Chapter 28 – Vacations All We Ever Wanted

In which Jaune Arc plans a relaxing spa day and nothing else.

"What's the damage?" asked Jaune.

He'd heard about the incident, though he hadn't been expecting a summon from the headmaster of Beacon. It was obvious why – he'd been the one to assure Ozpin that everyone would go well with the White Fang recruits turned Citron Commandos, and so it fell on him to take responsibility when things were going less than well.

"We were able to…" Ozpin placed his weary face into his palm. "…to cover it up. No one else was hurt."

"Do you know why?" Jaune asked.

"No," said Ozpin. "No note was left. An investigation is underway to uncover the reason."

"He never seemed like the type…although I bet everyone says that. If you want my opinion on this, I'm afraid I don't have one. Mike always struck me as a well-adjusted, friendly guy. He was one of the first four to throw down his weapons when I offered him a spot at Beacon, and he always was so happy to be here. I'm sorry, sir."

"I didn't expect you to have an answer, Mr. Arc. I merely wished to see if you knew anything that could be useful to the investigation. I'd advise you visit the Citron Commando barracks as soon as possible. It would be good for morale."

Jaune nodded. "I've already scheduled regular check-ups."

"In spite of our past…inability to see eye to eye, I wish to assure you that this wasn't your fault, Jaune." Ozpin stood up, moved around the desk, and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "If you ever need anything, the school counselor is available to all students, and I do believe he has an availability this –"

"That's okay, sir." Jaune gingerly removed the hand before standing up. "After visiting the boys, I'm going to go into Beacon to cool off with my team. We've got a spa-day booked."

"I'm glad to hear it. Do remember that Professor Port's essay is due in less than two da–"

"It's already written, sir."

Ozpin smiled and dismissed Jaune to the elevator. "I believe you already know the code."

Good thing he reminded me, thought Jaune as the elevator took him down to the ground floor. I really should get started on that essay.

"Jaun-O."

"Guys."

It wasn't a bright exclamation of greeting that usually was mutually shared between Jaune and Team TMNT, but rather an acknowledgement of one another's presence. Today was no day for joy. The hugs they exchanged were merely for reassurance in this tough time.

"You all know my girlfriend Nora, right?"

"Pleased to meet'cha, Miss Nora." Big Leo offered her a hand, only to wince when her grip was clearly far stronger than he'd expected. "Yeesh. You got a nice squeeze, ma'am."

"Why, thank you. I'm sorry to hear about your teammate."

Don and Ralphie made some sort of religious gesture that some Faunus tended to do when discussing the recently departed. Jaune had never really understood the religion of the Faunus. I really should have paid more attention to these guys. I might have seen the signs and prevented this.

"Thanks for coming," said Don. "It means a lot to us."

"Will there be a service?" said Jaune.

"Not until they're done looking into this," said Big Leo. "We'll keep you updated. You comin'?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. Nora, do you mind if I talk to Big Leo alone? Perhaps you could catch the dynamic duo up on some of Team Juniper's recent exploits."

"I was rather curious about the whole ruckus at the dance," said Ralphie. "News on that one's kinda sparse."

"Oh, that was how Jaune and I got together…"

Nora's voice trailed off as Big Leo took Jaune to a more private portion of the Citron Commando barracks. The place was crawling with familiar faces, but Jaune was hoping to get a little privacy before asking Big Leo about the specifics. Given their true identities as former White Fang members, the all-Faunus division of Beacon was essentially on perpetual probation, so any incidents could potentially upset the delicate balance, even if none of the Faunus had harmed anyone. As such, news that Mike's death had been intentionally was strictly under wraps. As far as the students knew, Mike had just gotten sick and passed, not stolen a second year's Dust pistol and blown his own face off. The population of Vale wasn't even aware yet.

"I think I know the answer to your first question," said Big Leo, when they were finally alone.

"My first question is actually if you guys are okay. But I think I know the answer to that as well."

Big Leo winced. "It was sudden. We were sparring with another team, and…those poor kids are probably traumatized for life." He shook himself out of it. "But we're…we're hanging in there."

"You said you might know why?"

The Faunus' face grew dour. "I did. Jaun-o, you have to promise me that this stays between the two of us. No cops, no professors, none of that."

"Leo…"

"This is the kind of thing that could start a race riot. There may not be a whole lot of real Fang presence in Vale after Mountain Glenn was blown sky high, but there sure is a whole lot of tension between the two species that never really went away."

Jaune couldn't promise him complete silence, but that didn't mean there was nothing he could promise him. "Ozpin will need to know. He's the only one besides you and me who knows the truth."

"Fine."

The current belief among the White Fang was that Jaune was secretly Ozpin's enforcer of some sort, so Big Leo didn't put up too much of a fight. He and the Citron Commandos trusted Jaune, so they trusted the headmaster by extension.

"There's a fellow goin' around. Faunus. He killed Mike's entire family – mom, pop, sister, even his kid-brother."

Jaune put a hand to his mouth to suppress a gasp.

"I tried to call 'em up to let 'em know their son had…but they didn't pick up. I rang up an old friend from my rougher days what lived across the street, and he told me 'bout Mike's folks. Apparently, this guy's been busy getting his hands bloody. Can't tell you any face features or identifying tattoos or nothing, but I do know that this guy's a real sicko. Plays around with the dead bodies."

"Plays around…?" Jaune turned green as he thought of Mike's family, his young brother being…unngggh.

"Not like that. I'm talking…he cuts words into their skin. I assume it's a he, but I guess it could just as well be a she. No one knows."

"What words?" asked Jaune, digging for a clue. He wasn't going to play detective, but he had a feeling that this testimony wasn't going to be freely shared with any law enforcement, meaning that it was up to Jaune to get the specifics and relay them to Ozpin.

Big Leo bit his lip.

"What words?" Jaune repeated. "There might be a way to use it to identify their culprit if we…if I know what he's writing."

"It's actually only ever been two words, according to my contact. Really, just the letters that spell out two words, all across the body in no particular order."

"And what are the words that they spell?"

"Jaune Arc."

"You sure?" asked Perry, skeptical. "You've been going on and on about how much you need this vacation for ages."

"Perry, not now." Nora sat next to their leader on his bed and looked him in the eyes. "Would you like me to stay behind with you?"

"No, you go ahead. You deserve this. All of you. It's just a bit too soon for me." He flashed his girlfriend a weak smile and pecked her on the cheek. "You guys enjoy yourselves."

"I'm not sure I wanna go if you're just going to be here alone and depressed by yourself," said Perry.

Jaune nearly chuckled at that. "Oh, I'm not going to be sitting around. I have some work to do, and I'm not talking about Port's essay."

It had felt like he needed to take a break and destress for a long, long time. Ever since engaging Cinder at the prom, his life had been a downward spiral into worsening and worsening problems – meeting Raven, nearly getting iced by Hazel, fighting with his team, damaging his relationship with Ruby. It had seemed like he just needed to take a break from it all.

This business with Mike had taught him something. His problems – the alleged people out there who were sworn to ruin everything he held dear – weren't going to take a break, and neither could he. Honestly, he no longer even wanted to. Right now, the only thing he wanted to do was find this guy and fix this.

Taking a vacation wasn't the solution. The solution was to start proactively fighting his battles. No more waiting for them to come to him – only once he had brought down this Faunus killer of Faunus could he even think about relaxing. Jaune was going to deal with this.

"Amber?"

"Yes, Jaune."

The way they had to playact was so annoying, but Jaune bit back his cringe and recited his lines.

"We're all gathered. Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Qrow are in the room. You're on speaker, and I've enabled the camera."

It was a daring maneuver, but Amber had agreed. She too had heard of the savagery that had driven Mike to suicide, and she w̶h̶o̶l̶e̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶e̶d̶l̶y̶ ̶wholeCPUdly agreed that they needed to bring this psycho in, and that they would need help to do so. As long as it was just 'Amber phoning in from her remote location,' it technically wasn't a risk. Jaune just hoped that Ozpin would buy their crap and focus more on the crime that needed stopping rather than recovering his absent ex-maiden.

She doesn't even have magic anymore. To him, she's just a curiosity to be studied, one whose capture is a low priority. I hope.

Jaune cleared his throat. "Before we get started, I just want to –"

"Why are you even here?"

"Qrow!"

The scruffy-looking huntsman shrugged. "Oz, I'm serious. Are we just letting anyone into our meetings now? This kid ain't involved in jack, and yet here he is, calling us to convene like he owes the place. Just cuz he's some flashypants celebrity doesn't mean he's earned a spot at the table."

"I dunno," said Jaune. "I felt pretty involved when you tailed me for three hours, birdbrain."

"Enough," said Goodwitch, as Qrow's face stretched in shock. "Please set aside your petty squabbles and focus on the matter at hand. Mr. Arc is here because, whether we like it or not, he has been given a written invitation by the killer. His insight may be necessary."

"He also is our only way to reach Amber," said Ozpin. "And I know that you trust her, Qrow."

Jaune raised a finger. "That's what I was gonna say – I'm not going to give you anything about on her whereabouts, so don't even try."

That only deepened the scowl on Qrow's face, but Ozpin pushed on with the conversation regardless of his subordinate's misgivings. "I've contacted the police," he said. "There have been four similar murders involving the letters in your name being carved into the victim's bodies in random locations. It happened in different districts, so the police never tied the cases together."

"All Faunus?" asked Jaune.

"No. In fact, no connections whatsoever, aside from 'J-A-U-N-E-A-R-C' being inscribed on the victims. None of the others have had a direct relation to the you or the Citron Commandos, so it never came to our attention." Ozpin handed them all copies of the list. "These are the compiled police files.

Jaune flicked through the pages.

Victim Name: Calla Laghura

Victim Name: Vincenzo Giallo

Victim Name: Marianna M'Pagne

Victim Name: Art Loukos

The names made his heart stop. He hadn't been expecting it to be so…so…

Blatant.

"By the gods," Jaune whispered. "They're all…"

"What was that?" asked Qrow. "You say sumthin', kid?"

"They're calling me out," answered Jaune.

"These are random people, kid." The huntsman looked at Jaune in annoyance. "Just cause the letters to spell 'Cajun Ear' are on their bodies don't mean–"

"They aren't random. I know every single one of them."

Ozpin and Goodwitch looked up at Jaune in alarm.

"How so?"

Jaune pointed to the top page. "The first girl has Perry's Faunus family's last name, the ones who cut him off. I'd wager she's got some distant relation to him, maybe a cousin or aunt. Based on the age or the third lady, her last name, and how much she looks like my partner, I'd bet dollars to Dust that it's his mother. Vinny was the restaurant owner I took Nora out to on our first date. Mr. Loukos sold me the weapons that I used to fight Cinder and Hazel from his shop down in the city. Adding in Mike being driven to suicide by the slaughter and mutilation of his family, the answer is clear. Headmaster, you didn't even recognize one of these four people and how they're tied to me. They aren't just trying to get my attention. Whoever did this is trying to get my attention in a way that only I will see. This is a challenge."

"Some challenge," muttered Qrow. "They could've at least carved an address if they wanted to –"

He ate a stapler from Ozpin's desk before he could finish. Jaune wasn't in the mood for his sardonic humor right now.

"My friend is dead, and his family too."

"I…sorry. Didn't mean to step on any toes."

"Qrow is right, though," noted Professor Goodwitch. "If they are indeed trying to draw you out for the purpose of engaging you, then they would have left some means of finding them. Perhaps their intentions are elsewhere."

Or maybe the means of finding them are also meant to be visible only to me.

Jaune considered it. He'd met Mike in the docks close to where the Faunus' family had died, but Vinny's was in the uptown part of Vale, as was Mr. Loukos' weapons shop. Perry's family had been from two entirely different districts, both closer to the center of the city. All those people were killed in different spots, with seemingly no relation other than the fact that they tied to Jaune.

That they're tied to me…

His name had been carved into all of the victims. Perhaps…Perhaps this wasn't meant to lead Jaune to a specific location for a showdown, but was instead a declaration of war against Jaune himself.

But who would want to kill me?

The list was long, but nearly all of those people were locked away in jail or dead and buried in Vacuo. Cinder, Roman, Hazel – none of those three, certainly.

Raven's tribe? They were supposed to be miles away, unaware that she was even dead.

Cardin? It seemed like whatever crazy trip he'd been on in that rocket locker had redeemed him, and even if it hadn't, this kind of violence seemed beyond him.

Who else do I know that I've wronged?

The attack on the CCT, the smuggled-in paladin raging through the streets, his first mission…one name tying them all together came to his mind.

Jaune cleared his throat, garnering the attention of the three adults in the top room of the tower with him.

"Tell me about Salem."

A queen of the Grimm existed.

A queen of the Grimm existed, and he'd pissed her off.

A queen of the Grimm existed, and he'd pissed her off, and she was now targeting his friends to get to him.

"Please stay calm, Mr. Arc," said Professor Goodwitch, handing Jaune a paper bag into which he could hyperventilate. "Salem has almost always worked through minions. Given that she is down to Tyrian Callows, who is most likely our culprit, I find it extremely unlikely that she would venture to Vale to attack you in person."

"Whenever she'd been deprived of allies in the past, she typically holes up in her fortress to lick her wounds and regain her strength," explained Ozpin. "If Callows is brought down, I suspect you will be safe."

Great. So all I need to do is catch or kill the most dangerous Faunus to have ever walked the face of Remnant, and I'll be alright.

Of course, he didn't have to personally do it, but Jaune had a feeling that Tyrian wasn't going to show himself to just anyone. After all, it wasn't Ozpin's initials carved into Ozpin's friends.

"Breathe, Jaune," commanded Amber. "In and out. In and out. I got'chu. We'll take care of this. There's no need to panic."

Who would be next? Nora and Ren had no family to indirectly target, but Jaune certainly did. Would his father be next? His team? His sisters?

"Oh gods," groaned Jaune. "Please, not them."

"Not who?"

"My family. Please, please, no."

"Correct me if I am wrong, but they are in Ansel, no?" said Ozpin. "Tyrian seems to be in Vale. I highly doubt that he would venture beyond the walls of the city to a settlement miles from here just to target your relatives."

"It's not worth the risk. I want them in Beacon."

"Eh…Mr. Arc, I cannot simply –"

"Yes, you can," said Amber, pointedly. "You own this school, and you own this entire city, even though you don't let it look like you do. Get them on an airship, and get them here stat. Say they're visiting Jaune for the Vytal Festival. You can easily make it happen."

"Very well. However, our top priority should be locating Tyrian Callows at once."

"Send me into Vale," offered Jaune. "He's after me."

"And he'll kill you." Ozpin wasted no time in shooting down that idea. "Not even Hazel Rainart was as lethal in single combat as Callows."

"Set up a trap," Jaune suggested. He was surrounded by the best of the best in the best kingdom; if he couldn't take on Tyrian, they certainly should be able to. "Have Qrow or Miss Goodwitch hiding nearby – I don't know who, anyone it'll take to bring him to justice."

"Tyrian is a master of assassination. We could not reasonably hope to disguise or hide ourselves suitably to avoid his attentions."

Jaune looked back at the list of victims, his eyes flicking through the names.

"I…think I might know a way around that."

"Glad you could join us," said Perry. "This spa day really…uh…hits the spa…t?"

"Don't overdo it, Perry," said Jaune. "We're just trying to relax."

They, of course, knew what was actually happening. Jaune had met up with the three others in Vale after he'd quickly thrown together the plan. It had been hastily concocted so Jaune could make it to the spa appointment on time, but it was sound. Velvet was let in on the ruse and had intentionally posted to social media some velveteen nonsense about 'the Citron Champion seeking concubines in a Valean pleasure house,' so his presence was known to all of Vale.

Tyrian would see him coming a mile away, but he wouldn't see it as a trap. Due to Ozpin's covering up of Mike's suicide, the scorpion would be entirely unaware that Mike was even dead. For all he knew, Jaune could have been oblivious to the fact that his letters were being cut out of people's skin, and he was just enjoying a relaxing day off. And if somehow he knew Jaune was planning for him to attack, he still wouldn't see the defenses Jaune and Ozpin had set up. Either way, Jaune was in Vale where Tyrian wanted him, and there was no way he would decline this opportunity after everything he'd done to lure Jaune out into the open city.

"I don't understand how people can enjoy this sort of thing," said Nora, cucumbers covering her eyes. "This is not relaxing in the slightest. And I abhor the waste of such vital crops for cosmetic purposes. People in remote villages are starving, and I'm forced to cover my eyes with these perfectly good vegetables."

"Different individuals have different preferences," said Ren. "For me, I truly find this most calming."

Nora frowned. "How you can say that with a straight face, I shall never know."

"Yeah, I'm not really feelin' it either," said Perry.

"If it makes you feel better, you can eat the cucumbers, Nora." Jaune pecked her on the cheek with a smirk. "No one's stopping you."

Her grimace only deepened.

"C'mon, babe. Don't be like that."

Perry chuckled. "Oh, I take it all back. This is fun."

The four of them made it through the facial treatments, the baths, and now the sauna room without incident, and for a second, Jaune briefly worried that he wasn't sufficient bait. There was no incident, no strike against Jaune or the others, and it seemed as though the relaxing spa day would not turn into a violent brawl against a serial killer.

How messed up is it that I'm actually hoping this vacation's going to be interrupted and turn into another crazy battle.

Their last hope of Tyrian making a play was in the massage rooms. Jaune, Ren, Perry, and Nora were instructed by the first masseuse to lie face down on the beds and wait for the rest of the masseuses and masseurs to enter.

"This is the last event of the day, right?" he asked.

"Precisely," said Ren. "After this, we shall return to Beacon."

"This whole event was a colossal waste of time," said Nora.

"Lemme guess – you're worried your boytoy is going to get a happy ending at the hands of some pretty girl masseur," said Perry.

"Technically, a female massage specialist is a masseuse, not a masseur," pointed out Ren. All three faces stared at him. "What? I spent many years in Mistral during a time period when bath house culture was prevalent. Do not chide me for being educated."

"Course you could turn this into some pedantic lecture 'bout the value of school," said Perry.

The door opened, and Jaune's eyes shot to the people entering.

None of them had scorpion tales.

Rats, he mentally cursed. Are we going to have to do this tomorrow? But it wouldn't be any more likely that Tyrian would come after me then than today. Maybe I really was wrong about him wanting to come after me.

Jaune was so stressed about the scorpion Faunus blasting through the windows and impaling him on one of the decorative bamboo shoots lining the spa that he couldn't even enjoy his massage. He knew his back was being watched at all times, but the three people watching it didn't know that he lacked aura. His only chance was that Nora's reflexes were faster than Tyrian's.

It was dangerous, coming out here without armor or his sword, but he was willing to take that risk. Innocent people were already dead because he'd picked a fight with Salem, and as scared as the thought of her made him, he refused to let this drag out any longer. This wasn't like Hazel, where he'd thought himself immortal and forgot that he could actually be hurt. Here, he was willing to die if it protected his friends.

When the massage ended, Jaune forlornly approached the counter of the spa facility to pay. A friendly-looking gentleman with a thin head and pierced ears greeted him at the register.

"Did you enjoy your stay with us?" he said, smiling chipperly.

"That's…That's him," said Perry.

"As a matter of…" Jaune turned back to Perry. "What was that?"

"That's Tyrian," said Ren. "Jaune–"

A scorpion stinger shot out from the receptionist's pants and would have pierced Jaune's heart if not for Nora's hand reaching out and telepathically holding it back.

"Qrow! Now!" she screamed.

The three of them weren't armed, but they were still professional hunters. Perry tackled Tyrian to the ground and began to wail on him furiously, punching his face over and over again, while Nora focused solely on restraining that venomous tail of his. Ren pulled Jaune away from the fight and stood between the scorpion and his target, just in case.

Jaune had thought that the numbers would give them an advantage, and they did, but it clearly wasn't enough. Perry seemed to be a talented hand-to-hand fighter, but Tyrian was faster. Driving his knee up into Perry's armpit, he flipped him over and slammed him into the floor. The illusion shattered, and Qrow's face replaced Jaune's partner's.

"Ah, Qrow Branwen. A real –"

Ren slammed the cash register over Tyrian's head, showering both him and Qrow in lien chips as the metallic machine ruptured. Tyrian tried to flip himself over with his stinger, but Nora was mentally holding it with both hands, and it was clear her grip was stronger than Tyrian's wiggling. The tip of his tail flopped around violently, but the portion of it that was held was going nowhere.

"I see, I see. Crafty, clever, are we? But our beloved Tyrian is no–"

Qrow kicked him from the floor, pushing him into Ren, who used a blast of vibrant green magic (apparently, he had powers similar to the maidens – Jaune wasn't really sure why, but didn't press the issue) to ripple against Tyrian's aura.

Unfortunately, it also sent Tyrian flying towards the back wall of the reception area. The Faunus kicked a window and caught a shard of broken glass on his boot. He backflipped and kicked out his leg, sending the shard shooting through the air straight at Jaune.

Nora saved him, catching it midair with her semblance, but the split second it took for her to focus on the glass was enough for Tyrian to leap out the open window and use his tail to swing himself upwards on the top of the windowsill towards the roof of the building.

"After him!" cried Qrow. He dove straight through the hole, and Nora used her semblance to launch him straight up and out of sight. She and Ren were after the two of them in a moment.

Jaune chased after them but stopped when he got to the window. He looked out of it to see no sign of the four hunters and decided against trying to follow them. Unarmed as he was, the best thing he could do to help them was just stay out of the way and root from the sidelines.

So what now?

He could stick around and wait for the others to come back, but it was likely that they would have to restrain Tyrian and take him to a secure holding location before they would have the chance. Plus, if Tyrian decided to double back around, he'd be a sitting duck.

His best bet was probably to go back to Beacon and inform his team and Amber of the mission's semi-success. Tyrian wasn't captive yet, but Jaune doubted that he'd be able to win a three-on-one fight against the best hunters that Beacon had to offer. It was unlikely he'd be able to flee either, since Qrow could just turn into a bird and pinpoint him from the skies.

He considered going and thanking Neo for her help, but he decided that it would be best for him to make a beeline for the bullhead docks before anything else could happen. Jaune coming to Vale tended to be a recipe for disaster.

Neo hadn't exactly been pleased to see Jaune, the man who'd captured her boss, but she's said in an extremely audible manner that it was probably for the best. Apparently, Cinder had been forcing Roman to work for her against his will, so Jaune's intervention had actually placed the thief in a far safer position – the cozy inside of a prison cell where Cinder had no reach. She was in the process of busting him out as they spoke, a fact which Jaune decided to not report to Ozpin in exchange for her aid.

When Jaune had explained to her that he was going after the man who killed Vinny (their shared favorite restaurant owner), Neo had immediately and quite vocally agreed to help him disguise the Beacon staff as his team. Her verbally-expressed anger at the man's death had been apparent from the loudness of her screaming and the vehemence of her statements of agreement to Jaune's plan.

That girl has a fine set of pipes, Jaune thought back.

Astoundingly, Jaune made it to the airship docks without the sky falling down on him. It was probably only 6pm, but it was starting to rain by the time he got there, and he hadn't packed an umbrella.

As vacations went, this one had actually been a pleasant one. He'd gotten to go to the spa after all, tease the stern Professor Goodwitch without any repercussions, and help stop a criminal who was plaguing innocents. The act of doing something and being pleased with the outcome made Jaune feel reinvigorated. He'd stopped plenty of bad guys before, but that was only by chance, and he'd rarely ever set out with the intent to stop them.

This was different. This time, he'd seen the threat coming, set out to meet it head on, made a plan that actually worked, and helped in the best way he could. He felt less like a bumbling fool and more like a…a…

Like a huntsman.

Jaune had come up with the plan to disguise the professors as his team using Neo's semblance. Ozpin had been a bit reluctant to go into the field after so long, but they hadn't had time to find other available hunters in the brief period before the spa visit began, and making it to the spa appointment had been critical. The relaxing vacation had turned out to be the perfect cover, as it had been planned long before Mike's death and was thus reasonably believable if Tyrian had chosen to look into it.

The other had gone out to the spa first and had replaced his teammates, who Amber had called and told to return to Beacon. Jaune had met up with the fake team, pretended to be late in case anyone was watching, and joined 'the Junipers' for their day off.

The bullhead roared to life, and Jaune realized he hadn't buckled up his seatbelt yet as they rose up into the air. Gripping it, he tried to pull the buckle down, only to realize he'd yanked it too hard and would need to wait for the tension to let up before he could try again.

Ugh, I hate it when this happens. This is the worst..

"This is your captain speaking," said Tyrian over the speakers. "It looks like we have a long flight ahead of us, so be sure to –"

"Oh, of course," Jaune moaned aloud. He didn't know why he'd been expecting anything different.

"– hit the restroom before takeoff, as we do not have an on-board lavatory. Now, we're not yet at our cruising altitude of 6,000,000,000,000,000 feet, so I'm going to have to ask all passengers to firmly buckle in their seatbelts. In flight entertainment will not be provided, but please remember to read the safety pamphlets underneath your seat."

Jaune glanced out the window. They were only about the height of a building, and some of the rooftops were not much higher than them.

Letting go of his seatbelt, he stepped over to the emergency exit and pulled it. The door exploded off as the outside winds pushed on Jaune, forcing him to grip the handlebars around the hatch.

"It seems we're experiencing a little turbulence, folks, so remember to fasten those seatbelts and stay seated."

Jaune waited until a building of just the right height for him to leap towards it came into sight. It was a decent drop, but even without aura he fully expected to be able to land it.

"We're going to have to ask that all passengers refrain from escaping the bullhead by leaping out the emergency exit onto an oncoming rooftop. As a reminder, beverages and snacks will be distributed in just a few minutes, and we'd simply hate for you to miss it."

Jaune leapt.

It hurt when he slammed onto the rooftop, but the rain made the surface slick enough for him to slide, preventing him from getting friction burns all along his body. The bullhead continued to fly off in the direction Tyrian was piloting it. Picking himself up, he rubbed his face into his sleeve to dry off and tried to find out where he was.

Tyrian had been trying to take him away from Beacon, in the direction of the northern edge of Beacon. The fact that Jaune was still alive was concerning – well, it was a good thing overall, but the implications were a little frightening, because the scorpion could have easily planned to jump out of the cockpit and stab him rather than try to kidnap him.

He wanted to capture me, alive. Why?

Jaune could think of no answer. He knew no secrets, held no strategic value, and wouldn't cripple Beacon if taken out of the fight.

Without Amber, who knew their scroll numbers, he had no way to reach Ozpin or the others, wherever they were, and the fact that Tyrian had escaped them once suggested that they might need even more force than the three of them to put a stop to his rampage.

Right now, I'd best try and find some way to get back to Beacon. Taking a bullhead is no longer safe. I could find a payscroll and call the the fellas back home for a pickup, but that would just be dragging them into this. If Goodwitch, Qrow, and Ozpin weren't enough, I'd doubt Team Juniper would stand a chance.

Public airships were out of the question if Tyrian could so easily hijack one, and Jaune couldn't really think of any other person he could reach out to for help.

…except for one.

Yang was a maiden, and it was quite possible she packed the firepower to beat back Tyrian. He knew her sister's scroll number from memory, and he didn't doubt that Team RWBY would be eager to get back into his good books by rushing to his aid.

Hopefully, he wouldn't be dragging them to their deaths.

The building he'd landed on top of was an office, and Jaune had probably confused the syrup out of the poor workers when he'd entered from the rooftop dripping wet and without an explanation. One of them had recognized him, though, and within moments he was being crowded by hordes of businesspeople begging for autographs.

Not everyone, though. Several people remained at their seats and glared daggers at him while pretending to type at their computers.

I guess Team CVFY wasn't kidding about my time in Vacuo earning me some enemies. Those people look like they want to kill me – at least the ones that aren't simply staring at me in terror like I'm about to start massacring them.

When he'd finally made his way through the crowd (the fastest way was just to go with it and sign them all autographs, he found), it was nearly 7:30pm. Ozpin and the others were probably worried sick about his well-being at this point.

Jaune found a payscroll just a few blocks away from the office building and rushed into the booth. He was soaked to the bone by the rain at this point, and the shelter it provided was a most welcome respite from the cold.

Inserting the two-lien chip into the machine, he dialed Team RWBY. It took two rings before the call picked up.

Ruby answered. "Hello? Who is this?"

"It's Jaune Arc. You know, from across the dorm hallway."

"Jaune! I –"

There was some scrambling on the other side, followed by a brief period of unintelligible shouting. Jaune waited patiently as the rain poured against his private booth.

"Okay, Jaune. W-What can I do for you? Er, if there's something I can do, that is."

"I…I actually am in a bit of a pickle right now and need some help. I'm in Vale. Do you think you could arrange to charter a taxi airship down here, then pick me up? I can pay you back for the costs."

Private airships tended to cost a pretty penny (and I can say that instead of lien because Pyrrha finds a penny in RWBY Chibi), but Jaune's life was worth more. He wasn't going to go risking it out of stinginess.

"Don't worry about it," Ruby said excitedly. "We'll be there as soon as possible. Where are you?"

There was a knock from the outside of the booth.

"Can you hurry it up in there?" said Tyrian, raising his voice over the pitter-patter of the rain. "Some of us have urgent calls we need to make."

Oh. Okay.

There was no one else on the street to call for help, and Jaune was unarmed and defenseless. Tyrian had run much faster than him and was clearly more nimble, meaning that a dramatic evasion was out of the question.

Yeah.

"Jaune? Where are you? It sounds like it's really pouring out there, so if you said anything just now, it was too quiet to hear. There are, like, ten airship ports in Vale, and we need to know the closest one."

Jaune sighed. "Never mind. I'll talk to you later, Ruby." He was about to hang up, when he realized that this might be the last time he ever spoke to Ruby. "And I forgive you. About the thing."

Tyrian knocked again and angrily tapped at his empty wrist where a watch would have been, had he worn a watch. He said no words but hummed irately.

"Oh, I'm so glad!" Ruby exclaimed, relief in her voice. "I was worried w–"

Jaune hung up.

Stepping out of the booth, Jaune looked Tyrian over. No longer was he dressed in the spa uniform. His outfit was now a long dark overcoat, the kind that made Jaune worry he was about to be flashed. No visible weapons were on his body, but it was highly unlikely there wasn't something concealed, and there was always that toxic tail Ozpin had mentioned to worry about. Tyrian would win whatever fight they had. There was no doubt about it.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Jaune. "Why hurt the people I love? I can't be that much of a thorn in your side that you need to go through all this effort to kill me."

The customer service smile was gone, and in its place a far more dangerous one, emanating creepy-clown or serial killer slasher vibes.

"Au contraire, my dear citrussy friend," Tyrian wheezed, as though he were about to double over in laughter. "You are a thorn most illustrious, most ravenous, most pointy. A thorn worthy of Tyrian's time, when so many other rotted thorns are false. But it appears you've misunderstood. I am not here to kill you. You have granted our goddess a beautiful opportunity to aid us in seeing our victory through in spite of the loss of manpower we've so recently suffered. Our goals may yet be realized, and it shall all be thanks to you…and to Tyrian, of course." The scorpion man cackled wildly.

Ok. So, he was insane. Ozpin and the others had evidently forgotten to mention that.

"I'll never help you. You're my enemy."

"But you, my fruity friend, are not my enemy. The arrest of Cinder, the death of Hazel, the tragic starvation of Dr. Arthur Watts – these events that you orchestrated have only served to make Tyrian the goddess' sole angel. Jaune Arc, I love you."

"I'm, like, seventeen."

"Oh." Tyrian looked away. "I-In a platonic sense, then."

"What is it you want from me, if you're not going to kill me?" Visions of being tortured for his interference in Salem's plans swam around in his mind.

"You, my beloved Citron Champion, are going to paint the streets of Vale red with her blood. Chaos shall reign, and when the rotten growth that is this city's populace is no more, only her goddess' most beautiful creations shall endure – the wondrous Grimm. Then and only then, Tyrian shall truly be free to bask in his goddess' adulation and praise. For now…"

Tyrian drew back a fist.

"…sleep tight."

tl;dr Jaune actually loses for once in a refreshing twist

Next Chapter: Paint It Red

In which Jaune Arc loses in real life and wins in a videogame.

Author's Notes

Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch Jaune/Goodwitch

Remember that cheap out I did with Hazel? Well, it wasn't a complete lie.

Jaune didn't die, but he's suffered some very real consequences. Amber was outed to Ozpin, Jaune got seriously injured and lost all of his new weapons, and the anti-Jaune vs pro-Jaune craze began. However, that wasn't the most serious consequence.

Hazel punched Jaune so hard at the end of Volume 2 that he broke Jaune's plot armor wide open.

As we enter V3, the Citron Champion is no longer untouchable.

Gone are the olden days of villains of the week, where Cinder was introduced and taken out in the same chapter. Tyrian will not be instantly resolved, and neither will the anti-Jaunes or the loss of Jaune's team's trust in him. Problems are going to start lasting from now on.

Happy rats, and don't do crime!