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Jaune walked uncomfortably through Beacon's halls, both his and his partner's armor clinking, rasping, and tinkling lightly with each step they took. Behind them, the surviving droids marched in tandem, heavy boots slamming into old, sturdy stone with every pace and rifles gripped in ready arms. Jaune kept his eyes low, on the floor in front of him, flinching whenever they passed a group of people and they seemed to roar in his head, an assault of emotions, sounds, desires, and pains.

A blonde woman was fussing with her hair, anxious over her partner and boyfriend's opinion. The boyfriend was staring at Pyrrha, marvelling at her and wondering what it would be like to take her to bed. A young Faunus was anxiously walking, head down and eyes averted from all others, and hoping to be left alone. Her partner followed, watching her worriedly and glaring at anyone who stared overlong. Another young man was angry over a detention he'd received for falling asleep. He'd been listening to a Faunus friend talk about the bullying all night, and though he didn't know it, she was going to wait until he got out and ask him on a date. She'd been on the roof when she'd called him, and only took the slower route down after their talk.

"You aren't in trouble, Mister Arc. You may relax, you know." His head snapped up, Glynda staring at him over her shoulder with a sympathetic look as they walked, "Headmaster Ozpin is a gentle enough man, you would likely escape rebuke even if you had failed to fight the Lupus." 'Perhaps he has a fear of crowds on top of flying? How odd…'

"I-I know... I just... have a headache from fighting the Beowolves, I got hit on the head pretty hard when they tried to carry me off." He explained quietly, lying slightly out of instinct. He didn't need to attract attention to himself, or they might look into his records.

"That was a strange act indeed, I was unaware Grimm acted that way." Pyrrha added helpfully, stepping closer to him and putting a hand on his arm as they walked, "Are you well? I can carry your arms if you wish it or need it." 'They are light enough and I will put them down soon enough, in any event.'

"No, thanks, Pyrrha. I'm okay, it's going away quickly enough." He said quietly, and smiling when she smiled at him happily, before turning to look at the back of Professor Goodwitch's head, eyes narrowing as he made a decision, "Do you know why they did that, ma'am?"

"None whatsoever, currently. Though Lupus- that's the species- Beowolves are different in the way that they are more sadistic than other races. It is possible they wished to torment Miss Nikos, thinking you dead and dismembered elsewhere." 'Odd indeed… Unless she targeted him specifically, but that makes little sense. Perhaps to isolate Miss Nikos?' She sighed quietly, and Jaune averted his eyes to stare at the floor once more when she look over her shoulder, "Either way, they are all felled and you are not. Best to accept that as the truth you have."

"Yeah…." He muttered in response, while they continued their walk in silence. Or at least, silence for the others, as Jaune once more returned to listening to the roar in his mind and trying to drown it out with his own thoughts.

Professor Goodwitch stopped abruptly, and Jaune would likely have run into her were it not for his sensing it without looking, "Miss Nikos, you may wait here until Jaune returns. We wish to speak with the young man in private." 'Why Ozpin would single the boy out, I've no idea….'

"What?" She asked in surprise, echoed by Jaune, "Surely you speak in jest. Why would he wish us to part ways, when we both fought the Grimm? That makes little sense." 'This is odd… it feels wrong, though I don't know why.'

"I don't understand either. Why am I being singled out like this?" Jaune asked worriedly, mind racing and a hand resting on the pommel of his sword at his waist on odd instinct, "Did I do something wrong, or-"

"Miss Nikos, Mister Arc, are you children, or future Hunters of Beacon Academy?" She interrupted coldly, turning and staring at them both straight-backed with cold, angry eyes, "Because I know what you will claim and how you are acting in this moment do not coincide." 'Damnit Ozpin, this is why I speak against your singling out of students.'

"Warriors do not leave their battle-brothers and sisters alone to take fault or fire for their own failings." Pyrrha argued back, stepping slightly forward and in front of Jaune, "As my partner, he has my shield and my body behind him always." 'You won't touch him. Not without assurances of his safety, at the least.'

"Pyrrha, it's fine." Jaune interrupted, putting a hand on her shoulder and tugging her back slightly. The much stronger woman didn't move from the motion for several seconds before she sighed and stepped, aside, and he moved past her, "I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

She nodded, and Jaune followed the mildly agitated professor onto the elevator. He gave Pyrrha a calming smile before the doors closed. "Thank you for interceding, Mister Arc. Mistralians can be… very stubborn when it comes to allies at times." 'Insufferable really.'

"It's okay, she just worries. Makes a kind of sense, I guess." he sighed, tapping his foot anxiously while they rode up in the elevator, staring through the glass door at the wall passing by, "You aren't going to punish her, are you?"

"... No, I suppose not. Given the situation, I feel it is acceptable to let this slide. Just this once." She gave him a hard edged glance, appraising him for a moment before continuing, "You held yourself well against advanced Grimm, and she saw her partner dragged away by Grimm. She is protective right now, and that is understandable." 'And besides the matter, I would react the same if I felt Ozpin was being threatened… I have reacted that way, in times past.'

"Thanks, ma'am." He said quietly, closing his eyes and relaxing as he ascended the tower and the roaring quieted down considerably, changing from sounding and feeling like standing under the torrent of a massive waterfall to looking at one from a considerable distance, "I… think my headache is fading away, finally."

"I am glad to hear that, Mister Arc." She said warmly, and he sensed honest relief at the words emanate from her. She really did care about them, didn't she?

The platform slowed gently, stopping with a quiet ding, and Glynda straightened even more, turning to him "Now, you will answer honestly and completely each of his questions. Leave nothing out, even something minor or, to you, inconsequential. We have video sources of what happened, but your words will allow us to complete an otherwise spotty investigation." 'Even the most minor detail our cameras missed could confirm our suspicions.…'

"Y-Yes ma'am." He said quickly straightening and trying to calm down. Even if they knew about his records, Professor Goodwitch kept talking about their fight with the Lupus, so maybe it wouldn't matter.

She nodded and stepped in front of him, swiping her Scroll across a small black panel next to the door. With a muted ring, the doors slid open and Jaune followed her into the office. The room was rather spacious, Jaune noticed, with balconies flanking the massive desk. Cogs, gears and other assorted machinery churned under the floor, around the walls and on the ceiling. The duo walked forward quietly, Professor Goodwitch sitting in one of two chairs on the near side of the desk and motioning for him to do the same.

"Mister Arc, do you know why we had to save you?" The smooth voice asked, the chair spinning so that the silver-haired man could look at him, smiling… not warmly, but acceptingly. "I understand you likely have your own conceived reasons, and am curious to hear them before we start." 'Let's see how close you get to the truth.'

"I… because we couldn't beat them on our own?" He offered hesitantly, shifting nervously in his seat. Sitting in your armor was not the most comfortable act, he was learning.

"Miss Nikos seemed to be doing well enough; and had we not intervened, she would have eventually triumphed over them." He said dismissively, leaning forward and interlacing his fingers on the desk in front of him, "Try again." 'Was I wrong then?'

"I… because I couldn't beat them? Because I would have died, even if Pyrrha didn't?" He offered again, looking the older man in his eyes once again and trying not to squirm under his gaze.

"While I am happy that our intervention saved your life, that is not why I did it. It is a sorrowful event each time, but every year brings losses to the student population. A Huntsman's duty is dangerous and hard, and only the best can be trusted with our survival." He smiled slightly wider, inclining his head in a slight nod, "I approve of your humility, though." 'If I was wrong, perhaps I should have him leave… Observe him outside Beacon, see if she continues her pursuit.'

Panicking slightly, Jaune started thinking rapidly, chewing his lip. He was so distracted that, even with his newfound ability, he couldn't detect Professor Goodwitch's growing irritation and indignation until she spoke, "Headmaster, is this really necessary? He survived against advanced Grimm, and we have rules about their-"

"Miss Goodwitch, I am within my rights to ask what I please. You may question me afterwards, but for now be silent." His eyes hardened dangerously, surprising Jaune and, from what he could feel, Miss Goodwitch as well before he turned them on Jaune and allowed them to soften, "Now, try again." 'If you were unable to see that they were targeting you for capture, you are useless to me.'

"I.…" He sighed, closing his eyes and letting a breath out in defeat, "They weren't trying to kill me, they only tried to kill Pyrrha. They… they seemed to be trying to take me away instead, distracting Pyrrha and… trying to get me away from her."

"Indeed. That's what we saw as well, Mister Arc." The Headmaster said gently, turning to Miss Goodwitch calmly, "Miss Goodwitch, would you mind fetching us something to drink?" 'I need him alone.'

She opened her mouth to argue and, with only a raise of his brow, was cowed into submission and stood to leave. She turned to Jaune first, smiling gently at him and giving him a very light pat on his shoulder as she passed by, trying, he could tell with a glance into her mind, to comfort him slightly.

Once she was gone, Ozpin's smile died and he reclined in his chair, "Mister Arc, I am going to be candid. There is no reason, whatsoever, for those Grimm to have acted that way. None. Lupus such as those would have dragged you just out of sight and set upon you, if they decided on that course of action that is. However, they would not have done that. You were no match for them," he leaned forward once again, placing his Scroll on the table and starting to cycle through files on it searchingly.

"Under normal circumstances, they would have killed you and attempted to surround and overwhelm Miss Nikos. So I am left wondering why they did what they did, and why you are alive." 'The pieces simply fall into the wrong puzzles… or do I lack a few pieces to the full puzzle.'

"I… don't understand enough about Grimm to try and guess why they did it, sir. I just know that they did." He argued meekly, shrinking into himself and growing more and more nervous, "sorry, sir."

"Yet you knew enough to tell that the Ursa was waiting on its allies." Ozpin dismissed, smiling more coldly than he had done yet, "so how, if you will indulge me, did you know that if you aren't an expert in Grimm behaviors and territorial habits? Even I had to ask a colleague about it to guess at its motives, and even that was merely a guess." 'Deceit or actual ignorance? Unexpected. A savant, perhaps? Unlikely, but at least a possibility.'

"I just… It made sense, I guess? I mean, it wasn't attacking or anything. Why else would it hesitate?" Ozpin grunted in acknowledgement, and smiled when the elevator chimed once again and heels clicking could be heard.

"Thank you, Mister Arc. Your words were… illuminating." Ozpin said simply, standing respectfully and accepting a surprised Goodwitch's offered mug, "Please, do take the tea with you, it is quite good. You may go." 'I have what I need, I think.'

"Yes, sir." He said, a bit too eagerly, standing and taking the offered mug in nervous hands, "Thank you for saving me, Miss Goodwitch. I'll remember that, for sure."

He felt the emanating surprise, but ignored it and made his way to the elevator, stepping inside and smacking the button to descend. The roar of the school had returned by the time he reached the bottom of the shaft, but he was still more comfortable than he had been above. And at least he had Pyrrha to distract him from it, practically interrogating him for what they'd discussed with him.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"He left rather quickly." Glynda observed quietly, retaking her seat across from her partner and eyeing him warily, "What did you say to frighten him off like that?"

"I didn't say anything outright. I merely asked the right questions, to eliminate as many explanations for what we both saw and know happened as possible." Ozpin explained simply, relaxing into his chair and staring up at the ceiling, "I do wish he had been more open to me, but I could tell that wouldn't happen from the start."

"Did you use his faked transcripts against him?" She asked coolly, clearly disapproving of the cheating being rewarded with his attendance being granted, "You mentioned that you might bring it up, if he proved interesting to you."

"Had I done that, I felt he would have become even more closed off and defensive towards me, and we don't know the full extent of the faking in any event. He could be home-trained, and lying to get into a better Academy. That is common enough, in today's world, and not outright illegal. No, better that be saved until he has some trust in me and then use it to instill true loyalty," he sighed tiredly, reaching up to massage his temple, "I often find I hate this game, Glynda."

"I am aware. One needn't be a mind reader to see that using people like this, even if you're using them to do the job they came to do, hurts you." She smiled thinly at him, affection abounding to the trained eye, "It is good of you to feel that way. Else you might turn cold towards the people you claim to protect."

"Thank you, Glynda." He said quietly, sitting up and grabbing his mug for a quick sip of the warm beverage, "Now, back to Jaune. He is either lying through his teeth, or a intellectual with instinctive understanding of the Grimm. I lean towards the first though."

"Might I know why?" She asked simply, taking a sip of her own drink, "I would lean towards a savant, myself. He is adept at skills he should require training for, yet has needed none to gain success employing them."

"Yes, but why would an expert lie about it? And further, an expert in hacking, forgery, and Grimm? The first two are linked closely enough to be argued, the third not so much." He shook his head dismissively, eyes flicking through a slew of files on his Scroll, "No, I think it likely he is merely lying. He didn't guess at the Grimm's next actions, he knew them."

"So you say." Glynda said simply, not ready to accept that as proof yet, "Regardless, I think he should be watched. See what theory holds evidence longest and in the most abundance."

"That is why I dismissed him when and as I did." Ozpin agreed simply, smiling lightly at her before letting it drop, "Being a savant wouldn't attract her attention either, you know. That's a part of my disbelief of it."

"Honestly, I find it curious too. But that curiosity assumes that she targeted him, and this wasn't for a reason other than eliminating the heir to a large Hunter family." Glynda spoke calmly, letting out an anxious breath and looking to her right, at the dipping sun, "The students should be returning soon, you know."

"Yes, but the teams are already made. You know that as well as I do." He dismissed, waving a hand at the setting sun, "We have an hour yet before the naming ceremony."

"I assume that your decision regarding JNPR's leader stands?" Glynda asked coyly, smiling at him, "Appointing Mister Arc as a leader would go far in assuaging his family when they find out."

"Indeed." He said simply, signaling to drop the subject and return to the matter at hand with his tone, "I want guards on attention at all times, Salem will likely attempt to get at him if her interest was real. If that is what he is hiding, expect plays against our defences."

"I understand. I assume that is why you invited James?" She asked, sitting up straighter unconsciously and making Ozpin chuckle before she glared at him.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, dear Glynda. Nothing important." He said, smiling at her happily, "But to answer your first question, yes. I felt that Atlesian forces could help supplement our own security. I have the utmost faith that, in direct engagements, we would reign victorious. But I need sacrificial pawns for this particular match, and the Atlesian fleet employs plenty of drones to serve that role."

"And you would rather that than use students or Hunters." Glynda filled in, nodding approvingly, "I prefer that as well. What about Miss Nikos? Do our hopes for her still stand?"

"Assuming Qrow will not accept Miss Rose as the replacement? Yes. Miss Nikos will have to serve as our interest until James' pet project bears good enough fruits to replace her." He said sadly, grimacing at the thought, "I am sorry to use her as such."

"Because of what she is, or who?" Glynda asked neutrally, raising a thin eyebrow at him from across the desk.

"Both." Ozpin explained simply, shaking his head. "Pragmatically, I dislike wasting a valuable resource such as her talent, and the political power I could gain from having her here. But…."

"You also dislike likely sacrificing an innocent person?" Glynda offered, smiling fully at him and chuckling, "You've always been the sensitive one of the team, Ozpin."

"Says the one that was asking after Mister Arc's headache? And the one that put some pain meds in his cup?" He chuckled, smiling at her, "Dangerous thing, that. Could be allergic to what you may have used."

"I checked his medical history for a list of allergies, as well as his siblings' histories, though the records were spotty. I also have emergency stimulants ready in case of reactions. They have no known allergies to any basic pain medications, nor do their parents, or their grandparents..." Glynda sighed, closing her eyes and grimacing, "And that was an accusation."

"Yes, it was. And you validated it." Ozpin said, laughing quietly.

"I will neuter the coffee budget."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"You want me to help you? Again?" Junior drawled, glaring at the other criminal unhappily, "Why the actual hell would I do you any favors after you got my men killed?"

"Because you like money?" Roman offered neutrally, smiling at him and titling his head sarcastically, "And living as well, I would wager. The rest of your men probably feel that way if you don't."

"Is that a threat, Roman?" Junior demanded, turning from the bar and standing tall above him, glaring down and motioning for Melanie and Miltia to come to him, "You of all people should know that doing that while you are here is a very bad idea. Especially for someone who enjoys having a pulse."

"Me? Threaten my old friend Junior?" Roman laughed loudly, shaking his head and stepping past him to slap the counter and lean against it happily, " Hey, you know I like you, Hei. See what I did there? Anyways, you know I like you, and you know I don't threaten, so no."

"That certainly felt like one." Junior groused, holding up a hand to signal the girls to stop where they were, several yards away and ready to intervene without hesitation if he asked.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't say it. Makes it obvious. I have Neo for that anyways, and goons to deliver messages even if I decide a dramatic threat is necessary." His smile evaporated as his eyes bored into Junior's, hard green glaring at him darkly, "What I am saying is that my bosses don't accept 'no' as an answer. You either accept your orders or you die for refusing."

"Is that why you work for them?" Junior asked with a sigh, grabbing a drink when offered by the bartender and tossing the shot back, "I didn't take you for one to roll over for anyone."

"Probably because I don't roll over for people." He agreed, nodding amicably before sighing and turning around to sit with Junior, "This isn't about rolling over, for either of us. It's about survival, for both of us and our friends outside of this."

Junior and Roman sat in silence for a full minute, each thinking and waiting for the response of the other or for the other to play their hand. Junior played his first, "What's coming Roman? All the Dust you're stealing, the White Fang agents you asked me to smuggle in and allow to run in my territory, that… woman who seems to command you… What are you involved with?"

"Something that will get a lot of people killed, whether it works or not." Roman said seriously, turning slightly to eye the twins, "And I'm in the middle, trying to make sure everyone I care for makes it through alive."

"I appreciate that, if it's entirely true." Junior admitted honestly, running a thumb along the top of his glass and sighing, "But I can't help you with that, my men won't want the risk, and I can't justify helping the 'Fang to them enough to get it to happen."

"I understand. I'll try and make her understand too, see if we can stall for a while until you have some more leeway." He nodded, taking another shot and signaling the bartender for another one, "So how about helping me yourself? I need information on someone."

"I can give you that much, at least, if I have it." Junior agreed, smiling thinly at him, "You got a name?"

"No. All I know is that he's a Beacon student. Blonde male, blue eyes? Wields a sword and shield, wears light armor." Roman slid a few hundred lien notes across the bar to him, nodding at it before continuing, "I need the name, history, whatever you have. And soon."

"I have it now." Junior said dismissively, waving over the twins and waiting for them to reach him, "Girls, fetch the files on the Arc kid for me. Make copies if you need to of any information I don't have backed up."

"You already know him?" Roman asked after they left, raising a thin brow at him and smiling curiously, "How? One of your boys?"

"No. Came in and asked if I could help him forge identification and records for attending Beacon. Paid a pretty penny for it, too." Junior explained, pulling out a cigar and offering a twin to Roman, who waved it off, "Needed medical approval records, doctors bribed to verify, a private tutor to sign off on him, the works."

"Interesting…" Roman stood, turning towards the door and smiling to himself, "I'll send Neo by in a few hours to pick everything up and pay you for it. Thanks, Junior."

"No problem, Roman. Be careful out there." Junior smiled at him and stood up to return to his duties, "Don't get killed or I'll be pissed as hell. Neo will be too, and even dead that should be frightening to you."

"Oh, it is." He laughed back, walking away before he let the smile fall, "If only Neo was the most dangerous bitch in my life at the moment…."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Neo yanked the knife out of the woman's leg before stabbing it back in, smiling when she screamed around the gag again and rolling her head to the side to stare at the man. Lucas Barnes, a Cat Faunus with a missing ear, glared at her and worked his jaw, "I told you, I don't know where she-" Neo twisted the knife and the woman cried some more, blood trickling onto the floor beneath the bound woman, "Fucking stop! I'd tell you if I knew, alright?"

"If that's the case, then we have no reason to stop, now do we?" Cinder asked quietly, sitting on the desk in the center of the wrecked office and looking around, "Think, Lucas. Giving us answers saves you and your little pet here, not giving it gets her killed. Painfully. And if we find out you did have the information and didn't give it…."

Neo smiled, yanking the blade from the woman and moving it towards her ear, "Wait!" The two women turned to look at the former-CEO of the small shipping company expectantly, and he sighed, "I don't know where she went, but I do know that Beacon is likely. If she didn't head to Menagerie, at least."

"Why do you think that?" Cinder asked, standing up and pacing on the carpeted office floor in thought, carefully avoiding the strewn garbage and destroyed office supplies.

"The old man, Ozpin. He's always been a bleeding heart, if she went to him then he'd take her in without a thought." He inhaled nervously, looking at the women expectantly, "I really, really don't know anything. That's all I can give you, and that's just a possibility."

"Very well, it's our best lead. You are the fifth person to answer that way as well, so I believe you all." Cinder said calmly, walking towards him and running a hand along his cheek before walking towards the door, "Neo, make it look like a hate crime. A Human and a Faunus? Quite frowned upon by many, so be creative."

"What? You said you'd let us go if we-"

Cinder slammed the door behind her, smiling at the docks around them and walking into the coming night, "The docks are so loud, even now… people really should be more wary in today's world. I wonder if Roman has had success in his own venture?"

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