Chapter Three.
[{{]
He never got to know Maria all that well.
The moment Ruby and the others had arrived at Argus along with an old-lady on their party, Jaune and his team just pretty much accepted it, no questions asked.
Now to see that same old-lady standing in front him, on Beacon, before the Fall, while not the weirdest thing that had happened to him so far, it was still pretty darn intriguing.
'Okay, don't go bananas just yet.' He thought to himself. 'She's probably here because of the festival and just came to ask for directions. Yeah, she must be confusing me for someone else. That's it.'
He scratched the back of his head. "E-Eh. Sorry, have we met before?"
"Oh, not at all." She dismissed that idea. "This is actually the first time I've ever spoken to you… Well, chronologically speaking that is, since we've technically met at Argus one year from now."
Permission to go bananas conceded.
"W-Wait, hold on! Why are you here?! How are you here?!" He frantically asked.
"You know, it's not very polite to shout at old-ladies." Maria was unamused. "Also, you don't expect me to stand still all day, do ya? I just took hours of flight just to get here. Scooch over."
The boy apologetically obliged and lend her some space on the bench he was sitting on.
The woman set aside her cane and sat beside him.
"Now. I assume you must have some questions."
"That's… Putting very lightly, yeah."
"I can imagine. So, I guess I should start by explaining my Semblance to you."
Jaune scratched his cheek at that. "I think I overheard Ruby commenting something about that just the other day. Preflexes, right?"
Maria winced ever so slightly. "Well, the thing is… That's the short-answer I usually give. Mostly so I don't end up confusing anyone."
"Oh… So, what can you do, then?" He asked.
The elderly woman took a long sigh. "In a nutshell, I can see the future. I can tap into my own soul and have visions from upcoming events. From seconds, days and even months in advance."
He observed as she appeared to stare at the clean sky above them.
"That… That honestly sounds pretty amazing." Said Jaune. "I-I've never heard of anyone with a Semblance this powerful before."
"On the surface, it seems like it." She spoke. "However, the visions I mentioned before-hand are exclusively linked to own body."
He blinked. "Which means…?"
"Which means I can only spectate them through my own eyes and ears. Also, it's incredibly inconsistent at times. It took pretty much my whole life just so I could get a general feel for it."
He shrugged. "I mean, being able to see ahead is still pretty useful. Even if it's just a second or two."
"That much is true." She concurred. "Though sometimes, I wish I had gotten a Semblance on a more practical side of things, just like your friends. But then again, I guess that's what my eyes were for."
"Your… Eyes?" He inclined his head.
"Maybe I should clear that out for you." She leaned back and poked her mechanical goggles. "Back then, I used to be a Silver-Eyed warrior. Just like your friend Ruby."
"Oh! So that's why…" He paused. "Wait, are you and Ruby related somehow?"
"Hah! No, I'm afraid not. I've never got to meet her mother, either. Probably for the best. It's a dangerous gift to bear, after all."
Despite getting to know her better, Jaune still wanted to address the Goliath in the room.
"You know, that's all well and good, but there's one thing I still don't get." He paused. "Just… How did you find me? I mean, I get that your Semblance shows you the future and stuff, but… How were you able to track me all the way to…? You know, the past?"
"Okay, for starters, I didn't go backwards in time just so I could track you. I'm from this current present, if you must know."
"…Really? Sorry, it's just that… You look exactly the same as from one year from now." He stated. She was even wearing the same blue tunic from Argus.
"Humph. I wish I could say the same to you. Gee, kid, put on some weight." She retorted.
He felt stinged. "…Sorry. Please continue."
"Gladly." Said Maria. "You see, just recently, I've been going over the events of Argus from next year with the help of my Semblance. And to my immense surprise, at some point during our stay in there, my own future-self met someone that claimed to be from here. So, I did the only logical thing and came to check it out."
"…Excuse me, what?" Jaune lost track. "Someone told you how to find me? Is that it? Just how- who even told you that?"
Maria smacked her dry lips.
"Well, this part is kinda tricky, so I'm gonna need you to do your homework." She looked right at him. "Riddle me this: If you are here right now, on a time, place and body you weren't supposed to be, then who do you think will wake up on the following day on your bed at Argus?"
"…Wha-What kinda question is that? You mean tomorrow from now or from the day I came from? If it's the latter, then it will be me, right? Who else would be at my bed other than… Me…?"
His own words did the work for him. He had never considered that idea up until that moment. Of course, he would still be in his bed the following morning after the group's discussion with Qrow. Or rather, his own body would. But he woke up at Beacon instead. And someone that claimed to be from Beacon told Maria where and when she could find him. Cross-referencing that information…
"You… You don't mean…" The answer was written on his face.
"Oh, but I do mean." She confirmed. "While you were here enjoying the time of your life… Again… Your own pipsqueak-self was found crying his heart out after finding out one of his greatest friends had died at the Fall. That is, according to my vision."
…
Jaune slumped against the bench, staring intensively at the grass.
Was that what was really happening? Did his younger-self somehow got stuck in his place in the future? Did he just steal his own place at Beacon? Seriously?!
"…I can see this is a lot for you to take in." Maria offered.
"I don't even know anymore." He said with fingers on his temples. "I mean, I would be freaking out if I were in his place… My place? Wait, how do I say-"
"His. Just say his. It's too early for us start confusing pronouns like that." She explained. "Now, I think we both know what it must be done."
"…We do?"
Her bright cyan lenses blinked twice. "I'll just say it out loud to make sure we're in the same page here: We have to get you two switched back."
Now that sounded like a plan to Jaune. Or a concept of a good one, at least. Maria's intent all along was to get everything back to normal. And he was more than happy to have finally found someone who could help him.
However, he still felt like he should speak his mind about… Other concerning matters.
"Actually… I've been thinking about something." He scrubbed his neck.
"…Okay? Is it important?"
He suspected that Maria already knew his answer, but he spoke anyway.
"Kinda. I had this idea floating around in my head almost all morning, and… Well, why don't we do something to help while we're here?"
"…What are you implying?" Her tone was getting grumpier by the second.
He blinked. "Isn't it obvious?! Cinder. White Fang. The Grimm. We can stop the Fall! This is a huge opportunity for us! We have until the tournament to think of way to save the Academy! For example, we could-"
"Stop it." She interrupted him.
"…What?" Jaune scowled. "No, no. Just hear me out: You and I are the only ones in the whole world who know when the Fall is gonna take place, right? So, I was thinking, maybe we should take this chance and do some good while we're in the past. We can sabotage Cinder's plan before they even happen. Fill in Ozpin and Ironwood about their presence here. We could prevent Atlas' drones from going haywire and stop the White Fang invasion as well. We would be avoiding a massacre here! We can save countless lives, including Pyrrh- OW!" He was interrupted again. This time by Maria's cane bonking his head.
"No buts!"
"But I didn't even say bu- OW!"
"I said no buts!" She threatened for a third hit. "You have no idea what you're messing with, kid. You would be accomplishing absolutely nothing while running the risk of making everything worse."
He rubbed his head where the cane hit.
"N-Nothing?! Why would it accomplish nothing? I time-traveled, didn't I?!" He threw his arm to the side. "Shouldn't saving Beacon automatically change the future for the better? Especially for my other self?"
The elderly woman groaned.
"Let me make this very clear for you." She harumphed. "You didn't time-travel. You two merely swapped bodies."
His brain was this close from frying completely. "…And how is that not the same thing?"
Maria sighed and turned to the grassy field.
"How do I explain this to you…?" She thought out loud. "Okay, how about this: Imagine… A small river in the middle of a forest. Suddenly, two leaves fall into this very river, one after the other. Due to the constant flow, the leaf on the back will never get to reach the one in the lead."
The wind of the campus brushed past them.
"Is this… Really the best explanation I'm going to get?" He inquired.
The only reason Maria didn't slap herself in the face was because she didn't feel like damaging her goggles. "Alright, smart guy. I'll put in a way you understand."
She pointed at the ground. "Whatever you do Here." Then she pointed outwards. "Will never reach There. So, even if by some miracle you single-handedly prevented the Fall from happening, your younger-self and your actual friends would still be stuck in a condemned future. Is this what you really want?"
Jaune still felt a tinge of stubbornness on him. There was nothing he could have wished more than to go back and fix his past mistakes. But to actually be there only to be told he couldn't change anything was preposterous to the boy.
However, if he were to indefinitely stay there, it would be so at the expense of his other self. And he could easily tell which of them was getting the short end out of that deal.
"I, uh…" He threw his arms. "I guess not. Still, shouldn't I try and make things better before we switch back? There's already been a few differences ever since I got here. I mean, how else would I still have my Semblance? I just got it unlocked recently. I don't remember having it at Beacon."
"Hmm…" She scratched her chin. "Have you considered that maybe you already had it unlocked at this point in time and you just never noticed it?"
Jaune was about to argue, but then he recalled a few events from his early days at the academy. His Aura alone should not have been able to do half the things it supposedly did. Like the fast regen on his already massive pool, or blasting foes at a short distance.
"…Now I just feel stupid." He declared.
"Nah, it's okay. It seems like you're used to it, anyway."
"Oh, c'mon."
"Look, I get that you want to protect everyone. Mainly that girl. But the truth is that the more things you change, the harder will be for us to bring you back. And if you're planning to put yourself at risk, then you can forget this whole conversation ever happened. I'm already going out of my way just so I can help you. Now, what do you say?"
The blonde sighed. If what Maria said was true, then he couldn't afford to make things more difficult for her and his past-self.
Whether this was a huge sacrifice or another one of his selfish choices, he would have to find out later.
"Fine. I swear I won't try and change anything." He raised his hand. "Arc's promise."
"Hm. I really hope that means something, because I'm gonna need you two to cooperate in order to undo this mess."
"I'm not sure how exactly are we going to do that, but okay."
"Don't worry, I already got it covered." She waved at that. "I trust good ole' me to brief in the other you and catch him up to speed."
"…Are you some sort of time-guardian or something?" Jaune inquired.
"Ha! I might as well be." She chuckled. "See, kid. Back in my day, having silver eyes, coupled as well with a Semblance like mine, was kind of a huge deal. Hence why this 'crocodile-lady sent after me' sliced them in half."
He winced. "…Ouch."
"Yeah, you bet your sweet tush that hurt." She stood up from the bench. "Now, there's still a lot of preparations that need setting up. I'll be staying at an apartment in Vale waiting for an important shipment to come. I've added your number to my scroll so we may contact each other in the meantime."
"Wow, uh… Thanks." He scratched the back of his head. "I don't even know what to say."
"No need to thank me, sweetheart. I'm just doing my job at preventing another cataclysmic event."
"Still, I can't thank you enou-" He blinked. "…Wait, what was the last part again?"
"I-I said to put an end to this comedic incident!" She corrected. "Yep, totally what I meant."
"Oh. I see?"
She sighed in relief. "Look, I gotta go. I'll be in touch in case anything else weird happens. I'll call you once everything is in place, so do your best to be ready when the time comes." She started walking towards the bullheads. "Oh, and remember: Don't screw this up!"
Jaune watched as the strange lady made her way back from where she came from. She blended in the distance along with the folks waiting by the docs.
Still sitting at that bench, he released a breath he didn't knew he was holding. The blonde appreciated finally having some context, even if the news were hard to digest.
Suddenly, his scroll started vibrating on his left pocket. He picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Jaune." Said Pyrrha. "Sorry we took so long. We are already leaving. Are you still waiting there?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm still here." He responded. "The last ship leaves in fifteen minutes, I think."
"Oh, thank goodness. We will be there shortly."
"Huh. Took you long enough. Meet you guys here?"
"Yes. Sorry again. See you down there."
"See you too."
As the call ended, a small smile crept on his face.
'Well, since I'm not gonna be able to do anything, I might as well enjoy my time here while I still can.'
[}}]
One of the city's trolleys passed by on the street beside them.
"So… We both time-traveled?" Jaune asked while doing his best to carry all of the old woman's groceries. His body was still proving to be a challenge for him to move around properly, but it he was gradually getting the hang of it.
Maria was unable to pinch the bridge of her nose due to her prosthetic goggles.
"Why don't we leave a pin on this for now? I feel like I just explained the plot of two separate Schneeflix series at the same time."
Indeed, she filled him in about the sudden exchange between himself and his future-counterpart. She also went over the details involving him and his friends' adventure, to the best of her limited knowledge on the subject.
Based on what Ruby and the others had told to Maria, 'Team RNJR' (compromised of the people from the same initials) had spent a good chunk of that year traversing the continent of Anima on foot. Eventually, they made it to Mistral, then the other girls from Ruby's team have rejoined and now they were on their way to Atlas to bring a Relic to Ironwood. The reason they were doing this was because of this evil entity by the name of 'Salem', who apparently was the Queen of Grimm and wanted to destroy humanity as they knew.
That… Was a lot to take in. The Fall had changed their lives in more ways than he initially thought.
Just the other week, or 'last year' now, he would usually get apprehensive over a deadline of one of Ooblecks' assignments. And now there he was, on a journey across kingdoms and opposing an immortal being. And he was pretty sure neither him or his friends were even certified Huntsmen for such a monumental task.
For a long time, even long before signing up to Beacon, Jaune always dreamt of being a hero. To grow up and become someone worth of his own lineage. Now that he was on a literal quest to save the world, he felt… Terrified.
It felt real. Too real. There was no fairytale flair to it.
There were stakes, there were casualties. A lot of casualties.
During Maria's explanation, he still kept getting those vague flashes from all sorts of different places throughout their journey. Jaune was fairly convinced he had unfortunately inherited some of the memories of his new body. The seemingly painful ones.
Pushing them aside once more, he stepped up to Maria's side.
"Sorry to bother, but uh… I still have one more question."
She sighed. "…Ask away."
"Right, so, uhm… How did this happen?" He and Maria stopped at a green light on a cross-road. "You know, the whole 'Swapping bodies with my older-self' thing. It's just that… I don't recall doing anything to cause this, and I don't really think the other me did anything to warrant this either."
At some point, he theorized that the reason for his predicament was due to a Dust experiment gone extremely wrong. But now, he felt silly just thinking about it.
"Meh… Who knows, really?" She shrugged. "The universe often works in a mysterious fashion. The reason could be very well the same as someone waking up one day only to find out they turned into a big cockroach."
"Eugh."
"Yeah, eugh." Said Maria. "Anyway, don't sweat over it. If we're lucky, we'll be done with the solution before stumbling on the cause."
They traversed that street as soon as their path was clear.
"Now that you mentioned, you were somewhat vague about the solution." Jaune pointed out.
Maria's cane tapped on the sidewalk.
"To be honest, I would've much preferred if we worked on an 'all-you-need-to-know' basis. The only reason why I've told you all of this was because I wanted you to avoid making an ass out of yourself in front of your friends again."
"Ugh… Tell me about it." He concurred.
Jaune had realized how insensitive he must have sounded. After the way he acted and left the house, he wasn't too keen on going back to face them.
"We're here." Maria announced.
"Already?" He asked, looking up to Saphron's house. "…Oh. I didn't know you were bringing me back here."
"What? You thought I had another house to stay in this city?" The elderly woman asked him. "Well, I do actually own a place, but I chose to stay and sleep here instead. I even bought your sister some groceries to pay for her hospitality."
"That's nice and all, but I don't think I'm ready to see them yet... Not after what I said."
Jaune was about to put the bags on the front porch.
"…Have you thought about apologizing?"
"Huh?"
"They're your friends, right? They're not gonna hate you forever because of this. Just go there and be sincere with them." She paused in realization. "Well, not 'sincere' sincere, or else they'll think you went cuckoo if you mention your 'blast-from-the-past' situation."
"I don't know… I can't say I'm feeling too confident about it…"
"It'll be alright." She assured him. "You might not know it, but you suffered as much if not more than most of your friends in there. They'll sympathize with you, I'm sure."
He sighed. "Okay, just… Give me a minute to think of something."
"Oh good. I'll go on ahead and get everyone grouped up for you." Maria said as she went for the front door.
"W-wait, hold on. You don't need to-" Jaune stammered as she entered the house, closing the door on him."…Okay, great."
[{{]
"What else can you do?!" Nora jumped with joy beside him on the sidewalk. "Can you also shield other people?! How many people?! Can you do it from a distance?! At what distance?! Do they get stronger?! How much?! Tell us!"
Upon landing on Vale, both teams settled on going to a small diner of all places. On their way there, Jaune's newfound Semblance had become the trip's icebreaker.
The boy noticed how everyone was fairly eager for him to answer. Especially Nora.
"You know, I've never really experimented on it before." He lied. "But yeah. I can replenish the Aura of anyone if needed. There's not much to it."
"I do find it quite marvelous." Said Pyrrha beside him. "Believe it or not, Aura related Semblances are rather hard to come across nowadays."
Ruby approached. "Doesn't that also come at the cost of your own Aura?"
"It does." Answered Weiss. "As a matter of fact, he even said it himself that he transferred some of his Aura to heal you."
"Y-Yeah, it's true." Admitted Jaune before turning to the other leader. "How are you feeling, by the way?"
"Oh! Like having a brand-new knee?" Responded Ruby. "Which is great! Your Semblance totally beats going to a doctor. You could put some of them out of a job, now that I think about it."
Yang just smirked. "Having a Semblance that requires you to get real-personal to your patient. Ain't you lucky, VB."
Jaune was about to raise to that bait, but Ren spoke first.
"Personally, I think he would be best suited on the field. He could potentially save a life on the most drastic of circumstances."
"That's cool and all," Said Nora. "But there's gotta be more to it. Oh! What if it also affected other people's Semblances? Like, increasing their power for about tenfold!"
The blonde leader gulped over the accuracy of her guess.
"…That sounds a little excessive." Blake stated.
"Yeah." Agreed Yang. "Imagine if he did that with Pyrrha. They could dismantle the entirety of Ozpin's tower with just their combined efforts."
Now that was interesting thought. 'Aura Amp-ing' Pyrrha to maximize the effects of her Polarity. Jaune never contemplated that idea before due to… Obvious reasons.
The redhead in question reached for his shoulder. "I'm certain we will find other uses for your Semblance once we get to train in unison."
"Thanks. Can't wait for that." Jaune said.
They kept talking for a few more meters. The diner was in sight just down the block.
"Excuse me, Nora." Said Ren. "It seems I forgot to mention that we are in need of resupplying our stock of syrup."
"WHAT?!" She exclaimed. "We're out of it?! When did this happen?!"
"Pretty much yesterday when you ransacked our fridge while everyone else was sleeping."
"Oh… Yeah, I guess that might've played a part in it."
Ren simply shrugged. "There is a convenience store nearby. I could use some assistance while I am at it. Jaune, if you please."
The blonde considered his partner's request. "Uhm… Sure?"
"Wait, you're not coming with us?" Ruby asked.
"We will be taking a small detour." Explained Ren. "It won't take long, I can assure."
Yang shrugged at that. "Well, just don't take too long, or else we might settle for a girls' night-out. What do y'all say?"
Her sister appeared to be excited with that idea. The others, not so much.
"We will meet you as soon as we can." Spoke Ren. "Until then."
"Later." Jaune waved off.
The two boys separated themselves from the rest of their friends. Taking the closest turn, they walked side-by-side to the nearest conveniency store.
"We should probably hurry up." Said Jaune. "You know, so Yang doesn't get both teams banned from yet another restaurant. Heh, I sure missed this."
"…You seem to be feeling very nostalgic lately." Ren pointed out.
He blinked at that remark. "W-Well, What I can say? Either way, what did you need my help with? Are you buying the usual 'Nora' amount of syrup?"
"Not necessarily." He responded. "I mainly wanted an excuse to talk to you."
"Ah. Got it." Jaune finger-gunned at him. "Didn't take you from seeking some quality bro-time. What did you wanna talk about?"
"I just wanted to know who exactly am I talking to." He responded, straightforwardly.
That stopped Jaune in his tracks. His Zen partner noticed his sudden distress and stopped alongside him.
"…Come again?" A drop of sweat fell from his blonde hair.
"I have been observing you ever since this morning. Most of what you did can be easily passed off as a coincidence. But when there's too many coincidences, it becomes a pattern."
"…Where you're getting at?"
"After enough meditation, I have concluded that you are indeed the Jaune that we all know and cherish as our friend..."
"Oh. Wow…" He meekly rubbed his arm. "Thanks man, I-."
"Let me finish." Interrupted Ren. "However, I can also tell that you are not the same Jaune we grew up to know after all these months. I can sense it in your Aura, more or less speaking. Your readings feel different, if that makes any sense to you."
Jaune stared at his partner, wondering how he would even respond to that.
"…Was it that obvious?" He pretty much confessed.
"We did touch upon that subject while we were at the dorms earlier. The only thing we got out of it was that Weiss is glad you weren't acting like a nuisance today. Her words." He shrugged. "Regardless, do you mind explaining?"
Jaune sighed. "Actually, I kinda already promised that I was gonna be cautious about it, so maybe I shouldn't be telling you that. All I can say is that I'm working with someone to bring back the other Jaune. Until that happens, I'm sorta stuck here in the meantime."
Ren fitted him almost in a hostile manner, but he gave in.
"Very well. I will even keep this between us if it helps. But know this:" He warned. "If you are in reality planning to do something ill intended to any of my friends, I will be sure to put a stop to it. In short, I'm on to you."
"…Won't telling me that make it harder for you?"
"I prefer to work on my own terms."
"Right…" Both him and Ren kept standing without knowing what to do. "Sooo… Shall we go get the syrup?"
"Yes. Nora will get agitated if we come back empty-handed."
The two boys resumed their walk.
"…Did this conversation actually contribute to anything?" Jaune asked.
"For your sake, I hope not."
[}}]
"Glad everyone could join." Said Maria. "I believe your friend Jaune has a little something he would like to say."
Back at that same living room once again, the nerve-wreck once known as Jaune Arc stood near the entrance before all of his friends. Glares and crossed arms all around.
He just wished he had more time to rehearse.
"Hey, uhm… About earlier." His hand instinctively went behind his head. "I-I just wanted to say I'm sorry. You know, for acting like an insensitive jerk and all. I'm still struggling to overcome what happened at the Fall, and I… Really went overboard this time. If it means anything, I swear I won't speak of Pyrrha like that ever again. Ever."
Their expressions did not change as much as he hoped for. The boy began to think that maybe they were aware he wasn't being one-hundred percent honest, due to the unusuality of the situation.
Which technically meant he wasn't really at fault there. Although, if he couldn't remediate with his friends, then things would only end up worse on the long run.
Finally, one of them spoke.
"It's alright," Huffed Yang. "It wasn't like you were desecrating her memory or something. Sorry for how I responded, by the way."
"I would like to apologize as well for how I reacted." Pronounced Ren. "I was worried this journey was taking a toll on your well-being."
"We all were." Added Nora. "Believe me when I say that we all miss her just as much as you do. We just wanted to let you know that you're not alone in this."
The others seemed to agree in unison. Jaune still didn't feel like he was entirely forgiven, but it was enough to keep him out of trouble.
"Are you feeling better now?" Asked Ruby. "For real, this time?"
She was looking at him dead in the eye. And Jaune knew better than lying whenever she did that.
"I am. Definitely. There's still a lot to get used to, but I think I'll do fine."
His fellow leader nodded respectfully. The girl was more than happy to see him come to terms with them.
While that was happening, Weiss walked up to Maria.
"How did you do it?" She questioned. "What did you two talk about?"
"Oh, nothing." The old-lady waved off. "We just worked out some issues. Usual teenage stuff."
"Seems like that did the trick." Blake stated, seeing how well that reconciliation went.
"I just think it's great that we didn't let this escalate like last time." Said Oscar, not missing getting shoved against a wall. "Maybe things are finally looking up to us."
Next thing they knew, the front-door was opened.
"Oh, you're all here!" Said Saphron. "Good."
Terra came soon after, carrying Adrien in her arms.
"…Are we interrupting something?"
Everyone stared at the couple.
"No, it's fine." Answered Jaune, turning back to his sister. "I thought you said you were coming back later."
"Yeah, well, about that…" Trailed Saphron. "We came back sooner just so we could share something important with you and your friends."
Ruby and the others approached. "What is it?"
Terra placed her son at one of the sofas, then returned to Saphron's side.
"We just got some unpleasant news from where I work. According to our superiors from Atlas, there had been some substantial increase in Grimm activity beyond the mountains just recently. Practically the double ever since you kids arrived here."
Jaune noticed how Ruby looked apprehensive while she stared at a blue lamp that was strapped to her waist. He even heard her mutter "Uh oh".
Terra continued to explain. "While the Atlas military is more than capable of handling any threats coming from the sea, we still have our concerns."
Saphron stepped up. "They even made her whole department swear secrecy on the matter. And since communications are down, there's no way we can contact Haven or any other Academies for reinforcements. Not to mention you kids are probably the closest thing we have from active Huntsmen in this city."
"There's no one else?" Questioned Ruby. "What about Uncle Qrow?"
"Oh, we just met with your uncle on our way here."
"He was passed-out drunk." Said Terra. "On our neighbor's roof."
Through a window, everyone observed as a bottle of scotch fell down and crashed on the sidewalk.
"Huh?!" They all overheard a grouchy voice from outside.
Yang clicked her tongue. "…When are we getting started?"
Terra turned to her. "They should be done setting up a mission board on the city's plaza by tomorrow. Cordovin already authorized some reconnaissance with drones, so it will be safer to send your teams on the field."
"Hmph!" Exclaimed Maria. "That old bag doesn't seem to get enough of her own toys."
Ruby coughed. "Anyway, we'll be taking those missions. Right, team?"
"It would be nice if we did actually do something for a change." Blake said.
"Totally." Spoke Yang. "Also, considering that we just survived a horde of ghoul-like Grimm just this week… Eh, why not?"
Weiss joined them. "And if we do complete these missions, it should be enough to convince Cordovin to escort us to Atlas."
"Great!" Saphron clasped her hands. "Be sure to take some rest before heading out tomorrow."
"Also," Spoke Terra. "Feel free to share any of the reward money with us."
"Terra!" She called out her wife.
"Listen, it was your idea to spent half of our savings to renovate our bathroom suite. We take what we can get from this!"
Save from the baby's giggles, everyone was silent.
Terra sighed. "Sorry. I'll see if I can get the dinner prepared ahead."
"Hm. May I be of assistance?" Ren asked.
"Sure." Then she turned to Oscar. "Want to come and make up for that casserole?"
"I'm never living this one down, am I?"
After the three of them walked into the kitchen, everyone else simply went separate ways to do their own thing.
With exception of Jaune who still stood on that living room. His sister noticed and walked up to him.
"So! Excited to go back at work?"
"Oh. Sorta… I don't even remember the last time I fought a Grimm." Which he didn't.
"You will do fine, I'm sure… You know, I'm happy that this Huntsman business worked out for you in the end. I still remember how our family used to give you a hard time because of how you wanted to be one. Especially dad."
"It's cool. I get that you all were trying to protect me." He nodded. "And after everything that's happened, I don't blame you."
"That's good." She tapped him on the arm. "Do your best out there. Mainly so you can pay me up for that…"
She pointed at the cracked wall on the corner of the living room.
"Oooh… Totally forgot about that."
"I suspected as much. Ah well, I'm gonna go help the others with dinner. Later."
Just as his sister left, Jaune realized something crucial.
He didn't know how to fight in his new body.
Sure, he had some training (courtesy of Pyrrha), but it had taken him half the day just to get used to his new balance. Having now to adapt to his new sense of weight, during a fight no less, would prove to be impossible without raising some eyebrows.
To say nothing of how he would be extremely far behind his own teammates, if he wasn't already enough. To avoid having to solely rely on muscle memory, he looked around for help.
He saw Maria again, sitting beside Adrien. She patted his head with one hand while going over her scroll with the other.
Casually walking up to her, he spoke.
"Sorry to bother again, but I've been wondering…"
"You want me to help you train to compensate for your lack of familiarity over the last year?" She didn't even look up from her scroll.
"…Pretty much." He randomly gestured. "I mean, my friends would probably find it suspicious if I couldn't handle myself on the field."
"I don't know. Would they really find it that suspicious?"
"Hah." He said sarcastically. "Will you help me or not?"
"I should've seen this coming… I guess it won't do us any good if you were to get mauled to pieces on your first day on the job."
He shivered. "…Seconded. When can we begin?"
"Well, not today, that's for sure." She responded. "I gotta a few calls to make regarding your problem. If we wanna get this fixed, it has to be as soon as possible."
She stood up from the sofa.
"Don't worry, though. This isn't my first rodeo, as you kids would say." She stuffed the scroll in her pocket. "I'll help you with your training. We can start tomorrow morning by my house here at Argus. I'll message you the address later."
"Oh, thank gods. You're a life saver."
"Yeah, I'm a real legend. Haven't heard that before." She began to make her way to the front door. "Well, I got other business to attend to. Just take it easy from now on."
He nodded. "Will do."
"Right. This goes without saying, but try not to screw this up." She made it to the door. "Hmm. Deja-vu."
As soon as Maria closed the door on her way out, Jaune slumped down on the sofa, wondering just how would things play out from now on.
His nephew, who was clueless to their conversation, crawled up to him and tried to climb on his shoulder.
The blonde exhaled. "…Yeah, man. I hear ya."
That's it for introductions. With these first three chapters done, the following ones will mostly be about Jaune(s) trying to get used to his(their) new/old routine. So, there won't be much plot going around. Also, expect Omakes.