Chapter Two.
[}}]
"Jaune, I thought we were over this." Ren chastised.
They were back at their guest room. Their leader sat on his bed while Ren and Nora stood in front of him, disappointedly so.
After the boy's apparent attempt at a bad joke, things felt like they were about to get hectic.
Ruby began to sob, Weiss and Blake seemed like they were about to give him a piece of their mind and Yang was definitely about to give him a piece of her fists.
The boy even went as far as to ask if everything was okay with their deceased friend. Which only fed more fuel to an ongoing arson.
Quite immediately, Ren had sprung into action.
He grabbed Jaune by the wrist and dragged him out of the dining room. Nora followed them and shouted "Emergency Meeting!" to everyone else.
Once they were back up there, they began to question his behavior. However, his excuses weren't on pair to what they were expecting.
"Over what, exactly?" Asked Jaune. "What's going on? Why is everyone acting so angry all of the sudden?"
Ren stepped forward.
"Can you at the very least comprehend what you just said back there?"
"What? What did I say?" Recalled Jaune. "…Wait. Is this about Pyrrha? What about her?"
"What about-" Spoke Nora. "What?!"
"Jaune," Said Ren. "We understand how much you miss her. We all do. Ruby and the others as well. However, that does not excuse how you just spoke of her a minute ago."
Jaune stared at them as if they had grown a head each. It seemed like he was too afraid to ask what even had happened to their missing teammate. Denial was something their leader had grown quite akin to.
"L-Listen." Began Jaune. "I don't feel like my head is in the right place right now. Can we discuss this later after we get back to Beacon?"
At that point, he was sounding like he went crazy over the prospects of their journey.
"…Beacon?!" Nora repeated with her mouth agape.
"Jaune, this is getting ridiculous." Scolded Ren. "Do you even hear what you are saying?"
"W-Why?!" He insisted. "Look, if Pyrrha had to stay behind for some reason, can't we just call her? I mean, if Ozpin doesn't mind that we stay in Argus for a few days, then I don't see why we can't contact her through the CCT in the meantime."
…
Nora adopted a sad look on her face.
"You… You don't really remember, do you?"
Whatever Jaune was trying to pull, Ren was not buying it.
"I'm afraid my lack patience is getting the better of me. I wish I didn't have to, but if you are really insisting on doing that, then I have no choice but to spell it out for you." He cleared his throat. "Beacon is no more. The CCT is gone. And our Headmaster has long passed away."
"Technically, he's still inside Oscar's head." Nora pointed out.
"Wait, what?" Jaune asked.
"Enough!" Exclaimed Ren. "We already had enough with your seemingly erratic behavior. The last straw was having to watch you throw yourself away at Cinder!"
Jaune leaned back due to his tone. As if as that was the first time their leader had ever witnessed Ren lashing out on anyone like that. Still, he insisted on keeping his act.
"Cinder?" He asked. "Wait? You mean that exchange student from Haven?"
"Jaune, stop! STOP! This isn't funny!" Ren let it out. "You cannot just pretend none of that ever happened! That is NOT how cope with something like this! Specially NOT while we are still grieving after Pyrrha!"
The blonde went silent out of sheer shock. The single mention of that word apparently had demolished any semblance of understanding he had at that moment.
"G-Grieving?!" He mustered.
"Is this really all you have to say?" Magenta eyes furrowed.
Both him and Nora observed as their leader acquired a different posture.
Each of his hands hanged on a different side of his head. His blue eyes trembled as if he suddenly had a morbid revelation.
"No…" His teammates heard him muttering.
"…Jaune?" Nora approached, reaching to touch his shoulder.
He got up before she could. Jaune grabbed his sword that was lying beside his bed. Then, he proceeded to walk towards the door.
"And where do you think you are going?!" Ren questioned.
Jaune gripped the doorhandle.
"ANYWHERE BUT HERE!"
He opened it and slammed the door behind him.
Ren shook his head as he began to march after him…
Only to be stopped as his partner held him by his hand.
"Nora, please…" He struggled. "Let go. We have to-"
"No." She responded.
"He clearly has lost his mind. We can't let him wander around like that."
"Ren… Something is clearly wrong with him… I'm not sure what it is, but whether he actually remembers it or not… I think should leave him alone for now."
It took some time, but Ren ceased his efforts. After being freed by Nora, he turned away and went to lie on his own bed, facing away from her.
Nora contented herself with looking at the wooden boards on the floor. Just what was she going to do with her boys?
A few seconds earlier on the living room.
"…Maybe he was just making a joke?" Oscar suggested.
Blake was pacing around. "Oh, like how he did with Yang's arm?"
"Or how he addressed me with that childish nickname again?" Stated Weiss. "And even if he wasn't, what gives him the right to say something like that?"
"…Wasn't he trying to lighten the mood?" Ruby asked.
Everyone turned to her. She hugged her knees while sitting on the carpet, next to the sofa.
"I just…" She rubbed her right eye. "I don't get it... Did he somehow forgot everything that's happened?"
"Yeah, no." Denied Yang. "I bet he was just trying to mess with us. Honestly, sometimes I think he forgets we were Pyrrha's friends too."
The girls were noticeably upset by the Arc's remark during lunchtime. Ruby more than so, since she was the one that had witnessed their friend's demise back at the Fall.
Blake finally sat with them. "It is already one thing to repress a trauma like most people do. But to expect everyone else to go along with it while they are still hurting is downright revolting."
"But he wouldn't do something like this." Argued Oscar. "Would he?"
"He wouldn't." Ruby clenched her hands. "He seemed… Different during lunch. Maybe something happened last night that made him change?"
"That is hardly the case." Claimed Weiss. "People are much more complicated than that. He didn't just wake up as an entirely different person."
"…Maybe Ruby has a point." Blake thought over. "I remember overhearing Ren and Nora saying something about him… Involving her. Maybe Jaune went through a nervous breakdown and we weren't aware of?"
A door was slammed close up there.
They looked at the staircase, only to see Jaune himself rushing down the steps, Crocea Mors in hands.
Yang stood up. "Hey! Look who decided to show up. Care to explain what the hell was that back there?"
Jaune didn't even bother to turn his head. Without saying a word, he unlocked the front door and swiftly made his way outside.
"…Wow …Real mature." She deadpanned at the entrance.
"Ugh! The nerve of that idiot sometimes." Weiss complained.
Ruby lowered her head. Seeing him go out with his weapon like that again could only mean one thing to her.
"Alright! I already had quite enough of your quarreling." Exclaimed the old-lady still present in the room.
"Excuse us?" Weiss said.
Maria stood up from the sofa while she supported herself with her cane.
"This isn't going nowhere. Since it seems like I'm the only responsible adult in the vicinity, I figured I should do something about it."
"…What are you going to do?" Blake inquired.
"What else? I'm gonna go talk to him." She responded.
Yang tilted her head at Maria. "And how's that gonna help?"
"Well, it's still better than shoving your robot arm down his gob like you threatened him with earlier."
"Hey! I wasn't really gonna-" She sighed. "Fine…"
As Maria began to walk, Ruby tugged on her sleeve.
"Make sure he's okay… Please."
"Sure thing, kid." She patted her head. "I can only promise to try, though."
[{{]
"…And then you were like 'PAM!' and he was like 'GYAA!', but then you suddenly 'SCHWOONK!' and everyone was like 'BUH?' and then you did that thing where you 'SWOOSH!' and his head went like, 'THUNK!'" Nora kept going and going…
"Huh, that's a… That's a pretty accurate depiction of all the onomatopoeia that played during that fight." Jaune conceded.
With their following class ending earlier, Team JNPR settled on doing a stroll around the campus as their first activity of the day.
One and a half hours in and they had already contoured every building and scenery around the academy. The Library, the main tower, the gardens, the cliffside, the fountain at the main avenue and so on.
For his team, it was a nice walk around the school. For Jaune, it was quite literally a trip down the memory lane.
Not a single stone or vegetation on their path was out of place. All the structures and students all around, just as he remembered dearly.
"You seem to be in a better mood than usual." Ren pointed out.
"Oh? Well, I did great on Goodwitch's exam, didn't I?" Answered Jaune. "And honestly? This is probably the best I felt in a very long time."
That couldn't be further from the truth. All throughout their walk, Jaune wore a goofy smile on his face. Being able to interact with his whole team just like old times was something he cherished more than anything.
"About that…" Said Pyrrha. "I couldn't help but to notice that you have been practicing a lot on your free time. I mean, at least that's what I assume, after seeing you on the arena today."
"Uh… Yeah! You caught me. Haha." He laughed it off. "To tell the truth, I've been practicing mostly the basics, you know? Shield up, grip tight, front foot forward. Rinse and repeat. Heh."
"…I see? Well, I guess it just comes naturally to you."
"Oh! What about that thing where you chucked your shield at Cardin?" Nora asked.
Jaune stuttered a bit. "…W-What can I say? I didn't know what I was doing so I guess I just fluked. Heat of the moment and all."
"Sounds reasonable." Said Ren. "Although, if I am allowed to say-"
"RENNY! LOOK!" Nora grabbed him by the arm and pointed. "They're selling ice-cream here on the campus!"
The team looked as a wheeled-in ice-cream stand was serving a few students in the middle of the tall grass.
Ren observed. "The upcoming festival must be attracting a few small businesses to our academy. I take you would like one, correct?"
"You had me at 'The'!" Nora suddenly dragged him by his arm towards the ice-cream stand.
Pyrrha turned to her leader. "So… Ice-cream then?"
"Sure. I can go for it."
The two partners began to walk side by side to the stand as well. While on their way, Jaune thought back about of events of that morning.
"By the way, er…" He spoke. "Sorry about earlier. You know, back on the locker room. I guess I got a bit carried away…"
"O-Oh, that?" She flinched at the thought. "No, no. It's okay, really! I didn't mind the hug. I actually appreciate the sentiment, I really do. I'm not angry if that's what you think. Not at all!"
"…Good to know that, then."
He found some comfort on the fact that she was as much of a mess talking to him as he was talking to her.
Walking across Beacon's lawn, Jaune casually observed his redheaded teammate.
She was exactly the same as he always had remembered her. From the days of their initiation, the classes, the training, the ball, all those times they fought on the field…
From when she kissed him… And from what happened consequently after.
He shook his head. Everything was fine. Pyrrha was fine. Nothing bad ever happened.
Ever.
He could start again, and he could definitely start anew. Right there.
"H-Hey, uhm…" Small talk. His sworn enemy. "I-I've been wondering…"
"Hm? What is it?"
"N-nothing. I, uh- I was just curious if you… Had any plans this weekend?"
"W-Well, funny you should mention that." She bowed her head. "My agent wanted to meet with me to discuss some of the sponsors that will be attending at the Vytal Festival."
"…Oh. That's cool." He rubbed his hair.
"But I can always reschedule!" Pyrrha suddenly announced. "That is… If you have anything in mind…"
"Oh! W-Well then. I was just gonna ask if you-"
He was interrupted by the sudden sound of bawling in the distance.
Looking at the other side of the field, Jaune saw Team RWBY grouping up near a bench. Most of the commotion coming from Ruby herself.
"…Jaune?" Pyrrha asked her distracted leader.
"I-I was gonna ask if you could get me a cone while I go check on them!" He amended, pointing at their sister Team. "Vanilla, if you don't mind?"
"Oh… Sure. I will see if I can get one..." She said, somewhat disappointed… And he was aware of it.
"Right. This won't take long." He assured his teammate and immediately set course towards the other team.
On his way, Jaune mentally berated himself for wussing out on the finishing-line after allowing a simple distraction to get the better of his own nerves.
'I got plenty of chances now, at least. Maybe next time.'
Carefully, he approached Team RWBY and briefly analyzed the scene.
Ruby sat on the bench with slightly teary eyes. Yang appeared to be nursing her right leg while Weiss and Blake were standing by.
He clearly had no business there, but he went to check on them anyway.
"Uhm… Hey guys." Jaune made himself apparent to them. "…Is everything okay? Did something happen?"
Out of everyone, Blake was the one to regard him.
"We were at the Emerald Forest training for the tournament a couple of minutes ago. Then Ruby made a bet with Weiss-"
"Which I did not agree to!" The heiress added.
"…That she could run twenty laps around a large set of trees with her semblance without stopping. She run out of Aura by the last turn and scrapped her knee on some tree roots."
"My stocking is all ruh-uined~." Ruby sniffed.
"Hang in there, sis." Yang reassured her with a soft tone. "We'll get you to our room right now and give you some medicine. Your Aura should take care of the rest once it's back up."
Jaune stood there as Yang kept cleaning her sister's wound with one of Weiss' handkerchiefs. As he watched, an idea came to him.
"Excuse me, but, uh…" The four girls turned to him. "Can I… Can I see that? The injury, I mean."
The girl on the bench went red at the boy's proposition.
"I mean… I-I don't really mind-"
"Oh, but I do." Yang raised herself to face him. "Don't think I don't see what you're trying to pull here, 'Vomit Boy'. If that's even your real name."
"It's not?" He responded.
"Don't you sass me. I know you're offering yourself to help just so you can feel her up or something." She accused.
"For shame, Arc." Weiss reprehended with a palm on her face.
Jaune's eyes began to bulge. "W-Wait! No! That's not what I-! I wasn't even going to touch her! I-I swear-"
"It's okay…" Said Ruby, getting their attention. "I trust him."
He looked around, waiting for their verdict. Weiss glared suspiciously at him, so nothing out of the usual. Blake just shrugged. She couldn't be any more indifferent than that.
Yang huffed and got out of the way, pretty much allowing the boy to check on her sister. All while giving him the 'I'm watching you' sign.
Jaune let out a breath, acknowledging the thin ice he was treading.
He slowly walked up to Ruby and made sure to crouch down to her eye level. At last, he was able to examine the knee scrap.
Just like she said previously, that accident had teared right through her stocking, leaving a blood-dripping wound in the midst of her skin.
"Does is hurt?" He whispered.
"It still stings a little." Answered Ruby, wincing a bit. "But I'll walk it off. I've had worse cuts just from practicing with Crescent Rose alone."
"Hang on." Jaune raised his arms. His palms were positioned above her leg. "Just… Hold still, please."
Despite her sister's fierce gaze, she nodded.
Up to the elbows, both his arms began to emanate a light-gold Aura. Cautiously concentrating, he directed that energy to Ruby, engulfing the injury with his own Aura.
Eventually, the wound closed on its own, effectively healing her knee back.
"Whoa…" Ruby looked mesmerized at that.
"…What …Was that?" Yang questioned, completely baffled.
"Hm?" He lowered his arms. "Uh… I transferred some of my Aura to Ruby?"
"Yeah, we just saw it!" Exclaimed Weiss. "The question was how on Remnant did you manage to do that?!"
"W-What do you mean? I just used my Semblance so I could-"
"YOUR SEMBLANCE?!" Came in the voice of Nora.
They all turned to see the rest of JNPR standing behind them. All carrying cones of ice-cream.
"Jaune, is this true?" Pyrrha asked as she held one cone in each hand.
"Well, yeah. I mean-" He cut himself off from the sudden realization.
He wasn't supposed to have a Semblance yet. Woops.
What signified that slip-up the most was the reaction of his friends upon that discovery.
"Jaune, that's… That's WONDERFUL! You finally unlocked your Semblance!" Pyrrha said, filled with glee.
Blake raised a finger. "Pardon me, but it didn't seem like he unlocked it just now. Almost as if he already had some prior experience with it."
Ren wasn't convinced. "…And why would Jaune keep something like that as a secret?"
"Actually!" Intervened Jaune as he stood up. "I sorta found out by accident when I was training by myself a couple of days ago. I just didn't think it was thaaat important, ya know?"
"NOT THAT IMPORTANT?!" Shouted Nora. "Dude! This is exactly what you've been waiting for!"
"It is…?"
"Of course, dummy! And just in time for us to begin training for Vytal! But first, we should celebrate!"
"Agreed." Said Pyrrha. "We were just talking about hanging out at Vale for a bit." She turned to the other team. "Say, do you want to accompany us?"
Yang clicked her tongue. "Well, I guess I do own Jaune for once, since he did actually help my sister. Yeah, we can join you. Right girls?"
"I suppose so." Said Weiss. "Ruby, how are you feeling?"
Their leader kicked both her legs and jumped out of the bench. "Better than ever! Though, maybe I should get changed before going to the city."
"Then it's settled." Pyrrha clasped her hands. "We'll go to our dorms get ourselves ready, then meet back at the air docks."
Jaune was just about to agree to follow them, but then he suddenly changed his mind.
"You know what? I think I'll just wait for you guys by the bullheads."
"Really?" Pyrrha asked.
Jaune walked up to her and took the ice-cream he had asked for earlier.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to think about something just now. Thanks, by the way." He slightly waved his cone.
"Well, just know you can talk to us about anything."
"I know." Although, he was not sure if they would believe it. "See you in a few."
As their blonde leader walked away from them, the whole group moved in unison to the dorms.
"Well, that was quite the turn of events." Blake pointed out.
Nora beamed. "Training's gonna be a blast now! I wonder what else he can do."
"Hey," Ruby chimed in. "Does that mean he's our dedicated 'White Mage' now?"
As the girls discussed, Ren watched his leader stroll away in the distance.
"Hmm…"
[}}]
Jaune wandered aimlessly around the streets of Argus.
These past few moments at that house ever since he woke up were… A nightmare.
Getting reprimanded by his friends out of nowhere, only to learn that they were no longer students at Beacon because their school was apparently shut down, probably for the same reason Ozpin was dead.
And to top it all, he was essentially given the whole context to all of that commotion based on a single word.
"Grieving…" He muttered while looking down on the sidewalks.
'No! That can't be! They didn't tell me the full story! There's gotta be something I'm missing!'
At the time, he just couldn't take it. So, he left the house as soon as possible. He couldn't bear what his teammates were telling him. For the first time that day, he straight-up refused to get any of the answers he wished for.
From the moment he heard that word, small flashes were shown to him. He saw himself just outside of the CCT tower. Everything going up in flames.
Jaune felt like those memories were buried all the way in the back of his mind. He forced them away to avoid the literal headache he was getting.
Next thing he knew at that moment, he had grabbed Crocea Mors and walked out of the house, despite everyone's protests.
He didn't know exactly why he had brought his sword for a walk. At that point, it was just instinct. Maybe he didn't want to leave the house empty-handed.
But no. Deep down, he knew that sword meant something for him. More than just a hand-me-down from his family. He just couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Traversing yet another street, he found himself entering one of the city's parks. He decided to go in there and have a sit. The boy had a lot to think about.
'This is insane… There has to be some misunderstanding. They must be exaggerating or something! There's absolutely no way Pyrrha is-'
And then he saw her.
He finally had his answer. Whether he wanted or not.
Just a few steps away from him, there was a huge memorial made in honor to none other than Pyrrha Nikos.
His whole world crumbled before him. This wasn't a nightmare. This was a real dystopic future he had ended up on. Her fate was written in stone right there, on the sign in front of him, nonetheless.
One of the many students who fought valiantly at the Fall of Beacon.
More images began to flash on his mind. Of that very same place.
He was there before. Just yesterday in fact. The coldness from that night contrasted with the broad daylight at which he was standing.
His legs gave in. His knees hit the ground as tears were shedding out of the corners of his eyes. His sword was dropped in the process.
Looking down at it, he noticed something was rather different with his weapon, design-wide.
Picking it up, he expanded his sheath. The blonde almost lost his breath.
Laid to rest in his shield... Her crown. Lining his sword... Her arms.
Jaune then realized that his new armor was also build around to pay homage to Pyrrha's old gear. Down even to the red-sash, which he apparently has been wearing ever since he got out of bed.
So many drastic changes in such a short time-spam. And worst of all, he was stuck there without a clue to what he could even do.
"…Just what happened here?" Jaune sobbed.
"I've been wondering that too." Spoke an unknown voice, followed by some crunching noises.
Surprised, the blonde looked to the side. He found that same elderly woman from earlier at his sister's house. The one with the weird goggles. She was sitting at a bench while eating some cashews out of a bag.
"H-How long have you been watching?" He asked.
"Whatever do you mean? I just got here." She munched on more cashews. "After trailing you for many blocks, I got tired and sat down. I must say, it was kinda sweet how you were paying respects to your old class-mate just now. She was a really big deal from what I've heard."
"…Yeah, I can imagine." He sighed. "Sorry for the trouble… L-Look, I know I was supposed to remember your name, but my head's all over the place right now, so..."
"Ah, don't sweat over it, kid. You probably didn't even know it anyway. I've known you and your friends for like what? One and-a-half days? Besides, we've never actually got past the introduction point."
"Oh… I see. Again, sorry for making you go through all this trouble of following me. I'm not sure what I'm even doing anymore."
"Is that so…? Well, why don't you come and sit here?" She patted the other side of the bench. "You're gonna hurt your legs if you keep kneeling like that all day."
Jaune shrugged and accepted the offer. He got up, walked up to the mysterious lady and sat down on the opposite end of the wooden bench. She offered some cashews, but he politely refused.
The woman harumphed. "Alright, you know the drill, sunshine. You tell me what's been troubling you, I'll say something very inspiring, then we can both go back home before dinner. How's that sound?"
"…I honestly don't think it's that simple."
"'Course it is. Nine times out of ten, that's how all teenagers solve their problems."
"I… Don't…" He shook his head. "Listen, eh-"
"Maria."
"Right. Maria… I can't just tell you what it is. At least not without you thinking I'm crazy or something."
"Try me." She leaned back. "When you're someone with my age, you've already seen plenty of crazy in life."
"Ugh…" He slouched. 'Here goes nothing, I guess.' "Okay, so… Basically, I wasn't meant to be here."
"Ah, I get it." She nodded. "You're having problems trying to belong. Really typical for someone of your age."
"No. No…" He waved both his hands. "I mean, I really, really wasn't supposed to be here, like… Okay, this is the part where I'm gonna sound crazy: The very last thing I remember before today was… Training at Beacon! I was showing my friend this really cool trick I learned, then I went to sleep, then I woke up at my sister's house in an entirely different kingdom in an entirely different year, my own friends think I'm insane, my school got destroyed and Pyrrha-!" He glanced at the statue and slumped down. "…So, yeah."
"I see…" Said Maria. "Also, Yang's new upgrade is actually a prosthetic arm."
"Wait, it is?!" He sat right up in shock. "Oh… Well, I guess that does explain what she meant during lunch."
She patted his shoulder. "If it's any consolation, she said she wasn't gonna really do it."
Jaune slouched again, both his hands going to his face. "Ugh… Oh brothers."
"I've actually got to see them recently. They're not as high and might as everyone say."
The blonde lowered his hands and slowly turned his head at her.
Maria appeared to frown at that. "Hey! Don't look at me like that. I told you I've seen a lot of crazy." She wrapped up her bag. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, can you tell me if you recall the exact date of the last day you claim to remember?"
That was an odd question, even for a situation like of this caliber. Not that Jaune bothered at that point.
"I guess it was… Actually, I'm having some trouble trying to remember things now. I have been getting these sudden flashes and it's all getting mixed up."
"…Well, it was worth a shot." She grabbed her cane.
"Wait!" He raised a hand. "I-I think I still recall some details."
Maria gestured. "Go on…"
"The Vytal Festival was coming to town. We still had less than two months until it arrived. It was also around the same week we were having our exams… And… Oh! It was a Thursday. I'm sure of it."
She hummed. "It's better than nothing at least."
He was curious now. "Why? Why is that important?"
"Well, boy, I mainly got two theories: Number one is that you've gone completely crazy."
Jaune hmphed. "Can't fault that logic."
"Theory number two: You're telling the truth. And if that's the case, then maaaybe I can help you sort this out."
"…Seriously? Help me how?"
"Oh, it's already done."
…
"I'm… Not sure if I follow."
Maria stood up from the bench.
"I've been meaning to pass by the market all day. Why don't you make good use of those big and strong arms and help an old-lady carry her groceries? I promise to explain everything on the way if you do."
The boy let out a groan. With a last glimpse at the statue of Pyrrha, he chose to follow the weird lady. He would do just about anything if meant getting things back to normal.
[{{]
For the past ten minutes, Jaune watched as a few bullheads landed on the hangars. Many students and passengers alike were both leaving and boarding for the next scheduled flight.
And there he sat on a bench not far from it, contemplating his circumstances. A half-eaten cone of ice-cream was melting away in a nearby trash-bin.
"…What am I doing?" He muttered.
He could be spending some time with his friends before going out to Vale with them. But instead, he opted to be alone with his own thoughts.
As much as he wanted to make up for lost time and hang out with them, there was still so much he had to evaluate.
The festival was coming… And so was the Fall. If history were to repeat itself, then what was the point?
Unless…
Jaune couldn't afford to be nihilistic. Not when an opportunity of a lifetime was presented to him.
Despite being sent back to Beacon by some unknown reason, he somehow had retained all of his memories, his training and even his Semblance. That couldn't be a coincidence.
'Then, maybe…'
Yes. It was all coming together. With much careful planning and with the assistance of his colleagues, he could change the outcome of the tournament on its entirety.
He could go to Pyrrha and talk her out of this Maiden business. He could warn Yang about Emerald's Semblance so she would not end up falling into Mercury's trap.
But… Why stop there?
He could explain to his friends what Cinder and her lackeys were up to. They could organize a plan and take that witch down before she could do anything nefarious. They could even get the faculty involved in this.
And again. Why stop there?!
He could tell to the whole academy, nay, the whole world about the Maidens, the Relics, and even about the Gods! He could expose both Ozpin and Salem for what they really were! He could-
"Oh! There you are."
Jaune was broken out of his intense brainstorm session. That voice was vaguely familiar, but the person standing in front of him was the last he ever expected to see at that campus.
He rubbed his eyes. "…Maria?"
"Hm, so you do know my name."
Fun Fact: One of the ideas I originally had for the title was "Jaune Jenerations". Then I cringed at the idea of calling them "Classic Jaune and Modern Jaune".
Btw, silly question. Should I change the character tags and add Jaune's name twice in it since they're technically two different characters at this point, or would that be confusing?