Professor Arc

Chapter 21

Here we go, here we go. The beginning of the cold war. I had a lot of good responses from last chapter, though a few... concerned I will say... I think some assumed I was just going to have Jaune completely outsmart Cinder in like one chapter and win...

When has Jaune ever had it so easy in this story? So yes, I do realise Cinder is more experienced than him... but that doesn't mean he can't gain some ground. Life isn't quite so binary as win or lose, there's a lot of middle ground to be had. Plus, well... we'll see more here - he isn't going to be challenging her to a fair game. Actually, think of it as them each playing a different game. Jaune doesn't know what Cinder's win condition is, but she doesn't know his either.

Also to answer the one critical review on how Jaune shouldn't have been able to "outsmart" Winter back in that sales pitch... he didn't outsmart her at all. He just got a better deal... I mean that's life. I've been in sales, and I too have experienced losing a SURE sale because some other firm managed to undercut us last moment. That's just business.

Remember that Jaune is an unreliable narrator – all my PoV pieces are. They only know, what THEY have experienced. Jaune feels he outsmarted both Winter and Cinder... but did he? Sure Cinder provided the dust at a loss... but she needs the Vytal Festival to happen for her plans. So is it really him outsmarting her at all? Don't take comments Jaune says in his mind quite so literally, because they are his opinion. Not fact.

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Cover Art: Exvnir

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Chapter 21

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Blake wasn't sure what to think when they were drawn before Professor Arc as a group. She'd been prepared for the Headmaster and Miss Goodwitch; after all, she'd violated the terms of their agreement by going after the White Fang once more. But the moment the stern woman had brought them back to Beacon, she'd been pulled aside by the young teacher, the two of them engaging in a heated discussion – too quiet for any of them to pick out the details.

Eventually however, the woman had nodded, saying that Professor Arc would be handling their punishment in this matter, since Blake was his responsibility. The others weren't exactly exempt from that either, since they had willingly gone out with her.

At least they'd stopped the White Fang from getting hold of one of those giant robots.

Plus... they'd made an altogether more startling discovery...

"What am I going to do with you guys?" The blond man shook his head as he sat down in his couch, leaving the four girls to arrange themselves on the two larger sofas. Weiss and Ruby feigned attention, but the faunus could see their eyes greedily scanning the room. Now that she thought of it, neither of the two had actually been to his office before. It was mostly just her and Yang... which painted a pretty damning picture actually.

Maybe she should leave out the biweekly trips to a therapist from her résumé.

"Give us a medal?" Yang suggested, "we did fight off a big-ass robot controlled by a criminal, that's got to be worth something."

"On a major road filled with traffic, which put hundreds of people at risk." Blake winced, feeling her shoulders hunch even as Yang's mouth clicked shut.

"Ah... you saw that, did you?" The blonde girl stammered.

"Saw it?" The Professor sounded amused, "me and no doubt half of Vale – it was all over the nine o'clock news."