Beacon – Emerald Forest

"Once I've been made team leader I'll start implementing a schedule dividing our day out into segments for training, study sessions, eating, and sleeping. Impute from the whole team will be considered, however, being team leader I'll be expected to make the final decision. I'll also consider blah, blah, blah…"

Jaune couldn't say when but at some point his instincts kicked in, blocking out Weiss' incessant droning regarding her being made team leader. It wouldn't have been so bad were it not for the fact that he was now officially her partner. The moment it happened he wanted nothing more than to go charging back to the cliff they'd been flung from and smash Ozpin's face into the ground. What sort of bullshit reasoning did the man use when he came up with the decision that the first person you made eye contact with became your partner for the next four years? Still, it could be worse, he supposed, though he was having a difficult time coming up with worse examples that eclipsed Weiss at the moment.

The one good thing about tuning out his partner was how quickly time flew by. Before long they entered a clearing that opened up onto the remains of what he could only assume might have been a temple of some sort. Ancient ruins dotted the landscape with vegetation having reclaimed much of it as it covered the stony remains. Closer to them were several stone pillars upon which he could just make out small objects sitting on some of them. He also noticed a pair of people standing in the area, no doubt other initiates claiming their "relic" and assuring their place in Beacon.

"Well look who made it. Sir pukes-a-lot," he heard Yang say as they drew closer. "I'm almost tempted to ask if there were any unfortunate souls who got puked on while you went flying through the air."

"Considering I didn't have you standing in my way again I managed just fine," he shot back.

"Whatever," she said, eyeing him and Weiss. "So you got paired up with ice queen? I'm not sure who I feel more sorry for."

"Ice queen?" Weiss scoffed, obviously offended by the remark.

"I'm guessing these are the relics," Jaune cut before Weiss had a chance to go off on a tangent.

"Yep, far as we can tell. Help yourself, there's still some left over."

Jaune did just that, taking a look at the various pieces left for them to claim. Among them he could see the two rooks, both black and gold, along with a single knight. He wondered for a moment what their purpose was and what connection they might have to the make-up of the teams. Recalling his time spent playing chess with Calcipher, he recalled how the man emphasized the importance each piece played as well as utilizing their overall strengths and movement patterns to your advantage.

The one thing that the man had always seemed passionate about was his belief that each piece's movements were a representation of the personality. The pawns, which could only move forward and attack diagonally, had movements focused mainly on following orders. The knights, which could move in an "L" like pattern, were more akin to scouts and were better utilized in flanking maneuvers. The Rooks were tanks, their vertical and horizontal movements' representative of their overwhelming, though restrictive, power. The Bishop was unorthodox, following its own rules as it moved diagonally, making it more difficult to predict. The Queen, obviously the most powerful piece, was able to move freely as she was less weighed down by her responsibilities and more determined to render aid to her subjects. That left the King whose movements restricted him to single spaces as his presence was meant to inspire the troops rather than allowing him to move too freely and therefore give himself over to overconfidence which no doubt would spell his undoing. The man had other theories, especially one tied to the pawns, but for now they weren't important.

Gazing at the pieces once more Jaune quickly dismissed their movements as having anything to do with the team's makeup. From what he'd learned of Headmaster Ozpin he was very good at making something simple look well thought out and complex. Take for his example his instruction that their partner would be the first person they locked eyes with. Tying in something so paramount to an act so simple would undoubtedly lead many people to be more conscientious of who they revealed themselves to. Of course, for people like himself and Weiss who'd locked eyes during combat, there had been little room for reconsideration. On the other hand, there was no doubt others were taking their time, studying their fellow initiates from affair before deciding if revealing themselves and partnering with them would be the wisest course of action. Granted, it would leave them less time to grab a relic but some situations required careful planning over speed.

Having considered all of this Jaune came the simplest conclusion he could regarding the chess pieces. It was a matching game. In other words, each pair who had matching pieces would be placed together, making them a team. It was simple yet would also require careful consideration, assuming you had the chance to not only see the other pair's relics but also choose your own from what remained. That made things much more complicated as not too many pieces were left. Of them his eyes drifted to the remaining Knight Chess piece as well as the Rooks. Both presented problems as Jaune didn't know the holders of the other Knight but, should he choose a Rook, that would also mean possibly forfeiting the chance to learn the identities of his other team members and decide if he would be better off with someone else. Granted, he could stay behind and wait to see who came their way but he doubted Weiss would have the patience for that.

"Excuse me, Miss Xio Long," he said.

"Uh, it's Yang actually," she said, giving him a weird look.

"Sorry, Yang, which piece did you take?"

"Oh, I grabbed us one of the horses," she said, holding up a Knight triumphantly.

"You and, uh," he said, glancing over at her partner.

"Blake Belladonna," the girl said, giving him a polite nod.

"Yea, she doesn't talk much," Yang replied.

The fact that Blake wasn't a very talkative individual wasn't his greatest concern. He knew who Blake Belladonna was. He'd met her parents on more than one occasion. What had him puzzled was why the girl was here, at Beacon, and moreover the fact that she was trying to hide her Faunus heritage beneath that flimsy material of a bow. Last he'd heard Blake was a stalwart member of the White Fang, the Faunus rights support group turned terrorist organization. His initial assumption was that the girl was here acting as a spy for the White Fang but he quickly dropped that theory for a number of reasons, the most obvious coming from her not all too convincing attempt at a disguise and the fact that she was still using her actual name rather than a fake one.

Regardless, he decided that was a matter to consider for another time. Now armed with the knowledge that Yang and Blake were in possession of the Knight he now had a vague idea of who he could potentially be teamed up with. Granted, he could simply take one of the other chess pieces. Sure, he wasn't completely sure who had the others but it just might be a better option in hindsight when compared to the girl who would no doubt never forgive him for vomiting on her shoes (which was more her fault than his) and her partner who would obviously become an even bigger problem when Weiss eventually discovered who she really was. Better to save himself the potential headache and fallout by choosing the Rook instead.

"You guys hear something?" Blake asked out of the blue.

Jaune gave her a quizzical look but like everyone else began looking around, straining his ears to hear something out of place. Nothing drew his attention at first. However, after a short period of time a strange noise could be heard emanating from the forest. Before long it grew louder and more distinct as the sound of falling trees and flocks of birds taking to the air made it apparent something was approaching their position and fast.

"We've got incoming," Jaune said, drawing his handgun and aiming for the tree line. The others followed suit with Yang readying her gauntlets, Blake raising her own pistol, and Weiss prepared to summon a glyph.

As the noise drew closer Jaune's muscles tensed. He knew whatever was coming was going to come in hard and fast. He could pop off two, maybe three shots if he was lucky before he would have to put some distance between himself and the target. As the noise had just reached their position a new sound joined it. He couldn't be certain but it sounded almost like a girl yelling out in excitement followed by the shouts of a boy though what he was saying he couldn't quite make out. He pushed this aside though, focusing on the incoming threat and readying himself for another fight.

"YEEEEEHHHHHHAAAAWWWWW!"

As expected a Grimm, an Ursa from the looks of it, came bounding out of the forest, knocking trees aside in its mad dash through the foliage. What wasn't expected, however, and caught everyone off guard was the ginger haired girl riding atop the Grimm like it was a horse. Glancing between the girl and her ride for a moment Jaune thought he could see distress in the creature's expression, almost as if it was being tortured. Any sympathy he might have had for the creature quickly died when it collapsed a few feet from them, its body quickly beginning to dissolve as its ride slide off of its back.

"Aww, it's broken," she cued in a genuinely disappointed tone.

"Nora!" a young boy with black hair and a single pink strip cried out, stopping to steady himself against the Grimm corpse as he struggled to catch his breath. "Don't ever do that again."

"Did that girl just come riding in on an Ursa?" Yang asked aloud.

Oddly enough Jaune knew she'd just voiced what they were all thinking. How the girl had even managed to mount the damn thing was a mystery all on its own. The fact that she had also driven it to the point of death without ever attempting to attack its rider was something that left him feeling very uneasy about her. Glancing over at her he noticed her attention span was incredibly short as she'd quickly forgotten her dead ride and was now eyeing one of the Chess pieces.

"I'm queen of the castle. I'm queen of the castle," she said in a singsong voice as she balanced the Rook atop her head.

"Nora!" the boy yelled, obviously irritated with the girl.

"Coming Ren," she replied cheerily.

Jaune's gaze slide from the girl to the two remaining Chess pieces, a Rook and a Knight, and then back to the girl. Without hesitating for a moment longer he quickly snatched up the Knight, deciding he'd deal with his team's fallout when it happened, and grabbed Weiss' hand.

"Time to go," he said, not waiting a moment for her to protest.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Blake asked again.

"Nope, don't hear a thing," Jaune quickly replied, the events tied to the last time she'd asked that question still fresh in his mind and having no intention of repeating the situation instead focused on returning to the cliff.

"It sounds like a girl screaming," Blake replied.

Before Jaune could say anything in protest, he noticed the sound as well and it was getting louder. He hesitated, fighting the instinctual urge to look up at the mass that was undoubtedly growing bigger and louder as it approached. After a couple moments he gave up, looking up into the sky to try and figure out what was coming for them. He had barely a few seconds to make out a red and black silhouette along with a vaguely familiar face before it impacted him, hard.

"Ugh, my head," Ruby moaned, stumbling to her feet as she cradled her head in her hands.

"Did she just come falling out of the sky?" Blake asked aloud.

No one answered, everyone too nervous to find out just how and why Ruby had been so high up in the first place.

"Hey, where's Jaune? I thought I saw him," Ruby said, gazing around for the blonde boy. "Jaune, where are you?"

"Down here," she heard him grumble.

Her gaze moved downward to see Jaune lying splayed out on the ground, her boots pressing into his chest and face as he kissed the dirt.

"Eep, I'm so sorry!" she yelped, quickly removing herself and allowing him to stand.

"Ruby, are you alright?" a new voice joined the fray, this one belonging to Pyrrha Nikos.

"Uh, yea, I just had a rough landing, ha ha," she said, attempting to laugh off the situation despite the daggers she was being shot by Weiss at the moment.

"It would be funny had you not used my partner as a landing pad," she remarked.

"Sorry," Pyrrha apologized, stooping to help Jaune to his feet as he brushed off the dirt and grass. "We were riding a Nevermore when I thought Ruby said to let go. She must have been holding on longer than I anticipated."

"Wait, you were riding a Nevermore?" Jaune asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

His question was soon answered by a shrill cry and a large shadow passing them overhead. They gazed up at the massive form of the largest Nevermore any of them had ever seen. The fact that the Grimm could reach such a size was impressive enough but the fact that Beacon hadn't taken the time to exterminate the beast had some of them questioning the competence of the staff.

"Well, Ozpin did say we would meet some resistance," Yang pointed out. "At least it can't get any worse."

As if on cue a shrill cry emanated from the nearby forest. A moment later trees and dirt were sent flying in all directions as a massive Death stalker entered the clearing, the sun glinting off its stinger as it snapped its pincers menacingly. All eyes turned to Yang, boring holes into her head as they silently judged her for her poor choice of words.

"He he, my bad," she replied sheepishly.

/-/

"Finally, Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xio Long who retrieved the black and white Knight Chess pieces will be known as Team Jazzberry (JBWY)."

Polite applause sounded throughout the auditorium. Jaune stood motionless, doing his best to maintain a neutral expression all the while feeling rather annoyed. Next to him Weiss had a polite smile plastered on her face but he knew she was disappointed by the fact that he, not she, had been named as their team's leader. Add to the fact that Pyrrha hadn't ended up on their team and you had a recipe for a year that was sure to lead to a massive migraine. He could already imagine what the girl had planned, the lengths she would go to in order to claim some semblance of leadership without making it seem like she was trying to take the reins from him. While he couldn't care either way, that didn't distract from the fact that he was going to have to deal with her constant suggestions and questioning of his abilities. Nothing could ever be simple, could it?

It was that realization that had him dreading the next four years of his life. That's honestly how it had been. From the moment he made that deal with Calcipher up to the point that had him leading his team to their assigned dorm room, he was constantly asking himself if he'd made the right decision. His immediate reaction was to say yes. It was the only way he had available to him that would allow him to complete his goal without fear of reprisal. Sure, that meant he'd need to tolerate the next four years to achieve it but he'd made that choice. On the other hand, he could also see the benefits of choosing to forgo Beacon completely. He would have been able to spend more time training with the others, honing his skills and possibly building a network of support that would back him when She finally made a move, giving him an excuse to retaliate. The unfortunate fact of the matter was that he wasn't all that patient. He didn't want to wait any longer than he had to in order to avenge his family. Four years was the most he could allow himself to deal with, no more.

As soon as they reached their dorm, Jaune swiped his scroll across the key pad and opened the door once he'd heard the telltale click of the lock. The moment they walked in they were greeted by a large room that was furnished enough to accommodate four individuals as well as the mountain of belongings stuffed into various suitcases and bags. Weiss' were the easiest to pick out, not to mention the ones that made up most of the pile. Jaune's, on the other hand, were limited to a couple duffle bags and a large black plastic case. On each of the beds there had been placed uniforms, his easily standing out as it was the only one not paired with a skirt. He didn't hesitate for a moment, quickly grabbing his luggage and claiming the bed closest to the wall, just off of the bathroom, and opening his bags to check that everything was accounted for.

"Whoa, that's a lot of weapons. Sure you have enough there chief?" Yang asked, glancing over.

"It should be enough for now. I may have to resupply in a month or two depending on what I use," Jaune said, never looking up from the case as he inspected his arms.

Weiss glanced over, curious as to what all Jaune had stowed away. From over his shoulder she could just see inside noting Dust grenades, flash grenades, Dust coated throwing knives, several extra clips of ammo, and a whole assortment of other tools he'd packed away and brought with him to Beacon. It was incredible to think that such a small case could hold so much stuff. As soon as he was satisfied Jaune quickly shut the case, placing a large metal lock on it before sliding it under his bed, out of sight.

"I would have thought that those weapons would all be stowed away in your locker or the armory," she pointed out.

"My primary weapons are already stowed away in my locker and I have special permission to keep all of these with me so long as I keep them locked and secured."

"Speaking of, what do you call them?" Yang asked.

"Call what?"

"You know, your weapons. Most Huntsmen give their weapons a name. Mine are called Ember Celica. They're shotgun gauntlets that shift into bracelets. My sister Ruby, the leader of our sister team, calls her weapon Crescent Rose. It's a scythe and sniper rifle combo. So, what about yours?"

"As I said, they don't have names. I typically use my handgun and combat knife along with any other armament I feel I might need," he answered flatly.

"What about your family sword and shield?" Weiss asked, interjecting herself into the conversation. "I believe you called it something. Cro- Croea?"

"Crocea Mors," he corrected before she could butcher the name any further. "I don't use it."

"So what, you didn't bring it?" Yang asked.

"I brought it but I simply don't use it."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a family heirloom," he replied.

"Yea, but why not use it?"

"Because I don't," he snapped, whipping around to give Yang a hard look.

"O-okay, sorry," she said, flinching at his sudden outburst.

The room was deathly silent after that with Jaune busying himself stowing away his belongings while everyone else claimed their own space in the room. Yang's mood seemed to have deflated after her conversation with Jaune. Glancing occasionally at their team leader, Weiss decided to try and reinvigorate the conversation once more but with something more important for them to consider.

"Now would be a good time for us to decide the shower rotations. Given that there's four of us we'll need to determine how much time we can spend in the shower without holding up the rest of our teammates."

"I claim first shower. I'll need more time to help tame this mane," Yang shouted, her energy returning in an instant.

"Excuse me? We're not just claiming time slots and we need to allot an equal amount of time to each person."

"Hey, I need more time to properly care for my hair. This doesn't happen in just ten minutes; I have a routine I have to follow."

"Then your routine needs to be reevaluated," Weiss shot back.

"Why don't we allow our leader to decide?" Blake said, finally speaking up. "After all, doesn't he have the final word?"

"Yes, I believe you're right. Jaune, how do you think we should proceed?" Weiss asked.

"I think you three should decide between yourselves," he replied flatly.

"Wha- that doesn't help the situation!" she snapped.

"Wait, us three? Why are you excluded from this?" Yang piped in.

"I'll be using the communal showers in the mornings after training. It'll make things easier and give you three more time to shower and change."

"What, are you worried you'll walk in on one of us? Don't worry, I don't mind giving you a little peak," she said coyly.

"No," he replied, the look he gave her not so much giving her the feeling that he found her unattractive but neither did it make her feel attractive either.

"Yang, don't be so perverted. Obviously Jaune is trying to be sensitive to our needs and, given that there are three girls on the team, he no doubt wants us to feel as comfortable around him as possible, right Jaune?"

"Nope," he replied.

"W-what?"

"Like I said, it's just easier for me to use the communal showers. I get up early to train and it'll be less of a hassle, especially since I won't have to worry about waking any of you up."

"Alright, perhaps I'll join you for training then," she quickly suggested.

"That depends," he replied.

"On what?"

"Can you get yourself up at five?"

"In the morning?" Yang blurted out.

"Yes, that's when I usually get up."

"What sort of person gets up at five in the morning?"

"My sister for one," Weiss replied, coming to her partner's defense. "Being a Specialist in the Atlas military comes with certain expectations, one of which is rising at a certain time of day."

"So, what, Jaune's a military brat?"

"Mercenary," he corrected.

"Huh?"

"You know, Mercenaries. Freelancers, free swords, guns for hire, contractors, there's a long list of names people have used to describe us over the years but the most common one is that of Mercenaries."

"I'm guessing that means you fought for whoever paid the most," she surmised.

"Please, we have higher moral standards than that. While money is important to keep our organization running it's not out main focus. Besides, do you honestly think I would have been allowed into Beacon if that were the case?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to offend," she said, sensing the rising tension in the room.

"None taken," he said, paying her little attention as he stowed the last of his things before heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked.

"To make a call," he said, waving his scroll over his shoulder to emphasize his point.

"But there's still so much to do. We haven't even gone over tomorrow's class schedule yet or discussed study sessions," she argued.

"Not to mention dinner will be starting soon," Yang added, earning a disgruntled look from Weiss.

"It shouldn't take that long. If it does I'll grab something later," he replied before adding, "don't wait up for me," and promptly shut the door.

/-/

Jaune didn't have a difficult time finding a quiet, secluded place to have a scroll call. While he could always go down to the CCT and use one of their private booths, it was already late in the day. Besides, Calcipher's scroll was more than capable of picking up his signal. So long as he had audio capabilities he would be fine. Ascending the stairs to the roof access, he took a moment to check his surroundings and made sure no one was around. He didn't care for eavesdroppers and while he didn't feel at all embarrassed about calling his guardian, he still preferred to keep their conversations private. Satisfied, he took a seat on the other side of the door, waiting patiently for the call to connect. It took only two rings before it came through.

"Jaune," the man on the other end greeted him. "I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"Nice to see you too Calcipher," he remarked.

"That's Uncle Calcipher. I am still your legal guardian so I'd prefer you referred to me as such."

"Yes sir," Jaune replied, smirking as the man gave him an annoyed look.

Calcipher Mordan, or simply Calcipher as most people referred to him as, was perhaps one of the few who embodied the military spirit in their very visage. He was tall, well over six feet in height, and well-built to boot. His hair, a dark brown, was cut short in the military styling though he'd taken to growing a portion of it out and tying it back in a ponytail. He had piercing hazel eyes that had dulled over the years but still retained much of their fire and he was as tough and adaptable as one could get. If anything he was the very image of what an Atlas born man was portrayed as being though any ties he had to the Kingdom he'd quickly cut and left behind years ago. While he may have been born in Atlas he held no love for it and any attempts on Jaune's part to figure out why were quickly shut down.

"I heard you made it into Beacon and you've even been made team leader. Quite an impressive accomplishment."

"Believe me, it was completely unintentional," Jaune replied, grimacing as he reflected on just who he'd been teamed up with.

"I'll bet. Looking at your teammates I almost died of laughter. To think fate could be so cruel," the man said in a sarcastic tone.

"You already know who my teammates are?" Jaune asked. "You didn't hack into Beacon's database just to learn that did you?"

"Of course not. Ozpin informed me as soon as it was official. Honestly, I don't need to have access to their records to know you're in for a rough four years."

"Tell me about it," Jaune groaned.

Jaune didn't know how but somehow he'd managed to acquire the worst possible combination of teammates he could think of. The problem began with his partner Weiss Schnee. Having only ever interacted with her on one separate occasion, his opinion of her had been moderate at best. While the Arc's had been a well know family, any power and influence they might have had dried up long ago. The Schnee's had been a fairly recent addition to high society, mostly due to Nicholas Schnee's discovery of the Dust mines, and from there the power and influence followed. As such Weiss had been raised to act in a certain manner and it showed. He knew much of that could be blamed on her father but he wasn't here and he'd still have to deal with an uptight partner who'd no doubt scrutinize and question every decision he made as team leader.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Blake Belladonna. While he'd not meet Blake before coming to Beacon, he had met her parents on a few other occasions when his Uncle visited them on Menagerie. They were lovely people and very welcoming, something he hadn't quite expected at the time. As for their relationship with their daughter, he was still in the dark regarding that. He'd known when the White Fang was taken over by Sienna Khan that she'd joined the new radicalized group and that she hadn't spoken to her parents for quite some time after. He'd been curious to know more but was smart enough not to pry into their personnel affairs. Still, having her at Beacon and on his team no less raised quite a few red flags. His biggest concern was what would happen when her Faunus heritage was finally revealed. No doubt it would end in all-out war between her and Weiss with him caught in the middle having to act as a mediator.

Last, but certainly not least, was Yang Xio Long. Just thinking about her caused him to pause. First and foremost, he knew she was nothing like her mother. From what he was able to learn the bitch had left not long after she'd been born so she wasn't able to influence her much. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if the two shared some similarities. The biggest problem he would face was if she still felt some connection to her birth mother. If not, then his overall plan would thankfully be something she'd no doubt ignore. However, if there were some special connection the two had between each other it would no doubt make things complicated.

"Hey," Calcipher said.

Jaune blinked a few times, only just now realizing he'd been spacing out. He looked back at his scroll to find Calcipher with a more serious expression gazing back at him. No doubt he knew exactly what was on his mind, as he often did, and that had prompted him to drop the joking nature for concern.

"Are you still determined to see plan through?" he asked, not for the first time either.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," he replied flatly.

Calcipher leaned forward, his gaze locked onto Jaune, demanding his attention.

"Might I make a suggestion?"

"I'd say no but, knowing you, you're going to tell me anyway."

"Don't let yourself get tunnel vision with this goal of yours."

"Uncle, we've been over this," Jaune started.

"I'm not saying to give up on it or get over it. I'm simply saying to put it on the backburner. Switch your focus to your team. Gods know you're going to have your hands full given who's with you. You're going to be there for four years anyway. A lot can happen in that time and focusing on something that won't be within your reach for a number of years yet isn't going to make time go by faster."

"I'll take your advice into consideration," Jaune replied.

"So you say," Calcipher replied, his tone making it obvious he didn't believe a word of it. "We'll talk about it more when I'm in town."

"You're going to be coming to Vale?" Jaune said, surprised he hadn't known ahead of time.

"Not just Vale, Beacon too. Ozpin asked me to stop by for reasons."

"Reasons such as?" Jaune asked, hoping to prompt him to reveal something.

"Reasons that aren't your concern and you shouldn't worry about. Focus on school and your team," he replied, shooting him down.

"Fine but I'll make no promises regarding what's going to happen. We haven't even been an official team for even twenty-four hours and already I can feel the tension brewing."

"Yea, that'll happen when you place three girls on the same team. Could be worse, though."

"I can only imagine," Jaune replied.

"Well, good luck kid. You're going to need it," Calcipher said before ending the call.

Jaune sighed, having expected much of what his Uncle had said in advance but still finding himself annoyed by it all the same. The fact that he was in Beacon at all should have felt like a victory to him. Yet, for some reason, it only served to annoy him even further. Probably due in part to the fact that he was acting as part of the deal they'd made. While he couldn't be certain, he suspected there was some sort of lesson hidden in all of this as there usually was when it came to his Uncle. The man never missed an opportunity to impart some wholesale wisdom on him. This one reminded him all too well of something he'd said not too long ago. "When life gives you two unacceptable options, make yourself a third." Thinking back, he'd been met with the option of going along with his Uncle's plan and gaining a great deal of weaponry, firepower, and support after four years of schooling or defy him and be blacklisted outright. If there had been a third option in there for him to take it was one that hadn't made itself obvious and he doubted it would have at any other point.

Pushing aside those depressing thoughts, he glanced at his scroll to check the time. He was surprised to see that their conversation hadn't taken up too much. It was already dinner and only ten minutes had passed. He still had little less of an hour left to go and eat. Thinking on it he remembered that he'd advised his team go on without him. No doubt they'd be there, eagerly waiting for him. Well, Yang seemed like she would. Blake would probably be as quite as she had been since their meeting and Weiss would be difficult. Still, he was hungry and he'd have to face them eventually. Better to do it on a full stomach than in the confines of their dorm.

/-/

"Jaune, over here!"

Not two seconds after entering the cafeteria Jaune heard someone call out his name. It wasn't at all difficult to locate the culprit as they hopped up out of their seat, waving him down franticly and pointing to their table to sit at. Jaune gave Ruby a halfhearted wave, already feeling exhausted, before making his way over to the buffet line. As much as he disliked being at Beacon he couldn't find it in himself to fault them when it came to their food selection. With this being a school that trained the next generation of Huntsmen it was only natural that they would hire the best chefs they could find in Vale, ensuring that every meal was packed with enough nutrients and calories to not only fuel them but ensure their muscles grew and bodies stayed fit and healthy. Jaune immediately picked out the best looking stake that caught his eye along with an assorted fruit salad to help balance it out along with some steamed vegetables and a large glass of water to wash it all down.

He soon made his way over to their table, suspecting that should he pick anywhere else to sit Ruby would have everyone else migrate to meet him, making things awkward as a result. Unfortunately for her it seemed that had already been achieved. Her team, which consisted of her partner Pyrrha, Nora and Ren with herself as leader, were all sat opposite his own team. Given that Yang was Ruby's older sister it made sense they would want to spend time with each other and the fact that Pyrrha was on Ruby's team, not theirs, no doubt frustrated Weiss to no end, ensuring she would seize every opportunity to mingle with the champion, something which he noticed made her feel uncomfortable. As for Blake she was quietly reading a book, something which he found incredible given Nora's jubilant personality, a quality her partner Ren seemed able to weather with the expertise of someone who'd known nothing else but her extreme personality.

"Well, well, it seems our gracious leader has decided to grace us with his presence after all," Yang said, giving him a playful smirk.

"Hmm," he replied, cutting into his steak and taking a bit as means of giving himself an excuse not to answer.

Truth was he knew what she was doing. She was trying to get a rise out of him. While that tactic might have worked on someone like Weiss, he had been raised around mercenaries and thus was a seasoned warrior when it came to that kind of childish act. He'd experienced no end of embarrassment from the men and women working alongside his Uncle, something which only grew worse when puberty set in. The first couple of adolescent years his face was a permanent shade of red from how often everyone took the opportunity to make him blush. It was all in good fun as no one ever pushed the envelope too far but it was still frustrating all the same. What had been worse was, as he grew older, just how comfortable some of the guys had become when offering to take him with them to a strip club or let him borrow some of their porn. He was still surprised no one had to set something up for him to lose his virginity. If they had no doubt Calcipher had stepped in before it ever took off.

"So, who was it you called? Was it your girlfriend? Did you call her to give her a kiss goodnight?" Yang asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Yang, don't act so immature," Weiss snipped.

"How am I acting immature? If anything you're acting like an old lady," Yang countered.

"Wha- old lady? How dare you!"

"It wasn't a girlfriend," Jaune piped up, intercepting them before they could get into yet another fight. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Then who were you calling?"

"That's none of your business Xio Long," Weiss chided.

"I'm just asking Schnee," Yang snarled.

"It was my Uncle," he said, ignoring the cat fight all together.

"Your Uncle?" Yang replied with a mixture of disappointment and disbelief.

"Oh, how is he? I haven't seen him in quite some time," Weiss replied, the only person present who knew anything about him.

"He's well. He'll be visiting soon."

"You're Uncle is coming to Vale?" Weiss asked, surprised.

"To Beacon," he clarified. "He apparently has some business with Ozpin that he's coming here to take care of."

"Interesting," Weiss said.

"Alright, could someone please stop and explain to me who Jaune's Uncle is and why he's so damn important."

"Yang, language," Ruby chided.

"Indeed. Jaune's Uncle is a very powerful and skilled man, one deserving of our respect."

"So what, he's some hotshot Huntsman?" Yang asked.

"Mercenary," Jaune corrected. "Don't ever call him a Huntsman, especially to his face."

"Why not?"

"He doesn't have a very high opinion of those in the Huntsmen profession."

"Why? Huntsmen are awesome."

"Yea, they're heroes," Ruby chimed in.

"Not the ones we've known," he mumbled under his breath.

"So what sort of Mercenary is he anyway?" Yang asked, somehow managing to sound interested without at all looking like it.

"The kind who are highly sought after. The mercenary group his Uncle oversees are some of the best in the business, often taking on jobs that not even local Huntsmen can handle and succeeding," Weiss said triumphantly.

"Really? What are they called?" Yang asked, suddenly a lot more invested than before.

"They call themselves the Bloodjackals."

The simple mention of their name was enough to quiet the table and even draw attention. Jaune didn't miss how Blake's eyes shifted from her book, her bow seeming to strand just a bit straighter, before she shifted her gaze back to the pages. However, she obviously wasn't reading as her eyes never moved from the same spot and her bow became abnormally twitchy. The others seemed to have stopped talking out of curiosity though he wouldn't have been surprised if they'd heard about the Bloodjackels at one point or another. Despite his Uncle's best efforts to keep their group anonymous, they still needed to garner a reputation in order to get commissioned for jobs and get paid. Obviously this meant working for the Kingdoms and even alongside people like James Ironwood or Ozpin.

"I take you've heard of them?" he asked, looking around.

"I think it has more to do with how interesting their name sounds," Ren replied.

"It's so cool," Nora cried. "It's intimidating, daring, bloody," emphasizing each word.

"Wonder how they came up with it," Yang snarked.

"It's based off a dog," he replied.

"Huh?"

"I've never heard of a dog known as a bloodjackal," Ren remarked.

"You wouldn't have, mostly because that's not their real name. It's mainly based off what went into its breeding."

"I'm not sure I understand," Pyrrha said.

"In Atlas, a few years after the end of the Great War and the discovery of the massive Dust deposits in the North, scientists began experimenting with the possibility of using native dogs to help sniff out possible Dust deposits. Their hope was that they would be able to breed dogs that could find more and more deposits that Atlas could then use to help rebuild not only the Kingdom but their economy."

"I take it the bloodjackal was one such breed," Ren surmised.

"Exactly. It was to be a crowning achievement. An amalgamation of bloodhounds and jackals."

"Why those two breeds though?" Pyrrha asked.

"It mostly had to do with the traits their breeds were known for. Bloodhounds, as most well know, have the keenest scent out of any breed. They can detect prey for hundreds of miles, one of the main reasons they're used as hunting dogs."

"And the jackal?" Ren asked.

"It's relentless."

"Relentless?" Ruby said, not quite sure what he meant.

"Jackals are known for never giving up on hunting their prey. They'll pursue them relentlessly, either until they catch their prey or the jackal itself dies."

"Yikes," Yang commented.

"For once we can agree," Weiss added.

"So what happened to the dog breed?" Pyrrha asked.

"It was a colossal failure," Jaune stated. "Unfortunately, the canines were incapable of detecting the scent of Dust. They became a prized hunting dog as a result, often used by some of the more well off families but nothing else besides."

"And you're Uncle decided to name his organization after them," she concluded.

"Exactly. As he put it, the Bloodjackals are men and women who will never lose track of their goal and never give up the pursuit of it. That's not just talk either. The Bloodjackals have the highest success rate out of any contractor organization."

"The way you keep talking about them I'm surprised you didn't try to join them instead of Beacon," Yang pointed out.

"Yang, don't be rude," Weiss chided.

"I'm just saying," the blonde brawler protected herself.

"I must admit, you don't strike me as the Huntsmen type," Pyrrha agreed. "Though I'm happy to have you among us all the same," she quickly added.

"Don't worry, I'm not offended," he assured her, noticing the all too familiar forced smile she was sporting. "Truth be told I would have joined the Bloodjackal ranks had I been given the chance."

"Why didn't you?" Ruby asked.

Jaune sighed, "My Uncle thought it would be better for me to follow in my father's footsteps rather than his by becoming a Huntsman. He figured I'd be better suited for what society deemed as the more honorable path."

"Your dad was a Huntsman?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"The Arc's have been Huntsman as far back as the Great War and even further. You could almost say it's a long standing family tradition. I even had an Aunt who was a Huntress, though she retired when she became a mother."

"Bet your dad was real proud when you decided to continue the family tradition," Yang replied.

"I wouldn't know," he replied.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because he's dead."

The remark, along with the bluntness with which it had been stated, caused the whole table to go silent with only the sound of clattering silverware against the plates, table and floor to break it. Everyone stared at Jaune in various degrees of mortification, Yang being the worst simply from having been the one to ask. Jaune showed no real reaction as he continued to eat his meal, pausing only for a moment to see why everyone had gone silent.

"What?"

"What do you mean what?" Yang blurted. "Who just says something like because he's dead like it's no big deal?"

"It's not a big deal," he replied.

"Wha- I- you- "Yang's face contorted into various expressions of frustration, confusion, and disgust as she tried and failed to pin down how she really felt about his comment.

"What I believe Yang means, Jaune, is that we're surprised by how nonchalant you were about stating that your father had passed away," Weiss clarified.

"No one normal would," Yang mumbled, earning an icy glare from Weiss as a result.

"It's not that big of a deal," he stated once more. "He died when I was eight, almost ten years ago. Whatever emotional scars the impact left have long since healed."

"What about your mom?" Ruby asked tentatively.

"She passed away as well," he replied, causing her to noticeably deflate. "They all did."

"They?" Yang asked.

"My family," he said and, after noticing the looks on their faces, he continued, "we were vacationing in Mistral, on an extended camping trip that we took every summer. One night the village we were staying in was attacked by Grimm. My father ran to help fight them off at the walls while my mother tried to get me and my sisters to safety."

"How many survived?" Pyrrha asked.

"Just me," he said.

A depressed air feel over the table. No one had been expecting that and some of them were quickly beginning to regret the string of questions that had led to this.

"What about the Huntsmen?" Ruby asked.

"My father was the only one."

"But there should have been more. My mother was a Huntress and she always did everything she could to make sure everyone survived. She was a hero."

"There was no one else," he replied, his voice rising in frustration, causing the young girl to cower away. "Just him," he said calmly before adding, "and one other Huntress but she wasn't there for the Grimm."

Beneath the table Jaune had his hands clenched in anger and frustration as he recalled the very vivid memory of that day. While no one saw this, his tone implied that she hadn't come to help.

/-/

"Ruby, you alright?"

"Huh?" Ruby said, glancing up from her bed to see her partner, Pyrrha, looking at her worriedly.

"You alright? You seem a bit off."

"Y-yea, I'm fine, perfectly fine," she said, putting on the best fake smile she could muster.

Pyrrha wasn't convinced. She'd forced enough fake smiles throughout her career to recognize when someone was sporting one themselves. Moving over to her partner's bed she took a seat next to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Ruby, you can be honest with me. I'm your partner and I care about how you feel," she said.

Ruby's smile quickly wilted as she realized that she hadn't done as great a job of hiding her feelings as she thought she could. "It's about Jaune."

"Hmm," Pyrrha hummed, having guessed that almost immediately but wisely choosing to stay silent.

"I was thinking about what he'd said, about his father and that Huntress," she said, stopping for a moment. "I was always told that Huntsmen are Heroes. We're the ones who fight against darkness and evil to protect the innocent. I just don't understand why someone would turn their back on that."

"I understand. Honestly, I know how you feel. I always believed that being a Huntsman meant you had a responsibly to defend and protect everyone you could. Unfortunately, not everyone joins the schools with that goal in mind. Some people have more selfish reasons and sometimes those reasons come at the cost of other people's lives."

"It does help to clarify some things though," Ren added, looking up from the book he had been reading. "I must admit that I'd found it strange how he acted. With everyone here being excited to have passed initiation he looked strangely unconcerned by it like it didn't matter to him either way."

"I guess it should have been more obvious to me then," Pyrrha mussed, reflecting back on the first time she'd met him. "During one of our earlier encounters, he'd said something that gave me the impression he didn't want to be here. I assumed he had joined Beacon out of an obligation to his family, like it was traditional. Now, though, I'm not sure what to think."

"Come to think of it, why did he join anyway?" Ren asked. "If he's had such a bad experience with Huntsmen in the past why come to Beacon at all?"

"Yea, why not become a badass mercenary like his Uncle?" Nora said as she flopped down onto her bed.

"Nora, language," Ren chided.

"It was a complement," she replied.

Ren rolled his eyes, knowing all to well that their argument was a lost cause.

"He tried that already, didn't he?" Pyrrha remarked. "I think he said his Uncle wouldn't let him, that he'd prefer he became a Huntsman instead."

"So he's doing this out of obligation," Ren surmised.

"That still doesn't make it right," Ruby muttered. "No one should be forced to be something they don't want to be. Sure, my Mom, Dad, and Uncle are all Huntsmen but I choose to become one because I want to be a Hero, not because I thought I had to live up to my family's legacy. If he doesn't like Huntsmen, then he shouldn't be forced to become one."

"Then maybe we just need to help him realize how awesome it is to be one," Nora suggested.

"Ehh?"

"Think about it. We all have our reasons for being here. Maybe all we need to do is help him find his reason. Just because he doesn't like Huntsmen doesn't mean he can't be a better one. Maybe all he needs is a little encouragement to help push him down the right path."

"As strange as it is to say I have to agree with Nora. There's nothing stopping us from showing Jaune the brighter side to being a Huntsman."

"Exactly, and if he still doesn't want to be one well then that's his decision to make and one we shouldn't judge him on," Pyrrha concluded.

"Yea, I think you're right," Ruby said, a genuine smile slowly creeping across her face. "We have combat classes tomorrow right? Maybe we can show just how cool Huntsmen are when they're able to strut their stuff. I can certainly do that once I have an opportunity to show off what my baby can do."

"And I'm sure Jaune could use a friend or two. I can't say I know what its like to be raised by mercenaries but he does strike me as someone who didn't have too many friends growing up," Pyrrha replied.

"Alright, starting tomorrow we'll begin the operation. We'll change Jaune's mind about being a Huntsman or die trying."

"Yea!" Nora cheered.

"Maybe not something so dramatic," Pyrrha suggested.

/-/

Jaune sat bolt upright, his eyes darting around the room as the combat knife he had hidden underneath his pillow was held at the ready. Only darkness greeted him, shadows from the light in the courtyard outside casting odd shapes on the walls. He gazed around, taking note of the three sleeping forms of his teammates. Nothing stood out or seemed out of the ordinary. Everything was as it was.

He released a breath, forcing himself to calm down as he stowed the knife once more under his pillow. It was probably nothing, just his nerves playing tricks on him. He hadn't been in Beacon very long so it was possible that being in a strange place was having some sort of effect on him.

"Hmm, Jaune?"

He glanced over to see his partner Weiss had rolled over and cracked open a sleepy eye to glare at him from her pillow.

"What are you doing?"

"I- it felt like someone had just walked over my grave," her muttered in reply.

"What?" she asked groggily.

"Nothing," he said, brushing off the statement. "Go back to sleep."

Not waiting for a reply, he sank back down onto his pillow, forcing himself to relax in the hopes that sleep would overtake him soon. He couldn't be sure but something felt very odd. It was if he'd been targeted by someone but by whom and for what reason he couldn't be sure. He pushed the issue from his mind, focusing instead on falling asleep. Whatever it was it could wait until tomorrow. He had four years ahead of him and he couldn't spend all that time jumping at shadows.

So first things first I know I'll be getting comments about this and I want to at least explain my reasoning before people start to complain about it. I understand that some people might believe that Jaune figuring out Ozpin's "relic" matching game makes him smarter than is realistic in the show but let's be honest, given some time any one of us could have come to the same conclusion. It's not as if it was some intricate system Ozpin had put together, he literally had the teams matched up according to their chess pieces.

As for the different team makeups I have reasons for why he's not on his usual team. Anyone who's read "Not this time Fate" will immediately recognize the team names (something I borrowed, I'll admit) but that's where the similarities end. As the story progresses I'll show why I decided to make the teams the way they are more and more so stay tuned until then.

As I've stated in the previous chapter Jaune is going to be a bit more intense in this interaction. There will be a lot of moments showcasing how annoyed he is with people thinking it's great to be a Huntsman or simply talking about something sensitive or taboo in a very nonchalant manner. It's all a part of his character as I've written it according to the story I have in mind so, as I upload more chapters, you'll slowly begin to understand why he is the way he is.

Lastly, just so you're aware, Jaune "feeling someone walking over his grave" was more response to Ruby's decision to change his mind about being a Huntsman. It's not because someone has targeted him or he's in danger, Ruby's decision to shift his perspective was simply so intense it set off his sixth sense and that's why he freaked out. I'll have more and more fun with it as we go along as Ruby does her best to show him how great it is to be a Huntsman.