Short, but I'll have another section ready soon.

"So."

"Yeah."

"You and my daughter."

"Yeah."

Jaune crossed his arms and leaned back against the bench. Before him was the beautiful cherry blossom in Beacon's gardens, standing serenely on a small island in a little pond. Beside him sat Taiyang Xiao Long, Ruby's father.

"Well," Taiyang said. "Glad to have some time alone with you."

"Yeah."

Jaune had been able to say very little to the man before this. Taiyang had been emotionally removed from everyone other than Yang while they waited for Ruby to recover. After she was discharged, he'd wasted no time to do anything but dote on her.

Actually, the last interaction they'd had was a few days ago, when he'd pulled him and Ruby apart from their brief kiss. Not so bad, considering the nightmare over-protective dad Jaune had feared.

Now, Ruby and the rest of her team were settling back into her dorm, some quality girl time. And Taiyang had requested that he meet with Jaune alone.

Jaune would be a liar if he said that meeting the dad provoked no fear. By now, however, fear had become an increasingly trivial thing. At least, fear for social things. He'd faced down horrors back in the wasteland, and he'd survived the trauma of losing those closest to him (and more recently, he'd been forced to relive such trauma all over again). Recently, however, he'd overcome that—he'd managed to make friends, and he'd managed to confess to the girl of his dreams. So this meeting was far less than terrifying. More than anything, his mind was getting dragged to other things:

Who besides Bishop and Arthur had gotten here? For how long? What was Bishop's semblance? How the hell could he learn this? What was the best way to start researching?

"Funny," Taiyang said, "I didn't think I'd meet the boyfriend under circumstances like this."

"Yeah."

"That the only word you know?"

"Huh?" Jaune was caught off guard, then finally turned to look at the man beside him. Taiyang looked back, one eyebrow cocked.

"Qrow told me you weren't the most sociable," Taiyang said, "But I figured our conversation would be this one-sided off the bat."

"Oh… um, sorry. Sorry, yeah, I didn't really notice…" Jaune exhaled and shook his head briefly, enough to bring him into the present. "Yeah, I'm just… not really all put together still, I guess."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Jaune nodded. He quickly realized that, well, he still wasn't providing the best conversation. "Yeah," he continued, "I'm just stuck in my own head and nervous about a lot of things. About Ruby, about you, about all the people who want to kill us."

"Understandable," Taiyang said with a somber nod of the head. "Can't judge you for that. I'm sure this isn't the conversation you want to have right now."

"I don't mind it," Jaune lied. He'd much rather be by her side. Or researching.

"Sure you don't," Taiyang said. "But it means a lot that you're willing to man up and meet the dad one on one. That's a scary prospect for a lot of would-be suitors."

"Well… I don't really want to run away from things." Jaune said with a shrug. He was distracted briefly, when a butterfly fluttered in front of him just as Taiyang said something. That forced him to ask the man to repeat himself: "What was that, Mr. Xiao Long?"

"I just said that you don't have to be afraid of me," he said. "And you can call me Tai."

"Okay… Tai."

"Heh, not so bad." Taiyang nodded and patted Jaune on the shoulder. "I don't want to be the kind of dad who threatens the boyfriend. I trust Ruby to make good decisions. And I trust Qrow, too. He only has a glowing recommendation for you."

That made Jaune smile.

"Then again, Qrow's also the guy we managed to convince to wear a skirt in our first year here, so sometimes his judgement isn't the best," Taiyang said with a laugh. "But Oz and Glynda vouche for you too. So does Yang."

"Well I'm glad they think so," Jaune said. The mood had become lighter, especially with a the mention of a detail that he found both amusing and intriguing. "But you convinced Qrow to do what?"

"Oh, the skirt thing?" Taiyang chuckled and said, "I can get to that in a minute. Before then, I just want to make sure you know something:

"I'm not going to be an asshole to you. I'm not mad at you. I know that Ruby got hurt protecting you, but that's her own choice more than anything else. I'll chew her out for being reckless later… but I'm not going to blame you for anything. I want us to be friends."

Jaune looked away for a second, and his mind came up with the idea that it would be nice to just try and find that pretty butterfly again, something cute and not at all related.

Breath deep. Hold. Release.

Jaune forced himself to turn his head. He looked at Taiyang, looked him right in the eye for what felt like a long time, even if it may have only been a second.

He opened his mouth to say something, said nothing, then looked away again.

"It's alright," Taiyang said. "Just want you to know it."

"Yeah." Jaune said that with a voice that was suddenly hoarse. His eyes burned.

"Not gonna lie though, I wanted to skin you alive when Qrow first gave me the rundown."

Jaune's muscles tightened.

"But then I cooled off after a while, especially when I knew Ruby was going to be okay and how I saw her dealing with it. And when she came out…

"Normally, a dad is supposed to be pissed if he sees his teenage daughter kiss her boyfriend right in front of him. But I saw the way she lit up when she looked at you… and it reminded me of old time. Good times. I just want this to be a one of those good times, from here on out."

"I…" Jaune temporarily gave up his attempt at speech and closed his eyes.

Breathe deep. Hold. Release.

He opened his eyes and spoke:

"I... I'm grateful for that. I want good times, too. That's all I want. That's all I ever wanted."

Winter Schnee sat behind a sturdy steel desk inside of her grey office that was all undecorated cement and steel. Behind her was a large window that portrayed the nighttime lights of Atlas. Before her was a large computer that she looked at with bloodshot eyes.

She pressed 'send' after proof-reading an email. She sighed in relief and slumped back into her seat when it was finally done. Gods, if only the soldiers or civilians could see her now, worn out by bureaucratic nonsense.

She yawned and rubbed her eyes, then looked at the last thing she had to deal with for the night. It was a request that had been submitted to the agency director and forwarded to her, and it, unlike most of the other correspondences she'd been dealing with, actually caught her attention. This was not red-tape for red-tape's sake or theoretical planning or political posturing.

It was a request to fight.

More specifically, a specialist apparently wanted to be taken along as a part of the security force for the Vytal Festival. The brass seemed okay with it, but they wanted to make sure Winter was fine with a rookie tagging along.

She scanned the email, then leaned forward when she saw the name of the specialist. She had heard of this one, who had accomplished the unusual and difficult feat of transferring in directly from the foreign legion. Winter had always figured a meeting with this one would be interesting, but now it seemed that they may wind up on the same mission. She read notes on the specialist's combat record:

They helped a strike again a Vacuan warlord who had been disrupting a dusty supply line; they displayed heroism in defending a city called Magnus from a Grimm incursion; they served with distinction on an expedition to the Dragon's Wing peninsulas; they single-handedly crushed a bandit tribe on a security mission in northern Mistral. This person rose far above the 'soldier of fortune' fodder that was generally expected from the foreign legion.

She read more of the email, which revealed that the new specialist, having hailed originally from Vacuo, was now eager to continue international work on behalf of Atlas. There was also a note that they had a family member in Vale whom they wished to visit while on designated leave, and that this was also a strong motivator for the request. The request had been made on behalf of the specialist by the instructor who had overseen their training, testing and eventual induction into the service. This instructor now attested to the specialist's abilities and asserted that travelling abroad to Vale would do good in rounding out their international experience. The recommendation came with flying colors from the instructor, who vouched for the exemplary list of accomplishments that were worthy of Winter's respect.

Winter personally didn't have much of a preference for what other specialists she worked with aside from the ace ops, and they were reserved for domestic incidents. She herself was the enemy of none and the friend of just as many. The Special Operations Unit of the Atlesian military was professional first, warm later. Such it was that Winter first evaluated the practical words of this specialist's instructor and officer. However, at the back of Winter's mind nagged a sense of sympathy.

She looked at the only personal touch in the office: a set of three pictures frames on her desk. One was her cadet graduation ceremony, and the second was a picture of her and her family. The third picture showed only her and Weiss. She had her arm around her younger sister's shoulders. They were both smiling.

So, for reasons practical and sentimental, Winter drafted a reply email which stated she would gladly accept the new addition to her entourage. She hit send again, and the fate of the inquiry would be left in the hands of the Special Operations Unit missions coordinator.

Winter wished the specialist best of luck in getting this request accepted, considering both their excellent skill as well as the reunion.

And it would also be nice to have another woman around.

"So yeah, it was awesome!" Ruby cheered. "Honestly, I never would've guessed that a clinic of all places would be so cool, but it was!"

"Glad to hear it," Jaune said. He propped up a smile on his face. "I didn't think that—"

"I would have my own tv? And super comfy cushions? And super nice staff and food that's a lot better than anything they ever serve us at the cafeteria? Yeah me neither!" Ruby bounced in her seat. "I think I might miss that place! But not really, 'cause now I'm back with you guys!"

"I'm glad to have you back—"

Ruby hugged him, and it put a smile on his face.

The two of them were sitting in the public lounge on their floor of Beacon's dorms. It was nighttime, and not many people were around (those who did come by quickly saw the couple and analyzed it would awkward for them to stay).

"But," Jaune said, "if there's anything you ever—"

"Sheesh, I'm better off than you!" Ruby said, indignantly poking his cheek. "You're still in a cast, and I got an awesome new hand! Better than new!" She waved her right hand before him, though it was covered in a black leather glove she'd gotten from Blake.

"Alright," Jaune said. "I won't dote on you if you don't want."

Ruby smiled again, and it was one of the widest he'd ever seen her give. "Good! You'd be wasting your time, 'cause I'm better than new! I feel better than ever! More motivated than ever!"

She looked Jaune straight in the eyes, and not for the first time since she'd returned did he notice that she dark bags under them.

"Have you been sleeping well?"

"Ugh." Ruby let out an exasperated gasp. "It's nothing, just that some of the medicine they gave met to help the healing has still messed up my sleep schedule and it's wonky now." She shook her head, then forcible pressed her natural hand against his chest. "It's nothing to worry about," she said, "really."

"Alright," Jaune said.

I know what it feels like, to not want people worrying about you too much.

"You look like you're holding up great—"

"Positivity!" Ruby cheered. She wore another huge grin. "The most important thing!"

"Yeah," Jaune said. "You're right about that."

But I know people from the wasteland who lost limbs. I know that you don't get over it so quickly… but none of them got perfect replacements, did they? Well, Cross did… though she'd been used to them for decades by the time he met her.

People back on Earth got their limbs taken off by random mines or wild animals or had to have them amputated if a wound got infected and they had no antibiotics. Nobody ever just… shrugged that off. He'd seen members of the Brotherhood come back from the fights with the Enclave, when he went to their clinics to fix up his own scrapes and wounds. In the immediate aftermath, they had seemed empty in some way.

Jaune looked at Ruby, gazed into her silver irises for a moment, but he saw nothing.

Well… I can't pretend to know exactly what she's going through. The best I can do is just be here.

He held Ruby's hands in his own and brought her closer, such that they were right next to one another. She easily leaned in against him and nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck.

She carefully tugged her robotic hand out of his grip, so that he only held her natural one.

Ruby skipped along ahead of them, and Jaune couldn't help but feel a little weirded out. It had been a few days since she got back

Ruby turned around and beckoned towards him and the rest of their two teams with her natural hand, saying, "Come on! We're gonna be late, right?" She spoke with a smile.

"Only 'cause you wouldn't shut up," Yang replied.

Jaune would have mumbled that he also wasn't in the shape to rush, considering he was still lopsidedly doing his best to walk with a cast and a crutch; however, that would have been an admission of weakness, so he held it in. He'd gotten better at hiding any flares of pain that struck him as he did his best to stride with what dignity he could. At least he wouldn't need it for too much longer, thanks to aura.

Though he was thinking more about someone else than himself. Ruby had remained just as chipper as when she'd first excitedly left the ship. The only change to have occurred was that Yang had gotten her haircut touched up by none other than Coco Adel herself, who had volunteered to fix the haphazard style the moment she'd seen it. Now Yang had a sporty short cut with the sides shaved down a bit, a hairstyle he'd never have considered for her but one she pulled off nonetheless.

But really, strangely little had happened. Until now.

"I'm glad that the infirmary was so nice," Blake said. "But you really don't have to keep going on about how nice it was."

"But the pillows were so soft! And the blankets were so warm and cozy and everybody was so nice!" Ruby happily clapped her hands.

"You're making it sound like you were pampered at a resort instead of cooped up on a military ship's infirmary," Weiss said.

"Well hey, it really was that nice!"

Ruby insisted this.

"I never felt afraid or like I was a lone, since I had such nice doctors and I knew you all were waiting for me!"

"I'm happy for that," Jaune said. The instant he spoke, Ruby skipped by his side and wrapped her left hand—her human hand—around his own. She squeezed it tightly, and Jaune noted that her grip was abnormally sweaty.

"Well I swear you're chattier than ever," Yang said, she chuckled halfheartedly. "Though right now I'm just glad that now we're getting some answers from the big-wigs."

"Same," Jaune said.

"Same!" Ruby said, repeating him immediately and with a happy tone. She still had a smile on her face.

Jaune smiled back, but when Ruby looked away to say something to Weiss, he looked glanced to Yang. She looked back at him, and they detected in one another the same sense of unease.

Before any more could be said, however, they were before the elevator leading up Ozpin's tower, with both Miss Goodwitch and Ruby's dad waiting for them there. Ruby instantly pounced on the latter with an affectionate hug, before rushing into the elevator as soon as it opened.

The others followed, all barely cramming in. The sight of the normally glacial Miss Goodwitch awkwardly pressed up again the wall would have made Jaune snicker, if it weren't for the heavier atmosphere that suddenly came upon them. Really, it was an atmosphere they'd all been bearing ever since the Breach, a lingering fearful feeling that made them look over their shoulders and forced them to stay close to one another.

After all, they were now keenly aware that a vicious psychopath wanted very much to murder them. Said murderous psychopath also had the skills and resources to do just that. Knowledge of that reality bore a weight on all of them, especially now that they were to directly confront the details of how it would all be dealt with.

Ruby hummed a catchy, upbeat tune in the silence. Out of them all, it seemed that only she was impervious to the anxious malaise that Bishop had wrought.

The elevator door opened, and they spilled out. At the other end of the large circular office sat Headmaster Ozpin, flanked by General Ironwood and Qrow. Jaune and the others walked across the huge clockwork ornamentation covering the floor, stopping short of the headmaster's desk by a few feet. There were a couple chairs before his desk, but no one made to sit in them.

"Now then," the Headmaster began, "I thank you all for your patience as we've figured things out."

"Not a problem," Ruby said.

"Yes, well, we've been working closely with the Vale police, Atlas security and our own network of hunters to prepare ample protection for Beacon and the Festival.

"It is important that we continue with the Festival, not only for the sake of international traditional, but also so that we do not bow to violent terrorists.

"We also recognize that you all, given your direct involvement in the Breach and Jaune's history with Beauvais, are particularly in danger. As such, we're increasing security not only for the Festival and Amity Arena, but also for Beacon itself."

He let that hang in the air for a moment, until Jaune and the others nodded. They felt some relief, finally, that eased the prevalent sense of worry.

"Furthermore, we highly advise that you all stay in Beacon for the time being. Vale's authorities, in coordination with Atlas, are working their hardest to track down Beauvais and his 'Enclave', along with the White Fang. Until they are defeated, however, it would be best for you if you stay on campus. If you must leave, for whatever reason, then notify us and we will send a hunter to be with you."

"That's where I come in," Qrow said. He crossed his arms and walked up nearer to the kids. "I'll be the first guy to keep an eye on you. You want to go anywhere, then just tell me and I'll make sure to tag along."

That made Jaune smile, and the weight in his chest lightened a bit more.

Ozpin was glad to see the young man smile. By the gods, young Mr. Arc deserved it.

The rest of the meeting was fairly short. He informed them of some of the ongoing efforts, answered their questions and assuaged their concerns. Essentially, what would persist was a more guarded version of the status quo: teams RWBY and JNPR would continue to study and live in Beacon. Granted, they would have to be under greater protection, now; he did his best not to make it sound overly much like they were birds trapped in a cage. Even if that was a good analogy for their unfortunate situation.

It was not long thereafter that they left, and it seemed that they weren't quite so tense as when they had entered. Some information can provide some peace of mind, and if that was the least Ozpin could give them, then he would certainly provide.

"And of course," the headmaster said, "feel no pressure to try out for the tournament."

"Pfft, like hell we won't," Arc said. "Like you said, if we stay totally cooped up here and don't try to take part in the festival, then they win." He looked down at his crutch and his cast. "The best f-you I can give them is if I get right back into things once I'm out of this, and that'll be in just another week-ish."

"You sure about that?" Taiyang asked. "No one would blame you for taking it slow."

"I'd blame myself," Arc replied.

His partner placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "We share Jaune's sentiment. We won't be beaten like that."

"Yeah!" Ruby pumped her left fist in the air.

Ozpin couldn't suppress a smile.

I'm very proud of you all.

"I'm hopeful you don't push yourselves too hard," Ozpin said. "But of course, do what you think is right and what you think you're capable of. I'm sure you all have a strong shot at getting into the tournament."

The meeting wrapped up after that. The knights said farewell, and the kids jammed themselves back into the elevator. This time, Valkyrie started bickering with her team leader, who bickered back. In response, Nikos began to chide them both just as the doors to elevator closed.

"It seems this meeting put them more at ease," Glynda said.

"Hope so," Qrow said. He took a seat at one of the chair's before Ozpin's desk. "Kids get to be kids, right? And I hope they manage to have fun with the festival, besides just being motivated by giving the Enclave and the White Fang the middle finger."

"Indeed," Ozpin said. "I doubt they're going to be having another food-fight anytime soon, but at least they can walk around without looking over their shoulders."

"I'm not sure," Taiyang said. He nervously ground his teeth together for a few seconds, before continuing. "Ruby seems a little… off."

"Yeah, I picked up on that too," Qrow said. "I told her to try and get into contact with the shrink she used to see at Signal, 'cause I seriously doubt anybody can lose their hand and then be so chipper."

"She's a lot like her mom, then," Taiyang said with a sigh. "Always thinking of others first."

They spoke for a while longer, concerning more administrative talk, some coordination of Atlesian forces and some assurances that Taiyang would be able to stay in Beacon for a while. The general, the deputy and the father all left after business was done, leaving only Qrow and the headmaster.

"I have to say that you're request surprised me," Ozpin said when the others left. He pulled out a drawer on his desk. "You've never been one for history."

"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures," Qrow replied as he walked to the edge of the room.

"I still say you're being paranoid," Ozpin said as he pulled out the false bottom of the drawer, revealing a keypad.

"Well, you get to be pretty paranoid when your semblance is just plain old bad luck."

"I suppose so." The headmaster pressed in a series of numbers.

The gears below the glass floor of the office creaked and turned. The glass pane itself split along unnoticeable seams and slid back as the gears twisted out of the way. A grinding sound filled the room as old rust and giant iron grated and twisted. A series of hard clunks rattled when the gears were in place, having moved out from the center of the room to reveal a hole.

It was small library. A pit in the middle off the headmaster's office was a little sanctuary for dozens of books along sturdy old shelves. A simple ladder in front of Ozpin's desk lead down into it. Qrow simply jumped down.

"Do be careful, considering some of those are even older than I am," Ozpin said, leaning over his desk to look down at Qrow as he scanned the books. "The Brotherhood's history goes back a thousand years, and our origins are fully shrouded in mystery. Of the Enclave, even less is now known. But what we have on them is in that red book there, to your left." Ozpin rose from his chair, walked over and stood by the edge of the pit. He pointed down at the text in question, a surprisingly thin book bound in faded crimson leather that was now cracked and dry as a desert. "It even has some pictures for you."

"I'm not a toddler," Qrow said as he picked the book off of the shelf. "But it is still appreciated." He squinted and barely made out faded letters on the book's cover:

The First Victory

"Ad victoriam," Ozpin said. "Our motto arose in the crucible that was the War of Revelations."

"Yeah, I remember what you told me about that mess." He opened up the book and examined the brittle yellow pages, then scowled. "Gods, this cursive is terrible…"

The headmaster shook his head and took a drink from his mug. "At least it's readable. The Book of Revelations itself was said to be a totally foreign language, the tongue of the Old World."

Qrow carefully flipped through the book's papers, which were as rigid and delicate as a butterfly's wings. His scowl deepened, for he was barely able to decipher the ancient handwriting.

"But that got wrecked."

"As with most of the old relics, yes," Ozpin replied. He sighed. "This is all we have. The other academies have but copies of this. I'm afraid you may not find whatever answers you're looking for, considering not much survived the Founder's orders."

"Gods, what a crazy bastard."

"The Founder was a brilliant, strong person who created the Brotherhood of Steel, triumphed over the Enclave, protected the four remaining relics and set the basis for the rest of Remnant's history," Ozpin asserted.

A second went by.

"But yes, some of their decisions were… extreme," Ozpin admitted. "Still, it only shows how seriously they took our adherence to secrecy."

"But it'd be nice to keep some of the important stuff, or at least our own history."

"The Founder did everything for a reason. Besides, the real Enclave is extinct. Information about them is necessary for nothing other than curiosity."

Qrow flipped to a page, then stopped. "I think I got to one of those pictures you mentioned."

"Is that so? I could fetch you some crayons."

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated," Qrow dryly replied. Rather than come up with a more developed retort, however, he focused on the drawing. It showed a bulky humanoid figure wielding a massive axe. It was a person wearing a rigid, huge suit of armor. If there was one thing Qrow remembered from the old history lessons, then it was stories of valiant knights wearing hulking sets of magical armor that even outmatched Atlas's current work. But the one worn here looked peculiar due to its odd helmet. It was almost insectoid, with a flat frontal beak, bugged out eyes and a bulging, heavy brow. A suitably inhuman and menacing visage for a people who wanted to conquer the world.

Qrow turned the page, and his eyes widened.

"Oz, look at this," he said, holding up the book.

The headmaster squinted, then hummed. "I can see why that might make you come to certain conclusions, but it's still sure to be a coincidence."

"Really?" Qrow brought the book back down and looked at the sketch again. It showed a warrior wearing the distinctive Enclave mask, even if he wasn't wearing the magical armor. He brandished a flaming sword.

"'Cause it really seems like a big coincidence," Qrow said.

"People get struck by lightning twice," Ozpin said, "and we need not whip up unnecessary anxiety by wondering whether or not our enemies that were annihilated a thousand years ago miraculously have come back after all this time."

Qrow scowled, and an uncomfortable feeling turned over in his stomach. "Maybe," he said. Then he noticed there was something written just below the sketch. "What does 'semper fi' mean?"

"Something about loyalty," Ozpin replied. "It was their contrasting motto to our own."

Qrow stared at the menacing figure with its inhuman face and vicious, flaming sword. Beside the man on the page was drawn an E surrounded by stars, the symbol of the old enemy.

He shook his head and said, "Gods, I've still got a bad feeling about this."

Ozpin's really not being too stupid when he's brushing off all the Enclave stuff. After all, that's sorta like if we said the Mongols had started conquering the world again. And Oz has been in charge of the Brotherhood for centuries (though not as long as in canon, as I've alluded), and he hasn't seen anything thus far. But when people in leadership get complacent sometimes, it can be hard for them to accept things that sound preposterous.