KINGDOM OF VALE
HEAD OFFICE OF A.I.A.C
POV
As Today had been absolutely just unacceptable has dark mark on her once pristine resumes as it was just that Winter Schnee /Arc prided herself on disciplines, precision, and excellence. Everything's she did was a reflections of the Schnee name and her very role has General Ironwood's trusted second as just then From her immaculate uniform to each and every interaction she had with her operatives And today was supposed to be no different. As She's had planned meticulously Arrived early And as then Assembled her men and as her Atlesian Knights in perfect formation, every detail executed with military precision Her preparations had been flawless and as then designed to showcase her very competences and then justify the trust Ironwood had placed in her for the very army's demonstrations in Vale but then everything— everything —had fallen apart and then the very reason ? A degenerate ruffian that fancied himself a Huntsman that decided to just interferences with everything now and then the very thought of him made her grip tighten on the trainings rapier in her hand and her knuckles going white now.
It wasn't bad enough that's this scruffy, insubordinate drunkard had been just allowed into the very council chambers when she had been excluded—a decision she still couldn't wrap her mind around and No, that's wasn't enough for him and as He'd had the audacity to escalated thing's further now as just then the very scene replayed in her mind as each detail stoking her fury and That's man—Qrow Branwen—had dared to challenge her. Her. And worse, he'd fought her on the level of an Ace Operative and to a standstill and she's
Just winced as a sharp pain flared in her shoulder. It wasn't just her pride that had taken a hit. After sitting for hours in that damnable bullhead, her muscles stiff and uncooperative she'd been forced into an intense, prolonged fight and Now as here she's was excluded from the council meeting, with a pulled muscle and a lingering frustration she just couldn't seem to shake. Winter stood up from her sit as she just stared out the window of her new office room in vale to the glittering lights of Vale highlighted with an orange sunsets sky as It was almost difficult to believe that's a month ago this was a city under siege by Grimm and gangster's come Here to defend the city then the huntsman who left to deal with Grimm with the white fangs now just as well that was sighted to see as they're moving like real train soldier's now and as then with the way they moved around in city street's and strategizing every little moment was falwss and there she could see the signs of the battles around the city as she's traversed the city by her transportations ship has the Buildings we're as damaged by grimm or some explosives set by the White Fang terrorists and just fires that had left homes and market place in piles of ash or blackened concrete facades by them as it was sad but it would or could be far more worse then anything's else now.
But thing's could have been worse and much worse as It was one thing after another as everyone seemed to agree on by now as Every bit of information's going around about the attacks was best vague or at worst suspicious of the matter as then the Vale Council had been laying low For some reason now as the victory on the very well coordinated efforts of the police and military and the very huntsman and huntresses very community more but as everyone was still spectacle about it as casting doubt on the official story as That was given to the general public but she's knows what was the very truth of the matter as she couldn't let out as it might damage the reputation that the police and the military and the huntsman academies have built over the year's as it was a combined effort of the 4th party that was involved in this entire matters As The very truth of how a potentially cataclysmic attack was avoided by a certain person who was involved in this entire ordeal for some time attack as it's was in truth irrelevant to her, as she's had come here for different reasons as some of her coworkers and as underlings Might just say that she's here to investigate the just another incident further and make sure that it doesn't happens again and as find the real culprit behind it as she's was the only person who's was incharge of the entire operations and as she's might know who might and be mostly involved in this entire situation's while commanding many police officers and Atlas military forces to make sure that's the situation would handle safely and as guided the huntsman's and Huntsness team to strike the Grimm's while her soldier's would deal with the white fang terrorist that has entered the city borders and awhile The police officers deal with crowd control of civilians very safety measures we're taken but that is not true at all as she's is the head of the full operation at that's time but in reality she's was more clueless at the moment as she didn't know how to deal with the entire time as the situation's was very overwhelming at the moments as she notice but then someone's else took in charge of the entire situation and guided them all in to battle as that's very certain someone's was special to her as right now she's here in this city for a personal matters for mostly as she's was mostly worriedly about him at most of the time's.
As She looked down at her scroll and opened it to see a pair of bright blue eye's and a goofy grin staring up at her has it's was Jaune Arc the very loser of beacon academy and the exiled and expelled student as how his life for one moment turned upsides down as then he chose second life and became a big person as he worked himself up from the ground after all that mess and the horrible thing he went through to get here and her husband is a gangster but not a small time but he was a crime boss in other words he was the godfather in the kingdom of Vale and he is her husband as she's still remembers the day she did married him well but It was a drunken marriage but it was good day for her and it was eventful at first but when he enter in her life She can say one thing's that just as many of her very problems were closed and has solved at that day and time as She found someone's to go home tomorrow. As of right now She has a task in hand that is to find him as when all of this happened he disappeared as soon after everything went down and she's can't get hold of his number or anything at all and it had been a three month till then as She had been worried sick as none of her leads or contacts were being just used or helpful at the moment as many of them didn't want to help her find him as many people and her colleagues just don't like him very much as Her colleagues has a very high opinion of herself and her as another as The main issue is that she is married to him a loser and a failure in life so itself as their rather die than help him.
As This is how the story and the very situation began as she has been showing anyone and everyone this picture of him as she hoping that someone could lead her to him As for right now..... So far she's had no luck with that as she's just did try to contact him at first but his number and his scroll was destroyed and she was more worried than before but she's couldn't show her emotions and her inner true feelings to anyone but to him only as he was there for her as when she needed him and Always motivated her to move forward to her goals and always agreed with her ideals and always helped her and He was perfectly kind person as he is sweet kind to others to as He was warm as he always warmed her up when she's was near himself as they were talking about different topic's together. he's was the reason why she come home to him but then while situations have changed as her own responsible as a new position of power has priorities and with very has more responsibilities to her kingdom and do this very kingdom but right now and she's is not a high ranking officer or general no right now she is just a wife who's looking for her husband in the city of monsters now.
CHANGING LOCATION
FOUR MONTHS EARLIER
POV
"That is quite a story Mr. Arc," Ozpin mused to me the morning after I had spotted and stopped the Atlesian in the club trying to take Velvet.
"So what do you make of it?" I asked him, lighting a cigarette and looking out the window to the street outside my apartment. "The clan is getting ready to go to war with the Altesians if Nicky doesn't deliver justice to Junior."
Ozpin chuckled, "justice is a funny way to describe what he is going to ask for but yes, if this leads to a war then it could very well put a damper on Junior's other criminal enterprises."
"You mean the dust robberies," I said knowing that Ozpin cared about only one thing in regard to the Clan's so called criminal enterprises.
"Indeed I do Mr. Arc," Ozpin admitted to me.
"So you want the Clan to go to war?" I asked him, finding the thought a little disconcerting. If half of what O-Ushi had told me about the Altesians being at war was like it sounded like the last possible thing anyone could want. She had told me that nothing was held back or off limits to them, it would doubtlessly be bloody.
"Right now Mr. Arc the Atlesians are the enemy of my enemy, certainly not friends by any means, but a welcome thorn in both Junior's and Roman's sides. If it leads to war then I would be a fool not to take advantage of the situation." Ozpin explained to me.
I didn't say anything to that. So far I had nothing but hatred for the Atlesians and what they had done. "I found something on the guy I caught," I explained to him, "a matchbook for some bar on the west side of town near the railyards."
"That is one of the areas the Atlesian's have claimed as their territory," Ozpin mused, "what of it?"
"If they have control of the rail yard I was thinking it might be a part of their smuggling operations," I explained to him, "After what happened to Velvet I was wondering if maybe it would be worth checking out, it might even be a part of their human trafficking operations."
"I can certainly talk to my friends in the police department about looking further into it," Ozpin said. "What is the name of the bar?"
"The Caboose," I answered him feeling more than a little let down with his response, "I can look into it myself maybe, take a car and just get a look at the area."
"You are not a detective Mr. Arc, and that area would be very dangerous. The Atlesians probably have already heard of you and I have no doubt that they would take advantage of you sneaking around in their territory. Focus on your current task before setting your sights on the rest of the criminals in Vale. Leave it to the proper authorities." he told me. I wanted to protest. I didn't have any real hope that the police would make any significant breakthroughs considering so many cops in the Vale Police Department were already on the payroll. Bribing cops and public officials to keep their noses out of criminal operations were par for the course in this kind of life. Even if Ozpin did have some trustworthy badges to send in I knew that the corrupt ones would do everything to slow them down. It could take months for anything to happen and by them the Atlesians's would have burned down their operations and changed to something else. Nothing would change the worst people would probably get away.
"Mr. Arc?" Ozpin asked, pulling me away from my thoughts.
"Yes?"
"How are you holding up?" he asked me in a serious but friendly tone.
The question took me by surprise, "What do you mean?"
"We usually have these calls much earlier in the day, but this time and the last you were rather late," he explained to me.
That was because both times I had slept over at the Malachite's apartment and wasn't able to get back in a timely manner. "I was just a little busy," I explained to him using a half truth, "I'm out all night with these people and when you drink like we do couch crashing is pretty normal."
"I understand that your situation must be difficult," Ozpin said to me, sounding sympathetic, "you're doing this with no friends and no allies and I would understand if you felt lonely and afraid undergoing all of this."
Lonely? Maybe only a little. But that was a loneliness I was accustomed to. Faking my way into Beacon and pretending that I was something I wasn't had been the same kind of lonely. It wasn't that I lacked company, it was that I couldn't be honest with those I was around. But afraid? My fear of these people had been slowly dissolving as I became more and more acquainted with the life. Hell Junior had even stood up for me last night after I had beaten that guy to a pulp.
"I'm fine," I assured him, lying through my teeth.
"Good, you're doing excellent work Mr. Arc so hold your course," he told me before he hung up.
I hid my scroll back inside the useless electrical outlet and dressed for my day to make collections wondering just what kind of course Ozpin had set me on. I felt like I was stumbling in the dark through this mission. Maybe I could have told him about everything, but the last thing I wanted was for him to pull the plug on my work and ruin my chances of becoming a huntsmen.
Around late afternoon that day I got lunch with Toshi after I had dropped my collections off at O-Ushi's. We stopped at one of the finest ramen houses in the entire city, I got my usual bowl of pork miso ramen.
"I was talking to Tonen earlier today," Tosi explained as I gathered the delicious noodles on my chopsticks, "he says he's going to suggest I officially be welcomed into the clan… as a full member."
"That's awesome!" I said looking up from my steaming bowl, "congratulations my man, we should celebrate! Are you up for some karaoke tonight? Maybe get some drinks and meet a couple girls?"
"Let's save the celebrations for when it happens," he said unable to hide his grin, "I don't wanna get my hopes up."
I chuckled at him, "it looks to me like you already got your hopes up dude," I said to him with a grin, "otherwise you wouldn't be telling me."
"Ok... maybe a little," he admitted, "but you're the only person I've told so keep this to yourself."
"I will," I promised him, "but what are you planning on doing once it's official?"
He shrugged, "I talked about that a little bit with Tonen, he said he'd help me set up a used car dealership and sell some of his vehicles, then maybe I could look into starting some of my own businesses."
I chuckled, "before long I might be calling you boss."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," he grinned, "there's no way O-Ushi would even let go of a Gentleman like you."
I sighed, it had only been last night but already that name was starting to stick with everyone. "Word gets around fast," I said, scratching the back of my head with embarrassment.
"You mean about you beating some manners into that Atlesian?" He asked with a proud smile, "I doubt anyone in the clan hasn't heard about that yet."
I shrugged, "I just did what I could," I told him, "it was no big deal, I just got lucky."
"Well Gentleman I could sure use those fists of yours again today," he said, picking up his ramen bowl to drink the remaining broth. "I caught word that one of the stands selling our bootlegs has also been dealing with the 24k Dragons."
"You think they're selling drugs for them?" I asked, looking away from my own bowl. If one of our sellers was working under the table with the Dragons then it meant that Toshi and I could be held accountable.
"I wanna find out," Toshi told me, setting his empty bowl down on the table.
"Then let's go," I said, slipping down the broth of my ramen and leaving a generous tip. We took Toshi's car and sure enough we found one of the stands outside a shop that was selling our pirated dvds.
"Hey Jing," Toshi greeted looking over his table. The moves and video games and other cheap fake merchandise crowded the stand.
"Toshi, Jaune!" Jing greeted us with a grin, "I thought I already gave both of you your money this week. By the way I need more copies of Third Crusade, they've been selling very well."
"We'll keep that in mind," I told him, trying to be friendly and not accuse him outright. "And this isn't about the money, you're all paid up."
"We are here because Han told me you were making deals with the 24k Dragons," Toshi clarified. "Is that true Jing? Are you selling drugs for them?"
Jing chuckled, "I don't know what Han is thinking... dudes… that's bullshit you have to believe me he's fucking lying."
"Then let's check your goods," I suggested, "there's no point in waiting, let's have a look at what's on you."
Jing stood up and pulled his coat open, "I got nothing on me!" he said, pulling his pockets out for us to see little more than lint and a pack of cigarettes.
"But you got a van right?" I said knowing that he had more than just this simple stand's worth of bootlegs on him. "Show us the van, if it's clean we're done here and we'll see about getting you copies of Third Crusade."
Jing nodded and led us down the alley. The fact that he didn't even ask anyone to watch his stand was already suspicious to me. We reached his van and he opened the back up for the both of us to inside. I pulled out a box filled with our bootleg movies and video games.
The next thing I heard was Jing sprinting down the alley away from us. We turned around and dropped the boxes to run after him, he barely made it fifty feet before Toshi caught him by his jacket and punched him across the face.
"Son of a bitch ! Why are you running!?" Toshi said, throwing him up against the wall and delivering several more smacks across his cheek.
"Fuck Toshi I'm sorry dude I'm fucking sorry," Jing stammered with blood and tears steaming down his face. Toshi punched him again in the stomach making him double over so he could bring his knee up.
"Why did you run!?" Toshi asked again, smashing Jiro's back into the wall once more.
I was already back to checking the van and was throwing open the boxes and pulling out our merchandise. Sure enough I found a bag full of pills near the back and I held it up for Toshi to see. "Yup, we got pills here," I told Toshi as he proceeded to treat Jing's face as a punching bag.
"I'm sorry," Jiro cried through a bloody nose, "It's just that stuff moves man, that bag alone is worth more than all those disks. It sells so well, do you know how much some of these gamers will pay just to stay up all night."
"So sell some fucking energy drinks! Not drugs you fucking rat!" I spat at him pulling more bags out of the van.
"Did the 24k Dragons sell it to you?" Toshi asked as I threw the bag onto the street and proceeded to crush the little white pills with my shoe till it was a powder.
"Yeah," Jiro said, sadly looking at the pills being destroyed right before him. "But I've been buying directly from a dealer."
"Where?" Toshi asked him, stepping away to let him whimper in pain.
"Jun's place on 86th," Jiro answered him as I poured the powdered pills out all over the alley, "He's been selling it out of his apartment for the Dragons."
Toshi gave him one final right hook to his chin and turned. "You don't work for us anymore, and you're lucky you're already paid up or we would be taking everything you got on you," Toshi told him while walking away with me.
"What am I supposed to do?" Jiro called after us. "If I don't pay the Dragons back for those pills they're gonna do something horrible to me."
"You think I give a fuck!?" Toshi called back to him.
"You got a van Jiro, I suggest you put this city in your fucking rear view mirror," I told him as I walked away with Toshi.
We got back to the car and I lit up a cigarette. "So what now?" I asked him.
"Let's pay Jun a visit," he said lighting his own smoke, "If he's gotten to one of our guys then he'll try to get some more so we nip this in the fucking bud before it becomes a real problem."
I nodded, our business was in trouble so we needed to step in and protect it. While we drove we talked about other measures we would have to take to make sure that none of our other employees were pushing drugs alongside our bootlegs. If the rest of the Clan found out we'd look like chumps or worse they might think we were using our little hustle to move drugs for the Dragons. That was unacceptable, especially with Toshi trying to get made.
We stopped on 86th street and looked over at his apartment. "So do you know this guy? Do you think he's home?" I asked him.
"Didn't you hear Jiro? He's working from home, he's probably in here all day," Toshi said opening the car door and marching right for the front door, "and if he isn't home then we'll let him know we dropped by," he said kicking it right open. "Jun!" he called stepping in, " Jun you fat fuck are you in here!?"
I stepped in behind Toshi as we stepped into a hall and sure enough we spotted him standing up from a chair with four other guys already in there from him. I spotted a number of the drugs on the table along with fat stacks of lien. For a second I thought I recognized the four others with him. I noticed that they were armed and a look at the mace hanging from the hip of the biggest guy made me suddenly recognize all of them.
"Cardin!?" I said feeling an icy chill go down my spine. He was wearing a cheap grey shit instead of his usual combat attire or uniform that I was accustomed to seeing him in but the minute I looked into his blue eyes I could see that it really was him.
"Jauney boy!?" Cardin said with a predatory grin, "what brings you here?"
"You know this guy?" Toshi asked, turning to me with a raised eyebrow.
"We were at Beacon together," I said to him before looking back to Cardin and the rest of Team CRDL. "What are you doing here?"
"Business," Cardin said, simply stepping close and staring me down. "What are you doing here Jauney boy?"
I didn't understand how this could possibly be happening right now but I knew we needed to get the fuck out of here right now. Toshi and I were outnumbered and I knew from personal experience that Cardin and his friends were no pushovers.
Toshi spoke immediately, "Jun here has been dealing drugs on Clan turf! This ends now!"
I put a hand on Toshi's shoulder to try to calm the guy down before this turned into a fight we couldn't win. "Keep away from our people," I told Jun trying to lay it down in a reasonable fashion, "we know you've been selling to Jiro so we're here to put our foot down."
"Or else things will get ugly Jun!" Toshi cut in.
I wanted to choke the son of a bitch. I don't know if it was because he was possibly going to be joining the Clan or if he really didn't understand how bad this situation was but he wouldn't shut up. Ugly?" Cardin said, stepping between Toshi and Jun with his imposing figure. "Are you threatening my boss's associate?"
"Damn straight!" Toshi growled at him. "This is Junior's neighborhood and-."
Toshi never finished the sentence before Cardin punched him right in the stomach, making him keel over in pain.
"Fuck!" I said seeing the situation deteriorate before my very eyes. I reached for my snub nose revolver. It was my only weapon. I barely managed to pull the little revolver free before Cardin caught my wrist and punched me across the face. My aura shielded me from the blow but the force of it still sent me stumbling backwards and crashing into the wall.
"Look at this little peashooter!" Cardin said holding up my revolver. "Looks like Jauney boy here upgraded his arsenal," he laughed, throwing the pistol down to my feet and stepping forward as Russel came forward and sent Toshi down with a swift kick and Dove did the same. Poor Toshi, he had aura but it meant little against the three of them. Meanwhile Cardin was giving me a painful reminder of what my short time in Beacon had been like.
"I must say Jauney boy, I never expected you to be the kind of guy to be working for Junior," he laughed, taking his bulky mace up and sending me crashing into the drywall with a mighty swing. "I didn't think you had it in you to do this kind of work. I'm actually a little impressed Jauney boy."
"What are you doing here Cardin?" I asked him, picking up a lamp and desperately swinging it at him only for it to shatter harmlessly against his aura.
"Same thing as you," Cardin said, smashing his mace against me making the dryway against my back crumble, "Beacon booted me out so I found a line of work that could use my services. And by the look of things I'm a lot better at it than you are."
He kicked me right in the sternum and sent me right through the cheap flimsy wall. I crashed into a bedroom and scrambled through the door and moved around back into my living room. I spotted my gun on the floor and leapt and grabbed it. Before I could even raise it Cardin's foot stomped down and pinned my hand.
His mace came crashing down on my back again and again, the floor beneath me cracked as my aura flared to protect me and eventually gave out, shattering into specks of white light. The mace dropped from his hand and he picked me up and proceeded to punch the snot out of me until I heard my nose break with a wet crunch and blood gushed out.
He dropped me down as I tried to struggle and I broke the coffee table scattering the drugs and money all over the floor. He then proceeded to kick me again and again in the ribs. It was agony, I couldn't breathe and even though I clutched my gun I hardly was able to use it.
"Cardin!" I heard someone shout at him and the kicking stopped. I looked up to see that it had been Sky who had spoken.
"Dude," he said, laying a hand on his shoulder, "that's enough, Michail said we can't kill any of Junior's guys, he's had enough."
Michail. That fucking Atlesian piece of shit. I hadn't even seen the guy but just hearing this name sent my blood boiling. That sex trafficking drug dealing son of a bitch was why he was here. I almost wanted to try shooting him but I knew it would be helpless, Cardin would probably cave in my skull before I could get a second shot off and his aura was definitely close to full.
"And you're trashing my apartment," Jun said to him. Jun must have been pretty fucking dumb to think that he could still live here once news about his little drug dealing gig got around.
Cardin grunted but sighed before lifting me up and leaning in close. "You and your friend better leave our dealers the fuck alone Jauney boy," he snarled in my ear, "this isn't Beacon Jauney boy, there's no teachers or anyone to hold me back so if you even think about threatening our dealers again… well next time I'll put you through a tougher wall. Now get the fuck out of here!"
I stumbled away tucking the gun back into my hoster before I grabbed Toshi so we could stumble outside and back into his car. We were bloody messes, Toshi's face looked like mincemeat and looking into the mirror side view mirror I saw that I was just as bad if not worse. I was black and blue from Cardin's beating and my broken nose was making this weird little whistle noise as I breathed. Everything hurt as I moved.
We didn't say anything as he drove away. We felt like a bunch of chumps running away with our tails tucked between our legs for the hospital. Toshi and I barely spoke to each other and by the time we left the hospital with bandages on our noses and ribs along with ice packs to bring down the swelling we were pretty tired so Toshi decided to take me home. "You know Jun is going to go after our people even harder now right?" I asked him finally to break the silence between us.
"You think he'd dare?" Toshi asked him. "This is still Clan turf and he should be trying to keep his head down."
"I know Cardin," I explained to him. "He'll make sure that this brings me down."
"That's bad," Toshi said.
"Maybe we should ask for some help from the Clan," I explained, "if Jun is buying drugs from Michail then that's violating the treaty."
"And?" Toshi said, grabbing a cigarette as he drove and letting me light it for him. "This is our business, if I can't keep it under control without going to Tonen then I'm going to look like a chump to the Clan."
"The Clan exists to help each other," I said to him. "And these aren't just some punks without aura, they were in Beacon, they know how to fight."
"I don't know Jaune," Toshi sighed as he pulled up by my apartment, "I just don't know right now… let's just sleep on this."
I nodded and said my goodbyes before getting out of the car and going up to my apartment.
"What happened to you!?" Hana asked me as I passed her on the stairs.
"The life," I said to her simply.
"Do you need anything?" She asked clearly, understanding my answer just fine.
"Just rest," I told her, wanting my aura to return soon so it could begin healing all the bruises and cracked bones.
When I got into my room and locked the door the first thing I did was pull the couch out and take out the hidden scroll and call Ozpin. He didn't pick up so I just waited and tried to think about what to do about Cardin.
I wanted to get help before the situation got worse but Toshi was clearly worried about what it would do to his image. I bet the fact that he was being considered for entering the clan was why he was hesitant to invite our bosses to help. And as much as I wanted to get other people to help with this I realized that it could very well reflect on my reputation with the clan as well.
I looked at my snub nose revolver sitting in its holster on the table in front of me. I hadn't even fired a shot as Cardin knocked me around and I couldn't help but think what would have happened if I had.
Sure a single round wouldn't have gone through Cardin's aura. But if a second or third shot did then what? It wasn't like Goodwitch would tell us to stop the fight, the bullet after that could have easily killed him. Big as Cardin was without his aura a bullet was still a bullet. As much as I despised Cardin I didn't want to kill him or any of his teammates.
Eventually I managed to get a call through to Ozpin. "Mr. Arc… I wasn't expecting to hear from you again so soon. Has there been a development?"
"I'll say," I told him, "it's name is Cardin fucking Winchester, he and the rest of Team CRDL are working for those fucking Atlesians rats. And he just beat the shit out of me and my friend Toshi."
Ozpin was quiet for a second. "I see," he said simply.
"You see!? You fucking see!?" I said to him. "How the hell did this happen?"
"Calm down Mr. Arc, there's no need for vulgarities. Mr. Winchester and his team were expelled a little over a month ago. They played a cruel prank on Miss Nikos during a field trip, they unleashed a number of rapier wasps on her and she suffered from a severe allergic reaction. They had to get a bullhead to airlift her to the hospital."
I remembered Coco's story from just last night and clenched my fist to think that Cardin had been the one to do that to Pyrrha. "So you expelled him and his team for that," I said, finding the idea satisfying save for the fact that I was in pain now because of his expulsion. "And now he and his goons are hired muscle for the Atlesians."
"It happens," Ozpin said, "sometimes when students fail initiation or are expelled they try finding employment that can make use of their combat capabilities."
"Like hired muscle," I said sourly.
"Yes," Ozpin agreed, "that happens from time to time."
I remembered how O-Ushi told me that I wasn't the first washout from Beacon and that suddenly made sense to me. "So what should I do?" I asked him. "Cardin was protecting this guy who's been recruiting some of my guys to sell drugs from him. He's going after my business and he made me look like a pushover. And that's not helpful to my mission."
"I understand that Mr. Arc but I fail to see what I can do about it." He said, "I cannot step in."
"I understand that," I told him. "But what should I do? I could really use some advice right about now."
"I am afraid I don't have any answers for you Mr. Arc," Ozpin told me, "Can't you call on Junior and O-Ushi for help in these matters? Isn't that what these criminals claim this Clan is all about?"
"I can," I told him bitterly.
"Then do that," Ozpin instructed me, "I'll be in touch."
The call ended and I was left alone with only my thoughts towards the problem. Ozpin didn't understand what he was asking for. Yes the Clan takes care of it's people but if you want to move up then you can't just go crying to your boss over every little thing. And the last thing I wanted to do was go behind Toshi's back and make him look weak. I tried justifying that with my mission, if Toshi was allowed into the Clan then I would have another friend in a position of power. But honestly a part of me just didn't want to do wrong by him. He was a good friend and I wasn't going to betray that friendship.
And what's more I wanted to get even with Cardin. My pride had been wounded as well and I started to think about how I would make this right.
I put the scroll back and moved to my closet searching the corner where I could find it. A short sawed off pump shotgun that I had taken from one of the 24k Dragons the night I met Mel and Mil. I had put it in the cab and later stowed in away since I had no idea what I was going to do with the thing. But right now I knew that if I was going to handle Cardin and his team I was going to need something more than my little .38 snub nose.
I ejected the shells that had been in there since I first got it and looked at the little red plastic rounds considering my options. I wasn't going to kill anyone but I was going to make sure that the next time I faced off against Cardin that I was ready.
I remembered that night O-Ushi and her guys busted up that chop shop run by the dragons and I thought about Kaiu using rock salt in his shotgun rather effectively. I searched my wallet and found the card he had given me and called his indoor range.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Kaiu? This is Jaune… we uh met," I began.
"Oh I remember you," he said with a chuckle, "What can I do for a Gentleman such as yourself?"
"I got a problem and I need some firepower to deal with it," I explained to him.
"I see… how about you come on by first thing in the morning and I'll get you set up," he said with evident satisfaction in his voice.
"Thanks," I said to him before hanging up and looking through my contacts. I was going to get the Clan to help me, but I wasn't going to go to Junior or O-Ushi. I was going to get what friends I did have and make this right. I called Melanie and Miltia next knowing that they weren't the kind of girls to sit out a fight.
I didn't need any bosses to settle this. I had friends I could turn to. Dangerous friends.
Sure enough first thing in the morning I met Kaiu at his indoor range first with the sawed off shotgun I had looted from the Dragons. The place was closed so I parked back and he let me in through the back of his business.
"Morning Gentleman," Kaiu greeted me as I entered in with the sawed off shotgun stuffed in a bag, "what you got there?"
I set the bag on the table and pulled out the old shotgun. "I was thinking I could get some shells for this from you," I explained to him.
Kaiu looked at the shotgun I set on the table like I had thrown down some garbage and he picked it up to inspect. "Are you sure you don't just want a new shotgun? What trashcan did you even get this from?" He asked me as he stripped apart the gun and inspected it piece by piece frowning at the spots of rust and the tape around the sawed off grip.
"I took it from a Dragon," I explained to him.
"No wonder it's a piece of shit. I can get you something better than this street trash if you want. What's the occasion?" He asked me.
"I just need it to teach some guys a lesson," I told him, "not kill anyone, just make them hurt."
He looked up at me and motioned to his face, "Same guys that left you black and blue?" he asked me, indicating my bandaged nose and bruised face. My aura was starting to return and was working to heal my wounds but even after a full night sleep my face was still a mess.
"Yeah," I said scratching the back of my neck, "Normally I'd just get a bat or a crowbar but you see these guys are packing aura so I need something that can take down their aura fast. Do you have anything like that rock salt that could maybe do the trick?"
He set the disassembled gun down one the table and tapped his finger. "Rock salt might do something to their aura but if you want something that's gonna hit them hard… I think I might have something for you."
He left for a moment and returned with a box of shells. "A client of mine wanted these for a bank job but he got pinched before the heist and never collected," he explained pulling out the green plastic shell and holding it up for me to see.
"What's so special about them?" I asked him.
"They're custom bean bag rounds," he explained with a proud smile, "I filled them with gravity and lighting dust, they'll hit like a brick and give those bastards a good shock. If that doesn't send them the message they'll feel like they got lead weights on their legs and they'll just be begging for a beat down."
"That sounds perfect," I said to him, inspecting one of the shells, "how much?"
"I'll give you the whole box for two hundred," he explained to me.
"Two hundred!?" I asked, finding that to be way steeper than I was expecting to pay. "I could just get myself another gun for that."
"Hey man, these are top quality," he assured me. "Plus dust prices are at an all time in case you haven't noticed, two hundred is a bargain."
I found that rather peculiar. Ozpin had sent me here because he suspected that the Clan was colluding with Torchwick on the dust robberies, but it seemed the shortage was even affecting Kaiu. I would have thought that one of the Clans arms dealers would have access to dust others didn't, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
"Alright," I said, pulling out a roll of lien and counting out the bills. "You got anything else for me? I suppose I shouldn't just have one trick up my sleeve when I visit these guys." I asked him, thinking that going in with all my eggs in one basket wouldn't be the smartest way to face Cardin and his team.
"I got some flashbangs I've been meaning to get rid of," Kaiu explained to me, "you could blind and disorient these guys before you start blasting them with those shells."
"How much?" I asked him again, liking the idea.
"These aren't exactly the easiest things to get a hold of," he explained to me, "take two of them for another hundred and I'll throw in a baton, you can beat the shit out of them with that." He pulled one of the weapons out and snapped his wrist letting the telescoping club extend out for me to see. "Easier to carry around than a bat or a tire iron."
I counted out the bills. "How about an extra fifty lien and I get some practice on your range?" I explained to him, "I haven't exactly used that gun or any gun before."
"Deal!" he said with a satisfied grin.
We shook hands and I handed over the cash. He helped show me how to operate the shotgun as well as my revolver and proceeded to let me practice till my heart was content and my wrists were sore. He had me practice reloading in a timely manner and even timed me as I fired on multiple targets.
I wasn't going to win any shooting competitions but in a few hours I was more confident and comfortable with the guns and I was at least fluid with reloading them. He even taught me a few dry fire exercises I could practice at home to keep what skills I did acquire polished. After that day I started making weekly visits to Kaiu's range.
I said goodbye to Kaiu as he started opening the range up and I stowed away the shotgun and flashbang in my car as I went to get a late breakfast.
I walked into a diner I had chosen for a meet up and waved to the waiter who I had become accustomed to seeing during my weekly collections. I asked him for an order of pancakes and some coffee and paid him. At the corner booth at the end I spotted Melanie and Miltia waiting for me already having ordered their food.
"Hey," I greeted them approaching the booth, "thank you for coming."
"Woah… like please tell me that the other guy is in a hospital or a grave," Miltia said looking at my bruised up face.
I scratched the back of my head as I scooted into the booth next to her. "That's uh… why I'm here," I explained, "the guys that did this to me have been trying to use my bootleg sellers to move drugs for the Altesians, they roughed me and Toshi up bad yesterday."
"You should tell O-Ushi," Melanie said, "she'll help you straighten them out, probably with a few strikes of her hammer but they'll get the message."
"I don't want Toshi and I to look like a couple of pushovers," I explained to them, "that's why I'm asking for your help to deal with the muscle," I explained to them, "These guys that thrashed us up… I knew them back at Beacon, they're tough and they had us completely outnumbered."
"Do you know where to find these guys?" Miltia asked me.
"I know where the guy who'd been giving my employees the drugs was, he might still be there," I told them, quietly as the waiter brought me my pancakes and coffee. "I'm pretty sure I can get him to call them for help."
"Well I'm sold," Melanie said, she picked up a piece of bacon from my plate and smiled at me, "I can't just let a pack of drug dealing bastards rough up one of my boy toys and get away with it."
"Thanks," I said with a blush and turned to Miltia, "what about you Mil?"
She shrugged noncommittally, "what's in it for me?"
"Well… what do you want?" I asked her.
"Ah! Good thinking Militia!" Melanie said with a greedy smirk. "How about dinner, at Georgetti's!"
"Really? You want a date?" I asked them.
"An expensive date!" Miltia giggled maliciously, "we'll also hit up a nightclub and you're going to pay for our drinks and dance your ass off with us."
I should have known that this wasn't going to be free. But a full night out with the twins wasn't exactly what I had expected. It'd be fun, even if they were certainly going to drain my wallet dry.
"Deal," I told them, cutting into my pancakes.
We ate breakfast together with a little small talk before laying down a heft tip and leaving. I called Toshi as we went out to the car together ready to put my plan into play.
"Hey man, what's up?" He asked when he picked up.
"My aura is back and the worst of it is already patched up. How are you holding up?" I asked him.
"Still healing," he told me bitterly.
"I'm going to deal with Cardin and Jun," I explained to him.
"Dude… we just got thrashed up yesterday," he told me, clearly worried that I was going to have another more serious trip to the hospital.
"And my aura is back," I explained to him, "and I got some extra muscle with me, I'm going to take care of this."
"I said I didn't want to get our bosses involved, we need to take care of ourselves!" He protested as I climbed into the driver seat with the twins settling into the passenger side like they did.
"No bosses," I told him, "just friends and some extra firepower I got from Kaiu, the clan takes care of their own right?"
I heard him release a sigh of relief into his scroll, "don't get hurt man," he told me.
"I won't," I said to him confidently, "leave it to me, and get better."
"Good luck," he said to me before hanging up.
"How's Toshi?" Miltia asked me.
"He's not doing so hot," I explained to them, "he got it a lot worse than I did, I just had to deal with one guy knocking me around, he had three."
"So it's just the three of us?" Melanie asked me.
"Yup," I told them, pulling out of the parking lot and driving for Jun's place.
"So this Cardin asshole was at Beacon with you?" Miltia asked me watching as the neighbor passed by out the window.
I sighed, "Yeah… he gave me a real hard time."
Melanie giggled, "oh… so this is a little personal?"
I shrugged, "Maybe a little," I admitted, "but it's business first."
I parked a little ways from Jun's place so no one would see my conspicuous looking car pulling up and I pulled the bag with the shotgun from my trunk just in case I found Cardin there with Jun like last time and walked the last block to his place hoping that Jun really was stupid enough to still be there.
I kicked down the door to Jun's apartment and walked right into his place. Sure enough the idiot was still sitting in his busted up living room in his chair playing some video games on this television.
"Shit!" Jun cursed scrambling for the window to escape but I caught him by the collar of his shirt and threw him to the ground.
I punched him several times in the face again and again. "You should have left when you had the fucking chance," I said bloodying his nose before picking him up and throwing him against the wall where I pinned him.
"Cardin said-," Jun sputtered only for my fist to interrupt him.
"Cardin isn't here!" I growled at him, "he can't protect you right now! And if you want to see tomorrow you're going to listen to me!"
I jabbed a fist into his stomach and made him double over in pain. "You're going to call him and his team here," I told him, "right now!"
Jun's eyes went wide as he realized what I was asking him to do. He looked past me to the twins who were admiring my handiwork and realized that I was asking him to lure Cardin and his team into a trap.
"No!" he cried, "If I do that… Michail will kill me!"
I drew my .38 revolver and whipped him across the face with it before pressing the muzzle against his forehead. "What the fuck do you think I'm going to do with you?" I bluffed, pulling the hammer back for emphasis. I wasn't going to kill him but I figured a gun to the head would be the best way to get through whatever fear he had of Michail or the Atlesians.
"I got his scroll right here," Miltia said to me tossing it in my direction to catch. I took it and held it up for Jun. "Call him… make up some reason for him and his team to get down here," I instructed him, "and don't even think about trying to warn him."
Jun was a sputtering hyperventilating mess as he took his scroll. There was no way he could call Cardin like this, a deaf person would have heard him panicking. "Take a deep breath and count to ten," I told him, pulling the gun away so he could take a moment to relax. If he didn't I just knew Cardin would see right through the call so I gave him several minutes to calm the hell down before making the call.
I stared him down and kept the gun at the ready while he called Cardin. "Make it convincing, I want all his guys to show up."
He put the scroll to his ear and I listened to it ring. "Hey Cardin… I'm getting ready to move my operation but I think Junior's guys are onto me, those guys from yesterday probably blabbed so I'm a little paranoid. Could you and your friends come down and see that nothing happens at the moment?"
There was a pause and Jun nodded. "Yeah I'll pay you for your time… nothing has happened yet but I saw this one car pass buy a few too many times… Alright… thanks I'll hang tight."
The call ended and he dropped the scroll. Jun looked like he wanted to collapse. "He said that he'll be here in twenty minutes with all his guys," he said, handing the scroll back to me.
I turned to the twins. "What should we do with this guy?" I asked the twins since they held a higher rank and more authority than me, "he's selling on Junior's turf."
Melanie looked Jun up and down, "What do you think Miltia? I think he could send a good message for the other dealers not to sell in Junior's neighborhood. Maybe we just bend Junior's rules a little bit today."
"You have a point Melanie… but that sounds like a little too much work," she said stepping forward and placing her claws beneath his chin. "And really messy, maybe we could just remove a few things and let him walk around the neighborhood without a nose or a hand. We can certainly take his balls." P-please," Jun whimpered as one Miltia's claws poked the thin flesh of his throat releasing a small drop of blood to stream a red line down his neck.
"What does the Gentleman here think?" Melanie asked me, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms under her breasts. "It was your business he was moving in on, I don't see why you shouldn't be the one to decide his fate."
I considered my answer. Letting a guy get dismembered in front of me was not how I wanted things to go down, but I couldn't appear weak to them. "How about we let him skip town and never come back?" I suggested to the girls.
"Y-yeah!" Jun agreed nervously, "I'll leave Vale… you won't ever see me again."
"If I do," I told him with a wave of my revolver. "Then you're going to end up in the trunk of my car!"
Jun nodded frantically, clearly understanding my threat very well.
Melanie shrugged having no issue with the arrangement, "Fine, you're lucky this Gent here has a sense of mercy… now get the fuck out of here!"
Jun stepped away from the wall and looked around at his apartment nervously. I saw his eyes go to his stash.
"What the fuck are you waiting for!?" I barked at him.
"I just need to grab…" He trailed off looking nervous.
"Your drugs!?" I asked him angrily. "Didn't you hear the lady!? Get the fuck out of here!"
Jun sprinted out and away before I could even kick him. He sprinted out the door with only the clothes on his back. I never saw him again. I had just run a guy out of home and town, but it was better than letting Melanie and Militia dice him up into little pieces.
"Are you sure that was the wise call?" Miltia asked me.
I shrugged pocketing Jun's scroll, "If he shows up then you can make as much of an example as you want out of him," I said. "Besides I'm pretty sure Michail won't forgive him for losing his drugs. He'd have to be both really brave and stupid to show back up in Vale."
"Well we know he's stupid," Melanie said, "but alright… let's wait for this Cardin guy to show up."
I pulled out the shotgun and loaded in Kaiu's special bean bag shells, and I prepared the flashbangs for them as well. We stepped into a coat closet to hide and waited for them to arrive.
"You know when we agreed to help you get these guys I wasn't expecting to hide in a closet waiting for these guys to show," Miltia complained, "it fucking smells in here."
"Good," I said to her, not exactly comfortable myself but I had little pity for the twins having to squeeze themselves in here with me. "I want to get my money's worth from you two."
Melanie groaned, "Oh come on Jaune! You're getting a date with the two of us out of this!"
"Yup!" I deadpanned, "And I know the two of you are going to bleed my wallet for everything it's worth."
"You bet I will now," Miltia grumbled, "ugh… this closet stinks. Did that bastard keep his farts in here?"
"Quiet!" I hissed at the two of them "I think I hear them."
Sure enough I heard the front door swing open and the fall of footsteps. "Jun?" I heard Cardin call into the house, "Are you in here?"
I held my breath and peeked out through the crack in the door watching as Cardin and his team walked right by calling for Jun. "Do you think something happened to him?" Sky asked Cardin as they settled around in the living room.
"This place doesn't look anymore fucked up than it did yesterday," Russel said looking at the damage that remained from yesterday's fight, "you think there would be signs if something did happen?"
I yanked the pin on the flashbang and released the safety lever before tossing it right out and into the living room and slamming the closet door before it could go off.
"What the?" I heard Cardin exclaim before the little stun grenade detonated with an ear piercing pop.
I saw the flash come through the bottom crack of the door and even though I was on the other side of the door the sound made my ears ring. I burst out of the closet and raised the sawed-off shotgun right for Cardin.
The sawed off roared and I watched as Cardin's aura flared up to shield him. The bean bag burst apart to release the dust. I watched as a faint black glow outlined Cardin to show that the gravity dust was weighing him down and the electric glittered and sparked with yellow flashes and arcs of lighting.
I worked the pump and ejected the shell as I moved to my second target. I pulled the trigger and shot Dove next making him fall as the dust electrocuted him and weighed him down to the floor. Pump, aim, shoot. Pump, aim, shoot. Just like I had practiced hours earlier on Kaiu's indoor range.
By the time I had managed to shoot each and every one of them Cardin was picking himself up and he glared right at me. He charged right at me with his mace in hand lumbering like a drunk urasi. I shot him a second time before he could even get close enough to swing his weapon at me.
The twins moved past me and attacked Cardin together. Miltia slashed at him as Melanie flipped a kick right into his chin. Cardin tried swinging his mace at them. He moved with all the speed and grace of a tortoise. His strike tore a chunk of drywall off as he put his back to me. He tried all he could to get a strike in but the twins moved as if they were a single graceful entity.
I opened the chamber of my empty shogun and dropped a shell into the gate. I closed, aimed, and fired hitting Cardin square in the back.
"Get the others!" I told the twins seeing that the three other members of CRDL were recovering and getting ready to fight.
"Right!," they said in unison, moving together passing by Cardin to get to his friends. Mel whipped around and kicked Russel across the face as Mil caught Dove's blade in her claws and raked a slash across his chest.
Cardin turned to me and lunged with all his strength to give a wide desperate swing in my direction. But it was slow and clumsy and I ducked the swing as I dropped another shell into the shogun. The mace crashed into the wall leaving a hole and as Cardin tried wrenching it free I fired point blank at him.
The force of the shot so close sent him reeling back. The hilt of his weapon slipped out of his fingers and I pressed my advantage. The accumulated power of the gravity dust as well as the electric shocks sent in sprawling. I reached for the collapsible baton and extended in with a flick of my wrist before mercilessly beating the living daylights out of him.
The steel club rose and fell again and again as I smashed it against his aura. I'll admit that after all the grief Cardin had given me I was enjoying this immensely. I thought about all the times he had bullied me at Beacon, the time he stuffed me in a rocket powered locker and sent it flying, how he had apparently hurt Pyrrha after I had left. But mostly I thought about the people that Cardin was working with and how much I despised them. He was working for Michail and that was all the justification I needed to hurt him.
His aura broke. Shattering into light I continued my assault on his unshielded face. The club smashed his nose, it chipped a tooth, it left marks and bruises. Cardin roared in agony. The gravity dust wore off and he finally managed to push me off of him with all his strength. I stumbled back gracelessly from the push as he tried to raise himself up and grab for his mace.
But it was too late. I was still running full on my aura and he was already out. I lunged for Cardin as he grabbed his mace and snapped the baton across his wrist breaking it. He growled in pain and tried punching me, only for his naked fist to smash against my aura harming him more than me. I cracked him in the knee cap and sent him down to see Russel moving in to help his partner.
I blocked several of his dagger swings and even managed to get a few solid swings in before Melanie rushed to deliver a roundhouse kick right to him and knocked him right into the wall. He hit the wall and I dropped my club to bring the shotgun back up. I ejected the spent shell still in the chamber and dropped a fresh one in. I hit Russel right in the sternum and blasted away his aura leaving him to spasm from the electric shocks and pulled to the ground from the gravity dust.
Dove tried coming at me with his sword but Melanie was ready by my side. Her shapely leg and bladed heel came up to deflect the sword thrust away as I readied another shell and blasted him to the ground. Melanie dropped her leg, finishing him off as I watched Miltia catch Sky's halberd in her claws and send him flying before lashing out with a flurry of slashes.
It was over. The fight had ended and I barely had a scratch on me. Cardin on the other hand was bleeding on the floor groaning in pain. He was trying to crawl to his friends and he looked up defiantly at me.
"Get up!" I hissed to him grabbing him by his shirt collar, "get the fuck up you piece of shit!" I forced him into the living room with the others kicking him to move and waving the sawed off around to make my point.
"Fuck you!" Cardin cursed earning a strike from the grip of my shotgun.
"You know, I have half a mind to take Nora's advice and break your legs right now Cardin," I said to him, putting the muzzle of the shotgun against his kneecap. I had no idea what kind of damage a beanbag would do at such a close range but I was sure it would be devastating on his leg.
"We won't stop you," Melanie said with a sadistic smirk.
Cardin looked away from me too proud to admit defeat but clearly understanding that he had been beaten in this fight. The tables had turned, he was now at my mercy.
lit a cigarette to calm down and took a seat in Jun's chair with the shogun laying across my lap. "What am I going to do with you Cardin?" I asked looking at the rest of his team, "What am I going to do with any of you?'
"You were threatening one of Michail's dealers," Cardin said to me with a noncommittal shrug, "you're working for Junior so you clearly know how this is Jaune. It's business."
"Business!" I spat pointing the sawed off in his direction. "Junior doesn't push poison on the streets, Cardin! He doesn't kidnap women to be sold! If that's business to you then maybe I should have used buckshot instead of beanbags!"
I saw Cardin's eyes go wide the minute I mentioned his boss selling women. All of them seemed to be more than a little shocked at me mentioning it.
"We don't know anything about that!" Russel said, being the first to speak up. "We've only been helping protect his drug dealers!"
"We're just muscle," Cardin told me, looking me in my eyes, "I knew about the drugs sure but I had no idea about… that other stuff. Michail doesn't trust us with much, he just pays us to keep the dealers in line."
He didn't sound like a liar, and the look in his eyes was more than convincing. "He almost got Velvet," I growled angrily to him, "if I hadn't intervened then I don't know where she would be right now."
"I didn't know anything about that!" Cardin roared back at me.
"We had no clue," Sky assured me.
I sighed and blew out a cloud of smoke. "I'd like to have a word with them in private," I said to the twins.
"Are you sure?" Miltia asked me looking over the four of them.
"They're not going anywhere," I said waving my shotgun for emphasis. "We're going to reminisce about Beacon a little, have some guy talk."
Melanie gave them a look before shrugging, "Whatever, fire away if you need us."
They both turned and left with the rest of CRDL looking at them go. "I see your habit of befriending interesting girls hasn't changed," Cardin commented as they closed the door behind them leaving the five of us all alone.
"Yeah well… being a friendly guy certainly helps me make friends," I said to him leaning forward. "How did the four of you end up working for the Atlesians?"
"How did you end up working for Junior?" Cardin said, trying to answer my question with another question.
"I got a cab driving job from one of his bosses," I explained to him, "and then one thing led to another." I wasn't going to tell Jaune that I was actually spying on the Clan for Ozpin.
Cardin sighed listening to me. "I never took you as the type to do this kind of work Jaune… I'm surprised you can stomach it to be honest."
"Answer the question," I told Cardin, finished with the roundabout he was giving me.
He looked away with evident shame on my face. "I needed the money," Cardin told me plainly.
"He's in debt," Sky told me.
"Dude!" Russel said, elbowing his comrade.
Cardin only looked more embarrassed to have the truth bared like that.
and if I'm going to be helping you screw over Michail then I have no choice but to go all in."
"Does this guy have a name?" I asked him.
"Plenty within the 24k Dragons call him gold fist or Kin No Ken, but his real name is Kenzo," he told me, crossing his arms.
I remembered that name and thought back to the guy in that chop shop who sent me flying and kicked my ass. I remembered the regret he had displayed in fighting O-Ushi and the respect he tried to still give her despite being at odds. I put my arm around Cardin's shoulder as we left Jun's apartment together. "Tell me more," I told him.
CHANGING LOCATION
She winced as a sharp pain flared in her shoulder. It wasn't just her pride that had taken a hit. After sitting for hours in that damnable bullhead, her muscles stiff and uncooperative, she'd been forced into an intense, prolonged fight. Now, here she was, excluded from the council meeting, with a pulled muscle and a lingering frustration she couldn't seem to shake.
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Winter swung the training rapier hard against the dummy in front of her, the impact reverberating through her arms. The strike was precise—like all she made were—but it did little to ease the knot in her chest. She struck again, faster this time, her moves fluid and exact, each one honed through years of disciplined training. Still, the tension refused to leave her body.
The dull hum of Beacon's training room offered little comfort. She had chosen it for its isolation, seeking an environment where she could work out the kinks in her muscles and vent the anger simmering beneath her composed exterior. Yet no matter how many times her blade connected with the target, she couldn't erase the image of his smug expression or the infuriating way he seemed to brush off every consequence.
" Drunkard, " she muttered under her breath, her voice tight with disdain.
Another strike.
" Ruffian. "
A flurry of blows followed, her movements faster now, her frustration bleeding into her usually controlled form.
" Degenerate. "
Her breath came in short bursts as she finally stepped back, glaring at the now battered dummy. Despite her efforts, the knot of tension in her shoulders and the ache in her pulled muscle stubbornly remained. She lowered the training saber, her hand trembling slightly from exertion, and exhaled slowly, attempting to regain her composure.
This wasn't working. None of it was working.
Winter Schnee was many things—a soldier, a leader, a professional—but at that moment, she was simply angry. Angry at the situation, angry at being excluded, and most of all, angry at him. That insolent, insufferable man who somehow managed to fight on par with her, who undermined her carefully cultivated image with every careless action.
She gritted her teeth, setting the training rapier aside. For now, she needed to rest. There would be time later to process everything—to understand where things had gone wrong and ensure they never happened again. But even as she left the training room, her steps purposeful and her posture rigid, the image of Qrow Branwen and his infuriating smirk lingered in her mind, igniting a fire that no amount of training could extinguish.
She let a deep breath out, hand going up to massage her sore shoulder. It would be better to go to the infirmary, but using the one in Beacon when she was – partially – responsible for an unsanctioned fight in its courtyard would be humiliating at best and grounds for mockery at worst. The only one where she could have any fragment of control would be the one in the main airship. But she wouldn't be able to return to the ship for quite some time now.
An insult above an injury. It was deserved for her lack of control against that man.
"Do you need help?"
The voice was soft yet distinctly masculine, cutting through the quiet of the training room like a pebble dropped into a well.
Winter spun on her heel, rapier now back in hand and poised to strike in the direction of the intruder. Her sharp blue eyes locked onto the source—a young man standing at the edge of the training ring. She tightened her grip instinctively.
It really isn't my day, she thought grimly. Taken by surprise again... by a student, no less.
The boy at the tip of her blade froze, his wide blue eyes reflecting a mix of shock and alarm. His hands shot up defensively, palms out.
Winter's critical gaze swept over him, appraising him like a commander sizing up a raw recruit. He was young—likely around Weiss's age—with shaggy blonde hair plastered back by sweat. His training clothes were damp, clinging slightly to his frame, and the sheen of perspiration suggested he'd been training hard, even though it was well into the night. That dedication alone was... noteworthy, if nothing else.
She arched a cool eyebrow, lowering her blade slightly but keeping her stance ready.
"With your shoulder?" he asked, his voice steady despite his hands still being raised.
Winter's icy demeanor didn't falter. "And how, precisely, would you intend to assist me, Mister...?"
"Oh!" he exclaimed, his expression brightening. "My semblance!"
Her eyes narrowed as she studied him more closely. His response was genuine, his eagerness almost disarming, but she kept her guard up. The boy lowered his hands cautiously, his smile turning sheepish. "I can use my semblance to help speed up healing and boost your natural Aura recovery. It's pretty effective, I promise."
An external healing semblance? Her interest piqued despite herself. Those were rare. Extremely rare. Huntsmen with healing abilities were often relegated to support roles, either on the back lines or assigned to protective details. Within the Atlas military, anyone capable of enhancing recovery or amplifying Aura regeneration was worth their weight in gold. Anyone capable of returning Huntsman and Huntress to the frontlines faster was.
Perhaps this little excursion won't be a complete waste, Winter thought, her calculating mind already weighing possibilities. Recruiting a capable support Huntsman wouldn't erase the debacle of the day, but it could mitigate the damage to her record.
"And your name?" she asked, lowering the rapier fully.
"Jaune! Jaune Arc," he said with a boyish grin, stepping forward to offer his hand.
The name tugged at her memory, though she couldn't immediately place it. Jaune Arc... where have I heard that before?
She took his hand, noting its warmth and firmness, though it lacked the exaggerated grip young men often used in an attempt to impress. At least he is not kissing it as fathers sycophants often did.
"Can you sit on the bench, please?" Jaune asked, pointing toward a seat under the spectator stands beside the training ring. "I'll need to be able to see and move your arm properly to apply my Aura."
She studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable. "Is your semblance contact-based?"
"Yes... and no?" he admitted, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I can do it from a little distance—like a hand or two away—but it works a lot better if I can touch and massage the area. My Aura infuses better that way, and the healing's way faster."
His explanation was reasonable, even practical. Semblances were notorious for their variety and quirks, often requiring strange or specific conditions to function optimally. His method simply demonstrated his understanding of his own abilities—a promising sign.
Still, caution was second nature to Winter Schnee. If his hands wander, I'll bruise a few fingers as a lesson. She wasn't expecting trouble; the boy seemed earnest in his desire to help. But one could never be too prepared. The hidden knives in her boots and belt weren't decorative after all.
With that thought, she gave a curt nod and moved to the bench. Sitting down, she extended her injured arm slightly, watching as Jaune stepped closer, his movements careful and deliberate.
"Let's see what you can do, Mr. Arc," she said coolly, her tone betraying just the faintest edge of curiosity.
Jaune circled around Winter, his movements careful and deliberate as he examined her arm. His touch was surprisingly light, almost tentative, as though he were afraid of causing any extra discomfort. "Can you show me how much you can move it without hurting?" he asked softly.
Winter complied, rotating her shoulder in slow, precise circles until the strain in her muscles stopped her short.
"Right," Jaune said, his tone thoughtful. He steadied her arm with one hand while the other rested gently on her shoulder. "I'm going to activate my semblance and see if I can pinpoint what's wrong. You'll feel some heat and maybe a jolt to your Aura, okay?"
She gave a curt nod, her composure as rigid as ever. But inwardly, she wasn't prepared for what was coming next.
Jaune Arc had his own doubts about how his semblance actually felt to others. His teammates' wildly varying and somewhat bashful descriptions didn't help. Nora had called it a "jolt of energy," while Pyrrha described it as peaceful and soothing warmth. Ren, always succinct, had said it was "relaxing and invigorating," with no mention of heat or electricity. Jaune figured it must feel slightly different for everyone and hadn't given it much more thought. What he need to know was that it helped and everyone felt way better after it, that was more than enough for him.
But to Winter?
It felt absolutely brilliant.
The moment his palm settled on her shoulder, a wave of pure, comforting heat spread from the contact point. It was as though she had stepped into a cozy cabin after braving a freezing snowstorm. The tension in her muscles seemed to melt under the warmth, and even the lingering frustration from her disastrous day began to dissipate. Her rigid composure softened as an almost loving and carring calm washed over her.
Her breath hitched slightly, and for the first time in what felt like years, her mind wasn't occupied by duty or perfectionism.
And then, as quickly as it had come, the sensation faded. Winter caught herself just before a small, involuntary plea escaped her lips.
"Yeah, it's really tough," Jaune said apologetically, pulling his hand back. "I can feel pretty much all the muscles in your shoulder and back—they're super tight. Honestly, I'm not sure I can fix it without giving you a full Aura massage."
Winter straightened, forcing her usual composure and mask back into place despite the lingering warmth. "I do not believe the rest of my body is injured, Mr. Arc," she said, her voice clipped and formal. "My shoulder was strained due to my own movements during combat." She would not give Branwen any further credit for her current predicament.
Jaune shook his head, clearly intent on explaining. "Oh, it's not about being hurt. It's just... your muscles are really tight," he said earnestly. "Pyrrha and Nora had the same problem. It's something about constant training without giving your muscles enough time to relax. I've been helping them work through it—it's, uh, most of what I practice right now."
Pyrrha. As in Nikos I belive, Winter thought, the name clicking into place. That explained the familiarity—Jaune Arc was likely listed in the files of notable individuals or promising candidates. She would have to review them later, but this revelation added significant credibility to his abilities. If Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl herself, trusted him enough to rely on his semblance for recovery, it spoke volumes. A world-class athlete like her wouldn't settle for anything less than professional-grade care after all.
Winter's expression didn't betray the wheels turning in her mind. If this boy's abilities were as valuable as they seemed, he could be a strategic asset. And if her understanding of his clientele was accurate, his skills were likely in high demand—and not inexpensive.
"Interesting," she said coolly, tilting her head slightly as if in thought. "And how much would such a treatment cost me?"
She watched him carefully, gauging his reaction. Money wasn't a concern—she might not have unrestricted access to the Schnee fortune, but she had more than enough to pay whatever price he might name. Beyond that, any opportunity to learn more about his semblance—and to allow herself a rare moment of relaxation—was well worth the cost.
Still, her mind raced with considerations. If Jaune Arc was already operating in a freelance capacity, securing his services could be as simple as offering a generous contract. However, if his clientele included Pyrrha Nikos and others of her caliber, his prices were likely far from modest. And while she didn't recognize the name Nora, she could probably guess she was another Huntress or tournament fighter from vale.
Jaune, however, didn't seem to pick up on her calculating expression. Instead, he rubbed the back of his neck, his boyish grin returning. "Oh, uh... I don't really charge anything," he said sheepishly. "I just help my friends out when they need it. It's not like a business or anything."
Winter raised an eyebrow, surprised by his answer. No charge? That simplified things, but it also meant she'd need to tread carefully if she wanted to make use of his talents without overstepping. But she did file the fact that the blonde seemed to be friends with very high people. Maybe he even knows Weiss, she was attending Beacon at this time.
"Well, then," she said, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "Let us see if your 'help' is as effective as you claim, Mr. Arc. I'm prepared to accept your expertise."
Jaune grinned, clearly pleased by her response. "You got it!" he said cheerfully, already stepping forward to begin.
Winter allowed herself a small breath of satisfaction. Today may have been a failure in many ways, but this boy—and his intriguing semblance—might just make the effort worthwhile after all.
"Do you mind taking off your jacket and laying down?" Jaune asked, his tone tinged with awkwardness. He glanced away, scratching the back of his neck as though bracing for rejection. "If you're not comfortable without it, I can do the massage over it, but it won't be as effective."
Winter regarded him for a moment, her icy demeanor unreadable. Under normal circumstances, she would have balked at such a request. But Jaune's earnestness was disarming—his eagerness to help was genuine, untainted by ulterior motives.
Still, she was Winter Schnee, an Ace Operative of Atlas. Even if the boy had any inappropriate intentions, she could incapacitate him in seconds. And... though she would never admit it aloud, she was curious to feel the full effect of his Aura again. The brief taste of it earlier had been unexpectedly comforting, almost intoxicating.
With a small nod of acquiescence, she removed her jacket, folding it neatly and setting it aside before lying face-down on the bench.
Jaune smiled nervously, clearly relieved she hadn't refused. "I'll start with your shoulders and neck muscles, okay? If you feel uncomfortable at any point, just tell me to stop."
Winter nodded again, her voice quiet but steady. "Understood."
Jaune moved to stand behind her, his hands hovering hesitantly before settling on her shoulders.
Had he known what his Aura felt like to others—or the ramifications of how it interacted with their own—he might have offered more of a warning. But Jaune Arc didn't fully grasp the nature of his semblance yet, nor the profound effects it could have. His teammates had been equally unhelpful in explaining it, especially Pyrrha, who had experienced its intensity firsthand.
leaving her hyper-aware of his every movement. She knew the purity of his intentions, his unwavering desire to help, and the quiet admiration he held for her. It made the experience feel far more intimate than it should have, as if he was unintentionally peeling away the layers of her carefully maintained facade.
Her pride bristled at the vulnerability she felt, but she couldn't deny the impact his touch—and his Aura—was having. The tension in her body continued to melt away, replaced by an almost unbearable calm. It was as if his very presence was a balm to her frayed nerves, a moment of solace she hadn't realized she so desperately needed.
And that was the most unsettling part of all.
Winter Schnee did not need anyone. She did not rely on others for comfort or relief. And yet here she was, biting her cheek to suppress reactions she refused to let surface, her disciplined mask slipping in the face of something she couldn't quite control.
The boy—this Jaune Arc —had managed to do what no one else could.
She would have to figure out what to do with that knowledge later. For now, all she could do was endure, clinging to the last shreds of her composure as his hands worked their magic.
It was a long day, after all. And Jaune was proving himself far more capable than she had anticipated.
The soft vibration of her scroll pulled Winter back to reality, snapping her focus away from the warmth radiating through her muscles.
"Just a moment, Mr. Arc," she said, her voice still slightly breathless as she sat up, brushing her disheveled hair back into place with practiced efficiency. Her fingers retrieved the scroll, her movements quick and precise despite the lingering relaxation in her frame.
The name on the screen made her immediately straighten, the tension creeping back into her shoulders. General Ironwood.
She took a moment to compose herself, letting her disciplined mask slip back into place. With a swift motion, she accepted the call, the stoic professionalism returning to her voice. "General. How may I be of assistance?"
The screen flickered to life, revealing the familiar face of James Ironwood. His sharp eyes softened slightly as he took in her appearance.
"Sorry for the late call, Winter. I see you were already preparing to call it a night," he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Winter stiffened slightly, catching the subtle note of amusement in his tone. She realized with a twinge of embarrassment that this might be the first time the General had seen her less than perfectly composed. Even after grueling missions, she always made a point to present herself immaculately before reporting in. Now, disheveled and without her jacket, she felt oddly exposed.
"Not at all, sir," she replied crisply, though her cheeks warmed slightly. "I was simply engaged in a brief recovery exercise."
Ironwood seemed unconvinced but didn't press further. "We'll be staging here in Beacon for the next three nights," he said, getting straight to the point. "The room assignments for us and our men have been sent to our individual scrolls. During our stay, we'll be assisting with extra security measures and working to incentivize collaboration between our academies."
"Incentivize, sir?" Winter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Intra-academy mission cooperation," he clarified. "We're pairing a few Atlas teams with Beacon teams for joint training exercises. Some of these teams will also be selected for specialized missions as part of the collaboration effort."
Winter's mind immediately began to turn. An interesting prospect came to her, one that could serve multiple purposes.
"Would it be possible for me to handle the selection of the teams, sir?" she asked, her tone measured yet purposeful.
Ironwood's expression shifted slightly, a knowing glint in his eyes. "If you're planning to put forward Team RWBY, they're already on the list," he said with a small smile.
Winter resisted the urge to sigh. While her sister's team had crossed her mind, her thoughts were on something far more specific—and potentially beneficial. "That is one reason, sir," she replied, a half-truth delivered with practiced ease. "But I also believe it would be beneficial for me to be personally involved. Considering today's... events, I believe demonstrating my willingness to work directly with Beacon's teams would help reinforce trust and collaboration between our academies. Additionally, I've identified some interesting prospects worth consideration."
Ironwood chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You're always prepared, Winter. Even when I haven't finished giving orders."
"I aim to exceed expectations, sir," she said, her tone firm but laced with a hint of humility.
"Very well," he replied, his voice tinged with approval. "You'll have full discretion. Submit your selected teams to Deputy Headmistress Goodwitch before her class tomorrow at 1400. The invitations will go out then."
"Yes, sir. Thank you," Winter said with a sharp nod, already formulating her plan.
Ironwood's gaze softened slightly, his tone turning more paternal. "And, Winter... don't spend the entire night on this. You'll need to be at your best for tomorrow's demonstration."
"Sir, yes sir!" she replied, her voice unwavering.
"Good night, Winter."
"Good night, General."
As the call ended, Winter let out a slow breath, her disciplined exterior cracking just enough for a moment of reflection. She glanced at Jaune, who had tactfully stepped aside during the call, his expression equal parts curious and concerned.
😏✊😍😋😶🤪😔🙁😕😕😶🌫️😌😜😝🍞🙃🙃🤐😚😛🤪🙁🙁✊✊😶🤣🥰✊😝🍞😍😜😚😝
As Winter's lips curled into the faintest hint of a smirk. Interesting prospects, indeed.Tomorrow would mark a new opportunity—not just to recovery from today's mistakes but to turn them into a strategic advantage. And she already had one particulars name in mind for the list."Jaune ?" As Winter then called him out as her voice clear and composed as she's gestured for her very husband to approach her once again as Jaune just then looked up from where's he had been tidying his things, blinking in slight confusion as he stepped closer. "Yes, winter ?" As he asked "As What was the name of your old team again?" she's asked, her tone lighter now, though her postured remained perfectly poised. " It was Team JNPR, why do you ask ?" he's just replied and then tilting his head curiously. "But... Is everything alright winter ?" As then winter saw the concern in his eyes and voice "Nothing..... much just asking ? ," Winter said as just letting a soft smile tug at her lips her very tone warmed as she's added, "And please, call me snow angel" as Jaune blinked again,
clearly startled by the sudden shift in formality, but he quickly straightened his very own smile bright and as it did brought a Smile on his face automatically and a bit later "Oh, uh, sure! Snow angel," As he said to her as the very name rolling off his tongue has with a mix of respect and ease as She rose from the bench with practiced grace, as retrieving her jacket and draping it neatly over her arm Turning her scroll toward him, she revealed a simple map. "Would you mind showing me where this is ?" she asked, her voice remaining polite yet warm and then a map displayed on a route to her designated room. "Since I am already... abusing your hospitality, I'd like to trouble you just a bit further and ask for directions. If it's not too much trouble, that's is as another thing.. if I don't mind... I would like to see your restaurant as that is a little to much." She replied
As then jaune's just smiled a bit face lit up with a grin, his very earlier hesitations replaced by an eagerness to help. "Not at all! It's really close to our dorms. I can give to locations and then we both can walk there to the restaurant together if you'd like." As told her as it was then Winter smile lingered as she considered his offer as she would like it "I would very much like that." There was a calm finality to her words, as though she had already decided that's her husband Jaune would factor into her very plans moving forward. Today had started as a complete disaster, a mess of frustration and humiliation. But now ? Now, she's saw potential and then many more Opportunities as then Jaune as then gestured for her to follow, chatting amiably about the layout of Beacon's dormitories and then take her to his restaurant and it very layouts again without any kind of distractions in mind or there physically Winter allowed herself to just relax ever so slightly as For the first time in hours, she's no longer felt the sting of the day's failures pressing on her shoulders and Perhaps today hadn't been as bad as she'd believed as she's followed Jaune out of the trainings room and into the quiet halls of the agencies has it was faint and almost imperceptibly smile graced her lips now as it's was then Tomorrow after all and then promised to be very interesting as she thought and walked with him now.
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TO BE CONTINUED