I held the paper between my hands gently as I studied it with a smile.
It was a drawing given to me before I departed Vale. It was non-other than me on the paper, drawn as I was photographed after killing the Wyvern. A golden white laurel wreath wrapped around the drawings head, and its eyes and scars were colored in the same shade. Holes littered the armor which meant it was definitely me. Crocea Mors was drawn, and my shield arm carried my pauldron by the strap. A figure with incredibly long scarlet red hair and matching eyes was riding my shoulders with a big scribbled smile on her face.
I chuckled before gently folding the crayon drawing given to me by Cerise. I tucked it safely behind my chest piece and decided to tune in to my companion.
"-une Arc, the very same that activated the Automated Defenses and prevented the bombing at Beacon Academy, has killed the Grimm that had remained at Beacon Tower since the Fall. The Wyvern as they call it had been frozen to the tower and been generating Grimm until yesterday, when it broke away into the sky and took Jaune Arc with it. The details of why are unknown at this time." Winter read off loudly, pausing to make annoyed eye contact with me from her seat before continuing.
"What is known is that the Grimm appeared at the gates of the Green Zone minutes later, and Jaune Arc both grounded it and prevented its advance. Through the videos that were captured, the Huntsman appeared with a blinding light that emanated from him and a crown fashioned out of a laurel wreath. His eyes, his scars, and his wreath all glowed the same bright golden white as he dismembered the giant Grimm and summoned lightning to strike it. At the end the Wyverns head was sliced in half with a rather fitting Arc of blinding aura." She continued, plowing through the series of articles she had downloaded on her scroll. "Certain citizens of Vale, and even members of the Valean Defense Force have taken to referring to Jaune Arc simply as 'Jupiter'. The name comes in reference to the fictional god of skies and thunder, and considering Mr. Arc cast an apartment complex sized Grimm from the sky and fried it, the name seems to fit."
"… in my defense, the lightning was pure coincidence. I had nothing to do with that." I defended flatly, only slightly intimidated by the chilly glare she was sending my way.
"I leave you alone for two days to prepare the airship and crew for our journey to Atlas, and you run off and fight the biggest Grimm you can find!" She scolded, tossing her scroll onto the table as she glared at me.
"The choices were either fight or let the Green Zone be wiped clean." I retorted calmly, keeping stoic eye contact with the woman. "I made the right choice."
"That isn't the main point, Jaune." Winter huffed, crossing her arms at me. "You seem to be drawn to these situations. I hope you don't expect to pull these types of stunts in Atlas."
I smirked at the sneer she sent me. I had missed her subtly snotty attitude in the days she'd been busy. The interactions reminded me of a more mature version of Weiss, which I suppose is only natural.
"Depends on what needs to be done." I answered, very intentionally being cheeky. Winter simply rolled her eyes.
"Well, I suppose you get points for sheer honesty. In all seriousness you should tone down this impulsive streak you seem to be developing. That sort of thing can get you into trouble in Atlas. Especially given that the military and Atlesian Hunters work closely together." Winter explained, retrieving her scroll and putting it away.
"I'm no soldier. Some orders should be questioned." My words were boldfaced and honest, and I could see Winter look at me with brief curiosity.
"Clearly. I could tell you that having only read your file." She snarked. "Speaking of, your file mentioned you have trouble with motion sickness. How have I not seen any signs yet?"
"Fighting in the sky so often tends to cure that illness, I suppose." I grunted out listlessly, resting my head in my hand as I leaned on the table.
"I think you mean to say 'crash landing', yes?"
I smirked at the jab she threw my way, and Winter herself had the ghost of a smirk on her lips. The ship shook lightly as we hit turbulence, but steadied before long. The two of us and a small number of the Atlesian soldiers stationed in Vale were packed onto an airship and had set sail for Solitas. There was a shocking number of people that met and saw me off early yesterday morning. Among them were Cerise, Cardin, Glynda and her team, and even Blake had shown up. They all talked to me by themselves and I was given the chance to say goodbye to them all, something that I privately appreciated. Naturally, everyone except Cerise had ribbed me for going and killing the Wyvern. In all honesty, I wouldn't have it any other way.
"So was your mission with Headmistress Goodwitch fruitful?" She broached, clasping her hands in her lap as she gazed at me from across the small table. I nodded.
"Yeah. We recovered what remained of my partner that day." She froze in place at my words, and I only realized how morbid they sounded after her reaction. Casually, I backtracked. "I just collected what armor I could find and her weapon, Miló."
"And your partner, she was Pyrrha Nikos correct?"
I avoided her eyes, instead gazing towards the entrance of the room towards two off-duty helmsmen. They sat at a small table much like ours and busied themselves with a game that involved shooting dice. The woman slumped back in her chair as her opponent wrote down his score with a smarmy grin smeared across his face.
"She was."
My tone must have been rude, because Winter made no move to keep with the topic.
"I see." She said softly. A minute or so had passed before she perked back up to her stiff self. "Forgive the sudden change in topic, but it should nearly be time. If you would, follow me."
I offered no resistance as she got up from the table and did so myself. She led me through the cramped halls of the airship towards the bridge. As the doors slid open, we were greeted to the sight of a full detail of soldiers stationed at various control terminals that were spread across the bridge. They very briefly snapped to attention towards Winter, then resumed their work when she waved them off.
"There we are." Winter piped up, taking a few long strides towards the wide glass faceplate of the airship. I moseyed beside her and couldn't help but soak in the view.
The famed floating kingdom of Remnant was held aloft in front of us, and simply put it was breathtaking. Airships like what we were in and bullheads seemed to move in coordinated flocks in the airspace of the floating city, and all of it was overshadowed by a trio of flagships that dwarfed everything else. The entirety of the city was steepled, with the pristine towers of the Academy resting at the very top so as to keep watch over the rest. Hard-light railways looped around all of the city, creating a functional lightshow that cast a futuristic glow on the buildings and towers around it.
"Welcome to Atlas, Jupiter." Winter announced, gesturing towards the crown of the Kingdom.
"Not gonna let that go, are you?" I grunted out, tossing a scowl in her direction.
"I will cling to this until I am dead." She answered straight-faced as she gazed at the floating city.
"At least I've got a special place in your heart till the bitter end." I joked tepidly, smirking inwardly when she hid a chuckle by clearing her throat. In the background I could make out radio chatter coming from one of the terminals and a soldier responding. Overall I drowned it out in favor of glancing around at the modern marvel that is Atlas.
The airship approached the city after about a minute of staying stationary, and I watched in silent appreciation as it was maneuvered through the air. Bullheads buzzed through the skies of Atlas, going to and from in so many directions I could hardly keep an eye on all of them. The flagships were unmoving high in the Atlesian airspace, simply staying still and exuding a feeling of might over the capital of the Kingdom. Countless buildings sprawled over the floating land, and all of them were neatly organized into districts. I eyed two bullheads as they broke from the standing group near the flagships and zoomed over to flank our airship.
"Standard protocol for anticipated arrivals. Nothing to worry about." Winter eased without prompting. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.
"You're observant."
"I am a Specialist. It's to be expected." She puffed with concealed pride as she mentioned her rank, and I just shook my head at her.
"Docking bay 4-10-K!"
"Roger!"
The words were called out by terminal-bound soldiers, and the airship swerved away from the general trajectory we'd been on until now. The city beyond the window grew larger than life as we approached, and soon our pilots had the airship flying towards a large docking bay that extended from the side of the lower parts of what I assumed was Atlas Academy. I watched passively as the buildings slid beneath us, and we closed in on an odd contraption that I couldn't recognize.
"Come along Jaune. It's time to disembark." Winter called out, dragging my attention from the weird technology built from the minds of Atlas. The Schnee was already moving to exit the bridge, and I took a few fast steps to catch up before matching pace at her side.
"We've landed?" I asked in confusion as we made our way through the halls. I hadn't seen or felt anything that would indicate that.
"No, but we're in position to leave the vessel while the crew takes her to the actual bays where everything will be unloaded and refueled." She answered succinctly, just before clicking away at a holographic panel just to the right of a door I distinctly remember as the entrance. As it hissed open, I was greeted to… another hallway.
I stepped through the threshold with Winter following closely and took a few measured steps inside. A window was to my right, and through it I recognized the gleaming hull of the airship that carried us from Vale.
"So just a loading dock to the airlock, huh." I muttered in realization. The last time I'd been on an airship was the flight from Vale to Beacon during orientation, and I remember there only being ramps that were open to the air leading into the ship like a standard boat.
"These are standard fair for larger vessel models in Atlas due to the safety ratings. I believe that Vale expressed interest in implementing these at their own airdocks." The specialist commented, tapping at my shoulder as she stepped passed me. I grunted in response and walked with her through the long hall.
We made our way passed many windows through the extendable walkway and eventually stopped before a sealed pair of doors making up the very end. Holographic keys came to life on the door over the middle seam once we were within a foot, and Winter wasted no time fiddling with them. I couldn't follow what she pressed, but I was intrigued nonetheless. A calming green lit up above us followed by a ding, and the doors opened smoothly. My Schnee companion stepped through them and I kept perfect pace with her, though I ended up caught off guard by what was on the other side.
"Specialist Winter Schnee, good to see you back!" A man greeted from directly in front of the path. I studied him quickly, and strangely enough my impression of him was that of a boy scout. "Pardon the suddenness, but General Ironwood has sent us to escort yourself and your charge to his location. His words used were 'directly' and 'urgently'."
"Pleased to see you again, Clover. His orders before he embarked for Atlas were to meet him directly upon arrival, so suddenness is out of the equation." Winter responded formally, remaining equally as polite as the man before us.
I tuned out for a second in favor of studying Clover and his group. There were three of them, and they all wore variations of Atlesian uniforms. There was predominately white, with reds, blues, and grays all mixed in as accents. The woman to Clover's left had muscles that stood out from her companions, and she also had… no shoes on. On Clover's opposite side was a shorter girl that wore a more athletic variant of the typical Atlesian uniform, covered in tightly kept clothing and with an oddly styled mohawk. Clover himself seemed normal compared to his companions, with the only oddity being the ironic clover badge pinned to his lapel.
"Are we even sure she brought the right person?" The woman with the mohawk asked her companions, suspicion dripping from her features. "I find it hard to believe the General would request to meet with someone who looks like that."
"I'll pack my nice clothes for the next time the Kingdom collapses." I returned immediately. The girl froze, and slowly her head turned until she made eye contact with me. A scowl grew on my face the moment she actually looked at me.
"What was that?"
"Are you deaf?"
"We are good comrades already! Yes, Clover?" The large woman interrupted with a wide smile.
"That's one word for it." He chuckled, letting the standoff build for a second before ruining the moment with a loud clap of his hands. "Enough Harriet. I can vouch for both Winter and Jaune here, he's the right guy."
"As can I." The woman agreed with her slight accent showing. "I'm surprised you have not read the reports yet."
"The ones from the soldiers that came back from Vale? I… haven't gotten around to it." Harriet admitted, looking away from the group and crossing her arms with a huff.
"You'll be surprised!" The muscular woman revealed with glee. Harriet scoffed in response and turned her nose up at us.
"Doubt it." The mohawk Atlesian shot back roughly.
I hummed, taking into consideration just what my impression of her was. The other two seemed reasonably likeable, though something about this woman was special in my mind. I glanced at Winter from my peripheral and asked what was on my mind.
"If I told Ironwood that she's annoying, do you think he'd let me kill her?"
"Unlikely." Winter retorted immediately.
"You honestly think you could even touch me, cheese grater?" The short soldier practically spat the words at me as she stalked forward and got right in my face. I silently found it funny that she barely measured up to my neck.
"I was joking." My answer was completely flat and nearly without inflection, giving it a very unconvincing quality. The muscular woman turned away and muffled a snicker with her hand. The shorty scowled at me and turned to march away.
"Lucky you! Harriet usually bites just as much as she barks!" The odd man commented with a smile on his face.
"Pfffhahahaha!" The accented woman spluttered a laugh at his comment.
"It's rude to laugh in your teammates face, Elm." Clover admonished playfully, not putting a dent in her amusement since his words were hypocritical. If anything she laughed harder.
I simply thought of how much fun messing with these weirdos would be.
[AN- Thanks for the comments last chap guys! Follows and Favs going crazy, nearly at 300! Anyway, not gonna be many perspective changes at all, maybe 1 more? I wanted something fun to break up the Atlas and Vale arcs. Here's more, enjoy!]