Rumbles of Thunder

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Beta(s) :

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And here we really go...

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"So the plan is settled then?"

"Mhm." Jaune nodded, shrugging his pack on and turning to draw his sword. Or rather, to check that he could without looking too stupid or, even worse, stumbling as the weight of his pack shifted. Satisfied neither were in the way of the other, he turned to talk to the woman over at her own bed, tugging her greaves taut. "We're due back in Friday or Saturday, so we can split up when we land in Vale and go meet her."

"I'm glad." Pyrrha smiled, "I must say, I'm looking forward to a good fight with her."

"Oh yeah, I bet." And she was, too… Gods, he hoped whoever owned that warehouse had good insurance.

Really good insurance.

"What are you two plannin'?" A distressingly topless Nora asked as she sauntered by and Jaune stared pointedly at the ceiling.

"A sparring match, between a friend of Jaune's and myself." Pyrha explained, watching the woman until she slipped a shirt on which, admittedly, did little to cover her. Still it was enough, or so Pyrrha figured, and she called out, "Your precious, pure eyes are safe now, Jaune. Nora can't corrupt you."

"Hey, I can corrupt anyone I want to, thank you very much." Nora argued with a grin, shooting him a wink as she slipped by and back into the bathroom to get her hair in order.

"I'm in hell…" Jaune sighed dramatically, "I died in Initiation and went right to hell."

"Where you're tormented by the sight of mostly nude, gorgeous women?" Nora called out from the bathroom, her voice echoing and bright. "Well, I hope if I ever end up in the chilly downstairs, I get the same treatment!"

"Seconded." Ren offered dryly, shrugging when Jaune gave him a look. "What? It's better than eternal drowning."

"Or eternal thirst." Pyrrha offered, shuddering, "Alone, thirsty, and surrounded by water that always slips away as you come for it? I'll take beautiful women any day of the week."

"All of you are evil." Jaune laughed, checking the time and sighing. Raising his voice, he called out, "Ten minutes and we have to get going, or we'll be late meeting up with Professor Ambrosia."

"Yeah, that's a yikes." Nora laughed, stepping out of the bathroom in her combat skirts. Straightening her top, she shook her head and whistled, "I hear they can be an ass about rules, too. Like, worse than Goodwitch!"

"That's a rather frightening thought…"

"Yeah." Jaune agreed easily. Someone that outpaced Goodwitch's streak of harshness and rule strictness? Not someone he looked forward to pending the next couple of days with, to be sure. But still, "We're lucky to be allowed out on a real Hunt with a proper Hunter, though. Stickler or not, I kind of look forward to learning from him."

"I mean…" Nora shrugged, "S'just Beowolves, though."

"True enough." Pyrrha pointed out, standing and slipping her pack on with all the grace he expected from someone like her.

She didn't check the sword draw with her pack on, either… Which made him wonder if he'd looked dumb doing it. But... Nah, it was better safe than sorry. And besides, they would have said something about it if it was weird.

Right?

"Alright, guys." He finally grunted, turning to Nora, "Got the extra grenades and rations?"

"Tucked away, nice 'n safe!" Nora beamed widely, slapping the bottom of her pack in a very distressing display of confidence. His eyes must have widened, because she laughed, "Oh, relax, Fearless Leader! The 'nades have to be primed before they'll blow."

"Oh, why can't the women in my life be normal." Jaune sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and grunting, "Ren?"

"I wouldn't know." The man shrugged and smiled when jaune turned a confused look on him, "This is all normal for me. So I don't know that this is women being abnormal, really."

"The food, Ren…"

"Oh, yes, that." He nodded, smiling warmly, "Survival packages in the bottom of my pack, along with a guide on the flora of where we're headed. For foraging."

"And I have the map!" Pyrrha smiled when he turned to her. He nodded, grateful she, at least, hadn't taken the time to tease him like the rest of his back-stabbing team had been doing. "And we all have our bed-rolls as well. So, if there's nothing else, Jaune…"

"Mhm." He nodded, turning for the door, "Off to work we go."

They got to the Bullhead Docks at precisely one minute past three which, judging from the scowl on their professor's face. They were tall, dressed in a simple enough grey suit, and carried a pair of magnums on their waist. The grey haired professor snapped, pointed at them, and then stalked onto their Bullhead without another word.

"So." Pyrrha sighed, "The professor is unhappy."

"Mhm." Jaune nodded, "Well, I guess we should just-" The buzzing of his Scroll cut him off and his brows furrowed as he fished it out and flicked it open. Ruby's icon filled the screen, blinking insistently, and Jaune hummed. "Ruby is calling me…?"

"Ruby?" Nora murmured, "But… Isn't she out on a mission?"

"Yeah…" Jaune paid her a look and then pressed the 'Accept' button and asked, "uh, Ruby? You there?"

"-aune!" Ruby's static-covered, high pitched voice shrieked painfully out of the Scroll as it struggled to make the connection. "-in! Com- Vale!"

The line died in a sudden whine of static and confused signals, and Jaune looked up, to his partner and the rest of his team, "All I got out of that was Vale… Well, uh, and my name, but I don't think that was, you know, the important part."

"You think something is happening?"

"I-" A distant, echoing whump managed to reach him, and then with it, the sound of distant sirens. Overhead, Atlesian ships began to circle, maneuvering to fight… Something, in the city, and Jaune felt his stomach drop.

Then, he saw the smoke, and his hand curled into a fist, "Pyrrha, tell the professor we've had a change of plans. Nora, arm your grenades. Ren, make absolutely sure the staff know there's an alarm on in the city. Alert a droid, or something, and get back here as fast as you can. Sorry, guys, but our mission will have to wait…"

They all split off to do as he said without a word of dissent and he frowned, turning his back to Vale and flicking through to his contacts. Flicking through it, he clicked on Licorice's name and asked, "Lic- No, Neo… Are you safe? The city is… Something's happening. Please, tell me you're safe. Send me a message or- Or something."

The audio-message was sent, and he waited for an answer.

But nothing came, except lead in his stomach and ice in his veins. Something had happened...

Finally, he heard armored heels on concrete and turned to see Ren and Pyrrha both coming back to join him. "The Professor said it's fine to change the plan, and the pilot agreed."

"Staff knows, too." Ren added, "They're mobilising out-going students, and incoming ones, too, to get people out there."

"Good." Jaune nodded, turning and stalking towards the Bullhead. "It's time to do our jobs then, team Juniper. Let's make Beacon proud."

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The blonde slammed into the semi-armored train ceiling hard enough to dent it, and then came back down with the same amount of force, caving in just the barest bit of the metal grating that ran up the middle of the floor. She tried to rise on weak arms but a kick to her side sent the blonde rolling onto her back before she could, and the blonde lay still. Her eyes were open, but glossy and lost. Unconscious. Neo planted a foot on her chest, just above those melons she was lugging around, and the woman groaned weakly. Hush clicked free, peeking out of the tip of its parasol cover.

But then… She recognized the hair and her brow furrowed. Flicking her Scroll out of a pocket she flicked it open. No service, but she still had the files on it.

Including pictures of Jaune's friends.

And one breasty blonde in a picture, her arm around Red's shoulders and a smile for Jaune's camera.

"Fuck." She thought, flicking a look to the unconscious woman. "Of all the rotten luck…"

The sound of snarling drew her attention to the back of the car and she looked up, watched a Creep that had come aboard somehow claw the door open. Another couple were behind it, and she could hear even more beyond. All of the ones she could see, though, dripped ruby red blood onto the metal under them, their long tongues lapping at their jaws as they paced out to either side of the door slowly.

If they charged en mass, she would have some trouble- Hush wasn't really meant to fight Grimm. A pointed tip in a throat would kill, of course, but her precious was a Human killer, through and through.

But Miss Melons under her was Jaune's friend…

Fuck…

The first Creep finally charged, jaw wide and a snarl ripping free from its throat. A foot to the snout was its reward for its impatience, following by a long piece of sharp metal. She yanked Hush's blade free and turned to thrust in and down as the second charged, and buried itself in its throat. Its momentum pulled it forward though and let Hush tear its throat open. It flailed as it flew by, but Neo ignored it, slipping forward and stepping off the brawler's chest to meet the next.

Jaune would hate to lose one of his friends…

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"Hold still, Jaune." Pyrrha hissed, kneeling beside her partner - and dear friend, now that all was clear - in an apartment whose familiarity made her stomach turn. Pressing the bandage tight around the knight's forearm, she used her other hand to wrap a binding cloth around it and then tied it off, tugging it straight and chiding him, "There, and well-tied, for all your struggling and squirming."

"An Arc doesn't squirm…"

"Then who are you?" She asked quietly, trying to put on a smile. Sharp blue eyes let her know how well it fared, though, and she sighed as she began to clean up the medical mess she'd made. "Apologies, I just… Roman was involved in this."

"I know…"

"Grimm in the city, Jaune." Pyrrha snarled, standing and stalking away. She saw Roman's chair and scowled, dropping the First-Aid case onto it and setting the bag of trash on top of that. "I trusted them through you, Jaune, but-"

"Pyrrha." His voice cracked as he said her name and good gods, that hurt her. Quietly, he repeated, "I know. And… And I intend to find out what the hell is going on."

"She won't want to tell you…"

"I don't care." Jaune growled, meeting her green eyes with his own bright, fiery blues and filling Pyrrha with certainty even before he went on, "But those were Grimm! In Vale! Roman and Neo- They're my friends, but I have a duty!"

He slammed a fist into the arm of the couch and then hissed as it sent pain lancing up his injured arm.

"I don't think opening up that claw wound counts as your duty, Jaune." He snorted and she smiled, before she squashed the pain that welled up and asked what had to be asked. Even if she hated it, she had to respect Jaune's choices, and that meant asking, "Do you want me here, then?"

"Do I…"

"When she gets here." Pyrrha explained quietly, "Do you want me here, or would you prefer to confront her privately?"

"I…" He blinked, thinking, and set his hand on the hilt of the sword laying on the couch beside him, fingers closing comfortingly around the hilt. Finally, after a moment of thought, he asked, "Would you be… Upset, or, you know, something, if I said yes?"

"No." She lied easily and smiled warmly, "For all the… Damage, no one was killed. Only a few droids were destroyed. So, as far as i can say, this is still a… Personal problem of yours. And I am happy to let you address it however you are comfortable."

"You're a saint, Pyr." He smiled that smile that melted her heart, and stabbed it at the same time. "You know that?"

"If you say it…" She smiled and asked, after a second for her meaning to get across, "Shall I go, then?"

"Yeah…" He grimaced, "And, uh… Sorry, Pyr."

"You needn't be-"

"Pyr." He cut her off, smiling that more knowing smile that actually chilled her instead of warming her. "You're like an open book I've read a thousand times. You can't hide anything from me."

"Gods, but that was cheesy…"

"I'm an Arc, so of course it was cheesy. But it's true, too." Her unreciprocated but no less beloved, fearless leader smiled, nodding towards the door, "See if you can find someone to help? Might give you something else to focus on."

"That's not a poor idea…" In times like these, the lessers of society would seek to take their fill. Thieves and psychopaths, spurred by the chaos and looking for loot they could 'acquire' from stores that obviously wouldn't be able to say they hadn't sold it to them earlier. Nodding, she asked, "And of Nora and Ren?"

"Professor Ambrosia is heading out on perimeter clearance." He suggested, "Maybe grab them and join him later? I think Ren and Nora are doing street clearing right now."

"We shall see how the day goes, then." Finally, she forced herself to breathe and turned, heading for the door. "If you need anything, I won't stray terribly far."

"If I need…" She heard the confusion in his voice, as her fingers closed around the doorknob. But he only called back, "Okay, Pyr. Be safe."

"Always." And she was gone, slipping out and letting the forced smile die. Milo and Akuou came to her hands with a casual flick and she turned, stalking up the road in search of anyone she could find worth relieving some of her stress on.

What had Jaune gotten himself into…?

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Hard hours passed while Jaune waited. Hours spent thinking, reading news reports on his Scroll, and pillaging the fridge for food. But he waited, patient and calm just like his father had always told him a Hunter had to be, even- No, especially when his emotions begged and pleaded and demanded that he be something else. Something darker and more vibrant, that would make him feel so much better.

But ultimately, no matter how cathartic, it would only be destructive.

Finally, though, the door opened and then, quietly, shut again. He heard heels on the floor until a familiar, multi-colored mop slipped into view. And froze, on seeing him.

She was dirty, he noticed first. Covered in dirt and grime and splotches of a bright, painful red. Her hair had sticks in it, and a leaf, and he could tell it would need a deep wash to get it clean. But what caught his eyes the most was her bare stomach, the ragged edges of the clothes around the obvious claw marks telling him she'd been fighting. Finally, he met her eyes.

Wide, and bright, frightened white.

"Hey." He murmured, voice cracking, "I… I was waiting."

"I can tell." She signed slowly, after a moment. She didn't move, though, and Jaune felt his anger spark up when she looked to each side warily, like she expected someone to attack her.

"It's just me." He growled with more fire in his voice than he'd expected. She flinched and he forced himself to calm down, and sighed, "No one knows about you, or here… Not yet, at least."

"Yet?"

"Pyrrha wants to turn you in." Jaune explained quietly. She hadn't said as much, but then, Pyrrha hadn't needed to. He'd been honest when he said he could read her. "She won't, though. Not unless I tell her to."

"Will you?"

"That's not really up to me, is it?"

"Jaune..." She signed, pointing to him and twisting her hand in the common sign for 'yellow' the way she'd always done.

"You attacked my friends." He pointed out, standing, Crocea Mors' sheathed form in his off hand. She flicked a white-eyed look to it and back to him, and he asked, "Why?"

"I didn't recognize the yellow haired-"

"Yang."

"Yang." Neo repeated after a second to think out the sign for it - another 'yellow' but this time with a double circle after that would have been funny, in any other circumstance. "When I did, she was already down. But I didn't hurt her."

"She has a concussion!"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do…" He knew Neo hadn't wanted her dead. It had been obvious once he'd calmed down, about an hour after Pyrrha left and he'd called Ruby to check on her. "But that's not the worst- The Grimm, Neo! Why the hell would either of you even- How could you- Why?!"

His voice cracked as he yelled, and Neo flinched again for it, and Gods but that hurt somewhere deep in the back of his mind…

Still, he kept on, stepping closer to her and pointing at her, "That isn't you, Neo! Or Roman! So why?"

"I can't tell." She signed anxiously, hands trembling. "You're clean."

"Not," he growled, "anymore."

"What-"

"I covered for you both, Neo. Kept your secrets." He explained, cutting her off when she started to sign the obvious question. "Do you really think I don't feel responsible for this?"

"Oh." Was all Neo could sign, one hand absently tracing the letter out in the air instead of even properly signing it.

"Yeah." He sighed and turned, stalking back to the couch and dropping onto it, his elbow on his knee and his head resting in his palm. "So… No more secrets. You're going to tell me everything. You're not going to hold a single thing back, no matter what the hell it is," he growled pointedly, looking up to meet her eyes again, "and then we are going to get you both out of whatever mess you're in."

"You're going to help us…?"

"Of course I am, damn it." He sighed, shaking his head and easing back against the back of the couch. Waving a hand at her, he smiled and said, "I don't know what life would be like without you in it, Neo. And I don't mean to find out, either. Hell or high water, we are in this together. As long as you'll have me."

The woman blinked, and then snorted quietly, one hand covering her mouth as tears suddenly burst forth.

"Hey, hey." He was on his feet in seconds, surging across the room, sword abandoned, to wrap his arms around her. Pulling her into a warm hug, he smiled and said, "No crying, now. There's no reason for it, after-"

The taste of salt, copper and something sweet cut him off and, after a second of the warmth and taste, he realized Neo was kissing him.

Oh…

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Neo's entire body was trembling in terror. Why had she done that? Why was she doing it? What even was 'it'? Why wasn't she stopping? She had to stop, before he pushed her off! Got angry and left! Or went for his sword so he could take her down to the precinct a couple blocks over-

His arms wrapped around her and she felt her feet come off the ground as he hoisted her up, and all Neo could think beyond hard muscle and sudden height was-

Oh…

Then, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed into him even more. As long as she'd have him, he'd said...

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Ozpin watched the drifting, trailing smoke in the distance as the sun just began to slip behind the horizon and sipped at his mug. Hot chocolate, with a bit of Branwen spice, was a good relief to the day's stresses. Little had gone to plan today, but at the least Ironwood had kept his ships nearby at his behest. Along with a contingent of Ozpin's own Hunters, waiting to head out to assignments that were ever out of reach due to the 'inclement weather' South and East.

Nevermind that the sun had been shining…

Clearly, it was localized.

His comm-line chimed and he expertly flicked the button on his cuff to answer it and hear James ask, "You knew exactly where they would come out, Ozpin. How?"

"I have my ways." He answered coyly, "you detained Mister Torchwick?"

"I did." Ironwood answered quietly, "He'll be in his cell on my flag-ship shortly. You're going to question him?"

"I was going to ask for permission…"

"And if I refuse?"

"Well," Ozpin sighed, "he is a Valean citizen, arrested in Vale…"

The threat was clear. The Council wouldn't allow Ironwood to simply abduct a citizen of the Kingdom. Not without questions. And with the plan to defend Beacon strictly credited to the Academy, with evidence to back it all, Ironwood didn't have the clout to over-rule them or persuade them otherwise. It was all rather underhanded, but Ozpin was a man of sureties to maintain his faith in people.

"Tomorrow." Ironwood growled, aware of his games and none too pleased with it. "Noon."

Ozpin didn't answer, or intercede when Ironwood ended the call. He'd allow James to feel in control.

Here, at least, where it did no harm.

"Jaune Arc." He sighed, turning back to matters of the future now that the present was settled. "What have you gotten into, my boy?"

Perhaps it was time he found out…?

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So…

The ship sails~

I hope I sold that scene fairly well. I've had it planned for quite some time. Jaune's dumb levels of loyalty, Neo's loyalty, both of their guilt over what has happened, and neither understanding what the fuuuuck is going on between them.

Except kissus.

Also, Ozpin is playing gaaaaaaames~

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OmniTracker :

About that…

S'called 'plans getting interrupted'.

Nya Nya kitty Face :

Well… *stares off to the side innocently*

Aleucard :

Eh, I think she'd approve. Lol.

Man of Steele :

Happy to be back, hope you enjoy!