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Chapter 9: Unexpected Trip

No matter how comfy the bed was or how puffy her pillows were, Nora couldn't ignore her wounded body and pride. The normally cheerful girl's contribution to the last battle was negligible at best. She couldn't even blame it on the sheer age and power of their collective enemy.

Pyrrha and Ren had been productive, and she didn't even need to mention their cool leader. But what about her, she had been smacked by her own weapon. Now that was just embarrassing. On that note, she had to remember to clean her weapon, who knows what that thing had been touching. That's just the kind of thing Ren would point out, maybe he was rubbing off on her after all these years?

Worst of all, she had to admit that she had been at fault for the whole debacle. By disrespecting her leader, she had pushed them in danger. Not the typical huntsmen danger, but an omega horrible danger. It could have been their last adventure. It wasn't like Jaune was bossy or mean, outside of those morning exercises, so she had no reason to ignore him. But she had done it anyway.

Her parents would have lectured her for hours for this. Looking to her side, she saw her two other roommates, Pyrrha and Ren. The bandages just added to her guilt. Nora couldn't stand the sight of them. She sat slouched and disappointed, her eyes locked onto her own sheets.

"Hey Nora", she heard the voice of Jaune say. He had taken the most damage, but seemed to be the most unhurt. When they had been taken to the clinic, he had to explain the incident to the headmaster. Great another reason for her to be upset. She could only hope that they didn't get into trouble.

"Hey, Jaune", she said sadly. Was he here to lecture at her or maybe yell? Well she deserved it.

"I brought over some, egh, homework. On the bright side, I got food too. Something wrong?"

Now that attention was brought to her mood, she found the sheets really interesting. "I goofed up, really bad. Aren't you mad?", she asked abashed. Against her desires, her voice cracked and unshed tears stung her eyes.

She heard the cling of him placing the food on the table by the bed. A soft touch was felt near her eyes as her tears were gently wiped away. Lifting her head she saw an kindly looking Jaune. No reproach or anger was found on his visage. "Isn't it fine? You understand now, don't you? I don't push you so hard because I think it's cool or I'm having a power trip. I just want to ensure that you guys make it through just one more battle. That makes it worth the struggle and the annoyance. As for anger, well I can't really complain. I've been in your position, so very anxious." She saw him get caught up in some fond and painful memory of his.

After a moment he resumed his dialogue, "I was so very obsessed with strength back then. My eldest sister wouldn't allow me to train until she said I was ready. And I belittled her for it. It wasn't just once, but multiple times. Even when she was training others. Still she never wavered in her decision. Eventually I learned my lesson the hard way while trying to overreach, but even then she never mocked me or resented me. She picked me up physically and emotionally, and aided in pushing me forward. Even now I think, Jaune, that's the kind of leader you want to be. What I'm trying to say is that as leader, your mistakes are mine and I say we can move forward from this. " Jaune finished with a bright smile.

Relief washing over her, Nora couldn't help but return the cheery smile.

"Eat and I'll make sure to visit again", he commented.

Even as he left, she laid down much more easily. Resting to her side, she never noticed the smiling forms of Pyrrha and Ren.

...

Ozpin folded his hands in front of him, deep in thought. A steaming mug of tea laid before him, cooling.

Glynda stood beside his desk as she browsed through her scroll. Reaching a stopping point, she addressed the headmaster, "Do you believe the boy's report? It is outlandish."

Smirking mirthfully, he replied, "Now now Glynda, it just wouldn't do to be so skeptical. But in all seriousness, I'm inclined to believe him. Mr. Arc does not appear to be the type to gain his glory through ill means such as misinformation. If nothing else, Pyrrha is of notable character."

At that final point, she had to relent. "Nevertheless, the report is a lot to take in."

Leaning back in his chair, he questioned, "Really? We know nothing of our most mortal enemy. This is a war we are thoroughly losing and research has come to something of a halt. When was the last time we had a significant breakthrough on the creatures of Grimm, Glynda? Ignoring that, you fail to grasp the most vital point."

"Which is?", she questioned puzzled.

"If Grimm are but pawns, who's the puppet master? There is an enemy out there that's not only long lived, but is wise and opposed to our way of life. No matter how much we hack away at the Grimm, until this commanding enemy is gone, it will be purposeless. Simply look at the patterns. How many kingdoms have fallen? If they were so secure, to the same extent as our current kingdoms, where did they go? I don't like the state of current affairs. "

She took a moment to process this, "Shall we alert the council?"

A deep grimace spread on his lips. "I don't believe we shall. Our evidence is limited. And if they do believe us, they may try to limit the movements of Mr. Arc and I can't have that can I? Already he has made far more progress than I have and just within a single semester. No, a better course of action would be some independent investigations. Should I ask some of my contacts, I may find some other temples or perhaps some irregularities in Grimm behavior. Temples would seem to be the best source of information."

"Greater help would allow for a more secure investigation."

Ozpin actually scoffed at the notion, "If you are implying James, then that would be counterproductive. He would more likely blow up the temples and release any stored Grimm before bothering with exploration. No, we shall go slowly and gather information ourselves."

Glynda pushed up her glasses and nodded in assent.

There was much work to be done.

...

With his team indisposed for the moment, he thought it would be an excellent time to explore Vale and cash in those jewels he had attained. All he needed was to find a conversion center. Quite lost in the city, he chose to essentially ask the first person in sight.

It was an orange haired teenage girl. A pink bow rested at the back of her head. She had a blouse underneath a strapped dress. A black backpack was strapped on.

"Hello, can you help me out with some directions?", the feminine swordsman questioned easily.

The girl turned around and her bright green eyes widened, "Are you... asking me?"

"Yup."

"This is most excellent! I get to be a good Samaritan and it could blossom to a beautiful friendship." Her bubbly and fun personality showed through.

Shaking his head lightly, he smiled, "You seem nice enough, so why not? All you needed to do was ask."

For a moment, she quieted down. It appeared like she was awestruck.

Undeterred, he continued, "You could be my first NBB, Non-Beacon Buddy."

She jumped at him and hugged him tightly, "Hurray! I have successfully made my first friend in Vale!"

"That's great. It's an honor. You know what this means, we have to hang out to celebrate. But first, we need to cash in the jewels. "

She agreed and let him down, "For the best advice, I need to see your assets."

Going into his pouch, he showed her all the jewels. Gasping, she exclaimed, "Those are of high quality! This is a substantial amount in all regards. But you shouldn't convert all of these."

"Why?"

She pointed to several thick colored ones and explained, "These are actually crystallized dust. High quality in fact."

Nodding, he pocketed all the jewels, keeping in mind to hold onto the dust crystals. She directed him to a bank. In about an hour a lot of money was transferred into his relatively new bank account. Although, the banker was a bit suspicious, Penny was able to persuade him with some documentation on her part. Interesting but not really important to Jaune. So they left the bank in smiles.

"First stop is clothes", he declared. Looking him over, Penny observed that her new friend was in rather damaged combat gear. Pieces of his white armor were cracked and blackened. Portions of the jacket and pants were torn and stained.

Walking ahead, they saw a store with the sign 'Iron Henry's', and memories hit Jaune. "Let's go in there Penny. I got these clothes from another Iron Henry's."

"Spectacular! I always wanted to shop with a friend. What to guys talk with girls about in such outings?" Penny tapped her cheek in thought.

Shrugging nonchalantly, he said, "Nothing that important. We just bounce subjects of interest until conversation dies out."

Once in the store, the pair noticed a woman, who Jaune recognized as Tiana, talking to some other customer. "Alright Coco, I'll call in when your outfit arrives." Smiling the customer nodded and actually strutted out of the store. Seeing them, Tiana turned to them and greeted them with, "Welcome to Iron Henry's Vale location. Is that you, Jaune?" She smiled

"Yeah. Great to see you again. I kind of wrecked the last outfit. You know the Huntsmen lifestyle."

She sighed with a temperament of one that had given up, "Yes, I do. Sometimes I swear you lot just try to find ways to ruin my designs. But who cares, I make more money that way. Do you two need help?"

Remembering the last time, he was quick to turn her down, "Just my buddy and I will do. By the way this is my friend Penny."

"Hello little lady. On a date?" She teased.

Penny was not affected, "That is incorrect. We are friends! Isn't it most glorious." It was said with such unbridled joy, that Tiana didn't have the heart to tease her.

And so they traversed the building. The two went through a number of outfits until Jaune selected his favorite. It was a black hoodie with silver pauldron-like additions attached to the sleeves and white lining. He wore a navy blue undershirt with a red patch in the center. Jaune's pants were chaps like and black on the outside and lined with silver white edging on the navy blue portions on the inside. Around the pants were yellow crisscrossing straps that were held up with a black belt. On the sides of the pants were red pockets with a black cross on each of them. On the blonde's hands were black gloves that were white on the inside with a yellow line running around them. Interestingly enough, the shoes were large and colored black and yellow with silver soles. A zipper ran across the top, and black straps held them together with buckles around the footwear.

Tiana whistles in approval, "Nice choice, odd combinations, but you do good work."

After paying for the purchase, the pair walked out. As they made their way she pulled out her own scroll and frowned, "I'm sorry, but I have to be going."

"Don't worry about it. We can meet again. Why don't we exchange numbers?"

Stars shined in her eyes as she jumped up and down, "Yes, let's swap numbers." She held him tightly as he returned the gesture. His smile was kind.

He understood the feeling. One's first friends always made a mark, whether good or bad. She was such a nice girl. After sharing contact information, they parted ways in good spirits.

...

After several hours of simply exploring the city, he had many bags in his possession. They were gifts for his healing teammates. From across town, he could hear and see explosions. Logic dictated that he calls the proper authorities and leave this to them.

Moments later, he was racing down the city to the edge of the skyscrapers. By the time he reached the source of the explosions, he witnessed a battle taking place. Penny was taking down a number of airships, like any good respectable life loving person. Airships were a sickness that needed to be put down.

It felt good to have a serious ally.

Anyway, he jumped at the most confident looking one and kicked him in the jaw. Hard. The hat wearing criminal was sent flying.

"Jaune?" Ruby and Blake called out.

Penny was cheering in the background as another airship fell to the ground. An awesome looking monkey Faunus with an amazing tail just looked confused. Jaune focused, he could get acquainted later.

The classy looking criminal, which Ruby informed him was named Roman, grumbled, "You're the rudest brats I've ever met. Hey Neo! Come earn your keep."

In a burst of glass, a petite woman appeared. She twirled her brown and pink hair as she spun her umbrella. Ruby pulled out her weapon and shot multiple rounds. With no sign of concern, Neo spun her umbrella and blocked all of the shots. Using her high speeds, Ruby dispersed and brought her scythe down.

Neo didn't bother following Ruby's path and instead slammed the tip of her weapon into the ground and cracked the very earth. The uneven surface tripped the young huntswoman in training. She felled face first onto the floor as Neo walked easily to her fallen form. With a coy smile she unsheathe the blade of her umbrella and aimed for Ruby's neck. That is until a flying kick came from Jaune.

"Not a chance, little Miss crazy. Ruby maybe you should deal with more of the henchmen", Jaune advised. Ruby nodded in agreement and went to do just that.

"Make this quick", Roman screamed from the docks. Neo smiled and ran towards Jaune. He back flipped and threw pieces of the upturned ground towards her. Dodging said projectiles, she leapt above Jaune and brought her umbrella down on his head.

The agile blonde deflected with Mors and then proceeded to wrap his legs around her waist and slammed her to the ground. She rolled expertly and attempted a jump kick. It missed when he spun around in sync. Then, he returned the favor with a kick to her own stomach causing her to slide across the battlefield.

Panicking, Roman yelled, "Neo we are leaving."

Patting herself down, Neo made a glass mirror of her and Roman, which then shattered. From above them, a single airship rose into the sky and he mumbled, "I hate today's youth."

"Not so fast! Penny, help me out", Jaune called out.

"Right on it", Penny replied. She shot a trio of swords into the body of the airship.

The feminine swordsman ran on the top of the wire and double dropped kick Roman.

"It's dangerous to go alone", she cried out helpfully as she used the wires to zip to the opened airship.

"GUYS! Don't go! How am I going to explain this to everyone?", Ruby screamed to the now empty sky. She kicked a pebble on the ground as she pouted, "Ms. Goodwitch isn't going to be happy. I wonder if I can get on another airship." As she looked around the discarded wreckage she sighed sadly, "I guess not."

...

Above the Kingdom of Vale, the group of four looked anxiously at each other. Well more like Jaune was getting airsick, while Penny tried to soothe him.

"You kids got to go, go, go!" Roman yelled.

"See, you putting my boss in a bad mood." Neo chirped. Her smile looked odd.

"I am combat ready", Penny declared.

"Way I see it, this is two against one. Unless your little buddy wants to get off the floor", Roman chided.

"This is an EVIL MACHINE!", a sickly Jaune roared.

As the airship rose above the clouds, the group prepared for battle. Then the airship shook heavily, causing everyone to fall to the ground. Looking out the window was a large serpentine yellow eye. The single eye was larger than all the windows combined.

All of them were startled, for it was neither Grimm or any beast they were used to.

It was a great golden dragon!

With a dismissive flap of its wing, it sent the airship flying, spinning towards the ground. Jaune, Neo, Penny, and Roman could only scream.

"I hate airships!" The furious cry of petite male drowned out the other's collective screaming.


Author's Note

Right to the next arc! Did you guys enjoy the set up for the round of exploration. I'm trying to keep to canon in respects to Team RWBY's role, because that's their story while JNPR does its own thing.

Please leave reviews. Quite a few of the reviews have been helpful, such as the light explanation of KI and criticism of the fusion of Id and RWBY story lines. All of that allows me to better the story.