Well hello again! This is a bit of a short chapter, but I felt that some more wholesome moments and character definition were needed anyway. So this has a lot of slow paced themes and flows pretty well. Or at least I hope it does. Hit those reviews and tell me something about this story you like so far! It would greatly inspire me.
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The first few days went by in a flurry of training, research and tactics assignments Tai brought home for him from Signal, and two ice baths. Those were because Jaune had not ever felt this much soreness, it felt like Qrow had dropped a bullhead on him. But it was essential, or so the older huntsmen teaching him said so. But Jaune understands it, he needs to know pain and get used to his body and it's limitations before they unlock his Aura. Because when that happens everything will change. There is a reason people who have their Aura unlocked have to register every year, it's because they are hyper-equipped. They are faster, stronger, and overall more athletic and durable than average people.
You don't see normal citizens wielding a fifty pound sword like Qrow does on the daily. Corcea Mors was a paper-weight compared to his mentor's weapon. Jaune as it was now couldn't even swing the thing around, let alone wield it in any manner resembling a combat stance. All these thoughts were commonplace now. Jaune had thought over several topics like this numerous times in the last few days. It was almost surreal. The fact that he was here, over three hundred miles from his home, training with one of the highest ranking Huntsmen in all of Vale, was insane. Sure, it could be even worse. He could be in Beacon getting ready to sleep and go to his last day of classes for the first week. That would be much more insane.
What was he thinking trying to sneak his way in? He probably would have already been caught by a teacher and expelled anyway. He really set himself up for failure.
"You know, smoking is a habit not easily given up." Tai says after opening the window from inside.
"Yeah, but something about it is surprisingly therapeutic." Jaune says jokingly. His eyes watched Tai crawl out the window and onto the portico with him.
This little area was a good place for him, Jaune liked to walk to the end of the hallway upstairs and crawl out onto this little space above the porch and just think. Tai evidently needed to share something with him.
"You know Jaune, you remind me a lot of someone I knew once." Tai began.
"I have been getting that from Qrow a lot too."
"Well, my wife Summer… She was a lot of things. She was confident in her skills but not in her words. She was direct but not in her actions. She was brave, but terrified of most things. But my point is that she was someone who never quit, even if everything was against her, she never stopped fighting. I think she would have been thrilled to meet you Jaune, and no doubt you would like her cooking more too." Tai says making a joke for once.
"Wait a minute! Did Taiyang Xiao Long just admit he has a weakness? Not only that but did he just admit it was cooking?" Jaune exclaimed in fake astonishment. "This is a historic day!"
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up while you can. I am so going to get back at you tomorrow morning for that one!" Tai said while punching Jaune's shoulder. "Now get inside and get into some actual clothes, you can't sleep in a damn penguin suit."
"Hey! I happen to think my new outfit is cool!" Jaune says following Tai back into the house and closing the window.
"Yeah, I bet you do. I can't believe that you have been here four days and already I am dealing with two Qrows." Tai says heading for the stairs while his voice dripped with sarcasm.
Jaune was about to enter his room when he heard Tai shout up the stairs.
"And put that cigarette out!"
Jaune felt his eyes widen as he clearly had forgotten that the said object was hanging from his lips while nearly burned to the filter. With one last drag, Jaune entered his room and extinguished the cig in the ashtray that now sits on his tall dresser. He walked over to the bed and took off his new shoes. The white metal plate that was sewn into the weave to protect his toes gleamed as he set the shoes down slightly underneath his bed. His vest came off next, the fancy black fabric was in great condition. Even with all the training the last few days, his clothes proved their worth. Qrow took him to the store besides Earl's. It was a dust weaving company. Or at least a smaller outlet of one of the more prominent ones in Vale proper.
So while his clothes looked very dapper, they were also reinforced with dust in tiny threads. So they wouldn't burn, stretch out, or rip. The additional upside was that they looked great all day. Dirt, grime, and grass just didn't seem to stain the clothes. And every time he got up from the ground and brushed off his arms or legs, it was like he never got beaten down at all.
With quick work Jaune got his shirt and socks off. Now only in his slacks, he made his way across the hall and into the bathroom. The only thing that got on his nerves, was that he sweat and got dirty underneath his clothes anyway. And even though he slicks back his hair with gel, his mop still gets grimy and oily. So with a stretch and a few windmill arm motions, Jaune got loose and relaxed. Then he got his shower done. Thoroughly cleaning himself so that he can do it all again tomorrow. A routine like this would normally never exist for him.
If he were home, he would be sitting on his balcony playing guitar and waiting till ungodly hours at night to get a shower. He loved his sister to death, but he liked having space now. He knew that everything he did now was new and that feeling was cathartic. No one in the world could have told him that hard work was what he belonged doing. He never imagined that getting beaten around for a few days in a row with the blunt end of a sword was going to be the highlight of his year. After his shower, Jaune dried off and made his way back to his room.
"Well, I guess I should do something. I don't need to sleep for another hour or so." Jaune said to himself as he plopped down at the desk.
His eyes traced the wood hardtop of his desk to see something he didn't notice before. There were scratches on one side. They looked pretty shallow but undoubtedly had a design to them. With a run over of the scratches with his hand he found that they weren't scratches at all but slight indentations. Most likely Yang had been writing and managed to find a soft spot in the wood. He ventured in the drawer to find a piece of paper and a pencil. Out of curiosity he made a rubbing of the writing to see inside of the mind of the previous occupant of this room.
Beacon… acceptance… new...scroll.
Well those were the words he could make out anyway. Beacon acceptance? Maybe this was when she received her acceptance letter and had to write something down? Guessing was something Jaune had a natural talent at. He was always good at it. It looked like to him that Beacon sent Yang her acceptance letter with a scroll so that they could update her on everything, while also giving her what she needed for her first day. With a few more rubbing attempts all around that spot he found numbers. A sequence of numbers ten digits long, with two dashes splitting it up. A scroll number.
Deciding he would investigate more later, he got up and ventured downstairs. He walked into the living room to find Qrow cleaning Harbinger and drinking. Jaune noticed that the man never really got drunk unless it was somewhere away from his friends and family. Sure he sipped from that flask all day on and off, but it seemed to Jaune like Qrow maintained a constant buzz that way instead of being wasted. But when a bar is involved, Qrow obviously didn't have the same goal.
"Some of my teeth get stuck in there?" Jaune says sitting down across from Qrow.
"No, but I'm sure with how hard your head is, this old blade probably got a few dents." Qrow says jokingly. Though Jaune noticed that Qrow had a small vial of some kind of paint.
"So I have been meaning to ask, what do the markings on your blade and flask mean? They look similar to each other or at least of the same origin maybe."
"Yeah, well the flask has my family's sigil on it. Harbinger has that little design because it was the tattoo my father had on his forearm. I don't exactly know what it means but it meant a lot to that stubborn old bastard." Qrow says with a semi-fond smile. His hands guided a small brush covered in the dark grey paint to Harbinger's blade to go over and reinvigorate the markings.
"You know, I always thought about making Crocea Mors look cooler. I am kind of a sucker for design. I used to design guitars in my free time when I wasn't playing them. So naturally I think when I put those down and started swinging this blade, that desire transferred over." Jaune says while looking to the front door. Sat in the umbrella holder was Crocea Mors, above it were his other weapons all hung from the key rack. Tai didn't want their weapons left all around his house so that is where him and Qrow keep their blades.
"Guitars huh? Yeah, funnily enough my sister used to play one too. She was pretty damn good too. A shame I don't know where it is." Qrow said, dabbing the paint with a paper towel.
"I do…" Tai says making both guys look his way. He stood, leant against the doorway to the kitchen. "It is in the attic, right next to your stupid spoons."
"Wait, you still have my spoons! I completely forgot about them. Man, that was ages ago now." Qrow says laughing more genuinely than Jaune had seen up to this point.
"I will go get them, give me a minute." Tai said with a smile that spoke of a little pain.
"Spoons?" Jaune asked his mentor.
"Yeah, years and years ago I wanted a way to annoy the shit out of Tai and Summer without being destructive. So I bought a set of musical spoons and Yang would obnoxiously rap while I busted a beat. It was hysterical! You should have seen the way Tai swooned over his daughter being so cute. But Summer, man, was she horrified. The look on her face made the several days mastering the spoons worth it." Qrow says scratching his jaw and chuckling.
"So that is another thing, so I take it your sister Raven...Was with Tai before Summer?" Jaune asked.
And as if the grimm themselves had entered the room, Qrow lost his good attitude.
"Yeah, she didn't stick around to put it gently. Eventually Summer came around and then the rest is history. I stayed regardless because I love this family more than anything." Qrow said walking over and leaning Harbinger against the wall next to Corcea Mors.
"Alrighty, One impromtu band coming up!" Tai says walking back into the room with a dusty black guitar case, and a snare drum with a small wooden box balanced on it.
"Tai, did you seriously bring one of Yang's drums? What are you gonna do with that?" Qrow says picking up the small wooden box. When he opened it, a gleam appeared in Qrow's eyes that told Jaune he was thinking of something fond
"Well both of you have instruments!" What am I supposed to do, not play?" Tai exclaimed as if that wasn't even an option.
Jaune found his hands running over the guitar case slowly. The sleek plastic was smooth and remarkably unblemished. The clasps came up easy and snugly. When he lifted the lid to see the guitar he lightly gasped. It was beautiful. The classic acoustic shape drew no attention, rather it was the pure design and the custom parts that caught his eyes. The tuners were locking and red colored. The neck was Brazillian Rosewood, the black and reds of the wood gleaming and contrasting in a pristine manner. The body was black, with the front having a dark rest burst paint job on it. The strings were clean and probably just needed tuning. The bridge was glossy and black. The fretboard was ebony.
"Yeah she had that same reaction when she got it." Tai said. His eyes betrayed his smile. "I got it for her sometime after we bought this place. She played it every day."
"Well then let's see if I can live up to that." Jaune said, picking the guitar out of the case and holding it now on his thigh.
His fingers took a familiar shape as he tested each string, they were all still in tune. With a soft breath, he began to play. The somber and gentle sounds that emanated from the instrument filled the room. Then Jaune began to sing along with his plucking.
"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone…."
…..
Yang was arm wrestling Nora Valkyrie when her scroll went off. The cheering of both teams for their respective teammates drowned out the ping from her scroll. Eventually Nora started to get Yang's arm towards the table. The cheering got louder and louder till a single voice made every quiet.
"Well I can see that we are all having a splendid time making such a ruckus in the library at this time in the evening." Qzpin's clear and wise voice said calmly.
With that, they all separated from each other and the match went unfinished.
"Headmaster! I-I can explain!" Ruby tried to start.
"No worries Ms. Rose, I am not here to get any of you in trouble." Qozpin started. "I am here simply to speak with you and your sister."
Yang felt herself straightening her uniform up a little so that she at least appeared respectful. Her nerves were acting up a little. Why would the Headmaster need them?
"Walk with me?" Ozpin asked as he led the two sisters out into the hall and out of the building to the fountain in the courtyard. "I have questions for you two young women regarding your Uncle and Father both."
"Dad?" Yang asked.
"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked simultaneously.
"It has come to my attention that your Uncle has picked up a companion. Seeing as he will not answer my calls as of late, I imagined at first that it was simply him going out into the field. But Glynda informed me that transmissions were being sent from Qro's scroll to your own." He said staring into Yang's eyes.
"Y-you guys can read our texts?" Yang asked incredulously.
"No, nothing of the sort. We simply monitor the in and outs to see if any illegal activity is going on. We cannot see what was sent, only that it was sent or received. We work with Vale police and any numbers that come up that are bad are flagged by our system. I simply wish to know if either of you have information as to what he is doing." Ozpin explained.
"Oh. Well in that case he is with Dad on Patch training Jaune to be a fighter!" Ruby answered instantly with a karate pose.
Something in Yang told her that Ruby answering that question was not a good thing. If Qrow wasn't telling Ozpin about what he was doing while he was so close, it was probably for a good reason. And something told her the entire situation was off. Like the fact that Ozpin was even letting them know about the system flagging messages and trying to find their Uncle. They were students. How would they know? Well, they did know but that's besides the point. Something fishy is going on.
"Jaune, Arc?" Ozpin asked with a raised brow and curiosity in his voice.
"Yeah! We met him the other day, he is a musician. Though that does make me wonder why Qrow is training him." Ruby says now holding her chin in thought.
"I am afraid I have no answers in that department. Well then I think I have my answer, you two young ladies go get some rest. I am due to complete some paperwork. Goodnight." Ozpin said strolling off towards his tower.
"Well that was much easier than I thought." Ruby said.
"Ruby, I love you so much. But you need to learn social cues." Yang says laughing and walking back towards the dorms.
…..
Ozpin sat in his chair with his hands steepled.
"You sure are taking an interesting route to be a capable warrior Mr. Arc… I do hope you achieve that goal, it would be most fortunate." The immortal said to himself.
…
Yang and Ruby were both confronted with curious stares as they entered team RWBY's dorm. Blake had what Yang could only describe as a cheshire smile, while Weiss sat with her arms crossed and a look that said 'answers'.
"Well it turns out that it was just the Headmaster wanting to know about what our Uncle was doing." Ruby started launching onto her bed.
"Well that is indeed good news, but Yang has explaining to do." Weiss stated.
"What? Like hell I do, I don't have anything to share." Yang says defensive, though she would regret that stance soon enough.
"Well then who is the attractive young man serenading you with song over your scroll?" Blake asks mischievously while holding up Yang's scroll.
On the scroll was a video that started playing, and Jaune was in the image, playing a guitar with ease while gently singing. You could faintly hear someone keeping the beat lightly on a snare in the background as a set of spoons clicked as if a high-hat. They were actually pretty decent. But from the outsider's perspective, it really did look like Jaune was sending her a message to serenade her.
"I am going to kill my Uncle." Was all Yang got out as Ruby started hysterically laughing and both her other teammates started teasing.
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Oh how teenagers will be teenagers. I am a guy and can tell you that in these girls position I would most definitely start teasing Yang too so no harm done. I hope you enjoyed this one, two more are coming both the 13th and 14th so keep an eye out for those. I also took a few hours and made a cover-art for this story of Jaune in the outfit I described. Hit those reviews and give me feedback for this if you want, I take the reader's ideas and opinions seriously and want to know how you guys feel about it.
-SlyShorty