Journeys on the Jellybean

by Mudsaur

Look, this is another reaction-RWBY story, do I really need to spell it out? RWBY, (J)NPR, more to come, watching movies of alternate universes of themselves, you know the drill. I update Fridays, I write more than is probably appropriate for a standard chapter length, and I aim to make my reader's laugh their guts out because what's life without dancing and giggles? Come and read.

5. How to Train Your Dragon II

Alright, continuation from last chapter. Will definitely be moving onto another movie afterwards. Hints for which one down below.

After the movie next week, we officially touch on our first anime. Those are a bit trickier, since anime is anime and thus there are a million different kinds. But I decided to choose a pretty popular/good one. Was one of my first. And it's an animated movie, so that may help with familiarity. Can't imagine anyone with even secondhand anime knowledge hasn't at least heard of it.

Also, I know some might be worried about adding more characters to the viewing – especially Goodwitch, an adult figure – but I stick to my decision. RWBY and NPR are fine to have, but the conversations would get limited after a while. Some of the characters are naturally quiet and/or docile; not exactly easy to write around. Adding in others is a necessity to keep story momentum. Also, it works this way by plot, as well. I will continue to try and make conversational matters interesting, however, and try not to detract from the fact that a lone adult has been added to the mix.

This story is meant to be fun. I will make it so, damnit!

\-\ JELLYBEAN /-/

How to Train Your Dragon II

The Meade Hall of Vytal was a wide, modestly well-lit space at the very crown of the village. Unlike the homes which needed remade from timber or stone on an all too familiar basis, the great and wise ancestors of the island had seen fit to make their dining hall cut from inside their home's closest mountain. In their minds, the breath of the beasts could bring down any tree or house, but the stone of the mountain would hold fast forever. And it had for centuries.

The inside was wide, hospitable (by Vytalian standards), and easily able accommodate the vast array of warrior bodies who stood at attention beside their chief. Adjourned with artistic pieces depicting great triumphs, legendary victories, and even a pure gold statue of dragon hanging over the room – a sword in its stomach. Brutal and violent; just the sort of thing to make a Vytalian feel right at home.

"You know, for a surly, tasteless and unhygienic bunch as these Vytalians make themselves out to be," Weiss remarked, scratching her chin, "this 'hall' of theirs seems to have a proud feeling behind it. Very appropriate and well-made, in a barbarous sort of way. I'm…actually a little surprised I can appreciate it."

"Indeed," Pyrrha nodded. "I think I feel the same. It has a very old feel to it. Historic and protected. I'd even go so far as to say it has a little Mistralian touch to it. It almost feels welcoming. Warm, even with all that stone. Defensive and ageless."

"Hehe, I dig it," Nora nodded proudly. "This is my kind of people! Pour me an ale, Ren! We'll drink the night away and then drink some more in the morn'!" The bubbly girl tried her hand at the accent most of these Vytalians had, laughing herself silly at the attempt. Her partner only shook his head while some of the others giggled.

"The place was meant to feed and be enjoyed by warriors," Blake commented. "Makes sense we'd feel right at home."

James stood over a circular table at the center of the room. His face gazed over a crude but legible map of their home and sea. He was tired, but stirred and eager for vengeance against the devils. He addressed his people with a leader's charisma.

"Either we finish them," he shouted, "or they'll finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them!" Nods and exhausted murmurs of agreement from those around him.

He continued, stabbing a dagger to the top side of the map where a foggy shape, swarming with dragons, was painted eerily. "If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home!" He looked over his people. "One more search. Before the ice sets in."

"Those ships never come back…" A warrior said across the table.

"We're Vytalians," James shouted back. "It's an occupational hazard. Now who's with me?"

"Sounds like something Professor Port would say," Nora said. "Ahem; 'so I ran into the den of over ten-thousand Beowolves with nothing more then my trusted carving knife and a spoon. Some might say that was suicidal, but I say different! I'm a Hunter! And that means death is nothing more then an occupational hazard, hmhmm!'" The Huntress tried her best to emulate the proper and boisterous tone of her teacher to mild success. Her friends certainly appreciated the effort.

"Haha, snort!"

"T-t-that was great…!"

"Encore, encore!"

Those around him did not shout or raise their arms at his call. Perhaps he expected to much, after such a raid the night before. They eyed one another, battle-weary and less then interested in another suicide mission into the mists.

"Today's not good for me…"

"I really need to tend to my, uh, hair…"

"But Bodi, you don't 'ave 'air."

"Shut up."

"I've gotta do my axe returns, so…"

James huffed. "Alright," he started slowly, rising to his full height, "then in my absence, those who stay will look after Jaune."

"TO THE SHIPS!"

"I'M WITH YOU, JAMES!"

"To death and glory! DEATH AND GLORY!"

"Hmm. Well, to be fair, if I had to choose between watching Jaune Arc all day or going to almost certain death in a dragon-infested mist, I think I know which one I'd take."

"Careful, Weiss. Your hate-boners showing again."

"Wha- Blake?! I-I do not have a h-hate…hate…THAT!"

"You sure? Seems pretty erect from where I'm sitting."

"Xiao-Long, you stay out of this! It's not even possible for me to have something like-""

"I think I can see it from here!"

"Nora!"

"I was going to bring it up, but I didn't know if now was a good time or…"

"P-Pyrrha?! You too?!"

"Hmhmm, couldn't resist. Sorry."

"Full mast."

"Huh? Full ma- REN!"

Ruby snickered from her spot next to the red-cheeked heiress. "I have the most awesome friends ever."

The rest of the Vytalians leapt and cried similar war cheers. The chief shook his head. "Yeah, that's more like it." He waved his arm to the doors, where men and women alike marched determinedly to prepare. Some to rest, some to arm, some to just find a quiet place and get a cold drink in themselves. They all had ways of preparing for the worst.

Clover was already thoroughly his pre-invasion routine, slurping up a nice pint in the corner. "Right," he sighed, rolling his shoulders, "guess I'll go pack my clean undies."

"No."

The blacksmith paused, blinking, as the chieftain moved towards him. The gesture was non-aggressive, and Clover was all-too-familiar with an aggressive James. Instead, the man just shook his head and moved to sit beside him.

"I need you to stay, Clover, and train some new recruits." James said, causing Clover to roll his eyes.

"Oh, perfect," he grumbled. Just his luck to get that job. "And while I'm busy, Jaune can cover the stall!" James's eyes widened only slightly at the thought. "Molten steel, razor sharp blades, lots of time to himself…what could possibly go wrong?"

"Dad says the same thing about Ruby when we go to a weapon's shop."

James closed his eyes, rubbing a massive hand over his face. The fierceness of the chieftain replaced now with concern. "What am I going to do with him?" He asked tiredly. His tone could almost be mistaken for concerned.

It was a large and difficult question to answer, one the blacksmith was all to ready for. "Put him in training with the others," he gave an easy reply.

James shot him a look. "No, I'm serious."

"So am I."

"He'd be killed before you let the first dragon out of its cage!"

Clover rolled his eyes. "Oh, you don't know that."

"I do know that, actually."

"No, you don't."

"No, actually, I do."

"No," Clover sent his chieftain and best friend a hard look, "you don't!"

"What are they, a married couple? Does Professor Goodwitch have some competition?"

"Listen, you know what he's like," James ground out, rising from his spot on the bench. "From the time he could crawl he's been...different. He doesn't listen, he has the attention span of a sparrow! I take him fishing and he goes hunting for...for trolls!"

"Trolls exist!" Clover yelled back, pointing his mug. "They steal your socks! But only the left ones- what's with that…?"

"Trolls?" Weiss raised a silvery brow. "This Jaune Arc – who I do not have a hate-boner for, Blake! – actually still believes in trolls, of all things?"

Nora tilted her head towards the other girl. "Is it really that weird? This place has got dragons! Are trolls really that hard to believe?"

Weiss opened her mouth to respond in turn. Then stopped. "Huh," she said slowly. "That actually is a very good point. Hmm."

Ren nodded. "Nora has those from time to time. Really catches you off guard."

"I know, right?" His partner nodded. "Freaks me out when that happens, too."

James sighed. His friend was an odd one, just like his son. But responsible and dutiful; he hoped some of those qualities would pass on to Jaune. Instead, the boy was getting into more danger now then ever before! By the gods, if he'd ever acted like that with his father…

"When I was a boy…"

Clover groaned. "Oh, here we go."

"My father told me to bang my head against a rock, and I did it," James went on. "I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question him. And you know what happened?"

Yang raised her hand. "You got a headache?"

"You got a headache," sarcastically replied his friend.

James ignored him. "That rock split in two. It taught me what a Vytalian could do, Clover! He could- he could crush mountains! Level forests! Tame seas!" The man's face brightened at old memories – at fonder, more tame and enjoyable times – before losing it as the present situation returned to his thoughts. He returned to his seat at Clover's table. "Even as a boy, I knew what I was. What I had to become. Jaune is not that boy…"

"Hey, whoa, Jaune's dad. Back it up there. You can't expect him to wind up being just like you, ya know," Yang spoke up to the screen. "And that's coming from someone who basically wanted to be her dad growing up. Copied his style of fighting, his style of clothing, and on and on. And hey, I'm woman enough to admit it; my dad's the best. He's the most super-awesome dad of Remnant. Always has been."

"I concur," Weiss added in. "If my father had his way, I'd be his little princess heiress. Never saying a word or having a single thought that wasn't constructed towards his own personal agenda. Sing here, meet this person, wear the outfits he wants me to wear and don't speak out of term. In truth, the thought of never leaving home and still being stuck there is nightmarish to me."

Pyrrha pursed her lips from her seat. "My parents were always supportive of me," she stated. "But I don't think they understood how hard it was to make your own identity with all the attention I had growing up. Be the model student, the perfect celebrity, someone the kids would look up to," the former champion took a deep breath. "I was…not completely unhappy to be the perfect daughter for them. But it wasn't easy for me either. And sometimes, I wish I had the courage I do now to say I wanted to be more than Mistral's Invincible Girl."

"I guess that's something this James guy doesn't get yet," Ruby said. "We're kids still. We're not supposed to be just what our dads or moms are. We're supposed to be what we are. And we're…we're pretty great, I guess. I mean, Jaune made a ballista! That is so cool! How could you not think that was amazing?!"

Ruby gushed while the others added in little comments of their own; how their parents liked spicy things and they didn't. How they didn't know their way around a garage, but the teens knew how to practically give birth to a motorcycle. Some liked crime films, they liked romances. The list went on and on. But the love some had for their parents, still with them or lost, was evident in each of their words, even if they wouldn't admit it so much in words.

The Captain watched from the front. "Yeah," he said quietly to himself. "Parents are pretty great, aren't they…"

Clover frowned at his chief. "You can't stop him, James. You can only prepare him." His chieftain didn't react immediately. Eyes to the floor, thoughts heavy as befitting the man of his position. Of a chief and a father. "Look, I know it seems hopeless. But the truth is you won't always be around to protect him," that stirred the man from his spot. "He's going to get out there again. He's probably out there right now!"

James looked again to his oldest friend. Really looked at him.

Lost leg. Mangled arms. Imagining how lesser Vytalians would not have been so lucky. Imagining his son in such a situation – brought to the earth without him around for protection. Without training or the means to defend himself.

His eyes narrowed under such dark thoughts. The choice now was obvious.

"Guess it's hard being a leader and father at the same time," Ruby said aloud.

"One sounds strenuous on its own," Blake agreed. "Both together? Must be a nightmare. Especially if your kid is a little…problematic…" She shifted her eyes from the screen and to the floor. She knew all about being a problem child.

Pyrrha looked sadly up to the troubled man. "Heavy is the crown," she said softly, offering only a light nod to him. "Always so very heavy…"

On the other side of the island, towards the dense forests of Raven Point, Jaune stomped his feet around through mud and bark. His eyes drifted upwards, in search of damage to the area, of dark shapes or dangerous monsters, whilst occasionally turning his gaze down to a crude map he had constructed of the local area in a leathery journal. Many spots had several crude x's drawn into them; spots searched without luck for his fallen prize.

"Oh, the gods hate me…" He mumbled, pursed lips and closing the book shut with a clap. "Some people lose their knife or their mug. But no, not me. I manage to lose AN ENTIRE DRAGON?!"

It was just his luck. His rotten, incredible, undeniably bad luck.

Frustrated, he swatted at branch. The branch swung back right in his face.

"Ghah!"

"Phht. Yeah, this guy's got a lot more in common with our Jaune then the other ones did," Yang snickered quietly in her seat. "Way to go, Dragon Boy. Keep looking cool!"

"Yang, don't be mean," Ruby rebuked, though she was also snorting behind her fingers. "That's m-my best friend you're making fun of!" She paused. "Well, sort of. Kind of. You get what I mean."

It was not one of his smoother moments. His eye caught the branch, almost quite literally so, before his eyes fixed on the rather low hanging stem curiously.

He'd walked this forest's path at least a hundred times. That branch hadn't been so oddly torn like that before…

No. Not torn. Not even a branch. The tree itself looked as if it had been skewered at its center. Nearly split right down the middle.

No animal of the islands could ever make such a mark.

Jaune's eyes looked to where half the tree pointed. The ground around it was distorted. Grass upturned and nothing now but dirt, as if a massive plow, drawn by four oxen, had shoved its way through. And finally, a few of the other, skinnier trees had been broken in half, as well. Messily. Harshly.

Jaune stared down the direction of torn up forest. It was as good an arrow as any.

"Ooooh, I've got a good feeling about this! Sally forth, Fearless Leader!"

It didn't take him long to scurry down the drawn dirt. Small as he was, he wasn't completely helpless enough to not follow such an obvious trail. Down the makeshift path, scurry across the way, up the small hill and over the rocks and-

There was dragon there.

"Gyah!" Jaune gasped, diving to the dirt and behind the hill. His breath caught his throat. Eyes wide and panting.

It didn't see him, right?

He chanced another glance over after a few moments. He could see a wing. Dark as night, leathery and wide. Unmoving.

He chanced a look further over. Scales. Ebony in color. A long tail at the back. Four-legged, like a Zippleback, but thicker-legged like a Gronkle and positioned more like a wild cat. And then there was its head; rounder and softly pointed. Not quite what Jaune might have imagined from such a fantastic and vicious beast, but somehow it fit more closely to how the body proportioned itself.

The rope of his bola was coiled tightly from leg and wing.

"He's beautiful…"

"Yang, you're drooling."

"Don't care," she cooed. "I think I'm in love…"

Jaune drew his knife. A bit dainty in the hands of any Vytalian warrior, but effectively sized for his personal use. Mostly to sharpen pencils, some leather, or carve a particularly tough bit of meat on rarer moment. Now it would be used for its original intention; protecting his scrawny rear end.

He dived behind rocks and boulders as he worked his way down further to the downed creature. The Night Fury, in all it's terrible presence. He would have appreciated the moment if half his stomach didn't want to relinquish last night's dinner.

But then, he eyed the creature past the last boulder between himself and the beast. And the creature remained still.

"Oh, wow," he whispered. His knife hand lowered as he walked towards it. "I did it. I-I-I actually did it! Oh, this fixes everything!" His smile could have split his face in two. He raised his boot and placed it on top of the creature's hide. "Yes! I have brought down this might beast-"

The leg of said might beast kicked him.

"GYAH!"

"Wuaauum…"

"The trained and wizened hunter always knows to approach even the most defeated of creatures with caution," Ren nodded up to the panicked boy. "A lesson I learned the hard way. And, apparently, so has Jaune."

"Ah, who cares!" Nora yelled excitedly. "He took down the dragon! Can you say 'the-most-awesome-leather-boots' ever?!" The excitable girl stood up from her chair, throwing her arm up. "Go Jaune! Tear it's heart out!"

The Captain corked his head ever so slightly in her direction.

Jaune fell off the creature. More like stumbled, truthfully. Right back to the boulder he hid behind not a moment before.

The Night Fury groaned and warbled. Shaking and stirring in the bola, it was unable to move. It didn't even seem aware of how his capturer was only a few feet away, holding his knife out towards him, ready for any semblance of a fight to start.

But none did.

The dragon breathed. Alive, but downed. Unable to wiggle its way from its trappings.

The boy drew closer again. Panting still, knife held out. The ropes still held, clearly enough, and as he made to step up next to the beast's stomach, his eyes glanced cautiously up to the monster's eyes.

Yes, eyes. Its eyes were open now; a slitted pair of emerald orbs. Staring intensely back to the Vytalian.

It warbled on the ground.

Jaune eased his breathing. Knife still held out. Face tightening. This was it. This was his time.

"He's got this," Ruby said, anticipation in her eyes. "He's gonna do it!"

"Hell yeah!" Yang screamed with her sister. "Dragon-slaying Jaune Arc for the win! Dig that knife right in there and get yourself a girlfriend!"

"Hmm. Someone like you?"

"Blake, shutty…"

"You can do it Jaune!" Pyrrha clapped enthusiastically. "Make your father proud! Bring him its head!"

"At least give it the dignity of a clean kill," Weiss said, crossing her arms and nodding. "It's an impressive monster. Almost a pity, really. It deserves respect in how it is dealt with, though. Make it quick and painless."

The Captain craned his head even further around to look at the others.

"I'm going to kill you, dragon," he whispered harshly. "I'm gonna- I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father." He closed his eyes. Breathing deeply. "I am a Vytalian," he said, then stared at the beast's own eyes. They stared impassively back. For reasons he didn't understand, the look drew Jaune's ire. "I AM A VYTALIAN!"

"Yeah, you are! Go Vytalian Jaune!"

"Grooommm…"

He ignored the creature's groans. He held the knife high. High over his head, pointed down, ready to strike. His face – stiff and aggressive. He took a last, drawn breath and then…

Jaune looked back down to the creature's eyes.

The Night Fury held his gaze. Its eyes widened only so slightly. It didn't shake or stir or fight against the curled rope around his limbs. Simply twisted its neck only slightly more to see what was about to happen.

Jaune raised the knife again.

The dragon decided to lower his head then with a warble from its maw. Defeated and accepting.

He held the knife high. For a good, long, drawn moment.

And then…

"Come on, Jaune. Come on…"

"Bring it down quick. Make your father proud."

"Do it. Doooo iiiiitttt…"

"I wonder if Night Fury leather pants are a thing…"

"Kill it, Jaune! Kill it!"

His hands fell to rest on the top of his head.

His eyes closed and a tired breath left his lungs. The knife no longer positioned to strike.

"What the hell?!"

"Jaune! No! That's not how you do it!"

"Maybe he wants to strangle it? Strangle it, Jaune! Strangle it good!"

The rest of the students, even the more composed and quieter of the seven, had comments to say about the lack of conviction in Jaune's actions.

The Captain continued to stare at the overly eager Hunters and Huntresses around him. He didn't even seem interested in the happenings on screen anymore.

Jaune lowered his hands after a moment. He looked down to the accepting creature, wrap in his own work, then down to the knife. His eyes stung and his balance felt shaken.

"I did this…" he whispered. He turned around, looking back to the hill. He could have just walked away. No need for any of this.

But he hesitated again. His eyes went down to the downed beast again.

Then, he started the cutting ropes.

"OH MY GOD!"

"HE'S A MORON!"

"Maybe he wants to give it a fair chance-?"

"NO! NO, HE IS NOT! HE'S SETTING IT FREE BECAUSE NO MATTER THE UNIVERSE, JAUNE ARC DOES THINGS LIKE THIS AND EXPECTS MERCY FOR HIS…HIS…ABSOLUTE DUMBASSERY!"

This was crazy. This much, Jaune knew. Still, the knife he'd been wanting to use a minute ago to kill the beast was now actively attempting to set it free.

One rope cut. The wing it had wrapped around was loose.

A second rope came quickly after the first. The back legs of the Night Fury relaxed a little more comfortably to the earth.

Then a third rope. Jaune didn't even have a second to appreciate the admittedly quick work he did in cutting through his own device when his previous captive decided then that enough was enough. The beast pounced. It rose from the dirt faster than the boy could follow, pressing it's clawed foot down onto him, driving him back into the rocks. Hard and firm, but not crushing. The full weight would have had him finished before he realized he couldn't breathe. The wicked pair of eyes which belonged to the Night Fury glared death down at him with such, well, fury that the air seemed to grow warm and heavy by the boy's face.

He was going to die, he realized. He was going to die because he was an idiot.

"You're an idiot!"

The Night Fury held its gaze down to the panicked boy for several long, terrible moments. Simply inspecting the boy as he cringed and wallowed under its claws. Almost as if it was subjugating the teen to the same indignities it had experienced not a moment before.

But such things were impossible. Surely, they were.

It was a dragon. A beast. A reptile. A simple creature where such emotions would undoubtedly be beyond it.

Right?

Eventually, however' the monster seemed to grow tired of it's tormenting of the poor Vytalian. Slowly, it raised itself higher off the ground. Wings spread wide, mouth opening, a great bout of air being sucked into its lungs. An obvious showing of intention; to kill him. To kill Jaune of Vytal.

"See? See?! This is why you never show mercy to the enemy!" Yang stepped up from her chair, glaring in every imaginable way at the boy on screen. "You don't hesitate, you don't let the dragon go from your trap, and you most certainly don't get taken out a second later by the SAME DRAGON! YOU…YOU…YOU…!"

Yang's eyes had gone red. Her face too. And she could only watch as the boy looked his own doom right in the eye.

The Night Fury moved to stand on its hindlegs. It reared his head back, took a good bit more air, and then-

"OH, YOU- JAUNE, YOU ABSOLUTE MORO-"

"GWWAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

The room shook. The room shook from the sheer cry of the Night Fury.

And the teenagers were quiet.

The power of the roar sent Yang back to fall on her rear, failing to collapse back into her seat and winding up on the floor. Her eyes went wide, staring up to the screen and finding her breath suddenly absent from her lungs. The chill that ran down her spine and through her body felt unnerving and unfamiliar to the usually brash, fearless and tough Huntress in the making. Her legs refused to proper herself back to her chair; feeling numb and uncooperative, they laid out in front of her. Immobile and with only the faintest of shakes.

The rest of the room was little different.

Blake sank into her chair. The bow on her forehead twitched. Weiss went from furious and scathing to quiet and stricken. Ruby actually flinched, looking around the room as if expecting the roof to collapse from the noise. Pyrrha's hands gripped the sides of her seat and leaned forward; stunned but unwilling to look away from the beast and her alternate partner's predicament. Ren's reaction was perhaps the most subtle, with him looking stoic and unfazed not a moment after the roar began, but quick eyes would see he was just as taken aback by the sheer power of the sound as the rest.

And Nora? Nora went stiff, collapsed in her seat, stared up for a moment at the dragon before gazing downwards.

"…Oh, thank God," she muttered. "Thought I needed a new pair of pants."

The Night Fury's cry probably echoed for miles around. The way Jaune's bones shook certainly gave credence to such a feat. But he wasn't dead.

He wasn't dead. That didn't seem right.

The boy hadn't even got the ringing out of his ears before the weight on his chest was gone. Quick like lightning, the Night Fury had dashed into the trees, in-and-out of sight before Jaune could even react. The only sign that…that…that had even happened and was not some conjuration of his overly vivid imagination was the sounds of the dragon's wings in the distance, followed by the groans and wails of Hel's favorite child moving away.

Jaune waited for a moment before standing. The Night Fury was gone. Truly and actually leaving him alive.

Huh.

He plucked his knife from the grass and made for the hill before he promptly realizing again – past the tightness in his chest, the still vibrant sound in his ears, and the ongoing difficulties with breathing – he wasn't dead. Emphasis on the opposite spectrum of being dead.

Jaune of the isles of Vytal, scrawniest Vytalian in generations, was not dead by the Night Fury. Somehow.

With that impossible thought in mind, Jaune took two steps, lost control of his legs, and figured a bout of shock-induced unconsciousness wasn't the worst thing that could happen to him then and promptly fell.

"Ugh-uh-uhhhhhaa…"

Silver lining? The cold grass felt really good on his sweat-drenched face.

Every student of Beacon watched as their alternate-universe friend/teammate/associate fell in a heap on the ground. The seven still remained stunned and perplexed by

"So, uh," Ruby was the first to speak up, "that was…that was…somethin'."

"Y-yeah," Weiss nodded. "That was…loud. A-and quite surprising."

"Indeed," Ren picked at one of his ears. "I honestly expected the Night Fury to seek vengeance on his capturer. It is most fortunate that Jaune escaped as he did."

"Escaped?" Pyrrha quizzically, looking towards her teammate. "Or was set free?"

"I don't think dragons have the intelligence to make such a decision. It's a reptile, after all."

"I'm not so sure…"

"It really depends on the species of dragon," Yang piped in from her seat. She'd finally managed to work her legs back into working order and sat on the much more comfortable cushions. "Some are like any other animal or even like the Grimm. Some can be intelligent enough to recognize patterns and people. And some can even speak and have the wisdom of ages. They're the most powerful and are practically gods amongst us mortals." Mega-nerding Yang seemed rather pleased with her dragon-lore understanding. "I can't really say what the Night Fury was, though. But it didn't kill Jaune so…" She shrugged. "Still a risk, if you ask me. Should have gone for the head and not taken the chance."

"I'm a little surprised at you, Ms. Xiao-Long."

The seven teens turned their heads at the new arrival to their conversation. The Captain, still with his eyes towards them, looked directly at Yang.

"I thought you were an…an avid admirer of dragons," he put it politely. "But you seemed rather eager to see the Night Fury killed. I-I hope I'm not being too out of term, and I-I'm sure your reasons are your fair," he waved his hands quickly in her direction, meaning no insult to her. "But I'm just a bit flabbergasted, is all. Being an enthusiast, I thought you would have wanted the creature to alive."

"Oh, for sure, I'm a fan," Yang said, looking down to their host with a smirk. "But here's the rub: dragons are kind of the magnum opus of monster slaying. You just can't top it. Kill a dragon and you basically peak on life. I mean, that Night Fury wasn't as big as a mountain, couldn't call up storms with its roar, and definitely didn't look divine as if it was blessed by forty-two deities in ritualistic harmony-"

Cough, cough. "Super dork." Cough, cough.

"-but it's still freakin' awesome. So I gotta encourage my sister's best bud to do the deed." She turned her head and sent a hard glare over to Nora, who whistled innocently and avoided the look altogether.

"That is an unusual way of seeing things."

"Eh. Kinda goes back to how I was taught growing up," Yang shrugged. "It's how everyone at Signal was taught, come to think of it. First rule we learned was that a Hunter or Huntress does not show mercy to their enemies. It's not really something a we need. Grimm are tough, mean, and really want to end the world. They'll drag you away to be torn to shreds, rip your throat out, take away your family if you let them – my teachers really didn't sugarcoat it."

"Our uncle used to say to us," Ruby pitched in, "'give unto them a hundred times what they'd take from you. They'll never stop so you shouldn't stop. That's what it means to be a Huntsman; never giving up even when the rest of the world does'," almost everyone around the small leader looked surprised at her.

"He seems like a very wise uncle," Ren complimented.

"Yeah, you'd think. But then he'd offer to buy us a six-pack if we got all A's on our report cards. Dad never liked that."

"Hm. Well, your sister does enjoy her alcohol. I'm sure it must have seemed like a good reward-"

"Yang was nine at the time."

"Oh…never mind then."

"Leave a Grimm alive and on average they will kill at least two-point-three humans in even it's limited lifespan," Weiss added in to the previous conversation. "The same lessons were taught in Atlas. The world is hard so you have to be hard back. If you get pushed, push back. It's simply the way of the world."

"Life out on the roads and wilds aren't much different," Blake admitted, crossing her arms. "There's a lot of 'kill or be killed' lessons passed down. Not just for the Grimm, either. It's a free-for-all in some places; bandits, gangs, organized crime…terrorists. Remnant has more problems then just a few monsters. Some of those monsters look like us."

The Captain was silent as each spoke. He gave each his attention, offering no sign of his own thoughts beside the small nod or dipping of his head. Not for the first time, the teams wished that he would take off his hood to make it easier for themselves.

"Are you alright, Captain?" Pyrrha inquired, tilting her head and looking over their host. She figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. "You seem…quiet. Is everything well?"

The Captain careened his hooded face towards the kind Invincible Girl after a moment. Took a longer moment after that to gather his words. "Oh, yes, Ms. Nikos," he said finally with a jolly tone. "I-I'm just having a little…culture shock, I guess. Your viewpoints on your world are…illuminating."

The redhead raised her brow. "How so?"

"Hmm," the Captain hummed. "Well it…it's just that I…" He stuttered. His head turned to the ground. He looked left. He turned right. Then he lifted his gaze up again. "It's nothing. Really," he waved his hand and tried to drive away the uncomfortable air in the room. "For now, how about we continue on, hmm?"

He didn't wait for an answer.

It was some hours after the harrowing experience that Jaune managed to make his way back to the village and to his home. He was quiet, tormented by every thought about the experience, and made effort to avoid anyone and everyone. A teen with better luck would have had the chance to make it back to their bedroom, lock the door behind them, and fade away to sweet unconsciousness without their single parent the wiser.

But Jaune's was a foul and terrible thing.

James sat by the center firepit of their home, quietly pensive in his own thoughts as he stoked. Jaune tried the front door – naively thinking the man would remain with the other Vytalians in the rebuilding efforts – and tried to silently slip past the mountain of a man.

"Jaune."

Jaune cringed halfway up the stairs.

"Ha," Yang laughed. "Yeah, I've had that happen before. Dads always seem to have ESP or somethin' when it comes to sneaking back home after curfew. Totally freaky."

"Dad!" He yelped. "Hey, uh…I, I have to talk to you, Dad."

James turned to his boy. "I need to speak with you too, son."

Both men hesitated, avoiding the other's gaze and taking long, deep breaths.

"I think it's time-"

"-I don't want-"

"-to fight dragons."

The father and son stopped.

"What?" They both asked.

"Ah, you go first," James offered.

"N-no, no, you go first," Jaune stuttered, stepping back down the stairs.

"…Alright," James took another deep breath. "You get your wish. Dragon Training. You start in the morning."

The teen's eyes widened. "Oooh, man, I should've gone first," he practically cried. "Uh, 'cause I was thinking, you know, we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vytalians, but do we have enough…bread-making Vytalians? Or, or small home repair Vytalians-?"

"You'll need this," James passed him an axe. It sunk in the boy's scrawny arms.

"Ahh, I-I-I don't want to fight dragons…" Jaune tried fruitlessly. His father just laughed and shook his head.

"Hohoho, come on now! Yes, you do."

"Uh, let me try to rephrase: Dad, I can't kill dragons."

"But you will kill dragons," the larger man said with an encouraging tone.

"No," Jaune shook his head, "I'm really very extra sure I won't."

His father pursed his lips under that brilliant beard of his. "It's time, Jaune."

"C-can you not hear me?!"

Weiss tilted her head. "This is starting to remind me of conversations I've had with my father…"

"This is serious, son!" No more games. No more silliness. "When you carry this axe," he lifted the weapon from the boy's struggling grasp, "you carry all of us with you." He handed it back. Gods, the thing was heavier than it looked! "Which means you walk like us. You talk like us. You think like us. No more of…" He waved his hands in his son's direction. "…this."

Jaune was unamused. "You just gestured to all of me…"

"Deal?" James asked.

"This conversation is feeling very one-sided -"

"DEAL?!" The chieftain pressed on. This was a serious moment. No more sarcasm. No more jokes. It was a now or never moment.

Jaune understood this. Still couldn't help himself when he rolled his eyes. "Deal…"

"Yep. Definitely like the conversations with father."

James nodded. "Good," he lifted a large sack over his shoulder. "Train hard. I'll be back. Probably." A warrior-leader going off to war. Jaune had seen it happen enough times in his youth to know what was happening. Back into the mists James of the Ironwoods went.

He'd be back. Almost definitely.

He was less sure of himself, however. "And I'll be here…" he mumbled. "Maybe…"

The front door closed behind his father, leaving the boy alone by the firepit, holding an ill-sized axe in his hands.

The firelight faded and the screen turned black. And once more, the lights returned slowly.

"Alright, so I suppose we can scratch off 'dragons' on our list of impossible things we've seen today," Pyrrha joked with a little laugh. "What's next, Captain?"

"Next?" Repeated said Captain, standing from his seat with a stretch. "Next is dinner time. Get some fuel in us before we dabble into some of the real crazy universes out there."

"Oh, food sounds good," Ruby commented, clutching at her stomach. "I could really go for something meaty and messy. Spaghetti and meatballs? And for dessert, something with strawberries?"

"I wouldn't mind some of that lobster you had in the theater's foyer," Weiss mentioned. "And some more of that Mistralian Red you gave me before, if that would be fine. That was actually quite wonderful to taste and I wouldn't mind a little more."

"Do you have any salmon?"

"I'd settle for that spaghetti. Extra meatballs and lots of sauce."

"Do you have a stew you'd recommend. I haven't the faintest idea why, but I'd like some stew…"

"Chicken! Turkey! Meat-something!"

"Hmm. I like the salmon idea. With rice, if it wouldn't be too much trouble."

The Captain simply laughed. "I'm sure I can accommodate everyone's-"

"Hello?"

The Captain paused. So did everyone else.

"Is anyone there?"

The occupants of the room glanced around the room. The sound was faint but most certainly were words. Male in tone, even. Hollowed sounding and distant, but somehow still close and echoing.

Ruby's silver eyes jumped around the room. "Hey, Captain?" She squeaked. "There, uh, there aren't any ghosts or anything here, right?"

"Not since the last time I checked…" The hooded man answered carefully, carefully looking around the room as well.

His answer did nothing to assuage the girl's worries. "Oh. Not last you checked, huh? Well, that's good. Right? Ah-ha-ha. Haaah. Haaa-ooooh…"

"Can anyone hear me?! Hellooooo?!"

"Mr. Wukong, please stop that."

A new voice. A female. Older tone. Commanding. Recognizable.

Blake blinked from her seat, her bow twitching on her head. "Wait, I recognize that voice…"

\-\ JELLYBEAN /-/

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Coco repeated attempted to batter in the doors of the new room with gusto and gritted teeth. Her shoulder and side hit harshly at the doorway, hoping to make even a slight beat against it with no luck even after repeated attempted. The door refused to give way no matter how she shoved herself. And then her previous push-partner had decided that screaming out for help or to whomever occupied wherever they were at was a better use of his time.

Until Professor Goodwitch put a stop to him.

"We do not know where we are or what the situation is like, Mr. Wukong," the professor scolded, narrowing her eyes down at him as he looked around the grand hall of…wherever they were. Clearly not Beacon anymore. "Until we do properly grasp our whereabouts, please remain quiet and continue to help Ms. Adel with the doors. They seem unusually well-attached."

"Shouldn't we call for help then?!" He asked. "This is freaking me out!"

Glynda pursed her lips, looking over to her older student. "Ms. Adel, on second though you may stop now. Those door doesn't seem to be cooperating with you. Save your strength." The younger woman obliged, rolling her shoulder as she did and walking over to the pair. "And to answer you, Mr. Wukong, please take out your scroll for a moment." The boy did very quickly. "Good. Do you have a signal?"

Sun looked down at his device, pressing several numbers and staring at his screen. "The number you have dialed is unavailable. Please try again later or move to your nearest Cross Continental Transmit System for further assistance or a potentially stronger signal. Please take-" The exchange student from Haven hung up.

"I got nothin'."

"As do I," Glynda raised her own device. "We seem to be in some sort of dead zone for our scrolls at the moment-"

"Oh, why did you have to say 'dead'?"

"-so we will have to rely on our wits and current capabilities until we are rescued or someone is aware of our present circumstances." From seemingly the void itself, Glynda procured a long rod from behind her back. A riding crop, specifically, and held it in her hand. "Ms. Adel, is that your usual armament you are carrying with you today?"

Coco smirked. "Never go anywhere without it," she patted the handbag at her side, which was held by her shoulder with a thin strap.

Glynda nodded, pleased. "Mr. Wukong? Are you armed?"

"Ah, no, actually," Sun looked a little sheepish then. "I didn't think I needed to bring it to a meeting with another school's teacher. Thought it might be a little weird if I did."

The vice-headmistress pursed her lips. "Understandable," she admitted. "Well, then you will provide backup and support while Ms. Adel and I provide frontal defense." Glynda turned her focus towards the twin stairs leading around the fountain of the room, marching towards the marble flooring in the hopes some clue to the situation might be divulged.

The two students watched her for a moment before Coco turned her eyes to her new temporary partner.

She smirked, pulling her glasses down and offering him a flirty-confident wink. "Don't you worry one-bit, freshie," she said. "Just stick by me. I'll give you and your abs all the protection they need."

Despite the situation, Sun managed a small laugh. "Me and my abs can't say enough how much we appreciate it."

"Step lightly," Glynda called. "Cover my flank and watch for any unusual-"

Ding.

Professor Goodwitch paused just before the staircase. So did her students. Their eyes went to the second floor where the small noise originated. Right at the top of the stairs, a pair of doors started to move and spread out into the walls. An elevator, the answer was obvious. What was not so obvious was what might have been inside…

Glynda stepped back. Sun lowered himself, readying for anything. Coco's fingers danced at the side of her bag, ready to pull.

The sound of quickly tapping boots echoed out into the entrance hall. At the top of the balcony over looking the room, a dark figure stepped into view. Tall, dressed in an ebony robe with numerous patterns, like something an aristocrat might have decided was fashionable some four-hundred years ago. Leather gloves on his hands, a pulled over hood that hid the owner's face even in the room's lighting. An unusual aura and presence that seemed oddly fitting for such an extravagant entryway.

The figure stood there menacingly for a small moment. Staring down at the teacher and students quietly.

Then, quickly, he raised his hand, causing the three tense up in expectation, and waved back-and-forth down to them.

"Greetings!" The figure called out to them. "Hello!"

The welcoming shout was unexpected to say the least. The students blinked in surprise while the more professional Glynda remained on guard.

Sun's eyes glanced between teacher and figure a few times. Then, slowly, he waved back. "Ah, h-hi."

"Hi!" The figure repeated back, continuing to wave. "How are you?"

How are you? "Uhm, uh, g-good, I think?" Was that the right answer here?

"Good!" The figure repeated back. "Good that you're good! That's always good! Definitely keep being good!" The figure's hand kept waving. "Hahaha!" Now he was laughing. Very forcibly. "Hahaha! Hah! Ha. Ha. Ha…" The hand was still waving, what the hell? "H-how are you…?"

Now he was repeating himself. "I-I'm still doing good-"

"Mr. Wukong, be quiet," Glynda hissed, stepping forward and pointing her riding crop forward. "And you. Who are you? Where are we?"

"Oh, thank you," the figure said, letting out a long breath. "Someone who knows how to take control of a conversation. Thank you so much." The figure paused for a moment, hooded face turning to the side and seeing his still waving hand. He pulled the hand down with his other, looking suddenly stiff and glancing around, as if expecting someone to speak up about his fit of awkwardness.

Glynda's eyes narrowed. Either they were dealing with a fool, now, or a man playing the role of an awkward idiot. She would not drop her guard. "Answer my questions," she shouted up to him again. "Who are y-"

"Ughh…"

A groan. From the upper level. Pained and agonized. Unsettling.

Glynda and her students tensed. The students eyed the surrounding area, looking for any sign of the sound's origin.

"Ooooh…" There it was again. But this one sounded different. Its pitch was lighter.

"Hmmm…" Another one. Several groaning voices. But from where?

The answer came soon after. From the balcony beside the dark man, a hand slapped onto the stone railing for leverage. Someone pushed themselves up from the ground. Someone with long, dark hair, wearing a bow. "Ca-Captain, I…oof…I really hate your elevator…"

"Same." Another voice ground out from somewhere on the second level.

"Ditto." Another.

"I think I'm starting to get what Jaune's motion sickness feels like."

"It's probably a good thing I didn't eat anything before going on…on…ummf."

"I don't want to go back on the elevator, Renny. I won't. You can't make me."

"Mom? Is that you mom? I'm comin' mom…"

The sounds of aggravated individuals were heard clearly even on the second floor. Glynda raised her brow at the pained sounds while Coco looked decidedly unsure of what the hell was going on. Sun opted to ignore the other voices and focus on the person now struggling to stand beside the dark figure.

"B-Blake?!" He shouted.

The dark-haired girl on the balcony lifted her pale face up from its downed place and followed the sound of the voice calling for her. It took her only a moment, and second of focusing her eyes, to see who it was.

"Sun?!"

"SUN?!" Came a loud yell from several other voices from the second level. One by one, several more teenagers pushed themselves up from the cold marble floorings and looked out over the room to see that it was, in fact, Sun. And he wasn't alone.

"Holy crap," Yang yelled, balancing herself against the balcony like her partner. "That is Sun! How the hell?!"

"H-hey! That's Velvet's friend!" Ruby shouted, wearily waving her hand out to Coco. "Hey, Velvet's friend! I know you! How are you doi- how are you here?!" She still seemed a little out of it.

Coco, for her part, actually looked somewhat confused and perplexed by…well, everything. "Uh, hey, uh, R-Ruby, I think? Yeah, you look like a Ruby. And I'm, uh, good? Pretty good?" Was she good? Who cares. "It's Coco, by the way. And I really have absolutely no clue what I'm doing here."

"Oh, hey, that makes sense. I still don't get how we got here either."

"Ah. Cool. No worries then." When in doubt, act like you've seen it all.

"Hey, Goodwitch is here, too!" Nora waved down to Glynda, who lowered her riding crop only slightly. "Hey! Hey, Goodwitch! Hiii! I'm up here!" The bubbly girl had the worst experience with the elevator. Nachos and cheese did not mix well with high-speed elevators.

"That is Professor or Miss Goodwitch to you, Ms. Valkyrie," Glynda said sternly, eyes never shifting from the dark man. "And you still haven't answered my questions."

"I'm getting a sense of déjà vu. Is anyone else?"

"Who are you? Where are we? And what are you doing with my students?" The last question came with a low, dangerous tone to it.

The dark man didn't seem to notice and answered her simply. "I'm the captain. They call me Captain. We're on the Jellybean. And your students are here to watch movies with me!" His tone was still so light and friendly. Like a child having his first sleepover with friends. It was almost disarming.

These answers were not the ones Glynda was expecting. Her eyes finally shifted to the now standing Blake, who still blinked confusedly down at them. "Ms. Belladonna?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you answer my questions instead?"

Blake looked decidedly confused. "He's the captain. We call him Captain," she repeated back down, pressing on even under the narrowing eyes of Glynda. "We're right now on the Jellybean. It's a spaceship," she felt she needed to clarify. "And we've been watching movies for…a couple hours now? Has it really been that long?" She asked up to her host.

"Time flies when you're having fun!"

"Okay, enough of this," Glynda was beginning to lose her temper. This whole situation was off. She needed to regain control. "Students, gather yourselves together. We're leaving," she pointed her riding crop a little higher. "Release us. I will only ask once."

"Did you try the doors?" Asked the Captain.

"They won't open."

"Try pulling at the doors," interjected one of her students. "We found that out the hard way."

"Pull at the- alright, thank you, Ms. Schnee. Now please, quickly come down."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Goodwitch," Pyrrha spoke up then, straightening herself properly and looking somewhat apologetic. "But I'm afraid leaving now may be…difficult."

"The doors are right behind me, Ms. Nikos. It would be a small matter for us all to force ourselves out."

"Wouldn't matter," Weiss spoke up again. "Also found that out the hard way."

"Yeah, Professor," Yang said down to her. "If you give us a minute, we can explain why leaving here may not be in the cards for a while."

Glynda was just about out of fuse before she decided to just carry the two teams away over her head. "I very much doubt that, Ms. Xiao-Long."

One minute later…

"Alright. Perhaps I may have been a tad quick to doubt you…"

The three newer arrivals to the Jellybean stared out over the universe from the doors of the Jellybean with nothing short of wide eyes, opened mouths and disbelief written all over their faces. The Captain stood to the side, hands in his pockets, while some of the others from Team RWBY and JNPR had decided to give another look out into the impossible beauty of the universe.

"At least you didn't walk right out into space," Yang laughed. "Weiss-cream had a little tumble and was the first person in Remnant to do a spacewalk. We're all a little jealous."

"Oh, haha," said heiress rolled her eyes. "Walk out of a spaceship without a spacesuit once and they never let you forget it…"

Glynda straightened herself up and stepped away from the doorway. She looked over to her students, to the universe, to the Captain, back to the universe, then once more at the Captain. She swallowed deeply. "Perhaps," she started slowly, "I was a tad too quick to discount your answers on the exact nature of where we are."

The Captain shrugged. "Can't blame you. This place is weird sometimes. Even to me," he waved his hand off to the side. "Anyway, I'll explain everything I can if you want. These guys certainly had some questions between them," he pointed his thumb to the earlier arrivals. "I promise, though, I can make this whole experience, eh, modestly adjustable towards. Just give me a little time to go over everything and please don't smack me with that riding crop. That looks like it might hurt."

The older teacher nodded slowly. She positioned herself in front her students, regardless, making a wall of herself between the youths and the dark man. He was an unknown obstacle who very well might have abducted them. He was potential danger. And in addition, regardless of the nature of what was happening, the absurdity of the situation was causing her mind to jump at just about everything that had been explained up to now.

Jellybean-shaped spaceship. Atmospheric bubbles. Bigger on the inside. Weiss jumped out into space (she'd advise her to be more cautious later). If she was having this much difficulty – a woman of age, wisdom, and who had already experienced many abnormal situations in her time – then she could only imagine how the other two were taking it.

"So I'm one of the first girls to ever be in outer space," Coco remarked to herself, looking at a particular nebula with a smirk. "Yeah, I'm totally out of my zone here but this is too cool to pass up. Damn, I wish I had Velve's camera. She would not believe any of this. Oh, wait, does my Scroll's camera still work? I'm gonna get a selfie. Anyone else want in on this?"

Apparently, to Glynda's chagrin, some took to this new happenstance better than others.

"Yeah, I think I need time to process this," Sun wobbled a little on his feet. Blake was kind enough to lend her shoulder to the pale, wide-eyed teen. That was more of an appropriate reaction. "Are things spinning or is that just me? Oh, maybe I shouldn't have skipped lunch. I am feeling way too lightheaded for this."

"Oh! I can help with that!" The Captain clapped his hands together. "We were just about to start dinner. Please, join us!" He waved the three of them up enthusiastically. "Come, come! Have dinner with us! I make a mean Kulostoichie that I've been dying to show off to someone! Oh, and I guess I'll explain things, too, if you want…"

\-\ JELLYBEAN /-/

Not too much to say this time. Just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews, the favorites and the follows. Really encourages me forward. All my love to everyone who helps in that regard.

And for now, that's the end of How to Train Your Dragon. Again, sorry for the late-night upload. Work has been picking up. Might make this story an every two week update. Just to make it easy on me. Will keep you posted on that.

Anyway, onto the next movie! And then, an anime! Giving you two hints to both.

Hint 1: Brad Bird film.

Hint 2: This film was the biggest grossing film of all time in Japan until Titanic (1997)

Peace.

Next Chapter: 17th December (real world issues held me back)