Chapter 10: Caught in the Blast

It should have been a normal Tuesday. When Ruby's alarm woke him up that morning, he rolled over to grab his scroll so he could check the Metaverse app, confirming that there was still about 197 hours left until the deadline. He knew there wouldn't be any sort of significant change, save for the timer ticking down like normal, but he figured it didn't hurt to check. It wasn't often that all five members of Team RWBY had managed on to get ready for class with enough time to grab breakfast beforehand, but it was always a pleasant surprise when it did happen. In fact, not only was Team RWBY on time, but Team JNPR, who ordinarily had to drag Jaune and Nora from their beds for them to get moving, met them in the courtyard on the way to the dining hall. The two groups made their usual banter as they moved through campus, grabbed their breakfasts, and took their places at their usual table. As far as Farran was concerned, this should have been a textbook, normal day at Beacon Academy. Yet, at Beacon, having a normal day on the scale of your average person was like winning the lottery, and Farran never had that kind of luck.

The dining hall was rocked by the sound of the scrolls of the several hundred students in the dining hall all blaring together simultaneously. Slowly, the cacophony began to die down, as their owners hurriedly dug through their pockets, slamming down the volume buttons to silence the noise. Farran flipped his scroll open to find the commotion had been caused by a message that had been sent by the Academy's Emergency Announcement System which read:

"ATTN ALL STUDENTS: All classes and school activities have been cancelled until further notice. All first & second years, please calmly return to your dormitories immediately, and wait for further instructions. All third and fourth year students, as well as all essential faculty, please report to the amphitheater ASAP. – Prof. Ozpin"

As soon as Farran finished the message, the previous racket caused by the message became replaced by a soft murmur of hushed, worried whispers. All around him the dining hall's occupants stood up, their breakfasts all but forgotten, and started moving towards their newly ordered destinations. Farran looked around at the others at the table, each mirroring his confusion.

"So…" Yang broke their silence, "What exactly do we do now?"

Weiss clicked her tongue, "What do you think? We go back to the dorms. It's a direct order from Professor Ozpin, after all…"

"Well, no shit! That's not what I meant. Whatever's going on has to be pretty big, right? Shutting down all of Beacon… Getting all the upperclassmen together… This isn't normal."

Pyrrha folded her arms, "As far as I am aware, nothing like this has ever happened at Beacon. Cancelling all classes is a rarity among the Academies as it is, but all this… It's completely unheard of."

"If that's the case, I think we should head to the common room by our rooms." Jaune shrugged, "If this is so big, whatever's going on has to be on the news."

Ruby nodded, "I agree. I know they won't ask for us unless it's a worst case scenario, but even still, we should keep ourselves in the loop, just in case."

With a murmur of approval, the members of Teams RWBY and JNPR stood and followed the queue of people out of the dining hall. Evidently, they weren't the only group to have that idea, as every single lounge and common area they passed seemed to be swarmed with students, all huddled around scrolls and television screens. The common room Jaune had proposed they use sat at the very end of their hall, and was relatively unused by any other students besides their two teams, mostly due to its size, which is why it surprised none of them that it remained empty when they arrived. Still, the room provided enough accommodation for the nine of them after some rearranging. Farran was forced to have one of his teammates on his lap, which ended up being Weiss after she lost a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, much to her chagrin. Once they all got settled in, Jaune switched the television on and thumbed through the channels until he reached VNN. Lisa Lavender, in her usual, trademark attire, appeared on screen, next to a small feed of what looked like a burning mansion. The ticker running across the bottom of the screen read. "Councilman Assassinated. Bombing At Unhilo Manor".

"…To repeat, we have just received word that the body of Councilman Morado Unhilo has been discovered on the grounds of his manor in Vale." Lavender's calm, professional voice rang through the speakers, "As we have been reporting, at five this morning, an explosive was detonated inside the manor, destroying a good portion of it, and otherwise setting the rest of the building alight. The rest of Councilman Unhilo's family have been confirmed to be safe and unharmed, however the Councilman himself had remained missing until just a few moments ago. There are reports that the Vale City Police are on the trail of a suspect, but they are as of yet unconfirmed. All citizens of the City of Vale are being asked to remain indoors until further notice…"

"Ok, stupid question." Farran whispered into Weiss's ear, "Vale is a Kingdom, right? So… What's with the Council? Shouldn't there be a king or something?"

She sighed, but whispered back, "Are you seriously telling me you don't know, Farran?"

"Memory loss, ok? I'm doing what I can here, but we haven't gone over that in class, and Goodwitch must have thought it too basic to include in the books she left me. Just… humor me, alright."

"Fine… Essentially, yes. The Kingdoms do still have Kings and Queens, but they have become mostly figureheads after the Great War. Instead, the Kingdoms are ruled by Councils, which are made up of representatives elected from all major areas of the Kingdom. Councilman Unhilo was the representative of the City of Vale. The Council members are very important, as they possess direct control over the policies of the areas in which they were elected, as well as having a vote on all national policies that are controlled by the Council. Understood?"

"Got it. Thanks Weiss. Sorry, I know it's gotta be annoying dealing with me. It's not exactly enjoyable bugging you guys for this information either."

She gave him a smile, "Don't worry Farran. I know it isn't your fault. I'm just still not that used to-"

"…Ladies and Gentlemen, I have just received word, we can now confirm that Vale City Police have a suspect in the bombing of Unhilo Manor in custody." A picture of a middle-aged man appeared next to Lisa Lavender on the screen, "The suspect, Oren Datrini, age 54, was arrested about an hour ago by Vale City Police as he was leaving his place of residence, where upon he confessed to the crime. It is believed that Mr. Datrini, an immigrant muskrat Faunus from Menagerie, worked under the employ of Councilman Unhilo at his estate. Upon his arrest, officers also found a number of stolen crates of high-quality dust, as well as equipment commonly used to make explosives. In addition, a large amount of White Fang paraphernalia was found around his residence. Whether Mr. Datrini was working for the White Fang, or simply worked alone while sympathizing with their ideals is unclear at this time. With the pilot of the Schnee Dust Company ship that crashed two weeks ago having recently been confirmed to be a White Fang collaborator, it would certainly seem members of this radicalized Faunus movement are on the move. Chief of Police Irving Spencer will be holding a press conference later this afternoon to discus…"

"Well, I suppose that answers our questions." Ren leaned forward, "Such an attack will surely cause a lot of fear, and therefore Grimm attacks. Professor Ozpin probably plans on dispatching the upperclassmen to the surrounding areas to prevent most of the damage."

"So… What happens now?" Nora twiddled her thumbs, "A member of the Council being killed… Are they going to have an election or something?"

Weiss nodded, "I would imagine so. Sadly, a member of the Atlesian Council passed away after a long battle with leukemia years ago. I was still young then, but I remember the coverage of the resulting election. If I remember correctly, it was said that, due to the importance of the Council, in the result the death of one of the members, an emergency election will be held no more than two months after. Not a lot of time, but I suppose it's better than all of Vale's political policies being placed on hold until a proper election can be held."

"Yeah. Gods know you got people campaigning to be elected all the way between normal elections. We even had some fop campaigning in Patch the night Councilman Unhilo was elected. Can't remember who exactly it was, but I think their family runs a big quarry outside of Vale." Yang crossed her arms, "I dunno, this all just sucks. With all these accidents and shit going on, the last thing we need is the White Fang adding to it all."

There was a rustling next to Farran when Blake, who had been sitting in a chair to his left, suddenly stood up, causing all discussion to cease. Farran hadn't noticed it before, but as she stood stiff as a board, her eyes had the same empty, distant look they had a few days before when they left the movie theater. Before Farran had a chance to question her, Blake spun on her heels and bolted from the room, slamming the door behind her as she left. The rest of the group looked amongst themselves, each as confused as the person next to them.

"…Is Blake going to be ok?" Jaune asked tentatively, "I don't think I've ever seen her look like that."

Farran let out a deep sigh, "The White Fang apparently isn't a good topic for her. She didn't really explain why, but she had a similar look after we watched a movie where they appeared, destroying a town. No clue why they get that kind of a reaction from her, though…"

"It doesn't surprise me in the slightest." Weiss huffed, "The White Fang are a group of barbaric, inhuman terrorists! Many people have been affected by their violence. I wouldn't be surprised if the poor girl saw one of their horrific acts if that's how she acts when they're brought up."

"In any case, I'm gonna go talk to her. Gotta make sure she's ok." Weiss slid off Farran's lap, allowing him to get up, "You guys text me if anything else important happens, ok?"

With that, Farran ran out of the common room, desperate to find Blake. The hallway remained abandoned, as the rest of the dorms were most likely still sitting around watching the coverage of the assassination. His first instinct was to immediately head for the dorm room, rushing there and throwing open the door. Blake lay on her bed, flat on her stomach, hands clasped on top of her head. Farran grabbed a chair from a nearby desk, pulling it up next to her bed and plopping down in it. Blake barely even turned her head towards him, staring blankly in his general direction.

"So, I doubt you're much in the mood to talk about it now, are you?" He gave her a gentle smile.

"What do you think?" Blake muttered, "Go back to the common room, Farran. Just… don't worry about me."

"Cause that's totally gonna work, Blake. On either of us." A voice called from the door. Farran turned to see Yang leaning in the doorway, "You really think you can just book it out of the room, and not get all of us worried? That's not how things work." Unlike Farran, she dropped onto Blake's bed, planting herself right next to her, "So, how about you go ahead and talk to us. Even if it's not about all that stuff, just something. Cause neither of us are leaving until we get you to smile."

Flipping on her back, Blake's lips curled into a frown, "Like what, exactly? Sorry, but I'm really not interested in talking."

"Fine. Then Farran and I will talk, and you can jump in whenever you feel like." She turned with an expectant look towards Farran, "So? What exactly can we talk about that mopey here would be interested in?"

Farran paused for a minute, "Well… I finished the first part of that manga you recommended the other day. It was really good."

"Manga? What's that, Farran?"

"I guess they're these comics… Sorry, 'graphic novels', don't want Jaune kicking the door in, from Mistral. When we went to the movies with Ruby the other day, we stopped at this café that had a ton of 'em, and Blake grabbed some for me to try out." Farran over and fished out the book in question, bringing it back to his seat, "Like this one. It's about these kids our age that make a time machine by microwaving a banana."

Yang had been looking at the cover when Farran said that and nearly dropped it, "Wait, seriously?! That's kinda… different."

"No, Farran. Just…" Blake scoffed, taking the book from Yang, "Are you sure you actually read it? They didn't make the time machine 'by microwaving a banana', they made it while they were experimenting on the microwave. They only figured out it was a time machine when they did microwave it."

"…And how exactly is that different than what I just said?" Farran deadpanned.

"Because that's not at all what it's about! They only microwaved the banana because…" Blake launched into a long-winded diatribe about the plot of the book, going into intricate detail about minor points that Farran hadn't noticed, and probably wouldn't have had she not brought them up. All the while, Yang sat there, smirking at Farran, as he started sinking into his chair more and more as Blake continued to get ever increasingly heated, "...And if you had actually bothered to pay attention, you would have actually noticed!"

At her conclusion, Yang started to slow clap, "Well now, good work, Hero! You actually made that seem effortless."

Farran stared at Yang, "What do you mean? Hero? Do you mean me?"

"Yea, Yang. He didn't do anything! He certainly didn't pay attention to the story…" Blake furrowed her brow.

"Of course I mean you, Farran. After all, this isn't your first time running off trying to be someone's hero, so it totally fits. I'd call you 'Angel', cause you're almost like our guardian angel, and your wings, but that's more of a pet name for couples." Yang waggled her eyebrows as Farran groaned at his new, very unwanted nickname, "And to answer you, Blake, Hero here did plenty. Not only did he get you to completely forget about being depressed, but he also got you to show a completely new side of yourself that I've never seen before, all just by getting the plot of that book wrong."

When Blake realized what Yang said was completely true, she froze, color rising in her cheeks. She leapt at Yang, smacking her on the shoulder repeatedly with the book, "Why couldn't you two just leave me alone?! Annoying me doesn't count as making me feel better!"

"Complain all you want, Blakey. It's not gonna make us go away, and it's not gonna change the fact that I'm right!" Yang beamed proudly at her perceived victory, "Now stop hitting me! Now that you two dorks have gone on about that story, you actually got me interested. Got any more you recommend, Blake? I might have to check them out."

Blake slowly lowered the book to her lap, "Wait, you're interested? In reading one of these? Seriously?"

"Sure, why not? Although, maybe not that one, considering you just told me the entire story, but if there's any other cool ones, I'll give 'em a try. From the way you talked about it, it sounded more like one of the shows I watch, rather than one of those nerdy comics Jaune reads, or those smutty romance novels of yours."

"They're not… Whatever. Farran, could you grab the rest of them, please? I can't remember if I grabbed it, but if I did, there's one in there that both of you will love." She waited for Farran to do as she asked, then started digging through the pile, "Let's see… I know they had it, so I'm gonna be so mad at myself if I didn't grab it… Where… Oh, here it is!" She handed the book in question to Yang, "It isn't a classic by any means, but it's still one of my favorites. It's about this kid that gets bullied all the time. He starts training at a martial arts dojo, trying to become a master, even though he doesn't have much natural talent. The plot is really good, there's plenty of funny moments, and there's plenty of… fanservice, on both sides, to keep you interested, Yang."

"Oooh, you know just what I like, don't you Blakey? Come on, let's read it together!" She forced her way onto Blake's bed, pulling a confused Blake on top of her. Once she was comfortable, she turned to look expectantly and Farran, "Well, Hero? Won't you be joining us?"

Farran stared at the vacant spot next to the two, "Ok, do you really need to give me a nickname? Last I checked, Farran isn't all that hard to say…"

"Last I checked, I don't give a shit. Your name is Her now." She snickered, "Now hurry up and get up here!"

Farran just shook his head as he acquiesced to Yang's order. The three of them lay there for the next while, carving their way through the first few volumes of the story Blake had picked. Farran had to give her credit, between the first recommendation and this one as well, she knew how to pick out a story. He had been completely captivated from the time they had started, and by the time they reached the fight with the first arc's villain, he was completely invested in seeing the protagonist punch him in the face. Even Yang, who Farran had realized was the type to provide a running commentary about whatever she was reading or watching, went silent when the fight started. Once the fight was over, the protagonist reigning victorious, Blake excused herself to the bathroom, climbing over the two of them to the edge of the bed.

Farran waited for the door to close behind her, when he turned to give Yang a bright smile, "Thanks for the assist, Yang. That went a lot better than I thought it would. Wasn't really expecting backup, but I'm glad you came."

"Well, the three of us didn't want you guys thinking you were the only one who cared about Blake. Weiss is just to blunt with these kinds of things, and Ruby… really isn't ready to be dealing with this yet." She crossed her arms, "It's not like I did much of anything though. We just… talked."

"What do you think I do?! You call me a guardian angel, but it's not like I know what the hell to say to people when I'm forging bonds. I just go with the flow when people are dealing with problems, and most of the time, I just say shit they already know deep down anyways. Not like I'm anything special. Besides, I think you do good as our team mom, Yang."

"Team mom? Right…" She stared at the bottom of her bed, "How can I be a team mom, when I didn't have a real mom growing up? Unless you count Summer, which I usually do, but still… How do I know I'm not gonna just turn out like Raven?"

"Well, a couple of reasons, I would think. First off, you try to do something stupid like she did, we aren't gonna let you. Then there's the fact that you learned from what she did, so I doubt you'd ever do anything like she did to anyone. And, while I've never met her, I have a feeling you're a much better person anyways.

"Farran…" She slugged him on the shoulder, "Don't talk like that! You're gonna make me blush, asshole."

Blake walked out from the bathroom as she finished her sentence, "Well now, the Queen of Flirting herself being reduced to blushing? You're gonna have to tell me your secrets, Farran. Maybe I'll be able to get her to stop flirting with me."

"Oh, you love me and you know it." Yang shot her a wink, "Now get your Bellabooty back here! I wanna see what happens next."

"Call it that again, and I'm kicking you off my bed."

The rest of the day went without much more out of the ordinary happening. It wasn't long after the three of them finished another volume that Ruby and Weiss returned, saying that the only thing of substance from the news was that an election for Councilman Unhilo's replacement would be held on the 30th of May. After that announcement, the news had heavily shifted to coverage of candidates who would be running for the position. Since the announcement of the Councilman's assassination had made the day rather bleak for the whole of both Team RWBY and Team JNPR, and an announcement from Professor Ozpin coming soon after they had all reunited to let everyone know the airships to and from Vale were running again, Yang proposed that she would cook dinner for both teams that night, in order to raise everyone's spirits. Farran and Weiss immediately volunteered to help, and the three left to go grab what they would need from the store. While they were cooking, Farran saw the genuine smile on Yang's face as she went about her duties, and felt their bond strengthen.

Farran had hoped that the next morning would turn out much better than the previous one, but that hope was almost immediately dashed. Farran sat around in the dorm room talking to Yang and Ruby in the kitchenette, waiting for Weiss and Blake to get ready, when another announcement came to his scroll, this time in the form of a video. Farran flipped open his scroll, opening the message and clicking on the video. It automatically stretched to fill the screen, allowing Farran to see Professor Ozpin, with a smug Richards on one side, and Professor Goodwitch, who looked more vexed than he remembered ever seeing her, on the other. Ozpin cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Students of Beacon Academy, I am sending you this message to regretfully inform you that, in light of the assassination of Councilman Unhilo, we will be forced to cancel all classes for the next week, and will resume on the 24th. While the suspect is indeed in police custody, we have received word that the White Fang might be planning on making more attacks. We will continue having third and fourth year students patrolling the surrounding areas during what would normally be school hours." Ozpin pushed his glasses back up his nose, "Now, Director Richards has a few words on a new policy we will be enacting over the next week, for your security."

Oh, this is gonna be great… Farran glowered at the screen as Professor Ozpin took a step back to allow Richards to waddle to the middle of the shot. He couldn't help but notice Goodwitch slide back as far as she could as he did so, "Now, as Professor Ozpin just said, it's very possible the White Fang will strike again, and after the Councilman, we can never be too careful. As I'm sure you are all aware, there are many of their kind attending Beacon Academy, and no one can be sure if any of them are involved with the White Fang. Therefore, starting tomorrow, I will be holding random searches in the rooms and lockers of all Faunus students for any White Fang paraphernalia. These searches will be held daily until classes are back in session. Should I find anything, you will be expelled on the spot, and we'll let the police sort you out for supporting that pack of violent animals-"

"Richards!" Goodwitch hissed, "That is quite enough. I will not have you-"

"That is all." Professor Ozpin cut in between the two, "Please be assured we are doing all we can to ensure your safety. Until classes resume next week, please be ever vigilant, and stay safe."

With that, the feed cut off, and the screen went black. Farran immediately looked up to Yang and Ruby, who both wore looks of concern that mirrored his own. "So… what now? If anything, Richards cognition just got a huge buff," he whispered.

"Yea, but not against us." Yang shook her head, grimly, "I hate to say it, but I'm glad I'm not a Faunus right now. Who knows what that douchebag will get up to? Just hope anyone that does have White Fang stuff trashes it, or at least hides it."

"But what about the deadline?" Ruby muttered, "Now that Richards can throw Faunus out whenever he wants, couldn't he just plant something White Fang related in her room?"

Farran clicked over to the Metaverse app, "Nah, no dice there. It's still counting down, same as before."

"Huh… I wonder why that is. Not that I'm complaining, but you would think that would affect things."

Farran pondered for a second, before the realization hit him like a ten ton weight, "…Because everything is going exactly how it's supposed to go."

Yang furrowed her brow, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you get it? The video talked about how everything that happened to Velvet is destined to be that way! That means all this stuff with the Councilman and Richards, it's all happening in a way that on April 24th, Richards will have been able to plant Diamond Dust in Velvet's locker."

Yang and Ruby stared at him wide eyed. After taking in his meaning, Ruby mouthed, "No matter what we do… Until we stop Richards's Shadow, everything is just going to continue moving towards that."

"Damn…" Yang let out a low whistle, "I guess it's easier to ignore when it isn't directly in your face, isn't it? So… what do we do now?"

Farran contemplated her question for a minute, "I guess… we just stick to the plan. I mean, what else really can we do? If Igor and that video are to believed, there's nothing we can do on this side to stop it. But at the same time, there's nothing Richards can do before the deadline. All we gotta do is take out his Shadow before then, just like we planned, right?"

Ruby nodded, "Right. Us freaking out now isn't going to do anything but make it harder for us to stop him. Still, I want you to check up on Velvet as much as you can starting tomorrow, Farran."

"Huh? I mean, that's no problem, but why?"

"It's like you said, nothing we do is going to stop what happened in that video from happening. But we don't know what happens before the video. Knowing Richards, who knows what he might try to do, or have someone else do, so she's more cooperative when that all happens." Ruby's lips curled into a frown, "That's why, I'm saying the three of us, and I'll try to get Weiss, Blake, and Team JNPR too, need to keep a close watch on her. It shouldn't be that hard with classes being cancelled until the deadline."

"Yea… You got a good point. Wow, look at you go, Rubes! Being all leader like. Come here, little sis!" Yang smiled devilishly, pulling Ruby into a headlock and giving her a noogie. After much squirming on Ruby's part, Yang finally let her go, "And I don't think it should be too hard to get all of them to help us. All we gotta do is say we overheard that dickbag asking some people to pull some shit with her. I'm sure they'd agree to help." She stretched back and yawned, "I dunno about you two, but if there's no classes for today, I am going back to bed."

The other two agreed, and they returned to the room for some much appreciated extra sleep. Blake had apparently taken their lead before they even arrived, as she was snoozing softly when they entered. Weiss, on the other hand, sat studying at her desk, still in her nightgown, but with her hair pulled back in her usual pristine ponytail. Rather than bother with changing, Farran immediately crumpled onto his futon, still in his uniform. Within seconds, he was dead to the world. He lay there, sleeping soundly until the early afternoon, when his phone started to buzz. He rolled over, his fatigue from that morning finally gone, to find a message from Pyrrha waiting for him.

P: Hello Farran! I was hoping to talk to Jaune about our arrangement in a bit. Would you be able to meet us up on the roof?

F: Sure, I'll be there. But why the roof?

P: It's the spot where Jaune and I usually train together at night, so we have taken to meeting up there when we need to talk. I apologize if being on the roof is uncomfortable for you after your history.

Farran laughed to himself. He hadn't even considered that. Despite having been thrown from a roof to his near death, he didn't feel any kind of nervousness when he was flying, nor when he leapt from the tower.

F: Hey, don't worry about it. I can fly, remember? Can't think of many birds that are afraid of heights!

P: Fair point. Then I shall see you up on the rooftop of the dorms shortly.

F: 10-4, see you soon.

He pulled himself to his feet, noticing for the first time that the rest of the room was empty. His teammates had no doubt left a while ago to attend to their own plans. He hurried to change from his uniform into his casual clothes, and dashed out of the room. He had never been to the dorm's rooftop, even if he wasn't afraid of heights, it certainly wasn't something he considered a must-see destination. Even so, he had learned early on that the stairwell led directly to a doorway out onto the roof. Taking two steps at a time, he made it up to the landing, only to find that the door was propped open. He peeked outside to see Jaune sitting in the middle of the rooftop with his back to the door, and a distraught looking Pyrrha standing behind him, her hands folded together.

"I can't believe you told him Pyrrha…" Jaune sounded absolutely defeated, "I told you not to tell anyone about it. I trusted you not to tell anyone!"

"Jaune, please!" Pyrrha pleaded, "I told you why we need Farran's help. You've been improving by leaps and bounds lately. I just want to make sure you keep it up. Otherwise, I would have never brought it up to him."

He waved her off, "No, not all that. I mean, I'm not exactly thrilled at the idea of anyone else thinking I'm so pathetic that I need extra practice, but I can get over that after having you help me. What I mean is you had to have told Farran that I faked my transcripts to get in here… How else would you have convinced him to help me?"

"Actually," Farran called from the doorway, causing them both to jump, "She never said a thing about all that. I never would have known if you didn't say anything just now."

Jaune buried his face in his hands, "Great… Just perfect. Well, now you know. So go ahead and laugh at me. Or better yet, go tell one of the staff. Just put me out of my misery."

"Jaune…" Pyrrha visibly deflated.

"Now hold on, man. There's a couple things you need to realize about all this. First off, you have a great girl watching your back, and you need to pay more attention to how she treats you." Farran approached Jaune, flashing Pyrrha a winning smile as he passed her. He plopped down, sitting next to the brooding blond, "Second, you and I have far more in common than you think. I'm not gonna sit here and make fun of you. Nor am I about to go run to the staff."

"Oh yeah?" Jaune grumbled, "You know I overheard Professor Port talking about putting you in the tournament to decide a 'champion' of our combat practice group? You're a great fighter, man. What the hell do we have in common?"

"Well, for starters, my transcripts aren't exactly legit either." Pyrrha tried to stop him, but Farran just shrugged, "It's alright, Pyrrha. I've been thinking about it, and I know I can trust you guys. Besides, I know his thing, so fair is fair."

Jaune just stared at him, "But how can your transcripts be fake? You do really well in our classes, and you're talented in combat… Do you seriously mean you never went to a combat school?"

"I dunno. I might have."

"Ok, now you've seriously lost me."

Farran laughed, "So, do you know where Park Street is in town? With the really fancy apartments?"

Jaune paused for a moment, "Yea, you mean across the street from the one really big park? I haven't been over there much, but I know where it is. Why?"

Farran took a deep breath and recounted his story to Jaune, explaining who he is, and just how he managed to get to Beacon. Jaune, on his part, stayed silent all the way through, although je couldn't quite hide his shock and confusion at times. At some point, Pyrrha sat down with the two of them, her face torn between worry and relief. When Farran finally finished, they sat there in silence for a minute, only the sounds of birds chirping overhead breaking it.

Jaune shook his head, "Wow, that's… really something. Definitely a lot harder to explain than being a transfer student. I'm sorry to hear all that, man."

"Eh, it's alright. That's just life I guess." Farran leaned back, laying down and staring at the blue sky overhead, "But now you know why I don't tell anyone. We really are in the same boat in that regard."

"Yea… There's just one thing that gets me about your story. Retrograde amnesia… My grandfather on my mom's side had it, and it didn't work anything like how yours does. You don't just recall memories out of nowhere like that, they're just… gone."

"Oh well, look at the expert here!" Farran snarked, "I dunno, man! I have no idea why it works like it does, it just does. I cant help that… Anyways, what about you? I take it Ozpin didn't take you in cause somebody pitched you off a roof as well."

"Wha- No! No, nothing like that." Jaune sighed, "For me, it's just I grew up as the middle kid in a group of seven sisters. All the ones older than me are doing great things, and all the ones younger than me are super talented too. But me… I was always just average at everything. Never great at sports, never great in school, no real outstanding talents. It sucked sitting there, watching my sisters do all this awesome stuff, while I almost get forgotten at points."

"I'm sure that's not entirely true, Jaune." Pyrrha cut in with a smile, "I'm sure your parents love you just how you are."

"Well, yeah. That's true. I didn't mean it like that. My parents always were great to all of us. Although, I'm sure all of them are pretty pissed at me by now…" He grimaced, "You see, Crocea Mors is a family heirloom. It belonged to my great-great-grandfather, who was a hero in the Great War. Well, my family wasn't too happy with the idea of me going to a combat school, even though I idolized Huntsmen growing up. The whole idea of being a hero that helps people… That's all I want to do. So, I faked my transcripts and sent them in without my family knowing. Then, the night I left home to come here, I grabbed Crocea Mors and snuck out of the house. I left them a note saying I'd be at one of the Academies, but I didn't specify which one, cause I know they'd just drag me back home if they found me."

"Which is still something I'm not happy about, mind you." Pyrrha clicked her tongue, "Honestly, I still say you should call them. Your family must be worried sick!"

"I know, Pyrrha… I know… Believe me, I've thought about it plenty of times. I just cant. This is my dream! Becoming a Huntsman, leading a team… I still cant believe it's all true. But the second I call them is when it all goes away. There's no way they would believe someone like me is the leader of the team, when we've got Ren and Nora, and especially you. I know I might have been an idiot and not realized who you were, but I can guarantee they will, and they won't believe "little Jaune-y" is the leader of the Champion of Mistral…"

"You sure about that?" Farran raised his eyebrows, "I mean, if they really are as loving and supportive as you say they are, wouldn't they rather you be happy and pursue your dream, rather than just drag you back home? I mean, come on. I may not really have any concept of family to go on, but even I know that they should all be supportive. Course, if Ruby and Yang are anything to go by, you might be screwed on account of you running off."

"Please don't remind me… Gabrielle is gonna kill me…" He hung his head with a shiver, "But I'll keep thinking about it. I know I have to do it eventually, but not right now… Not today…"

"Well, in that case," Farran stood up with a smirk, "How about a match?"

"A match? You mean like right now?"

"Sure, why not? I mean, with classes cancelled, it's not like we have all that much to do today, right? I hardly had did anything yesterday with classes cancelled, so I'm just itching to get some practice in!"

"Alright, sounds good to me." Jaune nodded, "Pyrrha, would you mind being our referee?"

"Of course, Jaune. I would love to."

Within minutes, Farran and Jaune had their weapons and were ready to spar. Pyrrha gave them the signal, and the two were off. Steel clashed with steel on the rooftop for the next while, as Pyrrha ran the two of them through a gauntlet of drills. Farran felt that Jaune did well in his own right, but even so, he could see what Pyrrha meant by him getting too used to fighting her, and his swordplay definitely needed a lot of work. Even so, as the afternoon turned to early evening, and Pyrrha finally called for them to stop, he thought that they had made a good amount of progress for the day. The three decided to break for Farran and Jaune to shower and change before Team JNPR left for dinner. A quick thought came to Farran as he followed Jaune and Pyrrha down the stairs into the dorms.

"Hey guys," He called, getting them to stop, "I hate to end things on a sour note like this, but I got a favor I need to ask."

Jaune looked at him curiously, "A favor? Sure, what's up?"

"So…" He dropped his voice low, "Ruby and I overheard Richards the other day. He was talking to these two second year girls. I guess they room on the same hall as Velvet, and they've been giving her a lot of shit. Anyways, I don't know what he specifically asked them to do, we didn't hear to much of the specifics, but he was asking them to do something to her while classes are out."

"That's horrible." Pyrrha muttered, "That absolutely abhorrent man is bad enough to her and the other Faunus as it is, and now this. And as if that was not enough, he would use the Councilman's passing as a means to push his agenda, and treat them all as criminals. It's simply unforgivable."

"I know… So, we were planning on making sure somebody is watching out for Velvet for the next week. I know it's a lot to ask but-"

"Of course we'll help." Jaune cut him off, "I owe you one for helping us out anyways, and while I can't really speak for Nora or Ren, I know they don't like Richards either. So you can count us in."

"Exactly. Honestly Farran, I wish you would have told us sooner." Pyrrha beamed at him, "We will talk to Nora and Ren about this over dinner, but rest assured, we will make sure nothing happens to Velvet."

"Thanks guys. Really, you have no idea how much I appreciate it."

Farran stuck his hand out with a grin, and Jaune reached out to shake it. He expected to feel the surge in his heart, strengthening his bond with Pyrrha, but it never came. Instead, as Jaune shook his hand, he felt time freeze around him, and heard the familiar voice in his mind.

"I am thou, thou art I…

Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become a Beacon in the darkness

to lead you down the path to your own justice.

With the birth of the Justice Persona,

You have obtained unforeseen power

that will allow you to remake your Fate anew."

As time started up again, Farran couldn't help but smile at his newly formed bond. Justice, huh? That's a good fit for you, Jaune. Just wish I could tell you about it. He followed the two of them back to their room, where they went their separate ways. The dorm was still empty when Farran entered, leaving him free to use the shower. All the while, and even long after his teammates had returned, he couldn't help but feel a sense of giddiness. Lovers, Chariot, Fortune, Justice, Death, Star, and Sun. Not bad for a Fool with no past, huh?

Farran had to consciously remind himself every few minutes the next morning, that classes had in fact been cancelled. After having spent half of his new life going through the routine of waking up and preparing for a day of lessons, it proved to be a tough habit to break, certainly not helped by the fact that he found it hard to go back to sleep once his body's biological clock had woken him up. Even after showering in the hopes of calming himself down, he found sleep to be just outside his grasp. He couldn't help but feel keyed up, with Richards's decree from the previous day still playing out in his mind. Farran desperately wanted to rush into the Metaverse today and take down his Shadow, but he knew that was impossible. Not only did they still need to secure a route to the center of his Palace, which was on the agenda for tomorrow, but he still needed a way to change Richards's cognition.

He knew he was on to something with taking out the cameras, and yet that provided its own slew of problems. Taking out each camera individually was impossible. There were far too many, taking them each out one by one would take forever, and it certainly wouldn't take long for Richards to discover what they were doing. There was always his office in the tower, where he the database and controls for all the cameras on campus were located. Yet, how would he even manage to gain access to his office, and without Richards realizing? Flying up was impossible, as the windows the office did were kept shut tight. Beyond that, Richards was always in his office, unless something specifically came to his attention. And even if he found a way inside, when Richards wasn't around, what could he do to the cameras? He figured that simply breaking them wouldn't be good enough. He would need something that would undeniably show that someone had managed to get in and take over, right under his nose. He heard the sounds of Weiss starting to wake up, and gave up on the thought of getting any more sleep.

Farran borrowed the bathroom quickly before Weiss started her usual morning routine, changing into his normal clothes in a hurry, as he decided to go check on Velvet a bit early. He couldn't help but hope that Richards wouldn't go after her so soon, or at the very least that he was the type to do these checks so early in the morning. Having already gone to Team CFVY's room before, he didn't get so hopelessly lost as he had the previous time, but even so, navigating through the second year dorms still proved troublesome. He managed to find his way to the lounge at the end of the hallway from their room, but what he saw there made his heart sink.

Team CFVY sat together in a circle of couches. Yatsu and Fox were in t-shirts and shorts, both with tired, worn glares on their faces. Coco wore a fluffy, luxurious robe, staring at the foot rest in front of her as if she were trying to melt it with her gaze. And Velvet, the sight of her made Farran's head go numb. She sat next to Coco, dressed in naught but a thick, brown towel that was wrapped around her. She was sobbing softly into her hands, her face a fierce scarlet. Farran froze in the doorway for a second, trying to get his brain to start working again, until he was finally able to make his way over to them.

"What happened?" He had to force the words out.

"What do you think?" Coco didn't even look up at him, "Richards happened."

Fox's gaze drifted over in his direction, "He came to our room first thing this morning. He forced us all out of the room, claiming he got some 'anonymous' tip that one of us was connected to the White Fang."

"So… Why…?" Farran motioned at Velvet.

"She has always had a habit of getting up early. Getting ready for classes before any of us." Yatsu sighed, "She was in the shower when Richards came. The man threatened to kick the door in if she didn't come out. He didn't even allow her time to get dressed."

"I… I just want to make sure… I'm not in the way!" Velvet hiccupped, her voice muffled by her hands, "Why… Why won't he just leave me alone?!"

"That bastard…" Farran noticed that he had been clenching his fists, "Once he gets out of there, I'm gonna-"

"You'll do nothing, Mister Park." A calm, cool voice came from the hallway. He turned to see Professor Goodwitch standing there, staring at him with concern, "Believe me, I understand your frustration with this. I'm none too happy about it myself, but there is little I can do to protect you should you try to retaliate." She strode over to Velvet, resting a calming hand on her shoulder, "My apologies for this situation, Miss Scarlatina. However, we will soon be on our way, and I will continue to make sure no one comes through here until you return to your room. Just as I promised. Of course, I wasn't expecting anyone from the first year dorms to make their way here. Would you like me to remove Mister Park?"

"N-No. Farran's fine. Thank you, Professor." Velvet muttered.

"Professor Goodwitch, I know you don't want to gossip about any of the staff…" Farran motioned to Team CFVY, "But can you at least explain what's going on? How all this is allowed to happen under Professor Ozpin's watch."

"There wasn't much choice on Ozpin's part, I'm afraid." She adjusted her glasses, "There isn't much that I can say, but this was all approved under a desire to keep you all safe, in more ways than one... I will say that he fought passing this all he could, but when it was obvious his hand would ne forced, he assigned me to monitor the situation. And you can be damn sure I'm doing my duty to the best of my ability." She cleared her throat, "Pardon my language. I hope you understand that I'm not this forthcoming with information usually, but given the circumstances…"

Being stuck with that jackass must be driving her mad… "Don't worry, Professor. I don't blame you. But why isn't Professor Ozpin the one overseeing things?"

"As it were, Mister Park…" Richards came waddling through the door, a sneer on his face, "Jolly Old Ozpin isn't here at the moment. The Council has been in disarray since Morado kicked the bucket, so they called him in while classes aren't in session. Which is unfortunate for you, since there's nobody to bail you out if you get into trouble while he's gone, now is there?"

Goodwitch stepped in front of Farran before he could react, "I take it this means you're done with your inspection, Mister Richards? And these students may return to their room?"

"That's Director Richards, Glynda." Richards growled, "And not quite. I've finished inspecting Team CFVY's room, and while there was no large scale White Fang paraphernalia, I did find this." He stretched out his hand, letting something dangle from his pudgy fingers. It was a simple necklace, a thin, black thread with a silver pendant in the shape of a wolf's head connected to it.

Velvet jolted from her seat at the sight of it, "That's…!"

"The head of a Beowolf. Otherwise known as the mark of the White Fang." Richards tutted, "You know, Miss Scarlatina… I honestly have no idea how Ozpin was so high on you that he'd fast track you a year. And yet here you are, repaying his kindness by associating yourself with that group of savage beasts. I suppose that is to be expected…" He grabbed Velvet by the wrist, "The rest of you are to return to your rooms at once. Miss Scarlatina, I will be escorting you to the proper authorities. Meanwhile, you can be sure that when Professor Ozpin returns, you will be properly expelled for-"

"H-Hey, hold on!" Coco scrambled to her feet, and put herself between Velvet and Richards, "That necklace isn't Velvet's! It's mine! I bought it from one of the stores in town, and it isn't a Beowolf. It's from a fairy tale I read as a kid!"

"Oh, really? A likely story. I apologize Miss Adel, I truly do, but I don't buy it. This is clearly the mark of the White Fang, and it is clear to me that Miss Scarlatina here has been consorting with terrorists!"

"Man, let her go!" Farran tried to move, but found himself once again cut off by Goodwitch.

"Now see here, Mis… Director Richards." She glared down at him, "If there is any doubt as to the ownership or the origins of this necklace, then we can hardly drag anyone off to the police. I am Professor Ozpin's second in command, and I was left in charge as Deputy Headmaster in his stead. In that case, I am accepting Miss Adel's story as the truth. Now unhand Miss Scarlatina at once!"

Richards did as she said with a sigh, "Glynda, you are far too trusting. We can not be too careful with these terrorists running around. And Miss Scarlatina is hardly the most trustworthy. After all, Mister Winchester was a fine young man before she got ahold of him. Now, whether she threatened or seduced him, I cannot say, but the boy has strayed from the straight and narrow and-"

"Oh, come off it, you piece of shit!" Farran bellowed, "How dare you talk about Velvet like that? She had nothing to do with Cardin! Did you ever bother to take a second to think that Cardin just got sick of you pulling his strings?!"

Farran took a few steps towards Richards, but stopped when he felt something soft press against him. He looked down to see Velvet desperately trying to push him back, "F-Farran, p-p-please… D-Don't get involved! P-Please!"

Richards cackled, "Yes, listen to the little Beast and know your place, Park! What do you know about anything, anyways?! I'm surprised that brain of yours still works after you were tossed from a roof?" Farran's shocked expression drew out some more deep laughs from Richards, "What, did you really think I didn't know? Did you truly think I bought for a second that trash like you came from Atlas? No, you're just a pathetic nobody."

Farran's mind went white as he stormed around Velvet. He managed to get within a foot of Richards when he was grabbed by the rest of Team CFVY, as he stood there snarling at the man, "Yea, I almost died in that alley. Yea, I'm not from Atlas. But you know what I do know? I know you're a piece of shit, Richards. I know you've been getting students to sell Diamond Dust for you on campus. I know you've been harassing the Faunus cause you're a racist asshole. And most importantly, I know that if I ever get ahold of you, I'm breaking your Gods damned face, you son of a bitch."

"Is that so? I've had students selling drugs? I've been harassing students? Well then, Park. Prove it. Oh, but you can't, can you? No, of course you can't. Nobody can. I own Beacon Academy. I own Ozpin. I own all the students here. And you better believe, I own you, Park." Richards swung his leg, kicking Farran right in the bad knee, dropping him like a stone. Pain exploded through Farran's mind as Richards stomped on his knee, putting his full weight on it. He knelt down, his eyes burning with malicious glee, "Oh, that felt good. Do you have any idea how hard it is not to just torture you little shits when you act up? I at least have to keep up some semblance of appearance. But now, I'm gonna enjoy this-"

"Richards!" Goodwitch roared. With a flick of her wrist, Richards was sent flying a few feet, landing on his back, "You would dare attack a student in front of me? I am the acting Headmaster of this Academy and as such-"

"Oh, shut your dust damned mouth, Witch. You know damn well you can't touch me. Or would you rather I go to the media about that little 'project' Ozpin is working on?" Richards forced himself back to his feet, dusting himself off, "You dare assault me? You're lucky your such a nice piece of eye candy, otherwise I would have gotten rid of you ages ago. I still have half a mind to…" He glared down at Farran, who was clutching his knee, "Consider yourself expelled. There might not be much I can do now, but once Ozpin comes back, you're done."

Richards took one last look down at his handiwork, and waddled out of the room. Fox and Yatsu helped Farran back to his feet, carefully aiding him over to one of the couches. Coco pulled Velvet, who stood staring at Farran, into a warm hug. Goodwitch quickly followed Richards out of the room, and they could hear echoes of her shouts until she left the building. After a minute, Velvet forced her way over to the couch, dropping into the seat next to Farran.

"W-Why?" Tears welled up in her eyes, "Why would you do that? You didn't need to… and now you'll be… I'm just not worth it, Farran!"

Farran put his hands tightly on her shoulders, "Velvet. Don't you ever say that again. Do you understand me? Ever. I don't give a damn what you think about yourself. You are worth it. I think so, your team thinks so, and I can guarantee that girl whose life you saved thinks so. You are my friend, Velvet. And yea, I know I'm an idiot, and I care too much about the admittedly few people I know, but there is nothing you can say or do to convince me that just sitting there and letting him talk shit about you would have been worth it. Just… do me a favor, ok? I know it's hard after it's all you've ever known, but you need to be less timid. Stand up for yourself! Be more selfish! The only reason they pick on you is cause they know they can get away with it, and you deserve so much more…"

"Farran…" She pulled him into a tight hug, "Thank you! I'm so, so sorry, but thank you for everything you've done for me!"

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" He patted her on the back. After a few moments, she let him go, and he smiled, "Now come on, stop acting like I'm dying. That asshole can bluster all he wants, but I'm not going anywhere. No way Ozpin lets that slide, right? I'm curios though, that necklace was yours, wasn't it?"

"O-Oh… Yeah…" Velvet twiddled her thumbs, "You see, my father was a member of the White Fang years ago, back when it was still a peaceful group. He had dealt with racism for years, and more than anything, he wanted me to grow up in a world without it. That obviously didn't happen. I came home crying one day when I was about thirteen, after a group of kids older than me chased me back home, shouting comments about the… reproductive habits of rabbits." She shivered at the memory, "He gave me the necklace, telling me that whenever someone treated me like that, to always think about the beliefs of the original White Fang, and promised that one day, I would never have to deal with things like that ever again."

Coco gave her a warm smile, "And that's why you kept it all this time, right? To remind you of all that?"

She nodded, "With the way people have been treating me lately, I've needed it a lot, even if I couldn't wear it because of everything the White Fang have been doing. But I did try to hide it! I put it up above the ceiling tiles in our room… I thought for sure he wouldn't take the time to check there."

"Well, I'm not all to surprised. Richards has a grudge against you for some reason. He was probably looking anywhere and everywhere he could get his grubby hands into…"

"Yeah…" Velvet paled, "I hope he didn't go digging through my clothes. Dust knows what that creep would have gotten into…"

"Speaking of clothes," Farran averted his gaze, "Why don't you go change? I'm sure you're probably sick of sitting around like that."

Velvet looked down, and realized that she was still in her towel, making her blush return, "Oh, right… I'll be right back…"

She scurried off, still embarrassed, but more cheerful than before. After a beat, Coco took her place, "So… that whole bit about you getting thrown off a roof…"

"Yeah…" Farran took a deep breath, "Wasn't expecting him to know about it…"

"Well, don't worry about it. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, and you can consider your secret safe with us. Speaking of secrets…" Her lips curled up in a coy smirk, "You talk a big game, hun. Certainly wasn't expecting you to bring up him selling Diamond Dust. But you and I both know Ozpin isn't gonna stop him from throwing you out. Now that he knows you know, he won't stop until you're gone."

"No… But I do have something up my sleeve." Farran leaned forward with a cocky grin, "I'm gonna make him confess all his crimes himself."

"How the hell do you plan to do that?" Fox stared at him, incredulous, until a realization hit him, "Wait… are you going to do whatever it was you did to Cardin?"

"More or less." Farran shrugged, "I might need you guys to help me a bit, though. In order to do this, I need to take out his cameras. All of them. And not just break them, but make it obvious that someone made it into his office and took them down, all without his knowledge. I've just been stumped on this for a bit now, and I figure you guys have already been here for a year, maybe you might be able to think of something."

There was a brief moment of silence before Fox snapped his fingers, "Well, if you can get into his office, I may be able to write up a virus that would shut them all down. Would that work?"

Farran's face lit up, "A computer virus? Yea, that would work! You can do that?"

"Sure. I've made plenty of programs before. Never really sent them anywhere, except for some localized pranks on some friends back home, but you know. It's been a while, but I think I can come up with a good ransomware program. Maybe something like, 'Confess your crimes to access these programs again'? Yea, that'll be good. It might take some time, but I'm sure I can get it done before Ozpin comes back."

Coco raised her eyebrows, "Hold on, Fox. How have we known each other for all this time, and yet I'm still just finding out your apparently a computer wiz? How does that even work with you being-"

"Voice to text, Coco." Fox pinched the bridge of his nose, "You'd know this by now if you didn't spend so much time gabbing about clothes! I made plenty of stuff last year for…"

Fox trailed off, and the three senior members of Team CFVY all started to look a bit down. Farran decided to change the topic so Velvet wouldn't return to more drama, "Well, I appreciate it, Fox. Just let me know whenever it's done. So, Coco! Did you have any more thoughts about that… modeling thing you asked me to do?"

"Oh, that? Of course!" Coco beamed, "I actually have your whole wardrobe planned out! Of course, Velvet and I will need to get your measurements whenever she comes back, but I think I did a good enough job just from eyeballing you. We were thinking on doing it this coming Sunday, would that work for you?"

"Sunday?" Farran went over his schedule in his head, "Nope, nothing planned for then. Sounds good to me."

"Perfect! Oh, you are just going to look fantastic, hun. I guarantee it. I can't wait until you see the finished product. I'm not kidding when I say Velvet is world-class. When we're done with you, you'll look like a career male model, and…"

Coco went off on a speech, going over her proposed outfits for the two of them, as well as the settings for the backdrops she and Velvet planned on using. Most of it flew right over his head, but he was more than happy to sit back and listen with just how excited she was. After a while, Velvet returned, fully dressed and still a bit tentative, but significantly more chipper than before. When Coco turned to her to discuss the shoot, it seemed as if the whole situation with Richards was all but forgotten. The two of them swept Farran back to their room, where they buzzed around him with tape measures, discussing the specifics of Farran's outfit faster than he could keep up with. As he stood there, watching Velvet happily flying around him, he felt his bond with her strengthen. However, more than that, he understood that the deadline had suddenly taken on a whole new meaning. Should they not stop Richards's Shadow before the deadline, not only would Richards take over Velvet's life, but his own life, and everything he had come to know at Beacon, would be forever torn away from him. He felt goosebumps rise up on his arms as his blood started to boil, trying his best not to show his internal intensity on his face. If Richards thought he would be able to take that all away from Farran, he had another thing coming. If they couldn't stop Richards's Shadow by the deadline, then Farran felt he might as well not come back from the Metaverse at all.

Author's Notes

100,000 words! Woooooo! :D

Seriously, thank all of you for supporting me thus far. I truly hope you're all enjoying the story. If it weren't for all of you guys, I never would have made it this far. Also, this chapter marks the beginning of the end for the first arc! Hope you guys are as excited as I am, the big confrontation with Richards's Shadow is coming up fast. Hope to see you all in the next chapter!

Inferno :D