[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[AndrewJTalon]

Raven bursts through the door into Team AARN's dorm.

Isabel: "Oh hey Raven. Still haven't figured out how to knock, I see?"

Saia: "Hello Raven, what can we do for you?"

Raven: "... I might like Taiyang. A little. Sort of." blush

Isabel: "... Okay... And you want to...?"

Raven: "How do you... Settled people... Show a tiny bit of affection for... Someone you care about?"

Isabel: "I... Are you serious?"

Raven: "YES!"

Isabel: "Okay... How did your parents, um... Get together?"

Raven: "Our father was the strongest warrior and so he had first pick of the strongest women! The strongest became our mother! She proved this by beating up her competitors!"

Saia: "Oh... Well... Isn't that... Lovely? I'll go make some tea."

Saia does her best to not look like she's escaping. Isabel sighs.

Isabel: "Great... Ahem. Raven? We don't do that here. But um... Surely your parents did... Stuff together?"

Raven: "They had sex to conceive my runt twin and I!"

Isabel: "... Riiight... How about you go out for lunch instead? And build up to that?"

Raven: "I NEED MONEY TO DO THAT!"

Isabel: "Don't look at me! Go get some from... I dunno, Goodwitch!"

Raven: nods "I see... I should go rob Goodwitch of her money!"

Isabel: "Ohhh Breaker..." sighs "Okay... Usually the guy pays for the date. So you shouldn't have to worry about that."

Raven: "Very well! ... Do you... Think Taiyang... Likes me too?"

Isabel: "I'm pretty sure he will. You just have to ask him on a date."

Raven: "Ask?"

Isabel: "Yes... You say "Taiyang, I would like to go out on a date with you, please.'"

Raven: makes a face "'Please?' That is a weakling's word!"

Isabel: "Yes, well, it works pretty well."

Raven: "Hmph... What else should I do for this 'date'?"

Isabel relates a few more things. Raven keeps scowling.

Raven: "And makeup? Why do I need that?"

Isabel: "It makes you look prettier."

Raven: "I do not NEED to look prettier!"

Isabel: under her breath "That's a matter of opinion..."

Raven: "What was that?"

Isabel: "Oh, nothing! Nothing! Anyway, that should be all you need! We'll help you when you set a time for the date! Promise!"

Raven: "Good! You'd better, or I'll gut you like a pig, Medicine Girl!" She stalks off

Isabel: "... Took your damn time with that tea, Saia!"

Saia: "I'M SORRY! SHE'S SUPER SCARY!"

- - -

What else did Summer and Isabel's teams get up to when they were at Beacon together?

And I changed Isabel's team name to
AARN (Amaranth.)

Isabel Arc
Arjun Sarkara
Saia Radhri
Nicholas Noname

Unofficial Names: Arson, Arsenic, Arse (Always from behind.)

 

[AndrewJTalon]

-Pyrrha meets a potential suitor at a high society party her mother made her go to: Turns out it's Jaune, as he is the great-grandson of former Empress Arturia Pendragon. He's not very happy to be there (any more than she is) and they bond over the experience.

Click to shrink...

- - -



The ballroom was in the old Jade Exposition Building in Downtown Vale. It was a gorgeous greenhouse of lightly green tinted glass held up by Dust forged steel, forming a lattice in the shape of a series of ocean waves frozen in time. Exotic plants from across Remnant filled the interior, in between floors of the purest marble. Fountains sculpted from the finest seastone dotted the floors, while gorgeous birds and butterflies flew overhead. The highest echelons of Vale's society filled the ballroom in tuxedos and dresses that cost tens of thousands of lien, talking and dancing and eating to live music performed by some of the best musicians that could be spared from the Vale Philharmonic.



It was truly a breathtaking spectacle. One that Pyrrha Nikos loathed with every fiber of her being.



"Don't slouch, Pyrrha," her mother Athena gently admonished her, "You're picking up bad habits from your schoolmates."



"Yes Mother," Pyrrha returned dutifully, standing resplendant in a red dress perfectly tailored to show off her body. She could feel the jealous looks of numerous upper class women and the lustful eyes of men of all ages and classes. Yet she retained her poise, and her dazzling smile.



(Smile Number 23: 'All is right with the world'.)



"Don't be so down," Athena consoled her daughter, adjusting her glasses minutely so as not to spoil her make up, "I found a good one for you this time!"



"Yes Mother," Pyrrha managed, her smile not dipping even a tiny bit.



She hated these introductions. Mother was trying to find her a husband: Someone she could marry out of school. It seemed that because Athena Nikos' own marriage had been a catastrophe, she was determined to ensure Pyrrha's wasn't.



Pyrrha had done her very best to politely turn down every suitor so far. Athena respected her opinions on that, at least. Every time though, she had to get more creative with why they didn't live up to her standards.



Simply put: They weren't Jaune Arc.



Jaune... He said he had to go see to some family business this weekend. Ren and Nora had gone out to have another of their 'not-dates'. And RWBY... Well they did their own things.



If only the White Fang would crash this event, Pyrrha thought longingly, as her mother guided her underneath a beautiful tree with purple flowers covering the branches, Maybe I could get out of this.

"He really is good!" Athena insisted with a beam. "His great-grandmother is here tonight! You were excited about her, weren't you?"



To be fair to her insufferable mother... Pyrrha was. She looked across the ballroom to a set of white table clothed tables, behind which were stately high-backed chairs probably worth more than her weapons. Sitting in them were two of the greatest warriors Remnant had ever seen in the Great War:



Former Queen Arturia Pendragon, and her husband Shirou. Both radiant in their dress: Arturia opting for a blue and white dress that showed off that, despite being over a hundred years old, she was still fit and prim. She wore a simple gold band around her white hair.



Her husband Shirou, Master of the Unlimited Blade Works, was in a long red coat with a black vest, pants, and white undershirt with a blue tie. Despite being the same age as his wife, he too looked fit and strong with his slicked back white hair and keen blue eyes.



Both looked rather bored, which helped Pyrrha a lot more than she thought it would. Her smile was a little more natural.



"I am," Pyrrha admitted. Athena beamed.



"Getting a direct audience with her is nearly impossible! She's been living in some boonie hick town with her husband since the war, can you believe it? But, she brought her great-grandchildren here! He goes to school at Beacon! The sheer luck!"



Beacon? Pyrrha frowned inside. She wracked her brains for anyone named Pendragon at Beacon. Nobody came to mind, though admittedly she didn't pay all that much attention to students outside of combat class and her friends.



Oh, her mother was still talking. She should probably pay attention.



"He's not much in terms of combat or grades. But the name is the important thing! And if he's a bit weak willed, you can manage him better," Athena went on. Pyrrha internally grimaced.



Oh great. Some loser riding off his family name. What kind of sad, pathetic waste of space did she get me this time?

She just wanted to be back at Beacon. Away from all this. Away from-



"Oh! Here he comes!" Athena whispered, beaming brightly. "And his sister, too!"



Pyrrha turned and looked out at the crowd. She could spot a tall blond young man in a smart black tuxedo. Alongside him was a pretty, short blonde girl with a messy hair cut up in a ponytail, wearing a smart dark blue business suit with a skirt.



The blond man ate up all of her attention as Pyrrha's eyes went wide.



It can't be...?!



Jaune Arc smiled nervously at her and shrugged.



"Hey Pyr. Fancy uh, fancy running into you here?"



The blonde girl snorted.



"Yeah. 'Fancy'," she observed in a cold voice.



Pyrrha blinked in shock. Jaune didn't notice and plowed on ahead.



"Oh! This is my little-URK!"



The girl elbowed him, hard. Jaune coughed.



"My younger sister Tangerine, but you can call her Tangy. Tangy? This is Pyrrha Nikos, my partner."



"Charmed," Tangy stated dryly. Pyrrha curtesyed back. Her mother stepped up with a broad smile.



"Hello Lord and Lady Arc! I am Athena Nikos, you of course know my daughter Pyrrha! Oh, how wonderful to finally meet you! Your great-grandmother has been such a recluse! I haven't been able to get anywhere near her!"



"Yes, I'm sure," Tangy said dryly, eyes ice cold. "Bro, how about you and your partner go have a chat, huh?"



"Sure thing," Jaune said, taking Pyrrha's hand. She nearly swooned, but she kept it together.



It was Jaune. Her Jaune!



- - -



He led her out into one of the secluded courtyards of the greenhouse, the sounds of the orchestra muffled by the thick glass panes. Only a few waiters lingered nearby, on a smoke break, but she didn't care.



Her heart was fit to burst with joy. Jaune! Her Jaune!



Yet... So many questions filled her head. So many things needed answering!



"Relax Pyr, I'm not running away," Jaune managed with a nervous smile. Pyrrha belatedly realized she was holding onto Jaune's arm in a vise grip. She released him and blushed. She coughed.



"Ah, s-sorry," she managed. "I-I just... I had no idea you were... You were..."



"Nana Arturia's greatgrandson?" He rubbed the back of his head with a sigh. "Yeah. Papa Shirou is my great-grandfather. After the war, when my Nana abdicated, they retired to Radian and did a lot of information control to avoid drawing too much attention to themselves. So uh, yeah. He's an Arc. So is she. And well..." He shrugged.



"I have to do this every now and again because Nana needs to maintain her political standing," Jaune sighed.



"I-I see," Pyrrha nodded. Jaune smiled and shrugged.



"Its uh... It's not a lot of fun, really," he admitted.



"N-No... No, it isn't," Pyrrha said with a warm, relieved smile.



This... This was perfect. She could ask Jaune to pose as her fiance! That would keep her mother off her back, and let her work up the courage to express how she truly felt! It would keep him from going after Weiss! She just... She just had to explain it... Had to...



"I um... Is your great-grandmother pushing you to get married?" Pyrrha asked carefully. Jaune shrugged.



"I mean... If there's a connection between the two, sometimes she'll give a nudge. She doesn't force it. She just wanted a quiet life, after all. Why, is your mom...?"



Pyrrha slowly nodded.



"She... She is," she admitted. "She's um... She's very keen on my future."



Jaune grimaced.



"Oh. I-I had no idea. I'm sorry."



"Y-Yes," Pyrrha managed. "So um..." She worried her hands, "So uh... You don't like doing these things?"



"Not at all," Jaune sighed.



"I don't either," Pyrrha said, wild hope beating hard in her chest, "So um... I was... I was wondering if-"



A short blonde girl in a blue skirt and jacket stepped up to Jaune's side, and gripped his arm. She smiled widely, though with her intense eyes it looked very intimidating.



"Hey Jaune. Nana and Papa want to talk to you," she stated sweetly, "And they're not taking no for an answer. I think Nana's about to pull out Excalibur to take off someone's head."



Jaune winced.



"Geez... That bad, huh?" He smiled at her in exasperation. "Well, I'll do what I can. I'll be right back Pyr, promise."



He scowled playfully at his younger sister.



"Be nice," he said. Tangy sniffed.



"I am nice," she retorted.



"I mean regular nice," Jaune admonished, before turning and heading out the doors. Tangy then turned her glare on the waiters, who suddenly had other places to be and shuffled out. Pyrrha blinked in some astonishment. That was some glare.



"All right," Tangy stated, her voice cold and hard as an Atlasian winter, "I'm making this clear: You aren't the first blessed bimbo to look his way."



"I-I beg your pardon-?" Pyrrha asked, eyes wide, but Tangy didn't let her finish.



"You see a kind, simple, hardworking farm boy who isn't part of these bullshit social games and you think 'Oh, my savior! He'll see the real me! I'll be free from all this social obligation and I'll be happy!'"



Pyrrha winced. Tangy's icy glare didn't let up.



"Am I in the ballpark?" She growled.



"It-It's not like that!" Pyrrha insisted, "We're partners! I-I'm training him-!"



"Yeah. I know," Tangy stated firmly, "I also know your type. You may actually know how to fight but you're hopeless at being sincere. So one earnest farmboy gets your attention and you plan to ask your mother to accept an engagement."



Pyrrha grimaced.



"It-It-He wouldn't-!"



"No. He wouldn't say no," Tangy growled, her brow tight and her teeth grit, "He's kind and caring and selfless. He'd do it in a heartbeat for you."

Tangy crossed her arms over her chest and glared death.



"So what's in it for him?"



Pyrrha gaped.



"Wha-How can you-I've saved his life! I-I care... I care deeply for him-!"



"You've known him for less than a year and you're already thinking of wedding bells?" Tangy scoffed. "You really think that will work? No matter how much you insist upon it, if you even get the courage to admit your real feelings-"



Pyrrha winced again, but Tangy kept talking.



"-There will always be that uncertainty in the back of his head. He'll wonder if he did it just because you needed help. He'll wonder if you were just bored with your celebrity life and wanted him for some sincerity and love. Like he was a pet or something."



Anger surged in Pyrrha's breast. She glared back at the short girl.



"I would never do that-!"



"You can't even be honest with your feelings for him," Tangy shot back, "Why should I believe a word you say? Like I said... I've seen it before. Some bored rich girl hoping that a bit of honesty and even lust for a normal life is the same as love. It isn't."



"It's not like that!" Pyrrha growled, clenching her fists. Tangy didn't even flinch.



"Then why are you trying to shackle him down before you even tell him a word? Is that something a woman in love would do? Or is it something a desperately lonely girl would do?"



Pyrrha opened her mouth... Then slowly closed it. She bowed her head. Shame filled her.



"I... I don't... I don't know..." She admitted.



"Lying is sometimes necessary to get things done, or for a greater good," Tangy stated firmly, "But not when it comes to my brother. You don't get to lie to him like this. Not if you really care for him. I won't let you."



Her mask was close to breaking. She felt hot tears at the corners of her eyes. She fought them back as she always had, but... Jaune...



Tangy sighed softly. Pyrrha managed to look back up at her. Her expression was less cold rage and more pity. She hated it.



"... I just... I don't really know... How to be honest with my feelings," Pyrrha whispered.



"Then until you figure it out," Tangy stated flatly, "You're not pulling any shit with my brother. Sort your crap out with your mother. Be honest with him. Until you can do those things? Don't even think about some engagement racket. You're not the first to try it, and I will not let you get away with it."

Pyrrha was silent, morose. She then slowly nodded.



"... You're right," she murmured. "I... I'm sorry."



Tangy's glare softened, just a hair.



"Look," she murmured, "I get how dysfunctional people can get with crazy mothers. I was lucky to get a functionally crazy one. That's how I know that this isn't how you want this to go, believe me. Not unless you want to destroy him... And you. And I don't think you want that."



How many high society girls had she scoffed at in secret? How many had she looked down upon... And here she was, trying the very same things they would do. She felt like the lowest of the low.



"... No," Pyrrha whispered.



Only the muffled sounds of the party could be heard for a time. Tangy let out a sigh.



"Look," she said, "If you promise not to pull any crazy bullshit like trying to get engaged... You can go out there. You can dance with him. You can have fun. You can get to know him as more than just... Just this prize. All right? If you can do that... I'll give my tacit approval."



Pyrrha looked at Tangy in a mixture of shock and hope. Tangy shook her head, and held up a single well manicured finger.



"You try anything like this again though? I will destroy you. Count on it."



It was strange to feel utterly helpless... And yet still feel hopeful. Pyrrha slowly nodded.



"... You must love him very much," Pyrrha murmured. Tangy flushed a bit and scoffed.



"Please. Family's a sunk cost investment. I'm just making sure he doesn't embarrass me."



Pyrrha slowly nodded.



"I-I see..."



Tangy huffed.



"Now get out there before I change my mind. You're a high risk investment as it is. Especially with that bitch of a mother."



Pyrrha flushed... But smiled.



"... Thank you," she whispered. She quickly fixed her make up before she headed out, feeling Tangy's eyes on her the whole time.



She found Jaune by the head table, talking excitedly with his great-grandparents. For the first time all night, they actually looked interested. Jaune turned to look at her as she approached, and smiled broadly.



"Oh hey! This is Pyrrha! I was just telling them about you, Pyr!"



Pyrrha met Arturia and Shirou's eyes. She bowed politely, in the form she used when she was in the arena.



"I am honored to meet you, Your Majesties," she said, "And more honored to call Jaune my friend."



Arturia's gaze was as hard and piercing as Tangy's. Her husband's stern glare was no better, but Pyrrha steeled herself.



After a moment, Arturia smiled gently. A smile she shared with her husband.



"It is an honor to meet you, Pyrrha," Arturia spoke, "I am glad my great-grandson has someone looking after him."



Jaune blushed, and then smiled.



"I'm glad too," he said, shyly meeting her eyes. Pyrrha smiled back warmly.



"Same... So... Um... Can... Can we dance, Jaune?"



"Sure!" Jaune said with a grin. "Excuse me, Nana, Papa."



"You're excused," Shirou chuckled, "Have fun."



"Thank you, sir," Pyrrha said with a nod back, letting Jaune pull her out to the dance floor, "We will. I-I promise."



And they did. Even under Tangy's watchful glare.



- - -



Well, that went in a different direction than planned. But I hope you liked it.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Pyrrha reached out for the book in the book store. It was innocuous enough. She was in her go-to disguise for public outings: Hoodie, sunglasses, face mask. She also slouched a bit. No one would confuse her for Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl.



Especially not here. Not in this bookstore-



"Pyrrha?"



Her name was whispered, but it sounded like an alarm klaxon. Shakily, Pyrrha looked to her right.



Standing there in a similar disguise was a shorter, paler girl. Yet behind the sunglasses she could make out yellow eyes.



And beyond that... Her magnetic signature was too familiar to discard.



"Blake?"



The clerk looked up from his desk with a bored expression.



"Will you ladies buy your porn or get out? It's almost closing time!"



"Erotica!" They both shouted at the offending man, before looking at one another in shock.



"Whatever," the guy snorted, going back to his Scroll.



- - -



They bought their books and went outside. They sat down together on a bench in a nearby park. Children played on a playground while their parents watched. Pyrrha took deep, calming breaths. Blake sat with a nervous expression, playing with the handles on her opaque paper bag.



"I uh... I didn't know you were... Into that sort of thing," Pyrrha tried. Blake stared. Pyrrha flushed, and bowed her head.



"Okay, I did," Pyrrha mumbled.



"You are a bit more of a surprise," Blake said quietly, fidgeting on the bench.



"I-I just think Miya Akatsuki is a wonderful author," Pyrrha said defensively, "Her plots are funny, engaging, dramatic-"



"And hot?" Blake asked. Pyrrha's blush deepened.



"... Y-Yes," she mumbled. "I um... I needed... Something to relieve stress from all the appearances... Autograph signings..." She made a face.



"Commercials..."



"I completely understand," Blake said gently. She reached out and squeezed Pyrrha's hand. It was a very comforting gesture: One she didn't expect from the normally tactiturn Cat Faunus.



"I... It's hard to believe you're being so... Kind," Pyrrha said. She winced. "Um, no offense-"



"None taken," Blake said, "I am, um... I am trying to be less anti-social. I just..." She smiled. "I'm just so glad to find someone who likes the same things I do. I'll admit, Murasaki's take on the harem genre is spectacular!"



"I know right?" Pyrrha giggled. "He makes all the characters so believable and the lead male is so endearing! He's not oblivious, he's just juggling so much! I just... It's so engrossing."



A beat of silence.



"And hot," Blake added.



"Yesss," Pyrrha hissed happily.



Blake smiled.



"Would... Would you like to read these... Together?"



Pyrrha blushed.



"I... I would like that," she said quietly.



Blake frowned and then hesitated.



"Your uh... Your team leader isn't going to think this is filth, is he? Mine... Had a harsh reaction to my reading material."



Pyrrha blushed heavily.



"N-No! Of course not! Um, he's not aware, but-but he... He reads a lot of less, um, risque literature from the same sources."



Blake raised an eyebrow.



"Does he~?"



A flare of jealousy burst in Pyrrha's heart... But she calmed herself.



"Yes... But... Let's keep this between us, for now... Friend?"



Blake stared at Pyrrha for a long, silent moment. Pyrrha internally winced.



Stupid stupid stupid! Why... Why do all my PR lessons vanish the moment I'm with someone whose opinion I care about-?!



"I would like that... Friend."



Pyrrha stared at Blake. She stared back.



They smiled. They scooted a bit closer together and began to look through the books.



They didn't read them though. That they would reserve for when they had some privacy...



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Saia was doing some laundry in the laundry room: Arjun's in particular. She bends over to get into a dryer, and stands up... To see a smiling young man with silver hair and dark eyes.

Saia: "Oh! Hello...?"

Jett: "Jett Ivory."

Saia: "Yes, hello Jett. What can I do for you?"

Jett: "Well, I just wanted to ask... Why are you doing laundry for that prince of yours?"

Saia: "He's my prince. Of course I'm going to do laundry for him."

Jett: "But you don't have to. You're both students. Make him do his own laundry!"

Saia: "I'm doing it for him." She pulled more clothing out of the dryer

Jett: "Yeah, but why? He's always so cold to you! He's a total jerk... Why do you put up with him?"

Saia: tense "Because it's my duty to my prince."

Jett: scowls "He doesn't even have a kingdom anymore! He's not a prince, you don't owe him any-"

Saia: "Stop it!"

Saia glares at Jett, who stares in shock. Saia takes a deep breath, calming herself.

Saia: "As long... As long as he's alive... We have hope that our kingdom can be ours again! That we can get back what was taken! How dare you say he's not a prince! That-that we don't have a kingdom anymore!"

Jett: "I-Sorry-!"

Saia: "Don't talk to me about this ever again!" She huffs, and storms off. Jett watches her go.

Jett: "Geez... What's her problem...?"

Back in the AARN dorm, Saia comes in, still upset. Arjun, studying, looks up with a frown.

Arjun: "Saia? What's wrong?"

Saia: "I... It is nothing, Prince Arjun. Do not be concerned-"

Arjun: "Saia..." He rises and walks over to her. He holds the laundry basket "You are the only servant I have left. Your welfare is my concern. So... What is it?"

Saia: "I..." sighs "Some student thought you were... Mistreating me. He did not believe you were a prince... That we do not have a kingdom anymore. I became very angry with him."

Arjun: "... I see." He sighed

Saia: "I apologize for my lack of control, Prince Arjun. You cannot afford me to be weak-"

Arjun: "There is nothing to apologize for."

Saia: "But-But Prince Arjun-!"

Arjun: "The bleating of fools does not matter to me, Saia." He looks into her eyes "I made a promise to you... To our people. One day, I will reclaim the throne. I will free our people. And I will get you back to our home. I intend to keep that promise, Saia. No matter how many people think it is impossible... I swear. I will do this."

Saia: sniffles "Prince Arjun..."

Arjun dabs her eyes with one of his shirts. She gasps.

Saia: "P-Prince Arjun! You shouldn't-!"

Arjun: "It's a shirt, Saia." sighs "You shouldn't fuss over me. I can take care of myself."

Saia: "Yes, but..." She refolds the shirt "You are working so hard... I-I wish to do whatever I can to ease your burden, My Prince. You... You are our hope."

Arjun: sighs, small smile "... Then do as you wish. I will not stop you."

Saia: smiles "Thank you, My Prince."

Someone clears their throat. Both Arjun and Saia look over at a smirking Isabel and Qrow, and a grinning Nick.

Arjun: annoyed "... Something we can help you with?"

Isabel: "Do you two need to be alone?"

Arjun: "Yes! Must I suffer you fools constantly? Can I not have some peace with my maid?"

Qrow: "Looks like you want a piece of your-"

A arrow shoots right by Qrow's ear and imbeds itself in the wall behind him. Qrow looks back at the arrow, and then back at Arjun who is notching another arrow.

Arjun: "Would you like to complete that thought, Branwen? It will be the last you ever have."

Saia: "My Prince! Please! It-It was a mere jest!" blush "Of-Of course you would never have a romantic interest in-in a mere maid! It's ridiculous!"

Arjun: "I..." coughs "Yes... Of course..."

Saia: "If you will excuse me, My Prince. Friends. Branwen." She leaves with the laundry to sort it.

Qrow: "Huh... And people say I'm bad with women."

Arjun: "I can still kill you."

Qrow: "Yeah, but I'm still right."

Nick: "Come on, Arjun! I think it's great you and Saia have kissy feelings for each other!"

Arjun: "We don't. She is my loyal servant. I made a promise to her. To free our homeland. There is no romantic interest involved! I would make that promise to any of my subjects. Their welfare is my duty."

Isabel: "Uh huh... We totally believe you, Arjun." nods

Arjun: "Sarcasm is for those without anything intelligent to say, you know."

Isabel: "Isn't that just what people say when they don't have a good comeback?"

Arjun: glares "... I would shoot you with an arrow if I didn't know it wouldn't do anything."

Qrow: "Thinking of penetrating another woman? What would Saia think?"

Arjun: "BRANWEN YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Now... Admittedly, I haven't done anything with Roman Torchwick in this verse because, well... Cowboy!Jaune would be rather straightforward about dealing with him.

However? I have an idea...

- - -

Roman Torchwick wasn't having the best night. Bad enough Red's Kitty friend and her boyfriend were crashing his deal with the White Fang, now she got backup?!

He was tough, sure, but he was a Gentleman Thief. Not Gentleman Bruiser! And none of these White Fang were worth their pay given how a bunch of school kids were clobbering them!

He turned to give a parting, pithy remark to Red and her little friends... When his trademark hat went flying off his head as a rifle boomed.

"What the-?!"

He spotted the shooter. His eyes went wide.

No... No way... It can't be...!

From this distance... That hat. That poncho. The hair was a little blonder, maybe, and he couldn't make out the face behind the scope... But who else could it be?

"Next one's taking off your head, Torchwick!" Someone bellowed. Roman paled.

No fucking way... Blanco?!

He had very seldom needed to hit the emergency button... But he clicked it anyway. Neo had been told to hang around. If she wanted any more ice cream then by God she was gonna respond!

"Well, see, about that..."

He felt Neo's Semblance slide in front of him, like a mirror curtain descending on the world. Roman looked over at his adoptive daughter/partner sitting on a crate nearby. She was licking an ice cream cone and smirking a bit.

"What took you?!" Roman hissed. "That's Blanco out there!"

Neo paused. She then grinned.

"No, you are not gonna fight him!" Roman growled, hustling away under the cover of Neo's illusions. "Once was bad enough!"

Neo pouted. She then signed something a bit more complex. Roman shook his head.

"I don't care if it's his understudy! We are not tangling with that man! NOW GO!"

They managed to run to the Bullhead and took off, just as the illusion broke. Gunfire followed them, but the aircraft fled with one container of Dust still underneath. Roman sighed and sat back on the Bullhead.

"Great," he muttered, "Now they know you're working with me."

Neo looked thoughtful. She then held up his hat. Roman took it into his hands and mournfully poked a finger through the bullet hole.

"That helps a little... But you know what the Hatter's gonna charge me to repair this?"

Neo shrugged.

"No I'm not buying a new one! This is my hat! That's the point!"

- - -

Back on the ground, Jaune finally made it to the meeting point with the rest of his friends and the two newcomers.

"Pyrrha? Ren? Scout out for any strays, bring 'em back here. I think we got most of 'em but let's be thorough," Jaune ordered, handing out some rope. Pyrrha smiled as Ren nodded.

"Of course Jaune!"

"On it."

They ran off. Jaune looked at the White Fang members all lying on the ground, moaning and otherwise incapacitated. He handed another bundle of rope to Nora.

"Tie 'em up, and stand guard," Jaune ordered. Nora saluted.

"Aye aye, Captain! Can I break their kneecaps if they try to run away?"

Jaune waited until he felt the eyes of the White Fang members on him, and nodded.

"Yup. And if they crawl away, you can shoot 'em," Jaune stated.

"WOO!" Nora cheered, taking the rope and running out.

That done, Jaune looked to Blake, who was standing off a bit awkwardly away from the rest of Team RWBY with that blond monkey Faunus boy.

Ain't he ever heard of buttons? Jaune thought to himself. He looked at Blake intently.

"You all right, Miss Belladonna?" He asked.

Blake slowly nodded, squeezing her bicep nervously.

"Y-Yes... Thank you."

"Just doin' my job," Jaune said kindly. He smiled at the monkey Faunus Boy. "Thank you fer keepin' her safe, Mister...?"

"Wukong! Sun Wukong!" Sun volunteered with a pose. He chuckled. "Man! You look like you walked right out of a movie!"

"Er, thanks, get that a lot," Jaune said. His eyes settled on the strange orange-haired girl also with them. She smiled and waved.

"Salutations, Jaune Arc! I am Penny Polendina! I am combat ready!"

"... Thank you Miss, I can see that," Jaune said with a nod and smile, "You sure are somethin' else with those flyin' swords!"

"Oh, I didn't do much, for I am just a normal human girl!" Penny said with a wave of her hand and a smile. Jaune blinked.

"Er... Certainly, Miss."

He looked at the rest of Team RWBY. Ruby herself looked very worried, Weiss was scowling, and Yang was forcing a smile.

"You all okay?" He asked.

Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you had a scope for your rifle," she said, half-accusatory. Jaune shrugged.

"Haven't needed it until now," he said, his rifle still on the prisoners.

"Good shootin', Tex," Yang chuckled with a wink, "You that precise with a rifle all the time?"

"Yes miss, I am," Jaune said with a nod... Then he blushed as Yang smirked. "Er... Um..."

"Not the time, Xiao-Long," Weiss growled. Yang winced.

"Just... Trying to lighten the mood?"

Jaune wasn't exactly an expert in interpersonal relations... But having seven sisters? He knew when it was his job to butt out.

"We'll watch the prisoners until the cops get here," Jaune said quietly, "So... You can talk things out. All right?"

"I... Thank you, Jaune," Ruby said with a warm smile. Jaune nodded and tipped his hat again.

"No problem, miss."

Team RWBY walked off to one of the docks. Jaune kept his eyes on the prisoners, as Nora gleefully tied them up while singing a bawdy barroom song. Sun and Penny stood there, Penny as ramrod straight and still as ever, Sun bouncing on his heels with nervous energy.

"So," Jaune said, "Where you two from?"

"Mistral, Haven Academy," Sun said with a grin. "I showed up early to scope out the town, have some fun!"

"Atlas!" Penny said cheerfully, "I am here to acclimatize myself to the environment I will be at for the Vytal Tournament, and to make friends!"

"Sounds good," Jaune agreed with a nod. "Welcome to Vale. I ain't too familiar with it myself, cept for Beacon and the stockyards, but it's a nice enough place."

"Stockyards? What, you're an actual cowboy?" Sun asked with a blink. "You're not just cosplaying?"

"Cos-what?" Jaune asked with a blink. There was a loud commotion at the front of the docks. The sound of hoofbeats filled the air. Racing around a pile of containers was Orleans, who skidded to a halt just in front of Jaune and began to lick him.

"Ack! Hey! Okay, okay! Nice to see you too, girl!" Jaune laughed. He reached up and patted the back of his horse's neck comfortingly. "I know staying' out the fight ain't yer thing, but it was mighty dangerous around here."

Orleans pouted. Penny beamed.

"A horse! As a normal human girl, I love horses!" She walked up and held up sugar cubes. "Here you go, girl!"

Orleans sniffed the cubes, and then Penny with a dubious look in her eyes... Before she licked them up. She neighed happily, as Penny reached up and stroked her neck.

"Such an amazing example of Equus ferus caballus! And with her Aura unlocked too!" Penny patted Orleans on the head. "You are a magnificent violation of Atlasian Law 405-7! Yes you are! Yes you are!"

Jaune and Sun blinked. They looked at each other.

"... Women, huh?" Sun asked with a shrug.

Jaune sighed, then nodded.

"Eeyup."

Friendship thus established, Sun grinned.

"So... You do realize you look like the Man without a Name, right?"

Jaune blinked.

"The what without who now?"

- - -

Because Roman Torchwick would have been one of the few criminals to have escaped Blanco, aka The Man With No Name expy in this universe. Which is like escaping Boba Fett or Samus Aran. It's NOT easy.

And even running into a guy who just looks like him and shoots like him is enough to make Roman decide "Nope, I'm out."

At least for now...

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I wanted to write something else, but then this happened:

- - -

Cinder went through the transfer papers one more time. It was late, Emerald and Mercury were already asleep, and yet... She couldn't let it go. She had to make sure it was all perfect, every bit.

This plan... It was everything. Everything she had worked for, everything she had bled for.

She sighed as she looked out the safehouse window. She narrowed her eyes as she saw a familiar form climb out of the window next door and get up onto the roof.

"Idiot," she muttered. She rose and walked to the window. She opened it and then jumped out and up, climbing to the roof. The power of the Maiden thrummed under her skin, and almost felt strongest under the moon. How curious.

She put the sensation out of her mind as she glared at Jack.

"Why are you still up?" She demanded, "You should be resting. You're no good to anyone if you're exhausted."

Jack grimaced and bowed his head. It was strange how easily she could scold him. He actually cared about her opinions, even though if he willed it, she would be killed.

Not now, not when she had the Maiden's power... Well, half of it... But still.

"Sorry," Jack admitted, "I had the dream again."

Cinder stared at him, taken aback. Only the sounds of honking cars and the wind filled the city night. She shook her head slowly.

"You shouldn't... Worry about things like that," she said quietly.

"I do," Jack stated calmly, staring into her eyes. "I got careless, while you were taking the Maiden power."

"You..."

Cinder sighed. Her mind was cast back to that day. It should have been a triumph: They'd cornered Ozpin's Maiden. She had insisted on wandering alone wherever she wished. Her bodyguard, the unlucky drunk swordsman, was distracted. They'd fallen upon her and despite her power, they had taken her down. They were draining her of her magical power.

The power... It was what Cinder had craved all her long life. Even now, she felt so much more. More than some scullery maid or slave.

The swordsman had arrived sooner than they thought. Jack, in his cloak, had thrown himself into battle against him. Despite Jack's skill and training, despite anything else his mother may have done...

He had gotten struck across his chest. Blood had erupted from his armor. Cinder had called it off, and they'd retreated under a hail of flames she had conjured up. Mercury had carried Jack while Emerald cast illusions to cover their escape.

It had been a near thing. Thankfully, Branwen had been more concerned with the dying Maiden than them. Jack's Aura had healed him, and they'd gotten away.

Even so... It was an unacceptable... Interruption of their plans.

"You did get careless," Cinder stated in flat angry tones. Even as a chill went up her spine at the memory. "The Maiden Power is important. Half of it in our possession is... Is better than losing you."

Jack stared at her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Your mother would make me suffer the worst pain and agony imaginable if I lost you," she said in quiet anger.

Jack nodded.

"I know... But if I hadn't, you'd have been cut in half."

That... That was true. Qrow Branwen may have been a drunk, but he was formidable. He'd brushed past Emerald's illusions, parried Mercury's strike with contemptuous ease. If Jack hadn't been there...

"... Still," Cinder sighed, "You really shouldn't be out here. With us."

Jack looked away from her, onto the lights of the city.

"... I should know what the human world is like," he said, "Where I came from... Before we destroy it. I should know what it was before Mother wipes it clean. The New World won't be better unless we know what the Old World was like, right?"

Cinder snorted. Salem's overall plans were vague, at best. She promised power, influence, and a place in a new order. That was enough for her.

"It's not worth remembering," Cinder opined, walking up and sitting next to him. Jack stared at her.

"But you, Emerald, and Mercury came from it. So did Mother, long ago."

"So?" Cinder demanded.

"So," Jack said, looking back out at it, "It can't be all bad."

She was not blushing. She was not.

Honestly, she needed to nip this in the bud. Now. He'd been confusing and vexing her since they'd met, and with how crucial this operation was? They couldn't afford any distractions.

With that in mind... She decided to be direct.

"... If you wanted to woo me... If-If you wanted me," Cinder said, almost nervous, "You just had to ask."

Jack looked at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

Cinder glared, even as her cheeks burned bright red.

"You... You want me, don't you? As... As your woman? I... I'd be willing to do it. You... You'd just have to order me! So why... Why are you doing all this?"

Jack blinked rapidly. He blushed.

"What?!"

"Isn't... Isn't that why you're doing all of this?" She demanded. "The kindness? Defending me? The... The personal entreaties? You're trying to make me care for you, aren't you? Why bother? I... I'm bound to your service! You could make me do anything you want!"

Jack blinked a few times. He cleared his throat as his face burned red.

"Cinder... Y-yeah. I could do that. But... You were already a slave. Already forced to do things you didn't want to do. Why would I want you to suffer like that?"

"I... You have power over me," Cinder explained, exasperated and angry, "Why wouldn't you abuse that power over me?! Why are you playing these games?!"

"I don't know what you mean, Cinder," Jack said, "I just care about you. I want you to be happy."

Cinder's jaw dropped. She stared at him in utter disbelief.

"I... But... Wh-Why?!" She finally demanded.

Jack shrugged.

"I like you. I like Emerald and Mercury too, but... I like you the most. You're strong, you're smart, you... You treat me like a normal person. You look after me." He smiled gently. "And I think you're beautiful. And I just want you to be happy."

She looked at her knees, feeling like a lost little girl again.

"... Why would you want that?" She whispered.

Jack scooted up to her.

"If I have power over people I care about, why wouldn't I want them to be happy?" He asked. "I don't like the idea of anyone I care about suffering or being in pain. You... You make my life better."

He leaned in a bit.

"Do... Do you care about me too, Cinder?"

Cinder was silent for a while, the city ambiance washing over them. She sucked in a deep breath.

"... If I said yes, what would you want me to do?" She asked, soft as a butterfly wing.

"Only what you wanted to do," Jack said earnestly.

Cinder sighed and shook her head.

"You're a sentimental fool, you know that right?" She muttered.

Jack smiled.

"Yeah. That's why I'm lucky to have you around."

Cinder snorted, though there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

"You don't have to answer or anything," Jack said, "Just... Ya know... That's how I feel."

He looked out at the world again. Cinder looked out with him.

"I still think this is a mind game of yours," Cinder admitted.

Jack blinked a few times.

"I was never good at those," he admitted, "Uncle Hazel always won... Or lost...?" He frowned. "I don't know for sure."

Cinder snorted again. He scooted up a little closer. She sighed and leaned against him.

"... You're a hopeless idiot," she muttered.

Jack nodded with a smile.

"I know."

"I might just use you for my own purposes," Cinder muttered again.

"I know that too."

She scowled.

"Do you have to be so sincere?! You're going to get us caught at Beacon."

Jack coughed.

"Sorry..."

Cinder grumbled. She felt his arm go up around her shoulders, and she let him hold her. He was very warm and it was a little cold out.

"Just... Don't do anything stupid, all right? Leave everything to me," she ordered.

Jack chuckled.

"I always do..."

- - -

Yang Xiao-Long sighed as she walked back towards the dorms. Her gym session had run overly long due to some stupid drama between Blake and Weiss, she'd missed dinner-In a word, she was done.

She walked the Beacon campus, grumbling under her breath... When she smelled food. She followed her nose, and her eyes soon located the source:

Jaune Arc, of all people, sitting on a bench and looking up at the sky. He had a to-go box of chicken fingers and fries, with some sodas. Her mouth watered. Okay, so it was greasy and unhealthy as fuck: At this moment, she didn't care.

"Hey VB."

Jaune looked away from the stars, startled. He then sighed.

"Oh, hey Yang," he said. "Late from the gym?"

"Yeah," Yang said with a nod, "Thought you were training with Pyrrha?"

"We had to cut it early due to a call from her mom," Jaune explained. He picked up a chicken finger and put it in his mouth, chewing softly.

"Mind spotting me some food?" Yang asked with a grin, "I missed dinner."

She leaned over and winked at him. Hey, if he was sharing some food, she may as well be nice... And tease him a little. She loved doing that.

Strangely he didn't even seem to notice. He just nodded and went back to looking up at the sky. Yang frowned a little, but soon her stomach growled and she walked over to sit next to him. She dug in happily, enjoying the greasy goodness.

"So," she said, after dousing her hunger with some food, "Why are you out here, anyway? Thinking up love poems for Weiss?"

She popped a soda and drank it. Jaune shook his head.

"No. Just remembering my brother. This was the day he..."

He trailed off, and shrugged.

Yang paused and set the soda can down. She looked at Jaune, really looked at him. His body language could often be overly dramatic but it was rarely so... Down.

She put it together in an instant.

"Oh... I'm sorry," she murmured. "I can go if-"

"No, no, it's cool," Jaune said, shaking his head, "Um... I mean, you're still hungry and... And I can't eat all this myself."

Yang nodded slowly. She ate, though more slowly. Jaune kept staring up at the sky.

She hesitated.

"... You... Want to talk about it?" She asked. Jaune shook his head.

"I... I mean... You probably don't want to-"

"If you want to, that's okay," Yang said gently. Jaune turned to stare at her. He shrugged.

"It... Not much to say," he admitted. "His name was Jack. He was my twin. We were... We were five. On a camping trip around Argus. We were just having fun near the edge of the campsite... We'd found this really cool stick and... Well... We were walking back to the tents. We were still in sight of them so our parents thought it would be safe."

He looked away, back at the sky.

"There was a perimeter breach," he said, "Grimm were on us in no time. My mom and dad... They were Hunters, so they fought them. My big sister tried to get to us but... An Ursa charged through the trees. I..."

He stared at his hand. His tone remained cold and detached, even as it shook.

"Jack got separated. My sister got me... Tried to get to Jack, but the Ursa roared. So many other Grimm charged... My dad threw himself into the fight. He cut through them... But more and more came and... And we had to run."

Yang stared at Jaune intently. He didn't look grief stricken so much as... As tired. Aged.

"When the Rangers got control again, my parents went back in," he said, "They... They searched everywhere. We tried to months, scoured all over the park, but..."

He bowed his head. Yang bit her lower lip, before she reached out. She rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"That's horrible, V... Jaune," Yang said softly.

He glanced at her hand, and for a moment Yang thought about pulling away. Even though a warm hand and some comfort was all she had ever wanted when Summer had...

He nodded, a wan smile on his face.

"... Thanks," he mumbled. He looked back towards the stars again. He sighed.

"I... That's kind of why I'm here, I guess," Jaune muttered, "My parents wanted me to do something safer. Tried to discourage me, but... I don't want that to happen to anyone else."

Yang nodded.

"I... I get it," she murmured. "My mom... She was amazing. A great Huntress. She was basically my hero. She died on a mission when I was five so... So I don't remember her well but she was just amazing. And losing her was..."

Jaune looked back to her. He rested his hand on hers, and squeezed it.

"Yeah," he murmured. He shook his head. "I'm sorry about her."

"I'm sorry about your brother," Yang said quietly.

"I-I mean... I know that... There's nothing I could have done," Jaune admitted, "Nothing I could have tried. I was a kid... But..."

Yang nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know what you mean," she said. "You hate feeling weak. You hate feeling helpless. You don't want to... To go through that. Or let anyone else go through that again."

She still remembered how terrified she'd been when those Grimm had closed in on her and Ruby in the woods. How helpless she had felt, how loudly Ruby cried... The relief when Qrow jumped in and saved them, and the guilt over putting her little sister into danger.

Jaune nodded back with similar gravity.

"Yeah... Exactly,"

Jaune sighed. He grabbed another chicken finger and ate it. She did the same. They chewed in silence as they looked up at the stars.

"We'll make them proud," Yang stated impulsively, "We... Both of them. I promise."

Jaune looked over at her and smiled. And despite the sorrowful feeling over them both, she couldn't help but feel warmed by it. Just a little.

"Yeah. Yeah, we will..."

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

RWBY and JNR are confronting Merlot in his evil lab.

Ruby: "Merlot! But I thought you were dead!"

Merlot: "Please, Miss Rose, you have so few villains as it is! At least I'm somewhat interesting!"

Nora: "He's got a point there."

Blake: "So, what's your evil scheme this time, Merlot? How are you oppressing Faunuskind now?"

Ruby: "Blake!"

Blake: "Also humanity... I guess..."

Merlot: "I'm glad you asked! BEHOLD!"

An evil, sexily dressed Pyrrha with dark make up walks up.

Jaune: "P-Pyrrha?!"

Pyrrha: "Hello Jaune~. Hello everyone~."

Ruby: "Wha-What-How-?!"

Merlot: "I'm a master of the biological sciences, Miss Rose, do keep up. I cloned Pyrrha! I grew her in a lab and loaded her with all the memory scans I could find to reproduce her! I even used scans of her soul!"

Jaune: "You're a complete fucking monster!"

Pyrrha: "Why are you so angry, Jaune? He did this for you."

Jaune: "I-What?"

Pyrrha: "I may be a copy of Pyrrha, but we have the same feelings for you. I'm madly in love with you and I want to have your babies!"

RWBY and N: "Say what?!"

Jaune: "What?!"

Pyrrha: "Yes Jaune. I'm not longer bound by my non-existent backstory! I am free to pursue my heart's desire and it's you!"

Merlot: "Yes Jaune! You see, I agree with my clone's desires! They were so strong they transcended Death itself!"

Yang: "But why?!"

Jaune: "Yeah, seriously, why?!"

Merlot: "Because you're absolutely broken, Jaune! Your growth in my video game is nothing short of phenomenal! You could solo the whole campaign! Even better than Ruby!"

Ruby: "I'm not that bad-!"

Merlot: "You absolutely are."

Ruby is sad.

Nora: "Hey, I do the meta jokes around here!"

Merlot: "If you and Pyrrha had children, you would produce the most powerful warriors who ever lived! Same with you and any other girl! Well except for Weiss."

Weiss: "EXCUSE YOU?! OUR BABIES WOULD BE SUPER POWERFUL! N-NOT THAT I WANT THEM!"

Ruby: "You tsundere!"

Weiss: "I AM NOT!"

Merlot: "Indeed, Pyrrha would only be the first to have your children as part of my plan! YOU ALL WOULD! Except for with Ren, since he's a guy. For now. I could fix that?"

Ren: "Please don't."

Ruby: "WE'LL NEVER HAVE BABIES WITH JAUNE! I-I mean, not under an evil scheme! Just because I come off as autistic doesn't mean I don't have a libido or-or anything and I'd be totally fine with having his children! BUT NOT LIKE THIS!"

Weiss: "I-I don't want him at all! Never have I ever! NEVER! IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND!"

Blake: "And I'm totally devoted to Yang despite the fact our relationship seems based on nothing more than killing my ex-boyfriend and Tumbler pressure from twelve people! It's not like it will just fall apart the instant we're out of peril and I'll just get a harem of Faunus when I inherit my parents' position!"

Yang: "S-Sure! She... She totally won't abandon me! ... Again!"

Blake: "You could stop eying Jaune's butt, ya know."

Yang: "YOU FIRST!"

Blake: "I MISS SUN DAMNIT!"

Yang: "WELL I WANT A REAL RELATIONSHIP!"

Blake: "And yet you picked me, so that's really on you!"

Jaune: "This is crazy! I don't care how sexy and seductive your evil clone Pyrrha is, or how confused you've made all my friends! I will never betray humanity... Or Faunuskind... for your mad scheme!"

Merlot: "Mad scheme?! I want to destroy Salem and create a utopia for Faunus and mankind! Where we will all be equals!"

Blake: "THE FIEND!"

Merlot: "And I want you to have a large happy family with the first girl who saw your potential, Jaune!"

Pyrrha: "It's what I want too, Jaune! I have a maid outfit all ready to go!"

Merlot: "I'll take pictures, Jaune! Pictures that will go with my fanfiction!"

Jaune: "Your what?!"

Merlot: "My scientific documentation of your children, Jaune! So, what do you say?"

Jaune: "I mean... Um... It is tempting but uh... I can't duck my bro Ren like this."

Ren: "Thank you Jaune."

Nora: "Appreciate it!"

Merlot: "Well, they can just have babies independently. I'm not a monster!"

Yang: "Says the mad scientist who cloned our dead friend."

Merlot: "FOR SCIENCE!"

- - -

... I don't know what this is. I'm a little afraid, really.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Merlot: "Look Jaune! You can either join me and have a solid plan of defeating Salem-"

Jaune: "How is me having a harem and dozens of babies a solid plan?"

Merlot: "Or you can stick with the body hopping immortal who has failed to stop his ex-wife for thousands of years and even now is consuming that boy's soul!"

Oscar: "Wait, is he really-?"

Ozma: "No! Well yes, unfortunately. Not my fault, blame the gods!"

Ruby: "Oh my God, was it you or Ozma who checked me out?!"

Oscar: "Me! I mean him! Fifty-Fifty?"

Ozma: "I can't help these hormones!"

Ruby: "Jaune, I'm voting for Merlot."

Oscar: "Wait what?!"

Ruby: "Look, my sister is gonna end up some lonely angry biker lesbian with an apartment full of cats. I'm not gonna go that route!"

Yang: "Like hell I am! I'm taking Jaune!"

Ruby: "You don't get him! I called dibs!"

Yang: "Well I called secret dibs so there!"

Blake: "HA! He'll be part of my harem, thank you! Everyone knows I'm the harem lead in this series! He's mine!"

Yang: "Scat, cat! I came to my senses and you're a dumpster fire!"

Blake: "Oh please! I'm basically a princess!"

Weiss: "EXCUSE YOU, BITCH?! I'm the real ojou-sama around here and I'm getting my knight! Suck it, you whore!"

Blake: "I'm willing to wear a collar for Jaune! Just like in my porn!"

Weiss: "LIKE HELL YOU WILL!"

Pyrrha: "I'm totally fine with sharing, Jaune! The more the merrier!"

Jaune: "Were you always this freaky or is this the cloning thing talking?"

Pyrrha: "YES."

Ozma: "This is ridiculous. Merlot can't beat Salem! She can't be killed!"

Merlot: "No, but she can be contained, or mitigated, or weakened, shoved into a rocket and then blasted into the sun."

Jaune: "She can be?"

Merlot: "I did the math. I'm good at math."

Ozma: "That's ridiculous, Dust can't go past the atmosphere!"

Merlot: "I'd be using a regular rocket. With fossil fuels and hydrogen powering it."

Ozma: "That's nonsense!"

Merlot: "It's SCIENCE. Honestly, it's not like we're suffering Kessler Syndrome and we have flying battleships. A simple chemical rocket isn't that hard to put together and launch. It's just math."

Ozma: "I INVENTED MATH!"

Merlot: "Well you didn't do a very good job of it now did you?!"

Nora: "Should we do something?"

Ren: "I don't think it will help."

Nora: "Probably not. Popcorn?"

Ren: "Thank you."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Merlot: It doesn't have to work past the atmosphere, with sufficient velocity it won't fall back to Remnant. Get her contained, use a ton of gravity dust to make things lighter, fire dust to get a powerful enough blast and you could get past the gravitational pull of Remnant!

Ozma: You're going to contain her? How?

Merlot: "With the help of an army of Jaune's children with their superpowered Semblances, we can contain Salem!"

A pause.

Merlot: "Failing that, we can use his incredible Rizz to seduce her!"

Jaune: "WHAT?!"

Ozma: "Seriously?!"

Merlot: "Hey, I have MANY plans! And they're all better than 'Stalemate until we all die!'"

Nora: "Would Jaune have to make out with Ren as part of your Rizz Up plan?"

Merlot: "Possibly!"

Nora: "I'M IN!"

 

[Grrrrrrr]

The Birds and the Bees (no sex)*

Inspired and taken from this https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3868283/1/Adventures-In-Education

It was just an ordinary day at Beacon, with the sky smiling down on the school and the birds chirping happily. Isabel was scribbling away in her notebook while nick was mindlessly playing catch with himself throwing a ball at a wall.

After a particularly limp throw and catch Nick stopped and turned to his partner. "Hey Izzy?"

"Yes, Nick?"

"You're studying to be a doctor right?"

Isabel raised an eyebrow. She's been clear about that ever since she first came here. When was that ever in doubt?. "I am. Why?"

She did not expect what Nicholas said next.

"Do you know where babies come from?"

Isabel froze. She knew Nick was ignorant about many things due to his upbringing. But surely that priest grandfather of his would at least tell him that. Right? She slowly turned to face her partner. "Do,.. Do you not know?"

Nick shrugged. "Nah, it never seemed important."

"And yet you're asking about it. So what changed?

Nick paused. " Remember those kids we had to babysit for a few days?"

Isabel smiled fondly. It was a simple enough mission. A couple veteran hunters had to go on a week long mission. And so they hired Beacon to help find babysitters. They were rambunctious and difficult at first, but Nick's lack of shame and maturity allowed him to bond with them easily. By the time they left they were asking if they can see him next time they went on a mission.

"I do. I'm surprised we didn't need to pry them off you when we had to leave."

Nick caught the ball in his hands and placed it on the bed. "It had me thinking that not too long ago I was their age. Their size… and then… I was thinking… where did they come from? Where did I come from? How are they made? Do yoh Know Izzy? Qrow said you'd know better than him about this." Not for the first time, Nicholas looked to Isabel with… thatlook. The one that resembled a lost puppy desperately trying to find its toy. The look he gave when he genuinely wanted to learn something and was interested. The one that always did infuriating things to Isabel's heart.

Isabel fought the blush in her cheeks and sighed rubbing her temples.

"You're… going to want to sit down.. and take notes! I'm not repeating it twice!"

Isabel pulled out the chair from her desk and placed it in the center of the room.
At the same time she pulled out a giant whiteboard from… somewhere and hammered it to the wall. After grabbing onto Nick's hands she dragged him to the seat, sat h8m down in it and shoved an empty Notebook and pen into his hand.

Isabel started drawing a diagram of the female reproductive sytem just like in her books. She began labeling each part dilligently while Nick tried to follow along and copy her drawing.

Once the drawing was done Isabel inhaled.

"Okay… so… Babies…. They… come from the uterus. It is an organ exclusive to the female reproductive syste,"

Nick nodded and scribbled in his notebook. "So only girls can have a baby?"

Isabel's lips firmed. "Yes and No. The girls would have to reach maturity first. Say… about 12 years old minimum. Before then they won't even have any eggs to fertelize."

Nick's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "Woman lay eggs? I thought it was just birds!"

Isabel lightly chuckled. She was eternally grateful no one else was here to laugh at him for this. "Well, it's a little bit different, but essentially, yes; women do lay eggs on a monthly basis. But unlike a bird, humans only lay their eggs once they've gone bad- if they're fertilized, they stay inside the body to develop."

Nick nodded as he faithfully wrote in his gifted notebook p. "So, women lay rotten eggs every month, and if the egg doesn't go bad it stays in the body?"

Isabel nodded. "Correct. This is called menstruation, in which the Uterus prepares for pregnancy by shedding its outer skin and becomes excreted from the Woman's Vagina."

An enlightened look crossed Nick's eyes. "Ooooh so that's why you needed those pads. To clean up the skin.

Isabel smiled. "Indeed. Now once the outer skin is removed, a fertilized egg will enter the Uterus and develop into a baby, over a period of nine months. When the fetus is ready, birth takes place."

Isabel took a look at Nicholas praying that this would be the end of it. Praying that this was as awkward as it was going to get.

Sadly reality was a cruel sadistic bitch." …How does it get fertilized ?"

Isabel's semblance was the only thing keeping her from blushing. Tdesperately thinking of what to say. She couldn't find anything so she did the next best thing… Stall.

"I'm sorry?"

Nick pointed to the egg in the diagram. "The egg, how does it get fertelized?"

Okay times up. " I… well….Sperm travels through the fallopian tubes into the ovum, or egg."

A look of c onfusion crossed his face as he quickly over the diagram and saw nothing for "sperm" "…What's sperm?"

Isabel's blush darkened. She spoke slowly and deliberately to make sure she didn't lose a single shred of her dignity. "A man's genetic material. It's a white Liquid excreted from a man's… penis… Have you ever …had that happen before?"

Now it was Nick's turn to blush.

" A…few times in the past month or sobut why does it do that? I'm not making a baby. Not yet anyway."

Isabel put aside any and all thoughts of Nick's… 'Ejaculations'. She took a deep breath. "Let's…. Put that… aside for now. Now let's get back on track. A sperm fertilizes a woman's egg and becomes a fetus."

"But how does it get into the tubes?" Nick asked

"Fallopian tubes. Well… they… they would usually have… Sex."

Nick put his finger to his chin in a conetmplative gesture. "I've heard that a couple of times but i never really thought to ask. What's sex?"

It took every ounce of control in Isabel to not let her blush darken further at what she was about to do. About explaining Sex to a well built sculpte- NONONONONO! FOCUS!

Isabel sighed heavily. She focused on her current objective. teaching. Teaching and informing Nicholas. Just… get it all done.

" It's when a man and a woman… or really two individuals… attempt… to pleasure each other through touching their bodies… usually their… penis and their vaginas. The important part is. Through this proccess, A man's penis would enter the vagina and eject their sperm inside the Woman's tubes into their Uterus. Which would then fertilize the egg turning it into a fetus."

Isabel began to speak faster desperate to end this.

"The uterus then expands to accommodate the growing size of the fetus. When the uterus expands, the woman's stomach gets bigger. And that's where babies come from. Now let me see your notes I need to make sure you got everything down properly."

Without waiting for Nick to respond she carefully snatched the notebook from his lap and hid her face behind it pretending to examine his notes. While she took a moment to come down to reality.

10 years later

Nick confidently pointed at his poorly drawn diagram of the female reproductive system. "And then the Uterus grows bigger so it can take care of the baby. And that's where babies come from! Any questions princesses?" He ended his lesson with a smile.

Aqua and Saphron, 5 years old, sat on the couch staring at the information on the board still trying to process what they just heard. Eventually Aqua raised her hand.

"Yes Aqua?"

"Is that why you and mommy tell us to go play with the neighbors when she gets that look in her eye?"

Nick nodded. " well, ye"

An opening door signaled Isabel's return from work. "i'm home!"

We're in the kiving room!" Nicholas called Back. Isabel's heels clacked louder as she approached the kiving room untill she entered it, cheerfully sauntering toward her husband.

"Hi Nicky <3" The doctor gave a quick peck on the cheek to Nicholas before turning to the Whiteboard. Her look of serene happiness quickly dropped into a look of fringe horror.

This change in behavior didn't go unnoticed by her husband. He put hsi arms on her shoulder. "Honey? You okay?"

After a long beat of silence Isabel spoke ":…….. Saphron dear, what has Daddy been teaching you?"

Saphron answered her with a slightly haunted look. "Daddy told us where babies come from!"

Aqua shuddered next to her. " I'm never having babies. I do NOT want a yucky boy sticking his wee wee in me."

Isabel patted her head gently consoling her. "You won't have to if you don't want to sweetie, don't worry." Isabel then turned to glower at her idiot of a husband.

Nick stepped back in fear, instinctively understanding he fucked up. "Wha? What did I do?

"Kids go to your room. I have to teach daddy the importance of "Age appropriate learning" Her voice would've frozen the water vapor in the air.

Aqua scrunched her face in disgust "Ew. Is this another sex thing?"

Isabel glowered at her daughter. "It isn't. Rooms. Now."

The girls exited the room without further complaint.

Nick gulped as he prepared to face his wife's wrath.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Yang woke up the next morning to a knock at the door. She sat up, already reaching for her artificial arm. Ruby sat up just as quickly, already groping for Crescent Rose.

The door opened, and a woman who looked very much like Isabel Arc stood there. She was younger, had no glasses, and had her hair in a high ponytail that fell back over her shoulders, tied with a blue handkerchief. She smiled warmly.

"Good morning! I'm Lilac Arc! You must be Yang and Ruby! I got you because it's time for breakfast. Do you want some?"

"We would love breakfast!" Ruby said with a sleepy smile. Lilac beamed, almost radiating motherly energy.

"Of course! Come down when you're ready, it will be done in twenty minutes!"

"Thanks!" Ruby said. She looked over at Yang. "You set, Yang?"

"Sure," Yang said tiredly. She reached out and attached her arm.

In truth, she was starving. Staying up late last night had definitely taken it out of her though.

They went out to the bathroom. It was quite large, with a big shower and bathing area down on the first floor. Given Jaune had seven sisters, it wasn't surprising that they had a large bathroom. It was tiled in green and white but was a full Fuujin style bath, with a shower for cleansing. It was honestly very refreshing: Lilac had even laid out their normal clothes for them, laundered and cleaned.

So they arrived in the dining room, fully clothed. The dining room had large windows that looked out onto the mountains, and the opposing wall was also covered in photos. The dining table itself was very long and very old, but well polished and covered in a green tablecloth. Neptune, May, Arslan, Velvet, Cardin, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Orchid, and twin girls who resembled Jaune and Orchid sat on either side of it, the chair at the head of the table left empty.

Jaune's eyes met hers. They held their gaze for a moment, before Jaune looked back down at his breakfast.

"Morning Yang, Morning Ruby," Jaune said. Ruby smiled at him.

"Morning Jaune!" Ruby greeted. "Morning everyone!"

"Morning Jaune," Yang managed, "Everyone else."

"Morning Ruby and Yang," Neptune cheered, waving at her, "Nice to see you, good looking!"

"Good morning Ruby and Yang," Arslan greeted. May shyly greeted her under her breath. Cardin and Velvet were staring into eachother's eyes, sitting together and holding hands. Ruby cleared her throat. Cardin coughed.

"Ah... Hey Xiao-Long, Rose," Cardin said.

"Morning," Velvet said with a nod and smile. It was guarded, but not as hostile as Yang was expecting.

I guess getting laid put her in a good mood, Yang thought.

"Good morning Yang, Ruby," Orchid replied in a monotone.

"Morning!" The twins said cheerfully. One had orange highlights in long, spiky hair while the other had green in short, tomboyish locks.

"GOOD MORNING RUBY AND YANG!" Nora cheered. "THEY HAVE PANCAKES! WONDERFUL PANCAKES!"

"They're to die for," Ren deadpanned. Nora grinned in a feral fashion.

"Or kill for!"

Lilac Arc giggled, peeking out of the kitchen briefly.

"Oh, you! Eat up! There's plenty, Yang and Ruby!"

She ducked back into the kitchen. Yang and Ruby took their seats, and examined their plates. They were stacked high with flapjacks, bacon, strawberries, hashbrowns, and blueberries. It smelled wonderful, and it didn't take long for both sisters to eat their fill.

Even with Cardin and Velvet making gooey eyes at one another.

"It's so weird," Ruby mumbled through her pancakes. Yang nodded, and grimaced as Cardin fed Velvet some blueberries. Velvet giggled, and kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, I saw them out last night," Yang muttered back. Ruby's eyes widened.

"Really?" She whispered back. "Like... Were they...?"

"I'm not saying any more," Yang mumbled, "I want to finish my food."

"Can you two please cut that out?" Neptune moaned, as Velvet fed Cardin some pancakes, "You're grossing us out."

"Deal with it," Cardin huffed, "She likes it."

"I do!" Velvet said cheerfully. Neptune sighed and looked around. He smiled at Orchid, who was sitting next to him.

"Hey Orchid, you want to-?'

Jaune glared at Neptune so hard Yang could feel the heat from across the table. Neptune coughed.

"No thank you," Orchid stated, eating her pancakes, "I prefer to feed myself."

"May!" Neptune seized upon the shy sniper. May blushed.

"Um... N-No thank you?"

"Arslan!" Neptune tried.

"No thank you," Arslan stated, eating some strawberries. Neptune looked over at the twins.

"Verdy? Coral?"

Jaune's glare was especially intense. Verdy grinned, and got up. She walked over to Neptune's side, and leaned over with her hands on his shoulders.

"Oh my~! This is so sudden~! But I'll give it a try..."

She held up a grape. Neptune flushed. He opened his mouth nevertheless. She leaned in and pushed the grape into his mouth.

Which he bit down on. He then coughed... As his face went bright red.

"Ahh... AHHHH... HWAAAHHHH?!"

He grabbed the water jug and chugged it like a madman, guzzling it all down as he fell out of the chair to the floor. Jaune turned his glare onto Verdy.

"Verdy!"

"What? He wanted me to feed him," she giggled, "And I wanted to test out Coral's new pepper bomb mixture!"

"Heh. Brutal," Cardin chuckled.

"VERDY! CORAL!" Jaune growled.

"Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood," Coral said with a shrug. Verdy giggled and helped pull Neptune back to his feet. She set him down in his chair, and patted his shoulder. "Thanks for being a good sport about it."

"S-Sure," Neptune managed, coughing a bit. Arslan sighed. May winced. Nora grinned.

"That's so awesome!" Nora cried. "You were really funny Neptune!"

Yang smirked a little. Coral sipped her tea.

"Besides, we're getting tired of fixing up weapons," Coral sighed, "It's all we've been doing since this started."

"Yeah," Verdy groaned, "Replacing firing pins, blacksmithing new swords-It's been exhausting."

"You're weapons engineers?!" Ruby cried excitedly.

"They are," Jaune said with a nod, "Though they work at the hospital too."

The twins made faces at this.

"We're so tired of medical filing," Verdy grumbled.

"And fixing ultrasound machines," Coral added.

"That's so cool!" Ruby cried. "I-I mean, the weapon engineering part, not the-You want to talk shop? Do you have custom weapons?"

"Just guns," Verdy shrugged, "We're not really any good at hand to hand."

"Which is why we stay behind the front lines," Coral added.

"I'm something of a weapons engineer myself, you know," Neptune said with a smile, finally recovered. "Maybe we can talk shop too-?"

Jaune glared DEATH at Neptune. He coughed.

"N-Nevermind!"

"He can learn," Arslan said in soft amusement.

The front door opened and slammed shut. Isabel Arc came into the dining room, looking utterly exhausted. All conversation ended and everyone stared intently at her. Isabel sighed.

"Uh, hey Mom," Jaune said carefully.

"Mom!" Coral and Verdy greeted.

"Mmph," Isabel managed. She collapsed at the end of the table, exhausted. Lilac was by her side in an instant, with six plates of food she set in front of her mother. Isabel tore into the food with a ravenous hunger that even Nora stared at in shock (and awe). When she was finished, she sighed heavily.

"Mom?" Jaune asked worriedly. Isabel shook her head.

"I finally got a break," she said quietly. "But... The hospital needs more medical supplies. Jaune?"

Jaune stared at his mother.

"Um, yes?"

"You know all the usual herbs and materials, and where to find them," she said. "Take your friends and go up today to gather them." She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to him. Jaune took it, his face stony.

"Picking flowers?" Cardin complained. "You can't be-!"

Isabel glared at him. A glare that spoke of several days without proper sleep or rest, and sheer maternal might. Cardin squeaked, and scooted his chair back. Velvet squeezed his hand comfortingly.

Jaune took a deep breath.

"Sure Mom," he said, "I know what we need to get."

"You've done it plenty of times, and in a big group, you'll be safe," Isabel managed, "Besides. It'll do you all some good."

Jaune stared at the paper list for a moment longer. He then took hold of it. He tucked it into his duster pocket.

"Yeah," he said. "Finish your breakfast, everyone. We're moving out soon. I'll go hitch up the cart."

He got up and headed off. The rest of the group soon finished their breakfasts, and headed out after him. Yang and Ruby took a bit longer, as Lilac got her mother a few jugs of water and juice. These she consumed as well.

"Haaaa... My Semblance lets me go without food or rest for a while," Isabel admitted, "But I have to replenish it all."

"You really shouldn't push yourself so hard, Mother," Lilac said.

"Ha, like she'll listen to that kind of stuff," Verdy snorted.

"She does sometimes," Coral said with a shrug. Isabel shook her head.

"Well, we finally have some reinforcements and replacements," she said, "So we can afford to relax a little. Your father should be home tonight, once his relief shows up."

She looks over at Yang and Ruby, finishing up their food.

"You two doing all right?" She asked.

"Just fine, Mrs. Arc," Ruby said.

Yang flexed her hand and nodded.

"All right, I guess," she said.

Isabel smiled at the two.

"I'd appreciate it if you could do me a favor? Keep an eye on Jaune, will you?"

Ruby flushed.

"Um... We usually do," she admitted, "Along with Ren and Nora."

Isabel nodded.

"I know... But it would put my mind at ease. I know you don't like being on standby... Nobody does..."

She scowled a bit, then shook her head.

"But you all need a rest. Believe me," she stated.

Ruby scowled.

"We're not that-!" She looked over at Yang. "I-I mean-!"

"It's fine," Yang said quietly, "We'll keep an eye on him, ma'am."

Isabel nodded and smiled.

"Thank you. I appreciate it. Now... If you'll excuse me, I'm-Zzzzzz..."

Her head bowed as she began to sleep, snoring softly. Lilac sighed.

"She overdid it again," she mumbled.

"Runs in the family," Yang grunted.

"Don't we know it," Orchid, Lilac Verdy and Coral said with long suffering expressions.

"Wow, in synch too!" Ruby gasped.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

As a reminder, this is what Radian looks like:

Radian itself is borrowed from the map of Shildia from an old JRPG named "Shining Tears".

 

[SharkCultist]

For once I have a idea that's not terribly dark or silly.

---

He had the dream again. Still a chaotic mess of sights and sounds but it's a bit more clear.

There's trees with red leaves and he's on something moving fast. There's a flash of something he can't remember clearly, beautifully dark with haunting yellow eyes.

Then there's a feeling of sadness mixed with anger followed by some kind of explosion and suddenly he's flying through the air before he wakes up like always.

The dream always bothers him but he can't dwell on it, there's work to do.

His room is a comfortable thing with it's own bathroom where he quickly showers and throws on his work clothes. A old pair of burgundy pants and a white sleeveless shirt.

A far cry from the (ruined) formal looking suit he was found in.

But it's comfortable and durable, something essential for farm work.

He steps outside and the cool air ghosts across the scar covering the left side of his face from temple to the bridge of his nose.

"Morning Red, you ready for work?"

Lost in his head Red didn't notice his boss approaching him.

The man who pulled him from a burning wreck and gave him a home. Nick Arc.

"I'm ready, shouldn't be a hard day today, besides the quicker we get done the quicker you can get back to preparing for your son and his friends visit."

Nick brightens at that.

"You're gonna love Jaune, his friends are a bit weird but they're good people, Even the racist one."

Something about that word twists his guts and makes him want to reach for a weapon that isn't there. But the bull faunus squashes the feeling.

"A racist? Doesn't seem like someone you'd be ok with your kids associating with."

"Well she isn't really hurting anyone she's just jumpy and snappy. I think Izzy said she has a prosecution complex? Dunno what that is. Tangy just said she's a soap opera bitch."

Something about that description makes part of him want to burst out laughing. Again he kills the strange urges.

"I'm sure it will be a interesting meeting."

Red has no idea how right he is.

---

So the idea here being when Blake cut the train in this timeline Adam was on the part with the bombs and got blasted in his shock of her leaving him.

His SDC scar got burned away by him getting a bigger scar on his face.

He was saved by Nick who took him to Radian and gave him a job and helped him find a place to stay after they realized he didn't have most of his memories.


Edit: Also figured I'd share what inspired this little idea. A song I really like.


View: https://youtu.be/G5-KJgVsoUM?si=8Zu9LU3uhHQk40Mj

 

[Unknown_One]

2/ The two teams decide to have a break and do a karaoke night, Turns out when Jaune is not nervous he's a top tier singer and ends up serenading Yang much to the jelly of the others, Nora trolls Weiss by giving her all the death metal scream music to sing (She rocks it hard), Blake is racist (nothing new there) Ren sings Baka Mitai and steals the show, etc etc etc (not sure about the others), all in all a great and fun time was had by all (Nora live streamed the entire thing and they are now world famous).

Click to shrink...

Jaune: *singing* "…Like a river flows, surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes. Some things are meant to be.~"

Yang: *mouthing the words along with Jaune, slowly being emotional*

Jaune: *Still singing* "Take my hand. Take my whole life, too. For I can't help falling in love with you…"

*Jaune then looks at the group, leveling his eyes at Yang on instinct.*

Jaune: *Singing one more time* "For I can't help… falling in love… with youuuuu~"

Yang: *Breaks down crying before Jaune places the microphone down and hugs her*

Pyrrha: *Also slightly emotional* "Th-that was… that was beautiful, Jaune."

Jaune: *Holding Yang and turns his head to Pyrrha* "Thanks, it just felt right."

Weiss: "No fair, Tall, Blonde, and Scraggly had to get Pelvis Everly and I got Barrels and Flowers."

Nora: "Like you're not rocking it, Weisscream!"

*****

Yes, I used Elvis Presley's 'Can't help falling in love with you'. Might be cheesy, but hey. It is a serenade.

 

[SpaceK0k0nut]

Now, after a short hiatus and brawl with my muses, i present: The New Teacher: Jaune

---

A polite knock.

"ENTER!" Carol said loudly, not turning from her coffee pouring

Slowly, the door to the weapons lab opened, revealing Jaune in his brand new Beacon uniform

"..Ms Frees?" Jaune asked, peeking around the door

"Jaune? What're you doing here? My class isn't until Thursday?" Carol asked, now holding a steaming cup of her coffee

Fully entering the room, the shy knight approached the taller teacher awkwardly "I just wanted to thank you for the pep talk two days ago"

Carol raised her her eyebrow she sat down on a stool while drinking her brew, then fixed a look at Jaune " I didn't give no pep talk." She said mater-of-factually "Flame, I didn't think you'd even pass the test" she finished with a grin

"W-what?" Jaune said, taken aback

"Yup, didn't think ya had it in you to pick up the blade and fight." She sipped from her mug "But you deserve a chance, like everyone else, so I kept quiet to not torpedo your chances and what'd you know? I was wrong!" Carol laughed boisterously

"I-I do try my b-best" Jaune said, cheeks rosy from the compliment

Carol slapped his shoulder softly "Chin up! It's not everyone who can lead a group of strangers after their first meeting to kill an enemy with such bullshit advantage as flying, and an Elder even.

Way I see it? You'll make to the big leagues before anyone else, just work on that swinging arm or if you want some of the best Steel on the planet, you know where to find me."

"Sorry teacher, I um... The Breaker Church frowns upon body mods..."Jaune's awkwardly deflected

"Ah, right, anyway what'd come in for?" Carol said turning the stool around to pour a mug for Jaune and passing the hot beverage to him

Jaune looked into the dark liquid in his hands and took a deep breath "I... I have never been trained in combat..."

At a lack of response, he looked up to a complete lack of reaction from Carol

"Could've fooled me, but if you think you need practice, why not ask the Nikos gal? She's on your team right?" At Jaune's hesitant nod, she continued "From what've seen from the classes I sat in, the Nikos gal is trying her damnest to stay close to ya"

"What?" Jaune was confused, wasn't Pyrrha way out of his league?

"Probability says she's just worried about her team lead not being quite up to snuff, but from what I know of hormonal teenagers she's also looking at a possible boyfriend" Carol's matter-of-fact and monotone explanation sounded more like a cannon shot to Jaune's ears, had he really a chance with the Invicinble Girl? That couldn't be it.

"You think she'd help me?" Jaune pleaded, the very idea that Pyrrha might like him discarded like an used napkin

Carol snorted "Bet you five Does she will be glad you asked"

Jaune beamed "Really?"

"Yup" Carol said while drinking from her mug

Jaune downed the whole (now only mildly hot) mug of coffee, before making a face from the bitterness (much to Carol's amusement) and leaving with a new spring to his steps.

---

Spoiler: A/N

An quick explanation on money in this version of Remnant:
After the Great War, as can be expected, a lot of Kingdoms and smaller countries were either devastated or so deep into a War Economy that as soon as peace arrived they couldn't sustain themselves any longer.
Many ancient kingdoms ceased to exist at this time, like Artoria Pendragon-Arc's Avalon, or were so destabilized they soon were surpassed by their former vassals, like how Atlas broke off from Mantle and took its place.
This caused a situation where trade became extremely difficult, confusing, outright impossible or any combination of the three.
As such, the now Four Great Kingdoms came together and formed a new unified currency, backed by Atlesian firepower, Valean agriculture and Mistrali and Vacuan Dust: The Lien.
However they never agreed on who would print that money, so each prints and mints their own version of the Lien.
In Vale, the paper note denominations are nicknamed by what is printed on them. They are as follows:
1 Lien = The Doe
5 Lien = The Sparrow
10 Lien = The Arrowana
20 Lien = The Buffalo
50 Lien = The Lion
100 Lien = The Stag / Buck (The stag used to be in the Vale Royal coat of arms before the abolition of the royalty)

 

[Unknown_One]

Karaoke 2: Elvis-ish boogaloo. A little longer response from the 20 minute scene Imposted earlier. Still using the same song

*****

"Oh come on, Jaune-Jaune. Why don't you sing?" Nora said, as the combined teams RWBYJNPR were gathered in the booth.

"I-I just don't want to sing." Jaune replied. He was nervous, but his nerve was slightly fraying under the pressure.

"Please, Jaune. For me?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune looked at Pyrrha before closing his eyes and sighing softly. "All right. But I need to pick the song!"

Yang shook her head. "Not tonight, VB. We picked everyone else's songs. Yours will be no exception."

Jaune sighed in defeat and shook his head. "Fine, I'll sing what you choose."

Weiss instantly had an idea. "You all keep having me sing these harsh songs on my voice. Let's see how Arc handles them."

Ruby, however, was faster. "Sorry, bestie. But we already had a song picked out for Jaune."

Nora nodded, a giant grin on her face. "Yeah, we scoured out the list ahead of time and had the perfect song figured out."

Jaune wore a worried look, but closed his eyes to calm himself. Ren then handed Jaune the microphone.

"Hey, can't be much worse than Blake." Ren stated with a small grin.

"HEY!" Blake yelled in reply. Laughter burst from the group at the not-so-decent job Blake did a few songs ago.

"Oh please, like he's any better." Weiss said, defending her teammate with an ultimate backhanded compliment.

"I think you'll be surprised, Weisscream." Nora replied.

Jaune looked at the song that was selected. "Huh, I know this one. My dad sang it to my mom on my sister Saphron's wedding day."

"Then you should be able to knock this out of the park." Ruby said with a hopeful tone.

Jaune took a deep breath and hit 'Start' on the machine.

A piano began, softly playing up and down the notes of the song. Pyrrha gasped, as she recognized the song. Yang was also taken aback.

Jaune took a deep breath and began. "Wise men say, only fools rush in. For I can't help falling in love with you~"

He closed his eyes, letting his emotion out and his voice to guide him. Yang and Pyrrha leaned closer, while Ren held Nora. The latter of which was sending a live feed over the internet through her scroll.

Jaune opened his eyes, letting him look around the group as he continued. "Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? If I can't help falling in love with you~"

Weiss' eyes widened at how well Jaune was doing. He was hitting every note, nailing the pitch changes in the lyrics. From a mild falsetto to the low tenor. It may not have been perfect, but it was far better than she imagined.

Jaune just continued. "Like the river flows, surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes. Some things are meant to be~"

Ruby wore a smile as Jaune looked around, keeping his eyes on Yang and Pyrrha longer than the others. Instinct seemed to guide him, and it just felt right.

Jaune just kept looking at his friends. Though the next line began with him looking at Yang. "Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you~"

Yang was entrapped, slowly becoming emotional as she was mouthing the words along with Jaune. Pyrrha was also getting emotional, feeling a better connection to Jaune.

Again, Jaune kept going. "Like the river flows, surely to the sea. Darling, so it goes. Some things are meant to be~"

The rest of the group joined in softly, as Jaune took lead. He looked at Yang, and then Pyrrha. "Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you~"

Jaune continued solo, as soft sniffles came from the group. Even Blake was feeling emotional at how well this song was going. "For I can't help… falling in love…"

Jaune too one last look at Yang. "With youuuu~"

The combined group burst out in applause at Jaune's performance. And Nora had a ton of messages coming in about that performance. More than a few were asking if Jaune was single, but Nora wouldn't see them until the next morning.

Yang began softly sobbing, at the song and the performance. Jaune placed the microphone down softly and scooted over to give her a hug. "Are you ok, Yang?"

Yang sniffled. "That was beautiful, Jaune."

Pyrrha scooted to the other side of Jaune. "It really was. That was really good."

Weiss wore an impressed look. "Who knew Mister Tall, Blonde, and Lanky would be that good singing?"

Nora and Ren just wore knowing smiles as they got a little closer.

Blake and Ruby wore amused grins. "So are you regretting not going with Jaune to the Beacon dance?" Blake asked.

"Absolutely not, Blake. I bet Neptune could sing just as well, if not better." Weiss said.

Unknowingly, Neptune was butchering 'Over the Rainbow' at another karaoke bar across vale. Neon was not impressed in the least and had left halfway through the song.

Yang kept trying to hold herself together as Jaune held her. "Yang?"

Yang just turned to Jaune and gave him a crushing hug. "I loved it, Jaune."

Pyrrha wore a knowing smile as she embraced Jaune and Yang softly. "Go ahead, Yang."

Jaune's right eyebrow went up. "What do you mean?"

Yang pulled herself away from Jaune to gaze into his eyes. As if on instinct, she leaned closer and locked her lips to his.

Surprised at the kiss, Jaune's eyes widened. But, he reciprocated the affectionate gesture.

They broke the kiss and Yang took a deep breath. "Would you…?"

Jaune just pulled her close, and gave her another kiss. Pyrrha looked on with a pleased smile, while Blake, Ruby, and Weiss were all surprised at how this came about.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Pain... Fire... Darkness... And always yellow eyes. Eyes staring at him in fear, in worry... What did it mean...?

Steel, flames, smoke... Someone was screaming... Who was screaming? Why were they screaming?

He had to find her. He had to see her. Why was she screaming why-

He felt Aura, and sprung up. He threw a punch out of sheer instinct, only for it to be caught by a strong fist.

He opened his eyes. The world resolved itself. He saw his fist was buried in the fist of a tall, blond man with a beard and scar across his right cheek. The man sat in a chair next to the bed he was lying in.

And despite the fist he had caught, the blond man was smiling.

"Good to see you moving around," he said in a kindly baritone, "For a while we thought you'd never wake up."

He... His head hurt. The world seemed to spin. He felt strong arms lower him back into the bed, and felt a straw pressed against his lips.

"Here, drink, it will help," the man said. He sipped it, cool water going down his very dry throat.

His heart slowed. The pain in his head dulled, though he still felt achy all over. He blinked his eyes, and again the room came into focus: A hospital room of some sort, he guessed. It was comfortably lit, and there were machines beeping softly as they monitored his vitals.

A shorter blonde woman with her hair in a tight bun, square glasses, and wearing a white labcoat entered briskly. She scowled at the tall blond man.

"Nick, how many times do I have to tell you not to play nurse?"

"You trained me as a nurse, so it's kind of your fault, Izzy," he chuckled. "Izzy" sighed, before turning a warm smile onto him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"... Where am I?" He asked. "What happened?"

"You're in Arc-En-Ciel Hospital, Radian," Izzy answered. She sat down next to him and began examining his vitals with a Scroll. "My husband found you in the wreck of a train crash."

"You were in pretty bad shape, son," Nick said with a wince, "Had to call in a Bullhead to evacuate you. You're lucky your Aura is as strong as it is! You almost died."

A pale girl with yellow eyes and black hair...

"Was... Was there anyone else... On the train?" He managed. Nick shook his head.

"No. It was an Atlasian supply train. Just robots... Though apparently there were people aboard." He snorted. "Faunus for the SDC."

"That would explain it," Izzy sighed, touching his face. He stared at her uncomprehendingly.

"Explain what?"

Izzy blinked then frowned. She looked to Nick. He was concerned, but dutifully picked up a mirror and held it up to him.

A face stared back. A burn scar was over his... Left eye. It was healing, but it would always be there. Horns stuck out of his forehead, one broken. A fuzz of red hair covered his head, where several surgical scars were fading away.

He blinked a few times.

"I'm... A Faunus?" He managed.

The blond humans looked at each other in concern. Izzy looked back at him first.

"... Can you tell us your name?" Izzy asked.

He tried. He really tried. The face in the mirror looked lost and scared. He reached up to the face and touched it with his hand, still not fully convinced it was real.

"... N-No... I can't remember..."

He tried. He tried so hard. But it was like looking a broken pieces of a mirror in a fog. He had flashes, but...

"... Anything," he whispered.

- - -

His options had been few after he healed. He hadn't been carrying any identification. If he'd had a Scroll, it had been destroyed in the crash. And thanks to the injuries to his face, facial recognition wasn't much help either.

He'd been lost... Until Nick Arc, the man who brought him in, made a suggestion:

"We need a hand on our farm. Why not work for us until you remember something? Or until you decide what you want to do?"

He'd agreed. Isabel Arc (Izzy) had seconded the motion.

"It's possible you were just going to end up labor for the SDC anyway," Isabel said, "So finding any friends or relatives is going to be hard. But we'll keep trying, I promise."

He'd thanked her very kindly. She'd given him a hug, which... Felt nice and yet made him sad.

Not something he could really explain.

He took the name "Red", seeing as it was the color of his hair. It was better than 'hey you' or 'No-Name', and it was... Well... It was his. He had nothing, having a name at least let him have something.

The Arcs took him in and were very kind. Orchid Arc was a computer expert and helped him search for anything that might give him a clue as to his identity. Unfortunately, there were a LOT of redheaded Bull Faunus out there, and genetic record keeping was still new. Still, she kept searching and played video games with him.

He wasn't very good, but she just appreciated having someone to play with. That made him feel better.

Lilac Arc didn't stop mothering him from the moment he arrived. She cooked many different meals to help him figure out what he liked, she made up a room for him and changed anything he didn't like, and did his laundry. She also played piano for him, which was very comforting, and listened to him when he complained. He didn't like to complain, but his frustration over not being able to remember anything was difficult.

Isabel listened too, when Lilac wasn't around. She was no less mothering than Lilac, if more scientific about it: Asking questions about how he felt, how he reacted, and many other things. It was no less out of concern though: She was trying to help him too, and he appreciated it very much.

Coral and Verdy, the twins, had wicked senses of humor but were careful around him. He was easily startled, and he actually punched Coral when she woke him up in the morning. He apologized endlessly, feeling absolutely horrible, but Coral just waved it off: She shouldn't have forgotten a basic rule of waking people suffering from trauma, to wake them gently.

Verdy was rather protective of Coral after that, though she did admit that her twin hadn't done things right. They resolved things when they asked Red to test out the balance on some swords they had made for the militia.

For some reason, holding a blade felt... Right.

Nick had been overjoyed, and offered to spar with Red. The Arc man was a Huntsman, and an incredible swordsman. Red had taken to it with enthusiasm, some old feelings of delight rising up as he clashed steel against steel.

Isabel had been very unhappy about that, so they'd switched to wooden swords. Which felt no less positive to the amnesiac.

Much of his time though, he worked. He helped with maintaining the farm fences, he helped feed and water the animals, he helped Nick when he dug a new irrigation line or picked something called 'wasabi' he was growing in a shady area of the farm-He worked.

It was the least he could do for such kind people.

The neighbors were just as kind. Mercer Sith Senior was an old tawny cat Faunus, with a big bushy beard dressed in blue and greens. He welcomed him grandly, and introduced Red to his family. Katy Sith was a very pretty blond cat Faunus girl who blushed a lot around him (which also felt familiar, but in a strange way that made him uneasy) while Mercer Sith Junior was boisterous, loud, and enthusiastic. Especially about fast cars, an interest that Lilac's boyfriend Primo also shared.

Primo was a mechanic and racer, and taught Adam how to do maintenance on the farm vehicles. It was almost familiar, and while Isabel forbade him from doing any racing (as he was still recovering), he still enjoyed working with Primo and Nick on the vehicles.

Nick though had a tendency to wing it when it came to maintenance, which could be amusing (and terrifying).

The days turned to weeks, and then to months. Red became familiar to the people of Radian, and they all treated him kindly. Papa Shirou, the Arc family patriarch, invited him into his restaurant in the town center and told him stories of the Great War. His wife, Nana Arturia, worked at the restaurant and as a swordsmanship trainer, and she also regaled him with tales of her own fights in the past.

She also did some light sparring with him. He could safely say that the old lady was much more formidable than she appeared, and a strange urge to train harder to one day match her appeared in his heart.

Father Percival was the old Pastor of the local church. He was a pigeon Faunus, and very kind as well. Red wasn't sure what he believed, gods or whatever, but the father always had time to sit with him and talk. The interior of the church itself was beautiful, filled with statues and stained glass that showed many stories. The battle of Jeanne D'Arc against the Witch Queen of Argus, the ressurection of the Table Breaker, and many more beside.

It was all incredible. He had no past, nothing at all, so everything he learned became precious.

Yet his memory did not return. Only brief flashes every now and again. Isabel did her best, but as she explained, the brain was the most complex instrument in the human or Faunus body. Severe trauma could do strange things to it. His memories might be gone forever.

Red wondered deeply about that. He wondered who he was. What he was, before all of this.

And what did the pale girl with the yellow eyes have to do with him...?

- - -

Open and free for continuation!

 

[SharkCultist]

So I had a idea inspired by two very different sources.

Megaman NT warrior and super robot monkey team hyper force go.

---

Sun was pretty sure he and all his friends were about to die.

After years of jumping into adventures and fighting terrorist with RWBY and JNPR they had finally bitten off more than they could chew.

Out of bullets, dust spent, aura depleted and half of them were bleeding.

And there were still a good 30 or 40 mooks surrounding them.

They'd need a miracle to get out of this.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault but I swear you're going to be ok. All of you."

That's not good. Blake was going to do something dumb (well dumber than getting them into a fight with 100 terrorist.) he could tell. He could also tell he wasn't the only one who noticed she didn't include herself in the Going to be Ok group.

He could see her aura starting to move collecting in her chest and head.

There's no way she's that stupid.

But she is. There's a almost sickening cracking sound and her aura shifts. Getting denser and thicker until it's almost solid and moving like syrup. A thick purple tar covering her from head to toe with feline features.

Some of the mooks notice, the faunus ones, and try to run.

It doesn't help.

She moves like lightning. claws of aura dicing through bodies like a blender.

It's barely the work of five minutes and she's turned every single one of the people surrounding them into chunky salsa.

"Blake?"

He's almost not fast enough to yank Yang back and save her life, he's definitely not fast enough to keep her from getting slashed but at least she kept her arm. And head.

Twin glowing pools of yellow shine on them like spotlights. There's no recognition there anymore, just threat assessment. Eventually she comes to a decision and disappears with that terrifying speed.

"What the hell was that?!"

"What happened!?"

"Where's Blake?"

There's plenty of hysteric questions but even with the yelling Yangs question comes through. He's going to have to answer...

"That's not Blake. Not anymore, probably never again."

Even though she's gushing blood from those gashes on her arm Yang is fully focused on him.

"What do you mean sun? What'd she do?"

Well looks like he's giving a philosophy lesson knee deep in corpse soup. He should have become a monk.

"Faunus aren't like humans, and it's not just a extra pair of ears or a tail. There's a part of our souls that's wild. It's something primal and dangerous. A beast held back by Human reason. What Blake did is a technique called Beast Out."

Judging by the looks of horror Weiss and Ren and sending him they at least get it.

"How long does this thing last? It's gotta wear off when she runs out of aura right?"

"This isn't something like channeling aura to your pants to keep them from ripping, or making a sword sharper. She willingly shook her mind and soul to let out the most savage part of herself. If she's lucky? Maybe she'll piece herself back together. In a year."

Luckily for sun this is the part where the cops arrive. Unluckily he's probably going to have to explain this all to Ozpin and goodwitch....and more than likely Blake's parents.

Yeah he definitely should have become a monk.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

You know, I've been trying to figure out how Atlas is supposed to be the America expy, but they were apparently the Nazis in the Great War. I mean I could chalk it up to Rooster Teeth being a bunch of anti-American losers who tried to insert unwanted and terrible political commentary into a series where it made no sense and just ruined characters for no reason...

But! There's a better way.

And as always, our savior is Japan.

Before the Great War and after, Atlas was basically like America. A large democratic republic that started out as a rebellious colony of a few other Kingdoms, but gained its independence. It went from a quiet nation that mostly kept to itself to a great power over time. But this power was soon infiltrated by a radical political ideology: Utopianism.

It offered salvation by promoting more intelligent management of all human endeavors, all human passions, and all aspects of human life. On one hand, improving the quality of life for your people is something any nation should strive for and in Remnant, it would certainly help alleviate Grimm issues.

On the other, giving people more and more control over people's lives usually leads to corruption. To make matters worse, Radical Utopianism wanted to suppress all individuality to end the Grimm problem forever. This is what it promised, but the people leading the charge became even more decadent, depraved, and twisted behind doors. But the technocratic mindset made it simple: As long as the experts were in charge, the people would fall in line-Or be made to.

Gradually, a soft coup was engineered through rigged elections and other means, culminating in a full on military coup when the non-Utopian candidate was elected... But his vice president was a secret Utopian agent. He took control of Atlas, driving the rightful government leaders underground or into jail, before declaring himself King and pushing for outright war on the rest of Remnant to bring the rest of humanity and Faunuskind into line.

So the former President of Atlas fought against this tyranny as an ally with the other Free States of Remnant including the Vytal Empire, Vale, Vacuo, and much of Mistral. It wasn't easy, but the President of Atlas slew his traitorous Vice-President and the Allies defeated their armies.

Thus restored, the President of Atlas reformed the government. However, the technocracy mindset still remained in the surviving government not tried for war crimes. You can't slaughter everyone on the other side of a civil war, after all. And that mindset still persists, leading to the much repressed Atlas of today. It also led to Atlas' intense drive for technological innovation.

This helps the entire situation of Atlas losing the Great War and then becoming the sole military power on Remnant. It would make a lot more sense if the war was engineered by a coup and the rightful government was restored after.

Yes, there was a Metal Gear Solid type situation where a powerful cabal of people (and maybe an AI, let's not rule that out) took over Atlas and directed world events towards its utopian ideals.

But there's also a bit of a deeply underappreciated video game in there: Metal Wolf Chaos:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG1HahKYZzc

A video game SO AMERICAN, it could not be released outside of Japan. Where the President of the United States fights his treacherous dictator Vice-President in a giant robot to SAVE THE WORLD!

It would be kind of like that, but more dieselpunk.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

All right then: Better idea.

As part of my world building I have done my best to expand out the roster of formidable Hunters across Remnant. I mean okay, most of them are Arcs but I have also added Arjun and Saia Sarkara, Captain James Silverhand, and a few others in an effort to make Remnant feel a bit bigger.

These are all formidable warriors. But they will all eventually age and die, or fall in battle and die.

So what if they didn't have to?

What if a secret Atlas program was created to make clones of these most formidable Hunters?

Ozpin. Glynda Goodwitch. James Ironwood. Peter Port. Oobleck. Isabel Arc. Nick Arc. Arjun Sakara. Saia Sarkara. Raven Branwen. Qrow Branwen. Taiyang Xiao-Long. Arturia Pendragon.

Summer Rose.

Suppose one of these clones escaped, and was encountered by our heroes?

What would the fallout be?

Who is behind it?

And what will they do to keep the secret?

 

[LordofBones]

So a (maybe) dark idea.

Salem wants to get rid of the silver eyes but can't easily get to Ruby at beacon.

Her solution? Make a poison using the Grimm goo. It won't be potent enough to turn her into a Hound or turn her into salems slave but hopefully it'll be enough to kill her.

Instead everyone ends up unhappy.

The silver eyes are gone, but Ruby is still alive. Kinda....well she's undead.

Ruby Rose is a Vampire.

Click to shrink...

Spoiler: Vampire Ruby

Ruby: *quietly sobbing into her pillow*
Jaune: *quietly enters RWBY's dorm, and closes the door behind him* "Ruby..."
Ruby: *sniffles* "Go'way."
Jaune: *comes closer and closer to Ruby's bed*
Ruby: "Go away, Jaune! I'm a monster! I'm a monster-"

*Weakened from tears, exhaustion and surprise, Ruby's notably helpless when Jaune simply lifts her up off the bed. She yelps and struggles as Jaune embraces her, and presses her nose into his neck.*

Jaune: "You need blood. Drink."
Ruby: *trying to resist* "N...no...I...."

*Jaune's neck is warm and tanned, his pulse beating steadily. Despite everything, Ruby feels her mouth watering; her hand cups Jaune's cheek and she nuzzles against his neck.*

Jaune: *sternly* "Nothing's going to happen to me, Crater-Face. Drink."

*Ruby's resolve breaks and her tongue laps at Jaune's throat. He grunts and strokes her hair, holding her close as the curvy vampire presses up against him, breasts flattening against his chest and thighs wrapping around his hips. Her fangs find Jaune's jugular, and she can't help the sensual, damn-near-lewd, moan when Jaune's strong, hot lifeblood hits her tongue.*

*True to his word, Jaune doesn't feel any different, with his aura easily mitigating the effects - and Ruby finds his aura mingling with his blood, tightening her grip as she drinks. Instead, Jaune has a different problem entirely - Ruby's soft moans and sighs border on the pornographic, her gothic outfit ticks all his boxes, and she's gently rolling her hips against his while she feasts.*

*Ruby's hunger is eventually sated. Instead of lifting her head, Ruby gently laps at the marks on Jaune's neck before mapping the rest of it with her lips, half-drunk while she traces his veins and muscles with her plump lips and soft tongue, until her breathing finally evens out.*

Jaune: *silently tucks her in while trying to unwrap her from around his body*
Ruby: *even asleep, she's a limpet, until he finally gives up and takes her to JNPR's dorms*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruby: "This one's too cold..."
Weiss: "Hey!"

Ruby: "This one's great, but it makes me feel like a million people are watching us and being pervy about it."
Yang: "Alright, who put the massage oil and the cowkini on my bed?!"

Ruby: "This one's just weird."
Blake: "Yes! Slake your thirsts upon me, o Mistress of the Night! Share your dark gifts with me so that I may deal with the White Fang!"

Ruby: "But this one's juuuuust right!"
Jaune: "Um, Ruby, why are you in my showeeeeeer-"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Beacon Academy, Lower Levels...



- - -



Blake sighed as she stood with Sun in one of the boiler rooms. It wasn't very romantic, true, but it would ensure they weren't overheard.



"Sun, listen," she began, but the monkey Faunus held her close and kissed her.



"Mmph...!"



She had been about to tell him to stop chasing her. That she was just no good for such a good guy like him.



Yet her hands were soon on his abs and her tongue was twisting with his as they passionately kissed.



The door opened to the boiler room and they jumped apart. Framed in the doorway was a scraggly, short but muscular man with a shock of black hair, a five o'clock shadow, white undershirt, and dirty blue overalls. He carried a bright green toolbox.



He snorted as he looked them over.



"Mind keepin' yer damn hormones in check for a few? I got work t' do!" The man barked-Quite literally, as it turned out, given his pointed dog Faunus ears stood up out of his hair.



"I... Who are you?" Blake managed. The man snorted as he walked over to the boiler and began making adjustments.



"Jock Two-Tone. I'm the building engineer."



"The janitor?" Blake gasped. "Headmaster Ozpin has a Faunus working as a-?!"



Jock held up his finger, which carried enough authority to shut Blake up. He hummed, then tapped the boiler with a wrench just so.



It sprang back to life with a happy gurgle and all the lights lit up. Satisfied, Jock nodded before turning back to Blake. He snorted.



"Ah. Menagerian, right? Upper class?"



"N-No!" Blake said instantly, "I'm just a human with a bow!"



Jock rolled his eyes.



"Cute Miss Belladonna, but you really shoulda tried changing yer name at some point," he stated. He shook his head again.



"Look here, Princess. I am the Building Engineer. I have a PhD in Engineering and I've been doin' this for twenty years. I am the only one who knows how to fix the boilers, the power, the water, and the fancy holographic robot fighting rings you lot all use without a thought for who cleans up the mess!"



He waved his wrench under her nose with a snort.



"So I suggest you get back t' snoggin' wit yer boyfriend and let ME live my life happily before trying to shove yer nose into my business like yer some kind of feline savior. Got it?"



"I-He's not my boyfriend-!" Blake sputtered. "And-And I'm not a Faunus!"



Jock looked over at Sun with a raised eyebrow.



"Sure this is the one you wanna go fer, Laddie? She seems a mite... Much."



"You're just prejudiced because dog Faunus are inherently against feline faunus!" Blake sputtered.



Jock again looked over at Sun. He shrugged and grinned.



"I can help her," he said, "I mean... We were making out so that's progress."



"Aye, best way to shut a lass up," Jock nodded in approval.



Blake went a brighter red.



"First, that's sexist-!"



"Don't care," Jock stated. Blake turned her glare on Sun.



"Second, y-you didn't ask for my consent!" Blake sputtered, bright red.



"You seemed pretty consenting," Sun pointed out with a little grin. Blake sputtered again.



Jock rolled his eyes.



"Anyway, however you two sort things out..." He walked to a corner, picked up a mop and bucket, and carried them over. He handed them to the teenagers.



"You clean it up. I got enough work in the bloody broom closets."



With that, Jock turned and headed out. Leaving a blushing Blake and Sun behind.



"I... That kind of ruined the mood," Blake mumbled. She shook her head rapidly. "N-Not that there was one-!"



Sun sighed and pulled her in for another kiss.



Jock was right, that did shut her up.



- - -



Ozpin sat with Pyrrha Nikos in his office. General Ironwood, Qrow Branwen, and Glynda Goodwitch were also in attendance. All hoping to encourage Pyrrha to become the next Maiden.



"So you see," Ozpin concluded to the anxious looking champion, "You are probably our best chance. You would be a great champion, able to do so much good in the world... But the cost would be that you might lose yourself. I humbly ask that you-"



The elevator doors opened. Jock Two-Tone strode in.



"Headmaster, we got a problem," he stated.



Ironwood, who did not know Jock, stared in disbelief. Glynda, who did know him, sighed and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. Qrow, who also knew Jock, hid a smirk as Ozpin stared at the building engineer.



"Jock, we're kind of in the middle of something-"



"Aye aye, tryin' t' convince the lass to become the next Maiden," Jock rolled his eyes, "Fully aware. That's what I'm here about. The machine you've got Amber hooked up to is not up to code."



"I'm powering it via esoteric magical means-" Ozpin said, but Jock snorted.



"Yeah, and the bloody control system and grounding wires are standard equipment. I know this cause I helped you build the bloody thing! So, unless you want the poor lass dyin' before Miss Pyrrha here makes up her mind, we're gonna get it up to code. Now!"



"Surely Glynda could-"



"I can't," Glynda said quickly, "You did insist only you could set up the machine, Ozpin. I wouldn't know where to begin."



She was resisting the urge to be smug.



Ozpin held in a sigh. He nodded.



"If you'll excuse me, everyone," he said. He got up and followed Jock towards the elevator.



"Yo, Jock!" Qrow shouted, "We still on for drinks later at Cliff's?"



"Course! Maybe you'll finally pay this time!" Jock barked in laughter. "Join us, General! You look like you could use some proper scotch! You too, lass!"



"Um, I'm underaged?" Pyrrha managed.



"HA! With this lot, trust me, you'll want to start early!"



- - -



Cinder stood triumphant in Ozpin's office, cackling in glee.



"Yes, yes...! The power is all mine! ALL MINE!" She laughed.



The elevator opened. She turned, expecting Pyrrha Nikos to be there. She knew her type: A bleeding heart out to protect others! Well, she'd rip that heart right out of her-!



She blinked. That wasn't Pyrrha Nikos.



It was... It was...



"Who are you again?" Cinder asked. Jock rolled his eyes.



"Jock Two-Tone. Building Engineer-"



"Oh wait, I don't care, because you'll be dead," Cinder snickered. Jock shook his head, his eyes narrowed.



"Sure about that, lass?"



"What could a lowly janitor ever do to me?" She cackled.



Jock hummed.



"If I was just a janitor... That's true. But I'm not just a janitor..."



He pulled out his wrench, and tapped some pipes nearby. In a flash, a deluge of water dropped onto Cinder as the fire extinguisher systems unleashed an avalanche of foam onto her. Jock smirked.



"I'm an engineer, bitch."



- - -



Given the Wizard of Oz allusions, I thought it might be fun to add in a slightly different reference to Toto. I know Zwei is basically that, but since we have dog people (and since Toto was portrayed by a Cairn Terrier, a Scottish dog breed), why not make the Almighty Janitor of Beacon a dog Faunus?



And a Scottish Engineer because fuck yeah.



So, Jock Two-Tone is available as an OC now. Because a janitor/building engineer at Beacon who is a rough genius Scottish Terrier Faunus is very funny to me. Not sure why, just how I'm wired.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Work is pretty slow today (For once), so I've been doing some research and brainstorming for world building.

At this time, there are fifty countries in Europe and twenty-seven of them are part of the European Union. Thirty-two of these nations are NATO members. Judging how big the continent of Sanus is being so difficult, it's still quite large and so I propose that there are at least two-three dozen sub-kingdoms/nations that make up the Kingdom of Vale. It is likely there are just as many if not more smaller nations/kingdoms that make up Atlas, Vacuo, and Mistral.

I have made a few for my associated fan-canon (Which anyone can use if they wish):

-GALLIA: Centered in Northern Sanus, Gallia started as a province of the ancient Quitalan Empire (the equivalent of the Roman Empire) and was consolidated by successive emperors of that once great empire. With the fall of the Quitalan Empire, the various provinces slowly became nations in their own right, fighting and allying with each other-Often against invaders from Vacuo over the Albus Mountains, or from over the sea from Animus and Solitas. They warred a great deal with the island Kingdom of Albion, invading and being invaded in turn over the centuries. They were conquered over a thousand years ago by the Hellenic Empire from Mistral, and ruled over by the Witch Queen of Argus. However, Jeanne D'Arc, a farm girl from the tiny town of Radian, overthrew the Witch Queen and liberated her homeland. Her descendants became nobles, and eventually one, Charles Great Arc, united all the Gallian realms into Gallia itself with the help of his Paladins. This empire over time began to send out exploration and colony ships to other lands, and Gallian culture spread across Remnant. They warred with Albion, Arminus, the revived Quitalan Republic, and many other nations across Remnant. While often at odds with Albion and later the Vytalian Empire, they would ally against others-Being so close, their feud resembled that of sibling nations.

The Arc Dynasty however did not last. Decadence and complacency spelled the end of that royal house almost three centuries before the present day. Louis Arc IX was a monstrous dictator who sacrificed people to the Grimm. His son, Roland, was to be next in a bid to grant King Louis immortality. He escaped, and organized a rebellion to overthrow his father and liberate the country. The resulting war was devastating to Gallia, but Louis IX was overthrown. Due to this, the Arcs retreated to Radian, becoming Dukes, then lower nobles as their fortunes fell further until today their noble heritage is all but gone.

The Royal House of Valois, allies and vassals of the Arcs, took over and ruled for three centuries, slowly allying with the kingdom of Vale and becoming more democratic. By the Great War, the Gallian Empire was dissolving due to war debts. House Valois stepped down and Gallia reformed into a democratic republic, before formally joining with the larger kingdom of Vale. Its capital is Lutetia, a large walled metropolis on the North East Sanusian floodplain. Surrounded by the Red, Blue, and Green Forks of the Caeruleum river and marshes, it was difficult for most Grimm to attack in large numbers. Building in the soggy ground was difficult until modern irrigation and sewage was invented. Lutetia is often called the Rainbow City thanks to the peculiar evaporation patterns of water from the three rivers of Caeuleum, which produce luminous rainbows in the morning and evening.

-ALBION/VYTAL: An island nation north of Sanus, Albion was conquered by the Quitalan Empire and made a province, though at the outer extremes of their Empire it resisted occuption bitterly for most of this time. With the fall of Quitalan, Albion was free for a time until the Hellenic Empire crossed over from Mistral and conquered it. This too they resisted, and several Albion heroes joined with Jeanne D'Arc to overthrow the Witch Queen of Argus. Albion was united under one of Jeanne's companins, Lucius de Briton, who also introduced the Table Breaker religion to the island. However, this peace was not to last: Albion was invaded by the Northern Gallians and conquered a century later. Intermixing, the Albions still retained their national character and drove the invaders out a century later. The island was united under one rule by the legendary King Lucius de Briton, who also introduced the Table Breaker Religion to the island. He founded the Church of Albion and is regarded as a saint to this day. The island was renamed "Vytal" once all the land was united, including the northern kingdom of Caledonia and the smaller surrounding island kingdoms of Cambria, Hibernia, and Hyperborea.

Being an island nation, Vytal became a great naval power and created alliances and colonies around Vale. They also tried to conquer Gallia back, with varying success. Albion did not break out as a major power, not truly, until they defeated the Vacuoan Fleet at the Battle of the Dragon's Tail under Queen Eliza. The Vacuoan Empire had had great success at colonization, but was militarily inferior to the more seasoned naval expertise of the Albions. This led to the birth of the Vytalian Empire, which over the next five centuries would become the most powerful empire on Remnant's surface. It colonized Solitas, Menagerie, and several smaller landmasses across the globe. It along with other powers made smaller kingdoms on Animus and Solitas part of its empire, including the entirety of the Kingdom of Pandu. But not all went well with the empire.

Many colonies rebelled and were granted freedom after long and arduous fights. Gallia, Arminius, Mistral, and Mantle, among other nations, rivaled them across Remnant. They went through a number of civil wars: One was the infamous War of Love between the House of Capulet and the House of Montague, striving for dominance when the last king died with no heirs that threw the Empire into chaos. Added to this, Caledonia was fiercely independent, and revolted many times. The most successful was that of King MacBeth, who actually usurped the House of Banquo and ruled over the Empire for twenty years before both houses were destroyed in the conflict.

After this war, House Pendragon, which had been a quiet, scholarly noble house, managed to unite the Empire once more under King Arthur I, and ruled successfully for over two hundred years. The last Queen was Arturia Pendragon, who led the Empire against the Mistral/Mantle alliance in the Great War. Post-War, with the costs of the conflict clear, Queen Arturia dissolved the Empire, put a fully democratic government in place, and abdicated the throne to live with her husband, Shirou Arc, in Radian. In the wake of this, Albion fully joined with Vale as part of the larger Kingdom of Vale, and while no longer the most powerful nation on Remnant, it is still among the most influential.

It's capital city is Camelot, which went from a small castle to a great city over the centuries as it straddles the river Somerset. It is surrounded by limestone cliffs and gullies, which made it very defensible against the Grimm, as well as large forests that were cleared but also maintained over the centuries for lumber. Today it is a modern city and a center of global trade and culture.

- - -

So, that's two nations. Yes they're basically Fantasy France and England, but hey. Feel free to come up with your own!

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I should have done this sooner. But here we go: Team AARN (Amaranthe) aka Jaune's Parents and Godparents Team:

• Name: Isabel Arc
• Allusion: Mother of Joan D'Arc, Tsunade from Naruto, and Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII.
• Naming Process: Isabel means "Oath to God" and is a Medieval Occitan form of Elizabeth.
• Age: 40s
• Background: Born in the small town of Radian in the subordinate kingdom of Gallia, Vale, Isabel Arc was the oldest of five siblings when her parents died to a Grimm attack. She resolved to become a doctor and revitalize her town, and became a combat medic. Her team started out as a mess, but eventually they all became close friends. Fell in love with Nick but was too stubborn to admit it for a long time. Eventually admitted to her feelings, which Nick returned, and they married. After liberating Pandu with Arjun and Saia, they retired to Radian where Isabel became a doctor and revitalized the family castle Arc-En-Ciel into a hospital, where she serves as head doctor. Nick became the captain of Radian's militia, and they had eight children.
• Race: Human
• Emblem: Arc Family Crest
• Weapon: "Battement"- French for "Heartbeat". Two leather and steel-plated fighting gloves with Dust slots. Normally used with Healing Dust.
• Semblance: Total Body Control
  • Allows her to control all of her bodily functions, from her immune system to her brain activity, which allows her the ability to temporarily boost many of her attributes in a fight and regenerate from catastrophic injuries. Also lets her increase her strength to monstrous levels and some minor shape shifting capabilities.
• Appearance: Shapely athletic woman standing 5' 8" (though this is variable) with long blonde hair in a ponytail or bun, aquamarine eyes, pale skin.
• Outfit: Green dress, white labcoat, black square glasses, comfortable black shoes, black stockings. Green dress with black boots and black stockings or jeans and a T-shirt in casual mode.
• Personality: Stoic and professional outer demeanor. Friendly, talkative and charming with friends. Deeply loving towards her family. Often exasperated with her husband, sometimes hits him comically. When angry, is utterly terrifying. Sometimes overly controlling. Very loving to the right person. Often snarky and sarcastic under her breath. Is also a great teacher and loves learning new things, to the point she can sometimes come off as a mad scientist. Due to her Semblance can often come across as detached or cold.
• Notes: Solid leader and tactician who watches out for her team, as well as an accomplished martial artist. Exceptional doctor and healer.

• Name: Nicholas "Nick" Arc
• Allusion: Nicholas Nickleby from the same Charles Dickens novel, Son Goku from Dragonball Z, and Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII.
• Naming Process: Nicholas is a male name derived from Greek, meaning "victory of the people".
• Age: 40s
• Background: Born in Camelot, he was an orphan who grew up in an abusive orphanage. He escaped across the sea to mainland Vale, the country of Gallia. He lived on the streets of the capital Lutetia as a thief, before he was attacked and thrown into a river. He was saved on the outskirts of the city by a former Paladin-Monk of the Church of the Broken Table, Jaune St. George. This paladin raised Nick as his son and trained him in swordsmanship. Nick resolved to be as kind and heroic as his adoptive father, and to protect the innocent. Which led him to Beacon to become a Huntsman. He later married Isabel Arc, and took her family name as he had none of his own. After liberating Pandu with Arjun and Saia, they retired to Radian where Isabel became a doctor and revitalized the family castle Arc-En-Ciel into a hospital, where she serves as head doctor. Nick became the captain of Radian's militia, and they had eight children.
• Race: Human
• Emblem: Arc Family Crest
• Weapon: "Blont Joyeux" - French for 'Blonde Joy': A massive six-foot-long railgun sword he can wield with one hand. "Nog"-A longsword he's kept as a boy, his first blade, as a sidearm. He has many other swords he has collected over the years from many battles and gifts.
• Semblance: Unknown
  • Has never figured out what his Semblance is, and just says it's "Being Awesome".
• Appearance: 7' 5" tall blond, muscular man with short hair, a well-trimmed beard, and a shallow scar across his right cheek. Gray eyes.
• Outfit: White and black plate armor vest over a black shirt, black pants, armored white/black boots and gauntlets, long dark blue duster coat. Jeans and a button-up shirt in casual mode.
• Personality: Friendly, cheerful, and a bit scatter brained at times. Can be very insightful and wise, while also acting like a big kid. Deeply loves his wife and family, and loyal to a fault. Courageous and leads from the front, and despite his eccentricities, is a capable and charismatic commander. Loves hugs, a very physical man and takes great joy in life. Is usually very laid back. In battle, fearsome and terrifying. Defers to his wife in most things but always supports his children. Loves farming.
• Notes: Incredible swordsman with great cunning, experience, and training. Has well above average Aura, Stamina, Strength, and Endurance for a Huntsmen. Beware the Silly and Nice Ones: If a fight is life or death? He will end you.

• Name: Arjun Sarkara
• Allusion: Arjuna from the Mahabharata, Fate/Stay Night, Count of Monte Cristo, Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto.
• Naming Process: Arjun is an Indian male given name, which means lustrous, shiny white (as that of silver), color of the lightning; of the milk; of silver; made of silver. Sarkar is a surname among the people of the Indian subcontinent. It was an honorific title given to landlords/zamindars of East India, irrespective of their religious affiliation, under the Mughal Empire and even in Sher Shah's reign, as part of the erstwhile Persian nobility. Essentially means "lord" or "leader".
• Age: 40s
• Background: Born as the crown prince of Pandu, a small but powerful kingdom in Animus, Arjun was raised to one day take over the throne from his father Indra. He was raised with a foster brother, Karna, who was of the rival Kauravas family that had once ruled Pandu but was exiled for its crimes, including selling out Pandu to foreign empires and being Grimm cultists. The Kauravas wante their throne back, and Mistral's government wanted total control of Pandu. So they worked together in a coup, Karna betraying them. Only Arjun and his faithful maid, Saia Rhadri, escaped the massacre. They fled to Beacon to train and to one day retake the throne. They befriended Nick and Isabel while on the same team, and after many adventures they overthrew the Kauravas and freed Pandu. Arjun became King, and Saia his Queen.
• Race: Human
• Emblem: Sarkar Divine Bow and Arrow
• Weapon: "Gandiva" - A silver compound bow passed down and upgraded continually through the generations of the Sarkara House, it is linked to Aura of the Sakaran family members and will only shoot for them. It is made of the wood of the Arjuna tree, which channels Aura especially well for organic materials. "Kaumodaki"-A mechashift mace/grappling hook attached to wire rope, which can be used in close combat or to move about to high places. "Pritha"-A simple kukri sword, used as a sidearm. Dust Arrows.
• Semblance: "Aura Sight"
  • The ancestral Semblance of the Sarkara family, Arjun Is able to see Aura, thus is able to see through walls. He has been trained to interpret various changes in Aura, allowing him to discern a person's Aura condition, physical condition, and even their Semblance and emotional state, among other things thanks to his great insight. Grimm appear as darker shadows.
• Appearance: 6' 2" handsome swarthy man with blue eyes and black hair with a light beard. Has some white at his temples.
• Outfit: Dark blue/purple cloak with hood, white pants, black shirt, blue and gold vest, leather belt, quiver, black balaclava, blue turban, black boots. Stylish blue/gold coat jacket over white pants in casual mode.
• Personality: Calm, stoic, and at times very quiet. Can be very grave and serious. Extremely dedicated to his people and his loved ones. Around Nick, can be very snarky and often childish, as they behave like brothers. Is a wise and able ruler, who still has some anger issues over the loss of his family and kingdom. Is a happy father and husband, who is occasionally henpecked by his wife (though he loves her dearly). Can be very pedantic and stubborn, especially when it comes to bows and arrows.
• Notes: If he can see you? He can hit you. Is also incredibly stealthy and skilled at infiltration. Also a master tactician, as he was Isabel's second when it came to matters of politics or negotiation. Exceptional martial artist and very creative when it comes to Dust alongside his wife.

• Name: Saia Rhadri (later Sarkara)
• Allusion: Draupadi (Also known as Sairandhri) and Subhadra from the Mahabharata, Inoue Orihime from Bleach/Hinata Hyuuga from Naruto, Fern from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.
• Naming Process: Sairandhri is an identity princess Draupadi took on in the Mahabharata and means roughly "Companion/servant of a princes".
• Age: 40s
• Background: Born to servants in the royal palace of Pandu, a small but powerful kingdom in Animus, Saia was raised to become a maid/bodyguard to the family of Sarkara. She was raised alongside Arjun and his foster brother, Karna, who was of the rival Kauravas family that had once ruled Pandu but was exiled for its crimes, including selling out Pandu to foreign empires and being Grimm cultists. Saia however was very much a servant and Arjun never let her forget that. The Kauravas wanted their throne back, and Mistral's government wanted total control of Pandu. So they worked together in a coup, Karna betraying them. Only Arjun and Saia escaped the massacre. They fled to Beacon to train and to one day retake the throne. They befriended Nick and Isabel while on the same team, and had many adventures. Over the course of this, Arjun and Saia fell in love. Their team eventually overthrew the Kauravas and freed Pandu. Arjun became King, and Saia his Queen.
• Race: Human
• Emblem: Eight Fold Lotus
• Weapon: "Kaladanda"-A Dust Enhanced Projection Staff that works with Saia's Semblance and Aura. Using various Dust slots, she can project fire, wind, lightning, ice, and other effects with her staff. "Yajna"-A Fire Dust enhanced Dagger for close up defense.
• Semblance: "Eight Fold Path"
  • Saia is able to project up to eight orbs of Aura that can each be imbued with various kinds of Dust. While their range is only about thirty feet away from her, she can combine them to produce various effects. She can use Gravity Dust on them to fly, she can create a cloud of Steam with Ice and Fire Dust, etc. She can also combine several kinds of Dust with all Five Orbs into her staff and unleash her most powerful attack: Astra, a powerful beam of destruction. Though most just call it her "Death Ray".
• Appearance: 5" 6' beautiful dark-skinned curvy woman with red eyes and dark red hair.
• Outfit: White and red robes over a long white dress, leather belt filled with Dust and other useful things, hood, red jewel on her forehead, white gloves and red boots. Red and white sari in casual mode.
• Personality: Very kind and very friendly, soft spoken but steely eyed and determined. Very polite and understanding, though also quite clever. Deeply cares for her family and her kingdom, and was a source of endless optimism and encouragement to Arjun. Often the mediator of the team. Dearly loves her husband but is sometimes annoyed with him. Can be very scary even while smiling. Good cook and cleaner. Is a wise queen and helps Arjun run Pandu. Has two children: A daughter, Maia (May Zedong), and a son, Abhimanyu.
• Notes: Her melee combat power is very low as is her defensive Aura. While she is devastating at range, like any Caster her physical endurance and defense is terrible. In battle she stayed near the center of the team for protection as a few good physical blows would take her out. Nevertheless, her combat power is great and she is known as "The Sorceress Queen" by many.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Ruby gets asked out a lot but is ignorant at first that she's so popluar mostly as they ask when she's concentrating on someting else. Once she does know... oh boy.

Click to shrink...

Sky Lark: "Hey Ruby. Um... I'm sorry I was a jerk back on the first day of school. But there's this cool indie game coming out and I was wondering if you'd like to go to the launch party at the game store?"

Ruby: "Hmmmm... Well... You said you're sorry. So, sure!"

Sky Lark: "C-Cool! Um, and uh... We could just go get ice cream or-or something too? I-I'll pay?"

Ruby: "Oh wow! SURE! That sounds great!"

Later...

Yang: "Hey, where are you going Ruby?"

Ruby: "I'm going to get a new game with Sky Lark in Vale!"

Yang: "... Oh? Are you? Like... A date?"

Ruby: "What? No, it's not a date! He just wants to go out with me for a video game and ice cream!"

Yang: "Ohhh? Are you sure it's not a date?"

Ruby: "Totally not a date! I mean, come on... It's absolutely not a date!"

There is a knock at the door. Ruby opens it. Sky stands there with a flower and a smile.

Sky: "H-Hey Ruby... Ready to go?"

Ruby: "Sure! What's with the flower?"

Sky: "Uhhh... Ummmm... Do you... Not like flowers?"

Ruby: "N-No! Flowers are great!"

Sky: "C-Cool! Um... If you like it, take it."

Ruby: "Sweet!"

Yang: "Ohhhhh~?"

Ruby: "Sh-Shut up! It's not a date!"

Yang: "Good! Just a nice, friendly outing..." Eyes blaze red. "Right, Sky?"

Sky: "R-RIGHT!"

 

[Abramus5250]

A bit late to the original train of thought, but I wrote this over the weekend and hopes it fits in well enough with what others wrote.

Why Jaune doesn't use a glaive

Being a nurse was never an easy task, especially where training Hunters and Huntresses were involved. Accidents, fights in and out of the duel arena, illness, classroom mishaps (usually with Dust) and even the occasional teenage pregnancy; Nurse Tsune had seen them all in her time at Beacon, and would only see the end of them once she retired decades from now. As it was, she was still young, around her colleague Glynda's age, but unlike that disciplinarian, Tsune liked to have fun once in a while. Nothing mindless or illegal, mind you, she had standards to uphold and she'd never risk her career at Beacon over something frivolous like a barroom brawl. However, that weakness of hers was that, while thankfully yet to get her in trouble with anyone but Glynda, she was a massive flirt and tease.

Yes, as a gorgeous fox Faunus, she had that cunningly playful side to her, and had manifested through her life as a teasing, flirtatious vixen. Of course she had never acted upon these, but seeing young men and women under her care blush in embarrassment at her words or observations, harmlessly at that, was her bread and butter. She'd pushed more couples together than any other teacher, simply by realizing the feelings the pair had felt for one another but had not acted upon. That, and kindly shooting down the many, many single young men that had taken her flirting for something more, but in a way that would not bruise their young egos or leave the chance for whispers of impropriety. None of her fellow staff struck her fancy either, so at least she did not have to look forward to even more awkward staffroom meetings should she start a relationship with a colleague, only for it to fizzle out and end.

Besides, none of the young men she'd thus met or colleagues she knew had been her type. While plenty had the bravado and looks, none had had that… inner fire, that tempest within that drove them into a controlled fury. She liked a kind gentleman with an inner demon, one they managed to control through great will and effort, a savage monster just waiting to break free, almost like Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jyde. Her favorite sections of the library, after all, were between the bodice rippers that Glynda thought nobody knew she read, and the barely-hidden smut that was Blake's purview. Nurse Tsune was no prude, and while she knew perfectly well that Miss Belladonna read much of the same literature as herself, she did think her not-so-hidden fellow Faunus could stand to read some things with a bit more variety, rather than the same series over and over again.

That being said, watching the young man before her squirm as they waited for Goodwitch and Ozpin to arrive in the training arena was pure delight. Jaune Arc, by all accounts, had either a rather strange Semblance or some other 'ability' that allowed him immediate mastery over whatever already Aura-infused weapon he got a hold of. It did, however, lead to some very interesting manifestations of his inner psyche, and while Tsune had some training in psychology (all the better to flirt with, my dear), she was not experienced enough to definitively state whether or not the young Arc had actual split personalities. By all accounts, his Aura and Semblance were manifesting the traits of his subconscious that would allow for him to become a highly proficient user of whatever new weapon he had on hand. A brawler would be no good as a fencer, or a sniper would not fare well with a shotgun axe. These just so happened to coincide with the mannerisms and attitudes of those whose Auras he channeled through the weapons, as did the skills of their original wielders.

Even so, she couldn't help but try and have her fun while they waited.

"So tell me, Jaune," she said, maintaining a professional demeanor as she usually did with the students. "This all started with one of your friends giving you a gun whilst fighting Grimm?"

"Yes, Nurse Tsune," Jaune replied.

"Please Jaune, we're not in class for field medicine and triage, you may call me Kaede."

"Um, okay… Kaede. Yeah, one of my friends tossed me a gun, even though I'd told her before that us Arcs get a bit… funny when we have firearms."

"I recall reading Ms. Schnee's report on the matter, but thought it best to hear from you as well," she replied, leaning forward. The neckline of her nurse uniform was high, much as Glynda's was, but her... assets allowed for it to be a bit more stretched downward than normal. Not that the young man seemed to notice. He was much too nervous for this sort of test. She might have to pop a top button when he wasn't looking, or toss her braided hair over her shoulder.

Just then, the door to the training area chimed, and the pair turned to see Miss Goodwitch enter… without the headmaster. The aggrieved look that Glynda wordlessly sent Kaede's way said it all.

"I am afraid the headmaster has been unavoidably delayed in attending this test, Mr. Arc, concerning a call from the Valean Council, among others," her coworker said, all business even as she made a concerted effort to unfurl her free hand from a fist. Of course he'd sent her to oversee it instead of attending as well; her and Kaede had commiserated many times about the state of Beacon's staff and leadership, ranging from their teaching styles, to their professionalism, to even their looks after a few too many drinks one night. "In the meantime, we shall be testing your unique abilities granted to you by your Semblance. Nurse Kaede, if you would?"

With a nod, Kaede Tsune moved to a nearby locker, from which she retrieved her primary weapon. She'd never been one out in the field for ranged combat, or at least the type of ranged that involved bullets or other projectiles. Instead, she had trained and used a special glaive, whose blade had been specially forged to mimic a three-sided bayonet. Only, thanks to the infusion of Dust within its workings, and the small power generators within the long handle, her glaive blades would vibrate when active, effectively becoming a unidirectional cutting edge no matter which way she swung the blades. Yes, blades as in plural. It had taken a great deal of time back in her native homeland under the strictest teachers, among them some old monks, but her training allowed her to wield a glaive that had such blades on both ends, so that she may never be truly vulnerable from an attack opposite her blade. Besides, all that time training had helped her learn very quickly how to aid in healing wounds, as her training scars had long since faded, but not from her memory.

As her colleague lined up the training bots, she walked back to the young Arc, who had decided to not wear his armor today. Instead, for some reason, he had a set of long black robes on over his clothes, the latter of which matched the robes as well. "Laundry day, and since the tests kept getting moved around, I wasn't ready when the headmaster called for me," he asked when he noticed her looking over his outfit. "I had to borrow some things from my friends."

"The long cloak?"

"Was originally one of Ren's travelling cloaks but it got left in the wash too many times and kinda stretched out too much for him. I might have to go into town to get myself some more clothes so this doesn't happen again."

"I see," Kaede Tsune replied. "I think the look suits you for this test, Jaune. Your cloak and underclothes seem less restrictive, and glaives require far more dexterity than swords tend to due to their length."

He rubbed his head sheepishly, a light blush gracing his cheeks. "T-Thanks, Nurse Ts-, er, I mean, Kaede."

Setting her special glaive on the platform, she backed up to stand beside Glynda, who gave her a knowing look as the training bots finished their startups. So what if she'd dropped the proper names in an attempt to ease his nervousness? If what his Semblance did for him was true, then these training bots would be of no issue, and the glaive wouldn't harm him. He had massive Aura reserves anyway, even if he did manage to hurt himself, she was there to ensure nothing life threatening would occur before his Aura dipped too low.

The young man walked up to the platform and looked back to them, to which Kaede gave an encouraging nod. Jaune picked up the double glaive and stopped for a moment, eyes closing as he breathed deeply. When he exhaled, and opened his eyes, a sharp change came over him. His features twisted into a wrathful glare that yet retained a modicum of control, like the uncontrolled fire of a flamethrower condensed into the powerful inferno of a laser cutting torch.

"What do we call this one?" Kaede asked her colleague.

"Jean," a voice said, no, growled, throaty and filled with restrained power. Mr. Arc had spoken, yet the tremble that went up her spine mirrored the soft music that seemed to whisper from the speakers. Music she could not place, music that seemed to mirror his transformation and was only growing stronger, conveying the unleashing of power and wrath. Did his Semblance allow for such a change in the environment, as well as himself?

Spoiler: 'Jean's' Theme

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT7-JdKhzcU

"You may begin, Mr. Arc," Glynda said, either unable to hear the music's powerful rhythm or simply ignoring it.

With a roar more powerful than a herd of charging Beowolves, 'Jean' practically flew through the air towards his targets, feet barely touching the ground as he met his opponents in battle.

His blows: powerful.

His presence: overwhelming.

His form: impeccable.

Kaede Tsune watched in awe as the mild mannered and well-meaning young Arc was transformed from a mild spring breeze into a howling blizzard, never standing still as he weaved in and out of the training bots, who despite their level of difficulty were unable to land a hit on him. Her glaive's blades, meant for the masters of the form, swung and stabbed to and fro without rest, without indecision, without a single instance of doubt, mistake or regret. Every blow had a purpose, every feint a future action in mind, every parry and thrust meant to bring the wielder closer and closer to one goal and one goal alone.

Victory.

Snarling with every other strike, the young man blew through the cohort of bots like a whirlwind of death. Without a misstep in his stride, where the blades did not meet, kicks struck bots hard enough to send them flying or crumple in one themselves. He was unstoppable, unleashed upon unsuspecting foes calibrated for much stronger foes than the young man would normally face. Were it not for Glynda's wide-eyed stare beside her, Kaede might have assumed she was alone and merely hallucinating the events before her.

Yet despite the number of training bots allotted for the test, it was over in a seemingly matter of moments. The last of the training bots fell before him, and after a few moments of deep, slow breathing to regain his composure, the young man turned back to them. His stride was not a stride at all, but a stalk, filled with purpose and promise, that of a beast that had achieved victory over its foes, and was deigning to celebrate it. In moments, the deadly figure that 'Jean' Arc had become stood before her, hard eyes gazing into her soul as she felt her entire body shudder and shiver. She could smell the power, the desire, the icy rage rolling off of him like smoke. Could… could he smell her excitement as well? Was he going to… right here, in front of Goodwitch? Was he going to have her join…?

"Mr. Arc, you may return Nurse Tsune's weapon to her, the test has concluded for now," her colleague stated, breaking her out of her heady haze. "We shall reconvene at a later date with other weapons to test."

Eyes still locked into hers, with a half-formed snarl mixing with a toothy grin on his suddenly chiseled face, the young man offered Tsune her blade. Gingerly, unsure if he would release it, she grasped it near his hand, only for him to let go once she had a hold of it. Almost immediately the hungry beast before her, seemingly intent on devouring her in celebration for his victory, faded away and returned to the kind, somewhat awkward Jaune Arc from before.

"Wow," he said, puffing out his chest as he stretched his back. "That was… something. I never thought I could do something like that. I mean, I knew Pyrrha's training was paying off, but I didn't think I could move around like a whirlwind."

"Indeed, Mr. Arc," Glynda said. "You may return to your dorm for the time being, as Nurse Tsune and I will have footage to recover from the training bots and surrounding cameras. I will contact you when we've retrieved it, as I am certain your friends will also want to witness it for themselves. If this is indeed your Semblance, I must say it is quite… extraordinary."

"Oh, okay Miss Goodwitch," Jaune said with a smile, before turning back to the still nurse. "Bye, K-Kaede, I'll see you in Monday's class."

"I… I will see you then, J-Jaune," she replied, unable to tear her eyes from him as he walked off. Not even Glynda's annoyed huff at her staring could stir her from the sudden fantasies springing to mind, of what might have happened had Glynda not been there, had it just been the two of them…

She wasn't one to set goals often without an immediate plan to accomplish them, but this was one she could not deny had propelled itself to the top of her list of priorities.

Hopefully after graduation, that man was going to give her litters of little blonde half-Faunus.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

While Jaune is the youngest in the canon and my fanon... He's still a brother and still has those protective instincts. And I love reading about him going full protective sibling.

So...

Jaune sees a few Hunters-in-training snickering in a corner on the quad.

Jaune: "Hm...?"

One looks up and grins.

Venison: "Hey Jaune!"

Jaune: "Ven... What's up?"

Jaune doesn't know them very well but Ven does join Jaune and Ruby for game sessions at times. Jaune walks up to them. Ven smirks proudly and holds up his Scroll.

Ven: "Check it out... I asked Ruby if she'd do some poses for me, and she agreed!"

Jaune sees the images of Ruby... Posing provocatively. With many upskirt shots.

Jaune's smile becomes rigid.

Ven: "Hey! I'm gonna sell these off. If you want, you can get in on this. You can convince her to wear risque stuff, right? Like maybe a goth maid outfit, or... Or..."

Jaune has not stopped smiling... But his Aura has exploded into a bonfire and his eyes are now glowing yellow. The ground cracks underneath his fury as the other boys flee like rats from a sinking ship. Venison watches them go, and then looks back at the enraged Jaune.

Jaune: "VENISON."

Venison: "Meep...!"

Some time later, there is a knock at Team RWBY's dormroom. Ruby opens it with a smile... Then gasps.

Ruby: "Ven? Jaune?!"

Jaune is still smiling in a terrifying way as he holds up a beaten and bruised Venison.

Jaune: "Ven has something to say."

Venison: "I... I'm really sorry I took photos of you without permission! P-Please forgive me!"

Yang: "Photos? What kind of photos?" Eyes glow red

Jaune: "The exact kind you're thinking of."

Venison: "Eep! Please, Jaune, save me! You-You can beat me up more-!"

Jaune: "No. Everyone gets their turn."

Yang: grins "Thanks VB." cracks her knuckles and grabs Venison, dragging him off

Venison: "EEEEEEP!"

Ruby: "Oh... Geez... He... He was...?"

Jaune: "A creep, Ruby."

Ruby: "... Oh God, I... I feel so stupid-!"

She sniffles and shudders.

Jaune: "I'm sorry Ruby. But it's not your fault, okay? It's all him."

He hugs her, She hugs him back.

Ruby: "... Y-Yang's not gonna kill him, right?"

Jaune: "Probably not."

Weiss: "Shame."

Blake: "Indeed."

 

[Grrrrrrr]

Baby Blues Comic incorrect posts again. November 28th to December 1st 2011

Tanya is identified as a danger at an early age.

On national geographic or the equivalent.

Nick sits watching TV with baby Tanya sitting next to him sucking her thumb holding a stuffed bear.

Tv narrator: The water Buffalo moves to quench its thirst at the water's edge… when suddenly a Sobek (Grimm alligator) explodes from the water crushing it with it's mighty jaws.

Nick flinches remembering his encounter with a Sobek. Damn thing near snapped HIM in half like that poor water buffalo.

It was only thanks to Isabel that he could still feel his lower bod… oh god TANGY!

He looks to Tangerine worried how she'd react, this gruesome must be too much for a delicate thing like her.

Tanya…. : D *clap clap clap clap*! *giggles happily*

Nick:… (oh boy.)… um… Isabel!

Isabel: I'm working Nick, you'll need to come to me!

Nick looks to Tangerine happily enjoying seeing a wild Lion tear into another Grimm.

---

Nick: so did you know that our sweet little Tangerine has a taste for blood?

Isabel:….. Explain.

Nick: we were watching a nature documentary and a Sobek just tore a Water buffalo in half…. Her reaction was to give it a round of applause it and laugh.

Isabel: Oh. She must take after her grandfather. My, Grandfather. Come to think of it, I think Alexander (Note: Hellsing priest expy who is Isabel's brother ) showed the same signs as a child, and he turned out alright.

---

Meanwhile back with Tangerine Happily watching along her new favorite show.

Coral: Hiya Tangy! Whatcha watching?

TV Narrator: - and with one bite, the Mighty shark snaps the penguin in half!

Coral: IIIIYAAAAAAAAHHH!!

Tangy: *Giggles with a : D face*

*Coral looks to Tangy in horror.*

Coral: VERDY!

---

*5 minutes later*

Coral: I'm telling you! Tangy laughed at seeing a Shark tear apart a penguin!

Verdy: Coral, you're over reacting. Tangy's only a baby, they laugh at everything.. It was just a coinci-

Verdy's reassurances are cut off by a loud tearing sound.

The twins turned to the source of the noise. Their eyes widened in horror at what they saw. Tangy had just torn out the neck of her stuffed bear with her teeth. Smiling happily with the piece of cloth and stuffing in her mouth sitting over her gouged stuffed animal.

Verdy:… O.O….Then again…

Coral: I'm sleeping with Big sis Saphron from now on.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Somewhat on this same topic:



-Yang getting blackmailed by her parole officer was a possibility, though I wonder if Ozpin wouldn't have intervened? Then again most of his focus was on Ruby so Yang may have slipped through the cracks. Meaning Jaune and her other friends could intervene when the guy tries to escalate things. Yang would have told them to stay out of it, even gotten angry... But Jaune and her friends wouldn't let it go.



Well, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren couldn't let it go. Blake has her disappearing act and Weiss has her issues. Ruby would trust her big sister... But she'd ask Jaune to check in on it so she wouldn't break her promise not to intervene.



And so...



Probation Officer: "I'll make things very easy for you. I'll even help you locate your mother. Hell, I've been looking after you since I turned my head when your dad was depressed and useless."



Yang: flinch



Probation Officer: "So all I'm asking is that you give me what you owe me... You don't have money, after all. Why not use what God gave you and settle your debt?"



Yang: hiss "I'd break every bone in your body..."



Probation Officer: "Yes, but you won't. That's the best part-"



Jaune smashes through the door and grabs the PO by his throat, slamming him against the wall.



PO: "HURK!"



Yang: "JAUNE! Don't! I-I told you I could handle it-!"



Jaune: "Yell at me later then. I'm not letting this scumbag touch you."



PO: "HURK! What... This... Your boyfriend...?"



Yang: "Jaune, please! I-I can-!"



Jaune: "He wasn't going to stop with once, Yang. You know it."



PO: "W-What's it matter to you?! I did EVERYTHING to keep her little family together! She owes me! She knows it! So just beat it, White Knight! She knows exactly what she is and what she has to do-!"



Jaune: "No. No, I know who and what she is. And soon? Everyone's gonna know who and what you are."



PO: "Excuse you?!"



Ren drops down from the ceiling, his Scroll on record. Nora and Pyrrha enter, with a worried Ruby behind them.



PO: "W-Wait! Wait, you can't do this to me! N-Nobody's gonna believe-!"



Pyrrha: "Nobody's going to believe their lying eyes? And if necessary, we'll all testify in court, sir." eyes narrow "I will stake my entire reputation on this."



Yang: gapes in shock



PO: "Th-Then maybe we could make a deal-?"



Jaune: "Post it, Ren."



Ren: "Done."



PO: "Wha-NO! Why-Why would you-?!"



Jaune: "She's our friend. I need another reason?!"



Ruby hugs Yang, sniffling.



Ruby: "I'm sorry Yang... But... But I just... I had to do something!"



Yang, in shock, hugs Ruby.



The police get involved, as does Headmaster Ozpin. Taiyang comes to Vale to ask some pointed questions. Everyone talks to the cops, before they finally get back to Beacon. Yang has a long talk with Taiyang and Ruby, before she goes out and looks for Jaune.



He's sitting on the roof, stargazing again.



Jaune: "... Hey."



Yang: "Hey."



Awkward silence falls. Yang sighs.



Yang: "I... Um... Do I... I don't really know what to say... Or do."



Jaune: "I'm sorry. I know you wanted to handle this on your own but-"



Yang: "No... No..." sighs "I was... I was being stupid. I was so used to solving these problems on my own that... That I couldn't accept help. And if you guys hadn't? I..."



She shudders.



Yang: "... How did you know?"



Jaune: "I didn't... But a provincial inspector tried something similar with one of my sisters a few years back. Tried to pressure her, manipulate her, make her think she was all alone. That if she told anyone, bad things would happen. He..." Eyes narrow "Your PO... He looked the same. Felt the same. If he was just a hardass, then... No harm done. But... Yeah."



Yang: "What happened to that guy?"



Jaune: "When we found out? He got two options: Leave and resign from his job, confess everything... Or we feed him to the Grimm. He took the first one."



Yang: "Jeez... I... I don't deserve-"



Jaune: "You do, Yang. Nobody deserves to go through that. Nobody."



Yang sits next to him and they stare up at the stars.



Yang: "... Thank you, Jaune."



Jaune: smiles "I didn't do much. I know I'm... I'm pretty useless most of the time but-"



Yang: "But nothing. Every other man in my life just... Disappointed me, ya know? My dad fell apart. My uncle barely gets involved. This guy... He did help us but he was just-just trying to groom me." shudders... Leans against Jaune "Thanks for not... Not following the trend."



Jaune: "You're welcome."



They look up at the stars in silence.



- - -



Buuuut, I don't know if it would work as a full story. What do you think?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WebAnimation/SLVR

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClCk8oSJJ7MKRDRjkd4nDFA

In order from left to right: Simin Megister, Lycan Arcadia, Vella Moisia, and Ragora Cinarum.

In the White Knight Errant universe, they're teacher-aides and essentially junior professors (or teaching assistants) at Beacon. They are all fourth-year students, seniors, in their final year at Beacon who work as teachers to graduate. They will probably do this teaching assistant job part-time even after graduation. They are highly regarded as the finest team of young hunters in Vale.

They are not in on Ozpin's Group or Salem, but do some missions for Ozpin in service of countering Salem.

They are very close to Glynda Goodwitch, who is pushing them as a replacement, in a sense, of Summer, Taiyang, Qrow and Raven's team, STRQ ("Stark").

I feel that using them as upper classmen in RWBY stories could add a lot. They're much stronger than our protagonists and more experienced, and thus can act as mentors, yardsticks, and sources of insight into the world and how becoming a Hunter works. At the same time they are still students with all that implies.

So, what would you do with Team SLVR?