I'm not going to lie, I legitimately have no idea what the hell I'm doing right now. Here I am, already managing two stories with others pending rewrite/discontinued, and yet something else has come to mind and I just can't stop myself.

Not to mention my friend/betareader of sorts is actively egging me on... anyway. I figure I'll give a summary of what brought this on.

I watched a movie and thought to myself "y'know this guy has some neat powers, wonder how someone else would do with it." so I wracked my brain for people who were a good match for that specific protagonist.

Who came to mind? Jaune Arc.

Yeah. Him.

So, this happened. This story isn't a crossover, so I'll just let you all guess who Jaune is based off of here. I'm sure it'll become obvious considering I've literally stolen the backstory for usage here but tweaked it somewhat for Remnant.

Also. What the heck is this? A story that ISN'T Code Geass, coming from me? It must be the end of the world...

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or anything else.

Winter had finally arrived, bringing with it a thick blanket of snow. The first snow of the year as a matter of fact, and such a perfect example of it. White sparkling as far as the eye could see, covering the ground, the trees, the buildings... it had simply swept in during the night, leaving behind a perfect blanket of the frozen white.

Of course, this meant one thing and one thing only for the local children; snow day.

As such, one could see wide grins and hear laughter all around as children ran, jumped, rolled, slipped and slid all about through the winter wonderland they had been presented with that morning.

The adults were less enthused in many cases, seeing the true annoyance that the snow brought, how it hindered them from going about their business... but in the face of such enthusiasm and cheer, the minor inconveniences paled in comparison.

Jaune Arc was not the type who particularly liked the snow. He didn't dislike it either, though. It was just that he didn't share the same enthusiasm as all of the frolicking children.

His sisters, however, did. All seven of them.

And since they enjoyed the snow so dearly, he had learned to love it if only for the smiles it brought to their faces.

Seeing their faces light up each and every year at the first sign of the falling snow, waiting anxiously to see whether or not the flurries would evolve into something more, praying for the snow to stick...

It was addicting, in a way.

Ice skating, however... he never could get himself to enjoy that particular activity. His balance wasn't the greatest. But, despite that he was happy to come along with one of his sisters to play on the ice of the frozen pond near their home.

Everyone else had gone out for the day to visit the town; stocking up on groceries in case the snowfall got too heavy to do so later. They had drawn lots, and the two longest had stayed home.

Originally, Jaune had intended to settle himself in with a glass of hot cocoa and read the latest issue of his favorite comic. That was just what he felt this weather was perfect for; curling up before a window, relaxing with a light blanket over his shoulders and just watching the world outside as he enjoyed one of his most beloved pass-times with a hot beverage.

It would certainly have been more relaxing than the situation he found himself in now.

"Alright, d-don't panic." He stammered out, eyes wide and fearful as he saw the cracking ice beneath his sister's feet. The terrified girl stared back at him, her face a mask of fear and nervousness. Seeing that, Jaune steeled his expression. Someone had to be brave here, and it looked it that was going to be him.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine." The ice beneath his own two feet crackled ominously, as if to contradict that statement, but he paid that no heed.

His sister came first.

"Look, just stay still okay? Don't make any sudden moves." Frantically, his eyes darted around for something, anything, he could use to salvage this situation and save his sister.

Spotting something on the ice a few feet away, he swallowed heavily as a plan came to him. "Alright, yeah. Look, this isn't scary at all okay?" He assured his sister with a bright smile, drawing an incredulous confusion from the girl.

"How can you say that, Jaune?" She hissed in panic, frozen stiff on the cracked ice, unable to move for fear of shattering the precarious platform she rested on.

Jaune's expression didn't slip for even a moment. "It's fine. Say, let's play a game alright?" Seeing the confusion in her eyes, the boy smiled widely. "I'll go first, okay? It'll be like... hop-scotch!" He gave her a wide smile, reaching down to slip off his skates.

Managing to get the cumbersome things off of his feet without further damaging the ice beneath him, Jaune bit back a gasp at the sudden cold on his bare feet. She had pulled him off with her before he could even get his socks on, and he had just decided to go with it. Good grief was that cold.

He ignored the sensation in favor of sending his sister another smile. "Instead of being scared, we're going to have some fun." Lifting one foot cautiously, hiding a flinch at the crackling sound it drew from the ice beneath him, the boy gently sat the raised foot down on the ice.

More cracks greeted him, but Jaune ignored them. The ice held, perhaps only just, but he pretended it was all according to plan. "Whoaaa!" He grinned widely, pretending that he had lost his balance in a very blatantly false gesture, drawing small giggles from the girl at the absurdity of his behavior. Another step, and another, and one final step... and suddenly, the ice was firm beneath his feet once more.

Jaune Arc had made it from the thinner ice, and was now staring at his sister with a wide smile. "See, easy as one-two-three." He ignored the furious beating of his heart and the cold terror swimming in his being, presenting a front that no one could possibly see through, a wide smile that seemed too genuine to be false.

The girl nodded, her own fear being pushed away by her brother's actions. If her blonde goof of a brother could stay calm in this situation, so could she.

"Okay." Jaune spoke, kneeling down to grip the large branch he had spotted on the ice. It was nearly as long as he was tall, straight all the way to the very end of the limb, ending in a hook just that seemed just large enough to circle his sister's waist. Testing the firmness of the wooden limb, he very nearly released a sigh of relief as the wood proved to be sturdy.

This would work. It had to.

"Alright. Just a few steps. Come towards me. One..." He gave the girl an encouraging smile, eyes sparkling with fondness and hiding his fear entirely.

She took a single step. The ice crackled but the girl did not fall through.

"Two."

A second step. More terrifying noise from the ice beneath her feet, but still it held firm.

"Three."

At this last word, Jaune's facade very nearly broke. His sister took one last step forward, the ice letting it's protest be known quite loudly...

The blonde boy shot out, reaching out towards his sister with the limb. It hooked around her waist, and Jaune used every last bit of his strength to tug the girl off of the fragile ice and towards the solid ground several feet behind him, landing her into the soft snow on the banks. She tumbled a bit, a testament to the amount of strength he had put into that pull, but was not injured.

However, in his focus to save his sister, the boy had not realized that the momentum had sent him reeling a few feet uncontrollably.

Back on to the thin ice.

Just as his sister sat up, ready to celebrate the averted crisis with her genius of a brother, congratulate him for being so calm and collected despite the situation, to apologize for dragging them out without any supervision...

Jaune Arc only had time to send his sister another warm, loving smile as the ice shattered beneath his feet, dropping him into the freezing depths of the lake.

Cold.

Quiet.

Weightless.

This was the sate that Jaune Arc found himself in, blue eyes gazing skyward, almost disbelievingly wide.

Above him, through the distorted effect of the water, he could see the shattered moon of Remnant, framed by the hole he had fallen through to reach this state.

He had always wanted to be a hero. But, unlike others in his family, he had never been formally trained. His goal was to become a Hunter, to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. Not for glory, not for fame, but for a simple satisfaction of having done something good. To be able to look back on his actions and say, without a doubt, that he had no regrets in the things he had done.

And, strangely enough, he couldn't help but feel he had done just that.

Moments before, he had saved his sister's life with his own two hands and a crooked piece of wood. Without his actions, it would have been her life fading away beneath the ice.

Oh... that was right. He was dying, wasn't he? Yes, of course... he couldn't breath underwater. He hadn't taken a breath before being plunged under the sheet of ice that covered the lake. He was cold, but something told him it would only last a little longer... thoughts became less clear.

Staring up at the shattered moon, Jaune Arc couldn't help but feel like he had at least died for something he loved.

Someone he loved.

A sound pierced through the quiet that surrounded him. A scream?

There it was again! So loud, that even in his bizarre dreamlike state he could hear it clearly... but not. He heard something, but the words... no, no, a third shout rang out and he could glean meaning from the sound.

Jaune. His name.

Who would be calling him at a time like this?

His sister.

He had left her. Alone.

Sure, he had saved her life, but now she was alone. And he would be gone. Forever.

His life for the life of his sister. It seemed like a fair trade only just a moment ago. But... then why was it he suddenly had regrets?

Jaune Arc would be recorded as the boy who had heroically traded his life for that of his sister, leaving behind his family of nine others.

Mother, father, and all of his sisters.

The boy who had left them behind.

He refused to leave them like that.

Jaune would not, could not, hurt them in such a way.

This would not be his last day on Remnant; he would not submit to this fate.

Suddenly, he could feel once again.

The cold was present, it had never left. But now, it's presence was comforting rather than foreboding. His hands, though still cold, were not unfeeling. His mind, though still somewhat sluggish, was no longer shutting down. Thoughts swam through his head, buzzing about in an attempt to salvage the situation.

He was cognizant. He couldn't breath. The cold was there, but he didn't feel it. Or maybe he did. Just not the same way he had moments before.

Before, the cold was an enemy. It wanted to take him from his family, drag him into the depths never to see the light of day again.

Now... it was something more. All of a sudden, the cold was no longer his foe; instead, it was his ally.

Blue eyes stared widely at the shattered moon, framed through the broken ice and distorted by the freezing water. Lips curled back into a smile, revealing startling white teeth even as a pale blue glow began to emanate from the body of the sinking teen.

He needed a foothold to propel himself back towards the surface.

The water directly beneath him was suddenly solid.

Jaune Arc's foot touched down on an inexplicable pillar of ice which had grown from the bottom of the lake.

His legs, once numbed by the frigid waters, were responding to his thoughts without issue. He kicked off of the ice below him, the force propelling him straight up towards the hole he had made in the first place.

A hand broke through the surface of the water, sending the icy liquid flying from the sudden disruption.

He needed something to hold on to, to drag himself from the water.

The hand found purchase. Suddenly, the smooth ice had become a perfect handhold, seemingly fitting his hand as though it had been made for it. Another hand shot out, another indent appeared in the ice, matching to his hand almost entirely.

At last, a head broke from the water, sending more of the liquid flying into the air as he gasped for breath, greedily sucking in the air even as his body continued to move.

He needed to get out of the water.

More indents appeared in the ice seemingly at random, providing the teen more leverage to pull himself out, leaving just his lower body trapped in the drink. Something came into existence below his feet, allowing him to push himself out of the water completely, landing stomach first on the thin ice that he had fallen through in the first place.

It did not crack. In fact, not a single sound of protest came from the ice beneath Jaune Arc as he lay, his breathing unsteady even as he coughed water from his lungs.

"J-Jaune?" A tearful voice asked, disbelieving.

In response, the downed teen managed to turn towards his sister, eyes meeting her own.

He smiled. A warm, tender, loving smile.

"Hey. I'm-" A short cough cut the teen off, making him shake his head at the ruining of his cool moment, before he continued. "I'm glad you're okay." He announced, slowly moving to a crouch. The action frightened his sister, who had seen him fall through the ice mere feet from his current spot, but he shushed her protests with a raised hand. "It's fine, don't worry." He assured her, smiling that same smile, as if he had nothing to worry about.

"B-but..." Eyes widened as a sudden realization hit the girl. Her brother was different. His blonde hair had paled to white, like the snow all around her. Had his skin always been so pale? Was it just because he was cold? He had to be freezing, the water was still dripping from his jacket, and yet he didn't seem to care at all.

Jaune Arc continued to smile as he settled into a kneeling position, grabbing that same stick he had used to save his sister from falling into the frigid cold lying beneath the solid ice. Frost seemed to spread across the limb, criss-crossing in spectacular patterns and quickly covering the fallen branch from top to bottom. The stick was placed on the ice beneath the teen, being used to help the boy to his feet. The bare feet soon settled firmly on the ice, with not a single creak in protest from the sheet of frozen water, and the boy began to laugh.

Standing tall and proud, the teen couldn't help but look around himself at the world he inhabited. This frozen paradise he had only ever admired at a distance was suddenly right before him, clearer and crisper than ever before.

He was cold. It was so, so cold right now. He was covered in icy water, his hoodie and jeans soaked through, he probably had another good ten pounds in extra weight just from the water seeped into his clothing.

And despite all common logic, it didn't bother him in the slightest. The cold was not something that brought him discomfort, not anymore.

Throwing his hands behind his head and grinning brightly towards the teary eyed form of his baffled sister, the boy began to step jauntily towards her, pausing only momentarily to snag his ice-skates on the end of his hooked branch. Bare feet padded gracefully on the ice, unhindered by the slippery substance or the freezing cold that should be holding his body in place.

Soon enough, he was right before the trembling girl, who seemed to be in disbelief of the situation even as her brother leaned towards her face with that same grin.

Quirking a brow at the lack of reaction from the girl, the teen shrugged before resorting to one of his favored tactics when gaining the attention of a spacey sister.

"Ah! Jaune, let go of my nose!" The girl squeaked at the sudden feeling of two icy fingers pinching her nose, glaring at the perpetrator balefully.

Releasing the girl's nose with a chuckle, the boy poked the offended appendage. This earned him a petulant pout from the displeased girl.

Moments later, that expression melted away. "... are you okay?" She asked quietly.

A grin stretched from ear to ear on the teen's face as he prepared his reply. "I've got an ice feeling about today, actually." He began cackling wildly at the unamused expression his response had drawn from the girl. "But, really, I'm fine. I feel really good, actually." Better than he'd ever felt before when standing barefoot in several inches of snow. "Say, let's go home shall we? I could really use a cup of hot cocoa."

Nearly a year after that fateful day, Jaune Arc found himself standing before a night club.

Yes. A night club. Quite the successful club, too, despite it's many... less than legal dealings.

Nothing that could be proven, of course; Junior was nothing if not thorough in covering his ass. Not a single criminal activity could be pinned on the owner of The Club, nor could anyone accuse him of intentionally harboring criminals seeing as how there was no concrete evidence.

So it remained the best worst kept secret in Vale that Juniors club was the place to go if you were looking for contacts in the criminal underworld of Vale.

And unfortunately, Jaune was doing just that.

'I can't believe I'm actually doing this.' He thought to himself dully, inspecting the surrounding area with a dry expression.

It was very much what one would expect of an area reputed to be frequented by seedy individuals. Many of the buildings in the area were old, not decrepit but simply aged and worn. The whole area seemed to be a myriad of dark, drab grays and blacks, with the occasional splotch of rusty red or brown here and there to denote just how aged some of the structures were. Above were the overpasses that allowed traffic to travel from one end of Vale to the next with little issue, the sound of cars a constant symphony.

Frankly, the fact that three different people had tried to mug him thus far only highlighted the fact that he was in a bad part of town. Icing on the cake as it were.

The teen sighed, brushing his snow-white hair out of his eyes. Standing at six feet, the pale teen painted a fairly intimidating picture to what few onlookers there were on the street as he glowered at the entrance to the club.

While the black hoodie, with it's pale blue insides and white sleeves, combined with simple blue jeans didn't make for a particularly menacing picture, the fact that he had armor over top of it at least gave a few of the wannabe tough guys pause. The armor itself was simple, but well made. Held to his chest via brown leather straps was a white breastplate, with armor sweeping around his under-arms to meet at his back. His shoulders were likewise covered by more of the white metal armor, secured with strong leather straps.

At a glance, one could tell this was not just random junk heaped together; it was actual legitimate armor, simple but strong. People didn't just wear that as a fashion statement.

Of course the three guys that had attempted to mug him on his way here were not aware of that. And so each of them were taken by surprise when he had just knocked them around with his good ol' beating stick.

The same stick he'd picked up nearly a year back had transitioned into his favored tool for combat.

It was a combination of factors that made Jaune Arc look moderately intimidating as he released a gruff sigh, bare feet plodding towards the entrance to the night club with purpose. The fact that anyone in his immediate vicinity found themselves subject to temperatures noticeably lower than they had experienced before entering his bubble was the most notable of these factors, but the large hooked stick slung carelessly over his shoulders as he walked may have contributed somewhat in addition to his rather chilly demeanor.

He did not like what he was doing right now. Not entering the night club, oh no. That part was fine. If he hadn't intended to do something illegal and immoral while there, the place would honestly be a decent hangout.

But he was doing something illegal and immoral.

Jaune had no formal training to his name; none whatsoever. Everything he had ever learned had been through experimentation and observation, and that left him rather under qualified for the school he aimed to attend.

Beacon Academy was not just another school. It was the Hunter School in the kingdom, almost every hunter aspirant wanted to shoot for Beacon.

Most of these aspirants would have actual combat schools in their history, such as Signal.

He, on the other hand, did not. And that left him in a situation.

So what better way to remedy that fact than simply re-write history? Or in this case falsify history.

Jaune Arc was entering The Club tonight in search of someone who could forge transcripts to help him attend Beacon Academy, and it left a rather sour taste in his mouth.

'What if this ends up backfiring?' He couldn't help but ask himself, thinking of the many ways this could go wrong. For one, he had no idea what even constituted as good forgeries. Anything pathetic would be obvious, but if someone made their work just good enough to pass his inspection only for it to fall flat later... well that would certainly cause issues.

Not to mention, Jaune had no idea how much this would cost. He had the entirety of his savings with him, every penny he had ever pinched over his seventeen years of life... but would that be enough? He didn't exactly lead the most prosperous lifestyle, even if he did accumulate a fair amount of funds from various jobs in the time he had been away from home.

But one way or another, he had to attend Beacon. He would find no better place to learn how to be a Hunter than that prestigious academy, and he needed to learn from the best so that he could have a real shot at living out his dream.

Even if the means to do so were dishonest, Jaune Arc would not surrender the dream he had held all these years.

With that thought bolstering his resolve, the white haired teen made to step into the club...

... Only to be barred by the bouncer at the door. "No shoes, no service." The man deadpanned gruffly, gesturing towards the boy's lack of footwear.

Jaune blinked. "... huh." Turning to regard the bouncer, he inspected the man thoroughly.

Cheap suit. Cheap sunglasses. Cheap, though admittedly cool, fedora. Cheap fancy shoes.

... okay maybe they weren't that cheap but the point stood. This man was very much what Jaune would refer to as a goon.

And as such, he was relatively unconcerned by the glare the man was leveling on him. Confidence was key, just like dad always taught him. "I don't see a sign anywhere." He pointed out to the man with a quirked brow.

"Don't need a sign. But you do need shoes." The man's response was delivered in a very dry tone, making it clear that he had no intention of playing along.

Jaune sighed at that. No sense of humor, these guys. "Right. I'm gonna go in now, and if you try and stop me then I'll just knock you out and maybe take your shoes. Cool?"

Perhaps a year ago Jaune wouldn't have been confident enough to make such a threat, but this was a different Arc. He had spent most of his waking hours messing with his Semblance in order to learn just what it could do.

And in his experimentation, he had learned quite a bit about how to make use of his power.

The bouncer stepped out of the way, mockingly directing him forward. "Go right ahead."

With a shrug, the white haired teen did so.

He idly lifted his weaponized stick to deflect the clumsy punch launched at him, before swinging said stick into the man's gut. As he fell to his knees from the impact, Jaune lightly prodded his upper body with the hooked end of the branch.

"H-Hey, what the hell!?" The man began to freak out as his chest was quickly covered with ice, freezing his arms to their position clutching at his stomach.

A chuckle slipped from the white haired teen as he waltzed past without a care. "You need to chill out." Jaune cackled madly at his pun, before slipping into the nightclub.

'Holy crap that is loud!' Jaune couldn't help but think to himself as he walked in, the blazing music slamming into him like a wall. Acclimating himself to the new noise level for a moment, the teen shook his head and took a look around to see if he could spot his man.

He'd never met Junior before, but the descriptions he'd been given made the man out to be rather easy to pick out from a crowd. Glancing over the club, he eventually landed on the bar, where a rather large man was wiping out a glass. He couldn't help but wonder if that was just something bar tenders did to occupy themselves or if those glasses were just that hard to keep clean.

Shrugging, the teen made his way towards the counter, dodging through people as he went. A few close calls and insults from those same close calls later, Jaune finally made it to the bar counter and found himself face to chest with the giant of a man tending to the counter.

"... aren't you a little young to be in here, kid?" The big man deadpanned, looking over the teen with a critical eye as he continued to wipe out the glass with a cloth.

An irritated huff came from Jaune at that. "This kid has some questions for you, Junior." This caught the attention of the man, who nodded at him to continue. "Word on the street is that you've got a reputation for knowing things, knowing people."

A gruff laugh came from the man. "Learned a lot of things in my business, snowball. What exactly are you looking for?"

Ignoring the crack at his hair color, Jaune pushed on with his request. "I need a forge, Junior. A good one." He added that last part with a distinct emphasis that the big man caught. "If you know somebody and are willing to send me to them or vice versa, I'd be grateful." His gratitude came in the form of lien, of course, what little he could spare from his savings in order to locate a forge. It was a calculated amount that would definitely be enough, perhaps more than enough, for an "upstanding" businessman such as Junior to introduce him to someone.

Nodding again and accepting the offered cash without a word, the man seemed to be thinking for a few moments. Likely he had dozens of potential recommendations to give out, and was deciding which would be best for this situation. After a moment, he leveled a serious look towards the white haired teen. "What do you need them to do? I need to know how good the work has to be."

Jaune let out a deep breath. "I need false transcripts so I can get into Beacon." He admitted, frowning at the thought. "I've got no formal training, and because of that I'm not qualified. I need to be able to fool the headmaster."

"Alright." Junior put a hand to his chin, having set the glass and cloth down moments before. "I know who to send your way." She would probably like this job, just for the entertainment value. "Gonna let you know now; this won't be cheap. Documents like what you need are gonna cost an arm and a leg." Possibly his own limbs, but if he could get someone else's that would work just as well. The girl was crazy as hell, but manageable... sometimes. She could conduct business at least. "Hang out around here for a half-hour or so then leave through the front; doesn't matter where you're goin'. You'll be contacted then, and you can work out the terms with them."

"Thank you, Junior. Been a pleasure doing business with you."

The bearded man shrugged, offering an idle reply. "Don't thank me till you get the papers in hand, kid." He advised, not wanting the kid's naivety to end up with him in the dead in the gutter somewhere. Junior wasn't the nicest guy around, but the kid had already paid him, and quite generously considering all he had to do was send a message via his scroll. Because of that, he figured the least he could do was make sure the kid didn't get his head in the clouds just yet. "This is business, snowball, not a favor. Keep it in mind."

A more subdued nod from the teen almost brought a smirk to the man's lips. "I'll keep that in mind. Half an hour and then out the front, right?"

"Yeah. And if you survive, feel free to drop by again." He cracked a rugged smile at the boy, picking up the glass and cloth again. "Could always use more regulars around this place." If he survived, that is. Kid might not even get through the night, not with the level of forgery he needed.

Junior only knew one person who could make something good enough to go unnoticed at Beacon, and she was not the most... stable individual. Not that he would say it to her face, of course.

Crazy little she-demon.

Forty five minutes after his little heart-to-heart with the owner of The Club, Jaune found himself seated on a rooftop overlooking the streets nearby. His hands were propping up his head, elbows resting on his knees with his stick laid out across his lap and nestled into the crook of his elbows.

The frosty teen couldn't help but sigh in boredom as he awaited his contact, distracting himself idly by flicking a snowflake back and forth between his palms using his Semblance. Jaune couldn't help but find himself pondering about all of the odd changes he'd gone through after awakening his power.

His skin had paled, his hair faded to white, and his body temperature seemed to permanently drop. He was almost always cold to the touch, unless heated by an outside source, and he had gained a near immunity to low temperatures. None of the usual negatives associated with freezing applied to him even in sub-zero temperatures.

Perhaps certain extremes could get past his resistance, but standing on the bank of a frozen lake while dripping wet with water that was easily below zero had done nothing to him. He had actually been quite comfortable as a matter of fact. So Jaune wasn't really sure just how much would be too much for him.

Semblances were supposed to be unique, a manifestation of the soul or something. Jaune always figured that his just got messed up due to the rather hectic way it had been brought out; the bizarre effect it had left on his body seemed abnormal even from what he knew of Semblances.

... which wasn't much, he was forced to admit to himself after some consideration. Maybe people's Semblances really did do this kind of crap to them.

Jaune wasn't disappointed with his ability by any means, though. No, in all honesty it was absolutely badass. He could manipulate snow, ice, and wind on a level that was downright ridiculous. It was so easy to use, too, even a toddler could probably figure most of it out after a couple of days of experimenting. If he wanted something to happen, it did. Spawn ice all over this guy to hold him still? No problem. Ice slick on the floor to trip up a crowd? Done and done. Create a miniature blizzard to disorient and distract people while simultaneously growing spikes of ice out of the ground to serve as hazards? That took a bit of practice, but once it was down it was like riding a bike. It just worked.

So yeah, he had a damn good power. He'd trade a normal body temperature, his blonde hair, and his chances at getting a tan for that. Especially because he still hadn't learned the limits of this power, just the limits of his own ability for the moment. Jaune honestly didn't know where the possibilities ended for his Semblance.

But those thoughts were best saved for later. He had to keep his eye out for the contact that Junior had promised him, and being lost in thoughts about the incredible potential of his abilities was not a good way to make a first impression.

Damn was this boring, though. If Jaune had known the forge he was meeting was going to take so long he might have grabbed a drink while he was in the club, if only so he could toy around with the tiny umbrella.

Those things were awesome and no one would convince him otherwise. He didn't even have a good reason for why they were cool, but they were.

Speaking of umbrellas, he spotted one down below. It was sort of transparent, allowing him to see a bit of who was under the open umbrella. From what little he could glean through the patterned parasol, it was being held by a young looking girl with pink and brown hair, though he spotted a few streaks of white in the pink.

He only really noticed her at all because there wasn't really any reason to have an umbrella right now. The skies had been clear all week, and they weren't expecting rain.

"... Guess it's just a fashion statement." He mumbled to himself idly, turning away from the sight so as not to seem like a creep. He was already rather suspicious looking, just seated on the edge of a rooftop near The Club. Didn't need people to think he was a stalker or something. As a matter of fact, he could have sworn the girl beneath the umbrella had actually looked up at him.

Shrugging, the teen looked back down towards the street just in time to spot a projectile flying directly towards him. With only enough time to gasp, Jaune found himself launched backwards from his seated position by a hard impact to his chest plate.

A very harsh impact, as a matter of fact, because it had sent him flying across the rooftop in a tumble. Clumsily, having been completely thrown off guard by the sudden assault, Jaune managed to stabilize himself, landing in a crouch.

His chest plate now had a small ding in it, the teen noted with wide eyes as he glanced up towards the direction he had been struck from.

There, standing elegantly on the edge of the rooftop, was the same girl he had spotted in the street just moments before

Jaune's first thoughts upon getting a good look at her were quite simple; '... Wow she's tiny.' The boy couldn't help but notice that this girl was notably smaller than pretty much any other person he'd met who wasn't a child. She was short, petite, and all around made him think of a pretty little porcelain doll.

This was incredibly relevant, because he had always been terrified of those things. And considering this girl had chucked her umbrella of all things at him from street level hard enough to dent his armor, and then suddenly managed to get to the top of the building fast enough to catch it midair with a graceful twirl...

It was no exaggeration to say that Jaune Arc harbored a healthy fear for the deceivingly adorable girl who had just sent him flying as if on a whim.

And that smirk... it was extremely unnerving. It was one of those smiles that let everyone know the wearer of said expression knew something you didn't, something you desperately needed to know whether you realized it or not.

Standing slowly, as if to keep from startling a predator, Jaune raised his hands up defensively, staff held in a nonthreatening way but still at the ready. "Uhm, look, I'm sorry if I offended you but I was just waiting for someone, honest! I wasn't trying to creep on you!" Ugh, why had he decided to sit on the roof like some kind of wannabe lone wolf protagonist? Seriously, he should have known something like this would happen. It was just his luck.

The small girl merely offered a quirked brow, tilting her head in a rather adorable gesture that was entirely ruined by her mocking smile and the devilish glint in her eyes.

Jaune noticed at that point that the fancily dressed girl had two different eye colors, one pink and the other brown. Much like her hair, and her attire. She had a kind of... neapolitan look to her. Yeah, actually after looking her over he saw a definite color scheme there with the creamy white, the chocolate browns, and the splashes of pink throughout. It suited her, though, despite how over-the-top it seemed.

'What the hell am I thinking about at a time like this!?' The teenager berated himself mentally, immediately blaming the influence of his seven sisters on his life.

The girl continued to regard him with that same smirk, not moving an inch or replying to his earlier defenses beyond her original reaction.

Seeing this, Jaune began to feel even more uncomfortable. "... Er... right. Ah, well, uhm... I have an appointment I need to keep, so uh... I'm gonna go now?" Having said this, the boy began to back away from the discomforting presence of the tiny girl before him, unwilling to take his eyes off of her for even a second despite his retreat.

Something in the snowy teen's gut told him that if he so much as blinked, he would regret it. And Jaune Arc was very much a man who listened to his gut on such matters.

It was because of this that he saw the sudden shift in the girl's smile, as it became decidedly menacing and even more lopsided. Without losing even a trace of the dignified stance, the girl began to quickly step towards him with bad intentions clearly visible on her face.

Gulping, the white haired Arc decided he would fire a warning shot to perhaps ward off this sudden assailant, who he could tell at even a glance was leagues beyond the street toughs he had downed just hours before.

Swinging his staff of sorts towards the small girl, a small measure of confidence built up within Jaune as she was visibly surprised by the sudden wave of freezing air that pushed her backwards several feet.

Eyes widened at the display, the girl blinked curiously towards him.

A frown set on his lips, Jaune spoke up. "I don't know what you want with me, but I'm not just going to lay down and take it." He would have patted himself on the back for managing to contain his nervousness if it wouldn't have ruined the moment... hey hadn't her left eye been the pink one a second ago?

Strange, he could have sworn the left eye was the pink one, but now it was brown... wait no it was pink again. What? That was... weird. Really weird.

And suddenly she was moving again, far faster than before.

So much faster, in fact, that Jaune barely had time to get his guard up before being sent hurtling yet again by the little girl, this time using her leg. She had landed a hard kick which sent him tumbling yet again, though this time he used his Semblance to assist in his landing.

Catching himself on two footholds of ice, the boy hissed and resisted the urge to rub his stomach. Good grief, even with Aura that was a stinger. It wouldn't leave permanent damage or anything, but if he hadn't had his Aura awakened...

Jaune gulped again, confidence wavering as he realized that a kick like that could have killed a normal human. What the heck was this girl's problem? What had he done to set her off? He had no clue!

But now wasn't the time for that. He had to do something, maybe trap her long enough to make a break for it. In an area like this, he could escape fairly easily if he pushed his athletic abilities to the limit in conjunction with his Semblance. He just needed to hold her still long enough for an opening.

Strategy firmly in mind, Jaune's face set into a determined glare as he stared down the girl who had just sent him flying with next to no effort.

She was still smirking that same damnable smirk, seemingly even more amused now as she offered a dainty little greeting, wiggling her fingers at him. As if they had just introduced themselves rather than her introducing her foot to his stomach.

Jaune was not amused, but he kept it to himself. Letting his power circulate through him a bit, the teen released a deep breath that left moisture in the air freezing into tiny crystals of ice. Unwilling to avert his gaze from the dangerous enemy he had encountered, the boy wisely decided against attempting to catch her with a widespread attack. She would just dodge it, and then he would have lost sight of her. Radiating an attack in a three hundred and sixty degree circle without his usual spin would take too long to be practical, and performing the small spin would make him lose sight of the girl. It wasn't worth it for an attack he was certain she would dodge.

With that in mind, he relegated his attack to a wide cone as opposed to the full circle he often used. Eyes flashing a pale blue briefly, Jaune released a second, stronger blast of frigid air from his hands, accompanied by several sharp icicles of varying size.

He didn't expect it to land, but the teen wanted an idea of how his foe would respond to such an attack.

Jaune very nearly shouted in frustration as the girl simply drew her now open umbrella before her, allowing the ice to just shatter upon it. Was she for real? Did she really just block that with a freaking parasol?

The answer to that question was an irrefutable yes, he was forced to admit as the girl seemed to giggle silently, twirling her undamaged weapon about playfully.

That was not good, not at all. With that in mind, he decided to see how she reacted to a more cumbersome terrain to navigate. And so, before she could move to attack him again, Jaune willed his power onto the rooftop, creating a solid sheet of ice beneath his feet that spread quickly, soon covering the entire rooftop. Against normal people, this would make fighting nearly impossible. The ice was slick and solid, making it very difficult to move at any speed, let alone fight.

For an experienced fighter, it would be less crippling but still a hindrance. You had to be careful on a slick like this, or you might make a fatal mistake at any moment.

Jaune himself was one hundred percent unaffected. His Semblance made traversing icy terrain a breeze, it felt almost more natural than just walking on grass or asphalt. He could control himself perfectly despite the slippery footing, and moreover he had managed to find ways to use his abilities to increase his speed on ice.

Another brief moment of surprise from the pretty girl who was trying to kill him, before it was replaced by that same curiously quirking brow and infuriatingly smug smirk.

He had expected some sort of hindrance to the girl from the ice. Surely she would at least be somewhat slowed down by it, right?

Nope. Not even.

She moved like she didn't even notice the ice, that same graceful gait that she'd been using the entire time.

Jaune had to move, and so he did. Propelling himself with a blast of frigid air from his heel, he sped across the icy terrain like a skater, his weaponized stick ready to be swung the moment he spotted even a smidgen of pink.

Catching movement from the corner of his eye, Jaune turned and used his built-up momentum for a very powerful swing. Much like her earlier kick, Jaune was certain this strike would kill a normal human being upon hitting; he had put an immense amount of force into it, and so it would at least stun the girl for a moment.

... if he had hit her. But he hadn't. Instead, something seemed to shatter, leaving him staring dumbly at the place where he could have sworn the girl had been just moments before. Where had she gone?

A presence on his back and hot breath at his ear answered that question as he felt cold metal at his neck. Jaune fought back a terrified gasp, forcing himself to remain calm even as the blade at his neck became more apparent. It was hovering above his flesh by mere inches after having been lightly drawn against him, not enough to leave a cut but more than enough to make it clear that he was in checkmate.

Legs wrapped around his waist, one arm thrown over his shoulder to hold on, and another holding her umbrella-blade to his neck.

Jaune wasn't going to lie; this would probably be really hot if it wasn't for the fact that he was facing death if he didn't do something.

Considering he was pretty much dead anyway if he didn't pull something out of his ass, the snowy haired teen decided to just throw caution to the wind and attempt a calculated risk.

Ice formed at his neck, creating a sudden layer of thickness between the sword and it's target; she had been hovering the blade above his skin teasingly, and it had given him room to try something.

She noticed the formation immediately, and moved to strike a more sensitive area... but, unexpectedly found herself pressed between the larger back of the teen and a doorway to the stairs of the building. Harshly, as a matter of fact.

Jaune had propelled himself backwards as fast and hard as he could via his Semblance, a burst of frigid wind in conjunction with his own leg strength.

Slamming the girl against the wall stunned her; landing his first strike during the entire battle, and it was only out of a desperation move.

He wasn't going to think on that though. The impact had moved her blade away from him, enough that he was able to push off of her, turning just in time to harshly press his hand up against the girl's stomach.

Ice began spreading quickly, forming restraints that he was certain wouldn't last long. But Jaune didn't need them to. He just needed to run away, far away and as fast as he could.

And so he did. Without sparing the lunatic ice cream girl another look, Jaune began to sprint away as fast as his legs would carry him.

He leaped from the building, making use of his limited control of wind to add some thrust to his jump and allowing him to clear the gap from one building to the next with ease. But one building wasn't enough, and so he continued running, jumping, sliding, and leaving behind bursts of cold in his wake as he did so.

Probably not going to cause anyone any problems.

And if it did? Too bad. His survival was a little more important.

With that thought in mind, Jaune found himself shivering as he leaned up against the wall of an alleyway several blocks away. Not from cold, he hadn't been uncomfortable due to freezing temperatures in ages, but from fear.

He had nearly died.

That girl, some random passerby he didn't even know, had just tried to murder him out of the blue. And she had very nearly succeeded.

Sliding down the wall with a shaky, ragged sigh, the teen settled his elbows on his knees, stave resting horizontally in his lap, and covered his face with his hands, trying to get a grip on himself.

After a few moments, the shivering ceased. He calmed down enough that the shaking was done, but his breathing was still heavy as he sat against the wall, allowing the adrenaline which had carried him this far to fade.

It was replaced by an all-consuming exhaustion. The boy slumped further in on himself, releasing another shaky breath. "... Who... was that girl?" He asked to himself, almost as if to test and see if his voice still worked. "God, she wiped the floor with me... she nearly killed me..." He laughed despondently, shaking his head. "I couldn't even touch her..." Some hero he was if he couldn't so much as lay a hand on his opponents. The one good hit he'd gotten in the entire fight was because she had decided to play with him at the end.

A shiver shot down his spine suddenly as someone tapped him atop the head. Jaune didn't want to look up. He was terrified at what he might see, what he knew he would see.

But he had to. He couldn't just pretend she wasn't there. He wasn't just going to turtle up and hope she went away, no matter how much he wished he could.

Removing his hands from his face, the teen suppressed the terrified squeak that wanted to slip past his lips as his blue eyes met mismatched pink and brown.

The girl was less than a foot from him, bent over at the waist with her hands clasped behind her back. Their faces were inches apart, and again he couldn't help but think that this girl would be incredibly attractive if he wasn't so damn scared of her right now. Even that infuriatingly smug smile of hers had an alluring charm about it, but he was too focused on the fact that this girl had managed to not only escape his ice-prison, but had also found or followed him after he had literally sprinted halfway across the city in a Semblance aided marathon that had left him completely drained to care about that.

A deep sigh slipped past his lips as he looked at the girl, attempting to hide his fear with humor. "Well... mom always said when I was older I would have pretty girls chasing me all over." In response to the quirked brow from the girl, he shook his head with a dry laugh. "Don't think this is what she meant, though."

He fought back a flinch as an item was thrust into his face.

It was... a scroll? With a message typed out on it.

Cute. You're the one who wanted a forge, right?

Jaune blinked. "... Yeah." He replied uncomfortably, not liking how this girl knew about that. It had some pretty unsettling implications.

The scroll was pulled back, the girl easily typing out a message with a single hand. Good. I was pretty sure it was you, but I could have just attacked a random Huntsman on accident.

"Uh... huh." Jaune mumbled, trying futilely to scoot away from the murderous psychopath in front of him. The wall at his back made short work of that plan. "What... did you want with me?"

You're the one who wanted me, silly. The girl typed out with a silent giggle, covering her mouth with one dainty little hand. A forge good enough to fool the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, right?

Jaune froze. "... Oh." No, no way. The crazy midget with the sword umbrella that had kicked his ass seven ways to Sunday was the forge Junior sent to him? "Oh, fuck me." He announced bitterly, shaking his head as he looked warily towards the smirking girl.

Giving the boy a once-over, the ice-cream themed girl licked her lips suggestively. Maybe later. She typed out, making certain he saw the message and smiling wider at his stammered response. For now, let's talk business shall we?

"Okay." The teen relented, knowing that any sort of resistance was futile at this point. He was completely incapable of fighting back right now, and even if he was running on a full tank it had already been proven that this girl was more than a match for him on his best day. "So... do I have a name to call you or..?"

Neopolitan. But please, feel free to call me Neo. Short and sweet.

Were the situation any different, Jaune may have attempted a cheesy and poorly thought out compliment in an attempt to flirt. However, considering the fact that Neo had kicked him around without any sort of noticeable effort on her part he didn't much feel like using the tried and true "Just like you?" response that would probably have gotten him slapped... or stabbed.

Instead, he just nodded slowly. "Okay... Neo. What was that about? You attacked me out of the blue."

If I'm making fake transcripts for you, I need to know that you can live up to them. The girl shrugged at his belligerent glare, clearly anticipating his next question as she typed out more. And while I -could- have just introduced myself, informed you of what I needed, and then conducted the test in a controlled environment... She let that sentence drift off, seeing the realization and irritation light up in her client's eyes.

"... you thought it would be more fun this way." He finished for her, shaking his head at the absurdity of it but realizing there was absolutely nothing he could do in response. "Okay. Fine. How much will this cost me?"

Normally, it would be a lot. A whole lot. More than you could afford, I assure you. A shrug at his rather annoyed twitch. But since you amused me so much, I'm feeling rather generous. Holding up the wallet she had just pilfered from the teen without his notice, Neo's smile was so sweet it was sickening. I'll leave enough for you to survive on for a week, but the rest will be payment for the job. In addition, you're going to owe me a favor at a later date.

Despite the fact that the girl had swiped his wallet without him being able to react, on top of her terrorizing him in battle and utterly defeating him... Jaune wasn't just going to agree to those terms. Not the last one, anyway. "Neo." He began firmly, drawing a raised brow from the girl at the rather different tone than he'd been using. "I'll agree to that last term as long as you swear to me that it's not going to be something that will compromise my morals. I'm sure you'll know how far is too far." He really didn't have any room to be negotiating even as much as he was, but he would rather die than be forced to do something he would regret the rest of his life.

Neo's expression made it clear that she found this amusing. You really do not have any room to be making terms right now, you know. She typed, showing him the message and frowning slightly at his unchanged expression. Sighing, she shrugged before typing up another response. Fine. I'm not going to make you do something like that... I'd be better served doing it myself in case you hadn't noticed.

Jaune blinked. "Uh... yeah, you have a point." He conceded with a frown, remembering in great detail just how thoroughly this girl had thrashed him just minutes before. Flinching as she lightly patted his cheek in a condescending fashion, the teen released a light growl in irritation but made no moves otherwise. "So now what?" The snowy teen asked, reigning in his annoyance.

I'm going to take my payment, get you those transcripts forged, and then meet you at The Club in a week. Neo's reply came quickly, clearly the girl had a large amount of experience typing messages on her scroll with a single hand. Her other hand was still resting on his cheek in a gesture that, again, would have been alluring if not for the fact that the person she was interacting with was terrified of her. You just show up and accept the documents once they're done... ah, by the way, hand me your scroll for a minute.

Slowly, as though quick movements would startle the predator before him, Jaune fished his own scroll from his pocket and held it out to the girl. Said girl swiped it, quickly navigating the menus of the device and typing something on it.

When she handed it back to him, Jaune was left looking at a new addition to his contacts. He blinked, looking back to the girl. "Uh... you put your number into my contacts list?" He asked the obvious question. Wasn't that kind of a strange thing to do?

I also put your number on mine. Neo typed back in response. What, do you think I need to be cautious about who gets my contact information? She giggled silently again, though this time there was something malicious about it. I can assure you that anyone who misuses that information finds themselves unable to do so ever again.

Jaune got the point quite clearly, thanks. "Uh, right. I'll keep that in mind." He responded slowly, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. "S-so... are we done here?" Because as much as he was grateful to have worked out a deal for his forged transcripts, the woman doing the forging scared him senseless.

Tilting her head, as if in thought, Neo responded with a cheery little nod and a smile that was far too innocent for the face it was inhabiting. Yep, for now. Be sure to show up to The Club a week from today for the hand-off. I'll send you a message if anything changes between now and then, k?

"Yeah... will do. And... uh... thanks?" He wasn't sure how business deals went in the criminal underworld, but having been raised to be a polite young man he felt inclined to show gratitude whenever someone did something for him. That went for friendly favors, waiters at a restaurant, store clerks offering advice, and apparently now criminals he worked out shady deals with.

You're welcome. Neo replied, straightening from her previous position for the first time since their conversation had began. She tossed the wallet, much lighter than it had been previously, towards the teen who caught it clumsily. I'll see you in a week, Jaune Arc.

And with that final message, the girl lightly hopped backwards and was suddenly no longer there.

Jaune blinked again. "... what the hell?" She could teleport? That was horrifying. What the hell kind of bullshit was that? Was that her Semblance?

That was just plain messed up. No wonder he couldn't escape from her if she could do that.

And with the deal worked out, his life no longer in danger, and the new number in his scroll that signified his association with the criminal world... Jaune couldn't have possibly felt more tired.

Staring at the wall across from him, the boy released an exhausted sigh and ran his hands through his hair, before asking himself a single question aloud.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

My thoughts exactly, Jaune... what have I gotten myself into?

Anyway. There you have it, Jaune Arc with ice powers and more confidence in himself. Let's see how this turns out...