-(=RWBY=)-
Chapter 3
-(=RWBY=)-
The rest of the day passed in an uneventful way. Then, night fell, summons from the headmaster came, and Jaune found himself in a place he did not expect to be.
From atop Beacon Tower, he could see Vale in all its glory – a city of light and shadows, a million shining stars set against darkness in repose.
It was an awesome sight, beautiful enough to take his breath away and make him glad to be alive.
Jaune's company for that evening, however, left much to be desired.
Weiss Schnee stood next to him, looking out onto the city and steadfastly ignoring him. Never speaking a single word to him, and never even glancing his way, she had all but mastered the art of pretending he didn't exist. Jaune could have been air and dust for all she cared, and he doubted she would bat a single eyebrow on her perfect face had he vaulted onto the parapet and put himself but one step away from a steep drop to death.
Jaune considered himself a calm person of even temper, but the way Weiss had been treating him since yesterday grated, and made him feel just this side of malicious.
Thus, when a wicked barb came – unbidden – to mind, he could not help but say it.
"I suppose, Weiss, that you're so good at pretending I don't exist, because of a lifetime of practice; because this is how you treat your servants at home – like furniture, to be used when convenient and ignored when not."
That got Weiss's attention, and she turned eyes blazing with fury upon him.
"You absolute ass. How dare you imply –"
"I hope I'm not interrupting a lover's tiff?"
The headmaster had chosen that opportune moment to open his doors and step out of his office, and to throw that unhelpful remark into the fray.
The notion that that the two of them could be together clearly disgusted Weiss, and the girl had to visibly bite down upon her retort – something doubtless contemptuous and withering, perfect for the boy she loathed but unfit for polite conversation with the headmaster of Beacon.
Jaune, meanwhile, directed his attention to Ozpin. Inclining his head, he greeted the headmaster.
"Good evening, headmaster."
"Good evening to you too, Mr Arc, and to you, Miss Schnee. Do come in."
Ozpin led Jaune and a still-seething Weiss into his spacious office, and Jaune found himself impressed and aesthetically awed for the second time that night.
The headmaster's office was like the interior of a giant clock, complete with turning gears and a large glass window in the shape of an clock face, its hands pointing half past nine.
Ozpin made his way over to his desk, which was located right in front of said window. Even as he sat down, he lifted a mug – of coffee, or so Jaune surmised from the smell – and took a long, deep draught.
Only once his craving for caffeine was sated did he turn his attention back to his students, and say,
"Do you know why I've called you here tonight?"
Jaune had a reasonably good guess; as did Weiss, who replied,
"You want something, sir."
And before she could move to elaborate, Jaune stepped in to add,
"Something that ordinary students can't offer."
His interruption drew a side-glance from Weiss, even as she finished with –
"You believe that there is something we can do for you on account of the connections and opportunities our family names offer."
It was almost impressive, the way they completed each other's sentences, though Weiss was far from pleased.
The headmaster, of course, did not fail to notice any of this. With a gently amused smile, he gestured at the chairs on the other side of his desk, and said,
"Do take a seat."
They sat, Weiss daintily and with all the perfect poise of a princess born and bred; Jaune, casually and with a relaxed air.
They weren't in trouble, at any rate, and he saw little reason to be anxious.
After they were comfortably seated, the headmaster began to explain the cause of their summons.
"You are, the both of you, shaping up to be powerful huntsmen and huntresses. You, Miss Schnee –"
He nodded at Weiss.
"– are an excellent dust mage for your age. And you, Mr Arc –"
He inclined his head towards Jaune.
"– have impressive skill at the blade. But power is not everything, and cleverness is important to have as well, as Professor Fall would have so ably demonstrated to your class this afternoon. I myself greatly prize the ability and willingness to think, and it was you two showing promise in this area that led me to admit you to Beacon despite your unusual circumstances. You, Miss Schnee –"
The headmaster looked at Weiss.
"– impressed me with your sharp and rigorous thinking when I interviewed you over the CCT; and this despite my initial scepticism that you were anything more than an heiress leveraging her connections, to reach at an opportunity you had not earned. And you, Mr Arc –"
The headmaster met Jaune's eyes.
"– defied my expectations with your knowledge and your insight when we spoke on the cliffs that night; it made me pleasantly surprised that you were far more than just a boy who knew how to swing an oversized knife. But –"
That word hung in the air.
"– brains and brawn alone do not help to bend the arc of history towards justice, or to build a better world where children know naught but peace and plenty. So tell me, both of you – what else do you think is necessary for us to leave to our children a better world than the one we ourselves inherited from our parents?"
Jaune and Weiss both mulled the question, and in the end, it was Weiss who arrived at a conclusion first. Chin high, and eyes bright, she gave her answer with confidence –
"Headmaster, I believe courage is the key. Nothing worthwhile is achieved without risk and danger, and a dream as grand as a better world will never be accomplished without loss. We need courage to face these hardships and tragedies head on – and to win despite the costs."
Ozpin made a non-committal noise that signalled neither approval nor disapproval; he seemed to want to wait for Jaune's answer before he explained his own view of things.
As for what Jaune himself thought –
What was the correct answer? Or rather, what was the answer that the Professor believed correct, and whose acquisition by them was the point of this lesson?
Jaune narrowed his eyes at the man sitting across the table from them.
Here was a man who had knowingly catapulted an aura-less individual off a cliff, just for the chance to acquire a promising student. Here was a man whom the likes of James Ironwood and Jacques Schnee respected, when men such as them respected nothing but ruthlessness and strength. Here was a man who had, for decades, trained child soldiers, and then sent them off to fight and die against terrible monsters.
Headmaster Ozpin was, in short, a man profoundly ruthless – a man unbound by scruples, and who thought nothing forbidden and everything permitted.
In the end, there was no answer but the truth.
"Ruthlessness, sir – I believe that's what you're getting at."
The headmaster nodded.
"Indeed, Mr Arc. Miss Schnee, your answer was not incorrect, but at the level of national policy and international security, our individual sacrifices are irrelevant, and what matters are the sacrifices that must be imposed on the people we lead, and on the enemies we face, and on the innocents caught up in a conflict that none of them helped make.
Ozpin pinned Jaune with a look.
"Your ancestor helped the First King unite Vale, and end the wars and plagues and Grimm attacks that previously raged within the country's borders. Do you think this was done without cost? The two of them, King and Hero we call them – they drowned entire armies in blood; executed any man, woman and child who dared defy the imposed quarantine; and sent boys as young as ten to fight the Grimm, even if all they did was valiantly die trying.
"And was the Unification any different? The Farmboy Conqueror put whole armies to the sword, so that the constant warfare and dozen petty kings that had plagued the continent since forever could finally be consigned to the midden of history.
"And I need not tell you how the Great War was won. The Last King of Vale strode forth, sword in one hand –"
Ozpin raised his right hand, and closed it into a fist.
" – sceptre in the other –"
Ozpin raised his left hand, his cane still gripped in it.
"– and laid waste to the armies of Mistal and Mantle, to bring the decade-long, globe-spanning, millions-murdering war to a decisive end. And ultimately, that is the only thing that makes sense – to save more lives rather than less, and to help as many as we can. The opposite, of letting more die so fewer may live... is indefensible; is irrational; and is cruelty, just disguised as sentimentality."
The headmaster let his arms fall, and he seemed almost tired when he said,
"Some might call it ruthlessness, others pragmatism, yet others utilitarianism; but it all comes down the same thing – we must weigh the greater good against the lesser evil, and choose the former over the latter."
A solemn silence greeted the end of the headmaster's extended explanation. Weiss seemed somewhat persuaded, but also greatly conflicted. That led her to say –
"Headmaster, all this is easier said than done; one might be able to be ruthless when it comes to sacrificing strangers, but if it were one's friends and families and loved ones at stake..."
She trailed off.
The headmaster nodded.
"Very true, Miss Schnee. Talk is one thing; action another. What do you think, you two? Have you the ruthlessness necessary, to save lives and do your duty?"
Jaune froze, for a heartbeat; then he felt himself baring his teeth.
What a question to ask. The headmaster had to know his history; to say such a thing regardless was inconsiderate at best and cruel at worst.
Weiss, meanwhile, looked almost pensive, as she said,
"Perhaps. One cannot know such things except when the moment of truth itself arrives."
The headmaster looked at Jaune, awaiting his answer; and in response, Jaune only closed his eyes.
In the darkness he could see the burning village, the curling smoke, the dead bodies, and the screams as familiar as family – as a thousand images and sounds assaulted him from memory.
Jaune opened his eyes again. An emotion he could not describe coursed through his veins, and he replied,
"If you want to know if I'm ruthless enough for your schemes, headmaster, don't ask me. Ask my old village. Ask my family."
The headmaster's lips quirked up, in a humourless smile, even as he said.
"One is dead. And the other thinks you deserve to be."
"Exactly."
This short exchange left Weiss perplexed, at first – and then increasingly horrified, as she read between the lines. Quietly, softly, like she almost didn't want to know, she breathed,
"Arc. What have you done?"
Jaune glanced at her, but didn't bother to grant her question an answer.
The headmaster, too, didn't care to enlighten Weiss; instead, he moved on to say,
"The past is the past; and while it is often a guide to what will happen in the future, it is not definitive. People change; views change; and nothing dulls strength of will more than regret and recriminations – especially the sort we direct upon ourselves. So tell me, Mr Arc, Miss Schnee, how will you act in a situation such as this?"
Ozpin folded his fingers together, and steepled his hands.
"You are leading a combined force of Team JWBN and Team RVLY, and are holding off continuous waves of Grimm battering a small village in north-eastern Sanus. Bullheads have arrived, and evacuations have begun, with residents boarding the bullheads at the centre of the village. However, you are running low on aura and dust, and cannot expect to hold the now-broken village gate until the evacuation is complete – what, in such dire circumstances, will you choose to do?"
Beside him, Weiss frowned, so deeply that it scrunched up her pretty face and made her look almost fierce.
She was putting intense effort into solving the problem, and Jaune didn't blame her – the question was a fantastically hard one, involving a deeply desperate scenario. There were probably no good answers, and in circumstances such as those described, not everyone was going to make it out alive.
To save as many people as possible, though – what would that take?
Jaune pushed his mind into action. He analyzed the tactical and strategic advantages conferred by the available semblances; he weighed the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various fighters; and he also considered the likely geography of the village and how it could be used to channelize the Grimm away from themselves and the civilians.
And putting that all together –
...
This was hard. This was impossible. In all the scenarios he considered, the Beacon team and the civilians they were sworn to protect always died, as the hordes of darkness were invariably too great to overcome.
It was a pity that there was no way to divert the Grimm –
Ah.
The solution emerged, exceptional in its effectiveness and exquisite in its inhumanity.
And Jaune knew, beyond doubt, that it was the sort of solution the headmaster would approve of.
Weiss, meanwhile, appeared to have come to a solution of her own; that much Jaune could tell from how her eyes lit up and how she snapped her fingers in excitement. Jaune was happy to hear any plan that didn't resort to the same things his did, and so listened attentively when she began sketching out and explaining her proposed strategy.
"Headmaster, I would use defence in depth, and make the Grimm fight us house to house so as to maximally delay their advance. Our more mobile combatants – Ruby Rose and Blake Belladonna – will be used as skirmishers to lure Grimm to the outer edges of the village and to relieve pressure on our primary line of defence. That line will consist of our strongest melee combatants – Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao-Long and Nora Valkyrie – located on the ground floor of adjacent houses; and while these combatants will fight and kill Grimm where possible, they will ultimately conduct an orderly retreat to the next row of houses so as to avoid being overwhelmed by the weight of numbers the Grimm can bring to bear. Meanwhile, I will keep to the roofs and from there rain fire on the crush of Grimm attempting to enter the houses – this maximizes the amount of damage done per remaining units of aura and dust at my disposal. And finally, Lie Ren is the heart of this strategy; he will use his semblance to shield as many of the evacuating residents for as long as possible from the senses of the Grimm, so that they do not simply choose to bypass our line of defence and race for the bullheads."
Weiss looked pleased as she completed her explanation; she seemed quite proud of what she had come up with.
And it wasn't a bad plan, per se, except –
Ozpin shook his head, and Weiss's smile froze.
"Your team would mount a valiant defence, Miss Schnee, but you would fail. The most fundamental problem with your approach is that Mr Ren would exhaust himself in under a minute were he to try and shield hundreds or thousands of people from the Grimm – and once that happens the Grimm would simply make for the desperate residents struggling to board the bullheads.
"Moreover, as your team is already running low on aura and dust, I suspect your line of defence would not hold for more than ten minutes or so even in the best of circumstances.
"Further, Miss Rose and Miss Belladonna cannot indefinitely lead the Grimm on a merry chase within the village – the sheer number of Grimm will pen them in, and force them to either head towards or by the village centre, which risks the Grimm diverting and attacking the bullheads; or they will be forced to bring the horde of Grimm to the rest of you, which would cause your line of defence to collapse as the Grimm attack your flanks and rear."
Weiss's shoulders visibly sagged.
The headmaster then turned to Jaune – who shrugged, and moved to outline his own proposed solution.
"I would commandeer a bullhead, and quickly unlock the auras of perhaps a few dozen civilians. Then, I would airdrop the civilians into the surrounding forests one by one, in a manner not unlike laying breadcrumbs – so the Grimm will take the bait and be lured away from the village. The emotions of individuals with unlocked auras, of course, shine all the brighter to the Grimm – as they say, we 'wear our hearts on our sleeves' – and between this and the absolute terror these civilians should be feeling, the Grimm will largely leave the evacuation unmolested.
"While I would of course have preferred to have done with this trained huntsmen capable of luring the Grimm away without dying, my team and RVLY will be needed to hold back the remaining Grimm that do continue assaulting the village. As with what Weiss suggested, I would use defence in depth – make the Grimm fight us house to house even while giving ground, and even as our ranged combatants rain fire on them from above. We will probably still get overrun and die regardless, but we'll last long enough to secure the evacuation.
"At the same time, skirmishers like what Weiss proposed should help to relieve the pressure somewhat by luring the Grimm to the outskirts of the village. They'll need to take a last stand there, however – as you pointed, headmaster, they can't run forever. If they escape over the walls, the Grimm will just turn back; if they attempt to circle around and lead the Grimm to the opposite side of the village from the gate, enough will peel off to attack the evacuation at the village centre; and if they bring the Grimm back to where the others are fighting, our front lines would collapse from being attacked from side and rear.
"In summary – dozens of innocents of civilians will die unjust, horrifying deaths, and our entire huntsman force would be killed, but the vast majority of civilians in their thousands would survive."
Silence reigned in the office, as Jaune completed his explanation.
The headmaster betrayed not an iota of emotion, but Weiss had a look of absolute revulsion on her face. She looked ready to tear into Jaune, but the headmaster quieted her with a hand, before himself saying,
"A fine plan, Mr Arc. But does your entire team need to die? Could you not afford to pull one or two individuals back, and save them? And if so, who gets to live, and who needs to die?"
Jaune gave a humourless chortle; Ozpin sure knew how to twist the knife, and lead an already heartless plan to its even colder – if logical – conclusion. And that conclusion, as Jaune knew, was –
"I would use Weiss and Blake as our ranged combatants on the roofs, and then charge them to retreat and act as skirmishers once it becomes clear our position is lost. If they execute this fighting retreat to the bullheads correctly, they should survive."
Jaune glanced at Weiss, who seemed both confused and displeased at being singled out for salvation when everyone else was fated to die.
"It is important that Weiss and Blake survive, not because their lives matter more in themselves – of course they don't, since all lives are equally valuable – but because of who their family are. Their dying would risk straining ties with Atlas and –"
Jaune almost said Menagerie, but in the nick of time remembered his promise to Blake to keep her heritage secret, and so switched to saying –"
"– other important foreign political figures, and the last thing we need is international tension or an increased risk of conflict."
By this point, Weiss could no longer hold herself back, even in the presence of the headmaster.
"And you, Arc? I suppose you get to survive as well, after everyone else has died? Safe in your bullhead, and ready to be welcomed back as a hero –"
"Don't be silly, Weiss."
Jaune interrupted her, before her anger and indignation could build up too much.
"I'll be dead myself. After I airdrop all the civilians to be used as bait, I'll need to kill the bullhead pilot before he returns to the village and tells everyone what I did. It would be a catastrophe to let such a truth get out – even if the horror didn't cause a material uptick in Grimm attacks and consequent Collapses in the hinterlands, it would severely undermine trust in the Huntsman Academies, and if mistrust causes cities and towns and villages to cut communications and cooperation with us, that'll only make us less capable of reacting to Grimm attacks in the future."
And to put the final nail in the coffin –
"And what do you think will happen after I kill the pilot, Weiss? With my aura already low from earlier combat, and then having to perform the aura release ritual for so many people on top of that? I would be lucky to even be conscious. Even if I survive the bullhead crash that would inevitably occur after the pilot dies, the Grimm would dogpile me and I would never make it out of the forest alive."
That shut Weiss up.
Jaune looked away, suddenly feeling drained.
The headmaster, though –
He seemed alive, more so than at any point that night.
"Excellent work, Mr Arc. We'll make a leader out of you yet. You too, Miss Schnee – you have potential, but you must learn that sometimes there are no clever ways out, only a choice of what to save and what to sacrifice."
The headmaster turned around, inexplicably – and it took Jaune a moment to realize he was checking the time on the giant clock face that was his office window.
Turning back, Ozpin said,
"We come full circle. We began this discussion with me asking if you knew why I called you here tonight. Let me not prevaricate any longer, and instead give you a straight answer. I am seeking to groom the next generation of leaders, which you two will be, on account of your intelligence and yes, your family connections. We will not meet very frequently, or very regularly, but will do so occasionally, on nights like this when I am free."
Headmaster Ozpin stood.
"And I will teach you how to rule; so that you can guide the world away from destruction, and upwards to ever greater magnificence."
Upon hearing the headmaster's words, Weiss seemed both flattered and wary. Jaune, on the other hand, felt nothing of the former, even while experiencing a boundless amount of the latter.
Jaune didn't know how he could have missed it previously; but behind the mild demeanour and scholarly glasses...
Ozpin had the eyes of a butcher – the gaze, of a person used to examining pieces of meat, and figuring out the weight and worth of each.
And of course, to those on the chopping board, butcher was just another way to spell monster.
Sardonically, Jaune thought –
Which does Ozpin intend me to be, I wonder – meat, or monster?
The headmaster inclined his head.
"Thank you for your time tonight, Mr Arc, Miss Schnee. You may take your leave, and get some rest. I will inform you by electronic mail of when our next meeting will take place."
Weiss and him stood, and bowed, and bid the headmaster a good evening and farewell, before turning and leaving.
The door to the headmaster's office had barely closed, when Jaune said –
"Weiss, we need to talk."
Weiss looked at him, and seemed about to reject the request out of hand, before sighing, and relenting.
"Fine. Make this quick, Arc."
Jaune nodded, and then suggested,
"We can speak in private on the roof."
Without waiting for explicit agreement on Weiss's end, Jaune headed to the lift lobby.
Weiss followed with comment or complaint, and they took the lift up to the top floor on this section of the Tower. From there, climbing a long flight of stairs brought them to the open area above the Beacon Tower lamp, which occupied a whole twenty levels on its own and whose light illuminated the area surrounding Beacon all the way to the mountains.
The moon was bright and full this night, and Jaune took a moment to appreciate its beauty before turning his attention to the matter at hand.
Weiss had taken a position a few meter away from him, nearer to the stairwell they came out from. Arms crossed, and hair swaying in the midnight breeze, she seemed impatient to get this over with.
Jaune decided not to waste any more time.
The meeting with Ozpin had made him realize that he had been taking the wrong approach with Weiss. She was a girl raised in an intensely political environment, just by virtue of her family and the role it played within Atlesian society. To begin building a relationship with her, therefore, he had to speak her language – transactional politics – and propose how an association between them would be of mutual benefit.
"Weiss, we've been at each other's throats for almost the entire time we've known each other, and I think this isn't productive. We can oppose each other, argue with each other, hate each other – and what would that achieve? Little, and less, and nothing at all. But together? Together, we could change the world."
Jaune brought up a hand, and grasped the air in front of him.
"Your family is the richest on the Remnant. Mine is old and storied, and even now tales of our heroism can sway hearts and win elections. If we were to work together, then with all the power we will one day have, and all the brilliance we already possess, and all the idealism and hope that our fathers have long abandoned – we can make a difference. We can build a better world – a world without terrorists or their victims; a world where all men and women can live life as they please, and no god-king or general-for-life or overbearing family patriarch can tell them otherwise; a world of such wealth and affluence, that those now poor will no longer have reason to envy those who have it better."
Jaune walked forward, and offered a hand to shake.
"Come, Weiss. We've had our differences, but now let us be friends. Let me be your Arc, as my ancestor was to Vale's first and greatest monarch."
Jaune gave a bright, confident smile, and waited for Weiss to take his hand.
And she would, Jaune knew. After all, he was appealing not just to his teammate's high self-esteem and doubtlessly lofty ambitions – but he had also painted a picture of a better world specifically tailored to meet Weiss's deepest and most heartfelt desires. It was no secret that she hated the White Fang –
... a world without terrorists or their victims...
– and between credible media speculation and her choosing to come to Beacon, Jaune could tell that Weiss had a difficult relationship with her reputedly controlling father –
... a world where all men and women can live life as they please, and no god-king or general-for-life or overbearing family patriarch can tell them otherwise...
– and while this was more speculative, Jaune sensed that Weiss, like many other rich individuals, felt unfairly envied and maligned for the wealth their family had successfully acquired –
... a world of such wealth and affluence, that those now poor will no longer have reason to envy those who have it better...
So it was a surprise, when Weiss left his hand hanging there, even while fixing him with a cold stare.
"Spare me the rhetoric, Arc. I've heard pitches like this all my life – some from boys half your age but twice as eloquent. Everyone wants to take advantage of me; did you really think I would look upon you doing the same favourably?"
Shit.
Jaune knew then that he had totally misread Weiss – her immersion in politics hadn't made her see it as an acceptable way of building relationship; only hate it all the more.
"Weiss –"
She cut him off with a slicing motion of her hand.
"Silence. You said your piece, so now let me say mine. It's not just your wanting something from me that I take issue with; but the way you went about it was risible. You're not as subtle as you think, Arc. No one likes to be manipulated, and your efforts were the painfully obvious attempts of an absolute amateur."
Oh no.
This were getting bad to worse. Jaune realized, far too late, that he had tried to be too clever, and had only succeeded at coming off as conniving and unscrupulous.
"Weiss –"
She silenced him once more, this time with a finger wagged in his face.
"But put aside the attempted exploitation and manipulation – even then, why would I ever agree to associate with you? A relationship requires trust, Arc, and you inspire none. All I have seen of you today has been dismal indeed. You violently humiliate people you dislike; you wield lies and deceit as easy a man might breathe; and you –"
Weiss swallowed, and seemed to have to control her distaste when she continued to say,
"– are all too fond of sacrificing innocent people just to reach your goals. I detest men like you –"
She looked him in the eyes, and in those clear, blue orbs there was only loathing.
"– men who would sacrifice others in a heartbeat, but who would never lay down their own lives when others need it. I have been at the mercy of men like you all my life. Never again."
Jaune found himself clenching his fists.
And what angered him...
... wasn't the fact that his attempts to woo Weiss into friendship had failed; nor was it the revulsion she so clearly evinced for him; no, it was that one line she delivered, like a punch to the gut.
... men who would sacrifice others in a heartbeat, but who would never lay down their own lives when others need it...
"You're wrong."
His voice, low and dangerous, conveyed his thrumming anger.
"I would sacrifice myself to save others. As I told you and Ozpin, I would have died to keep the dangerous secret safe, and to be the last piece of bait luring the Grimm away. Of course I would – because I'm not the kind of person to ask others to make a sacrifice I myself am unwilling to make. Anything else would be contemptible cowardice, and I am not a coward."
Weiss's eyes flickered with an indescribable emotion.
A beat.
And then she said, softly,
"Aren't you?"
Jaune took a sharp intake of breath, with the air hissing through his teeth. And then Weiss delivered the final blow, the knife to the heart –
"Talk is cheap, Arc, and you doth protest too much – which makes me think that even you know, in your heart of hearts, that all you say is just a coward's bluster and bluff."
Weiss's words washed over him, drowned him, choked him –
– and made rage rise within him; rage which soon morphed into hate, and made him want to hurt this girl in front of him, as she had never been hurt before or since.
His heart screamed for vengeance; and his brilliant mind was all to happy to supply the ammunition.
"Weiss."
His voice was soft, almost gentle – in stark contrast to how he actually felt.
That dissonance was not missed by Weiss, and for a brief moment uncertainty and trepidation flitted across her face.
"You accuse me of cowardice, but have you looked into a mirror lately? I've seen the reports. How many hundreds of people have died to keep you safe? Your father isn't exactly subtle about announcing to the world how often the White Fang attempts to kidnap you in particular, and how many casualties SDC security inevitably incurs."
Weiss took a step back.
"How does that make sense, to sacrifice the many for the few? Or indeed, hundreds for just one spoilt brat of a girl? These men and women with their families and loved ones – are they less important than you? Is that how it is? Are lives measured in lien, so yours is worth a thousand others?"
Weiss took another step back.
"Wouldn't it have been infinitely kinder and fairer and better for you to just kill yourself, so the Fang will cease their attacks and no one else need to die for your sake? Or do you lack the courage –"
Weiss strode forward and slapped him, hard. With tears streaming down her face, and with her voice laced with anguish and hate, she spat at him –
"You are the scum of the earth, Arc. If you're the sort of hero Beacon trains, this world doesn't deserve to be saved."
She turned and left, her barely-controlled sobbing audible every step of the way.
Jaune watched her go; and when the lift doors finally closed –
He screamed, all his anger and hate and frustration shattering the silence of the night.
He knew, bone-deep, just how badly he had screwed up; how appalling he had acted; how cruel he had been.
The enormity of his mistake came crashing down, and all at once, his hate and anger abandoned him.
Lacking the energy to even stand, he let himself collapse into a sitting position on the ground.
Looking up into the night sky, he could see the shattered moon and its countless fragments – a perfect metaphor for his relationship with Weiss after what had been said that night.
It was almost beautiful – but then again, tragedies often were, in the grandeur of their misery.
Jaune Arc wanted to be a hero; but somewhere along the way, he had become but a blade forged for war – good for hurting others, and little more.
-(=RWBY=)-