Here it is, like I promised, totally not later than I said it'd be or anything… *shifty eyes*
Anyway lets get one with it! Enjoy!
[Original post start]
I know it's a week late, but I really took my time with it. So who's ready for a wild New Years ride?:
Happy New Year Omake!
I slammed my now empty glass on the bar to get Junior's attention, motioning vaguely for him to give me a refill. The burly man glared at me, but came over regardless. I guess he was used to patrons that were less than polite; so long as they kept paying and weren't actually stupid enough to pick a fight in his club, he probably didn't care. When he stopped pouring, I reached out and gripped the bottle in his hands. Before he could curse me out, I slid a small stack of Lien towards him. He looked at the cash for a moment, and my Empathy could feel his irritation turn to hesitation. Then, after a small flash of greed, he walked away with the money, and I could feel his emotions changing to something else as he approached some of the other clubbers, but it got lost in the sea of emotion before I could feel it.
As I drained half my glass and pulled my new bottle closer, I took notice of everyone else that was within my skill's range. One kilometer was one hell of a range for a skill of Empathy's nature, but I didn't need it to know how everyone was feeling. I could already feel them with my almost all-seeing senses; some were dancing, some were talking, some were drinking, and some were doing all three. The combination of music and chatter would have been almost deafening, if I hadn't been using Levant to tone down the general volume around my ears. I could still hear everything fine, but I didn't have to strain myself to listen to someone or raise my voice to be heard.
And if I couldn't tell by how they were acting on the surface, Empathy told me the rest. Right now everyone was emitting wave after wave of joy, happiness, pleasure and the like. Vale always got like this during a celebration. People loved a chance to just cut loose for a night and party with their friends or family. And these spikes in positive emotion did nothing to strengthen the Grimm, so I guess it was a plus.
'Not like that stopped him from…' I silenced my thoughts by downing the rest of my drink. I wasn't going to think about that. That's why I was here. I was about raise the bottle to my lips, and forgo the glass altogether, when Levant let a familiar voice reach my ears.
"Jaune?" I heard behind me. I didn't have to turn to know who it was, but I did. My eyes didn't meet hers right away, since I my head was hanging, and my eyes downcast. But as she stepped closer, my bloodshot blue eyes met her golden ones.
"Hey Blake," I greeted half-heartedly. I hadn't seen her in a long time, or maybe not. Smart and wise as I was, for a guy who never ate or slept, could enter a state of meditation where time slows to a crawl, or could even speed up time around himself, time had a way of... moving differently. If I was completely honest with myself, it was nice to see her. I hadn't seen a familiar face in a long time, or maybe it wasn't so long. Like I said, time moved weird for me; and the alcohol in my system probably wasn't helping me think clearly, even if I hadn't received some kind of 'Status' saying I was drunk. That probably meant I needed more to drink.
So I turned to hunch back over the bar, lazily gesturing for Blake to pull up a seat beside me, if she wanted. As I nursed my glass and bottle, I started relaying my thoughts to Levant, and just like that, the air, and as a result the sound, shifted. With my air elemental actively filtering and shifting the air, any sounds inside our personal bubble couldn't be heard by the outside, and at the same time the outside chatter had been reduced to nothing but subtle background noise for us. I sat silently as I listened to Blake's heels click on the tile floor, stopping right next to me. It wasn't until she sat down that she spoke.
"I've been accepted into Beacon." She calmly announced, looking nowhere in particular.
Her voice may have been level, but the tickling in my mind from Empathy told me she felt a bit of pride and relief in saying it. Everyone else present had continued to emit their waves of joy and enthusiasm as they continued to celebrate, so that made it easier to focus on Blake. She was calm on the surface, and I could feel other emotions beneath that, but it felt fuzzy, like I couldn't get a clear picture. Either Blake was really good at hiding her inner emotions, or I'd had more to drink than I thought. But I wasn't so shitfaced that I couldn't ask a simple question.
"Then why aren't you there now?" I nodded towards the TV behind the bar. At the same time, I had Levant channel the audio into our personal sound bubble.
"Good evening Vale, I am your host Lisa Lavender, and we are down to the half hour mark before year XX14 ends and XX15 begins. I'm standing here in Beacon Academy's main plaza, alongside this excited crowd of students and citizens alike. We have several great bands performing tonight while we wait, including the Award Winning Duo: Dust Punk! Stay tuned as we count down the seconds to a brand new year!"
The crowd behind the announcer cheered, along with some of the clubbers around us, as I poured myself another drink. Hunter Schools were known for their impressive firework displays during the New Year. With the collective amount of dust they held, as well as the creativity of some students, the night sky would be lit like it was day when the clock struck midnight. It was meant to be a symbol of Remnant's survival; that year after year, we would come together to bring light in the darkness. Current students, teachers, future students, even some graduated students that were now Professional Huntsman would congregate on the academy grounds to watch and show off the combusting, flamboyant creations. Beacon especially had an impressive display, always centered around the tower for which the school was named. I remember seeing old photos of one display in particular where Dad almost burned down…
I gripped my now full glass and emptied it in one gulp, Xihai even stepping in to make sure I didn't choke. I brought the glass down with a gasp, noticing a little status window pop up, accompanied by it's trademark *ping*. It was probably a status saying I was now completely hammered, or maybe a skill had been created like I had told Adam, giving me resistance to the effects of booze. I was about to read it, when I noticed Blake staring at me. I saw something in her eyes that seemed to match what I felt through Empathy. Just as I started to focus on it though, she recovered and it was gone, hidden behind her usual neutral expression. I don't know why, but that look she'd just had in her eyes… it had irked me slightly.
"I... had something I felt I needed to check up on," She said, both answering my earlier question, while at the same time telling me nothing of importance. In the corners of my vision, I saw her fidget ever so slightly; and that look came back. That's when what she said clicked, as what I had been feeling under her emotional cover rose to the surface again. She was… worried. And she said she needed to… one of my eyes twitched before I gave my response.
"I don't need someone to look after me Blake," I said, and I felt her straighten up a little at my words. Knowing I'd called her out, Blake pressed forth with her next statement with less hesitation.
"I'm just worried about you Jaune," She said, her expression softening into that look of hers.
"I'm fine." I lied. "What's there to worry about?"
"Most people that are 'fine' wouldn't be drinking 180 Proof Alcohol." She pointed out, and she was right. Even if my body could handle the negative effects of such a harsh drink, it didn't mean I should be drinking it. But I didn't have to admit that.
"Why exactly do you care Blake?" I snapped, almost fed up with that look she was giving me.
"That's what... friends are supposed to do Jaune..." To her credit, her expression remained unchanged at my rather aggressive comment. I guess that could be considered impressive, since she didn't have Gamer's Mind like me. Still, her unchanged expression meant she was still giving me that f*cking look! And I'd had enough of it…
"We are not friends!" I said, raising my voice. And then something happened. Even though I was drunk off my ass, even though I was just angry and frustrated, Gamer's Mind, as well as my INT and WIS, were actually giving me bits and pieces to fit together and support my argument.
And I let it loose on Blake without a second thought.
"What exactly is the basis for our 'friendship'? I save you and your terrorist Faunus buddies once by chance, and suddenly we're best pals? No. Friends hang out together in normal environments, not in secret to plot an airship heist! They get to know each other on a personal level through interactions with each other. How did you and Adam learn who I was hmm? By stalking me? By doing a background check? Hell, most of the information I got on you comes from me using Observe, and even then I've only gotten more info because the skill leveled up!" I could see her trying to withstand my outburst, trying to just let me get it all out. But her lack of reaction just irked me more, so I turned to face her with a scowl as I continued.
"Friends wouldn't play on someone's desire to help others to get them to accept a suicide mission! You said it yourself that you considered it impossible until I came along with my semblance. And you asked me without a second thought, didn't you?! You didn't care what happened to me, even after I took off with the White Whale on my own. You just didn't want the guilt of my death weighing on your shoulders, though even if I did die, it's not like it'd be a great loss. I was just some human right?!" This time, I got a reaction, a crack in her mask. She frowned and her gaze was averted, hurt by my accusations. But even as I noticed this, I pressed on.
"Because of what you asked of me in Tukson's shop that day... do you have any idea what I've had to go through?! The power I had to control, the choices I had to make, the risks I took, not just for myself, but for my family, Vale, even all of Remnant?! Things wouldn't have turned out this way if I just trained at home! I could have been better prepared, I would have been stronger, and then…"
I bit my lip, not wanting to say the next part out loud. I held on for a moment, but then everything just boiled over.
"AND THEN MY PARENTS MIGHT STILL BE ALIVE! THEY WOULD STILL BE HERE, GETTING ME READY TO GO TO BEACON! MY MOTHER WOULD BE FUSSING OVER EVERY LITTLE THING, AND MY FATHER WOULD BE CRACKING EVERY STUPID JOKE HE COULD THINK OF! BUT INSTEAD, THEY'RE DEAD! THAT MONSTER KILLED THEM, EVEN AFTER I DID EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO STOP HIM!"
I was standing now... I don't know when that happened. My hands were clenched at my sides; I squeezed my eyes shut, and hung my head. All I ever wanted was to make them proud. All I ever wanted was to fight monsters like them, be heroes like them.
All I had ever wanted…
"…to be strong." I whispered, barely audible even to me. "That's all. I just wanted to help people. So they would stop looking at me with those eyes… eyes that were disappointed in me, eyes that looked down on me, eyes that said I was the one who needed to be looked after, the one that needed to be worried about."
I opened my eyes and slowly unclenched my fists.
"But in the end, it doesn't matter." I said at normal volume, turning back to my seat, not even wanting to look back at Blake after everything I said. "I may have become the Gamer, but I'm still Jaune Arc. I'm still a failure, I'm still a loser, and I'm still just not good enough."
I scoffed, looking lazily at my fist as I slowly opened and closed it. "I guess my semblance really does represent me. No matter what I do, no matter what my Stats say, it won't matter. Me trying to change is about as pointless as those games I used to play."
I sat in silence with my hand supporting my forehead, my rant having run its course. I waited for her response, whatever it might be. I wasn't looking at her, but I could feel her presence, both through my elementals and through Empathy. I'm not sure if it was the booze or if it was how worked up I felt, but through my whole rant I hadn't been paying attention to it. Now that I had a chance to try and focus, I could still feel everyone besides us in the club still acting all happy-go-lucky, but it was fuzzier than before. I tried to focus on Blake, only to have the same result with her. I could tell that her worry was gone… no. There was still worry there, but it was mixed with so many other emotions, and it wasn't getting any clearer. She seemed to be trying to work through what I had said, and try to calm down before she gave a response.
So I waited, and downed another half glass of alcohol while I was at it. When I felt her inhale to speak, I turned and gave her my full attention. I expected a lot of things. A cold and calculated counter argument saying that it wasn't her fault, an apology for the things she felt responsible for doing to me, hell, I even half expected her to get angry and slap me after everything I had said. But no, she didn't say any of that.
"My semblance," She began, "It lets me make a clone for me to shield myself or distract my opponents. That's how it works, but to me, it always felt like I was just running away. It felt like that's all I could do, especially after I left the White Fang, and Adam. Even after the last time you and I spoke, I still wasn't completely sure if I should try attending Beacon. I wasn't sure if I had the right after the things I'd done, or why I should try... but then I remembered something." She was looking me in the eye now, her golden irises filled will doubt and sadness, yet they held firm, determined to hold my gaze until she said everything. And for some reason, I found it strangely difficult to look away.
"When I first met you," She continued, "I didn't know who you were, where you came from, or even know your name. All I knew was that you had put your life on the line for us, for me."
She stepped forward then, leaning a little closer. "Every time I looked at you, into your eyes, I just felt something. Behind your Skills, behind your Stats, even behind that Gamer's Mind, I saw…"
I blinked as she trailed off and took a step back, her eyes widening slightly. I wasn't sure why she suddenly stopped talking, but she couldn't hold her focus to hide her emotions anymore. She was saddened, disappointed. That much I could tell. Anything else was fuzzy and unclear by her mix of emotions and the gallon of alcohol still in my system. I didn't have any time to work through it though, because I could hear Blake whispering.
"You became 'The Gamer', but you were always Jaune Arc..." Blake said, turning her face away.
"Blake…" I said, reaching a hand out to her; but as I did, Blake turned away even more, and her form blurred. As my hand entered the space Blake had been in just a moment before, her clone faded, and I was left to watch a single tear fall to the floor.
I sat there frozen for a moment, and then slowly, I retraced my hand, closing it near my chest, and turned back the bar. The party around me continued as if nothing had happened, but I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.
My head was pounding, and my face felt hot. I hunched over the bar and gripped my forehead. Why couldn't I just focus for one damn second?! I looked up, and caught my reflection in the bottle I had bought. My eyes looked tired, my face was red, and I was starting to sweat. No wonder. I had always known the types of effects alcohol had on the brain, but I didn't think it would affect me to this extent with my kind of body. Granted the amount I'd taken in tonight was probably enough to kill a few full-grown men, but I still didn't think it would impair me this much. Regardless, I wasn't going to get any answers if I couldn't focus. And I couldn't focus with all this damn alcohol in my system. So that left one thing to do.
I activated Acceleration, and the world around me slowed. This would make the alcohol run its course faster, and it would only take a few minutes of the world's normal speed, but I still couldn't think clearly just yet. So while I waited for my head to clear, I tried to think about the simplest parts of what Blake had said and work from there. She had basically said three things. She had given me a definition of her semblance, mentioned the time we had met, and said she saw... something past my semblance. What was Blake going to say? What did she mean when she said I was always me? Wasn't that the same thing I had said? Was she agreeing with me? No, that's not what it sounded like. So then what the hell did she mean?!
I groaned as I laid my forehead down on the bar, hands scratching the back of my head in frustration. How could one woman be so damn confusing?! So frustrating?! I furrowed my brows, continuing to increase the rate of Acceleration to speed up the process of both getting this alcohol out of my system and having things make some god damn sense! Images suddenly flashed through the back of my mind, just bits and pieces. Some were from the inside of a truck, some where inside a bookstore, and some were in the middle of a forest. But all of them had one thing in common. Blake.
I felt my headache ease slightly and my eyes relaxed. I also felt some kind of heat swell in my chest as I took a deep breath. Blake. She was such a strong person. Straightforward yet mysterious, so passionate about her cause, so quick to stick up for what she knew was right. She was just trying to right some of the wrongs in the world. Wrongs that people, not Grimm, made. And she was trying to shoulder a responsibility like that all on her own. Just like…
"Just like I used to…" I mumbled. A battle like that wasn't easy, and both Blake and I knew what it was like to lose what you felt was most precious. That's why I was here in the first place. She said she'd come here to check up on something. Could she have come here to try and talk to me? To comfort me? After everything I said, she had left here crying, after she had come here to help me.
The memories of the things I had said to Blake, the yelling, the accusations, the twisted words, and my frustrations, just a few minutes ago come to my forethoughts. I suddenly gasped, my head cleared, and the world around me sped up all in the same moment. The heat in my chest suddenly started to burn. I gripped it with one hand, the other on the bar counter to support myself, knocking the bottle and glass to the ground in the process. My breathing became erratic, and if I didn't already know about Gamer's Body, I would fear my chest was about to burst open. A quick scan of my Character Window and Status Screen said there was no HP damage, and my drunken Status Effect had finally passed. In fact, the only notable thing was that I had run out of Mana, probably since I kept increasing the rate of Acceleration without refueling myself with Dust Crystals. But still, I felt terrible. So what the hell was going on? I know I felt bad about being such an ass to Blake, but why did it hurt so much...?
All I knew was that I had to find Blake. I didn't know why, but I felt that finding her, apologizing to her, that would make everything ok. I didn't want her to be in pain. I didn't want her to blame herself. I just didn't want her to be alone.
No.
I just didn't want her to leave. I didn't want her to give up like I had. I had to find her. I had no idea what I was going to say once I did, but that wouldn't matter if I didn't find her at all.
So I stood up and marched towards the door, ignoring any stares sent my way, swerving in and out of the crowds like water. Once I was outside, a good chunk of my mana had regenerated. It wasn't anywhere near full yet, and my dust supply had been all but drained in the final bout with Conquest. I also didn't want to use a dust crystal because there were plenty of people on the street, and even if I did use one, it's possible Blake would see the resulting light show and know I was trying to find her. But it wasn't hopeless, I could make this work. My passive skills were all still active, and my head was clear, for the most part. I could do this. I was through giving up.
I started with Empathy. I still had that kick ass 1km range, so unless Blake really learned how to book it recently, she should still be nearby. I wasn't able to tell people apart by emotion alone, but if Blake hadn't calmed down yet, it would be easy to isolate her from all the part goers. I moved on next to Levant, asking her to try and find Blake. Air distortion of a form in similar shape to hers, voice patterns, footsteps, anything. I knew she would be spreading herself thin, but out of all my elementals, she was probably my best shot. I had my other elementals out in smaller doses, but they would only really be useful in confirmation once I thought I found her, or helping me get to her. I moved on then to clairvoyance. It took me a bit, but I found the sight that let me see Aura most clearly. Now this was my real trump. With it, I could see both locked and awakened Aura's. A locked one glowed inside the chest of its body, waiting to be unleashed. An unlocked Aura also did that, but it also flowed out and around the body, and even left a trail when used. I already knew almost every Huntsman and student, meaning almost everyone with an awakened Aura, was somewhere in a large group partying, or at Beacon getting ready to set off those fireworks. So that really limited the number of fresh Auras out on the street right now.
It took me a few minutes, but I finally found it. Heading off as fast as I could, I weaved in and out of alleyways, hopped fences, and leaped over trashcans and passed out drunks. Finally I came out to one of the main streets. I tried to focus Empathy in the trails direction. It was faint, but I felt a subtle mixture of sadness, loneliness, and loss coming from that direction. On a day like this, there was really only one person that could be in the general vicinity. So I picked up the pace, following the ever-growing trail of Blake's Aura. It flowed in bursts, probably from her using her semblance to cover ground faster. And suddenly it just stopped. No, it didn't stop, it changed direction. I looked up to where the flowing Aura continued up onto the rooftops, and it was then that I saw the sign on the front of the building.
TUCKSON'S BOOK TRADE
It was also then that Levant gave me some good news. There was some slow, subtle breathing coming from up there, and my other elementals confined what could only be a person on the rooftop. I taking one final breath, took a running start, and with a final push from Levant, leapt up to the roof in one go.
And almost introduced Blake to the bottom of my shoe in the process.
At the last moment, Blake darted to the side, too shocked by my sudden appearance to use her semblance. I asked for and got an extra push while midair from Levant, right at the moment before Gamer's Mind helped me recover from my surprise. I too rolled clumsily onto the rooftop, sprawled out on my back for a moment before sitting upright. I could still see Blake trying to sit up, and I mentally kicked myself. How much crap was I going to put her through tonight?
"Blake!" I said, quickly moving over to help her up. She looked up at me as I brought her to her feet, and looked about to say something before I interrupted.
"I'm sorry. About everything."
"Jaune…" She said, trying to get my attention.
"Not only about that just now, but back at the bar too."
"Jaune." She said again, less hesitation in her voice now.
"I was just frustrated, and drunk, and I know that's not a good excuse, but…"
"Jaune!" She exclaimed, fed up with my babbling and refusal to shut up.
"Yeah?" I asked with my eyes downcast, once again waiting for her response, whatever it may be.
"I know why you said what you said. And I know why you're here." She started, tilting her head, trying to meet my gaze through my eyelids. "But there's really only one thing you can do now to make it up to me…"
"And that would be…?" I asked, having no idea where she was going with this.
"Raise your head, and look me in the eye." She said softly.
Slowly, almost mechanically, I did as she asked. Our eyes met, her glowing orbs of gold with my sea blue. She looked into them for what seemed like eternity, but I could feel the changes. Her breathing leveled again, her emotions began to lighten, even her Aura seemed to become a little brighter at the sight of whatever she was looking for.
And then she smiled. I could see it, even in the darkness of the rooftop. It was filled with so much relief, so much happiness, so much joy that it reminded me of what I'd been feeling all around us all night long. She let go of a breath I'm not sure she knew she had been holding, before breaking out into and even bigger smile, if that was possible.
"Blake?" I asked, now that she appeared to have no intention of running off again. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," She almost purred, a complete 180 from her behavior at the club earlier. As cute as it sounded, I tried not to let it distract me.
"What did you mean before, when you saw something past my semblance? And what were you looking for just now?"
"They say the eyes are the gateways to the soul Jaune." She said, knowing exactly what I was asking. "What I saw in your eyes back in that club wasn't the same as when we met."
"And what did you see?" I asked the obvious.
"Hope," She said with a smile, cheesy as it sounded. "Determination, passion, conviction, selflessness. A will to never give up. I saw all of that in you, and you displayed it time and again. But when I saw you in the club tonight, those qualities weren't there. And it broke my heart to see that you had given up on everything you had worked for, everything you had become."
I began to lower my head again, my eyes beginning to fall, but Blake raised her hand to my cheek, keeping me eyes level with hers. "You and I both said before that you became the Gamer, but you were always Jaune Arc. But we meant different things. And as I look into your eyes now, I see that passion sparked again..."
She closed her eyes and smiled, tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so happy you didn't stop trying, so happy you didn't give up..."
I embraced her then, letting her tears fall soak into my sweater, her head tucked into the crook of my neck. I looked out into the distance, at the glowing tower for which Beacon was named, and sighed. I felt good. And even though Blake's tears were cold, I felt a familiar heat swelling in my chest.
Blake pulled away soon after, and raised her head to meet my eyes once more. I looked back into hers; golden eyes filled with such hope and joy and wonder, and smiled. I hadn't smiled like that in a really long time. She leaned forward then, as did I, and in the distance, I could hear the citizens of Vale chanting, counting down in anticipation.
And when they reached zero, the fireworks went off, illuminating the night sky in a beautiful array of colors.
But to Blake and I, standing on the roof of that bookshop, our lips intertwined, those fireworks couldn't even compare to the sparks that flew between us in that moment.
-]End original post[-
I'll admit to a little editing at the end, but only because I accidently switched the perspective when I shouldn't have. The original was:
[She leaned forward then, as did I, and in the distance, you could hear the citizens of Vale chanting, counting down in anticipation.
And when the people reached zero, the fireworks went off, illuminating the night sky in a beautiful array of colors.
But to the two teens that stood one the roof of a certain bookshop, their lips intertwined, those fireworks couldn't even compare to the sparks that flew between them in that moment.]
Hope you guys enjoyed. Like I said, this one I consider one of my Masterpieces, if not THE masterpiece.
Normally I wouldn't beg or fish for reviews, but if you want to show your reactions to any of my Omakes, I'd like it to be this one.
More to come soon! Until then!