A/N: Alright. Just a warning to those people who actually read A/N's. I'm going to be putting ALL of my stories on a hiatus for a little while. Something... big is coming up, and it'll probably take up all my time. Hopefully, the next time I upload a chapter, I'll have everything sorted out, and I'll be able to explain what was going on. On that note though, I hope everyone enjoys, and I'll see y'all around. :)

Weird One: Yeah, no kidding XD

That guy: Plot Armor. Exactly. XD

Guest 1: It's never really been explained in the show, so it's not like I'm really wrong per se. Just a different view on it.

Jaune had never seen a sliding door for a bedroom before, so it's not like anyone would blame him for jumping at it when the door slid open, apparently on its free will. Jaune turned to look at the blonde professor standing beside him, his eyes wide.

"… It seems I forgot to mention that the doors on every room are controlled through your scrolls." Professor Goodwitch said, lifting up her scroll and tapping it with a forefinger. The door slowly slid shut after a few seconds, the lock clicking quietly. "We've already sent an authorization code into your scroll, and any of your friends can send you their codes for their own rooms as well."

The waiter nodded, pulling out his scroll and fiddling with it, ears perking up when he heard the door open again, sending a tentative smile at the professor.

"Perfect." The woman said encouragingly, nodding at him. She pointed at a few other buttons on the scroll screen in front of Jaune, explaining a few other options that would be helpful for Jaune to remember.

"This is the lock button." She said, pointing at the button that looked like, well, that looked like a lock. "Use it when you want a bit of privacy. Your roommates can still come in of course, but they'll usually knock if the door's locked." She pointed to another button. "This is a knock function. You should use this if the door's locked, or if it's a room that you don't have an access code to." Jaune tilted his head a little, looking at the icon.

"Why wouldn't I just knock instead?" Jaune asked, looking back at Professor Goodwitch. The witch nodded, spreading out her hands.

"Sometimes it's easier to just knock. However, there are a few students that have a tendency to wear objects that block their hearing, like headphones or earmuffs. The knock function will send a notification through the scrolls of everyone inside the room, which will help attract a bit more attention when you need it. Or you can just message them to open the doors. Either one works for us." Glynda finished, shrugging. Jaune nodded gratefully, absorbing as much information as he possibly could.

"Thank you." Jaune said in a quiet voice, looking at the door in front of him. It was nothing like the door that guarded his apartment room, made out of cheap wood and creaked whenever it opened. Touching the door, the boy found it to be made out of some sort of polished hardwood, framed in stainless steel. Probably reinforced due to the fact that everyone in Beacon could probably tear through a regular door without meaning to.

With a press of a button, the door slid open again, almost completely silent, allowing Jaune to step through and look at the room, head turning slowly to look at the room he would be staying in for a few days.

Jaune wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but knowing a number of Hunstmen and Huntresses, he was pleasantly surprised to see that the place wasn't as crazy as he thought it would be.

The room was spacious, which was understandable when it was meant to house four teenagers at once. The four beds were spread out, two on each wall, one of the pairs seeming to be a little closer to each other than the other. Bedside tables, a large desk at the side, and a closet was also spread out amongst the room, making the large interior seem a little smaller than it should've been. A few articles of clothing, and some books on the side also gave it a nice homely feeling, the air of people living in the room helping to bring Jaune's tension a little lower.

"Your bed will be over there," Professor Goodwitch pointed to the far right at a bed with olive green sheets on it, decorated with gold trimming. "Miss Nikos said that her teammate was willing to let you stay for the break while she went to visit her family back in Vacuo."

"I'll remember to thank her when she gets back." Jaune said quietly, looking at the bed. It made him a little uncomfortable, the thought of sleeping in someone else's bed. After all, this room belonged to a team, filled with memories and experiences… was Jaune going to ruin anything by staying here? Probably not, but that didn't stop Jaune's mind from going there. Not to mention the fact that being in a room that wasn't his made him feel… off.

Sure he had only been staying at the apartment for a little over half a year, but it had been his apartment. He went through a bit there, and could navigate the place with his eyes closed, which he basically had to do a few times because of the fact that he hadn't been able to pay the electrical bill.

This room, while much better than the his whole entire apartment, would take some time to get used to. The layout was different, there would probably be a lot more noise with his temporary roommates, and even the smell was something he wasn't sure he could fully agree with.

Thinking about his apartment got him into thinking about the bar, and that was a one way street down to depressing thoughts.

Grimm had destroyed the front side trying to get Jaune, and the damage had been extensive. Jaune knew the owner would have a hard time paying for repairs, remembering the nights of frustration from the old man when he found that he had to be late for a rent payment. if the bar closed down, Jaune would be a out of a job. He had a bit of cash tucked away, but that would only be enough for a month, maybe two for rent. He could always ask his friends for some help of course, and he had a feeling that the professor would be glad to house him for a little while.

He just didn't like the thought of it.

Everyone needs help sooner or later, but that doesn't make Jaune feel any better about himself. He had always been the type to try and lead his own life and deal with his problems by himself, even when he knew he was in the deep end. Spending time at the bar, with all the people who were able to care about someone like him, helped him change perspectives, even if it was only a little. Relying on them to help him to that extent?

That was where Jaune put his foot down.

Glynda rested a hand on Jaune's shoulder, a comforting smile on her face. "It'll only be for a few days while we make sure you're alright Mist—Jaune." He returned her smile, nodding silently before setting down his bag next to the bed stand.

"If—If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me." Professor Goodwitch said, pushing up her glasses and turning her head slightly away. "And… I am always up to talk if you ever need it." Jaune felt a warmth rise up into his chest, unable to stop himself from blinking rapidly, a buildup in the corners of his eyes subsiding successfully. Taking the dive, Jaune let out a deep breath, turning to his friend.

"What happens after you let me go?" Jaune asked in a small voice, unsure of the answer that Professor Goodwitch could give to him. She turned to look at the boy, who didn't look like the strong eighteen-year old that she knew. The same boy that seemed confident and wise beyond his years stood in front of her, looking like an eighteen-year old who had been knocked down by the world, having lost everything that had meaning to him. The blonde woman arched an eyebrow at the boy, making sure that her smile wouldn't show on her face.

"What do you mean Mr. Arc? I'm sure the bar will give you a few weeks to recover, but they will need you back sooner or later."

"W-what do you mean?" Jaune asked, heart thumping in his chest. Hope, an unfamiliar emotion, kept rising through him, no matter how hard he tried to quash the feeling down. Surely she meant something else, and not what he was thinking. That doesn't happen to him.

"Well," Professor Goodwitch started off lightly. "I heard that someone had made an appreciable donation towards getting the bar rebuilt. I've also heard that many of the patrons were devastated, and happily found ways to help the place get back on its feet." She tapped her chin and looked upwards thoughtfully. "I'm sure I also caught wind of the Headmaster of Beacon pulling a few strings to railroad the reconstruction of the building. Rumors, of course, but…" She looked at the gaping boy, a grin on her face. "I have a good feeling about them."

Jaune found his feet moving before his mind could registering what was happening, his arms finding purchase around the older woman, pulling her as close to him as possible. To the professor's credit, she didn't hesitate to embrace him either, letting him know that she welcomed the gesture. The boy didn't speak for a second, letting his throat clear itself before he spoke.

"Thank you." He whispered, squeezing her gently. Glynda returned the squeeze by rubbing his back, chin resting on his shoulder.

"Anytime Jaune."

They stayed like that, bathing in the warm glow that they gave each other, happy to find and give comfort for as long as the other needed it. So lost were they in their own world that the near silent sliding of the doors went unnoticed to them, only breaking apart when someone awkwardly coughed, the sound loud enough to startle the two out of their hug.

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha squeaked out, face blooming red, her teammates lurking a little bit behind her. Professor Goodwitch and Jaune were no better, faces almost the shade of cherries as they were caught in their tender moment. Jaune could see Ren with a soft smile on his face, while Nora was hopping up and down to try and get a view over the Amazon, small sounds of effort escaping her every time she jumped.

"That's… quite alright," The professor said, adjusting her glasses as she turned to the boy next to her. "And that is why the knock function is particularly helpful, Mr. Arc." She hesitated for a second, before tapping Jaune's scroll. "Remember, I'm just a call away." Jaune nodded at her, letting her know that he understood. Professor Goodwitch stared at him for another second. She sighed, and leaned in to hug Jaune one more time before she left.

The group in front of the doorway separated to let her through, before coalescing again and flowing into the room—their room.

"I hope you're comfortable." Pyrrha said nervously, hands playing with one of her bangs. "Let me know if you need anything." She added quickly, taking a step towards Jaune.

"Thank you," The boy replied, unable to help himself from taking a step back. "But I wouldn't want to bother you guys anymore than I already am."

Nora scoffed, waving her hand as she skipped towards him. "Psh, bother, smawther, puh-lease. We're doing this 'cause we want to!" Jaune winced at how strong the Valkyrie's grip was, keeping both of his hands in a vice.

"R-really?" He gasped out, trying to reassure himself that the cracking that he was hearing wasn't his bones breaking. He was rescued when Ren approached his partner, hand gently prying hers off of Jaune's, a stern message passing between them before she stepped back a little sheepishly.

"Of course Jaune. You've helped out a lot of people here, and I'm sure anyone in Beacon wouldn't have a second thought about helping you out." Ren replied, tenderly holding Jaune's hands and making sure they weren't permanently deformed. "We are happy to have you here, Jaune." Nora nodded in the background, which somehow seemed to involve her whole entire body while mouthing an apology at the same time.

"Thanks guys." Jaune said happily, rubbing his hands to get the blood flowing back into them. "So, could I maybe get a tour of the academy? Maybe where the dining room and the laundry rooms are? I wouldn't want to make you guys do my laundry after all—"

"Did someone say, laundry?!"

The doors to the room slid open, revealing a huge grin and a large mane of blonde hair, accompanied by three girls almost hanging off of her, struggling to pull her back out and having next to no effect.

"Yang, the professor said to leave Jaune alone for a little while, don't you listen?" Ruby said, digging her heels into the floor to stop Yang's progress. It didn't really work, Yang barely affected by the weight. "Hey Jaune, how're you doing?" The younger sister grunted, having been picked up by the elder sister and tossed onto a nearby bed. Nora jumped up at the occasion and cheered, jumping onto the bed as well, smothering the tiny girl.

"Hey there guys. I'm fine, by the way, thanks for coming to see me." Jaune greeted. Blake and Weiss stepped out from behind Yang, Blake adjusting her bow while Weiss smoothed out her dress, pretending that they hadn't also been dangling off of the blonde.

"I'm glad to hear that." Weiss said primly, giving Jaune a critical once over to make sure he wasn't lying. Jaune shifted uncomfortably, resisting the urge to adjust the collar on his button-up, scratching the bandage on his cheek. Still, the girl narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms as she noticed something off about him. "I heard that you had unlocked your Aura."

Jaune squirmed under her gaze, having a feeling that her line of question wasn't going to be an enjoyable one. "Yes." He said, not wanting to say anything else in fear of giving away something unintentionally. The girl nodded once, humming thoughtfully before pointing at Jaune's neck and cheek, where the stark white bandages covered the marks that Salem had given him.

"Then why do you still have bandages on you? Shouldn't your Aura have healed all of your injuries by now?"

"Uh. Actually, there were some… really bad injuries." Jaune stuttered nervously, clearing his throat. "It's why I'm still in Beacon. To make sure that my Aura'll heal me up properly. The bandages are just there to help the process out."

It had taken a good hour of running it by Professor Goodwitch, but he had finally memorized the excuse well enough to give them a perfectly reasonable excuse, silently glad that he hadn't messed it up.

Silence filled the room as Jaune finished talking, before Blake spoke up.

"So what happened then?" She said, catching Jaune off guard.

"W-what?" The words seemed to draw every gaze towards the blond boy, who was trying his best not to start sweating nervously.

"To your neck. And cheek." The faunus elaborated, pointing at her own neck and cheek. "I mean, whatever happened to your neck and cheek must've been crazy for them to be life-threatening injuries." Jaune blinked rapidly, this time coupled with his rising heartbeat, his mind racing to find a reasonable excuse.

"Yeah, what happened to your cheek? Did something like, tear it off or something? What's taking so long for it to heal?" This time it was Ruby who spoke up, managing to poke her head out of the Nora cage, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Well—"

"Ruby's got a point," Yang interrupted Jaune's floundering attempts, snapping her fingers. "Heck, bandages aren't really going to help anyways. It's not like you can get an infection with your Aura protecting you."

"You don't know that." Jaune objected defensively, frowning at the fact that he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"Actually, we do know that," Weiss snapped, marching forwards. "We learn that sort of thing in Beacon. Now, what are you hiding Jaune?"

"I- I don't know what you're talking about." At this point Jaune was resorting to stammering and denials, which didn't help his defense whatsoever. Weiss only took the opportunity to get closer and closer, her hand reaching out to either grab the neck bandage or tear off the cheek bandage. It didn't matter which one it was to Jaune. All he saw was a hand reaching out towards him, and his heart started to beat faster than ever before, his breathing practically turned into deep, heavy gasps.

There wasn't any thought in Jaune's mind as he screamed out a 'no!' and slapped away Weiss's hand, falling backwards and sliding away until his back hit the floor, hands up to cover his face.

He was back.

He was back in the burning building, the heat of the fire in his face. Salem stood over him, inhuman eyes looking disdainfully down on him, a cruel smile on her face. She didn't need to say anything. Her look said it all.

Die.

Die.

Die.

Jaune didn't want to die. He wanted help. Needed it, in fact.

"Jaune!" The hands on his shoulders weren't Salem's, and more importantly, they weren't close to his neck, trying to choke him out slowly. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to send the blond back into reality, finding Ruby shaking him.

"I'm okay," He gasped, hands moving as he took her hands into his, pushing her away gently. "I'm okay."

No one said anything, allowing Jaune to look around, his heart sinking at the expressions on everyone's faces. They ranged from concerned to shocked, even Nora having frozen at Jaune's display. The worst was Weiss, who seemed to have turned to stone, her face pale as snow, her eyes showing how shaken she was at what had just happened.

It hurt to see, and Jaune stood up quickly, muttering an apology before trying to leave the room.

The movement snapped everyone out of their shock, and the two teams moved quickly, preventing Jaune from leaving. Yang was the first one to stand in front of the door, crossing her arms, but keeping her expression soft, not wanting to scare the boy. Turning around, Jaune found the rest of them to have formed a loose circle, not too close to Jaune as to frighten him, but solid enough to know that they didn't want him running.

"Look—Jaune," Yang stepped forwards, before stopping herself when the boy winced, falling back a step. "We don't want to scare you," She continued, holding up her hands. "But we're… concerned for you. And we just want to make sure that you're alright."

"I'm fine." The answer was quick, automatic, and absolutely, completely a lie.

"Didn't look like it when you freaked out—" Nora was cut off by a hard elbow to her ribs by Ren, shutting her up. Jaune sighed though, knowing what she said was true. It would take a miracle to convince everyone here that he was alright after having an episode like that.

"Look I—Look." Jaune slowed himself down, closing his eyes as he tried to sort out his thoughts and feelings, both of which were in complete turmoil. "Going into that building was… not the smartest idea." He was sure that Weiss was rolling her eyes behind him, but was grateful that no one scoffed at the obvious statement. "And almost dying in it?" Flashes again populated his thoughts. The pain, the hopelessness, Salem. Stop. "It was hard." Jaune finished in a quiet voice. "I was so… scared."

He didn't realize that he was shaking until he looked up, finding that he had crouched down as well, hands placed over his ears. Looking around him, he expected to find pity and worry.

He found love and care instead, as the group made their way—slowly—into a group hug, encircling him in a bubble of warmth, and unconditional love.

It was nice.

Jaune wasn't sure how much time had passed by, but in the end he didn't really care, a smile on his face as everyone separated.

"Thanks everyone." Jaune said, making sure that everybody could hear him. Weiss sniffed haughtily, crossing her arms, turning away from him. Jaune was still able to see her turn red before her face disappeared from view though.

"Happy to help Jaune." Yang said casually, raising a hand to sling around Jaune's neck, before hesitating and letting it land on his shoulder, patting him roughly. "In fact…" The blonde girl eyes him before a grin exploded onto her face, her eyes twinkling. "I might have an idea that could help." Without another word, she grabbed Jaune's hands and pulled him outside of the room, the others following close behind, not sure what the peppy girl was planning.

"Where're we going?" Jaune asked, not resisting as Yang pulled on him, simply curious about the destination. She tossed her head back, the cheer on her face still there as she turned to talk to him.

"Well. You've got aura now, don't you?" She didn't wait for Jaune to answer, fully knowing the question was yes. "Then we've got to get you to training! Wouldn't want to get caught off guard by burning building again, would you?" Jaune chuckled a little, taken aback by how supportive everyone seemed of that plan.

"I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I can't train for burning buildings." Jaune said doubtfully, making Yang roll her eyes.

"Bah. That's 'cause you're not in the Huntsman way of thinking yet. We'll change that narrow-mindedness yet!" She cheered, Nora doing the same a few people behind Jaune, waving Magnhild in the air.

Jaune shrugged, letting them carry him away for whatever it was that they were planning for him. They only stopped when a green-haired girl stepped in front of them, waving at the blond boy.

"Hey Jaune." Emerald said, standing awkwardly in front of them.

"Hey… there." Jaune replied back haltingly, not remembering her name. He remembered that she knew Neo though, and that was enough for his shoulders to bunch up slightly, wondering why she sought him out.

"Emerald." The girl said, reintroducing herself to him. A nod was all she got though, Jaune unsure of whether it was wise or not to do more.

"Hey Emmy." Ruby said, nodding at her. "We're gonna help Jaune learn how to defend himself. Wanna tag along?" Jaune raised an eyebrow, surprised that the girl would know Emerald. She shook her head though, a polite smile on her face as she declined the offer.

"No thanks. I just needed to ask Jaune something. You guys mind?" The group muttered a few things, most of them too quiet for anyone but the person next to them to hear, but all of them ended up looking at Jaune, waiting for him to make the final decision.

I don't want to go with her. Jaune thought to himself. She knew Neo, who knew Roman… who knew things that the boy wasn't really comfortable with. For all he knew, she was just luring him into a dark, secluded corner for her to come and finish the job that she had started.

It sounded paranoid, but that didn't mean it wasn't true.

It was silly though, another part of his mind said. The clear, logical part of his mind. Would she really go and do something like that in the middle of Beacon?

"It won't be long," The girl practically pleaded, her eyes wide. "Please."

Looking at her like this, it wasn't hard for him to make up his mind, the boy nodding as he stepped out of the barrier that his friends were making around him.

"Wait for me?" Jaune asked, turning back around to look at them, unable to drive away all of his uneasiness.

"Of course." They all said, nodding in unison.

With that off of his mind, Jaune followed the girl, who stopped not too far away from the group, probably doing so for Jaune's benefit. She cut straight to the chase, leaning in and whispering furiously.

"Do you know where Cinder is?"

Jaune stood there, frozen as the question deciphered itself in his mind. "What?" He asked dumbly, not understanding.

"Cinder?" Emerald's face morphed into an expression of frustration, hands turning into fists. "Brunette? Gold eyes? Leggy?"

"I know who she is," Jaune cut her off, blushing a little at the description that she gave him. "Why do you think I would know anything about where she is?"

"Because—" Emerald stopped herself, almost biting her tongue to control whatever outburst she was about to have. "Because you were the last person that she was with." She said instead, her voice flat lining into a clam monotone.

"And how would you know that?" Jaune asked, causing the girl to glare at him. He didn't mean to be difficult. It just came out that way.

"Because I'm… her friend." Emerald managed to squeeze out, pulling out her scroll. She tapped a few buttons and pulled up Cinder's contact number. "See?"

The blond stared at the number, nodding. To be honest, he didn't see. Emerald could've shown any number and it would've had the same result for him, seeing as how he didn't know Cinder's contact number anyways.

"I'm sorry," Jaune sighed, shaking his head. "I have no idea where she is right now. Last I saw her, she was with me while I was… while I ran into a burning building." The red-eyed girl gave him a look of confusion, to which he shook his head again. "Long story."

Her shoulders fell at the same time her expression did, a sigh escaping her lungs. Jaune dind't need to be telepathic to know that she was frustrated and worried about—about her friend, and it pained Jaune to know that he wasn't able to help her. Especially because Cinder had helped him out before he did the stupid thing and tried to kill himself by running into a building turned furnace.

"I'm sorry I can't help you out more." Jaune finally said, spreading out his hands. "She saved my life. If there was a way I could thank her, I would." The words seemed to calm the panic on Emerald's face, as she took the time to breathe in and out, thanking Jaune silently.

"If you do catch wind of where she is… tell me?"

"Of course." Jaune said quickly. Contacting Emerald would probably be the first thing on his mind if he heard a whisper of where Cinder was. He wasn't going to be the one to get in between two friends.

"Thank you." Emerald said, grasping Jaune's hands for a second before letting go. "I appreciate it. Without her its…" She shook her head, her expression turning dark. "It gives me a bad feeling." She shrugged, her expression changing again quickly. "Hopefully it comes to nothing and she's just visiting someone for a few days. Thanks again." The two of them left after she said that, the girl turning and pulling out her scroll, dialing someone up and talking to them, her body language betraying her tension and worry.

Jaune's heart went out for her, said to see someone so worried about someone they cared about.

If I was still a bartender…

The thought was smothered quickly, before it could produce emotions that he couldn't handle, and Jaune went back to the small crowd waiting for him.

He needed something to keep the darkness out of his mind.