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Chapter 8 - Social Studies

Patch Colony's outskirts, Taiyang Xiao Long's Patrol Route, Day 1, 20 minutes after leaving Taiyang's home...

After flying clear across the clearing, creating a four meter long gouge along the ground and then slamming into the base of a massive tree, Jaune's ability to hold his armor in place finally ran out, and his reactive armor flowed back into his bands. Then, in the moments that followed his very first "sparring session" with Taiyang Xiao Long, a shadowy silhouette moved up in front of the sun and looked down at him...

"You're pathetic," Taiyang pointed out with absolutely no inflection in his voice. His tone was somehow an exact duplicate of Olivia's all that time ago back in the Arc Castle courtyard...

"So it would seem," Jaune panted out as he slowly pushed himself back up to his feet.

"That armor lets you move as fast as a speed Semblance and as strong as a strength Semblance, but that won't do you even a bit of good if your martial arts is worse than a toddler's," Taiyang continued. "You won't use that armor at all for the rest of this training. I don't have time to be carrying you around like luggage whenever you run out of aura."

John could only nod his head at the man's good sense.

"Moving on… We're going to play a little game now that you're almost out of aura," Taiyang announced in a chilly tone of voice.

"A game," Jaune repeated.

"Yes… It's called Dodge," Taiyang added with a joyless smile. "I imagine you know what this game entails?…"

"I could hazard a guess, Sir," John admitted.

"Good," Taiyang allowed with trace amounts of approval in his tone. "But there's one other thing that I want you to keep in mind while we play this game…"

John didn't ask the question. He had a feeling he already knew exactly where this was going.

"Keep your disgusting little hands away from my daughter," Taiyang breathed out before beginning to count down from 10.

By the time Taiyang called out the number 9, Jaune was already sprinting out of the clearing.

Patch Colony's outskirts, Taiyang Xiao Long's Patrol Route, Day 3...

"You've built up more fast twitch muscle mass than any teenager I've ever trained before and you have the aura capacity of a seasoned Hunter, so you have no excuse whatsoever for being so damned slow and weak," Taiyang yelled out as he rained hundreds and hundreds of gauntleted blows all over Jaune's shield and swinging sword. "Focus your aura! Focus your spirit! Channel your determination throughout your body, channel it into your blows, move with intent, move with purpose! Move your body dammit!" With that last yelled command, Taiyang threw a lightning fast kick at Jaune's ribs that launched the boy into a messy tumble over 5 meters across the clearing.

Moving as quickly as he could, Jaune pushed himself back up out of the grass, but he wasn't the least bit surprised to find Taiyang standing over him when he finally straightened up to his feet.

"How much aura do you have left," Taiyang asked in a very quiet voice.

"40 percent," Jaune responded automatically. Due to the fact that he was having his aura depleted so often and having to regenerate it as they moved, he was getting much better at feeling his own levels without having to rely on technology.

"...Dodge…"

"Within the next split second, Jaune was aura-leaping his way out of the clearing and moving through the trees like a ninja on crack, proving that he really was improving at channeling aura throughout his body…

Patch Colony's outskirts, Taiyang Xiao Long's Patrol Route, Day 5…

Sweat bounced off of Jaune's forehead as he moved faster than he ever had in his whole entire life. His sword was a blur, his shield was everywhere at once and his feet were pounding holes into the earth beneath his feet.

In his all consuming desire to remove Taiyang Xiao Long's head from his body, Jaune's mind was moving with a newly attained, aura enhanced speed and clarity, allowing both the nerves and the synapses within his muscles to do the same. An explosive surge of aura flowed down every muscle tissue in his arms and his legs, allowing them to expand and contract faster than a dust engine and repairing the damage that doing so was causing to his body at exactly the same time.

Jaune was firing on all cylinders. He was finally channeling aura like a Hunter. He was moving like a bat out of hell…

It still wasn't good enough!...

Taiyang Xiao Long weaved through Jaune's rapidfire sword strokes, kicks and shield bashes as if he was dodging a civilian's blows and not a blur of preternaturally agile movements. He avoided Jaune's attacks with just inches to spare, because the older blond man was just that far above his skill level, and he didn't need to move more than the bare minimum.

It was humbling... It was inspiring… Most of all, it was aggravating...

"Woahoa," Taiyang called out with laughter in his voice as he ducked and then sidestepped a stabbing sword sweep that would've removed his left arm. "I think I finally managed to piss you off Arc! I wonder… Was it the comment about your sisters, or was it that crack about sending you back to your little Castle a failure? I bet it was the latter… You don't seem a familial type of guy. I don't think you have the loyalty required to get angry on your sisters' behalf!"

In the moments that followed, Taiyang began laughing all the harder as Jaune's movement speed increased yet again, and he was forced to bob and weave around the clearing. "That's the stuff Arc! Focus on your body! Focus on your aura and the way that it's moving! Focus on the how, on the where, on the little details that are making it all work! More than anything, focus on the fact that I fucked your mother 25 years ago, which is the real reason why every single one of you Arc kids are blond!"

Laughter rang out throughout the clearing for the next 10 minutes, as Jaune Arc tried his level best to cut his trainer in half...

2 weeks later, Beacon intake day, Beacon Airpad...

While the landing gear of the airship did manage to dull the impact of its landing, it was still a noticeable enough feeling that Jaune managed to free himself from an extremely unpleasant dream. Then he realized exactly where he was, and his mouth tightened into a thin little line...

Damn...

They were already at Beacon, and Jaune still hadn't healed any of his wounds...

While acting as if he was still asleep, Jaune started focusing his attention on all of the cuts on his arms and legs. The bruising would have to wait for later when he had more time. For now, it was far more important that he not leak when he moved. Over the last 2 weeks, he'd more than doubled the speed that he could heal himself, so all he needed was just a few more moments...

"Rise and shine John!"

A tiny little hand started rapidly patting at Jaune's shoulder again, interrupting his concentration and slowing his efforts to less than half speed. With a sinking feeling, Jaune realized that he was going to have to enter the school for the very first time with torn up clothing and visible wounds all over his body. Even distracted by Ruby and the people around them, he'd still be able to heal himself within the next ten minutes, but by the looks of it, he wasn't going to have that much time. A Beacon staff member at the passenger door was explaining that everyone needed to head towards the school's main auditorium.

With a small sigh of long suffering, Jaune rose to his feet and followed the girls down the boarding ramp. As he walked, he compiled a list of things that he needed to buy when he finally had the opportunity. While clothing was definitely priority number one, he also needed to repair the visor of his HUD helmet and arrange for replacement weapons. The rifleshield that he'd come to Vale with was in terrible shape due to Taiyang's brutally Spartan training, and his sword was in desperate need of a sharpening.

Thankfully, Taiyang had given Jaune a cut of the money that they'd earned destroying Grimm during their patrol. The money would all be gone by the time he was fully clothed, armed and armored again, but the training had been invaluable and was well worth the inconvenience.

When Jaune observed the rest of the airfield, he saw that the airship that they'd flown from Patch in was only one of about two dozen dropping off hunter trainees from every colony that Vale had to offer. As remote as Patch was, the island colony had still managed to field fifteen prospective students. What this meant to Jaune was that the newly admitted class might end up being several hundred students strong...

Following that realization, Jaune found himself wondering whether the school had the facilities to take on this many new students, or if the initiation that they were about to take part in was a far more important event than he'd been led to believe. Then he decided to put that thought aside for the moment to focus on the here and now. Young Ruby Rose appeared to be suffering some anxiety despite the fact that, if Taiyang's explanation post scroll conversation was to be believed, the girl managed to foil a Dust robbery before being talent scouted by Ozpin himself...

"Everyone here's going to think you're the bee's knees little sis," Yang loudly encouraged her clingy little sister.

"But I don't want to be the bee's knees! Or any kind of knees," Ruby replied, in a frustrated tone of voice. "I just want to be a normal girl... with normal knees."

"This is an extremely high level Hunter Academy Ruby," Jaune interjected as he approached the smaller girl's side. "While the fact that you're a prodigy will definitely bring you both positive and negative attention, it's still far preferable to the alternative…"

"The alternative," Ruby repeated in a questioning voice."

"Yes Ruby, the alternative," Jaune repeated, as he turned around to walk backwards in front of the girls. "You see, the reason you're nervous right now is because you don't want your gifts to make you stand out. Now... Try to imagine not having any of those abilities, and the anxiety that you'd be feeling right about now. I'd wager that a good portion of the students standing around us aren't even certain whether or not they deserve to be here."

"Yeah Ruby, you don't want to be completely mediocre like John here," Yang pointed out, in an overly cheerful tone of voice.

"Yaaang," Ruby groaned out with a hand cupping her forehead.

Jaune was saved from having yet another argument with Yang, when he accidentally walked backwards into someone. In order to stay on his feet, he was forced to grab onto the unknown person, and by some fluke of reflexes he also managed to catch a suitcase that they were dropping to the ground.

"Hey, watch where you're walking and let me go, you imbecile! Gasp! John!" While at first Weiss had both slapped and batted away Jaune's steadying arms, she immediately stopped hitting him when she recognized who he was. Then she was quickly moving around his body to take a closer look at his cuts, bruises and torn up clothing. "Maidens, John! What did the Vale Military do to you?! Did you just escape from a prison mine?!"

"The Vale Government has nothing to do with my current appearance," Jaune immediately assured Weiss, with his hands up in a calming gesture. "Instead of taking one of Headmaster Ozpin's intake tests, I was given the choice to take part in a two-week training session with one of the Professors from Signal Academy. I only just returned from the wilds and I haven't had the chance to replace my gear."

"Ah, ooohhh," Weiss breathed out, as her concern ebbed away and visible embarrassment quickly took its place. "Well then... I hope the training was worth it, because you both look like and smell like a homeless person, and are just moments away from disgracing yourself in front of the entire student body."

Giggle... Snicker...

By the time the giggling came to an end, Ruby and Yang were flanking Jaune on either side, where they were grinning at the unknown girl's very candid appraisal.

Weiss gave the two new girls a cursory look and then arched a questioning eyebrow at Jaune.

"Oh, yes, pardon me. Weiss Schnee, this is Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long," Jaune announced, while gesturing back and forth between the 3 girls. "Ruby and Yang are new acquaintances of mine, and the daughters of the Professor that I trained under." Turning towards the 2 girls, Jaune gestured back at Weiss. "Weiss and I know each other from back in Atlas. We're… I'm…" Jaune suddenly paused as he struggled to identify his relationship with Weiss. Then he had it, and he smiled as casually as he could. "Weiss and I have never spent any time together both on purpose and without an agenda, but I'd like to change that fact at the earliest opportunity."

"Well, keep dreaming then John," Weiss encouraged in a dismissive tone. "In the meantime, you really should watch where you're walking. You almost made me drop about a dozen canisters of very high quality Dust. We'd all be at the bottom of an electrified icy-hot crater right about now."

"Uhh, Weiss," Jaune replied, confusion plain to see in his expression. "Why are you carrying around such a large quantity of unsecured Dust? I mean, normal Dust clips and magazines can be dropped and kicked around without worrying about them exploding..."

"Uhh, well... You make a valid point, but I have an equally valid excuse," Weiss began in a somewhat sheepish tone of voice. "Due to the fact that I arrived on campus 2 weeks early, I've been researching different things in the Dust workshop while I wait for initiation."

"I'm not surprised that the heiress would receive special treatment," a black haired girl suddenly pointed out, as she walked out from behind a nearby hedgerow. "Knowing how the Schnee Dust Company operates, I'm surprised she doesn't have a Faunus slave completing the Initiation for her…"

It only took a single moment for Jaune to see that Weiss had been shocked into a silent form of stillness, but he waited 2 seconds longer before he finally stepped forward and addressed the black haired girl in her stead. "Pardon me for interrupting, young miss, but I'm concerned about the grudge you appear to be holding."

"I'm not sure what you mean by grudge," the black haired girl instantly replied. Despite her confident tone of voice, the girl immediately reached up to begin fidgeting nervously with a large black ribbon in the middle of her hair.

"I'll explain then," Jaune continued in a scrupulously neutral tone of voice. "If you know anything at all about Headmaster Ozpin, then you know that he never allows untested students to enroll in his academy. If you manage to become a student here at Beacon, then you've already proven that you can take care of yourself… period. What that means is that you're most likely not upset about the circumstances of Weiss's enrollment, but rather you're angry about something else… You've made it pretty obvious that you're not a fan of the SDC…"

"So what if I'm angry at the SDC," the black haired girl defended in a quiet but disgusted tone of voice. "Those monsters rake in the profits by enslaving their workforce."

"I agree with you," Jaune admitted with just the smallest of nods. "I think it reflects well on your character that you dislike the SDC's business practices. That isn't my concern."

"If that's the case then how about you get to the point," the black haired girl suggested, with a guarded expression on her face.

"Rather than a point, I have a few questions for you," Jaune replied, while taking a step closer and staring the girl in her golden colored eyes. "Do you really intend to hold a 17-year-old girl accountable for over 30 years of government sanctioned atrocity? Do you really believe that Weiss is guilty of anything beyond the circumstances of her birth and who her father is? Because unless you have some pretty damning evidence to support your current attitude, I think it's time you start aiming that scorn of yours at a more appropriate target..."

After stepping back at the sudden intensity in Jaune's persistently quiet voice, the black haired girl's eyes dilated wide and she started becoming visibly upset. She shrank into herself as she looked down at her feet, and then she slowly shook her head before turning away. "No… yes. You're right. I have no right to just assume... I just wasn't... No. I knew better. I just... I'm sorry!" With that last exclamation, the black haired girl suddenly dashed off to disappear into a throng of other students.

For several very long seconds, no one said a word. Jaune, Weiss, Ruby and Yang, all just stood there looking back and forth between each other. Needless to say, Jaune was extremely grateful when Weiss's voice finally cut through the tension.

"I swear to Oum John, if you're only here as a planted bodyguard, I'll eventually find out, and I'll shatter your kneecaps." Contrary to her words, Weiss clearly wasn't upset with Jaune, but rather she looked like she was going through the motions.

"Oh come on Weiss," Jaune groaned out, as he turned back towards the Atlesian pop idol. "Of course I defended you. I know you. I've even spied on you. You and I both know that the world would be a far better place if you actually were in charge of the SDC."

"Wait! John's been your bodyguard before," Ruby suddenly called out, interrupting whatever response Weiss might have made.

"John's spied on you in the past," Yang added just a split second later, giving Jaune a disgusted look.

"I fail to see how that information is any of your business," Weiss spluttered out, as she hastily picked up her belongings and turned towards the school. Without another word, she flounced across the courtyard like a dyed in the wool aristocrat, disappearing into the crowd.

"Those were the first two girls we've met here at the school, and they hate us," Ruby pointed out while withdrawing back into her hood.

"I don't know about the black haired girl, but Weiss just has zero experience dealing with people outside of Atlesian nobility," Jaune corrected in an untroubled tone of voice. "Relax Ruby. If you grew up in Atlas, you'd think that conversation went rather well…"

"Are Atlesian's really that difficult to get along with," Yang asked, turning to regard the black haired boy.

"After meeting you girls, I've learned that I'll have to put aside some of my decorum and formality if I want to fit in here in Vale." Jaune shrugged helplessly as he pointed in the direction that Weiss had just walked off in. "Compared to Weiss though... I'm the very definition of free spirited."

"Speaking of free spirited," Yang called out as she pirouetted in place and stuck up two fingers in a peace sign. "I'm gonna go chat up the locals and you two should do the same." Without another word, Yang ran off towards a colorful crowd of teenagers and disappeared towards the school.

"Aww Yaaang," Ruby moaned pitifully as she once again withdrew into the recesses of her hood.

Jaune couldn't help the grin that slipped onto his face while taking in Ruby's out of control anxiety. He had no idea how she pulled it off, but the younger girl made near crippling shyness look absolutely adorable. Then, without even thinking about it, he was waving a hand in front of Ruby's hood in order to get her attention. "Ahem... While your sister's idea isn't without its merits, I think you should focus your attention on finding the school auditorium for now. If you're feeling nervous about being alone, I'd be more than happy to join you. Weiss Schnee is actually the only acquaintance that I have here, and she doesn't seem especially keen on having me around."

After popping back out of her hood, Ruby started bouncing on her toes and beaming a million megawatt smile up at Jaune. "Oh, oh, you mean it John? Thank you so much! I kinda just took for granted that you were going to follow after my sister. I forgot that you don't follow orders like the rest of the guys back in Patch."

Despite his own somewhat hostile back-history with Yang, Ruby's words still managed to make Jaune scrunch up his face in surprise. "While I've noticed that your sister has a very… strong personality, I don't think she's anywhere near domineering enough to control an entire colony of boys."

"But she does," Ruby immediately insisted. "She says that the boys that can think at all are only thinking with their junk, whatever that means."

"Well that's... less than ideal," Jaune admitted, in a frustrated voice. "What I really want to do right now is defend the integrity of my gender, but if the entire male population of Patch is that... simple minded, then I'm going to have some trouble." With a sigh, Jaune shrugged in defeat and then extended a hand palm up in front of Ruby. "Either way, I have an offer for you. If possible, I'd like to be your friend. I'd like a chance to return some of the kindness that you've shown me."

"Oohhhh, I'd love to be your friend John, thank you!" Rather than shaking hands like Jaune originally intended, Ruby suddenly dashed forward and hugged him tightly around the waist.

The height difference between the two of them meant that Ruby's cheek was pressing into Jaune's diaphragm, but she didn't appear to care about what the last few students walking passed might think of them. It seemed that all the younger girl had really needed was just a little bit of acceptance to look at her situation with some optimism.

Jaune couldn't help the smile that grew on his face as he gently patted Ruby on the back and shoulder. Despite the fact that he barely knew the girl, Ruby was rapidly climbing up the list of his favorite people. How could she not? The girl positively oozed both friendliness and positivity from her pores, and at the moment, he didn't have anywhere near enough of that kind of person in his life…

In all fairness, Qrow had warned Jaune about this happening, so he should've seen it coming, but Ruby Rose was far too pure for this world, and his Arc blood was screaming at him to safeguard her happiness. The surge of protective emotions was sweeping over him so quickly, he found himself empathizing with the rest of his family for the first time in a very looong time. Thankfully, Jaune had no desire to lock Ruby up in a castle to keep the big bad world away...

Bouncing back away from Jaune, Ruby continued beaming up at him as held her fists up and together over her chest. "I feel sooo much better now John, thank you!"

"My pleasure Ruby. Now, where would you say the Auditorium is? We appear to have lost the train of students that we were following…" As he spoke, Jaune was scanning the different courtyards and hedgerows around them, looking for an especially large looking building.

"No Idea," Ruby cheerfully admitted as she looked to Jaune for answers."

"Tell me something Ruby," Jaune began in a casual tone of voice. "Have you and your sister ever thrown each other high up into the air and then caught each other? With your light weight and ability to scan your surroundings at lightning speeds, you'd make for an excellent aerial scout."

I.. I've never thought about that before," Ruby admitted, with the most adorable look of realization on her face. "I can turn on the speed and then turn in a circle and... Wow John! You're a really good problem solver!"

"Well how about we give the idea a try first before we pat ourselves on the back," Jaune encouraged with a smile. After channeling his aura throughout his shoulders, lower back and thighs, Jaune squatted down, twined his fingers together in a noose and then looked up at Ruby. "You ready?"

"Am I ever," Ruby enthused with a fist pump. "Let's do this!"

With a grunt of effort and a careful application of his aura bolstered strength, Jaune heaved Ruby about 8 meters straight up into the air. Then he marveled as the younger girl casually unfurled her mechashifting rifle, and fired off a few well aimed rounds to turn herself in 3 or 4 rapid circles.

"This girl is afraid that she won't fit in here," Jaune mused to himself, as he ran 5 feet forward to stay underneath Ruby's agile little body. So far as he could tell, Ruby Rose was a natural born Hunter with an innate type of grace that he couldn't even begin to describe.

Of course, what this meant was that both Yang and Ruby had been correct during their earlier argument. Ruby was the bees knees, and there definitely would be people that were going to dislike her over it. It also meant that there would be very little that Ruby could do to improve the situation. The people who would end up disliking her would most likely never admit the real reason why they were so upset.

She was miles and miles ahead of them... and they knew it…

Five Minutes Later...

When Jaune and Ruby slipped into the Auditorium/Arena, it was to find that there were still students filing into the cavernous room and hundreds more milling around with no idea what they were supposed to be doing. The chaotic state of affairs caused an immediate wave of relief to flow through Jaune, who really wasn't a fan of being late.

While there was a distinct chance that he was worried over nothing, Jaune didn't want to cultivate an image of irresponsibility over and above the fact that he was wearing torn up rags and covered in wounds. Thankfully, most of his cuts and abrasions were only dull pink lines at this point, which meant that he could turn his focus towards healing all of the mottled bruising.

"Hey Ruby! Over here!" Yang suddenly called out as she elbowed her way out from within a tight circle of male admirers.

Jaune couldn't help but be amused that Yang was using Ruby as a human shield after all of her earlier grandstanding. Of course, judging by how the girl suddenly stopped running towards them and the look of consternation that started growing on her face, Yang had noticed his amusement, and she was aware that it was at her expense. Jaune wasn't all that sympathetic, which is why the smile on his face only grew larger as the girl walked in their direction.

"Not a word out of you," Yang warned Jaune, as she stopped in front of him and her sister.

Since saying anything at all would actually be less effective than what he was currently doing, Jaune just continued grinning at the girl as he nodded his head in acceptance. The fact of the matter was that he didn't mind Yang's idea about meeting new people, but she shouldn't have run off when her sister was suffering social anxiety. Judging by Yang's current expression, she already knew exactly what he thought about her actions, and she was already reflecting on her mistake. That much was enough.

Following that thought, Jaune saw yet another person who'd run off earlier that was suffering for entirely different reasons... Turning towards Yang and Ruby, Jaune gestured behind him to where a platinum white haired girl was scaring people off with a look of extreme superiority. "If possible, I'd like the three of us to join my Atlesian friend, as I'm sure she'll be feeling pretty uncomfortable by now. This kind of social free for all just doesn't happen where she comes from, so she'll have no idea what to do."

"Is she going to be nice to us," Ruby asked in a slightly hesitant voice.

"For the most part she's going to ignore you two while acting like she barely tolerates me," Jaune predicted while looking up and to the left. "She really doesn't mean us any harm, but she's standoffish because of her noble status and etiquette training. Of course, you girls don't have to come with me, but I do think it's important that I go. You two have each other, she doesn't have anyone..."

"I'll come," Ruby suddenly announced, with determination shining in her silver eyes. "I understand a little about what it's like to be left by myself."

Ruby wasn't actually looking at her older sister when she landed the dig, which is why she didn't catch the girl's wince. What she did notice was when her sister put her hand on her shoulder, smiled down at her, and nodded her agreement.

Just as Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch entered the auditorium's stage, Jaune stepped up to stand next to Weiss's right shoulder.

By the time the Headmaster arrived in front of the mic in the middle of the stage, Ruby and Yang had moved in on the heiress's left hand side.

Around the time Ozpin started talking about how they were all a waste of useless energy that he needed to mold into blah, blah, blah, Jaune glanced to the side to give the white haired girl a smile. A few seconds before Ozpin was finished talking, Weiss rolled her eyes at him in return and crossed her arms under her chest. Not long after that, Miss Goodwitch was directing them all to sleep in the school's Ballroom, and Jaune was motioning that he needed a moment of the heiress's time.

Over the next minute and a half, Jaune and his three female companions stood around waiting for everyone to leave the auditorium.

"What are you after now Jaune? I have several things I need to accomplish before bedtime." Weiss harrumphed into the newly quiet Auditorium.

"I'm aware that I'm being pushy, but I want to play matchmaker," Jaune admitted, as he gestured back at Ruby and Yang. "I doubt you'd feel comfortable sleeping with me anywhere nearby, but we're all about to be stuffed into the Ballroom for what amounts to a massive slumber party, and there're no Atlesian noblewomen around to keep you company."

"I can find friends for myself Jaune," Weiss protested as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

While Jaune might have given up under normal circumstances, Weiss wasn't telling him to take a flying leap or even protesting with anywhere near her usual enthusiasm. "I understand your frustration with me, which is why I'm going to propose a deal to you," Jaune pressed, as he stepped closer to the girl and stared down at her from a height. "You want me to stop bothering you right? Well if you prove to me that you have the social skills required to get along with people that aren't billionaire aristocrats, then I promise to stop meddling in your affairs."

"On your honor," Weiss demanded, stepping even closer as if they were squaring up for a fight.

"I promise on my honor," Jaune immediately agreed.

"How will you know for sure that the three of us are getting along," Weiss asked, in what was unmistakably an all business tone of voice.

"If it suits you, I'll sleep no less than 5 meters away, where I can periodically monitor the situation," Jaune explained as if they were writing some kind of contract. "You don't need to be best friends with either of these girls by the end of the night, but you do need to try not to hate them. This isn't Atlas, Weiss. Very few of the people here are going to know any of the social conventions or customs that we take for granted. That doesn't make them bad people, it just makes them different. Please try to adapt so that I can stop interfering in your life."

"I agree with your terms even though I despise your condescending attitude," Weiss announced with a very sharp nod of her head. "By the end of the night, I'll finally be free of you."

"What are we watching right now," Yang suddenly asked her sister in a stage whisper. "Do these 2 really hate each other, or do they just need to fuMMMMM!"

Thankfully for Jaune, Yang didn't get to finish saying the sentence that would've completely nuked all of his efforts, because Ruby sensed danger, leapt onto her sister's back, and slapped her hands over her mouth.

At about the midpoint between the Auditorium and the Ballroom, Jaune's progress was suddenly halted by a tall, stern looking woman, wearing a starched white dress shirt and a purple pencil skirt. He almost ran right into the woman, when he turned a corner and she was just standing there waiting for him.

"Professor Glynda Goodwitch," Jaune Breathed out, in a somewhat overawed tone of voice. The woman standing in front of him was without a doubt one of the most dangerous Huntresses in all of Remnant. In fact, she was famous enough in her own right that even a sheltered Atlesian such as him knew quite a bit about her. What Jaune hadn't realized until that exact moment, was just how stunningly beautiful the woman really was.

Glynda Goodwitch was nothing but milky white curves from top to bottom, and she sported the sexy librarian look better than any pin up model in any magazine that Jaune had ever come across. Several seconds passed before he suddenly realized that he was staring with his mouth open, and he snapped it shut with an audible clicking noise.

"Professor Goodwitch," Jaune repeated, even as he drew in the air that he'd forgotten his body required. "Guild Master Gears bade me give you his regards if I ever had the pleasure of meeting you."

The default expression of professional distaste slipped from Glynda's face for just a moment or two, but when it returned it didn't hold the same kind of intensity. "I appreciate the message, and I'll be sure to contact Mr. gears to catch up. In the meantime, I've been tasked with making sure you are presentable. We cannot have a prospective student here at Beacon looking like he was mugged and left for dead at the side of a highway."

Jaune perked up at the mention of being provided some clothing and then perked up again at the woman's use of the word "prospective." "So it's as I thought," he mused, as if to himself. "The initiation tomorrow isn't merely a formality or a team selection exercise. Beacon isn't big enough to take in over three hundred new students…"

The only indication that Ms. Goodwitch gave that she'd even heard Jaune's words was a dilation of her eyes that lasted less than half a second. It was enough. Jaune had been studying the woman's face, and he'd caught it.

After a heavy moment of silence, during which Ms. Goodwitch didn't look like she was going to respond, she suddenly sighed and uncrossed her arms. "I think it's important that you understand something, Mr. Freeman. This school has no intention of rejecting any student that has the knowledge and abilities necessary to destroy the Grimm. Due to the fact that approximately 82 extra students that never attended any of our affiliated schools managed to pass our intake tests, we find ourselves with an inadequate amount of both Professors and housing. Nevertheless, your theory is incorrect. Tomorrow's initiation test is not intended to find out whether or not Beacon will accept you as a student. Instead, your performance will dictate the amount of resources that are allocated towards your team's housing and classes. I'm only telling you this because I don't want your careless speculation to cause a panic amongst the student population."

"I will take great care not to say anything, and I appreciate the clarification," Jaune slowly replied.

Personally, Jaune didn't actually agree that he was in the wrong for inquiring about a situation that was going to affect his future, but Glynda apparently did and that was all that mattered. Very few people that have both power and authority manage to avoid becoming judgmental hypocrites, so Jaune couldn't say he was all that surprised. Privately, he'd have to admit that he was disappointed...

"While I'll admit that you are rather composed for someone your age, your poker face still needs a tiny bit of work," Glynda pointed out, in a cool and unruffled tone. "Your current thoughts don't appear to be all that charitable..."

You don't appear to be the type that wants to hear your students' thoughts," Jaune replied, while forcing his tone to be just as indifferent as Ms. Goodwitch's. "You appear to prefer quiet ignorance and blind obedience."

For about 10 very long seconds, Glynda and Jaune just stood there, staring at each other.

"I beg to differ," Ms. Goodwitch finally pressed, her frustration just barely noticeable in the set of her jaw. "I'd be very interested in hearing your opinion…"

For several moments, Jaune didn't react to the Professor's provocation, because he didn't believe that she was being honest with him. Then, very suddenly, he realized that he didn't actually care what the woman really wanted, and that she'd get exactly what she was asking for.

While drawing in a very deep breath, Jaune made his posture as perfect as possible, and he stared the woman directly in the eyes. "My opinion is that I have every right to ask about the circumstances surrounding the school I plan on attending, and I resent being labelled as irresponsible for actions that I have not and would not have committed. Furthermore, I think it's extremely unwise of you to just assume that all of the students in that Ballroom are imbeciles. I highly doubt that I'm the only new arrival here who noticed almost 100 extra students joining them in the Auditorium."

For the second time in less than 3 minutes, Ms. Goodwitch's eyes dilated, but this time they stayed that way for several moments. Finally, after blinking 2 or 3 times, the woman fixed the glasses on her nose and drew in a deep breath of her own. "Mr. Freeman... Earlier today I put out a fire that was growing out of control in the third year dormitories. This fire was started because yet another student of this school put a pizza still inside of its box inside of an oven. Every single day, I am kept busy picking up trash while restoring broken furniture, machinery, windows and walls, which is why I've come to believe that teenagers are a very severe variety of mentally ill."

"I... I understand," Jaune allowed, as he suddenly realized that he was being a massive hypocrite. He was being just as judgmental as the woman in front of him, and he didn't have anywhere near the excuses that she seemed to have. Maidens... Glynda's Semblance was telekinesis, which made her the perfect person to fix and restore every kind of mess imaginable. Just the thought of having to be a one-person construction and janitorial crew... Ozpin needed to give this woman a raise...

In the end, Jaune bowed his head ever so slightly in both acknowledgement and apology. Anything more would lessen his earlier point, but he had to admit that the woman's excuse was rock solid.

Without a word, Glynda half turned around and bade Jaune to follow behind her. For a little over five minutes they moved down a series of empty hallways, until Jaune was hopelessly lost and completely at the Professor's mercy. Finally, the woman started speaking in an extremely neutral voice, as if they were old business associates or their parents were family friends. "We are now entering Beacon's gym facilities, where the school's various PT uniforms are kept. For now, this uniform will have to serve as pajamas, because we're still awaiting a massive shipment of school uniforms."

"I understand and appreciate whatever's available," Jaune assured the Professor in an absentminded tone. He was a little too busy checking out the different workout machines, and the weights filling every square inch of the massive work space.

"The facilities have caught your interest it seems. Good. You'll have to spend countless grueling hours in here if you desire to reach something even resembling your full potential." Glynda's expression was just a little bit smug, as if she thought her words were going to dampen Jaune's enthusiasm.

They didn't.

Jaune eagerly nodded his complete agreement as he began mentally constructing a weight lifting routine complete with a detailed meal plan. The last two weeks had been extremely strenuous so he was currently about as fit as he'd ever been. Now he was looking forward to pushing the envelope with professional quality equipment.

After catching on that the boy wasn't the least put off by her warning, Ms. Goodwitch turned away and unlocked a nearby closet. Soon enough she was pulling out a bag and dropping it at Jaune's feet. These are our castoff PT uniforms for those children who can't seem to keep theirs in order. I'm afraid that the designs and sizes are a little… old fashioned.

Stepping up to the side of the alluring professor, Jaune looked down at the contents of the bag and saw what she was talking about. "Are you sure these are the uniforms designed for the men? They're all a little… flimsy…"

"The female version of that uniform is pink, so yes, I'm sure. Times and styles change Mr. Freeman, but in all of those times, beggars have never been choosers…" It was subtle, but there was just a hint of amusement couched within the female Professor's cool façade.

I have no complaints," Jaune assured, as he pulled off his ripped up sweater and began rummaging through the bag.

Without exception, the uniforms that Jaune found were throwbacks to a far less modest time. Nevertheless, they were still far preferable to the blood covered and ripped up clothing that he was currently wearing. He also didn't know where the dressing rooms were, and yet he didn't want to betray his growing reservations to the Professor standing behind him. With that in mind, he just gave up on modesty altogether, bit the bullet and slowly shucked off his pants.

The cool air of the gym almost made Jaune shiver, as suddenly he was only wearing boxer briefs. Nevertheless, he continued to stand there, staring down at the clothing that he was about to be wearing. The shorts were going to be a problem. They were going to be as short, if not shorter, than the boxers that he was already wearing. The tank top wasn't going to be all that much better, since it was a black mesh material, like something from a ninja movie.

Shaking himself out of the horrified stupor that was trying to overtake him, Jaune drew in a determined breath and forced himself to move. After hopping around a bit pulling on the shorts, Jaune drew on the tank top and was finally wearing a Beacon approved set of clothing. With a small and self-contained sigh, he turned around to address the waiting Professor…

Only to find Ms. Goodwitch staring at him with a very interesting look upon her face. The disciplinarian liked what she was looking at and that much was obvious. She was engrossed to the point of distraction and was even forgetting to control her expression.

A split second later, with an audible clicking noise, Ms. Goodwitch's mouth suddenly snapped shut and her expression returned to a nearly perfect state of placid neutrality.

As a courtesy, Jaune forced himself to act as if he hadn't noticed the woman's appreciation. To smile or grin right now would only invite disaster, since Ms. Goodwitch seemed to be the proud and self-controlled type of person. No... No way. It wasn't worth it... Jaune distracted himself by picking up his destroyed clothing and throwing it all into a nearby trash bin. By the time he returned to the Professor's side, the woman was behaving as if nothing had ever happened. The danger had passed.

"If you would give me directions to the Ballroom, I'll rejoin the rest of my classmates," Jaune prompted, to fill the silence hanging between them.

"I plan on escorting you," Ms. Goodwitch replied, while turning towards the door. "I have business of my own in the area." Without a backwards glance, Ms. Goodwitch started striding quickly down the hallway.

Jaune had to force himself not to jog to catch up as he moved up to the Professor's side. Then he spent the entire time that they moved throughout the various hallways wondering if he'd ever be able to read the subtle play of emotions that appeared on the famous Huntress's face. Finally, after a long walk through several different courtyards, Jaune and Ms. Goodwitch emerged just outside of the school's Ballroom.

"I have a scroll call to make before I go anywhere else, but you can head inside and find a bedroll," Ms. Goodwitch explained while gesturing through the courtyard doors. "Your weapons and armor have already been moved from the airship and secured in a weapons locker inside of the school. The Staff here at Beacon don't give out the locker numbers until the morning of initiation because several students every year decide that they absolutely must sleep with their weapons."

Jaune could see that Ms. Goodwitch was modifying her behavior in response to their earlier disagreement by explaining the motives behind the school's precautions. It was a very magnanimous thing for the Professor to do, and it meant a great deal to him for reasons that were both valid and immature. With a nod and then a very respectful bow, Jaune turned and walked over to the Ballroom doors. Then, before he entered the overlarge room, he took a moment to study the barely controlled chaos within.

If having over three hundred teenagers of both sexes sleep crammed together in one enormous room sounds like a bad idea to you, that's because it is. Right away, Jaune could see that the level of estrogen and testosterone running throughout the Ballroom was climbing to astronomical levels.

For a single hopeful moment, Jaune found himself thinking about turning around, sneaking off, and finding a convenient janitor closet to sleep in. Then he remembered the arrangement that he'd made with Weiss, and he groaned at his own brothering tendencies. Well... Damn. It was time to prove that he was a mature adult, by walking into that mess wearing a pair of micro short shorts and a mesh tank top that was appropriate only in a music video...

Ugh...

Contrary to his current level of discomfort, when Jaune finally entered the Ballroom, he walked with a casual form of grace that was drilled into him from his early childhood. A lot of the training that he'd received during his high society upbringing at Arc castle was somewhat useful to know, but otherwise completely irrelevant to what a Hunter needed. Well not this time. Jaune considered it completely vital that his future teammates and coworkers think that he is both self-assured and confident, and that meant that it was time for some five-star, world class acting.

Channeling all of the breathing, carriage and mannerism control exercises that he'd been taught as a preteen, Jaune walked through all of the gawking boys and girls filling the room as if their staring was completely beneath his notice. It was hard to say whether or not his efforts made his reception any better, but at the very least it didn't make it any worse...

As he moved, Jaune cast his gaze around the room, looking for a very distinctive head of platinum white hair. Then he finally saw her, and he released a small silent sigh of dismay. He should've known. Weiss, Yang and Ruby, were safely ensconced on the female side of a no man's land that had formed between a group of boys and a much larger group of girls. If Jaune was going to keep his end of the bargain, he was going to have to camp out on one of the bedrolls resting within the completely deserted barrier range.

There was only one way to go about a mission such as this... Boldly... As Jaune walked through one of the zones dominated by the boys, he continued to stare in Weiss's direction. She was the reason that he was going to so much trouble in the first place, so at the very least he wanted her to know that he was there.

As it turns out, Jaune couldn't have missed the moment that Weiss saw him approaching if he tried, because she immediately looked away, only to complete a double take, cover her face with her hands and then peak out at him through her splayed open fingers. It seemed that the heiress was torn between her natural inclination to ignore his presence and an equally compelling urge to stare at his retro revealing getup. It also seemed like the girl was attempting not to laugh at him as her cheeks, ears and neck started flushing red and she began squirming just a bit where she sat.

Soon enough, Ruby and Yang noticed Weiss's distress, followed the girl's eyes in his direction, and then froze in place like twin deer in headlights. Not long after catching sight of him, both girls turned a bright red color and were covering their mouths with their hands.

After walking up to the no man's land between the boy's and the girls, Jaune pointed at himself and then drew his hand to the side at a patch of wall where the barrier gap ended. Weiss, Ruby and Yang all silently nodded their understanding. With his mission accomplished, Jaune grabbed up a nearby bedroll, blanket combo, and began carrying it over to the spot that he'd indicated.

Many eyes followed Jaune the entire time that he moved, forcing him to maintain the aura of grace and self-confidence that he'd affected the entire time that he moved. He didn't just walk, he glided, and he forced his body posture to reflect not only self-confidence, but also a sort of unspoken authority. Finally, after a completely exhausting 10 seconds of walking, Jaune found the wall and laid out all of his different sleeping gear.

"Hey Renny," an orange haired girl yelled out from nearby. "I think you should wear some of the slutty PT clothing that that guy's wearing! I think it'd look great on you too!"

Giggle…. Snicker….

Several scattered groups of girls had appreciated the unknown girl's commentary.

"I don't know Nora," A lethargic sounding male replied when the giggling finally died down. "I don't think I could relax while looking like a ninja themed stripper at a bachelorette party."

Giggle… giggle… snort…

The girls were having a good time now and they weren't even trying to hide it.

Sitting down cross-legged with his back to the wall, Jaune looked over at the black haired boy and his orange haired female friend that were sitting about four meters away from him.

The self-proclaimed Renny and Nora were an oddity in the Ballroom, because they weren't splitting up in order to sleep next to their own gender. They must be extremely close to resist all of the social pressure, or maybe they were just that free spirited. Either way, it didn't take long for them to notice that Jaune's attention was on them, and they began looking back and forth at each other. Soon enough the orange haired girl bounced to her feet and zipped over with her hand extended.

"Hi there," the girl offered in an extremely excited voice. "My name's Nora Valkyrie and that over there is Lie Ren or Renny as I call him. His favorite food is green sludge and my favorite food is pancakes, which I haven't been able to eat as often as I like because we grew up traveling from 1 small colony to the next out in the wilds, but we've become really strong because of that, and we're a good team because we've been together forever, but not together, together of course, not that Ren isn't handsome enough because he is, but that would just be weird..." Gasp.

The orangette girl had finally completely run out of oxygen, at which point she was forced to stop monologging.

After looking over at Lie Ren again and receiving a tired nod in return, Jaune rose back to his feet, took up Nora's extended hand and gave the girl a friendly smile. "It's very nice to meet you Ms. Valkyrie, Mr. Ren. My name is John Freeman, and I've also missed the chance to go to a prep school as I'm from very far away."

"Hear that Renny," Nora called out in a completely ecstatic voice. "John here didn't go to a prep School either." Dropping the tone of her voice to a whisper, the orangette leaned in a little closer and stared Jaune in the eyes. "Renny was a little concerned that people would think we're weak or unprepared because we just popped up out of nowhere."

"There will be people like that," Jaune agreed in a calm but candid tone of voice. "Some people will be so confident in the quality of their training, they won't be able to see how an upbringing spent fighting for survival has made you strong. Rest assured Nora. Most of those people have several uncomfortable revelations coming their way..."

When Jaune finished speaking, Lie Ren finally rose from his bedroll and walked over to stand on Nora's right hand side. "You noticed it then," he asked in a quiet but urgent voice. "You've noticed that there are well over three hundred students sitting around us?"

Jaune gave Lie Ren a smile of admiration as the boy's intelligence shone through his listless expression.

"Attention," A female voice barked out, easily cutting through the din of quiet voices in the ballroom. Ms. Goodwitch was standing just inside the doors leading out towards the courtyard.

Everyone in the Ballroom immediately stopped talking as they turned to stare at the Professor.

"While I'm aware that it's rather late at night for me to be making announcements, it'll be to your benefit that you listen carefully," Ms. Goodwitch began in a very rigid and formal tone of voice. "As some of you may have noticed, there are upwards of 80 extra students that are attending Beacon this year, most of whom hail from smaller colonies at the outskirts of civilization. These students have completed all of Headmaster Ozpin's tests and are formally accepted as students here at Beacon. What this unprecedented influx of students means to the school, is that we've been in a hurry to build several new dorm houses and hire over 2 dozen new staff members. It has also changed the way that we view the completion of tomorrow's Initiation ceremony. Everyone in this Ballroom is and shall remain a Beacon student for however long they put in the effort to remain here. How comfortable you are during your training, will be up to you, and how well you perform during your time here. Historically, the initiation challenge has always been primarily a team selection process. Starting tomorrow, it will have the added element of being timed, recorded and judged by the Professor's residing here at Beacon. The higher your evaluation in the eyes of the Professors, the more resources you will bring to whatever team you end up joining."

Hands shot up all over the Ballroom as several dozen students hastened to ask questions.

With an almost unnoticeable sigh of long suffering, Ms. Goodwitch stared at the sea of waving hands. "I don't think any of you understand my intentions just now. I have already made what clarifications I intend to make. I will not be taking part in a question and answer period. The Initiation is, and alway has been, a mystery that forces you to think on your feet. My only advice is that you get a good night's rest… because you're going to need it." With her task accomplished, Ms. Goodwitch turned on the spot and marched out the door.

Jaune couldn't help the smile of appreciation that grew on his face as Ms. Goodwitch responded to his concerns. Then, when he looked away from the woman, he noticed that Lie Ren had noticed his smile and was in the midst of making connections. In an effort to avoid being asked questions that he didn't know the answers to, Jaune turned his attention to the right where he hoped no one was paying him any attention.

His hopes were in vain.

Not even three meters away and leaning against the wall just like Jaune was, the black ribboned girl from earlier in the day was staring at him with a book hanging limply in her hands.

Instead of the book, the black haired girl's primary focus appeared to be on Jaune, his black hair, and the black mesh tank top that he was wearing. Even as he started staring back at the girl in confusion, she began looking between him and the cover of her book as if she was making some kind of comparison. The girl was so engrossed in whatever it was she was thinking about, she didn't even notice him staring back at her for several seconds in a row. Then she did, and she seemed to shrink both into herself and down under her blanket.

Jaune had absolutely no idea what to make of the girl's reaction, but he figured he might appear similar to one of the characters in her book. Either way, the girl seemed embarrassed by her own staring, and Jaune didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. He let his gaze drift to the left so that he could scan the rest of the room.

Across the Ballroom, on the male dominated side of the room, was a rather large brown haired boy who appeared to have taken charge of most of the boys in the room. Even as Jaune watched, the larger boy gave one of the smaller boys a playful but powerful punch to the shoulder, forcing the smaller boy to smile through a pain filled grimace.

While this boy's actions were a fairly typical display of dominance, it all just seemed so unbelievably immature, and Jaune found himself rolling his eyes. Hard pass. Moving on, Jaune saw a pair of provocatively dressed brunette girls that were playing dice and whispering conspiratorially to each other. Even within a sea of other whispering people, these two girls managed to stand out because they were clearly up to something nefarious. Pass.

Continuing his sweep, Jaune found that while the room was definitely packed to the brim, it was still managing to reflect a perfect microcosm of society as a whole. All of the normal demographics that made up modern society were present in the room, which meant that the ratio of women to men was a little over 3 to 1. Was it any wonder that the boys in the room flocked to each other even at the expense of some bullying? Most of these boys were so desperate for some solidarity they'd take almost any amount of abuse to have it.

For the most part, Jaune wasn't so concerned about hanging out with women or even having a woman be far stronger than him. Ninety percent of the people that he'd grown up with were both of those things, so he failed to see the problem.

While Jaune pondered the way that the science leading to their current Hunter driven society had affected gender ratios, and how several generations of gene manipulation had complicated romance to the point of near insanity, he caught sight of a woman that made his eyes dilate wide and his jaw open in surprise.

There was just no way that she could be here, but there she was, right in front of him and plain for anyone to see.

The woman was tall, wonderfully formed, elegant in posture, shiny red hair, vibrant green eyes, a pale but healthy complexion complete with just one or two freckles and a smile that didn't seem to reach the depths of her eyes. The Mistralian Goddess of Victory was attending Beacon Academy...

Up until a few weeks earlier in Frank's Munition Shop, when Jaune had taken a good look at a rather large cardboard cutout of the Mistralian Arena fighter, he wouldn't have known who Pyrrha Nikos even was. Now he knew just enough about the female Hoplite to know that she should be a very welcome presence at Mistral Academy across the ocean.

The fact that Pyrrha Nikos was here, at Beacon, hundreds of miles away from her adoring fanbase, was telling enough that Jaune began reaching a few conclusions. Unfortunately, judging by the large pack of fawning girls that were floating around the redhead and making constant demands of her attention, Pyrrha hadn't found anywhere near the anonymity that she'd been seeking when she came across the ocean.

As sympathetic as Jaune was, he was also amused enough that a small grin slid onto his face. Weiss Schnee was an unbelievably popular Idol back in Atlas, and yet she was basically an unknown over here in Vale. It just goes to show you how important the Mistralian Grand Arena was, and how much society prided their strong female fighters. Or was it just fighters in general? Jaune had literally no idea if a man had won any of the Grand Arena tournaments in the last couple of decades, but he somewhat doubted that the man had received the international acclaim and adoration that Pyrrha was being drowned in.

Remnant was a female dominated planet on the whole, with the gender roles having switched at some point after the advent of aura. Despite the half dozen Ozpins or Ironwoods running around, women ran most of the world's largest companies and owned the lion's share of the real estate. The one major exception to the male loss of authority was that there were far, far less men available, which forced the women to compete for their attention. Very few men on the face of Remnant had any trouble finding at least 1 wife, while the strongest male Hunters of the world generally found themselves with several.

Personally, Jaune thought that it was the height of arrogance to collect wives like you would vinyl records, but he'd have to admit that he'd never had multiple women throwing themselves at him before. Despite the male tendency to fantasize about a Harem, Jaune was actually quite relieved that he was no longer an Atlesian Noble. What this freedom meant was that all of the relationship problems he might encounter in the future were at least going to be of his own making.

After people watching for several more minutes, chatting idly with Nora and Ren for several more, and observing that Weiss really was getting along just fine with Yang and Ruby, Jaune allowed himself to flop backwards on top of his bedroll. Sleep arrived not long after that, without ever even making use of the blanket that he'd brought over.