The walk after the ceremony had been boisterous for most of his new friends. Yang had immediately begun gushing over Ruby, trapping the younger girl in a headlock as she did her best impression of a hellcat. Nora was busy making plans with, or rather at Weiss while Rin tried her best to keep the kinetic Valkyrie from smothering the heiress who had an expression on her face that he didn't like at all. Her eyes glanced towards Ruby before hardening, and Jaune couldn't help the pang of irritation he felt surge inside him. Ruby could be naïve sometimes, and she was somewhat clumsy but what had she done to deserve such animosity?

They reached the mess hall for the welcome feast, and to his surprise it wasn't as lavish an affair as he had expected it to be. The food was the only thing that seemed extravagant, and only slightly at that. He had eaten most of the dishes on his birthday, but never at the same time. Boiled duck, stuffed turkey, a number of massive cakes; it was all surreal enough that he heard Pyrrha call out to him inquisitively after he had been staring blankly ahead for a time. Putting on a smile for his partner, he inwardly hoped she wouldn't be as mothering all the time: he'd had enough of that from his family. There unfortunately weren't enough seats for them and team RVNS to sit together, but Jaune was tired of moping and being so meek all the time. He wasn't going to be the old Jaune anymore.

The table immediately fell quiet as his team settled down, and Jaune found himself adjacent to a brunette that was taller than him while dressed in full plate armor emblazoned with the insignia of a large bird. Turning towards her to say hello, he found her staring at him with what was a decidedly unfriendly expression on her face. Before Jaune could ask what had crawled up her panties, he found her inches away from him. The air itself seemed to still as the large woman growled at him.

"I knew it" she called turning to the three girls besides her, "Ozpin was fully of shit. No way does this prick have aura".

Not one to give up so soon, Jaune pushed forward in optimistic confidence as he held out his hand.

"Hi there, the name's Jaune Arc. I don't really know why you think I don't have aura, but you can ask my team and they'll tell you I do. Isn't that right guys?"

Looking towards his team for affirmation, he paused upon seeing their faces. Pyrrha's eyes were narrowed as she stared past him, while the forced smile on Yang's face seemed alien, even as she waved weakly at the girl. Blake seemed the least affected, still eating with a book open next to her food. He felt a calloused hand grab his just as he saw her amber eyes dart towards him. Happy to finally make some progress, Jaune turned towards his neighbor only to experience a grinding pain that threatened to make him call out. The girl was actually trying to crush his hand. Well, maybe this was how huntresses hazed each other? Jaune tried to bear the pain, biting his lip to muffle his voice as the pressure refused to let up. The seconds were agonizing and he was forced to hold in his whimper but the girl did let go. She was definitely much stronger than him if the drained aura was any indication. Hoping she'd be satisfied, Jaune looked at her expectantly only to get a derisive snort.

"Well, looks like I was wrong. Perhaps there is a single guy on this planet that isn't a burden."

Irritation flared up and he visibly bristled at her malevolent sneer. No, this wasn't someone he could make friends with.

"That's not a very nice way to talk about your father" he shot back, but the girl only cackled in response.

"Oh no, he's a burden for sure. Only reason my mom keeps him around is because she has to. Keeping up appearances, and all that."

"I'd like to see you do half the things men have to do without aura" he retorted as the girl narrowed her eyes, looking down at him in a scornful scowl he couldn't help but feel he had seen before.

"A pack mule can do everything a man can do and they're probably smarter and better at it as well. I don't know what Ozpin was thinking when he let you in, but you won't survive the year. I promise you"

"Is that a threat?" he heard Yang smirk without a trace of humor as the telltale sound of Ember Celica engaging made itself heard.

The girl reached for her mace, but before she could draw her partner pointed and whispered something into her ear. The massive mace was re sheathed as the huge girl's eyes wandered somewhere behind him. The quartet got up, but not before turning back around for one final snipe.

"Not a threat, Xiao Long. A fact."

Jaune realized that the din of the mess hall had vanished. All eyes were on their table, and despite how hard he tried to disappear into the floor, the sensation of being watched remained.

"I don't really feel hungry, anymore" he intoned weakly as he did his best to put on a smile that wasn't pitifully fake. Before he could get up, a hand grabbed his wrist as Yang stood up as well. Pyrrha simply picked up her tray while Yang smiled as she saw the guilt on his face. A resounding smack on his back left him nearly wheezing and he glared at Yang while working to catch his breath.

"Oh cheer up already. Time for us to check out the rooms!"

Blake - sighing silently enough that the only sign of it was her posture – followed the trio but thankfully for him employed the same apathetic look she had had for the past hour.

There were a few… complications that had been pushed to the back of his mind after the revelation that he was going to be team leader. Jaune had lived with at least one sister in his life at all times. Jen regularly came to visit and unwind with them but Arya was too caught up in the wanderlust, simply forgetting to come home for months at a time. The rest of his sisters made an effort to stay at home whenever they were able to, so their brother was deeply intimate with what living with multiple women entailed. Bras everywhere, tampons strewed across the entirety of the bathroom, and multiple indignant shrieks – that had eventually petered down to deadpan looks and sighs after the hundredth time – when he or his sisters walked in on each other when they were… less than decent. That, however, was family. On the way to the dorms the crushing, bloody tampon of reality had smacked loudly against Jaune as he realized what he was in for. Jen might have apologized for him walking in on her when he was too young to understand but he was under no illusions any such mistakes with Yang, Pyrrha or Blake would cut his huntsman career drastically short.

Team RVNS had reached their rooms first, Nora bouncing ever higher in her bed, her squeals of joy drowned out by Rin's increasingly hysterical pleas for her to stop. Weiss seemed resigned, her head in her hands as she muttered something under her breath. Jaune had had an idea about the rooms seeing as how even of his sisters had attended the academy, yet he was still surprised by how cramped they seemed. The beds were almost touching each other, and the study tables seemed fit to burst; having been compressed into a space that was definitely not big enough for them between the cupboards and the walls. Leaving the rest of them to their revelry – and Weiss to her melancholy – he turned back to see the fourth member of his team and his partner already in the room.

Blake had been the most withdrawn of his teammates, and her behavior seemed almost furtive. She had humored Yang's eccentricities patiently but Jaune could still sense how aloof she was trying to keep herself from the rest of them. Pyrrha on the other hand had been hovering over both him and Yang like a mother hen. Both of them had already claimed the furthest and the second furthest beds in the room respectively and were unpacking their suitcases that had somehow been delivered to their dorms. Before he could join in however, arms that had now become annoying familiar wrapped around his neck.

"Oof, get OFF."

"As a matter of fact, I did recently but thank you for asking."

Jaune's struggle renewed in earnest, even as he was dreading the looks on his team's faces. Natalie had always been crass to say the least and this wasn't how he expected his first day as team leader to go. Finally elbowing the older girl in her stomach as hard as he could, he emerged from beneath her fit to pass out from all the blood rushing to his face. He whipped around to glare at his tormentor, ready to spew bile, only to have any anger dissipate like ice in a frying pan. Natalie was bent over, wheezing as she tried to draw breath.

Uncertainty crept into his voice, as he called out to her.

"Nat?"

It wasn't even a moment before she was back up however, her face tinged with red from what seemed like embarrassment rather than discomfort.

"I guess I don't have to hold back on you anymore, do I? Damn, I don't remember being this strong at your age". Her smile was plastered back on her face as she looked around at the rest of them, Team RVNS having emerged after hearing the commotion.

"Soooo, Jaune. Introduce me?"

"This is my sister, Natalie" he said pointing over his shoulder at her before turning around and introducing each of them. He was about to introduce Pyrrha however when she interrupted him.

"You think I don't know who she is? You moron, she's like Jen was when she was younger."

Jaune tilted his head, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Jen was on a cereal box?"

The resounding slap as Natalie's hand impacted her face was enough to make people emerge from their rooms to stare at the second year huntress holding her hand to her face so forcefully it was like she was trying to make it go through her head.

With a sigh Jaune thought was a tad too dramatic she turned to a guffawing Yang and a Pyrrha who had a hand in front of her mouth trying in vain to stifle a giggle. Even Blake's mouth was upturned as her eyes kept darting towards the three of them.

"I wish you luck. You're going to need it" turning to him, she began straightening his collar to his mortification, swatting aside his protesting hands.

"I have to go to class" she whispered.

"Stay safe."

"Where did this come from?" Jaune queried. His sister had never been one for exposing the chinks in her armor.

She squeezed him tighter, making him wince as she scoffed without mirth.

"Just stay safe"

She left with such haste he could almost have thought that he imagined it, were it not for the myriad of looks on his teams faces.

Rolling his eyes at what was going to undoubtedly be ammunition for Yang's barrage if her grin was any indication, he sighed heavily enough to hunch his shoulders.

"Let's go. We've got a room to settle into. Save your jabs till we're inside."

"Alright, so some ground rules" Yang proclaimed after they had all claimed a bed.

"Since we've got a boy, we'll have to make some accommodations other teams won't, obviously"

"You make it sound like being a boy is a disability. Also, I'm not a boy. I'm a man" Jaune protested.

"Suure you are"

"I'm seventeen!"

"Of couurse you are"

"That doesn't even make any sense! I am seventeen!" he cried. Thankfully before Yang could kill him from a burst blood vessel, his ever reliable partner stepped in.

"How about we get back to the rules? Jaune, do you have problems waking up early?"

Realizing he was being addressed, Jaune broke his glaring contest with Yang –though she only smirked – to turn to his partner.

"No. I'll usually be up before you anyways. I don't sleep much."

"Perfect, then you can get the first shower."

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on" Yang cut in. "I need hot water to nourish my luscious locks. How do I know you won't use all of it?"

"Because my hair isn't long enough to choke myself with?"

That seemed to give the buxom blonde pause, as she stared at him wordlessly for a few moments before nodding.

"Alright, you can have the first shower. Now, apart from that you can't masturbate in the room" said the blonde even as Jaune did his best to bury his face in his hands while Pyrrha looked fit to explode.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

"ME?" she yelled back "I know what you boys do. I just don't want anything to scar poor old Pyrrha here."

"Actually" a voice called from above them. "That's a bit private, isn't it Yang? It's his room as well. As long as it's done privately, y'know."

"What! Now you speak up?" he looked incredulously towards his black haired teammate who had the decency to blush.

"You know what fine" Jaune resigned as he fell back into his bed.

"But none of you can leave underwear lying around."

"WHAT" all three voices exclaimed.

Jaune's eyes glazed over as memories of finding unmentionables hanging off his bedposts, cupboards, and nearly every other conceivable surface assaulted his mind. To make matters worse, his sisters would always round up on him if he dared to so much as move it, no matter where it was. Before he could succumb to the madness, he shook himself out of the nightmare and looked back to his team.

"No. Underwear. In. The. Room" Jaune enunciated each word with increasing hysteria and even Yang flinched and was forced to take a step back.

"Sheesh, okay. You act like a bra murdered your family."

Jaune's intense look didn't waver however, forcing Yang to turn away her eyes from his piercing gaze. The nigh palpable tension that had somehow settled in the room was dispelled with a knock on the door, Yang practically sighing with relief for the reprieve. Pyrrha swung the door open and he could hear someone speak but the line of sight was obscured from where he was sitting. His partner turned around like someone swinging a marionette, her eyes wide and locked onto his.

"Jaune. It's your mother" was all she said before she went and sat ramrod straight in her bed, her eyes staring ahead as she looked at what must have been a very interesting spot on the wall with an expression he could best describe as that of a mannequin. Shrugging it off, he made his way to the door to see his mother dressed in the strangest garb he had ever seen.

Her hair was covered in a red scarf, obscuring her luscious hair and he could barely see her cheeks because of the massive sunglasses she wore. If Pyrrha hadn't told him it was his mother he doubted whether he would have recognized her.

"Mom?" he asked as his eyes narrowed. "Why are you dressed like this?"

She didn't reply except to pick him up for a bear hug that left him blue in the face. It was only when he began exhaling in pants that his mother dropped him, only to grab his face in her hands as she forced him to look into her eyes.

"I'm so proud of you"

At any other time he might have blushed and accepted her praise but he was currently very exposed; standing in the doorway and in full sight of his team, not to mention Yang.

"Mooom" he whined, "Let go, I'm fine" he drawled as his mother finally gave in to his efforts even as the beginnings of the avalanche that would no doubt overwhelm him could be heard in the background, Yang's sniggering giving him chills. Absentmindedly he thought of how easily his mother had subdued him; when his family hadn't even given him cause to so much as wince due to them throughout his life.

That infuriating parental immunity to embarrassment had flared up however, and she brushed off his protests as she looked over him with a critical eye.

"I saw your initiation. You showed such an instinctive mind for strategy I was thinking we should have sent you to the defense corps."

"But then how would he be a part of the best team in Beacon?" a voice called from behind him, and such was her personality that despite knowing her for barely a day he could already recognize Yang's voice dripping with mirth. He turned around to see her smiling her best smile at both of them.

"Yang Xiao Long. Brawler, bombshell and partner extraordinaire at your service."

Jaune sighed but his eyes instantly narrowed as he saw his mother's dangerous smile creep its way on to her face.

"Blake Belladonna is that foxy little thing over there, and I'm sure you know who Pyrrha is. She definitely knew who you were though."

Blake however, seemed unnaturally demure. She squeaked out a hello before instantly retreating back behind her book. Pyrrha still looked like a puppet with how she stared ahead; he'd have to see what had gotten into her soon. His attention was broken however, as his mother addressed the rest of his team in a voice so saccharine he could feel the tooth ache it would give him.

"I see. I saw the two of you, but I didn't really know your names. It's only fitting really" and he could practically hear Blake gulp as Yang's smile deflated like a balloon popped with a greatsword.

"That I know what names to put on your gravestones. You should be happy it's me, Jen wanted to string you up and leave you in the Emerald forest. I'll make it quick, as a courtesy to your mother."

Yang instinctively took a step back, trying to laugh to break the tension only for the sound to fizzle out as his mother refused to drop her smile.

"You can imagine how stressed a mother would be when she sends her only son into a forest full of Grimm" she said with a hand on her hip and the other tapping her chin as Blake tried to recede further into her bed and Yang sputtered a few more laughs like a dying engine.

"And now think how she would feel when the first persons he meets shoot him in the leg to verify his claim"

"N-now, Mrs. Arc, you have to understand" she pleaded as she made her way towards Blake who for her part was trying to make it towards the window. It wouldn't be any use however.

"We were just trying to make sure he actually had aura. We didn't want to risk it with the Grimm, who might go for something more essential than a foot" Blake finally spoke out after finding her back to the proverbial and literal wall. Someone more vindictive might have let it go on for a little longer, but Jaune knew what being on the other side of the fence felt like and his teammates hadn't done anything to deserve it. Well, apart from shooting him but he had aura so he was willing to let things slide.

"Mom, stop scaring my team" he huffed as he tried to drag her away by her elbows.

"Come on, I want to know how everyone's doing. Qrow broke my scroll on the first day of training"

A squeak finally drew his mother's attention away from the cornered huntresses and towards the doorway. The two of them turned to see a head of black hair just manage to vanish. Jaune sighed before calling out.

"Come on out Ruby. Let's get the introductions over with"

"Umm hello" she barely whispered out with her face as red as her namesake.

"Mom, this is Ruby Rose. My first friend at Beacon"

Ruby surprised him by speaking up however, though her nervousness was still apparent.

"I didn't mean to spy on you, but did you say Qrow?"

Jaune finally understood, even as he palmed his forehead for not making the connection earlier. The memory of the Beowulf attack had been pushed to the back of his mind but he could still remember someone dressed like Ruby and Yang training with Qrow at the time.

"Mom, she's Qrow's niece."

His mother's eyes widened as she came to the same realization he did, and she extended a hand forward.

"I would never have guessed someone so adorable could be related to that drunk hussy"

"Yang's also her niece"

"Perhaps I spoke too soon. Tell me dear, are you sure you're related to that strumpet and this girl?"

Ruby's eyes went from embarrassed to downcast instantly and Jaune could feel the atmosphere in the room fall rapidly. This definitely wasn't something they should be intruding on. He heard Yang approaching them from behind but his mother reacted swiftly, no doubt more experienced with such situations than he probably ever would be.

"No matter. Remember Miss Rose, you are not your uncle, or your sister, or your parent. You are yourself, and only you can decide who that is"

Jaune saw some of the confusing melancholy dissipate off her visage as Ruby looked up, her lips upturning into a ghost of a smile.

"Come Jaune, your father met some old friends outside and he'll probably stay with them till nightfall if I let him"

Nodding to his team – Blake and Yang somewhat relieved to know they weren't facing imminent death anymore, and Pyrrha no longer catatonic – he followed her out of his room.

The mother-son pair walked in silence through the thoroughfare, wading through the mass of huntresses making their way to and from Beacon. The comfortable silence reminded him of the times the two of them would visit the park, spending the evening on a bench. His head laid in her lap as her hand stroked through his hair while the din of playing children blanketed him even as sleep gradually overcame him.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, breaking the quietude.

"What about?"

"The Atlesian debt crisis" she deadpanned even as he giggled knowingly.

"Mom" he gasped theatrically, "that is not an appropriate topic to broach with your son!"

"Oh shush. I can still remember how you would find a way to crawl into bed with Jen whenever she was home"

His blush was almost as vivid as Ruby's, and he whined out an indignant "moooom" as he huffed.

"You can't out embarrass your mother, Jaune. I've seen you eating your own p-"

"OKAY YOU WIN" he yelled, attracting a few stares as he clamped down a hand on her mouth, feeling her smile underneath his palm.

"Will you tell me honestly how you feel now?"

Jaune exhaled. There was silence for a few seconds, then tasting the word in his mouth leisurely, he replied.

"Conflicted"

"About what?"

"I guess after living with you guys, I forgot not everyone is egalitarian. Some still look down on others for factors beyond their control"

He noted his mother's shoulders stiffen, but before she could make him spill he continued.

"But not my team. Hell, you saw yang shoot me in the foot. I'm pretty sure I won't have to worry about her coddling me. Pyrrha might be another case however she followed my instructions without hesitation" he said as he stopped in his tracks.

"Come to think of it, they all did. Why would they trust me, when they couldn't know if I was even trained or not?"

"Because you gave them orders they could see the merit in. I watched the fight, and though your footwork needs a lot of work, your tactics were above par. Besides, it's not like you told them to jump into the mouth of the deathstalker or anything. They'd have doubted even someone like Jen in that instance."

She gestured to an empty bench cushioned by the gardens, resuming once the two of them sat down.

"Eventually however, if you keep working together and all of you make an effort to make this team a family, they'll follow you right into the belly of the beast"

Jaune didn't reply, mulling his mother's words in his mind as they watched students, faculty and maintenance crews walk by. The breeze still affected him, aura apparently not effective against the elements.

"Why me, mom?"

"Hmm?" she replied distractedly, as he followed her eyes to see his father conversing animatedly with a green haired bespectacled woman.

"Why do I have aura?"

The sigh she released laid her exhaustion bare and he immediately regretted his inquiry.

"I don't know, Jaune. I confess, I never wanted you to come. But I knew you'd hate me forever if-"

"I'd never hate you" he replied immediately, sternly.

"Nonetheless, you'd resent living at home, and end up resenting me. The Grimm don't scare me Jaune, or not any more than they did for your sisters. No, I'm scared of something far more vicious."

She looked into his eyes somberly before replying.

"Humanity. Men and women who would love nothing better than to keep you in a lab until they figured out how to unlock the aura of other men. Already I hear rumors about petitions being made to the council for you to be 'examined' for the greater good", she scowled at his somewhat panicked expression before replying.

"Ozpin blocked them. I told you before and I'll tell you again Jaune, don't trust her. She has far too much power than is right for one person. I don't know what her game is, but she keeps everything close to her chest" his mother's hands tightened, and he could hear the metal of the bench screech, "No matter who dies because of it". The groaning metal was silenced as she let go of it to grasp his face.

"Promise me, if you're in trouble you'll come to me first. If you ever think your life is in danger or you think you might be made to do something you don't want to to save someone, you'll come to me first."

His mother's hysteria frightened him, but Jaune nodded anyway. Anything to rid her of her anxiety.

The panic receded, and she breathed a sigh of relief, bringing his face to hers to plant a kiss on his forehead. Despite his protests, he didn't really attempt to break free either.

"Now come on. Your father is going to keep going all day if we let him, and I have to meet Natalie as well."

His mother stood, making her way to the chatting duo and his father had the decency to blush when confronted about forgetting why they were here. Jaune began to make his way when his eye caught sight of someone staring at him. He wheeled around, ready to accuse only to see the figure walk past him to greet someone in the gardens. Shaking his head, he made his way towards his parents just in time to stop his mother from humiliating his father even more.

All the while, the two figures in the garden didn't really seem like they wanted to hug. Their eyes locked instead on his back.

Before you lynch me, I told you this chapter was going to take longer. Moved to a new city and it took time to get down to writing. This chapter was a bit of world building and exposition, so hopefully you guys don't get bored. I know it's a massive dick move but I'm sorry. I can't really keep to updating this story every week. I'll try not to leave it for so long either but between unemployment and hunting universities for further studies its fair to say I'm a bit distracted. Anyways enough of my excuses, review and tell me what you like, what you don't, but most importantly. Tell me your opinion on the Argentine debt crisis of 2001. It gets me moist.