[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

The two of them were seated by the cafe staff as soon as they crossed through the doors, and only a few moments later the pawn themed waitstaff had taken their order and explained the basic functions of the holotables. The minutes waiting for their food to arrive were spent familiarizing themselves with the controls and setting the board up to play.



It honestly surprised Jaune how calm he felt in this moment. The prospect of this first date going wrong should have been setting him on edge... but after the last few days this was fine. It was like the part of him responsible for generating anxiety had given up and collapsed from exhaustion a few hours ago and the part that would normally take over had refused to come in and start their next shift early. Or maybe those parts of him were on strike?



Well he hoped they'd stay on strike for the rest of the week.



"So, Argusian or Vytalian tournament rules?" Winter asked as she gave herself pieces that looked like they were spun from icy glass and crowned with sapphires. "I'm assuming your Great Grandmother favored her own country's rules when she was teaching you?"



"She did," Jaune confirmed as he gave himself pieces that looked like they were carved from ivory and then heavily inlayed with gold. "But Nana made sure I was proficient with both, so I'm good with either."



"Vytalian then," Winder decided with a nod. "Since we chose blue and gold for our colors instead of the traditional white and black shall we flip a coin to determine who goes first and then use the Walker Rule of alternating turn order?"



"That's fine by me," Jaune answered with only a moment's thought. "Are we using a real coin or do we let the table flip a coin for us?"



"We can let the table flip," Winter allowed. "Heads or tails?"



"Heads."



The table generated a coin toss. Tails. Winter would go first.



Their food arrived at that juncture; a plate of apple and cherry strudels as well of a plate of cookies made for dipping with large mugs of hot chocolate to dip them in. Winter grabbed a cherry strudel before moving her queen's pawn forward. Jaune grabbed one of the apple strudels as he moved his queenside knight.



"So tell me, out of everything you could have chosen to do, why chose to be a Huntsmen?" Winter inquired as she moved another pawn forward.



"Starting off with the big questions, huh?" Jaune answered as the laid the groundwork for a queenside castle. "Well, I had a lot of reasons to want to be a huntsman growing up. I spent a lot of my early years in and out of the hospital, and because of that I wanted to do something that actually mattered with my life. It's part of what kept me going when I was feeling like a burden to my family; the idea that one day I'd walk out of the hospital and do something of real consequence that proved I was worth all the time and effort they put into me."



"Something of real consequence..." Winter mused as she probed Jaune's defensive line, rapping her fingers on the table during his moves as if to distract him. "Our line of work does give us the opportunity for such things. But you could have found similar opportunities on other paths, so what's the rest of the story?"



"Well, it started with stories," Jaune completed the castle and rebuffed Winter's probes. "Some of them fictional, others form history with some from family history in particular, all of them meant to give sick kids a reason to believe in a future. Most stories have a hero, and being a Huntsman is as close as you can get to being one of those heroes."



"Not every Hunter fits the hero's mold," Winter noted as she started to aggressively advance her pawns, the first exchange of pieces was imminent. "But enough of them do that I can see why you'd chose the Huntsman's path if your goal is to be a hero. You still had other options though. The Valean Rangers might be criminally underfunded right now but they still do good work with what they have, and every town worth the name has a militia you could have climbed the ranks of. Why be a hero here instead of there?"



"There's the good reason and the kinda dumb in hindsight reason," Jaune carefully placed his defensive line. "The good reason is that as a Huntsman I'll basically be my own boss so long as I'm decent at it and manage my money right. I can pick my own contracts for my own reasons and take the contracts others ignore because they don't pay enough or aren't high profile enough or whatever. Do good for the sake of doing good and do the right thing because it's the right thing without having to worry if it's convenient or not."



"That's a very admirable reason," Winter acknowledged as she took one of his pawns. He took that pawn with another pawn. She took with a knight. He took with a bishop. She took with her queen. He threatened with a rook protected by his own queen. She withdrew her queen, neither of them truly ahead after the exchange. "As a specialist I've traded that flexibility for the security of Atlas directly backing all of my missions. It's worked out well for me, but if our current leadership was less righteous I could see myself envying that flexibility. Now what's the dumb in hindsight reason?"



"Stubborn pride," Jaune shrugged before taking a pawn with a knight. Winter shifted her defenses in response as Jaune continued, "When I first told my parents I wanted to be a Huntsman my Mom gave me a firm and definitive no. She then spent next several years doing everything she could to push me in a different direction, namely medical school, and at the end of the day that made me want it more."



"So your mother still wanted you to follow in her footsteps, even though she wanted you to skip the hunting portion of her career?" Winter surmised as she took a pawn with another pawn. The took her pawn with a knight, she took his knight with a bishop, he took with his queen. With his queen in a different position she felt confident to advance a rook.



"I guess that's one way to look at it," Jaune allowed as he adjusted his defenses, "It felt like she was trying to cut me off from the rest of the family legacy though, like I was supposed to ignore everything about our history in favor of the new direction she wanted to take things in."



"Is that so?" Winter reached for her next piece.



"Yeah, and I guess that's another thing that was part of my choice," Jaune reflected, "The family legacy of heroism is just too big for one person to decide all of it needed to go in a completely new direction, even if that person's my mom."



Winter's hand hovered over her queen, hesitation evident in the flexing of her fingers. She made to grab it once, twice, and a third time always stopping before she had properly touched the piece. A frown of deep thought had taken over her face, and in the end she reached for a cookie to dip in her hot chocolate instead of making her next move.



"That's..." Winter dipped the cookie, took a bite out of it, dipped it again. Her chewing was contemplative as thoughts beyond the game swirled behind her eyes. She found some words after she finished the cookie, "It really would be a shame for one person to change the trajectory of a family legacy as long and storied as your own, even if the new direction didn't detract from the old legacy..." She reached for her queen again and took Jaune's bishop, not noticing his rook was ready to take, "Though reaching back to the older legacy is probably easier when the new blood hasn't eclipsed the old blood in reputation."



Jaune took her queen, and Winter's eyes grew wide as she comprehended her blunder. One fury of exchanging pieces later and it was clear that Jaune would win the game. Winter conceded the match with an impressed look in her eyes and they reset the board for the next game, Jaune moving first this time.



"My family legacy isn't the only one you're thinking about right now, is it?" He asked as he moved a pawn forward to assert control over the middle of the board.



"You're right, it isn't," Winter sighed as she dipped another cookie in her hot chocolate. "My Grandfather pioneered revolutionary new Dust extraction techniques that lifted thousands of people out of poverty and helped build the new Kingdom Atlas from the ashes of the old Kingdom of Mantle. The man wasn't just a captain of industry leading a fledgling economy to new heights, there were a couple of decades where he was the nation's economy. That's why the Schnee name became revered."



Winter aggressively advanced her knights as she found the words to continue, "Hardly anyone talks about that now. My father has fully supplanted my grandfather in the public's mind, and people use the family name with wariness or contempt. As the eldest I was old enough and aware enough to notice the change happening. As the presumed heir at the time I was expected to support my father in what he was doing... and I became so disgusted with it I wanted to cut myself off from the family name and legacy. So I went to the one place where I could make a legacy that was separate from the family name; the military, where I aimed for a position that could only be obtained through merit."



"Well, I'm guessing the legacy you wanted to make for yourself is already pretty impressive," Jaune moved his kingside bishop forward to threaten one of her knights. As she pulled it back he continued, "I mean you're the right hand woman of Atlas' top general and you're only, what? Four or five years older than me? How'd that happen?"



"I suppose it started all the way back during my first year at Atlas Academy," Winter mused as she probed Jaune's defenses with a rook. "I was made leader of Team Whiskey-Alpha-Foxtrot-Love, and we rapidly became the top team of our year."



"Whiskey-Alpha...? W-A-F-L? Waffle?" Jaune asked as he repositioned one of his knights.



"Ah," Winter blushed as she advanced a pawn, pointedly not looking Jaune in the eyes. "Yes. WAFL. We were called WAFL."



"Well don't worry, I won't tell Nora you're on the other side of the Pancake vs. Waffle debate," Jaune gently joked.



"Oh? Well. Good," Winter internally sighed in relief that he hadn't thought of the other definition of waffle, something the rival teams at the academy had thrown around every chance they could. Sure having a team named after breakfast food was an embarrassing source of teasing, but it was one that could be done in a friendly manner.



"Anyways," Winter pushed on past the subject of her team name, "As my team climbed in the school's rankings there was a string of unexplained disappearances around school grounds... this isn't really the right place to share all the grizzly details but the long and short of it is another student had a psychotic break and became a serial killer. My team figured out who they were, how they were committing their crimes and how to counter their shadow-bending semblance. We were suitably reprimanded for capturing them ourselves instead of informing the school faculty first, but it all worked out in the end and it put us on the top brass' radar."



"So Weiss being immediately down with vigilante stunts is actually a family trait then?" Jaune smiled as he grabbed a couple of the dipping cookies.



"I suppose it is," Winter chucked at that. "But vigilante stunts wasn't the only thing that made my team noteworthy. As a top team we were selected for some joint training exercises with Shade Academy in Vacuo, and while there we stumbled upon and vanquished a massive Grimm Wyrm. We also had respectable placements during both of the Vytal Festivals, and we all graduated with top honors." Fondness graced her smile as she reminisced for a moment, "That was honestly a surprise to me. Don't get me wrong they were all great teammates and I couldn't imagine myself going through the academy with anyone else, but we drove each other crazy half the time and I honestly thought they'd get me expelled more than once."



"I think I can relate," Jaune contemplated aloud, "I have no idea how I'd manage Nora without Ren there to balance her out. I wouldn't trade her for anything but she's like three of my more hyperactive blood sisters rolled up into one, and that's a lot of concentrated enthusiasm to deal with."



"After meeting her on Saturday I can see that," Winter chucked. "In any case Team Whiskey-Alpha-Foxtrot-Love didn't stay together long after graduation, but before we split we..."



The words hung in the air for a moment. Winter absentmindedly moved a couple of pieces around the board as her eyebrows scrunched together in deep thought. They were still good moves in spite of her apparent distraction.



"...So when WAFL split up...?" Jaune prompted as he organized his impending attack.



"Sorry," Winter apologized as she refocused on the present, "I just realized I don't know how much of that mission is classified or not. In any case after the team split I... no wait that mission is definitely classified." She moved her queen forward, making Jaune reassess his plan of attack, "Then there was the mission in Balto where I... Oh. That's classified too." Winter frowned, "After that I was assigned to Rana Niejta where I... No if that isn't classified it ought to be..." She suddenly snapped her fingers with a eureka look on her face, "I survived a fight with a Jormungandr! Destroyed one of its' eyes too! That's not classified!" Winter suddenly looked doubtful, "At least it shouldn't be."



"So you did a bunch of stuff I might have to sign a NDA to get the full details of, and that's why you've obtained a position that'd normally go to someone twice our ages?" Jaune surmised as he took one of her bishops with his knight.



"More or less," Winter agreed as she took his knight with a rook.



A comfortable silence fell between them as they focused more directly on the game. The rapid exchange of pieces did not let up. Within a few moments they found themselves in a rook and pawn endgame.



"This is going to be a draw, isn't it?" Jaune noted with some embarrassment in his voice.



"It is," Winter agreed equally embarrassed. "Letting you take my second knight was a massive mistake on my part."



"I shouldn't have sacked my bishop to take your queen," Jaune highlighted what he thought was his biggest error in this game.



"No... I think that could have worked out for you if you had followed up with the other bishop."



"A double sacrifice play?" Jaune considered it. "Maybe. Do you want to game it out?"



"...Yes. Yes I do," Winter set the board up to resemble that moment, "Now if you sack the second bishop you could threaten with the queenside rook..."



"...Which would let me move the knight if you try to cover with that pawn..."



"...Yes... and if I try to cover with my bishop instead then you could-"



"Hey guys, It's good to see you're having fun," Theodore beamed from right beside them where he hadn't been the split second before. Winter and Jaune may or may not have jumped a little at their son's interruption.



"Theodore!" Winter gaped in surprise, "Why are you here?"



"Yeah, sorry for interrupting," Theodore sounded sincere enough and just a bit embarrassed at having barged in. "I just need my semblance boosted by Aura Amp for a little project I'm doing. It will just take a moment and you guys can get back to your date."



"How much of a boost do you need?" Jaune asked as he turned to fully face his son.



"Eh, doesn't really matter," Theodore shrugged. "Any serious use of Aura Amp will supercharge the beneficiary's semblance for roughly twenty-four hours so long as a minimum amount of aura is transferred. So like think about the amount of aura you'd use to sooth a stubbed toe and you'd be in the right ballpark for that minimum."



"Okay," Jaune frowned as he placed a hand on Theodore's forearm and focused on his semblance. Aura flowed between them, and Jaune removed his hand once he guesstimated that he had transferred enough of it.



"Thanks," Theodore smiled before turning to his mother with a hint of trepidation. "Alright, so fair warning: I didn't actually need to borrow your hair dye to touch up my roots this morning. I'm a natural snow-hair."



"What," Winter's eyes grew wide.



"Yeah, me and all my full blooded siblings have natural white hair," Theodore sounded more and more chagrined with each syllable leaving his lips. "The gene just skipped you for some reason."



"Then why did you ask for the hair dye?" Winter's bewilderment was obvious.



"Well you see I had a can of experimental nanites on me that are supposed to destroy dyes and restore someone's natural hair color and I didn't want to keep lugging it around everywhere and I saw a chance to get rid of it," Theodore shrugged with a nervous grin. "Anyways if you used it to touch up any of your roots while you were getting ready for this than they should have done their work in ten, nine, eight, seven,"



Theodore abruptly teleported away.



Winter scrambled for her scroll and turned the camera on, using it as a mirror to check her hair.



A look of terror grew across her features as an inch wide stripe of black faded into existence starting from her bangs over her right eye and going straight back into her bun.



"He's grounded," Winter hissed. "No. Court Marshaled. Latrine duty until he graduates. No. Until he's sixty. Fifty laps around the city walls every day. The outermost walls. Potato peeling every night until..."



Jaune waved to a waitress for the check as Winter's list of appropriate punishments grew longer and longer. Winter didn't even notice him paying. Her ranting continued uninterrupted as he gently coaxed her out of her chair and guided her out of the cafe. Penny followed them at a distance as he guided Winter through the streets as venomous words continued to spill forth from her lips.



"...He'll disassemble every bullhead in the fleet all by himself and polish ever bolt before reassembling all of them by hand..."



Jaune was finding her ranting disturbingly impressive, coming up with new and unique punishments for over five minutes was an inspiring display of creativity. Also lung capacity, because he wasn't entirely sure she'd paused to breathe at any point. In any case he saw something that might help derail the rant and maybe help her feel better about her looks.



Winter only noticed he had pulled her into a photo booth when the camera flashed. This turn of events surprised her enough that she stood stock still as Jaune did goofy poses around her. Soon the strip of photos he had paid for were printed out and he presented them to her proudly.



"Wow, these turned out great," Jaune smiled at her as she finally returned to the present moment. Winter took the strip of photos and couldn't help but snort at her deer-in-the-headlights expression, its contrast to the dopey smiles and coy looks Jaune was sporting as he posed around her still-as-a-statue form was enough to finish derailing the last of her rage.



"Do you want to talk about it?" Jaune gently asked now that she was calm.



"Ugh," Winter sagged as she sat down on the booth's bench. "I have my father's hair. The Schnee blood ran true for all of us but we each got something that was unquestionably from him. Whitley got his eyes. Weiss got his ears. I got his hair."



"And you don't want to look like him," Jaune concluded.



"No, no I don't," Winter forlornly agreed. "I didn't want to be like him when when he was just a crooked business man and a lousy father, and now that the future has shared his secrets... he's done so many terrible things already. I never want to be like him. I never want to look like him. That's why I started dying my hair. It was like I cleansed myself of the thing that marked me as his."



Jaune sat down next to her on the bench and carefully gave her a side hug. She leaned into it.



"Sooo... I've seen photos of him in the newspaper recently. He has white hair now," Jaune cautiously ventured.



"He started dying his hair to give his image the authority of age now that he's too old to maintain the image of youth," Winter scowled. "I dyed my hair first, and I am not abandoning the classic Schnee look now that he's doing it to."



"You know, I'd bet he'd never give himself an off center black stripe," Jaune theorized.



Winter's scowl became contemplative, "No... No he wouldn't."



"You want to take a few more pictures? See if this look that'd be all your own suits you?"



"...It wouldn't hurt..." Winter allowed.



Jaune paid for a few more rounds of photos.



The first couple of photos were serious, the kind of practical photos one would take for examining a look. Then Jaune struck a dramatic pose, and in the photo after that Winter adjusted her stance to be a good match for his.



The pictures continued in the vein one would expect of photo booth fair. The two of them went from pose to pose, some dramatic, others silly. They poked and prodded each other as the poses demanded until they were embracing in the side hugs one would expect, Winter laughing as she tried to give Jaune moose antlers.



The last three photos were as follows:



In the third to last Winter pecked him on the cheek.



In the second to last she kissed Jaune full on the mouth.



In the final photo Penny reached into the booth to pull them out, her Virginity Alarm blaring.

Ten Miles Outside of Vale

- - -

Theodore's Glyph flashed into existence, lighting up the dark tunnel as he, Julian, Xia, Ash and Ashley emerged into the gloom. Xia made a face, immediately flaring her Aura with her Semblance to light up the area.

"Geez... Where are we?"

Julian looked around, his keen eyes adjusting to the darkness.

"The Mount Glenn railway tunnel," he pronounced. Theodore grinned.

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!"

Ashley raised an eyebrow at Theodore.

"You're not thinking of assaulting Mount Glenn with just us, are you?" She asked.

Ash grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"Sounds kind of fun," he stated. Ashley scoffed.

"You would think that."

"So are you, you're just denying it," Ash teased. Ashley smirked.

"One of us has to seem like a mature, responsible adult around here," she stated. She looked over at Theodore. "Still, while I'm confident we could win... I think our odds could be improved."

"As much fun as that might be," Theodore admitted, "We'd probably just get yelled at. No, I'm just gonna make things easier on everyone. But I wanna make sure it all works out."

He walked gracefully over to the train tracks, signs of recent construction activity all around the tunnel-Pickaxes, shovels, even a back hoe. He stood in the middle of the train tracks, and stared ahead intently.

"At this moment," he said, "The White Fang's filled their train with enough Dust to blow up twenty city blocks. Team RWBY in all our timelines is able to sabotage it so only the front train cars hit... But if it did hit at full force, it might have been devastating. So! We're gonna make sure Mount Glenn is out of action for a good long while. Xia? I need you to generate as much Aura as possible. Ash and Ashley? I need you to feed it into me. And Julian?"

"Yes? Yes?" Julian asked, very eager. Theodore grinned like a proper big brother should.

"You're going to infuse my Glyphs with your Silver Eyes Energy... Which should kill almost every Grimm for several miles."

Julian whooped.

"OH YEAH!"

Xia frowned.

"This... Just sounds crazy!" She grinned savagely, her eyes glowing green, "I'm in."

Julian then started, and looked to his two half-siblings from Cinder.

"But wait! What about your mom? Do we know for sure she's not at Mount Glenn?"

"We can't get an exact lock on her location, but we can tell the general area she's in," Ash replied with a small smile, "She's not at Mount Glenn."

"Still," Ash said, pulling out his Scroll, and a small, complicated looking device. The Twins used both their Scrolls and triangulated the device between them. Ashley sighed in relief.

"No... She's not there," she said.

"You guys have been trying to contact her, huh?" Xia asked dryly. The twins looked guilty. Xia shook her head, hands held up. "It's okay, I get it. She's still your mom."

"We've been trying," Ash sighed, "No luck yet."

"Well, we'll keep trying!" Julian said cheerfully. The twins stared at him. "What? I want a happy ending for all of us! Who doesn't?"

Ashley sighed and hugged him.

"You're too cute sometimes," she muttered. Julian grinned.

"HA! I'm cute all the time!"

"I almost feel bad for siccing Cardin on you," Ash added. Julian glared at him, then smirked evilly.

"Ohhh, don't you worry about that. I'll get my revenge soon enough," Julian hissed. Theodore clapped his hands.

"Fantastic! Everything's sorted out! So! Let's get this show on the road!"

"Yeah yeah," Xia huffed. She powered up with a flare, her Aura burning like a small sun as lightning crackled around her and her eyes burned like emeralds. Ash and Ashley moved between her and Theodore, holding hands. Ash held his other hand out to Xia, and her Aura slipped off her like mist being drawn by a breeze into his palm. His eyes glowed. Ashley's eyes began to glow as well, and she held her hand at the small of Theodore's back. The Aura burst from her palm, pouring into Theodore and lighting up his golden-white Aura. The tall white haired teenager grinned.

"Ohhh yeah, that's the stuff," he muttered.

"Weirdo," Ashley sniffed, but she was grinning too.

Theodore held up his right hand away from himself, and formed a blue Glyph.

"Amplification: Blue," he murmured, as the Glyph glowed brightly, lighting up the tunnel even further. He raised his left hand, directly opposite his right, and formed a blood red Glyph.

"Reversal: Red," he mumbled. Julian stood behind his elder half-brother, silver eyes glowing... And wide with growing excitement.

"Oh boy oh boy oh boy...!" Julian whispered.

Theodore slammed his hands together, the Glyphs joining together into a brilliant, purple sphere that roiled and glowed with so much power the tunnel began to shake around them.

"Inverse Purple...! NOW!"

Julian's eyes erupted with silvery light, joining with the merged Glyphs. Theodore let them fly down the tunnel, the world shaking and trembling and sending debris down on their heads. Theodore stumbled, but formed a Blue Glyph.

"GO!" He shouted. They all ran through, emerging on top of a small grassy hill with various trees. Ahead of them was the imposing edifice of Mount Glenn. Theodore panted for breath, as Xia checked on him.

"Hey, you okay Shades?"

"Yeah... Hoo... Channeled a lot of energy into that one," Theodore managed. He looked up. "But we should see a small explosion in about-"

The land in front of Mount Glenn exploded in a long line, like thousands of explosives laid out linearly went off in sequence. Trees and boulders were tossed up and aside like toys swept up by a massive invisible hand.

This was merely a prelude to the climax.

A massive deluge of earth and fire erupted from the base of Mount Glenn, and the land shook and convulsed around it. Earth was blasted up into the air like a small volcano going off, filling the air with smoke. A burst of silvery energy radiated outwards, crackling around the mountain base like a massive EMP.

All five teenagers stared at the huge blast in stunned silence.

Then, Julian jumped up and cheered.

"WOO HOO! HELL YEAH! THAT WAS AWESOME!"

Xia grinned.

"Wow... We did that?!"

"We did that?" Ash and Ashley high fived eachother.

Theodore winced.

"We did that...? Crap..."

He then adopted a silly grin.

"Eh... Worth it, in the end!"

- - -

Haven Academy, Mistral

- - -

The fight against Cinder had taken a dark turn. Cinder was one thing, Yang's mother had gone to fight her... But Lionheart turning traitor was worse. And on top of that, he had adopted a bestial form, powerful, raging... With White Fang troops behind him.

Jaune stood by Ruby and Weiss, Yang and Nora to their right, Ren to their left. Qrow was fighting goons elsewhere, trying to protect Oscar. May... Jaune had no idea where she had run off to.

They were surrounded in Haven's main hall.

Lionheart shook his head, his fanged teeth shining.

"That is the sound of inevitability, Ruby Rose. Death comes for us all... Save those who embrace the Dark Queen."

"Is that what she promised you?! Immortality?!" Weiss scoffed, sticking close to Jaune. He had unlocked his Semblance to heal her, after all.

"Among other things," Lionheart admitted.

"So you fear that, too," Ruby snorted. Lionheart snorted.

"Everyone fears death... When given the opportunity to avoid it, who would choose otherwise? Now, about you-"

A shot range out, and Lionheart fell back with a roar, holding his eye. The windows shattered, and troops in rich blue cloaks poured in, wielding machine guns. Ruby and Jaune sprang into action, Jaune unleashing an Aura Slash at Lionheart while Ruby burst forth and struck him overhead. Lionheart howled as Ruby got him in the injured eye, and bellowed as the Aura Slash hit him in the chest. Yang broke with Nora, slamming through the White Fang troops trying to flank them. Ren darted like a shadow, joining Weiss as she unleashed Ice Bursts with her Glyphs and he opened fire with his guns.

The hall turned into an absolute melee. Then Blake and Sun burst in through the roof above, Sun unleashing a withering barrage of fire on Lionheart from behind while Blake's clones joined his to cause chaos in the ranks of the other White Fang troops.

Emerald and Mercury fled amidst the chaos. Lionheart bellowed, falling back under the absolute barrage of strikes, blows, and blasts he received. He fell, reverting to his normal form, and collapsed on the floor. He shuddered and looked up, weakly raising a hand.

"Pl-Please... Mercy...!"

Yang growled, pulled back a fist... She caught sight of Ruby's eyes, and paused. Lionheart used this opportunity to leap at her with a snarl-!

BANG

Lionheart faltered... And collapsed, another round having gone through his chest. The rest of the White Fang troops surrendered, or were gunned down. The main doors burst open, and a familiar figure strode in, looking anxious. Jaune looked up and grinned.

"May?!"

"I'm sorry it took so long," May gasped, "My father's fleet is here!"

"As are our forces," Blake added, "We hook up on the way."

Jaune wrapped May up in a tight hug, kissing her. She kissed back, relieved... Then her Scroll rang. She pulled it out and answered.

"Yes Captain?"

"Your Majesty," a Pandavan airship captain spoke, "The White Fang forces have airships. They are trying to contact us."

May's eyes narrowed. Ruby looked interested.

"They are? Why?"

"Surrender?" Blake asked.

"Come on," May said. She headed outside, followed by RWBY, Sun and JNR (Though Yang and Weiss were giving Blake a deadly glare the whole way out.)

Outside, the ragtag White Fang assault force hovered near the mountains, along with a few stolen Mistralian airships. Overhead, the Pandavan air fleet hovered protectively.

"Where's the Mistralian home fleet?" Nora demanded, "Shouldn't they be here protecting the city?"

"The war across the continent has stretched them too thin to do anything," Ren reasoned.

May held up her Scroll, staring at the White Fang forces. Blake held up her hand.

"Let me try to talk them down-"

"This is Princess Maia Sarkara of the Pandu Kingdom," May said, flat and angry, her eyes cold, "Haven is under our protection. Withdrawal... Or be destroyed."

"You humans can't stop us," the White Fang commander scoffed, "Don't force us to destroy you."

May's face became steely and determined.

"Why not? The only Menagerian to win my respect is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives... Be somewhere else!"

A tense silence ensued... Before the White Fang forces all turned and fled. Accelerating away, behind the mountains. Their ground forces also turned and retreated. May stared after him, angry, cold... Before she let out a breath. Jaune held her.

"May?"

"... I didn't know that would work," May murmured. "But I'm glad it did..." May turned and smiled at Blake. "Thank you Blake. Our forces should have cleaned up everyone else. Sorry it took so long, guys. I had to get in contact with the fleet as it came through-They were sorting out a lot of things-"

"We get it, and thanks," Ruby grinned, hugging her.

Blake nodded. She looked over to Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Ren... Sun squeezed her hand. She took a deep breath.

"Sorry I took so long, too," she murmured, "And... Other things."

Yang glared at her... Walked up... And punched Blake. Blake yelped. Yang then sighed... And hugged Blake.

"Accepted... Don't do it again," Yang murmured, "And thanks."

"Told you she'd forgive you," Sun grinned.

Jaune and Winter were both blushing hard, and not looking at eachother as they sat on a bench outside the airship port. Penny lurked nearby, still in her disguise but staring intently at them over a newspaper while people went back and forth.

Jaune was the first to speak.

"I... Uh... I-I did... I had a fun time," he admitted quietly. Winter slowly nodded.

"I... I did too," she admitted. She worried her lower lip. "Sorry if I got a bit... Carried away-"

"N-No! No, that's fine! I-I didn't mind that.." Jaune winced slightly. Winter chuckled, as elegant as a bell to summon the butler.

"You're a strange person, Jaune Arc."

"I... Absolutely am," he admitted. Winter nodded.

"I did read a few studies into the levels of... Eccentricity among Aura activated individuals," Winter confessed, "It was... Interesting how well it corresponded with levels of ability, but some dysfunction in regular life."

"I did too," Jaune admitted, "I'm guessing your team made you do it?"

Winter smiled softly.

"Guilty as charged."

"Yeah, same," Jaune admitted with a wry grin.

"Mm," Winter nodded, "Of course. When you fight alongside someone, even if you despise them in normal every day life, there is a bond between you. Trust when lives are on the line... But not in other areas. It's complicated and stressful but..."

"You love them anyway," Jaune finished. Winter nodded.

"Exactly. Though I will admit, they test that love at times."

"Same with family," Jaune chuckled. "Which is, um, literal for me now, I guess."

"And me," Winter nodded with a small smile. "It's strange... That boy is so infuriating and yet..."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed. They stared into eachother's eyes for a time... Then someone cleared their throat. Their heads snapped to look at Arjun, walking up with a gently amused expression on his face. Saia was alongside, floating in silence with a slightly smug look on her face.

"Your Majesty," Winter greeted, immediately standing and inclining her head respectfully. Arjun shook his head and chuckled.

"Easy, young Winter. You're family now, after a fashion. There is no need for formality," he stated.

"He says that all the time," Saia sighed. Arjun rolled his eyes.

"And so few listen," he sighed. He brightened. "In any event, I believe it is now May's turn."

"I..." Winter glanced at Jaune, then back at the two. She nodded slowly. "Of course."

"Where is she?" Jaune asked.

"Um..."

Saia and Arjun moved to the sides, parting like the Narrow Sea. Still no May. Saia smiled encouragingly at the space behind Arjun.

"Sweetie, come on," she said. "He's waiting for you."

"W-Well... Um..."

May stepped out, trembling a bit.

Jaune's jaw dropped.

May stood there, looking awkward. She was in a tight black dress with thin straps holding it up on her curvy frame-It was so tight it practically looked painted on. A small choker highlighted her slender neck. and the wide, black hat gave her a lady-like appeal. Her cheeks were bright red as she stepped forward. Jaune stared in absolute shock, his cheeks also turning red.

May glanced at Saia, who smiled encouragingly.

"I uh... Um... Oh uh... H-Hello, Jaune," May managed quietly. Arjun eyed his wife, and rolled his eyes.

"What?" Saia asked. Arjun pulled out a black jacket, and helped May get into it.

"Thank you, F-Father," May said, grateful. Saia pouted.

"What?"

"Let's let her go at her own pace, dear," Arjun said. He glanced over at Winter, who was fuming but trying not to let it show. While Penny studied the situation with her usual detached smile. Saia looked over at Winter, made an 'o' with her lips, and nodded.

"Right. Apologies, Winter, May," she said gently. She hugged her daughter one last time. "Ooh! May? Jaune? Can we get a photo? Our little girl's first date and all?"

"I, s-sure," Jaune managed. Winter locked eyes with May. She flushed deeply, and hesitated, before staring back intensely. Winter slowly nodded.

"Of course. Just a moment."

She grabbed Jaune and pulled him into a deep, tongue swirling kiss. Jaune's eyes widened. May's jaw dropped.

"I-You-Ah-!"

Penny's Virgin Alarm went off... But stopped as Winter pulled back with a small, icy smile.

"Of course," she said softly. "Until next time, Jaune."

"I... Uh..." Jaune weakly nodded. "Y-Yeah..."

Winter headed off, her gaze defiant. Arjun gave Jaune a pitying expression while Saia had a respectful look on her face. May took a look at the smug expression on Winter's face... Took a deep breath... And then marched over to Jaune and took hold of his hand.

"Um... L-Let's... Let's take the photo," May said, holding onto her hand with both of hers. Jaune nodded shakily.

"Yeah," he managed. "Um, Penny? Where are we going?"

"The Yak and Yeti restaurant!" Penny said brightly. Saia beamed.

"Oh! Our first date," Saia chuckled. Arjun sighed.

"No, that wasn't our first date. It was at the garden in the Denslow Park."

"What? That wasn't our first date," Saia insisted. Arjun took her hand in his and smiled gently.

"We walked under the moonlight, I picked a flower for you, and I implied that I cared for you more than a maid," Arjun stated. "There was music."

"That doesn't count as a proper date," Saia insisted.

"It did for me," Arjun said warmly. Saia flushed and giggled.

"Oh you..."

She smiled and held up her Scroll. Jaune managed a smile, even as May struggled a bit. A flash of the camera and Saia sighed happily at the picture. "Oh, May, Jaune... You look wonderful!"

May blushed, and tried to hide underneath her hat. Jaune squeezed her hands.

"She does," he said earnestly. May shyly stared back.

"I... Um... Oh... Th-Thank you," she murmured, "You look good t-too..."

"Reservations for the restaurant have been made!" Penny said cheerfully. "Please proceed in this direction!"

She pointed down the street, her finger flashing a green light. Jaune blinked.

"Er... Penny? Why do you have that?"

"I am a normal girl!" Penny said brightly. "This is normal for navigation!"

"Um... If you say so?" Jaune managed. He looked over at Arjun and Saia. Arjun shook his head.

"Go on. We'll just be in the area. Out of the way."

"Though if you need any help, we'll be right there!" Saia insisted. Jaune winced.

"R-Right..."

Arjun sighed.

"Only if necessary," he stated firmly. Saia pouted.

"Of course..."

Jaune gently escorted May down the street, following the glowing Penny.

"You okay?" Jaune asked quietly.

May nodded.

"Y-yes... Despite everything... I-I am glad to be here-OH!" She tripped on her high heels, and Jaune caught her. She turned a much darker red as she clung to him.

"S-Sorry... I'm bad on heels," she admitted.

"It's okay," Jaune said, "We'll go one step at a time, promise."

In all ways, Jaune thought to himself.

- - -

Arjun gave his wife and queen a Look. Saia flushed.

"What? That wasn't me, I promise!" She insisted.

"Keep it that way," Arjun said, "Jaune has enough pressure on him, and so does Maia."

"I know, I know," Saia sighed.

A random passerby stopped and stared at them.

"Hey! Are you the King and Queen of Pandu?"

"No," Arjun said smoothly, "We're just cosplayers. Would you like to take a photo for 500 lien?"

The tourist grinned.

"Sure!"

Saia gave Arjun a deadpan look. Arjun posed with the tourist and took the photo.

"Thanks!" The tourist said, heading off on his way. Saia's eyes narrowed as Arjun shrugged.

"What? It's the perfect cover!"

"Did you have to charge him for it?" Saia sighed. Arjun grinned.

"It keeps the taxes on our people down, doesn't it?"

"This is why I'm in charge of the finances," Saia huffed.

Radian, Gallia, Vale

Four Years After Salem's Defeat

- - -

The church was gorgeous, even from the inside with all the stained glass windows and sculpted arches. Pyrrha herself could admit that the vision before her in the mirror was one of loveliness-White dress, veil, her hair up in a bun, her makeup perfect.

Yet she couldn't stop crying. No matter how many goofy faces Nora and Ruby made.

"Come on Pyrrha, what's wrong?" Nora demanded. "It's your wedding day! You should be happy!"

"The happiest!" Ruby added, dabbing Pyrrha's eyes. Pyrrha sniffled a bit more.

"I... I'm sorry, I just... Um... W-Well..."

"Well what?" Ruby demanded. Weiss walked around to Pyrrha, frowning deeply.

"Yes... What is it?" She asked. Pyrrha shook her head.

"I... It..." She stared back at herself in the mirror and broke into sobs again.

"Oh geez," Nora murmured. She snapped her fingers. "I'll be right back!" She rushed out. Weiss sighed.

"Is it Blake and Yang's drama? I know it's just tiresome to deal with them now that they broke up so badly-"

"N-No," Pyrrha whispered, "It... It's not that... Though it doesn't help..."

Ruby sighs.

"Yeah, Yang being under mind control from Watts to turn into a lesbian jerk... Wish we'd caught it sooner."

"Not that Blake had that excuse," Weiss muttered. Ruby scowled at Weiss. "What?!"

The door was flung open. Nora stormed in, dragging Jaune in. Weiss yelped.

"NORA! They're not supposed to see eachother-Oh, um, I-I'm very sorry Jaune-!"

"No, no, it's fine," Jaune said, "I turned off my eyes to keep the tradition. Can you excuse us for a second?"

"But-" Weiss tried, but at Nora's look, she sighed. "Fine. Ruby, let's try some of those snack cakes."

"Ooh! Read my mind!" Ruby chirped. She gave Pyrrha and Jaune quick hugs before she headed out, Weiss following with a lingering look thrown back over her shoulder. The door shut. Pyrrha looked away, staring into the mirror, as Jaune approached.

"Pyr? What is it?" Jaune asked softly, walking up to rest his hands on her shoulders. "Nora told me you were crying constantly after seeing yourself... What is it?"

Pyrrha sniffled.

"I... I'm getting married to the man I love, Jaune," Pyrrha mumbled, "I-I'm not... I'm...!"

"Pyr." He turned her to face him. "No more masks, remember?"

Pyrrha bit back a sob.

"I... I just realized... You don't get to see me. You can't see me... A-All of this... People tell me I'm beautiful and it's all so lovely and-and you can't see it! All because of me-!"

"Pyr..."

His quiet voice was punctuated by him tilting her chin up. To look him in his artificial eyes, still off.

"Pyr," he murmured, "I told you before: I knew that if I stayed and fought with you, there'd be a price to pay. And I'd pay it again, just to keep us both alive." He stroked her cheek. "No, I can't see you without these things. But we're alive, and we're getting married. That's what I want. Is it what you want?"

"Of course Jaune," Pyrrha sniffled, "But... You lost so much... For me..."

"Because I love you," Jaune whispered. "Like I said, I would do it again. As far as I'm concerned? I've gained so much in the exchange."

Pyrrha smiled, and hugged him tightly. Jaune hugged her back.

"Besides," he whispered, "Ren taught me to sense Aura... And in Aura? You're the most beautiful woman in the world to me..."

"Oh, Jaune," Pyrrha sniffled. She kissed his jaw. "I... I'm sorry."

"You? I... I've been worried about you marrying... An invalid," he murmured. Pyrrha shook her head and kissed him again.

"Mm... We're both stupid, aren't we?"

"Of course we are," Jaune chuckled, "We're in love."

Pyrrha giggled.

"We are... And always will be."

Meanwhile, at Beacon, Isabel Arc had broken from her now very large family. All of her son's future brides had headed off, bent on their own plans. She now sought out some solitude.

She found it in the Garden of the Star Maiden. As the sun began to set, she went into her family katas, as familiar and comfortable to her as the sweaters her grandfather had knight for her and her siblings.

Palm strike. Punch to the exposed gut. Leg sweep, then finish off with a punch right to the head. She rose gracefully, moving into the next set of strikes and kicks.

"Wow. You're pretty awesome."

Isabel paused. She looked over to see Yang Xiao-Long watching her. Isabel nodded with a smile.

"Thank you," she admitted, "Nick keeps dragging me out to practice whenever possible. Says I shouldn't drown myself in paperwork."

"Heh," Yang grinned. She walked up, and ran through a kata of her own. Isabel watched it with a very practiced eye, her arms crossing underneath her breasts.

"So? What do you think?" Yang asked. Isabel nodded in approval.

"Very polished," she said, "Taiyang's style was always very straightforward, but effective in the hands of a master."

"And your style isn't?" Yang asked. Isabel shrugged.

"I can take a lot of damage, but even bit of Aura I spend on myself is less I can spend on healing others," she said, "And I was the best healer. My grandparents trained me in their own styles."

She unleashed several quick jabs and leg kicks, as fast and agile as a rabbit fighting back against a pursuer.

"Savate, Albion style boxing…"

She switched to more violent movements, striking the air with her knees and elbows as well as her fists and feet.

"Muy Thai, Mistralian southern kickboxing… All to make my own. Switching styles in the middle of combat can be difficult, but it makes you a far better combatant and much more unpredictable."

Yang grinned and nodded.

"Yeah… Think you could train me? I mean, I don't know if you've seen Xia fight but she's got some of the same moves. So I'm betting it's a family tradition."

Isabel smiled softly.

"I would be happy to," she said. "I did promise your father to look after you while he and Qrow are gone."

Yang's face darkened a little. Isabel remained impassive, but gave her an apologetic shrug.

"Sorry," she said.

"No, no, it's… Fine," she muttered. "Biggest thing in our lives to ever happen and he… Can't stay."

Isabel opened her mouth, but Yang cut her off with a bitter:

"Story of my life. Ruby's life too," she muttered. "If I'd known we were old family friends…"

"If I'd known how bad things got, Nick and I would have been there," Isabel said softly. "I'm sorry we weren't."

Yang sighed.

"Yeah well… Dad never told us about you. Or Jaune. Or… A lot of things," she admitted. "Not until now."

She shook her head.

"I get it. Stop the bad guys, save the world. I understand it. But, I'm still pissed."

"I get it," Isabel said softly. Yang looked into her eyes.

"Listen, Aunt Isabel… I… I don't have many people to turn to, and I get that you need to be fair and junk but-"

"But?" Isabel prompted. Yang winced.

"I… Xia is…" She shrugged. "I don't know how to describe it, you know? Like I barely know her but…"

"But you'd do anything for her," Isabel said with a soft smile. Yang nodded. "No… I understand perfectly. It's what being a parent is."

"My mom didn't get the memo," Yang muttered. Isabel walked over and rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked up.

"She may have been your mother, but that doesn't make her your parent," Isabel said gently, "Summer was. And she loved you dearly, Yang. You and Ruby both. Just as much as you love Xia. Or Ruby. And your dad too… Despite everything."

Yang slowly nodded. She leaned in, and Isabel hugged her tightly. She sighed and stroked her back.

"Thank you," Yang murmured.

Isabel nodded. Yang then slowly raised her head. She bit her lower lip.

"So um… I mean… We've all got dates with Jaune coming up. I just… There's nobody else to… If you could-?"

"I will help you as much as I can, Yang," Isabel said with a soft, warm smile. Yang smiled back, blushing lightly.

"Truth is… Between Ruby and my dad, I… I didn't get out much. I mean yeah I went to dance clubs, danced, but I mostly wrecked up the places, never… Ya know… With guys? I couldn't afford to."

"Between my siblings and the bills, I didn't either," Isabel agreed. "Though I did at least have Nana to teach me some things, and Nick and I kind of made it up as we went along. So I will help you. I'll help the others too. It's only fair… But I will help you."

Yang sniffled and nodded.

"Thank you," she whispered, leaning into her embrace. Isabel tightened her hug.

Nora poked her head up from a nearby stone fountain. Upon seeing this, she walked up and hugged Yang from the other side. Yang started.

"Ah, Nora, wha-?"

"We are family now, right? This is what family does," Nora insisted. She looked to Isabel in some worry. "R-Right?"

Isabel, initially startled, slowly smiled lovingly at her newly adopted daughter.

"It is," she said, "Don't worry, Nora. You don't need my approval. This is all new and…"

"Bazonkerinos?" Nora asked. Yang and Isabel stared. Isabel nodded.

"Yup," the doctor stated, "But we'll get through it together. Promise."

"Promise!" Nora beamed, hugging on Yang's other side. Yang again smiled, and discreetly wiped her eyes.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"So," Nora asked, "Where'd your daughter go?"

Yang shook her head.

"She said she had some business to take care of with Theodore, the Ash Twins, the Kitty Twins, and Julian," she said. "The other kids are meeting with Weena again to do some more testing. Cept for Amythest, she's with Emerald, and Cereal Girl and Xander are with her mom. Blake's off with her parents, too."

Isabel frowned.

"We really need to stay together better," she said, "Given Cinder was able to infiltrate the school and-"

"Come on, we'd drive eachother crazy otherwise!" Yang snorted. "I mean, I get it. Safety in numbers but geez. After a while you need some space."

"And besides," Nora said cheerfully, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Yang immediately began looking around. Isabel sighed.

"You're just taunting fate at this point."

"Yup!"

- - -

The interior of the Yak and Yeti was very on theme-Blue and White paintings of the Atman mountains on the walls, with Pandavan figures in their ancient art style depicted doing everything from fighting Grimm to drinking with the mythical Yeti. It was a noisy, festival atmosphere filled with the aromas of Pandavan spices and meats. The hostess immediately spotted them and took them to the back of the restaurant, where several private booths shrouded in dark wine colored curtains awaited. Inside one such booth was a single table that looked like it was carved from a single block of wood with a single, elegant candle in the middle of a round couch-like seat.

"Enjoy!" The hostess said cheerfully, letting the two teenagers slip and sit down on opposite ends of the table and couch. The hostess shut the curtain, and Jaune looked around, impressed with the constellation-shaped patterns on the interior of the curtains and Penny's insight.

Penny picked well. We're at a restaurant but we're hidden from view. Perfect for May!

He turned and smiled at May. The shy sniper smiled back, even as she tried to hide in her small black jacket.

"It… It's nice," she said quietly. "I've-I've never been someplace so nice, if-if I'm being honest."

"Oh?" Jaune asked. May nodded, bright red.

"Um… I-I was lucky to eat at a Burger Jester's, if I'm being honest. The food the orphanage and Academy makes was great, r-really! I didn't starve!"

That was for sure, Jaune's libido supplied. Jaune ignored it.

"I'm glad," Jaune said with a nod. "I mean that you didn't starve! Not the-I mean-You know what I mean."

"Y-Yes, I think so," May managed. She flushed and looked down.

"Sorry," she whispered, "I… This is all so overwhelming." She looked up at him. "N-Not that I'm saying you're not under a lot of pressure too! You are! I-I just-!"

"May," Jaune said, quiet but firm. It was the tone his father used when he really needed his mother to listen to him. "It's okay. We're… We're in this together."

May slowly nodded. She was squeezing her hands together under her chest.

"I-I know," she admitted. "It's just… It's really hard, y-you know? In battle, I know how to do things. With people… With parents..."

She sighed. She shut her eyes tightly.

"It's like a dream come true," she admitted, "I mean… I'm not an orphan. I have a mom and dad… Th-They love me. They really do! Even if my mom is… A little pushy. And I have a-a family. And friends. And you… It just… It doesn't seem real. Or like… Like I deserve any of it. Like it's all going to be ripped away like…"

She trailed off. She looked at him nervously. Jaune reached out, very slowly, like he was dealing with an easily startled rabbit. May stared at his hand. She swallowed a large breath, and reached out to let him rest his palm over hers.

"Like?" Jaune asked.

May slowly shook her head.

"My… My kidnappers… My foster parents…" May shut her eyes tightly. "G-Geez… Now my feelings are complicated over them-!"

"It's okay," Jaune said gently, "It's okay! I get it. This is… Crazy."

"I know, but… I-I mean… I never thought they were anything but my biological parents!" May insisted. "I truly loved them! The night I lost them I…" Tears filled her beautiful eyes. Jaune squeezed her hand tightly. She sniffled and sobbed quietly, her head bowed.

The hostess peeked in… And then silently shut the curtains, moving away. Jaune let out a soft breath, and scooted around the couch. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned in, sobbing softly.

"I… I promised I would live, for them," May admitted, "That… That they didn't die for nothing… But they kidnapped me! F-From my real parents! And I… I-I don't know…" She sniffled. "August says that… That I forgave them. I named him for m-my… My father… But my real father and mother…"

Jaune sighed quietly.

"… The future is… I mean…" He shrugged. "My dad says that… That just because we have a great future doesn't mean we have to be that… Right now. We can't be."

"N-No, no," May whispered. "But I'm… I'm so ashamed at being angry at my parents again. After they…" She shook her head.

Jaune leaned in, his head resting against hers.

"I know," Jaune murmured. "I… I was angry with my mom for a while. She denied me any way to realize my dream. Always insisting I become a doctor. I tried everything, like… To join the militia. To join a Paladin Order of the church. She forbade Dad from training me, from anyone training me…" He wet his lower lip.

"For a while… I-I think I might have hated her. Hated Dad too, for-for not letting me train. For not even unlocking my Aura."

May sniffled, but she did manage to look up at him. He shrugged.

"I… Talking with them these past few days? Learning everything that happens? I guess… I mean, it feels kind of stupid and silly now. My mom was wrong, but… She did it out of love. And she admitted she… She shouldn't have done that. But I get why she did it."

May stared at him. She slowly nodded.

"I… I guess I get that," she admitted. "August said that their orders were to kill me. But… But they couldn't kill me. They ran off, hid with me, gave up everything for me… Even their lives."

She turned away and stared at the small, glowing candle.

"Still… Part of me is angry with them again. I was angry with them because they died… That's so awful."

"No!" Jaune insisted quietly. "No… It's natural. That's what my dad says. He was angry with his mentor for dying, even though he was really old. All the pain and grief… The anger is natural. Anger at them for dying, anger at the world for not… Not being fair."

"No," May murmured, "No, it's not fair." She sniffled. "It's not fair to my… My actual parents. To think their daughter was dead for so long. It's not fair we're in this ridiculous situation and a war with some evil goddess and-and all that. None of it's fair…"

"No," Jaune said. May hummed.

"But… Father Marcus of the orphanage, he… He said it was good that the universe was so unfair."

Jaune blinked.

"Oh?"

May nodded, a small, nostalgic smile emerging on her face.

"Yes. How much worse would life be if it were fair, and if we deserved all the terrible things that happened to us. If it was fair we suffered so much. So he said we should take comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe."

Jaune laughed.

"I think my Father Percival would get along well with him," he said. May winced and bowed her head. "What is it?"

"I… I-I mean… I stayed at the orphanage and it was a Tablebreaker one. But I still follow Dharmism because my parents did… Both sets, I-I guess. I mean… How is that supposed to work? We get married but eventually-" She rested her hand over his chest. They were silent for a while, processing it.

I guess when you're able to know your future, you can't help but think about the end of it… And beyond, Jaune thought.

Jaune again took her hand and squeezed it.

"I think," he said, "We should let that kind of stuff go. We shouldn't try to drive ourselves crazy with worry… But I think I can only say that because I'm all worried out."

May looked up at him, and softly giggled.

"I… I guess so," she admitted. "I wish I could stop worrying. I had to worry over everything. My team didn't really do any of that. They just thought if they hit something hard enough, and I shot it enough, we'd get through anything."

"Heh," Jaune chuckled, "Nora is like that. I can't imagine handling a team of three of her."

"Hee," May giggled, "She's not so bad. At least she didn't try to build a bridge over a river by blowing up a bunch of trees and expecting them to pile up just right."

"No," Jaune agreed, "Not trees, anyway."

It took a bit of patience, but they soon began to talk about their teams, their training missions, and eventually their lives. The hostess came, took their orders, and brought back rich Pandavan food. They enjoyed, but still they talked. And surrounded by stars in the warm booth, their worries seemed very far away.

- - -

"You're pretty good to escape my sight, grandson. But you still have a lot to learn."

August winced. He lowered his menu in the booth on the far side of the Yak and Yeti restaurant, revealing his lightly glowing eyes. Arjun and Saia were sitting across from him, both looking lightly stern.

"I just… Want to make sure everything went okay," August said, "It is my future we're talking about! All the other kids are gonna do it!"

"He has a point, Arjun," Saia said gently, resting a hand on his forearm. "If we just… Meddled a little-!"

"No," Arjun stated firmly, "We can't just force these things. It has to happen naturally, just like in the original timelines."

"But those are… Well…" Saia shrugged, wincing. "I mean knowing the future-!"

"And it coming true are different things, and you know it," Arjun uttered. "Besides… As much as I love May? Eliminating any of the other futures is out of the question."

"I wasn't thinking of eliminating the others," Saia pouted, "But helping Maia become First Wife at least! She needs out help!"

Arjun stared intently into the booth. He slowly shook his head.

"She needs our help in many ways. I'm not sure this is one of them," he admitted. He grunted and looked back to his wife and queen. "Besides-Would you have appreciated our parents hounding us on our dates if they had lived?"

Saia opened her mouth to protest, a bit incensed… Before she deflated.

"I suppose not," she murmured. "Still… I do hope we sort out some solution to this. Something to allow all these families to exist. I don't think Jaune could survive a full on harem."

"Ozpin seems to think he could," Arjun observed.

"Yeah, but he's completely nuts!" August insisted. He blushed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. But he is! Heck, in my time he and his wife blow eachother up for fun!"

"They are both immortal, sweetie," Saia pointed out.

"Still doesn't make it any less freaky," August muttered. "Poor Moses sometimes doesn't know if it's a weird sex thing or actual science!"

"That would explain a lot about Ozpin, actually," Arjun mused, as Saia giggled softly.

- - -

- - -

Raven heard the door open. She looked up and saw a tall, hulking figure enter the basement. She saw him head towards her, and greeted her visitor with an angry scowl.

"Hey Raven!" Nick said cheerfully. He set down a plastic container of cake and pushed it through the food flap. He produced his own cake in another package, and opened it up. Raven's glare remained the same, as Nick munched on his cake.

"Mmmm... Chocolate with strawberry frosting. Love it," he said. "I think it was your favorite back at Beacon, right? They still make it just right."

"Why are you here?" Raven asked. Nick shrugged.

"Jaune's off on a date. Izzy's chilling out. Arjun and Saia are watching their daughter on their date with Jaune. Everyone else is busy... Didn't want you to feel left out."

Raven snorted.

"I have never cared about that."

"Sure you do," Nick said, "You have a tribe, after all. You fight together. You fought with us, too."

Raven scoffed. Nick munched on the cake thoughtfully. He pulled out a small bottle of milk and drank it happily.

"Mmm... Still good," he said happily. "Come on. You still like sweets, right?"

She shot him an angry glare. Nick didn't so much as flinch.

"We have fought together, you know," Nick pointed out. "Even saved eachother's lives. Remember the fight against that Chimera Grimm around Edge? Hoo... I must have hit its tail nine times before I took it off."

"I took it off!" Raven spat. "And you hit it ten times!"

Nick beamed.

"Huh! I guess you're right." He licked his fingers clean. "But I loosened it up for you."

"You did not!" Raven growled.

"Come on," Nick huffed, "I took the hits for you to get in close enough to take it down!"

"I didn't need you to-!" Raven huffed. "I know what this is!"

Nick blinked.

"Hm? What?"

"You-You're trying to make me trust you!" Raven spat, leaning forward against the bars. "You're trying to change me! Domesticate me! Turn me into a little pet, just like Ozpin did to Qrow!"

Nick chewed his cake. He swallowed.

"Hm? Me?"

"Yes you!" Raven hissed. "He sent in the idiot to try and make me lower my defenses!"

Nick rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why you want to get mad over this. I just wanted to talk about old times and keep you company. You were always fun to fight, Raven. It was fantastic! You were so savage, holding nothing back! It was always great!"

He grinned happily... Before he shook his head.

"Except when you were fighting us at the airfield. I mean, that was actually pretty fun in parts. But I saw how you fought. It was all just... Sad."

"Sad?!" Raven demanded. Nick nodded.

"Like, you were just so sloppy. Like you hadn't even fought properly in years. Just throwing around lightning bolts and wind. So..." He made a face. "Boring."

"I'm not boring!" Raven snarled. "You don't know anything about me! I don't believe any of this-this nonsense! We can't save this world!"

Silence fell. Nick stared back at her. She glared, and turned away.

"... We failed," she whispered.

"We win in eleven futures, Raven," Nick said gently. "Why is that so hard to accept?"

Raven remained silent. Nick stood up, brushing his pants off.

"Well. I'm gonna keep visiting you. I actually missed you, you know. You and Qrow and Tai... Summer too. Ruby's really grown up like her. She's just so much fun to fight!" He grinned. "And I bet you can be fun to fight again too. One day."

He turned and headed upstairs, the door shutting behind him. Raven stared at the wall, fists clenched.

She sucked in a breath. She reached back, and took the plastic container full of cake. She opened it up, and dragged her finger over the top. She held it up to her lips, and licked it. She shook her head.

"... Still good," she mumbled.

- - -

Winter had just disembarked from her airship onto the tarmac. The sun was setting and the city lights were starting to come on. She stared at the skyline for a time, her mind far away.

She'd never been so daring before. Not with any boy she'd dated in the past! Was it simply the mad situation they found themselves in?

Maybe I should be less harsh on Weiss for her own crazy activities, she thought to herself, especially given what I got up to.

Oh. Weiss. Her sister and… Sort of rival. She sighed and rubbed her temples.

"What a mess," she murmured. Still, maybe she could rest, sort things out. There was a lot of work left to do in regards to the festival, her mother, her son-

"Hey Mom!" Theodore appeared in front of her via one of his Glyphs. Winter scowled at him.

"Theodore! That was completely irresponsible and-"

"And you're the one who told me that forgiveness is easier to obtain than permission if the stakes are high enough," Theodore pointed out. He adjusted his stylish sunglasses. "Honestly, if anything, you should be thanking me! Something like this happened in the future between you two! I just speed ran it a little!"

Winter paused in her outrage. She blushed deeply. She noted the smug look on Theodore's face, and her scowl returned.

"B-Be that as it may," she managed, "You shouldn't have been that blunt!"

"I could have been more subtle, yes," Theodore admitted. He shrugged. "But again: If I was going to learn that, I wasn't gonna learn it from you two."

Winter flushed, and glared at him. Theodore flinched a little, but held his ground. The silence became a bit tense.

Finally, Winter sighed and closed her eyes.

"True," she admitted. "Still, would you mind slowing down a bit? Just because we're in the past doesn't mean you have to go off… Half-cocked!"

"You're right Mom," Theodore agreed, "I should probably be more judicious in my actions, given time travel and all. I will start on that tomorrow. Promise. Also, I'm sorry."

"Tomorrow? Why tomorrow? And sorry for what?" Winter asked. Her Scroll beeped. She held it up to her ear, noting the overly innocent expression on her son's face.

"Schnee here, sir…"

Her jaw dropped.

"HE DID WHAT?!"

"That's what," Theodore said with a smile and shrug.

"So you've actually worked with these guys before?" Taiyang asked as they moved through different back alleys on their approach to Haven Academy.

"Yeah, I've actually worked with them a lot," Qrow answered as he saw their destination ahead, one of the few skyscrapers in Mistral that had a view overlooking Academy grounds.

"Basically every time I've done something in Anima without letting Lionheart know about it. So that's like, a quarter of the jobs I've done on this continent. They do solid work."

"That wasn't in question," Tai replied as they strolled down the street in an inconspicuous manner. "What is in question is how two members of Fuujin's Secret Mobility Unit were willing to put up with you."

Qrow rolled his eyes at Tai's ribbing. "It isn't complicated. We ran into each other on a few different missions where our objectives overlapped more than they clashed, we begrudgingly agreed to work together, I saved their bacon a few times and then they saved mine one other time, we agree to swap intel every once in a while, they eventually want to know my sources so I get them in contact with Oz and then bada bing bada boom they owe the old wizard a bunch of favors and that makes us friends."

"I guess trying to keep up with Ozpin's whims is a good enough foundation for a friendship," Tai allowed as he scanned the lobby of the building in front of them through the windows. "So are we meeting them inside or—?"

"Oi! BLACKBIRD! OVER HERE!" A loud and pretentious-sounding voice called out to them.

"Hey Omaeda," Qrow casually waved to the shouting man approaching them. "What's up?"

Taiyang turned around and beheld a man that was frankly, kinda ugly. Only an inch short of seven feet and carrying at least three-hundred pounds in a manner that looked more like fat than muscle, the man had a broad nose and fat lips that looked out of place on someone so pale. His hair was black with a hairline that was both receding and a pronounced widow's peak at the same time. He wore an expensive-looking black suit with a purple button-up shirt and a large purple boa. Two giant golden wristwatches rested on both of his arms, and he had two gaudy golden rings on both hands. Completing this ensemble was a weapon; a spiked ball on a chain hanging from his waist.

"What's up can wait till we're away from listening ears," Omaeda answered. He then gestured to the building. "Follow me; we have a room set up."

Qrow and Tai followed the massive man in, who stomped to the elevator, stomped in when it arrived, and stomped off when it reached the top floor. They followed him as he stomped to a specific door that opened up to a room whose window overlooked Haven Academy with a telescope pointed at the headmaster's office. A mobile computer and some other spy-looking equipment were set up on a table in the center of the room between two couches.

"Alright, we can talk now," Omaeda announced as he closed and locked the door behind them. "I believe introductions are in order."

"Right, Omaeda, this is Taiyang Xiao Long," Qrow began. "He's the father of my nieces and was one of my teammates back at Beacon. Tai, this is Omaeda, a lieutenant in the SMU."

"How are you with the Secret Mobility Unit?" Taiyang couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Hmm?" Omaeda raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry," Taiyang gave an embarrassed chuckle, then figuring if Qrow considered the man a friend he could just be direct and continued, "It's just you were walking loud enough to wake the dead. I'd expect a professional ninja to stay light on their feet even when they aren't sneaking around, for practice's sake if nothing else."

"Rest assured I can be sneaky when it's required of me, Mr. Long." Omaeda took a seat on the couch the little mobile spy computer was facing. "The captain just doesn't require it of me that often. She normally requires other things from me."

"Like what?" Taiyang questioned as he sat down on the couch opposite Omaeda. Qrow headed over to the window.

"The quartermaster isn't willing to pay for all the toys the captain wants for her missions," Omaeda answered as he typed something into the computer, an almost aristocratic pride beaming from every syllable. "However, my family is one of the wealthiest in Fuujin! A mere pittance of my weekly boyhood allowance would have been enough to get everything my captain needs, so I take care of it. It's the prerogative of the wealthy to help out the less fortunate, you see."

"Oooooh, that makes sense," Taiyang allowed. The guy was support and probably didn't see action all that often.

"He's also willing to keep his mouth shut about the dumpster fire that is his boss's love life," Qrow joked as he looked through the telescope into Lionheart's office. He could see Leonardo pacing about his desk arguing passionately with Haven's chief combat instructor Audrey Androtrix, a mouse faunus with a long tail. He was still here. Good.

"Why is her love life a dumpster fire?" Tai inquired with mirth in his voice.

"I don't have to keep my mouth shut about it because her love life isn't a dumpster fire!" Omaeda protested with a scowl.

"You're right, she doesn't need your silence because she hasn't spent the last decade pining after the woman who used to be Menagerie's most skilled assassin," Qrow sarcastically drawled. "And I definitely didn't see her spill a bunch of spaghetti from her pockets when trying to talk to the younger brother of said assassin. She definitely doesn't need a subordinate who won't tell her superiors about that because she certainly won't fold like paper the instant either of those two ask her for something."

"Who used to be Menagerie's most skilled assassin?" Tai grinned as Omaeda sputtered, unable to find the words that could move the conversation to another topic.

"You've seen a couple of videos of her," Qrow shrugged unashamedly. "She's one of the martial artists that let me record her katas and other training routines back when we were trying to get Yang to branch out and experiment more with her fighting style."

"Really? Which one?"

"The cat faunus that's more than good friends with my shopkeep contact in Oda. You know, the one that sells the lollipops the girls always want me to buy a bunch of whenever I'm in that area."

"Let's see, that was... Yoruichi, right?" Taiyang guessed. When Qrow nodded in confirmation, Tai let out a low and appreciative whistle. "I can understand pining after that. What's the brother like?"

"Basically a younger femboy Yoruichi," Qrow turned back to the telescope to take another look at Lionheart's office. Leonardo was still pacing, and still arguing with Audrey.

"Can we focus on the matter at hand?" Omaeda pleaded. "You know, the job Ozpin asked us to do?"

"You're right, there's no point in teasing Soi Fong when she's not here to throw stuff at me," Qrow turned away from the window. "I'm guessing she's out there right now? How close is she to the headmaster's office?"

"Close enough for our listening equipment to work," Omaeda struck a key on the spy computer's keyboard. "I sent the captain a message letting her know you're here. She'll either text or call depending on the situation out there."

"So you know what the Headmaster and Combat Instructor are talking about?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah, they've been arguing about the school's budget for the last few hours," Omaeda spun the spy computer around so they could see the monitor. Three cameras were filming through the office windows and a speech-to-text program was transcribing their words in real time. He spun the monitor to face himself again.

"When we got here it looked like Headmaster Lionheart was packing to leave in a hurry, but then Professor Androtrix came in complaining about Dust procurement, and that morphed into how money's been split between the different departments over the last semester. Fascinating stuff really. How do people run an entire school with a budget smaller than my little sister's tea parties?"

Sounded like Leonardo was preparing to flee only for one of the few teachers he couldn't casually dismiss to show up and demand his time, and if he wanted a quiet getaway instead of a dramatic exit he had to give it to them.

"Alright, let her know that King Arjun of Pandu is sending his best guy to help out and he should be getting here soonish," Qrow requested as he turned back to the telescope. "The capture will be a lot easier with Karna on hand so if we can wait for him to plan out our attack—"

The little spy radio on the table next to the computer crackled to life, and Soi Fong's voice cut through the air in a sharp whisper.

"Omaeda. Qrow's there? Can he hear me now?"

"He's here," Omaeda answered after he flipped a switch on the spy radio.

"And I can hear you loud and clear," Qrow added.

"My location, now," she instructed. "Something's off."

With a quick look to Taiyang and a nod to Omaeda, Qrow slid open the window and jumped out, transforming into his avian form as soon as he cleared the frame. He swooped down towards Haven's main office, keeping his senses on high enough alert to spot the place Soi Fong had concealed herself.

He zeroed in on a tree that seemed like the best place for her to have set up, and as he dove into the foliage he found her within the thickest part of the bramble with her listening setup propped up against the tree's trunk. Qrow perched on a branch near her and braced himself for what he was about to do.

Crows and some other corvids could imitate human speech with practice and effort. As a man in a crow's body Qrow had a leg up over most other corvids in figuring out how to do that, as he already knew what sounds had real meaning. So after some practice he had become proficient enough to have a stilted yet comprehensible conversation in his bird form. He hated doing it though. His words were uncomfortably rough and the skill was niche enough in its application that he never really got the chance to practice, so it wouldn't get better anytime soon.

"wHaT wRoNg?" He cawed, flinching internally at the grating tone of his words.

Soi Fong glanced his way before looking back to the headmaster's office windows, her left hand holding the earpiece of her listening equipment tightly against her ear.

"Lionheart just repeated something he said fifteen minutes ago, and it sounded like a pitch-perfect, no-variation repetition."

That was unusual. Qrow turned his bird eyes to peer into the headmaster's office, and blinked. Things that had looked normal to his human eyes seemed slightly off now that he was a bird. His gaze intensified as he tried to place exactly what didn't feel right...

The doors to the office were flung open and Haven's chief Grimm Studies teacher, the fox faunus Rena Aurum, stormed in. Qrow wasn't able to hear what was going on in there since Soi Fong was the one with the equipment to her ear, but he was decent at reading lips.

"Have you two been in here all day?!" is what it looked like Rena was yelling. "Audrey! Your students came to me saying you haven't shown up to teach any of your classes! Why have you... Hello...?"

Neither Audrey nor Lionheart had reacted to Rena's arrival or outburst, both of them arguing as if she hadn't just barged in.

"AUDREY! LEONARDO!" Rena looked like she yelled while snapping her fingers. That didn't elicit a reaction. The fox faunus frowned as she stormed forward. "Real mature you two! Are you seriously going to ignore me and—" Rena tried to grab Audrey by the shoulder, but her hand just went through the mouse faunus lady like she was nothing but air.

"What in Charn's Wastes..."

"hOlOgRaMs!" Qrow squawked as he watched a startled Rena gather her wits again and walk around Lionheart's desk. She examined the headmaster's workspace closely, looking for a remote or something like it.

"She's going to unintentionally disrupt evidence," Soi Fong concluded. "Move in?"

"mOvE iN," Qrow agreed as he launched himself from his branch. Soi Fong followed after him with an aura-powered leap, landing on the outer wall next to a window frame a few moments before Qrow reached it via wing-power. She jammed her blade into the gap where the window's latch was, forcing it open in one smooth motion. She jumped into the office the split second after Qrow flew through the window, both of their feet hitting the ground at the same time as Qrow returned to his human form.

Rena spun about to face them with shock on her face, having apparently found a holoprojector remote that she tightly clutched in her right hand.

"Qrow?! What are you doing here?! Who's she?!" Rena shouted even as the Leonardo hologram yelled a rebuttal to the Audrey hologram's last point. The Grimm Studies teacher scowled at the loud hologram and hit the power button of the remote.

CLICK. CLUNK.

All three of them turned towards that ominous sound. As the holograms faded away it showed that the holoprojector was doing more work than displaying two arguing people; for the disappearance of the holograms made an absolutely massive Fire Dust bomb fully visible.

By the Stone Table, The Breaker who broke that table, His Father the Emperor Above, the Horns of the Animal God, The Brothers of Light and Darkness and every other being of power man and faunus had ever called a god from the dawn of history to the present day, that was a terrifying-looking bomb.

For a long moment none of them moved, not even to breathe. Then Soi Fong took a slow and experimental step towards the massive explosive, and then she took another, and another. The woman carefully knelt before it to take a look at the controlling mechanism of the deadly device.

"Qrow..." Soi Fong began after a long and hard look. "I think your semblance damaged the ignition. I can't think of any other reason this thing hasn't gone off."

She reached for the com unit in her ear.

"Omaeda? I need the bomb disposal kit in the Headmaster's office yesterday. I'm looking at a big enough Dust explosive to level this building and all the buildings surrounding it."

"Oh. Oh no." Rena managed before looking down at the remote in her hands, her mind connecting the timing of things. "Turning the holoprojector off was supposed to trigger that bomb. I... I almost killed everyone here in the building..."

Her face grew pale as her shaking hands slowly placed the remote back on the desk.

"I... I'm the only... I'm the only person that would have come in here and turned that thing off..." Her face turned green. "Oh God! They... They... Someone planned for me to die right then..."

Rena stumbled to the open window, and with her hands gripping the windowsill her last meal saw the light of day again.

"Yeah, I'm going to stand as far away from that thing as possible," Qrow muttered as he headed to the far side of the office, hoping his semblance didn't trigger again for any reason.

Tai and Omaeda rushed into the office only a few moments later with the bomb disposal kit, their dead sprints coming to a complete and sudden stop at the sight of the bomb the disposal kit was for.

"Holy..." Tai started and stopped, his face becoming pale. "...That's..." His eyes became unfocused for a moment. "I still have so much to do in life; that library book won't turn itself in..."

"Is... Is that what ate the school's budget...?"

Omaeda managed as he grappled with the scale of the thing, even as his feet moved him closer to deliver the bomb disposal kit to Soi Fong not out of conscious effort but rather reflexive loyalty...

- - -

Karna frowned as he strode into the headmaster's office of Haven Academy and took stock of the situation in front of him. Along the wall of the office's left side were all the parts one would need to make a truly impressive bomb, having clearly just been disassembled and strewn about in a manner that left them harmless.

At the headmaster's desk working over its built-in computer and arguing over the meaning of the files on display were Ozpin's personal problem solver Qrow Branwen and Soi Fong of Fuujin's Secret Mobility Unit. Karna had worked with both of them before on separate occasions, Qrow on a hunt for a particularly rare and disturbingly cunning alpha Grimm and Soi Fong while dismantling a smuggling ring. Both of them did good work, and he wouldn't be surprised if they had already found a plethora of useful things from the computer's documents.

Along the right wall he saw Soi Fong's primary assistant Omaeda and a man that matched the description of Qrow's brother-in-law Taiyang Xiao Long. The two of them were doing their best to comfort a clearly shell-shocked faunus woman Karna recognized as Haven's Grimm Studies teacher, Rena Aurum. Taiyang was doing most of the comforting, rubbing circles along the woman's back while whispering soothing platitudes in her ear. Omaeda in turn was awkwardly patting her shoulder while looking like he wanted to say something yet was at a loss as to what his words should be.

He returned his gaze to the headmaster's desk and announced himself to the room. "Qrow, Soi Fong."

"Karna," Qrow greeted back as he looked up from the computer's screens.

"Karna," Soi Fong acknowledged as she glared at one screen in particular, as if the data displayed had offended her personally.

"Lionheart isn't here," he observed the obvious with no heat or malice before asking without accusing, "How did he slip past you?"

"His computer has a highly sophisticated LLM program," Soi Fong began with disgust evident in her voice. "He fed it recordings of every budget discussion he had with Professor Androtrix and the school's financial information from this year, and then instructed it to simulate a debate between himself and Androtrix about the school's budget and to project holograms of that debate here in the office. It was convincing enough that it kept my eyes here while he and Professor Androtrix were actually somewhere else."

"The holograms also hid that bomb," Qrow gestured to the disassembled contraption. "Which was set up to go boom when somebody shut down the holoprojector, destroying the building and any evidence the two of them didn't have the time to take or dispose of."

Qrow frowned as he looked towards the pile of Fire Dust crystals that would have fueled the bomb.

"Some of the bomb's components were designed to survive the explosion, stuff that would have implicated a couple of radical separatist groups... separatist groups strong enough to try fighting back in the face of a major crackdown. That bomb going off could have easily plunged Mistral into a civil war, especially since we found a couple of bot accounts set up to start posting twenty-four hours after the blast hit the news cycle claiming credit for assassinating the top three members of Haven's staff..."

Karna and Qrow's eyes drifted to Professor Aurum, who was staring forward into the middle distance. However she was still with them enough in this moment to add her haunted voice to things.

"I... I'm the faculty member that everyone turns to when Leonardo and Audrey are too busy to be disturbed... and that makes me the one person who would have come in here and blown myself up..."

She fell silent again, lost in her own thoughts.

"The good news," Qrow looked back to Karna, "is that Lionheart and Androtrix expected the bomb to do most of the cleanup here for them, so we still have plenty of clues to work with."

"Yes, we do," Soi Fong agreed as she pulled up the receipts of several different train and airship tickets as well as fake IDs and passports. "We have a solid list of possible destinations they could be headed to, the methods of transport they are most likely to use and the most likely identities they'll use as cover. From the look of things we have two trails to follow... unfortunately we can't narrow things down further so we'll have to investigate both of them at the same time if we don't want them to get away."

"I see," Karna mused. "It's fortunate that there are enough of us here to do that then."

"It is," Qrow agreed. "How do you want—"
"Do, do you know why this happened?" Rena interrupted, her voice taking on the determined edge of someone who had just pulled themselves together again. "Why would Leonardo and Audrey do this?"

"I'll admit I'm also curious," Soi Fong added as she looked away from the computer screens to Qrow. "When Headmaster Ozpin called in his favor he didn't have time to explain why he wanted me to watch Lionheart and keep him from leaving Haven, but he did say you'd be at liberty to explain everything once you got here."

"My brother's explanation was also sparse on details thanks to the encryptions he had to use for security," Karna allowed curiosity to color his tone. The message Arjun had sent made it clear that his brother had proof Lionheart had a connection with Duryodhana during those dark days, and that he wanted Haven's headmaster brought in alive for questioning before Arjun would personally administer justice for his crimes; while that was enough for Karna he was sure the further context Qrow could add would be enlightening.

Qrow and Taiyang locked eyes and had a quick and silent conversation where they agreed which of them would share what and how.

"You're the acting Headmistress of Haven Academy in the absence of Headmaster Lionheart and Professor Androtrix?" Qrow directed his attention to Rena.

"I... Yes. Yes I am." Rena answered with conviction.

"And you're the most likely person to become the true Headmistress when it's time to officially replace Leonardo?" Qrow pressed on.

"I am," Rena confirmed.

"And you're fully willing to commit to the burdens and responsibilities that position entails?"

Rena took a deep breath and steeled her nerves, before looking to Qrow with unwavering eyes.

"I am."

"Well then, the first thing you need to know to understand what's going on is that the Headmasters of the Big Four Huntsman Academies are all part of a secret society," Qrow began. "A secret society whose aim is to combat the influence of Grimm cults in society and to stamp them out whenever possible. We recently discovered that Lionheart betrayed this society to the woman who's both the de jure and de facto leader of every Grimm cult on Remnant, from the dawn of recorded history to the present..."

With that pronouncement he had a firm grasp on everyone's attention, and he and Taiyang spent the next few hours explaining everything they knew about the ultimate enemy of human and faunus kind...

- - -

They'd moved to another safehouse. This one was beneath one of Vale's abandoned steel foundries, but despite this it was fairly comfortable: White walls, decent furniture, some art Roman had stolen. At the moment, the small underground room hummed with tension, the air thick with the acrid scent of Dust residue and stale cigar smoke from Roman Torchwick's ever-present habit.

Holographic screens flickered, displaying news feeds and drone imagery of Mount Glenn: a massive crater was smoking at the base of the mountain/former underground metropolis, where the White Fang base and the hijacked train had once been. Shockingly, reports confirmed all White Fang operatives had escaped—warned away just in time, then captured by the Valean Defense Force and Atlasian troops.

Cinder Fall sat rigidly in her chair, her amber eyes fixed on the black void where her meticulously laid plan now lay in ruins.

Mercury Black leaned over her shoulder, whistling low.

"Well… that's not good."

Roman paced, his cane tapping furiously against the concrete floor nearby, as Neo licked an ice cream cone on a loveseat across the cheap coffee table. Iridescent was lounging on the old couch nearby, typing on her Scroll in silence, her eyes down at her screen. Roman looked at the crater and cursed loudly.

"FUCK! Are you kidding me?! You know how much that Dust cost?! Do you?!"

Neo, silent as ever, signed a large sum with exaggerated gestures.

"AT LEAST!" Roman roared, throwing his hands up.

Cinder's fists clenched, flames flickering at her fingertips, but her voice remained cold.

"Enough," Cinder stated, "This isn't helping."

"And neither are you!" Roman raged, too angry to be afraid. Roman whirled on Iridescent next, as she continued to ignore him.

"And the new girl isn't paying any attention! Big help you fucking are! Brought in a lot of mercenaries who haven't done jack shit—!"

Iridescent's hand shot up, phasing through Roman's chest like mist. Roman choked, his face going pale. Iridescent looked up, all smiles, even as Neo drew her knife in a blur. Mercury tensed, glancing at Cinder for a moment.

"Now now. All that anger's not good for your heart, is it?" Iridescent purred, her grip intangible yet threatening.

Roman gurgled. "Urk… I-I didn't mean anything—!"

"Of course you didn't," Iridescent went on. "And your friend doesn't mean anything either! But surely she should know that even if she got a shot on me-You'd still be dead."

"IRIDESCENT! Enough! Let him go!" Cinder barked.

The dark skinned white haired woman stared into Roman's desperate eyes for another moment, before she nodded.

"As you wish." Iridescent yanked her hand free. Roman staggered back, gasping. Neo's knife remained poised, her mismatched eyes glaring.

"Neo… stand down," Cinder ordered.

Neo scowled, glanced at Roman—he grimaced but nodded—and lowered her blade.

Mercury relaxed slightly. He snorted, rolling his eyes, as he looked to his master.

"So I'm assuming you still have a backup plan then?"

Cinder's gaze returned to the crater imagery, her eyes narrowed but otherwise her face was unreadable.

"I do have a backup."

Iridescent's smile widened.

"Yes… please, tell them, Lady Cinder! Does it involve your twins?"

Silence fell, thick and heavy. Cinder's voice was steel.

"…Yes. We're going to take Arc hostage-using them."

Roman's eyes widened. "You'd use your own children…"

"Yes," Cinder said flatly. "To accomplish the mission. They have escalated. Our original plans are no longer workable, so we need to adapt."

Iridescent clapped softly.

"Oh, splendid! But if I may, Lady Cinder? I have a suggestion."

Cinder slowly looked over at Iridescent, and slowly nodded. Iridescent beamed.

"From what I can see, while the base and train were destroyed… the special Grimm in the mountain were not disturbed." She gestured to a screen, pulling up seismic data and old schematics. "They're still there. Dormant."

Mercury leaned in.

"…Wait, back up. How are we using the kids?"

Iridescent's eyes gleamed.

"It's quite simple! Lady Cinder did say she wanted to meet with Arc at some point, yes? We use them to arrange the meeting. No doubt Ozpin's forces will be there, ready to spring into action…"

Cinder frowned deeply at Iridescent.

She knew what Salem told me...

"Yes. That's what the mercenaries are for."

"Of course! But the enemy has revealed a means for us to accomplish all our goals at once!" Iridescent continued smoothly. "You see… the camera network in Vale is still ours. They keep forcing us out, but I'm still getting data."

She pulled up footage: Jaune Arc and Winter Schnee in a café, their tall son appearing via glyph. "Here, his son asks for a boost of Arc's Semblance. It increases Aura—and massively increases the power of your Semblance, based on their lips. It's probably what let him blow up Mount Glenn."

Roman crossed his arms. "So? How does that help us?"

Iridescent's smile turned predatory.

"Very simple. We're going to try to kill ourselves."

Mercury blinked.

"…Say what?"

Cinder's eyes narrowed.

"You'll have to run that by me again."

"It's very simple!" Iridescent repeated, delighted, "Arc clearly cares about you. About your children. His Semblance can heal any injury and supercharge our powers. If both of us are nearly fatally wounded while meeting with him, he will heal us… and supercharge our powers." She spread her hands.

"After that? We can take care of the rest of our plans."

Roman rubbed his temples.

"And our mercenaries? What are they gonna be doing?"

"All in good time, my dear Roman," Iridescent purred. "All in good time."

She turned to Cinder.

"After all… your reactions need to be genuine for the plan to work. Wouldn't you agree, Lady Cinder? The director gets the best reactions out of their actors when they don't know everything that's going to happen."

Cinder's gaze was distant, calculating.

"…Yes. We all have our roles we must play out," she murmured. With a nod, she looked to Roman. "We will need to time this carefully."

Roman groaned. "Still, ya know, if they know the future—"

"The future, clearly, can be changed," Cinder said coldly. "Which means we are now more unpredictable."

Mercury whistled. "Hey, um… small problem. A) We don't know if the others would let him heal any of us—kids' opinion be damned, since we're trying to destroy everyone and everything they love. It'd be stupid of them to heal us just so some kids don't cry. B) Even if he cares about her, that doesn't extend to any of us. What's stopping them from healing Cinder with loads of terms and conditions, then leaving us to die?"

Iridescent's smile didn't waver.

"Because I've looked at Arc's eyes. Look at them closely."

She pulled up a close-up still of Jaune with his son. "See what's in his eyes when he looks at his child."

Silence fell for a few moments. Mercury snorted.

"He's staring at him. His eyes are weird and gooey. So what?"

Cinder's voice was soft but dangerous. "Explain it, Iridescent."

Neo stared at her intently, but Cinder gave nothing away. Iridescent nodded eagerly.

"It's love," Iridescent said. "which is far more dangerous. He loves his son. He looked at you like that, didn't he, Lady Cinder? Didn't you see it yourself, Neo?"

Neo scowled at the homicidal girl, but nodded briefly.

Cinder swallowed. "…Yes," she confirmed quietly.

"Love is his strength," Iridescent continued, "and his weakness. And we'll use it to get him. And of course, Lord Zaroff will provide fire support for the next phase of the plan."

Roman raised an eyebrow.

"And… that is?"

"Kill the Maiden," Iridescent said simply. "Get her power. Get Raven under our control… and let loose the Wyvern on Vale."

She smiled widely at Roman, her eyes disturbingly alight.

"When this is done, we will have the powers of two Maidens—and the most powerful Grimm in Vale under our control. After that? I believe you will have no further questions. Just demands of the authorities who jailed you and dismissed you as a mere thug. How does 'King' Roman Torchwick sound, hm?"

Roman exhaled slowly, his hand on his chest.

"I'll think about that when I get the crown… What about Arc?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Iridescent said. "With him as our prisoner, Ozpin won't be able to move against us. We'll have all the power… Isn't that right, Lady Cinder?"

Cinder's eyes burned into the holographic image of Jaune, into his eyes.

"…Yes. Yes it is."

"Ooh! This will be so much fun!" Iridescent squealed. "The final act is going to really bring the house down!" Her grin shined like so many knives. "Can you imagine the screams?"

"Yes," Cinder murmured again, nodding, "Yes I can."

She ignored Mercury's stare. Ignored the daggers from Neo's eyes, and the nervousness on Roman's face. All she could see were Jaune's eyes. Eyes that the twins both had.

Eyes she had stared into when she…

She took a deep breath. She pulled out her Scroll.

Hello children. This is your

She paused for a long moment.

Mother.