Thanks so much for the continued support peoples. I really appreciate it all and it really does make wanting to write more a lot easier. For that, sorry there was a bit of a break between updates. Holidays and January has been really busy for me.
Anyway! Onto the story with the formation and confirmation of a few things.
As far as sailing through the air went, Jinx found that being flung through it by a metal plate catapulting her off the side of a cliff to be a new experience. Definitely not an unpleasant one though, as giggles and laughs left the girl as she flipped and tumbled around in the open air, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness while she could before gravity eventually began to tug her back down.
As her speed slowly began to falter and the feeling of flying slowly morphed into falling, Jinx smiled as she righted herself in the air. Pulling Fishbones from over her shoulder to wrap her arms and legs tightly around the metal with the barrel of her weapon aiming toward the ground, the Zaunite rapidly fired rocket after rocket. Her momentum halting as the kickback of each shot slowed her down more and more. Once her speed finally reached an acceptable level, Jinx stopped shooting and let herself fall, landing and rolling across a small opening in the forest she had been launched in.
Pink eyes glanced about, scanning the area for any threats. Disappointingly, they found none.
"Go into a Grimm-infested forest, he said. There will be monsters everywhere, he said. You'll get to shoot lots of 'em, he said." Jinx grumbled angrily. She had been promised free targets to riddle with holes and not a single one was near her from what she could see.
"Didn't the old man say they were drawn to negativity? Maybe act all mopey and sad?"
A hum left Jinx as she thought on the words. That could work but it sounded annoying. She had been so excited to get a chance to really let loose in what felt like forever, even if it had only been three days at most. Not counting the time she spent unconscious in the hospital.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Jinx's neck stood up. A light buzzing in the air above her sending her instincts into overdrive. In one swift, fluid motion, Jinx freed Zap from its holster before swinging her arm up to aim at whatever was there.
Her eyes narrowed as she saw what was causing the noise. A white, spinning, intricately designed circle was floating a few feet above her head. Without any hesitation, Jinx pulled the trigger and shot the thing.
The bullet shot directly in the center of the thing, shattering it and causing the fragments of it to fade into nothing. "Huh." That was all Jinx could think to say as she watched the remains of the target-like circle vanish from existence.
Then without warning, a panicked yelp filled the air as a white blur sailed through the air right where the weird thing had been before it painfully slammed into the ground, letting out another yelp in anguish as it skid along until being stopped by a couple of bushes.
Jinx stared at the white blob for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and making to leave in a random direction, only to be stopped at a loud yell.
"What in the world is wrong with you!?" The sharp, high-pitched scream made the anarchists ears hurt, her face scrunching up in discomfort.
"Do you have to yell? What did I do to you?" Jinx lifted one hand, pinky finger digging into her ear and pulling it out to check for blood.
"You destroyed my glyph! You made me mess up my landing!" The acerbic voice screeched out. Jinx couldn't help but roll her eyes at the accusations. Her eyes slid over to study the girl shouting at her.
"God, what idiot dresses in NOTHING but white?"
The Zaunite couldn't help but agree with the voice in her head. A white jacket thingy, a white light-bluish dress, and even white heeled boots. The girl even had pure white hair. The only non-white thing on her was her ice-blue eyes that were glaring in hatred at Jinx.
Wait, didn't the old guy say something about eye contact? …Oh. Crap.
Jinx could feel a twitch developing in one of her eyes as she stared back at the angry girl. Eye contact with the first person she encountered was what decided her partner for the next four years at this dumb school. The girl, who supposedly was now her partner, was still yapping away.
"Nope." Was all Jinx said before turning in the complete opposite direction and walking away from her.
"H-Hey! Get back here you dolt! I demand an apology!" High-heeled boots thudded against the dirt as the girl chased after Jinx, causing the bluenette to groan internally.
"You'll be waiting a long, looong time before you get one, princess." Refusing to turn back around, Jinx continued marching through the foliage, determined not to be the whiny girl's partner.
"Do you have any idea who I am?!"
That harsh, incredulous yell was the final straw. The annoying tone plucking at Jinx's last nerve and forcing the Zaunite to spin around. "No! I have no idea who you are, and I couldn't care less!" Jinx then let her glare fade away into a wide smile. "All I want is to shoot some monsters, so that's what I'm going to do!"
A growl left the girl's throat as she stomped her foot to release some of her anger, "I am Weiss Schnee, heiress the Schnee Dust Company, you insufferable reprobate!"
"Retro-whatnow?" Jinx asked, her head tilting in confusion.
"Rep-ro-bate!" Weiss enunciated each syllable, the glare on her face never shifting to any other kind of look. "Now, apologize for your transgressions and then we can go our separate ways."
"Could always shoot her."
"Don't tempt me…" Muttering the words under her breath, Jinx glanced to the side only to feel that anger she had been pushing down boil back up. There in the bushes, clear as day and gleaming in the sunlight, was a camera. A camera that was focused right on Jinx and Weiss and would see how the two clearly made eye-contact and would also capture the pink-eyed girl if she decided to shoot the annoyance in the face. "Guess I'm stuck with her."
"What? What do you mean stuck with me?" That icy stare only deepened in frustration at Jinx still not giving the girl an apology.
"Remember what Mr. Ozzy said on the cliffs? First person. Eye contact. Ringing any bells in that head of yours?"
For a moment, Weiss paused as she pondered Jinx's words, seeming to roll them over and over until realization crossed her features. Then horror as her already pale skin turned paler, "No. No way am I being the partner to someone like you."
"Wow, you sure know how to warm a girl's heart princess." Speaking with as much false happiness as she could, Jinx leaned forward to the girl before jerking a thumb over to the camera she spotted. "Wanna say that again into the camera so I'm not the one who gets in trouble for ditching you?"
"What are you talking about?" Weiss followed her thumb before her eyes landed on the camera Jinx had pointed out. Oh look, the horror on her face was coming back, mixed in with dread and disappointment. "No no no… You can't be my partner! I was supposed to partner with Pyrrha."
"Aww don't be like that little Weissy." Moving quickly and wrapping an arm around the girl's slumped shoulders, Jinx smiled wide. "You and me, me and you. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together."
"No, you won't."
"You really won't."
Jinx let out a small hum, ignoring the way the girl roughly shook her off and pushed her away. To be honest with herself, Jinx was sure the two of them really wouldn't get along. Weiss was too much like a Piltie in almost every aspect the gunner could see. A spoiled, pampered brat that loved to complain and whine when things didn't go as she wanted. At the very least, Jinx was sure she could entertain herself by poking fun at the high-strung girl.
"I guess I don't get a choice since they already see we've made eye contact. What's your name?"
"Jinx, stands for Jinx!" The introduction fell from her lips on autopilot, it was always how she introduced herself before. Yet now, it wasn't a complete introduction. "… Zaun. Jinx Zaun." Jinx added on after, smiling at her new full family name.
Weiss did not look impressed at her name at all, if anything, her expression still screamed disappointment. "A pleasure. Come on, let's get this initiation over with." The girl's voice was dripping with apathy. Slowly, the heiress turned off in the direction they were instructed to head in, not speaking a word.
" Twenty gold bolts you kill her two months in."
"Stop making it more tempting." Jinx growled as she started moving after her partner.
[-]
"It would appear most of the students have been paired up now."
"You seem oddly pleased with all of the pairs." Brown eyes shifted over to regard Glynda as she spoke, Ozpin letting out a hum that was neither positive nor negative.
"There are a few that I'm excited to see."
"Like Miss Zaun and Miss Schnee for example?" Glynda pulled up the camera feed on her scroll of the two trotting through the woods. Miss Schnee's face clearly showcasing just how displeased she was, while Miss Zaun just looked utterly bored, pink eyes bouncing around her as if hoping for a Grimm to jump out at her.
"The pairing of those two will definitely be one to watch over. I'm not sure how Miss Schnee will react if she learns of her partner's rather… colorful history."
Glynda let out a huff. "Or lack thereof. Ozpin, there are no records of the girl anywhere, it's as if she appeared out of thin air. The only record of her is of her destroying a train."
A small, subtle smile grew on the man's face as he took a quick sip of his coffee, savoring the taste before responding. "She did so to protect the people on board and the cargo that was being targeted by the White Fang."
"You don't believe that." Green eyes bore into his own, almost daring him to say that his deputy was wrong.
"While her motives might not have been that pure of heart, she did perform those acts. I also believe we've already been through this discussion before."
"I know. Trust me, I'm sick of having it but I can't understand. I still don't see why you'd allow her into the school Ozpin. The girl is dangerous."
A sigh left his lips. Ever since he had offered Jinx a spot here, he'd been arguing back and forth with Glynda to justify the girl's right to be a student. "As are all of the students here, Glynda." Turning to face her fully, he took a small breath before staring deeply into her eyes. "Miss Zaun… Jinx may be dangerous; she may also not have the best of intentions at heart. That I will concede to you."
His eyes slid to the screen once more, still focused on the topic of their conversation and her partner as the duo walked along. "And yet you still took her in."
"I did." Ozpin turned back, the smile growing just the tiniest bit. "I saw promise in her. All of her weapons were designed and crafted in a way I've never seen before. From her guns to her explosives, to even her handgun. That promise, that potential, I do not want to see it squandered by locking such a young girl away and letting her rot."
"I understand that. Truly I do." He could hear the truth in the woman's voice as she spoke. Glynda was a very caring woman, even if she rarely let that care show to the student body. That care was also the reason she was so worried. "Do you not fear what she may do to the other students?"
"A small part of me is worried, but…" He paused as he saw another pair about to intercept Jinx and her partner, the grin on his lips growing once more. Interesting… "I have faith that Miss Zaun will not disappoint."
[-]
Ruby ducked under a branch as she marched along, silver eyes taking a subtle glance back at her partner.
Pyrrha Nikos walked only a few paces behind her, an uneasy smile resting on her lips that, even the socially awkward Ruby, could tell what it meant.
She was not exactly pleased with who her partner was.
It hurt a little, or a lot. More than Ruby would ever willingly admit but she was hopeful that a little time together would make the older girl change her attitude.
Plus, Ruby felt a little disappointed as well. She couldn't say she wasn't happy to have a world-famous champion as her partner, but she really really wanted to pair up with Yang. Or Jaune. Or Jinx!
Just anyone she already knew and got along with so that the next four years would be easy.
I even ran in the direction of the explosions I heard. The only person she could imagine making the noise had to be Jinx with her rocket launcher. And in her mad dash to track down her new weapon-loving friend, she had slammed straight into a startled Pyrrha.
One more quick look back. The redheaded champion continued to walk along in silence, seemingly okay with not engaging in conversation. Well, Ruby wasn't. She couldn't handle the silent, suffocating atmosphere anymore. "So, uh… You said your weapon's off this way, right?"
A small friendly smile that didn't reach the girl's eyes formed on her face. "Oh! Yes, it shouldn't be too long now before we get where it landed."
That was another thing that Ruby still couldn't understand. Just why was Pyrrha's weapon so far away? What possessed the girl to just launch it off into the forest?
And then the silence was back, Pyrrha feeling as if she adequately answered the younger girl's question, and Ruby being lost on what to say or how to carry the conversation any further.
A soft inaudible whine sounded out of Ruby as she turned back forward and glanced up to the sky with a silent plea. If there's anyone out there looking out for me, please save me from the social awkwardness.
Apparently someone actually was watching over her, but they definitely didn't like Ruby. Because as she twisted to step through a bush and around a tree blocking her path, she slammed directly into the last person she wanted to see. The very same person who probably felt the same way towards Ruby.
Her silver eyes clashed with startled ice-blue as she and the new arrival fell into a heap on the ground. "Ouchie…"
"My day really can't get any worse, can it?" The scary white-haired girl grumbled underneath Ruby as she shoved the younger girl off of her.
"Are you okay, Ruby?" Ah, Pyrrha was concerned about her. She'd cheer if she wasn't terrified of a potential lecture coming her way from Weiss. Her partner walked over quickly, offering her a hand.
Taking it gratefully so she could also put Pyrrha in between her and Weiss, Ruby gave a quick nod. "Yep! I had a soft landing… Uh, sorry about that Weiss."
A bone-chilling glare locked onto her for only a second before slipping over to Pyrrha, and instantly the glare was gone. Replaced by a warm and welcoming smile that sent Ruby for a loop. "P-Pyrrha! What are you doing here with this child?" Hopping onto her feet, Weiss dusted her combat skirt free of dirt and grass before standing tall.
"Oh well. Ruby and I have been paired together. We bumped into each other while I was on my way to collect my javelin."
"I see." The burning look in Weiss' eyes told Ruby that she was not pleased that Pyrrha had already gotten a partner, especially one that the heiress did not like. "Well, there's still hopes for- "
"Princess!"
The loud cry cut off Weiss, as well as the blue, human shaped bullet that tackled her into a bear-hug. An excited gasp left Ruby as she made out who the new person was. "Jinx!"
Ruby's familiar voice caused the girl's head to perk up at the sound of her name before her eyes zeroed in on her. A gasp that almost perfectly mirrored the one that she let out earlier left Jinx before a wide smile took over her face. "Gun-Buddy!"
In a moment that was almost too quick for Ruby's eyes, Jinx let go of the heiress and let her drop to the ground. An angry 'hey' sounding out as Weiss found herself in the dirt yet again. The gunner didn't seem to mind, ignoring her partner to jump at Ruby and give her a tight hug.
As the other girl began to rock the two of them side to side in her obvious joy, Ruby couldn't help but giggle. "I'm glad to see you too. I was looking for you."
Jinx pulled back at hearing those words, a curious expression on her face as her head tilted. "Really? Looking for me for what?"
Oh. Did Jinx not think of the two of them being partners? That was embarrassing. "Well- I- Uh… Just wanted to be partners with a friend you know…" It didn't make the scythe-wielding girl feel any better that she could feel her cheeks turning a deep shade of pink.
"Oh!" The words seemed to make the idea click for Jinx before the smile and excitement fell from her face. "I'd like that but… I'm already stuck with that." Turning to face her partner who was glaring daggers at Jinx, Weiss scoffed at the not-so-subtle insult.
"Believe me, I'm not too pleased about it either."
Ruby had felt bad earlier about her own partner being a little distant, but seeing how the two girls glared and openly disliked the other? Yeah, she was starting to really appreciate her partner being Pyrrha. It could have been so much worse if she had somehow been the one to end up with Weiss.
Sensing the growing tension and potential fight mounting between the pair, Pyrrha stepped in the middle of them. Her smile straining as she looked at Weiss. "Well since we're all together, why don't we head to the ruins as a group?"
As if showing just how much differently Weiss viewed Jinx and herself compared to Pyrrha, the girl instantly changed her attitude and nodded happily. "That's a lovely idea Pyrrha. I certainly wouldn't oppose it."
As Weiss moved to stand next to the champion as if they were partners, the heiress began walking towards their destination while chatting lightly with Pyrrha.
Jinx just let out a huff, one arm still wrapped loosely around Ruby's shoulders. "Figures she'd go for someone decked out in armor. Hey, think we could convince Ozzy to let us switch so we're partners instead?"
"I dunno…" As much as Ruby would love to have Jinx as a partner, she highly doubted that the headmaster would be willing to let them do something like that. Maybe he would, now that Ruby thought on it more, but Miss Goodwitch certainly wouldn't let them get away with that. "We could always just plan to end up on a team together though, if you wanna."
The way Jinx smiled even wider at the words made the reaper happy she had suggested it. "As long as you're fine with dealing with Her Royal Crankiness." Both girls giggled at that before taking off after their partners.
I'm so glad I found Jinx.
[-]
"So, what's a guy like you doing hanging around a place like this?"
An eye twitch. "Yang, now is not the time to joke around."
"Oh, I beg to differ, Vomit Boy."
"Can you at least get me down first?"
"Hmmmm… Nope!"
Why couldn't the one who threw this spear be the one to find him? She wouldn't leave him hanging up in the tree like an idiot.
Jaune glanced down to the blonde girl staring up at him, the teasing smirk still on her lips. Yang would let him down eventually; she needed her partner to complete initiation after all.
Oh well, he could've ended up with a worse partner.
[-]
Lie Ren let out a breath as he looked at the now disintegrating King Taijitu laying in the dirt a few feet away from him. A tough battle, but one he had won through skill and control.
If this was all initiation would be, he'd be more than fine with it.
For now, he just needed to focus on getting to the ruins and avoiding any more unforeseen dangers popping up out of nowhere. He turned around to head off, only to be staring at the upside-down face of a wildly grinning ginger.
A finger pressed firmly against his nose.
"Boop."
[-]
Jinx blinked a few times as she stared at the mouth of a cave. A cave that clearly held some kind of monster inside, if her hardened instincts screaming at her meant anything.
"Are you sure it's safe? What if a Grimm is in there or something?" Ruby asked, worried silver eyes shifting back and forth from their little group to the dark depths of the cave.
"Then you'll have Pyrrha and myself to handle it." Weiss seemed to take lead of their small group as soon as she could. Annoyance bloomed in the Zaunite once more as she let out a breath and stepped forward.
"You mean, have me. I'm the one with the guns." As Jinx walked in front of them all, she stared at the dark cave, her nose picking up a strange scent that set her teeth on edge. Oh yeah, definitely some kind of beast or something in there. Which meant Jinx was definitely going to take lead and go in first so she could get first shot at the damn thing. "Let me go in and shoot up whatever's in there and then we can go, easy peasy!"
"Absolutely not! Aside from the danger of ricochet, what if the mountain collapses on top of you because you filled the cave walls with holes?" Leave it to Weiss to suck the fun out of her idea.
"Then I'll deal with it." Without looking back, Jinx made to enter the cave only to have a tight grip on her wrist tug her back. Turning with a growl, Jinx glared angrily at her partner. "Let go, I can handle myself!"
Weiss didn't release the hold on her arm, nor did she lessen her grip. The only thing the heiress did was narrow her eyes further. "I'm sure you can handle yourself if you're here in Beacon. However, handling yourself does not mean throwing yourself into a dangerous situation for the hell of it!"
"You can shoot her. She's just going to keep getting in our way and nagging."
Jinx's free arm twitched, her hand flexing as she contemplated drawing Zap. A hand fell on her shoulder, squeezing tightly to break her from the glaring contest she was currently in with Weiss, Jinx turned to Pyrrha. "I understand wanting to handle it on your own but we need to be smart about this. Especially since I only have my shield at the moment."
"And that's my problem how? I'm not the dummy who lost her weapon."
A small twitch. That was all the reaction that showed on Pyrrha's face at the biting words. But Jinx saw it. The redhead was getting irritated, tense. She would either cave to Jinx to get some space away from her, or go with Weiss' idea out of spite. While she wasn't happy with the second option, she'd take that coin flip.
As long as she kept pushing.
However, she was cut short from the next verbal jab as Ruby piped up. "Okay! Okay! Let's all take a moment and talk the plans out then."
Jinx's eyes slid from Weiss to Pyrrha before falling on Ruby, the two girls at her side also looking at the little reaper. "I'm not much of a planner. More of a doer, Ruby."
"I know, and I get it. But please, just talk it out with us first. Please, for your gun buddy?" Bright, wide, silver eyes bore into Jinx, tearing at the soul she didn't know she had till a few days ago.
God, is that the puppy-dog look people said I had as a kid?
"Pretty damn close, but she's cuter."
"Good luck saying no to her."
"Fine, fine. Just stop giving me that look!" Ruby's pout immediately lifted into a smile. Seeing that, Jinx tugged her arm free of her partner's grip before ducking under Pyrrha's hand. "So, how do you think we should handle this?"
"W-Wait, me?"
"Yeah, you have an idea right. All of us shared one, so now it's your turn."
"I- Uhm… Uh…" A glance to her sides showed Weiss staring at the girl with the same cold expression she always wore, except when talking to Pyrrha. Speaking of Ruby's partner, the girl was smiling softly and trying her best to encourage Ruby to speak. "Well, I'm pretty fast, and with my speed semblance, I can dash in there to scout things out and get out before any problems pop up. If there is anything dangerous in the cave, I'll run back out and then we can all handle it."
As much as Jinx wanted to turn Ruby down, she couldn't bring herself to shoot the idea down. Not just because it was an actually well-thought-out idea, or she feared Ruby would pull the look on her again. No, she didn't want to shoot it down mostly because she wanted to see the girl in action. This would be a perfect chance to see that weapon she had been talking about. Though it was disappointing that it also meant that she'd have to wait a little longer to shoot something up, the tradeoff made it a bit more tolerable. "I guess I can agree to that. But I get first shot when the monster chases you out!"
A giggle left Ruby, "Deal, as long as that's okay with you Pyrrha? And Weiss?"
"Of course. It's a good plan." Pyrrha seemed all for the idea, trusting that Ruby wouldn't sign herself up for a task she couldn't handle.
"Fine, just be careful." Weiss though, she just seemed to agree because she was already out voted.
"Be right back!" Ruby cried out happily, one hand moving behind her back to pull out her weapon, the thing unfolding itself until it was fully extended. A long handle and big red, silver, and black blade.
A whistle left Jinx as she openly ogled the lovely piece of tech, her pink eyes roving over every bolt she could see and the gears that worked the folding mechanism. Before she could truly study the weapon, it and its owner were zipping off into the cave without another word.
"How long should we wait before going in after her?" Weiss spoke up as she stared at the darkness of the cave, seeming to think Ruby would ultimately fail in executing her own plan.
The thought triggered a burning anger Jinx didn't know she could have for someone other than herself. "She'll be fine. Ruby's strong." Though her words were short, the fire in her voice as she stared down the heiress made the impact of them powerful.
"How can you be so sure? She's a child."
Static filled the Zaunite's ears, her lips twitching as memories and images flashed behind pink eyes. The words and tone that Weiss spoke them with reminding Jinx of a moment in her past.
Before the swirl and chaos of it all could pull Jinx under, a startling scream sounded out from the cave as Ruby flew out of it and ran past them, yelling a warning at insane speeds. "Itsagiantfreakingdeathstalkerweneedtogetoutofhere!"
All three of the girls were left dumbfounded, unable to make any sense of the girl's frantic words before a rumbling in the ground caught their attention. Turning back to the source of the shaking, the mouth of the cave exploded in rocks and dirt as a massive scorpion looking creature burst from the mountainside.
Weiss looked horrified. Pyrrha looked horrified.
Jinx… Jinx was smiling with a gleam in her eyes as if her birthday and Snowdown had come on the same day.
I couldn't have asked for a better target!
However, before Jinx could raise Pow-Pow or Fishbones, a hand tightly grabbed onto her and yanked her along. "Hurry up and run you dolt! That thing will kill you!"
Now running at a brisk pace away from the monster, Jinx looked ahead to see the rest of her group running like mad. Why Ruby had seemingly circled back to get them to move instead of just running ahead on her own, Jinx had no idea.
None of that mattered now, the only thing that mattered was there was a big, fat, ugly beast screeching behind her that was begging to be riddled with bullets. To be stuffed full of rockets. To be destroyed in every possible way that Jinx could manage with her slightly limited resources.
That's why the very second the bushes and branches and other plant-based obstacles that littered the forest caused Weiss to lose her grip on Jinx's arm, she slammed one foot hard into the ground and did a one-eighty. Her eyes zeroed in and hyper-focused on the enemy charging at her. She distantly heard what sounded like yells and cries for her to run.
None of that mattered as her blood pumped. As her muscles felt electrified and filled with power.
It took less than a second for Jinx to pull Fishbones up onto her shoulder, squeezing down on the trigger as her weapon's metal jaws spit out a powerful that sailed right into the freaky scorpion's face.
A horrifying shriek filled the air as the beast seemed to scramble and panic, it's pincers and tail swing and snapping wildly after being blinded.
Static filled the air again, Jinx's eyes widening as her body told her one simple thing.
Move.
Jumping back and away from the spot she had just been standing in, Jinx saw a wall of thick ice form between her and her target.
Why? Why did things insist on getting in her way?
Snarling angrily, the Zaunite spun and glared hatefully at her partner. The heiress on one knee with the tip of her rapier stabbed into the ground. It was all that Jinx needed to see to figure out that the ice had been Weiss' doing. "Do you want me to blow you up?!"
Her angry shout was matched as Weiss stood tall, her own icy glare in place. "No but I don't want my partner getting herself killed before initiation is even over!"
"Guys! Now isn't the time for this! Move!" The shout resonated with Jinx, her muscles tightening as she felt her skin crawl.
Move.
Surging forward, Jinx used one hand to grab onto Weiss' shoulder before throwing the girl back, the heiress stopping just a few feet away from Pyrrha. Jinx found out why her body had told her to move a second later.
The ice wall shattered behind her as a pincer slammed into the ground and gouged out the earth it struck. That was only part of why her instincts were screaming out.
The other part came as the side of the Grimm's golden stinger slammed into the gunner's ribs and sent her skipping across the dirt like a stone across a pond.
Seeming to sense and zero in on the anger and pain Jinx felt after getting hit and frustrated at her partner, the beast's tail swiveled and shot out, ready to stab her through with the point of its tail. Jinx had enough time to look up and see the incoming death only to stare in surprise as red rose petals filled her vision. In a blink, suddenly Ruby was there, her scythe in her arms as she spun with insane speed in the air.
The blade of her weapon catching the Death Stalker's stinger and slicing it off in one motion.
Shock, awe, and a myriad of other emotions swirled inside of Jinx but no words came out of her mouth. The beast let out another pained, ungodly scream at the loss of its tail and thrashed wildly around.
Before Jinx could think of raising any of her guns, suddenly worried silver eyes were staring deeply into her own. "Are you okay, Jinx? That hit didn't go through your aura did it?"
Jinx wanted to respond, wanted to say anything so that those damned eyes wouldn't stare into her soul like that. But she couldn't.
Why?
The single word, the single question bounced around wildly in her head, almost as fast and frantic as the bullets fired from her minigun.
Why did you save me?
Why are you worried about me?
Why do you care so much?
Jinx didn't get to voice any of the questions that continued to pile up in her mind as Ruby grabbed her hand and forced her to run over to where Pyrrha was waiting. The Zaunite to lost in the maelstrom of her own mind to fight back against it as the moved away from the wildly flailing Grimm.
She didn't even notice that Weiss had gotten back on her feet. She felt the heiress' eyes scan her before shifting to the monster behind her. Something was spoken, but Jinx couldn't hear it.
What was wrong with her?
Why did Ruby looking at her like that unnerve her so much?
Another unanswered question as the Pyrrha and Weiss turned and ran forward, away from the bleed and feral beast behind them, while Ruby gently tugged her hand. "We need to go Jinx. I know… I know you wanna shoot it and fight but we need to go."
Something snapped back into place for Jinx at the soft tone Ruby was using. Her head nodded as she ran with Ruby to catch up to their fleeing partners. Her pink eyes spared one last glance to the sad sight of the Death Stalker, desperately swinging and whirling around to try and hit whatever had hurt it.
Jinx wasn't sure why Ruby was still squeezing down tightly on her hand, but the presence of the girl's warm hand was grounding in a way for the gunner. A feeling that forced her to be present, to not let the questions and voices in her mind overwhelm her.
A glance up ahead of them showed the ruins just a few hundred feet away. A few people were there already and were currently talking to her partner and Ruby's. From so far away she couldn't make out any faces or voices but right now, Jinx really didn't care. Stopping her feet, the gunner tightened her hold on the younger girl's hand as she forced her to stop too.
A look of surprise showed on the reaper's face as she turned and stared at Jinx, that look of worry still swimming around her silver orbs. "You okay?"
No.
No, she wasn't. Something unpleasant had pooled in Jinx's stomach and refused to leave.
What is wrong with me?
Her eyes searched Ruby's, hoping somehow that she would find the answer in them. After a few moments of desperate searching, she did.
Guilt.
That was what was eating away at her insides and throwing her so off balance.
Why?
The voice from before was back, one she recognized and would always recognize though she refused to speak its name.
Why did she feel guilty?
She shouldn't! She had given up the feeling of guilt a long time ago. There was no point in that stupid emotion when all it did was slow her down and get in the way of what she wanted to do.
Besides, why should she feel guilty just because of Ruby? Just because she worried some silly little girl who shared her love of weapons?
An angry sneer formed at the thought as Jinx failed to nail the feeling down, a puff of hot air shooting from her nostrils as she turned away from her gun buddy's face. This was stupid. Whatever she was feeling, whatever was slowing her down and forcing her to feel like this was stupid. "I'm fine. Let's just go."
"Ah… Okay." The small voice the other girl spoke in as they walked towards the small group gathered at the ruins had Jinx grinding her teeth.
It had made the unpleasant feeling shoot through her again. Taking a sharp breath in through her nose, Jinx did the only thing she could think of to end whatever it was. "Sorry." She spoke the word quickly, the taste of it on her tongue making the Zaunite feel sick to her stomach. Trying to force all of her negative feeling into a ball, Jinx turned to look at Ruby, forcing her smile back onto her face. "C'mon Gun-Bud! I want out of this forest as soon as possible!"
Taking off towards the rest of the group, Jinx missed Ruby's reply to her call. As she neared the small gathering of people, Jinx caught some of the conversation going on.
"… Again, I'm sorry I stuck you to a tree." What?
A tall blonde boy in armor shrugged his shoulders, a nervous grin on his face as he shook his head. "It's fine, really. I mean, it scared me sure, but no where near as bad as listening to Yang spew puns until she decided to get me down."
"Hey!" A blonde girl yelled out in anger at that, her hands cocking the gauntlets on her hands in warning, "My puns are awesome, Jaune. You just need to learn to appreciate them." The girl's lilac eyes glanced at Jinx for a moment before slipping to the younger girl behind her. "Ruby! You made it!"
Ruby let out her own excited noise as the two practically launched at each other, giving each other a tight hug. "I told you I would, you didn't need to worry at all!"
"I'm your sister, I'm always going to worry."
And just like that, Jinx couldn't stand to look at the scene or pay attention to it. All the horrible sensations she had been balling up and forcing down rising back to the surface. Something about what they were saying and how the two were acting was her nerves on edge but Jinx refused to acknowledge it for a second more. Feeling like she would be sick if she looked back or heard any more of the conversation between the two, Jinx moved over to the three people standing just short of the ruins and pedestals.
"How's it going, Princess?" Jinx swung an arm around the heiress, giggling openly at the way Weiss yelped and roughly shook her off.
"We were just discussing how full teams are formed."
"Full teams?"
Rolling her eyes at Jinx's apparent lack of knowledge, Weiss sighed. "Yes, teams in huntsman academies are made up of four people. And looking at the idols we're supposed to be collecting, I'd guess that we'd be put onto a team with the partners who have the matching idol."
"Looks more like chess pieces than idols to me." Glancing down to the girl's hand, Jinx spied a black knight piece in her grip. A shift of her eyes scanned Pyrrha to find no relic in her hand, and Ruby couldn't have had one either. Her sist- Yang hadn't had a relic.
Turning her head to regard Jaune, she saw a white castle chess piece in his hand. A soft hum left Jinx as she looked away. "So which piece are you going to grab?" Her eyes moved to Pyrrha, said girl only shrugging at the question.
"I decided to let Ruby choose, since she might want to be on a team with her sister."
Before Jinx could turn back to Ruby and ask the girl what she'd choose, a loud yell sounded out from the tree line a few meters away.
Riding on the back of some bear-like Grimm, a wildly grinning ginger girl with a large hammer in one hand was laughing and giggling as it thrashed about, trying to throw her off. The beast fought and flailed with all the energy it had before, in a pathetic last whimper, the thing collapsed onto the ground. Its body fading into nothing as the girl on it's back let out a small whine. "Aww… Renny, it broke!"
A boy came jogging out of the brush behind her but Jinx paid him no mind, no her mind was completely focused on the scene she had just witnessed. A sadness filling her, and apparently it was noticeable as Weiss looked at her curiously, "What's the matter now?"
"I should have tried to ride the Death Stinger here!"
Weiss opened her mouth and raised one hand up, pointer finger extended out as she fought to say something before shaking her head and lowering it. "Death Stalker, Jinx. Death Stalker."
Jinx just giggled and shook her head, not caring about the correction as she ran up to the hammer wielding ginger. Reaching out, Jinx grabbed one of the girl's arms, "You have to tell me how you tamed one of those to let you ride it! I need to do that!"
The crazy grin Jinx wore was instantly mirrored on the girl's face, "I'd love to! We'll ride our Ursas through hordes of Grimm! Slaying all who stand in our way!"
A small groan sounded from the girl's male companion, "Oh gods, there's two now…"
Jinx's already wide smile grew impossibly larger. "I like you, Hammer-Girl. What's your name?"
"Nora Valkyrie!" Moving away from Jinx to grab the quiet boy a few steps behind her, Nora pulled him into her side. "And this is my partner, Lie Ren!"
Her pink eyes scanned over the pair for a moment before nodding. "Nice to meet'cha both then!" Turning slightly, Jinx used one hand to pat her chest, "My name's Jinx! My partner is the cranky one with the tiara over there."
"I am not cranky!" Came the immediate response from Weiss, that increasingly familiar glare in her eyes.
Ren began walking over to the group, Nora refusing to let go of him and just letting her partner drag her along with a giggle. "Looks like we're the last ones to arrive." The man spoke softly as his eyes scanned the pedestals, seeing only two relics still sitting on them.
"Oh, which one do you think we should grab?"
"Actually, you mind letting my sister pick which one to grab?" Yang jogged over to them, a small grin on her face. "I wanted to give her a chance to decide if she wanted to be on a team with me or be on her own."
"I don't mind. Besides, we don't really mind who we get paired up with, right Nora?"
"Yep, we don't really mind since we'll end up together anyway!"
"Great!" Turning to Ruby, who had been watching the whole conversation from a few feet away, began to shift anxiously on the spot at all of the attention being on her. "Go ahead, Rubes."
Walking up to the two remaining relics, Jinx watched as the girl's head continued to move back and forth between the two options.
A team with her sister and that Jaune guy.
Or a team with the annoying princess and Jinx.
A small frown formed on Jinx's lips as she felt the urge to turn away.
"You know there's no way she'd pick you, right? Hell, you already showed her how much of a screw-up you are."
"Shut it, Mylo." Jinx spat out, she felt a pair of eyes glancing at her from the right but when she turned to catch who they belonged to, none of the people there were looking at her.
Her ears picked up the sound of stone grating against stone as Ruby made her choice, her mind still at war about whether to look or not.
"You sure about that, Rubes?" Yang didn't seem upset about the choice, even if she was questioning it.
"Told you, dumbass."
Jinx didn't get a chance to say anything back to him as the reaper spoke up. "Yep, I'm positive I want to be on this team."
Steeling her nerves with a sharp breath, Jinx forced herself to turn and look at the relic resting in her hand.
[-]
As Initiation came to a close, Ruby couldn't help but feel incredibly nervous as team after team was called up and formed. She looked up as Miss Goodwitch called the next group up, her body feeling stiff as she forced herself to walk up to the stage. A hand on her shoulder made Ruby turn to catch her sister's reassuring smile. Yang didn't say anything but she didn't need to. The small gesture was more than enough to help cement the choice in her mind for good.
Hopping up onto the stage, she ran over to stand in between Pyrrha and Jinx, both girl's leaving space for her to take between them as the headmaster walked in front of them.
Looking above Ozpin for moment, Ruby watched as the screen over his head came back to life. "For collecting the black knight relics, Weiss Schnee, Jinx Zaun, Pyrrha Nikos, and Ruby Rose, you four will form Team WZPR, or formally known as Team Whisper. Led by Weiss Schnee."
Ruby's eyes slid over to Jinx, a very tiny smile on her face.
She had chosen this team.
Not because she knew how badly Weiss clearly wanted to be on a team with Pyrrha. It wasn't even solely because of the fact that Jinx was her friend. After all, the other option had been both her sister and Jaune, her only other friend at Beacon.
Logically, she should have chosen them. But when she thought on it, that image of Jinx on the ground after the Death Stalker had hit her appeared in her mind. The way the girl had stared up with something so strange in her eyes as Ruby offered her a hand.
Surprise and shock. As if Jinx didn't think or expect anyone to help her when she was in trouble.
The clear vision of that look on her friend's face had been what had caused her to decide. She wasn't sure why the girl felt the way she did, but she was going to be the bestest friend she could so that Jinx knew she could always count on Ruby to help her if anything tried to come at her.
After all, they were gun buddies. It was part of the friend agreement to watch out for one another.
As her newly formed team moved off of the stage and began to make their way to their new team dorm, Ruby looked around and noticed that Jinx had stopped following them.
Twisting her head around, the reaper finally caught sight of Jinx, standing still with her eyes locked on a spot in the crowd of students with an intensity Ruby had only seen when the girl had turned to fight the Death Stalker. "Jinx? You okay?"
"Yep, just thought I saw someone I know." Ruby watched as her blue-haired friend shook her head before jogging off to catch up with the rest of their team. Curiosity made the reaper pause, her head turning to look of in the direction that Jinx had been looking in.
A flash of golden eyes looking back at her was all she saw before she lost sight of who she was looking at.
"Ruby! Hurry up!"
"Oh, sorry! I'm coming!" Running off at full speed to meet her teammates at the exit of the auditorium, Ruby didn't notice those golden eyes she had looked into staring into her back as she left.
That feels like the best possible place to end this chapter. Honestly, it was really rough to write.
Not just because of the stuff going on, but because there's not really too much to change about Initiation other than the interactions some people have and the team formations. Also, that should answer the question many have been asking. Yes, Blake is still going to be present. Her significance and the role she'll play will show with time.
One final note, on something I feel a few may ask.
I want to say that the next chapter should come out by Feb. 12th. And I'm going to try my best to make that deadline.
