A/N: So. Yeah. Long time no see guys. Life is hard XD. Making rent is hard. Relationships are hard. So yeah. Those are my excuses :). Hopefully y'all are going to enjoy this chapter. Methinks I've enjoyed writing. I'm trying my best to update sooner! Promise!

Ako: Sorry, always super busy. Hopefully this one will make up for everything :)

When Jaune woke up every day when he was working as a bartender, there was a specific order he did things, almost a ritual of good luck in his mind. Go take a shower, make breakfast, brush his teeth and put on his uniform. Undershirt, pants, belt, vest, then gloves. Afterwards, he checked his hand-me-down scroll and wallet, making sure that he had everything he needed for the day, and locking the door, rotating the knob to make sure that it was secure.

That order was something that he loathed to break, and even when he fell into the vice of drinking, even when he had a roaring headache he continued to do everything in that order, giving his life some semblance of control. It was a nice illusion to have while he had it, even if it completely fell apart when more and more Huntsmen started to visit him.

This was the first morning in a long time that he was able to complete his small ritual, even if it was in one of Beacon's room instead of his ratty apartment. It was a little jarring, but paradoxically, it set some ease into his mind, enough that he was able to drop another inch off of his tense shoulders and he was able to allow himself a small smile.

There was a sharp rap of knuckles against his door, announcing that someone was waiting outside. A quick swipe from his scroll, the door slid open to reveal company, something he had mixed feelings about. Still, Jaune allowed himself to smile, greeting the girl as she stepped through the doorway.

"Hey Weiss. Thanks for escorting me today."

The pale-haired girl scoffed, shrugging her shoulders.

"There's no need for false pretenses Jaune. I know you hate having someone bodyguard you." Jaune sighed, shaking his head as his lips fell into a straight line.

"Maybe not. But that doesn't mean I'm not thankful of it. After all, you are taking time out of your day to do this." Weiss dipped her head in acknowledgement before turning to face the windows.

"It's nothing really. Unlike other people, I do not have a tendency to occupy my time with trivial pastimes. Cutting a few minutes out of my study time isn't going to stop me from being top of the class." The girl turned, her skirt fluttering ever so slightly as she did so. She had changed out of her school uniform, Jaune realized, although he wasn't completely sure why she would need to do so just to take him on a fifteen minute ride to the bar. It was probably something that Schnees just did, Jaune supposed. Another thing that reminded him that Weiss was practically from a different world.

"Well I'm glad that I'm not causing any of your grades to suffer," Jaune replied back, dismissing whatever thoughts he had previously into the back of his mind. Shaking his wrist, he pulled it up so that he could see the time on his new wristwatch, noting it down in his mind. "We should probably head out now, I like to be about half an hour early so that I can set up and clean the bar." Weiss nodded and swiped at her own scroll, opening the door and gesturing at the exit, allowing Jaune to step out before her. After the door slid shut and Jaune finished locking it, they took off towards the Bullhead, Jaune turning a little green at the thought of getting on one of those things again. It wasn't even all that bad anymore, his Aura allowing him to squash most of his motion sickness. Now, it was mostly a psychological thing.

Having escorted Jaune a few times now, Weiss knew not to try and hold any conversation with the boy when they were on a moving vehicle, instead eyeing the windows, making sure that she wouldn't get sick from looking at him get sick. She also knew not to talk to him ten minutes after they got off the Bullhead, giving him some time to center himself. She kept herself busy by keeping a careful eye on their surroundings, making sure that they were safe. Jaune wasn't sure if it was really the sword on her hip that discouraged anyone from approaching them, or her ferocious glare that everyone was keen to avoid. For one of the shorter girls he knew, she was probably one of the most frightening people he knew, only below Glynda in that degree.

Halfway to their destination, Weiss, surprisingly, was the first person to speak up, also taking a few quick steps to stay ahead of the boy she was supposed to be guarding. The movement was almost like a hiccup, a sort of skip, if Schnees were the type to skip.

"How has it been at the bar now that you've been reinstated as the bartender?" Jaune's eyes traced Weiss's bobbing ponytail as she asked the question, wondering how furious she would be if he tried to tug on it. He would probably lose a few fingers in the process, no matter how gently he tried to do it though.

"It's been nice. It feels like I've found my place again." The boy replied, scratching his palm. "Scarlet was really nice. He cheered when I told him that I was taking the bartending role again." Jaune shrugged, remembering how ecstatic the redhead was when Jaune told him about the news.

"Really?" Weiss turned around briefly, letting their eyes meet for a second before she turned back, eyes scanning the streets. "I'm surprised. Most people would be a little put off if someone was taking their job." Again Jaune shrugged, even if he knew that Weiss wouldn't be able to see the action.

"I don't really know either. But I know that he's a way better server than I was." And it was true too. Jaune still wasn't sure why it was so hard to memorize the menu and ring in an order right, when it was almost the same thing when he was bartending. It was probably just something mental.

"Hmm. There's no doubt about that." Jaune blinked at how dry Weiss sounded, put off enough that he didn't speak for a few seconds.

"Hey, I wasn't that bad." Jaune said defensively, a small frown on his face. That got Weiss to stop and turn around, an eye arched as she crossed her arms, stopping the boy from moving. Clearing her throat, she started to count off her fingers.

"When you decided to drop all of the plates that you were carrying? Remember when you got every single order wrong for our table?" Weiss tapped her lips thoughtfully. "Not to mention the fact that you would always seem to forget something about our food, even though we order pretty much the exact same thing, every single time?" Jaune sputtered helplessly as she listed the reasons off. The girl stopped talking, allowing Jaune to come up with a few meager excuses until he fell silent again, getting the feeling that he wasn't going to be able to talk his way out of this one. Weiss was quick to lay a hand on his shoulder, bringing his eyes to her.

"Let's say that finding your place again isn't the only reason why I'm glad you're back to being a bartender." Jaune rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face as he spotted the spark of mischief in Weiss's eyes.

"You know, there is such a thing as being too blunt, you know?"

The heiress tossed her hair, obscuring her face. "Maybe. But I certainly haven't found that point yet." Jaune shook his head in exasperation, continuing to walk.

"Of course you haven't."

Rounding the corner, Jaune's heart picked its pace up just a slight bit more as he saw the bar standing magnificently in front of him. No matter how often he looked at the place, it never failed to bring out a trail of emotions from him. New bricks, same air.

Without another word Jaune pushed through the doorway and into the bar. His bar. Smells reached out to touch him, caressing and pulling him closer into the folds. The smell of newly made food, sizzling in the back, along with the smell of beer and other spirits reached him, making him close his eyes and breathe it all in deeply. He was back where he belonged.

It took Weiss half a dozen times clearing her throat before Jaune finally processed the noise, turning around to look at her stern face. He cocked an eyebrow, wondering what Weiss needed. The hardened expression on her face softened seeing him look at her, and she swept her gaze around at the barely populated bar, most likely categorizing and making sure that the area was safe.

"You'll be alright?" She asked quietly, seriousness written all across her face. Jaune nodded, lips turning into a small smile.

"I think I'll manage."

Weiss rolled her eyes at that and shook her head, turning to leave. Before he could think about what he was doing, Jaune reached out to grab onto her sleeve, stopping her from going any further. When she turned to look at him, the blond boy's mind slowed to a stop, knowing exactly why he stopped her, but not really knowing why he did what he did. It was confusing... but it almost always was inside his mind.

"T-thanks for taking me here." He finally said, cursing himself mentally. That wasn't really what he wanted to say, but apparently that's what he's going to go with anyways. "I know I don't always sound like it, but I'm glad that you guys care enough about me to make sure that I'm safe."

Both of Weiss's eyebrows rose at the admission. She looked pointedly at Jaune's hand, which was still attached to her sleeve. He took the overt hint pretty quickly, letting go and clasping his hands behind his back nervously, a small chuckle escaping him. Watching Jaune, the heiress sighed, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"You don't have to thank us Jaune. We are doing this because we're your friends. That's what friends do for each other."

"I don't do that for you guys." Jaune countered bluntly.

"That's because we can take care of ourselves." Weiss cut in, rolling her eyes again. "Obviously. But you're taking this the wrong way. You might not protect us physically, but..." Weiss squeezed her eyes tight, releasing a deep breath. "You help us out... in a lot of other... ways."

Jaune stared at the conflicted girl, mouth slightly open, trying to piece together what she had said. For some strange reason, Jaune felt as if there was something else that Weiss wanted to convey to him, but had decided to word it in a way that would confuse him. There wasn't anything that he could really say, so he nodded instead.

"Oh."

Now it got to the point where the both of them stood facing each other, mouths opening and closing but with no words passing in between them. They had the feeling that they needed to say something, anything to break the awkward silence in between them, but their minds raced too quickly, dismissing every topic in fear that it would only make things worse.

"I'm going to go now." Weiss broke the silence first, rubbing her arm. "I'll make sure that Yang comes at a reasonable time tonight."

"Thanks. But it was fine, really. I know you guys can get pretty caught up on some things. You know, being Huntresses and preparing for the Vytal Festival." Weiss hummed an admission, before shrugging and waving her hand.

"She can make time for you. Have a good night Jaune."

Jaune nodded. "See you."

Turning around, he found the cook and manager standing to the side, matching grins on their faces. Not wanting to look like a bumbling teenager, Jaune ignored their pointed looks and walked towards them, rolling up his sleeves.

"Come on guys. Let's get ready for the night."

And promptly tripped, stumbling a few steps before recovering, ruining the cool image that he tried to make for himself.

In a surprising show of adult-like behavior, the two in front of him only snickered loudly before breaking up, one returning to the grill and the other finishing up prepping the tables. Jaune stood where he was for another second, pushing away the embarrassment and going behind the counter, checking to see if every bottle was full and the glasses were stocked. Time passed by quickly as he did everything he needed to before the bar opened, also making sure that there were the appropriate amount of backups and wet rags for him as he strode back and forth between the bar.

The first customers started to stream in as he finished up with his work, some of them greeting him warmly, Jaune being the first person they see. Scarlet actually filed in behind them, chatting happily with them before he noticed the blond boy, winking at him and heading towards the kitchen, calling out the orders that he had already gotten from the customers as he was chatting with them. A few of them went up to talk with Jaune as well, asking about his life, moaning about their own lives, and generally having a good time. Some of them even noticed that the place had been rebuilt, which shouldn't have been a surprise, seeing as how the whole building had almost been demolished a few weeks ago.

The night flew by as people continued to walk in and out, Jaune generally focused on making sure that the people were having a good time, the drinks were flowing, and that every sip was short of heaven.

Of course, the night wasn't perfect unless there were a few rowdy patrons, as well as the rude, the stupid, and the plain rude and stupid. Experienced with his job though, Jaune continued to work, leaving even those customers somewhat happy, which was the best that anyone can really do.

The doors swung open for the fortieth time that night, Jaune's head rising to look at the newcomer, hands still furiously cleaning a stain on the counter. A smile erupted from his face, teeth flashing.

"Hello Professor Oobleck. I wasn't expecting you to be here tonight." Or any night really, the man known to be fond of another type of drink.

"Ah yes. I was certainly in the neighborhood, and thought that it would be a wondrous idea to finally see what my colleagues have simply been raving to me about. " He peered over his glasses, making them glint. "Do you know how hard it is to get Professor Goodwitch to talk about anything besides work? And it seems that now the only thing she ever seems to talk about is you Jaune."

The boy let out a little laugh, shoulders shaking a little as he went to work process the waterfall of words that burst out of the green-haired man's mouth.

"I think I'll take that as a compliment."

The man nodded, a bright smile appearing on his face. "Quite. It has certainly impressed the rest of the faculty, that much is for sure."

The man almost hopped onto the bar stool, gaze scanning around to look at the bottles behind him, eyebrows creasing as he considered his choices. Jaune took the opportunity to do his job, and started to list out suggestions of drinks that he might have thought the man would like.

"If you'd like, I can make you something with a shot of expresso—it's normally a weird combination, but I think I've perfected a balance between the two of them. Or we can try something like a frozen drink, like a frappachino of some sort, with caffeinated coffee of some sort in it. Or I could brew a pot of straight black and mix it in with something else—"

"Actually," The man interrupted Jaune before he could give out anything else, a hand reaching out to grab Jaune's arm. "I think that I would rather enjoy a nice Old Fashioned, if that is perfectly alright with you Jaune."

The boy stopped talking, blinking twice at the request. He hadn't been bartending for a long time, but it didn't take him long before he picked up the useful skill of being able to predict what kind of drink someone wanted, and it was very, very, very rare for him to be wrong. Like, he couldn't remember the last time that someone wanted something that he hadn't already considered.

Today seemed to just be one of those days.

"Oh. Well. I guess that's as good of a drink as any." Jaune reached out for a glass, placing it on a new coaster. Professor Oobleck chuckled, resting his chin on his hands.

"I would certainly hope so. It is my favorite drink to have."

"Really?" Jaune blurted out, forgetting himself as Oobleck seemed to take him further off guard.

"Really." The man repeated, an amused smile on his face. "Does that really surprise you so?"

"I-I mean not really." Jaune tried recovering, tipping the bottle that he had in his hand, preparing to pour the liquid into the glass. "I mean, it's just that I always see you have around a mug of coffee, so I assumed..."

"You assumed that I was a caffeine addict?" Jaune winced at how that sounded, protesting about that specific phrase. "Well, you're not wrong. I do consume quite a gargantuan amount of coffee. But I do not do it for reasons that you would think so." The man glanced down at the glass in front of him. "I also tend to prefer brandy in my Old fashioned."

Jaune looked down in horror as he realized that he had grabbed Gin earlier, and was quick to take the drink back, placing another glass in front of Oobleck and muttering an apology as he remade the drink from scratch.

"Why do you drink so much coffee if it's not your favorite drink?" Jaune asked, intent on moving on from the fact that he had made the wrong drink. Letting the ice cube tinkle in the glass before the man spoke, Oobleck started tapping his fingers on the table.

"Because it helps mitigate the effects of my Semblance."

"You're Semblance?" Jaune asked, curious.

"My Semblance." The man said, nodding in agreement. "You see, I am... incredibly fast. Thank you." The man pulled the finished drink towards him, tipping the contents slowly past his lips.

"In...credibly fast?" Jaune repeated, not sure what the man meant. Oobleck lifted a single eyebrow at the confused boy.

"Yes. Surely you didn't think I moved this fast for fun, did you?"

Jaune flushed, scratching the back of his neck. "N-no of course not. But I mean, I thought you moved that way because of, well. I mean all of the caffeine that you drink—"

"Actually helps me slow down." The man interrupted, tapping the glass in his hand. "My Semblance is not something you can turn off, like the Semblance of Ms. Rose. I... constantly must move." The man held out his hand, gesturing for Jaune to look closely. Squinting a little, the boy found that the hand seemed to vibrate every few seconds, the movement so little and so far in between that anyone else would have missed it if they weren't looking for it.

"That must be inconvenient sometimes." Jaune said quietly.

"Sometimes." The man agreed, pulling his hand back. "But not every Semblance comes with only benefits Jaune. Some come with undesirable effects, and you might have to find a way to either mitigate or work with it for the rest of your life."

It didn't take much for Jaune to piece together what the man was saying, his eyes snapping onto the green-haired man's.

"You're saying that unlocking my Aura might end up badly for me."

"That will be up for you to decide." The man said, finishing his drink and placing it to the side, politely asking for a second one. "And it will also depend onhow you make of it. Disadvantages can be quite advantageous if you use them in the correct way. And if you continue looking, you will almost always find a bright side to what should only be darkness."

Again Jaune blinked slowly, his mind processing the bit of advice that the professor seemed to be trying to impart to him.

"Even your Semblance?" Jaune asked.

"Even mine. For example." The man pulled his ever-present thermos out and winked at Jaune. "It gives me quite the excuse to always be drinking coffee." The man leaned in and whispered. "Even if it is not my favorite drink. Ah, perfect." Oobleck grabbed the second glass, drinking that one pretty quickly. "Alcohol also helps me... calm down, if you will. Actually, it helps more than caffeine generally does."

Jaune cocked his head to the side, a question popping into his mind. "Wait. Then why don't you drink more often then?"

The man laughed at the question, standing up and procuring his wallet. "Because Jaune, what kind of teacher would I be if I was drinking all the time?"

Oh.

Jaune winced at how stupid the question sounded now that he had the time to think about it, apologizing to the man, who was quick to shake his head and wave off the apology.

"Oh trust me, I never mind questions Jaune. After all, I would be quite a terrible teacher if none of my students ever asked any questions."

There were another few words exchanged in between the two of them before the man left, leaving Jaune a little dazed and confused, wondering what had happened in the twenty or minutes that the two of them were talking. Professor Oobleck and Professor Port were both strange in their own ways, and Jaune wasn't sure which one he had to be more cautious around.

The rest of the night was more monotonous compared to the conversation with the green-haired professor, Jaune falling back into his rhythm all the way until close to closing time, where he noticed someone walking in about five minutes or so until closing time, time that Jaune had been using to finish cleaning the bar and cutting off any patrons that still insisted on drinking.

A man in a dapper black suit walked in leisurely, cane clicking against the wooden floor as he did so. His gray hair swayed to the fans, his strange glasses only seeming to compliment his outfit.

As the man settled onto the bar stool across from Jaune, the boy rose, confused to why the man was sitting there.

"Hello Professor Ozpin."

"Hello Jaune." The man nodded, a mysterious smile on his face.

"...Would you like a drink, sir?" Jaune asked cautiously.

"I'll have to decline on that offer actually, although I appreciate you asking." The man inhaled slightly, his eyes unwavering as he looked at the boy. "Actually, I came here after I caught Ms. Xiao-Long sneaking out of her room."

Guilt flooded Jaune's systems, and he was quick to defend the girl. "Actually, she was going to make sure that I was alright by coming here and escorting me back to Beacon, so if anyone's responsible—"

"It would be me, Mr. Arc." The man said, his smile still on his face. "Do not worry, I know and approve of your friends doing something like this. What would a Huntress be if she doesn't even go that far for her friends?"

"I-oh. Thank you sir." Not sure he wanted to ask, but needing to ask anyways, Jaune decided to cut to the chase. "So if I'm not in trouble, why are you here, sir?"

The man's eyes swirled with a hidden emotion, something happening in his mind that was beyond the comprehension of Jaune's mind.

"Tell me Mr. Arc. What do you think of your family?" The question was sudden, and like any mention of them, it was a blow to the chest, even after everything that he went through, even after he tried his best to move on from them.

"I-I think they were my family." Jaune croaked out, trying to shove the welling emotions in him. "I'm-I'm not sure how I should answer that question."

"I apologize then. Let me ask another question that might shed a bit more light." The man pushed his glasses up, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. "What would you give to bring them back?"

"Everything."

The reply was fast, and almost a knee-jerk response from Jaune. It was the response that he always had ready for those types of questions, and in the first few months after they had been slaughtered, it was the sentence that repeated almost constantly in his mind.

He would give everything for his family.

"Everything?" Ozpin asked, suddenly a lot more intense than he was before. "Even the friends that you've made here? Even the place that you are standing in at the moment?"

Jaune paused, and for the first time, thought about the word that he had uttered. Everything.

Everything would mean Ruby, Nora, Sun... Weiss. It would mean the bar and Beacon, two places that he quickly found himself enamored in, places that made him feel at home. Now that he thought about it...

Would he give up everything for his past mistakes?

"The past is a curious thing Jaune." The professor said quietly, fingers tracing circles on the wood of the bar counter. "It entices you, reminds you of the worst and best of yourself, makes you wish that you could make choices differently... but then reminds you of the choices that you have made."

"Tell me Jaune, would you give up what you have of the present for the past?"

"I... I don't know." Jaune shook his head, thoughts slamming into his mind. His mistakes were something that he could recall easily, something that seemed to torture him all too often. But if he never made those mistakes, he would have never found what he found now. Friends that would go to the ends of Remnant for him, two places that he could call home. A woman that seemed to love him enough to rebuild the place that he worked at. In the end, making the decision was... was hard. But it was a straightforward one.

He couldn't imagine living without the people and places he knew now.

He's lived through living without the people he knew before.

A hand reached over and touched Jaune's hand, dragging his attention towards Professor Ozpin.

"It's not an answer that needs to be spoken aloud Jaune." The words were kind, causing a lump to form in Jaune's throat. Withdrawing his hand, Ozpin continued to speak. "Actually, it might not be a decision that you need to make."

What?

"Now, there's something to be said about giving false hope, so I have to caution you. The evidence is not concrete, not is it something that can be confidently guessed on—"

This can't be possible. Jaune's mind started to pick up to hyperdrive. The words that came from Ozpin's mouth were strange, as if he was trying to break some sort of news to him.

"—Professor Goodwitch has been researching your old town, if only to help document the damages that occurred there—"

Scenarios played constantly in his head, where Ozpin broke news to him that he loved, news where he hated, and news that he might not expect. They all swarmed him, and in the end, Jaune wasn't sure what he really wanted to hear from the man.

"—Now there are definitely many dead. Much of your family's bodies have been recovered, and if you would like, we can send them here, have them a proper burial. But I think, and the evidence is murky, but both me and Professor Goodwitch have a good feeling..."

No. no no no no no no. Jaune thought that he had given up all hope. Given up the feeling that he had felt months ago. The hope, the pain, everything was too overwhelming for him to handle, and the first month had been devastating on his psyche. Those feelings seemed to return with a vengeance, so powerful that tears were already prickling around the edges of his eyes, his hand rising to cover his mouth.

"We think a few of your family might still be alive, Mr. Arc."