And part 2.


"Jaune always gets home so late now," Nora said aloud jumping on her bed, though Pyrrha was barely paying attention to her teammates in favor of staring out the window.

"He has been quite absent since he started spending time with Cardin," Ren agreed as he went through the process of cleaning his weapons, just finishing cleaning the barrels and ready to move on to the blades.

"I mean, it hasn't exactly been boring lately with what Raven and the others have been doing, but Jaune does know we have a field trip tomorrow right? We need our rest!" Nora punctuated the last sentence with a front flip and landed on her back onto her mattress. Pyrrha let out an annoyed huff that got both of her teammates attention and shook her head.

"Don't worry, I'm sure our great leader knows exactly what he's doing," she said more than a little bitterly. Ren and Nora exchanged glances and Ren set his weapons down while Nora sat up.

"Is something bothering you?" Ren asked.

"No," Pyrrha replied.

"Wanna talk about it?" Nora asked.

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Then we won't push it," Ren said picking his weapons back up and looked at Nora, "right?"

"Sure," Nora answered and fell backwards, "but if you do want to talk, we're right here Pyrrha."

"I'll… keep that in mind," Pyrrha replied and sighed which got another shared look between Nora and Ren. Outside of the room Jaune very carefully shut the door and sighed to himself. There was no way he was going to be able to get in there now after that.

"Hey Jaune," a voice behind him said, causing Jaune to jump and spin around to meet the decidedly non-threatening image of Summer in her Corgi pajamas.

'So glad I didn't scream,' Jaune thought as he waved at Summer and said, "H-hey Summer. Nice day we're having huh?"

"It's nine o'clock at night Jaune," Summer said flatly and crossed her arms.

"R-right… I meant to say night."

"You lock yourself out of your room again?"

"Huh? Oh, no." Jaune quickly dug through his pockets until he pulled out his scroll triumphantly. "See, all good!"

"That's good." Summer nodded. Neither of them said anything as Jaune put his scroll away and Summer shifted on her feet. "So where have you been?"

"…I think we both know where I've been," Jaune answered looking down at the floor.

"Cardin," Summer guessed and shook her head slightly when Jaune nodded. "He's bad news Jaune, especially right now. You should be lucky you haven't gotten caught in the crossfire."

"Well maybe it would be better if I had."

"And why would that be?" Jaune looked up at Summer and then back down to the floor as he leaned back until his back hit the door.

'Would it be ok to tell her? She'd understand, right?' Jaune thought to himself before sighing. "Well… I screwed up big time Summer." He looked up at her and continued when he saw her tilt her head slightly. "I… well I let my emotions get the better of me and I said some things I really, really shouldn't have. Now Cardin's got me on a leash, Pyrrha won't even talk to me, and I just don't know how to get myself out of this." Jaune slid down until he was sitting on the floor into a miserable pile of nothing that he felt like. "So short story, I'm a failure."

"No you're not." Jaune looked up at Summer, who was crouching down and giving him a sympathetic look. "You made mistakes. That makes you Human, not a failure. Granted those mistakes may be a little more serious because you're the leader of your team, but ultimately they're still just mistakes. You're not a failure."

"Well… what if I'm a failure at being a leader."

"I think we've talked enough about my sorry escapades from last year for you to know what a real failure of a leader is like." Summer moved over to sit next to Jaune and poked a finger into his shoulder. "A real failure of a leader puts their team in jeopardy because of their own selfishness. Trust me, you're not a failure. Just inexperienced, which will change with time."

"I get what you mean, but it's not exactly making me feel better."

"Yeah, I know." Jaune blinked and watched as Summer looked away from him and hugged her legs, her gaze sad and focused on nothing. "Honestly I'm better at this pep talk thing when I can be open and honest about myself, which isn't really happening right now." Summer shook her head and looked back Jaune with a sad smile. "It's hard to be helpful to others when you're not honest about your own faults, you know?"

"Yeah…" Jaune nodded sadly. "So what should I do?"

"Well…"

"Hey Sum, Jaune." The pair looked over at Taiyang, still in his school uniform, as he rounded a corner and waved at them.

"Hey Tai. How was detention?"

"Awful. I'm going to bed." Without another word Taiyang went into STRQ's room leaving Summer and Jaune alone again.

"As I was saying," Summer started getting Jaune's attention again, "I can't give you an answer to your problems, only advice. You got yourself into whatever mess you're in, so you have to get yourself out. Just remember that Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren have your back no matter what you do."

"Are you so sure about that?" Jaune asked sadly. He still remembered the look on Pyrrha's face that night on the roof.

"Of course, you're their leader. You haven't done anything to really break their trust in you, so they'll have your back. They look up to you even if you don't think you deserve it." Summer pushed herself up to her feet and walked a couple steps to her door. "Whatever's going on with you Jaune, I want you to remember one thing. Your team comes first and you second; it doesn't matter what it is, they always come before you. Always…" Summer lifted a hand and pressed it against her chest, feeling her heartbeat for a second. "That's just the weight of the chains we wear. Understand?"

"I… I guess."

"Good," Summer nodded and finished her walk to her door. She grabbed the knob and opened the door slightly before stopping and looking back at Jaune. "Get your rest Jaune. It'll be a big day tomorrow." Jaune nodded and smiled at Summer, who returned the smile until a crash sounded from inside her room. "WHAT WAS THAT!?" She shouted and ran into her room, the door slamming shut behind her.

Jaune blinked before he shook his head and stood up. Suddenly his scroll started ringing and he pulled it out and opened it, cringing when he saw a message from Cardin.


It was around noon the next day that the group left Beacon for Forever Fall, consisting of two airships with Glynda Goodwitch and twenty students. The ones who hadn't been to the forest before didn't know what to expect until the ships landed and let them off. The second the doors opened more than a few of the first years let out gasps of awe at the rich red color of the leaves on the trees. The walk through the forest with more of the leaves falling around them before falling to the ground, which was practically covered with the leaves with only a few specks of green grass pushing through, was one of the more breathtaking sights they had seen.

All of this was succinctly summed up by Nora letting out an amazed "Wooow!" as she bounced trying to catch some of the leaves, every one evading her grasp as they fell.

"Yes students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful, but you must remember that we are here on a mission," Glynda lectured as she led the students through the forest. "It's my job to make sure that you all get back from this alive." Nora took another leap at a leaf, once again failed to grab it, and watched the leaf flutter through the air until Summer gently grabbed it and held it up smiling at Nora.

"Patience," Summer said simply letting go of the leaf and stopped when Glynda did, the rest of the group stopping as well except for one blonde holding an inordinate amount of things who crashed into Cardin and casually started whistling at the looks he got.

"Now you're all here to help Professor Peach bolster her supply of Red Sap, which can only be found here in Forever Fall," Glynda said as she pointed at Qrow and motioned for him to come up. Qrow rolled his eyes but did as he was asked, shifting his backpack off his shoulders and handing Glynda one of the jars inside it. Qrow went back to his team while Glynda held it up for the group to see and said, "You've all been given plenty of jars like this one. You all will have to fill at least one of these jars with sap, but be careful. Like many places outside of the Kingdom, this forest is home to the Creatures of Grimm. Stay close to your teammates and keep an eye on your surroundings." Glynda looked over the group as they nodded until she realized something and looked at Summer. "Summer, where is Taiyang?"

"He saw a Beowolf in the woods a bit ago and went to take care of it," Summer answered.

"And you let him go alone?"

"It's Tai," Raven answered crossing her arms behind her head, "he can handle one Beowolf." Raven was proven right immediately when a Beowolf howled from the forest only to be cut off immediately, followed by its severed head flying into the clearing and landing in front of Glynda spooking a couple of the other students. Glynda watched the head disappear and looked at Taiyang as he walked out of the tree line with a grin rubbing his right arm.

"Such a dork," Summer said pinching her nose as Taiyang walked back to them shooting finger guns at her and Raven.

"Yeah," Raven agreed shaking her head, "He's lucky he's cute."

"Yeah," Summer and Qrow answered simultaneously, which got an amused look from his sister and a snicker from Summer. Qrow could only sigh out a "Goddammit," in response.

"As I said," Glynda spoke up and marched over to Taiyang and shoved the jar into his arms, "Stay. Close. To your teammates." Taiyang nodded and gave a thumbs up in response, grateful that Glynda looked back at the group after a moment. "You all have until 4 o'clock to collect your sap, after which we'll rendezvous here. Have fun until then."

"Oh we'll have fun alright," Raven said leading the way for her team and most of JNPR. Pyrrha stopped and looked back at Jaune, their eyes meeting for a second before Jaune silently walked after Cardin. Like every other time this had happened in the last few days, Pyrrha just sighed and followed her team hoping Jaune would be ok. She was lost in her own thoughts as she walked with her group until she almost bumped into Nora when they stopped in a clearing.

"Just to be clear," Summer said looking at the underclassmen, "You all do know how to tap a tree right?"

"Nora and I have done it before," Ren answered with Nora nodding, "and we can show Pyrrha if we need to."

"I'll be ok," Pyrrha said glancing down at Miló in her hand, "but thank you."

"Ok, I won't worry then," Summer said with a nod and turned to go to an unclaimed tree when she saw Qrow settling against a tree for a nap. "Qrow, stop being a lazy ass and get to work!" Qrow, with a smirk, simply lifted up a jar filled with sap for her to see before setting it down next to him and lifting his cape up and over his head. "Smart ass." Despite her grievances Summer went on with her work, quickly tapping a tree and filling a jar with sap. With that done and nothing better to do, Summer spent her new free time switching between watching Taiyang practice fighting and Ren's constant battle with Nora's appetite to keep one jar filled with sap.

"Hey Summer, mind watching my jar for me?" Raven said as she set down a jar at Summer's feet.

"Sure, I have nothing better to do," Summer said glancing at Raven and did a double take. "Why do you have a second jar?"

"Do you really want to know?" Raven asked shifting the jar under her arm.

"Will I not like the answer?"

"…Maybe, probably."

Summer sighed and rubbed her eyes in exasperation. "Just promise me that you won't kill someone, somehow."

"Sure, I can do that," Raven said and gave Summer one last wave before jumping into the tree tops and off to her own devices. Summer went back to people watching just as Nora once again undid all of Ren's progress.

'How can she pound away those jars so quickly? And she keeps her figure too. The world's not fair sometimes.'


Jaune really wished he had pieced together what Cardin was planning earlier. First the essay about biology and what attracts certain animals, then the gathering Rapier Wasps which got Jaune more than a few stings. Then there was the gathering two jars extra sap that really should have tipped him off, but by then he was just so drained and done with everything he didn't really care.

Well he was certainly caring now that he was lying on a cliff with CRDL overlooking his team and Team STRQ as they worked. Well, most of them anyway.

"There they are," Cardin said glaring at Pyrrha and Summer and slammed a fist into the ground, "the two biggest pains in my neck I've had in my life. They think they're so smart and so clever, well I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when I show them otherwise."

"Are you sure you should be talking about them out loud like that?" Jaune asked looking between Cardin and the girls, "They're like fifty feet away."

"Oh please, like they could here us from there Jauney boy."

"Did you hear something just now?" Summer asked loud enough for the boys to hear.

"No, why?" Pyrrha asked in return.

"I don't know, but now I'm really mad for some reason."

"That's just a coincidence," Cardin said worriedly and grabbed a small cardboard box that was sitting next to him, "but not to worry guys, after today they won't be anything to worry about ever." Jaune's eyes widened a little when he heard buzzing coming from the box. "Jaune was nice enough to gather these wasps for us, and that essay he did a few days ago said they guys really like sweet stuff."

"Wait, you're going to throw sap on them and sick wasps on them!?" Jaune asked as Cardin stood up and he was pulled to his feet by Cardin and Sky.

"No Jaune, you are," Cardin shoved a jar of sap into Jaune's hands, "and you'll do it too or I'll go find Goodwitch and you'll be on the first transport out of Beacon."

Jaune looked at the girls for one second and back at Cardin and angrily said, "No!"

"…Excuse me?"

"Pyrrha's my teammate and friend, I'll never hurt her for any reason! And even if she wasn't there I still wouldn't do it. You may have blackmail on me, which is scary no doubt, but Summer is way more scary than you'll ever be!"

"What did you just say!?" Cardin said angrily clenching his fists and taking a step toward Jaune with Sky, Dove, and Russel stepping away from the blonde. "That little squirt is-"

"She started a prank war with you involving sting bombs and throwing you down a flight of stairs over a MUFFIN! I do not want to know what she'll do to me if she ever finds out I released hornets on her!" A brief image of a demonic Summer with sharp teeth, acid saliva, and glowing eyes advancing on him briefly flashed through his mind which solidified Jaune's resolve on this.

"…He's actually got a point Cardin," Dove said.

"Shut up! Now Jaune-"

"NO!"

"Hey Summer!" Taiyang's voice echoed from down the cliff, "I found a cleverly disguised jumping puzzle over here! Want to help me figure this out?"

"Sure Tai, I don't have anything better to do right now," Summer replied and left Pyrrha on her own, the redhead watching her leave before looking down at her jar that had been full a second ago.

"See, now the big, scary Rose is gone," Cardin said in a mocking voice, "so throw the sap at Nikos and-"

"I SAID NO!" Jaune shouted and threw the jar at Cardin, which shattered against his breastplate and covered it with sap. A silence hung over the group until muttered out a small "Crap."

"Yeah," Cardin said cracking his knuckles, "crap."


"You're not going to be able to jump up here like that Tai," Summer said. The 'cleverly disguised jumping puzzle' turned out to be a series of pillars from an old kingdom between two cliffs. Summer naturally made the jump easily while Taiyang floundered at the first jump, so now he was trying to jump to the top of the pillar Summer was on from its bottom.

"Of course I can!" Taiyang responded and jumped at the pillar and ran on it for a moment before falling back to the ground. "It'll just take me a second."

"You're not even using your semblance."

"Of course not, I don't want to burn my legs out in a Grimm infested forest!"

"Fair point. Just get back on top of the cliff, it's an easier jump there."

"Ok, fine." Taiyang went to make the quick climb back up, neither him nor Summer noticing Nora quietly walking up to Qrow, who moved his nap spot closer to his team, and his jar of sap. She was only a few feet away when Qrow quickly grabbed Harbinger and aimed it at Nora, who quickly held her hands up.

"Don't. Even. Think about it," Qrow growled and lifted his cape away from his face.

"I wasn't I swear! I just wanted to ask a question!" Nora shouted and watched Qrow watch her until he sighed and lowered his weapon. She lowered her hands when Qrow motioned for her to continue and asked, "So… why are we collecting sap? That's a little odd even for Huntsman, right?"

"Peach covered this in one of her classes," Qrow replied throwing his cape back behind him, "weren't you paying attention?"

"It's hard to pay attention in her classes. When she starts talking about food I start thinking about food and… well you know."

"You never studied. Ok, I'll give you a quick run down as to why this sap is so important. It'll at least help kill a few minutes. The short answer is, of course, The Creatures of Grimm."

"Really?"


"Really. You know that Grimm are attracted to negative emotions right?"

"Yeah, everyone knows that."

"Goddammit, where the hell are they?" Raven asked herself as she looked around the forest from her tree perch. "Sons of bitches, they're never around when you need them and everywhere when you don't." Lamenting her luck, Raven continued her tree hopping with her jar of sap under her arm.

"Well some Huntsman, like Oobleck, like to study Grimm as a hobby. 'The more we learn about them, the better we can fight them,' they always say. Anyway they managed to figure out a couple of interesting things about the Grimm."

"Oh?"

"DON'T YOU DARE FALL ASLEEP WHEN I'M TALKING! YOU ASKED!"

"I'm not asleep!"

"Whatever. Short version, Grimm are a lot more like animals then we thought right down to the five senses. Bizarrely enough, Grimm also have preferences for certain smells."

"No. Too small. No, no. Goddammit." Raven sighed and landed on another tree to wipe the sweat off her forehead. "Seriously, not one good- oh hello dolly you'll do!"

"What kind of smells?"

"Sweets mostly. You'll find the odd Grimm that can somehow smell bitter stuff, but sweets are a pretty consistent bet. And locally you'll find no better sweet stuff than this sap."

"…Grimm are attracted to sap?"

"Ok, let's get this started," Raven nodded to herself and drew her sword. She placed the edge of the blade under the lid of the jar and popped it off with a flick of her wrist. She sheathed her sword and watched her quarry as it scrounged a little before lifting its head and standing up to sniff the air. "That's right, sniff and get interested." A moment later it sank back down on all fours and started walking toward Raven's position. "That's it. You better hurry if you want this you fuck stick."

"Sweets in general, but this sap is really sweet. You've eaten enough of this stuff to know that."

"Heh heh, true. So… we're collecting this sap because Grimm are attracted to it. What, do we use it to set up some cool traps?"

"Something like that. Peach is in charge of keeping feeders topped up with this stuff in areas all around the defense grid. Grimm don't eat that much, maybe a lick or two at a time, so a few jars in those things will draw Grimm to them for months. Less pressure on the defense grid is always good for everyone."

"Ok, fat ass is still following," Raven commented looking back. She had to off a few other interested parties to make sure only Fat Ass was the one following. That wasn't much of a problem though. "Now, I think they went this way," Raven mused and changed directions in her tree hopping, picking up her pace just enough to make good time.


"But do Grimm really have that good of a sense of smell?" Nora asked holding her chin in thought.

"That depends on the exact species but it's still good enough for the general population. Beowolves and Ursai apparently have the best smell out of all of them. They're tenacious too; they get one whiff and they'll chase after it until it either gets away, they catch it, or they die." Qrow crossed his arms and nodded. "So yeah, be careful not to get this crap all over you."

"Don't worry, I won't," Nora said just as Qrow looked up to see the area around her mouth covered with red sap. After looking to see his jar still full, he looked back up at Nora in confusion to watch her lick at the sap.

"When did you-?" he started to ask only for him and Nora to flinch when Pyrrha angrily shouted "NORA!"


"Gah!"

Jaune was both regretting and not at all regretting throwing that sap on Cardin. It was cathartic yes, but it did lead to Cardin beating the crap out of him. Not that Jaune really seemed to mind getting punched and knocked to the ground; the second he decided to throw it something just 'clicked' in his mind.

"I hope that felt good throwing that Jaune," Cardin said grabbing Jaune's collar and pulling him up off the ground. "You're really going to pay for that!"

"I don't care what you do to me," Jaune replied with a glare, "I'll never let you hurt my team."

"What, you think you're some kind of big man now?"

"Bigger than you." Jaune couldn't help but smirk at that, even as Cardin reared his fist back for another punch. Though when it made contact with his face all Jaune could see was a bright light as his Aura blocked it, knocking him away from Cardin and leaving him grasping his hand as a nasty bruise started forming on his knuckles.

'Oh right, Aura,' Jaune thought pushing himself up into a sitting position and looking down at his hands shimmering with Aura, 'I really gotta remember that.' Jaune's train of thought was interrupted by someone kicking him down from behind, leaving him looking up at Cardin and his team while his Aura was already working on the bruises on his face.

"You're really going to pay for that," Cardin said simply shaking his hand to ease the pain. Then they heard a rustling coming from behind them and everyone turned to look in time to see a blur of black and red jumped from the treetop into the clearing, landing in a crouch and looking up at Cardin.

"OH CRAP, RAVEN!" Russel shouted and he, Dove, and Sky dove away from Cardin onto the ground. The leader of CRDL only had enough time to look at his teammates and back at Raven as she charged at him. Her expression was flat, cold, and focused until she was about ten feet from Cardin when she broke into a large grin and tossed the jar of sap in her hand into the air and spun around to back kick it. The jar flew through the air toward Cardin and hit him in the head, his Aura blocking the glass but not the sap.

"Gah, seriously!?" Cardin shouted as he wiped the sap away from his eyes, "What's with people throwing sap at me!?"

"Suck on that, you brigand!" Raven shouted as she grabbed her sword and swing it in the air, a portal opening in its wake, and jumped into it. The portal vanished a moment later and Jaune could only blink at the abrupt interruption she provided. An angry yell from Cardin got Jaune's attention again and the blonde had to hold back laughter at how the red sap all over Cardin's face made him look.

"That's it! I've had enough of them! When I get my hands on them I'll-"

Then an Ursa burst into the clearing. It stood on its hind legs and sniffed the air before looking at a suddenly terrified Cardin and roaring.

"Ursa, that's a big Ursa!" Russel shouted getting to his feet and running into the forest.

"Run for your life!" Sky answered in kind. Jaune only spared the forest they ran into a glance before looking at the Ursa as it charged at Cardin, knocking him to the side with a swipe of its claws. He didn't even need to think about what he wanted to do.


"Still not making it Tai," Summer shouted at her blonde teammate as he climbed the cliff for the upmost time. "I can help you if you want it."

"Don't patronize me Summer!" Taiyang yelled back glaring at the pillar Summer was standing on and rolled his shoulder. "I can do this! Fifteenth time's the charm, right?"

"Sure Tai." Before Taiyang could embarrass himself with another jump a portal opened next to him, startling him pretty bad, and Raven jumped out of it. The portal closed as Raven sheathed her sword, crossed her arms behind her head and smiled at Taiyang.

"Sup?" she asked.

"We've got to put a bell on you or something!" Taiyang said and moved his hand over his head, "Every time those portals open with that air whoosh, I feel like someone's shooting a bullet past my head! It's not good for my long term health."

"Baby. Hey Pyrrha, you look like you haven't gotten much done."

Pyrrha, who was standing nearby with an armful of empty jars, could only answer, "Thanks to Nora," in annoyance.

"Heh, Nora. I like that girl; anyone who can lift 500 pounds over her head gets a plus in my book."

"Of course you'd say that," Taiyang said shaking his head as Summer blinked next to them.

"What did you do?" She said flatly.

"Summer, good buddy, I'm hurt!" Raven said dramatically placing a hand on her chest, "just because I leave for a few minutes you assume I did something bad. Where's the trust?"

"It's you."

"…Right. I didn't do anything that bad. It'll clean itself up in no time."

"I don't believe that!" Qrow shouted.

"What did you do?" Summer's question was answered when most of Team CRDL ran out of the nearby woods screaming their heads off. Taiyang stopped Russel by grabbing his vest and pulling him close.

"What's the shouting for? What's going on?" he asked.

"There's a huge Ursa back there," Russel said pointing behind him, "it's attacking Cardin!"

"Oh crap," Raven whispered as Taiyang pulled Russel closer.

"Your leader is pinned by a Grimm and you're running away!?" he said angrily.

"I'm not fighting an Ursa!" Russel said squirming under Taiyang's glare.

"You coward!" Taiyang shouted and threw Russel away, who continued running past them.

"Jaune!" Everyone looked at Pyrrha as she looked back into the woods in fear, "He was with Cardin!"

"Oh goddammit! Qrow!" Summer shouted and Qrow lifted his cape over his head as Summer pointed at him and Taiyang. "You and Taiyang escort the idiots to Glynda and tell her what's going on!" Qrow was on his feet and started running with Taiyang while Summer lifted her hood over her head and started walking. "Pyrrha come with us. The three of us are taking care of that Ursa."

"Kay," Raven said.

"And we're going to have a long talk later Raven."

"Whatever."


Cardin did manage to get back on his feet after getting knocked down, only to get knocked down again by the Ursa. It looked at Jaune, who stood stock still, for a moment before going right back to advancing on Cardin. The brief bit of resistance the bigger student tried to put up by pulling his mace from his waist ended with yet another quick swipe of its claws. That was the first thing that Summer, Raven, and Pyrrha saw when they found them.

"Oh wow, that is a big Ursa," Pyrrha said peeking from behind a tree.

"That thing is a step away from being a Major," Summer pointed out and turned to glare at Raven, "What possessed you to bring that to them!?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Summer," Raven replied, "but if I did, it would be because I didn't think a majority of them would puss out like a bunch of bitches."

"That talk just got a whole lot longer Raven. For now, whatever." Summer looked back at the Ursa and reached behind her to grab York's handle. "Ok Raven, get ready to charge. We'll take care of the Ursa while Pyrrha grabs-"

"Wait!" Pyrrha said suddenly grabbing Summer's arm.

"What do you mean 'wait'!? If we don't hurry they'll-"

"Moron is charging," Raven said suddenly. Summer looked into the clearing and saw Jaune leap between Cardin and the Ursa with his weapon drawn. He blocked another swipe from the Ursa and managed to keep it back, even if he did have to use both his arms to keep it there.

"Dammit!" Summer muttered and started drawing York.

"Stop!" Pyrrha said tightening her hold Summer's arm, "let him try!"

"What?" Raven asked, glancing at Pyrrha while her hand was still on her sword.

"Pyrrha…" Summer scolded.

"This whole thing started because Jaune felt like he was useless!" Pyrrha explained, "That he couldn't get anything done without our help. 'The useless idiot'…"

"He's not wrong," Raven commented watching Jaune get knocked away by the Ursa.

"Yes he is!" Pyrrha peeked around the tree to watch Jaune get up and hold his sword up. "I'm sure if he just has the chance-"

"I am not putting lives at risk to sate some blonde idiot's ego! Now let go of me!" Summer said and struggled against Pyrrha, who held firm.

"Just once! If he needs it we'll help! Please…?"

"It looks like he needs help now," Raven said as Jaune ran to the Ursa, landed a couple of hits and rolled under a swipe. "It's up to you Sum, but if we're gonna help, it better be soon."

"Oh for…" Summer looked at Jaune as he blocked a swipe and got pushed back a few steps. She thought for a moment before releasing her grip on her sword. "Fine, but if he gets hurt it's on you Pyrrha. Keep an eye on his Aura, and if it dips below 25% we're going out there no matter what you say. Got it?"

"Yes," Pyrrha replied letting go of Summer and taking out her scroll and pulling up her team's Aura meters, wincing a little once she saw Jaune already at 60%. "Thanks Summer."

"Don't thank me yet," Summer growled and turned to watch Jaune, "Everyone is trying my patience lately."

"Stop charging you idiot, or at the very least charge for its legs," Raven muttered as Jaune charged again with a yell. He swung and hit the Ursa in the stomach, which got his sword stuck and immediately knocked away by a solid hit to his side. He managed to land on his shoulder and roll into a crouch when he heard his scroll in a slot on his shield beeping. He checked it and saw his Aura just enter the red at the same time as Pyrrha. "Moron."

"Pyrrha."

"He can do it," Pyrrha replied looking at Jaune took a breath and ran at the Ursa again.

"He's gonna die," Raven said flatly. Pyrrha silently agreed when she saw the Ursa starting to swing at Jaune as he charged. His shield was on the right side, but it just wasn't high enough. It took her only a split second of thought before she focused on the shield, thankful that she had touched it earlier on the airship, and lifted her hand. The shield was enveloped in a black shimmer and rose to block the claw in the nick of time. It pushed Jaune down, though not to his knees, and with a sudden burst of strength and a yell he pushed the paw back up, aimed a swing at the Ursa's neck, and cut it off in one stroke. Pyrrha let out a breath once it was all over and lowered her hand.

"Well shit, look at that."

"Not so weak, huh?" Pyrrha asked looking at Raven.

"I never said he was weak, just a moron." Raven let go of her sword and leaned against the tree she was hiding behind. "He's not dead though, that says a lot."

"With a little help," Summer said looking at Pyrrha, who stiffened up under her gaze and quietly shut and put away her scroll. "That was your Semblance huh? I don't think I've ever seen you use it before."

"Right," Pyrrha said gently grabbing her right wrist and looking down at it, "my control over polarity. It's useful no doubt, but I don't like relying on it or letting it out in the open. Not many people know about it."

'Magnetism huh? That is useful for her, as a Huntress and a Gladiator,' Summer thought looking at the redhead. 'Smart of her to keep it under wraps too.'

"While I agree with being cautious, try not to hide it too much kay?" Raven said and glanced at Summer as she looked back at her.

'Too good of a chance,' she thought as she looked back at Pyrrha and nodded. "I agree, control over poles can be very useful." Summer put a hand over her mouth to hide the smirk when Pyrrha looked at her in confusion. 'Yes, double kill!'

"No dumbass, she can control metal like a magnet," Raven corrected in annoyance.

"Magnets, how do they work?"

"Well it works by…" Raven trailed off when she realized what Summer had said and gave her a sharp glare, which only got worse when Summer looked back at her with the biggest grin and Blinked away. Raven growled, wringed her hands where Summer used to be, and took off after the trail of rose petals that she left behind.

Pyrrha blinked twice at what just happened before shaking her head and looking at Jaune, standing straighter and happier than he had been for a while as he sheathed his sword, and started slowly backing away with a smile. "This'll be our little secret."

Jaune, still unknowing to any of that, walked past the vanishing corpse of the Ursa to Cardin. He barely noticed Cardin's look of awe as he reached a hand down to him. Cardin took the hand and let himself get pulled up to his feet.

"Wow Jaune… that…" Cardin started to say only to stop when Jaune tightened his grip on his hand.

"Don't… mess with my team or my friends ever again," he said with the most determined look on his face. "Got it?"

"Y-yeah," Cardin replied with a slow nod. Jaune released his hand and started walking to the rendezvous point. Cardin watched for a moment before following, blowing out a small bit of sap out of his nose. "This sap stinks."


"And this is accurate?" was the first thing Jaune heard from Glynda when he rejoined the main stomping grounds for the trip. The fact she was talking to Summer, Raven, and Pyrrha was enough to send a small chill of fear down his spine given what happened not that long ago.

"Yes. By the time we got there the Ursa was already dead," Summer replied.

"I see." Glynda looked at Jaune, who stood up a little straighter under her gaze, and sighed a little when she saw Cardin covered in sap. "And that explains the attack," she muttered and walked over to the two boys. "Well Cardin, I hope you learned an important lesson about being careful in a hostile environment. Hopefully you'll remember the next lesson on survival."

"Um…" Cardin started and glanced over at the girls, all of whom glared at him to varying degrees. "Yes Professor! I uh… learned a lot. Can I go home and take a shower?"

"That would be for the best all things considered. Raven, please escort Cardin to the rendezvous so he and his team can go back to Beacon."

"Kay."

"Um…"

"What," Raven leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at Cardin, "Do you have something to say to me?" Cardin met her eyes for a second before looking away and sighed.

"No."

"That's what I thought. Come on." Raven crossed her arms behind her head and lead the way as Cardin quietly followed after her.

"As for you Jaune," Glynda said looking at the blonde, "while I'm impressed with how you acted to defend a classmate, I would also dissuade you from taking fights you couldn't reasonably win. It's a miracle you got away with only a few bruises and sores."

"Yeah…" Jaune nodded, "but I couldn't just not do anything when Cardin was being attacked."

"And I'm not saying you shouldn't have done that. In any case I think you've had quite the day, so you can go back to the rendezvous as well." Jaune silently nodded and walked after Raven and Cardin, Pyrrha silently watching him as he gently prodded one of the bruises on his face.

"And what about us?" Summer asked.

"There's still an hour until pickup, so make the most of it. That'll be all." Glynda nodded to both girls and walked away leaving the two girls alone.

"Yes Ma'am. Back to sap collecting then."

"That reminds me, where are Qrow and Taiyang?" Pyrrha asked.


"Goddammit!"

"Yes, another crate for me! Thank you Qrow."

"Best of fifty seven!"


"They'll be fine," Summer answered, "Come on, let's find Nora and Ren."


"Cardin, you're okay!" Dove shouted once he saw Cardin and he, Sky, and Russel rushed to surround their leader.

"No thanks to you guys!" Cardin replied angrily and sighed, "whatever, it's over. We get to go home early."

"Oh… that's good," Sky said.

"Yeah, so please get on the ship and get the fuck out of here," Raven said holding her nose, "you smell like an accident in a cupcake shop."

"You got some nerve saying that!" Cardin said turning to look at Raven, who was glancing around the clearing. "You threw this sap on my head with that Ursa on your tail, you could have warned us about that!"

"Yeah, I could have, but I didn't," Raven replied looking at Cardin and smiling evilly. "Funny how a simple, harmless prank like that can suddenly turn deadly huh? Why, it would be like it had to have happened-"

"On… purpose…" Cardin finished, his eyes widening along with his team.

"And I'm sure if someone would be dumb enough to mention the on purpose part to faculty, they'll suddenly find themselves on the receiving end of something… worse. You get me?"

"Y-yeah, crystal clear," Cardin said backing away from the brunette and into his team.

"Good. Now get on the ship." Cardin and his boys hadn't moved as fast as they had right then and were on the ship in a second. "Good. See you back at Beacon boys. And don't you worry, tomorrow's hit will be so much better."

As the airship started taking off, with all of CRDL watching Raven as she waved them off, they couldn't help but shudder. "That girl scares the crap out of me," Sky said.

'Pride is so not worth my life,' Cardin thought and shut the airship's side door.


"You guys always have the most interesting adventures," Velvet said at lunchtime the next day when STRQ told CFVY about what happened during the trip along with Nora and Ren. "It's starting to get annoying how we never see them."

"I'll be sure to invite you next time we have one planned," Summer snarked as she stirred her soup before looking at Raven, "And maybe the next time I give her an earful."

"I got it, I got it. Sheesh," Raven shook her head and brushed the sleeve of her jacket. "At least we don't have any more credits due for Peach."

"Not the important part here Rae."

"Whatever. So, anyone want to hear what I have in store for Cardin next? It's really good!"

"Speaking of," Yatsuhashi suddenly said and pointed behind STRQ, who turned to see CRDL standing behind them. Like Jaune, Cardin had been lucky to only get a few scrapes from the Ursa, most of which was hidden under his clothes save for one on his neck and a small one on his cheek. Summer narrowed her eyes at Cardin and turned around in her seat to face him.

"What do you want?" she asked crossing her arms. Cardin rubbed his arm and looked back at his team, who were just as nervous as him.

"You guys are doing it too," he said.

"Of course," they replied simultaneously.

"Doing what?" Summer asked quirking an eyebrow. She certainly didn't expect Cardin to clear his throat, getting down on his knees, and bow to her.

"I'M SORRY!" he shouted, which was soon followed by the rest of his team doing the same as he did. Summer was naturally flabbergasted along with most of the surrounding students who were watching. "I'm sorry about how I've been acting lately. It… wasn't right. I really am sorry!"

"The arrogance to think apologizing to me will make things better," Summer said shaking her head at the sight, "you really-"

"I already apologized to Jaune!" Cardin interrupted and looked up at Summer, "and the Fau- I mean… crap, I forgot her name! The Faunus you're sitting with, you know, for good measure?" Summer, along with everyone else at the table, turned to look at Velvet. She looked at everyone else and silently, slowly shrugged.

"Sure, whatever," Summer said turning back to Cardin, "it's one thing to apologize for something bad that you've done, it's another entirely to understand why it was bad."

"Oh come on, I had an Ursa attack me because of a prank! Isn't that enough!?" Everyone's silent stares proved otherwise and Cardin sighed. "Fine, bullying doesn't belong in a place like Beacon."

"Anyplace! Look at me," Summer said leaning forward and looking right into Cardin's eyes. "You are a Huntsman in training, someone who's supposed to be a light against the darkness. A darkness that, if left unimpeded, will swallow all of us whole. You are not a child with nothing better to do than focus on petty slights, so stop acting like one. Understand?"

"Y-yeah…"

"We'll see. Keep you're nose clean, or we'll clean it for you again. I might even get involved myself next time. Until then, target's off your back." Summer straightened out and turned back to the table pointing at her team, "You three can take a break now, good job."

"Kay," Qrow nodded with a wave.

"Fine with me," Taiyang said.

"Dammit, I had such a good idea for today too," Raven groaned and slouched in her seat a little.

"So… that's it?" Cardin asked.

"Yes, as long as you behave," Summer replied and waved him away, "now get out of here."

"R-right, thanks senpai! Let's get out of here!" Cardin quickly got to his feet, followed by his team, and they ran out of the dining hall as fast as they could.

"And don't call me senpai! That's weird!" Summer stood up and yelled at them until they were out of sight. She sat back down and shook her head, "God, even when it's all over he pisses me off. Whatever, I'm done with it."

"So… all's well that ends well?" Fox asked.

"I guess."

"Hey Sum, were you ever really mad about that muffin?" Coco asked.

"Oh Coco, you're a leader. You oughta know," Summer winked, "you see an opening, you take it."

"Duly noted."

"I'm still angry," Raven sighed, "what am I supposed to do with 200 pounds of gelatin?"

"You what?!" Summer shouted but flinched when Velvet slammed her hands on the table and stood up, staring wide eyed at Raven.

"You have 200 pounds of gelatin!? Where!?" she asked excitedly. Raven blinked at the Faunus before grinning and tenting her fingers in front of her.

"I could tell you… for 10,000 Lien," Raven said, to which Velvet immediately threw and impeded a Lien card into the table in front of her. Raven pulled the card out and checked its contents on her scroll, nodding happily at the amount. "It's all in freezer 47. It might not be fully settled yet, so be careful and have fun."

"Oh yes!" Velvet cheered and started running to the freezers.

"Oh no!" Coco said standing up and pointing after Velvet, "Stop her, we can't afford another cleaning bill!"

"And just like that," Raven said waving the Lien card as she watched CFVY run away, Yatsuhashi somehow managing to outpace Fox, "I managed to make a profit. Today's looking good for me!"

"Thank you Raven," Summer said snatching the card away from Raven and stashing it in one of her uniform pockets, "That's going right to our Dust budget." Raven stared at Summer for a moment before faceplanting and groaning into her food. "Damn, my soup's cold now."

"Hey…" Nora spoke up suddenly holding up a hand, "if we ever make you guys mad, you'll tell us right?"

"Don't worry Nora, you'll be the first to know," Taiyang replied with a smirk.

"…Thank you," Nora nodded and looked worriedly at Ren, who shrugged in response. "You're right Ren, where is Pyrrha and Jaune?"


Pyrrha would find Jaune later that night after dinner right where she had last met him, hopefully he was actually clearing this thoughts.

"Hello Jaune," she said getting his attention, "no Cardin tonight?"

"No, that ship has sailed. I'm done with him," Jaune said turning to look back up at the Shattered Moon while Pyrrha walked up to him. The pair stood in silence for a few moments before Jaune sighed and turned to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, I want to apologize."

"For what?" she asked turning to him.

"You know what! For being an idiot, for having a bunch of stupid ideas, saying stupid things. I guess what Raven said that one time just got to me a little more than I'd like." Jaune sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "I should probably pick my role models a bit better, huh?"

"You could definitely do worse than Raven," Pyrrha said shaking her head and looking up at the moon, "she just has a different view of the world and flaws to go with it. That's something I've been learning a lot since I got here." Pyrrha looked back at Jaune, him doing the same, and smiled. "But it's ok, I forgive you."

"What? Just like that, even after-"

"Jaune," Pyrrha interrupted putting a hand on his shoulder, "It's ok. You know, we've been missing our leader and I'm sure you missed dinner." She pulled her hand away from Jaune and started walking to the door. "Ren made breakfast for dinner; pancakes, eggs, the whole works. No syrup though, you can thank Nora for that."

"Right," Jaune said quietly before saying louder, "There's actually one other thing Pyrrha." The redhead stopped to look at him.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to thank you for the help yesterday. With the Ursa." Pyrrha blinked at that and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I have no idea what you mean," Pyrrha said nervously, "but I did hear that you killed that Ursa by yourself and-"

"Pyrrha I'm a dweeb, not stupid," Jaune interrupted and held up an arm in a mock shielding position. "I felt my shield move on its own and saw that… shimmery thing around it." He pointed at Pyrrha and added, "and who do I know that can move metal?"

Pyrrha, now wide eyed, could only say, "Um… look, Jaune-"

"I get it, ok. I get why you helped me and why you didn't tell me. A little help never hurt anyone, like you said." Jaune started pacing and continued, "And, you know, looking back on it I definitely would have died if you hadn't done that. So, thanks for helping me."

"…Anytime Jaune."

"Let's just not make it every time, ok? Which brings me to my next question." Jaune stopped pacing and looked at Pyrrha pleadingly and asked, "Can you help me out with the fighting thing? We both know that I'm not that good at it, so maybe you can help me suck less. Can you help me?"

Pyrrha looked at him silently for a moment before smiling and walking over to him, where she shoved him to the ground.

"Gah, hey!"

"Your stance is wrong. Your feet need to be wider and lower to the ground." She reached a hand down and, after watching Jaune smile back up at her and grabbing her hand, pulled him up to his feet. "Let's try that again."

"Alright," Jaune nodded and moved a step away from Pyrrha. "You know, I changed my mind about what I said. Coming here was a good idea. Everyday is something new; I mean, who knew Grimm were attracted to sweet stuff?"

"It's literally one of the first things you learn in a training school," Pyrrha said with a small laugh before flinching a little. "Uh, I'm sorry, I mean-"

"Whatever, at least I'm learning it now," Jaune said waving the worry away. "Hey, you think all Grimm are like that? Attracted to sweets?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was true."


Ka-dunk, ka-dunk, ka-dunk, ka-dunk, ka-dunk, ka-dunk.

Salem let out a breath and glanced at her High General, the only other being currently in the meeting room besides her, who was currently entirely focused on a paddle ball toy she had found somewhere. 'If the man who invented that toy hadn't died in a horse accident I'd have him executed specifically for this,' Salem thought watching Ruby play with the toy a little longer. Eventually she had enough and, with a flick of her finger and a bit of magic, cut the string on the toy sending the ball flying away.

Ruby stared at the paddle in her hand for a second before sighing and setting it down. "Yes Queen."

"Your sister generals are late, again," Salem said both calmly and angrily, "where are they?"

"Blake is taking care of White Fang stuff… somewhere," Ruby answered with a shrug, "And I sent Yang to get Weiss not long before I got here. They should be here soon."

"At least one of you is doing work."

"A little too much if you ask me. Blake really needs to learn to relax."

"Ruby…" Salem stopped when the main doors opened and Yang walked in quietly. "General Yang, where is… why are you covered in frost?"

"Yeah… Weiss isn't coming Queen," Yang answered and walked to the seat next to Ruby, whimpering as she stroked her hair. "My poor hair…"

"She froze you… again?" Ruby asked patting Yang on the shoulder when she sat down, "Why?"

"She was stuffing her face with sugar cookies and jam filled cupcakes again. She should be lucky we don't actually get any nutrition from food, or else her ass would be as big as Cinder's ego." Yang looked around the room and over to Ruby. "Blake's not here?"

"She's tending to some White Fang business," Salem answered looking Yang in the eye.

"That's inconvenient. Weiss at least wanted me to pass some info to Blake before she froze my hair. Seriously, I don't have enough conditioner to fix this."

"And what would that be, General?"

"Something she got from Jacques: a Dust freighter is on its way to Vale, apparently filled with Dust. I guess Cinder's little group is too good at stealing the stuff."

"Interesting," Ruby said looking at Salem. "There is no such thing as too much Dust Queen."

"Yes." Salem said and waved a hand. "You will tell Blake about his immediately Yang. She'll know what to do with it."

"Yes Queen," Yang said standing up just as a Seer slipped into the room. Its tentacles surrounded her and Salem smiled to herself.

"All according to plan."

"Yeah," Ruby echoed resting her head in her hand, her mind flitting back to a white cloak. "According to plan."


Good news, only two more of these slice of life chapters left. I'm sorry about the long stretch of these but hopefully they were at least entertaining.