And now people are wondering if it's Lancaster. I suppose this is the thing, that people will assume the pairing with every female who crosses his path unless otherwise stated.

This is going to be a new Jaune pairing. Not one I've done before. That's all I'll say.

Chapter 8

"Wow. I knew you were weak, but I still expected more. How pathetic."

Pain blurred up and down Jaune's body, congregating in his chest and arms as he drew in long, rattling breaths. On all fours, his arms wavered and his vision was blurred. His hearing was just fine however, the better to listen to Miltia's constant mockery.

"Isn't that your fault for expecting more from someone who's admitted to being a complete rookie?" Melanie, bless her soul, came to his defence as she so often did. "That's like expecting mathematics from a baby. Oh. Unless you're saying you expected more because underneath that frosty exterior you have a soft spot for him and believe he can do this. Is that what you're saying, Miltia?"

"You damn well know it's not."

Half an hour. That was how long he'd lasted in his first self-defence lesson. Thirty minutes that had dragged on for an eternity. It was closer to twenty in reality, the last ten having been him staggering around with his blood pumping in his ears. I feel sick, he thought. No. Keep it together.

"Whatever it is or isn't, I happen to think Jaune has done well." A blob of white knelt next to him and an ice cold glass was pushed up against his lips. "Sip." Melanie instructed. "It'll make you feel better."

The water really did help even if he had to force himself not to guzzle it in one go. That really would make him throw up. It probably wasn't the best idea, but he also leaned into Melanie a little, enjoying the kindly treatment. How was it possible for two twins to be so different? Ah, Melanie was so sweet.

"You should stop coddling him." Miltia said.

"You should stop being such a bitch to him. Besides, offering someone water after hard training isn't coddling. It's basic manners. Not that I'd expect you to know anything about that."

"Manners won't keep someone from sticking a knife in him."

Something about the way she said that had Jaune looking up. Miltia's voice lacked its usual edge, its bite. If anything, she sounded bitter. Sullen.

Melanie looked up as well. "Miltia…"

"Whatever. Fuck it." The sister in red spun on her heel. "The deal was that I'd train him as much as he could handle each day. I've done that. I'm off for a shower."

They let her go. Miltia had done as she promised and that was all he needed. Jaune let himself be pulled up and tugged to one of the nearby tables, then slotted into it. His head fell back against the rest as Melanie slid in opposite him and pushed the water over.

He wasn't sure if he'd learned anything from the training. Miltia was a monster and completely above him in terms of skill – so again, he'd had the lesson reinforced that he wasn't good enough for Beacon, but that was all. About the only thing he could think of having learned was to cover his face with his forearms and keep an eye out for blows to the kidney and gut. Not bad lessons by any means, but not the one-stop-trip to Beacon he'd hoped it would be.

"Where am I going wrong?" he asked Melanie.

"Wrong? What do you mean? This wasn't a total waste."

Okay, it wasn't, but he didn't feel any better and said so.

"You won't," she replied. "Training isn't something that has an effect that quickly. You won't even start building muscle until tonight when you're asleep. As for today, well, I think your spirit was there, but your body wasn't. You need to work on your conditioning."

With his breathing a little more under control Jaune asked, "Conditioning?"

"Stamina, strength, speed. Mostly stamina. Think of it like building a house. Miltia is teaching you the skills you need, and conditioning is your building blocks and raw materials. One without the other is no good."

"And I should train that at the gym, right?"

"Yes. Hei goes everyday with some of the boys. Ask if you can go along."

Working out after all this felt like an awful idea. He just wanted to sleep. I'll probably be recovered by the time we go. Besides, I can't give up here or I didn't want it hard enough. Jaune nodded and drank some more water. "Guess I'll need to pay for a membership."

"Hei can get you a free week."

"Should I rely on that? I'm trying not to get involved…"

"Not through criminal contacts, dummy!" Melanie laughed. "Most gyms do a free taster week for friends of existing members. It's a way to draw in new clients. Hei can just say you're thinking of joining and they'll give you a week's free membership to win you over. What, have you never been to a gym before?"

"There weren't any in Ansel."

"None? How unfit were people there?"

"Actually, everyone back home is in good shape."

"Really? What's Ansel like?"

"Hmhm. It's boring."

"So says the guy who's lived there all his life. You realise I'd say Vale is boring, right?" Kicking his foot under the table, she said, "I'm curious what life outside the big cities is like. I hear you never know when the Grimm will come."

It wasn't that bad. Maybe there were some frontier villages like that, but Ansel was a more established colony, sort of like Patch or Argus, just not as big or developed. It had a perimeter wall of a stone base topped with wooden palisade, a couple of hundred homes and its own marketplace, doctor's office and even an arcade.

No gyms, though. At least not commercial ones. Ansel had a community centre which hosted classes on certain days, though. Things like sewing, mechanics, even music and acrobatics. They did yoga on Tuesdays and Fridays, then there was general fitness every other day.

That was sort of like a gym, but you had to pay for the time of the person holding classes and there wasn't much in the way of equipment or running machines. Everything was done with free weights or by jogging in a field nearby. He probably should have signed up for that, but he'd been too focused on swinging his sword around in mock practice.

What kept most people in Ansel was fit was the simple fact that they lived outside the walls and had to work for basic things. There were no cars so everyone walked; there were no delivery services so you had to carry stuff around; if you wanted to stay warm you had to cut logs. Simple work like that had kept Jaune slim, if not buff.

"It sounds nice," Melanie said.

"You mean dull. You're just being polite."

"No, really, that kind of place sounds really interesting for someone who's grown up in Mistral and then Vale all her life. We take for granted a lot of the things you're excited to find here. I think it'd be fun to be self-sufficient, to farm your own food, chop your own wood, know the name of everyone around you."

"The latter isn't as fun as you think. You do one embarrassing thing and everyone in the village hears about it. Kills your chances at getting a date for the summer fair rather quick."

"Ooh. Sounds like there's a story there."

Normally, he'd have been too embarrassed to tell it, but he was so fatigued right then that he shrugged and did. "Nothing too amazing. There was this girl who was really nice and friendly to me after I'd been bullied by some guy. I assumed wrong and asked her to the fair in front of the class." He sighed. "Turns out she was only nice because she was a nice person and felt sorry for me. Everyone laughed and girls would run away from me saying I'd randomly ask them out if I got too close. Guess I was desperate and read the signs wrong."

"Probably." Melanie answered without hesitation or mockery. "That's hardly the embarrassing thing I've heard a guy or girl do, though. Pretty tame to be honest."

"It felt worse for me at the time…"

"I bet. Ha." Melanie took a quick swig of her own drink. "If there's one thing the city has it's an easier time dating. You don't even have to ask people out nowadays. Just go to speed-dating or put an ad in a lonely hearts column, or even sign up to a dating site. People will come to you."

"Ha. Maybe…"

"They would," she said seriously.

"Huh?"

"You'd get offers." Melanie rolled her eyes when he blushed. "Calm down, Casanova. I just mean that you're not ugly or anything. Not my type, admittedly, but even I can say you're above average, maybe even handsome to some. You're also young, relatively fit and about to get a whole lot fitter if you go to the gym with Hei. You even work in a club. Put all that together and you've got a pretty damn good combination. You even own your own place, so there wouldn't be any dealing with the parents or renting a hotel nonsense."

Even if he knew Melanie was both telling the truth and only speaking platonically, he couldn't help but look away with his face bright red. She was like that girl from Ansel, offering advice because she was a good person and wanted to help. He wasn't going to make the same mistake and assume the slightest kindness was interest. Still, to be called handsome – or close to it – by someone like her had butterflies jumping in his stomach.

"You… Do you think so…?"

"I wouldn't say it otherwise. Now, I think you'd be eaten up," she said, poking his shoulder. "Don't take this the wrong way but you're sweet. Too sweet. Too nice."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not for someone looking for a great guy to settle down with, no, but online dating can be just as much about the `meet and fuck` as it can be dating nowadays. I think you'd get some people who just want to bang. Which is cool if you're okay with that," she said, "but I wouldn't want to see you getting all broken-hearted because you wanted romance and they just wanted a good time."

Casual sex? Just the thought of someone actually wanting that with him was a shocker – and an appeal, he had to admit. Part of him, a very stubborn and embarrassing part of him, rose to attention. He was curious, he had to admit, but also a little nervous. I want my first time to be special…

"Is there a way to avoid it?"

"Sure. Put on your profile that you're after a serious relationship only. When you exchange messages with a match, make sure you don't get too flirty or mention sex. Make it clear you're after a match and not a hook-up. It's easy if you're aware of it. I'm just making sure you are."

"Ha. Well, I'm not even sure if I will try it. I've kinda had it in my head that I'll meet the right girl in person. Is that weird?"

"No. Only that you work in a club now, so the `right person` will probably be off her face at the time. Unless you're after Miltia," she teased. "You're not, are you?" His expression said it all. Melanie laughed. "Ha. Smart move. Seriously, though, think about it. I know you're set on Beacon and all, but you wouldn't be able to apply for next year's intake for another eleven months anyway, and you'd still be living in Vale for four years after if you get accepted. Why not try and meet someone while you're here? It's not like anything is in your way."

"I… I guess you have a point…"

"Just think about it," she said, laughing. "I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, just saying you have options."

/-/

EasyGym was the name of the place Hei took him to, along with a good fifteen of his henchmen. Jaune worried what people would think of that, but the receptionist only smiled and let each person through, then stopped to listen to Hei mention him as a new employee who wanted to try the gym. Sure enough, he received a week's membership along with a card that would get him access to the facilities.

"Isn't it a little strange to have so many people coming?" Jaune asked once they were in the changing rooms. He'd bought a cheap tracksuit bottom and a tee-shirt. He felt a little inadequate next to Hei in grey shorts and a tight, black tank top. The man's pecs and muscles bulged outward. "Doesn't it seem a little suspicious is all I'm saying?"

"You're too paranoid," Hei said. "Places like this have workplace deals. It's cheaper to buy membership as a company, and the whole point is to come build cohesion by working out together. You get regular businesses doing the same."

Regular businesses didn't look as physically intimidating as Hei and his men did, however. When they walked out onto the main gym floor, Jaune could immediately see they were the toughest people around. That… didn't mean much, though. There was some incredibly overweight people working out, and most of them were middle-aged. There was nothing wrong with that but considering this was Vale, he'd kind of expected a few more `huntsmen` level people. He asked.

"Huntsmen gyms are different to civilian ones. The range of movement and what you need is different to a treadmill and weights. Don't even think about signing up to one," he said. "You're not at that level yet. Ask again once you can outpace me."

Jaune held no illusions on being able to do that and was swiftly proven correct for it. Hei was a taskmaster. Not a cruel one like Miltia; he made Jaune walk for five minutes and then increased the pace on the treadmill until they were both jogging for a full thirty minute warmup. They then moved over to some kettlebells, wherein Hei showed him several exercises that had his thighs, calves and forearms lightly burning.

"Full body motions." Hei said. "Squat, pick up, rise, thrust upward and then squat again. You can work your entire body in one exercise if you do it properly."

Once they were done there it was back to the cardio, this time on a cross-trainer for thirty minutes, then a rowing machine and back to the cross-trainer, but now for something Hei called `high-intensity-interval-training` or as Jaune called it, hell. Bursts of sudden exercise fifteen or twenty seconds long followed by the rest of the minute at a slower pace before going full pelt again.

It left him sweating, panting and with his muscles burning all over, but he never quite reached the `my body is falling apart` stages that Miltia left him in.

"Training should not be destructive." Hei said, matching him every step of the way. "You should leave tired and sore every time, but also satisfied. Your body will adjust and get used to it. That only means you need to up the intensity. If you ever leave the gym anything less than spent, you're wasting your time."

"R-Right." Jaune panted and kept jogging for the cooldown period Hei had mandated. "A-And… ah… t-this will h-help me get stronger."

"Hm." Hei nodded. "You'll be able to train for longer. Your body will be faster, tougher and stronger. You'll even be healthier, assuming your diet doesn't consist solely of soda, chips and cheeseburgers."

Two hours was how long they spent on the gym floor, which was a whole ninety minutes longer than he'd lasted with Miltia. Obviously, it was less ruthless and not as huntsman-specific, but it felt like he'd gained more from this. Maybe Melanie was right that Miltia's lessons were useless without a strong foundation.

The gang members showered together, thankfully in a big changing room with cubicles. Jaune padded out with a towel wrapped around his waist, feeling remarkably high spirited despite his exhaustion. The other members of the Xiong Clan were busy pulling bags out of lockers and drying off. Hei's bare back was visibly scarred, with short nicks here and there across his wide shoulder blades. He looked like he was sculpted from rock.

"How long would it take to be as fit as you?" Jaune asked.

"Depends." Hei pulled on a white shirt and buttoned it up. "Muscle mass comes easier to those that are younger – more hormones to work with. You might be able to pull it off in under a year if you train hard, but you shouldn't. I'm a little too top heavy for what you want. This is the physique I want." He flexed his arms and his shirt tightened. "It serves me just fine, both in life and in work. If you want to be a Huntsman, you need to be leaner."

"That's what my neighbour said as well. Said the models on the front of Huntsmen magazines are just fakes showing off. I guess he was right if you think so as well."

"Hmm." Hei adjusted his tie and drew on his grey waistcoat. "You realise there's a good chance your neighbour is a huntsman if he's offering advice like that."

Jaune froze. "What? Why?"

"This is Vale. Ninety per cent of the huntsman population in a Kingdom works out of its capitol city. It's a point of contention, especially for those smaller villages and towns that feel isolated and uncared for."

I can see why it would be, Jaune thought. "How does that relate to my neighbour?"

"Most civilians assume huntsmen should be huge. If he doesn't, chances are he either is one or knows someone who is. What's his name? I can run a check if you want me to. Nothing illegal," he said. "Huntsmen are kept in a register that's accessible to most."

"His name is Qrow Branwen."

"Qrow…?" Hei snorted, turned and laughed into his locker. "Qrow Branwen. Ha. What are the odds, I wonder? Kid. Qrow Branwen is definitely a huntsman. You can trust me on that."

"H-He is!?" Jaune couldn't hide his shock. Qrow was… well, he was strange and all, but he looked so rough and ragged, like a man dragged backwards through a hedge. That wasn't what he imagined when people talked about a huntsman. "Are you sure? He doesn't look-"

"Qrow is considered to be the strongest Huntsman in Vale."

The words were robbed from Jaune's mouth. Qrow!? His neighbour, the guy with the broken shower, was one of the strongest huntsmen in the kingdom? That… That was amazing.

Oh man, I wonder if I could get some training out of him. No wonder he knew so much about what magazines huntsmen do and don't read! And he said he owed me a favour. Should I ask him for advice? Training? Tips?

"Do you think I should ask him for help?" he asked Hei.

"Your call." He shrugged. "That said, you can't get a yes without asking for something. You might want to get a little fitter before you do. Or do you think you'll be any better at absorbing his training than you were Miltia's?"

His excitement was doused by that pearl of wisdom. Hei was right. Even if he managed to get some tips out of Qrow, they wouldn't be all that useful right now. Better to save it for when he could really use them.

"We're open again tonight, aren't we?"

Hei nodded. "Hm. Sunday is our last opening night of the week. Work hard tonight and you'll have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off. Tonight should be quieter, too," he added. "It's Friday and Saturday that are the backbreakers."

"Makes sense. It's work or school on Monday for most people, isn't it?"

"Exactly. Doesn't stop half of them coming out but it does stop the other half. Not our place to complain when it's profit for us." Hei finished dressing and slipped his gym bag over his shoulder. "I'd normally have started a new recruit on a Sunday, but we were short staffed, and it was a special occasion. Things should get quieter now. I'll see you at seven. We gym at three," he said, jerking a thumb toward the other guys. "It'll be less time for you to drop by here that time instead of meeting at the club."

"Three until five? I can't make Saturdays," Jaune said. "I have someone tutoring me on engineering from one til three."

"Good man." Hei rumbled. "A busy schedule is a productive one. Make sure you get something to eat before work. You may not feel hungry now, but you'll regret it in a few hours if you don't."

/-/

By the time Jaune got back to his apartment, Hei's words had proven prophetic and his stomach was growling away. There was a package outside his door, nudged in by the frame. On top was a letter with his name on the front. Peeling it open, he found a hastily scribbled note inside.

Jaune.

Thanks for letting me use your place. Got to run, job came up. Catch you around. Good luck and here's a thank you gift for being such a pal.

Qrow.

"Job? That must be a hunt. Guess I missed my chance to ask him for advice."

He unlocked his door and entered, stooping to pick up the small package, which tinkled and clinked with a familiar sound as he did. Glass bottles. Opening it, he was entirely unsurprised to find a twelve-pack of beer. Hadn't he told Qrow he worked in a club? Alcohol wasn't exactly out of his reach.

I guess this would be a generous gift to any other guy, though. I should take it as that. If nothing else, it was good to know he was getting on with his neighbour. It could have been a lot worse. The beer went in the fridge for another day, or maybe to be drunk by Qrow himself when he came back.

Tossing his gym clothes down by his bed, he opened a cupboard and grimaced at the limited options inside. He'd have to cook anything here and his legs didn't feel up to standing at the stove.

"Screw it. I can afford to treat myself."

It wasn't hard to find a place to eat on the way between his apartment and the club. There were a bunch of restaurants and bistros along the busier roads, some of them a little too posh for him, but plenty of a sit down and eat variety, along with some fast food places.

The one he picked was a bistro-restaurant crossover with a bar-like atmosphere but a full menu. It had a long bar by the right with a huge TV behind it, a pool table off in an area to the side along with a one-armed bandit, and then a wide array of tables both big and small for diners. A lot of those were full, suggesting the place was pretty good. There were a few two-seater tables free, though, with most people having come in larger groups. Jaune took one and a waitress came up almost immediately.

"Can I get the rump steak with fries and a side salad, please."

"How would you like it, sir?"

"Medium please."

"And to drink?"

"Cherry soda."

Smiling, the girl jotted it down and took his payment before leaving, giving Jaune time to look at what was on the TV. It was showing scenes of huntsman on huntsman combat. It interested him enough to watch but sadly it flicked back to the news report it was. The scenes were apparently from the last Vytal Festival, with the report on the one taking place in Vale this year.

I should check that out. It'd be cool to go watch it and see what huntsmen really fight like. Plus, it's not everyday it's held in Vale. I wonder if Hei would let me have time off when it starts.

His food came before he could spend too much time thinking on it, and by that point the news report had switched to local dust robberies. Jaune thanked the waitress and dug in, only listening with half an ear. That was taken away soon enough when Jaune heard a guy his age laugh loudly from a table nearby.

"I've told you, Russel, you need to be realistic. She's hot, I'll admit, but it's not happening."

"Why not?" a boy with a green mohawk asked. "You saying she's out of my league?"

"Yes." The other was a large teen with orange-brown hair cut short. He looked muscular and broad of shoulder. In fact, they all looked like they went to the gym more than he did. "I'm absolutely saying that, and it's no insult. She's out of all our leagues. You really think Weiss Schnee of all people is going to date someone like us?"

"Not unless you win the lottery," one of the other said.

"Why? I doubt she gives a damn about money. She's loaded."

"Money isn't it either," the short haired one said. "Famous date famous, that's just how it is. You've got as much chance getting with her as you have Nikos. They're both unattainable."

Girls, huh? Jaune shamelessly eavesdropped, not because he was interested but because it gave him something to do while he ate. It wasn't like he hadn't had those same problems himself. The name Weiss Schnee sounded familiar for some reason, like he was forgetting something obvious.

"How about Yang?"

"More likely but still one of the hottest girls in school," short-hair said, pointing a fork at mohawk. "Why are you so focused on it being someone there? Broaden your horizons a bit. There are loads of girls in Vale who'd fall over backwards to date a huntsman."

"Same for guys to date a huntress," the guy with blue-tinted hair falling down to his shoulders said. "Cardin has the right of it, man. Learn to swim before you try and cross the ocean, yeah?"

"It's just one girl." Mohawk – Russel judging by what they said – complained. "Since when is asking Yang out crossing the ocean?"

Since, if she was as attractive as the others suggested, you were competing against a lot of people. Jaune applauded the guy's confidence but had been there himself. He hadn't asked the prettiest girl in Ansel out, but he'd pined after her like almost every guy in his class had. She hadn't been arrogant or mean about it, either, but she'd had free reign of the guys and obviously went out with someone she liked. That someone hadn't been Jaune. More competition meant more chance of that happening. That was just obvious.

They said huntsmen, though. Are they from Beacon?

It was possible, wasn't it? Like Hei said, Vale was full of them, and it was Sunday so there would be plenty of them out of lessons. He'd met Ruby at a bookstore, so it wasn't unlikely he'd found four more in a restaurant having dinner on their day off.

With four of them together, it probably meant they were a team. Should I do something? What? I can't just walk up and ask them for training, can I. That's stupid.

He took a drink instead, looking them up and down without trying to be caught. Even the strongest-looking of them, Cardin, didn't appear as huge as the guys in the magazines. He was muscular and big, but not stacked. The rest all looked built for speed, much like Qrow and Hei had both said now. That was what he needed to aim for.

It took him a second to realise blue eyes were staring back at him. Jaune's widened and he turned back to his meal, but by then it was too late. He'd been caught staring. He focused on his food in the hopes they'd take it as him being a weirdo and leave it be.

Instead, the one who had caught him whispered something and the burly one leaned a hand back over his chair and turned around. "Hey. Something wrong over there, pal?"

Crap. If only he hadn't been so nosey.

"No. Nothing at all."

"You sure? Sky tells me you've been staring at us for the last few minutes…"

"I…" Jaune's instinct was to deny. Lie. Claim he hadn't. He'd been caught though, so maybe a dash of honesty was better. "I heard you say you were from Beacon."

Cardin didn't look any more impressed. "Yeah. And?"

"And I'm hoping to apply to Beacon next year. I… I was hoping to find out a little about it. I wanted to ask some questions but… I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't want to interrupt." He made to stand. "I'll just go and-"

"Give him a break, Cardin." Mohawk grinned suddenly and punched Cardin's arm. "He was just looking."

"Tch. Not like I threatened him or anything, is it?"

"You're intimidating and you know it. Yo, the name's Russel. This is Cardin, Sky and Dove." He pointed to each and they waved lightly. "Don't let Cardin get to ya. He isn't mad; it's just how he comes off."

"Oh. Uh. I'm Jaune. Nice to meet you?"

The four boys exchanged looks and a quick comment. Space was made, chairs scraping to create a spot for him at their table. Not knowing how to say no or if he should, Jaune stood and moved his chair over, leaving his finished food behind and taking his drink with him.

Nothing wrong with making friends. They seem like nice guys.

"We're Team CRDL. Cardin is our leader." Russel jerked a thumb at Cardin, who nodded and grunted. He didn't look angry. More distracted. "You're applying next year, then?"

"That's the hope. I'm doing a year of training and cramming."

"Not a bad idea." Dove said. "Initiation was killer."

"School is killer," Sky said. "All the classes are, like, ten times harder than before. Don't even get me started on combat class."

"It's Beacon." Cardin stated. "What did you expect?"

"Not to be one of the weakest in the year…"

"You'll get better, Sky. I'll make sure of it." Cardin sipped his beer and eyed Jaune. "Next year, huh? Dove is right. You need to be at your best. People died in initiation."

Jaune's breath caught in his throat. "They did?"

"Only one this year. I've heard it's been worse before. Threw us into the Emerald Forest and made us sink or swim. Russel and I didn't have any trouble. Neither did Sky and Dove."

"I heard Team RWBY ran into a giant Nevermore and a Deathstalker."

"It wasn't just them. There was Nikos there as well. I hear she took care of the Deathstalker."

"Still left the four of them to handle the Nevermore." Russel argued. "That's pretty incredible."

"We get it, Rus. You have a crush on Weiss and Yang. Or both. They're amazing, we know." Cardin rolled his eyes. "And the way Schnee almost lost to a sodding Boarbatusk in class goes to show just how incredible she is."

"Hey. She was caught off-guard."

"There was literally a cage in the middle of the classroom snorting. Port even said it was a test to prove her strength. What else was it going to be, an angry chihuahua?"

"Do you fight Grimm in class?" Jaune asked in wonder.

"No. First time we've ever had one in class to be honest. Most of the time it's history and lectures. Book lessons. Boring shit. As much as the teacher is an absolute bitch, I'd rather have combat class multiple times a day. At least there, you know you're improving."

"Speaking of fighting." Dove said. "What weapon do you use?"

"Oh. Um. Sword and shield." Jaune said.

"Does it shoot anything?"

"No. But the shield can transform into a sheathe…"

That felt useless even as he said it, but Dove's eyes lit up. "That's pretty cool. Would make it easier to move around with and could surprise people. You might even be able to use the force of it expanding to knock people over. You should probably look for a ranged option, though."

"Not everything needs to be a gun." Cardin said. "Nothing wrong with a man who wants to do things with his own two hands."

"It doesn't hurt to have options, though. Nikos has three weapon forms for a reason."

"I might look to add more before Beacon," Jaune said. "I'm taking weapon classes with a huntress." Sort of. "And she knows a lot about how to modify them. I'm trying to learn all that myself and I might try and tinker with my sword. Or the shield."

"You should focus on the basics first." Cardin said. "Killing Grimm. You've probably already dealt with a few if you're applying to Beacon, right?"

"Uh. Yeah." Jaune smiled weakly. "A few…"

"Good. They literally throw you at the Grimm to see if you're good enough. Initiation might change by next year, but it'll be the same idea. You want to get in, make sure you can handle yourself. That's my advice. Book smarts, weapons and everything else is a bonus, but prioritise not dying first."

"Ha." Russel nudged his partner. "Told you Cardin is a big softy."

"I'm not soft; I'm just offering the newbie some advice. If he's gonna be one of us, we don't want him dying." Cardin rolled his eyes. "We're making this place a thing," he told Jaune. "Hanging here on Sunday to relax, around this time. You can hit us up again next week if you want."

"Is that okay?"

"I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't, would I?" Cardin tried for gruff but didn't manage the levels of uncaring that Miltia could. The other three members of Team CRDL laughed. "Our kind have to stick together," he said. "There are few of us enough as it is, and standards keep dropping, especially in Beacon. We have to look out for one another."

"Thanks." Jaune smiled, finally relaxing. For all that they looked unapproachable, they'd all but accepted him as a friend without asking anything in return. "And sorry for staring earlier. Hey, do you mind if I ask what workout routine you guys do?"

"Are you flirting with us?"

Blood rushed to Jaune's face but drained when they burst out laughing. It was obviously a joke. "Ha ha. Funny. I'm trying to get stronger without bulking up too much. I was just thinking that Cardin looks to have found a good balance."

"Heh. You want guns like these?" Smirking, Cardin showed off his muscles. "Give me your scroll, Jauney boy. I'll text my reps to you. Try not to pull a muscle, though. Took me a few months to get to the point I could do it without resting. What prep school you at? Signal?"

"I'm not."

Team CRDL went silent. Cardin took his scroll and added his number, but there was a sudden wariness to him now. "You're not from Signal? You realise not being from a prep school limits your chances, right?"

"I know." He did now anyway. "But I'm going to work hard and achieve this myself. I'll find my own teachers, my own training and my own way into Beacon."

He was going to become the best huntsman in Vale, and he was going to get there with my own two hands. Whether he had to break his body down and build himself back up again or not.

"With that attitude, maybe you just will." Cardin said. He handed the scroll back. "And when you get in, I'll kick your ass in a spar and show you why I'm top dog."

Jaune grinned back. "Looking forward to it!"

Jaune meeting another set of huntsmen and reaffirming his goal. The thing about CRDL is that I imagine they're actually very likeable if you're not a) a faunus or b) someone showing them up in class. Bullies tend to be fairly likeable to people who aren't their victims, and Jaune has no evidence of their behaviour to go off here.

Next Chapter: 4th March

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