Editorial Note:
Just for the record, this along with the two following chapters are personally my least favorite entries of this extract from Jaune's Beacon journal.
To Survive and Prosper
CHAPTER 9
It was Saturday. Since there were no classes, Team RW_Y and I spent most of the afternoon on community service.
After hours of cleaning, renovating, and assisting the staff, we went to organize the ballroom for tomorrow's dance as our last assignment for the day, even though this was already assigned to Team CFVY (Coffee). But then again, they just arrived early from their week-long mission, so I suppose they're too tired to organize the ballroom for an activity they were not invited to.
We were told to provide a balance of a formal soiree and a youth's dance night; something with the likes of a school's prom party, which it kinda is. Likewise, Weiss handled the more formal and fancier stuff with Yang in charge of the party equipment while Ruby and I assisted both of them. Blake was nowhere to be found since she called in sick, Miss Goodwitch allowed her to take a day off but she would still have to hold the hours she had to make up for.
Weiss and Yang can go a little too overboard with their respective arrangements that it sometimes caused us to go astray from the intended plan. With Weiss trying to make the ballroom a little too sophisticated while Yang tried to make the ballroom more reminiscent of a dance club, it was no surprise that they occasionally ended up in arguments due to creative differences. Ruby and I had to act as mediators; diffusing conflicts and making compromises to ensure balance with the ballroom's organization.
I was in charge of arranging the chairs and tables as well as helping out with the decorations. While I was in the middle of it I heard a loud thump after Yang put down a large speaker. I looked at Yang conversing with her sister who was resting her head on the table, either because she was tired or was still thinking about last Tuesday; either way, she didn't seem to be really feeling it.
Brothers above, I thought they'd be better than last semester but I don't think their own issues are going to let any of that happen. I was happy to see them be harmonious when this week began but now this team's a mess again.
"Weiss! I thought we agreed; No doilies!" Yang scolded after seeing Weiss put fancy mats on the tables.
Weiss bolted toward her in response. "If I don't get doilies, you don't get fog machines!"
"I don't think they're both necessary," I said, trying to be the voice of reason and keeping both of them from being too carried away with their own preferences. "The dance is going fine without them. We're neither organizing a cocktail party nor a disco ball."
"I know we're not, but it's still a dance. And what's to set the mood and put some haze on the floor?" Yang grinned, still acting like a cheerful party girl even during her first week of getting banned from the city for a whole month. I guess she needed to distract herself from the grim reality of her current situation.
Before I could respond to that, the door suddenly opened as the familiar faces of Sun and Neptune appeared before us as every head in the room turned to them. "Your dance is gonna have fog machines?" the latter asked.
"Nah, it's too much," I answered before trying to elaborate. "Besides, Weiss wanted this to be a bit more—"
"We were thinking about it!" the ice queen in question suddenly stepped in and covered my mouth with the cold hands of hers.
"That's pretty cool," Neptune said as I put Weiss' hand away and glared at her, she folded her arms and looked away from me, harrumphing. She was adamant against fog machines just a second ago, looks like someone's trying to impress her boyfriend.
"So, you ladies all excited for dress-up?" Sun asked the girls.
"Pfftt... Yeah, right!" Ruby scoffed, Looks like she just wasn't a huge fan of fancy dresses, unlike other girls despite having no problem wearing a skirt for her Huntress outfit.
"Laugh all you want. I'll be turning heads tomorrow night!" Yang boasted. Not forcefully, I hope. Wouldn't want to add that in her record of offenses and be trapped in Beacon longer.
"What are you two wearing?" Weiss queried the two boys.
"Uhh... this?" Sun gestures to his open shirt which still doesn't have anything underneath.
"That's… a nice-looking suit. Is it Vacuan style?" I snarked, which he was able to laugh off. To be fair, it still does the same effect in impressing ladies, if exposed abs are their thing. It's just not as sophisticated as the party is suggesting what we should wear. If I remember correctly, my tux is worth like five thousand lien or something. Thankfully I didn't have to pay a single thing for it since it was the same one Viola made for me for Bleu's wedding a few years back. Gotta love the advantages of the Arc name.
"Ignore him for he knows not what he says," Neptune stepped up and put a hand in front of Sun's face.
Sun swiped his partner's hand away. "Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in a desert where some people dress up as if they were in Road Rage. It's not exactly a shirt-and-tie kind of place."
"Yeah, we noticed," Yang stated, looking as unimpressed as her teammates.
"So where's Blake? I noticed she isn't around when she should be working with you guys," Sun then asked.
"She excused herself so she could keep looking into the White Fang," Weiss answered in an annoyed tone. "She still refuses to let her mission go."
Sun made a sorrowful sigh. "So she's still being all, you know... Blakey?"
"Obviously."
"I still can't think of a way to change her mind," Ruby said regretfully.
"Me neither," I added, feeling worried about her again and wondering what stupid stunt she'll try this time and how we would be able to convince her to stop before she tries it.
"Of course," Sun disappointedly gazed at the ground. "What did I expect?"
"Guys. Trust me; Blake will be at the dance tomorrow," Yang said confidently, sounding way too sure of herself.
"How can you be so sure about that?" I skeptically asked, feeling dubious at her optimism. "She's been burning the candle at both ends since that night, and I don't think she'll have the intention to stop anytime soon."
"Now you're thinking too negative, Vomit Boy," she simply smirked at me, pulling out to show a laser pointer, "I'm gonna convince her, starting with this bad boy." She then proceeded to demonstrate it on a nearby wall.
She's kidding right? I thought as I raised my brow and everyone stared at Yang with confused looks. She might as well consider bribing her with tuna or yarnballs if she's going to treat her like a cat. "Are you sure about that?"
"Relax, I know what I'm doing. Once Blake shows up, none of you will think I'm crazy anymore," she replied.
"I hope you're right," I muttered. Though I doubted that proving to be able to convince Blake would make her less insane, if anything, it would be quite the opposite, considering how annoyingly adamant Blake was. Hopefully, she won't use her typical methods of persuasion, I'm aware that she's not malevolent enough to use them on her own teammates but one should remember that Yang was not known for using her mouth in convincing people.
"So, do you guys need any help?" Neptune asked as he watched us resume our work.
"We're good. We're almost done. Besides, you guys earned your break after finally completing your sentence," Yang told them.
"Oh, it's nothing. It was just three days worth of chores the government made us do but thanks anyway." Neptune said before turning to me. "Jaune, if you don't mind—meet us at the courtyard when you're done. There's something we want to talk to you about."
"Fine by me." I nodded, forgetting to think about what they might make me do this time, so it only made me wonder if I shouldn't have accepted it.
"Later then," Sun said as they both turned around and left the building.
The girls immediately went back on the topic of Ruby's dress. "So you were saying that you're not wearing a dress tomorrow?" Yang asked her little sister.
"C'mon sis. Isn't my outfit not already a dress enough?" she whined, sounding too proud of her so-called 'combat skirt'.
"No, it's not." Weiss asserted. "No offense, Ruby, but those aren't tasteful enough to count."
"Weiss-cream's right, Rubes. That skirt of yours won't be grabbing any boys' attention," Yang chimed in, it was probably one of the few things both Yang and Weiss saw eye-to-eye on while in that room.
"Which is why I'm taking you to Vale and have you shop with me for clothes once we're done with this assignment," Weiss declared.
Ruby tried protesting. "Weiss, I don't think that's—"
"Shush. As your partner, you are going shopping with me… AND YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE IT!" She suddenly yelled. It's quite interesting and somewhat funny that Weiss was the one that was being insistent this time.
Ruby groaned and went back to resting her head on the table. I decided to leave them with their girl talk and went back to business. There was still plenty of work that needed to be done.
I left the dance hall and went to the courtyard where Sun and Neptune were waiting for me. I was somewhat hesitant since I was able to recall that agreeing to go with them last time only put me in danger of being killed by criminal psychopaths again. But I was willing to give them a benefit of the doubt and assume that they weren't dumb enough to start a repeat of that fiasco, especially since they just finished their sentence just recently.
"So what are you two planning to do this time?" I asked the two as I approached them.
"Well, since Blake's not coming to the dance, I was thinking maybe you could help me out a bit," Sun answered. "I could use another wingman."
Although I was glad that it didn't involve following Blake again and getting dragged into more needless danger, I still questioned myself if that was even worth my time. "Wingman? So you're telling me to help you find a date?"
"Pretty much. I should already be glad to have Neptune at my back, but I think I'll have a better chance if you come along."
"How exactly?" I raised my brow.
"Duh," Neptune spoke up. "Girls have been drooling all over you ever since you stopped the robbery. With your help, we'll be able to take a girl out for tomorrow. You have a date by now, have you?"
"Yes…" I hesitantly confirmed. There was no reason to hide it yet telling them felt weird for some reason. "Yes, I do."
"Cool. Who's the lucky girl in question?" He asked as both of them leaned closer out of interest.
"It's Pyrrha," I caught my breath.
They both grinned with impressed looks on their faces. "Freaking A," Neptune remarked, making an 'ok' hand gesture. "Though coming from you, that's hardly surprising."
I was worried they would overreact for a second. Maybe I'm just too used to being around Nora and the louder girls in Team RWBY that I kept bracing myself for high-pitched screaming. "I take it you have a date too?" I inquired.
"Nah, not yet," he answered with a confident grin as if this would be easy for him. "I'm still considering my options."
"I'm pretty sure every girl he flirted with had turned him down." Sun teasingly corrected in a deadpan tone, irritating his partner.
"Shut up, dude! I was only practicing my charm. It's not my fault they're nervous around someone as handsome as me." he defended, but if his initial tone was any indication, he's not really much of a chick magnet as he looks. "Besides, you're the one who needs a partner, not me."
"Yeah, sure." Sun playfully scoffed before turning back to me. "So, are you up for it or not?"
A couple of pretty-boys asking for help from me—some scraggly[1] dork who's into stuff like superheroes in tights and nerdy sci-fi crap—to pick up girls. I'm definitely losing my mind and agreeing to go only proved that further. "I don't see why not." I forced a smile. It's not like I had anything better to do anyway.
"I knew we could count on you, my man, he pumped. "Let Operation: Babe Hunt commence!"
Hoo boy, this is not going to end well, I thought. If they couldn't think of a more original name for this imminent farce then this was all doomed from the start unless we somehow manage to appease Lady Luck herself.
We strolled around the Beacon campus, looking for first-year girls to pick-up for Sun. There were plenty of girls we met that we took into consideration, but most of them were either already taken, not into guys, were upperclassmen who weren't eligible for a first-year event, or wanted me instead—and in those cases, we had to bail out quickly.
Looking for available girls in Beacon was more challenging than we anticipated. It wasn't until I spotted two elegantly dressed girls conversing on a bench that we managed to find suitable candidates. After a quick eavesdrop, their demeanors and appearances indicated that they were from Atlas. One of them noticed me and gave me a wave as she looked at me.
I flushed before quickly shaking it off and turned to Sun. "You don't happen to be into Atlesian girls, do you?"
"I would if it weren't for their attitude towards the faunus," he replied.
"I see what you're coming from, but isn't it just as insensitive to assume all Atlesians are like that?" I pointed out. Maybe I took offense because I have Atlesian roots. I've been there plenty of times and while the kingdom was still notorious for being somewhat backward when it came to the faunus, the racism there is surprisingly rare that I have seen plenty of faunus being treated like ordinary citizens. Maybe it could be because I'm only seeing them on a good day and the kingdom is just very good at hiding their prejudices. Whatever the case, I can't exactly tell but at least they're going somewhere considering their history.
"I know but I'd rather not take my chances. Besides, I prefer girls from Mistral and Vacuo," he said before spotting four Vacuan girls that were about to pass by. "And speaking of which."
We all turned toward that particular group, where all members were no short of beautiful. Neptune wolf-whistled to the quartet of rather attractive women. "They look as hot as the desert they live in."
Looking closer at the colorful female quartet, I recognized the two of them to be Nebula and Dew—the same two girls who approached me last Monday. It was better to let Sun approach them without me because I'll just end up spoiling their chance since those two seem to be crushing on me.
"Here we go," Sun rubbed his gloved hands. "Any advice?"
"Just remember that girls are people too; they can get nervous just as much as us when we're asking them out," I stated with my past dating experiences that have an arbitrary degree of success.
"You seem to know what you're talking about," Neptune remarked, being impressed to an extent.
"I've done this before." Like a lot, but that's something I'd rather not elaborate on.
"Well then, it's good to have you with us then," Sun grinned. "Now it's time to put my swag on."
"Just remember to be confident, but not too confident," I told him.
"Relax. I can do this. I'm a big guy."
"Yeah. For you." Neptune quipped.
"Watch." Sun cleared his throat and walked over toward the group. Neptune and I hid behind the corner and watched Sun's attempt at courting.
"Hey, uh, I-I can't help notice, you girls," Sun said after approaching them. "I see you're all from Vacuo then."
The girls glanced at each other in confusion before one of them decided to respond. "That's right." The purple-haired girl spoke, who I still remembered to be named Nebula. "And you are?"
"Sun Wukong. You may have heard of Team SSSN, have you?"
The girls looked at each other again before the gray-haired one with curls took her turn to answer. "No… I can't say we have."
I couldn't see Sun's expression since he was facing behind me, but I could tell he was disappointed upon his lack of recognition.
"Well, feel free to look us up," Sun suggested. "You won't be disappointed. We do it all. Aside from hunting Grimm, we do music, acting, modeling, community work, all kinds of stuff!"
That is an interesting revelation, yet it somehow felt unsurprising. Regardless, it made me wonder why the hell these two didn't tell me this before and I could have used that fact to help them.
The girls continue to look perplexedly at him. "Uhh, cool." Nebula said, unfortunately appearing unimpressed so far. "We'll be sure to check that out… Uhm..."
"Sun Wukong?" he reminded them.
"Right… Sun. It was cool meeting you and all, but we need to head back to our dorms," she said, leading her group as they walked past him. "Until we meet again, I suppose."
We watched as they ditched Sun and started walking in our direction. Neptune began shaking his head. "Sunny, Sunny, Sunny. You're just not using that smart monkey brain of yours. Let me show you how it's done." He fixed his collar and styled his hair before getting out of cover and walking toward the girls.
"Neptune, wait!" I said as I stood up and followed him. That turned out to be a mistake as the four girls began facing my direction and gasped in joy once they saw me. I figured as much.
Neptune mistakenly thought the hysteria was directed towards him. "Settle down, ladies. I know that I—" the girls then ran past Neptune, leaving him frozen in place as they approached me.
"Is it really him?!" the redhead excitedly asked as the girls circled around me. "Are we facing the Hero of Podunk with our very own eyes?!"
"Oh, yes, it's definitely him!" the gray-haired one stated.
"It's good to finally see you again!" Nebula squealed. "We heard about what you did in the city the other day. Man, you and Pyrrha were awesome!"
I was caught in a trap of admirers and the only thing I could do was engage in an amicable conversation while restraining my blush even if it wasn't as severe as theirs. "Good to see you too," I said, trying to put on a mask of confidence. "Enjoying Beacon so far?"
"We're loving it," Dew spoke up. "Especially with someone like you around."
I gave a smile as I did my best to suppress my embarrassment to these cute girls as they gushed about a position I'm not worthy of.
"Oh, and we like you to meet our teammates." Nebula said before indicating the two other girls beside her and Dew. "This is Octavia and Gwen. Say hi to Jaune, girls."
"H-hi!" the gray-haired one, Gwen greeted. "I-It's an honor to meet you, Jaune Arc."
"Y-You're pretty cool!" Octavia—the redhead, spurted. "D-Don't get the wrong idea, though! I only just met you." She flushed as she tried looking away. It was pretty obvious, however, that she has the hots for me as much as I was having trouble believing it.
"Oh, Tavi. As spicy as ever." Dew gave a Cheshire grin as she teased her. "You just don't want him realizing that you want to take him to tomorrow's dance, do you?"
"S-Shut up! You said you wanted to dance with him too, you know!" Octavia retorted.
"I-I did?" Dew pondered as her face grew as red as her friends, and she was already blushing to begin with. "I know he's cool and all but—"
"Girls, calm down. If anyone here is going to the dance with him then it'll be me." Nebula asserted to her teammates. "I met him first, and it's my obligation as the leader of Team NDGO (Indigo) to take his hand."
"Oh, come on now, Nebula," Gwen called out. "You already had your fun with him the other day and you can't just hog him all to yourself. Besides, he deserved to be partnered with someone who is proven to be a proficient dancer such as myself."
"As if!" Dew exclaimed. "Let's not forget this was my idea in the first place, so it should be me to take him to the dance."
"I thought you didn't want to dance with him!" Octavia replied.
"And I thought you said you only met him!"
"I know but I—!"
"Ladies," Neptune suddenly interjected as he stepped in, putting the girls to a halt as they put their attention to him as he tried to smile at them in a suave manner. "There's no need to fight over the dance. There are enough cute boys in Beacon that'll help satsify your needs. "
The girls all just stared at him with unsure faces. "Okay...?" Nebula said.
"Name's Neptune Vasilias;" he continued, "a charmer, a brilliant inventor, a valedictorian, and also formidable in the arts of Grimm hunting," he boasted as he grinned at them, showing off his pearly white teeth. "As well as the art of breaking girls' heart."
"Right..." Dew uttered. "Good for you, but I think we'll be fine," then they all turned back to me, much to his chagrin.
"Oh come on! You have got to be kidding me!" Neptune whined as the girls ignored him. "Jaune, back me up here!"
That was my intention. Unfortunately, the girls were still in the heat of the moment and I was going to need to defuse the situation first.
"Now where were we?" Nebula glanced at all of her teammates.
"The part where we decide that he's coming with me," Gwen claimed.
"Oh hell no, he is coming with me!" Octavia said.
"No, me!" Dew said.
"Me!" the girls screamed at each other. That was when I had enough and decided to speak up.
"Girls, girls," I said, calming the quartet and putting them away from each other's throats before this could escalate into an outright catfight. "I appreciate all of your offers; I really do, but I already have a date for tomorrow."
The girls all whined in disappointment as they tried to cheer themselves up quickly. "Well, good to know then." Nebula sighed. "Sorry if we've bothered you. We should have known that someone like you already has a partner by now."
"It's fine. We all make mistakes." I smiled at them. "But if you're looking for a partner, my friend would be happy to help you out."
The four paused as they went to think, not even turning back as Sun waved for their attention while Neptune just stared at us. "It's okay. I think we'll be fine on our own." Nebula declined. I can feel the disappointment of the duo after hearing that. "We'll still be able to see each other at the dance, right?"
"Of course. We'll keep in touch. Maybe dance with all four of you even." I proposed without thinking. I really wanted to smack myself for saying that, [2] as I didn't want to make my love life more complicated by attempting to create an unneeded harem of girls straight out of a bad romance.
They glanced at each other and blushed once again at the thought with Dew and Octavia biting their lips, but they were more than happy by it. "Great! We'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow then." Nebula said.
"Can't wait to see you girls too," I said, upholding the friendly charade.
"Then, in any case. We'll see you around!"
"Bye," I waved at the girls as they returned my farewell and walked from me. I gazed at their cute rears swaying while listening to them as they left.
"He's so dreamy."
"Nice and understanding too!"
"And to think he can fight so bravely and win."
"I know, right?"
You know, when my dad told me that girls would be chasing me rather than the other way around, I thought he was lying to me. Turns out, he was right. I almost forgot that I was here to look for dates for Sun and not needlessly flirt with the girls I'm supposed to pair him up with.
"Dude, how? Just how?!" Neptune pondered as he and Sun walked toward me. "Are you using some sort of chick magnet's body spray or something?"
"I can't say I recall using one, let alone owning one to begin with..." I began sniffing and picked up a scent of it from Neptune. "But come to think of it, I can smell one coming from you."
"What? Please... I'm way too cool for that kind of stuff." Neptune claimed and I was willing to humor him for now.
"Not cool enough to attract girls." Sun quipped.
"Look who's talking," he retorted.
Sun turned back to me. "First Pyrrha Nikos, and then an entire team. Man, you have ways with girls, Jaune," he remarked. "Maybe you should consider getting more than one partner for this dance?"
"Sun, don't give him ideas. The next thing we might know is that all he took all single ladies for himself and there would be nobody left for us—I mean you." Neptune said, suspiciously correcting himself on that last part since I recall he that he didn't need to look for a partner.
"Yeah, you're right," Sun muttered before turning back to me. "But you should consider yourself lucky, you're like the closest thing to some sort of a harem king around here! Someone would kill to get that title."
Oh, trust me. Polyamory would be the best thing to happen to me if I didn't know any better. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the company of being surrounded by multiple beautiful women, but having to take care of several girls would mean my time and wallet getting drained for trying to support all of them. I also have to struggle with treating all of the girls equally, which would be a pain in the ass and it wouldn't be good for my health.
And that's only assuming if such relationships work. I still have to undergo some dramatic bullshit and keep them from each other's throats by somehow convincing them to share me in peaceful coexistence. Otherwise, they would all start ganging up as they all dump me for playing with their feelings if they at least are merciful enough not to murder me or each other first. So no thanks. I think one partner would be enough, and I'll do my best to stay loyal to that person. [3] Not that it meant I couldn't appreciate other girls though.
I blame Dad for this. When he was younger, he was said to have slept around with different women until he met Mom, where he stopped because he didn't want her to kill him. No wonder why she warned me about his romantic advice.
Eh, on the bright side, at least I know that I'm guaranteed to get laid soon. It feels all too easy now.
I gave a faint chuckle. "Let's not forget why we're here. We still have to find you a partner."
"Yeah, be sure to turn your chick magnet off this time, we didn't bring you here to see you steal girls from him," Neptune said.
"I don't intend to do that," I told him… "I'll try but I don't guarantee it."
"Relax. With the help of his charm, we'll eventually have chicks chasing us!" Sun said, putting an arm over our shoulders. "Isn't that right, Neptune?"
"Ugh, I hope so," he remarked.
At this point, you would want them to resist my charm when they see me as proven with our last attempt among others, I thought as I ponder how I am going to be done with this.
=o=
1. Anyone who witnessed his body's build knows that this is not true, even if the depiction of his muscular stature is often exaggerated.
2. You're not the only one.
3. I sincerely hope that you're right about that.
After minutes of scouting, we were able to spot another single first-year. We watched Iris Clancy of Team VILE while she was playing chess with the resident bunny girl of Team CFVY, Velvet Scarlatina below one of the maple trees near the fountain.
Despite being in the same class, Iris and I didn't talk much. [1] While she did recognize me by my undeserved reputation, she didn't appear to be much of a fan, thereby making her one of the more bearable classmates to be around with. I suspect that she is already with someone considering the lack of interest, only to recently find out that she was single and was open to being partnered with.
"Alright, we're at least familiar with each other—so let me take care of this one while you two stay put," I told the duo, hoping this would go well better than last time.
"Okay. Just remember to be careful not to have her fall for you too." Neptune replied.
Trying not to roll my eyes, I gave him a silent nod while holding no promises. I stood up and went to my classmate, puffing for a boost of confidence. "Hey, Iris. Hey Velvet."
The two girls as they paused their session to look at me. Iris gave a bright smile while Velvet was blushing uncontrollably in my presence. "Oh, hello Jaune. Need something?" Iris inquired with her Valish accent.
"As a matter of fact, I do. You see I have a friend that needs a date for tomorrow night, and I was wondering if you could help out for a bit?" I asked her candidly.
She paused for a second, looking puzzled before responding. "What can I do then?"
"For starters, do you mind being their date? I don't mean for you to actually date them or anything, you just need to accompany them for tomorrow's dance," I elaborated while making it clear that I was there with an open mind.
She widened her eyes, flushing as she glanced around her surroundings "That's a little sudden." She said before her face turned back to normal. "I'm sorry but I've decided I'm not going with anyone tomorrow. You better find someone else."
I groaned in disappointment but I kept my calm demeanor intact and respected her decision. I was becoming used to failure and rejection for the last half hour anyway. "Okay then. Sorry to bother you. Both of you."
"No harm done. I do hope your friend gets what they need," she gave a friendly nod.
"Much obliged," I said, smiling at her.
"Oi, Jaune?" Velvet's voice called, turning my attention towards her before I could walk away. Her accent was almost similar to Iris', except that it's more…Menagerian to say the least. [2]
"Oh hey, Velvet. Looking lovely today." I said. The final compliment was supposed to be my attempt at being a little awkward, unfortunately, I forgot to make it sound like it and add a few stutters. Making me worry about being too charming once again.
"Thank you," Her ears bent, and looked away for a moment. "I just wanted to ask if you're doing alright. I heard you have gotten yourself involved with the White Fang. From what I've heard of, they aren't a friendly bunch even for faunus like me, y'know, the ones they should be fighting for."
That's a lot coming from a faunus like her. Maybe you don't need to be a human to dislike the White Fang and all you just need is a functioning brain to know that they are far from being ideal representatives of the faunus. I blame those rabid scumbags for Blake's tiring demeanor. "That's an understatement. I still have no idea what they want the bank money for. They never took any money when they attacked dust shops," I stated.
"Right, I'm used to hearing them be responsible for car bombings but robbing banks was something I didn't expect them to do," she replied. "What were you doing in there anyway?"
"I was only passing through when it all happened. I had no choice but to fight." I said, partially telling her the truth. Why am I not telling her the bigger picture should be obvious enough.
"Well, that's an unfortunate coincidence," Iris commented, and she couldn't be any more right. "Luckily you got out alive, and those bloody fangies got what's coming to them."
"You can say that again," I stated. "Though, it was thanks to Pyrrha that their robbery foiled."
"Good on her." Velvet said. "But I recall correctly, you were doing fine even without Pyrrha's help. You could have still won regardless."
While not really implausible if I had a clearer mind then, they weren't aware of the psychopathic ice cream midget that would have brought my demise if Pyrrha didn't intervene. "Either way, I'm glad to have her back. Even if we are known to be capable fighters, it's still our duty to watch each other's backs."
"I get where you're coming from. Coco is pretty protective of me herself; she's pretty much why I was almost unharmed at my recent mission. It's not like she's overprotective or anything, she doesn't doubt my strength, she just doesn't like seeing me hurt. Aside from you teaching Cardin a lesson, she is also why he stopped picking on me. Say what you want about her, but she's like a big sister to me."
"I know how that feels." I snorted. "To be fair, Coco's nuts. [3] I would do the same if she did threaten me."
"Did somebody say my name?" A voice asked. We all turned toward her and saw Coco folding her arms with Sun and Neptune behind her.
Welp, it appears that our operation has been compromised. Coco wasn't exactly what you'd call terrifying, at first glance she's just a normal fashion-loving girl with a bit of an attitude, but anyone familiar with said attitude is aware that it meant that she could slaughter elite Grimm with only her handbag and that's without even transforming it to its minigun form.
I've talked to her a few times back in some conferences between team leaders last semester. Surprisingly, she's a pretty amicable person to talk to. It's probably because I managed to get on her good side and I intend to stay there. I wouldn't want my head to be crushed by a blunt purse.
"Oh, Coco! We were only discussing what we did this week." Velvet told her.
"Is it? Because a little birdy told me that Arc here is trying to help one of these two chumps find a partner for tomorrow's freshman dance." Coco sneered, gesturing towards the two. Admittedly, I was so engrossed with my conversation with Velvet that I forgot why I was even there to begin with.
Sun took offense. "Hey, who are you calling a chump?"
"Someone who couldn't ask out a girl despite his being a minor Mistrali celebrity." she scoffed, making Sun growl as he just stands there, doing nothing about it. Sounds like she did her homework on these two.
"You know, I think we should move someplace else," Iris suggested to Velvet.
"Right," Velvet said, gathering chess pieces and the board. "It was nice talking to you, Jaune. We'll keep in touch."
I gave her a nod as the two began trotting away with the chessboard. I went back to facing Team CFVY's fashionista of a leader. "Let me make this clear; no one is asking out Velvet. She's a sophomore anyway. I was just trying to ask my classmate to take one of my friends to the dance."
"Of course nobody's asking her out. In fact, nobody asked her out last year," Coco stated with her arms crossed as we both took a seat.
"No one did?" I raised a brow and continued to stare at her eyes behind those shades.
She shook her head. "She was too shy to ask someone out, and the boys either thought she was too good for them, or were racist pricks, or because they were scared of me."
That definitely sounded like Velvet, but if anything, she deserves to be treated better than that. I thought that someone would find Velvet cute enough to ask her out. I do, but I digress. "That's a shame. She's a pretty nice girl."
"You godsdamn right she is. And if somebody tried to take advantage of that, hoo-boy," she hissed. I nervously gulped at her sadistic streak. Made me wonder where the hell was she when Cardin kept harassing her last semester. "But you have nothing to worry about. As much as you look like you could offer a fun challenge, you're just too much a gentleman from what I've heard." She then shifted her gaze back at Sun and Neptune. "Though, I don't know if I could say the same for these two bozos."
"These two aren't bad. I'm sure Sun will get a dance, you just need to give him a little more time," I replied, standing up for my fellow doofuses in arms. I glanced at them for a second and saw both of them smiling and giving me a thumbs up. As much as annoying these two can be, they really seem to be interested in being genuinely helpful, even if they are doing a poor job of showing that.
"I know. With their macho attitude plus that discount boy-band fame, he eventually would. Which is why I think you're wasting your time with them, they're probably just having a rough hour looking for partners," she replied.
"Come on, even if that's true, I still need to be a good friend for them," I told her.
"Whatever tickles your fancy then," she said. "Enough about those two, so tell me; what are you planning on doing in the dance now that you have the Pyrrha Nikos herself as your partner?"
"How did you know that?" I asked, being surprised that she was aware that I had Pyrrha as my date since I never told it to anyone but the two just recently. Did Nora run her mouth again? That wouldn't surprise me.
"It's today's hot topic. Though, it wasn't really that much of a news since everyone already thought you two were dating anyway. I'm more surprised to learn that you two still aren't a real couple," she said.
Does that how people see both of us together? I thought. "Well, I want to see where it goes first before going on a straight-up relationship. I just want to give my partner a good night. It's everyone's objective for tomorrow anyway."
"That's a start. You better buckle up, because sooner or later you'll be taking your partnership to the next level," she smirked at me.
"What are you getting into, Miss Adel?" I asked, talking as if I was inquiring about her as a professor.
"Face it, Arc. Everyone wants you two together. It's much harder to find someone here in Beacon who doesn't ship you and Pyrrha," she stated.
"Wait? Ship? As in relation-shipping? The kind of thing teenage girls like to do in their fanbases?" I gazed at her in disbelief, not exactly sold on the idea of people going as far as to do that to us. "You're kidding, right?"
Sun held my shoulder with a nervous chuckle. "Hoo-boy you have no idea."
"Please don't tell him about Sea Monkeys," [4] Neptune whispered beside him.
"Hey, don't worry, I don't hate myself that much. Nor am I that crazy" Sun reassured his agitated partner, looking a little disgusted himself. By their expressions alone, it was safe to say I was better off not knowing what that was about.
"Yeah, that. It's not limited to fictional couples, believe it or not. I know, it's weird as it sounds." Coco said. "Heck, I heard there are even some weirdos out there who pair me up with Velvet. Not that I mind that, it just feels weird."
"You and Velvet, huh?" I pondered, trying not to show my amusement at the thought of her making out with Velvet before snapping out of it before she noticed.
"Eh, it's probably because I tend to be the only person they saw talking to her. I think some people just forget that platonic relationships exist. It's not like the initiation's partner system is some sort of stupid matchmaking program," she remarked, basically saying almost the same thing Nora said the previous night, making me suspect that it's already a stupid joke that's already been told to death since Ozpin must have first thought of the initiation's partnering system.
Come to think of it. I didn't show much affection to Pyrrha in public, yet Coco claimed that we were still popular as a pair. I suppose it was still obvious or as she said, people like pairing them with their partners by default, which would be a rather lazy way of making couples if you ask me. [5]
"That's not the worst of it. Some people would go as far as to have these shipping wars, fighting over which pair is better and or more likely. Arguments tend to be very heated sometimes," she said. I wasn't exactly sure if she's trying not to laugh or look disgusted, then again it's likely both because those were the expressions I was also having when I heard that.
"That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard." Really, I'm trying my hardest not to burst out laughing because of how absurd that sounds. I hope no one takes any of that too seriously, it would be pretty sad if you think about it.
Coco made a brief laugh before returning to the topic of me and the dance. "Anyway, I take it you all have something to wear for tomorrow then?"
"You could say that I have," Sun answered, not elaborating further probably so he could avoid ticking off Coco's inner fashionista. I'm not sure what her stances are on open shirts that show a guy's abs but she certainly doesn't consider them as appropriate for a school dance.
"Ditto," Neptune nodded.
"Yeah, I have. It's a tux one of my sisters made. It's not really the fanciest suit but it's good enough for me," I answered.
"Your sisters made it? The suit they gave you isn't too bright or flashy by any chance, is it?" she inquired.
"What? No, it's a black tux I already wore before. I know my sisters like to embarrass me, but they wouldn't go that far." I said, ignoring that they also sent a dress for me to wear.
"Oh good. You wouldn't want to make an ass of yourself when you're trying to make the best impression on Mistral's most badass darlings by overdressing yourself. You need to wear something that compliments your reputation, am I right?"
Indeed, something that mostly looks good thanks to my family. "Yeah, whatever. Since you're really into fashion, there's no doubt that you'll get along with one of my sisters. She's a tailor herself, and she owns a boutique in Acadia." [6]
"Never heard of her. She sounds cool though. I should meet her someday," she remarked. Yeah, it'll be a treat to listen to them talk about fabric for hours or something.
"Anything else we should know?" I asked.
"You all happen to have a lot of admirers, do you?" Coco raised her brow at us, making them visible above her sunglasses.
"I guess you could say we have, we just don't know if any of them are here," Sun answered, trying to grin confidently while Neptune follows suite.
"Uh-huh, sure." Coco made a single nod while sporting a straight face before turning to me. "How about you, hero?"
I thought about the fangirls that have been gushing about me since El Segador's attempted robbery which elevated me since my recent act of unintentional vigilantism. "Maybe," I answered hesitantly.
Coco began snickering. "You're such a charmer. Don't worry, you could satisfy these girls while keeping Pyrrha as your top priority. You could dance with as many people as you want."
I took a deep breath. The most girls I have danced during social events are usually three or less, depending on how many girls my sister tried pairing me at those times, here I might probably end up dancing several girls since I ended up making too many friendships with the opposite sex; that's not even mentioning the fangirls I have to satisfy while not being too affectionate as I still don't want them to think that I'm inviting them into some sort of harem. "Good to know."
"Aside from that, I don't have anything to say aside from what you may have already known. Unless you want me to give you advice about being yourself and all that clichéd crap," Coco admitted.
Yeah, but the thing is I haven't been myself since this whole mess started. I don't know if I have the right to say that I'm opening up for her as long as I keep up the act. I've been doing this for long enough that I have gone to the point where I'm having trouble distinguishing what is true about myself or not.
Coco finally stood up from her seat. "Well, I guess you've satisfied my curiosity. Just remember to take good care of Pyrrha. I heard that girls like her are pretty hungry for genuine love. I trust that you'll satisfy her with that then?"
"You have nothing to worry about. I'd be a bad partner if I didn't treat her well." I reassured her. Since I am rising to her level of fame at an alarming pace, I understand what she's going through which is why I think she should be thankful she was going to have a partner that can relate to her.
Coco then turned on Sun and Neptune. "As for you two. Just don't be too sure of yourselves. Anyhow, whatever happens from this point on, it'll be a humbling experience for both of you."
"Alright then, sure, whatever you say," Sun chuckled for a bit while Neptune was noticeably trying not to look offended.
"Good luck out there tiger," Coco then began to walk away before stopping for a moment to look back at me. "Oh, and by the way." She lowered her sunglasses, letting me see her brown eyes while she smiled smugly. "Your fly was down this whole time."
I glared at her before checking it out—turned out she was right. I groaned, zipping it up before standing up. This had also prompted the two to check their zippers as well. "Well that was something," I said.
"I've got to admit though, she's kind of hot," Neptune remarked, admiring her as she left the area.
"You got that right." Sun grinned. "I'm not gonna lie to you; I love a girl that could kick my butt. I'd have asked her out if she wasn't another sophomore."
Can't blame him. Having a kickass girlfriend means you have someone who can protect you. The only thing you have to make sure of is not to have her use her skills against you. "Yeah well, good for you. C'mon, we still have to find you a dance," I told him, reminding him that we still have girls to look for since one of his candidates for kickass woman was still being too moody and obstinate to take a break for once.
"Oh yeah, right. Let's get back to it then," he said as he and Neptune resumed accompanying me to scout around Beacon in this increasingly hopeless quest.
My conversation with Coco just made me realize that trying to have a normal relationship in Beacon was tougher than I thought. I'm not even sure if my fraudulent reputation made it easier or harder for me, it's another thing I'll have to see where it goes and hope for the best.
=o=
1. That's because Jaune rarely converses with other Beacon freshmen aside from his team and Team RWBY. So as far as I'm concerned, this isn't considered a surprise.
2. Southern Menagerian specifically as that accent is derivative of Albionic and Faunus Hibernian accents along with a mixture of some Vacuan dialects which stemmed from the fact that Southern Menagerie was inhabited by faunus exiles from Vale and Vacuo. While Northern Menagerie, the region where the Belladonnas originated from, was inhabited by Atlesian and Mistrali exiles, hence why the region possesses a mix of both cultures and dialects.
3. This is coming from someone who was repulsed at Yang's puns. It's almost as if the bad one-liners he stole from cheesy action movies weren't enough.
4. The 'shipping name' of Sun and Neptune, with Sea representing the latter and the Monkey obviously representing the former. This is one of the examples of ship names being based on themes associated with its members (not too different from how my team names our cooperative combos) rather than the traditional ship name convention of having their names combined together like 'Arkos' and 'Renora' which were examples mentioned in the previous chapter.
5. Sounds like they lack tasteful choices in pairings then.
6. A Gallican port city located near Pucelle where the Arc family regularly visits.
The sky was getting dark and we still weren't able to find a partner for Sun. We were able to encounter some Mistrali first-years who were actually Team SSSN fans but the problem was that most of them were already taken just like some of the other girls, and the ones who were available didn't feel like it or had either fainted or ran away feeling too embarrassed to dance with one of their idols and we weren't able to find them anymore.
And some of them preferred the other members of Team SSSN, much to Sun's disappointment while boosting Neptune's ego...until they told him they prefer his teammate, Sage.
Sun just looked down and sighed while Neptune just stood there with a frown after we went to the exterior of the residence hall for exchange students. "I guess Operation: Babe Hunt was a failure then. Sorry, guys." I said. This was a surprise for me, these two were more good-looking than me that they should have a date by now.
"It's okay. I think we'll be fine going to the dance on my own, who needs chicks anyway?" Sun brightened up for a bit before stretching an arm to Neptune's shoulder. "At least we still have each other's backs, right?"
"Yeah…" Neptune muttered, forcing a smile. "Hey, Jaune… I just wanted to say that…I'm…actually."
"That you actually what?" I asked, my interest piqued.
He paused for a few seconds before finally speaking. "It's nothing. It's just something about the girl who asked me out…"
"Oh okay, I'm guessing it's Weiss," I responded, knowing who that was already since I have never seen other girls flirting back at him before meeting some of his fangirls recently. Aside from that, I felt somewhat glad for him even if I would have opted for a better partner if I was in his shoes.
"Uhh… what?" he said, either being confused or playing dumb.
"I mean, isn't it obvious?" I pointed out, I still recall that he was able to call her 'Snow Angel' and get away with it. Say what you want about him, but he kind of deserves some credit for giving Weiss a better first impression than I did, maybe he did deserve to go to the dance with her.
"Ha, ya' got me." he scratched the back of his back as he blushed, with Sun giving a faint chuckle while appearing somewhat apprehensive. "Let's just say that I've already cleared the air with her."
"Really? That's good to hear. At least there's still hope for you." I said. Neptune was lucky to have Weiss drooling at him for whatever reason. [1] Not that it said much in my opinion. He would have otherwise had to go through being an embarrassment of a heartthrob who failed to take a girl to a dance as well. That wouldn't look good for Team SSSN's image.
"Yeah…" Neptune looked at his partner for a bit, exchanging nervous looks before turning back to me. "Thanks for your help. Things may not have gone to plan, but it was nice hanging out with you."
"No problem," I nodded before turning to Sun. "And sorry again that we couldn't get you a partner."
"Like I said, it's all cool," Sun reassured. "I'd like to think of this as a lesson of humility for both of us just like what that Coco chick said, maybe she's right about us. I guess we were too used to our popularity back home."
"Just remember the advice I gave you," I smiled at him encouragingly. "Hopefully, it might net you a girl someday."
"Trust me—after today, I don't think I'll be forgetting that anytime soon. Thanks again for your help."
"Anytime," I nodded at him before finally going our separate ways.
I was heading to the freshman dorms for Beacon students when I stopped to look at the Beacon's statue once more. It was the very same place where Blake revealed her secret. The statue symbolized the bravery of Huntsmen and Huntresses—and how they are protectors of the world; the plaque below it reads Beacon's slogan: 'Victoria Per Animae Simplex' [2]
It only made me question my presence here again. It's baffling to know despite how far I went, I still have a long way to go, and it's mostly because I'm too afraid to disappoint anyone. People were praising me for something that was not my intention yet again. As much as I enjoy some of the attention I was getting, particularly from the beautiful girls I met, I don't know how long I could hold the pressure or how long until someone was able to see past the lies. Ozpin was able to find out and it's only a matter of time until someone else does and for all the plans and schemes I prepared, I admittedly have no idea how to deal with that and the only thing I could do was hope that event would never come to pass.
I continued to stand and stare at the statue for a couple more minutes, sighing to myself as I kept asking myself if this is all worth it. It wasn't until I heard a familiar faunus girl's voice that I stopped staring and looked around before spotting Blake walking toward me.
"Jaune?"
"Oh hey, Blake." I turned to face her, wondering what she was doing here. She seemed to be in a somewhat better mood than she was before, and that was a good sign along with the fact that she approached me instead of the other way around. "Are you doing alright?"
"I wish I could say that," she looked down and faced me. "Jaune... you're not mad at me are you?"
While I did find her self-destructive obsession with the White Fang to be very infuriating that I gave up trying to reason with her and her stunt did cause a huge mess that made us reap what she sowed, I still couldn't bring myself to be angry with her even if I wanted to call her out for her compulsive recklessness. She seemed to be genuinely remorseful this time. If anything, I should be glad that she was apparently learning her lesson. "No. Not at all." I shook my head. "Upset? Yeah. Mad. Not really."
She sighed in relief. "Regardless, I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for the way I behaved lately. I know I've been very stubborn and have been pushing myself a lot. I have been so busy trying to chase down the White Fang that I've forgotten about those who I'm doing it for."
I stared at her, slowly walking closer as I listened to her apology that was sincere enough to regain my sympathy for her. "Blake..."
"I shouldn't have yelled at you yesterday, I knew you were only trying to help."
"I forgive you," I walked up to her and put my hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Just try not to push yourself too hard. We were just worried that you'd break yourself because of your restless mission against the White Fang. Take it easy. We'll even help you out when the time is right," I said, though to be honest, I still prefer if she doesn't look into the fangies again. There's already enough collateral damage as it is and the help that she could use was some therapy that would help her move on and focus on her Huntsman training.
She sniffed and wiped a tear as she looked at me back with a smile. "I know... which is why I changed my mind and decided to come to the dance tomorrow."
That statement shocked me in a positive way, seeing how her staunch refusal to attend has greatly been bothering us lately. This meant that Yang was able to successfully convince her and I was admittedly in the wrong for doubting her. "That's great! I'm happy that you've finally decided to settle down. I'm really proud of you, Blake."
"Yeah, I know. I realized that I shouldn't be taking you guys for granted. You all have been helping me even if you didn't have to. You've been the friends I never knew I wanted and I'm grateful for that."
"You're quite welcome. Just so you know, we're always here for you." I affirmed before letting her go.
She looked away as she gave a blush on this tender moment before asking me a question. "So, you're still coming tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, of course, I am. Why do you ask?"
"Do you already have a date?" she asked as she held her forearm.
"Actually, I do. I'll be taking Pyrrha out," I told her matter-of-factly.
"Oh," she sighed, looking noticeably disappointed. "I'm... happy for you then." she poked her head down.
"Thanks..." I nervously said but I could barely hide my empathy for her knowing that she was upset that she lost her chance to come with me and I only had one particular idea that could cheer her up. "By the way, Sun is looking for a partner himself, if you ever need a date, you could go ask him."
She poked her head up and slightly cheered up. "Well, I don't mind taking him out. Thank you, I really appreciate it."
"Just remember that I'll also be seeing you," I gave a reassuring smile. "I won't be a stranger."
"I will," she beamed. "Thanks again, Jaune."
"You're welcome."
She turned back and walked away before I knew it she was already gone. Knowing Blake, it wasn't a surprise. I gazed back at the statue, but instead of feeling guilt, I felt hope.
Yang actually did it. I take back what I said to her earlier in this entry. Whatever she did to finally get her to change her mind about the dance, I'll give her credit for it. Things just got a little better.
=o=
1. This is a false assumption. I do not drool.
2. 'Victory is in a simple soul.' In the Old Imperial Language.