Sorry about the last two weeks of being MIA. I had a bunch of tests that I needed to study for. I actually put some decent work into To Those Who Survived The Fall, and The Lengths We must Go To. Both chapters are half done or three quarters the way there. Not in that order. I'm also an asshole who couldn't put his goddamn phone away and focus on writing. Now I've started locking it inside of my drawer, so I can type out 2k words a day, which was the average for this chapter.
Pretty simple breakdown today. Jaune's taking it easy this morning. You'll notice some subtle changes of his as the chapter goes on. Character building, and stuff like that. Not every chapter is going to be a grand Dragon Ball Z or Superman versus Black Adam destroy half the city fight. Lots of little moments between friends and if you can pick up on some things, you'll notice stuff going on in the background.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww," Jaune groaned as he stirred from his slumber. The carpeted floor beneath him muffled his speech so it could not project into the adjacent rooms.
His entire body throbbed with pain as an aching sensation ripped through his muscles. The feeling a well-tenderised piece of meat should experience when one goes at it with a heavy hand and an even heavier mallet. This pain coming on stronger than any workout Jaune put himself through. Even muscles that shouldn't have been sore were so.
You're lucky he wasn't 'that' kind of vampire...
A certain muscle would have been sore if he was...
Jaune's right eye opened suddenly as that voice entered his mind, being greeted with the bright light coming through his uncovered window. He shut it almost immediately, feeling the sun's rays far too overbearing on his poor body. The rest of him didn't appreciate the gentle warmth it cast on his right shoulder, preferring the cold tile of his bathroom floor. However, he made no attempt to move from where he lay. Jaune was content with this spot for now.
Really? You again?
You know what... Fuck it! That really doesn't matter right now...
What did matter was what happened last night. That vampire recognised him for some reason, calling Jaune by a name he had never even heard of until then. There was also that ghost or whatever it was showing up and saving his ass.
Jaune had no clue what happened at that moment. It could have been a hallucination because he was about to die. People see shit like that. Their bodies are trying to keep them alive, and with all of those hormones rushing through their blood, certain images or entire dreams appear. Stuff they wanted to see or believed they would see. His body could have even been on autopilot while he was dreaming that whole thing up.
However, Jaune could still remember how her hand felt in his. It was an odd sensation. Something that felt 'right.' He had never experienced anything close enough to compare it to. Frankly, few things could make for an apt comparison.
Jaune couldn't feel anything in the room with him at the moment. The only time he knew she was around was when his palm started burning or when he heard her voice. A part of Jaune wanted to wait around and see if it came back.
Do you see the ghost lady right now?
No...
Or does she only come to you when you're alone?
No...
One thing Jaune did know for sure was other vampires a lot stronger than him were running around. The Stranger didn't even try to put up a proper fight when going against Jaune. He beat the boy down without trying. Not breaking a sweat as he did so.
Jaune was fortunate the vampire didn't use any magic weapon in their fight, or he may have been killed on the first shot. In fact, the excitement in the vampire's voice told Jaune he wasn't expecting him to have a weapon such as Crocea Mors. It was likely that the vampire didn't have one either. That would be a best-case scenario for Jaune if it turned out to be true.
If there were more vampires like that guy, then Jaune had a way to wound them at least. Not the small fry that Jaune found the night he claimed Crocea Mors. A little kick from the boy sent that one guy's head tumbling. So he might not need anything to fight them if it came down to it. If Jaune went up against another vampire like the Stranger, then it was probable his fists wouldn't do anything to them, however.
If I run into another vampire like him again, then I can't expect a ghost to come to my rescue. Crocea Mors is the only thing that works, so I need to build off that.
But how? I don't know where to start. Why did he call Crocea Mors a familiar?
With a heavy sigh, Jaune decided to put off any planning until later this evening. Anything he could come up with now wouldn't be tested until he had some free time on his hands. Jaune just needed to go through the motions again like he had yesterday. Avoiding Weiss was the top of his priorities. Jaune didn't need to have any incidents that drew attention to him.
Attempting to lift himself off the ground, Jaune positioned his hands below him as one would do when performing a push-up. However, as he pushed his body off the ground, Jaune was literally thrown from the floor all the up to the ceiling of his room. The boy's back slammed into the drywall, creating a loud thud before he fell back to the earth, causing a similar crash.
"OOOOOOOoooooowwwwww," Jaune groaned out loud once again. "Goddamnit!" The joints in his arms and legs cried out as he finally came down on the carpeted plywood floor. His lungs had the wind knocked out of them as Jaune's diaphragm took a good portion of the fall.
What the hell was that?!
The sound of knocking on Jaune's door brought the boy's attention away from the pain in his body. He looked up at the hatch, preparing for someone to come in. Starting to panic, Jaune actually began to scramble to his feet and go for his bathroom to find some cover. He knew he was still wearing the clothes he had on from last night. There was no way he could explain why he looked like a homeless man that just got into a fight with a tiger.
So much for not drawing attention...
"Jaune," a voice that sounded like his mother came from the opposite side of the door. "Are you okay? What was that sound?"
Fuck!
Okay, Jaune, lie your way through this...
"Nothing," he replied loudly enough to get through the door. "I-I just tripped!"
A few seconds went by without any sound whatsoever. Jaune began to believe she hadn't bought it.
"Okay then," his mother replied with no audible tone. "You need to hurry up if you want to head off to school with Ruby."
Shit... This is not going well. Can't be late for Ruby...
Ah yes, can't be late for the obligatory angsty walk to school session!
Taking a few careful steps, Jaune made his way across the room, trying not to throw himself through a wall. He grabbed his Scroll off the nightstand and flicked it on. The time on the screen read that it was almost six in the morning. Not late but getting there.
Jaune glanced to the spot where he had fallen asleep on the floor. There was no noticeable stain or mark that he left there. Only some dust and dirt that could be done away with later. This left him free and clear of all obstacles.
Need to get ready...
...
Ducking into the bathroom, Jaune shut the door behind him and turned to face the mirror. The first thing he needed to do was survey the damage from last night. He couldn't go to school looking like he had gone twelve rounds with Frazier. Or, more importantly, with a hole in his chest.
The first thing Jaune did see was how damaged his hoodie was. The entire thing no longer just a hoodie. It looked like something a dog would do to a blanket or a rope. The cloth hung off his body by a single band over his right shoulder. His t-shirt below was not any better. Both caked in dust and probably a lot of asbestos.
At least it wasn't his Pumpkin Pete hoodie.
However, every spare inch of exposed skin was covered in dust as well. Jaune's hair was absolutely caked in it and had he shook his head it would have gotten dirt on everything.
Nothing a shower can't fix...
Jaune leaned in to check where the vampire had skewered him with his hand. The wound seemed to have healed up, closing entirely as if nothing had happened. It still felt tender to the touch, giving the impression it hadn't finished the job completely.
Most people are like that after some nice penetration action!
With his healing factor diminishing in capacity throughout the fight, Jaune was afraid it wouldn't have healed all the way. The hole was barely closed when he got back to his house. However, whatever was in that albino vampire's blood seemed to do the trick. It just took longer than it had before.
Maybe it's just blood that lets me regenerate? But how the hell do I get up to where that other guy was? I couldn't even hurt him, and he took Crocea Mors like it was nothing!
With a groan deep in his throat, Jaune tore off the rags he had been wearing and dumped them in his wastebasket. He would take care of them later, making sure no evidence was left behind. There was enough of that laying in the middle of downtown Vale right now.
Knowing my luck, I just found Count fucking Chocula or some shit from the invincible vampires club...
What if other vampires like him have familiars?
He looked down at his right hand, inspecting the palm where Crocea Mors was held within. Jaune recited the poem he got when first summoning the blade in his head, hoping it would at least bring the sword out in case he had to defend himself. However, he got nothing. No burning in his hand from the forge's fire or body-wide throbbing of pain.
Great...
[Dining Area]
Finishing up with his shower, Jaune put on all of his clothes and grabbed his stuff for school. Luckily his scraggly looking appearance aided the boy in not having to spend too long getting ready. He just dried his hair and then headed downstairs where he found a small paper bag sitting on the kitchen counter. The upper portion of the bag neatly folded and then rolled tight with his name inscribed in ink towards the top.
I guess Saphron made me a lunch... I'll take what I can get. Means I can avoid Weiss when I go to lunch.
He grabbed the bag and headed past the kitchen for the front door. Everyone else seemed to have cleared out for the morning, leaving him and one or two of his sisters somewhere in the house. Jaune didn't mind since they wouldn't distract him. However, a broadcast on the television drew the boy's attention away from leaving.
"Last night, authorities responded to a massive explosion emanating from within the residential district of Vale. What they initially reported as a gas explosion levelled several buildings, possibly injuring or killing several hundred people. At this moment, rescue teams are still attempting to sift through the rubble in the hopes they can recover any who are trapped beneath. This story is still developing, and we at the VNN will continue updating you as we receive new information."
Well, the cat's out of the bag now...
Hope they can't trace this back to me. I didn't kill those people anyway. That was on 'him'...
What, no mourning for the dead? No feeling sorry about yourself and complaining about how you killed all of those innocent people?!
Jaune shook his head and continued pressing on. Ruby and Yang would be waiting for him. The boy was actually looking forward to this day and wouldn't let anything spoil it. So long as he kept his head down and stayed away from Weiss, it would turn out like he wanted.
...
Opening the front door to his house, Jaune was greeted with the sight of Ruby and Yang standing on the sidewalk. The blonde seemingly impatient about something, tapping her foot against the concrete and staring down at her bare wrist. Ruby, however, looked as if she was bored verging on worried. It wasn't until Jaune closed the door that both girls turned their gaze upon him.
"You're late for the six o'clock 'walk to school meeting,' Vomit Boy," Yang opened loudly, cocking her head to the side slightly. "By five minutes and thirty-two seconds exactly! So, what do you have to say for yourself?!"
Okay...
Yang's tone didn't sound like she was serious about it. Just making fun of him because he was finally late for once. Jaune would have laughed if he wasn't feeling so tired right now. The nickname 'Vomit Boy' irked him, however.
"I woke up late," Jaune answered truthfully, leaving out 'certain' details. He brought a hand up to the back of his neck. "Rough night..."
Yang cocked her head to the opposite side, getting a good look for herself to appreciate Jaune's condition. Her expression scrunched up as she thought about it.
"Oh yeah..." she said, sounding like she understood his meaning. "You ain't lookin' too hot..." A Cheshire grin suddenly crossed her lips, hinting at some possibly lecherous thoughts. "Wanna play hooky?"
"YANG," Ruby abruptly cried out loud. An annoyed expression growing on her face. Both fists clenched and adopting the most adorable posture she could manage. "You can't skip school! Dad will kill you! And stop influencing Jaune! He missed enough already!" The lecture over truancy prompted a snort from the blonde to the younger girl's anger. Ruby continued going in on Yang while Jaune watched, beginning to walk ahead with those two following behind him.
I didn't know you were my mother, Ruby...
But the idea sounded so tempting right now. If he could go back to sleep, Jaune would have probably woken up tomorrow morning fully rested. He really needed it but had to forego that route to keep up appearances. Some fleeting part of the boy still wished to play the role of Jaune Arc instead of giving in to the wants of his body.
"Ohhhh, what's one day off," Yang replied with a question, gesturing with her right arm. "Really?" She emphasised her point using her hands. "Sometimes we just need a break every now and then! And I'm not talking about just skipping school without anything to cover it up with!" The blonde gave the two another look, trying to convey her meaning. "Because 'they'll' know... You catch my drift?"
"Yeah..." Jaune agreed, unsure of his actual stance on the matter. If he put too much thought into the question, he may pass out in the grass for a long nap.
"I guess..." Ruby seemed to half-heartedly agree. She clearly wasn't fully on board with the idea, but agree with her sister's logic. "But you two can't skip school! I won't allow it!" Ruby then put her foot down, making her position known. A finger pointed at both blondes made the two well aware of who she was talking about.
"Killjoy..."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
[Beacon: Ruby]
Reaching the Academy gates, Ruby glanced to her left, watching Yang tell a joke or some kind of story to her fellow blonde from the sidelines. The two laughed as her older sister reached the punchline. Yang letting out her booming laughter that was full of life, but Jaune's seemed much weaker than his typical chuckle. Restrained and the exhaustion in his voice was obvious. Clearly, he was trying to play along as best as he could.
She could have chalked it up to Jaune's claim about not getting a good nights rest, but she felt there was something more there. However, unless Jaune was willing to talk about it (which he still wasn't), then Ruby didn't want to pry. There were two plausible reasons for why Jaune wasn't feeling well, and Ruby knew both of them. More than likely, it was something about Weiss.
I don't think Pyrrha worked...
That had been part of the original plan to get Jaune and Weiss to make up. Pyrrha was supposed to go and be this tough love figure, forcing Jaune to actually confront the issue. Ruby thought it would make some progress. It may have done something to push their goal forward, but the ravenette couldn't know that until anything actually happened.
That meant they were going for Ruby's plan just to be safe. Plan B through F right now because they had nothing else really going. Their little brainstorming activity did nothing to come up with anything substantial that would definitely work.
The buzzing of her Scroll brought Ruby's attention to the device. A text from how it felt as the phone was on silent mode. She withdrew the Scroll, checking the name of who sent the message and making sure Yang didn't notice. The older sister would have teased Ruby over trying to hide something on her phone, suspecting it was a message from a boy.
The first thing she did notice was Weiss' name attached to the text. That prompted Ruby to immediately open it to see what she sent her. The ravenette had been wanting to talk to her about what to do with Jaune anyway.
W: Ruby, I'm standing to the right of the front door.
Ruby looked upwards, scanning the front of the building from left to right. She was quite a distance away, so things were not as clear for her eyes. The figures off in the distance were almost silhouettes. Maybe the colour of their hair was noticeable, but other features were not, their faces morphing seamlessly into a smooth shape. Except she couldn't see Weiss.
Another buzz came from her Scroll.
W: Behind the rightmost pillar, you dunce.
Oh...
She turned her gaze to where Weiss had specified. Lo and behold, there was a person's head sticking out from behind the column. Ruby could actually feel their eyes on her, making the girl feel kind of creeped out.
It was kind of like a stalker scene from one of Jaune's manga that he totally doesn't know Ruby swiped from under his bed. The character wasn't hiding the fact they were following their quarry, but you could clearly see them tucked behind a nearby corner. It was meant for comedic purposes, but the main characters and their friends were kind of freaked out.
Could you be any less obvious about it, Weiss?
The figure off in the distance seemed to leave their hiding spot and head into the main building. She must have not wanted to draw attention to herself when Ruby went to go follow. The off-centre ponytail gave away her identity, however. Not very many others could pull it off like Weiss. Pyrrha maybe, but not anybody else.
Ruby turned around to find Yang and Jaune looking at her. The boy's expression telling Ruby he'd just seen Weiss. You could clearly see it in his eyes like he had seen a ghost or something. Yang was not too far off, encouraging Ruby to go find Weiss and giving her the cue that she had Jaune.
"Um... I-I have to go meet up with Weiss, so I'll see you later," she squeaked, before turning and heading off. The last thing she'd seen was Jaune's expression relaxing a bit as he brought a hand up to his neck.
...
Crossing the entire courtyard of Beacon was uneventful. The short girl had to weave through the crowds as there was no way to push through them. Nora and Ren had said hello to her, and the girl replied without stopping, making her words brief and implying she had to go do something. When she came upon the front entrance of the Academy, Ruby ducked inside and began looking around for Weiss.
Where are you hiding, Weiss?
As Ruby scanned the room, she noticed the Heiress had been standing a few feet off from the door, trying to conceal herself from view. Ruby could tell she was nervous about something. Whether it was about the subject at hand, she had no clue. Weiss did know of the conversation that was going to take place in a few moments, so it wasn't going to be sprung on her without warning.
"Howya doin' bestie," Ruby spoke up with a wave towards the even shorter woman. She hoped her cheerful demeanour would offset the doom and gloom going on between her friends.
Weiss cracked a slight smile at Ruby's greeting, keeping her gaze downcast but did meet her friend's eyes occasionally. She started heading off further down the hallway, and the ravenette followed. The Heiress was trying to limit the chances of running into Jaune, but Ruby decided to play along with her for now.
"Um, fine," Weiss said meekly, making Ruby's own social awkwardness take second place for once. Her hands were down by her waist, fidgeting nervously as if she was being called into Ms Goodwitch's office for doing something bad.
"So, how long were you watching us," Ruby asked, almost teasing the girl.
The response she got was Weiss' cheeks flushing a dark red colour. It put Ruby's favourite red hoodie to shame. The girl's pale skin making her embarrassment that much more obvious. Ruby swore she could see the heat coming off of Weiss' ears as blood rushed into their capillaries.
"I-I wasn't watching you guys," Weiss stuttered, trying her best to deny it, but Ruby quickly saw through the charade. "I saw you and Arc arrive and didn't want him to see... me..." The last part of her speech was mumbled to a degree one could barely hear it. Keeping it down for any walls that possessed ears.
A part of Ruby relished being the one to dole out the teasing for once and not to be the one receiving it. However, she would have preferred this teasing to be from well-meaning fun instead of trying to bring up the mood. Had all of their friends been together still, they could have crowded around the lunch table and made these jokes like they used to.
"Are you sure~," Ruby asked in a drawl, sinking her claws into the Heiress. Her tone mimicking that of Yang's own teasing voice. If this didn't draw out the truth, then Weiss wasn't going to admit it.
"I am quite sure, Ruby," Weiss replied with a bite to her voice.
Ruby cringed at this, realising she may have gone too far. However, without any further words, it felt as though she were in the clear. With the library coming up, the ravenette urged Weiss to head inside with her following close behind. There were places they could talk privately without any disturbances.
...
The two found a table tucked somewhere in the back of the library. This spot had nobody else around with how early it was in the morning. It allowed Weiss to calm down a bit and loosen up. Ruby was thankful for the air to have thinned some as the mood was becoming overbearing.
"So, you mentioned a plan that would help with making Arc 'feel' better," Weiss asked, still keeping her anxious behaviour. It was toned down enough she could make conversation, so she was progressing.
Weiss herself didn't seem to buy into the concept so readily. The promise of there being a plan, not the idea itself. Her caution coming from clear prior experience with this whole debacle. Anything she agreed to would have to perfect and guaranteed for success before undergoing it if involving her directly.
"Yep," Ruby chirped, planting her hands on the table. Her voice holding a harsh-sounding whisper. "Yang and I have been working on this since yesterday!"
"I'm afraid now," Weiss jested, eliciting a guffaw from the ravenette. Ruby had to slap her hands over her mouth to conceal her laughter so they wouldn't be kicked out of the library. "Anything you two come up with is bound to be ridiculous."
"Heyyy, we're not that bad," Ruby whined, feeling the burn at her plan making skills being thrashed. "We thought really hard about this. You're not the only one who wants to fix things!"
Weiss' brain seemed to catch up with what she had said. Her mouth hung open slightly, and her face flushed due to embarrassment.
"No-no-no, I-I didn't mean it that way," she corrected herself, sounding like she meant it. Her hands waving in front of her for emphasis. "I meant you and your sister's plans are very eccentric!"
Ruby let out a snort seeing how the Heiress did a complete one-eighty. The show of humour at Weiss' change seemed to calm her down for the moment. With everything that happened between her and Jaune, she was being more careful with her words. So, Ruby needed to show Weiss that no harm had been done.
"It's fine~," Ruby blew it off, expressing her point in a way to make this look like it wasn't a big deal. "Don't worry 'bout it! Yang and I got this covered!"
The two had been working on this idea of their's since yesterday. With Yang's experience as the social butterfly and Ruby's degree in Jauneology, they had put together a plan that would make one great leap towards Jaune's recovery. For all intents and purposes, it was perfect.
"S-So, what is the plan," Weiss asked curiously. A faint glimmer of hope in the girl's eye. She was really looking forward to the idea now.
With a grin on her face, Ruby began to lay everything out. No elaborate tricks or gimmicks, just a simple plan.
"Okay, Weiss," she started, clapping her hands together. "First, me and Yang will go out and buy supplies." Ruby numbered things off with her left hand. "Snacks, drinks, comic books, maybe a board game... Then, this weekend myself, Jaune, Nora, and Ren will go to a fair that's opening for a night of fun. The next night, we'll get together again at Jaune's house and play video and board games, watch movies, and eat lots of unhealthy junk food!"
The look on Weiss' face as Ruby finished detailing everything was one of disbelief. Like she was so stunned by the idea, there were no words in her vocabulary to give a reply. The slack-jawed stare from the Heiress remained unchanged for several moments, making Ruby wonder if she had fried the girl's brain.
"Wei-"
"That's your plan," Weiss interrupted Ruby with a question. Her tone was borderlining on utter panic right now and sheer anger. The girl's hands came up to cover her face, and she let out frustrated shout into them. When she finished, Weiss glared at Ruby, dropping her hands back down onto the table. "Your entire plan just sounds like a way to go out on a date with him!"
Date?!
"Spphhhhfffffff," Ruby blew out all of the air in her lungs at the sudden accusation. Her face drained of all colour and simultaneously flushed at the same time. The little girl suddenly became red hot with embarrassment coursing through her veins. "W-What d-d-do you mean?! I-I never thought about that! W-Why would I want to go out on a date with him?!"
Crap! Oh crap! Did Yang play along with this just to set me up?!
Of course, she would!
Ruby never thought about it that way! She didn't know others would assume her plan was like that! Ren and Nora agreed without any hang-ups. The two were actually excited about it. The night was supposed to be about having some fun and removing the sting from Jaune's wound.
"Uggghhh," Weiss let out a groan of frustration, getting up from her seat and starting to head out of the library. "We need to get to class, Ruby... We can discuss this later!"
Ruby got up and followed the Heiress. Her cheeks blushing brightly still. She made no effort to hide it from any other students. The girl just walked briskly through the library, trying to keep up with the Heiress and pleaded her case to the girl.
"Weiss, I swear it's not what you think," Ruby yelled from behind her. "It's supposed to be a baby step!"
[Jaune: Two Hours Later]
"Yo, Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune-Jaune," a woman called to the boy in his slumber. It was accompanied by something else poking his cheek repeatedly. "Vomit Boy..." Another poke followed. "The love of my life..." Another jab on his cheek. "Daddy..."
Jaune finally cracked open his eyes. His vision was still hazy as it adapted for the darkness behind his eyelids and shielded from the light by his arms. It took a few moments before he could see anything clearly, but he could make out that the lecture had ended. His fellow students heading for their next class.
Another jab at his cheek drew his attention to the person sitting next to him. The blonde mane and lilac eyes of Yang were the first details Jaune noticed. Her entertained grin was next, finding some enjoyment in whatever she was doing right now. The girl's face leaned down to his level and less than a foot away from Jaune's.
"Okay, Yang," the voice of Pyrrha came from his left, trying to curb the blonde's antics. "I think he gets it now... But, 'Daddy?'"
"Hey, P-Money, desperate times call for desperate measures," she retorted, grabbing her stuff and beginning to stand up. "If you want a guy's attention, just call him that and he'll come running like Zwei when I have a biscuit."
I don't think that's true...
Disregarding his knowledge about Yang's ramblings, Jaune began to rise from his spot. However, as he stood to his full height, he felt something sitting on top of his head. He reached up and pulled a paper hat off his hair, holding it in his hands for a few moments. The boy pondered how it got there, but assumed the perpetrator was Yang.
I shouldn't have fallen asleep... Just closed my eyes for a bit.
Aside from the fact, Jaune still wasn't sure how his whole 'blood lust' thing went; he didn't know if his body would act on its own and try finding something to drink. It had happened once before, leaving the boy slightly afraid to sleep anywhere unless it was at his house. With his body depleted from whatever made his regeneration work, the above could have taken place for his body to regain some fuel.
What happened at Jaune's house was in private at least. This was in public where hundreds of people could see him. There would have been no way for him to cover up his actions. He was thankful nothing had occurred this time.
Jaune wasn't worried about sleeping through the class, however. This was Port's biology class first thing in the morning. Two hours of wanting to stab an ice pick into your ear is what it should have been called.
"Yo, Sleepyhead," Yang spoke up again, getting Jaune's attention. "Let's go! We've got gym!" The blonde passed by the boy, tapping him on the shoulder. "Mr Grape will make you run suicides if you're late!"
Ugghhh, gym class...
This is was something else Jaune was hoping to avoid. Not because of the fat kid trying to climb the rope but can't trope. He could do the stuff required by his teachers and somewhat enjoy himself. Only his body didn't think it was up to the task today. The soreness had set in, making it difficult to stand up or sit down properly.
Not to mention he had the same gym class as Weiss. So far, the boy had been able to avoid her by sitting on the opposite side of the room with one of his other friends like he was now. She took one look at him during the start of their class and dragged Ruby off to sit away from him. Jaune figured she didn't want to see him just as much as he didn't want to see her.
It was fine with him.
"Jaune..." Pyrrha spoke up this time. Her voice filled with concern. She carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"
Shit...
"Huh, yeah, I'm fine," he replied, making it sound like he was caught in the middle of a daydream. He flashed Pyrrha a smile, hoping to get her off his back. "Thinking about something..." He turned, quickly grabbing his notebook and bags, following Yang and Pyrrha out the door. Blake was already standing at the room's entrance waiting for them.
Can't keep getting caught like this...
Jaune could play it off but didn't want people asking if he was all right constantly. There were things he'd rather not discuss right now.
"Thinking about my awesome origami skills," Yang asked, turning around to face him. She seamlessly navigated the halls without the use of her eyes. "Been working on that for a while!"
"The entire class," Blake corrected, falling back to Jaune's right side. Pyrrha on his left.
"Yeah... What else am I supposed to do, Blakey," Yang questioned the faunus. "Port can see a phone from a mile away but doesn't notice someone reading her smut and Sleepyhead here takin' a nap. Couldn't sleep, and I don't see anybody packing some more 'erotic literature.'" She finished her statement, making her voice sound snobbish and what someone might suspect a pompous rich person to sound like.
"It's not smut..." Blake said under her breath. Jaune could hear it clearly even if she were whispering.
Blake was known for reading some rather 'risque' novels. Her tastes probably somewhere in the ballpark of a middle-aged woman who got interested in a particular book about a rich dude seducing some woman or something like that, and then dragging her into his BDSM fantasies. Although her choice of literature was far better than that novel, usually featuring an actual plot and charismatic characters.
"Anyways," Yang labouringly continued, bringing an arm up vertically to stretch out her right lat. "Vomit Boy. You got any plans this weekend? Dates? A rendevous with your paramour?"
Plans?
"No..."
"What~," Yang said, making it sound like it was no surprise at all. "No pretty girl wanting you to sweep her off her feet?"
Jaune's spine stiffened slightly at the tease. His luck with girls, including Weiss, wasn't great. Never actually getting a date or merely being the palate cleanser for one of his sister's friends.
"Yang..." Pyrrha stepped in for Jaune before he could. Her town indicating this was a subject to be avoided right now.
"Come on~," Yang pleaded to the red-head, disregarding her warning. "Pyrrha, what's wrong with asking? Heath love lives, and putting yourself out there every once and a while is great for you."
She's not wrong...
"You're one to talk about a love life," Jaune riposted, finally getting his own jab in. "Ruby said you haven't been on a single date this entire semester..." His words eliciting a blush from the blonde who buried it quickly. It actually made the girl take a second to think of something.
"One, that's cold," Yang began, pointing a finger at Jaune. "Two. Ow, you have wounded me so..."
"Yang's actually shot down a lot of guys," Blake piped up, adding to the case against of the bombshell.
"Blake!" The blonde sent a glare to the faunus, blushing hard as she did so. Her gaze trading back and forth between Jaune and the ravenette. Yang didn't continue until she sent a look for support to Pyrrha. "P-Money, help me out here?!"
"Ummmm," she muttered, not being able to come up with something to say.
"Lie for me..."
"Oh yeah, totally... Lot's of dates..."
"Lie convincingly..." Yang half-heartedly pleaded, knowing the jig was up. She let out a short breath of air, slumping her shoulders and deflating. "...Traitors... Both of you!"
Just as Yang went to turn around and save herself from this failed conversation, her heel became caught on some errant object. For Jaune, everything felt as though it slowed down, watching Yang begin to fall backwards. Just like his fight yesterday, he saw everything as if it were at quarter speed. Funnily enough, he managed to catch Yang change expression to the closest an 'oh shit' face one could get.
He reached out to grab her, taking a step forth just as her body began to descend. Jaune wrapping his forearm around her lower back, preventing her plummet from continuing even further. Though the look of surprise on Yang's face at how quickly he reacted left Jaune feeling mildly satisfied. He wasn't expecting this speed out of himself either.
With the girl resting in his arm, Jaune allowed her to take a second to regain her footing. Yang had actually clamped her hands down on his free arm, trying to catch herself in the panic. Although, with how close the two were, this could be construed as an intimate moment between them. Jaune was mildly uncomfortable with grabbing her waist like this. He could feel the muscles flexing beneath her jacket as they worked to hold her upper body up.
What Jaune took a liking to, however, was her smell. The look of her neck was seemingly perfect with the smooth white skin covering her jugular vein. Jaune began to salivate with the mere thought of that blood. He could take a small dri-
"So, is this the part where the knight and princess kiss," Yang asked nonchalantly. Her jest ripped a blush out from beneath his cheeks, causing the boy to look off in some random direction to evade her eyes. However, it led him to see Blake and Pyrrha staring at the two with smirks on the lips. Pyrrha had a slight blush on her cheeks, however.
How do I walk this back?
"Okay, dropping you now," Jaune said, nearly letting go of the girl.
"Don't you dare," Yang yelped in a panic. She reacted immediately, grabbing his right arm and pulling herself up. Jaune played along enough to lend his limb as support. Her weight almost nothing for his arm to carry.
Once on her feet, Yang smoothed out her uniform so no wrinkles could show. Finished, she ran a hand through her pristine hair, presenting her appearance as if nothing had happened at all.
"Okay, shall we continue," Yang asked, turning around and heading off. This time without falling. The rest of her group simply followed behind. "Oh, nice catch by the way..."
[Football Field]
The students of Beacon Academy descended upon the football field for gym class. Everyone standing in their uniform, waiting for things to begin. A pair of black running shorts and matching tank-top with the Academy emblem on each. The field itself was littered with small cones designating where each of the activities was supposed to be located at. Jaune and the rest of the mob stood around the starting end of the hundred-metre sprint track.
Today, there was one of those physical fitness tests that American high schools seemed to be obsessed over. Run the mile in under a certain time. Do at least one push up or pull up if you could manage it. Beacon, however, went the extra mile and had students perform other sport-related tasks. Something about seeing if there was an ounce of talent they could extract from you. So, sprinting, throwing sports, or playing a small game of football to see your skills was on the platter.
Jaune could smell the stench of blood on the air. About a hundred or so people were standing withing forty feet of each other, so it was expected. Someone was bleeding. From where? Jaune had no clue. He didn't care all that much. His body wasn't reacting like it did yesterday with Weiss, so things were about as good as they could get.
He looked around, finding Yang and Pyrrha to his left. Blake was standing there too, pretty much playing the part of the third wheel. No smell from them. Perfume and deodorant, yes. But no blood. He turned away, keeping his movements as normal as possible, so he didn't attract attention.
Ruby was about five or so feet away. Her back to Jaune. He could see the flowing silver mane of Weiss on the other side despite her being shorter than Ruby. No blood on them aside from what was inside. He could hear their conversation too, however. A part of him just listened in for a moment.
"Weiss, what are you doing?"
"Shut up, just stand still..."
The sounds of turf crinkling beneath her feet followed. Jaune could clearly see Weiss shuffling half an inch over, vanishing on the other side of Ruby. Clearly, she was trying to hide from someone.
You, asshole...
Thanks, I didn't need you for that revelation...
Jaune turned away, trying not to give the Heiress any more attention than she wanted. The sounds of the crowd changing tune indicated things were about to get started up anyway. This would be his chance to attempt sitting out for the day.
The appearance of Mr Grape on the track signalled all of the students to shut up and get in order. He was an older man about in his late forties, sporting an undercut dyed purple like his namesake. His demeanour was a lot like Jaune's own dad as he was a former soldier.
"Okay, everybody," he shouted loudly, but enthusiastically. His tone that of a student giving a pep rally speech. "We're gonna start the day off with the hundred-metre dash. The rest of you go with your teachers to other fields, and we'll rotate when we're done!" With his order, a good portion of the students started spreading out and heading to every corner of the compound. About half in total. "First up, Arc, Nikos-"
Shit...
Jaune tuned him out upon hearing his name. He still recognised the names of a few others. Those were some of the fastest sprinters in the entire school. It wasn't unusual for the boy to paired up with those far outside of his skill level.
"Hey... coach," Jaune interrupted the man hesitantly, sporting a redness on his cheeks. Believe it or not, this was rather embarrassing for Jaune to try getting out of gym class. "Can I... sit out for today? I'm not feeling up to it..."
The man cast an annoyed look towards the boy. "You have a doctor's note," he asked, raising an eyebrow. The boy shook his head in return. "Are dying right now?" Jaune shook his head at that, unsure if being a vampire meant you were dead or not. "Then get out here! This is part of your grade, after all!" His statement caused a bunch of students around him to start giggling.
The forceful push of Yang from behind, caused Jaune to step out onto the track. He sent a chilling glare back at her and got a smile in return. The boy resigned himself to his fate, getting into the available space between another student and Pyrrha.
"If you're not feeling well, why didn't you go to the nurse's office," Pyrrha asked in a whisper to the boy. She kneeled down onto the starting block, getting into position.
"Stupid guy thing," Jaune replied, getting into a similar position as his friend. "Thought I was fine earlier and tried ignoring it..."
An exhale from Pyrrha marked her thoughts on it.
The coach gave his signal for all of the students to begin. Each shot off like a bullet immediately getting the message as did Jaune. His first few steps clumsily put, but he managed to get back on his feet in proper form.
Those missteps had Jaune in the back of the pack. He could see Pyrrha to his right and all of the other students hitting the ten-foot mark on the track while he was still near the start. Jaune pushed his body a little harder to actually show some effort, ignoring the ache in his limbs and breaking out into a full sprint. In his focus, Jaune tuned out everything around him and stared solely at the end of the track where the finish line would be. All he had to do was embrace the suck for a little longer, and this would be done.
What felt like moments later, Jaune crossed the track to stunned looks from his fellow students. They stared at the boy like he was some sort of mutant. Like he'd grown a third limb. It wasn't until Jaune turned around and looked back at the others, he realised what had happened.
The other students were still sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them. None had gone farther than the halfway point on the sprint track.
What scared him more than anything was the coach running at him full speed, shouting at the top of his lungs like he'd just won the lottery.
[Ruby: A few minutes prior]
She stood around with Weiss at the end of the sprint track. The two and a few others were volunteered as the official timers for the first batch of students. Ruby had Jaune and Weiss had Pyrrha. Now the girls were just twiddling her thumbs, waiting for their time to return to the mob.
"Weiss, are you still mad about the plan," Ruby asked out of the blue. Well, not out of nowhere. She'd been thinking about it the entire time during Mr Port's class. Suffice to say, her notes were really lacking despite Weiss' insistence she paid attention.
"No-YES-no..." the Heiress said, changing her tone and expression from flat to embarrassed to just giving up finally. "I don't know..."
"There-there..." Ruby reached over and patted the top of her head. Weiss made no attempt to swat the palm away. When the ravenette was satisfied, she took her hand back from the blushing Heiress, and the two stood in silence for several moments.
"Do you really think this is going to work," Weiss finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"I have no idea," Ruby fervently declared, shooting Weiss a smile. The Heiress let out a sigh, realising how in the dark they were. "Ren even said he didn't know if it would work..."
"That's a ringing endorsement, Ruby..."
"Do you have any ideas?"
"No..."
A whistle from the other end of the track gave the cue for the girls to get ready. Another signal prompted them to start their timers with the students beginning their test.
You got this, Jaune!
Ruby watched Jaune nearly fall flat on his face after the first step. The girl cringed internally, feeling embarrassed for the boy. However, he got back up and into the race, starting to sprint as hard as he could. The other students were a ways ahead of him, but he began catching up with them despite being outclassed in athletic ability. Not too long after, he passed right by Pyrrha and everyone else, completely smoking them once he pulled ahead and into first place. Not even two seconds later, Jaune was crossing the finish line with what should have been a cloud of kicked up dust behind him.
Looking down at her timer, Ruby clicked the stop button, accidentally allowing it to go on too long. Even without accounting for the error, the display read that Jaune ran a less than seven-second hundred metre dash. Ruby had waited two seconds too long to hit that stop button.
"Weiss," Ruby said. A gobsmacked expression on her face. "Did you see that?"
"I think I'm seeing things," Weiss replied with a similar expression and tone.
No way...
Jaune just ran a five-second hundred-metre dash. That should have broken like every record in the entire world! Ruby couldn't believe what she just saw. Her best friend had outrun Pyrrha Nikos! Pyrrha Nikos! The fastest sprinter in the school and probably in the entire state! Maybe even the country!
Ruby was ready to run right up to Jaune and excitedly throw herself at him. This was probably the greatest achievement he had ever accomplished. A star in the making. However, what stopped her was the change in the boy's expression.
His face went from confused to surprised, then when Coach Grape came charging down the track, it turned into an almost fearful expression. Like he'd run into Weiss in the hallway again. The colour drained from his skin, leaving his cheeks pale and sickly looking.
He backed away from the coach, and towards where Ruby and Weiss stood. Before she could react, the timer was accidentally knocked from Ruby's hand by Jaune and crushed under his foot. The evidence destroyed completely with nothing to definitely confirm what they had seen.
Ruby was about to look to Weiss for suggestions when she realised the girl had vanished into thin air. Jaune was still here, trying his best to collect himself and grabbing painfully at his chest without making it obvious. His expression shifted back to its casual and goofy smile when the coach had finally made it over. The older man dragging Jaune off, shouting something about why he wasn't on the goddamned track team.
What just happened?!
So, Jaune has gotten to the point where he can sprint faster than an Olympic track athlete. Pretty slow considering that German Vampire can do a Naruto Flash Step.