[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[LordofBones]

Just a few thoughts on Sanctuary snippets.
2. Old Queen Artoria is not just still alive and kicking, but is very active and all too capable of taking back the city.

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Time for Camelot Mark 2 Electric Boogaloo.

Jaune: "Well, Grand-auntie Rin's helping with the rebuilding and bureaucracy-"

*elsewhere*

Ishtar-Rin: "Ohohohohoooo! Yes, build it bigger and better in the name of Ishtar! Help them out, Gugalanna!"
Ereshkigal-Rin: *icepack on her head as she tries to process the long, long queue of dead souls waiting in line*

Jaune: "And Grand-auntie Sakura's busy with the clean-up."

*in Beacon*

White Gang grunt: "Oh god oh god oh gods they're all...all..."
Kama-Sakura: "I am the incarnation of passion and the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven-"
Dark-Sakura: "If I kill you all then sempai will <bleep> me with Saber and neechan and then he'll <bleep bleep> us and kyaaaaa~"

Jaune: "And Aunt Mordred-"
Mordred: "Oi! Who in the fuck called me 'Aunt'?"
Jaune: "And Uncle Mordred has decided we all need toughening up while Nana Arturia and Grandpa Shirou prepare for the shift in government."
Mordred: *cracks knuckles* "Alright, which of you punks needs an asskicking first? You, the blonde with the cow-udders! You look like a little like Father so I won't hold back!"

3. How soon will people start voicing the opinion that reinstating old dynasty might be a good idea?

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In hindsight, King Ozma's brilliant idea to disband the military must have had Salem pass out laughing.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Just a few thoughts on Sanctuary snippets.
1. Vale is pretty devastated. Ozpin is (temporarily) dead, the Council is likely dead.
2. Old Queen Artoria is not just still alive and kicking, but is very active and all too capable of taking back the city.
3. How soon will people start voicing the opinion that reinstating old dynasty might be a good idea?

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It is possible this is what Nana Arturia is working on with Shirou. Mind posting this in the Spacebattles thread as well?

I mean I am focusing a lot on the drama of the main characters, but exploring what's going on in the rest of Vale and the world would be just as crucial. And just as interesting.

 

[cavalal386]

Salem had taken Jack as she wanted an Arc as a minion. Arcs have been foiling her plans for centuries. She decided she wanted to raise up an Arc to work for her.

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so salem wanted a minion and got a son instead?

 

[MetalHead]

Mind posting this in the Spacebattles thread as well?

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I don't have an acc there, tbh.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I don't have an acc there, tbh.

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Oh. So can I post it myself?

 

[MetalHead]

Oh. So can I post it myself?

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Sure.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Sure.

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Thanks, I did.

 

[Bommel]

Some ideas.

- Isabel Arc has, as a precautionary measure, been carefully giving small amounts of poison to all of her children when they were growing up (and maybe also to her husband Nick), and steadily increased the doses until all of them are incredibly resistant against all poisons and pretty much immune to a pretty decent amount.
Because Isabel loves all her children, and she isn't going to leave the chance that someone might try to poison her babies if she can help it.
This also has the side effect of giving them so many antibodies that their blood can be used as a general/universal emergency antivenom (not as good as actual antivenom, but still enough to safe someone's life or buy more time in a pinch).

- The Arc clan, or maybe a whole bunch of different families and clans hold ancient Grim slaying Breathing Styles (Demon Slayer Breathing Styles), and by combining it with aura and/or dust, it's possible to actually generate the elements each style is based on.

Spoiler: Some breathing style techniques examples

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V92Nj9kMPA

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oT8_2lU9v4

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZGzl4nEZEY

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

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

It would probably be more fun if no single style is stronger than any other, but all of them just have different specialities, strengths, weaknesses, and fit different fighting styles and Semblances.
It might also enhance one of the senses of the user, like how Thunder/Sound breathing users have enhanced hearing, the Beast breathing Inosuke has an enhanced sense of touch, or Flower breathing users having enhanced vision.
The reason for them not being widely used could be that firearms became more prevalent, the discovery of Dust/Aura, Salem hunting any user down, or some other reason.

- Jaune's Aura Amp Semblance causes the senses (as well as their pain tolerance) of anyone that it's used on to be amplified for a while, and this effect is applied every time Jaune uses it
This is pretty useful in battle, as they become much more aware of what's happening around them, making them better at dodging, dealing with multiple threats, and even become more precise.
This does have some side effects, like how good food will tastes fantastic during the duration, and bad food tastes horrible (bland food stays pretty much the same).
Things that irritate, like an itchy jumper, would also become much worse, while soft things feel even nicer.
Other sensations could also be amplified to insane levels.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

A few thoughts discussed with @The Sleepless One :

-The sheer size of the countries of Remnant means there would be thousands of Hunters at bare minimum for each Kingdom. That means that Beacon, Shade, Haven and Atlas Academy cannot provide the needed numbers alone. Therefore, they are the most elite Hunter Academies around: There would be Hunter Technical schools and Hunter trade schools. Lower priced, less training, less prestigious, but still viable.

-Hunter license exams are state run. People sign up, pay the fee, and take the exam. And the Proctors decide if you're good enough to be a full Huntsman. They have some law enforcement authority across all four Kingdoms, most likely by mutual treaty.

-That said, these Hunters could effectively become militaries for their respective Kingdoms in a crisis situation. Atlas just has an actual military with the logistics and flying battleships/carriers to back theirs up, but that fact is probably not lost on anyone. There's also probably a fair amount of tension if you're a Hunter in a Kingdom that used to be enemies with your own, and sub-kingdoms/nations in the various Kingdoms might stretch the law here and there to keep a larger body of Hunters loyal to them on standby in times of tension.

-Hunters who are not just part of a Kingdom's unofficial military probably have other side gigs. Aura-enabled individuals run the range in power from "Slightly stronger and faster than a normal human" to "Straight Up Shonen Anime Hero", and there would be lots of opportunities for people with those abilities. The Hunter Ranking System also plays a role. D-Rank Hunters need other skills to pay the bills, while S-Rank have a lot more options. Such Hunters would have a lot of picks for careers, from bodyguard to the rich and powerful to celebrity stardom.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

It's Dragonslayer Week 2024 over on Ao3. Gimme your Jaune/Yang ideas and stories!

 

[NightDranzer]

@Bommel Anything Aura enhances, Jaune's Semblance amplifies it.


Also, here is a fun fact: Miles stated that, as far as he is aware, there is no limit to how much Jaune's Semblance can Amp (so far); and Aura Amp also can be used on Jaune himself. Also, Ren's Semblance evolving quickly after Jaune used Aura Amp on him multiple times is not a coincidence; While Ren's character development did bring about evolution, Aura Amp actually speeds up Semblance evolution and even increases the chances for Semblance Mutation (again, Aura Amp boosts everything Aura related).

Miles also implied in a cameo appearance that there is more to Jaune's Semblance than meets the eye (or rather, Aura Amp's effects go deeper than just Aura alone).

I hate how much a fucking tease and troll he can be during his cameo appearances. Especially since he nonchalantly tosses these nuggets of info during ship asks randomly, so it is a pain trying to watch them all again to pinpoint the timestamp and link it here.


EDIT: And then there is Kerry saying that Jaune is long overdue a Semblance evolution; and it will not just be in the sense of an increase in range but rather in the sense that "Jaune will soon understand just what his Semblance truly is".

 

[cavalal386]

It's Dragonslayer Week 2024 over on Ao3. Gimme your Jaune/Yang ideas and stories!

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-Laundry day! Yang and Jaune are doing laundry together/ in the same room, something like this:

-after Blake ran way, again, Jaune helps comfort Yang.
-Ok so, some post back, i had an idea for illegal racer Jaune, we'll call him, "Gold", for now. so yang doesn't know Gold is Jaune and challenges him to a race, with a bet, race can't be finishes due to outside issues(cough-cinder-cough), but jaune lose his helmet near the end. So both settle for dinner and a dance.
- Ruby has a date, she knows Yang would interfere, so to keep Yang busy Ruby asks Jaune to take Yang out on a date.
-Jaune is the team dad and Yang is the team mom, people joke about them being married.
-Jaune forgot to shave one day, Yang likey.
-Yang tries to be a wingman for Pyrrha. Jaune, being the dense himbo he is, thinks Yang is asking him out on a date. This can end two ways 1) Yang starts dating Jaune, with Pyrrha trying to kill her. Or 2) Ends in a three-way relation between Yang, Jaune and Pyrrha.
-another idea, based on dragonslayer: the redo, both Yang and Jaune travel back in time, only they thinks they're the only one who travelled back in time.

 

[0Astor0]

A few thoughts discussed with @The Sleepless One :

-The sheer size of the countries of Remnant means there would be thousands of Hunters at bare minimum for each Kingdom. That means that Beacon, Shade, Haven and Atlas Academy cannot provide the needed numbers alone. Therefore, they are the most elite Hunter Academies around: There would be Hunter Technical schools and Hunter trade schools. Lower priced, less training, less prestigious, but still viable.

-Hunter license exams are state run. People sign up, pay the fee, and take the exam. And the Proctors decide if you're good enough to be a full Huntsman. They have some law enforcement authority across all four Kingdoms, most likely by mutual treaty.

-That said, these Hunters could effectively become militaries for their respective Kingdoms in a crisis situation. Atlas just has an actual military with the logistics and flying battleships/carriers to back theirs up, but that fact is probably not lost on anyone. There's also probably a fair amount of tension if you're a Hunter in a Kingdom that used to be enemies with your own, and sub-kingdoms/nations in the various Kingdoms might stretch the law here and there to keep a larger body of Hunters loyal to them on standby in times of tension.

-Hunters who are not just part of a Kingdom's unofficial military probably have other side gigs. Aura-enabled individuals run the range in power from "Slightly stronger and faster than a normal human" to "Straight Up Shonen Anime Hero", and there would be lots of opportunities for people with those abilities. The Hunter Ranking System also plays a role. D-Rank Hunters need other skills to pay the bills, while S-Rank have a lot more options. Such Hunters would have a lot of picks for careers, from bodyguard to the rich and powerful to celebrity stardom.

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I've seen some fics where people make a guild and it honestly makes sense, as most Hunters probably work in the wilderness most of the time in villages as they are the ones who are most at risk to Grimm.

In that case I think Beacon Academy is like training to be like C-Rank Hunters and up if they graduate and those who graduate in Signal and Sanctum learn the basics but most importantly combat as its mostly described as a Combat School, another take is that going to a Combat School makes it easier to apply to Beacon.

By that logic it would explain why there are so few people in RWBY's class, as well as if they graduate in a Combat School they could still go out and kill Grimm which would be one of the basic criteria of at least defending a village, it would also explain why Hunters who graduate out of the academies are typically the people who get idolized as they do more than just defend a village

 

[0Astor0]

@Bommel Anything Aura enhances, Jaune's Semblance amplifies it.


Also, here is a fun fact: Miles stated that, as far as he is aware, there is no limit to how much Jaune's Semblance can Amp (so far); and Aura Amp also can be used on Jaune himself. Also, Ren's Semblance evolving quickly after Jaune used Aura Amp on him multiple times is not a coincidence; While Ren's character development did bring about evolution, Aura Amp actually speeds up Semblance evolution and even increases the chances for Semblance Mutation (again, Aura Amp boosts everything Aura related).

Miles also implied in a cameo appearance that there is more to Jaune's Semblance than meets the eye (or rather, Aura Amp's effects go deeper than just Aura alone).

I hate how much a fucking tease and troll he can be during his cameo appearances. Especially since he nonchalantly tosses these nuggets of info during ship asks randomly, so it is a pain trying to watch them all again to pinpoint the timestamp and link it here.


EDIT: And then there is Kerry saying that Jaune is long overdue a Semblance evolution; and it will not just be in the sense of an increase in range but rather in the sense that "Jaune will soon understand just what his Semblance truly is".

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ngl i just keep thinking of Naruto highfiving the Shinobi army and thinking that with Jaune lmao

 

[CILinkz]

Just bc the countries size is big doesnt have to mean its populated. Its still a deathworld

 

[mgl1206]

-The sheer size of the countries of Remnant means there would be thousands of Hunters at bare minimum for each Kingdom. That means that Beacon, Shade, Haven and Atlas Academy cannot provide the needed numbers alone. Therefore, they are the most elite Hunter Academies around: There would be Hunter Technical schools and Hunter trade schools. Lower priced, less training, less prestigious, but still viable.

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On the contrary I think almost all of that entire land is completely uninhabited. A map of the population will probably only have a dozen or so major points and few hundred to thousand smaller towns and villages. Making Remnants population no more than a dozen million. Especially with population not having recovered after the Great War still.

And even that might be a bit too high.

 

[mgl1206]

Idea: in an AU where a Rusted Knight Jaune gets sent to the past. He accidentally reveals to his team that he is the rusted knight. the situation proven or caused by Juniper arriving. This naturally causes chaos as Blake is suddenly reminded of all her fanfics, Yang of her childhood crush, Ruby is completely star struck, Weiss is flabbergasted but at the moment hardly cares at all as she's too busy petting Juniper, Nora is absolutely ecstatic and parades her 'fearless leader' around, whilst Pyrrha can only smile as she is proven once again of Jaune's potential.

Though all of them are horrified once he tells them the true story.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Weiss: "YANG! Yang, look... I need a favor."

Yang: "Okay, what?"

Weiss: "Arc's driving me crazy!"

Yang: "He asked you out twice. Maybe three times-"

Weiss: "It's so irritating! Just... Flirt with him? Draw him away? Distract him?!"

Yang: SIGH "Fine... But you owe me."

Later, in the common room, Jaune is cooking breakfast as RWBY comes in to join them. Nora is eating pancakes happily while Ren meditates and Pyrrha reads a book. Jaune's eyes brighten at Weiss... And Yang moves in for the attack.

Yang: "Hey, VB! You tired?"

Jaune: "Not really-?"

Yang: "Because you've been running through my mind all day."

Jaune: "Huh?"

Silence. Blake blinks. Weiss winces. Ruby and Pyrrha stare in disbelief. Nora grins.

Jaune then falls back on instinct from having an extremely dorky dad, and...

Jaune: "... Well, your Semblance isn't going off. Which is weird."

Yang: "Huh?"

Jaune: "Because you clearly fell right from heaven." Wink

Nobody punned at Yang Xiao-Long without her punning right back.

Yang: Oh it is ON. "Are you a vegetable? Because you're a cute-cumber."

Yang edged closer to Jaune. Jaune refused to back down.

Jaune: "Are you a Wi-Fi Signal? Because I am definitely feeling a connection."

Blake: "... What is happening right now?"

Yang: "Do you have a name? Or can I call you mine?

Jaune: "I must be a snowflake because I've fallen for you."

They learn in closer to one another, their gazes locked.

Yang: "Can you lend me a kiss? I promise I'll give it back."

Jaune: "Is your dad an artist? Because you're a masterpiece."

Everyone else is staring in quiet horror and/or amusement. Horror especially for Pyrrha. They lean in even closer, their noses nearly touching.

Yang: "I must be a magician, because every time I see you, everyone else disappears!"

Jaune: "I'm no cardiologist, but I think you just made my heart skip a beat!"

Yang grabs Jaune and kisses him.

Jaune: "Mmph?!"

Weiss: "... That... Worked better than I expected..."

 

[Kiyan Tribe]

Man I love Dragonslayer. Still waiting for that Time Traveler Yang fic. And Family Way too umu.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Man I love Dragonslayer. Still waiting for that Time Traveler Yang fic. And Family Way too umu.

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I'm working on more Family Way. Definite sexy times will be next for that.

The Time Travel fic is harder to work out... I mean, aside from Yang just banging Jaune until his hips break.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Dragonslayers such a fun pairing.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

So, if you have Dragonslayer fic ideas or snippets, post away! Go for it!

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Yang and Blake were walking down a hallway. Yang was excitedly describing something with a lot of arm gestures.

Yang: "No seriously, its head was that big!"

Blake: "I doubt it."

Yang: "It absolutely was!" She spread her arms out "It was totally this-!"

Jaune comes around a corner. His eyes meets Yang and Blake's.

Yang: "-Oh, hey VB!"

Jaune: Eh? She's got her arms out for a hug? She wants a hug? Well, she is Ruby's sister, so...

Jaune: "Nice to see you too, Yang." He moves in and hugs her tightly.

Yang: Freezes "Ah... Huh?"

Jaune: beams at her, squeezes her gently but away from anything naughty "Hope you have a great day!"

He looks over at Blake.

Jaune: Don't want to make her feel awkward...

Jaune: "You too, Blake!" He hugged her tightly and squeezed, even as she stiffened in shock

He let her go and smiled, waving at them.

Jaune: "See you guys later!" Man, hugs are NICE... Especially with Yang-NO! No, don't think about that!

Yang and Blake stare after Jaune in silence.

Yang: "... That was... Weird."

Blake: "... Yeah."

Yang: "..." blush "Kind of nice..."

Blake: "That's his Aura. He has such bad control over it that it just kind of radiates out of him. Like a space heater."

Yang: "So, wait, I feel this happy because it's him?"

Blake: "Yes."

Yang: "... I'm hugging him more."

Blake: "I'm fine with being on his lap."

Yang: glare

Blake: "I didn't mean it like that!"

Yang: GLARE

Blake: "... Yes I did."

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

Kek Blakes always thirsty. I can see a lotta shenanigans from his hugs. Kek imagine him converting a Grimm into a white and blue anti Grimm cause of his hugs and massive aura.

 

[RustedSands]

Blake: "I'm fine with being on his lap."

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Yang: do you mean platonically or ....
Blake: hhhmm

Spoiler: Blake & Yang

 

[TheFabulousCustodes]

Weiss is probably super weak to hugs.

 

[RustedSands]

Honestly I wanna see more of this not even as the usual romantic shenanigans but with everyone treating jaune as a therapy dog like the big golden retriever in human form he is. Be funny seeing the guys awkwardly get in on it too or even the teachers. just everyone going to Jaune whenever they're stressed out.

 

[Sir Borks-a-Lot]

Weiss is probably super weak to hugs.

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I see her at first freezing at the hug, then breaking down.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Her vision was dimmed, like shadows were creeping up around her. She saw trees, heard snarls. White masked monsters descended on her, even as yellow fire burned. She heard Ruby cry out… Ruby, where was Ruby? She brought her here, it was her fault, it was all her fault! Mom! MOM! MOM-!

"Yang! Yang! Yang!"

Yang Xiao-Long struggled back to consciousness, struggling against an intense fatigue and pain that seemed to permeate her body. She thrashed about furiously in the bed she lay on against someone holding her down.

"Wha-LET GO-!"

"YANG!"

She felt someone cover her mouth. She forced her eyes open. Desperate blue orbs bore into her lilac, as messy blond hair stuck to a familiar forehead. She breathed, training hammered into her after hundreds of bouts with her father forcing her to calm down.

"Jaune?" She mumbled against his hand. The knight nodded slowly, looking relieved. He had a bruise on his cheek, and his clothes were in rough condition, covered in cuts and a few stray leaves. He slowly released her mouth as he muttered soothing things.

"It's okay, you're okay, it's okay…"

Yang turned her head to look around-And then grit her teeth as pain screamed in her head. She reached up to the side of her head, finding bandages wrapped around it tightly.

"Ugh… Fuck… What happened?"

Her Aura barely responded, a weak spark compared to the usual immense flare. The room was barely illuminated by the fading sunlight through curtained windows, and a fire lit hastily in a small fireplace nearby.

Jaune sighed, and rubbed his forehead.

"Grimm attacked the student camp," Jaune said quietly, "We all got separated."

Yang winced for reasons unrelated to her head.

"Right… Then… I… Fought them…"

A huge monster Grimm, covered in bony plates and spines, had barreled out of the woods. It had charged, she had charged back. She'd unleashed the full might of her Semblance, taking hit after hit and dishing it back…

She heard Ruby screaming for her as she managed to break through the thing's facemask, her Aura near the breaking point but the hits kept her going… Then… Blackness.

"What happened then?"

Jaune leaned back just a little, pulling up a canteen. He held it out to her, and she pressed her lips to it to drink. The cool water was very refreshing as he spoke.

"Well, you got side tackled by a Boarbatusk," Jaune said, "I think your Aura broke when you were knocked out. I managed to hurt that one while the big thing was reeling, and I just ran. Everyone else scattered too. Last I saw they were all running off in different directions."

Jaune lowered the canteen. Yang licked up the excess water from her lips. She looked around a bit more closely at their surroundings: Wooden walls with some generic nature photos up, a desk in the corner, a few more cots and cabinets nearby. It helped distract from her headache and her worry over the others.

"Where are we?"

"Ranger Station. I ran into it after we fell off the cliff-"

"Cliff?!" Yang gasped in disbelief. Jaune smiled and waved his hand, even as his Aura flickered around his injuries.

"It's okay, it wasn't a big one. I took the brunt of the impact for you. Anyway, I got us here. Good news is there's a radio, since Scrolls don't work great out here."

Yang sighed in relief, but the tension remained in Jaune's eyes.

"Bad news?"

"It's busted," Jaune sighed. Yang groaned.

"Well, that's great."

"But I might be able to fix it," Jaune offered. Yang shot him a disbelieving stare.

"Might?"

Jaune shrugged with that embarrassed little smile of his. It was not very reassuring.

"Yeah, I know the basics. It's a struggle to remember some of them but I'm pretty sure-Oh geez, right…"

He pulled out a flashlight, and clicked it on.

"Okay, just look at the light for a second…"

Yang grimaced, but did so. Jaune nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay… Now. What's your name?"

"Yang Xiao-Long," Yang replied with a scowl.

"Name of your sister?"

"Ruby Rose."

"Okay, and your partner's name is…?"

"Blake Belladonna," Yang grumbled, "I wasn't hit that hard."

"You wouldn't know," Jaune stated firmly, "All right, pupil response is normal. How's your headache?"

"Still… Pretty bad," Yang mumbled.

"Dizziness?"

Yang lifted her head, trying to get to her feet… Then dropped back against the pillows, a wave of nausea washing over her. Jaune scooted out of the way and held up a bucket to her. She retched into it, feeling cold and clammy. He helpfully held her hair up, as he lowered the bucket back down. She moaned.

"Right," Jaune sighed. He offered her more water, which she accepted with some reluctance.

"Okay, just sip… Your Aura should recover in a few hours, and you'll be just fine. You just need some rest. Try to relax."

"Stuck in the middle of nowhere surrounded by Grimm? Sure, I'll be able to relax," Yang grumbled. Jaune sighed and shrugged.

"Yeah, well…"

Jaune slowly got up, and went over to the table. He set up his Scroll to illuminate it with its flashlight, and he started fiddling with it. Yang groaned softly, leaning back on the cot. She studied him for a bit.

"Stay with me, Yang," Jaune said quietly. "You need to rest but sleep might still be dangerous. Tell me something. Anything."

"I…" Yang frowned. Her memory was still a little hazy. Probably not a good sign.

"How do you know… Field medicine?" She asked. "You went through the same checks my uncle did with me during training."

"My mom's a doctor," Jaune said, eyes on the radio, "She wanted me to be a doctor, too."

Yang stared at him in disbelief.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," Jaune said.

"You uh… Study for it?"

"Passed the exams to get into Thorndyke Medical School," he went on, without a hint of pride. Yang's eyes widened.

"That's… That's a really high brow school, huh? You passed the exams?"

His shoulders tensed a bit.

"Yeah. I mean, my mom's got connections so that helped but I did. Just before I left home for Beacon."

Yang snorted in disbelief.

"And you chose to become a Huntsman over a Doctor, huh?" She asked. Jaune sighed and nodded.

"Yeah…"

"Why?"

Jaune looked back over his shoulder. He shrugged.

"It's not what I wanted. It's what my mom wanted," he said. "I mean, she was a Huntress before she got her doctorate. She and my dad were partners. They fought all sorts of monsters, helped save so many people… I-I mean, she does great work, but…"

He shook his head, looking a bit self conscious.

"I wanted to help people. Save them. Protect them, like all my ancestors did. Like my parents did before they settled down. Not be stuck in school for eight years and then have to deal with bureaucrats and bosses and other crap like that."

He looked back to the radio, avoiding her gaze.

"I guess… I guess I'm kind of stupid, huh? I'm not even that good at this."

"I mean… No," Yang admitted, and then amended it when she saw him slump, "Not yet. But I think you made the right choice. Ruby's a lot happier to have you as a friend, for one thing. You're getting a lot better. And hell, if you did go off to be a doctor, you wouldn't be enjoying a stay in a tiny cabin all alone with me."

She managed a wink, though it gave her a headache. Jaune shook his head and his ears burned brightly in a blush.

"You'd have been okay-"

"Jaune, if I was Aura broken in the middle of a melee with Grimm, I would not be okay," Yang stated firmly. "Okay? I… Thank you. I mean it. Thank you."

He turned back and smiled at her.

"Well, I mean, you'd do the same for me," he said warmly.

Yeah. Yeah, she would. Yang grimaced for a second. Her thoughts were so cloudy…

"Still… I mean… You got into medical school?" Yang ventured. "You're always such a… Well…"

"Dolt? Yeah," Jaune winced, "Academic stuff I can handle. Juggling other stuff at the same time? A lot tougher. I honestly really admire you. You're able to get good grades and be good at fighting."

"Yeah, well, I do have a lot more practice at it," Yang said. She stared up at the ceiling, wincing against the headache. A bit more silence followed, which Yang broke.

"You know… We haven't really just… Talked like this."

"Sure we do! We uh… We…" Jaune frowned as he looked up. "... Well, no. I guess we haven't."

"Like, I didn't even know your mom was a doctor," Yang said.

"Well, I didn't know… Um… Well, Ruby told me a lot but that… Yeah," Jaune sighed. "Did… I mean, I know I can be a little, uh…"

"Dorky? Nah, I don't mind that," Yang said, staring intently at the ceiling boards, "You making goo goo eyes at Weiss did tend to dominate things when we met up before."

"Oh. Yeah," Jaune sighed. "Yeah, I was… A total ass about that."

"Why'd you go so hard for her, anyway?" Yang asked.

"Well, she's beautiful, she's cool, she's smart, and well, she's kind, despite everything," Jaune said. He paused. "Though she did leave me pinned to a tree during Initiation."

"Wait, she did what?!" Yang asked in disbelief. Jaune nodded.

"Yup. Pyrrha had pinned me to a tree, I was hanging from it, Weiss walked in, looked at me, and turned right around and walked away."

"God, geez," Yang muttered, "You crushed on her for that? If you didn't have Aura, you'd have been killed!"

"Oh… Yeah… Eheh… If I didn't have Aura," Jaune managed nervously, "Um… Well… I mean, I did some thinking. I realized, with some help, that well… I was trying too hard to make up for… Being me. So, uh, the Dance, I just… I decided that her being happy was more important than trying to win her heart. That… That wasn't fair to her. I was being an idiot."

Yang stared at him for a while as he worked on the radio.

"Well, I mean… Weiss is kind of used to gold diggers going after her," Yang said, "So uh… I mean, she saw it like that. I just thought you were a little corny but… It was fun."

"Yeah, that's me, regular class clown," Jaune muttered.

"You really gotta stop being so down on yourself," Yang advised, "It's a real turn off."

Jaune blushed.

"Yeah, well… I'm used to it," he muttered. "Your dad encouraged you to become a Huntress, right? Trained you himself?"

"He did, yeah, but he was against it at first," Yang said, "He and Uncle Qrow tried to talk me out of it. Scare me out of it. My mom… Ruby's mom… She died on a mission."

"I'm sorry," Jaune said, automatic but sincere. Yang nodded.

"She was… She was basically one of my heroes. So I… I wanted to be like her."

She paused, the memories between the fight today and that terrible day back then…

"And, well…" She shut her eyes, "I wanted to be… To be free, I guess. Go out on my own on Bumblebee, explore the world. Make money punching monsters, saving people. Get out of that house."

Jaune looked over at her in concern.

"Why? Your dad…?"

Yang sighed.

"He… He just… He fell apart after Mom died," she admitted. "I mean, my biological mom left him when I was a baby. Then Ruby's mom died. And… And I had to take care of things. He'd just sit there for days sometimes. I had to take care of Ruby, make the food, do the cleaning… I was like a single mom at the age of seven."

She trailed off.

"He got… He got a little better after…"

"What?" Jaune asked, eyes away from the radio entirely.

Yang bit her lower lip.

"... I heard this story that my bio mom was still around on Patch. Or maybe… Maybe I just made it up. I don't know. Anyway, I put Ruby into a wagon and pulled her with me. I… I wanted to find her. I wanted her to come home, make Dad happy again. Fix everything."

She sighed.

"I… I got us deep in the woods. I found this old cabin. I knocked on the door… And a bunch of Grimm came out to attack us. They'd… They'd been stalking us. They were going to tear us apart. My… My uncle came just in time. Killed them all. But…"

She grimaced.

"I hated… Hated that I'd gotten us into that mess. Hated my dad for getting so bad it happened. Hated myself for being weak… I was so stupid."

Jaune slowly nodded.

"Yeah. You were. But I mean… We all make stupid mistakes. You didn't die. Ruby didn't die. You're both okay… And-And your dad got better after, right?"

"Yeah," Yang sighed, her eyes flashing red briefly, "But he still has… Had times he couldn't get his shit together. So… Yeah… Ruby's like my sister-daughter."

"You did a good job," Jaune said encouragingly. Yang snorted.

"No, really! I… I think you'd be a great mom," Jaune said earnestly.

A bright blush came over her face.

"G-Geez…" She tilted her head away, the headache distracting her from the sincerity in his voice, "Moving a little fast there, aren't you Ladykiller?"

Jaune's cheeks burned like stoplights.

"Er um, I didn't mean it like that! I swear!"

Yang snickered, despite how much it hurt.

"Yeah, I know you didn't…"

He really was kind of cute… Though that might have been the concussion talking.

- - -

First part. May be expanded into a smutty version at some point.

 

[ThunderBasilisk]

So bad luck or Salem trying to get rid of a SEW early?