I'm ill and I'm proof-reading. Let's do this.
Cover art - Imyoshi
Another day, another dollar. Whatever that was.
If there was one word to describe what it was like being Goodwitch's assistant, it would be 'paperwork'. Because there was plenty of it. Goodwitch's office was basically the dumping ground for every other teachers' paperwork that they were either too lazy to do themselves, or too incompetent to be trusted with. That was a secret Goodwitch shared with him, one that she made him swear he must never repeat outside the office.
If anyone he knew was given such a responsibility, they'd probably burn the school down with the people who gave them such a hellish task still inside. Yes, he could even see someone like Pyrrha and Weiss doing that. Everyone had a wicked side.
But not Goodwitch. She was the very model of discipline. She accepted her workload without complaint. The most you could get out of her was a small eye-twitch, but then she'd get straight to it. Jaune couldn't think of a time he had been in her office without there being a fountain of paperwork on her desk. Today was no different. It was amazing how her desk didn't collapse under the weight of all that paper.
Much of his duties consisted of filing her finished papers in a neat order. It was dull, mundane work, and despite his aura, he always seemed to manage to get a papercut. Occasionally, he was asked to do something different like make her tea, but for the most part, he was just cleaning up after her. It was lame, but it kept him close to her. That was the most important thing at the end of the day.
He had just finished organising another pile of dead trees. This paperwork was for Port's third-year class. So, he wasn't just lax with the first years, he was like that with everyone? Good to know. He learned something new about the Beacon staff every day doing this. He was becoming quite the natural at his job. Goodwitch never told him to pick up the pace, Weiss never criticized him for doing a job poorly. All in all, things were going smoothly.
He slid another finished paper into a file and stacked it with the others. He couldn't hear the sound of Goodwitch's pen anymore. That was odd. She usually started a new one immediately when he was tidying up. He turned around to see what was wrong. He was met with a pleasant surprise.
There wasn't a single piece of paper left on her desk. It was all gone. Goodwitch looked down at her desk, frozen in her chair. Her mouth was agape and her eyes were wide. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Goodness," she whispered. "I'm… I'm finished. I'm actually finished."
"This is your chance. Compliment her," came the ever insightful voice of Weiss.
"Don't be so surprised, Ms Goodwitch," he responded. "We make a good team, and you're a hard worker."
"I am surprised," she said. "This is the first time I've ever completed a workload in a single afternoon. Usually, it takes me one or two days at the most. Either these new glasses are already broken, or there really is nothing left to do."
The former was very unlikely. Those Reconspecs she was wearing looked as good as what they did when he first bought them. She loved those things. She wouldn't let even the smallest spec of dust touch the lenses, much less have them break.
"So, what do you want me to do now?" he asked.
"I must admit, I don't really know. I've never been in this situation before. And I don't have any other tasks you can help with. I suppose you free to go if you so desire."
"What will you do?"
She hummed. "What will I do, indeed. I'm not used to having free time. I don't know what I'll do. I'll probably just go to the staffroom and relax there. I might plan some hobbies for myself if this ever happens again while I'm there. You're free to do whatever you like, of course."
The staffroom? That wasn't good. He wasn't allowed in there, assistant or not. Goodwitch might as well be on the moon if she went in there. They had thirty minutes and he was sure he could charm her more in that time. They had barely spoken to each other today due to all the paperwork, and he wasn't ready for her to slip away just yet.
He needed to distract her. What was it she had said to him that one time? Something about how she was always stuck in her office? Maybe he could work with that?
"You know, I could use some combat practice," he said, thinking on his feet. "Do you wanna spar with me for a bit?"
She frowned. "Spar with you?"
"What are you playing at, Jaune?" Weiss said in his ear.
"I just think it's a waste if we spend the next thirty minutes doing nothing," he explained. "We might as well do something productive with our time. I know the training ring will be free. No one uses it during breaks."
The training ring was probably the only appropriate place he could take her. The staffroom was a no-no, and anywhere else would just look weird. Call him crazy, but he had the feeling Goodwitch wouldn't appreciate being invited to go to A Simple Wok.
"Are you asking me to be your opponent, Mr Arc?" she asked. "I'm flattered, but I don't think it would be a fair fight. I have many years of combat experience, you wouldn't be able to keep up. You understand, yes?"
"I'm not saying we have to go all out," he explained. "It'd just be a friendly spar. Plus, didn't you once tell me that you rarely had the chance to fight anymore due to your job? Far as I'm concerned, this seems like a perfect opportunity to have one."
He could see her contemplating the idea. His persuasive tongue was as sharp as his sword. Weiss would be proud.
"This is asking for trouble."
Weiss would be disappointed.
"Hmm, it has been a while, hasn't it?" Goodwitch hummed with a smile on her face. He had her.
"If you ask me, this is what we need," he said, going in for the kill. "We've been stuck in here doing boring paperwork for ages. There's no healthier way to let out our frustrations than with a good clean fight, am I right?"
That did the trick. He could see a tidal wave of emotions flitter across her eyes; anger about thinking about the paperwork, relief that it was over, and excitement for what was to come now. All these feelings formulated into one answer that worked in his favour.
"Very well. I accept," she said. Music to his ears. "Head to the training arena and prepare yourself. I will be with you shortly."
"Great. I'll see you soon." He turned to leave and headed for the door. This was great. Alone in a less formal environment with Ms Goodwitch. He was certain he could find some way to be charming in between fighting her. People often said love was a battlefield, so this was about as romantic it got.
He went to open the door when he felt something holding his arm in place. It was like an invisible hand was gripping him. When he looked down, he was surprised to see a purple aura covering his arm. It was Goodwitch's semblance. She was stopping him…
"There is one thing you should know, Mr Arc," she said behind. He didn't need to turn around to know she was smiling. There was something in her voice that gave him shivers. It was sinister and very un-Goodwitch. "It's been a long time since I've had a good fight, and I don't believe in going too easy on my opponents. You best keep that in mind when we duel."
At his time in the academy, Jaune had escaped death many times. It had gotten to the point where he had developed something of a sixth sense for when his life was in danger. It felt like a cold shadow enveloping his entire body even when it was sunny. He felt it here now…
"Uh, sure. Thanks for the heads up, Ms Goodwitch," he stammered. Something was wrong here.
"But of course. I'd hate to see my assistant get hurt." He felt her hold on him released. "See you inside, Mr Arc."
He left the office a little too quickly and headed for the locker rooms. That was spooky. Not enough to scare him away from his plan, but still spooky nonetheless. As he made his way there, he decided that the only thing scarier than a strict Ms Goodwitch was a happy one. But that then led to another question.
Which one was more dangerous?
[/]
Armour? Check. Sword? Check. Charisma? Someone call the bank because he had three fat checks to collect.
In truth, he didn't expect to stand much of a chance against Goodwitch. But that wasn't the point. He just needed more alone time with her. If that meant giving her a chance to release the beast in the ring, then it was worth it. It'd be another thing she'd be grateful to him for. So really, he'd be the real winner after this. A winner with broken bones, sure, but still a winner.
"Are you sure you want to do this? This feels like a bad idea," Weiss told him.
He was having none of her negativity today. "Come on, Weiss. Bad ideas are just successes waiting to happen."
"Never go into business, Jaune."
"I'll be fine. So, what advice does your professional stalker have for fighting Goodwitch?"
"What makes you think my source knows anything about how she fights?"
"Because she does."
"... fair enough," Weiss mumbled. "As I'm sure you're aware, Goodwitch relies heavily on her semblance in combat. Telekinetic semblances are tricky to deal with, but there's a way around everything. Goodwitch can only use it on something she's concentrating on. If you find a way to break her focus, she won't be able to use it on you. That said, don't think her semblance is her only means of offence. As a huntress, she's experienced in most forms of martial arts, so take caution when fighting her close quarters."
Useful knowledge. Her semblance was his main concern. He had seen the teacher lift huge objects like they were kids toys with nothing but her semblance. With that kind of power, she could crush him without even touching him. He felt a little better prepared now. He could worry about the fist-fighting stuff later.
"So, I should just break her focus and then rush at her before she can use her semblance on me?" he asked. It wasn't the deepest of strategies, but it was the only one he had at the moment.
"Theoretically, yes. But she has the Reconspecs now. Her vision will be ten times better than yours thanks to those glasses. You'll have to do something quite extraordinary to break her concentration."
Oh yeah, he had forgotten about those. Yeah, maybe he should have scheduled the fight before giving her something that gave her the eyesight of the Gods. Still, there was always a chance she might not wear them. She was a trained huntress after all. She could fight him blind easily.
"Any other tips?"
"Don't break too many bones when she throws you to the ground."
"Eh, I'll take it."
"Good, because it's all I can offer. Do look after yourself in the ring. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."
He felt fuzzy inside. "Aww, are you worried about me, Weiss?" he teased.
"Absolutely. If they find your earpiece upon your dead body, I'll be involved in this too. My reputation will be ruined."
And just when he thought the Ice Queen was starting to melt…
"I'll be monitoring your progress during the fight. If I spot a weakness in her strategy, I'll let you know. Keep your ears sharp and your skills sharper."
"Does that mean I should leave my sword blunt?" he quipped.
"Don't make me hang up on you, Arc," Weiss deadpanned. "Now get to the ring. It's rude to keep a lady waiting."
He adjusted his armour one last time, making sure the cheap but durable metal was firmly on his body. For some reason, he felt he was gonna need it. Call him paranoid, but there was something in Goodwitch's voice that left an unsettling feeling in his gut. She was clearly looking forward to this fight which, in theory, was a good thing. This whole idea was designed to make her happy, after all.
But as he made his way to the ring, a part of him felt like he had bitten off more than he could chew. He was reminded suddenly of Nora. She loved fighting too and was super strong. Hell, she was one of the strongest people he knew. But she was only a first year. If you combined her enthusiasm with Goodwitch's skill, you got...
Oh dear.
It was too late to rethink things now. He was already walking up the steps into the ring. Goodwitch was waiting for him. She was smiling. He felt his aura depleting from that alone. She was wearing her usual attire. Someone like her didn't need to suit up like a tin can, unlike him. With her whip in hand, she looked ready to-
-wait, whip?
Where was her riding crop? Why did she have a whip?
Held in her hand was some kind of high-tech whip where he had expected her riding crop to be. The metal grip was designed to resemble a King Taijitu's body, with the end of it shaped like the snake's opening maw. It even had a black and white paint job to go with it, along with a canister for storing dust cartridges.
The whip itself served as the snake's tongue. Much like the grip, the whip was also made of metal and had small razors running along it. Unlike the riding crop, the reach on this thing was much longer. It extended several feet away from her. It looked way scarier than what she normally used.
But that was the problem. What the hell was this weapon? Where was the crop? Why wasn't he warned about this?
His answer came seconds later. "Well, this is unexpected," murmured Weiss, a tinge of awe present in her voice. So, not even her know-it-all stalker knew about this whip. That meant she had no idea how to fight her. One by one, his chances jumped off the bridge of hope and plummeted to their death.
"You've arrived," Goodwitch grinned. She had the eyes of a demon.
"Y-Yeah, here I am," he chuckled nervously. "That's, uh… that's a neat looking weapon you've got there."
She looked fondly at the weapon in her hand. "Impressive, is it not? It is called Cordelia's Bane. This is the weapon I used when I was a full-time huntress. I believe you're the first student in the academy to see it. Consider yourself honoured."
Lucky him…
"But what happened to your riding crop?"
"I only use that for teaching and routine missions," she explained. "It's a useful weapon and a good way of channelling my semblance, but you know what they say: nothing beats the classics. And I'm feeling nostalgic today."
She raised her whip and struck the ground with a mighty crack. Jaune could see a huge fissure in the stone floor from where the whip hit it. A small, dog-like whimper left his lips.
"Oh my," Weiss whispered in his ear, echoing his horror. "I suppose it's too late to challenge her to a simple game of chess-"
"Now then, if you're ready, let us begin!"
She snapped her fingers and the monitors displayed his and her aura. Both of them were at full bars, but Jaune had a feeling he was gonna be in the red in about two seconds. His visions of his impending demise were enough to tilt him into the yellow zone.
But maybe that was a good thing? If he went into the red quickly, Goodwitch would have to stop the fight. No matter how excited she looked, she wouldn't continue if he was low on aura, right? Right?
Before he could think more about it, he frantically raised his shield to block the incoming whip strike moving at lightning speed. The whip slammed against his shield and Jaune thought his arm would break from the recoil. The impact nearly threw him off his feet. He stumbled back but quickly regained his footing. The sound of vibrating metal echoed in the room.
Good Gods, this woman hit hard! He felt like he had tried to block a speeding truck driven by an enraged Yang! His bones rattled in his body like maracas held by someone having a seizure! And that was just from blocking! Imagine if that attack had actually hit him!
"Goodness, I felt that from here," Weiss gasped. "Okay, not to worry. I'll come up with a strategy and- ABOVE YOU!"
Jaune looked up and saw the whip coming straight down with the power of a collapsing building. He jumped out the way just in the nick of time. The ground where the whip hit exploded behind him and the force sent him tumbling across the arena. Covered in bits of debris and coughing away smoke, he wiped the dirt out of his eyes and looked around.
Goodwitch stood further away from him with a devious grin on her face. Wasting no time at all, she snapped her wrist back and the whip was sent hurting towards him again. A little better prepared this time, he managed to slap the strike away with his sword. The whip wavered in the air and immediately snapped back for another strike as if it had a mind of its own.
Every block and counter strike exhausted him. The whip was half the width of his sword, yet it carried so much strength. How could something be so flexible and so powerful? And it was so fast! His eyes could barely keep up with it. If it weren't for Weiss' warnings, he wouldn't know where it was coming from. It was moving so fast, he couldn't even move from his spot. He was stuck in one position, countering and blocking a weapon too fast to see.
"What's the matter, Mr Arc? Having trouble thinking on your feet?" Goodwitch called from miles away. "Let's see if we can fix that!"
Jaune yelped and jumped back from a whip strike aimed at his feet, then to the side when she aimed for them again. Soon, he was stepping side-to-side like he was doing a frenzied tapdance as he desperately tried to avoid Goodwitch's lashes. The fight had been going on for not even a minute and he was already tried and defeated.
"You have to get a hold of yourself!" Weiss said urgently. That was easy for her to say. She wasn't the one fighting the crazy teacher. "You can't fight her if you keep panicking like that!"
But what am I supposed to do? he wanted to stay. Lowering his guard for a second was instant death and this damn whip wasn't letting him go anywhere!
"Listen, I know how to defeat whip-users. I've sparred with Blake many times. It's important that you-"
The whip smacked against his face and he went spinning like a ballerina. The world went blurry as his eyes rolled in his head. Colourful polka dots filled his vision and he hit the ground with a crash. IQ points dribbled out of his ears as he looked up at the sky in a daze.
A single groan left his lips. So, that's what it felt like to get hit by that thing. It hurt. Good to know…
He swatted away the birds flying around his head and picked himself up. His head felt two sizes too big for his neck. Goodwitch was at least kind enough to let him find his feet again. In a daze, he pressed his finger to his ear. He could really use Weiss' advice right about now.
His blood turned to ice. The earpiece! It was gone!
He looked to his left and saw the tiny device lying on the floor, now just a broken piece of junk. Goodwitch's strike knocked it out of his ear and destroyed it! Weiss couldn't help him now! He was on his own! Curse it all!
Okay, okay, he could still do this. He had gotten into Beacon without Weiss' help, so he could probably handle Goodwitch by himself. He just needed to pick up his pride. Oh, and his sword. Yeah, that would help too. Now, where did he leave that thing? He couldn't find it on the ground.
"Looking for this?" came the voice of his doom. He looked up and felt the heavy boot of despair kicking him in the balls again.
Suspended in the air was his sword, pointing directly at him. Goodwitch's whip was wrapped around the hilt and held aloft by her semblance. Crocea Mors was now in her possession.
He could see his crestfallen face in the reflection of the blade. There had been many times where he had stared death in the face. He never thought it'd look like him when it was staring back though.
"Um… can I have that back, please?" he squeaked.
He could see Goodwitch's shit-eating grin from across the arena. "Only if you can wrest it free from my grasp. En garde, Mr Arc!"
The sword torpedoed straight for his heart. He blocked it with his shield before his once trusted weapon could cut him open. With no other means of offence, all he could do was block and dodge the blade that was striking at him with surprising grace and style. It was sad when a whip was a better swordsman than him.
This fight was impossible! Goodwitch's skill alone was enough to beat him, but combined with her semblance and now his own sword, she was unstoppable! The only reason she hadn't ended the fight now was because she was enjoying this too much.
Jaune ducked, he dodged, he weaved. Thanks to her semblance, the whip was able to get around his guard and attack his blind spots. He did the best he could, twisting and turning to block the attacks, but he was on his last legs. He hadn't landed a single hit on Goodwitch and she hadn't even moved from her original spot.
He gasped as the whip went over his shield. He ducked before Crocea Mors could cut his head off. Stupid traitorous sword! It wouldn't be getting polished when this was over!
He felt something tug at his shield. He saw the whip wrapped around it, trying to rip it out of his hands! No! This wasn't fair! He pulled back with all his might as he engaged the thieving whip in a fierce tug-of-war battle. That damn whip had the strength of the Grimm it was based on!
The whip suddenly released its grip on his shield, causing him to fall back onto his ass. He heard Goodwitch chuckling darkly. The woman was playing him for a fool.
Screw it! He was a sitting duck here and he couldn't do anything from this distance! In a last-ditch effort and with a mad warcry, he charged her!
Hiding behind his shield, he ran blindly into her personal space. If he could close the distance between them, maybe he could fight her on even ground. He looked over his shield. He was close now.
She smiled back at him, standing still. She was waiting for him.
He raised his shield in an attempt to bash her with it when he was close enough. The shield came a few inches close to her chest and stayed there. He couldn't move his arm. In fact, he couldn't move any part of him. He was frozen!
He looked down and saw the whip had sneaked up behind him and wrapped itself tightly around his waist, keeping him in place. Its grip was too strong to fight against. He might as well have been bound in chains.
"Nice try," Goodwitch smirked.
The world was a blur as the whip quickly coiled up the rest of him, spinning his entire body in the process. It all happened too quickly. When he came to, he saw himself wrapped head to toe. His arms were pinned to his sides. Escape was impossible.
His eyes widened when he saw his sword, still being held by the whip, pointing directly at his throat. He could feel the cold steel nudging against the skin. He desperately tried not to swallow.
"Beg for mercy," Goodwitch commanded in a cold, yet excited voice.
Like he had any other options left.
"I give up," he whimpered.
Goodwitch's eyes narrowed behind her glasses. The whip's grip on him didn't falter. What more did she want from him? He'd gladly get on his hands and knees and sing praises to her if he wasn't wrapped up like this! His legs would've been shaking if they weren't so tightly bound together.
"Hmm, that will have to do for now," she murmured. "You should practice pleading for next time."
Next time!?
Sweet oxygen filled his lungs as the whip's hold on him finally released. Jaune's body felt floppy. He collapsed to the floor and sucked in as much air as he could take. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the whip returning his sword to him. He accepted it with a shaky, gracious hand.
"Let's return to my office," Goodwitch said. "I fancy a spot of tea now."
"I'll be… right with you…" he wheezed. Goodwitch was already walking out of the ring. He'd join her as soon as he could feel his legs again. Perhaps it was his exhaustion playing tricks on him, but he could almost see a small skip in her step. At least someone had enjoyed themselves.
He looked up at the monitors overhead. The clock said they had been fighting for one minute. Longest minute of his life…
[/]
Yup. Goodwitch had definitely enjoyed that fight. When he saw her again in her office, she wore a big smile on her face. He felt like a fly that had just wandered into a spider's web. He resisted the urge to run and set to work making her a cup of tea. The last thing this woman needed was caffeine, but it was his job to serve her and he could tell she wanted a drink.
"How exhilarating," she said. "Nothing gets the blood flowing quite like combat, wouldn't you say?"
"As long as it's not flowing out of me," he chuckled nervously. He looked down at the tea he had made. It was perfect. He handed it to her and sat down in his usual chair.
She took a sip of her tea and hummed, satisfied with the drink. "I must say, that was very kind of you today, Mr Arc. I truly appreciate being given the opportunity to spar once again."
"Oh, it's no problem," he shrugged. "Had I known you loved fighting so much, I would've offered a long time ago."
"'Love' is a strong word. But I won't deny, I do get enjoyment from some of the more thrilling parts of the job. The adrenaline rushing through your veins, the feeling of pride when you stand over a defeated foe… it's all quite exhilarating really."
That was easy for her to say. When you were as strong as her, fighting would be a barrel of fun. For people like him though, he'd be lucky if he could escape with less than ten permanent mental scars.
Also, 'love' was exactly the right word to describe her affection for fighting. Goodwitch had that same nostalgic look on her face that his grandpa had whenever he talked about 'the good old days'. She looked lost in her memories. If he had to guess, she was thinking about the times when she was more active in the field.
When she looked at him again, her smile thinned. "Tell me, what was I like?"
Jaune frowned. "What were you like? What do you mean?"
"When we were fighting. What did I look like? How did I make you feel? Speak now and speak it true."
"Are you asking me to judge your performance back then?"
She hummed. "If that's how you wish to view it, by all means."
That's what it sounded like to him. But there was something in her eyes that suggested it was something else. There was a glint of eagerness behind those emerald orbs, not unlike how she looked when she was destroying him. Something felt wrong here.
But she has asked a request of him, and he couldn't turn her down. He spoke honestly, "I thought you were pretty much unstoppable when we fought. I never expected you to use that whip and had no idea how to fight you. It was… kinda scary actually."
He saw the corner of her lip twitch for a split second. "Interesting," she murmured. "I scared you, did I?"
"Yeah. Sorry, was that rude to say?"
"Not at all. Please, continue."
There was that eagerness again. She hid it well, but the cracks in her mask were showing.
"Um, alright then," he said. "I thought I was gonna die at one point. When you used my own weapon against me, I felt totally helpless. I've only felt that kind of fear when I'm going against really strong Grimm. It makes me glad you're one of the good guys. If you were to turn bad, forgive my language, but we'd all be screwed."
Her fingers clenched in the way they would if she were holding her whip. "Hmm, I can only imagine. It must have been truly frightening - duelling against someone like me, knowing you had little to no chance of survival."
"Survival?"
Her eyes slowly met his. "Victory. I said victory."
He swallowed nervously. "Um, sure."
"Anyway, do go on. I want to hear all about how intimidating I was."
He had prepared a long list of pick-up lines for when he needed to flirt with girls. None of them included the word 'intimidating'. If he had called Weiss that (even if she was a little) he wouldn't blame her for stomping on his heart all those times.
As he told Goodwitch all the many ways she gave him the heebie-jeebies when they were fighting, he couldn't miss the satisfied look on her face the more she learned. She was loving this. She enjoyed inspiring fear. In nature, there are prey and there are predators. Goodwitch was so far up the food chain, she didn't know which way was down.
When he was finished, she looked like a lion after a particularly filling meal. She leaned back in her chair, soaking up the last bit of information like a sponge with Weiss' ego. If this is how girls looked when they were complimented, he never wanted to do it again.
"How interesting," she smiled. "Thank you for your honesty, Mr Arc. It was very… enlightening."
"S-Sure, Ms Goodwitch…"
One of her fingers moved in small, circular motions on her desk. Her expression softened. It was less sinister now and more gentle. "It's been a while since I've commanded that much respect. It takes me back to the days when I myself was a student. Oh, I had some fine hunts back then. Even the Grimm knew better than to get on my bad side. My own team used to call me 'Glyndevil' after they saw me fighting."
I can see why, was what he was going to say, but he quickly stopped himself. Goodwitch liked being complimented on how scary she was, but how far was too far? If he was unsure of what to say, it was best just to shut up. That's what Weiss had taught him.
"I've been nailed behind this desk for too long," she sighed. "I've lost my edge. I can feel it. I haven't had the chance to properly hone my skills in years. Even as we fought today, I knew my performance was lacking. My glory days were long ago now."
"Are you serious?" Jaune said. "There's no way you're getting rusty. You kicked my butt without even trying."
"That's nice of you to say, Mr Arc, but you're just a student. Fighting you was enjoyable, but not intense."
That was the nicest way someone had ever said "I could break you with one hand tied behind my back" to him.
Looking at her melancholic face made the gentlemanly hero inside him rise to the surface. This was probably the only time Goodwitch would play the damsel-in-distress, so he had to seize the opportunity while it was there. Goodwitch was sad about losing her edge? Not to worry. He could work with that.
"I don't think you have to worry about," he said smoothly, leaning in a little closer and resting his arms on the desk. "Let me tell you a little secret: you're the only teacher in the school all us students universally respect."
Goodwitch brows creased. "What are you talking about?" she asked suspiciously.
"Everyone here knows you're the real deal," he explained. "No one wants to make you mad, not even Yang. It's because you have this natural presence around you that demands respect. None of the other teachers have that; Professor Port's too boring, Doctor Oobleck speaks too fast and Professor Peach… you know, I don't think I've seen her once since I arrived here."
"But you? You're the whole package. You've got the authority to keep us all in line, the intelligence to teach us everything we need to know, and the power to smack around Grimm into tomorrow. I speak for all of us when I say, you're the best teacher we could ask for."
Goodwitch looked at him stunned, face frozen like he had told her the secrets of the universe. He was surprised she wasn't aware of her own reputation. Everyone acted like a goodie-two-shoes in her presence. He once caught Ruby trying to straighten her cloak when she saw her walking down the hall. If you disrespected the rules, you disrespected her. And you did not want to disrespect Glynda Goodwitch.
"Is that true?" she murmured like this was news to her.
"You bet it is. And you know something else? I'm really glad you're a teacher. It's an honour to work under you. Helping you with paperwork is the least I can do to show my gratitude."
And who knows? Maybe she wouldn't kick his ass quite as hard if he did a good job.
He patiently waited for Goodwitch to pick up the pieces of her blown mind. He made a mental note to tell Weiss that Goodwitch liked being told she was scary. He'd have her come up with flirts that related to that. She was a scary person herself, she'd figure something out.
Goodwitch cocked her head and studied him. She adjusted her glasses. "You surprise me every time we meet, Mr Arc," she said. "I think I have you figured out one day, and then you prove me wrong the next."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should. I find unpredictable people to be very entertaining. You never know what they're going to do." She tilted her head up slightly and looked at the ceiling. "I met many people like you in the field. They were always the best company. They kept you on your toes."
"I bet none of them were as good looking as me though," he quipped.
Her only response was a small hum. The faintest of smiles appeared on her face. His heart skipped a beat.
The little alarm on her desk beeped once and soured his excitement. Their session was over today. A minute ago, he had been fearing for his life. Now he was begging for just a few more minutes. Screw Port's lesson, he was striking gold here!
"Oh, is it that time already?" Goodwitch said, glancing at the clock. "Well, you best head off to your next lesson then. Thank you for your help today. I wouldn't have been able to finish it all without you. And I do mean that sincerely."
"Not a problem. Glad I could help." He wasn't gonna press to stay a little longer. He wasn't that desperate. He knew when to take his leave. "I'm looking forward to our next session."
"As am I, Jaune. As am I."
He begrudgingly left the office and slugged his way to Port's classroom where two boring lectures awaited him; one from the dreary professor and one from Weiss when she would demand to know what happened back in the arena. His body and mind couldn't handle this much abuse in one day!
A sudden realisation struck him like lighting. He would've stopped dead in his tracks if it hadn't been for the tide of students pushing past him. His eyes gazed into the memory of a few seconds ago.
Did she just call him Jaune?
Yeah, yeah, I made Goodwitch's main weapon a whip. Get your kinky jokes out of your system.
And thus concludes another chapter. How will Jaune fare against another sparring session with her? Will Weiss be upset about the broken earpiece? When will Imyoshi hit the word limit in his reviews?
Find out next time on Exxxtra Credit.
