"Well, that was certainly faster than I had anticipated," Roman quipped. "Welcome to my humble abode, kid. Or rather, Neo's, as you're aware. I'd say it's been too long, but in truth, it hasn't been long enough." Roman lit a cigar with his lighter as he sat down on the couch across from him and Neo. Roman relaxed on the couch and let out a puff of smoke. "Not that I don't ever look forward to doing business with you, I'd much rather maintain any beneficial relationships. It's just that, reunions are far more enjoyable when it's been a while. Makes sharing drinks much more fun, wouldn't you agree?"
Jaune nodded and smiled. "I find a good drink with a friend meaningful, no matter how long it's been. So long as it's not every night, or else that'd make us alcoholics more than anything." He eyed the bottle on the table before them. "Though I doubt that's been stopping you from indulging yourself."
Roman barked a laugh. "Ah, as witty as ever, eh?" He let out another cloud, aimed away from Jaune and Neo. "I'll cut to the chase; I had Neo here track you down because I need to ask for a favor, kid."
Jaune rose an eyebrow. "You're not calling in the favor I owe you?"
"Ha, no..." Roman sat up straight and twirled his cane. "You see, getting together those transcripts and sorting out all sorts of data and all that other junk within a short timespan was a bit of a hassle. The worth of that is equal to a huge favor. For now, I am asking for a small one that won't take up too much of your time. In fact, it may even benefit you as well."
"Oh?" Jaune adjusted himself despite Neo's protests. She mentioned how he was far more comfortable than the cheap couch they were on the last time they met. He'd learned not to argue with her. Despite her disability, she was quite the snarky one. "You've caught my attention..."
"You know how there've been all these dust robberies left and right? Stores have been cleared out, almost like a phantom has gotten his hands on them." Roman raised his hands. "Not that I'm taking credit for the perfect displays of thievery."
"Of course..."
"Recently, one of the attempts was foiled by a little girl." Jaune smirked at that, ready to comment on it. Roman beat him to it though. "It was the fault of the unprofessional goons along with this phantom, I assure you. So, this girl was one of those types wanting to play the hero, right? Well, it so happens that my boss has an interest in her. And I've been ordered to find out more about her."
"Dare I ask what some presumably unsavory man would want to do with an underage girl?"
"She mentioned how it was none of my business. And she assured me how she wasn't going to kill the girl or anything. You know how it goes, I don't get involved with hits. That's Neo's thing."
Neo stroked his cheek. He could just feel the smile on her face. She knew what she was doing, with how soft she was on his lap and the way she squirmed whenever he tried to move. He'd have been tempted with that mask if it weren't for the killer hiding underneath it. She wouldn't ensnare him quite so easily.
"Based on our intel given by our mutual acquaintance, the little girl happens to go to Beacon Academy. And she was accepted two years early, believe it or not. Normally, I'd have Neo look into it, but her skills are being put to use elsewhere at the moment."
"Assisting this phantom thief with his heists, I presume?"
"Who could say? Neo's clients are rather private." Roman smirked, stood up and went to a cabinet for some glasses. He sat back down and poured three glasses of what appeared to be whiskey. "Then I had the genius idea of asking you. Seeing as you're a student at Beacon, not to mention the target in question is easily among the idealistic types. One of the fools I'm certain you'd be happy to get your hands on, considering your mission..."
"Very tempting, Roman..." Jaune held Neo in place by wrapping his arms around her abdomen. He handed her a glass before reaching for his own. "Hm, I may actually become fond of alcohol with your guidance, Roman..."
"So kid, what do you say?"
"I'll have to decline."
"Fantastic-" Roman paused. "I'm sorry, what?"
"As you know, I have my own agenda. I'd be more than happy to accept a favor for you Roman, you have my respect and all." Jaune placed his glass down. "However, my own plans need to continue. I'd be happy to look into this girl if I had time, but I actually need to find someone else."
Roman didn't look pleased. "You know, when we first met, I couldn't give a damn about the amount of lien you could offer for some papers. But after watching you take down Neo of all people, I decided to comply with your request." Roman looked down at him. "I respect you as well, but you need to understand even a small favor from my boss isn't to be ignored."
"And who is your boss?"
"I can't tell you that," he said. "I can say that she's out of your league. This whole... philosophy of yours, I agree with how the kingdoms are destroying themselves and all and need to face the music, but you're gonna want to put that aside when it comes to this woman."
"Either you can delay her demands or find someone else to gather your intel," Jaune said lightly. "Right now, I'm burning up some of the time I have to catch some bombastic blonde in the middle of the act. I've got my own info I need to garner."
"Bombastic blonde...?" Roman's eyes narrowed. "You don't mean the one that trashed our mutual acquaintance's club, do you?"
"That's the one, actually. I need to keep my eye on her."
"How about this," Roman offered. "You get what you can on this girl for me, and I'll keep an eye out for this blonde of yours. Our little friend of ours mentioned he was calling her in to pay back the damages for her little temper tantrum."
So that's where she was going... Before Beacon, Hei-Xiong, or Junior, was more than happy to spill some information on the girl that had just destroyed his club. Well, he ranted when Jaune offered some help. He came in for another manner, but found the place a mess. He was surprised to have spotted Yang on the first day, and it was a bigger surprise to find out she was going to be on his team.
It gave her a good place on his list since she was so reckless with her gifts. Not only did he need to get her to learn her place, she was going to face some serious consequences for her actions. Whatever made her think becoming a major enemy of a mafia boss was a good idea, he didn't have a clue. It must've been a heat of the moment sort of scenario.
"So he's made his move?" Jaune rested his chin against Neo's shoulder. "Alright then. You've just given me some free time, Roman. I'd be happy to get some info for you. What's the mark's name?"
"Ruby Rose."
Weiss tapped her foot on the ground as Ruby finished up her spar with one of the members of Team Cardinal. Her heels clicked in a rhythm as she contained her anger. She didn't want to admit it, but Arc's assumption was correct about Yang intending to stay out all night. She hadn't come back, and she wasn't even here for Goodwitch's class. Arc wasn't present as well, unsurprisingly. Yet he wasn't even here for Port's class just earlier, which was odd. So he was late for a different reason this time. Weiss bit her lip as she recalled the whole fiasco yesterday.
Even Blake wasn't here, which was great to try to explain to Professor Goodwitch. She did not look amused when almost the entirety of Team Abyss was missing. How could everything be going horribly wrong? Maybe she should've gone to Mistral instead of Vale, it'd certainly be short of a particular blonde she couldn't purge from her mind.
Some of the other students noticed how Arc wasn't here as well. She couldn't remember some of their faces, but she was certain they'd remember Arc's with how relieved the majority of them appeared to be. Well, at first.
"Where have you been?" she whispered with hints of anger over in Arc's direction. For some reason, he kept moving past her. He continued his way down until he sat down near the front of the bleachers. A few of the students nearby scooted away from him and started whispering. They didn't bother to try to act subtle with their disdain towards him, which was a given.
Professor Goodwitch looked up from her scroll pad and grew a frown as her eyebrows furrowed. She looked as displeased as she felt. "And would you care to explain why you are nearly half an hour late, Mister Arc?"
Arc didn't respond for some reason. Weiss groaned into her hands again as Arc continued to play this ridiculous game of dragging his reputation through the mud. She couldn't fathom as to why he would do such a thing. Was he some masochist or something? Did he even feel pain from this? Or was her and the annoyance of others just satisfying to him?
He wouldn't go far, that's for sure.
"Mister Arc!" Professor Goodwitch called out. She waved her riding crop and Weiss watched as Jaune's scroll flew through the air into her hand. Professor Goodwitch eyed the device in her hand and took a look at the screen. She fumbled with it and fell to the ground. If she tried to catch it with her semblance, she was far too late.
"You know it's rude to look at someone else's scroll." Arc, the fool, felt the need to make a redundant point. Whatever made him think it was a good idea to watch something on his scroll in the middle of class was beyond her. "If you broke that, I hope you'll be decent enough to reimburse me for the cost of damages."
Professor Goodwitch whipped out her riding crop and enveloped Arc with her semblance. She held the device next to her, but turned around so that she had her back and the scroll facing the spectators.
She lowered her voice, but Weiss could pick up what she was saying. "What is this... this... inappropriate material on your scroll!?"
Jaune turned his head, still in the air, to look at his scroll. He rose his eyebrows. "This isn't what I was watching just now. Miss Goodwitch, I didn't know you were into these sort of things."
"You are quite aware this is your doing!" Her voice peaked at that. "Dare I ask why you are watching porn in the middle of my class!?"
Weiss blinked. The other students brought their hands to their faces with horrified expressions, or they howled with laughter. It soon grew out of control, which made her tilt her head.
What's porn...?
"You will fight. Now," Professor Goodwitch seethed. "Get your equipment and get ready to fight Mister Winchester."
"About that..."
She let him go as he fell on the ground. He didn't even try to cushion the fall. She fetched a familiar pistol with her semblance and let it land next to his head. He still didn't even lift it...
"You are equipped. If you've forgotten the rest of it, then you'll have to work around that mistake."
Arc's head popped up as if he heard there was a million lien just before him. He smiled, grabbed his pistol, then stood on the other side of the stage, ready to go. She just allowed him to use whatever means necessary to win, didn't she? Or end the fight, rather. Professor Goodwitch took a deep breath and remained silent for a good few seconds before she coughed into her hand and brought up her scroll pad. Her eye twitched.
"Mister Arc, would you care to explain why your aura isn't fully replenished? You realize-"
"I have everything I need to win. Trust me..." He winked at her.
"Allow me to go over the rules..."
"Cardin is still changing in the locker room."
"These rules are for you specifically," she said. "You may not invite your opponent to forfeit, I should be aware of any weapons you intend to use, you may not call in reinforcements whether they're on your team or not, and you may not bribe your opponent to give up. You will have a proper fight."
"What about blackmail?"
"That is an entirely different issue..."
Weiss watched as Cardin Winchester stepped onto the stage. He didn't bear that cocky smirk like last time, but he wasn't completely nervous, unlike most of the others when they just looked at Arc. Cardin got into a proper stance and held his mace up. It appeared he kept his grip really tight. Weiss sighed to herself when she spotted the new addition to his equipment.
He added shin pads...
"If the two of you are ready..." Arc didn't even raise his pistol. In fact, he didn't have it drawn. "Mister Arc, it'll be reassuring if you were to at least try to fight."
"Okay."
He kept his pistol in its holster.
"Begin!"
"I forfeit."
"I will accept it when your aura is below twenty percent! FIGHT!"
Cardin charged and swung. Arc dodged to the side with relative ease. He had plenty of openings, but didn't bother to retaliate. Weiss had hoped he was going to use martial arts to defend himself instead of his pistol, but he didn't appear to bother. Cardin went in for a second swing, but Arc stepped to the side again. Cardin roared and slammed his mace down.
Arc moved. He kicked Cardin's wrist, causing him to lose his grip. Weiss stepped up from her seat, almost prepared to cheer as Arc successfully disarmed him. Cardin held his hands up, ready to block any strikes. Arc didn't go in though... he kept walking away from him, leaving Cardin stunned. He scrambled for his weapon and picked it up. Weiss could hear a bit more laughter in the crowd.
Weiss was just about to give up when Arc drew his pistol. For some reason, Weiss had lost all hope she had for the moron. Except he actually fired it, and hit Cardin square in the chest. He'd managed to destroy some of Cardin's confidence with how he easily disarmed him, true. He also had the obvious range advantage with how accurate his shots were. And he was wearing Cardin out with his evasive actions. But would he go in for the win?
She doubted it.
Arc kept toying with Cardin until he decided to stop running around, recognizing he's burning too much energy chasing Arc. He walked over to him and tried cornering Arc to the edge. It appeared to be working too. Arc was out of bullets unless he had a spare magazine, but since he just got it back...
"Time out!" Arc called.
Cardin stopped and looked at the professor but kept his eye on Arc just in case. She shook her head, ready to deny Arc of his request.
"I'd rather not keep the delivery girl waiting. She has a job to do!"
Weiss grew a puzzled look, like everyone else. Arc pointed behind her near the doors and all eyes directed themselves to them. Before them was a petite girl with a cap and uniform on. She held a large, flat box in one hand. She recognized the logo. It was for a pizza chain...
"I..." Goodwitch gave up. "Be quick."
Weiss felt pity. Professor Goodwitch probably wasn't used to trouble like Arc, but hey, she had to live with him for the next four years. To think Arc would order a pizza just to interrupt the fight. She didn't know when he'd managed to order it, but she felt her will to maintain any sanity slipping away.
"Could you... give me a lift?" he asked the professor. "I'd rather not run through the-"
Arc was launched through the air and he landed right next to Weiss. He looked at her, waved, and smiled before he made his way up the steps and pulled out some lien as payment for the girl. She maintained a friendly smile and happily accepted the payment before presenting his pizza. He whispered into her ear, which she chuckled at. Sort of, since Weiss didn't hear any laughter. Arc came back down the stairs as the girl, still holding the pizza, followed him and sat down next to her.
"She's an old friend plus the trip back to Vale will take a while anyway so she has some time to watch," he explained. "Feel free to have a slice, Weiss."
As if she'd accept a greasy slab of cheese, sauce and bread. It'd do him no good for his behavior in her book. Arc vaulted over the railing and landed on the lower floor before making his way back to the stage. Weiss sighed to herself as Arc finally got into a proper stance. It looked like he was ready to have a proper fight.
"Now then..." Professor Goodwitch fixed her glasses and eyed the two of them. Cardin appeared to have caught his breath. "Resume the match!"
Jaune roared and charged. Cardin had a surprised look before he mimicked the action and ran toward him as well. Was this finally...
Weiss lost her train of thought as a rocket locker crashed through the roof and landed between Cardin and Arc. Arc cheered as he went over and opened it to reveal his equipment. He quickly and happily prepped himself before he faced Cardin with a cocky, toothy smile on his face with his blade drawn. Cardin on the other hand, was on his back against the ground with his weapon not in hand. He crawled away, terrified.
"I give up! I can't do this..." he whimpered.
Arc shot his hands up in the air, triumphant. "I won!"
The rocket locker was coated in a familiar shade of purple as it was hurled to the side of the stage. The remnants of the skylight began to float to the edges of the stage, clearing it for the next fight. Professor Goodwitch looked infuriated.
"Mister Arc!" she yelled. "Never, and I mean never, have I ever faced such a... a..."
"Charming, sexy young man you'd like to-"
"Teach a lesson, right here and now!" She stomped her heel and ushered Cardin towards the changing room. Her clenched her fists and she appeared to be ready to burst. "Your next opponent, Mister Arc, will be me. I dare you to try such tricks on me. I will teach you your place regardless of what you have to throw at me."
Arc smiled as he sheathed his sword. He drew his pistol and replaced his empty magazine with a full one he swiped from his locker earlier. He held it in his left hand as he drew his sword in his right. He held it, ready to go. He... actually looked serious.
"Alright. Keep in mind I'll be fighting as if it were for my life. You are such a formidable foe, after all..."
As the two of them took their positions, murmurs reached her ears. They went on about how Arc was finally going to receive some well-earned justice. The trickster and coward of the year about to be put down for good. Weiss clenched her fist when she heard her name, but couldn't make out how she was involved in their conversation.
The delivery girl next to her kicked her legs in the air repeatedly like a child as she munched on a slice of pizza. She appeared to be focused on the fight about to commence. She'd never seen a civilian look so intently at a display like this.
"Let's see... you rely on that semblance of yours," he pointed out. "I've been resourceful, Glynda, and I must say I'm disappointed you're one of the traditional; types when it comes to teaching. You have to understand the new generation has much to learn. People must adapt to situations and use whatever means necessary in order to survive... Allow me to teach you that."
Her attention was drawn by the footsteps Arc made as he closed the distance between him and the professor. She responded by ensnaring him with her semblance. Somehow, he'd managed to break out of it. Weiss wasn't sure how the professor's semblance worked, but she apparently needed to lock onto her target to actually catch them by the looks of it.
Instead of trying again, she tried to use the debris from the skylight and direct it at Arc. He reacted and holstered his gun lightning fast before holding his sheath. It was mecha-shift? It transformed into a shield, retaining its color but a symbol she didn't recognize was painted on it in yellow. His family crest? He blocked the incoming shards of glass and rubble as he prepared to bash her.
He was getting very close, which made Weiss fidget with her fingers in anticipation. Arc managed to switch his shield for his gun swiftly. He expertly handled his weapons on a level far above average, much to her surprise. It was fascinating to watch the fool go in for a hit. Maybe he wasn't so incompetent.
The professor tried using her semblance, but she had to stop the bullets that were fired at her. Arc was so close! But the drawback was how the professor could just use her semblance on him and knock him away.
Arc managed to graze her though. There was a visible cut on her left arm. Weiss looked up at the monitor and noticed Professor Goodwitch's aura was barely entering the yellow. Perhaps she didn't focus her aura on that spot? That's odd though, she was a professor at Beacon Academy for crying out loud!
He went in for another slash which the professor held out her riding crop, preparing to use her semblance to defend.
However, she let out a hideous scream as Arc swung his blade and struck her. Weiss paled as she saw the blood splatter on the arena and drip from the edge of Arc's sword. He... managed to draw blood? How? Wait, was getting the professor to waste her aura on her semblance before the fight even started a part of his plan? Arc didn't let up. He went in for another heavy swing, but the professor barely managed to evade it.
Arc shot another two bullets that were just below her abdomen wound. One must've missed since only one gunshot wound appeared. He shot again at her leg, causing her to struggle to stand on the same leg. Arc went in again and slit her neck. It was just deep enough to make it hard for her to speak by the looks of it.
What on Remnant was he doing!? The fight was clearly over! Weiss spotted the professor's aura meter hadn't gone below forty percent yet, so how was she getting hurt like this? She had aura and registered the incoming threats, she could've used her semblance and multiple instances.
Without it... was she really this vulnerable?
Arc slowly made his way over to her. She had collapsed and couldn't utter a response. He stood over her as he aimed his gun.
"I guess I win?"
"..." the professor tried. She was spitting out a considerable amount of blood.
"That's not a no, Glynda."
She nodded her head. And kept doing so with fear in her eyes.
Weiss watched as Arc ripped a part of his shirt off and tried to bandage some of her wounds. He put pressure on them, then looked up at the spectators. She noticed how something was going on with his arms. Was he... infusing his aura into her to help her heal? A few of the spectators came out and made their way down to help with the professor. Weiss spotted how some were too afraid to go near him, with how they kept their distance from him and constantly looked at him, terrified.
Arc was looking directly at Weiss, filling her with fear. He only smiled. This was what she was berating? Not a moron, but a monster...
"By the gods..." someone said. Weiss caught them shuddering with a teammate trying to comfort them. If someone managed to get this shaken then...
The girl!
Weiss knew she couldn't shield her eyes from what had happened, but she could get her out of here. Weiss froze. The girl was still eating. She didn't look scared at all, but she looked...
Entertained.
Yes, I know Cardin has armor around his legs in canon. I felt it would be funny he added that to his arsenal because of Jaune.
So it finally happens. Jaune brings down the witch of Beacon Academy, with his feat bound to spread throughout the entirety of the school. Obviously, his actions will have consequences, as will others as he makes them in the future.
This is not the end. Oh no...
Next chapter: December 4th
