Pre-Note: This is a double chapter, because ff was down last week, and I'm too lazy to wait until the side was up again.
#-#-#-#
"This is a goddamn farce. Why aren't we doing anything about it!" An angry shout echoed through the warehouse. Followed by a thunderous bang. A dented metal table almost folding in on itself.
Adam continued his work, the cloth drenched in oil gliding over the crimson blade with ease. Eyes never leaving the tv, his mind whirling through a thousand possible scenarios. The oil sizzled on Wilt's blade, popping and churning. When the entirety of her blade was coated in oil, he moved picked out the first whetstone. A simple four-hundred grit stone to begin.
Pure focus enveloped him as he carefully dragged Wilt over the whetstone. Everything else becoming mere background noise. Not even the scent of lavender could break his focus.
It was mediative. Even the familiar pain that scratched and haunted his every waking moment coulndt touch him now. For one fleeting moment, he was free.
Free from the ghosts that nipped at his heels. Free from the burden he had taken onto his shoulders. Free from the churning fire that churned and pushed inside every moment. Free from fresh wounds and stinging betrayal.
Even when he had seen it coming, it still hurt. Blake wore her emotions on her sleeves, even if she liked to think differently. Where she once leaned into his touch, she had shied away. Where she once spoke words of kindness and support, her words had turned cold and distant. Adam didn't know when the radiant resolve in her eyes had died and smouldered into fear.
Didn't want to know either.
She was dead to him. Dead to the cause.
'Would she stand with her so called friends, like she had once stood with us? Or will she run?' The thought idly rummaged around in his head, but he didn't pay it any mind. He would find out soon enough if there existed anything left of the woman he once loved, or if she truly was dead. There was no need to pointlessly torture himself with half hearted 'what if's'.
Running a cloth against Wilt's edge, he nodded to himself and pulled out the next whetstone. He hadn't always been able to care for his partner. But now, with what resources and manpower he had to his name, he wouldn't hold back. Knowing fully well, that should his partner not be at her absolute best, his people would die.
And yet, no matter how much he prepared, how much he trained, how much he planned, his people would die nevertheless. The only difference would be how many. Everyone in his personal vanguard team were willing to die for the cause. But he wouldn't allow them to throw their lives away pointlessly. If they were to die for the cause, they would be remembered like proper martyrs who gave their lives for the betterment of faunuskind. Not as worthless cannon fodder falling to unblooded, wet-behind-the-ears, teenagers who thought themselves as paragons of justice.
'Huntsmen protect everyone equally? Then why do we have to protect our people in Kuo Kuana?' He scoffed, steam shooting out of his nostrils. 'Where are the huntsmen that are supposed to protect the people when bandits run rampant in Mistral?'
*BOOM*
Adam's thoughts were interrupted as Edward stared down at him. His fist denting the metal table.
"Boss! Why aren't we doing anything!"
The words were screamed in his face. Ugly veins throbbed around Edward's face. The muscular giant towered over him, sending spittle flying from his mouth. Some drops landing on his face, on his horns, on his blindfold. And one drop of spittle flew and landed on the edge of Wilt's blade.
A deep sigh escaped Adam, the gentle focus that had fallen over him shattering into a thousand jagged blades of glass. Gently he laid Wilt down beside her whetstone, knowing the two of them had unfinished business, there were just some other matters he needed to handle first.
Standing up, the metal chair scraped against the cold cement floor. Instantly the chatter around in the warehouse died. A hitched breath the only sound he heard as he stood up to his full height. Even the tv was silent. Each step around the table echoing loudly out in the warehouse. With each step Edward pulled into himself, even if his eyes blazed with defiance as he stood tall.
"Ed." Adam replied politely, throwing his arm over his shoulder, feeling Edward tense. "You see that on the tv?" He asked, nodding up at the old tv that stood on a table with shaky legs. "That is the council of Vale's response."
"But Boss. You know as well as me that 'the breach', as they call it, was a failure." Edward replied, heat creeping into his voice. "The grimm didn't run loose, and the entire payload didn't go of."
"It was a success either way. It may not be on the scale we envisioned, but it was a success nevertheless." Adam replied gently. "You simply had to take a walk outside these last days. The people are scared. And they are angry, going around and blaming everything and anything. You should know better than me that scared and angry people are nothing more than animals. You just, have to rile them up, and they will drop the façade and tear into each other like the bloodthirsty animals they call us. Ironic, isn't it?"
"There are already multiple plans in motion." He whispered tightening his arm around Edward. The man in question perking up, a fire flickering to life in his eyes. "You only need to be patient and have a little faith."
Before Edward could respond, Adam's other fist flew out. Burring itself deep in his stomach. Edward wheezed and buckled over. But Adam wasn't done. Grabbing the back of his head and smashing it into a metal table. Denting it as Edward bounced back. Blood tickling from his nose as he spat out a tooth.
"Why do you make me hurt you, Edward?" Adam asked softly, staring flatly down as his comrade tried to get his feet under himself. Buckling and vomiting on the floor. "It's been what, six… seven years now? Since that raid on the mining outpost. And you have been with me, us, through thick and thin. Have I ever led you wrong during that time?"
"No-" Edward rasped, panting for breath as blood and tears dripped into his vomit.
"Then why. Pray tell. Why, do you see it fit to question me?" Adam asked, voice dripping with anger.
"Thought... Thought you turned soft." Edward spat, buckling over as he vomited out a pool of bile. Wiping the dripple from his check with his wrist, Edward forced himself to full height. "After the bitch ran and you made a deal with that hooker… thought you had forgotten who you were."
"If you think for a single moment, that I'm not aware that Cinder plans to backstab us at any moment, then you are out of your mind. I am using her just as much as she uses us. She will die, either by our hand, or by choking on her own ambition. If everything could be changed by just acquiring more power, then the world would be a very different place." Adam replied sharply, sending a glare down at his comrade. Every word out his mouth making the hulking giant twitch. "Clean up after yourself. If you need something to do, do some exercises, run some maintenance on your weapon. Hell, watch the stream if you want. But doubt me like that ever again, it's not my fist I will shove into your guts."
"Yuma!" Adam barked, the man in question jumping down from the second floor mezzanine and landing before him. Flapping his bat wings, a cocky grin was on his lips as he crossed his arms. "Repeat to me again about the security around the opera hall."
"Well, it's locked down tight. You would think the general, or the entirety of Atlases council was having dinner inside. Recon teams are stationed at every corner, with a good portion of Valen's huntsmen keeping guard inside beside Atlases soldiers. No one gets in without Schnee's permission." The name was spoken with such disgust Yuma looked ready to puke. "Almost lost an agent trying to scout any alternative ways in. So sorry to say Boss, if you want in. The only way will be through brute force. And even then, unless you can go toe-to-toe with Schnee, her army, and a good portion of Vale's huntsmen, it's not looking good."
"Trifa!" Adam barked, the woman quickly standing up. Tearing her eyes from her scroll as she vaulted over the table to come to his side as quickly as possible. "Status on our firework gifts."
"Some of the packages arrived safely and are ready for tonight, while some of our mules have been detained." Trifa answered curtly. "It's not a big lose, they were sympathetic to our cause, but lacked the resolve to properly join us. And we have a stash of bombs stored away for the plan next week."
"Good." Was all Adam said, going back to his table and sitting down. Grabbing Wilt he ran her blade over the whetstone. With each run, he felt pieces of doubt, fear, and hesitation disappear one by one. Leaving a razor-sharp focus remained.
#-#-#
"You wouldn't believe how empty the gym was." Yang called out the moment she stepped back into the dorm. Slurping on a protein jelly pouch as she undid the wraps on her hands. Removing her hair tie and letting her mane fall freely. Blinking and looking around when she was greeted by unfamiliar quiet.
Which was unusual to say the least. There was always some level of noise bussing around in the dorm. Blake flipping pages. Ruby humming to herself. And Weiss who was ready complain or needle at any moment.
'Even if she has gotten a lot less bitchy recently.' Yang thought, more than willing to give credit where credit is due. Weiss tongue was still sharp, but she had calmed down for the most part. She was working on herself, and Yang could respect that. She would respect it. Knowing how hard it was. Having been Ruby's mom first and sister second growing up, and with anger being so familiar, Yang wasn't blind to her own problems.
Confused, more than anything, Yang looked around their dorm. Finding her team with their noses buried into their scrolls. "Sheesh. Social today, aren't we?" She snarked lightly, rolling her eyes as Weiss huffed with a roll of her eyes.
"JNPR are on tv." Ruby replied, never taking her eyes of her scroll. Only wrapping herself tighter in her duvet and turning to her side.
"Vale is holding a charity stream cum broadcast. JNPR, and three other teams are representing their schools and country." Weiss explained poignantly. Popping out an earbud and looking at her, with a raised eyebrow.
"Shit! For real?" Yang exclaimed with surprise, eyes wide open. "Why did no one tell me?"
"You looked like you needed to work on something." Weiss replied simply, making Yang cringe slightly. Still feeling smouldering coals of anger in her guts. The workout session had done wonders for her to work through most of it, even if there was still more inside. Even if there was always more inside.
'Fucking Jaune and his big fucking mouth.' Yang thought, sending a stray look to the washed sweatpants and hoodie she had borrowed while working out. 'Me and my big fucking mouth as well.' She thought, knowing that she wasn't entirely innocent either.
"How is it going? What did I miss?" Yang asked instead, not wanting to go down the rabbit hole that was her temper right now.
"Well… to call it a shitshow is an understatement. A good deal of comments is calling out Sun and Neon for being Faunus. With multiple flame wars in the comments. Then there is Pyrrha's so called 'fans', or cult, if you want to be honest. Which have been grilling Jaune the entire stream, and that's without mentioning the death threats. Honestly, I have lost count. 'Thankfully', and I mean that with as much sarcasm as possibly, Jaune have gotten his own… fanbase as well. Which have led to multiple flame wars. Violet is building a cult, while a good part wants to sue Jaune for child endangerment and kidnapping." Weiss explained swiftly, looking back at her scroll.
"Sun and Flynt almost got into a fist fight over a topic." Blake chimed in lazily.
"It's a roaring dumpster fire is what I'm getting." Yang said, wondering for one moment if the organizers behind the event had ever seen a stream in their lives. Or if they only doing it because they wanted to be 'hip'.
"Ehhh, not exactly. They reached three fundraiser milestones in under an hour. And many of the answers are more insightful than expected. Some of the questions have been leading, and even if the host is trying, she is failing to be completely impartial." Weiss pointed out, frost creeping into her voice as she huffed.
"Wait. Twelve-hours?!" Yang exclaimed the second she saw the schedule. "Who the fuck is going to watch all twelve hours?"
"We." Weiss answered instantly, giving her a flat look. "Most of Vale, those who are scared, those who are uncertain, other teams who wants to get a step above the competition in the coming tournament. Older huntsmen teams who plan to retire but are uncertain if the hole they leave behind can be plugged. That's the target groups that first come to mind at least."
"You forgot the White Fang." Blake added from the side, never taking her eyes of her scroll while her fingers flew.
"Yes, we can't forget the White Fang." Weiss replied, rolling her eyes and sending her a glare. Before huffing and lying back on her bed and turning back to Yang, who was getting ready to jump into the shower. "Of course everyone knows the world resolves around the White Fang."
"Well to be honest, they are the masterminds behind the breach." Yang said, butting into the conversation. "It wouldn't be a surprise if they are watching. Wouldn't really be a surprise if they are behind instigating the flame wars either." Blinking to herself, Yang turned to Weiss with a deep frown. "You don't think the fang are going to try something today, are you?"
"No." Weiss replied quickly and with finality. Shooting Blake a quick and harsh look. "My sister is head of security for the event. Both Atlas and Vale have every intention of this event going through. By the looks of it, it's almost as if they want the White Fang to attack. Openly challenging them."
"Place some bait and reel them in when they try?" Yang questioned, Weiss giving a soft nod. Making the blond think she hadn't wanted to think about the more underlying meaning's of the stream. "Hey, what would you think would happen if we were on Tv instead." Yang asked, obviously switching the topic.
"An absolute disaster and shitshow." Weiss replied quickly, taking the bait. Patting herself on her shoulder, Yang smiled. Knowing how Weiss felt about her sister, and not wanting to be the reason her faith in her being shook. Making Yang wonder, 'Weiss thinks of Winter as sister first, and soldier second. But is the opposite true as well?'
Yang didn't know and didn't want to rack her brain about it either. Grabbing a tank-top and some underwear she headed into the shower. Even if the thought nibbled at her mind as she got undressed. 'Winter ran away after all.' Huffing in irritation, she breathed out and stepped into the shower. Not wanting to think anything more about it. Turning up the volume on the stream, hoping it could help put her mind of things.
"Now, we all know hunters spend most of their lives exercising and sharpening their skills. This question is for everyone, who among you, have the most impossible exercise schedule, and what is it?" The familiar voice of Lisa Lavender rang out from her scroll.
"Pyrrha!" The majority called out, even if Yang heard a lack of familiar voices. Nora being quiet for one, which was anathema for the girl in question.
"Hmmm-" Pyrrha started. "Well… while I can admit to my training schedule being intensive at times. But I can't call it actively impossible. If you have good fitness, it's not impossible for some of our viewer's to try a simplified version with fewer reps. However, in the spirit of honesty, while my own schedule is hard, Jaune's is downright impossible. If I haven't personally watched him be clean, I would have thought he was on steroids. And even with steroids, I don't think it's physically possible for anyone else without his… let's call it physical quirk."
"Preach sister." Nora chimed in with a sound of utter defeat. "I tried joining him for one day, thinking it would be a fun idea. Maybe drag in Pyrh and Ren and make it a proper teambuilding exercises, beside our weekly study group and team workout." Nora breathed heavily, before she continued. "I cried myself to sleep before lunch."
"Come on, it wasn't that bad. We were still just doing warmups." Jaune replied, something creeping into his voice.
"Jaune, I love you, trust me, I do. You are like the brother me and Ren never had." Nora replied with a deep sigh. "But if you think for a second to lure me into working out with you again. I swear on everything holy I will skydive without aura from the Emerald Forest cliffs."
"It's not that bad. A bit exhausting and pushing, yes. But isn't all exercise supposed to be challenging?" Jaune defended weakly.
"Yes, you would usually be correct." Ren said, butting into the conversation. "But then there is exercise, and then… then there is what you do."
"Is it possible for you to explain your schedule?" Lisa asked as Yang reached for her favourite shampoo and began running her hands through her hair.
"Yeah!" Sun called out. "Come on, spill. We won't believe you without evidence."
"Can always trust Sun to say everyone's thoughts, huh?" Yang hummed to herself. Also a bit curious about how his schedule looked. After what she had learned yesterday, knowing that Jaune had gone from someone completely untrained to someone capable of repeatedly beating her was galling. What remained of her pride demanded to know his schedule, if only so she could find out what hers lacked so she could improve her own.
"Well…" Jaune started, sounding somewhat unsurely, before finding some smothering of confidence returned to his voice when he found out he coulndt weasel his way out of this one. "It feels almost better if I should just come clean about my entire schedule."
"Wake up five thirty, six to seven is the days first workout. It consists of freestyle climbing the cliffside by the docking area. It's about… little over one kilometre? Never made it to the top in the allocated time, but it's great exercise, nevertheless. My second workout starts after breakfast with my team, and consists of running ten times around Beacon's edge with a bag of fifteen kilo strapped to my back. with a time limit and some other exercises like burpees, plank, and more. All with the bag of course." Jaune started, taking a breath before continuing. "Then for the day's third workout from lunch to around four or five pm, depending on the day mostly, is focused on strength and swordplay mostly. We start warming up in the gym, for about an hour or three quarters, and the rest is spent on practicing my swordsmanship while also teaching Violet the basics. After that, well it changes from day to day. Teaching Violet is always a top priority, but so is letting her rest after a tiering day. As Nora said, we have team workout's some days, and other day's are spent getting Violet up to speed."
"And… how do you get time to do all this?" Lisa asked. "On another note, how are you not tearing yourself apart? I'm no exercise scientist, but I can confidently say that exercising so much is unhealthy."
"For how I have time? Well it's simple. I'm skipping class." Jaune replied completely unashamed. "Maybe shouldn't share have shared that with the world, wanting to be a role model for children and all that. But the truth of the matter is that Beacon employs an open schedule policy. Which means you don't need to sit your classes given that you finish your assignments on time. It's mostly designed for third and fourth years, so they have more time to plan and train before graduation and their exams. But first and second years also fall under the policy."
"God fucking damn it!" Yang shouted with all her might, having stopped listening after Jaune explained it. Similar shouts echoing through the walls.
#-#-#
"Think you just made yourself into public enemy number one there, fearless leader." Nora pipped from the side.
"Why?" Jaune replied instantly as Violet climbed back into his lap. His hair a mess of braids. "It's not my fault no one bothered to read the school policy."
"But… still." Pyrrha chimed, what words that were on her tongue dying as she sighed heavily.
"And I ask again, why?" Jaune shrugged. "My grades are mostly all A's with a B here and there. Why should I get in trouble for taking advantage of the school's policies? When they are there for our benefit?"
"Bro. How can you skip classes and still have better grades than me." Nolan sighed from the side. Looking defeated as he started hollowly at him.
"How are you healthy?" Sun asked.
"How come you haven't torn yourself apart?" Flynt asked at the same time.
"That 'physical quirk', shall we call it, that Pyrrha mentioned earlier is that I have an abnormally short muscle recovery process." Jaune shared freely. It wasn't something connected to the dream, being mostly a byproduct of his increased vitality more than anything. Neither was it something he was against sharing. "Due to it I can do three different, individual workout's each day and not having to worry about setting my progress back or permanently injuring my muscles. Even if most of my exercises are focused more on endurance and staying power rather than pure strength."
"There are no words in the dictionary to properly explain how much I envy you right now." Brawnz replied from the side.
"Eh, it is what it is." Jaune shrugged. "It's not really what it's cranked up to be. It's useful, don't get me wrong, but compared too… say Pyrrha's combat talent, it's nothing to boast about really."
"Don't push yourself down, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled at him to the side. "You are plenty talented yourself."
Sighing, Jaune just leaned back into the sofa instead, not bothering to reply. Even when she meant nothing bad, it simply felt a bit patronizing to hear it. 'She wasn't patronizing in the slightest either.' He knew intimately, it was simply his mind making up lies. The problem was him, he was burnt-out, tired, and blatantly forcing himself to not have a mental breakdown at the moment. Together with the existential dread, his head felt like a nightmare in of itself. Sitting still felt like torture when his mind was still reeling over the nights revelations. He had pushed it aside when he fought the Viscount and Alfred. When he confronted the Queen. When he talked to Pyrrha. Neither would he allow himself to have a breakdown on live tv.
'Maybe I should just rest my eyes for some minutes?' The thought crept and wormed it's way through his mind like insidious poison. Before he knew it his eyelids felt heavier than lead. Biting his tongue, he used the pain to force himself awake, sitting up straight. Knowing he would never hear the end of it if he were to fall asleep on live television.
"Yes. Suffer." A familiar voice whispered into his mind. Invisible black tentacles of miasma coming seeping out of Crocea Mors and crawling up his arm. With a surge of his spirituality, the miasma was forced back into his blade. Yet the lingering telepathic link remained. Allowing him to communicate with the Queen.
'Oh. It's you.' Jaune sent back with all his apathy. 'Didn't I kill you?'
"I am immortal. Eternal." The Queen replied instantly with all the haughtiness and venom that existed in her heart. "Even trapped as I am in this blade of yours, there is only a question of time before I am free once more."
'If by free you mean to experience the afterlife, then yes.' Jaune snarked back. 'If not by tonight, or tomorrow, but you will be free eventually. Honestly, I can't really see the appeal of immortality. Who would want to live forever?'
"How can a commoner ever understand the grandeur of royalty?" The Queen replied in kind. "You measure your days by offering labour where's I spend my days scrying the future, changing the present, and sculpting the future that be. The Divine rest their eyes on my Cainhurst and the future I build. And one day, I will breach the void to traverse the stars looking for my Oedon. Walking hand in hand with Our child."
'I'm afraid you have a bloated sense of self-importance.' Jaune sent back as a cruel idea sprouted in his mind. 'And as far as immortality goes, why should I ever want for something I already have?'
With that he blasted the telepathic link with memories, feelings and experiences, bombarding the Queen with all the times he had died in Yharnam. From being throw off the bridge by the first Cleric Beast he ever encountered, all the times he was mobbed by over a hundred mad men, shot, stabbed, burned, suffocated, crushed, decapitated, spilling his guts, bleeding out, the time his head popped after whistling the tune he sometimes heard out in the street, and his most recent death at the Vicar's guard's hands.
A part of him was happy to have someone to share his experiences with, even if she more monster than human. It felt good, not having to carry everything himself. 'Shame I can't show the same to my team, I don't think their spirituality could take it.' He thought to himself, his right eyebrow twitching erratically as unbearable humming rang out through the studio. The same melody he sometimes heard while wandering Yharnam.
"La~Lah~La~~"
"Laa~La…La~Lah~Lah"
Shaking his head, the humming died down. Leaving him to handle his churning spirituality. Thankfully it wasn't close to being unbalanced. Active would be the word he would use to describe it. 'But I don't want it to so active when I'm sitting down.' Jaune thought to himself, feeling how his heart started beating like an old car engine. Starting slowly before revving up.
Breathing out heavily, he did his best not to sigh. Instead decided to needle the Queen instead. 'You know what. Immortality really isn't everything it's hyped up to be. I mean, I can sort of get the appeal. It just isn't for me. But one another note, you at Cainhurst have a good grasp of the Divine, right? What does it mean when a deity, one related to death and passing to the afterlife, reveals themselves to you?' To rub even more salt in the wound, he transmitted over the moment that he knew he would never forget. Of Death guiding Aurora to the other side.
Jaune did his best not to smirk when he felt the closest thing to a human bluescreening. The Queen's mental presence turning into static as it 'sank' back into Crocea Mors. Before she was entirely sealed, Jaune flexed his spirituality, forcefully stretching the mental connection and reaching 'in' towards a familiar presence.
For a brief moment Jaune was bombarded with a multitude of feelings and emotions. From ravenous bloodlust, a chorus of thousand angry souls screaming, madness, and a zealous loyalty and love that washed away the dark clouds that clouded his mind.
The link fizzled out a moment later, leaving Jaune renewed with determination. He wouldn't force his partner to act as prison and seal for longer than necessary.
"What's the quickest way to a man's heart?" He heard Lisa ask, dragging him out of his thoughts.
"Through the fourth and fifth ribs." Jaune answered on complete autopilot. Looking around with confusion at the dozen stares sent his way. Nora looked at him, hid her mouth behind her hand, and tried holding back her laughter. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes as her shoulder's shock wildly.
"What was the question?" Jaune asked with honest confusion. "I might have zoned out a little bit, but I stand by my answer."
"Zoned out he says." Sun chuckled hollowly. "Bro, you weren't even on the same planet as us."
"No thoughts, head empty." Roy quipped from Vacuo's sofa with a shit eating grin.
"Where were you even?" Neptune asked in confusion.
"In my happy place." Jaune replied with a roll of his eyes. "Somewhere that chat coulndt reach."
"Sounds like a happier place." Brawnz mumbled beside him, sending another look at the tv screens. "'We have a team that will moderate the chat' they said. Lied they did."
"Moving on." Lisa butted in, obviously and forcefully changing the topic to something else. An obsessive zeal momentarily appearing in her eyes. "Now that the fourth fundraiser milestone is close, why don't we switch to a more serious topic. How about the Docks. From the reports' I have been privy too, is it true that both Sun and Team JNPR were involved in the incident?"
"In a matter of speaking, yes." Jaune answered for his team, lifting Violet from his lap and leaning forward. "We were the first on the scene after the explosion, but where otherwise not involved in the altercation."
'Good.' Elizabeth, the eldest queenly spirit, whispered in his ear. 'Choose your words carefully. She wants to tear you apart. Your downfall and discredit is her success.'
'Never thought you would be so willing to help.' Jaune thought to himself, doing his best not to sigh when he remembered the mental connection spell having fizzled out earlier.
"Oh… that shitshow. Yeah, I was there from the start." Sun started, leaning back with a sigh. A seriousness he hadn't associated with Sun falling over him. "I was chasing… let's call it a tail, who was in a downwards self-spiral with an unhealthy obsession over the white fang. The type of 'only death can stop my quest' kind of obsession."
"Mr Wukong, what was going through your head at the moment?" Lisa prodded gently.
"That I coulndt let her die." Sun answered without hesitation, Lisa's eyes glowing as she did her best to hide her smile.
"Are you saying the reason the incident at the dock's was a result of you chasing a girl?" Lisa asked, voice sickly sweat as her eyes shone.
"Well…" Sun started, Neptune quickly coming to his rescue and elbowing him in the side. "No comment." Neptune said loudly. "The question is unrelated to the following topic and is also leading."
Lisa simply smiled, letting the matter rest temporarily as she instead turned to Jaune. "Mr Arc, in the report I have been given access to by your headmaster, it is stated that you murdered an unarmed and defenceless teenager in cold blood. Is this true?"
"Yes. It is true." Jaune replied flatly to her question, giving her an empty stare. Every word out his mouth laced with clinical apathy. "However, if you have read the report I gave to my headmaster, you would know there were other factors at play. Factor's you are choosing to outright ignore. Like the fact that the teenager in question was cut in half. What remained of his liver was spilling out from the wound, stomach acid was mixing with his blood, his intestines were spilling out the other part of him. He was dead, even if the paramedics got to him, he would be dead. In the miniscule chance that the survived the ambulance ride to the hospital, he would still be dead. Because teenager or not, he was a terrorist, who was wounded on a raid for a terrorist raid and would be denied medical aid. So I did what I hope someone else would do for me if I ever find myself in the same situation. I killed him so he didn't have to suffer."
The stage was deathly silent after he finished. Every stagehand looked sick and Jaune saw someone rushing out to empty their stomachs. His fellow hunters in training looked better, even if how everyone looked at him was different. Caution was in some eyes, while other's gave him soft nods. Lisa for her part looked ready to puke, even with makeup on her skin looked clammy. Out from the corner of his eyes, he could see specialist Schnee glaring at Lisa.
"But why don't we take a step back." Jaune started, looking over to Sun. Who for his part smiled back, a smile that was as impish as it was vindictive. "The situation we arrived to, was different than the one Sun described. Why don't we clear up what happened?"
"The situation was under control." Sun started with a little nod, voice even as he described what had happened. "Most of the goons were knocked out, it was only Torchwick left. And while he is competent, fighting two opponents' simultaneously is something else entirely. Then reinforcement's came, ours and theirs. The white fang had, five, six maybe, bullheads fly in over the water. And someone decided to cut them all apart. In a second everything spiralled out of control. Because bullhead's fly, and even if cut in two, their engines still work. So we had about ten missiles crashing into the docks, which had just received a large shipment of dust. And, well, boom."
"Understatement of the century right there." Nora butted in. Crossing her arms with a huff. "We were in a karaoke bar close to the docks, and you felt it in the walls."
"It was the explosion that alerted us." Jaune took over before Nora could spin the story completely out of proportion. "The karaoke bar we were at is close to the docks, so we quickly made our way over. The first thing I did when we arrived was having Ren contact emergency services, in hindsight, it's a miracle someone picked up given all the calls they had to get."
"I relayed everything to the emergency services, giving them a clearer picture for when they arrived, and for what had happened." Ren explained with a nod.
"And before entering the docks, I gave my team permission to shoot to kill." Jaune explained. "My rationale at the point was that we were entering a situation with possible combat, and it was the first thing that popped into my mind. Then we entered the docks, saw absolute pandemonium, and I ordered my team to get everyone out of the bullheads and begin emergency first aid should someone be alive. Then I heard weak moaning off in the distance, went to investigate, and everyone knows what I did after that."
#-#-#
Claire sat spellbound on her coach, tea spilling out from her cup and onto the floor as her eyes were bound to the television. The house had never been so quiet before. Even a graveyard made more sound.
"What?" The words escaped Claire as her brain jumpstarted itself. Never in her life would she eve think she one day would sit and watch as her son admitted to murder to a live audience. The comments were already on fire. Either defending him or shouting for him to stand trial.
"Jaune admits to murder before a live audience of over five hundred thousand. Can't say I ever had that on my bingo card." Lily joked, a brittle smile on her lips as she did her best to try and lift the crushing atmosphere.
"Mom. Did brother do something wrong?" Bloom asked carefully, not looking up from the tv screen. Confusion plastered on her face.
"Yes! Duh. He killed someone." Jade replied before Claire could say something else.
"No. He was put in a stressful situation, and he did what he felt was right given the context." Saphire countered, coming to her brother's defence.
"Are you hearing yourself?" Jade snapped at her sister, waving her arms wildly. "That still doesn't give him the right to kill someone!"
"So you are just going to ignore the fact that he was already dead?" Sapphire shot back with a glare. "Or that he was a terrorist? On a terrorist raid? Or that the situation could be avoided completely if someone hadn't decided to cut apart five flying bullheads? Or that it never would have happened if that Sun guy and another person hadn't instigated the fight?"
"That still doesn't give Jaune the right to kill." Jade said defensively, crossing her arms and glaring back at her sister.
"Well…" Lily mumbled, staring at her scroll as she began reading loudly. "It kind of does. By Valean law at least. It may not be moral; however he can't be prosecuted."
"Excuse me?! What the fuck! Give me that!" Jade snapped, snatching the scroll out from her sisters hands and began reading loudly. "Valean Law regarding Huntsman Duty and Protection, section two, article two. 'All incidents involving the use of lethal force by Huntsmen and Huntresses will be subject to review by an independent oversight committee. Should it be found that protocol was broken, or the use of lethal force is unjustified, the Huntsman or Huntress in question will be taken to court on case for murder.'"
"Section one, article one." Lily pointed out to her sister. Rolling her eyes as Jade shot her a glare.
"Circumstances for lethal force, 'Huntsmen and Huntresses, including Huntsmen-in-training are authorized the use of lethal force in the following extreme circumstances: When faced with a direct and immediate threat to their own lives or the lives of others. When combating grimm that pose imminent danger to any person or property. When dealing with human or faunus adversaries who are engaged in actions that pose a significant threat to public safety and cannot be subdued through non-lethal means.'" Jade read loudly. "This doesn't defend him."
"It does, it can be argued that as a terrorist, Jaune had no other choice than to… neutralize him, given that he was a threat to public safety." Lily explained flatly, snatching her scroll out of her sisters hands. "And honestly, I don't understand what you are hollering about. Do you really think the Headmaster or Beacon would let him saunter around if they found fault with his actions?"
"And even without the law, it can be argued from a moral standpoint, it is kinder and more humane to not let someone suffer unnecessarily." Saphire butted in with.
"Girls. Girls. I love you. And I'm proud that you are willing to defend your brother, or what's right in your case Jade. However, please go somewhere else if you want to argue." Clare said, shooting her girls a stern look. "I love you, but please don't argue loudly while I try to explain what happened to your sisters."
"If you were put into the same situation again, what would you do?" Lisa's voice came form the tv, cutting through the tension.
"I would do it again." Her boy replied without missing a beat. "Even with modern medical advancement's, he would be dead in minutes or seconds. So I made sure he wouldn't suffer longer than necessary. It's not something I took any pleasure in doing. And while the chat may think differently, it is far easier to say what one would do, than it is to follow through."
"Why are you even going after my bro?" Sun butted in. "As far as I'm concerned Jaune did nothing wrong. If you want to go around assigning blame, why don't attack the one who, I don't know, made the dock's go boom. I don't know about you, but I know of only one country that can create fucking flying swords."
"I don't like what you are implying, Sun." The Flynt boy joined in, living up to his namesake.
"I'm not implying, I'm openly stating that I only know only one country that boasts the advanced technology to create flying swords." Sun instantly countered. "I will go so far as to state that I never employed lethal force while at the docks. Almost all the death's rests on the one who had the great idea of cutting bullheads out of the sky."
Claire didn't know what she should feel when the boy came to her son's defence. Part of her was happy that her boy had proper friends that would defend him. Another part of her wondered why she was watching two teenagers almost throw hands at live television. 'Next week is going to be an absolute disaster.' Claire knew from the bottom of her heart. Between her son being on television, having to juggle Titus and Jaune not meeting or starting another shouting match, and making sure her darlings didn't throw even more onto Jaune's plate when he looked so tired.
#-#-#-#
Note: Adam is dangerous. Adam was dangerous, then they dropped the ball with his character. So I'm making him dangerous again. Less edge and scorned lover, and more fire and resolve.
Note: And the discussion in the family, is just a 'visual' representation of what's happening in the chat, or comments. It's easier to write them as acting out the chat's reactions, than force in chat prompts.
Note: Note: I like to use the MtG Colour system, and Sun is Mono-Red, or Red-Black if you want to be really critical of his character. He is selfish and acts around what he want's first and foremost. He hitched a ride illegally to Vale because he wanted to check out the festival, he joined his current object of affection (Blake) to the docs, partly because he was infuriated with her and because he knew she was going to get in trouble. That is without mentioning how the first thing he did after the fall of beacon was hitching a ride on the same boat as Blade, leaving his team behind without a warning. It's only natural that he would butt heads with those from Atlas, which is a country-coloured White-Blue, or Blue-White.
Note: For those curios, Jaune started as Mono-White, but have after the things at Cainhurst moved to Black-White. He may still be White-Black, depending on what I want his primary motivations to be.