Chere we go, ch 8 of TPA. Edited like always by JJD.
CH 8
Jaune ducked under the swipe and pushed forward. His shield slammed into his opponent and he made sure to stick as close as possible. Fighting at such a short range was far from optimal for him - but it was even worse for his opponent. He stabbed and slashed, attacking with his shield as much as with his sword.
Nora backed off, but Jaune kept close, not slowing down his assault. None of his attacks were doing much damage, but they did chip away at her Aura little by little.
I'll win if this continues like this. She knows it too - and that means she'll make her move soon.
Jaune knew he couldn't afford to slow down his assault - he had to keep Nora on edge, don't give her chance to create distance - it was hell to get so close, mainly because his ginger teammate took 's advice to heart and decided to keep him at distance with a rain of grenades.
But he also knew just rushing blindly could, and probably would, end badly. That's why he stopped attacking with his shield, choosing instead to hold it close, ready to defend against any surprise his opponent would no doubt throw at him.
This paid off, when he noticed Nora's hand move down the haft of the hammer - to the place where he knew the trigger was. The impact he felt on his shield surprised him - and not because it was so strong. Quite the opposite - it was much weaker than what he expected.
Before he could even start wondering on the reason why, Nora provided the answer for him - by slamming the head of her hammer into his unprotected site.
Well, fuck.
Was what he thought moments before he slammed into the wall of training room. He slid down, and let out a loud groan.
A quick roll to the side allowed him to avoid a direct hit from Nora's grenade - but not the explosion. Thankfully, he managed to cover behind his shield, and used the momentum to roll even further away, where he pushed up to his feet. Then he started running in circles, trying to avoid as many of the explosions as he could. Nora on the other hand, was all too happy to rain pink destruction on her team leader, laughing maniacally the whole time.
Ok, keep calm. Don't try to rush in, wait for her to run out of ammo. Then close the distance.
He took peek over his shield to where his opponent stood.
But not too much. I don't think I will be able to reach her before she reloads, and if I get too close it will be harder to dodge.
He did just that, continuing to run in circles even when Nora stopped to reload. With each circle he came a little closer, until he was sure he got close enough to reach her the next time she ran out of ammo.
He paused for a moment to catch his breath, but was forced to jump to the side when Nora renewed her assault. Jaune ducked under the first grenade, rolled out of the way of the second. The third one exploded a few meters before him, the fourth very close behind, staggering him for a moment. Not wasting a second, he dropped to one knee and put up his shield - just in time to intercept the fifth. The explosion shook him, but he held his ground.
Ok, one more and she is out. Just hold it.
He tried to get up, but the sound of a weapon being fired prompted him to take cover behind his shield again. He clenched his teeth awaiting another explosion.
What hit him instead was the head of Nora's hammer. He again became closely acquainted with the wall of the training room. He tried to get up, but was driven to the ground again when her hammer hit his hastily risen shield.
He tried to roll to the side, but Nora didn't let him. He kicked out, hitting her in the shin. It was too weak to deal any real damage, but it staggered her for just a moment. It was all he needed to roll out and get to his feet.
Nora charged, and he did the same. Her hammer wooshed just above his head, and he went inside her guard. His pommel hit her head, while the handle of her hammer grazed his side. Jaune pushed his shield against his opponent's weapon, pinning it to her body. Then, taking advantage of his superior mass and strength he pushed.
Nora tried to stop him, but soon enough, it was her turn to slam into a hard wall. Now pinned, with no chance to escape, she could do little else than to try and defend against Jaune's assault.
Or that was what he thought. Instead, she started kicking into his knee. He staggered a little, but held out. Since they were too close for him to make decent swing of his blade, he punched her in the face.
She kicked him again, and this time his leg buckled under him a bit.
Jaune put his sword to her side, and started pushing.
Nora headbutted him.
He staggered, just enough for her to slip out.
Nora took a wide swing, and Jaune rushed in, determined to stop it before it can build any momentum. However, instead of swinging, his teammate's trust her weapon forward, slamming the butt end of the handle into his chest. The blow staggered him, but not enough to push him back. He raised his sword to retaliate.
"Stop! The match is over, Nora wins."
Jaune paused and looked to his partner. Pyrrha smiled shyly, and looked to the side. He could almost hear her saying "I'm sorry".
She really apologizes too much. He thought, looking over to the Aura display on one of the walls.
Nora was around forty percent, while his dropped barely below thiry.
"That was a good match Jaune." He turned around to see his partner standing behind him, an encouraging smile on her lips.
"Yeah, but I underestimated Nora. I knew she can be tricky after watching her fight against Yang, but she still got me."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you will do better next time."
He smiled and nodded.
"Well, I guess I better clear the arena for you and Ren. Try to not stomp him too hard."
She blushed and mumbled something quietly.
Jaune joined Nora on the bench outside of arena, and accepted an offered drink, while Ren and Pyrrha got ready for their fight.
This little sparring session was something he came up as another team-building exercise. The plan was to let every member of team JNPR fight against each other in one-on-one matches, and then watch and analyze the recordings of their fights.
In the arena, both Ren and Pyrrha synced they scrolls to the big display screen. Moments later the countdown started. When it reached zero, both combatants moved.
Pyrrha threw her shield at Ren, who dodged and started backing off, firing Storm Flowers. The red haired champion rolled to the side, caught her shield, and started chasing her opponent.
So far Pyrrha had remained undefeated, and he somehow doubted Ren would be the one to break her winning streak. He was doing well however - keeping her at distance, shooting whenever he could, and dogging the occasional attack.
When Pyrrha managed to close into melee range, he only ever exchanged a few blows, and retreating as soon as he could. But he couldn't keep it up forever - he would run out of ammo eventually, and Pyrrha wouldn't give him time to reload. It happened soon enough, when two loud clicks announced that Storm Flowers ran dry.
Pyrrha paused, then smirked and switched her weapon into sword form.
Ren sighed, shrugged, and dashed at her.
They met in flurry of attacks, exchanging blows so fast it was hard to see what was happening. Ren managed to land a few good hits, but it was not enough. After landing a kick to his opponent's stomach, he managed to create some distance. Without wasting a second, he jumped back even further, hoping to get enough time to reload Strom Flowers.
Akouo hit his forehead, staggering him for a moment. Pyrrha followed soon after, shifting Milo into spear form and striking him square in the chest. She then spun, using the haft of her weapon to sweep Ren's legs from under him. He hit the floor hard, let out a loud groan, and looked up - straight into Milo's barrel.
The bullet hit his forehead at the same time Akouo landed into Pyrrha's outstretched hand.
Show-off. Thought Jaune, watching as his partner helped Ren get up. She then started saying something quickly.
Probably apologizing. Again.
He shook his head. That was his partner in nutshell - polite to a fault, just wanting to fit in on a normal day, and turning into a vicious fighter whenever she held her weapons.
Both combatants made their way to rest of their team. Jaune tossed a bottle of energy drink to each.
"Ok guys, the first official sparring session of Team JNPR is over. Winner - to no one's surprise - Pyrrha Nikos. A round of applause for our champion." Pyrrha looked to the side and laughed nervously when they clapped. Jaune's eyes narrowed.
So even congratulating a victory makes her nervous? Now this won't do. Guess I'll have to fix it somehow sooner rather than later.
"Ok, that's enough. I'll go grab the recordings of our fights, you guys can head to the display room. We will watch them there."
Every training room had a smaller one attached with a comfortable couch, table, and a big screen. It was meant to let students watch recordings of their spars - or the spars of other teams. Jaune was determined to take full advantage of such an opportunity.
He synced his scroll to the small console, and after a moment, the screen flicked to life, showing a selection menu with six positions on it.
"Ok guys, I propose we do it like this, we will watch all the fights of a single person, and discuss each one - what was done right, what was wrong, and what to improve. After that, we will pick the next person, and do the same, skipping over the fights we already watched. Since I'm team leader, how about we go with mine first?"
After his team nodded their approval, Jaune selected the first position on the menu.
Moments later, the record of his and Ren's spar started playing. It was by far the longest fight - after a few initial exchanges in melee, Ren started to circle around Jaune, shooting at him as he moved. Unlike Pyrrha, Jaune was not fast enough to pressure Ren, so all he could do was to defend. On the other hand, Storm Flower didn't have enough power to really damage the heavily armored teen.
Eventually, seeing that shooting him wasn't working, Ren decided to re-engage in melee. He opted for a hit-and-run tactic, closing in, striking a few times, and then retreating. This proved more effective - each time he managed to score a few hits chipped away at Jaune's Aura little by little. But at the same time, he put himself at risk too - and while not as often, his opponent managed to land a few good hits too.
In the end, what decided the outcome was stamina. Ren, who was moving far more than Jaune, started to slow down. At first he could land seven hits while his team leader retaliated with only one - that usually missed. Then this number dropped to five for one, then five for two, and finally three for two. Eventually, Ren stumbled after Jaune's counter - a shield bash to the face - catching him before he could retreat. He fell, and didn't get a chance to get back up.
"So, any comments?" Asked Jaune when the video finished.
"I probably shouldn't have taken that initial exchange. You were able to take out quite a bit of my Aura, and I had to do something to even that out." Said Ren.
"I agree." Pyrrha added, nodding. "You also should stop circling Jaune ealier. It was clear your weapons do not have enough firepower to take him out. You were just tiring yourself out. That hit-and-run tactic you used at the end was good idea. Had you used it from the beginning you might have won."
Ren nodded and smiled.
"To be fair, I was hoping that all that armor would make Jaune tire out faster. I guess I miscalculated."
The blond team leader laughed.
"Yeah, that's common misconception. Many people think that if someone wears armor, especially bulkier variants, they will tire out fast. But it's not true - properly made suit of armor will have its weight spread evenly over whole body. Sure, you wont run fast in it, but it is not nearly as tiresome as it might look. Plus training with it increase your stamina - so it's not that easy to tire out us 'heavy' folks."
Jaune looked over his team.
"Any more comments?" There were none, so he played the next video.
His fight against Pyrrha was much more dynamic. She adopted similar tactic to what Ren did at the end of they fight - however, thanks to longer range of her spear it was more effective. Not only she could attack her partner from out of his range, she didn't had to move as much. Jaune was on defensive for most of the fight, tough he managed to get initiative after one successful counter knocked red haired Huntress out of balance. Unfortunately for him, Pyrrha was not afraid to take him head-on - and quickly proved to be the superior fighter. A few moments later, the fight was over. After fainting a strike to head, Pyrrha's spear caught him in stomach. She spun around him, wrapped Milo under his chin, and threw him over. Then, while he was still mid air, finished it off with perfectly executed 560 kick.
"Well." Said Jaune when video ended "I think I had best finish out of all of us." This comment earned him few chuckles.
"So any comments? Advice?" He asked.
"To be honest, I'm not sure. It doesn't seem to me like you made any real mistakes here - it's just that Pyrrha is a much better fighter. No offense." Said Ren nodding towards him.
"None taken." Jaune nodded back.
"If I really had to say something, it would be to get some ranged weapon. You said you are bad with guns, but just shooting at an enemy can distract them."
Jaune nodded.
"Well I pass on guns. I'm REALLY bad with them. But I'll try to figure out how to get some range. Anyone else want to add something? Pyrrha?"
His partner looked lost in thought ever since video ended. Now she perked up when called out, and looked at him for a few seconds before speaking.
"Could you please play your fight against Nora first? I would like to see it again before giving my opinion."
Jaune shrugged and did so.
Pyrrha was watching it intensely, nodding to herself from time to time.
After video ended she was thinking about something for few moments. Then she looked up at her partner and spoke.
"Jaune, correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't have much experience in fighting other trained Aura users? At least not ones on similar level to you?"
He considered this for a moment then nodded.
"Yeah. I mostly sparred with Leon, sometimes against other Hunters. There were bandits too, but most of them don't have Aura, and even if they do, they were poorly trained, and had simple weapons. As for people on a similar level…" he trailed off, thinking.
"Well Leon organized a few fights for me. Usually when we hit bigger city, with its own combat school. He would talk the teachers into letting me spar with a few of the students. But those were few and far between, we spent most our time in Wilds."
Pyrrha nodded.
"It shows in your fighting style. I wouldn't really call it a mistake, rather a bad habit, but you are too defensive. This makes you lose opportunities, or take too many hits. It often looks like you are.." she trailed off, hesitated for a moment, then continued "...too afraid to take hit on Aura. I assume it's because you are used to fighting against opponents that are stronger than you, or drawn-out skirmishes, rather than one-on-one fights?"
Jaune considered her words for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"Yeah, you're right."
"I think this is the problem. Fighting other people is usually more… I guess you can say dynamic, than fighting Grimm. Sometimes you have to just rush in and attack, even if it means taking a few hits, because staying on the defensive will just drain you. It's what happened in your fight against Nora - after she knocked you away, you should have just rushed straight at her when she started reloading. You probably wouldn't make it to her before she finished, but you could take a few hits, and with your shield they wouldn't even take that much of your Aura."
She paused for a moment, then continued.
"Even before that…"she trial doff aging" Could you please play the very beginning of your fight again?"
Once the video started, she continued.
"You managed to close distance well with her by rushing in. Then, after you get inside Nora's guard - by the way that was a very nice counter here - you started attacking very aggressively. You even used your shield to strike her - a good move, most people do not expect to be hit by shield, or how much that hurts. But then you suddenly slowed down. I assume you expected Nora to try to pull something off, and wanted to be ready to defend against it?"
She waited for him to nod, then continued.
"And that was a mistake. You were faster than her, and at such close distance, under such an intense attack, she couldn't do anything. Her defense would slip eventually if you kept this up. The only reason she was able to counterattack was because you slowed down your assault. There is even a moment, just before she hit you, when you stopped attacking, and put your other hand on the shield. I assume this was in preparation to stop her next attack?"
He nodded again.
"Another mistake. If you pushed on, you could have stopped it easily."
"To be honest, I wasn't sure if I could do it in time. Nora hits hard, so I decided it would be better to block the attack, instead risking it hitting me…" he trailed off, then snorted.
"Well I guess you have a point. Though Leon was always telling me you can be never too careful when your life's on the line."
"Well, 'careful' doesn't have to mean 'defensive', just as 'aggressive' and 'reckless' are not the same." Pyrrha said with a smile.
He nodded and played the next video - Ren vs Nora.
The green ninja easily dodged initial barrage from Nora, and forced her into melee. But he didn't look for an extended fight - after exchanging just a few attack he jumped away, and started withling his opponent's Aura with constant fire from Storm Flowers. He stayed just out her melee range for most time, only closing in when it looked like she wanted to switch Magnhild into ranged mode. Nora, having nothing to defend herself against the constant fire, tried desperately to close distance and lock her partner in melee, but he proved too slippery. It ended in a decisive victory for Ren - he only lost slightly more than ten percent of his Aura.
"I don't think there is much to say here." Said Pyrrha, nodding. Somewhere down the line, they all agreed that instead having every person speak, they will just leave the analysis of the fights to the resident champion.
"It was just a typical case of a bad match up. Ren had a clear advantage, and used it well. Really, the only way for Nora to win there would be if Ren made some serious mistake."
There were few hums of agreement, and Jaune played the last two videos - Pyrrha's fights against Ren and Nora.
The last one was the shortest one from all today's spars. The red haired champion closed distance immediately, and locked her opponent into a fierce melee. It didn't last long - the tempo Pyrrha enforced was just too much for Nora, and before long, her form was broken. A few moments later, the hammer wielder slammed into the wall, after being hit by a roundhouse kick.
"Well, what advice could we offer our champion?" Mock-asked Jaune, stroking his chin in an exaggerated manner.
"Maybe she should change her armor polish? I noticed some stains on her greaves before she kicked me out." Said Nora, nodding to herself, a serious expression on her face.
Pyrrha blushed and laughed nervously.
"To pay more attention to weapon maintenance?" Offered Ren. "I'm sure I saw small dent on Akouo before it slammed into my face."
The red haired champion blushed even further.
Jaune nodded few times, then spoke.
"Well, good points guys. I'll add only one thing - you should probably come up with more finishers that do not involve kicking people. It's enough that you do it figuratively, no need to do it literally too."
After a few moments of silence they laughed. To Jaune's pleasant surprise - Pyrrha joined them.
Well, looks like she relaxed a bt. Surprising what a little teasing can achieve.
"Ok, but seriously. You are amazing Pyrrha, and if there is one thing I think you should work on, it's to stop feeling so bad about it. I won't pretend to know why you so uncomfortable with people bringing up your fame - but I can guess. And let me tell you this - I never cared much about other people's image. I always made my own opinion, and you are a person I definitely would like to be friends with."
She blinked a few times then laughed nervously.
"It's that obvious?"
"Yes." Said Ren "Even were it not for your reaction when Nora brought up your fame yesterday, it's enough to see how you act around people. You always hunch over, as if trying to not be seen. You always move quickly from place to place, without looking at anyone, as if to not draw attention. "
He paused for a moment and smirked,
"If I didn't knew any better I would think you are being bullied. Though I pity any fool who would try it."
"Yeah! We would break his legs!" Exclaimed Nora happily.
Pyrrha looked over them, and for a moment Jaune though she would burst into tears, but she just smiled and nodded.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me."
There it is. She really looks much better when she smiles like that. Thought Jaune.
"No problem." He said aloud, nodding towards her.
"Ok guys, we are out of time. Let's pack up, go grab something to eat, and head back to our room."
"So, what's next Fearless Leader? You said this would be the first step?" Asked Nora as soon as they left the training room. She ran off before him, and now was staring at him curiously, walking backwards.
"Well, now we have to come up with a training regimen, to fix our weaknesses. And start team practice. Develop some formations, team strategies, and get used to each other's fighting styles. But I think we should start it next week. For now, let's focus on getting used to school." Jaune answered.
Ren opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by four loudly speaking people who just left one of training rooms.
Well, three loudly talking people, and one quiet, busy with her book. Team RWBY apparently had a similar idea about a day one spar.
"Hey guys. Come here to set up a pecking order?" Jaune called out
Yang turned around, and seeing him, smiled widely.
"Well of course. Can't have anarchy in the team, right?" She said with a grin.
"Well, I may be wrong, but I think I recall Headmaster appointing team leaders at the initiation." He answered.
Yang just shrugged.
"Who cares about official admissions. Gotta set up hierarchy ourselves."
"So how did it go?"
"Pretty evenly, I'd say." Said Weiss. "Yang won against me and Ruby. Blake beat Yang, Ruby won against me, and I won against Blake."
"What about Ruby vs Blake?" Asked Ren
"It was draw." The quiet girl answered form over her book.
"Yeh, we fought super fast, and we were so close to red, and then we both shot at the same time and hit each other. It was so cool!" The young red reaper exclaimed happily, bouncing on her feet. Then she paused and looked up at Jaune expectantly. "So, how about you guys?"
"Well I beat Ren, he beat Nora, and she beat me."
"What about Pyrrha?"
"What do you think?"
"I hope she didn't beat you too hard? It's bad for authority when the leader is beaten up in front of his underlings." Said Blake with smirk.
"Nah. She beat the other two even harder. Plus, I had best finish, so there is that."
"Isn't your pride hurt? I mean such an experienced Hunter, fresh from the Wilds, and team leader at that, beaten by some tournament fighter? How are you going to live with such shame?" The blond brawler teased.
"Well, first of all, if she is tournament fighter it's obvious she has more experience fighting people. I'm used to dealing with monsters. Second, as team leader I'm supposed to be brains, not muscle. Pyrrha can be my right-hand ma.. woman."
"Forcing a lady to do heavy lifting for you? Not very gentleman-like." Weiss said with a raised eyebrow.
Jaune looked at her with a slight smile.
"Weiss, please. You know me well enough to know I'm a dedicated advocate of true gender equality." He answered shaking his head.
Weiss looked like she wanted to say something, but was interrupted by her partner.
"So.. we were planning to go to the cafeteria, and grab something to eat. You guys want to tag along?
"Heh, we were planning the same. Guess great minds think alike." Ruby smiled happily at the comment from her fellow team leader. Jaune turned to his team and said, doing his best imitation of military officer.
"Ok, team, listen up. We will help our friends from team RWBY in the assault on the cafeteria. Hit hard, hit fast and take no prisoners. Understood?"
"Yes, Fearless Leader!" Nora mock saluted.
"So, what do you think, P-money. Is there something between them?"
Pyrrha turned towards the blond girl walking next to her.
She honestly wasn't sure what to think about Yang Xiao Long. She seemed friendly enough, very confident, and an overall rather nice person. She also had a habit of giving everyone nicknames, and throwing out puns. Usually bad ones.
Pyrrha shifted her attention to her partner. He was walking at the front of the group, between Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose, saying something while gesturing energetically with his hands. From time to time, the heiress would throw in some snarky comment, and he would respond in kind.
It would be obvious that they knew each other - even if Weiss hadn't told her herself before initiation. But what was their relationship?
Weiss said they are friends, but was that it? Or maybe there were something more?
"I'm not sure. Weiss did admit they knew each other, and referred to him as an 'old friend' when we first met."
Yang hummed and nodded at that. Any further conversation between them was interrupted when they reached the cafeteria. It was getting late, but there was still a lot of students there. After a brief consideration, they decided to split up, with one team grabbing food, and other securing a table.
"So Ladykiller, how did you meet Weiss-cream? You seem awfully close." Asked Yang once they all settled.
"Do we?" Asked Jaune raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. She acts all high-class around us - proper manners, no sense of humor…"
"I fail to see how me having proper manners is a bad thing. And I do have sense of humor - it's just that your jokes are bad."
This statement was met with hum of approval from rest of team RWBY. Yang placed her hand over her heart and gasped in mock hurt.
"Betrayed by my own family. And you too Blake? My own partner?"
"Sorry Yang. But Weiss is right. Your puns are really bad."
"Yeh, sure. They are great, it's just you guys who are not fun."
She focused back on Jaune.
"But we are getting off-topic here. So, Ladykiller, I ask again. How did you meet Ice Princess here?"
Jaune hummed.
"Well, me and Leon - the guy who was training me - were in Atlas. There were some White Fang attacks on influential people, and most of them went crazy, started hiring Hunters left and right as bodyguards. This ended up as sort of competition - every rich person wanted to have his or her own Hunter bodyguard. The more rough-looking, the better. So Leon lined up some jobs for us. He was hired by some older couple, I was hired by Weiss' father. He apparently knew Leon, and wanted to hire him, but since my teacher already signed a contract, I was hired instead. "
He paused for a moment and shrugged.
"Wasn't too hard of a job. Weiss could take care of herself even then, and there were not many people daring to target her to begin with. Honestly, I spend more time carrying shopping bags, or taking care of guys who just wouldn't take hint, than doing anything even resembling bodyguarding."
"So how long did it last? Is it when you get your HIDE armor?" asked Ruby.
"Nah, I got it later. Back then I was hired only for for a few days. Weiss was giving a concert and White Fang apparently stated they would attack it. Turned out it was a false alarm - someone thought it would be funny to put everyone on edge."
He took sip of his tea and continued.
"After that we - Leon and I - started doing some contracted work for SDC. Mostly Grimm extermination, but few escort jobs too. That was good time for us - jobs were well paid, and Weiss's father even let us live in Schnee mansion. This lasted for month or so, and since we were only people around the same age, we talked, sparred few times, and generally hang out."
"So you two, alone in a big mansion. You sure there were no romance there?"
Weiss let out a long sigh.
"First of all we were not alone. Even if we don't count all the servants, there's still my mother, father and brother. Not to mention my older sister, who sometimes came with visit. And just because we hang out, doesn't mean we have to fall in love."
"So that's it? Just friends?" Yang asked with a curious expression.
Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Why 'just'? Jaune is the best friend I ever had."
The blond in question blushed a little.
"Well, thank you Weiss."
"Mostly because he had little to no competition."
"You didn't had to add that part…"
Nora hugged him.
"Don't worry Fearless Leader! You have us now."
Ruby did the same with Weiss.
"And you have us! We will be besties in no time, you will see!"
Weiss and Jaune looked each other in the eye and let out tired sighs.
"We walked straight into that one, didn't we?" The heiress asked.
"Yeah, we did." Jaune answered, hanging his head. Then he perked up, and checked his scroll.
"Hey guys. I just recalled there is call I really have to make, so…"
Nora let go of his arm, and he got up.
"Did something happened?" asked Pyrrha with hint of worry in her voice.
"Nah, just have to report to family. I was supposed to call yesterday, but it was so busy it kinda slipped by."
"Oh, then we won't keep you. Should we wait for you here, or…?"
"Nah, it will probably take at least an hour."
Pyrrha nodded and went back to her meal.
Blake watched Jaune leave the cafeteria from the corner of her eye, half-listening to the conversation at the table.
She frowed. He said it was call to family. And there was no real reason for him to lie. Then again - she still remembered hearing him talking with Headmaster Ozpin during initiation. Or did he? She was certain back then, but now, not so much. She could be mistaken - after all she had heard only few words, and now she wasn't even sure if they were what she remembered, or she just misheard.
She really wanted to follow him, but that would be suspicious. And her partner was bound to jump to some wild conclusions, if she excused herself so soon after him. Yeah, it was better to not give blond brawler any material for teasing…
"What are you looking at Blake? Interested in our resident knight?" Yang asked with a grin.
Well, crap.
Blake was about to deny it, but thought better of it. She had known her for only a day or so, but was certain her partner would not let go so easily. And denying would just make her more interested.
"In a way, yes." She answered, instead looking Yang in the eye.
Maintain eye contact, keep a straight face, and give a believable excuse, preferably mixed with truth. It's the only way to get rid of her.
"Oh? Care to elaborate?"
"I saw him fighting during initiation, and he piqued my interest. His style is different than what they teach in combat schools. More… I guess you could say grounded."
"Yeah, that is because he didn't go to combat school." Pyrrha said.
"Well, I figured it out from what he said earlier. Still, he didn't get to any official education at all?" Blake asked. She couldn't question the man himself, but it looked like his teammates were more than happy to share what they knew. Not the best source of information, since they would knew only what he wanted them to know, but better than nothing.
And it's not like she wanted to harm anyone. She just wanted to investigate a suspicious individual. Best case she would find nothing, and no one would get hurt. Worst case, she would save her… Friends? Acquaintances? She wasn't sure what to call them. But they were nice to her so far, and she had no reason to not help them.
"No, I don't think so. He said he traveled with Leon for four years - so I'm fairly certain he never went to a combat school."
"I can confirm that. There are no records of him ever attending any official training institution." Said Weiss, sipping her tea. After a moment, she noticed all eyes were focused on her.
"What?" She asked.
"How do you know that?" Asked Ruby.
The heiress shrugged
"I had him checked out when my father hired him."
"You... had him 'checked out'? You mean you hired a detective or something?"
Weiss sighed.
"No, I had some SDC employees check official Hunter training schools."
Yang shot her a strange look.
"Isn't that a bit… excessive?"
"I dont think so." Everyone turned to look at Blake.
"If he was supposed to be her bodyguard, I think it's reasonable to want to know who's hands you will be putting your life in."
Weiss nodded to her in thanks, and she nodded back.
Blake had a low opinion of the SDC - like most Faunus. And she had pretty good image of who Weiss Schnee - heiress to such an infamous company - would be. A stuck up, arrogant, self-centered, racist, spoiled bitch, who treats everyone else like inferior life forms.
As one would expect - she was not too thrilled to be on the same team as her. But now, barely even a day after their team was officially formed, she had to admit most of what she thought she knew was wrong. Weiss had high-class manners, and was rather reserved - but this was to be expected if one took her upbringing into consideration. She was not stuck up, she didn't treat them like they were lower than her. She didn't complain about taking orders from a cleary younger Ruby during initiation, and, as strange as it sounded, Blake was actually starting to like her.
Realising, with no small amount of embarrassment, that she judged her teammate based solely on her prejudices, she decided to make it up to her somehow. Sure, she didn't actually do anything bad to her, but it was a matter of principle.
Taking the heiress' side in conversation, especially if, objectively speaking, her actions were justified, seemed like a good way to do so.
After that, the conversation steered onto different topics - like fashion, Grimm, movies, weapons, new boy-bands, Dust and its usages in fighting Grimm. Normal topics that any young Huntesses (and one Hunter) in training would talk about. Strangely enough, most of the Hunter-related topics were brought up by Ruby.
Blake was listening with one ear, and analyzing what she had learned about Jaune Arc. There was not much of it. She got the name of his teacher, so she could try to look him up. From what she heard, he was some sort of freelancer Hunter, so there should be something in the Company database. Then a thought struck her.
If Jaune was doing some freelance work on his own, he might be registered with the Company too. It's worth checking.
She nodded to herself and spared a quick glance to the cafeteria doors. Both teams were so engrossed in the conversation that no one would notice her slipping off. She could try to find Jaune, check if he really calling family, and...
Stop. She ordered herself. This is too paranoid, even for me. Let's take it easy, after all, even if he did talk with the Headmaster during initiation, it doesn't mean he is up to something.
"Thank you." Said Jaune Arc, accepting a cup of tea from Glynda Goodwitch. The older woman nodded and moved to stand behind Headmaster Ozpin.
Well, this is awkward. The blond boy thought, observing both adults. Jaune didn't have much experience with schools, but he had a feeling that being called to the Headmaster's office on your first day was not a good thing.
Did I do something wrong? I don't think so. Also, I doubt they would be giving me tea if I were in trouble.
"Pardon me Headmaster, but what is purpose of this visit? Your earlier message lacked any details."
Almost immediately after leaving the cafeteria, he dialed Mei's number. His adopted grandmother answered after the first ring. Their talk was interrupted by a message from Ozpin, asking him to come to hsi office "as soon as possible." Mei wasn't happy about the sudden interruption, but he promised he would call back as soon as he was done with whatever the Headmaster wanted from him.
So now here he was, in his office, sipping on some rather good tea, and wondering what the hell was going on.
"There is no need to worry Mr. Arc, you are not in trouble. You will learn everything soon. We are still waiting for one more…" A sudden 'ding' interrupted Headmaster's speech. Soon after, there was a sound of elevator doors opening, and then heavy footsteps.
"Ah, here you are Peter."
"Ozpin. Glynda. Ah, even Mr. Arc. Well, I hope I didn't make you wait long?"
"Not at all. So, since you were the one who asked for his presence, how about you explain the situation to Mr Arc?"
Jaune raised an eyebrow at that. His Grimm studies professor wanted to meet him, and in the Headmaster office. Now that was interesting.
"Very well. Mr. Arc, reason I requested your presence is simple. There is a beast I intend to hunt down, and I could use some back up."
Jaune opened his mouth to ask question, but stopped when Headmaster took out grey envelope and handed it to him. He took out its contents - and everything become clear.
There were a few photos inside. The first of them featured a woman. Or rather a monster that looked like a woman - it would take a lot of effort to mistake it for an actual human being. While it had a shape closely resembling that of a human, there were a few distinctive traits that clearly indicated it was not human. Its skin was pitch-black, eyes glowing eldritch green, hair just wisp of smoke. Oh, and it was missing whole left side of its body. It looked like someone had draw a picture and then cut it perfectly in half.
Jaune scoffed.
"So someone messed up, and now they have Twins to deal with." He shook his head.
"Ha! I knew you will recognize what the beast was." Peter Port slapped Jaune on the back, with force that almost sent the young man flying.
"Tell me, young man, what do you know about this monster?"
"Not much" Jaune admitted with slight embarrassment. "Never encountered one myself. Leon - my teacher - used to say they appear when, I quote, 'some damn amateurs tries to do a professional's job and messes up'. This meant that if someone wounds a Wraith and fails to finish it. Or if something tied to it, usually part of the body, or some personal items, are taken away from area it spawns in, before it's properly cleansed."
Jaune was thinking for a moment, trying to recall what little info he had.
"They are not very dangerous. Slower, more predictable, and lack usually special abilities other Wraiths have. But the tricky part about dealing with them is that both halves have to be dealt with at the same time - otherwise it will regenerate."
"Very well my boy. So how about it? Will you help this old man on his hunt?"
His almost agreed. A chance to accompany such an experienced Hunter was not something that came by often. But there was still some things he had to clarify, before he made his decision.
"I would be happy too. But before that I have to ask - why me?"
"Now my boy, isn't this obvious? You are a Hunter, and I thought you could use some excitement. First semester can be a little… dull, beside maybe Miss Goodwitch's class." He said, nodding towards woman, who nodded back.
"Sadly, combat preparation schools teach only very basic information about Grimm, hardly more than is common knowledge - apparently because any more information is 'unsuited to be learned at such young age'." Peter shook his head.
"Is it really that bad?" Asked Jaune.
The older hunter shot him an amused look.
"Do you really need to ask? Well, ask yourself - how many of your friends were able to understand my tale? They are all exceptional young people, I might add."
Jaune winced. Yeah, that was pretty telling.
"Ok, I understand. But still, I'm sure you could easily get ahold of someone much more experienced than me."
"I could" The older man admitted easily. "But I want you. I admit you piqued my curiosity, and I would like to see you in action."
Jaune stared at the older man for few moments, then sighed and shook his head. Yeah, that was a reason as good as any. Now, only a few things left to clarify.
"So, when are we going? And where?"
Port smiled.
"Friday, after lessons. Location is a small woodworkers' colony, about four hours by bullhead form Vale. We will go in, hunt down our prey, and go back - should be back in Beacon before midnight." Jaune opened his mouth, but the older Hunter interrupted him.
"We still need to pinpoint the location of the prey. It has a wide territory for a Wraith, and its appearances are very irregular."
Jaune nodded.
"What about my team? Will they come with us?"
Peter shook his head.
"No, it will be only you and me, my boy. I don't want to be disrespectful, but I don't think someone not used to Harrowed, even as skilled as your teammates, should face a Wraith, even as weak as Twins."
Jaune nodded.
"Very well then. I'll give my team some excuse and meet you at bullhead docks after classes."
Peter Port nodded, smiling widely.
"Splendid. Then I'll see you this Friday, my boy."
Jaune nodded and shook Peter's hand. Then stood and turned to Ozpin.
"Is this all Headmaster?"
Older man smiled and shook his head.
"Yes Mr. Arc, you are free to go. I wish you a good night."
"LIkewise Headmaster." He shook the extended hand. "Miss Goodwitch." He nodded to the stern woman, who spared a look from over some papers she was examining, nodded to him, and went back to her work.
Jaune turned around and walked away.
When the elevator doors closed, cutting him fro Headmaster office, he could feel his mouth stretching in a smile.
So, a hunt alongside an experienced Hunter? He could already feel the excitement building up.
AN: Yes Port is WITCHER too. No, this will be not only time he will bring Jaune along for Hunt.
In other news -you may, or may not have noticed TPA got cover art. JJD commissioned it for me (thank you man!), and it was made by CHE3ZY (thank you too!).
Anyway, here is this week omake:
Meeting the Ice Princess pt 2.
Jaune was in a state of panic. One probably couldn't tell looking from the outside. Afterall, he was sitting at a small white table, in nice garden, drinking delicious tea from an expensive-looking porcelain cup. But none of those were reason for his nervousness - it was the girl that is sitting in front of him, taking sip from her own cup.
Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company - the biggest, and most influential company in the world.
And girl he apparently assaulted yesterday evening.
I really should have just jumped out of the window. He thought, recalling the events of the morning.
Jaune went from asleep to fully awake in one moment. That part was normal for him - over two years of living in the Wilds tend to teach you to wake up fast. And quietly. For few moments he just listened to ambient sounds, trying to gauge if he could safely get up, and analyzing his situation.
He had a headache - nothing new. He recently become more focused on experimenting with his Elixirs. The upside was that he not only perfected a few of his recipes, but he also developed a new one, that had immediately proven very useful. The downside was that he had to test them - and Leon was not too willing to help.
He was lying in something soft - no doubt a bed. After opening his eyes, he noticed unfamiliar, and very… white room. This was nothing new to him either - he rarely slept in the same place long enough for any room to become familiar.
What was new, and made him nervous was how… nice room was. In fact, it was the best looking room he had ever seen. It was spacious, with a lot of expensive-looking furniture. The floors were covered in equally expensive-looking carpets, and the bed he was lying in now was big and impossibly soft. While it might be strange thing to be nervous about - Jaune was used to waking up in much less comfortable beds, in much worse conditions. So much white brought to mind a hospital - and Jaune had to admit it he woke up in those quite often after either a job, or an experiment went wrong.
The lack of key elements, like the sound of medical equipment, the smell of cleaning agents, and Leon sitting next to his bed to fill him in on what happened, confirmed it was not a hospital.
Jaune got up, noticing his equipment was lying right next to bed - but not his clothes. He also noticed a suit hanging from the chair next to his bed.
He got up, and went to the attached bathroom. He splashed his face with water, trying to recall the events of the past day - and hopefully to find a clue of where he was and what the hell he is doing here.
Ok Jaune think. I went with Leon on that one job - exterminating a pack of Beawolves. It was bigger than expected, and led by an Alpha. We managed to kill most of them, but the Leader ran away. We chased the bastard to some cave - because of course it had to be a freaking cave. Since it was too dark to see anything, I decided to test that new Elixir I made. It was working fine, I was able to hear the bastard cleary. We killed it, went back to… whatever that village was called and got paid. Then we went back to Atlas, Leon mentioned he lined up some easy well-paying guard jobs for us. Just looking out for some rich snobs for a few days - not even out of city. We went to meet one client, Leon trashed their bodyguards when they didn't believed he was good enough for the job.
Jaune's eyes narrowed. He couldn't remember clearly what happened next. Ironically, it was a sharp pain in his head and wave of nausea that helped him remember.
Ah, right. Leon, like the asshole that he is, got hammered and sent me to deal with the second client on my own, saying something about me needing practice, and that I'm better with dealing with 'those kind of people'. I had no choice but to go - and then the rebound from all Elixirs I drank that day kicked in. I remember that I couldn't quite focus on anything, and had trouble seeing clearly. What was next…
Jaune walked out of the bathroom, brows furrowed. He vaguely recalled talking with someone, but the details eluded him. He looked over the room he was in - and not seeing any other clothes he could wear, he picked up white suit he noticed earlier. It fit perfectly, as if it was tailored specifically for him. There was symbol of a snowflake on the back that he recognized from somewhere - but his mind was still too muddy to recall from where.
Now fully dressed, he walked to the window and opened it. Cold air washed over him, helping him focus.
Ok focus Jaune. You met with the client. I recall we met with some old dude before Leon got hammered. He excused himself, saying he had "important matters to attend to," and I went with the client. We got into a car, and then went into some big, white mansion. It was very clean - I remember thinking that it would be really unprofessional to puke all over this nice floor. Probably the only reason I managed to hold it in.
Then we went to a room, and talked.
His brow furrowed even more, Jaune desperately tried to recall the events from only a few hours before.
I think there was someone else there… Beside servants that is. A girl…
At that moment, he heard knocking.
"Come in." He said, turning towards door.
Some older man walked in, and after him, a very pretty and very white young girl. The same girl from yesterday.
Then it hit him all at once.
"Good, you're awake. Follow me, there are some things we must discuss." Said Weiss Schnee.
Jaune gulped.
This… is bad. He thought, following the daughter of his new boss - and the girl he manhandling last evening right in front of her father.
And didn't that sounded even worse than it was?
I am so fucked.
Poor Jaune. Got himself in quite the mess - and all because little Elixirs overdose. Next week we are back to Samantha shorts, but stoned!Jaune will be coming back in the near future.
See ya all next week.