Howdy folks, how's it going?

Look, I am going to have to be honest. This chapter is… short. About half of my current average, to be precise. It'd be more generous to call it a transition skit towards the next part of the plot than an actual chapter. And I apologize for this, I tried, but I just wasn't in the right headspace for writing much with all the crap I've been dealing with during the week...

I hope that what little there is here will provide some entertainment all the same, and once again, my apologies.

As always, huge shout out to Chaos Productions for him assistance with my stories.

And as always, I own neither RWBY nor LoL.

Now, enjoy.

/

As he stood before the door of his team's quarters, Jaune could not help but heave a sigh, feeling more exhausted now than he had even immediately after the mess down in Vale, mentally if not physically. And really, could you blame him?

The young man had dedicated much of his life to uncovering the hidden secrets of the world's history, to learn about those ancient stories and myths that had so drawn his attention, even back when he still lived with his family. He remembered when Tukson had first explained to him what it was that the feline faunus did, how it had felt like, for the first time ever, he had actually found his calling. A fond, happy memory, one that not even the painful pangs of a still fresh loss could dim.

But it was only now, in this most recent and short stretch of his life, since his choice to accept the headmaster's invitation, since meeting Ruby, and everything that unfolded after, that it was finally dawning on him, the sheer scope of what he had been seeking all these years, the sheer burden of the knowledge he now carried.

The realization that the ancient world of Runeterra might have been a much more wondrous and magical place than the world he lived in, but far from being any better off than the present, had been a sobering one. And to know get a better grasp on the true scope of things… Well, he could certainly understand why the headmaster believed that these were thing that should be kept secret.

He wished Tukson had been here for it though. The old bastard's reactions would've been priceless…

Needless to say, it had been a very quiet group of students that found itself making its way back towards the dorms, after the doors of the petricite vault were closed behind them. Ruby was quiet by nature, so little change there, but it said something to the blond by that even Arslan's mood was somber, the girl lacking in her usual, confident demeanour. Again, hard to blame her, she had been thrown into all of this in a rather more abrupt manner than he or the other two girls far more connected to this whole situation.

Penny had been the first to break away from the group, walking away with a swift hug to Ruby, citing a need to report to her superiors and prepare for the arrival of the Atlesian delegate. The redhead's cheer was genuine, but Jaune could tell that it was subdued. He couldn't even begin to guess at what was going on in the ancient but still human mind inside her systems…

Arslan had gone next, her own team's room in the further hallway dedicated to the visiting students, although her mood had significantly lifted after extracting from Jaune a promise of some time spent together in the following days. She'd always been one to look on the bright side, he couldn't help but think fondly.

Ruby didn't even say anything as she diverted to the door right next to his, simply giving him a light pat on the shoulder, an attempt at being reassuring, he'd known her long enough to be able to tell.

At any rate, the boy concluded with a weary shake of his head, this was all a lot, and it'd probably be better to at least try to leave concerns about ancient mysteries and world shattering forces for later down the line. With that thought, He finally opened the door and walked in.

A quick glance around made it clear that Ren and Nora weren't there, and Jaune had to suppress a wince at the realization when he noticed his partner sitting at the desk, doing some maintenance on her weapon. Pyrrha turned at his entrance, a flash of concern crossing her face at seeing his weary look.

"Is something wrong, Jaune? Did the headmaster say something?" She asked, her tone clearly worried. Jaune couldn't help but give a tired smile. To this day it still amazed him sometimes just how nice a girl his partner was despite her status.

It made him feel bad that he was gonna have to downplay things.

"Nah, Pyrrha, don't worry, everything's fine. It's just that Ozpin was walking us through some bureaucratic crap we're expected to handle after the mission." He replied with a reassuring gesture. In fairness, something of the sort had been part of the quick discussion after they had returned to the headmaster's office from the vault. "The downside of being the leader is getting saddled with the lion's share of the paperwork."

His poor excuse for a joke did manage to draw a small, hesitant smile from his partner, but it faded quickly as she acknowledged his words with a nod and got back to her maintenance work.

"Where's Ren and Nora, by the way?" Jaune asked curiously, the only thing he could think of to keep some sort of conversation going.

"Nora was craving pancakes, so she dragged Ren off to make her some." The redhead looked up to again to tell him, still with that small and hesitant smile.

"Yeah, that tracks." The boy conceded with fondness towards the dynamic duo that was the other half of their team, and while Pyrrha nodded her agreement, she did not say a word.

Leaving the boy to the uncomfortable mood in the room as he was dragged away from apocalyptic problems and down the closer to home but no less serious team problems. Things had been awkward between him and Pyrrha for a while now, and Jaune thought he might have a decent idea as to why.

If nothing else, the timing of this strain starting and the arrival of Arslan at the academy matched a little too well to be coincidental. Jaune would be the first to admit that, in spite of (or was it perhaps because of…?) an early childhood shared with seven sisters, he was prone to missing certain things in his interactions with girls. For crying out loud, he'd needed Arslan's blatant interest and the position that had landed him in spelled out to him by Tukson. Now that had been an awkward conversation, the schadenfreude loving bastard…

Point was, while he did not mean to presume anything, the idea that Pyrrha might have been interested in him was a realization that had left him rather blindsided. And for the life of him he wasn't sure just how to address the situation. Ren had suggested to just give the girl some time, but…

"Hey, Pyrrha?"

"Yes, Jaune?" She replied, green eyes looking up curiously.

"…You know I am glad you're my friend, right?"

The girl's eyes widened, and for a long moment, she did not reply. Then, she smiled again, her usual, friendly, smile, but even Jaune did not missed the pained edge to it.

"Thank you, Jaune, I am too." She said honestly, but didn't elaborate more, once again returning to her work.

And Jaune once again had to suppress a sigh, feeling like a failure, as a friend and team leader.

/

I feel like it's high time I addressed this JNPR situation that has admittedly fallen a bit to the wayside with all the rest that's been happening in this fic. I'd say the Ball should provide a decent venue for it, no?

Again, hope you enjoyed this meager chapter. By the next one I should hopefully be back to the best of my writing capacity. And if it helps any, next time we're starting things off with a bit of a fight.

But before that, next we have the next update to Beneath a Broken Moon, so look forward to that.

Cya all on the next one, stay safe and take care.