Chapter 2: Aurelius Arc's Plan Begins
"You have everything?" Aurelius Arc asked his one and only grandson, worry creasing his face.
They stood on the platform before Jaune boarded the Beacon transport.
Jaune had his silver breastplate partially covered by his tan jacket and silver bracers on his arms. Crocea Mors rested at his hip; Jaune's hand was casually placed on it. Over his left shoulder, Jaune held a bag that carried all his belongings.
"Yes, sir," Jaune replied, looking seriously at his grandfather.
Aurelius sighed despite himself worried for his grandson and the consequences of this action. He was following his Semblance as best he could, but the stakes were high. He could not let the bad future he had seen when his Grandson was a child come to pass. Furthermore he now had to achieve a future allowing for his Son's happiness.
"You have the letter for Headmistress Ozma?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Jaune replied, a small, wry smile emerging on his grandson's face, "We're starting to draw attention, sir."
Indeed they were. It wasn't every day the Commander of the Vale Foreign Legion appeared in Vale. Aurelius glanced at his two guards, standing at rest beside him dressed in silver armor and combat gear with the Arc family crest emblazoned across the top right pectoral before he looked back at his grandson.
There was much he wanted to say but he knew now wasn't the time. Not here where he had to portray the face of absolute confidence and certainty.
Jaune knew this, which was why his grandson referred to him as 'sir' right now. A feeling of overwhelming affection for the young man struck Aurelius. Truly, he couldn't have asked for a better or more dutiful grandchild.
"Dismissed, Lieutenant," Aurelius said softly, not saying the words he wanted to say, words he had never been able to bring himself to say for the weight of the sin he had committed, 'I love you, Jaune.'
Jaune saluted, crossing his chest with his fist, "Yes, sir."
Jaune turned and walked onto the bullhead, and Aurelius watched him the whole way.
Aurelius then turned and walked away, his steps purposeful, taking note of the eyes on him and the whispers.
Then a blonde woman emerged from the crowd, and Aurelius's heart froze as he looked at one of his granddaughters unmistakable to him, especially with the golden arc symbol on her jacket, a familiar Arc spear over her back that he knew as one of the Arc armaments.
Violet Arc.
She walked forward, laughing with a team of other young women before her eyes landed on him, and her own blue eyes widened as she looked at him.
"Grandfather?" she whispered, taking a stuttering step toward him.
Aurelius frowned before he turned to walk away from her.
"Wait," she cried out, and despite his own resolve, Aurelius stopped and turned as the girl raced up to him.
"Yes?" he asked cocking a brow at her, his face a mask of cool indifference.
"I-, Grandfather," Violet said, "I didn't expect to see you. What are you doing here?"
Aurelius eyed the girl's teammates behind her, who were looking at them in confusion.
"Recruiting," he said dryly.
Violet frowned at him, "Where's my brother?" she asked softly.
Aurelius eyed the girl cooly, "He's doing well," he gave a non-answer.
Violet flinched before she looked visibly angry, "You took him from us," she glared at him, and Aurelius' heart panged at what had become of his family. Of what he had done to their family.
"He's an Arc male, and I'm the head of the family. The laws of our family gave me the power to raise him as I saw fit," Aurelius said quietly.
Violet glared at him, fire burning in her eyes, "I want my brother back. We want our brother back. Why would you take him from us?!"
Aurelius shook his head, "You would have ruined him. The boy is happier this way. He doesn't even remember you. He only knows me as his family. You're at best strangers to him."
Violet looked struck, and Aurelius thought it would have been kinder to rip her heart out. Her eyes swelled with liquid, and rage flushed through her cheeks.
Aurelius turned, walking away; he had made his choices long ago. Regret would only weaken him. Remnant depended far too much on him for that.
Jaune stared out of the window as the airship took off, his hands crossed and resting behind his back.
He was nervous, he realized. What if he wasn't good enough? What if he had wasted his Grandfather's time?
"I should have trained more," he murmured, looking down.
A news report was playing about a spat of recent dust robberies, and Jaune frowned. The Vale Foreign Legion should have been called in, but Vale, for now, was attempting to solve it locally. He knew his Grandfather didn't approve, but he also didn't want to break any of the strict laws that governed the VFL and domestic deployment.
A blonde woman began speaking over the screens, but Jaune ignored it, continuing to look out the window as he got his first look at Beacon.
He would do his best.
However, it was bothersome to note that a number of the other students were looking at him as one of the few men aboard the airship. He could hear their whispers, wondering about him, but he tuned them out for now.
The airship came to a halt, landing gracefully as the hum of engines disappeared, and Jaune walked out, his bag slung over his shoulder.
The rest of the Beacon hopefuls streamed out with him, and Jaune looked around, slightly lost but attempting to orient himself. The Second and Third years were headed in one direction, it seemed, but the students who looked newer were walking to another area.
Jaune heard raised voices, and he turned to see three girls arguing with each other, two of them recognizable. One was the girl with black hair he had met in Atlas, the same black bow on her head, which was strange, but perhaps it was a fashion statement. The other was Weiss Schnee, although she now had a vertical scar over one of her eyes.
They were both still absolutely gorgeous, and his cheeks flushed slightly against his will upon seeing them. They were grouped with another girl who was stunningly pretty. She stood there with black hair with red highlights and a black corset, skirt, and a maroon red cape. Her eyes intrigued him. They were a shade of silver that fascinated him, reminding him of someone.
"Get a hold of yourself, Jaune," he muttered to himself irritably.
Weiss was getting more irate than he had seen her before, "Of all the thoughtless things! Can't you watch where you're going!" she was yelling at the silver-eyed girl.
"Uh, everything all right?" he asked, catching the attention of the three women.
"Lieutenant Arc?" Weiss gasped, looking at him with wide blue eyes, stumbling back slightly as she flushed a light red.
The girl with the black bow looked at him, her eyes wide, "You're here? Wait, Lieutenant?!" she seemed shocked, her yellow eyes wide.
The girl with the red cape looked between the two girls, confused, "You know him?"
Jaune raised his hands disarmingly, "Not currently on duty, so Jaune is fine," he chuckled wryly, "It's nice to see the two of you again," he nodded at the two girls before he smiled at the silver-eyed girl "And it's nice to meet you for the first time."
The silver-eyed girl flushed bright red as she looked at him, seemingly shocked.
"What's the issue?" Jaune asked.
Weiss blinked, then her face reddened, and she looked down, "It's- It's nothing. We just bumped into each other, and she knocked over my suitcase, nearly spilling my dust."
Jaune nodded, "Well, as long as everyone is okay."
"Why are you here?" the girl with the black bow asked him softly, her eyes piercing into him.
Jaune laughed despite himself, "To become a Hunter, of course; what else?"
"But you're a man," the silver-eyed girl said before she flushed red, waving her hands frantically, "I mean, it's not like there aren't male Hunters. My Dad is one and everything, but I haven't really met any others."
Jaune shrugged, "Just runs in the family. Both my Dad and my Grandfather were Hunters, and before them, their fathers were too."
"Oh?" the silver-eyed girl blinked cocking her head surprised, "That's so cool!"
The girl with the black bow eyed him, and he could see the nervousness in her eyes and he noted her faintly twitching bow; then, finally, she said, "It's nice to see you again," and then she gave him a soft smile.
"You as well," Jaune nodded, "I didn't catch your name last time."
"It's Blake Belladonna," the girl murmured, "What's yours?"
"Jaune Arc," Jaune said simply, then turned to the silver-eyed girl, "And what's yours?"
"Oh!" the silver-eyed girl startled and then beamed at him shyly, "Ruby Rose."
"Well, Ms. Rose, Ms. Belladonna, Ms. Schnee, shall we?" Jaune asked, gesturing toward where the rest of the students had headed.
Ruby nodded excitedly, grinning at him, her cheeks tinged red. Blake shrugged but nodded. Weiss's lips twisted downward for some reason but nodded as well.
They walked toward the auditorium in relative silence, though on Ruby's part, Jaune could see it was a struggle as she looked between all of them, biting her lip.
Jaune stepped into the auditorium with the rest of his companions and hummed thoughtfully as he looked at the other students. This was it? Was there something he wasn't understanding? None of these students looked ready to be Hunters.
"How odd," he murmured.
"Yang," cried out Ruby, and he saw her vanish in a swirl of petals before appearing in front of a familiar blonde girl.
Yang spun around, and Jaune noted her eyes softening instantly when she saw Ruby.
Ah, so Ruby had been the sister that Yang was talking about when they had dinner, Jaune realized.
"Ruby, where were you?" Yang laughed, ruffling Ruby's hair and causing the other girl to groan.
"Where was I?! You abandoned me!" cried Ruby, and Jaune felt his heart pang as he looked at them as if he was missing something.
"I'm sorry," Yang said and she did look apologetic, "I lost track of you in the crowd so I figured you'd make your way here."
The scene reminded him of another girl when he was younger; blonde hair fluttered in his memory, but he couldn't recall anything else.
A woman with silver hair walked up to the front of the stage wearing a dark pantsuit, she spoke, "I'll...keep this brief. I am Headmistress Ozma. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge—to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
Ozma's eyes landed on him and he locked eyes with her hazel. She seemed to be examining him, and in turn, he examined her. This woman walked well; she reminded him of his Grandfather. He wondered what the reason his Grandfather had given him the letter for.
Ozma walked away, and the blonde woman who he recognized from the screens on the airship stepped forward, "You will be directed to where you will eat and sleep tonight. Please listen to the assigned student representatives for directions. Tomorrow, initiation will begin."
Then she turned and walked away as well.
Jaune watched the other students disperse, feeling somewhat disappointed. This was it? Everything he had worked toward and a bland speech seemed designed to puncture any excitement. Where was the random Grimm being tossed at them to test readiness? Why didn't they attempt to steal their weapons before tossing them in the forest? Was there no random drill where the other students had to fight in a battle royale to prove who was the strongest?
"This is some bullshit," he muttered.
Weiss's heart was rapidly pounding as she listened to Ozma's speech. Not from anything that the woman was saying, but her stomach wouldn't settle.
Lieutenant Arc- Jaune was here. The man who had saved her life would be entering Beacon with her. The man who had haunted her dreams since she had last seen him and made her wake up in a wonderful sweat.
Even now, she thought she could feel his arm wrapped around her stomach, his palm pressed firmly against its tautness.
Had he also thought of her since their parting? Had she haunted his waking moments and invaded his dreams?
Weiss had never felt this way before. In general, she interacted with only a few men, and besides her butler, she disliked all of them. She had been desired, but she had never desired anyone, especially a man.
Was this what she was feeling?
No, she shook herself. It couldn't be. Sure, Jaune was attractive, but what did she care? He hadn't contacted her since then. Whatever she felt, it didn't matter. He obviously didn't feel the same way.
Her stomach twinged as typical when she lied to herself.
Dinner had more options than Jaune was used to. He typically ate at the mess with the rest of the VFL, and while there was a decent amount of variety at the compound, the cafeteria seemed to have more options from around Remnant.
Mechanically, he ate, sitting away from the other students. They made him nervous and unsettled him; they were jittery, it seemed, about tomorrow, a far cry from the people he ate with in the VFL.
Well, the people he ate around, at the very least. He hadn't exactly made any friends there.
Hopefully, here, it would be different.
"Renny! Let's sit over there!" a red-haired girl with gleaming blue eyes flounced over her breasts, bouncing as she did so with her movements. Following her was a slim dark-haired girl with pink eyes and long flowing black hair, "Easy Nora," she said softly but nevertheless followed her more energetic companion.
The girls, for some reason, looked strangely familiar, but from where Jaune wondered.
Nora plopped down opposite him with 'Renny' Following her.
'Renny' looked at him, "I'm sorry, may we sit here?" She asked softly.
Jaune shrugged and gave them a warm smile, "Sure!"
Nora looked up and then frowned, "That symbol," she said uncharacteristically softly, and she reached out, tracing the yellow arcs on Jaune's coat.
Jaune remembered.
Eight years ago.
"The distress call is coming from a settlement called Kuryoyuri," Jaune's grandfather instructed Jaune, "When we arrive, you are to gather any survivors you find and protect them."
"Yes, sir," Jaune said, biting back his nerves.
They screamed through the sky, and Jaune glanced out the back by the bullhead as the ramp opened up.
Aurelius leaped free from the vehicle, slamming into a nevermore soaring above the village, slicing clean through its body and riding it down.
Jaune leaped down after his grandfather, bracing his aura as he slammed into the back of Beowulf.
He sliced two more Grimm in half before he turned and began to run through the decimated streets.
Jaune sprinted through the streets, a golden blur slicing through Grimm as he went.
He ran out into what looked like a courtyard, and he saw a man crouched to the ground in front of a woman wearing traditional Mistraliean clothes. He was a hunter, obviously judging by his weapon, but he seemed exhausted and beaten down.
In front of them was a Nuckaleeve. He had only ever seen one in the archives his grandfather made him research as a kid.
Like the distorted form of a centaur, black limbs splayed out as the humanoid torso on the back roared to the sky.
Fear left Jaune at that moment. Jaune Arc could know no fear in that moment.
Crocea Mors sang a shining steel song, and the ground beneath Jaune erupted in an explosion of stone as Jaune's Semblance pumped through him.
He sliced a trail along the Nuckaleeve's left flank, spinning to a stop and raising his shield, to stop the incoming blow that tried to pierce through the couple.
He could see the terror on their faces and the acceptance of what would have been their deaths.
He spotted a pair of children underneath a house staring at him and mustering his grandfather's lessons. He pasted a warm smile on his face.
"There's no need to be afraid now. The Valean Foreign Legion is here."
Jaune launched himself at the Nuckaleeve.
His blade carved a trench along the Nucklaeeves side, but he had to spin away into a flip as an arm buried itself into the ground where he had been.
He spun through the air before he used his shield to blast himself back in an explosion of gravity dust toward the Nucklaeeve in a blur.
An arm slammed into his stomach, but Jaune grits his teeth, rolling with the hit as he tumbled across the ground, sinking his blade into the earth to stop his tumble.
The Nucklaeeve now seemed entirely focused on him, which was good and also bad.
He sprinted forward, tearing across the ground and digging trenches with his feet.
The Nucklaeeve screamed, the sound waves ripping through the ground at Jaune.
Jaune slammed his shield down into the ground, sinking to his knees as he braced himself against the impact.
Rapidly, limbs slammed into him, curving around his shield and tearing chunks off his aura in a storm of black.
Jaune roared and spun his sword, slicing and cutting through the limbs rapidly until they stopped.
Jaune took deep, gasping breaths as he felt his aura nearing severe depletion and saw the shimmering of white and gold across his limbs as his soul seemed to have reached its limits.
Jaune was still smiling.
He flexed his semblance, and his aura rapidly refilled to full.
He sprinted forward, tearing a trench behind him.
He was always so weak compared to his grandfather, but right now, he couldn't afford to be weak.
As long as there were people who depended on Jaune Arc, he could never lose.
His legs carried him at a speed that made him blur across the ground, he spun through the legs of the creature, cleaving the Grimm down and causing it to collapse, faced with trusty old-world steel.
Behind the creature now, he backflipped through the air and pushed his aura even higher, glowing like a comet; he channeled his aura through his sword, massively increasing its size into the massive shining blade.
Like the fist of one of the old gods, he slammed down, cutting entirely through the Grimm, splitting it neatly in half.
It collapsed and slowly began to dissolve.
Jaune turned and gave the people that he had saved a warm smile. He didn't feel it, of course. He was still so weak, but these people deserved more than the weak Jaune.
They deserved Jaune Arc of the Valean Foreign Legion.
"You're that boy," 'Renny' murmured, looking at him seemingly awestruck.
Jaune blinked and then nodded, "You're those kids from Kuryoyuri," he replied, astonished.
Nora was not so restrained. She tackled him from across the table, pounding into him with surprising strength, her face burying into his neck.
Jaune tensed at the intimate contact and then lightly patted the girl on the back.
"Um," he looked at the other girl for help, but 'Renny' didn't seem all that much better, and he could see tears building up in her eyes.
"It's nice to see you again," Jaune said weakly, awkward and unsure.
"You saved our parents' lives; you saved our village," Ren said, reaching across the table, she grabbed his hand firmly, "Thank you."
Her pink eyes were misting, and her hand clenched on Jaune's own like a vice.
Jaune nodded, giving the girl a soft smile; he was aware of the looks they were garnering, though from the other students.
Public displays of affection made him uncomfortable, but the two girls he was with didn't seem to care.
For several minutes, he allowed Nora to hug him like a vice, noting absentmindedly the feeling of her plush chest pushing into him and 'Renny' to grip his hand like a clamp.
"We should probably eat dinner," he suggested softly to the two girls.
'Renny' slowly nodded before she turned to Nora, "Nora, you should let him go," she said.
"Don't wanna," Nora grunted, burying her face further into his neck.
"Nora," 'Renny' said softly.
Nora sighed, taking a deep breath, and then retreated back across the table, sitting down beside 'Renny.'
They both stared at him with the looks of those deeply dehydrated drinking in the first offering of water in days.
Jaune began to eat his food mechanically as he observed the two girls; they seemed to be waiting for him to speak again, he realized.
"I'm glad to see the two of you are doing well," Jaune said.
"Thanks to you," Nora said seriously, a strange expression on her face. "I-" she stopped speaking and looked down.
"We had hoped to see you again," 'Renny' said, before she frowned, looking down, "We never thought we would."
"Please, I just did what any Huntsman would do," Jaune said, looking at the two of them and giving them a practiced smile. He didn't deserve their thanks. A better Huntsman would have done more. Stopped anyone from dying.
He was a fraud.
"We- We never learned your name," 'Renny' said hesitantly.
"Jaune Arc," Jaune grinned at the girls, "What are your names?"
"Li Ren," the 'Renny' said.
"Nora Valkyrie," Nora said, staring at him with still wide eyes before a large grin spread across her face, and she began to giggle.
Jaune looked at Nora confused, "Why are you laughing."
"Nothing!" Nora continued to giggle, "It's just you're entirely like I remember you; you're who inspired the both of us to become Hunters," she looked down, "Seeing you that day. It was like you'd stepped out of the pages of one of those fairy tales to save us."
Jaune didn't know how to respond to that.
The clicking of heels alerted Jaune to someone approaching from behind him; he turned to see the blonde woman from the airship walking toward them. Her gaze was cool and taciturn, giving nothing away as she looked at Jaune.
She came to a stop in front of him, looking down at Jaune.
"Jaune Arc?" she asked firmly.
"Yes, ma'am?" Jaune replied instantly resisting the urge to salute just from the air she gave off.
The blonde woman nodded once, "My name is Professor Goodwitch. Headmistress Ozma wishes to speak to you."
"Of course, ma'am," Jaune nodded and stood up, turning to his temporary table companions, who were still looking at him rather strangely.
"I'll see you two around," Jaune gave them a plastic awkward smile.
He stood up and turned to Professor Goodwitch, "Do you mind if I put my tray away first, ma'am?"
Professor Goodwitch blinked, seemingly nonplussed, but then she nodded, "Of course, Mr. Arc."
He walked across the cafeteria, noting a couple of eyes tracking him before he dropped his mostly empty tray off.
He followed Professor Goodwitch out of the cafeteria, walking several steps behind her. She led him through the school until they arrived at an elevator. They walked in, and she pressed a button, and the elevator engaged, beginning to lift them up.
Jaune stood at casual rest, his arms placed behind his back, carefully staring at the ceiling. It was only polite, and honestly, Goodwitch was far too pretty to let his eyes wander mindlessly.
He could feel her eyes on him, and a part of Jaune wanted to ask questions; the shy, awkward other part of him fastened its hands around the neck of the questioning part, leaving them in utter silence.
The door finally opened, revealing a large office set against the backdrop of a massive gleaming silver clockface. At the desk, the Headmistress fiddled with a couple of screens before she looked up at Jaune and Professor Goodwitch.
"Ah, Professor Goodwitch, I see you've retrieved Mr. Arc," Headmistress Ozma said
Professor Goodwitch nodded once, "I have," she said before stepping to the side and joining Headmistress Ozma behind her desk.
Headmistress Ozma looked seriously at Jaune before she looked down at one of her screens, "Jaune Arc. Lieutenant in the Vale Foreign Legion. Service record of nearly a decade with four hundred and thirty-seven Rank B missions and seventy-six Rank A missions on file along with numerous missions Rank C and lower. You were admitted to Beacon under the recommendation of one Aurelius Arc. I have to ask Mr. Arc what do you hope to accomplish at this academy?"
"Ma'am?" Jaune asked, confused, "I wish to become qualified enough to become a Huntsman."
"I see," Ozma said, steepling her fingers beneath her chin, "You do not feel as if your previous service has given you the necessary experience?" the Headmistress asked questioningly.
Jaune hesitated, unsure if this was an actual question, but spoke after Ozma nodded slightly, "Of course not, Ma'am. My grandfather said I could potentially apply for an experiential Huntsman license, but I felt, given my, unfortunately, lacking skill, that it would also be best to attend an academy to attempt to shore up my weak points."
"What do you believe your weak points to be, Mr. Arc?" Ozma asked.
Jaune gave a sheepish grin at the woman, "Well, I still struggle to take down A Rank Grimm waves by myself. I'm very reliant on dust bursts from my shield while doing so to keep the area clear enough so the Grimm don't bury me."
Ozma raised an eyebrow, "You've undertaken an A rank mission by yourself?" she questioned.
"The majority of them have been by myself, Ma'am," Jaune nodded, "Only a couple I have undertaken with my grandfather, and even then, he would usually assign me individual priorities during the mission where I did not work with others."
Goodwitch spoke up, "You have a service record of over a decade. Did your grandfather take you on missions when you were seven?" she seemed strangely hesitant in her words, almost as if she did not wish to know.
Jaune nodded, "My Grandfather has been training me since I was six. By the time I was seven, he decided that learning in the field would be the best teacher for me. I was doing solo missions by the age of ten."
For some reason, Goodwitch looked stricken, her mouth slackening slightly; she looked at Ozma.
Ozma looked completely unperturbed, "In your file, it was written your Semblance is Amplify. Is it truly able to restore Aura and heal people?"
Ozma's tone was bland, but something about it told Jaune that the headmistress was indeed very interested in this fact.
"Yes, Ma'am," Jaune replied simply.
"We're pleased to have someone of such experience attending Beacon," Ozma said, "I hope we can talk again sometime soon."
"Thank you, Ma'am, for your kind words," Jaune said, bowing slightly in the style of the VFL, a hand crossed at low rest across his waist, not the formal salute of the hand above the heart on the chest, "My Grandfather instructed me to give you a letter Ma'am, if I may?"
"Please," Ozma held out a hand, and Jaune crossed the distance and handed his Grandfather's letter over to the woman.
Jaune then walked back to where he had been standing before, "Was that all?" he asked questioningly.
Ozma nodded, "You can head to the hall where the rest of the students are sleeping as you please, Mr. Arc. Thank you for your time."
Jaune nodded firmly, recognizing the dismissal. He turned crisply and walked back to the elevator, stepping into it with a feeling of relief. He had been a little worried there that they would decide he was too underqualified.
The office was silent as Ozma and Glyna stared at the elevator Jaune Arc had vanished into.
Glynda spoke first, "Is this Aurelius's idea of a joke?"
Ozma drummed her fingers on her desk, "No, I think Jaune, at least, is quite serious. It's honestly like meeting Hadrian again; the resemblance is uncanny."
Gylnda's eyes stiffened, and something dark and sad entered her emerald eyes, "He's Hadrian's son?"
Ozma cocked a questioning brow at Glynda, "Did you think he was someone else?"
"I had thought he was merely adopted by Aurelius, why does he not live with his sisters and mother?" Gylnda asked softly
Ozma shrugged, "That is something Aurelius has never been willing to tell me. Only that his Semblance says that it must be this way, that Jaune could not continue to live with them."
Glynda frowned, and anger cleared in her eyes, "His semblance," she scoffed, "I know all of the Arc family's daughters, Violet Arc, still goes to this school. Are you saying that the boy has no contact with them?"
"Yes," Ozma nodded, taking a sip from her mug.
Glynda responded, looking incensed, "Some of the best now retired Hunters don't have the record of Mr. Arc. Fully qualified ones that are beyond the capabilities of most of our students. What has Aurelius been creating? What has he put that boy through? Seventy-Six A rank missions? Was Aurelius trying to kill the boy?!"
"Aurelius said that this was necessary," Ozma said simply.
"Necessary!" Glynda was now incandescent, "The boy's been fighting Grimm since the age of seven?! How was it necessary to take away the boy's family and childhood?!"
"Glynda," Ozma said calmly, though her voice had a cool edge that cut through Glynda's building anger, "In the time I've known Aurelius, I've never known him to do something without reason, you know his Semblance, he's the reason Mountain Glenn didn't fall. Uncountable lives have been saved and protected by his decisions."
"You knew," Glynda said softly struck as she looked at Ozma, "You knew what Aurelius did."
Ozma nodded, "If it makes you feel better, according to Aurelius, Jaune wanted this; either way, as I don't believe we have rules regarding rejecting too qualified candidates, Jaune Arc is free to be at this school," Ozma said.
She ran a hand over the letter letting a blade of aura project out of a finger slicing it open, she pulled out the paper and looked at it.
Headmistress Ozma,
My Grandson wishes to attend Beacon. I am forwarding his records to you, which I believe should more than qualify him. If you could do an old man a favor, I would also ask that you keep an eye on him. Things as they are, an old man does worry.
Aurelius
Ozma sighed, rubbing her head; she knew Aurelius had another objective, though she couldn't guess as to what. She trusted the man to look after Human and Faunus interests, even beyond simple Valean interest; the Vale Foreign Legion deployed across all of Remnant, better than Atlas's own forces that more often than not, remained holed up in their Kingdom.
This letter was out of character for the man who she would describe as unemotional at the best of times.
What was he up to?
This Jaune Arc was obviously too qualified to be attending a Huntsman Academy. So the question was, what did Aurelius have to gain?
At the same time, this provided an opportunity; if she could vet this boy, he could be the key to fixing Amber, who even now rested in the vault below Beacon. She had read the reports on the boy's usage of his Semblance; he had managed to heal injuries where there should have been no chance for the person. He was likely their best shot at healing Amber.
Elsewhere, Aurelius Arc worked on drafting messages to send through the CCT. He hummed and hawed, working through them as he drafted responses to Summer Rose, Winter Schnee, Pandora Nikos, and Ghira Belladonna.
In essence the message he wrote was the same for all of them as he had been in correspondence with them for quite a time now. It had been decided that a natural approach was best, and after discovering that all their charges would be attending Beacon together, Aurelius had formed a plan. His vision had been explicit: his grandson would be marrying a number of women if the current path continued. Still, it wasn't something to break to the other parents all at once. Each letter was drafted much the same.
I am pleased to say that my grandson is going to Beacon; I will encourage him to reach out to your daughter. I believe the best thing to do now is encourage our respective charges to interact with each other and learn about their own feelings in due time. In short, let youth take its course.
Aurelius Arc
Aurelius chuckled to himself, a surprisingly light-hearted sound that he hadn't thought he could make anymore. He had made many plans in his lifetime, but this admittedly was the first time he felt truly proud of one. He knew his grandson would be more likely to ferret out any direct manipulation, but the boy would not notice as easily as long as the encouragement was subtle.
Admittedly, at some point, he would need to let his accomplices know of each other, but for now, operational security was key.
He knew his Grandson wouldn't let him down.
Jaune slipped on his sleepwear from his luggage. A plain white t-shirt that stretched comfortably over him though it turned somewhat translucent from his wet skin from the shower and a pair of soft grey sweatpants.
He double-checked Crocea Mors after oiling the blade, unnecessary as it was for old-world steel. Slipping Crocea Mors into the locker along with his hunter wear, he turned and walked to the gymnasium they were sleeping in, sleeping bag slung over his shoulder, a book clasped in his free hand.
When he entered, he was struck once again by the fact that while men were uncommon, male hunters were even rarer.
The entire room was simply packed with women, and Jaune shifted a little uncomfortably before he walked over to a free wall and settled down by it, aware of the eyes that had focused on him and the quieting of conversation as he passed.
He was somewhat used to it; the Valean Foreign Legion was like that, too. It seemed wherever he went there, he was known at least as the Commander's grandson.
He rolled out his sleeping bag, sat atop it, and flipped open his book, a journal written by Aurelius Arc. For some minutes, he was able to be absorbed in the book. His Grandfather was truly incredible, he thought, reading the pages. His encounters with Grimm were written clinically, the information splayed out across the pages along with occasional diagrams.
Of course, he had already read this book, but he found it comforting to reread his grandfather's journals. Maybe he would come across a tip he hadn't memorized before.
His senses caught the faint steps of one Blake Belladonna, who walked towards him and then settled down several feet from him before pulling out her own book. He also noted the girl kept sending glances towards him, which gradually began to worry on his nerves as he wondered if he had done something wrong.
Blake Belladonna was nervous. Not before a White Fang mission nervous. Not seeing her parents again for the first time in years after Adams's arrest was nervous. Just regular sitting by a cute boy, nervous.
A cute boy whose unthinking kindness had made her reconsider her views on a great many things and given her the opportunity to make things right with her parents.
In her books, there were always instrumental characters in the protagonist's lives, people who changed their direction. A mentor figure, a friend.
She had thought that hers had been Adam until Jaune Arc appeared, barging into her life and then taking off again without a thought. He was proof that there were humans who did good, not for any kind of gain but simply because it was the right thing. She hadn't even realized at the time the hole she was beginning to fall down as she lost her Father's ideals, and Adam's twisted version had begun to take their place.
Even now, his wallet sat in her locker, the most important reminder of everything.
She couldn't keep her eyes off him, tracing his golden blonde hair with her eyes, the solemn blue eyes, and the still, slightly wet t-shirt that stuck to his muscles, giving her the best view she could ask for.
Blake's cheeks burned. She had never looked at a man in this way. Adam had inspired her with his ideals, but she had never found him particularly attractive.
Despite her usual choice of reading materials, she was a virgin, but looking at Jaune, she was already considering ways that she could change that. It wouldn't be so bad if it were Jaune right? Sure, she didn't know a lot about him yet, but she was sure that would change over the next four years.
Absentmindedly, she realized she hadn't turned a page in her book for several minutes, and she had no willpower to correct this.
"Are you doing better now?" Jaune said, and Blake looked up in surprise, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"What?" she intelligently said.
Jaune gave her a shy, somewhat awkward grin, "When we met, you didn't seem to be doing that well. I just wanted to know if you were doing better?"
Blake's heart gave an uncomfortable flutter as she gazed at Jaune's strangely adorable smile, "Yeah," she said softly, "Thanks for what you did for me back then. It changed everything for me."
"I'm glad," Jaune's honest, warm smile made her cheeks warm pleasantly, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to do more."
This boy. Blake's heart picked up pace. Didn't he understand you weren't supposed to say things like that when you had already done so much?
"You say things like that; a girl might get the wrong idea," Blake said softly, gazing into his clear blue eyes.
"Uh, sorry?" Jaune said questioningly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
Blake shook her head, "Don't be; it truly is nice to see you again," she gave him a soft warm smile.
In the midst of talking with Blake, Jaune heard two sets of footsteps approach, and he turned to see Yang and Ruby.
"Hey again, Lady killer," Yang said, giving him a wink, though Jaune noted her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, and her body posture spoke to nervousness.
"Hey Yang," Jaune greeted the girl, "It's nice to see you again. Is your scroll still functional? You never responded to any of my messages."
Yang's cheeks reddened slightly, and she looked away. "Oh yeah, I had a small mishap with my scroll, and I wasn't able to get any messages until recently."
"You did?" Ruby asked, "But you-"
Yang's hand clamped around Ruby's mouth, and she gave a forced chuckle, "Yeah, it was really annoying getting it repaired. It's not like I was too nervous to respond or anything!" she gave off another forced laugh.
Jaune nodded agreeably, "I'm just happy to see you again," he smiled at the girl.
Yang's cheeks pinked up in a bright flush, "Yeah, good to see you again, too!" she said, though her voice was rather soft.
Ruby was looking between Jaune and her sister, seemingly confused.
"Did something happen between Yang and you?" she asked.
"Yeah," "No!" Jaune and Yang said at the same time; Jaune blinked, looking confused at Yang, whose cheeks pinked up slightly.
"I mean," said Yang, "We hung out at a club and had dinner afterward, but nothing more than that!" she said hurriedly.
Ruby tapped her lips with her index finger a couple of times before a lightbulb seemed to go off in her head, "Wait, he's the guy you wouldn't shut up about to Mom!?"
"Ruby," hissed Yang, frantically looking between Jaune and her sister before her gaze settled on Jaune, "Haha, Ruby's such a kidder," Yang said, chuckling dryly, her eyes slightly wide, a strained smile on her face, "I might have mentioned you to my Mom, but like nothing more than that, I just mentioned meeting you in a super normal not crazy way."
Jaune was unsure why Yang was creating so many specifications to her sentence, but her let it be; he could also talk awkwardly sometimes.
Soft steps alerted him to another girl's approach, and he turned to see Weiss walking up to them, in a light blue nightdress, her face entirely blank, frozen almost, "Lieutenant Arc," she said, her voice rather soft, "I wanted to talk to you," she said, and Jaune noted her eyes weren't meeting his.
"Of course, Ms. Schnee," Jaune nodded solemnly, gazing at the white-haired girl, "Again, Jaune is fine if that's all right with you."
Weiss looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly, "Then you have to call me Weiss!" Jaune noted she said it with more firmness and energy than usual.
"Ah," Jaune rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, "If that's what you want, Weiss," he smiled warmly at the girl.
Weiss's cheeks tinged pink, but she maintained eye contact, "I wanted to thank you for saving my life. I never got the chance back then. I-" Weiss hesitated, looking away, finally breaking eye contact.
Jaune's gut twinged, missing her beautiful blues already. "Of course, Weiss, but you don't need to thank me. I'm sorry I wasn't able to contact you afterward. For some reason, the messages I tried to send to you kept getting returned undelivered."
Weiss looked up, and her cheeks flushed bright red, standing out starkly against her cheeks, "Did my Fath-" she stopped herself, but her expression was furious; she pulled out her scroll and held it out to Jaune, "Please give me your number Jaune," she said simply.
Jaune reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll, tapping his own against Weiss's, taking note of everyone's eyes who followed his movements.
Weiss looked down at her scroll for a moment and then held it to her chest, "Thank you, Lieu- Jaune," she nodded before looking at the other girls, "We should probably go to bed," she said softly.
Yang was eyeing Weiss strangely but then nodded, "Yeah it's best to be fully rested for tomorrow."
Ruby groaned, "But we just started talking!"
Yang ruffled Ruby's hair, "I'm sure we'll be able to talk to everyone more tomorrow, Rubes. We need to get rest if we're going to kick, but tomorrow," she looked down softly with a warm smile at her sister.
The group dissolved, and Jaune placed his grandfather's journal to the side and laid back as the lights in the hall were extinguished. In part, he was rather grateful for the interruption because he noted for the entire time he talked with the other girls, there had been numerous eyes locked on them.
Unbeknownst to Jaune, an emerald pair of eyes gazed into the darkness where she had last seen the blonde boy.
He was here.
The boy who had beaten her and shattered the image of the invincible girl. He was here.
"Let's have a good fight, okay?"
Those words, unbeknownst to her, would change her entire world. Sure, she was still famous, but it had died down somewhat, put in check by her defeat. She was no longer the perfect, unassailable girl.
No one had been happier than her. She had even had several normal conversations since then with the died down awe around her.
Just for that, she would be grateful, but at the same time, now something else burned in her. A desperate need to face the blonde boy again and fight him. To feel alive in a way that she thought she had forgotten.
She refused to lose this new feeling.