Radiance
Chapter 2, A Garden of Dead Flowers
I do not own anything pertaining to the RWBY universe. No stocks, no stakes in RT, nothing. Don't even own any merchandise.
I think I may have done a slightly better job at capturing the feelings I am going for within this iteration of the story. Hopefully you all are just as satisfied as I am!
On another note, the cover art captures how I imagine Jaune to look about as well as I could get it, considering I'm about as good at art as I am writing, which is to say not all that good at all.
[RD]
Ruby whined piteously to herself as she searched the crowds for her elder sister, hoping to introduce the blond to her newest silent companion when she saw Jaune slink off from the corner of her eyes. With a pout, Ruby realized that once again, she was alone, now standing among a crowd of strangers while waiting for the wise words of the esteemed Headmaster. It wasn't the first time she had been abandoned without a word, seemingly being the story of her life, but it stung to have been so quickly fled from without so much as a goodbye.
The young girl was disheartened upon realizing her newest acquaintance didn't want to stick around, but she could also understand that maybe, just maybe he wasn't a people person, as her dad liked to put it. Since he technically was her first friend outside of her weapon and sister, considering she was convinced the two were just that, Ruby had really wanted to show her newly found companion off.
'So he might be antisocial like me, just... on purpose.' Ruby noted to herself, adding another characteristic to the figure in white besides his name, weapon and gender. It was hard for her to get a feel for his personality so far, being soft spoken and seemingly withdrawn, aloof to the point he almost looked sad. It wasn't that he was moping, but the lackluster shine of his eyes made her think something was weighing heavily on his mind.
The young Reaper didn't take it personally, as from the way he dressed, it was pretty obvious that he wasn't one to hang out in the middle of a crowd. Anyone walking around with their hood up like he had sort of screamed 'leave me alone'. Glancing around once more, she found him waiting with his back to the wall, close to the only entrance on the audience section of the auditorium. With a small wave of his hand, it became obvious that he didn't ditch her after all. She hadn't ever heard of a male wallflower, but then again, what did she know at fifteen going on sixteen?
'And he dislikes crowds. I can work with that.' Ruby nodded and moved to stand with him before she was stopped halfway by her older sister Yang.
"There you are! How could you leave me like that?" Ruby began her neigh hysterical tirade as she was pulled into a one armed embrace by the blond dressed in orange, brown, black and yellow and forced to walk with her in a different direction all together, "I literally exploded!"
Her silver eyes darted towards the white cloaked figure quickly over her sisters shoulder, catching his eyes for only a moment before her attention was forcefully brought back to Yang once more. 'Dang it, Yang!'
"Oh please, it couldn't have been that bad!" Yang tried to play it off with a wave of her free hand, only for Ruby to give her one of her patented soul sucking stares after turning her head back in the blonds direction, "You're kidding, right?"
"I wish I was ki-" Ruby was cut off as her shoulder collided with something once more, sending herself and the figure she ran into reeling before they both corrected themselves, "Sorry, sorry!"
"I apo-oh, not you again! First, you cause a Dust reaction and now you want to jump in peoples way?!" The silver haired figure exclaimed, the same person that Ruby had an unfortunate encounter with earlier, "If this is going to be a common occurrence in the future, I can already tell I've made a mistake in choosing to attend Beacon!"
"Oh wow, you weren't kidding..." Yang trailed off before pulling Ruby away from the irate female still ranting about the safety procedures that needed to be followed when handling Dust, "Alright, this is clearly a misunderstanding, miss, how about you two take a deep breath and start over?"
"Only after she promises to be more careful in the future." The slim female arguing with Ruby stuck her nose in the air and crossed her arms, her posture the very definition of stuck up.
"I already did!" Ruby exclaimed almost angrily, stomping her right foot in irritation at being chewed out not once, but twice for simple mistakes that could have been avoided all together, "Look, I'm sorry, I'll be more careful in the future! Just! Stop! Yelling!"
The female dressed in a pale blue-white dress took a step back at the tone Ruby took, one hand coming to rest on her chest before she pursed her lips and nodded, "I a-, hmph... just be more careful in the future."
With that, the silver haired female dressed in white stomped away with her head held high once more, her long silver hair swaying behind her all the while.
"Well, look's like you've made a... frienemy, Rubes... ouch." Yang winced at the encounter between the two, knowing that trying to jump in the middle of it would have done no good at all, "If she keeps acting rude, I'll knock her down a peg, don't worry."
"I... thanks, Yang," Ruby sighed tiredly as she watched the figure stalk away, knowing that yet another potential friend had been turned against her over her awkward behavior once more, "But... I really did make a friend!"
"Oh, really now?" Yang perked up instantly, her eyebrows raising almost to her hairline in shock at Ruby's admittance, "Where are they, then?"
"Over there, in the whi- where'd he go?!" Ruby glanced back to where she thought Jaune was resting, only to no longer see him amongst the sea of students surrounding the entrance and exit of the auditorium, "Oh no, I've... I've lost my only friend!"
"I'm... standing behind you, Ruby." Came a faintly accented voice from behind both sisters, causing both to nearly leap from their flesh in shock before spinning around to face the person speaking.
Yang felt her breath hitch in her throat upon seeing the white cloaked figure from the airship once again, only for her halted thought process to reboot upon seeing Ruby throw her arms around the blond and tightly embrace his midsection, ignoring the metal of his cuirass rubbing against her forehead.
"Ah, Jaune! There you are, I thought I lost you forever!" Ruby exclaimed happily before pulling him forward and throwing both of her arms out as she forcefully introduced him to her sister, "Yang, this is Jaune... uh, what's your last name?"
"Arc?" Jaune seemed very unsure of himself as he spoke, either of his arms drawing towards his chest as if trying to prevent himself from being grabbed again, "Jaune Arc, nice to meet you. Is, uh, this going to be a common occurrence?"
"She's just being dramatic, it's totally normal," Yang was quick to explain the situation before holding her hand out for the cloaked figure to shake, "Yang Xiao-Long."
Jaune hesitated for a moment before he accepted her hand shake, this time using the macho-man grip. He was glad he did, because it was obvious that this Yang character was sizing him up.
"You mind telling me why you came sneaking up behind us? I knew she would rep- er, attract some undesirables, but I wasn't expecting her to move so quick." The blond boxer popped her hip to the side and crossed her arms over her bosom before sizing up the figure before her once more, taking note of his defensive posture and how he seemed to avoid making eye contact for longer than a split second at a time.
Jaune straightened his back before applying even more pressure to his grip, letting her know that he wasn't going to be backing down from her test despite refusing to meet her eyes, "Forgive me, I heard the... conversation between the silver haired one and Ruby, or rather saw it. It was kind of impossible to not try and come to her defense but too many people got in my way."
The grip Yang was trying to give him diminished greatly upon his confession, allowing him to do the same. "Ah, that's cool, then. Sorry, you can never be sure nowadays, especially with how young she is."
"That's reasonable." Jaune agreed, knowing that he would be sizing up any and all male figures that dared approach his darling little sisters, even if only for friendship.
The only other males that Jaune trusted around his seven female family members were both dead and gone. "It is good to see she has an older sibling watching her back."
"Of course! I'm just glad she was invited to attend early, otherwise I only would have had two years of the protective older sister gig!" Yang was boisterous, that much was certain. She also seemed to talk enough for the three of them as they continued to wait on the words of the head master.
"Oh?" Jaune tilted his head to the side with slightly wide eyes, his tone carrying more than a trace amount of curiosity, "That's so cool! You must be super skilled or something then, right?"
Ruby and Yang could tell that he meant what he said, especially due to the amazed tone he spoke with.
"Thanks, but it was really nothing special." Ruby grinned at the praise with a light dusting of pink rushing to her cheeks, but the way she crossed her arms behind her back and scuffed the floor with one of her boots indicated she might have some form of downing thoughts.
Jaune leaned down and bumped shoulders with her lightly, almost sending her sprawling over until she corrected herself. "Hey, what was that for!"
"If you were invited to attend Beacon early, you gotta' be skilled!" Jaune meant every word, as well. It was obvious that it was one of the professors that scouted her, and each were skilled warriors in their own might. "Being humble is never a bad thing, but having a bit of pride isn't either, ya know?"
"You know, I think I like you, knight boy," Yang placed both hands on her hips and let loose a blinding smile, all teeth bared. It was an honest smile, one that also reminded Jaune of his nicer sisters, the ones who hadn't acted as overprotective bodyguards. "Maybe if she hears that enough, she might actually start to believe it! I've been telling her that for days!"
Ruby looked like she wanted to argue, but a firm glance from both lilac and azure blue silenced her opposition and rendered her mostly docile. If both Yang and Jaune as well as her father continued to say the same thing, just maybe, maybe they were all on to something.
[RD]
Blake watched as her potential target interacted with the blond and black haired females, doing her best to resist the urge to approach the three too soon. From the corner of her eye, she noticed as the white haired female, Weiss Schnee, move towards the black and red haired female named Ruby with barely concealed irritation.
Of course there was a Schnee this far from the safety of Atlas. Of course she would attend the same school, at the same wouldn't be named a cruel mistress should she not sew the seeds of discord among those enthralled in her grasp.
When both white clad figures showed themselves to be content with ignoring the existence of one another, despite her target moving to perhaps come to the black haired ones defense yet again, Blake let loose a breath she didn't know she was holding and moved closer to them as well.
With a roll of her icy blue eyes, the Schnee heiress moved away from the two sisters and the cloaked figure that came to stand behind the two just as she walked away, obviously having no reason to speak with them any further.
'Good riddance.' Blake usually tried her best to at least ignore the world around her, but the Schnee family earned a place in her black book due to their treatment of the Faunus workers employed in their mines and factories.
Though she didn't want to admit it, she found the Schnee heiress to be a beautiful person to behold. If only her mind and soul reflected her physical beauty, perhaps Blake would have been glad to meet her. Now, she was glad Weiss was no longer standing so close to Jaune, if that was even his real name. She overheard him introduce himself to Ruby and vice versa, making her glad to have risked hanging so close to her intended target.
Blake whispered his name to herself, as if testing the taste of it upon her tongue. A content smirk pulled at her lips as if the cat caught the canary.
It was a fitting expression, to be certain.
Watching them would only do so much, and if Blake wasn't mistaken, the would-be students would have the rest of the night to spend getting to know one another. Initiation wouldn't begin until the morning time, and by dawn, Blake hoped to have snagged Jaune's attention even the slightest bit.
Now, if only the Headmaster would hurry up so Blake could get back to her newly rekindled hobby of target spotting, as she dubbed it.
[RD]
Pyrrha Nikos wasn't sure how to feel about attending Beacon, even if it had only been an hour since her arrival. At first, it excited her to leave the continent of Anima, to leave the Kingdom of Mistral and spread her carmine wings wide, to experience what the wonderful world of Remnant had to offer her. The city of Vale was beautiful in its own ways and the people were kind enough, but it just didn't feel like home quite yet. It was supposed to be an adventure, but the redhead couldn't help but crave a nice, home cooked meal right about then.
Her mouth salivated at the thought of a meal of garlic shrimp and seasoned rice, but a firm shaking of her head dispelled any such lingering desires. The redheaded hoplite instead tried to focus on the situation at hand once more, ignoring the pang of desire that still rumbled in her stomach as aftershocks would after an earthquake.
She had been approached by multiple other students within her time not only at the Academy proper, but on the airship as well, each eager to shake her hand or have a picture taken with her. That was as far as their interest seemed to extend, none bothering to try to get to know Pyrrha Nikos and instead focusing entirely on The Invincible Girl, as she was also known as. Of course, the four time champion took it all in stride, placing a false smile upon her face for her adoring fans as she shook hands and pretended to listen to their prattling just long enough to appear polite.
That was all they were, at this point. Fans. None deigned to act as a peer capable or willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with her against the horde of darkness before them all. Instead, they all seemed to be doing their best to place her upon a level that they couldn't reach themselves while cowering back to let her fight at the front of it all, something that had occurred more times than she could count during her missions issued while at Sanctum.
There was one saying that Pyrrha was familiar with, one that was taught to her by her agent and adoptive mother. 'It's lonely at the top.'
Truer words had never been spoken, and Pyrrha knew it well. Aphrodite and Ares Nikos, her mother and father, had tried time and time again to get her to make friends, but they seemed to lack the ability to understand just how much of an impossibility that was when none tried to act like a friend.
The sound of someone clearing their throat broke her from her thoughts, drawing her emerald green eyes to the stage before the mulling sea of students around her, each faceless and bland in their own rights. It was sad, but she would be grateful if she could remember a handful of people by name by the time her attendance of Beacon came to an end.
Dressed in an immaculate suit of black with a green scarf around his throat and wielding his ever present cup of what she assumed was coffee and his cane, Headmaster Ozpin made for an intimidating sight for those who didn't know of the mans kindness.
Of course, with how aloof the Headmaster acted as he approached the podium, it was no surprise that his kindness was speculated to be mere rumor-mill gossip. Behind the Headmaster was his Vice-Headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch, a woman who turned heads no matter where she went.
To be honest, Pyrrha was more than a little intimidated by the stern looking woman, if only for her constantly from and piercing, lime green eyes, not to mention her wickedly designed purple waist cape. The riding crop didn't help the rumors that the woman was a devout sadist, even the Nikos could see the truth in the words and she had just her appearance to work with.
The Headmasters address did not last long, and something about his words did not sit right with her.
She certainly couldn't be the only one to think his words weird, either, for the whispering and concerned murmuring began as soon as the two authority figures motioned to move away and leave the students to mingle once more.
Glancing around the crowd one final time, her emerald eyes came to rest upon a figure dressed in mostly all white, his cloak shuffling every few moments as he shifted his body weight from one foot to another. Beside him was a black and red haired female that seemed a bit young to be attending Beacon while a buxom blond finished their group of three.
They seemed friendly enough, judging by their small smiles.
Perhaps she could approach them and ask their opinion of the Headmasters speech.
[RD]
He was being watched. It was almost unnerving, if not for the fact the gaze bore no dark intent. There was no anger, nor hatred being directed at him. Without a hint of bloodlust or killer intent, it was something Jaune was going to have to ignore.
He briefly considered leaving and perhaps trying to lure them into the open before the idea was promptly tossed out. Confrontation was usually one of the last things Jaune wanted, especially considering how much attention it would bring to him. Evasion would also likely be impossible as there were only so many places in the academy he could wander on the first day, especially considering he wasn't officially considered a student until the initiation was completed.
It was hard to pay attention to a distracted man when you were being distracted yourself, so Jaune was unable to discern anything spoken by the illustrious Headmaster besides his final warnings.
It seemed unusual, however, for the man to be unable to pull himself away from whatever troubled him long enough to consult his would be followers and students, but it was hardly Jaune's place to say such things. The casual dismissal and subsequent retreat of the two figures atop the stage led to murmurs sounding out among the crowd, some pleased with the curtness while others seemed to be a bit raw at the casual dismissal.
Jaune hardly cared, especially due to being informed of just what he was supposed to expect of Beacon's Initiation due to his sisters attendance some six years prior while the Village Guard was still being run by Brutus. Johanna Maria Arc, or Maria for those close enough to address her fondly, was almost a spitting image of their mother, Juniper Lucrecia Arc, if not for the lithe frame that the two eldest sisters seemed to be cursed with.
He knew that the test that he would be expected to take the following day would require some form of partnership between himself and one other student as well as a mock 'search and rescue'. During the time of Maria's attendance, partners were determined by the first person you made eye contact with after landing in the Emerald Forest, and you were teamed by matching items with another pair of students outside of your own.
Jaune was desperately hoping that the parameters he was expected to fulfill matched those of his sisters objectives as well, because most of his planning revolved around certain details that technically were very subject to change. Being a strategist at heart and having read his families 'Big Book O' War' front to back and back to front a dozen times, he knew that no plan survived contact with the enemy.
While he had memorized the topographical maps of all four major Kingdoms, not to mention every invasion plan that his family had proposed against each Kingdom opposed to Mistral at the turn of the century, none of that would help him here.
So what if he knew a safe route through the Twin Wolf Gulch to the north that would minimize his troops presence in a supposed incursion into Sanus, he couldn't predict the next four years due to the dozens of variables lingering all around him.
Each and every student was a potential partner, teammate, or dare he say it rival in the future. The uncertainty of it was what bothered him the most, considering, once again, his inability to peer past the fog of the present to catch a glimpse of what the future might hold for him. He almost dared to hope against hope that he might be paired with either Ruby or Yang, if only because he knew their names and found them to be at least presently pleasant to speak with.
"Are you alright, Jaune?" Came the sweet voice of Ruby Rose, drawing Jaune from his thoughts of war plans drafted by the Patriarch of the Arc Clan during the Great Conflict, as his family knew it as.
"I'm alright, Ruby, just thinking about tomorrow." Jaune answered after a moment of thinking over his answer, knowing that telling the young girl he was thinking over invasion plans would hardly blow over well. "Why do you ask?"
"You just had this really intense look on your face, like you were planning world domination or something!" Ruby laughed at her own joke before seemingly having an idea pop into her head, "Oh, since we're going to be stuck here for a while, let's play a few games of Remnant: the Game!"
"You don't want to play that game with me, believe me." Jaune answered quickly with a shake of his head, almost concerned about how accurately Ruby was able to guess the nature of his thoughts based on his expression alone.
Maybe it was just a lucky guess, he would have to test her in the future just to be sure though.
"Why do you say that?" Yang questioned while glancing around, seemingly trying to find another spot for the group to rest due to how the crowds were starting to thin, "Hey, hold that thought, let's grab a spot before all the good ones get snagged! Come on, you two!"
Any discussions about Remnant: the Game were abandoned in favor of scouring the large auditorium in an attempt to find the best sleeping spot for the two sisters, Jaune being dragged along for the ride by the two sisters seemingly to keep them company.
There were a few subtle questions sent his way by Yang, further probing his responses in an attempt to get a better read on his personality. He knew what she was doing before she even started, having known it was coming due to the fleeting glances she continued to send his way when she thought he wasn't paying attention.
That, and the whispering between the two sisters was not quite as silent as they hoped, especially with his Semblance amplifying his senses beyond what normal Human beings might have experienced under normal circumstances.
Amplification was a rather handy ability to be blessed with, especially due to the versatility in which he had learned to use it through years and years of nearly constant usage.
"There, this should be a good spot for the three of us!" Ruby announced happily after throwing down her sleeping bag before excitedly confiscating Yang's and throwing it down as well, "Now we can all hang out, talk about cute bo-, paint our na-, uh..."
Ruby paused after each suggestion past hanging out, glancing at Jaune each time in confusion and embarrassment. Her suggestions, of course, were more fit for a female friend and not something Jaune would likely participate in actively.
"We can gossip, no worries," Jaune waved away her concern, his eyes twinkling brightly in mirth and crinkling around the edges to denote a smile, "I grew up with six sisters and my mother, so girl talk is all I know, mostly."
"Oh man, six sisters?!" Yang reeled back at the number before glancing to Ruby quickly and then back to Jaune, "How the hell do you handle six, I have trouble with one!"
"Hey!" Ruby defended herself almost instantly, crossing her arms and glancing away from the two after a moment of staring at Yang in disbelief, "I'm a good sister, I don't know what you're talking about!"
Yang almost brought up the time she had gotten into a fight with another girl for speaking to her crush at the time crossly but thought better of it, especially at the desperate look Ruby was giving her before she glanced back at Jaune rapidly twice.
Yang knew a plea for silence when she 'heard' one and thus failed to mention the slightly turbulent times Ruby had gone through at Signal and instead agreed with her sisters words with a smile.
"Ruby's always been a doll, I'm just picking. Seriously though, six sisters?" Yang tried to change the subject back to the main question she had for Jaune at the moment after his most recent admission.
"My dad didn't want to stop until he had a boy, I guess." Jaune laughed lightly as he thought about his words, "I've got two younger sisters though, so maybe he just wanted a lot of children period. He was a strange man, for certain."
"You say 'was' instead of 'is'..." Yang noted after a moment of silence, the unspoken question hanging in the air for only a moment before her answer came.
Jaune sighed heavily and glanced down at the weapon on his hip before looking back up at Ruby and Yang, the two sitting nearly shoulder to shoulder across from him.
"He doesn't have to fight anymore, now it's up to me."