Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jaune Arc - real name Jiuvh'az'xu Auv'ynduxz - was Normal.

Well, as Normal as an eldritch monster from the infinite vastness of space could be. Sure, their very name could drive people to madness, and yes they drove an entire civilization to mass suicide once when they appeared in their true form, but that was par for the course for their kind. Who didn't accidentally end a civilization here and there? At least they didn't do it on purpose like some other abominations they knew.

Sadly for them, being a Normal eldritch monster meant a lot of just waiting around. You could only watch civilizations rise and fall so many times before you got bored of it. And it was always the same thing too! They started primitive before eventually finding ways to blow each other up in bigger and bigger ways. There were a few exceptions, like that one race that got destroyed by their AI creations, but for the most part, it was always finding ways to blow themselves up.

There wasn't really a lot to do for the average space abomination. Some others of his kind took to empowering people or trying to start cults, but what was the point? They tried to empower a few people in exchange for something really minor like tossing a rock down a well, but then the people got paranoid. They'd think it was some grand plan to destroy the world like a thousand years down the line. Some drove themselves insane trying to figure out exactly how while others got just a bit too eager and started making cults in his name. Cults that would always end with them being killed or committing ritual suicide in their name.

They really just had them toss rocks cause they couldn't think of anything better as a pact price. They couldn't exactly say 'I'll give you abominable powers cause I'm bored'.

So yeah, being the enigmatic powering deity was a wash too. Really, being an unspeakable horror from beyond the stars was pretty overrated. There wasn't a lot you could do unless you got your kicks driving civilizations to madness, and they didn't.

Millions of years passed in utter boredom and (as much as he didn't like to think about it) loneliness before they eventually got an idea. They'd tried their luck empowering adventurers, but why not just go down there themselves? They'd drive people insane if they appeared in their real form, but a fleshy human avatar would do the trick. So long as he kept up the meatsack disguise, the world wouldn't end! It was perfect!

But what planet should they go for? It had to be somewhere they could have an adventure where having one was seen as Normal. There were a couple of worlds where killing criminals and taking their stuff was frowned upon, so definitely not those. They looked through a few worlds before eventually finding something intriguing.

An unnamed world that had been abandoned by its creators. The inhabitants of the world called it Remnant, but the ones who created it were too lazy to actually bother coming up with a name. From what they gathered, the two abandoned the place a few thousand years ago and didn't look back. Lazy brats. What kind of eldritch beings created a whole planet then just pretended it wasn't there? Such a waste.

But that didn't matter now. What did matter was that the world was perfect for blending in. Not only were the ones there fighting the dark one's castoffs, which they'd labeled 'Grimm', but the population of their inhabitants was Eldritch descendants. Naviruasu spawn, though everyone referred to them as Faunus. Surely, if a world could have the spawn of the Mother of a Thousand Young, they would be able to blend in just as easily!

That was how they found themself on the airship heading straight for the adventurer guild. Sorry, Huntsmen Academy. Different worlds had such odd terminologies for their thieving killers. Seekers, Protectors, Wanderers, and any other name one could think of. At least Murderhobo was accurate.

They - he now, he reminded himself - had taken the form of someone generic. Through extensive research (from comic books and television shows), he'd crafted the most perfectly Normal human one would ever lay eyes on. Blonde hair, fair skin, and an average build. His face was generic and one you'd forget after having seen it multiple times. And though he didn't need a weapon, he'd still made sure to come with a sword and shield because that was also Normal and something no one would look twice at.

Every aspect of him was forgettable and Normal, which was exactly what he wanted. Perhaps he could spend a couple of thousand years in this world just being a 'Huntsman'. While that was barely any time at all - he'd spent longer contemplating than a scant two thousand years - it was still a much-needed break from floating around in the infinite vastness of space contemplating the void.

He touched himself a lot the entire way to the academy. His face, his arms, his legs, between his legs (which got him a few stares for some reason), and everywhere else. It was such an odd feeling to be squished down to just four limbs. The first time he tried to move he'd fallen flat on his face. How did these humans not constantly flail with just two of these stubby things to keep balance?

Jaune Arc (an absolutely Normal name that no one would look deeper into) looked towards the academy, hands still smushing his new cheeks together. Besides the far too few limbs, his senses also felt odd. Minutes actually felt like time noticeably passing instead of something so insignificant he couldn't even be bothered to say it. That and being reduced to just five senses. How did the people here get anything done without natural telepathy and the ability to see through entire dimensions at once?

He was touching between his legs again when a female voice cried out, "Would you stop that?!" It took Jaune a moment to remember that he actually had to move his new head. When he did, he was met with the sight of a human female garbed in white. Actually, everything about here was white. Her skin, her hair, even the thin pointy sword at her side. The only bits of her color were the blue in her eyes and the splashes of red at parts of her clothes.

"Stop what?" Jaune asked.

"Stop fondling yourself!" She pointed to his right hand, which was still rubbing between his legs.

"...Why?"

"Because it's indecent!"

"Oh..." He stopped, though he didn't understand why. Indecent? He was wearing clothes, wasn't he? These mortals were always so odd.

"Ugh, you're going to an academy to train to be a Huntsman! One would hope that the students would act in a more fitting manner!" And then the human female stomped off, face still red.

"Whoo, that looked rough," another female human said. This one had long and thick blonde hair and an outfit that showed her muscles. He made sure this body was of average build especially because he now saw a few others staring at the yellow-haired one. She was not Normal, "Not even at the academy and already making a rep for yourself. Can't tell if you're dumb or ballsy. Maybe both."

"Ballsy?" His command of the language was basic. He could've consumed someone's mind and absorbed their knowledge, but that seemed like a bad start to his new Normal life.

"Pun intended." The female human grinned, "Name's Yang, that's my little sister Ruby. I'd shake your hand, but I know where that's been." She pointed her thumb behind her to a shorter female human. This one was clad in dark and red with a heavy cloak covering her face, but that wasn't what drew his attention. Rather, it was the odd feeling he took from her. Not that he could explain it. Humans were so limited with just their five senses. He couldn't even innately sense how many people were on the ship while he was in this form.

"Ah, hello! My name is Jaune Arc!" Jaune waved his hand, bowed, and then debated going down on his knees to continue the greeting when Yang laughed, "What's so funny?"

"You." She laughed, "Man, you're stiff. Lemme guess, nervous about going to Beacon?" Jaune didn't reply, but she continued as if he did anyway. Another oddity about mortals, "It's alright, man. You're not the only one. Rubes is pretty shook up too."

"Yang!" Ruby - Rubes? - protested, hiding her face deeper into the hood.

"What? It's true! You've been super weird the past month." The blonde rolled her eyes, "Anyway, good luck, new guy. And maybe stop touching yourself? That's pretty weird." She walked off with her odd little sister following after her.

Jaune stopped to consider her words. Touching yourself was not Normal? None of his research ever told him that, but that human girl had no reason to lie to him, so she must've been speaking the truth; or at least what she perceived as such. Regardless, he took her advice to heart and made sure his hands were far away from his body as the airship finally landed. Odd how different the flow of time was in this new form.

Jaune stepped off the ship and moved his new limbs experimentally. It would take some time to get used to not having his vast array of tentacles, but apparently those were not Normal. Oh well, he was certain he'd get used to it. Along with other things. He forced himself to blink and reminded himself to do it at least once a minute. Mortals needed to keep their eyes wet for some reason.

Thank the formless one that slept in the center of the universe that he wasn't truly a human. He felt no hunger, no pain, no fatigue, and he didn't feel the desire to urinate or defecate every few minutes. He had no idea how anyone got anything done when they constantly had to expel their waste and spend a quarter of their lifespan asleep. It felt unfair, really.

He looked around the area and took in the sight. This place was the adventurer guild equivalent of this world, though in some ways it reminded him more of a temple. He'd felt a trace of magic here before he came down into this world, and he was sure he'd feel it again if he allowed his senses to return to their full power, but he held off. That wouldn't be very Normal of him.

He was about to follow the group of mortals to wherever it was they were going when he found himself being lifted into the air. His first thought was that he'd accidentally manifested somehow and preparing himself for the mass of people killing themselves in their insanity. Instead, he found himself being lifted out of his control until he was forced upside down in front of a blonde human woman. She didn't look like a student, though it was hard to tell. Many humans looked young to him regardless of how old they claimed to be.

"Hello?" A greeting was proper in this situation, right?

"Hello." Her lips were pressed into a thin line. Many of the students turned at the sight of the odd spectacle, but they all quickly left when she turned their gaze on them. They feared her.

"Are you the one forcing this mortal shell into this state?" That sounded Normal.

"If you mean if I'm the reason you're suspended in the air, then yes." She tapped the leather thing (a weapon?) she held in her right hand and he was facing the correct way once more, "I'm going to ask you some questions and I'd suggest being honest with me."

"Okay."

"What is your name."

"...Jaune Arc." He almost said his true name, but that might've driven her mad. It was alright. Apparently, it was okay to lie if it meant helping others.

"Hm." Her eyes narrowed, "And why were you at this ship?"

"To become an adventurer!" A pause, "Ah, Huntsmen. To become a Huntsman."

"Is that so?" She continued to look through narrowed eyes and tapped a square piece of technology, "So tell me, 'Jaune Arc', why is it that I can't find any mention of your enrollment in our records? Not to mention you have no luggage at all. It seems as if you simply appeared on the ship. In fact, I know you did just that because I was alerted to a mysterious young man that came from the storage room. I saw it all on the cameras, so please don't bother denying it."

Ah...well, that wasn't good. He had, in fact, simply appeared on the ship. He had assumed that with his newfound Normalcy that no one would look twice at his arrival. After all, who would think someone with this face was secretly a creature from the dark void of space?

"So what is it, then? Were you hoping to sneak into the academy without any records or transcripts? Or is it that you have some other intent? I'm not unreasonable, Mr. Arc. If you tell me your true purpose for being here then I'm willing to let this slide with just a warning. Given your age, I'm reluctant to place you in prison."

Prison? That wasn't ideal. He couldn't live a Normal life there! It would just be more boredom and waiting! He couldn't let that happen. Jaune considered his options. The easiest one would be to use just a bit of his powers and make her forget about it, but one mistake and her mind would shatter from even a glimpse of the fathomless eldritch knowledge it was exposed to. And that was if she was lucky.

...

Well, it was a risk he was willing to ta-

"Glynda, please set Mr. Arc down." A gray-haired human male suddenly appeared behind her. The surprise was enough for her to release him and Jaune fell to the ground, unable to keep balance on his stubby new legs, "He's a student who deserves to be here just as much as anyone."

"Headmaster, he is-"

"He's a student who deserves to be here just as much as anyone," the human male repeated, mouth curled up in a stiff smile, "Mr. Arc, please go to the auditorium with the rest of the students. I shall...inform Ms. Goodwitch and the rest of the teachers about your presence."

Jaune was tempted to question it before deciding otherwise. A Normal person would see this as an opportunity and thus he did the same. Besides, it didn't matter how he got here. In many of the worlds he observed, just about anyone could make a living as an adventurer. All you needed were skills in combat, a lack of respect for the lives of others, and a willingness to loot dead bodies of everything they held dear. He had at least two of those!

It took him a while to find the auditorium, and when he did he was immediately greeted by the human female Yang, "Hey!" She waved her arm and smiled, "What was up with that back there? Barely stepped foot into Beacon and you're already getting into trouble?"

"It was a misunderstanding."

"Uh-huh." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Jaune took note of the gesture for future reference, "Whatever, I won't judge. We're training to be Huntsmen and Huntresses here. Being weird's part of the package." She winked. Jaune winked back, mostly because he didn't know what else to do, "Anyway, we should go grab something to eat. Initiation starts bright and early tomorrow."

"Yes, eat. Which I will do, because Normal people get hungry. Lead the way, Yang."

"...Weirdo." She shook her head and kept smiling as she led him to the food room. Cafeteria, he reminded himself. He just grabbed whatever would fill his tray and followed Yang to the table where her younger sister and the white-themed female from before were sitting.

"Oh no, not you!" she said as soon as she saw him, "Keep your hands to yourself, you lecher!"

"Hey now, we're all friends here." Yang grinned.

"Hardly. I wouldn't be here if there was any other room." The white-haired girl grumbled and picked at her food.

"Not gonna introduce yourself? Rude." Yang stuck out her tongue.

"Why you-?!" The girl growled and glared up at them both, "If you both must know, my name is Weiss Schnee. Yes, the very same." Jaune tilted his head in confusion, "...What?"

"Is that name supposed to mean anything?" He asked.

"It means more than some pervert who touches himself in public!" Weiss grabbed her tray and stomped off. Yang laughed again and sat down next to her sister while Jaune sat opposite of her. The cloaked girl was quiet.

"That was mean," Rubes said.

"Eh, she needs to get used to it if she's gonna be at Beacon. You can't be a Huntress with a stick up your butt." She pointed her fork at Jaune, "Besides, I'm not the one she was mad at. Jaune here pretty much wrecked her with that question."

"What did I do?"

"Nothing winds up those prissy types worse than when someone doesn't know who they are. Really grinds their gears."

"So...I made her mad?" That wasn't what he wanted. Normal people didn't go around making people mad.

"She'll cool off. And if she doesn't..." Yang shrugged, "No skin off our noses, right? If someone's really holding a grudge for something so petty, you wouldn't wanna be their friend anyway."

"Don't be a jerk, Yang." Rubes huffed and he caught a glimpse of the pale skin of her chin, "Maybe you should go talk to her tomorrow before Initiation? You might end up on a team with her and it's gonna be really bad if you don't like each other already."

"I'll do that. Thank you, Rubes."

Rubes suddenly squeaked while Yang laughed again, "Woah there! Barely even met and you're already using the nickname? You move fast, loverboy!"

"Ah...that's not her name?" Did he make another mistake?

"M-My name's Ruby. Only Yang calls me Rubes," Rubes- Ruby said.

"Oh. Sorry, Ruby."

"It's fine, just...kinda surprised." She shook her head.

Jaune looked down at his tray at the stack of food. He'd gotten things without much of a care since this body couldn't hunger. Jaune had seen people using a spoon and fork to eat and slowly copied their actions. Stabbing the fork into an entire steak, he opened his mouth wide and swallowed the whole thing down. Having to physically consume something was such a slow and pointless action.

"Someone's hungry. Don't forget to chew there." Chew? Ah yes, now he remembered. These people with their organ systems required food to be broken down before digestion, "Come on, Rubes, you eat up too! We're gonna be students tomorrow!"

"I-I know that, Yang! Geez..."

Jaune went to sleep later that night. Well, that is to say, he closed his eyes and waited for time to pass. This body didn't tire, and he had never slept in his eons-long existence. He didn't see the point of it, really. It wouldn't have alleviated his boredom and others of his kind didn't dream, not like the formless ones in the abyss.

He lay still for hours and counted the time passing. Despite how limited he felt in this new form, he was still excited about what would come in the future. Once he passed the test, he would be one of this world's Adventurers. Gone would be the countless millennia of simply watching from the outside as the mortals changed their world for good or bad.

He waited till the other students began to wake and then followed suit, sitting up completely straight with his hands at his sides. Touching himself was not Normal, he mentally reminded.

His two eyes observed the students until he saw the Weiss human leaving the room and he decided to follow. Ruby told him to apologize and it would be a good thing to do. The last thing he wanted was to make someone mad.

The Weiss human was talking to another taller female human with red hair when he entered the locker room. Jaune looked down briefly to consider his next action before he forced the sides of his mouth to curl up in an open smile that exposed all of his teeth. Expressions were important for those who couldn't guess at someone's intention at a glance.

"So I do believe that it would serve us both to partner up for the next four years. What do you think?" The Weiss human said.

"Um, well, I was actually planning to leave it up to chance," The red-haired female human said.

"Hello, pretty human!" Jaune waved his right hand back and forth as he walked closer to her. The Weiss female turned to look at him and immediately frowned, her eyes furrowed. Oh no, that was not a good sign. Right? "I was told that I offended you yesterday and I am here to apologize!"

"So I see…" She took a step back. Jaune stepped forward, making sure to keep looking her in the eyes. Apparently, you needed to see each other's eyes when talking, "While I'll admit I'm reluctant given your past behavior, I suppose it would be poor of me to not accept your apology given how sincere you appear to be." She pursed her lips, "However, I will not abide any further misconduct. Am I understood?"

"Understood." He bowed, his upper body perfectly perpendicular to the ground.

"Um…" the red-haired human female looked between them both.

"Ah, hello to you as well!" Jaune turned to the other female and bowed to her as well, "My name is Jiuvh'az'xu Auv'ynduxz. It is nice to meet you."

It was only after the words had spilled from his mouth that he realized what he'd done. Chanting his true name had been enough to break the minds of lesser men, but that was when it was done by those who tried to channel his power. It was far less dire since he'd only said it once in passing, but the effects were still there.

The red-haired female human's eyes widened before she suddenly collapsed on her back, mouth frothing and limbs twitching as she convulsed. Weiss had remained standing, though her own eyes had become glasses and both her nostrils dripped with blood. Oops. A few others who'd overheard his name had reacted similarly with one in particular laughing brokenly as he smashed his head against a locker.

…

They would be fine in a few minutes, but it was probably for the best that he didn't stay. With any luck, they would not remember the cause of their states and he could still be Normal.

Jaune awkwardly shuffled out of the room and followed the others outside. This Initiation would begin soon and he needed to pass it if he was to integrate himself as one of this world's adventurers. And then he would be Normal.

He stood along with the other students and said nothing when the other students he'd accidentally drive temporarily insane joined them after a quarter of an hour. They looked physically healthy, though there was an undeniable haunted look in their eyes. The same ones he'd seen of people who had seen a glimpse of the truth that many mortals remained so blissfully ignorant of.

Thankfully, none of them remembered the exact cause for their states. Most of the students paid them no mind, perhaps assuming they had not slept well, except for Ruby. She'd jumped up at the sight of them and then huddled deeper into her hood.

The headmaster from yesterday walked in front of them and began his speech. Jaune wasn't ashamed to admit he barely paid attention in his excitement, though he did find it odd that the man kept looking at him and Ruby in particular. In the end, he paid it no mind and watched in silent fascination as the students were suddenly propelled off the ground toward the forest below.

Jaune followed after them soon enough. It was odd being taken through the air in this new body. Floating in the infinite vastness of space was how his kind normally spent their eons, but this felt different. There was a weight to his new body and he had to resist the instinctive urge to simply twist reality so that this world's gravity wouldn't affect him.

He landed after a few seconds of freefall, crashing through the trees and branches till he collided against the ground with a meaty thump. This body could feel no pain, though it still felt odd having the branches pierce through his skin where it wasn't covered in armor, "Hm..." He looked down at his perforated stomach and tapped a particular branch that had impaled itself through his throat.

He debated on what he should do when footsteps drew close, "Ren, is that you? I kinda lost track in the fa- OH MY GODS!" Jaune turned to the new voice in confusion and blinked at the utterly horrified look another female human gave him. He hadn't seen her before today, "A-ARE YOU ALIVE?! PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE ALIVE AND NOT JUST SOME ZOMBIE!"

"I'm alive? Why are you yelling?" He looked at her in worry.

"Because you look like you should be dead!" She threw her hands up in the air. How are you standing right now?! And why didn't your Aura protect you?!"

"My...Aura?" He racked his brains for a moment before he remembered. Ah, right, Aura. It was how the people in this world manifested their souls. Being what he was, he didn't have a soul. Not that he needed one, really. It was overrated if you asked him, "A-Ah, right, my Aura! It's, um...it's why I'm not dead." He grabbed the branch impaling his throat and pulled it out, ignoring the spurt of blood that came after, "My power is to heal from all injuries. Yes, that's it."

"Wait, so your Semblance is super healing?" she asked, calming down now that he was clearly just a Normal person of this world.

"Exactly!" He smiled, showing off all his teeth again, "My 'Semblance' is to not die."

"But why didn't your Aura protect you?"

"It...can't. It's part of my 'Semblance'. I can heal, but it can't protect me."

"Sounds...weird, but I guess you're not dying." She looked him up and down again, "You, uh, might wanna take a shower when we get back though. You look like you've a lotta blood there."

"Right!" Jaune kept smiling, making sure to stretch his mouth really wide to show just how Normal this all was, "Um...what now?"

"Now? Well, I guess we're partners. We did make eye contact." She hefted a large hammer across her shoulders, "Just, uh, be careful, alright? It know you said your Semblance can heal you, but stuff still looks pretty nasty."

"Don't worry, I won't die. I can't feel pain either."

"Alright, good to know!" And suddenly she was smiling at him, "Name's Nora. What's yours, unkillable man?"

"Jaune Arc." He reached a hand out to her. She looked down at the bloody limb and stepped back, "Is something wrong?"

"Let's save any handshakes for later, alright? Come on, we gotta go-" She stopped at the sudden sounds of fighting not too far away, "Crap, sounds like someone's gotten into trouble with the Grimm! We should go check it out!"

She ran off before he could say anything. Jaune looked down at the branches still piercing his body and ran after her, plucking the impaled wood as he did.

It didn't take them long to get to where the fighting was. There was Weiss and a dark-haired girl fighting against a horde of Grimm in the shape of dogs, "We gotta help em!" Nora said, already hefting her hammer to strike. Jaune did the same with his sword and shield when the attacking Grimm suddenly stopped and all turned their attention to him.

As one, the entire horde met his eyes before they all suddenly screamed and retreated, rushing past one another in order to escape him. Jaune blinked and watched them go. Odd, he thought that his human disguise would be enough to mask his presence from everyone, but perhaps these Grimm understood what he truly was. He didn't know how to feel about that just yet.

"...What the hell just happened?" the dark-haired female human asked, looking at the retreating Grimm.

Weiss was about to reply when she suddenly took in his state, "Are you alright?! What-"

"Don't worry, it's part of his Semblance. No shield, but apparently he's got a super strong healing factor," Nora answered for him, "Come on, we should look for the chess pieces, right?"

"I'm still wondering why those Grimm left," the dark-haired one said, looking at him and Nora through narrowed eyes, "They turned tail and ran as soon as they saw you two."

"Maybe they just knew me and Magnhild would pound them into paste!" Nora grinned.

"Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. I'll hardly complain about having to fight less Grimm." Weiss shook her head, "Introductions are in order, I think. I'm Weiss Schnee, though I've already had the...pleasure of making Mr. Arc's acquaintance."

"Jaune Arc." He bowed.

"Nora Valkyrie!" His partner saluted.

"...Blake." The dark-haired female sheathed her sword behind her back, "Let's see about getting through this alive."

The rest of Initiation wasn't much different from the beginning. The Grimm ran away as soon as they caught sight of them - him - and they went through the entire forest completely unbothered. Nora complained, shouting loudly that she'd readied herself to fight through an entire horde and now her weapon and Dust were all being wasted.

That was another thing he found odd about this world. Dust, the one thing they used to power all of their technologies and weaponry. It was sort of disgusting for him to think about considering Dust, as they called it, was made of the castoffs of the Thulians. Or in mortal terms, their dead skin and dandruff. The idea of using someone's waste as a power source was both smart and unpleasant to consider.

They'd made it to where the chess pieces were with no difficulty and returned to the rendezvous location after picking up the matching pieces. They were the first to arrive, and Weiss seemed almost as annoyed as Nora was despite her earlier words.

"I know I said I wouldn't complain, but how are we supposed to get better if we can't challenge ourselves?" she asked.

"Yeah! This sucks!" Nora said after.

Blake said nothing and neither did Jaune. Eventually, others who got their own chess pieces joined them and they were taken to where the teams were to be formed. He recognized Yang and Ruby, the former of whom waved energetically when their gazes met. Jaune did the same.

"Nora Valkyrie, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Jaune Arc. You shall henceforth be known as team NWBJ (Envoy), led by Nora Valkyrie," the headmaster announced.

"I'm the leader?! Ha!" Nora skipped onto the stage while Weiss frowned.

"Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao Long, and Lie Ren. You shall henceforth be known as team RPYR (Rapier), led by Ruby Rose."

The red-cloaked girl squeaked again and had to be pushed onto the stage by a grinning Yang. Even now, she refused to pull down her hood and kept her eyes firmly locked onto the floor. Jaune clapped as the rest of the teams were announced then followed his new teammates to their room. He had done it. He'd passed the test and now he was going to be an adventurer in this world. The eons of watching and waiting were at an end.

"Alright, team NWBJ, as my first command as leader, I'm ordering us to get a big dinner with pancakes!" Nora shouted.

"Pancakes are hardly a nighttime meal." Weiss crossed her arms.

"Says who?" Nora snorted, "Pancakes are for every meal of the day! Jaune, back me up here!"

"Ah, yeah! Absolutely!" What were pancakes?

"Tch, of course you'd agree with her." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Just let her eat what she wants. If she gets a stomach ache then it's her fault." Blake shrugged.

"...May I ask a question, Blake?" Jaune said.

"Sure...?"

"Why are you hiding your Navi- ah, your Faunus ears under that bow? Is this something wrong with it?" He might not have had his full array of senses, but the Navirasu spawn reeked of their progenitor's smell. He couldn't ignore the stench in this state."

"What's he talking about? You're a Faunus?" Weiss suddenly glared at her partner. Did he do something wrong again?"

"...Yeah." She grit her teeth and removed the bow from her hair, exposing the cat ears. Jaune leaned in to get a closer look, "S-Stop staring at them!"

"I was just trying to make sure they didn't have anything wrong since you were hiding them."

"That wasn't the reason-" She growled, "Know what? Just leave me alone." She turned and left the room.

"Not only was I not made leader, but now I'm partnered with a Faunus?! Ugh! This year can't get any worse!" Weiss stomped out as well, leaving just him and Nora inside.

"Was...Was it something I said?" Jaune asked his partner.

"Eh...maybe?" She shrugged, "Let's just let the two of them cool off. Come on, I'm starving."

Ruby Rose was Normal.

She was! She was a Normal girl with Normal Knees.

...

And she was now an abomination from beyond the stars.

It wasn't her fault! It wasn't! Ugh, stupid comet. It all started one month ago. She'd just been invited early to Beacon after stopping Roman Torchwick from robbing a Dust shop and she was over the moon. Going into Beacon two years early! Becoming a Huntress early! What wasn't to love, she thought. She'd been so excited she decided to get some training done in her usual stomping grounds to burn off the extra energy.

That was when disaster struck. She'd just finished with her warm-ups when a comet fell from the sky. She remembered being so shocked when it passed over her head and crashed within running distance. Well, running distance for her Semblance. She'd gotten curious and went towards it. Someone might have gotten hurt, and even if no one did, it was still something that came from space. No one knew what was out there.

It was the biggest mistake of her life.

She remembered seeing the crater with the comet at the center. She'd expected burning hot rock, but instead, it was...different. It looked more like a pulsating egg, bright blue and seeming to call her the closer she stepped. She should've just turned and ran right then and there, but curiosity got the better of her and she stepped closer and closer until...

What happened after was a blur. All she remembered was a hazy wave of images and screams, both her own and countless others. When she awoke, she was lying in the hollow shell of the comet. Something felt wrong. Not physically, she still looked just the same as she always did, but something deeper in her soul. There was something in the comet, and whatever it was, it had changed her.

She'd stumbled back home and crawled into bed. She thought that maybe she'd wake up the next day and it was all just a bad dream.

No luck.

She'd definitely changed. It all started when she couldn't use her Aura anymore. Any attempt to use her Semblance failed and ended with her falling flat on her face. Not that it mattered much because what she lost in speed she gained when she found out she could teleport. It would've been so awesome if she didn't feel like she was tearing a hole in reality every time she did it.

The lack of an Aura shield wasn't as much of an issue either considering she couldn't be hurt. A Beowulf tried to chew her arm off and snapped its own jaw like a twig. An Ursa Major tried to bat her away and its claws broke off as soon as they made contact. Not even the Nevermore at Initiation could do anything. It swallowed her as soon as they got their chess pieces and it only took seconds before it exploded from the inside.

It didn't stop Yang from hugging her tight and crying about how awesome she was.

It wasn't just the Grimm. She...got creative. Fall off a cliff? She landed without a scratch. Fire? Her skin didn't burn. Drown herself? She didn't need to breathe anymore. As far as she could tell, nothing could hurt her. Period.

It should've been so great. As strong as Aura was, it still had its limits. Invincible heroes like Captain Atlas were just fiction. She should've been so happy that being a Huntress was a cakewalk now, but all she could think about was that comet. What was in there that changed her so much? That turned regular old Ruby Rose into some kind of unkillable, teleporting superbeing?

...

And then the cults started.

It wasn't her fault! She'd gone over to town to try and forget about how crazy her life was when it happened. People - some of them she knew - suddenly crowded around her and started screaming about how she was a 'Child of the Stars'. They got down on their hands and knees in worship, saying that they'd been awaiting her arrival and now was the time for her to spread her influence across Remnant.

Obviously, she'd been freaked the heck out. She had no idea what in the frick they were talking about and she didn't really wanna know. It'd been so hard to keep Yang, Dad, and Uncle Qrow from finding out something was wrong. They still didn't, thank the gods, but she couldn't enjoy herself anymore. Not when Mrs. Rosewood from the bakers or little Tommy Spade suddenly looked at her like she was something to be worshipped.

She did the only thing she could do and told them that they should lead normal lives and not bother her. Some had protested, but many of them were eager to follow her orders. At least they couldn't get to her in Beacon, but she still kept her face hidden. It was better safe than sorry. The last thing she needed was for one of her future classmates to start ranting about how she was some kind of star child or whatever.

And now she was here. Ruby gripped the sink and stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She looked the same as always, but the longer she looked, the more she understood that there was something off. Something she couldn't quite explain. The comet wasn't any help either. When she'd gone back to check and see if she could find any clues, the entire thing was gone, crater included. It was like it'd never been there.

She shook her head. There was nothing she could do about it now. All that was left was trying to make sure she was as Normal as she could be.

Chapter Text

Ozpin was a man who'd been through much. He'd been a warrior, a king, a sage, a scholar, a spy, a general, and many other things that would take a lifetime to parse through. Each life was as storied and varied as the last, and in all his lives, he'd spent every waking moment fighting against the machinations of the woman he once loved, fighting a secret war knowing that there'd be no end.

He was a man who'd gained little and lost much in his multiple lives, and yet he took it all with grim determination, knowing that if he failed, Remnant would fall. No matter how many times he stumbled, how many times he'd lost allies and friends, how many times he was driven to the edge of despair and broken beyond salvation, he refused to give up. Such was the eternal burden he chose to bear.

This same man was now rocking back and forth inside his office in a fetal position. Were anyone to walk in, they would hardly recognize Beacon's respected headmaster. His eyes were wide, knees pushed up against his chest as he hummed softly to himself in the room's dark interior. There wasn't a shred of light to be seen inside and dark curtains blocked the fading sunlight from the afternoon sky. It was akin to a child hiding under a blanket hoping the monster wouldn't get them.

That was how he felt now. A child, helpless and scared before the monster that crawled out of the closet. But this was no monster. No, it was far worse than that. Monsters conjured up many images, but on some fundamental level, they were still understandable. The human man conjured terrifying images, certainly, but they still had limitations. One couldn't imagine what they didn't understand, after all.

Which was what made the abominations at his school so terrifying.

Ozpin was not a man to be easily frightened. He'd come face to face with the Brothers themselves and fought against an unkillable witch for centuries. Hell, he'd even slept with her. Four times. Salem's kinks were enough to give even the most degenerate perverts pause, and yet he managed to go through it all. Nothing she could do to him now could surpass the horror of the horse and the radish.

And yet even he was reduced to a near-sobbing wreck. Salem was a monster in more ways than one, and yet even she was nothing more than a puppy dog in comparison to some of the things out there. There were beings - if one could even call them as such - that defied any and all explanation. It was like looking at something that should not be and yet it was.

The Brothers were beings of unimaginable power and pettiness, but he could at least understand them. In some ways, they were more human (or Faunus) than they cared to admit. They were all-powerful children who refused to share their toys. Even when they destroyed all of mankind, it at least took them some effort and one could look and even converse with them without being driven to madness.

He was only made aware of the existence of these unimaginable horrors because he'd somehow found himself bonded to an occultist in a past life. He'd been a most disagreeable host, and a rather short one since it didn't take long before he tried to summon one of the beings from beyond the stars. He'd barely managed to wrest control and kill the body before he too was driven irreversibly mad by knowledge of things man was not meant to know.

Ever since then, he'd done his best to ensure any and all future hosts were kept far away from any sort of interest in that madness. The war with Salem was a torturous existence, but it was one he understood.

And now all his attempts at distance had failed when two of them decided to walk right up to his school.

The first was this 'Jaune Arc'. He didn't know what its real name was, and for the sake of his sanity, he'd keep it that way. He'd heard from Peter about students in the lockers who had experienced a group manic episode. One of them had mumbled something about hearing a name and then felt the urge to bash his head against the wall in a desperate attempt to purge the knowledge from his mind.

He didn't take any chances. He deleted all footage from the lockers that day and closely monitored those that passed Initiation. So far, no one seemed to remember the name they heard, but he'd still keep an eye on them.

Yet none of it was a real solution. Ozpin had barely noticed its appearance before Glynda had captured it, thinking it nothing more than a wayward student. She didn't realize just how close she came to a fate worse than death. The Brothers were fearsome, but those like 'Jaune Arc' were in another league altogether. Even hearings its name was enough to drive one to madness. A single glimpse of its true form would drive even the most willful souls to death and despair.

Ozpin had no idea why it showed up and decided to take a human form, but right now he considered it a blessing. For all his powers and myriad of abilities, he was nothing more than a helpless babe to these reality-warping abominations. James would've hated to hear it, but all of them were. They could no more stop its plans any more than an ant could stop a Goliath.

One was bad enough. Two was enough to make him consider jumping off the roof and trying his chances with the next incarnation.

Ruby Rose, daughter of Summer and Taiyang. A pure and simple soul gifted with the powers of the Silver Eyes. In many ways, she could've been a shining beacon (pun not intended) for the new generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Now she too was an abomination from beyond the stars. He sensed her as soon as she arrived on campus. His magic may have been diminished, but it was still enough to send alarms blaring. The primal fear of something wrong. He'd assumed it was this 'Jaune Arc' at first, and he found it hard to believe that Ruby Rose, of all people, had become a being so anathema to sense and logic.

But perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised. For weeks he'd heard rumors about a cult spreading across Patch. He paid it no mind - Remnant didn't have much in the way of centralized religion and cults rose and fell about as often as independent villages. Something like that appearing in Patch was odd, certainly, but not enough to draw his attention or to investigate further.

What a fool he was. Clearly, Ms. Rose - or whatever being took her place - was making an effort to cultivate worshippers. He'd checked again earliet today and found out that the cult's teachings had spread all throughout most of Patch. Taiyang still seemed blissfully unaware of his daughter having created a cult following, but he expected that wouldn't last for long.

It was reductive to call these beings evil. After all, was fire evil? No, it simply spread without a care of what it helped or harmed. These eldritch beings didn't see the world the way a Human or Faunus would. They did what came naturally to them. Spreading cults and driving mortals to madness was as normal as breathing; it was something they did without even thinking about it.

Yet that was of small comfort to him now. While they weren't actively malevolent, their actions left chaos and death in their wake.

And there were two of them in his school.

Ozpin rocked back and forth and laughed to avoid sobbing. If Salem were to see him now, she would've been amused. Fool. For all her power, she was nothing more than a gnat to those two. He still remembered the footage of Ms. Rose destroying any Grimm that attacked her. She didn't even have to attack them. They'd destroyed themselves in their futile efforts to harm her. Salem would survive if she attempted the same, but only because of her curse.

And even then, there were far worse fates than death when one involved themselves with the unspeakable.

For the first time in his long life, Ozpin didn't know what to do. Stop them? He would if he could, but he could no more do that than he could convince the sun to stop being hot. If they wished to destroy Beacon and eradicate all life on Remnant, they could do so. It wouldn't have even taken an active effort. Simply appearing in their 'natural' forms would be enough to drive all of them to irreversible madness.

Perhaps that was their plan? Were they spying on the Huntsmen just in case they proved troublesome? A foolish thought - even the assembled armies of Remnant were nothing before them - but perhaps it was something he could use to his advantage. He had no idea of the intentions of this 'Jaune Arc', but Ms. Rose clearly had plans for spreading her reach if the cults were any indication. Was she looking for Huntsmen to become her worshippers?

...

Perhaps...he could convince her that mankind could be spared so long as they worshipped her? Perhaps she could even protect them from this 'Jaune Arc' and Salem...

Ozpin took a deep breath and stood up shakily, hands firmly grasping the edge of his desk. Yes, he would convince her that the Huntsmen could be her most devoted and thus they were all worthy of living.

After all, was submission not preferable to extinction?

He took another deep breath and gritted his teeth. He could only imagine what things this 'Jaune Arc' was doing now, what nightmares he was preparing to spread.

Nora woke up to Jaune T-posing in the middle of the room.

The Valkyrie rubbed her eyes and looked again, trying to make sure that she wasn't seeing things. Nope, there was Jaune standing in the middle of the room with his hands stretched to the left and right. He was facing the door and didn't move a muscle, his mouth curled up in an open-toothed grin. Anyone who stepped inside would've immediately seen him asserting his dominance.

...

This was fine.

Nora curled up to go back to sleep.

"Wake up!" Weiss grabbed her blankets and yanked them off. Rude. Nora groaned and looked up at the white-haired princess through half-lidded eyes. It was too early for this, "Do something about him!" Weiss yelled, gesturing to the only guy on team NWBJ.

"Why?" Nora yawned.

"Why?! Isn't it obvious?!"

"Nope." Nora tried to go back to sleep again, blanket be damned, but of course, Weiss refused to let up.

"He's acting like an idiot!" Weiss hissed, gesturing again to Jaune.

"Ugh, why don't you ask Blake or something?" Nora groaned.

"She's been ignoring me since last night."

"Probably cause you said all that mean stuff about Faunus." She pointed to Blake who was reading a book on her bed and completely ignoring them all.

"Not the point." Nora was pretty sure it was, but whatever, "You are the team leader, so you have to ensure that all of us act appropriately."

"Shouldn't I get to decide what's appropriate or not? Since I'm the leader and all."

"No! Fix this!"

"Ugh, fine!"

Nora hopped up to her feet and stretched her arms above her head. She didn't see what the big deal was. Alright, so Jaune was kind of a weirdo, but what Huntsman wasn't? They signed up to spend the rest of their lives fighting against the unending horde of Grimm. No normal person did that! She was a weirdo and proud of it! She'd scream it from the rooftops!

Still, she'd at least talk to Jaune so Weiss would stop whining.

"Heya, Jauney."

"Hello, Nora." He tilted his head to look at her, still smiling with that frozen grin of his. See, a normal person would've thought that was creepy, but not her. She was used to people being zany. Like the times she found Ren worshipping at an altar screaming 'HYUKHNU FTAGHN!'.

"So...whatcha doing?"

"Being Normal."

"Right." She looked back to Weiss and shrugged, "He's just being normal, so there's no problem."

"Yes, there is!" Weiss stomped over to where they were and shoved a finger at Jaune's face, "You're not acting normal in the least!"

"I'm not?" He finally twisted his body to match his head. Nora could've sworn she heard something crack, "But Weiss, you were the one who said that it was not normal to touch yourself. I'm doing exactly the opposite and ensuring that my hands are not touching any part of my body."

"So...this is your fault?" Nora looked at Weiss with a raised brow.

"Wha- don't blame this on me!" Weiss threw her hands up.

"Look, who cares if Jaune's T-posing? We're all weirdos here."

"I resent that," Blake said, finally speaking up. She still didn't look away from her book, but at least she was paying attention now. She wasn't wearing her bow from yesterday either. Probably didn't see the point now that Weiss knew.

"Are you saying I'm not acting normal?" Jaune asked.

"No! A normal person doesn't stand in place with their arms outstretched!" Weiss stomped her foot, "Stop acting crazy!"

"What should I do then?"

"Stop standing in place for hours! Stop stretching your arms and grinning like a maniac! If anyone walks in here they'd think you were some kind of freak!"

"Hmm...you seem to know a lot about being Normal."

"Most people do." Weiss sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Nora just wondered why she even bothered waking her up if she was gonna fix it herself anyway, "You want to be normal? Stop acting like an idiot!"

"I doubt you know what's normal for the average person." Blake scoffed.

"Shut it." Weiss snarled. Her pale face was practically steaming. Nora probably could've burned marshmallows with how hot her skin was, "Ugh, this is the absolute worst. I couldn't have landed on a worse team..."

"I didn't exactly want to partner up with a racist either." Blake rolled her eyes.

"I'm not racist!"

Blake raised a very unimpressed brow, "I can't tell if you're lying or just that in denial."

The two continued to bicker, ignoring her and Jaune completely. Nora sighed and looked at her partner. He wasn't T-posing and grinning anymore, he just looked more confused than anything. He reminded her of an overgrown puppy. She would've petted his head, but apparently, people didn't like that. Weirdos. She would've loved it if people patted her on the head.

"Just ignore Weiss."

"But...I want to be Normal."

"Eh, being normal's overrated." Nora shrugged, "Who wants to be just another face in the crowd? Live it up! Make sure everyone remembers you!"

"I still want to be Normal." He shook his head, an oddly determined look on his face, "I've spent mil- uh, a long time being Not Normal. I want to be Normal now."

"Huh. Well, whatever floats your boat, I guess." She wouldn't judge.

Weiss and Blake argued so much that they almost missed the bell for class. The four of them rushed out and met team RPYR, their sister team looking just as rushed. She barely got the chance to say hi to Ren before they were all running for classes. Weiss kept whining the whole time about how this was all of their fault and this was a terrible start to her time at Beacon. Bla bla bla.

The first class was boring. Grimm studies sounded awesome. Talking all about how to kill Grimm and maybe even hearing stories from someone who'd been through a lot of stuff. Instead, the professor just rambled on and on about the time he was camping and didn't have the right tea leaves or whatever. She was practically asleep a half hour in, and so was everyone else except Weiss and Jaune. Weirdos.

She was practically off to dreamland when the professor suddenly revealed a cage with a Boarbatusk inside, "I've always been of the mind that nothing beats personal experience!" The professor laughed, completely ignoring the past hour he spent ranting about nothing, "Now, who would like to demonstrate their capabilities against this fierce beast?"

"I shall-"

"Me!" Jaune suddenly jumped up, cutting Weiss off. The princess gave him an irritated glare, but he completely ignored her, "I shall be a Normal student and volunteer for this, professor."

"Hoho! I admire your enthusiasm! Very well then, change into your combat gear and show us what you can do."

Jaune went off to change while the rest of the class slowly woke up, Nora included. Weiss was fuming, annoyed that she lost the chance to show off. Yeesh, talk about high maintenance. Nora felt sorry for Blake.

Jaune came back a minute later in his normal outfit, sword and shield. Nora rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. None of them got the chance to fight any Grimm at Initiation yesterday so she was excited to see what her partner could do.

"Are you ready, lad?" Professor Port asked.

"Ready." Jaune spread his feet apart and held his sword awkwardly with both hands. Oof, that looked rough, but maybe he was one of those function-over-form types. She and Ren were self-trained too.

The prof opened the door to the cage and stepped aside. Gleaming red eyes burned with rage and the Boarbatusk howled before charging straight towards Jaune. He didn't look scared in the least and stood his ground even as the Grimm got closer and closer. Was he planning to block it? No, he wasn't even raising his shield. Oh, maybe he was planning to split it in half like those knights from the old movies she and Ren managed to 'borrow'! That'd be awesome.

The Boarbatusk was close to making contact when it suddenly stopped. No, seriously. It went to a dead stop and aborted the charge, barely managing to break just inches before it ran Jaune through. The two of them stared at one another for a moment, Jaune's face knotted in focus while the Boarbatusk's was oddly calm.

*SQUEEEEEE*

The Boarbatusk turned tail and ran back into the cage, squealing the entire time. The entire class, Professor Port included, could only watch without a word as the thing crashed inside, somehow managed to close the door and locked it up again.

...

What the fuck?

"Did I win?" Jaune asked, looking more and more like an overgrown puppy.

"Ah...I suppose?" Huh, the prof actually looked speechless, "I daresay that I've never seen that before in all my years of being a Huntsman."

"...What in the hell is wrong with him?" Weiss muttered next to her.

"Beats me." Nora shrugged.

Jaune went back to his seat and looked at Nora excitedly, "Did I do good, Nora? Was I Normal?"

...

"Yeah, sure." Nora grinned and patted his head. From behind Jaune, Weiss choked on the air and went red again.

Things were...okay.

That was the thought that ran through Ruby's head on repeat as they walked to their next class. Things were okay. There were no cults or other weird stuff ever since she showed up in Beacon. Sure, Grimm still killed themselves every time they attacked her, but that wasn't anything really bad. She was studying to be a Huntress. Killing Grimm easily was only good for her.

The only thing she was bummed about was how she never got the chance to use Crescent Rose nowadays. Her baby was feeling really lonely.

Ruby took a deep breath then clenched and unclenched her fists. Things were okay. As long as she just ignored those weirdos calling her a 'Child of the Stars', everything would turn out great. She'd go through Beacon, graduate, then spend the rest of her life being a Huntress. And hey, since she was invincible now, she could help people even more without having to worry about herself! It was a win-win!

...

...Right?

"Rubes, you alright?" Yang asked, bumping their shoulders together.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Ruby forced a smile. Yang, Dad, and Uncle Qrow were really awesome with helping her. They had no idea she was dealing with so much stuff, but they were always there when she needed them, "Just...thinking about what happened back at Grimm Studies." It wasn't even a lie. The guy from their sister team - Jaune - made a Grimm run away from him. She'd never seen that before.

"Yeah, that was super weird." Yang put her hands behind her head and eyed Jaune. Team NWBJ was walking ahead of them, "Think that's his Semblance?"

"Maybe..." She doubted it, though she couldn't exactly explain why. Just a gut feeling.

The next class was Combat Studies. Huntsmen were expected to fight Grimm, but they weren't the only evils in the world. There were criminals, bandits, and terrorists that the Huntsmen were expected to deal with when the authorities weren't enough. Heck, the only reason she got to Beacon early was cause she (almost) stopped Roman Torchwick. Stupid Bullhead.

"Good morning, class," Glynda Goodwitch greeted them. Even though she was totally unkillable now, Ruby still felt a shiver go down her spine at the older Huntress' cold stare, "This is Combat Studies. Here you will be learning how to fight against your peers. Battles are randomized to ensure fairness and I will brook no complaints or excuses. You all are here to learn and improve, not slack off. Are we clear?" They all murmured back, "Good. Now, let's begin."

The screen above the small arena went through everyone in class. Ruby's breath stopped - not that it mattered since she didn't need to breathe anymore - when her picture appeared to the left while Weiss appeared on the right.

"Ruby Rose vs. Weiss Schnee. Get in the arena."

Ruby cringed. She wasn't scared of getting hurt, but she hadn't fought people ever since she...changed. Grimm tore themselves apart whenever they attacked her. Jaws split apart when they bit, claws sheared off on contact, and a Deathstalker she ran into in Initiation had its stinger split in half when it tried to impale her. Weiss had Aura, but she still didn't like the idea of her getting hurt.

She debated making up an excuse before Professor Goodwitch glared at her for being so slow. Nope, nope, nope. Alright, she'd just...not let Weiss get a hit in. That would work, right?

A minute later and the two of them were standing across one another in the arena. Weiss looked angry. Not at her, just angry in general. Ruby cringed again and tightened her grip on Crescent Rose. She hated how unfamiliar it felt in her hands. A year ago, Crescent Rose was practically another limb for her. Now she felt like she was weighing herself down every time she was using it.

"Begin."

Weiss charged towards her with surprising speed, the tip of her rapier aimed at her chest. Ruby's eyes widened and she dodged the quick stab, stumbling back and barely avoiding the slash aimed at her face. Weiss wasn't angry at her, but she didn't have any problems taking her anger out on her all the same. Her attacks were fast and didn't give Ruby the chance to catch her breath for even a second.

The next stab would've caught her right in the gut. Ruby used her Semblance on instinct before she remembered that it didn't work anymore. Instead of speeding away in a burst of rose petals, she just disappeared completely. Weiss' rapier only met air and she looked around in confusion as Ruby suddenly reappeared on the other side of the arena. The air behind her seemed to shimmer and tear as if it realized that something was very wrong.

Ruby looked at the crowd and winced at Yang's wide-eyed look of shock. Yang knew what her Semblance was and teleporting definitely wasn't it.

Weiss regained her footing and charged her again. Ruby squeaked and teleported to the other side of the arena for the second time, "Stop running away!" Weiss shouted. Instead of another charge, she summoned glyphs all around the arena and used them as springboards, jumping from one to another to keep her from seeing where she'd attack next.

Ruby did her best to keep focus despite Weiss' chaotic movements. She had to time this just right.

Weiss jumped to a glyph above her head before she kicked down, rapier pointed forward like a javelin. Ruby raised Crescent Rose to block the attack just in time to see the white-haired girl smirk. Another glyph appeared under Weiss' feet and she used it to flip over to Ruby's back.

"Got you!"

Weiss slashed her across the back...and shattered her rapier on contact. Ruby looked back and gasped at the sight of the beautiful weapon broken into numerous pieces. She hadn't been hurt in the attack, but it felt like she'd been stabbed clean through the heart.

Weiss herself was sitting on the ground in shock, looking down in stunned silence at her destroyed weapon, unable to say a word. The rest of the class was similarly quiet with even Professor Goodwitch only being able to look on in open-mouthed shock.

"I'm so sorry!" Ruby cried, kneeling down and scooping up as many of the metal shards as she could, "I didn't...I can help fix this, I promise!"

"Myrtenaster...shattered..." Weiss said, voice soft and expression numb.

"W-We can rebuild it! It'll be better than ever!"

"Better...? I spent thousands of lien to commission the best weaponsmith in Atlas to build Myrtenaster for me and you think you can just piece it back together like it's no problem?" Ruby winced. Oh, she felt really bad now, "Just...Just leave me alone. It's not your fault anyway."

"But-"

Weiss picked up all of the pieces she could manage and awkwardly shuffled her way back to where her team was. Ruby only felt guiltier when she heard the other girl sniffling and trying to hold back her tears. She sat in her chair and pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs tightly without a word. Blake looked sorry for her and patted her on the shoulder, which Weiss accepted without a word.

"Winner, Ruby Rose," Professor Goodwitch said, which felt like rubbing salt into the wound.

Ruby walked back to her own chair and ignored the way everyone but Jaune looked at her. Ugh, this was the worst! There was nothing more heartbreaking than the sight of a destroyed weapon, especially something that had so much heart and care put into it. Weiss might not have been the one to make it, but it was obvious that whoever did was proud of their work. And she ruined it.

"Hey, it's not your fault..." Yang pulled her into a one-armed embrace.

"Yeah..." It was her fault, but what could she say? That was invulnerable now and weapons might as well have been glass to her? She'd sound crazy.

"...We should continue," Professor Goodwitch said.

The next pair to fight was Jaune and some guy called Cardin. Ruby only half paid attention as the two got up onto the arena. She was still focused on trying to make it up to Weiss. Assuming Weiss didn't hate her too much to accept her help, at least.

"Begin."

Ruby looked up in a daze just in time to see Cardin charge towards Jaune. One swipe of his mace was enough to knock the sword off his hands and Cardin grinned before he smashed the mace into Jaune's chest.

He expected Jaune to be knocked away from the force of the blow - they all did. Instead, the mace easily crushed through his armor and embedded itself inside his chest cavity.

The sounds of cracking bones and mulched guts echoed through the classroom. For the second time that day, everyone watched in stunned silence at what happened in the ring. Jaune was dead. The mace had torn through his chest and came up through the other end, the metal glistening with fresh blood.

Almost all of them (Nora looked eerily calm for some reason) were horrified, but non-moreso than Cardin. His smug look was gone, replaced with an expression of utter horror at the murder he'd just committed. It wasn't his fault - how could he have known Jaune would have his Aura down? - but it didn't change the fact that he was practically holding Jaune's gored body in his arms.

And then Jaune started talking.

"Have I lost?" He looked at Cardin and then Professor Goodwitch, completely ignoring the gaping wound in his chest, and the look of utter horror from everyone sans Nora, "I can still fight."

He grabbed Cardin's mace and tried to pull it from his hand. The sounds of squishing organs got louder and Ruby suddenly felt the urge to puke. A few others couldn't hold it in and ran out, their faces green, "Ugh, I think I'm gonna hurl." Yang said next to her.

"H-Hey, leggo of that!"

"Isn't disarming someone allowed in a fight? I'm trying to disarm you." Blood-soaked hands kept trying to pull.

The two struggled for a moment before someone, she wasn't sure who, pressed the button near the grip that activated the mace's secondary mode. The Fire Dust crystal inside the mace's head lit up for just a second before it exploded. Jaune was flung clear away from the arena and splattered against the wall with a meaty thud. Blood and guts spilled across the white surface and Ruby clenched her hands tight to keep from vomiting at the sight of Jaune's entire left torso being gone altogether.

Jaune just stood up again, completely ignoring the fact that his entire upper body was hanging from the left and barely held together by skin and entrails.

"I was taken out of the arena. Does that mean I lost?" he asked Professor Goodwitch.

"Um...yes, yes it does."

"Oh." And then he started walking back to his seat, hanging guts and all. This time everyone, Weiss, Blake, and her entire team included, decided to run. Ruby lasted just a bit longer before one of his intestines dropped and she had to run too. The last thing she saw before leaving was Nora chatting with Jaune like nothing was wrong.

They all silently agreed to go to the bathroom and do what they had to. Ruby took one of the stalls and emptied her stomach. Ruby closed her eyes and tried to forget the sight of blood and guts. Huntsmen were expected to deal with some horrible stuff, but this was different. The Grimm just disappeared after you killed them and Aura meant wounds didn't really show up.

Ruby heaved for almost a minute. Once she finally felt better, she opened her eyes and looked down.

...

There were crystals where the puke should've been. Ruby rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Nope, there were crystals there. Crystals of multiple colors. White, black, red, green, blue...the toilet looked like some kind of jeweler's safe.

Did...Did that come from her?

...

Swallowing down her hesitation, she reached out and plucked a clear blue, marbled-sized gem from the top of the pile. It thrummed with unreleased power. Like a Dust crystal, but different somehow.

A knock on the door nearly made her drop it, "Rubes, you still there?"

"Y-Yeah, just finishing up!" She pocketed the blue gem and flushed the toilet. The pile of multi-colored crystals shrank just a bit before the toilet clogged, "U-Uh, I'll be here a while! Go on without me!" She tried to flush the toilet again and cringed at the sounds of the pipes backing up, "Come on, come on..."

It didn't work. Ruby groaned and peeked out of the door. The restroom was empty now. She looked left and right before she darted out and grabbed the plunger close to the side. Looking down at the toilet, she brandished the plunger like a weapon.

She couldn't leave any proof.

It took almost half an hour before she finally got rid of the evidence. Ruby panted and set the plunger aside. Okay, so she was invulnerable, could teleport, and could puke up not-Dust crystals. This was fine. Everything was fine. There was absolutely no reason for her to panic at all.

She washed her hands and left only to immediately bump into the headmaster waiting outside, "O-Oh! Morning, headmaster!" Ruby greeted nervously, not even thinking to ask why he was waiting outside the women's restroom.

"Yes. Good morning, Ms. Rose." The headmaster smiled down at her. Was it just her imagination, or did he look stiff? "I heard about your sparring match with Ms. Schnee."

"Oh, y-yeah..." Was he going to yell at her? Suspend her for destroying another student's weapon? Or maybe even expel her! There was nothing worse than destroying someone's weapon! "A-About that."

"No need to explain yourself. I just hope that your experience hasn't soured your view on our aspiring Huntsmen?"

"Of course not! Weiss was super good at fighting! It's not her fault that..." That she was some kind of abomination from beyond the stars.

"Hm. I see. Very good. Very good." He nodded, still as stiff as before, "I hope that positive opinion continues in your time here. Our aspiring Huntsmen are very valuable and I'm glad you see that." He looked at his watch, "Excuse me, I have something to do."

He turned and walked off before she got the chance to say anything back. What the heck was that about? Shaking her head, she walked away and tried to ignore just how weird today was. She had to check out the gem in her pocket too. The idea that it came from inside her freaked her the heck out, but she couldn't just ignore it forever. It'd be fine. She was still okay.

She wandered around aimlessly instead of going to the cafeteria for lunch. She didn't need to eat anymore, and even if she did, she didn't have much of an appetite considering everything.

Ruby spent the next few minutes trying not to think as she walked along the outer courtyard. It seemed like every day there was a new weird thing coming up about her. If she could go back in time, she'd do anything to make sure that she didn't step anywhere near that darn comet. She sat with her back against the wall and hugged her knees tight. Maybe if she pinched herself hard enough this would all be just some bad dream.

"Hello, Ruby."

Ruby squeaked and looked up. Jaune was there, thankfully without his guts spilling out. In fact, if she hadn't seen what she did earlier, she would've assumed it was all a dream.

"Hey, Jaune." She let out a soft breath.

"Are you okay?"

"Just thinking about some stuff." She sighed and ignored images of his body being torn in half, "A buncha things happened to me a month ago and I'm still trying to get used to everything."

"A change in circumstances is what it's called, right? I feel the same."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. I've lived the same life for a...long time, and now I'm trying something new."

"Well, being a Huntsman's definitely that." Ruby giggled, "So, uh...could I ask what the deal is with your..." She gestured to his torso, "You got pretty messed up back there."

"Huh? Oh! Yes! I was 'messed up." He nodded eagerly.

"Uh...and how did you heal fix yourself up?"

"It is my 'Sembalancer'."

"Do you mean your Semblance?"

"Yes. That is what I said." More nods, "I cannot shield myself from wounds, but I can heal extremely well. Nora saw it happen before and as such was used to it. I'm sure everyone else will understand."

"If you say so..." She shook her head, "Could you help me up?"

"Of course. That is what Normal people would do in this situation."

He offered his hand, which she took after some reluctance. A chill ran across her entire body as soon as their palms made contact and she felt...a lot of things. It was hard to describe all of the myriad emotions, but one feeling did stand out.

She wanted to tear his fucking head off!

Ruby pushed Jaune off and hefted her scythe, ready to cut his head clean off his shoulders. Jaune stumbled back and growled, the flesh pulsating like there were maggots underneath the skin.

"You...starspawn." It wasn't what he said, but it was what she heard.

"Formless one," she growled back, every letter dripping with disgust. Like him, it wasn't what she said. What truly came out was indecipherable growls, clicks, and the sounds of shattering glass.

And just as soon as the all-consuming hate overwhelmed her, it was gone. Ruby's look of disgust faded and she gasped, looking down at Crescent Rose and her shaky hands.

"Wh-What was that?"

"You are-"

"I'm not." Ruby shouted, eyes wide and desperate, "I...I don't know what you are, but I'm just..." She took a deep, shuddering breath, "I'm Normal! Just a Normal girl with Normal knees!"

"You cannot feel me. I felt what you truly are as soon as we touched."

"No, shut up!" Ruby stamped her foot. Crystals sprouted out from the ground, all of them brimming with power, "It's all that stupid comet's fault! I didn't ask for any of this!"

"Wait...you were human?"

"I am human!" Ruby growled. Yes, she'd turned into some kind of reality-warping abomination, but she was still a human underneath all that! "And I dunno what the heck you are!"

"You called me by what I am, but it was instinctual." He put a hand on his chin, "Our...'races' are enemies. Hatred for one another is in our very being."

"What? No, look, I'm human, not whatever you called me! Just...Just stay from me!" Ruby turned around and willed herself to leave. She didn't care where she went, only that it was far away from him.

She blinked and looked around. She wasn't at Beacon anymore...she wasn't even in Remnant. She was surrounded by darkness and cold and in front of her was Remnant in its entirety.

Space. She was in space.

Ruby screamed, but of course, there was no sound. She flailed around in a panic, floating in the void helplessly before she shut her eyes again and imagined her dorm room. Takeherbacktakeherbacktakeherback-

"Woah!"

When Ruby opened her eyes again, she found herself sprawled out on the floor of their room. Yang looked down at in both confusion and worry, a towel wrapped around her shoulders. She'd just finished taking a shower.

"Y-Yang?"

"Where'd you come from? Coulda swore I was the only one-"

Ruby sniffled and tackled Yang in a bone-crushing embrace. She didn't ask and just rubbed soothing circles across Ruby's back.

Chapter Text

Things were pretty going perfectly Normal!

That was the thought that ran through Jaune's singular Human mind. Things were going quite Normal. Yes, he'd run into one of those filthy Starspawn, and Weiss disagreed that not touching himself was Normal despite it being her own advice. It didn't surprise him. Humans were remarkably inconsistent creatures. For example, they looked down on the so-called Faunus and deemed them inferior, and yet their pornography featured them a lot for a race they claimed to despise so much.

At least Nora understood his want for Normalcy.

Jaune kept his eyes open and stared up at the ceiling from his place on the bed, his expression blank. He still didn't require sleep, but it was Normal to at least pretend and not walk the halls at night. He'd heard before that even waiting one hour led to anxiety and boredom for many people, something he didn't understand. One hour? He could wait years without even thinking of the passage of time.

The sun rose after hours of silent staring. It was something he had to get used to. Space was always dark, though that mattered little to one that had fifty senses. He had no idea how Humans lived with just five or Faunus with seven.

"Morning, everyone!" Nora shouted excitedly. From those of them that required sleep, she was always the first to rise.

"Ugh...shut up..." Blake moaned, shifting her pillow so it covered all four of her ears.

"Nope, we gotta wake up bright and early for our team-building exercise! Up, up, up!" Nora clapped her hands. Blake moaned again while Weiss growled. Weiss had been in a bad mood ever since the creature pretending to be Ruby Rose destroyed her weapon. He always found it odd how people could get so attached to inanimate objects. Mortals placed such odd importance on the transient.

"Can't we just stay in and relax?" Blake asked weakly.

"Nope! This team needs to bond and, as the leader, I'm mandating we have an official fun day! Chop, chop! The queen has spoken!"

Both Blake and Weiss groaned and complained but ultimately got up. Jaune did the same, sans the complaining, "Good morning, everyone," he said. Hm, strange, his voice had a different cadence and reverb from how he remembered it, but many Human voices sounded the same to him.

His three teammates all turned and stared at him. It was not an odd sight - people tended to stare at this body for reasons he couldn't quite comprehend - but there was something different in their looks. They were surprised, yes, but also curious and, in the case of Blake, seemed to be intrigued.

"Is something wrong?" Jaune asked. He hoped he was still being Normal. He was doing such a good job of it!

"Uh..." Nora started.

"What..." Blake trailed off.

"The fuck?!" Weiss shouted. Nora and Blake looked at her in shock for some reason, "No, seriously, what the fuck?!"

"Is something wrong, Weiss?" Jaune tilted his head to the side.

"You have boobs!" Weiss shouted.

He did? Jaune looked down and found that, yes, he did have breasts. Rather large ones as well, judging by how they protruded noticeably and stretched the material of his hoodie. Looking closer, he noticed that it was more than just breasts. His curves had differentiated into something more feminine and, after a quick grope to his crotch, which had Weiss sputtering and red-faced for some reason, he found that the primary sexual organ had been changed as well.

"How is-"

"How are you a woman now?!" Weiss shouted, cutting Blake off.

It was because he - or perhaps she - found maintaining this form somewhat difficult. Gender was such an odd and limiting concept to one such as him. Why limit yourself to something so arbitrary, he wondered. There was no reason to label one as male or female dependent on their appearance and characteristics. After all, weren't all Humans and Faunus the same bags of meat and flesh underneath it all?

But of course, he couldn't say the real reason because that wouldn't be Normal.

"It's...because of my Semblance?" he answered slowly. She reached her hands up and moved her new breasts, testing the weight of the fat. Weiss' face went red.

"Are you asking us or telling us?" Blake raised a brow.

"Telling you. I am telling you because that is the truth." Ha, 'nailed it', as the mortals said, "This is because of my Semblance."

"Bullshit it is!" Weiss threw her hands up. She had been cursing a lot lately, "You said your Semblance was to heal from grievous injuries! What part of that involves growing boobs the size of your head overnight?!"

"You sound jealous, Weiss." Nora grinned.

"I am not jealous!" Weiss shouted so loudly that Jaune could've sworn the room shook, "How are the two of you absolutely fine with this?! Our male teammate just turned into a woman! Why is nobody else freaking out?!"

"Eh, she said it's her Semblance so it's her Semblance. Why would she lie?" Nora shrugged.

"Honestly, it's none of my business," Blake added, "As long as they don't cause trouble for us, they can change gender whenever they want."

"How the...what the fu...AGGGHHHH!" Weiss covered her face with both hands and screamed.

"So...should we use male or female pronouns or something else?" Nora asked him.

"What is the most Normal to do in this situation?" Jaune asked.

"NOTHING about this is normal!" Weiss cried hysterically.

"...Bigot," Blake muttered.

"I'm not!"

"You have the only hereditary Semblance on Remnant. Why is this so weird?" Blake asked.

"Because!"

"Ah...then please refer to me as female." That sounded the most Normal, right? Yes, Normal. Jaune nodded his...her head in affirmation. She was still Normal. So what if she'd changed gender overnight? It wasn't as if that was the weirdest thing in this world. As Blake said, Semblances were odd and unexplainable things.

Yes, she was still perfectly Normal.

"None of this makes any sense..." Weiss sobbed.

They all got ready, ignoring Weiss' cries about how she should've stayed in Atlas. She still didn't have a change of clothes, but that didn't really matter. Everyone seemed to wear one set of clothes in this world and only changed every year or two. Even her teammates were going back to the same outfits they wore the first time she met them on the first day of school.

Weiss kept muttering to herself as they stepped out of the room. Oh dear, that wasn't good. Muttering to yourself was a sign of becoming crazy, at least it was in the comic books she'd read for research.

They ran into RPYR also leaving their own room. She and the creature pretending to be Ruby's squishy human eyes met and she looked away. The rest of her team looked at her; or rather, at her chest, "Woah! Where'd you get those puppies?" Yang whistled.

"Puppies? There are no animals here."

"She was referring to your new...endowments." Pyrrha coughed.

"Yeah! Those things are even bigger than mine, and that's saying something!" Yang laughed.

"Oh."

"It's part of her Semblance. Don't worry about it." Nora waved a hand without a care.

"A Semblance that allows one to completely reconstitute their body? Most intriguing." Ren put a hand to his chin.

"Ah, whatever, Semblances are weird. Let's go get some grub!" Yang shouted.

The others all agreed while Weiss kept muttering under her breath. Oh dear, she wasn't acting very Normal, was she? Perhaps she wasn't the person to give advice on what was considered Normal?

They all took their food and sat at the table. Jaune looked down at the assortment of meat and vegetables and frowned. This Human body required sustenance, but he still disliked how eating forced him to go to the bathroom to vacate the food anyway hours down the line. Human bodies were so inconvenient. How did anyone get anything done when they needed to eat, sleep, and void their bowels every day?

"You guys heard about the explosion?" Yang asked.

"What explosion? Did something blow up and I didn't know about it?" Nora asked excitedly.

Yeah. I heard that a bunch of the pipes just exploded. Apparently, it was like someone flushed a bag full of Dust crystals down the drain." The creature pretending to be Ruby Rose flinched and looked down at her food, though no one noticed or paid her any mind, "Like, who does that?"

"I quite agree." Weiss wrinkled her nose, "Not only is it juvenile, it's also expensive. Flushing so much Dust down the drain means you're literally flushing money. It's an absolute waste."

"Pun intended?" Yang asked with a grin.

"Shut it, Xiao Long."

"M-Maybe it was an accident?" the Starspawn asked weakly.

"What, someone accidentally flushed like a ton of Dust down the toilet? Sure." Yang snorted.

Jaune refrained from commenting on the discussion. Even for one such as Him, she found it disgusting that the people of this world placed so much value on Great Old One castoffs. It was akin to using one's dandruff as a fuel source.

The creature pretending to be Ruby Rose continued to sneak peeks at her but refused to say anything. Jaune ignored her. She was here to be Normal, and inciting their innate hatred for one another was the opposite of that.

That and, for some odd reason, she was still in denial of her true identity. She claimed to be a Human despite her obvious Eldritch state and lack of soul. One touch and it was easy for her to see that Ruby Rose, or so she claimed she was, did not have a soul. To be fair, however, neither did Jaune. Souls were such overrated things. Only the Devils really cared about them. His kind thought it was more superfluous.

Soon enough, they finished breakfast and went their separate ways from their sister team. They were going to Vale, Nora said. Jaune had never been there herself. She knew it was Normal for teenagers to 'hang out' smoking at the back of arcades and ranting about how much they hated authority, but he didn't have the proper group to do it with just yet. Perhaps Cardin would be open now that they fought? Comics indicated that a fight was the fightest way to earn friendships for some reason.

"I wish team RPYR could've come with us." Nora pouted.

"The team or just Ren?" Blake raised a brow and smirked slightly.

"What are you implying? Me and Ren are just friends! We're together, but not together-together!"

"I...didn't imply otherwise?"

Jaune turned her attention to Weiss. She hadn't said a word since they finished breakfast, "Is something wrong?" It was Normal for teammates to look out for one another. That was the reason Nora insisted that they all have a day out in town. And it was not because she was bored and needed an excuse to go out in town with someone. She said it wasn't and Jaune believed her.

"Just questioning my choices in life," Weiss muttered back.

"Ah. Do you do that often?"

"...Are you mocking me?"

"No?" Jaune tilted her head to the side, "Would you like me to? I understand friends engage in friendly insults all the time."

"We're not fri- no, you know what? Nevermind." She sighed, "Yes, I do that a lot, especially in recent days. It's only been a week but I've been denied a chance to be a leader, I'm dealing with a weirdo for a teammate, and my weapon is broken."

"A weird teammate? I'm sorry you have to deal with that." She bet it was Blake. It couldn't have been her; she was doing such a good job being Normal.

Weiss just gave him a withering look for some reason then looked away. Did...that go well? She couldn't tell.

"Alright, team!" Nora announced as soon as they were off the ship. She put her hands on her hips and looked them up and down with a huge grin, "Things have been pretty tense the past week, so we're here to get rid of all of that. We're a team and we're gonna get along!"

"You know you can't just force people to get along right?" Blake asked. For some reason, she sounded bitter as she said it.

"Says who?" Nora turned around and pointed to the city in front of them, "Hanging out is the best way to take out all those pesky bad feelings!"

"Hanging out won't fix my weapon!" Weiss grit her teeth.

"Aren't you rich? Can't you just buy a new one?" Nora asked back.

"How?! Myrtenaster was made by the premier weaponsmith of Atlas and cost me thousands of Lien to make! I can't make up for that with just my allowance! I'd have to save for at least three months to get that much money."

"Oh no, how terrible for you." Blake rolled her eyes.

"Shut it, Belladonna."

"I don't understand. Can't you just get another weapon from the armory?" Jaune asked.

"You say it like it's so easy! Myrtenaster was...it was like another limb! A huntsman's weapon is their life. You can't just replace it with another scrap of metal!"

"Much as I hate to agree with her, she's right," Blake said, "Replacing weapons isn't easy."

"Oh." She just picked up her sword and shield from a shop.

"Well...lemme treat you to pancakes! That'll cheer you up!" Nora cheered.

They all followed Nora. Weiss wasn't muttering to herself anymore, but she was still in a bad mood. It was such a shame that Jaune was being Normal now. She could've offered her a generous pact to gain a much more dangerous weapon than a mere rapier. Maybe something that could carve through the soul rather than the flesh? It would be devastating for beings that used their soul as external protection.

Before she knew it, Jaune was looking up at the sky instead of in front of her. She was still getting used to the fact that she didn't have extranormal senses that would warn her of anyone's presence.

Which was why she ended up running into another girl rounding the corner. Jaune fell on top of her and looked down at the other female figure. Pale skin, freckles, short orange hair, green eyes, and a fractured soul, "Oh! My apologies, I wasn't watching where I was going!" the girl said, looking up at him through wide, unblinking eyes. Jaune looked down at her, equally unblinking.

"No, it's alright." Jaune stood and helped her up.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nora and the others looked back.

"Um, nothing. I made a new friend." Wait, was that the right word? Would acquaintance have been better?

"...I am your friend?" Penny leaned forward, their noses touching.

What would the Normal response be in this situation? Many of those Mistralian comics talked about the power of friendship and vaunted them as an ideal, "Yes. Hello, friend." Jaune smiled, showing off her teeth.

"Oh, sensational! I did not expect to make a friend today!" The girl pressed her face against hers even harder, "My name is Penny Polendina! It is so nice to meet you, new friend!"

"Jaune Arc," she replied, making no move to step back. Weiss told her that touching herself was improper, but not touching or being touched by others.

"Could you please take a step back? This looks improper." Weiss asked for her.

"Oh!" Penny stepped back. Or to be more accurate, it was more like she slid across the floor, "My apologies! That was not very Normative behavior!"

She...was trying to be Normal as well?

"It's fine." Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Haven't I seen you around school?" Blake asked.

"Oh, yes! I am here to fight in the Vytal Tournament for Atlas and came early to get a gauge of the facilities." She saluted, "I am Combat Ready!"

"You're a Huntress-in-training?" Weiss looked his new friend up and down, looking distinctly unimpressed.

"Affirmative." Penny nodded eagerly, "I am a perfectly Normal Human girl and Huntress!"

The insistent way she said it...Jaune didn't know why, but he felt a sense of kingship in this girl with the Fractured soul, "Yes, I'm also a perfectly Normal Human and Huntress. Or Huntsman, dependent if and when I can return to being male."

"You can change gender, friend Jaune?" Penny tilted her head to the side.

"Yes. Is that not Normal?"

"No!" Weiss cried.

"I see no issue with it. Bodies do not have to be so arbitrarily labeled, I think," Penny said.

"I agree." Jaune nodded happily. Weiss screamed.

"Hey, wanna join us? We're gonna go get some pancakes!" Nora suddenly asked.

"Oh, my first outing! This is a day of firsts! Yes, I would be happy to come along!" Jaune found herself smiling at his new friend's agreement. Perhaps she could help him be Normal. Two heads were better than one, and while it was far less than her usual thirteen, she would take it.

Ruby Rose was a girl on a mission.

She looked both ways before crossing the street. Just because she was apparently invincible now didn't mean she had to be careless. She had another reason to be careful, of course. It wasn't like she was doing anything illegal, but people would ask questions about her...product. The duffel bag was full to bursting and the last thing she needed was anyone getting a glimpse of the contents inside.

Which was also why she'd made sure to be subtle. She'd told Yang that she was gonna spend all day at the weaponsmithing section to make sure she wouldn't be interrupted and put up her hood so no one could see her face. Again, nothing illegal, she wasn't a criminal, but she still didn't want people seeing her face.

Ruby stepped inside from Dust till Dawn and looked around warily. Not a lot of customers, but she was still careful all the same. She shuffled over to the counter and looked at the old shopkeeper. She'd saved his shop a month ago from Roman Torchwick. Ah, those were the days. Back then, everything seemed so simple. Just kicking Grimm and bad guy butt and training to be the best Huntress she could be.

"Hmm?" The shopkeeper grunted and looked down at her suspiciously.

"I...heard you buy Dust." Ruby licked her lips, "And you don't ask any questions. Is that right?"

"Hngh." The old man nodded.

"Well..." Ruby raised the duffle bag and pried both sides open. The old man gasped and actually opened his eyes at the sight of the bag filled to the brim with multi-colored crystals. She had to...'prepare' a lot of them just to make sure she'd have enough. It was gross, but she did what she had to. On the other hand, she wasn't brave enough to test if the crystals came from more than one end. Forcing herself to throw up was more than enough.

The old man grabbed one of the crystals and set it under a nearby Dust analyzer. Ruby shifted from one foot to another as the old man looked through the microscope. She had no idea exactly how useful the crystals she puked up were, but she could tell even at a glance that they were thrumming with energy. Maybe selling everything in the bag would be a good start.

"So...how much can I get for these?" She had a lot of things to pay back. First was Weiss' weapon, and then she had to pay back the school for those pipes she ruined. Yeah, no one knew it was her, but it was the principle of the thing! Heroes paid back their debts.

The shopkeeper reached a shaky hand under the counter and pulled out a lockbox. He opened it and grabbed the stack of bills. Easily thousands of Lien in a thick wad, "W-Wow..." Ruby whispered. She sat the bag down on the counter and reached for the wad of cash before he pulled back, "Wh-What's wrong? You can have everything-"

"Ngh." He shook his head and, with deliberate slowness, reached in and plucked only three crystals from the dozens (hundreds?) of gems in the pile, "Hmm."

"Wait, that's all?!" Ruby looked inside. The bag was still nearly overflowing with crystals, "A-Are you sure?!"

The shopkeeper nodded and raised three fingers, "You're saying each crystal lasts three days? Wait, no, you wouldn't be paying so much for that. Three weeks?" He shook his head, "...Three months?" He nodded and set the Dust down carefully on the countertop. Two months...that was crazy. The purest Dust could last a week of constant usage, two if you were lucky, but everything needed to be replaced. Two months was four times as long as the purest Dust on Remnant.

"O-Okay, thank you. And, uh, here. For being honest." She grabbed five of the crystals and placed them on the encounter. The shopkeeper looked like he was about to have a heart attack, "Please, it's the least I can do for this." She pocketed the cash and put the duffle bag over her shoulder. The money wasn't enough quite yet, but with how valuable the Dust was, she could make more than enough with a few more trips to a few shops.

Things were finally looking up.

Weiss woke up to both Jaune and Penny T-posing in the center of the room.

...

She grabbed her pillow, stuffed it into her face, and screamed.

"Ah, good morning, Weiss!" Jaune turned to her, arms still spread, and opened her mouth in a wide grin. Oh yes, and she was still female and still had her absurd breasts. She was not jealous - breasts were useless lumps of fat that only the perverse cared about - but seeing the way they shifted and swayed irritated her. Jaune had no brassieres and none of theirs would fit her. Not even Nora's.

"Good morning, Jaune..." Weiss grit out. As much as her teammate irritated her, she technically hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't make snippy remarks like Blake or take her rightful place as the leader like Nora. No, she was simply odd, the very antithesis of normal, and Penny was no better. Yet they acted as if they were the the very picture of normalcy.

"Good morning as well, Weiss!" Penny added, also keeping her arms in a T-pose.

"Hm...and what are you both doing?" A quick glance around the room showed that Nora and Blake were nowhere in sight. How...kind of them to leave her with the two of them. She would have some choice words for them down the line.

"We are asserting our dominance!" Penny replied cheerfully, "Research on the Dustnet indicates that spreading one's arms is a way to assert one's superiority over others!"

"I see. And who exactly are you asserting your dominance over?" If they said her, she swore to the Brothers...

"No one just yet, we are simply practicing," Jaune jumped up, breasts swaying like a pendulum. She wanted to slap it.

"I see. Well, don't let me keep you." She got out of bed and took a change of clothes to the shower. It was Sunday, so there were still no classes. She was tempted to go to the library to study, but she knew it would lead nowhere. She was too frustrated to focus on anything right now.

Everything had been such a mess. First, she was denied her rightful role as the leader, and then she found out her partner was a Faunus. She was not a bigot, no matter what Blake said. She had a healthy awareness of Faunus, yes, but could one really blame her considering her family's experiences with the White Fang? Those terrorists blamed the SDC for everything; as if her family alone was solely responsible for the plight of the Faunus.

And then, of course, there was the incident in combat class. Her short-lived sparring match with Ruby Rose ended with her beloved Myrtenaster being shattered. She still had the hilt and all the pieces in a lockbox under her bed. She'd need to save up her allowance for the next few months in order to afford the repairs, and even then it would take her at least a month to get an appointment even with her family name. Mr. Burnfire was a meticulous craftsman.

Shaking her head, she ignored the two T-posing dolts and left the room. She'd barely taken two steps out when Ruby Rose rushed towards her, "Weiss, there you are! I've been waiting!"

"I...see." Weiss took a step back. She didn't dislike Ruby - she knew it would've been unfair to blame her for Myrtenaster's broken state - but she didn't relish the idea of spending any more time with the younger girl alone than she had to.

"So...I know I broke your sword."

"Ruby, I told you that you shouldn't blame yourself-"

"It was my fault, though! So...here." She pulled her hands from behind her back and Weiss' eyes bugged out at the ludicrously large pile of lien she held between her fingers. She couldn't count it out given how large it was, easily reaching Ruby's head in height alone, but even at a glance she could surmise that the bills - each one hundred lien - were more than enough to pay for Myrtenaster's repair bill and then some."

"Uh..."

"This is yours," Ruby said, pushing the large stack of bills towards her, "I dunno how much your weapon cost, but maybe you could make some improvements? It's the least I can do since I broke it."

"I...this is very generous of you, Ruby, but I can't-"

"Yes, you can," she said, pushing the messy pile towards her more insistently, "It's my fault it broke and I'm making up for it. I'm not taking no for an answer!"

Weiss could only nod dumbly and accept the offered reparations. Ruby smiled like she'd just won the lottery and skipped away, "Thank you..." Weiss called out weakly after her, staring down at the comically oversized stack of lien. How on Remnant did Ruby even get so much money? Was she selling drugs or performing hits? Weiss shook her head. No, that was rude of her. Ruby had very generously compensated her for her troubles and yet here she was thinking the worst of her.

Weiss was used to extravagance - it came with being a Schnee - but somehow being gifted this money felt different in a way she couldn't explain. Logically, she knew that Ruby only did so because she wanted to pay her back, but the earnestness with which the young reaper insisted was different from previous dealings she'd had. Those were always either reluctant or used as a way to curry favor. Not...this.

She shook her head again and walked to the library, balancing the pile of lien in her hands. Students who passed her by stopped to stare, many with obvious jealousy in their eyes. Weiss ignored them all and placed the lien at the closest table once she made her way to the library. It took only a short time to arrange it into proper stacks, and a quick count showed that she had more than enough for Myrtenaster's repairs and then some with just a fraction of the pile.

"Hello, Mr. Burnfire? I need Myrtenaster repaired. A full repair, yes. How much would it cost to be given priority?" She waited for him to rattle off the cost and smiled, "Yes, I think I can more than afford that." She added a couple more thousand lien into the pile and assured the weaponsmith she'd make the payment before the end of the day. Father couldn't complain if it wasn't his money being spent.

But what to do with the rest of it? Weiss eyes the neat stack of bills and hummed softly. A quick deposit to the bank would pad out her credit card for at least the next year, likely more. She wanted to give the excess back to Ruby, but the other girl made it clear she wasn't going to accept the money. Perhaps...a present? She couldn't say anything if she bought her a gift.

Weiss carried the stack once more and made her way down to Vale. Depositing the money took no time at all and she looked down at her credit card after it was all said and done. Even after the payment to Mr. Burnfire, she felt positively overflowing with money. But she wouldn't waste it. She had to buy Ruby a present.

But what to get her? She wanted it to be a surprise, so she couldn't just ask her, but she didn't know the other girl all that well. Weiss racked her brain and tried to think of something. She knew Ruby liked weapons, but there was little point in getting her a new one since that scythe of hers wasn't broken. Something more indulgent, perhaps?

Oh, she remembered now! A few days ago, Xiao Long had lectured Ruby about eating too many cookies and sweets. Weiss had barely paid it any mind at the time.

Weiss went to the best bakery in Vale and bought their most expensive cookies. Normally she would've hesitated to buy it even with her admittedly generous allowance, but this was technically Ruby's money. Perhaps the gesture wouldn't mean much given that, but she was sure Ruby would enjoy it regardless.

For the first time in this hellish week, Weiss smiled. Perhaps things were finally looking up.

She was on her way back to bullhead when she heard crying, "Hm?" She looked to the left and blinked at the sight of a child kneeling on the dirty ground. Her face was hidden from view, but her height was indicative of a child.

Weiss could've ignored her, but that wasn't what a Huntress did. While many saw the profession as a way to riches or adventure, she saw it as following in her heroic grandfather's footsteps.

Taking a deep breath, she walked into the alley and crouched down in front of the girl, "Hey, are you alright? Where's your mom and dad?" Weiss asked softly.

The girl looked up and smirked, her pink and brown eyes seeming to shift. It was only then that Weiss noticed the scroll projecting the crying sounds.

"It's the Schnee! Get her!" A voice cried out from above. Weiss looked up just in time to see figures garbed in white jumping down, their faces covered by Grimm Masks.

The White Fang.

She turned to run - she couldn't fight them in a narrow alley without her weapon - when she suddenly felt a pressure around her neck. The crying 'child' giggled as she wrapped her arms around her neck and pressed a cloth against her mouth. Weiss' eyes widened and she struggled frantically, though she already knew it was in vain. Aura protected from a lot of things, but drugs weren't one of them.

The last thing she saw before everything went black was a dark-clothed figure with blood-red hair stalking towards her.

Chapter Text

This world - Remnant - was an interesting place, Jaune thought. The two that had created it abandoned it a short few hundred thousand years ago and seemingly decided not to return, leaving their creations to fend for themselves against the castoffs of their sibling rivalry. Even now these Humans and Faunus found themselves harried by the creations the so-called Brother Darkness unleashed on his playground.

Jaune simply didn't see the point of it. While they'd accidentally destroyed a civilization or two in their eons of existence, it was always just that: an accident. They never understood beings that liked to be summoned so they could destroy the world. What was the point of that? They at least understood the concept of being worshipped, but mass destruction always seemed so wasteful to them.

Regardless, the laziness of these so-called Brothers had proven a boon to them. Any self-respecting entity would have taken umbrage with their appearance in their world, even if they did so under the guise of a perfectly Normal person, but their abandonment meant that Jaune didn't have to worry about the both of them trying to end their existence.

Not that they did worry. Among the cosmic scale, the brothers were nothing more than children swatting at their betters. If they came back to try and force them off this world, Jaune would've had no problems ensuring they were removed from the cosmos permanently. They hoped it wouldn't come to that, however. They were having so much fun being Normal and they'd hate to end it over some being's temper tantrum.

"This meal is very enjoyable, Friend Jaune!"

One reason for their (or rather her currently) newfound enjoyment was her new friend. Penny was very excitable and focused on Normality, just as she was. She'd had also introduced Jaune to the wonders of the Remnet. While she'd delved into the minds of mortals many times in her eons of existence, and done so prior to their arrival in Remnant, the Remnet was an archive of profane knowledge that would drive even other cosmic entities mad were they to gaze upon it.

Yet despite the madness that lay in its archives, it was also a font of knowledge more valuable than the tome of eternal darkness. She had learned so much just by barely scratching the surface with her spindly Human fingers. Such as asserting dominance by spreading their arms. It was apparently a very common thing to do and many of the Beacon students found themselves shrinking back when she greeted them with her arms outstretched.

And she had Penny to thank for that.

"Indeed, Penny. This meal is very enjoyable." Jaune grinned and shoved another spoon of pizza into his mouth. This squishy Human body didn't need to consume food to function and defecating had proven tiresome. As such, any food that arrived in her stomach simply disappeared once it was out of sight. While it wasn't Normal, she cheating now and then wouldn't hurt anyone.

The people in this world that matter could neither be created nor destroyed. Such an amusing and limited idea.

The two friends ate and basked in each other's Normality. Truly, she'd been blessed by the formless one that lay in the center of the universe to find such a kindred soul. Metaphorically speaking. She still didn't have one of those. Penny might not have had one despite being able to use an Aura. The Remnet was very insistent that gingers did not have souls. For some reason, they considered that to be bad. So prejudiced.

"May I ask you a question, Friend Jaune?"

"You may." Jaune nodded three times.

"I overheard from numerous students that you used to present as male before our meeting. We also discussed this briefly beforehand. Is this true?"

"Yes. It is because of my Semblance." Another nod. She could change back to male, but apparently, reconstituting one's bodily shape was frowned upon or considered odd. Perhaps she'd do so at a later date when she was alone, "Does this bother you?"

"Of course not!" Penny shook her head from side to side while her body remained completely still, "I simply found it intriguing. A Semblance that can alter one's body at such an extreme state has never been recorded before."

Never recorded? Did that mean it wasn't normal? She didn't like that. Not at all.

"It is a very Normal semblance, Penny," Jaune said insistently.

"It is? I've never seen such a Semblance across hundreds of years' worth of databanks."

"Perhaps it was simply not recorded. Maybe the ones writing it forgot. Humans can be such forgetful creatures."

Penny tilted her head to the side, "You talk as if you are not Human yourself."

"Of course I am. I am a perfectly Normal Human male. Or female." Jaune nodded forcefully, "You are Human as well, Penny. Can you not sense that I am also a squishy meatbag?"

"I...of course I can! Forgive me for doubting you, Friend Jaune!" Penny gave him a wide smile that showed off all her teeth.

"I'm glad we can understand each other. Now we can go back to being Normal."

"Absolutely!"

The two Normal friends ate their Normal meal before going their separate ways in a Normal manner. It was all very average. Jaune made her way back to her dorm room humming a tune. That was very Normative behavior, from what she'd gathered.

She stopped when she caught sight of Cardin walking down the hall. The man stopped when he saw her too and stared at her chest. Males were often drawn to breasts, though she found it confusing as to why. Even in the minds she'd read, it was always something they couldn't explain. They were drawn to it like a flyap to a kuastuari flesh. Or Starspawn to ruling worlds.

"Cardin. Hello." Jaune waved her noodly Human arms. Both of them. If one arm was friendly, then two arms must have been very friendly, "You look like you're doing better."

"Uh...yeah?" He looked uncomfortable now.

"That is good. You seemed in distress after our match." She stepped closer until they were practically chest to chest. According to the Remnet, many males found it enjoyable when a female violated their personal space.

"Yeah, well...your guts were spilling everywhere, man. Uh...woman. You know what I mean."

"My apologies. That was due to my Semblance." Her chest squished against the armored plate on his torso. He appeared regretful for some reason, "But I am looking forward to sparring with you again. I believe I am getting better at moving around with this body."

Squish.

"Yeah...if you say so." Cardin stepped back, "So, uh...how long are you gonna stay a woman?"

"I am not sure. Why?"

"Ah...no reason." He coughed and walked past Jaune. She watched him go for a moment before humming. Such odd creatures, these Humans were. Jaune continued to make her way back to the dorm room.

Nora and Blake were there. The latter was on her bed and reading a book while the former was pacing around in...worry? Or was she hungry? Jaune still had trouble reading emotions now that she could no longer pry open a person's mind and see their innermost thoughts.

"What is the matter, Nora?" Jaune asked because she was a good teammate.

"I'm worried about Weiss," Nora brought a hand through her hair, "She went out hours ago and she hasn't come back! She's not answering her phone either! She might be in trouble!"

"You're being paranoid." Blake rolled her eyes.

"But this is Weiss we're talking about here! No way she'd stay out past curfew!"

"It's the weekend, students are allowed to stay in Vale until classes start next week. She's probably staying at a hotel or something."

"Probably! So you don't know!"

"And neither do you." Blake scoffed and shut the book she was reading, "Calm down. Weiss hasn't exactly made it a secret that she's not fond of us. I'm not surprised she's taking the chance to spend some time alone. I'm sure she'll be back tomorrow whining about how she deserves to be the leader and that 'she can't believe' she's on the same team as a Faunus. Till then, I'm gonna enjoy the peace and quiet."

Nora frowned at Blake's flippant response but didn't say anything else. Jaune watched the two go back to what they were doing - pacing and reading - and frowned. There was clearly discontent between them both, but she didn't know what to do. Normally she would've delved into their minds and molded their thoughts, but Humans did not do that and many conspiracy scholars on the Remnet frowned on their thoughts being tampered with. Such a limited viewpoint.

Jaune lay down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. Beacon was such an odd place, but it provided a chance for the Normalcy that she craved. Perhaps tomorrow she would meet another friend like Penny, someone who desired Normalcy just as much as she did.

For now, she would pretend to sleep because that was what a Normal person did.

The hours passed and the sun rose. Jaune opened her eyes and sat up, legs completely flat and upper body pointed straight up, "Yawn. That was a good rest." She raised her arms above her head and stretched...then heard a snap. Jaune blinked and looked at the bone jutting against the skin below her elbow. Ah, she'd stretched too hard and broken her arm. She hated it when that happened.

"Are you alright...?" Blake looked at him with a raised brow from her bed. Nora was still asleep.

"Yes." Jaune pushed the bone back into place and smiled, showing off all her teeth, "It doesn't hurt."

"So your Semblance heals you, changes your gender, and you don't feel pain. Anything else I missed?" She scoffed.

"Nope. I will tell you if you did." Jaune nodded rapidly.

"That's alright. I think I'd rather not know." She paused, "Actually...I'm curious. You change genders at the drop of a hat. Does that mean you can have breasts but male...parts?" she asked slowly.

Parts? What did she mean by 'parts'? Again, Jaune lamented that she couldn't just pry open Blake's mind. Instead, she decided to take a chance, "Oh yes, parts. I can absolutely have breasts and male parts. Yes." Jaune nodded.

"Hm. Good to know...good to know."

Nora woke up soon after and frowned when she didn't see Weiss. She kept frowning all the way to the cafeteria when they met with team RPYR in the cafeteria. Again, Jaune did her best to ignore the Starspawn pretending to be Human.

"Where's Weiss?" The Starspawn asked as soon as they sat down.

"We don't know." Nora shook her head with a frown, "She hasn't shown up since last night. Blake thinks she's in town trying to avoid us."

"Makes more sense than you thinking she got kidnapped or something," Blake grumbled.

"Have you tried calling her?" The Starspawn tapped her fleshy hands on the table.

"Not answering." Nora's shoulders sagged.

"I'm sure she's fine." Yang rolled her eyes, "She's a Huntress-in-training, she can take care of herself. I'm more curious about Jaune being a guy again."

She was? Jaune looked down and saw a completely flat chest and broader shoulders. Ah, he was, "My Semblance," he said because that explained everything.

"...Sure, whatever." Yang rolled her eyes again. Was she trying to see through the back of her skull? If so, she would be disappointed. Jaune already tried.

"I'm still worried about Weiss," the Starspawn said.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Nora slammed her hands on the table and stood, "We should go look for her!"

"Are you serious?" Blake looked at her with a constipated look. It was constipated, right? He'd seen similar expressions in those who needed to go to the bathroom, "You want us to go around all over Vale and, what, scream Weiss' name like she's a lost child?"

"Sounds good to me!" Nora nodded quickly.

"...I think I'll pass." Blake shook her head.

"Oh, come on!" Nora pouted and turned to him, "You agree with me, right Jaune? We gotta help Weiss?"

Hmm...what would be the proper response to this? He racked his singular Human mind for the correct answer. In all the shows and Mistralian comics he'd consumed in preparation, the main characters were always quick to help their friends. The power of friendship, they called it. He had existed a long time and knew from experience that it was not a quantifiable force in the universe, and yet these Humans believed it so.

And so he must as well.

"If Weiss is in trouble, then we must help her. That is what a Normal teammate and friend would do."

"Yes!" Nora pumped her fists.

"Ugh, seriously?" Blake groaned. Perhaps she really was constipated, "You two are overreacting."

"I think Nora's right!" The Starspawn suddenly said. Jaune still refused to look at her, "Maybe Weiss isn't in trouble and we're just doing all this for nothing, but why take the chance? If she's not in trouble then great, there's nothing wrong and we only lose a few hours. But if she is in trouble then we owe it to her to do everything we can to find her! Anything else means we're not worthy of being Huntsmen and Huntresses!"

"Wow." Yang whistled, "You're super invested in this, Rubes. Maybe you have a crush on our resident Ice Queen?"

"N-No, I don't!"

"I agree with Ruby," Pyrrha added, "It won't cost us anything to at least go check."

Ren nodded silently.

"Alright, fine." Blake sighed and threw her hands up, "But when she ends up being fine and makes fun of us, don't say I didn't tell you so."

Weiss was not fine.

She'd woken up...actually, she didn't know how long. It felt like hours, but that might've just been her imagination. She'd been blindfolded and gagged with her arms tied behind her back and her legs bound, "Mmph!" Weiss struggled for what felt like the dozenth time in minutes. She was lying on the ground and had been since she woke up. They didn't even give her the courtesy of an uncomfortable wooden chair.

It wasn't the first time she'd been kidnapped in her life. Given the life she led, it was a sadly common fact that she learned very early on in her youth that others wished her harm. Most people did it in the hopes of a ransom, though a few others did it to send a message. They couldn't hurt her father, so of course they went after his innocent children. One reason she became a Huntress was because she hated the idea of being so helpless.

And now here she was, helpless once again.

She continued to struggle against her bindings and scream through the gag. If they thought she was going to be a meek captive, they were sorely mistaken, "Mmph!" She tried to move her arms, ignoring the way the cuffs dug into her wrists. Even without her scroll, she could tell her Aura was barely there. It wouldn't have surprised her if these bastards beat her while she was unconscious.

She heard the sound of a door opening followed by footsteps in front of her. Weiss looked up just in time to receive a kick to the gut, "NGH...!" She tried to scream, but the gag kept her muffled. Spit and vomit pooled inside her mouth and she had to force herself to swallow it back down before she choked.

A hand roughly gripped her jaw and forced her to look up. Another pulled the blindfold off. Weiss winced at the sudden bright light that assaulted her senses, "Don't look away." A rough voice growled. The grip on her jaw tightened, keeping her from looking away.

The face that greeted her was an unfamiliar one. Pale skin, blood-red hair, and a blindfold that kept his eyes hidden from view. Despite the dark strip of cloth, he had no problem seeing her nor did it do anything to mask the absolute hatred radiating off him as he looked down at her.

Her eyes flicked up to the dark horns protruding from his scalp A Faunus. He was a Faunus. Her eyes flicked to another figure standing behind him. The figure was easily seven feet tall with bulging muscles bigger than her head. If she didn't have Aura - and she didn't right now... - she imagined that he'd be able to snap her in two with those arms alone.

More noticeable than all of that, however, was the mask that covered his face. She knew that design.

The White Fang.

A pang of both fear and rage ran through her. This wasn't a ransom then. They were going to kill her, a voice at the back of her mind whispered. The White Fang despised her family and blamed them for their problems. As if it was her family and her family alone that was responsible for their plight. There would be no ransom. They would use her to send a message to her father.

Weiss stubbornly refused to show fear and looked up defiantly at the blindfolded figure, "I'm not scared of you." Weiss sneered.

"A prideful creature to the end, hm? Good. I'll enjoy breaking you of that ego."

"Schnee..." The figure behind the blindfolded man growled. There was so much hate in that single word, "Let me kill her."

"Not yet." The blindfolded figure said, "We need to make sure that we send a message. Besides, she deserves worse than a quick death out of sight." He let Weiss fall back down to the floor and stood back up, "Come, we've got to set the stage."

The juggernaut growled but followed the shorter man out regardless. Why did they come here? Just to scare her? To see if she'd break? Well, they were going to be disappointed. Weiss groaned and started struggling again, not stopping even when another masked figure stepped into the room. He was far less intimidating at a glance. Short - just a few inches taller than she was - with a somewhat pudgy figure and glasses over his mask.

"Hey, uh...I'm here to guard you." Weiss glared at him and he shrunk back slightly, "Hey now, let's just be professional about this. I'm just here to keep an eye on you while they...prepare to horribly kill you live on camera." A beat, "Would it help if I said it wasn't personal for me?"

...

Weiss screamed in a rage so loud it was audible even through her gag. The glasses-wearing terrorist shrunk back slightly and rubbed the back of his head, "Knew I shouldn't have told Deery I'd cover her shift. Bad call, Perry." He groaned. Weiss' struggles increased, fueled by the thought of getting out of here and killing everyone in her way. Starting with the wretch right in front of her.

The painfully awkward situation continued for minutes. The glasses-wearing terrorist tapped his foot and continued to look at his wristwatch, "Ugh, where are they?" he muttered, looking between Weiss and the door worriedly.

She could feel her Aura coming back. It wouldn't be enough to help her escape - the chains around her hands and feet were obviously reinforced - but she could at least use a bit of her Semblance now. But how? She couldn't summon yet, much to her annoyance, and she didn't have any of her Dust to be able to use her glyphs aggressively. At best, she could use the glyphs as platforms, but she only had enough for one. It wouldn't be enough to escape.

Her eyes looked around the room before settling on her hapless guard. A grim thought settled in her mind. The glyphs were solid and she could finely manipulate them. What if...

An explosion came from outside followed by screams. Perry yelped and looked at the shut door, debating on whether he should investigate or stay to keep guard.

He also turned his back on her because of it.

Shelving any hesitation, Weiss concentrated and formed a glyph around his neck. There was a hold large enough to hold his head at the center, "Ngh!" She clenched her teeth and snapped the hole shut, constricting his neck in an agonizingly tight squeeze.

The terrorist tried to scream, but no words came out besides choked, panicked cries. Weiss ignored any pity she felt and continued to strangle him with the glyph. Aura kept his windpipe from being crushed, but it did nothing for the lack of air going into his lungs.

He finally noticed that she was responsible and desperately lunged for her. Weiss hurled herself to the side to avoid his clumsy charge and the terrorist smacked hard against the wall face-first, almost breaking his mask and definitely destroying his glasses on the harsh impact.

He didn't get the chance to try again. The suffocation had reached its peak and the blow to the head only worsened it. Weiss watched as his struggles weakened and he eventually collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap.

She kept the glyph around his neck for a few seconds longer to ensure he wasn't faking it, "Mgh..." She let the glyph dissipate and panted. She'd killed him. As a Huntress-in-training, she'd been prepared for the possibility that she would have to kill someone one day. After all, not every criminal surrendered, and taking a life to protect yourself or innocent people was something that needed to be understood.

And yet, seeing his lifeless body, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

Weiss shook her head. No, she wouldn't let it weigh her down. He was complicit in a plan to murder her. He didn't deserve her guilt. Weiss squirmed and forced herself to sit up. She could still hear the sounds of fighting outside, "Mgh..." She pressed her back against the wall and looked at her chained bare feet. Moving would be difficult, but her years of fencing and ballet training would serve her well.

She stood and, after a deep breath, twisted her body till her bound hands slipped under her raised feet and went from her back to her front. She pulled out the gag and spit, "Ugh..." She bunny-hopped over to the dead body and searched his pockets for the key, "Come on, come on..." She turned him over and searched both pockets before finding what she was a looking for. A big, rusted key that looked like it fit perfectly in the locks.

"Yes...!" She fumbled and unshackled her feet first, heaving a sigh of relief when the chains fell away. It took a bit more to do the same for her hands. She had to grip the key between her lips and twist her head to jimmy the lock.

Weiss panted and pressed her hands against the wall as soon as the chains fell away. She felt...actually, not as tired as she should have. Her Aura should've been drained, especially after her last glyph, and yet she felt oddly energized. Was it just adrenaline? No, didn't matter. Judging from the sounds outside, the White Fang was distracted. Now would be the perfect chance for her to make her escape.

She stepped outside, unable to hear the disembodied, anguished scream of Perry echoing at the back of her mind and begging for mercy.

They couldn't find Weiss.

It wasn't for lack of trying. The seven of them had spent hours walking around town calling her name and they visited the highest most expensive hotels in the kingdom in the hopes of finding her. They did not. Weiss was nowhere to be found and both Nora and the Starspawn became more and more worried as the hours passed and day turned into night with no sign of their friend.

"Hm..." Jaune paused and mused on what to do next. Clearly, wandering around and shouting Weiss' name had not proven successful.

"Salutations!"

He looked up and blinked as Penny ran up to him, "Penny." He spread his mouth wide, showing off all his teeth.

"Friend Jaune? You are male now." She looked him up and down with an expression of wonder. That was an expression he was used to seeing.

"Yes, I am." Jaune nodded, "How did you know it was me?"

Penny froze for a moment before she gave him a wide smile, "Because we are such good friends! It's not because I tracked your scroll. Absolutely not!" Scroll? Ah yes, that odd device people used to communicate across distances. It was such a limited idea. He bought one alongside his sword and shield but never found a reason to use it.

"Okay." Jaune nodded again.

"What are you doing out so late?" Penny asked, "It is past curfew for Beacon students, is it not?"

"Ah. We are looking for Weiss. She is missing and-"

"Jaune." A feeling of annoyance coursed through his squishy mortal shell. Jaune turned his singular head and frowned at the sight of the Starspawn walking towards him. His instincts told him to destroy this world so that she may die with it, but he refused. That wasn't what a Normal person did, "Listen...we need to talk."

"I do not think we have much to talk about."

"No, we do!" She stomped her foot. The road cracked under her foot, though she didn't seem to notice, "Look, I...I don't know what you are, not really, but you've obviously got something going on." She held up a hand, "I'm not asking and I don't want to know. Okay? This isn't about that. It's just..." She chewed on her lower lip. "Could you help find Weiss using...whatever the heck your deal is? Please?"

"I can't. I am a perfectly Normal human."

"Stop lying!" The Starspawn scowled, "Just...please! I'm really worried about her! What if she's hurt or...or worse? We need to find her! Don't you care about her? You said she's your friend!"

"I cannot do anything." Jaune shook his head and looked at Penny with a sideways glance, "This...form is limited. I cannot find her unless I do more, and that comes with risks." A pause, "I am sorry."

The Starspawn chewed on her lower lip and looked as if she wanted to argue more when Penny interjected, "Forgive me for asking, but is Weiss in trouble?"

"Yeah. She's been missing since last night and we can't find her."

"Oh..." Penny looked down at the ground for a moment, "Friend Jaune, may we speak alone?"

"Of course." The two of them walked a short distance away from the frowning Starspawn, "What is the matter, Penny?"

"I find myself facing a conundrum. Father and Uncle Ironwood told me to always be a Normal girl, but I also wish to help you find Weiss. To do that, however, I must do something not Normal. What should I do, Friend Jaune?"

She needed to be not Normal to find Weiss? That truly was a conundrum. Jaune crossed his arms and rubbed his chin. From what he understood, it was a 'thinking pose'. He did wish to find Weiss - to be a good friend if nothing else - but would he give up Normalcy for it? Perhaps. It was Normal to be a good friend, after all, but he'd been doing so well on being average since he arrived on Remnant. No one would be able to tell he was anything more than a regular Human.

"What will you do? Is it a permanent change?"

"Oh no, it would not be anything that I am not already doing, but Father and Uncle Ironwood would be mad if they found out I'm breaking the rules."

"Well...is teenage rebellion not a Normal part of one's existence?" At least that was how the shows always made it look. Penny's eyes widened at the response and he continued, "That and helping a friend in need is what one Normally does."

"You...You're correct, Friend Jaune!" Penny held his right hand with both of hers and smiled brightly. She was actually glowing, "How could I not see it before? Please, give me some time and I can find Weiss."

A second passed.

"I found her, Friend Jaune. Apologies for the delay. I sent the location to both your and Ruby's scrolls."

The Starspawn checked her luminous rectangle and ran over to them, "What is this? Is...Is this where Weiss is?! How did you find this?!"

"It was simple. I looked through CCTV footage of every location across Vale and triangulated her location. Despite their attempts otherwise, the ones who kidnapped her couldn't hide their presence from me." She smiled proudly, "I found her location, which is that warehouse. To ensure I had the correct one, I traced the signal to Weiss' scroll and found it at the same location. They made a very careless mistake in not destroying the device. Not that it would've stopped me."

"Are you sure about this, Penny?" The Starspawn asked.

"I can guarantee with a 99.67% probability that Weiss was kidnapped and taken to that location. The other .33% is that this is all an elaborate roleplay on her part, but that is doubtful given Weiss' psychological profile."

A moment passed before the Starspawn suddenly disappeared, likely to where Weiss was located. Rude.

"Thank you, Penny," Jaune said because he wasn't rude and knew how to express gratitude like a Normal person.

"You are welcome! Shall I forward the location to the rest of your teams?"

"Yes, please. Nora will be happy."

"Understood." Another second passed, "All of them received the locations and 3D maps of the warehouse's structure. Apologies for the delay once more."

"This is what you were afraid to do before? Because it wasn't Normal?"

"Yes." She frowned, "I...wish to tell you of who I truly am, Friend Jaune, but could it wait until Weiss has been secured?" She poked her index fingers together, "I do wish to be honest with you since you're my first friend, but please promise me one thing. Please say that you will not see me as anything different once I tell you who I truly am. I do not wish to lose your friendship."

"That will not happen" So long as she wasn't a filthy Starspawn, at least.

"Sensational!" Penny hugged him tightly and smiled, "Thank you! Now let us go rescue Weiss!"

Patch. It had been years since he'd set foot in this place.

Ozpin stepped off the boat and sighed as his shoes made contact with the sandy beach. It had been over a decade since he'd been here last. Not since Summer Rose's tragic and unexpected death. While Taiyang had stated he didn't blame him for his wife's disappearance, Ozpin was no fool. The man clearly held him responsible, and while he truly didn't know the reason for Summer Rose's disappearance (though he could make an educated guess...), guilt made him keep his distance.

Until today.

The headmaster of Beacon Academy tapped his cane against the ground and walked the unfamiliar path. He would've kept his self-imposed exile if not for the sudden change in circumstances. Ms. Rose - or rather, the creature pretending to be her - had originated from Patch. Her following was also at its greatest here. The cult had spread far and wide to cover almost every corner of the island now.

Just as she planned it, he was sure.

If he was to endear Remnant to their new ruler, he would have to talk to her followers. Convince them that he could be trusted. Thankfully, finding the one he needed to talk to wasn't difficult. The alien magic was practically a beacon to him and he knew exactly where to go. Ozpin continued on his quiet march until he found himself in front of a newly built temple far away from the main settlement.

"Halt. Who goes there?" One of the followers, an older man with a bushy beard, called out.

"Nothing more than humble supplicant," Ozpin bowed, "I saw the glory of the Starchild first hand and wish to pledge my allegiance to her."

The show of submission satisfied the sentry and he let Ozpin pass, "Meet the high priestess and give yourself to the Starchild, supplicant." The immortal stepped into the threshold of worship and shuddered at the overpowering magic in the air. It made even the Grimmlands feel like a pleasant walk.

He walked down the hall till he ended up in a wide room that contained nothing but a singular altar at the center. Kneeling in front of it was a single figure, her body almost completely covered by the red cloak she wore. The hood was pulled over her head, masking her face.

"...I knew it was you." Ozpin stopped behind the figure and forced himself to smile, "It's nice to meet you properly, Ms. Rose."

Ruby Rose, the real one, stood up and turned to face him. She looked no different than the one who took her face, and yet, he knew that she was no innocent teenager. Her eyes spoke of someone who had seen things man was not meant to know and came out of it intact. Not completely, perhaps, but intact all the same.

"Headmaster Ozpin." Ms. Rose smiled. Her silver irises, once containing the innocence of a simple soul, were all but unrecognizable to him now, "Have you come to pledge yourself to the child of the stars?"

"Yes, and so much more." Ozpin took a deep breath, "I come to you with an offer..."