She could not believe she was actually here. It was like something out of one of those dumb teenage movies.
Melanie sat across from the deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy, Glynda Goodwitch. The woman sat behind her desk with her hands folded neatly, and Melanie felt like she had gotten sent to the principal's office after getting in trouble in class. This was a joke. This was all utter nonsense. She hated this place. She hated the rules and the regulations. She hated the classes. She hated the people. And for some reason, despite barely even knowing the woman, she hated Glynda.
There was no question that Melanie was not a fan of authority. People like her sister and Junior did not count. They were family. Their opinions counted for something. Not upsetting them actually mattered to the girl. But Glynda-fucking-Goodwitch? Fuck her! What authority did she have to tell Melanie what to do? It wasn't as if she wanted to be in this stupid little school. It wasn't as if she wanted to be surrounded by all those bratty teenagers who dreamed of being huntsmen and huntresses. If she had it her way, she would leave in an instant. She would take her chances out on the streets.
At least there she felt at home. It was her turf. She knew how people thought. She knew how they would act. She could prepare herself accordingly. She could even launch a preemptively attack on those who might be a threat. But here at Beacon Academy? Everything and everyone was so unfamiliar. Most of them were as strong, if not stronger than herself. And that was a very foreign, as well as a very uncomfortable feeling. Melanie did not like the feeling of helplessness. The feeling of not being in control.
And here in this office, she had no control. The fact that Glynda had not spoken a word to her since inviting her inside to sit spoke volumes. Glynda would control the pace. She would control the questioning. She would begin when she was good and ready to. Not a moment sooner.
Looking down through the lenses of a pair of thin glasses, she was studying paperwork in silence. Annoyance was quickly building up in Melanie's mind. If she wasn't ready to talk, then why did she demand that she come to meet her so early in the morning? She could be sleeping right now. But no. This old lady had demanded that they talk about something. Typical for a huntress to not be prepared. Melanie couldn't help but feel she shouldn't be surprised, but at the same time that would detract from her anger and annoyance. And right now she needed a target for both of those things.
Finally, the blonde woman was finished reading the papers on her desk and looked up. "Miss Malachite," she began in a stern tone. "I assume you already know why I asked you to see me."
The way she had spoken the words pissed Melanie off even more. It wasn't even a question. She was just inferring that Melanie knew why she was here. Like she was guilty of something.
Melanie was guilty of a lot of things. Things that Glynda both most likely knew about, and things that she did not. The lady would have to be a lot more specific.
"Nope," she answered flippantly
The tension in the air grew slightly more palpable as Glynda's eyes narrowed slightly. Oh she did not enjoy being treated in such a dismissive manner. Melanie would have to keep that in the back of her mind from now on.
"Your actions at last night's dance have caused quite a few problems for our academy," Glynda explained. "Both for the students and faculty."
Ah yes, the dance. What a magical evening that had been. A good time was had by all.
Or at least by her. And in the end, wasn't that all that mattered?
"Look, I can't help if I was so much hotter than all the other girls there," Melanie said innocently. She knew that wasn't what the issue was, but she would be a liar if she said that she didn't love trying to bullshit her way out of drama. "Like, we all had the same amount of time to buy a dress. Shit, I had even less time than-"
"Watch your language when you're in my presence, Miss Malachite."
Was this chick for real? Shit wasn't a bad word. Okay, maybe to some people it was. Maybe for children like Ruby. But for a huntress? Why did she care? It wasn't as if she said 'fuck'. Or 'cunt'. She hadn't called Glynda a 'cock sucking cum dumpster'. Maybe she should, just to see how the woman would react.
Actually, maybe a good dicking was all the woman needed to loosen up a little bit. She wondered if Miltia would be okay with loaning her man out for a night. It would be an act of charity. Something for the good of all three of them. If Jaune could convince Glynda to be less of a hard ass, then they'd all have a better time at Beacon.
"Whatever," the raven-haired girl breathed.
Unflinching emerald eyes stared into her own as Glynda continued. "I think you're very aware that your choice of attire is not the issue at hand here. What you did last night is absolutely inexcusable. If you were a student here then I would have you suspended. Perhaps even expelled."
For the first time since arriving, Melanie lamented the fact that she was not a student of Beacon Academy. The irony that she could not be kicked out due to the fact that she was not actually enrolled here was not lost on the girl.
Still, that begged the question of why Glynda didn't just kick her out in the first place. She wasn't a student. Therefore the woman didn't need a legitimate reason to make her leave.
"So I can leave then?" she asked hopefully.
The woman seemed to stiffen at the question. "Unfortunately that is not an option. I have agreed to take you and your sister into our care for the immediate future, and I do not go back on my word. So long as you do not prove to be more of a burden than you are worth, your stay here at Beacon is assured."
That made no sense. It also pissed her off. However at the same time, that gave the girl an entertaining little idea. Just how far was too far? How much could she get away with? How great was Beacon's, and by extension, Glynda's hospitality?
Melanie decided to poke the bear a little bit more. "But... you can't force me to stay either."
"No, I cannot," she agreed. "However, do try to think about more people than just yourself. Your sister for example. Mr. Arc as well."
Yeah, those two were having a great old time playing house on Beacon's campus. Sleeping in the same bed. Eating together. Attending class together. Training together. Everything was peachy-fucking-keen for those two.
Maybe they should think about her and her own happiness for a change.
The thought of how much they had, and how much she didn't, put the already agitated girl into an even fouler mood. "Yeah, whatever," she said bitterly. "Can I go now?"
"No. We have not even discussed why you are here, so let us get back on track. You are here for two reasons. First, spiking the punch and causing a number of unsuspecting students to become ill."
Ill. That was one way of putting it. Most of those kids had probably never tasted a drop of alcohol in their lives. She knew Ruby probably hadn't. Seeing the drunk little girl had been hilarious. Well worth attending the dance. The little taste of revenge she got had been icing on the cake.
And what a taste it was indeed.
"The second is the matter of you sexually harassing one of the students," Glynda continued. "Such an act is unacceptable and will not go unpunished. We take these kinds of things very seriously here at Beacon."
Sexual harassment? What was she even talking about? "I didn't harass anyone." Melanie may have been an unrepentant bitch, but she did not like being accused of crimes she did not commit. She would gladly own up to the ones she did. If her bullshitting failed, that was.
"I am referring to the incident of kissing Ruby Rose," she explained. "We have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment, and you will be punished accordingly."
Was this woman for real? Since when was kissing someone sexual harassment? "Oh my gods, it was just a kiss. Stop being such a drama queen."
Those eyes narrowed even further. "This is a very serious issue. Do not attempt to downplay your actions as 'just a kiss'."
"I mean, it's not like I fucked her or anything."
"What did I tell you about your language?" Glynda snapped. "In my presence and in my office you will treat me with respect. You will treat this school and its students with that same respect. Do I make myself clear?"
"Or what? You'll expel me?"
The fact that Glynda momentarily froze spoke volumes to the girl. Melanie may not have been the smartest girl when it came to academics, but she was street smart. She knew how to read people. And right now, she could tell that the last thing Glynda wanted to do was kick her out of Beacon. She just didn't know why.
"You will respect the students, faculty and traditions of this academy," the woman repeated. The fact that she had not commented on the topic of expulsion was obvious to the girl.
Melanie flipped a portion of her hair over her shoulder as a smirk formed on her lips. "Whatever. I bet she liked it anyway," referring to the kiss.
"Whether she liked it or not is not the issue here. The bottom line is that we do not tolerate that kind of behavior in this school. The world does not tolerate it either."
Easy for her to say from her little ivory tower here at Beacon. A place that had a literal tower to look down upon Vale from. Glynda clearly didn't know what real life was like on the streets. In the gutters of Vale, where assault, robbery, rape, and worse were just a part of life. For those who were not so fortunate to have their Aura unlocked. For those who were not trained to fight back.
"You wanna talk about sex and stuff? You do realize that your dorms are co-ed, right? I mean, Jaune and Miltia share a bed."
She knew that Glynda knew. However, the fact that this woman was making such a fuss about a kiss, when half of the student body were probably already banging each other was hilarious.
"I am aware of that fact, yes," Glynda said through gritted teeth.
"So how much 'harassment'," Melanie said as she made air quotations. "Do you think goes on every damn night? Do you give the kids free condoms or what? 'Cause I'm amazed there aren't like, a million pregnancies every year."
"We are not getting off-topic again. Save your inappropriate conversations for your sister and Mr. Arc."
Oh yeah. This woman so needed to get laid. Seeing how high-strung she was over a little sexual talk proved as much.
Whatever. Melanie was bored now. "So can I go now?" she asked again.
"Not quite. There is still one thing left to do before I allow you to return to your room. You will apologize to Miss Rose for what you did last night."
Allow. Like she even had that kind of authority. Melanie knew now that Glynda wanted her to attend Beacon Academy. Or, that she could not afford to let her leave. But stopping short of actually physically restraining her, there was nothing the woman could do to actually force her to remain at this school.
There was a soft knock on the door from the outside. Glynda's eye shifted momentarily. "Perfect timing," she commented. Her next words were louder, addressing the one on the other side of the door. "Come in."
Looking back, Melanie saw the door open. Much to her surprise, and a little bit of anger, it was Ruby and Yang who walked through.
The glare that the blonde girl shot her way was nothing short of hateful. Melanie could understand why. But at the same time, she didn't care. Now Yang knew how it felt to lose something she cared about. Now she knew how it felt for her sister to be assaulted. Now she knew how Melanie had felt on the night Junior's club had been attacked and trashed.
That little blonde bitch deserved nothing less than what she had got last night.
Ruby on the other hand, she looked as awkward and nervous as ever. Even more so, if that was even possible. Those silver eyes of hers could not even meet her own for more than a split second before darting away in a panic.
Glynda gestured with a hand to a pair of unoccupied seats. "Please, take a seat."
Yang grabbed both seats and moved them a few inches further away from Melanie than they already were. In practice it did nothing to affect their proximity to one another. However, the feeling behind the act was conveyed with the utmost clarity.
The fact that Yang ushered her sister into the seat furthest away from Melanie was blatantly obvious, and she knew why. There was a big, dumb, blonde bimbo in between the two girls from the incident now. Melanie would be forced to go through Yang to get to her again.
"Miss Xiao Long, Miss Rose," Glynda began as she nodded to each of the girls in turn. "I have discussed the incident which occurred last night Miss Malachite, and I can assure you it will not happen again. She will be punished for her actions. All that is left now is for her to apologize to Miss Rose."
The woman turned her attention back to Melanie, as if expecting her to take the lead.
With a roll of her eyes, Melanie looked past the angry lilac eyes of Yang, and at the face of the little huntress. "Look, Ruby. It was nothing personal. It's not your fault your sister is a bitch."
"Miss Malachite!"
Lilac turned to red, and Melanie saw how Yang's hands curled into fists. "You wanna say that again? See what happens."
She knew she was safe here. Melanie could talk all the shit she wanted to in Glynda's office. What was Yang going to do? Attack her? No, because she was a "good girl". She followed the rules. At least when someone with authority was watching.
"What, are you gonna trash another nightclub?" Melanie snarled.
The way the anger suddenly dissipated from Yang's eyes was amazing. The color drained from her face as she nervously glanced back to Glynda. Apparently the headmistress did not know about her little adventure from a few months prior.
Melanie was not about to rat her out either. Aside from the fact that it probably would not do anything, and that Yang would not receive any kind of punishment other than maybe a stern talking to, Melanie did not snitch. Snitches got stitches, after all. No, if she wanted payback, Melanie took matters into her own hands. Or in the case of the previous night, her own lips.
"Enough," the woman interjected. "I don't know what history the two of you have, and I don't care. What I do care about is getting this situation resolved and moving forward. Do you understand?"
Yang nodded wordlessly. Melanie merely shrugged dismissively. Ruby remained utterly silent, and made no movements period.
"But she is getting punished, right?" Yang asked.
"She is. You need not concern yourself with that, Miss Xiao Long."
"Why is she even allowed in this school?" she asked bitterly. "All she does is cause problems. She's not even a huntress."
"Thankfully," Melanie said under her breath.
"I said enough!" Glynda's eyes moved back and forth between Melanie and Yang before settling on the latter. "Miss Xiao Long, she is here for a reason. And she will be punished. You needn't concern yourself with any of that, however. What you should focus on are your studies, your team, and your upcoming field mission."
A mission? Once more Melanie was happy she was not an actual student here. She wouldn't have to participate in some stupid little mission.
The older woman's eyes shifted over to Melanie. "Now, Miss Malachite. Apologize to Miss Rose and shake hands. And then try to learn from this incident before moving on with your life."
It would be a little difficult with a big blonde bitch wall between the two.
With an exasperated sigh, Melanie stood up and turned to face the two sisters. Ruby did the same. But to her surprise, Yang also stood.
The girl in black and red was actually using Yang as a shield as they stood mere feet away from one another. Ruby was still unable to make eye contact with Melanie. Her gaze was still downcast onto the floor. Her cheeks were still a slight shade of red. Yeah, this girl was completely and utterly embarrassed.
Melanie raised an arm and extended it out to Ruby. Slowly and hesitantly, Ruby brought her own up and stuck it out past Yang's torso. Seeing how she probably wouldn't make the first move, Melanie took the initiative and grabbed hold of the girl's tiny hand. "I'm sorry, Ruby," Melanie said as genuinely as possible for a person with no real remorse to say.
It lasted only one, maybe two seconds at most, but the deed was done. She had shaken Ruby's hand. And she could not help but notice how sweaty the other girl's palm had been. Was Ruby really that nervous about being in the same room as her? It made sense. She was just a shy little girl, after all.
"I-it's okay," Ruby said meekly in response.
"No! It's not okay, Ruby!" Yang shouted. "She took something from you that you can never get back."
Ugh. Yang made it sound like Ruby had just lost her virginity or something. A kiss was just a kiss. Even if it was her first kiss, who cares? Such things could be lost easily in a trivial game of truth or dare.
"You are dismissed, Miss Xiao Long." Her focus shifted to Ruby. "And you as well, Miss Rose. You two had best begin preparing for your classes. Miss Malachite and I have one thing left to discuss alone."
For a few long seconds Yang stood there glaring holes through her most hated enemy. Finally though, she turned around and headed for the door. "Come on, Ruby. Let's go."
The younger sister nodded wordlessly before following. She stole a quick glance back at Melanie, but still made no comment before moving to keep up with the blonde.
Despite hearing Glynda's words, Melanie took a step toward the door, but was stopped when the woman spoke. "Not so fast, Miss Malachite."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Melanie stopped in her tracks before looking back to the woman. She had really hoped she would be able to walk out without discussing whatever that last thing was that Glynda wanted to talk about.
Looking back to the woman, a pair of hard and intimidating green eyes stared back at her. It was like looking into a mirror. If that mirror was a sexually frustrated middle-aged woman who enjoyed taking our her anger on younger and far more attractive girls than her.
Gods, she hated Glynda so much.
"Concerning your punishment," the woman began.
He was tall. He was strong. His reach was long. He was quick on his feet.
Yet, he had a long way to go.
Despite the ease of her victories, Miltia had still built up a sweat as she faced off against Jaune. They had been going at it all morning. The boy had stamina. There was no denying that. He also had an indomitable will that would never give up. Each time he got knocked off his feet, he got back up again. He wanted this. She knew the reasons all too well.
It had been a few days earlier that Jaune had come to her asking for a little bit of one on one training. Miltia was more than happy to oblige. She wanted him to be at his very best. Not just for his sake, but for hers as well. She cared deeply about her boyfriend, and she did not want to see him get hurt by the enemies they had made. He was hers. She would protect him. She would help train him so that he could protect himself. The stronger he was, the better.
Jaune had come to her asking to train him in unarmed combat. As a girl who fought almost exclusively with her hands and claws, she was well-versed in that art of combat. Occasionally she did use her legs as well, but it was Melanie who specialized in that area. She might ask her elder twin to help out in that department as well.
And yet, there was a darker twist to it all. This went beyond the desire to be stronger. It went beyond the wish to learn a new skill. Jaune had told Miltia why he wanted to learn hand to hand combat. Even if he hadn't told her the exact specifics of it, she understood all too well what his motives were.
And they broke her heart.
Jaune did not wish to use his sword anymore. She had been there the last time he had used the sharp edges of Crocea Mors in battle. She had seen the aftermath. A dead man with the blade impaled through his torso. A wide-eyed Jaune staring at the corpse he had slain. Blood everywhere. Blood on Jaune's hands.
At least with his fists Jaune wouldn't be delivering a potential deathblow with every strike he made. That was, unless, he used that new Aura trick of his. She still didn't know the details of his Semblance. She knew that he probably didn't know either. That was why he had been having those private lessons with Miss Goodwitch.
Feelings of jealousy began to fill her mind, but were quickly dashed when Miltia took a blow to the head.
So distracted had she been by her own thoughts that she had failed to react to Jaune's strike.
"Mil, are you okay?" the boy asked with concern.
With a shake of her head, Miltia collected her thoughts. "Yeah. I'm fine."
She squeezed her eyes shut briefly as the throbbing pain on her temple subsided. He may not have landed too many blows, but those which he did hurt. He was indeed strong. All he needed now was form.
With his arms lowered, Jaune approached her and reached out to gently touch the side of her head. "You didn't block. I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Miltia felt like melting under his soft touch. But now was not the time. They couldn't do anything in the middle of one of Beacon's sparring rooms. That level of brazenness was for Melanie. "I mean, you did punch me."
His teeth clenched and he sucked in a breath. "Yeah... sorry about that. I, I just thought-"
"Shh," she whispered, placing a finger against his lips. "We're sparring. Hitting is like, what you're supposed to do."
A hand came up to rub the back of his neck. "Yeah. I guess."
So sweet. So innocent. Gods, did she love this boy. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined being able to meet someone like him in her line of work. In her world. Someone who was so concerned with her well-being that he even second guessed himself when they were in the middle of training.
That was why she had to make sure he wouldn't get hurt. She had to make sure he wouldn't die. She would train him until he was black and blue. Until he was breathless and could no longer stand. She could not lose something so precious to her. Something, and someone, utterly irreplaceable. Her little slice of normalcy.
She stepped closer to him. Inside his guard, where she placed a hand on his chest. "When you're fighting, you should never let your guard down. Even if your opponent acts hurt, you should never let up."
He nodded. "Right."
Miltia poked her tongue out to wet her lips. "Jaune."
"Yeah?"
"You let your guard down."
Before he could even respond she shifted the hand she had placed upon him underneath his right arm. Using her own body as a fulcrum, Miltia executed a textbook arm toss, throwing the boy over her own body and down onto the mat. She quickly followed up by mounting him and raising her fist to deliver the hypothetical killing blow.
"You're dead now," she whispered.
"I... yeah. I guess I would be."
"I don't want you to die."
A small smile curled on his lips. "That makes two of us?"
The smirk was contagious, and Miltia could not hold her composure for long. She stood up, and offered a hand to help him up. He took it, but his strength and weight nearly pulled her off her feet as well, rather than helping him to his. The size difference was rarely as telling as it had been in that moment.
"Never let up," she told him. "Never back down. Never give your opponent a chance to recover. Fight until they're no longer a threat."
"Right."
Bringing up her fists once more, Miltia prepared herself for another round. "Come on. Let's keep going."
Jaune mimicked her pose, and shifted his feet into a fighting stance. His skills as a dancer paid off in situations like these. He was already agile. His footwork was impeccable. He moved on the balls of his feet with surprising grace. All he needed was proper form. All he needed was the killer instinct of a fighter.
No a literal killer instinct of course. Training in this manner was hoping to accomplish the exact opposite. A way to fight without putting more lives at risk.
The two teens approached one another again, both ready to strike. Miltia normally let him take the first shot to see what he was capable of when acting on his own initiative. There was little strategy behind his strikes, however. Feints and fake outs were not yet a part of his repertoire. He just attacked, hoping to land a hard, crushing blow to knock his opponent out of the fight. That may have worked on lowly grunts like White Fang terrorists, but it would not work on anyone with actual training and combat sense.
And so it was that Jaune overextended with his strike. Miltia grabbed his arm, and despite their size difference, was able to twist it and him around so that she pinned the appendage behind his back. She stood close behind him, wrenching his arm behind him while her free arm went around to grip around his abdomen.
"And now I've got you again," she grunted as he tried to break free from her hold. A slight amount of pressure on his captured arm caused him to wince in pain. She did quite enjoy the feeling of being able to dominate her lover in such a manner.
Oh no. Was she becoming like Melanie now?
"Hey, Mil?"
"Hmm?"
She could not see his face, but she could hear the smugness in his tone when he spoke. "Now you let your guard down."
Miltia blinked in confusion. "What are you-"
Before she could finish her sentence she felt Jaune's own free hand grab her own as a wave of comfort and warmth fill her body. A feeling of indescribable pleasure coursed through her veins as she saw Jaune's body begin to glow a soft white. Her own followed suit.
Her breath hitched. Her grip loosened. Her legs became jelly. It was all Jaune needed.
Twisting and grabbing hold of her shoulder, Jaune swept a leg from underneath her and sent Miltia falling back hard onto the mat. He followed down with her, and soon her large hands were around her forearms, pinning her down to the floor. She felt his weight atop her as the feeling of his Aura inside her began to subside. Left in its wake was a cold and yearning feeling. A desire to feel his soul touching hers once more.
Miltia was breathless as her eyes opened up to witness the smirking blonde looking down at her. His face was mere inches away from hers. She struggled to move her arms, but to no avail. His superior strength and positioning meant that she was now at his mercy.
"Didn't you just tell me not to let up?" he asked. A irritatingly cute smile was plastered on his lips as he did so. "So what was that?"
That...
She closed her eyes and sighed. That had been a stupid mistake on her part. Arrogance. Hypocrisy. Reveling in the feeling of having her boyfriend in her arms. He was absolutely right, however. Rather than finishing him off, she had sought to toy with him.
Still, the manner in which he had taken advantage of her mistake was a cruel one.
"That was a dirty trick," she whispered.
To someone who had not experienced Jaune's Semblance firsthand, there was simply no way of describing it. How does one describe the feeling someone's soul touching their own? He knew she loved the feeling.
If he could do that at will like that... sparring with him would never be the same again.
Would it have that kind of effect on every opponent? Or only herself because they were lovers?
Despite the kind of advantage it might give to him in combat, she sincerely hoped that it was the latter. No one deserved to feel Jaune like that except her.
He brought his face down closer to hers. "It worked, didn't it?"
Miltia's tongue ran across her lips in anticipation. "You don't fight fair."
"You and Melanie told me not to."
The warm and soft feel of his lips against hers pushed all feelings of frustration from her mind. With her arms still pinned against the mat, all she could do was accept the kiss. She was perfectly happy with that arrangement.
After a few seconds he pulled back, and she stared lovingly into those soft blue eyes of his. "Whatever," she breathed huskily.
"So you wanna go again?"
There was a part of Miltia that sincerely hoped he meant another kiss. "You mean sparring, right?"
"I don't know. We could always take a little break."
"Breaks are good."
His arms released her own, and they quickly found themselves wrapped around the back of Jaune's neck to pull him down closer. All she wanted right now was to taste her boyfriend again. All work and no play made Miltia a high-strung girl. She wanted a release.
She was about to bring her lips up against his own once more, before the ultimate clam-jammer made her unwanted entrance. Not that she had been planning on having sex in the middle of the training room or anything...
"Oh my gods, get a room!"
Jaune was quick to remove himself from his position above her, much to the younger twin's chagrin. He offered her a hand this time, and within seconds the two red-handed teens were back on their feet.
"Or, let me clarify," Melanie continued. "Get a room that's not the one I have to sleep in. It fucking smells like sex in there."
Miltia rolled her eyes. "You really know how to ruin a moment."
"And you two really know how to make me gag."
"Do you need something, Melanie?"
"Yes, Miltia, I do," she snapped back. "I need to fucking complain to someone and you're the only person I've got."
"Why not go complain to Ruby? You seemed pretty close with her last night..."
A glance over to Jaune revealed a slight frown on his face. Maybe that hadn't been the best joke. Miltia had to remember that he and Ruby were friends. Just because she, and especially not Melanie were not Ruby's friends didn't mean that he couldn't be either.
"Oh shut up," Melanie bit back. Her arms folded across her chest in annoyance as she spoke. "She's the reason I'm pissed off in the first place. I had to talk to her and her dumb bitch sister this morning."
"And you apologized?" Jaune asked.
The older twin shot a glare back at him. "Yes, little huntsman. I apologized. Are you fucking happy now?"
There was definite tension between her boyfriend and sister. After the way he had stood up to her at the dance, it was obvious that he was willing to go out of his comfort zone in order to defend Ruby. In a way she couldn't blame him for his loyalty to his friend. But at the same time, she wanted him to take their side at all times. They were his friends first, after all. It felt selfish, but at the same time it felt justified.
"Yeah," he replied. Again, he was surprisingly confident when talking to the rather aggressive girl. "I am."
"Well good for you."
Miltia wanted to defuse the situation. To take the focus off of Jaune. "Huh. That explains why you're up so early. It's not even noon yet."
Her sister's attention shifted back to her. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." An annoyed huff of air blew a few errant strands of hair away from her eyes. "You'll never believe what Miss Goodbitch did."
Miltia smirked at the obvious nickname for Beacon's combat instructor. She wondered just how many students threw that name around behind the woman's back. She wondered too if the woman was aware of just how easily her name could be turned into an insult. Especially with her less than pleasant demeanor.
"What? You get detention or something?"
Melanie waved off the question with a flick of her wrist. "Pffft. Duh. But as if I'm gonna actually go."
She couldn't blame her sister for not wanting to go. However, not obeying the rules ran the risk of them getting kicked out of Beacon. "Mel, if we get kicked out of Beacon we won't have anywhere else to go."
"Uh, yeah we will? Don't act like we don't have lien of our own for a place to crash for a while."
She was right. The twins always made sure to take a small finder's fee any time they settled a score with Junior's enemies. Sometimes it was with those who actually owed him money. Sometimes it was just a little extra perk taken directly from their victim's wallets. Either way, they had managed to build up a small fortune in their own personal accounts. They existed for not only their own spending habits, but for emergencies just such as this one. Times where they might be at risk of losing everything again.
"Well, fine," Miltia agreed. "But we still shouldn't like, want to have to spend our own lien."
"Here's the thing," her sister smirked. "I don't think she's gonna."
Miltia's brow furrowed. "Huh?"
"She's not gonna kick me out. Like, she could have. She was totally pissed off because of what I did to little miss Ruby-fucking-Rose. But she didn't do shit. She just made me apologize. I don't know why, but I don't think she wants to kick us out."
That was it? Miltia had to admit, that seemed like a rather tame punishment. That and the detention, at least. Detention that Melanie wasn't likely to attend anyway.
"But you know what she did fucking do?" Melanie continued. There was an edge to her voice now. Humor had been replaced by anger. "She confiscated all my fucking alcohol! And you know what else? She said she's gonna make sure none of the bullhead pilots give me a ride down to Vale so I can't get more! This is like a literal fucking prison now!"
That would certainly explain the girl's anger toward the professor. Alcohol was more than just a pleasure for Melanie. It was also a crutch. A way to help the girl deal with the traumas of her past.
Melanie now existed in a place where she was surrounded by those who she could not dominate and control. A place where she could not get drunk. A place where she was constricted and could not roam freely. Like she had said, a prison.
It must have felt suffocating for the girl.
Miltia frowned. She wondered if that bullhead ban applied to her and Jaune as well. "I'm sure we could still get down to Vale if we wanted..."
"We'd better!"
She turned to Jaune, who so far had been quiet for most of this conversation. "Got any plans for today? We should go down to Vale. Just to... I dunno. Get out of this place for a while."
The boy shrugged. "I mean, there are still classes. But considering we don't actually have to learn anything, I don't see why we can't skip."
Miltia was honestly a little bit surprised. This had been his dream, after all. She would have thought he would soak in all the experiences he could. Learn everything he could. Pretend he was a real huntsman.
"So it's settled," Melanie said. "We sneak down to Vale. We get me some drinks. And we have a little fun. Blow off a little steam. Because I know I can't have any fun as long as I'm stuck in this place."
In other words, she can't go around beating the crap out of Beacon students. Honestly, maybe she should try sparring. Then again, she would be sparring against those who were at the minimum equally as skilled as she was. And Melanie did not like fighting fair.
"And what do you plan on doing?" he asked.
"I dunno. Bar. Club. Shopping. Something. Anything's better than being trapped in this stupid school."
Miltia found it hard to disagree. As much as she enjoyed being here with Jaune, it was so... unusual to say the least. She didn't feel she was truly in control of her own life. She was living in someone else's dorm. Being allowed to stay only by their generosity. Things could be turned on their head at a moment's notice. It wasn't a good feeling to have in the back of her mind.
She could only imagine how Melanie felt. Her situation was much worse.
"Sounds good," Jaune said with a shrug. "But before we do anything, there's something I need to take care of."
Miltia looked up at him. "Everything okay?"
He gave her a reassuring smile. "Yeah. It's just, I want to talk to Ruby about something."
"Ugh. Please don't tell me you're gonna make a big deal out of this too," Melanie said.
"Well first of all, it is a big deal to me," he replied. "And secondly, that's not the main thing I want to talk to her about. There's something that's been on my mind lately, and I didn't want to bring it up at the dance or anything."
"Okay. But nothing's wrong?"
Jaune took her hand this time and gave it a soft squeeze. A smile slipped on her face as a result. "Nah. Everything's okay. Just something I wanted to talk to her about."
She knew she shouldn't get jealous of Jaune wanting to talk with Ruby. Presumably alone. He was as loyal and trustworthy as a guy could get. Still, she could not help but feel incredibly selfish by wanting her and Melanie to be the only girls in his life. And Melanie was only involved because they were sisters. But even then, contrary to popular belief, twins did not share everything.
Miltia didn't let go of his hand, and gave it a soft squeeze of her own. "Okay then."
Jaune's head moved to sniff his body. "But I suppose I should probably grab a shower before all of this. I kinda stink right now."
I think you smell hot and manly... was what she wanted to say. But with Melanie present, she stuck to merely thinking it.
While she was at it, she should probably keep her other suggestion to herself as well. Surprises were a good thing, after all.
"So, you wanted to talk to me about something, Jaune?"
That he did. The problem was that he really had no idea how to go about exploring the topic.
It wasn't exactly an easy thing to bring up. He didn't want to feel like he was lecturing the girl. Or like he knew better than her, because at the end of the day he didn't. He didn't know anything. That was what had gotten him into this mess to begin with. His ignorance and selfishness were the roots to all of his current problems.
Still, if he could share a little bit of his knowledge and wisdom with Ruby, he should take the opportunity to do so. If anyone could be spared from suffering the same as he had, then it would be worth it. What Jaune had witnessed a few days ago while watching TV had been alarming because he had been in that situation before too. Maybe not that exact situation, but one close to it.
Then again Ruby had been there with him. Only she had not learned her lesson. She had not had to face the same consequences he had.
But there was something else he wanted to get out of the way first.
"First, I just wanna apologize about what happened at the dance last night," he began.
It looked as though Ruby's face was about to become as red as her cloak. "Oh, um, right..."
"What she did wasn't right. She had no excuse to go after you. You didn't do anything to her."
"Yeah... but that's not your fault, Jaune."
In a way it was. "She's only here because I am. I dunno. I guess I just feel responsible for her."
Ruby shrugged lightly. "She only did that to mess with me, right? Or did she say anything else today?"
"Pretty much," he confirmed. "Just messing with you to get to Yang. I'm sorry," he repeated. "Are you okay?"
Her head bobbed up and down quickly. "Yeah. We talked about it this morning already. It's done. I think." Her eyes shifted away for a moment before returning to meet his gaze. "You said first. Was there something else you wanted to talk about?"
The conversation was obviously a little bit uncomfortable for the girl. She wanted to move away from it and to the other topic of discussion. Well, if she didn't need to discuss the dance issue anymore, Jaune felt no reason to harp on it.
"It's, uh... it's about what happened a few days ago on the highway."
Silver eyes lit up at the mention of the incident. It was not the reaction he had been expecting. "I know! Wasn't that so cool? I never thought I'd get to fight against a real life giant robot before! It was like something out of a comic book!"
Cool was not exactly the word Jaune would use to describe it. Dangerous. Reckless. Perhaps even a few other choice words. Harsh ones. Ones he did not want to say to his good friend.
"I didn't want to bring this up before, because of the dance. Didn't wanna ruin the mood and all, you know?"
Ruby nodded. "Yeah. But why would you ruin anything?"
Because he was about to lay some truth down for the girl. "Ruby, what you guys did there... it was dangerous."
Those bright eyes of hers squinted in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean? We all got out of there just fine."
Oh yes. They did. They were trained huntresses with Aura. But those other people...
"What about the others?" Jaune's eyes darted off to the side for a moment, unable to continue looking at Ruby while he spoke. "All the people there just driving. Did they all make it out of there just fine?"
All traces of excitement vanished from Ruby's face, and were replaced by a soft frown. "I, uh... I think so? I mean I don't remember any of them exploding or anything..."
And why would she? She was busy battling against a giant Atlesian Paladin. She was busy ensuring her teammates stayed alive. The lives of the innocent civilians around her, and the massive amount of damage that was being caused probably did not register to her in the heat of the moment.
"But you don't know," he clarified.
She gave a soft shrug. "Ozpin didn't say anything about it. If people had died, he would have told us, right? We would have gotten in trouble, right?"
Jaune genuinely did not know. He did not know the man to begin with. Being the headmaster of Beacon Academy, did he maybe have the power to pull strings in order to protect his students? Was he able to cover up such incidents with his influence? Or was Jaune really just being a pessimist, and maybe nothing bad had happened to those civilians at all?
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But... I just gotta say. And I'm sorry if it sounds harsh. But what you guys did out there was dangerous. A lot of people could have died. And I..." he stopped, and for a moment his words caught in his throat. "I know how it feels to get someone killed."
Ruby's eyes lit up with understanding. He had never actually come out and said it to her, so this was the first absolute confirmation of it. Of course she had always suspected. She had always known. But perhaps the words being spoken aloud had more impact than mere suspicion.
"The docks," she said knowingly.
Jaune nodded. "Yeah."
A hand came up to his shoulder. It was warm and comforting as she gave him a tiny squeeze. "He was a terrorist," he said softly. "It was him or you. We all would have done the same."
He had heard it all before from Miltia. Still, it didn't make the burden any easier to bear. He knew that he had gone there by choice. He knew that he had been filled with anger and hatred toward the White Fang. He knew that no one had to die there tonight. He could have just stayed at Junior's club. That way they would not have been bombed in retaliation. They would not be stuck here at Beacon right now. If only he had just stayed home.
"Not the point," he said with a shake of his head. He was getting off topic. "The point is, I chose to go there. I went out looking for trouble, and that's what happened. And I have to deal with the consequences. I don't want that for you, Ruby. I don't want you to go out looking for trouble like you did on the highway. Because if people got killed because of your choices..."
He let the words linger at the end. They spoke for themselves.
"Yeah," she agreed. Her own sullen voice and expression told him that she understood those words.
"I just... I want what's best for you," he said, attempting to put a smile on his face. "Because we're friends. I've been there and done that. And I don't want you to have to go through what I am."
Ruby nodded, and a small smile of her own curled on her lips. "Yeah. I know."
"Just... promise me you'll be more careful, okay?"
She nodded again. "Right. But... we did get important information out of it."
"What kind of information?"
"Well, Blake heard from Roman Torchwick himself that there's a White Fang operation going on somewhere in the south east portion of Vale. So with the field trip that's coming up, we're gonna try and get a mission that's in the area."
Jaune blinked. She was still going to pursue this? Even after their nice little heart to heart talk? "Ruby, you can't be serious."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Because..." He was at a loss for words. "What about the whole 'vigilantism is bad' thing and innocent people getting hurt thing we just talked about? Isn't this the kind of thing you should be calling the police about?"
"Jaune. We're huntresses." Her demeanor suddenly changed as she spoke the words. The earlier meekness was gone now, and was instead replaced with confidence. With purpose. "And this is what huntresses do. We fight the battles that are too big for the police. And trust me, Roman Torchwick and the White Fang are too much for the police. It can only be us."
He wanted to argue. He really did. But on some level he knew she was correct. She was a huntress. Even if she was only a first year student. She had more power and skill than an entire team of police officers. The only problem was, she lacked the training and discipline of one when it came to handling public and civilian matters.
Jaune's mind flashed back to things both Miltia and Melanie had said in the previous months. Their disdain for huntsmen. How they were the dogs of the state. How they did not have to answer to any authority. How they ultimately had no responsibility and accountability.
And then he fast forwarded to only a few nights ago. A massive multi-car pileup on the highway. Countless people undoubtedly hurt. Or worse. And yet here Ruby was, one of the perpetrators. Here without any kind of repercussions. Not even knowing if her actions had gotten anybody killed that night.
Were they right? Were huntsmen and huntresses truly a danger to society as much as they were a help?
"There's nothing I can say to stop you then," he said knowingly.
Ruby shook her head. "Nope. This is the life I signed up for, Jaune. This is what I've chosen."
It could have been his life as well. It made Jaune wonder if he could have even continued down the path once he learned the dark truths of it. Or maybe he wouldn't even have cared, so long as he didn't see the corpses pile up. Would Ruby change her tune if there was a morgue full of bodies as a result of her actions? He couldn't say.
Jaune sighed, and nodded softly as he closed his eyes. "Just tell me you'll be careful then," he said as he looked back into her eyes. "Don't let what happened on the highway happen wherever you're going."
"I'll be careful," she told him reassuringly. "We'll be careful."
"Right. I just don't want you to have to deal with the kind of stuff I-"
He was cut off when Ruby enveloped him into a hug. She was shorter than Miltia, but he could still feel the power and emotion behind her embrace. It took a few seconds, but eventually Jaune wrapped his arms around her tiny body as well.
"I know," she said as he head leaned against his chest. "Thank you for being worried about me. And thank you for telling me. I promise, we'll be careful. We won't let anyone innocent get hurt."
What more could be said? She was his friend. He would trust in her word. He would trust her.
All he could do now was hope that she and everyone else made it back in one piece.
Author's Note: I know it's been a little long since this updated. But I've actually written a lot since then. Three one shots, the start of a brand new story, and another chapter into the Bleiss Anthology. So if you want, you can check all those things out.
I think I needed a little breather from this to help recharge my batteries. But now that I'm back, I'm excited to get into this phase of the story, because we're getting to some major events happening. You can probably guess what one of them is from what happened in this chapter.
As always I want to thank everyone for reading. You all continue to inspire me to keep going and to try to keep getting better. So thank you all so much for your support.
Oh and since this was apparently an issue from the last chapter, let me just clarify it. Weiss was not upset about someone else kissing Ruby rather than her kissing Ruby. She was upset about the fact that Ruby received her first kiss before Weiss got her own first kiss. Apparently my choice of wording was confusing to some, so I went back and altered it.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.