Hey everyone! Sorry for the late post. The site has been acting funny while the staff figure out some problems. This chapter involves two short time skips. Because watching a training montage, and reading one are very different experiences. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave reviews, I love reading them!
…..
The week that had gone by since Qrow arrived was one of bruises, welts, cuts, and split eyebrows to mirror his blue and puffed bottom lip. His new-found mentor was a brutal teacher with strategies that, while educational for sure, were painful at best. And downright exhausting at their worst. Jaune thought over his forms carefully as he sidestepped a baseball thrown at his head. Qrow and Tai were on opposite sides of him, each with a basket of assorted projectiles.
Today's training was designed to teach him how to anticipate incoming projectiles and attacks. Most early students were simply put into a corridor with wooden plank targets that were released at random times to swing towards them while suspended by cords or ropes. But with no such facility they had to make do with what they had. In this case, what they had were two middle aged men with great throwing arms and two laundry baskets full of sports equipment and other weighty objects.
Jaune's left arm vibrated hard, sending a jolt up to his shoulder as he intercepted a cricket-bat that Tai hurled low at the back of his knees with his shield. Jaune barely had time to raise his shield to block the second item thrown at him by Tai. Knowing his back was open, Jaune dived to the side, landing roughly and rolling onto his knees. Not a second later and the tennis ball Qrow threw would have hit him square in the back of his head. He moved to a crouch, blocking a projectile from Qrow with his shield while barely managing to swing his sword up to deflect a stick thrown by Tai.
The training went on like this for several bouts of ten or so minutes each. Allowing him to catch his breath in between them. Tai called it after Qrow took Jaune's legs out from under him with a well timed throw of a discus. Jaune breathed in and out with a fervor as he lay on the grass, staring at the blue sky. His throat scratched as he did so, reminding him to drink water. Sitting up, Jaune accepted the water bottle offered to him by Tai.
"You're getting better. Slowly, sure. But I can see it. Your footwork is improving and your awareness too. Couple more days like today and we can try some acrobatics." Tai said, helping Jaune to his feet.
"You guys are monsters!" Jaune chuckled as he dusted himself off. "But I wanna know when we get to unlocking my Aura." Jaune said, taking a healthy gulp from the water bottle.
"When you learn to defend without mistakes." Qrow stated, sauntering over with flask in hand.
"But Tai says mistakes in fights are inevitable." Jaune said, cocking his head slightly.
"They are. But we need to know that if a Grimm or dangerous criminal attacked you out of the blue, that you would be ready immediately. Relying on your Aura to block the first blow is a slippery slope that can lead to an early retirement. Or grave." Tai explained.
"Plus, when we start wailing on you with your Aura up, I want to be sure you can take the pain." Qrow added, smirking. "But so far you are doing fine with that."
"I'm so sore I could die by sitting wrong." Jaune groaned, placing his hands on his lower back and bending backwards to stretch his spine.
"It will fade. Right now, with the weight training, drills, and muscle memory exercises, your body is having trouble adjusting. It will, soon enough. The diet you're on is made for helping that. And building muscle. Not to mention help your brain with studying." Tai explained.
"Speaking of." Qrow cut in. "You are in an active shooter situation in a crowded area. There is a woman at your feet with a GSW to her upper leg, and the attacker is in the open. He is firing on your position, aiming at the civilians. What do the regulations say you should do first?"
Jaune had to fight down the urge to answer as fast as possible. This wasn't high school, and he had to get this right. After a second or two of searching his memory, Jaune came to the answer and spoke confidently.
"I would first and foremost attempt to either take the attacker out or lay down some kind of suppressive fire. Then I would direct the civilians to flee to safety. When they were out of harm's way I would apply a tourniquet above the woman's wound and carry her to safety. Afterwards I would call for backup and push back in to get eyes on the attacker." Jaune listed out, carefully making sure to follow what he had learned.
"Good. But always remember, when retreat isn't an option, you need to advance on the perp and distract or neutralize them. Every second you waste is time for him to harm more people." Qrow lectured.
"What about the woman? What if she bleeds out while I fight the shooter?" Jaune asks.
"It's part of the job. It isn't pleasant. But sometimes you have to choose between one life and several. In leaving her to take on the shooter, you could possibly save ten or more lives that he would have otherwise taken if you hadn't. In extreme cases like that you need to make sure they didn't die in vain." Qrow explained, his voice steady and strong.
Jaune could tell from his voice that Qrow has had to make similar choices before. And from the look on Tai's face, so had the other man.
"Is it often that you can't save everyone?" Jaune asked, burdened with the implication.
"Sometimes you just can't save everyone. All you can do is your best, every single time you are called to action. You might lose people out there… we all have." Tai said, gesturing to Qrow and himself. "But for every one I have lost I've saved a dozen. It's just reality."
"Being a Huntsman means you have to be strong enough to bear these kinds of things. Other people can't or won't. So it will be up to you. But you can't ever know how you will take it till it happens. So don't start dreading it yet. Just focus on becoming ready for what's ahead." Qrow said.
"Now let's talk about what Quickfoot sent for you today." Tai said, pointing to the package sitting on the front porch.
"She always was time-efficient." Qrow stated mockingly.
The three of them moved towards the house and sat on the steps while Jaune tore open the cardboard package and pulled the contents out.
It was a plastic bag, with three things inside it. The first was a plastic card with numbers on it, and his full name. Along with a picture portrait of him printed towards the top right corner. The bold lettering across the bottom edge read: Official Valean Press Pass.
"So that's what they went with huh?" Qrow said with raised eyebrows.
"I don't get it." Jaune said quizzically.
"It's your cover. Until you get your Huntsman license. That I.D can get you into pretty much any place that is overseen by the government. As long as you don't need secret clearance. Crime scenes, meetings, official court cases, prisons and jails, you name it. This will be your cover excuse for what you do while you train up. I'm guessing Dagger will have tasks for us that this might come in handy for." Qrow explained.
"That way you won't be required to wait outside while Qrow does his thing. Huntsmen Apprentices aren't considered qualified for active work, seeing as they don't have formal training records or education. But a Federal Press worker is allowed in to document and record. Same way Atlas has combat photographers and recorders for their military. So just flash this when Qrow flashes his license and you'll be good to go." Tai explained further.
Jaune hummed to signal his understanding. Then set the I.D aside to examine the remaining two items. One was a pistol. Or, after a second glance, a Taser. Not one of the handheld stun-guns that required direct skin contact, but a full on police-grade Taser. The kind that shoots barbs out several feet attached to cables. The slot in the back was a clear slide panel about the size of his thumb. Opening it, Jaune could see two small lightning Dust crystals that no doubt powered the cables through their bases. Along with the Taser came a holster with a strap loop. The kind that police detectives wore to keep their service pistols holstered under their arm beneath their jackets. Several extra charges were in a velcro pouch wrapped up by the holster straps. The last item was three pages of documentation stating that Jaune was registered to use the Taser in self defense while carrying out his documentation-work in the name of the Kingdom of Vale.
"Looks like Quickfoot pulled some strings to get you set up with permission to come with me anywhere I go. It's a good thing too. Field experience is the best education you could ask for. Looks like when you're ready to be registered as my Apprentice, you won't have to stay here when I'm on tasks for Oz." Qrow said, nodding to himself.
"So… Am I a spy?" Jaune asked, a hint of glee in his tone.
He had always watched spy flicks, and read plenty of comics about them growing up. False identifications, tools of the trade to keep their cover, and secret missions sent by code-named operatives were all staples of the genre. And he now had all of them. Not to mention a badass partner/mentor and a classy set of clothing.
Both of his mentors sighed loudly and Tai pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I can't believe I'm saying this… But kinda, yeah." Tai said, eyes closed.
"More like I'm the spy, and you are the tag-along sidekick." Qrow said, chuckling at Tai's tortured expression. "I'm sure you have put it together by now, but I'm not just a contact in Ozpin's scroll. I work with him for the betterment of Remnant. Most times having to do that from the quote on quote 'shadows'. So it's only appropriate that my apprentice be able to do that with me."
"This is the best day of my life." Jaune said quickly.
"Remind me to burn every spy movie I see from now on, will ya Zwei?" Tai asked the corgi as it padded up to him from its previous spot in the shade of a nearby tree.
The single bark Zwei let out before twirling in a quick circle told Jaune nothing. But Tai smiled and patted the dog's head as if he had promised to follow Tai's instructions in perfect english.
"Good boy." Tai replied.
"Alright, back to it. Jaune, do an hour of dummy work. Then three laps around the clearing before dinner. Make sure to drink plenty of water so you aren't too exhausted to study more tonight." Qrow ordered, stepping up to enter the house. "I'm going to go make margaritas."
"Stop using my blender for your alcoholism!" Tai yelled, rushing after him.
"It's my drink mixer, I already licked it!" Qrow's muffled screech sounded out from inside.
"Stop licking all my stuff!" Tai's equally loud voice sounded back.
Jaune laughed to himself, listening to the ensuing argument unfold between his mentors. He had come to learn they were on a team in Beacon together, along with Qrow's sister and Tai's late wife Summer. Sometimes they really did sound like bickering siblings. But they were clearly very close. And he had witnessed a lot of silent distress from Tai towards Qrow when Tai didn't see him looking. Tai clearly worried about Qrow a lot. Maybe it was the drink, or the dangerous life he led. Rarely taking breaks. But Jaune knew when not to push a topic. It wasn't his business either.
His feet carried him to the dummy and Jaune withdrew his knife from its sheath on his right thigh. Drawing his sword from its sheath on his left hip with his left hand, he flipped it upwards to a forward grip before widening his stance. Yesterday he had worked on knife only forms. Today he would work on dual wielding his blades. Qrow advised him to experiment with which hand he held each in. So Jaune had figured out he had an easier time using the sword in his left to defend against imaginary attacks and counters, while his right hand struck with accurate stabs and slashes using the knife.
He already had started to notice his timing, strength control, and speed were getting better. His feet moved more fluidly from movement to movement, if a little rigid still. But the best progress he has made in the last week was with his shield. He could whip it around to defend himself from attacks quickly now. He also had learned how to use it as an offensive tool. On his own, without Qrow or Tai's help he had also figured out how to dive-roll over it when dodging so that it came up in a ready position when he hit his knees or feet again. That was after many attempts of dodging where his shield arm was drug downwards by the ground, leaving it too low to defend against a follow up attack.
The hour of swinging, shifting, and kicking the dummy went by in silence. The trees were quiet of wilderness noise. So the thwacks of metal on wood and fabric rung out through the clearing. Eventually the light on the horizon began to die out, leaving the sky a beautiful blood orange. Jaune sheathed his weapons, removing them by the straps and belt before heading inside. His mind raced with opportunities he imagined having while on future missions with Qrow. He didn't have a clue on why Ozpin needed spies, connections, and operatives. But he also knew that if they wanted him to know they would have told him. So until that day, he was fine with being mostly in the dark. After all, he was simply paying Ozpin back for pulling strings to have him trained. No need to look too hard into it all when it all meant he could have a shot at his dream.
Dinner sounded too good at the moment. Stopping in his tracks, he remembered what Qrow had told him to do. So Jaune began his three laps around the clearing, mind racing still with all the possibilities.
Unbeknownst to him, a pair of red eyes watched him from the treeline. The flutter of feathered wings nearly silent as a raven landed on a branch to observe the boy during his run.
'Interesting…' A mind spoke to itself. 'Very interesting…'
…..
Yang's smile was hurting her face. The first three weeks at Beacon were definitely a wild ride so far. But her team and her were adjusting well. Or at least she thought so. Weiss and Ruby had a rough patch in the beginning over some childish squabbling, but evidently the teaching staff had words of wisdom to correct them both. Yang on the other hand had been dealing with close calls. Several times already she had gotten by without detentions by the skin of her teeth. Her 'bombastic' approach to learning, as Professor Goodwitch called it, got her in some spats of trouble.
But what was she to do huh? The first few times she nearly ended up staying after class were over someone else being a colossal prick. Mainly that Cardin guy. Yang didn't hate people easily, and she didn't want to punch in every tooth in their heads often either. But that racist ass-hat really grinds her gears. His open bigotry in Dr. Oobleck's History classes had her nearly throwing her chair at his head. Not to mention the stupid drama she had found herself in with the Nikos chick. That redhead was passive aggressive at best right now. What with her partner being transferred after harassing her constantly.
The guy seemed nice and normal, she guesses. But evidently, at least according to Nora, he had constantly been trying to get Pyrrha to set him up with sponsored clothing, equipment, and connections. To the point the poor girl had gone to Headmaster Ozpin about it. Evidently the dude threw a big fuss and was transferred to Shade academy. Yang wondered how it would be for them now that they were a three person team. But Ren had told her over breakfast that Ozpin had arranged for a student to be transferred in from Haven Academy to take up their extra slot. Someone that wouldn't treat Pyrrha like a status idol this time around.
The drama started when Yang had been talking about how cool it was that Pyrrha had the Headmaster behind her like that. But she thinks Pyrrha took it the wrong way and thought Yang meant she had been getting special treatment. Which was not what she meant. But the girl just didn't want to entertain any attempt that Yang made to apologize and clear up the issue. But Yang was cool with letting it happen organically. Forcing anything like that would just lead to more b.s.
Ruby and her had texted their dad updates. Told him how the initiation had gone, along with what their team was like. Ruby had asked their dad how his new situation was too. He had responded with cagey, short answers. But they guessed he wasn't super comfortable having a stranger in his house quite yet. A couple pictures had been sent back and forth. One of her and Ruby posing in front of the statue in Beacon's central courtyard had been first. The last picture sent their way was of Tai, Qrow, and Jaune eating dinner. Qrow had flipped off the camera, while Jaune was mid-slurp of noodles. Tai's face could be seen at the bottom of the frame, smiling wide and sideways as he craned his neck to be in the photo.
Ruby and her had giggled to themselves at their Father and Uncle's antics. Sat on the edge of Yang's bunk bed.
"I didn't know you two had a brother?" Blake said walking past and glancing at the scroll.
"Huh? Oh you mean Jaune! Pfft no he isn't our brother. He's just a kid our Dad is training… I think?" Ruby said.
"You think? What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked from the desk at the front.
"Well he kinda just showed up the night before we went off to Beacon. Flown in all incognito and not knowing what he was doing." Yang answered as she texted a 'talk later' message to her dad.
"So your Dad is just training some kid that showed up on your doorstep? Generous of him." Blake said, opening a book.
"Well…" Ruby drew the word out in one long high pitched syllable.
Yang saw and felt two pairs of eyes land on them with curiosity. Say whatever you like, but they were four teenagers in a locked room. Gossip was bound to be thrown around. And it provided a needed break from school work.
"Jaune must not have any training. Like at all. He didn't look or act like someone who had been to a school. Or even been in a fight. Dad didn't even know he was coming. But as soon as the helicopter landed, he talked with the pilot…" Yang began her explanation.
"A helicopter? Like a real one?" Weiss asked, confused.
"Yeah! It was so cool! It had old school steel armor and everything!" Ruby said in the same excited tone she used when talking about weapons.
"Yeah yeah, anyway… Dad talked to the pilot and agreed to take Jaune in. I don't know why but Dad wouldn't exactly tell. Something about an old friend calling in favors. Evidently our Uncle is a part of it now too. I think our Dad is sending photos of them both to let us know he isn't lonely." Yang finished, stowing her scroll and hopping to her feet on the floor.
"That's… Unique." Blake said after a pause.
"You think so?" Ruby asked.
"She has a point. The whole situation is a little… Outside the norm." Weiss said. "Is there anything about this Jaune that stood out?"
"Not really. He said his dad is a lawyer and ex-Huntsman. And that his mom is a current Huntress. Evidently our parents all knew each other when they were our age. Other than that he was kinda… normal?" Ruby added in.
"Huh. Well other than it being weird I think it's nice your father is training a stray. I can see where you two got your trusting nature." Weiss said, going back to her studying.
"Maybe Jaune's family asked your dad to help. He isn't working full time, like you said, so maybe they thought he would be a better option than them." Blake theorized. Always the pragmatist.
"Yeah, probably." Yang replied, grabbing a towel and making for the shower.
She wasn't going to slip up on things. She could see from her short interactions with Jaune that there was more to all this. And her dad being so cagey about Jaune's situation and the boy's parents didn't bode well either. But she knew when not to bite into a cake. And this whole situation just reeked of secrets and twists. All of it wasn't her business either. She was going to follow her dad's advice and just focus on Beacon and that was that.
But… A part of her really liked getting to the bottom of things. And she knew just who would crack if she pushed him enough…
…..
Jaune's head perked up when he heard a scroll notification go off. Qrow had retrieved his device from his pocket and glanced down at it. Then after a second of reading, the older man rolled his eyes and texted something back before sliding his Scroll back into the confines of his slacks.
"Well… Am I ready or…?" Jaune asked.
The seconds passed while he waited for the verdict from Qrow and Tai. The last three weeks since he got here were brutal and full of struggle. But he had passed the first little assessment that they had come up with today to test how well he had learned and how far he'd come. It involved being attacked randomly with wooden sticks periodically throughout the day. And also two written tests they had for him to complete after breakfast and lunch respectively.
He had only missed three problems out of one hundred. And had only let one single attack hit him before he could get his defense up or dodge out of the way. Then, around evening a mail-courier came by. With a package that needed two signatures from both Tai and Jaune before he handed it over. Jaune had been bouncing with excitement as his Warp-Gear rifle came out of the box. With four magazines that were each wirelessly pairable with his rifle. It had been painted in white. With gold colored trimming and accents. To match his sword and shield. Even the rear-grip was wrapped in blue leather. Which was much more comfortable in his hand than the textured rubber had been. Overall, he felt that his combat skills were passable for basic defense, as were his knowledge of first aid, Huntsmen regulations, and criminal law.
He was nowhere near what the kids in Beacon knew and practiced yet. But three weeks of straight training, from breakfast to dinner. With three hours of studying a night, had him used to absorbing information and ready for physical activity at any given moment. And from what Qrow had said about Aura, his soreness would go away every morning after exercise, so he would get much stronger and faster on average than a standard person who was getting in shape. He would tire slower, and his strength would multiply. So as his question lingered in the air, he sat hopeful.
"Ok. I'll take him tonight." Qrow said to Tai after pondering it all.
"Make sure they give him the notification clause. We can't have everyone knowing he is up on the net yet." Tai said, nodding to Jaune.
Resisting the urge to leap to his feet and pump his arms in the air, Jaune spoke eagerly.
"I'm ready!" Jaune exclaimed. More out of surprise than anything.
"Yeah kid. We are gonna go to the Huntsman Registration Office in downtown Vale. Once you fill out the paperwork, I'll unlock your Aura in front of a Police officer and City worker. Then they will print your Apprenticeship badge and put you in the system under my name." Qrow explained pulling out his scroll once again.
"Once you get back we will start Aura control exercises and light sparring. Within a couple days you should have a grip on how to handle channeling it to each limb. Finer control comes with time. But your training should start getting you more results after. Firearms training will be on the weekends. Then we work on battle strategy and how to apply everything we've taught you so far. After that I can only guess you'll start to go with Qrow on his missions." Tai listed out as he crossed his arms.
"We can burn that bridge when we get to it. For now, go get cleaned up and dressed in your Huntsman outfit. We leave in twenty minutes." Qrow ordered, taking a sip from his flask.
"On it!" Jaune chirped as he jogged to the house.
He took a quick shower upstairs before entering his temporary room. Tai had said it used to be the girl's room. But with Qrow taking up the pull-out bed in the living room, he had been moved up here. He took out a set of his nicer clothes from the closet and dresser before throwing on his socks. His black slacks came next, followed by his blue dress shirt which he tucked into the pants. Rolling the sleeves up to just under his elbows, Jaune smoothed it all down and put his belt on, with a full set of knife cartridges filling the loops on it. He threw his suit vest over his shirt and buttoned it closed. Then he strapped his knife in its sheath to his right thigh before throwing his triangle shaped combat bag around his shoulders, tightening the straps around his chest till it hugged his back closely. The Taser and its housing came next, being looped into the straps of his bag, hanging loosely in its holster underneath his left arm against his ribs.
With gusto, he pulled his black leather shoes on his feet and grabbed Crocea Mors from Yang's old bed. He held it to his left hip till the magnet secured itself to its twin woven into his belt. Taking a look in the mirror on the hutch, he liked what he saw. His professional look was a far cry from what he looked like three weeks ago. Not to mention the lightweight clothing felt both comfortable and flexible. His eyes settled on his hair. The long locks hanging down in front of his eyebrows and eyes. He supposed after almost a month without his sisters cutting his hair, it had gotten a little long. He would have to fix that later, even if he really wanted to grow it out and into a warrior's foxtail.
Qrow and Tai had explained that every extra inch of hair was just something for Grimm and criminals to grab ahold of. Jaune didn't like the idea of that so he agreed to keep it short. Unlike Yang, who he heard would fight to the ends of Remnant to prevent hers from being cut shorter than middle back length. But Jaune had an idea. Moving into the bathroom with only a couple minutes to spare, he rifled through the cabinets till he found what he was after. A can of hairspray, left over from Yang's long one hand he held his hair back as he had seen his sister do, before starting to spray and comb it to shape. After a couple good passes with the can, and several small adjustments made with the comb, he took his hands away and let the spray dry.
Staring at him from the bathroom mirror was a more professional looking Jaune, with hair that was slicked back in what could be considered a loose wind-swept fashion. It would have to be good enough. He set the can down and made for the stairs. As he came into the living room and exited out from the front door, he grabbed his Press Pass and Taser registration from the counter, folding the paper up neatly and putting it into the inner pocket of his vest.
Qrow and Tai were waiting around the porch when he exited.
"Alright. Let's get going…" Qrow said, turning to see him. "Nice hair."
"Pfft. Looks like you guys could be in a boy band!" Tai laughed, pointing to Jaune and Qrow's similar hair styles.
"Eh. Whatever keeps the hair from your eyes I guess. Ready to go?" Qrow asked Jaune as he put his flask into his pocket.
"More than ready." Jaune replied with a smile.
"Then let's go. Bullhead leaves in forty." Qrow said walking towards the trail leading to Patch proper.
"See you when you get back. Don't let each other get up to anything insane while you're gone." Tai said after them as he walked back up towards the house.
Jaune just gave a thumbs up and followed Qrow. Tonight he would be officially recognised as a Huntsman in training. He felt excited and proud. He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't deserve it. Qrow and Tai had both made that very clear up to this point. His hard work was starting to pay off.
With luck they could be back on Patch by midnight!
…..
Much to his dismay, they were not going to be back by midnight. The paperwork Jaune had been filling out in the sterile environment of the Huntsman Registration Office had taken hours. He had to provide information from parts of his life he didn't even remember anymore. First was a drug screening and psychological evaluation, followed by several different interviews by police, Huntsmen, and City workers. After all that was done and over with, he took a physical exam with a nurse that left him embarrassed. Finally ending with him signing several agreements and a contract. Then they had both him and Qrow wait in a room with a metal table, four chairs, and no windows. Evidently a Huntsman or Huntress of Senior or Master rank had to be called up and asked to come down to bear witness to Jaune's Aura unlocking.
It was suddenly very clear to Jaune that the Kingdoms took documentation and registration of Huntsmen and Huntsmen in training very seriously. Qrow had explained to him why during the breaks between tasks. Jaune learned that many people across Remnant had filed reports of misconduct by previous Huntsmen and Huntresses over the last few decades. Many of them turned out to be criminals with training that posed as Huntsmen in order to further their own means. So the Kingdoms all banded together to establish international law that requires in depth evaluation and documentation of their most highly trained warriors.
Almost an hour went by in silence within that room before latches moved and the door opened. Striding in were two individuals. Neither of which Jaune recognized.
"Qrow Branwen, Senior Huntsman. And Jaune Arc, Apprentice Applicant." A tall man in a striped business suit listed off from a clipboard he held.
"Present and accounted for." Qrow said dryly.
"Yes Sir." Jaune replied respectfully.
"Alright, well I have good news. All your documentation and evaluations came back squeaky clean. Meaning we can move forward. I'm sure you are familiar with Deputy Headmistress of Beacon Glynda Goodwitch, are you not Mr. Branwen?" Suit-man asked his mentor.
"Almost religiously." Qrow said with a smirk.
"I wonder if that wall breaks easy when grown men are launched at it?" Glynda snapped, glaring daggers at Qrow.
"I'm just playin' around Headmistress. You used to be fun." Qrow said, putting his palms up sarcastically.
"I came down here in the middle of the night for this. Show some professional courtesy would you?" Glynda scoffed angrily before taking her seat across the table.
"I will admit, when Silverton called me and woke me from my sleep, I did not expect to hear your name again so soon Mr. Arc." Glynda said, taking the folder from Mr. Silverton as he sat down besides her.
"Oh. Y-yes ma'am." Jaune responded, not knowing what to say.
"It wasn't a month ago that you applied for Beacon. We denied your transcripts on account of…" Glynda started, before giving a sideways glance to Silverton. "Experience."
So she knew as well. Or at least had been told by Ozpin to play along and not make his false transcripts public knowledge.
"Yes ma'am. I realized that I needed another option." Jaune said, having rehearsed similar lines in his head while waiting.
"I can see you found one. No accounting for taste." Glynda said, sending another glare Qrow's way.
"Oh if we were kids again I'm sure you'd eat those words. Afterall I remember when we used to drink under the…" Qrow fired back before she cut him off with a loud cough.
"Regardless. It seems you are suitable for Apprenticeship. I give you approval for registration." Mr. Silverton added in to cut the tension. His hand withdrew a stamp from his pocket and his other hand removed the plastic covering over its base.
Jaune watched as the man fumbled the stamp suddenly and the tool fell to the ground.
"Oh" Mr. Silverton exclaimed, bending down to grab it.
"Unfortunate." Glynda stated, a flicker of pity flashing across her features as she glared at Qrow.
Jaune doesn't know what he just saw. And wasn't sure he wanted to. Mr. Silverton returned to an upright position with stamp in hand and slammed it down on the top page on the clipboard before repeating the process with the several sheets underneath.
"With that done, Glynda will now bear witness to the unlocking of Jaune Arc's Aura. Followed by her signing off on his notification clause. Be thankful Mr. Arc. Not every Applicant is eligible for that privilege." Mr. Silverton stated.
"Sorry, notification clause?" Jaune asked.
"Some Apprentices have complicated pasts. Involving people who would very much like to know where they are. Maybe it is a criminal, or religious cult. Or abusive guardians. Whatever it is, the Registration Office makes it to where those individuals cannot look the applicant up on official networks until they are given their Junior Huntsman License after passing the HQE. Your information and certification as an Apprentice will still be in the system and you will be officially recognized by federal systems or law enforcement. But the public, and other Huntsmen and Huntresses will only be privy to that if you deem it appropriate to tell them. We will not allow anyone to be notified of your participation if you do not see fit. Hence the name." Glynda explained.
"Oh. Ok I-i get it now. Thank you Professor." Jaune said, nodding solemnly.
"You may begin Qrow." Mr. Silverton said.
"Alright kid, stand up." Qrow said, joining Jaune on his feet.
Jaune stood and faced his mentor. Pride and hope filling him. Qrow placed his hands on Jaune's shoulders and began to speak in a low voice unbefitting the confident man Jaune had come to know.
"For it is in suffering that we achieve enlightenment. Through this we become a wall to protect the memory of those we've lost. Infinitely distant but never far away, I release your soul, and stand at your side against the darkness."
Qrow's words rang out through Jaune's mind like a church bell. Something in his chest swirling before his vision went white. After a second, Jaune's vision returned to normal and he saw Qrow breathing heavily for a second. Glancing down, he saw his own body wreathed in a fading gray glow mixed with specks of red. As it faded to nothing, Jaune heard a chair scrape.
"It seems you are particularly gifted with large Aura reserves Mr. Arc. Congratulations on your Apprenticeship." Glynda spoke, her eyes set in an almost… pained expression.
Jaune felt it had more to deal with Qrow than him, but he smiled back and let his heart speak for once.
"I am very glad you were here and signed off on everything Professor. I can't thank you enough." the words felt good leaving Jaune's lips.
"Every new Huntsman or Woman that joins up is another bastion against the Grimm. It is my privilege to help my students, and any Apprentice in need, towards that position. I've signed your papers Mr. Arc. Good luck." Glynda responded before casting one last stare at Qrow. Her eyes spoke of equal parts frustration and worry.
As the two officials left the room, Qrow spoke once more.
"Welcome to the gang, kid. Congrats." Qrow said, his voice stiff and calculative.
"Thank you! I can't believe it! We are really doing this!" Jaune said, wringing his hands with latent energy.
"Yep." Qrow said, gliding a hand through his hair. "Glynda took it well enough."
"Old flame of yours? The Deputy Headmistress of Beacon?" Jaune said, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Nope. I just like pushing her buttons. Plus, there wasn't a girl in Beacon that Tai and I didn't flirt with at some point. Glynda included. Though back then she smiled more, and could out drink grown men." Qrow said, moving for the door.
"Really? She doesn't seem the type." Jaune said joining his mentor.
"Yeah well when you get injured several times, lose people you loved, and resign your fate to teaching others to take your place, you tend to sour up." Qrow guessed.
"I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. She seemed to see you in some kind of light though." Jaune changed the subject.
"Yeah. She pities me. The same way she pities herself. Looks at me as some broken guy with bad habits and baggage. But it's what it is, kid. You'll be hard pressed to find Huntsman or Huntresses over forty that don't look at each other that way sometimes. Doesn't help that our teams were close. Her and my Sister Ray were damn near best friends." Qrow explained as they checked their weapons back out and made for the exit.
"I've been meaning to ask… What happened to Raven? Tai let slip about Summer. But he doesn't mention Raven, like ever." Jaune asked, measuring Qrow's response.
"She got tired, or bored, or something equally pathetic. Ran away from Tai and us, leaving Yang in the process. I haven't seen her in a long time. No one from our circles has. So Tai filled out the divorce and let it sit in court till they saw she failed to respond. Good riddance I guess. Summer made a better mom than she would have. But enough of that. I can't get started or I'll get pissed off." Qrow said, retrieving his flask and taking a swig.
Just as they exited and stood on the sidewalk, their attention was ripped to the road where a van sped by full speed, with back doors opened and swinging. A high volume of gunfire echoed across the street as armed men in the back of the van opened up on two police cruisers that were in hot pursuit. Both cruisers swerved to the side and slammed on their brakes as the hellfire put holes in their hoods and tires. The van took a hard left around the corner at the end of the block. As it turned and made to drive out of view, Jaune and Qrow got a clear look down the center of the van from the rear. Four armed individuals, wearing white robes over black body-suits, with the red symbol of the white fang blazing on their fronts. Masks and firearms in clear view.
The police exited their cruisers and began hailing reinforcements over their radios. Only about ten feet in front of them off the curb.
"Just my luck, they hit the terminals!" One Officer yelled to the other, both hitting their roofs with closed fists.
"Welp. Looks like the super-spy and his sidekick photographer are gonna have to do something stupid and heroic." Qrow said. Walking towards the police with his Identification held out.
"Officers! I'd like to borrow your cruiser." Qrow said, getting rapid nods by the police officers.
"We will call for armored units! Tell dispatch when you find them. What about the kid?" The oldest officer asked.
"Jaune Arc! Valean Press. I'd like to accompany the Huntsman and document." Jaune said, pulling his cover I.D out from his vest and flashing it to the police officers.
"Yeah whatever. Follow his orders and don't get your head blown off." An officer said, putting the keys into Qrow's hand. "Assault vests and rifles are in the trunk. Though I doubt you'll need 'em. Go get the bastards."
Qrow nodded, and walked around to climb into the driving seat. He leaned his head over the cab roof and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Come on Photographer, get in the front and don't stray far."
Jaune moved quickly, getting into the passenger seat and smiling with false confidence as Qrow flipped the sirens and lights on before peeling out at high speed to follow the direction of the runaway terrorists.
"Time for some sink or swim training!" Qrow yelled over the clunk of the engine and the sound of the sirens.
Jaune's blood rushed in his ears and he could feel his heartbeat in his toes. Holy shit.
He was about to fight crime.
…..