Hawk Stamp!~ Alright, this chapter concludes the welcome to Beacon parts as both Jaune and Emerald will be in forever fall forest for their initiation.
I'll also be taking a break for a bit and the next chapter will be uploaded on February 6. I've also stalled on my other fanfic ideas as I want to prioritize the next coming arcs for Basil In Remnant as we're entering the more meaty sections of canon, and I need to do some more research on the main cast and how their respective semblances work.
I also need to do a lot of elaborating on Ruby's and Summer's silver eyes because there is basically nothing on the matter for me to work with other than their eyes acting like some sort of powerup and deterrent for the Grimm...
I've also decided to give Hawkins a past of my own creation as Oda has yet to reveal the stoic magician's history. If Oda does ever reveal Hawkins' past, then I might do a few rewrites to match it with the One-Piece creator's foundations.
Not much else to say here guys, so with that, cheers and happy reading.
The main theatrics done and over with, the first years basked in the peace and quiet, even Emerald had called it a night and silently snoozed in her sleeping bag. Except for one boy with a blonde ponytail that is. Shuffling his cards at a frantic rate, Jaune wiped away streams of sweat off his forehead. He'd changed into the bunny onesie his grandmother made him, and while the students around him laughed, he was devoted to his loving elders.
"70% chance dad's gonna be annoyed..."
"85% chance he'll punish me..."
"99% I'm in deep shit."
The hunter in training dropped his cards and covered his face with his hands. Jaune was doomed no matter what he did! He figured something might trip him into trouble, but he thought it would be for something controversially heroic. Lost in thought Jaune failed to see a pair of curious turquoise pupils looming over his shoulder.
"How can you see those numbers, Jauney? All I see are colorful doodles and colors."
Jaune turned to meet the sudden presence and lurched back to see the ginger-haired girl he'd met in the locker rooms smiling at him.
"Oh, hello Ms. Valkyrie, can I help you?"
The bubbly girl shrugged her shoulders and placed a finger on her chin. She said she was bored and Renny was asleep, so when she saw Jaune was still awake, she plopped down beside her blonde cohort and continued to observe his shuffling hands which hadn't stopped moving. Jaune curled a brow at his new visitor but decided Ms. Valkyrie was harmless enough.
Silence reigned between the two until Nora opened her mouth.
"So, where did you get those cards Jauney?"
"I earned them as my seventh birthday present on the island of Patch. Would you like to know the story?"
Nora frantically nodded and clapped her hands. The girl was an easy sort to get along with, Jaune did had to warn her every now and then about her loud voice, but the two managed to indulge themselves in long conversations and experiences. Though Jaune had his doubts when Nora said she and her best bud Renny took down a Grimm the size of a mountain with nothing but a sloth pillow.
"Did you really have to chop off a Beowolf's balls?" Nora said with wide eyes.
"Believe me, it's not as funny or epic as you think. My Grandma was pretty pissed off when she had to clean my clothes." Jaune chuckled, but his smile faltered when he witnessed a forlorn glance cross his new friend's face.
"Ms. Valkyrie?"
"Hm?" The bubbly girl quickly recovered and slapped on her usual smile.
"Sorry about that Jauney! Don't worry though, everything is fine!~"
The blonde had his suspicions, but he didn't want to ruin the happy mood he'd worked so hard to obtain. A yawn leaving his lips, Jaune turned his sights to a large clock hung over the ballroom entrance.
Eleven o'clock on the dot, Jaune stretched his arms and kinked his neck. The interactions with Nora had eased his nerves about the inevitable doom that'd be arriving tomorrow, only slightly though, but every bit helps.
Fastening the buttons of his blue bunny onesie, Jaune bid his friend goodnight. However, the valkyrie had other plans in store for the friendly blonde.
"Hey, Jauney, actually could you help me with something?" Nora poked the cheek of Jaune after a few minutes.
"Oh, Ms. Valkyrie, you're still here?" Jaune said half asleep.
"Well, Renny is already off in dreamland, and you seemed to be the only one awake."
Jaune sat himself up and scratched his head. He was definitely snoozing when Nora came by, so the true question was, what did she want? He glanced toward his sister who was still cuddled up in her sleeping bag.
"You can find whatever you want with those cards of yours right?"
Jaune turned to meet a hopeful expression. This orange-haired girl was quite a mystery.
"Well, I can only deduce the probability of where the items I desire would be. My tarot readings aren't as accurate as you're making them out to be. In truth, I have to ask very specific questions in regards to what I want, and even if the percentages are on my side things don't always go the way I want them to."
Nora shrugged her shoulders and snagged Jaune by the collar. She lifted him to his feet and dragged him toward another sleeping bag across the room. Pointing to another boy, this one with a magenta tinted lock of hair that contrasted his overall ebony, Nora gently slapped his face until he woke up.
"Renny, wake up, I want you to meet my new friend Jauney who's going to find the school's kitchens for us!" Nora announced, and Jaune slapped a hand over her mouth to avoid waking up anyone else.
Rousing from his slumber, the boy named Ren got out of his sleeping blanket and narrowed his magenta pupils on a giddy face with orange hair.
"Nora, it's past eleven, we'll need all of our energy for the initiation test tomorrow." Ren groaned.
"Aw, come on Renny, don't be such a buzzkill. You haven't said hello to Jauney yet either!" Nora pouted.
Ren greeted his new acquaintance with excellent manners, and Jaune did the same. A mischievous sparkle twinkling in the valkyrie's eyes, she pulled both boys into a headlock and scuffled through the rows of mismatched sleeping blankets, pillows, and bags all the way to the entrance of the ballroom.
"M-Ms. Valkyrie, where are we going? We're not supposed to leave this area until we're summoned to our initiation in forever fall!" Jaune pleaded.
"Don't worry about it Jauney, after you eat a batch of Renny's pancakes you'll feel all better!" Nora hummed a jolly tune as her stomach growled to match the rhythm.
"That's why you woke me up, Nora? This is why I told you not to eat all our rations before breakfast tomorrow. Also, why does Jaune have to come with us? I say that in all respect by the way." Ren sighed.
"Because three friends have more fun than two dummy!" The valkyrie grinned as the two boys floundered in her surprisingly powerful embrace.
The door to the kitchens creaked open, and three students walked in silent as mice. The first was a onesie wearing victim of his new friend's hungry antics, calculated the percentages of them getting caught and was stressed to see a 65% chance.
The second, a boy wearing a simple green robe with long, black shorts underneath, rubbed his temples and apologized to his blonde cohort for his best friend's antics.
As for the third, the bubbly girl skipped around the stoves toward the pantries seeking one of the best ingredients created by mankind: flour. Popping open a large paper bag, Nora dumped half of the fluffy powder into a mixing bowl then rushed to the fridges to gather milk and eggs.
Ren fetched the sugar, and Jaune, dumbfounded on what he'd been roped into, stayed where he stood and merely observed Ren and Nora as they playfully bickered about how many pancakes they should make.
A ladle to the head ringing him back into the world, Jaune winced and looked down to see a pouting Nora.
"You're supposed to be helping Jauney, if you don't give us a hand then you don't get any pancakes!" The valkyrie huffed and waved the ladle in her hands like a riding crop.
"To be fair, Mr. Ren's been doing all the work..."
A dangerous glare from Nora was all it took to shut Jaune up and lend a hand. As the hungry girl went to search the kitchen cabinets for an endless supply of syrup, Ren used this opportunity to voice his opinion on the matter as he flipped a few pancakes on the hot iron pans.
"You have my thanks, Jaune."
"Hm, what do you mean Mr. Ren?" The blonde curled a brow as his new friend chuckled.
"For putting up with Nora's antics and for being so friendly to her. As you can tell she's a bit of a hyperactive oddball, but she truly means well in everything she does. Even her plea for pancakes was probably a ploy for us to meet and get acquainted."
Jaune slowed his batter mixing and tilted his head toward the ceiling. He didn't consider Ms. Valkyrie having a second motive other than satisfying her hunger, perhaps he should have elaborated his tarot readings when he woke up.
"So I guess most people didn't give you and Ms. Valkyrie a chance to become their friends did they?"
Ren shook his head.
"A lot of the first years wanted to include me in their social circle because according to them I looked cool, but when I introduced them to Nora they didn't want anything to do with her. Naturally, I chose my best friend over those random jerks and remained at her side."
The magenta tinted boy gave a thin smile when he looked at the blonde next to him.
"Then you and Nora met in the locker rooms and when she rushed over to me saying that she made a new friend, I jokingly asked to meet this 'Jauney' as soon as possible. However, Nora wanted to celebrate after making her first friend in Beacon, so that's probably why she dragged you along to bake a pancake feast."
Jaune beamed a goofy grin and put more energy into his endeavors. A stack of steaming pancakes sitting atop a wide counter, Jaune puffed his chest at the wonderful smelling delicacies. Nora finally found what she was looking for, and returned with two big jugs of strawberry and maple syrup.
"To my best friend Renny and my new friend Jauney!" Nora cheered and poured the thick sugary liquids over the fluffy pancakes.
Passing Ren and Nora a fork, the three students chomped down their well-deserved meal and made sure to clean up and not leave a single speck behind. When Ren and Jaune finished washing the dishes, they found Nora curled up on the floor snoring loudly with a wide grin on her face.
"Hm, I want to be fair about this Ren, how about we choose who carries Ms. Valkyrie through the means of the old fashioned, rock paper scissors?" Jaune suggested.
Ren agreed but failed to notice a set of black bats in the distance behind him that was holding up a set of tarot cards.
"18% chance Ren picks rock."
"29% chance Ren picks scissors."
"76% chance Ren picks paper."
As expected, Jaune won the duel but assisted his ebony-haired friend and carried the lighter half of Ms. Valkyrie by lifting her ankles, leaving Ren with most of the weight as he wrapped his arms around Nora's armpits.
"Good job doppelman," Jaune whispered as the three friends headed down the hallways and back to the ballrooms. The loyal shadow giving his owner a thumbs up before contorting itself to match Jaune's shape on the floor.
"So Jaune's in a pickle is he?" Roman cocked a brow as he and Neo walked up to Emerald.
With two hours to go before they were summoned to forever fall forest, the children of Reptile Dust Industries were dressed in their business/hunter attires and warmly greeted the mint-haired girl.
Emerald pursed her lips.
"I'm surprised you two would willingly come over to chat. Jaune's reputation in the school's social hierarchy has gone from bad to worse."
"You don't have to rub it in Minty..." Jaune mumbled as he strapped on his armored armlet.
"Please, let those idiots laugh and make mistakes early in the game. My pops is a gambling man, and he's taught me to know what bets not to take. So why would Neo and I affiliate ourselves with feeble sparrows when we have a pair of grande eagles before us?" Roman grinned.
"Well, there is that Winchester student who said he had a lot of connections," Jaune stated.
"Bah, never mind him. All he does is prattle on about how good his old family name is. My pops earned his reputation and made it crystal clear to Neo and I that we had to build up our own lives and establish proper business partners. Otherwise, we'll never get our promised share of lien from the RDI." Roman grunted.
"Besides, our pops and your dad have been business partners for over five years. There are a plethora of benefits for me in the long run if I stay on your good side." While Roman's reasons were self-centered, he at least meant well. That's what Jaune assumed anyway.
The young magician in training beamed his trademark goofy smile at his established comrades. At least he had a few people he could depend on should things get out of hand. Speaking of which, the voice of a fashionably stern professor echoed through the speakers mounted on the ballroom's walls and demanded that she and Jaune meet in her office.
Forcing a thick clump down his throat, Jaune bid a polite adieu to his worried sister and snickering RDI cohorts.
"Welp here goes nothing." Jaune sighed and tied Funkfreed around his waist with his sash.
"W-Whoa, who the hell is that hunter?" Muttered a shocked group of students.
"I don't know but he looks kinda scary doesn't he?" Said a girl with curly brown hair.
"Did you ever see someone use a lion as a steed? Some people have really exotic tastes." Whispered a boy wearing a leather jacket.
Hawkins ignored the comments of his onlookers as he rode Richie down the gray paths of Beacon's campus. The white lion had kept himself busy on the farms through instructions given by Carla and Sam, but Hawkins wanted to make a good first impression when he arrived at Jaune's school and brought the mighty beast along with him.
"That's far enough Richie. Wait here while I deal with this Goodwitch woman." Hawkins grumbled and dismounted from his leather saddle.
Now in front of a locked door, the attendee at the front of the entrance was nice enough to guide Hawkins up the stairs and down the halls to his desired location. The magician knocked on the office door, and it opened to reveal a familiar sight. Hawkins could have sworn he'd seen this blonde woman before, but where and when were the questions he couldn't answer.
"Ms. Goodwitch I assume?" Hawkins sighed.
"Yes, this meeting won't be long Mr. Hawkins, but the topics that will be discussed are indeed serious." Glynda adjusted her glasses and withdrew a few papers from her desk drawer along with her collapsable tablet.
"Hm..."
Glynda tilted her head to meet the stoic gaze of the supposed magician.
"Is something the matter?"
Withdrawing his cards, the magician ignored Ms. Goodwitch's questions and calculated a few tarot readings.
"89% chance we've met before." Hawkins cupped his chin and looked back to the now frowning professor.
"I'm no stranger to flirting attempts, and the old 'I think we've met before' isn't going to get you anywhere. So please, take your seat and let's begin."
Great. Another uptight woman with an ego Hawkins would have to deal with head-on.
"D-Dad?"
In the middle of examining the rules and regulations papers given to him by professor Goodwitch, the magician veered his crimson pupils to his timid son who looked like he was going to die today. From what he'd read, Jaune and this Winchester boy had come close to duking it out, in a public place filled with innocence no less.
"Ah, please take a seat young student," Glynda said with a sinister gaze.
The boy gulped and plopped himself down next to his dad. Comparing the two men, Glynda curled a brow as the two, while similar in clothing, had contrasting demeanors. Hawkins appeared to be a man who disliked nonsense and maintained a stiff visage with piercing crimson eyes no matter the situation. As for his son, his ocean pupils were round and soft, and he seemed like the type who wouldn't hurt a fly.
"Has my son injured any of his fellow students?" Hawkins' sudden question snapped Glynda from her thoughts as she adjusted her glasses.
"No, but the intention was there. Recordings from the ballroom cameras prove this." The teacher took out her tablet and presented the two men before her with said recording.
Jaune flinched and covered the top of his head on instinct, but no fist of discipline came. Instead, a stone expression and long sigh escaped his father's lips as he grumbled at the whole scene.
Glynda narrowed her eyes at the upset magician, but Hawkins spoke before she could say anything.
"Is this the reason I left my home, to see my son propelled through the air against his will and earn punishment for mere banter? If these are the standards of Beacon Academy then I fear I have enlisted my children in the wrong school. Not to mention the professors here jump to conclusions without hearing the voices of the victims or their spectators."
Jaune blinked and widened his eyes at his father's reply, but remained silent, interested to hear what else Hawkins had to say.
"So as punishment for my son's antics, I do believe a written essay of apology and a few common chores will suffice?"
Glynda bit back a growl and pinched the bridge of her nose. Was she being a tad petty about the whole ordeal? Perhaps, but the stress from her peers had been nagging at the stern professor ever since that beetle-themed forest champion came into the picture. So when the opportunity of delivering rightful punishments to wrongdoers presented itself, maybe, just maybe Glynda went a tad overboard to relieve her ire...
"Very well... but I expect the essay of apology no later than a week after initiation. Am I clear Jaune?" The teacher huffed as the boy frantically nodded and thanked her for her kindness. He flashed his father a goofy smile, and the magician returned it with a content nod of his own. Once Jaune was out the doors to join up with the other first years at forever fall forest, Hawkins aimed to leave as well.
With the trivial matter dealt with, Hawkins stood from his seat and headed to the door. However, his peripherals caught a glimpse of Ms. Goodwitch working a kink out of her shoulder, and a memory long forgotten emerged. When Tukson gifted Hawkins with his first scroll, he went down to the park to try and figure out the electronic trinket...
"Is there something else you wish to say, Mr. Hawkins?"
The magician said nothing and continued to stare quietly.
A vein bulging in the corner of her forehead, Glynda also stood from her seat and attempted to usher the man out of her office. Despite her attempts, all Hawkins did was cross his arms and resumed his observations of the annoyed woman.
"Did we meet in a park?" The magician said after he gathered his thoughts.
Glynda pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. In all her years of hunting Grimm and dealing with students and children alike, she'd developed the ultimate ice-cold stare that would ward off any lecherous onlookers hoping to get lucky with the proud huntress, but somehow Hawkins stood his ground and returned her glare with one of his own.
While the expression of Goodwitch held indignation, the one plastered on the magician's visage was one of... curiosity? Her petty temper cooling almost instantly, Glynda felt her resolve to weaken when faced with such a fortress of solitude and mental power.
"Does an incident regarding a scroll come to mind?" Hawkins muttered. Attempting to jog his memory with aid from the scowling woman.
Glynda crossed her arms.
"The answer is no. Now please excuse me as I have students who are in need of guidance." She reached out an arm to usher the blonde out of her office but retracted it when a twinge of pain racked her elbow and bicep.
This made Hawkins pause. His mind going back to the first massage he'd ever given, he snapped his fingers and fished out his tarot cards. Confirming his suspicions, he decided not to bring up the shared interaction and left Glynda's office without saying another word.
His boots tapping against the floors of Beacon Academy, Hawkins curled a brow as a man adorned in a set of beetle-themed armor sped past him, followed by a teacher with messy green hair and glasses, and another with gray hair and a thick mustache.
"Glynda-un! It's time for initiation-un!" The jolly armored man roared.
"Indeed-un!" Cheered the other two teachers.
The blonde instructor rubbed her temples and withdrew her hunter weapon on instinct. Whenever those three men gathered it always ended up with Goodwitch having to clean up their mess. Especially when Ozpin decided to join in on their rambunctious antics. However, the scene of Port and Oobleck holding two flags with Beacon's emblem sparked a memory long forgotten in the mind of the stern huntress.
Her right arm twitching, Glynda cupped her chin as the image of a certain blonde man massaging away her pains became crystal clear. A look of wonder breaking apart her once stern visage, Glynda feverishly looked past her excited peers in hopes of obtaining an affordable massage, no matter how small the chances, but her hopes were dashed as the magician was nowhere in to be seen.
"Um, Glynda-un? Are you alright? You're looking at us with a really scary face-un..." Heracles turned to Port and Oobleck for a possible answer but found himself alone as Ms. Goodwitch raised her trusty disciplinarian.
"Jaune, Emerald," Hawkins called as his children were being directed through the courtyard by groups of fourth years.
"Dad!" Jaune yelled.
"Papa!" Emerald smiled.
The siblings splitting from the masses to meet their father, both Jaune and Emerald jumped for a hug. The impact of his kids forcing him back a step, Hawkins rolled his eyes and patted their heads. The time for Hawkins' bullhead approaching, the magician opted to get to the point.
"You're going to Mistral?" Jaune quirked a brow and Emerald tilted her head.
"Are uncle Kuma and Vito going with you?" They asked in unison.
"Yes, Crocodile asked us to accompany him to meet with a few of his investors for the new factory being erected in Mantle. Apparently, the owner of the RDI wants me to personally sort out the most potential investors."
"Why can't you do that over a call on your scroll?" Emerald's mood dampened at the thought of her father and uncles going on a vacation without her.
"The reason is because Crocodile wants team HVCK to put on a public display of our powers to sway the chances in his favor. I don't plan on doing too much though. The spotlight is something I'd like to avoid."
"Well, that does make sense, how long are you going to be there for?" Jaune wondered.
The magician ran a hand through his golden locks and slowly shook his head.
"I don't know." He said firmly.
The ominous answer earning him two worried faces, Hawkins assured he'd return before the first semester ended.
"I-It's a promise then, right Papa?" Emerald said with an expectant gaze.
"Of course," Hawkins stated.
His two children waving, a thin smile spread on his face as Richie came over to bring the magician back home. Mounting his saddle, Hawkins offered a lazy wave back as he faded into the distance.
