead smiled and nodded back, slipping out the door and closing it behind.
"You said we needed to talk?" Weiss asked.
"Yea," Jaune said, turning his attention to her and fixing the heiress with a serious expression that immediately caught her attention. "You and your team need to have a serious talk when we get back."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't know what your problem is but you need to fix it and soon," he continued, ignoring her outburst. "From day one you've had a problem with your teammates. First it was Ruby not only being your partner but being made the team leader and now it's Blake having a sketchy past."
"She's a terrorist," Weiss argued.
"Former terrorist," he countered.
"Like that exonerates her of the things she's done."
"I'm not saying it does and I'm not saying it doesn't. What I am saying is that your stupid ego and pride are once again tearing your team apart."
"How dare you blame this on me," she snapped.
"Who else do I have to blame!" he shot back, causing her to flinch. "Aside from Cardin and his team, 90% percent of the problems I've experienced so far have originated from you. Every fight, every dispute, every misstep that someone has taken can be traced back you because no one can live up to your standards, no one treats you the way you expect them to, and your team, for all their virtues, is somehow failing you."
"How can you say that? I'm the victim."
"Of what conspiracy?" he cried. "All the affronts made against you, as far as I can tell, are largely due to your perception of things and your inability to forgive someone unless they're groveling at your feet."
"How is that my fault? In Atlas, I was raised to expect a certain standard of conduct."
"Well, newsflash princess, this isn't Atlas. This is Beacon. This is Vale and no one cares if they're not meeting Atlas' standards of conduct because they're not the ones in charge."
"You think I don't know that? I understand that perfectly, not that I would expect you to know anything about me," she huffed.
"You're right, I don't know anything about you," he admitted, catching Weiss off guard. "And the same could be said of you. The moment it was revealed that Blake is a Faunus and former White Fang, it's all you've been focused on. You've zeroed in on those two small details but I wonder just how much do you know about Blake, aside from the fact that she's quiet, likes to read, and is Yang's partner?"
Weiss opened her mouth to speak but quickly snapped it shut. Jaune simply stood there, arms crossed over his chest, waiting for an answer. Knowing she couldn't say anything to argue against him she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and averting her gaze. Accepting that as her admittance of defeat, Jaune took a calming breath before starting again.
"I admit I don't know anything about you but the fact of the matter is you do have things that other people don't. You have a home and a family to return to. Not all of us have that luxury anymore," he said, his words digging into Weiss as she recalled Jaune's own family situation. "For some people this is the end of the line, their last ditch effort to regain some semblance of what they've lost. I can't speak for Blake but she may be in that situation and having a teammate actively trying to tear that away from her would certainly give her a good reason to stay away out of fear of that happening.
Look, I'm going to go get Jade, explain the situation to her, and bring her here. I'm trusting you to watch her and keep her out of trouble," he said, his tone implying there would be consequences should she fail to do so. "I need to leave before the airship pilot loses his patience. Once I'm gone you're free to go speak with Ozpin. We'll be back as soon as we can."
Assuming their conversation was over, Jaune turned to leave. Weiss watched him go, feeling guilt beginning to pool in her stomach, and wanting to say something, anything to alleviate it but as she opened her mouth she found her words failed her. And then the door closed and he was gone.
/-/
Vale – The Docks
Blake lay flat against the roof, looking out towards the empty docks below. Despite it being dark out with only the lights from the warehouses and those placed along the docks to illuminated the ground below, Blake had no problem seeing everything perfectly. Thanks to her Faunus heritage she had the ability to see in the dark, giving her a stark advantage over most. Still, she'd been here for at least an hour or so and had seen nothing. The shipment had arrived earlier, left out on the docks for its pickup probably within the next morning or so. That left plenty of time for someone, preferably Torchwick, to swoop in and attempt to take the Dust. Once that happened she'd contact the police, proving to Weiss that it was in fact Torchwick and not the White Fang who were to blame for the robberies.
"Anything?" Sun asked as he popped up next to her.
"Nothing yet," she replied before glancing over and seeing an armful of apples. "First you stowaway on a ship and now you start stealing food? You're making it harder for me to argue against Weiss' accusations of you being a criminal."
"Okay, first off, I already explained my reasoning for hoping that ship and second I didn't steal these. I left some lien on the counter, more than enough to pay for them all."
Blake rolled her eyes. "Semantics," she mumbled.
"Eh, I say it depends on your perspective," he said, taking a bite out of one of the apples. "Have you contacted your team yet?"
"Not yet," she admitted, keeping her eyes squarely on the area below.
"Are you going to?" he asked.
"I will just not right now," he said.
"Will that be before or after the White Fang show up?" he asked, earning a nasty glare from Blake in return. "Look, I'm only saying, you promised your friend you'd keep him appraised of where you are and since that call you haven't once taken out your scroll."
"It's complicated, alright?" she said. "I don't want to get my team involved. It's better if they stay as far away from this as possible, at least until it's over."
"Yea, about that," Sun said, giving her a guilty smile, "I already sent Jaune a message telling him where we are. He said they're headed here."
"You what!?" she snapped.
"Hey, don't get mad at me. You promised and I don't know about you but I have a feeling that whoever this Yang person is, she's not someone I want to piss off either. I'd rather have some good points in my court before something bad happens."
As if on cue, their conversation was interrupted by the droning of a bullhead as it flew overhead. Sun and Blake instinctually ducked down, watching as a second and third bullhead arrived and set down on the docks. As the doors opened, a large group of people dressed in black and white, wearing masks over their faces, hopped out and began making a perimeter. Blake's ears fell flat as she instantly recognized them as White Fang. So much for proving Weiss wrong. From the third bullhead emerged another figure, one who had red flags raised in her mind as he stepped out.
"So much for your theory. Looks like the White Fang and Torchwick are working together," Sun commented.
"That's impossible," she breathed, no longer registering Sun's presence. "The White Fang would never work with a human. Something's wrong."
"Maybe now would be a good time to call the police? Blake?"
Before he could stop her, Blake had risen from her hiding spot and dropped to the ground below. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Sun sent Jaune a message, letting him know what was happening and that they should hurry before dropping down to assist Blake. One thing was for sure, Vale was certainly more interesting than Vacuo had ever been.
/-/
Beacon – Ozpin's Office
"I see," Ozpin said, gazing at Weiss from across his desk. "So you choose to stay behind while the rest of your team went out to retrieve Miss Belladonna."
"Yes sir," she replied, sitting prim and proper in her seat. "Jade needed someone to keep an eye on her and, honestly, I'm not sure how much I can trust Blake at the moment."
"I understand," the Headmaster replied.
Despite the ease with which he'd said it, Weiss somehow felt Ozpin really did understand how she felt. None of her other teammates did or really could. Growing up in her house, living with a father like hers, it was all an experience that was completely foreign to them. Then, to suddenly find out that one of your teammates was a Faunus, and a White Fang member (formerly, or so she claimed), was more of a shock to her system than she'd wanted or needed. She'd felt justified in her reaction. She was, after all, in fear for her life. The White Fang hated the members of the SDC and being the heiress to the company made her a prime target. It had been one of the reasons that had convinced her father to let her attend Beacon, believing that she would be too far out of their reach to even attempt harming her.
Unfortunately, none of her teammates knew this and, in hindsight, it might have helped had she explained the situation beforehand. Her interaction with Jaune just prior to him leaving had been especially jarring. While previous fights with him had always had the boy acting polite or poking fun at her, mostly as a means of making her look like a fool, this recent interaction had been much more brutal. She knew, or at least suspected, that he had hit upon some very personal notes, especially when he'd mentioned some of them didn't have anyone or anything to return to. She was certain he was referencing himself and Jade in that moment.
Speaking of Jade, she glanced over to see the little girl, standing at one of the windows which acted as a wall and gazing out onto the Vale, most likely in an attempt to find her brother. The moment Jaune had returned with his little sister in tow, the dour mood she was in only seemed to get worse. Where the girl had been a ball of energy this morning, actively fighting her brother's attempts to leave her at the daycare despite her protests that she wanted to come help look for Blake, this time she was oddly quite. She had a distant look in her eyes, something that seemed completely foreign to her, as Jaune explained Weiss would be looking after her while they retrieved Blake. She could only silently nod, taking hold of Weiss' hand and barely registering her brother's kiss goodbye before he headed for the airships.
Even her own attempts to garner a reaction from her had failed. All while they walked to the elevator that led to Ozpin's office, she'd done her best to lift her spirits and engage the five year old in conversation. She'd mostly stayed silent, barely answering aside from a mumbled word here and there. As soon as they reached the office, she went straight to the window and stayed there. While she didn't want to admit it, Jade seemed like she was in a state of defeat, like her brother's goodbye had been the last thing she heard and that she expected it would be the last time they saw one another. She'd pushed this from her mind, however. Jade was only five, she certainly wouldn't have such thoughts. Then again, Jade's life had been distinctly different from her own and she'd been forced to endure more hardships than she cared to imagine.
"It just surprises me that a member of the White Fang could have managed to forge their way into Beacon," Weiss continued.
"Oh, she didn't forge her way in. I offered her a place here," Ozpin said lightly.
"I-I'm sorry professor, I'm not sure I heard you correctly," Weiss replied, startled.
"No, you heard me well enough. I offered Miss Belladonna a place here at my school."
"So you knew all along?" she asked.
"That she was a former member of the White Fang? Of course," he confirmed, taking a sip from his mug. "It would be rather irresponsible of me to not have known."
"But sir, I don't understand, if you knew then why did you let her attend Beacon?"
"Its quite simple, Miss Schnee, she wanted to make a change in her life and I was willing to help her accomplish that."
Weiss looked at the man, confused by what he'd just told her. Ozpin must have sensed it as his expression took on a more fatherly role as he spoke.
"Miss Schnee, may I ask you why you came here to attend Beacon rather than stay in Atlas and attend the academy there?" he inquired.
"Uh, well, its was more of a personal preference," she replied, shifting her gaze to the desk.
"I see. Well, as you might have realized, the same could said of all my students. Everyone who attends Beacon does so with their own reason, ambition, and goals in mind. Some are selfish such as achieving fame and glory as a great Huntsman. Others are more humble such as following a family tradition. Still there are those who seek to attend for more personal reasons," he said, glancing over to Jade.
Weiss followed his gaze, recalling exactly why Jaune had come to attend Beacon. He'd done it with Jade's future in mind, shoving all of his personal goals to the side simply to focus on giving her a better life.
"Sir, if I may ask, what were Blake's reasons for attending?" Weiss asked.
Ozpin looked at her, his gaze somehow feelings as if it was looking beyond her eyes to the soul that dwelt within. "While I'd usually withhold such information due to it being a personal matter for my students, I believe that I can trust you to respect them."
"Of course," she replied.
"Miss Belladonna came here to atone," he said simply.
"Pardon?"
"Simply put, she wishes to atone for everything she's done as a member of the White Fang by becoming a Huntress who puts of the needs of the people before her own.
It is not my duty to judge my students for their past actions, though many would argue otherwise. Rather, it's my duty as both a Professor and the Headmaster of this school to provide my students with every opportunity to grow, mature, and succeed. We may train young men and women here to one day go out into the world as protectors of the people and slayers of Grimm, but I believe that it is vitally important that we not overlook the deeper issues that lie beneath the surface. If I can discover even one of my student's personal reasons for joining my school and help them in our own way to achieve that goal, then I will have done more for that one student than I have accomplished on my own in a lifetime.
Unfortunately, nothing is perfect. Despite my best efforts society's vain perceptions and callus standards still find a way to worm their way into the hearts of men and even into the very halls of Beacon. While we welcome anyone who would seek to become a Huntsman here, be they Human or Faunus, I'm afraid the prejudices of the world still find a way into these hallowed halls. No doubt you've seen for yourself just how ill-prepared some of the students here are for the prospect of becoming a Huntsman who fights for the people rather than themselves."
Weiss did indeed know what he meant. Her gaze drifted to the floor, her heart heavy with guilt. On more than one occasion she'd seen team CRDL accosting some poor Faunus. She was always vocal with her disgust of such treatment, but she'd never done anything to stop or hinder it. Jaune was the only exception, though he'd done so only after his sister Jade had fallen victim to Cardin's bullying. Even so, he'd stood up for those who were being molested by others who flaunted themselves as future Huntsman.
What was worse, she had acted like a complete hypocrite the last couple of days. First with the young Faunus whom she'd seen running from the sailors after he'd been discovered as a stowaway and then to Blake after she'd revealed herself to be a Faunus. She'd never given it a second thought as she insulted her people, thinking she was in the right as she claimed the White Fang to be murderers and terrorists simply because they'd been waging a war with her family, a war that, by all accounts, they'd spilled just as much blood in as the White Fang.
"Sir, may I make a selfish request?" she asked.
"That depends Miss Schnee. What is your request?"
"Whatever punishment you have lined up for Blake, could you reconsider it or at least allow me to perform it with her?"
"That is a very noble request," he replied. "In all honesty, I hadn't had anything in mind. While she has been absent from her team, I don't see why Miss Belladonna should be punished for spending some time alone, so long as she hasn't broken any laws or school rules."
"Then I'd like to request that I be allowed to go with you to retrieve her from the docks," she pressed.
"I was under the impression that your teammates were already on their way to retrieve her," he pointed out. "That said, why don't we go wait for their return. I'm sure they'll appreciate a familiar face as well as an apology," he said, giving the young heiress a warm smile.
"You're right," she said, standing and giving the professor a curt nod. "Jade, it's time to go. Let's go wait for Jaune to return. We can read while we wait," she offered.
Despite the offer, Jade remained silent, her gaze glued to the view of Vale in the distance and the light of the setting sun.
"Jade? Come on, it's time to go," Weiss said, kneeling down to look at the girls face. "Jade?"
"Fire," she replied softly.
Confused by her odd statement, Weiss looked out the window, attempting to see what she was so fixated on. Her eyes were quickly drawn to a soft glow in the distance, one she'd mistakenly took for the setting sun despite it having set at least an hour or two ago. Panic quickly rushed through her system as her instincts immediately told her something was wrong and that it had her teams' name written all over it.
"Professor, don't tell me that's- "
"The Vale Docks," Ozpin finished, pressing a button on his desk, "Glynda, prep an airship immediately. There's a situation at the docks that could possibly place the lives of several of our students in danger."
"Understood Sir, I'll have one ready in five minutes," the deputy replied.
At that moment Weiss' scroll began to buzz. Pulling it from the pouch she kept on her hip, she looked to see Ruby's face as a call came through. She pressed the accept button and was greeted by a distraught looking Ruby running down the street with the others in tow.
"Ruby?"
"Weiss, thank goodness. We're on our way to the docks. Somethings happened, an explosion. We're not quite sure but we think Blake's in trouble. We tried calling her but she's not picking up."
"We saw. I'm with Professor Ozpin. We can see the fire and we're on our way right now. Just hang on," she said before the call cut out.
Without another word Weiss scooped Jade up into her arms, following after Professor Ozpin as they made their way to the elevator. While the girl was silent, Weiss could feel her anxiety as she clutched the hem of her jacket and a momentary glance showed worry and fear mixed into the little girl's features. She could only imagine what was going through her head, none of it good she would assume. Practically running through the halls, they made their way out onto the courtyard where Miss Goodwitch stood, speaking to the pilot of the airship as it was preparing to leave.
"Glynda, is everything in order?" Ozpin asked.
"Yes sir. The authorities have been contacted and we can be there within ten minutes."
"Very good," Ozpin said, stepping on the aircraft.
"Miss Goodwitch, I need a favor," Weiss said, gaining the woman's attention with a stern look of her own. "I need you to take Jade. You're the only one I can trust her with."
"You say that as if you'll be going along," Miss Goodwitch stated.
"That's because I am," Weiss replied.
"Out of the question," Glynda said in retort.
"Miss Goodwitch please," she pleaded.
"Glynda, we don't have much time," Ozpin pitched in.
"I can't consciously let one of my students walk into a battle zone. It's suicide," she argued.
"Miss Goodwitch, please! My teammates are out there, one of whom may be seriously hurt. I can't very well stay here wondering if they're alright or not. I need to go there. I have to be there for my team."
Standing her ground, Weiss couldn't believe she was arguing with the Deputy Headmistress of all people. Winter would be livid with her if she ever knew but she couldn't simply stand by while one of her teammates was in danger and the others were running headlong into it. Looking to Ozpin, the man gave a nod of consent, causing Glynda to let out a frustrated sigh as she took Jade from her arms.
"Follow Ozpin's orders to the letter and don't you dare try any heroics or I'll have something far worse than detention lined up for you when you return," she threatened, her words somehow causing greater fear in Weiss than the danger she was willingly walking into.
"I will, thank you," she said, hoping aboard the airship just as it began to ascend.
/-/
Vale – The Docks
Jaune ran as fast as he could, pushing his legs harder and harder. On their way down to the docks they'd seen the explosion and heard the sound, alerting them that something had gone terribly wrong. As they ran Ruby called Weiss, letting her know what was going on. Apparently her partner already knew, having a view from Ozpin's office. They were on their way but how long would it take to reach them? It was something Jaune couldn't let himself dwell on as they neared the docks and saw the flames and smoke rising over the roof tops. Gun fire could be heard from within along with shouts from various people.
"What's going on?" Pyrrha asked.
"Sounds like a warzone," Yang pointed out.
"Stick with melee attacks. Avoid using your guns as much as possible. We don't want to ignite any of the dust," Jaune directed as he drew Crocea Mors.
"Aww, but I like causing explosions," Nora whined as she held her hammer aloft.
"Nora, no," Ren chided the girl before turning back to their leader, "you do realize that will leave us severally limited."
"I know but if a stray bullet hits any one of those containers and ignites the Dust, we'll be worrying about more than our lack of fire power," he stated.
"Penny's on her way as well as Ozpin. Ten minutes at best," Ruby called out.
Ten minutes? That was a lot of time for something to go wrong. Jaune turned his focus to the task at hand, that of helping their friend Blake. Their top priority was in making sure she was safe as well as Sun. Once that was accomplished they could focus on their adversaries and keeping them at bay until reinforcements arrived. As they rounded the corner onto the docks, the heat hit them like a wall. Jaune had to blink a few times just to get the moisture back into his irises before he could take a good look at the battle field.
To put it simply, it looked like a warzone that had been pelted with artillery. The Dust kept in the containers had ignited, leading to an assortment of outcomes. Aside from the usual fire Dust, Jaune could see pools of water from both water and ice Dust having melted and saw sparks from bits of lightening Dust, all of which threatened to ignite the other containers. To add to the chaos was the numerous White Fang members they saw scattered around. Some were knocked out on the ground, no doubt due to Blake and Sun's intervention, but others were hiding amongst the containers, taking shots at Blake as she battled with Torchwick while Sun lay unconscious nearby.
"Pyrrha, Yang, go give Blake some support. Ruby, Ren, take out the White Fang acting as snipers. Nora," he said, seeing the redhead turn to look at him, "go break some legs."
"With pleasure," she said, giving him a smile that sent chills down his spin.
To the White Fang's credit they had anticipated the arrival of reinforcements. None of them were foolish enough to think that the explosion they'd caused, or Torchwick, it was hard to say, would go unnoticed by the greater population of Vale. What they probably hadn't anticipated was the arrival of half a dozen students from Beacon, all of whom were more than anxious to start breaking some skulls. While Nora tore into her opponents, sending many sprawling as she knocked them aside like human bowling pins, Jaune targeted the nearest operative, bringing his sword down on their rifle and cleaving it in half. The man had barely enough time to register what had happened to his weapon before Jaune drove the pommel of his sword into his face, sending him to the ground and knocking him out cold.
"Nice trick kid. Here's one of mine," he heard a voice say.
Jaune turned just in time to see Roman Torchwick aiming his cane his way, the bottom popping open before a flash erupted from the end. Jaune had just enough time to dodge out of the way, flaring his aura in anticipation for the explosion. It was larger than he'd anticipated, probably having hit one of the crates of Dust. He was flung across the concrete, his vision swimming and his ears ringing as he lay on the ground. He groaned, fighting past the pain as his aura worked to heal the damage he'd received in the attack. Smoke choked his eyes and nostrils, filling them with the acidic smell given off by the mineral. There was something else there too, something horribly foul smelling.
"What is that? It smells like meat but it's putrid," he thought to himself.
As his vision returned to him he noticed a figure lying next to him. It took him a moment but slowly their features came into view. A moment later he registered the long blond hair tied into a long braid. His breath hitched, uncertain of what he was seeing but unable to recall anyone else who looked that way. Not far from her were more figures, all with blond hair with the only exception being a woman with tan skin and black hair lying next to her. None of them were breathing.
"Sapphire?" he said, shaking the girl on the ground. "Sapphire, come on, wake up, this isn't funny."
The woman remained motionless, no signs at all that she was still breathing.
"Saphron? Terra?" he cried, neither of them moving. "No, where's Adrian? Adrian!"
His lungs burned as the smoke and fire consuming their home burned without resistance. The heat alone burned his skin and eyes as he desperately tried and failed to rouse his family. What's worse, the putrid smell of meat, of burning human flesh, clogged his nose. It was more than he could take and he fell to his knees, desperately shaking his sister's unconscious form in the hope of saving her from this nightmare.
/-/
Pyrrha smashed her shield into the White Fang member, dropping them into a heap on the ground as they lost consciousness. While she and Yang had run to support their friend Blake, Torchwick had noticed them immediately, firing several shots from his cane to keep them at bay while he retreated. They'd managed to get to Blake just in time though the girl was in pretty bad shape and her blond Faunus friend, Sun if she recalled what Jaune had told her, wasn't doing any better. Thankfully it wouldn't be long before reinforcements from Beacon arrived. They just had to hold out until then.
Another explosion, this time closer, and she had to raise her shield to protect herself from the blast of hot air. From the sound it must have been Roman's doing, the criminal targeting Dust crates in an effort to cause as much mayhem and confusion as possible to allow himself time to escape. The worst part was that his attacks had no real target in mind. So long as one of them was nearby or caught in the explosion, even if White Fang members were numbered amongst the casualties, they were expendable so long as he got away. It was disgusting to think that such a man had once been a Huntsman. To think he'd have stooped so low made her blood boil.
"Pyrrha, have you seen Jaune?" Yang called.
"No, where is he?"
"I don't know. I saw him fighting some White Fang members nearby but lost him after that explosion."
Yang's words had her worried, hoping Jaune hadn't gotten himself caught up in the mayhem. Glancing around the battle field, she managed to make out his form, kneeling on the ground over an unconscious White Fang member. At first she thought he was checking to make sure they weren't dead but the way he was hunched over them, shaking them as if to wake them, had her running over to make sure he was alright.
"Jaune?"
"Come on, wake up," she heard him say.
"Jaune," she called again.
"Don't do this to me Saphron. Don't leave," he pleaded.
"Jaune!" she said grabbing hold of his shoulder.
He lashed out, not letting anyone stop him from attempting to wake this Saphron girl. The whole thing had her worried and she forcibly turned him around to face her.
"Jaune!" she yelled.
"Wha- Pyrrha?" he said, blinking a few times as if to bring his eyes back into focus.
"Jaune what are you doing?" she asked.
"Wha- I- "he turned back to the White Fang member, gazing down at them with a look of confusion. "But she was here. I saw her," he muttered.
"Jaune, what's going on? What's happening?"
"I- I don't know," he said. "There was an explosion and then the fire and…" he trailed off, gazing around him, perplexed by what he was seeing.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Y-yea, yea I think I am," he said, taking a deep breath before forcing himself to his feet. "Where's Torchwick?"
"He's trying to make his escape. Blake is safe as well as Sun but they're in bad shape," she said.
At that moment a bullhead flew overhead. There were no markings on the side but from the way to was moving it didn't look friendly.
"Looks like things just got worse," he said.
Before anything else could go wrong, however, a blast of green light tore out across the sky. A second bullhead that had been making its way towards them and had opened fire was split in two, the halves crashing into the ocean while its partner set down, opening a hatch on the side to admit Torchwick entrance.
"What in the name of the Gods was that?" Pyrrha asked.
Jaune didn't have an answer for her. Whatever it was, it was on their side and had Torchwick running for his life. Shortly after that the sound of a bullhead cut across the sky accompanied by the sound of sirens. Jaune looked up, pleased to see the Beacon symbol painted on the side of this airship. Reinforcements had come and just in the nick of time.
"Ruby!" they heard Weiss cry out.
"Weiss, you came," Ruby shouted, running over to hug her partner.
"Where is Miss Belladonna?" Professor Ozpin enquired as he stepped from the bullhead.
"She's alive but she and Sun are in bad shape," Yang replied.
"Then it's a good thing we brought along a medical team," he said, glancing over to see the medics disembarking with gurneys ready to take the injured team members. "Is anyone else hurt?"
"Just a few scratches and bruises," Jaune said.
"Jaune was caught in an explosion courtesy of Torchwick. His aura protected him but I'm worried there's more damage than he realizes," Pyrrha said in a worried tone.
"Given the state of things I'll want you all to check into the medical wing at Beacon. I'll want to speak with each of you regarding what happened but that can wait until you've been treated," he said.
"Yes Professor," Jaune said before turning to Weiss. "Where's Jade?"
"She's with Miss Goodwitch. I think you'd agree she can be trusted to watch her."
Jaune nodded, content to know his sister was in good hands. Allowing Pyrrha to help him aboard and settle in, more so to assuage her own worries, he sat back and finally relaxed. As the bullhead took off, he found himself too tired to be affected by his motion sickness. Instead his mind was preoccupied with what had occurred and the illusion or vision he'd seen. It bothered him, reliving that traumatic experience but he couldn't help but wonder what had caused it. As sleep overtook him, he pushed it to the back of his mind. There was time enough later for him to deal with it.
Longer chapter than I anticipated. Honestly, I had something else in mind, possibly 15 pages or so, and it ended up being a lot longer. I just kept adding stuff on and, by the end, I had something far different than I'd initially walked in with but nonetheless satisfied with the results.
So, not long after posting the last chapter, I received a review stating that they felt I had written Jaune to be too perfect and I honestly have to agree with that statement. Looking back on the chapters I've posted so far, every conflict or problem I've presented him with have been things he's managed to breeze by. Therefore, with that in mind, I set about to give Jaune some faults but not to make it too obvious or have it coming out of left field.
Long story short, the problem Jaune experienced with living his family trauma will become something paramount to the story and not something that just "cropped up." I'll be using proceeding chapters to help show how this was a prevalent problem that has always existed but was largely ignored by him for the most part. I won't spoil too much so I'll just say that he'd been ignoring a lot of stress brought about through a combination of losing his family, adopting Jade, and being made team leader.
As for Weiss, while I've had some people how they wanted Jaune to tear the heiress a new one, I decided to show a softer side of her this chapter. I honestly believe that, given the chance to reflect on her actions, Weiss would actively work to correct some of the problems she's caused. After all, she changes a great deal in the show and it's important to show some of the ground work being laid out as she begins to become a better person.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Looking forward to working on the next one, especially because I'm coming up with more and more unique situations that will diverge from the main story of the show while also remaining true to it in some aspects. Let me know your thoughts in your reviews.