MereC55: Yeah, the Succubus aspect is definitely playing a role there. Hopefully Jaune keeps his wits about him.

Juno Schnee Link: Ozpin is just a MHA fan, what can I say?

Shin'en of the Chaotic Destiny: Strange, it appears for everyone else. Have you tried the mobile app?

"Okay," Jaune said as he sat at a table with the other members of ABRN. "It's time we have a strategy meeting."

"I like strategy meetings."

"Your opinion is noted, Charlie."

And then he froze and slowly glanced to his right, following the gazes of his equally shocked teammates as he did so. There, sitting in what had been the one empty seat, was none other than Charlemagne. He was eating a sandwich and sipping on some chocolate milk.

"Since when could you manifest?"

Charlie chuckled. "Since the start, Jaune. I had given you my full trust right off the bat, so manifesting was never impossible for me. I just didn't have a reason to do so until now."

Jaune's eyebrow rose and he went to say something before Ruby beat him to the punch.

"Can I see your sword?!"

To Jaune's utter horror, Charlie actually obliged and summoned Joyeuse from thin air. He flipped it around and handed it to her hilt first. "Careful, she's delicate."

"Oh my god! The craftsmanship. The color palette. She's so beautiful! If I wasn't dating Crescent Rose, I might-"

Jaune chose to tune Ruby out. When she got like this, there was no stopping her. Instead he decided to address Charlie. "What's the important reason that made you decide to manifest?"

"I think your friend Blake knows," he said as he side eyed the black haired Faunus.

Blake, who had been eating a rice ball, flinched. "Uh, I don't know what you mean?"

Charlie, who was normally a jovial individual from Jaune's experience, deadpanned. "Just because Jaune sleeps doesn't mean I or Atalante do. You've been researching the dust robberies lately. Terrified that they might be White Fang related."

Nora looked up from her pancakes. "It's because Blake is a faunus, yeah?"

Blake nearly choked as she whipped her head toward Nora. "How?!"

Nora pointed to Blake's bow. "Just because I choose not to use my brain doesn't mean I don't have one."

Jaune almost snorted at how dejected Blake looked.

The only one amongst them who actually looked shocked was Ruby, who had put Joyeuse down. "You're a Faunus?"

Blake nodded miserably. "I am."

"What kind?"

Even Jaune had to blink at that. An odd question.

"Cat," Blake mumbled.

Rose petals. That was all Jaune could see before Ruby literally tackled Blake and hugged her tight.

"Kitty!"

From the look on Blake's face, Jaune could surmise this was the first time someone had ever reacted like this. She looked at him, clearly pleading for help.

He simply lifted his coffee to his lips and took a sip. "Suffer."

After Ruby was finally pried from Blake, Jaune stared down at the cat faunus with his arms crossed, looking like a disappointed father while Atalante stood to his side. Charlie had been dismissed. By Atalante. Who said this was a delicate matter.

Oh, the Saber was still manifested, but he was currently flirting with Goodwitch. Well, at least he thought it was flirting. Because Charlie was just being himself and Goodwitch was blushing.

He shuddered at the thought of the Deputy Headmistress getting it on.

He shook his head, he could worry about Charlie's escapades later. "So, Blake. When were you planning on telling us?"

She glanced to the side. "After I did my research and discovered the truth."

"And it didn't occur to you that we could help?"

She pouted. Clearly mad that her attempt at bolting earlier hadn't worked. The moment Ruby was removed from her being, she had run. But she didn't get far. Especially because Nora clotheslined her.

"I just. I don't want to believe that they're behind this."

Jaune sighed. "I think I'm starting to understand."

He took a seat nearby. He really hated being the adult in the room, but with all the memories crammed in his head, he couldn't help it sometimes. "You're a former member of the White Fang, aren't you?"

She hung her head. "Yes."

"If you think that'll change how I view you, you're an idiot."

She looked up at him. "Huh?"

"I don't care who you were before. I care about who you are now. And the Blake before me is a good person."

"I agree!" Ruby piped up, waving a cookie in Blake's direction. "I mean. My sister has a criminal record, my Uncle is a drunken brawler and I'm fairly sure my Aunt is a bandit. So like, no judging here."

Nora, for her part, shrugged. "Meh. Renny and I had to steal a lot to survive. World's a harsh place. You just did what you had to do at the time. Simple as that."

"What they say is correct, young feline," Atalante said. "What you did in the past is to be a learning experience, yes. But it does not define you. From the way you're acting, I surmise that you fear they've gone back on their own ideals, yes?"

"Yeah," Blake said as she stood up. "I know, deep down, that it's them. I just don't want to admit it."

"Well, if you're mad at them, we can go beat them up!" Ruby suggested with a cheeky smile.

Jaune chopped her on the head. "No. Bad Ruby. We don't beat them up right off the bat. We only beat them up if they're doing something bad."

Jaune had been through many things so far. A childhood where he was surrounded by sisters who wanted to consume his soul. A bus ride with a vampiric asshole. A dramatic battle with Grimm. Meeting Legendary heroes. The list goes on.

But none of that prepared him for the monumental stupidity that was Weiss Schnee's entire worldview. She had simmered down a bit after he'd defeated her, but it seemed she still had that whole elitist persona down pat. They had run into Team RWYN while investigating the White Fang and it didn't take long for her and Blake to get into an argument.

Some of the things that came out of Weiss' mouth would have fitted right in with the bullshit that Cardin had spewed the other day.

Still, what came next surprised everyone present. The one who truly snapped first was not Blake, nor was it himself.

It was Ruby. Who stepped between the two and slapped Weiss across the face.

"Since I arrived at Beacon, all you've done is look down on me for being a child! You've been rude to me, my friends and now you're being racist?! Being a Huntress, the meaning it holds to me. You're trampling all over it!"

What Jaune didn't know was that he was witnessing the one part of Ruby that she'd inherited from the Golden Dragon.

His unrelenting desire to protect that which he deemed important.

He watched Weiss stumble back, clearly surprised.

"If all you can do is talk about how amazing you are. How strong and proud you are. And how everyone else is beneath you. Then you're more like the White Fang than Blake is! Blake, she's a good person. Someone I've come to consider a second sister figure. She's kind and loyal. And all she wants is for everyone to get along! But you."

Ruby turned away. "I've never hated anyone. But you come close."

And with that, Jaune watched as the youngest on his team vanished into a burst of rose petals.

"I'll go after her," Yang said, stepping up. "I haven't seen her explode like that in years. Last time was when, ah, nevermind. That's getting off topic."

She stepped up past Weiss, patting her on the back as she did so. "I'd punch ya, but Rubes already did enough damage it seems. Just goes to show ya, Weiss Queen. Roses may be pretty, but they have thorns."

She then turned toward him. "Got a favor to ask of you, Jauney boy."

Jaune raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. He'd been feeling pretty useless during this whole thing. Emotionally charged arguments weren't his forte. "Shoot."

"Take my sister to the Beacon dance that's coming up."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Huh?"

"Not in a romantic way. But in a friendly way."

"I can't."

Yang stared at him. "Why?"

"Ruby hates social gatherings. It'd be better if I took her to a library."

A smile split Yang's face. "I knew you were good for her. Anyways, I gotta go make sure she's not doing something stupid."

He watched as the brawler sprinted down the street, trying to comprehend what that was all about.

But he could worry about that later. Right now he had to figure out how to stop Blake from killing Weiss, given that Weiss seemed entirely out of it right now.

"Alright," he said as he clapped his hands, finally putting on his leader pants. He really should have done that sooner, but the sounds of girls hurling insults at each other had brought him back to his childhood. And if there was one thing he learned back then, it was to never get in between two girls fighting. Especially if you were a guy.

"Now that you two are done fighting. We can focus on the important thing."

"Someone stop that Faunus! He's a stowaway!"

Jaune groaned audibly as he turned around, included Atalante's bow and fired a blunt arrow at the fleeing boy's head, knocking him out instantly. He did not have time for a distraction right now.

"As I was saying," as he turned back to the obvious children he had to babysit. "We need to figure out if the White Fang are really behind it or not. Weiss," he said as he snapped his fingers. "Know of any dust shipments arriving soon?"

She seemed to snap out of her stupor and scowled at him, though it lacked any of its usual heat. "Yes. Tonight, as a matter of fact."

"Well, I guess we have some criminals to round up. Just let me make a call real quick."

He left their company and stepped behind a nearby building where he dialed Ozpin's number.

"Hey, Professor."

"Evening, Jaune. Enjoying your time busting crime?"

"Somehow I knew you were aware of what we were doing."

"Oh, my boy. I'm aware of everything that goes on Vale."

"That's not utterly frightening at all. Anyways, just making sure we have the green light."

Ozpin waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Jaune. You're part of my Inner Circle now. You've practically got the clearance of a Professional Huntsman. What you choose to do on your off-time is none of my concern. So long as you don't break the law, you're fully free to organize your friends. After all, with your credentials, it basically counts as a field trip."

Jaune stared at Ozpin. "You just don't want to deal with the paperwork."

Ozpin smirked and took a sip of his . . . whatever it was. Jaune was pretty sure the contents of that mug changed all the time. "Oh, you know me too well. Now you'd best get going. Lest your friends do something stupid without you."

The knight in training could only groan. "When did I become the responsible one?"

"The moment you decided to become the wielder of magical cards."

"That was a rhetorical question."

"And I gave you a rhetorical answer."

"Fuck you."

"Blake. You're a former member of the White Fang and this is the best idea you came up with?" an incredulous Jaune asked his partner as they mingled with the rally in full disguise, the huntsman having installed Atalante to better fit in.

"They say the best place to hide is in plain sight," she said.

He stared into the side of her head until he could see her fidget. "You weren't allowed to make the plans back when you were with them, were you?"

"I was espionage," she almost whined. "I'm good at this, I swear!"

"The 'sneak around' kind of espionage or the 'now that the enemies have all been defeated, I cannot be seen', kind of espionage?"

He couldn't see her eyes under her mask, but he was one hundred percent sure it was the latter when she started whistling.

He decided to focus more on the current leader, some massive fellow who was making a long winded speech about how Faunus kind were discriminated against and that the humans must pay. He could almost hear Atalante roll her eyes. As for Charlie, well, he was currently materialized. He was on standby about a mile away in case he was needed. He was apparently talking to his new friend. Someone named Penny, who had been introduced to him by Ruby.

His thoughts about Charlie's whereabouts were derailed when they walked out of the small building they were having the meeting in and a new figure made himself known. Stepping off a bullhead was none other than the infamous criminal, Roman Torchwick.

"Glad to see you all could make it," the man said with a charming smile that could only remind both Jaune and Atalante of Jason. So that instantly made them dislike him.

He could feel Blake basically deflate near him. Her fears had been proven true.

The White Fang were behind this.

And they were working with a human criminal.

"Hey now," Roman's voice cut through the crowd. "Are you all blind? Because I'm starting to think so."

Jaune's blood ran cold when Roman pointed his cane directly at them.

"Because we clearly have two rats here who don't belong. Don't be so surprised. I memorize the appearances and names of everyone I work with. That way if they die, I can notify their next of kin."

Jaune, behind his mask, wore a face full of disbelief. But it must have been obvious enough that Roman felt the need to elaborate.

Roman rolled his eyes. "I'm a thief. A thief needs connections. If I go around disrespecting everyone, where would that leave me? Nowhere."

And then the cane fired and it all went to hell.

The first thing Jaune realized was that Roman was no slouch when it came to combat. This man was trained. Even installed as Atalante, Roman was somehow able to keep up. In fact, he was more than keeping up, he was fighting evenly with him.

But something didn't add up here. Didn't Ruby get the drop on him before the school year started? If he was this strong, then he should have wiped the floor with her.

"You, you let Ruby win, didn't you?"

Roman parried one of his arrows casually and smirked. "Ruby? Oooh, you must mean Red. Yeah. At the time, she was just some brat trying to play the hero. Had her whole life ahead of her. Wouldn't sit right with me if I took that away from her."

Jaune kicked the man a few times, each one of them parried or dodged. "I don't get it. Why is a man like you a thief?"

Roman chuckled and jumped backward to gain some space. "Riddle me this, my Faunus friend. What else would I be? A Huntsman? Too noble. I'm not a hero. And I ain't as tasteless as a serial killer either. But I still crave adventure as much as you. Therefore, the ideal occupation would be thief!"

Jaune avoided another explosive round and did a backflip, firing several arrows the thief's way in retaliation.

Roman rolled to the side and grinned. "It's clear that neither of us are truly taking this seriously."

Jaune had to admit that Roman was right. He was trying to get a read on the thief's character and wasn't going all out. "Yeah, that's true. Besides, your posse is being dealt with as we speak."

Roman glanced around and seemed to notice the fact that the rest of Jaune's team had arrived. "Ah. Well, that's a damn shame. The bull isn't going to be happy about that one."

Jaune knocked an arrow and pointed his bow at him. "You don't seem concerned for their safety."

"I said I memorize their faces for pragmatic reasons, not that I care about them. There's only one underling I actually give a damn about."

"And why would you give such information to an enemy?"

"Because, my Faunus Friend."

Roman smirked.

"A good man like you would never think to hurt her."

And with that, Roman shattered like glass, no trace of him remaining.

Jaune snorted. "Oh, I'd definitely hurt her. But only in a fair fight. I'd never use her to get to you."

That wasn't the hero's way. That wasn't Atalante or Charlie's way. And it definitely wasn't his way.

He wanted to say the fight was over when Roman retreated. But it wasn't. The thief had neglected to mention the fact that he'd called for reinforcements. Likely as one final 'fuck you' to them. Ten bullheads were incoming. And while all of Team ABRN and RWYN were here, they had just fought a lot of White Fang members. Their aura wasn't at its peak.

Which meant it was up to Jaune.

Or at least, it would have been. If their secret weapon hadn't arrived.

"TALLY-HO!"

And there, in the sky, was a streak of orange and blue. It was Charlemagne, Joyeuse held aloft in his right hand, his other grasping onto Penny Polendina who was flying through the sky at high speeds. And then at the last moment, Penny stopped and allowed Charlie to let go, the King of the Franks hurtling toward the Bullheads.

"Go get them, new friend!" Penny called.

Charlie laughed triumphantly as his body was illuminated in the bright light of Mana Burst. He grasped his blade with both hands and swung it in a wild arc.

At first, silence, and then a massive explosion as all the incoming Bullheads were completely and utterly eradicated with a single swing.

Jaune watched as Charlie then began to fall, only to be caught by Penny. And in a princess carry of all things.

The clearly robot girl landed on the docks, a smile on her face as she placed the heroic Saber down on the ground beside her.

"Charlie, what the fuck?" was all Jaune could respond with.

And then Ruby zoomed up to them. "Ohmigosh, that was so cool! You two were like comic book heroes!"

"I take it back," Blake said as she walked up beside him. "You're not a hacker. Charlie is."

"I agree," Weiss said, the two actually having agreed on something for once.

"I want to fight him" came the voices of Pyrrha, Yang and Nora at the same time. Then they all glared at eachother and started playing Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Ren looked like he was going to chide Nora, but then decided to join in the competition, voicing his own desire to fight Charlie.

Jaune rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face. He loved his family of dorks so much.