A/N:
Hi friends!
Welcome back to RWBY: The Selection! The romance fic that plot and puns have taken over for far too long now. That stops (or at least pauses) today, with a chapter starring the bachelor himself, Jaune Arc!
Jokes aside, this chapter has had me very hype, and I hope you all enjoy it!
Quick timing note, despite the (long) hiatus on my end, this chapter takes place at the same time as (if not shortly after) Chapter 51. Thursday's waltzing lesson is just wrapping up on week 2 of the Selection.
Also, quick reminder clarifying details for those of you who were avidly following and don't want to reread:
1. It's not illegal for Jaune to own a weapon for ceremonial or sentimental purposes, but it is illegal for him to use it (due to caste system rules: Jaune is a One, and only Threes can wield weapons).
2. Dates are Thursday nights, Friday during the day, Friday nights, and Saturday during the day, with the Capital Report on Saturday nights and the Rose Ceremony on Sundays :)
This should be the last jarring chapter to get back into, so that'll be the last of the reminders (in later chapters, it might seem too spoiler-y hehehe). Thanks again for continuing despite my hiatus :)
Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far and please continue to show your support! :D
ALSO shoutout to HelpingHand! Although it's not the exact context you mentioned, the hug (and the relationship developing here) was inspired your idea, so thank you for inspiring one of my favorite scenes!
Without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter 53: Jaune
Relationship troubles would be the bane of Jaune's existence.
Today was the day he was supposed to commence his second round of dates, but, after sending someone home (and potentially breaking her heart), trying to keep track of his feelings for thirteen girls, and struggling with the fear that not everyone was here for the right reasons, Jaune felt himself facing a conundrum. When he'd agreed to do the Selection, he'd pleaded with the Queen to allow him to be the one planning the dates and choosing who would go on which adventure with him. Now that he was in week two and the excitement had given way to fear, however, a part of him wished he didn't have to make those choices. It was too hard. A week wasn't enough time to figure out if he liked someone, especially if they didn't get a one-on-one. How could he choose who got the one-on-one time with him and who didn't, and would the girls who didn't feel slighted, cheated, or unloved in some way?
To clear his head, Jaune went for a walk around the palace. He wanted to take his sword and shield and go for a walk outside, but he knew the contestants were in the tail end of their waltzing lesson, in a classroom with an excellent view of the courtyard. Already, one of them knew that he secretly used a weapon. He didn't want to push his luck.
When Jaune turned to the corner to ascend the spiral staircase, he ran into (and almost ran over) a short, blonde girl hidden behind a stack of books.
"Oh, hi Xanthe," Jaune said, picking up some of the novels that had crashed to the floor.
"Hello Jaune," his sister replied in a nasally voice. "Are you okay?"
"You're the one who almost got knocked to the floor," Jaune laughed.
"Yeah, but you weren't looking where you were going."
"I never look where I'm going," Jaune smiled. Xanthe raised an eyebrow behind her glasses, and his smile faded. "I just don't know what I'm doing tonight. I don't have a plan."
"You mean for the date you're going on in three hours?"
"Yeah,"
Xanthe looked unimpressed. "Haven't you had all week to plan this?"
"Yeah, but I figured I'd figure out where we're going when I figure out who I'm taking," Jaune said defensively.
"And who are you taking?"
His shoulders slumped. "I haven't figured that out yet."
"Hmm…" Xanthe thought for a minute, swishing her mouth from side to side like a pondering fish. "You should go to the library."
"For… a date?"
"Yes. Also you should go now, to get books on relationship advice,"
Jaune pouted. "You think I need relationship advice?"
"Yes," Xanthe replied, and she walked past.
"I don't need relationship advice," Jaune told himself after she had left. "I know exactly what I'm doing. I…" he thought for a minute, realized that he had, in fact, no idea what he was doing, and turned to head for the library.
The royal library of Beacon Castle was renowned for its impressive collection of books, from historical archives to trashy romance novels. Scanning the tables and shelves for something useful, Jaune eventually settled on the comic section. Maybe there was something here that he could read quickly and easily, something that would give him the enlightenment that he needed to choose a date partner for tonight.
"You'll never take me alive!"
He turned, eyebrow raised, to a table behind him, and Jaune's face broke into a wide grin. Ruby, Yang, Nora, and Pyrrha sat at a four-top, playing a complicated-looking board game.
"I don't have to," Yang laughed, and Nora gnashed her teeth. "Sorry, Nora, but your pitiful Vacuan navy is nothing against my Sea Feilong." Yang slammed a card on the table, and Nora jumped up in shock.
"Hey,"
All four girls turned to face Jaune, and, despite his nervousness, all four of their faces split into grins. "Jaune!" Ruby cried. "Do you want to play Remnant: The Game with us? There's technically only four players, but," she looked at Nora apologetically. "I think Vacuo just got destroyed."
"I will not be defeated this easily!" Nora cried. "You will never take down my forces!"
"You have no more cards in your hand," Yang pointed out.
"If you join, we can reset, and maybe Vacuo can stand a chance," Pyrrha said with a smile.
Nora looked at him pleadingly.
"Sounds fun,"
"YES!" Nora jumped over the table to pull Jaune into a hug. "With a new ruler, my kingdom stands a chance!" She ran to grab another chair, laughing maniacally, while Jaune stood glued to the spot.
"What just happened?" he thought, shocked. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. Nora had just hugged him. She had hugged him. He beamed.
Jaune sat down opposite Yang, beside Ruby and Pyrrha, and Nora pulled up a chair beside him, pulling the box of Grimm pieces closer to her. "I'll be the Grimm God," she said with another maniacal grin. "Maker of all the Grimm. If you want to use a Grimm card, you have to pay me."
"Do you accept cookies as payment?"
"No, but I accept pancakes."
Ruby looked down. "Darn it."
"I'll cover everyone's pancakes costs to the Grimm God," Jaune said with a smile. Nora grinned. "How do we play exactly?"
"The goal is to conquer Remnant," Pyrrha explained. "You play as one of the four historical kingdoms and amass resources and armies to conquer the other three."
"You should be good at this," Yang cut in. "It's in your blood,"
Jaune winced, and Pyrrha continued. "Each player starts with seven cards, and you play one card each round. You can play aggressive, defensive, or sneaky. There are also trap cards. Although I think Yang's the only one who knows how to pull those off…"
"Don't worry if you lose," Ruby cut in, wincing. "Nora kind of started you off in a bad place."
"It's not my fault!" Nora protested.
"It kind of is… You attacked your own army. Twice."
"There were insurgents that had to be eliminated."
Jaune laughed. "I'll try to keep the Civil War-ing to a minimum."
"All the same, you'll probably get second place at best," Yang said with a crack of her knuckles. "I'm pretty much unbeatable."
"Oh yeah?" Jaune looked down at the cards in his hands. He didn't have a particularly good hand, but he had a good strategy. "We'll see about that."
Jaune could not remember the last time he'd had this much fun in a library. From the ashes of Nora's civil war, he built a formidable empire. While Yang conquered the seas, Jaune and Pyrrha made an under-the-table alliance, to turn Yang and Ruby, representing the kingdoms of Atlas and Vale, against each other.
"NO!" Ruby shrieked as her armies were destroyed by Yang's Airships. Jaune laughed and Pyrrha raised a hand to hide her grin. "This is betrayal!"
After Ruby, the weakened Yang turned to Pyrrha. Soon, despite Jaune's aid and Ruby and Nora's shouts of encouragement, the kingdom of Mistral was destroyed. Yang turned to face Jaune with a smirk. It was down to the two of them.
"Surrender now and some of your people may be spared," sneered Yang.
"NEVER!" cried Nora, before Jaune could answer. He played his highest damage card, a Nevermore Chick, leaving only one card in his hand.
Yang snorted at the two airships the Nevermore took out. "Well, you had a good run, Prince Jaune," she said with a grin, revealing her final card: The Atlesian Paladin. "But it looks like even you could not withstand the sheer might of Yang Xiao-"
"Trap card."
"WHAT?"
Ruby and Nora gasped in shock as Jaune flipped over his final card. "Your armies have been destroyed," he smiled. "Victory to Vacuo, ironically enough."
Yang's jaw dropped, snatching the card out of Jaune's hands to examine it closely.
Jaune turned to Nora, grinning. She grinned back. "You are the BEST. PRINCE. EVER."
"Pretty sneaky," said Yang, tossing the card back to Jaune. "Rematch?"
"You're on."
"What is going on here?"
Jaune winced and turned around slowly. Professor Goodwitch stood behind him, arms crossed over her chest, a stern look on her face.
"Oops."
"Professor Goodwitch, we-"
"Not another word. Ladies, to the Women's Room, at once."
Nora gnashed her teeth, and Yang glowered at Professor Goodwitch as she packed up the game.
"Jaune,"
"Yes?"
Professor Goodwitch raised an eyebrow at him. "You're late. Do you have a date card?"
"Of course," Jaune lied. "I'll follow them up and deliver it myself."
Jaune's stomach twisted in knots on the walk up to the Women's Room. He wanted to ask Nora on a one-on-one he decided, but that would have to be a morning date, around breakfast time. He wanted to ask Ruby too, but he had already asked her. When they rounded the corner, Jaune stayed behind, his heart pounding in his chest. Ruby, Nora, and Yang continued to the Women's Room, arguing loudly about who would've won the rematch, but Pyrrha stopped when she realized Jaune wasn't with them.
"Jaune? Are you okay?"
Jaune inhaled sharply. "No. I have no idea who I'm asking out tonight. I'm just worried I'm messing this all up, and there's so much to keep track of, and so many feelings. I feel like I got to spend time with you four at the game, and want to get to know you all better, but there are people who I've barely talked to. Do I owe it to them to at least give them a chance on a one-on-one? But what if that just complicates everything? What if I don't have time to figure all this out?"
"You owe it to yourself to follow your heart," Pyrrha replied. "But, it doesn't hurt to give people a chance."
Jaune nodded and swallowed. "Okay,"
"And don't worry," Pyrrha's smile was warm, and it made his cheeks feel fuzzy. "We've got time."
