Eyy, got a chapter out in a relatively timely fashion. Woot!
\~/
Chapter 35
"MONSTER! MURDERER!" The Madman raged at her, his bladed gauntlets slashing wildly at her. She did her best to keep up but it was like trying to fight off a twister filled with lawnmowers! it was all she could do to avoid being bisected.
Why was this happening? Why did he hate her so much? She just wanted to protect her friends! What did he have against that?!
"EYES OF KILLERS!" He lashed out with a sudden strength, knocking her to her back while her Crescent Rose clattered uselessly away.
"You're wrong!" She screamed, trying desperately to scramble backwards only for the ground to fall out from beneath her.
Down she tumbled, heart in her throat while she flipped through the air, arms flailing and grasping for anything to slow her.
She landed with a thud, her fear of broken bones quickly forgotten as the sounds of chaos forced her to her feet.
The debris of a watchtower surrounded her, along with the dead and dying militiamen that stood upon it. They reached for her with broken flesh, eyes pleading for their torment to end.
Desperate to protect them, she reached for a discarded rifle. When she looked back up, ready to fire, the Grimm were absent. In their place stood but a single man, wearing a white tunic and a matching white mask.
"W-what…?" She hesitated, her rifle wavering while the figure began walking forward.
She could feel her heart pound in her ears as panic gripped her lungs. He was coming towards her, his march slow, almost relaxed. The look in his eye was anything but. Murderous rage filled that gaze, promising nothing but death.
She had to stop him, she already had a weapon aimed directly at him. It wouldn't be hard, she just had to pull the trigger. A twitch of the finger and the problem would disappear.
She didn't. Couldn't. A numbing cold began spreading through her core. She wasn't sure how, but she knew exactly what would happen if she flexed her index-finger.
The dust would roar angrily, expelling its payload at high-speeds just like it was designed to do. But it would do more than just stop the marching man.
It would kill him.
He was in front of her before she realised it. It would have made her jump, had the man's eyes not pinned her to the spot.
Fury; it was the only word she could think of while looking upon the man turned monster. He took the last step needed to reach her, his breath now brushing against her face.
Then he took another step, going around her and filling her with further confusion. He wasn't coming for her? Then what was he-
"Jaune!" There, just behind her, laid the body of her friend. Broken and bloodied didn't begin to describe him. His armor was falling apart all over, exposing flesh that blistered and peeled painfully. And his arm, she could barely stomach to look at the twisted, mangled limb.
She tried to jump for him but nearly face planted as something grabbed her ankle. She turned, rifle at the ready, only for her breath to hitch.
"H-help us…" The figures, despite having no discernible facial features, were easily recognized by their uniforms.
"Please…" the Militiamen begged, pulling her further from Jaune.
Blood pounded in her ears, she couldn't save them. Their bodies were broken with flesh so rotten she had to swallow the bile that burnt at her throat. They were already dead, she couldn't save them. Couldn't keep them safe.
Her breath came out in rapid pants, she tried and failed to think of another option. Her eyes darted back to Jaune. She was just too weak.
The mask man lunged and Ruby screamed.
The rifle roared.
\-/
She woke with a gasp, beads of sweat dripping from her as her hand shook like a leaf in the wind. With a quick glance around, she found herself in the room General Ironwood had provided her team. Not in the sights of White-fang extremists or insane lunatics.
She tried to take a breath to calm her nerves and rid herself of the last vestiges of her nightmare. The details had already begun to fade, but the feelings it had brought kept her heart pounding.
She'd killed someone. That wasn't the first time that happened… Was it? She could remember fighting bandits once when Qrow and her were ambushed during training. Qrow had taken care of most of them but she still gave at least a few of them concussions with the back of her scythe.
If not then, what about when she had fought off Roman torchwick and his thugs? She hadn't really thought about it, but if even one of them didn't have Aura, she easily could have shattered bones and burst organs.
Her dad had spoken to her about Hunters sometimes being forced to kill. Even if they hated it and tried their best to avoid it, it still happened and was even necessary at times. He explained that even Qrow and he had done so a few times. He made sure she understood it was okay to feel guilt or doubt, and to not hesitate to ask him, Qrow, Yang or even one of her teachers for help.
But, in that moment, what if she felt neither of those?
The thought made her sick to her stomach, and brought those feelings of guilt and doubt right along with it in spades.
"You feeling alright, Rubes?" Yang's voice nearly made her jump. "You're looking a little pale there." Her sister spoke from the bathroom door, most likely having just finished fixing her hair.
"u-uh," Should she tell her? She knew she should, but something made her hesitate. What if Yang got mad at her? Or worse yet, what if she was ashamed of her…? Or scared of her…
Stupid! That was stupid. This was Yang, her older sister for crying out loud! She would never think that way about her. Right?
"Yang," She began, swallowing hard to try and push the lump in her throat down. "Have you ever…" Oh god, how was she supposed to word it? "Ya know," she scraped her mind for the right words "Made someone be… not… alive…?"
Yang looked at her with a furrowed brow, the look of confusion lasting only a few seconds before the realization dawned on her. "Oh… Oh! I-I, uhh. Well, y-you see…" A series of complicated emotions flashed across those lilac eyes, too fast to catch any single one.
"I-is this about Jaune?" She said, not fearfully, but definitely unsure and apparently panicked as to where Ruby was taking the conversation. Which only incited further anxiety within the little rose.
"No. Well kinda? But not like you think." She tried to explain. "I-I guess I was just curious?" She tried again, suddenly less sure than she was moments earlier.
"Ah, I see. Well…" She hesitated again, as if she wasn't sure what she wanted to say. "No… No! Of course not." The hesitation was gone, replaced with a bit too much confidence. "You're big sis wouldn't do something like that." Her smile, just a bit too big.
Maybe she imagined it, but was that fear in Yang's voice? Was that because she thought they were talking about Jaune? Or was it because they were speaking of killing at all…?
"Why do you ask?" An innocent enough question, and one Yang would obviously ask her given the question that led to it. That didn't stop the doubt from creeping into her mind.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea… If she had never done so herself, maybe Yang would actually be afraid if she found out her little sister killed someone…
"N-nothing!" Ruby answered, forcing a smile. "Just thinking about everything that's been happening, ya know?" She tried to force a laugh but even she could hear how weak it sounded.
Rather than give Yang the chance to push, she gave the excuse of needing a shower and slid past her older sister into the bathroom. Only when the water was hitting her did she let out a nervous breath..
She wasn't panicking, her heart didn't pound and her mind didn't race. But the anxious feeling in her stomach, the feeling that she had done something very, very bad. That feeling was wedged squarely in her chest.
"It's not that I don't feel guilty…" She told herself, and it was true. She felt bad for the man she had killed. Even if he had done horrible things, no one did those things without something pushing them to it. No one wanted to be a monster.
She knew most, if not all who knew of her situation would agree she had done the right thing. The man was a terrorist who had refused to stay down, continuing to try and attack even after being put down non-lethally.
No, it wasn't the lack of guilt now that worried her. More the emotion she felt immediately after the fact. When the man's body jerked suddenly and went still. She instantly knew he was dead, but she didn't feel guilt, fear or even anger.
All she felt was relief.
She felt relieved the man didn't continue his assault on her friend. Relieved that, since he was dead, he could no longer harm anyone.
"It's wrong…" Arguments of self defence and non-lethal force be damned. She should not have felt good about killing someone. She just couldn't possibly see any of the Hunters she looked up to doing so.
Her dad was such a pushover and always tried to have a smile for them, there was no way he ever felt that way about killing. Yang made her stance clear, and Uncle Qrow was the one who had taught her to be careful with her weapons in the first place! He always spared the few people that attacked them during their training.
"I'm thinking about this too much..." She admitted to herself with a heavy sigh, turning off the shower. She needed to relax and think, and she knew only one way of doing so. It didn't take her long to dry off and get dressed. She was almost out the door when Yang finally spoke up
"Where are you going?" Her worried tone spoke of further questions beneath the one asked. She wasn't about to just forget their recent conversation, was she?
"U-uh, just to see if there's anywhere around here to tinker on my baby." She gave her most convincing smile while giving her beloved weapon a caring pat. Why did she feel like she was lying despite that being exactly what she was looking for. It wasn't lying if she didn't tell the whole truth… right?
"Let Weiss know I'll probably be home late, okay byye!" She called out quickly while closing the door behind her, still giving Yang no chance to get a word in.
'Speaking of Wiess.' She thought idly
'Where did she disappear to?'
\-/
"Sorry little lady," The man in a lab coat didn't even look up from his clipboard. "I'm with the research division, you're looking for administration." He hadn't stopped walking, clearly far too enamoured with his work to explain further.
Weiss kept a frustrated growl from escaping her lips, said frustration only growing when the man didn't even turn to excuse himself before walking off.
Two days, they had been at this facility for two days and yet she still had yet to receive any sort of schedule for team RASY's training.
She would have expected this from Vale, but Atlas?! It was unbelievable! Was she really going to have to go straight to General Ironwood with this problem!? The secretary she had originally asked told her the specialist's would have their schedule. The specialist she found said they had no idea and recommended asking the researchers.
Who of course just said to ask the secretary that she had spoken to in the first place!
"...Maybe Winter will know…" Letting out a calming breath, she turned and headed for the General's office. Hopefully he would know where Winter was, she was usually found close to the General and they hadn't seen her since their recent talk.
Was it rude to interrupt the General for something so mundane? The answer seemed obvious as soon as she thought of it. Perhaps the other specialists would know where Winter was? But they weren't that much easier to find, she'd only seen the one other since arriving.
An excuse then, she decided. "Maybe… coffee?"
It didn't take long to find a coffee machine in the facility. The researchers must have survived off the stuff, it wouldn't have surprised her if there was one on every floor.
With her "excuse" in hand, Weiss made her way to Ironwood's office, getting directions from the passing researchers.
This had to be a research facility, Weiss thought to herself. There were so few specialists that it was almost strange. Winter had said this place held Jaune before he went to Beacon, wouldn't that mean this place was studying him? Shouldn't that information be under the strictest of guard?
The only reason she knew anything about Jaune was because of what her team had seen. They had learned more from the files Winter had sent them, but those were their father's personal files. No doubt wiped clean from her father's servers, either by James or Winter herself. Wouldn't the files here be the only real proof of Jaune's Grimm nature?
A part of her wanted to peak into some of the rooms she passed, curious to see exactly what this facility was used for. It was a silly thought. Even if she listened to that part of her, it wasn't as if any of the rooms had windows to look into from the hallway she walked down.
There was certainly enough noise going on for this to be an R&D facility. But again, the lack of better trained guards would still be incredibly out of place in such an important facility. It wasn't like there wasn't space to house more guards, the dozens of empty rooms around her team's own room came to mind.
Maybe something she could ask Winter about? Doubtful, she had already refused to answer a question about something as simple as why most of the rooms were empty. That in itself was suspicious wasn't it? She had given them the files about Jaune so easily, how could empty rooms be more classified than that?
There was no way it was somehow worse than her father torturing a child and turning him into a bioweapon. It had to be some military secret, something where the less people knew the safer they were. There was just no other reason her sister would keep it from her.
'Unless she was specifically ordered not to say something.' The thought made her brow furrow while her eyes sought answers in the swirling brown liquid in her hands. It offered little in the way of answers. Unless she was curious about the best way to get distracted.
"Oof!"
In hindsight, Weiss knew she probably should have paid more attention when rounding a corner. Luckily, the body she ran into reacted much quicker. A sturdy arm kept her from falling while a hand wrapped around her own and the coffee cup in it, keeping the drink from spilling.
"Careful Weiss, you'll burn yourself." It was Jaune's voice, but it sounded… different. No, it wasn't his voice that was different, it was his tone. Confidence maybe? She didn't get to think on it further as she looked up and all thoughts came to a screeching halt.
She had seen his face without a mask during their bullhead ride to Atlas, but it was barely for a moment and he acted like he was embarrassed by his appearance. She couldn't blame him, being forced to hide your face for fear of causing a panic would have that effect on anyone.
His unmasked face, while admittedly unsettling, wasn't what caused her entire vocabulary to suddenly slip her mind. She might have been able to hide her shock a bit better if he looked the same as he did during that bullhead ride.
The changes she saw may have been few, but the differences they made were… intense.
His sclera held the same black void surrounding deep red irises, but his pupils now burned. Not metaphorically, as she imagined some might assume.
The red iris had completely engulfed the centre of his eye, any semblance of a human-like aesthetic within being snuffed out. And the way they glew, they hadn't been nearly that bright earlier either.
His face had changed as well. The shape had remained the same, but the blackened veins that had always webbed around were now more akin to blackened ropes. Each vein had to be at least an inch thicker than she remembered. He had looked inhuman before, but now… No words came to mind, she could only stare.
"Better close your mouth, Nevermore might snag your tongue." He laughed at his own joke. The sound of which, while still holding the same deep, inhuman edge, sounded lively. Hearty even. The sudden departure of his more anxious and nervous speech pattern was almost enough to give her whiplash.
"Jaune, we don't have time to waste. I apologise, Weiss. The General is waiting for our report." The different voice brought the realisation that Jaune wasn't alone. Weiss instantly straightened her posture, forcing what must have been a foolish expression from her face.
"Of course Winter," She gave a bow, as was necessary when someone could see them. Military or not, a Schnee was supposed to show their feelings to no one. "If you don't mind, I'll wait for you to finish your business, I had some questions about our training."
"As you will," Her older sister nodded before giving Jaune a push. "Now let's go, the general is waiting." She almost sounded like she was escorting a prisoner, the push looking none-to-gentle either.
"I'm going, I'm going." Rather than be offended, Jaune looked almost amused, raising his hands in mock surrender with a chuckle. Weiss had to force herself to not react, even as theories flooded her head.
Was Whitback somehow giving him more courage? Why hadn't it done so earlier? Was it something that happened at Retel? Perhaps his fight had given him a boost in his confidence. But then, why had he been so embarrassed of his face when he woke up in the bullhead afterward? None of it made sense!
She stared after him as he continued into the General's office, the questions only piling further. Her eyes narrowed as the door closed behind him, thoughts of her original questions all but forgotten. Something had happened, that much was obvious.
And he had better have some answers for her when she asked.
\-/
"I must admit," James looked over the top of the scroll he was reading. "This is… not what I was expecting." The report was rather average; the most noteworthy thing being the number of Grimm exterminated. That, however, wasn't what he was referring to.
"I never thought Whitback would actually… Leave you." It was a shock, the Grimm rarely left Jaune's body, and the few times it did it never went far.
"Well, it didn't just "leave me"." Jaune raised a finger. "We agreed the amount of material we got was waay too much to hold on to." He let out a chuckle while scratching the back of his head. His smile was wide and bright, much more so than the normally unsure expression he used to wear when maskless.
"Rather than waste time, I offered to give our report while Whitback stored the excess material." The logic wasn't what confused James, it made sense. Both to save some time, and even more so to store extra material rather than let it weigh him down or go to waste.
"I was against the idea, but Jaune was rather insistent." Winter spoke up, "He was certain you would agree to him storing his… "material" on Atlesian property. Whitback left us before I could explain-"
"That's enough, Winter," He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I believe I have a rudimentary understanding of the situation." He kept his eyes on Jaune as he spoke, looking for any kind of reaction. Had he a mask on, James might have missed those glowing red eyes darting nervously to Winter for a split second.
"You're dismissed, Specialist. I'll contact you shortly regarding our next steps, until then feel free to use your time as you see fit." Winter looked like she might say something more for a moment, glancing at Jaune.
"Sir." She gave a clipped response with a salute. James might have been upset at the attitude, if he didn't understand where she was coming from.
Jaune had, yet again, done something completely unexpected, out of the blue and dangerous. The change in appearance, storing material off-site, a 180 personality flip, and Whitback being able to separate further than just a few meters. All shown off within the span of a few hours.
It would have been enough to force him to consider the possibility of betrayal, like he was forced to do so many years ago. It would have been enough, had James not been able to see what was standing right in front of him.
Now just the pair of them, James stood and walked to the front of his desk, standing a couple feet in front of Jaune.
Something had happened, Something other than the extermination of over two thousand Grimm. With the physical changes alone that much felt obvious.
"I-is there anything else you need me for, or…" He trailed off, his confidence suddenly sounding considerably less confident. His eyes darted between James and the door. The way he looked for an escape was frustrating. Very frustrating, admittedly.
He wanted to chastise the young man. To stare him down and guilt him into telling him what was going on. It probably would have worked too, judging by the way Jaune began to fidget nervously in place.
The image of a sobbing boy in a police interrogation room stopped the thoughts dead. He turned away from Jaune and let out a breath. This wasn't a soldier used to the stresses of combat, he reminded himself. This wasn't a Grimm waiting to betray his nation.
This was just a young man, doing the best he could with the limited tools available.
"I won't ask you to explain what happened, or why you're acting the way you are." James began, thoughts slow and voice slower. "I want to, believe me I do. The news that you can freely separate from Whitback is enough to make me worry. Worry you're doing something you shouldn't be."
Jaune looked to interrupt but James stopped him "I won't ask you though. Because I believe you've earned that trust from me. And While I can't promise not to investigate your actions, I can promise to give you the benefit of the doubt."
"And since you have given me no reason to doubt you as of yet, I won't push to know what exactly happened." The General in him shouted out in protest; such kindness had no place in defence of one's nation. He swatted the thought away. This was diplomacy, he assured himself. Jaune thinking he held no trust would only encourage him to distrust in turn.
It just so happened to appear affectionate. A coincidence, assuredly.
Jaune looked unsure how to respond, staring with his eyes slightly widened in surprise. "...Thank you." He finally decided on his response, looking downwards with a relieved smile.
"...But Jaune, I do have to ask," He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Are you okay?" The question felt awkward, maybe even a bit silly. James wasn't normally one to display such positive emotions very openly, it was something he was never particularly good at, even at a young age. getting older, he never really attempted to develop such… "skills". Why would he when the military, his country, demanded the exact opposite?
But the cold, almost numbing feeling that came whenever he thought about that little boy who had to spend so many countless hours isolated from the world. Scared he would be trapped forever.
It was the same feeling he got when he heard about a village destroyed by Grimm, or a child who lost their parents to war. The same feeling that had him joining the military, had him dedicating his life to the defence of his country.
That feeling refused to be squashed. It forced him to do whatever he could to try and give the boy who suffered so much some semblance of the justice he had sworn to uphold.
\-/
Jaune felt his eyes widened at the question "I-..." He paused to try again, "I'm fi-" only for his voice to break. The lump in his throat suddenly became much harder to ignore. Why did James have to look at him like that? That questioning look, harboring no anger or fear. Only concern.
"It's not important… Just s-some bad dreams…" Of course, they were much more than dreams. They were memories, stories of Grimm lives just as expansive, if a bit simpler, as human lives. And those stories were haunting.
James said nothing, only giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze while offering a sympathetic smile that said he would accept that as his answer.
It only made the lump in his throat grow while the memories of countless larger beings protecting him flashed through his mind. Taking hits for him. Sharing food with him. Sitting with him while he waited for a friend that would never return.
Whitback encouraged him to keep the memories to himself, warning others would most likely have a negative reaction to him claiming the Grimm had any kind of emotion, let alone such human-like ones. He had agreed at the time, deciding the other's already had enough reason to fear him.
But the feeling deep in his gut, that dull gnawing sensation that ate away at him ever since consuming the horde. It refused to fade, constantly reminding him of countless friends who disappeared one by one.
The Grimm didn't feel this pain, most did not even remember their packmate's death due to the "hind leg poison". But they knew what had killed them. The hindlegs were the only thing that attacked them, the only threat to them. They were the only creatures that held what Mother craved so much and so were the only creature that drew their attention.
They couldn't be ignored, they had to be fought. If not for Mother, than for the deaths of their friends. Their family.
That longing sensation the Grimm experienced whenever a packmate couldn't be found, however basic, was still felt deep within them. And now, deep within himself.
A feeling, biological information, that his human mind could interpret as nothing but sadness.
Could he really keep it hidden from James? From any of his team?
"I just-..." He tried once more, how bad of a reaction could he get…? "They were…" He couldn't think of the right words, what could he say? That he somehow felt bad for the scores of Grimm he killed? That he actually missed some of them!?
It didn't hurt as much as the thought of his first and most current pack disappearing one day. But it was hard to learn every aspect of a creature's life, and not form some kind of attachment. It felt more like losing a close, family dog... A few thousand times. With no way of knowing how or why it kept happening time and time again.
"They don't know what they're doing…" he looked down, moisture threatening the edges of his eyes. "They're just… doing what their creator taught them… What their Mother taught them…" He didn't know when he had leaned into James, pressing his forehead against the larger man's chest, but he didn't pull away. No tears fell, but his breath came out slow and deep. A remnant from his first and original life, but a comforting one nonetheless.
"They're doing the only thing they know." Instinct, mixed with the chance to please Mother, it draws them to the unique scent aura gives off. Then the negativity their intimidating appearance and fearful actions caused would almost always drive them into a suicidal rage.
"They don't know what's happening any better than we do..." Their minds were too simple in nature to have any hope of fighting their instinct. But they were just advanced enough to recognize each other as individuals. To gain attachments.
"They don't know…"
Did anyone?
\-/
"Ugghh" Yang groaned loudly, sitting down at the cafeteria table with a huff.
"It's official, that man hates our team." First day in Atlas Academy and their combat teacher had them "tested" against third years! What kind of sadistic bastard did that?! Her fight finished well over an hour ago and she was still both sore and shivering! Bloody ice dust…
"Don't be dramatic, think of it as extra training." Weiss spoke at her side with a shrug. "We're lucky the teacher thinks we're advanced enough to do so." With an assured nod she kept eating.
Yang rolled her eyes. "You're only saying that cuz your opponent threw the match." she said with a pointed stare to her partner whose face showed just a hint of color.
"Didn't ask him to…" She mumbled while picking at her food, her embarrassment drawing a victorious grin from Yang.
"Aww don't be sad." Yang teased while wrapping an arm around her partner, eager to shift the attention from her loss. "I'd be happy to kick your butt after classes!" Weiss squawked at the sudden contact while desperately trying to escape. Yang only held a few moments longer before letting her partner slip away with a few grumbles and ever darkening cheeks.
She might have taken her partner's protests more seriously, had the heiress actually put any effort into escaping. She was a Huntress for god's sake! If she wanted to slip out of a simple hug she wouldn't have needed to wait for Yang to let go.
"Just think about how much stronger you'll be!" Ruby interjected cheerfully, "By the time we're back at Beacon I bet you'll be able to beat Pyrrha!" Her smile was bright, though Yang found her eyes narrowing.
"You can't talk either! You beat your opponent too!" And how mortifying was that? The only one on her team to lose, even her little sister kicked a third year's butt! "I have never felt such envy for my littlest sister." She sighed dramatically.
"With that said," A grin split across her features. "I have also never felt such pride for said littlest sister; tasing the guy beating you up right in the family jewels." she laughed while wiping away an imaginary tear, "Didn't think you could be so ruthless." Her sister went beet red and immediately began stuttering.
"I-I didn't do that on purpose!" She attempted to defend, "How was I supposed to know he was gonna go for a high kick right then…" Wasn't that a sight? Watching her fifteen year old sister make someone half a decade older than her scream like a little girl. The memory would bring her warmth for years to come.
"Since when did you carry a taser anyway?" She took the chance to ask. Long as she could remember Ruby had never carried a second weapon before, claiming the one and only weapon she needed was her "baby", Crescent Rose.
"I think it's a good thing she did." A surprisingly gentle voice cut in and everyone turned to Jaune. His new voice had come as a surprise when he had shown it off for the first time the day before, but one she was undeniably relieved to hear.
Apparently it was some invention of one of the scientists in the facility they were staying at. A heavily modified voice modulator made to make Jaune's gravely mess of a voice sound human.
How they could make an electric device sound so much like a person Yang could not understand. Was it his original voice? It sounded softer than she expected, but maybe that was just because his constantly armored appearance gave off such a harsh impression.
"That guy's semblance kept trapping her in a web-like material, her speed and large weapon were at a huge disadvantage in such a setting. Breaking someone's will to continue the fight can be just as good, if not better, than trying to wear down their aura." He took on a lecturing tone, sounding like he was doing his best Goodwitch impression.
He really was so much easier to speak to with his mask on. No blood red orbs to cause an involuntary panic response. With his new voice she could almost forget what he was.
Almost.
"Is that what you're going to do? Bring a hidden weapon?" Weiss asked, seemingly glad to have escaped Yang's teasing. "You're going to be fighting after lunch right? When we're sitting in with the fourth year students' combat class?" Their schedule was a lot more combat focused than it was in Vale. Two advanced combat classes on top of the military training they were getting after school.
At least they wouldn't have trouble sleeping. Small miracles... Right?
"Ya know, I haven't really thought about it." He scratched his head thoughtfully. "Guess I'll just kind of wing it, ya know?" He said with a chuckle and shrug while Weiss' hand made a meaty slap against her own forehead.
"I-I… I don't know what I was expecting." She let out a defeated sigh.
"There's not much you can expect from someone of their caliber." A new voice, dripping with arrogance, broke into their conversation. Yang raised a challenging eyebrow at the newcomer that had approached their team. His cocky smirk made clear she hadn't misheard the condescending tone.
"Our "caliber" huh?" Yang forced a laugh, speaking up before Weiss could respond. "Aren't you the third year that surrendered with half his Aura?" She egged him on, recognizing the kid from Weiss' combat test. If he was hoping to "set the pecking order" so to speak, then he was in for a rude awakening.
Was it overzealous patriotism that made him talk like that? Or was he just naturally a dick?
She had noticed some less-than-subtle glares from other students, filled with jealousy no doubt. Did they know they were getting extra training? She could understand how that might be a problem, but she hadn't actually thought any of them would so blatantly insult them, at least not on their first day.
Even Beacon's bullies waited a few days to start their crap, scouting out which students could be safely targeted and which weren't worth the trouble.
"One should always know who their superiors are." He all but sneered at her before turning back to Weiss. "And clearly a beautiful Snow-Angel such as yourself has no equal." There was a loud snapping and Yang had to hold back a snort as Weiss dropped her now broken fork.
"Carstein." The word was clipped, and… Had the temperature just dropped or was that her imagination?
"Please, call me William." The fool went ignored.
"Tell me." Weiss stood and turned to the boy, William. "Why are you here, interrupting us?" Despite being shorter, it was hard to see Weiss as the smaller one in the confrontation.
"W-Well I uh." He stumbled over his words, her frigid tone making him second guess his approach. He cleared his throat before continuing with more of his original confidence than Yang was expecting. "Well I was certain one of your higher station wouldn't want to dine with such undignified ra-"
"If I understand you correctly," Weiss cut in, "you're insulting, not only my partner, but also my entire team?" A few eyes turned to them but none showed any sign of wanting to stop the exchange. Did this guy do shit like this all the time? Judging by the smirks on some of their faces that was a forgone conclusion.
"Then to add to that wonderful statement," Her tone suggested it was anything but,"You think, by some herculean leap of logic, that I would want to spend any time whatsoever with you? Are you touched in the head?!" The look on Will's face had Yang seriously debating pulling her scroll out to snap a picture. He looked like a fish with his eyes so wide and mouth opening and closing like that.
Weiss, on the other hand, looked like she couldn't stand to sight of him any longer; turning to sit back down with a snarl.
"M-Maybe I was a bit hasty in my judgement." Persistent, she had to give him that. The exasperated groan that escaped Weiss while she buried her face in her hands spoke of just how little she was impressed by said persistence.
To no surprise he continued to push his luck. "Don't be like that, you know that's not what I meant." To her shock, and increasing anger, he actually moved to put a hand on Weiss' shoulder. With her partner focused solely on the interest of her inner palm, Yang moved to keep the arrogant boy from touching her partner, only stopping when a blur of white beat her to it.
"I'm fairly certain you must have misheard." Jaune spoke calmly, having reached back from his position next to Weiss to stop William's hand. The boy looked shocked, and much to Yang's delight, a hint of fear glinted in his eyes. She doubted he even saw the hand move to catch him.
"And I'm certain you hav- Arrhg!" His bluster was cut short as Jaune suddenly yanked him closer none too gently.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't hear quite that over the sound of your bones grinding against each other." His calm voice didn't do much to convey the threat, not that it stopped the older boy from looking like he might cry out. Was Jaune really holding his wrist tightly enough to hear grinding?
Before Will could cry out, Jaune all but threw him back a solid three meters, before returning to his meal like nothing happened.
William looked furious from his new, much more suitable, position on the floor. He was cradling his wrist like he'd never been manhandled before, good chance it was sprained if the way he winced was anything to go by.
While aura would have it healed soon enough, Yang still felt herself grinning. Who didn't enjoy watching an ass get knocked on his ass?
"... Bloody animal-fuckers…" The mumbled insult was barely audible as he finally retreated back to whatever table he came from.
"Is everyone here as… friendly as him?" Ruby motioned cautiously, equal parts uncertainty and discomfort written across her features. The look brought forth an immediate urge to introduce the bastard that had caused it to Ember Celica's explosive shells. The fact that he was still nursing his wrist kept her sated… for now.
Would it be immature to challenge him in class tomorrow? She didn't think so. Could even borrow Ruby's new taser.
"Not everyone, no." Weiss let out an exasperated breath. "It's actually pretty rare if you look at the numbers from the outside. But there's a reason I chose Beacon over this place…" She let out another defeated sigh while picking at her food.
"At least it's only until we head back for the Vytal Festival..." She mumbled to herself before turning to Jaune with a pointed look. "You didn't need to get so aggressive, Jaune. I know how to handle myself, guys like that are hardly a threat." Yang wasn't so sure about that, they were in a school for Hunter's after all. He couldn't have gotten in without at least some combat skills.
And what if his next target wasn't a Huntress?
"Ah, sorry about that." Jaune scratched at the back of his head with what she could only assume was an apologetic expression behind his mask. "It's been so long since I could actually do anything to protect a friend. I might have gone a bit overboard." He chuckled nervously.
"You're talking about your new memories, right?" he nodded to Ruby who kept her voice low, though Yang doubted eavesdroppers would be much of an issue. Jaune's display seemed to scare off any other possible curious onlookers from approaching for the moment.
"So you're what? a few thousand years old now?" Yang tried to sound less than serious, giving a smirk. But She wasn't actually sure how she felt about what Jaune had told them the previous night.
Having experienced the memories of thousands of Grimm first hand must have been, quite literally, a monstrous experience. Then there were the changes to his face, and the sudden fondness of going mask free when able. All of which only pushed the thought that she should be fearing him that much more.
And yet, she didn't. Well, not any more than before anyway. It surprised her honestly, his eyes looked exactly like any other Grimm's now! She might not have been able to hold full eye contact, but the fear of him going berserk and hurting Ru - her team, surprisingly, remained unchanged.
If anything, she kind of felt… bad for him.
The way he had explained it, the pain that had been in his voice…. She had wanted to think it could have been faked, actually hoped it was... But she knew what the pain of loss sounded like.
When he spoke of a "friend" disappearing, the way he tried to smile and assure them it wasn't a big deal. Only for the smile to crack and moisture to build in his eyes as he looked away to take a slow breath. She had only seen that expression twice before… Both times from men who some might consider… damaged.
"Would you be upset if I said you were both right and wrong?" He offered with a short laugh, though it sounded weak, brittle. He continued when it was clear none of them would accept such a non-answer.
"I have a first hand experience with the memories of every Grimm I… consumed." he cringed. "But most of them weren't any older than a century or two. Their intelligence was still below that of an average adult, barely comparable to a child. Even if they were truly ancient, I don't think they would have any of the social knowledge or experience that comes to people naturally over time."
"That being said, I do… contain a number of human memories." He struggled to find the right word, or maybe it was just his discomfort with the subject? She would guess the latter option, based on how he spoke even quieter than his already low tone.
"Well, faunus memories if you want to get technical. No difference really." He shook his head and waved a hand. "But they were all taken before I was able to experience memories first hand. They're more like… dreams, or maybe movies? It's hard to explain, but it doesn't feel nearly as real. The information could affect me, sure. But not any differently than someone telling you a story with hard evidence, like film, to support it."
"Now though... It's like living a whole other life." He scratched lightly at the table. "During the experience, everything that makes me, me. It's not there anymore. But then what is there is… well, I still recognise it as myself, but all of this" He motioned around as if to encapsulate everything. "It just… slips away. As far as my mind is concerned, at that moment, I am literally what I eat." He chuckled softly. "Guess that doesn't really explain it very well huh?"
"What if you ate someone now?" Jaune visibly flinched at the question and looked around nervously, as if scared someone might have heard. "I-I'm not positive, but…" An almost dejected atmosphere crashed down upon him, his recent boost in confidence fading almost entirely. He slouched in on himself, getting closer to the table and forcing them to lean in to hear him.
"...I think I would still be the same person, my aura is still my own after all, small as it's constant consumption makes it. That being said…" He paused to let out a sad sigh while his hand rubbed at the forehead of his mask, as if his thoughts caused him physical pain.
"A person isn't just the aura and body they're born with." He explained slowly. "Every event someone experiences leaves a mark on them. It becomes a part of them."
"I believe if I…" Another cringe, "Take someone now. Their experiences that have made them the person they are, will be forced onto me. I think I'll still be myself, but those memories will change me… Just like they changed the one they come from." His face remained pointed downward, his hand now rubbing at the back of his neck.
Yang wanted to sigh. Again he says something that logically should almost certainly be raising red flags. And yet, she could feel the unmistakable twisting of pity in her stomach. Everything about him screamed anxious fear. He wasn't talking about something he enjoyed or even felt apathetic towards.
He was just as scared of himself as she was of him.
The realisation hit with an uncomfortably sensation, forcing her to look away. She leaned her chin on her hand, covering her deepening frown. Was it pity that forced the feeling through her? Or shame at how she had blamed him?... both? She couldn't tell. Or maybe, didn't want to know…?
None of them spoke after that; none of them knew what to say. the clammer of the students around them doing next to nothing to swallow the suffocating silence that fell onto their team. Weiss' expression mirrored her own, while Ruby desperately looked between the three of them, wanting but unable to form a response.
The bell rang a few minutes later, and they shuffled their way to class, filling the cafeteria garbage with three additional unfinished meals.
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Been feeling motivated to write a bit more, and so voila! I'm gonna try to explain some of my shiet just cuz this chapter is much more fresh in my mind, Please feel free to comment on anything and lemme know your thoughts if any of these explanations jump out at ya for better or worse!
So I'm kind of testing some waters what with Ruby's guilt over killing. I felt that Hunters would have to say something about killing and shit when kids so young were being taken out to train in the wilds. That said, I didn't really think they (Qrow and Tai specifically) would have thought about the possibility of feeling good about killing! not to say i think Ruby is some sadist murderer, more that i believe she could easily confuse the naturally feeling of relief when in such a high stress situation. Also trying something with Yang, as i could see her having a similiar but altogether different problem than what ruby is currently going through (ie yang's battlelust and her heritage.) Weiss I'm still kind of... well not figuring out what i want to do with her, but more how I want to do it.
Jaune has gone through some changes though! I tried to triple check my explanations in the chapter with the grimm memories, and Jaune's mental/physical changes but if i missed anything please dont hesitate to ask! Main change i think is his confidence, which I think makes sense, I cant see anyone gaining a few thousand years experience and not losing their anxieties about the little things(even if that experience is limited to grimm. Tried to make it less that he knows what to say, and more that he doesnt hesitate about the less important things. not sure how well i did there).
Also got some OC's that i pulled outta nowhere from atlas academy, as i haven't seen past the fall of beacon, i know only snips and bits about the current atlas arc and many arcs prior to it so i know of the ace ops but not well enough to confidently write them. I tried to make the OC's seem human/realistic while also serving the antagonistic role I figured would go against RASY in a new school setting.
It shouldn't be too long until i release the next chapter, I've already written a good chunk of it, just felt like it might be too long to push it out with this one, would've been a solid 13k words. Dunno if thats a lot or not, but compared to my previous stuff is a crap-ton. As per usually, I hope y'all have a good morning/evening and i look forward to see ya next time!
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0akarigan0, ¡Me alegra que te haya gustado! Con suerte, podré mostrarle más en el próximo capítulo. ¡Gracias por el apoyo! (traducido con google)
GeraltRex, He did! I'm hoping I'll be able to write her in a bit more, kind of as a friend who understands being inhuman type dealy but we shall see what i can come up. Jaune has not personally met Salem yet! that was part of the memories. I;m hoping I was able to explain a bit more about the whole memory thing this chapter, while also keeping it coherent. He's gotta go through every memory, not only of Grimm but anything with that holds "biological information" in the from of memories. basically anything alive that has a memory! The one second high that last a lifetime is a perfect explanation of what i was going for. The saying itself sounds suuper familiar to me but I cant say i know which abridged show you're talkin about. Either way I thank ya for the comment and hope to hear from ya again!
darkdraco0021, I honestly wasn't pushin too hard for any actual romantic pairings, and definitely no worries for a harem/orgy filled, I see all the characters of that show as rather monogamous (maaybe excluding Blake, but even than it's a crapshoot in my head). I was kind of hinting to something between Yang and Weiss, both to try and practice some relationship writing and because I love the symbolism behind the fire and ice shtick. Related side note, I was actually thinking of having Jaune being asexual (not the self reproducing definition. The no-sexual-attraction definition), mainly because I figure without the normal hormones coursing through his body, he wouldn't really experience the same kind of urges an average human does. Memories, emotions, and social behaviours are all in the brain, but sexual attraction is split between two parts, only one of which Whitback has been able to mimic perfectly (the brain, not the junk). With all that rambling nonesense said, I could change my mind depending on both my mood and recommendations from others. Sorry for the loong response, been thinking a decent bit about romantic pairings, lemme know if I messed something up! As for the OC stuff, well I think this Jaune is most definitly OOC then, hope it isn't too bad despite the clearly op-ness I've given Jaune! Thanks for the advice!