Hey everyone, hope you're all well. Holiday season is in swing, so I've been increasingly busy.
The good thing about being busy is it isn't hard for me to sit down and write for a while. I even feel like doing it more, when I have the time.
I feel like recently, I've reminded myself what I like about writing this story in particular, and I'm going to start focusing on that feeling a little more. Please pardon the dust, because things are really going to find some slopes to climb and fall off.
Enjoy!
Beta: Knight of Cerberus
"I remember fighting all those little chickens until they summoned a behemoth to farm."
Jaune took a deep breath, hands held behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling fan that spun above. He was able to tell the exact time it would wobble on every rotation. The blond could also easily guess how many of the blades of said fan were apparitions, and though the light in the center strained his eyes, he didn't dare turn his head or look away.
Doing such – especially looking down – would have disastrous consequences.
"You still have no idea?"
Professor Peri's voice sent a chill through Jaune's spine. In any other situation it would be unusual for the soft-spoken woman, but with the young professor on her knees poking and prodding at his bare abdomen, Jaune tried to keep his mind off of what she was doing as best he could.
Of course, that was hard to do when he was half-naked in the professor's office. She'd even shut the blinds. It was like the plot to a bad porno. Not that Jaune watched those things, of course. Nope! Entirely porn free.
"N-no, this is the first time something like that's ever happened." Jaune confirmed, adjusting his stance as the woman's chilly fingers roamed his skin. For a moment, her digits dipped under the waistband of his pants, and every muscle in his body tensed.
"The sudden awakening to and extended use of one's semblance is typically accompanied by nausea, acid reflux, lightheadedness, and, in the most severe cases, loss of consciousness." Professor Peri stood, Jaune able to see the woman's hair at the very bottom of his vision. "You were knocked out after the connection finally cut, so the complications could actually be fairly severe."
"Then I really did use my semblance there?" Jaune swallowed heavily.
"Yes. I felt it." She answered matter-of-factly. "Why are you looking up like that?" The professor grabbed the boy's chin and pulled his head down. She stared into his eyes, but Jaune blinked and looked away with a smile.
He used his semblance! That excited the blond beyond belief, but it was hard to keep his mind on anything other than the extremely awkward inspection he was going through. Professor Peri said it was completely mandatory, but as it went on, he couldn't help but start feeling violated. She was being touchier than that one girl had been in the cafeteria!
The boy's own considerations and the words of wisdom Yang and Blake shared with him clashed in his head.
The professor wasn't making a move on him, right? Or was she?
"Do you have to be so close?" The blond whined to himself. He could feel her hot breath on his chest as she bent her knees again.
"Yes. I'm checking for irregularities." The boy's blush spread to his ears as he realized the professor had heard him. "You wouldn't want your semblance to be harmful to yourself or others unintentionally, right?"
"Is that even possib-" Jaune let out a quiet peep as the professor unbuttoned his pants. "I th-thought those were staying on?"
He looked downwards and blushed heavily as Professor Peri dragged his pants to his ankles.
"I need to give you a thorough examination, Mr, Arc. It's mandatory." She repeated. After a long pause, she spoke up again, putting her hand on the inside of his thigh. "Have you ever eaten Dust?"
Jaune didn't answer immediately. He was more interested in his ability to see down the professor's shirt.
"No, uh... Nice."
The young professor frowned, before she shook her head, seemingly entirely focused on him as she wrapped her hands around his calf. The boy's eyes remained glued to her cleavage as he swore she intentionally pushed her chest together.
"Not cancer, then." She whispered, her fingers ghosting his legs. "Have you noticed any irregular growths since coming to?"
Well, Jaune was starting to get a fairly regular one now. The blond coughed.
"N-no." He stammered out.
"Turn around."
Jaune let out a sigh, and thanked whatever gods there were out there.
The boy then cursed those very same gods as Professor Peri 's fingers pulled his underwear down as well. His hands went from behind his head to covering his crotch as his pulse pounded in his ears.
"What are you doing?" Jaune breathed out as he tried to glance over his shoulder, aghast.
"It's easier for me to look than it is to feel. I'm sure you'd be much more comfortable with this than the alternative."
"This is far from comfortable!" Jaune stressed, folding in on himself as he turned around to face the professor.
"Ah, perfect. I was about to ask you to turn around. Why are you covering yourself up?"
Professor Peri grabbed his wrists, and Jaune tried to resist her initial tug. Warmth pulsed from the professor's fingers, and the boy felt muscles slack as she pulled his hands away.
Jaune stared. The professor stared. The boy felt he might pass out again as his blood coursed through his entire body with the intense hammering of his heart. It was like she was reading a book, only instead, her eyes were roaming his privates.
"Nice." The professor nodded, gently returning Jaune's hands to where they were covering his junk. "You look free and clear of complications, but I could always do a deeper inspection to make sure. Depends on if you're okay with me sticking my fingers in a hole that's usually a one-way street."
As if Jaune could feel any more embarrassed – his face felt like it was melting – she just had to bring that up too. "I'll be okay without the deeper inspection. Can I please put my pants back on?"
"You sure? You look like the type who might enjoy-"
"I'm sure!"
Professor Peri seemed to hesitate in giving her response, before she nodded and stood. "If you ever pass out like that again, come see me immediately. My students' health is my number one priority, and I say that as someone who has no medical training whatsoever."
Jaune paused midway through sliding his underwear back on, his pulse slowing. "Wait, you're... not a doctor?"
"I never said anything like that. I just know a lot of medical things." The lady tapped the side of her head. "The headmaster knows I'm knowledgeable and that I have good judgement. That's why he gave me the job."
The blond blinked, frowning.
"Oh, if you don't remember from the introduction to my class, I'm an expert on Aura, and in most cases even the soul." The young professor grinned toothily. "I know almost everything there is to know about semblances and such, with the exception being specifics about individuals. Including what they can do to the body."
The boy realized something as well, now that he'd been able to relax. "So, we don't know what my semblance is yet?" Jaune deflated.
"You might, deep down. If I saw you use it directly, I could too, but from the sounds of things you gave team CRDL quite the beatdown." Professor Peri giggled. She found that funny? "Ask your teammates. They saw the whole thing."
Jaune continued to get dressed, humming.
"It's might just come to you, I think. You're different from some of the other kids. More complex."
Complex?
"What do you mean by that?" Jaune asked cautiously, crossing his arms. Usually he'd associate that word with difficulty.
"I had to give you such a thorough inspection because I just couldn't see everything about you. Usually I can take one glance and figure someone out but you're... cloudy, I guess. That typically means you're developed enough to utilize your semblance, whether you know it or not."
"Oh."
"At least you're easy on the eyes." She giggled softly again. "Makes the inspection easier."
The blond blushed again, but really it just felt natural. "Th-thanks, I guess?"
"You're welcome. Remember, if you pass out again, come see me."
Jaune really wondered if he should after he said his farewells, the door closing behind his back. He felt like sprinting down the hall to relieve his pent-up energy – and to maybe put some distance between himself and the professor who may have just molested him a bit – but right in front of him was the rest of his team.
"You aren't hurt, are you?" Pyrrha asked, head tilted in concern. Blake stared him down, while Ren looked equally as troubled as his redheaded teammate.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Professor Peri got a little weird there, but-"
"It was your semblance, wasn't it."
Jaune and Pyrrha both turned to Blake as the girl's glare softened. The blond relaxed and nodded back.
"Yeah, but we don't know exactly what it is yet." Jaune confessed. "I was actually hoping I could ask you guys if you saw anything weird?"
"Aside from your hands glowing and you kicking CRDL to the curb? Nothing unusual." Blake pointed out.
"My hands glew? Glowed? Er... were glowing?"
Ren chuckled and nodded. "Because of what happened in the cafeteria, Professor Peri wrote both us and team CRDL off for the rest of the day. She said if you were feeling alright, we could work on this semblance problem immediately."
"Really?" That caught Jaune off guard. "So... we're getting the rest of the day off... because I fought in the cafeteria?"
"Pretty much." Ren agreed.
"Beacon is awesome." Jaune let out, immediately forgetting all the bad things that had happened to him over the course of the last couple weeks. "Shall we?"
"So, here we are." Jaune started off, looking from his right to his left. Ren nodded to him, then Blake directly across, and lastly Pyrrha. Each of them smiled softly as they sat in a circle; or was it a square, with only the four of them?
Regardless, Jaune shook his head to himself as he considered the topic at hand. The training room they'd been sparring in earlier that morning was now completely empty aside from them. It made Jaune feel small, sitting as they were.
"Okay, so I guess this is when we talk about semblances?" Blake added on, shuffling where she sat with her legs crossed. "We could share a bit about our own, or do you just want what we saw earlier in the cafeteria?"
The blond boy considered that for a moment, before shaking his head again. "Up to you guys. I think I brought it up before when I said we should learn to fight together. We've all seen yours in action Blake, with those weird..." Jaune waved his hand around, searching for the word.
"Just call them clones, I guess." Blake helped, frowning. "And they're not weird."
"Sure, clones." Jaune waved Blake off, turning to Ren. They'd get back to her. "I don't think I've seen you do anything wacky like that."
"They're not wacky either!" Blake protested as Ren nodded along. The soft-spoken boy's lips parted:
"My semblance isn't quite combat oriented. At least, not for anything like sparring or fighting."
Jaune tilted his head. All sorts of semblances existed across Remnant, but he'd always assumed they were supposed to be useful in a fight. "So, what does it do?"
"It would be easier to show you, but right now you might not notice it." Ren conferred, looking between Pyrrha and Blake as well. "Blake, lean a little closer. I might need your help to demonstrate, if that's okay."
Blake raised an eyebrow, but leaned closer as Ren shuffled towards her. The boy whispered something to her, and Blake nodded, before looking somewhat aghast.
"You seriously want me to..."
"I mean, there's other ways to get him-"
"No, if this is the easiest way for you to show it off, I'll do it."
Jaune watched as Ren blinked and nodded, the blond looking over to the boy's partner. He leaned towards the redhead. "Do you know what this is about?"
Pyrrha shook her head softly, looking between Ren and Blake as well. "No, I..." The redhead trailed off as she stared, Jaune only shifting his gaze a second later to see what she was looking at.
Blake was on her hands and knees, crawling towards Jaune. The boy blinked and tensed up as she put a hand on his thigh. In the span of one heartbeat, the girl was climbing into his lap.
"B-Blake?!"
Not another one! Not again!
As Jaune panicked, he felt fingers wrap around his forearm. He took a breath, and he could swear every muscle in his body relaxed. He'd stayed as still as he could, staring at Blake. His eyes traced the curves of her face, the way her eyes blinked as she looked into his.
Why was she doing this? Was this what Ren asked her to do? What was the meaning of life?
Jaune took Blake's hand and moved it away from his thigh, shaking his head as he shuffled backwards. The black-haired girl pulled back with eyes widening, and Ren released Jaune's arm.
"See? Almost immediately."
"That's... a little unsettling, actually." Blake acknowledged. She coughed with a blush. "It's a good thing you're a good guy, Ren."
"Did he just do what I think he did?" Pyrrha wondered as Jaune looked among the three of them. It seemed he was the only one who didn't quite get what just happened. "If so, that's a little terrifying."
"I don't get it." Jaune finally admitted. Wasn't that pretty much what Professor Peri did in her office, or was this different?
"He calmed you with a touch, but I don't think that's all there is to it." Blake didn't hesitate in saying, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Jaune followed her eyes to Ren. "There are less than savory ways something like that could be abused, though."
The boy to Jaune's right coughed. "It doesn't quite work like that. Jaune resisted your approach because he was able to think calmly about it. Believe me, I've thought long and hard about what I can do with my semblance."
Pyrrha and Blake shuffled further away, and Ren sighed. "Not like that..."
"Then what do you mean?" Blake asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"You've seen action movies or whatever, right?" Jaune nodded his head rapidly in response to Ren's words. "So, imagine I'm sneaking up on someone who's clearly an enemy. If I approach and try to use my semblance to disarm him calmly, he'll probably be able to put up a better fight because I lose the element of surprise, and he's able to think things through rationally."
"So, if you were to feel up a girl with your semblance-"
"And I wouldn't." Ren protested.
"She'd just be able to fight back with a clear head, and not turn into a near-lifeless husk like I'm thinking?" Blake pondered aloud, still somewhat tense.
"Essentially, yes." Jaune saw the slightest blush rise up Ren's cheeks. "What kind of guy do you take me for? I'm not Jaune."
"Hey!" Now it was the blond's turn to protest, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't feel up a girl unsolicited-like."
He realized a moment later that was the worst way he could put it.
"No, but you'll walk in on her while she's bathing." Blake pointed out, much to Pyrrha's embarrassment.
"O-Or even let her feel you up, apparently."
Jaune pouted as even Pyrrha joined in on the teasing. "Come on guys, it's not funny."
Everyone else still shared a laugh as Jaune shook his head. Now he certainly couldn't tell them what happened in Professor Peri's office – though he certainly had been more comfortable with that up until the young woman said she wasn't a real doctor.
Maybe he should ask about her semblance if he had the chance to talk with her again.
Jaune cleared his throat as he turned to Pyrrha. "What about you?"
The redheaded girl scratched the back of her neck. To Jaune, she looked somewhat uncertain.
"Ren, will you forgive me for this?"
Pyrrha reached into the pouch at her hip, and retrieved a small coin. Jaune was sure he'd seen her tossing it before. Maybe it was an heirloom of sorts?
"What? What for?" Ren asked.
Pyrrha flipped the coin into the air, but it didn't fall. A moment passed as it hovered. It spun in the air, then delicately floated towards the other male member of ABPL. Jaune watched on as Ren's face contorted, growing slightly pale.
"You're kidding me." He gasped.
"I'm sorry." Pyrrha smiled. "My semblance is polarity. Well, I suppose it could actually just be straight magnetism. Professor Peri asked me to reexamine what I could do with it, so I'm still exploring the possibilities."
"So that time in the Emerald Forest-"
"Yes." Pyrrha cut off.
"In the dorm, when we were choosing beds?"
"Then too."
Ren seemed distressed. "When I traded you that bowl of grapes for your bread?"
"No, that one was legitimate. I didn't use my semblance there."
Jaune chuckled as the boy let out a breath, before the blond turned to Pyrrha. "What all can you use it on?"
The redhead hummed, spinning the coin as it hovered back to her palm. "Well, anything that's magnetically responsive I can manipulate at range. Other metals I need to touch first." She wrapped her fingers around the coin, before exposing it face up. "I can sense metals too, I suppose. Most of them, at least."
"Could you, like, disarm us just by pulling our weapons away?" Blake wondered aloud.
"Potentially, but that's no fun when we're just sparring, and I don't like putting all my eggs in one basket. My semblance isn't what I rely on in fights." The redhead wore an even broader smile. "I just use it to tweak the odds in my favor."
When it seemed like no one else was going to speak up a few moments after Pyrrha stopped speaking, Jaune clapped his hands together. "Okay, so we have weird, creepy clones-"
"They're not weird!"
"-magnetism, and Ren's calming thing. It's safe to say my semblance isn't like any of those in any way, shape, or form, right?"
"Well, semblances are supposed to be unique." Blake pointed out, crossing her arms. "For all the times Professor Peri's highlighted that – even though she mentioned exceptions – I doubt your semblance is similar to any of ours."
Ren nodded his agreement. "Certainly not mine."
"Mine neither." Pyrrha tacked on.
"So," Jaune continued, leaning forwards to rest his chin in a hand, "what could it be?"
"You kicked CRDL's ass, and you never fought that good against me." Blake mentioned first before turning. "You can say the same, right Pyrrha?"
"You're a decent fighter, but you swept them." Pyrrha hummed. "It might have been a barehanded fight, but the odds were still against you. No offense, but you're not that skilled."
Jaune accepted that with a nod. Even he was surprised he'd done it. He remembered everything, after all, including the suplex he'd pulled at the very end.
Man, that felt good.
"What about that affinity thing?" Jaune brought up.
"Let's forget about affinity for now. None of us know what ours are, and we know our semblances already." Blake pointed out, getting nods from both Pyrrha and Ren.
"Perhaps it was something to do with the unarmed aspect of the combat? We can test for that first."
At Ren's suggestion, Jaune's muscles tensed up. The edge in the boy's voice wasn't something he'd expected.
"Sorry, test?"
"How else are we going to find out what your semblance is unless we put you through the wringer. You have no clue yourself, do you?"
Jaune winced, standing. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"It might even be something to do with fighting multiple opponents." Pyrrha confirmed, rolling her head around, tilting it until even Jaune heard a pop.
Oh no.
"Maybe it's a power boost of some sort, against insurmountable odds?" Blake offered.
Whatever gods were out there, he was sorry for whatever he'd done.
"Don't worry Jaune, we'll figure this out as a team. We've had a long time to think about what to try, after all."
The boy whimpered, taking a step back from the three. It almost seemed like their shadows grew ominously as they stood as well, eyes taking a dangerous glint.
"Wait, what did I do? I'm sorry!" Jaune apologized broadly.
"You were gone all that one day, without really telling anyone what you were doing." Pyrrha smiled – but it was wholly fake.
"I just think you're not going to figure it out until we make it hurt." Blake's smile was as toxic as Pyrrha's. "And you called my semblance wacky."
"We talked with your sister too, and well..." Ren was the only one who seemed a little apprehensive.
"Velvet? What did she say?"
"She said to knock you around some for her. Not sure why."
"You're kidding!" Jaune protested.
"She also told us she'd pray for you." Blake chuckled.
Jaune turned, and put everything he could into his legs.
The boy ran. At least, he tried. Ren's feet slid across the ground as he leaned, cutting off Jaune's escape. A slight wave of black cloth filled Jaune's vision as the boy threw a palm towards him. Jaune barely had time to get an arm up to defend himself. The impact stung, but it seemed like the other male held back a bit.
"Can we at least change out of our uniforms first?" Jaune protested.
"You think CRDL would?"
Jaune heard it coming, and he attempted to slip away. A light punch caught him in his shoulder as he tried to twist away from Blake's attack.
He needed space.
Pyrrha was there to take what little ground he tried to get, but at the very least it seemed they were taking turns. The girl's leg snapped out, and Jaune bent over it as she caught him in the gut.
Jaune grunted as the girl pulled her leg back, seeing her step towards him. She backed away at the last second, and the boy's eyes widened reflexively.
He swore, wheeling around to try and deflect Ren's own kick.
Seriously, what was he supposed to do here? They'd just swarm him at the current pace.
The answer Jaune had for himself wasn't great as he spun on his one foot, planting both as he threw a punch towards Blake.
It passed through her.
"How's this for wacky?" He heard from behind him. He barely had time to draw in a breath before he closed his eyes.
The boy threw his arm out backwards and caught Blake's fist in his palm, wrapping his fingers around it. His feet danced, toes tapping against the ground light as a feather when he spun, hauling the girl closer to him. When he opened his eyes, his hands were glowing.
He couldn't stop himself, following through the motion. Jaune tugged the girl's arm over his shoulder, shifting his weight as he lifted her entire body. Twisting his hips, he rotated the girl into the ground, her back slamming against the floor. He stepped back, falling into a vaguely familiar form.
The boy watched the glow fade from his hands, muscles tensing right back up.
Ren and Pyrrha seemed apprehensive as Blake rose, the black-haired girl wincing.
"Uh, I think I just did it again." Jaune let out warily, unsure if they were continuing as his eyes flickered between his three teammates.
"I noticed. Ow." Blake rubbed her back, wincing. "How did you do it? Focus on that feeling."
"How? Well, it felt natural. I just had to do something." The blond's lips tightened. He looked to Ren and Pyrrha. "Thoughts?"
The two both shared a look before shaking their heads. Ren hummed.
"Did you feel anything, Blake?"
The girl frowned as she stretched, dusting her uniform off and smoothing out her skirt. "It might be nothing, but I did feel something."
Jaune perked up. "What's that?"
"It's weird, but I felt like I couldn't stop you. No matter how hard I wanted to, or how easy it seemed, I don't think I could have broken your grip."
"Ah, I have a theory."
Jaune, Blake, and Ren all turned to Pyrrha as she spoke up.
"Maybe your semblance has something to do with grappling?" The redhead offered, bouncing on her heels. She almost seemed like she was still raring to go.
"You think?" Jaune wondered, looking between everyone. She might be right, with what happened just now and back in the cafeteria.
He looked over to Ren. "Mind if I try something?"
Ren stepped forwards, nodding. "Please be gentle."
Jaune approached him, the blond tilting his head. The thing was, he had no idea how to properly grab someone. That wasn't something Velvet had taught him at all.
So how had he executed those techniques so flawlessly?
He reached for Ren's shoulder, patting him on it as he looked down at his feet. Jaune blinked, before wrapping his arms around the other male. "Like this, maybe?"
No glowing hands or anything. Jaune frowned as Ren's hand patted him on the back.
The blond stepped back out of what had to have been the most awkward hug ever, shaking his head. "I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing."
"You certainly don't." Blake chuckled, much to Jaune's annoyance. Ren held out his arm, and Jaune wrapped a hand around the boy's wrist. He turned, attempting to throw him as he had Blake.
All that resulted of that was Jaune barely lifting Ren more than a foot off the ground, before the dark-haired boy rolled off his shoulder.
"If nothing is happening, maybe it is conditional." Pyrrha wondered as Jaune grunted, rolling his shoulders. "Should we go another round?"
Jaune grit his teeth before he nodded, stepping back away from the others as he got his fists up.
"Ready when you guys are."
Maybe he'd just get his ass kicked, maybe he'd make progress. In a weird way, it pleased him.
He smiled as Blake ran forwards. "This is payback for that throw!" The girl swung her leg around, bringing it high at his head.
Jaune caught it, blinking. It was just a normal kick. He held her ankle, refusing to look down. After dealing with being Velvet's punching bag on more than one occasion, it was almost reflex.
"Where are you looking?" Blake screeched, trying to pull her leg back as she hopped.
"Nowhere! And you should never kick so high unless you've got an opening!" Jaune threw her leg away, backing up as the girl seemed to pursue him.
"You absolute pervert!" She yelled.
It was a long time before Ren and Pyrrha got a turn.
Jaune panted, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stared Pyrrha down. The redhead seemed just as winded, Ren and Blake off to the side. The former was sitting, hunched over. The latter stood impatiently, undoubtedly tapping her foot as the blond could even feel her glare.
"Are you two done? It's my turn again next."
Jaune grunted to himself, reaching up and undoing the top button of his shirt, now soaked with sweat. He was right, they should have changed out of their uniforms, especially with Blake fighting like an absolute animal each time it was her turn.
He might as well have looked up her skirt, if she was going to be like this.
They'd made little to no progress, only having taken a short break about an hour ago. The last time Jaune had used his unknown semblance had been when he'd thrown Blake to the ground. No sign of it since.
They'd tried nearly everything, and still no reactions.
"Perhaps we should take another break for now? Maybe even until tomorrow?" Jaune offered up, putting his hands on his hips as he stretched.
That proved to be a mistake as Pyrrha rushed forwards. Jaune's eyes widened. He quickly put his hands up in front of him, backing away.
Pyrrha had proven again and again she could fight without a weapon just as well as with, though it wasn't like Jaune could say that himself: he'd no idea how skilled she really was, after all this time. The gap between them was too big to tell just how far ahead she was.
She could kick his ass, but how easily she was doing it was something Jaune couldn't possible guess at.
Rather than going for a punch, Pyrrha reached inside Jaune's guard and wrapped up her arm between his own. He could feel the heat coming off her body as she grunted, trying to pull him forwards. The blond boy winced as her elbow found itself in his chest.
Jaune was frustrated. What was he missing? What did it take? If only he had something to go off of.
Pyrrha spun and Jaune felt a moment of weightlessness before Pyrrha drove his back into the ground. He gasped for air as the girl rolled off of him.
When he'd fought CRDL, and when he'd thrown Blake, what was different?
The boy sat up.
"Nothing there." Pyrrha panted where she laid, Jaune looking over at her. "Maybe it's time for a break? We've been going for a while."
Jaune shook his head.
He wouldn't say he'd figured it out, but there was one last thing he wanted to try. He pulled out his scroll, just to confirm with himself. He wasn't in the red yet, so if things went wrong, he'd still be fine.
"How's your Aura, Blake? I think I might be onto something here."
Everyone seemed to perk up at that.
"You might be onto something?" Ren looked more tired than anyone, even though he still seemed interested. "You haven't activated it in nearly two hours."
Blake just finished checking her scroll as Jaune helped Pyrrha up. She walked out across from him. "I'm still high yellow. What are we trying?"
Jaune scratched his head, wondering how to put it. "Just defend yourself. I'm working it out still, and I'll come at you when I'm ready."
The boy held his scroll sideways, pursing his lips as he tapped repeatedly on the screen. There was something he was looking for, he just had to remember what it was. He swiped across the display, shaking his head a couple times as he kept looking.
After a moment, he looked up, and noticed everyone was staring at him expectantly.
"Ah, sorry, I don't want to say it until I try it out. You guys would think I'm stupid." Jaune admitted, returning his attention to the scroll.
Whatever his teammates said after, Jaune tuned it out as his eyes widened and a chill hit him. He blinked, a little hesitant as his finger hovered over the thumbnail. The blond tapped it, and moved a little further into the video as it played.
"That's right, I remember this." Jaune's lips spread in a smile as he watched a digital man in a white suit suplex another. "This was so much fun to play."
The boy laughed to himself, skipping ahead a bit. He felt his pulse in his ears as he watched, heart racing.
He'd have to watch all of it later, but right now, his eyes were fixated on the action as the man threw a devastating punch. That was one of the most powerful moves in the game, but the conditions for it were ridiculous.
Jaune blinked.
The conditions?
"Oh, I have a good feeling about this one guys. If this is it, I think I'm gonna scream." The boy pocketed his scroll, feeling pumped up after finding the video. He pushed his fist into the palm of his other hand with a smack. "Ready, Blake?"
The girl turned, nodding. "Whatever it is, I'm not going to make it easy for you."
"I hope not."
Jaune smiled, drawing in a breath.
"Here we go!" He roared as he charged forwards. He could see Blake's eyes widen as he closed the distance.
The boy pulled his fist back, his other hand in front of him. It was awash with light. He bent one knee, then put all his weight into his hips, twisting and pulling his other hand back. Muscles clenched and rippled as he shifted his momentum.
Jaune felt the power roll up his back and down his arm. He felt it all collecting in his fist as it connected with Blake's crossed arms.
The boy blew through her clone, seeing it part around his knuckles. The momentum carried through and Jaune nearly stumbled, but his fist was still glowing.
With nowhere to go, the boy drove his momentum into the ground. Jaune didn't know what it was made of, but it cracked like ice.
The room was completely silent, beyond the echo of the punch hitting Jaune's ears a moment later. He let out a long breath as he shakily pulled his fist back.
He wouldn't hesitate to call it a crater, but to him it didn't matter what size the imprint his fist had made was. It only had to exist for a grin to split his face.
"Woo!" Jaune celebrated, jumping up with his arms stretched towards the sky. "I was right!"
Amid his celebrations, the blond turned to his teammates, who were all staring with barely constrained surprise.
"What did you do?" Ren's eyes were as wide as they could have possibly been, dragging a small towel across his forehead.
"Oh, you guys are not going to believe it!" He took a step towards his team, when his leg gave out. He had a grin on his face even as he fell. His vision faded.
The boy didn't even feel himself hit the ground.
The first thing Jaune saw was light. Or rather, a soft pink glow seemed to fill his eyes. He felt something on his face twitch, and the pink darkened.
It took the boy a moment to realize his eyes were closed, so he tried to open them.
Doing so quickly proved to be a mistake, the light nearly blinding as he tried to move his arm up to cover his eyes. He found he could hardly move it, groaning in pain as he could only describe his current state as sore beyond belief. He just closed his eyes again, breathing softly.
"I didn't know you liked me so much, visiting again so soon." A familiar female voice hit Jaune's ears, but he couldn't put a name to it. Not yet. Trying to recall anything beyond basic function just made his head throb with pain. "It may sound weird, but I'm going to put glasses on you?"
Jaune couldn't really respond. His jaw hurt too much to pull it apart to speak. He grunted in response as he felt cold frames press down on his ears and nose. He blinked his eyes open cautiously.
Oh, he was in Professor Peri's again, but this time she wasn't alone. He was on the same bed as when he'd had a much softer awakening earlier, and Headmaster Ozpin hovered over him as well as the professor. The room was significantly darker than the last time he'd woken, and it took Jaune more than a few moments to realize the glasses he had on were sunglasses.
"Are you alright? You took quite a spill there." Ozpin's voice was level, and oddly enough, the boy felt less sore hearing him speak.
"Yeah." Jaune replied, the one-word response making him wince slightly. The headmaster chuckled.
"You certainly don't seem fine."
"Everything hurts." Jaune said a moment later. As much as he wanted to push himself up, he doubted he could. He was also sure Professor Peri wouldn't even let him.
"I'd imagine it would. I saw what happened, and it's no wonder." The headmaster's glasses seemed balanced precariously on his face as he leaned over Jaune. "Do you remember what happened?"
Now that it didn't hurt to think, Jaune shifted his head as he nodded very slightly. "Yeah."
"A technique of that level would serve only to rip your body apart if you're not prepared for it. Coupled with the fact you didn't hit your intended target, you could have caused permanent damage to yourself. Do try to be more careful, Mr. Arc."
Jaune could only blink behind the sunglasses he wore, before parting his lips. "Permanent damage?"
"Headmaster, stop messing with him." Jaune's eyes turned to Professor Peri as she spoke. "You're not at any risk of doing that. You're just sore because you overloaded your semblance. Again."
"So..." Jaune started slowly, looking between the headmaster and the professor at either side of him. Who was he listening to again? "Not permanent?"
"Gods no." Professor Peri smacked her hand against Jaune's chest – thankfully clothed in a robe of sorts this time. "You'll walk this off like you did earlier."
"You're ruining my fun, Lilac."
Did Jaune just hear that right?
"Oh, come on, you showed me what he did to the floor. The kid needs a break. Besides, he–"
The blond had a hard time following the rest of the conversation – something about the professor's celery and the headmaster throwing a party. Jaune was able to focus again when Professor Peri walked away and Headmaster Ozpin looked down to him and sighed.
Jaune blinked before speaking up. "Women, am I right?"
The air seemed to freeze as Jaune thought he saw a demon twirling a knife on the far side of the room, but when he blinked, he realized it was just Professor Peri, completely knife-less with a cup of tea.
"Tell me," the headmaster ignored his earlier remark, coughing softly, "where did you learn to throw a punch like that?"
"A video game."
The plain answer got a simple stare in response.
"A... video game?" The headmaster raised an eyebrow in question.
Jaune nodded yet again. He felt like he could move a little better now at least, but his jaw still hurt. "A video should be on my scroll, or in my search history."
Peri handed the man a scroll, Jaune assuming it was his. For a moment, the boy was a little concerned they might browse the contents a little deeper than he'd like, but as the video played and the blond heard a mostly familiar soundtrack, he relaxed.
"Ah, I think I know what this is about." The semi-transparent display was reversed as Jaune watched as well, seeing what the headmaster was seeing. A few minutes passed and the blond smiled as the headmaster closed the scroll. "Congratulations. It seems you've developed quite the semblance. You'll need to investigate it further, and find its boundaries. Preferably in a way that doesn't cause you to pass out again."
"I don't mind the company though." Professor Peri tacked on, sipping at her cup.
The headmaster chuckled at the quip, before turning to leave. Jaune watched him carefully as he paused before the door.
"Come to think of it, your semblance is quite similar to another one of our students, if I remember correctly." Though Jaune could only see half of the headmaster's face as he turned his head painfully, he could recognize the large smile. "Perhaps she can help you out."
"Who?" Jaune asked, blinking.
"Velvet Scarlatina. I believe you two are acquainted. Show her what you can do, and I'm sure she'll understand well enough."
The headmaster parted before Jaune could speak up, and so he frowned. His semblance was like Velvet's? Was that true?
As he turned his eyes back upwards, Jaune took a breath and tried to relax. He could remember it now. The epiphany he had, the punch he'd thrown, how he'd used his semblance on Blake and CRDL.
He wondered how far he could take it. How it worked.
"Thank goodness he's gone." Professor Peri sighed, putting her cup down. "Now I can do another inspection."
She seemed to have an evil glint in her eyes as Jaune shook his head, eyes widening. She grabbed the front of his robe.
"Oh, don't be shy, I've seen it all before." The young professor giggled. "What was that you said earlier about women?"
Jaune winced as he took another step down the hallway. It seemed like it stretched on and on forever, the blond sighing to himself as he held his hand against the wall.
According to Professor Peri, this was just what would happen when he overworked himself like he had. The boy could only nod and accept the young woman's judgment – and pray he didn't need to visit her again so soon. Surgical gloves or no, he wasn't about to go through that again.
This time the professor had insisted on the full examination, and Jaune had been in no state to refuse. On the bright side, the results were good. No complications, despite passing out twice now, and having nearly cracked his jaw on the floor the second time.
He wiggled his jaw back and forth, feeling the stiffness and discomfort there. Swollen a bit, but nothing terrible.
As the blond continued slowly walking along, he hummed to himself in thought. Professor Peri had said his team had left for something to eat, and to meet back with them in their dorm afterwards. It wasn't that he cared whether they'd stayed behind or not – apparently, he'd been out for a while anyways.
After spending what seemed like the better part of an hour walking, Jaune finally found himself at his dorm. He longed for nothing more than to collapse on his bed.
Jaune already knew he was tired. He was drained not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well, according to the strange Professor he felt he got to know a lot better today. A lot better than he probably wanted.
The boy clenched his cheeks reflexively.
"Best not to think about it." He muttered to himself, waving his scroll over the lock and turning the doorknob.
The blond pushed his way inside, and his eyes widened as there was a tray and a small over-the-lap table on his bed. Pyrrha was brushing her hair next to it where she sat. The girl blinked her bright green eyes at Jaune with a smile.
"Oh, you made it back safely. You could have called one of us." The redheaded girl pointed out, standing. "We brought food back from the cafeteria for you."
Indeed, the platter looked like it had quite the spread. More than Jaune would have expected. In fact, the tray was completely laden with food.
"Why so much?" Jaune asked, stepping cautiously into the room. He looked to the side, seeing Ren laying back with his eyes closed. Poor guy probably felt as tired as he did. He could hear the shower running, so there was no reason to ask where Blake was.
"Believe it or not, we sat with some of our seniors. Your sister invited us to eat, seeing as her team was busy with something."
"Velvet's team? Huh." He hadn't met any of them yet. Did she say anything about introducing them at some point? "They weren't at lunch either."
"Yeah. Anyway, we sat with Velvet and a few other girls. They seemed to know you and one was really apologetic over..." Pyrrha trailed off with a blush. "Attempting to appropriate you, was how I think she put it."
Jaune winced. "Yeah, I think I remember that one, thanks."
Pyrrha smiled awkwardly. "They all pitched in for your little get-well tray here, if you feel like eating."
"I appreciate you guys bringing it back for me." Jaune admitted, stepping towards his bed. He rested against the foot of it before sitting where Pyrrha had been.
"Oh, it was no trouble." The redhead sat directly across from the blond with a huff. Jaune looked up at her curiously, but she just looked out the window with pursed lips.
A few minutes passed in silence as Jaune sat, picking at the food. He ate no small amount, but it seemed like they went a little overboard in giving him so much.
"What did Professor Peri tell you?" Pyrrha finally asked.
"Not to overdo it like I did again." Jaune put his fork down for a moment. "We talked about my semblance some too."
"You know what it is now?"
Jaune hummed, trying to remember what Professor Peri told him. "I don't know what my limits are yet, but I know what triggers it. Something like how I'd assume you wouldn't be able to move a mountain or something with yours, if that makes sense."
Pyrrha nodded. "Yeah, something like that would be impossible."
"Since I've just awoken to it, she said to keep what I use it for to a minimum. It would suck to pass out in a serious fight."
"Understandable."
Silence returned as Jaune munched on some veggies, the pressure on his jaw bearable at least. The boy turned his eyes to the window to his right to witness the sun dipping below the horizon.
Two stiff knocks sounded around the dorm, and Jaune turned his head to the door. He glanced to the tray covering his lap, before looking up to Pyrrha. The girl seemed to realize that she'd needed to be the one to answer it, and stood. "I'll be right there." She called out, stepping over.
She pulled the door open, and Jaune leaned, smiling at Velvet even though his sister seemed to glare back. Pyrrha invited her in, but the blond's eyes glanced to the older girl's left, and he blinked a couple times as he looked her over. She tilted her beret softly, and he couldn't help but think she was staring at him from behind her sunglasses.
It took him a moment before he nodded slightly, the two girls walking in. "Hi Velv." He greeted. "Who's this?"
"I'm-"
"In a minute." Velvet crossed her arms, looking so seriously unimpressed it didn't suit her at all. He couldn't remember a time she'd interrupted anyone, either. Even the other girl seemed surprised. "The only reason I'm not smacking you around is because you look like you're in enough pain already."
"Thanks, sis. Appreciated." Jaune forced himself to sound somewhat enthusiastic about it, else Velvet really would smack him around, pain or no.
"Seriously, I didn't need the help."
Jaune sighed, tilting his head back. "We could talk about this later, you know?"
The girl at Velvet's side cleared her throat, interrupting whatever his sister had been about to bite off in response. The rabbit faunus stared her down for a moment, but ultimately relented when eyebrows were raised behind tinted lenses.
"Fine. Later." Velvet let out a breath, stepping closer to Pyrrha.
Jaune's eyes turned away from his sister, instead focusing on the girl stepping towards him. A hand was extended to Jaune, and the boy wiped his own on his pants before offering his in return.
"You're Jaune, huh? I'm Coco." The girl smiled, but Jaune wasn't sure what to make of it until she reached up to lower her sunglasses. Her caramel-colored irises burned into his own, and he took her hand. She sat on the bed next to him, grinning after their handshake. "Do you have lots of dirt on Velvet? Any photos of her that are just pure embarrassing?"
"Coco!"
"Maybe a couple." Jaune chuckled uncertainty, half-nodding. "What about you?"
Coco's grin grew as she barely punched him in the arm, laughing. "I think we'll get along just fine, then."
"Don't do this to me!" Velvet protested.
"Well, there is this one time mom bought her a pair of overalls with a fluffy bunny tail sewn on them. I swear we couldn't get them off her if we tried." Jaune smiled as Velvet turned pale. "I've still got the pictures on my scroll."
"Perfect."
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to let me know what you think. (P.S. I'm a little impressed I managed to stay in Jaune's head this whole chapter. Hopefully his idiocy isn't literately contagious.)
Later!