The story had many rewrites - first was with Qrow investigating the remains of Tukson's booktrade, seconds was him entering the police station gathering evidence with cops calling for a background check on him because they believe he couldn't be a huntsman due to smelling like concentrated alcohol (Which ended only being referenced).
Sorry for the long update. This has been overdue but held back by my writer's block and having to scrap multiple versions of this chapter and the tropical heat here is becoming worse like somewhere on the range of 40 to 45 Celsius which is Jesus Christ, me doing nothing still feel like I'm being baked alive in my own house. So, I'm sorry for another excuse guys. I could not bare myself be stuck in a house, with a running pc making things worse.
But oh well.
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Chapter 6 - A theory from the past
There is something brewing in the midst, and it isn't the coffee machine acting up again on its own this time.
It shouldn't be a surprise for someone like Ozpin to notice. A skilled huntsman and a renowned person himself would have noticed something stale in the air, as nothing to him would have gone unseen.
It would be a cruel twist of faith if his instincts were wrong. Despite his years of experience, he knows anything can go either way, the right or wrong, and this is clear in his lack of faith in the two brothers, even though many sing their praises and devotion. He has no interest in those of no value.
However, lately the occurrences that have unfolded involving the terrorist group known as the White Fang have left a terrible impression in his coffee. Even if its steep cost could drain him -school's budget- a fortune to maintain his need to reach a state of clarity to be able to thinking critically, then so be it.
Deep within his head, Ozpin needs it as this situation was incomprehensible for the news of one of his student from the first year by the name of Jaune Arc somehow came entangled in the fray with a mislead group of radicalized faunus, making the aftermath of the situation especially precarious.
Mr. Arc, what have you found yourself in? Grasping his cane, he sips his coffee to keep the edge for something to arrive as he takes a look down from his office and watches the usual crowds of his students walking by.
Ozpin expressed his anger to the council for considering that one of his students could have been the one responsible for the crime and found a way to get away with their status as a huntsman-in-training. He would not have it. The boy couldn't barely look faunus to pass off if he even tried. Perhaps he should keep a closer eye on that boy… make sure he wouldn't get tied up with any criminal entity once more.
Upon hearing the sound of a door behind him being opened and then accompanied by the sound of stumbling steps nearing closer, Ozpin turned his head to happen upon encountering a dusty old Qrow.
A small smile appeared on the headmaster as he nodded to greet his fellow compatriot. "Qrow, good to see you again." Only for the caped figure grumbled under his breath as he tosses a yellow piece of manila envelope plunks on the desk.
The disheveled man with a five o'clock shadow and with an erratic, untamed spiked hair and a tattered red cape flutter lightly behind him and Ozpin already knew him as Qrow Branwen, a former student of his.
Despite the slurred speech of the dusty man, his attempt to sound "cool" and less people don't notice the stench of alcohol on his breath that's strong at all times as if by some chance his liver has became into a functioning distillery, because for those less than ideal traits he got used to, he's still a licensed huntsman and the best at what he does.
Even though Qrow is not a formal Beacon personnel per se, he is still a person that Ozpin depended on to get the job done under the book. Need something or someone found? Then call Qrow. You heard something happen and need it investigated thoroughly? Have Qrow on speed-dial.
To summarize the character of Qrow Branwen, he is as reliable as his reliance on alcohol to keep him upright and conscious, if that makes any sense.
Qrow scratched the side of his neck while his voice sounded like he swallowed gravel as he muttered out his displeasure clear. "Yeah, yeah. It's glad to see you and all too; But couldn't you have talked to someone in the station and asked them for yourself?"
"Hm… I would wager that someone of your professional caliber would be granted entry with no question." Heading back to his desk, Ozpin sets his mug down and in favor of the manila envelope before shifting his sights back to Qrow, who wasn't enlightened a bit. Ozpin wondered why that might be. "Might I ask, did something happen?"
Could it be Qrow's semblance? Ozpin wondered as the caped man himself grumbled. "A small… misunderstanding, nothing to worry about. But couldn't you have sent them a heads-up at least?"
"Believe me, I would if I was able to without raising the interest of anyone from the council taking notice. If not due to one of my students being involved in the incident, now has his privacy breached with name featured on every news channels and newspapers, making it difficult to near impossible for me to request for the police reports without raising eyebrows." Or anyone associated with Beacon, for that matter… The headmaster could only sigh at the misfortune of that night and Mr. Arc.
It would be an understatement to call Mr. Arc a hero or a villain with regard to what happened with Tukson's book-trade on the night of the incident. Ozpin found out this when he opened the envelope, placed the contents on his desk, and started to read the first page that caught his attention.
One that would be very important to take note.
A formal report written by one Officer Zucker Bratton of his investigation of the local water company revealed a revelation: the area was not supplying in the street block enough water without frequent cutoffs, meaning that there couldn't be any source for the sprinklers to activate for several weeks prior to the with possibility that it is the case until explosion.
Now a pattern is beginning to form. Another officer asked the nearby businesses around if their water was cutoff during the night. Every owner was in concord that there had been an absence of water in the pipes and taps on that evening, particularly the restaurants along the streets adjacent to the street had issued a protest against the water company's lack of action after news of the book-trade's destruction.
Thus, the law enforcement agency turned to probing into the water company instead, with no reports after so far.
Yet for now, Jaune Arc himself is a person-of-interest to the police…. and now so is Ozpin himself as well find the boy of curious fascination.
How was it possible for Mr. Arc to achieve such a task? It baffles Ozpin to no end on how he was left in the dark with such a thing. He scours through more pages until he placed his attention on one document filed "Jaune Arc" accompanied by the information Vale has on the boy, birth certificate, race, place-of-birth, family members along the sort. Nothing really the headmaster already knows about, but something rattles him that he has to settle on.
A name, one strikes as familiar. It popped out on one of the redacted papers that made the anomaly that was Jaune Arc even more intriguing. Enough for Ozpin to take an even longer sip than regular, reminding himself where has he had heard that name before.
"Qrow, have you been to Ansel?" Inquired the headmaster as he slid the information to the dusty huntsman who pauses to fishes out something out of his pockets to take on a buzz first before anything else with a swig of liquor from his flask before reading the print.
"What? You also want me to find his parents?" Qrow blurted out as he directed back towards Ozpin.
The headmaster breathed in the aroma of the freshly-brewed golden roasted nectar as he took another sip to wash his senses clean and with a buzz to answer his compatriot's question.. "Yes, it appears there may be complications to this…"
"Complications how? Oz, be real with me. Who is this guy and what's his deal?" The alcohol-addict almost demanded as his sullen eyes stared into the silver-haired caffeine addict; and by that logic makes him have every right to ask. Just what was he getting himself into digging into this kid?
Sure, the man kept speaking in cryptic small sentences, but Qrow can't help himself pry for any more information about what his friend meant as a somber thought crossed him to consider the words "Complications" being too heavy for Qrow to not miss. Is this Jaune dangerous to the point Oz has to tell him to look into even deeper?
Now Qrow isn't a pinnacle of what people would strive to call a role model, he can admit, but he tries to be for the few people he cares about, and he got a family to take care of. He knew that this blond noodle was in the same year in Beacon with his two nieces. Well, by what the youngest of him being friends with that boy is by far enough to be making him worry more.
"Rest assure, it's not like that-" Ozpin was about to answer Qrow's questions until the man himself cut him off.
"Yeah, well, let's hold on for a sec… You see, it's like when you ask me to search for something or someone, they always tend to have importance to us. How about you tell me right here, right now, on what's the big deal? If not, then you better go ask someone else to do it, cause I deserve to at least know why. This guy is close to my nieces and it ain't sitting well with me until I find out who is he exactly?" With a heavy groan, the dusty huntsman concluded his tirade, deciding to listen to what the headmaster has to say - it better be good.
A sigh finally escaped Ozpin's mouth as he took on a second before answering. "Qrow, have you heard of the tale of the Gift of the Moon?"
Only silence met the headmaster as Qrow tried to rationalize or understood what he had just heard. Is this kid the same case as Ozpin? Was the first guess that light in the dusty huntsman's head as he cocked a brow, perplexed at why the silver-haired man would just spout-off hidden history millions of years ago in the context of someone who had just barely survived an explosion and by Glynda's own words, a failing student.
This was crazy, even for Qrow, who is used to being friends with someone as an insane life as Oz! Nuts how? Like he's going to need not just a bottle of two of absinthes for whatever he's about to hear after. Second Salem and now this kid?
"This is just a theory, but… I believe this Jaune Arc has arrived here to judge me." It was almost maddening to the eyes to see, yet a novelty to Qrow witnessing Ozpin grow this serious.
Even during in the darkest times Qrow remembered, all the time Ozpin had always maintained an air of tranquility around and never faltering, not this time. This was far more stern for even Qrow to look.
Ozpin's eyes fell upon his mug.
As the steam from the coffee dissipated, the face of a young man was revealed. His olive-skinned complexion, dark-almond brown scruffy hair, and matching eyes were striking as his image peered. Ozpin hadn't seen this face for so long as it now reflected to him - giving a small smile to the pondering headmaster.
Already gone stale… The headmaster merely frowned as the ripples on the liquid dissolved the image.
If I am to be correct… Old friend, why now? What brings you here and the facade?
Who are you, Jaune Arc? If that is even his true name...
"Okay, first turn on the torch and point towards the areas where you chose the metals to be welded together until they can both conjoin into one with a sustained high enough temperature."
"Be warned to not stress the metal by bending or moving after being newly welded, as the heat-affected zone is now weak and can even turn brittle if not cooled properly."
Turning to the page, one could find a basic explanation and even diagrams showing how welding works and how it influences the metal with the customary procedure those in the engineering industry employ. It was all valuable information. One Jaune Arc could use while he delve deep in a book he found to be useful called. "Engineering for Dolts."
Why, one might ask? Could something have had happened that would pull him to this interest? For that, to make a long story short… Remember when he first tried a certain diving suit on and let's not forget that amazing timing on the cool line he said before putting on the helmet? Yeah, not so cool now when it's riddled with holes.
As luck turned badly out for him, as it always would, that the suit he found to be in rougher shape than he imagined to borderline unusable and, with no replacements that could protect him from the sharks swimming outside beyond the glass wall…
With that, he's entrusted himself to turn to books to for some self-education on how to handle a hammer without hitting his fingers or denting the suit further and for the love of Oum stop himself from melting the suit while welds to plug holes and reinforce it for some extra protection.
Give his hands a go at it into working order once more before braving the deep ocean and the marine animals looking for a vulnerable piece of human meat inside glorified a walking tin can.
Well, nothing a little elbow grease could turn the heap of scrap he's left with to a somewhat working suit, simple. Easier said than done when theirs a drug-addicts around the corner armed and dangerous while he works. Well, life ain't exactly fair now without a little hardship to build character.
Jaune's eye then blinked at a voice beside him. "Truly a surprise seeing you here. So, taken an interest in engineering? Perhaps looking to modify your arsenal or to expand?" Really, a surprise to see him in a library, really?
He knew right away whose voice it was, only for a moment…
Jaune set down his book and spotted a magenta streak in a sea of black hair, which put a smile on his face, greeting his friend. "Hey, Ren., not-so surprise seeing you here. Oh, this little thing?" Casually raise the book from his hand that he's reading. "Er… Something like that. By the way, where's Nora? Isn't she always with you?"
"I'm aware that I'm not always able to accompany Nora, so Pyrrha has offered to keep an eye on her. I heard they were going to go mountain climbing, which doesn't mean what I said." Ren's magenta eye rose for a moment to think before descending his gaze back to his leader when he recalled her partner jumping around their room full of life while preparing for their trip to hike a mountain - said it wouldn't take long.
"Mountain climbing? Wha- You know what? I don't even wanna know." Jaune shook his head.
"Good, because you don't want to find out." Ren pointed out flatly, with a nod.
To it left Jaune confusion but a bit more cautious about what that meant by a drawled slow reply. "Alright…"
"Ren?"
"Yes?"
"You believe me, right?"
Ren, now took a seat beside his leader and cast a long, sidelong glance towards him before giving away his answer, what he thinks about… "Jaune, nobody suicidal one day would just save part of a kingdom from a huge fire simply out of a whim of they felt like it or for your case usually, an arbitrary act of kindness. No, they don't. Besides, I'm sure everything you worked for in your dreams would be in vain if you do. You said you have family, right? Think about them and what would they think if you were to give up? I'm positive they believe you as I and Nora." Ren did not hesitate, and no doubts arose to stop him from speaking. He just said what came out of his chest to sound with no second thoughts arising.
This is Jaune, his caring friend who tries to connect to people, a smart leader, and his brother that he can always rely on, the one who will always have his back and the backbone of the team. Right now, the leader is the one in need and for Ren; he is willing to help in the ready to be the one to give to pull him back up.
"If not for family and friends, think about for yourself."
"Huh, well, okay. Thanks for believing me." Said Jaune, smiling at his friend. No, brother.
"Though Pyrrha is still has hers wrapped around that night. She's still agitated with what happened to you. You should talk to her." Ren mused, reminding Jaune of the rest of his friends and what impact he could have made during that fall… Pyrrha more than anyone.
But once again, Jaune couldn't. There was no help to come for him. Not right now. "… I wish it was that easy." He vented his emotions through a deep sigh. Perhaps one day he can just scream it all out. Guess Jaune will have to take the bandage for now.
"Oh, how come?" Ren then lowered his own book to look at his friend, which he heard a response.
"Well, I don't know… What am I supposed to say? That I unconsciously committed suicide? That's stupid and you know it. I just don't know what to say, because I am just as at a loss as the rest of you are." There was a clear sign from Jaune's tone he's stressing the entire sentence. His tired blue eyes narrowed, avoiding to stare at Ren. His hand that the book tightens, causing his freehand to loudly tapped the wooden table sporadically.
It was only after the blond ended he was able to muster the power to look at the Mistralian monk - who was deep in his own thoughts observing his leader.
"Hmm… I may have a theory. The cause for… that incident might be caused by something else entirely."
"Oh!… Care to share with me?"
Ren divulged indeed, elaborated on his opinion of Jaune's situation, yet the blond started to become distracted. Thoughts wandered aimlessly without any direction or sense, like casting a line that hooked on his head and dragged him away when the subject of dreams was mentioned.
"-and that is the reason why I think the reason for your night-terrors are having a substantial impact on your daily choices is becoming more prominent with each passing week. As per your reasoning of falling asleep during classes." Huh, funny… Jaune didn't catch on any of that.
While Ren was deep in explaining his theory, Jaune, meanwhile, kept his mouth shut, quiet, and had a carefully composed look on his face, his gaze fixed toward the monk, as though he were listening intently. Or acting like he is.
For good or bad, the effects of his trance-like state that made him unblinking daze towards his Mistralian friend soon disappeared when he noticed Ren tossed nearby a scroll for him to inspect. The display showed a news report about what had happened that evening. Lisa Lavander's coverage.
"It is possible that something that occurred while your time in the infirmary could have triggered an association in your mind, which connected to what your brain was dreaming and helped cause the events of that night. That or it's just you, wanting to save people." Ren just flatly ended, but there was something to it.
He felt proud that either of the reality would reveal it's some reactionary from the dreams that cause his friend to go in and stop those criminals and walk out with EVERYONE alive is pretty impressive, even if the other theory is that: It's just how Jaune acts is also good, that means Nora and his along with Pyrrha's training is finally blossoming into fruition.
While Jaune here felt to just burst into smiles for those words of kindness, his eyes though paying more into the scroll, yet he wasn't really interested in the muddled retelling of the events, considering he already knew of what happened since he was in the center of it all.
But… Oh no… You gotta be kidding… He just jinxed himself again.
Hope it doesn't bite my ass in the future… Jaune think as he gulped at the footage of him from afar talking to the police during the aftermath of the fire, clutching to whatever is left of his old hoodie accompanied by commentary as the hero that stopped the evil terrorist White Fang from doing their dastardly plots among other colorful words.
Great, act discreetly, he planned. Have his face then plastered all over the news, not even a day over.
Somewhere in Sanus…. Certainly far from Vale.
A loud and powerful female voice pierced through the gentle chirps and whooshing winds of nature, as if a spell had been cast that caused every living thing to be filled with fear, followed by a frenzy for the animals to run to safety. Birds flew away in flocks, deers raise their heads before skipping far. As even bodies of water, from still from a gentle pond or to the rushing streams like rivers, or waterfalls, all began rippling as the vibration of the almost terrifying voice could reach; and it echoed far into the heavens for the brothers to hear.
"JAUNE LUNA ARC, YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE, YOUNG MAN! BIG TROUBLE!"
"Huh, you guys hear that?" A voice raised amongst her friend, head jerking in different directs looking for the source of her confusion.
"Nora, I'm sure it's just you." Another voice gestured for Nora to relax and lower her head in which the ginger girl followed as she slumped back to her seat. Returning to the background of other students as she went back to act as Un-Nora as she could possibly muster body and willpower to exert. By not making anymore attention to herself and spies in-crime, as she proclaimed.
Nora is an adventurous sort, curiosity always peaking at the smallest things that have managed to take her interest, which isn't that hard to accomplish. So, when approached by one of her friend to act as a spy, this has piqued her attention enough since she wasn't always like her childhood friend, being the complete opposite of him in fact.
So, she quickly became part of Ruby's little group to observe their friend Jaune Arc. She actually has no reason why they are actually doing this, however, and that conflict had just crossed her mind just now. Just watching him from afar, inside a library.
Where it's quiet…
People only make as smallest noise as possible.
THIS IS BORING!
"What do you guys think?" One of the so-called spies turned to her colleagues, turning away from the railings to ask her other partners which Nora was all too finally came to her senses to actually wonder why are they doing this as she was quick to raise her hand as Ruby gestured her to answer, even if it wasn't needed.
"Ruby, I gotta ask… Why are we actually following Jaune-Jaune, anyway? Is this a way we can find out what's happening to him?" Nora tilting her head. Right, her volition finally taking control to ask the right questions. Before adding. "Or are you just some mastermind plot with you stringing us along so you could stalk him more efficiently?"
"Nora!" The person beside her, one hailed in Mistral as a champion, growled with her leaning toward the ginger Valkyrie as she then moved away, cackling. The Mistralian champion turned enraged at that answer, nearly falling to her teammate's suggestion, which was said in a joking manner, but somehow lead to her mind to contemplate the idea if there was some semblance of truth that her friend actually cast a line and caught on. "Is this true, Ruby?"
With that suggested made Ruby taken aback, flustered at such prospect and more of avoiding the person they're stalking's partner's wrath kind of way. Before she shook her head to remove those impure thoughts away. "No! Listen…" She sighed, turning more serious.
"I'm not supposed to say this… But I think Jaune is a wizard." She leaned in, whispering to the group.
Nora's eyes widened, and Ruby could see sparkles shining inside them.
The Mistralian Champion was still apprehensive, and very much still aggressive, but just stared in confusion at all of this is what they have been doing all day is because of… "Jaune is a wizard, apparently?"