Woohoo, I moved into my own apartment! That plus a hectic workweek has delayed this by a bit.

"So, you helped my nieces out?" the rough looking guy said.

Crow was his name, apparently. Although, he had said, 'it's pronounced like crow the bird, but it starts with a Q.'

'Got it!' Jaune had said, assuming his name to be spelled 'Qcrow.' The Q was silent, of course.

"That I did uncle Qcrow!" Jaune now proudly reported. "Because friends help friends!"

He tilted his head.

I feel like I heard someone say that before, but I can't remember who.

"A nice philosophy," Qrow said. He kicked his feet up on the coffee table, ignoring Taiyang's protest not to. "And just call me Qrow."

"Got it." Jaune nodded. "Just Qcrow."

He pronounced the name just as everyone else did; it differed only in the code whizzing through his semiconductors.

Qrow took a swig from his flask—again ignoring Taiyang's protest—and leaned back in the loveseat with a contented sigh. "Man, been a while since I could relax on a nice cushion."

"It really has," Amber said, "it really has." She sat in a chair that she had pulled over from another room after stalwartly refusing to take anyone else's seat. "Thank you again for the hospitality."

"Oh come on, you two are always welcome here," Taiyang said. "And are you hungry?"

"I'd hate to be a bother—"

"Hell yeah we are!" Qrow burped. "Been living off jerky for a week."

Amber sighed. "Coyotes devoured our rations when someone forgot to put them away one night."

"Sneaky bastards…"

"Well now two can enjoy some leftover spaghetti," Tai said as he got rose from his dad chair. "I'll microwave some for you."

"Heck yeah."

"That would be kind, thank you."

Qrow slumped further back in his seat. Amber maintained perfect posture that would rival a princess's. Jaune leaned over the edge of the couch.

"So," he asked, "are you hunters too?"

"That would be a yes," Qrow said.

"Amber Autumna at your service," the woman said with a curt smile.

"Incredible!" He bowed. "Jaune Arc, at your service!"

Amber chuckled. "Is that so?"

"It is so!"

"What about my service?" Qrow asked.

"Everyone's service!" Jaune nodded. "All the service. Every service. To everyone. All.. of each… service?" He trailed off, then he gulped.

Oh no. I can't tell them that I'll do anything for them—that would compromise me as a spy!

"Every service," Jaune said. "But…"

He struggled.

"But?" Qrow asked.

"But…"

Eureka!

He raised his chin and smiled proudly. "But not every service."

Qrow cocked his head. "Kid, anybody ever told you that you're kinda weird?"

"Literally everyone I've ever spoken to!"

"Damn, well, now I sorta feel bad."

"Qrow!" Amber swatted him on the shoulder. "Ugh, sorry for him. He's drunk. Not like that's an excuse, but still."

"Actually," Jaune said. "Mr. Qcrow is right—"

"Just Qrow."

"—Qcrow is right. I've been told that I'm still learning. But I am, indeed, a normal meat person. Just like you!"

Amber looked at Yang and Ruby. The latter shrugged. The former smiled.

"That means," Yang said, "he's a little like Ruby."

"Hey!" Her sister threw a feeble little punch into her shoulder. "Can it!"

"Meh," Qrow waved off Amber's scowl and ignored the siblings' tussle. "Not a problem. From what I've heard here, at least you've got a good heart, kid."

That is technically incorrect, but thank you!

"Of course! And you"– Jaune wracked his semiconductors for an equivalent compliment –"have a good liver."

Qrow raised his flask. "Hell yeah I do!" He turned to Amber. "I think I like this kid!"

"I like me too!"

A few loud beeps from the kitchen alerted them that dinner was ready (again).

Qrow toasted with his flask. "And dinner is ready!"

"Again!" Jaune kindly added.

"Again." Taiyang chuckled as he passed out a plate of reheated spaghetti the guests. "Yang made it herself, even did the meatballs from scratch."

Yang proudly flipped her hair back. "Mom's old recipe. Perfection."

Qrow blew on his plate, skewered a meatball on a fork and popped it whole into his mouth. He nodded appreciatively and said past mushed meat, "These are some good balls."

Amber pinched the bridge of her nose. "Both the choice of words and the choice of talking with your mouth full…"

"Anyhow," Taiyang said as he sat back down in his chair. "You two are headed to Vacuo, right?"

"Yep."

"That we are."

"A nice coincidence, since Jaune here is heading to Vacuo, too."

Qrow put his fork down. "Ah hell… you asking us to play babysitter?"

"Hey, Jaune can handle himself well," Taiyang said. "Heck, he proved it earlier today when he helped take out those ursa."

"And they're not the first Grimm I've fought, either!" Jaune added.

"Really?" Yang leaned in. "What else have you taken on?"

"I…"

Man, I really need to shut my mouth.

But I like being a part of the conversation…

"A bunch of fishy Grimm on a beach," he eventually said. "Before I set out for here."

"Really?" Qrow asked. "And where was that?"

Jaune chewed at the inside of his cheek.

"I mean, you know."

"I sorta don't."

"Um…" He shrugged. "I forgot."

Ruby scratched her head. "You… forgot where you fought a bunch of Grimm?"

"I'm kind of a busy guy." Jaune laughed nervously. "Lot of things going on, you know?"

"We sorta don't…"

"Like going to Vacuo!" Jaune (conspicuously) changed the subject. "I'm going there so I can compete in some tournaments and get the attention of Beacon's headmaster!"

Amber and Qrow shared a look.

"Because I want to go to Beacon and be a huntsman!"

Amber laughed as if she had just been told an inside-joke. "Is that so? You want to be a huntsman?"

"Yeah! I like helping people. And I'm on a mission!"

"A mission?" Qrow slurped up some spaghetti, then burped. "What kind of mission?"

"To save the world!"

Jaune's smile turned brittle when he realized, yet again, his mistake just a second after he had made it.

I really need to get better at… not saying things sometimes.

Amber only laughed. "I appreciate the ambition, that's for sure."

"Yeah…" Jaune suddenly found the wall interesting enough to stare at.

Saving the world can be a pretty general thing, right? That doesn't necessarily mean I'm literally assigned on a world-saving mission, right? Right?

"Ah, what a wonder to be a kid again." Qrow stuffed some more noodles in his mouth and washed them down with a swig from his flask. "It's all a lot simpler."

"Well," Amber said, "Qrow and I are actually friends with Beacon's headmaster."

Jaune beamed. "Really?"

"Who knows," she said, "if you manage to kill some big Grimm and we see it, then we could put in a good word for you." She nodded at Taiyang and his daughters. "Especially after what they've said."

"Wow…" The mission is already proceeding smoothly! "Could I come with you to Vacuo?"

"I mean, babysitting isn't usually on my list of things to do…"

"Hush!" Amber said, a finger over her lips. "If Jaune here is dead set on going to Vacuo"– she glanced at him, and he nodded –"then we really can't let him hitchhike there by himself, can we?"

"I mean, I did that stuff all the time when I was kid—"

"And we definitely don't want him to turn out like you, either."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what it means." Amber turned to Jaune again. "We would love to have you accompany us."

Qrow groaned. "I said I liked the kid but not enough to drag him along—"

Amber jammed her elbow under his ribs. Even with aura, the placement was perfect enough—and she herself strong enough—to make it hurt. He gasped and lost his breath.

"Like I said"– Amber kept up that smile, although now something slightly impish tinged it –"we would love to have you with us."

"Wow, this is great!"

Jaune couldn't believe his luck. Now he would be able to make new friends, get to Vacuo safely and even get to know some people close to Beacon's headmaster! Surely, befriending these two was exactly what his father would want!

Penny wasn't excited to see people nowadays. She told Ciel as much.

"I appreciate them, I really do," she told her best friend. "It's just that… actually, I don't know what it is."

Again, as usual, she was laying back on the couch in Ciel's apartment on Atlas. By now, the cushions had formed an imprint of her on it.

She sighed and reached for a bowl on the coffee table beside her. It had been full of mints. She felt for some, only to come back empty-handed. She eyed the pile of plastic wrappers beside it and frowned.

"But now…" Penny continued. "I'm unsure; I'm actually looking forward to seeing Agent Sundown again. New friend."

"I still don't think you should be classifying him as a friend." Ciel stood in her kitchen, whisking crepe batter as the early morning sunlight finally brightened up the room. "AIS agents don't have friends. They have assets."

"He was kind to me."

"That's their job. Like bartenders or exotic dancers. They talk to you, make you like them, and then they get more out of you."

"What's an exotic dancer?" Penny asked.

Ciel stopped whisking. "It…" She started whisking again. "Anyway."

"Anyway what?"

"Anyway."

At that moment, in a most merciful coincidence, the doorbell rang.

Penny sat up. Ciel frowned.

The specialist set the bowl down and wiped her hands off on her apron (which had kiss the chef written on it in cursive). She opened the door.

Agent Sundown smiled. Behind him, his partner—Agent Moonlight, if Ciel recalled correctly—also smiled. Her sharp amber eyes with their reptilian slits seemed to pierce into her. Sundown's grey, cloudy eyes seemed not to look at anything at all.

He extended his hand. "A pleasure to meet you again, specialist." Sundown's smile was straight and professional—just like the ones those accident lawyers have in the ads you see on highway billboards.

Ciel stepped aside and headed back to the kitchen. "You two can go talk on the balcony, if you would like."

"Perfect." Sundown didn't seem at all offended by her refusal to shake his hand. Actually, his smile twisted into an amused grin. He turned to Penny and waved.

She waved back.

"May we come in?"

She nodded.

Sundown and Moonlight strolled into the apartment, the latter politely closing the door behind her and standing to the side. Both agents scanned the room. It was sparse, with little decorations beyond a few small paintings that had certainly come with the place. The only thing that must have been added into the black and white space were the rows of edelweiss flowers on the windowsills.

"Nice little abode," Sundown said. "Penny, thank you again for agreeing to this talk. I've been looking forward to it."

"As have I." She led him out onto the balcony and close the doors behind them.

He shivered as a cold breeze blew over them. While the view of Atlas and the clouds nearby was certainly beautiful from this high-story apartment, it made the already cold weather a bit colder. Sadly, it was the only place in Ciel's relatively small apartment where they could talk. As such, he crossed his arms and hoped that his suit would be warm enough.

Penny, naturally, seemed unbothered.

"No recordings this time," Sundown said as they sat at a little table for two.

"That's nice." Tentatively, Penny asked, "Why do you and Ciel not like each other?"

Sundown adjusted his tie. "It's nothing personal."

"It isn't?"

"The Atlas Intelligence Service and the Atlas Specialist Corps have never gotten along. Our rivalry goes all the way back to the Great War, when we were first made; AIS back then was called the Royal Listeners, and the Specialists were called the Royal First Guard.

"We've just always had different philosophies. We agents prefer the subtle route; specialists, the more combative kind. Trust me when I say that I have the utmost respect for Ciel. She is an impressive fighter, a loyal specialist and, from what I understand, a good friend."

Penny smiled. "Yes, yes she is. All of those things."

"It's unfortunate that our two organizations happen to disagree on many things." Sundown shrugged. "But I always try to keep it professional."

"That's reassuring, thank you."

From there, they continued with some pleasant but altogether unimportant small talk.

"I would just like to get to know you more, beyond our stuffy interview."

"That sounds nice!"

It continued genially: What books do you like? What's your favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite shows?

Penny liked someone taking interest in her as a person.

It went on like that for a little while, before Sundown steered the conversation toward something different.

"You. And how you're doing. I also just wanted to check in."

"Right…" Penny crossed one leg over the other and found a reason to look to the side. "It's been… not good."

"Not good?"

"I try to do something, like watch tv or help Ciel make breakfast… but then I just think of him again."

I'm sure he's either cavorting with our enemies or has gotten ripped apart for scrap and state secrets.

"I'm sure he's surviving, and he's just waiting for us to help him out. We just have to try our best."

"But…" Penny's voice tensed; her hands formed fists. "Nobody will let me try my best."

"Is that so?"

"It is." Uncharacteristically, she scowled. "They didn't let me go out with the search parties. I've barely gotten any updates…" She looked at Sundown hopefully.

"My apologies, but this case is under the General's purview," he said sadly. "And I can't go against Ironwood's demands or do something he wouldn't approve of. Like giving mission updates."

Penny's head sunk. "It's okay. I understand."

"Thank you."

"General Ironwood… is a friend." She nodded, although who she was confirming the statement to was uncertain. "He is a friend. Like Ciel. They care about me. And so does my dad. But… they won't let me help."

"Like I said—they love you and care for you, but they don't respect you."

Penny grit her teeth. Her head was bowed, and Sundown could not see her eyes; but he could imagine the anger in them. An opportunity.

"I suppose I could…"

Penny looked up.

"I'm not sure…" He seemed conflicted.

"Sure of what?"

"Well, what Ironwood doesn't know won't hurt him, will it? Or, more accurately, what he doesn't know that you know."

Penny scooted to the edge of her seat. "Could you tell me? Something, anything about the search. Anything at all!" The look in her eyes—like a person dying of dehydration asking for water.

"I'm not sure if I can. This could constitute a significant breach of information…" Sundown dragged out his words. He seemed truly reluctant.

Penny wilted and shrank back into her seat. "I… if it will get you in trouble, then…"

"Normally," Sundown said, "I would not keep secrets from the General. But… I think I can make an exception. Just this once."

Penny's eyes shone.

"But"– he held up his finger –"you have to promise not to tell anyone about this." His voice dropped to a whisper. He looked into the apartment. Ciel searched the shelves for something. "No one."

Penny bit her lip and glanced at her best friend. "Okay," she whispered. "No one."

And then Sundown told her. He told her that they had a lead of a potential ne'er-do-well leaving Atlas out of a town called Boggindorf; told her that Winter Schnee herself had tracked down a ship that might have him on it; told her that she had been duped and the one on the ship had escaped.

"Outmaneuvered in the middle of the ocean," Sundown said. "Still can't wrap my head around how that happened. They were so close, but they let him slip out their fingers. Whoever the guy was, he might have had info about Leif."

Penny stayed extremely still.

"I bet if you were there," Sundown said, "you wouldn't have let him get away."

"No." Her voice, so monotone that it could only be repressed fury. "No. I wouldn't have let that happen. I'm combat ready."

"They're too cautious with you," Sundown said.

"They…" Penny slammed her fist down on the table. No longer repressed. "They want to keep me cooped up! They want to keep me here and not even let me out like… like a prisoner. Did you notice all the guards in the building and on the street?"

"I did."

"They think I can't do anything." She punched the table again, leaving a dent and marring her own reflection. "But then they still want me to fight in some stupid tournaments! Stupid, stupid tournaments!"

Penny glanced to the side when she noticed movement.

Ciel was rushing out from the kitchen.

Penny shook her head.

Ciel stopped.

Penny turned away.

Her partner hesitated. Moonlight said something to her, which made her scowl. She looked back at Penny.

Then she marched back to the kitchen just in time to stop a crepe from burning.

"You shouldn't be too mad at them," Sundown said. "But yes, I would be mad too, if I were you."

Penny crossed her arms. "They want me to waste time fighting in stupid tournaments when I could be out there, helping, actually doing something. They say that the tournaments will test me and get me used to the world. I don't want that. I want to find Leif. It's a waste of time. I want to help, really help."

"You could." Sundown said. "Although, about these tournaments… I think you should go along with it. Fight in them, I mean."

Penny opened her mouth—

"Not for them," Sundown said. "Not for them, not even for Atlas. I think you should fight these tournaments for yourself."

Penny tilted her head. "For myself?"

"And for Leif. Think about it: they're not going to let you help, and you can't get involved in the search without their approval. Even if you tried to run and do it yourself, now with all this security they could stop you or chase you.

"But you can beat them at their own game," he continued. "These tournaments are supposed to be tests. Well, if you go to them and try your hardest, if you smash the competition, if you're better than anyone else… well, that would be proof, wouldn't it?

"If you keep training and keep beating sparring partners, then keep beating real opponents in the tournaments—heck, if you manage to win the Vytal tournament and prove yourself one of the best in the world, well…

"Then they would have to respect you. They would have to let you in on the search. Heck, you could lead it. And whoever took Leif would see you on TV and get afraid. Get afraid because they would know you're coming for them.

"I know that the Vytal Festival is months and months away, but Leif is a survivor. He can make it. He's just waiting for you. If you do this, if you smash everyone's expectations—Ironwood, Winter, Pietro—then they'll have to respect you. And Leif's captors will fear you."

He leaned in, voice dropping into an private, warm tone. "And then, then they'll have to see in you what I see."

"What…" Her voice, slow and quiet. "What do you see?"

"One of the most capable young huntresses on the planet."

Penny's green eyes were wide. Now she saw it. She really saw it.

She saw herself marching into a tournament and smashing the competition; she saw her dad and the general nodding in approval; she saw herself winning the Vytal tournament, stronger and badder than ever; she saw the specialists saluting her and letting her shoot off into the sky. And, of course, she saw herself busting through a swarm of bad guys and finding Leif, all tied up and happy to be saved.

"I…" Her hands covered her heart—or, rather, the heat sink in the middle of her chest. "I can be the hero." Her voice, but a hopeful whisper.

Penny sunk back into her seat. Her smile turned into a frown.

For just a second—a short and inconsequential second—Sundown felt the urge to… reach out and pat her shoulder or something. Make her feel better.

Only for a second.

"It's just… hard, being without him," she said.

"I'm sure it is."

"Do you have someone like that?"

"Like what?"

"That you just never want to lose?"

Sundown readjusted his glasses.

"Well…" He went through a hundred possible answers in his head. A sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a friend since childhood. He had used all those lies and more for empathetic stories just like this.

Penny's eyes were expectant, something like puppy's.

Sundown glanced into the apartment by his side Moonlight had pulled out her scroll, undoubtedly catching up on work emails… or looking up gossip on the latest episode of The Single. It was fifty-fifty.

"Well… I don't really want to think about what it'd be like if Moonlight goes missing."

A too real possibility in our line of work.

"Oh…" Penny awkwardly tapped her fingers together. "Are you two…?"

Sundown blinked, then realized what she meant. He recoiled as if he had just smelled raw sewage. "Oh gods no—Moonlight is… I'm not entirely sure, actually. But definitely not that. I'm her mentor, and she's my protege. There aren't many people an AIS agent—much less a director—can trust. But her? I trust her with anything."

"That's very nice," Penny smiled. "Everyone deserves to have someone like that."

"Indeed."

"How did you two meet?"

"Oh, I could tell you that"– Sundown leaned in and whispered conspiratorially –"but then I'd have to kill you."

Penny laughed.

Sundown laughed too, although he knew it was true.

"And our codenames (Moonlight and Sundown) were chosen independently before we partnered. A good coincidence."

"Oh, I wasn't sure if those were your real names," Penny said sheepishly. "I was mostly certain, but not fully." She tilted her head. "Actually, mostly certain is something of an oxymoron…"

"That it is," Sundown said. "But don't be embarrassed about it. Some people in this world have truly odd names. I know a woman who named her daughter Khaleesi after that character from that show."

"What show?"

"Anyway," Sundown said with a wave of his hand, "Sundown's not my real name, no. Actually—"

Perhaps I shouldn't tell her this?

"—Moonlight is the only person in the world who knows my real name."

"Really? Did you tell her?"

"There exists not a single letter on any page, not a single pixel on any screen and not a single byte on any computer that has evidence of my real identity." He smiled. "Yes, I told her."

"That…" Penny tapped her finger on the table. "Is nice. But…"

"But?"

"But also sad."

"Is that so?"

"You must be very busy, and to only have one person to be close to? To even know your name…" She hesitated. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be assuming things like this. It's nice that you have at least someone. Otherwise, I imagine it's pretty lonely."

Sundown took off his glasses. He breathed on them, then wiped off the condensation with his sleeve. He put them back on. "You get used to it."

Another chilly breeze blew Penny's orange hair into her face. She held it back into place, again unbothered by the cold. "Do you think… I will get used to not having Leif around?"

"Maybe. People get used to all sorts of things, given enough time."

Penny looked down at the table. It was polished well, showing her reflection. "I don't want to."

"Hm?"

"I don't want to get used to him being gone. I would rather hurt than forget."

"You won't forget him," Sundown said. "Special people stick around in our memories."

"You said…" Penny stopped, then gulped, then followed through: "You said you had someone once. Just once."

Sundown nodded.

"You still remember them."

"Like I said, you don't forget special people."

"Do you mean… yes?"

"Yes."

"Right…" She wiped a hand down her face. "I shouldn't even be thinking like this. I know he's still out there."

Someone tapped on the glass door beside them.

Moonlight stood there, looking at Sundown for approval to slide the door open.

"I'm sorry Penny, but this might be important."

"Oh. Of course."

Sundown waved to Moonlight, and she opened the door. "Sir, there is an update on Case 3452AB. Agent 47 requests an in-person briefing on the matter."

"Ah yes." Case 3452AB, an incident involving a possible illegal sale of schematics for a military project in Argus, some ridiculous venture involving a giant robot. "Now?"

Moonlight nodded.

"My apologies," Sundown said to Penny. "Duty calls."

"Of course, don't let me keep you from, well, your important things." Penny laughed nervously. She seemed… disappointed.

It took a heartbeat longer than usual for Sundown to put on his plastic smile.

"Alright," he said. "I suppose we must cut this meeting short, then." He smelled the air. "Oh, just in time for you to enjoy some chocolate crepes."

Ciel had already gone through half the batter and now carefully folded up several of the thin pancakes with chocolate chips in them, fresh fruit on the side.

"I don't need to eat," Penny said, "but… I still appreciate when people cook for me. And I like the taste."

Sundown rose from his seat, nodding. "Everyone loves a good crepe."

"You could stay!" Penny said as they went back into the apartment. "Just for breakfast. Just for a little?"

But Sundown was already strolling to the door. "I would love to, but this new matter demands our immediate attention. Again, Penny, I'm sorry that we had to depart so suddenly—"

He stopped talking when Penny slammed into him, wrapping her arms around him in a big hug.

"Thank you, Friend Sundown," she said. "You have been very nice."

"I…"

Sundown stood there, feeling something for the first time in a long time: awkwardness. He looked at Moonlight. She shrugged. He looked at Ciel. She scowled.

Eventually, he patted Penny's shoulder. "Of course. You… deserve for people to be nice to you."

Penny gave him one last squeeze—forcing him to wheeze and suppress a grunt of pain—then let him go. The smile on her face was her most 'real' smile in weeks.

"Thank you, and may your further spy activities go well!" She saluted him. "And if you ever need any help with them, you can come to me!" She thumped her hand against her chest. "Because friends help friends!"

"That they do…" He gave her a mini-salute of his own. "Thank you. And stay safe."

With that, he left the apartment, Moonlight following close behind.

Ciel glared at them the whole time, her eyes on fire.

Moonlight and Sundown did not talk until they got down the elevator; past the guards; past the other guards; through the doors to the garage; past the other, other guards; then got back into their car with its thick doors, tough glass and heavy coating of recording-jammers.

"Run a message by the general," Sundown said as he settled into the leather seat of the passenger side. "His android plan is back on track."

"Noted."

"That should earn us some good will with them."

Moonlight drummed her clawed fingers on the steering wheel. "So long as they don't realize you're steadily driving a wedge between them and Penny."

"Naturally." Sundown chuckled in a way not inspired by humor. "Thank you, by the way, for suggesting the 'they don't respect you but I do' angle."

"I do have more experience being a teenage girl."

"That you do, that you do." Sundown sighed. "Although…"

"Although?"

"I'll admit, she's like a breath of fresh air."

"The android?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

"She's just… very certainly innocent, and that's refreshing, to be honest." Sundown pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "We're used to dealing with people who are self-serving bastards: prideful buffoons, traitors, idiots and utterly vicious criminals. She's…"

He thought for a moment, before finding the right words.

"She's a good one."

"You going soft?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"You wouldn't dare!" Jaune cried, utterly aghast. "Mr. Qcrow. You can't!"

Qrow grinned. "Oh, I would dare."

"To weaponize such a sweet, innocent fluffball… how dastardly."

Qrow held Zwei up by the scruff of his neck, brandishing the dog before him like a shield. "A good huntsman uses every advantage he can get, kiddo."

"Dastardly!"

The two squared off against one another in the training dirt-patch where he had sparred with Yang the day before. Qrow had asked to 'see what he's made of.' That terrified Jaune, who thought he had somehow found out his secret and intended to pry out his wires. When he had instead mentioned the training ground, though, Jaune caught on.

A figure of speech, I see!

"Hah!" Now Qrow chucked the corgi—tail wagging the entire time—at Jaune and dashed to the side.

"I got you little buddy!" Jaune said, stabbing Crocea Mors into the ground and catching Zwei, who gave him a grateful and adorable arf! in return.

"This is fun!" Jaune said.

Qrow punched him in the face.

He dropped Zwei, and the little dog waddled on off.

"You need to keep your guard up!" Yang shouted. "This old man likes to just smack you sometimes. Use your shield!"

"Sorry, who are you calling an old man?"

"Huzzah!" Jaune hurled his shield at Qrow's head.

It bounced off of Qrow's temple, flaring his aura white, then sailed away like a frisbee, skittering onto the dirt. "Gah—what the? Why?"

"I used the shield!" Jaune proudly declared, sending Yang a thumbs-up.

Qrow swooped in and punched him in the face again.

"My defenses!" Jaune ducked back, prying his sword from the ground and raising it into a guarding stance. "You shall not pierce them again!"

Amber chuckled at the 'fight' which was as bizarre as it was entertaining. "He's really a trained huntsman?" She turned to Ruby, sitting on the bench beside her, and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh for sure," Ruby said. She patted her lap as Zwei hobbled on over, and he jumped up into her arms. "He totally went toe-to-toe with Yang!"

"Impressive."

"Bare handed!"

"Really? Moreso."

"He didn't go toe-to-toe with me," Yang said as she swatted the back of Ruby's head, earning an eek! from her little sister. "He surprised me and got some good shots off. I would've won in the end."

"Oof!" Jaune grunted as Qrow flipped him in the air and smashed him into the ground.

Amber laughed again. "He's certainly a good sport when it comes to training. Not everyone can get thrashed so much and still enjoy themselves."

"He's got a good sense of humor," Taiyang said. "Even if it's a little weird. Or well, he's a little weird overall."

"A little?"

"A little?"

"A little?"

Yang, Ruby and Amber had all asked the same two-word question at the same time.

"Bwah!" Jaune landed in a heap just before them all. His aura flashed and flickered; while they had no external aura tracker to view, it was clear to all that he had entered the red.

"Alright, alright," Amber lifted a hand. "Qrow, I think he's had enough."

"I have?" Jaune asked as he got to his feet.

Qrow picked up the shield and chucked it at him while he was distracted.

"Oof!"

Jaune tumbled over again as his own shield smacked into the back of his head with a sound like metal hitting metal, a clang! None of them noticed the slight variation from what, well, it should have sounded like.

"Kid needs to work on some of his reflexes." Qrow smirked. "And be more aggressive. Don't think you threw out that many attacks at me the whole time."

"Oh, I was mostly trying to wait and observe, so then I can build a catalog of your fighting style!"

"Watching and learning, nothing wrong with that."

"Thank you, Mr. Qcrow!"

"Just…" He gave up on trying to convince him to call him just 'Qrow' and instead glanced up at the sky. The sun had been out for a couple hours already, and it steadily crept higher and higher up. "We should be on our way by noon."

"Noon!?" Yang and Ruby said at the same time.

"You've only been here a night," Taiyang said. "Can't you spare another?"

"We have business in Vacuo," Amber answered. "We're already a little behind schedule, actually."

"Ah man, what business?"

"None of too much concern to you," Amber said, patting Ruby on the head.

"Oh, secret business?" Yang leaned in closer, attracted to the thought of knowing something she shouldn't know, like a moth to a flame. "I mean, we are huntresses, so you could really—"

"Wah!"

Jaune spluttered as Qrow kicked him hard in the rear-end, launching him into Yang. She squawked as he slammed into her, driving them both down into the dirt with a puff of dust and a couple of pained groans.

"I'm sorry!" Jaune reported. "Qcrow—"

His aura flashed again as Yang punched him straight in the gut, sending him flipping off of her and crashing down into the ground again.

"Oof," he muttered.

Qrow, meanwhile, could barely suppress his laughter. Amber winced and got to her feet.

"Are you okay?" She reached out a hand. "Can you get up?"

"Every time I do, I'm hit again." Jaune furrowed his brow. "Maybe staying on the ground for now is a good idea." He remembered Chad Mulligan impulsively kicking him in the face back on the beach. "Or maybe not…"

"Maybe," Qrow said as he pulled out his flask again. "Maybe…"

"Jaune," Amber said, "you are actually okay, yes?"

"Yup!" Jaune gave her a smile that was altogether too unbothered given the recent chain of events. "I may not be quite combat ready right now, but I am still… life ready."

"Life ready?"

"Yes!"

"That's… a way you could choose to word things."

"It is!" He gave a thumbs-up. "I am life ready! Because I am a regular meat person, just like you!"

"So…where did you say you're from?" Qrow asked.

He, Amber and the family sat on the front porch of Taiyang's house, sipping on glasses of lemonade and talking to the odd arrival that had found himself there for the last couple days.

"Well," Jaune said, "I didn't."

"You never said where you're from?"

"Nope."

"You… want to tell us?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because it's… a place."

"A place?"

"Yup."

"You know, I'm from Mistral, southern parts, haven't been there for a while, though."

"Sounds nice!"

"And you're from…?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

Amber interjected, cutting off Qrow as she saw he was starting to get a little too frustrated. "Well, we would just like to get to know you a little better," she said. She clinked her glass of lemonade against Jaune's. She smiled, a kind smile that matched her warm voice and the inviting look in her eyes. "You know, friends getting to know friends."

"Sounds fun!"

"So where are you from?"

"Yes."

"Ah… okay. Well, enough about where you're from. How about where you're going? Vacuo, right?"

"Right."

"Anywhere specific in Vacuo?"

"Nope."

"Nope?"

"Nope. Just tournaments."

"And you want to fight in the tournaments for your father, yes?"

"Yes!"

"Have you fought in tournaments before?"

"Nope!"

"But you're diving straight into the Vacuo tournaments?"

"Yes!"

"Don't you think that could be dangerous? Vacuo can be intense."

"Danger is my middle name!"

"Ha, is it now?"

"Actually… it might be."

"It—wait, really?"

"I'd have to ask my dad to be sure."

"Don't know your own name…"

"Not totally."

"Right… do you like competing?"

"Maybe?"

"Well… any other hobbies?"

"I'm good at darts!"

"Oh nice, do you play often?"

"Only once."

"Just once?"

"Once.

"There's nothing else? Things you do for fun?"

"Nope, don't think so."

"What… what do you do?"]

"Things."

Amber's smile went a little bit crooked, for just a moment, before she recovered.

"Ah… right. Okay. Well, what about something else, then? What… what is your favorite food?"

"Favorite food? Definitely the spaghetti Yang made last night."

"Aw, that's very sweet."

"It was savory, actually."

"I… yes it was. What about your favorite drink, then?"

"Um… I guess that would have to be orange mocha frappuccinos."

"It would have to be?"

"I don't remember drinking anything else."

"You… what? Nothing else?"

"Hm… no, I detect nothing else."

"Nothing… not even water?"

"I don't believe so. Or… wait. Um. Yes. Lots of water. People drink water. I drink water."

"Of course…"

Amber fought to keep her smile up.

"How about"– she wracked her brain for the easiest question she could think of –"what's your birthday?"

"A day."

"Yes, but what day?"

"One of them."

"The day you were born?"

"How do you define birth?"

"The day you popped out and were alive."

"Oh, about a month ago."

"Great! That's great! Happy belated birthday! And how old are you now?"

"About a month."

"I… I really thought I had something there."

"Had what?"

"I… I don't know."

"Don't know what?"

"You…"

"Don't know me?"

"Well—yes, actually."

"But you do know me. My name is Jaune Arc!"

"I gathered that, yes, but there are other things."

"Like?"

"Like where you're from."

"Somewhere."

"What were you doing before you came here?"

"Something."

"Who's been training you to be a huntsman?"

"Something."

"Something? Not even someone?"

"It might be someone."

"And who would they be?"

"A person, if I had to guess."

Amber's eyebrow twitched.

"And who would that person be?"

"Someone."

"Okay. Never mind about that. What about… your family?"

"Oh, I have a dad."

"Nice, and what's he like?"

"He's a person, too."

"The person who's been training you to be a huntsman?"

"Nope."

"Then what does he do?"

"Stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Things."

"Okay… what's his name?"

"He has one."

Amber slammed her glass of lemonade down, reached into Qrow's coat, pulled out his flask before he could protest, uncapped it and took a swig.

"He is simultaneously one of the most suspicious—but also one of the least suspicious—people I've ever met." Amber sighed an exasperated breath and leaned back against a tree. The two of them had excused themselves to go for walk, which they now took as an opportunity to discuss their unexpected plus-one.

"You second guessing the goodwill that made you say yes to bringing him along, like, instantly?" Qrow asked. He had his arms crossed, looking back at the front porch of the house where now only Jaune and his nieces sat, chatting.

He scratched the stubble on his chin and watched Jaune swing his legs from the rocking chair he lounged in. "He… I don't think I've ever met somebody like him."
"Normally, a person so adamantly hiding his past… I would not like to travel with someone like that."

"Not one bit."

"But he… also has truly nothing malicious about him."

"And if he does, then he's the best at hiding it out of anybody I've ever met."

"Yes… I just can't quite wrap my head around it." She massaged her temples, trying to calm down the headache that had sprung up after talking to him. "A liar, a real liar, would have come up with some sort of decent backstory to throw us off. He could have just said that he lived with his family in some cabin in the middle of the woods and they taught him to fight and it would have really ended at that. Can't disprove it without hiring a private investigator, and why would we be compelled to disprove it at all?"

"Yeah, any number of backstories could work, and you came up with that one off the top of your head." Qrow looked at his flask, idly wondering if another swig would help him out in the situation. He decided against it. "He seems harmless enough… if not annoying."

"Hm."

Amber tapped a finger against her cheek; thinking, thinking. Jaune was currently listening along as Yang told some story, likely of her recent trouncings of other kids at Signal. She used animated hand motions and had Jaune enraptured, while Ruby merely rolled her eyes at her sister's showmanship.

"He would have to be the greatest actor of all time in order to pull off this charade. For all intents and purposes, he's just an awkward kid… ugh." She shook her head. "Look at us, being so suspicious of everyone."

"Yeah. That's a Maiden's life."

Amber scowled.

"You signed up—"

"I'm aware." She crossed her arms. "I know. I signed up for it. That doesn't make it easier. I'm new to it."

"Yeah… sorry."

Amber didn't look at Qrow. Instead, she focused on the kids at the porch. Yang said something and then went back into the house, leaving Jaune and Ruby to talk between themselves.

A pang of worry spun up in Amber, who remembered the last time she had visited Patch, over two years ago, and saw Ruby struggle to make conversation with a couple kids who just up and walked away after a minute or two.

But not now; Jaune listened as she excitedly rattled something off, likely statistics about weapons and ammunition or some breakdown of the latest episode of X-ray and Vav.

It made Amber smile.

And just like that, it clicked.

"Qrow, I know." She nodded, and now guilt spun up inside of her. "I know…:"

"Know what?"

"Him. I think I do, at least. He… he's a bit like Ruby." The pieces fell into place. "And a bit like you, actually."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"It's not an insult!" Amber swatted Qrow's shoulder. "No… what would you say if some strangers asked you about your family? About where you're from? About who trained you?"

Qrow grumbled something incoherent.

"Exactly. And Jaune said he wasn't good at making friends; Yang even compared him to Ruby, but worse. I think…" She looked again, with sad eyes, at the boy. "I think he's just an idealistic young huntsman who doesn't know how to make friends but wants to make them and wants to make the world a better place.

"And like you," she continued, "he doesn't want to bring up his past. Maybe he's embarrassed about it? There could be a thousand reasons for someone not to want to talk about where they're from or their family. And he, not the best at people skills, is just doing his best to cover that up so he can still go and live his life. Still make friends. Still be happy."

The two stood beside each other for a little while after that, watching as Yang came back outside, rubbed her knuckles into her sister's head and joined into the conversation. She brushed away Ruby's poor attempts at punches and chattered on about one thing or another. Jaune smiled a big, happy smile.

Qrow squinted and glanced up at the sun, taking note of its place in the wide blue sky. "Almost noon." He sighed. "You can go do it."

"Thanks," Amber grinned, "softie."

Qrow grumbled some harmless insult as Amber pushed off the tree and strolled back to the house. Once she was halfway there—close enough to hear the trio of teens laughing at some joke one of them had told—she stopped, cupped her hands around her mouth and called out:

"Jaune! Qrow and I are going to be heading out soon!"

Then she asked:

"Will you be coming with us?"

Imagine being such a bad liar that you actually become the best liar. This will have no unforeseen consequences, none whatsoever.

I'm really going off of headcanon here for what Amber is like, since she's only in the show enough to give a kid an apple and get killed, right? But hey, helping out a kid like that makes her nice. It's fun to make a kinder, more polite personality that clashes with Qrow's.

I've also had a difficult time really making sure I nail Penny's personality, since depressed and sorta angsty Penny here is very different from the Penny at the start of the show, when she's her normal weird happy-go-lucky self.