Residuum

Blood 1.1

iv


"Never… again," Jaune gasped, hands and knees on the floor, "I'm never listening to you again."

Qrow looked at his apprentice, amused at his plight.

"So you can live in the Wilds for eight years like a savage, but the first dust-plane you get on and everything falls to shit?" Qrow asked, enjoying the blond's discomfort.

"You… fucking-"

"Hey hey," Qrow interrupted him, laughing, "Watch your language. They'll never let you in around here if you talk like me."

Jaune gestured something extremely vulgar at the Huntsman, making him laugh even more.

"Now that was completely uncalled for," Qrow said, still smiling as he watched Jaune get to his feet, "Come on now, I should introduce you to Ozpin. We only have a few hours to get your application in. The other students should be here soon enough."

Jaune brushed the dirt off his knees as he followed behind Qrow. His teacher for the past three months seemed to know where he was going, but over the time Jaune got to know him, he realized two things about Qrow. He could be someone you trusted with your life, but not someone you could trust to not mess with you.

"Ozpin lets new students into Beacon this late?" Jaune asked curiously, looking at the school in awe. After eight years (and three months) in the Wilds, seeing sights like Vale, though it was from the dust-ship, and now the grandness of Beacon were awe-inspiring for him. Qrow looked at him knowingly, understanding how dazzled he might feel, perhaps more than other students would be.

"No clue," Qrow replied as he peered into his flask with a frown, trying to find maybe a last drop of ale.

"Wait, how do you know that I'll get in then?" Jaune asked, alarmed.

"Beg him," Qrow replied shrugging nonchalantly, "Maybe he'll let you in if you ask him on your knees."

Qrow raised his hand to his mouth, crudely imitating something that clearly demonstrated his own vulgarity as he pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. Jaune looked disgusted despite his own gesture not too long ago.

"Just tell me if it's withered and wrinkled, I got a bet going," Qrow said. Jaune stuck out his tongue, imitating him throwing up.

"You're an ass," Jaune told him, making Qrow laugh again. The two kept on their trek, continuing their banter as Qrow led him to an elevator, going to the top of a tower. Jaune knew this must be where Professor Ozpin resided, the one who Qrow believed could find his family.

When the doors dinged open, Qrow stepped out, Jaune following at his heels feeling overwhelmingly nervous. Inside the room were two others who looked at their new arrivals in surprise. There was an older gentleman sitting behind the desk, gray hair prominent on his head. His spectacles didn't entirely hide his eyes, but Jaune could understand why Qrow had called him the wisest man he knew. The other was a very attractive blonde that Jaune immediately knew he was not going to cross if he could help it.

"Qrow!" the woman exclaimed, clearly surprised he was here.

"This is Glynda Goodwitch," Qrow said, ignoring her much to her annoyance, "I know you wanna get her in the sack kid, but Beacon has rules against teacher-student relationships."

Jaune sputtered, denying Qrow's words as Glynda glared at them.

"Or not, I don't care. Just don't bother 'cause you won't get anywhere," Qrow said, smirking at her, "And there's Ozpin. On your knees now, Jaune."

Jaune ignored Qrow, gulping as he looked at Ozpin with wide eyes unsure of what to say. Ozpin just sighed, giving Qrow a look with which Jaune was familiarized: rote annoyance.

"What is the meaning of this Qrow?" Ozpin asked, "My students will be arriving soon."

"And I got another one for you right here." Qrow nodded at Jaune, surprising both Ozpin and Glynda.

"I see…" Ozpin said, looking at Jaune attentively causing the blond to shuffle, "And who exactly is this?"

"Jaune," Qrow replied easily, "Haven't figured out the last name yet. He's my apprentice."

Ozpin's (and Glynda's) eyebrows practically vanished into their hairlines as they considered Qrow's words. Qrow hadn't lied to Jaune when he said he was one of the best Huntsmen in the world, and the two of them knew it as well. But apart from the coaching the man had given Ruby Rose, Qrow was not someone they expected to take on an apprentice. He was hard to get along with, a perpetual drunk, and incessantly vulgar; most people didn't like him when they met him, and they wouldn't be to blame. Not to mention Qrow tended to hate other people as well.

"I wasn't aware you had taken an apprentice," Glynda said carefully, giving Jaune a curious look.

"It's been three months now," Qrow said. Ozpin crossed his fingers contemplatively.

"Three months of training with you," Ozpin considered, "And how long has young Jaune been training to be Huntsman?"

"Three months," Qrow repeated, chuckling slightly. Jaune winced as Glynda clicked her tongue in annoyance as she glared at Qrow again.

"Is this your idea of a joke, Qrow?" she asked angrily, "Wasting our time for someone with three months of training? Someone without even a last name?"

Silence descended in the room as Jaune thought for a horrific moment that they would refuse his admittance. Qrow said they'd admit him, he was so sure!

"Branwen."

"What?" Glynda asked, looking as shocked as Jaune felt.

"He's not my kid or anything," Qrow said quietly, "But 'til I find his real last name, he can use mine. I don't mind."

Nobody else in the room knew what to say at the gesture. It was out of Qrow's depth that he took this so seriously. It was usually a rare occurrence reserved for family and closest friends. Jaune especially felt… he wasn't sure how he felt about it, especially when Qrow grinned like he had thought of something brilliant.

"Hey, we can say he's Raven's little bastard kid," he said gleefully, snapping his fingers, "Let's say she was a little careless when drunk and seducing random men. I'm sure she'll appreciate it when when she finds out."

Glynda just rolled her eyes. Knowing Raven's personality from when she last met the woman over seventeen years ago, she knew exactly how much she'd appreciate it.

"If you're sure about this Qrow," Ozpin said, ignoring his remark, "I do trust you. Very well, we'll get Jaune Branwen's application ready for initiation."

"Told ya, kid," Qrow said turning to the blond with a wink, ruffling his long, golden hair. For once, Jaune wasn't annoyed at the gesture.

"I know he looks like a girl with the hair, Glynda, but he's definitely a male. Don't wanna get that wrong," he said, "Listen kid, I'm gonna take care of the paperwork with these two up here, and I'll let them know about finding your family, so why don't you take the elevator down and wait for a bit. I'm sure Glynda will be there soon."

"O- okay," Jaune said, speaking for the first time, "Thank you for admitting me, Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch."

"At least your apprentice is polite," Glynda said, sniffing at the man. She gave Jaune a neutral look, which for her was pretty much a giant smile.

"Shit, wait," Qrow said, calling out to Jaune, "I almost forgot. Here."

Qrow withdrew his weapon, handing it over to the blond.

"You want me to hold your weapon for you now?" Jaune asked sardonically, "Am I your pack mule?"

"Not my weapon anymore, kid," Qrow replied quietly, "It's yours. Take care of it."

"Wha-?"

"It's the only weapon you know how to use, and you're gonna need it to survive here," Qrow said, "I got another one. You're my apprentice kid, and everybody's gonna know it now. Don't make me look like shit."

Glynda and Ozpin felt possibly more shocked than they had ever in their lives. Qrow taking an apprentice was one thing, but sentimentality for someone he knew for only three months? Giving his weapon, something Huntsman and Huntresses held onto as their lifeline? If there was one thing they could conclude about Qrow, he wasn't short on bringing commotion into their lives. And headaches.

"I don't know what to say," Jaune said, looking at the silver sword, "Hey, how much lien do you think I can get for it?"

Qrow grinned at him.

"Little brat," he said fondly, "I taught you well. Now get the hell out of here. Weapon or no weapon, I can still kick your ass."

Once Jaune left with his new weapon in hand, Qrow turned to the two professors.

"Who is he?" Ozpin asked immediately after Jaune was gone, "You wouldn't take just anyone as your apprentice, let alone give them Reaper without a good reason."

"I came across him in the Wilds near Mistral," Qrow said, starting what he knew would be an unbelievable story, "I heard some rumors about some friendly Grimm and decided to investigate."

As he expected, Glynda didn't believe it in the slightest, though Ozpin kept a neutral expression.

"Well, I found Jaune. He was able to command some sort of blue-eyed Grimm, looked like a Beowolf without it's spikes," Qrow explained.

"His semblance?" Glynda asked, going straight for the same conclusion that Qrow had also assumed. Qrow shook his head.

"It's not his semblance," he said, "His aura wasn't even activated. Still isn't now that I think about it."

"Wha- wait, you trained that child for three months in your style and didn't even activate his aura?" Glynda asked, reprimand forthcoming, "That was extremely reckless of you!"

Qrow waved off her concern.

"Hey, I told him about it and we- meaning I- decided it was best that he find a way to do it himself in the good old-fashioned way," Qrow said, "He survived, didn't he? I'm sure he'll figure it out. Or find someone to do it for him I guess. Whatever."

"What then was the origin of the blue-eyed Grimm," Ozpin asked quietly, getting back to the matter at hand.

"Well, I saw it with my own two eyes, several times in fact," Qrow started, "He uses his blood to turn them."

"What?" Ozpin asked sharply, his eyes narrowing.

"Typically makes a cut somewhere on his body, usually on his hands or arms and drops some blood on a Grimm. Hurts them for a bit, but their eyes go blue and he has complete control of them after the process. He calls them Vespers," Qrow explained, "And it's not just that. It makes up for their weaknesses as well. I've seen a single Beowolf overpower an Ursa, I've seen that same Ursa move faster than I've ever seen an Ursa move. After about eighteen hours, the Vesper dies and vanishes. If he skins them before they vanish, he can even keep the fur permanently."

"That is…" Ozpin said, trailing off as he stared at his desk. Qrow turned to Glynda.

"You might want to get down to him before he does something stupid," Qrow said, making her nod in acquiesce, "But let me give you some advice."

Qrow took a deep breath, hating that he had to have this conversation. He liked to let things play out for themselves, but this was some extremely explosive dust they were playing with, and he couldn't take the chance someone lit the fuse.

"His history isn't… pleasant," Qrow said, thinking about the kid's past, "Typical shit at first. Kids caught unaware by Grimm. His sisters escaped but he got caught. He was bitten and the Grimm drew his blood, which of course turned it into a Vesper. So instead of eating him, it dragged him away in some shitty attempt to protect him. He woke up in the Wilds."

"What the Wilds do to children…" Glynda said, looking sad. Qrow snorted.

"Not a normal Wildling," Qrow said, "He turns Grimm. People run at the first sight of them. I was the first person he actually had any physical contact with in eight years. Imagine it, growing up in the Wilds with only Grimm."

Glynda didn't want to imagine it. It was almost too horrible to consider, living with soulless beings, the anathema of life.

"He took to me too quick," Qrow said, "Of course he was wary at first, but I didn't think he'd open up to me as quick as he did. It's a good thing I got to him before someone else did. Eight fucking years. We got lucky."

"Poor child," Glynda said sorrowfully, a rare sight.

"I knew I had to bring him here," he said, looking back to Ozpin, "If I had to guess, he's probably another one of your fairy tales, Ozpin. A boy that can convert the unholy Grimm, ha!"

"I'll keep an eye on him during his time at Beacon," Glynda promised, "If he can truly turn Grimm as you say, then who knows how valuable he'll be. Of course, we should get his aura activated as soon as possible."

Glynda glared at him with her parting comment before heading to the elevator, going down to meet up with Jaune who was hopefully still there. Qrow just sighed, waiting for Ozpin to say something.

"Well?" he asked, "What kind of legend do you got Ozpin? What is he?"

Ozpin looked at Qrow with uncertainty in his gaze and Qrow was baffled at the sight; he'd never seen Ozpin like this before. Qrow sat down in a chair, instinctively knowing he'd need a drink.

"He is an impossibility, Qrow," the headmaster of Beacon said, speaking in whispers. Ozpin set down his glasses, looking Qrow in the eyes.

"I haven't the slightest clue."

fin


Notes: That fin at the end there denotes the end of the first part, Blood 1-1 and that the next update will be Blood 1-2.

And to address a small discrepancy: Jaune isn't exactly a feral child. As mentioned briefly in the previous chapter, he was nine years old when he got separated from his family, so he's capable of speaking. By the time this scene comes around, he's spent the last three months with Qrow, so he's picked up on some speech patterns. More information regarding Jaune's time in the Wilds will be revealed as the story progresses, but they'll be kind of subtle so you might have to squint to catch on.

Leave a review or comment with your thoughts! Next update is schedule for March 9 EST. Due to some apparent restrictions on FFnet, updates are going to posted slightly over twenty-four hours so the listing actually shows up on the first page of the RWBY section.

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