Thanks for the support.
Second chapter of Fracture, here we go.
Morning.
"Boy! Boy, wake up!"
"Hmm?"
Cuddling in his warm sheets, Jaune groaned in his pillow as he heard the sound of rattling curtains, filling the room with sunlight.
"Get ready, boy." Miss Crappert's voice demanded. "You're leaving in two hours. Prepare yourself."
"Y-yes!" Jaune jumped out of his bed to his feet immediately.
Miss Crappert had to wake him up herself because Jaune would have broken the alarm clock.
"And don't break the shower!" Miss Crappert warned.
Jaune smiled as he went on to prepare himself.
As he dressed up, he didn't have many options, as he only had two sets of clothes. Without much of a choice, he opted for his old, standard blue jeans and a black hoodie.
Shower, breakfast, dressing up, and assembling all his belongings, for some reason today he was able to prepare everything without breaking anything. He was in a good mood!
"Miss Goodwitch should arrive any minute now," Miss Crappert said as Jaune was ready to leave, in front of the entrance.
Apparently, Jaune was receiving a treatment of favor, as he had a professor fetching him alone, along with a personal Bullhead. The other students, Jaune was told, had to take a public ship transport to get to Beacon.
For what reason he was treated so kindly, Jaune didn't know, but he was excited nonetheless.
"Well, go on." Miss Crappert said from the entrance hall. "The bullhead should arrive at the station on the end of the street."
"Ah… Yes."
Jaune adjusted his backpack and turned back to face her.
Jaune had never really liked Miss Crappert, but she had been a constant in his life for a dozen years now. Knowing he wouldn't see her again was quite weird.
"Um…Thanks for everything." Jaune bowed his head.
"Hmph. Try not to break the CCT tower… Jaune."
On these words, she shut the door close, leaving Jaune alone.
Jaune raised his eyes to the sky.
So at the very end, Miss Crappert did call him by his name...
Later.
Jaune saw the bullhead approach on the horizon as he was leaning on a post.
Seeing the ship fly towards his town, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.
He still had many reservations on his decision to become a Beacon student.
But at seventeen years old, it was a critical point in Jaune's life. He had to make an engaged decision, or his life would turn into a nightmare. He had to change things up, he couldn't have gone on with his previous way of life, trying to be a normal civilian even though he was obviously not.
Although, Jaune was hopeful. From what Miss Goodwitch had told him, he could learn a lot at this school.
And like she said, with his curse, it would be relatively easy to kill Grimm.
I want to become useful. Jaune thought with eagerness. I want to do something good with my power.
And Jaune trusted Miss Goodwitch. After all, she had been like him before, breaking things with her semblance, yet she had become a prominent, respectable person.
If Beacon was going to provide him with an opportunity to change, he wasn't going to pass it up.
So, of course, he was excited!
Crack!
"A-ah… no good. Too excited..." Jaune winced he stepped away from the post he had been leaning on, which was now deformed.
Vvvvvvvuuu…
The bullhead slowly landed in front of Jaune, wind blowing through his hair wildly.
"Miss Goodwitch!" Jaune exclaimed enthusiastically when the door opened.
"Hello, Jaune." The blonde woman greeted with a stern look, stepping outside. She narrowed her eyes. "Did you just break that post?"
"U-um…" Jaune looked away.
Miss Goodwitch sighed and pulled out her crop, restoring the post back to its previous condition.
Amazing, amazing!
Jaune couldn't help but gape at the display of skill once again.
He was basically fanboying at this point!
"Where's your luggage?" Miss Goodwitch questioned, looking him up and down.
"Hm? I have my backpack!" Jaune grinned as he turned around to show her.
"…You mean, that's your only belongings?"
"That's all I have!" Jaune smiled.
"…" Miss Goodwtich stared at him for a moment, before waving at him to enter the bullhead.
"W-woah…" Jaune gaped again as he stepped in the vehicle, looking around at every corner.
He had never been in a Bullhead in his life!
This was because it was dangerous for him to be in a flying ship like that.
Why?
Well...
Because…
Later.
You guessed it. Motion sickness!
That's right, Jaune was the kind of useless guy who had stage fright, motion sickness, didn't even know how to swim, had a weak body, and could barely read and write!
"Bb-bgwwaaaah…" Jaune groaned as he tried to keep his breakfast from leaving his body.
Crack!
"Jaune!" Miss Goodwitch raised her voice, "Control yourself! And stay strapped in!"
Crack!
The seat Jaune was sat on cracked loudly, his semblance spreading through the system and shaking the ship to its core.
It had been sleeping for the majority of the trip, but now his curse was finally attacking the ship that was responsible for his motion sickness!
As if it had finally figured out that it was the ship that was making Jaune sick.
Except, by trying to break the ship, the Bullhead no longer flew in a straight line and they experienced tremors and jolts. It was another one of those never-ending cycles!
Meanwhile, Miss Goodwitch was masterfully fixing the ship at the same time, doing her best to counter his semblance with hers.
"If you keep this up, we're going to crash!" Miss Goodwitch shouted at him.
"Bwaaah…" Jaune replied eloquently.
"Pilot!" She called. "How long until we arrive?"
"Just a few minutes!" The pilot replied with a panicked voice and grabbed his mic. "I have no controls! Bullhead 127, we've lost out gravity dust engine! We've lost vertical control!"
"Jaune! Just a few minutes!" Miss Goodwitch called, remaining amazingly calm. "Try to control it! Stop yourself!"
Control? It was impossible to control it!
Stop yourself? But Jaune didn't do anything! It was his semblance that was acting on its own, reacting to his motion sickness!
Crack!
"We've lost the remaining energy!" The pilot screamed. "Bullhead 127, we're declaring an emergency!"
SINK RATE, PULL UP. A robotic voice was repeating. SINK RATE, PULL UP. SINK RATE, PULL UP.
"We-we're gonna crash, Madam!" The pilot screamed as the ship started dangerously losing altitude and diving towards the Beacon docks.
At this moment, Miss Goodwitch raised her crop.
Pink glyphs appeared in the sky, and she raised her hands to the sky.
"Oooooh Lord Monty!" The pilot was screaming. "Gear up! Gear upp! We have a fire on the remaining dust engine!"
Tshhhh...
Some ice appeared out of Miss Goodwitch's crop to extinguish the fire!
"Haaaa..." She groaned as she raised her hands, her eyes closed in concentration, a pink halo of light glowing around her body.
The pink halo expanded to envelop the ship, and then suddenly, an unknown force started to gradually slow the ship down.
Somehow, their speed decreased drastically, the ship piercing many purple glyphs as they approached the docks in what seemed like a rather slow speed, compared to the dive they had just experienced.
Through the cokpit, students could be seen panicking and spreading apart, creating a path for the bullhead.
Miss Goodwitch couldn't stop it completely.
The Bullhead touched the ground, and in a loud, rattling noise, the ship slid and drifted on the Beacon docks for what seemed like an eternity until eventually, it came to a full stop.
...
Just another day for Jaune Arc and his goddamn semblance.
"G-gaaaah… Solid ground…"
Jaune groaned as he stepped out of the bullhead, his semblance immediately cracking the stone slabs he stepped on.
Okay... Jaune had to admit, this one outclassed all the other accidents he had caused in the past.
"My goodness…!" Miss Goodwitch groaned as she followed after him, jumping out of the ship. "You sure are a lot to handle, aren't you?"
"I-I'm so sorry, Madam..." Jaune could only apologize, as he felt his semblance finally faded away now that they had landed.
He felt so guilty, so terrible. He wanted to disappear into the ground. He was going to get expelled before he even tried to pass Initiation, wasn't he?
"...We'll see about that later," Miss Goodwitch panted, looking at their surroundings.
Slowly, the smoke of the crash cleared, revealing numerous students that were staring at them, forming a circle around the crashed bullhead.
Jaune's eyes widened as he turned bright red.
It wasn't even the first day and he had nearly destroyed a Bullhead already! And everyone saw it!
"Miss Goodwitch!" A bombastic voice called. It was a round man with white hair and a mustache, probably one of Beacon's staff. "Dear lord! Now that's what I call an entrance!" He laughed ruefully as is they had just performed a particularly impressive pirouette. "Do you need assistance?"
"I do not, Peter." Miss Goodwitch replied with authority, like the badass Huntress she was. She raised her voice at the students. "Move along, everyone! I will take care of this mess." She stated somewhat proudly.
"You heard the professor!" The man named Peter shouted for everyone. "Go on, we have the situation under control!"
Raising her crop, Miss Goodwitch pulled the pilot out of the ship. The poor man was safe and uninjured, thank goodness. Then she raised her other hand, and her body glowed pink again while the entire bullhead started levitating, under her sheer power.
"W-woaaah…" The students gaped, staying to observe the spectacle, of course.
"Is this one of our professors?"
"It's Miss Goodwitch!"
"Yang, look, she's the one who saved me!"
"As expected of a member of Beacon staff."
"Who's the guy next to her?"
"Is he a student like us?"
"U-um…" Uncomfortable being the center of attention, Jaune hesitated to bother Miss Goodwitch.
She turned towards him, "Follow me, Mr. Arc." She articulated, still focusing on levitating the Bullhead.
"Mr... Arc?" Jaune blinked as he followed after her.
Who… Oh, right, Jaune's last name was Arc.
Jaune Arc... It still felt weird to have a last name.
Jaune gulped as he looked behind him, feeling the weight of many stares on his back.
On the ground where Jaune had landed, remained his two footsteps, deeply embedded into the stone slabs, from which spread a thin web of fissures.
Jaune turned back and hurried after Miss Goodwtich.
Later.
"…Jaune." Miss Goodwitch finally sighed after she put the bullhead down next to a warehouse and left it to a pilot. "You have to get your power under control… as soon as possible. We can't keep going like this."
"Th-this was because of my motion sickness! My semblance goes wild when I'm in danger... I'm very sorry..."
"So it would seem," Miss Goodwitch admitted, adjusting her glasses as she looked at his feet, checking for any cracks on the ground. There wasn't, of course, since Jaune had long since calmed down. Or rather, his semblance had calmed down.
"…I'm sorry I have to do this, but... From now on, please don't take any bullhead without specific permission." Miss Goodwitch asked, throwing him a sympathetic look.
"O-okay…Um..." Jaune hesitated, "S-so, I'm not expelled?"
"You were not at fault, Mr. Arc." Miss Goodwitch replied. "You would be amazed at how many accidents like this happen in a school full of Huntsmen in training, all kids learning how to control their semblances. Something like this is quite common for us Beacon staff."
"R-really?" Jaune sighed in relief. Beacon sure was amazing.
"Although, we definitely have to get your semblance under control." Miss Goodwitch sighed. "This will be our top priority. You will have private lessons with me, Jaune. I will teach you what you need to know."
"O-oh wow, really!" Jaune gasped in amazement.
Private lessons with the person he admired most, super-badass-Huntress who can stop a Bullhead from crashing, Miss Goodwitch! Jaune couldn't wait.
"Considering you didn't go to a combat school, nor did you have any training, you will have to work hard to catch up with your peers." She remarked with a stern look. "Understood?"
"Yes, I'll work hard!" Jaune nodded eagerly. "I promise!"
Miss Goodwitch gave him a smile. "It's good that you are motivated. Now, come with me."
She led him to what seemed to be the dorms and entered a storage room where two bags were laying.
"Here," She grabbed and gave him the two bags. "This is yours."
"Huh? What?" Jaune blinked. "N-no, I can't accept this…"
"You can't possibly have everything you need in that backpack of yours." Miss Goodwitch insisted, unshakable. "This will give you the bare minimum, things like a change of clothes, the standard Beacon uniform, basic toiletries, as well as the tools to study and write down notes."
"…!"
Jaune was blown away! Such luxury items, just for him?
"Th-this is too much…"
"It is necessary, Jaune. Just accept it without making any fuss." Miss Goodwitch said, shoving the two bags in his hands.
"…"
Jaune held the precious bags safely against him.
He didn't have many belongings, so being offered two bags worth of stuff… It basically tripled the number of things he possessed. For Jaune, it was a huge gift!
"Th-thank you..." Jaune bowed his head.
Being so kind to him, even though he broke a Bullhead. Miss Goodwitch was so understanding.
Unlike all his previous foster families, who had generally abandoned him after Jaune broke one too many things.
"Now, you should meet some other students on your own." Miss Goodwitch advised. "Talk to other people, and make some friends."
"Eh? Friends?"
"Be sure to be on time for the headmaster's introduction speech in the main hall." She reminded him.
"O-okay…"
And like that, Miss Goodwitch left him alone.
'Make some friends', she said… as if it was that simple, for the socially awkward Jaune! Especially after crashing on the docks like that.
"..."
Jaune looked around nervously.
Come to think of it… Where was he? Where was the main hall?
Jaune had no sense of direction, he was already lost on the school grounds.
"E-er… I should have followed Miss Goodwitch." Jaune mumbled regretfully.
He wondered on the school paths for a moment, before eventually spotting someone.
There!
Jaune froze. A girl!
Wearing a black long-sleeved dress and red cape, along with thick black longings and big boots.
He had never talked to a girl his age. How should he start a conversation?
Hm?
Now that he took a better look at her, her face seemed familiar…
This dark hair that gradually turned to red at the tips, and these silver eyes that looked like mirrors, where had Jaune seen them before?
Jaune frowned, trying to remember. Hmmm…
Before he knew it, their eyes had suddenly met.
"Ah!" The girl gasped and pointed a finger at him.
"Ah!" Jaune echoed, caught looking.
"Crashing Boy!"
"Eh, me?" Jaune, like the fool he was, reacted to the nickname.
Swish!
In a burst of red petals, she was by his side!
"O-oooh…!" Jaune gaped at the speed.
Incredible! Was everyone like this in this school? Telekinesis, and super speed?
"It's you right?!" The girl exclaimed hesitantly, narrowing her eyes. "Right, it is you!" She giggled. "You crashed a Bullhead on the docks! Pffft!"
"I-I didn't do it on purpose!" Jaune widened his eyes, panicking. Already it was coming back to bite him.
"Hahaha! Sorry!" She laughed, holding her sides, "Don't worry, just a moment earlier, I sneezed and exploded some princess' dust, too! So I know how you feel!"
"O-oh, explode? Are you okay?" Jaune asked, looking her up and down. She didn't seem hurt.
"Not a single scratch, I protected myself with Aura!" She waved it off, giving a thumbs up. "But you, how did you crash on the docks?! Were you attacked by Nevermores and had an epic battle in the skies?"
"Attacked by what?" Jaune blinked, confused. "N-no, we weren't attacked by anything..."
"Really? Well, that's fine, it was still awesome to see how Miss Goodwitch lifted that bullhead!" The girl gushed.
"Yeah, yeah, I saw it too, I saw it too!" Jaune instantly switched into fanboy mode, jumping at the chance to praise his Miss Goodwitch. "She's so cool, she can repair everything with her semblance, too! And she kept her cool all the time even though the bullhead was going to crash… As if she was used to it! Which she is, she told me!"
"Oh wow, she's like a true Huntress!" The girl squealed and gushed with him. "Wait! She IS a true Huntress! Haha..." She laughed awkwardly, blushing in embarrassment. She was quick to recover, speaking fast: "But wow, can you imagine, in four years, we're going to be Huntsmen just like her! That's crazy!"
"Ye-yeah… It seems impossible, honestly." Jaune said, adjusting his hold on the two bags in his hands, as his arms were already getting tired of carrying them.
"What's with the bags?" The girl asked.
"Ah, Miss Goodwitch gave them to me, since I couldn't afford the minimum school supplies…"
"She did? Here, I'll help you carry one!" She grabbed a bag for him.
"Thanks..." Jaune smiled gratefully. "Um, they're precious, so don't wave it around..."
Though he said that, there was nothing precious in the bags.
"No worries! So there are programs to help the poor, huh!" The girl mused cheerfully, "Beacon is really awesome!"
The 'poor'? Jaune blinked at the word.
He never thought of himself as poor… He always had a roof above his head and food in his plate, it wasn't like he was homeless.
…
Crap! Actually, he was kinda homeless, wasn't he?
"Where is she now?" The girl asked.
"Miss Goodwitch? Ah, she left me on my own, telling me to go talk to other people and make friends…" Jaune answered.
"Uuuugh!" The girl scoffed and groaned exaggeratedly. "I hate this, I hate this! My sister is the same! She ditched me so I can make some friends of my own as well, to 'grow out my shell', she said! But I don't need any friends!"
"You don't?" Jaune gaped. This girl sure was strong! If it was Jaune, he would love to have friends.
"Hah! Of course, I don't! I drink milk instead!" She crossed her eyes proudly. "Much more effective to grow up!"
"I like milk too," Jaune said. "But still, I think having friends is important..."
"Right... I guess so." The girl admitted. "I-in fact, um," She hesitated, shifting awkwardly. "L-let's... let's be friends! The two of us! So that we don't have to find other friends! And so people stop annoying us for having no friends!"
"R-really, is that how it works?!" Jaune's eyes widened, completely shocked by the turn of events. He found his first friend – and it was a girl – that easily? "Just like that? But, we don't even know each other's name…"
"N-names! R-right!" She stuttered, blushing. "Of course, I knew that. Haha… I was just… Waiting for you to give yours! Ye-yeah, that's it!"
"Ah! Sorry!" Jaune naively apologized, "Then... My name is Jaune… Arc!"
"And I'm Ruby Rose!" She turned around, spinning her body as if to make some grand entrance, making her squirt flutter cutely. "See! Easy peasy, now let's shake hands," She grabbed his hand and shook it, "And now we're officially friends! Hah, now we don't even need to find other friends! Muahaha, that will show my big sis for sure!"
"You're right! I don't think I could find someone else like you anyway…"
"I know the feeling, uh…" She paused for a second, staring at him. "Crashing Boy… friend!"
"…It's Jaune… Did you already forget my name?"
"Ja-jaune! Right!" She laughed and slapped his shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. "I knew that, I was just teasing you! Hahahaha!"
"…Hahaha…" Jaune forced a laugh, too.
"…"
"…"
Oh no!
They ran out of words!
Crap!
This was the dreaded awkward silence that Jaune was constantly facing!
"Um-"
"Er-"
The two spoke up at the same time.
Very awkward. Jaune was cringing to death!
"…"
"…"
"G-go ahead." Jaune waved at her.
"N-nah, you go ahead!"
"O-okay…"
Terrible, awkward interactions! Such was the story of Jaune's social life.
Unknown to him, of course, Ruby was actually just as bad with people as he was!
"Wh-why… Er, why are you so young?" Jaune asked. "I mean, sorry if I'm wrong, but, um, you are younger, right?"
"Yeah, I'm fifteen! It's because I'm a hero!" She puffed up her chest, "I stopped a villain from robbing a dust shop the other day!"
Jaune widened his eyes, amazed. "Oh wow, really!"
"Yep, so Ozpin said," She modified her voice to try to sound like some grown man. "'Hohoohoo, we need such an awesome girl like you in our ranks! Glynda, let's invite her to our school!' And that's how I got in!"
"That's great!" Jaune gaped.
"Yep! Me and Crescent Rose, we kicked Torchwick's ass!"
Saying that, she deployed a giant metallic red scythe.
"Woah!"
Jaune immediately took a step back, intimidated. "Wh-what's that?!"
"It's my baby! My weapon of choice, a collapsible scythe, as well as a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle."
"…Th-that's cool." Jaune carefully gave a smile, having no idea what she just said.
"What about you?" She nudged his arm. "What do you got?"
"Me? Er…"
…
Hm?
Eh? Wait a minute.
Jaune didn't… have any weapon?
Eh? Wasn't it... pretty bad?
"…N-nothing," Jaune mumbled, the horrible realization making his shoulders slump. "I... have... nothing."
"Uuuuuaaaargh!"
Ruby screamed in pained and reared back as if Jaune had just shot an arrow through her heart.
"H-how… how is that possible!" She exclaimed, eyes tearing up. She seemed really shaken to her core. "No weapon? Really? Impossible! How do you even fight!"
Fight?
Um, come to think of it, Jaune never fought once in his life…
"I just, um… I just touch the Grimm… And they die?" Jaune tried.
"Wh-whaaaat!" Ruby gasped, "Th-that's so badass!"
Crap, Jaune worded it badly!
"It's really not that impressive."
"Hell yeah, it is! With your bare hands, are you kidding me." She grinned. Then she suddenly came real close to him, and whispered, as if confessing a secret: "But seriously... you should still get a weapon... All Huntsmen need a weapon... it is the dream of their life... You must get a weapon, absolutely..."
C-creepy! So creepy! Jaune backed away from her.
"W-well, um..." He scratched his head, uncomfortable with the subject. "I have a bad tendency of breaking things, so I can't invest too much into objects like that…"
"It's fine!" Ruby insisted cheerfully, "Then it just needs to be very sturdy!"
"I'm not sure how sturdy it needs to be. This breaking habit is pretty bad, you know…"
"Then you'll just have to change your habits! You must not give up on discovering the romance of having your own weapon and maintaining it and everything!"
"R-romance?" Jaune blushed at the mere word. "Er… Aren't you exaggerating things?"
"A-ah, sorry!" Ruby blushed too, "Did I sound too much like a nerd? I just get excited about this stuff…!"
"No, I think it's great to have something to be so passionate about…!" Jaune smiled at her.
Come to think of it, Jaune didn't have anything like that.
It made him envious. Were weapons really that awesome? Ruby made him want to have his own, now.
I want a weapon, too… Jaune dreamed, A cool weapon.
But he couldn't have one. Not with his semblance breaking it at every occasion.
"By the way, where are we going?" Ruby asked.
"Hm? I was following you…"
"…"
"…"
Later.
Jaune and Ruby hurried into the hall to listen to the headmaster's speech, just in time.
"Ruby!" A blonde girl called her over.
"I'll see you later, Jaune!" Ruby said.
Jaune waved at her as she left him.
"…"
Jaune couldn't help but grin like a fool. He had just talked to a girl for the first time! And for quite a long time, too!
"I hope I see her again," Jaune mumbled dreamily.
Not that he had any romantic interest or anything, but Ruby was basically his first friend.
For Jaune, it was a big deal!
"Out of my way, weakling." Someone suddenly bumped in his shoulder and walked past him.
It was a big strong guy in armor, with a sharp look in his blue eyes and burnt-orange hair combed backward.
"Wh-what?" Jaune asked, confused.
"I know a weakling when I see one. You pulled some strings to get here... You damn fake, you should go back to being a civilian."
And with that, he turned away and left.
"...Eh." Jaune shrugged.
He was used to it! Being bullied for many years, he had learned to ignore such people, and it had now become a reflex.
"Ahem."
A voice suddenly rang loudly from the Hall.
"I'll… keep this brief." The headmaster declared, gathering attention.
Ozpin was a middle-aged man with silver hair and brown eyes. He wore glasses on his nose and had a cane in his hand, though he didn't look like he needed it. He seemed a lot younger than what Jaune had imagined.
"You have traveled here in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people.
"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you, to take the first step."
Jaune had spaced out during the whole speech. He wasn't the only one, it seemed, as people exchanged confused looks.
The headmaster stepped back, letting Miss Goodwitch follow up.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."
Later.
"Pyjamas… She even gave me pyjamas." Jaune marveled as he opened the bags that Miss Goodwitch had given him.
They were just a set of white long-sleeved shirt and pants, but Jaune still appreciated them.
"Did she get my size from Miss Crappert?" Jaune wondered as the clothes were perfectly fitting him.
He was very happy with these nice-smelling clothes.
"Now what?" Jaune wondered, looking around.
His eyes landed on Ruby.
Seeing him looking, she grinned and waved at him.
Jaune smiled and waved back, and as he was about to walk over to her, he noticed the blonde girl beside her.
Another girl! She was beautiful… Too beautiful for Jaune! If he went over there, he would make a fool out of himself, he just knew it.
Let's not go over there…
Jaune cautiously backed away like a coward. That was how bad he was at social interactions!
With Ruby, she had been the one to walk up to him and had led the conversation, but in reality, Jaune was way too shy to casually talk with girls.
Well, guys too, for that matter... But girls were even worse, because of the whole puberty thing.
The nice, quirky Ruby was the exception.
So instead, Jaune settled down and explored what Miss Goodwitch had given him, opening the bag of school supplies.
"Hm? Books?"
Jaune's heart skipped a beat. He had books? Rapidly, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out five books.
'Understanding the Basics of Aura'
'Fifty most common Grimm found in Eastern Sanus'
'History of the Huntsman profession'
'How to tame a spontaneous semblance'
'Basics of Tactics and Strategies for Four-men teams'
"Th-this… ooooh!" Jaune gaped as he read one title after the other.
Amazing!
Discovering one good surprise after another, Jaune once again told himself that coming to this school had been the best decision of his life.
Eagerly, Jaune picked the first one, carefully laying it in front of him to keep his semblance from ripping it up, and put the four others back in his bag.
If he remembered correctly, Ruby had mentioned Aura. He had a vague idea of what it was, but it was best to learn from a verified source.
Jaune delicately opened the book to the first page, making sure to not touch the book unless he had to. It was the precaution he had to take to ensure his semblance didn't rip up the book on a random whim.
And so, Jaune started reading slowly.
'Aura is the manifestation of one's soul, and can be used for a wide range of abilities. The specific abilities and their strengths differ from individual to individual and are dependent on a number of factors, such as experience, training, and innate skill…
Every living being has a soul, and therefore possesses Aura: Human, Faunus, animals and even plants.
… - activation of Aura requires training and willpower, though someone with considerable training can unlock the Aura of another person-
…- Grimm have no Aura, they are soulless monsters - …
… - skilled users of Aura can create their own barriers or even-...
… - can be recharged, and the time required to completely recover is different for each person-…
… - can protect from harsh climates-...
… - manifests in different ways, such as Semblances-…
…- personal power, an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from one user to another-…
…- with Dust, certain individuals can modify some effects of their Semblances with elements such as fire or lightning - …
…- Overuse of one's semblance for prolonged periods may adversely affect its user-…
Jaune paused. That really was too many information, but…
Something was wrong… If Aura was indeed necessary to wield a semblance, then it meant that Jaune had his Aura unlocked somehow, really early in his life.
But he didn't remember when it had been activated… As far as Jaune was concerned, he had his semblance unlocked for as long as he could remember.
Did that mean someone activated it for him? Hmmm…
Plus, Jaune had never suffered exhaustion from using his semblance, even after breaking many, many things.
Jaune frowned as he skimmed through the pages of the book again.
…- the more one practices his semblance, the stronger it will become -…
…Technically, Jaune had used his semblance every single day… Was it why it could be so strong sometimes?
Jaune shrugged to himself and put the book back in the back. Because he was a slow reader, he didn't have time to learn much, as he was getting tired and everyone was getting to sleep.
Maybe I should have read on Grimm instead… Jaune thought as he wondered what kind of test the teachers were going to give for Initiation.
On that thought, Jaune fell asleep.
"You have failed, Mr. Arc."
"As expected, all you can do is break things. Did you not have enough with the Bullhead? I will not keep repairing your mistakes!"
"Just like I thought, you weakling. You never deserved to take a step into this school."
"How disappointing! You delinquent, I thought I was finally rid of you!"
"P-please give me another chance!"
"You have failed."
"N-no..."
"Jaune! How could you break apart my baby Crescent Rose like that? You're a cruel jerk, I hate you!"
"I-I'm sorry! I-"
"Aaagh!" Jaune gasped, snapping his eyes open.
He panted for a moment, sitting up on his couch. Around him, the students were busying themselves and waking up.
Just a dream… Jaune sighed to himself.
A normal night for Jaune Arc.
Later.
"…What am I doing here?"
Jaune wondered as he walked through the corridors full of lockers.
He had no weapons or armor to store, but Jaune supposed he could put his bags in there.
"Six-three-six… Where is it?"
As Jaune walked through the corridor trying to find his locker, he grew more and more nervous.
This was because everyone was pulling out awesome weapons out of their lockers! This was bad, Jaune had nothing to defend himself, he looked like an amateur in his jeans and hoodie.
Well, he had his curs- his semblance to protect himself, but that was it.
"Six-three-six… Six-three-six... It's here."
There were two girls talking in front of his locker.
One of them was paled skinned, with pale blue eyes and long white hair pulled back in, weirdly, an off-center bun tail, and pinned with icicle shaped thingy. A crooked scar was running vertically down her left eye and cheek. She wore a dress similar to Ruby's, except it was white.
The other was also rather pale-skinned, but had green eyes and red hair pulled in a ponytail. Compared to the other girl, she was quite tall and muscular, and wore an elaborate bronze armor set.
...Both were stunningly beautiful!
"…"
Jaune stood there for a while.
This was bad! For the coward-Jaune who had backed away from the other blonde girl last evening, this was even worse.
Just by looking at them, he could tell these girls weren't like the nice quirky Ruby. These two girls were most likely going to ignore him! How should he ask them to move away?
Jaune gulped, gathered his courage, and…
"U-um…"
"-sure everyone would like to unite with such a strong, well-known individual, such as yourself." One of them, the white-haired one, was saying.
"Um…"
"Hmmm... I'm not quite sure…" The other mused. "I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."
"Er…"
"Well... I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together."
"Excuse me..."
"Well, that sounds grand!" The red-headed gave a smile and turned towards him, "What is it, do you need something?" She asked kindly.
"S-sorry, it's just, could you move a bit? You're standing in front of my locker."
"Oh. Of course!"
Jaune gulped as he stepped between them to get to his locker and grabbed the handle-
Crack!
The door's joints broke and Jaune reaped the door out of his locker, which damaged the nearby lockers too.
"A-aah! I'm sorry!"
"What are you doing!" The white-haired girl screamed in his ears. "Can't you watch your hands! You brute, those were last generation rocket lockers!"
"R-rocket... lockers?" Jaune repeated dumbly.
"How can I store my precious dust safely now! My locker is all messed up! I need a safe place to store it otherwise some Faunus thief is going to steal it!"
"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't-"
Crack!
The handle of the door broke apart, causing it to fall on the ground, making a loud metallic noise that gathered people's attention.
"You gauche!" The white-haired girl shouted at him. "Do you just break everything you touch?"
Yes!
"Actually, you're that boy who crashed a Bullhead, aren't you?" She pointed an accusatory finger.
"I-it wasn't intentional!" Jaune raised his hands as if she had a gun in her hand. "I-it was an accident, I swear!"
"An accident? You're just like that other girl I met yesterday." Weiss approached, waving her finger in front of his face menacingly. "People could have died! This isn't a place for walking hazards like yourself!"
"Weiss, Weiss. Shouting at him won't help things," The redhead intervened. "Let me help..."
She stepped forward and raised her hand, which started glowing with a dark halo.
The door glowed dark too and rose up in the air.
"W-wow! You too?" Jaune gasped, thinking of Miss Goodwitch's telekinesis.
The girl named Pyrrha merely smiled as she pushed the door in its joints.
"Hold it in place, Pyrrha," The other, named Weiss, said as she raised her weird looking sword. "Here!"
Her sword started glowing red, and a tiny flame came out of the point of her sword.
Between Pyrrha's telekinesis and Weiss' fire melting the metal, the door was soon welded back into place.
The two girls did the same for the two other doors and the broken handle.
"Wow… That was amazing." Jaune gaped. Were those their semblances? How impressive, to have that much control…
"It was nothing," Pyrrha waved it off.
"Hmph… But of course, it was nothing" Weiss boasted. "Pyrrha and I are the best students of our year. We are already proving an efficient team."
"Team?" Jaune repeated. What teams?
"Yes." Weiss nodded gracefully. "With all due respect, I do not think a commoner like you would fit in a team of elites like ours."
There were teams?
"I guess that's true…" Jaune admitted.
"No, it's not." Pyrrha tried to cheer him up, "I'm sure you would make a great teammate."
"...Please don't lie." Jaune turned away in embarrassment. He wished that was true, but he had no training and no friends. He would make the worst teammate.
"W-well... Still, it was nice meeting you. Good luck for initiation." Pyrrha said and walked away.
"Yes, you will need it!" Weiss added, throwing him a look of pity before following after Pyrrha.
Jaune sighed. He was probably not going to make it through Initiation, wasn't he?
"Jaaaauuuuune!"
Ruby suddenly appeared out of nowhere in a burst of petals.
"I watched the whole thing! Holy crap, that was amazing! Did you see how she could levitate the door?!"
"Y-yeah, that was so cool…" Jaune sighed, envious, as he put his bags inside his locker. "And the other had an awesome sword that could use fire dust to stick it back together..."
"Sword? Sword?! Blasphemy! Don't call it a sword, Jaune. Call it a rapier!" Ruby lectured with an angry face.
"A what?"
"A rapier! A rapier! And ooooh man, I gotta ask her about those cartridges!" Her smile dropped for a moment, looking down, "But we got off on the wrong foot with her since I exploded on her yesterday... I'll have to make up with her. Did you ask for their names?"
"Er, no, but it's Weiss and Pyrrha," Jaune answered, remembering their conversation.
"No! No! Not the girls, silly!" Ruby shook her head wildly and giggled, rolling her eyes. "The weapons!"
"Huh?"
"The names of their weapons! I want them!"
"Er…" Jaune hesitated, still confused. "They... They have names?!"
"Of course!" Ruby grinned widely, and started to squeal, "Oh my gosh, I want to examine their weapons so baaad!"
"Easy there, little sis." The blonde girl from yesterday suddenly appeared. "They're just weapons."
"Just weapons? Just weapons?!" Ruby screamed. "They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! Ooooh, they're so cool…"
"You're gonna scare your friend away, Rubes."
"I'm not scared!" Jaune instantly protested. "I, uh, I want to learn more about weapons, too."
It was true. Maybe it was because Ruby was his first friend, or because he was naive and easily influenceable, but Jaune did want to have his own weapon too and learn more about them.
"Then we're gonna be best friends for sure!" Ruby cheered, raising her hands.
Ah!
Jaune's eyes widened.
It was the so-called high-five!
Back when he was being bullied, Jaune had watched his classmates do it several times, and at the time, he had always been wishing he could have someone to do it with. Because it seemed so cool!
So, of course, Jaune, grinning like a child, happily high-fived Ruby.
"Oooooh," Ruby grabbed him by the shoulder, "You and I are gonna be BFFs, I just know it!"
"BFF?" Jaune tilted his head to the side.
"It means Bad Friends Forever." Ruby's sister said.
Jaune's smile fell.
"Yaaang! That's not what it means!" Ruby protested angrily. "And you better be careful, cause Jaune beats up Grimm with his bare hands!"
"Really?" Yang raised an unimpressed eyebrow, clearly skeptical as she eyed him up and down, which made him shift awkwardly, embarrassed. "You? Against Grimm? With your bare hands?"
"Th-that's... true..." Jaune admitted, breaking in a cold sweat.
This was bad. Even though he wasn't lying, they still misunderstood. They probably thought he was a badass Huntsman that received years of training in martial arts or something like that, but that wasn't the case at all!
Yet, Jaune didn't say anything, because he was too scared of losing Ruby's precious friendship. What if she only liked him because she thought he was badass?
"Well, I'm Yang Xiao-Long." The beautiful blonde finally presented herself. "Ruby's older sister!"
"I'm Jaune." Jaune simply replied. "I, uh, met Ruby yesterday..." He added as if he was justifying himself.
Why did he feel the need to say that all of a sudden?
Was it because Yang's inquisitive eyes were scanning him like X-rays?
At this moment, Miss Goodwitch's voice suddenly called through the microphone.
"Would all first-year students please report to beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."
Jaune's stomach dropped.
"That's our cue." Ruby said eagerly, "Let's go!"
Later.
"For years you have trained to become warriors." Ozpin declared. "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." Miss Goodwitch followed up, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion.
"Each of you will be given teammates. Today."
"What?" Ruby gasped.
So it was true, there were going to be put in teams?
And suddenly, Jaune realized. That was why Miss Goodwitch gave him a book about tactics of four-man teams! He should have realized sooner.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin followed. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."
Jaune glanced at Ruby, who was whining fearfully.
It would be nice if I was paired with her…
Then again, maybe it's best if I don't weight her down.
Ruby was probably feeling the same way, as she was looking towards her sister.
"That being said," Miss Goodwitch continued, "The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
…So much for that. Looks like Jaune didn't get to pick his partner anyway.
…Wait. Landing? What landing?
"What?!" Ruby exclaimed.
"After you've partnered up," Ozpin continued, masterfully ignoring the complaints of the students. "Make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die.
"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple of the path containing several relics.
"Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff.
"We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately.
"Are there any questions?" Ozpin finished.
Jaune raised his hand. "Yes, um…"
"Good!" Ozpin ignored him. "Now, take your positions."
Jaune put down his hand, his eyes widening as Weiss got suddenly catapulted by a weird platform.
Jaune threw a panicked look at Miss Goodwitch.
This wasn't serious, right? There was no way they were getting catapulted!
But no, when he looked to his left, the students were launched into the forest one by one.
Jaune gulped as Ruby looked back at him, smirking, before finally getting catapulted too.
He was next! Jaune shut his eyes close.
He was going to die!
…
…
…
Crack.
Jaune opened an eye.
"Hm?"
He was still on the cliffs.
Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Arc… Please step on another platform. It appears yours is broken."
"U-um…? But, I really don't want to get catapulted…"
"Then you won't pass the initiation, and won't be able to become a Huntsman." Ozpin pointed out. "Do you want to waste this opportunity?"
"N-no…! But, I don't want to die…!"
"Your Aura will protect you, Mr. Arc." Ozpin said. "Have faith in your own abilities."
"Ozpin..." Miss Goodwitch hesitated, as Jaune was throwing her a panicked look. "Are you sure..."
"He has to go through Initiation like all the others." Ozpin nodded, unflappable. "Mr. Arc, please step on Miss Rose's platform."
"Th-that one?"
"Yes, please."
Jaune closed his eyes shut again, took a deep breath, and stepped on it.
Crack.
…
…
…
"…Jaune…" Miss Goodwitch sighed, raising her hand to her eyes. "Please stop breaking the platforms..."
"I-I'm sorry…" Jaune bowed his head apologetically.
Ozpin smiled. "No choice then, if it's like this… Glynda, please activate it manually."
"Eh?"
Miss Goodwitch raised her crop and pointed it at the platform.
"I'm sorry, Jaune."
Huh?
Suddenly, the platform was forcibly activated by telekinesis, and Jaune was launched into the air.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhh…!"
Glynda bit her lip as she watched the young boy scream in terror as he flew through the air.
"Are you worried, Glynda?" Ozpin asked nonchalantly.
"Yes!" She snapped. "How is he going to land? He has no training! None!"
Ozpin merely smiled and took a sip of his coffee.
"I am sure Mr. Arc will be fine. He shows tremendous potential."
"I hope you're right…" Glynda muttered, observing the feed on their scroll.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Jaune's scream was picked up by the cameras.
Boom!
Displayed on the screen, Jaune Arc violently impacted the ground, creating a small crater and raising a large cloud of dust.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…Ozpin? He's not moving…"
"…"
Ozpin took another sip of coffee, keeping his countenance.
A/N: And so, Jaune experienced two crashes in less than twenty-four hours.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. I hope you don't mind my writing style, it's a bit all over the place.
I feel like I described Jaune's thoughts a bit too much in this one, but it's necessary to describe what kind of person he is, as he is quite different from canon-Jaune. A lot more shy and insecure.
I'll write some other POVs next chapter.
Until next time. I need to sleep.