"Well the name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."
"Perfect..." Jaune mumbled, watching Winter walk away from him. He sighed, not exactly blaming him for leaving. Jaune wasn't exactly the Grade A list student compared to him. He sighed, looking around the area for any sort of help.
"Jaune," He heard a very familiar voice say. He looked down, seeing Pyrrha standing below. Her arms crossed and smiling up at him. "Do you have any spots left on your team?"
Jaune crossed his arms, the teasing not exactly making the situation better. But still, he couldn't help but smile about how much it made him laugh. She moved under him, holding up her hand while cautiously holding out her other arm.
In a swift motion, the spear fell back into her hand and Jaune descended. Pyrrha holstered her weapon and caught him. Pyrrha was surprised, Jaune felt so delicate and small in her arms. She helped him steady his stance as she stood beside him.
"Thanks." Jaune said, rubbing the back of his neck. She nodded, her hands moving behind her back.
"Think nothing of it, Jaune." She said, smiling still. He looked around, wondering where her partner was. He wondered who it was? Maybe it was Winter? Or that Ren guy? The Nora girl?
"Um..." Jaune felt his wrists loosen, rotating them awkwardly as he searched for her partner. Pyrrha looked around, wondering what Jaune was looking for.
"Looking for something, Jaune?" She asked, hearing him let out an awkward laugh. He spun on his heel, walking slowly around her.
"I'm looking for your partner, is all." He said, scratching his head. She let out a little giggle, straightening her posture.
"Well," She cleared her throat, her arms moving in front of her. Her fiddling her fingers together. "We were told that the first person we make eye contact with is our partner."
"Uh-huh." Jaune said, tunneling his eyes in hopes to increase his vision.
"You were the first person I made eye contact with, Jaune." Jaune froze, his heart stopping and his blood running cold. He stood up straight, turning to Pyrrha. He searched her face, wondering if she was joking or was actually serious. She held her ever present smile, moving in to close the distance between the both of them.
"Um...so..." Jaune pointed to himself, still not sure. Pyrrha nodded, averting her eyes for a moment before turning them back.
"We should probably cover more ground. I believe we might be in danger the longer we stay put." She suggested, her arm moving back to pull out her spear. Jaune nodded, still in disbelief he was partnered with The Pyrrha Nikos. She took point, Jaune following behind her. He looked over in her wonderment, letting out a chuckle.
"She chose me. Out of everyone...she chose me to be her partner." He thought, his smile growing. It made sense. She didn't just save him from falling to his death just because of her generosity or her above and beyond sincerest sense of care. She actively wanted to be his partner. With a sense of delight, he followed her through the forest.
Pyrrha pushed her way through a bristle of bushes, Jaune following closely behind. Jaune then heard gunfire. If he didn't keep his feet cemented into the ground the moment he heard the shots fired, he probably would have jumped onto Pyrrha's back out of sheer fright. He turned to the direction he heard it, wondering who was fighting. Then his thoughts turned to what they might be fighting.
"Did you hear that?" He asked, his heart beating in his throat. Pyrrha perked her ears, turning to the direction of gunfire. She focused a bit, the shots echoing only moments later. Whoever was fighting, was fighting a good distance away.
"Gun fire." She said, the actual gun part sounding akin to a handgun or revolver round, the same kind of weapon Winter has. "It seems some of our comrades have encountered the enemy."
"Enemy?" Jaune repeated, his insides squirming at the mere thought of any of those monsters attacking him. Their beady red eyes, the skull on their faces reminding him of Death, himself.
"The monsters of Grimm are worthy opponents, Jaune." Pyrrha said, ducking under a low branch. She held up her shield to push it away, making her way through"However, they are not exactly the smartest of creatures. We should be fine for awhi-" She heard a discernible smacking sound, snapping her head back to see Jaune on the ground, holding his cut cheek. "Jaune! I'm sorry!"
"It's ok." Jaune said, waving it off as he felt it's sting. He forced a smile, nodding a bit. "Just a scratch."
"Why didn't you activate your Aura?" Pyrrha asked, walking towards him to better inspect the cut on his cheek. Jaune looked towards her, wondering if she sneezed or said a real word.
"Huh?" Was all he could muster to say when he felt her hand on his cheek. The cut was fairly deep for such a smack, and the reddening around the wound wasn't making her feel better.
"Your Aura." She said, taking her hand off of his cheek and standing before him.
"Gesundheit." Jaune said, believing she sneezed once more. She raised her brow, looking him over.
"Jaune..." She started, staring into his innocent big eyes. "Do you know what Aura is?"
"Of course I do!" Jaune said, lightly chuckling while ransacking his mind for absolutely anything he could remember about the word 'Aura'. He pointed to her, letting out a soft sigh. "Do you know what Aura is?"
"Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts." Pyrrha explained, feeling her own heart flutter at the words she spoke. She did love how she was explained what Aura was. "Have you ever felt you were being watched without knowing that someone was there?"
"Uh..." Jaune ran his hand through his hair, recalling days he felt like he was watched. The days he could barely hear his name called out to him, getting his attention and not finding the owner of the voice. "Yeah."
"With practice, our Aura can be our shield. Everyone has one, even animals." Pyrrha explained, hearing the sound of a crow flying over head.
"What about monsters?" Jaune asked, the idea of an Ursa able to create a shield based on pure will power terrified him.
"No." Pyrrha stated, her hand softly clutching into a fist. ""The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness, and we are the light."
"Right!" Jaune said, waving his finger in the air and smiling. "That's why we fight them."
"It's not about why." Pyrrha admitted, looking out into the forest. The dark creatures that inhabited it worried her about Jaune and her other comrade's safety. "It's about knowing."
"Knowing what?" Jaune asked, raising a brow.
"How it works." Pyrrha explained, her hands at her sides. "Understanding dark and light helps us manifest our aura. Everyone has some of both."
"Right..." Jaune said, holding up his hands. He looked to his right, imagining a bright white light. He looked to his left, seeing an orb of pure darkness. "Both."
"By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for aura. You protect yourself and your soul when fighting." Pyrrha stated, recalling the days it took to train herself to actually make the shield.
"It's like a force field!" Jaune stated, his smile wide when he finally understood what she was talking about.
"Yes, if you want to look at it that way." Pyrrha said, smiling a bit at the conclusion Jaune drew. She looked down at her hand, shutting her hand tight. She nodded softly to herself, walking towards him. She placed her hand on his cheek once more. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate."
"Um..." Jaune felt his face redden, his hands get sweaty and his breathing uneven. "Ok?"
Pyrrha shut her eyes, reaching deep within herself to summon the strength to awaken Jaune's Aura. She felt her inner power come to the forefront, her eyes shooting open and her body glowing. She felt it, surging through her as she tried to unlock Jaune's own power. She placed a hand against his beating heart, feeling it thumping against her palm. She pulled away, feeling her power draining yet feeling his has awoken. She stumbled a bit, Jaune opening his eyes and turning to her.
"Pyrrha, are you-"
"I'm alright." Pyrrha said, straightening her stance. "I used my Aura to awaken yours. The energy that protects you now is solely your own." She saw the scar on his cheek soon heal over and disappear. "You have a lot of it."
Jaune smiled, grateful Pyrrha would help him like that. With this energy burning inside him, he nodding to himself.
"Let's go, Pyrrha. We have work to do." He stated, with confidence in his voice. Pyrrha smiled, turning to take point once more. She couldn't help but be proud of Jaune. She found herself not questioning her decision. Not even once for the entire time they spent together.