A/N: Oh wow okay, that was a lot more people taking a look at it and even some nice reviews. Looking back it was probably not a good idea to start a new story right before a bunch of holidays to spend with family. I'll try my best at keeping a consistent upload on chapters, probably once a week if I can help it. Anyways, here's some more.

"Clothes?"

"Check."

"Wallet?"

"Check."

"Scroll, with all our numbers saved on your speed dials?"

"Check. But mom, really, I know what I need for Beacon! I'm not a kid anymore." Jaune said, chuckling as he finished packing up the rest of his belongings. His room was void of most of his clothes and a few of his belongings he chose to keep with him. Against his better wants, his sisters had all told him to ditch his comfy onesie in favor of some store bought tank tops and pajama pants. The only reason he had agreed was the fact that the comfy it had once brought was a bit lacking after the muscles had tightened them out a bit.

His mother, Juniper, was fussing over his belongings once more, triple checking with him that he had all that he needed before he left for the next few years. This was a slow burn for her, something that he started to realize when, after particularly tougher days training, he would come back to some of his favorite meals prepared for dinner or even breakfast the next day. Something he truly would miss if not for the fact that his mom had, once upon a time, gotten him to help in the kitchen plenty of times and had taught him the recipes for some of the things he'd asked for.

He zipped up his last bag, bringing two, not for a lack of space but mainly due to how little he really needed to bring. He brought a few comics for the rides and that would hopefully keep him entertained for the duration of the trip.

"What about your medicine?" She asked, handing him his tablet bottle for motion sickness. The memories of his first trip to Vale with his dad to check out some of the stores and get a lay of the land before he moved there for Beacon had been one he would not soon forget.

It was a more serious sickness than people realized, alright!

Still, he smiled at his mom, grabbing the bottle and placing it in a side pouch of his outfit. His mother had picked out some suitable gear for him, some tight fitting jeans since he had outgrown his old pairs, with a set of plate armor to protect his upper torso that stopped at his shoulders. The armor was painted white with a gold trim, the Arc insignia displayed for all on his back. His arms were bare to allow a better range of motion, his black hoodie having the sleeves cut off. He wore some gauntlets to protect his wrists and forearms and combat boots. All in all, it wasn't too different from his normal attire, with just minimal changes to improve his combat. He felt comfortable in it though, nothing too absurd or inconvenient, so it was perfect, and he couldn't thank his mom more for the gift.

"Thanks mom, for everything. I know this wasn't your first choice on what I could be doing but… I really appreciate what you and dad have done for me." His voice cracked near the end. His mom smiled back at him, pulling him into a tight hug as tears formed in her own eyes.

"Oh my sweet boy, I'm going to miss you so much! Now you are to text us as soon as you get to Vale. And I expect to hear all your stories while you're out at Beacon!" Juniper squeezed him tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks as she doted on him for what would soon be the last time. He patted her back lovingly, still a bit nervous of his path ahead as she soon let go, holding him by his arms as she looked him in the eyes. "And no matter what, you can always come back here if you need anything. I'm not sure what will happen for you Jaune, but rest assured that this will forever be a home for you. Even after you go off and be the best huntsman you can be, you're an Arc first, and this is your home."

He nodded back, tears in his own eyes as he hugged her one more time. "I know, mom, I won't let you guys down. I promise. And an Arc-"

"-Never goes back on their promise." His mother finished, gently petting his hair as she gave him a pensive smile. "I'm still going to worry for you Jaune. Even after all that training, you couldn't have gotten to the same level as all the other kids, no matter how hard your father trained you. Don't put yourself in needless danger if it looks like you won't need to! Just cause the academies are looking after you doesn't mean you're going to be safe all the time!" His mom continued, once more giving him warnings on how he should act and behave. Smiling back all the same at her, Jaune nodded to her, happy to have these last few moments with his family before he headed off.

His nerves had been soothed over the course of the morning, Sapphire having sent her well wishes and best of luck through a call earlier on in the morning. Even during breakfast, the twins seemed to have increased their teasing, though he was able to read between the lines and know that they were really going to miss having him around. His tears had just finished drying up after having Amber soak his pajama in her own tears at the thought of not seeing him for a while. Coral was, well Coral, and had all but implied she would be keeping the bed warm for him to return from Beacon, which probably meant that his room would be absolutely vandalized in some manner and taken over by the girls once he was gone. He laughed and smiled and all around, enjoyed the comfort his family brought him. Nicholas had excused himself after breakfast, having to finish up an errand before dropping Jaune off at the station.

His mother, having finished her advice to him for the fourth time this morning, let go of him after one more tight hug, and started to make her way down to the living room. Chuckling lightly, he grabbed his bags from his bed and followed her soon after, pausing to look over his room one last time. The comics that were stacked on the dresser, the assortment of games in the bookshelf he had collected, the smut novels Coral had started putting on his bedside table earlier today.

"Coral I'm not even gone yet, why are you already moving your stuff over?" Jaune called out.

Jaune was told that his dad would meet him at the station, as his errand had him running a little bit late. Having said his goodbyes and promises to keep in contact with his sisters, he made his way over to the station on the southern side of Ansel. His excitement and bubbling nerves started to swell inside as he looked around for his dad. As he searched, he spotted a familiar bun of pink hair that belonged to Rosa as she hugged her family that had gathered around to see her off. She turned to spot him out of the corner of her eye, giving a toothy grin and a wave as an announcement for the Mistral Route was departing soon. He barely made out the words she mouthed at him, 'see you at Vytal', before she turned and made her way onto the airbus.

Jaune smiled and waved back at her, feeling the same pang of nervousness creep back up as he looked back to the town. Ansel was all he knew, and saying goodbye definitely brought a lot of fears into the back of his mind. He swallowed a breath he had unknowingly held, then swallowed one of his motion sickness pills before he forgot. When he had checked over his belongings one final time, a familiar voice had called to him from behind.

"Finally heading out, huh? Glad I made it in time then." His dad called out to him. Jaune relaxed slightly, nodding to his father as he hucked up the bag on his shoulder.

"Yeah dad, Everything from arm wraps to my Vale pass, though I'm still not sure what I should do for a weapon. I'm sure I can find a decent weapon shop but what if their choices are too vast. What if I make a choice that doesn't mesh well with me?" He could just see how bad that'd be if he expected a normal sword and shield just to explode a second later thanks to some weird dust mechanic he unknowingly activated. His father chuckled as he brought out a small case from behind his back.

"I think this will do fine as far as weapons go. I had them made with you in mind, since you've done well getting to this point. I figured… this would be my way of apologizing to you, Jaune. I know you have always wanted to be a huntsman, but you know now that the glory seeking was not why many people became hunters in the first place. I…" He paused as he stared into his son's eyes with a clear seriousness that made Jaune pay that much more attention. "I know that you will do fine, but I'm asking you a favor. Be smart, Jaune. There is so much out there that will blindside you. Ozpin is a good man, and him accepting my request was only in part to how much good I've managed to do for Vale since I graduated there. He has a good heart and great wisdom, but you taking this path means you're your own, that the decisions you make will be squarely on you. I wanted you to avoid having to deal with it all, but since the incident and having to unlock your aura, not training you would just lead to more problems than solutions. I know it wasn't the circumstance that you wanted me to train you in, but I guess this is the best lesson in being a huntsman as it gets. Bottom line is just… it's not going to always be glorious and successful. It's a hard life to live and a harder one to maintain, but I do believe in you son." He smiled as he placed the case, containing a sword and a spiked gauntlet into Jaune's hands, which he had taken a look at then looked back at his dad, tears falling down his cheeks at the overwhelming emotion. "I want you to know that I'm proud of how far you've grown, son. And I know you'll do amazing. I based the design on Crocea Mors, the shield is in the gauntlet, and it has a few extra gimmicks that you can read up on in the manual inside it. But it's yours to name and yours to use. I don't have much left to teach you that you don't already pick up on."

"D-dad… Thank you." he had all but thrown himself into his father, feeling him pat his back as he nodded to him. "I won't let you down dad, I'll show you that I can handle anything and tell you all about my team and Beacon and everything!"

His dad nodded back to him. As the announcer came back on the intercom announcing the airbus to Vale would be departing soon. Nicholas gave Jaune a few more farewells, promising to look after the family and to not worry and focus on his studies as Jaune returned it with promises of coming home for break. As he climbed aboard the airbus, he looked back one more time at the quiet town of Ansel, his home of seventeen years that had brought about a myriad of emotions and memories. He turned back, watching their destination off in the distance as he looked down once more at the case he was given.

Well, no time like the present. With that, he opened the case, pulling out the small booklet that went over the design and switches for his new weapon.

His smile hadn't once dropped as he read over the information for his new weapons. Looking down at it, he pulled his scroll out and sent a message to his father with just two words.

Catena Vigil

One bus, security checkpoint, and a dropped biscuit later, Jaune had made it to Vale with little problems. Entry to Beacon would be starting later in the afternoon, upon which he'd need to just pass the initiation and then he would finally take the first step towards his goals. He pulled out his scroll, quickly searching up a nearby dust shop to pick some up for his new weapon. If he wanted to avoid any unfortunate accidents during initiation, he'd need to be better prepared and have a better understanding of his weapon beyond just reading the instructions. He could go outside the city walls to try out a few functions on any stray grimm nearby, it would also kill his time till he needed to board the airbus to Beacon anyways.

The shine of a crystal caught his eye quickly though, turning his head to a dust store that had some on display. Glancing at his shield once more, he shrugged and entered the store. Jaune's personal experience with dust was minimal at best, having only really known that it was utilized a lot by other hunters and all of his family's appliances. That being said, the shield had instructed that there are certain effects that could be utilized by applying dust to the shield, so here he stood, purchasing dust from an older looking man, promptly paying for said dust and, with a nod of his head, leaving over to the bus station to make sure he wouldn't miss the airbus.

The journey to Beacon was surprisingly uneventful. There was a news report about some dust robberies that had occurred recently but it was interrupted by an announcement that the deputy headmistress had given to those aboard. His nerves started to creep back up on him, tightening his stomach as he looked at the approaching campus that Beacon sat atop. The unease soon grew further as Jaune realized, with some remarkable misfortune, that rather than nerves, it seemed his medicine from this morning was starting to run out. He slowed his breathing as he focused on forming his aura to soothe his stomach, something his dad had shown him when he was injured and Jaune was hoping would work much the same this way.

One breath in, hold to focus on the spot, one breath out, let the warmth spread and mend. As he continued the chant in his head, he was thrown off balance when a girl had jostled him slightly with some energetic shouting of her knees or something. His confused face morphed into one of illness just as the bus docked. Wasting absolutely no time at all, He sprinted out, finding a nearby trash can, and releasing his small mid travel brunch biscuit back into the nearby bin. His groans were overshadowed by the passers by who collectively made more sounds of disgust, not really enjoying the stench of vomit right after their ride up to Beacon.

After finally getting a hold of himself, he relaxed, taking a deep breath as he took upon the sight of Beacon Academy. The blond warrior stood up, and made his way further into the clock like structure of Beacon, glancing back and forth in stunned awe. Large arcs bridged between the main buildings, with a statue of two hunters overcoming a beowulf decorated the central courtyard. His mind was running on overdrive as he took in the massive complex, eager to see all he could of his new residence and-

His thoughts cut short as he heard an explosion go off not too far from where he stood. Looking back, he noticed a girl in white and another in red seemingly in the middle of an argument. Just as he was going to step in to mitigate the tension, he saw another girl in black step towards the two.

She'll probably help them out. Besides, if his sisters didn't listen to him in fights, they probably wouldn't either.

He continued on further through the main courtyard, watching the general wave of inspiring students go in the, hopefully, right direction. It didn't take long to find the congregated mass of new students heading towards the auditorium. Just as he was about to head in, an angry 'excuse me' dragged his attention behind him as one of the girls from earlier stormed further up ahead, giving him a glimpse of the one in red on the ground, looking quite well… alone in the courtyard. His stomach knotted for a second, rushing back over to her as she was mumbling out some words.

"...-pid, way to go Ruby." her voice sounded as defeated as she looked laying in the small crater, which for some reason just pulled at his heart all the more. It would remind him of Amber and Lavender moments before they broke down, which in itself was what probably led him to rush back to her.

He offered a hand, clearing his throat before smiling at her.

"Hey, you alright there?"

"But then I was like 'Bam! Pow! Schwing!' and they were all 'Nooo don't hurt me, powerful huntress!' and that's when Torchwick tried to escape!" Ruby explained to her new friend. Her first friend, as a part of her new life in being a huntress. It both baffled her and excited her how quickly she and Jaune got along. He helped her up, they exchanged awkward quips and just sort of clicked as to how socially bad they were, though thankfully Jaune was a little bit better at it. Ruby continued on her recount of the events from the night before that led her to being given an opportunity to join Beacon early, something that amazed Jaune.

They made another turn, as the story ended, Jaune chuckling as they fell into a good quiet. She had spotted the retractable shield against his gauntlet, and the sword on his hip, the words almost slipping out of her mouth. "Soooo… I got this." She unsheathed her dear Crescent Rose, a smug smile spreading across her face at Jaune being taken back from the splendor that was her baby. "It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle!"

"A what?" Whether it was over what specifically she had said or the idea of putting a gun into a melee weapon, her new friend's dumbfounded face matched the question he had asked.

"It's also a gun." she simplified, cocking the chamber once to demonstrate. He looked stunned by her weapon, causing her to preen slightly as she sheathed her weapon and gestured to his sword. "What about you?"

"O-oh, well I'm not entirely sure since it's all new but I have this sword!" Jaune drew his sword, the shine of the blade clear even without direct light and harmonic angels singing its praises. All in all, it was a very well made sword. "And the shield is what I'm still trying to understand." He seemed to have hit a switch that unfolded the spiked gauntlet on his arm, extending some pieces out until the full size of the heater shield displayed. An insignia was drawn onto the surface, which Ruby guessed was probably a family crest if anything. The spikes near the top drew her interest, since once the shield was fully out, they seemed less like design elements, which she was thankful for as she knew her sister would tease her endlessly if her first friend turned out to be a brooding blond boy. Their arrangement was pointed slightly upwards and outwards, potentially used to increase the effectiveness of shield bashes and offensive moves utilizing the shield. She opened her mouth to ask more about it when she paused and blinked twice, looking around to gauge where they had ended up. A few more seconds of processing later, she looked to Jaune, who had also now noticed and turned around, sighing slightly as he sheathed his weapons.

"I'm pretty sure we skipped past the auditorium." was all he said as he started walking back where they had come from.

Phew, okay so sorry it took way too long to get this out. Admittedly I did not know what I wanted to get across early on and what I wanted to build out towards. Yes, Jaune will be learning to use dust early, on account of what I have planned for his new gear. While Jaune is a little more socially aware of situations, he still is the same old Jaune and has a good heart.

I want to say that it probably won't be as bad as another 3 weeks before another chapter goes up, but as I said earlier, I want to aim for weekly updates to at least continue with this. I have a lot of plans and a lot of cause and effect changes that I think will make this a little more interesting to write up. So until then, thank you all for reading!