Some plot here, a little bit of smut there, oh look, some bromance. Hope you like it!
Branwen Camp, Mistral.
"Someone's looking for us."
"I've heard." Raven nodded calmly as Vernal delivered her meal.
Being the Spring Maiden in hiding, one would think Raven Branwen would be paranoid every single time she heard someone was looking for her.
Yet she wasn't because the fact of the matter was, people sought out Raven Branwen for a lot of different reasons.
Or more specifically, her tribe.
It wasn't so strange to see a team of eager Huntsmen chomping to put down her tribe for fame and glory.
Even enterprising criminals looked for her for their own self-interests.
So yes, it wasn't so strange for people to seek her tribe out. Still, Raven Branwen did not just meet with anybody.
That's what her tribe members were for.
"Did they meet with Shay already?"
Vernal shook her head at that. "Not yet. Shay's just been watching him ask the villages near us about the tribe. He's afraid of the guy. Says he's built like a brick wall."
Raven paused at that. Despite his lackluster qualities, Shay wasn't one to avoid a fight even if the opponent was stronger than him.
The fact that Shay avoided picking a fight now meant that the man looking for them obviously far outstripped Shay's abilities.
"He is strong then?"
Vernal crossed her arms at that.
"He's not weak at least. Without a fight, we can't exactly tell how strong he is."
"Do we know why he is looking for us?" Raven hummed thoughtfully at that. Once in a while, they do get these sorts of people visiting them.
Some of them join the tribe. Some of them just want to fight. But all of them remember the Branwen tribe.
It was helpful in the sense that it restricted their willing visitors to the strong. Weaklings were not welcome or if they were, then they were welcomed as prisoners.
Vernal's next words however makes her pause.
"Word from the Spider says he was asking about a woman."
Raven blinked incredulously at that.
"And she pointed him to us?"
As groups living on the other side of the law, she and the Spider obviously had contact with each other. They were two criminal groups prowling the Kingdom of Mistral. They've obviously done business both with and against each other.
But was that what this was? Ordinary crime business?
A retaliation for the smugglers her tribe jumped thinking they were simple merchants?
A man the Spider wants gone and is using Raven to do it?
Or was the Spider simply pointing the man her way because she honestly believed Raven had the answers he sought?
And a woman?
The Spider had plenty of women and had the information network to find a particular one besides.
The only reason someone would seek them out for a woman would be if they kidnapped one and yet she doesn't remember kidnapping one recently.
The only other reason would be if they sought them out for strength or...
"He's also been seen asking about famous strong women and strange weather incidents." Vernal added gravely and that sealed it.
He was looking for the Spring Maiden.
Raven's eyes narrowed.
She doubted the Spider knew anything about the Maidens and the Relics so how? How did this man know to look for her tribe?
No. It did not matter. What mattered was he was on her trail.
"It's not my brother, is it?" Raven asked neutrally yet she already knew the answer.
Qrow didn't need to ask around to find the tribe. He could just fly towards them if he wanted to.
This man did and was still asking around.
"I've seen the man. Unless Qrow Branwen suddenly grew to be 8 ft. tall then I don't see how that would be possible." Vernal snorted and Raven couldn't help but chuckle resignedly at the image even as dread began creeping up her soul.
Gods, what would she do to have her brother be the one looking for the Spring Maiden?
The fact that he wasn't boded ill for her because unless Ozpin suddenly decided to have a new agent, it meant that Salem herself was having her agents look for her.
Fuck.
Beacon Academy, Vale.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuckity Fuck! Fuck!
Glynda wasn't one to curse so much but Peach's scandalous look elicited the reaction from her.
When Glynda got waylaid by both Peach and Tsune, she was worried they found out about last night.
Were they too loud? Was she seen when she tried to sneak back to her own residence during dawn's early light?
Turns out, it was neither of those things.
Tsune just told Peach what happened in the infirmary.
Which was equally mortifying.
"Glynda!" Peach squeaked as shame filled Glynda's heart. "That's sexual harrassment!"
She groaned loudly as the words pierced her heart.
It was a rehash of her own thoughts just before Jaune reassured her it wasn't and with that reassurance came the memory of the rest of what happened last night.
Heat filled her body as a blush flushed up to her cheeks.
"Don't you think I know that?" She asked back in a small voice but Peach only squealed her name again.
"Glynda!"
"I mean, I'm not belittling it or anything but it was hot." Tsune added to Glynda's growing embarrassment.
"Tsune!" Peach suddenly turned towards
"What? You weren't here when Glynda made the Rusted Knight squeal in pleasure." Tsune shrugged before waving at the infirmary around them.
"That is not the point!" Peach shrieked with a blush but Tsune only ignored her with a feral grin and pointed at the bed she was sitting on.
"In fact, that's the bed they did it on right there!"
"Tsune!" Peach suddenly stood up as Glynda paled in mortification.
"Please, Tsune. You make it sound worse than what actually happened."
It was the wrong thing to say because Tsune's eyes suddenly locked in towards her.
"And what exactly did happen? Hmmm?" Tsune hummed, grin never leaving her face as even Peach looked at her direction with a nervous but curious expression.
"I-I thought you knew?" Glynda stuttered, leaning back on her own seat as Tsune's grin widened.
"Not the details. I only heard his reactions. So really, tell us what you did. That is of course, if you don't want us to think the worse."
It was blackmail. Manipulation of the blackest kind. But Glynda could see the playful glint in Tsune's eyes.
It wasn't malicious. Playful and curious yes but Glynda knew that if she said no and kept quiet then Tsune would back off.
But did she want Tsune to back off?
It was a strange thought but part of her wanted to brag.
She wasn't the type to brag either but she could not deny that she was proud.
Proud of what exactly?
Proud of managing to bag the Rusted Knight of course.
So it is with that strange thought and embarrassment in her heart did Glynda slowly make a circle with her palm in the air and moved her hand up and down.
Tsune squealed aa Peach gasped in shock.
"How is he?! Is he big?! Is he-"
"Was it consensual?" Peach interrupted with wide eyes, her question burning through Glynda as she nodded absently.
"It was more than consensual."
This time, both of her peers squealed.
Glynda flinched back as she looked at Peach with wide eyes. Peach for her part only blushed embarrassedly.
"What? Consent is hot."
"Damn right, sister." Tsune nodded vehemently before smiling smugly at Glynda. "Now, Glynda, what do you mean it was more than consensual?"
Glynda gulped as she struggled to look away. More than consensual? There was only one other thing it could mean.
"He...uhm...reciprocated." She mutterred out with a bright blush on her face as Tsune and Peach looked at each other with equally bright blushes on their faces.
""Tell us everything.""
A proud yet shy smile graced Glynda's face as she leaned forward.
There they were, three of Beacon's vaunted female staff, gossiping like a bunch of school girls.
As for what she told them?
She told them everything.
"Fuck."
"Jaune!" Pyrrha immediately scolded as his eyes widened in realization.
"Pardon?" Ozpin blinked as the curse Jaune's mouth.
He winced apologetically at that before embarrassedly rubbing the back of his head.
He didn't mean to curse really but for some strange reason, he suddenly felt the need to. Still, he could hardly say that here.
"Sorry, I just got surprised by all of you. What's the occassion by the way?" Jaune asked as he looked upon the men arrayed in front of him.
Before Ozpin could answer however, Peter Port was already belowing loudly as he pulled a chair for Jaune to sit on. "Ocassion?! Ocassion, he says! Hahaha! Why, lad, we are here to talk about you and Glynda!" Peter waggled his eyebrows as he looked at him meaningfully. "Now is there something you want to tell us?"
Jaune's brows furrowed at that as wariness entered his heart. Him and Glynda? Why would they ask about them?
"Calm down. They haven't really said anything yet." Pyrrha reminded but even Jaune could feel the nervousness coming off of her.
Still, calmimg down was as good a plan as any.
"No? Nothing in particular?" He starts, not really saying anything but he saw Ozpin raised an eyebrow at that while Oobleck glanced at him worriedly.
What was that about?
Instead of having to press them for an answer however, it was Port who blows away his confusion.
"Really, lad? Nothing about...Glynda doing something inappropriate with you?"
Both Jaune and Pyrrha froze at that before his wide eyes immediately snapped towards to Port's neutral face.
Did they find out about last night?! How?! In fact, what did they know?!
Even Pyrrha chittered nervously inside his mind.
In the absence of answers to his questions however, Jaune could only play dumb.
"W-What do you mean inappropriate?" He asked but Ozpin only nodded as he looked at Jaune's reaction.
"No need to play dumb, Mr. Arc. You forget I was there in the infirmary with you when...Glynda did something to you."
Jaune froze at that. The infirmary. Was that what this was all about?
"Oh, I think I know what this is."
What?
Jaune blinked but Pyrrha only stayed silent as Doctor Oobleck shook his head.
"Jaune, you don't need to hide anything from us. As much as I respect Glynda, sexually assaulting you was inexcusable."
"Knew it."
"WHAT?!"
The word left his mouth immediately, causing the rest of the men to reel back in surprise. As they looked at him in surprise however, another voice joined the conversation.
"Can you keep it down?! I'm trying to read here!" The Curious Cat's voice called out from under Ozpin's desk but perhaps for the first time ever, Jaune ignored its voice in favor of looking incredulously at the three men in front of him.
"Again, what?!"
Ozpin, Port, and Oobleck glanced at each other at that before turning back towards him.
"Did Glynda...how do I say this?... Not touch you without your permission back inside the infirmary?" Ozpin asked carefully, making Jaune blush at the attention on him.
Technically speaking it was true.
Glynda did touch him without permission but they've already talked about it and he says as much.
"We've talked about it." He answered as he embarrassedly looked away from their worried eyes.
It was as good a confirmation as any but the three men only looked at him worriedly at that.
"So it is true. She really did it, then." Oobleck shook his head disappointedly and Jaune was already moving to answer.
"It wasn't like that!"
"And what exactly was it like? What have you talked about?" Port inquired slowly as the memories of last night entered Jaune's mind.
He couldn't help but blush as heat rushed up to his cheeks.
"Stuff...we talked about stuff." He said hoarsely before clearing his throat.
"You're avoiding the question, Jaune." Ozpin pointed out and Jaune couldn't help but scowl at the interrogation.
"Easy, Jaune. Stay calm." Pyrrha warned but Jaune was done being calm.
"Look, I could have stopped her if I wanted to, okay?"
His hand glowed as he called his Semblance to the fore and just like that, everything changed.
It started slow as Ozpin, Port, and Oobleck froze when the realization settled in.
"But...you didn't stop her." Ozpin mutterred with wide eyes.
"Wait, are you saying-" Port started.
"-that it was consensual?" Oobleck finished.
And all three men looked at him in awe.
Jaune shook his head embarrassedly at that before standing up. Nope, he was not doing this with these old men.
"Look, if this is all then I should go-"
Before he could even continue however, both Ozpin and Port were already standing with him with smiles on their faces.
"Now wait a minute, Jaune. We haven't really even talked about anything yet."
"Come now, lad. It's still too early to go to bed, don't you think?"
"Not when you're going to bed Glynda." Pyrrha whispered teasingly inside his mind, making him blush at the thought once again.
Oobleck for his part only nodded at him in relief. "I'm just glad you two are okay."
Gone was the tension in the air and what replaced it was awe and respect as all three men grinned at him.
Jaune groaned as he heard Pyrrha giggle wildly. "Is this what boys talk about when you are alone together?"
Jaune paused at that. Back in the days of future past, he never really had this kind of experience.
Living with seven sisters assured that during his childhood and even when he went to Beacon, he and Ren were always with Nora and Pyrrha.
After Beacon...well, there was no time for any kind of boys talk when the world was hanging on your shoulders.
So to see these men smiling and laughing at him, Jaune couldn't help but feel happy. Embarrassed but happy.
"I see congratulations are in order then." Ozpin nodded with a smile on his face as Jaune rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly.
"I guess so."
"What did you even do?" Port asked with wide eyes but Jaune shrugged as he tried to remember that day.
"Nothing, I was just laying there after I...talked with Pyrrha." He blushed as he remembered their first time inside his dream.
Oobleck however gasped at that. "Pyrrha as in your partner Pyrrha?"
"Yup." Jaune nodded even as Oobleck gawked at him.
"And she knows what happened? She's okay with it?"
"Very much so." Pyrrha giggled but Jaune only blushed as he looked away, not seeing the glint in Ozpin's eye.
"At first she wasn't but...she's okay with it now."
Unsaid was the fact that his partner was the one to push him and Glynda together. There was no need to air out that detail of their lives just yet.
Both Oobleck and Port grinned at that before raising their hands at the same time.
""Nice.""
The two high-fived each other before turning towards him with their hands still raised. Jaune, overcome by instinct, raised both his hands to clapped theirs.
It was crisp. It was loud. Most importantly, was fun.
He looked incredulous for a moment before laughter dominated the room as congratulations flew through the air.
So there Jaune Arc was, the Rusted Knight, surrounded by his peers, joy, and laughter.
How he wished for this kind of peace to last.
Alas, it did not.
Because as the laughter died down, Jaune's eyes widened as he saw Port bring out a large flask.
"Ah, sit down and get comfortable, lad."
Before Port could even finish what he was saying however, Oobleck was already handing Jaune a small cup already filled with ale.
Jaune blinked at the speed but Oobleck only blushed as he held his own cup. "We're going to need details."
"Copious details." Ozpin grinned, and just like that he clinked their cups together.
It was already dark when Jaune finally managed to separate himself from Ozpin, Port, and Oobleck.
It took a while but he did manage to fend off their inquiries by changing the topic to the afterlife.
Jaune being a mouthpiece for Pyrrha was apparently just as interesting to them as his love life was.
Though it was a bit embarrassing when they asked her about her opinion on Glynda. It was at that point however did Ozpin ask about the afterlife.
They sobered up for a bit as Ozpin's apparent hopes of speaking to his daughters were dashed but overall, it was a surprisingly enjoyable and relaxing time.
It felt good to know there were people looking out for him. It made him think of Pyrrha and his younger self's words of building a life here.
Perhaps such a thing wasn't so impossible after all.
Hope filled the Rusted Knight's chest at that before resolve crystallized in his chest.
It was one more reason to fight because before he could think about the future, he had to think about how to defeat Cinder and more importantly, Salem.
As he reached his door and turned its knob however, he freezes at the sight that greets him.
"Would you like dinner?"
"A bath?"
"O-Or us?"
Glynda, Tsune, and Peach greeted him with blushes on their faces while only wearing lingerie.
"...Nice." Pyrrha muttered appreciatively as Jaune's eyes widened.
He looked at Glynda for a moment only to find her wincing apologetically before mouthing the words 'I'm sorry.'
Part of Jaune wanted to shake his head at that but he could only gulp before rushing inside and closing the door behind him as he heard Port's and Oobleck's voices echo around the hallways.
Salem could wait, he had girls to satisfy.
Evernight Castle, Grimmlands.
Salem could not wait. She had to do this now.
"Sit." Salem commanded only for her palm to meet her face. "Not you, Tyrian."
She growled as Tyrian whined but Salem only ignored him and kept her eyes at the Jabberwalker who tilted its head.
Salem's forehead twitched at that. The reason for her irritation? These two beasts in front of her.
Despite her best efforts to focus on her own attempts at exploring her new magical abilities, Salem could only do so much before Tyrian's and the Jabberwalker's ruckus distracted her.
Things eventually culminated into a brawl that left her library a mess as books laid scattered with the shelves being toppled.
Thus begins Salem's attempt to discipline them.
"I command you to sit." Salem growled yet the thing only ignored her as it continued to sniff around her. "Damn it!"
Tyrian snarled as the Jabberwalker prowled about her but Salem only glared at him to command him to stop.
There would be no roughhousing again!
Tyrian pouted but obeyed her command.
At least he was easy.
She sighed however when the Jabberwalker circled her only to pause when a warbled voice calls out to her.
"Question. What. Are. You?"
Salem grinned.
Progress.
She hopes her other underlings were having progress of their own.
City Docks, Vale.
Watts inhaled Vale's city air as he stepped outside of the ship.
It was dirty, salty, and smelled like the worst shit he had ever stepped on but alas, it was where his Mistress wanted him to be.
He cracked his neck and fished out his Scroll. Cinder's contacts were unruly, disorganized, and prone to infighting.
It would take weeks or even months for Watts to mold them to his liking but no matter. They were only secondary.
After all, spying on Beacon was the priority and he knew just the way to do it.
His Scroll already showed a person to visit.
Junior.
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