Adrenaline was beginning to fade away. In its place came familiar feelings. Feelings born from familiar sights. Familiar sounds. Pain she had not felt in quite some time. She felt her body tremble slightly from it all. She wanted that adrenaline back. That wonderful chemical that would make her fearless again. Luckily for both of them there was an alternative for that.
Miltia knew that Melanie was feeling similar to how she was. The ones responsible for that feeling were gone though. That little blonde shit and her friends were gone. They had taken her own blonde with them. The realization of that stung. He had chosen them over herself and her sister. Why? Why couldn't he have just stayed? Why did he have to go off and fight?
Looking around the club, Miltia was happy to see the damage wasn't too bad. A little bit of minor cleaning was required, but they wouldn't be out of business for weeks like they had been before. Things could have gotten much worse, but Jaune had been there to create some semblance of peace between them and his Beacon friends. Imagining the alternative, another episode of Yang thrashing both her and Melanie, tearing the club apart, was frightening. Miltia felt a shiver run down her body at the thought of another night like that.
It had been much like it had been that night. Despite their best efforts, Miltia and Melanie had been all but helpless. Sure, she had gotten a solid hit in on Ruby, but that was quickly forgotten when the white-haired girl stepped in to defend her with enough fervor to make Miltia think that the two were somehow related.
In the end they had been helpless to stop the Beacon students. Helpless like they had been the night Yang first walked in and kicked all of their asses. Helpless like they had been back at Mountain Glenn.
Anger swelled up inside of her. Anger. Hatred. Fear. This was why they had learned to fight. This was why they lived a selfish and greedy lifestyle. So that they would never be helpless again. So that they would never want for anything again. Their perfect little world of safety and control had been shattered... again. By the same stupid bitch and her friends. It made Miltia feel small. Like despite how strong she got, no matter how much she had, there would always be someone out there stronger than her who could take it all away.
Like they had taken Jaune away from them.
Melanie was already over at the bar, and she had apparently grabbed the first bottle within arm's reach and placed it on the counter. It was a good idea. Like Melanie had once told Jaune, drinking could make all the pain go away for the night. As well as every other night if it's what they needed. For her older sister, that statement turned out to be more true for her than Miltia herself. Those words of wisdom had come from experience.
Seeing that her sister had grabbed a pair of glasses, Miltia moved over to join her sister in what would undoubtedly be another silent drinking session. However before anything could be poured, a familiar but unexpected voice spoke up in protest.
"No," Junior said as he moved and grabbed the bottle from Melanie's hands. His voice was unusually stern, with barely hidden anger behind it. "Not tonight. Not after what you two did."
Surprisingly Melanie did not speak up in argument. She simply sat on her stool, staring down at the countertop.
Miltia could guess at Junior's motives. To him, seeing Melanie drink was to see her having a good time. She liked her liquor. It was all fun and games to her, at least on the outside. Drinking was like a reward to Melanie. Depriving her of it tonight would seem like a suitable punishment now that the truth about their activities had come out. To him it probably seemed like it was a decent attempt at parenting.
On a normal night he probably would have been correct. However Miltia knew otherwise. She didn't need her Semblance to know how her sister was feeling. Lost. Afraid. Hopeless. Feelings that could not be cured, but could at least be numbed by alcohol.
Knowing that Melanie's lack of a response spoke volumes, it was Miltia who decided to speak up. "Hei," she pleaded softly. "Please."
The man looked over to her, and for long seconds the two locked eyes. Miltia motioned her head over to where Melanie sat. She still stared down at the counter. Her fingernails danced atop the wood in nervous activity. Those fingers would be sated only by being wrapped around a small glass filled with expensive booze. Miltia knew it. Deep down Junior knew it as well.
In the end the man relented, and he poured the girl a drink himself. Melanie said nothing, but grabbed it as soon as he was finished, and downed it in one angry motion. The glass slammed back down on the counter, and Junior was quick to pour the girl a refill. It may have taken a little reminding, but he understood that she needed her fix. Like he had once said, bartending was the only form of therapy he knew. Tonight it would just have to do.
Once Melanie stopped pouring back her own drinks and decided to nurse the one in front of her, Junior moved to pour Miltia one as well. She drank her first almost as quickly as Melanie had, and was happy to see the man give her a refill as well. "Thanks," she said.
The thank you was for more than being serviced herself. It was for his understanding. For his compassion. He knew them both almost as well as they knew themselves. He had raised them since rescuing them from Mountain Glenn. He knew their pasts. Their weaknesses. Their traumas. Tonight was much like ripping a bandage off of a wound that had not yet healed and watching as blood oozed out from it.
He grunted an acknowledgement to the girl. She could tell he was still unhappy with the recent turn of events. However he was not about to punish them at a time like this. Not when they felt so weak and vulnerable. In their own little twisted familial way, they were his girls. He was the closest thing they had to a father. It just worked. He would protect them just as if they were his own flesh and blood.
The trio sat in silence for a while as they drank. As they did so, Miltia saw how the hired help began to clean the place up. Men in black suits and red sunglasses dragged still unconscious bodies through the rear door. Others who were awake put up a little bit of a struggle as they kicked and thrashed at their treatment, but they were quickly beaten into submissions by Junior's grunts.
She didn't know what would become of the White Fang members who had so brazenly attacked them tonight in their attempt at revenge. They wouldn't be killed, that she knew. Junior didn't like that sort of messiness. Dead bodies brought up unwanted questions. The terrorists would probably be stuffed in a van and all but gift-wrapped on the front steps of the Vale police department. If not that, they'd probably be taken somewhere and beaten within an inch of their lives with a warning not to come at Junior again. For an average citizen-turned-terrorist, such a harrowing experience would probably scare the thought of terrorism out of their minds forever. In any case, she and Melanie wouldn't have to get their hands dirty. That was a plus.
She didn't know how long they had been sitting there before someone spoke once again. By this time the bodies had been cleared, and it was apparent that Jaune and the Beacon girls weren't coming back. It was Junior who once more broke the silence.
"Do you understand why I'm angry?" he asked to no one in particular.
Melanie shrugged. Miltia didn't even feel like responding at all. Their silence was enough to prompt Junior to continue.
"We suspected that Torchwick and the White Fang were up to something," he continued. "But we had no proof. We can't go around making people into enemies without proof, understand?"
"We knew there was like, a new player in town," Melanie said softly. It was a rarity for the girl to not speak with her usual confidence and energy. "And there is. The White Fang are here."
"They are," Junior agreed. "But we still don't know what their intentions are. We found out tonight that blondie over there was just some huntress. That changes everything."
"Bullshit," Melanie argued. That time there was a little fire in her voice. Maybe her liquid courage was starting to kick in. "Even if the White Fang weren't gunning for us, the other gangs were totally losing respect for us. Shit would have gone down eventually."
Miltia could agree with that. Minor gangs and crime families across Vale had started to waver in their loyalty to the top dog. The twins had gone out fighting against them on more than one occasion to try and restore order, but compliance through fear and violence would only last so long. As soon as they sensed weakness, as soon as they saw the White Fang as the rightful heir to the Valean underground, they would stab Junior in the back. They would fight over his carcass like carrion.
Junior shrugged. "Maybe. But now there's no wondering about it one way or another. There's a war coming. Tonight was only the beginning."
"So what? They're all in like, Menagerie or whatever."
"Obviously not if they're here making a play on Vale."
"So we'll fucking deal with them like we did tonight," Melanie snarled. "I'm not fucking scared of those crazy pricks."
She spoke bravely, but Miltia knew better. She herself was scared, and deep down she knew Melanie was as well. It had been Melanie's initial reaction to hearing that the White Fang were in Vale back when they interrogated Tukson. It was the right reaction too. Any sane person would be scared about having to face off against a group of fanatics. Just because they had gotten a couple of victories over their pathetic cannon fodder did not mean that they were victorious over the organization.
"Do you two have any idea how large and influential the White Fang is?" he asked them. He didn't wait for an answer before continuing. "We may only have the attention of a single cell, but they're a worldwide organization. If they think we're too much trouble, they will come at us. You two may be a lot stronger than their grunts, but they have numbers. Numbers and fanaticism. And you should not underestimate what a fanatic will do for their cause."
Junior's words were chilling. The scale and severity of the problem he was laying out was most certainly a cause for concern. The White Fang dwarfed their own operation. She felt small as a result. Her abilities were small. Her power was small. It made her feel helpless all over again.
She took another drink at the thought.
"So what should we do?" Melanie asked. "Can we like, make peace or something?"
"With a fanatical terrorist group who hate humans?" He laughed. It was devoid of humor. "Good luck with that."
Miltia didn't like how pessimistic the man sounded. If he was trying to make them feel better about the scale of the situation they were in, it wasn't working. Then again maybe he wasn't trying. Junior had always been a realist. He didn't sugar coat things. He didn't treat them like children, even when they had been. It was one of the reasons they loved him. He was honest with them in a world that wasn't always truthful. For much of the world, huntsmen and huntresses were heroes. To someone who had been on the inside of the system, he knew that they were little better than guns for hire. People who would help out the kingdoms when needed, but who would sell their services when they weren't.
Junior frowned and shook his head slightly. "I don't know." A small laugh slipped through his lips a moment later. "Maybe the kid has the right idea. Search and destroy. Take 'em out before they even become a problem. Just like a real huntsman would do."
Him bringing up Jaune stung. He should be right here next to them planning out their next move. Instead he was out with Ruby looking for more trouble to get into. The betrayal hurt. He should have been on their side. However the boy was still a little huntsman right down to his core. He wanted to help. He wanted to stop the terrorists before they could act. Miltia felt that she shouldn't be surprised by the actions he took tonight.
"Fuck him," Melanie spat angrily.
Miltia understood her twin's sentiment, but the wording was a little on the harsh side. She was disappointed with his choice. Even a little bit angry. However she wasn't about to write him off because of one bad decision. He was a free person after all. And it wasn't as if she was unaware of his hero complex and desire to be a huntsman. What he did in his own time was his own business.
Even if it did involve mingling with a certain blonde bitch and her sister.
"Look," Junior said evenly. "We're going to get through this. I don't know how yet, but I won't let these guys bring us down. I'll do my best to try and smooth things over with them, but if it comes down to a fight we're not going to lose."
She nodded. Even if she didn't quite believe things would be cleared up just like that, Miltia trusted Junior. There was a certain feeling where she knew that everything would turn out all right as long as he was involved. He knew more than she and her sister did. He was more capable. He had more experience and connections. Knowing that he was there made her feel at ease.
The man moved out from behind the counter and towards the main entrance. "I'm going to go try and fix whatever blondie did to get in here, and put a sign up that says we're closed for the night. With this mess in here we won't be fit for the public, and I think you two could use the time off anyway."
A small wave of relief surged through Miltia. He was right. She didn't feel like working tonight. She didn't feel like drinking or partying or anything beyond curling up in bed clad in her night clothes. She only hoped that she would see a familiar face come tomorrow morning. A part of her was considering staying up until he came home.
Miltia shook her head. Home. This wasn't his home. Not really. He simply had nowhere else to go.
On the other hand, this was her home. She was a criminal. A thug. Even if she didn't view those things in a negative light, she had seen how Jaune had looked at her. Or rather how he hadn't looked at her. There were times recently where their eyes would meet and his would dart away. Like he was scared to look at her. Scared of her. All because he knew who and what she was. He knew what she was capable of. What she had done.
"I'm surprised."
Miltia was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of her sister's voice. She turned to look at Melanie, whose hand was propping her face up on the counter. "Huh?" she asked.
"You're not going with him," Melanie explained. "I thought you'd want to make sure your poor little baby bird wouldn't get a boo boo."
Miltia rolled her eyes. She hated how Melanie made it seem like she was his babysitter. Her sister wasn't entirely wrong though. Miltia did want to protect Jaune from this life. To preserve his innocence so that he wouldn't become like them. Lately he had been getting a little too into fighting against the White Fang. Like he actually enjoyed the violence. A fact which Melanie herself seemed to be getting more and more into the idea of.
Seeing Jaune's work against the terrorist he had faced off against tonight was chilling. The man's face had been split open from top to bottom courtesy of Jaune's shield. Yet it seemed like the blonde boy felt nothing. Like there was no regret behind his actions. It was scary. Perhaps it had been necessary, but still scary nonetheless.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Miltia argued. "He's with Ruby after all," she added bitterly.
Melanie took another sip of her drink before smirking deviously. "Someone's jealous."
A narrow-eyed glare did nothing to remove the stupid smile from the girl's lips. "Shut up."
Her sister cackled annoyingly. "Totally jelly~" she sang.
"I liked you better when you were pissed off."
Melanie grabbed hold of Miltia and pulled her close. The suddenness of it almost caused the younger girl to lose her balance and fall from her stool. "Aw don't be like that," she cooed.
Miltia struggled until she was able to push away from her sister. "Get off of me! I so don't believe even you could get drunk this fast."
Melanie's laughter only continued as she allowed herself to be separated from the other girl. "Nah. Not even buzzed yet," she bragged.
"Well fucking good for you."
"Oh for fuck's sake, don't get bitchy with me because Jaune's hanging out with other girls."
"Says the girl who just said 'fuck him'."
"Yeah, fuck him," Melanie agreed. "But him being an asshole won't get in the way of us having fun. After the shit we went through tonight? We need to fucking get wasted and forget all that. We'll deal with his ass tomorrow."
The words gave Miltia pause. Deal with him. She wondered what her sister meant by that. Surely Melanie wasn't planning to kick him out of their lives, was she? Or at least kick him out of her own life. She doubted that Junior would allow the girl to make a decision for all three of them. Knowing Melanie, she'd probably just give Jaune a severe ass-kicking after she had sufficient time to recover from her hangover. Then maybe if he begged for her forgiveness, and allowed himself to be subjected to all sorts of torture and humiliation during a night of drinking, her sister would find a place in her heart to forgive him.
Before she could learn of her sister's intentions, however, Junior reentered the picture. "No," he said. "Not tomorrow."
Miltia turned and looked up at the man. "Huh?"
"Change of plans. You two," he said pointing to them both. "You're going out there to the docks and bringing him back. Tonight."
She began to open her mouth to protest, but Melanie beat her to it. "Fuck that," she said harshly. "And I'll say it again. Fuck him."
"What you wanna do with him in your free time is up to you," Junior quipped. Again, there was no humor where there might normally be some. "But for right now you two are going out and finding him before he can cause even more of a shit storm with the White Fang than you three already have."
"But-"
"Now, Melanie."
They'd had some time to relax. To unwind. To let the alcohol flow through their bodies and calm them down after what they'd gone through. Junior had been quite understanding of their feelings. However, that did not change the fact that they were still in a very dire situation right now. One which did need to be addressed sooner rather than later. In lieu of actually working tonight, they had another job which needed to be done.
A few tense seconds passed as Melanie's hard emerald eyes stared up into Junior's dark ones. Finally, and expectedly, the girl relented.
"Fine," she whispered harshly. "Whatever."
It was a rare thing when Junior brought out his more stern side. An almost fatherly side. Most of the time he spoiled the two girls who most people would think were his own daughters. However, sometimes parenting wasn't about being nice. A father was not his children's best friend. That meant making decisions about what was for the best. For what was right. Not what was easiest.
Miltia complied without a word of protest. Deep down she did feel like this was the right thing to be doing. Not for the sake of relations with the White Fang, but for Jaune. She was one of the reasons he was involved in this mess. She was the one who had told herself that she would look out for him in this cruel and dangerous world.
If he went out there and got himself hurt or killed because she wasn't there for him, she would never be able to forgive herself.
Ruby was called a lot of things by the people who knew her best. When it came to her nature and demeanor, she was often called innocent. Pure. Maybe even a little naive. However there was no mistaking the atmosphere that surrounded her and the others since leaving Jaune's club. The situation was tense. There was no getting around that.
It was for more reasons than why she had initially set out on this evening. Before it had been a fact finding mission. Maybe even a rescue mission. Now though... those concerns had all vanished. Unfortunately they had been replaced by entirely new ones.
Fear and worry gnawed at her stomach. Jaune was okay, and she was glad for that. However learning that fact had brought with it more baggage than she had anticipated. Jaune worked for a club that Yang had just happened to trash shortly before attending Beacon. Back then she hadn't thought much of it. Yang had said it was a long story, but didn't elaborate on it much beyond saying that it was some criminal hideout and that she had beaten up a bunch of baddies. Ruby was fine with that. She had done so herself only a few days later. Jaune had even been there to help. It had been cool. They had helped. Now though...
Now she knew that Jaune's... secret girlfriends had been the victims. Now she knew that Yang had wrecked the place he had come to work at. Did that make those girls criminals? Did that make Jaune a criminal? Or was Yang perhaps mistaken the whole time? If the latter was true, then what did that make her sister? Was Yang the real criminal here?
And then worst of all, to top it all off, there was Blake. Her dark-haired teammate had fled after presumably outing herself as a White Fang terrorist. Weiss believed it to be true at least. As the girl had said herself, why would Blake be so adamant about defending a known extremist group? Why would she take offense to comparing the White Fang to a serial killer? Why would she flee in panic after blurting out such a denial?
It didn't make sense. Blake wasn't a faunus... was she? Sure, the girl liked her tuna, but lots of people did! Lots of normal, well-adjusted, non-terrorist people. Lots of people wore bows on their head too. Sure, it might be there to cover up some faunus trait on her head, but her simply liking bows was a far more likely explanation. Then again, the girl never seemed to remove the fashion accessory. Ruby couldn't recall a time she hadn't seen her teammate wearing it.
It was just another reason they were out here right now. They had to find the truth. They had to find Blake. They had to get their team back on the same page before everything fell apart. Ruby was not about to abandon her friend in a time of need. She was not about to have her team fall apart before it even completed a single semester at Beacon.
Still. The tension in the air was palpable, and it had been that way for much of the walk so far. Jaune was silent, probably upset with Yang. Weiss was silent, probably upset with Blake. Yang was silent, probably upset because of both the argument at the club and her partner running away. And Ruby was silent and upset because of all of the above. What a wonderful friendly outing this was turning out to be.
The scenery had changed, and Ruby was happy that the bad part of town was right next to the industrial district. Probably because no one with lien would want to live next to factories and offshore warehouses. With the sun beginning to dip below the horizon, it only further emphasized the need to find Blake sooner rather than later. The thought of going home tonight without the girl caused a shiver to run down her spine.
As the smell of the sea began to travel with the wind, Ruby cupped her hands around her mouth. "Blake!" she shouted out to no one in particular. She only hoped that the girl in question would be around to hear it. "Blake! Where are you!"
She hadn't expected any sort of answer. However if Blake knew her friends were out searching for her, she might just reveal herself. She might want to try and talk things through.
Disheartened, but not surprised that her teammate hadn't come running over to greet them, Ruby repeated the same actions from a moment before. "Blake!" she called again. "Blake!"
"Will you stop that already?" Weiss snapped.
Ruby shot her partner a look that sat somewhere in the middle of hurt and annoyed. She still didn't know why the heiress harbored such disdain for the White Fang, but for whatever reason Weiss' temper seemed to be shorter than usual.
"Well we have to do something!" Ruby argued.
"Walking down the street yelling like a crazy person will do us no favors."
The redhead's arms folded across her chest as they walked. "And what would you suggest we do then?"
"We find the smoking gun," Weiss explained. "If there is a White Fang operation taking place on one of the docks tonight, all we have to do is find it. Furthermore, if Blake is a member of the group and has fled back to her compatriots, she will most likely take refuge with them at the docks. The last thing we want to do is alert them to our presence."
Weiss' explanation made sense to Ruby. It was logical and well thought out. It still just seemed wrong though. She felt as if they should do more than just wander around in silence looking. If she had time she would have made flyers with a sketch of Blake's face on them and handed them out to every person she passed. She would have even offered a reward for the girl's safe return.
She winced slightly at the thought. If Blake did turn out to be a faunus, she probably would not take kindly to being treated as a lost pet. Did that make her racist? Why did this have to be so complicated?
"She's right," Jaune said, speaking up for the first time since their journey had begun. "These scumbags have all kinds of weapons up their sleeves, so having the element of surprise is important."
Ruby couldn't argue with that. The mixture of small arms and crude blades that the White Fang members had been armed with would be deadly to most people. However they were not most people. They were Beacon's finest... and Jaune. Though she had admittedly not seen much of him in action tonight, she did know that he was capable of holding his own against the terrorists.
He was right. Weiss was right. They had no idea what or how many people would be at this hypothetical White Fang operation. Having the element of surprise would be a key advantage if a fight broke out.
A glance over to the white-haired girl revealed a small but satisfied smile on her face. The fact that Jaune had agreed with her must have been music to the girl's ears. It wasn't often that any member of the team agreed with Weiss on much of anything.
"Perhaps you were right about your friend," Weiss said as she looked over to meet Ruby's gaze. "Anybody who can see the White Fang for the scumbags that they are is welcome by our side. I suppose he's smarter than he looks."
Leave it to Weiss to follow up and negate her praise with a needless jab. If the implied insult had offended Jaune, he showed no signs of it. Instead he seemed intent to stay on topic.
"So do you think your friend really is in the White Fang?" he asked.
Ruby could only shrug at the question. She really didn't know, and she wasn't about to make any assumptions. "I hope not," she admitted. "But we're going to find out tonight. I'm not going back to Beacon until we find her."
"I refuse to believe it," Yang added. "Not until I hear it from her mouth."
"After what she did?" Weiss questioned. "What she said?"
"We don't know what she did or said. Not exactly."
"I don't believe there's much room for interpretation with her reactions tonight."
"Yeah, well, so what?" Yang argued. "Even if she is in the White Fang, she's still our friend. She's my partner. And I know there's more to her than what people might think she is."
"Easy to say about your partner. Too bad you couldn't think that way earlier," Jaune said.
Weiss and Yang both went silent as they joined Ruby in looking over at the boy. He didn't look back, but instead had his eyes focused ahead of him.
His lack of attention did not stop Yang from replying, however. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He still didn't bother to look at the other blonde as they continued on their journey at the docks. "Why'd you do it, Yang? Why did you do what you did to Mel and Mil?"
"Who?"
He shook his head. "Melanie and Miltia. The girls you beat up."
"You were there, they started-"
"I don't mean tonight," he interrupted. "The first time."
A heavy silence hung over the group of teens as they walked. That uncomfortable silence had returned. The tension came with it. Only now the cause of it was right there among them instead of a lost girl they were searching for. Normally Ruby liked to attack problems head-on, but here she didn't quite know how to deal with it.
Luckily her sister was more socially adept than she was, and decided to take on the issue. "They were a threat," she admitted. "I had to take them out."
"Why though? Why did you start the fight in the first place?"
More silence. Yang looked away from him and down to the pavement. In the end she wound up shrugging. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" he questioned. There was a hint of anger in his voice. "You don't know why you left a couple of girls bleeding and lying in a pile of rubble and glass? You don't know why you ruined their business? Their home?"
"They're criminals," Yang protested.
"So are you!"
The words struck Ruby hard, despite her not even being their target. They apparently hit Yang hard as well, if her wide-eyed reaction was anything to go by. Like it or not, Jaune was technically correct. Vigilantism was a crime. As was the amount of damage which Ruby had seen Yang do to the club just standing outside of it.
It didn't take long for her to recover though, as she was soon back on the offensive. "Well, I may have caused some damage, but I'm at least a good person who did a bad thing." She pointed a finger at the boy. "If you could even call beating up a bunch of gang members a bad thing."
"Oh, so it's okay because you decided they're bad people?"
"I didn't decide," Yang protested. "The law did. People like them break all kinds of laws and get away with it."
"And your friend's a terrorist," he pointed out. "What do you think the law has to say about that?"
"You don't know that!"
Alarms were ringing in Ruby's head and she quickly ran out ahead of both of them before putting her arms in between them. It wasn't as if they were about to come to blows, however the gesture was more for show than anything else.
"Guys," she pleaded. "Come on. Now's not the time. You're friends, remember?"
They were friends in the broadest sense of the word. They'd only known each other for about a day. However with Jaune as her own friend and Yang as her sister, she was the glue which held them together. Being the intermediary meant that they could be friends too. Even if right now it didn't seem like they were.
Yang was the first to relent. It wasn't unusual when it came to matters concerning Ruby's wishes. "Fine."
Thankfully Jaune was in agreement. "Yeah. Got a little heated there I guess."
More silence. Ruby just wished that something would happen so that they could come to some sort of understanding. Whether it was Yang apologizing, or Jaune explaining what the girls were really all about, she just wanted this tension between the blondes to end.
As it turned out Yang seemed to be the one to offer some sort of olive branch. "I guess... I guess I sometimes lose my temper too," she admitted. After a few seconds she followed up on her thought. "Back at the club. I was looking for someone. I guess I was disappointed when I didn't find what... who I was looking for."
Ruby could take a guess who that person was. She had gone out looking for the woman once before. It had nearly gotten both of them killed. It turned out this time, if Jaune was right, that two different girls had been close to being killed.
"I found them afterward," Jaune said after Yang had finished her thought. "They were both hurt pretty bad. Aura totally drained from Miltia at least. Could have turned out a lot worse though. Luckily it didn't."
Yang nodded slowly. The expression on her face was distant, and perhaps she was thinking something similar to what Ruby was. "Yeah."
"You can't just go around hurting people because you think they're bad."
"Isn't that what you're doing?" she argued. "What you did before? Going out and kicking White Fang ass because you think they're bad?"
"That's not the same at all. The White Fang are bad. I know that. But Melanie and Miltia aren't bad people."
"Yeah? How well do you really know them? You've only been working there like a month. Two tops."
Before Jaune could reply, Ruby felt as though she had to interject. She made a fist before coughing into it meaningfully. Moving a bit closer to Yang, she spoke in a lower voice than normal as if what she was about to say was some sort of private or embarrassing information. "Uh, Yang. They're kinda, um, his... his girlfriends."
A look of sudden realization replaced the formerly upset expression on her sister's face. A glance over to Jaune, who had also heard those words, saw him wearing a confused, and almost panicked look on his own face.
"Oh. Ooooh," Yang said knowingly. "Now it makes sense." A small grin spread across her lips as she looked at the boy in a seemingly whole different light now. "But wow, both of them? Way to go. No wonder you're working there."
"W-wait, what?" he sputtered. His reaction made Ruby feel as though she maybe shouldn't have spilled that info without his consent. "No. That's not it. Not at all. I mean honestly Mel just sort of likes to mess around with me, but nothing beyond that."
"Ah, gotcha. Friends with benefits. Still. Nice."
He waved his arms animatedly. "No, not like that either! And definitely not after tonight."
"But you didn't deny anything about the other one."
Ruby's head swung back around to look at Jaune. Yang was right. He didn't deny anything about the other girl.
She saw how he scratched the back of his head nervously. Her heart sank at the thought of her sister actually hurting the girl.
"Well..." he started. "It's kinda complicated, I think. And I think I killed any chance I had with her coming with you guys tonight." He shook his head. "But we're getting off track here. This isn't about my love life. Or lack of one."
To be honest Ruby would have rather discussed that then what they had been before. At least now there was no arguing. There was no clash of morals or ideals. Just a few teenagers having a little bit of fun.
Still, she winced at the thought of Jaune's chances of a romantic relationship with that girl being potentially ruined. Once upon a time she had feared being known as Ruby "the home wrecker" Rose when it came to him and those girls. As it turned out, even if he wasn't currently in a relationship with either of them, that nickname might be close to being true.
"The point is, they're not all bad. Yeah, they work at Junior's club. But so do I. And I'm right here with you trying to stop the White Fang because I've seen what kind of monsters they are." He glanced over at Weiss, and she gave him a small nod of approval. "And they have to be stopped."
"Okay, fine," Yang relented. "I get it. I guess... it's possible they're alright. You're right, I don't know them. Just like you don't know Blake. And I know that White Fang or not, she's still a good person too. One you shouldn't lump in with the rest of the terrorists."
Jaune shrugged. "Fair enough."
Was that it then? Did this conflict have a peaceful resolution?
Ruby's dreams shattered like ice when Weiss spoke next.
"We'll see," the heiress said coldly. "They are monsters. They are murderers. Jaune said that he knew a victim of theirs. So did I. A great number of victims, in fact."
Yang turned her focus to Weiss now. "Weiss, you can't possibly believe Blake's a murderer."
Weiss looked back, her gaze hard and unwavering. "I wouldn't have believed that the girl I shared a room with was a part of the White Fang either. Now, however, I don't know what to believe anymore."
She wasn't exactly wrong. Ruby never would have imagined that Blake was caught up in all of that political and extremist nonsense. However as both Yang and Jaune had brought up, looks could be deceiving. For better or for worse.
Hopefully they would be able to find out soon. They had been looking at each dock they passed. Who knew that Vale had such an extensive shoreline? Or that it had so much industrial space? They had seen so many ships and cargo containers at this point that everything was starting to blur together.
That was when she heard it. They all heard it if their physical reactions were anything to go by. The explosion and rising plume of black smoke was more than reason to investigate one of the docks up in the distance. Perhaps it was quite literally the 'smoking gun' which Weiss had been referring to.
The four teens all shared a glance. In a heartbeat their past grievances were forgotten.
Ruby was the first to speak. "Guys... do you think..."
She didn't need to say anything more before Yang pushed ahead, taking the lead as her pace increased. "Let's go."
As one they dashed towards the voice, and the potential threats that came with it.
It almost felt as if he was surrounded by walls, and they were closing in on him. Large cargo containers labeled with the words Schnee Dust across the sides littered the area. If they were full then they were walking in on a very volatile area. A volatile situation. Who would be careless enough to create an explosion when surrounded by literal tonnes of dust?
Jaune could feel his pulse inside of his head as he ran with the three girls from Beacon. Adrenaline was beginning to surge through him. Underneath the leather of his gloves his hands felt warm and sweaty. The all too familiar feeling of anticipation and anxiety was building in his chest. A fight was coming. A fight against the White Fang. How weird was it that despite his fears and concerns, that a part of him was actually craving this fight? Out of both a sense of justice, and a sense of personal satisfaction.
The blonde girl, who he had only recently exchanged harsh words with, put up a hand that brought the three teens who were following her to a sudden and grinding halt. She pressed herself up flat against one of the crates, and the others were quick to mimic her actions. Overheard the roaring engine of a low flying Bullhead forced him to bring his hands up to his ears. He could feel the wind blow harshly past him as the vehicle touched down nearby.
More explosions began to sound, their loud booms dwarfing even the air ship's noisy engines. They had to do something. Now. Before whoever was stupid enough to be blowing up a few thousand pounds of dust managed to get them all killed.
Peeking around one of the corners of the container, Jaune felt his heart skip. The Bullhead which had touched down was currently disgorging White Fang soldiers. They were all armed. And with at least one more Bullhead still flying over them, they were also only just the beginning.
"Oh my gods," he heard Yang gasp. He turned to look at her, but a moment later she was gone.
"Yang wait!" Ruby shouted as she rushed after her sister.
Subtly was out the window now. This would be the best chance they had at the element of surprise. He followed closely after Weiss, ripping Crocea Mors from its sheath, and was soon out in the open.
"Blake!" Yang yelled as she rushed up to the girl in black and white who was picking herself off the ground. She may have been a little roughed up, but at least she was alive.
That was when Jaune saw him. An all too familiar face who he thought he would never see again. The man in white. The man with the exploding cane. The one who was apparently responsible for both the explosions and the current state of Blake.
Roman Torchwick.
Now though, instead of having a handful of Junior's goons around him, there were White Fang terrorists. By the looks of it at least ten of them. At first the sight of them all was a little bit intimidating, but Jaune soon remembered his own experiences against them. He and the twins had managed to take out around a dozen of them themselves. This many shouldn't be too much of a problem for a whole team of huntresses, right?
Yang was at her friend's side in an instant as she helped the girl to her feet. If Blake was in the White Fang, then why was she currently fighting against them? And if the White Fang hated humans, why were they allied with Roman Torchwick? This didn't make sense. None of it made sense.
"Are you okay?" the blonde girl asked. Genuine concern showed in every syllable she spoke and movement she made.
Blake seemed to shrug her friend's concern off, quite literally as she pushed Yang away gently to show that she did not need any help standing. "I'm fine," she said. "He's quick though. Be careful."
Apparently Roman was quick if he was able to escape both Ruby and the professional huntress who had apparently tried to stop him the night of the dust shop robbery. Escaping from Ruby was one thing. But an actual fully trained huntress? That spoke volumes of how dangerous Roman must have been.
This fight just became a lot more serious.
"I can't believe this!" Roman shouted. Jaune looked back over to the man, and saw as the White Fang soldiers began to fan out around them with their weapons at the ready. "You!" he said as he pointed his cane over to Jaune. "And you!" he said as he pointed to Ruby. "You're here, and you're trying to thwart my plans yet again!"
Jaune looked around, suddenly feeling self-conscious about being the center of attention. It wasn't as if he had planned on interfering in any of Roman's operations. Truthfully he had no excuse. However if this operation happened to involve the White Fang, well, there was no going back now.
"You know, I tried to be a nice guy," the man continued. "I tried giving Junior the benefit of the doubt. Because believe it or not, I actually have more important things to deal with than a bunch of meddling kids." He threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "But here you are again. Someone associated with Junior with a group of huntresses by his side. You know what they say. Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. And three times means enemy action."
Ruby turned her head slightly, keeping her eyes on her foes as she whispered to Jaune. "I knew you were a secret crime fighter and not a bad guy," she gushed.
Roman held up his free hand, holding his thumb and forefinger close to each other. "But after everything you people have done in the past few weeks, I did have just the tiniest suspicion that someone might try and interfere in my operation tonight. And what do you know, I was right! So I brought along a little insurance."
Jaune looked around. Ten or so White Fang members certainly did not seem like insurance to him. Not if they were the same quality of fighters he had fought against before. Perhaps Roman simply did not know how outmatched he was right now.
"And now that I know that Junior is actively working against me, I am going to bring him and his little operation down."
"I've heard enough!" Blake shouted. "I don't know what you've told the White Fang to make them work with you, but I am taking you down!"
Blake charged before anyone could even say another word. A black blade was in her hands, and with her speed and skill she was probably hoping to bring Roman down with one blow.
She never got the chance.
Jaune didn't even see what happened. One minute the path was clear, and the next another person was blocking it, with Blake was tumbling back on the ground. A small woman in white, brown and pink stood with what appeared to be a simple umbrella pointed out at the group in challenge.
Roman laughed. "Oh did I say a little insurance? I meant a lot."
"Blake!" Yang shouted as she dashed forward.
That was when chaos erupted. With Blake down and Yang on the attack, all semblance of civility broke down. Gunshots rang out as those White Fang members armed with rifles opened fire. Others charged forward with weapons in hand intent on carving the teens into pieces.
There was no plan. There was no deciding who would take on who, or how many White Fang members each member of the team thought they could handle at once. The only thing that mattered here was survival.
Bullets clanged off of Jaune's raised shield, and momentarily blocked his view from the approaching terrorists. By the time he lowered it one was already upon him. Jaune brought his shield up to block the first strike from the White Fang member who had charged him. It landed with surprising force, but Jaune quickly threw him back with a shove of the shield. Crocea Mors darted forth with the intent to drop the man in a single blow. To Jaune's surprise the blow was blocked.
He hadn't expected it. The White Fang members from before hadn't been so fast or skilled. Were these men more than new recruits? He never had a chance to ponder the question further before feeling a sharp blow strike his back.
He turned around on instinct. His sword turned with him, and struck hard against the man who had dared to take a swing at him. A grunt of pain flew from the faunus' lips as he fell backwards from the attack. The man probably wouldn't be down for long, but at least it was one less foe to worry about for now.
His first opponent took advantage of the distraction and landed a solid blow himself, this time to the back of Jaune's head. A cry of pain escaped his lips and his vision swam for a brief moment, but that pain was soon replaced by anger. Using his superior size and strength to his advantage, Jaune abandoned any pretense of skill and simply lowered his head before lunging at the terrorist. His sword and shield clattered to the ground as Jaune tackled the man, using his weight to keep him pinned to the ground. As he did so, the blonde unleashed a flurry of heavy fists against his opponent's face. There was resistance at first, but the boy's attacks were frantic. His strikes had the advantage of being boosted by Aura. After a few seconds the terrorist's defenses crumbled and his face was exposed to gloved fists. Jaune hit. And hit. And hit. He screamed as he continued to pound down on mask and flesh. Soon enough the pale skin not covered by the White Fang mask had turned crimson from a bleeding mouth and lacerated skin.
Thought vanished from the boy's mind entirely. Jaune's breathing was heavy as he stood from his incapacitated foe. He grabbed his sword and shield as he looked around. As the swirling melee raged around him he saw glimpses of his comrades in action. Ruby's scythe was reaping a fine harvest as she tore through terrorists left and right. Weiss and a now recovered Blake were off engaging Roman Torchwick, an seemingly keeping him on edge. Yang had decided to avenge her teammate, and was currently battling against the strange woman who had appeared from nowhere. If he and Ruby could quickly finish off the remainder of the grunts, they'd be able to help out against the actual threats.
Another White Fang member came running with an axe held high. Rather than accept the blow and counter attack like he had attempted to do before, Jaune kicked out as soon as he was within range. The man doubled over in pain, dropping the axe as Jaune followed up his attack with a slash from Crocea Mors. A second slash. A third. Aura rippled over the man's skin as it broke, and if he was smart he would stay down.
A familiar voice cried out in pain. Looking to where it had come from, Jaune saw that Yang was getting up slowly as the mystery lady walked casually over towards her. She still carried an umbrella in her hands. What was going on over there?
Another voice sounded, this time from Ruby. "Hang on, Yang!" she shouted as she knocked another terrorist aside with her scythe. Silver eyes caught his own looking at her, and she spoke once more. "Jaune I have to help Yang! Can you take the rest alone?"
Jaune's eyes darted around. There was smoke in the air. He had lost count of how many terrorists he had already dispatched. However there was no time to think. If Yang was in trouble then Ruby needed to go now. "Yeah!" he shouted back. "Go!"
Ruby nodded once before hefting her scythe and setting off to help Yang.
He watched her go. It was a stupid move. Another blow to his head sent him falling down to the side. He landed down on a knee, his shield slipping from his grip as he put a hand out to keep from falling entirely.
Crocea Mors swung once more in anger. At this height it connected with legs rather than torso, and the faunus who had struck the blow was himself taken down off his feet. Jaune once again pounced, and sent blow after blow raining down upon the man, only now it was the pommel of his sword striking rather than his knuckles.
It was savage fighting. Hard. Desperate. Jaune barely had any time to catch his breath between opponents. He had always thought the life of a huntsman would be more glamorous. Men and women in cool clothes with even cooler weapons. Acrobatic combat moves. Saving the day against the creatures of Grimm. These were the kinds of things he had expected. This... this was anything but that.
Rolling around on the ground. Slamming his fists into faces. Breaking bones and teeth. Sprays of blood hitting his face. This was not what he had expected at all. However this was the life he had chosen. This was the life of a huntsman. Grimm didn't give up because you were tired. Grimm would not show you mercy. Neither would terrorists. Monsters. Murderers.
Jaune used a sleeve to wipe away the warm liquid which had accumulated on his face. A look down at his hands revealed them to be red. The light brown of his leather gloves was darkened with liquid. This was madness. Pure madness. However he had to fight. He had to.
If you hold back you're going to die.
Melanie's words rang in his mind.
If you hold back you're going to die.
He wasn't holding back. He was fighting for his life. The blood on his hands showed as much.
More men came at him. More men fell. There was no room for skill anymore. Any moves which had been taught to him by his father long ago were forgotten in the desperate fighting. He was like a cornered animal. He had to do anything to survive. Every slash and stab of his sword had only one purpose. Survive. Win. Live.
The blonde didn't know where he was anymore. Or rather, he did not know where Ruby and the rest were. At some point in the battle he had become separated from the group. He could still hear the sounds of battle coming from somewhere, maybe even on the other side of one of the crates near him. However right now he was all but alone. Out of sight might as well have meant out of mind in the heat of combat.
He was knocked down again. Without Ruby there were so many foes all around waiting for an opportunity to strike. As he stood back up once more there was already another opponent coming at him. Jaune was knocked right back down to the ground, and was sent sprawling over next to one of the Schnee dust crates.
He blinked hard. He couldn't hear anymore because his ears were ringing so loudly. Crawling away from the pursuing terrorist, Jaune desperately sought to find purchase on the crate and lift himself back to his feet. He was kicked back down to the ground by his opponent. The man raised his sword in the air to attempt landing the finishing blow.
Crocea Mors was still gripped tightly in his hand. He had only one move left in his arsenal.
As the White Fang member swung down, Jaune thrust up. He felt a wet and squishy sensation as the sword's cross guard met the faunus' stomach.
Well this was a mess.
Miltia knew that Jaune and the others had some distance on them. However it had only been what, ten minutes? Twenty tops? How could so much trouble go down in that span of time?
The explosion was what had drawn them in. Even from their distance it had been visible. Things didn't normally explode in the industrial district of Vale. So they had ran. Not for the sake of some potential peace between Junior and the White Fang. But for Jaune. If Jaune was there getting into trouble with the White Fang, she needed to get there fast.
It hadn't taken long for the sounds of battle to ring in the air. The occasional burst of gunfire was tame compared to the explosions which lit up the scene. More plumes of smoke drifted into the air. The familiar sound of shotgun gauntlets sent chills down her spine. This was definitely the right place. It was simply a matter of finding the boy they were looking for and bringing him back to the club.
The rest of the girls could find their own ways out for all she cared.
They were close enough to taste the pungent and acidic dust from spent ammunition in the air. Just a little longer. She hoped that he wouldn't be hurt.
Miltia turned and looked at her sister as they ran. They were quickly approaching a group of dust containers and would soon have to decide whether to go left or right. She made the decision then and there to do both.
"Go left," she called out to Melanie. "I'll go right."
Melanie nodded without a word.
Splitting up from her twin always gave her pause. In battle they were a well-oiled machine from both experience and Semblance. It wasn't as if she was uncomfortable fighting on her own. She simply enjoyed having the security of someone having her back. Someone who would go to any lengths to protect her, just as she would do the same for Melanie. However as of right now time was of the essence. Comfort took a backseat.
Miltia's heart skipped a beat as she saw a man clad in White Fang clothing come stumbling out from behind the corner of a crate. His hand leaned upon it for support, and if anything he was probably trying to flee from the action rather than join it like Miltia was. It didn't matter. He was in her way. That could not be allowed.
A slash from her curved claws tore through flesh, and the terrorist screamed at the two new gashes were created on his chest. The wound wasn't enough to be fatal, but it was enough to ensure that he would no longer be a threat on this night.
As she turned the corner she let out a growl of frustration as there were yet more crates. Was this place a maze or something? Did the men who worked the docks simply drop the containers wherever they felt like? It was stupid. It was beyond stupid. And it was incredibly frustrating.
Miltia darted and dashed through openings in the crates as she found them. Occasionally she saw glimpses of the action, which she happily ignored. None of the people she had seen were who she was looking for. She didn't care about Ruby Rose. Or Yang. Or the others. Their fights were not her concern.
The edge of another container brought with it another spark of hope that this would be it. That she would turn it, and find the blonde boy she was looking for. This time she was right.
This time her heart sank.
He was there. Jaune was there. He was slumped up against the side of one of the crates. His face was bloody. His hands were bloody. He wasn't moving.
Miltia's blood froze. She rushed over to him as fast as her legs would carry her.
Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead.
Her feet skid on the ground as she stopped herself as quickly as she could when she reached him. Lowering herself down, she knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Jaune!" she cried, her voice shaky as she did. "How bad is it? Where were you hit?"
His eyes were open. He was breathing. That was good. She knew now he wasn't dead. However he wasn't moving. He wasn't even looking at her. His eyes were locked forward.
"Jaune," she repeated. She shook his shoulder lightly. "Jaune it's me. What's wrong? Where are you hurt?"
He still didn't move. He continued to stare blankly. Miltia followed his gaze to whatever it was he was looking at.
She wished she hadn't.
Over there, around ten feet away, was another White Fang member lying on his back. Only he wasn't flat on his back, there was something sticking out from underneath him. The white shirt of his uniform was stained red, courtesy of the sword which was impaled in his abdomen.
Oh fuck. Oh fuck fuck fuck.
A pair of hands lay lifelessly around the blade, as if maybe in his final moments he had attempted to stem the bleeding or pull the sword from his body. It wouldn't have mattered though. Such a wound was mortal, and it had probably only taken around a minute before enough of the man's blood was drained from his body to end his life.
"Fuck..." she whispered, finally giving voice to her thoughts. She looked back to Jaune. He continued to stare at the man.
The man he had killed.
Neither Miltia nor Melanie had ever been forced to take a life. She never wanted to experience that feeling either. They had seen enough death in their young lives. She could only imagine what Jaune must have been going through at this moment.
"Jaune..." she whispered again.
"He didn't have Aura," Jaune said softly. His eyes still refused to look into her own. "He was supposed to have Aura. Why didn't he have Aura?"
She didn't know. Right now the whys and hows of what had happened didn't matter to her. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to say. However she knew she had to say something.
Her focus returned squarely to the blonde boy in front of her. "Jaune, I need you to listen to me." Her words went unheeded. His attention was still fixated on the other man. "Jaune, look at me."
He didn't look. He didn't even react. She could tell her words were not getting through to him.
"Look at me!" she screamed. Miltia grabbed hold of the boy's head and forcibly turned it so that his eyes met hers. "Don't look at him. Look at me. Focus on me. Only me."
The words had a certain narcissistic feel to them which would have made even Melanie proud. However at the moment her own ego was the last thing on her mind.
For the first time since her arrival it seemed like he was acknowledging her presence. Liquid blue eyes stared into her own, and yet somehow it still seemed as if he was looking past her rather than at her.
She felt him trying to shake his head, but it was still firmly held in her hands. "He's dead," Jaune whispered. "He's dead because of me. I killed him. I killed him."
He was just babbling at this point. His voice was wavering. On the verge of breaking completely. He was in shock. And understandably so.
Miltia's next words came naturally, without any real thought or purpose behind them. They just seemed right. They came without hesitation, as did the kiss she planted on the top of his head after pulling him close to her chest, cradling him against herself. "It's okay, Jaune. It's okay." The words were soft and soothing, as were her fingers which gently stroked through his hair as she held him. "I've got you. Just let it all out. I'm here for you."
She felt traces of moisture upon the bare flesh that the top of her dress offered. She knew they were his tears. She would have known even without the shaking sobs which wracked his body as she held him close. Normally she would not have let a man be so intimate with her. However she knew there was nothing amorous about this situation. It was the last thing on his mind. If he was even thinking at all.
"I've got you," she repeated. Despite him standing a good eight inches taller than her, he felt small in her arms. "I've got you."
Her eyes squeezed shut, threatening to unleash tears of her own as she buried her face into a messy mop of blonde hair. She didn't care how much dirt or grime he was caked with. He was hurting. He needed this. So did she.
She didn't know how long she held him like that. She didn't care either. It didn't matter that they were somewhere on the edge of a warzone. Anybody who tried to come at them in this moment would be signing his own death warrant.
It was to her great relief that the first person who did find them happened to be Melanie. The familiar sight of her white dress appeared from around the corner, where she paused at the sudden sight of Miltia and Jaune in such close proximity to each other. Green eyes darted around trying to make sense of the situation before they finally settled on the corpse of the terrorist.
She brought a hand up to her mouth. "Oh fuck," she gasped.
Miltia made no comment. Nothing more needed to be said.
However Melanie continued. "Miltia, we have to get out of here. Now."
She knew her sister was right. With whatever Ruby and her friends were doing against the White Fang, a terrorist attack on public property, and a dead body in close proximity to them, the last thing Miltia wanted was to stay. However she had to get Jaune up and moving again. She would not leave him behind. The idea was unthinkable.
Her lack of response must have prompted some sense of urgency. "Miltia!" her twin screamed.
"I know!" she finally replied. She looked down at Jaune, and gently pushed him away from her. She wished she could have kept him close. She wished that none of this had happened at all. However right now this was reality. All they could do was try and make the best of it. "Jaune," she continued. "Jaune we have to move. I know this is hard. I know this hurts. But we have to go. Please."
He nodded. It was quicker than normal. Miltia doubted he was comprehending what she was saying and why. However the fact that he was complying right now was all that mattered.
The next time she saw Melanie, the girl had Jaune's shield in her hands. Where she had gotten it from she didn't know. "Grab his sword," the girl ordered. "No evidence."
Miltia nodded. The thought of even being near Tukson's body had been enough to make her gag. As was the thought of searching his body. However she approached the still warm corpse of the White Fang member and pulled Jaune's sword from his stomach without hesitation.
She felt as though she was going to vomit. However she held it back with all of her might. DNA evidence here at this crime scene would be a disaster.
"Put it-" Melanie's words were hesitant as she saw the sight of red on the sword's blade. "Put it here," she said as she offered the sheath, which she had collapsed from its shield form.
Miltia did so. Looking back at Jaune she could see that he was standing on his own power now. She didn't know if he would be able to run, however. In his state she didn't trust that he would be able to. They would have to support him if he couldn't.
She motioned for Melanie to follow. "Grab onto one side. I'll get the other."
With one of Jaune's arms slung around her shoulders, and the other around Melanie's, the trio ran off into the night as fast as they could.
Author's Note: It felt really good to finally write that. I've only been sitting on that last scene for the past six months now.
Up to this point, it has been a very intentional decision to have Jaune's opponents have Aura. He may be more skilled in this story than in canon, but he's just as naive. To him, why would you get involved in fighting if you didn't have Aura? He just naturally assumed everyone he went up against would have it. He got lucky with the man he smashed with his shield last chapter. He didn't have Aura, which is why he got split open after one hit from the shield. Jaune just didn't realize it at the time. Things would have been much different had he gotten a hit with his sword.
This actually brings up a whole other issue about killing in RWBY. Do all of the grunts in the White Fang and Junior's club have Aura? I wouldn't think so. What happens when Ruby and company hit them with their blades? What happened to those guys at Mountain Glenn who got knocked off the train and into the approaching pack of Grimm? Never addressed in-universe, but something to think about. How do these characters deal with death? With the people they've undoubtedly killed?
This was Jaune's first kill. I'd like to think that shock, horror, and disbelief would be the reaction most people would have. I plan on doing some research into soldiers and police officers, and how they feel after they've taken lives in the line of duty. I can't imagine it's something that's easy to deal with, even with them knowing that it was a "me or them" kind of situation.
As always, my thanks go out to everyone for reading and reviewing. It always makes me feel so special and proud that so many people care.
So this is a major turning point in the story. Did it feel appropriate? Let me know your thoughts. I'd love to hear them.