A/N: What 6 month gap? I don't know what you're talking about.

Enjoy the chapter!

Jaune's return to the family's picnic was uneventful. His parents sat in the picnic chairs, dozing in the warm sunlight while Jade and Rouge played with some other kids further away. Or more accurately, Rouge was playing while Jade sat a bit further away and watched.

Jaune could feel his parents' eyes on him as he walked back, his mother's concerned gaze subtle behind her sunglasses while his dad pretended to sleep but watched him behind almost-closed lids.

He felt a flush of nostalgia as he remembered the times that trick had fooled him as a child. His dad would always pull it at the end of study sessions, only to capture him in a bear hug while he was on the counter reaching for the forbidden cookies.

He smiled and waved at his parents before nodding in Rouge and Jade's direction. His mother gave him a nod before raising her hand. 5 minutes. Jaune's face morphed into faux horror which put a smile on his mother's face. They both knew it was impossible to get Rouge to stop playing in 5 minutes, but Jaune held the record in the house.

It wasn't difficult to catch Jade's eye given she had been watching him approach from the tree line itself. He grinned deviously and nudged his head in Rouge's direction. She looked at her younger sister, considering for a second before signing the number 2 and then the number 4 at him.

Jaune gave her two thumbs up and she mirrored his smile. This was one of the many systems of communication they had come up with to avoid detection by the bundle of chaos that was Rouge. Ever since she could walk, Rouge had been a constant headache to keep in one place, especially for the then 12 and 8-year-old siblings. Their parents were busy with the day-to-day activities of their own jobs, the schooling of the older Arc sisters, and all of this with only one parent in the house at a time. They had decided early on to never go on mission at the same time and had stuck to it, despite the headache it caused the Hunter Board. It had been worth it. The family was tightly knit, with each sibling having taken care of those younger.

Jaune watched Jade approach Rouge casually, with no air of an ulterior motive. A 12-year-old had no business being so good at acting but Jade wasn't typical. Rouge gasped in delight and pulled Jade into the sandpit, where she would play for 5 more minutes before being distracted and running off somewhere else. Jade subtly pulled Rouge's attention away from Jaune's location and distracted her with building a small but intricate sand castle. She looked over her younger sister's head and nodded at Jaune. Her part in the plan was over; it was up to him to secure the asset.

He crept up to the sandpit in a cartoonish impression of a cat burglar. Jade did everything in her power to hold back a giggle as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Somehow, Rouge still hadn't noticed. Jade's distraction was too good. He scanned the grass and found a small pile of dead leaves a few feet behind the sandpit.

Perfect.

He crept forward and accidentally stepped in the patch of dead leaves, alerting Rouge to his presence. She whirled around and opened her mouth to crow her victory, but her victory grin faded when she saw the triumphant grin on Jaune's face. Her eyes widened in terror before the true attack was launched by Jade. And what an attack it was. 10 fingers, adept at finding anyone's ticklish spots, blurred through the air and struck with absolute precision.

"No fair!" Rouge struggled to yell between giggling fits. "Stooooooooop"

Rouge rolled away from Jade, twisting and flopping like only a child could. She broke free from one hand and used her advantage to launch herself away from Jade like a human missile.

Jaune was ready to intercept and snatched her out of the air, bundling her into a tight embrace. She smacked her tiny fists against his back, but there was no real energy behind the attack. Her defeat was clear and she wasn't a poor sport. She continued giggling as Jaune carried her back to the picnic blanket. He surreptitiously held a closed fist behind him which Jade quickly bumped.

His dad pretended to wake up as they reached the blanket, putting on a show of rubbing his eyes and yawning. His mother rolled her eyes and smiled, holding her hands out for Rouge. Jade was already unpacking the picnic basket and handing plates to their dad.

He smiled through lunch, laughing at Rouge's antics and his dad's terrible jokes while enjoying sandwiches and chips. In another time, this would have been a perfect afternoon but for the pit of dread he carried in his stomach, right next to the Manual he had stashed inside his hoodie.

I need to get Crocea Mors back. From armored thugs in their own hideout. With a stranger he had only known for half an hour.

He just hoped his unease in his laughter went unnoticed.

…

"Did you notice how uneasy Jaune looked at lunch?"

Jaune's parents sat in the living room, the quiet din of the TV present only to mask their conversation. In a household with half a dozen kids, their privacy was a resource they had to fight hand over foot for. It was easier now that only 3 kids remained in the house, but their guard hadn't lowered.

"He came back without that book too." Aslan ran a finger along the rim of his glass, the drink within momentarily forgotten in his concern. "You think he threw it away?"

"Maybe." Jewel sighed and leaned her head on Aslan's shoulder. "If he's truly thinking of dropping out instead of trying for Signal Senior certification again…"

"You're not still thinking he's being bullied?" Aslan's thumb moved in comforting circles on her arm. "Not with his friend circle. I doubt any of them would stand for that sort of thing."

"It definitely happened at the dance though and I doubt it was a teacher who shot his dreams down."

"Well, if it's not bullying and not a teacher, then why did he suddenly…" Aslan stiffened. "Maybe it wasn't purely related to graduation."

She glanced quizzically at him for a second before realization dawned. "Rejection of the romantic kind? Really?"

Aslan hummed noncommittally. "I've seen it happen before. Aura can prevent stabbings but not a broken heart. The most committed of Hunters have faded away due to this."

"Jaune is 16 Aslan. I doubt he knows what love of that kind even is."

"Well, not all 16-year-olds are ignorant to that…" He pinched her and she giggled, cuddling in closer.

Jaune stepped off the staircase silently, having heard enough. He knew where this was going and had no intention of staying around for that. The door to his room closed with nary a squeak and he slid to a sitting position with his back to it.

A thousand thoughts ran through his head, but he ignored all of them in favor of watching the fading white glow coming from under his rug. The remnants of his second ever Wizardry disappeared to nothing, leaving him in the dark with a jumble of thoughts and damp eyes.

…

"I'm going to be heading out today." Jaune spoke up during breakfast.

"Going out with friends?" His dad slid a rasher of bacon onto his plate and he nodded in thanks.

Jaune started assembling his breakfast sandwich. "Something like that."

"Friends from Signal?"

His dad's back was turned but yesterday's overheard conversation was enough to let him know this wasn't a simple query. Despite that, he couldn't lie to his dad.

He bit into his Jaune Special and chewed casually. "Not exactly."

He made eye contact with Jade and broke it just as quickly. Her piercing green eyes always seemed to read his mind. She mercifully didn't pose any questions and continued eating.

His dad wasn't so merciful. "Not a friend from Signal?" He cocked his head, giving his best attempt at looking nonchalant. He turned around and gave him a faux stern look. "Are you going on a date?"

Jaune took a sip of juice while desperately thinking. He couldn't come out and say what he was truly going to do any more than he was willing to lie to his dad's face. In the end, he allowed the blush to creep onto his face. "No, not a date, just hanging out." Not a lie.

"Hanging out with a girl alone in the city isnt a date?" His mother came around the corner putting her hair up.

"No, we're just, y'know, going to wander around a little, find some interesting places. I got a little bored of the usual spots anyways." Not lying, just not telling the entire truth.

"Is one of those 'interesting places' going to be a dark movie theater?"

Jaune's cheeks burned under the insinuation. "Daaaaad!"

"He's just kidding darling." His mom rubbed his hair. "You want me to drop you off?"

Definitely not.

"Sure, we're supposed to meet at Vale Central Mall."

They weren't.

"Awesome. Clean up and get in the car, I'll be right there." She headed into the kitchen where his dad was finishing up cooking. She was dressed professionally. A meeting of some kind. Huh. Wonder what that's about. At least no one's noticed my armor under the hoodie yet.

…

"You buying his story?" Aslan whispered to his wife as he put the pan into the sink to soak. "He's wearing armor under his hoodie for crying out loud."

"No." Jewel shook her head as she fixed her bowl of oatmeal. "But I trust him."

"Armor, Jewel. This isn't a simple date, if the 'friend' is even real. Could he be involved in something dangerous?"

"What? Like working for the mob?" She gave him a sidelong glance. "Seriously?"

He sighed and started filling his plate. "No, and you know what I mean. He just seemingly gave up his dream to be a huntsman. Now he's going into the city, alone and armored, to meet a mysterious person that we have never met before."

She stiffened. "Mercenary work? Do they even hire kids this young? Whatever. Screw the meeting, I'm going to keep an eye on him today."

"I'll call to let the Dean know." He took his plate to the table and started eating. Jewel stared at her bowl, appetite gone in wake of the worry for her only son.

…

J: Ok, so there's an issue.

S: How did you manage to mess up before we actually did anything?

J: It's nothing serious, but my parents got a bit suspicious. I had to...bend…the truth a little. She thinks I'm going on a date.

S: Are. You. Serious. I'm not going to pretend to be your girlfriend!

J: No, nothing like that! I'm just going to be dropped off at Vale Central Mall instead.

S: And?

J: I'm just saying that you might have to wait a bit while I head over.

There was a pause. Jaune stared at the pages of his Manual, waiting. Inter-Manual Messaging was an extremely nifty feature. It allowed you to send your messages with a more personal touch, allowing feelings and sensations to be attached to messages. It helped convey tone much better.

Like now, when I can feel her laughing at me while knowing exactly what she thinks of my intelligence.

You're only a day-old Wizard. With experience comes knowledge. You'll be flinging fireballs in no time!

There are fireball wizardries?

No.

Oh.

Just kidding, there are, but you're a long way from Plasma Containment wizardries. You'll have to practice hard before I allow you to learn anything like that.

Hey, my silence wizardry yesterday was near flawless. That squeaky stair didn't even make a peep last night.

That is a fair point, though I'm not convinced how eavesdropping on your parents connects to your Oath but whatever. You apparently have the correct mind for it, but you still require practice.

A loud pop made him jump. He shot to his feet, looking around for the source before looking outside. He found nothing. He turned around and froze when he saw what was on the ground. A large sheet of paper lay in the center of his room, folded into fourths, with writing all over it.

Writing in the Speech.

Jaune crept closer, as if it was a bomb. Who knew what the hell kind of spell was on it? For all he knew it was as likely a spell to make a room smell better as it was a spell to turn his room into the inside of the Sun.

He crouched. He could make out some of the symbols, but anything beyond basic phrases was still out of his reach, rendering the entire spell complete gibberish. His manual gave him a mental ping. A new message.

S: I just sent you a spell. Use it when you're alone at Vale Central.

J: It won't explode?

S: Why would it explode?

J: No reason.

A thought struck him.

J: Why not just send me the spell through the Manual?

S: …you wouldn't get it.

Jaune almost laughed at loud. She was trying to show off! She had tried to hide her emotions from the message, but her inexperience with Manual messaging had made that ineffectual.

J: Of course. I am after all the newbie and you are my glorious mentor.

S: Do you want help getting your sword back or not? I'm taking a sick day for you, you know.

Jaune sobered up.

J: Of course I do. I'm sorry.

S: Whatever. To use the spell, plug your name string into the slot I've left for you. Join the two halves together with a Wizard's Knot to activate it.

J: What does the spell do?

S: You'll figure it out.

Jaune licked his lips. He had no idea what a Wizard's Knot was but he figured his Manual would know. The bigger question was whether he was willing to trust Saphie. She was obviously experienced with wizardry, having successfully translocated the paper to the center of his room.

I don't really have a choice, do I? I can't exactly ask my parents for help on getting Crocea Mors back. Asking his friends for help was out of the question as he was sure he'd die from the embarrassment of explaining why he didn't' have the sword in the first place. Lying was out of the question entirely.

He heard his mom call out his name downstairs.

J: Alright, I'm going to head to Vale Central now. See ya in about an hour?

S: Or sooner.

Jaune didn't like the mirth that accompanied the message. What the hell is this Wizardry anyways?

…

"She said she'll meet me inside. She's looking at some clothes right now."

"Be safe Jaune. Love you."

"Love you too mom!"

Jaune hopped out of the station wagon and shouldered his backpack. He waved goodbye to his mom and strolled into the busy crowds. The station wagon pulled away from the curb and into the busy afternoon traffic. It wasn't until he lost sight of the old red car did he finally let himself relax.

Instead of risking casting the Wizardry inside a crowded mall bathroom, he would be taking his activity into the alleyways next to the mall.

Yeesh, almost an innuendo, complete with a bow on top. Jaune glanced around before proceeding into the alley. The only people back here would workers of nearby stores dumping trash into the dumpsters or delivery trucks. The latter was improbable due to it being 1 in the afternoon, and he would just have to watch out for the former.

He approached the dumpsters and squeezed through the gap between them and the wall, into the unsees area behind. He held his breath at the absolute stench before realizing there was a wizardry he had seen for this too. It was quite simple, a small volume of his definition that only let certain particles through.

Of course, he was nowhere near advanced enough to be choosy on a molecular level but he knew basic chemistry. Small-ish oxygen good, large sulfurous smell chemicals bad. It was simplistic, but it should get the job done.

He pulled a pen and paper from his backpack and started writing the gasmask wizardry. He read through the terms once more, making sure his syntax was proper, his energy budget balanced, and his tone polite. It wouldn't do to accidentally give it too much power and sap all the energy from his body trying to power it.

His definition of the volume was iffy, because he had no idea of how to define volumes yet. Instead, put together a hack that simply took advantage of the fact that one of the variations of his name strings pulled his body shape from reality. He fed this into the volume input of the gasmask wizardry. Extremely inefficient, but he was proud of it as a first attempt at building a wizardry from scratch.

This seemed like the perfect place to use it. He finished writing the wizardry and finished it with his newly learned Wizard's Knot. It was a figure-8 pattern that weaved the two ends of a Wizardry together. It was more elegant than simply attaching the two ends of a wizardry together and somehow made it more efficient to cast. He had no idea how and his Manual's rambling explanation in the car had made no impression.

As he finished the knot, the text of the wizardry glowed, the ink glowing with an inner light. He pulled it up and off the page, watching the gossamer looping text of the Speech peel itself of the page and become part of reality. It was as beautiful and fascinating as the last two times he had done it.

The wizardry, now fully corporeal, lay in his hand looking like a radioactive daisy chain. He took the section of the wizardry that defined the target and attached to his arm, letting the wizardry call his physical body by reference rather than name. Out of every other, this change was the one that his Manual was the most distressed about. He could feel its concern even though it sat closed in his backpack.

The effect was subtle but as he continued to breathe, the stench of the garbage went from gag-inducing to almost unnoticeable. He blinked and looked around, sniffing the air.

It worked! I'm a genius!

He could feel the relief radiating from his Manual, followed by copious amounts of pride. Congrats on your first self-written wizardry Jaune.

Jaune pumped his fist in the air. All hail Basics of Computer Science by Watts! That textbook was so much better than history!

Speaking of history, I just realized how you're going to remember your first Wizardry.

With pride?

Depends on if you count dancing behind an overflowing dumpster a prideful moment.

Jaune's high crashed immediately. For fu…

A bang echoed through the alleyway. Jaune flinched at the sudden sound, before realizing it was someone closing a dumpster lid a couple dumpsters down. He pulled out Saphie's wizardry and unfolded the paper. There was the blank space for his name string…and done. Only the wizard's knot remained to activate the wizardry.

Jaune traced the two halves of the complex wizardry, as if his tenth reading would result in a sudden clarity.

No such luck. Alright, time to see whether Saphie knows what she's doing or if I just signed my one-way ticket into becoming a puff of dust.

…

It had been a hard few days and his stomach growled mutinously. The last few dumpsters contained nothing but plastic trash.

Goddamn environmentalists, forcing stores to donate their leftovers. What the hell are we supposed to eat?

He turned walked towards the next batch of dumpsters when a glint of white caught his eye. Shoes, behind the dumpsters. Shoes he could wear. Or sell.

Or hell, even eat at this point.

He squeezed into the gap between dumpsters, his bone-thin body making it easy. He pushed his head the last few inches to get a good look at the shoes on the ground. What he found instead were two blue eyes staring into his.

There was someone already there!

A sudden loud pop caused him to flinch and hit his head on the dumpster behind him. He groaned in pain and opened his eyes to find no sign of the either the eyes or the shoes. The area behind the dumpster was as empty as it always was. There was a piece of paper with weird letters that seemed to be…glowing?

He rubbed his eyes. No, definitely just a normal piece of paper. I'm going friggin mental, gods help me.

The thoughts of the blue-eyes individual with the white shoes behind the dumpster had already faded from his mind, replaced by the joy of finding half a loaf of bread in the next dumpster down the row. Such was life for a homeless man in Vale.

…

Jaune lay curled up on a wooden floor, desperately trying not to empty his stomach of the half-digested remains of the Jaune Special. He felt a hand on his shoulder and creaked one eye open.

It was Saphie. And she was laughing. Here he was trying not to die and she was laughing.

"Congrats on your first translocation experience Jaune!" Her grin was so wide it threatened to escape her face. "I'm glad your trip aboard Saphie Transport was an enjoyable one."

He responded with a sludge of bile and acidic bacon. Her grin was swiftly replaced with a look of horror and disgust and she leapt away, cursing up a storm.

Now that was enjoyable.

AN: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this latest part in Jaune's journey. Poor lad can't catch a break from his motion sickness even through wizard transport.

As always, please review, comment, and PM. I love reading them!