Coeur Al'Aran was the beta for the original Auburn and helped me immensely during a period when we were both just getting started. Cover Art drawn by confections101 and a link to it is on my profile page. Jefardi is the one who finally kicked my butt into gear to do something about this story I had almost given up on.
Auburn
Leader
Jaune shuffled his weight from foot to foot, feeling completely out of place behind the curtains that led to the main stage of the auditorium.
An auditorium that was very quickly filling up with all the other students in the school. He tugged at the collar of his school uniform every couple seconds, swearing he could feel the tie trying to constrict on him.
Where the heck was Blake? She said she was going to get Ruby and Weiss so why hadn't they shown up yet? How far away were their dorm rooms from here? He had no idea. He didn't know anything about the layout of this school. He would have gotten lost coming here if the scary Professor Goodwitch hadn't guided him from the infirmary.
It had been a week now since that cruel and unusual initiation and he had to spend all of it in recovery and didn't once get to see his team's room. He just really hoped they would hurry it up.
"Hey, look who it is!" The voice of Ruby's sister caused him to turn hopefully to the back entrance. Unfortunately, it was just her team and his wasn't with them. "Disappointed to see us, Captain Atlas?" She grinned cheekily and punched him on the shoulder.
"You know I don't come from Atlas, right?" He rubbed his suddenly sore shoulder. "Anyways, I was actually hoping your sister and my team was with you. Did you see them?"
Yang shook her head. "I can't say that I did. They better get a move on. This thing is about to start. Suck if you had to go out there by yourself to represent the team." Great, as if he wasn't nervous enough.
"I'm sure they'll be here. No need to worry." Pyrrha gave her partner a sharp glance before resting her hand comfortingly on Jaune's shoulder, the same one Yang had hit.
"Thanks." Jaune nodded appreciatively and glanced at their last two teammates. He didn't know either of their names, despite that they had saved him last week. Time to fix that. "Hey, my name is Jaune Arc." He walked up to them and extended a hand. "Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it." It might have been getting redundant to say it, but it still felt like the easiest way for him to break the ice. It had already worked twice, why not a third time?
"Classy." He heard Yang snicker from behind.
"Howdy there, Jaune!" The girl bounced up to him and gripped his hand so hard he thought it was going to pop. "My name is Nora and I'm super happy to meet you, even though we technically already met, but this is our first time talking! You passed out last time before we could. How are you feeling since then? I haven't seen you around, like at all. We're going to be the bestest of friends, I can tell already!"
"Nora." The boy in green chided. She paused for a second to look at him and Jaune was thankful for the brief respite. He had not planned to be verbally assaulted. Where the heck was his team?
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce him." His relief didn't last, Nora picking back up and speaking even faster than before. "He's Lie Ren! We're childhood friends! We've been together for like, ever! Oh, but not together-together, you know? We're just friends! Best friends! What about you? Do you have a best friend! Oh my gosh! I just had the greatest idea! Your best friend and my best friend should hang out and then they'll become friends! But not best friends. That would leave us without our besties. We can't have that!"
"Alright, Queen of the castle, come on." Yang grabbed Nora by the back of her collar and started dragging her away from him.
"Queen of the castle?" Did he want to know?
"Don't ask." Apparently not. Pyrrha was rubbing her forehead therapeutically.
"Mister Arc!" Uh oh. That didn't sound good. Professor Goodwitch stalked into the room and right for him. "Where is the rest of your team! Everyone is seated and the Headmaster is going to introduce you all any minute!"
"Uhh…" Jaune opened and closed his mouth as he tried to formulate a good excuse. "...they got lost on the road of life?" Why did it sound like he was asking a question when he was supposed to be making excuses? The Professor's eye twitched and he could have sworn he saw her grip on the riding crop tighten.
"We're here!" Ruby burst into the room just in time to save his hide. Blake and Weiss followed. Professor Goodwitch stared at the three of them for several moments before walking out with a huff. She didn't even ask what had kept them.
"I'm so happy to see you guys!" Jaune nearly stumbled over himself as he ran up to them. "What the heck happened? I almost had to go out there by myself!"
"This one-" Weiss hiked her thumb at a sheepish Ruby. "-took off down the wrong way. You know how fast she is, of course. Took us forever just to grab her so we could drag her back over here."
"Hehe, my bad." Ruby stuck her tongue out, tilted her head and lightly bopped it with her fist. It was actually a really cute gesture and Jaune found his anger dissipating against his will. Dammit, why was he so weak to quirky girls? He should be better than this!
He let out a sigh as he reached his hand forward and jostled her hair. "Way to go, Crater Face. I thought we'd already established that you're not supposed to take point? You have no sense of direction."
Ruby giggled and jabbed him with an extended finger. "Neither do you, Vomit Boy. I bet someone had to hold your hand to get you here." Dang, she had him there.
"You're both hopeless," Weiss crossed her arms and glared at them.
"If I recall, you almost led us the wrong way several times yourself in Forever Fall so you don't have much room to talk." Blake's comment caused Weiss to go red in the face but she didn't have anything to say in response.
Jaune grinned at his best friend. "Great, Blake is the official map-bearer of the group! Any objections?"
"Nope!"
"Nay."
Ruby and Weiss responded respectively.
"Wait, what?"
"Enjoy your new title, buddy." Jaune patted her on the shoulder and gave a thumbs-up.
"Oh, what am I? What am I?" Ruby bounced around on the balls of her feet, hand extended high.
Surprisingly, it was Weiss who got off the first quip. "Mascot."
Half-second of silence later:
"That seems appropriate."
"Definitely mascot material."
Blake commented and then Jaune.
"What the heck!" Ruby folded her arms and pouted.
"Cheer up, Rubes." Yang strolled back over and draped an arm over her shoulder. "It means they think you're cute."
"Ah, nothing like young camaraderie." Ozpin had strolled into the room without anyone noticing. All eight pairs of eyes were immediately watching him with varying levels of anxiety. He took a sip of his mug and made eye-contact with each of them in turn before speaking again. "I recommend holding off on assigning more team positions until after you know who the leaders of your team are." He looked between Jaune and Weiss meaningfully.
"Then let's get this over with! I'm dying to know what this past week has been about!" Naturally, it was Yang that spurred Ozpin to get on with it. An embarrassed Pyrrha could only shake her head.
"I suppose it is about that time." Ozpin checked a pokcet watch almost absentmindedly before leisurely strolled towards the curtains that separated them from the audience. "All the guests have been seated and are anxiously awaiting this revelation. Now then, could I ask for your two teams to line up in the order I give you?" He pointed with his cane to the right end of the stage. "Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie: line up in that order over there." He then indicated to the left. "Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose. Face the audience and do try to stand up straight. We're showing you off, after all."
"Showing us off?" Jaune whispered and took his spot next to Weiss. She only shrugged. Now that he thought about it, she was probably used to things like this. Too bad he wasn't.
Ozpin took his place in the center and tapped his cane twice. As if on cue, the curtains pulled back, revealing the nine of them to the audience. Jaune had to squint as floodlights beamed directly into his eyes and fought the urge to raise his hands to block it out. He tried to make out the mass of figures behind the lights but they appeared as little more than shadows. Beacon's auditorium was by no means small yet every single seat was filled. They couldn't all possibly be students, could they? Beacon surely didn't accept that many applicants. Who else could they be? And why would they be there to see him?
The loud murmur of indistinguishable voices quieted almost as immediately as the curtains opened and the whole room was filled with a silence far too eerie for as many people as there were. It was like no one even dared breathe before Ozpin began talking. "I thank you all for taking your time to attend today. As per usual, I will keep this... brief." Jaune remembered the last time this man had said that. His words then had been anything but encouraging.
"Standing behind me are eight students that proved themselves beyond extraordinary on the field in the special initiation held a few days prior. They passed numerous obstacles set up for them and defeated a myriad of Grimm on their travels... including an infamous Chimera." Several gasps were heard and excited chat broke out from the audience. Jaune had no idea that killing one of those things was such a big deal. Not that he really contributed to it. He just ran from it until someone else did.
Ozpin held his hand up and everyone became silent once again. "So... I present to you, Beacon's candidates for Project Lambent." What the heck was that? Jaune had never heard of it before.
"The first team consists of Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie." He held his hand out towards them and as he said each of their names they took a step forward into a spotlight that had appeared. "They will form team PYRN (Pyrene), led by Miss Nikos." He then turned towards Jaune. They were about to be called on. Was he sweating? Yeah, he was pretty sure he was. Could the audience see that? Oh God, he hoped not.
"The second team will consist of Jaune Arc-" Jaune shuffled forward, incredibly conscious of every move he made. "-Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby Rose." They each took their place under the spotlight down the line from him. "They will form team AWBR (Auburn), led by Mister Arc."
"Huh?" Crap, he hadn't meant to ask that out loud. Seriously, had he just misheard Ozpin? Surely he must have. There was no way in Hell he was made team leader. He checked his teammates' expressions but they only helped confirm his nightmare. Weiss looked very, and he meant very, nonplussed. That was putting it lightly. Blake wasn't showing much expression but he could see an approving smile and coming from her that spoke volumes. Ruby was giving him a huge thumbs-up.
He turned back to Ozpin and the older man gave him a small nod and mouthed "Congratulations." No, no, no. This had to be a mistake. He didn't want to be leader. He didn't deserve to be leader. What's more, he was leader for some team that was part of this 'Project Lambent.' Should he say something? Tell them this was all some kind of mistake. Maybe a typo?
"And there you have it. Any questions you have will be happily taken up by my staff while I debrief these teams on their new enrollment." Ozpin finished as quickly as promised and turned on his heels. The audience exploded into a volley of words which he promptly ignored. "If you children would follow me." He waved them forward with his cane and they all sprung into action at once. "We have much to discuss."
"That is an understatement." He heard Weiss growl and hastened his pace a little, feeling her glare on the back of his head.
It was going to be a long walk to the office.
Blake observed Jaune's back carefully as they all followed after the headmaster through the halls of Beacon. The route they were taking was rather unorthodox seeing as the headmaster's office was pretty much just on the other side of the auditorium. If Blake had to guess, she would say he was dodging all the curious eyes of the attendees.
Back to Jaune, he seemed like an anxious wreck. Every subtle noise caused him to flinch and glance around like a spooked cat. Then there were the brief glimpses he kept giving Weiss. He would make eye-contact with her for a second, his eyes would widen, he would quickly turn back forward, and his pace hastened for the next couple steps. He repeated this about every five seconds.
With good reason Weiss was about glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill... well, death was probably the most pleasant thing the Heiress was plotting for their new leader. It was very clear that she had wanted to become leader of the team, and probably felt she deserved it. The fact that it was Jaune of all people was probably just ripping her apart on the inside. The thought of that made Blake ecstatic.
This, of course, wasn't the only reason she was glad Jaune was made leader. If it would've been any of them, Blake was glad it was him. The reasons why she didn't want it to be Weiss went without saying. Ruby seemed more than capable enough, but even Blake had to admit she would find it hard to accept orders from a fifteen-year-old girl. She had no desire to be put in the spotlight herself. While she was sure she had some practical skills to bring forth, being vocal about them wasn't exactly her strong suit.
That really only left Jaune as her obvious choice. She trusted his judgement (provided his own life wasn't the one on the line). He had proven multiple times that he could come up with effective strategies on the fly and better yet, communicate them understandably. While he was without a doubt, a doofus, he seemed to shine under pressure. Perhaps most importantly, this could only be good for his confidence issues. Once he settled into his role and started to realize what an excellent leader he truly was, perhaps he would naturally start to feel better about himself. It was worth a shot at least.
Blake had no doubt Ruby was on board with following him. Now that just meant convincing Weiss. This caused her to scowl as she thought of what she might have to do to coerce the Heiress into willingly following Jaune. Dust forbid she might actually have to try and befriend her! Still, it would all be worth it if it would help out her friend.
"Here we are." Ozpin took his place behind his desk and with a jolt, Blake realized they were here. She really had to quit zoning out while thinking. It always was a bad habit of hers.
The blond man that had picked them up from Forever Fall was standing next to Ozpin and some other person Blake didn't recognize was on the other side. "Dad! Uncle Qrow!" But Ruby obviously did as she waved excitedly at the both of them. The two men smiled warmly at her and Yang respectively before returning to their masks of neutrality. Well, Ruby's uncle tried to but it was quickly ruined when he took a swig of something clearly alcoholic.
"I imagine you all want to know what this Project Lambent is about." Ozpin started, looking at them all cheerily and appearing completely at ease.
Not one of them responded. Blake glanced at the others to see they were waiting with as much baited anticipation as she was. Apparently, none of them had heard of this Project either. That was strange in and of itself. Very little happened without at least someone catching wind of it. From what she could tell, their teams came from pretty diverse backgrounds too. It seemed impossible that not one of them had heard even a rumor about this before now.
"Let me begin by asking you all a question." Ozpin took their silence as his cue to continue. "What do you think the main purpose of training huntsmen and huntresses is?" His question was greeted with more silence. "No one has any idea?" He asked, actually sounding amused.
"To defeat evil!" Ruby declared boldly.
"To protect others." Jaune mumbled.
"I know, it's so we can get really good at blowing things up!" That was of course, Nora.
"Huntsmen are trained to perform numerous tasks. There's no limit to the things we might be asked to do-"
"That's not what he's asking." Qrow cut Pyrrha off. "He asked what the main purpose was. Yes, Huntsmen have evolved overtime to be glorified peacekeepers, but there is a much more simple task that they originally had. That is to this day their true purpose." He grimaced down at his flask like he was angry at it for something before taking another sip.
"Hunting Grimm." It was the ever-quiet Ren that provided the answer.
"Precisely." Taiyang pointed into the air, practically jumping along with the motion.
Ozpin just nodded. "Huntsmen and Huntresses are trained to hunt and kill Grimm. Most within has lost sight of this, however, and now Grimm are becoming a bigger threat than ever. Every year and we lose more villages outside the Kingdoms to this threat. Yet society has gotten too dependent on them to keep peace within the Kingdoms that they fail to send any outside of them to truly do their jobs. That leaves us with two routes with which to travel. Accept more students by pulling from a pool of those less qualified…" Jaune flinched visibly. "...or focus on the best and make them even better. Quantity vs. Quality. Project Lambent is the result of us choosing the latter and gearing them specifically at the destruction of Grimm.
"Which brings us to what you've all been waiting to hear. Project Lambent... is essentially a new academy designed to do just that. It is being funded by a personal friend of mine and he will be acting headmaster there. Each of the four major academies in Remnant will be sending candidates to this school. In total, there will only be two teams from each attending. Significantly smaller than what even Beacon accepts. You were all chosen based on your performances after a special evaluation. You're of course aware of the details of your own evaluation." Blake didn't need to be reminded of that Hellish thing they called initiation.
Jaune raised his hand. "So… you're saying we won't be Beacon students?" Ozpin quirked an eyebrow to regard him and the blond lowered the raised hand before flashing a nervous smile.
"If I may, Oz." Qrow stepped forward and almost stumbled. As if he didn't notice it, Ozpin nodded to him to take over. "You will be learning at Lambent, however, you will be there as representatives of Beacon. How you perform there will reflect on Beacon's status. Perform well, and you will be rewarded... perform poorly, and you'll be given incentives to improve yourselves." Jaune gulped.
"So... we're competing against the other students there?" Ruby asked the question Blake was just thinking.
"That's correct." Ozpin took the conversation back over. "A little competition is always a good motivator. Not that you'll need much additional motivation considering where you're going." He picked up a stack of envelopes and gave them to Taiyang to pass out. Blake grabbed hers and flipped it open to see numerous pages inside. After Taiyang finished, Ozpin resumed. "You may all be familiar with the failed Expansion of Mountain Glenn."
Blake had heard of it before, but wasn't what she would call familiar with it. Probably just like every other failed expansion, really. They were all the same. The kingdoms tried to expand, the Grimm stopped them. Simple as that. Regardless, she flipped to one of the pages of her packet to see a giant metal tower. It looked almost like a lighthouse. The tower stood alone amongst the abandoned outline of an incomplete city and the lonely peak of a mountain that must have been Glenn itself.
"That was the location selected for this new school. You will be at this academy for the next two years of your life. Expect to go on numerous excursions into the surrounding landscape where every ounce of your skills will be tested. While not on missions, you will stay at Lambent. You will, of course, have classes as you would here at Beacon, but they'll be a little different. We're training you for Grimm. Expect everything to be geared towards that."
"Isn't the location," Ren was flipping through his own packet as he started his question. "a little close to Beacon? Is it really necessary to have two schools practically within Vale's borders?"
"That's where the bigwigs wanted it." Qrow shrugged carelessly, sloshing the contents of his flask around. "You gotta problem with it, talk to them." Whoever the heck "them" was, although Blake knew he was being rhetorical anyways.
Regardless of the reasons and if they even made sense, this was happening and Mountain Glenn was the destination. It was technically considered outside of Vale Kingdom proper, anyways. Negativity from the failed community probably festered and had made the once blossoming city stagnant. Grimm were no doubt drawn there like bugs to a light. So it made sense in that regard to pick that as the location, at least, Blake thought so. There would never be a shortage of Grimm, that was for sure.
"Professor Qrow here will be going with you." Ozpin spoke again. "If you ever need anything, he will be acting as Beacon's advisor. The other schools are sending staff of their own. They will, of course, teach you as well. But remember, they're going to be looking out for their own students. Their standing is determined on your success as well." He turned to Taiyang and smiled. "I think that might be enough information for now?"
"Yes." The blond man nodded. "You have your packets. Review them. If you have any questions about the details; Ozpin, Qrow, or myself will be more than happy to answer them for you. You leave in a week." He broke into a big grin as he made eye-contact with them all. "Congratulations. I wish you luck at Lambent." While it was clear he was addressing them all, it was obvious the pride in his voice was directed at his two daughters.
Several moments of silence settled between them as Blake and the others tried to take everything in that was just thrown at them. It was almost too unreal. They had just survived the most brutal set of tasks they had ever faced... all to attend this school. Now, they were a week away from being shipped off to somewhere completely different. All for some special 'Project'. If you asked Blake, it sounded to her like they were guinea pigs for some twisted experiment. Still, this was an incredible opportunity. Their talents had been recognized and if this Lambent was all it was cracked up to be, they might to be first of a new, more powerful breed of Huntresses.
"Do... do we just go to our dorms for now?" Pyrrha pointed to the door, body half-turned as if prepared to walk out or ready to snap back in place and at attention. It definitely seemed like they had been dismissed but not a single one of them had made an effort to move from their spots. Probably still the shock.
Ozpin smirked at them. "For now, that would be best. You are allowed to use all the facilities here at Beacon for the remainder of your stay. That includes the training room, and the library. You are still Beacon students, after all."
Pyrrha took a hesitant step backwards. Then another. Finally, she turned and began making her way for the door, albeit with her head turned to watch the headmaster on her way out. As she moved, her team followed after all at once, as if they had been set free from some invisible confinement. Blake turned to follow after and she heard Jaune fall into place next to her.
"Wait right there, Arc!" Weiss snapped and everyone paused. All eyes turned to see her pointing dramatically at their poor, fearful leader. "You and I are going to have a chat with the headmaster... privately." She sent a telling glare to everyone else to make her point clear.
Blake glared right back and stepped up to Jaune, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Anything you have to say to our leader, you can say to all of us." She practically spat these words out.
"Guys, don't fight." Ruby quickly got between the two girls, eyes dancing between them.
"I have no intention of fighting anyone. I simply wish to talk to the headmaster about his choice of appointment. I figured I would give Arc the chance to defend himself." Blake doubted Weiss' words were hardly as moral as they sounded. She just wanted to rip Jaune's already failing confidence apart even further. That and be made leader.
"You've got another thing coming if you think I'm going to take orders from you. Jaune was made the leader and he is the one I'm going to follow." Weiss narrowed her eyes and the very temperature in the room dropped several degrees.
"Weiss, just give it a chance." Ruby quietly pleaded.
"You're taking her side!?" Weiss practically shrieked with indignation. "You're supposed to be my partner!"
"I'm not taking sides!" Ruby's voice escalated after Weiss' fury turned on her. "Jaune was made the leader and I think we should respect that decision." Blake felt herself smirking at the back of Ruby's head. With all three of them aligned against Weiss, it would be easy to force her to back down. You couldn't become team leader through coercion if no one was on your side.
"Guys, it's alright. I'll hear what she has to say. You can head out." Oh dammit. Blake had forgotten that Jaune was an idiot that probably didn't want to be leader to begin with. There was no way she was going to let him talk his way out of this. It was best for all of them.
She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Don't you dare let her be leader. You're the only one I'll follow. Just believe in yourself a little."
He gave her an appreciative smile and patted the hand that was still on his shoulder. "Thanks Blake. We're just going to talk it over. If Ozpin likes what she has to say and makes her leader, then that is his decision. We should all respect that." He made a point of meeting Ruby's eyes as he said the last line.
"Jaune, you don't have to do this." Ruby shook her head and stared at him with the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could manage.
"I do have to do this." He affirmed himself and took a commanding stance. "As your current team leader, I'm telling you two to trust me. We'll meet you guys out there in a few minutes." Blake clicked her teeth and Ruby lowered her shoulders.
"Tai, if you would show the others out." Ozpin finally spoke and Blake remembered they had just had this whole confrontation in front of some of the most influential people in the world. They would be lucky if they didn't just revoke their acceptance to this special Project.
"Of course." Tai nodded, his face a mask of indifference. It was impossible for her to gauge what it was he was thinking as he walked up to them. He placed one of his hands on Ruby's shoulder, gently. "Come on, let's leave them to it."
"Jaune." Blake prepared to make one last ditch effort to convince him. He turned to look at her and the words on the tip of her mouth died as she looked into his blue eyes. The expression he put into them was that of reassurance. He had some kind of plan. Whatever this was about, it wasn't about him rolling over and giving Weiss leadership.
"I don't need to force you out, right?" Taiyang asked as he passed by their side. Blake allowed her eyes to hold contact with Jaune's a moment longer before pulling away to end their silent conversation. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she knew it was going to be alright now. She just had to believe in him.
"No, I'm leaving." Blake fell in line with Ruby and they walked out together. As they left, she had to tell herself again it was going to be alright.
Jaune must have known what he was doing.
Jaune had no idea what he was doing.
Several minutes ago, he wanted nothing more than to give up his role as leader to anyone else on the team. Ruby would make a better leader than he would. Yet here he stood now, prepared to go up against Weiss to maintain his position. He wasn't going to hand it over. Not after Blake and Ruby both vouched for him. He may not have any respect for himself, but he had only the greatest respect for them... and if they believed in him, then he was sure as Hell going to give it a shot.
That just left him one really, really big obstacle: Convincing Weiss. It was no secret that she wasn't very fond of him, and he couldn't blame her. Still, things like that didn't matter. He wanted, no, he needed her support. If he was going to lead this team and keep them all alive, he needed to know they would follow his lead. That was what was most important to him, keeping them alive. With this resolve in place, he took a defiant stance right in front Ozpin's desk. Weiss stepped up next to him, prepared to make her points.
Ozpin had what Jaune could only describe as an amused grin as he shifted his eyes back and forth between the two of them. It almost looked like he had expected this to happen. It wouldn't surprise Jaune at all if that was actually the case. This guy did seem to get kicks out of putting him in difficult situations. "Well then, how about we do this in a proper candidate style? Miss Schnee, I'll let you give your points first since you're the one challenging. Mister Arc will then have his turn to defend his position. I'll ask you both some questions after you've given your piece and once I'm satisfied, will make my decision."
"Acceptable." Weiss crossed her arms and sent Jaune a sideways glare.
He only shrugged. "Sounds fair to me."
"Very well then. Miss Schnee, you have the floor." He gestured to her with his mug.
"Thank you, Professor." She straightened her stance and cleared her throat. "The reasons I'm a far more suitable candidate as opposed to this buffoon-" Man, she didn't have to be so mean. "- are numerous. For starters, heritage. I am the next in line to run the prestigious Schnee Dust company. I have been groomed my whole life on how to make decisions and run a company that has its hand in every kingdom. Decisions that will affect the lives of thousands on a daily basis. Leading three students hardly seems a challenge when compared to that. Next is skill: I effortlessly dispatched numerous Grimm on my own out there while Arc here blundered about trying to kill even the most mundane of adversary we came across. I am not saying that Arc is without his merits, but none of them contribute to effectively leading a team. I could go on, but I think I've painted a pretty clear picture with just that. I have no desire to waste more of your time than necessary."
Qrow snorted in what sounded like drunken amusement and shook his head, leaning against the desk. Ozpin didn't say anything. Instead he wore the same amused smile he had the whole time since this thing started. He shifted his gaze off Weiss and directed it to Jaune. Well, it looked like it was his turn. He hadn't prepared a speech nearly as elaborate as Weiss'. He was going back to his trusty fall-back of winging it. It usually worked, why not now?
He inhaled deeply and let out a deep breath. "A lot of the things Weiss just said are true. Killing even the weakest Grimm is a difficult task for me. I'm not all that smart. Most of the things I came up with were desperate attempts to survive. However, I will do whatever it takes to keep this team together." Weiss scoffed at this claim. He didn't blame her. She didn't trust him. That was the thing that separated the two of them. "Blake and Ruby trust me. They'll lend me their support whenever I need it. That's the one thing that initiation really taught me: Trust in your comrades."
He turned to Weiss. "You came back for Blake and I. Thank you for that."
Her face contorted in obvious confusion. "W-what?"
"I just realized that I never thanked you. Ruby told me you were prepared to knock out her dad to bring the ship back. Blake may have her doubts, but I know deep down you're a good person. You're all of the things you just said you were. You're smart, resourceful, beautiful, and kind of harsh. I trust you completely. I know it's not what you wanted, but I want you to lend me your talents to help make this team the best it can be as my vice-commander. Yours is the only role we hadn't decided on yet, after all." Weiss opened and closed her mouth, unable to form words. Multiple emotions swapped across her face every second before settling on one of contemplation.
Jaune turned back to Ozpin. He hadn't meant to start addressing Weiss in the middle. It had just kind of happened. "Sorry, that's all I have to say. You can ask your questions now."
Ozpin's amused smile morphed into a smirk. "I don't think there is a need for that anymore, do you Miss Schnee?"
"Huh?" Weiss was snapped out of her stupor and pointed at her own face, mouth opened to form a small o. He merely stared at her as it was obvious he wasn't talking to anyone else. Her whole posture then slumped, arms falling to dangle at her sides and she let out a rough sigh. "How stupid. Like I could compete against such blunt honesty as that. Scheming politicians were much easier to deal with."
"So then…?" Jaune couldn't believe it. Was she saying what he thought she was?
"I'm agreeing to be your vice-commander... temporarily." Jaune couldn't help the big grin that stretched across his face. Weiss grimaced as she saw it. "You better be prepared for me to call you out on your blunders though! If I ever feel you're not suited to the task I won't hesitate to rip your authority from you! The only reason I'm agreeing to this is because Belladonna and Ruby won't follow me at all if I take the position from you now."
"I can accept that." He took a step forward and stuck out his hand.
Weiss glared at it for about a second before reaching her own hand out and giving his a brief shake. "You better convince that partner of yours of this. This won't work otherwise."
"Blake will understand. We're all in this together." He tried to assure her but the doubt remained. "We won't know for sure until we try. Come on, let's go talk to them." He nodded his head towards the door and she took the first step towards it.
"Actually, I would like a word alone with Mister Arc for a second." Ozpin called out, stopping them both in their tracks. Weiss gave Jaune a confused look but he could only shrug. He looked to the headmaster who had yet to move from behind his desk. Whatever it was he wanted to talk to him about, Jaune hadn't the slightest clue.
He sighed before nodding to Weiss. "Go on ahead. I'll be right behind you." Her gaze lingered on him for a second before doing just that.
Jaune turned back to Ozpin and Qrow and heard the door shut behind him. He waited for the headmaster to talk. Several seconds went by and nothing was said. Still, Jaune waited. The only audible noise in the room were the numerous gears both above and below him as they turned. This room was rather eerie, actually. Who had glass floors anymore? Those things were just freaky.
A full minute went by and still Ozpin said nothing. The only thing he did at all was take a sip from his mug from time to time. Was this some sort of test? Maybe Ozpin was waiting for him to say something first? What if he was waiting for someone else to join them? Who would that be though? Maybe it was school security? What if he knew all along that Jaune had faked his transcripts to get in and had launched him into the forest thinking he would quit?
"Do you always let your emotions show so readily on your face, kid?" It was Qrow that finally broke the silence, giving a short chuckle and taking another swig from his flask.
"Huh?" Jaune was suddenly very aware of every muscle in use on his face. It was undoubtedly contorted in something akin to pure panic. "Umm... yes?" Note to self, never play poker. He would be broke.
"Hmm." Ozpin merely nodded at Jaune's response. "It's been a while since I've met someone as entertaining as yourself, Mister Arc." Jaune knew it! This guy got kicks out of everything he put him through! "You won Miss Schnee over rather quickly. I can't help but wonder if that was a calculated move or more of your fight-or-flight instincts doing the talking for you?"
Jaune didn't know what he meant. "All I did was tell the truth."
Ozpin tapped his desk and considered his words. "Interesting. If I'm being honest, I didn't expect you to defend your position. I thought you would have tried to convince me to promote her to leader instead. It's very rare for someone to go against my expectations like that."
Jaune ran a hand through his hair and gave a guilty grin. "I had honestly planned to do the same up until I saw how against it Blake and Ruby were. So for the sake of keeping the team together, I'm willing to bear the weight of this position."
"Oh?" Ozpin raised a curious eyebrow. "And what weight is that?"
"The weight of their lives of course." Jaune's face and stance settled into staunch determination. "No matter what happens out there, I'm going to protect the three of them with my life… and my decisions."
Ozpin lifted his hands and crossed his fingers in front of his mouth as he leaned forward. Jaune could've sworn he saw him smile before doing that. "That right there is precisely why I made you the leader of this team. I imagine it is this resolve of yours that has earned Miss Belladonna's unwavering trust. I'm expecting great things from you in Lambent. You and the rest of AWBR. Which brings me to the last thing I wished to discuss with you." He grabbed a single last file that was left over from the previous ones distributed and gently tossed it to the far side of the desk, closest to Jaune. "I have my concerns about this school, you see."
"Concerns?" Jaune titled his head. "Like what?"
"Certain people-" Qrow answered, not bothering to hide his distaste as he did. "-are certain that this school is best for everyone in the world. They truly believe that if we don't change the way we do things soon it might be too late. I don't think they're entirely wrong, but I also think they're excluding one group of people when he says everyone."
"Who?"
"You and your fellow students, Mister Arc." Ozpin answered, his voice carrying a small hint of anger in it. Not directed at him, thankfully, but it was there. When Ozpin continued it was gone and his voice was as monotone as usual. "You are all so young. I worry that this academy is built for something far more sinister than what they're telling us."
"Stop, stop right there!" Jaune waved his hands frantically and took a couple hesitant steps back. "Why would you support something like this if you have so many worries about it?" For that matter, did this mean there was something true about Ren's concerns with these schools being so close to one another?
"With or without Beacon's support, it was going to happen. By agreeing to go along with it, I can maintain my relationship with the other schools that are also sending attendees. Also, this gives me a chance to send someone in that can observe and report everything it is that he witnesses while there."
Jaune nodded as he finally began to understand what the headmaster was talking about. Well, most of it. "That's all well and good, but why are you telling me all this?" Ozpin and Qrow both raised their eyebrows at him and he then felt himself break out in a cold-sweat. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no! I'm not some kind of spy. I can barely keep a secret. Trust me, you don't want me to do it. Why not have him do it?" Jaune pointed at Qrow. "He's going with us, isn't he?"
"I'm not exactly going to be in a position to help out, y'see... the headmaster and me go way back. He's not going to exactly let his guard down around me." Qrow shook his head, actually looking like he felt something akin to sympathy for a moment. The effect was ruined not even a second later when he let out a drunken burp.
"Besides," Ozpin reached his hand forward and tapped the folder he had just tossed on the desk. "To my understanding, you actually have a couple secrets that you're hiding quite well at the moment."
Jaune gulped. He took an uneasy step forward despite every warning bell in his brain telling him not to. He walked right up to the desk and placed his hand on the folder. They trembled so badly he had a hard time grasping the flap to flip it open. When he finally managed to, all of his worst fears were confirmed.
His transcripts stared him right in the face. His incredibly fake, very forged transcripts.
Ozpin didn't say anything more and Jaune knew he didn't need to. Forgery wasn't the worst law one could break but it did have some steep stipulations if caught.
Best case scenario he would have to pay a hefty fine and would forever be blacklisted from any and all Hunter training facilities. Worst, well he didn't want to consider the worst since he the "best" was horrible enough. That would be a bit of a dream-crusher right there. He would never become a Huntsmen with one word from either of these men. His dream would be dead. More importantly, he would have to separate from the team whose full trust he just earned. From his partner.
There was only one road for him to take if he wanted to keep all that.
"Fine. I'll be your spy."
Chapter End
AN: Alright, finally got to the team getting their name officially.
Pyrene is a colorless chemical commonly used in making dyes, so that's where their team name came from.
I'm also obviously taking a big step away from Canon now. Not that I had exactly clung too closely to it to begin with, but this story is going to get even more AU as it goes along. Some things from the show will remain consistent but others are going to have to change. I'll also be introducing that OC that is tagged in the characters.
Next time, the teams arrives at Lambent and Weiss is in for a surprise when she recognizes the one running it.