[REFINED, Dec. 16, 2018] Author's Note: Welcome to this fic, where I will be your overly-flippant host and author, in that order.

This fic is a sort of character study of Jaune Arc, and will delve into Jaune's natural predisposition towards self-sacrifice in the name of protecting those around him, as seen particularly clearly in the culmination of Volume 5 (think: why did Cinder attack Weiss?). This will be foiled by the fact that the premise of this fic is Jaune being raised by Raven as part of her Tribe, seeing how Raven stands for not protecting those around you if it is not convenient. They're not diametrically opposed, however, as there does exist some overlap in their cynicism. This story's pairing is Dragonslayer, though it is not a focus of the story until around chapter 30 and doesn't officially happen until chapter 40.

This first chapter is not technically Chapter 1, but is instead the prologue. This story was planned out long-term, and I have it somewhat outlined through the events of the Fall of Beacon from the show, with a set final ending planned corresponding to the events of Volume 5 of the show. This story was started between Volumes 5 and 6, making it over 30 chapters before the released of V6. As such, should the perspective of the world change drastically between those two seasons, things here may feel outdated; think about all the fics written before Volume 3 and the Fall of Beacon for comparison.

I have challenged myself to put some real effort into making this a smooth story experience, and through 30+ updates I have only missed a week two or three times. Considering, well, how fickle we fanfic writers are, I would say that's remarkable consistent. It's no Coeur Al Aran, of course, but I'm still not convinced that Couer is entirely human. Too many words get pumped out each week for one person...

Uploads are Sundays around noon-ish, Eastern US time, though that's usually flexible an hour in either direction. Once Volume 6 begins, this is subject to change based on feedback. I wanna watch the show, too.

All this being said, this first epilogue begins in...

Ozpin's POV

The elevator beeped, alerting the Headmaster of the arrival of his guest, who strode forward into the office without waiting to be invited in. Though the Headmaster appeared to be looking over files, he was in fact very keenly watching the young man before him, and the confidence—or arrogance—displayed buy such an action was duly noted. Of course, it could also just be the confusing layout of the penthouse-style office, where the elevator leads directly into the room. Ozpin would allow that such a design created no buffer in which people would normally wait, meaning that perhaps this wasn't a show of confidence, but rather someone doing what they were supposed to do; pliability, if you will.

"Good evening, and thank you for meeting with me. I'm Headmaster Ozpin."

"Jaune Arc." The young man replied simply. His eyes held the Headmaster's gaze for as long as it was there, and he never motioned to take a seat. It felt almost as if he knew what games the Headmaster liked to play, and was actively engaging in them; a most interesting attribute for a frontier boy, but given this prospective student's surname? Ozpin was, very much so, intrigued.

"Please, take a seat. Was it communicated to you why you're here?" Ozpin asked carefully, though in a manner that pained itself not to feel hostile. It wouldn't do to put anyone on the defensive, especially not before any real talking began.

"No, all I was told was that I was requested to interview with you directly because I didn't have any academic records." The boys answer was precisely the reason he was here, so his insistence that he did not know the real reason led the Headmaster to believe that this Jaune Arc suspected ulterior motives. To his credit, Oz did have his own agenda, but the records were the true reason he was here.

"Yes, it's been Beacon's policy for some time now not to discriminate against potential Huntsmen and Huntresses simply because they did not grow up within a major city and attend a feeder school. Since you passed the entrance exam by a fair margin, and since you indicated that you have had no formal schooling, protocol dictates that I should meet you to discuss these things." Ozpin explained to Jaune, with no reaction. "And for your information, anything discussed during this interview is confidential; no one else on Beacon's staff has the authority to view any notes I make on your file as a result of this conversation."

"That sounds like what doctors tell you to make it easier to stick that thermometer up your butt," The boy crassly replied.

"Yes, well, I assure you that this will be less painful than whatever faux-medical services you grew up with in the wilds," Ozpin retorted back, unfazed by the boys attempt to deflect with crude humor. While normally such comments might have raised an eyebrow, Ozpin had begun to prepare himself for a verbal spar in which the young man wouldn't want to reveal any information, and as such attempt to deflect or distract; the Qrow Branwen school of anti-interrogation, although Qrow running his mouth usually ended up with worse results than just answering a simple question. "Please, take a seat. I'd hate to feel bad for letting you stand this whole time."

Funnily enough, Ozpin had the feeling that neither of them believed that Ozpin would have cared if the boy was made to stand. The boy had been cautious bordering on guarded so far, but as with his entrance from the elevator, it wasn't a situation where appearing guarded was unexpected. But over time, these little scenarios add up, and all Ozpin had to do was keep them rolling; it was a strategy built upon patience in order to ensnare your target, but when you get as old as Oz had, you get used to waiting.

"So, what are you fishing for first?" The boy asked with obvious sarcasm to show that he wasn't unaware of the Headmaster's tactics. Subtle, they were not, but effective, considering that in this instance, Ozpin held all the power, making subtlety obsolete.

"Well, if you'd like to cut straight to the point: in your application you say that you grew up in the wilds. Would you mind elaborating or giving perhaps any actual detail about where you grew up?"

"Sure. All over the wilds. Mostly through Mistral, especially when I was younger, but as I got older I started doing what I could to migrate to Vale; less territory, better Grimm coverage by the government, so it would be a little less hectic." The boy answered with ease, though still not taking this meeting seriously.

"I see. How long have you been on your own?" Ozpin asked with a slight edge that he didn't expect the boy to pick up on. This was the first real question he would ask the boy, as it began a line of questioning that truly interested Ozpin. As such, getting an honest or less thought-out answer to it by asking it before Jaune was taking things seriously would be invaluable.

With all that said, Jaune seemed to pick up on the edge in the tone and his posture shifted slightly.

"What exactly are you asking for here, Headmaster?" The boy asked back sharply. "I mean, I'd hate to give a silly answer. Do you want to know when I could survive by myself, or do you mean how old I was when my parents died?"

The second half of the boy's answer revealed much more about him than Ozpin had expected to see so quickly. The sharp, almost accusatory reply showed an impatience, but coupled with the oh-so-innocent walk-back and the uncertainty of his recovery? The boy was showing that he was perfectly capable of playing this little game, and was intent on winning it.

And he knew that Ozpin knew this.

"Ah, I'm sorry to have broached such a topic so insensibly, but-"

"Don't be. I…didn't know them, my parents. Or rather, I'm sure I did, but I have almost no memory of them. Just my dad's old sword." His eyes trailed off to the weapon, one of two that he carried with the other being a significantly larger sword, though one made with almost the same proportions. "I was four when they died, I think. We were in some frontier village for the night because they liked to move around, never really finding a settlement they liked, and there was a large Grimm attack. After that, I always heard stories about the Grimm that lead the attack, but quite frankly, it sounds ridiculous."

"You were four and out in the world on your own?" Ozpin asked with a raised brow.

"Orphan kids in the frontier aren't uncommon. The villages did their best to feed me and more than once I was passed off to settlements passing through on their way to new places. I bounced around a lot until I was 10."

"And what happened then?" The Headmaster asked somewhat curiously.

"This one group let me train with the men to protect the group, and one night I got to face my first raid; but this wasn't Grimm attacking us." The boy trailed off.

"Raiders?"

"Yeah. That night I unlocked my semblance…and ended two lives." The boy answered quietly.

"Self-defense, I would assume?" Ozpin asked, hoping to give the boy an out and put him at ease. They were talking in good faith, after all. While it certainly isn't the worst the Headmaster has heard, nor would it be the worst thing overlooked in applications (the Branwen Twins come to mind there), it still usually isn't a comfortable topic.

"Not strictly speaking," The boy replied with brutal honesty. "I mean, it was justified, sure. I killed two assholes who were trying to steal food and dust from those who barely had any themselves, but I didn't just defend myself. I actively sought them out during the fight and put them down."

The boy's bluntness coupled with his detachment from the events he spoke off caught Ozpin off-guard, to the point where he did not supply a follow-up question for a few moments, just long enough for the silence to prompt Mr. Arc further.

"It didn't matter though. That settlement was destroyed and we were all scattered. From then on, I just roamed the wilds, surviving where I could and working as sort of a sell sword on occasion. I bounced all over the place for years until I decided to work my way to Vale and eventually Beacon."

"Is that experience why you want to become a Huntsman?" Ozpin asked, curious to press further but wise enough to know that the only way to learn more is if the young man in front of him spoke more.

"I mean, I guess so. If I've lasted this long, I'm sure I could probably become a real Huntsman. Heck, maybe then I could stop the places from getting destroyed. Plus, it kind of fits, too."

"What do you mean by that?"

"My semblance. I don't have anything concrete about what it does, but it flairs up when I'm trying to protect someone, and I figure that's a good enough sign to be a Huntsman as any."

"Well, there are those who believe our aura to be the manifestation of our soul…" In that, they may not be too far off, but the truth is more nuanced than that. Not that Ozpin would ever tell Ironwood exactly how aura works; it would just spoil all that research Atlas does, and how they boast of their technological superiority then? "Perhaps, if you feel you are best suited to protecting others, then Beacon is the right place for you."

A silence passed, as the boy did not really react to the words in any way.

"Well, is it settled then?" The boy asked impatiently.

No. "Yes, that will be all, Mr. Arc." That is not all by a long shot. "Initiation begins in two days and I look forward to seeing you there."

The boy stood up and collected his weapons, strapping the smaller sword and its white sheath around his waist and loading the oversized black sword to a mount on his back. Hmph, such a Mistralian way to wear a sword. With a curt thank you, he headed back to the elevator and headed down to whence he came. After about a minute, the elevator dinged again, and in walked Professor Oobleck.

"So, how did the interview go? Are we ready to finalize this year's class yet?" There was a hint of annoyance in his voice at that second question, one that would only grow larger when told that the Headmaster was going to keep it open till initiation like usual. Every year the two have this disagreement, thought right now Ozpin wasn't as focused on it as he previously would be.

"It was interesting. I do believe that that young man just lied to my face about nearly everything he possibly could."

Oobleck was taken aback by my statement, and rightly so, the Headmaster supposed. "W-well, at least that's one less file to add to the paperwork, right?" he nervously joked.

Ozpin made a big show of taking the boy's file and placing it firmly on top of the pile of accepted students whose paperwork needed to be signed and sealed. Coincidentally, that was also the stack that always ended up on Glynda's desk each morning. Oobleck rolled his eyes, but at this point in his career he was so fed up with Ozpin's admittance antics that he didn't feel like arguing it, likely because he knew he'd end up splitting the paperwork with Glynda. Oh, the joys of professors desperate for tenure.

"Speaking of, do you know where Glynda is?" Ozpin asked, only semi-curiously.

"Miss Goodwitch? Last I heard she was responding to a call in Vale. Something about a dust robbery and a bullhead flying in the airspace."

"Huh. Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough then."

Jaune's POV

(past)

I like to think I'm a simple person, and that there aren't many things in life with which I take a real issue. Having to clean the blood of innocent people off of my sword in the name of some stupid tribe was one of them. Fortunately, it wasn't a common occurrence, but this was the last time.

I silently made my way to the main tent, taking care not to trip over anything in the darkness. Most of the tribe, save for the watchers, would be asleep right now.

But not me. And not Raven.

I pushed through the flaps of her tent to find Raven and Vernal pouring over a map laid out on the table. Raven stood up a little at the sound of my entrance, but had her back to me still.

"That it. I'm done." I spat out angrily.

Raven straightened herself up, but never turned around to look at me. She was playing her games, her stupid power-obsession mind-games, and she's about to find out I'm not in the mood.

"Vernal, did you hear something?" Raven asked coyly. "For a moment there, I could have sworn I heard a little bitch whining."

Vernal looked as unimpressed as is possible, but I could feel that stupid, smug grin on Raven's face. My anger kept boiling up until all I could see was the mental image of her stupid grin, the same one hovering over me for years. As the steel of my sword hissed from being drawn, I imagined the scowl that overtook that grin.

I didn't have to imagine for long, because as soon as she heard my sword, Raven had drawn hers as well and spun to lock blades.

"I'm going to ask you to say that again, Jaune, and when I do, I suggest you say something different." Flames danced on the edges of Raven's eyes, a very intentional detail she added as a threat. I didn't flinch.

"I said, I'm done protecting your tribe and murdering people to keep your followers alive during their raids. Go find some other four-year-old with healing powers and make them your shield. I'm out."

"You ungrateful little brat! Do you know what you'd be without me?" Raven asked as her Maiden's powers began heating up the metal of our swords. I flowed my aura into my hands and Crocea Mors itself, using it to resist the magic.

"Not a murderer, for one." I spat back.

"I thought I taught you better than to assign value to others' lives arbitrarily. Maybe you're not worth our time after all…" The flames around Raven's eyes grew in intensity suddenly in an attempt to distract me from her wrists, which adjusted their grip on her hilt. The blade ejected from her hilt and she moved to make me fall forwards from the sudden change, but I stepped aside and drew my shield, just in time to catch Raven's next blade as it aimed for my ribs.

Before either of us could throw our next attack, Vernal casually stepped between us, breaking up the fight without a care in the world for the attacks we were about to launch. "Alright, break it up. This is the third time this month you two have done this."

"Yeah, but this time its final." I spat back, eyes still locked on Raven.

"Just like the other two times. And Raven, shame on you for egging him on." Raven just grinned and shrugged with her stupid, trademark shrug, infuriating me even more. "Go on, tell him."

"Tell me what?" I spat out, though my vitriol was starting to dissipate.

"Well, since you're clearly not going to be helpful for us here, we've come up with an alternate use for you. You see, we could use eyes and ears in Vale." Raven laid out, still grinning.

"And what makes you think I'd be willing to help you out?"

"Oh Jaune, you're an idiot. We both know you're too protective to just up and leave the tribe you grew up with. You'd never just abandon them like that." Vernal chimed in. She wasn't wrong, and she knew it, but that's the part that agitated me.

"You haven't even heard the best part yet. How would you like to 'attend' Beacon Academy?"

Vernal's POV

(past)

I threw the flap to Jaune's tent open and strolled in, carrying the gift the tribe was giving him. He was packing up the last of his things in his pack and preparing to head into Haven to catch a train to Beacon.

"Knock knock," I called out as I barged in uninvited. When he was younger, he hated that, probably for the reason all teenage boys don't like being walked in on; fortunately, he's grown numb to it over time. In a way, that describes a lot of his time here.

"Don't come in." Jaune deadpanned as he looked up to see the large object I was carrying. "Uh, what's that?"

"Your new sword." I called back, handing the clunky, oversized thing to him. "I'm assuming that Raven has briefed you on what to expect from Beacon?"

"Briefed? She practically read me a book called "How to Trick Ozpin Into Letting You Into Beacon, by Raven Branwen, Forward by Qrow Branwen.'" He called back with minor annoyance.

"Are you complaining about being overprepared?" He didn't answer. "Thought so. Anyhow, since I'm assuming she told you not to let Ozpin see the crest on your shield, I decided to get this commissioned instead."

He began to look over the weapon. It was black on the exterior to contrast his other weapon, and was as tall as he was. The massive sword, a claymore as it was, held a meaty blade that would certainly pack a punch.

"Um, thanks, but I don't know how to use a tree trunk to fight with."

"That's the point, idiot. If you roll into Beacon after giving a suspicious backstory involving growing up in the wilds, and Ozpin sees you fight, he's going to know who trained you. This way, you at least have to learn a new style while you're at it. Plus, its not just a claymore; try flexing your aura into it." I pointedly took a step back. "It's got a synchronizer in it."

Jaune's semblance being so intertwined with his aura has allowed him to harness it to much greater control over the years, to the point where with a little practice, he should be able to activate the mechashifts in the blade through subconscious aura usage. It didn't take much, and the entire sword split down the middle and the last foot and a half of the sword detached entirely. Jaune pulled apart the two halves of the sword and let the end piece rest on a crate, and the blades shifted and locked into place to form two katanas.

"Okay, now this I can get behind. What else can it do?" He asked, a spark in his eye that I hadn't seen in a while.

"Broadsword, Nodachi, obviously a single katana; there's even a dust-firing mechanism in the hilt if you can figure it out." I challenged. "Whoa, not right now!"

Jaune bumped the katanas back together and they molded back into a single sword, now a short broadsword much like Jaune's regular sword.

"It even has a holding mechanism for your back that syncs with the blade, so basically only you can shift it and only you can take it off your back." I added, quite pleased with myself. Jaune was as well.

"Why?"

"Use your words, dear. Be more specific." I teased, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Why give this to me? I'm trying to leave the tribe, so why give me a gift? That doesn't seem like something Raven would do at all." Jaune asked quietly. While Jaune never got along great with anyone in the tribe, I would by default be the person he bonded to the most, though that was mainly because I was a lenient ear and not as bitchy as Raven most days. Most.

"No, it doesn't." I confirmed.

"Oh. She doesn't know. Great." Jaune deadpanned.

"Look, you're as much one of my students are you are Raven's, so you're not allowed to run off and duel other students with a plain hand-and-a-half sword and no shield. If you don't like it, then you can give it back." Jaune gave me a flat look, but he did seem ready to grab the weapon off the crate if I had made a move for it. "Fine, fine, if you're ready then get on with it. Raven will kill you if you miss the train the tribe bought you a ticket for."

Jaune nodded and grabbed his things, strapping the new sword to his back, before walking past me. He stopped at the edge of the tent, though.

"Vernal… I…" he trailed off, eyes facing the dirt. "Thanks."

"Go on, kid. Get out of here." I rolled my eyes as he walked off, and I headed back to the Raven's tent. As I walked in, Raven was pouring herself tea and poured a second one when she noticed my arrival.

"How'd he like the sword?" She asks mildly interested.

"Oh, he just loved it. He gave it a name and he reads stories of great swords to it every night at bed time." I shot back.

"Sarcasm really doesn't fit you, Vernal." Raven cut back in between sips of her tea.

"Yeah, well, humor doesn't fit you either, but that doesn't stop you from smirking so damn much."

Raven chuckled slightly and we both enjoyed our tea in the silence.

"Are you sure about this, sending him to Beacon? With all that he knows, what if he flips?" I asked after the silence started to get to me.

"We'll be fine, Vernal. For all his talk of hating everything here, Jaune's grown far too attached to the people he's grown up with. You know how over-protective he is."

"I do, but…"

"Then you know how hard it would be for anyone to turn him. Even if he's just doing it to spite whoever thinks they're smart enough to play him against us, we'll be fine. Ozpin won't get anything out of him." Raven assured me.

On that note, she was right. There wasn't any foreseeable way that Jaune betrayed us for the Wizard, not with all that he knows about what's going on. No, it's not Ozpin or even Qrow I'm worried about. If Jaune is willing to protect a tribe he hates, I'm worried what would happen if he becomes attached to other students, like Qrow. If Ozpin is as clever as Raven thinks he thinks he is, he'd pit Jaune's desire to protect people against itself.

And if that happens, I'm not certain where we would end up on his priorities list.

Ozpin's POV

As I sipped my coffee, I looked out the glass window over Vale. I liked to think that I could have seen Glynda's purported battle with a bullhead from here had I known it was happening, but truth be told the tint on this window made it terribly dreadful for spotting fine details.

Ah, but what a day this turned out to be. Two more students accepted at my request, one of whom wasn't even an applicant; truly, days like this are what Oobleck fears the most when he gets out of bed. Maybe Glynda as well, seeing as her workload just increased by two more student files. All in all, though, I'd like to think that they're two valuable additions to this class. Not necessarily in terms of strength, as this class was already loaded, but they're much more interesting than all the other students. A student growing up in the wilds of the frontier with a problem with authority and the balls to lie to my face (and the ability to lie well), and the other a 15-year-old prodigy with silver eyes.

That isn't even to mention the potential legacies of both students. Ah, Qrow would kill me if I told him that I drafted his niece into Beacon two years early. What can I say, though, she certainly did enough to warrant a spot had she applied; the fact that I offered her a spot in no way was a direct antagonization towards Qrow. I don't expect him to believe such an obvious lie, but it will be best to stick with it.

I do genuinely wonder what Qrow would think of the other new student, however. Such an interesting backstory (all false, of course), and such an interesting surname. Salem mounted quite the campaign to make sure that that specific bloodline was wiped from Remnant. For a couple decades it did seem that they had escaped her wrath, but as soon as Qrow and Raven discovered the last remaining Arc Clan members, so did Salem. Qrow was too late, and Raven went rogue to go back to her tribe instead of checking her leads. Could it be possible that one of them escaped?

Surely not, as Salem wouldn't have let a four-year-old child wonder out of her grasp. And yet, just earlier today I admitted Jaune Arc, with the classic blond hair and blue eyes of the Arc line. And the way he played the game shows that he clearly has been exposed to it before.

Yes, these two late entrants are going to keep this semester quite interesting. I wonder what Qrow would have to say if I told him I admitted both his niece and an Arc with practically the same BS backstory Qrow gave me long ago?

As I took one final sip of my coffee, I made a mental note: invest in more coffee; I'm going to need it.