Jaune stifled the yawn that threatened to escape his lips as he sat up from his bed. He stretched out his joints and rubbed his eyes to stave off the still lingering drowsiness.
"Morning~" greeted a sweet and chipper voice.
The scent of cinnamon toast and a cup of hot chocolate with caramel brushed against his nose, fully waking him up. Jaune glancing up and saw Pyrrha holding out a plate and a cup. He smiled gratefully at his girlfriend and plucked off one toast to eat, as well as the drink.
He looked at her, noticing that she was wearing Beacon's standard female school uniform - a red plaid skirt, a brown jacket with a tan vest and white shirt with a red ribbon tied at the collar and black tights underneath, which only served to accentuate her shapely legs.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Jaune. You and Pyrrha aren't on that stage yet. You may be boyfriend and girlfriend, you still can't just blatantly show off your soldier."
He finished off the two pieces of toast and looked around, seeing that their room wasn't as barren as last night. The shelves were no occupied by numerous books and magazines, all neatly aligned. A few paintings and posters were hung on the wall, Nevan included. Their window had curtains, along with a matching carpet.
Jaune sipped his hot chocolate, taking a look at their schedule. He idly noticed that Ren and Nora weren't present. Probably at the cafeteria, eating breakfast still. Until he heard a whistle screech from RWBY's dorm. He paid it no heed and focused on his Scroll.
"Hmm. We got Grimm Studies on 9:00am for a Professor Port - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 10:00am History class for a Doctor Oobleck on the same days. Then after that is a combat class with Professor Goodwitch, again, on the same days. 1:30pm we got an hour break. Plant Science with Professor Peach at 2:30pm Tuesdays and Thursdays. Huh, this is interesting - a Weapon Crafting and Upkeep with a Professor Mulberry at 3:00pm only at every Friday. Then a Stealth and Security class at 9:30am with a Professor Green during Tuesdays and Thursdays."
The blond finally finished his hot drink and set it across the table. "So this is what it feels like to be in a school, huh?"
"Nervous?" impishly teased Pyrrha.
"Last time I felt I was nervous was when I was about to kiss Kyrie. Before that, it was the day I finally asked you out."
The redheaded Hoplite giggled and pecked him on the cheek. Jaune pushed himself off the bed and strolled into the bathroom for a quick rinse. Minutes later, he was out, his hair damp with a towel on his shoulders, wearing the male equivalent of the uniform - simple black suits lined with gold, accompanied by a blue vest and a white shirt with a red tie, along with his glove and scarf.
Jaune dried his hair while Pyrrha read up on some news. They raised their eyebrows in curiosity as the sound of jackhammers seem to come from team RWBY's dorm.
"What are they doing?"
Nora voiced that out as she and Ren walked back into the room, their faces marred with confusion as well at the random construction noises from the other team. Slamming close the door, Nora did a total 180, looking excitedly at Jaune.
"So! What's on our agenda today, Fearless Leader?"
The three of them quirked an eyebrow at the new nickname the orangenette gave to Jaune, and just chalked it up her being Nora.
"Well, right now it's just 8:45. So we got 15 minutes to get to class before Grimm Studies."
The Lightning Bomber sagged in disappointment, whining almost childishly. "Aw man. Can't we just skip it? We're basically experts by now!"
"Our teacher might have some important lectures regarding the Grimm that we don't know off. Who knows, there may be some exploits or weaknesses that we haven't discovered yet that might prove useful." reminded Pyrrha.
Jaune nodded. "Then it's settled. Come on, let's get to class."
Team JNPR exited their room and prepared to head off to class. However, it seemed that RWBY was still busy with whatever they were doing. Deciding that it wouldn't hurt, Jaune knocked on the door. Weiss popped her head out, a raised eyebrow and a small frown.
"Yes...? We're in the middle of something right now."
"Just wanted to let you guys know that class is in 15 minutes. See y'all there." and then he walked off, leaving a stunned Weiss.
"We're gonna be late!" she shouted.
Ruby, Blake and Yang dropped what they were holding as the four of them hurriedly grabbed any school supplies they had and rushed out of their room, forgetting that the thing they were doing in favor of attending class.
Regret was one of the few emotions that was Jaune currently expressing, along with irritation and disbelief, a sentiment shared by many other. Apparently, Grimm Studies is just Professor Port, a portly man with gray hair and a mustache, stories about his glory days. He discreetly looked around to see what the other were doing.
Ren, having practiced the art of sleeping with your eyes open, was taking a quick nap. Nora was doodling on her paper, occasionally giggling. Pyrrha did her best to pay attention and take notes, but not everything really interested that much on the man's drivel. Ruby was drawing as well, Yang was looking around until their eyes made contact. At least, she didn't turn head in disgust that time. And Blake was reading. He found that Weiss was the only one really listening attentively to Port.
"Yeah. Maybe I'll catch up on some." he thought.
Jaune pulled out the manga he's been reading about a high school student who could see the dead wound up becoming a Spirit Reaper, or something. He felt a hand shake his arm. He looked up and saw Pyrrha point at Weiss, who was now in her combat attire, facing a cage that had something inside. Whatever it was, it was furious and growling.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Professor Port asked if anyone was willing to show their skill as a Huntsman, and Weiss volunteered." she responded.
Jaune placed away the manga, curious to see as to how the Schnee heiress will perform. Meanwhile, her teammates were cheering her on, with Blake even managing to procure a flaglet with their team name on it…from somewhere.
Weiss glowered at her team, mostly at Ruby. Jaune raised an eyebrow. That's not how one should treat their leader and teammates. Port didn't seem to notice this, pulling out a large battle axe to break open the lock.
"Let the match… Begin!"
Out of the cage, a boar-like Grimm revealed itself - a Boarbatusk. Immediately, it charged right at Weiss. She dashed to the side and swung her rapier, although the attack didn't seem to register. The Boarbatusk stood a good distance away from her, looking at his opponent with curiosity and malice.
Weiss rocketed towards the Grimm, going for a stab at its head. However, it knocked the rapier aside with its tusk, using it to intercept and trap the weapon. The white-haired lady still held on to the hilt, struggling to retrieve Myrtenaster.
"Bold new approach… I like it!" commentated Port.
"Come on, Weiss! Show it who's boss!" encouraged Ruby.
Once again, she took the moment to glare at her partner, but that distraction would cost her. The Boarbatusk capitalized on the opportunity and managed to tear her grip away from her rapier, before being knocked back by it tusks as well.
"Oh-ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?"
Weiss looked up in time to see the Boarbatusk charge at her once more. She quickly reacted and rolled out of the way to avoid being trampled, causing the boar Grimm to slam into the desk, becoming disoriented and distracted. Weiss took this valuable time and retrieved her weapon.
"Weiss! Go for its underbelly!" advised Ruby. "There's no armor underneath!"
Normally, she'd have ignored her partner and screamed at her, but she didn't want to waste anymore precious time. The Boarbatsuk recovered and jumped into the air, curling up into a ball and started spinning like a top, dashing towards Weiss. As it came closer, she quickly summoned out a Glyph, defending herself.
The Boar Grimm slammed into the Glyph, knocking it back and exposing its leaped onto the her Glyph, which turned black, before boosting herself towards the Boarbatusk and did what Ruby suggested, driving Myrtenaster into its belly, killing it.
"Bravo! Bravo!" applauded Port. "It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!"
Weiss stood at attention, lightly panting as she straightened herself. The bell then rang, signaling the end of class.
"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed!"
The students began to file out, with Weiss immediately hurrying towards the exit, leaving her teammates. Ruby looked concerned and quickly chased after her partner. Jaune debated whether or not to go after them, before deciding that it was a matter that they needed to resolve on their own.
The next class was pretty…interesting, to say the least. Oobleck, who kept insisting to be called Doctor, as he did not earn his degree for fun, spoke about many interesting facts about history and many other controversial topics. Although, he did speak much faster than a normal human, or Faunus.
Unfortunately, Combat Classes wouldn't be a thing, not until Wednesday, so the students opted to socialize and mingle with each other… And of course, many people tried to hilariously fail at flirting with Pyrrha, whom she steadily rejected every advance, stating that she already had a boyfriend. Nora, herself, got some admirers, but were shot down at the premise of getting their legs broken.
With the free time they had, Jaune found the opportunity to converse with Blake. He found her chatting with Yang, trying to better connect with each other. The blond approached the two of them cleared his throat to gain their attention.
"Mind if I borrow your partner for a minute, Yang? I have something that I need to ask of her."
The blonde looked at him with no hint of malice, before shrugging. "Go ahead. I was planning on finding Ruby anyway."
With a grateful nod, Jaune motioned for the amber-eyed girl to follow him towards a much more secluded spot, away from everyone. Luckily, the library was barren, apart form the librarian. Blake felt her heart thump against her chest, feeling nervous and anxious as to whatever Jaune wanted to talk about.
"So…is there something wrong?"
The Arc Devil contemplated on how to approach the topic, whether to head straight to the point, or skirt around it. He sighed, running a hand through his hair
"Nothing much. I just want to know something. Does the name Eve Taurus mean anything to you?"
It took her all of her previous training to not gasp out in shock or break off into a sweat. But, she couldn't keep her heart beat down as it started to go faster and faster. "The leader of the White Fang's Vale Branch? Why would she mean anything to-"
She blinked, feeling the cool breeze brush against her ears… The pair of cat ears on her head, that is. Blake turned around and saw Jaune holding her ribbon, and her first instinct was to cover them with her hands. Before drawing out Gambol Shroud in its gun mode.
"How do you know?"
"Well, considering the fact that your ribbon looks like cat ears that occasionally twitch, it wasn't that hard to figure out. That, and she sent me."
By now, fear was coursing through Blake as her fingers began to hover over the trigger. Jaune shook his head and raised his arms in faux surrender.
"I don't mean you any harm, Blake. I should've worded that correctly. Eve didn't actually sent me to find you, she just wants answers."
"Answers? To what?" she asked hesitantly, but she couldn't deny that she was also curious as to what he meant.
"To why you abandoned your duties. Why you abandoned your fellow Faunus. And of course, why you abandoned Eve. She was pretty hurt that her little sister would leave her like that." said Jaune, mindlessly playing with the ribbon.
The cat Faunus still kept her gun trained on him, yet he felt no fear, no traces that he was lying. He wasn't even looking at her. She lowered her gun and slumped onto the wall. Blake breathed in deeply before sighing.
"Back then, in the war, we were promised just that, and yet we were given discrimination and hate. It was only natural that we sought it out, and the White Fang was born to rise up as a voice for our people. We were supposed to be a symbol of hope to our brothers and sisters, advocating peace and equality among the humans. I've…been a member for most of my life. I was at the front of every rally, partaking in any boycott. And I thought we were making a difference…"
She had Jaune's full attention, who looked at her with curiosity. He never really delved into the matter of Human-Faunus relations, being more concerned about the supernatural and their, sometimes, world ending schemes. Nonetheless, he listened with rapt attention.
"Then, about five years ago, our leader stepped down and a new one took his place…One with other ways of thinking. All of our peaceful protests turned into organized attacks. We were setting fires to shops that refused to serve us, hijacking cargo from companies that enslave our brothers and sisters. And the worst part, it was working. We were being treated like equals, but not out of respect…but out of fear.
"That's why I left. I decided I didn't want to use my skills to aid in their violence, and instead, I would dedicate my life now to become a Huntress. Me, a criminal, hiding in plain sight with just a bow…"
"I see…" Jaune processed what he had been told. "But why leave all of a sudden without telling Eve? Why not voice out that maybe those action aren't the way? And besides, the method works, doesn't it?"
Blake shook her head. "That's not the point! Sure, it is, but in the process of hurting others? That's not what we wanted! We want them to treat us on an even field out of their own volition, not by being intimidated to do so!…And I was scared of what Eve would become if she kept going that path."
Jaune resisted the urge to introduce his palm to his face, and steadied his breaths before answer. "So you, one of the people that kept her morally grounded and sane, decided to leave her? Blake, I'm sorry to say this, but you're a moron. You're one of Eve's emotional attachments. You're one of her pillars that keeps her shackled from going too far. So quite frankly, your second decision for leaving is stupid."
"And how would you know that?" she asked, confused and a bit angry. "In fact, how do you know Eve?"
"Because her mentor was my father... She visits my family on occasion. Every time she visits, you're one of the few things that she speaks about with praise. How she's always so proud of her 'little sister', and that she can count on her to pull her back from the brink."
Blake looked absolutely surprise. Eve…said those things about her She believed in her that much?
Sighing, Jaune started heading for the door, but before he did so, he gave her some parting words. "I don't plan on telling anyone else of what transpired here, Blake. What do you now is up to you, but, at least try to call Eve."
And he finally made his exist, leaving Blake to stir the knowledge that she had gained.
Jaune stretched out his limbs as he walked up towards his dorm room. He had tried to mingle with the others, but none had really interested him, apart from RWBY. He and Yang managed to at least bury the hatchet, finally, and started over a new leaf. Her puns need some work, though.
Ruby was naively optimistic, but it was rather endearing. He liked that. Didn't hurt to have a little hope. However, her love of weapons… It painfully reminded him of Nera. The two of them would've made great friends had she still lived.
He decided to leave Blake alone for a while before engaging anything with her, or if she decided to come to him. Whichever came first. Weiss…she was an Ice Queen in terms of personality, a bit snobbish and snooty, as expected of being an heiress to a large company like the SDC, but he could tell it was thawing. In time, she'd grow into a nicer person.
The blond was about to twist open the door knob, when he saw Professor Goodwitch approach out of the corner of his eye. He turned around to face her.
"Is there something you need, Professor?"
"The headmaster requests your presence in his office. Mr. Redgrave and Ms. Valkyrie are already on their way."
Jaune's eyes sharpened. He nodded in understanding and followed after the blonde teacher. A few moments later, they met up with Ren and Nora as they closely approached the tower where Ozpin's office was located. However, to the teen's confusion, he was waiting for them by the elevator.
Without saying anything, he ushered them inside and pressed the button. The group was reined in by silence as the elevator lowered deep underground. They soon reached their destination, the doors sliding open to reveal a dimly-lit chamber with the torches casting a pale green light. There were multiple hallways branching out, but the only way to truly go was forward.
The five of them reached the end of the chamber, revealing some sort of pod. Inside was a woman with brown hair and a light brown complexion. She barely covered, with only her privates in clothes. This completely highlighted just how grievous her injures were.
Ren was the first to speak, stepping forward as the three of them looked with curiosity and empathy. "Is that her? The Fall Maiden?"
"Correct." said Ozpin. "Amber Autumn, the most recent recipient of the Maiden powers."
"She's barely alive..." Jaune quietly commented, taking note of the monitor besides the pod which displayed a weak heart rate, and her rather shallow breathing.
Professor Goodwitch solemnly nodded, gazing at the girl with sadness. "It is unfortunate. Atlesian technology can only keep her stable for so long. Luckily, General Ironwood is doing his best to find a solution that can best help her."
"General Ironwood? He's in on this?" questioned Ren. His friends were surprised as well that such a person was in on the whole thing.
"That's right." she confirmed. "Now, do remember to not tell anyone about this. It is imperative that the knowledge of the existence of maidens be kept low. Do you understand?
The three of them nodded firmly leading to Ozpin dismissing them back to their dorm rooms. The two of them watched as their students left, leaving him and Goodwitch all alone in the Vault. The blonde looked at the bespectacled man, curious and concerned.
"Are you really sure that we should be dragging in students on this mess? In our war against her?"
"They'll be fine." he assured. "Dante, the Son of Sparda, trained them himself. They've fought demons and devils, and were at the center of the incident in Mistral. Something like this is the norm for them."
Goodwitch didn't seem convinced, but she trusted Ozpin's judgement, nonetheless. He had never been wrong before. Why would he be now?
Rather short one. I apologize for that. There wasn't much I could add in, besides the last two scenes. Promise, the next chapter will be more lengthier. I'm trying to pump out at least three chapters, since school is looming in the distance for me.
Until then, peace out.