Troll in Reviews

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Cover Art: Jack Wayne

Chapter 96


The inside of Raven's tent was much more dishevelled than usual. Her wooden table had lost a leg and fallen on its side, while one of her chairs lay in splintered ruins. The crate in the corner that he assumed held clothing was cracked and dented, while her bed and all her bedding was brand new. Jaune took it all in as the portal closed behind him.

"So…"

"I wanted a change of decor," Raven snapped.

"Right." Something in her tone said he'd be stabbed if he pushed further. "It looks nice? I like what you've done with the… uh… the table." He watched as Roland hurried away, head down and steadfastly refusing to look at Raven. "And your people are terrified."

"When aren't they? Rabbits will always fear a wolf." Something was up. In no way did she talk like that normally, nor smile so cockily. He tried to focus on her face for an idea, but she scowled and looked away once she realised. "Are we doing this or not? I didn't bring you here to critique my living arrangements."

"We're doing it. Ozpin and Qrow are both busy with Pyrrha and her family-"

"Still can't believe you fucked up that badly and made her the maiden. And she hates you."

Jaune winced. "Pyrrha doesn't hate me."

"Ha. Do you tell yourself that before bed each night?"

"My Pyrrha loved me. They're two different people; I've not forgotten that. And this is for the best anyway. If she liked me enough to want to train with me, what's to say I wouldn't accidentally rip the maiden back out of her? That would be as fatal for her as it was Amber."

Gloves were the obvious solution and he wore them all the time anyway, but mistakes could happen, and he wasn't about to risk it. Thinking back, that alone was a good enough reason not to make Winter, Emerald or Yang the maiden. He'd have had to choose someone though, and there just weren't any good options.

I'll have to decide if I want to mess with the others too. I know who the Winter Maiden is, but she's ill and passed it onto Penny last time. Though that worked out, he was nervous of relying on the same. For one thing, Penny was too easily defeated by Pyrrha. What was to say another Semblance with such a critical advantage over her wouldn't exist? For another, history had changed already, so there was no guarantee it would work out that way again.

Going to Atlas without a plan was a waste of time, however. No point playing with the maidens unless he had a clear idea what to do with that power.

"I've got the book," he said, hoisting the thick tome in his hands. "Have you got the person you wanted me to try the ritual on?"

"I can fetch them. Here." Raven tossed him a bundle of cloth. Jaune let it hang from his hands and drape down, revealing thick, brown robes that would cover him from head to toe. Coincidence or not, it was going to make him look like a deranged cultist. "No point taking chances with them recognising you, is there?"

Raven had a point. Jaune pulled the robes on like a cover, simply dragging it over his head and letting it fall down the length of him. It was hot and itchy, and he had the sinking suspicion it had been taken either from a dead body or a trash heap. Who even wore things like this anymore? He pulled the hood over his head, then drew his scarf up over his lips and nose.

"How do I look?"

"Ridiculous."

"Thanks. I meant, can you recognise me."

"I wouldn't want to be recognised with you." She tossed her head back and laughed when he scowled. "Relax, idiot. No one will know who you are. Now come on. I've got a clearing made up a short distance from here."

"I thought we were going to try it in the temple."

"I couldn't find anyone who knew where it was," she said. "Meaning no portals."

Fair enough. Jaune followed her out the tent and into the tribe, earning more than his fair share of strange looks. No one dared challenge him since he'd come from Raven's tent and was with her. In fact, they all shied unusually far away from Raven as she marched through the tribe, everyone doing their best to not so much as meet her eyes, let along get in their way.

Raven took him to the border and then out, away from the tents and campfires. He'd thought they'd be collecting their `volunteer` along the way, but she strode into the treeline with him in tow. Guess she's going to use a portal to bring them in. I hope the poor bastard is willing and hasn't just been threatened into it.

She wouldn't kidnap someone for this, would she? Yes. Yes, she absolutely would, but he hoped she was smart enough to realise he'd never allow that. If she thought they were going to steal some poor child from a village and perform experimental magic on them, she was wildly mistaken.

"Where are we-"

"A clearing. Like I said." Raven tossed her hair back impatiently. "I had some slabs of rock carted down. It looks close enough to the altar, even if it's not. It's away from any prying eyes too."

"And the volunteer?"

"Waiting for my Semblance. He knows to expect it."

Crisis averted. Jaune sighed in relief and hugged the book closer to his side. A few seconds later they stepped into a small opening in the trees. It wasn't so much a clearing as a spot where one or two trees had fallen recently, breaking the canopy above. Moonlight shone down from it and onto a rough piece of slate propped up between two stacked rocks and a severed tree stump.

"The light is a nice touch, eh?" she asked.

"Sure. And I bet you planned that when you dragged a hunk of slate onto a stump."

"Don't be an idiot," she snapped. "I didn't do anything. What's the point of ruling over those idiots if I can't make them do the boring work for me?"

"Lazy old bird…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Jaune walked to the second stump, thankfully clear, and set the book down upon it. He'd inserted a bookmark into the section showing the person laying on the altar and pulled out his scroll, using the torch function to read it better. "It doesn't look like there's any special equipment. Just two people and the vic- volunteer."

Only one of those persons was doing anything during the procedure. The other was either there for tradition, support or just to hold things. Or maybe they were an apprentice learning the craft. The text would probably reveal more, but they were working from the pictures alone, trying to follow along like two idiots building a cabinet from a foreign set of instructions.

Except we're doing this on a living person with unknown results. Why are we doing this again?

Oh yeah, saving the world. That thing.

"Did this person really volunteer?"

"I had to ask them, but ironically yes, they're willing." Raven wore a sarcastic smirk as she watched him. "He's a bit of a fucking idiot like that. I blame genetics. It must run in the family."

"And he's loyal?"

"Stupidly so, even when it'd be better not to be."

He could well believe that. Anyone loyal to Raven and the tribe had to be a little unhinged. Jaune wisely chose not to mention that and just hummed, flipping through the next few pages to see if there was anything untoward. One image showed the robed figure painting something onto the person, and he had no idea if that was some magical ink or paint or liquified Grimm juice. He'd brought tattoo ink and a selection of brushes.

"I think we're good to go, and it'd be better to get this done quick before my absence is noted."

"Very well." Raven was still smirking. "I'll go fetch the idiot."

/-/

Jaune glared at Raven, biting down on his tongue in case he gave himself away by speaking. Beside the smugly grinning woman stood himself, albeit a younger version. Seventeen-year-old Jaune was wearing his school uniform. At least it's not the onesie…

"This will be our volunteer," Raven said, laying a hand on the younger Jaune's back. "He's bravely offered to take part in this. Isn't that right, brat?"

"Yes!"

Jaune growled. "Raven…"

"I want to be a fairy."

"…"

"F-Forget he said that," Raven snapped. "You didn't hear that!"

"But Raven," the young man said. "Are you really okay?"

"Idiot." She swatted him with one hand. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Mrs Rose said some hurtful things to you."

Summer? Jaune looked up from the tome, suddenly a lot more interested. When had she spoken to Summer? Judging from what his younger self was saying, the conversation hadn't gone well. Raven saw his interest and hissed through her teeth.

"Brat. Stop talking."

"You looked really hurt."

"Brat…"

"I thought you might even be cry-ahhhh!" Jaune yelped as he was dragged forward by his jaw, one of each of Raven's forefingers in his mouth, stretching it wide and into a parody of a smile. "Mahhhh!" she whined, struggling futilely. "Bwahhh! Staaahp!"

"How many hints do you need to shut the fuck up!?" Raven growled, stretching his face wide. "No wonder you were so useless with women. Read between the lines, moron!"

Jaune, the older one, coughed and looked back to the book, taking the implied criticism of both him and his younger self. Raven wasn't exactly wrong on that front. Though to be fair it had only taken about a hundred instances of Weiss saying no before he caught on that she might mean no. That wasn't so bad. Maybe. Sort of.

"Raven," he said softly, trying to sound just a little deeper than he normally did. No wonder she'd told him to wear a disguise. "You're wasting time."

"No time spent teaching an idiot manner is wasted," she shot back, but she did release her prisoner. "Brat. Take your top off and lay down on that altar."

"Do I need to be naked for this?"

"In your wildest dreams." Raven crossed her arms. "And I'm not going to be feeling you up if that's what you're hoping for."

"What? No. Ewww!"

Wrong reaction. Jaune knew that even before Raven yelled out, "EXCUSE ME!?"

"I-I don't mean that you're not good enough. But that. Ew…" Jaune stuck his tongue out but was already unbuttoning his shirt. "It'd be like having my mom do it. I just don't see you that way. You're more like-"

"I am not your mother!"

"No," he agreed, laying his shirt on the grass. "You're Yang's."

Raven flinched. The younger version might have missed it, but his head shot up the second his other self mentioned it, catching Raven's reaction. Interesting. For that secret to be out – it wasn't impossible Yang had told her team, but since the boy mentioned Summer, he assumed it was closer to that. Qrow's warnings filtered back into his mind.

I hope they didn't get into a fight. Summer's normally so reasonable but that flies out the window when she thinks Yang or Ruby have been hurt. If Qrow's right, Raven's the biggest source of that.

"Do I just lay down on here?" younger Jaune asked him.

Jaune nodded. "Do you have a spot you'd prefer a tattoo?"

"I'm getting a tatt!?"

Jaune shrugged. He didn't really know, but he knew their mom would kill them for doing so without consulting her, so he was sympathetic enough to give his younger self the choice. "Only if it works. It'll wash off if it doesn't. I'd suggest somewhere hidden."

"Not my arm, then. How about my shoulder?"

Good enough. "Back or front?"

"Back."

Jaune gestured to the altar and his younger self climbed onto it, far too trusting considering he was exposing himself to what must have looked to him, a robed and dangerous figure in the middle of the forest. I always did trust too easily. We all did, letting Cinder and her allies worm their way into our circle.

Luckily, there shouldn't be any danger here. Jaune peeled off his glove and inspected his mark. It wasn't glowing. Picking the book up, he carried it to the altar and laid it down by Jaune's head, keeping it open so he could read from it. He brushed Jaune's skin clean over his left shoulder, wondering idly if he shouldn't shave it.

Probably not needed. This isn't a real tattoo. It's ink and magic.

Or just ink if this failed…

"What now?" Raven asked.

"We follow the images." Jaune pressed down on his younger self's back to keep him still. "You may feel… something," he warned.

"Something…?" Younger eyes peeked up at him. "That's vague…"

"We don't know what."

"Wait, you mean this isn't tested?"

"Did I ever imply it was?" Raven asked, leaning down on his hips. "Don't be such a pansy. I thought you were a big, strong, independent man. Not some baby."

"I didn't say I was afraid! Just… nervous."

"Justifiably so," Jaune murmured, uncapping the ink.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Try not to move. This is delicate." Under his breath, he muttered, "Probably. Maybe. I don't really know." Louder, he said. "This won't hurt."

"We think," Raven teased.

Jaune shot her a scowl and dabbed the brush into the ink, tapping the loose drops off before bringing it out and applying it to skin. The boy under him shivered at the sensation but there was no other reaction. Maybe it's only when the tattoo is finished. He was no artist, but the image was simple enough. Or it looked it. He was careful with the edges, making sure to leave a vertical line down the centre as the picture told.

He couldn't tell what it was meant to be. Wings, maybe? Blades? The longer he looked, the more images came to mind. A shield with a line down the centre and a heart-shaped hole in the middle. Two stiletto heels side by side. He had to check it against the reference material numerous times, pausing to rub his finger out and tidy up an edge or sharpen a point. It was a good job this wasn't a real tattoo, or the recipient would have been in agony.

After maybe thirty minutes, he was convinced he'd done a good enough job. It looked close to what was in the picture and the ink wasn't running. The pot touched down on the stone with a little clink, the ink inside more than half spent.

"Is that it?" Raven asked. "I was expecting… more."

To be honest, so was he.

Was it not working? Was this because they'd not done it at the temple? There had to be more. All he'd done was paint something on a boy's back. There was nothing magical about that and wouldn't have been for the people in the book as well. Yet again, the indecipherable text mocked him. There was no way all that writing said `Draw tattoo`. It was likely all the information and detail they were missing, telling them exactly how to make this work.

"I don't feel any different," the younger Jaune said. "Other than cold…"

It was late, his bed was stone and he was topless.

"Man up," Raven snapped. To him, she said, "Try pushing aura into it."

"You can't push aura into a tattoo…"

Raven ignored the younger's words and fixed the elder with a pointed look. He could do just that thanks to his Semblance. Or rather, he could push aura into Jaune's body in the vicinity of the tattoo. It was worth a shot and he had aura to spare. He made to touch the fingers of his right hand to it, then paused.

I wonder…

After a second's thought he switched, taking his left hand with Salem's sigil on it and laying that down flat over the mark.

The sigil on the back of his hand was still inert.

Raven leaned forward.

"I'm going to push aura into you now. Tell us if you feel anything."

The feel of his Semblance was something everyone kept talking about but could never accurately describe to him, seeing as he was the one person in the world who could never experience it. Nora called it a rush. Ren said it was like having a wave crash into you. Ruby said tingly and Yang told him it was like suddenly drinking pure caffeine.

For the younger version of himself, it apparently came as a jolt because he gasped and his whole body twitched, almost jumping off the altar like he'd plugging him into the mains. "Kah!" he coughed, tensing up every muscle and then going still. "O-Ow…"

"Did it hurt?" Raven asked.

"A little…"

"Where?"

"Inside me."

That may have been his aura mingling with Jaune's. Come to think of it, this might have been a bad idea for that reason alone. His Semblance usually helped bolster the Semblance of energy reserves of other people; there was no telling what it might do to someone who technically had the same aura – the same soul – as he did.

Too late to worry about that now, he thought, checking his sigil. Still no glowing. Is this a fail after all…? Damn it.

"I guess we really do need that text translated," Raven said. "Oi, brat. Do you feel any more powerful?"

"N-No. I feel winded…"

Jaune sighed. It'd been a long shot, so this shouldn't have disappointed him, but it did. Stepping back, he picked up his younger self's shirt and tossed it to him. The student took that as permission to sit up and pull it on. He rubbed his shoulder through the thin material, apparently a little achy from the treatment.

"Is that it? Is it done?"

"Apparently, it failed," Raven said. "No fault of yours for once. Our… source material is a little sketchy. We might try again later." She looked to him as she said it. He nodded back. "Yeah, if we can figure it out, we might try again. You okay for that?"

"Sure. Can we do it indoors next time, though?"

"Ha. Baby." Raven swatted his head with one hand. "Fine. Guess I'd best get you back to Beacon before anyone realises. I can dump you close to Yang. Just tell her you were fumbling around in the dark. Or that you were trying to steal her underwear."

"I'll say I tripped," Jaune said defensively, pouting at Raven. "I'm not getting myself beat up like that."

Raven spared a look for him under his hood and asked, "How is the rest of your team?"

"Good! I think me and Emerald are making up."

He was pleased to hear it. And it was nice of Raven to ask what he couldn't. Maybe his little girl was finally starting to open up. That, or Yang got to her first. Impossible to tell which. Jaune turned away and busied himself collecting the book, letting Raven tear open a portal to Beacon and then bodily punt his younger self through it.

Only when it was closed did he speak.

"Bringing me in. What's that all about?"

"Needed someone loyal, gullible and without the common sense to ask why he should let us dick around with his soul. Who else is that dumb?"

"Har. Har. Hilarious." Not wrong, though. At least she'd given him a way to disguise himself, though if Jaune mentioned this to Emerald, she'd know what it was. Lucky he wasn't keeping it a secret from her. "I guess he can be trusted. I'm a little disappointed the whole thing didn't work."

"But are you surprised?"

"No." He sighed. "Not really. We're more fumbling around in the dark than he is."

"True. It was worth a shot and it cost us, what, an hour? We'll live."

"Hm." He closed the book and tucked it under his arm. "So, do you want to tell me about this Summer thing he mentioned?"

"No."

"I'll listen."

"If you did, you'd have heard me say no." Raven turned away, "Leave it."

So prickly. Would it kill you to admit something's wrong?

/-/

Jaune cringed as he landed on the floor of his room. It wasn't because Raven had booted him through her portal – she did that all the time. No. The main reason for his sudden desire to shrink into the carpet was that his teammates weren't quite as asleep as Raven had assumed. Emerald and Sun were, but Yang was sat on her bed, watching him and the portal he'd come through with a deep scowl.

"H-Hey…"

"Hey," she replied, voice flat. "Talk outside?"

It was phrased like a question but didn't feel like one. Jaune nodded and let her make her way to the door. Yang was in a pair of short night-time shorts and a tank top, the same she'd worn before initiation, but it didn't bother her any. As the door closed behind him in the corridor, he wondered if she was going to thump him.

Yang hadn't said a word to him since he'd confessed to being trained by Raven. Her mom. The mom that abandoned her as a child.

Jaune swallowed his fear. "So…"

"Stop." Yang held up a hand suddenly, making a sound halfway between a sign and a growl. "Stop looking like you expect me to hit you."

"Are you sure you're not?"

"I'd like to think I'm not that much of a bitch."

He couldn't help but think she wouldn't be one for doing it here, though. A little mind-numbing rage at finding out your teammate was getting what you never had could be excused. It'd be like finding out he was bullying Ruby or something. Except worse because this was her mother. Or was meant to be. Even he could admit Raven had failed there.

"Look, I'm not angry…"

Jaune didn't bother to point out that she sounded angry. Livid, even.

Yang saw it. "I'm not angry at you anyway. I just want to make sure you're not going to be a problem for me and my family."

"Me!?"

"Yeah. You. I don't care if you've been raised, trained or lived your whole life with that woman. I only care that you're here because you want to be a huntsman, and not because you're trying to hurt my mom or dad."

What? "No. No. Never. Why would I even want to?"

"You wouldn't; she might. You already said mom lost her head when she saw her. You don't think that hurt her?"

Mrs Rose had been furious, and probably because she was hurt. He winced. "I didn't mean for her to see all that. She wouldn't have if Emerald didn't follow me."

"I know. It's her fault too, but that was by accident." Yang looked around to make sure no one was listening. "I'll level with you, okay? I don't care about Raven. I've never cared. Far as I'm concerned, the thought of her coming back is worse than her staying away."

"Ah. I… well, I see…"

"Do you? I already have a mom. I have Summer. You can't feel bad about something you never had, and if she was the kind of person to abandon me then I'm glad I didn't have to grow up with her. I'm not going to be jealous because you did. If anything, I pity you for it."

"I wasn't really raised by her…"

"Training. Whatever. Point is, I bet she was a complete bitch about it."

Raven had been harsh, but he felt the urge to defend her. In front of Yang, though? Bad idea. He bit down on his tongue before he could.

"So, yeah, I don't care if you train with her or whatever. What I am worried about is her coming and going because you're here. I don't want her anywhere near me and I definitely don't want her looking at my family and thinking she can waltz back in and ruin everything. Maybe that makes me a bitch," she admitted with a shrug, "but she had her chance."

"I don't think it makes you a bitch. I mean, your dad moved on. Right?"

"Right. He's happy now. Mom is happy. I'm happy and Ruby never had to deal with it. Can you see why I wouldn't want that all to be tossed out the window now?"

"Y-Yeah."

"That's the point I'm making." Grinning suddenly, if a little flimsily, she slapped his arm. "I'm not pissed at you, so sorry if I act it. You're alright, Jaune, and I'm glad you trusted me enough to come and tell me it. I bet Em told you to keep it secret."

"No, no," he lied. "She said you could handle it."

"Yeah, that's BS. I know Em." She winked at him. "Thanks for trying. I'm also cool with you popping off to do whatever with her – long as you keep three things in mind. I won't say rules because you can do what you like but consider them requests from a friend. Okay?"

"Of course. Hit me."

"Rule number one. I don't want her anywhere near me or Ruby." That was fair. Jaune nodded. "Rule number two. Whatever you do with her, I don't want to know about it. That means not bringing any of her problems back here."

"I can agree with that."

"Rule number three; the team comes first. I know she can make portals and shit, but if we're ever in danger and she gives you a way out…"

"I'd never take it! I'd drag you all through or stay and fight."

Yang stared him down but Jaune refused to give in. That was right out. Even if things looked hopeless, he wasn't going to run and leave his team to die. I'm not her, Yang. I won't abandon the team if things get tough.

He had no idea if she believed him or not, but she gave him a nod. "Alright. That one shouldn't be a problem, then. Last rule is also simple. You keep her and any business of hers away from my family. That means the portals." Yang pointed back to their room. "I know how those work from dad. If she needs someone, she can open one to, pick me. Just…" Yang closed her eyes. "Just make sure she knows I'm not interested in talking. Far as I'm concerned, she's a stranger. I never even knew her, and I'm not interested in starting now."

"I'll agree to all of those. I'll make sure she knows too."

"Good. To be honest, I don't know what I feel about her." Yang shrugged one shoulder. "Never knew her, never met her and never wanted to. If she didn't abandon me, I wouldn't have mom and Rubes, so maybe it's best she did."

"Do you want to know why? I can ask-"

"No. I don't want to know. I'd be afraid she might have had a good reason, then things would get even more complicated. Or what's the other explanation, that she hated me? That's not any better." Sighing, she leant back on the door. "Things are fine as they are, both with my family and the team." Smiling lopsidedly, she said, "Let's not change that."

Yang parted with a wink and let herself back into the room, the door slipping shut with a click behind her. That had been a lot easier than he expected; a lot easier than making up with Emerald had been – and that was still a work in progress.

Leaving it be, though.

Could he do that? Even if Yang wanted to pretend nothing happened, he was now stuck in the middle, knowing that his mentor – who he genuinely loved like a member of his family – had abandoned her daughter for some unknown reason. He'd seen the hurt on Raven's face when Mrs Rose spoke out. He'd seen it as clear as day. Even if Yang didn't want to know the truth, he did. Carrying on like nothing ever happened was just too much to ask.

And where do I even start asking Emerald why her dad is with Raven?

That big cloak and hood wasn't nearly as disguising as the man thought it was, especially when he used a scroll on a book, reflecting all that artificial light back into his face.

"This is gonna get confusing…"

/-/

It looks like a love heart.

The tattoo itself didn't; it was the gap between the two symbols that formed a love heart made of his skin. All in all, it looked a little feminine. Not the kind of thing he'd have chosen. That wasn't what caught his attention, however. Frowning, he scrubbed at it again, lathering the spot in soapy water and taking the coarsest rag he had, scraping it over his skin until it was raw. Dipping a hand under the tap, he collected some water and dashed the area clean.

The black marking remained, as clear as day. Not a single flake had been lifted off the dried ink, nor a single smudge, even after a good two showers and ten minutes scrubbing away like a determined janitor.

"That's not a good sign…"


For those wondering, the tattoo is basically the same as what Cinder has, much like the burning sigil on the older Jaune's hand is the same one Cinder has on her hand, except in blue and not red. I really couldn't think of a good way to describe it. it totally looks like a pair of heels on their sides to me…


Next Chapter: 29th February

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur