So the Love Triangle question has gotten a mixed reception. Some like it, some don't like it, others wanna replace Yang with Penny for a more comedic bend. I put up another poll, but I doubt that one will get much feedback. I've also tried to make Jaune and Ruby seem less one-sided in this chapter. We'll see if it worked or not.
Winter Schnee was not a kind woman, and she wasn't particularly warm either. Apart from that being obvious because of her name, it was another sign of how how Jacques Schnee treated his family. Apparently she was even worse before she left to join the army and worked under General Ironwood, which said a lot.
The fact that she slapped Weiss (while calling her a boob) and the younger Schnee treated it as nothing unusual also said a lot, though when he'd asked her on it, Weiss said it was nothing abnormal and hardly anything to get worked up about even without Aura. He disagreed, but that wasn't a fight he wanted to pick. The two sisters got along, or at least as much as they could given the circumstances, and he didn't know the full picture.
Outside of how she treated Weiss, she was no less gentle with the rest of them. General Ironwood wanted them combat-ready and that was what she was gonna make them. Even Peter's and Professor Branwen's lessons paled in comparison.
Jaune finished up another round of laps and stopped, hands on his knees as he panted. Next to him, Blake and Yang were almost as winded. Their training and lifestyles meant they had more experience with this kind of rough handling, but even they weren't immune to Winter Schnee's brand of treatment.
"Keep moving, ladies! I wanna see muscles on those noodly arms!"
Penny wasn't helping. At all.
Jaune brought a hand across his forehead and watched with dry amusement as Penny went full drill sergeant on poor Ruby and Weiss. While he, Blake and Yang were forced to not skip leg day, Ruby and Weiss were on their third consecutive round of push-ups. Something about increasing their upper body strength, which was weird in Ruby's case considering she swung around a scythe half as heavy as she was like it was nothing.
Penny had started hanging out with them shortly after their trip to Domremy and Blake's 'incident'. After everything that happened, finding out she was a robot barely elicited more than an "oh" from the rest of the team. Blake even seemed relieved to focus on something else besides her newly outed status as a Faunus. Ruby, of course, was more excited on just what weapons the robot girl was packing.
Apparently Miss. Winter also knew she was a robot and decided that, since team RWBY-J already knew her origins, why not include her as another coach?
"Penny, please, I can't-"
"I do not like to hear whining, Friend-Ruby!" Penny shouted without mercy to the nearly crying Huntress-in-training. Apparently she'd downloaded some drill sergeant training videos off the net and she was putting it to 'good' use, "These arms are pathetic! My grandma could beat you in a fight! That goes doubly for you, Friend-Weiss!"
"You're a robot! How do you have a-"
"Uh-uh, Friend-Weiss, I don't want to hear any excuses! Do you want me to sit on you again?!"
"No, Penny!"
"What was that?!"
"I meant no, sir!"
He had to admit, it was kinda funny seeing Weiss Schnee, of all people, being cowed by a girl who looked to be about the same age she was. Of course, any humor to be had in the situation was swiftly killed off when Miss. Winter went right back to trying to destroy their muscles, which she did by forcing them to jog. And just to make sure they didn't slow down, she summoned an Ursa with her Semblance and made it bite at their ass the second they lagged behind.
He was suddenly reminded of that joke about outrunning your friends instead of the Grimm...
"NYAAH!" Blake shouted, scrambling past them faster when the pure-white bear Grimm took a chomp of the bellabooty. The last time it happened she used her Semblance to dodge the bite and Miss. Winter had gone off on her. The point of the training was to increase their physical capabilities, which meant no Semblances. Then she summoned some miniature Nevermores to peck at her while they ran the next set.
This was utter hell...
"Alright, enough." Miss. Winter blew her whistle and the three of them collapsed on the ground. Across the hall, both Weiss and Ruby weakly fought each other for the last bottle of water while Penny went off to get some more for them. Everything was spinning and his breaths came out in short, ragged gasps. Even taking off his shirt hadn't helped much; and no, he didn't particularly care that he was the only guy here. Pain and exhaustion had a way of taking any sense of shame out of you.
"Are we...done yet...sister?" Weiss gasped, her hair almost fully coming undone from the bun she put it in.
"No." The younger Schnee looked like she wanted to cry at the response, "We aren't finished going through your deficiencies. Now, Weiss and Xiao Long, you two will spar in unarmed combat. The same for Rose and Arc."
"What? Why?!" Ruby screamed.
"Your hand-to-hand combat skills are severely lacking, especially for someone that came from Signal academy." Ruby flinched, "I pit you and Arc together since, by all accounts, your unarmed skills are equal despite the disparity in training due to the lessons he had with Professor Port and Qrow. Weiss was put together with Xiao Long since she is the best unarmed combatant in the team and she will make a for a good yardstick on improvement."
"You expect me to fight as good as Yang with my fists?! Are you insane?!" Weiss shrieked, forgetting any and all decorum at the realization that she would have to fight without her beloved Myrtenaster.
"I am not insane, sister. You will not always have access to your weapons or your Aura, and Maiden powers will not save if you an opponent is too close. You need to be able to defend yourself even when it comes down to just your bare hands."
"But what about Blake?" Ruby asked. Said teammate scowled at Ruby drawing attention to her, "She's not fighting anyone."
"I'll train with her myself. My hand-to-hand capabilities aren't as defined as Xiao Long's despite my training, but it should more than suffice when dealing with a Huntress-in-training. Besides, I need to ensure she doesn't use her Semblance again. That goes for all of you, by the way."
Weiss, Blake, and Ruby looked sick at that stipulation. Yang shrugged, just happy to be doing something just a bit more familiar, while Jaune didn't really care one way or another. He only got his Semblance not too long ago and he could count the amount of times he'd used it with one hand. He mostly felt bad about having to fight Ruby. Even if she was a better fighter than him, he still didn't like the idea of punching her in the face.
Miss. Winter was kind enough to let them have a break for a few minutes before forcing them onto the sparring mats, "Hope you don't hate me for this, Rubes." Jaune smiled weakly, putting his shirt back on.
"Just don't, uh, grab me like you did Cardin last time you fought in combat class. There's nothing to hold onto there anyway." She blushed, Jaune mirroring the gesture. Mouth was faster than her head sometimes, "Uh, just forget that! I'll...ugh, let's just do it already!"
It wasn't pretty. Even without them both being absolutely wrecked from exercising, neither of them were good at unarmed combat. Professor Branwen taught him to fight like a bastard - almost like street thug or a bandit - and he couldn't really do that here. Even with Aura, poking her eyes or smacking her in the throat wasn't something he was gonna do. Kicking her in the legs wasn't gonna happen either, even if he knew that it'd hurt pretty damn bad even with the different parts.
Ruby wasn't much better. He'd heard stories from Yang about how she was one of the lowest ranking unarmed combatants. While she was better than untrained civilians, that wasn't saying much in a school like Beacon. Her blocks were clumsy, her stance was uneven, and she was obviously distracted about not having her Semblance to create soe distance. What hits she did manage to give were obviously telegraphed and easily blocked or dodged in turn.
In the end he won, though he chalked that up to him having a foot in height and multiple pounds on her. The 'fight' ended when he dodged her attempted haymaker and grabbed her wrist. Again she almost used her Semblance on instinct before remembering Miss. Winter's rules and tried to pull back instead, falling on her back and dragging him on top of her.
Ruby groaned, though it was more from tiredness than pain. Jaune groaned too and pushed himself up, "Rubes, are you..."
And then he realized just how it looked.
So did Ruby, judging by the way her eyes widened and her face went red; and not from fatigue. She froze up, both hands pressed against his chest to pull him off but never quite doing do. The fact that she was wearing a tanktop and shorts, showing more skin than she usually did, didn't help. At all. He felt lightheaded all over again and he eyed a drop of sweat that ran down her chin and stopped at her throat, which bobbed as she gulped.
"Friend-Jaune has beaten Friend-Ruby!" Penny shouted, knocking them from their reveries. Jaune scrambled back and fell on his ass while Ruby barely managed to sit up, face still flushed red. The cheerful gynoid skipped walked over to where they both sat and gave them both bottles of water, "That was a very spectacular showing, Friend-Jaune! Victory is yours!"
"Uh...yeah." He drank down the water and did anything but look at where Ruby sat. It shouldn't have been shocking. Ruby was a cute girl and she'd told him she liked him. Even with him being distracted by everything, it was always in the back of his mind. The dance was coming up soon and he'd promised her a dance. And and answer. Alright, he didn't say the latter out loud, but the implication was there.
Thankfully, the rest of the team were too focused on their own fights to notice that little moment. Blake had her arm twisted behind her back by a very bored Winter while Weiss was trapped in a very uncomfortable looking headlock Yang was giving her. Across from him, Ruby finished off her bottle of water and looked like she wanted to be anywhere than where she sat right now.
"Friend-Ruby and Friend-Jaune, both your hormone levels are abnormally high; moreso than if you'd simply been exercising."
"W-We're fine, Penny!" Ruby squeaked.
"Are you sure? Judging from my studies, such levels of hormone increase are signs of sexual arousal. If you both would like I could-"
"No!" Jaune screamed. He didn't even wanna know how she was gonna finish that sentence. His poor head - both of them - couldn't take it, "That's...personal stuff, Penny. Not something you should be saying out loud."
"Oh! My apologies, I'm still learning some things." She smiled, cheerful as ever and completely unaware of how awkward things were, "By the way, I was told by the headmaster that he is looking for someone to train you in the usage of your 'Silver Eyes', Friend-Ruby." Yeah, the Silver Eyes. He never actually saw any Grimm Slaying powers from it yet and Miss. Winter found the idea of it absurd. Like eye-based superpowers was any more unbelievable than literal magic.
"Someone to train me?" Ruby asked, some excitement seeping into her tone.
"Yes, from what I understand she is an old friend of his before he retired. I believe her name is Maria Calavera. My apologies, but that name hasn't popped up in any database."
"Oh...cool."
Thankfully the rest of the sparring didn't last long and Miss. Winter finally let them go for the day, allowing them some much needed rest back at their dorm. Jaune prepped his Semblance and did each of team RWBY in turn. After their field trip they'd decided to test and see if his Semblance could help with the muscle tears and fatigue.
Judging by the way Yang was groaning? It definitely was.
"Oh Gods, it feels like I'm having the best massage of my life." Yang sighed, leaning back aganst the chair. The rest of the team looked on jealously as Yang was given some much needed relief, "Hey, you girls don't mind if I keep this one with me when we graduate? I could use a little bit of this after every mission."
"Yes we mind, unless you plan to share." Weiss huffed, "He's team RWBY-J's group slave. No hoarding."
"Feeling like a really valued member of the team here." He rolled his eyes and smiled wryly.
"Less talking and more of the good stuff, Grimm Slayer."
The rest of the team got theirs soon after. Even Ruby had forgotten her awkwardness in the face of a night without muscle pains and interrupted sleep. Jaune even did it to himself after they'd all showered and changed, which felt...weird. He didn't get the same feeling of warm relief, but he definitely felt charged up. More importantly, his partially drained Aura bar nearly jumped to full when he did.
"That's...odd," Weiss said, looking over his shoulder at the scroll, "Did you just regenerate Aura with your Semblance?"
"Not sure..." He shook his head.
"I think it's more he's amping what Aura he has left," Blake said across from them, "He still has the same amount of Aura, but because he amplified it, it's stronger. Say normally it takes one hit to drain a specific amount of Aura. With your Semblance it takes more, but you didn't recover the Aura you lost. At least, that's what I think. I'm not really an expert on Aura studies."
"Who cares? It's useful either way." Yang stretched both arms above her head and leaned back on the beanbag chair, "You guys got plans? I kinda wanna head out."
"I'm meeting with Merc, Peter, and Professor Branwen. Prof said he had something new for my training and Peter decided we all needed a guys night out anyway, so hey." He wasn't complaining. As much as he loved his team, the lack of testosterone was really getting to him. He knew it bothered Mercury as well; Ren was so attached to Nora at the hip that he never really had any guy time with anyone.
"Both you and Uncle Qrow? ...Can I come?" Ruby batted her eyelashes at him.
"It's a guys night out, Rubes. Sorry."
"Jerk."
"Well, we can have a girls night out!" Yang grinned, "Betcha ten lien we'll have way more fun than the group that's half old farts."
"You take that back," Jaune shot back lightly.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to join you. I have plans," Weiss said.
"Me too." Blake shrugged.
"Oh, come on!" Yang threw her hands up, "What could you guys be doing that's more important than team bonding?"
"I promised I'd call my parents and make plans for their next visit. Gotta go to the CCT tower."
"I am going on an outing with someone as well," Weiss added.
Unfortunately for her, Yang smelled blood in the water and pounced, "Oooh. Hot date, Weiss cream?"
"N-No, it's just dinner between friends. Hardly even friends, acquaintances even!" Weiss shot back, cheeks dusting pink despite her best efforts. Ruby and Yang looked at one another and immediately grabbed an arm each, "H-Hey, what are you doing?! Let me go!"
"Not until you tell us who it is!" Ruby shouted, "As your bestie, I am entitled to know who my bestie is dating! It's part of the friendship contract you signed!"
"There was no such contract! Unhand me, you barbarians!" Weiss look to him and Blake for help only for both of them to look away. Hey, they weren't suicidal enough to get between Yang and Ruby when they were on the same page, "You snakes! Disloyal cur! I'll remember this!"
"It's real simple, Ice Queen. You tell us or we do it the hard way." Yang chuckled darkly.
"Oh please, what can you do to- ghrk!" Weiss bit her tongue and barely held back a laugh as Yang ran her fingers down the smaller girl's side. Oh yeah, that was something: Weiss Schnee, the Ice Queen, was ticklish. They found out when Zwei (who was currently exploring the campus) licked her face and made them woke up to her giggles, "...You wouldn't."
"Oh, we would." Ruby wiggled the fingers on her free hand and Weiss gasped in fear, "Tell us who your date is or you shall face the wrath of our twenty soldiers. And I warn you, Weiss: they're hungry for tickles!"
"Alright, alright!" Ruby and Yang both grinned and let Weiss go, "I hate you all. I want you to know that." Weiss huffed, sitting down at her bed, "If you must know, I'm going out for dinner with Mr. Wukong."
The room got quiet after that. Both sisters looked at each other in shock while Blake raised a brow. She was the first to speak, "You mean Sun? The one we had an argument about because-"
"Because I acted on a very poor manner and judged him based on his race, yes." Weiss huffed again, clearly annoyed at being reminded, "At Jaune's advice, I asked him to the dance. He said yes."
"...You know I was mostly kidding about that, right? I just didn't want you to use me as bait for all your fans."
"Regardless of your intentions, he agreed to be my partner for the night," Weiss said without missing a beat, "And he did so despite his poor first impression of me. In gratitude for his magnanimous behavior, I offered to pay him back and he agreed, stating that there was a restaurant he'd heard about but that Neptune was reluctant to enter due to it being primarily seafood. It appears he has a dislike for those kinds of meals."
"So...he asked you out on a date?" Yang asked.
"It's a favor being repaid, nothing more."
Yang and Ruby looked at each other, communicating silently like all siblings could before, without any warning, the two pushed him and Blake out of the room and locked the door, "What are you doing?!" Weiss shrieked.
"We're gonna help you prepare for your date!" He could practically see the grin on Yang's face at that.
"It's not a date, it's- Ruby, what are you doing with that?! Nooooo!"
Jaune and Blake looked at one another, shrugged, then went on their merry way to the Bullheads. Weiss was going on a date; good on her, "Remember that you have to come with me to meet my parents when they arrive," Blake said as they neared the docks.
"When are you gonna tell them the truth?"
"I dunno what you're talking about."
"Yeah, you do." He rolled his eyes. If he did that any more around her they'd fall out of their sockets.
"Tell you what, I'll tell you the answer if you tell me when you're going to answer Ruby's confession."
"How do you know about that?!"
"Neither of you are as subtle as you think." She smirked, "So?"
"I...I dunno, it's hard, alright?" He sighed, "A few months ago I would've been over the moon about Ruby confessing to me, but with this whole thing going over our heads...the last thing I'm thinking of is a relationship."
"Then you should tell Ruby no."
"But that's not what I-"
"Then tell her yes." They stopped and looked each other in the eye, "The dance is coming up, that's the perfect time to tell her how you really feel. You do that and I'll tell both my parents that we were never dating and that I made it all up. Happy?"
"I love how you act like being honest with your parents is some kind of reward for me instead of something you should be doing anyway."
"Nobody's perfect, Jaune."
"Aha...when did I call you that again? I wouldn't even call you sane most days."
She punched his right shoulder lightly, "Whatever. Just be ready for when mom and dad get here. I told them you proposed and mom's gonna be suggesting wedding venues. She's still pretty torn if we're going for a Menagerie wedding or something Valean."
"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me when- HOLD UP, WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"I said they were coming to visit and you need to be ready."
"Nuh-huh, I heard something about a proposal and wedding in there!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Jaune. Just cause we're in a fake relationship doesn't mean we have to go that far." She blinked up at him, the very picture of innocence. He didn't trust it for a second, "Maybe your traitorous ears are making you hear things? I've heard that's a really big problem for liars and people who betray their friend's trust. Maybe someone's feeling guilty?"
"Gods, you are vindictive, did anyone ever tell you that?"
"Again, no idea what you're talking about." She laughed under her breath. Oh, so that was how she was gonna play it, huh? Fine, two could play at that game. Hope she liked explaining how it was all a lie when he told Mr and Mrs. Belladona she was pregnant, "Hmm. If things don't work out with Ruby, we could always start dating for real."
The sudden shift in topic nearly made him trip, "...Are you serious?"
"Why not?" She shrugged, "My last relationship ended horribly and I'm not looking for anything serious. You're nice, I trust you, and my parents both like you. We'd pretty much make the perfect couple if you ignore the fact that we're never gonna have sex or a wedding outside of signing the certificate."
"You're making this really tempting, Blake. Seriously, I don't know how anyone could ever resist your charms." Jaune said, sarcasm dripping from every word.
"I have my moments. By the way, am I gonna take your last name or are you gonna take mine?"
"Okay, I definitely heard that!"
The bar Peter took them to was a classy joint that felt like something straight out of the Great War era. All wood, almost no tech, and a live singer - a chanteuse, Peter called her - out on stage singing songs about lost loves and the tragedy of war. The heavy scent of booze hung in the air and the place was all filled with older men and women, making him and Mercury feel extremely out of place.
Professor Branwen whistled, "Nice place, Pete."
"The Elysium's a bit more high brow than your usual haunts, eh?" Peter chuckled, "Go take a seat. I'll have a task with the bartender."
They took up a small spot in the back away from any crowds, "Huh, I really need to get back to this place next time," Professor Branwen said.
"No offense, but you already stink like a brewery," Mercury said.
"And you sound like a creaky hinge every time you walk. What's your point?"
"We haven't even drank yet and you two are already trying to start a bar fight." Jaune sighed, "Please don't get into a fight with one of your students, Professor Branwen."
"Name's Qrow, kid. Just cause I'm teaching you doesn't mean you gotta kiss ass."
Thankfully, Peter came back before things could become any more awkward. Qrow grabbed the glass of whiskey while Mercury did the same with the brandy, leaving him the choice between champagne or cider. He ultimately chose the latter and leaned back on his seat, letting the music and soothing atmosphere lull him to a more relaxed state. He needed this, he really did.
"So how are things going, gentlemen?" Peter asked.
"Nothin' much. Old man hasn't given us anything new to do since we fucked up stopping that train." Mercury shrugged. He'd told him once after they finally left the clinic that his dad was an abusive alcoholic of the worst kind and that he was the reason that he had no legs, not that ice cream midget. Not that he wasn't gonna hunt her down and make things even, of course. It was the principle of the thing.
Jaune had asked him earlier if he was fine drinking given that, but Merc just looked at him like he was stupid. "Dad was an asshole even without the booze," he said, "I don't blame alcohol for him being a waste of skin."
"Yeah, I heard all about that. You did pretty well for a bunch of first years," Qrow said.
"Pfft, like what we did changed anything. It was team Magical Girl that saved the city."
"Hey, I thought we weren't gonna talk about anything heavy tonight?" Jaune asked with forced cheer, "Uh...Peter, how are you and Miss Camille going?"
The old man stood up straighter in his seat and laughed, "Ah, yes, me and my Cammie. It's been going well, Jaune. She's promised to visit me next week and I invited her to the Vytal Festival, which she was more than happy to accept. I'm telling you, gents, I truly believe that I have found The One. In a few years time I might retire to Domremy to be with her."
"Yeah?" Jaune smiled. Having Peter as a neighbor would've been awesome.
"A few years? Sure you have that much time, old man?" Mercury asked dryly.
"Quite so. I have quite some time in me yet." He patted his broad chest and rotund belly, "And what of you, Mr. Black? I've seen you and Ms. Nikos about campus at late hours of the night. Might there be a story there?"
"Oh God, not you too." Mercury groaned, "We're partners, it makes sense that we're gonna be together a lot of the time. And you know why we're out so late at night?" He slammed his glass on the table, "Cause the girl's a god damned battle freak, that's why! Don't let the sweet and polite smiles fool you. She's a damn monster inside the ring and ever since she figured I had more training than the average student she's been so happy she doesn't have to hold back anymore! Legs aren't meant to bend that way!"
"Eh, I've dated worse." Qrow shrugged.
"You sure that's not just her asking you out on dates?" Jaune smirked.
"Aren't you fucking your entire team? You've got no room to talk, Mr. Sex Slave."
"Shit, you really are a mini-Tai," Qrow muttered as Jaune sputtered out denials, "Damn it. Well, at least I know Yang would bend you like a pretzel if you tried anything."
"That's not- wait, Yang?" Jaune blinked, "What are you talking about?"
"I was there during your little homecoming trip, remember? I saw the two of you walking on the wall."
"It was just a walk!" First his mom and now Qrow. Couldn't two people hang out at clubs, share a room, and spoon in bed without people thinking something was up? "Ruby's the one who confessed, not Yang!"
Qrow looked slightly dumbstruck at that and quickly ordered another drink from a passing waitress. Peter laughed heartily while Mercury raised a brow, "Huh, so little red finally fessed up, huh? Good for her."
"You know she liked me too?!" Jaune yelled.
"Dude, I'm pretty sure half the school knows." Mercury scoffed.
"I had a bet going with the headmaster and Ms. Goodwitch on when she'd confess. You've just made me a very rich man, Jaune." Peter beamed.
"Ruby likes a guy? ...Never thought I'd see the day." Qrow mumbled. At least not everyone saw it before he did, "Hm...this is probably a bad time to tell you that I hit it off with someone back in your town. The name Rebecca ring any bells?"
"...You've got to be kidding."
"Eh, it's nothin' serious, so you don't gotta worry. Just figured I should tell you since if it does go somewhere...then you'll technically be their uncle-in-law." A pause, "There are some real freaks who are into that kinda thing, though."
"...I think I need another drink."
"That's the spirit!" Peter cheered.
A few drinks later and he had a good buzz going. It was only him and Qrow at the table now. Mercury and Peter were...actually, he didn't know where they were. Screw it, he'd worry about that later, "I just dunno what do do..." Jaune said, playing with the rim of his glass. At the back of his mind he cringed at the idea of asking Ruby's uncle for relationship advice, but he was too into the the glass to care.
"Huh?"
"Ruby..." He closed his eyes briefly, "She's a...a great girl, but I don't wanna mess things up, you know? She's one of my best friends and I've heard all about best friends that try to date and mess it up."
"Ugh...I'm too old for this."
"Come on! Aren't you, like, some loner bad boy? You kept telling me stories about all those barmaids and farmer's daughters you've bedded!"
"Yeah, and you know what's the same thing every time? It's nothing permanent." Qrow sighed bitterly, "Sure, it's nice to get someone to warm your bed for the night, but when the morning comes and you're all alone it doesn't feel so good. You know what I am? I'm the circus attraction. The Huntsman that's in one day and out the next. Barmaids, farmgirls, and lonely wives looking to cheat on their husbands are fun, but they don't last. They never do."
"...I still don't know what to do."
"Oh for fuck-" Qrow grabbed the back of his head and wrenched him to the left with a painful tug at his hair, "That's on you, mini-Tai, not me. Personally, I'm tempted to castrate you like any good uncle would, but I figure there's some reason Ruby likes you, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. Get it through that skull of yours what you want."
"...Okay."
"Good, now let's get out of here."
"What? Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
He barely managed two words two Peter and Mercury before Qrow was dragging him down a maze of alleyways. For a second he thought that this was the part where the guy threatened him for getting the attention of his niece. Instead he'd stopped at a heavyset metal door and knocked. The slit opened and a pair of dark eyes peeked out, "Got a live one for you." Qrow shook him.
The slit closed and the door opened. A very large, very musculuar lion Faunus eyed them up and down then stepped aside to let them through. Qrow wasted no time and dragged him down the length of the dinghy hall.
What greeted him at the end of it came as a surprise to his rapidly sobering mind.
An arena. Well, as close as an arena a back alley place like this could have. It was nothing compared to Amity or even Beacon's facilities. Just a wide open space with a cage in the middle attached to some screens up top. All around the cage were chairs and roaring crowds. Unlike the polite cheering of Beacon's combat classes, the people here raced to shout over one another, spitting out curses and encouragement in equal measure.
At the center of it all was two people fighting. Two men, both burly and at least a decade his senior, exchanging blows with their fists and whatever the crowd could toss into the cage. Jaune winced when the one to the right grabbed a folding chair and smacked his opponent clean across the jaw.
"...What is this place?" Jaune asked, barely heard over the roars of the crowd.
"Doesn't really have a name. It's a fight club, one of the many one's you'll see in Vale, except for one big difference: fighters here have their Aura unlocked." That knocked a bit more sobriety into him and he looked up at the screens, seeing the unmistakable Aura bars. Unlocking an Aura was pretty rare, at least inside the kingdoms. Many towns and villages were independent enough that the Kingdoms didn't really care about people who had their Aura unlocked. It was an unspoken rule that as long as you didn't buck the trend the council wouldn't send anyone to investigate.
Inside the kingdoms was another thing entirely. Anyone who had their Aura unlocked (and wasn't a Hunstman or part of law encforcement) had to register themselves as Awakened before arrival. Failure to do so was met with steep penalties ranging from hundreds of thousands in Lien and jail time. It was harsh, but the government didn't exactly like the idea of people with random powers running around without them knowing.
And something told him this place wasn't exactly on the up-and-up.
"Isn't this place...illegal?"
"I won't tell if you won't." Qrow snorted, "Can't stop every criminal or hideout, kid, so you pick your battles. Place like this is pretty okay, all things considered. No one fighting against their will, at least, and I've made a little spending money making bets or getting into the ring myself."
"...And why are we here?" Jaune asked, already dreading the answer.
Qrow grinned.
'I hate you...' Jaune thought as he dodged another meaty fist. What they were doing here, as Jaune quickled regretted, was getting him inside the cage for a match. Qrow had dressed it up as part of his training, trying to see how he'd do in a less controlled setting, but right now, facing a man who had over 40 pounds on him, Jaune really just wanted to slam Qrow's face against the wall.
At least Qrow bet on him. That was nice.
Thankfully, this wasn't like the fight with Cardin. There were no weapons and the man, for all his bulk and width, clearly had little training and relied almost entirely on his strength to see him through. Jaune ducked dodged the coreographed hits and swipes and used his own momentum to slam him against the cage. Without any hint of finesse or grace, Jaune slammed his shoulder into the older man's back over and over again.
The man roared and grabbed his neck, almost slamming him to the ground in turn. Remembering one of Qrow's first lessons, he raised both hands and clapped both the man's ears. Aura protected you from permanent damage, but there were some things it couldn't do. A kick to the crotch was a kick to the crotch, and someone smacking you in the ears would still make your head ring if you didn't know how to use Aura to brace your eardrums.
And evidently the guy didn't, judging by the way he screamed and stumbled back. Jaune kicked him between the legs then pounced his face to the ground.
The shady old guy that counted as a referee announced his victory. Jaune stumbled back out and glared at Qrow's proudly grinning visage, "See, what did I tell ya?" Jaune kept glaring, "Ah, come on! Betcha it was a whole lot easier than combat class with Goodwitch."
"Was this really about training or did you just want to get some more drinking money?"
"Little of column A, little column B." This guy... "Don't get too cocky, though. Guy might've looked tough, but he was a complete amateur. You know that, right?" Jaune nodded reluctantly, "It's still a good way to gauge where you're at now, at least. We'll come back another night and put you up against someone stronger. Most people here can't stand up to a trained Hunstman, but you're still a student."
"Fine, but no betting next time." Or at least cut him in on it. Dust rounds were expensive, damn it.'
"Whatever you say." Qrow chuckled, "Come on, let's go back to the bar. I don't wanna spend the rest of the night sober."
"Too late for that..."
Jaune didn't know how many drinks he had that night. All he knew was he woke up the next morning feeling like he'd just gone on one of Yang's benders; and as annoying as the other blonde could be sometimes, now she wasn't here to offer him some hair of the dog and pills for relief.
What he did have was Mercury's very warm body in his arms and a very amused Pyrrha Nikos sitting down next to them on the bed. He wanted to say something, but the pulsing headache killed off all his words pretty quickly. Instead he moaned and shut his eyes, trying to ignore the sun peeking in through the closed curtains.
At least he was the big spoon this time.
"Good morning," Pyrrha chirped, earning groans and curses from him and his bedmate, "Did you two have a good time?"
"Ugh..." Mercury groaned and flashed a weak middle finger. Pyrrha giggled in response.
"Wha happun?" Jaune slurred.
"You called me last night rather, ahem, the worse for wear. You told me you both went out with Professor Port and another man, but I couldn't find them. You two weren't in a state to move around so I became the designated driver, so to speak, and took you both back to Beacon." She smiled, "Don't worry, Ren and Nora stayed elsewhere since they're helping plan the dance so there's no one here to disturb you."
"Ugh...thanks, Pyrrha." Jaune gave her a weak thumbs up and snuggled deeper into the bed.
"You're very welcome."
"...Dude, when are you gonna stop pressing your morning wood up against me?" Mercury grunted.
"When I stop feeling like my head's gonna crack open." A pause, "By the way, you're pretty warm..."
"Alright, that's it." Biting back a groan, Mercury stood up got off the bed. Jaune winced at how cold it suddenly was, "Pyrrha..."
"Yes?" she asked, all smiled.
"If you tell anyone what happened here I will make your life a living hell." The teenage assassin said, voice heavy and serious.
Pyrrha just smiled without a hint of fear, "Of course not. I would never want to harm my partner."
"Yeah, you better..."
Jaune stayed in the bed for another half hour before eventually finding the strength to get up. Monday classes were cancelled, something with one of Doctor Oobleck's experiments going wrong. He didn't question it. Instead he washed his face in the sink and mumbled a weak goodbye to both Mercury and Pyrrha.
Just before he'd left he found a new fun fact: apparently his Semblance made hangovers go by quicker. Neat. He'd offered to help Mercury, but he'd told him that if he got anywhere near him after the night they had he was gonna 'cut it off'. Whatever, his funeral.
He opened the door just in time to see Weiss try to sneak into team RWBY-J's dorm. They stopped and just looked at each other up and down. He looked like crap while Weiss looked immaculate, but he didn't miss the guilty look on her face. That was the look of someone that had their hand caught in the cookie jar.
"...Have fun last night?" he asked casually.
"It was...pleasant." She coughed, "We lost track of time and couldn't make it back in time for curfew so we had to stay the night at a hotel. Separate rooms, of course."
"Of course."
A pause.
"...I'm just going to go in now."
"You do that." Jaune didn't follow her. His talk with Qrow from last night was still fresh in his mind. There wasn't a lot of advice there, but he was right: it was his choice and he needed to deal with it, for Ruby's sake if not his.
He took a deep breath and went back to the docks. Ruby had done so much for him these past few months and he really needed to return the favor. Ruby always liked to get the newest issue of Weapons magazine, but they'd been so busy that it actually slipped her mind. That would make a good waking up present. Then he could offer to help her maintain Crescent Rose for all those blacksmithing lessons she'd given him.
The trip to Vale was short and sweet. Jaune got the magazine and used some of the extra Lien to buy some cookies that she'd eyed the last time they went to town. That done, he made his way back to the docks before a voice suddenly called out.
"Jaune Arc?" He turned around and blinked at the stranger. The guy was tall, at least a few inches taller than him, with a lanky build and dark, slicked back hair that contrasted heavily against his pale skin. His face marked him as someone old, maybe in his forties, with high cheekbones and narrowed eyes hidden behind square spectacles. The suit he wore was obviously high class and stuck out among the sea of casual clothes everyone around them worse.
"Yes?"
"Oh, good, I intended to go to Beacon to meet you, but it appears I have some luck." His polite smile widened by just a bit and Jaune caught the hint of large canines on both his upper and lower rows of teeth. A Faunus of some kind or maybe just a guy with really pronounced teeth.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"Hm? Oh, yes, my apologies. My name is Richard Blanche." He offered a hand that Jaune reluctantly took, "We haven't personally met, but I was hoping to make you acquaintance."
"Blanche...that name sounds familiar."
"I would hope so given that I'm one of Vale's councilmen?" Jaune froze, his grip slacking and falling, "Right, bit of a shock, hm?"
"Alright...why is a Vale council member talking to me?"
"That will take a bit of explanation." He still had that smile on his face, "Would you mind coming with me to a small place I know? It'll be my treat."
"Uh...alright." This was weird, but he definitely recognized the guy from some posters and public announcements. Definitely a Faunus - a wolf, if he remembered right - and one of the loudest voices speaking out about the White Fang's involvement in the Breach. Mostly he argued that while the White Fang were at fault the innocent Faunus citizens had no blame in the actions of a few. Jaune happened to agree.
"Splendid. This way, Mr. Arc. We have much to talk about, you and I."
You know, a part of me wants to put Blake and Jaune together just cause you know they'll never stop trying to mess with and one-up each other. Blake forces Jaune to be her fake boyfriend? He tells her parents she demanded an open relationship. Jaune snitches on her to the team? She tells her parents he proposed. Blake acts absolutely shameless about her antics? He plans to tell her parents she's pregnant.
These two will eventually get married and have actual kids just for the sake of spiting each other.
Anyway, Council of Vale arc starts now and Jaune now has to contend with people trying to use him as their 'in' with team RWBY. Poor guy now has to deal with the people who use honeyed words and sweet talking instead of threats and violence, which in some ways are more dangerous than the overt threats.
Next chapter is either Team Chaos or continuing the plot. We'll see.
Questions:
1. A more Jaune related question, but what is the 'upper limit' of competence you guys want for him? I've gotten a bunch of complaints about how he's weak and unneeded compared to team RWBY, so do we just want him to be as good a fighter as, say, Mercury? It seems like him being a weak but dirty and pragmatic fighter isn't really what people want.
It feels like readers want him to stand shoulder to shoulder with team RWBY in combat, which feels odd since he doesn't have their magic or years of training. Even with his Semblance he's good for tanking and healing, not exactly doing ws much damage as magical nukes.
2. Do you guys still want an arc about the Vytal Tournament or do we just skip it? I'm not planning to do the Fall of Vale given how different team RWBY's circumstances are so it might seem pointless. Without the Fall there really isn't much to it besides a big fighting tournament in which team RWBY has an absurdly unfair advantage due to their Maiden skills and new magic training.
I can make some plot points based on that - like those betting on winners and the schools trying to poach the team for prestige - but that could be dealt with off-screen without focusing too much on it. What do you guys think?
Review Answers:
QuizMasterBlaine - I...don't think Summer is normal considering her comments near the end.
sos read - I guess, though I've never really seen that in real life.
Raj8 - Blake is gonna Worst Girl her way into winning Jaune's heart. They already argue like an old married couple.
PheonixX09 - Kali's comments indicate she did give Adam a second chance, but she went after Blake again anyway so all bets were off. Same with Cinder; if she tries anything, Summer's gonna beat her ass.
splithaven - Nah, Kali's loyal to her martyred husband. The other MILFs are thirsty, though.
Chuck B. Winanaki - The original draft had Summer being the definitive winner, much to Ruby and Yang's horror. Either that or he somehow impregnates all of them and Ozpin congratulates him on singelhandedly ensuring the next generation of Maidens. Then giving him sympathies for all the child support he now had to pay.