Hey there, new chapter – enjoy.

Chapter 13

"Yang, are you okay?"

The question came from her left and with bleary eyes she looked over to see the concerned face of her little sister. "What?" Yang asked, moving the tap away from the tree she'd been trying to drain sap from. "Oh right, yeah, I'm fine sis. Why, what's wrong?"

The little girl smiled but couldn't hide the nervous look on her face. "Well," she hummed, "It's just that you… kind of don't look alright."

"You look exhausted," Blake said, in her usual no-nonsense, deadpan tone of voice. The black-haired girl was crouched nearby, a half-full jar of sap at her feet. "I'd say it looks like you went out clubbing again, except that I know you didn't leave the room. Difficulty sleeping?"

Yang's smile didn't falter, even if it tried for a second. She waved off their concern with an easy excuse and a laugh, all the while wincing on the inside at the memories her partner's mention of the club brought forth. Oh, she'd had difficulty sleeping alright. The dream had been so vivid and so real that her body reacted before she'd had a chance to wake up, which meant she'd been way too flustered and embarrassed to actually get back to sleep again.

The subject of those dreams was a nightmarish prospect too, especially since the thought of it still made her throat go dry and her stomach become warm. It's just hormones. Everyone gets them, hell, even Ruby will get them sooner or later. There's nothing unusual about wanting that. It doesn't mean I actually want him or am even thinking about it.

Except that, since it was a part of her dreams, it probably meant she did.

Even so, her team were all watching, Weiss in the background with less concern and more irritation. Yang waved it off with a cheeky grin. "No need to worry about me. I just stayed up late playing some games on my scroll. That's all."

Blake didn't look convinced but hummed along with the fib anyway. Most likely she realised she wouldn't get an honest answer and that it wasn't a big enough deal to push on. It wasn't until they all looked away that Yang let the smile fall and rubbed the back of her hand against her forehead. Sheesh, if this continues… no, it won't continue. One dream about a guy hardly means my sleep is going to be ruined forever. I'm just being dramatic.

To try and distract herself, she looked over at Team JNPR nearby, who were currently on hands and knees by their own trees. She had to stifle a laugh as she watched Ren hand back a full jar of sap, only to hear a burp and turn to see Nora with purple on her chin. He just sighed and shook his head, more indulgent than Yang was even with Ruby. It was honestly pretty amazing how chill he could be around the girl. Nora was awesome, but she had a feeling it would get tiring having to put up with her all the time.

"Was it a nightmare you had last night?" Yang jumped at the quiet words, lilac eyes shooting over to her partner. Blake kept hers low, focused on the task at hand, but there could be no ambiguity about what she meant. "Last night," she reiterated, "I heard you wake up. Your breathing sounded heavy and you kept shuffling about."

Oh gods… Yang hoped her cheeks weren't red, because she certainly felt mortified. Good job I didn't actually think of doing anything to relieve my frustration… oh my god. Not that she'd feel comfortable doing that in a room with her sister, either, but if Blake had heard…? "I don't know what you mean," she lied and kept her eyes on the tree. "I just had trouble sleeping. That's all."

"You sounded panicked. I even heard you swear. You normally keep your language fairly tame."

"Someone's got to set an example for my sis."

"You're avoiding the question."

With good reason! Didn't Blake get that? Yang shrugged and ignored the question entirely, hoping to heaven her partner would leave it alone. She heard Blake sigh, but she didn't push and that was fine by her. A girl dreaming about a guy wasn't new and it was just a part of growing up. It didn't have to mean anything and it wouldn't. Yang slapped a hand against the tree trunk before her. "I think this one is drained," she said, "I'm gonna go find another."

Blake shot her an impressed look, more than aware of the weak excuse to escape the interrogation. She made no move to follow, however, even when Yang stood and walked across the clearing to a new, unoccupied tree some distance away. Pyrrha shot her a quick smile from three trees down but soon went back to her own jar, barely a third full.

Yang didn't even really know why they were doing this. In terms of training, this had to rate pretty poorly. She took the spoke in one hand, aimed it at the tree, and then drove it in with a quick push. Bark split and the tree's flesh gave way with a solid thunk. Its blood was a rich purple that oozed out over her hand.

"Achoo!" Jaune sneezed wildly from nearby, the motion spilling some more sap from his jar and causing him to groan in a nasally voice. "I-I think I'm allergic to this stuff…"

"Suck it up, champ," she laughed. "You could always ask Miss Goodwitch to stop."

"After what happened yesterday? I think she'd kill me."

Ah yes, the infamous fight. People were still talking about that, about Jaune and how he'd stood up to Cardin. There were other rumours too, but she did her best to ignore those. She'd confirmed to her team that Jaune did in fact work at a bar, but otherwise played dumb when it came to any mention of a strip club. As far as they knew, she had no idea about it and that was the way it was going to stay. She'd made sure to make it clear he worked behind the bar, though, and that she'd seen him there every time.

"What about you?" Jaune asked. She hummed in confusion and he quickly added, "You look a little out of it yourself. Don't tell me you're allergic too."

"Ugh… you're like, the third person to ask me that since I got here. What is it; do I honestly look that bad?"

Jaune chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head, which proved to be a mistake for he began to violently sneeze for a few seconds. When he removed his hand from his nose and mouth she could see it was pink, and not just from his allergy.

"You uh…" she pointed at the sap he'd accidentally smeared on his face. That couldn't be good for him.

"Mwhat?" His voice sounded thick and runny.

She sighed and stepped over to him, taking a cloth from her pocket and using it to wipe the sap away from his nose and cheeks. "Seriously," she said with a roll of her eyes, "It's like dealing with a baby. Do you need me to change your diaper too?"

"You're fwunny," he sniffed. "Regular… snrk… comedian." The deadpan look he gave her was totally ruined by the way his face twitched and bobbed as he fought another sneeze.

"Pyrrha, I think your brave leader needs to take a break from the sap," she called.

The redhead looked up in time to catch the jar Yang had tossed her. She looked down at it, to see Jaune's name taped on the surface.

"You mind dealing with his while I deal with his royal runniness here? We won't be fifteen minutes."

Pyrrha shook her head and smiled. "I don't mind. There's a river a small way to the west."

Yang nodded and grabbed the idiot by his elbow, ignoring his claims of being fine as she dragged him through the trees. "You know, you're worse than Ruby sometimes," she laughed, "Quit struggling and come wash that crap off. If you are allergic it might lead to problems down the line."

"Pwoblems?" Jaune sniffled. "This is alweady a pwoblem!"

"Nah, this? This is hilarious." She grinned at his pout. "But if you actually got sick off it, you wouldn't be able to work. Then it would be a problem. Who would mix my Strawberry Sunrise if you were out of action?"

He might have laughed. It was hard to tell. He was one of the few people who actually did laugh at her jokes. Not the word plays… it felt like no one understood the beauty of those, but he was more than happy to slip into a little bit of playful banter. Well, usually... perhaps less so when his face was red and he couldn't breathe properly.

The river Pyrrha had spoken of appeared before them rather suddenly. It was in a small slump in the ground, where the water had cut a channel through the forest, and it had been all but hidden from view until they'd stumbled upon it. It was fast flowing and fresh enough looking, and as they clambered down to the bottom of it, Jaune knelt down and started to gingerly splash water on his face.

"It not... hrk... still bad."

She rolled her eyes and stepped behind him. At any other time she figured he'd have heard her, but since he was distracted and not putting much effort into his surroundings, the first warning he had was when she placed her hands flat on his back. The next thing he knew, he was pushed into the shallow stream.

Laughter burst from her lips as he tumbled into the water. He floundered and splashed for a second, before realising it was less than a few inches deep and pushing himself up to glower at her. "What?" she gasped, wiping a tear from her eye, "You weren't ever going to wash it off like that. How do you feel now?"

He glowered but she could see the sap had been washed away, and his dogged refusal to speak told her he felt better but didn't want to admit it. Jaune pouted and splashed some water in her direction but she nimbly dodged away. "My clothes are soaked." he groused. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Get naked and let them dry?"

"In your wildest dreams."

She made a dismissive motion with her hand. "Talk about arrogant. I'll have you know my dreams are only inhabited by guys that are a nine out of ten or more." She regretted the words as soon as she said them, for they instantly brought back memories of the guy that did haunt her dreams – or nightmares. Jaune, however, didn't notice and snorted.

"I'm not a nine?" he asked. "What do I rate as?"

"I'd say you're a seven or eight usually," she teased. Unlike most guys, he didn't get defensive. Instead, he raised one eyebrow and regarded her with some scepticism.

"Usually?" he asked. "Do I even want to know what I am the rest of the time?"

"Eh, you were at least a nine-and-a-half when you stood up to Cardin."

"High praise," he said. With sloshing steps he drew himself out of the river and clomped up the hillside towards her. "I'd best watch my chastity the next time I get into a fight around you. You might jump me."

"Now that's in your wildest dreams, lover-boy. And you'll be visiting them if you splash any of that on me."

He rolled his eyes but didn't wring his wet clothing out over her. He sat down instead, and leaned back onto the grass beside her to let himself dry.

Yang rolled over to face him and propped her head up onto her hands, elbows planted on the grass. Her legs kicked into the as she lay on her stomach. "What about me?"

"Hm?"

"What do I rate as?"

"Fishing for compliments?"

She grinned down at him. If he'd said that, it meant he thought her worthy of them. "Maybe~" she sang. "But mostly I'm just curious. You're pretty honest and you do see a lot of really attractive women, your mentor for instance. I figure you'll give me a real answer."

"You think Nina's attractive?"

You think she isn't? Yang wanted to ask. The woman was absolutely beautiful and if Jaune thought otherwise then there had to be something wrong with his eyes or his head.

"Maybe I'm just used to her," he mumbled. "Either way, hm…"

She tried not to squirm when his eyes roved over her face. It wasn't that she felt uncomfortable with it, but that she had to resist the instinctive urge to try and look better or to do something. She didn't even know why she cared, really, except that she'd gotten used to being considered pretty and perhaps felt she couldn't compare with some of the people she'd seen at the Golden Oyster.

"I'd say you're a ten," he sighed after a few seconds. "Normally," he quickly added, right as she'd been about to tease him.

"Normally?" she poked him with an elbow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You look exhausted," Jaune said flatly. "You've bags under your eyes and designer as they may be the purple clashes with your eyes. Plus, you usually take better care of your hair. You have frizzes in it, which for anyone else would be fine, but for you it makes me think this is the apocalypse or something. That takes you down to an eight at best."

"Eh," she shrugged, "If I'm an eight when I barely got any sleep, I can take it."

"Oh no," he shook his head, "You're a three right now."

"What!? Why?"

"Because you pushed me into the river."

She snorted and poked his cheek. "Mean."

"You pushed me into a river!"

"And you're the meanie," she repeated. "I'm a cute girl – allegedly an eight out of ten at least. Ask anyone if you're a meanie or I am. They'll all side with me."

"If they let their guard down around you, they deserve whatever happens to them."

"Mean," she said a third time, and blew down onto his nose to make his face scrunch up. She couldn't help but laugh when it did. He almost looked like Zwei.

"What's got you so tired anyway?" he asked. "I'm the one with the late night detentions. Shouldn't you be catching your beauty sleep?"

She hummed but didn't answer. He wasn't the first to ask and if her hair was as bad as he said, then it was perhaps little wonder Ruby looked panicked. Still, the others… she couldn't tell them what it was that was bothering her. They wouldn't understand, or rather, if they did, they would go about it the wrong way. Ruby would want to meet this person who had captured her interest, and apart from the legality issues of smuggling a fifteen year old into a club, she wouldn't have wanted them to meet anyway.

Weiss and Blake would want to know more too, and that was something she couldn't allow. Hell, she wasn't even sure what she thought about the guy anyway.

"You don't have to tell me," Jaune said, cutting into her thoughts. "I'm not trying to pry."

She sighed. "It's fine. I'm not upset. I just… it's about that issue I had before."

"The one where you wanted something but weren't sure whether it was right or if you should?"

She looked down at him with a little surprise. He'd remembered all of that? Honestly, it had been a while ago and with everything else that had gone on, she didn't think he would have bothered. Most guys didn't. They would have spent too much time looking at her legs or breasts to care about what she said. "Hm," she nodded. "It kept me awake the other night."

"There any way I can help?"

"Would you want to?"

He blinked up into her eyes, and there was a certain surprise there – though she didn't understand why. "Of course," he said. "You're my friend."

She stared down at him with startled, wide eyes, as some unfamiliar feeling washed away inside her. It took a few seconds for her to realise she'd stared too long and when she did, her cheeks darkened a little. "Sheesh," she mumbled, "Talk about blunt. If you're pining for the Yang-route, you're barking up the wrong tree mister."

"I think the Yang route is a bad end; one that results in my death."

She laughed and slapped his chest with her hand.

"Seriously, though," he said, "If I can help, I will. You helped me."

"Did I?" she asked, "When?"

Jaune's eyes widened, "Ah, well… I mean, you helped me in the club, right? Back when the Malachite sisters came for me. You also helped me a little in training and you tried to help me with Cardin too. That's three for three there, and I've not really done anything to help you in return. I feel like all I've done is take advantage of you and your friendship. Is it so hard to believe I'd want to help you in return?"

Yang's face softened. That was true, but she hadn't really thought of that. In a very real way, and it sounded cynical to admit it, but she'd gotten used to not being repaid for things like that. Maybe that was the wrong way of putting it… she'd gotten used to doing those things without expecting a reward. She was a big sister, after all, and had also been a mother of sorts when Ruby had been young. She was used to giving and helping, and less used to accepting anything in return.

It had gotten to the point where she didn't often need help, either.

"You don't need to repay me," she said. "I helped you out because I wanted to."

"And I want to help you out, if you'll let me."

What did she do? Should she ask him to help? Could he even help? She looked down at him, her chin perched in cupped hands as he gazed back up at her with honest, sapphire eyes. There was no charged atmosphere between them, and for that she was thankful. If anything, it felt overly relaxed.

It was shattered as a fierce roar broke through the air.

Adrenaline surged through her and she cursed as she clumsily scrabbled up and onto her feet. He was only halfway up so she reached down and grabbed his hand to pull him the rest of the way. "That was close," she hissed. "Very close."

Jaune nodded and loosened his sword in its scabbard. Still wet, and with his blonde locks clinging to his forehead, he looked like a drowned kitten ready for combat. Even so, his eyes were firm. "Do you think it's the others?"

"No gunshots. You and Weiss are the only ones without a gun of some sorts, there's no way we'd not have heard something."

He nodded and followed her as the two made their way out of the river and up the bank. The noise started again, closer this time, but also followed by another. The second felt quieter, somehow less bestial.

Yang looked back at Jaune, only to see him waiting for her to make a decision. Ugh, aren't you the team leader here? Never mind. She bit her lip as she considered the options available. That definitely sounded like someone fighting against a Grimm, though not their team if the lack of shots were any indication. "We should check on whoever it is," she said after a few seconds. "You game?"

"The others will probably go as well," Jaune added, "At least, I can imagine Ruby and Nora rushing off to check it out with or without everyone else."

Yeah, that definitely sounded like her little sister. Decision made, the two of them rushed in the direction of the noise, throwing all subtlety to the wind as they loudly crashed through the forest. The Grimm were already engaged in combat, so being quiet about it seemed pointless. It took them a minute or two to cover the distance, though it felt like much longer as the clash of steel and shouts grew louder. She spied indistinct shapes through the foliage but it wasn't until they burst out into a small meadow that they saw what stood before them.

"Ursa," Jaune said, somewhat needlessly as they looked at the six or seven Ursa that had surrounded Team CRDL. The four boys were doing their best to hold them off, and judging from the marks and gouges across the ground, they'd already managed to take a few down. It was still an uneven fight, however, and Sky was holding one of his arms with a grimace.

Yang didn't even stop to think. They were bullies, yes, but they were also human – and that made them comrades and colleagues. "Hey!" she shouted, and her cry was punctuated by a shotgun blast that rattled against the back of the closest Ursa. "You want someone to fight, why don't you try me on for size?" She nodded to Jaune, who drew his sword and rushed off to support the injured Sky Lark.

The Ursa before her lumbered forward. Its bony spines bristled and it roared in fury only a few metres away from her.

She grinned and thumbed her nose, falling into a stance.

"I've got a lot of frustration to work off big boy. Hell, you're almost convenient."

/-/

Jaune's weapon slammed into the Grimm's claws and diverted them aside. They crashed into the ground and tore up a chunk of soil, but he'd already reversed the blade and slashed it across its snout. Blood flew as the beast fell back. "You okay?" he asked the young man he'd come to the rescue of.

Sky grimaced and tried to lift his halberd, but with only one hand, didn't seem able. "Alive," he gritted out. "Appreciate the save."

"What happened?"

"Ursa, if you haven't noticed. Turns out the sap attracts them. We thought we'd found a good tree, filled up our bottles almost from that alone but then it started to spill everywhere. Guess these bastards smelled it."

Jaune nodded to show he understood and looked around at the others. Cardin's team were holding their own okay, with the leader swinging his mace to keep two Ursa away. From the looks of it, he wouldn't be winning that fight anytime soon, but he was able to distract them both. "You should go get help. You're injured and no use here," he added when it looked like the teen might complain. "Look, my team and RWBY are just a little to the south. They're probably already on their way but if you meet up with them first, you can lead them here."

Sky ground his teeth together but nodded with a wince. He hefted his weapon one-handed, to rest it against his shoulder, and rushed off into the forest. Incidentally, that also left him alone with the Ursa he'd irritated. Claws whistled through the air and crashed against steel.

Jaune's arms almost buckled from the force of it, but he managed to catch the attack with a grunt and push it back. The second blow came from the side and he had to duck back away from it lest it sweep him away entirely. Strong and slow, kind of like Cardin, really. I'll have to fight it the same way I do him. Well, in the same way except that hopefully he'd actually win this fight. He stepped back from the next attack, eyes scanning the ground as he tried to judge the distance between them and the reach of his sword. On the next strike, one that carved a great furrow into the ground, Jaune surged forward and lashed out towards its eyes.

The blow cut deep. One of the creature's eyes was split in two, gore pouring from the wound. Its head jerked back with a mighty roar, and the blade was twisted – lodged in the bone of its skull. Jaune fought to draw it free and keep hold of it.

With a snap, the metal cracked and shattered, about two-thirds of the way up the blade.

He stared at the weapon in shock, unable to comprehend what had happened for a moment – and that second cost him as the Ursa's furious claw swung back around. It caught him in the midriff and drove the air from his lungs. His body flew back and slammed into a tree.

"Jaune!" Yang yelled in panic. She growled and slammed a fist into her Ursa, but when she disengaged to try and help, another blocked her path.

He neither saw nor heard it. His back felt like agony and as he slid down to the ground he seemed unable to draw in enough breath to fill his lungs. He fought for more, and it came forth in a rattling cough. In his right hand, draped at his side, the broken blade lay still.

The beast roared and fell onto all fours. Its head lowered and it charged forwards. Each stride seemed to cover several feet and as it picked up pace, the ground beneath him seemed to shake. Its intent was clear, to crush him against the tree and make him pop like an orange.

No… it couldn't end that way. With a strangled gasp he gripped the tree and pulled his battered body up. Feeling was slow to return, and although it carried with it the pain and the aches, he could feel his aura at work to try and minimise the damage. He waited until the Grimm was almost upon him, and then – with a quick prayer – he dove under it.

The tree behind him exploded into pieces. The Ursa didn't so much uproot it as snap it off at the base. Even though the impact must have broken bone, the monster seemed uncaring as it looked down at the devastation and tried to understand why there was no blood.

Jaune staggered to his feet with a gasp, almost unable to believe he hadn't been trampled entirely. If the Ursa had been going any slower he might have been, but each bound had covered considerable distance and he'd managed to time it well. With a growl he surged in and struck out at its unprotected back. The sword – or more of a short sword now – bit deep and drew blood. The tip fractured a little more as he drew it free, another small piece of metal snapping off, but the blade was still steel and still had a sharp edge. If anything, it felt easier to move now that it was a little shorter and a little lighter.

I'm not sure this is what Pyrrha meant when she suggested I get myself a lighter weapon.

Whatever… it would have to do. He flourished the sword once to get used to it, winced when the action caused another chip to fly off, and prepared himself for the Ursa's attack. Off to the side, he could hear another blast and a male voice shout out. It didn't sound to be in pain, however, so he hoped it heralded good news.

The Ursa didn't care and crashed down towards him. Jaune grunted as his shoulder hit the ground and he rolled to the side. On one knee he slashed at the back of its thick, furry legs – aiming for the hamstring. It roared out in pain but didn't fall, and he had to continue his roll to stop it from cutting him down.

When it lurched forward to clasp him with both hands he slipped back and towards the trees. It followed, claws cutting into the trunk of one as he hid behind it. Bark and twigs flew, the innocent tree unable to protect itself as the sharp claws sheared through it, but the brief distraction was enough for Jaune to duck beneath the spray of wood and stab into its left forearm.

It cried out and swung at him with both arms, the meaty limbs whistling by overhead as he fell beneath them. His sword was more of a dagger now, unable to take the punishment as it slowly succumbed to its damage. He flipped it over into a reverse grip and stabbed it down into the beast's foot, once more rolling between its legs as it stumbled forward.

It crashed down onto the ground, arms slamming down to break its fall.

He took his chance. His left hand gripped coarse fur as he leapt onto its back, and his legs slammed against hard muscle as he tried to pull himself higher. The Ursa stood and tried to turn around but its arms couldn't reach onto its own back. It fell onto all flours and bucked, but luckily was mindless enough not to realise it could have fallen back and sought to crush him.

Jaune grit the blade between his teeth as he freed his other hand and used it to climb the last few feet up towards its head. The spines on its back granted him purchase, and with a cry he tore the blade from between his teeth and slammed it over the monster's head - directly into its last eye.

The monster gurgled and fell, the hilt torn from Jaune's fingers as he was flung off its back.

He landed a good few feet away, bounced painfully on rock, and came to a stop – upside down, legs balanced up a tree as he lay on his shoulders. The Grimm didn't move. It began to sizzle and slowly dissolve.

I did it… he sighed. He pushed himself up with a grimace, limped his way over to the dissolving figure and reached down to pull his sword from its fading flesh. The hilt came free, along with about two inches of wickedly jagged steel. Great… one sword to kill one and now there were only a few left to go… wonderful.

A cry and a gunshot split the air, as a red light flashed from the treeline and into one of the other Grimm. The cloaked form of Ruby stood atop its shoulders, the blade of her scythe beneath its throat. With a click and a squeeze of the trigger, the scythe bucked back – taking the Ursa's head with it.

Jaune sighed and looked down at his own weapon again.

"Jaune!" Yang gasped and jogged up to him, right as Pyrrha and the others breached the trees and fell on the remaining Grimm. Sky was there too, the boy leaning on Ren's shoulders with a pained face.

"I'm fine," he coughed and waved at the girl.

Yang came to a stop a foot or two away. Despite having fought two Ursa, she looked as fresh as a daisy. It really wasn't fair.

"Fine?" she laughed. "I caught the end of your fight. I'd call it badass, but I think `desperate` fits it better. Are you okay? Do you need help?"

He ignored her frantic concern and flashed a quick smile. "Desperate? Does that mean I've lost my nine-and-a-half rating?"

"Not yet," she grinned and shook her head in relief, no doubt taking his ability to joke as a sign he was okay. She could read into things like that, where Pyrrha would have no doubt missed it and continued to ask what was wrong. "I like your toothpick by the way." she added with a gesture to his weapon.

He sighed and hefted the thing. Another shard of metal drifted off it, and it honestly felt like it wasn't worth keeping hold of at all. I'll have to buy another, but do I have enough money? This wasn't strong enough to last as it is… it was meant to be a stop gap while I saved up enough for a proper weapon. Now, that dream seemed even further away. A huntsman's weapon wasn't cheap. For a tool that would protect you against the Grimm, it was no lie to say it could cost as much as a small house in Vale.

"At least everyone survived," he sighed.

"Thanks to you," Yang grinned and slung an arm around his shoulder. His legs almost gave way but to his surprise he found himself propped up against her. She'd trapped him between her arm and body to help support him, all the while making it look like she wasn't. He appreciated it, since he felt bad enough as it was without everyone throwing a fit. It was just the post-battle jitters and adrenaline wearing off

"Thanks," he mumbled, under his breath.

"Any time."

/-/

Jaune sighed again as the elevator doors opened. It felt like he'd been doing that a lot lately, especially since Forever Fall and the journey back to Beacon. The others had been chatty and supportive, and why not – he'd fought and killed an Ursa on his own with nothing more than a scrap of metal. He got their intent, and he did feel good about it… but that didn't change the fact he was now left with nothing.

About the only silver lining had been the slow nod Cardin had given him. Hopefully having stepped in to help their team would win him some points there. It might even be enough to have him shoot that rumour he'd started in the face.

And now, after several explanations and debriefings by Miss Goodwitch, he had been summoned up to the headmaster's office.

The sight of the man sat behind his desk made his breath catch. What had he done to warrant a meeting with the man where the others had been allowed back to their dorms? Was it about the broken sword, was he going to be asked what he intended to do about it? His funds were so low, he didn't even know himself. He'd have to take a big job at the Oyster… maybe even one of those he'd sworn he would never take again.

"Sir," he called, "You asked for me?"

"Indeed. Please, Mr White, come and take a seat. There's no reason for us to talk across the whole room."

His legs felt like blocks of wood but he nodded and clomped his way over to the indicated seat, falling into it with a wince. His muscles still felt sore and he longed for a shower, but one didn't make the headmaster of Beacon wait.

"I heard about what happened at Forever Fall," the man said, "Glynda has spoken of how Miss Xiao-Long and you acted in defence of a fellow team. I am pleased to hear that. More so when I heard just whose team it was."

Jaune nodded but didn't say anything. It wasn't like it was anything special. Cardin and he had argued, sure, but that didn't mean they wanted one another dead. Cardin would have probably done the same if the positions had been reversed.

"You seem unusually tense, Mr White."

"The adrenaline," he lied, "I guess I'm still running on it."

Ozpin nodded in understanding. He reached down under his desk, and there was the sound of a small cupboard opening. Jaune blinked in surprise when a small glass clinked down in front of him. He looked up at the headmaster, who expertly opened a half-empty bottle of amber liquid. His trained eyes recognised it immediately, Oaken Valley, a double-distilled whiskey from Atlas, and quite the expensive thing import. Atlas kept tabs on how many were exported and you could get in trouble if you were found to breach it. Reg had a few bottles, but they were so expensive that no one really bought them.

"I often find a little liquid sustenance enough to calm the nerves," the headmaster poured a small amount out for each of them.

"Should I, sir?"

"Worry not, Mr White. Your employment records show you work in a bar, so I'm sure you know how to handle yourself accordingly. I do not intend to get you drunk. A single glass will not hurt."

Permission granted, and now that he knew he wouldn't get in trouble for it, Jaune reached out to take the drink. It smelled delicious, a strange scent of snow and wood, mixed with something like honey. He sipped at it. The texture was soft and cool. He could see why it cost so much and his muscles seemed to relax as he drank a little more.

"Rest assured Mr White, you're not in any trouble here. The reason I brought you was actually to ask a little about you."

"What about me?"

"White is quite the common surname, and its connotations are known by us both," the man said. "How did you come to have it, if you don't mind my asking?"

Maybe it was the whiskey, maybe it was the draining adrenaline, but whatever the case, Jaune couldn't find it within himself to care too much about a past his name as good as gave away. "I'm an orphan," he shrugged. "I don't have a last name, so like everyone else who doesn't have one, I took White as mine. There's no great story there."

"And yet, there does not seem to be an orphanage listed in your history. I did find numerous medical checks, as one might expect for a young man growing up. Were you adopted?"

"I guess I was," he chuckled. "I didn't realise it at the time and he certainly didn't ever say it, but I guess when some takes you off the street and gives you a home, food, clothes and takes care of you, that's as good as being adopted."

"Yet you didn't take their name?"

"I guess it never came up. Reg, ah, the man who adopted me, he's not what you'd call the most familial of people." That was putting it lightly, since the man could have scared children just by smiling at them. "It wasn't so bad, though. I had a better life than many in my situation did. I had food, shelter and people to care for me. It wasn't perfect, but others have it far worse."

"I would have to agree," Ozpin nodded. "All too many were left homeless after the last great disaster, Mountain Glenn. I recall an old student of mine fell in love with one such woman, a young Miss Juniper White." The name meant nothing to him, except for the surname which was the same as his own. It wasn't uncommon… it was the standard name given out across Vale. He'd heard Atlas had a different one, but didn't know what that was.

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask me, sir?"

The headmaster sighed and stood, but when Jaune made to stand as well, he held out a hand to stop him. "Your weapon," he said, "I heard from Glynda that it was destroyed in battle. Is that right?"

"Yes sir," Jaune sighed. "I'll get a new one soon, I promise, but I just need to gather the funds fo-"

Something heavy clanked onto the top of the desk.

Jaune's eyes widened. It was an elegant thing, a pristine white sheath with two golden crescents intersecting it towards the top. The hilt that peeked from above it was royal blue, and the cross guard looked weathered and yet strong. He reached out to touch it, but the craftsmanship looked far too ornate and his hand halted in the air.

"Take it," Ozpin said, an almost bitter smile on the man's face as he noticed Jaune's hesitation. "Feel it."

He did. His fingers brushed against the scabbard. It's solid metal, he realised in surprise. With both hands, he lifted it up and into his lap. It was heavy, weighty, but not in a bad way. When he drew the blade it shone silver and felt light in his hand. It was an incredible sword. He could see his face in the reflection. It was shorter than the mockery he'd used before, and somehow felt right.

"This is Crocea Mors," Ozpin sighed as he sat down. "The scabbard is a collapsible shield capable of taking extreme damage, and although the blade looks simple it has protected its wielders for hundreds of years without wear or tear."

"It's beautiful," he whispered.

"It should be. It is the ancestral blade of the Arc family and has fought at their side for generations, passed down through their lineage. It is yours now, Mr Arc."

Jaune sheathed it with a click, brow furrowed.

"You mean White."

"No," Ozpin said, and it looked like he had gained several years when he sat down. "I do not." He reached out to take the bottle once more and topped up their glasses, this time far more generously. "You might wish to take a drink, Jaune Arc. I have… unfortunate news to deliver."

Oh dear. And somehow I don't think it's that Ozpin is pregnant and that Jaune is the father. I always found it weird in the show that Cardin's team just ran in the face of a single Ursa, especially when they passed initiation and doubtlessly faced Grimm on their own.

Decided to change that here, and since there was no blackmail in play and the threat of disciplinary action over their heads, it would have felt a little odd for Cardin to do another sap incident.

Next Chapter: 21st February

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