Team RWVBY

Chapter 21

Both team RWVBY and JNPR sat in a windowless room of Beacon's detention center. They had been picked up by the Bullheads and brought to Beacon immediately, escorted by armed Atlas soldier's and brought straight here. There was a table in front of them with two chairs on the other side currently empty. They hadn't been told anything yet only to wait and wait they did. They had been waiting for what felt like an hour now; while most of them had been sitting patiently yet nervous, Nora was at the door tapping at it with her finger bored out of her mind. As the door handle started to turn, Nora yelped and returned to her seat.

Headmaster Ozpin was first to walk in followed by a man only Weiss knew more than just vaguely. The two men sat on the opposite side of the desk in the once empty chairs.

"Team RWVBY, team JNPR, do you know the gentlemen sitting with me?" Ozpin asked them.

"General Ironwood, headmaster of Atlas Academy." Weiss answered.

"That is correct, Miss Schnee, and given the particularities of today's events, I thought it best that he be here." Ozpin explained. Ironwood sat silently opting to listen in for now.

"Are we in trouble sir?" Ruby asked raising her hand.

"We shall get to that, Miss Rose. First, I think it's best we start with how you all found yourself in Vale tonight?" Ozpin asked. Both teams looked between each other before Blake nodded.

"It was jus-"

"Miss Belladonna, if you say it was just a coincidence that you happened to be in Vale, I will be upset." Ozpin said, cutting off Blake, causing her to go tightlipped. "Please allow me to be blunt, I was fine with feigning ignorance before with the incident at the docks. I will not be feigning ignorance here. Miss Belladonna, though I have never personally met Ghira or Kali, I am well aware of your parents, and I know of your past in the White Fang." There were some surprised looks at the headmaster's reveal that he knew. "I ask that you please as detailed as you can, relay everything that led up to tonight."

Blake had closed her eyes momentarily before opening them and looking directly at Headmaster Ozpin. "Ever since the docks I have been thinking of Torchwick and the White Fang; I know you said not to worry and that Huntsman were looking into it but I couldn't rest, I need to find answers. Instead of going off on my own this time, our teams decided to investigate together, so we split up into groups and went into Vale to get as much information that we could." Blake looked around at her teammates and friends.
"Sun Wukong, a student from Haven and I, snuck into a White Fang Rally and that's where we saw Roman Torchwick showing off the stolen Paladin. Torchwick had recognized me at the rally and as we were escaping, he got in the mech and followed up. Jaune came up with the plan to lead it under the overpass to limit the damages and prevent any civilians from getting hurt. We defeated Torchwick, but he managed to escape and that's when the Bullhead found us." Blake finished explaining.

Ozpin took in the information and said, "Your quick thinking, Mr. Arc, and success in preventing untold damage and death is why this meeting will not be leading to any expulsion today." Panic and relief washed over the students. "Make no mistake, you are in trouble but I am proud of each and every one of you. You acted like proper Huntsman and Huntresses, putting the people we have sworn to protect first and then, as a team, fought against a foe that was more powerful even though they were outnumbered." Ozpin spoke proudly. Both teams felt their spirits lifted at the praise. "I must ask though, what did you each uncover during your investigation?" The headmaster asked.

"Going through SDC records, I was unable to uncover that all the Dust robberies over the past few months have been localized only to Vale, so whatever Torchwick is planning to do with all the Dust, it's safe to assume Vale is the only target." Weiss stated.

"At the rally, we learned that they're moving all the Dust and White Fang to the southeast of Vale, I don't know where exactly though." Blake spoke next.

"Mt. Glenn." Jaune spoke up. Everyone, including Ozpin and Ironwood, looked at him. "In Oobleck's class, he told us about Vale's failed expansion to Mt. Glenn. It's the only settlement in the southeast and it's completely abandoned, perfect to hide away tons of Dust and White Fang."

"That falls in line with what Cassian and I found out." Yang added. "Ju- a source of ours, gave us some photos and evidence of Torchwick moving the Dust through Vale's east entrance. If I remember correctly, that entrance had a highway that could take you to Mt. Glenn before it was closed. I think we can also assume that wasn't the only Paladin he stole."

"Just who is this source of yours?" General Ironwood asked, speaking for the first time.

"That won't be necessary James." Ozpin answered for Yang.

"What do you mean not necessary, if this so-" Ironwood was cut off by Ozpin holding his hand out.

"I believe I know who this source is already, and besides I think you should be worried more about how Torcwick got a hand on your technology." Ozpin handed Ironwood the photo of Torchwick standing next to the Paladin.

"There was one more thing our source told us." Cassian said getting Ozpin's attention. "They said that want and destruction aren't really Torchwick's motive, that he was working under someone. Some third-party that didn't want territory or drugs, but specifically Dust and weapons."

Ozpin and Ironwood shared a look that Blake hadn't missed.

"You know who, don't you?" Blake asked.

"We do not know their identity, but we believed that a third party is involved yes." Ozpin confirmed.

"Ozpin!?" Ironwood shouted.

"No James, they are already putting things together." Ozpin said and then addressed both teams. "I find it safe to assume that regardless of what we say you will continue to follow through with your leads?" Ozpin asked. Both teams saved, looking embarrassed of being figured out so easily, and all nodded.

"We need to see this through, headmaster." Blake said. Ozpin smiled and put his elbows on the table cupping his hands together.

"Then I shall let you, but no more going off on investigations on your own. You will do this by the book and under the direction of myself and General Ironwood am I understood?" Ozpin asked to which both teams nodded. "Good; after the upcoming dance, we shall be sending first-year teams on missions. I would like to propose we send team RWVBY as a scouting party to Mt. Glenn accompanied by a Beacon professor under the guise of regular Grimm clearing. There you will discreetly investigate for any signs of the White Fang. Should you do; you will hold out, watch from afar, and not engage. We shall then send team JNPR and a strike force of Huntsman to Mt. Glenn and coordinate a joint raid." Ozpin looked amongst his students, "Should you accept, of course." He added.

There was a huddled conversation between the two teams before Ruby and Jaune both stood up.

"We accept!" They both said.

"Excellent, let us conclude this then, shall we? You are all free to return to your dorms. Should you find anything else, please bring to my attention or contact Professor Goodwitch." Ozpin said as the teams started to leave for the room. "Oh, before I forget, you will all have to sit in detention for the next week." There was a symphony of groans as they walked out reluctantly accepting their fate. With the student out of the room, Ironwood turned to Ozpin.

"Do you really think that was a good idea?" Ironwood asked.

"They were going to do this anyway James, better they do it officially and protected than not." Ozpin replied.

…

Days had passed since their talk with Ozpin, and both teams, RWVBY and JNPR, had moved on, waiting for their mission. Well, all except Blake; who could not rest still. Even though they had a mission planned already, she hadn't felt satisfied; she wanted to be more prepared, so she stayed up late hours doing research on Mt. Glenn, and she listened to radio chatter for any White Fang reporting. There wasn't even telling the kind of Grimm they would find. She was so overworked she was almost sleeping in Professor Goodwitch's class.

Pyrrha had just finished off a rather one-sided fight with team CRDL.

"Well done, Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament." Glynda praised Pyrrha.

"Thank you, professor." Pyrrha said,

Glynda tapped her scroll and said, "Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match." The professor looked around at the students. "Any volunteers? Ms. Belladonna?" Blake slammed her book shut, waking up and staring wide-eyed at Ms. Goodwitch. "You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-"

Mercury raises his hand. And said, "I'll do it."

"Mercury, is it? Very well, let's find you an opponent." Glynda scanned the room again before Mecury spoke again,

"Actually, I wanna fight... him." Mercury pointed to Cassian.

Cassian looked at him curiously before shrugging and said, "I'm always down for a fight."

"Very well, and Mr. Vale, where is your tie? I believe I had sent yet another package to your dorm?"

"I don't know what happened, Ms. Goodwitch. I think they keep getting lost in transit." There was a bunch of snickering at Cassian's remark.

"Then I think I shall hand deliver the next batch, go and get changed." Cassian was up before she felt the need to tell him twice.

Cassian had made it into the arena first before strutted in, visibly sizing him up. Their spar begins when Mercury makes the first attack lunging in with a kick. Cassian dodges quickly while swinging with a counter. Mercury deflects the attack and begins trading blows with Cassian.

Ruby Rose turns toward Emerald sitting behind her.

"Hey, your friend's doing pretty good. Cassian tends to only take things seriously if he thinks he needs to." Ruby said trying to be friendly with Mercury's partner. Emerald gave a fake smile and then rolled her eyes as Ruby turned her back.

Mercury unleashed a series of powerful strikes. Cassian let the last kick slam against his prosthetic forearm before grabbing the leg right below his knee with his other hand. Cassian's eyes widened when he grabbed the leg and quickly threw Mercury to the side. Turning him around. With his back to him, Cassian lunged at him with his knife.

"I forfeit." Mercury said nonchalantly raising his hands up. Cassian skidded to a halt, almost tripping, trying to stop himself.

"What the hell?" Cassian asked, sounding upset.

"What's the point? I know when I'm beat." Mercury shrugged.

"In that case... Cassian Vale is the victor of the match." Emerald smirked at the professor's announcement while Mercury sneered smugly. Cassian was annoyed but watched as Mercury slowly walked away. There was something off about that guy. What? Cassian didn't know but there's one thing Cassian did know; he knew what a prosthetic limb felt. His eyes narrowed focused on Mercury's legs. "Next time, you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent." Professor Goodwitch told Mercury.

"I'll be sure to do that." Mercury said before entering the locker room. The alarm went off, jolting Blake wake, who had nodded off during the match.

"That is all for today. And remember, the dance is this weekend. But you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept any excuses." Professor Goodwitch reminded the class.

As everyone else left the class the rest of RWVBY waited for Cassian.

"Hey Blake you excited for the dance?" Yang asked.

Blake had looked up at her partner; the bags under her eyes were visible. "I don't have time for a stupid dance." She said as she walked off. The others worriedly watched her walk away.

…

Back in team RWVBY's dorm they team had decided to try and reach out to Blake again

"You what?" Blake shouted the question.

"We want you to go to the dance." Ruby stated.

"That's ridiculous." Blake was outraged.

"Blake, we're worried about you. This investigation is over, we just have to wait for our mission." The concern could easily be heard in her voice.

"You can't sleep, you hardly eat, and to be honest, your grades have been suffering." Weiss listed off, counting with her fingers.

"You think I care about grades? People's lives are at stake! There's still more we could be doing in preparation. This is an important mission we can't mess this up and allow the White Fang or Torchwick to succeed. There's no telling what chaos they could create." Blake rattled off her worries.

"Blake, we're going to have trained huntsmans and even a Beacon professor with us. Besides the dance is just one night." Cassian pointed out.

"It will be fun! Yang and I are going to make sure of it." Weiss said.

"Yeah! We're planning the whole event!" Yang exclaimed as she pumped her fists high.

"Excuse me? I thought team CFVY was planning it?" Blake asked confused.

"Team CFVY's mission lasted longer than expected." Weiss explained.

"So, Weiss and I were asked to pick up where they left off. And now we can make sure you have the perfect night. Think about it like this after the dance are our missions, all you gotta do is rest till then." Yang tried to make it sound as appealing as she could.

"So, what do ya think?" Ruby asked giving Blake the puppy eyes.

"You know what I think! I think this is a colossal waste of time. Blake stormed away from the group and opened the dorm door. "I'll be in the library." Blake slammed the door after her. The others looked at each other.

"Well, that failed." Yang said dejectedly. They all saw Blake's decline. They were doing their best to take her away, to get her to take it easy but nothing worked. "We need to get more drastic." Yang added.

"And I have just the idea." Weiss said smugly, standing up, hands on her hips.

…

Blake was in the usual spot in the library, tucked away from everyone else. She was frustrated at her team; they just didn't get it! If they didn't want take it seriously, fine! So be it! It'll be up to her to find out everything she can. They'll be thanking her when she's ready for anything Mt. Glenn will throw at them.

"I figured I might find you here." A voice called out to her, a voice she was all too familiar with, the voice of Jaune Arc. He was standing by here table looking at her with a worried expression.

"You looked off in combat class today." Concern was mixed in his voice as he talked to her softly.

"I'm fine." She spoke stubbornly.

"Blake…"

"Did my team send you?" Blake hissed. "I don't need any help!" Jaune was getting nowhere at this rate. He had to try a different approach.

"I spoke to my parents yesterday." That got Blake to stop.

"What?" Her question came out like a whimper.

"After Headmaster Ozpin and Ironwood spoke with us, I was in my dorm thinking about everything we've been through since last semester; the docks, fighting the Paladin, this upcoming mission. All these events where I've been putting my life on the line. I could have been seriously injured or worse and all I could think about was how I haven't talked with them. I just couldn't take it anymore, so I called them."

"What happened?" Blake asked.

"They answered, and I just told them the truth, about everything, even the transcripts and you know what?... They knew!" Blake's eyes widened at the revelation, her mouth agape. "Apparently Ozpin told them after I passed initiation and somehow convinced them to let me stay. He kept them informed of my progress over the semester, even told them about what happened at the docks. I don't know if he told them about the other night but they sure knew now!" Jaune laughed as Blake listened intently. "They scolded me, called me an idiot, reckless, told me how worried they had been, how upset and sad they and my sisters would have been if something had happened." Blake's head dropped as he spoke thinking of her own parents. "But."

Blake's head shot right up and looked at Jaune. "But?" She asked.

"But they said they were proud of me; they were proud that I was sticking to this, that I was pushing myself to improve, that against all the odds I was making my own mark here, and most importantly they were proud I told them the truth. They still don't approve of me wanting to be a Huntsman, but they accept it and they will support me." Jaune saw a slight smile on Blake's face, it had been a few days since he had seen one.

"Blake… you need to rest. What if you get to Mt. Glenn and you pass out cause you're too tired? What if one of your teammates gets hurt cause they had to come save you?" Blake's face filled with dread at the mere thought. She started to breathe heavily but Jaune didn't stop there. "What if Ruby was killed cause she was in danger and you couldn't react in time? Or Weiss? Yang? Cassian?" He was being tough on her but if there was ever a moment Blake Belladonna needed some tough love, now was the time. and it was time for Jaune to send it home, literally. "What if something were to happen to you and you never got a chance to talk to your parents again?" The was the final straw.

Blake broke down in tears at the question, her thoughts turned to home, her parents, so many apologies, so many things left unsaid. She had her head in her hands as the tears continued to drop. Jaune had kneeled down next to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm so-"

"No don't." Blake sniffled. "I needed that Jaune." She let some the exhaustion hit her and it felt good. She parted slightly from the hug and looked at Jaune. "I'll stop all the research; I'll rest for the mission." She wiped some tears from her eyes as she looked at Jaune. "I guess I need to call my parents now, don't I?"

Jaune chuckled, smiled softly and said, "That was part of the deal."

"I'll call them after the dance; after the mission, I need time to think about what I'll say; I'll go to the library; there's a terminal I can use to call them. Would you… Would you be there with me when I do?" Blake asked.

"Of course." Jaune said sincerely. When Blake brought up the dance a question flickered in his mind. The question was ready to come out his mouth, but he was too unsure of himself, so he kept it in.

"Thank you Jaune," She leaned and gave him a hug.

…

After leaving the library Jaune and Blake parted, each returning to their teams' dorms. Stepping in Blake was greeted by Cassia, Yang, Ruby, and Weiss sitting on the couch. A banner hung above them with the word 'INTERVENTION' written out on it.

"Blake, this is an intervention. We love you, but you're running yourself into the ground." Yang spoke first.

"We don't want you getting hurt when we got to Mt. Glenn." Ruby said following Yang.

"We're going to stop the White Fang!" It was Cassian's turn.

"But in order to stop them we need to be at our best both physically and mentally. You need to rest. I have compil-"

"I'm stopping my research on Mt. Glenn!" Blake cut Weiss off, getting the team's attention. "I love you all too, and I'm sorry I worried you; I've been putting all this pressure on myself when it wasn't needed. I know we're going to stop Torchwick and the White Fang. I promise to take it easy, I'm excited for what you've got planned for the dance." Blake had walked over to her room door and opened it. "I'm going to go to bed early and catch up on all the sleep I missed." She gave them a pleasant smile and entered her room closing the door behind her.

The door was closed, leaving the rest of the team half blinking, half mouths agape.

"What just happened!?" Weiss shouted out completely stumped.

…

On top of Beacon's rooftops, Jaune and Pyrrha just finished up their regularly scheduled sparring session.

"So, are you ready to move on to Aura?" Pyrrha asked putting away her weapon.

"I'm actually thinking maybe we just skip Aura for tonight. Might go on a jog or something." Jaune responded hesitantly.

"Come on, I know you get frustrated, but you must keep trying. I'm sure you'll discover your Semblance any day now."

"That's not it. It's just..." Jaune paused, unsure if he should say anything else.

"What's wrong Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"It's... It's about Blake." Pyrrha's face fell slightly as Jaune continued talking, "I was going to ask her to the dance but I stopped myself."

"Why?"

"Because I'm worried about messing this all up like I did when I tried to ask out Weiss. I like Blake, and I don't wanna ruin the friendship 'cause I make a fool out of myself." Jaune lamented.

"Then don't. No serenades, no pick-up lines. Just... speak from your heart Jaune. You can't get it wrong if it's the truth." Jaune stood up looking like a brand-new man.

"You're right!" He walked up to Pyrrha. "How's the lead up to the dance going for you Pyr? You've probably got guys clamoring over each other just to ask you out."

"You'd be surprised." Pyrrha chuckled half-heartedly. Though Jaune dismissed the thought instantly.

"Oh please. If you don't get a date to the dance, I'll wear a dress. Heh. Thanks again, Pyrrha." Jaune said as he walked past her back inside.

"Of course." Pyrrha's smile dropped and she looked upset. She had thrown away another chance and basically handed it over to another, but Jaune looked so happy because of it.

…

Cinder Fall sat at the foot of her bed; Emerald and Mercury stood before her. They were going through another one of their weekly roundups on information learned about the students and facilities of Beacon.

"So, what did you two have for me tonight?" Cinder asked.

"The Nikos' chick semblance is polarity; she hides it well when she wants, but paying close attention, it's easy to see it during combat. Weapons don't just move off direction like that without some ulterior force." Emerald gave her report.

"I fought the guy from Beacon's person team, the one that was recommended by some huntsman in the middle of the school year." Mercury's words got Cinders attention. "He's got moves but doesn't seem that special. Apparently, the first week he was here, there was some commotion, and the students thought he was stealing from other teams."

"Turns out it was another team that tried to frame him, but even after being proven innocent, some rumors persisted." Emerald chimed in.

"Interesting." Cinder said, resting one of her legs over the other. "I think I've heard of this student; they are the student that go by Vale, right?"

"Yes ma'am, though they are from Vacuo." Emerald instantly answered appeasing Cinder.

"A fake name for sure." Cinder replied.

"I saw a tattoo on his shoulder when we fought, a broken shackle. Didn't look like any gang tattoo I've seen though." Mercury mentioned.

"Perhaps, Torchwick might know. I need to check up on how the progress is coming along after all." Cinder said.

"There's one more thing." Mercury's voice dropped like he was afraid to speak.

"What?" Cinder asked eying him.

"During our flight, the guy grabbed my leg. I think he realized I got a prosthetic. he looked surprised when he grabbed me and he kept looking at me after the match." While Cinder hadn't looked upset, Emerald and Mercury were not eased by her silence as they waited for her to respond.

Cinder scoffed and said, "It doesn't matter; Huntsman prosthetics are normal even for students. If it's brought up simply say you had an accident growing up and don't like talking about it." Cinder stood up from the bed. "Though, I have a special mission for you both. I want you both to get friendly with their team and find out any and everything you can about him. A mysterious outsider brought to Beacon midterm at the behest of a Huntsman, it's peculiar."

"Yes ma'am." Emerald answered without hesitation.

"Yea, whatever." Mercury didn't sound pleased about making friends with team RWVBY.

Author's Notes: Hope you all enjoy! More to come!