Chapter Text
Jaune stared down at his boxes and suitcases. He had never thought it would come to this. Yes, his transcripts had been faked. but he thought he'd been making good progress with Pyrrha's help. It wasn't good enough, though, apparently. He'd been doing him with the academic side while Pyrrha worked with him physically,his best, but it apparently wasn't good enough. Ren had been helping but none of it was good enough. He was too far behind and Oz pin had arranged for him to finish his schooling elsewhere in Vale while he stayed with some old woman.
He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder, Pyrrha’s green eyes meeting his. “I’m sorry, Jaune. I promise I didn’t tell Ozpin.” Her voice barely reached his ears despite how close they were.
He sighed. "I know. Ozpin said that it was a new security protocol that made him see my transcripts were fake. Plus with my grades not matching my transcripts..." He sighed. His parents were right; he was pretty much just a failure that coldn’t live up to the fact that he was related to Vale’s last king. With him being the only boy, he’d had a lot to prove, but he hadn’t. His parents had torn him down at every turn and not invested in his desire to be a Huntsman at all. He had tried his hardest, only to fail in the end.
"You were a good leader, Jaune." She gave him a warm smile. but he could see tears shining in her eyes. She pulled him into a hug and he returned it. He could barely hold back his own tears. All he'd ever wanted was to be a Huntsman and he had failed. He'd meta great team and even Weiss had eventually been much friendlier after she'd been freed from her father... but even her help and that from Pyrrha and Ren hadn't been enough.
"Thank you." His voice cracked as he held onto Pyrrha. He knew they'd be at a distinct disadvantage without four members, but Ozpin’s word was final. His biggest regret was leaving his team high and dry without a leader and fourth member. They wouldn't be able to participate in the Vytal Festival without him. At least Pyrrha would lead them better than he would. She actually knew what she was doing, unlike him.
She held onto him for a bit, then let go. Nora and Ren waited nearby, giving their hugs as well. "we should get this stuff down." He sighed. Not that he'd been able to bring much in the first place. Most of it had been purchased by Pyrrha for him due to how he'd had to travel light after running away from home. He still wanted to pay Pyrrha back, but that wouldn't happen any time soon, unfortunately.
They all started moving boxes and suitcases down. Jaune glad for the extra strength aura granted them. It meant fewer trips, though it wasn't like he had much in the first place. It only took one trip to get everything down with the team's help. It was just as well because the woman's car was small. They piled everything in the back seat and trunk while the old lady with a cane and faded, blue hair watched them. There was one more round of hugs and goodbyes before Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora left.
The old woman offered him a smile. "So you're Jaune then?" she asked. Her face was wrinkled and carved with age. Ozpin had said she was from the first generation of Hunters, but he found it hard to believe. She looked like a harmless grandmother and used a cane. How dangerous could she be?
He nodded a bit. "Yeah, Jaane Arc. I'm sorry I don't remember your name. You still train students in combat schools?" That really didn't seem likely. How could a woman this old that used a cane train kids? It didn't make sense to him.
Faster than he could blink, the cane extended from a normal one to staff length. It sat only a few inches from his face. The old woman smiled. "I can see the doubt on your face; you don't hide it very well. The cane is to disarm people and to make them think I'm not a threat. I may not be a spring chicken any more,but I can still beat a lot of seasoned Hunters." she twirled the staff and it went back to cane length. It was such a smooth motion he couldn't believe it. "As for my name... Persia Kiersey. I'm older than the SDC and Hunters as a concept. I’ve helped train some of the finest Hunters including Team STRQ.” She smiled. “Now why don’t we get in the car and head home?”
He nodded. "Okay." He got in the passenger seat, surprised to see a small box of cookies and other sweets. He picked it up then got buckled in. "What are these for?" He hadn't had much in terms of sweets since arriving at Beacon. Nora was a sugar hound and tended to gobble anything Pyrrha made within a few days. He and Ren barely got any. He'd basically given upon getting any sweet treats while on the team, so this was more than a bit of a surprise to him. He wouldn't complain, but he couldn't quite hide his surprise either.
Persia started to pull away from the circle drive. “Oh, my students need to recoup energy after practice sessions, so I always have copious amounts of baked goods prepared. Since you're an aura user, you're welcome to anything on the counter. Just don't eat all of the baked goods, okay?" Even he could hear the smile in her voice. It was crackled and deepened with age, but she was still spry. This had been an important lesson in not underestimating people. "I'll feed you three squares a day, though, okay?"
"Okay." He opened the box and pulled out a thin, flat cookie covered in what appeared to be cinnamon. The edges were crispy but the interior was soft and pillowy. Very good. He tried a chocolate chip cookie next and it melted in his mouth it was so soft and chewy. After that, he ate a brownie square—hugely dense and fudgy. This woman was an amazing baker; he was looking forward to more of her treats. He closed the plastic container, then looked out the window. No need to fill up on sugar so close to dinner. Granted, it was hard to fully ignore the treats in his lap.
Persia didn't push him to talk during the trip to her house. He mostly kept his gaze out the window, watching the changing scenery. They arrived in a little suburb with a white picket fence and everything. It was a quaint house, four bedrooms. She helped him take his things upstairs to one of the rooms then left him to his own devices. Well, no point in wasting time. Might as well start unpacking."
δ
Yang's alarm blared the next morning and she rubbed her eyes. She got no chance to sleep in on the weekends due to her intensive schedule. She grabbed her scroll and saw an email from Ms. Linwood about a new student starting. How odd. Transfer students were pretty rare, but the year had only just started a few weeks ago.
Wait.
Someone from Beacon?
Why would someone transfer from Beacon to a normal high school? The years between combat schools and civilian schools ran totally differently. Why would someone from the prestigious Hunter Academy lower themselves to a normal-ass public high school? It made no sense to her.
However, she frowned when she saw another email that set her reeling. Due to an incident a few weeks ago. any student with Hunter lineage was now classified as high risk and was to be placed on extracurricular leave. Insurance was having to be renegotiated across the whole Kingdom. She was on leave until further notice. That meant no soccer or martial arts. The cross country coach had been fired a week ago due to abuse of students and power. They hadn't found a replacement coach yet, though, so she was on leave from that… Now she had nothing to do with her time.
What a fucking start to the day.
She groaned, wanting to stay in bed and not face the day. But she knew she couldn't. Ms. Linwood would be relying on her to help this new student from Beacon. Plus, going to school without a doctor's note wasn't something she wanted to do. Vale allowed for mental health days, but she really didn't want to take one for something as stupid as losing her extracurriculars. This new kid needed herhelp. She had connections to nearly every club and social clique in the school, so it only made sense Ms. Linwood asked for her help. New students often had trouble adapting and finding their way,so someone with her connections was invaluable.
She got up and dressed, sighing heavily as she headed down the stairs. The scents of breakfast cooking drew her into the kitchen. She dropped her head onto the table with a thank, getting a startled sound out of Ruby. "What's up, kiddo? You just got up. Seems a little early for drama." Taiyang's tone was light, showing he either hadn't read the email or just hadn't gotten it.
"I'm on leave from all extracurriculars immediately." She didn't bother to raise her head.
“What? Why?” Yang explained about the email, voice heavy. This was the worst possible news to her. She was extremely kinesthetic and relied on her extracurriculars for physical engagement. School wasn’t her favorite, but it did keep her mentally stimulated. “Any idea if or when you’ll be allowed back?”
"Nope. Probably not until the negotiations are over and there's no telling how long that'll take." She sighed. This had been her routine since sixth grade. Cross country, soccer, martial arts... There was a fee involved with all of them, but not as high if Taiyang had to pay for them himself. She couldn't believe she'd been removed though she lived a strictly civilian life. "I guess I'll need to find something else to do with my time until negotiations go through." Don't know what though." She sighed. She knew there were plenty of volunteer opportunities in Vale. The problem would be figuring out which to do.
"You'll figure it out, Yang. You're smart." She could hear the smile in her father's voice despite his back being to them. "Lots of opportunity to do stuff around Vale and you’ve got Bumblebee to get you to and from places. Think of it as a chance to explore new things and expand your horizons. It's only September so you have some time before it gets cold. You like being outside, so maybe there's something you could do in the agricultural sector. Your birthday is in a few months too, so you'll be of age too."
Yang tapped her chin. "Might not be a bad idea." She opened her scroll and searched for volunteer organisations in that part of the city. More than one animal sanctuary including several horse ones, the Fieldgate Four-Clan Youth Farms program, and several community cooperative planting organisations. The latter didn't offer much time due to it already being fall, so that was pretty much out and she wasn't looking for a new, full-time extracurricular like Fieldgate. Maybe one of the horse sanctuaries? That might not be a bad idea. Apparently Mistral and Atlas still did traditional horse horses that were otherwise set to be killed for meat. "Would you be willing to sign some liability wavers and stuff for me?” She hated being so close to being an adult and still needing her father’s permission for stuff.
"Sure, kiddo. Print 'em off and we can look at 'em." Yang nodded and did that while he cooked. Ruby lay on the table, still asleep. Yang had no idea how Ruby could do that. Just bending over the table hurt, so she had no idea how Ruby could sleep with her head down like that. Her Master's classes didn't start until later in the had definitely inherited Summer's intelligence.day while Yang was on a normal high school sophomore schedule. Ruby had definitely inherited Summer’s intelligence.
They roused Ruby once breakfast was done while Yang and Taiyang went over the liability wavers. Horses could be dangerous to be around, so everyone had to sign waivers or have a parent sign if a minor. Thankfully, if they were within four months of their seventeenth birthday, they didn't need guardian supervision. That applied to Yang, so Tai yang wouldn't have to be with her while she was on premises. She'd really just be helping with grooming and stall mucking due to her lack of prior experience. She would need to attend a class on horse handling and behavior, but that wasn't a BIG deal. Yang grinned after it was all sorted out. "Thanks, Dad. Not sure if I'll run today or not. Ms. Linwood asked me to help a transfer from Beacon today." He blinked at her and she explained, showing him the email.
"How odd. Maybe Glynda would have more info to help you." He took out his scroll and started texting. He was quiet for a bit then sighed. "she's being tightlipped. Typical Glynda." He shook his head. "Anyway, you should get on your way, kiddo."
Yang nodded. "You're right; see you later." She hugged him and picked up her backpack, heading out to the garage. She hopped on Bumblebee, revved the engine, and headed off to school.
She arrived at school with time to spare, so she set her desk and books up for her first class. Then she put her head down. She couldn't believe she'd gotten removed from her extracurriculars just because of her Hunter lineage. And her entire family were Hunters. Raven, Qrow, Taiyang, Summer... All of them had documented Hunter field experience and she could only imagine how much worse it was with Qrow and Raven being from the Branwen tribe. Granted, wasn't like she'd ever met Raven before.
Damn bitch, abandoning her like that.
She sighed, keeping her head down. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long for the insurance staff to get sorted, but she knew that was a pipe dream at best. Shit like this tended to move at the pace of molasses in January. Things might not get resolved until late into the winter. She wanted to keep up with her judo, but she couldn't, not until this was resolved. She didn't want to go to some external dojo and start again at white belt, but she knew she'd get rusty if she sat on it too long. It was her varsity sport which was a huge deal to her since she was only a sophomore. She hated all of this.
"Yang?" A voice made her look up. Ms. Linwood stood there, a look on her face. "Is something wrong? It's not like you to have your head down." She explained and Ms. Linwood frowned. "I did get the announcement but I didn't think about how it'd impact you, I'm so sorry. If you don't want to meet with Jaune today. I understand."
"It sucks, but what can I do?" She shrugged. "Gotta keep moving forward, right?"
"Yes, but you can take time to process, Yang. There's no shame in it. It'll take some time for the insurance to be renegotiated for all the sports. Until then, maybe something like debate, workshop ,culture, music, or theater clubs? It's a bit late to look into auditioning for the play, but maybe look into being a technician of some sort? I know you're good with your hands."
"I'll think about it." That was all she could promise. Her name spoke to her Qin heritage, but she was Valian through and through. She wasn't sure if any of the culture clubs would welcome her or not. Most students knew who she was, but she tended to keep most people at arm's length. A lot of people knew who she was but not her. She didn't really have friends to say friends. She was the school's queen bee but had no real friends herself. It was just safer that way.
Ms. Linwood smiled and started setting up for the homeroom period. Students started to file in, chattering while gathering around their desks. Yang smiled and greeted people as they did to her. However,one blond boy with blue eyes stood off to the side, looking uncomfortable at best. Ms. Linwood greeted him and spoke with him, though Yang couldn't hear what they said from her place.
They approached her and Ms. Linwood smiled. "Jaune, this is Yang. She's pretty much the queen bee here at Crossroads. She knows everyone who's everyone here and can help you find your place." With that done, Ms. Linwood went back to getting ready for homeroom.
Yang leaned back in her chair. "Sup, Jaune? Like Ms. Linwood said, I'm Yang. What made you transfer from Beacon?" She couldn't help herself from asking. She doubted she'd get an answer, though. His body language screamed anxiety and a lack of confidence to her. Avoiding eye contact. collapsed shoulders, eyes darting around... Either life hadn't been kind to him or he just had a nervous disposition. They could be equally likely.
"Um, hi." His voice barely carried despite how close he was, but he didn't answer her question. Honestly, she didn't blame him. It was odd to go from Beacon to a normal school especially with the team structure Hunter Academies relied on." Um. So you're the queen bee here at crossroads? What all does that entail?"
“I have connections with just about every club and every clique. Not all of them, but most of them. Do you know where you’d fall in a normal school? Jocks, drama kids, rainbow kids, outcasts?” If he knew that, it would help her a lot. She felt bad there were outcasts, but it was just how high school was, unfortunately. “I notice you have an accent. Where ya from?” Honestly, that would probably be the best place to introduce him to. Granted, he could be Valian for all she knew. There were enclaves throughout the city where other languages were spoken primarily. Maybe he was from an enclave?
He frowned. "I….was an outcast at home before coming to Beacon, but I'm from southern Mistral.. Why do you ask?" His gaze shifted, his tone even softer. An outcast, huh? That definitely made things a lot tougher. With his soft disposition, it would definitely be hard for him to fit in. From what she knew of southern Mistral. it was a lot more individualistic than central. Granted. she was no expert on Mistral, but the cultural clubs and their events had taught her a bit. Lots of students were interested in the V-CEEI. the Vale Cultural Exchange and Education Initiative. Lots started their training in middle school so they could have a head start in college.
"Well, your options area bit limited. Aura users are strictly banned in any sorts of sports, so you're limited there. Anything mental, though? You'll be good. Plus, your aura-enhanced strength would be welcome in places like shop-based extracurriculars or the behind-the-scenes stuff for drama like building sets for plays and stuff." she honestly needed something like the idea of checking out the horse sanctuary. "I'm currently free after school, so if you want me to introduce you to anyone, just ask.”
He nodded a bit. "Okay. I'm just... Not very good with most people." And no wonder. He had all the backbone of wet tissue paper. She still wanted to know why he was here instead of Beacon, but he clearly didn't want to talk about it. He opened his mouth to speak again but the bell rang. All the students went to their seats, though with it being homeroom. the atmosphere was relaxed. Still, Yang opted to focus on any homework she hadn't finished over the weekend, really in her own little world.