Welp... No comment on the lateness. I would make an excuse but... Yeah. So anyway this chapter is mostly just set up for the wonder of next chapter. Which is gonna be something crazy with a capital C. I hope you guys enjoy.

...

"Keep your balance!" Qrow yelled while swiping Harbinger down towards Jaune's knees. "You have to always be moving." He quipped as Jaune's foot snagged out and pinched the blade down to the dirt.

Jaune flew up and over Qrow before landing and swiping backwards with his sheath. The experienced Huntsman bent back, sliding smoothly under the attack before his blade lanced forward to stab at Jaune's midriff. Jaune turned to the side, letting Harbinger's edge skirt off his side, taking a small chunk of Aura with it. Then Crocea Mors lunged towards Qrow's neck, obviously it was ducked and the attack went over his head.

But Jaune turned that same swing in a slightly different direction and made his crossguard slam into Qrow's hand. That move made the dusty bird let go of Harbinger. But Qrow heeded his own advice, already moving around Jaune and making it impossible for the boy to force him back. Fists, knees, and Crocea Mors lashed around for a second before Jaune hooked his foot underneath Harbinger, and kicked the hefty weapon straight towards Qrow's ankle. It flew swiftly a few inches above the ground and a large clang was heard as it impacted.

"Ouch! Son of a bi-" Qrow said hopping on one foot. His sentence was cut off by three slashes.

One downwards towards his shoulder, one aimed at his hip. And the last one, the only one that made contact. Jaune's sheath, held like a reversed sword, caught Qrow on his left bicep. It is in no way a significant blow, but for Jaune it was something. Realistically, it probably only took five points of Aura from Qrow. The counter attack was brutal and swift. Qrow leaned into Jaune's range and caught his sword hand as he started another attack. With the weapon now useless, Jaune went for a headbutt. Qrow tossed his head back and was pleased that Jaune missed. Jaune used the split second that the move brought him to slip his left hand from his sheath;s hilt, to his combat knife.

Qrow was forced to let go and make distance as a knife was almost slammed upwards into his armpit. Qrow smirked, cause Jaune remembered his lessons. He taught the boy that when you use weapons on Human or Faunus targets, you need to aim to disable, rather than kill. Qrow made note that the blade of the knife was still matte black, but the edge all around it was glowing blood red. So with fire dust now on the table, Qrow kicked Harbinger back up into his hand. With a trigger pull into the first slot, the blade swung down and the dual barrells barked shots at Jaune.

Qrow's student took to action quickly, letting himself get hit only once as he closed distance. Qrow let his weapon return to normal before blocking a jab from Jaune's knife. With ease he also deflected the slash of Crocea Mors that would have cleaved a normal man in two. Jaune lurched towards Qrow and managed to brush him aside with a shoulder bash. While not an effective attack, it did put Qrow on the back foot. Jaune sheathed his knife and used both hands to slam Crocea Mors down towards Qrow's head. Harbinger came up to meet it, and they held against each other while pushing.

Qrow was about to kick Jaune's knee, when he heard a small click. Qrow only had a split second to notice that Jaune's hand was in a fist and pulled back towards him. The first shot from Jaune's gauntlet sent Qrow flying back a few feet. But only because the Huntsman managed to turn his shoulder back and only take half of the blast. For a second they both stood still. Qrow in his standard combat stance, and Jaune with his sword held down to his side, his other hand straight out, preparing to unleash another attack. Jaune decided to make the first move, sprinting straight at his teacher. He wound up during his movement so that his sword was ready to swing. But as Qrow moved Harbinger to intercept the attack, Jaune's fist came around without Crocea Mors in it. He heard a faint clang of the blade hitting the ground as he barely managed to dodge the punch. His return swing was ducked.

As Qrow's knee lurched for Jaune's head, Jaune simply rolled back on his heels and planted his rear into the dirt. With the knee being too short, both of Jaune's legs pushed out and caught Qrow's only support. Jaune looked ready to attack again but a boot caught him in the throat. Qrow had shifted his weapon into a semi-scythe and used the extended handle to keep him upright. So Jaune's attack to his leg only hindered him, and did not knock him down. Several more swift kicks had Jaune rolling backwards with haste to escape the onslaught. But Qrow had decided to pull out the stops. His weapon back to its standard sword form, lashed with untold skill and speed that Jaune was not used to yet. It found weaknesses in his defenses and pushed him back until a final blast from Harbinger's guns had Jaune slammed up against the wall.

"And what lesson did I just teach you?" Qrow said, extending his hand towards Jaune.

"That my opponent always has something else up their sleeve." Jaune groaned out as he took Qrow's hand.

A resounding few claps from off to the side caught their attention. Qrow and Jaune had noticed the crowd halfway through their bout. A few teams from Haven were watching out of boredom or curiosity. But the real catch was that the team they had come to observe was one of the few teams to watch.

"Qrow, that Mercury guy gives me the creeps. I know that he is smiling, but his eyes are dead." Jaune said, shivering as he brushed off the dust and dirt that had accumulated on him. With his clothes looking brand new, Jaune slid a hand through his hair, making the few hairs that had stuck out at odd angles go back to their gelled back positions.

"Yeah, well if what Ozpin and Ironwood say is true, then he is the least of our worries." Qrow said letting his eyes glance towards the leader of that particular team. "They look almost familiar, like I have seen them before." He said quieter than before.

"Are you sure you should be telling me about all that? I mean I am not a Huntsman or even one in training. Technically at least. Should I know that you work with Ozpin and Ironwood himself to route out criminals? This sounds above my level." Jaune said, lighting his cigarette and taking a drag.

"Sure, I only told you what this mission was about. And the ones who are in on it. It's not like I am telling you classified information yet. Which trust me kid, there is a whole lot you don't know. And probably don't want to know." Qrow said drinking from his flask. "And that is an understatement."

Following a hand gesture from his mentor, Jaune walked to the benches that all the students were sat at. They were all in the shade, courtesy of a copse of trees. They were all off to the side of the large open area at the center of Haven Academy. When they arrived earlier that morning, they had scouted several classrooms for specific people to monitor. Of course Jaune was alone for most of it because Qrow kept slipping off and finding the next spot to check. Eventually Qrow showed him the trio they were standing around now.

Qrow took a resting position next to a tree, conveniently only ten feet or so away from the group of students. Jaune was currently looking around to see the scenery. Haven was beautiful, but felt like a normal college compared to how Beacon had been described to him. As Jaune took another drag off the cig hanging from his lips, he saw one of the students approach them. Her whhite hair was wild and wiry. Her almond skin was perfect and without blemish. The olive green eyes she glanced at him with were bright and her body language spoke of confidence. Qrow sniggered as the girl came to a stop in front of Jaune.

"Uh. Hello?" Jaune said standing up straight and waving his hand.

"Names Arslan Atlan. My team and I were watching you guys spar. Are you transferring here?" Arslan said with a small smile.

"Actually me and my teacher are here on official business, kinda." Jaune said scratching the back of his neck while tossing his cig down to the ground to step on it. "I am not a student anywhere, so I am working with him."

Qrow wanted to step in and elaborate before the poor girl jumped to conclusions. But something told him to just leave it, so that he can laugh later when it crashes down on his student. Arslan's eyes widen a fraction for a second. Then she blushed and started stammering.

"O-oh I didn't realise you were a Huntsman too. I'm so sorry I just thought that because you were so young and everything that... Well that explains why you are dressed so finely." Arslan stammered.

"Oh- well I wouldn't say I am a Hunst-" Jaune managed to get out before Qrow threw his arm around his shoulders and squeezed.

"Sorry about him, even though he is out of school he still acts like an idiot freshman." Qrow says giving his student a noogie. Jaune's muffled protests suddenly stopped.

"Yeah, I am sorry about being awkward. Strangers are just friends I haven't met yet, and I forgot that for a second. Names Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." Jaune said smoothly after pushing Qrow off him. This time he extended his hand and flashed a charming smile.

An increasingly more and more flushed Arslan looked back towards her team. They all were cat-calling and cheering.

"Go Ars! Get some!" Yelled the green haired girl before she was swatted on the back of the head by her pink haired teammate.

Embarrassed, Arslan shook Jaune's hand and Qrow left them to talk for a while. Luckily for that idiot kid, he understood that Qrow did what he did to help him look good in front of a cute girl. Qrow busied himself by walking over to the students and asking when the Headmaster would be back. Some jumbled responses were tossed around, but he got the jist. It looked like Leo wasn't going to be back in Haven for another few days. Which in Qrow's opinion was a good thing. Qrow already told Jaune that they would have been swamped with meetings and constantly pestered by his ally. Nothing against the Headmaster, but Qrow always thought he was way too overbearing. Qrow never came to Mistral without being slightly harassed by the man.

"Yeah! Victory!" The green haired girl screamed while throwing her arms in the air. "Ouch, Nadir!" She finished after getting swatted again.

Qrow spotted Arslan with a sheepish look on her face. She was walking back to her team with red cheeks and a scroll held in one hand. One quick glance back to Jaune finished the story. The boy had his scroll out and was looking at it with a stupid look on his face. Qrow whistled to him. Jaune looked up like a rat being caught stealing food. But he composed himself and put away his scroll. As he passed the students, he got a sultry wave from a few girls and a genuine smile from Arslan. He returned them all with a smile and wink.

"Quick, lets go before I lose my confidence and embarrass myself." Jaune said snagging Qrow's arm and dragging him away.

"Twelve days in Mistral and you already have the women pining. You really are my student." Qrow laughed.

…..

"Third? Preposterous!" Weiss all but screamed.

Yang shied from her after the outburst.

"Calm down Weiss-cream, it's only a test score." Yang said while making calming motions with her hands.

"I expect my partner to be second best! I take first and with how much help I provide I expect excellence!" Weiss said while snagging Ruby by her cape before the reaper could flee out the window.

"Blake! Help me I am being assaulted by a Schnee!" Ruby squeaked while trying to run away.

"Yes, because I would instantly jump at the chance to fight our teammate over a test score." Blake said with an eye-roll.

"How about we all chill out and put this behind us? I mean it is only one test score. And it was still an A. So what if she is third in the class? It's no big deal." Yang said, grabbing her jacket.

"And where do you think you are going?" Weiss asked with a stern look.

"I am going into Vale, I'm gonna go clubbing!" Yang said, striking a pose and smirking.

CLICK

"Wait, who took that photo!" Yang said, crossing her arms and pouting.

"NOBODY!" RWB all said quickly.

But they forgot to empty their hands, and Yang saw a scroll in Ruby's hand.

"Got you!" Yang yelled tackling her little sister.

Before they could land on Weiss' bed, Ruby turned into rose petals and slipped through Yang's grasp. Then Yang dove after the after-image of her sibling. The bathroom door opened and closed before Yang could get there and the telltale sound of a door lock engaging let Yang know that she had failed.

"I will break this door down if you send that photo to Qrow! Or Jaune for that matter!" Yang yelled while pounding on the door.

"What, afraid your boyfriend will see you in that exposing outfit?" Weiss scoffed.

"Not my boyfriend! And this will make Qrow and Ruby think they are actually match-making us!" Yang said with a groan. Her hand dragged down her face as she let out a defeated sigh.

"Well, the worst thing that can happen is that Jaune asks you out, and if that happens then you can just turn him down." Blake said as a matter of fact.

"Yang Xiao Long is not an asshole thank you very much!" Yang said with a glare towards her indifferent partner. "I would prefer us all stopping, so I don't have to do that at all."

"Well, lets just say that mission Blonde-Loveshack is a go!" Ruby said, proudly zooming back into the room. "And as team leader, I will ensure we all perform to our best ability!" Ruby said, pointing one finger to the ceiling.

"You're dead!" Yang said slamming into Ruby.

"Weiss! Help me!" Ruby said from a headlock.

"I think we should put past events behind us." Weiss said with a smirk.

…..

Pyrrha felt… conflicted. On one hand, her two teammates Ren and Nora were amazing and fun to be around. But her partner was not ideal. Kit Alistair was a little bit of an enigma. He was stoic and brutally honest. He was so sarcastic that you would think he hated you. So pretty much, he is the opposite of his older brother Fox. He spends his free time carving wood and playing scroll games. He barely talks to the team, if at all. Nora seems to be the only one he doesn't blow off. And Pyrrha thinks that is because he knows that hurting Nora's feelings will result in broken bones.

After the weeks they have been together as a team, tense feelings went away and they all relaxed around each other. The other two seem to have accepted that Kit is the way he is, and for a while, Pyrrha was about to do the same. But a small altercation between Kit and Fox in the lunch hall made her think otherwise. Kit seemed to completely change when his brother was around. Surprising even herself, Pyrrha has decided she will be such a good partner that Kit will be able to show that side of himself to her.

When they met in initiation, he simply nodded to her, and continued on his way. For some reason that made her ecstatic. Kit wasn't like others, he didn't care about her fame. Hell he even expressed distaste for popularity once. She was sure he didn't mean it as an insult. If he did he would have said it to her face. Even when Fox showed pride that Kit was partnered with someone so famous, Kit just waved him off with a playful scoff. Any other person would have agreed or pined over it. It was good to have someone who just saw her as Pyrrha. Sure, he saw everyone as annoyances, but at least she wasn't being treated as oh so perfect anymore. That was a great feeling.

"Um Kit? Hello again, I… was wondering if you wanted to join me for some training this evening?" Pyrrha asked while standing in front of her partner's bed.

"You know it's almost eight?" Kit said after a minute of staring at his scroll.

"Oh, well yes I do. I guess I saw us having free time, and wanted to fill it. If that is okay with you?" Pyrrha said while shuffling her feet slightly.

With a bored expression, Kit stood up and walked past her. Her heart was about to drop when she heard the door open. Looking back, she saw him standing there with his hand on the doorknob. His green eyes peered at her own, and he draped his jacket over his shoulder.

"Well? You coming?" Kit asked flatly.

"Yes. Yes I am." Pyrrha said with a growing smile.

…..

What was worse? Being in a very dangerous situation, or being in that situation with a loud mouth beside you? Cinder did not know. But she was not an idiot, the two huntsmen from earlier were almost certainly looking for suspicious students in Haven. Which meant that they knew they were there. Her common smirk was a flat line and her fingers were clenched over her scroll. That means one of two things. Either Lionheart was feeding hints to Ozpin, or Ozpin's intel was hidden from her view. And seeing as they had Lionheart scared and he had proven his worth before by killing many Huntsmen for them, the ladder option was more likely.

She hated not being in the know. She loved power and control, and knowing that she had missed a mole was infuriating. But the situation was different now. If they knew she and her lackeys were here, then she would have to cease being here. A simple order from her scroll will have Lionheart writing up a mission order for her team in no time at all. Make it say they are being deployed to help law enforcement inside the city, and they could slip into the crime syndicate by the end of the week. From there they could make for Vale, and after a month or so Lionheart can announce to the school that during the growing conflict, that they had lost a team in the lower districts.

It would not be hard to conceal their names after all, Huntsmen academies had confidentiality agreements. What is to say that they aren't hiding names to comfort or to protect their families? With that plan she could begin putting more pressure on her plan early. She had been in Vale to support and check on how Roman was running things not too long ago. So being there until the festival would not be too much of an inconvenience. Yes, she would have to figure out a different way to enact her plan if her team would not be in the tournament, but she was not a mastermind for nothing.

"Emerald, Mercury, pack your things. We have some errands to run." Cinder said letting her sly smirk return to her face.

…..

So I want to real quick explain some things I have heard you guys say. For one, Qrow's Aura speech from the other chapter is optimistic for a reason. Usually someone like him with as many problems and haunted moments as he has, they end up being a bad guy. It gives them human reasons to be on the wrong side, but I know Qrow is one of the truest characters in the RWBY world. SO I made his speech the way it was to show that in his heart, Qrow knows that together with others he is strong. And that with friends and family, they could stand against anything. Secondly, I know that people have seen fanfiction based on making Jaune good. But let me get a few things across. I don't think that training brutally for a few months is enough to make Jaune stand toe to toe with most of the cast. I think that a lot of fics think that with proper training he would suddenly be prodigy level. And while vast improvement is possible, we have to remember this is Jaune we are talking about. So no, he isn't going to be taking down all these villains single-handedly like a badass. But he is going to be holding his own and making a difference through other means, and with pure strategy. So in other words, this Jaune is not OP. He is going to be barely able to duel and win against someone his age. But a sharp mind cuts deeper than any blade. Please review! Positive criticism is always welcome!

-SlyShorty