Welcome to ch 23 of TPA.
Jaune smiled happily, stretching. It was Saturday morning, the day was sunny and warm, despite it being fall, and nothing had tried to kill him the whole week. Not only that, he didn't get dragged into any messes involving hordes of monsters and madmen turning people into said monsters.
He let out a content sigh. It was really nice to just kick back and relax like this. Really, nothing could spoil…
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A little blond Hunter-wannabe slacking off when his team is training? Why am I not surprised…"
Well, almost nothing.
"Cardin…" Jaune looked up and behind him, at the burly teen surrounded by his team. They were grinning, as if their leader just told some hilarious joke.
"Listen pal, I'm in a really good mood today, so be a bro and leave."
Cardin scowled and stomped towards the blond boy.
"Don't you fucking dare to call me 'bro' or 'pal'. Don't even speak to me. You disgusting piece of shit. You think you're some hot shit because you got on a good team? Well, guess what, you're not. I have no idea why Ozpin is giving you so much special treatment, or why he even let you in in the first place, but by now everyone knows you are just a coward, and a failure."
Jaune chose to ignore him. For reasons unknown to him, Cardin seemed to hate him even more ever since he had returned from Spring Valley. So far ignoring him proved to be a good enough tactic - besides the occasional insults, and harmless pranks, team CRDL left him alone.
Though the way they smirked every time they left made Jaune a little nervous. He was almost certain that the four of them were plotting something, but what could it be? He had no idea.
"Them again? What did they want this time?"
Jaune shrugged.
"The usual. Threw some jabs and walked away, pleased with themselves." He said, handing a bottle of water to his partner.
Pyrrha accepted it gratefully and took a few deep gulps.
"I know you said it's best to ignore them, but don't you think we should do something before this escalates?" She asked.
Jaune just shrugged.
"Not much we can do, beside luring them some deserted place, and beating the hell out of them."
Pyrrha chuckled.
"I bet Nora would love that."
"Yeah. But I have a feeling she wouldn't be the only one."
"Oh?"
Jaune smirked.
"I saw you glaring daggers at them more than a few times. And I saw some of those... 'friendly spars' you challenged them to." He shook his head. "I never thought I would say this, but I almost felt sorry for them."
It was Pyrrha's turn to smirk.
"Almost?"
Jaune chuckled.
"Almost. It was too entertaining to watch. Plus, they are assholes, so they deserve any beating they get."
Pyrrha hummed in agreement, and settled next to him. Jaune spared a glance at his partner. She just finished sparring with some third year, a match she won by ring-out. The fight didn't last long, but the light sheen of sweet on her skin proved it was not an easy win. Despite the rather large crowd surrounding them, most of whom only now stopped chanting her name, she wore a small, satisfied smile. He was glad she didn't seem as bothered by all attention she was getting, even though he wasn't sure what caused this.
They were sitting under a big tree near a strange structure that could be amphitheater, or some kind of open-air arena. Jaune wasn't sure which one it was, or why they didn't just use one of Beacon's training rooms. At first, he thought it was to avoid crowds - it wasn't uncommon for people to hunt them down and ask for a spar with Pyrrha.
But not long after they arrived, more people started to show up. Some of them trained by themselves, some challenged others to duels, a few seemed content to just watch the action. At some point, Nora and Ruby took command of the crowd, ordering them through different exercises. Judging by the fact everyone did what they said without any complaints, it appeared it wasn't the first time it had happened.
Right now, his hyperactive teammate stood in the center of the arena, surrounded by around thirty people. She was explaining something, waving her arms around wildly. Ruby was doing the same thing, a bit further away. After a few moments, the crowd split into two teams, some of people from audience joining in.
Jaune chuckled, and then closed his eyes, leaning on the trunk behind him. Normally he would be all too happy to join the wild melee that just started, but this time he restrained himself. He was mostly fine, the poison from Spring Valley didn't leave any serious after effects. At first, he had trouble with concentration, sometimes he felt disoriented, or forgot where he was, or what he was doing. One time he spaced out during a spar with Nora, and caught a hammer straight to the face. After that, they unanimously decided that he would not be fighting until doctors said he was ok.
Well, he certainly felt fine - he hadn't spaced out for two days now, and his last nausea attack happened yesterday morning, and was rather weak. But there was no point in taking needless risk. He would get his check up today, and see what the doctors had to say. If they decided he needed more rest, he would. If not - well, he was sure his team would be more than happy to help him catch up on his training.
Speaking of which, he thought checking his scroll. He had only forty minutes until his check up. Unfortunately, for some reason he had to travel all the way to Vale's main hospital.
Oh well, no point in complaining.
He got up and stretched.
"Going to the hospital?" Asked Pyrrha.
"Yeah. Still have some time, but maybe if I get there earlier, I'll get finished faster too."
"Want me to go with you?"
"If you want. Not that I need an escort, I'm pretty sure I can get there without any trouble."
"Well… I wouldn't be so sure. Given your track record…" Pyrrha stood up beside him, stretching.
"Oh, quit it already, will you?" He pouted, earning a laugh from his partner. Ever since Spring Valley Pyrrha seemed determined to keep and eye on him. Considering the fact he had nightmares almost every night, and the fact he once got lost on the way to the cafeteria, he couldn't really blame her. And it's not like her company was unpleasant. Quite the opposite.
He spared one last glance at the arena, where the melee was now in full swing. Nora stood in the middle of it, her hammer in constant motion, a maniacal grin on her face. He could see Ren there too, the green ninja was popping in and out of sight, striking fast and strong. He never stayed in one place for too long, instead choosing to disorient the opposite team with hit and run tactics.
Jaune smiled. He really was blessed with a wonderful team. They all could really take care of themselves - but even though it was better than them being incompetent there was a danger here too.
If they were taking so good care of themselves, it would be easy for him to neglect his duties as team leader. As he had been doing for the last four weeks.
No more. He decided turning around, towards Beacon. Starting Monday, I'm focusing on becoming a team leader befitting the best team in Beacon.
He smiled to himself. He could almost hear Ruby yelling 'second best!'
Cardin sighed, watching the pair of fellow students walk towards Beacon. Why Pyrrha Nikos, probably the best fighter of their generation, was so attached to this blond wimp, he couldn't comprehend. It wouldn't be hard to find someone more fitting her than her so called 'team leader.' Literally anyone else at Beacon would fit the bill.
"Hey Cardin, I've got something interesting."
The burly teen looked at his teammate and raised an eyebrow.
Sky Lark looked up from his scroll and grinned.
"So, this guy owes me a favor, right?. And he apparently knows a few information brokers in Vale, so I asked him to get us some intel on Jaune. And guess what? Our blond friend failed to get into combat prep school. And there is no record of him trying to get in again."
Cardin grinned. It was interesting information, to be sure. Not something that they could use to get annoying wuss expelled, but maybe it was enough to make his life just a tad bit harder. After all, if someone accidentally mentioned it somewhere public, like for example the cafeteria, rumors would spread.
And then people would start asking questions. Like for example - how someone without any proper education got into a prestigious school such as Beacon?
"Good job. We can definitely use this."
"How?" Asked Dove, "just because he didn't go to combat prep school, doesn't mean he can't fight. I mean, that Ren guy didn't go to one, and look at him." He said pointing at the arena, where said green clad boy was fighting, holding off three people on his own. He wasn't winning - in fact he was slowly being pushed back, but it soon turned out to be a trap, when a pink girl with a massive hammer jumped in seemingly out of nowhere, earning three-man ring out with a single swing.
Cardin, and probably everyone else watching, winced. By now everyone knew the power behind Nora's swings.
"It doesn't matter if he can or can't fight." He said, letting out a breath of relief when all three people managed to get up. "All that matters is what people will believe. Give them a rumor, and they will blow it out of proportion. It might be nothing, but if he becomes the target of everyone - at very least he will be in a bad time. And at best… " he grinned viciously "The little whiny bitch will leave Beacon on his own."
His team snickered, applauding his great idea. Cardin smirked. One way or another, he would cleanse this school of that failure's presence.
"How did it go?"
Jaune turned to Pyrrha and smiled.
"Good. They say I'm pretty much fine - there is no sign of the poison left in my body. I can start training, but they said I shouldn't push myself too hard just yet, just to be safe."
Pyrrha smiled and nodded.
It was nice, he decided. He liked his wandering life, and after four years he seriously couldn't imagine himself sitting in one place for too long. And becoming student? At school?
No way. It sounded so... dull.
But so far, Beacon proved to be anything but dull.
Well, it might be because I don't exactly act like a normal student. He chuckled to himself. They left the hospital, and seeing that the weather was nice and they were not in a hurry, decide to take a walk.
"So, what are you planning to do about them?" Pyrrha asked suddenly, after a few minutes of silence.
"About whom?"
"Cardin and his cronies. I know you said it's best to ignore them, but to be honest, I don't think he will stop. He seems to interpret it as you showing weakness."
Jaune hummed. Pyrrha made good point. He was hoping that Cardin would get bored if he didn't get a reaction from him, but his tactic seemed to have the opposite effect. Sooner or later, he would have to take action, and resolve the situation - before it escalated.
"Well, I think part of the problem is that he's never seen me fight. Since my recovery leave is finally over, I guess I'll just ask Miss Goodwitch to let us fight in her class. If I kick his ass in front of the whole year, he might calm down."
Pyrrha chuckled.
"Aren't we confident? You sure you can handle him?" She asked teasingly.
Jaune just snorted.
"Pyrrha, please. I know I might not be the best fighter out there, but come on. It's Cardin."
She giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. Jaune shook his head - and then an idea struck him.
"Hey, Pyrrha, want to grab something to eat? My treat."
She tilted her head, a small smile on her lips.
"Oh? What's the occasion?"
He shrugged.
"Nothing in particular. I just figured that we could hang out for a bit, seeing as there is no Nora around to spread chaos, or crazed fans to chase us around. "
Pyrrha glared at him, but her smile took all the edge out of it.
"Don't speak about them. They will hear you."
He chuckled, but looked around just to make sure. There were a few people looking at them - but it might be because they were armed. He did catch a few boys staring at Pyrrha a bit too long, and too intense for his liking.
Well, can't really blame them. He thought, stealing a glance at his partner. She looked really good in Beacon uniform. It didn't revealed much, but certainly…
"Oh my, what do we have here. Two lovebirds on a secret date?"
Jaune and Pyrrha sighed in unison, looked at each other in surprise and chuckled.
"Hey, that's kind of rude, you know?"
"Sorry Yang. And no we are not on date. I had my check up, and Pyrrha offered to accompany me." Jaune said, turning around.
Sure enough, not two meters behind them, stood one Yang Xiao Long, her team a few paces behind the blonde brawler.
"Really? You hear that, Weiss? Pyrrha is making a move on your boy-toy. Shouldn't you be doing something about it? Or are you ok with sharing?"
Jaune groaned, hiding his face in his hands, while Weiss let out a tired sigh.
"I won't dignify that statement with an answer." She stated coldly.
"And I'm pretty sure I just said we are not on a date." Jaune added.
Yang just shook her head.
"Ah, young love. So pure, so naive…"
"Leaving the barbarian, and her delusions, aside, how did your visit go Jaune? Are there any complications?" The heiress asked, completely ignoring the annoyed 'hey!' from the blonde brawler.
"Nah, I'm all good. They said that I should take it easy for a few more days, but other than that, I'm good to go."
The heiress nodded, a small smile on her lips.
"I'm happy to hear that…" She walked closer and placed one hand on his shoulder.
"Because this means we can spar, right? I think I really need a fresh opponent to fight against, been sparring against my team too much lately."
"Well, now that you mention it…"
The grip on his shoulder tightened.
"We will spar. Today."
Was it just him, or did the temperature dropped a few degrees?
"I don't think…"
Yep, the temperature was dropping. He could swear he saw a few snowflakes falling around the heiress.
"We. Will. Spar."
Jaune gulped. Weiss was looking at him intently, lips drawn in a thin line, eyes slightly narrowed.. He knew this expression, and what it heralded. With a resigned sigh, and hung head, he let out a grunt of affirmation.
The grip on his arm tightened even further.
"What was that?"
"Yes ma'am, we will spar."
Weiss smiled brightly and nodded.
"Good boy." She said patting his cheek.
"Wow." Yang whistled. " I could hear the crack of that whip loud and clear."
Her lips stretched into a very wolfish grin.
"Say.."
"So, where were you guys going? We planned on doing some shopping." Yang glared at her younger sister for interrupting her. But since the younger Huntress choose to completely ignore her, she shrugged. Oh well, she would tease Weiss later.
"Yeah, wanna join us? It'll be fun." She said instead, totally not smirking at the blond and oblivious boy.
She could see Weiss opening her mouth, no doubt to protest. But to her surprise, the heiress cupped her chin in one hand, and then nodded.
"Why not. What do you say Pyrrha? Want to join us? We can have Jaune help us pick stuff."
Yang shook her head. Damn, Weiss must be really angry at him, to so openly drag the poor guy into such a mess.
But why did this small smirk the heiress sent her way send shivers down her spine?
Yang's back hit the wall, eyes trailing after her fellow blondie.
"What… is happening?" Asked Blake.
Good question. Yang would love to know answer to that as well.
"Ok, try those. And this. And…" Jaune paused, giving the skirt he held a long, contemplative look. Then his gaze ventured to his partner, giving her a once over.
"No, I don't think this one will look good on you." He threw the piece of clothing to the side, and dashed back into the row of racks.
Pyrrha stared at the small pile of clothing her partner put in her hands with a conflicted expression.
Yang shook her head.
"This is insane. No man should be this good with fashion. This…" She paused when the blond boy materialized in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Ok, Yang you have to try this jacket, it was basically made for you!"
She didn't have time to say anything, as said jacket was pushed into her hands, Jaune gone in an instant.
With a sigh she got up, put it on and looked herself over in a nearby mirror. She looked good. Really good.
"Hey try this one." A pair of fingerless gloves, sunglasses and belt were pushed into her hands, along with some shorts and a shirt. She considered them for a few seconds then just shrugged and put it all in her bag. It was almost full by now, and so far every piece of clothing Jaune picked was a perfect match.
"Ok, seriously, I think there are a few important thing we need to address. Like for example - how is Mr. Noodle Knight so good at picking out clothes for girls? And how can he guess ou…"
"Hey Blake, try this out!" Asked a very excited blond. He was so proud of himself, that Yang had a sudden urge to pat him.
The black haired girl on the other hand, looked very uncertain. She carefully picked up whatever Jaune brought her, and stretched it out in front of her.
It was a dress. Sleeveless, long, and black, with one side cut off from bottom to above waist height.
Blake blushed a little.
"I don't think…" she began, but paused when Jaune tore the dress form her hands.
"Yeah, you are right, it's not you. Wait a moment, I think I saw something that will fit over there." He was gone moments later, leaving a very confused girl behind. He appeared moments later, carrying a bundle of clothing in one hand, the other grabbing Blake's shoulder and dragging her towards the changing rooms.
"Ok, this one will be good, I'm sure of it. Picked a few casual things for you on the way, I'm sure you will like them." He showed the stunned girl in the changing room,and turned around, a bright smile on his lips.
"Ruby!"
The young Huntress froze, letting out a startled yelp. She glanced towards the exit, wondering if she should use her Semblance to run away. This moment of hesitation cost her, when Jaune's hand landed on her shoulder.
"I picked something for you too." He handed her a small bundle of clothing, and disappeared among the racks again.
Ruby stared at it for a few seconds, then, with a resigned sigh, went to try it on.
"This is ridiculous." Yang shook her head, watching her sister disappear behind the doors. "This…"
"Oh, stop being so dramatic. We just bought some clothing." Weiss called out from over her scroll. "Nothing to make a fuss about."
Yang glared at the heiress. She didn't even bothered to conceal her smirk.
"You knew." She said accusingly.
The heiress just a raised single eyebrow.
"What could you possibly be talking about?"
"You know full well what I'm talking about!"
"I'm afraid…" she began, but Yang had none of it. She stomped towards heiress, and grabbed her by the collar.
"We dragged Jaune to clothing store to make him suffer and squirm! I specifically picked the one that had both clothes and lingerie on display. He should be flustered! He should be blushing,and stuttering, and be a perfect teasing target! He shouldn't act like this was what he's done his whole life!" She paused when said blond ran over to his partner, handing her another bundle of clothes. Then he ran to the heiress, handing her something.
Weiss thanked him, and put whatever it was on top of the small pile next to her. She didn't even bothered trying it on. She looked up on her teammate and smiled.
"You don't know half of it."
"Maybe, but for now I want to know only one thing - HOW?!"
"How, what?" Asked a masculine voice.
Yang took a deep breath, turned around, and stomped towards Jaune. One hand grabbed his collar, the other pointed towards her shopping bag.
"This. Explain. Now."
She wasn't sure what to think when Jaune seemed to instantly knew what she talked about. He even chuckled, bastard.
"Seven sisters." He answered with an easy smile.
Yang blinked, and let him go.
Ok, that is pretty good explanation.
"So, now that everyone has something, how about we go and grab something to eat?" He asked when Blake, Ruby and Pyrrha joined them.
"That sounds good." Pyrrha said, with a small smile.
The cafe they went to was small, but nice. They placed their orders and, after receiving permission from the owner, sat at two tables they pulled together.
"I must say, you surprised me Jaune-boy." Yang said, taking a sip of her coffee. "You sure you don't want to open a clothing store? With that sort of skill, you would make a fortune."
The blond boy laughed.
"Believe it or not, but I received several employment offers when I was in Atlas. But no, I'm pretty sure I prefer being a Hunter."
"And Witcher?" Blake added form over her book. Where did she hide that thing anyway? Yang could have swore she didn't have it just a few moments before.
Jaune shrugged.
"Honestly, there is no difference. A Witcher is just more… I guess you could say 'specialized' Hunter."
"I guess. But honestly that was impressive. I never thought someone could guess the measurements of five girls with a single glance." Yang's eyes narrowed. "Because you were guessing, right? It's not like you knew it beforehand?"
"Yang! Stop being mean!" Ruby whined.
"Nah, it's good. And yes, I did guess them."
"So, any more special skills you're hiding?"
"Well.." he trailed off. "I can do hair. And I'm a good dancer, very good cook, and an amazing herbalist. Oh, and I was told I'm rather skilled when it comes to massages."
Once upon a time, he might have included sewing in that list, but not anymore. He learned his lesson, thank you very much. Though, with the way four out of five girls gaped at him - Weiss already knowing all of this, mostly because she experienced it first-hand - they were impressed nonetheless.
"Massages you say?." Yang purred, leaning on the table, giving him a smirk, and a very generous view on her cleavage.
"Mind giving me a private session?"
Jaune chuckled and looked to the side, a faint hint of red on his cheek.
Yang leaned back and laughed.
"Oh man, you are too easy. You need to relax, if you keep blushing like that you might end up becoming a wizard."
"That's a lot of assumptions you are making there Yang."
All eyes focused on heiress, who just calmly sipped her tea.
"What do you mean?" Yang asked, uncertain what Weiss meant.
The white haired girl smiled at her form over her cup.
"Jaune is actually quite worldly."
"... what?"
"Well, I did travel all around Remnant for four years. We visited quite a few places. And people in frontier villages tend to be more… open minded. If you know what I'm talking about." He said with a chuckle.
Yang looked between two of them, something akin to panic in her eyes.
"Wait, are you two seriously implying that Jaune did… the thing?" She asked.
"You mean sex?" Asked Weiss calmly
"Yes," she hissed, shooting a worried glance to Ruby.
"Well, think about it - I spent four years in the Wilds. I fought Grimm, bandits, corrupted police and bakers. Is it really so hard to believe one of girls I saved decided to show her gratitude in more than just words?"
She opened her mouth to retort, but clicked it shut. If half.. Scratch that, if a third, or even fourth of the stories her uncle Qrow told were true, it wasn't that uncommon for a traveling Hunter to get a fair bit of attention from village girls. Well, not only from village ones - just about any civilian girl dreamed of having a dashing Hunter as her boyfriend.
But then again it was Jaune. It simply couldn't be.
"You're bluffing." She challenged, but with a lot less certainty than she would like.
Weiss chuckled, and put her cup down.
"Well, I too am not sure Jaune any… encounters during his travels. It's something taken straight out of some romance novel after all…" Yang let out a sigh of relief. Yeah, there was no way…
"... But our late night... sparrings… sometimes got very… intense."
She choked on her drink, staring at the heiress in utter shock. She wasn't the only one.
Jaune's chuckle made it even worse.
"Yeah, can't argue with that. Good thing those training rooms were soundproof." He paused, a broad smile on his lips.
"But I had to order more padding. You were far too rough sometimes." Weiss said with a pout.
Jaune laughed.
"Hey, it was you who always demanded I don't hold back. How could I deny such a request from lady? Especially in that kind of situation." He said with a wink.
Weiss chuckled. Then her eyes narrowed.
"True. But you held back from time to time. Don't think I didn't notice."
The blond boy held up his hand.
"Guilty as charged. But hey, in my defense - you liked to it when you could finish on top from time to time."
"Excuse me? I was always on top." She smirked at him. " Without a table to throw me onto, your pitiful skills were no match for mine."
"At first, sure. But you never lasted long in that position. Face it princess, in the long run stamina is king."
She sighed.
"And I can't deny you had absurd amount of it."
Jaune laughed.
"Yeah, but it was never easy." He looked the heiress in the eyes, half smiling. "But I must admit, you never cease to surprise me. Some of the ideas you had…" he shook his head.
"Please. None of what I came up with come close to you. Attacking me like that in the gardens? In broad daylight?" She looked to the side shyly. "What if someone had seen…?"
Jaune shrugged.
"First of all, you asked for it. Second - I made sure the coast was clear. Wouldn't do for our fun to be interrupted." He shook his head. "Those were fun times."
"They were." She hummed, looking at blond intensely, then she licked her lips. "And I've been missing them. Ever since Beacon started, I was waiting for you to invite me for some one on one action, but you never did. Forcing a girl to be the one asking? How rude." She pouted again.
Jaune smirked.
"Don't be like that Weiss. You love to be the one in control. And I already agreed to spar, didn't I? We can do it just like old times. Meet up around midnight, take some unused training room, and go for it until we're out of breath." He grinned, leaning on the table. "Or would you prefer to do it in the gardens?"
"Oh my, aren't we bold, Mr. Arc? Making such propositions to a lady? I think it deserves punishment. One that I will administer personally."
Two hands slammed on the table followed shortly by a high pitched voice.
"Ok, time out. Stop this at once!"
Jaune and Weiss stared each other in the eyes for a few more moments, then both of them looked at a fuming Yang.
"Oh, my. Did something happen?" Jaune asked innocently.
"She looks flustered. Don't tell me it is because of us planning our fun time?"
Yang tried to answer, but no words come out of her mouth.
Weiss blinked, surprised. Then grinned.
"Oh, my. What a surprise. The great Yang Xiao Long, always so confident, always ready to tease others. But shocked by this? It almost as if you didn't have any experience in the matter."
Yang blushed.
Weiss grinned even harder.
"Really? Oh my, apologies. We thought we were in more… advanced company. We didn't intended to make you feel… inexperienced. I'm sure you can do it if you just try a bit harder. Right, Jaune?"
"Sure. I don't see why not."
"In fact, you could join us tonight. I'm certain Jaune wouldn't mind, right?"
Yang blinked. "Wha…"
Jaune laughed.
"Of course. I'm always ready to help a friend."
"Wait, what?" Yang repeated, panic evident in her voice.
"And don't worry about him running out of… steam halfway through." Weiss purred. "He has lots of stamina."
The blond boy rubbed back of his head sheepishly.
"Yeah, after the training you and your sister put me through? I think I can handle you and Yang. But.." he looked blond girl over with concern. "Don't you think it might be too much for her? I mean, we took it slowly at first too. I think it was over two weeks before we asked Winter to join us."
The blond brawler was starting to hyperventilate.
"You are right" Weiss hummed, tapping her lips with her index finger. Then she looked up at her teammate, and smiled. "What do you say, Yang? You ok with all of us going at it? Or do you want Jaune to ease you into it?"
"What…" said girl stammered, looking at Weiss in shock.
"Or maybe…" the heiress drawled,getting up and slowly walking to wide-eyed Yang. One slender arm wrapped around her shoulders, Weiss leaning so close that her lips almost touched Yang's ear "...you would prefer it to be me?" She whispered.
The blonde brawler yelped, and jumped back. Her leg caught her chair,and she fell over, eyes wide in panic.
"You are bluffing." She said, pointing a finger accusingly at the heiress. "You are just messing with me! Both of you!"
Weiss smirked.
"Only if you ask nicely."
Yang looked like she was about to explode.
"Wait." Everyone looked to Ruby, who sat there, her arms crossed, and an expression of intense focus on her face.
"I get the Grimm, and bandits, that's normal. Corrupt Police officers? Sure, it's cool and all. But bakers?"
"What?" asked Blake. She - as everyone else - had a little trouble understanding what she was talking about. Not after what they just saw, and heard.
"Jaune said he was fighting Grimm, bandits, Corrupted Police -and bakers! What do bakers have to do with the others? They are making cookies! They can't be bad!"
Jaune chuckled.
"It's a long story. And a crazy one."
"Well…" Yang got up,and sat on her chair, one elbow on the table, and head resting in the open palm.. "We have time, so, unless it's some secret, I think we would like to hear it."
"You sure about this? It's really crazy story."
"Can't be worse than what we already learned." Said Blake
Jaune shrugged and started talking.
An hour and a half alter, Blake had to admit she was wrong.
It was definitely craziest thing she'd ever heard.
"I hate you." Said Yang for the hundredth time, her arms crossed under her breasts, a fierce pout on her face.
"Hey, you brought it upon yourself." Jaune defended for the hundredth time.
"I still hate you."
"Yeah, you did mention it."
"Because I really hate you."
Jaune shook his head, and looked over bullhead they were riding in. It was almost empty, save for three or four other students that didn't pay much attention to them. He looked back to Yang, who tried to glare at him,and not look at him at the same time, with predictable results.
"Just drop it Yang. You lost at your own game - time to accept it." Said Weiss, not even looking up from her scroll.
"I hate you too. And you. I hate all of you."
After Jaune's tale of how he and Leon brought end to baker gangs war in a particular town - and it's better if you don't ask - they continued to talk for three more hours. For the most part, Yang tried to force Jaune to admit he was in fact still a virgin. Eventually he did so, but it was after nearly an hour of them teasing the blonde brawler.
What? They had to get revenge for all the puns somehow.
They decided to get back when Ruby mentioned some event would be starting soon. It got all the girls strangely excited. Jaune himself had no idea what it was about - but as Ruby explained, it was something that was planned out last Friday - so right after he went off to fight a horde of monsters.
Talk about unfair.
Surprisingly, none of girls wanted to share any details, saying that 'he would see for himself soon enough.' The only thing he learned was that Nora was somehow involved in it - and that did worry him a bit.
But honestly, how bad could it be?
Very bad, as it turned out about three hours later. It was nearly ten, long since sunset, and also technical post curfew.
Though none of the almost two hundred masked, and cloaked figures gathered at this amphitheater/arena thing his team showed him earlier seemed to care. Jaune could feel the atmosphere of excitement, but more than that, he felt confused.
"So… a little context for all of this?"
Ren, who also wore an ornate mask - and where he got it was a question for another time - sighed.
"You want the short or long version?"
Jaune hummed, thinking it over.
"Hit me with the long." He had a feeling that short would make it even more confusing.
"So, you know how Pyrrha has anxiety about being the center of attention?"
"Yeah."
"So she pretends it doesn't bother her anymore, but we could tell it wasn't the case. Especially when some pricks started picking on her, calling her fraud and cheater, that didn't helped."
Jaune tensed. Someone was picking on his team? Unforgivable.
"What happened to them?"
"They were dealt with." There was a strange… finality in the way Ren said this. Jaune couldn't see his teammate's face because of mask, but he had a strange feeling the other boy was smirking.
"Okay…But I would like some details later. For now, let's get back on topic."
"So, after we dealt with these guys, Nora figured that Pyrrha should wear a mask when fighting."
"What?"
"A mask. She read some book… "Mask We Wear", or something like that. Quite an interesting read I must say. It was about something called 'theory of masks.' The gist of it is that, in author's opinion, we all wear metaphorical mask, that determine our behavior. And that hiding our face behind an actual mask can help someone deal with anxiety, or find their 'true self,' since they are less afraid of public opinion."
"Okay... " Jaune started slowly, scanning the crowd again. "That would explain the masks. But I still don't see how Nora trying to help Pyrrha get over her anxiety lead to this." He gestured towards the crowd for emphasis. "What exactly happened?"
Ren just sighed.
"Nora happened. Pyrrha agreed to try it, probably only because Nora already got her mask - and I must say it was a good piece of artwork, not some cheap crap - and she would have felt sorry for her otherwise. We had a bit fun with it, Nora got maks for herself and me. Then Team RWBY spotted us, and jumped in on the fun." Ren paused for a moment. "Well, Yang and Ruby jumped in. Weiss and Blake were kinda dragged in."
Jaune chuckled. Yeah, he could see that.
"I doubt they will admit it, but they looked to enjoy it too. A few more people saw us, and asked if they could join in. Nora agreed, but only if they wore masks. The next day there were like forty people, all with masks, waiting in the training room we used last time. Someone, probably from the older years, mentioned they now better place for this than a cramped training room. They lead us here, and then…"
Ren shrugged.
"It escalated."
"It escalated?"
"Yeah. Nora organized the next… 'sparring session' last wednesday, after we made sure you were all right. Around eighty people showed up, all with masks. That was when Nora demanded everyone should have cloaks too. The next day, she started giving out strange nicknames to everyone. And it kinda kept escalating from there."
Any further questions from Jaune were cut short, when the sound of drums sounded. This seemed to get the crowd even more excited. Some people started shouting something, but Jaune couldn't make out what.
A few moments passed, and the sound of drums got closer. Jaune could see some flickering lights in the direction that the song was coming from.
Are those... torches? He thought, confusion growing. It was soon replaced by surprise and shock when a group of at least fifty people marched into the gathering. Some of them carried torches, some played on drums. And in the middle of it, four burly men - all in masks of course - carried a platform with a giant throne on it.
What….
"Syrup for the Syrup Queen!" One of figures at the head of the collum shouted.
"SYRUP FOR THE SYRUP QUEEN!" The crowd answered.
The…
The Column moved closer, and Jaune could just barely make out the figure sitting on the throne. Her - because it was definitely a woman - had the most impressive mask of all. It covered her whole head, and was decorated with multiple feathers and even something that looked to be gemstones.
Even if he didn't recognized her by her clothing, the massive warhammer the figure held was hint enough to guess who it was.
"Pancakes for the Pancake Throne!" The figure shouted again.
"PANCAKES FOR THE PANCAKE THRONE!" The crowd answered again.
THE FUCK?!
Jaune stared blankly at scene in front of him. He wasn't sure what was more shocking - the crowd wearing masks, the ridiculous words they were chanting, the fact some people were actually throwing pancakes towards the throne, that the person at the head of procession was apparently Weiss, wearing some… interesting outfit, or maybe his own Partner, wearing a golden, ornate mask, and a set of armor that kinda resembles her own, but at the same time was far more ornate, standing next to Nora's throne.
He squinted his eyes, trying to see some more details. There was something wrong with it.
What become clear when procession moved closer to him. Jaune actually whistled, impressed. For two reasons.
First - the throne was made from actual pancakes. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands of them used for this purpose.
Second, was that it survived more than a few seconds in such close proximity to Nora.
The procession finally stopped in the center of the arena. Nora raised her hammer, and all chanting stopped.
"Welcome, my loyal subjects, to this glorious Arena. Today, yet again you will have the chance to spill sweet, blood and tears for my amusement. And Pancakes."
The crowd roared its approval. Jaune could only gape in shock.
"Let's not waste anymore time. For the glory of the Pancake Throne!"
The crowd roared even louder.
"SYRUP FOR THE SYRUP QUEEN! PANCAKES FOR THE PANCAKE THRONE!" They started chanting again, when four men picked up the platform with throne again, and carried it away to a podium towering over arena. Jaune could have swear it wasn't there when he came earlier in the day.
What the actual fuck!? He screamed in his mind.
Well here it is. Poor Jaune, from poison-induced madness, straight into a Nora-induced one. And there is no escape.
Not much else to talk about. See you all next week.
Oh, right, the omake. For those who wondered how the people Ren mentioned were 'dealt with.'
Pyrrha sighed, looking over the abandoned warehouse. Why did it always have to be an abandoned warehouse? Couldn't they ask her to come to some nice restaurant instead?
With another sigh, she walked forward to the rusty doors. They opened easily, and soon enough Pyrrha entered a dimly lit room filled with six teens.
"Holy shit, she really came!" One of them exclaimed. He was so surprised that he spilled a bit of beer from the bottle he was holding, earning annoyed grunts from some of his companions.
"Told you so." Said another one. He was tall, and well built. Black hair was slicked back and reinforced with far more gel than was reasonable. He wore an expensive looking suit, golden necklace, and a few rings.
Probably the leader. he thought, walking closer.
"It so nice you decided to visit us Pyr. I can call you Pyr, right?"
She didn't answer, instead scanning her surroundings. None of the people in the room seemed to be armed. Well, she saw one or two baseball bats, and one of them was playing with a knife, but come on. She was a Huntress - what they held were mere toys in her eyes.
"What do you want?" She asked, even thought she had a pretty good idea.
The teen grinned, apparently happy he was in control.
"Nothing much. Just for us to have some fun. Come, sit here," He said, patting box next to him. "We'll drink beer or two, have a nice chat. Maybe dance a bit. I'm pretty good dancer, I'll have you know. And even better at more... horizontal dances, if you catch my meaning."
Pyrrha did, and had to fight to not scowl.
"I'm afraid that won't be happening. Not only do I need to go back to Beacon soon, I'm not old enough to legally drink."
"No one asked you for your opinion, bitch!" Someone snapped. He was young, probably the same age as her. Tall, but very thin, had multiple tattoos and a bald head. He made to march towards Pyrrha, but was stopped by leader of this small pseudo-gang.
Pyrrha decided to dub him Gel-hair.
"Now, now, let's keep this discussion civilized. I'm sure Pyr will make a reasonable choice." He smiled to her,and she had to fight really hard to not punch him in the face.
"Afterall, we wouldn't want for people to learn that great Pyrrha Nikos is a simple cheater." He finished, earning a series of chuckles from his cronies.
Pyrrha sighed, shaking her head.
"We both know that's not true. Whatever proof you have to back the claim is fabricated - if you have any proof at all."
Gel-hair chuckled again.
"And we both know it doesn't matter. People love gossip, and sensation. No one will look too far into it, they will eat you alive. All I want in exchange of keeping it secret is a bit of fun time. Not a bad deal, don't you agree?"
Pyrrha looked over the room again, just to make sure there was no one hiding anywhere.
"You know what?" She asked looking straight into eyes of teen in front of her. She gave him her best smile, and just as he smiled back, she finished. "You really are an idiot."
The whole room stilled for a few seconds.
"What did you just call me, bitch?!" Gel-hair roared.
So much for civilized discussion.
"You really think this would work? You think I don't have people to deal with such things? If you tried to make any such accusations without solid proof, my advocate would eat you alive. And don't even get me started on my sponsors. Ruining my reputation would hit them too, and they wouldn't like it."
She took a moment to admire the shocked expression of all six boys.
"Seriously, did you thought you was first one to get this idea? Back in Mistral people tried to blackmail me like that all the time." She shook her head.
"But I must say it's first time meeting such idiots. It's the only reason I came - to see if you really would be stupid enough to show up."
"Stop acting all high and…!" Gel-hair started shouting, but stopped when she placed a finger on his lips.
"Shhh. No talking. Just listening. Really, what were you thinking? Are any of you Hunters?" She called out so everyone would hear her. Nervous shuffling was answer enough.
"And yet you called me out here, to this abandoned building, in this abandoned area. And you didn't bring any weapons with you. Did you seriously think, even form a moment, that I just submit to whatever you say, instead of kicking all of your asses?"
They all grouped together, suddenly very aware that they are alone, in an abandoned warehouse, with a world-wide known Huntress champion that they just tried to blackmail.
Pyrrha grinned even further.
"Normally I would leave you with just a warning, but you are out of luck today. You see, I have a lot of pent up stress to release. And.." the door, and most of front wall exploded, revealing a grinning Nora and smirking Ren." My team overheard, and they decided to join in for some fun. So…" Milo and Akouo appeared in her hands. " Let's dance!"
Moral of the story - don't mess with Pyrrha. Especially when she is stressed out.
See you next week folks.