"I can't believe Ozpin just let us off the hook like that." Jaune said, he and his team leaving the cafeteria behind as all four members of Team JNPR were covered in all sorts of food and drinks.

"It's a good thing he did." Nora said as the girl slurped up the last bits of soda from her finger, "Professor Goodwitch was damn near ready to kill us back there."

"If that did happen, I just want you to know that I'll be cremating you, Nora." Jaune said as the ginger girl responded with a gasp.

"How could you be so heartless, Jaune?" Nora cried out as the girl jokingly gripped her chest tight.

"Hey, I'm not spending any of my hard-earned money on a coffin for you." Jaune said with a shrug and a smirk, "You'd be dead, anyway, so it's not like you could stop me."

"Ren! Jaune's being mean again!" the girl said as she hugged her partner tight, "Do something about it!"

"It's alright, Nora. If Jaune won't buy you a coffin, I will." the boy said with a nod.

"Yay! You're the best, Ren, unlike a certain someone." Nora said, the girl sticking her tongue out at her team leader before the four teens shared a laugh.

"So, classes are over for the week." Jaune said as the four teens walked through Beacon's courtyard, "Anything you guys wanna do?"

"We could go watch a movie." Pyrrha said, the girl wearing a smile as she enjoyed the company of her teammates.

"Oh, that's a good idea!" Nora said, the girl running ahead before rounding on her team with a giant smile on her face, "And I know just the movie we're going to watch."

Both Jaune and Ren stared at the ginger-haired girl, neither of them wanting to speak. The silence lasted for a few seconds as the four members of Team JNPR stood in the middle of the courtyard in awkward silence before Pyrrha spoke up, confused as to why her team members suddenly went silent.

"What movie are we going to watch, Nora?" Pyrrha asked as Jaune and Ren lightly cursed at her.

"Duh, we're going to watch the movie that just came out, Vindicators 2: Age of Doom-Nomitron!" Nora exclaimed.

"I haven't seen the first one yet." Jaune said as Nora rounded on the blonde.

"You haven't-?! Are you insane?! How could you not have seen the first Vindicators?!" Nora shouted as she shook her team leader back and forth.

"Actually, neither have I." Pyrrha said, a look of slight guilt on her face. A look of disgust and disbelief formed on Nora's face as the girl slowly slumped to the ground.

"Heathens… I'm on a team with… uncultured heathens…" the girl muttered to herself. Ren went to comfort the girl but was stopped in his tracks as Nora immediately sprung back up. Gripping the hands of both Pyrrha and Jaune, the girl said, "It's fine, it's fine. We can fix this. We'll just watch the first one after we watch the second one later."

"You want us to watch the first one…" Jaune said.

"...after we watch the second one…?" Pyrrha said, finishing the blonde's sentence.

"That's correct." Nora replied as the girl nodded vigorously.

"Sure, why not?" Jaune said with a shrug as Pyrrha nodded along.

"Ren, you're coming, right?" Nora asked. Her partner made to answer the girl's question before he was immediately interrupted, "Great! So, we'll take a shower and then quickly make our way to Vale. Got it?"

Jaune was about to answer the girl's question before his scroll beeped. Taking it out, the blonde read the text he just received before he turned to face his teammates.

"I'll see you guys at the dorm. I just have to make a quick trip to the CCT Tower." Jaune said

"Now? You're still covered in food." Ren said, a small frown on his face, "Shouldn't you at least freshen up first?"

"Nah, it's fine. It's just something I need to do real quick." Jaune said.

"Well, alright. We'll see you at the dorm."

"I can keep you company, if you want." Pyrrha said, a small smile on the girl's face.

"No, it's fine. Thanks, anyway, Pyr." Jaune said

"Are you sure? I don't-"

"I said it's fine, Pyrrha." the blonde said, cutting his partner off.

"O-oh, okay… Sorry, I didn't mean to push." the girl said, the girl taking a small step back. Even Ren and Nora were slightly taken aback by their team leader's small outburst.

"No, it's just… this shouldn't take too long and I don't want to bother you." Jaune said, looking away from his team as he pocketed his scroll, "I'll see you guys later, alright?"

"I wonder what that was about…?" Ren said.

"It's probably nothing. He did say it was just a quick call, after all." Nora said before she started dragging both Ren and Pyrrha towards the dorms, "Come on, let's go take a shower. Ants are starting to crawl up my leg and I am not a fan of this feeling."

Even as the three teens reach their dorm room, Pyrrha found herself unable to forget the brief look of anger in Jaune's eyes. Eventually, the small incident was forgotten as Team JNPR enjoyed their night out in Vale.

[~]

"You're not actually serious about stealing an airship, are you?" Weiss asked as the group gathered around the Nikos dinner table.

"I fail to see the reasons on why we shouldn't steal an airship." Jaune said as he took in another spoonful of rice, "Do you?"

"Yes! There's a lot of reasons why this is a terrible idea!" Weiss said, the girl standing up from her seat as she glared at the blonde, "For one thing, it's the Atlas military we're talking about here!"

"It's just the Atlas Military. Nothing much to worry about there." Jaune said with an easygoing shrug.

"You've done all this before?" Ren asked.

"Well, duh. I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't confident it would work out."

"Setting your experience in crime aside, this is still the Atlas Military, Jaune." Pyrrha said, the girl upset at even the thought of committing such a crime, "Surely they would have security systems in place to prevent such an act."

"I don't doubt it but I'm sure it'll be easy." Jaune said, shrugging aside any worries at hand, "I mean, it won't be as easy as breaking past SDC security but it'll be fine nonetheless."

"I'd like to circle back to that comment you just made about SDC security." Weiss said from the side.

"Nevermind that. Jaune, what's your plan here?" Ruby asked before Qrow cut in.

"Alright, that's enough. I've been minding my own business for a while now but as the only licensed huntsman here, I feel like I need to say something." the man said as he tried his best to rub away the headache he was feeling, "What you kids are suggesting is… beyond reckless. I don't care if you've done it before, kid, but I'm not letting any of my nieces become criminals if I can help it!"

"Uncle Qrow, I think-"

"I'm serious, Ruby!" the man said, cutting the girl off as he sent a glare her way, "Even if we ignore the fact that this is the Atlas Military we're talking about, you guys are just kids. If this thing goes south - and trust me, it will - there won't be anything any of us here can do about it. Just take my advice and… drop it, alright?"

Silence reigned as everyone - except Jaune - around the dinner table wore an expression of defeat on their face before Ruby finally spoke.

"No." the girl said, standing up with a defiant look on her face.

"Ruby-" Qrow started to say before being cut off.

"I said no. We may be kids but we've come this far, haven't we? Most of the time, we didn't even need your help!" the girl said before gesturing towards Jaune, "If Jaune says he has a plan, then I think it's best for all of us to hear him out. If it's a sound plan, then we're going through with it whether you're with us or you're not."

Qrow stared at his niece in shock for a few seconds before letting out a defeated sigh. The man then took out his flask but before he could take a sip, Yang snatched it away from him.

"I think you've had enough to drink for one day, Uncle Qrow." the blonde said as her uncle let out a groan.

"Fine. I'll help you dumb kids help steal a stupid airship from the goddamn Atlas Military." Qrow said even as Ruby frowned at the man's choice of words. The girl then turned back towards Jaune.

"Jaune, you said you had a plan, right?" Ruby asked as the boy nodded in response.

"That's right. First, I'll need some sugar, some spice, and something that's-"

"Wait, hold on." Ruby said, the girl holding her hands up, "What are these ingredients for?"

"It's to make a homemade bomb, obviously. I would buy some but I doubt the grocery down the street sells any that's readily available." the boy said even as those around him looked at him in shock.

"A… bomb…? Why do you need a bomb?" Weiss asked.

"Why else? To blow up the Atlesian Military base, duh." Jaune replied, his head tilting in confusion at the heiress's question.

"Jaune, no! We're not blowing anything up!" Pyrrha said.

"Why not? You guys use explosions all the time!" the blonde argued.

"That's for when we're facing Grimm! A completely different story, you idiot!" Weiss said as the girl rubbed her face in frustration.

"Well, what about Blake? You let her blow stuff up!" Jaune said, pointing to the girl in question.

"What? No, I don't!" the girl said, surprised at the sudden accusation.

"Oh, right… I forgot you weren't a terrorist anymore." Jaune said.

"Um, what does he mean by terrorist, dear?" Pyrrha's mother asked.

"It's nothing, mother. He's just joking, that's all." Pyrrha said with a nervous chuckle.

"Not really." the blonde said with a chuckle as Pyrrha glared at him, "Just putting it out there, this whole thing would be a lot easier if you guys would just abandon your morals."

"Jaune, none of us are going to do that." Pyrrha said.

"Your loss." the blonde replied with a shrug.

"Jaune, focus. You said you had a plan for all this, right?" Ruby asked, "Would you mind sharing it with the rest of us?"

"Sure, I'll do that." the blonde said, taking another bite of his dinner before continuing, "Just as soon as I hammer down the finer details."

"This was your idea in the first place and you're telling me you don't have an actual plan?!" Weiss asked, the heiress growing increasingly annoyed at how easygoing Jaune was being at the moment.

"No, I have a plan. One that involves blowing up parts of the base-"

"Which we're not going to do." Ruby said, cutting him off.

"-which we're not going to do." Jaune said, parroting the girl's words, "Because of that, I'm going to need an hour - two hours, tops - to come up with another plan that doesn't involve the Atlesian military suffering any sort of casualty."

"I can already see how great all of this is going to go." Qrow said, the man silently cursing at the absence of his flask.

[~]

As Pyrrha was walking back to her room, she saw that the door to the second floor balcony was open. Her curiosity piqued, the redhead went to close the door before noticing that her ex-partner was currently sitting on one of the chairs set up outside. The blonde was unaware of her presence as he was staring at a pendant of the cracked moon in his hand.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha said, dressed in her red and green pajamas as she poked her head out the door. The blonde jumped slightly in surprise at the girl's sudden appearance.

"Pyrrha! Didn't see you there." the boy said as he quickly tucked the pendant back under his shirt, "Did I wake you?"

"No, you didn't. I just had to go to the toilet, that's all." the girl replied before she gestured to the second chair on the balcony, "May I join you?"

"Hey, it's your home. Who am I to say no?" Jaune said with a chuckle as Pyrrha sat down. The pair sat in silence for a few seconds before Pyrrha spoke up.

"Jaune, this plan of yours… Are you confident that it could work?" the girl asked as the two ex-partners gazed out into the city of Argus.

"I'd give it a seventy-five percent chance of working out." Jaune said with an easy-going shrug.

"And if it doesn't work?"

"If it doesn't work, then we'll probably be arrested." Jaune said, "If that happens, they'll either throw us in jail here at Argus or bring us to Atlas. Either way, everything works out."

"Still, stealing a Bullhead? It doesn't… feel very good." Pyrrha said, a worried frown on her face.

"You know, our chance of success would increase exponentially if you guys would let me-"

"No, Jaune, we are not blowing anything up." Pyrrha said, not even bothering to look at the blonde before quickly adding, "Nor are we killing anyone on this mission tomorrow."

"Suit yourself. Not sure why you'd choose to make your lives harder." Jaune said.

"What are you doing out here, by the way?" Pyrrha asked, "Nervous about the mission tomorrow?"

"Pfft, as if. What we're going to be doing tomorrow is like riding a bike to me." Jaune said, scoffing at the redhead's accusation, "I just couldn't sleep, that's all…"

Silence reigned for a few minutes as the two former partners gazed out into the city before Pyrrha finally spoke.

"Jaune, what… what do you honestly think our chances are going into all of this?" the girl asked as she looked towards the blonde.

"It's so close to zero that it's not even funny." Jaune replied without any sort of hesitation.

"Close to zero?" Pyrrha said, "Then, you still believe-?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, Pyr. We have a better chance of teaching a Grimm to talk than actually beating Salem." Jaune said, a frown on his face, "The only reason I believe we have some sort of fighting chance is the relics and even then, I'm still skeptical."

"And yet, you're still here with us." Pyrrha noted, an amused smile on the girl's face.

"Not like I could have just left, right?" Jaune said with a shrug, "Not without you guys bitching about it later or worse, Nora crying a whole waterfall."

"Oh? Is that some concern I hear from you, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked only for the boy to respond with a glare, albeit a half-hearted one.

"I don't remember you being this much of a smartass back when we were in Beacon." Jaune said.

"And I don't remember you being anywhere close to as cruel as you're trying to portray yourself, Jaune." Pyrrha shot back, "All this talk about killing innocent bystanders? It sounds to me like you're forcing yourself to say all that, Jaune, because I don't really believe you'd do those things when it really comes down to it."

"Let's get one thing straight here, Pyrrha, and that's the fact that we've only known each other for less than two years." Jaune said as the boy turned to face his former partner, "Not exactly a lot of time for you to know who I really am, wouldn't you say?"

"Perhaps but I know that everyone out there has the capacity for kindness. Even someone like you, Jaune." Pyrrha said, "No matter how far gone you may think you are."

Jaune went silent at the girl's words as he turned back to gazing out at the city of Argus, the city's bright lights dancing in the night sky.

"After all, if you are as cruel as you claim to be, then you wouldn't have convinced Cinder to spare any of our lives, would you?" Pyrrha said as Jaune's hand went for the pendant around his neck on instinct, an act that did not go unnoticed by the redhead.

"You should get some rest, Pyr. I have a feeling we won't be getting much sleep in the next few days." Jaune said as he got up from his chair before leaving Pyrrha alone on the balcony. A small smile graced the girl's face before she finally went back to her room.

[~]

Jaune was currently whistling a catchy tune to himself as he climbed the ladder of the radio tower, the boy having just effortlessly knocked out a lone guard. Finally reaching the controls, Jaune was about to start disabling the tower before a thud from behind made him flinch in surprise.

"Hello, Arc." a voice said from behind the blonde.

"Oh, it's just you." the boy said, turning around to face the newcomer before he leaned against the controls of the radio tower, "Is that a new look? Gotta say, I'm kind of digging it."

"Don't play games with me, human. I'm here for one person and one person only. Answer my question truthfully and I might just let you live. Now tell me," Adam Taurus said as his grip around his weapon tightened, "Where. Is. Blake?!"

[Chapter END]

A/N: And that's a wrap for Chapter 9. I hope you guys liked where I went with the final scene, with Jaune being the one who faces Adam instead of Blake. I'm very nervous about what comes next, as it's one of the bigger divergence from canon that I've wanted to do since the beginning. I just hope I can write it somewhat to my satisfaction as well as you guys and gals out there.

Not going to spoil what I've decided to do, obviously so just stay tuned and find out in Chapter 10. Hopefully, I can get that out before mid-March. Really excited and nervous to write that one.

One thing I did love writing, though, was the flashback for this chapter. That one was fun. Hope y'all liked it.

As always, fave, follows, and reviews are always welcome.

Praise be to Cinder Fall