Author's Note: Well it seems that this site's alert system was down when I posted the last chapter of this story. So if you haven't done so already, go and catch up on that before reading this one.
As always, a big thank you goes out to everyone for reading and reviewing. I know the Malachites are seriously under-represented in stories, and as a result don't have a ton of fans. So for so many people to have taken an interest in this story really means a lot to me. Hopefully soon more people will see the beauty of the Hellebores ship! All credit goes to a dude named Zaynal for the ship name.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Today was the day he had been waiting for.
Jaune had awoken earlier in the morning without the aid of his scroll's alarm. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was something of a norm for the young man. Whenever he had some sort of important event or meeting coming up in his life, it did not matter how little sleep he had received the night before. His body, his very subconscious were aware of it enough to force him to wake up in anticipation for the event hours before the time he had set.
It had not been long after that when the rest of the potential students had begun waking up. Some did so on their own, others with the aid of their scrolls. By that point Jaune had already prepared himself and was fully dressed in his combat attire. Well, to him it was combat attire, at the very least. Most people would consider blue jeans and a hoodie to be street clothes, but it was the white armor plates that would soon adorn his torso which made him different. Then again in a world infested with the creatures of Grimm it might not have been a bad idea for the average citizen to wear armor.
His fingers reached down to his side to instinctively grip the blue leather of Crocea Mors' handle before he remembered that it wasn't there. It, along with his armor, was safely secured in one of the lockers in Beacon's changing rooms. He longed for the feeling of his prized family blade in his hands. Today it would finally get a chance to be unleashed for real. The night with Ruby against the mercenary thugs from Junior's club hadn't counted. That had barely been a fight on his part, considering that Ruby had done the vast majority of the work.
He also refused to count the odd Beowolf here and there that he had managed to take out during his training back home. Those incidents had all been supervised and artificially induced. His father would take him out into the wilderness and lure one of the creatures so that Jaune could test his mettle against it. All the while his father would be standing on the sidelines watching over him like a hawk, always ready to jump in at a moment's notice should something go awry. It hadn't been real combat. Not when there was a safety net there ready to catch him should he fall.
No, today he would finally succeed on his own merits. He would prove to his father that he had what it took to be a huntsman. He would prove that this was his life to live, and that he did not need anyone's approval to live it how he wanted.
Over in the distance Jaune saw that the only two people he knew at Beacon were awake now as well. Well, one was awake. The other looked like the walking dead, a pale shadow of her former self who slowly walked as if she was under the spell of another.
Jaune smiled as he approached them. Ruby caught his eye and waved excitedly as he neared. It appeared that she was just as excited as he was, as she was practically bouncing up and down in place. The fact that she was also fully dressed spoke volumes of her eagerness to get things underway.
"Hey, Jaune!" she greeted happily. "It's almost time, I can't believe it!" She let out a soft squeal as she brought her hands up to her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle it. Her eyes drifted over to her left to regard the zombie beside her. "How can these people not be totally hyped?"
Jaune followed her gaze to where Yang still slowly trudged along, her back hunched over and neck hanging down limply as if the floor of Beacon was the most interesting thing in the world.
The way that Yang slowly brought up her arm made him think for a brief moment that she was about to respond to her sister's comment with a rude gesture. Instead she merely flicked her wrist to dismissively wave off the younger girl.
"Not now, Ruby," she said with a tired yawn. "It's way too early for this and I haven't had a shower yet."
Ruby placed her hands on her hips and shook her head lightly. "Only you would care about taking a shower before we go running off into the forest to fight Grimm." A tight smirk curled on her lips. "What, you wanna look your best for the big scary monsters?"
The guttural noise which sounded from the back of the blonde girl's throat resembled a Beowolf's growl more than human speech. To Jaune this would have been a very clear sign to back off and not taunt the girl who clearly was not a morning person. However it would seem that Ruby and Yang shared a very different relationship than he did from his older sisters.
"Try not to take too long," Ruby said as her sister walked away from them. "Initiation starts in a couple hours and I don't want you spending all that time on your hair instead of eating breakfast!"
Once more Yang did not reply with words, but rather than another growl or a fierce roar she merely lifted her hand once more and gave a single, lazy wave as she continued walking.
Ruby shrugged and accepted the gesture before turning back to Jaune. "So speaking of breakfast, wanna go get something to eat? I'm starving!"
The mere mention of food caused a hunger which Jaune had not known existed to come to the forefront of his mind. Perhaps it had just been his body's excitement and adrenaline rush suppressing the desire to eat.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Sounds good."
Making their way through the sea of students, the two teens began moving with the majority of the herd to the large room which they had previously learned was the cafeteria. Most of the prospective hunters had food on their minds more than cleanliness, because if rumors were to be believed they would be sent off into the unknown to battle against creatures of Grimm in order to prove their worth. To most people the idea of a full belly was more appealing than smelling nice. In addition the fact that they would most likely need a shower after the initiation process made taking one before seem pointless.
The lines for food seemed horribly long at first, but Jaune and Ruby quickly realized that like every other part of Beacon that they had seen so far, even the cafeteria strived for efficiency. Students moved from place to place as if they were on an assembly line, quickly getting their trays filled with whatever it was that their hearts and stomachs desired on what could only be called the most important day of their young lives.
Jaune could barely keep himself from salivating as he looked over the dazzling array of food which was at his disposal. It made sense, given that the defenders of humanity would need to be as healthy capable as possible. There would be no shortage of vitamins and nutrients in the meals here at Beacon.
For himself he chose what he perceived to be a classically balanced breakfast. All of the necessities were calculated out in his mind. Bacon and eggs would provide protein for his muscles, while an assortment of fruits and vegetables would fill him with vitamins and sugar. A glass of milk would give his bones calcium to keep them strong. The toast would give him fiber. He still wasn't sure what fiber was or what it did for him, but he had heard the word enough in cereal commercials to realize its importance.
Then again Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes seemed to be strangely lacking in that department for some reason. Maybe it wasn't too important after all.
Looking over to Ruby's tray he realized that she had a far different idea of what a good breakfast consisted of. "Ruby?"
The eyes which had been staring down at her meal looked up at him with a hint of mischief in their silver irises. "Yeah?"
"Is that really all you're getting?"
She followed his accusing finger to look back down at her food. Two plates sat on her tray. One consisted of freshly sliced strawberries. The other held a small pile of chocolate chip cookies. He saw a tiny lump in her throat appear and quickly vanish as she looked down intently at her breakfast.
Ruby spoke again without bothering to look back up to him. "Yep."
He shrugged. Obviously the girl knew better than him when it came to her eating habits.
The two found an empty table. Or at least empty enough that there were a couple of empty spots from the nearest others. Hopefully they would stay vacant long enough for Yang to be able to grab a seat and enjoy her own breakfast with them.
Speaking of Yang, a question which had been at the back of his mind suddenly returned to the forefront. "Does Yang really take that long in the shower?"
Ruby looked up at him mid-chew, interrupting her from the process of devouring the first of her cookies. "Wha?" she asked.
He smiled at the puzzled expression on her face. Her cheeks were so stuffed with cookies that she resembled a squirrel which had just hoarded a treasure trove of nuts for transport back to its home. "I mean, you made it seem like Yang's going to spend the next two hours doing her hair. Is she?"
A large gulp to finish off the cookies preceded Ruby's response. "Maybe," she shrugged. "But I think even she knows not to take that long today. And that she'll need food to keep up her strength during initiation."
The fact that Ruby spoke of the value of nutrition made him once again think about her choice in meals. Another tiny smirk curled on his lips as he watched her snatch up one baked good after another with all the speed and enthusiasm of a small child on a sugar high. The truth may not have been too far off.
The indistinct hum of dozens of conversations going on at once filled their ears as a comfortable silence settled over them. Jaune continued to eat his food as he looked around, occasionally catching sight of Ruby spearing two or three strawberries at a time on her fork like a fisherman would harpoon fish. He couldn't help but feel how the two of them were going to get along very well. She wasn't like a lot of other girls he had met in his life. She didn't appear to care about outward appearances or making a good impression. From what he knew about her she loved guns, huntresses and food. What more could one ask for in a friend?
As if to emphasize his private thought, Ruby suddenly slammed a fist on the table. "I'm so excited!" she squealed, instantly earning his attention once more. "After today we're going to be on a team. And then we can do all sorts of cool stuff together officially. I really wanna go out crime fighting with you again! That was so cool, it was like we were real hunters!"
Her enthusiasm was infectious and Jaune once again felt himself smiling. He was aware of just how much he did so around Ruby, and wondered if his face would eventually permanently twist into some horrifying smiling sneer just through the sheer volume of smiling. Well, he supposed there were worse things that could happen than to smile too much.
"That was pretty cool," he agreed. "And yeah, I hope we get to do that some more too." But hopefully not anything involving Junior again... his mind continued. The last thing he needed was to have a run-in with the organization whose boss could finger him as a phony.
Idle small talk continued until both of their plates were nearly empty. Even by that time Yang had still not reappeared to join them, but Jaune chalked that up to what Ruby had said earlier. While it may not take the entire two hours for the blonde girl to ready herself for the day, clearly she took longer than most. Ruby had known that and called her out on it. In the end Ruby had been right.
Both were interrupted from their conversation when a feminine voice sounded on the PA system above them. "Jaune Arc, please report to the deputy headmaster's office."
His brow furrowed in confusion, and after sitting there for a moment he looked over at Ruby once more to see her imitating his own expression. "What do you think that's about?" he asked her.
She shrugged slightly. "Dunno. Maybe they're doing last minute stuff with all the students."
He nodded absentmindedly. She could have been right, but the lack of any other announcements concerning other students dispelled that possibility. Well, there was only one way to find out.
"I guess I'll head down there and see what's up," he said as he pushed himself up from the table. She remained sitting there, undoubtedly waiting for her sister.
"Okay. You'd better not be late for initiation!"
Once again he nodded, this time in agreement. "Yup. I wouldn't want to mess up our chances of teaming up."
There was no prolonged farewell as he walked out of the cafeteria. After all, the two of them would be reuniting before initiation began. This was merely a minor distraction from what was a well-planned morning. Still, he wondered why exactly he was being summoned to the deputy headmaster's office.
Surely he wasn't in trouble, right? He hadn't done anything bad since arriving yesterday. It was probably just something about finalizing his admittance to Beacon, confirming emergency contact details, and all of the usual stuff that came with attending a school. Administrators liked to make sure everything was done properly, and it was probably doubly true in a combat school like this. In this line of work things like having the scroll numbers of family and knowing the blood type of the huntsman in question could be life-savers.
He and Ruby had gotten the lay of the land the previous afternoon when they had arrived and when Yang subsequently ditched them to hang out with her own friends from Signal. Ruby hadn't been adverse to the situation since she claimed that she would be just fine with her own new friend, referring to him of course. The idea flattered Jaune that she already considered him a worthy substitute for the sister she had known all her life.
As a result the two had taken a rather unscheduled and unwanted tour of the school grounds while they searched for the room where the welcoming announcements would be made. It turned out that the site of such introductions would not be made in the headmaster's office. Or that of his deputy. Or the library. Or the locker room. Or the cafeteria. Or the CCT communications room. No, much like with many things in life, they had finally found their destination after exhausting all other options. Almost literally in their case.
Jaune had little difficulty in remembering his way to the deputy headmaster's office. After all, how could he forget the stern look that the woman behind the desk had given him and Ruby after they had both stuck their heads around the slightly ajar door to peek inside in their quest to find out where introductions were being held? Eventually he stood before the door once more, this time entirely closed. A light rapping of his knuckles on the solid wood sounded throughout the almost deserted hallway he stood in.
"Come in," the slightly muffled voice from behind replied.
Jaune grasped a cold metal knob and turned it to gain entry. After pushing his way past he saw a familiar blonde woman seated once more behind her desk. She looked up at him past a pair of thin glasses.
"Mr. Arc," she said evenly. "Please take a seat."
She gestured to the plain wooden chair that sat on the other side of her desk. Adjusting it slightly so that his long legs would fit in front of her desk, he sat himself down and looked over the area which the woman had been working. Neat stacks of paper covered almost the entire left-hand side of the desk while a computer sat closer to the right side. A large scroll-like device rested there as well, most likely some sort of handheld tablet than the communication device which rested in his pocket.
He hadn't known what to expect the rest of the office to look like, only getting a momentary glance yesterday while searching the campus with Ruby. However he could not say that he was surprised by its rather spartan appearance.
"So, um," he said uneasily. Just sitting in this room across from a woman with such an intimidating aura had sapped all of his earlier enthusiasm from his body. "What's up?" Immediately he winced at his choice of words. From what little he had seen Glynda Goodwitch appeared to be a very stern and by the books woman.
He hadn't known if Ms. Goodwitch would take issue with the phrasing of his question. If she did she made no sign of it. "I am aware that this meeting is on rather short notice," she said evenly. "However I have only now finished with my call from Sanctum Academy regarding an inquiry of mine from a couple of days ago."
Jaune nodded. Business came first after all, and it's not like he was going anywhere anytime soon. Well, unless one counted initiation starting in a little more than an hour.
He saw as Ms. Goodwitch picked her tablet off of the desk before tapping if a few times. Eventually she turned it around so that he could see the screen. "Tell me, Mr. Arc. Do you recognize this young woman?"
The girl in question was a young beauty, probably around his age. Long, fiery red hair was bound in a ponytail to reveal a slim face decorated by sparkling green eyes that resembled precious gems. Clad in bronze and leather armor from head to toe she looked like a warrior of Valean antiquity rather than someone he might breathe the same air as.
There was a feeling in the back of his mind that told him that he had seen the girl before, but he wasn't sure. Perhaps she had been in Beacon's main hall with the rest of the prospective students earlier? It would certainly make sense with her attire. Sadly however he could not say this with any certainty.
Jaune frowned with a slight shake of his head. "No, can't say that I do."
A small sigh slipped through the deputy headmaster's lips as she nodded. "I thought as much. The young woman you see in this picture is named Pyrrha Nikos. She is the reigning four time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament, and Sanctum Academy's star pupil. She will be attending Beacon starting this year."
His eyebrows rose in surprise. That was an impressive list of accolades. The fact that she would be attending a school in Vale rather than Mistral was quite an achievement for Beacon.
Ms. Goodwitch's eyes remained focused on his. "Curious that a student who attended Sanctum Academy with such a girl failed to recognize her."
In an instant Jaune's heart froze, and he felt as if streaks of cold lightning were shooting throughout his entire body. His transcripts said that he had attending school in Mistral. The very same school that Pyrrha Nikos did. His mind whirled as it began putting the pieces together. If the woman before him had just finished with a call from Sanctum Academy...
"Mr. Arc. I am aware of the fact that you did not attend Sanctum Academy as your records claim you did."
He felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of his lungs. His mind went blank as the whole room seemed to expand until nothing was clear or coherent anymore. It was just him, a speck of a man surrounded by a void of nothingness. Not even sounds seemed to register with him anymore, and from what he could tell it took several attempts for the woman to regain his attention.
"Mr. Arc?"
He snapped out of it, bringing up a finger and thumb to rub his eyes clear of the sudden weariness which had filled them. "Yeah?"
"You are aware that this is a serious crime, are you not?"
A crime. He never really thought of it like that. To him this had never been about doing anything illegal. It had never been for greed or power. It had been about living a dream. A dream that had been denied to him by the one who had taught him what he had learned up to this point. His father loved him enough to train him. However the man also loved him enough to try and deter him from walking down the same road that he himself had.
"I never..." he started before trailing off. Did excuses even matter at this point? He had been found out. From the stern look on her face he could tell there would be no convincing her with the sob story of living out his dream. Despite this however, he couldn't just say nothing. "I didn't do it to hurt anyone. I just wanted to be a huntsman."
The woman's own green eyes did not waver. "The intent of your actions does not concern me. If you are unqualified enough that you feel the need to forge your transcripts then you are most likely a liability in the field. The fact that you did not wish to harm anyone will not matter if someone ends up hurt or killed as a result of your lack of experience or skill."
The words struck Jaune hard. He had never thought of it like that. People would have placed trust in him. People like Ruby and Yang. What if one of them had been hurt because they trusted him to hold off a Beowolf and he failed? How would he ever live with himself?
He felt a lump building in his throat. "I just..."
She cut him off before he could utter another word. "Are you aware that your father attended Beacon Academy?"
Of course he knew. He looked up to his father just like he did with past generations of his family who fought in the conflicts which had torn Remnant apart. "Yeah."
"The submission of your transcripts so close to the deadline forced me to look over them personally," she continued. "However it is the fact that the son of a Beacon graduate having studied in Mistral that piqued my special interest. We are thorough in the background checks of all of our applicants, Mr. Arc. A simple call to Sanctum Academy to confirm what your records showed was all that it took to find a contradiction."
So in the end it was the fact that his family had a legacy in this field that had sunk his chances. The fact that the people he looked up to and inspired him had also inadvertently cost him his chance to attend Beacon was not lost on him. He may have laughed bitterly if not for the severity of his current situation.
"It was an excellent forgery, I will admit. Had I not looked over it myself it may very well have been enough. However, Mr. Arc, I must inform you now that your time at Beacon Academy is over."
That was that. The hammer had fallen. This was his fate. There was no fighting against it. What else could he do? Beg? Plead? Tell her that he would make a good huntsman if she would only give him a chance?
No. She had told him how she felt about him. That she believed he would be a liability to the others. There would be no such chance for him.
He took a deep breath. "So what happens now?"
"Your belongings have already been gathered and will be returned to you shortly. You will find Bullheads at Beacon's landing pad which will return you to Vale."
It wasn't what he had intended, but the certain absence of the expected answer gave him a sliver of hope. "I meant...you said it was a crime. Aren't you calling the police?"
Jaune considered the word crime once more. Both Ms. Goodwitch and himself had referred to his actions as one. It had sunk in now, and he had had a short time to reflect upon it. What had he expected? He had went to a known crime boss in order to get his forged transcripts. Crime boss. It was in the title. There was no doubt in his mind now that what he had done was illegal, even if it had been with the best intentions. However as the woman had said earlier, those intentions did not mean a thing when it could have gotten his peers hurt, or worse.
"I am not," she answered flatly. "Consider it as a professional courtesy to your father. We prefer to keep the affairs of huntsmen and huntresses out of the public eye, and the court of public opinion. Whatever punishment a professional huntsman like your father considers appropriate for his son will be far more fitting than anything Valean authorities are capable of."
The words sent chills down his spine. He had no idea what the man would do to him. Or his mother. Or his sisters. He had put his life, and the lives of countless others on the line because of his actions. All without their knowledge or consent. Now that he thought about it, whatever the police might do would probably be tame in comparison to his parents. He almost wanted to ask Ms. Goodwitch to reconsider her decision.
He was afraid to ask his next question. "Do they know?"
"No. This is a responsibility which you must deal with yourself."
She had not contacted his parents either. Perhaps it was by design. He now had to muster the strength and courage to tell them on his own. He didn't know which was the worse punishment.
He nodded in understanding. "Alright." What more could he say?
"Your personal effects will be waiting for you outside." She brought a hand up to straighten her glasses as she continued to look at him with a neutral expression. "I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors."
He didn't respond. Not when it sounded like he had just been fired from his job. In a sense he had been.
Jaune stood up and opened the door without another word being spoken between the two. This was it. His life was effectively over now. His dream had been crushed. The only place left to go was back home.
Evening had fallen upon Vale, and with it came the calm silence of an empty barroom. His men had left for the day a little while ago, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Moments like these had become far too familiar for his liking in recent days.
Junior stood behind the bar looking over what had once been a beautiful and vibrant dance floor. The shiny black tiles at the center had been removed entirely, the damage done to them irreparable after they had been shattered by the blonde girl with a single punch. Soon enough the materials would come in to rebuild the piece of prized real estate within his club. It was a top priority, as having a night club without a dance floor was inviting disaster. Disaster and bankruptcy.
He took in the sights all around him, thinking about how much better things looked now. All of the debris had been cleaned up. The dust had been swept away. The remaining pieces of broken furniture were resting in the alley dumpsters. All in all it just looked so empty now. It reflected how he felt inside.
Things were bad now, for more reasons than just the troubles with his club. The twins had gone out the other night on their own initiative. Melanie had told him that it had been to collect from the Blood Axe Gang, who up until that point had been on time with their monthly payments which allowed them to operate on Junior's turf. The idea that the two girls had gone to collect an early payment for the next month would have normally irritated the older man. However, their account of what had happened quickly dispelled any thoughts of anger that he might have possessed. Not only did they resist the attempt through force. They had spilled valuable information.
In the end that was what had been most precious to Junior when the twins had returned. The near two thousand lien would help him in this time of urgent need. Of that he had no doubt. However the information which Melanie had shared told him that there was a new player in town. Unknowns were dangerous. Especially in his line of work.
Pieces were starting to fall in place now. A strange, unknown girl comes into his club and trashes the place for no reason, putting several of his men out of action. The very same night Roman Torchwick had come in and hired some more of his men. The criminal's botched operation resulted in all of those men now being behind bars. The result was that Junior's operational strength had been crippled beyond any easy repair. The loss of half a dozen men in either situation would not have been insurmountable. But to lose a full dozen in the span of two days... that was bad. It was beyond bad. And he didn't think it was a coincidence either.
Who was the new player though? He very much doubted that it was Roman himself. That man was a known commodity in Vale, and there was no way he possessed the ability to operate under the radar. The man was as egotistical as he was flamboyant, and would want any and all of his crimes to be broadcast just so that he could revel in his fame. No, this went beyond Roman Torchwick. The only problem was that Junior could not think of anyone else who might fit the bill.
Junior placed a short glass on the table, filling it about halfway full with a light amber liquid. Looking down inside it for a moment he pondered deeper meaning of it. Before he could get far, however, a voice sang through the air and interrupted him from his thoughts.
"We're going out, Hei~" the familiar upbeat voice of Melanie said.
Well, at least they were happy. In the end that was the important part in all of this, wasn't it? "Looking for more trouble?"
The black and red-clad twin sidled up next to Melanie, giving her sister a soft jab with her elbow. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her."
Melanie shot a betrayed look back and forth between her and Junior. "Me? Cause trouble? I'm like, hurt and stuff."
Miltia rolled her eyes but said nothing. Junior himself softly shook his head as he took a small sip from his drink.
"As if the info we gave you yesterday wasn't super important," the teal-dressed girl continued. "So what if we want to get you some more? You should be thanking us for being so charitable."
He set the glass down as he looked into the older twin's eyes. "So you mean to tell me that you're going out and busting heads out of the goodness of your heart?"
Melanie's unflinching gaze met his own. Even if he hadn't known the girl for almost a decade now he would have seen the mischief dancing in her emerald irises. "Yep," she said with unwavering confidence. If she had been speaking to anyone else it might have been convincing.
Junior let out an amused chuckle. "Alright then. You won't see me trying to stop you."
The longer-haired girl let a sly grin slip across her features. "I knew you'd see things my way. Maybe when I get back you'll have a nice little reward waiting for me."
A slight shift of his focus to the girl next to Melanie revealed the younger twin letting out a soft breath. Clearly she wasn't looking forward to whatever this night and the following morning had in store for her.
He waved them away with a shooing motion of his hand. "Fine, get out of here. Don't get in too much trouble, alright?"
The twins had began walking away, but Melanie stopped after Junior's last words. She turned around to regard him with a most unfitting innocent expression. "Why Hei, I have no idea what you mean."
He saw how Miltia was trying and failing to hide the small smirk on her own face. Even if the twins had dressed identically and styled their hair the same, there were always small tells which would give away who was who.
It was good that they had one another. Miltia kept her sister in line. Grounded down to Remnant where without her, Melanie's free spirit might have taken her too close to the sun. Close enough to get burned.
In contrast Melanie pushed her younger twin past her limits and out of her usual comfort zone. Without her, Miltia would likely not have nearly as much fun as she did following in her sister's lead, and might not experience all of what life has to offer.
Then there were the other reasons. The reasons which the three did not speak of often anymore. Ones which were the cause of bringing Junior back to the bottle more often than not.
This wasn't how it was supposed to be.
He was supposed to have gone to Beacon Academy and trained for four years to be a huntsman. He would make friends. Fight the creatures of Grimm. Become a hero. Maybe even meet a nice girl along the way. Things had started so perfectly after meeting Ruby and Yang. But now that was all over. He had nowhere to go now but home. And that was the last place he wanted to be right now.
It was strange just how much things could change in a single day. Twenty four hours ago Jaune had been exploring Beacon with Ruby. They had talked all about how they were going to be on a team together with Yang. How they were going to have fun every moment of every day, whether they were in class, in their dorm or out battling against Grimm. Everything had been going according to his plan. Everything felt right.
This did not.
After arriving at the air ship terminal Jaune had just sat there for hours. He had been in shock. Even after the fallout of his conversation with Ms. Goodwitch, it all just seemed so surreal. He wasn't going to attend Beacon after all. So where was he going to go? He hadn't a clue. Certainly not home. How could he? How would he ever be able to face them and tell them what he did? How would he be able to tell them that he had not only lied, but lied to put his life in danger when his father knew that his skills were not what they should be to attend a combat school?
Everything just felt so empty and meaningless right now. He had even turned his scroll off for the slight chance that someone might call or message him on it. Right now he didn't feel like speaking to anyone. So he walked. He wandered around Vale trying to think of a solution to the problem he had gotten himself in.
The angry, irrational and strangely violent part of himself almost wanted some petty mugger to approach and confront him. While he may not have been on Ruby's level, he was fully capable of handling himself in a fight against their brand of scum. He had proven as much on the night he had fought alongside the girl in the dust shop robbery. Being faced with a lowlife right now would give him an excuse to vent his frustrations. Even though he had brought all of it onto himself.
In the end he decided to head back to the hotel where he had stayed at upon first arriving in Vale. He still had a little more than three hundred lien left, the amount he had put aside for his fake transcripts. He was fortunate that Junior had sent him on a mission instead of taking the lien, otherwise he would have been entirely out of options. At least a couple of nights in the hotel would give him time to think about what he should do. It might be enough time to come up with a plausible excuse as to why he was coming home early from his supposed school for the arts. Maybe his family did not need to know about what happened at Beacon.
The weight of it all felt heavy on his shoulders, and it was more than just having to carry all of his luggage from the terminal back to the hotel as he had once before. With Crocea Mors at his hip, his guitar case strapped across his back, and his suitcase in one hand, that would have normally been more than enough for him to handle. Everything felt ten times as heavy now, however. It was taking all that he had within him to keep going.
Jaune's head turned as he passed by a familiar building. One which he had visited on two different occasions now. One where his new life was supposed to have begun.
Junior's club looked as unremarkable as ever in the dim light of the setting sun. On the inside he knew that it was a different world entirely, or at least it once might have been. Someday soon it might return to its former glory. He would not be around to see that, however. He would be a long way from here back at his family's home. Hopefully he would not be under some sort of house arrest if he did wind up telling his parents the truth.
He shook his head in sad regret, but when he was about to look away saw the front doors open up to reveal a pair of figures stepping through them.
Two pairs of light green eyes met his, and he froze on the spot a moment later.
The twins he had met on two separate occasions seemed to have the same recognition that he did, and after momentarily stopping themselves focused their attention entirely on him before making their way over to him.
The longer-haired one, Melanie, if he remembered correctly had taken the lead. It was she who spoke to him first. "Well well," she said with soft surprise. "You're the last person I expected to see here tonight."
He couldn't help but stare as the two girls approached him. The red and black striped thigh-high stockings Miltia wore led up to what most schools would consider to be an illegally short black skirt and a tight black shirt. For the first time today Jaune was happy he was not in a school. And while Melanie's black and teal dress left more of her legs to the imagination, it did have the added benefit of revealing silky smooth, cream-colored legs that only a naturally pale beauty like her could pull off.
Jaune shook the thoughts from his mind. No! Bad Jaune!, he internally chastised.
It appeared that he had stared for too long if the growing smirk on Melanie's face was anything to go off of. "See something you like?" she asked teasingly. "Told you I was a distraction."
His attention was drawn to Miltia when she snorted softly before rolling her eyes.
With eyes averted and now focused on the sidewalk below, Jaune could only mutter a soft apology. "Sorry," he said.
"Don't be, she likes the attention," Miltia said.
"As if you don't either," Melanie replied. "Most girls don't wear skirts two sizes too small for them because they're comfortable."
"Whatever."
Melanie giggled, turning her focus once more on Jaune. "Sorry. Miltia's the dumb one..."
The words instantly perked up the shorter-haired girl, who looked at her twin with narrowed eyes. "As if, Melanie," Miltia said as she swatted her sister with the back of her hand. "We both know that you're the dumb one."
"Um, no?" the other countered. "I think you're like, mistaken there, Miltia."
"I don't think I am, Melanie."
"Whatever, Miltia."
"Whatever, Melanie."
"Miltia."
"Melanie."
"Miltia!"
"Melanie!"
"Um, girls?" Jaune managed to squeak out softly
"What!" both girls roared simultaneously.
Jaune didn't know what he had just gotten himself into, and a large part of him did not want to find out. If this sibling argument was anything like any of his sisters it could get out of control very quickly. The difference was that his sisters were not armed with cruelly sharp blades on their heels and wrist-mounted claws.
The fact that both Melanie and Miltia were both armed suddenly dawned on him. They also had him alone in a bad part of Vale at dusk. With all of his belongings on him he was indeed a prime target to be robbed. Only now rather than some random street thug being the perpetrator, there were two armed and dangerous fighters standing close enough to slice into him with their blades. Unconsciously he took a step backwards.
It was all that they needed to ignore their own argument and focus on him once more.
"Leaving so soon?" Melanie cooed. "We only just ran into each other. I wanted you to tell us all about your little experiences in Beacon."
"Yeah," Miltia agreed. "Why are you here anyway?"
Did they honestly care? Or was it simple curiosity? Jaune didn't know. However there was no harm in telling them. It's not like they didn't know the whole story up to this point anyway.
"Beacon didn't work out," he said simply.
He caught a glint of light in the eyes of Melanie as her head tilted slightly. "Oh?"
Jaune shrugged. "Yeah. I'm heading back to my hotel now."
"Ah ah!" Melanie said as one of her hands latched on to his free wrist. She had been so fast that he could not have stopped her even if he had not been burdened by his luggage. "Tell us all about it over drinks."
The lack of a free hand stopped Jaune from rubbing the back of his neck nervously. He could only shrug before he spoke. "I... I don't really have that kind of lien right now. I need everything I have left for my hotel."
"Psssh!" the girl said with a flick of her wrist. "It's on the house. One of the perks of being us."
"Yeah, totally..." Miltia said sarcastically.
This time it was Melanie who rolled her eyes as she dismissed her sister's comment. "Whatever. Ignore her. Come with us, take a break, and drink. You look exhausted."
He felt exhausted too. Not just physically either, but emotionally as well. It was an exhausting thing to have one's dreams crash down on top of them. If nothing else he could just sit down and have a glass of water. That along with simply getting off his feet right now sounded like a decent enough idea.
In the end he gave in to her idea. Something inside of him told him that even had he refused that he would not be given much of a choice. "Alright. Sure."
Melanie flashed him a sweet, innocent smile as she dragged him back to the door from where she and Miltia had come. The other girl followed along on his other side, as if the twins were escorting a condemned prisoner down the jailhouse hallway to his execution. If he died tonight he wouldn't need to face his parents. That was a plus. Jaune shook his head at the idea. He knew he was being overly dramatic, however. He knew these girls... sort of. Murder probably wasn't on the top of their list of favorite activities. And if all they wanted was to share a few drinks with him while he talked about Beacon, where was the harm in that?
This had been most unexpected.
Miltia stepped through the last set of doors which led into the huge open room of the first floor of Junior's club. It would seem that Melanie's plans had been altered, if not cancelled. While she hadn't exactly been looking forward to it the same way that her sister had, it was at least something that was planned out... to an extent. She knew what she was getting into when she went out with Melanie. This on the other hand, she didn't know what the final outcome would be.
The boy looked dejected enough that he could use a drink. Maybe it would all turn out for the best.
"Oh Hei~" Melanie said, announcing her presence once more. "We have a visitor~"
The man behind the bar turned to see the three of them approaching. If there was any surprise by what he saw he hid it well. He merely locked eyes onto the three teens as they approached, one hand resting on the counter with the other holding onto the glass which was nearly empty now.
After downing the rest of its contents he spoke. "I didn't expect to see you back here, kid," he said nodding to Jaune. "Shouldn't you be over at Beacon saving the world and all that crap?"
Melanie ushered Jaune onto one of the stools at the bar, taking the seat on his right. Miltia moved over to take the one on his left. She and her sister did so unconsciously at this point. Isolating and surrounding their target was a tried and tested strategy for the twins. The only difference this time was that they intended him no harm.
Before Jaune could answer it was Melanie who spoke. "Three shots of whiskey, Hei," she said with a dazzling white smile on her face. It faded however as the man behind the bar shot a stern glare in her direction. Melanie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I mean Junior."
Miltia knew why he had reacted the way he did. Very few people in the world knew Junior's true name. To an outsider like Jaune, saying the man's first name so casually like that could lead to unwanted problems. Miltia did not feel that it would be the case, however. From what had seen Jaune was a decent enough person, outside of the fact that he had intended to falsify his way into Beacon Academy. The fact that she still did not know the whole story, and that it was Melanie who interrupted Junior's question, was not lost on her.
"So?" Miltia said, adding onto Junior's question. "Why aren't you at Beacon?"
Jaune's gaze turned to look down at the bar counter. He sat in silence for a few moments before finally speaking. "They found out I was a fraud," he said gloomily.
Three shot glasses slid across the bar to rest in front of each of the three teens. Melanie took hers with glee and poured the colored drink down her throat. Miltia toyed with hers with a pair of fingers. Jaune had not even shown the slightest of interest in his.
"And how'd they do that?" Junior asked. "My work was flawless."
The blonde boy laughed bitterly. Miltia could detect no hint of humor in it. "I think that was the problem," he explained. "They were too good. They believed I really did go to Sanctum. They thought it was weird that the son of a Beacon graduate would have gone there, and so asked about me."
Miltia heard a breath slip from Junior's throat. Looking up at him she saw that a small frown had formed on his face. "Well shit," he said. "If I had known that I would have come up with something else for you."
Jaune shrugged. "Yeah. Thanks anyway."
There was no malice or sarcasm in Jaune's words there. Only defeat.
"Aw it's alright," Melanie said comfortingly. Miltia on the other hand knew better. "Even if things didn't work out there, there's no reason you can't have a little fun with us tonight." She eyed the drink which still sat in front of him. "You said you would drink with us and you haven't even touched it."
Jaune's eyes followed her own to rest on the small glass in front of him. "Yeah. I know, but this isn't really my kind of scene."
"Oh, I get it," the elder twin said with sudden recognition. "It's the taste. That's how it is for most newbies. Junior," she said teasingly. "Can you make him some girly, fruity drink that he might like? Oh oh, maybe something with a little pineapple slice on the edge of the glass?"
"I don't need a girly drink," Jaune said defensively. As if to emphasize the point he picked up his whiskey and tilted it back against his lips, swallowing a second later. The quivering motions his arms and torso made betrayed him instantly.
"You sure about that, big guy?"
He didn't respond with words this time. He could only growl underneath his breath as he continued to stare down at the bar.
Melanie began to laugh at his expense. "Maybe a nice warm glass of milk would be more your scene."
Junior had placed the bottle on the counter top, and Melanie was quick to refill both hers and Jaune's glasses. Apparently the older man knew that this was going to be a long night and was not interested in playing the bartender role for the three of them.
"So tell us about yourself," she continued. "What's some little thing like you doing trying to be the big strong hero?"
Miltia noticed how Jaune's hand had moved to the glass, and much like she did, began batting it lightly back and forth with his fingers. "My dad is a huntsman," he said. "It's all I've ever wanted to be since I was young."
A small surge of disgust filled her momentarily, and she was sure that Melanie had felt the same sensation. Both girls hid their reactions physically and verbally.
"Okay, so you wanted to be like him. That's cool," Melanie said. Only Miltia and Junior knew that it was a blatant lie. "Got any brothers or sisters? Or are you the only child?"
The spinning of the glass seemed to increase in his fingers now as he spoke. "Seven sisters, actually," he said casually.
That earned Miltia's first attention, and she put the glass down just as she was about to empty its contents. Had she been a second too quick she might have just sprayed it on the bar. "Seven sisters?" she asked incredulously. "Are your parents rabbit faunus or something?"
"Wow, Miltia. Racist much?" Melanie teased.
Miltia was just about to sputter out a denial over the outrageous claim when she caught a fortuitous glance of Jaune's hoodie. The sight only emboldened her further. "Look!" she pointed accusingly as if she were a prospector who had just discovered a new deposit of dust. "He even has a cute little bunny head on his hoodie!"
Jaune looked down at the bunny in question before looking back up to her. "What? Pumpkin Pete?"
"Like, the cereal?" Melanie asked.
Miltia shook her head. "I'm calling it right now. Rabbit faunus."
"They aren't rabbit faunus," Jaune argued.
"Then how!"
"Do you really think that I wonder about how and why my parents wound up with so many kids? That I'd even want to know?"
Miltia's lips curled into a frown. Now that she thought about it, she was basically asking the teenage boy about why his parents had so much sex. Even if he did have some sort of explanation, it probably was not something that he wanted to think about.
"Whatever," she replied. She took the opportunity to finally finish off her first shot before Melanie slid the bottle her way for a refill.
"I think this is where I step out," Junior said as he lifted the bar door and stepped out from behind it. "I'm sure this is going to turn out to be a lovely conversation, but I'm not going to stick around to hear it." His eyes glanced over the three of them, but focused on Melanie in particular. "You girls play nice, got it?"
The man's primary target waved politely at him as he stalked away. "Will do, Junior!" she said with sickeningly sweet enthusiasm. She turned back to Jaune a moment later, a predatory gleam in her eyes as she licked her lips. "So seven sisters and you're the only boy. Must have been hard growing up."
He shrugged. "I guess. Older sisters can be a little difficult."
"I can relate," Miltia said under her breath.
Melanie scoffed at the comment but otherwise continued. "Well I meant more like, did your dad want you to follow in his footsteps? To be a little huntsman like he was too?"
She saw how Jaune's shoulders slumped a little bit with the question. "No," he said softly. "He didn't."
The answer surprised Miltia, but the way he had said it did more. There was something deeper behind his words, and she knew that Melanie was eager to learn the truth.
"Oh really? Why's that?"
"I don't know. I guess he just thought it was too dangerous. Or that he didn't think I was good enough." He looked down at the glass in his hand and began to tap the rim of the glass. "That's why I had to get the fake transcripts. And we know how that worked out."
"That sucks. Must feel like shit not getting to do what you always wanted after being so close."
"Yeah..." he agreed. "It does."
Miltia saw how one of Melanie's fingers was tracing circles around on the counter top. With her other hand she toyed with her hair, twirling it around a finger until she had reached up to the white flower which adorned her raven tresses. She was enjoying herself at the moment. As was expected when she invited Jaune in for drinks.
Her elder sister continued down her chosen path with another question. "Nothing else you ever wanted to be then?"
A labored breath slipped through the boys lips. "No. Not really."
A small part of Miltia felt sorry for him despite of what she thought about the huntsman profession. It didn't matter that his dream would have put him at odds with them, in more ways than just the obvious. The fact was that his dream was crushed and he was appropriately devastated.
Melanie hummed thoughtfully at him. "Well that's a shame. What are you going to do now?"
He looked down to the glass. "I don't know."
In the end he wound up gripping the glass tightly in his fingers before raising it up and drinking it all. It would have looked like a stereotypical solemn scene from a movie had he not blanched right after finishing the drink.
The moment he set it down it was refilled by Melanie. He looked her way once more, and the girl smiled innocently at him. "It's on the house, remember?"
"Yeah, but I think I'm done for the night. I'm not much of a drinker. At all, really."
An amused smile crossed her lips. "Tell ya what," she said before she emptied her own glass. "I'll have a drink for every one you have so that things don't get out of control. Once I hit my limit you're free to stop. Sound good?"
Miltia knew one of her sisters traps when she heard it, and this was most certainly one of them. The petite and unassuming girl looked innocent enough. Melanie stood around 5'6", perhaps an inch or two taller than herself. With not a lot of meat on her dancer-like frame most would assume she could not handle her alcohol. Little did Jaune realize that she would most likely be only mildly buzzed by the time he was passed out on the bar.
"I don't know," he frowned. "I don't think-"
He was cut off when Melanie pressed a finger to his lips. "Shhh," she said softly. "I can tell how sad you are about not making it into Beacon. It's okay. Drinking will make all the pain go away for tonight. And every other night after if that's what you want."
"Melanie..." Miltia warned in a low tone.
Her sister's eyes slipped past the boy in the middle to focus on her own. "He's a big boy, Miltia. He can just say no if he wants to." Her eyes settled back on him once more. "So what's it going to be? My little huntsman."
Miltia recognized the nickname for what it is. A taunt. A reminder to Jaune of what he wasn't able to achieve. A reason for him to give into his sorrow and take Melanie up on her offer. A reason to hand over power to the girl who sat to his right.
In the end Jaune relented, and downed his third shot with the usual response afterward. Melanie kept to her word and mimicked him a moment later before refilling both glasses once more. To her this was like playing in the shallow part of the pool. For Jaune she might as well have been throwing him headfirst into the deep end.
"So about your sisters," she said, reigniting the earlier conversation. "What was that like? Any embarrassing stories?"
Jaune breathed out a soft laugh at the question. "A few."
"Oh? Like what?"
The small tinge of red which flushed on his cheeks seemed to indicate embarrassment. That, or perhaps he was coming under the influence of his alcohol a little quicker than expected. "I needed my own tent when my family went camping. They liked to braid my hair sometimes. Whether I was awake or not."
Melanie laughed at the story, and Miltia herself softly giggled at the image of the blonde boy's longish hair in pigtails. Or perhaps even more complex styles when he was asleep.
"It wasn't that funny," Jaune said in his defense. "The worst was when they used me as a test subject for makeup." He stopped before he looked down at the counter and shut his eyes. "Ah crap I can't believe I said that."
Perhaps the red in his face was indeed a mixture of both if he was beginning to lose control of his inhibitions. Miltia shot a look over to Melanie, and saw that her sister merely had an amused smirk on her own face.
For the next several minutes Melanie continued to prod and poke at Jaune for more stories like those. Things from his childhood. Things about his family, and more specifically what his sisters would do with him. The information poured from him like water from a tap. Being coerced into playing with dolls. Dressed up as a girl. The list went on and on, and Melanie laughed at each story as Jaune told it. She seemed to be having a good enough time at his expense, and Miltia would be lying if she said she wasn't amused as well. However she hid her emotions a little better than Melanie did.
"Sucks to be the only boy in the family," the girl in teal said amusedly. "Now I'm jealous I didn't have my own little brother to play with. Miltia is such a buzzkill sometimes."
Miltia felt a surge of frustration rise inside her at the quip. "Please, Melanie," she bit back. "You'd be dead ten times over if it wasn't for me."
"And how many times have I saved you in a fight?"
"I'm not even talking about fighting! And the only reason we even get into those fights is totally because of you!"
"So you're saying I'm the fun one," Melanie smiled. She looked back over at Jaune, who's head was swiveling back and forth to try and keep up with the twin's conversation. "Keep that in mind, boy toy. I'm the fun one around here."
"You're an idiot," Miltia said flatly.
"Whatever," she said with a wave. Green eyes roamed the room before they settled on the items which Jaune had been carrying with him out on the street. "Is that yours?" she asked, pointing down to the guitar case at the feet of the stool.
Jaune looked down at it momentarily before he began nodding. "Yeah."
"Why do you have it?" Miltia asked. "Doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd need at a combat school."
He turned away from Melanie to face her, and judging from her sister's reaction she did not appreciate his attention being taken off of her. "I had told my parents I got accepted into an art school as a cover," he explained. "They had no idea I was going off to Beacon." He shook his head before he grasped his glass again. "Or tried to at least. I can't go back home now. Not when they think I'm at some art s-school for my guitar..."
So he had lied to his parents in addition to forging transcripts? At first Miltia had thought he was nothing but another child who wanted to be the hero. The type that Junior had told her and Melanie about back when he had attended Haven. However maybe there was more to the blonde boy than met the eye. Heroes didn't usually lie to get to where they were. Especially not to their own family.
"So you play?"
He shrugged. "A little. I'm decent enough I guess."
"Oh fun!" Melanie said as she placed a hand on his shoulder and spun him around in his stool to face her again. "Play something for me?"
Miltia couldn't see his face anymore, but his delayed response and the shaky tone in his voice was beginning to betray his current state. "I don't know. I don't th-think I can do it too good right now."
"But you brought it with you to Beacon. You were probably going to sing to all the pretty girls there, weren't you?"
He didn't answer. He looked down at the bar once more, sadness still in his eyes.
"Aw, come on," her sister pouted. "Serenade me, little huntsman. Sing to me like one of your Beacon girls. Dance monkey, dance."
And there was the crux of why Melanie had invited Jaune in to begin with. A shame the boy was probably too far gone by now to recognize it. He was innocent, naive and oh so very corruptible. Melanie saw it as well, and was more than willing to use these facts to have a good time at his expense. Nothing harmful or having a lasting damaging effect. However Miltia knew how much her twin enjoyed having her way with others. She knew how much the girl liked the feeling of being powerful and in control.
Miltia had seen this scene play out far too many times before. Despite the flirtatious undertones there was no romantic intent here on the part of her sister. Nor was there malice behind her words and actions. No, Melanie sought only to screw with someone for her own amusement. Jaune was just unlucky enough, or lucky, depending on one's point of view, to be the target of her attention on this night.
"S-sorry," he slurred. "I can't."
Melanie shrugged off the excuse with a smile. "That's okay. Maybe another time."
"Yeah," he agreed as he picked up his glass. "Maybe another time."
He downed the drink, and this time his usual reaction was muted in comparison to what they had seen before. Miltia very much doubted that he was used to the taste right now. Perhaps it was just a result of his senses being dulled to the point where the alcohol didn't bother him like it usually did.
His arms were folded on the counter now, his chin resting on them like a makeshift pillow. "I can't believe it t-turned out like this," he mumbled. "I was supposed to be a huntsman. Why couldn't they just let me try?"
A look over his head towards her sister showed that the smile had slipped from her face. Perhaps even she was now having a difficult time reveling in the sorrow of another.
"I wasn't going to let anyone else get hurt..."
With her sister seemingly lost for words for once in her life it was Miltia who decided to answer him. "I dunno," she answered, not bothering to offer an explanation. "I'm sure you'll figure something out though."
His head shook softly in his arms. "Can't go home," came the muffled reply.
Silence settled over the room for the first time since coming back inside the club. The normally loud and obnoxious Melanie had gone quiet, seemingly satisfied that she had accomplished her mission of getting the boy drunk and poking fun at him. Miltia looked over to him and noticed that his breathing had taken on a steady rhythm. His head had not moved since uttering his last sentence.
Melanie reached over and placed a hand on his hair. When he did not stir she lifted his head up by it off of the bar. "Wow, he's out. What a shame."
Miltia looked on with a neutral expression. He was indeed out cold. It looked like he would not be heading out to his hotel on this night. If there was one benefit she would argue that he got from this little experience it was that he would have an extra day's worth of lien to plan on his future. She very much doubted that this had been her sister's intentions.
"But it was fun," the girl continued as she stood up. She let go of his head as she did so, and Miltia winced as Jaune's head unceremoniously impacted back onto his arms. "We should totally do this again tomorrow night."
"Are you trying to give him alcohol poisoning?" Miltia asked as she too got to her feet.
"Pssh, he just needs to build up his tolerance," her twin said dismissively. "I bet even you could out drink him."
Miltia's eyes narrowed at the intended slight. "Shut up. Of course I could," she said defensively. Melanie raised an eyebrow at her mockingly. "I could! Just because I'm not an alcoholic like you doesn't mean I can't handle my liquor."
Melanie waved off the insult as she walked. "Hey, I'm not an alcoholic. I'm a connoisseur. There's a difference."
"I bet you don't even know what that word means."
"Bitch I don't need to be able to quote a dictionary to use a word."
"Whatever," Miltia said, not quite believing her sister's excuse.
"Whatever to you," Melanie echoed.
Neither said another word until they had reached the staircase doors. Melanie stopped suddenly, her eyes bright with happiness... or mischief. Even she had a hard time telling the looks apart at times.
"Melanie?" she questioned.
"Hey, Miltia..." she started. A short pause followed after as she continued to look her sister in the eyes. "There's this new look I've been thinking of trying out... wanna help me with it?"
The younger twin had no idea what she was talking about. However now that she got a good look into those emerald orbs, Miltia knew that she could not say no to whatever was coming next.
Author's Note: Poor Jaune. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into with these girls.
Questions, comments and concerns? Let me know and I'll do my best to address them. Leave a review, tell me what you think. Every little bit helps. This ship is in uncharted waters, after all.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.