Editorial Note:
The next extract of the Jaune Archive takes place two weeks after the previous one, during the start of the second semester. Notable entries taking place during the break will be included at the extras should someone be interested in them, but for now they will be skipped since they're not pertinent to Jaune's Beacon life.
Chapter 6
Food For Thought
"The king is a good chap, but at the same time, I could not help but be suspicious of him. For all I know, he could be hiding a knife behind that amicable smile, another reason not to trust royals no matter how benevolent they may appear."
-Sir Harry "The Flash" Arc, when asked about King Phadrig VII.
My feelings were rather ambivalent when the second semester started. While I did miss home and was relieved that I was finally return to my normal life for brief moment, I also missed Beacon during the two-week break. Don't get me wrong—I still think it is a deranged place where my ass is perpetually at risk, but there was something that made me want to come back as if the place put a spell on me or something.
I was able to enjoy the simple and peaceful atmosphere of home and take advantage of the time I had. The only thing that bothered me was Dad and Rose were impressed at my performance on Beacon that they started dragging me to a few missions—and not the ones that involving killing a few low-class Grimm and going home like the ones I used to take, but the ones that involve killing whole entire nests and slaying freaking Alpha Beowolf. Thankfully, they were brief compared to the rest of my stay at home, only taking about twelve hours in total over two whole weeks.
I also got Rose to have my laser pistol upgraded. It wasn't really necessary because of how adequate it but it's twice as useful while weighing less and being able to hold more ammo, something which I can appreciate. Rose may be crazy with guns, but she's the right type of crazy. She knows how to make guns look and feel effective in a world where aura would make these things look useless. It was thanks to her that I'm able to protect my own life with a simple yet very effective pistol using only one hand.
Still, I'm never going to forget that one time I was practicing with a rifle when I went hunting with her. That was a time I accidentally shot and killed a deer that was mothering a fawn at the time when were supposed to be hunting for food and maybe predators. That was when I decided to just stick with mimicking Dad's fighting style by using pistols while still being able to swing swords at the same time, it suited me better anyway.
I immediately went to the residence hall after another nauseating flight on the airship. I'm never going to get used to that, am I? I thought. At least I brought a plastic bag this time, so I no longer have to worry about throwing up on someone's shoes. But no matter how hard I try—I never seem to become habituated to air travel and ride without getting sick.
As I was heading to my dorm, I spotted Yang coming out of hers. She was already on her uniform, and judging at how she smelled like flowers and not sweat, she just recently showered. "Hey!" she waved after spotting me. "How's the ploy, Vomit-Boy?"
"Took some stocks, Goldilocks." I jokingly replied with a grin. I've been in Beacon long enough for me to start being much more open with my quips. It helps that I spent a fair amount of time these past two weeks going on missions with a sister of similar personality and appearance who could easily pass as a long-lost twin of her. Though I should still put my witty remarks to a minimum if I were to continue looking like nice dorky guy who just happened to be competent at combat should the situation call for it.
She chuckled at my response, noticeably trying not to swear while her semblance wasn't active. "It's good to see you again. Shh—shucks, doesn't it feel good to be back?"
"Yeah, I can't wait to see what this semester has in store for us," I said with all the enthusiasm I could muster.
"Oh, I forgot to thank you for helping out Blake when she ran away. I wouldn't know what to do without my partner, even if I didn't know much about her aside from being a ninja that likes to read weird books and all."
"It's not really a big deal," I replied as modestly as I could. "Knowing her, she would have still been fine without me. It was Penny that saved the day."
"Then it must have been selfless of you to help out anyway," she smiled. "You really got 'hero' written all over you."
It appears that my compulsive desire to better my relationship with my allies to enforce my strategy is making my reputation as a so-called hero has grown worse since I didn't have a better alternative. Unfortunately there was nothing I could do about it for the moment so there's no other choice for me than to carry on with the act while it still works. "It's what I do, I guess. So how's she doing?"
"She's doing great. Still quiet as usual, but she's become much more open and friendly since what happened that day. If it weren't for that, I don't think we'd be chatting in our scrolls during the break. Heck, she's even getting along with Weiss!"
Good to hear. Weiss was not an easy girl to be friends with, especially if you happen to work for an organization that's been targeting her family's company for who knows how long now. Team RWBY seems to be getting along well with each other compared to the past few months. If they keep this up, I don't have to see them bicker over trivial things that they become ineffective allies anymore.
"Has anyone seen my binder?" A voice belonging to a certain ice-cold heiress suddenly called from Team RWBY's dorm. Whatever that is, I hoped that it wouldn't make such a big deal that I have to drag myself into their drama again.
She smirked as she shook her head while still looking at me. "I gotta go. Catch ya' later, lady killer." Yang patted my shoulder as she passed through me.
"Peace out, girl scout," I replied, which she responded with a wave with her back turned.
I watched her leave before going to my team's dorm and opened the door while I prepared myself to get jumped by Nora since she does have a habit of doing that last semester, I was so used to that that I was surprised that she didn't. Instead, she was sitting in her bed with Ren beside, behaving as if there was nothing for her to do.
"Welcome back, Fearless Leader!"
"Good to see all you again." I dropped my bag at my bed.
"You're finally here," Pyrrha said as she left from bathroom after tying up her hair. "How was home?"
"Eh, the usual family stuff. Just helped with the farm and hunted down a few Grimm. Nothing out of the ordinary." I answered as I played with their expectations. Grimm hunts that involve clearing whole packs was just everyday work for some badass heroic Huntsman they paint me as. "How about you?"
"Ren and I stayed at Vale since we have nowhere else to go to," Nora responded. "This kingdom is prettier than I imagined!"
"Went to some dojos. It was nice to just train and meditate while Nora does her own thing." Ren said while his face suggested that he was leaving the part that she had to fight and beat up some stab-happy hooligans while she was at it. It's no wonder why Nora liked this place.
"I also spent the break training," Pyrrha responded. "My parents wanted to keep me sharp for the upcoming tournament. Speaking of which, they said that they would be happy to see you, Jaune."
"Wait, me?" I was rather surprised by that, especially considering that Pyrrha came from a culture where might makes right. I really don't know what to feel when meeting the ones that trained her to become the invincible girl that everyone knew.
"You lead me and this team for months. They're curious into meeting the person who partnered with me in this academy," she continued.
"Maybe someday, Pyrrha, maybe someday." I replied, earning her smile in return. I went back into facing everyone in the room. "Alright team, who's ready for the second semester?"
"I do!" Nora excitedly raised her hand. "And you too, Ren!" she raised his as well while his expression of course remained blanked.
"Good!" I rubbed my hands in preparation. "Now remember what I taught you last semester. Everything then was only preparations for this semester, this is where things start to get real. We will soon start taking missions and participate in the tournament. If we continue working well as a team—then there is nothing that can get past us. We were able to kill a Nevermore, fight some bandits and get an A+ from Professor Goodwitch herself, so we know we could do this. Now, are you guys ready?"
Nora saluted while Ren firmly nodded. Pyrrha continues to gaze at me in approval.
"Then let's get to work," I said as I went to change to my uniform and led the team into the auditorium to hear the announcements for this semester.
Like I told my team before, last semester was just a preparation for this semester, so I really have to take things more seriously now that this is where everything I feared starts here. I wanted to make sure my team was prepared for the worse as well, and most importantly, keep me alive as usual.
The most noticeable difference from this semester from the previous one was that the exchange students from the other kingdom's top Huntsman academies had arrived on Beacon for the Vytal Festival. Atlas had students wearing simple but elegant white uniforms that had a militaristic flair to them, while Haven students from Mistral wore black. Apparently, Shade students didn't seem to have uniforms probably because of Vacuo's heat which is understandable. The student body here also became much more colorful than the first day when I remembered everyone mostly being a bunch of faceless nobodies.
Aside from the extra emphasis on combat training, missions, and the tournament, there will also be an upcoming dance this Sunday that would let freshmen have fun and socialize before facing their first assignment. All that was needed was a formal attire and optionally—a partner, if you can get one, that is.
After the announcements for the activities for this semester where everyone along with exchange students was gathered, we were told that there won't be any classes until tomorrow and recess immediately began. The students at Beacon went to the cafeteria to get their lunch while the exchange students were given time to unpack and explore the academy.
One of the best things about going home was that I'm able to drink tanna again. I was able to bring a whole pack of tanna teabags with me so I can drink it anytime while I'm at Beacon. I even brought a teapot full of it at the cafeteria as I took my lunch.
I poured some of it into my cup. I was at bliss after taking a single sip. I never get tired of drinking this—its unique taste is what sets this off from other drinks that it cannot be emulated. I have to thank Uncle Jørgen[1] for introducing the drink to my Dad, if it weren't for him I would have never experienced drinking any of this, especially of how rare it is outside Morosco.
Ren saw me enjoy my drink and noticed that it was not your average tea. His curious look said it all. "Jaune, would you mind if I take a sample of the tea you are having?"
"Of course. Knock yourself out."
He took the teapot and poured a fraction of it into an empty cup before taking a sip. It took a few seconds for him to process the taste as he made a hum after doing so.
"So, what do you think?" I asked.
"I'm only able to describe it as 'peculiar' at the moment," he responded in a naturally neutral tone before taking another sip. "What type of tea is this even?"
"It's tanna. I don't blame you if you never heard of it."
"Oh, that. Being somewhat of a tea connoisseur myself, I actually heard of it—I just never got the chance of seeing it in the flesh, let alone taste it. I heard of how distinctive the flavor is, now I see why."
"That's what makes it interesting," I said before giving mine another sip. "I can still remember my first time tasting it and not being sure about what to think."
"That sounds neat! Can I try one?" Nora asked after finishing her sixth pancake under a minute.
"Sure. You might not like it though, the taste sorta depends on the person."
"Oh please, it's just tea! How bad can it be?" She poured her cup and took a sip, after that she froze while her pupils contracted.
"Uhh, Nora. Are you alright?" I waved my hand in front of her.
"I believed… I have discovered… the secrets of the universe." she said. I realized that she might have another episode again if I let her let be, so I snapped at her face, waking her up as she shook her head. "I mean… it's a little bitter but it's okay, I guess."
"I'm curious about what makes this drink intriguing. Can I try too?" Pyrrha asked.
This tea definitely got everyone's attention, I thought. I gave her a filled cup. "Go ahead."
She took a sip and took a few seconds to describe its taste. "Well, you're right about it being distinctive," she remarked before taking another sip. "It's certainly something."
"You'll get used to it. I won't force you if you can't though." While it's a drink that I cannot stop drinking myself, you could say it was literally not everyone's cup of tea.
I finished my cup and poured another one. Ren said he was going to fetch an order of his and that he shall return shortly. That was when two girls suddenly approached me. They were noticeably from Shade, judging from their casual clothing. One of them had short purple hair and was wearing a denim vest, and the other had long dirty blonde hair and was wearing a light green sundress.
"Uh, hello there!" the purple-haired one said, while her companion just nervously waved as she was noticeably suppressing her blush.
"Why, hello. May I help you with something?" I greeted as gentlemanly as I could. Gotta put that Arc charisma to good use.
"Oh nothing, not at all!" she responded. "It's just great to finally meet you in the flesh. Jaune Arc, was it?"
It appears I'm still relevant. As much as I'm still embarrassed by it, I find its ability to attract some fine ladies to be favorable. "Yep. At your service."
"Oh man, this is awesome!" she audibly muttered to herself before squealing. "Sorry, my name is Nebula, and this is my partner, Dew. Dew, say hi."
"H-hi." The red-faced blonde shyly greeted.
"Come on, you can do better than that. Where's the tough gal inside you?"
"I just wanted to say… you're pretty great... that's all."
"That's a little better. Sorry, she wasn't always like this. She's just nervous around cute boys."
"Nebula! You were gawking at him too, you know!"
Nebula's face started to rival her partner in terms of redness as she began to chuckle. "It's just that you were so amazing that you beat El Segador. You see we live in Vacuo and we have been hearing scary stories about that guy and heard how many people he killed and the lives he ruined. So when we heard that he was finally gone for good, we were amazed that you were able to defeat a monster like him. How did you do it?"
Oh boy, this is what I was worrying about the most when conversing with someone from Vacuo. "I just did what I had to do. Who else was able to stop him then?" I said, technically speaking the truth. I never even knew who he was before it went viral, and if I did, I would have ran a lot harder then.
"Wow. You're so brave…" Nebula purred as she and Dew started to stare at me long enough to notice my partner that they slowly turned to her. "Hey, you're the four-time Mistrali champion—Pyrrha Nikos, am I right?"
"Yes, that's me," Pyrrha nodded as I noticed her shift to her composed expression for half a second.
"You're pretty cool too!" she complimented before glancing back at me "…and lucky even. You get to be famous and be partners with him. Man, we are so jealous."
"Why, thank you." Pyrrha replied as she tried to sound friendly and flattered.
"You're an inspiration for all of us," Dew added. "We're doing our best for the tournament because of you."
"You're participating in the tournament too?"
"Yeah, can't wait to see both of you fight and maybe even challenge you ourselves!" Nebula replied. "But of course, we'll probably just lose if that happens. Because let's be honest, who could take on The Slayer of The Killer Mariachi and The Invisible Girl herself?"
"Don't worry. I think you'll do nicely. The tournament is about having fun and proving yourself at what you can do, it's just a friendly competition between the kingdoms." I said, smiling at them so they could cheer up. I get to look humble while earning more of their admiration because of it. It's a win-win if you ask me.
"I suppose you're right. We're not here to win anything anyway." She brightened up. "We should go. It was nice talking to you!"
I stared at the duo as they left while they were both audibly giggling. My eyes fell toward their beautiful hinds before I turned to Pyrrha who was frowning at me. [2] "What?" I asked.
"I think she's jelly~" Nora sang while whispering to me.
"Nora!" Pyrrha suddenly yelled, which startled me almost that it triggered my instinct to grab my sword a swing it at the nearest person who looked like they would harm me. Since I was in my uniform, I didn't bring any weapons with me so there was nothing to worry about.
We decided not to talk about it and went back into enjoying our respective meals. I looked at Team RWBY who were sitting at the table in front of us. Nora was tossing grapes and berries at Yang as she caught them with her mouth. Blake was still wearing her bow which kind of irritated me, to be honest. She didn't have a reason to hide it anymore—I doubt that people would even care that much especially that they're already familiar with her enough that nobody would even notice that she's a faunus—aside from a few assholes, but that's just how they are and almost no one sympathizes with them. Besides, she already looked like a cat with that bow. It felt like she learned nothing that day.
Ruby was discussing her team's activities for this semester. Was it just me or did Ruby sound a little different? Don't get me wrong, she always has a high pitched voice, but something tells me that she sounded squeakier than I last heard her.
"What are you talking about?" Blake inquired after hearing Ruby's plan for this semester.
"I'm talking about kicking off the semester with a bang!" Ruby answered.
Her sister then spoke up. "I always kick my semesters off with a Yang!"
No, just no. Not even by her standards, and her standards are already lower than the lowest level of hell itself. That was such a very lowbrow joke that I didn't even thought that she was bad enough to say it.
Nora understandably groaned and threw an apple at her. "Bad Yang! No more grapes for you."
The apple hit Yang's face, earning her ire. I watched in amusement as I poured my cup with the last remaining contents of the kettle. "Ruby and her team look like they're about to have some fun."
"Speaking of which, do you have anything planned for us for today?" Pyrrha inquired.
I took a sip in my cup. "Not really. But if you want to, then we could—" I was then interrupted when an apple abruptly flew in from the front and smashed my cup to pieces. I froze in denial as I stared at the shattered remains of the cup while tanna spilled out. I didn't have to look up to know that it was from Yang. I just sat there in grief, lamenting on my wasted cup. My sorrow soon turned into rage as I started gripping my hands, declaring that nobody messes with my tanna—that drink comforted me in a dark period of my life and I'll be damned if anyone desecrates it without facing the consequences.
"Oh no! Yang just broke Jauney's tea!" exclaimed Nora. "Don't worry, Fearless Leader. I'll avenge your tea!"
That gave me an idea. "Do it then." I gave my approval in a voice mixed with grief and fury. My mind was filled with so much anger that there was barely room for any logic and reason for the moment.
"Oh goody." Ren came back to our table holding a pie. He had an eager look with him which was a rare sight to see even as a teammate. Still, he has his moments.
"Ren, can I have some of that?" Nora asked.
Ren gave the pie to Nora. "Sure, but you could only have—," before she was able to let him finish, Nora threw the pie towards Yang. Unfortunately, she wasn't good at aiming it, so it ended up landing on Weiss' face instead. "—a few pieces…"
My narrowed eyes widened as I was alarmed by Nora's blunder while my team looked with shock expressions with Nora covering her mouth over her mistake. Ren, meanwhile, only expressed mere disappointment. "I just… wanted…some pie."
"Grrr, you'll pay for that!" Weiss grabbed an nearby apple and threw it at Nora, which she was able to duck away from, causing the apple to hit a random passerby behind her. That person fell to the floor, dropping his tray and having his hot soup spill over him, making him screamed in agony.
Then all hell broke loose.
"Food fight!" A random student stood from his chair and shouted. Within a blink of an eye, the entire mess hall erupted into a chaotic free-for-all. Food and drinks were flying everywhere. Some people fought in groups while others fought for themselves, attacking even their own friends and teammates.
I hunkered down below my table as the mayhem escalated by the second. Normally, I would try to diffuse the situation or get away from this madness, but I was still hung over by the destruction of my precious drink and I wasn't going anywhere until it was avenged.
Feeling somewhat enraged, I got out of the table and saw the battle occur. Tables were scattered and food was sticking out everywhere. I was barely able to see anything other than the indistinct uniformed figures throwing food at one another.
My survival instincts tingled and I managed to dodge an incoming orange that was thrown at me from the side. I got up and saw the person responsible holding more oranges as he attempted to hurl another one at me. After avoiding it, I grabbed the nearest tray and swung the next orange and deflected it to his stomach, causing him to drop all of his oranges as he fell to the ground.
"Jaune! Over here!" Pyrrha called over, making me turn near the edge of the mess hall and saw a fortress made out of tables and vending machines by my own team. I was impressed that they are able to make something like this within less than a minute.
I rushed toward my team's bastion, using the tray as a shield to protect me from raining projectiles of food and spilled drinks while my teammates provided covering fire. I managed to make my way there and stood on one of the vending machines at the fort.
"Good to finally have you with us, Fearless Leader!" Nora saluted on the top.
"Likewise." I returned the compliment. I looked around and saw that many students were now retreating toward the exit, while some others continued to fight. "Keep going! You guys are doing great." I ordered as we continue to throw our food from the fort.
While watching the mayhem transpire, I spotted a girl throw a can of grape soda at someone before it splat open. At that moment, I looked down at the vending machine I was standing on as I felt the coin drop. "Pyrrha get as many soda cans as you can," I commanded.
"I'm on it, She used her semblance to attract as many soda cans near our fortress, including the ones inside the vending machines.
"Hey, Arc!" I turned around and quickly leaned away from a slice of pizza (with those godsforsaken pineapples) coming from Russel Thrush. "Team CRDL would like to send their regards!"
I rolled my eyes at this. I almost forgot about those idiots since they rarely messed with me for the past couple of months. I picked up one of the cans, shook it and sprayed it all on Russel before throwing it at his face and knocking him to the floor. "Return to sender!"
Nora gave out an evil laugh before singing her signature song. "I'm queen of the castle~! I'm queen of the castle~!" At that point, we successfully managed to drive everyone out from the mess hall—except for Team RWBY, who was still standing strong.
"Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful!" Ruby crushed a small box of milk with her hand. "It will be delicious!" She cried out with her teammates joining her.
Damn right, but I'll be the one who'll be serving justice around here. It was now time for me to initiate my plan to exact revenge. "Hey Nora, you know what I just realized?"
"What?" She turned to me and asked.
"Team Deathmatch." I answered.
"Team Deathmatch?"
"Team Deathmatch!" Ruby echoed after hearing us.
Her ice-queen of a partner gave a puzzled look. "Team Deathmatch?"
Yang pumped her fist. "Team Deathmatch!"
"Team… Deathmatch?" Pyrrha turned to me confusedly.
"Team Deathmatch," I repeated nonchalantly to her.
"Team Deathmatch…" Ren half-heartedly joined in.
Nora's face brightened up as she bounced. "Team Deathmatch!"
"Team Deathmatch!" Ruby shouted again.
Blake groaned but decided to play along. "Team Deathmatch."
"Team Deathmatch~!" Yang sang, leaning toward her partner.
Distract the opposition. Check. Now it was time to make the cafeteria colorful. I nodded to Pyrrha, signaling her to use her polarity to shake the soda cans near us before sending them on the top center of the mess hall.
"Team Deathmatch!" Ruby shouted for the last time.
"Enough! We get it already!" Weiss shouted. "Now why don't we just get this over with before—?" She then noticed a large shadow hover over them before looking up as they saw a mass of soda cans floating in the middle of the mess hall.
"Quick, get under the tables!" Ruby ordered her team, which they did.
"Now!" I signaled. Pyrrha let go of the cans. They fell almost simultaneously as they smashed open with their substance, summoning a colorful haze around the cafeteria.
"What's our next step?" Ren inquired.
"We charge." I rallied my team to the offensive as we got off our fortress, using the colored vapor as a substitute for a smoke screen.
"Hey, this smells good!" Nora remarked as she passed through the haze of soda.
"Focus, Nora!" I told her.
"Right!" she said before leaping and grabbing a rod and using it as a handle for an improvised hammer and stuck it into a watermelon.
Ren rolled into a table and took two celeries as his choice of weapons. Pyrrha grabbed two baguettes and tossed one to me while I went and picked up a bottle of ketchup on the way.
"Attack!" Ruby commanded after they crawled out from the tables. They were having a little trouble seeing through the haze, not to mention getting distracted by the smell. They were still able to spot us and we engaged in combat. I faced off against Yang; Pyrrha was against Weiss; while Ren and Nora double-teamed on Blake, who was doing her best to hold them both back. Ruby was nowhere to be seen and I was too occupied to even bother looking for her, the haze that I just caused did not help, proving that this was a double-edged sword.
Yang rolled out and shoved two turkeys in her hands. "You want me, Vomit-Boy? Bring it on!"
She then lunged at me. I proceeded to do my best to dodge every punch coming from her. I have a few strategies prepared against Yang, along with the rest of her team—in case we were to face them. Her specialty on close-quarters combat makes her vulnerable to smart use of hit-and-run tactics. The problem was her semblance, it was best not to invoke it yet as the best course of strategy was to take advantage of her aggression until she tires out and make herself more vulnerable.
She was getting annoyed by this so she decided to taunt me. "What's the matter, afraid to hit a pretty girl?"
Maybe. But shooting at one might be a different story. After I continued to avoid a few more punches, I sprung back and fired a blast of ketchup onto her face, knowing it was too soft to count as a hit to trigger her semblance.
"Hey! You sprayed some ketchup on my hair!" she yelled after wiping her face.
"You wrecked my tea." I retorted.
"That's what you're upset about?!"
"I could say the same thing to you to your hair."
"Why you little…" She ran back toward me and tried to punch me again. She was getting too fast that it got increasingly difficult to dodge her punches. Alas, I eventually got hit by her last two jabs, knocking me back to the ground.
"Time for you to join your teacup then…" She warmed up her upcoming attacks.
I was still recovering and was desperate enough to go through, so I did my best to loudly mimic the sound of a sloth. "Qraa! Qraa!"
Yang paused in bewilderment. "What are you doi—?" Nora then came in after hearing my signal and swung her away mid-sentence, sending her flying away until she crashed into a wall.
"Thanks, Nora!"
"Anytime, Fearless Leader!" she saluted before deflecting some fruits being thrown at her. She dashed back to Weiss who fought her with a swordfish as a substitute for a rapier.
I looked at Yang resting on a crater. I saw her eyes turn to red and her hair began to glow as she angrily stared at me back. "You're going to fucking regret that!"
Oh Brothers. Every time I tried to prepare myself against her, I feared that this would happen. Yang only swore when her semblance was active as if her eyes and furious tone didn't make that obvious enough. I was in for a world of pain.
I took a tray on the ground and prepared to brace myself for the worst as she started running towards me. She was suddenly pushed away by a wave of soda cans. Pyrrha jumped in and threw a baguette at her before quickly turning to me.
"I'll handle her. You go help Ren and Nora!" She picked up another baguette and went to do battle with Yang.
Without delay, I went to Ren and Nora, who were fighting Blake and Weiss respectively. Ren and Blake were fighting acrobatically, with Ren at one point throwing some carrots at Blake while in midair—as if they were throwing knives, which she deflected with her two baguettes. Nora was meanwhile whirling her 'hammer' as she parried Weiss' attacks. Suddenly, Ruby came in, surfing on a tray, she then leaped to Nora and swung said tray at her, staggering her before Weiss gave one last thrust of her swordfish with a black glyph behind Nora, making her fly away to the wall.
"Nora!" Ren exclaimed, giving Blake the opportunity to strike him down.
After finally putting the dynamic duo out of commission, Weiss and Blake turned their attention toward me.
"Checkmate!" [3] Ruby shouted while pointing at me as she stood on a table.
"Oh nuts," I muttered to myself. Fighting with one of Team RWBY was one thing. Fighting two or more of them at the same time was another and the thought alone haunts me.
Blake went toward me first. I blasted a bottle of ketchup towards her only for it to fly past through her, identifying it as a shadow clone. I quickly swung my baguette at my back, deflecting a strike coming from the real Blake who attempted to flank me. After locking breads for a second, I pushed her back before clashing our trading blows with our baguettes. In the middle of it—I noticed Weiss charging while pointing her blade at me. I turned around and pointed my bottle at Blake and sprayed at her as she blocked them with both of her baguettes while I swung mine at Weiss' swordfish.
I went to parry all of Weiss' attacks until she was able to slice my weapon in half. I threw the half I was holding at her face then spun around while squeezing my bottle, spraying the last batch of it around my surroundings, hitting them both with it.
Then, I threw the ketchup bottle at Blake's face and swiped one of her baguettes while she was off-balance. I swung a flurry of quick slashes at Weiss, overwhelming her and giving me the chance to strike her down with her defenses going kaput. I turned back and did the same to Blake, which was much easier since her defenses were much weaker in one-handed melee.
"No, I don't think so," I smugly smiled at the monochrome duo after defeating them by some merciful miracle. Checkmate for me, not for thee. [4]
I panted for a brief moment and looked back towards Pyrrha and Yang, who both were still in the middle on the duel between the power-houses. Yang was obviously growing exhausted from the fight, but after a quick glance to her fallen partners, she was visibly enraged that gave a punch powerful enough to knock Pyrrha back to the tables.
"Jaauuuneee!" Yang yelled furiously before she dashing toward me. I hastily picked up the nearest tray and barely blocked her strike as she was able to push me to the floor.
She picked up the metal tray and tore it in half with her bare hands. I quickly dragged myself backwards as I threw every projectile I came across toward her—which she simply shoved off. She was panting hard as she walked slowly towards me before suddenly a pie flew in and hit her face. It was something Nora tried to do before the whole thing started, so it was good enough for me. "That's for my tanna, Goldilocks."
I turned around and saw Pyrrha puffing, mostly out of fatigue from the fight and the amount of usage of her semblance. "It's all up to you now." She said before buckling down the floor.
Well, there goes my backup. While Pyrrha was not the type to give in—she used all of her remaining willpower so I could go forward that she needed to rest; I wasn't going to let that go in vain.
"I guess it's just me and you now then!" Ruby said, making me turn around and see my last opponent standing on the top of the fortress that my team built. Talk about Red Alert. "I'm impressed that you managed to defeat my sisters-in-arms, Jaune. But can you handle the wind?"
I've seen Ruby fight and even have some tactics against her from early-planning before but I was not anticipating what I was about to witness.
She used her semblance to dash off the tower and created a slipstream that threw a hailstorm of food and projectiles at me. Grabbing a ham by its drumstick and infusing my aura with it—I deflected the incoming projectiles coming toward me. I stomped at the nearest tray then grabbed it to use it as a shield to block off the fruits. Before proceeding, I took one of the flying soda cans from the air and drank it as I stood dramatically. [5]
Ruby landed and picked up the food around her and hurled it all at me. I jumped out of the way and picked up a bottle of ketchup and mustard and fired them both at Ruby, who blocked both of them with two plates before throwing them away. She used her semblance to create a wind strong enough to send me flying toward a wall. She then flung all assortment of fruits toward me. I rolled out and got back on the floor before throwing some the fruits on the ground at her. She started using her semblance yet again. As I avoided the food coming from the storm, I picked up my weapons and threw one last apple at her while she was dashing with her speed, breaking her momentum. She was knocked to her side after getting hit but she recovered quickly as she slid down the floor.
I stormed towards her, she tried to stop me by flinging more food toward me, which I just deflected as I made my way through. When I got next to her, there was barely a fight. As much of a remarkable fighter Ruby is—she was inept at fighting without her scythe, so it was pretty much over after that. After knocking her to the floor, I pointed my ketchup bottle at her.
"So tell me, how does justice taste like?" I smirked. "Was it painful, or was it delicious?"
"Do what you must." She over-dramatically played along, closing her eyes as she accepted defeat.
I looked at her in pity before squeezing my bottle and sent the final blast that'll end this war… by deliberately missing and shooting at the floor near the side of her face.
She opened her eyes and was puzzled at my decision to not finish her off. I dropped both of my 'weapons' and offered my hand. Kinda reminding me of the first day when I found her lying down on the courtyard after that explosion she caused.
Ruby gladly accepted my offer as I helped her pull her up. The others were getting up as well, dusting themselves off while still covered in food particles. No one was seriously hurt thanks to the miracle and convenience of aura.
"Well, that was fun. You guys fought great." It was actually gratifying to test my team in a unique way while seeing if we could take on our sister team.
"You guys did great too. Fighting you had been the most fun. We should spar more often." Ruby said.
No thanks, Team RWBY was frightening enough fighting against food alone, I should be thankful that I'm on their side in serious situations, and I still can't believe I just won. "Just defending the queen's honor. Isn't that right, Nora?"
"Correct, my trusty subject—or should I say, Fearless Leader."
"Also, you should tell your sister to be more careful with my tea. I don't get to drink it much these days." I told her as a word of caution.
"Not a problem!" Ruby chimed in before making a suspicious grin with both of her hands at her back. "Oh, and one more thing."
"What is it?"
She mashed a pie at my face before I was able to notice it. "I finally got you!" She laughed as I removed the pie from my face. I was initially annoyed before laughing it off with her, pleasantly enjoying the time we just had.
"Thanks, Jaune, for helping set up this day to be the best day ever."
"Your welcome," I said, wiping the pie off my face.
She smiled at me before she started to look fearful after looking at the figure behind my back. I turned around and almost made a feminine screech after seeing the face of an unamused Miss Goodwitch.
She growled angrily at me, and I was only able to respond with a whimper. She turned her attention towards the room and used her telekinesis to arrange the tables and chairs back to their original position within seconds. The mess hall was far from clean though, there was still plenty of food and trash scattered across the floor and on the walls, not to mention, a few craters.
Miss Goodwitch then turned to us all. "Children, do not play with your food. You're supposed to be the defenders of the world, so I insist you all to act like it!" She scolded us while keeping her professional tone. She levitated a few brooms, buckets and mops and handed them all to us. "'This mess hall is an absolute disgrace! And no one is leaving until it's been tidied up. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Professor Goodwitch." We all ashamedly responded together.
We proceeded to begin cleaning our own mess. It was a rather huge mess hall so it took a while. On the bright side, we didn't have to pay for any of the damages, like the broken plates and the wasted food. Beacon's treasury was thankfully vast enough to compensate for it without much trouble.
Lesson of the day: Never mess with a man's tea… and also Yang's puns are really fucking dangerous.
Kids in Vacuo could have eaten these.
=o=
1. Jørgen Gustavsen is a close friend and accomplice of Caiaphas Arc. While not biologically related to the Arcs in any way, he had received the title of an honorary uncle to the Arc children because of his loyalty to their father.
2. A recurring feeling I also possess when reading through certain interactions in Jaune's writings.
3. Team-combos in Team RWBY are based on the colors worn by each member. Red with Ruby, Black with Blake, Yellow with Yang, and white with myself. In this case. The combo with Blake and I references the respective colors of the chessboard, black and white.
4. Boo.
5. No such thing happened. I do recall him getting hit by a can on the face while trying to look suave, however.
Once we were finally done with cleaning the (literal) mess (of a) hall, we all went to clean ourselves and put on our usual clothes. Thankfully, we had extra school uniforms for us to wear tomorrow while the current ones were still in the laundry.
We decided to hang out at the library. Team RWBY was playing the game of Remnant, a board game that has players assume the role of a conqueror, representing each one of the four kingdoms as they compete for world domination while using the Grimm for whatever reason. If you think about it—the player characters in that game are a bunch of power-hungry warmongers who use the very creatures that cause most of the problems of the world to achieve as their subjects to take over Remnant. It's really that dark. At least in reality, no one in the four kingdoms was dumb enough to think that Grimm would be a practical military asset, since the last time someone tried to use the Grimm on their side, it didn't end well.
Meanwhile, we were at another table not far from theirs, reading on what we could get our hands on. Pyrrha suggested we started studying in advance, especially since this semester was said to be harder than the last, and while Team JNPR did get the most impressive grade in combat training, Nora and I still needed to improve our theoretical studies, so she took away my comic-books and gave me a textbook titled 'The Fundamentals of Dust: Second Edition'. Making a grunt in frustration that I had to deal with my worst subject this early. Nora had already fallen asleep after the first few minutes, and this is all while Team RWBY looked like they were having a blast.
"Pretty sneaky, sis, but you just activated my trap card!" Yang said after giving a sinister laugh, making her sister shriek. "Giant Nevermore!" she slammed a card on her table. "If I roll a seven or higher, fatal feathers will slice your fleet in two!"
"But, if you roll a six or lower—the Nevermore will turn on your own forces!" Ruby retorted.
"That's just a chance I'm willing to take."
By the looks of it, Weiss just stared at her cards, not knowing what to know nor did she know what was exactly going on, while Blake was occupied with her book to even bother playing.
Yang rolled the dice, and by the sounds of it, it rolled in her favor. "NOOOO! My precious soldiers!" Ruby screamed in defeat.
Nora's groaned and got up. "Role-players!" she scoffed at them before returning to her nap, and this is coming from someone who proclaimed herself as a queen of a castle earlier and had a penchant of being a little too enthusiastic of whatever role she's given. Threatened by potential competition perhaps?
I sniggered as I went back to reading my textbook, or at least, pretending to read. There were some books that I have trouble understanding without Pyrrha's tutoring. I realized that in order to understand the contents of this book—you must have knowledge from Dust Basics, so if I were to learn anything from this, I must refer to my textbook last semester.
"I'll be back. Just going to fetch some books at the dorm." I stood up and left. While I was making my way out, I took a minute to eavesdrop on Team RWBY as they were playing their game. It was Weiss' turn and she had no idea how to play, so Yang went out of her way to help her out.
"…And since Vacuo warriors have an endurance against natural-based hazards, you can use Sandstorm to disable my ground forces and simultaneously infiltrate my kingdom!" Yang instructed, "Just know that I will not forget this declaration of war," she said before going back to her seat.
Weiss reviewed her cards. "And that means..."
"You're just three moves away from conquering Remnant!" Ruby said, still hurt by her recent defeat.
Weiss paused for a moment before standing up and gave an evil laugh then went over on an over-the-top-speech. "Y-yes! Fear the almighty power of my forces! Cower as they pillage your homes and weep as they take your children from your very arms—!"
"Trap card..."
"Huh?"
Yang moved the pieces on the board. "Your armies have been destroyed."
"I hate these games of emotions we play!" Weiss sobbed as she returned to her seat.
"Stay strong, Weiss! We'll make it through this together!" Ruby hugged her partner.
"Shut up! Don't touch me."
Wow, Nora was right about this team being full of role-players, barring Blake, of course, assuming her books aren't giving her any ideas.
"Maybe you should start appeasing the RNG[1] then, Ice Queen." Yang advised.
I chuckled at the group before going back to leaving the library. Before I was able to go any further, however, I saw Sun and some pretty boy with blue hair and goggles on his forehead wearing a white shirt and tie underneath a red coat coming. I possess no ill-thoughts about him but I didn't felt like discussing what happened last time so my mind pretty much decided that I would have to study for dust fundamentals again.
"Jaune, my man!" Sun greeted. I turned back and tried to quickly walk away, but he was able to pull me and put an arm over my shoulders. "It's good to see you again. How's it hanging?"
Since my plan of trying to avoid him has failed, there was no other option for me other than to be courteous and accept the situation I was in. "I'm doing fine, thank you for asking."
"So this is the guy you keep talking about." His friend stated. "I'm Neptune, nice to meet you. No offense, but I pictured you to be a bit more... Alpha-looking, I think?"
Excuse me, what? I thought. Though I wouldn't blame him for thinking that way, if heard someone who had supposedly fought wanted criminals and large beasts, I would have imagined them to look like gruff body-builders you'd see in action films instead of some blond teenage dork with a faint country accent and slight geekiness.
"Hey, Sun!" Ruby greeted as if she knew him as long as Blake did, but then again Ruby was the kind of girl that would quickly make friends with just about anyone who does not have a stick up their ass.
"Hey there, Ruby, Yang, Blake…" He then turned to Weiss. "Ice Queen."
"Why does everyone keep calling me that?"
Maybe because she kept acting like one, her snow motifs wasn't helping her the slightest. [2]
"It's really awesome that we get to be temporarily transferred to your school. Now, we can hang-out more! This is going to be an epic year, I can tell." He said before gesturing to his companion "Anyway, never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend."
"Uhh, aren't libraries for reading?" His friend recalled as he looked at Team RWBY's table.
"Thank you!" Ren strongly concurred, enough to grab his attention away from his book...or nap...or maybe both. He tends to do that a lot.
Meanwhile, his partner still only had one thing in her mind. "Pancakes!"
Made me wonder why no one was telling us to be quiet, especially with Team RWBY's board game session. Libraries are normally very strict about this. "Shut up. Don't be a nerd." Sun playfully sneered at his partner's remark.
"Ga-ga-gah! 'Intellectual', okay? Thank you," His friend corrected before properly introducing himself. "I'm Neptune, Neptune Vasilias."
"So Neptune, where are you from?" Weiss asked with brow-raising interest, this was probably the first time I saw Weiss meet someone without being a haughty shrew.
"Haven. And I don't believe I've caught your name, Snow Angel."
"Um, I'm Weiss," she said without a single semblance of her typical infuriation over that nickname.
Oh, so it's okay when he calls you that. Didn't know it took blue hair and boyband-esque douchiness to have the privilege of calling her with a dumb nickname without earning her ire. [3]
"Pleasure to meet you," he complimented, almost being one step away from kissing her hand.
I rolled my eyes at the display of cheesy high-school romance in bloom as I shifted my attention towards Sun and Blake. "I never took you as the board game playing type," Sun commented as he stood next to her.
"Right, well, I think I'm done playing actually," she suddenly stood up. "I'll see you guys later."
And just like that, she immediately walked away without another word in typical Blake fashion. We all looked at her as she leaves us in bewilderment until Nora broke the silence with an ironic statement. "Women."
"What's with her? I thought she brightened up after that night," said a puzzled Sun.
"Honestly, I was asking the same thing," I replied, scanning the rest of the library to see she was already gone. There was something that's still bothering her that it almost made me worried that she might go astray again.
"So… these are your teammates, am I right?" Sun looked at the peculiar individuals at my table.
"Yep. That's Team JNPR. There's Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora." I gestured to each teammate from left-to-right.
"Wait, Pyrrha? As in Pyrrha Nikos?!" Sun cried excitedly. "The four-time champion of the Mistral Regionals?"
"That's right," she nodded modestly.
"Holy Light Brother Crap! It's an honor to meet you!" Sun rested his hands at the table, being unable to hold his enthusiasm. "Folks at Haven talk about you a lot."
"So I've heard." Pyrrha fixed her bangs and tried to smile for the sake of it.
"Man, you were so cool when you beat that Mammoth guy. They said that no could beat him but damn, you proved everyone wrong on that."
She nodded. "Indeed, that was a thrilling match I could not forget myself."
Sun patted my back as he voiced his approbation. "Jaune, you're one lucky bastard to have her as a teammate."
"I get that a lot," I replied. Considering how combat during the last semester was surprisingly a breeze with a few notable exception where she wasn't present, I definitely agree with him on that.
We chatted for a while. Neptune filled Blake's spot at the board game and apparently had dominated everyone at the game and was declared as the ruler of Remnant, much to Yang's annoyance.
Eventually, we dispersed with the duo after leaving the library. As me, my team and Team RWBY-minus-B were heading towards our respective dorms when Miss Goodwitch's voice suddenly called, putting all seven of us to a halt. "Mr. Arc."
"Yes, professor?" I asked, turning to her rather nervously, especially with her recent admonishment over our last antics still fresh in my mind.
"Headmaster Ozpin would like to have a word with you."
"Am I in trouble, ma'am?" I asked, being called to Ozpin's office never sat well with me, regardless of why I was being sent there.
"I cannot say I know for sure, he only instructed me to summon you. You will have to find that out yourself."
I gulped before complying. There was only one way to find out whether that's true or not. Either way, I wasn't going to like it. "Okay then, lead the way."
"Good. The rest of you can move along now," she said to the others before accompanying me to the interview room. I made my way through the school's campus, thinking what Ozpin want from me this time.
=o=
1. Random Number Generator, a term that refers to the system that factors the player's odds and luck. However, that term is usually used for digital gaming, so I presume that Yang was actually referring to it with its nickname, "Random Numbers God" as an alternate term for dices, which would make it more applicable for tabletop games.
2. Or maybe because it's one of the easiest names to call me with.
3. I was actually annoyed when he called me that, but it was a time when I didn't want to spoil his interest in me.
I was taken to a dimly lit room, consisting only of a window and a single table with a chair at each side, giving off an impression of a dark interrogation room—not really a place you want to be in.
"Sit here and wait for the headmaster," Miss Goodwitch instructed, gesturing toward the chair beside the window. "Stay until you are told to otherwise."
I was then left alone. I sat down and waited for a few minutes for Ozpin to arrive, tapped my fingers at the table in anxious anticipation and fearing what he had to say. Like the first time I visited this room, it felt like going to the dentist. It's not every day that you get to talk to the Great & Powerful Ozpin; usually, the other professors handle the guidance counseling.
The door eventually opened, revealing him as he walked toward me. "Ah, good to see you are finally here, Mr. Arc." he went and took a seat. "I have been looking forward to this conversation for a while now."
"Why is that, Headmaster?" I asked, sounding as polite as I could.
"You will find out." He suspiciously grinned, not a reassuring sight for me. "I see you are making yourself comfortable around here."
I forced a smile and gave what would be an optimistic answer. "It's a place I'll be staying for a few more years, why shouldn't I?"
"That is good. A student's well-being is very important. Without it, they would lack the morale to fight the Grimm." He took a sip of his drink, so far this was going well. "You have been a lot impressive with your performance last semester. Of course, your theoretical abilities need improvement, however, its combat training is what all that matters since that is primarily the reason why this academy exists, and it remains applicable to a Huntsman's career. But then again, why should I expect less from an Arc?"
"Just doing my responsibility as a Huntsman-in-training," I responded modestly as I nodded. "Though, I admit that I am still working on improving myself on other subjects."
"Now, remind me again. What made you choose to follow the path of a Huntsman?"
I was forced into it, that's what, I silently scoffed. "So I can fulfill my family's legacy and help those who can't help themselves. Be a hero like in the stories, and make the world a better place to live in," I lied as best as I could, keeping a straight face, maintaining eye-contact, and speaking in a reasonable tone. But despite that, he doesn't seem to be convinced.
"That is a plausible, if somewhat of a commonplace answer. Your father told me the exact same answer when I asked him that question when he was your age. Not that I blame any of you. After all, Huntsmen should be aware that they are fighting for the world."
If only we weren't self-destructive enough to make me believe that we were fighting a lost cause instead. The kingdoms and governments really need to increase their standards if they don't want power-hungry and irresponsible idiots ruining everything for everyone as the Grimm slowly consumes the world. "What can I say? We're known for our altruism. I think it's destiny for us to help people."
He hummed. "Do you believe in destiny, Mr. Arc?"
I pondered that question. "I don't really know. It's just that sometimes I think that some things were meant to happen."
He made a single nod. "I can see what you are trying to convey. Fate works in mysterious ways, should such a thing happen to exist. But tell me, are you doing this because you genuinely believe in your family values, or is it because that destiny told you to?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink.
With the kind of questions he was asking me, I was beginning to feel apprehensive. "I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do. Yes, it's becoming a bit of a family tradition—but I've wanted to be a hero since I was a child, and it's my chance to prove myself worthy."
He slammed his mug at the desk after he was done drinking. "Are really you sure about that?" He asked in an alarmingly inquisitive tone. "I want to say I believe you, as you are giving answers with the heart of a true Huntsman, but I am afraid that you are not being truthful with me."
I was shocked by his sudden disbelief, but not without making sure I suppress any display of fear. "Headmaster, I don't exactly get how I was being untruthful. I answered as sincerely as I could."
He shut his eyes and shook his head. "Mr. Arc. You have an impressive amount of guile that it is even beneficial for your performance in the academy, but it's neither going to help you or me in this conversation."
"I don't think I follow, Headmaster," I tried to remain as calm as possible while it was becoming increasingly apparent that he knows of my ulterior motives. I could feel my heart beat faster as my palms began to sweat. I had always feared this would happen and I barely prepared myself for it because I kept my fingers crossed that it would never take place. It was almost worse as facing an Ursa Major alone.
"All I am saying is that you should start answering me more honestly, Mr. Arc." He raised one of his brows. "Are you not aware of how 'Great & Powerful' I am?"
I was willing to doubt that he knows of my façade and was bluffing, but by the mention of that nickname that he emphasized, I lost my breath and wasn't able to think. Even if I did, he already knew, so there was no point in trying to beguile him into thinking otherwise. I've been doing my best to maintain an image of someone they expected from me for everyone's own good, but Ozpin somehow managed to look past it and knew that I wasn't being genuine with my feelings. I found myself frozen in anxiety, neither knowing what to say or what to do.
"Worry not, Jaune, your father and sisters used to give me the same nickname. I did not invade your private belongings, I can assure you that. I was only able to read you like a book. And while you successfully managed to fool others, nothing suspicious ever gets past me without my knowledge." He smiled, but it was less comforting than it is patronizing. "If there's a time where we finally discuss this, it is now."
I sighed as I took off my metaphorical mask. I was just glad that he didn't read through this journal, I could not imagine how I am going to handle the fact that someone managed to read it without my consent. "Fine, you got me. Just tell me what you want so we can get this over with."
"The truth. I can see that there is something bothering you ever since I first interviewed you for your attendance. Feel free to speak your mind, this will not affect your disciplinary record nor will I try to expose you. It is a secret I am willing to keep; I only want nothing more than your honest answers."
I was skeptical to that apparent assurance but I gave him the benefit of a doubt at the moment. If this is what he seek, then I might as well get it off my chest. " So you want the truth then? Well, here it is, I don't actually want to be a hero, and I didn't want to be a Huntsman either." I bluntly admitted. "Everything that led me here was nothing short of unintentional."
"Unintentional? How unintentional? It is rather dubious to think that you managed to achieve such feats by accident," he asked, putting his mug down the table.
"Remember that heist at Podunk, which made my debut? That was me trying to run away and failing. I had to defend myself from the Ursa that followed me after it ended up killing the bandits. When everyone saw what happened, they thought I was saving them, and I had to go with that, because saying anything otherwise wouldn't help."
Ozpin looked particularly convinced but he still had questions regarding that incident. "Then why did you allow the villagers to perceive you as something you think you are not, and allowed them to give you a reputation that you seem to be ashamed."
"What was I supposed to do? Tell them I was actually leaving them for dead so I could live? Besides, you were already considering my entry prior to the incident," I pointed out.
"Ah, yes, I do remember first hearing about you when I discussed with your father for potential recruits." He recalled glancing away for brief second. "You were very young and unskilled. Once you grew older, stronger and smarter, I knew you were ready whether you were willing or not. Your talents are unlike any other apart from your father, and there are very few individuals who can be claimed to have defeated Caiaphas Arc in a duel. Would I like to remind you that you ranked the top in last semester's freshmen combat training, second only to Pyrrha."
That didn't meant much to me. I only got the impression that the other students weren't showing their best and cared more about showing off rather than improving their combat abilities, and my solo demonstration against Team CRDL probably played a major role because I do not remember anyone else having to do the same thing as I did to impress Miss Goodwitch. "It's a cruel world, especially if you live outside the kingdoms, I have to be prepared for anything. Even my sisters that did not attend any combat schools were trained. I just happened to take it more seriously than I should have. Honestly, I don't think I'm even that good. I just followed what my instincts told me to do."
"I am not surprised by that answer, Miss Belladonna gave the same explanation the night before the first semester ended. You must have quite the instincts then. Regardless of how talented you are in combat, whether you would admit or not, it is quite clear that you have been trained well enough to receive such a grade in combat class. It begs to ask, is your façade really necessary? Why did you bother going to the trouble of pretending to be someone you perceive to be something else when in public? You could have easily behaved here the same way you act at your home."
I continued to answer with my transparent opinions, even then it didn't felt any easier especially that its my friends and teammates he was bringing up. I was still conflicted on what to do with them that I was afraid of the following questions he'd ask me about them. "It's good for the team spirit, without it, I'd probably be dead by now. If they're going to view me as something of a paragon, I might as well act like one. One of the effective ways of being a leader is to be likable enough, and look how far we went with that."
"A decent answer. I am glad you are aware of the importance of teamwork even if you use them for selfish purposes. I am curious why did you suddenly decide to lose the interest of becoming a Huntsman once you started training with your father?"
This was another question I was afraid he might bring out, but I was still able to answer while avoiding the details I didn't want to discuss. "Let's just say I found out the world was not worth saving at all and that being a hero isn't what it was cracked up to be. Besides, there are plenty of people who could do the job better than I would, why not leave it to them?"
He shook his head. "I find that assessment to be shallow to an extent. Those very same people could be thinking the same way as you, and if they are convinced that they could not save the world, then who else would? Remnant needs Huntsmen, it does not matter if one seeks money, fame, or any other desires, because without them, there would no longer be a world to speak of."
"There will always be Huntsmen, professor, and I don't think I'll ever be worthy of being called that. All I wanted to do was stay safe and survive," I said, almost wanting to look away from his gaze for a moment.
He took a second to breathe. "Jaune, a lot of people outside of your family believe in you, you just need to learn to believe in yourself. If you are unable to do that and continue to think that you are neither worthy nor capable of becoming a Huntsman, then I am going to have to drop you out, after all, you wanted to go back home, did you not?"
That caught me off guard, this was one thing I hoped I would never hear from him. It was finally the moment of truth, one that I was not looking forward to. "Professor, as much as I wanted to leave and return to peace, I'm afraid that will end up staining the family name. So I'm determined to continue my studies at Beacon, even if I don't want to."
"Very well, then I will mark you as a prodigy who no longer has to attend combat school as your performance proves that it is no longer necessary. I will grant you your license early and you will be left at your own devices. That way, your family's honor will remain intact and you do not have to spend four more years in Beacon, you seem to be already capable enough, so why even stay?"
"You can do that?" I asked skeptically.
"You will be surprised to know how much power I possess. This is a rare offer, Mr. Arc. Either you take it or continue to study at Beacon, it is your choice."
I have feared this for a while now, and this was all of sudden that I didn't expect to face this so soon, and in my heart, I was still very conflicted. I really wanted to accept his offer, but I still have a team to lead, and I was already getting used to this especially after I just won a food fight for them. And even if I didn't have a good reason to stay, everything about this sounded like he was only testing my character. I found it very doubtful that someone even as Great & Powerful as Ozpin could hand out licenses early like a bunch of disposable cards so this could just be an elaborate use of reverse psychology for all I know. So either way, I guess the best decision was to accept that I have to endure Beacon for a long while. Ozpin had already won a long time ago and there was nothing I could do about it.
"I appreciate it, professor, but I'll have to decline. As much as I want to accept it, I still have a team to look after, they just won't be the same without me. I can't just leave them and let them down." I told him, I was very unhappy with my answer but deep down I knew that this was the best option. For now, at least.
"Are you really sure? You do not need to worry about your team, as the position will be filled by someone else. Is this not what you want, to be free of the dangers of combat school?" He said, almost sounding as if he is taunting me into following my temptations that I've been having ever since I stepped foot to the airship that first took me to this academy.
"I do want it, but I have already decided to graduate by traditional methods. I already accepted that I'm going to be a Huntsman, whether I want to or not, and that's final," I said, sealing the next few years of my life trying to be something I have always saw myself to be unworthy of.
Ozpin stared at me for a moment before humming and putting a smirk at his face. "For someone who claims to be a coward, you seem to hold a lot of courage when facing these types of dilemmas—even going as far as to accepting four-years of rigorous training in a combat school. That is what I like about you, Jaune," he remarked before grabbing the mug from the table and taking a sip. "I am impressed that you were able to continue spending your time here in Beacon when you could have easily requested to be dropped out, or if you are daring, get yourself expelled."
Yeah, this was my life now for a while, and I'm already getting used to it. The one thing left to do was not get killed in the process.
"I am glad you made this decision," he continued. "As for your public persona, I would advise you to maintain it. Ignorance is sometimes bliss, and we do not want to spoil the illusion of you being a charismatic hero, now do we?"
I felt myself tense at Ozpin's consideration of upholding my masquerade. "What are you getting to?"
"What I was saying was I find it rather beneficial for you and your allies—so long as you continue to serve them as much as you like to serve yourself."
Good to know that there was at least something we see eye-to-eye on. "I intend to. Just keep this between us."
"Mr. Arc. You may not like me and I frankly could not care less, but you can trust me on this one," he vowed before he continued to drink his entire mug until it was empty.
There was still something bothering me and I decided that it was the moment to bring it up. "I just have one question."
"Speak."
"Why are we discussing this just now? You said you spoke to Blake right after what happened at the docks and the day before last semester ended, why didn't you ask me after then?" I stared at his eyes at that moment.
"Good question. Originally I intend to have this discussion during that night, but I wanted to observe you on your first day of this semester before I address your issues and give you a choice. I can see that you have made genuine bonds with your team and Team RWBY, which makes your decision to stay much more understandable," he explained.
"Yeah, about that… Sorry for the mess hall earlier," I glanced aside, as if I was looking at the direction where the cafeteria would be located.
"No need for that. You are still young and you must cherish every minute of it. The damages you caused are easily repaired or replaced."
So, he really was watching me. Was he also watching me during the missions I had during the break? Probably, because one day wasn't enough to satisfy his curiosity.
"You should not fear your enemies, Jaune. If anything, they should fear you. You are a lot more capable than you think you are." He stood up and walked around the room.
Capable into becoming a magnet of trouble, I scoffed. "That'll only make them want to kill me more."
"That's true, but knowing you, you are never going to allow that to happen, am I correct?" He took another sip. I sighed and nodded. But even if I did survive large Grimm and terrorists, I still prefer to avoid these threats as much as possible. Just because you know how to deal with these things, it doesn't mean you want to deal them. I only learned to adapt just so I could get out of them as sooner as I could.
"That is all. It was nice speaking to you, Jaune. This conversation has been quite enlightening," he finally concluded.
I stood out and puffed. I went to the exit and began to pull the door open before hearing him once again.
"One more thing; your father is very proud of you. While he is indeed worried about your life—he believes in you. Try not to take that away from him."
I gave a dim nod, barely looking back to see him, and walked away.
Leaving the faculty building, I stared at the evening sky—thinking if staying here was the right decision. I just couldn't help but think that it was, it would be too much of a selfish move to just leave after I just had fun with my friends. I still don't know what to think that Ozpin has been aware of my insecurities and actual motives since the beginning. Maybe as long as he keeps his promise of keeping it a secret, it shouldn't be much of a problem, but I still cannot help but doubt.
Strolling around the Beacon courtyard, musing about what to do now that Ozpin knows, I decided to relax and just do the same thing I've always been doing. Ozpin evidently wanted me to stay, so there was no reason for him to expose me as a fraud, he even admits that he prefers this to stay that way.
I headed back to the dorms. Just when I thought I started to watch where I was going, I ended up colliding with a uniformed Haven student in the middle of the campus. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you." I apologized.
She turned around, revealing her green eyes. She was very shortshort enough to make Ruby and Weiss look tall, and her black hair wore twin tails with white bows on each tail. She just stood there, eerily smiling at me without a single word—and I could only stare back, confused with her expression and lack of communication.
"Oh, Nico, there you are! We told you not to wander around alone." One of the two other Haven students approached her. The one who spoke was a dark-skinned girl whose hair is a light-green bob cut and had crimson red eyes, and the other was a boy with grey hair. "Look at who you just found." The former said as she looked at me.
I continued to stare speechlessly and just when I thought about apologizing for jolting into their teammate like a careless idiot, another one of them arrived. This one had long black hair and amber colored eyes, having some sort of mature beauty despite presumably being around my age, and she spoke with a rather soothing voice. "Ah, yes, it looks like Nico has stumbled upon the partner of The Invincible Girl herself." She commented before speaking to me. "Jaune Arc, is it not?"
Just how many Haven students are going to recognize me from Pyrrha alone? I thought to myself. As if my reputation wasn't bad enough, I can definitely see how Pyrrha feels every time someone recognizes her. "That's me!" I said with a grin as I swung my arm with feign enthusiasm. "Sorry for bumping to your friend here. I get lost at my own thoughts when walking sometimes."
"It's okay, I'm sure Nico here thinks so too. She's a sweet, if a very quiet girl, especially around strangers," she replied. For some reason, I could vaguely notice her emphasize on 'sweet', I wasn't exactly sure why but maybe it wasn't important and I was just overthinking again. "Where are my manners? My name is Cinder, and these are my teammates—Mercury, Emerald, and of course, Nico." She gestured at her, who silently waved at me.
"And we're Team Cinnamon!" the gray-haired boy named Mercury said with a grin. "Spelt C-M-E—Oww!" His gut was elbowed by Emerald before he was able to finish. [1]
"We heard some interesting things about you. Is it true that you were a local hero who killed a Vacuan bandit lord and Ursa who were both terrorizing a town?" Cinder asked.
"Well, I don't mean to brag, but I'll be lying if I said that wasn't me." I humbly answered like I did a thousand times before every time this, or just about anything involving me is brought up. "I was just doing it for the good people of that town. They didn't deserve to be attacked like that."
"Handsome, polite, strong, courageous and modest. My, my, that's a very rare combination nowadays, it's no wonder why people talk a lot about you." Cinder remarked with interest. I could only blush as an admittedly gorgeous woman compliments me. When she was about to seductively put a hand on my cheek, my senses quivered that I grabbed her wrist out of pure reflex, causing her to frown and alerting her companions.
I realized that I just made things awkward with my inappropriate reaction. "Sorry. My instincts are acting out." I let go of her arm, calming down her teammates behind her.
Cinder shook her arm. "Strong grip. I like it..." she said, smiled again at me. "We should be off. We were heading to our dorms when Nico wandered off. I'm glad that she did now we were finally able to meet you face-to-face."
I continued to get flush as she stared at me with her alluring looks. "Well, it's nice to meet you too."
"Looking forward to seeing you in action, handsome." She bid me farewell, parting along with three of her teammates.
"Yeah, of course, and welcome to Beacon!" I said.
After watching them leave, I sighed and went back to my own dorm. That woman seemed to be interested in me, while I am not sure where is going with that, I hope that my overreaction didn't turn her off.
Exchange students, a food fight, and a talk with the Great & Powerful Ozpin; meeting fangirls from Vacuo, Sun's friend with a 'cool dude' attitude that somehow manages to appeal Weiss of all people, and this strange team. This semester just keeps getting interesting by the minute, and I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing.
=o=
1. The team name was created from an unfortunate result from the team name generator, and they were stuck with it. Needless to say none of them like it—preferring their unofficial name, Team CMSN (Crimson), although Mercury Black likes to tease his teammates about the name.
That's it for the first chapter of the 2nd-semester arc. Don't forget to leave feedback as usual.
Extras will be released soon as a separate story, with the first short story being currently on the works.
On another note, can't wait to see Volume 6 premiere this week! Hopefully, it would be much better than the last two divisive volumes. Glad they didn't show much in the trailer, only showcasing bits and pieces of the train fight and the other scenes briefly.
Have a Happy Spooktober, everyone!