Residuum
Blood 1.5
i
"Class dismissed," Glynda said aloud to the class as she looked at Jaune with a small frown, "Teams RWBY and JNPR stay behind."
In truth, Glynda hadn't wanted to dismiss the class but this was a delicate situation. Jaune was treating the current circumstances as if it were ordinary with the slightest bit of confusion, but both his team and team RWBY were shocked at his casual violence and lack of empathy.
Pyrrha, having produced a clean rag, began dabbing at the blood on Jaune's face though the blond took the cloth from her to do it himself. The girl fell back awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
After the room emptied, Glynda turned to the team of eight and gave them a considering look before deciding that it would be better to speak at a more private location.
"We'll speak in my office," she told them, "If you'll follow me."
The group followed the yellow-haired instructor, remaining quiet for the most part. Glynda walked at a brisk pace, quickly leading them to the room. She chanced a glance back at the group, noticing that while they stuck together as a group, Jaune was given a bit of a berth. Even Pyrrha had given him a bit of space, though she did stick by him closer than the others.
Stepping into her office, Glynda ushered the students inside and closed the door behind her. Walking over to her desk, she leaned against it and gestured to the several open seats in the room.
"Please, take a seat," she said. Shuffling their feet, several of the kids sat down uncertainly. Glynda remained silent for a moment, still unsure how to approach the upcoming conversation. She noticed some of the students growing a bit restless and knew she had to say something.
"Jaune," she said, finally speaking up, "How are you feeling?"
"Well, relaxed I guess," he said. His reply caused some of his teammates to tense slightly. The first of them to speak up was Weiss.
"How can you be relaxed after that?" she asked sharply, not quite angry but still sounding upset.
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.
"'What do I mean'..." Weiss repeated, "Why in the world would you do that to him?"
"Do what? We fought and I won."
"That's-"
"Miss Schnee, please," Glynda interrupted before the conversation got out of hand. She wanted Jaune to see that his teammates were agitated by his actions, but wouldn't let it come to blows.
"Jaune, what were you thinking when you attacked Mr Thrush like that?" Glynda asked calmly, "Just… walk me through your thought process."
In fairness, Glynda likely knew why he had done that. He had been angered, pushed to the point to where he reacted in the best way he knew how. Only three months of tutelage were obviously nowhere near enough to overcome what was likely a daily dose of violence for eight years. But she still asked because she wanted his team to see it as well.
"I fought like I normally do," Jaune said, "I mean, first I was using the sword like Qrow taught me, but it slowed me down a lot. He didn't expect me to be faster without it, so I used it to my advantage."
"I believe Weiss was referring to your final attack on Russel," Ren said, "Your fighting style is… brutal but effective. However, you fought past the point where your auras were in the red."
"He was struggling," the blond replied, "The fight's not over until your opponent goes down."
"You could have seriously hurt him as well as yourself, Jaune," Pyrrha told him, "You were actually bleeding."
Jaune just shrugged, causing some of them to look at him in disbelief.
"I wasn't that hurt," he said, "Besides, it's not like I actually killed him."
"There is a reason why we stop the fight at certain points," Glynda said, cutting off any protests she knew his last comment would incite, "There's no point in fighting until one of you is injured. Your opponents here aren't Grimm, they are your comrades."
"Him?" Jaune asked derisively. Glynda had also been afraid of this. The blond had spent so much time alone that he wasn't used to societal norms. She had heard the comments the Thrush boy had made to him, and anyone would recognize him as a bully or just impolite. Jaune however didn't have that distinction; he classified everyone around him to be either a friendly or an enemy.
Before the conversation could derail further, the door to Glynda's office open and Ozpin walked in, his cane in one hand and a mug in the other.
"Hello Glynda," he greeted. The students sat up straighter at the sight of the headmaster, even Jaune.
"Professor Ozpin," Glynda replied, "How can I help you?"
"I am here to ask if I may borrow young Mr Branwen for a while," the man asked. Glynda immediately realized that Ozpin had likely witnessed the fight between Jaune and Russel Thrush.
"Of course," she replied, "Jaune, please go with the headmaster."
Jaune had gone rigid at the headmaster's request but followed obediently. Was it fear that motivated him in regards to Ozpin? Glynda hated that the boy felt as if they were practically holding the possibility of finding his family hostage.
Once the two had left the room, the blonde realized she could do damage control with his team without causing any ill feelings from Jaune.
"I'm sure that most if not all of you know that Beacon is a separate entity from the government of Vale," she said, "It is because of this that we accept students from all walks of life, whether you're from Vale or Mistral, or anywhere else."
"Normally," she continued, "admittance into Beacon require a certain level of competence as well as a minimum age. Every so often, there are exceptional circumstances regarding the students we let into this school."
"Like Ruby," Yang spoke up, "She got in two years early."
"Yes," Glynda said, "And like Miss Rose, Jaune is another exceptional circumstance, perhaps even more so. I… can't tell you too much about him without breaking his trust. It's just... Jaune's situation requires a very delicate approach from myself and the headmaster. Miss Nikos, as his partner, can you tell us what kind of impression he has made on you?"
Pyrrha looked to the floor for a moment as she considered her words, recalling her first meeting with Jaune.
"He seemed like a very sincere person, though a little bit confused," she said honestly, "When we met in the Emerald Forest, he was very kind to me. And as much as I think he shouldn't have done it, he did lead off that Deathstalker to save us."
"But… he was also a bit rude," she added, "Not to me, or any of us of course. He was dismissive of Professor Port. And I certainly did not expect him to display such casual cruelty in his spar. Attacking a defeated opponent like he did is atrocious behaviour."
"It was barbaric and violent," Weiss said, "He's acted like a degenerate since our very first class today."
"Please understand that while his actions may come across as malicious or vile, Jaune isn't inherently a cruel person," Glynda told them, "He didn't do that in an act of cruelty or even vengeance. He just… he doesn't understand that what he did was wrong."
"What do you mean he doesn't understand?" Ruby asked, "You can't hurt people like that, even if they're being mean!"
"He's from the Wilds," Blake interjected softly, making Glynda look at her in surprise, "Maybe he really just doesn't know any better."
"So when he told us he wasn't from around here…" Weiss said with dawning comprehension.
"He told me he was from the Wilds near Mistral," Pyrrha chipped in, glancing at Blake. She hadn't known that Jaune had informed the dark-haired girl as well.
"His hand," Yang whispered softly. Pyrrha looked saddened as she recalled what she had seen.
"What about his hand?" Weiss asked. She had calmed down a bit, obviously realizing there was more to the blond than she had thought.
"I saw it when Pyrrha unwrapped it," Yang explained, her eyebrows furrowing as she remembered the sight, "It was completely covered in scars. Like he'd been in a war or something."
The group fell silent as they considered what Jaune had possibly been through. They knew that the Wilds were unpleasant to be in, Blake most of all. Glynda looked at them without a sound. They seemed to understand Jaune a little better now, though they obviously had not realized the horror of the full story.
"He was brought to us by a friend of ours," she explained, "He entrusted Jaune to our care."
"That's Uncle Qrow!" Ruby said, surprised, "You know our uncle?"
"For quite some time," the teacher told her, smiling, "Qrow is the one that gave him a recommendation in order for us to admit him into Beacon. Your uncle may be a lot of things, but he is someone we consider trustworthy."
"Ultimately, I would like to ask that you be patient with Jaune," Glynda said, "I'm sure he will open up to you once he gets to know you all. What he needs most of all now are friends that will stand by his side."
Everyone paused as they considered her words. Pyrrha especially looked dejected, probably chiding herself for thinking poorly of her partner.
"Well, he is Uncle Qrow's apprentice," Yang reasoned, "Like he told us, Jaune is pretty much family. We've got his back."
Ruby looked slightly ashamed she had forgotten that, but nodded along with her sister's statement. Glynda knew she was a kind girl and was probably dismayed that she thought badly of someone she could consider family.
"We'll stand by our team leader," Nora spoke up with a grin, having been unusually quiet, "Besides, that other guy had it coming for being such a jerk. I would've broken his legs."
"I'll help him as much as I can," Pyrrha promised, "You're right, he doesn't need to be judged, he needs our understanding and support."
Glynda smiled as the rest of the group voiced their own support for their friend.
"Thank you," she said sincerely, "However, don't think this absolves you from your punishment for skipping your class today."
"Oh, come on!"
"As soon as Mr Branwen returns, you will be serving your detentions here with me," Glynda told them sternly, causing them to groan.
"You'll be with me for an hour. What shall I have you do?" she said, pretending to think for a moment before giving them a smile, "I believe that in return for your discretion, I can arrange for you to have lunch here."
"Yes!"
"You're the best, Ms G!"
Glynda looked at the group as they began conversing with one another excitedly, happy smiles on their faces. She couldn't help but think that Jaune had stumbled into some great friends. Hopefully, his good fortune would last as long as possible.
Notes: This is what happens when you have a semi-decent Beacon staff. Glynda is obviously showing her favoritism here (saying 'Jaune' instead of 'Mr Branwen' or letting the team have lunch), which paints an interesting picture on what direction her character may take in the future.
In any case, the team finally has somewhat of an idea of what's going on with Jaune. And again, I'll remind people to read between the lines before jumping to conclusions about almost anything you read here.
It's Fanfiction Friday on the RWBY subreddit tomorrow! I'm thinking of promoting this there, but ugh... I don't really like to tell people "Hey! Go read my story!".
Anyway, cheers and leave a review!
knuckz
