A/N: Well, I'm back with another mediocre chapter. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this one...
NexusBladeguard: Well aren't you a nice one, you!
GhostHornet & Cain(guest): See, these two get what I was feeling with the last chapter! Also Cain, you're gonna have to wait a while until I reach season two with this fic... sorry...
Twilight Rift: Like with Cain(guest), you're gonna have to wait for a long while before the sails start to unfurl on this ship. At least, that's what I think you're talking about. Damn, I need a better schedule...
Guest(guest) & EmperorLulu21 (currently renamed SnapDragon21): Oh, so you don't like it if Jaune's gay or bi? On a place populated with those types of fics and shippings and people like that? Well, I guess that's oka- NO IT'S NOT!
tsun: Ooh, sorry, person. I was in the middle of this chapter when you gave that reply, so you probably wont get much plot today, just some exposition. I promise to continue on with the plot after this chapter... unless you don't really think of the 'Forever Fall' mini-ARC as more plot. In that case, then after the next chapter.
Let's go!
Jaune woke up rather giddy this morning. It was finally the weekend, and after a long week of being swamped with work (including several essays from Professor Oobleck on 20 pages of their textbook) he was finally free to do what he wanted. And what he wanted right now, more than anything, was to check up on his plants that bloomed on Monday morning. Still, as a team leader, duty calls- it was his turn to make breakfast.
As he finished, he smiled at his odd little garden. There were small herbs and flowers and little fruit-bearing plants spanning the length of their windowsills, which were wide and allowed ample room for his plants to grow. The plants had various colours, with petals that were a bright yellow, a vibrant purple or oddly black. There were fruits that looked red and juicy, white and dainty, blue and… misshapen (and also hard to shield from Nora). The herbs, for the most part, looked the same, with the only differences being the number and shape of the leaves.
"You seem awfully chipper this morning." He turned to face a slowly awakening Pyrrha Nikos.
"Morning, Pyrrha. I just didn't have enough time the past week to catch a break and smell the flowers." He gestured over to his quaint little garden.
"Yes, they are lovely, and they smell quite fragrant. You put quite some care into them."
"Yeah, they remind me of my little home. Sure, my family may have migrated place to place, but every now and then we stopped to rest our wings. And the place we always stopped at between trips was a quaint little cottage in the woods. Where exactly on a map, though, I can't remember." She got out of bed, and headed toward their little dining table. She viewed the contours of his body, and the smile on his face.
Well, I can't deny that his grin and overall body structure is cute. It's also a plus in my book that he didn't know who I was. Too bad, though. It seems that Blake has been watching him closely lately, and far be it from me to take another person's heart without permission. Though, I will ask, "Why?"
"Birds don't really need maps to find their nesting grounds, and neither does my family. But so far, it's the only place where these things grow."
He heard me! Play it off, Nikos!
It's amazing how that last sentence was the only part that was true. And I thought I was the one supposed to lay down thick lies.
Be quiet, little devil. "I remember the days we spent there as we rested our weary bodies. Dad would go out and play with us," Time to wake up Team Sloth. "Meanwhile, mom and my oldest sisters would go into the kitchen and make us delicious, rowan berry PANCAKES."
"WHOSAIDPANCAKES!" The roar of the pink thunder managed to stir the peaceful lotus lily lying in the bed beside her, much to his dismay.
"Jauune, whyyy?"
*chuckle* "Sorry, partner. I needed a way to get both of you up from your cursed slumber. C'mon, food's ready. Scrambled eggs and toast for two, and pancakes for Nora." He watched from the windowsill, looking at each member of his team as they ate.
"Jaune, I don't see your plate anywhere."
"I already finished my seafood omelet, my plate's in the sink." He turned his head to face the Spartan. "So, Pyrrha, no homework to be done?"
"The notes on my scroll say 'no'." He turned his head to face his partner.
"We had no itinerary for the weekend, right Ren?"
"No, we did not." He- guess what? - turned his head towards Nora.
"Do we have to get any groceries?" Jumping out of her seat, she did a quick run through of the fridge, the cupboards, her extra stash, and Ren's extra stash of pancake ingredients.
"Nope!"
"Good." With a small amount of effort, he picked up his two gardens in an impressive balancing act. "I'll be in the Beacon lab for the next few hours."
With such a wide array of students attending Beacon, and with such a huge variety of weaponry, there are bound to be students with special armaments. Some use no bullets, while some are merely for supporting others rather than being pure offence. Every now and then, however, the academy receives a student that requires certain chemicals to be used in their weapon. As such, the Beacon lab was added 3 years ago to give students a safer, more controlled environment than their dorms, the gardens, or the Emerald Forest to do their work.
"Why, Jaune?"
"Well, guys, in case you don't remember, during our truth-or-dare session with Team RWBY two weeks ago I mentioned something about making special oils from these things." An excited Nora slammed down her sixth plate.
"Ooh, ooh, I wanna come watch!"
"Sorry, Nora, but I need a quiet, focused environment to do this in. Several of these oils are dangerous, Aura or not, and I need to make them safe. And that requires peace, quiet, and for my sake some loneliness." A slightly concerned Pyrrha and Ren looked at each other.
"How about one of us come help you in the lab?" He shot them down too.
"Sorry, but I can't. One, I'm literally the only one in Beacon who can do this complicated procedure. Second, it wouldn't be fair to Nora." The girl in question just looked at her two other teammates, arms crossed, and released a low-pitched, lengthened, 'mmph-hmph'. "So, we all good?" Begrudgingly, the NPR of Team JNPR nodded. "Alright, we good. Once again, sorry guys." With that, Jaune withdrew cooly.
Liar, liar, you don't tell the truth. Liar! Liar! Can't nobody see-
Shut up, little devil.
- 3 ½ hours later -
Lunch in the cafeteria was always a hectic affair. No matter where on Remnant, students will be noisy, sloppy, and chaotic during this free period. Beacon, of course, was not free from this. And why would they, in a school full of impulsive teenagers with advanced abilities trying to establish an adult identity? But as they say, there's always an eye in the storm. At this moment, that eye was the rather tranquil table of Teams RWBY and JNPR. Well, tranquil for them at least.
"And so then I said, 'Now that-'"
*SLAM* "Sorry I'm late, guys." Looking away from Ruby, the group laid their eyes on Jaune, who sat next to Nora with two platefuls of tempura, calamari, and fried fish filet.
"You do realize that all that oil is bad for you, right?"
"And that's why you'd make a great team medic, Ren." Yang caught his attention.
"So, I hear you've been working on some oils. Care to let me have a try?"
"I will admit, Arc, I am curious as to what you were doing in the lab." He scoffed.
"The things I made were not beauty products. They're for a different use. Anyways, Ruby?" She looked up from her plate of cookies and milk.
"Hmm?"
"Care to spar with me?"
"Sure!" The friendly match between both team leaders had each camp buzz with excitement.
"You better watch that (admittedly fine) ass of yours, Vomit-boy, or Ruby's gonna serve it to ya!"
"Oh yeah? Jauney can beat her without sweating a drop!... Wait, can birds sweat?" Both of their heavy hitters were standing on the table, loking into each other's eyes while Ren just watched with a silent sigh. And while waving a 'Team JNPR' flag.
"This will be an interesting match." Came the voice of Team RWBY's personal ninja. Go Jaune!
"Go Jaune!" Exclaimed one redheaded Amazon.
"I think you'll find that no member of Team RWBY is a pushover, especially our namesake."
"Of course I get it, Weiss, we've all been friends for six weeks now. So let's forget about that spar for a second. Ruby, what was that story you were telling these guys about earlier?"
In the middle of the arena, a certain reaper was tapping her foot impatiently.
"Where the hell is he? He's been in the locker room for ten minutes already! Nobody takes that long to gear up!" Their friends in the stands weren't exactly being patient, either.
"Vomit-boy, the hell?"
"I worry for Jaune. He'd be disqualified by now in a tournament."
"Seriously, what is that dunce doing?" After she said this, Jaune practically ran out of the locker room.
"Sorry guys! I'm trying to test something in today's spar, and I guess I took too long to prep." Ruby waved her arms around angrily.
"You're damn right you took too long! And- wait, did you say something new?" Stars formed in her eyes. "What is it? A new weapon? Did you finally modify your old one!? Did you turn it into a gun!? A flamethrower!? A LASER SWORD!? Oh, oh, does it have anything to do with your shield that you don't have on you right now?" It was true: Jaune didn't have his shield on hand. As a matter of fact, he didn't have any of his armor on! All he had on was a black tee, jeans, sneakers, and his gloves, and all he had was his sword, alongside an odd golden belt. "IS IT YOUR BELT!?" He held up a hand.
"Woah there, hold on! You're about to find out, keep yourself in check." From behind him, he took out a towel, and started to wipe Crocea Mors. "What, are you too fast?"
"You know I'm faster than that! Now then, you ready to rumble?"
"Hell Y-"
*SLAM* "HOLD IT!" Drawing fear from the students (he wish he did), it was the magnificent, the manly, the glorious, the STUPENDOUS, the Emperor of Manliness with the world's greatest mustache, in stomped Professor Peter Port. "You cannot hold a match in the arena without a teacher present, it's in the handbook! And what's worse, you forgot to invite me as a spectator!" All the students there cringed before letting out a combined 'Sorry'. "Ho ho ho, for now, it's alright. If the arena log is correct, then this is your first time sparring outside of class, is it not? Well, now that I have arrived, begin!"
The two people in the middle were stupefied for a bit. Could they really just start like this? Well, Ruby was indifferent as she rushed in, scythe shining, and semblance active. Before she could get the first hit in, as she always does in a Beacon-academy sparring match, Jaune's foot met her face.
"What the crap?!"
Mind's eye: check!
The students on the stand were wide-eyed. Did somebody actually counter Ruby and shatter her first-hit streak?
"Hey, what just happened?"
"HAHAHA! Go, Jauney, GO!"
"Wha- how did that plebian do it? Nobody else here is able to counter Ruby's speed! As a matter of fact, Jaune's fallen prey to it many times in the past!" Pyrrha put her hand to her chin in wonder and thought.
"You're right, even I have some trouble with Ruby near the beginning of the match. But Jaune was able to effortlessly counter her, and even knew she went to attack him from behind. Not even a Faunus should be able to sense her like this." Blake's bow twitched at this.
That's true… whenever she starts to blur, it becomes impossible for a Faunus with senses like mine to catch her. All Jaune has going for him should be his 'eagle eyes', and they've never caught our Scarlet Blur before.
But as Ren watched Jaune kick Ruby, he noticed something- Jaune's eyes were closed. But as one skilled in Aura such as himself, he knows that Aura sensing is impossible. Maybe… didn't Jaune say he was doing something involving special oils?
"No time for shock, Ruby! Comin' at ya!" Activating his own semblance, Crocea Mors slammed into Ruby with the force of a cyclone. Wait, cyclone?
"Oh, right, you didn't want to show your semblance to any of the other students."
"Trump cards are trump cards, Ruby. Engarde!" Trailing his sword behind him, he rushed towards the reaper. Plunging Crescent Rose into the ground, Ruby took her signature sniper stance. Cocking her baby, she fired at the advancing knight. Moving his left hand to protect his body, the bullets bounced off, producing alight 'ping' noise with every deflection. Metallica: check!
"Wait, what?" Shifting her eyes to the screen, she saw that Jaune lost only less than ONE percent of Aura. "Ren's sessions are REALLY efficient… Maybe I should try?"
"Ruby, watch yourself now!" Turning her attention to the knight, she saw that he was right on top of her, sword raised high. Removing her weapon from the ground, she quickly sidestepped far away from the Faunus hunter. "You know I can still reach you, right? Flying Knife!" Cutting the air vertically, Jaune sent a crescent-shaped wave of cutting wind toward her way. Rolling out of the way, the thorny rose took several potshots at Jaune, who deflected each bullet. This transaction continued for a while, before Jaune missed one of Ruby's shots and was propelled backwards. What, a forty-second long boost? Don't remember the Mind's Eye oil working for this long…
As Ruby continued to race around him, delivering shot after shot, Jaune switched tactics. Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a towel soaked in… something. As he did his best to dodge all the rounds, Jaune wiped the towel across Crocea Mors. Placing the cloth back into his pocket, Jaune gathered the air around his sword. Feeling satisfied with the amount, Jaune launched a wide surge of wind across the arena in an area Ruby was to pass through just seconds later. "Brimstone Squall!"
"What are-" Even with her keen sniper eyes, for some odd reason she completely missed the fact that the floor directly ahead of her looked moisturized and slippery. As soon as she made contact, the rosy reaper spun out. "Whoaah!" Before she got too dizzy, Ruby jammed Crescent Rose into the ground in an attempt to stop herself from sliding any further. Shaking her head to clear the dizziness, she turned to look at Jaune. "What was that cheap move for?"
"Sorry. I'm trying out some of the new things I mentioned earlier." Unfurling his wings, he rose into the air, brandishing his sword once more. "Aerial Ace!" Sword pointed straight forward, Jaune charged towards Ruby at high velocity.
"Just because I can't run well right now doesn't mean I can't block! OR counter!" Twirling her scythe, she was able to knock away the airborne swordsman.
That may be true, but you won't be able to win this test run. Soaring back over to the rose, the two engaged each other in close quarters combat. As Ruby nailed him in the chest with a smack from Crescent Rose's relatively more blunt side, she noticed something was off.
I'm… Slowing down? It was subtle, but her arms and legs felt like they were treading through lead, and her blows had less of an impact than before. Looking about her body, she saw that the mysterious oil she slipped in was slowly turning into a sap-like substance.
Well, that was faster than I expected it to be… Let's speed up the process! "Barrier Daora!" Around him, the wind swirled fiercely, granting Jaune a raging barrier of wind. The barrier passively increased the rate at which Ruby slowed down. This was visibly noticeable in Ruby's futile attempts to move more not working. Soon enough, the battle reached a disappointed end, as the adhesive covering Ruby was currently so strong that Ruby's hand only moved at a rate of 1 millimeter per second. "Sorry, Ruby, but that's the end."
"Well, that was disappointing." Looking behind him, Jaune saw that Professor Port and the rest of his friends were heading towards him and Ruby. "True, it would seem that you won, but that ending was disappointing. Very anticlimactic." Jaune gave him a sheepish look, and shrugged.
"Well, I'm not sure about Rubes over there, but this was mostly a test run for me." The professor raised an eyebrow.
"A test run?" Weiss got irritated and poked her finger against Jaune's chest.
"Quit stalling and explain, Arc!"
"Calm down, Weiss. Look, I'm pretty sure our resident guru Ren has figured it out already, but I was making sure that some of the things I made while in the lab actually worked like I wanted them to. And by the way, today will be the only time I'll be using them in battle. Once I'm done testing them out, the batches I've made will go into storage until they're actually needed, like, say, Beacon being invaded."
"What? C'mon, powerups like those would seem really cool!" Jaune shook his head.
"No can do, Yang. I can't make a ready supply of these at Beacon, since the oils come from very unique sources that can only be harvested once." The brawler 'tch'ed. "Sooo… who wants to help me with the next batch?" The rest of his friends looked at each other, then they looked behind Jaune at Ruby, who managed to open her mouth wide enough to speak.
"Not reco'ended." Looking at each other once more, they all decided to hightail it out of there.
"Hey! Wait! Come back!"
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Falconia. An isolated region of plenty, the inhabitants have long tried their best to not interact with the four officialized kingdoms. However, due to the exploits of Jaune's father during his years as a student of Beacon, the eye of the world's rulers noticed Falconia. Wanting to protect their peoples and to prevent bloodshed, Jaune's father underwent various peace talks with the rulers of each of the kingdoms for the past twenty years. One part of these talks was the addition of Falconia as a fifth kingdom. Another included trading.
Falconia was pretty bland. Despite having dust mines, they weren't on par with the rest of the world. The ores from this land were pitifully common, too, and their technological advancements weren't as stellar as Atlas's or Vales, although their cloaking device is phenomenal. Regardless, what were they to trade with the nations of the world? Plants.
Due to Falconia's unique climate and isolation, amazing species of flora spawned, none of which could be found anywhere else in the world. These plant species have evolved in different ways- some plants are able to spit seeds out with the force of a bullet. Others were capable of producing fruit far more nutritious than the berries and apples of the other kingdoms. And the ones that Jaune's using are, as one can guess, capable of producing special juices.
Alone, these juices aren't beneficial, and some are even harmful to both humans and Faunus. However, due to careful chemistry, these plant juices can be combined to form powerful ores, capable of rendering one's body as hard as platinum or increasing one's reflexes to asinine levels. Aside from boosting a person's abilities, some oils can also be used offensively. One example is an oil that has little to no friction, that then hardens into a powerful adhesive. Another is an oil that, when ignited by a flame, explodes into a brilliant flash of light, both harming and blinding an opponent.
Thanks for the unnecessary lesson, nerd.
Shoo, Devil-Jaune! Get out of here!
A/N: See? Mostly an exposition and a fight chapter that even the other characters dislike. Somehow, I still don't know what to feel about this chapter... Forever Fall, you're next!
BTW please leave a review or PM me. I really want those things in my email.
Paalam na!