Capítulo 16: Chapter 16
"Our visitors will be here on a confidential basis," the Headmaster spoke as he stood by the window, staring out over the students of Beacon as he often did. Jaune wasn't sure if it could be considered rude, considering both he and Glynda were sat at the man's desk and he just up and wandered off – as though bored with their very existence…
Problem was; Jaune wasn't fully sure the man didn't honestly have some kind of attention disorder, and if it would be cruel of him to mention it.
"If the Atlas Armada were to move in too soon it would cause undue distress to the people of Vale, so the General will be attending in a personal shuttle. Similarly Miss Schnee will be attending privately as an Agent of the SDC – and has specifically asked for her presence to be kept secret from her sister, so as not to interfere with her studies. So I of course hope you know to keep these meetings private?"
"Of course," Glynda sighed, apparently still displeased at having to deal with Winter Schnee.
"Uh…" Jaune stalled, as his mind flashed back ten minutes.
"Hey Blake, I have to meet with some General and the Heiress of the Schnee, you can call it quits early as soon as you've finished with that." Jaune said as he finished pretending to do any work.
"Okay, have fun." Blake waved back as she continued to pretend she wasn't reading some hidden book behind his desk.
"Uh… sure…?"
"Good. Wrangling more dust out of the SDC is going to be complicated enough as it is without us ignoring that simple request," Jaune was glad the man's back was turned so he couldn't see the guilty expression on his face, "either way I've included some figures on your requirements for the dust we need – and how much of a budget you have."
Since Glynda still seemed to be whispering and mumbling to herself, Jaune took the opportunity to flick through the documents, a low whistle coming from him as he saw the huge amount of dust they required.
"So much? This would be enough to power a city for… well, maybe a day – but it's still a lot."
"The Amity Collosseum is the name of the stadium the Vytal Festival will take place in," Ozpin turned and walked back to the desk, sitting down and resting his mug on the mahogany with a soft clink. "The stadium has capacity for almost one-hundred thousand guests and weighs a few thousand tonnes."
"I don't see wh-"
"It also flies."
"Oh." Well… that seemed extravagant, really what was the purpose of something like that in the first place? Beacon already seemed dangerous enough, but since the first test was a free-falling landing strategy, at least you couldn't say the students weren't prepared. But a stadium for civilians?
Didn't they tend to go squish?
"The Amity Collosseum was equally constructed by each of the Kingdoms as a joint peace effort after the last war," Ozpin explained, "Atlas themselves were responsible for constructing the hover mechanisms that requires the dust."
"Isn't the SDC based in Atlas? And isn't dust their biggest export?" Jaune pointed out, right as the Headmaster took a long drink and nodded.
"Yes. The bullshit isn't lost on me Mr Arc, believe me. Atlas' other gift was the CCT – which I might add, requires expensive Atlesian Specialists for maintenance and repair. Not to mention the constant software updates."
"Wow…" he supposed it was clever in a way… a bit cynical, but very clever. No wonder Atlas was considered one of the richest and most technologically advanced Kingdoms.
"Beyond the hover mechanism, each battlefield is going to require extortionate amounts of dust to operate, especially if we take damage into account. It's best we be prepared, we can always re-use what isn't spent."
"Right… so our budget is…" Jaune's shoulders sagged as he saw the figure, "I'm not an accountant… but this feels like it's lacking a few zeroes."
"Recent renovations have left us slightly out of pocket," the Headmaster admitted. "After that food fight yesterday we had to order a lot more watermelons. Not to mention an entirely new stone pillar for the cafeteria."
"I thought Glynda fixed that with her semblance?"
"Miss Goodwitch's semblance is telekinesis Mr Arc, not architecture. Balancing the ruined pieces of a pillar back on top of one another does not do much to satisfy health and safety."
"Ah, right…" If the woman heard the comment she didn't give it away, still muttering darkly about unfairness or something. Now that he thought of it… how had any of the cafeteria's ruined things remained standing after Glynda fixed them… sure she could remove the food stains from the floor and walls, but destroyed benches and ruined vending machines? Placing the pieces back next to one another didn't necessarily mean they were fixed. "Wait, we have health and safety laws? We launched children off a floating school into a forest full of monsters."
"Ah, but by that point they're not technically on school property. We can't be expected to ensure the safety of a Grimm-infested forest after all. That would be madness."
Right… and the rocket lockers counted as okay? Actually, now that he thought of it, what was even the point of those in the first place? He didn't think he'd seen a single person use them – not even the higher years. What kind of situation would even result in a Hunter in training going into Grimm territory without their weapon?
"Regardless," the white-haired man coughed meaningfully, "I trust in your ability to secure a deal with Miss Schnee."
"You do?" He perked up in his seat, to hear that the man had such faith in him, had he really managed to do so well that he was starting to genuinely deserve his position at the school?
"Yes. I have to believe in something, otherwise we're screwed." The Headmaster said, causing Jaune's head to drop.
There goes my pride…
Any response he might have given was interrupted as the door at the back of the room dinged softly, signalling a person riding the elevator to the top. The Headmaster sighed, as though he'd aged fifty years in a single moment, but rose to his feet nonetheless. Jaune did the same, unsure what to expect.
"Ozpin!" The man that came from the elevator greeted jovially, long white coat flapping behind as immaculate boots slacked on the tiled floor. Dressed in a pristine white uniform, and with two armed guards on either side of him, the General cut an imposing figure, even with the smile on his face. "Good to see you after so long."
"James," the other man replied, the word sounding like it was dragged from his mouth, "it's been… quite a while."
Not long enough – the message was clear, even to the point that the two guards shuffled awkwardly.
"It has, and of course I'll be helping provide security for this little event – won't it be great to work alongside one another once more?" The two men met with the Headmaster's desk between them, hands grasped – Jaune could visibly see the two attempting to crush one another's fingers.
"I had heard, yes. Take a seat please, I insist," the Headmaster added on the end, the moment after Ironwood had already taken one. It was then that the man did something that truly shocked Jaune, to the point that he couldn't stop the short gasp that slipped from his lips.
The tall man reached across the table, taking Ozpin's thermos with almost casual ease – and poured himself a cup of coffee.
It was hard to explain the shift, and if someone asked him later he wasn't sure he'd have been able to. Only that in that very moment the world seemed to close in, darkness encroaching at the corner of his vision as a great weight settled on his shoulders. Even the two men the General had brought with him felt it, their hands tightening on their weapons as their bodies shook.
The Headmaster's glasses flashed dangerously, and a moment later, the feeling was gone.
"Help yourself," the man said, sarcasm as thick as blood.
"Hmm? I already have, but thank you Ozpin." The General smirked, right as Ozpin's cane seemed to fly into his grasp – Jaune froze, at that very moment certain violence would occur.
"Ow!"
"Ack!"
The two men yelped, heads bowed forwards as though they'd been struck in the back of the skull by bricks. Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as she stalked past him, green eyes narrowed.
"There will be no violence here," Glynda seethed, her crop gripped in one hand as she threw the comment out into the room. The guards shuffled nervously, one even going so far as to hide his gun behind his back. "James, it's good to see you again, but please stop antagonising Ozpin."
"Of course Glynda, my apologies," the man said smoothly, one hand rubbing the back of his head as he offered her a simple smile. The stern woman nodded, before turning to the Headmaster.
"Ozpin…" she paused for a few moments, deep in thought, "…grow up." She ignored her employer as he grumbled to himself, refilling his coffee in an almost petulant manner. "Anyway, James, I'd like you to meet Mr Jaune Arc – he's been working here as a support teacher but has been doing fantastically."
He let out a small internal cheer at the praise before walking forwards, one hand held out to the much taller man.
"It's nice to meet you," he said honestly. Sure he seemed a little weird with Ozpin, but that felt more like an old ritual between friends more than anything else. And besides, after putting up with Peter, Oobleck and the students for all this time – he had started to forget what normal looked like.
"Ah, I've heard of you," the tall General grinned, eyes flashing as he clasped the extended hand. Jaune's fingers twitched at the tight hold, even as sweat began to trickle down his brow. Okay… this guy had a pretty strong grip, holy crap! "So new and already making waves," Ironwood continued, shaking the hand so thoroughly that Jaune felt his shoulder might dislocate.
"Indeed," Glynda continued, apparently unable to see his distress despite that it must have shown on his face. "Mr Arc has even now become the Student Counsellor, and has helped a number of students on personal issues."
"That so? We've not got anything like that in Atlas, I might have to steal him away and interrogate him. Force out all his little secrets, ha ha ha!" He spoke the last three words loudly, giving Jaune's arm one final shake before releasing him. The blond quickly cradled the sore limb to his chest, a nervous smile on his own face.
"Ha ha ha…" Jaune echoed. The words sounding just as pathetically fake as the General's.
"I'm glad to see you're getting along," the blonde woman smiled as she watched them, like an indulgent parent at her two big children. And just like a parent she seemed completely oblivious to how much of an asshole big brother was!
But mum! I don't wanna go to Ironwood's dungeon!
"And of course I believe you know a companion of mine, the name Penny ring a bell?" Jaune couldn't place the emphasis the man put on the end of that, but wracked his mind nonetheless for the name. Wasn't that…?
"Oh the orange-haired girl with Ruby, I did meet her – though only for a night." Actually he'd never thought to ask what happened to her, which was odd given that she'd gone and cut down a whole swathe of White Fang soldiers apparently… at the time he'd had more immediate concerns, such as Blake's future.
And Tsune's medical attention.
"Only for a night…?" The General mumbled almost inaudibly. "And how was she Mr Arc?"
"Uhh…" was possibly murderous a good answer? If the General knew her then it looked like she might have good reason for what she did, and the White Fang had been terrorists and threatening their lives… "Aggressive," he admitted carefully – trying to judge the man's reaction, it didn't look good… "but very affectionate and friendly - eager to please."
The mug the General had been holding fell from his hands, shattering on the floor – despite that Jaune could still see the handle nestled between the man's fingers. Though even that looked a little… crushed.
"I'm," the man seemed to choke, "sure she was…"
Okay, so that didn't seem to be the best answer to his questions, if his reaction was anything to go by. A brief glance to Ozpin for support got a subtle shrug in response, while Glynda was still watching them fondly, pleased at how well they were getting on. He supposed in comparison to how the General and the Headmaster acted, he and Ironwood must have looked like bosom buddies.
"How is she then, Penny?" He asked politely instead. The man seemed caught off guard by his question, and the blond idly wondered if that was because he was more used to interrogating others.
"Well," he answered after a few short moments, coughing softly into one fist, "she's looking forward to meeting a friend she made here again – though no doubt that will have to wait until we officially arrive. Oh, and of course she has mentioned that she wants to meet you again."
Ugh… how… nice? Honestly the girl had seemed several screws short of a… thing with screws, the last time he'd met her. And that had been before she proved to be capable of pulling a Bullhead out of the sky.
"Well, she can always visit my office if she wants to," Jaune offered. Honestly most of the student populace knew where his rooms were, and no doubt Penny would be able to find out with a few quick questions to her peers. He might as well extend the offer first and endear himself to the dangerous man before him. "I'd be happy to entertain her."
"Oh I bet you would…" the man mumbled to himself, before seeming to perk up, "however Penny is unable to leave the Armada at the moment, we don't want to let everyone know we're here. Why don't you come visit her however, I'd be happy to show you round."
"I wouldn't want to impose…"
"Nonsense, I'd be… happy to entertain you."
"I really can't," Jaune searched for an excuse he could use to avoid that fate. He needed to… er… wash his toenails? Regulate the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in his room?
"Unfortunately," the Headmaster interrupted, and at that very moment Jaune could have kissed him, "Mr Arc is needed here and can't be excused for such a trip. I do apologise James."
"A shame," the General sighed, "but it won't be long before we are stationed here, and no doubt we can hold many discussions in that time. I look forward to learning more about human psychology on you Jaune," the man blinked, "from you, I meant from you."
"I… can't wait?"
"A shame that cannot happen now," Ozpin sighed, before leaning forward on the desk, "but we should move onto business."
"Indeed, men - dismissed." The two soldiers saluted and made their way from the room in unison. The Headmaster looked towards Jaune a moment later.
"I apologise Mr Arc, but this meeting must remain private. Glynda, I'll leave the negotiations to the two of you."
"Of course," the Deputy nodded as she motioned for Jaune to follow her, the two of them slipping from the room. Even as the doors closed he couldn't help but notice that neither of them had made to speak. Above his clearance level, it seemed. Still… it was strange to see Ozpin so serious.
Unsure on what he was supposed to be doing, Jaune allowed Glynda to lead them, the two blonde teachers walking through the halls of the Academy as students parted and gave way to them, like a boat cutting through the waves. He matched his pace to hers, so that he could walk beside her, rather than behind.
"Can you tell me anything I should know about this meeting? What we're supposed to be doing?"
Glynda's glasses dipped as she regarded him, though she nodded to his suggestion. She kept her voice low however.
"We will be securing a contract with the SDC for a one-time shipment of dust. At retail prices this would bankrupt the Academy, though thankfully we tend to purchase such commodities at wholesale values – even then, we can't afford this much."
"Isn't there some kind of budget for the Festival, surely the Council benefit from having this happen in Vale?" Surely they would have been willing to contribute something towards their costs, if only for the PR it might bring.
"Ozpin has been fighting to have the Festival here for many years," the blonde woman sighed, "they have finally given in to his requests, but have effectively decided if he wants it that bad – he will have to pay for it all."
"Why be so petty though?" The Council of Vale, and Headmaster Ozpin… surely their goals coincided, keep Vale strong and increase the number of Hunters. Why such enmity in the first place?
"The Council are some of the most powerful men and women in Vale," Glynda explained as she opened the door to her office, allowing him inside. Compared to his own rooms Glynda's seemed much cleaner – more organised in terms of both books and décor. "Ozpin is also a very powerful man, who holds the loyalty of many of the strongest Hunters. The Council don't like that such power is outside of their control. Tea?"
"Surely it's all working for the same goal though? And no thank you, I'm okay." He remembered what kind of tea she served… leaves and flowers floating in boiling water – ugh…
"Both the Council and Beacon work towards the same goal, yes. But you ought to remember that individuals run both, and that the desires of the individual may differ from those of the group. Maybe of the Council Members are more interested in keeping their positions and power than changing the status quo."
"You sound like you don't get on with them."
"I don't get on with many people," the woman admitted with an easy shrug, pouring some hot water into a mug for herself. Jaune watched her as she took a deep breath of the fragrant fumes, before sipping lightly.
"That's not true, we get on – and the other teachers seem to be on good terms with you."
"We do, and thank you," she graced him with a rare smile, a soft one that was little more than the edges of her lips flicking up – but it was still noticeable, "worry not, I didn't mean that as some kind of complaint. I appreciate all the staff here." She shook her head. "But that doesn't make my words any less true, I could tell you why I dislike the Council, but those would be my reasons and are clearly biased. You should form your own conclusions."
"I trust yours though," he said honestly. She hadn't steered him wrong so far, and somehow he doubted she would now.
"I-I make as many mistakes as anyone else," Glynda coughed, glancing away from him momentarily as she adjusted her glasses. "I'm just quick to notice them, and since they're usually on paperwork I can correct them."
"Hmm, makes sense," Jaune took one of the nearby seats, a couch much like his own – probably ordered in bulk no less to fill each of the teacher's rooms. It even felt as uncomfortable as his. "Anything else I should know then, or some tips for the negotiation?"
Glynda finished her mug, pouring herself another and even fetching a glass of water for him, though he hadn't asked – before sitting down opposite him and crossing her legs. She seemed more relaxed in her own quarters, leaning back into the seat with a soft sigh.
"There are some things to keep in mind," she continued once she was comfortable, though she kept her eyes closed, "we will be negotiating from a position of weakness, as we need the dust. She knows that, and worse, she likely knows exactly what we need it for and the quantity. There's also no one else we can hope to get this from in such amounts, so in theory she could name her price and force us to accept it."
Jaune winced, that didn't sound good but she had a point. Where would the negotiation even be if only the SDC could provide this quantity of dust and they had to acquire it? What were they honestly supposed to offer to bring the price down?
"To make matters worse, Winter also works for both James and the Atlas Academy, beside her role for the SDC – so she also has a vested interest in keeping Beacon weaker than Atlas' Academy."
"What on Remnant are we supposed to do then? It sounds like she might as well not even show up if she wants to cripple us." She could just refuse to sell to them at all and Beacon would flounder, unable to even raise the Collosseum come the Festival… what a humiliation that would be.
"She will sell," Glynda interrupted as her green eyes opened, "a person cannot serve three masters, not with any degree of loyalty. She will always be a Schnee before a member of the Atlas Military – so even if James told her not to she would accept a deal if it was beneficial to the SDC. And we don't need to worry about James sabotaging us, despite what Ozpin might suggest."
Hey now, that wasn't entirely fair – as far as Jaune was concerned, Ozpin was right – Ironwood was a twat!
"Just, make sure to always describe Beacon from a position of strength," she continued, "if you make us sound desperate in any way then she will latch onto that as a reason to drive the prices up. Conversely if it seems as though this is more for security than any real need, then she will be likely to settle for a lower amount. At the end of the day she is a saleswoman, she isn't going to turn down a deal if it's good."
"Our deal really isn't good though," Jaune mumbled as he looked down at what they had to work with, Glynda flinched.
"No, it isn't. We'll need to make the most of what we have though. Just stay confident and don't let her make you nervous. And for the love of all that is holy – do not trust her; don't let your guard down. She is as dangerous as any Grimm. She will try to convince you she is otherwise."
Ugh… that didn't do much to inspire him.
All you need is confidence? Jaune thought to himself with a sigh, recalling the same words his father had told him about talking to women. If you need a good lie kid, bury it in more lies. Roman had also said, and honestly both bits of advice seemed to fit the situation.
"I'll do my best," he promised as he took a deep breath. He wasn't sure what he could do, or if his best would actually be enough… but he would do it.
"That's all I ask," Glynda said as she placed her mug back down on the table, the ceramic rattling slightly as her fingers played with the handle, "perhaps if things go well we should have a small celebration. I know this little-" A sharp beeping tune cut into her words, causing the usually unflappable woman to actually jump slightly as she dug out her scroll with a soft curse. "Damn timing… she's here," the Deputy rose to her feet, dusting her skirt down as Jaune stood beside her. "I had Peter keep an eye out, remember – Beacon doesn't need her. That's the impression we must give."
Deep breaths, he linked his hands behind his back as he stood beside his superior, willing to let her do whatever talking was necessary. The door opened suddenly, without any knocking or warning, as Peter allowed himself inside, a tall woman entering behind him.
Glynda greeted her tersely, though Jaune barely heard it, too busy feeling surprised. This was Weiss' sister? The two… well, they shared some common factors, such as the pale skin and white hair – but this woman was much taller, not to mention more developed. Weiss was seventeen, so he couldn't imagine she had much growing left in her, height or bust-wise.
It wasn't until a pale hand was held out to him that he realised he'd ignored her introduction to instead mentally compare the assets of this woman to one of his students…
"A pleasure to meet you," he said, hoping she hadn't asked anything while he'd been in la-la land. The woman smiled as his fingers closed around her hand, her sharp eyes narrowing as they shook hands. She certainly seemed more confident than Weiss too, with a dangerous edge that spoke of experience.
"Certainly a pleasure to meet the man who protected one of our shipments," she said softly, head tilted to one side as her long bangs fell across her face. "I heard you were quite injured in the ensuing fight, are you well now?"
"Thank you, I'm better now. Sadly I wasn't able to stop Torchwick however, I had a few students to look after at the time."
"I appreciate what you were able to do regardless, the Schnee Family owes you for that," he felt something brush lightly across his hand, only for her to let go when he looked down. Glynda coughed as she stood beside him, stern expression in place.
"Beacon was only too happy to help," the Deputy said, and Jaune nodded, seeing her angle.
"I'm sure Beacon was," Winter said, her voice almost cattish as she gave a pointed look towards the older woman, "a shame you couldn't get there soon enough to capture Torchwick. I suppose you must be slowing down nowadays though, hm Glynda?"
"I am just as strong as I've ever been," the blonde snapped as she her fingers seemed to twitch towards her weapon, "you need not fear that Winter."
"Oh I meant no harm," she said as she held her arms out peacefully, "I've always been taught to show respect to my elders," he imagined he could almost feel Glynda's anger at that comment. "Now then, why don't we look towards this little dust problem you have?"
"Problem?" Jaune interrupted with a short laugh, hoping to disarm his colleague's temper, "hosting the Vytal Festival is a great honour, but of course we wouldn't have the dust on hand to manage that, we simply need to stock up before the event. And who better to go to than the illustrious SDC?"
"Where indeed," the Schnee smiled beatifically as she nodded her thanks, "and of course I didn't mean to imply anything, I've heard all about the Vytal Festival, I'm sure Vale will do its best." He wondered how she could make that comment sound so patronising, like she was complimenting a small child on a finger painting. "So, how much dust are we talking about?"
"Four million units," Jaune said with a dry mouth, as he handed over the breakdown of colours and types to the woman. She accepted it as she flicked through the pages, though he did notice that at the speed she was going, it would have been impossible to read any of it.
She already knew.
"This is quite the order," she whispered as she tucked the slip away, "and with Torchwick and his men causing such problems in our supply line it might be difficult to meet." Affordably, she no doubt meant…
"Surely the security of SDC shipments is your responsibility?" Glynda cut-in quickly.
"Surely the security of Vale is yours?" Winter replied, a victorious smirk in place, "after all, our shipments to other Kingdoms haven't suffered the same losses. Vale has become a location we are less than eager to ship to."
"Delivering to Beacon won't have those same risks," Glynda argued, "we can provide Bullhead support and escort from the Atlas border to the Academy."
"That's very generous of you Glynda, though of course the danger, and this the insurance costs, still remain. We have so many customers in Vale who are complaining about late shipments, due to theft – you would be added to the back of a very long list." She seemed to sigh as she turned to look away from them, "of course, I might be able to do something about that – contacts, as I'm sure you'll understand."
"I would dread to imagine what it might mean if the Vytal Festival didn't go ahead because the SDC were late with their delivery," Glynda's words were spoken casually, but seemed to have an effect on the woman – who looked to be biting back anger and some instinctive response. The Schnee took a deep breath, that same smile coming back over her lips – a lazy smile, that almost seemed designed to disarm.
It felt incredibly brittle.
"The SDC wouldn't dream of being late for such an occasion, worry not. I just want you to understand the risks we are taking here, and the extra measures we'll have to go through to ensure there is a delivery at all."
"I'm sure we'll understand those extra measures when they're on our receipt," Jaune flinched at the words – holy crap, wasn't this meant to be a negotiation? Glynda was doing a fine job of the `treating Beacon from a position of strength` angle – but not so much on the `winning Winter over` approach.
"I'm glad we've reached an agreement on that Glynda, why don't I just calculate how much that will be?" The white-haired woman drew forth a small scroll from her coat, as she tapped numbers and figures into it. The two blondes waited nervously, silently praying it would be within their budget.
"For the bulk I'm sure we can come to a discount," Winter said, almost teasingly, "so all together we'll be looking at a little under eleven million lien - quite fair really."
It could have been generous as far as he was concerned, because either way it was completely out of their budget.
"We'll give you five," Glynda said confidently, though Jaune shared no such sentiment when the woman before them actually stepped back in shock.
"Five?" She laughed softly, before realising that no one else was, "you must be joking… I realise you've never been very good at this whole negotiating thing Glynda, goodness knows I've had to work with you enough times in the past – but that isn't funny, even for you."
"She didn't mean it like that," Jaune cut in as he placed a hand on Glynda's arm, green eyes caught his through her glasses as she nodded, willing to let him have a go. "Just that the budget is a little tight at the moment, and we wanted to know what we might be able to do to limit the expense."
"Of course," Winter smiled once more, her eyes glinting sharply, "that's understandable. I suppose we could look to substitute some of the dust for use in the stadium – it would be less refined, but no doubt suitable enough for a landscape destined to be destroyed."
"That sounds fine with me," Jaune laughed, "it seems a waste to use your finest dust for that anyway, so what would that bring it down to?"
"Nine point five million." Jaune flinched again, damn it… still nowhere near enough. Five really was their limit. "Still too much? My, oh my, how strange…" Winter smirked as she held one hand up before her mouth, "and here I was under the impression the Headmaster had just spent a little over six million lien on a solid gold statue of a lemur eating a cupcake for your cafeteria?"
Jaune winced, ah yeah… that thing…
"The lemur is a mighty animal that represents our will to continue in difficult times," Glynda bullshitted in a perfectly neutral voice, "it is an inspiration to the students and thus justified the cost." Now that he thought of it, hadn't that been the excuse Ozpin gave to Glynda when she got back from her holiday? She hadn't taken it very well… then they'd had to spend more repairing Ozpin's desk.
At least the Headmaster had recovered from receiving it atop the head.
"I see," it was clear she didn't. "I shan't argue with… the mighty lemur. Still, perhaps you should have considered the future before embarking on such a costly project for student morale."
"We did help protect an SDC shipment…" Jaune attempted only to be cut off.
"Beacon did not, you did," Winter smirked, eyes flashing as she turned to face him, "I'm afraid such a debt can't be simply passed on to Beacon – and as thankful as we are – as thankful as I am – it doesn't constitute nearly ten million lien. You have to understand, dust has become so much more expensive thanks to Torchwick. If you wish to blame anyone for this situation then blame them, not us. We are as beholden to the economy as much as any other, and right now – demand is high, and supply is very low."
So they had carte blanche to do whatever they wanted with the price, was what she was basically saying. And there wasn't a damn thing Beacon could do about it.
Shit.
"Five is our best offer," Glynda repeated.
"And it's not good enough."
The two women stared at one another, and he could almost imagine sparks passing between their eyes as their hands tightened into fists. Okay, and there definitely wasn't some kind of personal enmity there at all!? It was like watching Ozpin and Ironwood part two!
"Maybe we should retire for a while?" He suggested as he casually stepped between the two, "clearly we need to speak with Ozpin and revaluate the budget – do you have somewhere to stay for the night?"
"I don't wish to cause a scene here," she said as she held one hand up, "I will see my sister soon enough at the tournament and don't want to interrupt her classes, so I have a hotel booked out in Vale. But I can meet with you tomorrow if you wish, that will be the last chance we have to strike a deal however."
"That's fine, we'll have something agreed by then." He certainly hoped they would… damn it… Where were they going to find four and a half million lien? They couldn't exactly tax the children.
"Perfect," Winter smiled as she held out her hand once more, "it's a pleasure to meet a man with a head on his shoulders Jaune, may I call you Jaune?"
"Of course," his fingers closed around hers once more, though he hoped she didn't notice how sweaty his palms felt. Or that Glynda's green eyes were burning a hole into the side of her head. "Only if I may call you Winter?"
"But of course, here – take my card. Perhaps this would be better discussed between the two of us." He flipped the card over in his hand, impressed at how soft it felt despite being quite thick. The text even seemed to shimmer, and for a second he wondered if it was dust enhanced in some way. "I know a reputable restaurant we can meet at, say noon?"
"Umm… sure?" They did say most business deals were made out of the office right? Maybe this what they meant, surely she would be more amiable to a deal if she was content from a good meal. Somehow he doubted a good meal would wipe away four million lien though…
"Perfect, I'll look forward to our dinner then, Jaune Arc," Winter grinned, and this time the expression finally felt natural on her face – and that fact terrified him, for it was the most viciously predatory smile he'd ever seen. "You can pick me up at the Vale Central Hotel at 11:30, dress well, won't you?" A cool hand touched his cheek as she said that, keeping his eyes locked on hers as she slipped away and out of the room. Even then his blue eyes followed after her, his jaw slack.
"Ahem?" Glynda coughed meaningfully, before brushing past him – her shoulder bumping into his and knocking him aside as she strode over to the kitchenette.
"W-well I guess this works? I can try and get a better deal out of her tomorrow, right?"
"There is no extra money, we can't meet her terms," the blonde woman pointed out as she ran a hand through her hair. She didn't look at him, instead pulling another mug from the cupboard, which she slammed down onto the mantelpiece, making him jump. "I applaud your granting us an extra day to think things through, but there really is nowhere to go with this."
"I know…" What was he supposed to do though, the whole thing looked doomed from the start? He couldn't even blame Ozpin over the statue since at the time they'd had no idea the Vytal Festival was even going to happen, and certainly not that they would be paying for it alone. "I'll just meet with her tomorrow, and see what I can pull off… maybe I can convince her to cover half of it or something… some kind of pay-back deal."
"I hate that woman…" she sighed, even as he looked away nervously. Yeah… that had been kind of obvious, and another reason why it was probably for the best that he went to see Winter alone, even if she sort of terrified him. Another sigh, this one frustrated escaped the woman, as she held out something to him, "this is the account our expenses come from. If by some miracle you are able to work something out then there is precisely five million in there."
He nodded as he accepted it, securing it away within his armour.
"As much as I hate to admit it," Glynda sighed, "she isn't wrong when she says the spate of Dust theft has driven prices up. With insurance claims happening all over the city, the insurance premiums in Vale are through the roof – and no company is going to be willing to insure an SDC shipment. Not with the White Fang apparently helping Roman in that raid you thwarted."
Yeah… it was all over the news, dust shop after dust shop – shipment after shipment. He had no idea where Roman was getting his Intel from, but judging by how packed that warehouse had been when he went to meet with Cinde-
Wait…
"Well… Things didn't go as planned," Glynda continued, even as his mind whirled, "but maybe tomorrow evening… after work, you and I could-"
No… that would be insane, and yet… he had the chequebook now, didn't he?
"I'll go and figure something out, leave it to me," Jaune promised as he quickly vacated the room. As soon as he was out the room his hand flew to his scroll, dialling in numbers he'd memorised by heart.
Pick up the scroll… come on…
"Kid?"
"I need a favour," Jaune whispered into the device as he rushed back to his room, "a favour from her."
He just hoped it wouldn't cost him.
Not more than five million anyway.
~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~
(Omake: From Coeur Al'Aran, with help from College Fool)
"You say you felt different from the moment you woke up?" Glynda asked as she and Jaune sat across a table in the staffroom, a few sheets of ungraded work between them. Jaune nodded nervously, scratching at one arm as he looked around for anyone listening in.
"Yeah… it's hard to explain, but I've felt weird, all day."
"I'll need more than that Jaune, can you describe it?" He sighed, looking down at the patterns traced into the grain of the table… how to describe it?
"When I woke up this morning it was okay," he started "it wasn't until I went out into the corridors that it hit me, literally – a student ran into me."
"Always with the running in the corridors," Glynda shook her head.
"Well I wasn't hurt, but the student was angry and cursed at me – until she looked up and realised who it was, and kept apologising to me." He decided to leave out the part where Weiss looked like she was about to die once she realised just who she had ranted like a sailor at. The poor girl really didn't need Glynda chasing after her. "The thing is… when she noticed it was me, and panicked… I felt terrified too."
"Terrified?" Glynda's face tilted as she leaned forward.
"Yeah… like scared, but also embarrassed and incredibly frustrated at the same time. And then, when I assured her it was okay and I wasn't angry – I felt incredible relief."
"Fear when she bumped into you… and relief when you said it was okay…" Glynda repeated as she stroked her chin. A second later her head perked up, green eyes fixed on his. "A little experiment Jaune, try and focus on me for a moment. Tell me if you feel anything."
He nodded as she closed her eyes, and for a second he felt incredibly foolish, until a darker emotion washed over him. He couldn't believe it… how stupid, that little idiotic girl knocking into him and-
"Anger, I feel angry," he quickly said, shaking his head to dispel the thoughts. Glynda nodded as her eyes opened, a small smile on her lips – and the rage was suddenly gone.
"As I thought… it seems you've unlocked your semblance Jaune, and it might be a very useful one considering your role as Student Counsellor. You're an Empath."
"I am?" Jaune crowed happily, before coughing, "and uh… what is one of those?"
"An Empath," Glynda chuckled, is a person who can sense the emotions of others, and sometimes even project them too. "Try thinking of an emotion Jaune, something strong, see if you can pass it on to me."
Pass his emotion onto her? What would he choose? He closed his eyes as he concentrated, trying to think up some kind of happy image or memory. He had plenty… but they didn't see to cause much of a shift within him – other than a faint amusement or smile.
"It's hard," he admitted after a few long seconds, "I can't think of anything strong enough to generate an emotion – what did you use?"
"Ozpin," she answered immediately, as Jaune winced. Ouch… "Still, I suppose it's not easy… let's try something else." Glynda rose from her seat and came to stand by him, motioning for him to do the same. Once he was stood up she linked her hands with his, soft fingers resting against his own. "You said came on when the student bumped into you, so perhaps physical contact makes it easier. Close your eyes."
"Right…" he said as he followed her instructions.
"Focus on my voice," Glynda said softly, "think of nothing else." He nodded, her voice was soft, yet pleasantly deep. Fit for one as stern as her. He liked it. He could feel her hands in his two, smooth and warm against his skin. Unbidden, he traced his thumb over the back of her hand – a startled exhalation of breath coming from her.
It caught him by surprise, even as her fingers twitched in his, digits brushing lightly against his own. This close he could also smell her, the scent of acorns, nature and-
"No, no," she said quickly, breathily – "focus on something else." Her words were sharp, but there was a pitch of something else within them, and as his senses expanded he began to feel her emotions… the startled beating of her heart, heat pooling…
"G-Glynda?" He stammered as his eyes flew open, their hands breaking apart as she flushed red. Oh Gods, he could feel his body reacting, but how, they had just held hands!?
"C-calm down Jaune," she panted – panted – as she braced herself with her hands on her knees, her long legs hidden behind black tights and yet still so enticing- "I said calm down!"
"S-sorry!"
"We're…" she paused to take a deep breath, "…stuck in some kind of feedback loop…" he could see sweat trickling down her brow as a new wave of what he knew was lust hit him, nearly bringing him to his knees – but definitely bringing something else to attention. A second later he felt something breeze past him, and Glynda seemed to recoil. "It's… when you felt that, it passed it onto me… then that made me think…" she shook her head, face red as she fell to her knees, "it then passed it back… it keeps passing it on, growing each time."
He didn't need her to explain as it came back to him, worse than before. A loop… she was right. That tiny spark of lust he felt had wormed its way into her thanks to his new semblance, and that had then been sent back to him – effectively adding it onto the existing emotion – before sending that back to her, cumulatively stacking the emotion until it got out of control.
"How do I turn it off?" He gasped as he leaned down to help her up. The moment his fingers touched her arm he recoiled, as though shocked – both their faces flaming red. "How do I stop it!?"
"You… need to concentrate!" She whined at the emotions, and the high pitched noise did absolutely nothing to help his self-control. "Close your eyes, focus…" He did so, focused instead on calm – a river, an ocean, a desert… whatever the hell calm counted as. New waves splashed against him, dragging tortured gasps from his lungs as he did everything he could to resist the sensations.
He could do this… he would do this. Jaune Arc was not beholden to his semblance, no matter how good it felt – no matter how incredible Glynda's little moans sounde- No, bad Jaune! Focus… calm… Ironclad self-control.
He just needed… to stay focused…
"Hey guys!" A loud voice boomed, as a rough hand slapped against his ass, Peter Port stood behind him grinning widely. Jaune's concentration snapped like a rubber band, his legs going weak as he let out a long moan and fell to the floor nearly bent double. Across from him, Glynda let out a loud cry and collapsed herself –twitching as she gasped for air.
"I know, I know," the large man laughed, "I've been known to have that effect on people."
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
FakeWriterDaoist
FakeWriterDaoist This story is written by Coeur Al'Aran. I am simply reposting it on this site to spread its glory. I take no credit for this story. All credit go to Coeur Al'Aran. If you want to support him, then check him out on “https:// fanfiction. net /u/ 6272865” (remove the spaces)
Also, for those not familiar with Omakes, any Omake are completely non cannon and don’t affect the story in any way.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder