Merry Christmas!
-Y.A.R.N.
Jaune feinted around Ozpin and slashed with his blade. Sparks of white and yellow showered the stage as Jaune's strike was countered by the sheath for Ozpin's cane blade. Jaune ducked under a slash and swung upwards with his shield. Ozpin twisted and swung backward, both moving out of the shield strike and attacking. Jaune rolled with the momentum of the shield bash and twirled sideways avoiding the cane as it whipped by him. Jaune jumped forward attacking with both the sword and shield, increasing his rhythm and speed. Ozpin ramped up hisdefense in turn calmly blocking and parrying each and every strike. Ozpin shoved his cane at Jaune's chest as a counter as Jaune shifted sideways and spun around, slashing at Ozpin's back. Opzin rolled forward and spun to face Jaune.
"You've improved slightly, you've really grasped tempo and rhythm." Ozpin said conversationally.
"Yeah well I still got a lot more left to show, if you're interested." Jaune joked.
Ozpin ran forward and began to slash and bash at Jane with the cane and sword. Jaune eyes narrowed as he was pressed on the defense,he turtled and used his shield to deflect one strike and parry with his sword when the other weapon came swinging into his line of view. Sparks flew as their respective weapons crashed together with the intent to kill.
"Whoa..." One student murmured awestruck.
"Remind me not to piss that kid off." Another muttered.
Jaune caught one strike with his boot and pushed off into the air. He flipped back and landed before pointing his sword at Ozpin in a new stance.
Weiss' eyes widened, "That's a fencing stance..."
Jaune drew a few flashing lines through the air, "Alright..."
Ozpin smirked slightly and drew his weapons both forwards. They strode towards each other cautiously and immediately began to attack and swing at each other. Jaune's face immediately showed signs of strain as he could barely use his shield in the fencing stance. Jaune's sword flashed and Ozpin was bunted backwards by a small pulse of aura. Jaune slipped his shield into a sheath and separated the sword into his black oversword and knight's sword.
Ozpin smiled, "You realized it was impractical."
"Of course." Jaune replied, raising a eyebrow "I am not that stupid."
Jaune threw himself forward and began to slash at Ozpin. Ozpin began to block and slash at Jaune with same amount of ferocity. Both of their expressions, were shadowed slightly and focused as they stared at each other. Their blades flashed and sparked as they attacked each other. Jaune leapt over Ozpin and slashed at him twice from the air. Ozpin kneeled under the attacks and spun away from them, getting back into stance.
Jaune landed and slammed both of swords into the earth before drawing his guns from his sheathes, he began to fire at Ozpin with quick bursts of gunfire. Ozpin shifted and spun his weapons in circular motions sending sparks of the heated shards littering the air. Jaune clips ran out and he spun, slamming his guns back into his holsters and pre-placed cartridges, and flicked his swords into the air. He kneeled down and shot at Ozpin again who began to spin his cane and sword faster deflecting the bullets instead of dodging. Jaune sighed and ejected another empty pair of clips before both his swords fell comfortably into his grasp again as he rose up.
Silence filled the air broken only as the spent shells hit the floor and the hiss of steam rose into the air.
Jaune took a deep breath and flipped his left hand weapon –his oversword- in a reverse grip, extending his left arm out, and brought his right arm back, next to his face, pointing his knight's blade at Ozpin. Ozpin sprinted with a spurt of aura, Jaune ducked under his slash and slashed his oversword up to block a swing of his cane-sheath. Jaune spun back and slashed in tandem, retreating yet attacking at the same time.
Ozpin pressed on, stabbing and trying to hit Jaune as he back away. Just as he moved in for a stab Jaune lashed out in an instant of pure skill. Stepping in, Jaune used his forearm and directed the stab an inch too far to the side. His blade slid past Jaune's cheek opening a small red line across the flesh. Jaune brought his hilts sideways around into Ozpin's side with a loud *CRACK*. Ozpin grimaced and whipped his cane-sheath up and bashed Jaune across the face. Ozpin spun and slammed Jaune back with the hilts of both of his weapons.
Jaune skidded down on his back and used his forearms to push his skid into a roll that left him on the edge of the ring.
Everybody stared at the aura meters at the top of the ring, a rather large chunk had been chipped off Ozpin's aura bar. His was still well within the green zone while Jaune's aura had dipped just into the yellow zone. Jaune stared at the screen with a wild smile grin across his face, blood dripped from his mouth and dribbled down his chin.
"Got…you…" Jaune panted as he grinned, his tongue ran over his bloody lip, smearing the crimson liquid across the corner of his lip.
Ozpin felt the side where he was hit and winced, it was quite sore, "So you did."
Jaune used his swords to push himself up into a standing position and cracked his neck, "Alright, let's get back to it."
Ozpin smiled and shook his head, "No need."
Jaune frowned and his eyes widened, "Hey now! Don't you even dare-"
Ozpin turned to Glynda who had been watching with thinly-veiled interest, "I concede."
Jaune yelled, "No he doesn't! NO YOU DON'T!"
Ozpin sheathed his sword into his cane and calmly walked off the stage. Jaune stood there utterly flabbergasted, as if he had forgotten this was a match. Suddenly, fury danced across his features and his aura flared along with his temper, glimmering and outlining his weapons and body. People stepped away from the edges of the ring. Jaune's muscles on his arms tense and bunch as he raises his arms almost as if he is ready to attack an invisible opponent. Jaune almost seems ready to slam his blades into the arena at his feet.
He suddenly sighed, and his arms dropped and his weapons' tips touched the floor with a slight scratching sound. Jaune suddenly looked old and exhausted, as if he had age fifty years within the space of a second without losing any of his youth-filled complexion. He blew out a large breath and sheathed both his blades into their respective sheaths. He slid his hood over his face and stalks away, frustration emanating from every line in his body. He swiped his fist across his face wiping away the trickles of crimson going down his face. Without a word he stalked to back of the room.
'Dammit…Dammit….Dammit! ...DAMMIT!' Jaune swore a storm in his head as he crossed his arms and rolled his shoulders, "Dammit Dad, what game are you playing? You know you would've of won had you wanted so why the hell did you quit after I got in one strike? You know I hate it when you quit prematurely like that…'
Waves of malice, irritation, and anger emanating from Jaune made most of the other students back away from his general vicinity. He glared at the floor from under his hood. Then he realized something.
His dad was giving him a choice.
He didn't want to be a leader, his dad didn't care whether he thought so or not.
Ozpin knew Jaune had all the qualities, even Weiss had pointed it out. Ozpin simply cast Jaune as leader because he thought it would be best. Being a leader didn't mean you were the best of your team. You simply knew how to lead them, although Jaune had no idea how to lead at all, Ozpin believed he would learn. Jaune sighed and rubbed a hand over his face while he inhaled, when he exhaled he blew out a thin stream of air through his hands.
Jaune waited for the class to finish and walked over to Goodwitch to get his evaluation papers. He simply folded them and stuffed them in his pocket before going to the locker and picking up his school bag. As he walked out the room he noticed Ozpin leaning against the wall, his trademark cup of coffee in his hand.
Jaune walked next to him and said in a low tone, "I don't really care about how you think I will do, but you're wrong. I should be allowed to pick my place, forcing me into another place I don't want to be in won't work."
With that, Jaune turned on his heel, swung his bag onto his shoulder, and walked away emotionlessly.
Ozpin took a sip of his steaming coffee, "You really can't let it go can you…?"
Ren, Weiss, and Nora all saw the exchange and glanced among each other.
What was with Jaune?
Jaune flipped his pen in between his fingers as he looked over his note sheets and essay he was working on. He bit his lip ignoring the slight throb of pain it gave in response. He scribbled a few more notes onto his diagram and closed his notebook. He picked it up and shifted open his bag. He had just placed his notebook back in, when a brunette girl with glasses stumbled into the seat next to him and placed her sheaf if paper on the desk. Jaune blinked as a few of them fluttered to the floor and the girl groaned.
"Stupid binder breaking…" she muttered.
"Um…you want some help?" Jaune asked holding out a few of the fallen papers.
She snatched them and grinned sheepishly, "Yeah, I am a total klutz when it comes to organization, not to say I can't find the papers I need, but everything is just a giant bundle whenever my binder breaks…"
Jaune chuckled, "I had that problem too."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I fixed it by making sure my binder was in working condition before I started the year. Well that and a whole cartload of duct tape." Jaune said casually.
The girl giggled timidly as she placed a binder with one part completely torn off, "That sounds like a good idea…I wish I had some…"
Jaune rummaged through his bag and pulled out a roll of the grey goddess-made glue, "I happen to have some if you want me to do a quick patch up."
She pushed her glasses up her nose and nodded.
Jaune picked up her damaged binder and raised an eyebrow, "Did you run it through a wood chipper?"
She flushed as he began to fix it.
A few minutes and multiple sound of ripping and placing tape later, Jaune held up the now functioning binder, "Haha! That should do it! That thing should now be able to stand Armageddon, but let's not be too literal about it."
She smiled as she began to place her papers back in, "Thanks. Oh by the way did you get my note?"
"Huh?" Jaune tilted his head like a confused puppy, "Your note…?"
"Yeah from Obleck's class!"
"Wait, you mean the tutoring note?"
"Mm-hmm!" she nodded.
"Oh well, I guess I usually only train on the weekends so I really don't have anything better to do…" Jaune thought about it for a minute, "Ah hell, why not?"
"Oh great!" she cheered.
Jaune laughed, "You're like a mix of my teammate Nora and a Velv…"
"Who?"
Jaune shook his head smiling, "Nothing, it's an inside joke. Oh, by the way, didn't catch your name."
She slapped her forehead, "Right! I am Izzy or Isabella, I prefer Izzy or Iz though."
"Jaune Arc." Jaune said holding his hand.
Instead of shaking his hand, Izzy held out her fist, Jaune laughed and bumped her fist. He put the last few of his stuff away and got up.
"I got to head back, I wanted to sleep in early anyway. Nice talking to you." He said as he waved.
"Likewise!" she called back.
Jaune had another reason for sleeping in early, Jaune hadn't shown anyone how the scars on his face didn't only go to cover his face. He took a quick shower and brushed his teeth. When he was don with that, he quickly slipped off his shirt and threw on his blue drawstring sleeping pants. He draped a light sleeved white shirt on his head boards and slipped under the covers of his bed. He sighed as he put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.
Darkness crept along the inside of his mind as he relaxed more and more. Soon he was asleep and dreaming.
He slashed another dark shape in two as they closed on him from all sides, he dropped back and kicked up his foot planting firmly in what he assumed was a creature's stomach. He rotated his waist and slammed his other foot's heel into its skull with a loud crack. Jaune dropped down and rolled back ready to charge when suddenly a wave of heat slapped his face and he looked up. Fires burned around him as the same sinister shaped danced behind a ring of fire that slowly dwindled down. Everything was washed with a burning tone of orange. Jaune glanced at his ground to make sure it was steady and his heart shot into his throat. He was standing on top of a cage. Underneath him, hundreds –maybe even thousands- of hands reached for the top as their owners screamed and wailed. Jaune bit back the bile rising in his throat and suddenly the metal beneath his feet broke and he was falling. The hands began to grab him and tear him, he tried to scream but one of the things slapped a hand over his mouth. He was choking and drowning and-
Jaune sat up with a loud gasp. Sweat beaded along his forehead and his sheets were wrapped around him as he had twisted and turned in his bed. He glanced at his clock only to see it was 3:13 in the morning. Jaune let out a groan, he usually woke up at 5:00. A quick glance had confirmed that everyone else was sleeping and he was the only one who was awake at the moment. He rubbed a hand along his forehead and got up. Jaune shrugged on his sleeved shirt and closed the buttons. He clipped his Crocea Mors and guns onto his pants, and head out for a light snack. The quiet shuffling sounds of his feet were the only sounds that accompanied him as he walked across the floor. Jaune's eyes flicked in every direction due to force of habit. It had been instilled into him to make sure he could see as much as he could so that he would be aware of anyone creeping up on him.
He arrived at the kitchen and fixed himself a bowl of cereal and began to eat the food. Jaune absentmindedly twirled the spoon in his hand as he chewed on the food in his mouth. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. It was so, so maddening at times, to be forced to be a prisoner in his own mind. He quickly wolfed down the rest of his food and sighed swallowed his last bite with a sigh.
He stretched, "AHHHHHHHH…humnah." He jabbered, "Dreams suck so hard sometimes."
He got up and grabbed the bowl and spoon he was using and put them in the sink and ran the tap over them. He didn't feel like training and reading his textbooks would bore him back to sleep. He shuffled back to his room and opened the door only to see Weiss half out of her bed shivering. She looked at him wide-eyed, he could see the fear, then shock, and embarrassment. She looked away and he calmly closed the door and sat next to her on the bed.
"Nightmare?"
She shook her head so hard it was a wonder she didn't suffer from whiplash.
"Oh, me too, mine was just earlier."
She glared at him, but Jaune just gave her a tired smirk.
"I am guessing that if you were in the mood to talk about it, you would be yelling something how I was wrong and what does it matter? Right?"
Weiss made an indignant noise in the back of her throat, and looked away in, blush present even in the darkness.
Jaune chuckled softly, "I bet mine are worse than yours."
She snorted in a very unladylike fashion.
"Cute." Jaune commented with a wry smile.
Weiss flushed and punched him in the arm, and then shook her arm out in pain. Jaune grinned and flexed his arm was covered with glowing white aura.
"Whoops, it was instinctive." Jaune said shrugging.
Weiss grumbled in an annoyed manner.
"Are all you rich and high-class people like this? Cause I swear you are fulfilling the poster child look for trying to sound okay and being prideful about not needing any help at all whatsoever. Which in my opinion is annoying." Jaune said.
Weiss blinked and he got up and jogged to the door, "Well I am going to leave before you figure out I just insulted you."
He ran out the door and sprinted down the hallway; a second later Weiss ran out after him red-faced, barefoot, shrugging into a jacket, and holding a gleaming Myrtenaster. Jaune laughed and picked up the pace, goading Weiss by jogging backwards every now and then and giving her a friendly little wave. She had just about caught up to him when he ducked under her outstretched hand and lightly slapped the back of her head. He would grin like a fool and laugh loudly as he ran in the opposite direction.
Weiss swore when she caught him, he would regret every mocking her.
She didn't even notice she was smiling brightly as she chased him.
