"Dammit Jake... You killed a priest. Why couldn't you just kill a noble or someone at least somewhat less troublesome." Lux muttered after she dropped her scroll on the table she was sitting in front of.
A slightly feminine voice then spoke out with amusement. "Hoh? Your disciple is giving you trouble Lux?" The other figure was full figured with her form covered in a tight-fitting pink dress with her long blond hair falling behind her head in carefully shaped drills.
Lux after taking a deep breath looked at the blond-haired First Princess of the Valian Royal Family and spoke with annoyance. "Yeah Ravel, my new disciple Jake was helping Morgan's mother properly move into Beacon, and the priest that had been hounding her got badly hurt during the interaction."
Ravel raised an eyebrow before she noted calmly. "Priests have the protection of the God of Light, even if Jake badly injured him, his wounds should have been sealed as the protection would put him into stasis unless Jake directly killed him."
There was a pause as Lux looked flatly at her friend and then she said. "The priest killed himself after he awoke in the hospital and learned he was castrated basically and the church told him that going after another man's woman is against their tenants so they wouldn't heal him."
Ravel had to consider that for a minute and then she grimaced. "Ah... I see, the Church is playing games again. In any case, did those books help Jake find a magic matrix he could use?" She spoke trying to move the topic to a more relaxed point.
And Lux's face twitched before she smiled wryly and said. "Yes, he got accepted by the Rain Grandmaster's heritage. But there was a slight hiccup with another couple of books that had bloodline locks on them."
Both ladies took a drink of their tea before Ravel spoke out. "Well I am glad that Jake has proved himself worthy of your teachings... As for the church, they know that the web of connections Jake has isn't worth messing with, after the loss of a single lower-ranking preacher."
"I know, hence why I haven't teleported directly towards him." Lux said shortly as she mused on Jake's completely bullshit 'Back-Door' semblance that could bypass wards that even her master a literal Sage had put up!
And then Lux had an evil thought... 'What if Ozpin shared a picture of the Wind Sage's treasury so Jake could open a door there?'
But she buried the thought, for now at least. As Ravel spoke again. "Hmm, so beyond the Rose Heir. Are there any new bloods you could recommend I make attempts at pulling into my Peerage?"
Lux had to consider that and then she spoke honestly. "You should probably stay away from the nobility for at least this year Ravel, as you are well aware the Sage's are working to purge the weakness out of the current generation of Nobility. With Ozpin executing several students that were cowards during the initiation."
Ravel folded her arms under her ample breasts as she pouted before nodding in understanding before she raised an eyebrow and spoke. "Oh!? And your new disciple Jake will be taking part in this semester's Class Trial correct?"
To which Lux nodded proudly with Ravel continuing. '"I see then... Lux how about I come spend the weekend over with you at your tower. I would like to meet your disciple Jake and see Cinder again while I can also watch the Class Trial."
Lux's expression became awkward as she knew that the First Princess had other motives then just meeting with her and spending time as friends as she had competition in the Princess side of the royal family to say nothing of the male side of her older brother Jarvan who was the crown prince.
But she swallowed her thoughts and shrugged before saying more easily. "Hmm, alright having a sleepover again would be nice... But no ambushing my disciples to take them into your Peerage, you hear!" Lux said firmly with a glint in her eyes.
And now it was Ravel's turn to look awkward at the protective light in Lux's eyes. "Alright alright Lux, I won't steal your disciples away I promise."
Thus the two ladies, one as noble as one could get, and the other as royal as a princess could be. Switched topics to strictly magic with Ravel and Lux sharing points and theories as they projected magical matrices of the fire and wind variety.
-
A slurp upon the delicacy that was a large container of coffee that was half whiskey and coffee rang out. As Ozpin was casually sitting in his office with Glynda Goodwitch sitting across from him.
"The Class Trial is projected to be especially difficult this semester with all the souls that were lost to the Grimm with the poor showing at initiation this year." Glynda spoke coldly.
Ozpin hummed and then he held up his scroll and noted. "Kafka the Jormungandr has already culled several higher tier Grimm that had... Problematic Semblances they absorbed, but the sheer number of Grimm that collected souls are indeed an issue."
Glynda remained silent for a moment as Ozpin was clearly considering something. And he spoke after a minute. "I will have Garen Crownsguard do a quick route through the site. That should deal with the worst of the issues besides the Grimm that hibernating as they absorb the souls they collected."
"Hmm, that is generous of you sir." Glynda said rolling her eyes with Ozpin snorting before he took a hearty chug of the coffee and whisky mix.
"Yes, I am a most merciful sage aren't I?" Ozpin said sarcastically before his sarcastic amusement turned more genuine with him raising an eyebrow. "So... I already got a message from the church about Jake Bariss. Apparently, he responded quite violently to the priest getting pushy in trying to take Morgan as his wife."
Glynda was silent for a moment before she took a deep breath and said coldly. "I see. Well, I wanted this to be a trial for Morgan to handle and was willing to step in should she tweak the church's nose... In either case, if the church plays too rough I will smack them down for messing with my second-generation disciple."
Ozpin snorted and said almost cruelly in his amusement. "Woe be to all who take advantage of your disciples you mother hen. Really, cleaning up the messes of your disciples, disciples? Are you their grandmother?"
To which Glynda raised an eyebrow and said flatly. "If I accepted them as worthy of my teachings then yes I might as well be considered their grandmother. I am certainly old enough, and I have been cleaning up teenagers and young adults messes for enough decades to understand the truth in such a title."
A soft chuckle escaped Ozpin but his laughter was cut short as Glynda said cuttingly in turm. "Not that you would know what it was to be a parent... You foolish man, you never even married and don't care nearly as much for your own disciples."
The Sage of Time's expression was a bit awkward as he said earnestly. "Glynda you know I never had much free time as a kid and young adult. I was either training, bullying Mistral slavers, or fighting off the corporations and military of Atlas during the skirmishes."
However, Miss Goodwitch just rolled her eyes before her slightly amused expression stilled and she spoke quietly. "And speaking of skirmishes... Mistral is pressing internally for more slaves, as they want to jumpstart their population growth outside of Mistral City with how a few sects fell in the last few weeks."
Ozpin was quiet for a moment before he spoke tiredly. "The Apocalypse grade Grimm of Mistral are on the move and working to take territory between each other... Not to mention their Abominations causing issues within the human towns."
There was a pause before Glynda spoke calmly. "Ozpin what are we going to do about the Faunus as well? It's been a few decades since the Culling, and soon even if they don't have any great teachers, a Faunus will become Sage eventually."
"It depends on the Sage in question. If it's Ghira Belladonna who just wants to give Faunus kinda a place outside of the cities. Then that's fine, we will leave him alone and this is a statement shared with the royal family."
The room went cold and quiet before Ozpin continued bluntly. "But... Should a new Sage decide to attempt an attack on Vale itself like during the Night of Knives, then it's likely Vale will exterminate all faunus kind and give their corpses to the Lich Lord to be made useful."
"Hmm, hopefully it won't come to that." Glynda said evenly with her sighing as the stress of the thought weighed on her a good bit.
But that wouldn't change the fact of her needed to do what needed to be done if it became necessary.
"On a lighter topic, however, how are Morgan's lessons going? She is doing well as a researcher correct?" Ozpin spoke more conversationally.
And Miss Goodwitch gave a soft grunt of agreement before she smiled lightly and said. "She is doing quite well even if I am disappointed she went to Jake to have deal with her family issue. She is well on her way to becoming a Master of fire magic and will soon enter the field properly."
With that Ozpin's and Goodwitch's conversation switched to more leisurely topics as they discussed Glynda's current generation of students.
-
The clink of several expensive tea cups rang out as Ruby Rose gently put down her tea cup that was filled with strawberry tea with her mother Summer Rose doing the same.
Ruby Rose despite joining Beacon a couple of years early was very much an adult and filled-out woman as she was raised from a very young age knowing the power her Silver Eye's bloodline had.
Which was the sole bloodline in the world that consisted of only women who had the direct blessing of the mostly absent God of Light.
"My little rose..." Summer spoke with Ruby's lips twitching at recognizing her mother's tone in her voice.
Ruby Rose was almost a clone of Summer Rose herself, and every day Ruby wished to blossom into the beauty that her mother had developed into.
Summer lounged in her plush office chair after putting down her teacup with her deceptively strong but thin and dainty hands falling into her lap as she looked at her daughter and spoke.
"Ruby, you do realize that attacking Yang in the middle of the school dorms was just... Foolish in the extreme right?" Summer said with a sigh at the end.
Ruby's face fell into a pout before she grumbled. "She was looking so darned proud though of entering Beacon... And she was making friends so easily, and she even had become friends with someone I thought I could become friends with!"
Now it was Summer's turn to smile wryly as she folded her arms under her large ample breasts as she mercilessly teased her adorable daughter. "My little Rose, just because someone can manifest a huge cannon out of nothing but their aura... That doesn't make them your bestie."
And with some actual heat, Ruby snapped sharply. "Then who else can be my friend automatically? Everyone else is acting all weird because I have the Silver Eyes to say nothing of me being the heiress of a Duke house... Is it wrong for me to just want a friend mom?"
At hearing the honest disappointment in her daughter's voice let out a small sigh before she spoke honestly and more comfortingly. "That's still not a good reason to go attack that bastard's daughter."
Ruby's face twitched and Summer continued. "I told you, that you need to move on past Taiyang, just as I have... He is obsessed with having a thousand children of his own, and he is already more than ten percent of the way there."
Summer shook her head and said with finality. "Just because he actually raised Yang, doesn't mean she is special... He just kept her after feeling bad about how I injured Raven when all the drama happened."
There was a moment of silence before Summer's face darkened and she said flatly. "That... And he wanted to use Yang, a female clone of himself and so pretty as bait to go after other single mothers."
"I still don't like her... She is."
Summer cut off the muttering Ruby as she said firmly. "Yes she is your half-sister Ruby, but there literally more than a hundred other half-siblings you have from Taiyang... Just because Raven and I have a history doesn't mean you should have some blood debt with Yang."
"My rivalry with Raven isn't something you need to worry about Ruby... That was my dark past of Beacon stupidity that spiraled out of control. Anyway Ruby, so what is this about this friend you wanted to make? Tell me about Jake if you will." Summer asked casually.
But in reality, she had already done her own background check on him after hearing her rose had gone straight to him to try to make a team for the Class Trial.
And to say the least, she was more than happy with him as his manifestation abilities were potent in the extreme especially when it came to making fortresses to hold like during their initiation.
"Jake is uhm... He has a noble's bearing with how he is already leading his own entourage, he also is rather tall and-" Ruby squirmed a bit before she finished off with a slight flush. "He looks really cool when he makes a huge machine gun pop up out of the ground to tear apart Grimm."
Summer exhaled with some amusement as she rested her chin on her hand and looked at her adorable daughter with a knowing smile who flushed much deeper at the knowing look.
"Well Ruby, I say that you did come off on the wrong foot." Summer said gently before making Ruby sulk a bit but then Summer said more supportingly.
"And even though that... Shrew, Goodwitch has blocked you off from directly inviting him to your team, I think you and him could become good friends, so how about I help you make some cookies for you to share?"
Ruby grinned with excitement as she clapped her hands together and almost shouted. "Yes! The Rose secret weapon of super cookies! Please help me make some Mom!" Ruby begged with her hands together with pleading in her voice.
A hearty chuckle that made Summer's bosom bounce escaped her at the adorable sight but she held in her true evil giggles until after she spoke. "Oh alright darling, we will knock his socks off with the Rose special... But you aren't allowed to lick the bowl or spatula for causing the damages in Beacon."
With dark betrayal clear in Ruby's eye's she all but whispered in despair. "If one cannot lick the spatula and bowl... What else is there to live for Mother!?"
To which Summer said flatly. "My bank account after having to pay for the holes in the walls. After the Goodbitch decided to be petty with how Beacon and the Royal Family are suppressing the noble families."
-
Back within Beacon's hallowed grounds, Weiss Schnee was lying in a plush love seat with her leg's propped up as she was reading a grimoire with her having changed out of her enchanted dress and into a light partly see-through silk night dress.
But as she turned the page of the grimoire to focus on a different spell matrix she was considering adding to her own library of them within her own magical core. The door to her room opened with her rolling her eyes as Jingliu strolled into the room without even knocking.
"Back in Atlas, if you walked into my room without knocking and the other help saw that, they would had you flogged for invading a princess's room." Weiss said dully as she put the grimoire that carried the will of an Ice Magic using Sage that had long died centuries ago.
And without a moment of thought Jingliu retorted calmly. "And I would have killed the help that decided to touch me. We all would have a bad day... And speaking of a bad day, I got you your maid outfit for the class trail."
Weiss froze as the words processed within her mind. And then she woodenly looked at her retainer with blank eyes and took in the... Skimpy! Maid outfit that had a cut-out for the chest section a horribly short skirt and even a small hole where her stomach would be!
The Atlas Princesses's mouth gaped at the sight before she closed her mouth and scowled at her retainer with some actual heat in her gaze as she snapped out. "You are being ridiculous! I won't and can't wear such a... Outfit only fit for a slattern to wear!"
Jingliu raised an eyebrow so that even as Weiss couldn't see her eyes under the blindfold she wore. She knew Jingliu was looking at her with those crimson glowing eyes that would only be saying something like 'Don't be stupid.'
"Why not? It's not much more revealing then your dress in the chest region, and you are going to be wearing pantyhose beneath the skirt anyway... Do you have a complex about your belly button?"
Weiss's face twitched at that and she snapped out. "Nothing is wrong with my belly button! I just won't wear such a perverted outfit!"
"Something is really weird with your belly button isn't there? Did the royal doctor make the wrong knot when he tied it up or something?" Jingliu spoke as though she didn't even hear Weiss.
And a dark flush entered Weiss's beautiful alabaster pale skin as she stomped her feet as she stood up. "Nothing is wrong with my belly button!"
Weiss sputtered as the plastic-covered outfit was thrown into her arms with her instinctively catching and holding the outfit at feeling enchanted gems embedded in the outfit making her pause and look at Jingliu in horror.
"Jingliu... Did you use the rest of my enchanted gems I brought from Atlas to get this awful outfit enchanted?" Weiss asked in breathless horror at what her retainer did.
"Really feeling your love and respect Weiss," Jingliu said flatly but she nodded and continued. "But yes I did, and you deserve it for your... Honestly outlandishly stupid action."
Weiss's face twitched at the damned reminder of her rushed move to learn how talented Jake was and how Lux had obviously found the listening ward on her disciple with her very distinct magical signature upon the spying ward.
And the Atlas princess knew she was lucky that Lux obviously wanted Jake to bully her instead of stepping in and making the situation blow up as it wouldn't be just Jake getting retribution for Weiss's failure but a Duke house punishing a visiting royal.
'Even if that royal is here to act as both a political hostage, as well as the royal being a black sheep.' Weiss thought with a sigh escaping her as she held the damned outfit in her hands with her actually whining at her retainer.
"But... Why such a perverted outfit Jingliu?! Couldn't you have just gotten one of those old matron outfits or something?"
And Jingliu had a tiny smile cross her face as she stated without any doubt. "When Jake sees you so vulnerable and cute in that outfit. He certainly won't be able to hold a grudge anymore after a few comments."
After a long moment, Weiss's face twisted several times into different expressions before she huffed and took a deep breath. "I am a proud Schnee... An outfit I have to wear for but a few day's won't defeat me." She told herself more than anything.
And with that, Weiss took the maid outfit to another room to go try it on as Jingliu took the moment of peace to read her own guilty pleasure in a romance book that had something akin to this very situation playing out across the last few chapters.
In a defeated princess being taken prisoner by the conquering foreign warlord, the noble lady retainer having to save her princess from the salacious hands of the warlord even while she the retainer and great warrior falls in love with the conquering warlord.
But after a few minutes, Weiss strode out of the room with a flush clear across her pale cheeks as she hissed. "Jingliu! The skirt isn't even weighted down like a combat skirt! It will show everything!"
To which Jingliu replied calmly as she licked a finger to turn the page crisply. "So just don't a front flip or anything... Be a good maid and just make Jake a cup of coffee while casting spells from the castle of ice and countless siege weapons you both will make. Not counting the project he is working with the Necromancy Department."
"You are making me want to stab you Jingliu." Weiss said flatly with defeat clear in her tone even as she blushed and covered up the diamond-shaped hole that exposed her cute belly button with a hand.
And without a single change in expression Jingliu proudly stated calmly as fact. "And I can stab you a lot better."
Weiss's expression twisted before something evil entered her eyes and she just waved her hand making Jingliu howl in anger as she was covered in freezing snow.