Jaune said a stiff goodbye to his parents, who drove away with great reluctance. Their opinions on the Circle, and on Pyrrha, were clear, but Jaune was determined to form his own views on the secretive organisation. The Circle could prepare him for the Supernatural world he had accidentally uncovered, and he was not totally trusting of them after their lie if omission. He still loved them, they were his parents after all, but he would be stupid to trust them.
Part of him felt stupid for trusting Pyrrha, but it wasn't like he was trusting with his heart again. It would be good to be friends with her like they were before everything went tits up, but he just wasn't interested in her in a romantic manner.
Ren took the lead of their little group, with Blake standing closely next to him and Pyrrha taking up the rear. They wandered down dark, discreet alleys to avoid anyone wandering about at night, with Ren and Pyrrha looking like SWAT team members with their Kevlar armour and assault rifles. They would have drawn attention running in the open, and considering how the Circle seemed to have discretion as their modus operandi that was something Ren and Pyrrha seemed keen to avoid.
"Have you had to do this often?" Jaune asked in a hushed tone, breaking the awkward, terse silence. "Sneaking through alleys and stuff?"
"Yes." Ren replied simply. "After the Great War, when Ansel was being rebuilt after the bombings, one of our leaders bribed city planners to include a number of back alleys and sewer tunnels in order for the Circle to operate in Ansel discreetly. This place has always been a large population centre for the Supernatural. Its a city with a number of amenities that is large enough to provide cover but not as big and loud as Emerald Vale, so less overwhelming for their senses."
"Huh." Jaune said, remembering the ginnels and alleys and tiny streets scattered across the city. "That…makes sense. How powerful are you guys?"
"Not very." Ren replied honestly. "We have a lot in terms of equipment and whatnot, but our hands are frequently tied due to the need to keep things discreet to prevent civilians becoming aware of the Circle or the Supernatural. The best way to put is that we're like a blind warrior. When we know where the enemy is we can hit hard and true, but otherwise our hands are tied."
"Fair enough." Jaune said, and silence fell over them again. Now that he knew, that he was paying attention, he realised how odd it was the alleys always connected, or were at least close by to one another. His sisters believed in a popular conspiracy that Ansel's alleys were used by some sort of mafia or criminal organisation, though Jaune guessed any of the armed, mysterious figures that had been spotted over the years were actually agents of the Circle.
Eventually they reached their destination, an iron gate. The sound of cars roared through the air, and Jaune wondered if they were close to the city centre, the only part of Ansel that would have any sort of traffic or general busyness at this time. It wasn't late, too late at night at the least, but it was late enough that most of the city would be at home or their late shift work by now.
Ren opened the gate with a key and urged Jaune and Blake through. Jaune was first, though Blake followed so closely after him he could feel her breath against the back of his neck.
Pyrrha stepped through last, closing the hate behind her, and Ren locked it. Jaune tried to figure out where he was, but all he could see was a few trees, a stone wall with an iron spiked railing and a gravel path. The area was dimly lit by a distant streetlight, and he saw Blake look around her with a mix of wonder and fear. He took her hand gently, and she smiled at him. His stomach did weird flips, but he dismissed it as turbulence caused by all the turmoil he'd been through that night.
"Where are we?" Jaune asked, and Ren gave him a cryptic smile.
"You'll see." Ren said, turning slightly and beckoning for him to follow.
Jaune did so, and Blake followed alongside him, still not letting go of his hand. He didn't mind, not one bit, and he gradually came to realise he was somewhere vaguely familiar. Wherever they were, he had been there before, but he had no idea why. A faint memory tickled at the back of his mind, and as he stepped up crunchy, gravelly stairs his jaw dropped when he saw a ginormous cathedral loom ahead. It was ancient and a mix of medieval and gothic architecture, with sharp, jutting towers and stained glass depicting a number of religious odes and tales. Jaune knew from his knowledge of Ansel that it was none other than Ansel Cathedral, one of the oldest buildings in Ansel and a well regarded heritage sight in Vale. Jaune and Ren had Pyrrha had gone on a school trip there once, where they had been shown a spot where an Atlesian bomb supposedly landed, and didn't explode, in the centre of the large cathedral.
"No..." Jaune gasped. "Here?! You're in the middle of the city! How the hell can you guys be some sort of shady, secretive organisation if you literally operate right under our noses? What about all the people who go to church? The tourists? How?!"
"Ansel Cathedral is only used every now and then for formal religious ceremonies, there's not many people living in the city centre who can make the journey and there are plenty of parish churches closer to the outskirts of Ansel. Besides, religion has been in the decline for a while, so not many visit for church services. The tourists are seasonal, and are only really an issue in summer and autumn, so we use the sewers. It isn't very pleasant, especially not in the summer heat." Ren replied, a grimace on his face as he likely recalled his adventures underneath Ansel. "Trust me, if you join you'll be lucky. Once your training is done it'll be winter, and you'll have a nice grace period where you don't have to crawl in the sewers."
"Why aren't we now?" Jaune asked, earning a raised brow from Ren and a side-eye from Blake.
"Are you volunteering?" Ren replied, though it was clear he was joking.
"I mean, you said you guys have to use the sewers in summer and stuff." Jaune shrugged.
"Do you see many tourists around right now?" Ren asked rhetorically, making Jaune 'Ohhh...'. Ren chuckled. "Let's head inside."
Contrary to what his words suggested they didn't head inside the massive cathedral itself, instead they looped around to the back, where Ren pushed his way through some bushes carefully. Jaune followed, wincing at how loud he was compared to his ninja-like friend, and Blake and Pyrrha followed just as stealthy as Ren had been, making Jaune feel a tingle of embarrassment.
Blake squeezed his hand and Jaune squeezed back, sending her a smile before his eyes were drawn to a hidden grate.
"You're joking." He muttered, earning a snort from Ren, who waved at Pyrrha. They seized opposite ends of the thick metals bars and heaved it up. Ren shifted his assault rifle so that it dangled harmlessly off of his back before descending down the ladder.
"Wait for Ren to call up first." Pyrrha advised, leaning against the Cathedral. "He needs to sort out the filters that flood the tunnel. Anyone who stumbles across this will think it's a strangely placed storm tunnel, as during the day its flooded with water. It'll take a few minutes to drain before the rest of us can head down."
"Will he be okay?" Jaune asked worriedly. "You make it seem like he's doing some sort of Mission Impossible stuff down there."
"He'll be fine, though I think his trousers will be a little wet by now." Pyrrha laughed loudly. "We drew straws over who would go down there to drain the water before we set off on every mission. It's something of a ritual for luck or just a weird routine thing, though today we did whilst we were getting ready to move. We were really worried Schnee was going to kill you."
"Do you know much about them?" Jaune asked curiously. His parents claimed they were some sort of powerful vampire clan, but considering they had also lied about the existence of his mother and two of his sisters actual nature he was slightly dubious to what they told him.
"The Schnee?" Pyrrha asked, earning a nod. She shrugged. "Just the basic stuff. They're a powerful clan of vampires, arguably the most powerful. A clan of vampires is not something trivial. They are highly organised, highly influential and have a lot of strings they like to pull from the shadows. The Schnee are powerful thanks to two factors, their political influence due to their massive hoard of wealth and the leadership they've enjoyed for centuries under their Matriarch, the leader of the clan, Willow Schnee. It used to be led by her husband, but at some point he did something stupid that caused him to be ousted by his wife and daughters. By ousted I mean violently murdered by his family, though from what the records say he deserved it."
"How many clans are there?" Jaune wondered aloud. "I mean, I always had the idea vampires were kinda independent you know? Like they just lurk alone in their remote castles with a few henchmen waiting for lost travellers to stumble across them."
"There were a few of those, though the Circle got rid of them for failing to adhere to the Silence Accords." Pyrrha smiled. "As for how many vampire clans there are, somewhere in the low hundreds. Many are incredible small and operate in the remote corners of the world where they essentially run cults enslaving isolated villages to serve as a farm where the human or Faunus villagers are the cattle. There are four big ones total, and excluding the Schnee there are the Marigolds, the Adels and the Sustrai's. The clans all adhere to the Silence Accords, at least in part. Like with Weiss, there a plenty who operated against the Accords, though we have to rely on the Clans to punish them more often than not due to a lack of evidence as well as the fact that the Clans are incredibly powerful. If we were to attack one of them, the other three would set their differences aside to work with the forth to destroy us. They have an immense amount of power, something they are only held back from using as they fear the Circle's power just as much as we fear theirs. It's a standoff at the moment, and it's been like that for a long time."
"So you say you police the supernatural then also say you can't do that against the most powerful ones?" Jaune said sceptically, raising an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound like you guys have been doing that good a job."
"Our hands are tied more often than not." Pyrrha replied, still smiling politely but a hint of defensiveness creeping into her tone. "We don't want another war with the supernatural, and we do our best."
"Weiss Schnee would have killed me tonight if it wasn't for my own mother stepping in to help me." Jaune retorted. "Will she face some sort of punishment for that? Be brought to justice? Or is she just going to roam the streets until someone else catches her fancy."
"We do what we can." Pyrrha replied, and that was all Jaune needed to hear.
"Doesn't sound like what you do is enough." He bite back, and Pyrrha frowned at him. He felt a little guilty lashing out at her, but things weren't just fine. He couldn't ignore the fact a vampire was hunting him down with the aim of killing him by desiccation, and that the people he was looking for protection and defense apparently couldn't help.
"We are here because we were under the impression your Circle could help protect Jaune." Blake said, a dubious look on her face. "Is this the case or should we just leave now to prepare our home for a next attack by the vampire?"
"We can protect Jaune." Pyrrha replied confidently. "Even if he doesn't join we can still give him protection from afar as well as information about the supernatural, though just not as much as he might receive if he were to join. We can let you know how to defend yourself, but not to actively seek out and harm other supernaturals if you don't sign up. You are also here to sign the Silence Accords. Don't forget that."
"I haven't." Blake retorted. "But Jaune is more important than your Accord. Don't forget that."
Pyrrha's frown turned into a full blown glare that was met just as eagerly and fiercely by Blake, and Jaune shuffled on his feet awkwardly as he tried thinking of a way to defuse the rising tensions between the two. Thankfully Ren took that moment of awkward inaction to reappear, his head popping out of the sewer hole suddenly.
"Tunnels clear." He said. "I've let the watch know we have visitors."
"And a signatory?" Pyrrha asked, glaring pointedly at Blake. Ren's eyes darted back and forth between Pyrrha and Blake, before settling on Jaune and flickering with realisation at the awkward, nervous look on his face.
"And a visitor who is also a signatory, yes." Ren replied, shaking his head before descending down the sewer grate again. "Let's get going."
Jaune wanted to follow Ren down the ladder but held back, knowing that leaving Blake and Pyrrha alone on the surface together wouldn't be the brightest idea.
"Ladies first." He said to Blake with a smile, gesturing at the hole. Blake returned the smile briefly before confidently stepping forwards and clambering down the ladder noisily, and Jaune realised it may be her first time doing so.
"As quiet as a cat." Pyrrha smiled jokingly, though there was no doing the undercurrent of dislike and cattiness in the comment.
"She was stealthy enough to make me think my house was haunted by a ghost." Jaune shrugged, feeling defensive. He was willing to be friends with Pyrrha, but he wasn't going to let her talk rubbish about Blake and he would return the favour if Blake made snarky comments of her own. He didn't want to get involved, especially since he wasn't fully sure what the hell was causing the pair of them to mix as well as water and oil. He followed Blake afterwards, and Pyrrha followed suit, pausing the drag the sewer grate back into position. The air in the tunnel was musty and damp, and it stank as well. The metal rungs of the ladder were soaking wet and slippery, and when he finally reached the ground he stepped into a small puddle with a wet splash. It was pitch black, and he felt a surge of uncomfortableness at the tightness in the air, the closeness of the walls, the musty smell of damp and the utter lack of visibility. He jumped when something wet grabbed his hand, and with a jolt of surprise he saw a pair of amber eyes gleaming in the darkness.
It was Blake, and Jaune felt himself relax slightly.
"Is everyone down?" Ren asked, voice echoing in the darkness. Jaune couldn't see him.
"Yes." Pyrrha replied behind Jaune, making him jump. She mumbled an apology.
"Everyone, close your eyes and look at the ground." Ren instructed sharply. "The lights will turn on in a few seconds, and they are very bright so you'll be in a lot of pain if you look at them."
Jaune squeezed his eyes shut and jolted his head downwards, hoping Blake and the others did the same. He had higher hopes for Pyrrha and Ren, who must have done this dozens of times by now, but Blake was still fairly new to stuff. Hell, they hadn't even watched a spy film yet, so she must be confused out of her mind about all this weird procedure.
Something buzzed and Jaune winced as he felt bright light wash over him. He stayed still, unmoving, and after a few seconds the lights died down. He opened his eyes, red spots dancing around his vision, and when he opened them he saw a small tunnel lead to a metal, high security looking door surrounded by dim lights, or at least dim by comparison to the blinding lights that had been shone moments ago. On closer inspection he realised they looked like flood lights.
A loud beep permeated through the air and the door slid open with a smooth sounding whoosh. Light spilled into the tunnel from whatever was on the other side of the door, and Jaune winced at the bleak harshness of the light.
"Agent Ren, Agent Nikos." A stern voice said as a shadow filled in the door. "Was your mission successful?"
"We secured the target and protected him." Ren replied, stiffening visibly. Pyrrha did as well, and combined with the harsh authority filling the tone of the person who spoke Jaune felt himself straighten his spine too, like a student who had been summoned before the headmaster's office. "The hostile evaded us but was wounded by the targets mother."
"Juniper Arc shows her fangs then." The figure said, stepping into the tunnel and filling it utterly with a tall, bulky body that looked capable of wrestling with a gorilla. "Tentacles would be more apt I suppose. You. Are you Jaune Arc?"
"I-Uh-Yeah." Jaune coughed nervously. "Hello."
"Hello." The man replied, dark blue eyes boring into Jaune's, features becoming more visible as he stepped closer and became clearer. He had jet black hair with grey around the temples, place skin and a clean shaven, solid looking jaw. "I am Staff Sergeant James Ironwood. You may call me Sir, Ironwood or Sergeant. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"L-Likewise." Jaune stammered back, and he felt a pang of unease as Ironwood turned his granite gaze towards Blake.
"Are you the signatory to the Accords Agent Ren mentioned?" Ironwood asked, earning a quick nod. "Good. It's always good to see another supernatural committed to keeping the peace between all our races. You will be given a lawyer to understand what you are signing up to, but more on that later. I understand you seek to join the Circle mister Arc?"
"Maybe." Jaune replied, casting a worried look at Blake, who seemed uneasy with the giant of a man before them. "I'd like to know more about the Circle and what being part of it will entail."
"I'll never turn down an unwilling recruit." Ironwood said simply, eyes narrowing into what seemed like a harsh glare despite his neutral look. "Unless they are poorly suited for the job that is. Being an Agent isn't a game. You aren't a super spy or a secret agent or anything like that. You will risk your life, sacrifice everything and never be rewarded for it. Your reward is continued normality, the price we pay for peace means you will lose friends, family and life and limb and never be known for it, only remembered by a small few. Is that something you're willing to accept?"
"Stop scaring the boy!" Came a familiar voice. "This isn't the military Ironwood."
"I know, but neither are we the secret agency he may believe we are." Ironwood replied, turning and letting the newcomer, Auntie Summer of all people, to step into the tunnel. "This isn't a game."
"Jaune knows that, don't you sweetie?" Jaune nodded numbly. "See? Go and organise tomorrow's drills, we both know you won't want to do the tour."
Ironwood grumbled but acquiesced to his Auntie's orders, stepping past the much shorter woman to head inside the corridor beyond the door.
"Sorry about James, he likes to scare potential recruits as a way of testing their metal." Auntie Summer smiled. "Now where's my hug young man?"
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"Are you really a werewolf?" Jaune mumbled into Summer's shoulder. They weren't related by blood, but the close friendship between Jaune's parents and Summer Rose had led to the Rose family being seen as just an extra extension to the Arc's.
"Yes." Summer replied, patting Jaune's back comfortingly. "And no, I won't turn you into one. It doesn't work like how you may think."
"I wasn't going to ask that." Jaune grumbled, pulling back from Summer's warm embrace. "How does it work then?"
"Blood. Just a little bit of biting." Summer grinned with a smile that could only be described as wolfishly. Was that racist? Speciesist? "Depends on how kinky you are."
"Ew!" Jaune frowned, veering away from his Auntie with a lurch like a schoolboy speaking to a girl with cooties. "Why are you like this?"
"Blame your mother." Summer shrugged easily, making Jaune blank. "Now are we here to have have fun or to learn? You dear, are you the signatory?"
"Yes." Blake answered quietly, and Jaune felt worried for her. For a long time it had just been him and Blake, and he'd intended to gradually introduce her to other people as time went by, as she was clearly a more solitary type of person. Now she was meeting new people quicker than an introvert family member who'd been forced to attend a family dinner with all the extended family there.
"Good." Summer smiled gently, clearly coming to the same conclusion Jaune had reached and speaking more gently to Blake so as to not overwhelm her. Not childishly or patronisingly, just soft spoken and clear. "I've signed them myself, so you don't need to worry. It's a bunch of legal jargon intended to protect us, as well as humans, so there's no need to be worried about any sneaky double dealing in lawyer-speak intended to give supernaturals a rough time of it. The Silence Accords were built by both supernaturals and humans for both supernaturals and humans. You'll be alright so long as you don't break it."
"Okay." Blake replied, looking incredibly awkward. "Who are you?"
"Agent Summer Rose." Summer smiled, before turning to Jaune and stepping on her tip-toes to pinch his cheek. "I'm also the honorary aunt of this gentle giant. When did you get so tall for crying out loud! How am I supposed to pinch your chubby little cheeks if your head's in the clouds?"
"Summer!" Jaune groaned, as Ren's quiet chuckles and Pyrrha's like giggles echoed through the tunnel. "Wait a minute...I Ruby part of the Circle?"
"No." Summer replied, shaking her head and stepping away with a sigh. "This is too dangerous for her, what we do I mean. I'm not risking her life for the Circle, even if she thinks otherwise. She's my daughter, my only one, and I'm not going to let her die from anything other than natural causes when I'm long gone myself. Let's give you and Blake a tour of the facility, then we can get in the more boring stuff."
Summer turned around, not leaving it up for discussion, and strode inside the building. Jaune followed, and he heard Blake jog up behind him. She reached for his hand, and he took hers in his with a smile.
The corridor they followed Auntie Summer in was a stark white and although it wasn't blinding, the utter brightness of the walls and floor left him feeling the beginnings of a headache. Blake let out a quiet hiss, so he squeezed her hand to comfort her and hurried along, eager to get out of the corridor. They entered another long hallway, though the walls were a dull grey made out of concrete. Steel beams jotted out of the sides and dim, fluorescent lights lit up the hallway.
"Apart from the entrances, which are brighter for defensive purposes, the facility underneath Ansel Cathedral tends to be pretty dark and gloomy to adjust for the more sensitive eyes many supernaturals have." Summer explained as they walked along, Ren and Pyrrha following quietly behind them. "We have an even mix of humans and supernaturals here, though that ratio fluctuates at the Circle's other facilities that are scattered across Remnant. It's a matter of recruitment, and since Ansel is a natural hub for the supernatural we tend to have a larger pool of recruits. We call this facility Home Base, as it's the very first base established by the Circle and is now the largest facility we operate. Way back when this used to be a wine cellar underneath the cathedral, where the Circle would meet in secret with the cooperation of the cathedral's monks. During the Great War the Circle built Home Base to be bunker capable of withstanding bombs, and it's rumoured we can seal everything up and survive for six months after a nuclear bomb if we're well supplied enough, though I don't know how true that rumour is. Though we aren't really at Home Base just yet."
Summer came to a stop in front of large metal doors that Jaune realised were blocky elevator doors. Peering around the area around them, he could see numerous other corridors leading towards the elevator, like a devoid, lifeless reception area or hub of sorts.
"They lead to other secret entrances across Ansel." Summer said, seeing Jaune's wandering eyes. "The hallway you guys took is the shortest and most direct, the VIP treatment if you will. Some of those corridors stretch on for miles, even to the other side of Ansel."
"You guys must like your cardio." Jaune quipped, earning a groan from Ren.
"It's all fun and games until you have to walk two miles after chasing a werewolf for seven." Pyrrha smiled, and from the haunted look on Ren's face Jaune had a feeling what she said wasn't some kind of elaborate joke.
"Try trying to walk down them pregnant." Summer snorted, pressing a button before letting out a sigh. "Whoever planned this entire facility was either a masochist or a sadist. I don't know which one's worst."
"Both are equally terrible." Ren replied wisely, turning to Jaune with a bored look. "We have other entrances for supplies and whatnot, but they tend to be spread out and separate from one another. It's complex and annoying, but the few entrances we have then the less likely it is someone will accidentally find us, whether that be a supremely unaware human or a scout for Vampire clans or worse."
"You had a incident with the Schnee." Summer said, turning to Jaune with a worried look. "It's been the news of the night, especially that it was thwarted. Which one was it?"
"Weiss." Jaune replied, and he felt Blake squeeze his hand tightly. When he looked over at her he saw the murderous look on her face, caused by the mere mention of his would-have-been killer.
"That little gremlin." Summer growled, and Jaune was taken aback by the vehemence in her voice. "If the Circle doesn't do anything about her, I will. I don't care if I have to take on the entire Schnee Clan if it means giving the girl actual justice for her crimes."
"You won't." Ren said simply, earning a fierce glare. "They won't target you if you did."
Jaune remembered what Ren had said about what happened to his mother, and the look on Summer's face fell from anger to frustration and guilt. Jaune held Blake's hand as tightly as she held his own. What was the point of them being here if the Circle couldn't protect him from the Schnee? Apart from making sure Blake wouldn't be killed by some gung-ho agent that was. By the Brothers, what mess had they found themselves in?
The metal doors to the elevator squealed open and revealed a large, square elevator within. It was the sort used in mines and whatnot to transport heavy equipment, with a criss-crossed steel floor, metal railings and little else. It wasn't the metal box found in most buildings, and Jaune felt a sense of unease as he stepped onto it and stared at the bleak walls around them. He didn't dare look down, knowing he'd be scared shitless by what would probably look like unending darkness with a concrete bottom that would turn him into a bloody pancake if he fell down.
Yeah...He didn't even need to actually look to make himself more scared than Humpty Dumpy sat on a wall. How was he supposed to become some sort of Agent for this place?
Jaune shook his head, though he flinched when the doors squealed shut, with all of them aboard. They started to descend slowly, and Jaune turned to see how Blake was doing, the experience being new to her. To his surprise, she seemed fine. He swallowed down his fear and self-doubt, putting on a brave face and trying to strengthen his resolve. If Blake, someone who didn't even have the benefit of being on a actual elevator before, could do this without even a lick of fear then so could he for crying out loud!
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Blake had never been more terrified in her entire existence.
Darkness was something she was used to, something relaxing, something comfortable. The squealing noise as they descended deeper into the darkness was not something she was used to, nor was it something she found relaxing, or even remotely comfortable.
She wanted nothing more than to return to her abode with Jaune and live there peacefully and quietly, far away from the troubles of whatever this Circle was and whatever conflict it was having with Vampire Clans or the other different types of supernaturals like her that had been alluded to but unnamed so far. She did not like this, any of this, and if it was not for Jaune she would have bolted already.
She could only hope that one day, she would be as brave as he was.
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The elevator lurched to a halt with a final haunting scream that echoed up into the darkness above them for what seemed like eternity. There was a sudden stillness and quietness that was frighteningly different to the raging noise of the elevator that had preceded the sudden quietness, and it put Jaune on edge. There were hundreds of metres, maybe even miles, underground, and if anything even remotely small went wrong then it could all cascade into a giant cataclysm that could see them all buried under rubble and rock. Jaune stood firm, ready to face whatever was on the other side of the elevator doors with some semblance of a backbone, if only just for Blake's sake.
The doors howled open, and bright light spilled into the darkness, revealing a wide, open area that seemed bright compared to the darkness of the elevator shaft and the dimness of the grey hallways before that. The open area was filled with desks and potted plants, and Jaune gawked at the dozens of different denizens that sat behind those desks, separated from one another by small barriers that cordoned off different clumps of desks from one another. They weren't segregated, and they mingled together in different groups of mixed up beings ranging from short, squat green things that he instinctively felt like calling goblins, to single-eyed, towering giants that could only be cyclops, to centaurs to stout, bushy-bearded dwarves to pointy-eyed, elegant looking elves and tiny fairies with buzzing wings that flitted about frantically, trailing behind golden dust in their wake. One of the fairies flew above a Minotaur, which snorted bullishly before swiping the golden dust off of the bulging dress shirt it wore.
Stairs led down to the bustling area, and at the bottom of them was a large, single desk with four workers behind them, all of them clearly tired but wearing smiles that were clearly put on.
"Busy night." Summer mused, before slapping Jaune's arm lightly to break him from his stupor. "Come on, we better get going before your jaw drops off."
"Minotaur..." Jaune mumbled, feeling a newfound respect for clothing in general as he saw the dress shirt strain to stay together.
"Huh? Oh, I didn't know Asterion was in." Summer said, following Jaune's awed gaze before sighing and shaking her head. "It's a damn shame Grandmaster Ozpin refused that no-shirts petition. Discrimination my ass. More like he knew no one would get any work done."
"I also believe he was respecting the wishes of the Minotaur's in that regard." Ren perked up. "They are quiet against nudity in front of those who aren't there mates."
"Someone should introduce them to the concept of polygamy." Summer grumbled, shaking her head wistfully. "Eh. At least I have Tai. He'd make Adonis jealous. Not our Adonis. The mythical one."
"There's a guy called Adonis here?" Jaune blinked, wondering if there was a race of supernatural models or something.
"Yeah. He's one of those goblins over there." Summer said, nodding at a large group of green-skinned, suit wearing, short beings crowded around a vending machine. "It's an ironic name. His parents hated kids, and the only reason they had any was because Goblins are an endangered species. Since they hated their kids, they gave them really bad names. I'm talking names that would give names like Hope and X Æ A-12 a run for their money. No offense to the guy, but Adonis was born ugly, hence the name."
"Right...Goblins are endangered?" Jaune frowned.
"They reproduce easily, or did." Summer replied, looking uneasy. "During the war they were used as cheap cannon fodder for supernatural leaders, and suffered the brunt of chemical warfare. Said chemical warfare, apart from decimating them, damaged their ability to reproduce like they used to. Modern medicine has rectified that somewhat, but Goblins are counted as an endangered supernatural species. You'll learn more if you become an agent."
Jaune shook his head as he digested the information, casting another look at the group of goblins before realising he had essentially sleep-walked his way to the bottom of the stairs. One of the receptionists and smiled a sad, receptionist smile at them.
"Hello Agent Summer." The receptionist said, casting a curious glance at Jaune and Blake before lighting up with realisation at the sight of Ren and Pyrrha. "Ah, Agents Ren and Nikos. Sign in and head to the Grandmaster's Office, he wishes to speak with you about your mission."
"Go on." Summer said, sensing their reluctance. "I'll show Jaune and his friend around, you two need to debrief."
"I have to go." Ren sighed, turning to Jaune with a look of muted frustration. "I'm sorry I can't help show you around, but I trust Summer can do that in my stead."
"It's alright. I'll see you later." Jaune smiled tiredly, and Ren nodded before turning away. Pyrrha smiled awkwardly at him.
"See you." She said with a wave, half-turning before shaking her head at something and following after Ren.
"Now that I've signed in Agent Ren and Agent Nikos on their behalf." The receptionist said, a hint of annoyance in their tone. "Care to tell me who these two are?"
"Jaune Arc, a potential recruit and someone in need of protection from the Schnee." Summer replied, and the receptionist's eyes lit up with curiosity, her eyes roving up and down Jaune like he was a slab of meat, making him feeling a little uncomfortable. Blake stepped forward, eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "This is Blake, a potential signatory of the Silence Accords and, from what I've heard, one of the Shadows."
"I see." The receptionist said, tapping at her keyboard. "Visitors cards then?"
"They'll do." Summer nodded, and Jaune took one the cards offered to him. It was a muted yellow colour, with a black 'V' on front and a bar code at the back.
"You'll need that to pass through the doors, though you'll need higher clearance for high security areas if, for whatever reason, you might need to go there." The receptionist explained, turning to Summer. "I take it you can handle them?"
"That's what I'm here for." Summer nodded, turning to Jaune with a wide smile. "Follow me. There's a bunch of cool stuff I need to show you."
"Sounds..." Jaune began, only to be cut off by a loud yawn that came out of nowhere. He sagged, rubbing his eyes tiredly before realising just how tired he was. "Sounds good."
"When did you last sleep?" Summer frowned, and Jaune shrugged.
"Sometime last night I think?" He replied, yawning again. "I'll live."
"You might, but you might also forget everything I tell and show you now." Summer said, flicking Jaune's nose gently. "Follow me, I'll take you to my quarters and you can get some rest. Summer Rose doesn't give two tours, she gives one awesome tour, so you're gonna need your beauty sleep mister."
"Not tired." Jaune mumbled, but the only that kept him moving was the dim shock of what he'd seen over the past few hours and Blake's gentle but insistent tugging along. "P-Promise."
"You couldn't even say that without yawning." Summer snorted, turning to Blake. "If he looks like he's about to collapse then carry him please."
Almost immediately dark tentacles wrapped around him, cocooning around him and lifting him into the air. Jaune squawked and tried wriggling out of the hold of Blake's tentacles, but he couldn't break out and felt his face flush with embarrassment as the people in the massive work area stopped working and stared at the no doubt weird sight of him being dragged around by Blake's tentacles.
"Do you have to do this?" Jaune whined weakly.
"Yes." Blake and Summer replied, and Auntie Summer turned to Blake with a wolfish grin.
"Oh I'm going to like you."
A/N: Next update 25/09/2023