Author's Notes

On the topic of some recent comments:

I've had two or three folks complain about how long-running and tedious the 'aura story arc' of Living The Dream has become. I hate to disappoint (as much as my very existence disappoints), but there isn't exactly an aura arc. That is the premise of the fic: that Jaune is desperately trying to get his aura unlocked in spite of the many challenges he faces. If you're expecting it to be unlocked early on and that's when the real hijinks begin, you might be sorely disappointed. Not trying to dissuade viewers, but based on the comments, it seems like I might've not made it clear enough.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!

Chapter 20 – You Give Love A Glad Name

In which Jaune Arc forgot to tag this as poly and also underage.

Jaune stepped through the ruined streets of the city, tears forming in his eyes as he looked about the wreckage. The charred remains of innocent men and women who had fallen in the chaos were just as common as the broken bits of rubble from the buildings that were torn asunder.

One corpse stood out to him in particular. There was no visible damage, but he could instantly tell upon seeing her still form that she would never be smiling again.

"Ruby! No!"

The mangled bodies of her teammates lay next to their leader, all four of them locking hands. Jaune knelt before her body and let loose an animal wail into the night sky.

"WHYYYY?"

He sensed the presence of the cloaked figure who stood before him before seeing it. "You won't get away with this, Roman."

"Oh, but I already have." Torchwick grinned manically. His head was the only exposed skin Jaune could make out, for the rest of his body was tightly wrapped up in his sable black robe. "The surgically precise airstrikes your Citron Commandos are launching from their C-Wing fighters may be able to hold off my minions, but those filthy Faunus are no match for me."

Jaune screamed and drew forth a massive sword from its sheath. The blade burned with unending flames, golden light flowing out of the gem encrusted pommel and crossguards to illuminate the grisly scene of carnage.

"But I am!" Jaune furiously shot back. The legendary blade, Crocexcalibur Mors, was his once more, and no man could face Jaune at his full might.

Torchwick scoffed. "You really think that, don't you?" He reached a hand down, gripped the seam of his cloak, and tore it off.

Beneath Torchwick's dark fabrics was a grotesque sight. Thick black veins ran across the length of his arms and legs, covering every inch of his limbs. Metal tubes fed from a glowing orb at the center of his chest, leading straight into pipes at the base of his neck. A wide assortment of spikes, both iron gray and Grimm-bone white, protruded from Roman's limbs like malformed tumors.

"Biomechanical armor, forged from the still-beating heart of a dying Crimson Wyvern by the Grimm Emperor, Grihm'ag'lrashi. I sold him my very soul in exchange for the power to subjugate my enemies, and you, Jaune, are at the top of that list. Know that the deaths of your friends were only the beginning of my cursed vengeance. You're going to pay for oil wrestling me into submission and making sweet, sweet love to Blake Belladonna right afterwards."

Despite the vile feelings Roman's wretched form inspired, Jaune still found it in himself to extend a hand of peace to the villain. "It's not too late, Roman. You can still come back from the darkness, if you're strong enough to resist its intoxicating pull like I did. We were brothers once. I don't want to kill you."

"No, Jaune. It is you who will die today." Roman's forked tongue licked his lips. "Behold, the hateful wrath of my Deathblight Grimm Overlord form!"

Jaune looked down once more upon the defiled corpses of Team RWBY, and a new emotion entered his body.

Rage.

"AAAAUUUUURRGGGHHH!"

Lemon-yellow aura flared up around Jaune, cracking the pavement beneath his feet. The destructive energy that his body exuded became too much, and his shirt tore away, revealing the rippling muscles beneath. Jaune's eyes turned blue, and his blond hair stood up in sharpened spikes.

Jaune placed his hands together and pulled them back. "KAME–"

"W-What?" Torchwick's smug demeanor instantly faded at the sight of Jaune's powerful physique and overwhelming physical transformation. "Impossible!"

"–HAME–"

"That form is just a myth!"

"–JAUUUUUNE!"

The powerful attack struck the center of Roman's biosynthetic Grimm heart, tearing away the weak layers of dark aura that guarded it.

"How can this be? The Grimm Emperor promised me invincible armor in exchange for my soul!"

"You never had a soul, Roman." Jaune pumped his arms forward with all his might, and the beam of light coming out of his fingertips tore through Roman's chest. "So I say this, Torchwick. The only place that you'll be roamin'…is the black pit of hell!"

The light grew in width, soon encompassing Roman's entire body. His armor melted away, and the gangly humanoid body, now decrepit and vulnerable, vaporized not long after.

Jaune fell to his knees once more, his energy spent. Looking down at Ruby's corpse, he shed a single tear and cradled the fallen huntress.

"It's finally over. I've beaten Torchwick…but at what cost?"

Jaune Arc will return in Juniper Destiny 4: A Light in the Arcness: A True Story

"I liked the visuals," said Jaune. "But the story was lackluster, especially when the dialogue tried to be serious. Like, if I made sweet, sweet love to Blake, why didn't I even respond to her dead body?"

"I'm just upset that I didn't show up," said Nora, crossing her arms in a pout as Jaune stole a kernel of popcorn from her half full bucket. He decided to not mention the fact that she hadn't shown up in the actual fight, so her not showing up in the movie adaptation wasn't very surprising. "And what was that about Blake and sweet, sweet lovemaking? Something you want to confess, boyfriend?"

"Not really, no. Overall…meh. I'm still looking forward to the Jaunfinity War Saga of the Juniper Cinematic Universe, though. I hear IRen Man 3 and Nora: Rag-Nora-k all lead up to it."

Jaune stood up to leave the theater, but Nora grabbed his arm before he could. "No, we have to stick around for the post credits scene! I hear it references JaundaVision."

"I didn't even watch that one."

"Yeah, but I did," whined Nora. "Get that cute butt of yours back in that soda-stained seat, Mister – I wanna see the end."

It wasn't soda. The part where Jaune had stormed Torchwick's volcano base to steal back Crocexcalibur Mors had been very frightening, and Jaune hadn't had a chance to pee before the movie.

The credits paused, and the screen faded to black.

Ozpin placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder as he wept into Ruby's torn cloak.

"It's going to be okay, Jaune," said the old man.

"How? I loved her with all my heart. How can it ever be okay again, sir?"

Ozpin lifted Jaune to his feet and pulled him into a deep embrace.

"Because your father's here for you, my son."

"Whoa," said Perry, one row behind them. "I did not see that coming."

"Neither did I," said Jaune. Because it's not real. I have a dad, and it's not Ozpin. He's still alive, and he's doing just fine in Ansel. I wrote him a letter a few days ago.

"They telegraphed it out a mile in advance. All those subtle references to Jaune being descended from the deposed king of Vale…" Nora shook her head with a grin. "I guessed it by the ten-minute mark."

The lights turned back on in the theater as the screen flickered out, and Jaune, Nora, and Perry walked out to the front lobby of the cinema. Perry had been invited to come along on their date by the both of them with mutual consensus, and his presence didn't feel disruptive or odd at all. Honestly, Jaune was more self-conscious about inviting them out to see a movie about himself.

Ren had also been invited…by Nora, without mutual consensus. Jaune would've agreed, had she asked.

Ren had declined.

"I didn't like the human savior narrative with the White Fang turning into the Citron Commandos just because Jaune told them to," said Perry. "Still, it was nice that they hired real Faunus rather than just dressin' up humans in cat ears…that's basically blakeface."

Jaune rolled his eyes and suppressed a snort. "Perry, I really did convince the Citron Commandos to come to Beacon. That's literally one of the only things that the movie got right."

"Yeah, suuuuuure. I'm sure you really did tame hordes of White Fang soldiers, and you also trained in the snowcapped mountains for five years to master inner peace before coming to Beacon, and you also swam through hot lava to retrieve your stolen magic sword."

"I wouldn't say tame," said Jaune. "More like…persuade. They all wanted to leave the White Fang, they just didn't know how. It was a mutually beneficial agreement."

The date was somewhere between an actual date and a team-building activity, and all three were perfectly comfortable with that. The majority of the time he'd spent building the connection that made him fall for Nora had been when all of Team Juniper was together, so Jaune didn't mind keeping the team together just this once, and she had said she didn't either. Eventually, they'd spend time together individually, but Jaune figured the upcoming prom two nights away would be perfect for that. For now, it was Team JNR's movie night.

Ren still participated as a part of Team Juniper, but it often seemed like he only even saw the boy when all four of them were together in class, at lunch, or about to go to sleep. It was still weird, for Jaune, seeing Nora be so close with her old semi-flame Ren, especially because both plainly talked about their hypothetical relationship right in front of him and Perry.

Still, his girlfriend was in a tough situation because of his actions, and he wasn't going to be the kind of guy who demanded she cut off all contact with men he hadn't preapproved. Jaune had hit on Weiss once and still regularly chatted with her as a part of Team RWBY. Nora had never even brought that up, so Jaune could be a man when it came to her conflicted feelings about Ren. As long as she didn't leave Jaune for Ren, it would all be fine.

And he was sure she wouldn't do that.

Mostly sure.

It was nice to go out into Vale and not have to worry about Roman Torchwick or the White Fang. This was the second time he'd had that luxury, the first having ended in a rather stressful encounter with a pro-huntress in which he'd lost Crocea Mors. Now that Roman was behind bars (and it was his actual body, not a fake one like last time), the White Fang seemed to have mostly pulled out of Vale and regrouped elsewhere. Thus, the city was now safe for Jaune to go out into without having to constantly peek over his shoulder in fear.

Dinner was next on the agenda. Jaune hadn't planned anything fancy-like, so there were no reservations. He had, however, looked up some of the best restaurants for lien-conscious dinner-goers to visit, and one called Vinny's was awfully highly rated. It was said to have a romantic atmosphere, which was also nice for a date.

I just hope Nora doesn't accidentally seduce or fall in love with Perry while we're there. That would absolutely destroy Team JNPR beyond repair…though she'd probably have enough punches on her punch card for a free sundae.

This place, Vinny's was apparently run by Vinny the Third, from a (three-person) long line of Vinny's who had some secret lasagna recipe passed down from generation to generation. Jaune was definitely looking forward to a night of carbs, cheese, and indulgence after all the energy this week had sapped out of him. No huntsman distractions for miles, just him, dinner, and his team.

"Hey, is that Team RWBY?" said Nora, pointing behind Jaune.

Of flippin' course it is.

"N-No," said Perry. "Nora, that's a brick wall."

"Is it?" Nora's head tilted slightly. "Ohhhhh, yeah, I totally see it now."

Jaune rotated around without taking his butt off the chair that he'd sat down in and peeked over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was no one behind Jaune in the distance between him and one of the restaurant's four walls. I guess I got lucky tonight.

He turned back to Nora, Perry, and a short, red-tipped brunette waving two tables down that caught his eye from behind them both.

Or not.

Fortunately, though, Ruby wasn't dressed in her combat gear, and Crescent Rose was nowhere to be seen. The young girl was wearing an expensive looking salmon-colored dress, which looked like it was about to tear in two from how violently her arm was flailing back and forth through the air to catch his attention. Her team wasn't with her, but seated across from her was…Weiss?

"Oh! That's not so bad," Jaune said aloud. If Ruby was out on a date, that meant she wasn't actively seeking him out in the name of recruiting him for some wacky, zany mission that 'only the Citron Champion' could handle. As long as she and her girlfriend were simply enjoying their own evening, Jaune saw no reason to ignore her.

"What's not so bad?" asked Perry.

"It's Ruby and Weiss."

"Ohohoho, I'm not falling for that one again. You rascals aren't gonna fool old man Perry into looking at a brick wall twice in one nigh–"

"HI YOU GUYS! IT'S ME, RUBY ROSE AND MY PARTNER, WEISS SCHNEE!"

Perry defeatedly sighed as Ruby dragged Weiss (along with two chairs and a bowl of some sort) away from her table and towards a welcoming Jaune. He and Nora scooched her own chairs to the side to make space for the newcomers. Once seated, Ruby set down the bowl, which Jaune realized was her table's breadsticks.

"They just keep giving me these garlic toast things, so I figured I'd share them with you all!" As if to demonstrate, she shoved two breadsticks into her mouth, swallowed them both whole, and waved down a waiter for more.

Jaune rolled his eyes brow furrowed. "Ruby, if you fill up on the unlimited breadsticks now, you won't have room for the main course.'"

"Unlimited?" Ruby's silver eyes began to glow, and Jaune realized he had unleashed a monster.

"Weiss, aren't you supposed to be the responsible one on Team RWBY?" he asked, hoping to obfuscate.

Weiss said nothing, blushing as she watched Ruby inhale the buttered bread. Jaune recalled the method by which Ruby had cowed Weiss into obedience (the dreaded Weisscident) and immediately regretted bringing her into the conversation.

"Look at you two – just a couple of friends having dinner," said Perry, grinning. "It's enough to warm the cockles of this old man's heart."

"Friendship goals for the win," agreed Nora. "Yeah!"

Jaune wasn't sure if Ruby and Weiss' relationship was supposed to be public knowledge or not, so he declined to comment on the two gal pals being 'good friends.' Instead, he tried to redirect the conversation to something he felt was less likely to yield a slip of the tongue on his part. "So, what did you ladies order for dinner?"

Ruby smiled pleasantly. "Tell the gentleman what you got, Weiss."

"S-Spaghetti, ma'am."

"Now tell him why."

Weiss meekly looked at her own knees. "B-Because spaghetti is straight until it gets wet."

"If you recommend it, maybe I should order some spaghetti too," said Perry, perusing the menu. "Love me some pasta."

"Is the Mostaccioli any good?" asked Nora, pointing to the image of the meat and noodle bake.

"I wouldn't know," answered Ruby. "Weiss and I have never tried sausage. We both prefer clams."

"I didn't know they served seafood at this place," said Nora.

"They don't," responded Ruby evenly.

Jaune set down his own menu. His appetite was gone, and it took a substantial amount of effort to not start dry heaving (because fifteen, not because lesbian). What I wouldn't give for Roman Torchwick to blow down the door in a paladin and launch into a declaration of vengeance right now…

Somehow, Perry and Nora had yet to pick up on the clues and still thought Ruby and Weiss were just a couple of pals, so that ruled out the possibility of a suicide pact with either one of them. Jaune had made a promise to Amber, so he wasn't allowed to intentionally kill himself anymore. Thus, his options were limited to bringing up another non sequitur and hoping that this line of conversation would be entirely dropped.

"Hey, Ruby, did you ever see Penny again? I think we owe her some thanks for getting the information on Mercury and Emerald to the Atlesian military so fast."

"We sure do," said Ruby. "That Penny – what a gal. Still, I wouldn't trade my dear Weiss here for anyone. There're so many things that only Weiss can do for me."

Weiss blushed at the complement.

"Wow, I bet you're right. Those Glyphs must be incredibly versatile in a fight," said Nora. "I think I'll have the lasagna. You said that's good, right Jaune?"

Jaune rubbed his eyes and stared at Nora as though she'd just told him Vacuo was a frostbitten arctic tundra. "You're kidding me. Please tell me that you're just intentionally trying to mess with my sanity, and you both aren't actually entirely ignorant of the world around you. Because I'd gladly welcoming being gaslit rather than breathe in more of this unfiltered cloud of toxic, weapons-grade ignorance."

Nora frowned and put down her menu. "There's no need for all that. You could've just said 'I don't think you should get the lasagna, Nora dear.'" She shook her head. "Such a drama queen."

I'm in hell. It's the only explanation. One of the paladin's bullets shot me, and now I'm in cringe hell.

"Well, it's been great catching up with you guys, but I think it's time Weiss and I grabbed some doggie bags for our leftovers and got into bed."

"Always good to catch a full eight hours of sleep before a school night," said Perry. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, kiddo."

"Say bye, Weiss!"

"B-Bye, everyone."

Nora eyed Weiss with wonder. "Wow, she's so disciplined. You must really be an inspiring team leader to have instilled such loyalty in your followers, Ruby."

"Well, disciplining Weiss comes easily to me. Like Jaune said, I just needed to show her who's really on top."

Jaune crossed his arms into a large X. "I said no such phrase. I plead the fifth."

"But I think you're right, Nora. Weiss has been getting a little sloppy, and I can't let that slide. She probably needs more discipline when we get home. You hear that Weiss? You're going to be panting like a dog and begging me for mercy before the end of tonight, mark my words."

Weiss' breathing intensified at the last statement.

"Sounds like someone's in for a few laps around the school," chucked Perry. The Faunus patted Jaune on the back. "Ol' Jauney-boy here's always putting us through the wringer with team training and exercise. I'm just glad to see that we're not the only ones doing workouts. Gotta build up those muscles if we're gonna be hunters, eh?"

"Sure, I guess," said Ruby. "Let me put it this way. Last time I was through with Weiss, she was so sore that she couldn't sit down properly for a month. And I think tonight's going to be even worse."

Weiss shuddered.

So did Jaune, but for a different reason.

"Sounds like you girls have a serious evening workout regime planned," said Jaune. "Well, we don't want to keep you. C'mon – off with you both, grab those leftovers and get going." S̶h̶o̶v̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶ Ushering the two girls back to their table, Jaune helped them quickly pack up their remaining food and leave out the front door of Vinny's. "Don't wait up for us! You best get going, bye!"

When they were gone, he sighed in relief and rejoined Team JNR just in time to give their entrée orders to the waiter.

"Joke's on Ruby," said Nora as the waiter left. "She left her breadsticks at our table!" She quickly shoved the largest loaf into her gaping piehole and began to gnaw on it.

"Nora, this place serves unlimited…never mind." Jaune paused. "Y-You two were just teasing them, right?"

"Teasing who?" said Perry.

"Guys, Ruby and Weiss are an item. I didn't know if it was safe to share, but after that ludicrous display, I think it's obvious that they aren't even trying to hide it."

"Diffpwae?" gurgled Nora through a mouthful of bread. "Hwaa diffpwae?"

"All those sexual innuendos? Spaghetti getting wet, not liking sausage…?"

"Jaune, we're in a restaurant that serves traditional noodle-based dishes," said Perry, sipping his ice water. "Get your mind out of the gutter. Ruby would never be so crude."

"Yeah, Jaune. Just cause you're hoping to get lucky with me doesn't mean you need to project your lewd fantasies onto Ruby." Disgust filled Nora's face. "She's fifteen, for Grimm's sake! Eurghghgh!" She gargled breadstick and spat a semi-digested lump of it onto her plate. "You're ruining my insatiable appetite for baked goods, you weirdy weirdo."

He rolled his eyes in response. "Believe what you will. Just never call me oblivious for not seeing the signs between you and –"

Jaune froze, not having meant to go as far as he did, but it was too late; the damage was already done. Nora immediately began to wilt, and Perry deeply exhaled as he set down his chilled beverage, massaging the bridge of his nose with his forefingers. Jaune tried to stutter out an apology, but he couldn't think of any words to properly express how sorry he was for bringing up the sticky situation between Ren and Nora.

"I – that wasn't – Nora, I didn't mean to –"

"It's fine, Jaune."

It wasn't. Her voice was curt. Clipped. Hurt.

Because of him.

"But I–"

"It's fine. Just drop it."

"…okay. Shall we just, I dunno, enjoy our dinner?"

Jaune looked to see if the waiter was bringing out their food, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Enjoy our breadsticks?"

He looked down to find that the bowl where infinite breadsticks were supposed to be was now filled with naught but crumbs. Nora guiltily burped.

"Uh, enjoy one another's company?"

Jaune, Nora, and Perry all looked down, unable to meet one another's eyes.

Nora sighed. "I miss Renny," she muttered under her breath. "I wish he was here."

Jaune's heart fell at her unintentional admission. Still, a part of him had always known that this had been the truth all along, and it was just a matter of whether or not she openly said it.

And now she has.

"Perry, could you give us –"

He was already out of his seat. "I'll meet you both at the dorm. Please, both of you, don't do say or do anything in the heat of the moment that you'll regret later."

Jaune felt bad for essentially kicking him out, but unless the Faunus were a sadist, he'd probably have excused himself at the earliest possible moment as soon as three became a crowd.

The waiter exited the kitchen door with their food, but the look on Jaune's face told him that it wouldn't hurt to heat up the lasagna for a little bit longer.

"Nora, I think it's time we face facts."

Jaune's soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend looked up. "Huh?"

"At this point, I think it's safe to say that regardless of how you feel about Ren, I'm not the person who's going to make you happy."

"What?" Nora sat up straight in an instant upon realizing where this was leading. "Wait, Jaune, don't –"

"We've only known one another for a few weeks. I thought it was enough time to ask you out on based on the connection we'd built, but with all the emotional turmoil that this relationship is bringing you and Ren and…and me, it clearly isn't."

"Jaune, Ren and I…we are through. We're just friends."

"It's not about Ren. Well, it is, but not like that. You don't want to date him, and that's fine – it's your choice who you date and no one else's – but you've clearly been in love with him for a long time. There's no way our fledgling relationship can survive in the wake of such a stressful break-up. Maybe we could try again later when we're more mature and the shadow of Ren doesn't loom as wide, but for now, I think it would be best if I rescind my offer to take you to the prom."

"N-No." Nora's voice cracked. "I want us to go together. I do, I really do!"

"Nora…"

He'd never before understood why people said breakups were supposed to be so difficult, but now he did. In the past, it had seemed so simple: just tell the other person you were through, shake hands, and move on with your lives. Now, faced with a teammate on the verge of tears, telling her the truth sounded more difficult than climbing from Mantle to Atlas without any rope.

"…I don't."

He couldn't stand to be here any longer. Jaune placed enough lien to cover the three meals with a substantial tip onto the table, stood up, and made for the door. Putting as much distance between him and Nora in as short a time as possible, he couldn't hear her response over the ambient chatter of the other restauranters. She may have been stunned in silence, angrily cursing him out, or blubbering like a baby, and he wouldn't know.

On the way out, a strange sight met his eyes. Neopolitan, the enforcer of Roman Torchwick who he'd met that fateful day in Vale, sat in a booth near the edge of the room. There was a half-eaten meatball grinder sandwich on her table, and judging from the way she was picking off pieces of it and scarfing them down, it would soon be a quarter-eaten meatball grinder sandwich. Her gaze was glued to her scroll, where some sort of sporting event seemed to be playing out, but she managed to look up and see him before he left.

The pair exchanged a polite nod. Neo bit into the remaining half of her hoagie, and Jaune walked out the front door to the miserably world of singleness.

Miles away from Jaune, Ozpin peered out through his office's wide window over the cityscape below and let out a sigh.

"Why must you see every situation as though it is a war to be fought, General?"

The cybernetically enhanced military man before him tensed up. It was unpleasant that he felt the need to do so, but Ozpin could why. Three hunters stood in his presence, and two hunters stood on his side of the desk. Ozpin was proud that he had inspired such great loyalty in Qrow and Glynda that they would choose to take his side no matter the circumstances, but he was chagrined to no end that the placement of the personnel in his inner circle made James feel like he was their enemy, not their most radical ally.

"And why must you treat every battle like it can be avoid with a wave of your hand and some wishful thinking?" fired back Ironwood. "Sending children to Mountain Glenn – have you gone daft?"

"Until we fully understand the situation, we may be playing right into her hands, James." Glynda folded her arms angrily. "If a team of first years were able to ascertain the location of this White Fang base, I wonder if it was not intentional for such knowledge to trickle down to us through them."

"And yet you intend to send that same team of first years into the firefight? With no backup?"

"Doctor Oobleck–"

"–doesn't even know what is going on!" Ozpin gestured to the as-of-yet silent huntsman who was currently glaring daggers back at him. "Why isn't Qrow being dispatched? I had assumed that this was the very mission for which he was recalled early."

"Because her agents will know his face," Ozpin said gently. "If we spook them, they may lash out. We do not know what their plan is yet–"

"–and we're just going to let it unfold. I see. Flawless logic."

Goodwitch fiddled with her glasses and stepped around Ozpin's desk to address the general directly when she spoke to him. "Team RWBY is among the most competent of first years teams we've had in decades. The training mission provides them with a legitimate reason for being in Mountain Glenn in the first place. This, compounded with their skill, makes them perfectly suited for the mission."

"We are sending four children and one huntsman who hasn't even seen the field in recent memory against the bulk of the White Fang." Ironwood did not back down against Goodwitch's steely gaze. "Mark my words – expect body bags."

"And what would you have us do?" asked Ozpin, rising abruptly. "Send your battleships? Start a panic? Declare war against an enemy the world is as of yet unaware of?"

"Those battleships are not for show, old friend. I brought them here to defend our people, and I fully intend to do so. As for panic, I fail to see how anyone will even know if we lay siege to an isolated city that's a mountain range away from Vale. I can simply tell the citizenry that we are conducting a military exercise. We've performed three routine practice drills since coming to Vale. No eyes would be batted when we declare a fourth. Should we storm the desolated city in search of Faunus insurgents or even carpet bomb the thrice-damned place to the ground from afar, there is no risk of a panic."

Ozpin's eyebrows raised. "When you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag-bearers or the scouts?"

Ironwood stared back at him incredulously. "Oz, do you even know what the word 'scout' means? We already have actionable intelligence that there is a target there."

"The word of children."

"Again, children that you trust enough to weaponize for this very same mission. Headmaster, suppose we send in your four girls, and they–"

"And the doctor."

Ironwood's jaw clenched. "And Oobleck. If they find the White Fang, what will they do? Arrest them all? Foil her plans by themselves? As far as I can tell, there are only two realistic outcomes. One: the four of them and Oobleck have to call for reinforcements upon confirming that there are White Fang agents on the premises. Two: the White Fang aren't there. Either way, it costs us little to send said reinforcements in the first wave with your Team RWBY, and we stand to benefit greatly."

"Not every solution requires a triumphant display of military bravado," seethed Glynda. "I swear, James, you treat every situation like it's a contest of measuring –"

"Glynda." Ozpin raised a hand, and his subordinate quieted. "General, I cannot condone the use of excessive force when we have yet to even verify that –"

Ironwood cut him off in the midst of his deputy being cut off, pulling his radio off his belt and speaking into it. "Lieutenant Colonel Harper, please have take half the fleet to Mountain Glenn. Carpet bomb the city. Scan for signs of life and eliminate with extreme prejudice. Ironwood out."

Ozpin was on his feet instantly. "General, you are out of line. Vale's council will not stand for this."

"For what? My fleet performing a routine military exercise on the empty ruins of a city far beyond the borders of any civilized society in the kingdom?"

Goodwitch marched up to the general and waved a finger in his face. "Call them off right this instant, or there will be hell to pay for this little stunt of yours."

Ironwood gripped his radio in his mechanical hand and squeezed. The small, portable device cracked in two under the force of his synthetically augmented strength.

"There." He threw the broken device towards a nearby trash can that caught most of the pieces, then brushed his hand on his coat. "Now, Vale to Mountain Glenn should take no more than forty minutes by Atlesian battleship, as the crow flies. Assuming their mission lasts roughly two hours, we should have a full report by the end of the night."

Ozpin sat back down. "I suppose we shall. Qrow, would you please escort the general out of my office? It appears he's overstayed his welcome."

"Have I? Let me quote a statistic that might interest you: two. That's the number of terrorists who infiltrated your school and were only apprehended because one of my cadets became aware of their wrongdoings and reported it. Black and Sustrai are now behind bars, awaiting trial, all because of Atlesian personnel I brought to this kingdom."

Ironwood hadn't been planning to use those two as a point of offense against Ozpin, but he hadn't been expecting his old friend to ignore a problem when he knew that it was right there in front of him. The two members of Team Chimney were suspected to be her infiltrators, sent to finish the job they'd started with Amber and perform other subtle acts of violence to destabilize the kingdom. He only regretted that he hadn't been able to stop them before they had completed their first goal. Still, Penny's ability to uncover their conspiracy was commendable. Despite the media insisting on crediting some Valean folk hero, Ironwood knew who was truly responsible.

Black may have been the world-renowned assassin's son, but Sustrai's age made her the more notable of the two. Her fighting skill was impressive, and the general had to wonder if she was a potential maiden candidate. Their teammate, Mint Chocula, had disappeared some days earlier, leading James to suspect that she was also somehow involved in an undisclosed manner.

Miss Cinder Fall, however, had simply been a gem. Upon learning that her teammates were on the wrong side of the law, she hadn't hesitated to provide the authorities with any information she could to aid their investigation. Her compliance had been most appreciated, most welcome…most deflecting.

The general hadn't gotten to where he was by being a fool. When three eggs in the basket were rotten, you kept your eye on the fourth. Specialist Team CUPR had been assigned to keep tabs on her whereabouts without drawing too much attention to themselves. Still, without any evidence against her, doing anything more actually would be overstepping his role as a visiting dignitary. Unlike Mint, she hadn't yet disappeared into a poof of smoke, which spoke to her innocence.

His rapport with Ozpin had taken a hit today, but he knew that this was the right thing to do. His fellow headmaster was a good man, but James saw the whole 'more mistakes than anyone else' bit for what it was – Ozpin speaking as though he were now past that, somehow having learned from the past to the point that he had grown beyond making mistakes. When the long term was on the order of centuries, one would inevitably lose touch with how to address matters related to the short term.

Mountain Glenn was a ticking time bomb, one that Ozpin could see, hear, smell, and touch, but he would wait for verification that he could taste it as well before acting. The unflinching loyalty of Glynda and Qrow was admirable, but they worshipped the man like a hero to the point that it compromised their objectivity. James liked to think that they all served their purposes, and his own was providing a contrary perspective. He wasn't Ozpin's yes-man; he was a different point of view to counter the others when they became too shortsighted.

"You'll see," he whispered to himself as Qrow led him out to the bottom of the elevator. "This was the right choice, old friend. You'll see."

"Mission accomplished, General," said the lieutenant colonel. "We blew them all up."

Ozpin's jaw dropped. "Wha– how?"

"The White Fang had an underground base beneath the city, so we exploded the entire thing from space. Some tried to escape through a subway tunnel using a train, so we just caved the tunnel in further ahead, and the train crashed. I'm pleased to report that they all died violently."

"Excellent work. Dismissed." Ironwood saluted the woman, and she departed. To Ozpin, who had also requested to be present at the mission debriefing, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you convinced?"

"Wow, I guess violence truly was the answer. Why did I ever want to send four teenagers to stop all the terrorists?"

"It really was stupid of you. We definitively knew the White Fang was there, so that whole thing you said about 'sending in scouts' doesn't make any sense whatsoever. My brain still is internally swelling in pain from ever having heard it in the first place."

"Apologies, old friend." Ozpin cringed. "Anyhow, thank you for taking care of this and fixing all our problems, General."

Ironwood nodded and placed a conciliatory hand on Ozpin's shoulder. "Overwhelming force tends to work wonders in situations like this. It's like the old adage: when all you have is a hammer, you can smash whatever you want. Who's gonna tell you not to? You're the one with the hammer."

tl;dr Jaunora doesn't sound as good as Renora

Omake

Yang: Hey, Rubes!

Ruby: What's up?

Yang: I found this dog collar on your desk. Is dad sending us Zwei for a bit?

Weiss: No.

Next Chapter: Speak Up And Dance

In which Jaune Arc learns more about his partner and himself.

Author's Notes

So that's how Neo didn't die to Raven. She was too busy with a subway sandwich to be bothered by a subway train.

Only one question remains: does Roman's biomechanical Grimm armor harden in response to physical trauma?

I find it funny that Ozpin is all 'We need to be cautious' even though Ruby's literally told him the White Fang are there. Ironwood's like 'Blow it up' but Ozpin sends Team RWBY to confirm a second time, and then the moral of the story is Ironwood was right all along, but they act like he was just waving his penis around even though he literally saved Vale from falling. I also wanted to have some non-Jaune comedy.

Yeah, RIP Arcora or whatever I called it before. Some relationships just don't have what it takes to survive in harsher times, and it's no fault of the people within. At least Jaune and Nora could be mature about it. Sucks to be Ren, though – the girl he was in love with gets with another guy, only to be dumped because she was in love with him. Man, it also sucks to be Nora. Actually, it just sucks.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!