The Guild definitely had not been what Jaune was expecting; though, it did occur to him that he had gone in with no idea what to expect anyway. Over the years; however, he had gotten used to the way things were run. Now if only he could convince the Guild Masters that his victories of seemingly insurmountable odds were on purpose. Granted, some of his success stories stretched the credible, even to himself, but what should matter is that he did end up victorious. Right?
Apparently not according to the Guild Masters. Not that Jaune entirely minded, but after three years of being Copper Rank things were looking grim for him. At least he was helping people, though. That was the important thing to the blonde. Every village he left behind could sleep a little safer at night. Not a lot, but a little.
It was that thought the spurred him onward, back towards the Guild Hall. He had to admit, while travelling was wonderful, seeing new people was great, the sight of the Grand Tower shimmering in the sun as it overlooked Vale City was always a welcome sight. That tower was the reason Vale could flourish like it had, and why Vale's Adventurer's Guild was one of the most successful in the world. The Professor that stayed in the Tower kept it safe, though few had ever actually seen the man. It made Jaune wonder who he was and what made the Tower glow and shine like that.
By mid-afternoon, Jaune was at the gates of the city. As soon as it opened, he was greeted by a cacophony of people and animals alike. The din earned a soft smile from the boy as he dove into the flood and allowed himself to be swept away. It didn't take him long to reach the Guild Hall, stepping into the relative quiet of the building. Men and women were busy walking in, out, and around on some important business or other. The quiet made him frown. Usually the entrance hall was bustling with Guild members and people requesting aid.
Now he was faced with a choice. He could either go and report a mission success to his Guild Lieutenant, Arancio, or he could slink up to his room in the Guild and avoid having to deal with him for another few hours. He would have made up his mind, but something- or rather, someone- pushed the thought from his mind.
"Hey, Jaune! Welcome back!" A cheerful young girl had just slid her way down the banister on the far side of the hall and skipped up to her friend. Bright silver eyes smiled up at the blond through red-tipped black bangs. "How'd it go?"
Jaune returned her smile, though somewhat less enthusiastic. "Hey, Ruby. Things went well, all things considered. No complaints or injuries. Save for the bandits, anyway."
"Aw, just bandits this time?" Ruby gave a sly grin and reached up, poking Jaune's chestplate. "No giants or dragons to defeat by finding a food allergy or something?"
"Oh shut up." Jaune rolled his eyes, lanky arms folding over his armored chest. "I've never faced either of those things. Besides, I'm not the one who got bumped up two whole ranks just for stopping a robbery."
"Hey! That was a deadly robbery, I'll have you know." Much smaller arms folded over a much smaller chest as she spoke. "There was a demon and everything."
"Oh, demons," Jaune didn't think he could roll his eyes any harder, though his smile did return to his face. "Because that's so much more believable than giants or dragons."
Ruby pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at her friend. "Goodwitch saw it. It happened."
"Uh-huh." The blonde's eyebrow raised so high that he swore it was going to fly right off his face. "I'm just saying: a little girl fending off a demon by herself stretches credibility just a bit. So you really have no room to complain about my 'miraculous' successes."
"Oh yeah? Well it just so happens that I have something you don't, Jaune."
"And what would that be, Ruby?"
Ruby's pout slowly turned smug. "A credible witness." The young girl stuck her tongue out. "Your dog doesn't count."
"Yeah, yeah, teacher's pet."
"You're just mad because I'm right."
"And you're the one who's been giving me grief. I'm sorry if you can't take what you dish out."
"Hush, you." There was a pause as Ruby looked around, obviously confused by what wasn't there. "Did you just get back?"
"Yeah. I'm going to have to go deal with Arancio." A soft sigh slipped from pale lips. "That's going to be fun."
Ruby frowned, her arms falling back to her sides. "Is your Guild Lieutenant still giving you a hard time?"
Jaune nodded. "I've gotten used to it. It's no big deal."
"Do you have to do it now?" Any way out she could see, and Ruby would gladly give it to him.
"I should, yeah. Just get it over with, you know? I'll catch up with you later, okay? Tell you all about the mission I was on."
"Sounds good!" A smile returned to the young girl's countenance. She loved hearing stories from her friends. "Maybe we can look into going on a mission together next time?"
"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you later, Ruby." With that said, Jaune turned to head past his friend and up the stairs she had descended a few minutes ago. Conversations with Ruby always seemed to lift his mood, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't last. Arancio had that kind of mood ruining habit. This was going to be fun.
Arancio was one of many Guild Lieutenants that watched over the lower ranks of the Guild. Most of the higher ranks were given missions directly from the Guild Masters. Lieutenants were chosen from the higher ranks(usually Titanium or higher) and are supposed to watch over the newer members of the Guild and ensure their safety. They weren't supposed to play favorites. But anyone who had to deal with Arancio for even a few minutes could tell that he was one of the worst about it.
Jaune had been dealing with Arancio for three years now, and he had yet to figure out what he had done to rub him the wrong way. It was a nightmare to deal with him and Jaune usually left his presence feeling worse about himself than usual; and that was saying something. There was no way he was looking forward to this meeting.
At least he had another conversation with Ruby to look forward to.
Behind him, Ruby allowed her smile to fade. She knew that the next hour or so would not be very fun for the young adventurer. "Good luck, Jaune."
A slightly shorter girl with long white hair appeared next to Ruby, arms folded over a slight chest. "Luck's not going to save him, you know. I'd say it's a miracle that he's survived this long, but..."
Ruby turned to face the newcomer, head tipping to one side. "Weiss? What did you mean?"
Ice blue eyes rolled hard. "You'll see eventually. I hope."
