Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY

Chapter 23: More Days at Beacon, Part 2


Expanded Arsenal

The doors to both the Team RWBY and Team JNPR dorms flew open at the same time. Both teams stepped out, their leaders in front. Both had the same look of determination on their faces, and their expressions changed to surprise and confusion as they saw the other.

"I wanted to talk about-" they said simultaneously, "No you go first…no really…I just wanted…"

The two kept talking over one another, apparently having the same thing to say. Eventually, both stopped and took a deep breath. Behind them, Ruby's team had a shared look of determination and resolve, while Jaune's were confused, not sure what their leader or friends were up to.

The answer became clear as both Jaune and Ruby spoke at the same time.

"I want you to help upgrade my weapon!"

"We want to help upgrade your weapon!"

The two leaders stared at each other in surprise, before quickly erupting into laughter. The others all followed suit.

"Great minds think alike," Nora commented.

"Yeah, well, I've been thinking about this for a while," Jaune said, scratching his head.

"Are you sure? You've been progressing wonderfully with Crocea Mors," Pyrrha spoke up, slightly concerned.

"Suddenly changing your weapon can throw you completely off balance and reset all of your progress up to this point," Ren added, picking up on what Pyrrha was worried about.

"I know that, but if I don't up my game, I'll never improve enough to hold my own. I need to be better, and I need something more than just an old family heirloom, no matter how reliable it's been up to now. I need to take the next step and giving this old sword a new trick or two seems like the best option."

Jaune's voice was firm with conviction; he had put much thought into this. Ren and Pyrrha could only nod, sure that their leader wasn't blindly walking into this.

"Still, it would be best not to deviate too far from what you have been doing," Ruby said, drawing JNPR's attention to her. "An iteration on a classic, rather than a complete revolution, is in order. So, I've designed…this!"

The Red Xiao Long dramatically pulled out a large sheet of paper and held it up to show JNPR. It was a blueprint of Jaune's weapon, with multiple changes outlined along the shield.

"I've designed an internal system that can allow the sword to interlink with the shield when it's sheathed. We can add sharp edges that will extend when activated."

"This will effectively turn your one-handed sword into a two-handed great sword," Weiss said, from off to the side, adding to what Ruby was saying.

"It's a sword that transforms into another sword," Blake said with a smirk.

"A sword-sword, if you will," Yang adds, making everyone chuckle.

Despite the joke, it was a good design, giving Jaune more power to his swings and increasing his offensive options while keeping it to the style of fighting he was used to.

"That's great!" Jaune exclaimed before pulling out a sheet of paper from the binder he was carrying. "That could work well with the idea I had."

The group gathered round to look at the blueprint Jaune had made. It was noticeably rougher than Ruby's but still had several details that accurately conveyed the design.

"I was thinking about adding elemental Dust to my shield, probably by inserting a crystal into the center and spreading it to the edges. With this 'Sword-Sword' idea, this can also add elemental properties to the blade, giving me more offensive potential."

The others just stared at the blueprint, astonished by what Jaune had come up with. Ruby had gone with the relatively simple concept of combining the sword with the shield because it was an easy addition to make and would be a simple concept for Jaune to grasp and use.

They all knew that Jaune wasn't an idiot or anything, he worked hard and his steady improvement in both his grades and combat records was proof of that. But he still didn't have the years of Combat School training the others had, and he hadn't made his weapon himself, hadn't forged it from the ground up and knew every detail of it like the back of his hand. A simple improvement seemed like the best approach in the short term.

What Jaune was proposing blew Ruby's design out of the water. There were still plenty of logical issues to iron out with the design, but the blueprint was still clean and well laid out. It was clear what Jaune wanted, and it was feasible; he had done his homework.

Ruby took hold of the blueprint, scanning it closer before pulling out a pen.

"To make sure the Dust spreads to the edges, we'll need to cut channels in the shield, which might compromise its durability," the self-declared weapon nut said, her mind in full engineering mode.

"We could use the same technique I used with Gambol Shroud's Flaming Kusarigama mode. Lots of small outlets along the surface to spread the Dust without compromising integrity."

Blake's comment was followed by her taking the paper and marking her ideas with her pen before Weiss took the sheet from her.

"But we need to make an effective method of loading the Dust in. Either crystal or refined in a cylinder, we can't have him just reach over and slot something in. That would be too cumbersome and leave an obvious weak point in the weapon, not to mention that the two sides of the shield can't be too dissimilar without affecting the great sword mode."

Weiss's critical analysis was on point and was countered by Yang, who took the blueprint next.

"What if we had Jaune used a special-made gauntlet, like Ember Cilicia? Instead of shotgun shells, it can hold Dust crystals and vials. A loading system in the shield could take the Dust and then activate it."

"That could work, but then we would need to…"

For the next few minutes, the Xiao Long Sisters passed the blueprint amongst themselves, marking their additions to the design and talking about their ideas and concerns. It eventually ended back to Ruby, who handed it to Jaune with a big smile on her face.

"We can make it work!"

Jaune smiled in return, taking back the now heavily edited blueprint. He had been hesitant to ask, worried that he would be requesting too much and that his weapon was his responsibility alone.

But after all the research he did to figure out how to improve his weapon led to the conclusion that he needed a lot of help to make it work. Ruby was the natural choice to ask, given her obvious skill and love of weapon engineering. Having her on board would also make the next part of Jaune's plan easier, and why he wanted both teams here.

"Thanks. It means a lot," Jaune said, putting the blueprint in the binder before pulling out another one. "That's not all; I've also been thinking of ways to improve all of our weapons, including yours, Ruby."

"That's nice and all, but there's no need," Ruby said, hand on her hips as she puffed out her chest proudly. "My Crescent Rose is the best-designed weapon of all time, with no faults or oversights whatsoever."

"Well, I was thinking maybe we could alter the blade's head to rotate 180 degrees. After you swing, you can reverse the blade and immediately attack again, increasing your speed and making you less valuable to a counterattack."

Jaune's idea widened Ruby's eyes and she blinked several times, her mouth falling open for a long moment before she finally spoke.

"Great Chocolate Chip Cookies! Why didn't I think of that?"

"Maybe because you were so focused on integrating the sniper rifle that you didn't bother with the actual scythe blade?" Blake said with a chuckle.

Ruby turned to glare at her sister, the effect lessened by the fact she was puffing out her cheeks in such an adorable way. The Xiao Longs Sisters all laughed at their baby sister's expression and JNPR all had to stifle chuckles of their own.

The red reaper turned back to Jaune, taking several deep breaths to collect herself, before speaking.

"Your suggestion is valid and with merit, which I shall use forthwith," she said, speaking in an overly formal matter. She wasn't used to getting caught off guard about her weapon and while a bit miffed at it, still realized that Jaune's suggestion was good, and it was to help her.

"Great, because that's not the only idea I had," Jaune said, handing the sheet to Ruby before reaching into his binder again. Everyone realized just how much thought and work Jaune had put into this, creating multiple weapon blueprints for all of them.

It was more than that, as Jaune had been pouring over books and other materials on weapon design and creation for weeks, ever since the fight with the Red Fang at the Docks, where his shield had been damaged. He got it repaired in no time with Ruby's help, but it highlighted just how little he knew about how to care for or improve his weapon. He resolved to change that and took to studying everything he could in his free time.

What started as something he wanted to do himself with no help quickly spiralled into something much bigger. He realized that he would need help if he wanted to upgrade his weapon into something better, and not just blow himself up in the process, and by his desire to help his friends and teammates. They had done so much for him, and he wanted to find a way to pay them back. Giving them ideas on how to improve their weapons as well seemed like a good idea.

It was easier said than done, as he amassed many different information and designs but couldn't find a way to put them all together in a way that made sense; it was just a collection of information with no structure.

Then, he had another flash of inspiration, something he had been having a lot of lately. Suddenly, he could see how it could all fit together, how all the ideas and information he had gathered could be used to craft something that fit each of his friends' unique fighting styles. He had no clue how or why it happened suddenly and not when he was researching earlier but he didn't complain. He wrote everything down, creating blueprints for all of them and was now ready to share it with the others, coincidentally at the same time, Ruby had decided to share her improvement for his weapon.

Great minds think alike indeed.

Jaune's next blueprint was for Yang, and he handed it to the blonde brawler.

"For you, I think we could try a new type of ammunition. A type of shell that sticks to the target and that you detonate with a button in the palm of your gauntlet. It can help concentrate explosives onto a single point on a target."

Yang looked at the design and tapped her lips with a finger.

"I can punch through the enemy's defences and then leave a little surprise for them. When they get back on their feet, I hit the button and BOOM! Knock the socks off them again," A smile formed on Yang's face as she turned to look at Jaune. "I like it!"

Jaune pulled out another sheet of paper and handed it to Blake.

"We can't add too much to your main weapon, or it will be too heavy to swing around effectively. Still, some more firepower wouldn't hurt, so I was thinking we could add an under-slung shotgun to the pistol mode. Different shells can be used for different situations and overall add more to you're without with minimal extra weight."

"If it involves shotguns, then I'm all in for it," Yang spoke up, a wide grin on her face.

"Of course, you would," Blake replied, giving her sister a sideways look before focusing on the blueprint. "This can definitely work; we just need to be careful with the weight and balance."

"If it's just a single-shot barrel, then we can probably make it a fairly large calibre, and then pack some serious firepower into the shells," Ruby said, tapping her chin in thought.

"I can make some special Dust shells for you, both to use directly against a target and to give your sickle an extra boost when you throw it," Weiss added.

Jaune smiled again at the acceptance of his design and pulled out the last RWBY blueprint, handing it to Weiss.

"You remember that weird Red Fang fighter, the one with the whip-rapier?"

"Don't remind us!"

The four Xiao Long Sisters shout in union, the same grimace on their faces.

"I can still feel that slimy bastard's eyes on my ass," Blake shuddered, looking around as if the Red Fang assassin was still lurking around.

"Yeah, they were a real creep, but their weapon was interesting, and I think we could use that design ourselves," Jaune said, getting the girls back on topic.

"I can see where you are going with this, but I don't think it will work," Weiss spoke up. "Turning Myrtenaster into a whip will interfere with its Grand Lance mode, and I need that for the extra power it gives over flexible range."

"But what if we only modify the tip of your sword? The point could shoot out, attached with a metal wire that could conduct the Dust. You can surprise your opponent with a sudden extending blade tip, which you can then either use like a whip or spin around like how Blake uses Gambol Shroud. You could even use it like a grappling hook in a situation where you can't use your Glyph."

"If you need instructions on how to swing around a flaming or electrified weapon, I'm your girl," Blake offered with a smirk. "The secret is that it's all in the hips."

Weiss looked over the blueprint, tapping her chin with a finger and only half-listening to Blake.

"It can work, though it going to be a real balance act regarding the internal mechanism. Not just the mechanical gears but keeping the Dust systems from inferencing with one another is going to be a bit of a challenge."

Yang leaned over to look at the design, a smile slowly forming on her face.

"Yeah, it looks tough. We would need a super genius who knows all about Dust to have a chance at making it work, and where can we find one of those at this time of day?"

Weiss turned to look at Yang, her eyes narrowing before she turned back to Jaune.

"Let's fucking do this!"

With the full assent of Team RWBY, Jaune now had the confidence to bring out the second set of blueprints.

"I would be a poor leader if I didn't think of my teammates as well…so I designed some upgrades for you guys as well."

The three members of JNPR shouldn't have been surprised by this, after what Jaune had pulled out of RWBY, but they still were, touched by his desire to help them.

"For you Nora, I know you're hesitant to use Lightening Dust in combat, but I think we should incorporate it into your weapon. We can add a function to channel electricity from the hammerhead down the shaft. You can control how much is released, so you don't absorb too much at once…is that okay?"

Nora looked down and started fidgeting at his suggestion. It made perfect sense to have her weapon empower her Semblance, which in turn would let her use her weapon more effectively.

But she was so scared of losing control, that even a small spark could set her powers loose. That had never happened before with Dust, with her limiters keeping it in check but she still couldn't shake her fear. It was only fear of something possibility going wrong, but with the utter tragedies she had caused before, it was all too real for her.

Nora's hands clenched tight as she gathered her resolve. She was tired of being scared, tired of running away from her potential, of all that she could be. She had decided to share her secret with her friends, the choice to finally stop running and tame the monster within.

She looked up at her friends, saw their looks of support, and took the blueprint.

"Alright. We can do this. I…we'll need to do plenty of tests to get everything right but…yeah, we can do this."

Jaune and the others smiled, happy that Nora was able to take this small but important step forward.

"Great! We can take this at your own pace. That's not the only thing we can add to Magnhild," Jaune reached over and tapped one section of the blueprint. "I was thinking we could add in a feature that would make riding on your weapon easier, to increase your mobility."

With a surprised look, Nora looked at the blueprint, fully reading it and seeing what exactly Jaune had planned out.

"Woah…I…that amazing! It looks like I'm riding a broomstick with this setup."

"Yeah, I know you can fire a grenade and ride on Magnhild that way, but it only lets you go one way and only at full speed. If we can control the output from the grenade launcher, then it could be used as a short-ranged engine for greater mobility. Riding on top like that gives you more control while still letting you swing your weapon quickly once you reach the target."

It was quite the ingenious system that, while needing some complicated reworking to make work, would add a lot for Nora.

Jaune pressed on, turning to Ren with his next idea.

"For Ren, I think we can modify the sickle blades of Storm Flower to be able to shoot forward as grappling hooks. That will let you get in closer to your foes and help maneuver around the battlefield."

Ren nodded at the suggestion. They had been considering some sort of upgrade for Storm Flower, something to give it more versatility and punch. This design looked perfect for their fighting style, and they could integrate it quickly and easily.

The second part of the design gave them pause and they looked up at Jaune.

"This part…you want me to combine my pistols into a single weapon?"

"Yeah. If we can somehow combine the weapons, we can increase the stopping power of Storm Flower."

"That's…"

"A very complicated and ambitious design, to be sure."

Both Ren and Jaune were taken aback as Ruby suddenly appeared beside the green ninja, taking the blueprint in hand.

"We need to seamlessly integrate the firing mechanism, which should be possible given how the pistols are copies of each other. This will turn your submachine guns into an assault rifle. There can be a two-step process for firing, effectively shooting two bullets at once, back-to-back. Can't have it firing automatically though, or the system will be stressed too much, so burst fire would be best. Then we could…" Ruby continued to monologue about the design, mostly to herself, before turning to Ren.

"Don't worry. I promise that we will get his design perfect, or my name's not Ruby 'Master Weapon Smith' Xiao Long-Rose!"

"It's not…" her sisters all quipped.

"Quiet," she said, giving them a pointed look before returning the blueprint to Ren.

"Okay…thanks…" was all they could say. A small smile did form on their face, at the unwavering support their friends were giving to them, to help them improve and better themselves.

Everyone then turned to Pyrrha, seeing who was last, though certainly not least. The redhead realized that she was next and stepped forward.

"You really don't need-"

"The plan for your upgrade is simple but will have a big impact," Jaune said, interrupting his partner. He wasn't trying to be rude, but he wanted to get out his whole design idea. He had the feeling that Pyrrha would be the most resistant to change, so going all out was the best plan.

He pulled out the final blueprint and held it up for everyone to see.

"I think we can add retractable blades along the edges of your shield. When you throw it, you can use your Semblance to deploy the blades while controlling your shield in the air."

"So, it would be like a flying buzzsaw?" Nora asked.

"That sounds sick!" Blake said, pumping her fist in excitement, an action mimicked by her sisters.

Pyrrha was less enthused.

"While that does have some utility, I think…"

Again, Jaune pressed ahead, letting Pyrrha's weak protest die on her lips.

"The second part of this would be to combine this with your spear. If it's attached to the end with the blades out, then we can turn your spear into a large battle-axe, which will greatly increase your hitting power."

"Ohhhhh, Pyrrha the Barbarian!" Ruby quipped, making everyone laugh.

Everyone, but Pyrrha, who was barely able to conceal her horror.

"NO! I can't be 'Pyrrha the Barbarian! I must be Pyrrha 'Champion of Mistral and Scion of House Nikos'! They don't know, they don't realize that I don't use the weapons I want to use, but what I must use. Miló and Akoúo̱ were the weapons of the Nikos, so I must use them, with no modifications or personal touches. Personality is the enemy of victory…that's what Mother and Father want…"

Her ingrained need to obey her family made her open her mouth, ready to forcefully shut down this talk of upgrades before it was silenced by another feeling.

This was an idea proposed by her friends. She couldn't deny the flash of joy she had felt when Jaune had revealed he had blueprints for all of them, a joy that hadn't died even when the full implication became clear to her.

Jaune had made this for her, a gift to further herself. Her friends all support her, seeing it as a perfect way for Pyrrha to be an even better version of herself.

This contrasted with her parents, who always knew what was best for her and brooked no compromise.

These two forces, what her parents would want and what her friends wanted, clashed in her mind. These two ideals battled for supremacy, a battle that…was over very quickly. One path stood victorious and, taking a breath, Pyrrha gave her answer.

"Let's fucking do this!"

Jaune smiled at the confirmation, happy that his partner accepted his idea.

That smile faded as he, and everyone else, realized exactly what she said, and they all looked at her with inquisitive stares.

Pyrrha blushed and coughed into her hand.

"I mean…This is a highly optimal upgrade to my current arsenal, and we should pursue this course of action with the utmost vigour…yeah…"

The others continued to stare for a moment before all nodding, accepting that they had just misheard what she had said. Sweet and polite Pyrrha would never say something like that.

Turning from the blushing and sheepish Champion, Ruby addressed the group.

"Alright! We all got new upgrades for our weapons. Teams RWBY and JNPR are going to reach the next level!" Ruby started hopping up and down on her feet, shaking with excitement. "Ohhhhh! This is going to be so cool! Let's get to Beacon's Forge, right now!"

Ruby grabbed Weiss's hand, who immediately grabbed onto Blake, who grabbed onto Yang. Ruby then activated her Semblance and dashed down the hallway, hauling her sisters along with her. A swirl of rose petals filled the hallway as Xiao Long Sisters headed towards the Forge at breakneck speed.

"Well…Ruby sure is eager," Jaune commented. "We should head to the Forge too and get started on these upgrades."

He took a step forward but was blocked by Nora, who had a big smile on her face.

"Come on, Fearless Leader! We're not going to let RWBY beat us to the punch. Let's go!"

She was in a good mood and wanted to express this joy with physical action, so she grabbed Jaune's hand and got ready to make her supersonic dash down the hall.

Jaune instinctively grabbed Ren's hand, who grabbed onto Pyrrha. None of them had any time to think as Nora pulled all of them behind her, using her insane strength to move almost as fast as Ruby.

Beacon Academy bore witness to what seemed like two miniature hurricanes flying through the halls of the illustrious school. Both students and teachers barely avoid getting hit by these multi-coloured human tornadoes. The first one left a trail of rose petals, while the second one left a booming sound like a thunderclap in its wake. The other students had no idea what was going on, though the teachers had a good clue who it was.

Those consequences were for later, as Ruby reached the Forge in record time. She cancelled her Semblance and started slowing down well before reaching the large double doors of Beacon's weapon manufactory, letting her and her sisters come to a halt just before hitting the doors.

"Okay, let's get started! We'll get the forges all fired up and ready for when the others arrive, so then…"

Ruby was cut off as the others suddenly arrived. Nora had far less experience at hauling others at top speed compared to Ruby, so she didn't start braking until it was too late. The result was the entirety of Team JNPR crashed into Team RWBY, throwing the eight teens through the door and into the Forge in a big pile.

The group lay in tangled mass for several moments before slowly getting up.

"Owwww. Maybe you don't need an upgrade to your weapon, Nora." Yang said, rubbing the back of the head. "You can just run into people at Mach 2."

"Sorry," the Valkyrie apologized sheepishly. "Guess I need to work on how to stop more than how to start."

"Well, well. I see that the students at Beacon are as rambunctious as ever."

The new voice from the other end of the room caused the group to get to their feet and look over.

Sitting behind one of the tool tables was an older man. He had dark skin and white hair with a full beard, a green cap on his head and a pair of glasses on his face. He had a red vest over top a cream-coloured shirt, with a pink bowtie rounding things off.

"Oh! We're sorry, we didn't think anyone would be using the Forge today," Weiss said, apologizing on behalf of the group, bowing towards the man.

"It's no problem at all. I'm only here to look around and reminisce really," the man said, waving the apology off.

"I haven't seen you here before, are you a new teacher or a visiting Huntsman?" Jaune asked.

"No, no. I'm just a civilian, though I did graduate from Combat School."

The man seemed to push something, and the group heard a mechanical whirling sound. He moved around the table and the teens now saw that he was in a mechanical wheelchair, a highly advanced one from the looks of it.

"I was never one for all the 'fighting' stuff, but I always had a knack for weapon engineering. I've made more swords, guns, and sword-guns than you could shake a stick at, haha!"

Only an awkward silence met his little joke, the students not sure what to say, or at least what was the polite thing to say.

The man continued, used to such first reactions.

"My name's Pietro. I work as an engineer for the Atlas military and I'm here to do some maintenance on the group of Atlesian Knights General Ironwood brought over. They may be the latest and greatest, but they still have plenty of kinks to work out. I'm actually in between meetings right now, so I decided to wander around. I've spent time in weapon forges all over the kingdoms, so I can't help but feel at home here."

He controlled his chair to move closer to the group.

"But you don't need to hear me ramble on. I assume you're here to give your weapon a tune-up?"

"Well, we're actually on giving them some full upgrades," Ruby said, holding up the blueprints.

Pietro moved next to her and pressed another button on his chair. Suddenly, four mechanical legs emerged from the sides of the chair and lifted him, so he was at the same level as Ruby.

"How about I give them a once over? I'd be happy to give you some advice while I'm here."

Ruby looked over at Jaune, who nodded after a moment of thought, and they handed over the blueprints.

Pietro took the sheets of paper and started to look them over. Without touching any of the controls, his chair started to pace back and forth, neatly avoiding any obstacles.

The older man hummed to himself as looked over the designs, rubbing his chin and scratching his temple at times. The group waited with bated breath, not expecting an adult to be grading their plan.

He finally finished, turning to look at the group with a sad smile.

"I admit that these are creative ideas, but there are too many holes in the main design. You won't be able to make it as is, and these scrabbled-in additions are too crude to properly function. I'm sorry to say that you'll need to take these back to the drawing board."

Everyone's heart sank at this critique, none more so than Jaune's.

"Y-yeah, I suppose you're right…I really am just an amateur…"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Weiss consoled him. "These were your very first weapon designs, made without the formal instructions you get at Combat School."

Pietro quirked an eyebrow at this information.

"Wait…what…?"

"And we add all those little notes and additions in less than five minutes, so no surprise that they don't fit when you stop to think about it," Yang added, frustrated that they wouldn't be able to get work on these cool upgrades today.

Pietro continued to stare at the group, eyes widening, before looking over the blueprints again. After a moment, he started to laugh out loud, surprising the teens.

"Ummm, Sir…is everything okay?" Pyrrha asked, hesitantly.

"No, no, it's fine, haha!" he said, waving them off and wiping tears from the corner of his eyes. When he recovered from his small fit, he looked at the group with a bright smile.

"I'm sorry, I was being way too critical. I've been working with big budget teams for the last couple of years, where we have meetings and committees and then meetings for the committees for every little thing. Every plan and design go through countless hands and revision so that by the time it gets to me, it's been polished to a fancy shine."

He held up the blueprints.

"It has been a long time since I've gotten my hand into a project at the very beginning when it was all raw and half-formed. Even the finest piece of pottery started as a clump of clay and these weapon designs are no different. So…let's get started!"

He touched the controls on his chair and suddenly the whole room sprung to life, the forging machines all turning on at once. Pietro had been idly accessing Beacon primary systems while touring this room and decided to use his unauthorized access to get things off running.

"Wait, didn't you say these plans were too flawed to work?" Blake asked.

"There is no flaw that can't be fixed with some good old-fashioned elbow grease! Let's get to it!"

"You heard him, let's get cracking!" Ruby declared, getting fired up again. "We're going to make the best weapons the world has ever seen."

"First things first, where are your current weapons?"

Ruby and the others could only stare blankly at this most reasonable question, before rubbing the back of their heads.

"Well, ah, funny thing…. we don't…have them here…"

"Yeah…why did we rush all the way here instead of going to the weapon lockers first?" Ren asked.

"Well, the reason is…Shut up, it's fine!" Ruby retorted, puffing her cheeks out in anger. This anger was directed mostly at herself for this obvious oversight.

"Give me and Nora your Scrolls and we'll get the weapons from the lockers. Come on, chop-chop!"

The others all obeyed Ruby, giving up their Scrolls with barely contained laughter. With the locker authorization all set, the Reaper and Valkyrie dashed out of the room, creating another maelstrom within the school that someone else would have to clean up.

Pietro just laughed all the while, pulling up a large holographic screen and working away at something.

The girls returned in record time; eight deadly weapons held haphazardly in their arms. The others had done the preliminary work on the forge machines, getting everything ready so they could hit the ground running.

Before they started, Pietro sent files to all their Scrolls and asked them to take a look. They did and what they saw floored them.

The rough and hasty designs they had drawn up had been transformed into clean and concise blueprints. In the time it took for them to get ready, Pietro had drawn up new digital plans from the paper ones Ruby and Jaune had made, filling in the gaps needed to make designs functional and putting in clear instructions on how to make it all work.

It was the work of a true master.

He waved off the stunned praise and quickly got them down to work.

Over the next half hour, Pietro oversaw the construction and upgrades of the group's weapons. It would take much longer to complete the changes, but he was able to get the group onto a solid foundation, with a clear path forward. It was honestly sad that he had to get going to his next meeting, eager to see what final shape these kids' aspirations would take, but he knew Ironwood would put up a stink if he missed yet another meeting. He gave some last instructions before saying his goodbyes, leaving the Forge and quickly heading down the hallway.

He had only gotten a short distance before a voice called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh, Father! What are you doing here?"

The voice belonged to an angel, his angel to be precise. His chair turned around in an instant, a big smile forming on his face.

She was standing there in the hallway, an equal smile on her face. She was a marvel of technology, Pietro's greatest creation but most importantly, she was his daughter.

His precious Penny.

"Sweetie! What are you doing here? I thought you were in for weapon calibration today."

"Oh, I finished those tests fourteen point three five minutes ago and have elected to use this free time to monitor the movements of Friend-Ruby and clandestinely follow her and her team, to find an opportune moment to engage in friendship activities."

Pietro quirked an eyebrow at this blunt answer.

"Honey…that stalking."

"Firm Assessment: That is not the case! I am merely observing Friend-Ruby without her knowledge or consent, using an illicit tracking software that I forcibly installed on her Scroll, and I'm looking to engage with this group for personal reasons and…"

Penny's eyes suddenly went wide.

"Shocked Realization: Ohhhhhh that is stalking. The data points are slightly different, but they do conform to the parameters of this most socially unacceptable activity. I must update my database accordingly, so as not to fall into this trap again."

Pietro could only laugh at this reaction, which was both very odd and very human at the same time.

"It's okay Dear, no harm no foul. We can quickly pop by and say hello to your friends. Where does your 'illicit' software say they are?"

"They are located in Beacon Forge…which I believe you have just exited from."

"What? But there are only those kids who…OHHHHH!"

It was Pietro's turn to experience shocked realization.

"Those kids were your friends, Team RWBY and JNPR! You told me their names and showed me images, but I didn't put it together when they stumbled into the Forge."

Pietro started making his way back to the Forge.

"I never thanked them for looking out for you, heck I don't think I gave them my full name, so they don't even know I'm your father. If we move quickly, we should have time to pop in and…"

He was cut off by a sound from his chair's armrest. He tapped a button and a holographic message appeared in front of him, the contents of which made him groan.

"Ironwood wants to have a pre-meeting discussion, ASAP. When will that man learn that it is possible to be too controlling, ugggh…"

Pietro's despondent tone was countered by Penny's unwavering cheerful disposition.

"There is no time to waste, so let's get moving! My dear friends will be around to meet for another day. The chances of something catastrophic happening to Beacon and thus impacting their schedules are extremely low, so I'm sure we'll have the chance to fully introduce you to my friends soon. Until then, let's go meet the General."

Penny then hopped around Pietro's chair and started to push him towards Beacon's administrative section.

Pietro simply smiled at the gesture, letting her take the lead. From a logical point of view, it was pointless to push his chair, as he could move faster and more efficiently by himself. That would be what a rational and emotionless computer would come to in any case, seeing no need to physically push his chair.

But Penny did it anyway, because she wanted to do something for him, and she settled on this small but very human action.

It made him love her even more.

It was certainly an improvement from the beginning, where she had referred to him as the 'Designated Father Figure' and wouldn't move to help him unless he told her explicitly to. She had made leaps and bounds from when she had first come online, and she was constantly proving that she was more than a machine.

"Okay, fine. We can get this over with. You seem very eager to make sure I stay on Ironwood's good side," Pietro said, curious at his daughter's current behaviour.

"Self-Serving Endorsement: Why of course! We must maintain good relations with the General or he may reduce our funding, which would make finalizing my new upgrade challenging."

"Yes, I've heard from the team about these proposed…upgrades. They are certainly…something," Pietro coughed slightly.

"Yes, my Big Ol'Anime Tiddies will be a significant attachment to my main chassis, but I do have proposals to emphasize their utility."

Penny's eyes flashed green, and a new screen was projected from her father's chair. It was a blueprint, one for her own body, with the new additions clearly shown as two large orbs attached to her chest.

A normal father would have probably been a combination of embarrassed and outraged at the idea of his daughter getting what amounted to breast implants, but Pietro wasn't a normal person. It had been claimed that he had more than one screw loose, even before he ended up in this chair, and he often looked at things from different angles and perspectives. This was great as an inventor but did make some social interactions odd and strained at times.

Pietro looked over the plan, not as an outraged parent but as an engineer with a critical eye.

"The extra space would be useful for more energy storage, allowing more and greater laser output from the primary weapons systems while also giving space for any needed tools and accessories,"

"Overflowing Pride: Yes, I did add these features, both to improve my overall capabilities and to make the changes more acceptable to the team and the General. I'm sure they will see the practicality of these changes."

"Oh, I'm sure they will but why stop here?"

"I…what?"

Penny looked down at her father, continuing to push him down the hall. The older man was concentrating intently on the design, quickly making changes and additions.

"With only minimal reinforcement to the main frame, the size of the storage units could be vastly increased," he said, mostly to himself. He tapped the screen and the orbs connected to the outline of Penny's body drastically expanded.

Penny's eyes widened at the change.

"Concern and Alarm; Really, that won't be necessary…"

She was cut off as Pietro continued his alterations.

"Increased internal volume can allow for greater energy use. Perhaps we can even fit separate generator units inside, exponentially increasing output."

Penny let out a few small hiccups before speaking again.

"Growing Concern and Alarm: Father, really this isn't what I would want…"

Pietro continued with his design, growing the alternations even further.

"We could add in fabrication units to assemble munitions on site. A few adjustments and it could function as a mobile missile silo…I'm sure Ironwood would appreciate having extra firepower in a mobile format…so then if we add this…"

"DAD!"

Pietro was pulled out of his hyper-focused state and twisted around in his chair to look at Penny, concerned about what was wrong.

The confused and pained look on her face told all and turning back to the holographic blueprint, he saw his mistake. All the additions had caused the orbs to balloon, to where they were now larger than Penny's body.

Aghast at what he had done, Pietro quickly undid the changes to Penny's proposed upgrades.

"S-sorry! I didn't mean…I got a little carried away…"

"It's okay Dad…you were just trying to make the best thing possible…"

Penny's words did little to soothe his guilt. How many times had he berated Atlas personnel for treating Penny like a tool, like just a weapon? He had always insisted, forcible so, that she was a person and should be treated like any other human being.

Yet here he was, getting lost in design work and treating his daughter as if she was just a tool to improve on. It was a shameful thing to do.

An uneasy silence passed between them, Penny still pushing her father down the hall before she spoke.

"These upgrades…are not so I stand out among my peers but instead to fit in with them. I want to look…I want to feel…like I'm one of them. While my Big Ol'Anime Tiddies will be…big…I don't want them to be over and above what my dear friends have. I want to be like them…a regular girl."

Pietro could only smile at her daughter.

"Dear…if you are thinking like that, then you're already a completely normal girl."

The master inventor turned back around, cracking his knuckles.

"Alright! We'll get these upgrades approved and applied, no matter what! You want to be the same size as your friends, right? That will still be quite a feat, given how much they got going on. Seriously, what are they feeding the girls these days? No matter, we'll get you the finest pair of hooters in the Kingdom and have all the boy twisting their head to look at you, hoho!"

It was at this remark that Penny suddenly stopped moving, bringing both to a halt. Pietro looked back in concern, fearing he had said something stupid again, and saw a conflicted look on his daughter's face.

"Doubt and Uncertainty: I want to upgrade my appearance to become closer to my friends in Teams RWBY and JNPR, to become more like them. I want to…engage in strong relationships with them. My friends are, predominantly, female and so my relationships are with other females. S-should I not be pursuing this course of action, and instead only engage with those of the opposite gender, as per traditional social customs?"

"No!"

Her father's firm words brought Penny out of her spiral of doubt, and she saw the complete support and conviction in his eyes.

"You don't follow the path someone else has laid out. You can do whatever you wish to do. You can be whoever you want to be…and you can be with whoever you wish to be with, either as friends or something else. Your life and your purpose are yours to determine, no one else."

Penny's mind processed the information, finding many technical faults in the statement but, much to her surprise, not caring about them at all. Instead, it was a warm feeling that emerged from her core, dispelling the uncertainty that had plagued her.

An expression was brought to the forefront of her mind, one that had been present for a long time but now was formed enough for her to give voice to it.

"I love you."

Pietro's heart skipped a beat and for a long moment, he was brought back to the darkest point of his life. The accident, the one that had taken his legs, his wife, and his young child away from him, leaving him with nothing but pain and despair. It all dissipated under the warm smile and words of love from his daughter.

His reborn daughter. His precious little Penny.

For Ironwood, the P.E.N.N.Y project gave him a new type of weapon in his crusade to protect the Four Kingdoms.

For Pietro, it was a chance to give his little girl another chance to live.

He nodded, too choked to reply, and turned back around, quickly wiping the corners of his eyes.

"I…I…love you too, Sweetie," he managed to get out. He then slapped his cheeks, focusing back on the task at hand.

"Right! Let's get this meeting with Ironwood over, and then we can focus on getting you the upgrades you want! Full steam ahead!"

"Great Enthusiasm: Okay! Plotting the optimal route…maximizing power output…and…GO!"

Penny proceeded to lift her father's chair over her head and took off running at full speed, Pietro whooping in surprise and joy all the while.

Beacon Academy had just settled down from the indoor chaos wrought by Ruby and Nora's dash through the halls when a third force swept through the venerable school and upset the calm once again.

This force was distinct from the swirl of rose petals and thundering boom that had come before. It was its unique blend of crazy, and both the school and Vale police would be receiving reports of a strange girl kidnapping a senior citizen. These reports did nothing to reduce General Ironwood's workload, but to the instigating pair, it was all worth it.

Pietro Polindina learned firsthand just how far his daughter had come since coming to Vale, and he was now sure it was due to her new friends. He promised himself that the next time he met them, he would properly thank them and would give them a lot more help than he could in just 30 minutes. He still had their weapon blueprints in his chair's database, and he was already thinking of more additions and upgrades he could make for them.

The future of Team RWBY and JNPR's weapons were well in hand.


Blake Burglar

The fast-paced chaos of Huntsmen classes, weapon upgrading, and preparing for the Dance, left very little free time for Team RWBY and JNPR.

So, it was a pleasant surprise and relief to discover that they had a solid block time one afternoon where they had no commitments and could just relax. The group of teens gathered in Team RWBY's dorm, ready to have some fun in their free time.

For most of the group, this involved setting up their Scrolls to project a screen against the wall to play movies and video games. Both Ren and Pyrrha had been unusually enthusiastic about trying out the games, though they tried to hide it. Simple leisure activities like these were foreign to them, either being forbidden, as for Pyrrha or avoided as being 'unnecessary', as for Ren.

The two not engaging in this activity were Weiss and Blake, who were partaking in their own personal leisure activities. For the White Xiao Long, this involved going over her textbooks for the hundredth time and taking detailed notes for an upcoming test that she was more than prepared for.

Her twin, on the other hand, was relaxing on her bed, reading a book. She got up once after finishing her current reading material and went across the room to get another book, brushing past the group of gamers and her studying sister. Retrieving the next book in the series, she quickly retreated to her bunk, curling up with a new piece of literature.

Weiss was engrossed in her studies but with the constant prodding of Yang and Ruby, eventually relented and agreed to play a few matches. It wasn't like she was against playing video games, far from it, just that she wanted to focus on her studies right now.

Before she could whip all their butts in Kung Fu Ninja Ultimate Slayer Death Battle II and prove that it wasn't inferior to the first one, she wanted to write down a last series of notes and so reached out to grab her pen.

Her hand didn't find the writing instrument and she was left to look both on top of her desk and underneath it, all to no avail.

"You guys seen my pen? I had it a few minutes ago but now I can't find it."

The others looked up at her question and after a brief look around the floor, could only shrug a negative.

"I have a pen you can borrow," Jaune offered. "It's no problem for…wait, I can't find it. I must have dropped it somewhere."

"It's not a big deal. I'll just use my Scroll to take the note so…wait…where's my Scroll?"

Weiss now searched all her pockets, but her Scroll was nowhere to be found. She had used it to check the time not long ago, so she had no clue where it could have gone.

"We can search the dorm in a bit. You used my Scroll in the meantime," Yang said, reaching into her pocket to give her Scroll to her sister…only to find it wasn't there anymore.

"I'm missing my Scroll too!"

"So am I!"

"Hang on, my wallet's gone!"

The group all started searching their pockets, rapidly finding that several personal items were now missing. They frantically search the immediate area, finding nothing. It was like their possessions had just disappeared all at once.

The group all looked at one another as the same thought crossed their minds and they all slowly turned to look across the room, right where Blake was lying on her bed.

It took a moment for the Black Xiao Long to recognize the sudden attention she was getting. She looked around to see if they were staring at something else, before realizing what they were all thinking. She leapt to her feet, an indignant expression on her face.

"Seriously! Just because you guys misplaced a few things, you're going to accuse me of being a thief. Do you think I'm a cat burglar just because I'm part cat? I should report you all to Professor Goodwitch, what you're doing is profiling. You all disgust me!"

While Team JNPR was slightly chastened by Blake's denial, her sisters held firm, pointing out a very obvious fact.

"Blake…you are a cat burglar."

"Oh, now you're throwing baseless accusations around. Where's your proof?"

Without missing a beat, Yang went to the dorm's closet and pulled out Blake's sneaking suit, which she had carelessly left hanging after cleaning it.

Blake looked at the evidence before crossing her arms and looking away.

"That is the outfit of a noble thief, one who robs for the rich and gives to the poor. Your argument is still invalid."

Blake's obstinacy was a bit amusing, and smiles graced the faces of those present. Still, they needed to make some progress, so Weiss strode forward and stood right in front of her twin.

"Well, no matter what, I believe you. I will always stand by and support you, no matter what happens."

Blake was a bit shocked at this sudden declaration of fraternal love, but a smile quickly shone on her face as warm feelings flowed into her chest.

"R-really?" she asked.

Weiss looked at her, a warm and loving smile on her face as she gave her reply.

"Nope!"

This shocking response was quickly followed by Weiss grabbing her twin and throwing her over her shoulder into the air upside down.

With the instant coordination typical of the Xiao Long Sisters, Ruby kicked out of the chair forward to the centre of the room, right where Yang was standing. The blonde stopped the chair with her foot and leapt onto it, just in time to grab the airborne Blake by her ankles.

The result was Blake now being hung upside and she could only let out a 'Meep' before her big sister started to relentlessly shake her up and down.

A great number of items and trinkets proceed to fall out of her many hidden pockets. This included all the missing pens, Scrolls and wallets, alongside other personal effects they hadn't yet realized were missing.

A loud metallic clang caused Yang to stop shaking and everyone looked at the latest item, shocked and confused on their faces.

"Hey…Blake-y," Nora said, "my dear bosom friend…why do you have my Magnhild on you?"

Nora's weapon was lying in the pile of stolen goods, the grenade launcher looking out of place about the more ordinary items.

"Well…I was going by the weapon lockers this morning and I noticed that your locker was open, so I decided to take your weapon for safekeeping, ha..ha…"

Blake's explanation did nothing to assure the Valkyrie.

"Blake…I always make sure that my weapon is secured properly. Also, because it uses high explosives, it has a double lock on it. I doubt it was just 'laying open'."

'Well, that is true…but…if you really think about it, this is all Beacon's fault for using sub-standard locks. I was doing you a service by highlighting this security fault. There's no need to thank me, I'm happy to help."

This brazen attempt to get out of her crime was amusing and Nora couldn't help but smile a little. She didn't have any hard feelings towards Blake, just a little surprised she decided to do this at all and confused about how she had managed to hide the weapon in her jacket all day.

Yang was less forgiving and started shaking Blake again, meaning to get everything out in the open before fully chastising her.

Another metallic object fell out, this one smaller and lighter than Magnhild but its impact was greater. Everyone grew still and stared with wide eyes at what Blake had stolen.

It was a bronze circlet…a very familiar bronze circlet. Everyone whirled around to look at Pyrrha, who was touching the sides of her head, her face an expression of pure shock.

Only now did she, and everyone else, notice that she didn't have her trademark bronze headpiece. When Blake had brushed past them to get her book, she had not only managed to pickpocket all of them for multiple items but stole Pyrrha's circlet right off her head without her noticing.

Blake Xiao Long was something else.

Yang was as surprised as everyone else and thus her grip on Blake's ankles loosened enough for her to wiggle free. The cat Faunus twisted in mid-air and landed on her feet in a low crouch before slowly standing up. She quickly brushed off her clothes before turning to face the group.

"Okay, okay. I understand that this is an odd situation, but you all need to understand that the most important thing is…"

Blake then suddenly dashed away and before anyone could stop her, she dived out the open window. She grabbed one of the branches of the large tree just outside their dorm and used it to swing herself down to the ground safely. She landed firmly before turning back to the dorm's window, which was now filled with the surprised faces of her family and friends.

"…is that you'll never take me alive, coppers! Mwhaaaaa!"

With a mad cackle, Blake then took off running and was soon out of sight.

Back in the dorm, JNPR could only look at Blake's sisters, who were all now rubbing their foreheads in frustration.

"Damn it. She's doing it again," Weiss cursed.

"When Blake gets caught like this, instead of backing down, she'll often double down, going on a big thieving spree," Ruby explained. "Once she managed to steal all the plates and dining utensils from Signal Academy, just because she was caught swiping someone's calculator."

"Thankfully, she's not likely to get very far," Yang said. "It will be annoying, but as long as she's in Beacon, she's probably not going to go too wild or something real crazy…"

Yang trailed off as she patted her back pocket, her eyes going wide.

"Blake took the keys to Bumblebee!"

Everyone realized what this meant, and they all quickly dashed out of the room, Pyrrha dashing back in to grab her circlet before leaving again.

They had to stop Blake, or else the crazy cat burglar would nick everything in the city that wasn't nailed down.

Later

Velvet Scarlatina was sitting in the cafeteria, absently munching on some carrot cake while looking at her Scroll. There was a breaking news story that every outlet was covering and from what she was reading, it was a crazy one.

Over the past few hours, someone had gone on a wild robbing spree across the whole city. The news had taken to calling them a cat burglar but there wasn't much to go on. This individual has sped through the city on a motorcycle, swiping various items from people before speeding away.

The odd thing was that it wasn't just valuables like money or jewelry being stolen but everyday items. This included signs, potted plants, chairs, hats, and a remarkable number of pens. They were all stuffed into a bag on the back of the motorcycle, which even the usually serious Lisa Lavender could only call 'cartoonishly' large. Most of the stolen goods had subsequently fallen out of the overstuffed bag, making the thefts almost pointless.

The incident ended a short while ago when the police finally scrambled a pursuit unit and tracked down the thief. They had believed that they were cornered in an alley but all they found was the bag, no cat burglar or motorcycle in sight. It was like they had been spirited away.

The most remarkable thing about this whole episode is that, despite all the eyewitnesses and street cameras, no one had managed to get a clear look at the thief, nor anything specific about their vehicle. It should have been impossible, given how open the thievery had been, but this person was either an amazing thief, super lucky or both, as there wasn't a single clue to their identity.

Given how all the stolen items had been returned, and most of it hadn't been worth much to begin with, the police weren't going on a big manhunt. With all that and no solid leads, the police were putting this whole thing as one giant prank, rather than a serious crime.

"Geez, what will they think of next?" Velvet said to herself. It was a bit shocking that something so crazy could pop up in the middle of Vale, but it proved that this city had all kinds of people.

She had just put down her Scroll and was focusing on finishing off her dessert when she saw Teams RWBY and JNPR enter the cafeteria. She was a bit surprised to see them coming in so late to dinner, they were usually among the first ones stuffing their faces. She waved them over, wanting to go over a few more ideas for the dance before they got back to work tomorrow.

The group made their way to Velvet's table, and as they got closer, the bunny girl noticed something strange. The whole group looked pretty roughed up, with dirt on their clothes and scratches and Band-Aids on their faces. It looked like they had been making a mad dash through the city or something, chasing an elusive target.

The other noticeable thing was that Blake was bound and gagged, tied up in a straight jacket reinforced with rope and chains. She was slung over Yang's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and when she was placed at the table across from Velvet, she was glaring fiercely.

Team RWBY gave no explanation to Velvet or anyone else as to what had happened, just going about getting their food like nothing was wrong. They did get a plate for Blake, and after Weiss and Yang sat down on either side of their restricted sibling, they took off her gag.

"Furthermore, there is no need to entertain such silly notions as me getting 'professional help', as I absolutely do not have a problem!"

Blake spoke with pure defiance and Velvet suspected she was finishing a sentence she had started before being gagged, however long ago that was.

Her sisters didn't respond, just got some food onto their forks and held to Blake's mouth. She accepted the food without question, just glaring fiercely as she chewed. The meal progressed with Yang and Weiss alternating feeding Blake, who didn't struggle or complain. She simply accepted the food, glaring defiantly all the while.

Velvet looked at this sight, the news reports about the cat burglar filling her mind and she opened her mouth to speak…only to close it and toss the idea away.

Really, why was she even thinking about something as ridiculous as that? Just because she was a cat Faunus didn't mean that she was a cat burglar, that was just plain profiling right there. Professor Goodwitch would have at it if she caught wind of it, not to mention all the times' Velvet got annoyed when people made assumptions about her being part rabbit. It was wrong and demeaning and Velvet would not lower herself to that level.

There was probably some other reason for this whole thing, so Velvet just chalked it up to Team RWBY just being Team RWBY, with all the wacky nonsense that followed them around.

Which in many ways, was the truth.


Two Sides of a Knight

Once again, Jaune found himself on the roof of Beacon Academy as the sun began to set. This had become a little sanctuary for the leader of Team JNPR, a place for him to reflect on what was happening.

On one hand, things were going great for him and his friends. They had overcome great challenges and had a lead on the Red Fang. They were well on their way to upgrading their weapons and they were on top of their studies, with his own grades getting better and better. Topping it off, their work on the Dance was almost done and it was shaping up to be a night to remember.

So why was he feeling uneasy?

He believed he understood the cause, that being his relationship with his team. They had overcome a major hurdle with the revelations about Ren, which brought several other issues regarding Pyrrha and Nora to light.

He felt that they had handled it all well, with the absolute acceptance shown by everyone to everyone else, building a solid foundation to better deal with these long-standing issues.

It wasn't something they could rush but Jaune wanted something more. He wanted to help his teammates, he wanted to be closer to them. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Nora about that kiss, from over a week ago now, or talk personally with Ren or Pyrrha. With everything going on, it never seemed like a good time to sit down and just talk.

Things weren't bad and the others seemed to be in a comfortable spot right now; he certainly didn't want to make things harder or more awkward. He just wanted to be closer to them, to help them through these issues and be the best possible versions of themselves that they could be.

He wanted to help because he was their leader…and their friend. He wanted to help because he cared about them…because he liked them…

Because he…

The word popped into his head effortlessly, a four-letter word that meant so much. It came to him because of his teammates, those three wonderful, amazing, flawed people who were so much and deserved so much. He wanted to do more for them, but he wasn't sure what he could do.

Once again, a white lamp flashed within his right eye as the answer popped into his head. He wasn't gaining new information but sorting through what he already knew, getting a new insight into the problem.

How could expect to reach others when he wasn't giving it his all? How could he expect others to open up to him when he wasn't being completely honest with them?

Many truths had been revealed in the infirmary that day and Jaune gave his own bit regarding his sexuality but there was another secret that he had kept. Part of him wanted to tell the others, especially Ren, but a longstanding fear of rejection had kept him silent.

That wasn't fair, not with everyone else letting out their secret, which for his teammates was extremely painful. He couldn't pretend to fully understand their pain, as he had a wonderful childhood with a loving family, but he still wanted them to know he supported them unequivocally.

Ren had the most immediate issue, and Jaune's secret related to it perfectly. If he let them know, then it could help Ren understand their identity and in turn help Nora and Pyrrha with their past and futures.

All he had to do was be fully honest with them, to reveal a secret only his family knew.

The question became were these three people worth the risk, worth the potential pain and hardship.

After only a brief time thinking, Jaune had the answer.

Yes.

This simple answer gave Jaune all the resolve and confidence he needed, and he started to think of the best way to go about this.

First things first, he needed the right materials and that meant a call back home. He pulled out his Scroll and dialed the necessary number.

"Hey! How's my favorite little brother doing?"

The voice of his sister Vert came through the other end.

"I'm doing okay myself, but there have been some…developments regarding my teammates, especially Ren," Jaune replied.

"Really? Well, how is my future brother-in-law doing?"

"Well…about that…" Jaune chuckled a bit.

Jaune explained the situation as best he could, about how Ren was born female but had been identifying as male for the last several years. They had gone through major childhood trauma and had come to believe that they needed to be male, no matter what.

"Damn, that's some really heavy stuff," Vert said, after absorbing everything. "Not sure what the best course of action will be, beyond what you guys are already doing. I mean, I don't need to tell you of all people to be open and respectful."

"Yeah, I know. I think things have gotten a bit better since everything was aired out, but Ren is still having issues finding their footing, in finding out what they want. Your gender shouldn't be forced on you, either by individuals or society, but something that feels right to you, that resonates with your soul."

"You're preaching to the choir, little brother. Seems like you should be saying all this to Ren instead."

"I have but words can only go so far. I need to show Ren that it's okay to not fit perfectly into the mold and that, no matter what gender identity they feel is right, I will care and support them."

Jaune took a deep breath; this was the big moment.

"I'll need your help, Vert. Can you get the bag from the closet in my bedroom, the white one, and mail it to Beacon as quickly as possible?"

A long moment of silence passed, broken only by Vert sharply inhaling.

"Are…are you serious?" she asked with bated breath.

Jaune thought for a moment, all the implications running through his mind.

"Yes," he said, with complete conviction.

Jaune had to pull the Scroll away from his ear as a high-pitched sound came from the other end, a loud squeal of pure joy.

"Ohmygod! Oh My God! I…. I need to go dress shopping! We need to coordinate the bride's maids' dresses and…oh, we need to start looking at wedding venues. We could do a spring wedding, or maybe a summer one, oh but a fall one could be amazing if the leaves are just starting to fall. We'll need a big cake and decorations and, and, and…"

"Slow down, Sis! I haven't popped the Question or put any rings on fingers. This is just me helping my friends by being completely open with them. What comes after…will come after…"

Vert calmed down, a big smile gracing her face.

"Oh, sweet Jaune. If you are ready to show them all of who you are, then they are special."

Still, there were more pressing matters at hand, namely Jaune request.

"Okay! Don't worry about anything! I'll get the bag to you in no time, even if I must threaten the post office!"

"D-don't do that," Jaune said, wondering if you maybe should have asked another family member for this request. He could have asked one of his mothers for this, but there was a strong chance they would have made the trip to Vale themselves, which would have just made things too awkward at this stage.

"J-just mail the stuff over. And please don't tell the others until after the Dance! I'll call you and let everyone know how it went, okay?"

"…Fine. I'll mail the package and keep my mouth shut but you better spill the beans as soon as you can. I'm not joking about getting a bride's maid dress ready to go."

"I will, I promise. Thanks."

With that, he ended the call and started to head out. There was another thing he had to take care of before the Dance.

During their time getting the Dance ready, the topic of what they would be wearing to said Dance had come up. Team RWBY's attire was being handled by Weiss, who assured all that they would be amazing. Pyrrha had let slip that she had a dress from home prepared, and after some prodding, had shown off the garment. Everyone instantly knew that the red, sleeveless dress would look stunning on the Amazon.

Then it turned to the other members of JNPR, who belatedly realized that they didn't have formal dresswear of their own. Beacon was providing standard suits and dresses for the students, but it was a shame that they would have to dress like everyone else, with no unique flair.

The call home had taken care of Jaune's clothing so that left Ren and Nora. He wasn't going to let either of them go to the dance in drab clothes.

But on short notice, his options were limited. He would need to buy outfits and have them tailored to their sizes, which wouldn't be cheap. Though part of him hated himself for doing this, for Nora and Ren, he would take the plunge.

As he neared the dorm, instead of going into his team room, he knocked on Team RWBY's door. After receiving an affirmation, he opened the door and headed in.

The Xiao Long Sisters were all present, each on a bunk bed. Ruby was reading a comic book, Blake a novel while Yang was playing a game on her Scroll.

Weiss was sitting on the edge of her bed with a bundle of red fabric across her lap. She had a sewing needle in hand and Jaune realized that it was a dress for the dance, likely Ruby's, getting some final adjustments.

"Hey Jaune, what's up?"

The shared greeting from the four sisters brought Jaune back to why he was here. He closed the door, not wanting his team to overhear.

"I, ummmm, need some help with something. I…." Jaune hesitated, knowing that this wasn't something he could casually ask his friends, but it felt it was important. "I need to borrow some money."

If Weiss had dropped her needle, then everyone could have heard it. A sharp silence filled the room, with the Xiao Long Sisters all giving the knight side-long glares.

Finally, Weiss resumed her sewing, slowly.

"Now Jaune," she said, in the voice of a reprimanding teacher. "While I may possess a modest fortune, and have full plans to be the Queen Bitch of the Financial world, that doesn't mean I can be you or anyone else piggy bank to buy whatever you want…"

"It's for Ren and Nora," Jaune said.

"Okay, what do you need," Weiss's tone changed as she put down her needle and looked at Jaune directly.

Jaune was surprised by the sudden turnaround, but the reason was simple. Weiss and her sisters had no time for people who wanted money for frivolous things but were more than happy to lend a lien for a good cause. Doing something for his teammates and friends was a different matter and they were willing to hear him out.

Now, if it was still something pointless or selfish, they would still turn him down. Thankfully, when he explained the situation, they were all on board.

"Oh! Of course, we can help with that, I'm more than happy to pitch in to get a proper suit and dress for Ren and Nora," Weiss said the dress in her lap to the side and stood up. "You've come to the right place! I'm almost done with our outfits, so if you move fast, I can get Nora and Ren's done in time for the Dance."

"But seriously dude, you didn't need to scare us like that," Yang said, sitting up on her bed. "You just need to lead with that you wanted to do something nice for your team."

"Sorry about that. I only thought of this whole thing and decided that I had to do it just a little while ago, so didn't really think how best to approach this," Jaune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Still, I want to do this, and I don't care how much it's going to cost."

"It won't be costing us too much," Weiss said with a big grin. "Because I…have…COUPONS!"

The White Xiao Long then triumphantly pulled out an extra-large coupon from inside her jacket and held it up proudly.

Jaune was both surprised and confused by this.

"Whoa…I…didn't think fancy clothing stores gave out coupons…"

"They don't," Weiss said, smiley brightly. "I sort of bully the shopkeeper into giving me this. My bartering skills are second to none, and I could have bought out the whole store for pennies, so they gave me this to get me to leave. With it, we can get a suit and dress for a fraction of their cost."

"That's great! You really are something else, Weiss. Isn't that right?"

Jaune looked to the other Xiao Long Sisters, expecting either praise or wisecracks at their white-haired member. Instead, he saw that the three had dived under Blake's bed and were huddled together.

"Yang…she got the coupons again!" Ruby squeaked.

"I know…be strong little sister, be strong!" Yang replied, holding Ruby tightly.

Jaune could only blink at this reaction and turned to Weiss, the question written on his face.

"Oh, ignore them," Weiss said, waving her hand. "They're just being overly dramatic. Yes, there was a time a couple of years ago when I got into Extreme Couponing, but it wasn't all that terrible."

"The whole house was covered in coupons. There was nowhere to sit, nowhere to sleep without bargain deals being slammed into your face. It was a nightmare."

Ruby's voice was filled with pure horror, with Yang matched with her own.

"We had to cut so many of them, my hands cramped so badly I couldn't hold anything for almost a week."

"Oh, pish-posh! I didn't make you guys do anything that bad," Weiss retorted, again waving her hands.

Blake stuck her head out from under the bed, her eyes blazing.

"Bitch, you made me go dumpster diving for nearly expired coupons!"

"For the good of the family finances!" Weiss retorted. "It all would have been fine in the end…if the stores on Patch accepted large quantities of coupons…they don't, and I only found out when I tried to use them all."

Weiss rubbed her forehead for a moment before turning to Jaune.

"Just so you know, it was the store's fault for having so much flammable material so close to the cash registers. The whole place was safely evacuated, and all damages were paid out by the insurance company. No one was hurt and all those cats successfully regrew their fur afterwards, so overall, no harm no foul."

Again, Jaune could only stare blankly at yet another bizarre episode from the Xiao Long Family.

Weiss coughed into her hand.

"Anyway, let's get moving. If you move fast, we can get to the clothing store before they close. Then I can get to work immediately on adjusting them to fit Ren and Nora."

That brought Jaune back to the present situation.

"Okay, let's get going. Oh, and don't worry, I'll pay you back no matter what-"

He was interrupted by Weiss placing one finger against his lips.

"No."

The word said with firmness and finality. There was no discussion of him paying her back for this. In any other circumstance, she would have made him swear to reimburse her, both by legal signature and by blood oath, but this wasn't a time to be penny-pinching. This was a worthy cause for worthy people, and she was more than willing to do her part.

Surprised, Jaune accepted that monetary compensation was out of the question, but he still vowed to give back for her generosity.

The two friends then quickly left the room, hurrying to the shopping district before it closed. It was only several minutes later, when they were sure Weiss and her thrice-damned coupon were gone, that the other Xiao Long Sisters crawled out from under the bed.

Collecting themselves, they prepared an excuse for why Jaune and Weiss would be missing dinner that evening, that he needed some last-minute studying help that only Weiss could provide, and they wanted to focus without bothering anyone else.

They would do their part, in keeping Jaune's teammates occupied and unaware of the surprise coming their way.

This year's Dance was shaping up to be a night to remember.


That's it for this chapter, in time for the New Year. This wraps up this series of short vignettes, with the Dance coming up next.

The group has gotten some upgrades to their weapons, a mix of the canon upgrades they got in Volume 7 plus some original ones. I do have a plan for them to get further upgrades later down the line, so I'm open to suggestions.

The group gets to meet Pietro early in this story. I find Pietro one of the most reasonable and down-to-earth characters in the series. In my story, I've made him much more eccentric and more of a 'mad scientist', having it that Penny gets much of her eccentric personality from her father. I've also put in my own backstory for him and Penny, which will be explored more later on.

The second story is just a fun side story for Blake. While her being a thief is an important part of her character, her kleptomania is just a funny quirk I added. It hasn't been a big issue or anything that would be brought up frequently. Down the line, there may be something more but right now it is just a fun little addition to her character.

The last story is the main setup for the Dance, with Jaune preparing a big reveal for everyone.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading my story. Please leave a review or PM and tell me what you think.