White Knight Errant
A RWBY fanfic by Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: This is a fan based work of prose. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and WB Animation. Please support the official release.
Outwardly, Jaune was trying as hard as he could to maintain his calm. Sure, Professor Goodwitch had told him that he wasn't in trouble and there was nothing to fear. Getting called up to meet Headmaster Ozpin before classes on Monday was just because of scheduling, nothing serious.
He also knew that people lied.
There was no reason to just bring him up to his office for a nice, neighborly chat. There were any number of things in his background that Ozpin could confront him over! He was friends with Roman Freaking Torchwick, for crying out loud!
Okay, calm down, Jaune thought to himself, as he ascended the elevator up to the top of Beacon tower, Calm! All right? I mean… You told Goodwitch about Cinder. Maybe we're just going to talk about it and maybe he can help.
And he'd give Ozpin that information so he could protect this school, and his friends.
Even if it meant he was expelled. Or worse, his mom found out.
The elevator doors opened out onto a huge, wide office done in earthy tones. The ticking of clocks filled the air as Jaune walked out. He looked around at all the clockwork behind the huge desk, his steps slow and steady.
Ozpin himself sat behind his large desk, resting his fingers in a steeple before him. He gave Jaune a light, almost grandfatherly smile.
"Hello, Mister Arc. It is nice to meet with you properly. Would you like something to drink? Tea? Hot chocolate?"
"No thank you, Headmaster," Jaune said politely. He nervously sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the desk. The sound of the clockwork all around them was a little unnerving, if he was being honest. Who would want a constant reminder of their mortality slipping away?
Definitely not him.
"It has been some time since we met personally," Ozpin continued, "Not since your father's funeral. Sorry about that."
"I uh…" Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "That's okay. And thanks. My dad did mention you a few times."
"Did he?" Ozpin asked, cocking an eyebrow. Jaune nodded.
"He said you were a great teacher. A great Huntsman."
Ozpin nodded slowly.
"I did my best," he said quietly, "All anyone can ask for."
"Most of what my mom said uh…" He winced.
"I don't think I can repeat it."
Ozpin allowed himself a wry smile. He steepled his fingers in front of him.
"Not a surprise. You're an earnest and determined young man. You remind me of your father… And your mother."
"Is that a good or bad thing?" Jaune muttered.
"This is why I wanted to talk to you today, actually."
Jaune blinked.
"Er, sure?" He managed. "Is this about those students-?"
"I'm investigating them right now," Ozpin said, "But I suggest you not speak any more of it. Especially not to them."
Jaune sighed softly under his breath. A lot of his tension was released at hearing that.
"No, there is a more pertinent task I have for you, Jaune," he said, "You might even call it a favor."
Jaune blinked. That was…
"Direct," he said.
"I've been told to be more straightforward in my dealings," Ozpin said carefully, "You are friends with Miss Rose, are you not?"
Jaune blinked a few times.
"Yes sir?"
Ozpin nodded.
"You've demonstrated that you will protect her and keep her safe, even at the risk of your own life."
"Of course I would," Jaune said with a serious nod. He clutched at his knees.
"In that case," Ozpin said, "I want you to continue doing so. Especially with the training missions you are about to undergo. I will arrange for JNPR to accompany RWBY on any such outing."
Jaune's eyes widened.
"Why? Is someone after her?"
Ozpin paused.
"I'm not sure," he said, "But she does have a tendency to get into trouble. Seeing as you also have a tendency at getting into trouble and getting out of it? I feel you are the perfect person to safeguard her."
Jaune winced.
"If it's that serious, why not just get a Huntsman to follow her around?"
Ozpin held up a mug of coffee and sipped it.
Wait, when did he get that? Jaune thought curiously.
"I believe a measured response is best," Ozpin explained, "The scale of the threat is still unknown. That and we want her to grow, don't we? Her dream is to be a Huntress. We can't put her in a gilded cage, after all, or force her into a path she doesn't want to go. Don't you agree?"
"Er, yes," Jaune nodded. "Still, if it's a big threat to her life-"
"Again, we don't know that for sure," Ozpin said, "So until we know? I want to be subtle about this." He sipped his coffee again.
"Besides, you've proven yourself quite capable. Why shouldn't I rely on you?"
"Well," Jaune rubbed the back of his head, "I mean, I'm not fully educated or trained or-"
"You will have back up," Ozpin said encouragingly, "So don't worry about that."
"Back up?" Jaune blinked. "You mean like, Uncle Qrow? Isn't he off on a mission or something?"
Ozpin twitched very slightly. Which was weird.
"No, but your Godfather has graciously agreed to assist," Ozpin said. He smiled. "Any other questions?"
"Well," Jaune shrugged, "What do I tell my team?"
"Just that you and RWBY are sister teams and will be supporting each other on training missions," Ozpin said, "You have worked together very well so far, after all."
As vigilantes? Jaune thought. Still, he conceded the point and nodded.
"Yes sir."
"And confidentially," Ozpin said with a small smile, "The faculty is taking bets on who you end up with."
"WHAT?!" Jaune yelped with a bright red face. Ozpin chuckled.
"Just a joke, Mister Arc. Nothing more."
Jaune sighed in relief.
"Oh. Good."
Ozpin sipped his coffee.
"Though of course if you expanded your dating pool a bit, I could cut you in."
"Seriously?!" Jaune demanded, all desire to be polite fleeing.
"Just another joke, Mister Arc, relax," Ozpin smiled. "There are many joys in teaching, but the endless teenaged romantic drama is quite entertaining."
"You realize you're just outright saying that, right?" Jaune scowled.
"I am. What are you going to do about it?" He asked.
Jaune glared.
"Complain?!"
"Good luck with that," Ozpin stated dryly.
Jaune scowled.
"I can see why Mom had so few nice things to say about you."
"You should have heard her when she was drunk."
Ruby was practically skipping her way to the cafeteria, a broad smile on her face. Her cape waved behind her with every step, as the sun shone down upon them.
The rest of her team followed, far less enthusiastically.
"Geez Rubes, do you have to be so cheerful this early?" Yang yawned, "It's Monday. Nobody should be this happy."
Ruby turned back and grinned at her older sister.
"I am!" Ruby beamed. "We get to go on training missions! I wanna finish breakfast fast and get a really good one!"
"We should pace ourselves," Weiss countered, her arms crossed under her chest, "Besides, after the last few misadventures we've gone through, I think something more sedate would be preferable."
"I hate to agree with Weiss, but, well," Blake shrugged, "She has a point."
"Come on!" Ruby protested. "We should want a mission where we just have to kill a bunch of Grimm and protect people! Th-That's why we're here after all!"
"It would be nice, I don't disagree," Weiss sighed, rolling her neck. She smiled. "That said, it would be great if we could go on a joint mission with SSSN! Neptune's had so little time for me lately!"
"Er, sure," Yang muttered.
Weiss sighed and squeezed her hands together happily. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could go out and fight the good fight together? It would be so romantic!"
Blake scowled as Weiss sighed happily.
"We should tell her," Blake muttered.
"She's too stubborn to accept it from us," Yang muttered back. "You know how she is."
"Even I think it's not good for her to be used by this scumbag. Me," Blake mumbled back.
"What are we whispering about?" Nora asked urgently. Yang and Blake jumped and scowled.
"How did you sneak up on us?!" Blake demanded.
Nora beamed and stood proudly.
"When you're partners with a ninja your whole life, you pick up a few things!"
"Morning Nora!" Ruby greeted Nora cheerfully. "Are you pumped that we get to go on training missions?"
"TOTALLY!" Nora cheered, throwing her fists up into the air.
Nora struck a very dramatic pose, which Ruby immediately copied.
"Let's take out those evil Grimm for great justice!" Nora said happily.
"YEAH!" Ruby cheered. "Great Justice!"
Ren and Pyrrha walked up slowly, Pyrrha beaming while Ren was his usual stoic self.
"Good morning everyone!" Pyrrha said happily. Ruby smiled back.
"Good morning Pyrrha! Morning Ren!"
"Morning P-Money, Zen," Yang greeted. Blake nodded.
"Good morning Pyrrha, Ren," Blake returned. Pyrrha looked over at Blake and fidgeted slightly.
"Um, Blake? May I speak with you in private before we go to breakfast? It's very important."
Blake blinked, but nodded.
"We'll catch up soon!" Pyrrha said with a smile to Ruby. Ruby frowned.
"Speaking of, where is Jaune?"
"He had an early morning meeting with the Headmaster," Ren said. Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Is he in trouble or something?"
"Professor Goodwitch said he wasn't," Pyrrha said with a smile, "And I trust her."
"Hmph," Weiss snorted, "Probably wants to grill him for all the proper damage he's caused."
"You were involved in that too!" Ruby protested.
"SO WERE YOU!" Weiss growled.
Pyrrha and Blake walked away from the ensuing argument, towards a picnic table underneath a tree on the lawn. Pyrrha smiled warmly at Blake and blushed a bit.
"Um, Blake? I am going on a date with Jaune next. You said you would help me plan it."
Blake nodded with a small smile of her own.
"I did. I'm sorry I haven't been helping out as much. Our detention has been pretty involved."
"Oh no! That's fine!" Pyrrha said quickly and waved her hands. "I mean, we all have! But I uh, I've been doing my own research and thinking up some of my own ideas!"
She pulled out a notebook from her book bag. She held it out to Blake with a smile. Blake opened the notebook and began to read through.
She nodded.
"I think something nice and casual is definitely the way to go. Something that avoids too much attention."
Pyrrha beamed.
"I-I thought the same, too! There's so much I haven't experienced and… And I want to experience it all with him!" She blushed deeply. "Like a cafe, an arcade, a walk in the park… And then after, um… Well…"
Blake continued reading… Then her eyes widened. Her cheeks began to burn bright red. She began to read far more intently, pupils dilating.
"You're… Very thorough," Blake managed. "Um… Wow…"
Pyrrha nodded, a determined fire burning in her eyes.
"I… I will make sure that Jaune can find it in himself to love freely! To share it and not be afraid after what that woman did to him! I mean, isn't that good? To-To plan that far ahead? To the last detail?"
Pyrrha flushed. "That… That doesn't make me a… A pervert or weirdo, r-right? I know I disturb Jaune sometimes but-"
Blake gave her a small smile. She took Pyrrha's hand. "No! No, this is perfect!" She said happily. "I can help you, Yang, and Ruby all resolve your romantic issues!"
She glanced over at Ruby, who was cutely waving her fists at the scowling Weiss. She looked back at the notebook.
"But… This may be a bit much for a first date, you know?. Especially since Ruby hasn't had hers yet."
Pyrrha looked guilty.
"Oh… Oh, yes, well, um… I-I suppose I should um… We did agree to be fair." She sighed and reached out to take the notebook.
"I should get rid of this and start over-"
"On the other hand!" Blake said quickly, "No sense in tossing away all that hard work? It may come in handy in the future. There's always second or third dates, after all! Indeed… I could even give you some suggestions!"
Pyrrha smiled happily, her hands coming together.
"Really?"
"Of course," Blake said softly. "What are friends for?"
Pyrrha paused, and blushed a bit more deeply. "W-We are friends?" Pyrrha asked.
Blake nodded. "Absolutely," she said. "If… If you want to?"
Pyrrha beamed and squeezed her hands between hers.
"More than anything!"
"Then yes, we are," Blake nodded. "Also… If you'd let me keep this notebook? I… I might have a few more ideas you could use."
"Really?" Pyrrha asked hopefully.
"Absolutely," Blake said as she licked her lips, "Though um… Wow… You need to show me your sources."
Breakfast was as frenetic as usual. Nora and Ruby's eagerness synchronized and their manic energy was like a self-sustaining reaction. Yang had to admit, it was adorable.
Even so, old habits rose up when Ruby, after finishing her food, shot off with her Semblance out of the cafeteria. With long practice, Yang caught her little sister by her cape and yanked her back.
"ACK! YANG!" Ruby cried.
"Easy, easy!" Yang laughed, "We've got plenty of time!"
Ruby pouted up at her older sister.
"But what if all the good missions are taken? And where's Jaune?"
Pyrrha smiled and held up her Scroll.
"He texted that he would meet us there," she said.
"Aw man, he missed breakfast!" Nora groaned. "That's the most important meal of the day! Aside from second breakfast! And maybe third!"
"We'll take some with us for him," Yang decided. Ruby was off like a shot, and then back with a full breakfast platter on a tray, a massive stack of pancakes wobbling precariously atop it.
"You think this is enough?" Ruby asked worriedly.
Weiss snorted.
"The oaf will be fine. Let's just get to the mission office, shall we? Just tell him to meet us there."
"All right," Pyrrha said, her smile wide and happy. Weiss frowned a bit as the two teams walked out of the cafeteria and towards the mission office.
"She's been in a good mood since Arc agreed to a date," Weiss sniffed. "Even as he two times her with Yang and Ruby…"
"We all agreed to take turns!" Ruby insisted. "Stop being so grumpy!"
"Yes Weiss," and here Blake had a vicious grin, "Just because only Neptune's shown an interest in you is no reason to be jealous."
"I'M NOT JEALOUS!" Weiss insisted angrily as they passed through the Star Maiden gardens, "And Neptune is amazing! He-He's just been busy lately! I'm sure we'll see him at the mission office!"
Yang sighed heavily. She looked over at Nora, who shook her head.
"I feel like we need to tell her," Yang murmured. Blake sighed as well.
"Would she even believe us?" Blake asked.
"Besides," Nora added, "She said it was her business. Also, I have read that you should let your female friends invite you to eviscerate their scumbag boyfriends. She hasn't invited us, so it would be rude!"
She beamed at Ren.
"See Renny? I'm learning how to be the best girlfriend ever!" She paused, then smiled nervously.
"N-Not that I'm gonna invite my friends to eviscerate you if you're a scumbag, because you'd never be a scumbag!"
"No, I would not," Ren said calmly. He reached out and took Nora's hand. He then squeezed it. Nora turned bright red, and trembled. She squealed, and hugged Ren tightly.
"Ooooh! It's so lewd, Renny~! Right here in public?!"
"We've held hands before," Ren deadpanned.
"But it's different now! Especially after our amazing wedding on the top of Mount Akazo-!"
"That was a dream."
"But the dragon fire was so real!"
"It was not."
"So we can't have real dragonfire at our wedding?"
Ren looked to the heavens.
"... I'll think about it."
"YAY!" Nora cheered, nuzzling him happily.
Weiss stared at them as they walked through the gardens. She sighed.
"Come on, it's cute!" Yang grinned.
"I had a much different viewpoint of what a Huntress' life would be life before this," Weiss muttered.
"Didn't we all," Blake smirked.
"Hmph," Weiss grunted.
"Besides," Blake added, "You're the one mooning over your boyfriend-"
"I am not mooning!" Weiss growled.
"Shut up and hurry!" Ruby shouted.
They got to the entrance to the Mission Office:It was in a small building right off the main core area of Beacon. Like most of Beacon's buildings, it was decorated with a warm brown and dark green on the inside, with large, tall windows to let in the sunshine. Already, numerous students were milling about the many waiting tables, talking with their teammates, or talking with advisors at the nearby desks.
Ruby skipped right in and headed to the mission board, where numerous missions were posted via hologram as blue flat screens suspended in front of a wide white board. She scanned through the postings as the rest of her team, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren joined her.
"Ooh!" Ruby grinned as she pointed at a mission post, "This looks good! 'Escort a shipment to a bubble town!'"
"It's a little boring," Yang said with a small scowl. Weiss scoffed.
"Boring is good! Boring is preferable to everything we've been through!" She nodded in approval at Ruby. "It's a good choice, Ruby."
Ruby beamed… Which is when Jaune reached over and tapped the holowindow. It instantly vanished.
"Eh?! Jaune?" Ruby gasped.
"Well," Jaune said, "Too bad. We've got a different mission: Both of our teams."
"Arc?!" Weiss gasped.
Pyrrha stared. Ren blinked rapidly. Blake's ears twitched under her bow as she raised an eyebrow.
"How did you sneak up on us?" She asked.
"That would be thanks to me," another male voice spoke. RWBY and JNPR turned to the speaker, Nora jumping in shock. Ruby's eyes widened.
He was fairly tall, about as tall as Jaune, with dark skin. He was handsome, with a finely cut dark brown beard that matched his hair-Save for the white streaks running through it. His eyes were blueish-gray, and very keen: His stare was intense like a bird of prey, and despite his smile he still seemed intimidating. He wore a dark blue and purple cloak over a black tunic, white pants, and brown leather boots. He had dark blue bracers on his wrists over his sleeves. From his belt hung a mace attached to a coil of woven cable, and a short, curved sword. On his back was a quiver of arrows, and a silvery-white bow with several silvery strings that glistened like spider web strands.
"Everyone," Jaune said with a small smile, "This is my godfather, Arjun Sarkara. He'll be coming with us on our joint mission."
"Joint?!" Weiss demanded. "Does that mean we're going to be paired up- Again?!"
"Easier to keep an eye on you that way," Arjun chuckled. His eyes glowed, "And keep you out of trouble."
Yang sighed as she crossed her arms under her chest.
"You any good?" She asked bluntly. "Or are we just getting a babysitter?"
"Yang," Jaune hissed. Arjun chuckled.
"I guess we'll see, won't we Miss Xiao-Long? That said, it will be a very important mission. We'll be doing a patrol around Fort Celliwig. And I'll get to catch up with my godson… And his friends."
He smiled mischievously, leaning in as if to share a secret.
"And I have baby photos of him too!" He faux whispered.
"Really~?" Pyrrha gasped. Jaune's eyes widened.
"Uncle, I swear to God-Don't you dare-!"
"And suddenly this mission just became interesting!" Yang grinned.
" Very," Blake added with a smirk.
"Seriously?!" Jaune demanded. Arjun chuckled.
"It will make the Bullhead trip go by so much more smoothly," Arjun said with a grin. "Besides… We have much to discuss."
His eyes lingered on Ruby for a bit. She stared back. Her Silver Eyes lit up for a moment. She trembled, and nodded.
"Y-Yeah… We do," she said quietly. Much louder, she said:
"Team RWBY and JNPR! Move out!"
They got their gear together and headed out to the airfield. Numerous other teams were gathered around the landing pads. They were checking over their supplies, talking, or meandering around. Arjun cut through the crowds and led them right towards a slim-looking airship in green and black tigerstripe camouflage. It resembled a Bullhead, but sleeker, slimmer, and with longer engine nacelles.
Jaune looked over at Ruby, who was extremely distracted. He gave her a smile.
"So, what's this model Ruby?"
Ruby looked up at it, and a little light returned to her eyes.
"Oh! Wayland Air Motors Tigertail Model A47?"
Arjun nodded in approval.
"Yes, good eyes."
Ruby flinched at that. Jaune's lips thinned a bit, but Arjun went on.
"My company helped the new VDF procure several of these. Since we're going to the military base, they agreed to give us a lift."
Arjun walked up the back ramp into the cabin, the teams following. The interior was standard military grays and blues, the walls lined with bench seats and harnesses. The cockpit was separated with a hatch that was currently open, showing the flatscreen control panels, seats, and the wide windscreen. Arjun scanned around the interior, and checked over everything with a keen, practiced gaze.
"You all know how to stow your gear properly?" He asked. Ruby nodded.
"Y-yeah!"
"Not a problem, Arrow Man," Yang said with a grin and wink. Arjun didn't react to this, merely nodding.
"All right. Stow the gear. I'll do the final checks outside. Ruby, Jaune, with me. You're the team leaders."
"Eh?" Ruby blinked. Arjun raised an eyebrow.
"Are you going to trust the lives of your teams to just any aircraft without inspecting it?"
Ruby winced again. Jaune nodded and turned to his team.
"Stow your gear, we'll be back," he ordered.
"On it, Fearless Leader!" Nora saluted. Ren nodded. Pyrrha smiled a bit more warmly, but obeyed. Ruby looked to her team, who were already stowing their things.
"Come on, we're great at packing it in!" Yang grinned. Weiss groaned as Blake shook her head.
Yang shot a flirty look over at Jaune.
"Though I bet you can't wait to give it a try, huh Jaune~?"
"Yang!" Jaune groaned. Ruby flushed. Pyrrha managed a tighter smile. Weiss groaned in disgust.
"I don't suppose you have a gag for her?" Weiss asked Arjun.
"How kinky," Blake observed. Weiss sputtered angrily, her cheeks burning red.
"I-You-THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" The heiress cried.
"Ooh, I knew it," Yang grinned like a cat about to pounce on its meal, "Repressed rich girl with a very hidden kinky side! You're finally loosening up!"
"I AM NOT KINKY! OR-OR REPRESSED!" Weiss denied angrily. "Stop being disgusting, Yang!"
"Or what, you'll spank me?"
"IF I HAVE TO!" Weiss hissed.
Silence fell. Yang cackled. Blake smirked. Nora cheered.
"GO WEISS!"
"Oh my," Pyrrha murmured, blushing bright red but looking at Jaune almost speculatively. Which Jaune bore with his normal stoicism.
Weiss turned bright red.
"N-No! I didn't mean-!"
"Oh man, Jaune, will you still accept me after Weiss has her way with me~?" Yang snickered, covering her cheeks with her hands. Blake was suspiciously covering her mouth up. Ren looked like he dearly wanted to roll his eyes.
Ruby was bright red, but very quiet. Just as she had been since Jaune and Arjun showed up.
"We'll leave you to stow your gear and figure anything else out," Arjun said, his eyes laughing despite his calm voice and neutral face.
"N-No, I-You-OOOH!" Weiss cried.
Jaune hurried Ruby out of the aircraft after Arjun. The older man was smirking slightly as Weiss and Yang continued to argue.
"You have very colorful teams," he observed.
"That's an understatement," Jaune sighed. Ruby flushed a bit. Arjun's smirk grew slightly as he raised his eyebrows.
"... Reminds me of better times," he admitted. Before Jaune could ask, Arjun said: "Come on, let's go through this."
They went through the checks, Arjun pointing out each component of the Tigertail and how to tell if it was functioning properly. Ruby's mechanical background gave her the edge, but Jaune did his best. They soon returned to the interior of the Tigertail, where the rest of the teams were sitting in their seats. Arjun had them strap in, and nodded in satisfaction.
"All right. Ruby, you know this machine well enough: I'll teach you how to navigate on the way there. Jaune? You'll stay back here and I'll teach you on the way back. Understood?"
"No problem, Uncle," Jaune said with a smile. Ruby did look a little more excited but a tension remained in her shoulders. Jaune turned his smile to Ruby.
"Hey, don't worry. Uncle Arjun's a great teacher. He taught my dad how to fly."
"And he only crashed three times," Arjun said, still smiling politely.
Much staring. Arjun hummed and rubbed his chin.
"Or was it four times?"
"That's encouraging," Yang deadpanned.
"Absolutely," Arjun nodded. He motioned Ruby into the cockpit, and began to prep the Tigertail for takeoff. Ruby sat in the seat next to him, and helped him go over the final pre-flight checks before the engines started up.
"I'm sure he's just joking," Pyrrha said with a soft smile as Jaune sat down and strapped in next to her. She looked over at Jaune.
"Right?"
Jaune smiled wryly. "Relax. Uncle Arjun doesn't crash… Though my dad definitely did."
"Aw," Nora pouted, "No crash?"
"Maybe next time," Jaune said with a nod. Nora beamed.
"YAY!"
"Joy," Weiss deadpanned, as the rear ramp and cockpit hatch closed, and the Tigertail took off with a tremble.
Ruby checked over the instruments carefully as the Tigertail flew over the wide green expanse of the Emerald Forest. She didn't put her hands on the co-pilot controls: She didn't need to be told about that, and Arjun hadn't reminded her. They both wore headsets, Arjun asking her to note their position and anything else while he navigated the vehicle.
"How's the oil temperature?" He asked. Ruby checked it.
"309," she called out. Arjun nodded.
"Good. Tigertails tend to run a bit hotter at low altitudes," Arjun nodded, checking over the screens before focusing on the horizon. Ruby looked ahead then fidgeted in the seat..
"Um… Uh…" Ruby tried, before she fell silent again.
"Hm? Yes?" Arjun asked, looking as placid and calm as he had been since they met.
"Er… So… You like… Arrows?" Ruby tried awkwardly.
STUPID! Her brain shouted.
Arjun merely chuckled. "I do… But why don't you ask me about what you really want to talk about?"
Ruby stared. Arjun adjusted a knob on the joystick.
"They won't hear," he said quietly, tilting his head back towards the passenger compartment. Ruby sucked in a deep breath as she stared intently at the older man.
"Did… Are you the one who saved me?" She asked.
"I am," Arjun said. "Do you doubt your own eyes? What did you see?"
Ruby channeled her Aura into her eyes. She stared intently at the purple and blue Aura figure that took the place of Arjun in her vision. It was like seeing a man-shaped ocean: Placid with a flow to it like waves lapping against the shore. He turned, and she could see two glowing points where his eyes were.
"You're seeing my soul," Arjun said softly, "And I am seeing yours."
Ruby cut the Aura. His gray-blue eyes were glowing softly, before the light vanished. Ruby gaped at him in astonishment.
"Are… Are you a Silver Eyed Warrior too?" She whispered.
Arjun shook his head.
"No," he said quietly, his voice grave. "But in the journal your mother left you, she would have written about the legend of my family's origin. That a Silver Eyed Warrior married the patriarch of the Sakaras centuries ago… And gave us our hereditary Semblance: Aura Sight."
Ruby sucked in a deep breath through her nostrils. She nodded: That had been mentioned in the journal.
"Did… Did you know my mother?" She asked, her heart clenched in a mixture of hope and trepidation. Arjun smiled gently.
"I did. We were friends," he said, "Not as close as I would like, but… Yes."
Ruby opened her mouth, a hundred questions on her mind and all trying to ram their way to her mouth. Arjun shook his head.
"I am sorry I have not made contact sooner, Ruby," Arjun said, "I did check in on you from time to time. I wanted to introduce myself when you were older. It… Was easier that way."
"Easier?" Ruby asked, incredulous and a little upset. Arjun sighed.
"You'll find as you grow up that the adults in your life are just as human as you are. They make mistakes and can be foolish. I was working very hard, to protect the innocent, my family…"
Arjun shook his head. He looked tired and mournful, which stopped Ruby's irritation cold.
"Your mother's death was… Well. It came in the same year that my wife was killed by assassins. And my best friend, Jaune's father, was slain."
He bowed his head to her, solemn and sad. Yet he got his eyes back to the controls and out the windscreen.
Ruby's chest clenched. She sniffled, and tried to hide her tears with her hand.
"O-Oh," she mumbled, wiping her eyes. "I-I'm sorry."
"Not your fault," Arjun said softly. "I am hoping I can make up for my absence. I want to do right by you and Jaune. While I do not have all the powers of the Silver Eyed Warriors? My Semblance retained the power to see people's souls. And that? That I can train you in."
He looked over at her.
"If you wish to learn?"
Ruby nodded.
"I… I do."
She frowned deeply. She opened her mouth.
"When… When those White Fang guys… When you…"
Arjun closed his eyes and sighed quietly. He shook his head.
"Yes. When someone dies… You will see it," he said. "You will see when their soul leaves this world and goes onto the next. It is… Not something to enjoy. It is not something you will 'get over'."
He shook his head, before he looked back at her.
"All I can say is that it can be necessary. To defend the innocent and those you care about. It is a great burden… But if you can take it up? You must. Often, the alternative is seeing your friends die. Neither is easy, but I know which I'll pick."
Ruby slowly nodded. She set her hands in her lap and stared out at the Emerald Forest. They passed over another sea of trees before they passed over a ridge. Before them stretched a wide square space, framed in dirt roads. Boxy buildings stood all over, and vehicles trundled up and down the roads. Arjun smiled softly as Ruby's eyes widened in interest.
Ruby found herself smiling, as a familiar excitement rose in her heart.
"Welcome to Fort Celliwig," Arjun said, as they descended down towards the airfield.
Glynda Goodwitch frowned thoughtfully as she sat across from Ozpin in his grand office. The ticking of the clocks seemed somewhat subdued. Though it may have simply been the surreal nature of their situation.
"The next line of the forms please," Ozpin said patiently, sipping his hot chocolate as he scanned through the holographic windows before him. Glynda nodded slowly, hiding her disbelief as Ozpin… Did his paperwork with her.
To be fair, he didn't always shove it all onto her. Granted, he did need spare time given the immense responsibilities on his shoulders. Finally, he did often manage to get a lot of it done… When she nagged him.
Yet sitting down with him to do this paperwork was extremely rare.
"Of course," she said, "Line 45B is in regards to a change in processing fees for the acquisition of replacement equipment. Its debt has been consolidated after the audit last spring…"
Ozpin nodded slowly as he looked intently at the holographic screens.
"And how did that audit go?"
Glynda blinked.
"Is this really something we need to go over? The audit went very well, Ozpin."
Ozpin shook his head and sipped his hot chocolate.
"I must be extra thorough about our finances, Glynda. Councilwoman Glocken does not take perceived betrayal well. She will set all her resources onto undermining myself and Winchester. We must be airtight on this."
"I don't disagree, Ozpin," Glynda said with a slow nod, "but the accounting department is very thorough. You've never shown interest in this before."
Ozpin looked very calm as he sipped his hot chocolate once more. Yet Glynda could detect the tiniest twitch of his eye.
"We've never had a potential political crisis before," Ozpin said.
That was entirely reasonable. Completely reasonable. Yet that twitch was incredibly unusual.
Glynda frowned and adjusted her glasses.
"What's wrong with your eye?"
"My eye?" Ozpin asked. "What?"
Glynda frowned deeply.
"Is something wrong? Aside from Glocken, the Council, the VDF…"
The elevator doors chimed and slowly opened. Glynda looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened.
"Isabel?"
Isabel Arc stood in the elevator with a wincing Qrow standing alongside her. She was dressed in her old Huntress outfit: One Glynda recalled was extremely plain: Just green cargo pants, boots, a white combat vest with adjustable straps, her fighting gloves, and pouches.
She was older but still beautiful. As well as extremely angry. She only wore that bloodthirsty smile when she intended to do a lot of violence. Why would she be here and that angry-?
Oh.
Glynda's eyes widened in realization. She looked back at Ozpin in shock.
"You didn't," she whispered.
"Hello Glynda," Isabel stated, her voice filled with doom as the temperature in the office seemed to plummet, "I'm here to have a few words with Ozpin regarding my son."
Ozpin coughed. He set down his hot chocolate and slowly rose to his feet. He adjusted his suit.
"Hello Isabel," he said, "I hope we can keep this civilized?"
Isabel's fists clenched audibly in the office. Glynda sighed.
"I believe there are many things I could do to you that would be considered very civilized," Isabel continued, cracking her knuckles ominously.
"I tried to talk her out of it, Ozpin," Qrow said quickly, holding his hands up as though he'd just washed them of the whole matter, "But uh… She wasn't going to change her mind."
"I see," Ozpin said with a nod. "Thank you for not throwing a bus into my office this time."
Glynda winced. Isabel had only done that when she was drunk. What would she do when she was sober and angry?
"That's still on the table," Isabel growled, "Unless you tell me where my son is."
"I don't believe a fight here would be wise," Ozpin said carefully, "After all, Glynda would have to clean it up."
Glynda gave Ozpin a deadpan look. One he didn't seem to react to at all.
Really?
Ozpin took a deep breath.
"He's on a training mission with his team and Arjun," he said.
Isabel's eyes widened in shock.
"Arjun was in on this?!" She snarled, clenching her fists. "You both deceived me and went against my wishes?!"
"It was Jaune's choice," Ozpin stated firmly, "When you find him he will no doubt say the same thing."
"Yet you both lied to me," Isabel growled. Ozpin nodded.
"By omission, but… Yes. He is old enough to make his own decisions-"
"Whether he's old enough or not is irrelevant, I am his mother!" Isabel snarled. "And I should have been included! Now, where is he?"
Ozpin looked over at Glynda. She put her arms over her chest and shook her head. Ozpin sighed deeply.
"His team is on a training patrol mission in Fort Celliwig's northwestern quadrant. Near the old Puddleglum Tower."
Isabel's jaw dropped in disbelief. Her eyes widened in horror. She pulled out her Scroll and checked her notes.
"You've sent my son into the same area as one of Merlot's locations on the map?!" She demanded.
A pause. Glynda facepalmed. Qrow's eyes widened as well. Ozpin sipped his hot chocolate.
"It is in the same general area," he allowed, "However, the odds of them running across anything of Merlot's is extremely-"
Isabel turned away, ran to the window, and jumped right out. Qrow shot a disbelieving look at Ozpin before he shifted into bird form and flew out after her. Ozpin sighed.
"She usually has much better control over her emotions," he said, "I should have accounted for that."
Glynda scowled at him.
"Did you really just bring me up here to act as your human shield?"
Ozpin sipped his mug of hot chocolate and shrugged.
"I can accomplish many things with one move, Glynda. That is the nature of the world and the level we are playing at."
Glynda shook her head and sighed heavily.
"Says the thousands of years old man who just told an overprotective mother that her son is in an area with a facility that makes the same kind of monsters that killed her husband," Glynda deadpanned.
Ozpin shrugged.
"That is why I sent Arjun with them. Just because they keep running into trouble doesn't mean they'll get into it on this excursion as well."
"You don't believe that any more than I do," Glynda scowled.
Ozpin finished his mug, set it down, and shrugged.
"It's possible, but still very unlikely. Again, I sent in two trainee teams with the greatest archer on the planet. And now they'll have Qrow and Isabel to aid them."
"It also has the benefit that Isabel will have to work things out with her son before she comes after you again," Glynda surmised, eyes narrowed. Ozpin shrugged.
"They really do need to talk this out and I would prefer to not be directly involved," he said, staring into his empty mug. " Many things with one move."
"You're literally immortal," Glynda deadpanned.
"And the fact I'm terrified of what an enraged Isabel might do to me should tell you something. Also? I'm going to need you to work with me the rest of the day-"
"Can't," Glynda stated, standing up, "I have my own paperwork to attend to."
She turned and headed for the elevator. As the doors closed, Ozpin sighed and shook his head.
"Then I hope they work things out enough that she's in a charitable mood."
He paused, considering.
"Or perhaps I should start looking for flights to Mistral," he mused.
The base was still pretty wild, even with the massive amount of work going into it. Men drove bulldozers while troops and contractors went at the buildings with hammers, nails, saws and paint. It was a wonder they could even find the security office near the airfield-It was just one of many white tents set up with troops in camouflage handling paperwork on Scrolls and projection computers.
Arjun simply flashed his Scroll to the two officers sitting at the desk in the right tent, and they got some electronic passes. Arjun turned back and handed them out to the teenagers with a smile.
"This will allow you to go to the main areas of the base without any issue," he said, "Which we will do once we get back from the patrol."
"Not even a chance to relax, check out some Grade A Military beefcake?" Yang asked with a grin and wink. Arjun looked thoughtful and hummed.
"Well, we could stay here. You any good at carpentry? Painting?" He smiled. "Bug extermination?"
"Oh yeah," one of the desk soldiers said with a smile, "There's a massive cockroach infestation in Barracks B."
Nora held up her hand. Jaune looked over at her.
"Yes Nora?" He asked.
"Could we use Dust Grenades on the cockroaches?" She asked.
Jaune slowly shook his head.
"No."
Nora pouted.
"What about my hammer-?"
" No," Jaune stated firmly. Nora pouted.
"Guess we'll just go fight the Grimm," she sighed.
"Oh, how terrible for us," Weiss deadpanned.
They hiked out towards the northwest gate of the base along the cracked and pothole filled asphalt roads. Trucks drove back and forth, while military soldiers marched, jogged, or worked all over the place. Airships flew overhead. The air was filled with constant sound and activity.
Pyrrha caught Jaune smiling a little at the commotion. She looked at him intently.
"Jaune?"
"Hm? Oh," he shrugged, "Just… It's kind of familiar. In a good way."
Ruby sidled to his other side with a wide smile.
"I know! Like the shipyard at Patch! It was awesome seeing them working on the ships with their welding torches!"
"That sounds pretty cool," Jaune agreed with a smile, "The farms in Radian are pretty fun, too! Lots of work every day at the crack of dawn."
Pyrrha smiled a bit indulgently… Though her eyebrow still twitched when Jaune blushed a little at this contact.
No, no, Pyrrha thought carefully, I'm not the crazy girl. I'm going on a date with Jaune…
The thought still made her feel so giddy!
"That sounds neat!" Nora said happily, skipping alongside Jaune, "Did you raise hamburger trees?"
"No, we raise cows to make hamburgers," Jaune said with a warm smile. Nora frowned.
"What about beef bowl plants? You raise those right?"
"They can't grow rice in North Sanus," Ren observed. Nora pouted and fell back, pressing up against his side.
"Then where do they get rice a roni?"
Ren sighed softly, before he leaned in against her.
"Perhaps we can ask Jaune another time."
"But I wanna know now!" Nora whined. Ren wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Jaune raised an eyebrow, as did the others.
"Wow," Yang murmured quietly to Jaune, "Guess that guy talk worked. He's a lot more touchy feely since then." She smiled at him.
"Good work."
"I did nothing," Jaune said quietly, "Just like I did nothing with Cardin and Velvet."
"But they're all kissy kissy, so you must have done something right," Ruby said with a grin.
Pyrrha beamed at him.
"They do seem a-a lot happier," she said quietly.
"Again, I did nothing," Jaune emphasized.
"Well, you're definitely doing something for me~," Yang teased, pressing up against his back with a grin. Pyrrha's eyebrow twitched.
"Yang! We're on a mission!" He hissed, cheeks bright red.
Pyrrha, still smiling that terrifying smile, pushed in closer to Jaune.
"And my date with him is up next, so if you please?"
"Would you quit it?!" Ruby hissed. "It's our first mission! I wanna look cool!"
"Same," Jaune said.
"How would you not look cool with two hot babes and Ruby all over you?" Yang giggled.
"HEY!" Ruby pouted, as Yang pulled her into a noogie. "ACK! YAAAANG! WE'RE ON A MISSION! RESPECT YOUR TEAM LEADER!"
"Why? You afraid you'll come up short? Little late for that, Rubes!"
"Yaaaaaang!"
Jaune snickered even as Ruby shot him the biggest puppy dog eyes she could.
"Jauuuune! How could you?"
"I've got seven siblings, I'm not getting in the middle of this."
Pyrrha giggled. Ruby scowled.
"Pyrrha! I thought we were cool!"
"Only child, also not getting involved," she said succinctly.
"Need help, Rubes?" Nora asked.
"YES!"
"No pancakes for a month if you intervene, Nora," Jaune ordered. Nora hummed then shrugged.
"Good luck, Rubes!"
"NORA!"
Weiss sighed and rubbed her temples as she and Blake brought up the rear of the group. Blake was covering her mouth to hide her smile while Weiss tried to maintain her poise-Something that had proven impossible from the moment they had become a team, to be honest.
"They're so exhausting," she muttered
Arjun walked alongside them, and chuckled softly with a smile on his face. Weiss looked over at him with a frown.
"What?" She asked.
Arjun chuckled softly.
"Treasure these moments," he said quietly, "because they will never come again."
His eyes became very cold as he stared up ahead at the northwest gates. Blake frowned. Weiss stared intently at him and tilted her head.
"What… What do you mean?" Weiss asked quietly.
Arjun shook his head and smiled as he replied in a soft, sad voice: "Pray you never find out."
They came to the tall gates out of the base. They were stone brick, gray, and built up as two great arches. The tall stone walls flanked it, and beyond was the Emerald Forest with the Albus Mountains rising over them with their beautiful white snowcaps. Two guards stood at attention on either side of the large, heavily reinforced steel doors. Wooden towers with machine gun nests stood on either side of it, the gunners scanning the outside intensely.
Arjun stepped forward, and the rest of the team parted for him. He held up his Scroll with a smile to the guards. They nodded. One tapped a door panel, and the doors slowly opened up. They revealed the great expanse of the Emerald Forest beyond.
He turned to face the young Hunters with a smile.
"Now," Arjun said, "Just a friendly reminder: This is a simple patrol mission. Any Grimm you see? Kill it. The air cavalry has taken care of the big ones but we still need to cull their numbers. Any questions?"
"None, Uncle," Jaune said with a smile.
Ruby grinned.
"Not a one!"
Arjun looked over the rest of the team. Despite their earlier roughhousing, they stood ready to go. He allowed himself his own small nostalgic smile.
"Then let's get to it."
They set out through the gates and down the dirt road that led into the woods. The gates slowly shut behind them.
Arjun then paused. Blake did as well. Jaune and Ruby came to a halt, as did the rest of the teams.
"Something wrong?" Jaune asked, hands already on his weapons.
Arjun's eyes lit up as he scanned around. He frowned.
"... Thought I sensed something," he said quietly. He looked over at Blake. "You?"
The cat Faunus shook her head.
"It… Sounded like something but I can't…" She shook her head. "Probably a bird."
"Oh good. A bird," Weiss muttered.
"Cool it Weisscream," Yang stated with a grin, "No need to be catty. That's Blake's job!"
"I swear to the Breaker Xiao-Long-!"
"Guys, enough," Jaune stated flatly. "Let's get going. And hope it's a nice, easy mission. Okay?"
"Fine," Weiss sighed.
"You gotta stop giving us the cold shoulder, Weiss!"
"DAMNIT XIAO-LONG!"
In the trees near the base's northwest gate, there was a pile of rubble from a few old buildings that had once stood right outside it. What purpose they had served had been lost in the ancient archives of Vale, as they were now overrun by grass, trees, and the local wildlife.
The piles of brick and rubble however served a useful purpose: Cover.
Cover that a small, strange little Geist made expert use of.
As far as Geist Grimm went, this specimen was especially odd. A few metallic components shined out of its head as the ghost-like Grimm scanned with all the cold intensity of a security camera.
At some point, the electronics lit up from red to green on its tiny skull. At this unseen command, the Geist began to follow the small group of Hunters-in-training with laser-like focus. It ducked into trees, into rocks, and anything else whenever it sensed scrutiny cast its way.
Nothing could stop it from watching them, and relaying the information it was gathering to its master.
And elsewhere in the Emerald Forest? In ruins abandoned for nearly as long as Fort Celliwig?
Something stirred.
OMAKE: The Trip To Fort Celliwig
Pyrrha and Jaune sat next to one another as the Tigertail winged its way towards Fort Celliwig. Pyrrha turned and beamed lovingly at Jaune.
"Jaune, Blake has helped me put together some date ideas," she said, "I was hoping to go over them with you?"
"Sure!" Jaune smiled with a nod. "I mean, I let Yang run our date because she really wanted to go and I do like dancing."
"Same, especially when we're not interrupted," Yang stated, giving Blake the gimlet eye. Blake sighed.
"That was not my fault."
"I... Yeah, sure," Yang sighed. Jaune smiled and shrugged at his fellow blond.
"I still had fun. And I'll make sure you have fun on this date, Pyr. What do you want to do?"
Pyrrha proudly held out her notebook. Jaune, with some trepidation, opened it. He read... Read... Kept reading... His face turned bright red.
"I'm um... I'm open to compromise!" Pyrrha said brightly. "I realize some of this may bit a little involved. Especially anything involving renting out a dungeon!"
Jaune very slowly closed the notebook. He took a deep breath.
"Yeah... Uh... How about dinner and a fun activity? We wouldn't want to go too fast, right?"
Pyrrha nodded.
"Absolutely, Jaune! Though you can absolutely tie me up at any point!"
Jaune flushed and scowled... When he saw Pyrrha smirk slightly.
"... You were teasing me weren't you?" Jaune asked, some pride in his voice.
"Did... Did I do it right?" Pyrrha asked, a bit nervously.
Jaune chuckled. He reached up and patted Pyrrha's head.
"Good job," he said. Pyrrha preened.
"Am I... Am I a good girl? Or are you going to punish me-?"
He then bonked her.
"OW!"
"Easy Pyr, easy," Jaune said.
"Yeah," Yang grinned, "I'm gonna want to see that notebook for some ideas too!"
"YANG!" Pyrrha cried... Before she looked considerate.
"I'll be happy to provide even more ideas for you both," Blake said with a small smirk. Jaune rolled his eyes.
"Weiss, if you please?"
BONK!
"OW!" Blake scowled at the heiress, who smirked back at her. "I didn't even write most of it!"
"No but your fingerprints are all over this, you perverted cat!"
"Prude!"
"Deviant!"
"New Money!"
Weiss and Blake continued to bicker. Nora laughed and clapped.
"Woo! Fight fight fight! Then kiss, kiss, kiss!"
Jaune sighed heavily.
"Ren?"
BONK!
Nora yelped.
"OW!"
"Thank you."
We're back! Not with the longest chapter, I'll admit, but work has been Hell and I'm working on a lot of other RWBY fic projects. That said, thank you for sticking with this story! More is to come!