Chapter 15

Jaune flinched as the words washed over him, pushing him back as he tried to regain control of the situation. Dark glasses fixed on him, a flash of light sketching across their surface as the brown-haired figure remained motionless. No fear, no hesitation – her beret held still as she maintained her pose.

…

"I have no idea who you are," Jaune admitted, wondering if he had just ruined her introduction with that comment. The girl did sigh, though less in disappointment and more in the way one might when you had to deal with a particularly small and irritating child. One gloved hand came up to lower her glasses, before she gave him a short look.

"Coco," the girl said, "Coco Adel."

He waited for her to continue, she seemed willing to do the same, as the two matched stares across the dim room. What was he supposed to do in this kind of situation? He really felt he should be more prepared since random girls breaking into his rooms appeared to be a common occurrence nowadays.

His mother would be so proud.

"Well Miss Adel, if you're looking for counselling then I might be able to arrange-"

"I'm not here for that," she said quickly, cutting him off mid-sentence. "But it's glad to see I've found the right man. You are Professor Jaune Arc right, new teacher and student counsellor?"

"Well considering you broke into Professor Arc's office I should hope so." He snarked as he wandered over to the kitchenette, placing the bottle of red wine down on the side. He looked at it for a moment, before hiding it in a cupboard. Damn it, but he intended to enjoy that himself – not watch Neo steal it.

Or get drunk again.

"You'd really think so," the girl sighed as she drew her feet up, resting her heavy boots on his desk with a loud click of heels on wood. "But since I let myself in there's been at least three other people break in – mostly women I should add."

Neo, Blake and…

"Was the last one blonde?" She nodded and he rubbed his head in frustration. Damn it Yang… He'd need to set up some traps or something. Nothing too dangerous of course... nah, she was a huntress - she'd be able to handle it. "Well if you're not here for counselling…?"

"Just for a chat," the girl chuckled – apparently completely calm despite breaking into a teacher's room and commandeering his desk. Not that he ever actually sat at it, in fact that was pretty much Blake's seat by this point. "A friendly discussion if you will."

"Can't it wait until the morning?"

"It can," he sighed in relief, "but I won't." Ugh… never mind then. Out of all the things his colleagues had taught him he wondered why it had never been Glynda's uncanny ability to cow people into doing what she wanted. That would be a nice skill to have… With a deep sigh he settled down into one of his plush couches, ignoring the smile that stole across her features. If she thought it a sign of victory that she got the rigid desk chair then she was in for a rude awakening.

It was uncomfortable as hell.

"I'm actually here to talk about a mutual acquaintance we have," he stiffened at her words, wondering if she was the vaunted contact within Beacon that Cinder had spoken of. Or worse, what if this was someone who knew his involvement with Roman and wanted to blackmail him? "My old pal Velvet."

Or… it could be the harmless rabbit faunus who was getting bullied. That worked too.

"Miss Scarlatina?"

"Yup, I'm her team leader actually."

"Isn't that Ren?" He said without thinking, before something clicked in his brain. Velvet had come from another team initially and… oh right… He winced lightly as her heeled boots slammed down on the table, first one – and then the other. He could already imagine how badly the surface was damaged.

"No," she said pointedly, "it's not." An afternoon spent with a murderous criminal had given his self-preservation instincts a good workout already, so luckily he didn't feel the need to correct her on that front. If she wanted to argue about getting the girl back on her old team she could take it up with Glynda.

"So… you… want to talk about her?" Honestly, what was she expecting from him? She broke into his room, she waited for him to come back from Vale. She was the one that said they needed to talk. Would it be too much to ask for her to actually get to the point? So he could maybe get a bath, make a snack – and have an early night.

"Vel's told me a lot about you actually," Coco shrugged elegantly as she leaned back into his seat, "not sure what to think of everything she says, but enough to get me interested."

Is that a good thing?

"For instance she's told me how you keep dropping these less-than-subtle hints about her coming to you for counselling or support." Okay, that was true… and also meant that Velvet definitely did know what he was suggesting. Which mean the only reason she hadn't come to him actually was because she was being ridiculously stubborn.

Though did it even matter anymore, since she had somehow apparently become best friends with her own bullies? He'd need to keep an eye on that, it had only been a single day and gratitude could wane…

"She's also told me how you keep an eye on her," true again, he supposed. But she was the student being harassed the most, so it made sense they all kept an eye on her. "All these little hints to her… inviting her to your office… your eyes following her in the cafeteria…" The girl's brown eyes hardened, even as his own blue orbs became wide with horror.

"N-no no no!" He stammered as he reared up in his seat, arms waving before him. "She totally has the wrong idea!" Had that honestly been the image he'd given off when he tried to offer her counselling? That he was some kind of crazed stalker trying to her alone in his office so he could have his wicked way with her? He knew he was bad with women, but this was just ridiculous.

"Hmmm…" the girl said, clearly unconvinced. "Why don't you tell me what it was all about then?"

"The Headmaster wanted me to extend the offer of counselling to her, since we knew she was being bullied." If in doubt, blame Ozpin – he'd learned that lesson fairly quickly, and it honestly seemed to work on literally everyone who knew the man. He could probably use it on Ozpin, and the man would just nod in understanding.

"Yeah, I figured it was something like that," she said as she rose to her feet and walked to sit opposite him, in what was typically deemed Neo's couch. The brunette fixed him with a piercing look as she sat down. "Thing is… if you all knew it was happening – then why the hell didn't any of you do anything about it!?"

"Why didn't you?" He asked without thinking. He knew it was the wrong response even as it passed his lips, but if he hadn't realised – then the expression on her face would have told him he'd fucked up.

"You think we didn't want to?" Coco swung both her arms wide, as though addressing an audience, "I wanted to go over there and split his damn head open – but Vel wouldn't have it. So instead I spent two weeks wondering why the staff didn't seem to give a shit."

"If we didn't care then we wouldn't have tried to reach out to Miss Scarlatina."

"Which is why I'm confused. So why don't you do your job Professor, and tell me what lesson you're trying to impart."

"Teamwork," Jaune said quickly – more an excuse than anything, but it still drew an incredibly unimpressed expression from her.

"Teamwork?" She repeated.

"Teamwork," he confirmed.

"If this is some kind of `with teamwork we can get past our difficulties` line, then I think we're going to have issues. I was hoping for a more proactive lesson."

"It kind of is," Jaune shrugged, "when I said teamwork I meant it a little more literally… if you wanted the bullying to stop, then you could have just gathered your team and beat them up."

The brown-haired girl froze, eyes blinking slowly as she seemed to look past him. For a moment he imagined he could actually balance something on her head and she wouldn't even realise. Or she might instinctively snap and rip his face off… it was hard to tell with these women.

"You're telling me…" she made motions with her hands, talking very slowly – as though to a child, "that if we had just beaten the crap out of them, no one would care?"

"Well this is a combat school… we kind of encourage violence as a way to solve problems here."

"Excuse me for a second," the girl said as she strode over to his bathroom, closing the door and locking herself inside. He winced as he heard her scream, a foul-mouthed tirade coming through the walls as she ranted away. It continued for a full minute; before she allowed herself back out with a neutral expression.

"How do you know your way around my room?" Was honestly the only thing he could think to ask.

"Been here a while," the girl shrugged as she sat back down, "I've been waiting for you for the last four hours – even cooked myself some pasta. There's some leftovers in the fridge for you."

"Thank you?" He wasn't sure whether to be offended or pleased with the intrusion, but on the bright side – food!

"So now that we've assured you don't have a creepy bunny fetish, and so don't need to die," he winced at the words, especially since upon first seeing the young girl that had been his first thought. "We can move onto the other matter. Tell me Professor, how is Vel settling into her new team?"

How well? Jaune shook his head as he sighed. Team Raven, one he had named, and so in some weird way actually felt responsible for, was not doing well. With Pyrrha spending more time with Team RWBY, and Ren and Nora content with each other, the team was an absolute mess. As for Velvet?

"Not well. She's completely unwilling to give the team a chance, and it's causing all of them to fracture. Her partner has even gone so far as to make friends with other teams because she's given up on ever receiving any attention from Velvet."

"Sad to hear," the brunette sighed, "everyone needs a partner at Beacon to watch their back. A team is like a family, or it should be. Have to feel sorry for all of them."

"Yeah… I've been trying to help where I can, but it's been like swimming up a river." Not to mention he'd sort of made things worse by giving Pyrrha an easy out, and that his efforts to help Velvet had apparently been misconstrued as stalking.

"Well that's why I wanted to talk with you actually," Coco grinned, her teeth flashing in the low light. Why hadn't he turned the lights on again? "You see, no one wants to see a bunch of first years struggling like that, least of all me. So I know a way to fix it."

"You do?" Had anyone else suggested as such then he might have doubted them, but this was Velvet's old partner, who definitely knew how the girl ticked. If he had her help, maybe she could talk to the faunus girl and convince her to give Pyrrha a chance. The two of them would surely get on if they had the chance, and with how bubbly Nora was he could imagine her bridging the gap between the two pairs.

It would be perfect.

"Put Velvet back on our team, and give them a new person."

Or it could be shit.

"Ah…" he said emptily as he looked about his room. For anything that could give him the answer he needed, or just distract him. Even then however, he could feel her piercing gaze as it bored into him.

"A team is a family," she continued as she stood up, pacing before him. "They start as strangers yet become so much more. Closer than friends, closer than blood. It's not unusual for teams to stay together for the rest of their lives!" Her arms slammed down on the armrest either side of him, pinning him into his seat as she leaned closer. Her face hovered but a few inches from his, so close that he could see her narrowed eyes even through her black lenses. "Except for ours… Our team was broken apart, our teammate – my friend – stolen from me, from us! Tell me Professor, how is that fair?"

"It's not," he tried only to be interrupted as a wicked smile stole across her lips.

"Exactly. It's not fair to us, it's not fair to those new guys – cuz rest assured, it isn't me telling Vel to act that way. She's just lashing out, as angry as we are."

"I can understand that-"

"Good, then you realise this will be best for both Vel and the other team, right? There's hundreds of talented people who dream of a position in Beacon, they can have a chance to forge their own family here. Without being brought down by someone who isn't willing to try."

"It's not that simple!" The words burst out of him in a rush, and he knew they weren't the ones she wanted, even before her entire body shook. A breath of air escaped her in a rush, wafting across his face as she visibly tried to calm herself.

"Simplify it," she said softly, fingers tightening on the armrest.

Simplify it, how could he? This wasn't a matter he could control in any way, he was just the support teacher – or the Counsellor… the distinction between his job rules kept getting blurrier as he continued. Now he was apparently an aide to a criminal as well, and complicit in whatever crimes she was about to commit.

And now he was being harassed by a student? She might have been older than him, but she should still know better than to threaten a Professor.

"No," he said simply – confidently. Even as rage and fear bubbled within him in equal measure. Getting angry… how long had it been since he was really, genuinely angry? How long since he honestly had the right to be angry? He'd done so many things wrong, lied to so many people. But this time… this time, he was in the right.

And he wasn't going to let some cocky brat stop him!

Even if said cocky brat was honestly older than him, and could probably kill him in fifty different ways in as many seconds.

"I don't think you have any right to try telling me what I have to do Miss Adel," he didn't try to stand up, more afraid that he'd be unable to break past her than anything else. But even the act of looking unconcerned and unworried at her looming over him would be victory enough. "Miss Scarlatina has been placed where she has because of what happened to her. Although it's a shame to break up a team, it would be a bigger one to have to bury her."

"We could have looked after her," Coco snarled, her cheeks turning red from sheer frustrated rage, "we always have – and always would."

"She barely handled a single Ursa, and even then she hurt herself doing it. She isn't good enough to be in the higher years, and yes I know that's not her fault," he added as she made to open her mouth. "But that doesn't change how things worked out. It's not fair, but that's life – get used to it."

"She's miserable on that team; don't you give a damn about what's best for her – or even them?" Her breathing came out heavily, the restrained anger clear on her face. Didn't he care about that team, about Team Raven? He did… in more ways then he probably should. Pyrrha was the first student he counselled. Ren was one of the few guys he talked to, Nora had always been friendly, and Velvet was his own personal mission.

"She's miserable," he said slowly – knowing the words would not be received well – "because she's determined to be miserable. If Miss Scarlatina wants to excel as a Huntress, as a person, then she needs to grow up, and stop acting like a spoiled child. A lesson you could no doubt learn yourself."

Definitely the wrong words, if the way her eyes flashed were any indication. She shivered, his couch straining under the pressure she exerted on it.

"You…" she whispered as she tried, and apparently failed to find her patience, "you bastard!" Her hands were on his chest in an instant, gripping his collar and pulling it forward as she slammed him back into the couch. A sense of vertigo overwhelmed him as it toppled backwards, bringing her with it. His back slammed into the hard floor, his aura flaring to prevent any damage as his skull cracked against the wood.

"Are you quite finished, Miss Adel?" He asked with more confidence then he truly felt, as she knelt on top of him, one arm gripped in his collar and pushing him down – the other resting by his head on her elbow.

"Finished?" She hissed, "Professor, I'm just getting started."

"Well you can end it right here then," a different voice practically seethed from the doorway. Blue eyes widened as they sketched to the side, just in time to see Glynda Goodwitch's furious face. Standing beside her was the Headmaster himself, sipping from his mug. The thumbs-up the man gave him did little to detract from the terror he felt.

"Fuck me…" Coco whispered from atop him, even as she released her grip on his coat.

"It looks like you were getting right on that Miss Adel," the Headmaster said calmly, even as the two teens realised the position they were in. Jaune felt the overwhelming desire to hide his face behind one hand and groan – even as the girl above him rolled off him, coming to her knees by his head.

"It's not what it looks like."

"Oh I've heard that before," the Headmaster unhelpfully chuckled.

"Let me guess," Glynda said, ironically echoing the same words Jaune had used to Yang and Blake only a week earlier, "you fell."

"Y-yes!" Coco cried, as she waved her arms. "I just fell, we weren't doing that!"

"We'll discuss this in the Headmaster's office I think," the blonde woman cracked her crop down into her hand, making them both flinch. Coco climbed to her feet slowly, making sure to shoot him an angry glance as she did so. As though it were somehow his fault!

At least now he could finally get some rest without angry, scary or murderous (delete as applicable) women pushing him around.

"You're coming as well Jaune," the blonde said as she snatched his arm.

Fuck my life…

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

"So you were discussing the recent Forever Fall mission with Mr Arc, when you tripped over his rug," Glynda recounted, the tone of her voice saying just what she felt of the excuse Coco had come up with. "You then preceded to try and steady yourself, but fell on Mr Arc, pushing him and the couch backwards?"

"Yes," the brunette teen argued, her hands pressing down on the Headmaster's desk, "why else would the entire seat be toppled over?"

Jaune sighed as he looked about the room, wondering why both Oobleck and Peter were also present, and why they looked so invested in the discussion. Glynda he could understand, she was a stickler for the rules and was no doubt horrified at the idea of a Professor taking advantage of a student. Ozpin? Involved more because he was expected to be than any real concern, Jaune imagined.

It felt strangely apt to be sat next to Coco in front of the desk, like a naughty child before their parents.

"Does this story correlate with yours Professor Arc?" The Headmaster asked as he sipped from his mug, a brief flash of some indescribable pleasure coming across his face. Jaune longed for the same. From the corner of his eye he felt the girl's brown eyes bore into him once more – and even if that wasn't hint enough he could feel her heel pressing into the top of his foot.

"We had a disagreement, but otherwise the story is true," he said with a sigh, "there were no illicit activities or anything. We were discussing Miss Scarlatina's placement with her new team."

"Again?" Glynda sighed, the hostility fading from her – though now she seemed more exasperated than anything else. "Miss Adel I know I said I was tired of your weekly visits, but the matter has already been established. I don't need you harassing my colleagues over the matter."

"It wasn't anything like that," Jaune defended the girl, even as she pinched his leg painfully, "Miss Adel was actually looking to thank me for helping her old teammate out in Forever Fall. Right?"

"Yeah," Coco lied casually, "we were just chatting when I tripped."

"Mr Arc, Miss Adel," the Headmaster said as he placed his mug down, "you need not fear if you do have any kind of sexual encounter, it's perfectly allow-" His words were cut off as Glynda's wooden clipboard slammed down on his fingers. The man shivering, but showing remarkable self-control in not shouting out or giving off any indication of the pain he must have felt. "Never mind."

"Just a happy accident then," Peter guffawed, looking far more pleased with himself than he really needed to be. "No need for so much drama, and of course – my good lad Jaune hasn't so much as touched a student, eh lad? Definitely not shagged one, right?"

"Of course not," Jaune said, honestly feeling a little disappointed that such a comment was actually easy to believe. He really needed to get better at talking to women…

"Capital! What's say we let bygones be bygones then," Peter laughed, "unless Miss Adel has anything to add?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Very well then," Glynda sighed as she pushed her glasses further up her nose, "will you see Miss Adel out Jaune? Then come back through, we need a staff meeting anyway, which is why we came to collect you in the first place."

He nodded as he climbed to his feet, Coco quickly doing the same beside him as they practically fled from the room. Once the door closed behind them the brunette leant back against it, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Shit… that was close." Now away from both the fear of their punishment, and also the anger coursing through them earlier, she seemed more in control of herself.

"You're welcome, by the way." She gave him a look from the side of her sunglasses, and he could just about see her roll her eyes at him.

"Yeah, yeah – you helped me out. Wouldn't be the first time I've been in trouble with the Big G."

"For molesting a Professor?"

"Oh piss off," she gave him a dirty look as she glanced left and right down the corridor. "Look, we didn't exactly finish our little discussion. But Velvet isn't going to do well on that team, not at all. It's not me telling her to act out, but she's going to keep doing it."

"And I'll keep working to settle her into it," he countered, once again feeling frustration bubble within him. "I'm not going to give up because a student tells me to." Coco spat out the corner of her mouth, the sharp sound startling him.

"Then we'll continue being enemies," she flicked some hair over her shoulder as she said it, apparently completely unconcerned at declaring war on a Professor. "That said… I'm not such a bitch that I can't do the right thing every now and then, so I owe you some thanks."

"I was in as much trouble as you," he shrugged, "so you don't really need to thank me for that."

"Not that." She shook her head, again sighing as though talking to a dim-witted child. "For Forever Fall – for saving my girl's life."

"Oh…" How had he forgotten about that? Well… possibly because since then he'd already managed to nearly get himself killed via incineration – two near fatal encounters in a little over 24 hours, he didn't know if he should be proud or concerned.

Definitely concerned.

"It was my job," he said uneasily. He hadn't really saved her though… Neo had been the one to kill all the Ursa, and Cardin had been the one to carry the faunus girl to safety. Sure, without his interference she might have died a little sooner, since he blocked the first one… but he didn't actually save her life. Just… bought her a few seconds. Enough for someone else to rescue her.

"Yeah well…" She looked left and right again, before letting out a long sigh. The next thing he knew her hand was in his collar once more, as his head was dragged down. The next; that something soft and warm was pressed to his lips, the faint taste of cherry as heat coursed through him. Something wet and soft probed his lips, teasing them open as his head swam with myriad lights and sensations.

"Don't read into it," the girl warned as she harshly shoved him away. His mind struggled to catch up with what had just happened, a jumble of emotions and feelings, and the fleeting memory of what was possibly the most incredible sensation of his life to date.

Holy shit, my first kiss… Taken by someone who didn't even like him… against his will no less…

That was epic!

"So long as you stick to trying to sort Vel out with Raven we're enemies," Coco continued as she stepped away from him. "So don't go reading into a simple act of gratitude."

"Buh?" He said, as the girl sashayed away, her hips swaying as heels clicked on the tiled floor.

Come back, we can be friends! His libido called, even as he touched his own lips in shock. Once again, holy shit! There was definitely something to be said for older girls…

"Jaune?" Glynda's voice came back through the door.

"Sorry, sorry," Jaune laughed nervously as he let himself back inside, closing the door behind him and taking a seat at the desk once more. He fought back the urge to wipe his mouth clean, enjoying the faint taste still there.

"Onto business then gentlemen," Ozpin said as he slumped back into his seat, all image of a respectable man gone. "The Vytal Festival is coming… and we're going to be stuck organising it."

"This is a great honour," Glynda pointed out as she nudged the older man, "one that you personally campaigned for." The Headmaster had personally campaigned for something? Something that wasn't coffee or stupidity related? That was new.

"I know, I know," the man sighed as he arranged some documents before him, "and I'm pleased we've been allowed to handle it – but the workload is going to be difficult. What's more, we need to work with James." Peter groaned, even as Oobleck adjusted his collar, as near a sign to annoyance as Jaune had ever seen in the man. Whoever this James was, he clearly wasn't on the Christmas lists of many of the staff at Beacon…

"Maybe you'll sort things out between you," Glynda suggested, before she winced as everyone turned to look at her sarcastically, "I was just trying to look on the bright side."

"Yes, well – back to the real world," Ozpin handed out sheets of paper to each of them, "we need to set aside rooms for the new transfer students, who are coming – oh, tomorrow." More groans came from them all, why hadn't Ozpin warned them of this weeks ago? "We also need to update our supplier contracts for food and medical supplies, plenty more mouths to feed. We'll also need dust – in huge quantities too since the Amity Colosseum is going to be using dust-based landscapes. And beyond that, rearranging lesson plans to account for new students, marketing, administration, infrastructure. Not to mention we need to send our new recruits out on some actual missions before the event even starts."

"A lot then basically?" Jaune said with a sigh, even as the others slumped. Other than Glynda of course, who simply stood at attention beside the Headmaster.

"Putting it lightly Mr Arc, yes. I've already contacted our suppliers over food and amenities, and had some of the general staff work out what dorm rooms are still in good condition to be used by transfer students. But I need a volunteer for the lesson plans."

"I'll handle that – leave it to me," Oobleck said happily. Ozpin nodded, before flicking to the next sheet of paper.

"So… dust then. We'll need someone to liaise directly with the SDC for the quantities we're going to need-"

"Not me," Oobleck said instantly.

"Not," Peter.

"Not." Ozpin.

"No- damn it," Glynda cursed uncharacteristically. She looked at them all for a second, before her green eyes turned to regard him - hesitating, as though weighing something within her own mind. Until, wish a great sigh she spoke. "Not me."

"You would leave Mr Arc to negotiate a contract alone with Miss Schnee?" The Headmaster said with a degree of feigned shock and disappointment. Glynda seemed to hesitate as she looked at him, her face genuinely anguished.

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," she said after a long pause.

Wow... thanks...

"Mr Arc and Miss Goodwitch will liaise with Miss Schnee," Ozpin instructed calmly, "I know you… how should I put this? Have difficulties, with the woman – but do try to restrain yourself Glynda."

"Wait, Weiss Schnee?" Jaune had to ask. He hadn't seen any animosity between Glynda and the girl, and honestly if he had, he'd be more worried for Weiss. Hell, the girl was pretty much a teacher's pet – always wanted to impress.

"Her older sister," Glynda explained with a tight voice. "You'll see," she said ominously as she folded her arms and frowned. If he were a braver man he might have referred to her expression as pouting – but he valued his life more than that.

"Peter," Ozpin continued as though he hadn't seen or heard anything, "if you can handle marketing and promotions that would be appreciated." The larger man nodded, seemingly pleased with his job. "When we get closer to the event we'll look into organising more things, but these are the immediate concerns."

"What about the missions you mentioned?" Jaune asked, not wanting to be surprised with another `tomorrow is Forever Fall` incident.

"Those will take place after the school dance," Ozpin said easily, "and don't worry – that is handled by the students, not us. For the missions there's already a pre-arranged set of tasks available, suited to different levels of ability and specialisation. A team could find themselves fighting Grimm, or working with the police, but the ranks are always clear."

He nodded his understanding, even as he settled back down into his seat. That didn't sound too bad, the students going on missions would be a nice chance for him to get ahead on studying the classes. So all he had to really do was work with Glynda to secure a contract for more dust for the Academy? That couldn't be too hard really.

"If that is all?" The Headmaster said as he rose to his feet, he waited for anyone to speak, before nodding. "Very good. Remember ladies and gentlemen, the Vytal Festival will see people come from all across Remnant. Already they are on their way here, an eclectic lot of hunters, students, fans and malcontents… even people like James are allowed. We must be prepared."

The others nodded, and Jaune did so along with them.

Really, what could go wrong?

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

"Your flight will be ready in seven hours madam," a uniformed man said as he waited at her door. She spared him a brief glance and a nod, before sipping from her flute of champagne. One long leg crossed over the other as she savoured the taste of fine wine.

How… delightful it would be to see dear Glynda again. And of course another chance to secure a valuable deal for the company, perhaps even see little Weiss in action.

She smiled as she lifted up the newspaper she had received from Vale. A few days old now, but the cover no less revealing as she looked at an injured man sat amidst some ambulances, face matted with blood – but blonde hair still vibrant.

Of course, it wouldn't do not to personally thank the man who had fought off Roman Torchwick from their latest shipment. And if how little Glynda was hanging off him in that image was any suggestion, it would be all the more exciting.

"Jaune Arc," she said softly, sampling the name as she might some fine delicacy. She rolled the words around her mouth as she thought on them, considered their every nuance. Their texture.

It tasted good.

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

"We're approaching Vale sir, landing will be in a little over five hours," a woman saluted as she came to attention on the bridge. Ironwood nodded to her, smiling as she marched away to shout orders out over the various pilots and support staff.

His gaze came back to the vista before him through the armoured glass of his private airship. The Vytal Festival… something didn't sit right with him about the whole thing, and of course the defence of the various Kingdoms was to be his responsibility.

Ozpin might not agree… but he would have to accept it.

"Are you looking forwards to returning to Vale Penny?" He asked of his weapon, and the girl he also considered his daughter. His crowning achievement as it were, though she shared the name of the scientist who had created her. The Ironwood name came with too many enemies…

"Absolutely!" Penny crowed as she leapt on the spot, her eyes shining brightly. "I made friends there, I have to introduce you to Ruby, and Blake! Not to mention Professor Jaune!"

His expression sobered. Ah yes, the new addition to Beacon… so close to the Vytal Festival too. Very suspicious… He would need to keep an eye on that one, his background was too convenient. Too neat.

"Jaune is my first boyfriend!" Penny continued, even as a loud cracking came from James' hands, which were curled into fists. Nearby a few crew started to edge away from him, as his eyes practically glowed with poorly restrained murder.

Yes… a close eye on this dead man indeed…

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

"You have to meet them, they are like awesome," the blonde faunus laughed to his companion as he egged the other teen on. "Like super-awesome, and this one chick – the black-haired one faunus? Damn she's amazing – but don't tell her I said that."

"Chill man," the blue-haired teen laughed, "I got this."

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

"Another drink?" The barman said with a sigh, reaching for the vodka and and ice with a thinly veiled expression of defeat. "So you looking forward to the Vytal Festival?"

"That thing," the black-haired man at the bar laughed, "I suppose I'll check it out."

There was a Queen to hunt after all, and his little nieces to keep an eye on. All of Yang and Ruby's recent messages had been about some hotshot new Professor. One who was `a prize to be won` as Yang put it... and somehow also the subject of Ruby's first crush.

"Hey careful with that," the barman said as the glass in Qrow's hand shattered into a million pieces.

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

"Neo! I need him able to fight properly," a certain orange-haired man shouted as he rummaged around in a crate of dust. "How likely is it you can have him capable of holding his own within a few weeks? And I'm talking proper combat here, none of that Grimm business."

The mute girl pondered for a second, eyes aimed at the ceiling – before she held out one hand in a thumbs down motion. Roman glanced at it for a second before he sighed and went back to checking the dust.

"Then just keep kicking the crap out of him until he gets better," the criminal instructed, "if you need to just push him to the edge of death. Nothing like a bit of self-preservation to make the training really stick."

Neo clapped her hands excitedly, even as her smirk took on a deadly edge.

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

"We're good to go boss," Mercury reported as he hefted up a set of suitcases, their own – and of course, hers. "You sure you want to go ahead with this? We'll be out of the loop with what's going on in Vale."

"Do you doubt me dear Mercury?" She laughed, smiling to herself as he flinched at his mistake. The young man waved his hands apologetically, even as one of the cases fell heavily on his foot.

"No, no – of course not boss."

"Good," she laughed softly – the sound cruel even to her. "And dear Mercury, do remember – it's not boss, or Cinder. Call me Miss Fall."

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

(Omake: From Coeur Al'Aran)

It had seemed like a normal day to him. At least, as normal as one could when you worked at Beacon Academy. The breakfast table hadn't exploded, there'd been no food fights. Hell, even the students seemed unusually well behaved.

Which should have been his first warning really.

And yet… nothing had gone wrong. Not until he'd turned up to a summons at the Headmaster's office, and come across Ozpin.

"Sir… what?" Jaune managed to say, unsure what he was seeing.

"Yo dawg," Ozpin said neutrally, the bored tone of his voice completely at odds with not only the words he was saying – but the gold chain hanging around his neck. The man coughed loudly, reaching down to pick up a set of papers, "I see from da look on your face dat you're confused my man," the Headmaster read calmly.

"A little…" Jaune didn't feel at all stupid admitting. He glanced to the left, only to see Peter shrug his shoulders in confusion. "Sir, have you been mixing coffee brands again?"

"Don't be hatin'," the grown man defended, "anywayz I be callin' this meeting to address the most serious of matterz."

"Ozpin, please speak normally…" Glynda sighed as she massaged her temples.

"Alright fine," the Headmaster said as he threw a set of documents towards each of them. Jaune caught them easily, looking down at the covering letter. It was a newspaper clipping?

"Studies show that teachers are falling behind the culture of students, leading to misunderstandings and falling figures." Glynda read for all of them, before flicking through a few pages. "This is about how teachers are out of touch, and seem too old for students to respect?"

"Indeed," Ozpin nodded, "a grave concern. If the students are unwilling to learn from us, and do not respect us – then how can we impart our knowledge to them?" The man rose to his feet as he walked to the window of his office –staring out over the vista of Beacon Academy. "In any other school it would mean little more than falling grades, but here – every student we fail to teach to the best of our ability could be lives lost. It is a grave matter."

Jaune nodded slowly, looking through the study himself. True it had been done on more typical schools, but there was no arguing with the Headmaster's point. It wouldn't only be the student themselves who might die, but their team… and whatever innocents they died trying to protect.

"What can we do though?" Oobleck asked, "other than fire ourselves and hire new teachers – we are the most experienced at exterminating Grimm. I would fear leaving the students with those less capable."

"Exactly," Ozpin agreed, "we cannot trust the job to anyone else – and so we must become more modern to better tune in to our students. We must," he turned to them, one hand held out in a fist before him, "become hip!"

"Hip?" Glynda repeated, voice filled with scorn.

"Indeed, I have taken the liberty of outsourcing the issue – and the group has come up with a list of suggestions, all within those documents."

"They want me to rap my lessons?" Oobleck commented as he flipped through them. "Well, I suppose I could try."

"This proposed outfit makes me look like a slutty schoolgirl!" Glynda Goodwitch snarled as she tore it to pieces. The remainder of them paused, before the sound of frantic paper shuffling filled the room. Jaune groaned as the page he was just about to get to telekinetically crumpled itself into a ball – before tearing itself to pieces.

Noooo….

"Now, now Glynda. We must keep an open mind… rest assured these people came highly recommended."

"I don't like this suggestion that I need to wear a backwards baseball cap and pull my trousers up to my nipples," Jaune said as he leafed through the rest of the ideas. "Also, what's baseball?"

"Some hip new indie sport I'm sure," the Headmaster pondered, one hand on his chin. "Either way, don't hatin' on dese new decrees yo."

"Sir, with all due respect – which is none by the way – I am not going through with any of this." Glynda threw down the pages as she finished speaking, stepping on them a moment later for good measure. Jaune nodded his agreement, though he was less rebellious in doing so.

Ozpin was still his boss after all.

"Shizzle my uhh..." here the man paused, as he flicked through his notes, "nizzle? What's a nizzle? Ahem, shizzle my nizzle Glyzzle…"

"What did you just call me…?"

~~~~~Omake~~~~~

"Shouldn't we help?" Jaune asked nervously as he strained his eyes against the sun, Oobleck and Peter stood beside him, while arranged around them was most of the student body – all staring up at the tallest spire of Beacon.

"I think she's got it in hand," Oobleck dismissed.

"I was talking more about helping Ozpin," Jaune sighed as he watched the enraged Deputy telekinetically hold the Headmaster of Beacon out over the edge. He could faintly hear the unruffled man say something about hating.

How did he manage to look so nonchalantly while being held upside down over a fatal drop? Damn, but the man looked like his biggest inconvenience was that he couldn't drink his coffee properly.

"Do it again," Glynda shouted angrily, her voice more than audible to them all. "Call me Glyzzle Goodwizzle one more time, see what happens!"