127

Chapter 127:

"Well, that was something else," observed Maria, grinning wryly. "Those youngsters sure put on a show."

"Oscar was incredible!" gushed Ruby, her throat feeling hoarse after cheering so hard for her friends.

"You're gonna make your boyfriend jealous," commented Jaune cheekily.

Ruby gave him a sheepish grin, blushing a little. "Heh...Sorry."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of really," admitted Jaune with a dry chuckle. "He moves better than I do."

"Well, he has been in training longer," Weiss pointed out, making Jaune wince.

"Still, for how little training he's had, he was remarkable," observed Pyrrha. "I know that Miyu was supposed to be using her support technique to increase his abilities. But is that all there is to it?"

To their surprise, Sasame laughed wholeheartedly. "Oh! That's hardly the case," she said. "It looks like all of you have been underestimating Oscar-kun quite a bit."

"We have?" asked Yang, giving Sasame a confused look.

"Indeed," said Sasame, scratching her chin as she stared down at Team MNPS. "Though I can understand, since Oscar-kun has been underestimating himself as well."

"We did it!" squealed Natsuki, jumping up and down excitedly. "That was so much fun! I can't believe we got to do something like this!"

"It was quite the experience," agreed Miyu.

"I definitely wouldn't mind another go," said Setsuna.

"I'm exhausted," groaned Oscar, slumping to sit down, right there in the ring.

"Aww..." protested Natsuki.

"Well, it can't be helped," said Miyu, giving Natsuki a playfully reproachful look. "While you and Setsuna were playing around with your individual opponents, Oscar-kun was holding off two of them by himself."

"But you were with me," Oscar pointed out. "If you hadn't been using your support technique, I'd have never been able to keep up with them."

"You're selling yourself short, you know," said Miyu giving Oscar a slightly smug look. "After all, you did a very good job keeping up with them on your own."

"On my own..." Oscar blinked. "But..."

"I did use my support technique," said Miyu. "However, only for brief instances, to lend you power for a decisive blow, or to give you a stronger start. The rest, however, was you relying only on your own native ability. You're much better than you give yourself credit for."

Oscar thought about those moments, where he'd been fighting with Dew or Gwen, staring at his hands incredulously. "I did that myself...?" he asked softly.

"You did," said Miyu. "I only used my support a grand total of five times throughout the match, and only for a few seconds at most. The rest was all you."

"I knew you were awesome," said Natsuki, grinning, plopping herself down next to Oscar and bumping his shoulder.

Oscar's cheeks turned red at all the praise he was receiving. He could scarcely believe it. "But then...during our training...you were using it constantly," he pointed out.

"You could say that was preparation," said Miyu. "By having you continuously fight at a heightened pace, your mind was conditioned to handle that level of movement, so that, when the actual match began, you were able to respond appropriately. You were used to moving faster, so your mind and senses basically compensated for opponents who moved faster instead."

"I...don't get it," said Oscar, giving her a baffled look.

"You don't have to worry about it too much," said Miyu. "But you have every right to stand proud today, Oscar-kun.

"I think I'll pass on that," said Oscar, giving her a nervous chuckle. "The thing that scares me the most now is the worry that Ms. Maria will think I'm getting a swelled head. And I'm terrified of what she'll do to fix that."

His friends laughed at that, though he noticed none thought to challenge that remark. I guess some teachers are the same, wherever you find them.

"I can't believe it..."

The groaning voice drew their attention to a point a little farther into the inner ring, where Gwen was forcing herself to her feet. "We lost to a bunch of kids..." grumbled the girl.

Her foot slipped out from under her, threatening to send Gwen collapsing forward onto her face. However, a pair of gentle hands caught her, helping her keep upright. A second later, a warm sensation washed through Gwen's body, chasing away the pain and fatigue, easing the strain caused by the hits. Her vision cleared. While she was nowhere near fighting-strength again, she felt as though she could stand on her own much easier now.

"That's better," said Miyu, steadying her, before finally letting go. "I apologize for stealing your Aura before. Hopefully this alleviates that somewhat."

"Who are you people?" asked Gwen, staring incredulously at Miyu and the others.

"You'll find out soon," Miyu assured her.

Then Miyu had moved on, already heading to where Dew was still laying, embedded in the sand of one of the ocean biome's islands. A few seconds' work and Dew was able to stand on her own two feet as well. By that point, Natsuki and Setsuna had gone to fetch Octavia and Nebula, allowing them to receive the same treatment.

"Thank you for the fine match," said Miyu, bowing to Team NDGO, Setsuna and Natsuki bowing beside her. Oscar hesitated for a second, before joining them.

"You kids are something else," said Dew. "However you learned to do what you do, I want to learn it too."

"That may be possible in the future," said Setsuna.

"You kids are okay," said Nebula, favoring them with a wistful smile. "Maybe we can get to know each other better later." She finished by flashing a playful wink at Setsuna.

"I wouldn't object to accepting your offer at face value," said Setsuna, before coughing awkwardly. "However...if I'm reading between the lines properly, I do feel the need to inform you that I'm already taken." Miyu sidled up next to him, hugging herself to his arm to emphasize the point.

"Dang it," muttered Nebula, with only a little petulance. Her gaze transferred to Oscar, only to be distracted by the sight of Natsuki, standing next to him, glaring at her, cheeks puffed out. Yeah...looks like he's out too.

"I'm bushed," said Dew, stretching her arms over her head. "Let's hit the showers already."

"I agree," added Octavia.

"Good luck in the next round," said Gwen, giving the members of MNPS a small wave, before the four girls turned to head to their locker room.

With that amicable parting, the first round of the Vytal Festival tournament concluded.

Oscar fell back onto the couch with in a tired slump, his entire body feeling like jelly. The warm water of his shower had washed away the sweat and grime that had built up over the course of the battle, and the cleaners were currently taking care of his outfit. The only thing to do now was simply sit back and enjoy the amenities that their locker room had to offer.

He glanced towards the showers, where his other teammates were no doubt still taking advantage of all the luxuries available. Oscar felt a smile stretch across his face, a strange feeling of contentment washing over him. It had been an amazing experience. He thought he'd been nothing more than filler, somebody to make sure they had four people. However, over the course of this week of training, he'd come to view them as his actual teammates, somehow. There were Miyu and Setsuna, whose quiet demeanors masked gentle and caring personalities, and then there was Natsuki...

For some reason, the thought of her energetic smile made Oscar feel strangely warm inside.

He was distracted from his thoughts by a buzzing coming from the table in front of him, the table where he'd set his scroll. Glancing down, Oscar saw that he was getting a call. When he saw who the contact on the other end was, the warmth inside him vanished, replaced by a sensation of panic.

Oh crap!

Oscar's fingers fumbled as he tried to pick up the urgently buzzing device, dropping it back against the table on his first two tries, before he finally managed to pick it up and bring it to his ear. "Auntie-"

"OSCAR!" his Aunt's voice roared out, making the scroll's speakers pop with the force of her shout. Oscar yelped and winced away. "Just what did you think you were doing, boy? Are you insane, throwing yourself into the middle of a fracas like that? You just about gave your poor aunt a heart attack!"

"Please don't say that," protested Oscar plaintively.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Sorry. I went overboard there." He heard his aunt sigh. "Well...there's no changing the fact you gave me a scare, boy. I hope you're ready for the consequences you're gonna face when you get home. You might've pulled off quite the feat, but you still pulled a dangerous stunt."

"I know," said Oscar, slumping.

"But...I'm proud of you," said Emalee. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to be hearing about it from all around town. My boy fought in the Vytal Festival tournament, before he even entered an Academy, and won the first round. The folks are gonna be buying me drinks every night at the tavern for a full month."

Oscar couldn't help but laugh at that. "Sounds like a good deal," he said.

"Now then, the only thing that's left is for me to get the chance to meet your new friends," said Emalee. "Considering the circumstances, I guess it'd be silly to expect them to be able to come back with you, so I want you to arrange a terminal call at the earliest possible convenience."

There was no mistaking the air of command in that voice, making Oscar straighten reflexively. "Y-yes, Ma'am," he said nervously.

"Good," said Emalee decisively. "Now, have fun. Just...make sure you come back home safely, okay."

"I will," Oscar promised.

"That's all I need to hear. Goodbye, Oscar."

"Bye, Auntie Em," said Oscar, hanging up and setting his scroll down.

"Was that your aunt?" asked Natsuki, leaning over the back of the couch, so that her face was right beside his own.

Oscar yelped in surprise, not even realizing that Natsuki had left the shower. She looked so different, with her hair outside of its braid, running down her back in a set of black and teal stripes. The sight of her in her robe made Oscar feel more than a little nervous too.

"Uh...O-Oh...Yeah," he said, struggling to recover his composure.

Natsuki beamed, then vaulted over the back of the couch, before flopping back on the cushions next to him. "Is she nice?" she asked.

"She's the best aunt I could ask for," said Oscar, smiling fondly as he stared down at his scroll. "After the Grimm killed my parents, Ruby and her sister took me to stay with her, so she's pretty much been my mother ever since."

"So...shouldn't you call her 'Mom'?" asked Natsuki, tilting her head.

"Th-that just doesn't feel right," said Oscar. "I mean...I've always called her Auntie Em, even after I started living with her. It would feel weird to start calling her Mom now."

"Well...if you're both okay with it..." mused Natsuki.

"Yeah...I think we are," said Oscar, thinking back.

Of course, now that he thought about it, he wondered if he'd been paying enough attention to his aunt. Had she ever seemed dissatisfied, when he'd called her his aunt, rather than addressing her as his mother? He was a bit ashamed to say he couldn't remember ever noticing.

Abruptly, a weight pressed against his shoulder, and Oscar stiffened as he realized what it meant. "N-Natsuki..."

The girl in question was now leaning against him, resting her head on his shoulder, smiling contentedly. "Your shoulder is really nice, you know," she said, yawning for emphasis. "Is it okay if I nap a little?"

"Um...uh...S-sure..." said Oscar. He was more than a little shaken by the sudden close contact. But, at the same time, the thought of trying to push Natsuki away was more frightening still. So Oscar simply resolved to let her do what she pleased.

"Thanks." Natsuki let her eyes drift closed, and her breathing softened.

Oscar found himself staring at her face, marveling at how peaceful it looked, compared to the energy and excitement that it normally seemed to hold. Looking at it made his stomach flutter in a strange way, yet also familiar. Oscar wished he could place where he'd gotten this feeling before. But, in the end, he found himself distracted by the fact that his eyelids were feeling heavy too. Slowly, Oscar felt them begin to close, and he drifted off as well.

When Miyu and Setsuna finished their respective showers, they entered the room to see Natsuki and Oscar fast asleep, leaning against one another. Taking in the tender sight, they couldn't keep warm smiles from spreading across their faces.

When Ruby and her friends dropped by to offer their congratulations later, there was no shortage of discreetly snapped pictures by their scrolls. It seemed that Natsuki and Oscar had set themselves up to be teased for a long time to come.

"I thought that the Healing Arts aren't supposed to be used for offensive purposes," said Jaune, looking across the table at Sasame. "That's what Kyo said."

While the others were visiting Team MNPS to offer their congratulations, Jaune and Maria had joined one of the tables in the lobby area of the coliseum to wait for them. Jaune would have liked to congratulate Oscar too. But he felt that it wasn't a good idea to crowd their new friends too much. More to the point, he still felt pretty self-conscious about being the one who'd killed Oscar's chance at a relationship with Ruby, however unintentional and indirectly that had been.

"Kyo speaks like that because he isn't a healer," said Sasame, frowning. "In spirit, yes, what he said is true. Using the Healing Arts to enter another person's body in such an intimate manner, and then using them to inflict harm, is strictly forbidden. But there are other dimensions to the Healing Arts."

"What do you mean?" asked Jaune.

"Don't you find it interesting?" asked Sasame, tracing the rim of the glass of water in front of her with a finger. "In the Kingdoms, you have people called doctors, medical doctors, that is. Looking at it on a surface level, they are completely analogous to the healers of us Mibu. Their methods differ, but their purpose is to treat the sick and injured."

"Right," agreed Jaune, nodding.

"However...the term 'doctor' is not unknown, nor unused by the Mibu amongst the medical profession," said Sasame.

"Huh?"

"The basic idea you might have is that healers are the 'doctors' of the Mibu Clan. However, that is inaccurate. The Mibu do have 'doctors'. Said doctors use many of the same techniques and methods that our healers do, so there might seem to be no distinction between them. However, there is a fundamental difference."

"What's that?" asked Jaune.

Sasame leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Doctors swear an oath to 'do no harm'. That means, they treat injuries, but they are sworn never to inflict them. I am told that the doctors of the Kingdoms take a similar oath, do they not?"

"I uh...might've heard something like that," admitted Jaune. "Of course, I never really had any interest in becoming a doctor, so I can't be sure."

"It's true," confirmed Maria, who was sitting at the side of the table between Sasame and Jaune.

Sasame nodded. "The distinction is...healers take no such oath."

"They don't?" Jaune frowned, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Meaning, I am free to harm or heal as I see fit," said Sasame. "Granted, as you've seen for yourself, my methods of harming certainly do not utilize the Healing Arts in the manner that are forbidden. That method itself is not permitted. However...while they are few, there are offensive techniques used within the Healing Arts, techniques that healers may use, but doctors may not."

"And that was one of them?" asked Jaune, thinking back to the last tournament match.

Sasame nodded gravely. "Air Vampire is the most prominent one," she said. "In essence, its principle is very simple. Rather than sending your Aura out into another person, you instead draw your target's Aura into yourself."

"So it's an Aura-draining technique," clarified Jaune.

"In basic parlance, yes," said Sasame. "However, such a technique is not so easy to execute. It involves transforming your Aura into a negative value."

"A negative value?" The shutters on Maria's left eye opened a bit wider than the ones on the right, her approximation of a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," said Sasame. "Since Kyo has briefed you on the nature of So, I can clarify for you, Jaune-kun. As you are aware, Aura is composed of Yin and Yang elements."

Jaune nodded, remembering Kyo's explanation from earlier.

"As a force that promotes growth and restoration, the Healing Arts, in general, utilize the Yang aspect of Aura," explained Sasame. "However, Air Vampire, does the opposite, temporarily generating a powerful shift to the Yin aspect. The effect of performing that within your own body is equivalent to removing all the air from a space."

"So a vacuum," said Jaune, his eyes widening. "I get it! By creating a sort of Aura vacuum, that technique basically pulls in nearby Aura to fill it! That's what you're saying, right?"

"Very good," said Sasame, nodding approvingly. "There are a few nuances to it, mainly how to designate where the Aura that fills that artificial vacuum comes from. However, your deduction is correct. I knew you had an affinity for the Healing Arts."

Jaune felt like preening a little.

Sasame's expression sobered again. "Of course, given that, I suspect you can deduce what would happen if that technique was carried out to its natural extreme."

"You mean...what would happen if it completely drained a person's Aura?" asked Jaune, swallowing nervously. Seeing Sasame nod, he felt a cold sweat begin to bead on his forehead. "In that case, wouldn't that mean...?"

"Yes, the technique becomes fatal," said Sasame. "Had Miyu-chan miscalculated out there, had Darcy-san lost just a little more Aura, or if some other factor came into play, there is every chance she would have torn the life out of Darcy-san's body, and left her corpse a desiccated husk."

Jaune paled, and the shutters of Maria's eyes went wide.

Sasame sighed, gently rubbing her temples. "Honestly, even though I know she thought it out carefully, and didn't use that technique impulsively, I should still scold Miyu-chan for using Air Vampire in a mere tournament match. Just a tiny miscalculation or misplaced variable, and that would have ended very badly for everyone."

"R-right," said Jaune nervously. "So I guess I won't be learning that one."

"In essence, it's based on the very same restorative techniques you will be learning for yourself," said Sasame. "So, even if you were never formally taught it, it wouldn't take much effort on your part to reach the point where you could perform it." She glanced down at the glass of water in front of her. "You are an exception, Jaune-kun. However, for other practitioners of the Healing Arts, Air Vampire is also the solution to our greatest weakness on the battlefield."

"What's that?" asked Jaune.

"No matter how skilled they might become," said Sasame, "there is one person a healer will never be able to use their arts to help."

"Who?"

"Themselves," said Sasame.

"R-really?" asked Jaune. He remembered Ruby saying something like that before.

Sasame nodded, then glanced down at her glass. "Let's put it like this. Using the Healing Arts transfers your Aura into your patient. Through that, you enhance the healing capability of their own Aura. To put it simply, people are like these cups we have, and you help another person by pouring some water from your own glass into theirs."

"Okay...got it so far," said Jaune.

"Now then, let me ask you something," said Sasame. "Would you be able to pour your own water into the glass it's already in?"

Jaune blinked. "Uh...What?"

Sasame held up the glass. "Could I refill this glass by pouring it into itself?"

"No," said Jaune. "It would just be the same amount of water."

"Exactly," said Sasame. "You cannot add something to itself, because the net result is that it would remain itself. Therefore, you cannot enhance your Aura with your own Aura. That is, in simple terms, one of the fundamental rules of healing. That is why healers cannot heal themselves with their own arts...and why you are such a unique case, Jaune-kun."

"Okay, I think I get it," said Jaune, nodding to himself.

"Good," said Sasame, looking pleased. "Now then, Air Vampire enables a healer to overcome that limitation."

"So, if you can't heal yourself with your own Aura, you just take someone else's Aura to do it," said Maria.

Sasame nodded. "That is the principle of Air Vampire in a nutshell. Naturally, even though it is one of the few true and accepted offensive applications of the Healing Arts, its use must be carefully considered. Using it to steal an enemy's life on the battlefield is permissible. However, taking the life of a helpless victim, or one of your own patients, is utterly reprehensible."

"I'm guessing that some people have done that though," mused Jaune.

Sasame sighed. "You're not wrong. It's rare, but there are those sorts of unscrupulous individuals who do utilize that technique to those ends. When it is uncovered, conviction carries with it an automatic death penalty, with no appeals."

Jaune shuddered.

Sasame sighed again. "I think I really will reprimand Miyu-chan for doing that. In her case, since it was in a combat situation, Darcy-san could be technically considered an enemy, and she succeeded in executing the technique non-fatally. But it's still a gray area, and quite reckless. I suppose Miyu-chan felt a certain amount of pressure to contribute more to the match, what with Oscar-kun doing so well with his own strength. But still..." She sighed. "At least she won't be in the next round."

"Now I feel kinda bad for her," said Jaune.

Sasame giggled. "Try not to feel that too much," she said. "It's somewhat odd. Miyu-chan is normally such a model student. This is really the first time she's ever acted out like that. I suppose it's a sign that she's growing. But a reminder is a good idea all the same."

"Yeah...still feeling a little sorry for her," said Jaune.

Sasame merely giggled in response.

Jaune's scroll began to ring. Pulling it out, he checked the contact, then frowned.

"Something wrong, Jaune-kun?" asked Sasame.

Now it was Jaune's turn to sigh. "Not wrong...just...really awkward."

"Oh...?" Sasame raised an eyebrow.

"It's a text from Saph," said Jaune. "She's asking me to meet up with everyone."

"By everyone, you mean...?" pressed Sasame, already getting an idea.

"The rest of the family," said Jaune with a sigh. He lowered his head. "Honestly...I don't really know what to say to them."

"That will be contingent on what they have to say to you," said Sasame. "I can understand your unease, considering your previous background with them. For all that they might well have changed their view of you, now that they've seen you compete in the tournament, Ruby-chan's father serves as an example of how people can be willfully blind to what's in front of them, if it counters their own views."

"Yeah..." said Jaune unhappily. "Saph said that they're singing a different tune now, but even if they have changed..."

"It is still difficult for you to accept them," said Sasame. "That is understandable, after all. While it might have taken a more mild form than the worst cases, and had benign intentions behind it, the ultimate truth is that what you experienced at their hands constitutes abuse, particularly of the emotional variety."

Jaune swallowed, nodding.

Sasame stared sadly into her glass of water. "That makes this difficult to handle," she said. "I suspect that a mere apology from them is not sufficient, correct?"

Jaune nodded.

"That is the difficulty in these situations," said Sasame. "But let me ask you something, Jaune-kun. Would you be willing to forgive them if they could make it up to you?"

"I...I guess," said Jaune.

"Oh...and how would they make it up to you?"

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, only to find that he couldn't say or think of anything.

Sasame's lips quirked in a smile. "That silence on your part is telling...in a good way. You are too kind a person, Jaune-kun, to be willing to demand that your family experience the same kind of pain you experienced. For all that you resent them for what they've put you through, you still love them, and that is important."

"You think I should forgive them?" asked Jaune.

"I think you should think about what it means to forgive them," said Sasame, sounding strangely sober. "In such relationships, there is no such scale that can be balanced. Even if you were willing and able to inflict the same kind of pain on them that they put you through, it would not erase your own experience. In the end, it wouldn't be about justice as much as it would be about catharsis, you taking brief solace in the idea that your family is suffering the same way they made you suffer. But that solace would be fleeting, and you would find that the pain from what they did will continue to linger, regardless. Even if that wasn't the kind of thing you were seeking, it then becomes a question of how they 'earn' your forgiveness, what they do to become 'worthy' of it. However, just as it was with Ruby-chan and Yang-chan, such things cannot be so easily quantified.

"Forgiveness...can be a bitter thing sometimes. It can mean forgoing your opportunity for satisfaction in the promise of that catharsis. Abandoning resentment that you've nursed for so long, without getting any of that satisfaction in return. In the short-term, it can feel very unsatisfactory. For some time, that unsatisfied feeling may continue to trail you, and you will have to curb the impulse to allow your resentment to take back control."

"But you're thinking it'll be better in the long run," said Jaune, giving Sasame a sad smile. "I guess the best medicines are bitter."

Sasame tittered. "So the old wisdom goes. However, a wise sage once said, 'A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine goes down.'"

"Uh...Does that really apply in this situation?" asked Jaune.

"Perhaps it does," said Sasame. "Though it's not a perfect metaphor. The 'sugar' in this scenario would be your new family."

"New family...?" Jaune blinked.

Sasame's smile widened. "The family you've made for yourself here, at Beacon, all those wonderful friends with whom you've shared good times and bad, laughter and tears, the people who've helped you grow into the man you are, not to mention the young lady you've pledged to stand beside. Stand before your family, and confront all that they've taken from you...with all the things that you've gained for yourself. With that, I believe you will be able to let go of that resentment. Because, for all the things that your family has taken from you, you've gained so much more now, don't you think?"

"Yeah..." said Jaune a warm smile on his face. "You think my friends would be willing to come meet my family with me?"

"The only way to know is to ask them," said Sasame. "But I think they will be quite amicable to the idea...provided their schedules are all open."

"Right," said Jaune, already thinking about how this would go. "For starters, if that's true, then would you be part of my family?"

"Asking if I'm your sister, hmm?" said Sasame, her tail beginning to flick behind her with a little more energy. "What's this, Jaune-kun? Am I hearing wedding bells for you and Ruby-chan already?"

"N-no! Of course not!" exclaimed Jaune, flinching away, before slumping. "Why do you have to tease like that?"

"Well, Ruby-chan's flustered face is still the cutest thing in all the world," said Sasame. "But your flustered face is quite appealing in its own right." Her smile took on a sly quality that made Jaune shivered. "You had best be prepared, Jaune-kun. If I am to be your sister, then you will find me playing with you quite a bit."

"Ruby and I are gonna suffer a lot, aren't we?" mused Jaune idly.

"Indeed you shall," agreed Sasame, while Maria cackled in the background.

"He agreed," said Saphron, looking to the rest of her family.

Blaine slumped in relief.

"Oh thank God!" whispered Sapphira, slumping in relief, on the verge of crying.

"'Bout time," grumbled Aurea.

"You'd best check that attitude, Missy," admonished Saphron, throwing a glare at her. "I wouldn't blame Jaune if he turned me down. This is your big chance."

"He's just being stubborn," muttered Aurea, folding her arms with a petulant expression.

Like you're one to talk, thought Blaine and Saphron at the same time.

It seemed that, despite being in the audience on the day of Team RASP's match, Aurea still maintained a healthy skepticism for her brother's abilities.

Or, to put it another way, she's in complete denial, thought Saphron. If things keep up like this, and she puts on this attitude when Jaune meets us, this could be a disaster.

The other girls had come around for the most part. The younger ones were already gushing about how cool their big brother had become, while the older ones were getting over their shock that the once-sickly boy that they'd continually babied, out of fear of a relapse, had suddenly grown up into a person capable of fighting on that kind of stage. Sapphira was still expressing reluctance, worried about just what kind of danger Jaune was putting himself in. But she was no longer talking about tracking him down and bringing him straight back home, so that could be counted as a positive.

Out of all the people in this situation, Aurea was the sole remaining holdout. Saphron couldn't figure out why Aurea was being so stubborn either. As the one closest to Jaune's age, Aurea had also been the sister closest to Jaune before. They had been close enough in age that they had even gone to school in the same year. Aurea had, at one time, been Jaune's ardent protector, shielding him from the bullies that the poor boy had occasionally attracted the attention of, thanks to his once outwardly meek nature.

That had changed over the years, especially after Jaune had announced his desire to become a Huntsman. Alongside the rest of the family's efforts to convince Jaune otherwise, and stymie his own attempts, Aurea had changed gears, shifting from Jaune's protector to one of his bullies. Saphron hadn't been there for the worst of that, having already been in Argus with Terra.

Saphron found herself wishing, back then, that she'd tried harder to argue her brother's case. She'd talked, argued really, with her parents over the CCT a few times, trying to convince them to at least let Jaune give it a try. After all, it had been over ten years, with no sign of his infant illness making a comeback. He was healthy and strong. Everyone said so, especially his doctors. There should have been no reason Jaune couldn't have at least made an effort to train.

But Blaine and Sapphira had dug in their heels, and were now reaping the bitter fruit of their stubbornness, having to contend with the fear of not knowing where their little boy was, and then be beat over the head with the truth of what Jaune had accomplished, in spite of their best efforts, and were now faced with the prospect of dealing with his well-deserved resentment.

Still, at the moment, all Saphron could do was her best to keep things together. She sent a text back to her brother, trying to figure out how they should arrange this. Much to her surprise, Jaune texted her back almost immediately, telling her to let him take care of it.

I wonder what he's up to, mused Saphron.

"You want us to meet your family with you?" asked Weiss, looking shocked.

"Y-yeah," said Jaune, leaning back nervously from her gaze.

"Ruby, I could understand," said Weiss, settling back on the couch in their dorm's common area. "Of course, you'd want to introduce your girlfriend to your family."

"Provided they don't try to murder her again," growled Yang under her breath.

"Dad didn't tell anyone else about that oath, so no one's going to try that," Jaune assured her. "But I'd like it if you could all be there."

By "all," he meant the eight other people arrayed around him; RASP and RYNB, as well as Sasame. These were the people he'd come to see as his family at Beacon, the people closest to his heart. It was about more than just washing away the bitterness of letting go of his resentment towards his blood family for how they'd treated him. In truth, Jaune was more than a little bit afraid of meeting up with them. Despite Saphron's assurances, and the knowledge that his father had come around to the truth, Jaune couldn't help but be intimidated by the prospect of facing down his six other sisters, and his mother, and standing up to them if he found that they weren't so willing to accept the truth. Aurea in particular, he remembered, was stubborn to a fault over a lot of things. However, if he had his new family with him, he felt that he could stand up to his old one. He would have asked Kyo too, except he knew that was a recipe for disaster.

His friends gave him courage.

"Why?" asked Pyrrha, leaning forward.

"Well, I kinda see you guys as my family too," explained Jaune, scratching the back of his hair. "My parents and sisters never believed I'd accomplish anything like this. I want to show them the truth. I'm not alone here, and I have friends who are willing to stand with me, friends that I consider family."

"Count us in!" cheered Nora, leaning over Ren's shoulder to raise her hand, her weight settling on him threatening to force Ren down.

Ren grunted, forcing himself to shrug Nora off, if only so that he could face Jaune properly. "I would be happy to be there," he said calmly, but with a smile on his face.

"Eh, sounds like it'll be a hoot," said Yang, grinning fiercely. "Why not?"

Blake canted her head. "I'm...grateful...you'd call me family," she admitted. Her hand went up to the top of her head, massaging the spot between her ears. "I probably wouldn't have gotten this far, if you hadn't talked sense to me."

"Thanks," said Jaune, transferring his gaze to his own teammates.

"I would be glad to join you," said Pyrrha, smiling radiantly at him.

"The thought of a dolt like you calling me 'family' gives me a headache," said Weiss with a scowl, before sighing dramatically. "Still...it's not the worst thing in the world. As brothers go, you'd be several steps up from the one I already have."

"Thanks...I think," said Jaune, his eyebrow twitching. Just how bad is her relationship with her brother?

He looked to Sasame, who beamed at him. "Well, it wouldn't do for me to not voice my support of my new student," she said cheerfully. "And this was my idea to begin with. It's only natural that I would see it through with you, Jaune-kun."

"Thanks," said Jaune, his gaze going to the person beside him, the one person who mattered most.

"Do you even have to ask?" inquired Ruby, before resting her head on his shoulder.

"I guess not," admitted Jaune, wrapping an arm around her.

Everyone took a moment to enjoy the warm atmosphere between the two lovebirds, before Weiss asked the inevitable question. "Well, all this is wonderful, in a broad-strokes, emotional sort of way. However, while we have the base idea that we're meeting your family, have you given any thought to where and how."

Jaune pulled away from Ruby, and gave Weiss an apologetic look. "Y-yeah...a little," he said. "And...because of that...just this once...I'd like to ask a favor of you, Weiss."

"What?" asked Weiss, raising an eyebrow.

"Just this once...I'd like to borrow your money and clout a little," said Jaune bowing his head to her.

"Huh?" grunted Weiss.

When Jaune explained what he wanted, Weiss listened intently, before relaxing. "Well, that's not so bad," she said. "It's certainly within my means. I shall see what I can do. Now it becomes a question of when. I'm afraid that Saturday is out for me."

"It is?" asked Ruby, her head perking up.

Weiss looked as though she was going to be ill. "Saturday evening, Ashley and I have been invited to a...gathering...one that is hosted by my brother."

"Um...You mean the one I'm better than?" asked Jaune.

"To put it bluntly, yes," said Weiss, scowling at no one in particular.

"So he's forcing you to bring Ash to some kind of high society shindig, huh?" mused Yang, frowning. "Yeah, that sounds all kinds of suspicious."

"Do you think he knows about the two of you?" asked Blake.

"Considering that Father hasn't bombarded me with calls and texts berating me for damaging the family's image, and immediately disinheriting me, I don't think the secret is out just yet," said Weiss. "That said, I wouldn't put it past Whitley to deduce the truth for himself, and then hold onto it as a card to play at the best available opportunity. And he might have arranged this gathering might be that opportunity."

"That's...pretty bad," said Pyrrha.

Weiss nodded uneasily. "If I had to guess, his intention is to trick me and Ashley into outing ourselves in some way. Doing so in a public venue would be an unbearable humiliation, and the inheritance would be as good as his."

"But...is that such a bad thing?" asked Pyrrha.

"Huh?" everyone grunted, looking up at Weiss' partner.

"You told Winter that you were prepared to give up your inheritance for Ashley," Pyrrha pointed out. "So, that being the case, what does it matter if it comes out that you and Ashley are together at this party?"

"She's not wrong," said Blake.

Weiss frowned. "Ashley and I were hoping to at least keep this a secret through the festival." She was silent for a moment. "But…when the current is going one way, it can be better to go with it than to fight it, I guess. If that's the case…"

"What are you thinking?" asked Ruby, leaning in curiously.

Weiss looked up with a sly smile. "That being the case, rather than do things on Whitley's terms, Ashley and I will take his terms, and make them into our terms."

"And how are you going to do that?" asked Sasame.

Weiss' smile became a grin.

The steady beat of the bass echoed through the club. Lights flashed, illuminated shapes shifting and gyrating out on the dance floor. The air was thick and humid, the smells of countless different perfumes and colognes mingling with the overriding scent of human sweat, no matter how much such fragrances were designed to hide that scent. All around the perimeter of the dance floor were booths, occupied by numerous people. Many of them were taking breaks from dancing, enjoying drinks and food. Others were just there to take in the spectacle of it all.

Dove ignored all of that, skirting the dance floor as he made his way around the club, heading for the bar. Behind it stood the imposing figure of Hei Xiong, better known as Junior, currently wiping the inside of a glass, his eyes moving up to sweep across the dance floor, his gaze alert for any sign of trouble.

Not that he needed to do so. Surrounding him, and moving throughout the club, were well over a dozen black-suited men in bowler hats, bizarrely wearing sunglasses, even though the light level was low. Then there were the twins, a pair of black-haired, green-eyed girls whom Dove had noticed upon entering, and not merely because of their looks. Their movements were those of predators on the prowl, the pair of them hunting for troublemakers, ready to deal with them at a moment's notice.

Dove took a seat at the bar, nodding to Junior who moved to serve him.

"Well, if it ain't the Invincible Girl's boyfriend," greeted Junior a slight smirk on his face. "What'll it be?"

"Caused that big a stir, did we?" mused Dove.

Junior chuckled. "After that little show the two of you put on with her parents, I don't think anyone could not notice. So what's your order?"

"Hot buttered rum," said Dove. "I've heard you make a good one."

"You heard right," said Junior. "'Tis the season."

While Junior worked on putting together the drink, Dove took another look around the club. About a minute later, a short glass, filled with hot drink, smelling strongly of cinnamon and nutmeg, slid across the bar and into his waiting hand.

"Let me guess...you're here for more than just a fall favorite," said Junior.

"That'd be right," said Dove. "I'm lookin' to see what I can turn up about a certain woman."

Junior grunted. "And who is it I'm supposed to be looking into?"

Dove opened up his scroll, bringing up a network site promoting a certain talent agent. "Her name's Holly Ji."

"Ah, Nikos' agent, huh," said Junior, looking over the scroll. "Not much here. You think there's more to her?"

"Hard to say," said Dove. "If it were just a matter of thinking she had some shady ties, that'd be easy enough for you to probably dig up. But the problem is that my hunch is more vague than that."

"Vague, huh? What are you thinkin'?"

Dove took a sip of his drink. "It's tricky," he said. "During that little confrontation we had with Pyrrha's parents, they were puffing and posturing, throwing their weight around like it was going out of style. Then that woman comes up and starts acting reasonable, too reasonable."

"Well, it's probably to her benefit to try and defuse a messy public confrontation," Junior pointed out.

"Yeah," agreed Dove. "It's hard to get a handle on her, having only met her once. But she's a little too persuasive for my liking."

"Persuasive?" Junior's eyes narrowed.

"After all that mess with her parents, she walks in and just tries to gently suggest we take this elsewhere, and Pyrrha almost agreed with her. If I hadn't stepped in, she might've gone along with it...in fact, I'm pretty sure she would have, even though there was no reason for us to talk with Pyrrha's parents about anything at all."

"I think I get what you're saying," said Junior. "If she's a little too good at talking people around to her point of view, then you think there's something else at work...something like a Semblance."

Dove nodded. "Problem is that I don't have a way to prove it. At best, I've got a vague suspicion that could turn out to be nothing. She could really just be that good at making people see things her way, or it could be Pyrrha. She's come a long way, but she still has a tendency to try and compromise too easily. It's just...I want to be sure."

"That's not an easy thing to find out," said Junior, cupping his chin and mulling the task over. "And it's not easy to do anything about it, if your hunch turns out correct."

Dove nodded, grimacing.

Semblances came in a variety of shapes. There were all manner of phenomena that a Semblance might be capable of, some large, some small, some virtually unnoticeable. How a Semblance was handled, when it came to enforcing the law, depended on its nature, and how it had been used. New precedents were being set all the time. The legal codes regarding such things filled an entire wing of the library at most law schools.

"Well, it's your money," said Junior with a shrug. He glanced down at Holly's profile on the site promoting her services. "This one is gonna be costly though."

"From the sound of it, I'm gonna be running up a bigger bill than your usual investigation," said Dove. "Though, since you don't post prices, I guess I wouldn't know it."

"You're right," said Junior. "This is a bigger bill than the usual job of looking for dirt on someone. This lady is based out of Mistral. While I do have sources there, the one most likely to net us the results you're looking for is gonna be pricy."

"Any particular reason why?" asked Dove.

"For starters...she's my ex-wife," said Junior.

Dove shivered at the idea. "Yeah, I bet she'd take any excuse to wring out your wallet."

Junior sighed. "Well, I kept the girls, but I'm the one paying alimony...and I don't see a lick of child support." He glanced across the club at the twins, who were still on patrol for trouble. "Doesn't change the fact that she's got the best network in all four Kingdoms. If there's anything to learn about someone or something in Mistral, she's the one to go to for it."

"How much then?" asked Dove.

Junior gave Dove his price, which was an exorbitant amount, to be sure. "Non-negotiable, I'm afraid. I don't haggle with her."

Dove grimaced. With a sigh, he reached down into his pocket, then pulled out his debit card. "I'm gonna have to tighten my belt after this."

"It's a pretty big sum," said Junior, nodding. "I hope Nikos is worth this."

"She's worth more," said Dove. "If that's what it takes, I'll swallow the cost; anything to make sure Pyrrha doesn't fall back under that woman's thumb."

"You sound like a man in love," said Junior, taking the card.

"I suppose I am," said Dove, a wistful smile on his face.

Junior smiled indulgently, running Dove's card and handing it back to him. Then, a moment later, he slid another glass over to replace the one Dove had just emptied.

"I didn't order a refill," Dove pointed out.

"On the house," said Junior, holding up a glass on his own. "Here's to love."

Dove smirked and nodded, raising his glass and lightly tapping it against Junior's own. "Cheers."

"Give me a couple days to see what Lillian turns up," said Junior. "I'll contact you when I have what she's got."

"Thanks," said Dove, giving Junior his scroll contact.

"Good luck," said Junior.

"I might need it," admitted Dove, before standing up and taking his leave.