Ruby shut off the faucet, grabbing an excessive amount of paper towels from the dispenser to dry them off. "Jeez kid, think your hands are dry enough?" the woman at the sink asked, Ruby turning around to see Valor Arc standing there, pumping out two squirts of liquid soap.
"Oh! Hey, Valerie!" Ruby said, the older Arc turning and looking at Ruby suspiciously.
"The heck do you know my real name? You're not one of those obsessive loons who has to know everything about their favorite fighters, are you?" she asked, Ruby quickly shaking her head.
"N-no! I'm here w-with your brother Jaune and I figured you wouldn't mind being called your real name is all!" Ruby said nervously, Valerie smiling and shutting off the faucet, shaking her hands a bit.
"Sweet, Jaune's here. How's he been doing at Beacon?" she asked, Ruby telling Valerie about the incident with Alpha Ursa, losing herself in the excitement of telling the story and exaggerating the details with each sentence.
"And he just kept stabbing and stabbing until he was coated in the Alpha's blood!" Ruby said breathlessly, Valerie barely able to keep herself from laughing.
"Stop, stop! You're killing me!" she said, holding her side with one arm and keeping her free hand on the sink to retain balance. "Ah man, you're like Claire when a new animal's born on the farm. Anyway, I'd better get going. You need anything signed while I'm here?" Valerie asked, Ruby shaking her head.
"Well, no. But I was wondering if you could help me talk to Chance after the show." she asked.
"I think I can tell him you'll be stopping by, you just gotta do one thing for me; you need to get Jaune to come by my locker room. It's Renewal and I'm not leaving here without seeing my baby brother." the older Arc explained, Ruby smiling and nodding.
"Deal." the young Huntress-in-training said, the two shaking hands and heading off, Ruby running back to the arena.
She found her seat quickly, an eye on the match, seeing Chance lift Rock off the mat and hooking it under his arm. He lifted Morrison off the mat, holding it for a few seconds before driving his head into the mat, going for the cover. The crowd chanted along with the referee "One! Two! Three!" the crowd erupted in cheers, Ruby quickly standing on her chair and screaming in joy.
"HE DID IT! HE GOT THE BELT! WHOOOOO!" she exclaimed as the referee handed Chance the title, the newly-crowned champion slowly coming to his feet, exhaustively holding the belt in one arm. The crowd chanted "Bul-Let De-Mon!" as he climbed each turnbuckle, raising the belt up to another wave of cheers at each turnbuckle, the body paint having partly melted away with sweat. Chance rolled out of the ring, heading up the ramp as Jaune got up.
"Alright, show's over. You wanna head backstage and maybe get a few autographs?" he asked, Ruby smiling and climbing off her chair.
"Yeah, let's get going." Ruby said, the two heading further down the stairs toward the security barrier, flashing their backstage passes to the nearby guard. The guard nodded, opening the barrier and escorting the two up the ramp and past the curtain.
The two walked by, passing by wrestlers and other guest-passers on the way to Valerie's locker room, Ruby leading the way. She knocked on the door, Valerie opening it dressed in a Valor Arc t-shirt over her wrestling attire, a smile breaking out over her face. "Hey there, little bro. Good to see you again." she said, pulling him into a hug. Jaune smiled, reciprocating the hug. Ruby watched the two siblings hug, feeling a warmth in her heart that made her feel better for having made peace with Yang that morning.
"Happy Renewal, Valerie." he said, pulling himself away only to feel his sister tug at his arm, forcing it behind his back and holding it. "Ow! OW! Arm!" Jaune said, Valerie chuckling.
"C'mon, Jaune. You can't tell me you forgot our old handshake, did ya? ...Man, your arm's gotten a bit more defined. You've been working out for once!" she said, twisting on the arm slightly.
"I...uh… I hate to interrupt this… moment of family… bonding?" Ruby said at a loss for words at what she was seeing. "But I was wondering if you could direct me to Chance's room?" she asked.
"Oh yeah! I owe you that favor, don't I? Just three doors down and you should be there. Word of advice: Make sure to keep your shoes on when you walk around Chance's room." Valerie said.
"Uhh… right, thanks. Well, seeya Jaune. Don't tap out, okay?" Ruby said as she headed off, making her way to the door with Valerie's warning sticking to her mind. What did she mean by keep her shoes on? She knocked on the door, getting a "come in!" in response so she opened the door peering inside.
Ruby soon got her answer as she looked around and saw a scattered collection of small colored bricks on the locker room floor, an unpainted Chance sitting on the floor with a bright red plastic briefcase of the bricks by his side and was building a small gray tower that had surrounded the smaller buildings. "...Uh… am I interrupting something?" Ruby asked, completely thrown off by the sight of the man whose body was painted as a monstrous dragon was now sitting and playing with toys.
"Huh? Oh, hello. Don't worry, just working on Beacon." he said, Ruby's eyes lighting up as she walked over and bent down to get a better look at Beacon tower.
"Ooh, it looks great! Need any help?" she asked, Chance nodding and moving the briefcase closer towards Ruby.
"...C'mon Chance, you know nobody cares about Beacon." Valerie complained, Jaune still fumbling around in various joint locks his sister keeps daring him to escape from.
"Mind your business, Arc." he sniped back jokingly.
"Our biggest star, Jaune; he plays with Click'n Brikz." she said, Jaune simply letting out a small gasp of pain.
"Let go of my arm! This isn't how I wanted to spend my Renewal!" Jaune cried out as Ruby simply focused on building the tower, hoping that the insanity around her wouldn't catch up to her.
"The reason I like to do this is that it helps to balance the violence with creativity, there's something about balancing creation with destruction that keeps my head steady and lets me control my temper." Chance mused, clicking a part of the main tower where Ozpin usually resides. "I also like to make models of each place I visit, I keep them at my house."
"..That is the dorkiest thing I have ever heard, Chance. And I've lived with Jaune for seventeen years." Valerie deadpanned.
"Sixteen, actually. I left Patch before my seventeenth bir-AHHHH!" Jaune said, cut off by his older sister wrenching on his arm. Ruby looked around in the briefcase for a pair of green legs to go with the chest.
"I think it's cool. Hrm, black chest, brown hair, blue brick, blue brick, pink brick..." Ruby said as she began shuffling through the case for gray hair. "Stupid Ozpin, why can't he look like normal people?" she exclaimed.
"Ah, I thought you looked familiar. You're from the entrance exam, right?" Chance asked, Ruby looking up from the case.
"Oh! Right! I need to ask something of you." Ruby said, turning to the Arcs. "Uh… would you guys mind?" she asked politely, Valerie pulling Jaune away.
"Seriously, you're still grabbing my arm?" Jaune asked as their voices faded from the hallway. Ruby took a deep breath, a creeping nervousness taking over.
"Right… so, when we first met you kicked my butt all around for a solid minute in front of all the students. And sure, that was a bit embarrassing but I could live with that! I mean, everyone has to start somewhere, but then during Final Harvest I got into… an incident where I didn't have Crescent Rose and I ended up with a horribly burnt hand. Oh, don't worry! It's all better! See?" she said, holding up her hand briefly before continuing her breathless monologue. "But the whole thing made me realize that I don't know how to fight without a scythe and that I needed someone to teach me, and sure, I could ask around Beacon but you're so fast that I thought it'd be great to ask someone who's more experience with using a speed Semblance at how to fight. I mean, at least I think you have a speed Semblance. Oh no, what if you don't have a speed Semblance at all? What if your Semblance is something like the ability to turn into metal or levitate small dogs or be really good at painting yourself and I just made a huge mistake? I've just wasted your time! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Sorry…"" Ruby said, mumbling out her apology. Chance chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Why does everyone mess up my hair?" she asked quietly, patting her hair back.
"Well, you were actually right in that I do have a speed Semblance. That was a lucky guess. However, I didn't use it to beat you." he explained, Ruby's head drooping down.
"Really?" she asked, mortified at the idea of losing to someone without having seen his Semblance in action.
"Mhm. Nor did I use Aura. Most of it was pure athletics and experience. When you're a wrestler, you can't be going so fast the audience and cameras can't pick up on and a faster speed makes it harder to time things so you put yourself and your opponent at risk." Chance explained, slowly heading out the door. "However, if you want a demonstration of my Semblance, I'd be happy to accommodate." he said, stepping out into the hall with Ruby following after.
Within seconds, Chance had turned into a blur dashing by, a clattering sound coming from far end of the hall and cry of "Damn it! My melons!" before Chance returned with a box of pizza and two water bottles. "Want some pizza?" he asked, Ruby's jaw wide open in amazement.
"Whoa…" was all she could get out as he smiled, sitting down into a cross-legged position and opening up the box.
"I think I've proved my point on why I don't fight at that speed. Anyway, you mentioned something about wanting me to teach you, right?" he asked, Ruby nodding with her jaw still agape. "Well, normally I wouldn't but there's something about your enthusiasm. Your willingness to just go to any end to get what you want and not let anything stop you. I was the same way when I was about your age… so I guess I can make time to teach you, but there are two things you have to understand." Chance said, holding up a finger. "First is that the training will be intensive. I'm sure you've heard this kind of rhetoric from every one of your teachers at Beacon," he began, Ruby finally shutting her jaw and nodding her head. "But it applies here as well. I didn't become VWA Champion by taking the easy road." Chance explained before holding up a second finger.
"Secondly, as I said there will be times I won't be there to train you. However, I will try to compensate by sending you letters with advice and instructions for the week. You think you can handle that?" he asked, Ruby clearing her throat.
"Just one question: if you're this fast then why not become a Huntsman?" she asked, Chance rubbing his chin in thought.
"Hrm… you're a bit young to understand but I had considered it when, well.. let's say I stepped past a line I shouldn't have during the Vytal Festival Tournament." he said. "Any other questions?" Chance asked, Ruby thinking carefully.
"Oh, and why do you paint yourself as a Grimm when you wrestle?" she asked.
"Well, here's your first lesson. It's called the Demon." he said calmly, Ruby backing away slowly.
"Oh, it's not a literal demon. It's more a state of mind. It's about releasing all control over your most primal state. In the midst of a fight, there are often things in your mind that are a constant, things that you think about that distract you. Your ambitions, your friends, your wants… It fades to the back of your mind, and all you think about is victory at … well... Any cost." he explained, Ruby shuddering slightly.
"Sounds… dangerous." Ruby said.
"It can be, the version I use at events is an act, but the real one needs to be used with tact and a proper conscience." the Bullet Demon said, finishing off his slice of pizza and getting up. "Anyway, I think you'd best be get going, unless you have any more questions." he asked, Ruby shaking her head. "Good, then I have a Beacon to complete." Chance said, heading for his room.
"Oh! Be sure to put Professor Ozpin in his chair!" Ruby said, walking off to collect Jaune who she had hoped didn't need to be put in the hospital by the time she got there. She knocked on Valerie's door, Valerie opening the door. "Hey, Valerie. I'm here to pick up Jaune. He tap out yet?" she asked, the older Arc laughing a bit.
"Nah, he's held himself together pretty well. But if you gotta go…" Valerie said, shutting the door in front of Ruby. After a brief bit of conversation, Jaune stepped out the door, carrying a small wrapped object, "Don't be a stranger, Jaune! I'm gonna be in Vale for a few months!" Valerie said, giving Jaune a quick hug which caused him to wince.
"Anh… I'll see you when my arm gets better, sis…" Jaune gasped out, Ruby not feeling the same warmth from their first hug as Valerie let go, the two Beacon students heading for the exit.
"So, you got another gift from Valerie?" Ruby asked as Jaune rubbed his arm, holding the package underneath it.
"Nah, this one got sent to her from by Simone and Louise. I'm a bit nervous about opening it…" he said as they made their way out of the building.
"Why's that? You think they sent you a bomb or something?" Ruby asked, Jaune's eyes widening.
"No, not that! it's just… well, it's a bit of a long story, but Simone's a writer and Louise is an artist. They make comics for a living and like every comic creator, they had to get their start somewhere…" Jaune said, sitting down on the stairs with the gift in his lap. "And their start was making stick figure comics of me as a complete wimp of a knight who kept getting bested by anything. Grimm, mobsters, old ladies…one of them even got put on the fridge for a while. So, I'm not sure this is gonna be any different…" Jaune said with a sigh.
"Ah, c'mon Jaune. It's Renewal, get into the spirit and open it up. It can't be that bad…" she said, giving him a reassuring pat on the back.
"Well... if you say so…" Jaune said, gingerly unwrapping the package to see a book inside with Jaune on the cover. The cover caught Jaune off guard as he was clad in shining white armor wielding a weathered sword. "What… is that? Oh, no way! The original Crocea Mors wielded by Claire the Uniter! It looks just like in the tapestry!" Jaune said with a gleam in his eye. He flipped open the book, seeing the title of the book "Jaune the Protector: Into the Heart of the Pack." He read the comic,which was a beautifully drawn tale of Jaune acting as a guardian for a group of nomads as they made their way through the thick forests of Vale, battling a massive pack of Beowolves to guide them to safety. With each page, Jaune's smile grew wider and wider still.
He read the entire book without stopping, coming to the end with yet another illustration of Jaune standing against a sunset backdrop with a sword coated in Grimm blood, holding a Beowolf's head in the other hand, next to it was a dedication. "To our little brother, Jaune. The boy with the stick sword all grown up." Tears welled up in his eyes, nearly falling onto the pages. "I… I don't know what to say… this is wonderful... " Jaune said, choked up and wiping his eyes on his sleeve. Ruby smiled but noticed something out of the corner of her eye.
"Uhh… Jaune… I'd hate to bring this up, but… there's something wrong with the drawing… you're…. uh…" Ruby said, not sure if she wanted to bring this up and ruin such a touching moment.
"I'm what? What is it, Ruby?" he asked as he dried his eyes.
"You're.. you're cross-eyed." she said, pointing to the eyes in the illustration. Jaune looked down, seeing that Ruby wasn't lying and that he was indeed cross-eyed in the picture. He flipped back a few pages to another profile of him and he was cross-eyed there too. Another page, same dopey eyes. He even saw pages with other characters that were straight-eyed with only his eyes being off-center. Jaune let out a heavy sigh, shutting the book.
"Of course they'd do that, damn it..." he said as he got up, heading down the stairs with Ruby following after.
"Hey! Wait up! It's not that bad, Jaune! You can just focus on the fight scenes! No one pays attention to the boring parts, right? Right?!" Ruby shouted, trying to catch up with him.
"...Can we just go back to Beacon already? I hate Renewal..."