CHAPTER 3: FRIENDSHIP IS COOL?
Remnant
City of Vale
November 3rd,
80 Years After the Great War
Jaune wasn't the type of guy that cared much for eating unhealthy food. It wasn't that he disliked junk food or avoided it due to some strict diet. It was more like he had grown out of the temptation of wanting to eat something unhealthy every time he saw something of that nature. At first, he felt kind of weird for thinking that way, but when he asked his friends at Beacon if they experienced the same thing, he was finding that, with exceptions, everyone else seemed to have either grown out of impulse eating or developed a tolerance.
That made him feel better about himself, but it also made him wonder something: did his newest friend think the same way? Did Penny not care for sweets like he did? Did she not like them at all?
The reason that he was thinking about cake and the ginger-haired girl was because as he walked with the rest of Team JNPR to get some weekly items that they needed, they had passed by a bakery shop and the leader just so happened to see a cake decorated with white frosting and actual little carrots dotting the edges, probably also frosting as well. The bright orange color made him think about Penny.
"Jaune, what is it?" Pyrrha noticed that he had stopped and went to his side. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was just looking at that cake." Jaune pointed to the dessert in question behind glass. "It reminded me of someone."
He had chosen not to tell anyone about Penny for the time being simply because he didn't feel a need to tell them. He still had no intention of being made a laughing stock on account of what could be perceived as him trying to make up a girl to console himself and for being a part of the Lonely Hearts Club.
"The carrot cake?" Pyrrha followed his finger. "Who does it remind you of?"
"A friend." Jaune didn't want to talk about this anymore. "Anyway, we need to get going. We'll lose Nora and Ren like this."
Tearing his gaze away from the shop, he swiftly picked up the pace in order to catch up with his other two members with his own partner not too far behind. There would be time to think about that later. Right now, he had more immediate things to do here.
The sun had reached its peak point in the sky and it showed the amount of people walking in the streets as well as the number of vehicles that were driving into downtown, but that was to be expected given that it was the weekend.
But it wasn't just that there was fun to be had at this time of the week when most people were off from work. This year, Beacon Academy was hosting the Vytal Festival. As a result, the City of Vale was making its preparations. Business was going to boom while the tournament and other relevant events were taking place. Even with so many months ahead of everyone, some were already making their preparations.
And now that he was thinking about it, Jaune had yet to talk to his teammates about entering the Vytal Tournament. The deadline for entry was still a bit away, but he really did want to participate if it was at all possible. After all, despite his progress, the rest of Team JNPR was doing well all things considered. Their performance overall was actually pretty good and with time, it would get even better once his combat performance.
Then he thought of something else. Since Penny said she was representing Atlas Academy, wasn't she going to compete in the Vytal Tournament as well? If she was, were they going to face off?
The blonde knight took a moment to realize that even though their time spent together was brief, they never really talked about being a professional Grimm killer. It was just a little fact that the two of them knew about each other and nothing more, which didn't feel right considering that coming to a huntsman academy wasn't a walk in the park nor was a decision to be taken lightly.
Maybe he ought to talk about it more once he got to see here again.
Again?
Was he already anticipating another not-date?
As much as he enjoyed his time with Penny, he wasn't sure if how much time he could afford. He did have duties and responsibilities as team leader.
Jaune raised his head slightly to witness Nora and Ren in front of himself and Pyrrha. The N and R of JNPR were doing their own little spiel that was probably all kinds of bonkers. It was kind of entertaining having an in-house comedy duo. It was a free show and it cost nothing to any of them. His eyes flickered to his own partner, who looked to be mirroring his own feelings on the matter, the smile on her face being the proof.
He liked this team and the four of them got along so well that it was kind of amazing that there had been absolutely no tension. However, just like with Penny, he didn't know their reasons for coming to this school and trying to obtain a huntsman license. He didn't know who they were inside and out.
But then again, none of them had known each other for very long, so his concerns, while reasonable, weren't all that big in the grand scheme of things.
"Hey, Pyrrha?" Jaune wanted to test the waters. "Let me ask you a hypothetical question. Say that we meet a student coming from one of the other three academies to fight in the Vytal Tournament. What do you think we should do? Greet them? Size them up?"
"Why do you ask that question?" Pyrrha regarded him with a puzzled expression. "Is it everyone around us preparing for the festival?"
"That's sort of it, but I've got another reason for asking." Jaune shrugged a little. "That friend I just mentioned, she's attending Atlas Academy, at least that's what she said. I was just thinking that we might have to fight her."
"...I see." Pyrrha's expression was strange-looking for a moment before she smiled. "You think this might cause problems."
"Well, I don't know for sure." Jaune bit his bottom lip. "I just know that she's different from anyone I've ever met. She's not well-adjusted to social situations. It's kind of dumb, but I'm worried what a fight between us might mean."
"What is she like?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well, if I had to describe her in one work, it would be… spirited." Jaune let his memories guide his words. "She's got this unending amount of energy to do anything and everything. I've never seen anyone so excited to do things that are so normal. I can't help but be jealous of her in that way."
"Judging by the way you're describing her, she sounds sheltered." Pyrrha came to her own conclusion. "Does she not get out."
"That's the impression I was getting, but I don't know all the details." Jaune shook his head. "Really, I think what she really needs is friendship and… well… I don't know what'll happen if we fight and all that. Maybe I'm just overthinking things."
It was hard to find people to become friends with. So many factors were taken into account just for the formation of a friendship and then there were other considerations after that relationship was formed. Attempting to navigate through it all felt like trying to find a needle in a haystack: impossibly difficult.
"If you're concerned about how she will react to such a scenario, maybe you ought to ask her how she would feel if it happened." Pyrrha's answer came after maybe ten seconds or more. "You can clear the air about what to do. It might not even happen at all, so there's no need to worry."
Yeah, that would be a nice thing if it didn't happen, but there was one problem with that particular scenario. The blonde knight wanted to win the tournament and he had a feeling that Penny wasn't about to go down without a fight either.
Jaune realized he wasn't looking where he was going and he managed to look up and that afforded him enough time to see and process the girl on his mind right in front of him and collide into him, this time with enough force to send him flat on his back and take her with him.
When all was said and done, he laid flat on the street with her on top of him, a most embarrassing scene, especially in public.
"Ugh." Jaune felt his aura kick in to lessen the pain he was feeling. "Penny, I am so sorry for running into you."
"I found you, Jaune!" Penny's response to him was much different as she wrapped her arms around him while still pressed against him. "This is a most joyous day!"
Well, it was a good thing that at least one of them was immune to the judgemental stares being thrown their way.
RWBY - - - RWBY
Penny had not been expected to meet with Jaune today. She had simply wandered off of her own accord and was roaming the streets just doing her own thing when she came into contact with him. Naturally when it came to her first and only friend, she was always enthusiastic about seeing him. Maybe now she could do things with him just like the last time that had been together.
It took her another moment to realize that perhaps this was not the best place to be drawing attention to herself. Her audio receptors were picking the sounds of people all around them disapproving of the position they were currently in. Her getting up and then helping him up was not because of any shame she was experiencing, but in order to spare him from any further shame.
"I apologize!" Penny clasped her hands together. "Please forgive me! I have shamed you in public, friend!"
"Penny, please stop." Jaune gently grabbed her hands and placed them back at her side. "It's okay. You made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes."
"But-" Penny felt like protesting.
"If you want to make it up to me, smile." Jaune wasn't interested in punishment. "That'll make all this go away."
"O-okay." Penny took a moment to compose herself. "How does this look?"
She had not completely removed the negative feeling within herself and as a result, her smile didn't come out as it normally did. It felt awkward and she felt that she was letting down his request. What she did not expect was seeing him laughing, albeit attempting to suppress that feeling. It was far from what she was expecting and in all honesty, it was much more preferable than him being upset, but she did not understand why he was reacting this way.
"I'm sorry." Jaune managed to get control of himself. "It's just that you looked so funny making that smile. I couldn't resist."
"Oh." Penny took a second to think about that. "Then… you're not upset with me?"
"What? No, of course not." Jaune shook his head with a smile. "Why would I be? You're just glad to see me and I feel the same way."
"T-thank you." Penny felt pretty good about him saying that. "So what brings you out here on this lovely day?"
"I'm out here with my teammates. We're getting some errands done." Jaune looked over to his companion. "Speaking of which, this Pyrrha Nikos. She's my partner and a pretty awesome one at that. Pyrrha, this is Penny Polendina."
"Hello." The redhead stepped up and offered a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise!" The girl with carrot hair replied.
There was something about the face that Miss Nikos was displaying that made the synthetic wonder something. It could be on account of a misinterpretation of the situation, but the expression that the Mistral native was displaying seemed unsure or unsettled and it only lasted temporarily before shifting into a pleasant smile.
"Jaune-Jaune!" A voice called to them. "What's the hold-up?!"
"We might as well introduce you to the rest of my team." Jaune motioned in the direction of the voice. "I'm sure you'll like them."
"I'm sure that I will." Penny nodded her head.
He moved forward and she followed closely, not quite by his side yet not completely behind him either. To her other side was the four-time Mistral champion; the three of them walked some twenty meters before coming into contact with two other individuals, one with black hair and the other with orange hair not unlike her own.
"Ren, look!" The girl seemed to understand that similarity. "A fellow orange-head! We have to be sisters!"
"I don't think that's the case, Nora." The boy called Ren regarded his companion with amusement before looking at the synthetic. "Apologies for my partner. She can be a bit inventive at times. My name is Lie Ren and this is-"
"Nora Valkyrie!" The bubbly girl sounded off her name. "Nice to meet you, unknown sister until now!"
"Like I said, she can conjure some wild ideas." Ren explained. "I would advise you not to take what she says seriously."
"Ren, how can you say that?!" Nora appeared taken aback by her partner's words. "Do you know how hard it is to find anyone with hair color like this?!"
Penny watched the two of them talking to each other with the most puzzled look on her face. This sort of relationship was unlike any she had ever witnessed or experienced herself. She wasn't sure what to make of it. It felt genuine yet the attitude was far from what she thought to be happy. It would appear that her understanding of friendship and intimacy might be more lacking than even she had anticipated.
"If you're confused about what's going on, it's fine." Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't understand what they're saying half the time and I live with them at Beacon."
"I see." Truthfully, Penny only understood his explanation, no the verbal exchange going on. "Are they friends?"
"Eh, you could say that." Jaune appraised, yet he seemed pensive. "Although I think the two of them might have feelings for each other."
"Fearless leader, we're together, but we're not together-together." Nora caught on to his observation. "It's just not like that."
"I wonder about that." Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, you didn't let my friend introduce herself."
"Um, right!" Penny snapped out of her stupor and stood up straight. "My name is Penny Polendina. It's a pleasure to meet you both!"
"The pleasure's all ours." Ren responded.
"So long-lost sister of mine." Nora appeared to be fixed on them being related, even if it was not possible. "Do you like pancakes?"
"I do not know." Penny answered honestly. "I've never eaten one before."
"Blasphemy!" Nora declared loudly. "Heresy! Treachery! We have to feed this girl some pancakes right now!"
"Nora." Ren lightly hit his friend on the top of her head. "Don't force the girl."
"Owie!" Nora held her head in pain. "Ren, why are you so mean to me?!"
"Because you just met her." Ren reminded the short girl. "
"So, yeah, this is all of Team JNPR." Jaune pointed to everyone. "A weird but cohesive team."
It was hard to say just what exactly was the team dynamic that composed this team. She assumed they were friends, but what she couldn't assume was how they functioned otherwise. Friendship was as varied as it was complex. It was far from the sort of relationship that she had with Jaune. This felt more chaotic and more open, as if they trusted each other to a very high degree, which made sense given that all of them were counting on each other during a battle, be it with Grimm or otherwise.
Penny wished she could say that her own partner would be as willing to do the same, but just like with everyone associated with her at this time, she couldn't say for sure where professionalism ended and authenticity began. It was all software-boggling to her at times. Mankind truly was amazing to be able to navigate the challenge that was friendship.
In any case, Jaune's teammates appeared to be friendly if nothing else. She wasn't sure if she would get to know any of them more, but she liked to think that she could make more friends.
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you!" Penny reinserted herself back into the conversation.
Jaune gave her a look. "Penny, you said that already."
"...so I did!" Penny recovered somewhat. "I'm sorry! I'm not adept at social interactions!"
"Nobody's blaming you for that." Jaune assured her. "Actually, now that we're talking, do you have any plans right now?"
"None." Penny met eye to eye with her first friend. "I was just roaming the streets, hoping for something to do."
"Great, then you can come with us." Jaune suggested. "We could always use some extra company."
"Yes!" Nora seconded that motion. "I want to get to know my sister!"
"I would not mind." Ren agreed. "You are welcome to come along."
"Yes, please." Pyrrha acknowledged. "The more friends, the better."
It would appear that her previous plans to wander around were not scrapped in favor of something far more preferable. A part of her was slightly anxious about doing this, but it would be rude of her to turn them all down when they gave her to go-ahead to tag along on their weekly errands.
And a small part of her, the selfish part, didn't want to be left alone after she had met them all.
"I would like that!" Penny grinned widely. "Thank you all for having me!"
"It's our pleasure." Jaune offered with his own grin. "We're heading to the market district. We'll show you the way. Maybe we'll find some cool stuff while we're there."
"Sensational!" Penny cheered.
"Let's go, sister!" Nora grabbed her hand. "We've got a lot of catching up to do!"
Penny tilted her head slightly. "But we're not biologically re-"
"Biology, smiology, we're sisters!" Nora ignored her factual statement. "We are most definitely sisters!"
RWBY - - - RWBY
Jaune felt that Penny's presence with Team JNPR seemed to enhance the overall experience of them doing a weekly thing. Nora had taken to the new girl immediately. Ren seemed happy that his lifelong friend had found a fast friend.
Meanwhile, Pyrrha hung back with her team leader and the two of them did most of the actual errands while the other three were content to do their own thing. It was like the two of them had become the mom and dad of this team, taking care of what they actually came down to the city to do while the kids played.
First, they stocked up on basic cleaning supplies, then they gathered some basic showering necessities and other bathroom items. That had taken them about an hour to go through. Now they were on their way to a dust store to get some specialized ammunition for everyone except Jaune being that he was the only one on the team that didn't use any sort of ranged weapon.
More specifically, they needed 40mm grenades for Nora, 9mm for Ren, and 7.62 mm rounds for Pyrrha. The leader of Team JNPR, despite not possessing a firearm of his own, was fully aware of his team's weapons and what they needed to be fully functional and deadly in combat.
Nora and Penny were content to browse around the shop and take a look at the latest weapons and armaments available. Ren chose to leave them be for the time being and join his other two teammates.
"It looks like things are going well." Jaune casually spoke to his male teammate. "What do you think?"
"It's been a long time since I've seen Nora connect with someone so fast." Ren commented with a thoughtful face. "But then again, she warmed up to the two of you fast enough, so maybe it's just good luck."
"Well, whatever the case, it's working." Jaune was content all the same. "I didn't really tell you guys about her because, well… I didn't want to be the butt of another joke."
"Jaune, you know we'd never do that." Pyrrha displayed a disapproving look. "We're not so heartless as to believe that you'd lie about something like this."
"Well, it's water under the bridge at this point." Jaune dismissed his partner's concerns. "Penny met you guys and all's right with the world, or something like that."
Maybe there was a little bit of reservation in himself about fully trusting his teammates. While he had come to terms with how his pride had nearly cost him everything, the knight was only now beginning to understand that old habits die hard. It would take many weeks and months, perhaps even years to fully gain control of his innate desire to do what he could on his own.
Even for non-combat related details like new friendships could matter in the most important ways. Failing to tell them about this for a long time could have resulted in a repeat of what had been occuring in the first few weeks of this semester. That was the last thing that he needed right now after everything.
"What's there to doubt, Jaune?" Ren took his side quickly. "Your new friend's right here and she's becoming Nora's new friend. I would say that you have nothing to worry about."
"Thanks, Ren." Jaune couldn't help but appreciate his battle brother. "You are a true bro."
"Well, at least it wasn't anything life-threatening." Pyrrha amended out loud. "But promise that you'll tell us about things, even if they don't matter to our combative effectiveness."
"I'll work on it." Jaune promised. "I just need to remind myself."
Penny and Nora were completely oblivious to the semi-serious conversation going on between the more emotionally controlled teenagers. The former was explaining the benefits of a particular set of dust rounds while the latter seemed to eat up every word that her fellow carrot-haired companion was speaking. It was good to know that innocence and easy trust weren't bad qualities to have in this day and age.
"So I take it that Penny's from one of the other academies?" Ren moved the conversation along. "What was the academy?"
"Atlas Academy." Jaune relayed. "But I've never seen her fight before. I've been meaning to ask her how she fights. I'm kind of curious."
"I am as well." Pyrrha seemed interested in this subject. "Based on looking at her, I don't see any particular weapon or style that suits her. Normally, I can at least get a basic reading on a combatant when I see them, but she's different. If anything, she doesn't strike me as the type that does fight."
"Well, she does have aura, that much I can say." Jaune could affirm that much. "So she's got to be able to bust a move."
"Hm." Ren took a moment to think before continuing. "So what do you think of her, Jaune?"
"What, me?" Jaune looked confused by that statement. "I mean, I hang out with her. I do fun stuff with her. I like her, I guess."
"You guess." Ren copied his words with a knowing undertone. "You don't sound sure about that."
"Well, okay, I'm kind of stumbling in the dark here. Penny's not exactly what you'd call typical." Jaune was fumbling for words. "She's… how do I put this? She's not the type of girl that I'm used to seeing or dealing with. She's just so nice and heartwarming and I can't help but find it adorable and cute."
"I see." Ren nodded his head.
"Not like that." Jaune gave the black-haired boy an annoyed look. "She didn't even have a friend before me. I wasn't about to take advantage of her lack of social skills and make a move on her."
"I never said that you would." Ren said. "But it does make you wonder…"
The idea of becoming romantically involved with Penny was an alien concept. It wasn't that she wasn't a girl worth the effort. It was just that his mind was already set on someone else and that was simply all there was to it.
In many ways, it was a good thing to be just friends with the green-eyed girl. It allowed him to take a step back and think about how he could better interact with the opposite sex in a way that wouldn't make him out to be some desperate guy. Maybe then approaching girls wouldn't turn into him automatically using a corny pickup line. It was a reflex that he had to fight back and the only exceptions to this rule were girls he considered friends.
"Look, dude, you know that I like Weiss." Jaune made his stance clear. "And honestly, it's kind of for the better that Penny and me not be anything more than friends. This'll help her be more well-rounded in the future. I'm sure once she finds a guy, he'll be awesome and hopefully he'll take care of her."
"That would be nice." Pyrrha sounded wistful. "Wouldn't it?"
Jaune turned to look at his partner. There was a look on her face that made him think that she felt some sort of attachment to what he just said. He had kind of forgotten that she was here and the conversation drifted between himself and Ren.
The two male team members of JNPR exchanged expressions with the shorter shrugging and the other just turning his head back to the girls still roaming the shop without a care in the world.
All good and bad aside, all of these people the knight did consider to be trustworthy and he hoped that in the future, he could come to call them close friends as well, the kind of people that he could trust with his own life unconditionally, but he needed to improve how he dealt with people too.
Describing Penny's problem with dealing with others was an extension to himself as well. It could be argued that he was learning a little bit from her while she learned from him, so it wasn't a one-sided relationship and he was in need of more tip regarding how to beat the game that was socializing.
"Apologies for the wait." The store clerk returned with their order. "Here's everything you requested."
"Thank you." Jaune grabbed two of the cases.
"We appreciate your efforts." Pyrrha carried the other two.
"Penny, Nora, we're leaving." Jaune called out.
"Affirmative!" Penny saluted.
"You got it!" Nora did as well.
They were pretty much done with everything down here. Now it was back to Beacon Academy and back to their school life, which was a shame because he had not gotten a chance to spend some on-on-one time with her.
He'd have to call her to schedule a time.
RWBY - - - RWBY
Penny had wished all of Team JNPR a good rest of their day and found herself wandering back to where she was needed.
Just as their profiles suggested, all of Jaune's friends were nice people. They were all starkly different, but it had been a pleasant experience being with them collectively. There may yet be another chance to replicate that same experience with then in the future, but it came down to whether they had the time.
It also occured to the synthetic girl that she only had a brief moment with Jaune. She had spent pretty much all day with Nora, whose energy she could synergize with quite fluidly. There was nothing wrong with this, but the fact that she spent little time with him even when they were in close proximity didn't feel right.
Penny knew that she shouldn't be selfish. That's the kind of thing that detracted friends. Friendship was supposed to be selfless and caring and she didn't want to sabotage what she had right now. Still, the feeling of disappointment didn't go away.
Did Jaune feel the same way?
She didn't know if he did and if she did know and it was that exact feeling, what would that make her feel?
The carrot-haired WMD looked behind her to gaze at the sight of Beacon Academy in the distance, Team JNPR was there right now, in all likelihood getting ready for another week of classes and studying. While not all of their time was spent doing pleasant things, they were together for most of the day, she could imagine. Meanwhile, she had to make do with occasional get-togethers. It didn't feel fair and this once again made her reel herself in. She was just one individual that Jaune knew.
Penny decided that once she returned, she would need to send a text message and get a bead on what her first friend was thinking in regards to spending more time with her. She really wanted to see him again do all sorts of exciting and interesting things with him if he would let her.
That would have to wait though. These next couple of days, she would be doing some more tests, go through some simulations, and possibly go out to exterminate some Grimm as a form of live testing. Being what she was, she demanded constant attention to maintenance and with so much money invested into her, there was no way that Atlas was simply going to let mistakes and errors get into the equation.
It was sad, yet the truth of her existence clearly defined her purpose on Remnant. She was to become its protector and savior. She would rise up to save all of Mankind and the Faunus. Everything else she accomplished was secondary in comparison to protecting the world.
Penny had long accepted that would be her life.
But she still wanted friends.
Apologies for a rushed chapter, but recent events have consumed much more of my time that I realized. There will undoubtedly be mistakes in this chapter, so feel free to point them all out.
I have little to say about this chapter, but I want to remind all of you: this story is intended to be more simple and straightforward. I don't intend for there to be drama or any high-octane events that shift the tone of the entire story.
Thoughts? Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading and I hope you all are as well as you can be in spite of everything going on.
"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places."
Ernest Hemingway
