The Games We Play

DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the beautiful bastard Ryugii. This has been pulled from his Spacebattle publishment. Anyway on with the show...errr read.

Flight

I lingered in the store for a time, both to give Adam and Blake a chance to leave and to give myself time to absorb it all. I frowned slightly, looking out at the slowly brightening sky, just…not sure how to feel.

I had a lot of questions and few ways of getting answers—or, rather, I wasn't even sure if I should try to get answers. The easiest way to satisfy my curiosity would be to ask my parent's but…would that be too suspicious? I hadn't asked her why we were going to Mistral, trusting her to tell me if I needed to know, but Adam's words had forced a tiny spark to burn.

I knew, of course, that she was going there for a reason. More than that, if Ozpin was sending a Huntress of my mother's caliber, it must have been at least potentially serious. He'd want someone who could handle herself in a fight if it came to it.

But on the other hand…she was considering bringing me along. And I knew she loved me and knew I wasn't weak, but would she drag me unknowingly into a situation that might erupt into major league violence? It seemed unlikely, which implied…

What? That it was serious, but not necessarily dangerous? That there was some way of keeping me out of danger? That there was something else at work? It could have been anything.

But I thought back to the words Ozpin had spoken months ago, about hearing whispers of something in Mistral. Had it just been said in jest or was there some truth to it? Was he sending my mother to investigate and find the source of such rumors? Could such whispers actually be of the White Fang and their new partner? Would they send my mother if it was?

I thought about it. I could see it, maybe; if it was something that was…suspicious, something that might have been big but had nothing definite, sending someone to investigate was only natural. But if it did turn out to be real, it would need to be someone strong enough to fight her way out, too, and bring that information home. To maximize the chances of success, someone who knew the area well would be preferable; someone who was familiar with local groups, who had a reputation and maybe an excuse to be there, someone that might not be immediately suspected of an investigative role…I could see it. From a coldly logical point of view, it might have even made my presence make sense; a high-ranked Huntress travelling alone would draw more suspicion then a mother travelling with her son, showing him her homeland. Even if said mother was a huntress; it was all about perception, framing.

But the addition of another person, someone unassociated with the mission, would make things more difficult. Wouldn't it?

"A festival," I murmured to myself, looking at my reflection in the window. That seemed important, somehow. It was a festival. A major festival at that, the first one after the chaos cause by Ziz was beginning to wind down some.

No, I thought. After the chaos I'd caused was beginning to die down. It was more than just Ziz, after all—this was something bigger. A legendary monster awakened near Vale, on the continent of Vytal. A major terrorist attack on the Schnee Dust Company and an invasion of its home country, Atlas, on the continent of Mantle. Two Kingdom's rocked in short order, while Mistral weathered the storm untouched.

I wonder if anyone had given thought to taking a vacation there. Travel between the kingdom's was so rare because the only way to do so with guaranteed safety was to travel in a large group; a single ship, barring something cutting edge like the White Whale, faced serious risks in venturing beyond the Kingdoms, but twenty ships? Fifty? A hundred? With a military escort?

That was a different matter.

It also wasn't worth the cost, except very, very rarely. While it may have reduced the threat of opportunistic Grimm, flying that many ships…unless there was a huge demand, it was far too expensive. But there were occasions that made it worthwhile—like the Vytal festival.

And Mistral…Mistral had this. An event big enough, famous enough, that it would be worth the cost to mobilize a fleet of transporters—several of them even, from the different kingdoms.

That's a lot of traffic, I thought. Enough to hide the movements of a terrorist organization or two. It'd be pretty easy for a person to just happen to get lost in a crowd that big, too. And while they're lost, well, who's to say? An excuse to keep me away from danger—and really, all it'd take was one of about fifty million attractions—and boom! Goodbye, Wonder Mom; hello, Super Spy.

Of course, I reminded myself, all this was conjecture. There was nothing to truly support any of it; I mean, the pieces may have fit, but I was making them fit, constructing a situation that fit what I wanted to see. There was nothing saying I was right about my baseless conjectures; in fact, I was probably wrong.

All I'd need to do was ask my mom a question or two and I could prove it, a treacherous part of me whispered, all the more insidious for being completely right. Because, yeah; I could ask my Mom what the mission was about. She might tell me the details, she might not, but either way I'd probably learn something. It'd be way more productive than letting my brain run itself away on a hamster wheel.

But…

Maybe I was constructing a situation based on a couple vague hints; I couldn't deny it was possible. I didn't mind that, even, in and of itself; my mom was a busy woman. She was a Huntress, for God's sake—it wasn't surprising that she'd need to work some while away. Hell, even if she only had the idea of bringing me along because it was useful to the mission, I knew she loved me and I was sure that it had been at least partially intended as a reward. She wasn't forcing me to come or anything, either. I wouldn't get mad at her if it turned out she had more than one reason for making the suggestion.

Besides, even if she did intend to bring me to the festival and leave me to my devises while she worked—and it was completely possible she didn't—there was still a pretty awesome part where I got to go to the festival. I was fine with that.

My mom was a Hunter and had to keep secrets sometimes. I was fine with that, too; hell, I'd kept a lot of my own.

But…but if I asked her and she answered, if she confirmed my probably made up suspicions…then that put me between my mother and my friends. It would mean I'd know something she was looking for and was keeping it from her, if I said nothing—and mean betraying my friends if I spoke.

And I…if that happened…

But if I said nothing…then really, it was just me and my over active imagination, wasn't it? Even if…

I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against the glass.

Damn it.

"So…" Tukson said a few minutes later, probably watching me just stand there. "Are you gonna buy anything, or…?"

In the end, I chose to say nothing. I was afraid of what might happen if I spoke, so I just stayed quiet and tried not to think about it—to run away from the possibility, if I was being honest. I got back home before my mom finished her morning routine and let my trip pass without comment, returning to my training as if nothing had ever happened. Because I trained so often and frequently ran around the city early in the morning, I doubted my mother had even noticed anything odd. I went about my day as normal and got back to my training.

And so my last few days of training came to an end.

Our blades clashed and, though she held me off easily, she seemed pleased with how I'd improved. The nature of my power was such that even a small difference in stats was multiplied enormously and with all my physical abilities nearly twenty points higher…well, it added up to a pretty massive change. Even if I knew she was still holding back, she was fighting on a higher level then she had when she first brought me out here to train, allowing me to compare and contrast and…

I felt stronger. Despite myself, I couldn't keep a smile off my face and she matched me for it as she struggled to push me back instead of casually sending me flying.

"See? You've gotten stronger, Jaune," My mother praised, sounding delighted as she bore down upon me.

"Thanks to your training," I said, ending the words with a quiet grunt as I fought against her before suddenly backing off as I sensed danger. I'd shifted Autumn to my left arm, concealing her under Crocea Mors' protective shield. I fought with Power Attacks and Double Strikes, enhancing myself many times over with the skills of the White Tiger, and hit her again and again with all the power that entailed. I kept it to a sword fight, leaving my Elementals to watch on the side lines, but other than that I held nothing back.

"The hardest part of training is always conditioning the body," My mother lectured as she took slow, deliberate steps forward, walking through the strength I brought to bear to the sound of ringing steel, parrying blows methodically. "Getting it ready for what you'll put it through. But with your power…when we return, we'll go Hunting together, Jaune. We'll begin your training in earnest—and your father will want to take you out on missions as well, I suppose."

I absently hummed my agreement.

"What are we going to Hunt?" I asked after the silence lingered for a few second, partially because I was interested and partially because talking was a distraction. Not that it made much of a difference, granted, but it was the thought that counted.

"Anything we can," She said. "Whatever you're up to fighting. Just eight more levels and then you'll be able to master Bai Hu's art?"

She phrased it as a question so I nodded, feeling droplets of sweat bead on my brow. I came in to swing once at neck level and then once at each knee, before backing off again as she parried each blow. I shifted to a defensive strategy as my senses screamed out in warning. I'd held my own so far, but I knew from experience that this was when she'd break out all the stops and try to end things quickly.

Well, I said 'try' optimistically, as if she wouldn't succeed if she wanted to.

"Reaching that level should be enough for now," She continued, suddenly up in my face. With speed that somehow still managed to surprise me, she knocked me off balance and smashed me to the ground with a mighty, hammering blow. "With all of your stats that high, prerequisites shouldn't be an issue either, right?"

"I guess," I grunted, using my shield to assist with a roll, Autumn's thorns prickling my skin as I did.

"Then you should be able to broaden your skillset as needed," She smiled as she stopped my attempted evasion with a boot to my shield, pushing down hard enough that my upper body sank a few inches into the dirt. "You've come a long way, Jaune. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom," I said with a hint of strain as she literally ground me into the dirt. Using her foot to help brace myself, I kicked at her from my prone position, not really expecting to accomplish anything—and was a tad surprised when she even bothered dodging. In a motion like walking backwards up a staircase, she stepped up onto my rising leg and back off on the other side.

Almost casually, she grabbed that same leg and lifted my entire body, swinging me up over her head and straight into the ground. I slammed into it once, twice, and then flew through the air as she gave me a toss.

Really, though; I did feel stronger.

I felt her put a knee into the center of my back almost as soon as I hit the ground, sword slipping neatly under my neck as I arched up in response. She held me that way for a moment, grasping my hair to help hold me off of the ground.

I took two short breathes before speaking.

"Elementals, now?"

She chuckled and patted my head affectionately.

"Not today, sweetie," She said, removing her sword and rising off me so I could push myself to my feet. I hadn't bothered wearing a shirt, simply because they tended to get ruined whenever we trained like this. So did my pants, granted, but I felt a bit less comfortable without them on—though at this rate, I might not have a lot of choice in the matter. "Looking forward to the big day tomorrow?"

I was silent for a moment as Xihai gathered water to me and helped me scrub away some of the mud, kindly splashing cool water over my face in the process.

"Yeah," I answered at last, brushing my hair into a rough semblance of my usual style as I did. "I finally get to see Mistral after hearing so much about it. Are you looking forward to going back, Mom?"

She smiled at me, the action a little off.

"I suppose," She lied, making me frown slightly in concern.

"Bad memories?" I guessed after spending a moment wondering if I should even bring it up.

"Not all of them," She said after a moment of silence, sounding like she was mulling the thought over even as she spoke it aloud. "Some are good, too. But yes, there are a lot of bad ones."

I waited for a moment before nodding in acceptance when she didn't offer anything else.

"Should we…" I trailed off immediately, not sure why I even bothered giving it voice to begin with. I already knew the answer and so did she.

Still, she smiled.

"Its fine," She answered what went unspoken. "I go back every now and then, to check on things and fulfill my duties. It's just…I get a bit melancholic, I suppose, remembering…"

She exhaled slowly, looking past me and far away.

"But…" She mused, an odd expression on her face. "The festival is always so beautiful. I think you'll love it. Truly."

I nodded, moving to her said with a bit of uncertainty. The words seemed to at once cheer her and sadden her further, leaving me wondering what she was recalling. My parents had always told me stories about their lives as Hunters, enough so that at times I felt like I had been there alongside them—only to be inevitably reminded that there were parts I had no knowledge of whatsoever. When you'd heard a thousand stories and grown up listening to them every night, it was easy to think you'd heard all there was, but for Hunters a thousand adventures was nothing. My mother didn't talk a lot about her life in Mistral, back when she was Isabelle Roma. I knew some of it, of course, like about my grandmother, but the rest…

Well, I suppose could guess, given her maiden name. The Children of the Wolves had a bit of a reputation when it came to…everything.

"Any plans for what we're gonna do at the festival?" I asked, trying to distract her while also carefully tiptoeing around the mission. "Are we going to meet anyone there?"

It seemed to work because she made another face, as if she'd bitten into a lemon with a tongue covered in paper cuts.

"I guess we'll have to go see her while we're nearby," She said, sounding like the words were being forced out of her. "If we don't, she'll find out eventually and that'll only make it worse."

She made it sound like it would be something torturous, which really cut down the possibilities.

"Grandma?" I wondered, trying to keep my lips from twitching.

My mother's scowl deepened at the sound of the word, probably not liking the implication that they were related. I'd never gotten the whole story about that, either; I mean, there must have been something interesting to how I ended up getting named after a woman my mother claimed she hated.

I didn't mind visiting Grandma Jeanne, personally, but I should probably keep that to myself. Mom had always seemed kind of morally outraged that all of us liked our grandmother.

"After that…" She mused, seeming to put the thought of her old teacher behind her through sheer force of will. "Let's see, there's the fireworks, the parade, the hunt…"

"Are we gonna watch the games?" I asked, not-so-subtly moving the conversation toward the reason why the Olympia festival was so famous. It might have been a little late to get tickets for the good stuff, but I could just find a tall building and watch with Clairvoyance if I had to, doing away with the crowds in the process. Still it'd be more fun to watch it with family and friends then to do so alone, even if my mom would probably just find it amusing.

I wondered if Adam and Blake were gonna watch it.

My mother was silent for a moment, looking at me before slowly exhaling. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, and then continued more firmly.

"Actually," She said. "I've been thinking about that, too. How…how would like to fight in one of the tournaments?"

I tilted my head the side.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You're certainly strong enough," She continued. "And I figured you might enjoy—"

"Yeah," I nodded quickly. "Yeah, no, yeah. I mean, it sounds cool; it's just…isn't it a little late now? Don't you kind of have to schedule those kind of things in advanced?"

"A month in advanced, minimum," She nodded before taking a deep breath. "Which is why I called one of my old friends shortly after you came back from your trip. I—you don't have to, or anything; I'm not trying to force you to do anything, but…but if you were interested, I wanted you to have the option. We can still cancel, but I thought it might be a good experience for you and a chance to have fun. You can fight with people your own age in a relatively safe setting, test yourself against people with other Semblances without fear of the consequences, and maybe practice some of your own skills. Now that your training's over, I thought it might be a good chance to push your limits and see how far you can go."

A dark part of me whispered that it would also be a good way to get rid of me for a few hours while also making sure I was somewhere safe.

I looked that voice in a box and threw it away, nodding my head quickly.

"Yeah," I said. "I could…I don't know. Do you think I could win?"

"Yes?" She shrugged, smiling slightly. "Maybe? I don't really know, but it doesn't really matter, does it?"

And that's what I meant about finding it amusing. Though, in fairness, it didn't matter, not really—cool as it was, it's not like I'd really lose anything if I was defeated. I cared about the rewards and publicity about as much as my mom did and while I guess it was a chance to prove myself, I'd already done so to everyone whose opinion actually mattered to me. Thinking about it that way, whether I won or lost really wasn't all that important, but…

But it cool. Dumb in a lot of ways, sure, but still cool—something mom and I could laugh about at its worst, celebrate at its best, but probably remember fondly one way or another. And maybe I was growing cynic, but there was a part of me that remembered about Adam's words and worried about my mother's mission and thought that maybe, just maybe, this trip would need something to smile about afterwards.

"No," I told her. "It doesn't. Let's do it."