Chapter 14: Forever Fall
(Beacon Academy: Students Dorm.)
Pyrrha looks out the window, sadly as Ren loads StromFlower and Nora is jumping on her bed in the room for Team JNPR.
"How come Jaune gets home so late?" Nora asked.
"He's become rather scarce since he started fraternizing with Cardin." Ren said.
"That's weird...Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!" She proclaims this while twirling in midair so her back hits the covers.
"I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he's doing." Pyrrha said, angrily.
Nora and Ren exchange glances, not knowing that Jaune himself is looking in through the crack of the door.
"Mmmm...I guess so."
Jaune hangs his head and closes the door, just as a voice interrupts his thoughts.
"Hey, Jaune!" Startled, Jaune turns around to see Ruby, in her pajamas, and she giggles at his reaction." Long time, no see! Did you lock yourself out again?
"Oh, uh, nope!" He raises his scroll, attempting to laugh." Got it!"
"So! Where have you been lately?"
"I, uh..." He tries to come up with something, but just sighs and lowers his head." I messed up. I did something i shouldn't have, and now Cardin has me on a leash, and Pyrrha won't even talk to me, and..." He breathes heavily through his nose." I'm starting to think coming to this school was a bad idea." Jaune presses his back to his team's door and slides down to the floor in depression." I'm a failure."
"Nope!"
"Nope?" Jaune looks at her in surprise.
"Nope! You're a leader now, Jaune. You're not allowed to be a failure."
"But...what if i'm a failure at being a leader?"
Ruby thinks about it for a moment, then gives her answer." Nope!"
"You know, you're not the easiest person to talk to about this kind of stuff." Jaune laughs as she joins him on the floor.
"Nope!" As Jaune leans into the door some more." Jaune, maybe you were a failure when you were a kid..." Jaune groans and sinks lower to the ground."...and you might've even been a failure the first day we met!" He groans and goes lower still." But, you can't be one now. You know why?"
"Uhhh,because...?"
"Because it's not just about you anymore. You've got a team now, Jaune. You,Me, and Hero! And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us." She gets up and places her hands on her hips as she speaks." We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second. Your team deserves a great leader, Jaune. And i think that can be you." She walks over to her door and opens it as Jaune, now slightly inspired by her words, watches her wave." Have a good night, Jaune!" She goes inside.
With new energy, Jaune pushes himself off the ground and faces the door, ready to turn the knob and face his team, but his scroll beeps and he pulls it off of his side to open it, seeing Cardin's contact relaying a message.
Cardin:" Hey! It's your buddy Cardin! I know you're probably busy with that Dust project i gave you, buuuut i'm gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of Rapier Wasps.(as Jaune makes a terrified sound in response) And make sure they've got some really big stingers! It's important, so don't screw this up!"
Jaune closes his scroll just when it begins to beep again. Sighing, he wearily heads down the hallway and away from his room.
(Forever Fall.)
Glynda leads teams HIRO, RWBY, JNPR, and CRDL through the forest of Forever Fall. A forest bustling with red leaves and gray trunks
"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so." Glynda said to the group.
The group stops, and Jaune, grunting and carrying a large case with six glass jars on top, tries to catch up with them and ends up bumping into Cardin. The bully scowls at Jaune, who attempts to feign innocence by whistling tunelessly.
"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here by 4 o'clock. Have fun!"
While Oliver and Hero smile at each other in excitement, Jaune attempts to(noisily) sneak away from Cardin to his team, but the blackmailer sees this and grabs Jaune by the back.
"Come on, buddy-let's go!"
Jaune miserably looks up at his team, where Nora and Ren are already walking into the forest's depths and Pyrrha is staring sadly at the scene. Dropping his gaze, Jaune turns and follows CRDL, to the disappointment of a sighing Pyrrha before she continues on.
Team CRDL is making themselves as comfortable as possible by leaning on stones, trees, and the ground while Jaune returns to the group with six full jars, setting them down just as he collapses face-down. The surrounding team gets up in response.
"Hey, great work, Jauney boy! Now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Cardin said.
Jaune was still on the ground, cross-eyed and and sounding dizzy." I think i'm allergic to this stuff..."
"Greeeeat, great, great. So, Jaune, I bet you're asking yourself, 'Why did my buddy Cardin ask me to collect six jars of tree sap when there's only five of us?"
"That is one of the many questions i have asked myself today, yes." Jaune said, nodding, still exhausted.
"Well, come with me, and you'll find out." Cardin said, as Jaune sits up.
Jaune moans and gulps in worry.
Now perched on a hilltop overlooking the other students, team CRDL-plus Jaune, squeezed between Cardin and Russel-peak their heads over the crest and watch as everyone is retrieving their samples of sap. Ren, kneeling to collect it from a tree, passes a full jar to Nora, who "Mmmm!"s at the gift as Ren trades it for the other jar in her care. He turns back to the tree and starts filling it up while several licking sounds are heard and he turns back to Nora, now with an embarrassed smile covered in red and an empty jar in her hands.
"Cardin, wh-what's going on?" Jaune said, turning to his left.
"Payback." Cardin said, still staring at the unsuspecting group sharply.
Jaune widens his eyes in understanding."Pyrrha...?" He watches her gather more sap from a tree." Wh-what are you-?"
"That's the girl." Cardin pounds his fist on the ground." Red-haired know-it-all, thinks she's so smart. Alright, boys..." He pulls out a buzzing cardboard box with a large 'W' written on its sides." Last night, old Jaune here managed to round up an entire box of Rapier Wasps, and now, we're gonna put him to work."
Russel grabs Jaune by the shoulder, who barely laughs in nervousness.
"Now, according to one of the essays you wrote for me last week, these nasty things loooove sweets" Pyrrha finishes her sap collecting." I'm thinking it's time we teach her a thing or two."
The members of CRDL get up. Cardin offers his hand to Jaune, only to painfully yank him up on his feet and shove the jar into his grasp.
"And you're gonna do it."
"Do what?"
"Hit her with the sap!" He leans in close to Jaune's face." Either that, or i'll have a chat with Goodwitch, and you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon."
Jaune looks down at the jar of sap in his hands and then up at the four grinning teammates waiting to see what happens. Jaune turns towards the group and aims his throw at an oblivious and smiling Pyrrha, trying to steel his nerves and shaking hand to do the deed, but ultimately steels himself for what he's about to do.
"No."
"What did you say?"
Jaune grips the jar tightly." I said...NO!"
He turns and throws the jar at Cardin, instantly recoiling his hands to himself as he looks at Cardin's breastplate covered in sap. The other team leader, however, just looks at himself and laughs darkly.
"Oh, you've done it now..."
Jaune humorously laughs to himself once more with his hands still raised in an attempt for defense as Dove and Sky grab Jaune's shoulders and pull him in, with terror in his eyes.
And there's another chapter! One chapter of the Jaune story arc left. It will be great.
Comment and let me know what you think. Until then...Keep moving forward!