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Jaune clapped politely as Oscar concluded his speech announcing the grand reopening of Beacon. The huntsman chuckled as a wave of thunderous applause and cheering drowned out the whatever else the beleaguered former farm boy was trying to say. While the new…ish headmaster of Beacon tried to restore order and continue speaking, Jaune smiled softly before turning to leave.
Things were about done here, after this it was the banquet, but he didn't need to be around for that, now was a good time to slip away into the night and return to his job. Some days he could scarcely believe it, the war against Salem was over, it was actually over. The Grimm were still a threat but without her guiding intelligence, humanity had a real chance to push back the darkness.
Jaune's hand reflexively reached towards his waist, searching for an absent Crocea Mors. Noticing what he was doing, Jaune clenched his fist and slowly lowered it, sighing as he did so. The war had left its mark on him, on all of them. One of his greatest fears was waking up one day and finding out their victory had been nothing more than an illusion.
'No… Salem's gone. She's not coming back. There's just Grimm and bandits on the frontier to destroy now. She's not coming back…' Jaune shook his head to clear away the negativity, plastering a practiced smile over his visage to hide his thoughts from the world.
"Jaune? Where are you going? The ceremony isn't over yet." Weiss's voice cut through the silent air and Jaune paused in his tracks.
"Oh, hey Weiss. Oscar's pretty much done already so I thought I'd go for some fresh air." Jaune said, fake smile growing wider as he turned to face her.
"Uh huh. And you weren't planning on running off to go fight Grimm on your own?" The head of the SDC shook her head in disappointment.
"This is behaviour we expect from the old Blake, how is it that she's improved and you've picked up on her bad habits instead?"
"I'm not that bad. I just… needed a little air. Everything's fine, honest!" Jaune protested, trying to wave away her concerns.
"Jaune? I grew up in Atlas, I've been surrounded by snakes hiding behind false smiles for nearly my entire life up until I went to Beacon. And so, I've become very good at seeing through them. So please, tell me what convinced you that you could get one past me?" Weiss said, folding her arms and one foot started tapping against the ground expectantly.
"Haaa… what do you want me to say Weiss?" Jaune sighed and allowed his fake smile to drop, allowing the exhaustion beneath to show through for a moment before it was replaced with steel.
"Ceremony's pretty much over, there's no need for me to show my face for the banquet or the dance afterwards. Might as well head for the frontier now, it's a long trip back to the front lines."
"Front lines? The war is over Jaune, we have other huntsmen and huntresses working to take Remnant back from the Grimm. There's hardly a need for you to exhaust yourself with endless fighting. Peace is almost here, you can relax." Weiss said.
"Almost, but not yet. Until we have a lasting peace, I can't rest. Every second I spend here… I just wonder how much more good I could be doing out there instead." Jaune replied, fingers twitching again and reaching for a missing weapon once more.
"Salem's gone. It's just clean up efforts now. You and I both know the presence of one more huntsman won't speed up the process any further. Why are you running away from us? Do you detest us so much you can't even bear to stick around?" Weiss pushed past his flimsy excuse and waited for his reply.
"Of course I don't hate you! I'm not running away from you all, I just…" Jaune trailed off and averted his eyes.
"Then what is this about Jaune? I… we're all worried about you. You've been fighting alone ever since Ren and Nora settled down and semi-retired to raise a family. Outside of big events like this, it feels like you've been avoiding us." Weiss said.
"There's nothing left for me here okay. This… all this… I'm a stranger in a familiar land Weiss. I don't… I can't feel at home anymore." Jaune threw his hands in the air and sighed explosively, before chuckling in a self-deprecating manner.
"All the training I did, all the experience I picked up along the way. They've prepared me for a lot of things, normalcy… just isn't one of them. It feels like I've been fighting forever, and now that the war's over, what's left? I've forgotten how to be normal Weiss."
"Jaune…" Weiss started before the words failed her.
"I walk down the streets and all I see are possible ambush points, I keep waiting for Tyrian to jump out at me even though Qrow killed him long ago. Every shadow I see is a Grimm waiting to pounce. I… I can't… haaahahahaha… I'm broken. The battlefield is the only place I feel at home now. There's… there's no place for me here." Jaune's steely gaze faltered and for a brief instant, the broken knight beneath it could be seen before his body shuddered and the mask was back in place.
"So yeah. That's why I'm heading back, there's just… nothing left for me here. Out on the frontier, at least I can contribute to making Remnant a safer place, maybe save the lives of the wounded with my semblance. It's all I can do now."
"That's not true. I'm… we're here for you Jaune. Or are you saying your friends are nothing?" Weiss challenged.
"Of course I'm not saying that." Jaune hastily denied.
"It's just you have your own lives to lead now. I'm not going to burden you all, there's no need for you concern yourself with this broken shell Wei-" A loud slap and a stinging sensation on his cheek shut Jaune up. The huntsman reached up to rub his already reddening cheek.
"How dare you. How dare you assume we'd be fine letting you suffer in silence. Where do you get off declaring yourself to be a burden to us!?" Weiss said, slowly raising her voice and stepping forwards.
"I… I'm sorry? But it's the t-"
"If you say it's the truth, I will slap you again. After everything we've been through, do you seriously expect us to just let things slide? Do you really think Ruby would stop caring? Ren and Nora? Me?" Weiss continued, poking a finger into Jaune's chest and getting him to take a few steps back.
"The Jaune Arc I knew doesn't know the meaning of the word impossible. That Jaune Arc snuck into Beacon without a day of actual training to try and become a huntsman. That Jaune Arc got knocked down so many times but always got back up. That Jaune Arc refused to quit even when facing down an immortal witch older than humanity itself. So what happened to that man? When did you give up on even trying to improve your lot?"
"It… I don't know. It just feels so hopeless at times. I tried so hard and what do I have to show for it? Scars? You know, I always wanted to be a hero, now that people are calling me one, I feel like anything but. Have I even succeeded at anything in the past? Why try anymore?" Jaune averted his eyes to stare at his shoes, the polished black leather reflecting his own distorted face back at him.
"When did failure ever stop you from trying again? I should know, your… pursuit of me was… vexing at time back then." Weiss joked but failed to lift the mood.
"Yeah… sorry about that. I should have just taken the hint you weren't interested. At least I got it eventually though, you won't have to worry about that from me ever again." Jaune's words cause a strange expression to flicker across her face momentarily.
"No need to apologise, we were different people back then. In any case, I'm not standing by and letting you run off to kill yourself in the wilds."
"I'm not-"
"Don't argue with me Jaune, you won't win. Come, we're going to see Oscar." Weiss grabbed Jaune's hand and started dragging him back to the main hall.
"Oscar? Why?" Jaune was confused but acceded to her demands.
"Beacon is a school and a school needs teachers. I'm sure he can set you up with a position here, just on achievements alone you're definitely qualified. You want to make a difference, stay and teach the next generation. Leave an impact that doesn't end with you in an early grave. With time, being here will become normal and your home again." Weiss said.
"I… thanks Weiss." Jaune sighed and gave up resisting.
"You want to thank me? Then you better not try and slip away again. You will be staying for the rest of the Banquet Arc, and then… you owe me a dance."