Super sorry for the big delay! Been dealing with some stressful stuff and it makes it hard to write. Honestly, I also needed the break.
The good news? I'm feeling a lot better, now. I've also got a side series up called Legacy that's starting, if you're interested in giving that a look.
The next chapter should be soon, and thank you so much for reading. Any comments, reviews, feedback, anything of that sort is really appreciated and welcome.
Ruby was still feeling a bit melancholic as the trio entered the training arena, which had been booked for Teams RWBY and JNPR for a two hour block in the afternoon. Waiting in the arena was Weiss' older sister, Winter, and the other Atlesian Specialist that General Ironwood had introduced them to, Cedar Reed.
While they were waiting for Yang, Ren, and Nora to arrive, Ruby took the chance to silently geek out about the two Specialists' weapons. Winter was using a sabre, likely what inspired Weiss' choice of rapier for Myrtenaster, while Cedar had a pair of gauntlets that reminded Ruby a little of Yang's, though they were wider, almost shaped into bucklers he wore on each wrist, with the barrel of a gun peeking out from below the wide disk shapes.
The somewhat down mood Ruby was feeling earlier began to melt away as the earlier anticipation of getting to train with real Atlesian Specialists returned, and by the time her sister arrived with the other half of Team JNPR, Ruby was practically bouncing in place.
"Ahem!" Winter cleared her throat at the gathering of teenagers in front of her, eliciting a sheepish squeak from Ruby, as well as a few nervous chuckles from members of Team JNPR and RWBY. "Today, we begin our accelerated training program. You've all elected to participate in the investigations on dangerous White Fang activities in Vale, and their ties to Roman Torchwick, and as such, General Ironwood and Professor Ozpin have agreed that you will need to be trained for the dangers you might encounter."
"As such, we will begin with assessing how far along both of your teams are." Winter continued, hands folded behind her back as she walked in front of them. Ruby could tell she was assessing them by the severity of her eyes, as they trailed across each member of Teams RWBY and JNPR, a stern frown on her face. "I will be taking Team RWBY, while Specialist Reed will be in charge of Team JNPR for the first hour. We will then switch after a short break. Understood?"
The teens replied with an assortment of affirmatives, some more reluctant than others, and the two teams split up. Ruby reluctantly departed the company of her boyfriend and girlfriend, though it wasn't exactly like they were very far away. Spotting Jaune's nervous expression as his team gathered in front of Cedar, she shot him an encouraging smile, which he returned with a sheepish one of his own. Jaune was probably going to have a hard time, today, Ruby realized, so she decided she'd do her best to cheer him up later.
Winter cleared her throat, causing Ruby the jump nervously. "Miss Rose, if you're done with paying attention to boys, we have more pressing matters to tend to."
"I, um, sorry, ma'am!" The redhead chirped, scratching at the back of her head, cheeks warm with embarrassment. Winter didn't look particularly pleased with her apology, and neither did Weiss, who currently had her face in her palms.
"Just don't do it again." Winter said sternly, Ruby shrinking under the withering glare the older woman gave her. Turning her attention on the entirety of the team, Winter puffed up her chest slightly, before getting back on track. "Now then, you all explained your semblances to us, but I'd like to see a more direct demonstration. It's important for me to have an exact idea of your capabilities before I begin."
"Miss Rose, since you were so keen on being distracted, perhaps you can start with a demonstration of your semblance?" Ruby sheepishly nodded, cheeks still blazing with embarrassment at getting distracted. Now of all times, she really couldn't do that kind of thing, it was just rude to Winter and Cedar, especially when they were dedicating valuable time to them.
Shutting her eyes, Ruby took a moment to focus, before exploding into a gust of rose petals, blasting forward before reconstituting a few meters aways. The ground was littered with petals that would fade in time, but hopefully that wouldn't be a real concern for the older Schnee.
"So, um, that's the main thing I do with my semblance!" Ruby said, giving a nervous smile. "I, um, I've also done something different a couple times, but I'm still trying to figure it out."
"And what might that be, Miss Rose?" Winter asked, a hint of impatience in her otherwise normally severe tone.
"I, um, well… It's like I become there, and not there?" Ruby tried to explain, hands dancing in the air as she desperately sought out the right words. "I become rose petals, but I don't move fast, I just kind of…"
"She becomes semi-intangible." Weiss spoke up, Ruby shooting the Atlesian a grateful smile as subtly as one could. "She described an incident that happened a few weeks ago, when a student grabbed her wrist, and her arm briefly became petals, allowing her to escape his grasp. She has also demonstrated such abilities to escape some of her sister's more… intense hugs."
Yang snorted a little at the description of her signature bearhugs, a smirk on her face. "Yeah, that made for an interesting morning." The blonde chuckled, stretching her arms up. "Too bad she hasn't figured out how to get it working on command."
"Well, we can work on that later." Winter replied, her statement surprisingly kind considering the severe tone of her voice. "For now, since you've spoken up, Miss Xiao Long, perhaps you can be the next to demonstrate your semblance? You described it as redirecting the damage your Aura takes, I'd like to see how that works."
Removing the saber from her side, Winter raised it up as she tapped into her semblance, the signature glyph of summoning appearing as an azure colored Beowolf emerged from the ground. "This will be your target. Do you need any assistance in your demonstration?"
"Sure thing!" The blonde replied with a wide grin, resting her hands behind her head as she stepped forward, looking over to her partner. "Blake, think you could hit on m- hit me? I meant hit me. Blake, please, hit me right now before I keep talking."
The cat Faunus gave her partner a deadpan stare, before kicking her square in the midsection, eliciting a grunt from the flustered blonde. Yang's hair glowed like fire as her eyes turned red, and she let out the stored up energy in a violent punch that took off the summoned Beowolf's head, the Grimm facsimile fading into the air. "So, uh, how was that, teach?" Yang asked, looking over to Winter, scratching behind the back of her head sheepishly.
"Well, the demonstration certainly was concise." Winter replied curtly, not looking at all pleased at the blond. "Perhaps it isn't just your sister who needs to get her head out of the clouds."
Ruby snickered at that jab, sticking her tongue out at Yang, who glared in return, before Winter gave an exasperated sigh. "Moving on." The Atlesian woman said forcefully, before her expression lightened to one of neutrality as she turned her eyes on Blake. "Miss Belladonna, if you don't mind demonstrating your semblance?"
"Of course." Blake nodded, before shifting suddenly backwards, leaving an identical image of herself in the space she'd been standing. "It's straightforward enough, but I can use it with Dust as well, I just don't usually have any to spare on doing that."
"Weiss," Winter turned to her sister. "Do you have any Dust you can spare your teammate? I'd like to see what else she can do."
"What? Why can't you-" Weiss stopped herself, giving a brief huff before nodding. "Of course, Winter. Blake, what kind of Dust would you like to test?"
"Well, I've used fire and ice before. Do you mind if I try with some earth Dust?" Blake asked, her ears perking up slightly beneath the ribbon concealing them. "I figure it might work similarly to ice Dust, but a little less fragile?"
"Of course. I'll be right back," Weiss said with a polite nod, though Ruby could tell by the look in her eyes that she was frustrated her sister had relegated her to fetching Dust for other members of their team. "I'll have to fetch some compatible with Gambol Shroud."
While Weiss was away, Winter turned her focus back on Ruby, having her try to escape various holds from Yang using her semblance. It was tiring work, but important. Ruby just hoped that Jaune and Pyrrha were having a better time over with Cedar.
"Now that we have the basics of what everyone knows down, I'd like to set you on some individual exercises," Cedar Reed announced, hands on his hips as he observed Team JNPR. While Winter had already begun on testing with the semblances the students had explained, Cedar seemed to be far more interested in getting a good assessment of Jaune's team, at least from what the teen could tell. Jaune shifted nervously in place as the Atlesian Specialist stepped closer, stopping first in front of Ren.
"Ren, your semblance is one that could be the key between lives being saved and lives being lost. I want you to practice expanding out from yourself so you don't need to rely on touch." The brunette man said, before moving on to the next member of the team. "Nora, you've got a powerful semblance, one I don't think we'll need to work on too much. I want you to be training with hand to hand, in case you find yourself without your weapon. We may want to work on something that can help you tap into electricity when you need to, maybe some gloves lined with lightning Dust?"
"Ooo! That sounds fun!" Nora cackled, grinning widely. Unlike the rest of her team, the redhead definitely seemed way more laid back and excited. Jaune was a little jealous, he wanted to have that kind of carefree attitude. He held back a chuckle as his teammate's eyes widened gleefully. "Maybe I can get lightning boots, too!"
"We'll stick to the gloves, for now." Cedar replied with a laugh, before moving on to Pyrrha. "Miss Nikos, you have a very good grasp on using your semblance subtly, but I'd like to advance to some other uses. Have you ever tried to reshape the metal you manipulate?"
"Reshape?" Pyrrha raised a brow, looking a bit perplexed at the question. Jaune sent her an encouraging smile, which caused her cheeks to redden, and she turned her focus back on the Specialist. "No, sir, it didn't really occur to me that I might be able to. Is that what you want me to work on?"
"Got it in one," Cedar nodded, before moving on to Jaune, who was understandably nervous. The Specialist was having the team focus on their semblances, and that was… not really an option for their leader. "Jaune, you're going to work with me today. I need to go get some stuff for Pyrrha and Nora, so while I'm gone, I want you to meditate and focus on your Aura."
"Uh, okay. I'll do my best, sir." Jaune said, giving an affirmative nod. As the Specialist made his way out of the arena to gather what he needed, Jaune did his best to do what he'd been asked. As it turns out, meditating on his Aura with zero proper training was harder than it sounded. The blonde shifted awkwardly as he sat, legs crossed as he'd seen Ren do numerous times before. A minute passed, and then another, before Jaune let out a loud sigh, leaning back to lie against the ground. "I have no idea what I'm doing."
"Maybe I can help?" Jaune looked up to see Ren looking down at him, a hint of mirth in his eyes the only emotion on his otherwise neutral face. The Mistralan reached a hand out, which Jaune took, Ren helping the blonde stand up. "First things first, you need to focus more on your Aura, on your soul. You can't let your mind wander."
"I-I'm trying!" Jaune insisted, cheeks warm with embarrassment that he couldn't even manage this simple of a task. "Everytime I try to I just get… lost. I'll start hearing the sounds around me too loudly."
"Maybe I can help." Ren offered with a sympathetic smile. "Specialist Reed suggested that I practice my semblance from afar, right? I'm going to practice it on you, and while it takes hold, I want you to focus on who you are," Ren's eyes drifted briefly to Nora, "to the things that matter to you, to why you want to be a Huntsman now."
"Yeah, I'll … I'll give it a shot." Jaune agreed, nodding hesitantly. Ren walked a few feet away from him, sitting down opposite Jaune, his body becoming shrouded in grey as his already neutral expression relaxed. A sudden overwhelming sense of serene calm overtook Jaune, and the blonde repositioned himself, eyes shutting as he tried to follow Ren's advice.
Who was Jaune Arc? He had always wanted to be the kind of man his mother said his father was as a teen, before his accident had given him a more serious demeanor. Confident, boisterous, strong, manly. He tried to be that way when he first arrived at Beacon, despite his obvious inexperience. He flirted with Weiss over one compliment, which he now understood wasn't actually meant as such, and had pestered her relentlessly for months. He tried to be the only one in charge of his strength, despite his clear lack of improvement, and spurned Pyrrha's attempts to help him. It was only when he had accepted that he wasn't supposed to be a carbon copy of his father that he finally felt truly at home with Beacon.
He was Jaune Arc, the dorky guy who liked to feed chickens with Ruby Rose. He was Jaune Arc, Pyrrha's ever determined apprentice, working tirelessly to improve so that he could one day stand beside his friends as their equal. He was Jaune Arc, the guy who didn't mind wearing the dresses his big sisters bought him, who liked to paint his little sisters' nails and have them paint his in turn. He had been mocked as a child for being so comfortable with that kind of stuff, but he never understood why. Wearing a skirt his twin Viridian owned didn't make him any less manly than her wearing his jeans made her less of a woman. He was Jaune Arc, and he could be his own person without relying on the preconceived ideas of what he should do to be a man, of how he should act, of what he should wear.
He knew who he was, and it wasn't his father.
"You're doing good, Jaune." He heard Ren's voice, but it didn't feel as distracting as it might've before. "Do you have the answer to who you are? Don't answer! Just nod if you do. Good. Now move on, think about what matters to you, why you want to become a Huntsman."
Right. What mattered to Jaune. Why he wanted to become a Huntsman. It was his family, wasn't it? The legacy of his father, grandfather, and father before him. The idea of Caius Arc, going off to become a Knight of Vale before the Great War had even begun to bring honor to his family. Jaune thought of his family, and began to picture them in his head: Blaine Arc, retired Huntsman and stern father, Juno Arc, doting mother who always let Jaune learn how she made their meals and baked their treats. Vermilion, the oldest, always eager to help when something went wrong. Saphron, born five minutes later, ever the free spirit, who had, whether he wanted to admit it or not, been a huge inspiration for him. Viridian, his twin, born only a couple minutes after him, rebellious and always seeking trouble. Azure and Bluebell, the only identical twins of the bunch, and gleefully aiding each other in their schemes and pranks. Indigo, who hated the color schemed clothes his mother bought them maybe even more than he did, and was ever eager to read a good book. Iole, the youngest of the bunch, quiet and shy, but carrying a secret talent for art she had only shared with him. They were his family, and he knew that they loved him as much as he loved them, even if he felt bitter about how quick they were to dismiss his dream. Were they really why he wanted to become a Huntsman? Maybe once, but that wasn't the case anymore.
Jaune turned his thoughts towards the friends he'd made at Beacon. Ren, Nora, Yang, Blake, Weiss… Ruby, Pyrrha. Ruby, who was his first friend, who was happy to spend all the time in the world with him, laughed at his dopey attempts to be the kind of manly his father would expect, but never held it against him, who encouraged him when he was lost and gave him the spirit to stand up for himself against Cardin. Pyrrha, who tried so hard to get through to him when he was so caught up in his masculine bullshit that he refused to seek help when he needed it, who had chosen him as her partner out of every person at the initiation, who worked with him to make sure he could be the Huntsman he knew he could be.
He thought of them. All three of them, of their talks, of their gentle touches and little shows of trust and affection. He thought of the time they'd spend together, just enjoying one another's presence in silence. The nights Ruby would join himself and Pyrrha on the roof, reading a book and showing support as the duo trained. Jaune thought of the idea of graduating Beacon Academy, Pyrrha at his side as partner, Ruby smiling at the both of them as she stood with her own team, of getting to join the red haired duo in traveling Remnant, saving lives from the threat of Grimm and reclaiming just a little more safety for the world. He thought of settling down with them, of spending the rest of his life with them.
His was hesitant to say that he loved them, some part of him certain that only a few weeks together was far too early to say that word, but he knew, deep in his heart, that he would do anything for Pyrrha and Ruby, and he would give anything the spend all of his days with them.
"You're doing great kid." The sound of Cedar's voice drew Jaune out of his trance, and his eyes shot open, the blonde letting out a startled shout as he realized that his team and Ruby's were staring at him. Laughing, the middle aged man reached down, helping Jaune stand with a supportive clap on the teen's back. "I knew you had a lot of Aura, but I wasn't quite expecting the light show."
"The, uh, what?" Jaune sputtered out, eyes still wide as he looked around in confusion.
"Your Aura was really glowing by the time I got back." The Specialist explained, "when people meditate on their Aura, sometimes it will manifest, and, if there's a lot of it, they can even start to shine, so to speak. Some of our scientists suggest it may have to do with the kinds of semblance someone has, or the capacity of their Aura. Either way, it was quite the sight to come back to."
Stepping forward, Cedar looked at the group of students still staring in Jaune's direction, and cleared his throat. "Enough of that, everyone. We still have more than an hour of training to get through, you can chat about it later." His statement was met with a series of sheepish acknowledgements, before the rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR returned to their tasks at hand. Looking to Ren, the only one who hadn't reacted with such surprise, Cedar gave the Mistralan boy a nod. "Ren, I'd like for you to keep working with Jaune. It gives you a good chance of practicing your semblance more, and will help him with his meditation. Jaune, we can work one on one next time, okay?"
The blonde gave a sheepish nod, while Ren gave one in affirmation to the Specialist's instructions. Jaune followed his teammate a few paces, before the two of them sat down, and began practicing again, Jaune focusing as the serene feeling overtook him once again.
He was Jaune Arc, and what mattered to him more than anything was Pyrrha Nikos, and Ruby Rose. They were what drove him forward, and he wouldn't let them down.
Neopolitan made her way through the White Fang's encampment in Forever Fall as quickly as she could, suitcase clung tightly to her chest. Some of the Faunus would stare, or even glare, at her as she passed, but most paid her no mind. If there was one thing she despised about having to coordinate with Taurus, or as her dad so gleefully called him, Bully Boy, was how out of the way all of his bases were. With all the money the Witch was giving them, you'd think they could've splurged for a decent headquarters in the city of Vale proper, but the bull Faunus seemed to insist on roughing it out in the wild.
Passing by the always masked man who served as Taurus' lieutenant, Neo entered the largest tent of the encampment, which made up the makeshift command center for the White Fang in the Kingdom of Vale. On her arrival, the bull-horned leader looked up from the wide table that mapped the Kingdom's capital and its surrounding land, giving a grunt of acknowledgement. "So," she hated his voice, but she could put up with it if it meant getting to free her dad from prison. "You've brought me what I needed?"
Neo gave a rather pointed nod, before placing the suitcase on the table and popping it open. Inside was a black and red suit, which at a first glance, reminded the diminutive teen a little of the outfits that Junior would give his men. On further inspection, though, it was undoubtedly not that, for there were rose patterns in a dark red that was almost impossible to distinguish from the black, weaving across the suit.
"Yes, this will do." Taurus said, giving a rather eerie grin that even Neopolitan found somewhat concerning. "To think, this is the sort of thing I should always have been allowed to wear, instead of living like a slave in Mantle. If only blah, blah, blah."
Neo had honestly started tuning him out as quick as she could. She was way more interested with how much she'd get to gloat to her dad once they'd gotten him out. Had *he* ever snuck into the hotel one of Vale's Councilmembers were staying in, and stolen from them? Well, maybe, but she'd done it on her own and she was proud, damn it! Maybe now her dad would let her wear green eyeshadow without telling her how much it clashed.
Probably not.
"Right." Taurus's voice drew her attention, now back to his more serious tone, indicating he'd concluded his, in her opinion delusional, ranting. "This will do excellently, Neopolitan. Thank you for fetching it." Neo gave a polite nod, before making her way to the tent's exit, though she lingered a moment in case he had more to say, which he inevitably did. "I'll be ready for our little… outing by the end of the week. I'll send a messenger when I'm prepared. And Neopolitan… thank you for listening. It's always good to see a human who gives Faunus the respect we deserve."
Neo gave a smirk, nodding her head, before leaving the tent and holding back a silent laugh. Gods that man was miserable. She might respect Faunus but she certainly didn't respect him, only the chance he was giving her to get her dad free. Spinning Hush playfully in her hand, Neopolitan made her way out of the White Fang's encampment, giving a mirthful skip all the way.