Was gonna write omakes but suddenly felt compelled to continue the main plot. Oh well, here's the next chapter. A return to humor for the first half and putting the family plot to rest in the second.
Also, most everyone seems to agree on Ruby and Jaune sharing the tactician roles with different focus i.e Jaune makes the pre-battle plans and strategies while Ruby does the team combos and on-the-fly fighting so Jaune can focus on support/monitoring Aura.
I'm also thinking of writing a Fallout/RWBY crossover focused on humor where the Courier is taken to Remnant. Except instead of being a charismatic hero, he's an insane old hermit that just wants everyone to get off his lawn, which is the entire reason he stopped the Legion. And then he gets shunted to the Emerald Forest. Oh dear.
If anyone passed by team RWBY-J's dorm, they would've heard the sounds of utter despair. Screams of agony, pleading for mercy that would never come. Ruby, Yang, and Blake, Maidens one and all and the future saviors of Remnant, lay utterly defeated. And Jaune, though without a claim to glory of his own, was nevertheless a proven survivor. Yet even he was forced on his knees, unable to fight back even as his friends fell next to him.
"Weiss, please..." Ruby pleaded, looking up at the merciless heiress with her signature puppy dog eyes.
It did her no good.
"That won't work on me, Ruby Rose. Now...on. your. knees."
Ruby cried and did so, getting down onto the floor and kneeling on the carpet with one last sniffle up to her uncompromising partner. Seeing no more ways to escape her fate, Ruby accepted and...
Picked up the textbook.
Their study session had lasted for six hours and counting, and it showed no signs of stopping any time soon. They'd all been forced to group up on the floor like this so Weiss, in her words, could 'keep an eye on them'. Normally he would've thought it was stupid, but Yang tried to jump out the window an hour ago, which was the reason they were all hunched together like this. That got the other blonde glares from both her partner and her sister.
For Jaune it was another harsh reminder that, as much as Weiss had been his type, it really wouldn't have worked out between them. While she had numerous good qualities, she was undeniably pushy and had high standards. He had no idea how Sun dealt with it on a regular basis...unless she used her team to work off her aggression instead of on him. If so, not nice, Ice Queen.
As if knowing he'd referred to her by the much-hated nickname, Weiss narrowed her eyes at him and knelt by his side, "Jaune, I believe that I should teach you the finer aspects of- Xiao Long, if you try to run again I swear I will hunt you down!"
Yang looked like she was willing to chance it for a second before, with a similar cry to Ruby, she sunk back down. It was for their own good, they all knew that. As much as they had to train for Salem and whatever else could come their way, that didn't change the fact that they were all still students; something Weiss was very keen to remind them on. It'd kind of kill all their quest preparation if they all flunked out of school.
Jaune was taking it at least a bit better than the others. He'd had experience being Weiss' first study buddy and she let him get away with a bit more considering that. Ruby and Blake definitely took it the worst. While neither were bad at classwork, in fact both were above average at worst, they tended to excel more in the practical courses. That and they had...unique circumstances.
"I don't know how to do this!" Ruby cried.
"It's standard coursework for second and third years at preparatory schools," Weiss said.
"I skipped those!"
"Then that sounds like you should've thought that through better." Weiss hummed, "And Blake, you need to show your work when the test comes. Do it over again."
The catgirl gave both him and Weiss a venomous glare then asked him, "How are you not as bad at this as I am? You didn't go to combat school either!"
"I've always been a bit of a sponge." Jaune shrugged. That and Weiss had drilled just about everything into his head that first semester. While Ruby was prone to skipping with a myriad of justifications, Jaune never did, understanding that he needed to keep his theoretical grades up if he couldn't do so for the practical. Thank the Gods Weiss never questioned his lack of basic knowledge. She just assumed that every combat school outside of Atlas was inherently worse.
"I suppose there are consequences for joining a terrorist group for the next five years." Weiss hummed again. Blake looked like she was sincerely considering prison over this.
Jaune took his eyes off the blurring words and looked outside. Through the windows he made out claps of lightning along with a surprisingly hot wind that rattled the glass. Everyone had long since gotten used to the freak weather, though no one exactly knew it was cause of team RWBY. Changing the weather wholesale was a bit different than chucking the elements around.
The studying continued for a few more hours before Weiss set them to bed for 'the minimum required amount to avoid impacting memory'. All he knew was that the next day the entire team, sans the Ice Queen herself, looked absolutely haggard. Thank the Gods that Weiss didn't control their diet as well. She was in the middle of suggesting something about looking for foods rich in docosahexaonic acid like dried sardines - something even Blake balked at - when Ruby actually broke down, finally getting her partner to show some mercy.
Their sister team didn't look much better. Nora was actually speaking at a normal volume, Ren looked even more tired than usual, and Mercury looked like he'd seen hell. All of them except Pyrrha, who looked quite pleased with herself, "I assume I'm not the only one with a team who chose not to study?" Pyrrha asked Weiss with a giggle.
"Aren't they lucky to have us?" Weiss giggled back.
"Quite so."
Mercury muttered how he really shouldn't kill his partner as they trudged their way to breakfast. Yeah right, he was pretty sure Pyrrha could rip off his leg and beat his face with it if she wasn't so nice.
As they each had their breakfast, Jaune noticed that Beacon was, once more, united in something: their hatred for this year's transfer students. While they had tests the previous term, they didn't have the Vytal Festival around the corner or three whole other schools that weren't suffering from exam nerves. Many of the transferees had wisely decided to avoid the cafeteria and stay away from the miasma of misery the Beacon students were emanating.
"You think they're doing this on purpose?' Yang asked, "Like they're lobbing all the tests in front of us while the transfers are on easy street so we'll really wanna kick their teeth in and bring the trophy to Beacon?"
"Don't be silly, Yang." Weiss scoffed.
"I dunno, I really wanna break someone's face in now and that NDGO team is looking super tempting," Nora said. Across campus, said team shivered and debated dropping out of the Tournament entirely.
Jaune let himself get lost in the two teams' chatter as he picked at his surprisingly soggy bacon. On top of tests he still had to deal with his parents. They hadn't contacted him since they left. Did they tell the others, he wondered. Saphron would support him, she always encouraged him to do what he wanted, but the others...he didn't know if he could take Lily begging him to leave.
As if sensing his mood, Ruby scooted closer to their sides - his right and her left - were touching. She didn't say anything, but it was enough.
"So are you all excited for the Vytal Festival?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, most certainly." Pyrrha beamed. He was suddenly reminded of Mercury's warnings that she was not so pleasant when the bell rung, "It'll be nice to get back into tournament fighting again."
"You seem confident." Blake raised a brow.
"I suppose, though I'll admit I'm looking forward to facing your team most of all."
"Hoho, someone seems confident," Yang grinned, finding a bit more life with studies finally out of her mind, "Think you can beat the Protectors of Vale, huh?"
"Well, I am the Mistral Regional Champion four years running, so..." There was something different in Pyrrha's smile now. Not cocky despite her words, more challenging. From what Mercury told him, it'd been years since she actually had a decent fight in the ring even without her Polarity. She was a tried and true prodigy in every sense of the word, "Oh, but I'm sure you'll put up a good show. I've heard the second place prize is also pretty good."
"That sounds like a challenge." Yang slammed her arm on the table and leaned in, grin turning feral.
"Perhaps it is." Pyrrha matched the gesture.
"This is Pyrrha Nikos everyone. Don't let the nice girl act fool you. This is the monster hiding behind the pretty face" Mercury said, ignoring his partner's faux-hurt look.
"You know you just called her pretty," Jaune raised a brow.
"...Shut up. What are you, five?"
"Is this really fair? You know what we're capable of." Blake said, cutting off Jaune's epic burning comeback.
"I say it's more than fair. Cereal Girl can just yank our weapons away, remember?" Yang countered.
"Besides, you can't downplay Pyrrha's skills. She's had a different training regime compared to us," Weiss added, "I for one am looking forward to seeing how we've all improved under Winter's tutelage. It should prove an interesting showing, regardless of the outcome." A pause, "Of course, I do expect us to take home the win. No offense, Pyrrha, but we shall beat you into the dirt."
"The spirit of challenge seems to have ignited everyone, I see." Ren laughed, "But I am curious, how would this work given your team's unique circumstances?"
"We-"
"I'm sitting this one out," Jaune cut in before Blake could finish, "I don't have as much training as the others and people are gonna be expecting all for of Vale's Protectors to be joining anyway." He shrugged, "Besides, me and Merc are gonna be doing something anyway. I can get a leg up while you guys are fighting in the group match."
"Are you sure you should be doing that on your own?" Ruby asked worriedly.
"I'm not gonna go off in a dark alley or anything. Wait, actually I should have asked, who's going in the pairs match for team PRMN?"
"It's either me or Mercury!" Nora said, finally regaining some energy, "Pyrrha's a no-brainer, and Ren said he's not really good without the whole team, which I think is really dumb, but I was hoping to go in anyway. We'll decide on the day."
"Depends on if me and Jaune can find something for our own thing." He was being deliberately vague. Jaune told his team last night, but he didn't know if Mercury did the same. They knew he worked for Ozpin now, though whether they knew what exactly that work was he had no idea. Pyrrha seemed to have an inkling judging by the way she looked at him, at least.
"I'm definitely gonna go in too. Not sure who my partner will be, though," Yang said.
"Well then, all this talk of the tournament reminds me. We definitely need to pick up the pace of our studies." Weiss clapped her hands. The rest of the team cringed, "I won't be able to concentrate unless I'm sure our performance exceeds expectations both academically and extracurricularly. With that in mind, what's our next class?"
"Grimm studies with Professor Port." Jaune said.
It was amazing how quickly Weiss had gone from confident and in control to utterly despairing. For all her studiousness, Peter was a beast she could not defeat. The rest of the team didn't pity her, eager to see the heiress get a taste of her own medicine. Jaune decided to have some mercy and patted her head as she tried to keep her composure.
The three day exams were utter hell. Wake up early, feel their brains melting through their ears, deal with Ruby, Yang and Blake going over their answers after the test, sleep, repeat. The only upside in the whole thing was that the rest of Beacon felt the same pain and misery loved company. The transferees had it easy. Most of them volunteered to go kill Grimm at the Emerald Forest, which had been stirred up by Beacon's collective despair. Lucky bastards.
It was only on the third and final day that Jaune finally felt at peace. The entire team trudged back to their room and practically collapsed on their beds. Well, Weiss and Blake collapsed on their partner's beds cause they couldn't be bothered to climb up, but said partners were too tired to care about having to spoon. Jaune thanked small fortunes that he had his own bed.
One might've thought that odd given his teammates, but he knew better. Ruby was a clinger, and as much as he liked her it made getting up to go to the bathroom a real pain. Yang snored, which she denied despite Blake showing her video evidence. Speaking of Blake, she got stabby whenever she had bad dreams, which didn't happen a lot but still wasn't a risk he was willing to take. Weiss was was kinda sad. Someone so unused to physical contact instinctively kicked, as Ruby knew from experience.
As she was feeling now, given that the heiress was kicking at her back. After the sixth kick, Ruby got off and snuggled up to his back. Jaune turned around and hugged her, too tired to really care about anything but getting some sleep.
By the time they woke up it was practically noon...and his chest was covered in drool. Great, "Ugh..." He sat up and rubbed at his messy hair, thankful that for once Ruby wasn't stuck like an eel. The rest of the team was still out, even Weiss. For all her boasting about studying, there was only so much you could prepare.
He groped for his scroll and nearly dropped it when he saw the message from his dad. Jaune read through it once then again and again to make sure that he got it right. They wanted to talk to him. Sit down and actually talk, just mom and dad. The rest of his sisters didn't know, not even Rebecca, which gave him a small amount of relief. It would give him a chance to tell his side.
He was so engrossed in checking over and over that he didn't notice Yang yank the scroll from his hand, "Dude, looking at porn while your teammates are in the room? Not cool?" She grinned, obviously joking.
"Give it back, Yang." Jaune rolled his eyes.
"Fine, fine." She tossed it back to him then stretched her arms over her head, "Seriously though, do you ever release the beast? You've got four smoking roommates, don't tell me you never unsheathed your sword."
"Are we seriously talking about this?" Jaune sighed. He wasn't even embarassed anymore. Living with Yang for months beat that out of him.
"Why not? We're family, remember? That's the kind of stuff family does, like snitching." Oh, so she still held a grudge. Great. The others were stirring awake so she decided to raise her voice, "Come on, Jaune, spill the deets."
"Please tell me you're not talking about what I think you are." Weiss groaned.
"Hey, it's a good question! I've been through some of the dorms at signal, so I know the smell of sperm being murdered, and I never caught it here." Everyone groaned. Ruby plugged her ears and counted to ten, "Oh, don't act like none of you do it! I'm pretty sure that's the reason Ozpin made the rooms soundproof. You put a bunch of teenagers risking their lives in co-ed dorms and shit happens."
"Yang, people already think we're having orgies in here, please don't make it worse." Jaune sighed again.
"Is there a reason you're so aggressively perverted this morning?" Blake raised a brow.
"Yeah! You're being gross, Yang!"
"This coming from the Relationsip Reaper?" Ruby sputtered, face going red at the name, "And hey, you can't blame me for being curious. Come on, we're all adults here." She looked to Ruby, "Mostly."
"Ugh..." Weiss' face knotted in distaste.
"If I tell you, will you shut up about it?" Jaune brought a hand across his face at her verbal affirmative, "No, I haven't done it since I got to Beacon. Funny enough, fearing for your life and trying to make sure your teammates didn't explode half the school didn't put me in the right mood. There, happy?" And it was still the last thing on his mind even now. Being kidnapped and tortured tended to do that to you.
"Not very, no," Weiss groaned again. Ruby looked torn between being embarassed and annoyed at Yang while Blake muttered about how she could've gone the day without knowing that.
"You have satisfied my curiosity." Yang crossed her arms, "Well, now that the mood's been sufficiently lightened, you wanna tell me what you were so focused on your scroll for?"
"That's why you did that? You could've just asked!"
"Eh, this is funnier." She sat next to him on the bed with a loud thump, "Now hurry up and spill before I start asking where you're stashing your porn. And I know it's not with Blake's collection; I checked."
"You what?!" Blake shouted.
"Yeah, I had to wash my hands afterwards. A lot of the pages were stuck together-"
"No, they weren't!"
"Look, my parents contacted me, alright?" Jaune said before Blake could throttle her partner. That got all their attention. The mood in the room dipped and he shook his head, "It's nothing bad. They just want to talk...I guess they wanna hear it from me what happened instead of Cardin." He took a deep breath, "I...don't think it's gonna make them feel better, honestly."
"Jaune..." Ruby closed her eyes briefly then stood up with a loud declaration, "Alright, change of plans! As team leader, I say that we go with Jaune! Everyone who agrees say aye!"
They all did. Jaune knew better than to try and stop them. It might help having them there - even Blake 'let me tell you I was a former terrorist' Belladonna - and dad never said he had to come alone. At least this way they could all make their case.
The place where they were told to meet ended up being the hotel the family was staying for the Vytal Festival. True to their word, none of his siblings were anywhere in sight when they got into the room. Mom and dad greeted them stiffly and sat at one end of the table while he and the rest of the team took the other. He tried to ignore the feeling of guilt. It was like they were ganging up on them.
"Jaune." Dad nodded, "I...assume you didn't change your mind about staying in Beacon."
"No."
"I guess I expected that." He sighed and tapped his fingers on the table, "Alright, then let's...talk. Why are you so insistent on this? Is it really just because you want to be a hero?"
"No, it's not that." He shook his head. It wasn't even a lie, "Back then it was, but not anymore. This is..." He took a deep breath, "Mom, dad, I'm going to do my best to be honest here, but I can't tell you everything. Not because I don't trust you, but because they aren't my secrets to tell. If that's not good enough then we should just stop it here."
"We...understand." Mom nodded.
"Okay. I can't tell you all the details, but team RWBY...their Secondary Semblances are important. They can do more than just fight Grimm, and I...I think I can help them."
"Don't sell yourself short, Jaune," Weiss said, "You more than carried your weight, both when that monster Taurus took you and during the Breach."
"You fought in the Breach?!" mom gasped.
"We wouldn't have been down there if it weren't for him!" Ruby insisted. She was selling him too high. All he did was not follow Ozpin's orders, "He saved a lot of people and led them to safety. Without him a bunch more people would've been hurt or...or killed."
"He's been helping out the rest of us toom," Yang was quick to add, "Not just with the whole Grimm and Secondary Semblance thing, but he was there to tug us back whenever we were being really dumb. Isn't that right, Blakey?"
"Right..." Blake looked physically pained acknowledging how boneheaded she'd been in the past, "Jaune made sure I didn't get in over my head, and he's the reason I didn't abandon my team months ago."
"I can see you all care about him..." Dad breathed heavily, "Jaune, be honest with us. This kidnapping...this isn't the first time you've been in danger, is it? And I don't mean just the Grimm."
He looked at the rest of his team and they all nodded in support, especially Blake. She made it clear where she stood, "No, it isn't." Mom winced at the blunt reminder, "A few days ago...we weren't being all truthful." He took a deep breath. If they wanted mom and dad to understand then they had to be as honest as they could, "The reason Adam came after me...is because Blake used to be a member of the White Fang."
Mom and dad gasped, looking to Blake like she was the boogeyman come to terrorize them. She took it all stoically, though he didn't miss the way her hands shook. Yang held her hand and squeezed it in support, "You're...You're one of them?"
"No, she isn't." Weiss said, "Blake turned away from them when their actions crossed the line and she's done her best to atone for it ever since. Just as Jaune was crucial in the Breach, so too was Blake. Many innocent people would've died if not for her."
"It's not Blake's fault." Jaune shook his head, "Adam is...he's insane. Blake used to work with him and he hates her for trying to find a different way. It's not Blake's fault he did that and I don't want either of you to blame her. We're telling you the truth because you both deserve it, but that doesn't mean you can act like my friends are at fault for what some psychopath did."
"I promise I'll do everything in my power to ensure that your son is safe." Blake stepped forward, hand on her chest, "I'll die before Adam can lay another finger on him. I promise."
"How can we trust you?" Dad whispered.
"Because I do." Jaune stood, both hands pressed against the table.
They were quiet for almost a full minute until mom spoke, "You said something about how this wasn't the first time you've been in danger. What did you mean by that?"
"That's a...bit of a long story." Jaune sat down and rubbed the back of his head, "These Secondary Semblances...team RWBY are the only people on Remnant that have them. and that means people want them for themselves." It sounded even worse when he said it out loud, "The other members of the White Fang - the ones beside Adam - they want Blake to come back and use her power for them."
"I'll never do that. Sienna is different from Adam, but not enough," Blake said.
"Yang's got people after her too. Not as dangerous as an entire terrorist group, but not someone you'd wanna see in a dark alley. And..." Jaune did his best to keep his voice level, "And a couple of Councilors."
"Councilors? Politicians? That's dangerous too?" Mom asked. He almost laughed at that. She was a country girl born and raised, and a few months ago he would've shared the sentiment. Governments outside the walls tended to be more casual than whatever the hell the Council got up to in the Kingdoms. Just a few meetings with Blanche, and one with Winchester, had made him learn quick.
"Not the same way the White Fang are. Dad, did you have people suddenly decide to cancel their orders?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, over the past couple of days, but there were also new people who made their own orders so it didn't really bother me. Wait, don't tell me..."
"Yeah...that's my fault." Jaune grit his teeth. Alright, so maybe working for Blanche to dig up dirt on the guy was more than a little personal, "Councilman Richard Blanche came to me cause he wanted an in with team RWBY to start doing some missions for the Council. He wanted to counteract on the anti-Faunus bend Vale's been on recently. We all agreed...then Wardes Winchester showed up at Beacon a week ago."
"He blackmailed Jaune that if he didn't force us to stop working for Blanche he would attack his family. Then he did so when Jaune didn't immediately catipulate to his demands," Weiss scowled.
"Blanche said he'd help me - those are the new people making orders - but I don't think Winchester is gonna stop, so..." Another deep breath, "I'm working for Blanche with my friend Mercury to...try to dig some dirt on Winchester."
"...This is insane." Dad pressed both hands against his face and tried to remain calm, "Son, a few days ago we found out you were tortured and kidnapped. Now you're telling us one of your teammates is a former terrorist, that these girls are so unique that people are willing to do anything for them, and now you're in the middle of a feud between two councilors. Am I getting that right?"
"More or less." Jaune sighed, "Mom, dad, I didn't want things to get this way, but this is where we are. Like it or not I'm already involved and I can't just leave."
"We're gonna help Jaune as much as we can," Ruby said, looking both his parents in the eye, "We owe him a lot, so whatever he needs we'll be there."
"...Is there anything else? Are you going to tell us next that the headmaster is in on this too?" Mom groaned.
"Yeah...about that."
It took close to a couple of hours to actually tell them everything. Well, not everything. He told them he failed Initiation and that Ozpin cut a deal with him, but he didn't tell them his transcripts were faked. Weiss had been insistent on it, in fact. Honesty was a good policy to have, but too much of it would overwhelm them and might only redouble their efforts to tyr and pull him out.
So he gave them as much of the truth as he could. Ozpin made a deal, but they were still Secondary Semblances instead of magical powers. Adam was after Blake, but only because they were part of the same group instead of being past lovers. And so on and so forth. Half truths mixed in with the full ones, just enough to let them understand the situation without driving them insane.
"It's only been a few months..." Mom whispered, staring down at the table, "How could so much happen in just a few months?"
"Sometimes I ask myself the same thing." Jaune smiled weakly, "Look, you guys can tell Rebecca and the others, but be careful. There's a reason that we can't tell you everything, and it's not because we don't want to. Hell, we only found out about a lot of this ourselves a few months in." Yeah, those weren't fun days. Seemed like everyone had some kind agenda nowadays.
"Terorrists, councilors, a general, and the headmaster of Beacon. How did you deal with it?" Dad asked.
"Mostly by crying myself to sleep at night." They looked apalled. Okay, bad time for jokes, "That was a joke. Look, it hasn't been easy or anything, but...being with the team helps. We pick each other up."
"Sometimes literally." Yang hummed, "Or we tie each other up. Blake's got experience on that."
"Say another word and I'll chuck you out the window," Blake growled.
"Aren't you scared?" Mom asked.
"Honestly? I'm terrified." Ruby frowned and scooted closer to him, "But I can't run now. I know I can't do as much as the rest of the team, but if I can do something then it'll all be worth it." Even if it meant risking his life. He thought he'd understood what that meant when he first snuck onto Beacon, but back then he was just someone too eager to live up to the accomplishments of dead men. There was a difference between honoring your ancestors and being dominated by them, as Qrow told him over and over again.
He knew better now.
"Is there anything we can do?" Dad sat up straighter, hands pressed together, "If you're going to be doing this and we can't convince you otherwise then...then tell us how we can help."
"I...actually have no idea." He should've expected dad to offer, but somehow he still didn't see it coming, "Maybe it sounded better when we were telling it, but we're not exactly on top of things ourselves." How could they be? They were a bunch of teenagers being jerked around by maniacs, killers and politicians. It was a miracle they'd lasted this long, "But I promise I'll keep you all updated as much as I can. No need to hear it from Cardin."
"Speaking of, how is your friend? He sounded so worried about you." Mom frowned.
Behind him, team RWBY all shared A Look. Not guilt, but he couldn't quite place what exactly it was.
"He's...fine." He was still breathing, at least, "Just...don't talk to him. Please. If you need to know something then ask me. I promise I'll do my best to be honest."
"Then I guess that's the best we can hope for." Dad closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, "We still don't like this, Jaune. All this danger you're in...Grimm are one thing, they're mindless animals, but this is...it's insanity. But...if we can't convince you otherwise then the only thing we can do as your family is try to be there was best we can, so please don't hesitate to tell us."
"I will."
"And you all take care of him." Mom gave each member of team RWBY, particularly Blake, a stern look, "If my son is risking his life to help you then I expect the same courtesy in kind."
"Mom..." Jaune cringed.
"We promise." Blake nodded.
"You can count on us." Yang grinned.
"But of course, Mrs. Arc." Weiss nodded.
"Absolutely!" Ruby shouted.
Jaune stood and, after a moment of hesitation, hugged them both. It wasn't fixed, not by a longshot. Even now he could see them both having doubts on Blake, and it was clear that he would've been back home if they had their way, but it was the best they could do for now.
The team left the hotel and and returned to the docks. Blake was the first to speak, "I think they hate me now."
"I suggested keeping your past affiliations a secret, but you insisted." Weiss frowned, "While I can commend you for your honesty, the White Fang have a poor reputation even before the Breach. Of course they would be repulsed."
"Better than lying to them," Blake said firmly. No one disagreed with her, "We need to deal with Adam quickly. Knowing him, he'll try to erase the shame of the Breach being thwarted the only way he knows how: by going for something bigger."
"Wait...you think he's gonna go for the Vytal Festival?" Ruby gasped.
"Would he really do something like that? Even if he succeeds, he's gonna have all of Remnant hating his guts."
"I think that's what he wants." Blake scowled, "It won't be just him. Faunus everywhere are going to be painted with the same brush, not just in Vale. In his mind that means they'll have to join his side, and anyone who doesn't is just someone who doesn't deserve to be spared." Her fists clenched, "Whatever happens we need to stop him. Nothing can get in the way of that."
"Hey, hey, we're already on your side, Blake. You don't need to convince us," Yang said.
"Just make sure we're doing it as a team," Jaune looked on ahead to the docks. Thinking of Adam...it almost felt like he back in that warehouse. Bones breaking, skin tearing, face burning...
Maybe Mercury and Blake were right. Some people just deserved to die.
Got pretty dark there at the end, but I feel it's appropriate given that Jaune's been forced to be (mostly) honest with his parents. That and this mindset will only get reinforced when the group meets truly horrible, irredeemable people like the Crown faction, Cinder, Tyrian etc etc.
Questions:
1. Given the events of the story, who feels more fitting for fighting Adam between Jaune and Blake, assuming the two can't be written as fighting together? Blake's the ex and she once loved him, but Jaune was the one who Adam tortured and nearly killed (plus the voice in his head).
2. Writing Team YANDERE omake next. I wonder, who do you guys think would be the scariest if they went psycho obsessed? Yang seems like the one given her previous abandonment issues and that her Semblance is fueled at least partially by how angry she is. Pyrrha seems like a close second. As for Nora, we've already seen what she's like in RWBY Chibi.
3. Just curious, but would you guys have read the main story (not an omake) if, instead of team RWBY, we had a different Maiden team makeup that Jaune was attached to? My friend suggested a plot of a Maiden Pyrrha, Nora, and Fem!Ren with Cinder as the last Maiden and antagonist.
Review Answers:
Chuck B. Winanaki - Man, you seem determined to see Blanche in the worst possible light :P You need to be less cynical, my man.
MalachiaDemon - Wait, does Mercury and Jaune's friendship not come across as sincere?
ReDestrobo - They didn't kill him, they just...showed their concern.
sabert00thsa - I'm not going for the Fall. Four Maidens in one school means that Ozpin has to be super incompetent if he somehow can't hold the school.
Waterdust5 - Jaune and Mercury are just seeing the worst cause they're caught in the middle. Vale still functions relatively well despite said corruption.