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To Live and Learn

CHAPTER 9

Become a Huntsman

They say you'll be a hero

But is it worth it?

-A Mistrali haiku found near a skeleton of an unidentified Huntsman inside a deep cave

It was Thursday, apart from the class schedule being somewhat different and that professors were now giving us homework—much to our chagrin, it was just more of the same day. Yes, that meant Professor Port spent the majority of his class telling his stories again and it was just as entertaining as one may have guessed.

After I was finished with lunch, I went to the library to study some notes and work on my team's strategy and tactics while recess is still ongoing. Since I study better with fewer people in the room, I headed to the private section of the library where only a few bother visiting. I found that place by simply wandering around and most students probably didn't know it even existed.

As I entered the private section, I almost dropped my notes when I saw that there was another person in the room. It was Blake, who was just as startled as me that she stood up and stopped whatever she was reading and quickly and almost instantly covered it with her other books. "Blake?!" I exclaimed out of shock.

"Jaune?! Wha-What are you doing here?" She held one of her books tight on her chest.

I tried my best not to panic as it would only needlessly escalate the situation. I wanted to make sure she didn't get any wrong ideas so that this wouldn't become the first thing that came to mind when thinking about our interactions together. "I-I didn't know you were here! They said this place was always empty!"

Seeing each other shocked us both so much that this did not go unnoticed by other people in the library. "Could you two lovebirds keep it down?! This is a library," An annoyed student called from the main section.

"Sorry!" I said while lowering my voice, trying not to scoff at the 'lovebirds' remark. I turned back at Blake who was flushed and still was clenching her books. She was the one I knew the least from Team RWBY. Judging by her demeanor, she seemed to be introverted, preferring the company of her books to people, so I knew that I would only be bothering her with my presence. "Look, I'm very sorry, If I'm bothering you then I'll just go."

I turned back and was about to leave until I heard her call me, which then put me to a halt. "Wait! It's okay. I'd be selfish if I keep this place for myself."

Good to know that she didn't mind sharing, a quiet place to review my notes was all I'm asking for. "Oh—umm… Thank you." I said, slowly walking back inside.

"On one condition," Blake gestured with her index finger before using it to trace a line on the floor. "You stay on that half, I'll stay on this; that way, we couldn't bother each other, got it?"

I really couldn't find a reason to say why not, Blake wasn't the type to bother which was why I didn't need to worry about her. "That seems fair."

We spent our remaining free time reading our respective texts, not minding one another, but I was having a hard time concentrating for some reason no matter how much I tried to focus on my notes. I didn't know why, but all I could say was that something was stinging my senses. When I thought about it, my conscience directed me toward Blake, not herself, but oddly enough—her bow. I didn't know why I'm having suspicions over a girl's head accessory. Sure, it looked too huge that it made her look like she could be mistaken for having cat ears, but aside from that, there was nothing to it. As far as I was concerned, it was just a bow, one that kept taunting me with its mere sight, that is.

I was starting to get irritated at my own mind being paranoid over a piece of headwear, so in an attempt to get it off, I brought it up. Hoping I might get something from it and then move on to my life. "Hey, Blake. I just wanted to say—uh, you have a really cute bow."

Well, that could have been better but it's a start at least. I should be thanking my mother and seven sisters for teaching me one of the most important skills a man could ever wish for: The ability to communicate with women. I pretty much grew up to be confident around people of the opposite sex, thus talking to girls outside my own mother doesn't feel alien to me. Other boys tend tobe either lacking confidence or aacttoo confident that they would wind up repulsing anyone with common sense.

"Thanks? I guess," she confusedly looked back to me before looking down and adding. "You know, this might sound a little weird but—it's a part of me. I don't think I could show myself without it."

She sounded a little too passionate over a huge bow but from what I've seen from her so far, that could be just Blake being her weird self for all I know. "Hey, it looks good on you, but I think you might look just fine without it. After all, people say that beauty comes from its natural form." I pointed out, and yes, I know how corny it sounded but it helps enforce my awkward nice guy persona.

"You don't know that. Trust me," she responded somewhat bluntly, looking like she was aggravated at what I just said.

I wasn't sure what she meant by that, I thought she was just being timid and needed some boost in confidence. So I tried doing just that, "Maybe not but you won't know your own beauty if you keep hiding it from yourself."

It turned out that might not have been the best response as she gasped at me; her eyes widening. I stared at her confused, there wasn't anything I said that was remotely offensive, and I made sure I was careful enough not to. "I'm sorry, was it something I said?"

She was glancing down, almost as if she was avoiding my gaze for a second. "No—it's nothing, just please stop talking about it."

Of course, that didn't help me figure out what was wrong at all. But whatever it was, I wanted to apologize for it. "Look, Blake, if I said something that hurt you then I—"

She raised her hand in front of me. "Don't. Look, I know you mean no harm and have no reason to apologize—I just… I…I don't want to talk about it."

"If that's what you wish." I went back to studying my notes. If she's not comfortable talking about this then the only sensible thing I could do was respect that. I was many things but I wasn't a nosy idiot, well, unless I absolutely needed to be. Having said that, she could at least tell me what was wrong.

Blake sighed and looked at me shamefully. "I'm sorry about that. I don't think you're a bad person especially after seeing that you're one of the nicer people I've met."

Sadly, I don't think I could agree with her on that. It was only smart to make sure you're on everyone's good side and it was working all too well and I didn't want to think about that too much so I wouldn't be too consumed by guilt over it.

"I just need to think about what you said," she said before looking back at her book, and I still have no clue on what she was upset over so I can't exactly help her with it. All I could do was respect her decision to not bring it up any further.

We went back to minding our own business until the bell rang and we went back to class. I finally got to talk to Blake for once and it was a bit of a mystifying experience. Then again she was the only person in this circle that I never properly met on the first day, so I wasn't familiar with her as much as I was familiar with her teammates. I'll learn more about her soon enough but for now, I'll just have to focus on my team.

Classes for the day were finally over. Spending seven hours of lectures was something I'm going to need to accustom myself to again. I thought I never had to deal with those kinds of hours the moment I finished military school, I don't even plan to get a job because I was already content in leeching off my family's wealth.

I left the classroom when I heard Pyrrha call me, I turned around to listen to what she had to say. "Hey, Pyrrha. What's new?" I asked.

"Jaune, I think I may have found a vacant spot for us to train," she said, which was something I've been wanting to hear since I first thought of this plan.

Finally some great news, I thought. This meant we didn't have to spend another day going around circles just to find an adequate space. "Really?! Great! Let's notify Ren and Nora."

"You summon us, brave leader?" Nora instantly popped out of nowhere, slightly startling both of us.

Ren caught up as he panted and leaned at the nearest wall. "What seems to be the issue?" he huffed.

"Good news, Pyrrha found a spot. We can begin our team training immediately," I told them, displaying them a face of gratitude now we are finally able to take the next step as a team.

Nora made an ecstatic grin. "Really?! Oh, finally! We are going to have so much fun training with each other!"

"Right, right," I nodded before turning back to my partner so we could finally get this over with. "Pyrrha, would you lead the way?" I ordered, so we could get this over with before some moron would be able to claim it for themselves and effectively force us to start all over again.

"Of course. Follow me," she nodded.

We followed her as she led us to what would be Team JNPR's training spot. She took us to a series of stairs on the top floor of the residence hall, which then led us to a rooftop. It was an empty space save for some black pipes placed around and a pair of air-conditioner units standing near the walls between the entrance. While it was spacious enough, the parapets were too short that they were barely a foot tall, which could risk any of us falling if we are not careful, so we had to limit acrobatics during training just to be safe. Still, it was better than nothing.

Pyrrha turned at us as soon as we arrived at the rooftop. "So what do you think?"

"It's good enough," I answered. "The problem is that we could fall given how short the walls are, but aside from that, this will do just fine, we just have to be careful and avoid jumping too much."

"Sounds reasonable," Pyrrha inclined.

"So, where do we start?" Nora excitedly bounced before stretching her fingers.

I took a deep breath and thought for a few seconds before beginning the session, this was the moment I was preparing myself for. Team JNPR's performance as a group was going to depend on what I do and say here. "Alright, so we are here not only to practice our skills but to make sure we can work as a team."

"And don't forget: We're also here so we could help you unlock your semblance!" Nora added.

I would have forgotten about that had she not reminded me about it, which I wish she didn't since I didn't want everyone worrying about my semblance. So I needed everyone to know that it wasn't a priority. "Oh right, that too. But first, we have to establish your combat roles so we can begin."

I first turned to Ren. As blank as his expression was, he was doing his best to show that he was paying attention. "Ren, since you're the most mobile of all of us, you'll be the recon of this team. Since You have limited amounts of stamina, do your best to make each one of them count."

He gave me a single nod. "Got it."

"Nora, your weapons pack a lot of punch, so you'll be in charge of demolition and be our heavy damager. You'll have to follow my instructions to make the most of it."

"Understood!" She bounced into a straight stature before saluting.

"Pyrrha, since you're the most skilled here and have the most flexible combat style, you'll be in charge of the front lines and the main offensive," I told her. And unofficially, I need her to be my bodyguard on the battlefield. As long as she stays beside me, then my own life shouldn't be an issue at all.

"Alright then. What about you?" Pyrrha asked, which is exactly one of the questions I expected to hear.

"I'll mainly act as support since I issue orders, but I'll help if I can." Which by that, I mean if an enemy has gotten too close and I have no other choice. I'll mostly stay at the sidelines, providing supporting fire—if I had a gun, which I would have brought if I didn't blow my money on clothes. So for now, I'll stick with keeping my shield raised while I save some money to buy a gun or maybe take a decent one lying around.

"So, any questions?" I made a single clap and looked at my team who all responded with silence, which I considered as a 'no', and proceeded to the next part of this introduction. "Now that's settled, let's move on to some of my personal advice during combat." I cleared my throat. "First off: Don't fight fair."

"Isn't that against the rules?" Pyrrha inquired. She sounded unsure though since the rule about it was quite vague on what counts as 'dishonorable' or 'extreme'.

"Good question, I'm talking about fighting Grimm. Of course, during friendly duels with fellow Huntsmen, we have to fight honorably and abide by the rules," Though, if you ask me, I'd say that unless your opponent is a respectable friend, I still think you need to do what you need to do win while making sure it was compliant enough for the rules, get through loopholes when necessary. I'm sure that the opponent has the same idea. I continued, "But the Grimm lacks the concept of honor or rules. They cannot be reasoned with, they want you dead as soon as they feel you, so do everything you can to get rid of them."

They look like they were taking a few seconds to process all of this but they seem to get the point as they were smarter than they look, thankfully.

"Next is during combat matches and other forms of competition: When on the offensive, we need to find a way to signal each other without giving away our attacks. Calling our attacks would only give the enemy a chance to react especially if they're familiar with our abilities. So, are there any suggestions on how we could call each other?"

Nora then raised her hands. "Oh! Oh! We could use animal sounds as codes!"

I felt both my brows rise. "I'm sorry, what?" Her answer was so odd that I have to ask if I heard right. I never heard of someone doing that before, and even if I did have several years of proper experience at fighting, that would still sound no less strange to me.

"As silly as it may sound, I'll have to second her on that," Ren chimed in. "It leaves the enemy confused at the noise while it signals your allies. It's also how we ended up as partners, believe it or not."

I thought about it for a moment before realizing that it might not be a bad idea in practice. "Interesting. Mind giving an example?"

"Here is the sound of the sloth! It helped me and Ren get together as partners." Nora said before demonstrating the sound. "Qrr-aa! Qrr-aa! Qrr-aa!"

I kept giving confused looks at the strange noises my teammate just made but maybe that was the point especially if I assume the role of an opponent. I was convinced to accept it since Ren was correct so far and it sounded audible enough for everyone to hear. "Okay, that could work."

"I still doubt that sloths sound like that," Ren commented.

And then I moved to my next piece of advice, "And last but not the least: Don't be afraid to run away from battles you know you can't win. When people hear this, they might call you a coward, but there is a difference between cowardice and caution. As Huntsmen, we need to be in the best fighting shape possible, we can't waste ourselves on hopeless battles when we still have a lot of lives to save," I said, trying to speak in a manner that they would expect to hear from me while staying true to my own word.

I needed my team to follow my example of not disregarding your own life. Just because this team is full of skilled fighters, it didn't mean the odds were always with us. After all, we were still Huntsmen-in-training. "Got it?"

They all mused for a moment until Ren stepped in. "I concur."

"Wise words, dear leader!" Nora followed before Pyrrha chimed in as well.

"You're doing well, Jaune. Keep it up."

I smiled in satisfaction. I'm happy to know that my teammates trust me so far. But at the same time, I can't help but feel ashamed of persuading them to a strategy that I emphasize for my own safety. The only way to repay them is to make sure they don't get themselves killed while carrying it out. "I'm glad you could understand. Now, onto exercise!"

We spent almost two hours exercising and practicing. It was actually a nice experience. Being able to train with your teammates while getting to know them a little better. I've learned a lot about them in those two hours, giving me more ideas on what to improve and how I could use them to our advantage.

After we were finished, Pyrrha and I stood at the center end of the rooftop, admiring the view together. Ren was exhausted, sitting at one of the AC units, and Nora was bouncing around, still full of energy as she usually was.

"Gee, that was fun! I'm very glad to be on the most awesome team in Beacon! Oum be praised!" She raised both of her hands.

Pyrrha and I both confusedly looked at her, being particularly puzzled at whoever just mentioned. "I'm sorry, but who's Oum?" I looked at Pyrrha who answered with a shrug before looking back at Nora.

"I… actually don't know. Really, it just suddenly came to my mind. It's weird! It's not like I haven't had any coffee lately, Ren never let me have any coffee." Nora answered, I'd say she's lying but she sounded as genuinely confused as us.

"Well, whoever he is, he sounds like a cool guy." Ren of all people remarked, still sitting down. We all then put our muddled stares at him, that wasn't something you'd normally hear from him. "What?" he responded.

Nora suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I meant to say it was the 'Oum-nissiah'. Yes, praise The Omnissiah, for the Machine God has guided the system into binding us together!" She corrected, not that it made any more sense to it. [1]

"Indeed. Praise be The Omnissiah," Ren followed with his usual tone of voice and expression, but it doesn't sound like he was being sarcastic, only making this even more bewildering.

Pyrrha and I looked at each other and laughed the whole thing off. We gazed at Beacon's scenery during sunset. She suddenly held my shoulder, I turned to look at her emerald eyes and saw the sunset shine on her. I struggled not to blush at the stunning image. "We won't let you down."

They definitely won't because I have faith in them, something that I could not say the same for myself." I know."

I looked back at the sky as the four of us watched it transition from day to night. A beautiful undefeated champion and a duo of opposite nature who somehow work well together; all being led by a pathetic, lying blond idiot who was unfortunate enough to put himself into this crap. As one bumpy ride this year was going to be, at least I knew that I will be able to depend on the people I was going to be stuck with for a while.

Brothers help me.

=o=

1. At some point before attending Beacon, Ren and Nora were once part of the "The Cult of Mechanicus," an outlawed techno-religious movement infamous for their questionable experiments usually involving machinery and cybernetics. Thankfully, Ren and Nora were able to leave the cult before having any of their body parts torn off for 'augmentations,' though they seem to have kept some of the beliefs of that dogma.