[RWBY] White Knight Errant

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Regrets and guilt. These were the main motivators for Qrow Branwen. He was a man who had lost so much, so many people. His regrets loomed over him like a murder of... Well, crows. Always looking over his shoulder.

So, he did three things to cope.

One, he drank.

Two, he leered at hot and buxom women.

Three, he tried to keep any more regrets from joining the flock he had following him.

He wasn't as close to Nicholas and Isabel Arc as he had been to his old team. But Nicholas had fought alongside him fearlessly, and Isabel had patched him up and kept him alive so many times that it was like she was immune to his bad luck. A good thing for a combat medic.

Nicholas and Isabel had gotten out of the game, and retired to the Arc Manor back in Radian Village. They'd had eight children, Isabel somehow getting her doctorate in medicine in between all that business. Nicholas had taken to training Hunters... And died on a training trip when their youngest was only eight.

That youngest was why Qrow was out searching along the main road between Vale and Radian. It was long and winding, crossing through Grimm territory and a dozen little villages and outposts.

Somewhere in all this, it was hoped that Jaune Arc was still alive.

Given the length of time it had been since the kid had gone missing... There wasn't a lot of hope left. Three months out in the wilds? If the kid hadn't gotten eaten by Grimm, there were any number of things that could have gotten a young teenaged boy with nothing but old armor and the family sword.

By all rights, Qrow shouldn't even still be searching. He should have given it up, long ago...

Yet here he was, still out here. Hoping that maybe he could bring home some good news to an old friend for once.

A siren sounded from over the treetops. A Grimm attack alarm from a nearby village.

Qrow turned and flapped his wings, headed for the disturbance. This was barely ten miles outside of Vale's walls. The CCL would be hot with messages and requests for help-Help that might not make it in time.

Well... He could.

He descended on the town, shifting to human form and unleashing gunfire from his scythe-weapon. He took out three Beowulves before he landed. Most of the civilians had fled to the shelters, the streets were deserted.

All except for Grimm... And a man trying to get his little girl away from a few Ursas. The gang of Grimm roared and charged them, drawn by the raw fear they exuded. Qrow grit his teeth-He couldn't get there in time for the man, the lead Ursa, a Major, was already pouncing.

Maybe the little girl-?

A figure in a worn, green cloak dove from a rooftop, plunging a sword into the lead Ursa's neck. The figure kicked off the Ursa's back, dragging his blade through the rest of the monster's throat. Its head fell, and the body collapsed as it began to disappear. The figure pulled out a kite shield and held it up, ducking under the second Ursa's swing. The claws nearly took the figure's head clean off, but popped back up and swung his sword, taking the Ursa's forearm clean off.

Another Ursa closed in on the green-clad figure, flanking him. The figure dove and crawled through the gap in the legs of the monster, barely avoiding the second Ursa's pounce. The figure jammed his sword up between the legs of the Ursa, making it roar in pain.

Despite himself, Qrow allowed himself a snicker. It was the kind of thing he would have done as a teenager... But it wasn't enough. The rest of the Ursa gang was upon the figure. He stood defiantly, his sword and shield burning with Aura. He looked back over his shoulder briefly: He saw the father and daughter make it into a shelter. He turned back, bellowed a roar... Had his sword and shield up, ready to battle the monsters all alone, like he was prepared to make a last stand...

Not today, kid, Qrow thought.

He fired his gun, blowing out the heads of the Ursas. He dropped down, swinging his blade and taking them all apart in the blink of an eye. The Grimm faded away, as the figure gaped at him in amazement.

Qrow reached out and yanked down the kid's hood. Blond hair and blue eyes greeted him. His armor was patched up from months of hits and strikes. His clothing was dirty and similarly patched up, sewn up with random bits of cloth. He had pouches on his belt and a worn messenger bag hung from his shoulders. Various potions, tonics and medicines, assembled in random bottles, clinked in said bag.

The kid himself looked roughened, lean, and strong. He was tall and lanky but stood strong despite the obvious exhaustion in his eyes. A far cry from the chubby-faced little crybaby his nieces had beat up once or twice.

"Jaune Arc, I presume?" Qrow quipped. "You're a long way from home."

Jaune grimaced, and scowled, bowing his head.

"I uh... I don't know who you're talking about-"

Qrow rolled his eyes.

"You're still a lousy liar, kid. Have been ever since your seventh birthday party."

Jaune's eyes widened in shock.

"Uncle Qrow?!"

- - -

The rest of the Grimm were soon dealt with by a few security teams and local Hunters. Qrow got them back to Vale proper via a bus. He dragged the kid to a cafe-One of the few that served booze and breakfast.

Which is why it was among Qrow's favorites.

The old place was packed with workmen coming off the night shift and workmen getting ready for the dayshift. Qrow took his usual table in the back, and his usual waitress-She was at least a Double Dee and wore her hair long. Jaune stared at her intensely, before blushing and averting his eyes as she took their orders.

Breakfast was delivered, two plates packed full of food. Jaune dug in immediately, eating like a starving man. Qrow raised an eyebrow as he sipped his morning beer.

"Well... You're a hungry one," he observed.

"Mmmph... Took me three days to get to that town," Jaune admitted between bites, "Ran out of food before then. Usually, I could get meals from the farms in exchange for doing some chores or taking care of some local Grimm, but there wasn't anything between Bail and that town!"

Qrow looked the kid over.

"You're not telling me that that's how you've been living these last three months?" Qrow asked in disbelief.

Jaune shrugged, eyes down on his breakfast.

"Well... Uh... My Scroll broke three days on the road... Couldn't access my accounts, so..." He shrugged, mumbling a bit under his breath.

Qrow sighed and motioned to the waitress. This would require something harder than beer.

"Your mom's been worried sick," he said. Jaune grimaced harder.

"I uh... I know... I'm sorry," he said. He sighed. "But she just wouldn't listen!"

Qrow shook his head, staring at the young man with a pitying look in his eyes.

"You didn't either," he stated. He leaned over, elbows on the table.

"Kid, you got accepted into the Valean Medical Research College," he said, "Your mom wouldn't stop gushing about you finally giving up on your 'silly dreams'-"

Jaune slammed a fist into the table. He glared at Qrow.

"They're not silly!" He growled. "Was my dad silly for becoming a hunter? Was my grandpa? My great-uncle?"

"Maybe not, but you are," Qrow stated, slapping the kid on the back of his head, "Why would you give up a career as a doctor? You'd be rich, with your pedigree and mom's connections. Hot and cold running interns. Maybe your own bullhead-"

"That's not what I want," Jaune growled, "That's what my mom wanted for me. I want to be a Hunter... That's all I've ever wanted!"

Qrow stared intently at him. Jaune didn't break his gaze, holding his ground.

The waitress came back and set down a tumbler glass of whiskey. Qrow took it and drank it down. He lowered the glass and shook his head.

Isabel was going to murder him.

"Well... I'll say this for you, kid. You're my kind of stupid."

Jaune's eyes widened in shock.

"You... You're not going to take me back?" He asked. Qrow sighs, and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"You got a plan for getting into Beacon Academy?"

"I uh... I got accepted," Jaune said. He coughed.

"I had to... Get a little creative with a few things in my background, but I've got my Aura unlocked, and I think I've got my Semblance... Kind of sort of figured out, and I've killed a lot of Grimm-!"

Qrow sighed heavily. He motioned for another whiskey.

"Well... I can't exactly fault you for that," he muttered, thinking back to his own time at Beacon. "Look, I won't drag you back. But you're writing her right now and letting her know her youngest son is alive and well."

Jaune grinned.

"Uncle Qrow! You-You'd do that for me-?!"

"I will do it for you," Qrow said, "Because if I did take you back, you'll run out again and get yourself killed. And then your mom will definitely kill me."

- - -

They dropped off Jaune's scroll at a local repair shop before they stopped by the post office. Jaune took a while to write up the note-He had to restart a few times. He finally got it down and put it into the mailbox. He sighed, and gave Qrow a smile.

"Again, thanks Uncle Qrow-"

"Don't thank me," Qrow grunted, "You're making a terrible decision, you know. You could have been a doctor, and now you're here. This is literally the stupidest choice you could ever make."

Jaune shook his head.

"There's a girl and her father who wouldn't still be here if I had made the other choice," Jaune said quietly, for once looking like a man and less like some defiant teenager. Qrow closed his eyes. It was too familiar.

"Yeah... Yeah," Qrow grunted. "Anyway... You'd better not pull that stupid bullshit you did before. Fighting like you're gonna die."

"I-I wasn't gonna die," Jaune insisted, "I've fought way bigger Grimm and I made it-!"

"You can't survive on luck, kid. You can't trust it, take it from me," Qrow said, punctuating his statement with a harsh smack to the back of Jaune's head.

"OW!" Jaune yelped, glaring up at the older man. "Hey!"

"Which is why you're going to that damn school and they're gonna correct your bad habits," Qrow stated. "You're lucky you set out so early. Now, keep an eye out for Ruby and Yang, this is their first year too."

"Ruby and Yang?" Jaune asked in shock. Qrow nodded.

"Yup. Remember them?"

"Kind of," Jaune said, wearing a sour look, "Yang's the one who made me eat dirt and called me Crybaby. Ruby's the little kid who made me dress up for tea parties with toy guns."

"They've changed too," Qrow laughed. Maybe he should give the kid the 'shotgun' speech... But it would be a lot funnier to see how things went now. He had to get some entertainment out of this debacle. Maybe that's why Ozpin had let the kid in.

Speaking of...

"I uh... I was thinking of getting here early and maybe brushing up on some reading, but it took me too long," Jaune admitted, "I wanted to firm up my fundamentals. I lost track of time, when does the Academy semester start?"

Qrow sipped from his flask and smirked.

"Oh, in about... Twenty minutes?"

Jaune choked.

"TWENTY MINUTES?!" Jaune shouted, holding his head. "WHA-WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO-?!"

Qrow pointed at the airship port, some distance away. "Better get a move on, kid."

"YOU SUCK, UNCLE QROW! YOU FUCKING SUCK OLD MAN!" Jaune shouted, running as fast as he could towards the airship port and shaking his fist at him. Qrow laughed, and drank more from his flask.

"Haaa... Nicholas, your boy's just as stupid and lucky as you," he muttered, watching the young man sprint as though for his very life.

Still... Three months surviving on his own? The kid was going to do fine.

It wasn't like he'd run into anything too big or important during his trip here. He wasn't that unlucky.

He would know.

- - -

In the forests of Vale, far from the walls, one Adam Taurus of the White Fang glared at the overturned train car.

Here, there were supposed to be Faunus slaves and Dust to liberate for their cause.

Roman Torchwick's intel had put them here... And yet the train had already been liberated. The Dust had been recovered. The Faunus had run off and were now scattered amongst the various towns and hamlets. None had any interest in joining their cause, replacing his lost soldiers.

It was a great blow to their plans... Cinder Fall would be angry.

There were few humans whose wrath he feared, but she was at the top of the list.

"Who did this?" He demanded of one of his lieutenants. The Faunus coughed.

"Most of the Faunus didn't get a good look at it, but... Some knight in white, with a green cloak. A human."

Adam seethed.

"We're going to find out who this 'white knight' is... And we're going to kill him."

- - -

Yeah, I don't know. My muse is insane. I didn't get the chance to write a RWBY fic with a different Jaune Arc, so I may as well do that. If you'd like more, then say so. Because I do actually have a plan... Sort of.

Pairings are undecided.

 

[ThedudeManBro]

"We're going to find out who this 'white knight' is... And we're going to kill him."

Click to shrink...

Cope and Seeth Adam.

Cope. And. Seeth. Maybe mald abit.

Pairings are undecided.

Click to shrink...

I'm a huge sucker for the childhood friend angle. And the sisters angle. And the Goth angle. And the muscle angle.

...oh hi Ruby and Yang from mid-at-best Rooster Teeth show RWBY. when did you get in here? And who is that redhead looming over the distance, menacingly?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Ruby Rose didn't know what to do with herself, she was so full of energy! Getting accepted into Beacon Academy was... A dream come true!

She was scared about it, too. She was really scared and nervous. That was part of her nervous energy. She nearly felt like bouncing out of the airship!

She could barely stay still, as she wandered around the crowded airship, nearly ready to jump into her Semblance in excitement. So much to see...! And so many people she could talk to!

Maybe.

If she got the inclination.

And had some preparation time. Like, an hour. She could see herself making some eye contact too, for longer than a few seconds.

The trip was pretty short, the only really interesting thing happening was some guy in a green cloak constantly throwing up in the bathroom. Poor guy.

The moment they disembarked, she turned to her big sister Yang and beamed.

"So! Where do we go from here?" She asked.

"You go to the Opening Ceremony Speech, right away!" Yang laughed. "Me, uh... I've got friends to catch up with!"

And then she was gone. And Ruby was alone. She gaped after her big sister.

"Wha...?"

Her sense of shock is probably why she ran into a cart full of Dust, and caused some of it to explode.

"ACK!"

Her face slammed into the pavement. She looked up with a groan, into the eyes of an angry, platinum blonde girl in fancy white and blue clothing.

"What are you doing?! You could have blown up all my Dust!"

"Why are you dragging all this around?!" Ruby groaned, rubbing her face. The girl scoffed.

"Some of us are taking this seriously, thank you!"

She pushed the cart away, along with a lot more luggage besides. And Ruby was alone again.

"Hey... Need some help?"

She looked up. The boy from the airship stood there, his hand out to her. She took it, and let him pull her up to her feet. She blushed brightly.

He was... Kind of rugged. Like he'd been on the road. His weapons were worn and well used, his cloak waved slightly in the breeze.

"Thanks... Uh... Nice cloak!" She said. She gestured to her own. "I'm uh, an aficionado too!"

"Yeah," the boy said with a nod. "Uh... Ruby Rose, right?"

Ruby's eyes widened.

"Wha...? How'd you know that?! Is your Semblance to be psychic or something?!"

"No," the boy chuckled, "But I owe you for a few tea parties."

Ruby blinked in confusion. Her eyes then widened in recognition.

"Jaune?!"

"Jaune Arc. Rolls right off the tongue, huh?" Jaune chuckled. Ruby immediately hugged him tightly, burying her head in his chest. "OOF!"

"Oh I haven't seen you in forever! You're so... Tall! And you've got a cloak! And-And..."

She made a face as she pulled away, but kept her arms on his sides.

"You stink!" She declared. Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah... Didn't get a chance to shower, sorry," he admitted. Ruby pulled back, waving air away from her nose.

"Geez... Also that sword and shield need some polishing! That's a lot of Grimm residue!"

She immediately took his weapons off his belt, and pulled out his sword. She retrieved her weapons cleaning kit from her luggage, and set to work.

"Oh, the shield expands and contracts, cool! The mechanisms are still good but you need to use more oil," she muttered, "The sword's seen a LOT of Aura sharpening but you need to sharpen it manually too..."

In a few minutes, she presented the now shiny sword and shield combination back to Jaune. He took his weapons with wide eyes. He looked them over in wonder.

"Wow... It's like they're brand new!" He said. He grinned and hugged Ruby with one arm. "You're a miracle, Ruby!"

"Heheheh... I know my weapons!" Ruby grinned. "So! I didn't see any mechanisms on your sword."

"It cuts and stabs things," Jaune said dryly, "That's what a sword does."

Ruby presented her Crescent Rose, unfolding it and showing it off proudly.

"My High Caliber Sniper-Scythe, Crescent Rose! I built it myself!"

"Woah," Jaune said, looking over the complex, interlocking mechanisms, "Now that's awesome..."

He smirked up at her.

"And not a bunny or kitty sticker to be seen!"

"HEY! I grew out of that when I was, like, eight!" Ruby protested, blushing hard. She stowed her weapon and stomped in what she thought was a very mature way. "I'm gonna be a Huntress, darn it!"

"I know you are," Jaune said, a sincere smile on his face. He nodded. "Me too... I'm glad I'm doing it with some familiar faces."

"Same," Ruby admitted. "So uh... How are your mom and dad? I kind of remember them."

Jaune's face tightened. He spoke calmly.

"Dad... Died on a training mission," he said quietly, "Saved his class from some high-level Grimm."

Ruby's face fell.

"O-Oh... I'm so sorry, Jaune... My mom, she... She also..."

She bowed her head. Jaune reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay."

"My mom's head surgeon at the hospital," Jaune said, moving on with warm energy, "She does a lot of consulting on Aura-based healing. Saphron got married, she lives in Argus with her wife and works for a publishing house. Aqua is a nurse, Verdy and Coral are still at college, Lilac is engaged to some banker, Orchid is doing some bookkeeping for the hospital and I think Tangy is trying to sell refrigerators up in Mantle."

"I still can't believe your mom named one of you after fruit," Ruby giggled. Jaune nodded.

"Better her than me, that's for sure," he said. "How's your dad?"

"He's a teacher at Signal," Ruby said cheerfully, "He's doing great!"

They continued their chat as they made their way to the audience hall. The Headmaster, a grey-haired man in green with a cane and glasses, was giving an opening speech.

"Let us all work diligently, and remember we are here to protect Remnant from the forces of Darkness..."

"I hope we didn't miss anything important," Ruby muttered. Jaune nodded.

"Same..."

The platinum blonde from before spotted them... And huffed, sticking her nose up in the air. Jaune and Ruby wisely took some seats far in the back. The rest of the speech went on... And on... And on...

Ruby groaned, and turned back to Jaune.

"So, why do you look like you ran around in the wilds for like... Six months?" She asked. "Is... Is that normal for you?"

Jaune shook his head with a thin smile.

"Three months, actually," he said, "Just got into town. Your uncle says hi."

"Uncle Qrow?! You got to see him?!" Ruby whisper-shouted, leaning forward. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah... He bought me breakfast... But he's still a dick."

"Sounds like him," Ruby giggled. "But seriously? Out in the wilds for three months?! What happened?!"

"Well-"

"Aside from you not getting any showers," Ruby giggled. Jaune sighed, and ruffled her hair affectionately. "ACK! Hey!"

"Plenty, thank you," Jaune chuckled, as Ruby batted his hand away. She pouted at him.

"You need to quit doing that," she insisted, "I'm gonna be a Huntress, ya know! I'm basically a full-grown woman!"

"You'll always be a little brat to me, Ruby," Jaune chuckled, continuing to mess up her hair.

"Hmph!"

- - -

 

[TheFabulousCustodes]

Nice to see this here, undoing what RT has done to Jaune is always a positive in my book.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

A great deal of speeches, lectures, and generally boring stuff later, the sun was setting and the prospective students were gathered in a gymnasium. Small groups had formed of various teenagers, all preparing to sleep in pajamas and sleeping bags. Yang had picked out a nice place near some windows, and Ruby had joined her. A black-haired girl wearing a bow sat on the windowsill, reading a book and ignoring everything else going on around them, but otherwise they were fairly isolated.

Yang raised an eyebrow at her little sister's broad smile.

"So," Yang said with a grin at her little sister, "Saw you paling around with the Vomit Boy."

Ruby grinned, happy to have a secret that Yang hadn't figured out yet.

"Yup! I sure was!" Ruby said cheerfully, as she set out her sleeping bag with a flourish. Yang grinned, like a shark smelling blood in the water.

"Aw... Is my little sis finally hearing the siren call of romance?" Yang asked, sighing theatrically with a hand pressed to her forehead. "Or in this case, the stink of young love?"

Ruby blushed furiously.

"N-No! No! But he's an old friend!" Ruby insisted. Yang blinked.

"An old friend? What kind of...Nnngh...!"

Yang rolled her shoulder, wincing. Ruby frowned in concern.

"What?"

"Ugh... Those damn twins got in a hit on my shoulder," Yang grumbled. She froze and laughed nervously over at the girl wearing the black bow.

"I-I mean, I overstrained myself at the gym and certainly didn't get my injury while doing anything borderline illegal, ahahaha!"

The girl gave her a neutral expression with her yellow eyes, and returned to reading her book. Ruby sighed.

"Yang, seriously?"

"I'll be fine," Yang insisted, "Besides, how many old friends could you have-?"

Ruby brightened and waved her arm happily.

"Hey! HEY! Jaune! OVER HERE!"

Yang looked... And her jaw dropped. She certainly had an appreciation for the male form... And this was quite the form. Tall, a bit gangly, but definitely packing muscle underneath his official Beacon Academy gym shirt and shorts. Blond hair, blue eyes, a sharp chin devoid of baby fat...

"Hey Ruby!" Jaune greeted with a smile, as he walked up to him. He lugged a few small pouches and a messenger bag with him, "Cute PJs."

"You too," Ruby giggled, "Where'd you get those?"

"Headmistress Goodwitch took pity on me and let me buy some stuff from the gift shop," Jaune chuckled. He grimaced and tugged at the shorts. "They're a little tight, but ya know, beggars can't be choosers and all..."

Yang ceased her ogling as her brain caught up with her mouth.

"Wait-Crybaby Jaune?!" Yang yelped. Jaune grinned and bowed mockingly.

"Yo! Firecracker Yang! Been a while, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah," Yang managed, flushing a bit at the nickname, "Geez... Uh... It's been, what, eight years? Last I saw you, you were eating dirt."

"That you fed me," Jaune deadpanned. Yang winced.

"W-Well... You are a growing boy, right? Gotta provide fertile soil," she chuckled. Jaune laughed, holding a hand to his stomach.

"Aw man... Your jokes are still terrible!"

"My jokes are amazing!" Yang laughed back, "Only sophisticated comedy palates can appreciate them!"

"Or they built up a resistance," Ruby snarked. Yang swung at her, and Ruby dodged with a playful giggle. Yang sighed, and looked back to him with a smile.

"Still... It's good to see you again," Yang said. She winked. "And no bunny onesies?"

"Couldn't take them with me," Jaune deadpanned. He looked at the black bowed girl. "Yo. I'm Jaune Arc."

The girl looked up from her book.

"Blake Belladonna," she said quietly. Jaune extended his hand. She stared at it for a moment.

"I swear, I grabbed a shower," Jaune said, glancing at Ruby, "Because someone complained about my manly scent."

"You mean you smelled like you rolled around in garbage," Ruby teased back.

Blake slowly reached out her hand, and took Jaune's. He shook it. She pulled back gently, and Jaune nodded back to her.

"Why were you going around in that ratty cloak and all?" Yang asked. "Your mom make you hike all the way here from... Uh...?"

"Radian? Kind of," Jaune admitted. Ruby popped up, grinning and nodding eagerly.

"Yeah! He had to make it here all the way on foot!"

Yang scoffed.

"Oh come on! Really?"

"Didn't have money for the train, and I get airsick real bad," Jaune said. Yang winced and rolled her shoulder again. Jaune locked his eyes onto her. "You okay?"

"Ugh, yeah, just a pulled muscle or-" Yang said, but Jaune walked behind her, and pressed down at the junction between her neck and shoulder. "AH! Hey!"

"Hmmm," Jaune mused, "Tendons are a little overstressed. Hang on."

He rummaged around in his pack, and pulled out a small bottle of what had once been People Like Grapes. He opened it, poured some green liquid out onto his hand, and rubbed Yang's shoulder and neck quickly. A minty scent filled Yang, Ruby and Blake's nostrils.

"H-Hey... Shouldn't you buy me dinner first if you're gonna get this handsy with me?" Yang joked, though she had a slight blush on her cheeks. Jaune pulled his hand back.

"How's that?" He asked. Yang rolled her shoulder, and blinked.

"Huh... It's gone!"

"Folk remedy from my village," Jaune said, "My mom helped isolate the active ingredients years ago. That stuff is concentrated and a lot stronger, but this is cheaper to make and works just fine on little injuries like this." He handed the bottle to her. "Apply it overnight, and you'll be back up to one hundred percent in no time."

Yang blinked.

"I... Thanks?"

Jaune grinned.

"Hey, we still got this initiation coming up, right? And I'd prefer to be on a team that's at their best."

"Jaune's mom is super cool, huh Yang?" Ruby asked. She got up and wrapped her arms around Jaune's arm. "So! Got any more potions that might help our chances?"

"Maybe a few," Jaune said with a shrug, "Though most of them are basically energy drinks."

"ENERGY DRINKS?!"

A muscular redhead shot up, grinning broadly.

"Caffeine, right?!"

"Uhhh," Jaune managed, "Y-Yeah...?"

"Can I have some?" The girl asked. A dark-haired boy with a pink stripe running down his bangs walked up, and took the girl's hand.

"Sorry about her," the boy said calmly. The girl pouted.

"But Rennnnn!"

"No buts, Nora," Ren stated, leading his partner away. Yang, Ruby, Jaune, and Blake all blinked.

"That was... Weird," Yang observed.

"Yeah," Ruby said, "Though I think I like her!"

"You would," Yang snickered. She grinned at Jaune, brushing her hair back and tangling a finger in her golden locks.

"So Crybaby, you gonna get some shut-eye, or should we progress to painting nails and gossiping about boys?"

Jaune gave the stare of a haunted veteran of No Man's Land. But his grin was savage.

"I have seven sisters, do your worst."

"Oh, I intend to-"

"Children!" Professor Goodwitch called out, drawing every eye in the room. "To sleep, now. Boys on one side, girls on the other. You have a busy day tomorrow."

"Guess we'll have to take a Yang-check," Yang chuckled, "But I can see you in electric blue!"

"Please, I'll rock electric blue nail polish," Jaune said with a confident grin. "Night ladies!"

He headed off to the other side of the room, Yang's eyes locked onto his posterior the whole time. Ruby pouted at Yang.

"Yaaang," Ruby whined. Yang blinked.

"What?"

"No," Ruby scowled. Yang blinked again.

"No what-?"

"No. Flirting," she growled. "It's gross!"

"Aw," Yang chuckled, ruffling her little sister's hair, "Is my little sister feeling jealous~?"

"I AM NOT!" Ruby pouted. "Just-Don't be mean to him!"

"What if I want to be nice~?" Yang teased.

"THAT'S WORSE!"

- - -


The next morning, Jaune was checking over his gear in the locker room. They'd checked it all in the day before, where it had been gone over by the Engineering section of the school. He was gratified to see his armor was cleaned up and properly repaired. His sword and shield were in pristine shape, but only a little more than what Ruby had done.

His clothing had been cleaned, at least. Still pretty patchwork, but now that he had access to his funds again courtesy of Uncle Qrow, he could buy some new clothes. Still, this hoodie had served him well for three months-Maybe it was lucky?

He'd lost his jeans-Cheap freaking denim-So he'd upgraded to some hardy carpenter's pants a farmer had let him have. It had a lot of pockets, which was useful. HIs sneakers hadn't lasted much longer either, and he'd gone around in sandals for a while until another farmer had gotten him some heavy boots.

He pulled the armor on last, fastening the pauldrons on with practiced familiarity. This stuff reacted to his Aura, and a surge of his soul's power seemed to make it all... Fit better.

He couldn't really explain it. Maybe he'd ask Ruby about it.

He backed up, turned around... Nearly ran into a tall redhead in skimpy but functional armor. She wore a golden tiara, under which were bright, bewitching green eyes.

"Oh, uh, sorry," the girl said with an apologetic smile that seemed made for fashion magazines. Jaune's cheeks flushed a bit.

Woah, Jaune's mind went, I should say something cool.

"For what?" He asked.

DAMNIT!

"Uh, almost bumping into you," she said quickly. Jaune shrugged.

"You didn't though. So... No reason to apologize," he said. Geez. Poor girl. Did she have self-esteem issues? Was she like those ultra serious pretty girls who were all broken up inside or something?

Oh, she was still talking. He should probably pay attention to that.

"It's great to be here at Beacon, huh? It's been my dream," she said happily. She extended her hand. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

Jaune extended his hand and shook hers firmly enough to be manly, but not too firm. Though given how strong her grip was, maybe he should have squeezed harder...

"Jaune Arc," he said with a smile, "It's nice to meet you."

"PYRRHA NIKOS?!"

A platinum blonde in light blue, expensive looking clothing and what appeared to be gogo boots skidded to a halt, panting hard.

"The Pyrrha Nikos?! I-I had heard you were at Beacon but-My locker room-Wow-I'm Weiss Schnee, of the Schnee Family!"

"Uh, it's very nice to meet you too," Pyrrha said, carefully pulling her hand from Jaune's and shaking Weiss'. Well, Weiss seemed to be doing all the shaking-Hard enough that certain assets of Pyrrha's were moving-

Nope! Nope! Just because he'd been on the road for three months didn't mean he was going to gawp like a caveman at a pretty girl, nope. All of these women could murder him in incredibly creative ways, he didn't need to give them any reason to do so!

It was time for him to say something intelligent again.

"So... She's a big deal then?"

DAMNIT! SERIOUSLY BRAIN?!

Weiss shot him a disbelieving sneer.

"Are you kidding?! Where did you grow up, under a rock?! She's the four-time Mistral Regional Tournament champion! The so-called INVINCIBLE GIRL!"

Jaune blinked.

"Oh... Good for you," Jaune said with a slow nod to Pyrrha. Pyrrha flushed.

"It's-It's no big deal-"

"She graduated first in her class from Sanctum Academy!" Weiss continued eagerly. "She's a fashion model for Amazons!"

Pyrrha's smile was looking a little brittle. Like his mom's whenever she had to entertain some rich councilman or businessman.

"Nope, never heard of you before," Jaune went on, smiling apologetically.

Weiss looked almost desperate.

"She's the mascot for Pumpkin Pete's Cereal! You have to have heard of THAT, at least!"

Jaune shook his head.

"My mom was a big health nut, so I never ate it. My uncle got me this Pumpkin Pete's hoodie but that's all," he said.

Weiss groaned, and slid in front of Jaune to put herself fully in Pyrrha's view.

"I'm so sorry you have to put up with such ignorant lummoxes!"

"I uh, it's not a problem-"

"Listen, if you join my team, it would be such an amazing alliance! My family's connections, your talents...!

Now, had Jaune not been three months on the road, fighting for his life, he might have just let that go.

And if Pyrrha didn't shoot him a look that said, quite clearly, 'Help me,', he might have also let that go.

But he hadn't. So he didn't.

"Actually I might have heard of you," Jaune said quickly, grabbing Pyrrha's hand. She flushed as he stepped right into her personal space, coincidentally bumping Weiss out of the way.

"ACK! HEY!"

"Don't interfere!" Jaune said quickly, "Our families made a pact long ago to join our families in marriage! At last, I've found you, my beautiful fiancé!"

Pyrrha's face turned an even brighter red. Jaune took her hand and kissed the top of it. Weiss goggled.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh-Oh yes!" Pyrrha cried, forcing a swoon. "My darling! We must discuss our plans! Sorry Weiss, maybe another time? I've been hit with a LOT and I need to sort it out!"

"But-!"

"Hey! Your family had your chance!" Jaune cried. "Don't paw at my wife!"

"YOUR WHAT?!"

Jaune led Pyrrha away, leaving the sputtering Weiss to watch them go.

Once they were outside in the bright sunshine, Jaune let go of Pyrrha's hand. He coughed.

"Ah, sorry," he said, "Some chick tried that on me to get out of some guys trying to shake down her family shop for money. I thought it would at least be confusing."

"It was," Pyrrha giggled. She beamed at him. "Thanks... Seriously? No idea who I am?"

"Not even a little," Jaune said, shaking his head, "Sorry."

"No, no, that's okay," Pyrrha said, waving her hands. "But um... I'm glad we'll be going to Beacon together."

Jaune grinned at her.

"Same," he said.

"JAUNE!"

"URK!"

Ruby tackle-hugged him, beaming up at him like an eager puppy.

"Come on, come on, we're going to be late!" Ruby said eagerly. She leaped off and grabbed Jaune's hand, dragging him off. Jaune sighed, looking back over his shoulder. Pyrrha covered her mouth to giggle, as she followed them.

"Right, the initiation thing... So... Anyone know what this is supposed to be? Like... Do we get baptized with oil or touch a dead unicorn or something?"

"Something like that," Pyrrha agreed.

- - -

They assembled on the top of a cliff overlooking a verdant, beautiful valley, and Headmaster Ozpin gave his instructions.

"The rules are simple: You will be launched into the Emerald Forest, where you will employ a landing strategy. Once down on the ground, the first person whose eyes you meet will become your partner for the next four years. This is non-negotiable-We are monitoring the entire area."

Aw crap, Jaune mentally groaned. He glanced around at the other students. Sure, maybe they weren't all jerks or weirdos... But given Weiss, did he really want to take that chance?

"You will fight your way to the ancient ruins, killing anything in your way, and retrieve the ancient relics. You will then make your way back to the Cliffs. The risk of death is quite high, but you are the best of the best, so I have every confidence in your abilities."

The headmaster paused and then sipped his coffee.

"And you all signed the waivers," he said.

Was that a joke? I can't tell! Jaune thought. Still...

"Any questions?" Ozpin asked.

Jaune raised his hand.

"Er, Headmaster?"

"Yes, Mister Arc?"

The headmaster gave Jaune a probing look, that made him feel as though the older man was seeing right through him. It made him feel incredibly uncomfortable, but he pressed on.

"How... Are we going to be launched?"

"The catapults you are standing upon," Ozpin said dryly.

Jaune looked down and blinked.

"Huh. I completely missed those," he muttered.

He heard Weiss What's Her Name groan in disgust. Yeah, that just hardened his resolve.

"If there are no more questions-?"

"Oh, uh, Headmaster?"

Ozpin again raised an eyebrow, and sipped his coffee.

"Yes, Mister Arc?"

"Do we need to be launched one at a time?" Jaune asked. Ozpin blinked.

"The catapults are rated for a maximum weight of several thousand kilograms, so technically, I suppose not-"

"Great!" Jaune said cheerfully. He got off the catapult, walked over to Ruby, and picked her up. She squeaked and blushed as he put her on his back, and walked back to his catapult.

"H-Hey, Jaune-!"

"This way, we'll be partners," Jaune said with a nod. Ruby beamed.

"Oh yeah! WOOHOO!" She threw her arms up into the air.

"That's a GREAT idea!" Nora cried, immediately vaulting herself over to Ren and getting up onto his back. Ren sighed.

"Nora, you don't have to-"

"Shush, Ren, you're my noble steed! You don't talk!"

"Aw, shooting right for my little sister, Crybaby Jaune?" Yang laughed. "I'm hurt-No consideration for me?"

"She's less annoying and smaller," Jaune shot back. Ruby smacked his head. "OW! What the-?!"

"I-I'M STILL GROWING!" Ruby growled, blushing furiously.

"I-I know, but I mean you're shorter-OW!"

"I'M NOT SMALL! I-I'M FUN SIZED!"

"OKAY OKAY! SHEESH!" Jaune groaned. A lot of other students laughed, but he couldn't find it in himself to care-

"Pyrrha!" Weiss cried, immediately latching onto the taller redhead, "We'll work together!"

"Uh, um, that's nice, Weiss," Pyrrha managed.

"We'll be the greatest team, I KNOW IT!"

"If you're all quite finished," Ozpin stated, "We shall begin the launching. Good luck!"

He sipped his coffee as the catapults powered up.

"Oh, also," he said, "The aerodynamics of the human body ensure that you'll most likely be separated from your chosen partners the moment you are accelerated... Unless you hold on very tightly."

Weiss blinked.

"Wait wha-?"

The catapult tossed her and Pyrrha up, up, and away. Ruby tightened her grip.

"It will also ensure you may end up almost anywhere," Ozpin stated, "So... Good luck with that."

"Wait, I-"

Jaune and Ruby were launched, tumbling through the sky, holding onto each other desperately.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" They both screamed. Ruby was able to look up as they tumbled. Her eyes widened.

"AHHH! BIRDY, NO!"

"BIRDY-?!"

Ruby let go, and slammed into a gigantic, black bird. Jaune sailed right underneath the squawking Grimm, tumbling through the air like a screaming, flailing rock.

Okay... Okay... Calm down... What do I do? What do I do?!

Jaune spread his legs out, and his cloak. That helped a little, in that he was now no longer tumbling, but the looming ground coming up remained a problem.

All right... Don't have a flying Semblance or aerokinesis or wings or anything else... So...

He pulled out his shield, and poured his Aura into it. He spread his cloak out as far as he could with his arms and legs.

Right... Slow down, slow down... Arrest your momentum... Just rely on my aura and shield... Tuck and roll... Hope I'm tough enough to tank a few trees.

Simple!

He descended, and he pulled his limbs in to hide behind his shield as much as possible.

Right... Right... And... First tree...!

He smashed through it. It rattled his bones, but the tree broke and he didn't. That was most important.

He smashed through a second tree. He was still going pretty fast, but not as fast. And he still didn't break.

Third tree... Didn't break. He finally tumbled and fell to the ground.

"SHIT SHIT SHIT SHITTTTTTT-!"

He grabbed onto a branch... Which snapped. He grabbed onto another branch... Which also snapped. He held his shield up and smashed through several more branches... Until he tumbled out of the tree and landed with a hard thud on the ground.

"Ugggghhh... Perfect landing... Just as I planned," Jaune managed, breathing hard. He tried to get up... And fell over against the tree trunk.

"Ahhh... Yeah... Let's uh... Strategic rest, yeah," Jaune nodded, his aura regenerating, "Just to get my bearings... Totally to get my bearings..."

He didn't even know why he said that, not like there was anyone around to be impressed.

"Oh! Hello Jaune!"

Jaune blinked, and looked at the speaker. The female, smiling speaker.

"You need more time to get your bearings?"

Okay, so there was someone around to impress...
- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Over the past three months, Jaune Arc had learned a hard lesson: Angry people make stupid mistakes. And you make them angry by talking shit.

So Jaune had become a pretty damn good shit talker. Which meant you had to be quick-witted. Clever. Brilliant.

"Uh," Jaune began, as Pyrrha Nikos stood there smiling at him.

Right now, he didn't feel like any of those things.

I hate you brain, I really freaking hate you right now.

"So... Uh... How'd you find me?" Jaune managed.

"My Semblance," Pyrrha said, walking up to him. She held out a hand. "I can track you magnetically after touching anything metal on your body."

"Well... That's not weird or creepy," Jaune muttered, accepting the hand and letting Pyrrha pull him up. The Spartan-like warrior immediately flushed and covered her cheeks.

"O-Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't think of how, uh... I mean... Oh you must think I'm crazy! I'm really, really sorry!"

Jaune blinked and held his hands up. Now was the time to be diplomatic.

"... Yes, I do think you're kind of crazy."

Her face fell.

FUCK.

"But uh, my uncle used to say that all the best hunters were a little crazy!" He said quickly, "I mean, I'm nuts! I'm here with a sword and shield! I may as well be running around with stone tools and furs!"

Pyrrha... Giggled a little. She cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry. I must come off as a little... Uh... Aggressive."

"Juuust a little," Jaune said with a nod, "Like, there was this one girl-The one who said I was her long lost fiancé? She actually wanted me to fight some criminals menacing her shop... And then she tried to get me with a shotgun wedding. Like, literally. An actual shotgun."

Pyrrha stared at him, her lips twitching.

"Is that another joke?"

"I really wish it was," Jaune said with a nod. "So uh... You tracked me down? Was my overwhelming charisma too much for you to handle?"

Pyrrha again giggled.

"Something like that," she agreed, "But there's another, far more selfish reason. You see... I do know about the Arc family. Your mother's Doctor Isabel Arc, right?"

Jaune shivered. Pyrrha frowned.

"You okay, Jaune?"

"Oh yeah! I'm totally fine!" Jaune said quickly. He knew Uncle Qrow wouldn't blow him in to his mom, but just the thought of her right now scared the HELL out of him.

"Just uh... Yes, she's my mother. So you know her how-?"

"Her Aura healing skills are first rate," Pyrrha said, "Her techniques helped me recover after some severe injuries in the second Mistral Tournament. I-I wouldn't have been anywhere near as successful without her expertise. She was also very kind to me. Treated me... You know... Normally. As just another person."

She smiled warmly.

"Kind of like you did."

Oh. A celebrity who desperately wanted a real, human connection? One who had tracked him down with her powers?

"You... Do realize that makes you sound like even more of a stalker, right?" Jaune asked.

Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock.

"O-Oh dear... Oh my... I-I just-! I didn't-!"

"Just relax, Pyrrha, I'm messing with you," Jaune said. Mostly.

Pyrrha flushed.

"It's... Annoying and endearing when you do things like that," Pyrrha admitted. "I guess... I just haven't had this kind of sincerity with another person before. Someone I know comes from good people. It is selfish, maybe I went overboard with it-"

Jaune reached out, and rested a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. She started, and looked up into his eyes. He sighs.

"Okay, look. I totally get being selfish. This is... Me being selfish. My mom wanted me to be a doctor. And I'm going to be a Hunter, so... Yeah."

He smiled brightly.

"So, now that we've got that connection, we'll be fine as partners! Unless you're, ya know, secretly going to drug me and marry me against my will."

Pyrrha gaped, bright red.

"N-NO! No! I-I would never-I couldn't-!"

"Joking again, Pyrrha," Jaune sighed. Pyrrha gaped... And then snickered.

"You're just... Impossible!"

"Well that's not going to make our four years together any better, is it?" Jaune chuckled.

Oh shit. Wait. Are we flirting? Am I really flirting with the crazy girl who used her Semblance to track me down? The celebrity super Invincible Girl who is WAYYY out of your league?

"Well... Um... I might be able to get used to it. Eventually," Pyrrha said with another soft, polite laugh.

Shit. I totally am. The last thing I need is another crazy girl after me... I need to let her down easy. Or wait, do I want to do that? If she's crazy she'll just go full Shotgun on me! Maybe if I told her I just want to be friends...

"Cool. Then we'll be friends," Jaune said cheerfully. "The best of friends."

Pyrrha stared intently at him. Her eyebrow might have twitched. Jaune blinked.

Oh. Right. I told Iridescent that I just wanted to be friends and that led to the shotgun... Shit... SHIT-!

"But uh... Maybe... Possibly... We can rethink that at a later date or something... OH HEY! We're in the middle of a test!" Jaune realized loudly.

Pyrrha nodded furiously, as desperate to escape the awkwardness as he was.

"Oh! Oh, absolutely!" Pyrrha agreed. "The test!"

"We-We should get on with that!"

"Y-Yes! Absolutely!"

"You're magnetic, which way?"

Pyrrha pointed back towards the cliffs in the distance.

"That way!"

"GREAT!" Jaune said, grabbing her hand and racing off. "Let's get going and-"

The growls of a few Beowulves greeted them, just before the Grimm emerged from the trees. Jaune sighed, and let Pyrrha's hand go. He drew Crocea Mors and unfurled his shield.

"You assholes couldn't have shown up... FIVE MINUTES SOONER?!" Jaune roared, charging into battle alongside Pyrrha. She took down two Beowulves with two shots from her transforming rifle, while he slashed his way through two more at close range. They moved together so easily, almost like she was dancing with him. She smiled warmly at him as they set up for another wave of Beowulves.

Crap. There was going to be a shotgun in his future, he just knew it.

- - -

Headmaster Ozpin observed the initiation from his office, his ever present cup of coffee serving him faithfully and without complaint as he watched the young students battling their way towards their goals. At his side was Professor Goodwitch, the assistant headmistress, who watched with her usual cold expression.

"I still can't believe you let him in," Glynda sighed, as she watched Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos fight their way through some more Grimm, "The boy's transcripts were too good to be true."

"And yet, his performance demonstrates the opposite," Ozpin commented, as the green cloaked knight slashed off the front legs of an Ursa, then stole out of the way of the beast to allow his partner to take it down with her spear. Glynda frowned.

"That... Is a strange contradiction," she allowed, "His form is far rougher and less... Refined than a graduate of a combat school should be."

"He could have easily been homeschooled and simply used the combat school as cover. Many students have done far worse," Ozpin said.

"That puts his motives into question," Glynda argued. Ozpin handed her a scroll. She frowned and looked over the contents.

"What are these?"

"Reports along the main road between Radian and Vale. Five days after our young Mister Arc set out from Radian, by his own admission," Ozpin stated, "A Nevermore terrorizing the small town of Edge was dispatched before local hunters could arrive."

Glynda flipped to a picture of a Nevermore being hit by a train. She flipped to the next picture, which showed it dissolved. She snorted.

"What's the connection?"

"Check the first picture. Notice anything?"

Glynda flipped back. Her keen eyes locked onto a small green figure on the train station platform, caught by the cameras along with the unfortunate Nevermore. The cloak was less torn and ragged, but still familiar. And there was no mistaking the sword and shield the figure carried.

"Just because Mister Arc may have been there," Glynda stated, "Does not mean he was able to defeat a Nevermore-"

"Check the next article, about the Faunus being liberated from being used as slave labor," Ozpin said. Glynda flipped to the article, as Ozpin's keen eyes stayed glued to the screens.

"I... Yes, another sighting, but that still-"

"Once is coincidence. Twice is happenstance. But there are at least ten incidents where an individual matching the description of Jaune Arc was there, and just as quickly vanished," Ozpin said. Glynda flipped through, reading the articles. Her disbelieving expression shifted away from doubt, to concern, to shock.

"How on Remnant could one boy get into so much trouble?" Glynda asked.

Ozpin sipped his coffee, and considered his answer.

"At first... I considered the possibility that he was one of her agents," he said. "It would not be the first time Salem has tried to sneak a spy into our midst."

Glynda's eyes narrowed at Jaune Arc, who even now was arguing with Pyrrha Nikos about something. The poor girl looked torn between guilt and... Was she blushing? What?

"However," Ozpin said, "Given her age, she falls into a pattern of behavior. One she can't escape entirely, no matter her efforts. Such agents in the past were too... Squeaky clean. Too artificial. Too good to be true." He nodded to Jaune on the screen, who threw up his hands as part of the argument.

"Mister Arc is certainly not that," Glynda deadpanned.

"Indeed," Ozpin said, "Furthermore, she usually wouldn't go this far to stage so many incidents to make her agents look genuine. Too much at once makes them look like frauds."

He rubbed his chin.

"However," he said, "The Arc Family does have a history of individuals with very powerful Auras-Almost superhuman stamina when it comes to that, if properly trained. As well as unusual Semblances, with strange side effects. It is entirely possible that Mister Arc is unconsciously using such a Semblance, and has yet to master it."

He shook his head.

"It does not fully eliminate the possibility he is a spy, or has his own agenda counter to ours. However, in either case, it is far better to have him here to keep an eye on him."

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" Glynda asked. Ozpin smiled.

"Indeed..."

- - -

Jaune sighed.

"Look, I'm just saying I didn't like your cereal. You don't have to apologize for it! It's not your fault!"

Why she'd brought along a sample was... Well, Pyrrha had a habit of keeping things in her pockets, and he had been curious... She'd just wanted him to not think she was weird.

Maybe sharing a free sample of some cereal she was the mascot of that she'd been carrying around wasn't the best way to do that.

Pyrrha flushed, and nodded quickly.

"I-I know... I'm sorry-"

"AND STOP SAYING THAT!" Jaune shouted. Pyrrha's jaw dropped.

Honestly, even her parents had never shouted at her like that. Her trainers, sure, but never with that raw kind of anger and frustration. They'd never needed to!

Jaune grimaced, and held up his hands.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouted at you in anger. I was the one out of line. That's my bad. But you gotta stop apologizing all the time for stuff that's not your fault! It makes you seem, ya know, weak willed! I mean, what if I was one of those creepy, pushy guys out of a Mistralian hentai comic who blackmails you into doing naughty things?!"

He paused, seemed to realize what he'd said, and blushed bright red. Her own face wasn't much better.

"N-Not that I... Read those things, of course!" He forced a laugh. "I-I've only heard of them! Yup! Only heard about them!"

"I-I mean... You would never do that," Pyrrha insisted. Jaune scowled.

"You don't know that! You just met me! For all you know I am a creep!"

"I've seen how you fight," Pyrrha insisted, "You can't hide your true nature when you fight!"

"You can if you turn invisible, or-or something!" Jaune shot back. Pyrrha's eyes widened. Jaune, noticing this (and possessing basic pattern recognition skills), swung around and got his shield up. A Beowulf lunged at him, its jaws knocking his sword out of his hand and latching its jaws onto his shield.

"JAUNE!" Pyrrha cried... But Jaune was already reacting. Namely, by charging up his fist with Aura... And punching the Beowulf right in the face.

"Stupid!"

PUNCH!

"Motherfucking!"

PUNCH!"

"BITCHASS GRIMM!"

PUNCH!

The Beowulf staggered back, as Jaune hefted up his Aura charged shield and brought it down onto the Beowulf's head, smashing its skull open.

"THOUGHT YOU WERE SMART, DIDN'T YOU MOTHERFUCKER?!" Jaune shouted, kicking the dissolving remains of the Beowulf.

Pyrrha watched the fight with wide eyes. Jaune's fighting style was... Rough. Unrefined, but thoroughly savage. Unrestrained. If he didn't have a massive Aura pool to draw on, he'd have been finished by now. But he was still going, albeit winded. It was so different from her precise, constantly drilled forms.

So... Honest and brutal.

And the profanity!

She bit her lower lip and blushed. This was doing something to her. Jaune was doing something to her.

Why did she like it so much?

"Pyrrha-!"

She wasn't so distracted she missed the two Beowulfs trying to pounce her from behind. Two shots from Milo over her shoulder, without even looking, and both were dispatched. Jaune's eyes widened in genuine amazement.

"Oh... Uh... Wow," he said.

"Like I said," Pyrrha replied, "Your fighting style is all I need to see to know you. And I know you're... Very honest. Trustworthy... And a bit um... Unrefined."

She winced.

"Sorr-"

"Do not say that again!" Jaune shouted. "Just say something else! Seriously!"

"... I apologize?"

"Uggggh...!"

- - -

Ruby Rose rushed through the Emerald Forest, hot on the trail of Jaune. He had wanted her to be his partner, and she really wanted to be his!

... His partner! Yes! Absolutely his partner!

Yang's teasing was just annoying, that's all. She'd just made a friend, a real friend! Someone who had looked out for her and chosen her! Her! Someone she'd known since her childhood, and had grown up into a really great guy!

Why wouldn't she want to find him?

That stupid Nevermore had gotten in the way. She had jumped off after crashing into it, letting the Grimm go off. She had more important things to worry about.

She skidded to a halt in a small clearing. She heard the sound of steel crashing against Grimm bone plating. She grinned.

That has to be him! He can't be too far away! She zipped off in the direction of the sounds. They got louder, and louder. She could spot a flash of steel shining in the sunlight, as she heard a Grimm die.

"JAUNE! IT'S ME!" Ruby shouted, bursting into the clearing, her smile wide.

Her silver eyes met blue eyes... And her face fell as she skidded to a halt in front of the student.

"No," Weiss Schnee groaned, "No... Not you. Anyone but you!"

"HEY!" Ruby growled. "You think I'm happy to see you?! You jerk! I didn't mean to blow up your Dust! You should have been handling it better!"

"I WAS handling it correctly! You slammed into it!" Weiss shot back, her eyebrow twitching as she pointed her sword at Ruby. Ruby huffed.

"You didn't have to get angry about it! You're the one dragging explosive materials around!"

"Uggggghhh," Weiss groaned, smacking her hand against her face, "I can't believe this... Look, let's just go off in separate directions, all right? You can go find your weird boyfriend-"

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Ruby shouted, her pale face going bright red.

"-And maybe I can find Pyrrha Nikos," she sighed, "The faculty has to make allowances, right?"

"What, for your lesbian crush?" Ruby snarked. Weiss's pale cheeks went paler as she glared.

"I am not a lesbian, you-you crude little-! I just prefer to partner with people who aren't completely inept!"

"Ya know, you two are making a lot of noise," drawled a happily familiar voice. Ruby's eyes lit up as Jaune entered the clearing.

"JAUNE!" She shot towards him, tackling him in a hug and wrapping her arms and legs around him like an aggressive tree sloth.

"OOF!" Jaune grunted, and patted her on the head. "Hey! Sorry about that... Not my best idea, the catapult thing-"

"Nonono, it could have worked!" Ruby insisted, "But now you're here and now we can-"

"Ah, hello," Pyrrha said, waving awkwardly. Ruby's eyes widened and she looked up at Jaune. They were filled with hurt and betrayal.

"You... And her...?"

"We're partners, dumbass, we're not going to get married," Jaune grunted, lightly cuffing Ruby's head.

"OW! Hey!" Ruby scowled up at him.

"Oh come on!" Weiss groaned, walking over, "You and the ignorant farmboy? Seriously?"

"If it helps, she's a weird stalker," Jaune commented dryly. Pyrrha flushed deeply.

"N-No I'm not!"

"I KNEW IT!" Ruby cried.

"She is not!" Weiss insisted. "How dare you libel her!"

"Joking, everyone, joking," Jaune said, sighing heavily. He looked at Weiss, and shrugged.

"Well... Since we're now a four person team, we should probably try to get to the relics now."

"We are not a team," Weiss growled.

"Fine. We'll all just walk in the same direction, and fight Grimm separately and not work together as a team at all," he said dryly, "That work?"

"You're just absolutely infuriating!" Weiss groaned, "You and your little girlfriend!"

"HEY!" Ruby shouted.

"Not my girlfriend," Jaune said. Ruby squeezed him painfully. "URK! RUBY!"

"Time is wasting. We should get moving, please? Sorr-"

"Pyrrha," Jaune stated flatly.

Pyrrha winced.

"I mean, if you please...?"

"You're just fine, Pyrrha," Weiss said quickly. "It's nice to know someone has their priorities straight around here!"

"I'd heard aristocrats were inbred but I didn't think it was this bad," Jaune muttered. Weiss whacked him over the head. "OW! HEY!"

"You-You RUFFIAN!"

Jaune cuffed her on the back of her head.

"OW! Wha-You can't do that!"

"Just did," Jaune stated flatly. "We going or not?"

Weiss moved to hit him back, but Pyrrha rested a hand on her wrist. Very tightly.

"He's right, let's focus on the task at hand, mm?" Pyrrha said, her smile now a bit... Frightening. Ruby was also glaring, hugging onto Jaune even more tightly.

Weiss coughed, and decided to remember her manners.

"R-Right... You're right of course, Pyrrha. I'm terribly sorry... Let's get those relics!"

"And can you let me go?" Jaune asked.

Ruby grinned, and snuggled into his chest.

"Nope! You'll have to carry me the whole way!"

"Brat," Jaune sighed, ruffling her hair... Before he shoved her to the ground.

"ACK! Hey!" Ruby protested.

"We can hug when we're not in constant danger, all right?" Jaune said. Ruby pouted, but nodded.

"We'd better!"

- - -

Yes, this Jaune is a believer in True Gender Equality.

 

[ThedudeManBro]

This story and it's characters just keep getting better and better.

I know it's a low as fuck bar to jump over considering their Canon counterparts, but do you have to show up RT so damn hard AndrewJTalon you Chad?

They might piss and cry them self's into a coma if they read this!

 

[AndrewJTalon]

This story and it's characters just keep getting better and better.

I know it's a low as fuck bar to jump over considering their Canon counterparts, but do you have to show up RT so damn hard AndrewJTalon you Chad?

They might piss and cry them self's into a coma if they read this!

Click to shrink...

Yes, yes I do. And yes they would.

 

[krahe]

I'm digging it, dynamics are honestly adorable

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

The Deathstalker was ancient. It had been asleep for a long, long time. Not that Grimm cared about such things.

It had gone into hibernation to conserve its strength, as it hadn't had any prey for a while.

All that changed when it felt... Anger. Lust. Rage. Spite. Jealousy...

The Deathstalker then heard... voices. Human voices.

"Ruby, why would the relics be in a cave?!" A whiny, screechy voice said.

"They're always in caves, come on! It would be cool, right?" An equally childish voice retorted.

"As cool as it would be to explore the dark and dangerous caves... Aren't the ruins over there?" A young, reedy male voice asked, sounding both fond and exasperated.

"Oh... Uh... Oops?" The second voice apologized.

"You're like a freaking puppy," the male voice sighed.

"In all the best ways!" The second voice said cheerfully.

"It's all right, Ruby. I should have spoken up, it's my fau-" A fourth voice, female, apologetic and kind, interjected, but was interrupted.

"No, no it's not," the male voice said. "Seriously, stop that."

"Why don't you hit her when she says something wrong, you barbarian?" The first voice said mockingly, getting further away.

"Because she's not a grade A bitch, that's why!" The male voice retorted.

"Why you-!"

The sources of emotions got further away... But the Deathstalker was now hungry.

It began to unfold itself from its long hibernation.

- - -

Jaune Arc wasn't stupid.

... Mostly.

Yes he had spent three months fighting and walking his way to Beacon after forging his transcripts and lying to his mother. After he broke his scroll due to swinging his sword too hard during training.

... Training that involved trying to cut an apple in half in a cool way and-Okay so maybe he was a little stupid. Unwise? Okay, yeah, let's go with unwise.

He was unwise. But he wasn't stupid. Ozpin and the other professors were watching their every move, and would assign teams based on their performance together.

So he really, really, really prayed that the people watching this didn't think these four were a good fit. Okay yes, he would have loved to have been paired with Ruby. She was a friend and he liked her. He was the baby of his family, she was the baby of hers, and they both sucked at social situations and loved to talk hyper nerd.

As annoying as she could be, he knew she was going to be something amazing someday, and maybe he could help her realize that. Or at least not be dead weight.

Pyrrha too, for all her annoying qualities, wasn't a bad partner. They'd gelled pretty quickly in the fights they'd gone through. She just needed some confidence. Confidence enough to realize that she could do so much better than maybe/sort of stalking him.

Okay, so maybe he also had confidence issues. Sue him. He could fight, that didn't mean he was any good with anything else. His little journey made him about as subtle, refined, and elegant as a pillowcase full of bricks.

Probably why he was dreading the prospect of Weiss being put into this... Team. Okay, yes, she was clearly very talented, intelligent, and she was good with her sword. The Beowulf she silenced that was lurking near the Ruins went down in a single thrust demonstrated that. She clearly had some skills.

"We wasted so much damn time and now there's only two relics left!"

She was also a pain in the ass. He was perfectly happy to be Ruby's big brother and Pyrrha's... What, life coach?

But Weiss... Yeah. He did not have the patience to deal with a spoiled little princess. No thank you. He'd dealt with his sisters long enough to know that sucked and he wasn't having any part of it. He wasn't a siscon, thank you very much, and Weiss thought him some uncouth lout or whatever. Putting them together would be a disaster.

But anyway, they'd finally made it to the ruins. They were on a small plateau, separated by a narrow canyon near the base of the cliffs. Several ancient pillars stood like stepping stones to the stone... Gazebo maybe? They'd hopped on those, and gotten into the heart of the ancient... Temple maybe?

History was not Jaune's strong suit. Especially not ancient history. But he recognized the two relics easily enough-Oversized chess pieces. A knight, and a rook. The only ones left.

"At least there are relics left to take," Pyrrha suggested. "So, which one do we take?"

Ruby hummed. "I guess we'll take-"

"HOLD UP!"

Yang and... Blake? Yeah, Blake, arrived, jumping from pillar to pillar. Yang grinned broadly, her eyes and hair still burning from the power of her Semblance. Blake was silent, as usual, and eyeing everyone like a well fed cat.

"YANG!" Ruby laughed. "Nice to see you! And you too, Blake!"

"Yeah, we got through it all," she said, "Seen anyone else?"

"No, they're all ahead of us," Weiss groused, "Since someone thought this was a field trip and not a serious mission!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ruby whined, waving her hands, "Will you just let that go?"

"Look, we can get our relics and then run," Jaune pointed out, "They don't give you points for how quickly you get this done, right?"

"Well... No," Weiss groused, "But reputation matters a lot at Beacon, too!"

"Oh come on Weiss-cream, so we're taking our time," Yang chuckled, "Just means we're going to be fashionably late. You always save the best for last-"

"YEEEEHAAAAA!"

A giant Ursa broke through the treeline. Atop it was that redheaded girl and her calm, pink-eyed friend. The redhead waited until the Ursa had stampeded right to the edge of the small canyon that separated the ruins from the rest of the valley, before she hefted up her hammer, and slammed it down on the panicking Grimm's head.

In that same motion, she and her friend leaped, using the leverage of the tumbling, dissolving Ursa to launch themselves over the gap. They tumbled through the air like acrobats, and landed on the stone tiles just outside of the little... Gazebo the relics were lying in.

Yang and Ruby clapped. As did Jaune.

Weiss gaped in disbelief as the two strode in. The redhead (Nora, right?) waved and beamed.

"Hey! Sorry we're late! I mean, I wanted to ride an Ursa, and that was a lot more fun than walking here-OOH! HORSEY!"

She grabbed the relic that resembled a knight, and beamed.

"All ours! No takebacks!"

The boy (Ren, yeah) nodded, looking stoic and calm as always. Also neatly coifed. Jaune felt his hand go up to his ragged, messy blond locks with a frown.

Geez, he needed a haircut. He hoped Beacon had a barber.

"Isn't... Isn't anyone going to comment on how... Bizarre that was?" Weiss weakly asked.

"What? That was awesome!" Ruby cheered.

"Maybe we should have thought of that, save some time, eh Blake? It was a bear to get here," Yang giggled, elbowing her stoic partner. She actually looked like she was considering it.

Weiss looked to Pyrrha in desperation. The Spartan smiled and shrugged.

"It did seem effective... And a bit fun," she said.

Weiss's jaw slowly closed. She held her head between her hands with a groan.

"I'm surrounded by lunatics," she mumbled.

"Please, we're all perfectly sane," Jaune said cheerfully. He grabbed the rook and tucked it in his messenger bag.

"I mean, do we need to get more?" Ruby asked, worried. "Do we need to find one for each person-?"

"No! It's just one for each four person team! Didn't you pay attention to Headmaster Ozpin at all?!" Weiss said angrily. Her eyes widened, looking around. A horrible realization hit her. "Oh no..."

Ruby wore an evil grin.

"Yup... Looks like you're stuck with us!" The little reaper giggled. Jaune bonked her on the head. "OW! JAUNE!"

"Come on, she feels bad enough," Jaune scolded her.

Weiss's gaze softened just a little. Perhaps she'd slightly misjudged the brute. He was crude, yes, violent, but maybe not entirely beyond redemption-

"And she actually expressed something other than 'bitch', we want to encourage that," Jaune said. Ruby beamed and nodded.

"Ohhh! Reward her for good behavior?"

"Exactly."

Pyrrha sighed, and held Weiss back. Jaune stepped back, ending up in Blake's orbit nearby the ruined stone table.

"Woah, chill out Weiss!" Jaune said.

"That's my line," Yang whined, as Weiss reached out her well manicured fingers to strangle the blond.

"I'll show you good behavior, you-!"

The mountain behind them rumbled violently. The young hunters in training all turned to look.

"Ohhh... That's where the cave was," Ruby observed... Just before the cliff face shattered and a truly gigantic, scorpion-like Grimm burst out with a roar. She winced. "Ohhh... Crap."

From above, gigantic razor sharp feathers rained down upon them like javelins. Everyone took cover as the giant feathers slammed into the ground, bouncing off the stone but going right through anything less dense.

A Nevermore missing some tail feathers shrieked as it roared overhead, ascending to come about for another run even as the gignatic Deathstalker charged for them.

Jaune stood up from behind the fallen stone pillar he'd taken cover behind, a slightly shaken Blake rising with him. He'd yanked her out of the way just in time.

She would probably have been okay, but... Instinct was instinct. And what were Jaune Arc's instincts telling him now?

"Okay! We have the relics, and we don't want to be killed by Grimm, so I vote we run for it! Yay or nay?"

They all bolted, Jaune included. But he still couldn't help being a smartass as they did.

"The yays have it! I love democracy!"

"SHUT UP AND RUN!" Weiss bellowed.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Geez. Right after Qrow had found Jaune, Ozpin had another mission lined up for him. Wasn't that the way?

Still, at least he got to hitch a ride on an Atlas military transport most of the way. It cut the trip time down considerably, and he could just jump out the hatch and glide down to earth. No sweat.

In this case, he was just dropping by an airship trading outpost on the way to Atlas-Fairly big with a lot of airship traffic, but not a lot of local citizens given the mountainous terrain. It was called Apex, and it was cold as fuck.

Still, he got into the airship port easy enough, returned to human form, and headed for the nearest bar. It was fairly swanky, all things considered: Clean, with uniformed staff and table cloth. A little too swanky for his usual digs, but hell, Ozpin was paying for his expenses, so Qrow decided to go ahead and indulge a little.

He had just made it to the bar, when he spotted her: A curvy blonde woman. Her figure was dynamite! Her hair was in a nearly wound braid down her back-The kind of style that drove him a bit wild. She was dressed in sensible business clothing, too-Nothing too fancy, so she wasn't an elite, but not too poor she didn't fit in.

Well, while he was splurging... Maybe he could see if some of Jaune's good luck had rubbed off on him. He slicked his hair back and walked casually down to sit one stool away from her.

"So. What brings a gorgeous woman like you to the middle of nowhere?" He asked in his most charming voice.

The woman turned around. Qrow felt his mouth go dry and his stomach fall.

The lady was gorgeous from the front to the back, thankfully. MILF-tastic would be the best way to describe her, and those gorgeous blue eyes were framed and enhanced by those silver-rimmed glasses.

Eyes widened in shock, as her pretty cheeks blushed.

That wasn't why Qrow couldn't talk right now though.

"Qrow?! What are you doing here?!" Gasped Doctor Isabel Arc. "Why are you hitting on me?!"

Okay. Okay. Think fast, Qrow. Think fast.

"Because I have... Fantastic news!" Qrow said, turning the charm up on his smile as high as it would go. "It's about Jaune-!"

Isabel grabbed his hands in hers and stared intently into his eyes. It would have been pleasant, if not for the fact that her grip was painful. Also, judging from the smell of her breath, she'd been drinking a fair amount already.

"Really?! Is he all right?! Is he safe-?!"

"Ah, yes, he is just fine," Qrow said quickly. "He's safe."

As safe as you could get in a Hunter's Academy.

Isabel sagged... And then pulled Qrow into a bone-crushing hug. While Qrow enjoyed the fact her boobs were pressed tightly against his chest, her grip was hard enough he was having trouble breathing.

"Oh that-that's WONDERFUL, Qrow!" Isabel sobbed. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"It's-It's okay, it's okay," Qrow gasped, "Mind uh...?"

Isabel coughed and loosened her grip.

"Sorry. It's uh... It's been a while since I enhanced my strength for anything other than lifting the couch," she said, embarrassed. She sighed deeply.

"Honestly, I'm so... I'm so ashamed of myself. I've been so worried, and guilty... We had such a horrible fight before he left, and I..."

She broke down in tears. This was something Qrow was really not equipped to handle. But since she was still hugging him, he could at least pat her on the back.

"Hey... It can't have been that bad-"

"It was horrible," Isabel sniffled, "I-I said so many horrible things... But... Well... I'm so glad!"

She kissed his cheek. He smelled her perfume. She was grateful and happy, and Qrow's depression was easing just a little...

"So where is he?"

Ah. Yeah. Right back in force. Okay, think Qrow. There had to be a way to get out of this without betraying Jaune... Or Isabel ripping his spine out.

She said it couldn't be done, but he remembered that mission he and Nicholas had gone on with her. Maybe she just had to be drunk enough to do it? Since she was already tipsy, he wasn't taking any chances.

"Well... Ozpin's keeping an eye on him while he recovers," Qrow manages.

Isabel stared intently at him. She began to flex her fists worryingly.

"You told me he was fine-"

"He is! He is! But three months out in the wild? It's rough on a kid," Qrow said, maybe a little too quickly. "He's just recovering."

"I should go see him," Isabel began, already getting up, "I can heal him-"

"Woah woah woah!" Qrow said quickly, seizing her arm. She stared intently at it. A similar expression she had made before she had smashed the skull of an Ursa Major trying to chow down on her future husband with her bare hands.

"Listen..." He licked his lips. "Listen... For the last three months, he's been carrying that argument with you inside of him. It drove him to prove himself. Honestly, the kid survived stuff I might not have at his age. If you swoop in right now, like you are, you're just gonna bring all that back up and drive him away again."

"But... But he's my son," Isabel protested, "I know what's best for him-!"

"And that kind of thinking drove him away," Qrow said gently. "Just... Give him some time, all right? Live your life. He'll be writing you letters-I made sure he sent you one the moment I found him. Let him recover psychologically... Then you can go see him, all right? He's been living his own life like a man. Let him be a man for a while longer, and then you can see him."

"I just... I want to see him so badly," Isabel sighed, "I want to apologize, I want to hug him and hold him-"

"Build things back up with him slowly, at first," Qrow said, "Again, that was a rough argument. You don't want to just charge in because he will run off. And I might not be able to find him this time. You don't want that, do you?"

Isabel sighed.

"I... No, no, I suppose not," she murmured. She glared at him. "He's not actually in the Hunter's Academy, right?"

Well. Shit. Now what, brain? Qrow thought.

"... I think he applied, and I don't know if he made it in, but I do know that Ozpin is keeping him in Beacon," he said.

It was... Technically true. He didn't actually know if Jaune had made it past Initiation. He was pretty confident the kid could, after seeing what he could do. A solid team to back him up and he'd probably do pretty well.

If he didn't piss them all off, of course.

Isabel sighed.

"I guess I just have to wait for him to be rejected," she stated. "Maybe I can talk to Ozpin and get him to make Jaune a medical intern. I can do that for him at least-"

"No!" Qrow said, again far too quickly. "No more meddling, no more manipulation! You want to rebuild your relationship with him, right?"

Isabel grimaced, but... Finally relented.

"... I suppose you're right again," she said. She bowed her head. "I... I was so... So broken when Nick was killed... Jaune wanting to go down the same path, I..." She burst into tears again. "Ohhh Qroowwww!"

Qrow coughed and patted the sobbing woman again on the shoulder. She again embraced him, so hard his ribs creaked.

He looked up at the bartender.

"Hardest stuff you got," he said.

"For you?"

"For both of us," he sighed.

That kid was going to owe him for this...

- - -


Why am I feeling irritated with Uncle Qrow all of a sudden? Jaune mused to himself as he and the others ran through a large, ruined gate structure. The overgrown weeds and vines couldn't hide that it was once a beautiful gatehouse, and even now had an ancient splendor.

CRASH!

Well, had an ancient splendor. The Deathstalker smashing through it and reducing it to rubble kind of ruined all that.

"THERE'S THE BRIDGE!" Yang shouted, pointing ahead at the long and far too thin looking structure across a truly massive canyon. They kept running, even as the Nevermore screeched overhead and dove to strafe them again.

"GEEZ!" Ruby shouted, shifting Crescent Rose to sniper rifle mode. She tried to lock onto the Nevermore, but it was a futile effort while running. "I CAN'T GET A BEAD ON-!"

"PYRRHA! SHOOT THE DAMN THING!" Jaune shouted. Pyrrha pulled out Milo, shifted it to rifle mode and fired a few quick, inaccurate bursts at the Nevermore. The huge crow-like Grimm screeched in rage, launching more javelin-like feathers that went wide and hit everything but the young students. That was good.

Two of them went wide and struck through the bridge ahead, and the ancient stone structure shuddered as a very large section of it collapsed into the fog-filled abyss below.

That was bad.

The group skidded to a halt as they watched the bridge fall and the Nevermore fly overhead, pulling up with another deafening screech.

"That's a problem," Blake observed.

"Last thing we want is to be stuck between that and these things on a bridge," Jaune agreed. He sighed as the massive scorpion rounded the corner and headed right for them. "Okay then! Guess we're fighting."

He looked at Nora, Yang, Ren, and Blake, who had stayed loosely clustered the whole time they were fleeing. Maybe one of them would be willing to step up and be leader? He already felt like a put upon babysitter as it was.

"What's your plan?" He asked.

Nora stepped up, hefted up her mighty hammer, and swung it around with a flourish.

"SMASH 'EM!" Nora shouted with a wide grin. Jaune slowly nodded.

"Okay... Anyone else have a plan to take down one of these guys?"

"Aw!" Nora pouted.

Weiss opened her mouth, but Ruby beat her to it.

"Wear down the Nevermore with long ranged fire, hit it from above to get it low, and then hit it with melee attacks to take out its wings!" She said eagerly. Jaune nodded.

"Okay! Take who you need and I'll take who I need to take out the Deathstalker! Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, with me!"

"Wh-Why not me?!" Weiss demanded angrily.

"Your Semblance lets you get airborne, you're better suited to taking out the Birdy!" Jaune shouted, running towards the Deathstalker as it charged them. Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha followed. Weiss flushed.

"He-What is-?!"

"Flirt later, Weissy, fight now!" Yang shouted, opening up with Celica Ember on the diving Nevermore. Blake contributed her own fire as well, being surprisingly accurate with her shotgun though not doing major damage to the huge monster.

"Get me up high, Weissy! Stop flirting!" Ruby shouted.

"I'M NOT FLIRTING!" Weiss shouted, even as she quickly created some Glyphs in mid air. Ruby obligingly hopped up onto one, took aim, and opened fire on the Nevermore. Weiss contributed by launching ice missiles at it as it dove in for another pass. The huge Grimm took multiple hits, but like a bomber in the terminal phase it still unleashed a withering payload of javelin-like feathers that rained down upon them.

The team managed to evade the shots, Blake using a clone to take the hit for her. Ruby scowled up at the Nevermore as it flew off and wheeled around, going into another dive.

"Is it just me, or does it seem to be carrying a grudge?" Yang asked.

"Well... I did cut off half its tail feathers when I crashed into it," Ruby observed, "I guess that would make it pretty mad."

"Gee, imagine that!" Weiss sneered.

- - -

The Deathstalker's huge stinger shot out like a cannonball. Jaune pumped everything into his shield and Aura, and stood his ground even as Pyrrha, Ren and even Nora dodged. Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock and her mouth opened in warning...

"JAU...NE?!"

The stinger had hit his shield, hard, and drove him back. His aura fluctuated. Jaune groaned. He felt like maybe a quarter of his aura had gone with that hit... But he was still alive and combat capable. Most importantly, the Deathstalker's attention was all on him.

"HIT IT!" Jaune shouted. Nora and Ren went to work immediately, Nora launching grenades at the Deathstalker's head from the right while Ren opened fire with his dual SMGs. The Deathstalker roared angrily, holding up its claws to defend its eyes. Pyrrha went to work, adding additional fire from Milo from the left flank. Ren proceeded to get behind the beast, laying down a withering fire of bullets that bounced off its thick armor.

It pulled back, and Jaune raced forward to join the fight. He slid under the Deathstalker's waving claws and came up to hit it in the face. It lashed out with large mouthparts, and Jaune again tanked the hit with his shield. The stinger also came down again, nearly knocking Jaune off his feet as he fell into a crouch. He gritted his teeth, the strikes hitting so hard his bones felt like they might rattle out of his body!

"JAUNE GET OUT OF THERE!" Pyrrha shouted. Milo struck one of the Deathstalker's eyes, driving in deep. The monster howled in agony, falling back and trying to grab the projectile with its huge, clumsy claws. Nora landed a hit to the Grim with her hammer, right on the head, and narrowly avoided a stinger strike thanks to Ren yanking her out of the way.

Pyrrha landed next to Jaune, as Nora and Ren regrouped with them. Pyrrha held out her hand, and Milo flew from the wounded Grimm right back to her hand.

"Okay... Armor's too tough for our weapons to pierce," Jaune panted.

"Not on the underside," Ren observed, "But now that we wounded it, it won't let us get that close."

"Yuppers! That's how they work!" Nora contributed.

"Okay, so we need to flip it over," Jaune concluded, "Or..."

He eyed the stinger.

"Okay. New plan," he stated, "Ren? Keep the claws busy. Nora? Get it to attack you with the stinger. When I yell, you hit the stinger when it comes off and drive it into the thing's head!"

"All right, how do we get the stinger off though?" Pyrrha asked gently, as the Deathstalker charged again. Jaune took a deep breath.

"Throw me at it," he stated, "With your Semblance. As hard as you can."

"Got it, Fearless Leader!" Nora cheered, leaping back into the fray and unleashing several grenade shots from Magnhild. Ren dashed forward with his usual grace, dancing around the Deathstalker's huge claws as he fired quick bursts into its face.

Pyrrha gave Jaune a concerned look, even as they ran to the right flank of the huge Grimm.

"Are you sure about-?"

"I am completely sure," Jaune said, holding Crocea Mors with both hands, and charging his Aura. His sword glowed white as he narrowed his eyes at the Deathstalker.

"Once I hit it, help Nora and Ren finish it off," he ordered. Pyrrha flushed, and nodded. Her aura ignited orange, and she held out a hand to touch Jaune's shoulder. Jaune rose up from the ground, held aloft by his armor. Strangely, her own Aura began to shine more brightly as did his. A warmth filled her, despite the desperate situation. Like her very soul was being embraced. She felt a blush crawl up her neck.

"I-I take it you've done this before?" Pyrrha asked.

"Once," Jaune admitted. "I got lucky that time... And it was a Nevermore... And there was a train-"

The Deathstalker tensed as it pulled back, its tail quivering. It launched its stinger right at Nora-!

"GO!"

Pyrrha threw her hand forward, and Jaune shot forth like a rocket! So fast and hard was the acceleration, it ripped a scream from his throat.

"GYAAAAHHHH-!"

No... FOCUS... The telson joint... Focus on the telson joint... End segment of all arthropods, the joint is the weakest part...!

He swung his sword, overcharging his Aura as much as he could...!

The stinger came off as he flew through the sudden gap between body parts he had opened. He tumbled through the air, which let him see Nora leap up high, and bring the hammer down on the stinger... Before he slammed into a tree.

"URK!"

"WOOHOOOO!"

The force of Nora's blow sent the stinger downwards... Right through the head of the Deathstalker. It screeched in agony, Grimm ichor oozing out of its mortal wound. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora poured more shots into the armor gap, and the monster collapsed before dissolving into a fine mist.

Pyrrha lowered her weapon, and her keen eyes locked onto a still, green and white form.

"JAUNE! JAUNE?!"

Nora and Ren followed her, running over to the fallen tree Jaune lay by. Pyrrha was by his side in a moment, checking his pulse.

"Jaune?!"

"Uggghhh," Jaune groaned. Relief flooded Pyrrha's face as he slowly sat up, rubbing his armor plate.

"You all right?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune nodded, holding up a hand.

"Y-Yeah... That was... Just a really hard tree..."

"They tend to be," Ren said. Jaune looked up at the stoic teen. He couldn't tell if the guy was joking or not.

"Was that scream the signal?" Nora asked eagerly. "I thought it was! You never specified what the signal was, by the way, so I just went with what felt natural!"

"... Yeah, that's on me," Jaune admitted. He slowly got up, and Pyrrha hugged him tightly. "Ah... Easy there, Pyrrha, I'm okay-"

"I-I know," Pyrrha said with a warm smile, "I just... You feel... Very comforting."

"Uhhhh... Sure," Jaune managed. Crap. He was in deep. He was going to have to figure out how to get away from her sooner than he thought.

No, don't focus on that, focus on what was important! Like Ruby and the others' lives!

He looked around.

"Where are the others-GAH!"

A wingless Nevermore crashed in front of them, making the whole team take a step back. An instant later, a spinning red and black cyclone fell upon the neck of the bird-like Grimm. Its head came clean off from the multiple blows, and the entire Grimm soon dissolved like the Deathstalker had. The cyclone slowed, revealing itself to be a very dizzy Ruby Rose.

"Ugh... H-Hey... Jaune..." Ruby managed, staggering forward. Jaune, as was his instinct, moved forward to catch her.

"What was that?!" Jaune shouted, as Yang, Weiss and Blake ran up to join them.

"Well," Weiss huffed, "We injured it, got it down to low level... Then this little maniac decided to jump onto it and cut off its wings!"

"It worked, didn't it?" Ruby managed, her eyes still spinning and her face green. "Ooogh... Think I used... My Semblance too much..."

She bowed her head... And barfed all over Jaune's boots. Weiss held a hand up over her mouth, Yang immediately reached out to hold her shoulder, and Blake made a face. Nora grinned, Ren remained stoic, and Pyrrha grimaced in sympathy.

"S-Sorry!" Ruby managed. "I-I'm so sorry...!"

Tears were at the corners of her eyes. Jaune sighed, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped her face clean.

"It's fine... Good work," he said, "That was pretty awesome."

Ruby beamed... And then collapsed into his arms.

"You used up most of your aura, you idiot," Weiss sighed, though not as harshly as before.

"You overdid it, Ruby," Yang sighed, ruffling her little sister's hair in relief. "You'd better be careful. Don't want you to end up eating crow-"

"Ugggggh," Weiss moaned, as Yang giggled.

Blake stood awkwardly by, seemingly not sure how to respond, but she did look concerned.

"Ooogh... I feel terrible," Ruby moaned. "Jaune... Will you carry me...?"

Jaune sighed... And pulled her onto his back.

"Hold on tight," he said, "Let's all get out of here before any more show up."

"Aw, but that was fun!" Nora whined. Ren squeezed her hand.

"We can have pancakes for dinner," he said.

Nora beamed brightly.

"We can smash more Grimm tomorrow!" She cheered.

"The bridge is still an issue, but I can get us across with my glyphs," Weiss said, a bit hesitantly. Jaune gave her a tired smile.

"Thanks Weiss... Come on..."

The party headed for the bridge. Ruby nuzzled into his neck with a happy sigh.

Jaune for his part shook his head. He had no idea why any of these people had followed his orders. He was glad they did, because it meant they'd won, but... Ugh. He couldn't afford to think about that now.

Worrying had never gotten him anything. Just getting shit done.

Besides, it wasn't like the other members of their little party were fretting over anything, right?

Well maybe Weiss, but eh...

- - -


Pyrrha watched Jaune intently the whole trip back. She barely took her eyes off him.

He was... Oh... He was something. She knew it. His audacity, his determination, his... Lack of refinement...

She bit her lower lip.

No, no, it wasn't healthy, perhaps... But she'd been denied so much over her life. She had denied herself so much. And here was a boy-No, a man who had demonstrated that he didn't care about her reputation, titles, or anything else: Just her problems. Her... Weaknesses.

Her.

She had weaknesses. She had... Problems. She was normal, in his eyes!

Well, okay, maybe she was a little crazy in his eyes but... That was better than being seen as a perfect, unapproachable goddess!

He'd taken charge of the fight almost immediately, had figured out the strengths and weaknesses of everyone involved, and had devised effective strategies to win!

And that Semblance of his... She knew it had to be his Semblance! She'd never felt that strong, that much in control, that warm...

Yes, Ruby Rose had taken out the other Grimm with her 'team'. But Jaune had gotten them into action.

Speaking of... Ruby did look genuinely exhausted after that fight. She could sense her Aura exhaustion from here. It was good of Jaune to carry her all the way back to the cliffs. Really.

Ruby, her head pressed against Jaune's, caught her gaze... And shot her a tiny but undeniably smug smile.

Pyrrha kept up her smile... But her fists were clenched, and a vein was tightening over her right eye.

She would have to get that looked at... Yes... Maybe have Jaune take a look at it, he was the son of a doctor after all...

- - -

Nora, for her part, was glad she'd gotten such a great team! Pyrrha was a lot of fun, and Jaune was pretty smart and tough! He took trees like no one's business! It was going to be a lot of fun for them all to play together! That was for sure!

I wonder if I can use him as a missile in the next fight?

She looked over the group. She saw Pyrrha, Weiss, and Yang all giving Ruby and Jaune very intense looks. She hummed.

Hmm... I'll have to ask. These girls don't look like they like to share their toys...

- - -

Ren was just glad they'd triumphed and found some worthwhile allies and potential teammates. Pyrrha had proven extremely powerful offensively, but also very fast and agile-She was almost like a mixture of himself and Nora, which definitely maximized their fighting potential.

Jaune too had been fairly surprising-He'd been able to tank several hits and stay on his feet, and also devise an effective strategy to take down their opponent utilizing all of their strengths. He'd even been willing to use his own durability to make himself into a flying guillotine, of sorts.

That took courage... And more than a little insanity.

But he was used to that. He lived with Nora, after all.

- - -

A good scrap and victory made Yang want to curl up on the couch and relax with a nice hot meal. She felt the good kind of tired, like after a very hard workout.

Her partner was a little... Odd, but definitely spoke with actions rather than words. Blake was pretty fun to tweak. Sure, she didn't say much, but her reactions to her puns were hilariously understated.

Ruby had pulled through, of course. Yang knew she could do it. Her being bossy might take some getting used to, but hey, better Ruby than her. She didn't want to do any big picture thinking, just beat the tar out of Grimm and remain the cool big sis.

And she had to admit, Ruby's little jealousy fits over Cryba-Jaune, were pretty cute. He tolerated it like a good big brother should. She couldn't help but admit she liked how he handled Ruby.

It put some thoughts into her head. Some... Dangerous thoughts.

He didn't come off as some insecure boy who didn't know himself... He came off like a man. A real man, who went into battle and fought like hell, knowing how to win. And he laughed at her puns-Like, genuinely.

He had come a long way from those days when she beat him up and made him eat worms.

So had she.

Uh oh... She eyed Pyrrha Nikos. The Invincible Girl was... Blushing over Jaune?! How in the hell had that happened?!

Even Weiss-cream was giving him looks. Infuriated, sure, but that blush didn't come out of nowhere.

Well, crap. She'd intended to just tease Ruby about her crush and maybe get to know Jaune better. See if he'd be any good for some dating. She wasn't some kind of romantic who thought it would lead immediately into marriage and happily ever afters, she wasn't Ruby, but he seemed like he might actually be... Fun. Maybe train him up so that when Ruby was older, he'd be perfect for her and they'd be happy.

But if other girls were already looking his way... She might need to rethink some things...

- - -

Blake had kept herself calm throughout this entire situation. She was glad they had all pulled through-She didn't know the others very well, but it was good they'd all come through in one piece.

She was presented with a number of conundrums though.

Ruby Rose, a 15 year old rookie pushed forward into this class. She was powerful, and skilled, clearly a prodigy. She had more than demonstrated that, as well as decent tactical aptitude and some leadership skills. It was easy for her to follow her lead, as taking that kind of responsibility was...

Well, not something she wanted anymore. Responsibility in general was not something she wanted any more.

Even if it was to a 15 year old, at least said 15 year old seemed to be fairly competent.

Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. The arrogant young woman had rankled her something fierce, but when push came to shove, the heiress had stepped up and fought alongside her without any issue. She didn't intend to get any closer than she had to, but it was... Nice... That she was at least somewhat dependable. Though the Schnees were duplicitous by nature, so she wasn't going to hold her breath.

Yang Xiao-Long was fiery, powerful, and full of terrible puns. She was also very kind to her, despite them knowing nothing about one another. She was cocky, brash, and... Well... Fun. Seeing her fight and fighting alongside her was like going to a fireworks show: Explosive and filled with joy and laughter.

She'd almost smiled many times. It was a difficult effort around Yang to keep her stoic composure.

She might have considered her a friend... If Blake was someone else.

Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren were both curious oddities. Nora was energetic and childlike, while Ren was stoic and almost supernaturally calm. They were bound together, she could tell, and had been for a while. Some moments, she could almost see hints at what it was. Some kind of mutual tragedy that forged the pair? She didn't know for sure.

Pyrrha Nikos. She'd heard so much about the famous champion that she had been expecting her to be like a slightly more modest Schnee. But instead, she got an excessively polite, almost shy young woman. Obviously she was incredibly skilled and powerful, but to have such a meek personality? It was strange. Yet she was smiling and a bit looser than she had been at the start, like a bird whose cage was opened and she was figuring out what her wings were for.

She was allowed to be poetic. She read enough books.

And finally, Jaune Arc. Strange, he almost looked familiar. He went around like some kind of wandering ranger-His weapons and armor smelled of hard travel in the wilds, and a great deal of use against Grimm. His eyes were hardened-Not unlike how she was, when the first White Fang protest she'd been part of had been gassed and riot police had attacked without mercy.

Like he had seen the ugliness of the world.

Yet he made jokes. He fought hard. He'd protected her without hesitation or even knowing more than her name.

Again... Maybe someone she could have been friends with, if everything was different.

But it wasn't. And she had to accept that.

- - -

Weiss Schnee was flabberghasted at the start of the day, and after everything she'd gone through... She was straight up exhausted. She'd come to Beacon expecting... Well... Maybe the same professionalism she'd seen in Hunters and Soldiers she'd met in Altas.

Instead, she got what amounted to a strange circus. Xiao-Long seemed to think everything was some sort of comedy routine. Valkyrie and Lie were the perfect example of the jokester and the straight man, only their routines were complete violent fever dreams. Blake Belladonna had seemed normal, but she was just better at hiding it!

(Appropriate given she fought like some sort of ninja).

Rose was... Ugh. "Puppy" seemed a perfect appellation for her. A killer puppy-Goofy, annoying, almost endearing one moment, and then savage and bitey the next! Under her kind of/sort of leadership, they'd managed to take down a Nevermore with a freaking scythe!

It was as impressive as it was ridiculous.

Pyrrha Nikos had been her last hope. Such an incredible champion, a lauded and accomplished woman-She had to have been normal!

And yet... She was blushing and swooning over ARC!

She glared daggers at the back of his head. Remembering his mistreatment of her.

Weiss had never been... Put in her place like that! Not even by her father! Arc acted like some crude, barbaric lout, cussing and disrespecting her! Even smacking her upside the head like she was some misbehaving, lower class moppet!

The fact he also seemed to be competent, albeit rough around every edge, was even more infuriating!

The others, she might have been able to tolerate, but this jerk acted like she was some-some floozy one moment, and then was almost kind to her!

What was his game? What was..?

It came to her in a moment of perfect clarity.

She knew what he was! He was a classic bad boy! He looked like some sort of cheap, knock off knight in white shining armor, but she knew his game! He was a bad boy, gone down the wrong path, a delinquent in the making! A rough, savage fighter who knew how to use women and get what he wanted from them!

She'd read all about them in romance novels. Well... She was onto him. His insults and attentions on her were designed to lower her defenses and make her... Submit!

Well... Too bad, lout! Weiss Schnee was not some heroine in a bodice ripper who would succumb to the advances of a cruel, savage pirate! Or let herself get carried off by some gentleman thief!

SHE WAS ONTO HIM!

- - -

Ruby Rose had gotten into Beacon Academy two years early, made her first real friend (Who turned out to be a beloved childhood friend), and had led a team of Huntresses to take out a gigantic Grimm. She'd even delivered the finishing blow, right in front of said first real friend!

Oum, she must have looked so cool...

Before she threw up, anyway.

But even then, Jaune had been Jaune: Cleaned up her face, complimented her, and was now carrying her back to Beacon. Her. Not Pyrrha Nikos, not Weiss Schnee, not her big sister-Her!

Oh yes... Today could only get better with a plate of cookies... And maybe reading comics with her super best friend!

Her stomach lurched, and she nuzzled against Jaune's neck.

Okay... Maybe she'd wait on the cookies...

- - -

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

Looks like Ruby and Pyrrha arc competing for Jaune. Arkos VS Lancaster. May the best ship win. Or is this gonna be a harem?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Looks like Ruby and Pyrrha arc competing for Jaune. Arkos VS Lancaster. May the best ship win. Or is this gonna be a harem?

Click to shrink...

We will see what my muse decides.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

"... For retrieving the black bishop pieces, Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Sky Lark, and Dove Bronzewing, I dub you Team Cardinal..."

Jaune yawned as he leaned back in his seat at the Beacon Auditorium. The team had been called up to the stage, announced by name, and given their team designation by Professor Ozpin. It was supposed to have a certain majestic gravity, he supposed, but right now it was just making him want to find a bed and crash.

Honestly, he was pretty beat. Healing himself and keeping himself going with his Aura like that all day was pretty tough, especially with all the trees he'd run into. Ruby looked about as exhausted. Everyone else in their little group seemed to be okay, though-Hell, Pyrrha was practically glowing.

Then again, she was sitting next to him, playing with her hands and hair, and shooting glances at him.

Before he set out for Beacon, some girl like this being into him? It would have been a dream come true. He could admit, he was desperately lonely.

Now... Okay yeah, he was still lonely, but not so lonely he would take advantage of a girl who was clearly messed up like him.

Well maybe not totally like him but still... Who knew what went on behind those green eyes? Sure, he'd seen Pyrrha in battle... She was ruthless, efficient, and deadly. Given all the crazy girls he'd run into on the way here? He just... He couldn't trust that she wasn't secretly a psycho.

One yandere chaining him up and holding him at gunpoint was more than enough for him, thank you very much.

Ruby was clinging to his other side, still resting against him. Poor girl. Sure, she was clingy, but his brotherly instincts wouldn't let him just ignore her. He kept an arm around her as she dozed.

He saw Pyrrha glance at Ruby. His instincts rose again.

"Pyrrha," he muttered, "You're not allowed to make Ruby into a skin suit."

Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock and horror.

"Wh-Wha-I would never do that-I swear-!"

"Kidding, Pyrrha, kidding," Jaune murmured. He shook his head. "Geez, how do you get through interviews?"

"Um, it's mostly pre-scripted," Pyrrha muttered back, looking down at her hands. Jaune sighed, and rubbed his forehead.

Goddamnit... I'm so tired...

"Look," Jaune said, "I'm... Fine with being your friend, okay? Your actual, sincere friend. I want to be that for you, even if I totally suck at it. Okay? Even if I'm an asshole, I'll never lie to you, which is a key part of being a friend... I'm told."

He looked her in the eyes as he said that. Pyrrha stared intently at him... And then smiled beautifully.

It looked good enough for a magazine cover, yet felt... Warmer?

"I want to be your friend too, Jaune," she murmured, squeezing his free hand tightly. "Sorry for coming off as crazy."

"See, that you can apologize for," Jaune said with a nod, "And I forgive you. Cause that's what friends do... Apparently."

Pyrrha continued to beam.

"Will you uh... Keep helping me, then? Maybe... Providing some negative reinforcement when I... I do the wrong things? Maybe that's not the right word. Maybe you could um... Instruct me? Punish me-?"

Jaune sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You're making it weird again, Pyrrha."

"Sorry."

"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkerie, and Lie Ren, please come up," announced Headmaster Ozpin.

Jaune slowly got up, but Ruby clung onto him. He very gently tried to pull away, but she held on with a fearsome tenacity.

"Just let her have your cloak," Yang suggested, "It'll keep her at bay."

Jaune stared at the green cloak. It was ragged, dirty, torn to hell, covered in patches... It was probably the rattiest thing he'd ever owned. He'd gotten it from a farmer when he'd been given a hot meal and a barn to sleep in for doing some chores.

It had seen rain, fire, wind, Grimm, and bandits. It had kept him warm and dry, and let him sleep. The green had let him hide among the foliage. It had let him escape getting shot a few times, the waving motion of the cloak throwing off the aim of those bandits. It had covered up his bright blond hair and kept him anonymous.

It had been as dependable and vital as his sword and shield.

He tightened his grip on it.

As silly as it sounded... The idea of just letting it go was... His brain wasn't letting him finish that thought or action.

Yang took his hand, and smiled gently.

"It's okay," she said softly, "You know we'll look after it for you. It's not going anywhere."

Jaune... Relaxed. He slowly pulled the cloak off. Yang took hold of it, almost reverently, and let her dozing sister take it. She wrapped her arms around it and held it close with a soft, happy sigh.

Yang nodded and smiled at him. He managed a smile back... Then hurried up to the stage.

Headmaster Ozpin didn't seem to care about how long it took him to join the others on the stage. He simply waited with that bland look of his, sipped his coffee, and nodded as Jaune finally got up there.

"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren... For retrieving the rook relic... You are dubbed Team Juniper."

All this attention on him wasn't really his thing, but Jaune could smile and nod at the polite applause. It was nice being recognized for something he did. Not his father. Not his mother. Not his family lineage. Him.

... Well, him and his team.

Best of all? No Weiss! He could take thing easy! Mostly! After all, Pyrrha was the champion, the Invincible Girl. She'd be made the leader and everything would work out-

"And for his performance during the Initiation, Jaune Arc is your team leader."

His eyes widened. Pyrrha beamed at him, as Nora gave him a bear hug and Ren nodded in approval.

"Congrats, Fearless Leader!" Nora squealed. "Now you can lead us into battle all the time!"

"Oh... Good... Great," Jaune muttered.

Well... He had had an inkling, but this definitely confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt:

He, Jaune Arc... Was fucked.

- - -

"JAAAAUNNNEE!"

He was running. Scratch that, he was sprinting like the Final Girl in a horror flick through these trees. He chanced a glance back over his shoulder-No... It was still after him.

"JAAAAAUUUNNNNEEE!"

Still screaming his name! Smashing through trees like they were made of plywood!

"JAAAAUUUNNNEE!"

He fell hard. He tried to get back onto his feet... But a powerful force flipped him onto his back. He looked up in horror at the furious figure standing over him.

"JAAAAUUUNNEE... WHY DID YOU RUN AWAY?!" His demonic looking mother bellowed as she cried tears of blue flame. "JAAAAAAUUUUNNEE!"

"GAH!"

Jaune sprang up in his bed, breathing hard, covered in sweat. He focused on his aura, on the energy within. That had often calmed him down-It was a technique used to help patients with aura stay focused when they were badly injured.

Something his moth...er... Had taught him.

He sighed and rubbed his face.

He took deep breaths to calm himself down further. Honestly... It was probably this damn bed.

For the last three months, he'd slept in barns, haylofts, and on the ground under shelters he had built. It had sucked at first, but like everything else, he'd... Gotten used to it. It was almost comfortable, even.

This bed though... Too damn soft. He kept feeling like he was going to be smothered.

Right... Right... But he wasn't. He wasn't. So... Let's focus on the positives.

Team JNPR and Team RWBY (Ruby's team, she was so ecstatic despite her tiredness) had been assigned connecting dorms in one of the older buildings. Two large dormrooms, separate bathrooms, all connected to a common living area. It was... A little weird, but given the large amount of empty dorms, Jaune supposed they had the space. That was actually nice, that he got to hang out with... With his friends.

Let's see, what else... Oh!

Being team leader meant he had to deal with a lot more paperwork. Sure, fine. Not too much of an issue, really. He'd helped his older sisters with hospital paperwork, this would be a relative breeze. The fact he was responsible for his teams'... Everything was annoying, but hell, he'd kind of asked for it by taking charge like that. He'd just gotten so used to stepping up and making decisions for himself, he'd started doing it for others.

But they didn't seem to mind. They... Trusted him. That was nice.

The extra attention on him? That was... Annoying. He could only imagine what his mom might think. Hopefully, Uncle Qrow had that covered.

He knew his mother would catch on eventually. He just hoped he could be established enough that she would accept it.

Because if she had been vehemently against him becoming a hunter for almost nine years, surely a few weeks or months of him being at Beacon would change her mind, right? Right?

He sighed. He had made himself depressed again.

... Maybe he was being completely stupid. But fuck it, it was his choice. He would own it.

Jaune sighed. He'd wasted enough time on musings. He could see just the tiniest hint of the rising sun through the window. As loathe as he was to leave his nice, warm, cuddly bed, he did have to-

Wait. Back up. Cuddly?

He looked over... And saw Pyrrha in his bed, cuddled up next to him. He carefully lifted up the blankets... And breathed a sigh of relief. They both still wore their pajamas.

"Pyrrha," Jaune muttered, "Wake up."

She stirred, and sat up, going from asleep to alert in less than ten seconds. Damn impressive, really.

"Ah, good morning Jaune," she said with a warm smile. "Sleep well?"

"... Mostly," he said. "Didn't we talk about the whole 'creepy' thing?"

"Ummm..." Pyrrha blushed. She pointed at Nora and Ren, who were tightly cuddled together in a single bed. "They were doing it, so, you know, I thought maybe-EEP!"

Jaune shoved her out of the bed onto the floor. She looked up at him in shock.

"Pyrrha," Jaune said calmly, "We ask people if we can cuddle with them in bed first."

Pyrrha flushed deeply.

"May... May I cuddle with you in bed, Jaune?" She asked. "Please?"

"No."

Pyrrha looked down.

"Sorry."

"This is kind of progress though, since you're only apologizing for things you have actually done," he said, focusing on remaining patient.

Okay, yes, cuddling with the super hot champion girl would be, in principle, awesome. But again, after a hot girl goes nuts on you, one violating your boundaries so soon after was not awesome.

It could become awesome, if you stopped being so paranoid, a somewhat whiny part of his brain suggested.

Shut up you! You're the one who got me into that mess in the first place!

"Can I... Can we cuddle in bed... At some point in the future?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune stared at her.

"... I'll think about it," he said. Pyrrha beamed.

"All I ask."

- - -

Cardin Winchester was the son of one of the richest and most powerful men in Vale. His father was on the Council, and had held that seat for decades despite tenacious efforts to vote him out. Their family had started as Hunters in the distant past, then used that early fame to help build this very city.

'This city's blood flows in your veins, son,' his father had told him, many times, 'never forget that.'

So it was obvious that he should be the big man on campus already. He and his team had met in their preparatory school before, and had great coordination. He was the powerhouse, the rest supported him. They'd blazed through the Initiation, and gotten back first, only engaging a few Grimm.

After all, that was the point of the mission. Their orders had been to retrieve the relics, and kill anything in their way. They should have been heroes! They should already be basking in glory!

And yet... And yet. What was on everyone's lips in the cafeteria?

"Did you hear that Rose prodigy took down a Nevermore? So incredible!"

"I heard that Arc kid took down a whole Beowulf pack while he was out in the wilds!"

"No way! I heard he's the son of the Bandit King himself!"

"No, Ruby Rose is the Bandit Princess! She's here to destroy the school from within!"

It all sounded ridiculous... It was all ridiculous... But most importantly?

None of it was about him and his team.

Cardin wasn't about to pick on some fifteen year old midget. That would make him look bad.

But he could rough up this Arc kid. A little public humiliation, and he'd know his place.

So, he waited. He spotted Arc easily enough-The tall, shaggy haired blond had dumped a whole pile of food on his tray and was heading for a nearby table. A gaggle of girls awaited him: The Invincible Girl, that hammer chick and her quiet pink-eyed friend, the bombshell Xiao-Long, that quiet dark haired girl, the Schnee Heiress-And little Ruby Rose, waving at him with a happy grin.

Geez. This guy was shameless. Who did he think he was, some kind of playboy? It was disgusting. He was probably doing everyone a favor, cutting him down to size.

He stuck out his boot to trip him up. It was a classic.

Arc fell, his food going flying. He caught himself, but still went to his knees. Laughter filled the air, as Arc slowly got back up and brushed himself off.

"Better be more careful, Arc," Cardin chimed in, as his team laughed behind him, "Wouldn't want you to get hurt, now would we?"

Arc turned back. He was all smiles... But that smile gave Cardin pause.

"I'll say the same to you, Cardin," Arc said, "Let's not get carried away, shall we? It's only the first day."

That cheeky smile. That cheeky fucking smile.

He was asking for it. He was asking for it.

Arc turned and headed back to the buffet line, waving back at his teams with that same smile. Cardin growled. He got up and followed.

The buffet was in a small, separate hallway attached to the main cafeteria. As Cardin entered, he saw that no one else was inside-Only Arc. Who was setting up another tray of food.

Cardin smacked the tray out of his hands, smashing it up against Arc's uniform. Arc was frozen for a moment... Then slowly turned to Cardin. He was still smiling... But those eyes were hard. Those eyes were dangerous.

"Got a problem, Cardin?" Arc asked.

"Yeah, you," Cardin sneered. "Seems like you don't know the pecking order around here!"

Arc stared... And then laughed. He laughed, like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Wha-What the hell is so funny?!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry, not you," Arc snickered, wiping an eye, "I'm just... Feeling nostalgic. This kind of thing used to be my worse nightmare, but now? It's almost... Quaint. Isn't that weird?"

Cardin grabbed Arc by his shirt and snarled down at him, pulling back a fist.

"You don't want to do that, Cardin," Arc said calmly.

"No, no, I think I do," Cardin growled, throwing the punch-

- - -

Glynda Goodwitch entered the buffy alcove. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Mister Arc! What are you doing?!"

Jaune was helping Cardin up onto his feet, not an easy task for the much slimmer, shorter young man. But he turned and smiled pleasantly at Glynda as Cardin groaned.

"Oh, Cardin here just collapsed," Jaune said. "He fell and slammed my tray of food into me. I'm a bit of a mess. I'll drop him off at the nurse's office before I go change."

His smile didn't change. Glynda checked over Cardin with her Aura senses. Her eyes narrowed.

"Mister Winchester's aura is broken."

"Is it?" Jaune asked, blinked with wide eyed innocence. "Weird! Maybe he's got an aura related illness! I think my mom wrote some papers on those! Maybe he should take this as a warning, huh?"

Winchester twitched. Glynda's glare intensified.

"He may have soft tissue damage."

"Ouch. Well, I can't tell for sure," Jaune shrugged, "I mean, there aren't any obvious bruises."

Glynda raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know there aren't any bruises? Why would there be bruises?"

"Who knows? He can't really speak right now," Jaune said, "Sorry, my mom like to talk a lot about her cases. How she'd go through lots of different possibilities for someone's illness out loud until she found the right diagnosis. Guess I picked up the habit. Guess I should keep my mouth shut."

"Indeed," Glynda said dryly, her emerald hard eyes boring into his.

He kept up that far too innocent smile.

She closed her eyes and focused on suppressing her headache.

"In any case," Glynda said, "Get Mister Winchester to the nurse's office, and then get changed. You don't want to be late for your first class."

"Not at all, Miss Goodwitch, thanks!" Jaune said, again far too cheerfully. He patted Winchester on the back, far too hard.

"Come on buddy! Let's get you fixed up! Wouldn't want something else bad to happen to you, now would we?"

Cardin groaned in response. He could have told Goodwitch everything... But the pain and the terrifying smile on his assailant's face suggested that that would be a bad idea...
- - -

Arc had covered for him. Arc had covered for him! WHY?!

Did the bastard want Cardin to owe him or something?! Did he think him that weak?! This kind of fucking insult-Oh nooo. It was going to be repaid, in full.

"We could shove him in a locker," Dove suggested, as he and the rest of CRDL headed for Combat Class, "Short sheet his bed? Maybe we could pants him in front of the whole class-"

"That's all fucking bullshit," Cardin snarled, hefting up his mace, "Kid's stuff. He's gotta pay, damnit!"

"Uhhh," Russel began, "Does he? I mean, right now? He did just... Kind of... Sort of-"

"I'm fine," Cardin snarled, "He pulled some Aura trick! In my full armor, in combat, I'll kick his fucking ass!"

- - -

Glynda Goodwitch had observed a few sparring matches in her combat class. As usual, she observed their performance and after the end of the fight, she would lecture the combatants on where they did well, and where they needed improvement. So far, there hadn't been many surprises.

Pyrrha Nikos, of course, fought brilliantly against Yang Xiao-Long, though the brawler gave a very good performance and even made the Mistral Champion work for it. Shade Lamont had tried to use her Shadow Semblance against Lie Ren with some clever moves, but Lie Ren was just at good at normal stealth as he was at emotional stealth from Grimm. So far, so good for a first year class.

"Who would like to fight next?" She asked. Nobody immediately volunteered, so she zeroed in on Jaune Arc. "Mister Arc?"

The blond had been in discussion with Ruby Rose and Xiao-Lang near the back of the class. He was back in his ragged green cloak again-Though at least he'd washed it. Honestly, while allowing the students to have their own combat outfits wasn't a terrible idea, his choice in clothing was a mishmash of things better used as cleaning rags. Ozpin had told her he'd arrived with just the clothes on his back, but she didn't think it was this literal.

"Hm? Oh, sure, cool," Arc said, getting up and heading for the fighting circle.

"Who would like to fight Mister Arc-?"

Cardin Winchester immediately raised his mace, and headed for the ring.

"I'm game, Miss Goodwitch!"

Glynda held back a sigh.

"Of course, Mister Winchester, by all means," she said dryly. She closely observed the two.

Arc was smiling again. That rather unconvincing and unsettling smile of his. Winchester was, predictably, murderously angry, but putting up a pathetic attempt at a friendly smile to try and cover it.

"I owe you one, buddy," Winchester snarled.

"If you say so, pal," Arc replied cheerfully.

Glynda felt the need for more headache medication. She'd get it after.

"Begin!" She announced.

Winchester stormed in, immediately trying to close the distance with Arc to hit him with his mace. Arc sidestepped and danced away, just as Winchester's mace slammed down on the floor. He sent a rumble through the floor with his Semblance, the shockwave nearly knocking Arc off his feet.

"Wow! You can make earthquakes?" Arc cried out, grinning, "That's cool! I'll have to be careful about that!"

"SHOVE IT, ARC!"

"That's what your mom said!" Arc taunted. "Or maybe it was the last three guys she banged-?"

"Shut up and stand still, Arc!" Winchester roared, again charging and slamming his mace down. This time he unleashed a burst of Fire Dust at Arc, trying to hit him while his Shockwave Semblance radiated out right at Arc.

Again, Arc stumbled around, almost drunkenly, and managed to tank the hit from the Fire Dust with his shield. Winchester charged again, closing the distance between them to take advantage of the smoke. It was a good tactic, though he could have used more Dust to throw up more smoke for the ploy. Winchester's rage was obviously making him impatient.

He brought his mace down. Arc tried to parry with his sword, but the greater weight and momentum of the mace trapped it against the floor. Arc let the sword go, and Winchester smirked nastily...

Just before Arc slammed his shield into his face.

"URK!"

Then Arc grabbed Winchester's shoulders and swung his knee into his crotch, his Aura blazing. Winchester squeaked loudly, falling... Into Arc's fists, which he used to pummel Winchester's eyes and nose. The larger boy got up, trying to defend as he dropped his mace. He swung a fist into Arc's face, staggering the smaller boy briefly, but Arc just rammed his foot into Winchester's ankle which brought him back down again.

Arc then took his shield in both hands and bashed it over Winchester's head, over and over, before kneeing him in the mouth.

"That's enough, Mister Arc!" Glynda shouted... And Arc immediately stopped. "Mister Winchester's Aura has hit the red."

"Oh... Cool... How bout that?" Arc managed, between deep, hard breaths. He wiped some blood off his cheek. "Yeah... That's gonna bruise..."

Winchester growled up at him, face far bloodier and bruised. Arc extended a hand to him.

"Take his hand, Mister Winchester," Glynda stated. Winchester grumbled curses under his breath, but accepted it. Arc leaned back, as the taller boy got back to his feet.

"As you can see, Mister Winchester employed good tactics to try and trap his much smaller, and faster opponent," Glynda announced to the class. "However... Mister Arc employed brutal, unconventional tactics to enrage Mister Winchester, and get in close enough to do him harm."

She looked over the students grimly.

"Take this lesson to heart: There will be battles that are desperate, and can only be won with sheer grit, determination, and what might be considered dirty tactics. While Mister Arc's tactics are... Inappropriate for formal dueling, never forget that in a real life or death struggle, your opponent will not follow the same rules."

It was a difficult lesson to learn. One she sometimes struggled to teach. But as brutal as Mister Arc was... She knew full well the trap of thinking that practicing tactics and forms were the only necessity to win a fight.

She had lost far too many students to that kind of thinking.

She could see some eyes light up with this new knowledge... And a fair number of scandalized faces. Still... It did give her some hope.

She looked over at the fighting ring... Where Arc and Winchester were still gripping eachother's hands and smiling in terrifying ways at each other.

"You may hit the locker rooms, Arc, Winchester," she stated. Arc smiled and waved.

"Thanks Miss Goodwitch! Great fight, Cardin. Let's do it again some time!"

Winchester ground his teeth, his smile so intense it was liable to break some of his teeth.

"Any time, buddy..."

Glynda sighed. Forget the headache medication-She needed a drink.

- - -

Dinner was a boisterous affair in the dining hall. All the students were relieved to be free of their first day of class, and were eating, talking, laughing, and otherwise relaxing.

Ruby again looked to Jaune in concern.

"Hey Jaune? You're not getting... Like... Bullied by Cardin, right?"

Jaune shook his head, sipping his drink and swallowing before he answered.

"Nah."

"He did trip you and smash food into your clothing," Ren observed. Jaune shrugged.

"Eh... It was an accident," he said.

"He also tried to brutalize you in combat class," Pyrrha said, sounding worried.

"That's kind of the point of combat class, right?" Jaune said.

"We could break his legs for you?" Nora asked, grinning eagerly. Jaune shook his head yet again.

"Nah... Well... Maybe. If he really pisses me off-"

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, in a mixture of exasperation and concern. Jaune looked away from her eyes-Goddamnit, he thought was immune to such manipulation!

He focused on Ruby... Who was doing the best damn puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen. Even his little sister Aqua's puppy dog eyes weren't this bad!

"Yang?" He asked, looking to her for salvation. Yang's lower lip wobbled, her eyes shone with tears... Before she broke down into laughter.

"Ahahaha! Sorry, sorry, I can't do it! Ahahaha!"

"YANG!" Ruby scolded.

"Still Arc," Weiss said, "While I certainly don't like you personally, you shouldn't lie to your teammates! And... Friends! Or acquaintances!"

Blake gave her an intense look. Weiss scowled.

"What?!"

"Nothing," Blake murmured, returning to her book.

Jaune sighed.

"Look, yeah, he's trying to bully me... But when actual people have tried to kill you? It's like... Ya know... Meh?" He spread his arms out. "How am I supposed to react?"

"I suppose that makes sense," Nora said with an eager nod, "Lots of people have tried to kill Renny and me! Bullying seems kind of lame next to that!"

"I know right?!" Jaune said, nodding happily, "See, Nora gets it! Why can't you all be more like her?"

Much staring.

"It... Even so, and we will talk about that later," Weiss said with a scowl, "And despite the fact you are a ruffian and lout... No one should have to put up with such things."

"It's actually kind of fun," Jaune said with a grin.

"You shouldn't bully him either!" Pyrrha scolded.

"I'm not bullying him," Jaune insisted, "He starts shit and I just respond. If he was actually trying to be a threat, then I'd do something serious. But he isn't, so I'm not. What's the worst he could do, make me do his homework?"

"OW! Pl-Please, quit it!"

"Or he could find a new victim," Weiss sighed. Jaune looked up. There was Cardin again, tugging on the ear of a rabbit faunus girl. A... Seriously hot rabbit Faunus girl.

Aw crap. Damnit hormones, not now.

Wait, hormones...

Jaune's eyes widened in realization.

That's it!

- - -

"Seriously, you shouldn't run around with these hanging out!" Cardin laughed. The rabbit faunus winced as he tugged harder. Ah, this was good. Some Faunus filth to take his anger out on.

"Pl-Please, don't! I didn't do anything!"

"You did plenty-!"

And a very strong hand was now on his wrist, squeezing pressure points and causing pain to scream through his arm. Cardin yelped, and released the Faunus girl. He looked over at his assailant-And snarled.

"Arc-!"

"Woah woah woah! Slow down, buddy!" Jaune said. He looked at the rabbit faunus girl apologetically, "I'm so sorry about this. I really should have talked with him before hand! You're the girl he's after, huh? What's your name?"

"V-Velvet Scarlatina," she managed, wincing as she rubbed her ear. Jaune smiled, and looked back at the enraged Cardin.

"Seriously bro: We're not in elementary school any more. You can't just tug on the pigtails-or ears in this case-of the girl you like!"

"WHAT?!" Cardin and Velvet cried in shock. Jaune nodded, and tightened his grip as his Aura flared around his hand. Cardin grit his teeth, paralyzed by the pain.

"Yeah! I mean, I know he looks like a big racist asshole, but I assure you, he's got a heart of gold! He's just ridiculously shy... Isn't that right, buddy?"

"Y-Y-Yeah...!" Cardin gasped. "I... I'm... Shy...!"

"See? He's tearing up!" Jaune said with a nod. He looked imploring to Velvet.

"I know you guys got off on the wrong foot. Again, so sorry. But if you could find it in your heart to forgive him, and give him a chance? I'm sure he can be a great boyfriend! The best!"

Velvet looked up at Cardin in confusion. Cardin for his part wasn't sure what kind of face to make, as Jaune dug into his pressure points harder.

"Smile, and apologize," Jaune muttered to Cardin. He managed a grimace. Velvet smiled back nervously, as though unsure how to react.

"I uh... Well... I'm... I'm sorry for tugging on your ears! Really, really sorry!"

"Now ask, come on, do it properly," Jaune said. Cardin bit back a groan.

"I... Would you... Like to go... Out with me... Sometime?!"

"He can take you to a fancy restaurant, with like, violins and stuff," Jaune encouraged, "He's got some pull!"

"I-I wouldn't really feel comfortable in s-such a fancy place," Velvet murmured.

"Something nice and simple then!" Jaune said cheerfully. "Like out to a park?"

"I um... I do like photography," Velvet admitted. "Um... I... I'll think about it." She smiled at Cardin.

"I forgive you for grabbing my ears... I should have known you were just nervous. But uh, I didn't really think a guy as big and strong as you could be nervous."

And now Cardin was blushing at the compliment. What the fuck was wrong with him?!

"I uh... Er...!"

"Oh, he's a big softie," Jaune laughed. "But thanks for not totally rejecting him. He'll do better next time, huh?"

"S-Sure," Velvet nodded with a smile. She turned and headed to her table, where her team was staring intently at Jaune and Cardin. A girl in a beret with sunglasses gave them a very intense look.

"Seriously Arc, what the fuck is wrong with you?!" Cardin muttered to Jaune.

"Do you want to be seen as a racist bully, or a cool guy who is trying to figure love out? Besides, I tried to hook you up with one of the hottest girls I've seen at this school," Jaune muttered back, "How am I the bad guy here?"

"B-But she's a faunus-!"

"Look me in the eyes," Jaune said, calmly letting Cardin's wrist go, "And tell me she isn't hot. Go ahead. Do it."

Cardin glared at Jaune. He grit his teeth. By all rights, he should be punching this asshole... He should be...

Velvet laughed. He looked up at her. She blushed, and looked back at her food.

... Fuck, that's cute, a voice in his head said.

"I uh... I..."

Arc smirked. He turned and headed back to his table. He waved back.

"Let me know how the date goes, buddy!"

There wasn't going to be a date. There wasn't going to be a date. His father would disown him. And...

Velvet was again looking at him shyly... And looking back at her plate of food.

Cardin slumped.

"Fucking Arc," he muttered.

- - -

Jaune sat back down at the table, and smiled at his disbelieving friends.

"And now we're friends. See? Problem solved!"

"How... What even...?" Weiss tried. "WHAT."

"That was... Nice of you, Jaune," Pyrrha said, "I think?"

Yang and Ruby were laughing their asses off. Ren rolled his eyes. Blake blinked several times, and tried to go back to her book.

Nora grinned.

"Teach me your ways!"

"Nope, it was traumatizing enough when I learned them," Jaune said.

"What, how to be an infuriating lunatic?!" Weiss demanded.

"I mean, I guess? They called it improv."

- - -

 

[Madgizmo99]

I have always appreciated a Jaune Arc employing the power of bullshit...or emulating Ciaphas Cain, but this is more in the power of bullshit realm.

 

[Kenloch]

This is the kind of story that leaves me wearing a face-splitting grin all chapter, every chapter.

Please, keep it up.

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

That made me grin from chapter start to chapter end. I can't help but look forward to more of this silliness.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I have always appreciated a Jaune Arc employing the power of bullshit...or emulating Ciaphas Cain, but this is more in the power of bullshit realm.

Click to shrink...

Jaune is technically a Paladin but here he had to go a bit Rogue to survive. So he's sticking with that as he had a lot of his bumbling beaten out of him and replaced with paranoia and sarcasm.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

The Forever Fall Forest was breathtaking. Honestly, it was. Every tree's leaves were red, and piles of said leaves littered the region in big piles. The light fog over the mountains added a hint of beautiful mystery to the place, like they were entering a land out of fantasy.

Too bad they were here to do chores.

"Now students," Glynda Goodwitch stated, bringing the attention of all the students onto her, "You are here to harvest sap from the trees. This sap will be used for multiple culinary applications for the school, and will be sold to the general market."

"So, we're basically free labor for the school's budget purposes," Jaune muttered, as he arranged his bottles in a box, "Fantastic."

"There are creatures of Grimm in the forest," Glynda continued, "So stay with your team, and stay in contact with one another. No wandering off."

She nodded to a group of older students, just disembarking from a bullhead. A tall, red-haired man with brown skin in an elaborate jacket with a high collar led a cocky, grinning blond wolf faunus man in a martial arts gi, a pale but lovely green-haired woman wielding a bow, and a purple-haired human woman in white and violet witch-like clothing onto the ground in front of the gathered groups of first years.

"Team SLVR, our student-teachers for the year, will be coordinating things under my command. If you need help, ask them," Glynda said.

"Don't hesitate to ask," the leader called out. "I'm Simin Megistus, by the way."

"Lycan Arcadia," the blond wolf Faunus introduced him with a toothy grin.

"Vella Moisia," the green-haired girl said next with a friendly smile, "Let's all work hard!"

"... Ragoria Cinarum," the witch girl finally said. She summoned a large purple demon head, causing many students to gasp... Before Ragoria calmly hopped onto it and sat down like it was her easy chair.

"Team SLVR," Weiss breathed, "They're the top students at Beacon. They've been on a lot of missions, some for the Headmaster personally!"

"Aw, and here I thought you only had eyes for Pyrrha," Ruby teased. Weiss shot her a venomous look.

"It's not like that, Ruby! Shut up!"

Ruby laughed.

After they received their supplies, Jaune led his team into the forest, RWBY accompanying them. Ruby herself began walking alongside him with a bright, eager smile.

"Ohh... There's so many piles of leaves, I just wanna jump in all of them!" She giggled. Jaune couldn't help a fond smile at that, but he became serious once more.

"We can frolic later," he said. Ruby pouted.

"I don't wanna frolic! Well... Maybe..."

"As long as you stop rambling, this will almost be tolerable," Weiss muttered with a sigh.

"I don't ramble! I just talk a lot!" Ruby protested.

They reached a long corridor of trees, cut by loggers judging from the tracks left behind by heavy machinery. Jaune nodded in approval and started handing out gear.

"Okay. Pyrrha? Use your Semblance to tap the trees."

"On it, Jaune," Pyrrha said. She used Polarity to make all the metallic taps float and then sent them flying into multiple tree trunks.

"Nora and Ren? You guys put the bottles to the taps. Go!" Jaune said.

"On it, Fearless Leader!" Nora saluted, grabbed some bottles, and rushed off at high speed. Ren followed, slightly slower but not breaking any bottles.

Jaune himself began to walk along the logging road with Pyrrha alongside, both monitoring the bottles as they began to fill up. Nora hummed and looked around carefully... Before she moved a bottle aside and stuck her tongue out to catch the sap.

"Mmmm-!"

"Ren, bonk her," Jaune ordered. Ren complied.

"OW!" Nora scowled. "HEY!"

"Mind on the job, Nora," Jaune stated.

"Why didn't you bonk me, then?" Nora pouted.

"Because Ren bonks you, not me," Jaune said, with a nod to Ren. Ren almost smiled, as Nora hummed and thought it over.

"That's fair!" Nora said cheerfully. "I only want Renny to bonk me!"

"As it should be," Jaune said. Pyrrha giggled softly.

"They're quite a pair, huh?" She murmured. "I'm not sure if they're siblings or lovers."

"Same," Jaune muttered back. There was a crash, and both looked over at Team RWBY. A pile of broken glass lay between Yang and Weiss.

"SERIOUSLY YANG?!" Weiss shouted. "You broke all the bottles?!"

"Hey, it's pretty shattering to me, too," Yang snickered with a shrug, "We're not being graded on this, Weissy, chill out!"

"We have a job to do and we should do it properly!" Weiss protested. Ruby nodded.

"Seriously big sis, not cool," Ruby sighed. Weiss glared at her.

"And you're drinking the sap!"

"I only had a little!" Ruby protested. "Honest!"

Weiss twitched and growled. Ruby held up her hands.

"Okay, okay, it's fine Weiss. Yang and I will go get more bottles. You two just stick with JNPR, okay?"

Weiss' grimace became even more pronounced, but she nodded along with Blake.

"We'll be back in a sap!" Yang joked, as she and her little sister headed off. Weiss sighed heavily and rubbed her temples, as Blake went off to read her book in the shade of another tree.

"It's all right, Weiss," Pyrrha said encouragingly. She walked up and patted her on the shoulder. "It's not the end of the world."

"No, but it's extremely aggravating," Weiss sighed. She huffed. "Honestly... Even though I'm not team leader, I feel like I have to act that way a lot of the time."

"Then talk to Ruby about it," Jaune interjected. Weiss shot him a glare.

"Don't you know not to eavesdrop on people, lout!"

"It's not eavesdropping if you're complaining out loud, dumbass!" Jaune shot back. Weiss growled.

"Dumbass?! You crude, insolent-!"

"Blah blah blah," Jaune sighed. "Look: You probably want to solve your issues with your team leader since you want to do well. But if you do or don't, doesn't matter to me. What does matter to me is Ruby and Yang. So if you've got problems, solve them, 'cause problems like those can get people killed. Especially out here."

Weiss gaped at him, her jaw moving up and down without sound coming out. Pyrrha had a proud smile on her face. Jaune nodded to the Schnee Heiress.

"Good, stay like that."

Weiss glared death at him.

"Do you always have to ruin the moment?!" She snarled.

"Oh, sorry. Were we having a moment, princess?" Jaune deadpanned. Weiss's pale cheeks flushed.

"Wh-What-?!"

"Well I can't call you 'Bitch' in public," Jaune said, "That tends to aggravate a lot of people."

"You spiteful lout!"

"Spoiled sow!"

"Uncouth guttertrash!"

"Snowflake!"

"B-BASTARD!"

Jaune... Clapped with a wide grin.

"Hey! You finally used a word with punch! I'm proud of you, Sweetheart!"

"GRAH!" Weiss tried to attack him, but Pyrrha again held her back.

"Calm down, Weiss, he doesn't mean anything by it," Pyrrha consoled the furious heiress.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Nora chanted. "Then kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Weiss's entire face lit up like a tomato. Jaune grimaced.

"That's not how it works in real life, Nora!" He shouted back. Nora grinned.

"That's not what my Mistralian comics say~!" She giggled. Jaune glared at her.

"Nora... Were you drinking sap?"

"Wh-What? Me? Nooo! Nooo, of course not! What-What gave you that idea? You're silly, Jaune-Jaune! Super silly!" Nora laughed nervously, her eyes darting left and right.

Jaune pointed to his cheek.

"You've got some leftover there," he said dryly.

"NO! I WIPED IT ALL UP-!"

"Ren, bonk her."

Ren dutifully complied.

"OW! Rennyyyy~!"

Jaune went over to scold Nora some more. Weiss glared after him, as Pyrrha giggled at their antics.

"You really should loosen up," Pyrrha said, "He only attacks when someone attacks him first, after all."

"His entire existence is an attack on me," she grumbled, "I know his type. Think that they can get me to lower my guard, lower my standards, just because he doesn't treat me like a princess. And then... Then... He swoops in and takes me for everything I've got, acting like a-a rough-hewn savior!"

Pyrrha blinked.

"Jaune isn't anything like that," Pyrrha said, "After all, he already has money. He's an Arc. Out of Radian."

Weiss blinked herself.

"W-Wait... He's one of those Arcs?!" Weiss hissed. "Doctor Isabel Arc's son?!"

Pyrrha nodded with a smile, as Nora tried to put Jaune in a headlock.

"ARGH! NORA! THAT'S IT! NO MORE PANCAKES FOR DINNER FOR A WEEK!"

"THAT'S NOT FAIR! RENNY, JOIN MY MUTINY AGAINST OUR LEADER!"

"No thank you."

"DARNIT RENNY, YOU TRAITOR!"

Weiss shook her head in utter disbelief.

"I thought they were refined, brilliant healers and scholars," she muttered, "He's one of them?"

"He's just finding his own path," Pyrrha said with a gentle smile, "Not unlike you, right heiress to the Schnee Dust Company?"

"I... I guess so," Weiss murmured, staring at him.

"So maybe you two do have something in common?" Pyrrha pushed.

"Maybe," Weiss murmured. "Wait... Does that mean...?"

Weiss gaped in horror.

"Was he flirting with me this whole time?!"

"No, no he wasn't," Pyrrha stated, her smile more than a little brittle and terrifying.

- - -

Jaune went off a little ways to start collecting some full bottles. Nora and Ren he sent out to patrol (and to stop attempting mutiny). Weiss and Pyrrha had gone off to see what was taking Yang and Ruby so long. He paused when he saw Blake already up and collecting the full bottles of sap with him. He nodded in thanks, and she gave him a brief nod in return.

Weird, he thought to himself, she also looks really familiar... Where have I run across her before?

He racked his brain over the question for a while as he collected the bottles into his crate. When it was full, he set it down carefully near their packs and supplies, before he picked up another box. He turned... And nearly jumped when he saw Blake right there.

"Guh! ... You do sneak around a lot," He observed. "Gonna have to put a bell on you!"

The girl narrowed her eyes... And her bow twitched. Jaune blinked. His mind put some facts together, and he wondered how he'd missed it before.

"Oh. Sorry... Also, your ears," he said, gesturing to her bow. Blake blinked back, then looked aside.

"I don't know what you-"

"Your ears... Are moving... Your bow," he said softly, but with emphasis. Blake's eyes widened. He held up a hand.

"Relax... You've got your reasons for hiding it, so I won't say anything," he murmured, "But you might want to mind your emotions better."

"I... Th-Thank you," she muttered. Jaune shrugged, heading to the next set of trees with full bottles.

"We've all got our secrets," he said. Blake followed along, helping to retrieve bottles.

"Yes, I suppose so," she mused quietly. "Thank you."

"Hm? For what?" Jaune asked.

"For... Not saying anything," she said. "And for... Standing up for Velvet."

Jaune shook his head, grabbing another bottle and setting it down in his crate with a loud clink.

"That was just to get Cardin off my case," he said, "Entirely selfish. Either he gets a girlfriend and chills out, or he's dealing with stupid drama and leaves me alone. Either way, I win."

"Do you believe that? Or do you just use that bluster as a cover?" Blake asked softly. They stared at each other intently for a moment. Jaune shook his head.

"Everyone lies," Jaune finally said, "You lie. I lie. It's how the world works."

"Because the truth can be terrifying," Blake agreed, "And some people won't see it for the truth, no matter how much evidence is put before them."

"Yeah," Jaune said quietly, staring at her. He was sure he had seen her before somewhere. It just wasn't coming to him.

"So, what's the truth here then?" Jaune asked her. "What truth are you seeking, Blake Belladonna?"

Blake stared back at him, and then out at the rich, red forest.

"I don't know," she said at last. "Does anyone?"

Jaune chuckled and resumed pulling bottles down.

"I guess not," he said. "Maybe we know it when we find it."

"Maybe," Blake agreed.

Geez, this is surreal, Jaune thought, this is probably the longest I've ever spoken to her-Hell, might be the most words she's said since we started. And why do I keep thinking I know her...?

- - -

Radian. That's where Blake knew him from. Her father had been injured in a protest turned riot. The police had deployed with lower-power Dust bullets, but they were still hard-hitting enough to cause a lot of injuries. She'd ended up in the local hospital and had been forced to wait in the waiting room as humans went to work on her father's injuries. He had taken a shot to the gut that had caused internal injuries, necessitating surgery. Her mother was outside, talking to the press and dealing with the police.

A little blond boy had walked up to her, as she sat alone on an uncomfortable plastic chair in a cold, hostile waiting room. He had smiled.

"Don't worry... My mom's working on your dad," He had said, "Nothing bad will happen to him. She's the best!"

He'd stayed with her, reading some magazines with her and generally trying to cheer her up. It had worked.

She still remembered how happy she had been to see her father emerge from surgery, alive and smiling. She hugged him tightly, as a tall blonde woman in glasses patted her son on the head.

"You'll be fine in a few hours," the doctor had said, "Just try not to overexert yourself."

"You sound like my wife," Ghira had laughed. He looked down at little Jaune. "You took care of my little girl?"

"Yes sir!" Jaune had said. Ghira chuckled and ruffled his messy hair.

"Thanks for that. What a polite young man. Say goodbye, Blake."

"Bye," she had said.

"Bye," he said back, with a happy wave. They had been forced to run that night, to avoid jail time. It was the last time she would ever see him... Until now.

He probably doesn't remember, Blake thought to herself. So much the better. He was shrewd enough to see through her disguise. As kind as he might be behind all that sarcasm and bile, she doubted that he would be kind to even a former White Fang terrorist.

Still... After all she had seen and done, it was nice to have reminders that not all humans were terrible people.

It kept her from turning into Adam.

- - -

Cardin Winchester grumbled as he retrieved another full bottle of sap. He tossed it down to Dove, who put it into his crate.

"Geez... Can we at least get a Grimm attack or something? This is so boring," Cardin grunted.

"Yeah," Dove muttered, adding the full crate to the large stack they had built up, "A little action would be nice. Take our minds off of things."

Cardin shot Dove a glare.

"You want to explain that?"

Dove coughed, and looked aside. Sky and Russel looked at their boots awkwardly, as though the dirt on the ground was the most interesting sight in the world.

"Spit it out, damnit!" Cardin demanded. His three teammates looked at eachother, in silent conversation. Dove apparently lost the debate, sighed, and looked Cardin in the eyes.

"Cardin, bro... Why didn't you tell us you were sweet on that rabbit girl? Why'd you have Arc help you out?"

Cardin's face burned bright red.

"I-I'm not! I didn't! There's nothing to tell!" He growled.

"So, what," Russel scoffed, "You're telling us that he just randomly decided to help try and hook you up with that hottie?"

"She's a faunus!" Cardin said, "I-I can't date a faunus! You have any idea what my parents would do if I did?!"

"Man, your parents won't care," Sky insisted, "When's the last time you actually talked to them? Like a month ago?"

"They will care, and-and I'm not even sweet on her!" Cardin growled. He waved his hands. "It's some weird mind game by Arc! He's messing with me! Trying to make me look bad!"

"He hooked you up with a hottie to make you look bad?" Dove asked slowly, his eyes and tone full of doubt. Cardin looked almost desperately for support from his other friends, but they were just as incredulous.

"Look! Stop that, right now! There's nothing going on! I don't have any feelings for her, I'm not interested!" He insisted. He shook his head angrily. "Now get back to work!"

The three Hunters-in-Training, still shooting him dubious looks, got back to work on the tree sap collection. Cardin sighed and turned around. He scanned the area, as he had been trained. The other teams were still at it, harvesting sap or lazing around. A few had broken out lunches.

... And a certain rabbit faunus was approaching, carrying a large bag. She smiled warmly and waved as she approached.

"Hi Cardin!"

Cardin ground his teeth.

He could feel his team members staring at his back.

"Hello Velvet," he managed in a neutral tone. Velvet blushed.

"Ah... It's uh... It's almost lunch time," she said, "And I'm my team's cook... And I made some extra, so I was wondering if you'd like to, uh... Eat with me? Just... Just us...?"

Cardin stared intently at her. Her ears wiggled a bit in her anxiety.

His stomach growled.

Shit, that's cute, his brain again betrayed him.

"... Fine," he said. Velvet lit up, which did things to his stomach.

"G-Great! Uh... I mean... We could call it a date... Or not call it a date, wh-whatever you want!" She said quickly. "Um, I-I have a blanket set up over there, so we can sit together-!"

"That's fine," Cardin said, "I'll... I'll be there in a second. Just gotta take care of my team."

"Great!" Velvet beamed, and fairly skipped off towards the tree in question. Cardin slowly turned to his team, who were all looking in opposite directions.

"I'm hungry and she's offering, that doesn't mean anything!" Cardin growled. "And if you guys say anything, I'll beat you all into the ground!"

"Sure thing, Cardin," Dove said, trying (and failing) not to smirk.

Cardin groaned, turned, and stormed off towards the smiling, waiting rabbit faunus. First Arc, then Velvet, and NOW his team?!

When had the world decided to go insane?!
- - -

Ruby hated being bored. Boredom was the enemy, the absolute worst. If there was a Grimm responsible for causing boredom, she would eliminate it posthaste without a shred of mercy!

At the same time, boredom did let her brain move in different directions. And that could sometimes pay off.

Like now. She and Yang were carrying crates full of empty bottles to replace those Yang had broken. They couldn't go very fast or risk smashing them all up again, so that left Ruby and her big sister alone in the quiet. Bored.

And so Ruby's mind began to wander, into new directions and frontiers, making connections just to stave off the horrible, crushing boredom!

Possibilities were considered, discarded, and reworked... Until one of these thoughts finally decided it needed to be known. It needed to be shared with the world.

Or more specifically, one person in the world.

"Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"You should date Jaune."

Yang's jaw dropped. She nearly lost her grip on the crates of new boxes stacked in her arms as she gaped at her little sister.

"Wha-What?!" She laughed incredulously. "Do you-Is this your idea of a prank, little sis? Because I can think of a lot better than-"

"No, no, I'm serious!" Ruby insisted as they stood in the path facing each other. Well, facing each other around the crates of empty glassware.

"Okay, you got my attention," Yang admitted, "Now the next part is... Why?"

"You see how he has to deal with Pyrrha's weird obsession, and Weiss's tsundere stuff!" Ruby said earnestly, "He doesn't like it! He went through some stuff those three months, and those two are making him feel bad!"

"Uh huh," Yang said skeptically, "And?"

"And," Ruby said, "You should date him so they'll back off."

"I'm not sure they'll back off, Ruby," Yang said dryly, "Especially not Pyrrha."

"Well, okay, maybe not, but you can at least help keep them away from him!" Ruby insisted. "I-I mean, I'd do it myself but..." She frowned.

"He doesn't, ya know... See me that way..."

For all her flirting and hugging, he still looked at her the exact same way: Like a little sister. And that hurt, in ways Ruby wasn't entirely sure she understood yet.

"You are underaged, Ruby," Yang pointed out, "If he did try anything, I'd beat the shit out of him-"

"But-But he's not! Because he's a good guy!" Ruby insisted. "And because he's a good guy, and my best friend, I don't want him to have to suffer! He wouldn't date me, but he'd totally date you!"

"And what makes you think I even want to date anyone?" Yang laughed. "Especially Jaune?"

Ruby sighed heavily, and looked her sister dead in the eyes.

"Yang... When Mom died, you stepped up," she said, "You took care of me. You worked so hard for us, for me. I'm not stupid, I know that you beat up anyone who made me cry at Sanctum."

"Well of course I did that-!" Yang protested, but Ruby went on.

"So you didn't really get to go have as much fun as you should have," she said. "I'm sorry about that, sorry I was such a-"

"Ruby."

Yang held her crates with one arm, while the other reached out and rested a hand on her little sister's head.

"You're my little sister. You were never a burden, and you never will be," Yang said, calm but firm as a mountain. Ruby flushed, and looked down.

"Th-Thanks," she murmured, and she beamed down at the ground. She looked back up with a determined expression.

"Which is why you should date Jaune! We know he's a good guy, and you two can go have fun! You protect him from those... Those crazy girls, and you get to have some fun on your own!" She beamed.

"It's win-win!"

"And maybe when you're older, you can get a chance at dating the Crybaby after I've trained him into boyfriend material?" Yang asked, her loving smile back to a cocky smirk in an instant. Ruby blushed as red as her cape.

"M-Maybe... I-I know it's not like in fairy tales, I'm not stupid... But um... That would be nice...?"

"And if Jaune says no?" Yang asked. "I can't make him do anything."

"At least try, Yang? Please?" Ruby begged.

Yang sighed heavily, and readjusted the crates in her arms.

"... I'll ask him out as friends, and we'll go have fun," she said, "I want to know what all he's been up to anyway. But that's it, all right?"

Ruby beamed.

"Thanks Yang... I really appreciate it!"

"And you have to promise to snipe Weiss and Pyrrha if they try to murder me."

"They won't! ... Probably!"

- - -

 

[ThedudeManBro]

.... Everything in this story makes me smile with glee and happiness when I discover another chapter of it, but it's Cardin's character Arckek that gives me the heart warmsies and funny bone rumblings the most~

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune is cooking breakfast for the teams... In an apron, boxers, and that's it.

Weiss: "WOULD YOU QUIT THAT?!"

Jaune: "What?! I'm trying to do nice things, right? Cooking breakfast for everyone?!"

Weiss: "IN YOUR UNDERWEAR?!"

Pyrrha: "I-I don't mind!"

Ruby: "Me too!"

Nora: "CLOTHES ARE OPPRESSION! FREE YOURSELVES FROM YOUR COTTON CONFINES-!"

Ren: *grabs Nora's arm* "No, none of that."

Yang: "Heh. He adds to the ambience."

Blake: *reading her book with just the hint of a blush*

Weiss: "You have money! Go buy some actual clothes and gear, damnit!"

Jaune: "What?! It's perfectly fine!"

Weiss: "You are not going to just go around in school clothing from the school giftshop and whatever you fished out of a dumpster!"

Jaune: "It wasn't a dumpster. It was a free bin... In a dumpster."

Weiss: "Are you trying to piss me off?!"

Jaune: "Trying implies I failed."

Weiss: "Hmph. I thought you were trying to be nicer. Aren't you going to say I look beautiful when I'm mad or something corny like that?"

Jaune: "Nope. You're hideous when you're mad. Look like you're going to have a stroke."

Weiss: "I'LL MAKE YOU HAVE A STROKE!"

Yang: "Heheheh... You two are adorable! So tsundere."

Weiss: "I AM NOT TSUNDERE! I JUST HATE HIM!"

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

Jaune really gaslit Cardin and Velvel into a relationship. What a chad.

 

[MuchCod1414]

Jaune really gaslit Cardin and Velvel into a relationship. What a chad.

Click to shrink...

Jaune's next gaslit victims: Emerald the Illusionist and Ilia that can change her hair and eye colors

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Qrow groaned quietly, returning to the world of the living with his brain threatening to beat its way out of his skull. He narrowed his eyes against the glare of the rising sun. He rubbed his face, muttering curses under his breath. He was on a lot more comfortable a bed than he thought he'd wake up in.

"Good morning!"

He smelled coffee. He looked over at a familiar blonde woman in an elegant bathrobe, still looking heartstoppingly beautiful. Qrow immediately ran his hands over his body-He was still clothed. Qrow let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Relax, my hotel suite has a guest room," Isabel said reassuringly as she handed over a full, steaming coffee mug to him, "You staggered in here at 3 AM and passed right out."

"Well... Thanks for letting me stay," Qrow said, sipping the coffee. He sighed softly as the caffeine did its job. He looked back up at her.

Isabel's keen eyes looked him over as she smirked.

"Disappointed?" She asked.

Qrow was suddenly right back at the wedding day. Isabel and Nicholas were at the altar, kissing passionately, as rice was thrown and people cheered. Taiyang and Raven were there, along with Summer and Glynda. Oobleck dashing around like a hummingbird. That time he'd gotten to dance with Summer... And they both kept laughing when they stepped on each other's feet.

It had been such a beautiful day. The kind of day that twisted a knife deep inside his chest now, like so may others.

"... Maybe a little," Qrow admitted, his eyes dipping to the hotel room floor.

"If it helps, I'm a little disappointed myself," Isabel chuckled. Qrow coughed, looking aside.

"I... It wouldn't be right-"

"Qrow," Isabel said softly, "It's all right to be attracted to me. I'm honestly glad. Means I'm not some old hag."

"With your Semblance, how could you ever be one of those cept by choice?" Qrow chuckled. Isabel closed her eyes, focused... And she shrank down in height and overall mass. In a moment, he was looking at an eighteen-year-old Isabel... Who still filled out the robe quite nicely.

Yup, Total Body Control was pretty amazing. Isabel had lucked out, and gone even further beyond with it: Figuring out that if she could use Aura to control her Semblance and alter things about her body, she could do the same to other bodies.

"You're sweet," she said warmly. She returned back to her usual form. Qrow let out a little laugh, and she raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"That's how you looked the day I tried to ask you out," he chuckled. Isabel flushed.

"Of course you'd remember that," she sighed.

"Sure was memorable for me," Qrow grinned, "You gave me a black eye."

"Hey! I did worse to Nick when he hit on me-Right after you did," Isabel said defensively, "Broke his nose!"

"And you ended up marrying him," Qrow pointed out with a grin. Isabel flushed and nodded.

"Yeah... Well... You were both jerks. But I liked him a lot more."

"Guess that's lucky for me," Qrow laughed. Isabel nodded slowly. She bowed her head.

"I'm sorry about Summer," she said quietly. Qrow worked his jaw and nodded.

"I'm sorry about Nick," he apologized.

Isabel sucked in a deep breath, and let it all out through her nostrils. She slowly sat down next to Qrow, her gaze far away as she sipped her coffee.

"I hated it."

Qrow looked over at the blonde woman.

"Everyone... Everyone told me sorry. Condolences. Told me he was a hero. Just like all the Arcs before. He married into the family but... You'd have never guessed," she murmured. "He fought with Crocea Mors like he was born to it. Just like my father Ander, who fought in the Faunus Revolution for freedom. Just like Uncle Adrian, the Yellow Star. Just like Lionel Arc, the Golden Lion, the hero of the Great War. Just like the legendary Jean de Arc, the founding matriarch, the Maiden of Fire, who fought against the Darkness."

She bowed her head.

"... And all I could think about was that Nick was dead, and I couldn't... I couldn't do a damn thing about it," she murmured. "I wasn't there for him. I'd been there for him for years, fighting alongside him, healing him. We'd had a few close calls, but we... We'd laughed those off. Moved on..."

Isabel thinned her lips and glared into her mug.

"I went through training when I became a field medic. More training when I became a doctor. It was simple... You can't take failure personally. If someone dies, and you did everything you could for them? You're not at fault. Death is not personal. Death is. If you take it personally, it will destroy you."

"But this wasn't just any patient, it was Nick," Qrow said softly. Isabel nodded slowly, her fingers tracing the rim of the mug.

"Yeah..." She sighed. "Every time Jaune spoke about wanting to be a hunter, just like his dad... Before that? I was happy. Proud. After? I... I couldn't hear it. I couldn't stand it. I did everything, everything, to push him in another direction."

She shook her head.

"He's got talent. He's smart. He's hard-working. He got into the medical training college, with almost a perfect score. He did all the internships I made him do, and he worked hard. But he wouldn't give up on becoming a Hunter. He told me he'd applied to Beacon, and... And I lost it."

She shut her eyes tightly, trembling.

"... I told him that his father died because he was stupid enough to keep being a Hunter. To not give it up. To still take it seriously, and not just retire and do something safer," Isabel whispered, tears again coming to her eyes, "That if he wanted to be stupid and die, just like his father, then he should go and do it. Why am I surprised he ran away after that? How could I say anything like that-?!"

"You were scared, and you were angry," Qrow said softly, squeezing her shoulder.

"That's no excuse," Isabel sighed miserably, "I'm such a horrible mother. A horrible wife. How could I say those things about Nick? I-I loved him! I loved him so much and I... I dishonored his memory like that...!"

Qrow grit his teeth. He hesitated as Isabel sobbed, before he spoke.

"I always... I always had a thing for Summer. We worked great together. She was fun, beautiful, smart, kind. She was... Everything I could ever want in a woman. After Raven and Taiyang settled down, I started working with her. We were a great team. I was... I was working up the courage to tell her how I felt. I mean... What if I ruined everything we had? What if I scared her off? I just kept putting it off."

Isabel stared at him, silent.

"Then Raven ran off, Taiyang was devastated, and Summer went to comfort him," Qrow sighed, "I stayed on the job, even tried to find Raven. When I got back... They were married."

He looked up at the ceiling.

"I remember thinking, 'Fucking Taiyang. Always getting everything I want.' He was the team leader. He was the ladies' man. He was the success, and me? Unlucky. Always unlucky. I told them I was happy for them both, and lied to their faces, while I seethed inside. Hell... For a moment... I wanted to kill him. Him. My best friend, my brother."

Qrow looked over at Isabel, who had stopped crying. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him tightly.

"I broke up the partnership. Told Summer I didn't want to be in the way of her new marriage. Semblance like mine, I stay away from people anyway, but them? It... It just gave me more incentive."

"You didn't get Summer killed, Qrow," Isabel said urgently.

"We all make stupid mistakes, Isabel," Qrow said quietly, "That was mine. If I'd been there-"

"You weren't," Isabel stated firmly, "Neither of us were there. And we have to accept it... Or we'll lose everything."

Qrow lowered his head.

"I already have-"

"You have me, Qrow," Isabel stated, "You... You have me. And Jaune! You found him, he'd better think well of you! Your nieces, and Taiyang!"

"Yeah... But..."

She squeezed his shoulders. Qrow glanced at her. She smiled softly.

"I took personal time to look for Jaune," she said, "I... I had a lot saved up."

"That makes two of us," Qrow said with a wan smile. She returned it.

"Yeah... But while I'm off, I... I'd like to connect with you. Talk with you. I have a lot of good friends in Radian and at the hospital, but..."

She shrugged.

Qrow nodded.

"They don't... Get it, do they?"

"No," Isabel admitted.

Her scroll went off. She got up and took it up, checking the caller ID before she pulled it open.

"Headmaster Ozpin? This is a surprise," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Is something wrong with Jaune?"

"No, Jaune is fine," Ozpin said.

"He's recovering and his application to Beacon is up in the air, last I checked, Ozpin," Qrow said, perhaps a bit too quickly. Isabel gave him a curious look, but Ozpin didn't miss a beat.

"Yes... He would not be able to begin the training program if he had been injured during his wanderings," Ozpin said, and again Qrow marveled at how Ozpin could say the absolute truth while still lying his ass off.

"Is he able to get up and about?" Isabel asked.

"He is recovering nicely, and has made some friends," Ozpin said, "I am sorry I can't keep a closer eye on him, what with my responsibilities-"

"No, that's fine, I understand," Isabel sighed.

"Actually, I was hoping to ask you for a favor," Ozpin said, "If you have a month or two of free time?"

Isabel frowned.

"I did turn down your offer to work as your agent before, Headmaster," she said, still polite, but there was distant thunder in her voice, "I'll turn it down again for the same reasons-"

"You would not be my direct agent. Think of yourself as an independent contractor," Ozpin said, "Qrow is investigating several Grimm attacks along the frontier. All very unusual. All at the same time as several strange crimes. Qrow is doing a very good job, but a woman with your talents would be very welcome."

Isabel hummed.

"It's a little vague, Headmaster," she said.

"I am aware," Ozpin said, "We can provide more information... But only if you agree to work with us. Personally, I feel Qrow would appreciate the company."

Qrow coughed as Isabel shot him a look. She looked back to the scroll, worrying her lower lip.

"I have been out of the field for a while-"

"Then you can simply support Qrow," Ozpin said, "In all honesty... I fear something big is on the horizon. I don't know what, exactly, but the more powerful allies I have, the better."

Isabel hummed, while Qrow hid his shock. Ozpin, being this direct? He must want Isabel on their side bad.

Not that Qrow could blame him.

"... All right," she said with a nod, "I'll do it. But! No secrets. You give me all the information you have, when you have it, as soon as you can. I am not walking into an ambush, and you shouldn't let us walk into one without doing everything you can to ensure it isn't. I don't care if it's partial or imperfect, I just want as much as I can. And no games, Ozpin."

Isabel narrowed her eyes, smoothly setting aside her coffee mug. She clenched a fist and held it up to the scroll camera.

"I may be out of practice... But I'm perfectly willing to repeat the Solstice Festival Incident."

Ozpin stared intently... And then slowly nodded.

"Agreed. Do you mind if I speak with Qrow in private?"

"Sure, I need to grab a shower anyway," Isabel said, giving Qrow a soft smile as she handed over her scroll, "I'll be right back."

"Thanks," Qrow said with a nod. She strode out of the room, and shut the door behind her. Qrow activated a jamming device, just in case-This was a woman who could make her ears as sensitive as a bat's if she wanted to.

"Not that I don't appreciate the back up, but my Semblance-"

"I meant what I said," Ozpin said, "We're going to need all the help we can get, and you can get her back into fighting shape. You also could use the assistance."

"And you want to keep her as far away from Beacon as long as possible, right?" Qrow said sarcastically. "Why? The kid?"

"Some parties of the enemy have taken an interest in Mister Arc due to his little adventure," Ozpin said smoothly, "He is much safer here where we can keep an eye on him."

"You do realize she is going to absolutely slaughter you when she finds out, don't you?" Qrow said dryly.

Ozpin sipped his coffee.

"Qrow, last time she was unhappy with me, she threw a city bus into my office," Ozpin stated, "No one, especially you, can blame me for trying to put off the inevitable for as long as possible."

"And what about me?" Qrow hissed, "What do you think she's gonna do to me when she finds out?!"

"That is one of the risks of being a field agent," Ozpin said.

"You're a dick, Ozpin."

"So I have been told..."

- - -


Weiss was still in some shock as she walked with Pyrrha on the path. A few red leaves spun in front of her, and if not for her reflexes they'd have smacked right into her face.

It was just... Incomprehensible. She'd seen so many ridiculous things but even with all that, this just flummoxed her entirely!

"He's... One of those Arcs," Weiss said.

"Mmhm," Pyrrha said with a nod.

"B-But that's impossible!" Weiss insisted, "My father hired Doctor Arc to give my siblings and I yearly check ups! She's one of the best doctors in the world! That... That ruffian is her son?!"

She glared back over her shoulder, as though the delinquent could feel her contempt.

"Her youngest son," Pyrrha corrected, her smile still tense. Weiss shook her head.

"How did he turn into that? Why isn't he home, becoming a doctor? I've seen his Aura, I've seen his power! If she trained him, he could be...!"

She had seen Doctor Arc's work. Her father insisted she know who was a potentially valuable asset, and who wasn't. Doctor Arc was counted by him as a 'very valuable asset'. She'd been kind and professional every time she'd seen her. There was a warmth in her eyes she seldom saw with her family or their servants.

A warmth that her son didn't share. Not with her, anyway.

"One might say the same thing about you, Miss Schnee," Pyrrha said, her smile still friendly but that edge was unsettling. Weiss stopped and stared intently at the champion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well," Pyrrha said, shrugging, "Being a Huntress or being a wealthy heiress... It doesn't seem like a hard choice, does it? So why are you here?"

"I..."

Weiss frowned deeply. Pyrrha continued, whether because she thought Weiss was thick, or because she wanted to twist the knife.

"I was offered the chance for private training. To continue onto the professional dueling circuit," Pyrrha said, "Live a life of luxury. Billion lien deals, 'the adulation of millions', I was told. Yet I'm here, too."

Pyrrha's green eyes focused intently on Weiss'.

"Why do you think that is?"

Because it isn't what I wanted... Because I wanted to be more than an extension of my parents...

Weiss froze for a while. She watched the leaves flutter through the breeze. She felt them crunch under her boots. She looked up at Pyrrha, her smile still polite but strained.

Weiss, as it turned out, had a great deal of familiarity with smiles. Smiles in her world were screens, polite fictions. Yet you couldn't hide everything.

Maybe that's why she had kept going. She was used to smiles not meaning anything. Or hadn't cared enough about the people wearing them to press further.

Exactly like how... Her father...

She looked intently into Pyrrha's eyes and bowed her head.

"I'm... I'd like to apologize," she murmured. "I just... I stormed in, and tried to butter you up, all for my own agenda... And didn't think of you as a person. That was... Shameful of me."

She lifted her eyes back to Pyrrha, slowly.

"Could... Could we posdibly... Um... Start over?"

She very slowly held out her hand.

"Hello, I'm Weiss Schnee. It's very nice to meet you, and... And I hope we can be friends."

Pyrrha blushed.

"I um... I would... I would like that. Y-Yes! Certainly, if you would too?"

She slowly reached out and took Weiss' hand in hers, she smile awkward but far more genuine looking.

"I'm Pyrrha Nikos, and I would very much like that."

Weiss beamed, immediately grasping Pyrrha's hand in both of hers.

"You won't regret this. I promise, I'll be an amazing friend-A-A real friend! It will be so great-!"

She saw some tension in Pyrrha's face, and she coughed.

"Ah... S-Sorry. I am genuinely a big fan of yours."

"I-I know. I appreciate that," Pyrrha stuttered, "And uh, thank you?"

"You're welcome!" Weiss beamed, letting go of Pyrrha's hand.

"That's great," Pyrrha sighed.

She paused for a moment, then spoke again carefully.

"Um... There's someone else you need to apologize to."

Weiss stared at Pyrrha for a moment... And then groaned.

"Arc? Seriously?"

"Sorry, but if you want to be friends with me, then yes, you absolutely need to," Pyrrha stated. Her smile was still up, but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes. Weiss blinked a few times.

"You... I mean... You and he-?"

Pyrrha blushed.

"N-No! We're just friends! R-Really! For the moment! Possibly! Kind of!" She insisted. "And he's not that bad once you get to know him, he's very genuine, and um...!"

Weiss held in a sigh. That wouldn't help this fragile moment.

"All right... But I reserve the right to hit him if he's being a brute!"

"No. No, you don't," Pyrrha stated, her eyes narrowing. Weiss coughed.

"If he hits me first?"

"He won't," Pyrrha stated firmly.

Geez... What could she possibly see in him to react that way?

Well, she was going to have to find out, it seemed.

"HEY WEISS!"

Weiss turned and let out her sigh, though this time it was one of relief, as Ruby and Yang approached with crates full of empty glass bottles.

"Finally! Come on, let's go," she stated. "I will not allow Team RWBY to fall behind anyone in sap collection!"

"All righty, Second in Command Weissy!" Ruby cheered.

"Second in command, huh?" Weiss mused. Ruby nodded.

"Yup! Right after Executive officer Yang!"

"Wha-THAT'S THE SAME THING!" Weiss shouted.

"Nuh uh!"

"Don't be jealous, Weisscream," Yang laughed, "It's just the Yang of command~!"

"GAAAH!"

Now she understood a bit of Arc's desire to lash out with violence at these idiots!

- - -

Nora was having some fun as she swung her hammer around one hand, looking about the nice red leaves and pale trees as Ren kept pace behind her.

"On patrol... We're on patrol~... Super duper on patrol~!" Nora sang. "Gotta keep positive~! So no Grimm show up~!"

She frowned and slowed her walk and swinging.

"Wait... If I'm being positive, then the Grimm will stay away... But if they stay away, I won't get to smash them and so I'll be sad... Wouldn't that attract the Grimm anyway? If I'm being sad about being happy, but then happy about being sad...?"

Nora hummed and considered this great conundrum with her most serious face, getting into a crouch. She looked up at her steadfast companion with a pout.

"Rennn... My brain hurts! I'm trying to figure stuff out!"

"That was your first mistake," Ren deadpanned. Nora pouted harder.

"You don't haveta be so mean!" She huffed and hugged him tightly. "There there. You're a grumpy pants, but you're my grumpy pants."

She patted his head affectionately.

"I'm not grumpy," Ren stated, "Jaune is the grumpy one."

"I'm not gonna cuddle Jaune," Nora grinned. "Well, maybe if he's super grumpy. I think Pyrrha or Ruby wants to do that more though! Don't wanna horn in on their gig!"

She hummed and shot him a saucy grin.

"Ya know, Goodwitch is grumpier than everyone put together~! Maybe I should cuddle with her, huh?"

Ren stared unnervingly into Nora's eyes, not even blinking as certain images raced through his mind.

"If you wish," Ren said. Nora cheered and held up her hammer.

"YAY! I shall plan to cuddle with her immediately!" She declared.

Ren allowed himself the smallest of smirks.

"You'll get detention."

"CUDDLE DETENTION!"

"No, just the regular kind," Ren said, the slightest hint of a smile on his face. He and his best friend set off again. She held his hand in his, swinging it merrily.

Despite his apparent detachment... Ren squeezed her hand back. Not too tightly, though: She tended to make that a contest, and he just didn't have the raw strength to compete with his best girl.

A loud sound cracked through the woods, and both teenagers broke apart, weapons out in an instant.

"Large caliber rifle, don't recognize it," Ren stated.

"Came from the southwest, maybe a mile away," Nora murmured, choking up on her hammer.

It was then that several Grimm erupted from the trees-A few Ursa, Beowulves, Boarbatusks, and many others-All stampeding in a wild, massive rush.

Nora grinned.

"YAY! I'm gonna have a LOT of fun today!" She cheered. "No more philosophical headaches!"

Ren hit his Scroll as Nora charged into battle, bringing her hammer down on the head of a Beowulf and squashing it flat with a very loud crunch.

"Jaune, this is Ren. We have massive Grimm movement in the forest, some kind of stampede. Alert everyone else, now!"

He should have gotten Miss Goodwitch's contact information, but a look from Nora had squashed that idea. Women were extremely confusing creatures, indeed.

- - -

 

[ThedudeManBro]

The fact Pyrrha keeps giving me the feeling that everyone around her is but two and a half scathing insults to Jaune away from imitating a pez dispenser speaks volumes on how you evolved her character from the "canon" one.

I also enjoy this fact.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Blake wasn't obsessed with fish. She wasn't a stereotype, for Oum's sake. She loved fish, sure, but it wasn't like that's all there was to her!

Just because she perked up at the smell of fresh fish being cooked on an open fire out on the campus did not make her one of those stereotypical cat faunus girls who would do anything for fresh fish.

(That she was very well aware of such sexual fetishes being explored in erotica was immaterial.)

She just liked fish. And fresh fish moreso. So it wasn't unusual for her to follow the scent, walking away from Yang as they walked between the campus buildings.

"Blake? You okay? Blake!" Yang called.

Blake ignored her, jogging lightly towards the source of the scent. There was a well-stocked river that flowed by Beacon proper, though most fishing was further up or downstream.

She froze as she locked onto a familiar blond young man near the river, a few caught fish hanging from a hand-made fishing pole and a few more cooking over a small campfire. He looked up in surprise.

"Oh! Hey Blake, hey Yang," Jaune greeted them, in naught but his pants. His jacket and shirt for his school uniform were carefully folded on a rock nearby.

"Uh, hey Jaune," Yang said, tilting her head, "You do know they serve food here, right? Food you can buy? Precooked?"

"Yeah, but I learned how to fish and cook outside before I set out," Jaune explained, shrugging his bare shoulders, "And I... Kind of got used to it? Want some?"

"N-" Yang began, but Blake shook her head as she sat down with him.

"Yes."

"Sure," Jaune said. He wrapped one fish in a paper towel, and handed it to her, "There you go. Careful, it's hot!"

Blake took a bite... And groaned happily. The seasonings were simple, and maybe it could have used more butter, but the taste of something cooked right outside... Of fresh fish cooked outside... It was heavenly.

"Nyyaaahhhmmm-!" She slapped a hand over her mouth and blushed. Yang shot her a strange look, then realization hit. She smirked at Jaune.

"I'll have what she's having-"

"YANG!" Blake hissed.

Jaune chuckled.

"I could do a lot better... I dunno, I just like cooking outside. After being under my mom's thumb all the time, it just felt... Satisfying, you know?"

Blake nodded. Yang chuckled.

"Careful there Jaune the Barbarian. Don't let freedom go to your head. Next thing you know, you'll be building a log cabin and dragging a female student off after bashing her over the head with a club."

If he cooks like this, Blake thought, gulping down another fish, maybe I wouldn't mind him-

NO. No, none of that! How could she think that, after Adam and White Fang?

It was fish! JUST FISH!

And a hot shirtless blond guy who caught and cooked them just like in some stories she-NO.

Jaune frowned for a moment deeply... Then relaxed again and let out a small laugh.

"Well... Maybe not a club," Jaune said. Yang laughed back, that easy familiarity between them wiping away whatever unease he'd had before.

Though Blake still noticed it. She filed it away with a lot of other little tics and unconscious actions he'd made since he'd arrived.

"MISTER ARC!" Glynda Goodwitch shouted. "WHAT ON REMNANT ARE YOU DOING?!"

All three looked over to see Professor Goodwitch glaring in shock nearby.

"What?!" Jaune called out to the aghast professor, "I'm following the fire code!"

"PUT YOUR CLOTHES BACK ON AND COME HERE THIS INSTANT!" Glydna shouted. Jaune sighed, doused the flames with water, and quickly wrapped up his cooked fish in some foil. He handed it over to Blake, along with the rest of his catch.

"Guess I gotta face the music," he said.

"We'll notify your next of kin," Yang snickered.

"Please, don't," Jaune groaned, pulling on his shirt, jacket, and tie before heading up to the angrily waiting Professor Goodwitch.

Yang shook her head.

"Sheesh, I can't help but think he acts out like this deliberately sometimes," she grumbled, "I'm supposed to be the rulebreaker! Maybe I should step up my fish and game, huh Blake? ... Blake?"

"Mmhm, mmhm, sure," Blake nodded, eating the last cooked fish happily. Yang shot her a sly look. Blake shook her head.

"It's good fish, I don't want it to go to waste," she insisted.

"Sure Blake, I believe you," Yang said with a nod.

Blake waited. Yang said nothing. She held up another chunk of fish to her mouth, opened it... Bit down on the seared deliciousness...

Still she waited for Yang to say something... But nothing came. Blake began to chew, enjoying every bite...

"Though I bet it doesn't taste as good without a shirtless Jaune around."

"PFFFFFT! YANG!"

The blonde cackled.

- - -

What other wild habits might Jaune indulge in? Whether he's trolling or not is very much based upon the situation...

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

There were times when Simin Megitus regretted accepting the position as a student-teacher. Granted, it was quite an honor to be selected. He and his team had worked hard over the past three years to be recognized as the best Beacon had to offer. And after fighting alongside his team for so long, he was proud and happy to call them his friends.

But... That didn't mean they couldn't still be annoying.

"Uggggghhhh," Lycan Arcadia moaned, kicking his feet up like an impatient puppy, "Why did we get stuck with babysitting duty for these brats?"

Simin sighed, relaxing in the shade of a tree as he watched the first-year students hard at work harvesting sap.

"Ya know, we were brats just like them not too long ago," Simin reminded him.

The wolf Faunus huffed, finally settling back in the grass and glaring at the children all over the clearing.

"Nah," Lycan snorted, "We weren't."

"Geez Lycan, chill," Ragora Cinarum stated, resting comfortably on the head of her familiar, Cormo. The giant purple demon head floated peacefully nearby, as its mistress rested her Arc Fire Shot Glaive, Hexentanz, against its prominent teeth. "It's not every day we get a mission just to relax and boss around the newbies."

"It's still work," Lycan grunted. Simin laughed.

"Man, you haven't lifted a finger!" He pointed down at the fourth member of their team, "Vella's been the only one running around doing anything!"

The aquamarine-haired girl was tending to the various crates of red sap-filled containers, taking down the numbers each team had collected and their names with a friendly smile. She zipped about like a bird on the water, a creature of absolute grace.

"Oh, that's wonderful Shade! Yes, yes, very good Coco!"

Simin watched her intently, a small smile on his face. Lycan grunted.

"So... You gonna keep gawping at her like an idiot, boss?"

"I'm not gawping at her," Simin immediately said. Ragora snorted.

"You should have asked her out years ago. What's stopping you?"

Simin shook his head.

"Look... Team leaders can't date within the team. It leads to disaster, every time," he stated firmly. "I mean... We all agreed it would be bad, right? If any of us dated and broke up, that could kill the team dynamics."

He shook his head.

"And that can get us killed."

"Right," Lycan agreed, "Ain't like Ragora and I have that problem. Despite the fact we have banged multiple times, I still find her personally repulsive."

"Love to hate you too, Wolfy darling~," Ragora laughed in a witch-like cackle, "But you and Vella? You have that problem. It's not going to go away."

"First off, when did this happen?!" Simin demanded, throwing his arms out wide. "You two banging?! It had better not have been in the dorm room! And second? No, we don't."

He fixed his eyes on the pale, green haired sniper. She caught his eyes, smiled, and waved. He waved back, using the high collar of his Synchronized Dust Projection Jacket to hide his red cheeks.

"I can smell that you're lying, you know that, right?" Lycan asked, deadpan as always.

"I don't even need that, I have eyes," Ragora snickered.

"Oh shut up, both of you," Simin grumbled. "Act your age! You're carrying on like those kids down there!"

"You mean the ones actually acting on their feelings?" Lycan asked. He jerked a thumb over to a small corner of the clearing, where a brown-haired rabbit faunus girl was sitting on a picnic blanket with a tall, armored human boy. The wolf Faunus made a face.

"Ugh! I can smell their awkward pheromones from here!"

"The sweet scent of love," Ragora sighed, clasping her hands together, "It's so precious! Bet Vella would love to have a picnic with you under the trees!"

"No she wouldn't," Simin grunted, "She prefers being by the lake or other bodies of water for picnics... Or so I've heard."

"You're killing us, Boss," Lycan sighed, "You're really killing us."

"Hey!"

"Just because you dress like a monk doesn't mean you have to act like one," Lycan grunted, "Believe me, if you just asked Vella out, she'd say yes. Then maybe you two could stop acting like the world's most boring soap opera."

"'Will Simin and Vella get over themselves long enough to fuck and maybe act like normal people? Find out in three years and counting!'" Ragora stated in a TV announcer's voice. Both she and Lycan laughed. Simin rolled his eyes.

"I can't murder them... Gotta graduate... Can't murder them... Gotta graduate..."

"Hey Simin!"

Simin started, and stood up. Vella stood there with a nice, warm smile.

"Hey Vella! What's up?"

"I could use some help with some of these loading programs for the bullhead cargo lifts," she said. She shrugged helplessly. "Three years of this stuff and I'm still terrible with computers! Silly, huh?"

"Yeah, silly," Simin said with a nod. "Sure, I would love to help."

He shot a glare at Lycan and Ragora.

"That doesn't mean anything else."

"Of course it doesn't," Ragora chuckled, now spinning in a slow circle.

"Like we'd ever think something might happen," Lycan teased.

Simin and Vella wore nearly identical blushes. They turned and headed back to the cargo pallets, walking close together... But not too close together.

Lycan growled and rubbed his eyes.

"Oh for... Can't we just get them drunk and lock them in a closet or something?! This is really starting to piss me off!"

"Patience, Lycan, patience!" Ragora laughed. "It's much more satisfying when they finally just let loose of their own free will."

"I swear if they don't start humping and making me some nieces and nephews, and keep up this high school bullshit, I am gonna kick both their asses," Lycan growled. He glared down at the faunus rabbit girl and human in armor.

"Even the first years are making more progress than Boss and Vella! It's just embarrassing for us upperclassmen!"

"Right," Ragora nodded, "We should all be a pack of raging, hormonal teens wrestling in broom closets like in trashy young adult fiction."

"Damn straight!"

- - -

Qrow checked over Harbinger one last time, ensuring the mechashift mechanisms were well-oiled and functional, as the bullhead flew through the air towards their target drop zone. He sighed as he finished his checks, finding everything in working order... Then checked again.

"Glad you pay attention to details," commented Isabel from the cockpit.

"Well, I'd look like an idiot if my weapon froze between forms in battle," Qrow commented. He looked up, catching a shadow of Isabel changing her clothing. Her form was-

No. No. He wasn't doing that. He puts his eyes back on his weapon.

"As opposed to how you usually look?" Isabel teased.

"Your jokes certainly haven't improved," Qrow grunted.

"I was once considered the funniest girl in Beacon, you know."

"Yeah, because everyone was too scared to not laugh."

"Hmph...!"

A moment later, she entered the cargo area. She stood in front of him, a slightly nervous expression on her face.

"So... Uh... How do I look?" She asked.

Well, if she was inviting him to ogle her, that was different. He leaned back and looked her up and down.

She had the classic Arc Family white plate armor for her top, though it was shaped so that there was no question as to her gender. It was a sleek, modern, tear-resistant mesh with armor plating over vital areas shaped like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. She wore gauntlets of the same design around her wrists. Underneath this armor, she wore a stretchy green turtleneck, nice, comfortable, and warm.

Her pants were regular military fatigues, the shade a darker green than her turtleneck, with white armored knee pads and similarly armored military boots. Her belt was covered in pouches filled with medical gear, and she wore a small backpack with even more supplies attached to the back of her armor. The twin yellow crescents, the sigil of her family, decorated her chestplate and gauntlets.

She wore her hair in a tight, short ponytail, but had ditched the glasses.

"You always dressed like you weren't gorgeous," he observed.

Isabel snorted.

"Nick always said I was gorgeous in anything," she said, a hint of red staining her cheeks. Qrow grinned.

"He was right."

There was a beep from the cockpit. Isabel checked her scroll and looked at the navigation app that linked it to her ship's systems.

"We're over the coordinates," she said, "My bullhead will orbit in low fuel consumption mode. We can call upon it for fire support if needed."

She collapsed her scroll and tucked it into an armored pocket on her belt. She took a few deep breaths, her eyes closed. Qrow stood up, and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You're gonna do fine," he said softly, "There's no one I'd rather have at my back than you."

Isabel nodded.

"Right..."

"I mean, you do own a luxury bullhead with heavy weaponry," Qrow said, grinning craftily, "Bet you win at every medical association meeting you ever go to."

"They don't have awards for things like that," Isabel chuckled softly.

"Shame."

The rear hatch opened. She made to head out, but Qrow held her back. She looked back at him in curiosity. He rummaged around in his belt pouches and pulled out a set of black leather gloves.

"They have Fire Dust woven into them," he said, handing them to her, "As I recall, you were pretty good with that element back in the day."

She flushed and then smiled as she gratefully pulled on the gloves.

"Yeah... Guess I was," she said. "Thank you."

"I'll go first, clear out the landing zone," he said, "You follow after I land."

"Roger."

Qrow dashed out of the hatch into blinding sunlight. He dove down, the wind rushing around him as he plunged for Remnant below. His keen eyes soon adjusted. Their target was a village that was recently overrun by Grimm. The villagers had all evacuated, and the casualties were minimal, but the reports were the strange part.

Even now as he fell for earth, he could make out multiple kinds of Grimm, all congregated in the village proper... Not fighting one another.

That might make things complicated.

He shifted Harbinger to gun mode and opened fire, the heavy rifle rounds breaking the still morning air. Several Grimm went down in moments, his precise fire blowing right through their heads and sending them to oblivion soon after. Others panicked, running like scared animals. He landed in a graceful crouch, using his Aura to disperse his momentum into the ground without shattering it.

Qrow stood up, shifting Harbinger back to sword mode as he glared at the surrounding Grimm. After the initial panic of his entrance, they were regrouping. The smaller ones fled behind a large building-A grain storehouse, he thought.

The ground rumbled... And a truly gigantic black form smashed through the grain storehouse doors, roaring and thumping its chest. It snarled in challenge, as Qrow sized up his opponent casually.

"Huh... A Kong Beringel this far north?" He commented, "That's unusual."

The Kong Beringel, a bit taller than a two-storey building, roared again before it thumped the ground with its mighty armored fists. Qrow still held his ground, and waited.

He heard a familiar sound, a whistle and the crackle of Aura energy. He looked up. The Kong Beringel looked up too...

"YAAAAHHHH!"

Just in time for Isabel's fist to meet its face.

The Kong Beringel folded in half as Isabel drove its massive armored head right into the ground with an earthshattering boom! Debris was kicked up as though a bomb had hit, and Qrow deflected a few stray flying rocks with Harbinger. The dust and smoke slowly cleared, revealing a panting Isabel standing up in a crater. The Kong Beringel's head was paste, squashed flat into said crater.

Isabel strode up out of the crater as the body of the massive Grimm began to dissolve behind her. She turned as numerous other Grimm stared at her as though in shock.

It only took a moment though, before they charged in rage and hunger. Qrow stood alongside her. He looked over at her.

She was sweaty, and still a bit unsure... But a familiar grin was growing on her face.

"All warmed up?" Qrow asked.

She slammed her fist into her palm. It sounded like thunder.

"Absolutely," she replied.

"Then let's get to work!"

- - -

One of the bigger irritations about RWBY? How empty the world feels. I know they had limited budgets for animation but COME ON. Do some more world-building! Give us some names of people offscreen! Make the world seem less like a big, empty stageplay!

So, we have Team SLVR of YouTube fame filling in as senior students helping Glynda out with security for our first years. Glynda, Port, Oobleck, and the never seen Professor Peach can't do everything by themselves, after all. So they get student-teachers to handle certain tasks and fill in for them when they're out sick or otherwise indisposed.

Given they're at Beacon though, they also go on missions for Ozpin, sometimes against the organization Pandora, which has its own nefarious and mysterious agenda. But we won't get much into that. It's just good to have some upperclassmen about.

 

[TheFabulousCustodes]

What other wild habits might Jaune indulge in? Whether he's trolling or not is very much based upon the situation...

Click to shrink...

Something with Professor Port that drives both Glynda & Weiss up the walls...

"I mean, you do own a luxury bullhead with heavy weaponry," Qrow said, grinning craftily, "Bet you win at every medical association meeting you ever go to."

Click to shrink...

Just how loaded is Jaune's family?

Thanks for the new chapters!

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha entered the common room between their dorms. There sat Jaune and Ruby at the dinner table, with a few piles of assorted junk lying around. Ren raised an eyebrow as he, Pyrrha and Nora advanced to sit at the table and better take in whatever was going on.

"What's all this?" Ren asked.

"All the junk I had in my pack, pouches, pockets, and anywhere else I brought to Beacon," Jaune admitted.

"Wow, you're even better than us, Jaune-Jaune!" Nora laughed, holding up a potion bottle and peering at it thanks to the electric lights overhead, "We need to use luggage!"

"You're like Professor Spacetime, bigger on the inside!" Ruby said cheerfully. She blinked and turned a small electronic component over in her hands. "Eh? What's a Farmatron 260 doing in this pile? This is a control circuit for mechashift weapons!"

"Oh, that," Jaune said. He hummed and shrugged. "No idea. Maybe it was in a pile of junk I rooted for and I scooped it up by mistake. Can you use it?"

"Sure can!" Ruby said. She leaned over and hugged him, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Mm! I love you, Jaune! This is great!"

"You're welcome, Ruby," Jaune sighed indulgently, patting her on the head as she blushed cutely.

Pyrrha's eyes twitched again at this display of affection. Ren wisely scooted closer to Nora, who was sniffing the potions and laughing.

Something caught Pyrrha's eyes. She reached out and picked up a pair of cuffs.

"Aura suppression cuffs, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"Oh," Jaune frowned deeply, "Ya remember that crazy girl who tried to marry me against my will? She used those on me."

"Oh, that girl," Ruby and Pyrrha growled, almost in synch. Nora grinned savagely, hefting up Magnhild. Ren too felt an urge to reach for his weapons.

"Don't worry, Fearless Leader," Nora said with a nod, "If we see her again, we'll break her legs! In three places, each."

"I'll cut her hair off... And then maybe her head," Ruby swore.

"I'll do worse," Pyrrha snarled, clenching the cuffs in her fist.

Ren just nodded coldly.

Jaune smiled warmly at his friends.

"That's... Terrifying, but it... Means a lot to me. Thanks guys. I really appreciate you being so willing to harm someone else for me like that."

"That's the real power of friendship!" Nora chirped. "Violence and guns!"

- - -

Later, Jaune headed to his dormroom to grab his Scroll to join in on the RWBY/JNPR game night... And stopped short.

On his bed, in naught but her PJs, Pyrrha lay with the cuffs on her wrists. She grinned up at him, as she posed like a slave girl on a swords and sorcery book cover.

"Oh... Jaune! The most terrible thing happened! I accidentally put the cuffs on me, and I can't get them off!"

Jaune stared at her. She continued her posing, now holding a palm up to her forehead.

"My Aura and Semblance are both suppressed! I'm... I'm so weak! Utterly helpless!"

She shifted to another pose, on her stomach, looking up at him with red cheeks and eager eyes.

"Why... Anyone could do anything they'd like to me! No matter how depraved or humiliating, I-I'd have to go along with it! They could break me into their good little breeding sow! My mind would be gone, filled with nothing but love and lust for the man who broke me! My Master~!"

She rolled onto her back, looking up at him as the buttons on her pajama tops hung half-undone.

"Yes... That man, whoever he is... Possibly standing in this very room... Would break me into his obedient, loving pet and I just wouldn't be able to do anything to resist him! In time, I'd stop resisting and become loyal! My mind would be filled with nothing but the desire to please him in any way he wanted! And oh, how I would please him~..."

Jaune stared at her in silence. He then finally sighed.

"Pyrrha?"

"Yes, my beloved Jaune?" She asked, hearts practically shining in her eyes.

"First off, the cuffs don't work anymore, I burnt them out," Jaune stated.

Pyrrha paused.

"... Are you sure?"

"Very. And second?"

He walked over to her, undid the cuffs with the key, and pulled them away. He lightly bonked her on the head.

"OW!"

"No," Jaune stated firmly. "None of that. We're going to play games with our teammates, and then? You are off to horny jail."

"... Will you put the cuffs back on me for horny jail-?"

"NO."

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

Thirsty Pyrrha is hilarious. Her fans would be devastated if they saw her simping for Jaune.