Issue #3

Vale. This was her first time seeing the enormous city, no that was too tame a description. The only word that fit the place was metropolis. Her head craned around and stared at all of the tall buildings as she held onto Jaune on the back of Silverhawk. All the fatigue from the hard push to get here was forgotten as the the countryside girl took in the sights of the city. The wall of Vale had taken her breath away, a ninety foot tall marvel of engineering. Massive cannons lined the rampart, ready to destroy any Grimm that dared come close.

From what she remembered in the small classes they held in Northrend, the Vale wall was manned by several hundred soldiers and a small complement of Hunters. The wind whistled past her hair and she just couldn't stop the smile that spread as a result.

"If you open your mouth that wide you're gonna start catching flies."

And there went the smile. What did he have eyes in the back of his head too?

"This is my first time in the city, Jaune." Vermilion pouted though the effect was lost since he couldn't see it. And there she saw it, on the horizon, Beacon Academy.

It sat there majestically framed by the sky, the famous tower stretching up into the sky like a symbol of hope. A constant watch against evil at the kingdom's walls. The pictures she had seen didn't do it justice.

When they finally arrived at the bullhead docks the tower of the academy leaned imperiously over the city. Jaune had parked Silverhawk in the temporary storage and boarded the bullhead for Beacon with her. She looked all around her and noticed figures dressed in uniforms. Girls in plaid skirts and men in suits. A couple of the girls giggled as they caught her staring at them.

"You might want to pick your jaw up the floor." Vermilion scowled at the comment from Jaune but nonetheless focused her eyes outside the window. A certain sense of vertigo came over her as she looked down at the fading city and towards the rapidly approaching academy. The grounds of Beacon occupied enough space to equal the whole of Northrend. There was something mind boggling about a school as big as a small village.

They stepped off the bullhead last, Vermilion taking in the grand tower. She felt so out of her depth and didn't noticed the tremendous crash as a golden missile collided with Jaune. The man himself barely moved but now attached to him was a massive amount of golden hair connected to a woman.

"Hey Jaune~" The woman cooed as she rubbed a finger down his cheek, "It's been ages since I saw you. Don't you love me?"

"I don't." The man stated simply, like having a gorgeous woman hanging off of him was a normal occurrence. Maybe it was?

"Gasp!" The woman actually said the word as she laid her arm across her eyes, dramatically swooning, "My heart!"

She stopped and fixed one lilac eye on him from under her arm, "Well damn Jaune, you're no fun."

"Have I ever been?"

"Uh, yeah? But whatever." She fixed her eyes and smile on Vermilion who felt a strong urge to run from the new blonde, "And what do we have here? This the girl?"

"No this is just some random woman I picked up off the street." Jaune said without missing a beat.

"Touche. Heya, my name is Yang Xiao-Long. People around here call me Professor Xiao-Long. Welcome to Beacon."

The blonde stuck her hand out and Vermilion tentatively took it, "I'm Vermilion Ash."

"Behind me standing like a bunch of deer is team BSK or, well, team Bisque." The professor motioned to a trio of girls all wearing the Beacon uniform.

The first one, a cat faunus, had long raven colored hair braided to the middle of her back. Bright amber eyes that shone when she smiled and waved, "Hey there. Aunt Yang told us to come guide you around Beacon, I'm Noel Belladona."

She scowled when she was cuffed in the back of the head, "It's professor at Beacon Noel!"

Ignoring the grumbling the next one did a polite bow towards Vermilion who clumsily returned it, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Vermilion. My name is Willa Schnee. I will be in your care." Her white hair stood out against her tanned complexion.

The last member of the team waved excitedly and Vermilion couldn't help but stare at her pointy, wide brimmed hat, "I'm Silvia Keppel! I like your eyes!"

"Um…. hi?" The young woman didn't know quite how to respond to the others and took a half-step back before she was caught in an iron-like grip. The blonde teacher had her and to her horror had Jaune in the other hand. Judging by the glare, it wasn't willingly.

"Now let's all go meet the headmistress!"

Vermillion let herself be steered by the woman but couldn't help but notice she had a vice-like grip on Jaune's forearm. Was the headmistress really so scary that the blond kept trying to run away?

She soon got her answer when the elevator dinged opening the group to a large room and a single woman sitting behind the desk.

Now she knew why he kept trying to leave.

The woman was the definition of stern. Her sharp eyes studied the young woman from behind glasses and her silver-blonde hair was done up in a neat bun.

"Thank you Yang."

"Sure thing Gly- Headmistress." She changed her address as soon as those green eyes narrowed.

The stern glare softened when trained on vermilion but the young girl gulped anyways.

"Miss Ash. Welcome to Beacon Academy. I must say that your situation is… unusual. You will be allowed to sit in on the coursework. In seven months the first year teams will be embarking on their first missions. At that time you will be assigned to team Bisque here and your performance will be judged. That is the best I can offer you as Headmistress of the academy."

"That's… more than fair for someone like me." Goodwitch glanced up at the other two adults in the room with a raised eyebrow. Professor Xiao-Long shrugged and Jaune's face was the picture of neutrality.

"Girls, if you'd please show Miss Ash around the campus?"

"With pleasure Ma'am!" Noel exclaimed, almost dragging the brunette back into the elevator. As the door closed, not once did Jaune look back at her.

Jaune waited patiently as Glynda shuffled some papers on the desk until she signaled the pair to sit down. Yang did but the man remained standing, making it clear his intentions were not to stay long.

"I can see the similarities. I don't know if it's the eyes but she seems so much like Miss Rose."

Jaune stiffened uncomfortably. He didn't like this. He'd noticed too, and then tried very hard not to. Coming to mind was the image of a very excited Ruby Rose as she talked about her weapon, Vermilion had the same expression when she'd cut that tree down.

"I know right?! I could hardly resist the urge to pick her up and squeeze her. I'm glad you found her Jaune. I don't wanna know what those Salemites would have done to her."

"I almost didn't get there on time." Jaune proceeded to fill them in on what had happened in Northrend. By the time he was done Yang's eyes were crimson, matching the deep frown she wore on her face. Glynda's face was less telling but her scowl was made of granite.

"I'm glad that she's alive then. I'm surprised she's not affected by the experience." Glynda leaned back in her chair, picking up a mug of tea and inhaling the scent before taking a sip.

"Ruby was a lot like that too. A little off, like she was made of different stuff than the rest of us. Jaune have you noticed anything?"

The blond ran a hand along his chin, "Not really. Though, she did pick up aura control fast. She cut down a tree in a single strike minutes after I handed her Crocea Mors."

Yang let out a low whistle, "Damn. That's fast."

"Indeed. It looks like there may be more to the destined warrior aspect of the silver eyes than it seems."

The two women nodded and Jaune made to leave but was stopped by Glynda.

"Please wait Jaune." He closed his eyes, sensing what was coming next, "I want to ask you to stay and oversee the girl's physical training."

"With all due respect Glynda. No. You have a school full of teachers here who can do a better job than me. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for what I owed Oscar." He turned around and met the woman's eyes. They weren't stern. Instead there was a look he had only seen a few times on the woman's face. It was a sad look when a student had died on her watch. He had seen it when Ruby had died and again when Ren and Nora died. The woman held the life of each student dear to her and each death was a personal blow.

He had seen her take that loss out on Mercury Black.

It was this look that froze him in place, all anger fading away as she pleaded with him, eyes weary from witness so much death.

"Jaune. Do you feel nothing for this girl? You are right we have teachers here who could train her but they have other students to teach. None can spare the time to give the girl the dedicated training she needs to catch up in time. This could be a matter of life and death for her."

"I don't want to be pulled into this again. Not after what this did to Ruby."

"Professor Pine isn't asking this of you, I am. And this isn't about Salem, but the life of Vermilion. I'm not asking you to fight for the cause anymore, you've done more than enough. All I'm asking is that you share your knowledge with this girl so that maybe she can live free."

His irritation and anger could find no purchase against the pleading look on Glynda's face. He respected the woman far too much.

"Fine. I'll do it. For her."

"Don't worry Jaune, I'll be helping out where I can." Yang piped up, a wide smile on her face.

Jaune could just hope he didn't come to regret this, he didn't want to watch another person die.

"Since you'll be taking on an active role in Miss Ash's development, coming to and from Vale would be rather inconvenient. I'll arrange a guest dorm for you and send the details to your scroll."

Jaune nodded as he stepped into the elevator and Yang slipped in with him as the doors began to close.

"Thanks Jaune." Yang quipped as the carriage began to descend, "I know it wont be easy staying here but she really needs you."

The blond knight merely hummed his reply. When the doors opened, he froze as he saw who was at the bottom. Oscar Pine stood there with his silver cane in his hand. He nodded to the both of them, "Yang, Jaune. It's nice to see you back from that mission. Did everything go well?"

Jaune refused to say anything as he pushed past the man and made his way down the hallway. Yang hung back but Oscar turned, "Jaune. Please wait!"

In spite of wanting to be anywhere he wasn't, he stopped to listen, not turning around but cocking his head to the side.

"Thank you Jaune. It means a lot that you did this."

Jaune had to resist a sneer, "I didn't do it for you, Ozpin, I did it for her."

Without leaving a chance for a reply he vanished through the doors and felt a buzzing from his scroll. Opening it he found the details Goodwitch had promised him. He made his way to the docks. If he was going to be staying at Beacon there were some arrangements to make.

"How was he?!" Vermilion blinked at the sudden question, looking up from her mashed potatoes too look at the girl who addressed her.

"Who?

"Mister Arc of course!" Her raven haired guide said as she sat down at the table in the cafeteria they had claimed with her own tray of food, "Jaune Arc the Paladin. He's famous. Didn't you know?"

"Sorry. Didn't get much news in Northrend, at least not old news." She shrugged.

"Well tell us about what he's like. Aunt Yang told us stories all the time about their group in the old days. She just doesn't talk a lot about him. There are a couple, though, that she's told. Like the time him and the Reaper killed a Grimm dragon while everyone else held off hordes of Grimm."

The girls amber eyes practically sparkled, even the others had an interest. Silvia stared with rapt attention and Willa looked out of the corner of her eye from the book she was reading.

"There's not much to say. He's… gruff. Kind of a dick at times." Willa's eyes widened and she looked positively scandalized, "But… I get the feeling that he cares, just doesn't wanna show it. Ya know?"

"I get you. Dad says Mom was like that a long time ago. Says she mellowed out once they had me."

"Anyways," Willa spoke up, changing the subject, "what kind of weapon do you use?"

"I, uh, don't know. I don't really have one." The three of them simply stared, "Cut me some slack, I only got my aura, like, three days ago."

"Right, my apologies Vermilion. I suppose that was rude of me."

The brunette just waved it off, "It's not like you really knew. I'm just some stranger who's shown up. Honestly I don't have any training except a little in aura control that Jaune taught you."

Noel latched onto the subject like a drowning man to a life raft, "Oh?! What kind of training was it."

"Not really sure. He called it aura projection."

"Ugh, I hated doing that. Months of meditation and holding my spear like an idiot. Don't get me wrong, it's great, just boring to learn."

"Really? I thought it was interesting. I mean you can cut down trees in a single strike and stuff." Everyone started giving her a funny look, "What?"

Willa cleared her throat, "Nothing, Vermilion. It's just rather strange to be able to do that so quickly."

"Am… Am I weird?!" The worried response just got a laugh from the black haired faunus.

"Oh gods no Mili. The weird one here is Silvia." She drew close and whispered, "She thinks she's a witch."

"I am too a witch!" the green haired girl replied indignantly.

"See?" Noel sported a wide smile and even the pout from Silvia held no true heat. Vermilion let out a small giggle.

"So since we're talking about weapons. What do you guys use?"

It was Willa who replied first, "I inherited mine from my father. It's a three stage rifle with a glaive and trident formation."

"I use a dust staff to cast my spells." The vague explanation came from the girl with a witch hat atop her head.

"And last of all I use a variable spear. But, see, mine's special." When Vermilion raised her eyebrow at the girl she leaned in conspiratorially, "It's a Ruby Rose custom. See 'fore she died, the reaper created schematics and gave them to her friends. The woman was a weapons genius. There's nothing out there close to my Rubra Aurora."

"Hmmm, That's honestly kind of awesome. I know Jaune knew her but he refused to speak about her."

"Heh, you wanna know more about her you gotta ask her sister." A knowing smile coming from the faunus girl, "Professor Xiao-Long, also known as the Golden Dragon, was her older sister."

Vermilion gasped, recalling the raucous older woman who seemed incredibly friendly with Jaune. A gasp came from Silvia who held a hand to her mouth.

"Noel, do you think the Professor and Mister Arc are dating?"

"Heh? That old hag? Doubt it. The only way she'd get a man would be if she pinned him down and proceeded to-" She froze as a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see red eyes and blond hair. Noel's face drained of color.

"By all means. Finish that sentence Miss Belladona." If anything the girl sat straighter and the sound of her name. She refused to speak and only shook her head, "No? Well then I suppose a punishment is in order."

Quickly she grabbed the faunus girl in a headlock and rubbed her fist into the top of the girl's hair, right between her ears. A low keening whine escaped the girl until she was let go. Gingerly she nursed the top of her head. Silvia leaned over to whisper to Vermilion.

"The students also call her Demon Eyes. If they go red, run. Though no one's managed to escape."

Seemingly satisfied that justice had been dispensed, the blonde woman turned to Vermilion and tossed her something across the table. Catching it reveal a small, whitecased scroll.

"There ya go, one Beacon issued scroll. That'll act as your key to your dorm room."

Professor," Willa spoke up, "Noel was wondering if she might stay with us tonight?"

"I got no problem with it. Be nice you guys. Or I'll tell your mothers." Both Willa and Noel paled a little at the prospect.

Silvia just laughed, "Don't worry, we're already friends."

With a chuckle the blond left, with a last parting gesture to Noel indicating she was watching her.

"Um, is the Professor always like that?"

"Kind of. Mostly because of those two though." Silvia slid next to her so their shoulders were touching, "See their mums were teammates with her. They act like family half the time."

"Isn't Headmistress Glynda afraid of favoritism?"

"Heh maybe if they hadn't proven they were the strongest in our year in the first week."

"How'd they do that?" Vermilion asked, she could sense a story there.

"Right, so, there was a team that was always complaining about them, knew about the whole relationship between them an all. So the Professor, what does she do? She tells all four of the team to come down to the combat ring, then makes Noel do it too. Tells 'em 'If you can beat Noel then she doesn't deserve her ranking'."

Vermilion took a quick glance at the faunus still nursing her head and grumbling about revenge, "What happened?"

Silvia chuckled, a small smile stole across her lips, "She beat them all without her aura going into the yellow. That's when your aura reaches the halfway point." She added when she saw the brunette's confused look.

"That's… pretty awesome."

"Yup, and it shut everybody up when she asked if anyone wanted to duel Willa."

The girl in question scoffed while reading her book, "Showing off is not something a Schnee does. That's why I left it up to Noel." Closing the book after placing a bookmark the white haired girl stood up, "I shall retire to our room." With a nod towards them the girl strode out of the cafeteria.

"Eh, I guess that's our cue too." Noel stood up, "It's getting late and they're about to close the cafeteria soon. Might as well go back to our room. We can have a slumber party."

Vermilion stood, slinger her bag back over her shoulders as she did so. She actually felt pretty good considering how hard Jaune had pushed for them to get there. Her thoughts drifted to the man who had saved her life but three days ago. He'd left and maybe she wouldn't see him again. That was a possibility.

But now she was surrounded by people that he knew so just maybe she could. It had to be inevitable, right? She'd heard him in his sleep. The fitful murmurs and constant shifting, a tortured sleep. He had saved her, could she do the same?

Her musing were interrupted as they arrived at the dorm of team BSK. It was a standard affair. Each bed was like a terrarium. One had clothes sprinkled about it, another was meticulously neat and tidy. The third had some odd decoration on the nightstand, a carving of a black cat as well as several other wooden statues that she couldn't recognize. The fourth bed was abandoned and the girl set her pack onto it. The others were changing into their pajamas so she figured she'd get comfortable too. Folding her cloak carefully she put it into the pack and finally removed her pendant last.

It was something her mother had given her when she was ten. The pendant itself was a re-purposed brooch so it was a little large but nonetheless she ran her thumb over the familiar rose relief, fingers tracing the edges as she thought of her mother. Would she be proud? She hoped so.

With a small kiss she placed it into her pack and then sat on the bed as the other girls launched into stories.

A/N: Whew, that was a doozy of a chapter eh?

A bunch more characters and two related to cannon ones! I know y'all know this but I kinda HAVE to create a bunch of OCs for this story. Can't have a bunch of geriatrics fighting, now can we? All kidding aside I started this story to have more freedom to write. However all of the characters have a reason to be there, so don't worry I'm not gonna be making some kind of self insert. I hate that stuff, personally. It's boring for the reader.

I want my OCs to be fun and engaging and hopefully not flat. I enjoyed creating team BSK for this too. I put a lot of thought into most of their weapons. And I suppose now we get to the meat of it.

Willa is daughter to Weiss and Neptune (if that wasn't obvious) and Noel is the daughter to Blake and Sun. NOW please don't criticize the pairings. Those aren't the focus of the story. So just please.

Also how's about that important bit right at the end? I know some people got it, I wasn't exactly subtle with the hints as to who Vermilion's mother was. But the question is how. And also why is she brunette. But hey, those are things that I have thought of and will be revealed in time.