King: *breath in* 1 million views! 1 million, baby! This is awesome! Okay. Gushing over, for now. Now, for your new chapter! Number 57! I hope you enjoy the chapter. And remember~ EDGAR IS THE ONE IN THE HOLE!
Inspiration: X-ray and Vav
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The world began to form anew as the screen moved on to the next. Hmm… How about… this!
The first thing they saw in this world was Celia Peach, Beacon Academy's resident forge-master, sitting behind a desk. Her red hair was tied back and she wore a dark red suit, a similar color to her forge apron.
Port chuckled, "I don't think I've ever seen Celia so clean."
She looked down at an unopened envelope. "Super heroes…" She looked up to her visitors, "Really?"
The camera changed to show Scarlet in a blue superhero suit, "Yes ma'am! Official super hero business!"
Sun started to laugh, "Scarlet? A superhero? Oh man, this should be good."
"Okay… Fine. You can see the patient. But you play by my rules. Do not approach the cell. Do not take anything from the patient. And most importantly, if he asks you a question, do not answer. He is a master of psychological coercion. You don't want this guy in your head."
The camera changed to show Yang sitting to the other side, dressed in her own green hero suit. "Hey. If anyone is immune to psychological manipulation, it's me."
Weiss started to snicker, "I could see this set up a mile away."
Yang sighed, knowing full well she'll likely fall for the manipulation.
The screen snapped to the inside of the Vale Mental Institution for the Criminally Insane. There was a cell with a plexiglass frame facing them, allowing them to see inside. Jaune was standing inside the cell with his arms resting behind his back, dressed in a blue jumpsuit worn by all criminal patients. "To what… do I owe the pleasure."
Ruby groaned, "So, another psycho-Jaune?"
"Quite literally, it seems." Weiss crossed her arms.
Scarlet held up the note, "There are some questions you need to answer."
Jaune steepled his fingers, "How completely desperate you must be to come to me."
Yang rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's awesome. Cut to the chase, we don't have all day!"
"Oh… But I do…" Jaune gestured to his cell, "I have all the time in the world, thanks to you."
Sun chuckled, "Bitter much?"
Neptune thought to himself for a moment, out loud, "Okay… So, Yang and Scarlet are some kind of super hero team and Jaune is a criminal they caught? But now they need his help?"
Scarlet crossed his arms, "You can choose to be helpful, or you can be a knob 'ead. Doesn't matter one way or the other."
Coco turned to Velvet, hoping for her to explain the slang. Velvet just zipped her lips and gestured toward Ruby.
Jaune chuckled, "Don't try to play me. I saw your face when you came in. You weren't expecting me to be in this cell. You're in far deeper than you care to admit."
Yang scoffed, "That's some great insight your majesty."
"Keen powers of observation are key to learning about those around you. For instance," He took in a sniff and grinned, "You use Valen Primara hand lotion, good for keeping your hands soft through high activity. And…" he took in another. "I detect a strawberry scent from your hair. Deteri Main, the same used by Scarlet. Fancy that…"
Yang's eyes darted around, totally guilty of stealing Scarlet's shampoo. It's so much better than mine!
Yang chuckled, "Got to give my hair the best, after all~"
"But stealing shampoo?" Blake raised a brow, "Really?"
Scarlet appeared on screen again, "We just want to know about Mogar."
"Ah! So, he's made himself known to our fair city." Jaune crossed his arms and leaned onto the glass. "Forgive my ignorance, I've been cut off from the newspapers after murdering my second guard in a two-week span."
Mercury raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? One a week? It's messed up, but I'd have figured he'd have been worse given the cell type."
Yang appeared again, "Do you know anything about him?"
"More than you, likely. But I'm curious about you."
"Yeah. Nice try. You're not getting into my noggin."
"You're right, you're probably too stupid to answer my questions anyway."
"Oh yeah! I can answer questions! Watch me!"
Yang facepalmed and groaned. "That was too obvious."
Neptune tapped his seat in thought, "Why isn't Scarlet saying anything right now?"
Jaune grinned, "Let's start with the obvious. Why did you come here alone?"
The camera angle showed Yang over Jaune's shoulder. It turned behind him to the shoulder to show Scarlet in Yang's place.
Tai blinked in surprise. "Okay… Didn't see that coming."
Scarlet brushed the question off, "That's how this works Mad King! I'm the one asking the questions."
Then the screen showed Yang, "I'm taking charge of this! Scarlet is distracted! He's just… Never mind…"
Jaune placed a hand on his glass, a smile spreading across his face. This was too easy. "Please, do go on."
"Well… there's this reporter chick that he obviously likes. And he's willing to look passed her meddling behavior… But she's just trying to further her career through this whole thing!"
"You think she's clouded Scarlet's judgement, eh?"
Sun crossed his arms, "Can't tell if she's jealous or just being a good friend."
Neptune shrugged, "Could be both."
Yang rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. This was another world, so she couldn't say anything based on her own life.
Scarlet held the letter up into full view, "Why were you trying to contact Mogar?"
"Who the heck is Mogar?" Weiss tapped her heel on the floor.
Sun leaned back in his chair, "I remember him as a character in a comic a bit back. I didn't get too into it, so I don't remember much passed anger and growing up in the wild."
Jaune was leaned against his glass again, "Sympathy exercise. Write to someone in need and express compassion for them through the letter." Jaune tilted his head side to side showing he didn't care about the idea in the slightest.
"But… How did you know about hi situation?"
"You'd be surprised how much information you can get from people who are willing to give it."
The scene snapped back to Yang finishing up the story, "Then! Mogar's treehouse burns down! All because she just had to follow us around and get that scoop! And now, Mogar's probably gone forever!"
Jaune grinned, "Mogar is getting weaker? How very interesting."
"Hey! Can we get back to my problems for a minute?"
"He's not your therapist, Yang." Ruby chuckled at the scene.
Yang playfully punched her sister's shoulder.
The scene snapped back to Scarlet, "Do you know who likely kidnapped Mogar's mother?"
Jaune turned and picked up a small box, "One of the few privileges I have left is access to the archive library. This is everything I could find on Mogar and his situation." He placed the box in a tray designed to allow items to transfer to and from the cell, often for food. "I will give it to you." Jaune slid the trey out.
Scarlet grinned, "Thank you for cooperating!" The trey suddenly snapped shut as he reached for the box.
"If, you can answer one question. Why are you friends with Yang?"
"What?"
"What's he planning?" Emerald's eyes narrowed.
Cinder smirked, "He's trying to divide them. And he seems to be doing quite well."
The scene returned to show Yang on a therapy couch, "And ever since then, I've been afraid of birds. You think that's important?"
Ruby burst out laughing, "Oh my gosh! I was kidding!"
Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose through her story. Now that she was quiet, he decided to let loose. "You want to know what I think? I think you've been lying to yourself."
Yang raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Your mother left you when you were little. Packed up and abandoned you!"
Silence was all the Xiao Long family could muster.
"You've felt alone ever since. But it's been years… and you haven't grown up a bit. You want to show her you're just fine without her! But you know you're not." Jaune smacked his fist up onto the glass, leaning into his new stance, "It's only a matter of time before Scarlet comes to the same realization! That you're just holding him back! And when it comes time to choose who he really cares about, he'll cut you loose. Just like your dear mother."
Yang shook in her chair. That hit a little too close to home.
"Then, you'll be all alone again, with your pet rock."
Yang's eyes were pin pricks, "H-how did you know about Dwayne?"
"I didn't."
Mercury chucked, "Damn, he's good."
Yang shouted in an outburst, "Tell me about Mogar's mother!"
"I can't help you Yang. No one can." Jaune turned his back on the would-be hero.
Yang clenched her fist and turned. She stormed off as the scene opposite the glass faded into shadows.
Jaune smirked and moved his head from side to side, "Tick-tock, Scarlet." The screen faded back to show Scarlet standing opposite Jaune again.
Ren nodded, "That was a rather nice transition, events notwithstanding."
Scarlet scratched his nose nervously, "I mean, we've always been friends. Since we were little."
"You don't think you've outgrown her?"
"Outgrown her?"
"You're smarter, more logical, more caring. When you were younger and had no one else, it seemed natural to be friends. But you've grown up and matured. It must be difficult having her hold you back from your full protentional. Doomed to be the butt of newspaper headlines for the rest of your lives because no one can take you seriously."
"No! No, of course not! We're a team!" But Scarlet was getting nervous. The words were getting to him.
"Of course, you are." Jaune slid the trey back out. "Take it."
Scarlet's eyes narrowed and he took the box out from the trey.
Weiss clutched into her chair's arm rest. "And like that, he's failed himself. He wasn't supposed to take anything from Jaune."
"You think he manipulated the records?" Blake turned to the heiress.
"I don't know if he'll have to." Ozpin spoke before Weiss could. "He's already sewn doubt in them both. It's likely that, even with accurate information, that his plan will play out regardless of their actions."
"Good luck, Scarlet." With that, Scarlet left, leaving Jaune alone in his cell. He smirked to himself. "And like that, everything comes together. Almost." He moves to sit on his bed and glared into space.
After some time, the lights began to flicker. After one interval of darkness, they saw a figure standing in the shadows.
Jaune smiled, "You came. Today must be my lucky day."
"So, this must be the Mogar guy." Qrow leaned to the side, head resting on his fist.
Port nodded, "That would be my guess."
The figured moved into the light, showing a blonde young man dressed in a pair of fur pants with a tiger pelt wrapped around his waist. A large red and gold staff tipped by blue diamonds was on his back.
"Sun?" Blake blinked at the screen.
The monkey faunas just shrugged, "I could see it."
Sun stepped forward with a glare. "What is it you want?"
"To help you. I know who has what you seek."
"Tell me!"
"First, I'll need you to help me."
Sun growled.
"Oh, don't be like that. You'll enjoy it just as much I will. We're going to destroy Scarlet and Yang!"
Ruby's head tilted to the side, "Why would Sun want to hurt Yang or Scarlet?"
"Well…" Sun placed his hands behind his head, "They did burn down my house, apparently."
Yang turned to the monkey faunas, "Pretty sure I said the reporter Scarlet had a crush on did that."
Neptune shook his head, "No offense, it's not you anyway, but I'm not sure we can take her word for it. If she really does have hang ups about being abandoned again by a friend she's had for so long, she might see this reporter at a threat to their dynamic. It would paint her story too much to be able to trust."
Sun shook his head. "Nerd."
"We've been over this. Intellectual."
Sun raised an eyebrow, seeing where he's going and why he should care.
"Don't you see it? They've been getting in your way. Keeping you from tracking down your target."
"Those fiends. I knew the blue one and the green one couldn't be trusted."
"That's a weird way to talk about us." Yang looked toward Sun, since he had some kind of idea about the character.
Sun shrugged, "Like I said, raised in the wild. Vocabulary isn't his strong suit."
Jaune grinned, "You'll need me to make this happen. But… alas, I can do nothing within this cell."
"Mogar will free you." Sun slammed his fist into his open palm. "Then we will go destroy those two colored people."
Spit takes! All the spit takes! Choking on nothing! Laughter at failures in wording! All the fun times!
Jaune caught the phrasing, "Yes… But… let me do the talking." Jaune steepled his hands again, "Fortunately, the plan has already begun. They're splitting at the seams. And soon, we will rip them apart!"
Sun nodded and reared back his hand. He punched the plexiglass hard enough to shatter it, a feat that shouldn't have been possible.
Tai whistled in amazement, "Damn. Strong kid."
Kali turned to the elder blonde, "Is it that impressive? I'm unfamiliar with the material."
Ruby looked over to her father, "Yeah. I'm a little lost on that, too."
Tai folded his arms, "Plexiglass is a special type of glass designed to stronger and lighter than its normal counterpart. Punching it would normally just cause you to hurt your hand, assuming you don't have crazy strong punches like Yang or I."
Jaune calmly walked onto the glass, "Thank you. That cell was so cramped…" He reached out one arm and a golden crown smashed through the brick wall. One of the spikes was cracked from one side. He placed it onto his head, his grin turning fully malicious. "Soon, everyone will get exactly what they deserve."
As the screen ended the scene, Mercury chucked, "Ominous."
