Main theme: Can't Trust Anybody Now by Jeff Williams
Arc Theme: Shadowkeep from the Destiny 2: Shadowkeep soundtrack
Theme: Solitude from the Destiny 2: Shadowkeep soundtrack


He was standing on an open plain, next to a cliff as the trees swayed behind him. In the distance, the setting sun coloured the sky a mixture of yellow to orange to pink to purple, cresting down into its shelter, in between the two cleaved halves of Mountain Glenn.

What?

In the distance was Mountain Glenn, and it had...

It had been divided into two.

Down below, beyond the cliff, the ground was filled with old craters and long scar marks. The world was filled with fresh and old ravines, overgrowing with trees and vines and grassy fields. Further away, where he might've once been able to make out spires and skyscrapers within the walls of Vale... He could only make out nothing in the long distance.

Only ruins and a pile of rubble.

And yet, there were two people in front of him, looking out over the Vale-that-was-not-Vale, across the Remnant-that-was-not-Remnant. They were both-

FAMILIAR

-Yet-

DIFFERENT

-And yet also-

DIFFERENT

-Yet-

FAMILIAR

-And he couldn't understand why.

Couldn't, or wouldn't. The reason why was alien to him.

"We need to hide them," one of them said to the other.

"We need to protect them. We need to teach them how to protect themselves."

"Are you- We took them away to-"

"I know. But we can't keep her away forever. Sooner or later, she will come for them. Both of them will."

"Then we'll fight them."

"Do you hear yourself? We've tried fighting them head on, and it hasn't worked."

"It has to work!"

"And yet here we are."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"...I don't know. What we can. What's right-"

"Fuck what's right. Fuck what's right, and fuck what's wrong. Right and wrong: They've failed us. Let us down. Every time someone has said that they're 'Doing what's right', it's all been a load of horseshit so that they can justify all of the evils that they commit. To hell with what's right: We've done 'What's right' for years, and look where it's got us. I'm done with it all. I'm going to do what's good for me, you, and everyone else... We deserve that much."

"..."

"Don't we?"

"...You've changed."

"Yeah."

"I'm not sure if I like it."

"Yeah, well, these are my true feelings. You're just seeing it for the first time."

"I don't believe you for a second."

"...I'm tired."

"So am I."

"I just want to rest."

"So do I."

"...How much longer do we have to go on like this?"

"When we've bled ourselves of every sin, so that we might repay all of the wrongs that we have done, even if it is just a fraction."

And then, just as soon as the apparition had appeared before him...

It was gone.


His eyes woke up to darkness.

Jaune wasn't being metaphorical as much as he was being literal. It was still night out, and already he was wide awake. He checked the alarm on his scroll. Four A.M., A.K.A. way to early in the morning.

He couldn't sleep, that much was certain, at least. Initiation hadn't even started yet, and his nerves were already shot up.

Okay, that last part wasn't completely unusual for him, but still.

He needed to gather his mind. He needed to remind himself that he was still sane.

Just like always.

Pulling himself out of his sleeping bag- He still had his original outfit on, at least. In that he meant that he hadn't changed into his favourite onesie. He was just missing his cloak, which was currently draped over his bag- And doing his best not to wake up Nana (Who was still sleeping to his side) And the others in the ballroom, he began to tiptoe across the ballroom, over many sleeping bodies, blissfully unaware of the person walking over them. Through the darkness, aided by the barely enough moonlight that peered through the grand windows in the walls, he quietly slunk his way to the far wall, through the corridor, and into the men's toilets.

Letting the lights automatically turn on in the school bathroom, he firstly relieved himself in one of the toilets, and spent up to three minutes scrubbing his hands clean with soap. He never did trust public loos, after all. They were always filled with more germs than was needed.

He took a moment afterwards to look at himself in the wide mirror on the wall, to see the young, still naïve face staring back at him, in an incomplete set of armour, a pair of tacky trousers and a shirt, and nothing but a sword and blind hope.

Well, according to Nana, that was going to change tomorrow, what with her ordering more armour and a gun for him. He really needed to pay her back for all of this and that, even if she insisted that he didn't have to.

It would feel wrong of him to do so.

So far, he hadn't been kicked out yet. He hadn't been hounded on by by any of the teachers, and even though that stern looking one had looked like she wasn't pleased with him when he had been talking to that Pyrrha N-something person, she hadn't hunted him down across the school so that she could drag him away and throw him in a prison cell yet.

At least, she hadn't done so yet.

He slapped the sides of his head. No need to get so paranoid. Not yet at least, and not anymore than he already was. Right now, he just had to focus on getting through the school's initiation- Whatever the hell that was- And then somehow making it into Beacon proper.

No biggie.

No biggie at all.

Okay, maybe it was a biggie. Maybe it was a big biggie.

Jaune sighed to himself, which ended up coming out as a nervous shudder. Suffice to say-

STOP IT

Damn, it was happening again.

He groaned, and clamped his hands onto his ears, his nails digging into his skin and leaving marks, "Go away."

WE DON'T WANT TO

"Go away!"

WE'RE HERE WITH YOU, ALWAYS-

"Get out of my- AUGH!"

{CRACK}

He was surprised by the fact that he had punched the mirror in front of him, and even more so by the fact that he had left a spiderweb shape of cracks that formed in the middle of the reflective glass.

He looked down at his hand, and saw that it was smothered in glass made cuts and slices. The glove part was nibbled and torn, and dribbles of blood were beginning to pour out of the cuts of his unprotected fingers.

Dammit. He really didn't need this right now.

He took a few steps back, and then made his way through to the door out of the toilets, opening it up and making his way out into the hallway, taking in a deep breath, and then tweezing a visible shard of glass that had made it into his finger.

He hissed as he pulled it out, flicking the glass bit into a nearby public bin, before pressing the palm of his other hand against his bloodying knuckles and-

"Hey."

-Jumping out of his skin with a very manly yelp, as he wheeled around to see a onyx-haired boy with pink eyes, dressed in what looked like the pyjama version of a traditional Mistralian yukata, accompanied by a ginger-haired girl dressed in a black shirt with the word 'Boop' printed onto it, and a pair of pink shorts with white lightning bolts accenting it.

The pink haired boy blinked at Jaune's surprise, and then asked, "Can't sleep?"

"...No," Jaune said truthfully, "You?"

He pointed to his companion, "Nora can't sleep. And when Nora can't sleep, I can't sleep."

"Hey, I'm just so excited!" the cheery one- Nora- Went as she threw her arms out wide and went, "I mean, we're going to be able to kill as many Grimm as we want tomorrow! Or today, in fact! Just in a few hours! At least, I hope we are! I'd be shocked if we weren't! This is a school where we're going to be training to kill as many Grimm as we can't, so it'd be dumb if we weren't thrown into a pit and told to kill every Grimm that we see, right?"

"...Right," Jaune muttered out. This girl was one to look out for, it would seem.

The boy cocked his head to the side, pointed at his hand- Still being nursed in his other hand's palm- And asked, "What happened to your hand?"

"Huh?" Jaune went, before looking down at his hand, inspecting it as he pulled it out of his palm, and then hesitantly went, "I, er… I fell over?"

The boy then went, "You fell over and sent your hand into what sounded like a panel of glass? Because from what it sounded like from out here, you did just that."

"Er… I punched a mirror?" the pink-eyed boy raised an eyebrow, and Jaune withered, "...Please don't tell anyone, please. I only just got into this place, and it feels like my nerves are trying to murder me as violently and painfully as possible."

Nora smiled, and gave a thumbs-up, "Ah, don't sweat it, buddy! Me and Renny-"

"Ren and I."

"-Ain't no snitches! We've got your back," her face then changed into something more contemplative and serious, though, "But, are you... Are you sure that you're alright? No one else heard you, I think, but... You weren't sounding like you're at your best in there."

"...Yeah, I'm good. I'm alright," Jaune went, pressing his bloodying knuckles into his hand again, the knuckles beginning to glow (His aura, probably) As he then went, "I just... Got a few things going for me, is all... Is all..."

"...Alright then," Nora said, before looking back to 'Ren' and going, "Hey, since we can't sleep, can we go down to the cafeteria? I think they might have coffee down there!"

"Nora, no. You're not allowed coffee," Ren reprimanded, "Do you remember what happened last time you had coffee?"

"No I don't!"

"I do", Ren's face suddenly turned even stiller than it was before, and a faraway look adorned his face as he looked off into the distance, "And I never want to see it again..."

Jaune queered his head at their antics, and then, summoning all of the willpower within him-

GO FOR IT

-He went, "Hey, um... Is it... Is it alright if I follow- If I follow you guys? I need- Need someplace to wash my hands, and, well", he gestured his head to the bathroom, "Yeah..."

"Sure thing!" Nora chirped, whilst Ren just nodded.

"Ah, er, thanks, I mean-"

"New friend!"

"-Wait, whaaaaAAAAAUGH!"

That was the sound of an extrovert adopting an introvert.

"Aw, he's so awkward and punchy through mirror-sy!" Nora went as she pulled the poor boy that was Jaune into a bone crushing hug, "Ren, can we keep him? Can we can we?"

"Augh, stop it! I do not consent! I do not consent!"

"Nora, he doesn't consent."

"Aw, phooey," Nora pouted as she then let go of Jaune, letting him fall limply on the floor, before grabbing him by the hand, and dragging him along with her down the corridor to the cafeteria, "Welp, c'mon then, new friend! A bold new friendship awaits!"

As he was dragged along limply, Jaune heard the voices in his head go off again with, I LIKE THIS ONE

OF COURSE YOU WOULD


They finally found themselves within the barely lit cafeteria, only a few of the lights overhead and illuminating the vast dark world around them in long, stretching shadows. Everything looked so much more ominous in the dark-that-wasn't-completely-dark, like the shadows were just about to lunge out and snatch them away.

Maybe one day they would.

"The lights are on," Nora pointed out as she finally let go of Jaune, allowing the boy to get up and dust himself off, before she continued on with, "That must mean that- There!"

She pointed to the other side of the cafeteria, to see a girl with red hair, green eyes, and bronze clothing sitting by her lonesome, nursing in her hands a cup of... He couldn't tell from this distance, but it was a cup of something, alright.

"Oh my god", Nora squealed next to him, "That's Pyrrha Nikos!"

"Yes, Nora, yes it is."

"Ren, can we go talk to her? Can we can we can we?"

"As long as you don't make her uncomfortable, yes."

"Well, alright then, you guys... Er, do whatever you do, I guess," Jaune went as he began to trundle off, "I'm going to go, you know, wash my hands under a sink, or something," Ren gave him a nod in return, and with that, Jaune separated from them as they went to greet that Pyrrha Nikos woman, whilst he walked into the back of the kitchen, and began to run his hand under the sink's cold water.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he felt the droplets of blood wash away from his hands under the cool water, and the dull ache from his hands left him as he quickly spared a moment to tweeze and pull out the last shard of reflective glass in his hands, tossing it into another bin nearby as he wetted his hands once more under the running tap, before turning the tap off and pressing his hands against a paper towel, soaking up all of the water on his fingers, before throwing it away.

He thought about looking for plasters in the kitchen, but decided that they would be better serving other people. Besides, that aura of his was already healing his hand, so why bother? With that, he walked out of the back of the kitchen (His bad leg still stumbling underneath him as he moved), And into the wider cafeteria, skulking against the walls, and in the shadows, hoping that he wasn't seen by-

"Hey, new friend! Come join us!"

GO JOIN THEM

GO JOIN THEM

GO JOIN THEM

GO JOIN THEM

Dammit...

With a silent groan, he turned himself around, and hesitantly made his way towards the table that Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha were sharing. Did he really have to do this? Did he really have to socialise with people?

YES

Shut up, voice.

Hesitantly, he sat down on one of the spare seats at the table, and internally winced as Nora then cheered, "Yay! New friend has joined us! Glad that you could join us, er... New friend's name?"

"Eh?" he went, before going, "Oh, er, it's- It's Jaune Arc."

"John Arc?"

"No, it's- It's Jaune, not John. J-A-U-N-E. There's no O in it. Apparently it's old Valerian for yellow."

"Oh," Nora went, before tilting her head to the side, and going, "Why not just call you John, then?"

He put his hands up, "I-I don't know. People make that mistake so many- So many times that I always thought that my parents should've just called me that. I didn't choose my name, that's on my mum and dad."

Not a complete lie, but not the complete truth either.

"Nora, be nice," Ren reprimanded her, "Don't go making fun of people's names."

"Oh, er, sorry," Nora went, before seemingly remembering something, and going, "Oh, I'm Nora Valkyrie, leg-breaker extraordinaire-"

"Please don't introduce yourself to everyone as that."

"-And this," Nora patted the boy next to her, "Is Lie Ren."

"Oh, well, okay then," Jaune went, "Well, it's, er- It's nice to meet you, I guess, er, Lie and Nora."

'Lie' blinked, and Nora giggled.

"What? Did I- Did I do something wrong?"

"No no, it's nothing like that, it's just that what most people call me is 'Ren', not 'Lie'," Ren amended for him.

"Huh?"

"It's a tradition in rural Mistral", Nora jumped in with, "For families to have their last name before their first, instead of the opposite way around. At least in speech."

"Indeed", Pyrrha finally added into the conversation with, "In many parts of Mistral, families and collective wholes are considered more important than the individual person, and as such, the last name of a family is usually placed before the individual's name as a sign of this. Only close family members refer to each other by their first name instead of their last."

"That, and I've just found it to be more comfortable," Ren finished with, "I suppose that it's just a habit of mine."

"Like my eating pancakes and breaking legs habits?"

"Not as dangerous as that, no."

"Oh," Jaune went slowly, before looking at Ren and going, "Oh god I am so sorry, I didn't mean to disrespect you, or anything like-"

"It's quite alright, Jaune," Ren went, "Just like with your name, it seems, people make that assumption about mine all of the time."

"...Ah", Jaune sighed out, "Alright then", before turning finally to Pyrrha, and going, "And, um, it's- It's Pyrrha, er, Pyrrha Nikos, right? Hello. Hi."

"Hello there," Pyrrha waved to him, before looking down to his glowing hand, and asking, "Are you okay? Your hand... Did you hurt yourself?"

"Ah? Oh, it's- It's nothing," Jaune waved off her concerns with a faked smiled, "I just- I just accidently hurt myself. It's fine," next to him, Nora and Ren nodded in agreement. At least they weren't telling on him, like they said that they wouldn't. He'd have to thank them for it later.

"Ah, well, okay then," Pyrrha sent back, before adding, "I'd hate for you, or for anyone, to be injured before initiation, is all."

"Oh, um, o-okay then," was Jaune's nervous replay, "Thanks for- For worrying... About me?"

"There's no need for thanks, Jaune. I was just doing what any good person would do."

Like Nana? he thought to himself, but didn't say.

Nearby, Nora smiled, "Well, you two seem to be getting along well," and then asked Jaune, "Well then, anyways, how does it feel to have been rubbing shoulders with a celebrity?"

Pyrrha clamped herself up at this, and frowned at Nora for but a second, but Jaune interrupted any conversation that they were going to have with a confused look and a question, "Sorry, 'Celebrity'?"

The 3 of them blinked, and it was Ren this time who then gestured to Pyrrha and went, "This is Pyrrha Nikos."

"Yes."

"...Pyrrha... Nikos."

"...Yes?"

He was very confused right now.

"Never mind that," Pyrrha waved the both of them off with a smile, and then said, "I will admit, it is nice to be able to properly speak to you, Jaune. Not many people that I know are as... Comfortable with talking to me as you are."

Jaune wasn't comfortable with talking to her at all, but only because he had never been comfortable with talking to people at all, "Er-"

The door to the cafeteria opened up again, and the group at the table looked to see another new group of four enter into the cafeteria. The one leading them was... Yang Xiao Long? No, not Yang, now that he got a better look. This girl had green eyes, much shorter hair, what looked like incredibly sharp teeth, and a lion's tail trailing behind her. Not Yang then. He was a little bit thankful for that, to be honest.

Behind her, a trio of boys followed behind her. One of them was a skinny looking guy with just the ugliest neon green mohawk (Was it cruel of Jaune to say that he wanted to get a pair of scissors just to do the world a favour and cut it off? Sorry), Followed by a boy in a tan coloured shirt, and with brown hair and eyes that were so squinted they looked like they were closed, and a final boy with dark blue hair, wearing a black and grey shirt and trouser combo, all three of them looking equally frazzled and tired.

"C'mon, you lot," said the girl at the front, "Let's get a move on."

"Why? Why can't we sleep?" asked the mohawk boy, "I like sleeping. Sleeping is good."

"Oh, is that so? Then if you like sleep that much, then why did you dumb-dumbs decide to stay up all night, all the way up to four-flipping-AM, just so that you could waffle on about whatever the hell it was that you were talking about?"

"""Er… """

"Exactly. If you won't let me sleep, then I won't let you sleep. Equivalent exchange, is it not?" the girl leading them chirped, before she turned her head to the table of 4 in the dimly lit cafeteria, and smiled, "Ah, here we go: fellow insomniacs!" she tapped the arm of the boy closest to her, and went, "C'mon, let's go say hello!"

And with that, the four newcomers sauntered over to the occupied table, the familiar-looking girl leading them as the boy in the black and grey getup put his hands to his mouth and squealed, "Oh my god guys, that's Pyrrha Nikos! That's-"

"Down boy, down," the girl went to him with a wave, "I'm sure that she has to wipe her own butt as much as everyone else," and then turned to the four at the table, pointed to the spare seats near them, and asked, "Is it alright if we sit here?"

Pyrrha, who was blushing with embarrassment at the toilet joke that she made, nodded in turn, whilst Nora just laughed and went, "HA! No problem! I always welcome new friends to the fold!" Ren, in turn, nodded his agreement in silence, whilst Jaune just looked to the side in an equal amour of silence.

Do I really have to talk to even more new people? he thought to himself, before instinctively scooting to the side as the girl who looked suspiciously like Yang Xiao Long took the seat right next to- Oh god please don't sit next to-

She sat right next to him.

-Me which is exactly what you're doing oh goddammit.

The girl in question looked towards him with a gentle smile, held out her hand, and said, "Hi, my name's Anima Senterra. You?"

Oh god, I'm gonna have to actually talk to her. I would just like to not exist right now.

And yet, as he looked at her, and gazed deep into her forest green eyes, there was... There was a strange feeling in his gut about her. Like there was something just so hauntingly-

FAMILIAR

-Yet-

DIFFERENT

-About her, he could... He didn't know what it was. He didn't know why he was feeling this way about her, but still... It was just the strangest thing.

"Er, h-hi", he went as he took 'Anima's' hand, "I-I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."

TALK TO HER

"Er, sorry, I just...", he let go of Anima's hand as he rubbed the back of his head with his other, and then continued on with, "It's just... You, er, you remind me of-"

"Yang Xiao Long, right?" Anima asked. Jaune nodded in response, and her smile never waned, "Ah, it's fine, I get that a lot."

"Wait, do you?" the boy with the almost closed eyes and the tan shirt, "Because I don't think I've ever seen you around Signal anywhere before."

"You do know that your eyes are, like, so narrowed that they're practically closed, right?" the one with the ugly mohawk asked, unintentionally making everyone blanche just by waving it around, "But yeah, where were you in Signal? I don't remember you."

"Oh, I've haven't been to Signal at all. I've just been around Vale. She's rather well known in the city," Anima shrugged, "Well, her dad's company is rather well known within the city, at least," she turned back to Jaune, "Did she talk about it?"

"When- When she talked to me? Yeah, it's, er… It was," he wracked his brain to remember, "It was... I don't know what it was," he doubted that he would ever get the answer from Yang, though, what with her not liking him or anything.

Also, how did she know that he and Yang had... Talked, to put it positively.

"X.L. Valerian Securities. That's what the name was", Anima said, "Though if you ask her about it, she'd probably just playing it up."

"'Playing it'... You mean exaggerating, right?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, she does that a lot about herself and her family. 'Biggest, baddest wolves in this side of Remnant'. That's what she constantly called it," the grey and black dressed boy asked and then scoffed, "It's always just her ego talking, tbough."

"Are these guys, like, really important, or super badass or something?" Nora chimed in with, "'Cause I've never heard of them before. Unless they're, like, top secret government spy agents of the government!"

"I must admit, I have never heard of this organisation either," Pyrrha then added in herself, "Are they important for the security of Vale?"

"If Yang was here, she would be telling you that", Anima went, evidently being the one to dominate the conversation, "But that's just her waxing her own ego."

"Yeah, that sounds right to me," the boy with the mohawk went, "It's her dad's business, X.L. Valerian Securities. She says that they're hot shit, but they're just a few Huntsman and ex-police teams that can be hired out for law enforcement. Cops for hire, basically."

"Heh, yeah", the boy in the grey and black getup went, "She makes it sound like they're the next Providence", he scoffed, "I'd like to see them kill a God Grimm anytime soon."

There was a pause, before Pyrrha went, "You know, I was once scouted by Providence. I believe that they're sponsoring me as well. Well, at least tried to sponsor me, but my mother and father were having none of it."

"Ugh, you shouldn't talk about Providence like that," the boy with the mohawk said as he pointed himself to Jaune, "Some people here might tell on you for it."

Everyone turned and looked at Jaune, the boy blinking in confusion for a second, before lifting his arms up to them and going, "Wait, I- I don't even know those Providence guys who dropped me off. One of the teachers hired them to drop me and Ruby off, and they saved us in Gris Square, but I- I don't why everyone hates me for being helped by them," he looked down at the table beneath him, and sighed, "I don't know why everyone hates me... Just for being here..."

"Everyone here doesn't hate you, you know. Not Russel with the mohawk, or anyone else," Anima said to him as her lion tail swung behind her, "They're just directing their hate at you because of a series of unfortunate coincidences," she then added on, "Best be careful, though: There are a lot of Providence haters in this school, but there are just as many fans as well. With you going around and saying, 'Those Providence guys' like that, people will get the impression that you've never heard of them before!"

"…Er…"

Everyone at the table blinked, and it was Nora who then cut in with, "Wait, you've never heard of Providence before?! But those guys are known in pretty much every Huntsman's circle! Heck, me and Ren-"

"Ren and I."

"-Were on our own for a lot of our lives, and even we know who they are!"

"Er…"

"Do you at least know what God Grimm are?! Wait, do you-"

Jaune stopped her by raising his hands to try and wave her down, "Look, guys, I was just- My family lives alone in a rural area, and we don't get out much. Or at least, they didn't let me out much. My parents were always pretty isolationist about their treatment of me."

"So," the boy with the squinted eyes asked, "You're a bumpkin?"

You know, I have never been hurt by anything more utterly true.

GET OVER IT, YOU BIG BABY

Shut up...

Jaune coughed into his hand, trying to rearrange his thoughts, before finally regaining equilibrium of them, and continuing on.

"Well, yeah, they always- I mean, to be fair, I didn't really take much interest in any political stuff, or politics in general, so I guess I just never noticed these guys, or whatever."

"Um, I guess that's a good point," the boy in grey and black went, before his eyes widened and then he looked at him, "Wait, did your parents-"

"I think that's enough with the personal questions," Anima gracefully rescued Jaune with as she lowered the boy in grey and black's hand with her own, and then continued with, "Let's just leave it until we've become proper friends, yeah?"

"...Well alright then," the boy in grey and black went, before letting his arm fall to his side with a sway.

Jaune just looked at Anima, Ma'am, I have no idea who you are, but thank you for the gracious save.

"But still, you have no idea who Providence are?" Anima continued with a raised eyebrow, "That's new, even for..."

It was Jaune's turn to raise an eyebrow, "Ever for what?"

"Doesn't matter," Anima said as she then left the table-

"Wait, did I- Did I say something-"

-Only to grab a napkin and a pen from off of the side near the kitchen-

"Oh, right."

-And then sit back down in her seat, "Let me give you a history lesson," she said

"Aw, what?" 'Russel' went as he let his head rest against the table with a despondent look, "Really? We're doing this now? I already know this stuff! I came here to kill Grimm, not hear about crap that I already know."

"Learning about our history and the world around us is an important part of being a Huntsman, Russel," Ren said, to the reluctant nodding of the two other boys at the table, "Besides, I am not entirely knowledgeable in what Providence is myself. When you live in the Grimmlands for a long period of time, you tend to hear conflicting stories about people and places."

The boy in grey and black looked like he wanted to ask what that meant, but was cut off by an oblivious Pyrrha as she then went, "I will admit, I haven't heard much of Providence either, despite being sponsored by them. I know that they're one of the most prolific Huntsman guilds in the world, but my parents... Well, they never wanted me to be a member of them," she sighed, "My parents used to be part of a few Huntsman guilds, and are actually in charge of a rather prolific one at that-"

"Oh, the Night-Bat Stalkers, right?" Anima stopped whatever she was doodling onto her napkin as she asked that question, before starting up again with, "I heard that your family were the founders of it."

"Er, yes, all the way from the end of the Great War and the founding of the Huntsman system", Pyrrha said with a hint of pride, before it deflated slightly and went, "However, those guilds that my parents knew ended up being swallowed whole by Providence, and on top of that, they've been trying to buy up Huntsmen and shares from the Night-Back Stalkers for years now. To say that my mother and father aren't happy about it is an understatement. The both of them and my manager want nothing to do with the organisation."

"Yes, well, Providence has a certain reputation for annexing entire guilds-worth of Huntsmen for their own causes, so it's understandable", Anima said to her, "It's part of the reason why they're hated by Huntsmen as well. Not the only reason, sure, but one of them."

Jaune was broken out of his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder, and looked to his side to see Anima looking at him, and presenting him with the napkin that she had been drawing on. He took it into his hand, and caressed his thumb over what had been doodled onto it.

It was an emblem. Anima had drawn an emblem onto the paper. It was what looked like a decapitated red dragon's head with a black sword sticking through it, over a yellow shield that was shaped much like his own.

"Providence's logo," Anime answered the unspoken question on his lips, "Very colourful compared to their more monochrome aesthetic," and once she had his attention once again, she asked, "I assume that you've heard of the Grimm, correct?"

"Er, yeah", Jaune lied. His family had been very sheltering when he was growing up, not allowing him much contact with the outside world, and as for the earlier parts of his life... Well, he didn't have that good of an education for a few good reasons.

SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE

I HEAR YOU

ME TOO

"Then I'm also assuming that you've heard of the God Grimm?" Anima didn't give him any time to come up with an answer as she then continued, "According to the official Huntsman designation system for the Grimm, there are multiple tiers of Grimm that are categorised and sorted by threat level alone. Of course, at the bottom of that list, you have the most common and weakest variants, like the Beowolf, the Imp, the Beetle, the Creep, the Goblin, the Boarbatusk, so on, so forth. Still a threat, yes, but not too much of one to even the weakest of Huntsman. And then above that, you get newborn Ursa, Centinels, Ravagers, Theropods, and then above that you get Beowolf Alphas, matured Ursa, and so on, so forth."

A pause, and the information soaked into him.

"And then, when you get to the top of that tier list, you get the Great Grimm. These Grimm are the most powerful variants of Grimm that you'll find out there. Husks, Wyverns, Leviathans, Sky-Fish, Wendigos, Drakes, Nine-Tailed Foxes, Cambions, and the like. They're extremely rare, but it takes multiple teams- Hell, it takes an entire guild's worth- Just to bring one of them down, and they're not always guaranteed a full victory... Or any victory at all."

Anima placed her hands together, and began to twiddle her thumbs.

"However, above them, you get, well, you get the God Grimm... Grimm so powerful- So intelligent, and so unfathomably ancient- That they would go on to develop a conscience."

She laid her hands down flat on the table, and looked at everyone else gathered around her.

"They would develop human-like thought and reason."

There was a gasp from Russel and the boy in grey and black, whilst the boy with the narrowed eyes and Pyrrha looked on in surprise. Ren, however, just nodded, as did Nora. It looked like they already knew this information.

Jaune, for obvious reasons, didn't, but stopped himself from outwardly showing his panic at the thought. He had never fought a regular Grimm before. Had never even heard of them on top of that. How the hell was he meant to take one that could think like a person?!

"I must admit, I did not know this," Pyrrha exclaimed quietly, "I was never taught this by my tutors."

"I doubt that they would", Ren added in as he placed his own hands on the table to support himself, "Nora and myself have never encountered a God Grimm, much less a Great Grimm at all, but we have heard stories about them across the Grimmlands and the Frontier. They're mostly just bedtime stories in order to scare children, but... The idea of a Grimm having the same capacity of thought as a human and Faunus... It is a terrifying thought. If it was taught publicly to everyone, then the very fear of such a Grimm would incite fear amongst the populace."

"And when things are getting grim, in comes the Grimm," Nora then said, with a surprisingly serious look on her face, "Believe me, we've seen it before."

Jaune blinked, and seriously wanted to ask more, but Anima stopped him as she then said, "Exactly," and then continued, "During the Great War, there was a surge of Grimm, right in the middle of the conflict, all of them drawn to the fattening negative emotions that the conflict had drawn up from the hearts of all mankind. All of the kingdoms had to put aside their differences in order to drive them back," a pause, "But there's more to the story. This wasn't just any ordinary Grimm surge. This was a charge of Grimm on a scale never before seen across Remnant", another pause, "And they had a leader."

There was a long pause, before Nora, suddenly- Where did she get the popcorn?!- Suddenly pulled popcorn from out of nowhere, munched on it, and then quietly went, "They had a leader? As in a Big Boss Grimm?"

Anima nodded, "His name was Flugel, a real monster of a Grimm. His army of Fallen Angels and Grimm marched across Remnant, swallowing armies whole and drowning them in fields of fire and rivers of blood. His Succubus and Incubus Grimm would roam around Remnant, impregnating men and women, human and Faunus alike with their foul progeny, giving birth to the Grimm known as the Cambions."

There was a gag as Nora spat out her popcorn, and Jaune felt like he was going to throw up as he then went, "You mean, those Grimm... Are born from people? The Grimm... Raped people?!"

"The Succubus Grimm and the Incubus Grimm were created with only one goal in mind: To spread as much horror and pain as possible," Anima responded grimly (And wasn't that a poor choice of words), "Entire settlements were overrun and turned into breeding stock for these... Monsters," she spat the last word out with added venom. Jaune didn't blame her for it, "Just so that they could supplement their losses against humanity."

Once again, there was a long pause, before Pyrrha finally came out with, "I'm sorry, um, Miss Senterra-"

"Please, just call me Anima," the lion Faunus waved her off with, "Anima is fine."

"Sorry, Anima, sorry", Pyrrha apologised, before she went, "But still, those monsters- These 'Succubus' and Incubus' Grimm, Flugel and the origins of the Cambions... They don't teach us anything like that, and... And I'm sorry, but it just sounds rather far-fetched, doesn't it?"

"I agree," Ren went suddenly, surprising not only Jaune, but seemingly everybody else at the table, "We don't know much about the Grimm, and reports about what happened exactly during the Great War are muddy, yes, but that... That is just too wild of a tale. Too unbelievable."

IS IT?

Jaune realised a moment afterwards that he had said that out loud, as everyone looked at him with questioning glances, "Well, I mean, Grimm are attracted to negativity, right?" a nod from a few of them as he remembered what Anima said to them, "And like you said, Ren, we don't know a lot about the Grimm themselves, as much as we know about what happened during the Great War, again, like you said. Maybe someone covered it up to keep the population calm, and... Wait."

Jaune then turned to Anima, and raised an important question.

"If all of this was covered up, how do you know?"

She waved it off, "My family has a better memory than most, after all," she paused, and then chuckled, "It's weird, isn't it? How dedicated we are as a species- Human and Faunus- To forget the past. Like a collective voluntary amnesia. Have any of you ever noticed how little of our own past we recall. The kingdoms have lived and survived for over a thousand years ago, and yet nothing exists of our past beyond that. Perhaps it is the fault of the Grimm, or our own. But the point still stands."

This definitely got everyone to shut up and think. Jaune himself didn't have much experience with history, what with his family's sheltering behaviour, but from the looks of it, it was definitely a concern of the others. He didn't know what was going through their minds, but he knew for a fact that they didn't seem to like it.

WHAT'S GOING THROUGH THEIR MINDS IS TRUTH ABOUT THE LACK OF TRUTH. SO MUCH OF OUR PAST- SO MUCH OF OUR STRUGGLES- WASHED AWAY. ALL OF THE BLOOD THAT WE HAVE SPILT, JUST TO BECOME LESS THAN A MYTH. ABANDONED. FORGOTTEN

DON'T

ALL BECAUSE OF HIM

STOP IT

AND HER

STOP IT NOW

I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO RIP HIS HEAD OFF FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE TO US. TO OUR WORLD

ENOUGH!

Jaune slapped the side of his head, which ended up drawing everyone's attention. The voices in his head went silent as he sheepishly went, "Sorry, it's just- It's just how I focus... And stuff."

Before anyone could say anything about it, Anima put a hand on his shoulder, "It's fine," and then continued from where she left of, "But anyways, wherever you believe me or not, it doesn't matter. What does matter is what happened next."

She placed her hands back on the table, and got back to twiddling her thumbs together.

"Flugel was eventually defeated, and his armies were crushed, but not by any single kingdom, but by a group of extremely powerful individuals. These individuals would kill the God Grimm and his armies, and as the kingdoms went back to killing each other- As the King of Vale broke down the walls of Mantle and brought the leaders of Mistral and Mantle to heel- At the same time, these powerful individuals were finishing off the last of Flugel's armies, and cleaning up the, pardon the pun, remnants of them. Afterwards, the armies were disbanded, the Huntsman system was established, and these individuals were called to become the first Huntsmen and Huntresses. After that, they would form their own guilds, but shortly afterwards come back together to defeat a trio of Great Grimm bothering the borders of Vacuo. As it turned out, they were really good at killing Great Grimm. And so, they melded their guilds together, and came out as one of the toughest bands of Huntsmen and Huntresses on Remnant."

"Providence", Pyrrha finished off with, "They became Providence."

"Right on the money, champion," Anima smiled. Pyrrha's lips waved, but she didn't say anything else.

What did she mean by 'Champion', though? He would have to ask about that later.

"So, what?" Jaune began, "These Providence guys are just really tough Huntsmen and Huntresses?"

"They used to be," Anima began, "But not anymore. By the time of the Faunus Rights Revolution, they had begun to take on civilians and non-aura users as staff, swelling their numbers from the dozens to more than a hundred. But when the Rights Revolution hit, they began to annex and take over entire private military companies, swelling their numbers to the hundreds, if not the thousands. From what I've heard, they've also been poaching soldiers from Atlas as well, which is part of the reason as to why Atlas hates them as well."

"Now that, I know about," Russel poked his head up with, "Wasn't there a debate or something on TV a few days ago, between someone from Atlas and someone from Providence?"

"I remember that debate, actually," Pyrrha went, "It was about Providence recruiting from Atlas' own ranks."

"Yeah, the Atlesians were not happy about it. Still aren't happy at all," said the boy with narrowed eyes, "They really don't like their soldiers turning mercenary. I swear, I thought that the veins in that guy's forehead was going burst from how stressed he looked. Atlas really doesn't like the idea of another army on Remnant running about at all."

"Because of the power of their Hunters, right?" Jaune asked, "I mean, you keep saying that they've been swallowing Huntsman guilds into themselves. Are they nervous because Providence has a lot of Huntsmen to their name?"

"Yeah", Anima nodded, "Well, that, and that they have the power to rival that of the Atlesian military itself."

"What?!" Jaune went, "They can go toe to toe with Atlas? I thought that they had the only standing army on the planet!" from the looks of it, he was the only one who thought this.

"That's what Atlesian propaganda would like you to believe, yes, but it's not like anyone would like to recognise an entire army of mercenaries as legitimate anyways," Anima explained with a pointed finger, "Providence specialises in killing the biggest and baddest Great Grimm and God Grimm out there, as well as protecting entire swaths of territory within the Grimmlands from all kinds of threats, and they have the confirmed kills to show for it, numbering in the dozens and hundreds. They've got international pedigree from civilians of all kinds, from within the cities all the way to the frontier towns. As such, shareholders of all sorts have been buying up their stocks, and sending them more money, allowing them to hire even more manpower and buy out entire guilds. They also have enough money to fund their own research and development, creating their own technology, their own gear- Hell, from what I've heard, they've recently been outpacing Atlas in some fields."

She shrugged.

"It's also part of the reason as to why Huntsmen tend to hate Providence. Because of how powerful they are, thanks to all of the Huntsmen guilds that they privatise and employ, as well as their much larger numbers, people on the frontiers are more likely to trust and employ Providence forces to protect them, and not the Huntsmen. Worse yet, in joint operations, Providence's guys tend to outperform and outpace the average Huntsman and Huntress in getting their jobs done, thereby hurting their pride as well. And trust me, Huntsmen are very prideful people. Almost to a dangerous degree, at that."

She paused again, to let this information sink in further.

"Providence... They're not just a guild of extraordinary Huntsmen and Huntresses. They've got their own army, their own fleet of airships, their own support, drones, a fleet of boats- Last time I checked, they supposedly had about 300,000 personnel to their name, and that's just the people we know about. They're not just a mercenary company- They're a superpower. A superpower for hire. It's-" she relaxed. If her seat had a backrest, she would've let herself sink into it, "It's honestly staggering. Compare it to Atlas, with over a million people to it's name, it's not much, but still... It's honestly amazing."

There was silence once more. Jaune wasn't sure about the others, but he didn't say anything as he was still trying to swallow all of this information. God Grimm? Sentient Grimm? Grimm in general? Private armies that could challenge Atlas itself? People so powerful that they could kill the most powerful Grimm of legend?

How the hell was he supposed to do in order to catch up with all of them? If he wanted to save as many people as he could, how was he supposed to get as strong as them when he had handicapped himself so badly already?

HARD WORK

Jaune winced as his foot tapped against the ground, pain rippling from it once more. Would it stay like this forever? He didn't know, but he figured that getting it checked in wherever the infirmary was would be a good enough excuse to not have to take part in any more awkward conversations.

No fault to them, of course. It was more his fault than theirs.

He released his hands from the table beneath him, and moved to get up, but then-

A pair of petite hands took his into their own, and rubbed their thumb over the cuts in his hands with a white glow.

Jaune yelped in surprise and drew his hand back, looking over his own fingers as-

Huh? Some of the pain in his ankle was gone.

How did that happen?

"Beep boop…"

He blinked, and looked to his side. Standing nearby, rubbing their hands together shyly, was a petite looking girl in what looked like a school uniform, with a blue skirt, black shoes with stockings, a black and blue unzipped jumper over a buttoned white shirt, with a- How was that possible?- A glowing red cross symbol in the centre of her shirt, segmented into 4 pieces. Her hair was messy (Almost like it had never been combed), Trailing down her back and over her shoulders, and was coloured a light electric pink, pale skin with flushed pink cheeks, and eyes that...

Her eyes. That was the most striking part about her. The irises were coloured an almost glowing gold, and her pupils... Instead of a single dot, they were the shape of a sharpened cross, almost like a star.

Jaune blinked again. How was that possible?

"B-Beep boop…" the girl went shyly as she placed her hands together with a quivering face, taking a step back and her fingers twiddled with each other hesitantly. Her eyes were almost closed and watery. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Um," Pyrrha went near to him, leading Jaune to realise that everyone else had (Obviously) Noticed that this girl was here, "Can we... Help you?"

The girl didn't say anything for a while, before she looked down to Jaune's leg- At his hurting ankle- With a shaking gaze, and just went, "Beep boop…"

"Er…"

"Ah, don't mind her."

Another jump, this time from all of them at the table. They all looked to the side once more, to see another girl- This time with chocolate coloured eyes and hair, the latter with a lock of hair that was dyed a caramel gradient. She wore a beret and sunglasses, a mocha coloured shirt with a black scarf, black and gold trousers with high heeled boots, and had a purse with a bullet bandolier as the handle- Walk up to the petite girl with stars in her eyes, and gently, yet firmly, wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

The other girl on the team that he had met in Vale last week. He remembered seeing her in the armoury hall earlier today as well.

"Stella's a nurse, you see?" the girl with the beret and sunglasses smiled, "Well, not really a nurse, more like a nurse in training. Lives in Beacon, has a handy semblance. Really shy, but always wants to help", she patted the girl- 'Stella'- On her shoulder, and then looked towards Jaune, "Only time she ever tries to touch someone is when they're hurt, so if you don't let her do her magic, then she's not gonna stop worrying about it."

Stella looked back at Jaune, the stars in her eyes glistening a little as she looked down at his hand. Jaune, after a few moments hesitation, held his hand out to her, and-

A firm hand grasped his shoulder, and he looked up to see the girl with the beret and sunglasses giving him a threatening look, "No funny business. Kid's had a rough life," the hand on his shoulder tighten, "We don't need it getting any rougher, do we?"

Jaune just fearfully nodded. He wasn't even going to do anything to her, but good to know that she had someone looking out for her.

Stella didn't even notice the girl's threatening words as she took Jaune's hand into her own, and allowed a soft white glow to envelop his body. He was hesitant for a few moments, but then, at seeing the girl's worry, he cautiously allowed himself to relax in her grip as the white glow encapsulated the whole of his hand, and...

Huh, it wasn't that bad of a feeling. It was quite pleasant, actually, though it was certainly an alien feeling.

What wasn't pleasant was how he could literally feel his ankle wounds and bruises fade away and seal themselves.

He involuntarily squirmed in her grip, and Stella let go with a relaxed, "Beep boop…" blinking at her for a moment, he then tapped his foot against the floor, and...

The pain was gone. It was all gone, as if it had never been there to begin with.

"Wow..." Jaune went as he looked over his fingers in barely hidden wonderment, before looking up to Stella and going, "T-Thanks. Thanks a lot."

All Stella responded with was a quiet, "Beep boop…" and a shuffle of her feet.

Jaune lifted his leg up, rolled his foot twice, and went, "Huh, these semblances... Nifty little things, aren't they?"

Ren and Pyrrha looked at him again, but didn't say anything.

The others didn't take notice as Russel shot out with, "Yeah, mine lets me shoot out balls of green fire. S'freaking rad."

'Sky' went came out with, "Mine let's me jump really high- Which is ironic considering that my name is Sky Lark- And Dove here," he gestured to the boy with the narrowed eyes, "-Can teleport by turning into a flock of doves."

'Dove' then looked to the girl in the beret and asked, "What about you? What's your semblance, er…"

"Coco. Coco Adel," 'Coco' answered for him. At least he could put a name to a face now, "And I'll answer your question if you answer mine: What are you kids doing up so early?"

Everyone blinked at that, but Ren quickly recovered as he put his hand up and went, "We couldn't sleep," followed by nods of agreement from everyone else at the table.

Well, everyone except Anima, who frowned, letting her sharpened teeth glisten like razor blades as she then went, "Oh, I don't know about you, but I would be asleep right now if these three fools-" she pointed to the boys next to her, "-Hadn't been keeping me up all night."

"""Hey..."""

"Ha! Late-night bloomers! I've had a fair share of them in my first year here," Coco's face turned serious, "That won't last. If there's one thing you need to take advantage of when on missions, it's to get the maximum amount of R&R needed. No good will come from not getting enough rest and going into a fight tired, and no, that is not an excuse to oversleep, girly."

"Aw..." Nora went.

"Still, though, it's good that you're up now," Coco went as she then began to march away, Stella trailing nervously behind her as she then went, "Get your stuff together, grab some food, and head down to the Bullheads. Consider this the start of your initiation."

"Wait, really?" Russel went, "But it's, what, Four in the morning? Four-thirty in the morning?"

"That's the life of a Huntsman, kid. You tend to not have much of a sleep schedule," as she kept walking, she quickly went, "Hype, by the way."

"What?" Dove asked.

"You wanted to know my semblance? I call it Hype. Amplifies dust. Turns it from normally explosive to explosively explosive."

"Ah, so an explosive type, huh?" Russel smirked as he then tried a pickup line, "Maybe later, you and I can-"

"You're not my type."

"Aw what, really? Wait, what is your type?"

"Girls."

"Oh..."

"More specifically, girls that don't have ugly neon green mohawks."

"...Oh..."

As Coco walked out of the door, Stella following afterwards, Russel just let his head slam against the table again and began to comically weep at his misfortune, whilst Nora just patted him on the shoulder, "There there, mohawk guy, there there..."

Dove had no such sympathy, though, as he just deadpan stared at Russel and went, "You know, you did just set yourself up for that, right?"

"Shut up, Dove."

I LIKE THESE GUYS


{RATATATATATATATATATA}

Jaune and the others had to cover their ears at the sudden noise when they got back to the ballroom, as Coco somehow- God knows how!- Pulled a minigun from out of her freaking purse of all places, and shot about a dozen or so rounds into the freaking ceiling!

This school was getting weirder and weirder by the damned moment.

From the looks of it, Nora was enjoying it at least.

Not so much for the rest of the now definitely awake students, all of them in various states of distress and undress. Some of them sat up in their sleeping bags and looked around startled. Others immediately jumped up onto their feet and observed their surroundings like a prey animal surrounded like predators, or even the opposite way around.

"Rise and shine, buttercups!" Coco called out as she stepped towards thee other... Students? Was she a student? Probably. Anyways, she stepped next to three other students- Velvet, he recognised, as did he the others from last week, being a boy with rust coloured hair and milky white eyes, and an imposing boy with a even more imposing sword strapped to his back- And then yelled out, "Get your crap together, get some grub, and get down to the Bullheads at the landing docks! They leave at Five AM on the dot, so if you're not there by then, you're left behind, and your initiation is done! You've got half an hour, so get a move on!"

And with that, everyone began to grab their stuff, fold up their sleeping bags, and get a move on. There was a definite panic behind their movements as they quickly got changed out of their sleeping gear and into their combat uniforms.

Jaune didn't have to worry about changing- Since he hadn't changed out of his combat uniform since last night- But still (He liked to think more than most) He could feel the horrible rush of nerves that were ordering him to get down to the Bullhead as quick as possible- He didn't have to worry about eating, since he had the foresight to buy protein bars on his way to Beacon- And went to-

His bag wasn't there. Neither was his sleeping bag.

His stuff wasn't there.

His stuff wasn't there?

His stuff wasn't there.

Why the hell was his stuff not-

TURN AROUND

He did as commanded, and looked to see Ryuzu- The Schnee's maid from yesterday- Looking up at him with that same maid uniform on, and that same deadpan stare in her blood red eyes that peered through her bubble-gum coloured hair as she held his bag in her hands, a sleeping bag clumsily connected to it as the zip was sealed up.

Why was she holding his bag?

"Here," she said as she pushed the bag against Jaune's chest harshly, forcing him to take a step back as he took it into his own hands. Jaune asked her why she was holding his bag, and she responded with, "Ginger jock and girl with long hair were eyeing it."

"O...Okay. Thanks," he replied with, before asking, "But why-"

"Ryuzu looked in your bag."

"Wha-"

"Ryuzu thinks that barf boy's bunny onesie is stupid, and you should feel stupid for owning it."

"Oh..."

"Ryuzu, what are you- Oh never mind!" the Schnee girl went over to the side as she called out for her servant, "Just get over here and help me pack up, will you?"

"Of course, ma'am," Ryuzu bowed, before sparing one last glance at Jaune, "Goodbye barf boy," and then left.

Jaune was getting the distinct impression that she didn't like him.

Or maybe she did, since she was holding his bag for him.

He did a quick check, and sighed in relief that everything was still there.

Another quick check later, and everything was still still there.

Another quick-

STOP IT

Dammit, Jaune didn't have time for this. Unwrapping one of the protein bars that he had in his bag and scoffing it down in but a few seconds, he slung his bag over his shoulder, and sped walk- Almost ran- Out of the ballroom and towards the locker, er, room.

He was unaware of the pairs of eyes that followed him.

Backpack? Check.

Sword? Check.

Shield? Check.

Armour? Not a complete set yet (He still needed to pick up Nana's ordered set in a bit, but still, that was sort of a check.

Common sense? Well, he was going into a Huntsman school with no formal training or legitimate transcripts, so that was a big anti-check (What was the opposite of a check? He'd look it up later).

Scroll? Would that break? He didn't know, but he'd better take it with him just in case. Check.

Sleeping bag?

Er…

He turned his head from his locker to what he presumed to be a teacher passing by, and asked, "Hey, um, we're- We're not, um, we're not going to be- Going to be needing our sleeping bags, are we?"

The teacher(?), Sporting messy green hair, spectacles, and a white shirt with a long yellow tie, nursed a coffee flash in his hands, and went, "WellyoungsirImustsaythatyouhavepointsforaskingbutIamafraidtosaythatasaprofessorIamunabletorevealanycluesastotheprocessofinitiationbutthatsaidIcanconfirmthatyouwillnotbeneedingasleepingbagofanykindinthisadventure."

WHAT?

Jaune was not the only person who was utterly perplexed at what this... 'Teacher'?... Had said, as everyone currently in the locker room just looked at him with the most confused looks that he had ever seen on a person. Or people.

"...So, is that a yes, or a... Or a no?"

The teacher shook his head, took a long sip from his coffee flask, and then walked off.

"...I'll take that as a no."

With a resigned sigh, he shoved his sleeping bag into his locker, and then went to checking on his other stuff.

Cloak?

Yeah, he was going to take this with him.

Once he finally finished sorting through his stuff (After having double, triple, and then quadruple checked his bag and locker for his things) he spotted the new group of people that he had met today, smiling and calling him over to them as they left.

It didn't look like he had much of a choice in the matter.

Although, internally, he smiled a little bit.

THE TIME THAT YOU SPEND HERE WON'T BE SO BAD

"Where do you think that you're going?"

Jaune jumped in place, and looked behind himself to see Glynda Goodwitch from before standing behind him, her arms crossed as she held her riding crop in her hands.

"Um," he muttered to himself, "I was off to... You know, join the others and-"

"You're not going with them."

"...What?"

UH OH

Before Jaune could suddenly launch into a panic attack at his faked transcripts being discovered, the one known as Baobhan Sith quickly walked up to him and said, "Oh, no no no, you're not being kicked out or anything. That's just Glynda's lack of bedside manner that's getting you all panicky."

At her words, Jaune let out a sigh of relief. So he wasn't getting kicked out of the school yet? Oh, that was a relief.

So then, if that was the case, "Then why am I not going with the others?"

"Headmaster Ozpin wants you and Ruby Rose to go through your own initiation test in Beacon, rather than in the Emerald Forest," Baobhan explained to him softly, "After what happened in Gris Square, Ozpin deemed it too stressful for the both of you to fight the Grimm in the forest, and as such, has decided to move your initiation into Beacon itself."

"Ah," was Jaune's reply, a little bit bitter at the fact that he couldn't join the others to prove his worth, at least. That... That made him a little sad now. He knew that he was hardly as good as the others- Barely a fraction as skilled as them- But he still wanted to show that he could at least help out a little bit. If somehow, he was able to pass whatever initiation that they were cooking up for him in Beacon Academy, then no one would be able to see it, and he wouldn't be able to gain their approval through getting in. They might just think that he cheated or brought his way in.

Well, he did sort of cheat his way in, but he didn't buy his way in, certainly. And even though his transcripts were fake, he still had to go through initiation and pass for real, just like everyone else. He might be a faker, but he certainly wouldn't buy his way in. That was low, even for him.

"Why's he being pulled out?"

"He's getting special treatment..."

"Of course he is."

"Providence fucker..."

"Probably brought his way in."

See?

"Jaune?"

He jumped in place, and looked to the side, to see Nana, without her helmet on, looking at him with a worried expression.

"What's this about you not attending initiation with the rest of us? I thought... Well, I thought that we'd be fighting together."

Jaune was surprised at her expression. Really, he didn't think that he was someone worth worrying about, so why was she so concerned over him?

Still though, it would be best to try and placate her- To try and ease her concerns, "Oh, well, be-because of Gris Square last week, Ozpin decided that I- Um, me and Ruby, Ruby and me, should go through our own initiation test rather than go out with- With everyone else, yeah."

"...Oh," Nana frowned as she looked down, "Right."

"Don't worry about him, Nana," Baobhan said to her kindly, "We shall see to it that he passes his initiation fairly," she then turned to Miss Goodwitch next to her, and said, "You best collect Ruby Rose for her test. Jaune, you make your way to the training grounds in Beacon. I already have two people outside who will take you there. You will find your new armour set and weapon waiting for you there. Nana, get to the Bullheads before they take off, okay?"

"...Fine," Nana said as she scowled in annoyance, before she pressed her finger into Jaune's armoured chest, and said, "You better not fail, though. I'm going to be waiting for you, got it?"

"I... I... Got it. I got it."

Nana nodded to him, and with a frown still on her face, she walked out of the locker room, and made her move to the Bullheads outside, sparing a last glance to Jaune, before walking through the doors and out of his sight.

"Run along, Jaune," Baobhan said to him, before saying to Miss Goodwitch, "We will join you soon."

BEST HURRY. YOU'VE NOT GOT THAT LONG

With a heaviness to his steps, Jaune nodded, and stepped out of the doors to the locker room, spotting the two boys that had been with Coco and Velvet earlier as they looked at him, and gestured for him to follow them.

As he did, Jaune felt dozens of pairs of eyes staring at him, glaring, hating, presuming, wanting to do away with him for things that he had absolutely no control over.

Yeah...

THIS IS GOING TO SUCK


Nearby, Coco Adel felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket. Taking it into her hand and seeing the caller ID, she pressed on the call button and pressed it to her ear.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Yeah."

"Everything's in place."

"Don't worry, they'll be ready. We all will."

"Yeah... See you then."

Hanging up on the caller and pocketing it once more, Coco let out a quiet sigh, and wondered about all that would be lost by the day's end.


Reviewer response time:

A Fan: Good point, but I'll let you come to your own conclusion about that (For now, perhaps). It really all does comes down to a matter of perspective then, doesn't it?

bosterflaming: Yeah, I always found the mecha-shift weapons and lack of armour on the Huntsmen in the show to be a little vexing, so this scene was a good reliever for me to write them down.

Xealchim: Winging it. Jaune's group will fight back with lots and lots of winging it, and making it up as they go along. Probably. Maybe.

firewyrm2: What do you mean, you don't trust Nana? She's such a helpful person, isn't she? What's there to be distrustful about?


Do you know how annoying it is to go through previous content to try and fit it into a new chapter, and have to edit and change so much of it just to fit into this revamped story now? Do you know how hard it is? I had to do so much punctuation correction and editing of statements that didn't align with the new storyline that I had made. It was very annoying.

But, with that, I don't have anything else to say, other than the next chapter probably won't have recycled content in it. Or at least not that much.

So, with all of that said and done, leave a review, follow and favourite, and I shall see you all next time!

Titanmaster117 out!