Chapter 4 – Relative Retribution

A/N: Well the reaction to my previous chapter wasn't quite what I expected; hopefully the answers to some of the questions posed will become apparent as the story progresses but if not I'll explain my reasoning later. Still, hope you enjoy this latest offering of mine and apologies it took so long.

XXX

Bartholomew Oobleck was many things; driven, passionate and about thirty-three percent caffeine on an average day; but above all else he was smart. Not just intelligent, though anyone capable of earning a doctorate was certainly that, but smart enough to look at a situation, weigh his odds and plot the optimal reaction in a heartbeat. It was a trait that had led to the recovery of knowledge and even artifacts from expeditions he'd first joined, then led into the Grimmlands and it was also the reason why, having cracked open the 'staff room' door at a short but tenacious knock, he quickly stepped aside and opened it fully despite the sensitive subjects being discussed inside.

In his expert opinion, when facing down a woman who could drive Goodwitch to a calming cup of tea cowardice was likely to hurt a good deal less than the plank of wood that would make acquaintance with his face if he shut the door on her.

The gleeful yell from one of his students a few seconds later was purely an unintended bonus.

XXX

Brothers damn it will you hurry up! I've got someone here I need to see, especially after…;

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Huh? Oof!" The impact made him raise his arm instinctively, viewing the grinning girl it dragged up to eye level agog,

"Hi again!"

"Ruby?" For a split-second his cool uncle persona was abandoned and he pulled her in tight; she's not hurt, she's okay, one of made them out all right. Relief coursing through him Qrow Branwen let all the tension out with a deep, thankful breath then held his arm out straight, regarding his now-giggling niece with a raised eyebrow,

"Hi yourself," he answered, ruffling her hair in the way only he could get away with, "keeping out of trouble Squirt?"

"Better than you do."

"I resemble that last remark," Qrow smirked, his pale red eyes smiling broadly as Ruby kicked her legs in the air, for a moment a child playing with her favourite uncle again, "I'm just good enough to get away with it." Ruby snickered and would have replied but for the sound of a throat being prominently cleared making her look over and then spectacularly double-take; no way!;

"Oh can it," the noise had also caught Qrows' attention, "not like we weren't pretty much already done here anyway."

"'Pretty much' is not the same as is," the voice, the style, the hair was all there – only the height and, ah, frontage; sorry Weiss!; was different about this familiar stranger and her estranged teammate, "this area if off-limits for students or civilians."

"Mind your assumptions girl," Qrow's lightning riposte died on his tongue, Ruby sliding to the floor beside him as the woman who'd entered with his niece folded her arms, "you'd be amazed what civilians can do if pushed, or annoyed."

"And you are?"

"Leaving, once Ruby over there has spoken to her, ah, uncle," pale red met pale blue and Qrow nodded, smiling slightly at the stranger who'd reunited Ruby with him, "and you."

"Me? Why?"

"You're Atlian aren't you?"

"How did you know – my presence hasn't been widely circulated."

"I can feel the frost from here," Qrow heard several people stifle chuckles while he didn't bother, his corner-of-the-eye glance sealing the Specialists' affronted look in his memory forever,

"Ha, she's got you pegged Ice Queen," Winter, of course, didn't react to his teasing beyond a scything glare before a smaller voice piped up,

"Uh, sorry to bother everyone," belatedly recognising most of the Beacon teaching staff and a few people she didn't know crowded around a table Ruby wrestled down her instinctive shyness to look up at the figure Sal had picked out, "it, it won't take long but, but you're Weiss Schnees's sister aren't you miss, uh, ma'am – I'm sorry I don't know the Atlian ranks yet, we start learning them next term."

Well this'll be interesting; from what he knew of his frienemy; oh gods what am I, thirteen? I knew I should've cut the cable when I was at Tais' – it's a miracle Firecrackers' brain hasn't dribbled out her ears yet from all that daytime rot; Winter Schnee, like her father before her, was to familial bonds what a chainsaw was to head massage. Promptly slapping on his broadest grin Qrow settled in to watch the show as Jimmy's little soldier regarded his niece down the length of her delicate nose,

"I am; has she not mentioned her family to who, I assume, is a teammate of hers and a niece to that reprobate over there?"

"Love you too Winny," even her frostiest glare couldn't scour away the glee he felt at her twitch – he'd been holding onto that one for months,

"Ah, yes, to both," Ruby soldiered on, trying her best to ignore the byplay between her uncle and the scary woman she belatedly recognised as having seen fight her uncle before, "she, didn't really say much about her family and we, didn't have time to catch up after… you know."

"Understandable," Winters' voice was still firm but slightly softer than before, "when I contact home next I shall pass on your regards Miss?"

"Ruby, Ruby Rose, Weiss is my partner," for the first time there was a flicker of something other than ice in those blue marbles, though Winter quickly stifled both her surprise and her dread; together with the drunkards' niece! Oh my sister, if she's anything like him you might come to call fathers' tyranny kindness for delivering you from having to work with her; "if, if you could tell her we, well I miss her a lot…?"

"I have already said I would and I am a Schnee, it will be done," Winter's answer was a bland statement of fact, like saying water was wet or the moon was fractured, "still, if there is nothing else…"

"There was; uh, sorry," Ruby apologised, cheeks colouring as her outburst cut Winter off, "it's about, well, it was about Penny." That name drew all attention in the room to her but memories of her boisterous friend gave Ruby the courage to plough through her shyness as she looked up at Winter directly,

"I, I knew Penny, she was my friend. I saw what happened at the final and I know Pyrrha would never do anything like that, not to anyone – I've heard people say she was tricked and she was, she must have been. I don't know exactly how Penny worked but her body was mechanical, it might be able to be repaired and she can be brought back uh, what's the word, on-line? Is it possible," her eyes shone with hope as they gazed up at Winters' face, "can Penny come back?"

Winter was silent for a few seconds, face impassive as she weighed an answer; though she didn't know this girl personally, the dusty old crow she was related to wouldn't hesitate to peck her composure raw unless she gave what he thought was a fair answer; and he knows me well enough to know when I'm lying outright;

"Project PENNY is not a solely military endeavour, though it is highly classified and I am not aware of all the details; even if I wanted to I cannot tell you much," she admitted, "given the prototypes' effectiveness against the White Fang infiltrators and her progression in the Vytal tournament it is… possible the Atlas Council will attempt reactivation."

"So, it could be done?"

"It is not impossible." The red cloak sagged as the girl wearing it almost collapsed in relief,

"Great," Ruby's smile was so open and genuine only the fact Qrow was looking on kept Winters' lips straight, "at least it's something, though actually," she straightened as inspiration struck, "is there anyone, you know, in charge? I mean I don't need names if it's secret or anything," the last thing she needed was being accused of espionage, "but is there someone I could contact, like sending a letter to?" I did say it wasn't purely military; Winter mulled this over for a moment both in the tactical and emotional sense; and knowing someone cared for his 'daughter' enough to write might encourage his engagement in the project. There would have to be security in place but perhaps that can be arranged;

"It would have to be arranged via your superiors, teachers, and mine," Winter told her, glancing away as the child began almost vibrating in excitement; how uncouth; "I will contact General Ironwood, leave your message with your teachers and if anything can come of it I will deliver them. Make one comment about me in a postal uniform and I will carry out the threat I made earlier regarding your tongue."

Ruby looked over her shoulder in time to see her uncle make a 'lips-zipped' gesture, though the effect was somewhat undone by his massive grin; remembering what had happened last time the two Hunters had come to blows she made to head off the impending disaster,

"Thank you Miss Schnee, or ma'am," she thought about saluting then thought better of it, "I'll get that letter written soon as possible."

"See that you do; until then we have work to do, you're dismissed. Not you," Qrow froze as the elder Schnee slammed the door on his escape attempt, "you still need to give your report."

"I debriefed Glynda earlier, you don't…"

"Second-hand information is never as valid as an eyewitness accounts; if you read even the first page of the Atlas rules of engagement you'd know that. Then again, given your name I suppose literacy isn't a prized attribute in the Branwen family."

"Harsh Ice Queen, just don't forget I've seen things that'd curl even your poker hair."

"It certainly worked on yours, though given you've only just mastered walking upright we can only hope grooming habits evolve next." Ruby made to interject but a hand on her shoulder stilled her, Sal taking in the sight of her uncle marshalling a riposte with a wry look on her face,

"Best leave them to it; sooner we're gone the sooner you'll be able to see him again. Thanks for your time, and the door," the thin man with the thermos smiled as he let them out, Ruby hopping down the small flight of steps with a spring in her step,

"All right that's, well it went great; thanks Mrs Arc," Sal glanced over as her temporary ward beamed at her, "you were right, that Grimm-trouble thing really works."

"Ha, comes with age; not a word you – I'm vintage, not old," seeing the half-joking finger pointed her way Ruby took a page from Qrows' book and mimed zipping her lips, though as Sals' eyebrow rose she snorted, then cracked into merry laughter,

"Sorry," she choked out, though the ex-Huntress merely chuckled herself,

"No problem Ruby – anyway, looks like your uncle might be there a little while…"

"Doubt it; Uncle Qrow hates that kind of thing – either he'll break out or act so annoying they'll kick him out in a half-hour."

"Really? Might take you up on that bet," Sal mentioned, running a few times over in her head; hmm, be about half-four then, plenty of time to catch up with Jaune and go from there; "so, looks like it's you and me until your uncle's free. Any ideas – what's good around here?" Ruby thought for a moment, chin sinking into her palm,

"Well if you're not on the rota for Vale duty there's training, cleaning and weapons maintenance though I doubt that'd interest you," Ruby recited, not noticing the predatory smile that flashed over Sals' face, "there's the canteen which doubles as a recreation tent and I know some of the upper classes are starting to set up classes and clubs, little things like book-reading, games you know. I was going to start my letter but that's really boring and I'm not leaving you high and dry after, well," her cheeks went pink as she recalled the last few hours and what had passed between her and the older woman, "you know."

"I do; I also know it's a bit tougher to write a letter to someone than you might think."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, wrote plenty of them from the field and elsewhere – not meaning to sound like a crazy old grouch but I doubt you've written one before, it's all Scroll messages if I've any guess."

"Uhh," Ruby wracked her brain but apart from maybe an odd letter to the Dustmas fairy nothing stood out in her mind, "not really written any no."

"Ruddy kids, you get it so easy."

"Now you're sounding like a crazy old grouch." Ruby ducked the ill-aimed swipe, grinning impishly as Sal snorted at her impertinence,

"Cheek; anyway it's a good habit to have, I always found it something to look forwards to when I was in the field and there's something about getting a letter that you can't get from a Scroll, it just feels, I don't know it means more when you get one."

"Really?"

"Oh yes, I get them from my eldest every so often and I've kept them all – still, there's a bit of an art to drafting them so I can give you a few tips."

"You would, thanks – oh I've got so much to tell her, like Ocean View and all the running around I've had to do and what the plan is to get Beacon back open and…"

"Slow down," Sal told her, putting a hand on the girls' shoulder, "you're like a rapier wasp on honey. First rule of writing a letter, more haste less speed – if you try and rush it you'll make mistakes and miss things out. Go grab a pen and paper, I'll meet you in… did you say the canteen was sort of the everything room?" Ruby nodded,

"Yeah, that's the place; I'll be just a second, though while we're there," a small worm of mischief suddenly wriggled to life in the reaper's mind, "wanna hear a few stories about Jaune?"

All was still between them for a moment before Sal's face split into a truly evil grin, Ruby mirroring the expression perfectly as an arm draped around her shoulders and tugged her affectionately into the older womans' side,

"Ruby you just read my mind," Sal purred, feeling girl return the hug with her closest arm, "this sounds like the start of a beautiful friendship!"

XXX

The ill-feeling around his talk with his partner lingered as he stalked into the warehouse claimed by the students, nodding here and there to those he recognised as he tracked down a specific set of curtains. Two, three, yeah, that was it, four down – stopping just outside the draped tarpaulin Jaune made sure he was hearing nothing before gently nosing the curtain opened; though Nora had always sworn she and Ren weren't together-together, stranger things would have happened in the aftermath of such an attack and his own fell news.

Fortunately for what remained of his innocence his fears were groundless, the sight so familiar that for an instant he could believe none of this had ever happened, the Vytal festival was in the future and all was right with their sad, broken world. It had taken a little while for him and especially Pyrrha to accept their two teammates were as close as they were without being intimate; and if listening to Pyrrha trying to ask that question without asking it wasn't more awkward and entertaining than her Pumpkin Pete commercial I'll drink a gallon of red sap; but eventually the sight of Ren and Nora curled around each other on their bunks in various states of undress had become routine. From what little he'd managed to coax from Ren the two had lived a lot of their life on the road so huddling for warmth was second nature and even beyond that Nora was a tactile girl at the best of times, so seeing his friends sprawled together on a single cot like they were now brought up feelings of nostalgia and sorrow ambivalently; now I have to break it, and I might never see it again. Shaking his head as though shooing the negative thought away Jaune steeled himself, swishing the curtain open noisily and smiling as the recumbent duo stirred,

"Hey guys, just me."

"Pyrrha…"

"Still training," he couldn't quite hide his disappointment as he recalled how unsatisfying that meeting had been, "just give her time." Nora snorted dismissively,

"She's had that – you told her…?"

"That I'm leaving yes," he'd wanted to say 'everything' but that would have been a lie on multiple levels, "she's just, she's in a bad place Nora, one I don't think she's ever been in before and she's going to need help to get out of it. Because of that, sorry to bother you but I need to borrow Ren for a bit. Nope, sorry," he raised a hand, expression solemn despite his smile, "I invoke the sacred rite."

"You don't mean…?"

"I do; sorry Nora but this is guy talk." Nora drew in a sharp breath, sitting up as the immensity of the occasion dawned,

"Guy talk," she repeated, half in reverence and half in longing, "as you and Renny have respected girl-time so too will I respect this. I will be close by," without complaint she slipped off the bed, Ren sitting and swinging his legs over its side as she slung Magnhild over her shoulder and swished the curtain open, "call when the sacred time is over."

All was silent as the curtain fell, Jaune hearing his teammate step away with a soft chuckle,

"Gods that girl is awesome; Ren for the love of the Brothers do something before someone else makes a move; I don't want to have to sign off her conjugal visits because you got sent down for the most avoidable crime of passion in Remnant history."

"Maybe later; how bad is it?"

"Ouch, you didn't even blink."

"And you didn't answer – how bad?" Seeing his friend regarding him unblinking and with tenseness etched in every line of his body Jaune flopped onto the bed opposite him, resting his elbows on his knees as he leant forwards,

"I don't know mate; Brothers' honest truth no-one really knows," he began, finally meeting the lavender stare just before it broke at Rens' shudder, "it could be bad though, really bad."

"You, might not, might not come back?" The cold ball of lead that plunged into the knights' stomach wasn't entirely due to the vagaries of the future; without thought he reached forwards and seized one of Rens' trembling hands, forcing it still as their eyes met again,

"That's worst-case; we're almost certain I'm not going to die but yes, that's;" likely; "possible. Until we know more though I'm saying nothing else, I just wanted you out of all the team to know." Despite himself Ren gave a nasty snort, cursing his soul once more,

"Because of my Semblance?"

"No, because I trusted you not to blow up completely; let's be honest Ren who else could have I have told? Nora wouldn't understand and Pyrrha's holding herself together with spiderwebs; telling her this might break her completely. I'm sorry man, I really wish I could have kept this under wraps but I can't; if the worst should happen someone needed to know so they could let the others down over time and there was no choice, it had to be you."

There was silence, Ren trying to keep his composure and Jaune keeping his silence, their only communication tremors, harsh breathing and the odd squeeze of a hand until at last Ren reasserted himself, a shaky exhale removing the last of his immediate concerns as he buried the deeper ones until they could be answered by future revelations,

"So," the ravenette murmured, able to face the blonde down again, "am I the leader now?"

"No, at least I hope not – I'm going to ask Ruby to step in. Will you follow her, you and Nora?"

"I will, I can't…"

"Hell you can't speak for Nora; if you'll go so will she and vice-versa." heh; despite being caught in a semi-lie Ren couldn't help but smirk at his leaders' perspicacity; a few months under the same roof and you know us both too well;

"Why not one of us?"

"It couldn't be you, either of you," Jaunes' tone was forged from the same steel he imbued in his battle commands, Ren straightening in kind as he accepted the unvarnished truth from the other man, "I told you what I did to save Pyrrha and you've both seen how it's affected her; well, us but especially her. I'll be honest Ren I don't, in fact I can't regret it because we both made it out alive when at least one of us shouldn't have but Pyrrha might well hate me for making that decision. Hand on heart you could you do that for Nora, could you cope if your decision either got her hurt or broke the two of you up?" Ren's hands were trembling again, the thought of losing or, worse, breaking Nora like that so alien it chilled him more than visions of his own demise, the cold so deep in his marrow that a hand on his shoulder made him start as he looked forwards into the knights' impaling gaze,

"I know what you mean to each other – you're a pair, a package deal so I'm not going to put you into a position where you might have to make that call. Either of you," his voice rose suddenly and if the silhouette that had just appeared at the edge of the curtain didn't give the game away the stifled swearword certainly did, "you can come in Nora, guy talk is over."

"Good, it's draughty out there," the Valkyrie complained, completely unashamed at her eavesdropping despite her wet eyes as she stood between the two seated boys and looked from one to the other, "so, Ruby then?"

"Ruby then," Jaune confirmed, "no problem?"

"Nah, Renny's too quiet and me, a leader?" Nora laughed, dashing her tears away as she hefted her hammer, "All I want is to smash Grimm and the people who did all this – give me and Magnhild a minute alone with them and they'd not do it again! They'd get some of that, and that and maybe a bit of this too!"

"I don't doubt it," laughing quietly Jaune picked his moment with practiced ease, stepping inside the diminutive girls' swing to loop one arm around the hammer haft and the other around her, "just remember there's more to life than the smashing. Ruby's going to need your help and so's Pyrrha," he told her, beckoning Ren into a three-way hug as he let Magnhild drop; only when the trio stood united did he carry on, "they're going to need you both just like I did. Nora just keep being you, drag them up and along when the going gets tough and Ren, pull them back down to earth and be the voice of reason if it gets too much," his voice roughed as he pulled them in tighter, fighting with everything he had left to keep his eyes dry as he felt the duo nod against him, "think you can still do that for me, for JNPR?"

They didn't speak, they didn't have to; for a long time it was the three of them in each other's arms, the rest of Remnant held back by their impenetrable huddle. I want to remember this; knowing it had to end made Jaune hold on tighter, his friend reciprocating as a form of unspoken goodbye; if, when I see them again it won't be like this but I will remember this. Someone sniffed deeply, it might have been him, breaking the moment as he gently drew back, Nora whining softly but eventually letting go as they mutually separated, not looking at each other for a few moments as they dried their eyes and huffed down fortifying breaths,

"So," though her voice was choked Nora was first to speak, "support Ru-ru and stop Pyr training herself too much – shouldn't be too hard. Does that include…?"

"No, Pyrrha is your teammate so her legs are off-limits for hammer time."

"Aww, but what if she gets really uptight, you know like full-on I am Invic-Girl, bow before me," the miniature berserker wheedled, "I mean shins grow back right Renny?"

"Truth and human biology require I answer 'yes eventually'; that does not," his voice and finger rose together to quash Nora's hopeful expression, "mean it's a good idea."

"You guys never let Magnhild have any fun – how am I supposed to break this news without making her cry?"

"Hey Nora."

"Yeah, wha…?"

Her voice died, eyes crossing in terror at the light pressure on the tip of her nose; her jaw dropped, a reedy croak emerging as she managed to shake her head minutely. The hammer was cocked, she could only stare up pleadingly and silently beg for the trigger to go unpulled; it's Jaune-Jaune, our fearless leader – he wouldn't, he couldn't…

"Boop!"

She slumped to her knees, Magnhild clattering to the floor beside her as the reverberating impact unleashed a mournful, anguished moan,

"Noooooo," even as the echoes faded she grabbed desperately for straws, "foul, foul, no fair, foul – there was no challenge, proper form wasn't observed! Renny tell him," she scrabbled around to face her oldest, dearest friend, desperate hope blinding her to his widening smile, "Jaune-Jaune didn't really boo… boo… do that to me did he – you saw it right?"

"I will say nothing," Ren declared solemnly, "but I heard and saw everything." She clutched her chest dramatically as Jaune chuckled, bumping fists with his friend at her lamentations,

"Betrayed, betrayed I am, the queen of the castle dethroned by a villainous knight and his pawn lackey," she pulled herself to her full height, "will no-one help a majesty in distress, is there no loyalty to the crown any longer?"

"Huh, no," Ren declared lowly, slightly affronted by his ascribed rank, "after that disrespect this pawn is going to en passant himself back to bed – perhaps without her nibs' pancake obsession I might be able to get a lie-in."

"Scurrilous knave, no wonder you never won your spurs" Nora denounced, hamming it up gleefully and shaking her fist as Ren collapsed backwards onto his bunk, "kings and emperors would prostrate themselves to work in my larders. No, no I am a queen, I will face my end with dignity," standing tall Nora looked up at Jaune, her steely eyes only slightly undermined by the fact she was on the verge of hysteria, "let it ehehe-hem, end then villain, let the axe fall."

"S, sohoho mote it be," fully invested in the play Jaune didn't trust himself to speak further, instead raising his hand and letting it fall slowly, bopping his teammate on the crown with the edge. All was still for a second before Nora collapsed dramatically, tongue poked out the corner of her mouth as she let out a low,

"Bleehhhh!" Jaune for his part doubled over, hugging his juddering stomach as with a colossal effort he avoided breaking down, instead slumping by the side of the sprawled girl. Noras' eyes, closed in fake death, suddenly shot open as she felt a pair of arms slide under her, though catching the knights' mischievous wink she quickly returned the gesture and returned to unconsciousness, hearing rather than seeing what her team leader was planning,

"Right, better get her out of here; bad luck to leave a royal unburied. Which way to the… hang about, why am I doing this," Nora had to stifle a shriek was a sudden swoop of weightlessness made her stomach plunge, the Valkyrie instinctively huddling into a ball as she was hurled forwards to land on something that exploded with a loud whoof of air,

"That's pawns' work – start digging lackey."

Nora was long gone into helpless laughter by the time her irate landing pad managed to shove her off and glare at the man who'd thrown her,

"I," winded by his partners' landing Ren could only wheeze, "I despise you and all you stand for; may your stomach become bloated and your head be plucked of all but three hairs."

"L, love you too Renny," the Arc scion managed – Ren, he'd discovered over their friendship, had a library of odd-sounding curses for people who annoyed him; usually me or Nora. Strange that such an even-tempered guy would memorise so many wishes for misfortune, through I suppose he has to meditate on something; "though for your information you're out of luck on the second part there."

"Really?"

"Yep, seen the pictures, might have been silver or white but most of my ancestors went out with a full head. The Arc hair," he ran a hand through it with a pout, "genetically fabulous."

"Genes won't deny my revenge," Ren swore darkly as he heaved himself to a sitting position, nursing his aching belly as Nora hiccupped in hysteria, "you, me, five minutes and a pair of tweezers."

"Whoa, dude, at least buy me dinner first."

"Fair enough, you'd get a last meal before the pluckening."

"Oh is that what the cool kids are calling it these days?"

"Obviously, though I guess you wouldn't know."

"Ouch, owwch – below the belt Renny, about the only way you'll get there on me after that line. I'm a delicate flower you brute – given your weapons I thought you'd handle me better!"

"Flowers I can handle; fruits on the other hand…"

"St,stohohohohop," Nora pleaded, almost faint from laughing so hard, "I'm gonna diehehehe if you don't stop." Knight and ninja regarded each other for a moment before the latter quirked an eyebrow,

"Thought you'd already executed her?"

"Can't keep a good woman down," Jaune shrugged before glancing at the gasping ginger girl, "alright there Nora, not going to pee yourself or anything?"

"I, I hope not," she managed after recapturing her breath, mirthful tears tracking the side of her nose, "just don't make me laugh any more or else."

"Really? Tickle attack!"

"Nooo!"

"Not on my bed!"

Desperate to avoid his sanctum being defiled Ren hurled himself atop his oldest fried as Nora fell backwards. Ren braced over her, preparing to soak up the punishment to preserve Nora's dignity and his duvet though as the seconds snailed by nothing happened apart from the Valkyrie uncurling under him, bringing them almost nose to nose. Did she always have that many freckles?; Ren fancied he could count them all, face suddenly hot as Nora's eyes tried to look anywhere but at his, the tips of her white teeth worrying her plump lower lip suddenly all he could see. His mouth went dry, heartbeat thudding in his ears until a sudden gust of wind up his back making him shiver enough to roll off his pinned friend – if he collapsed atop Nora then, then it would be unseemly. Shaking his head as though trying to drain the blood from his cheeks Ren looked over his shoulder, the quivering curtain entrance to JNPR's temporary dorm; that, he… Jaune tricked me, us!; fascinating as he kept his mind firmly off the presence next to him – only when he felt the mattress decompress did he risk speech,

"So, ah, he's gone?" Stupid, stupid, stupid – should have said something else;

"Er, yeah," he dared a glance, just one, and seeing Nora looking as confused as he felt brought both relief and regret, "think he's gone to find Ruby?"

"That'd make sense – it's a, well it's a big decision he's had to make and she's a big part of it. To be honest I hope she says yes, at least that way we're still a four-man team."

"Which means we can still hunt and bash Grimm," Nora's normal chirpiness was beginning to re-emerge, subsuming her earlier vulnerability and moving them back towards safer, familiar somehow greyer ground, "she'll do it, she hates hanging around here worse than I do but what do we call ourselves. We've lost our J for a bit, gained an R, so RRNP? Come on Renny, thinking cap on, we need a cool team name."

"That we do Nora," he agreed placidly, amused once more as he rubbed his still-twinging belly and followed his capering partner with his eyes, "that we do…"

Cruel maybe, but then again Saph always said you sometimes have to be cruel to be kind; despite the wisdom of his eldest sibling Jaune couldn't help feeling a trace of guilt. Good cause or otherwise, playing on his friends' fears of torture and extra laundry was in no way fair; still, as long all ended well; and it will, even if I have to lock them in a padded room together they'll eventually work it out; he'd take it. Emerging into the late afternoon sun Jaune shaded his eyes, not seeing the last person he needed to talk to so content to explore for a few minutes before they inevitably bumped into each other. If nothing else I might see some of the teachers again, say goodbye for a bit; the thought made him shrug as he set off, looking around the temporary Beacon for almost the first time and marvelling at some of the ingenuity on show – RWBY's lethal-looking but surprisingly stable bunk-beds had nothing on this. Returning nods to a few upperclassmen hurrying around on errands of their own Jaune ducked into the lee of the warehouses, glancing around as he caught his bearings; the medical tent and his room by extension were closest to the water so he was almost right in the middle – for a moment he thought about looking for Pyrrha again but the notion was quickly quashed despite the pain it caused; we're, or at least I'm not ready. Some might have called it cowardice but he didn't care – he'd said all he could safely say to the Mistralian girl for now, only when time had dulled the pain could he dare to pick at that scab,

"Right then, better find Rubes," without much of a direction he headed towards the canteen, "let's just hope she goes for it, and that Goodwitch can spare her if she – ohhh."

A flash of movement between the two warehouses had caught his eye and as he looked down the narrow channel he immediately recognised what he was looking at, intimately familiar with such laden lines with coming from such a large clan. His initial chuckle at another example of ingenuity sudden trailed off as his eyes were drawn to a small plastic basket and his mind raced towards the question he had to ask along with some of the gossip he'd overhead, building blocks for a trick so diabolical Jaune Arc would never pull it on his worst enemy. My best friend on the other hand; a heartbeat later saw the knight carrying on his way with a new slight weight in his pocket after smothering a wicked smirk; I'm pretty sure she'll see the funny side, eventually…

Mood lightened and plans made Jaune stuck his hands in his pockets and shelved his mission for a bit, following his feet until he came to the edge of the docks. Taking a seat on an abandoned pallet Jaune sat down, doing nothing but enjoying the sunshine and the sight of the waves crashing in from the ocean. As the sun began to sink towards the horizon he remained where he was, letting go of the fraught past and terrifying future to exist purely in the present. They're all okay, the rest of my team, Ruby, the rest of Beacon and Vale, they all made it; and that he'd played a part in it, regardless of the cost, was something he could take a few moments' to remember, reflect on and, eventually, take some pride in.

With that thought in mind, by the light of the dying day, Jaune Arc looked towards the sunset, sighed softly and allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.

XXX

Finally breathing the free air after being stuck next to Jimmy's little soldier for so long Qrow found himself brought up surprisingly short, cocking his head as he took in the bizarre sight.

Though he often dangled the title of favourite niece over their heads Qrow honestly loved Yang and Ruby equally – he just expressed such affection in different ways. Though Yang often loudly complained he treated Ruby with kid gloves it wasn't out of favouritism, she was just far more like him in personality compared to bombastic blonde who was so similar to the mother she'd never known it was sometimes painful. Especially at the moment; memories of the last few days cast shadows over the hunters' eyes; Raven never dealt with losing well and she was the one who did the abandoning on STRQ, not the other way around. That his family had suffered another brutal blow and he wasn't there to help them were the latest in his long line of regrets; now more than ever he wished he could let others deal with finding the new host of their deceased leader and shoring up the fractured city while he concentrated on those he loved but he could not. He had skills that let him go subtly where those who focussed on overt action would be tripped up and now more than ever they were needed – through her pawns their ancient adversary had struck at the very seat of their power and they were barely clinging on, him being away from the front for too long could tip the scale against them fatally. For the greater good, again; the words were so caustic his fingers itched for his flask; for a fight most of them don't know exists I have to leave them in the hands of others, though at least this time it looks like Ruby landed in a safe pair;

"Not like you to be nose-deep in a book Pipsqueak," he chuckled, amused as silver eyes shot to him, "should I be worried about you turning into the next Wicked Witch of Beacon?"

"Urgh, no way Uncle Qrow, though don't be mean about Professor Goodwitch," though she didn't share the disciplinarians' love of academics the past week or so had given the young Rose an inkling of the amount of work the headmistress had to do behind the scenes, "she's had to do a heck of lot just to keep this place running, never mind everything else she's got on her plate."

"I know, I know; I'll drop in and check she's okay later; we go back a ways Glyn and I;" always leave them wanting more; his skill as a storyteller was but one reason Qrow was always welcome at the Xiao Long residence, "though I see you know a blonde I don't – mind introducing us Rubes. Make me look good and I'll swipe you that mecha-gear you've been drooling over."

The stage-whisper made his niece shake her head exasperated even as the woman chuckled slightly, Qrow skilfully concealing his celebratory fist-pump; life in the old bird yet;

"Make you look good – last I checked Ruby was a Huntress not a miracle worker." The Branwen flinched, reflexively clipping his nieces' ear softly as she snickered at the insult,

"Right there, right in the heart," he moaned as he clutched his chest, "no wonder Pipsqueak took a shine to you – wit that sharp's a weapon in its own right. Still, that aside Qrow Branwen," he reached across the table, "and I owe you some thanks."

"Sal Arc," standing up she reciprocated the gesture and the two shook hands, "and no need to thank me for looking after Ruby, I assume your niece?"

"To my endless regret yes…"

"Hey!"

"…but never mind the Pipsqueak, the way you cut Winny down to size," he kissed the air, gleefully reliving the moment the Ice Queens' expression finally cracked, "I owe you one for that as well; best laugh I've had in weeks."

"Last one too; just wait 'til my baby gets hold of you," Ruby muttered mutinously, though her anger evaporated as Qrow rubbed her head, Sal watching the two with a wistfully fond expression,

"Not the first ice maiden I've had to thaw out," she admitted before turning serious, "and after she pulled my son out the fire least I could do for her."

"Son? Wait," flashes of orange flame in darkness, fighting to keep a soul anchored to a body in the shadow of the largest corpse he'd ever seen, "the knight-kid's yours?"

"Ha, knight – for now he is thoroughly degraded."

"Oh, uh, sorry to hear that – he'll get better right?"

"Maybe in a decade or three; it means he's lost his knighthood."

"Not me;" no, nope, not taking the rap for anything like that; "I don't know what you've heard happened up there but Hunter's honour it was all necessary; if I could take it all back I would, for both of us as well as him."

Oh boy; Ruby just about managed to hold in the groan but hiding the cringe was impossible – love her uncle as she assuredly did Qrows' long absences from civilisation sometimes made him even more of a social hand grenade than she was; and worst of all I can never tell if he's faking or doing it on purpose;

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Sal admitted a moment later, only partly in jest as she leant forwards, "you were there as well? I thought it was only Ruby?"

"She was there first," Qrow explained, taking a seat of his own, "I got there when the fight was over, heard she'd run back and ran after her. Lucky for knight-boy he was already out of it, otherwise I'd have had to kill him for taking my nieces' first kiss."

"Uncle Qrow!"

"What? Your dad bet you'd be a second-year before it happened while I went for first so at least I won that much – not sure if I give him a handshake or a kick to the balls first, what do you think?" Ruby moaned, melting into a puddle of embarrassment with her face buried in her hands until a sharp rap on top of her head made her look up,

"You, breathed for him?" Sals' voice was choked, the clouds of her eyes glistening as rain threatened to break, "Not sure it's safe for me to stick close to you Ruby; every time we bump into someone the debt deepens."

"Could be as deep as the ocean, it's nothing to the debt Vale owes him," Qrow answered before the younger huntress could stutter, humour wiped away as he faced the woman candidly, "I didn't see it but I saw enough afterwards to work out what happened up there. I've hunted leviathans before, or at least been part of squads that have hunted them," the lines in his face deepened as he spoke, fingers clutching instinctively for his hip flask as the memories rose from the murk bubbling just below his conscious mind, "not everyone came back. If that thing had landed or fought we'd likely all be dead; Beacon's only burning now because of your boy."

Though his words were too soft to be overheard over the soft chatter of remaining few within the canteen the weight behind them was immeasurable, Ruby having to look down as her eyes burned and Sal had it even worse, unable to face them for a few moments as she regained her composure. Sniffing deeply, the elder Arc discretely dried her eyes on a spare paper napkin before looking at the Huntsman anew,

"Either way it's a moot point now," her voice was glottal but firm as she glanced from uncle to niece, smiling slightly at the latter, "I think you've got a handle on your letter Ruby, just take your time and remember what you want to say, it should flow from there. As for you though," Qrow flinched at her eyes fell on him and hardened, "why were you so interested in my son's knighthood?"

"Uhh," caught on the backfoot Qrow could only scratch his neck awkwardly, "well Rubes isn't exactly built for the long haul and she was starting to flag when I got there so… well at least she got his first kiss right? I know chastity's one of those knightly things but surely it doesn't count if he was out cold; we only took his knightly virtue because we had t-ooowww! What was that for?"

"Stopping you digging to Menagerie," Ruby shot back, bypassing red and hitting magenta as her kick to the shin stopped his torturous explanation, "that's not what knighthood means!"

"Really; I thought it was all about keeping yourself pure for the right girl?"

"No, and anyway Jaune's not a knight – he's uses a sword and shield and wears armours so the name stuck. He's also really nice though, so it kind of fits," she confided in Sal, who was looking torn between amusement and bemusement as she regarded Qrow askance,

"So," the Hunter looked up from rubbing his rasped shin, "he's not bound by chivalry then?"

"No!"

"Oh, no problem then; there I was worried I'd have to explain to Tai how we both wound up betrothed to your crush after swapping spit with him. You should have said something earlier Rubes, all that stress for nothing." The reapers' forehead thunked off the table,

"You are awful," she growled into the wood, "is murdering your uncle a crime?"

"Aw Pipsqueak, I'm hurt."

"Not yet you're not – someone get a cell ready!" The reaper reached for her scythe only for a chuckle to cut through her sudden red mist,

"First off murdering your uncle would be avunculicide," Sal informed her, smiling as Qrow and Ruby cocked their heads in tandem; yep, no way those two aren't related; "and apart from that Vale needs all the hunters it can get, blood is damn near impossible to wash out of a uniform and I'm not sure this place would survive you two fighting intact. Anyway," she stood up, "I'll leave the pair of you to it, just no more plots to get at my little boys' knighthood please."

"I wouldn't…"

"I was talking to him."

"Who, me?" Qrow's faux-innocent look promptly evaporated as both women turned basilisk gazes his way, "Okay, okay just lightening the mood, no need to plan my immanent avuncly-uhh, whatever that word was. How'd you know it anyway?"

"If you meet my family you'll understand."

"Ah, say no more – where are you off to?"

"Got a few things to do while I'm here," Sal explained noncommittally, glancing towards the door, "might as well do it now while there's time."

"Time?" Ruby echoed, caught by a foreboding sense of it slipping away, "are you and Jaune leaving soon?"

"Tomorrow; I know it's sudden," Sal tone was conciliatory as Ruby's expression crumpled, "but the sooner Jaune's back at home the less time people are going to have to ask why isn't he on the field? He doesn't look that injured so people are going to notice if he's under observation and from there, rumours." Ruby nodded and a second later Sal had a smaller body buried in her front, Ruby embracing the taller woman more gently than she had earlier as she fought down tears; I'm not going to cry any more, I've done enough of that today;

"I get it; thank you," she managed, screwing up her face to deny the waterworks, "for everything."

"No need to thank me, you've already…"

"No," Ruby cut her off, looking up as determination devoured her melancholy, "we're even, after everything that's happened we're completely square I'm putting my foot down," she stomped to make her point, "you don't owe me anything Mrs Arc, you never will."

Sal didn't answer for a moment, she was too busy trying not to break down as Ruby had earlier; her embrace was her answer, Ruby pulled tight against her for a long moment as Qrow had to look away; damn it Summer you should be here doing this! Why did you have to try and save the world on your own and not come back?; even as he asked the question he knew it was hypocritical – wasn't he doing the same thing, putting Ozpin's hidden fight before family, that had gotten his old teammate killed? He wanted a drink badly, desperately, the emotions being dredged up making him feel nauseous as Sal spoke quietly to the girl in her arms,

"You're going to be fantastic at whatever you put your mind to Ruby; huntress, waitress, teacher, letter-writer you're going to set the world alight, don't let anyone tell you any different."

"I won't," Ruby promised, watery smile reinforced by her promise as Sal squeezed her slightly before letting her grip slough away,

"Good; I'm counting on you to make sure of it," caught off-guard Qrow could only nod as the elder Arc stepped away, leaving the canteen as a few more people started to crowd in, drawn by the kitchen officially opening again; wow, didn't realise it was that late;

"Looks like you made a friend there Rubes, you'll have to…"

"She's married."

"Oh come on, do I really sound that desperate?" Silver eyes sparkled with mischief rather than tears as the reaper smirked saucily,

"How honest do you want me to be?"

"I will hang you off my scythe by your cape," Qrow glowered threateningly before chuckling, "anyway enough about your cool uncle, what had you track down Winny like that? Good on you for breaking through her cold front by the way – seen her turn a beowolf to an ice sculpture with a look before." Ruby shook her head in exasperation,

"You have not, though how do you know her if she's Weiss's sister? Is she a Huntress too?"

"Ha, Winter a Huntress; both her parents would turn in their graves and neither of them are dead yet. She's a Specialist, Atlas military and we've had to work together before much to her displeasure; far as she's concerned skill and experience count for nothing if your boots don't shine and your uniform creases can't cut cheese."

"Bad as that?"

"Worse, much like her sister I imagine; I'm getting something in me," he declared, rising and nodding at the paper on Ruby's mat, "you can tell me all about the younger Schnee-flake and what's going into this letter of yours while we eat." His niece gave a thumbs-up,

"Sure, I'll take whatever's being dished up," she confirmed before her face fell slightly, "can you tell me about Patch, and Yang? That's where you've been isn't it?"

"Sure is kid;" mostly; it was testament to his skill in misdirection that Qrow didn't miss a beat at the half-truth, "just let me get something down me and I'll tell you everything;" much as I wish I didn't have to – double-damn it Summer! I wonder if I can slip something into the juice they serve here, something tells me I'm going to need it to get through the whole story…

XXX

After returning to her temporary lodgings, a hastily-erected cot in the staff area of Ocean View, Sal found herself nodding to a familiar face as she made to leave the site,

"Ah, hi there," she chuckled apologetically, recalling the last time her path had crossed with one of the Hunter cadets flanking the main gate to the dock area, "just heading out for a bit, do I need to sign out? And, ah, sorry about yesterday, I had a lot of stress on my mind."

"And he ended up with a lot of egg on his face," the other guard chipped in, winking cheekily as the taller, broader boy scowled at her from under his mop of brown hair, "all his talk about being the wall for us and he gets knocked down by ah, um…" her expression dropped at about the same speed Sal's eyebrow rose,

"By what precisely, or whom?" Her neutral tone belied her predatory expression as the girls' smirk migrated to her partners face, "Well then, if he was a let-down surely you can show him how it's done?" The Huntress backed up a pace, scrambling for answers before her bacon was saved by a faint racket drifting into earshot,

"Urgh, them again," the boy muttered as he and his partner glanced down the road, "book's on the side by Livi over there; there would be a curfew and a banned list but you're not a student so just sign out and back in. Please don't forget to sign back in," he broke off his stare down with the horizon to regard Sal apologetically, "we have to come knocking if you do. No swipe-card system here so the book's our only way of knowing where everyone is in case of fire or something like that."

"Good system," Sal commented, squinting into the distance herself, "expecting trouble?"

"Hopefully not", his partner answered, the brightly-coloured bangles in her hair and large hoop earrings flashing as she shook her head, "not if they've got the sense they were born with, though I'm starting to have my doubts."

"Who's they?"

"Cardinal."

"That's an odd name."

"It's an odd team; CRDL," the girl explained, pointing out the blob of shadow that had just appeared on the end of the road, "first years and if anyone deserves the ban list it's them."

"That bad," Sal asked, wincing slightly as the shadow lurched in a pattern she knew all too well and the fourth-year boy beside her sighed,

"They were arseholes in Beacon, throwing their weight around and I know the leader at least hates Faunus though he only acted on it once. Still they've done the duties they've been handed no complaints, it's just that they go and do this kind of crap whenever they get any downtime," the upperclassman snorted dismissively, reaching for the hatchet strapped across his back, "same as before Livi, I'll make sure they sign in, you hit the button if they get rowdy."

"You got it T; doubt they'll try anything though," the girl snorted, fondling the handles of the twin daggers belted at her slim waist as the revellers staggered onwards, "wish they would, been awhile since the girls got bloodied."

"You should be grateful, means the Grimm are finally dying off; anyway we're out tomorrow and I heard on the wind old Port might be leading a scout of the forest for the first time."

"You signed us up right?"

"You know it."

"Aww yeah, best leader ever!"

"You know that too, egg on my face or otherwise," Livi gave a sheepish grin that Sal, signing out, hid a smile at – she'd worn that expression around a certain man when not much older than the Beacon student and sometimes, over two decades and many children later, wore even now. Leaving the pair with a short goodbye Sal crossed the road, heeding old instincts for avoiding trouble, in this case the quartet of boys hanging off each other and singing drunkenly, that she didn't need. Those two at the gate might have their work cut out for them; one of the approaching group, likely the leader given he was conducting his fellows through a particularly bawdy verse, put Jaune in the shade in both height and width; though T, I think, said they'd been smart enough not to start anything so far. Let's hope they keep it that way; glancing across the road Sal totted up the distances and readied herself in case the four noticed her; though if not, well; she gave a slight smile and innocuously brought her hands behind her back, next to the comforting weight that rested there; Livi's not the only one whose girls haven't tasted blood in a while and given where I'm going I could use a warm-up…

XXX

His stomach roused him from his repose, grumbling irritably as Jaune blinked back to himself and suddenly realised how hungry he was; wow, I was out for a while. Still, it's a nice day, or at least it was; the sun had been reduced to the faintest sliver sinking into the waves, the water flashing as it rose towards the docks as the former knight came to his feet and stretched off, his back crunching painfully as he rolled his shoulders; so, first things' first, dinner then Ruby, or vice-versa if I spot her first. So, which way to the kitchen, oh hi Yatsuhashi…

The fortuitous sighting of the giant of team CVFY kept Jaune company as the pair meandered towards to the cookhouse, though Jaune wasn't so involved in the older students' discussions on the finer points of meditation against the sound of crashing waves that he missed a tell-tale flapping in the distance,

"Sorry Yatsu, mind if I leave you here? Just seen someone I need to talk to."

"Go and talk," the gentle giant answered with an easy smile, "I'm sure we'll cross paths in the future."

"Yeah, sure," Jaune managed to smile until Yatsuhashi turned away, then took a second to grimace at the unplanned reminder before hurrying after Ruby and whoever she was travelling with someone Jaune didn't recognise. The man was evidently a Hunter given the weapon on his back and the way the other teenager was talking up to his excitedly meant the two knew each other – for some reason Jaune had a nagging sense of familiarity but couldn't place it, instead discounting the feeling as he caught up to them,

"Hey Rubes, wait up a minute," the red cloak swung, the girl under it grinning as she heard her friend before the expression froze; Jaune had a split-second to wonder why before wincing as her companion suddenly yelped in pain, glaring at the diminutive girl as he hopped on his untrampled foot,

"The hell was that for Pipsqueak?!"

"You were about to open your mouth."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Hence 'about to'," she shot back, though fortunately her venomous glare broke before she looked to Jaune again, "sorry about my Uncle Qrow Jaune, he was probably going to threaten you for speaking to me."

"I was not, much," Qrow grumbled, conceding under his nieces' deadpan look before he pulled himself together; so, the knight-kid in the flesh. Doesn't look like a lot, then again I didn't either and I turned out alright, more or less; "you're Jaune right? Jaune Arc?"

"Yeah," the blonde answered slowly, Qrow hiding a slight smile as he caught the flickered glances; answering slow for a chance to weigh me up – smart; "don't think we've met yet; Ruby?"

"I can talk for myself," Qrow interjected, though his tone was amused rather than offended, "we just met your mother before dinner, I can see the resemblance."

"Mum's around?"

"She was, she said had to go into town," Ruby chipped in, "anyway Jaune this is my Uncle Qrow, Uncle Qrow this is Jaune."

"So I gathered; nice to see you again."

"Again? Have we met before – I remember Ruby mentioning her uncle but don't think we've met."

He's sharp; Qrow felt his initial assessment grow legs – though he had no illusion he could dismantle the blonde with one hand behind his back and his eyes shut the veteran could appreciate an alert mind and, more importantly, the caution needed to give it time to work,

"We have but you weren't conscious," his face gave none of his inner thoughts away, instead squashing Jaunes' expression into discomfort even as Ruby elbowed him as retribution,

"Ah, you er, you know then."

"I know about that – what I'd like to know is why you're after my adorable niece. I know she's cute but she's off the market until she at least thirteeeoww! Stop stamping on my feet!"

"Stop stamping on my dignity," Ruby riposted, "just ignore him Jaune, he's trying to embarrass me."

"Sure he's not succeeding? Okay, okay," Jaune raised his hand in surrender as Ruby's hands inched towards her cloak – best friend or not she would only stomach so much teasing before her baby came out to play, "sorry, I just needed a quick word if you've a minute." Ruby opened her mouth to answer before closing it again, glancing to the side questioningly,

"Go for it Rubes, I've got stuff I need to do," Qrow shrugged before smirking, "have fun you two, just use protection; wow, was it something I said? I meant during sparring!" As a whicker of crimson flashed past his nose Qrow realised his niece wasn't going to listen and made discretion the better part of valour, leaping away atop one of Ocean Views' warehouses and out of sight as Ruby shook her fist after him,

"You better run," she threatened, collapsing her scythe back down before turning to face her friend, "sorry about him Jaune."

"No problem; I think I get which side of your family Yangs' sense of humour comes from. How is Yang anyway – I heard from Goodwitch she'd been hurt but not seen her around."

Bad as that huh?; seeing the anger melt into pensive worry Jaune reached out to his friend only to stop as she heaved down a deep breath, smoothing the burr of trepidation under a lacquer of cheerfulness,

"She is hurt, she's recovering at home in Patch. Out of all of us she was probably the worst but you know Yang; she'll bounce back I know she will."

"I don't doubt it Rubes, something you've got in common with your sister unlike those bees' knees of yours."

"You're not going to let that go are you?"

"Depends; are you going to quit calling me Vomit Boy?"

"Never!"

"There's your answer," the two glowered at each other before breaking into sniggers, Jaune surreptitiously ushering the smaller student into the lee of a nearby stack of crates for some privacy, "still, I need a favour off you if you're willing?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I need you to lead NPR for me," Ruby blinked then blinked again, goggling at her fellow team leader as Jaune explained, "sorry if it's a bit sudden but my team doesn't have a leader and you don't have a team. I've spoken to the others," Ruby's hand covered her mouth in shock; he spoke to them all so fast, and about me?; "Nora, Ren and Pyrrha didn't have any issues, they'll work with you until WBY are back on the scene. If nothing else it gets you on a recognised team, though from what I've heard the professors aren't having first years hunt like we were before?"

"No, that's more for the senior years – CVFY told me they've been mostly scouting out infested areas, though they have cleared out a few if the threat was low, Coco made the call to go in. Do you think I can do this Jaune; I mean, do you really want me to?"

Not for the first time when dealing with the young Rose the blonde knight found several other familiar girls superimposed over her, years of experience bolstering the confidence of his multiple sisters letting him squat to her eye level and put his hand on his shoulder reassuringly,

"You won't have any problems Ruby, in fact I'd bet you'd do better than anyone else I could have asked. I mean could you imagine Cardin?" The image made them both shudder,

"I'd give him two hours before he came down with a sudden case of broken-legs."

"That's generous, I'd have said two minutes," Jaune chortled, picturing the rest of his team whistling innocently as Goodwitch glared between them and a maimed Cardin, "still, would you do this for me and them?" Ruby was quiet for a moment, mustering her courage as she looked her friend square in the eye and nodded severely,

"I'll do it Jaune, I'll do my best." The hand on her shoulder squeezed softly,

"You'll be fine Rubes; come on, show me your hunting-face! That's awful, and sticking your tongue out doesn't help," the criticism merely made her guffaw as Jaune shook his head with a wry smile, "may the Grimm have mercy on you because Nora will not." Mirth dying away Ruby planted her hands on her hips challengingly,

"Oh yeah? Just you wait, team RNNR will be running so well it'll be a case of 'Jaune Who?' by the time you come crawling back."

"Now them's fighting words, and RNNR?"

"Ruby-Nora-Nikos-Ren, team Runner," Ruby explained, looking extremely pleased with herself, "I'll do it, I'll lead them until you're recovered. You better keep in touch though; we'll all want to know how you're doing so any updates you let us know."

"I will, soon as I get a new Scroll I'll keep you in the loop. Thanks for doing this," and he meant it – knowing his friends, all of them, would be looking out for each other was a great weight off his mind, "if you ever need anything you can call me any time. Oh, though before I forget," he beckoned her forwards, Ruby leaning in as he stretched out a fist, "you might need this soon."

How he kept his face straight as he dropped the piece of plastic into her hand he didn't know; he could have taken a picture of her expression and pasted it into a dictionary as the entry for…

"Eh?"

"Essential safety precaution for when the school re-opens," Jaune told her, smile escaping despite his best effort as she looked up at him quizzically, "with Beacon as it is right now one sneeze from you could bring the whole place down."

"You butt!" Ruby flung the clothes peg at him as Jaune cracked up helplessly, "You jerk you, you, you… jerk-butt! It's not funny," infuriated she leapt forwards, fists flailing furiously until strong arms closed around her and even then she struggled, trying to flatten his toes, "I'm gonna kick your butt so hard you won't sit down for a, ahh…"

A light, soft pressure on her crown froze her rigid, then slow, warm breath trickling down her scalp and over the tips of her ears made her entire body judder as she collapsed against him; whoa, what was that? It felt weird, good but really weird and I'm being hugged by an Arc again, in public and he just kissed me; the sudden realisation made her tense as, fearing the worst, she slowly glanced around as much as she was able to. In hindsight it wasn't that bad; at the time it seemed like everyone in Ocean View was staring at them, the sight of an older girl she didn't know shooting her a gleeful thumbs-up making her light up like a fire-Dust round and bury her face in Jaune's hoodie. Brothers strike me down; it felt like steam was gushing out her ears as Jaune let go, grateful his patented anger-defusing technique worked as well on honorary sisters as it did on his blood ones,

"Yep, no way you and Yang aren't sisters; same temper, you just control it better. Come on," he chuckled, swatting her shoulder as she glowered at him for both the insult and the resultant scene, "let's talk to Goodwitch and get the transfer paperwork sorted. Tea's still on for an hour so you can plot my no-doubt agonising demise then."

"Oh yes," Ruby agreed, plans already churning in her mind as she hurried after him, "I've already eaten so more time to plan – this is going to be sweet!"

"Really? Well if you need a hand with your nefarious schemes call in Ren and Nora, they're likely be champing at the bit for revenge as well."

"What on Remnant did you do; you've only been here a day! How did you burn your bridges that fast?"

"I always work fast Crater-Face, usually just before homework deadline day but still. You can call it a team-bonding exercise."

"Sacrifice the old leader to the glory of the new, I like it," though judging by the sinister edge to her smile Jaune doubted he would, "all right then Vomit-Boy, let's let the professors know and make it all legal, then you get a last meal before my ultimate vengeance!"

Said meal, served about forty minutes later, was tasty and, as Ruby returned with the N and the R of his team, quite entertaining; ah, dealing with Nora – a baptism of fire. Still, she managed quite well; it had taken a lot of resistance against Nora's puppy eyes as she pleaded for her idea of team RVNL over RNNR but Ruby had easily convinced her and Ren by suggesting teamwork-revenge on their former leader. Clearing his plate away with Noras' cheerful,

"Sold!" ringing in his ears Jaune readied himself, eyes on the leader of the newly-christened team RNNR as Ruby slowly reached down by her seat and with a flourish dropped the article of his execution on the table before him,

"I see," he said slowly, looking to each of his new opponents in turn, "so that's how it is?" Oh you poor sweet summer children; as the three busied themselves setting the stage for their executions Jaune had a split-second to release his own smirk, though it was hidden before any of his new victims noticed; you have no idea what you're about to unleash!

XXX

Qrow decided, not for the first time, that he hated his life.

Bad enough that his very soul expressed itself by making everyone around him hate him, now the one dive bar in the city still open and willing to serve anyone was on fire – seriously, did he piss on one of the Brothers' shoes in a previous life? Darting quickly through the crowd of lookie-loos gathering around the dusty Huntsman slipped inside the structure, moving around the evacuating stragglers on a new mission to preserve life, property and alcohol in more-or-less that order. Stepping aside to let a panicking clubber dash towards the main exit the former Branwen moved into he main area of the Club, squinting through the smokier than normal atmosphere to see if anyone needed help.

He saw fire licking up one of the walls, devouring the cheap wood greedily, then a flash of colour made him look up and dodge just in time for a young woman in a white-blue dress to fly past. That's gonna leave a mark; as she broke her fall with her face even a jaded veteran like Qrow winced in sympathy; now why's a pretty girl like her throwing herself at a deadbeat like me? Glanced around the smoky bar at the same time as flitching a near-full bottle of liquor off the closest table Qrow followed her flightpath; okay what I am looking…oh; taking in the picture he winced once more; a man regretting many, many life decisions.

Following Ozpins' missions had seen Qrow rub shoulders with the best and worst of Remnant, the latter much more than the former due to his skill set. Out of the various gangsters, perverts and psychopaths he'd been forced to break bread with Junior barely made a ripple; he was something in the Vale underworld but nothing on the scale of his old man; so in a way seeing him mashed into the floor of his burning club was somewhat sad. Taking it all in with a glance and a swig from his pilfered bottle Qrow quickly put the scene together; the fire had started from the table near where Junior, another girl dressed similarly to little miss Face-Brake and one or two of his wiseguys were sprawled and was advancing up the walls, but it looked like they'd all been brought down after the fire had started. A lure, not a bad one either; he raised the bottle in a silent toast to the single upright figure he could see; no Dust, just looks like an accident and no-one with any brains is going to say anything. Nice and neat, only question is…;

"Hey, Sal," he ducked below the layer of smoke settling on the club ceiling, waiting until she looked over from where she crouched over Juniors' supine form, "what's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?"

She whipped her head towards him, Qrow tensed to leap aside in case she fired at him out of reflex, though fortunately she limited her shooting to a wicked smile,

"Teaching – oi, wake up," Junior grunted as a gauntleted palm slapped his cheek, "a boy came here some months ago and spoke to you, remember?"

"Wrugh? Who, who the hell…?"

"His name was Jaune, ring any bells?"

"What, lady you, the Club…?!"

"Is on fire; wanna join it?" As the older woman seized his beard Junior squealed, then did it again as she dragged him towards the growing blaze,

"No, no! Come on stop, what do you want?!"

"You almost got my son killed," Qrow saw a small flare of Aura as she dragged the sleazy bar owner to eye-level, Junior going rigid as she drew back her free hand, "I want you to suffer."

Even by the light of the fire Junior went pale, then white as from the corner of his eye a trio of thin punch blades shot from the knuckles of the gauntlet in front of him, a trio of nails ready to puncture his skull. Shrouded in smoke Sal looked like an avenging demon, uncaring of his silent pleas for mercy and stirred to action only by a shout from someone he couldn't see,

"Sal we gotta go and we gotta take him. He deserves it but not like this, Jaune's not going to want you in jail." The eyes raking his soul were finally distracted; had he been able to he'd have whimpered in relief as he heard the demon speak,

"You think I'd get caught? Give me a little credit but still, you're right – kick those idiots awake and grab the girls, I'll get this moron." Relieved by the knowledge that he wouldn't be left in this now-burning hell Junior sighed in relief before a sudden crushing pain choked it off, reducing his existence to an agonised purgatory without release, not even to scream. Only later, on cold concrete with his men clustered around him sheepishly did he finally manage to break his paralysis and make an immediate decree,

"That's it," his voice was a reedy squeak, every motion pain as he hunched over his abused area, "no more, no more blondes in my Club! Never again, oh Brothers never again!"

XXX

As the bar boss was hauled aloft Qrow hunched over, unable to look at the horrific sight as Sal started dragging him outside. Death, death would have been kinder – I'll be sleeping with a saucepan over my junk tonight; crabbing forwards as quickly as he could with crossed legs the Huntsman quickly kicked anyone left down awake,

"Get up," he shouted, hoping the failing lights hid his whey face, "get out or sizzle in here, I'm not dragging you." He mastered himself enough to put the fear of the Grimm into the gang members, the men falling over each other to get out the door as Qrow scooped up the two girls, recognising them as twins as he threw them over his shoulders and smirking as he saw the large black splotch around the left eye of the girl in white,

"At least they'll be able to tell you apart now," he muttered, pausing only to pilfer a couple more bottles as he carried them away from the smoky atmosphere. The night air was sweet and he dragged down a deep lungful, placing the girls down on the pavement as Sal dropped her burden much less gently,

"That's everyone, we got them out," she said aloud, addressing someone in a high-visibility jacket as she moved away from the now-burning Club, "think some of them are in shock but not injured." The man nodded, not noticing Qrow slink into the background,

"Thanks, we'll take it from here; got a contact number in case we need you?"

Knowing she'd be gone before they could track her down Sal rattled off a set of random numbers and slipped away from the burgeoning scene – so, that was one issue dealt with, that arrogant arse would never try and get children killed again in future, Vale was down another rat-hole and she'd had a couple of drinks, quite a good night if she did say so herself. Now, to lose the tail – hopefully it's not one of Juniors' gang or this might get messy but it never hurts to be polite;

"So," her musings were interrupted when her would-be target spoke first, "that was a thing. What did Junior do to piss you the hell off?"

"Sold Jauney some dodgy transcripts that nearly got him killed," she answered, hands on hips as she turned to see Qrow emerge from an alley with a bottle pressed to his lips, "what are you doing here, shouldn't you be with Ruby?" The Branwen finished his long pull before answering,

"Left her with your boy and his friends, he's asked her to take over his team," he explained, his normal lackadaisical posture putting the older woman more at ease, "thought it best to leave them to it, tactics and strategy were never my thing, still aren't."

"Yeah that makes sense, I know she doesn't have a team right now, though if that Blake shows up she should get a strip torn off before she gets anywhere near a Huntress license. Still, aside from that why were you at the Club?"

"One of few places in Vale that'd serve me, well it was," Qrow took another sip before glancing over his shoulder at the distant silhouette, "can't say Junior didn't deserve it but damn that was vicious."

"Mess with my blood I'll spill yours," that brought him up short, red eyes narrowed slightly as he regarded the woman askance,

"That's a Vacuo saying."

"My grandmothers;" interesting; "still, I'm heading back, early start in the morning. You?" Qrow shrugged, grinning as he spread his arms and gestured to the streets around them,

"The night is young," he declared, flicking the lid off his bottle again, "I would say I'm going to set the town of fire but, eh, that's probably in poor taste. How'd you manage that anyway, no Dust?" Sal snorted,

"Dust, people think it's the answer to every problem. Bottle of rotgut, table by the walls; spill it down, let the alcohol soak in then strike a match."

"And that brought Junior running and emptied the club – nice," Qrow tipped his bottle in salute, his normally flippant tone laced with respect for a plan well executed, "I'll be out for a bit, if the kids are still up put them to bed would you, mine too? If Ruby gives you any lip tell her 'first harvest time', she'll get the message."

"First harvest, now I'm curious," the two parents, or pseudo-parent in Qrows' case, shared a knowing look before Sal shrugged, "fair enough, don't get so plastered you make life difficult for those on the gate."

"Like you did yesterday?"

"I was expecting bad news and already apologised."

"Fair; still, I'll see you around Mrs Arc, good to meet you." He turned to leave, already mulling the situation over in his mind as Sals' faint,

"Likewise," drifted into his ears. As he walked along the street the Huntsman mulled over everything he'd learned and now knew, slight smile growing as he started grafting a bit more meat to the bones of his former ideas. Qrow knew his critics, Jimmy and Winny chief amongst them, always claimed he never planned anything but even he suspected at least Jimmy didn't truly believe that – you didn't live as long as he had in his trade without picking up patterns and making them make sense. True Qrow had never been an official team leader but even as far back as his STRQ days Summer had been ready to listen to his advice when he had it and such was the case now. He was going to go through with his idea, he usually did – it was just a case of obtaining sufficient testicular fortitude to get it done…

… and given what he'd just seen happen to a Vale mob boss that had been a really unfortunate turn of phrase that was going to take a lot of alcohol to scrub free…

XXX

"No, not again, you cannot do that again!"

"Well according to the rules of the game, the rules on these cards and the rule of Arcs being awesome I can," Jaune riposted mildly, tapping the card he'd just laid down, "Smugglers of Wind Path allows me to take two cards from your hand. However I'm using my Gun-Runner power; by paying two energy generated from my built Sootstacks and discarding a Grimm card from my hand I can copy the effect of one Swift card I play once per turn, so I copy Smugglers of Wind Path and take your entire hand."

"But, but…" Nora spluttered, looking at the four pieces of thin plastic in her hand, "…I don't draw next turn because of that Goliath on my supply lines!"

"I know," Jaune nodded sympathetically before glaring over the table, "shame on you for driving it there Ruby, shame!"

"I thought you said you could kill it before your draw step."

"I would but I need cards to do it; none of my stuff is fast enough to get over there in one turn. Now I'm stuck with basic orders."

"Don't worry, don't worry it's not insurmountable," Ruby quickly moved to restore confidence before Nora's panic destabilised everything they'd built, "it's just one Goliath, they're tough but they can be beaten. I can get over there with a few light units and harass it, Ren can you pitch in?" From behind his small fan of cards the ninja managed a sickly grin,

"Uh, hello, unending tide of darkness over here?" He gestured towards the black Grimm pieces scattered over the Mistralian plains, "I'm hemmed in and bleeding units, one more trap card is likely to finish me." Jaune glanced over the pitifully few white pieces holding back the storm and nodded sympathetically,

"Yeah, not looking good is it? Lucky for you," hardening his heart against the soft meeping sounds Nora made as he swiped her hand of cards Jaune quickly rifled through them and gave a smarmy smile, "I might have just acquired some new Atlas tech to help with that." Ren gritted his teeth; it's just a game, it's just a game;

"And how much is that going to cost me?"

"Ah, cross my palm with silver and maybe that farmland tile over there by your wall and let's do business."

"Don't do it Ren," Ruby warned, trying to see what Jaune was planning and how that territory helped him in anyway, "he's planning something I can tell!"

"So can I but look at this mess," he indicated the dire straits of his board again, "I haven't got anything to hold it back so unless you can magic some troops and airships out of nothing my wall's going to be brick-dust in a few turns."

"It's not that bad…"

"No, it's worse; if I don't take this deal Smiling-Knife over there is going to sink me."

"Would I?"

"Yes!" Blown back by the trio of answers Jaune managed a chuckle as he looked to the three now unified against him,

"Well at least you're all working together now," he managed, though as he'd expected this just made them look at him angrily, though Ruby's angry was more cute than scary, "still Ren, about this deals I'm offering – oh, hi mum."

The game paused as the other players swivelled in their seats to see Sal regarding them all,

"Nice, Remnant, haven't played that in a while," she mused, glancing at the board, "nearly done, it's coming up close to ten."

"Really?" Nora glanced at her wrist, "Why didn't my watch alarm?"

"Nora you don't have a watch."

"Oh yeah, I thought I brought one a few days ago – it must have been a dream," she decided with a snap of her fingers before looking at her partner, "next time we're in Vale I need to get one, do they come with sloth alarm noises?"

"Sloth alarm?"

"Don't," Ren and Jaune warned Ruby off in tandem, "that way madness lies," the green-clad boy added before mollifying his partner with a pat on the shoulder, "but yes, it would be good for you to have a watch Nora, we'll look out for one. Still, if it is getting on should we close the game down?"

"Nuh-uh," Ruby shook her head vehemently, "bad luck, worst kind of luck to leave a game unfinished, one Kingdom or alliance has to win and it's going to be mine-stroke-ours Nora, we just need to stick to our guns."

"What guns, Jaune-Jaune just swiped all mine!"

"It was a figure of speech."

"And speaking of figures, that deal I offered isn't timeless Ren," Jaune interjected, dancing a card between his fingers, "one piece of territory for a way out of that mess, seems fair to me?"

"Are you playing Gun-Runner?"

"Yeah, believe it or not I rolled it randomly out the three classes and that was after the others picked their Kingdoms," Jaune answered his mothers' question, the expressions of the other players letting Sal know how much they now regretted that decision, "no-one seems to get Vacuo, it's a specialised play-style and you need a bit of luck but if it goes right…"

"I know; we were picking pieces out of the carpet for weeks after Blue flipped the board last time you got that combination."

"Sore loser."

"You didn't help; now, sorry about this everyone but if you can put this to bed so we can all go to bed?"

"Okay; sorry about this," Jaune echoed his mothers' apology as his fingers moved towards his draw pile, "deal's off Ren, let's see how this goes…"

One turn later six eyes were staring between the board, the cards played, the ruins of their hopes and dreams and the smug git who'd made it happen,

"You," Nora was the first to pull herself from the tangled web and whisper to the spider sat at the centre of it directly, "are a very bad Jaune-Jaune. And you," Sal raised an eyebrow, "you are the mama of a very bad Jaune-Jaune." Mother and son shared a look before both snickered, though not unkindly as the other two players broke out of their trances,

"Bad to the bone Nora, she taught me everything I know," Jaune claimed, jerking a thumb towards his lurking parent, "still, sorry about that and the last two games, though that first one was just luck of the cards, hit just what I needed in the last turn. Still, come on, we gotta get Ruby settled in before we go to bed."

"Huh?" Ruby jerked back to life at her name, "Me? I'm fine, honest."

"Really, not planning on sharing the teams' room? Ren and Pyrrha snore like sawmills and Nora talks in her sleep but after a while it becomes part of the charm; come on," he stood up, already sorting the game cards into neat piles, "we work together we'll get you moved in before half-past." Ruby went to nod before catching herself, instead shaking her head as she met the knights' eye squarely,

"No way; we're RNNR, fastest team in Beacon – we'll be done in half that time. Ren can you pack the game up and meet us outside your room, I can never remember which one it is. Nora, you, Jaune and I can start shuttling my gear around; I don't care which bed I get, are there four in there?"

"Not yet but I can move one in no bother as long as there's someone around."

"Thanks Ren; everyone ready? Okay then, first mission of team RNNR, let's go!"

Aye-aye!"

"See you there Ruby."

"Doing this under protest, but doing it," Jaune hastily amended as both Sal and Rubys' looks drilled into him, "where are you bunked Ruby, still not sure where everything is in this place."

With Rubys' speed and the assistance of Sky Lark, who Ren had shanghaied into moving one of the spare beds into a room despite the smell of booze emanating from the other boys' shirt, they beat their self-imposed deadline by several minutes, Ruby pumping a fist in triumph before grinning at them broadly,

"Nice work team, we did it! Thanks for everything I, ah," she seemed to stutter, running out of steam as she hit a buffer she hadn't seen up to that point; I guess this is, well this is it, for a while anyway; "I couldn't have done it without you all."

"Sure you could," Nora muscled through her self-doubt like a wrecking ball, draping an arm over her shoulder with a grin, "you're our new tireless leader, nothing you can't do."

"And we'll be there to help, no matter how long it takes," Ren slipped in smoothly, his reassuring smile as welcome as Nora's more tactile support. Ruby found herself smiling back before catching herself, addressing the Ursa in the room as Jaune shifted self-consciously,

"Ah, come on guys, not like I'm going to be gone for good," he complained, discomfort not entirely faked as he shrugged; fortunately he was prevented from having to elaborate as Ren stepped forwards, hand outstretched,

"We know, just keep in touch," Jaune nodded, shaking the offered hand and placing his other on his friends' shoulder, removing it a moment later as two other warm presences squeezed around his middle. Within the little room the atmosphere became ambivalent, a sense of loss and renewal permeating throughout all of the united foursome for a long moment before one of them twitched, then squirmed as he tried to escape the hold,

"Heh, sorry guys but one last thing; Nora," the Valkyrie glanced up at her name, then squeaked as he wrapped his arms around her in a full hug – the tableau remained in place for a long moment before Jaune spoke softly to them all, "when she's better, when she's ready, this is for Pyrrha. Can you hold onto it for a bit?"

"Uh, uh sure fearless leader," Nora managed, forcing her choked throat open to answer, "I can do that."

"Thanks Nora, and the rest of you," Jaune stood to his full height and looked over the three of them again, committing their faces to memory as he gave his last order, "right then, this is it for a bit so, bed, all of you. Make sure you're fresh for the morning; as soon as I've landed and got a new Scroll I'll let you know my number and we'll go from there, okay?"

I still hate goodbyes; perhaps the one mercy of his mad plan to get to Beacon in the first place had been that it stopped him leaving his parents and sisters behind; still, at least that's it over for now. I've got about six weeks, give it until Gray-day, then we'll know for sure what happens next – wish I could have seen Pyr before I left though; just outside his temporary home for this last night he turned towards the outside training area, trying to pick it out in the darkness but unable to; but it's best left for now. So, plans for back home, better have a decent cover story – mum and dad expected me to flunk Beacon and make a life for myself in Vale, well I can say I tried that, the chaos here probably makes that more believable. Came home because where I used to work got hit, home's a bit battered, yeah that makes sense – what work could I have done, pretty much anything to be fai-huh?

Jaune was usually quite observant; however with a deadline pressing and a need to get a story ready, he was so deep into his fabrications that tells that would have normally raised red flags went unacknowledged. He walked up steps illuminated by a time-sensitive light, through an unlocked front door – by the time he realised he wasn't alone in what should have been the most secure room in Ocean View it was far too late.

A/N: Sorry about the delay but hope you enjoy this latest update – again anything I'm getting wrong regarding the RWBY world (especially the characters as I'm basing them mostly off fanfiction and my lived real-world experiences) just let me know.