The courtyard of Beacon was never empty during the day. An acknowledged facet of day-to-day events almost since the Academy's founding, it was practically unheard of for anyone to not be out and about for whatever reason. Even the damage inflicted eight months ago failed to change that fact, with some students taking advantage of the lingering debris to find remote areas to study, meet with friends, or just escape from the stress for a short while.
It was here that a young woman found herself, avoiding students and passerby's alike on her chosen direction. She stuck to the lesser used walkways, avoiding eye contact with whomever she passed. From a tall armored young man with a massive sword strapped to his back to a pair of giggling twins, she made eye contact with no one. A few gave her curious (or suspicious) looks, owing to her hidden identity, as well as the bow and quiver hanging off her back.
Her wandering wasn't random. The hooded woman's feet took her to the side of an old tree, where she took a moment to run a gloved hand down the trunk. Tracing around, she located a set of old etched in the wood, carved by a knife long ago. She felt the names painstakingly marked in fine print, a far cry from the lazy etches other students made in the intervening years. The start of a smile vanished when she felt along a ragged trough, one which wasn't there when she saw it last.
Circling around, she took note of the cylinder like gouge in the trunk, leaving behind a smoothed wall of splintered wood. For a second her irises glowed, her semblance plying through her knowledge to identify the cause.
"Gryphon claws." Eliane said in a near whisper, standing back.
Whatever fond memories the woman was about to recall fled back into the recesses of her mind, to remain there until something dragged them out again. For a moment she wondered if the blow to the tree erased the event from history, or if it only removed a piece of evidence to its existence. But if the event existed only in her memory, did that mean it no longer-
"Hang on."
In the span of a second she whipped herself around, a hand on her bow ready to draw. Only upon realizing the lack of hostility did she stop herself, taking a short breath as she let go. Standing up straight, she glanced over the older man standing a couple meters away, as he did the same.
"Can it be?" he asked, raising his brow as he faced her fully. It took the young woman only a second to realize the wild haired professor's identity; his white lab coat was a poor match for the safari outfit he wore underneath, but she knew he wouldn't have it any other way. A thermos clutched by his side completed the image of one of her favorite non family individuals in all of Remnant.
Pulling her hood off, she briefly shook her head to get a clump of hair out of her vision. "Doctor, its been far too long."
"Eliane?" Professor Bartholomew Oobleck exclaimed, his spectacles glinting in the sunlight as a massive grin split his features."Is this really the one and only Eliane before me?"
A rare smile graced her features, which shrank when he briefly came closer with his arms outstretched. Just as she backed up a step, Oobleck suddenly aborted the move. He dropped his hands, briefly taking a swig from his treasured thermos to steady himself.
"My apologies, forgot about your contact aversion. Anyway." the hyperactive man perked up, meeting the young woman's reluctant posture. "So, what brings my favorite student back to Beacon? How's your team dear?"
"Doing well the last I checked, although we don't communicate often anymore." the graduated huntress said, deliberately avoiding looking directly at his face. While it gave her the chance to look around the scarred grounds, she felt unusually anxious at avoiding eye contact with him.
"Oh, that's a shame. Personally I thought ICED had so much potential, even with your communication problems. So this means you're running solo these days?" Oobleck asked cheerfully, apparently uncaring of her attitude. Out of all the people she met during her time at Beacon, he alone never judged her for acting strange.
"I am. I was on my way to Mistral actually, heard news of a dangerous Grimm in the western regions. The bounty on it is rather high." she explained, not meeting his gaze.
Oobleck caught her cue, frowning in concern. "Is something the matter Eliane? I'm seeing that little avoidance thing you used to do, it popped up whenever your teammates did something wrong."
"Its... family trouble Doctor. I don't want to talk about it." she tapped her boots on the ground, clenching then unclenching her fists at the same time.
"Hmm." Obbleck grunted, bringing up a hand to massage his chin. "I happen to recall numerous counseling sessions between you and I about talking through your problems rather than just bottling them up. Whatever became of that habit?"
"Ran out of people whom I could speak to." Eliane replied, sighing.
"Not quite, I'm right here after all. So Ellie, what's troubling you?" he clapped his hands on his elbows, waiting with an expectant look on his face.
Tipping her head back, Eliane closed her eyes and sighed. "Its... its about my brother."
"Go on." Oobleck carefully encouraged. He stood as still as he could, which wasn't much.
"He did something foolish, its something he shouldn't have done. I'm afraid that he was forced against his will, but he doesn't seem to under-" Eliane paused mid sentence, her pensive frown vanishing. Blinking once, she focused on the sky above her.
Raising a brow himself, Oobleck looked up as well, narrowing his vision to search. It took him a moment to realize it, but he heard a distant whine in the air, the familiar sound of an airship. It took the professor a few seconds to identify the source: a tiny but recognizable profile of a twin engine craft, heading directly towards the main tower. As they watched, it slowed to land on the VIP platform.
"Atlesian gunship." Eliane said softly, though the coldness in her tone was unmistakable.
Oobleck sighed, briefly taking a gulp from his thermos. "You still have that dire hatred of Atlas I see."
"Not Atlas directly Doctor, though I reserve plenty of ill will towards their leaders. I have no hard feelings towards their people." Eliane crisply explained, meeting his gaze for a moment.
"I admit some discomfort to having them around, but then again, Atlesian troops did play a non trivial role in helping to save Beacon during the battle. A few chaps I met afterwards..." Oobleck trailed off, sighing at the cold look in her eyes. "Alright, I'll drop it. So, about your brother."
Like a switch, her attitude returned to uneasy worry. "I spoke to him yesterday. I..." she sighed, rubbing her shoulder. "I think I hurt him. I didn't want to insult him, but I was just so confused. Why would he choose that path?"
"I see." Oobleck spoke, frowning. "If you did hurt him without meaning to, the first thing you should do is go apologize. He grew up with you, so I'd imagine he'd understand if it were just a mistake on your end." he explained, watching her nod. "Just remember the lessons I taught you: clear and concise, no place for error to grab ahold of. And if he's fallen in with some unsavory sort of people, just let me know. I'll straighten him out myself if I have to."
Eliane sighed, nodding to her favorite professor. "Thank you Doctor Oobleck. I didn't mean to take up your time." she began, only for him to wave her off.
"Think nothing of it dear. I'm happy to help any of my current or former pupils, doubly so for one of my favorite students of my entire teaching career. Now run along, say sorry to your brother and whack him upside the head, no better way to knock some sense into someone's skull." Oobleck gestured grandly, with a sizable grin on his features. "Go get em."
Eliane cleared her throat, gesturing in the opposite direction as him. "He's in the guest dorms."
"Oh." Oobleck said, standing up straight and tugging on his coat. "My point stands. Safe travels Eliane."
"Thank you Doctor Oobleck, and safe travels to you too." Eliane mustered a weak smile to go with her curtsey, tugging up her hood once he left her sight.
The professor watched her go for a moment, enjoying the bliss of a job well done.
"Stay safe my favorite problem child, and I hope you don't get yourself escorted off the grounds." he murmured, taking another swig. With mounting concern, he realized his thermos was down to dregs. "Ah, not good. Should've expected this though, Miss Arc always upped my coffee needs."
Nodding as he recalled the sheer challenge of handling his former student, Oobleck smiled at the creative ways he found to deal with her many problems. One thing was for sure, he was ready for the next one of her that would come his way.
"Arc... wait..." his smile vanished. In a flash Oobleck had his scroll out, accessing the Academy database. Flying through the authorization protocols, he went for the old records, specifically hitting up student files. While one passed by him, he ignored their leery gaze in favor of examining the data on his screen. When he found it, he mumbled, "Oh, oh my. No wonder his name seemed familiar back then. How did I miss that?"
Cutting the link, he then called his immediate superior in the school hierarchy. Drumming his fingers as he fidgeted, he cursed under his breath until the line connected.
"Yes Doctor? I'm quite busy this minute, external affairs."
"Glynda, glad you you could answer my call. It's important." Oobleck spoke so fast, his words blended together. "I have strong reason to believe a missing student has turned up, and may be in Beacon as we speak."
The line was silent for several seconds. "You don't say."
Passing through the dorm entrance, Eliane briefly took note of the new decorations before she moved on. She stayed to one side of the hallway, letting any students she came across pass her easily, no matter how they responded to her presence. Pushing her worry aside as she strode further into the building, she began mumbling under her breath.
"I'm sorry about what I said, can we talk about it?" she spoke, too softly for others to hear. Even faunus would have trouble keeping track of her murmuring, never mind a human. It didn't matter to the woman, she clung to the repeating phrase like a talisman.
After crossing through into the unassuming threshold, Eliane noticed a sharp decline in student traffic. Idly checking the far fewer 'Area Closed' signs in this part of the building, she didn't become aware of her slowing pace for a long minute. Only once she hit the end if the hallway did she stop, taking a deep breath as she turned around. This time she listened intently for any voices coming from the doors, searching for any familiar ones. The lack of people in the section made her task much easier.
When a door swung open on its own, she nearly let it smack her in the face. Only a quick jerk saved her from injury, the woman needing a second to right herself.
"Alright, six'oh'clock at the tram, don't be late!"
Picking up, Eliane locked her gaze on the young woman stepping out with her hand on the wood door, pushing it shut behind her. Attaching a name to the fellow blonde clad in leather took a second, the same amount of time it took for her to realize there was someone outside. She jumped reflexively, her gauntlets locking in place as she yanked up a fist.
"Wait." Yang said, recognition flashing before her eyes. While she relaxed her stance, a sour look came over her. "Its you."
"Hello Yang Xiao Long." Eliane greeted neutrally, tracking the blonde's right first rather than her expression, noting the status of her fingers. Yang didn't retract the gauntlet until several seconds later, showing plenty of reluctance in doing so. As she crossed her arms over her chest, the older huntress pulled off her hood and cleared her throat. "Is Jaune in there?"
A grunt left Yang's pursed lips, followed by her creaking the door open to glance inside. "Jaune, your sisters' here."
While she turned back forward, she heard multiple voices from inside, which quickly lowered in tone. Yang then shoved the door forward so to allow her access. But as Eliane moved towards the entrance, she stuck an arm in her way.
"Just so we're clear, I don't like it when someone tells off my friends. You pull something like yesterday, I'm gonna knock your teeth out. Clear?" Yang told her, her lilac gaze narrowed.
"If I hurt you yesterday, I apologize. I overreacted, but I came here to make amends." she replied, temporarily matching her gaze.
Yang kept the hard stare for a moment, although she dropped her arm. "You are just dense, you know that?"
"You are not the first to tell me this, and I'm certain you won't be the last." Eliane turned to walk inside, hearing a low huff from the blonde.
Whatever feelings of goodwill in the room evaporated the moment she came into view, the change so stark even she could notice it. Seven pairs of eyes turned from whatever they were doing to focus on her, their combined staring enough to halt her in her tracks. A shiver crawled up her spine, but she kept herself from turning to leave by force of will. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and the hostility in the air was enough to act as Grimm bait.
Seeking out her brother first, Eliane spotted Jaune sitting on one of the beds, with Ruby beside him. Nearby, Nora was by Ren and Blake at a desk, a scroll in the middle of the trio as they watched something. Lastly, Weiss and Pyrrha were on the bed next to the trio, with a large textbook set up between them. None of the occupants were armed, though she could see many weapons placed about nearby their owners.
Abruptly coughing, Jaune stood up and smoothed out his unarmored hoodie. "Um, hi Ellie."
"Hello Jaune." Eliane rolled her shoulders, fighting the blush in her cheeks.
After a moment of silence, Ruby stood up to snag her scythe. "It's about time for me to leave anyway. So, I'll see you later?" she directed towards the blond.
"Yeah, I'll be free this evening." he replied, gathering a weak smile.
Weiss stood up next, smoothing out her dress. "Thanks for the feedback, this presentation has been bothering me for a while."
"You're welcome. To be honest though, I should be thanking you. I have a good jump off point for catching up." Pyrrha replied, standing up to grab both her and the white haired girl's weapons, handing off the rapier before slinging her shield around. "I'm heading down to the sparring arena, want to join me later?"
"Sure, I could use something to unwind after this." she agreed, stuffing the textbook into a bag before slinging it over her shoulder, taking a moment to move her rapier to a comfortable spot.
"Great. Because, well, I need the practice." she admitted bashfully, likewise playing with her javelin's position.
As the two girls passed by, Eliane could feel their eyes on her. Neither one said anything, but she could tell they didn't need to.
"Anyway, I have some work to do myself, so I'm off too. I'll see you guys later." Blake pocketed the scroll and grabbed her slab like sword, taking her time with attaching the weapon to her back. Nora and Ren had none of her fanfare, grabbing then attaching their respective weapons to carry.
That done, the orange haired girl strode away with a bounce to her step while the sable haired young man was sedate with his movements. Though the former was smiling, she said nothing to the visitor while she passed her by. The latter was usually taciturn anyway, so it wasn't unusual for him to be quiet. Following them, the faunus was likewise silent, her golden eyes roaming up and down her appearance for as long as she was in sight.
Outside the door, Nora snapped her fingers and called out. "Hey Pyrrha, forgot to ask. We're heading to Morty's to pick up some ammo, want me to get some for you?"
"You don't have to, I just need to find time to get back to Vale." the redhead replied from out of her vision.
"I call that a yes. Box of seven-sevens work?" she asked, moving out of her view.
A sigh met her. "Remind me and I'll pay you back later."
"Hey, while you're there, you mind grabbing some ten mils for me too? I'll pay you back of course." Blake called out as well.
"Sure!" Nora cheerfully agreed.
Turning back around, Eliane noted Ruby still standing where she was, the red toned girl averting her eyes when she moved. She sighed, glancing back to Jaune. "If something happens, call me okay?"
"Yeah. See you later." he nodded, his own gaze falling.
Eliane tracked Ruby as she walked past her, the younger girl hesitating in the frame. With a final breath she closed the door, the lock clicking shut. That last sound left the Arc siblings alone in the dorm room, having enough privacy to get things sorted out.
Outside Ruby paused, listening for the sounds of violence. Straining as hard as she could, the red huntress waited for the first hint of things going wrong.
"Hey, you coming?" Weiss asked insistently, pausing a couple meters away. A disappointed huff left Ruby as she turned away, lackadaisically catching up to the walking girl's side.
Noticing her leaders unease, Weiss sighed. "That's two in under a week."
"Two what?" she asked back, looking over her shoulder.
"Two people you met and really didn't like. You got along with Winter better than her, and she treated you like a pet she didn't want in the room." she explained, unable to stop herself from twisting around too.
"It's..." Ruby slumped. "At least Smith was polite. I think he's a nice guy in the end, he's just, um, how would you describe him?"
"Impersonal for starters. I'd probably add exacting and gruff too. Still, I believe you're right. Smith did seem like a good man to me, he's just overly serious. Maybe Eliane is the same way." Weiss suggested.
"Maybe. Just, I dunno. There's something about her I just don't like." Ruby shook her head, frowning.
Weiss took another breath, deciding to switch topics. "You mind if I see the cheat sheet Nora gave you?"
"Oh, yeah." Ruby whipped out her scroll, sending a quick message. Pulling out her own, the heiress downloaded the image she sent her, scanning over the rows of words.
"Let's see..." Weiss had a small grin as she read. "Zulu, wonder that is. Yankee. Yang the Yankee, how does that sound?" she turned for the question, seeing the red huntress mull on the idea. "Nice ring to it. X-ray, real creative. And after..."
Ruby kept going for a few steps, suddenly freezing when she realized her friend halted. Slowly turning around, she cringed at the tight expression the white haired girl possessed, how she was barely stopping herself from exploding.
"Um, you okay?" she asked nervously, for a moment fearing the return of that frightening empty stare.
"Whiskey. W on this list is Whiskey." Weiss turned her indignant countenance towards her wincing leader. "My name corresponds to liquor. Blake is Bravo, Yang has Yankee, you're Romeo, and I get a type of alcohol. What gives?" she demanded. Ruby's apologetic shrug failed to help her mood.
Back in the room, Jaune let out a breath as he rubbed his hands. "You should sit down, we're gonna be here a while."
Sighing through her nostrils, Eliane lowered herself to the floor. Rather than sit down properly, she choose to rest on her knees, which made him sigh.
"You're safe here, so you don't need to get up right away." he told her gently, plopping down on the bed.
"I prefer this, its more comfortable." she replied, reaching around to take off her bow and quiver to set beside her. Next came her cloak, the woman folding it up before setting it down as well. As she worked the loop of her small carry bag, he rubbed his hands together.
"So." he said once she was finished, as relaxed as she was going to get.
"So." she repeated, tracking him.
"I'm guessing you're free for a while?" he asked, briefly cracking his neck.
"All day, and I rented a motel in Vale. What about you?" she replied, only moving intermittently.
"I had some plans for the evening, but those got canceled." he answered, casting a look towards the window.
"I overheard Yang mention a meeting at six." she told him. The young woman began to scan the room, but his sigh brought her gaze forward.
"It's a girls night she's throwing, pretty much everybody except Ren and I are going. If you wanted, I could ask her if it was alright for you to tag along." Upon seeing a slight shake of her head, he huffed listlessly. "Yeah, I figured you wouldn't want to, but I thought I should ask. On the plus side, I'm free until tomorrow morning. Unless something comes up anyway."
"Good. Because we have a lot to discuss." Eliane reminded, watching Jaune drop his head for a moment.
Bringing his hands together, he forced himself to look at her face. "How about we start over? We'll just do this from the beginning, like yesterday didn't happen. Is that okay?"
"Very well." Eliane agreed, briefly inhaling. "Before we do though, I just want to say I'm sorry. I reflected on what I said after I left, and... and I realized I hurt you."
"Yeah, you did. But." Jaune held up a hand to stop her. "I have to say sorry too. I shouldn't have brought up the search and destroy incident, I knew that's a sore spot for you."
"Yes. So, from the beginning?" Eliane proposed.
"Yeah, the beginning." he sighed. "Um, how have you been?"
"Well. Haven't spoken with my old team for a while, but I hear they're doing good too." she replied, blank faced.
"What about Mom and Dad? Are they okay, I mean, they're probably bored out of their minds these days." Jaune asked, forcing some cheer as his hands flexed.
"Last I checked yes. Father is doing some guest teaching to a few of the Academies in the region." she reported, her eyes narrowing a minute degree. "I appreciate your concern, but I know you're stalling."
"Guilty." Jaune mumbled glumly. Glancing towards the closet, he wrung his hands together as he thought, all while she waited patiently. "I guess I should say for starters that it wasn't an easy choice, or a quick one for that matter. Its not like I took one look at the SGC and decided I wanted to be like them."
"SGC." Eliane repeated blankly.
"Um, quick terminology lesson. SGC is Stargate Command, they operate Earth's gate. Those are the guys I work for. There's a lot more to it, but that's the starting point. Okay? Am I being unclear?" he asked, showing some worry.
"No, I get it." Eliane nodded in understanding. "So why did you join them?"
"Ellie, you ever look up at the night sky, I mean really looked?" Jaune posed, gesturing upwards.
"Often, I use the stars to navigate at night." she replied, watching him wring his hands together.
He took a deep breath. "Let me rephrase that, have you ever looked up and wondered what was out there? Maybe thought there was someone just like you out there, doing what you're doing and thinking who else could be in the sky?"
"One of my old teammates did that, back when we were still together. I always thought she wasn't cut out to be a huntress, but I couldn't fault her for thinking big. I was never going to see anything like that with my own eyes though, so I didn't focus on it too much." Elaine explained, her expression flickering for a moment. "But, I do know what you mean. I just don't ascribe to it myself. Doesn't interest me."
Jaune nodded, his expression wrinkling. "You can spend a lifetime wondering, but in the end, it's all just wishful thinking." he took a breath, looking her in the eye. "I discovered what's really out there Ellie."
She tipped her head, her blue eyes focused on him.
"There's an alien race called the Goa'uld out there. They're parasites, they burrow inside of people to take them over. Anyone they don't turn into a host, they enslave, and if they don't do that, then the Goa'uld destroy them. They've been ruling the galaxy for thousands of years, its only in the past couple that's its started changing." he explained, his rising tone muted by her unchanging look. "It's because of Earth Ellie. They've been fighting the Goa'uld, and even though they're outclassed in every way, they're winning."
"And they convinced you to join their war." Eliane stated simply.
Rubbing his knuckles, Jaune smothered a sigh. "No. Their lead team gave my team and I shelter after we accidentally got stranded offworld, they were perfectly willing to let us stay in a safe place until they eventually found Remnant." he countered, his face hardening. "Pyrrha said yesterday it was her idea, she decided what the SGC was doing was too important to ignore, and talked the rest of us into helping them. The only way we could was by fighting their way."
"You couldn't contact the local Huntsman Academies? If the SGC was so generous, they would've consulted with them." Eliane replied flatly.
"There aren't academies like that on Earth or anywhere else, because there's no Grimm out there Ellie. Think about that, nothing but some wild animals in the woods. Can you imagine it?" he offered with a presenting wave, smiling hopefully.
This time, Eliane looked away with her brow wrinkled. "No Grimm..." shaking her head, she returned her gaze to Jaune. "So they don't have anything to act as a moral compass."
"Actually one of their creeds is civilian control of the military. They serve the people, not the otter way around. I know what you're thinking Ellie." he stopped her before she could interrupt. "But Earth isn't like the Great War era armies. They're..." his expression wrinkled for a moment. "They're not entirely clean, but the people who run the SGC aren't despots. They truly want to make the galaxy a better place."
"It doesn't change what they are. They lack the conscience to contest wrong decisions." Eliane countered, her flat voice dropping an octave.
"That's where you're wrong. There are a few bad sorts still there, but the good outweighs them by a huge margin. I would've never joined if they didn't show that." Jaune retorted testily.
"Surely you considered alternatives though. You could've done something to help Earth besides becoming another soulless cog in the machine." she protested, turning cold.
Jaune stared at her for a moment, before unexpectedly dropping his head. His sister raised a brow when she heard a quiet chuckle from him. When he peered up again, a mirthful smile was on his face.
"What?" she went in confusion.
"Sorry, um, I'm not laughing at you." he said quickly, holding up a placating hand. "It's, well..." he took a deep breath, his hair swaying with his weak shake. "You reminded me of something a while ago. Remember back home, it was, I dunno, eight years ago now? When Dad got you, me, and Soleil out to help with the garden? I know for sure it was before you left for Beacon."
She frowned for a moment. "I think I remember. He needed help with the new vegetables."
"Yeah, plus he wanted you to, well, 'socialize' out of the workshop." he raised his arms to curl two fingers from both hands, a grin on his face. "You and Soleil were sorting out the new vegetables, while Dad and I were planting them. Every time I filled in a hole, you'd come in behind me to dig it up. Remember that?"
"I do. The package called for five seeds per planting, and you kept putting in more. It was just wasteful." A small smile tugged at Elaine's features at the memory.
Jaune shrugged his shoulders weakly. "Yeah, thought they would help each other out. But do you remember what happened around noon?"
"An Atlas warship flew over town. Part of the patrol in the region." she recalled, her expression darkening.
"Exactly." he snapped his fingers before pointing at her. "I think you said the exact same thing back then. Just stood up, looked at the ship, and started ranting about how all the soldiers aboard were fleshy robots with no free will, who couldn't think for themselves if they tried. It came outta nowhere."
"I don't remember my specific wording..." Eliane frowned, tipping her head back.
"It was something like that though. Meanwhile the rest of us were watching, trying to keep from busting a gut. That was the hardest thing I ever did back then, 'cause I knew you didn't like being laughed at." Jaune recalled, smiling as he rolled his shoulders.
"I didn't think it was that funny then." she protested, softly indignant.
"Yeah, but that's because you went and swore at the ship, then Dad took you inside with the belt. One of the three major rule in the house, besides stay on our best behavior in the trophy room and don't wave guns around, and you went and broke it in front of him. And this was the same you who broke into everybody's diaries to cross out curses." he finished with a weak laugh.
Eliane huffed, her frown nowhere near as severe as a minute ago. "I explained it to everyone then, I was trying to stop them from getting in trouble. I fixed a swear you put on your homework by accident too."
"I remember. Was this close to getting sent home, and you saved me from getting the belt too. Did I ever pay you back for that?" he asked mirthfully, although his cheer was fading. He took a moment to scratch the back of his neck, his free hand smoothing out his pant leg.
"I don't believe so. But I didn't mind one way or the other." she said, giving a brief shake of her head. The half smile she sported was fading as well, the gears behind her sharp eyes turning. Suddenly she snapped her head to him, surprise ghosting across her features. "Wait a minute, you..."
"Misdirected you, yeah." Jaune admitted, rubbing his palms together. "I remember Mom used to do it every time you got upset, worked like a charm."
Elaine slumped her shoulders. "I didn't think you knew how."
"I didn't do a good job of it though. Mom would've had you going for half an hour, on the family history or your robotics courses, and by the end you'd be angry in the head but not the heart. Right now, you're still a little mad at me, I can tell." he said, tugging on his hoodie.
"I am yes. But then again, this is a more grievous matter than getting a test wrong, or dealing with bullying under my watch." she replied cooly.
Jaune sighed. "I know. When I found out the Air Force approved my enlistment, almost the first thing I thought was how furious you'd be once you heard the news. I know for sure Mom and Dad, everybody honestly, they're gonna be a little worried about what I did. I think once they knew the whole story though, they'd understand."
"I doubt that. But." Eliane took a moment to rub the back of her neck. "Maybe. Father doesn't like militaries any more than I do, but he's better at keeping it to himself. I think the fact you're alive would be good enough for them. It would mean your grave needs to be dug up though."
"Yeah, not looking forward to that part. I really was planning on visiting in person no matter what, but I wanted to have this whole mission under wraps first. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried though." Jaune admitted, rolling his shoulders while he examined the room. "But you know what they say, worrying is like paying a debt you don't owe."
Eliane raised a brow. "I've never heard that phrase before."
"Its, um, an old saying on Earth. Common wisdom there." he explained quickly, features briefly lighting up.
"I see." she said softly.
When her gaze turned from him, Jaune needed no special powers to know where she was looking. Preempting her, he rose from the creaking bed to trod over, picking up his sword from leaning against the desk. Just as he turned back to her, his features wrinkled in thought. Lighting up with excitement, he darted to the closet to yank the door open, all while she watched blankly.
"Here we go..." he murmured once he found what he wanted, coming around with several objects in his hands and a small smile. Once he returned to the bed, he set the sword and a rectangle shaped construct beside him as he plopped down. "I know you wanna check out Crocea Mors, but first, check these out."
"I want to examine the sword yes, since it left nicks on Pervenire's edges everywhere I blocked you. I've never seen anything cause that so quickly." Eliane replied, letting her eyes roam over the blue metal object he was presenting.
"Well?" Jaune prompted hopefully, holding the triple segmented thing he held with both hands, cupping the bottom portion in his palms. Her eyes were drawn to the top piece, which faintly resembled a snake.
Eliane looked from the object to him, her expression unchanged. "Its a weapon."
"Yeah, this things called a Zat. Its a gun." he explained, adjusting his fingers on the grip. "Wanna hold it?"
"I don't use guns." she said dryly, making his smile dip.
"I know Ellie, but c'mon. This is an alien weapon, aren't you the least bit curious?" Jaune prodded, his smile showing doubt.
Inhaling deeply, Eliane reached out to accept the Zat from him. Jaune left it in her hands, watching his sister turn it around as she examined the device. He didn't say anything, even as her irises began to softly glow; instead he clasped his hands together while he waited, letting her reach a conclusion at her own pace. Checking his watch, he was pleased to note her studying passed the minute mark. Jaune did flinch when she made it pop up, an electric whirr announcing it was ready. Fortunately she kept the end piece pointed towards the wall, not at either of them.
His faint hope and her intense examination came to an abrupt halt when the door swung open. Jaune snapped his head over as Eliane whipped around, on her feet in an instant.
"Um, sorry." Ruby said hesitantly, frozen in place with one hand the doorframe. "I, uh, forgot my backpack." she explained, pointing to a small carry bag on the desk.
"Oh, um, alright." Jaune sat back down, feeling a flush in his cheeks. Eliane lowered herself back to the same spot she previously rested on, uncurling her finger away from the trigger lever. Upon noticing, he loudly cleared his throat. "Ellie, can I have that back now?" he asked alarmingly, noting how Ruby had her eyes focused on the weapon.
The awkward moment over with, Ruby quickly strode to the desk to pick up the pack. As she swung it over her back, the red toned girl paused to give Jaune a concerned look. "Sorry for interrupting. Is it going okay?"
"So far, I think so. You think this is going well?" he turned to ask his sister.
"I'm not sure. We're not yelling or squabbling, so that's a good sign." Eliane replied, handing over the Zat rather than continuing. "I'm unsure what to make of this device, but I believe it to be some type of directed energy weapon. I'm curious to find out how the builder solved the power issue."
On her way to the door, Ruby halted to cough into her fist. "Yeah, not sure what he told you, but that thing is really dangerous."
"Yeah, isn't that's the truth." Jaune collapsed the machine to set beside him. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna let a repeat of Yang's accident happen. Take it from me, it's not fun whatsoever."
"What do you mean?" Elaine asked, tracking the smaller girl until she reached the door.
"Remind me one of these days and I'll tell you about Zat Week." Jaune answered with a shudder.
Ruby made it to the exit before she stopped, placing a hand on the door and turning around.
"You know, I just thought of something. Why don't we take a little trip to the gate? Not go through it or anything." she quickly waved her hands in alarm. "I mean, just go check the place out. Show her it's there."
"I'm interested in seeing a Stargate with my own eyes." Eliane agreed, glancing towards her brother.
"Yeah, sure. Um, the whole gang or just us?" he asked.
As Eliane opened her mouth, Ruby said, "It's up to you. Yang and I have a test tomorrow, but I think Blake's free. Weiss is definitely free, but, you know." she shrugged, her expression flickering.
"Yeah, I get it. You mind asking her for me?" he inquired with a nod.
Ruby nodded back. "Sure. It'll be cool to see the gate again though, and its a lot closer than your apartment."
Without warning Jaune winced, like he was just stabbed. Cringing as it dawned on her, Ruby watched as Eliane swiveled over to look at him. "Apartment?"
"Um, I have to go." Ruby slammed the door shut and vanished into a cloud of rose petals, mumbling, "Sorry." under her breath the entire time.
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"Blue Three, I got a contact forty degrees left, how copy?" Mitchell's concerned voice crackled.
Sighing in resignation, O'Neill glanced at his radar display, noting the new blip on his screen. Their flight was going so well; the two F302s passed over the border of the neighboring country ten minutes ago, holding steady at Mach Five as they zoomed along. He could tell it was a nice day for many of the areas they passed over, excluding a lone thunderstorm they gave a wide berth to.
The Colonel had zero doubt they were spotted by all manner of people along their flight path, even though the Prometheus directed them away from any large population centers. Being the cause of an Unknown Flying Object phenomenon was certainly an enjoyable experience, no matter how the rest of the day was going to turn out. It was almost worth the wads of paperwork and a furious Pendergast waiting for him.
"I see it Blue One, ground level object showing up on my display. Its either small or radar absorbent, can't tell from here. Whaddya say, sixteen, seventeen klicks out?" he responded, the outside briefly going all white as they passed through a cloud.
"Affirmative. Chariot, do you read?" Mitchell checked with on high.
Looking over his shoulder, O'Neill asked, "This place a normal travel route?"
"I'm not sure where here is actually." Ozpin replied, looking remarkably comfortable in the backseat. "But I'm inclined to doubt your contact is manmade. International travelers tend to operate at much greater altitudes or run in convoys, oftentimes both."
"Gotcha." O'Neill said glumly, turning forward once more. The F302's nose dipped for a moment, the craft losing altitude until they were below the cloud layer.
He could see the terrain flashing underneath their craft; mountainous green as far as he could see, interspersed with several patches of winding blue. They were going too fast for him to see any definite features, which throttling the F302 down helped to fix. Spying an oncoming mountain, O'Neill banked to the side so to circle it, the pilot noting a few ruined buildings near the foliage covered peak.
"Blue Flight, this is Chariot. Life signs are coming up negative on your location, but we're reading something nearby. We are unable to get a positive ID." the staticky voice of Pendergast reported, still showing faint anger in his tone.
"Copy Chariot. Mission timer is at..." O'Neill swiveled his eyes towards the dashboard clock. "Thirty five mikes and counting. Enough time to check it out."
"Acknowledged. Blue Three, you have permission to investigate. If its in any way hostile, break off and return to orbit. Understood?" Pendergast crackled, emphasizing the last word.
"Copy, wish me luck. Blue Three out." O'Neill banked to the side, half his attention on the displays.
The world outside kept its blurry quality, but it grew less intense by the second. At the same time, the omnipresent whine of the engines was spiraling down to a low hum. It took several minutes for O'Neill to reach the equilibrium he wanted, just below the F302's stall speed. Perfect for sightseeing in his opinion. Banking one more time, he turned the fighter's nose towards the mountain again, following the blip on his screen.
O'Neill registered movement on the mountain that wasn't there a minute ago; for a second he wondered if he accidentally kicked off a rockslide or something, and he suddenly hoped there wasn't anyone in the way. Except he knew rockslides went downhill, and after a second of looking he saw that the moving contact was quite obviously going in the opposite direction. Whatever the thing was, it definitely had legs. Blinking, he suddenly realized Ozpin was leaning forward in his seat, the old man likely looking at the lanky object galloping up towards the top as well.
"This is Blue One, we got a visual... what in the hell is that?"
As they passed the mountain, O'Neill saw it. The enormous black thing had four equine legs, a skeletal horse neck and head, while a humanoid torso rested on its studded back. Two long arms fruitlessly waved at the F302, the vicious looking claws slicing through the open air. It was the bony head of the monster that drew the majority of his attention; beyond a wide maw and pair of curled horns, he saw the burning read eyes of the creature, seeming to peer into his own even at his considerable distance. It wasn't the single ugliest thing he ever saw, but in a seconds time it displaced the previous number four on his list.
Flopping back into his seat, O'Neill took a breath to steady his nerves.
"Okay, that was bizarre." he mumbled. Flicking the radio, he spoke in a calm voice. "Chariot, we got eyes on the contact. Its a giant demon centaur thingamajig, and it looks mad."
"...um, copy Blue Three. Blue One, can you confirm?"
"Confirmed Chariot. I feel like I need an exorcism even looking at it." Mitchell reported tersely.
The radio crackled again, the speaker reminding O'Neill of his passenger. "Chariot, what we're seeing is a type of Grimm known as a Nuckelavee."
"A what?" O'Neill leaned over his shoulder with a brow raised.
There was a scuffle over the radio for a moment; when it crackled again, Daniel's tone came off mildly surprised. "Right, that's a mythical creature from Celtic and Scottish folklore. Its an ill omened supernatural being that's claimed to live near the water, it was usually blamed for crop failures and plagues in old times."
"Interesting. But the beast we're seeing is quite real." the headmaster reported. "Here, its a type of rare Grimm. I can't give a good size estimate from where I am, but this one must be at least ten meters tall."
"Acknowledged. Threat assessment?" Pendergast questioned insistently; faintly audible over the connection was Ironwood's voice, speaking intelligibly on the others side.
"From here, minimal. All the reports I've read concerning these types claims they're ground based only, they have only improvised range attacks." Ozpin explained, glancing out as the F302 swerved to circle the mountain. Far away, the large monster continued to flail its gangly limbs at the alien fighter, impotently trying to attack or ward it off.
"General Ironwood concurs. Blue Flight, it seems you're safe as long as you're airborne." the radio crackled.
"Acknowledged Chariot." Mitchell sighed in relief, his F302 remaining at a higher altitude than O'Neill's. "Really wishing that thing wasn't peering into my soul like that."
"Wish granted Blue Flight, missions over. Return to base immediately." Pendergast ordered.
"Understood, breaking off." With that, the flight leader began to ascend.
O'Neill turned his F302 around to follow him, his face an expressionless mask. The ground far below fell away, along with the still irate Nuckelavee waving at the pair of fighters. When the F302 began to level out, the passenger gave the pilot a curious look.
"Ozpin, how dangerous is the Knuckle-vee on the ground?" O'Neill asked neutrally.
"I can't speak for your fighting skills O'Neill, but if I weren't crippled, I could defeat it on my own. To an experienced Huntsmen team, it'd be a worthy foe. If there was an Atlas detachment nearby, they likely could bombard the Nuckelavee with minimal risk." Ozpin replied.
The Colonel thought for a second. "And what if there wasn't any of that?"
"Then there would be civilian casualties. For a Grimm to reach that size, it has to survive a number of years, so I'm confident in assuming many villages met their end to the creature already. Once we're gone, it will inevitably go searching for more to destroy." the headmaster explained flatly.
Staying on its level course, the F302 was full of mechanical noises of every variety, yet it was bereft of speech. After several seconds Ozpin heard a crackle from the comm, yet O'Neill did nothing to acknowledge the call. He was about to say something when the craft suddenly lurched, the sky above the canopy twisting away nauseatingly fast. Feeling inertia even through the dampeners, he wondered if the sharp bank was putting an unsafe amount of stress on the frame. His questions of what they were doing were answered by O'Neill's simple mutter over the radio.
"Screw it."
Gripping his restraints, Ozpin suppressed a gulp at the rapidly growing mountain they were plummeting towards. Distantly award of the frantic chatter from the radio, he watched O'Neill drive the F302 faster and faster towards the Nuckelavee, which resumed its fruitless act with renewed vigor.
"Blue Three, are you on an attack run!?" Pendergast half shouted. The mic crackled with static from the volume, making Ozpin wince.
"Sir, these birds aren't designed for CAS." Mitchell likewise warned, his worry evident even over the radio.
"I know, but you work with what you got. Call it verifying the kid's report." O'Neill said distractedly, leveling the F302 out so they were even with the mountain peak, and by extension the Grimm.
Gulping as he wrapped a hand around his cane, Ozpin clicked the radio. "Colonel, I believe this is a bad idea."
"My career in a nutshell Ozzy. Now watch and see why they never tell me the odds." O'Neill punctuated his sentence by flicking open a latch on the stick, adding a new high pitched whine to the background noise.
Once the F302 was close enough to make out the malevolent eyes of the Nuckelavee, O'Neill fired. A stream of orange sparks flew from the guns, stitching the ground in front of the Grimm in a ragged path as they veered closer to his mark. The beast finally took its attention off the craft to track the oncoming line, not appreciating the danger until it was too late.
The first of the projectiles to hit the Nuckelavee tore apart its flank, crippling its front legs in one fell swoop. Its pain didn't end there; pulling up, the F302'd fire adjusted accordingly so to tear away a chunk of its humanoid torso too, with the last shot of the run blasting off one of the horns. Just as the fighter swooped overhead, both men inside could hear an ear splitting shriek from the monster, deafening even in the sealed cockpit.
Zooming skyward, O'Neill clicked his radio. "Blue One, you still around? Tell me if freakzilla down there is dead."
"Ah, roger Blue Three, we're still on station. Stand by." Mitchell carefully answered, while the F302 changed course in a wide curve back. Ozpin's curiosity was sated in the worst way when he heard a muffled curse. "Negative. Tango is still moving, but appears immobilized."
A snort came from the pilot. "Railguns are anti-ship weapons." he mocked under his breath, huffing unhappily. "If at first you don't succeed..."
Plummeting towards the mountain again, Ozpin saw the damage with unconcealed surprise; the Nuckelavee was on its knees, an uninjured leg feebly kicking in place. The beast's perforated torso twisted around to meet the F302, its hateful gaze having nothing on the sight of one of its arms holding on by a strip of dark flesh. Just one attack had effectively crippled the dangerous Grimm.
"Cmon you piece of junk, gimme a lock." O'Neill muttered, ignorant of Ozpin's raised eyebrow. "Forget thermals, I'm eyeballing this."
Just as the Nuckelavee let out a fresh roar, the F302 fired its secondary weapons. A missile streaked out from underneath the craft, quiet fast by Ozpin's reckoning. As the fighter banked out of the way, the projectile sped along the rest of the distance in a heartbeat, impacting the Grimm almost dead center. A colossal fireball engulfed the beast in its entirety, the blast wave sending debris flying in every direction. For a moment, it looked as if the mountain was erupting.
"My guns go boom boom. Blue One, you better tell me its dead." O'Neill said lowly.
"Copy. Ah, we don't have a visual. It looks like its gone sir." Mitchell replied nervously.
Ozpin cleared his throat. "Grimm turn to ash when they die, so I'm largely certain the Nuckelavee is finished."
"Really? Crap, there goes my fishing fantasy." O'Neill mumbled ruefully, fortunately turning the F302 skywards, breaking for orbit. A thin trail showed Mitchell was already well ahead of him. Unnoticed by the passenger, the sensor display was lighting up with fresh dots, more popping in by the second.
The radio crackled once more. "Congrats on your the first kill of the mission Blue Three. Now return to the ship immediately, understood?"
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A/N: Welp, that happened. Plus, life did decide to slap me for my arrogance.