"Saphron, I'm kinda having second thoughts about this."

"You'll be fine, Jaune. It's two kids, how bad can they be?"

Jaune looked down the hall towards the rooms of the aforementioned children. His sister Saphron's wife, Terra, had been transferred out to a remote Atlasian base for a year to work on a new communications project. Supposedly, there was some new project to launch a CCT Tower into space. Jaune frankly had no idea why it was necessary, but orders were orders.

While Saphron was happy to go along with Terra, she was heartbroken when she found out there wouldn't be any schools or childcare facilities at Terra's new location. After a long chat, the two parents had decided to leave their children, Adrian and Julianne, in the care of their uncle Jaune for the year. Both kids loved him, and the couple was confident he'd be a great caretaker.

…Jaune wasn't so sure.

"Hey, Terra?" he called out to his sister-in-law, hoping that she might be willing to chat.

"You can handle this. If you need to call me, my scroll number is in the contacts. You better have a good reason if you do, though. Calls to this place from Argus are 5 Lien per minute. And I know you don't have that kind of money right now." She let out a soft laugh.

"Don't remind me," Jaune said with a groan. After graduating from Beacon Academy, he'd started a business with his three closest friends from school so they could continue to take on Huntsman jobs as a group. Juniper Consulting consisted of himself, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren. The four of them had built up a reputation in Argus thanks to a couple of successful Grimm cleanups they had completed in the area during their final year. Many of the local companies had offered the team of four contracts for work after graduation, and the quartet were happy to continue working together.

Although business was quite good, they were in a snag at the moment, financially speaking. Over the course of their last contract, Pyrrha's scroll had broken, as had both Nora's hammer and Ren's pistols, with the latter needing particularly expensive repairs. To make matters worse, their next contract had fallen through, resulting in them having no paying work until next month. The whole team had significantly slashed their take-home, just to make ends meet. Jaune was barely able to cover essentials on his current compensation, though the fact that he would be housesitting for Saphron and Terra would help.

Terra seemed to sense that she'd hit a nerve, an expression of concern crossing her face. "Hey, Jaune, I'm sorry. You know you can always call me or Saphron at any time. After all, you're taking care of our children." She paused. "And I know you already said no, but this placement pays really well. If you want, we'd be happy to help out with finances."

"Thank you, Terra, but you know I can't accept that. The childcare reimbursement that the military is paying me is enough, really," said Jaune. He wouldn't tell Terra this, but he had another reason for not wanting to accept Terra's offer. Saphron had mentioned a couple of weeks prior that the couple had recently begun saving for the kids' education, in case either of them wanted to attend one of the Huntsman Academies. She'd also mentioned how happy she was that Terra's new job paid well, as it would help tremendously with their savings, and Jaune didn't want to take away from that.

"Oh, look at my little brother, all grown up and fending for himself," Saphron said. She quickly grabbed Jaune in a cross between a headlock and a hug. "But you'll always be my wittle Jaune-Jaune! I'll miss you!" She began to ruffle Jaune's hair, ignoring the silent protests of her captive.

Terra stifled a chuckle as she checked her watch. "I hate to break up this family bonding session, but our airship leaves in an hour, dear. We should really be heading off." Prying Saphron off her brother, she wrapped Jaune in a quick hug of her own. "Thank you again for this, Jaune. I can't express how much it means to be able to leave Adie and Julie with someone we trust." Releasing Jaune, she grabbed the two suitcases beside her and headed towards the front door.

"I'll see you outside, honey," Saphron said to Terra as she walked past. Turning back to Jaune, she gave him a heartfelt hug. "It's only a year, Jaune. I know you can do this – you're one of the most caring people I know, and some days I think Adie and Julie like you more than they like me or Terra. Just trust me on that, okay?"

His sister's words made Jaune smile. She was right; he might not have great self-esteem, but Saphron was honest to a fault, so he knew she really meant it when she said she believed in him. "Thanks, Saph. You and Terra have fun out there."

Saphron snorted in response. "Yep, I'll be having sooooo much fun, hanging out on this uninhabited island, with no one but the other military spouses to keep me company." Her expression changed to one of thoughtful contemplation. "To be honest, I think it will be nice. Since most of Terra's coworkers aren't very social, it'll mean the two of us will get to spend a lot of time alone together. With first Adie and then Julie, we haven't been able to have much time to ourselves in the last few years. It'll be nice to just be with each other for a while. Almost like an extended second honeymoon."

Jaune pushed Saphron towards the door. "Alright, that's enough, you two lovebirds go on and stop bugging me. Have a good time!" He waved to Saphron and Terra as they got onto the harbour-bound streetcar, only shutting the door once the vehicle was out of sight. Leaning against the door, he let out a sigh he'd been holding in since arriving at the Cotta-Arc residence. While he'd expressed some of his concerns to Saphron and Terra, he hadn't let on just how unprepared he felt for the task of, in essence, parenting two kids.

I have no clue how to take care of children. I need a textbook…or better yet, a teacher. Who do I know that could help me with this? His mind quickly began to filter through his list of friends. Pyrrha would probably be amazing with kids, but I always feel like she's so good at things because she does what works for her, which might not work for me; I don't think she'd be the best person to learn from for this. Ren and Nora would make a good team, as usual, but I don't think either of them would be all that great with kids on their own. Plus, Nora would be too busy teasing me to help.

Team RWBY is travelling right now, so none of them are available…plus, Ruby would probably just suggest giving them cookies, and Yang would suggest taking them to the gym. The thought of the two sisters trying to take care of Adrian and Julianne brought a smile to his face. Ruby and Yang must have been a real handful to raise themselves…"

An idea suddenly popped into his head. Pulling out his phone, he scrolled to the bottom of his contacts list.

"One of the most important things about combat is knowing what works for you. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses; your personal fighting style should emphasize the former and conceal the latter." Tai stated, flipping to the next slide, which showed a video of Ruby in combat. "Take my daughters, Ruby and Yang, as examples. Ruby's biggest strength is her speed, but she needs to take some time when she's taking a shot, since her gun is actually a rifle. With that in mind, she'll only take a shot from range if her opponent hasn't noticed her, or from up close if she's already disoriented her opponent with her speed. On occasion, she'll spend a few seconds just dashing around without attacking until her opponent lunges out and misses. Once that happens a couple of times, her opponents will become hesitant to attack, because they think she'll just dodge them again. That gives her the extra couple of seconds she needs to line up a shot."

Tai crossed the front of the classroom, giving a good-natured smile to some of the students in the first few rows that seemed particularly attentive. He always enjoyed giving this lecture, since he got a chance to talk about Yang and Ruby. Additionally, seeing the students begin to find their own fighting styles was a pure joy; it was one of the few ways a young Huntsman- or Huntress-in-training could express their individuality in the course of their studies. He changed slides again, with the next slide showing footage of Yang fighting.

"Yang, on the other hand, takes a little more after me, with her close-quarters combat being her biggest asset. However, while she does have some ranged tools, she isn't nearly as strong at a distance as most of the opponents she fights against, apart from some weaker Grimm. She makes it a priority to close space as quickly as possible at the start of a fight. Once she's gotten inside her opponent's range, she'll constantly keep an eye on any moves her opponent could make to create more space, since she knows that's what her opponent will be looking for. By proactively cutting off potential escape routes, she can really get inside her opponent's head, often forcing them to make rash attacks."

Noticing the clock on the wall, he quickly began to wrap up. "As a bonus, this strategy also works well in tandem with her semblance. Next class, we'll talk more about how to incorporate your semblance into your personal fighting style. Thank you for your attention." As he finished, the class bell rang, signifying the end of class. An idea occurred to Tai as he began to pack up his supplies; perhaps he should ask Ruby and Yang to come in and have a duel in front of the class. It would be beneficial for the students to see two graduated Huntresses trying to enforce their fighting styles on each other, and he knew Ruby and Yang would never turn down a chance to have a friendly spar. Sensing he wasn't alone, he looked up to see a slight boy and a mousey girl standing in front of her.

Tai stepped around the lecture podium and leaned against it, giving his full attention to the two students in front of him. "Hi, Lea, Darr. What can I do for you two?"

The two exchanged nervous glances, before Darr began to speak. "Um, Professor Xiao Long? At the end of class, you mentioned that next class, we'd be talking about incorporating our semblances into our fighting styles. However, um…" Darr stopped speaking and looked down.

Lea stepped forward, placing her hand on Darr's shoulder. "Neither of us have any idea of what our semblances are, and we're both kind of worried, because it seems like almost everyone in the class has already begun using their semblances in battle."

Tai smiled at the two, already having an idea of how to make the pair feel better. "You know, a close friend of Ruby's actually didn't find out what his semblance was until his third year at Beacon. And the headmaster there chose him to lead a team with some of the strongest students in attendance. Have you two heard of Pyrrha Nikos?" Both students nodded. "Well, she was on his team. And he was still able to lead a team with people that strong on it, even without a semblance. He even fought in the Battle of Beacon." Seeing Lea's eyes widen at the mention of the battle, he paused as he searched for the right words. "While your semblance is an important part of who you will become as a Huntman or Huntress, you don't have to worry about when you unlock it. It will happen when it happens, and you can accomplish plenty of amazing things in the meantime."

After reassuring the students that the next lecture would focus on more than just semblances, Tai waved to Darr as him and Lea left the classroom. Feeling a vibration, Tai pulled out his scroll, slightly surprised at the name he saw. Speak of the devil, he thought to himself as he answered. "Hi, Jaune. I was just telling a couple of students about you! What's up?"

You were telling students about me? What were-never mind, I don't want to know. Anyways, I'm in a bit of a…situation…here and could use some advice. Would you be willing to sit down for a phone call or something in the next few days?

"Of course, Jaune. I'm teaching for the rest of the week, but I'm actually in Argus this weekend for a wedding, so we can meet for a coffee. What do you need advice with?" Tai asked.

Um…I'd rather explain it in person. But thanks! I really appreciate it.

Tai pondered the situation as he hung up after confirming which day they would meet. While Jaune had matured quite a bit from the awkward boy he'd been when he'd first met Tai, midway through his first year at Beacon, he still wasn't the type to ask for help unless he really needed it. What could have prompted Jaune to call him, of all people, out of the blue for help?

Tai took a small sip of his coffee and placed it back down, eyes meeting Jaune's with a hint of mirth. "So, Jaune, I'm curious as to why you need my help. It appears you've gotten yourself…Tai-ed up in something." He gave Jaune a smirk that would have looked just as fitting on his older daughter, prompting a groan from Jaune.

"I suppose I'll need to learn to like jokes like that. You see, I kinda need to…learn how to take care of kids."

Tai almost spit out his coffee. "Wait, what? You have kids? Did you and Py-"

"Oh, no, I-they aren't my kids." Jaune replied. "No, I'm taking care of my sister's children. Her wife got posted to a remote base for a year and they're going together, so they need someone to watch the kids. While I get along with her children just fine, I'm not exactly experienced in taking care of them by myself, outside of the odd night of babysitting. Seeing as you managed to raise both Yang and Ruby on your own, I figured you might be a good person to ask for advice. Sorry, were you saying something?"

Ah, that makes much more sense, Tai thought to himself. For a second there, I thought he'd finally picked up on that. "No, nothing at all. I'd be happy to give you some guidance. Let's see, where to begin…"

Trying my hand at something different here! I've always found the idea of Tai raising Ruby and Yang to be interesting – it's so cool to have a caring single dad raising girls represented in media. As mentioned in the description, I plan on doing the chapters in "mirrored" parts – Tai teaching Jaune a lesson (which will act as a theme), then Jaune having to apply it. Each chapter will be a mostly self-contained story, although there will be some overarching plotlines. Hopefully you'll see what I mean in the next few chapters. It's a bit of a concept piece, but I'm hopeful it'll work out! I'll try my best to post regularly on Sundays.

For this story, everyone (including Adrian and Julianne) is a few years older than in V6. Thanks to X3runner for pointing out that it would be a terrible idea to leave two infants in the care of a 19-year-old Jaune, lol.

While this is primarily a comedy and family piece, that doesn't mean that all of the chapters will match this exactly. Some of the stories will have more dramatic tones, and there might be sprinkles of other genres throughout, but I do intend to keep the piece as a whole lighthearted.

Thanks for your support! See you next week!

-Linen