Chapter 20

Amber eyes gazed out over the rows of faces before her. Sat in small groups, the students from the various schools kept their attention locked on her, even as she slowly made her way to the centre of the room. Coming to a stop behind the singular desk, beside the large chalkboards.

The hopes of so many… these were the future Hunters and Huntresses of not only Vale, but also the other Kingdoms too.

How easy it would be to snuff them out.

So very simple…

"I am Professor Cinder Fall," she turned away from them instead, writing her name out in elegant script on the boards. "You may call me Professor Fall, or Miss Fall." The last thing she needed was some amorous fool believing they could get close to her, especially not the foolish young men who couldn't keep their eyes to themselves.

Not that she could blame them. It wasn't easy, being so close to perfection, yet unable to touch it. What hope did they have when faced with someone like her?

None at all…

"The esteemed Headmaster has seen fit to allow me the freedom to incorporate my own lessons here in Beacon, and as you will no doubt have heard, these will be Advanced Dust Manipulation and Politics. Our first class will be based on politics alone."

A few seemed disappointed at the news, mostly the females. There were more than a few male faces which looked to be more than pleased with the idea of watching her talk all lesson. The Headmaster had offered the services of Jaune for her first lesson, to lessen the burden, or so he claimed.

She'd considered it… truly, she had. Before thinking better of it.

It wouldn't be wise to involve Arc so much in her plans. Not when she was still no closer to revealing his true motive. He was a risk she was unwilling to take. Not this soon into her plans here, not when her position was still so uncertain.

No… this was to be her moment, one which she would use to her utmost.

"Now class," the sound of heels on tiles echoed through the room, "who here can tell me who rules the Kingdom of Vale?" A few hands shot up, faces lighting up as eager children sought to impress. Among them was one she recognised, the Heiress of the SDC – Weiss Schnee. Not the leader of her own team, as far as Cinder was aware. No, the small girl with dark hair beside her had that honour.

And she too had her hand in the air. Though Cinder didn't quite understand why that was prompting uncertain or shocked looks from her team.

"You, my dear, why don't you introduce yourself and give the answer?"

"Ruby Rose, Miss Fall," the girl's silver eyes were firm, despite the happy smile on her face. So this was the child that had caused Roman so much trouble? So far, she was less than impressed. "Vale is ruled by the Council, who make most of the decisions for the city."

"That is correct, well done." The girl sat back down, though Cinder could feel those eyes remain on her. "An unelected council that is able to control the fate of all within the Kingdom. They are beholden to no one, and cannot be held responsible for anything they do. No matter how cruel. Tell me children, do you know why this is?"

Nervous mumbling, uncomfortable glances, silence. She watched over it all, as excited teens turned to their peers, faces twisted in uncertainty. Not just at her question, but also at the situation they realised they were in. A ruling body that couldn't be held accountable for the actions they took. Who could make decisions without consequence – no matter who benefitted.

And who died.

"They're unaccountable because they need to be able to make decisions fast," a voice interrupted, drawing all eyes straight back to that stupid little girl. Even her teammates were looking at her, leaning away with wary expressions. "If there's an emergency then they need to be able to make decisions without having to consult people, or worry about what the public thinks."

More silence… though this time it was accompanied by relieved smiles and a general uplifting of the atmosphere. Cinder held back a sneer, smiling instead.

"Precisely. Well done Miss Rose. This is indeed the reason the council gives as an excuse for the necessity of such power. After all, are the Grimm not a great threat that we must band together against? Of course, that does little to change the control the Council has over the lives of those who live within the city, who have relatively little ability to control their own fate. I suppose we can only hope that the Council truly does have the best interests of us all at heart."

Ah, to see the creased brows among them. Students turning to their neighbours in concern, morbid frowns and whispered commentary. She leaned back against the edge of the desk, content to savour it all.

Or she would have, had the desk not collapsed under her weight, sending her sprawling to the floor.

"Ah Miss Fall," someone shouted, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she coughed, pushing herself up as she surveyed the damage – more to her ego than the desk itself. How old was the thing, to fall apart under her slight weight? "Worry not class…" Wiping away dust from her skirt, amber eyes narrowed. A few had the temerity to laugh at her misfortune, and she made note of those faces. The majority however looked on with innocent concern.

Just bad luck… that was all. An old desk, weathered away after so much time without use.

"Continuing on with our lesson then, all the Kingdoms are ruled by a council in a manner similar to Vale itself. This is a political system which has stood the test of time, though not without its difficulties. Who here can tell me the difference between Mantle and Atlas."

"Cardin Winchester, ma'am," a teen introduced as she pointed towards his outstretched hand, "and aren't they the same thing – the northern Kingdom?"

"Close, but not quite – an admirable effort though Mr Winchester," she added, watching him perk up with a smile. "Anyone else? Perhaps you, Miss Schnee?"

"Mantle was the old name for Atlas, and is still considered the name for the continental land mass," the white-haired girl droned, in a voice that suggested she'd memorised the information directly from a text book. "The colour revolution saw the overthrowing of the old council and the establishment of a new one, and the Kingdom was renamed as Atlas."

"A textbook answer," Cinder waved, content to leave the girl agonising over whether that was a compliment or an insult. "The old council of Mantle was overthrown by the people, because they allowed the power of their positions to go to their heads. Decisions were made not for the benefit of Mantle as a whole, but for those at the top. Power, after all, has the worrying tendency to corrupt."

Skirting the now lopsided desk Cinder sat down in her seat, crossing her long legs as she regarded the whispering class.

"The new Council of Atlas is closely intertwined with the military," she spoke once more, a curtain of silence falling over as they all turned to listen, "after all, it was the military who enacted the coup d'état. It makes sense they would wish to see their own in a position of power." More than a few Atlas students seemed to shift at that titbit, looking away nervously as other students watched them. "The astute might have noticed that the Atlas military remains one of the most powerful in Remnant, and receives much more funding from their councils than the other realms. A clear sign perhaps, that the Council is more an extension of the military than an independent body. But that's just a conspiracy theory." She waved her hand with a smile, as though to dismiss her earlier words as a jest. It didn't garner many laughs however, as the mutterings grew. The seeds she planted were beginning to take root, as white-uniformed Atlas students hunched in their seats.

No doubt they would be eating alone this lunch hour…

Such a shame too. At a time when Ozpin had called for such co-operation and respect between the schools.

"When the Council changed in Atlas, there was also a raft of new laws put in place – some of the unfair laws of the old Council were repealed, as altruistic revolutionaries sought to right injustice." The Atlas students started to perk up again, tension creeping from the room. Cinder grinned. "Of course, then came the demands from those who backed the revolution."

"The SDC," a bunny-eared faunus whispered from the crowd. Though quiet, her voice was easily picked up in the empty silence Cinder had left. Her smile grew, even as the girl's ears drooped. "They were key backers for the revolution, and soon after labour laws were introduced which… which…" She looked away, unable to finish even as the burly Winchester beside the girl reached over and rubbed her shoulder in support.

The effect was devastating. Glares turned on the ostracised students, while some also looked towards the Schnee Heiress, whose face was paler than usual. Those students with their own animal features looked even worse affected, their teams closing protectively around them. It felt like the audience was ready to explode into violence, and all that it would take was a small flame.

Just a cinder.

"The faunus labour laws," she made to rise from her chair, before her amber eyes narrowed and she settled back down once more. Uncrossing her legs and shifting in her seat. "The new Council's position was still unsecured. In desperate need of support and resources from the SDC, they were willing to agree to anything."

And it's these same people who are among you now, it went without saying. The same people whose military would be appearing on the streets in coming days, spilling out across the city.

"Vale wouldn't do anything like that though, right?" Someone called, a blonde teen that sat by the Schnee. "I mean we'd have heard about it if they had."

"No Government is intrinsically bad," Cinder laughed, looking the girl directly in the eyes, "that's not the message I want to give today. But as a teacher it's my responsibility to provide you all with the information necessary to make your own decision. That said, it appears we're out of time today-" the bell began to ring, causing some of the tenser students to flinch. "You all have history this afternoon correct, with Doctor Oobleck? Why don't you ask him to tell you the history of a small place called Mountain Glenn? Perhaps then, you can see for yourself."

No one answered her, so busy were they collecting their equipment and shuffling towards the exits. She could only watch as they skirted about one another, clear divides forming between those from different schools. Vacuo looked incensed, disgusted with the unyielding rigidity of Atlas. While Atlas themselves banded together, small pockets of white and grey that wouldn't meet the eyes of any other.

Even so… she knew someone would ask that question. That doubt she'd planted wouldn't let them all remain silent, and the dutiful professor would do the rest of the work for her.

It was beautiful.

Oh, and what is this? Four figures approached her uncertainly, the spectrum of hair colours clashing as they waited a good six metres or so from her. Instead it was the smallest who came forward, skipping towards her with a wide smile on her face.

"Was there something you wanted to ask miss Rose?" Sat as she was, the girl was the same height as her, while her companions were even taller. It wasn't a position she was used to being in, and she idly wished she could stand to tower over them once more. Ruby Rose shook her head, hair flapping left and right as her smile widened.

"No. I just wanted to welcome you properly to Beacon, Miss Fall. It'll be a real pleasure to learn from you!"

Ahh, a teacher's pet? It made sense, she supposed. The other three members of the team looked a little surprised. In fact, the Schnee looked positively shocked. Cinder forced the frustration from her features, a gentle smile sliding across her face like oil atop the surface of the ocean.

"Thank you miss Rose, that's very kind of you to say. Shouldn't you be heading to your next lesson though?"

"Ah, you're right!" The girl blinked, before glancing away. "Before that though, I… well… I baked you some cookies, as a welcoming present!" The words came out in a rush, even as the girl held out a small plastic bag with some baked treats inside.

"Oh, how sweet of you – truly you're all much kinder than the students at Haven." But still wasting her time here, couldn't they take a hint? The girl remained smiling, the bag held before her until Cinder took it. Only then did their eyes meet.

Those silver eyes looked firm… hard, for some reason. Ruby Rose grinned as she stood, turning back to her team and calling for them to head off to their next lesson. The other three never once said anything, looking trapped somewhere between morbid fascination, curiosity and horror.

Hmph. She popped one of the biscuits into her mouth, savouring the rich chocolaty taste, even as her narrowed eyes glared at the rows of empty seats. A quick shuffle, pushing herself up, before sitting back down with a frustrated grunt.

When she found out who'd put all this glue on her chair?

Heads would roll…

~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~

Come on, come on… fingers danced across the keys as he sent yet another message. What must have been his tenth of the day, and yet still no response. Not even from the messages he'd sent last night.

Roman wasn't responding. Which was bad. On many levels.

Damn it… was this confirmation of his treachery? Not that it could be called that really… not when Jaune was the one who owed him the favours. No. Favour, singular… Roman had used one of them to make Jaune agree to Cinder's early proposition.

Which should have been proof enough really. Roman, for all his snide comments and complaints, worked for Cinder. Enough so that he'd used one of his favours to make sure Jaune did as well, if only nominally.

Had that been his plan all along? Get Jaune in debt to Cinder too, so that they could both control him?

Had he lost Roman as an ally?

It was too early to tell… Roman did say hadn't signed up with Cinder, but that he'd been recruited. But that didn't mean he hadn't come to agree with her goals over time, or been won over by her. But even if that wasn't the case. Even if Roman was still an ally to him? He wasn't an ally against Cinder.

I can't rely on him against Cinder. Not when I'd be asking him to risk his life against her, he'd never agree to it. But without Roman, if he took the crook out of the equation, what allies did Jaune have?

Neo? She came part and parcel of Roman, and he hadn't seen her since that night in the forest anyway. The same night that had left him too tired to react properly to Cinder.

Coincidence, or design?

The scroll in his hand beeped once. But his elation soon turned to frustrated silence as he saw the single word from Roman.

-Busy-

"Bad news?" Peter asked across the staffroom table, lifting some kind of vegetable laden sandwich to his mouth. With a sigh Jaune stashed the device away, turning back to his own cold lunch.

"Nothing," he said, digging into the cold chicken with his fork. This wasn't something they could help him with either. Glynda opened her mouth to speak, only to go silent as the door to the room was pushed open. Their final… colleague returning.

"What happened to you, lass?" Peter guffawed, bread crumbs spilling from his moustache. Jaune turned to see what he meant, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of her. Cinder… well, she didn't exactly look her best. Rubbing one hip, her skirt looked a little tussled and her normally immaculate hair was frayed.

"Nothing," she growled, echoing his words from a moment ago even as she sat down beside him and pulled forth a small bag of cookies of all things. She didn't offer any however, grabbing one and biting away with more force than the dough really necessitated. "There was a problem with the desk in my classroom, one of the legs broke. The chair broke too; they must have been quite old."

"Broke?" Ozpin raised one brow, no food before him, for he seemed to gain all the nutrition he needed directly from his mug. "That furniture was brand new, not to mention reinforced. You could have tossed a Grimm on it and it would have held."

Cinder's eyes seemed to flash angrily, brows drawing in as she seemed to realise something. For a moment he honestly thought she might burst into flames, before a long sigh escaped her.

"Never mind then… perhaps I was just unfortunate." She didn't look like she believed the words she said, and there was a certain anger in her eyes – but he wasn't exactly in a position to call her out on it. "Will you help me get a new desk this afternoon, Jaune?" A hand came to settle on his thigh, even as his body stiffened. Before he could respond though, there was the sound of a chair being scraped back, as all eyes were drawn to the other end of the table.

"Excuse me," Glynda said, "I think I'll get ahead on my lessons." Jaune watched her storm from the room, even as the Headmaster sighed and followed after her. Damn it… he'd been hoping to talk to her too, he needed advice on his current situation.

Amber eyes caught his, from the corner of his vision. The wicked smile that inhabited her face for but a moment fading away. Telling him full well that she was doing that on purpose. Robbing him of every piece of support he had. Of everyone who might help him against her.

But why? What was the point of her eroding his support, when they were allies, at least in a sense? Was she trying to make sure he could only rely on her? So that she'd be able to get more favours out of him… perhaps even control him?

He hated her. He'd never hated anyone more than he hated her now.

"Unfortunately I need Mr Arc for my history session this afternoon," Oobleck interrupted, drawing a sigh from the blond. "But if you ask any of the janitorial staff here then they'll be happy to help you."

"A shame, but never mind," her lips curled upwards as she graciously surrendered. He was about to say something in return. Some thinly veiled snipe at her, despite the danger. But the sudden way her face scrunched up stopped him. As her hand shot up to cup her mouth, brows drawing together.

"Are you alright?" Bart asked, ever the gentleman. Cinder tried to smile, holding one hand up before her as though to assure him she was okay. Her shoulders slumped however, a trail of sweat dribbling down her forehead.

"I-I'm fine," a lie, as obvious to him as any of them. She placed one hand on the table, taking a deep breath. "I think… I think that perhaps, the journey from Haven has given me a bit of a bug." Her stomach rumbled ominously in agreement, and he swore he could almost hear the sound of bubbles popping within her.

The elegant woman pushed her seat back, staggering up as one hand clutched at her stomach. "P-Please excuse me, I'll-" Another rumble, before she turned tail and fled, leaving the half-eaten cookies behind.

Huh, random…

"Well, shall we go then Jaune? We have a lesson to attend to after all, children to provide for!"

"Ah yeah, sure. Lead on."

~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~

"You seem troubled Mr Arc," Bart said once they were alone in the history class. Still a good fifteen minutes before the lesson was scheduled to begin. "Anything you wish to share?"

"I'm fine," Jaune replied automatically.

"Hmm, you certainly look it. I don't believe I've seen you so dispirited since you arrived here." The green-haired teacher pushed past him, taking a seat behind his desk as he poured them each a cup of coffee. "If you need my support, or advice… you have but to ask. A man picks up much in a decade or two."

Advice? The word sounded foreign, even to him. When was the last time anyone had offered him advice that he'd actually been able to use? Normally he spent his time bumbling through problems in the hope they'd turn out okay.

Maybe that was his problem…

"What do you do," he tried to think of how to phrase the question, without giving anything away. His lies, his secrets, all the things he'd done. "What do you do when things are so far out of your control, that you don't know how to get a hold of them anymore?"

"Ahh, that's the question we all face at least once," Bart nodded, pushing the mug across the table so Jaune could take a sip. It wasn't the special blend… not so close to their lessons, but it calmed him nonetheless. The warm steam caressing his face, breathing life into tired muscles. "Hunters more than any other ask that question, again and again."

"And what answer do they find?"

"Only the least satisfying. When things are out of your control, you need to fight to gain it back. To wrest control from whatever forces keep it from you. There's no easy answer, no simple solution."

"That's it, fight?" If only it were so easy… with Cinder on one side of him, Roman on the other – not to mention Ironwood and Ozpin on the third… there were already too many unknowns to his situation. The only certainty was that every single one of them would turn on him if the truth got out. Ozpin might do it kindly, and would certainly be the least likely to kill him… but it would still mean jail. Or it might once have… now with his ties so firmly placed with Cinder and Roman? Would he be interrogated instead? Lumped with their crimes too?

The stakes had been bad enough before, but now they were downright ridiculous.

"I did warn you the answer wasn't satisfying," he laughed. As it died down however, his expression became more serious. "That said, it's no less true. We are Hunters Jaune, it's in our very name – our nature – to be aggressive, pro-active. We don't wait for the Grimm to find us, we hunt them! We don't wait for the situation to spiral even further out of our control, we fight to gain control ourselves."

I'm not a Hunter though… not a real one…

"And if we fail? What happens then?"

"Then we die." The man's words hit like a hammer, yet were delivered with the certainty of someone who had faced that truth time and time again. "But ask yourself this, Jaune. What happens, in this situation of yours, if you do nothing at all?"

If he did nothing?

He would be screwed… Cinder would do whatever it was she was doing, she would continue to try and win him over to her side – and she'd either succeed… gain some power over him and force him to serve her. Or she would fail, and he would be torn down with her as she fell.

Either way, he was screwed.

"I see by your face that you've come to the same realisation many have in your position," the teacher said, "but on the other hand, ask yourself; what happens if you succeed?"

If he succeeded? He wasn't even sure what success was. Not when he still didn't know the truth of what she was looking for in Beacon. But if he was able to figure that out, if he was able to learn what it was she wanted, and he could prevent her from getting it? Or hell, if he could get it first, and make a deal with her outside of Beacon?

She'd have no purpose in Beacon… he could make her leave, and with her gone, his secret would remain safe.

"But I'm not strong enough," the words slipped from his mouth without intent, but they were no less true for that. He was a fake, a charlatan… and she? Cinder was incredible, capable of terrifying Roman, of controlling Neo. She had an army of crooks, soldiers and terrorists behind her.

"Hunters rarely fight alone, Jaune. If you're not strong enough, then find allies."

"I've lost all my allies." Roman, Neo, Glynda… that… that bitch had come in and turned them all against him.

"I had wondered about this," Bart let out a long sigh, leaning forward on his desk to face Jaune, "I did always think you seemed too well adjusted, too… calm… about what happened in your past." Jaune's face went white, his shoulders shaking. Oobleck… had he figured it out? Had he been too obvious with his questions, given the game away already? "I see now, however, that you have simply been hiding it better than I first thought. I suppose it's only natural."

The man pushed himself from his seat. Walking slowly to a map of Remnant firmly attached to a nearby wall. Jaune remained in his own seat, watching as the older man traced his fingers across the surface of the diagram.

"It seems so simple, when we are still in our schools. The friends we make there will last for all our lives, our team will be with us forever. But the truth of the matter is… nothing good ever lasts in this world. It is a truth I must admit to having kept secret from many of my students… ironic perhaps, that I proclaim to want to teach them, yet withhold this knowledge." The man let out another sigh, turning to face Jaune, while leaning back against the wall with crossed arms. "I do not regret it however, there is little enough joy as it is without breaking such difficult news. A white lie in this case. But you… you have had to face this sooner than others."

Oh… he meant his team. The one he'd never truly had, but which everyone else believed to have died. It was almost ironic really… when Pyrrha had asked him what his team had been like, he'd gone and described Glynda, Peter and Oobleck. Now, with Cinder eroding his support with those same people, it honestly felt like he had lost his team.

"I doubt it's what you want to hear, but when we lost our allies like you have, the only thing we can do is try to make new ones. If you cannot fight alone, if you're not strong enough to defeat your opponent, then you need to find others who can help you."

He couldn't involve others against Cinder. This wasn't as simple as some nameless evil Grimm. The other teachers he'd have to explain his reasons to, which would mean the end of him. Roman was already working for her, as was Neo. Who else was there that he could go to? Ironwood, Winter? They would have him cooking over a bed of dust in minutes.

"And what if you can't?" He asked, not meeting the other man's gaze, "what if your back's against the wall and there is no one else who can help you?"

What was he supposed to do then?

"Then?" Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck repeated, removing his glasses and dusting the surfaces. "Then our enemies will finally see how dangerous we truly are."

Dangerous… was he dangerous? Could he fight?

Any further questions were taken out of his hand as the doors opened. Students pouring in to take their seats, even as Bart hurried to the centre of the room, taking his spot so that all the students would have a good angle to see him. Jaune swallowed his own fears, plastering as confident a smile as he could on his face as he stood behind, and a little to the left, of the man.

~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~

"Mountain Glenn?" Bart looked surprised by the question, blinking rapidly as he looked about the room. To Jaune's eyes, and no doubt his as well, the student body seemed unusually tense. Though it had only been a day or so, to see the students all sat in their respective colour groups – with such little mingling between the schools?

It was a worrying sight.

"Well, I suppose we could do our lesson on that," reluctance, Jaune would never have thought Bart would be reluctant to talk about any part of their history. Yet even he knew the vague outline of this disaster… "You all wish to hear about it?"

Nods all around, though none seemed thrilled at the idea. If he had to call it anything, then he'd say they seemed dispirited…

"Very well then… tell me first though, Miss Nebula, where has gotten everyone so interested in that place?" The lilac-haired girl looked towards her teammates for a moment, before shrugging and answering.

"Miss Fall mentioned it in her class."

"Miss Fall? In politics I presume, yes, I suppose that makes sense," he might have accepted it, but Jaune wasn't so quick. The looks on their faces, the atmosphere, the question about a ghost town? She didn't do anything by accident. He refused to accept it.

What did she have to gain by this though? Why even involve the students in the first place, if she was simply looking for something at Beacon?

Even those from Beacon looked upset, Weiss in particular with her shoulders hunched, gaze not meeting anyone. Beside her, Ruby seemed to be offering what support she could. Even if that was simply sitting close. Blake held the heiress' other side, the two offering what aid they could.

Cinder was hurting his students…

This wasn't about them. It was one thing for her to mess with his life. To risk his charade, to taunt him at every opportunity – to slowly chip away at everything he thought he could trust.

That was fine. Because he deserved it. No one had put him into that spot, it'd all been because of his own stupid selfishness. But RWBY, RVNN, CRDL and all the others from Beacon? From all the other schools as well?

They weren't involved in any of that. And it was his fault she was here playing with them in the first place. Especially since he was the one who had gotten her into Beacon, who was keeping her secret when he could be ratting her out.

"Mountain Glenn was an… expansion effort organised jointly between Vale and Atlas." Bart began, sitting on the edge of his desk with a book held against his chest. His expression seemed worn, tired in a way Jaune had never seen the man. "You need to understand, students, that there have always been outlying villages and tribes in the wildlands around the Kingdoms. While some of these have managed to flourish, such as the island of Patch, many suffer less fortunate fates. Most of these villages however aren't considered to be a part of the Kingdoms themselves… or, at least, they're not directly under the control of the Councils."

"That's not to say the Council wouldn't look after them, these villages make more use of Hunters than the city on any given day. But Mountain Glenn was the first official attempt at forming a permanent home outside the walls."

"Why was Atlas involved in the first place?" Someone asked, causing mutters from others in the audience. Not a one of the students from Atlas spoke.

"Atlas has long had strong relations with Vale," the teacher explained, "not to mention with their advanced technology and force of arms – it made sense to include them in a venture to reclaim territory from the Grimm. Beyond that, this was to be a political venture that would strengthen ties between the two Kingdoms. Citizens from Atlas and Vale could live there together. In fact, once the city was established, migrants were ferried there at an incredible pace – there had already been problems with overpopulation in both cities."

"We constructed an underground subway between Vale and Mountain Glenn, it was to be connected to Vale in every conceivable way."

"What happened?" This time from Ruby, whose face showed that she half expected the answer, yet like someone watching car accident she couldn't look away.

"The Grimm fell upon Mountain Glenn in unparalleled numbers," Bart sighed, looking away from them all. "Numbers we'd never had to face before. The walls of Mountain Glenn were not as strong as those of Vale, and the city was overrun. Eventually the survivors, and the Hunters with them, retreated into the subway – attempting to make the long journey to Vale on foot."

"So the city fell?" Yang had a grimace on her face, but waved one hand in question, "didn't they ever try to reclaim it?"

"There have been no attempts," Bart sighed, "not after what happened to the refugees."

"Professor Oobleck," Ruby whispered, "what happened to them?"

The man made to answer. His mouth opening, before closing again soon after. He seemed to fight to find the words, taking a moment to distract himself by pulling off his glasses and rubbing them gently. Jaune watched him, before stepping forth with a sigh.

"The tunnels were sealed," the support spoke, earning the attention of not only the students, but Bart as well. "Sealed with explosions and fallen rock, so that the Grimm wouldn't have a direct path into Vale."

"Well what's so bad about that?" Cardin this time, laughing to dispel the tension. "So they got the civvies out and sealed the tunnels-"

"No," Jaune interrupted.

"No?" Russell this time, leaning forward in his seat. "No to what?"

"The tunnels were sealed before the civilians could return." Jaune finished, closing his eyes as he awaited the fallout.

It wasn't long in coming.

Row upon row of students, their voices raised in anger – as those with cooler heads tried and failed to calm down the hysteria. Books and pens were pushed from desks, people rising to their feet to be heard over the commotion. Jaune looked to his companion for aid, only to see the green haired man rubbing his forehead as though to ward off a headache.

"Calm down, calm down!" He tried, waving his arms as he made to move towards them. His voice couldn't be heard over the noise however, and those who did look his way simply ignored him.

A loud crash made Jaune flinch. The room descended into silence, but for the tinkling rain of porcelain trickling down the side of Oobleck's desk. The wood was now stained with coffee.

"I do so hate to waste good coffee like this," the man whispered, his voice audible to everyone in the room. In his right hand there was only the handle of his mug, the rest of it having been shattered on the edge of his desk. With a sigh he tossed the final piece away, ignoring it as it clinked across the floor. "While I'm always happy to find my students so interested in history… I'll have to ask for calm. If you have any questions you will raise your hand, before awaiting my answer."

"Why were the tunnels sealed?" One girl asked, dirty blonde hair and clearly from Vacuo, if her lack of uniform was anything to go by.

"If the tunnels were left open then Vale would have seen thousands of Grimm attacking at its core. The tunnels weren't sealed at a single point, but at over fifty along the tracks – just to make sure there was no way through."

"Who ordered them sealed?"

"No one has ever taken direct responsibility for the order," Bart sighed and crossed his arms, "likely to prevent any dangerous reprisals. It could have been the Hunter in command of the situation; it could have been either of the Councils."

"Why would anyone have agreed to that?"

Doctor Oobleck didn't answer. And as the silence grew, some of the students began to mutter once more. Taking a deep breath, Jaune took the stage.

"Because they had to make a decision," eyes locked onto him, some judging – others shocked. But compared to the gazes he'd faced at the auditorium, this was nothing. "Because like it or not, the Grimm had a direct path to Vale. A decision had to be made, and there was no good option. Just a bunch of bad choices… which is something you'll have to face eventually."

"B-But that – they could have waited -" It was Ruby who spoke up, face twisted in shock, in pain. She wanted to be a hero. To save everyone… she'd told him that before. He had too, back when he'd first faked his credentials for Beacon.

How had he changed so much? If the old Jaune could see what he'd become now… would he be as disappointed as Ruby was right now?

"They could have," Jaune agreed, "but then more Hunters would have died. And if the Hunters die, the people die too – and then there are less to protect Vale and all the other villages across Remnant."

"So they let all those innocent people die?"

"They made a decision. They had to do something, and sealing the tunnels was the choice they made. This was over ten years ago and there's not been an attempt since."

Poor comfort for those who had perished… but at least they had learned from their mistakes. Learned that the Grimm were still a potent threat, no matter how advanced your technology became. Or how high the walls grew.

The ringing of the bell signalled the end of the lesson, and seemed to be the sound necessary to shock Doctor Oobleck back into action.

"The lesson is over, there's no homework – but I want you all to focus on something other than Mountain Glenn. Such a tragedy isn't something children should be thinking of on a weekend. Train, have fun – or simply work on strengthening the bonds between our schools. Don't let the mistakes of the past colour your judgement of the future."

Jaune turned away from the students as they filed out.

What a lesson…

"Thank you, Jaune," the older man said once they were alone. "When I asked you to support me I thought it was so that I might offer you my support. Turns out this worked quite the other way around."

"No problem," the blond sighed, leaning against the wall and letting his head fall back on the cold stone. "That was… a little tense."

"Difficult truths are not easy things to impart to the younger generation. They tend to see the world as very black and white, and react negatively to any who threaten that view." He paused, rummaging around in a drawer before pulling out a metal thermos. "It's not their fault. We were all young and foolish once."

Tell me about it…

The Doctor pulled off the metal lid, turning it the other way up so that it became a simplistic mug. Unscrewing the cap, he made to pour some warm coffee into the mug. It wasn't until Jaune heard a splash, and noticed coffee spill from the mug, that he realised something was wrong.

Bart's arm was shaking, the stream of coffee coming from the thermos wavering in the air, some of it spilling on the desk beside the steel mug.

"Let me," Jaune rushed over, taking the thermos from the man's hand and steadying it. Bart allowed him, leaning forward to place his elbows on the desk, and his face in his hands. "Here," Jaune said, handing the filled mug to the man and screwing the cap back onto the flask. The man accepted it with a wan smile, tipping his head back and downing it all in one go.

"How foolish I must look. Forgive an old man his moments."

"There's nothing to forgive," he poured another for the man, though this time Bart simply held it before his face, finding some peace in the familiar scent.

"I was there, you know?" The words came out softly, accompanied by a dark frown as the man's eyes seemed to fade out of focus. "When the orders came… we didn't know what to think of it. Half my team refused them and moved deeper into the tunnels. They were sealed in with the civilians."

"There's nothing you could have done to help them."

"I know that," the man snapped, before sighing, "I actually tried… it was my last teammate who stopped me. Tackled me to the ground and held me down with his weapon against my neck. I tried to fight him, to go and die with the rest of our team but… well, he had other ideas. When the charges were set and the tunnels sealed? By then it was too late."

Jaune remained silent, trying to imagine the scene. He wasn't sure what he would have honestly done… the hero's choice would have been to try and help those trapped inside. But then, that would just end with his death as well.

"When it was all said and done… well, I was done. My last remaining teammate quit, said heroes were good for nothing other than dying, and that he wouldn't be a part of it."

"And you became a teacher?"

"Not at first," the man laughed and took a long drink, "at first I became an archaeologist. I thought that if I could no longer bring myself to fight, then I could at least serve in other ways. Discover the truth of what had happened… as part of that I studied the history of Remnant, and it was there that I found a horrifying truth." The man slammed his mug down, coffee spilling across his hand – and yet he didn't seem to feel the pain.

"Mountain Glenn was not the first attempt at expansion… of course it wasn't, this has been tried multiple times in the past. Not that anyone would have known. History has a habit of swallowing up failures, and politics only serves to hide them further. If the Council had known… then they might not have started this in the first place. But they didn't know, and the mistake was made again."

"So you decided to make sure future generations didn't make the same mistakes," Jaune guessed, looking at the man sat hunched at his desk. "By becoming a teacher you could ensure what happened at Mountain Glenn doesn't get pushed under the carpet."

"Not just Mountain Glenn either. Menagerie, Fort Castle, Vacuo… there's so much we can learn from our mistakes. But only if we learn about the mistakes made in the past." Bart seemed to blink suddenly, shaking his head as a small smile came to his lips. "But look at me talking about the past so much, if this continues I'll end up worse than dear old Peter."

"I'll warn you if you start growing a moustache," Jaune quipped, though there wasn't much humour in it.

"Go enjoy your weekend Jaune. I just need a little time to think."

"Will you be okay? I can help if you nee-"

"You've done enough Jaune," the man interrupted, flashing an honest smile at the blond, "trust me. You've already helped me more than you realise. I just need some time alone… to remember."

"Right," Jaune sighed, turning away after a moment's hesitation. He paused in the doorway, looking back at that lonely figure sat in an abandoned classroom, trapped within his own memories. A part of him wanted to go back. To sit down opposite him, even if no words ever passed between them.

The door closed behind him.

~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~

"Rarghhh!" The glass of wine struck the wall. Exploding on impact, red like blood stained the paint as shards of glass rained down like crystalline snow. His hands shook, fingers digging into his palms with so much force he could feel his aura strain.

His arms slammed out, landing on the wall either side of the small mirror by his door. Dark blue eyes stared back into his own. Stormy, violent. They seethed.

Enough.

He'd had enough.

First Glynda. Then the students. Now Oobleck too? A man he had come to consider as one of his friends, despite how odd that might have seemed? In one day she'd managed to leave them all in misery. How dare she target his friends, his students… the people he cared for.

How dare she!?

"We don't wait for the situation to spiral even further out of our control, we fight to gain control ourselves."

I'm not a real Hunter…

"Maybe it's time I became one."

Breath left him in great, heaving pants. The man in the mirror wore his face, and he could see the fear within him… but it was buried under so much rage.

She had him dead to rights. He was a criminal, a fraud – and though she didn't know that, she still could ruin him at any moment. If she didn't kill him first.

"Ask yourself this, Jaune. What happens, in this situation of yours, if you do nothing at all?"

At the time the answer had seemed so easy. He would be ruined, or killed, whichever came first. Now though, with what he'd just seen? Cinder was a cancer on the school, and her malignant presence had already been felt. He wouldn't be the only person to suffer if he chose to do nothing…

They all would.

Glynda… that hard-working woman who'd been one of the first to believe in him… who had dedicated so much of her time to making sure he was okay. Strict, stern… but when those rare smiles broke through? Beautiful…

Peter. That first night they spent together, swapping stories and commiserating over the boredom of watching the students. The bear slaps, always knocking the wind from his lungs. Teasing, cunning, lazy bastard that he was. Peter Port was a friend.

Bart, old prejudice hating Bartholomew, always doing what he could not for himself but for other people. Dedicating his time to helping others so they didn't have to go through what he did.

Even Ozpin, mysterious, manipulative coffee-addicted bastard that he was. The little looks, those occasional glances that hinted at the fact he was putting his stupidity on just that little bit… seeing how far he could push you. But also making him a Student Counsellor, showing that through it all he cared about his charges.

Ruby, bright and idealistic – with such a promising future ahead of her…

Blake, the sarcastic smiles, such a cynic – yet with dreams so incredibly optimistic… and the determination to work towards them.

Yang, damn her, somehow always on his thoughts. Would her joking smile be torn away too?

Little porn-addicted Weiss, gentle Pyrrha, the beleaguered Ren, bright little Nora… Velvet, who he still wanted to help, Cardin – who'd shown so much growth… every single student in Beacon.

It wasn't just him who would suffer anymore, was it?

"Remember son," his father's voice echoed in his mind, "there's nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose."

Enough…

She wanted a war, did she? Well fine, she would have one. He'd run rings around her in the past, he'd bested Winter Schnee, he'd defied that destiny that claimed he'd be nothing more than a failure of a student. He'd fought Grimm, saved Velvet Scarlatina's life.

She'd have her war, alright… he'd make sure of it.

But I can't fight her alone… I'm not strong enough. Roman was out of the picture, as was Neo by association. His allies had been gutted, because he'd been passive while she'd been active. He hadn't been a Hunter, instead he had sat there and let her take whatever advantages she wanted. Like a man choosing to pass his turn in a game of chess.

Find new allies… that had been what Bart had said. But his best allies were the staff, who he couldn't involve lest they figured out his secret. If he was removed from Beacon then it was as good as a win for her.

Unless… instead of looking for allies who were already his, he looked for people who were instead enemies of hers. The enemy of my enemy…

But where am I supposed to find people like that? Jaune collapsed on the couch, holding out the remote to turn the television on.

Just in time to see Yang Xiao-Long slam a fist into the arm of a giant robot… and that mechanical arm buckle like a cheap car striking a lorry. The huge construct staggered in the mist, falling back as it desperately tried to right itself against the four young women arranged before it.

"Heh heh…" he chuckled, one hand came up to touch his face as he shook his head. A second later the dam burst, those chuckles turning into guffaws – and then raucous laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

That would do nicely.

~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~

(Omake: From Coeur Al'Aran)

Emerald pulled her tie to the side, loosening it around her neck as she reached up to flick open a few of her buttons. Just enough to show a hint of cleavage, but not enough to scandalise. Taking some deep breaths, she slapped her cheeks a little, bringing a hint of red to them.

Okay… okay… operation seduction was a go!

"Ha ha ha ha ha, mwaahahahaha. MWAHAHAHAHAH!"

The girl froze, her hand about an inch away from the door before it froze in mid-air. A bead of sweat trickled down her brow as she heard the target inside continue his maniacal laughter.

Oh Gods… it brought back memories of the last time Mercury has interrupted Cinder when she'd had an evil villainess moment. Now she was going to interrupt this man's? A man so dangerous that he filled his room with traps? So devious that even Cinder was cautious?

"M-Maybe I'll try again tomorrow…"

She'd just tell Mercury he hadn't been in…

And not that she'd heard him cackling and noped the hell out of there.

"Mwhahahahahaha!"