A/N: You know, I'm a really forgetful guy, and my beta reader seems to be too nice to mention that I keep forgetting to credit him. Smh. Please remember that the Prince of Austria is my beta, and he looks through all of this stuff, super thankful to him.
Beta: Prince of Austria
"You know, when you said you were going to be looking into the stone, I assumed that we would be doing something with it."
Jaune turned to Blake, who held a book in her hands, Les Secrets du Monde Naturel, another older book about alchemy. The two of them were sitting in Ozpin's office, poring over the books that he held under close supervision. Jaune had only managed to convince the Headmaster for them to do so yesterday evening, with the condition that Blake and him would have to remain in the Headmaster's office the whole time.
It was pretty distracting for the first hour or so, but after the time ran its course, Jaune and Blake learned to tune the man out, who simply sat at his desk and went over a ton of paperwork, only the sound of pen on paper coming from Ozpin.
Jaune shook his head, holding up his book. "I would rather we be safe than sorry, and get as much information as we possibly can about the stone as possible before doing any physical testing." His mind recalled what had happened during the events at Ravenwood, and shivered at the image of Mirisu in her monstrous form, grinning at him.
He'd rather not turn into that, thank you very much.
Flipping another page of the book, Blake grabbed a small sticky note and carefully applied it on the page she was skimming through. She didn't know the dead language, but Jaune had instructed her on how to spot interesting words such as 'stone' and 'philosophers', marking them so that Jaune could go through them later on.
"I don't know why I'm helping you." Blake sighed, eyes scanning carefully through the handwritten book. "If I wanted to read something, I would read my novels, not this stuff." Jaune quickly glanced up at her, looking into her eyes. She had a light frown on her face, but she didn't actually look too ruffled, so Jaune returned to his reading, turning to the next marked off section.
"Well, why don't you? I mean, I'm not the one forcing you to do this." Jaune said lightly, eyes darting back and forth on the page. Another sigh escaped Blake's lips.
"Yeah, well, I guess I'm just so used to having company that it feels weird being alone, even if it is only for a few days." Blake admitted, shrugging as she closed the book, marking one last section. Jaune made note of where he was on the book and closed it, holding out his hand to grab Blake's book. Murmuring a quick thanks, Jaune opened the book to the first marked off section, hunting for the elusive information.
"Ha. I knew we'd get through to you."
Blake scoffed and turned her head, reaching for another book. This time Jaune stopped her.
"Actually, I've got enough for now. If you want to read your own books, I don't think I'd mind the company." Blake smiled, ears flicking underneath her bow as she slyly pulled out a book from behind her, one that looked a lot more recent than the ones that Jaune was going through.
"I knew it." Jaune said in amusement, shaking his head. Blake didn't bother saying anything in her defense, simply shrugging and cracking the book open, beginning to read. Following by example, Jaune did the same, eyebrows scrunching together as he attempted to decipher the sloppy handwriting.
"I'm surprised you could read anything this guy wrote." Jaune commented, even making a show of tilting the book sideways. Blake nodded, a small smirk appearing on her face.
"Yeah. I guess that's a credit to my supernatural eyesight, I guess." There was a loftiness in her tone, as if she was trying to emulate Weiss when the heiress wanted to brag about her achievements. Jaune laughed softly and continued to read.
The Philosopher's Stone is a man-made creation that is incredibly powerful, able to alter the laws of nature and subjugate the world to man's will.
Jaune leaned back, snorting at the language. The author seemed a bit… excessive? The boy shook his head and kept reading.
Because of the immense power that one stone holds, one must find a source of energy that is powerful enough to command the world and its laws.
Jaune nodded. It hadn't taken him long to understand that. The moment he had found out about something that would overturn the rules of alchemy, he had assumed that it would cost a lot of energy.
There is not many sources of power that can perform such a feat, but after several years of meticulous research, I have found the answer: the human soul.
Jaune stared at the words in front of him, his eyes glued to the last words he read. Human souls? What? That can't mean what it actually means, does it?
I have drafted and re-drafted an appropriate circle to perform this, able to tear the soul out of a living human and deposit it into a concentrated form, creating an almost perfect Stone. Of course it does not measure up to the real stone, but—
Jaune stopped reading, turning the page to look at the back, a carefully diagrammed circle placed on it. Jaune examined it in quiet horror, detailing it and understanding that yes, this thing can, and will tear out human souls.
Suddenly the stone in his pocket felt a whole lot heavier.
Jaune placed the book down, hands shaking slightly. Was that what the stone was? Human souls? Was he just carrying around a soul of the dead? No, one soul couldn't have made a stone like that.
There had to be hundreds. Thousands.
Jaune felt the disgust slowly rise up to his chest.
"Jaune? Jaune!"
The alchemist looked up with blank eyes, facing a concerned Blake. "Are you alright Jaune?" She asked, hand on his shoulder. "You've been staring at the ground for a while." That snapped him out of his funk, and he nodded mechanically.
"Yeah, uh, no, I'm fine." Jaune stuttered out. "Just a little… tired. I should take a break from all of this." Jaune stood up, taking all of the tomes, journals, and books into his arms, walking towards Ozpin. Blake stood up, wanting to help.
"Here, let me grab some of the books—"
"No!" Came the quick and panicked reply, Jaune turning away from Blake, who stepped back in surprise from the violent reaction. Jaune calmed himself down, shaking a head. "It's… it's alright. I've got it." Blake didn't seem so sure of it, but nodded nonetheless.
And so Jaune walked up to Headmaster Ozpin as calmly as possible, which was harder than it looked with Ozpin staring at him, eyes glancing up and down as if detailing the boy.
"Thank you Mr. Arc." Ozpin nodded at him, his fingers covering his mouth. "I hope this time has illuminated some information about what you're holding? And," Ozpin lowered his gaze, glasses flashing. "reveal if the stone will become a threat to you?" And everyone around you? Was the unspoken question. Jaune nodded, eyes having a hard time staying on his headmaster's face.
"N-no. It's not dangerous." Jaune said, before turning around and retreating back to Blake, who stood up in confusion, her book held in her hands. Jaune didn't say a word to her as he stepped into the elevator, at least waiting patiently until she stepped in before he pressed the buttons, sending them back to the main levels.
"Are you sure you're alright Jaune?" Blake turned to him, crossing her arms. "You didn't seem alright back there." Jaune didn't answer for a second, mind still racing with the new information in his mind. Finally he looked at her, face twisted in a complicated expression.
"I really don't want to talk about it right now. Maybe later?"
It didn't seem like there was much of a choice for Blake, but she nodded anyways, not wanting to distress him further. Relieved that she didn't push for more information, Jaune decided to distract himself for a little while, pointing to the book she had in her hand.
"Is that new or something you're rereading?"
Blake held up the book, tilting it so that Jaune could read the title of the book. Ninjas of Love: Kurokamikashi Strikes. He lifted an eyebrow at the title.
"That sounds like an… interesting book." Jaune allowed, nodding. Blake almost seemed to recoil at that, horrified.
"Interesting? Just interesting?" Blake shoved the book into his hands, opening it up. "It is a masterpiece. It is the fifth one of its kind to come out, and yes, some parts are just interesting, but everything else is like… like a masterpiece."
From the serious look on her face, Jaune could tell that she was being serious. That didn't change the fact that Jaune bent over and clutched his stomach, laughing.
## #
"Cinder?"
The woman raised her head, turning to look at Professor Port, who had knocked on her door. With a polite smile, the woman discreetly closed her book and turned her attention towards him.
"Yes. Is there something you require, Mr. Port?" The man laughed boisterously.
"Please, call me Peter. All of my friends do."
Cinder raised an eyebrow, but kept her smile plastered on her face. "Ah. I didn't realize we were friends… Peter." The man nodded almost eagerly, stepping into the office.
"Ah well, yes, I'm sure I seemed a bit unapproachable, but I would like to consider you a friend." Cinder nodded at that, uncaring.
"Well thank you Peter. Tell me, is there something you need?"
The professor clasped his hands behind his back and puffed out his chest, his mustache wiggling a little.
"I was actually just wondering, since you are helping us so much with the maintenance for the Amity Coliseum, if you would mind me taking you out for dinner. As a thank you." He added in, not able to disguise all the nervousness from his voice. The smile on Cinder's face grew a little sharper as she tried her hardest not to grimace in disgust.
"I'm sorry Peter, but I'm quite busy today. I have to oversee the rest of the maintenance by the crew and make sure everything's… up to par." Cinder made sure to sound regretful, her posture mirroring the disappointment that Professor Port was feeling.
"Oh, well. That's quite alright." Came the halting reply. "Maybe when you're less busy then."
Cinder nodded. "Surely." And made quick plans to keep herself busy for the next week and a half.
With the final parting word, Professor Port left, closing the door quietly behind him.
"That was… pathetic."
The air rippled as Mercury and Emerald reappeared, sitting on the seats on the side of the room. Emerald shoved an elbow into Mercury's side, making him wince in pain. Turning to her, he shrugged. "What? Are you saying that was super attractive? You into older, fatter, mustached guys?" Mercury taunted with a sneer. Emerald's eyes grew red with rage and she spun, ready to lash out in anger.
"Enough." Came Cinder's quiet command. The two of them froze what they were doing, turning to the woman, who sat there contemplatively.
"Ma'am?" Emerald prodded gently, hoping that the woman didn't think Emerald was out of line. She could still feel the bruises from the last time she was out of line. Cinder turned to her, smiling.
"Actually, clear my schedule for tomorrow evening. I think I'll be going out to eat."
The two of them gaped at her in disbelief.
"I-I'm sorry ma'am?" Emerald asked, causing Cinder's lips to twist in displeasure.
"Do you object?" The green-haired girl was quick to shake her head.
"No, no! Of course not! It's just…" The girl looked at Cinder, who nodded her permission for Emerald to speak. "Why? If I may ask." Cinder looked at the shivering girl, a hint of a smile on her face. She stood up from her desk and walked around it, approaching the girl. With one hand, she gently touched Emerald's chin, making her lift her head.
"Why? Because it interests me so. Everything is… getting along nicely, even with the few bumps in the road." Letting go of Emerald, Cinder turned around and looked at the book that she had placed on her desk, Les Secrets du Monde Naturel. "Since it seems that no one can handle this one… particular bump, I will attend to it myself."
Cinder looked at Emerald with an almost sultry expression. "It seems to me that I will need some… tension relieved after tomorrow night. You will be ready for me then, I assume?"
Emerald swallowed, bowing to hide her face with her bangs. "Of course, Cinder." The woman nodded, smiling.
"Very good."