Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its franchise.

A helpful guide incase you get confused:
"Dialogue."
'Thoughts. Who's POV is this under anyways?'
[Semblances]

Chapter 16 - The Killing is in the Caring

There was something to be said about how Alexander changed the entire atmosphere with his presence alone. I hadn't really paid too much attention to it at home, but I found myself likening how he presented himself to how I tried to present my vigilante persona. He was someone who no one could look down on.

And he easily stopped the entire conundrum that my mom and Melanie were directing. Mom sheepishly smiled off to the side, and knowing her, I figured that she was just remembering that not everyone went at her pace. Melanie looked like she had swallowed a lemon. Her eyes dilated quickly as she hurriedly stepped away from the monster of a man standing near the doorway.

Alexander never really tried to be quiet, but that didn't mean he made a ton of noise when he did move. It was just that people tended to be quiet around him, so they normally didn't miss him.

His red eyes were something intense, and I caught Velvet tremble a bit as he stared at her for a second too long. Mom idly slapped his arm, making him turn his gaze away with a bit of guilt showing on his face. There weren't any words said, but I had pieced enough about my grandpa from whenever mom was ranting about 'that old bastard' to know that Alexander was still getting used to Faunus.

"W- we're all tired, right?" I said quickly, knowing that no one would speak unless either Alexander or I initiated anything. He always had that effect, and I seemed the most resistant to his intensity. "How about we move to the living room? I think that sounds good, right?"

I caught Melanie's gaze darting to Alexander for a second, but since he just nodded and turned into the apartment everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Mom hurriedly followed after him, complaining about not giving her son a hug. Velvet seemed the most startled by the commotion, and it took a moment before I saw her shake her head and look over at me.

"Y- your dad seems nice…" she tried, and I respected that.

Melanie coughed a bit. "Yeah, it's not like he's been staring a hole in Miltia and I's head before you arrived. But other than that, he seems like a nice man."

I winced, feeling that maybe her ire from earlier was a bit warranted. "He's a bit… intense. B-but he means well. Probably."

Melanie just gave a small chuckle before we all entered the apartment. I paused, wondering for a moment if Junior once again sent people to shoot up my place. The once pristine walls were covered in paint stains, my kitchen was covered in splashes of flour and in the middle of it all was a distraught Miltia who was covered head-to-toe in paint stains and flour. Her eyes caught mine, and I saw a look that was akin to the time I had beaten her and her sister.

Maybe it was an Arc thing?

I found the culprits as soon as they found me. Two little, blonde hellions rushed over to me, tackling my waist with tiny fists. A bit of laughter bubbled out from me as they rubbed their faces into the sides of my waist, and I found myself comparing them to a pair of animals that were remembering their leader. Looking down, I couldn't help but reciprocate the hug to my two little sisters.

"Sapphire," I started putting my hand on the head of one of my sisters and felt amused as she rubbed the top of her head against my palm. Her blonde hair accentuated by a couple streaks of blue that I knew mom had some hand in.

"Jaune-Jaune, me too!" Holding back a small chuckle at the other twin begging me to rub her head, I tussled the shorter hair of Violet. Amusingly, I noticed her hair had a single streak of purple.

Looking at the perpetrator behind the colorations of my little sister's hairstyles I found my mom trying not to meet my gaze. It was a moment like this that I forgot all about Jaune Arc, the Vigilante, and I remembered a simpler time at home without all the violence, explosions and world-renowned mass murders.

There was a smile as I held Violet and Sapphire closer, laughing silently as they growled at Velvet, Melanie and Miltia gazing at the scene.

"I missed you guys." I laughed.

The night progressed further as my sisters grew more and more exhausted as they began to play with everyone who was within grabbing distance. Despite their almost unlimited stamina when concerning their enjoyment, they were soon put to bed by the irate Velvet, mom, Melanie and Miltia. A truly formidable opponent I'd wish against no one, in my opinion.

Eventually, they succeeded in sending the Arc twins to bed while I spent my time narrating my heart wrenching break-up with Neo. Miltia was frowning while cleaning up the kitchen, and Melanie was busy trying not to laugh as I narrated a relationship I never knew existed. For the most part, I succeeded in convincing my parents and Velvet about her. Honestly, I was more surprised with the fact that my mom was so convinced that she wanted to console Neo next time she saw her. Luckily, Miltia vouched for me, saying that Neo wasn't appearing anytime soon.

The rest of the night was… tense, for a word. Alexander was a man of little words, and while I knew he was just worried about taking over the conversation between my mom and the twins, I couldn't help but feel he was using his Semblance. Of course, I resisted pulling on his warmth as it was one of the more distracting Semblances I had dealt with.

Either way, Alexander was a presence that the girls just couldn't ignore, and Velvet's nervous glances his way wasn't helping anything. I knew there were some history books written about my grandpa, but it seemed that Velvet had just put my last name together after witnessing Alexander continue to awkwardly ignore her.

Melanie noticed the situation and rising tension as the night grew on, and the looks my parents were sending them began to get a little more uncomfortable. Though, I knew most of the attention was on the scar that Melanie gave me. The girl had winced when both mom and Alexander's gaze landed on it in the light of my living room.

The twins both took a moment to offer Velvet a room in their apartment next door, knowing that my parents seemed to want to talk to me alone. The Faunus hurriedly agreed, shooting me a couple of looks that I couldn't quite understand before she left with the other two.

Then, it was only the three of us.

For a moment I just sat on my couch, watching the door close behind them before waiting for my parents to begin speaking. They had done a rather unnerving job at putting off any questions till everyone left, but I knew there were certain things that were boiling at the back of both their minds.

Alexander's tick was something I knew well already; he'd be shifting his focus from me to the black television screen. He never needed anything on, but the thought that the news might be on with his favorite host was something that served to calm the man's nerves.

Mom's was a little harder to find between all the things that she did constantly. I chalked it up to her Semblance screwing with her internal clock on a daily basis. Though, there were times when I caught her silently mumbling to herself.

The silence piled onto my back for a bit as we all tried to understand the mood of the room before I broke it. "So uh, how're Sapphire and Violet doing in school? I heard they were behaving…. Um, poorly?"

"You know them." Mom said, waving over the issue. "They don't really seem to get along with kids their own age well. Or most people in general..."

"They get along with me fine." I defended.

"You're different." My mom spoke up, but she quickly stopped trying to meet my eyes. "I mean, they'll be fine. They're just in a phase; you had one too, so it won't be any different."

I blinked at the stretch of logic her words were pushing. It didn't make sense that just because I might have had a rebellious phase and got over it, the exact same would happen to my sisters. "Oh-okay… well, do you guys have a place to stay the night? I think I can take a couple of extra sheets and sleep on the floor." I looked at the couch I was sitting on and the chair Alexander had moved to. "I think this might be a pull-out bed or something…"

"You don't know?" My mom asked, a frown beginning to form on her face.

"Well," I dragged the word out. "I got this from a frien-" pausing, I tried to rationalize what exactly Roman was. A friend? Meh, debatable on some circumstances. An associate? Possibly, but the two of us basically were fighting against an entire city-spanning gang war, so maybe we were a little more than that. Sighing, I relented. "Yeah, he's a friend."

Alexander and my mom shared a look before mom questioned me, "Why was there a pause in there?"

"Because he's annoying at the worst of times."

Alexander paused as mom looked at him with a questioning glare. She sighed as that was all the answer she got before turning back to me. I could practically feel her glare directed at the scar on my face. "Sienna is supposed to arrive tomorrow."

"Right! I'm excited to know how her trip to Atlas was! I wondered what exactly she was teaching over-" My thoughts sparkled as I thought about her apparent employment at Altas Academy.

For a second, I forgot all about who I was talking to. I was too excited about finally hearing some inside info about Huntsmen that wasn't filtered through Velvet. Sadly, my brain caught up just who I was gushing to.

My gaze shot up as soon as the words left my mouth, and I froze as I caught the eyes of my parents. Mom looked torn between a smile and a frown while Alexander just stared. If anything, him just locking eyes with me and not saying anything was worse than mom choosing to hold a frown.

"I- I mean, it's cool that's what she does and all, but maybe um, not for me. You know. It's a bit too dangerous for plain ol' Jaune, right?"

Mom's frown softened for a second, and I recognized her face. It was one that said she was holding back on so many things to say. I had seen it enough when I mentioned my dream of becoming a hero. She said many things, but never would mom outright say that what I wanted most in the world, was impossible.

That job was reserved for one person.

"Jaune," Alexander spoke up, standing from his chair to truly dwarf everyone in the room. He began walking towards the door. "I think your mother is getting a bit tired from all this. Maybe we should let her rest while we talk outside?"

Ice filled my spine as I moved to follow. "Y-yeah! Goodnight, Mom! Get some rest."

I spared one last look at the inside of my apartment. My eyes found my mom, and it was only the fact that I had read plenty of lips during nighttime stakeouts that I could parse together what she whispered to herself.

This is for the best, she repeated.

The door shut me off from the inside as I thought over her words, and I turned to face Alexander. The monster of a man was leaning over the railing near my apartment door, his face not even turning to meet me. It said something about this conversation that Alexander, the man of unwavering determination, didn't even meet my eyes.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked, still facing away. "You're almost at the age where you can make your own choices, so I figure you can buy a few drinks soon, too. I don't think Vale has too many regulations on it; still a lot more than Vacuo's, though."

I paced a little ways away from him, standing more towards the Malachite sister's door. "No thanks… I'm trying not to drink. Melanie and Miltia say it's not good for me, you know."

"Yes, I do know." He said, and I caught his eyes eyeing from the corner of his peripherals. They never fully turned to meet mine, though. "Those girls, Melanie and Miltia, they're your friends, right?"

"Yes, I'd trust them with my back."

Alexander's fidgeting movements froze for a moment. "I see... Then, when were you going to tell us about your plans for going to Beacon?"

My head snapped to him as he spoke. I had never revealed anything about my plans to get into Beacon, and even my special abilities were hidden from him as soon as I figured them out. While it was never my intention to hide it from them, I had always wanted to surprise them whenever I finally became a Huntsman.

'His Semblance.' my mind whispered back to me. Somehow he had figured out everything from his Semblance.

"I- I," yet now, my plans were seen through before I knew it. "I had planned to tell you guys… after I made it in."

"Jaune," the man said, enunciating every word as slow as possible. "I understand that you're at the age where you can make your own choices. However, can you think about how you will make your mother and I feel? You getting wrapped up in these dangerous individuals is grounds for something bad to happen."

For a second, I idly wanted to agree with him; tell him that I will, and then hope he'd pass on the issue like always. It was one of those moments where I would not try to start anything with them here. Despite their constant berating of my dreams, I still loved them.

However, before I could fully commit to passively telling him I'd be good, I remembered all the times I went out, survived and fought for Vale in the process. I remembered the smiling face of Velvet; a sweet Huntress-in-training who was now being described as dangerous. Perhaps it was some unease from always backing off at this point, so instead of feeling like a mountain pressing against me, I glared up at him.

"And why do you think they are dangerous people?" I nearly yelled at him. My face was beginning to heat up, and I felt my heartbeat begin to race as I finally faced him. "What gives you the right to judge who my friends are?"

Alexander refused to meet my gaze, but I could tell my outburst shook him somehow. "You're right, I have not right to judge your friends. You're old enough to understand your decisions."

My rage faltered at his words, and my thoughts froze at what was happening.

"However," he began again. "As your father, I think I have the right to tell you that your friends, the ones who you spend your time with, are not who you say they are. That ani- Faunus, while kind, is not going to support your fanciful dreams of being a hero." I could see the outline of his features twist in disgust, but continue to not face me. "Especially so, when you're not strong enough to become a Huntsman."

The words came too fast and were such a sucker punch that I couldn't react in time. I simply let what Alexander said come and pass as I realized he had somehow seen through my friends.

In the next instant, I felt his Aura pulse a bit, and out of habit, I linked to it.

[Soul Perception. Soul Materialization.]

After spending time in Vale, fighting Aura users and spending time with a plethora of different Semblances, I understood one thing about Alexander: his Semblance was impossible. It was safe to say that I had scouted almost the entirety of Vale, but I had found none like Alexander's. Nothing came close to affecting the soul.

And I found myself slightly terrified by him.

Sure, Melanie's was tied with something abstract like Aura, but the soul felt… deeper. It was one of the reasons that I had troubles using it like the other Semblances I had encountered. The embedded information that came with it was as undecipherable as when I first encountered it. Something about using the exposed skin of the soul in order to drag it into our plane of existence.

However, the recognizable facets of the Semblance were easy to figure out instantly. Behind Alexander was a semi-transparent knight.

The armor still hanging onto the phantom looked worn and chipped in places. Desperately, the phantom image held a massive shield with the Arc family crest on it with both arms, but I noticed that the crest looked like it was slashed several times with a sword. Inside the armor was a man, pale and nearly emaciated.

I always hated Alexander's Semblance ever since I linked to it first. There would always be this phantom that followed him, and there would be different phantoms of other people that followed them. However, Alexander's phantom would always be looking in my direction, whenever I was in the room, with a gaze that spoke only of pain. Now, it wasn't any different. Other than the thin trails of oil that leaked out of the knight's helmet, though.

My attention was slightly stolen by the Aura I could actively feel behind the door to the Malachite twin's apartment. Half of me wanted to tell her to stop listening in, but I didn't want Alexander thinking I had any abilities. I knew he was more attentive than anyone, and a part of me was terrified of him finding out about my vigilante adventures.

"Jaune," He continued before I could actively stop him. "I am only speaking the truth. This dream you have; it will crush you."

My mood was already souring. From seeing the same phantom knight looking at me with barely concealed pain to the listener rudely sneaking into about nearby. I had never understood their constant disapproval of my dream, and it continued to grate me that they couldn't try to work with me.

The mood of the conversation shifted as I opened my mouth, and the phantom knight flinched while Alexander didn't. "Why are you so certain about this? How do you know that I'm not strong enough?"

"Because, Jaune, you aren't." Alexander finally said, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I already knew the outcome of this talk, yet I still felt the punch of his words as a physical force. "You haven't seen the dangers of being a Huntsman like your mother or me," he whispered this time; so quiet I could barely hear him. "You will die. I know that, if you continue to go for your dream, you will die."

There was something that broke every time I heard him say that. I barely noticed the tears that began to gather in my eyes. This was why I always agreed with them, pushing off the issue until it broke like now.

The words were already imprinted in my memories like every other cut he scored into my dream. "What about Sienna? What about Jade? It's always like you have something against me, but you let them become Huntresses! You trained them while I was forced to always be stuck on the side…"

Finally, Alexander turned to me, and I wasn't ready for the man's calm, resolute face as he answered, "They're not you. Your mother and I quit that field after they were born… I promise to be truthful to you about some things, but I need you to give up your foolish dream."

Truthful. The word slapped me harder than I thought it would. To me, all of it was ironically heartbreaking.

"So you haven't been truthful to me so far?"

"Yes," his face remained stoic and calm. "There were circumstances preventing me from telling, but I don't want you to continue with this charade. I know that now when I see that," he pointed to the scar on my face, "I know you haven't given up even when you told us that you weren't going to be a Huntsman. Don't think I cannot recognize a knife wound; a little further you it would have taken your eye. It is this type of stupid decision that just proves you cannot handle your own dreams."

I stared back at him as if to challenge the notion that my actions were stupid. There was no doubt in my mind that I did a bunch of stupid things, but hearing him condemn me for a wound I got protecting the family was something that hurt.

He seemed to see something, and I knew exactly what he wanted before he spoke. It was a challenge that we always had whenever our talks came this far. "Can you tell me with absolute certainty you can be a Huntsman like you dream of? If you can give me proof of that, I'll stop tonight."

Despite seeing it coming, I flinched at his ultimatum. We both knew that this argument shouldn't have lasted as long as it had, but we were both stubborn with standing on our sides. However, his mention on how giving him proof was something I could do.

There were all my accomplishments as a vigilante, the teammates behind my back, the villains behind bars and the innocents I kept out of the crossfire. However, I knew that those meant nothing to the man in front of me. He never wanted medals, honor or the justice that I dreamt of. The aspect of altruism is the furthest thing he wanted as proof.

All Alexander wanted was to keep me safe.

That one reason made it all the more difficult to actually give him something. If anything I said was along the lines of going out at night to fight criminals, I knew I'd lose whatever freedom I had gained in Vale.

With all that in mind, I lowered my body, getting into a stance that Will Rouge had taught me and stared at him. After all, the best proof was if I could fight him. Alexander sighed and looked at me.

"I see this is your answer again... It's just like you, Jaune."

This time I was ready. I had fought plenty of opponents to hold my own in a brawl, and I felt that a good enough showing would end all of his doubts. So, when I felt his Aura pulse for a second, I was caught completely off guard.

There was no warning, no hesitation, as one second I was upright while the next I was suddenly staring down at the floor on my hands and knees. It was such an abrupt change that I hadn't even the time to comprehend what had happened. I wasn't some combat genius, but I knew that there was no way I would have missed Alexander's attack. Which left only one explanation.

He used his Semblance.

I had no idea what Soul Materialization looked like, but I knew that Alexander used his Aura. If I hadn't even seen him move, then that meant that it had to be something with the only Semblance that seemed to stump me. And that notion struck me harder than any blow.

There was no way for me to react or defend against an attack that I couldn't even perceive, yet to win against me, his supposedly Auraless son, he didn't even hesitate to use his Semblance. It struck me that he never even intended for me to win. All those times where we had fallen to this exact point, he had always won, but I would think that he was just that strong and forget about it.

"You," I was at a loss for words as I gazed back up at him. His intense red eyes met mine, and I couldn't help but shiver.

"We're done here, Jaune."

"You used Aura." I whispered, offended that he had been doing this on purpose. All along, there was never a chance for me to ever earn his permission. It was… honestly, I felt a sudden need to forget Melanie and Miltia's wishes for me to not drink. "You… you hadn't even given me a chance to win."

His unwavering stare was unfamiliar, and I saw the knight behind him shudder a bit. "Where did you learn about Aura?"

"You purposefully didn't tell me," I accused, ignoring his questions. It was perhaps the bravest I had ever been in front of Alexander, but I knew that my bravery was more along the lines of rage. Hot emotions began to boil in my stomach. "I was never told about Aura. Even when I first told you my dream, even when I constantly tried to get stronger and when I tried to get Sienna and Jade to teach me. No one told me." Alexander was unflinching when he met my stare. "You never even entertained the idea that I would be a Huntsman, did you?"

For some reason, I felt a bit betrayed.

I struggled to my feet from the floor, glaring at him. "I want a rematch."

Alexander blinked before he raised his hand, and I sensed a pulse of Aura before I found myself staring at the floor. He didn't even hesitate when I had clearly shaken him. Typical. Still, this time, I was more focused on the cracks beginning to appear in the concrete floor under me. I hadn't taken a blow heavy enough for that to happen, but I knew it had something to do with Alexander's Semblance.

"Again!" I yelled, pushing myself up.

My breaths were coming out in gasps, desperately seeking air. I absently felt something warm begin dripping down my forehead, and I frowned as I realized that maybe I was taking a bit more damage than I could tell. However, I was determined to at least figure out just what his Semblance was doing.

I charged him this time, jumping at the moment he raised his hand. His Aura pulsed this time, and I yelled as I felt something heavy suddenly press down on my legs. They instantly went numb as I tumbled to the floor.

The gritty concrete dug into my skin, and I slowly felt my legs again as I stared at Alexander. He was still silent, but I felt there was a bit of shock in his unperturbed features. I was equally as shocked since I figured that he could somehow instantly create an area of heightened gravity as well as make me lose all feeling in whatever was in that area. Honestly, it was probably the most powerful ability I had seen so far with how instantaneous it was, yet I could tell one thing by how much Aura he was putting into each attack: he wasn't even trying.

I cursed in my head, feeling my knees wobble as I found my feet again. He stared back as I tried to catch my breath, and I glared at the phantom knight behind him that continued to look as pitiful as it did.

"Aga-"

"Wait, wait!" However, before I could rush the man again, the Malachite's door opened up. Melanie dragged me away from my opponent, glaring back at him with something in between confusion and anger.

I wasn't as distracted by her interruption as I was by the phantom following her. A porcelain mannequin. Something that you'd normally see in the windows of clothing stores, but there were cracks and fractures that ran up and down its body, revealing something glittering beneath. However, those features were overshadowed by the splatters of red that stained its legs; almost as it it had just waded knee-deep in a pool of blood. I honestly was too caught up in watching it that I had forgotten to get her out of here. "We can see you won, so how about I get Jaune out of here before you guys begin to beat each other black and blue. And by each other, I mean Jaune."

"Mel, what are you doing?" I finally whispered to her, seeing how her hands were shaking as she met Alexander's stare.

"Saving your dumbass... Now I get why you're so stubborn and idiotic all the time; it basically runs in the family." She hissed back before turning to face Alexander. Her argument died in her throat as her eyes slowly traced to the floor, but she continued by pinching her thigh and trying to glare at him. "I have no idea what's going on, but let's stop this now."

"Were you listening in?"

Melanie just dragged me further away from him, and I could practically feel how nervous she was. She was beginning to curse as an unconscious defense. "D- damn right I was, a- asshole! Here I was thinking I could hear some juicy stuff about Jaune, but all I learn is that you're just the worst father I've ever seen. And that's something considering mine ditched me in an alleyway."

Alexander said nothing. He just continued to listen in as Melanie continued pulling me away. Idly, I saw the knight phantom leaking more oil.

"Mel, I know this looks bad, but honestly-"

"Oh shut it." Melanie hissed, and I was half tempted to either pray for her or run away. She seemed more caught up about this than everyone involved. "Misunderstanding or not, do you have any idea what you're doing? Using Aura to fight against Jaune? I've seen some shameless people before, but you certainly take the cake. 'Prove to me' and all that shit, right? Sounds so pretentious when Jaune can't even hurt you."

I honestly expected many things from Alexander's response. Anger, aggression, some form of threat. However, all I found was the man freezing in place, not saying a word. It was as if he was taking all Melanie's insults as a form of repent.

"H-hey, Mel, maybe you went too far." My stomach began to twist in all sorts of ways as she continued to talk. It was rather heartwarming that she would speak up to Alexander despite her obvious reluctance to face him, but I was beginning to fear what his response to her tirade might be. At that moment, all the anger I had towards Alexander was replaced by concern for my obviously aggrieved friend. "W- we do this all the time, so it's no wonder I lose. I'm just not strong enough."

"Jaune, you're a sweet guy, I know that." Melanie said. "But can you kind shut up when I'm trying to keep you safe?"

"You, Melanie…" Alexander spoke up, interrupting the two of us. "Did you teach Jaune about Aura?" He took a step closer, and I felt Melanie also freeze as the blonde titan loomed over the two of us. "Why are you dragging him into this?"

I hurried to defend my friend. "Dad, it's not her fault-"

"Dragging him into this?" Melanie erupted, his voice raising a couple octaves. Whatever jitters she had were long gone as I felt her anger had suddenly surpassed mine. "I think the question is why you're pushing him away? Do you even know how strong Jaune is? I bet you have no clue because your head is so far up your ass that you can't even teach him the basics of keeping himself safe."

Alexander didn't answer, but I could tell he was really thinking about her words. My match with him was over, Melanie had made sure of that. Perhaps it said something that the first thing to affect him were not my actions, but the words of my friend.

"I- I think we all might need to calm down here." I spoke up before Melanie decided to curse again or Alexander decided that violence was the best answer to the silence. "How about you and mom take the couch, and I'll stay over at Melanie and Miltia's? They have a great couch."

Alexander frowned, but Melanie was the one who dragged me away again, further away from her room. "Screw that, I need to go and get this asshole off my mind. Come on, Jaune."

I sighed, relenting to the angry woman. The last time I had seen her this angry, I had a line carved into my face. Despite us being comrades now, that was a chance I wasn't going to take. Still, I took a moment to get the books I had bought from Tuskon's shop with me.

However, as I let her pull me out of the apartment complex, I saw Alexander continue to stare at us from his place on the corridor's opening. The phantom knight was doing the same, but this time I could see two red orbs looking through its broken faceplate.

For some reason, I felt we'd both be spending the night thinking over the whole thing.

In another corner of Vale, a small weapon's shop sat in an undisturbed alleyway. Will Rouge sat under a heavy light as a broken handgun lay in front of him. Honestly, he could have fixed it already; his Semblance always told him everything about weapons. Yet, Will chose to just stare at it in contemplation.

He picked it up for a moment, turning it over in his hands as he got a feel for it before placing it back down. There were many things on his mind, but one thing came to mind.

"I messed up again." He sighed, feeling uncharacteristically melancholy about the whole situation. It had always been him messing up, and despite seeing a bit in the future, it was never enough. He always wanted to see farther.

Then, perhaps he might have been able to save his old teammates.

In the end, all he knew were weapons and a bit of the future. His old man had always said that a man should know his weapons like himself, but Will never really understood that. Weapons were easy; emotionless, created to fit a purpose and wholly within his control. His own self was hard to grasp; a bundle of complications that he didn't even know what to do with. Maybe it was that midlife crisis he always heard about?

Still, the characteristics of weapons made it much easier to lose attachment to them. When you added people, that's when everything became a bit more confusing. However, Will wasn't one to turn down people because they were more difficult. It was just disheartening to see those around you either leave you, and it made it worse that he could see it twice.

Turning back to the pistol, he sighed again before closing his eyes. "Melody, can you relay a message for me?"

Despite speaking to an empty room, a voice wormed its way into his ears after a moment of pause. "What is it, Uncle Red? Does it have to be right now, too? I'm on a date with Venie at the moment; he promised to take me to his favorite spot."

"Please don't go into detail." Will rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit older. "And stop calling me Uncle; I told you all already that I'm your teacher, at most."

"Sure, sure, Uncle." Melody's voice chimed in again. "What do you need?"

Will paused, palming the pistol again. "I found our ghost. I know him."

There was a long pause before Melody's voice sounded again. "I uh- I'm sorry, Uncle… We can do it, if you're against it. Even Madie says he'll help us, and that's surprising since he's being annoying again. We um… you don't have to fight, Uncle. We're plenty strong."

"No," Will said, standing up. "I want to try talking to him first. He's… I don't think he's a bad kid, so I want to know. Just don't try to kill him please."

"Ah, sorry, Uncle." Melody apologized. "I already informed everyone because mom said she didn't see him, and Madie is already… well, you know how he is."

Will sighed, wondering where he went wrong. Perhaps it was when he tried to adopt six kids when they were down on their luck. "Tell Madison that he's going to lose if he meets the vigilante."

"Venie's offering to melt off Madie's legs." Melody offered, and Will half considered it. Lacerus was getting very proficient at making and attaching extra limbs for everyone, but supporting this behavior probably wasn't the parenting decision. Gods, he had been putting off reading that parenting manual for a while now...

Will sighed again, wondering if parents normally had to deal with children with little to no moral compass. "I should have adopted puppies instead; they only shit on the carpet and not spill entrails over the floor."

"I'm pretty sure Arie only did that twice, Uncle."

"Just- just go back to your date…"

Hahahah... this was supposed to come out sooner, but I ended up running into too much complications with work. In the end, the interaction with Jaune's dad was honestly hard to write. I'm not too sure about it, so feedback would be nice. As for the Will Rouge reveal. Rouge = red in French. Of course, if you're wondering where the pistol came it, it was the one Jaune lost when he was escaping Arie and Lilac. Honestly, Jaune's mask is just a formality at this point...

Now, if you end up disliking the whole interaction with jaune's dad, you don't need to pay too much attention to it. Just pay attention to the nice fight scenes to come, oooh! It was also to introduce the idea that Aura is not the Soul, but there might be a correlation between them. I swear it'll be explained later.

As always, Enjoy!