Breathe in.
Breathe out.
One foot in front of the other. Stance was everything.
The Ursa Major took a swipe to right.
Jaune sidestepped then cut in close. Crocea Mors dug into the creature's chest. It growled in pain and rage.
Another swing followed by a bite.
The deadly claws were deflected by a shield, and the momentum of the bite carried the Ursa forward where Jaune got into position to strike at the back of its neck. With no plate armor to stop it, Crocea Mors cleanly cut into the grimm's flesh. The force of Jaune's swing carried the blade down the entire length of the neck leaving the Ursa decapitate. Despite that, Jaune kept his stance steady until the grimm started to fizzle away.
Emerald slow clapped behind him as he sheathed his sword and turned around. "Impressive," she said.
Jaune adjusted the strap on his backpack and walked up to her. "You could have done it faster."
Emerald didn't deny it. "It doesn't matter how fast you do it. The important thing is you can do it and pretty easily from what I saw." It wasn't a lie. Jaune was leaps and bounds ahead of what he had been before. It wasn't close to the proficiency of a huntsman-in-training that Jaune had dreamed of becoming, but his sword play was sufficient if a little basic. Emerald found more than a little amusement at Jaune's failure of anything remotely acrobatic. The first time she demonstrated Jaune had looked at her, jaw hanging, and explained that doing those moves would break him faster than any grimm could. A simple dodge roll was the limit to his wiliness meaning he would just have to rely on his footwork which wasn't a terrible thing. Jaune might not be, and likely never would be, a legendary knight, but he was a capable warrior who could use magic to cover his weaknesses, and if all else failed she would be there to save him.
"You should be proud of what you've accomplished."
"Did I hear that correctly? Is Emerald Sustrai encouraging me?" Jaune said.
"Don't get any ideas. I just happen to be in a good mood. Just because you should be proud doesn't mean anyone else should. It's like a child going to the bathroom on their own for the first time." Her snarky reply set them off on their usual back-and-forth. It was something Emerald really enjoyed. It was the insults and degrading language she had grown up with, but with Jaune it was causal and relaxed like a game. It was something she hadn't realized she had been missing out on. Someone she could just talk to without having to really worry about the context or the response, a friend.
Good thing too because they still had a sizeable walk back to Vale and spending it in silence would not be pleasant. Before leaving Atlas, Whitley had gotten them transportation more accommodating for Jaune's motion sickness, an SDC ship with insanely advance stabilizers that stopped the boat from rocking at all. Its real purpose was to transport highly unstable dust without it blowing up along the way, making it more than suitable to counteract Jaune's motion sickness. The only catch was the ship wouldn't take them directly into Vale's port. For one it wasn't scheduled to be there, and two Vale's docks were becoming a little bit iffier for SDC vessels thanks to the increase of White Fang attacks and the possibility of Roman Torchwick stealing the cargo. The deal Whitley offered was that they could hop aboard, get off at one of the frontier towns the ship was scheduled to stop at, and then they could walk the rest of the way to Vale.
It wasn't prefect but since the alterative was having Jaune's stomach implode on the airship back, he accepted in a heartbeat. Emerald didn't really care either way and roaming through the wildness did give Jaune a chance to fight some grimm. Where they were, Forever Fall, was also quite nice. The reds of the trees and grass were pretty to look at and the cool breeze that shook the leaves was a joy. To Emerald it felt more like a peaceful stroll than a trek through the woods. Jaune could have even set up a picnic if she asked, just like he had on their trip to Bury.
Unfortunately, a sudden gunshot ringing out from farther within the forest put an end to that thought.
Emerald and Jaune stopped and looked at one another both thinking the same thing. There shouldn't be anyone out here. There weren't any towns around for civilians to come from or for huntsmen be protecting. Anyone who was this far away from civilization likely didn't want to be a part of it, and nine times out of ten that meant trouble for anyone who encountered them.
Both of them readied their hands on their respective weapons considering what they should do, but before a plan of action could even be discussed let alone reached, the shooter revealed themselves on their own.
With speed that rivaled anything Emerald had even seen, a young girl burst from the tree line kicking up leaves and rose petals behind her. Her eyes winded upon seeing the duo and quickly hit the brakes, digging her heels into the ground and using her comically oversized rifle as a kind of steering wheel.
After everything she had been through, Emerald assumed things would cease to surprise her, and yet she still didn't know what to think about the girl in front of her. So many questions about who she was or what she was doing here swirled in her mind.
Emerald's confusion was echoed on the girl's face as she looked between Jaune and her. It was Jaune who finally broke the strange moment. "Do I know you?" he asked.
Silver eyes lingered on him with more focus than before. Suddenly she gasped and her rifle transformed into a huge scythe. Emerald was quick to pull her weapons from their holsters, but before she completely readied them, the young girl shouted, "You're the guy who groped me!"
"What!" Emerald yelled, shifting her attention to a rapidly paling Jaune.
"Hey, hey, she's twisting the facts! It was an accident. I didn't assault this child."
"I'm not a child! I'm a huntress!"
"Your profession has nothing to do with your age."
The situation had already deteriorated drastically, and it was only going to get worse as a new voice entered the fray. "Ruby you really shouldn't run ahead. It can only get us in trouble… although even I didn't expect this kind of trouble."
A boy emerged from the tree line at a much more measured pace casually taking a position next to the girl. "Ruby could you please lower Crescent Rose. I don't think a fight is necessary here, and we don't want these people to think there we're barbarians who can't settle things with words." The girl blushed bright red and quickly retracted her weapon. "And would you mind holstering your weapons as well?" He said, eyes locking onto Emerald. "It would be appreciated."
Emerald really didn't want to. The Ruby girl had been shocking and strange, but ultimately, she seemed harmless enough. There was something off about this other guy though. A wrongness that couldn't really be explained. It was like his literal existence here was out of place.
A nudge from Jaune convinced her to put away her weapons for the time being.
"Excellent," the man said clasping his hand together, "I'm sure we have some questions for each other but let's introduce ourselves first. I'm Sulfur and this is my partner, Ruby." The way he smiled was strange. Emerald had never seen anything like it before. He had been doing it the whole time but it was more pronounced now. Most people smiled when they were happy or in a good mood, but it felt like Sulfur was doing it in reverse. He wasn't smiling because he was happy, he was happy because he was smiling.
Maybe you're just imagining it, her brain told her. Not even the best liars and cheats she had seen could warp their motions like that. They could fake it, sure, but the man in front wasn't. She was certain of it, yet at the same time, it couldn't be real.
Her thoughts were cut short as Jaune gave her another nudge informing her that she had been spacing out. Sulfur was looking at her obviously expecting an answer for something Emerald didn't hear. Not knowing what to do she just told him her name. Sulfur's smile widened, proportionally causing his cheer to grow, like he had scored a point.
"Nice to meet you, but I have to ask what you're doing out here? You look capable of defending yourselves but this isn't a place to just be wandering around."
"We're actually traveling back to Vale from one of the coastal villages up north," Jaune said sheepishly. "I don't do very well in bullheads so we decided to walk. I guess you could say we're taking the scenic route." It wasn't a funny joke but Sulfur laughed always.
Why was Jaune being so casual with them? Emerald knew he could be too soft around strangers, but couldn't he tell something was off about Sulfur. "We could say the same about you. Why are you so deep into Forever Fall?" Jaune gave her a dirty look not approving of her rudeness. She didn't care.
Sulfur didn't either as the words washed over him. "It quite simple actually. We're here on a school trip. We're supposed to gather some sap from the trees around here."
There was only one school in Vale that would send their students into the grimm infested wilderness. "You're Beacon students."
"Got it in one. Training to become great huntsmen and huntresses." Sulfur sure didn't look like any huntsman Emerald had ever seen. For one, he lacked any insane mecha shift weapons that the grimm slayers were known for. Emerald only saw two guns tucked into the waistband of his pants. One looked to be a standard mass produced pistol that was probably handed out to every solider in Atlas. The other was a worn and pretty crappy looking revolver. It was possible that there was something more hidden beneath his open black jacket, that reached all the way down to his ankles, but it seemed unlikely.
The jacket itself was in rough shape as well. It was clear to see where it had been torn and then stitched back together. Then, there were some places where nobody had bothered. A hole on the left sleeve that allowed Sulfur's entre elbow to stick out, four ragged slashes under the collar that looked suspiciously like claw marks. Lastly, a very long slash that started on the left side, by his hip, cutting downwards until it jumped to the other side of his jacket, hinting that the jacket had been buttoned during the time of the damage, and ending around his knee. There was also a good amount of stains that really could have been anything, but Emerald was connived had to be dried blood.
All that, along with hair that seemed to be in a state of permanent bed head, made him look like some kind of heretic priest, and that was about as far away from the colorful and heroic huntsmen image you could get. How could Jaune not notice this!
"If you're here on a field trip, where's the rest of your class, or even the rest of your team." Emerald spat. "You should be leading two others, right?"
Sulfur winched. "I don't actually lead anyone," he replied gesturing over to Ruby who was fuming into her cloak.
"It's me! Team RSTT (Rust) is under my leadership. It's my initial that's first, so why does everything keep thinking it's him? Is it because he taller?"
More because it was him who had been dominating the conversation so far. Emerald could have forgotten the other girl was even here at this rate.
"Don't let it bother you, Ruby. We all know how great you are."
"You didn't answer the question," Emerald cut in.
Ruby was less willing to ignore her tone than her partner was. She shot Emerald a glare, but before it could become heated, Sulfur stepped in from of Ruby, and Jaune grabbed Emerald's shoulder leaving behind the subtlety of his disapproval.
Emerald was about to give him a piece of her mind, and tell him who he should really be focusing on, but just like before, Sulfur's voice cut in to disarm the conflict. "Now, now, don't fight we're all friends here," he said it like it was a joke. "As for the rest of the class, we've just spilt off from them. Anybody can stab a tap into a tree and a fill bottle, but Ruby and I are shooting for extra credit. There's a special tree around here that will give us something a little more unique. Sadly, our teammates didn't care to venture farther out." He paused for a moment. "Would you two like to join us in their place?"
Of course not, Emerald was going to say, but Jaune spoke up faster. "Sure, we'd love to come along."
Emerald twisted her neck to face Jaune in complete shock. Why would he agree? Even if he didn't see what she saw, there was no reason to go along with these two. Their only goal was to get back to Vale, not tag along to watch trees be drained of their sap. Was he just doing this to get back at her for her attitude, or was his dream of becoming a Beacon student not quite dead and he was trying to emulate the experience?
Either one felt like a betrayal and Emerald tried desperately to relay that to him, but Sulfur started walking away and Jaune followed him leaving Emerald to either stay put or follow.
Surly, he wouldn't actually leave her if she stood her ground. He was just a bit upset. He'd look behind him soon enough, and if she wasn't with him, he'd come right back.
He would never abandon her.
That's what Emerald told herself, but her belief wouldn't be put to the test. She just couldn't bear the doubt, and quickly ran to catch up.
"What's so special about this tree?" Jaune asked after everyone had fallen into formation, the boys leading with the girl walking behind their respective partners.
"There's nothing special about the tree itself, or at least not originally. Maybe it was a bit taller and bit thicker than the ones surrounding it but that would be all. It's only special now because people desired it to be special." Sulfur paused to gauge Jaune reaction. Both of they had blue eyes, Emerald notice, but while Jaune's shared their color with the bright sky, Sulfur's were darker like the ocean's depths.
"It's known as the Lovers' Tree," Sulfur continued. "Story goes that if you carve your initials and the initials of the person you love then you'll be together forever. It's a legend that runs rampant with hormone driven teenagers, so there's no end to the number of fools who attempt it. Problem is, as I'm sure you've figured out, we're deep inside grimm territory. A normal civilian would be torn to pieces out here, but perhaps it's the required bravery that legitimizes the legend. So, every once in a while, a boy or girl will work up the courage to go through with the journey hoping beyond hope that they won't run into any grimm. Some recognize their mistake immediately and head back before really starting. Some are killed along the way, but apparently, a majority actually make it."
Just as he said that the group walked into a small clearing with a tree in the center. There was no question that this was the Lovers' Tree. Letters had been cut into every inch of its trunk, some with a heart surrounding them.
"Maybe it's their thoughts of love that masks their negativity, but after they come here and accomplish their mission, they realize something. Every step they took to get here they now have to take back. There's no wishful dream for that journey, just the hard reality that they won't survive if they don't. At this point, they'd be tired and lonely only wanting to be back in their nice, safe bed."
Sulfur caressed the tree letting his finger run along the cuts as if he was reading their memories. "I can practically here them pleading. 'Oh, Oum what have I done.' 'How will I get back?' 'Someone please save me.' The despair they must feel at that very moment would draw every grimm in the area right to them. Pissing their pants as they watch the horrors they summoned emerge from the forest there is nothing they can do but wait for their death. After the grimm are done with them, the blood that leaks from their broken bodies flows into the ground and is absorbed by the roots of the very tree they maimed—and the tree stores these offerings insides itself."
In one swift motion, Sulfur produced a tree tap and slammed it into the trunk. Emerald didn't know what the tree sap was supposed to look like, but the liquid that poured from that faucet was definitely not it. It was such a dark crimson that it was nearly black. It smelled like rotting meat and flowed like sewage. The girl beside Emerald looked like she was going to be sick while her partner carried on like he had struck gold. "Ruby, get the jars. This is definitely going above and beyond. We're such good students."
Ruby obliged following the order from the man she claimed to lead. While they did that, Emerald walked over to get Jaune's thoughts. He looked a little put off by the sudden shift of events but didn't have even close to the degree of skepticism Emerald thought he should have. Once again, she wanted to confront him but didn't dare with Sulfur right there.
He was doing something to Jaune, probably Ruby too. From what little Emerald had seen of her, she seemed too innocent to be participating in something like this. Sulfur was controlling or influencing them somehow. Emerald knew it.
She had to do something. Her hand twitched as she thought of an illusion she could cast on him. It wouldn't have to be anything big, just enough to break his concentration. No one would even know.
Emerald readied her semblance, prepared to end this, but she was stopped. Not by any physical force but by her own mind. There actually was someone who would know. Jaune knew about her semblance. If she was wrong and cast an illusion on Sulfur for no reason, what would he think? Would he yell at her? Would he see her as evil?
Would he hate me?
Emerald bit her bottom lip. Jaune was acting different, but he wasn't acting that different. Was she just jumping to conclusions? Had being around magic made her paranoid?
The wrestling thoughts just kept coming like she had no control over them. Her mind was a battlefield of pros and cons and should she or shouldn't she—and just like that, the jars were filled and the tap removed without Emerald having lifted a finger. "Well, wasn't that a fun little adventure," Sulfur said.
"No, it wasn't," Ruby said talking back to Sulfur for the first time. It reassured Emerald a bit that maybe she wasn't under his control.
"Huh, why not?"
"You said you knew where to get some special sap. I wouldn't have come if you had told me what this actually was. Treating people's deaths this way isn't funny."
"Now, now I'm not the one who killed them. They died because of their own stupidity." Ruby glared at him in the way that was aimed more at making him feel more guilty than threatened. "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept it from you. I just thought it would be an interesting surprise. If you want, we can dump the sap and get some from the other trees."
Ruby sighed, half-accepting her partner's apology. "It's fine. We came all this way to get it. We might as well show it to Miss. Goodwitch, but," Ruby gazed at the Lovers' tree, "we should destroy this tree. That way no one will die."
Sulfur chuckled. "You really are kind, Ruby, but I don't think you should. It's the myth that's causing people to come here. If they show up and there isn't a tree then they might be thrown into an even greater despair than if it was here. At worst people might just designate a new Lover's tree. The best way to stop people from coming here would be to discredit the myth or make it clear how dangerous chasing after it is. Who knows maybe bringing back this sap could help with that. Could anyone really smell that and think that the tree it came from would be able to produce enteral love?"
Ruby giggled at the humor all bad feelings now forgotten. "Alright, let's head back. They're probably wondering where we went and Yang will start getting worried if I'm gone for too long."
"Understood, the last thing I want is for your sister to think I've taken you away. I don't think I'll survive another one of her what-will-happen-if-you-touch-my-sister lectures." As Ruby looked away in embarrassment, Sulfur craned his neck to speck to the Jaune and Emerald. "What about you two, coming with us? You'll probably run into our class if you're heading back to Vale anyways. Might be good to have someone to vouch for you, or do you want to stick around and carve your own initials into that tree, see if the legend is true."
The mild interest Jaune had in the tree instantly disappeared as he responded to Sulfur's statement with a mild blush. "We're not going to do that."
"Really? Honestly when I first saw you two, I thought you were out here specifically for this tree."
"No, we're just friends."
"And that's all you ever be, I'm sure" Sulfur smirked, causing Emerald to hate him just a tiny bit more.
Glynda knew it wasn't wise to call anything a success before it was over, but so far, the trip had been calm and peaceful. There was the occasional grimm but nothing her students couldn't handle. After being shot into the Emerald Forest, a supervised trip into Forever Fall should be a cake walk. Collecting sap was also hardly a demanding task. She still wasn't quite sure why Ozpin had decided to send the entire First-Year class to gather sap for Professor Peach, but since this was practically a day off for her, she wouldn't complain.
If there was one thing that concerned her it would be the apparent absences of two of her students, Ms. Rose and Mr. Insure. Everyone else, including their two teammates, she had caught glances of throughout the trip, but those two had headed off into the forest and hadn't come back. If they were gone much longer, she would have to start looking for them, but she wasn't too worried. Ms. Rose, despite Glynda's misgivings over her early acceptance, was an exceptional fighter. It was her partner that was more worrisome. With no formal training or transcripts to speak of he really shouldn't even be attending Beacon, but as the second highest scorer in the practical exam, he earned the right to participate in initiation where he came across Ruby Rose.
Thinking back to that day filled Glynda with anxiety. Ozpin's insistence on the eye contact rule, saying that huntsmen should be able to work together no matter what, always made the event stressful, but when those two locked eyes, Glynda had been sure it would be a disaster. They were complete opposites. Ms. Rose was the definition of optimism, always ready to be the hero and crushing every grimm in her way while Mr. Insure didn't seem to care for heroics at all. Glynda had personality watched him avoid and ignore grimm, sometimes even when they were attacking other initiates. It was an attitude Glynda sought to change and no doubt Ms. Rose would despise.
He probably would have completed initiation without meeting anyone had Ms. Rose not accidently run into him. Their first interactions were as bad as Glynda feared. Mr. Insure made it clear that he wanted to get the relics and finish initiation as soon as possible, no distracts and no sidetracking, but Ms. Rose wanted to meet up with her sister. Mr. Insure immediately recognized that her reasoning was entirely emotional and called her out on it.
It had all the makings of an argument and really should have ended in one, but surprisingly, Mr. Insure backed down. It was a level of maturity that Ozpin and her always hoped for but rarely ever got. The act also caused Ms. Rose to reflect on her attitude and admit she wanted to find her sister because she believed that would be the best way to be on the same team. With the line of communication open, they were quickly able to settle on friendly terms. Ms. Rose was especially excited when Mr. Insure revealed that he didn't have a true huntsman weapon to which Ms. Rose practically demanded she help him make one. From what Glynda had heard it was nearly done.
The new pair never did find Ms. Rose's sister with Mr. Insure eventually convincing his partner that it would be better to just finish and hope for the best. Ms. Rose didn't get her wish in the end, but she was clearly happy with leading team RSTT. Some might say that Mr. Insure should have been leader, and indeed some of the staff had argued for it, but Ms. Rose had the passion, the personality and the wiliness to lead. Mr. Insure to put it bluntly just fit better in a supporting role helping to reel in his partner's more impulse tendencies. Letting Ms. Rose win in their initial meeting might have been great for opening trust between them, but it also showed that Mr. Insure was more passive, agreeing to a plan he believeed to be inferior to his own. However, it was combat that really blew his chances of becoming a leader. Ms. Rose took the lead in every grimm encounter they faced while her partner watched from the sidelines. Glynda didn't know if he simply lacked confidence in his skill or decide that letting Ms. Rose handle everything was more effective. Either wa,y it wasn't something a leader should be doing, and thus the role was given to Ms. Rose even if some of the students were convinced otherwise.
Glynda couldn't help but smile at the predicament. Poor girl, such a force on the battlefield, yet so shy and nervous around her other classmates. It was no wonder people thought her calm, talkative partner was the one running things. She really needed to stop worrying about what others thought about her. It would do her some good to expand beyond team RSTT and BRYL.
A rustling of leaves and branches alerted her to the return of her adventurous students. Ms. Rose emerged quickly followed by her partner, and then two others.
Alright, Glynda hadn't meant for Ruby to find new friends quite that fast.
She recognized the other two although it took her a second to place where she had seen them. A tall blond with a sword and a dark-skinned girl with an attitude, one that was currently directed at Mr. Insure. They were the two that had killed the deathstalker during initiation despite not being students.
They hadn't been seen by anyone other than her and Ozpin back then but this time Glynda was hardly the only one to notice the arrival of two strangers, and they were indeed strangers, judging from the way all the students observed them.
Well, all except one. The only one to react with any form of recognition was Ms. Belladonna, and only because Glynda caught the slight twitch her ears made under her bow.
Ms. Belladonna was yet another troublesome student. While sadly, it wasn't uncommon for faunus to hide their appendages, Glynda had not known what Ozpin had been thinking when he allowed a White Fang member to participate in initiation, highest score on the practical exam or not. He told her 'everyone deserved a second chance', and at the end of the day, Ozpin was headmaster.
Thankful she hadn't caused any problems, but she wasn't exactly perfectly integrated with the school or her team. She seemed to be doing a little better after her string of late night outings during the immediate aftermath of those two grisly faunus murders, the killer having yet to be apprehended, but she was still wary of people and continued to hide her faunus heritage. In Glynda's opinion, it was only going to get worse the longer she hid her identity. The disguise was hardly perfect either, some of the more observant students, Glynda shot a quick glance over to Sulfur, who seemed to be watching Ms. Belladonna with unnatural interest, might have already figured it out. However, it wasn't her place to interfere in the daily lives of her students. She just hoped that when the truth did come out it wouldn't end badly for her.
Putting that issues aside for now, Glynda went to investigate the new friends Ms. Rose and Mr. Insure had picked up. Ms. Rose, seeing her approaching, nervously shook like she had done something wrong and expected to get yelled at. Glynda was aware of her reputation among the students, but when running a school full of super powered teens, unrelenting sternness was required.
The blond was more of a wreck than Ms. Rose with not only her attention on him but the other students as well. The green haired girl seemed to grow even more disdainful as what was clearly an authority approached, and Mr. Insure—he didn't change.
"Welcome back, I see that the two of you have been busy," Glynda said easing them in.
"We're sorry for leaving," Ms. Rose blurted out despite that.
"There's nothing to apologize for. You were free to explore during this trip. What I'm more interested in is the two people behind you.
"Oh, this is Jaune and that's Emerald. They're heading back to Vale from one of the frontier towns. Me and Sulfur just happened to run into them."
"I see." Glynda didn't know if she believed that. It was a pretty big coincidence for them to have been in the Emerald forest during initiation and here now, during the school trip.
Her skepticisms must have shown because the blond, Jaune, stepped up in defense. "It's true, we're just heading back to Vale after finishing up a job. We're sorry for disrupting your trip. We didn't think anyone would be out here."
"You said 'job.' Are the two of you huntsmen?" Glynda asked eyeing their weapons. They seemed a little young, but it wasn't impossible.
"Nah, they aren't huntsmen. Just concerned citizens." Surprisingly, it was Sulfur who said it.
Glynda was obviously going to ask how he could possibly know that, but before she could, Ms. Rose's sister, Ms. Xiao Long interrupted them. "Hey, there handsome. What are you doing around these parts."
"Yang!" Ruby yelled.
"Relax sis, I'm just being friendly to your friend. How'd you meet him and why didn't you let your big sis know."
"We were actually having a conversation about that Ms. Xiao Long before you so rudely—"
"Didn't you say something about him groping you?" Sulfur chimed in.
Time froze.
Nothing moved and nothing made a sound.
It wasn't until Yang's hair burst into flames and her eyes shifted to red that time resumed. "What did you say!"
There was enough murderous intent that Emerald pulled her weapons. Glynda immediate steeped between the two. It was bad but it wasn't unsalvageable.
Then Jaune said possibly the worst thing he ever could. "Listen it was an accident and I apologized! At least I don't destroy clubs and beat my sister just because I have anger issues."
There was no salvaging that. Glynda was forced to use her semblance to physical restrain Yang and even then, she had to send Jaune and Emerald off, lest Yang break free.
So, almost before it began the meeting was over. It was a great loss of potential information, but unlimitedly the safety of her students and those around them came first, yet Glynda just couldn't shake the feeling that storm of misfortunate had been too perfect. It almost felt intentional.
No, she was looking too deep into it. This was just another case of her student's being too rash and emotional. She would inform Ozpin of what happen when she returned and he could decide if those two were worth looking into.
In the meantime, she had to decided how many weeks of detention Ms. Xiao Long would be spending with her.
Jaune's and Emerald's living condition had gotten an upgrade. Whitley, after being informed about their current residence, didn't just give them the funds to find something better, he gave them something better—way better. Skipping a few levels in the housing market, they had gone from a bug and rat infested shack to a luxury penthouse. According to Whitley, it was owned by the SDC for the exclusive use of the Schnee family should they ever be in Vale. Meaning that for most of the year it sat empty.
"Someone may as well be using it, and having house sitters isn't a terrible idea," he had said. No idea how Whitley had convinced his father, but they had been given keys and let in without any issues.
There was only one problem with this new arrangement.
Emerald couldn't sleep.
She tossed and turned and wrestled with the blankets in her new private bedroom, but no matter what she couldn't get comfortable. The problem was everything was too comfortable, she wasn't used to it.
The bed was too soft, the pillows too cushy, the blanket too warm, yet the room too cold if she went without. How many times had she looked up with envy at the rich snobs living the high life in their fancy houses? How many times had she imagined being in their place? Well, here she was, living the good-life only to find it unbearable.
It had been the same at Schnee mansion, but every night there had been spent chasing grimm, so Emerald had been too tired to notice.
Kicking off her blanket, again, she got out of bed. Using the glow from her lava lamp that she retrieved from the old apartment, she created a makeshift mattress on the floor using sheets and pillows. The hope was that something more akin to her previous agreements would help—but no. Emerald recognized it wasn't going to work after only a few minutes. Even the damn floor was too comfortable, the lush carpet fibers tickling her skin.
Picking herself up, and draping a single sheet over her shoulders, she walked out into the main living area and collapsed onto the couch. It was as nice as everything else in the penthouse, but it was time to admit that it wasn't just the extraordinary furniture that was keeping her awake.
Her mind was a whirl. She was frustrated and angry. Angry at Jaune, and judging from the lack of conversations after splitting from the Beacon crew, it went both way. It was all Sulfur's fault. Jaune hadn't liked the attitude she took up with him, but why couldn't he see she was trying to protect him? Why couldn't anyone see what that guy was? Even when that teacher had come to talk to them, right before the blonde bimbo had interrupted them, Sulfur had glanced her way like he ordered her to do it, yet no one had seen.
No one but her.
Emerald growled and kicked the arm of the couch.
She just didn't understand how Jaune could trust him so easily. It was ridiculous. They had been acting like good friends after only one meeting. It just wasn't fair, she had been with him longer. She had to work to gain his trust. They were partners.
So, why had he chosen him over here?
The soft padding of footsteps alerted her to someone's approach. "Emerald, what are you doing up?" a very tried looking Jaune said.
"I could be saying the same to you?" She replied, turning away.
"I was woken up by your racket. Just what are you doing?"
Emerald pouted into the back cushions. "Can't sleep. Everything's too new and luxurious"
Jaune slowly looked around the room. "I guess this place would be a little jarring to someone accustomed to leaving on the streets and that awful apartment. Maybe I should have expected this."
He sighed. "I'll be right back."
Emerald rolled over on the couch to watch him, curious about what he could be doing. A few moments later Jaune came back with that horrid onesie he used to wear before Emerald forced him to stop. The fact he brought it over from the other apartment was a crime.
"Here," he said handing it to her.
"You're not expecting me to wear that, are you?" The thought made her want to puke.
"No, you've made it very clear how you feel about my sisters' gift, but you can use it as ba lanket. It should be rough and worn enough for you to be comfortable.
Emerald was still hesitant even if she wouldn't technically be wearing the thing, it would still be embarrassing. Jaune was he only one here, though, and it wasn't like she had any better ideas. Slowly she took the article of clothing and wrapped it around herself while she was still laying on the couch. It had a surprisingly nice feel to it, so much so that she found herself pulling it tighter.
"Are you okay now?"
No, she wasn't. There was still something she needed to say, and Emerald wasn't the type of girl to wait. "Why did you go along with Sulfur?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you let him delay us? Why did you hang out with him?"
Jaune looked confused. "Do I need a reason? We just got to talking and he seemed like a cool guy. Going along with him was just a spur of the moment thing."
"But couldn't you tell? He was clearly up to something. There's something wrong with him."
Jaune gazed at Emerald for a bit before answering. "Is that why you were so mean to him. Yeah, he was a little strange but he didn't do anything to hurt us. He actually defused the situation between us and Ruby, remember?"
"Yeah, but did you see what he was wearing, or what he did to that tree, or even question how he knew about it, or—"
"Emerald," Jaune softly interrupted, "I hate to say this but do you think you might be the one with the problem, not him.
"What?" Emerald recoiled
Jaune put his hand on her upper arm, slowly moving it back and forth. "You're strong, stronger than I could ever hope to be, but you never really got a choice in the matter, did you? You've told me a little bit, but I still can't imagine what it must have been like for you. It must be hard to trust people. Hell, the only reason you helped me out in the first place was because you knew you could use me, right?" Emerald looked away, shame pooling in her stomach. "So, do you think you might be projecting a threat onto Sulfur that isn't there
"No, I…"
"Just think about, please."
Emerald wanted to say something—anything—to prove Jaune wrong but she couldn't. She wasn't wrong, Sulfur was a threat, but maybe she wasn't exactly right either. She glanced at Jaune out of the corner of her eye as he continued to rub her arm. She had sworn never to get close to anyway after what happened Robin, but it would seem that she had broken that promise.
She could feel herself drifting off.
Was it really possible? Could she have just been jealous?
Jaune walked back into his room after he consoled Emerald. He would have gone straight to bed expect for the annoying buzzing that was coming from his scroll that was resting on the dresser. "Who could be calling at this hour?" Jaune said to himself, answering it without bothering to check the caller ID.
It probably wouldn't have matter if he had.
"Hey kid, remember that stray cat I rescued for you. Well, I'm calling in the favor you owe me."
Excerpt from the book
The city of Cryphilictal has so many legends and myths surrounding it that if you were to believe them all Cryphilictal would be linked to everything in the unknown world and beyond. So paradoxically, while endless amount of information about the city exist it remains a complete mystery. Even those that return from the dangerous pilgrimage only offer scant accounts, and what is said often rarely ever coincide with pervious accounts and can even be contradictory.
So, with unreliability at every stage, let's us focus on the few things we do know. The city was certainly unrivaled as a hub of magic and knowledge during its time and nothing has ever matched it either before its establishment or since. At some point, the city fell to ruin. It's clear that the cause was internal rather than external making a civil war or a runaway spell likely culprits, but there's no concrete evidence for anything. Lastly it at one point Cryphilictal housed the Relic of Knowledge, whether the city possessed any of the others is once again up for debate.
As sad as it is to admit, that sprinkle of information is all that can be consider fact about the city, but that's just the nature of things. For Cryphilictal it would seem that seeing it for yourself is the only way to validity anything, and it's not an easy journey to take for the cursed Cryphilictal is as strong as ever and guards it secrets closely.
However, before I end, it would be unwise for me not to not included a rumor that while unable to be confirmed as fact, is held as truth by many. The story goes that when the God of Light made the Relic of Knowledge he didn't think of adding a limiter for the humans delving into the knowledge of the gods. Anyone who asked anything but a mundane question would go insane upon hearing the answer, or if they were luckily, die on the spot. As such when the relic was held by Cryphilictal, a way to make it usable by humans was devised. The relic was split into two unequal pieces, the flame taken from the lamp, making the relic weaker, now only able to answer three questions every century, but useable.
The other piece didn't just disappear though, the flame burns on, and while the Relic of Knowledge changed hands, the flame remains somewhere inside the city.
The fifth relic if you would.
The Relic of Madness.
An: I thought about cutting this chapter off after Forever Fall, but then there wouldn't be any resolution to Emerald observations and feelings, and it would have been kind of weird to start the next chapter like that, so we got a little insight into the caretaker's new place, courtesy of Whitley and the SDC.
Also, a new character was introduced, an OC at that, I'm curious to see what people think about him, just remember when you review, that this story has been filled with OCs. They just haven't been humans. As for Ruby's other teammates, unfortunately, they aren't important, and I don't know if I'll ever show them. There just weren't enough minor named characters in Beacon to fill the teams how I wanted. I already used Russel and Sky, and Dove is somewhere else. As for Sulfur, well who knows, maybe he's not important either, just depends on how far you agree with Emerald.