King: Break time.

Knox: Thank goodness... I need this.

King: By the way...

Knox: Oh yeah!

King/Knox: MERRY CHIRSTMAS!

Knox: On Christmas no less! Boom!

King: Don't ruin the moment.

Inspiration: Intermission

/\

The screen started to glow for a moment before bursting into a scene with Jaune standing next to a decorated tree, dressed in red and white. Across the top was [Merry Christmas] written in green letters.

"What?"

Knox appeared, his circlet/tiara/thing replaced by a sagging red hat with a white puffball on the end, "Merry Christmas everybody!"

Ruby looked up to the magic being, thoroughly confused, "What's that?"

King appeared again, holly leaves hanging from his crown, "Knox… I did not agree to your… decorating my crown." He took a breath before addressing everyone. "Okay! Christmas is a holiday back in our reality. It's often associated with gift giving and good will towards others. To celebrate, we're going to have an intermission."

Knox bounced excitedly, "And we got you all gifts!"

"You'll find the gifts wrapped up and placed under a tree in the lounge. But I'll ask you all to hold off from opening them for now. We want this to be an event. We'll call you all when the presents are ready to open. Until then, enjoy your intermission."

Both fireballs disappeared with an effect of snowflakes falling to the ground.

Jaune looked around as everyone stood up, "What's going on?"

Nora bounced over behind him, "Intermission! We get to take a break and just have fun for a bit."

"Oh. Okay." Jaune stood up and walked out of the theater with his team.

Teams JNPR, RWBY, the duo from CVFY, Sun, and Penny made their ways to the arsenal to wait for King's call.

Ruby looked around and titled her head, "Hold on…"

Yang stalled next to her sister, "What is it, sis?"

"The lockers are all different." She opened the locker that previously held the alternate version of her scythe with the railgun, only to find a short sword and heavy pistol.

"Huh…" Yang opened the locker next to it to find a modified version of her own weapon, complete with built-in brass knuckles. "Cool."

Jaune walked over, a bit confused, "What's going on?"

"These lockers are usually filled with weapons and stuff we saw in the theater." Yang picked up the gauntlets and flipped them around in her hand, weighing it out. "We're allowed to use them here in the range."

Jaune turned back to the locker. It was the same number and label as his own back at Beacon. He opened it up to show a small pouch designed to be placed at one's thigh. He opened it up to find a series of small, nylon-wrapped blades. "Knives?"

Ruby peaked over his shoulder, "Carbon composite throwing knives. High end stuff…"

And idea formed in Jaune's head. "Hey Yang!"

The blonde brawler turned to Jaune, "What's up Vomit Boy?"

"A bet. If I can hit a bullseye on one of the targets, you have to stop calling me Vomit Boy."

Yang blinked before bursting into laughter. "No offense, Jaune, but I seriously doubt you can do that. Tell you what, if you can hit the target with one of those knives, I'll stop."

Jaune picked out one of the knives, spun around, and threw the knife through the air. After a 50-meter spin, it landed square on the target's head, between the eyes; leaving everyone stunned into silence.

Sun was the first to celebrate the moment, "Holy shit! Where did you learn to do that?"

Jaune shrugged, "My mom taught me. Though, it's not great as an actual fighting style. The knives are easy to lose and the best kind, like these, are hard to replace."

Nora was the next to return to herself, "That's so cool!"

Ruby just looked toward the knife, "To bad it doesn't fit your fighting style…"

Jaune nervously scratched the back of his head, "Yeah… Not a great long-term weapon, but it would be nice to have a backup plan when I need them."

Ruby was in weapon maker mode, "I might be able to get the materials…" Plans were being made in her head.

Yang finally returned to her right mind but was still too stunned. "I… How did you… You hustled me!"

Jaune shook his head, "I said if I got a bullseye. You're the one that lowered the bar to just getting a hit."

"But…! You…!" Yang let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. You win. I won't call you Vomit Boy anymore."

"Thank you." Jaune activated the mechanism to retrieve the knife and place it away in the locker with the rest. Finally.

"But you know…" Yang grinned, "Ruby has your scroll contact labeled as Vomit Boy~"

Jaune turned to Ruby, who turned away and whistled innocently.

Neptune arrived a bit later. "What did I miss?" He had a book tucked under his arm.

Sun crossed his arms and grinned at the scene before them. "Jaune winning a battle but losing the war. Oh yeah, apparently Jaune can throw knives."

"Really?"

"Yep. Kind of crazy."

"Yeah…" He lifted the book and opened it, flipping through the pages.

"Really dude?"

"Give me a sec…" Neptune found the page and read it over. "Okay… That's unnerving."

"What is it?" Weiss and Blake walked over to the two, staying out of the way of the scene.

Neptune explained, "This book is from the library. It's basically a record of a bunch of different types of Jaunes we've seen. Each is broken down based on their personalities, actions, and skills. Our Jaune shares the knife throwing skill with two other types we've met." He showed them the page that showed a Jaune in dark grey and gold armor labeled [Jaune Arc – Agent Arc]. The page next to it showed Jaune in a similar type of armor with hair cut shorter, a smirk on his face, and a knife balanced on his finger labeled [Jaune Arc – Felix]. The three remembered seeing these two in the theater. Agent Arc being the one that killed Ren to earn his freedom Project Freelancer. Meanwhile, they just got done seeing Felix in action.

Weiss slowly started to nod. "Well… unnerving is an understatement."

\/

King and Knox were watching the group in the armory.

Knox groaned, "Um… I don't think Jaune should be able to do that."

"The prime version, no…"

"Prime?"

"Did you think I could get the Prime variations from the show? They're all King variations from my timeline."

"I… did not know that. So… they're not the canonical versions?"

"I don't have that kind of power. I can only effect those that are under my power, remember?"

"Right… Then… are they really reliable for that?"

"Same basic personalities, but with small deviations in histories and choices. Very minor. Though… This should change things."

"Is that why you did this? To change their timeline?"

"I shall neither confirm nor deny. Speaking of…"

\/

The speakers hissed on as King spoke, "Will all viewers please gather in the lounge for the Christmas celebration!"

The area was transformed from old emerald-colored lounge to a red, white, and green party scene. Tinsel and streamers were hung around the entirety of the lounge. A giant, frost-tipped tree was set up on the stage with a variety of colorfully wrapped gifts underneath and around it. Each box was color-coordinated to the viewers. The tree was topped by a bright purple and gold pair of stars. Not having a holiday of a similar style, the scene amazed the crowd. They holiday's sure, but not giant productions like this.

King appeared, the holly removed from his crown. "Welcome and Merry Christmas everyone!"

Kali looked around and smiled. "This is quite the set up. Is this holiday that important in your world?"

"It depends from person to person. There are a lot of holidays happening around the same time, but this is what Knox and I celebrate. It's all about bringing everyone together in peace and joy. At least, that's the idea."

Knox bounced over, still wearing the hat from before, "We also exchange presents with each other~!"

"Unfortunately, anything we give you cannot leave this realm. So… Sorry about that I suppose. As of now, it's a gathering of friends and family."

Knox sniffled exaggeratedly, "I love you, too man~!" Clearly said jokingly.

"Right… Anyway, let's get this kicking then." King floated around and the décor started to glow with magical lights and power. "Go ahead and mingle. Cookies were baked and placed on the table if you wish. Various tradition pieces are around with explanations should you wish to learn then. Enjoy~"

Ruby made a b-line for the cookies. She was amazed to find, not just the usual chocolate chip cookies, but decorated sugar cookies purposefully made to look like various festive items and symbols. "Woah~!" She took one of the cookies designed like a holly leaf and bit into the treat. It was just a simple sugar cookie covered in icing, nothing special, but she had to admit that it was a good cookie. There was something about the festivities and being together with others that made the concentrated sugar taste that much better.

Everyone was just looking around for a bit before getting into the spirit. And, it had to happen eventually, someone found the piece of foliage hanging from a small outcropping. Nora looked up to the leaf and blinked, "What's this thing?"

Ren walked over next to her, "It looks like mistletoe."

Knox floated around the two, giggling to himself. "This is too precious~"

Nora's gaze followed the fireball, "What is it?"

King popped up next to them, "Mistletoe has a distinct tradition in our world, wherein any two people underneath the hanging plant are to kiss."

"Wait… What?!"

Everyone around them watched on at the scene to play out they all felt should have happened a long time ago. The two looked toward one another in uncertainty. They'd always been together, ever since the Nuckelavee attack when they were young. But they'd never actually thought about becoming anything more. At least, not directly. In the back of their minds, perhaps they always felt drawn to each other. This dumb little tradition, which isn't inherently romantic mind you, was making them finally think about this. The two turned to one another and shared a quick kiss, nothing special, but it was a spark. Something to make them evaluate their relationship together.

Jaune smiled at the scene, but something was weighing on his mind. He walked toward the tall woman with the ashen skin. "Excuse me."

Salem had a cookie placed in her mouth. She was surprised to see Jaune approach her so soon. She snapped the sugary treat between her mouth and fingers. After a second, she cleared her throat before speaking, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry if this sounds weird, but I've heard that you're from another dimension and that you're my mother in it…"

Salem nodded. "I am."

"This is kind of weird to say then, but it's nice to meet you."

Salem took a breath, shaking a bit. "You look so much like Monty…" Her arms wrapped around Jaune's head and shoulders. "I'm sorry… In my world, you want nothing more than to be a hero. But you inherited my appearance and people can only see you as a villain-to-come…"

Jaune was surprised, but it didn't really matter. He wrapped his arms around her to try to comfort her. She was so much like his own mother. So much in fact, that his lungs were starting to collapse under her hug of death. He tapped her back, speaking out of instinct, "Mom! Choking! Not breathing!"

Salem's eyes snapped open and she released her hold, "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

Everyone was just enjoying themselves. King and Knox floated around the scene.

Knox chuckled at the scene, "Merry Christmas, King."

King nodded, "Merry Christmas, Knox…"

"Something on your mind?"

"Not as of yet… Just… thinking." King disappeared again. This was a nice moment in time. One that no doubt began to change their outcomes. This was finally a true deviation. A true King Timeline has begun.