Pyrrha made the right choice coming to Beacon. There were far too many fans and self-proclaimed rivals at Haven, the Atlesian military was too rigid for her, and Shade was… Vacuo to put it nicely. She didn't expect to escape all her fame and fans by coming here, but hoped there would be less of a spotlight on her with other up and coming Huntresses around.

Much to her dismay, there were still far too many stares for her liking since she set foot on campus. But then she bumped into Jaune.

At first, she thought he was being polite and didn't think himself worthy in her presence like most fans would, but then it became clear that he genuinely didn't know who she was. Even at the mere mention of fame, he downplayed it like she was a minor celebrity.

No more than a simple fashion model!

Pyrrha hadn't felt this giddy since she won her first tournament. And even when Weiss practically spelled it out for him, he simply thought Pyrrha was just a wrestler he never watched. A novelty to him and nothing more. Right then and there, she knew she was going to be part of his team, if not his partner. Weiss was nice and polite, but Pyrrha could tell she was counting on working with The Invincible Girl, not Pyrrha Nikos.

Pyrrha was sure her manager would be furious about such a loss in networking and revenue, but Pyrrha couldn't care less. It was far more fun watching Jaune lead her through the forest like a dog on a walk.

Besides, if her experiences taught her anything, the spotlight was going to be centered on him quite soon and few responded well to stage fright. It was only reasonable that she supported him in his endeavor.

"Hello, Jaune."

And right now was as good a time as any.

Of all the people Jaune expected to have racing to drag him back home, Newcastle was nowhere near the top of the list.

"'Cassie? What are you doing here?" Jaune asked, the familiar nickname slipping out. She looked so out of place among the bushes and trees, and yet there was not a hair or dress frill out of place on the maid. Were it any other typical maid, Jaune would question it, but Newcastle could look unruffled while splattered with pancake batter and strawberry jelly. She even had her usual patient smile.

"Sheffield brought me along, hoping I might chastise and then entice you into coming home. The carrot to her stick, if you will."

"That sounds like the carrot and the stick," Pyrrha commented.

"No, it's definitely the carrot," Jaune said. "Sheffield plays for keeps."

Newcastle looked at Pyrrha. "Jaune, care to introduce your lady friend to me?"

"Oh, this is Pyrrha, my partner for Beacon. Pyrrha, Newcastle. She's one of the maids that work for my family."

"Pyrrha Nikos. Yes, I thought I recognized you from the covers of the sugary cereals Jaune used to eat." Newcastle curtsied. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, but I'm afraid you'll need to find a new partner soon."

Wait, Pyrrha was on the cover of Pumpkin Pete's? Man, she must've been a really amazing wrestler.

"Glad to meet you as well," Pyrrha said, bowing her head. "But I think that remains to be seen."

The two stared at each other and Jaune felt like he was missing something important. Was it just him or did the air just spark?

"As I've said, I'm here to speak with Jaune about his recent actions. Would you mind giving us some privacy? We have family matters to discuss"

Pyrrha twirled her spear. "Of course, but how do I know you won't try to steal my partner away?"

Newcastle gestured to herself. "I'm hardly capable of whisking Jaune away all by myself. He's rather heavy."

Jaune looked down at his stomach and gave it a poke. Maybe he shouldn't have had all those doughnuts for breakfast.

"In that case, I'll simply patrol the area if you don't mind," Pyrra said politely.

"Of course. We wouldn't want any wandering Grimm to interrupt us, now do we?" Newcastle replied with as much politeness.

Pyrrha kept eyes on her as she backed away before turning to poke into the nearby bushes, almost out of sight. The moment she was far enough, Jaune turned back to Newcastle, only to receive a smack upside his head by her umbrella.

"Ah! Cassie, wha- Hey! Stop that!" Jaune raised his arms in defense as Newcastle rained down the blows on him for a solid minute. None of the blows hurt more than a light slap, which meant the aura was working, but it didn't take a genius to figure out her sudden bout of umbrella violence. At least she didn't use the pointy end. When she was done, he peeked at her with some shame. "I guess I deserved that."

Newcastle huffed as she tucked away her umbrella. "That and more once your mother gets to you. You put her in quite a frenzied state the morning after you left. Honestly, not even a note left behind." Newcastle frowned at him, sending a pang of guilt right through his heart.

"I was going to call after I got into Beacon. Promise!"

"Your father said as much, though it was under the assumption that you wouldn't get into Beacon on time. Don't give me that look. Punctuality has never been your forte."

Even so, Jaune couldn't help but cringe at his bruised pride. "Well, I made it in, didn't I?" Somehow, that was the wrong thing to say as her frown only deepened.

"Yes, you did," she said, "using forged transcripts! Would you care to explain that, Jaune? I don't recall you being taught to turn to crime for any reason."

Jaune felt his heart leap into his chest. How did they find out? Did they know about Roman? "No, but Mom always said to use every resource available."

Newcastle raised an intrigued eyebrow. "Oh dear, and how did you come across this resource?"

Jaune pursed his lips. He said too much. Really, it was just a suggestion that a certain 'privateer' aunt gave him in passing. But she did promise him he'd walk the plank if he mentioned her involvement in his plan. Better play dumb. "Uhhh… Internet?" Not that dumb!

The flat look Newcastle gave him indicated how well she bought the lie. "You gave your Arc's Word, didn't you? Commendable effort, but horribly misplaced." She sighed and shook her head. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I want to be a huntsman." The answer slipped out unbidden from his lips, as if it was only a natural response. Which it was. "I want to be a huntsman, 'Cassie."

"Jaune."

"What's so wrong about that?" Jaune blurted out. "Why go through all this effort to try to train me, and then keep me from being a huntsman?"

"Because it's not what you're supposed to be."

"Like hell it isn't!" Jaune was startled by the sharpness of his tone, but the ball was rolling now and he couldn't bring himself to stop it. "You and everyone else back home always talked about Grandpa like he was the best thing to ever happen to Remnant. You talked about his legacy as something I had to live up to. I want to be that hero too, but I can't do it if I'm stuck behind a desk reading manifests and weather reports everyday! You want someone to file reports, then pick any one of my sisters! I'm going out to help people."

"We need you to take up this mantle, Jaune. This role is more important than you realize."

Jaune laughed bitterly. "Is that why you didn't teach me about aura?" Part of Jaune hoped he wouldn't see a shocked look on her face at the mention of aura, but he felt disappointed when she did. "Is that why Mom got me a fake sword and then had it sabotaged? Were you hoping I'd give up and crawl back to you? Sorry to disappoint you."

"On the contrary, I think we'd be more disappointed if you did give up so easily."

The casual response knocked aside Jaune's rolling ball of frustration like a pool cue. "Say what?"

"I'm sure Sheffield will have my head for saying this, but there are not so few of us that do support your drive to become a huntsman. However, we understand that you," Newcastle poked him in the chest with her umbrella, "are expected to fulfill certain duties and responsibilities, among other things, and as such they take priority. Your training wasn't for naught, it just wasn't meant for a huntsman."

Jaune felt mollified to learn about the support, and yet the frustration was not abated. "Couldn't you have just told me this before I decided to run away?"

Newcastle's smile turned wry. "We would have told you years ago, but your mother decided you would be given the full explanation upon turning eighteen."

His birthday in a few months. Talk about crappy timing.

"Will I still get the explanation even if I get into Beacon?"

"I don't see why not, but it is rather bold of you to assume you'll make it in today." She twirled her umbrella casually, but the air about her made it seem as if it were a saber.

Jaune drew his sword and shield cautiously. "I told you, I'm going to be a huntsman. Now I have an initiation to finish, but can you answer one last question for me? Why was there a vampire in the basement?"

"Ah, yes, that was the last trespass you made. I'm afraid the answer is a bit complicated, but the best I can give you is that she simply lives there. You are going to have to apologize for the assault on her person and the theft of her sword when we return."

Jaune wasn't sure what kind of answer he was expecting, but it wasn't that. He almost dropped his sword from the casual response. "There is a literal vampire in the basement. She tried to eat me! Why do I have to apologize?"

"Because she's your Grandmother."

Jaune felt like a bucket of ice water was dumped on him. He tried to voice a response, but only choking sounds came from his throat. Newcastle said something he didn't catch, and then he watched as she pulled out a bulky pistol, load it, and point it skyward. Some part of him recognized it as a yellow flare was launched high into the sky. The next thing he knew, something caught his ankle and pulled, flipping him onto his back.

The impact knocked the wind out of his chest and the pain pulled his mind out of its fugue state. Before he could move, a heeled foot planted itself on his chest and his sword arm was pinned to the ground by an umbrella. "Wha-? Newcastle, I thought you weren't going to capture me?"

Newcastle gave him an admonishing look. "I said I couldn't carry you away by myself, not that I wouldn't attempt to capture you. I merely waited for an opportunity to call for reinforcements. I do apologize for the deception, but I'm sure you'll escape if you try hard enough."

"Do you mean that or are you saying it to make me feel better about being caught by a maid?" Jaune asked with a deadpan glare.

"I'm not one for violent solutions, so you have a fair chance at escaping," Newcastle said with a shrug.

"Then allow me to help," Pyrrha called out.

Newcastle's eyes widened before she was launched forward off Jaune and clotheslined onto a branch. Once she was down, a bronze shield raced back over Jaune's head to Pyrrha's outstretched arm. Pyrrha then ran over to Jaune and held out a hand.

"I'm sorry about hurting your maid, but I wasn't about to let her take you."

Jaune grabbed her hand and pulled himself up. "Thanks for the help. She caught me off guard."

"We need to leave before whatever help arrives." As she said it, the sound of approaching planes could be heard.

"What about the Grimm?" Jaune glanced back at the bush Newcastle landed into. "I can't just leave her here for them."

"I'll be fine!" the maid called out, her hand waving from the bush. "I do appreciate your concern though, but you should take your partner's advice. An excellent throw, by the way Miss Nikos."

"Oh, thank you."

"A pleasure. Now shoo!"

Jaune didn't need to be told twice. With sword and shield in hand, he led the way toward a rocky outcrop in the distance.

Sorry this one took so long. Work has been giving me weird shifts and pushing for 10+ hour crunches, which leaves very little time to even focus on writing, much less actually write. I'll try to have the next one out before new years. Seriously, I want to get to the big battle of initiation.