Here we go, it's been a while. I've been exceptionally busy lately so writing fell onto the back burner. And I have to say that will continue for a bit. Next week I am taking a girl out in London on Mon-Wed. Then the Thurs-Sunday I am doing business meetings (working all through weekend) then the following week I am training two new staff, while also needing to do my writing for work… Fit into this that I also have to write a review on the hotel I will be staying at (in exchange for me getting a few nights in London for free)… Crikey. I might just write the hotel review in advance… cheating, but meh.
Thanks to everyone for the love for the new story idea on my profile. I've already written the preview and chapter 1, 50% of the way through chapter 2, and Super Saiyan Cyndaquill has kindly offered to beta it on top of this. I'll be looking to have 5 chapters fully written before I start releasing it, so I can keep on top of it. Maybe 2 months from now it should be out?
I've tried to address points some reviewers had in this (and future) chapters, mainly that my focus is so heavily on certain characters that I am neglecting others. As a romance fic, obviously the focus will be on Blake and Jaune, and Yang is Blake's partner… so she gets a lot of time too. But that's no excuse to miss other people out. Hopefully this will address that a little.
This is kind of a two-part chapter though, with this being part one. Otherwise the full thing would have taken a week or two longer, and been about 20k words.
Beta: Super Saiyan Cyndaquill
Chapter 13
Pyrrha shuffled slightly as another Beacon student bumped into her, accepting the mumbled apology as they all squeezed their way into the confined auditorium hall. The room had been spacious enough to accept their full year group when first organising their teams, but clearly hadn't been designed to accommodate every student in Beacon.
Jaune looked to be faring no better beside her, the press of bodies forcing him to stand hip-to-hip with her. Something she was secretly quite pleased with, despite how uncomfortable she was. Ren and Nora stood in front of them, one of them waiting patiently, while the other visibly shook with excitement.
"This is a little ridiculous!" Jaune huffed as the team fought to maintain their cohesion among the press of bodies. Pyrrha hummed her agreement, even as she strained her neck to see the stage over the heads of her peers. Glynda Goodwitch stood there, her firm expression giving away little. But the fact that she stood off-centre in the stage suggested she was waiting for the Headmaster to address them all.
There was no way this was just a regular announcement. This had to be related to the Grimm incursion.
Many others seemed to have realised the same, since the thrum of chatter among the student body was almost deafening. It was impossible to pick out any detailed conversation; such was the level of noise. It was almost comparable to the deep humming of a large machine.
It all went silent though, as the Headmaster walked slowly across the stage. His cane echoing loudly on the wooden floor as he approached the centre of the platform. To Pyrrha's eyes he looked no different from usual, whether that was tantamount to the level of control he had, or the news he was about to give – she had no idea. Though she supposed they would soon find out.
"Students of Beacon." The white-haired man began, as he looked out over each of them. "Thank you for attending the call here today. I realise the situation here is a little cramped. So I will be as blunt as possible." The man paused here, stepping to the side and pointing a small remote at the wall behind him as a large projection splashed across the wall. Many in the audience gasped, and Pyrrha was surprised to find herself amongst them.
The picture was an aerial shot of Grimm. But not just a single Grimm. Thousands, all moving together, and it seemed in one direction as well. Instantly the hall descended into chaos as students shouted out questions, while others loudly talked among themselves in efforts to understand what they were seeing. Pyrrha caught Jaune's eyes as he nodded. This was similar to what he had seen, what he had told them.
Hearing about it from Jaune had been worrying, but seeing the numbers herself was almost soul-destroying.
"Silence!" Glynda Goodwitch's voice echoed out over the hall, instantly suppressing every other person as quiet slammed into place like a steel trap. The man on the stage nodded to her in thanks.
"This image was taken by an Aerial reconnaissance team and forwarded to the Vale military mere moments before the vehicle, and its pilots were lost. As you can see, the Grimm are travelling in unprecedented numbers. The threat, I am afraid, is very real."
The Headmaster turned around again, this time cycling through a few images before he stopped on one that showed what looked to be a well-fortified town. Nothing unusual as far as pockets of civilisation outside the major cities went. Though this one had a tall stone wall, instead of the wooden palisade wall of Elgard.
"This is the town of Magnis, one of the first excursions we made outside the city of Vale. Because it was to be the first of its kind, and we did not know how large a threat the Grimm would be, it was built to be easily defended." Another image came through, this time a simplistic map of the town, which showed it was almost a perfect square with four walls for the edges. Pyrrha almost thought it looked like what a child might draw if they were asked to design a castle from their imagination – incredibly simplistic, nothing more than four walls and four towers. Simple, functional, built for purpose. If you were building something you were not sure would last, she supposed it made sense not to add anything to make it look good.
"Magnis has been chosen by Vale to become the point at which we face the Grimm incursion. Hunters from across Vale, and from other kingdoms, have been travelling to Magnis for the last week in efforts to shore the defences. The final defence of Magnis will be a combined effort of Hunters, Vale military, and also the Atlas military. The defence of Magnis will not be the responsibility of Hunters-in-training."
That declaration drew commotion from the crowd. Some shouting out in protest, while others sighed in relief. Pyrrha was not sure which she felt herself. If the Grimm were so numerous then she wasn't afraid to admit she was worried of having to face them. On the other side of things though, she was adult enough to realise that if the defence failed, then they would all likely be swept aside and killed by the Grimm. On the other hand, Magnis was a fortified town that was now probably the most military location in Vale, not only would they be able to contribute and maybe decide their own fates there – but it might be safer than Vale.
Beyond all of that, she didn't want to be a bystander in what would decide their fates.
"Students of Beacon -" The Headmaster spoke out over the noise. The crowd went silent as they waited to listen to what he would say next. "- will be involved in preparing Magnis for the upcoming siege, as well as evacuating the town as the Grimm approach."
Pyrrha let out a quiet sigh of relief. They would be allowed to help, thank the Gods.
"This preparation might include construction work, guarding locations of importance, gathering materials, organising rations or any of a myriad of other tasks. These efforts are vital to the defence of Magnis, and the continued stability of Vale. So I shall expect no less but for you all to carry yourself as proud students of Beacon, and the future Hunters and Huntresses you will one day become. Individual team assignments will be sent to your scrolls, but you must all prepare to depart within two hours. Do not disappoint us."
If the effect the first image had on the crowd was incredible, then this was worse. The departure of the two teachers pushed the auditorium into chaos. Voices were raised in conversation or just general shouting, while everyone did their best to push their ways towards the exits to prepare. Pyrrha was jostled from side to side, as the press of bodies swept team JNPR along with them, the push of bodies forcing them out of the main doors where they could finally breathe and move unhindered.
"I'm sure they could have just sent the details to our scrolls." Ren pointed out as he began to dust down his clothes. Behind him Nora was still being pushed along in the bodies, though the loud "wheee" that she was making suggested it was more by design than accident. She would catch up with them, Pyrrha supposed.
"I wonder what we'll be doing though." Jaune asked, as the three of them made their way back to their dorm. "I haven't gotten anything on my scroll yet…"
"I'm not sure. You'll let us know when you get something though?" Pyrrha asked her leader rhetorically, accepting his quick nod back as confirmation. She hoped it would be something they could actually be good at though. The Headmaster had mentioned construction work, and she didn't know the slightest about that!
They arrived at their rooms a few minutes later, in time to find Nora waiting impatiently for them, having somehow not only arrived earlier than them. But also having packed her own bags perfectly. Pyrrha watched in amusement as she then proceeded to spend the next twenty minutes interfering with Ren trying to pack his own. While the male gunman showed a level of patience Pyrrha honestly found incredible.
The Headmaster hadn't warned them of how long they might need to stay at Magnis, so she had decided to bring as much as she reasonably could herself. Including her sleeping back and their shared tent. Each of the teams had their own large tent that could contain the four of them, though they had split it into four sections so they could share the weight of it. Beyond that, a few changes of underwear, a spare set of clothing – if she was going to be building all day she wasn't doing it in her armour – and some basic camping supplies.
It was while she was checking over her packed supplies that she heard a light knocking on their door. A brief glance showed confusion on Jaune's face, but since he was still busy packing his own equipment, she decided to answer for her team. As the door swung open, she was greeted by the face of a person she had met before, but whose name she honestly couldn't remember.
"Hey…" She trailed off uselessly as she racked her brain. His bright blue hair and lightly tanned skin were certainly memorable enough, and it wasn't like she didn't remember him. He had been with Sun in the library and they had met briefly – but he'd spent the time flirting with Weiss, and they hadn't exactly talked…
"Heh, it's Neptune." The man grinned back, showing pearly white teeth as he gave her a small wave with one hand. Pyrrha flushed slightly at having been caught not knowing his name, but he waved it off. "No worries, we didn't exactly speak. I've been assigned to your team for the mission since me an' Sun are kind of stuck here."
"Oh, well okay then. Welcome to the team." Pyrrha greeted with a smile as she let him into the room. Since they would be working and camping out anyway, an extra person didn't really mean any big changes, bar an increase in their combat power.
"Hey team JNPR!" Neptune greeted the rest as he stood with his hands in his pockets, and a friendly smile on his face. "The name's Neptune. I'll be hanging with you guys until the rest of my team makes it to Magnis. Sun's over with team RWBY."
"I'll bet he's pleased with that." Jaune mumbled from where he was fighting to force his sleeping bag into his pack.
"Oh yeah, though I'm not sure Blake is. Or Weiss." The blue-haired man laughed back. Pyrrha didn't miss how Jaune's body tensed slightly at the words, nor could she ignore the dropping feeling within her own stomach.
"We need a new team name!" Nora shouted excitedly, popping up in front of Neptune so suddenly that he actually backed up. "What's your last name!?"
"Uh… Vasilias?"
"Oh…. MY…. GOD!" Nora screamed as she jumped in place. "We have the same initials, that is literally the bestest thing ever! REN! MEET OUR NEW BESTIE!" With that scream she dragged the new guy off to their corner of the room to enforce immediate friendship between the two reluctant males. Jaune simply blinked.
"Well, team name is easy I guess. JNNPR."
"I guess so." Pyrrha accepted as she sat down on the bed next to him, watching him go back to finishing his supplies. "You okay Jaune? You seemed a little off when Neptune mentioned team RWBY."
She didn't want to sound badgering. She knew her concern sometimes grated on his nerves, because he wanted to accomplish things on his own. But she couldn't help her feelings, or that she wanted to help him whenever she could.
"It's nothing too serious." Her crush deflected in his usual manner, causing a small sigh to escape from her lips.
"If it's serious enough to upset you Jaune, then it's serious to me. You don't have to tell me… but if I can help in any way I will. You're special to me, remember?" She recalled their words together on the rooftop the other night, hoping he would maybe glean her true meaning. As usual, he did not.
"Thank you Pyrrha." He replied simply. Spending a few more minutes packing his bags, as she watched on in silence. Eventually though, his shoulders seemed to slump. "I think I messed up a friendship, and now they won't talk to me."
"Blake?" Pyrrha guessed easily, feeling a rush of pleasure as he nodded, before experiencing an immediate rush of shame as a result. How was it possible to feel such conflicting emotions, that she could be pleased he was having trouble with Blake, but then ashamed at herself?
Wasn't Blake her friend? Wasn't Jaune too, and more than that?
"We were fine… then things got… I don't know. Except now things are awkward, and we haven't spoken since."
Leaning across the bed gently, Pyrrha patted his shoulder sympathetically as she moved over to sit by him. Nora was still making more than enough noise to give them some privacy, but she still wouldn't risk revealing his problems so easily.
"When did she stop talking to you?" She asked, internally wondering what she was even supposed to do in this situation. She knew she was jealous, and also knew the exact reason why. But beyond Yang's teasing and her own insecurity, she wasn't sure if there was anything romantic between Jaune and the faunus girl.
"Yesterday. I said something, and she just huffed and walked away. What am I supposed to do?"
Pyrrha hesitated. This was the moment, wasn't it? She could offer him poor advice, tell him to give Blake time and not bother her, and their new relationship would quickly die out. Jaune would lose a good friend - Blake too. But she would have Jaune to herself, wouldn't she?
"Talk to her." She forced the words out of her mouth. "Friends have fights, it's only been a day. If you think you were wrong, then apologise." As the words continued to come from her mouth, she found them easier – as though a heavy weight lifted from her shoulders. "Sometimes, even when you think they are the ones who are wrong, it doesn't hurt to apologise."
"You think that will work?" He asked uncertainly, and it broke her heart to see him look so sure his friendship would be over. Further proof that she had made the right decision.
"I promise it will." She assured with a smile. Blake, for all her quiet personality, was hardly one to hold a grudge. Pyrrha was sure she would accept Jaune's apology for whatever he had done, and if she did not? Well, perhaps she could have a word.
"Thanks Pyr!" Jaune grinned as he gave her a hug with one hand, causing her own smile to widen even as her cheeks darkened slightly. She always loved when he used that little nickname for her, if only because he only used it when he was happy. "I've never had female friends before, so I'm a little useless."
"You have me and Nora, and all of team RWBY." Pyrrha reminded him, though perhaps it was a little bit of an embellishment when it came to Weiss, at the very least they were cordial. She could see his point though, she had pretty much decided that she wanted Jaune to be her friend the moment he had treated her like a normal person, while Nora had become his friend due to being on the same team – and her general bubbly manner. She wasn't sure what had sparked the friendship between Ruby and Jaune, but that meant Yang came as default, if only to look after her sister. Blake was possibly the first female friend Jaune had actually gone out and befriended on his own.
"Those two are adorable." A masculine voice piped up as Pyrrha's green eyes scanned from side to side. She and Jaune were sat, with him giving her one a hug from his side, while she leant her head into his side. Across from them sat the blue haired newest member with a big smile on his face, while Nora was leaning over his shoulder.
"I know, right!?" The bubbly ginger girl crowed as Pyrrha and Jaune flew apart from one another blushing.
As Nora and her new friend laughed, Jaune stuttered his denials, and Ren enjoyed having a moment's peace. Pyrrha couldn't help but smile.
It seemed their team was closer than ever.
Ruby smiled to herself as the tiny Bullhead began to pull into the sky and away from Beacon Academy. After their last mission, she had been nervous of heading out again so soon. But from the briefing she'd received on her scroll she knew Magnis had literally hundreds of fully trained Hunters now staying there. So there wasn't going to be any lost teammates this time round.
She was strapped in next to Weiss, while Blake, Sun and Yang were across from them. The blonde faunus was currently chatting to Blake, though it was clear to Ruby that the girl wasn't particularly interested in what he was saying. In fact she looked like she would prefer to be anywhere other than next to him.
That was sad.
When he had been added to their team Ruby had just been glad to have a new person to talk to. Sure, she'd thought it might be a little awkward adding a boy to an all-girl team, but this was only for the mission outside Beacon. It wasn't like he would be sleeping in their room or anything.
It was sad to see the guy so into Blake however, when the feeling clearly wasn't returned. She supposed she couldn't expect Blake to like him back, you couldn't force people to like who you wanted to, after all. But it still made her feel a little awkward to be able to see that fact when he could not.
"And usually that is me with Arc." Weiss spoke quietly from Ruby's side. Prompting the younger girl to offer her partner an apologetic smile. As much as she herself liked Jaune, it was no secret that his attempts at flirting with Weiss weren't appreciated. Still, the comparison was pretty much spot-on, right down to the vaguely defeated look on Blake's face as she tuned herself out of the conversation.
"It's a shame really." Ruby whispered back to her partner, making sure the people on the other end of the Bullhead couldn't hear them. Yang was busy engaging Sun in conversation, though Ruby couldn't tell if she was actually interested in his stories, or just seeking to avoid the embarrassing issue of Blake ignoring him.
"You mean the monkey?" Weiss drawled, ignoring Ruby's pointed look in response. "Why would it be a shame, do you think him and Blake should get together?"
"I don't know…" Ruby admitted with a small frown. "They have some things in common…"
"You mean that they're both faunus? That's literally the only thing I can think of, and it seems more of a shame to shoehorn them together because of that." The heiress' words were almost patronising in the way they were delivered, but Ruby couldn't help but feel pleased at the irony she found there. It was ironic because that was once what Weiss had done, and she was pleased to see her partner was beyond looking at things in such ways.
Was she right though? Was she herself assuming they were good together, just because they were both faunus? Sun was confident and funny… though she supposed Blake was more reserved and quiet. Blake liked reading… and honestly she couldn't imagine Sun enjoying that much, he looked more like someone who liked going out to do things.
"Maybe you're right…" Ruby mumbled back uncertainly. Maybe she was just feeling bad for Sun, if what Weiss said was true. Would it be better for Blake to flatly tell him she wasn't interested? Had she done so already?
Love was confusing.
"Of course I am." Weiss boasted with a roll of her eyes. "Now enough about them, tell me more about this mission of ours."
"Right!" Ruby agreed as she pulled her scroll from her combat skirt. The mission was something she could definitely get behind. Especially since this looked to be the biggest event since the Faunus wars! This battle could literally determine the fate of Vale itself, and there was no way she was going to mess this up.
Thumbing through the information provided on Magnis, she brought up the folder that detailed their precise mission. It also included a little bit of information on Sun and Neptune, since they would be accompanying them. It was another joint mission with team JNPR, which made sense considering they had worked together on the other task as well.
"Team RWBY in conjunction with team JNPR and associated hunters-in-training Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias, are to secure the workers of the Magnis East Logging Group and escort them to the Magnis East lumber mill. Workers and lumber mill are then to be protected while felled trees are cut into planks. We are then to escort workers back to Magnis at the end of the day and deliver them to administrators outside the city walls. A secondary team will be dispatched with vehicles to collect the cut planks for construction." Ruby postured at the end of her official sounding speech, a faraway expression on her face.
"Escorting and guarding employees then?" Weiss summarised, which made the whole thing sound a lot less cool in her opinion. "I suppose the wood will be important for the defence. We probably don't have the time to actually build anything from stone."
"Beats actually doing the building ourselves though." Ruby pointed out with a quick grin.
"Good point. We've trained to become huntresses, not glorified construction workers. At least this will have the chance of combat. Not that I want any!" Weiss quickly added on at the end. "I'll be quite happy with a nice easy mission."
"Yeah, here's hoping you didn't just jinx us." Weiss just rolled her eyes at Ruby's words, elicting a giggle from the younger girl. She understood her partner's words perfectly. She didn't exactly want to be attacked by Grimm either, but a mission just building walls or organising paperwork would kill her. Not that she thought anyone would be stupid enough to give her, Ruby Rose, a paperwork job… but still!
"Why are we in such a small Bullhead?" Blake piped up loudly from the other seats, her head resting in one hand as she leaned away from Sun who didn't seem to notice. "If we're doing a mission with JNPR, wouldn't it make sense to be in the same transport?"
"Larger Bullheads are being utilised for logistical transport of refugees, food, construction material and ammunition." Ruby read from her scroll, before looking up to see the expression of annoyance on Blake's face. Ruby shrugged apologetically.
"Wonderful." The female faunus muttered as Sun launched into another tale beside her. Ruby merely smiled as best she could, and wondered how Jaune was doing.
Jaune was not doing well.
"Wow man, I know you said you didn't handle transport well, but…" Neptune trailed off, as Jaune ignored him in favour of counting the individual rivets and bolts in the metal floor of the Bullhead. It was a simple task, as close as he was to them propped up on hands and knees.
"There, there Jaune. We're close now." Pyrrha comforted as he felt her hand rubbing his back. Jaune groaned. He appreciated the gesture of concern from his partner, he really did. But the rubbing motion was making what food he had in his system want to come back up to greet everyone.
"How… long?" Jaune managed to grit out past the swirling vortex in his own brain. He wanted to cough, but he was certain something else would come up with it. How had he managed to resist this when he and Blake had been rescued? Was it the adrenaline, the lack of food? More fool him for daring to think he had actually become immune to is.
"Two minutes Jaune." Ren answered from where he was sat next to Nora. The girl in question had her legs drawn up onto the seat in an effort to avoid any potential splash damage he might create. "We're moving so much because we're coming in to land."
Oh thank the Gods… the news that they were landing bolstered his waning spirit, giving him the strength necessary to stagger into a kneeling position and steady himself with a hand on a nearby seat.
"Come on champ, up you go." Neptune offered as he placed a hand under Jaune's arm to help hoist him to his feet. "Got to walk outta here on your own two feet, might be some ladies watching."
Mind still addled with nausea and pain, Jaune felt a rush of brotherly affection for their latest recruit. Yeah he had flirted with Weiss… and used the same line as Jaune… and been successful- no wait, there went the brotherly feeling. Fuck this guy.
"Jaune, please don't pass out." Pyrrha whispered to him as he shook his head to try and get the strange thoughts to leave him. Focus on the mission. The task at hand. Escort and guard, escort and guard.
"Doors opening." A female voice droned over the intercom system.
"Leaving!" Jaune gasped as he forced his way through the widening opening and collapsed onto his hands and knees on the solid ground outside. Grass poked at his palms, and pierced between his fingers as cool fresh air assaulted his nostrils.
As always the feelings of sickness passed the moment he was beyond the confines of the vehicle, and he was able to clamber to his feet just in time to see the rest of his team walking down the ramp with amused expressions on their faces.
"Good job Jauney!" Nora congratulated him as she walked up and gave him a hug as reward. He returned the gesture with an embarrassed laugh, but accepted their small teasing.
"So this is Magnis eh?" Neptune interrupted after a few seconds, prompting them all to look at their surroundings. "Honestly… not as grim as I'd expected." He sounded faintly surprised as he spoke, and Jaune could understand why.
The pictures they had of Magnis had painted the idea of a dark and militaristic fortress with not a single ounce of decoration. And while it was true that the dull grey walls offered no tabards, flags or pennants – there was still plenty of activity and life going on around them. Birds were singing loudly, and the grass was a lush green giving way to well-worn pathways of hardened mud. While they couldn't exactly see within the walls from this angle, it looked like most of the activity was outside of them anyway.
Students, hunters, and just everyday civilians bustled about their daily business. The latter the most recognisable simply because they didn't carry weapons around with them. Bullheads were landing and lifting all around them, and following the contours of the wall Jaune could make out a veritable village of brightly coloured tents and prop-up buildings.
It looked like a carnival had come to Magnis, and set up siege around the town. He supposed those would be all the hunters who had come to defend the city. If the residents hadn't been evacuated yet, then there wasn't going to be many places for them to stay other than pitching tent outside the walls. And it seemed they had chosen to congregate together into a little community.
It was actually quite the surreal image.
"It's a lot livelier than I expected a town on the verge of being invaded might be…" Ren agreed as he moved forwards a little to get a better look around them. "Where do you suppose we should go to collect our mill workers from?"
Jaune was about to shrug, when he noticed a few other students from Beacon heading in a particular direction, and waved his team to follow. The group walked around the outskirts of the wall itself, passing by the large collection of Hunter tents. There were many men and women walking around amidst them. Some lithe and tall, while others were bulky and muscles. Their weapons varied from guns to swords, staves and further beyond that. But every one of them walked with a determined gait, as though they knew exactly what they were doing at any moment.
Jaune wondered if he would ever gain that skill, instead of being left to wander limply around like he usually did…
It was as they rounded the corner of one of the towers however, that they finally saw something more recognisable. Or rather something. Over the throng of students gathered around the main gatehouse, was the unmistakeable curved profile of Crescent Rose, poking from the top of the crowd.
"Follow that scythe." Jaune joked as they changed course to head towards their sister team. It looked like whomever was in charge of Magnis had set up a number of desks manned by men and women to organise the missions. Uniformed men and women were bustling back and forth through the main gate as well, occasionally escorting civilians out. It looked like they would not be allowed into the city yet. Perhaps they would not be until the actual evacuation. Assuming they were chosen to help with that.
Catching the scythe however was proving more difficult than expected. The queues and crowds continued to shove and push them in random directions, even as they forced their way slowly through. It was almost like trying to swim through some kind of thick liquid, except that the liquid occasionally cursed at you or shoved you back. Eventually however the team plus one were able to navigate the throng and see team RWBYS lounging peacefully on a grass bank, Crescent Rose propped up in Ruby's hands.
"Told ya it would work Rubes." Yang laughed loudly, accepting a friendly fist-bump from Sun as Ruby transformed her weapon back into a more easily carried size. Jaune sighed as he walked up towards them, noticing Neptune heading off to sit by his teammate.
"Yeah well, team JNNPR reporting in. Please tell me you've skipped the queue part already." Jaune gestured back towards the throng of people in front of the mission desks. He didn't relish the idea of having to wait for everyone to be sorted before they got their turn. Also wouldn't these missions be time sensitive too?
"Don't worry Jaune!" Ruby piped up happily. "We were the first team here, got it all sorted before everyone else arrived. Heh."
"Nice!" Jaune cheered softly as the rest of his team moved to sit down on the bank too. Deciding he might as well follow their example he lay down between Yang and Ruby, so he could continue their conversation. Ruby seemed to grin at his choice to join them. "So what are we waiting for anyway?"
"The workers mostly." Ruby shrugged. "We talked to one of the guys at the desk, and they had to send someone into the town to tell the mill workers we're here. He said it might take an hour." An hour? That certainly would be nice if they could sun themselves a little longer…
"That was forty-five minutes ago though." Yang piped up from the other side of him, the words making him groan loudly. "Heh, sorry lady-killer. No sun bathing for you."
Jaune sighed as he let his head fall back onto the cool grass, closing his eyes against the bright sun above them. Maybe if they'd been a little quicker to the Bullheads they wouldn't have been forced to wait so long to be ferried over here. Three quarters of an hour sunbathing sure beat standing in line like they'd been forced to do at Beacon.
"Can you imagine how many Hunters and Huntresses are here right now?" Ruby's excited voice broke into his peace after a few minutes. Jaune let a lazy smile come across his features at the clear worship in her voice.
"Looked like there were hundreds in that camp." He offered as a guess.
"That's just the camp though, there must be more within the walls! And think of how many will come when we're evacuating the town. Will they fill every single house?" That was something Jaune hadn't himself considered. If the residents were going to be evacuated then the Hunters would get to move in and take over. But what did that mean for the people who had been moved away?
Chances are they'd be evacuated to the city of Vale itself, but were there enough hotels and hostels for this many people?
"Magnis has a population of over seven thousand." Jaune recalled from the notes on the town. "I doubt there are that many Hunters and Huntresses on Remnant. Would be a lot easier if there was."
"Well even we could probably take out a hundred Grimm between us all." Ruby analysed with a finger on her lower lip. "So even a few hundred Hunters should be able to handle this incursion. I wish I could see it all though!"
"Rest assured I'll be keeping an eye on you when it's time for us to leave." Yang interrupted, one arm cast over her eyes to protect her gaze from the sunlight. "It would be just like you to try and stay here to help out."
"Yaaaang." The younger girl complained. "This is the most important event in recent history. Can you honestly tell me you're not the slightest bit interested in being a part of it?" The two sisters broke into a small argument about the merits of such, while Jaune simply closed his eyes once more to enjoy the heat.
He could understand where they were coming from. This was the kind of conflict that stories would be told about for the next few hundred years. This was where heroes were made. And yet, he wasn't sure they would be ready for that. No matter how strong their team seemed… and they were the best in their class! He honestly had no idea how that translated to real life. Sure they could fight off Grimm, and had even survived Elgard. But where did that place them on the scale of things? Did that make them as strong as trained Hunters, weaker? How much weaker?
He still wanted to become a hero. He wanted to be someone his future children could look back on with pride… but the things he had seen and learned recently. The bodies in Elgard, the books Blake had lent him…
Was being a hero important when families were being killed? And was being famous worth it if his friends suffered?
I'm a team leader now. I need to make the decisions that are best for my team. And wasn't the answer a simple one? Until they were official Hunters and Huntresses, they would stay out of this. Let the professionals handle the situation here.
"Heads up." The boisterous voice of Sun Wukong warned, as a group of men began to approach them. Unarmed, nervous looking and all wearing a similar grey overalls uniform, it was clearly the workers they had been waiting for. Being led by a single person in more militaristic uniform.
"Teams RWBY and JNPR of Beacon?" The man in military fatigues asked, getting nods from both teams. "Perfect. These are the labourers of the Magnis East Logging Group that you will be guarding as they go about their tasks today."
"They're just kids!" A voice complained from within the group of labourers, even as more spoke up. Jaune felt a spike of annoyance at the words, but forced it down. These people would be trusting their very lives to them, it made sense that they would be nervous, especially when they saw the ages of the people guarding them.
"Both the teams have Hunter training, and would be better suited against the Grimm than a platoon of my men ten years older than them." The officer interrupted with brutal honesty. "If you prefer I could arrange my men to escort you instead. Should the Grimm attack, you would all be slaughtered however." There was complete silence at the words, even as the man seemed to pay no attention, typing away at his scroll as he spoke. "No takers? Very well then, we shall await your return by eighteen hundred hours."
"Er, right then!" Jaune stepped in as the man abandoned them, leaving the surly and uncertain employees to the two teams. "My name is Jaune, leader of JNPR, and this is Ruby, leader of team RWBY. If you will follow our instructions through the day, then everything will be fine."
"Are we really being left to a bunch of kids and a faunus?" Another voice asked incredulously. Jaune couldn't make out exactly who was speaking as the employees seemed to be drawing confidence from one another and hiding amongst their group.
"Our age, or our species, is irrelevant in this situation. We are trained in combat, and you are not." Blake rebuked as she took a threatening step towards the group. Jaune winced at the situation worsening. Clearly the man had been looking to insult Sun, but Blake was nothing if not quick to take offence at any perceived slight towards the faunus.
"Everyone, please calm down!" Jaune tried again as he moved between the two groups. The workers refused to listen though, the volume of their complaints and chattering getting ever louder as they got into the swing of things. In their own group Blake and Weiss were beginning to get angry from the lack of faith they were receiving, while it seemed that Sun had to physically hold Neptune back from wading into the fray. Jaune's eyes widened as Yang finally strode forwards, her eyes a dark red.
"SHUT UP!" She screamed suddenly, discharging her weapons into the floor in front of the group, causing them to rear back in shock, the front row going so far as to fall back onto their rears in fear. In the distance, a few hunters looked their way, but went back to their own business when they realised no fight was going on. "All yours lady-killer." The blonde growled as she stood beside him, making sure to keep Ember Cecilia visible.
Okay… yeah, great. A bunch of terrified and angry men, some twice his age, waiting on his words? That sounded fair. He tried to think of what he might be able to say to inspire them, to remove the doubt they had over their two teams. But his mind came up blank. Could words really prove anything to these people?
"Here's the situation." He began once the silence had begun to drag on too long. Whatever he said, he needed to take the initiative and say it before the shock Yang had created wore off. "We are now at war. Magnis is now at war." Could it be called a war when it was with the Grimm? He didn't know…
"But none of you will fully experience this. You will be evacuated to a safe city, while others fight and bleed and die for you." He paused here to let the words sink in, noticing a few of the men looking guilty or subdued, while others still held defiant. Uncaring. Was it selfish? He didn't know. It was normal human behaviour to consider yourself more important than your peers. Jaune himself knew that if one of these men was about to die, but one of his friends was too, he would save his friend. He himself would choose to protect the people most important to him, so why should these men be any different?
"We don't ask for much. Work your normal day, cut the wood. The Grimm have existed long before you started your jobs, so what difference to you is there now, except that you have people guarding you who can kill them." A few of them seemed to sigh, while others perhaps felt bolstered at the idea that it was just a typical day in the office. "Either way, we're moving out now. Ruby, take your team at the head, we'll cover the rear. Yang you cover the right flank, Pyrrha the left."
Maybe it was his official sounding tone, or maybe it was just unwillingness for the others to actually deal with these people, but both teams hastened to follow his instructions. In a matter of seconds the employees were organised into a marching column and moving into the nearby forest. The decision to place Yang and Pyrrha on the sides was mostly due to their individual skill, though the intimidation factor from Yang should also keep the men in an orderly line, and not have them milling around or grouping up.
"You did well Jaune." Ren spoke from beside him as they walked at the back of the group. Calling their pace a march would have been a poor joke, since these men bumbled and fumbled their way forward, not a single one of them in rhythm. Jaune supposed it was odd that he had begun to think that way about other people.
"If being a leader means having to deal with this kind of people, I'm not sure I want it." He sighed back, earning a pat on the back from the green gunman.
"Leading our team is easier because we are individually trained." Ren offered in explanation. "Though we trust you and your decisions, we're skilled enough to adapt and use our own initiative if things go badly. So we're happy to follow your orders."
"And these men are just civilians, I get that Ren. I'm just surprised at how childish they are being about it. Some of these men must be forty years or older. I understand that they must feel unappreciated at being protected by teenagers like us. But what's to be gained from moaning to us about it?"
"Perhaps they complain to us because they cannot complain to anyone else? Or because they think no one else cares."
Jaune sighed at the idea. It made a certain amount of sense. As employees of a business they were expected to continue their job, and any complaints might simply end with the loss of their job.
"Still, if they think continuing their job might cause them to be killed, surely they would be better served quitting to work elsewhere?"
"Not everyone thinks that way." Ren shrugged as he stepped over a small log. "Some people are so eager to continue the status quo that they cannot even consider doing anything different. They feel like there is no other option… to complain means unemployment."
"That's stupid." Jaune argued as he shook his head angrily. "Unemployment doesn't mean the end of the world; there are hundreds of jobs out there. Just because there are only bad choices, doesn't mean you don't have a choice."
"Sometimes it's easier to stick with the evil you know." The taciturn Ren offered with an enigmatic smile.
The evil you know? Was that what these people were doing? Risking their lives to keep their jobs, because at the very least the danger was known? When the alternative was the uncertainty of unemployment and the future?
Was this what the faunus in those labour camps would do as well? He had heard they were underpaid and treat poorly, but there were alternatives for them… they could become hunters like Velvet, or work in cafés like he had seen some do in Vale… Hell, the military didn't care what species you were! But they allowed themselves to be pushed into the ground, because at least there things were a comfortable certainty…
"That's stupid. Complete idiocy." He hissed out, unsure if he more hated society for creating this situation, or the people who were too afraid to change anything.
"That's why you're our leader Jaune." Ren offered simply, a small smile gracing his lips.
The mill itself was more impressive than Jaune had honestly expected. Not in terms of technological advancement, or beauty, but for sheer industrial size. There was a main building that seemed to span two floors, with a large conveyor belt assembly that would take logs inside to cut them into smaller planks.
Perhaps the largest landmark however was a maze of fallen trees that covered almost an entire acre, neatly packed into small log pyramids. It was strange to his mind that they would cut down so many more trees than they could actually use, and just leave them there, waiting for when they would eventually cut them. There were enough felled trees to run the mill for the next four years.
But what did he know about this industry? Perhaps they had simply been created when they cleared space for the building itself.
At the very least the employees had seemed to calm down immediately upon reaching the building, quickly slipping into small groups to go about their normal routine. Ren had been correct when he mentioned that the familiar was what comforted them, for they had turned from quiet and fearful individuals into boisterous and crude adults, throwing jokes and quips back and forth as they laboured away.
The two teams had worked out their own way to cover the area, splitting into their respective partner teams and spreading out to cover the perimeter of the mill. Pyrrha and Jaune sat atop the large tracks of a vehicle that seemed capable of both grasping a tree, and sawing through its base. Clearly it hadn't been used for some time, judging by both the rust, and the copious amounts of fallen logs.
"You did fine Jaune." The redhead laughed, offering him a gentle shove that rocked him but didn't push him off his seat. "We've never really been told how to deal with civilians, but we're here. So I don't think anyone will be complaining."
"Yeah, but I wouldn't have minded someone else piping in as well you know? I don't want to be the default `deals with idiots` guy for our group." Again Jaune couldn't help but smile as Pyrrha giggled, it seemed he was getting better at keeping a conversation going, which was good.
"Well I'm sure Ruby would have helped, but I don't think a short fifteen year-old girl would have calmed them down any. And Yang helped, didn't she?"
"I had been hoping for someone a little less inflammatory." Jaune shuddered, imagining what could have happened if they had been dealing with a group that was actually violent in any way. Or if they had been forced to actually subdue their clients. That would have been pretty embarrassing.
"Actually I'm surprised Weiss didn't step in. She does have some training and experience in dealing with employees like that… perhaps she too thought you were handling things okay."
"Really?" Jaune asked hopefully, though internally he was a little surprised that the suggestion didn't actually uplift him like it usually would have. Typically the mere suggestion that Weiss might be pleased with something he had done would have been enough to bring a satisfied grin to his lips. But now it felt a little hollow.
"Maybe." His partner offered with a shrug. "Or maybe she thought her family's reputation might have just made things worse."
That sounded more accurate in Jaune's mind, though knowing that Weiss and Pyrrha were good friends, he neglected to say so. Still, thoughts of Weiss did bring his mind back to his current problem with her teammate Blake. He'd been thinking on what Pyrrha had said, and realised that an apology on his part probably was called for. She'd gone out of her way to help him… and with her aid he'd actually beat her. He, Jaune Arc. Had beaten Blake Belladonna in a sparring match!
The mind boggled, and even now his spirits soared at the knowledge that he wasn't useless. Blake had been right. He'd been emulating Pyrrha too much, and why shouldn't he? She was the strongest fighter in Beacon. But he wasn't Pyrrha Nikos, and probably never would be. He could take inspiration from his partner, and he would continue to do so, but ultimately he needed to make it his own.
But ignoring all of that. Blake had gotten into trouble for him, and judging from Yang's expression in the dining hall, her team had maybe realised what had gone on… or rather, they had made the same misconception Miss Goodwitch had.
He'd damaged her reputation with that perhaps…
"Pyrrha, can you handle here on your own for a little while?" He asked with a sigh, rising to his feet as his partner looked uncertain.
"I can, what are yo- oh… are you going to find Blake?"
"I'm going to take your advice and apologise." Jaune confirmed, watching Pyrrha's face as it flashed through a myriad of emotions, before settling on one he had seen many times on her before. A mixture between pride, a comforting expression, and an uncertain awkwardness.
He'd never been able to piece together what it all meant.
"I'll be fine Jaune. Come back soon though, okay?"
"Of course." Jaune agreed, wondering why she had sounded so pleading on that last point, before leaving her to find the black and yellow half of team RWBY. Thankfully he knew from their discussions earlier that they would be manning the sawmill part of the mill, and the workers there.
It wasn't far from the logging area, mostly by design so that the fallen logs could be brought inside via the use of small tugging vehicles. Jaune coughed quietly as he entered the area, the unmistakeable scent of sawdust permeating the air, as he looked around for the duo.
He found them sat a distance away, still within sight, but doing their best to avoid getting sawdust in their eyes or noses, or perhaps in Yang's case, more her hair. He could understand Blake wanted to be further away though, because he couldn't imagine what it might be like to get sawdust in her faunus ears. Did her human ears work as well, did she have four ears? Gods, how he wanted to ask!
Yang noticed him as he approached, her lilac eyes widening as she gave him a grin and a wave. Blake looked up from her book – the one he had given her from the library in fact, her bright yellow eyes giving nothing away as she nodded a greeting to him.
"I'll leave you two guys to it!" Yang crooned as he finally came up to them. "Don't do anything I would do!" She cackled as she jogged off. Jaune blushed at the innuendo, before taking the seat she had vacated by Blake. The girl in question simply read on; seemingly content to ignore his presence. That wouldn't do.
"I'm sorry for what happened the other day." Jaune spoke immediately. "Because of helping me, you got in trouble, both with the teachers and your own team. I'm so sorry!"
Blake paused in her place, slowly placing one finger down onto the pages so she could remember where she was, before turning to face him. As always he was struck by how gracefully beautiful she was, and for a moment he struggled to breathe, before forcing breath down his lungs.
"It wasn't your fault." She spoke slowly. "It was my idea to help you."
"Even so, you came out of there worse than I did." Jaune argued. "And you did it all to help me. If I hadn't needed that help, then you wouldn't have gotten in trouble. That's why I'm apologising. I also want to thank you."
"You don't need to do either." The black-haired girl complained, but he only shook his head.
"A wise girl once pointed out to me that we should reward people for the good things they do." Jaune began slowly, a small smile coming to his lips as he noticed her body tense slightly. "I was foolish and wouldn't accept her help or thanks after I saved her life. But she showed me how wrong I was. Perhaps she should take her own advice now?"
For a moment, he thought he might have gone too far. Using logic on his sisters had never brought forth good results. But after a few brief moments, a small unmistakable smile came to Blake's lips, nothing more than the slight curve of one side, but it was an expression he had seen on her face so many times that he could read it perfectly.
"I didn't expect to have my own beliefs thrown back in my face like that." She teased. "This woman sounds very wise."
"She is." Jaune agreed, giving her his best smile. "Even an idiot like me has picked up things from being around her. And he hopes she'll accept him as her friend again."
"Idiot." Blake muttered with the faintest darkening of her cheeks. She didn't confirm his words, or say anything overt – but the meaning behind her taunt was acceptance enough to him, causing him to grin widely and sit more comfortably by his friend.
"I still can't believe how much you helped me in that training Blake. It means more to me than you can ever imagine. And I am really sorry about what happened afterwards." The girl next to him nodded in agreement as she allowed the open book to fall onto her long legs. That was one of the small tells he had learned about Blake, that she was only ever giving you her full attention when she put the book down.
She could hold a full conversation while still half-reading. But she was never fully committed to it.
"I'm glad I helped then Jaune." She accepted his thanks with a more natural smile. "And yes it was awkward for the both of us afterwards, I apologise for running away from you. I didn't mean to suggest that we were having an argument."
"It's fine." He waved it off. "I tried to make light of the situation at the time, but yeah it was already pretty messed up. I think we both needed some time apart from one another." He knew he certainly had… after the feelings he'd felt, the desires he'd experienced. Having her so close again was probably not a good idea.
"I agree with you." The shorter girl laughed, perhaps at their shared pain, or some other joke. Looking back on it though, even he was able to see the humour in the situation. "We weren't punished, and it was only embarrassing because people had their own misconceptions about what we were doing. Made more awkward because they were things we didn't really want to do with one another." She teased as he laughed with her.
The laugh was nervous though. He hoped she did not realise.
Things they didn't want to do.
The words had seemed so innocent, and made so much sense. They were embarrassed because it wasn't true… but what if it was? As Blake looked away to scan around them for Yang, Jaune couldn't help the way his eyes zeroed in on the creamy expanse of skin that made up the junction between her neck and her collarbone. How he wished to taste the skin there, and hear her reaction. How he could remember the searing heat of having her pinned against that wall, or the clouded look on her face when he had been leaning down to claim her.
Even now, he didn't know what he wanted. But his heart was beating faster as his brain conjured images of gently pushing her down onto the log and closing his lips over her own. Or drawing her boldly into his lap to feel their bodies meet.
"I should go!" He suddenly blurted out, pushing himself to his feet and adjusting his clothing in an effort to distract himself. "I begged a little time off from Pyrrha, but it's not fair to leave her to look after those people on her own."
"You're probably right, they're a real handful." Blake agreed with a huff at the thought of the employees. "Thank you for coming to talk to me though Jaune, perhaps we can talk more at Beacon. I'm halfway through this book now."
"Of course." Jaune laughed as he closed his eyes and did his best to banish the images from his mind. "Later Blake."
"Tell Pyrrha thank you from me as well." The girl called after him as he fled. The situation was far worse than he'd expected… when had it gone so wrong? But it was all beginning to make sense as well… the diminished interest in Weiss. Hell, he hasn't even bothered flirting to her for the past week – they had barely even spoken! The constant wanting to be around the faunus, the panic and stress he'd felt when she was angry at him…
The way he'd been able to keep going when they were trapped in that forest together…
He, Jaune Arc. Idiot man who had only gained his entry into Beacon through deceit… he was in… with…
This couldn't be happening…
Okay I have to end this here… originally the chapter was going to continue, but there is honestly around another 10k words to be brought in here, and I'm not sure I, nor my beta, want to handle a 20k word chapter.
Welp. Realisation, and the big issue as well for Jaune. Oh dear. I actually based this on a real life situation I had in a sense. I was best friends with a girl for a few years, we were close to the point where others assumed we were dating. She would sit on my lap all the time, and we slept (I.E. SLEEPING innocently) with one another all the time. She would even get changed in front of me and I never cared, and this was at 17 btw, not 7.
In the end though we got into a tussle where she was trying to write a dirty message to a friend I was chatting with on msn to embarrass me. She was on my lap as usual, and I scooted my chair away from the computer, while she straddled me, so we were chest-chest. It was nothing serious. But then she tried to make the chair slide back to desk, by bucking her lower hips… you know, like a pendulum motion to give the chair momentum to wheel back? But well… we were crotch to crotch… You can imagine what affect her actions had.
That changed everything, and I could never look at her in the same innocent manner again, no matter what we did, I now saw her as a very sexy woman. I lost a friend, though later gained a girlfriend – but who knows what I would have preferred now. I think I'd still rather have her as a friend. But that's just me. Jaune and Blake's story will have a happier ending, but you can see the similarities I hope. He has always been classing her as out of his league, and wanted Weiss. But that very hot and steamy scene won't stop playing on his mind, and now he wants something else.
Anyway for the chapter! I want to bring up Sun here a little, as I'm sure some will be saying "But Sun and Blake are canon! And she doesn't hate listening to him!" – Well actually she does at first, but they seem to get a little closer over Sun helping her in the White Fang arc… which hasn't happened in this fic. As it broke off literally at the beginning of season 2, when they were playing that board game in the library. At which point Blake still ignored and "put up with" Sun, without actually seeming to enjoy his company. THAT SAID. Sun will soon prove himself in other ways, so please don't feel I'm writing him off as useless or doomed, he will stand on his own two feet very soon! Like next chapter soon.
I've tried to give Pyrrha and Ruby some more time here too, and will be seeking to flesh them out in the future.