A week and then some passed without any other incidents. No texts from Neo and no sightings of the White Fang. Their last raid had done a decent number on the radical faunus forces, so they were still trying to recoup before the next operation- At least, that's what Jaune assumed. For all he knew, the terrorists were engaging in even more immoral actions than previously, just in the secret of the shadows instead of the revelation of the light, but he wasn't worried. Neo would inform him when the next strike was needed to beat back Cinder's master plan.
And speaking of Cinder Fall, that woman did not exist. Like, anywhere. Perhaps Jaune shouldn't have been surprised that a criminal mastermind wasn't going by her real name, but he had expected even an inkling of her identity to be floating around somewhere online. Judging by their reports, the police had absolutely no idea that they were dealing with this woman. Sure, they knew about Adam and Roman and Neo, but no one on top. Not even a single theory.
The huntsman-in-training considered giving Sun the information, but then thought better of it. If this woman was really as genius as her lack of identity seemed to suggest, she'd know the instant the police caught on. Neo was playing a dangerous game, coming to him for help. But that just showed how desperate the situation actually was. At least for the moment, the more people in the dark about Cinder's involvement, the better.
And speaking of White Fang plots, the PBNYJWLR dream team combo was not doing so hot in the interim. There were a few troubles he wanted to address, but Jaune figured the first place to focus should be his own team, as he should have done long ago.
"Hey Ren, can I talk to you for a moment." Jaune asked his partner as they were let out of Oobleck's class. The ninja nodded and stayed behind, letting their friends go on to lunch.
"What is it, Jaune?" Ren started diplomatically.
"I wanted to bury the hatchet, you know?" Jaune confessed. "Being partners is sort of a 'promise,' and I feel like we've- I've- failed to live up to that promise. I know you're still angry about what happened with Blake- And you have every right to be- But I wanted to at least tell you my side of things so you could get the full story. Is that okay?" Ren stared at him silently for a good minute, then nodded.
"Go ahead." At this, Jaune couldn't stop his own smile, but it soon died as the topic became serious.
"Honestly, I don't know what happened that night. There was something… Weird about the whole experience. I can't quite remember what was so off and whenever I try my head starts to hurt and-" Jaune cut himself off, allowing the pressure in his head to fade. "But regardless of any extenuating circumstances during the night, the lead up to it was entirely my fault. I failed completely in my communication with you. If I had just come out and asked you who you wanted to date instead of making assumptions, the entire event would have never happened. But I didn't. I failed you, and I'm sorry."
With everything off his chest, Jaune looked up to his partner and was shocked by what he saw. Ren was glassy eyed, with his hands shaking wildly. Before Jaune could run for help, his partner grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to stay where he was.
Glitch Detected.
Initiating Cleaning Sequence.
This may take a while.
[OK]
"Jaune. It's not you, but it is you." Ren rambled, not making any sense whatsoever. "I want to forgive, I want to move on but I can't! He won't let me, you won't let me!" Jaune was starting to freakout at his partners words, but he found himself unable to move- frozen in place. "Things are not what they seem. Things have changed- I can't change! No morals, Jaune! Do you hear me?! No morals! Don't listen to your conscience, give into- no… Ralss…"
Glitch Cleaned.
Resetting to last proper safe file.
[OK]
"And that's why I'm not ready to forgive you. Sorry Jaune." Ren apologized before walking away. Jaune frowned. Ren's points made sense, but there wasn't really much he could fix about them. The leader of Team JWLR had been looking for a way to heal his team, but it seemed the seeds of disconnect were too deeply rooted to heal.
No matter. He still had one more chance to change things for the better, and that chance was with Weiss and Ruby.
"I've called this team meeting together so-"
"If it's a team meeting, where's Ren?" Ruby cut off Jaune before he could get to the point. She, Jaune, and Weiss had taken up residence in an unused classroom on Jaune's request.
"I… Spoke with him earlier. But anyway! I've called this team meeting to-" The team leader explained.
"Is it even a team meeting if we're missing a member?" Weiss cut him off yet again. Jaune glared lightly.
"Fine. I've called this semi team meeting together in order to solve a major problem that's been plaguing our team since initiation."
"And what's that?" The heiress indulged him.
"You two!" The team leader cried, exasperated. "You're supposed to be partners, but the closest you've come to that definition is not biting each other's heads off as soon as you see one another. I've talked to both of you about this issue privately, and I've come to the conclusion that there's no need for this hostility anymore. It's pointless!"
"You aren't exactly the textbook example of a good partner either." Ruby snarked defensively, making him flinch. That cut deeper than he would have liked.
"Like I said, Ren and I have spoken. Now stop changing the subject. Ruby, you told me that you'd be willing to let Weiss apologize in Forever Falls. Were you lying to me?"
"No…" The reaper confirmed.
"And Weiss," Jaune turned to the white haired girl. "You told me that you were sorry for what you said to Ruby and Yang before we went out to the Gaming Emporium. Was that a lie?"
"No!" Weiss also confirmed, slightly indignant at his suggestion.
"Then there we go. Weiss, apologize. Ruby, accept it." They both froze, neither wanting to speak. With a single look from Jaune, though, Weiss caved.
"Ruby, I'm sorry about the way I treated you and nasty things I said about you and your sister. I had no right to judge your situation." The heiress finally expressed to her partner. The words seemed to take the weight of Weiss' shoulders, but Ruby looked uncomfortable. With another look from Jaune, though, she too caved.
"I accept your apology, Weiss. And I'm sorry as well. I know I can be overly defensive and antagonistic at times, which you shouldn't have to deal with." The scythe wielder added her own apology, making the blond huntsman smile.
"Great! Now you two can be best friends and always have each other's back and always get along!" Jaune praised.
"Slow down there, leader." Ruby held up her hands. "Just because we made up doesn't mean we'll be best friends. We barely have anything in common."
"What are you talking about?" He asked, confused. "You two have the most important thing in common: wanting to be huntresses."
"Plenty of people want to be hunters here, Jaune. It's not exactly a rare aspiration to find in a Hunter School." Weiss reminded him. He just shook his head.
"No no. It's not about just wanting to be huntresses. It's about why you both want to be huntresses." Jaune explained. From the looks they gave him, he could tell he wasn't getting through. "Weiss. Why do you want to be a huntress?"
"To become stronger." Weiss responded instantly. "Among… Other reasons."
"And you, Ruby?"
"To become stronger…" Ruby repeated with an unknown emotion in her voice. "Among other reasons."
Jaune couldn't hide his grin. Weiss and Ruby now looked at each other in a way they never had previously. Obviously, the details of their declarations were different, but the core message remained the same. This day wasn't such a waste after all. Ren was a bit of a lost cause, but he'd helped Ruby and Weiss.
And the next person on the help list was their very own resident faunus: Blake.
So I've looked over previous chapters, and I honestly can't find the part where Weiss outright insults Yang to Ruby's face. Which is really weird because even in 'Eat, Drink, Pay' I assumed that was part of the reason Ruby disliked Weiss. If that scene actually is somewhere in my story and I just overlooked it, then ignore this note. But if it isn't, then you can assume that sometime after Ruby started training Jaune with a scythe and before Jaune fought Weiss, the exchange happened as I said. It's honestly a little ridiculous how things like this happen. I always knew I wanted that to be the case, so much so that I simply assumed it was the case and never even wrote it in!
Also, I completely forgot to say last time, but New Game Plus finally reached over a thousand followers! That's awesome!
Thank you all so much for your continued support, even through this drastic change in style.
Until next time,
-RMV