Residuum

Blood 1.6

ii


Pyrrha noticed out of the corner of her eye as Jaune watched Ren discussing different methods of aura application with the Schnee heiress, looking mildly interested in the conversation. It had been a couple of weeks since their first day at Beacon and he hadn't been called up for a spar since then, though everyone else in the team had gone up in his place.

She had been there when Glynda had pulled him aside in the first week and explained the reasoning why. Despite his thoughts on the matter, his knockout on Russel Thrush was considered excessive and in order to keep things calm between all the students, she asked him to sit out for some time.

He had looked like he wanted to refuse at first; after all, the only class he ever really paid attention to was that combat class. However, even he must have noticed how tired Glynda looked and relented.

"Not again!"

She didn't need to look to know that Yang had presumably lost another game to Blake. They were playing a complicated game of cards with Ruby and Nora. The younger of the sisters had at first tried to get Jaune to join their game but her explanation of the rules got more and more confusing to the boy until he eventually just told her to play with someone else.

"I swear, I'll get you next time," Yang said to the dark-haired beauty. Blake smirked at the blonde, irritating her as she high-fived Nora, her partner for the game.

Pyrrha was currently finishing off some classwork due at the end of the week that she had left over from yesterday. While she was normally the type to finish her work promptly, some of the activities the eight of them had gotten into had pulled her away. Of course, the girl was by no way late with her homework. Apart from Weiss, nobody else had actually finished their homework and it was quite likely both Pyrrha and Weiss would have to help some of their teammates play catch up a bit later.

Between the eight students, Jaune was the only exception to this. He never really bothered studying or doing any readings or assignments, and the only class he really paid attention to, combat class, wasn't one where there was a lot of coursework for. His grades had suffered for it.

As Pyrrha closed her finished workbook, she leaned back with a relieved sigh. Glad that she was now free for the rest of the week, the redhead looked over at him.

"Uh, Jaune…" she called to him, grabbing his attention. The girl paused, looking slightly hesitant as to whether she wanted to ask him about whatever was on her mind.

"What's up?" Jaune asked curiously. The Mistralian champion looked around the room for a moment. Whatever it was she wanted to talk to him about, she obviously didn't want to do it with everyone in the room.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" Pyrrha asked him, "Just to stretch our legs."

"Sure," Jaune said, not having anything to do either way. The activity in the room faltered for a moment as the others looked at them.

"Great," she said, "I'll just go put away my work in our room and I'll meet you outside in the hall, okay?"

Jaune nodded and left the room to wait for the girl in the hall, missing the surreptitious look that passed between his teammates. After he stepped into the hallway, Yang was the first to speak up.

"You're going to ask him?"

"Now is a better time than any," Pyrrha said, "There's no point in waiting."

"Good luck, Pyrrha," Blake said to the girl, "I really hope it goes well."

"Thank you, Blake" she replied, "I hope so too."

When Pyrrha stepped outside the room, she saw Jaune leaning with his back against a wall. He pushed off it when he saw her.

"So, let's get going. Did you have somewhere in mind?" he asked. Pyrrha nodded.

"Actually, I did," she replied, "There's a place here that I want to show you."

As the pair walked side by side in the mostly empty halls, the redhead attempted to make light conversation with the blond, though it didn't really go beyond the mundane. When the two of them neared the location Pyrrha had in mind, she stopped.

"We're here," she told him, "I found this place a few nights ago and I've been coming here to get my mind off things and relax."

"Okay…" Jaune said, obviously having no idea where she was going with this. The girl smiled at his puzzled expression.

"Don't knock it 'til you try it," she said with a small grin, "It's a nice view and as my partner, I thought perhaps we could have something like this we could share together."

She noticed as Jaune perked up at this, following closely her as she opened the door and stepped out onto the roof. The sky was darkening but the view was as magnificent and breathtaking as the first time she had seen it. She could see so far into the distance and the quiet carried a sense of peacefulness for her.

Looking at his expression, Pyrrha could tell that Jaune probably didn't share her views or feelings on how great or relaxing this rooftop was. It was another thing that both made her heart ache when she thought of the boy. More often than not, the blond would fake an interest if it meant he could spend time with this friends.

Putting together the bits and pieces she had gleamed about the blond over the short time she got to know him, the girl had concluded that Jaune was easily even more starved for friendship than she had been. She hadn't before given too much thought as to what he might have experienced in the Wilds apart from that it was likely not a life of leisure. The blond had repeatedly shown a lack of knowledge in regards to several common things, like his 'greeting' when they had first met or when he had seen ice cream for the first time.

But what she truly noticed was that despite seeing so many things for the first time, Jaune only held a passing fascination for them. He didn't appear to have any real interests or goals for himself; he was a blank slate for the most part. Apart from combat, the only times he really showed enthusiasm was based on the interests of his friends. It was as if he didn't truly live for himself, he only lived through others.

It was what endeared him most to her, but it was also what broke her heart about him. Jaune needed to know his own value, and while it wouldn't be easy, Pyrrha would try her best to help him find it.

"Jaune," Pyrrha started, taking a deep breath, "Truthfully, I brought you up here because I wanted to talk to you privately."

"The others and I noticed something that… really worries us," she said, "We didn't want you to feel as if though we were ganging up on you. Just know that this is because all of us are concerned for you and care about you."

"What is it?" he asked, "Did I do something?"

"Look, as my partner and our team leader, we noticed that you've been neglecting your studies," Pyrrha said, deciding to just tell him, "You don't really pay attention in class and you haven't done any of the readings or homework."

"That's-"

"Please, Jaune," she said, interrupting him, "I… I think I understand that you're not really interested in our classes, but we can't help but worry. If you continue down this path, how will you even move on to the next year with us? None of us want to leave you behind."

Jaune paused as if considering her words and Pyrrha prayed that he would understand their point of view. The group had held a meeting while asking for Nora to distract the boy. He had received yet another zero on an assignment and they agreed that they had to intervene before he failed out.

"I think I know why," she said, making the boy look at her in surprise, "Unlike most of us, you never really went to a preparatory school like Sanctum or Signal. Maybe it's because of this that you feel like you're really far behind."

"Just let us help," she pleaded with him, "Everyone talked about this, and we decided that we would all pitch in if you let us. We can study with you, we can even get you our old books for you to read and we'll help you catch up."

She noticed Jaune's hesitation and felt the frustration build up inside her. Couldn't he see that she just wanted to help? He faked an interest in just about anything else but when it came down to his future, he didn't seem to bother.

"That…" Jaune trailed off as if trying to find the right words, "I don't think it'll make a difference."

"Why in the world would it not?" Pyrrha asked as she steeled herself for what she was about to say next, "Jaune, if you don't do this, then you'll fail. Not putting in any effort for this is as good as abandoning us."

Jaune's face flushed as he digested Pyrrha's words. She could see him hold himself back from saying something in anger and felt terrible that she had pushed him to that point. However, as the group had discussed, they'd rather he be mad at them than fail out of Beacon.

"It's… it's kind of embarrassing," Jaune admitted, and Pyrrha felt relieved that he finally seemed ready to come clean to her.

"I promise you, Jaune," she said sincerely, "You can trust me. And everyone will have your back."

Jaune looked down at the ground and took a deep breath.

"I never really got much of an education out in the Wilds," he told her. Of course it would come back to his living in the Wilds. The redhead was reminded yet again of the tragedies that people were put through without the protection of the Kingdoms. But it was only a fleeting reminder as the girl focused on Jaune's next words.

"So I don't think giving me more books or taking notes is going to help since…"

Pyrrha's heart sank as she realized exactly what he was going to say.

"You can't read," she filled in his unspoken sentence. And if he couldn't read, he probably couldn't write either.

"Well, I can read a little bit," Jaune said defensively, "But I can't really keep up with the readings we have. Hell, I can barely even understand Oobleck speak."

Pyrrha didn't reply immediately, caught up in her own misery. How? How did she not realize this? It should have been so obvious if she had just paid attention. Yet nobody seemed to have realized, not even Ms Goodwitch who actually knew the extent of Jaune's past.

It also spoke more to what life might have been like for him. If he was almost illiterate, then it also meant that he might not have had anyone to teach him.

It made her feel wretched about her own woes. She had felt unhappy with her life because she was put on a pedestal and felt isolated from others, that she felt alone in a crowd. But what was that compared to just being alone?

Pyrrha desperately hoped that it wasn't truly the case, that her partner had someone to care for and look after him. She remembered how much she wanted to learn about him, to learn about his past and bond with him. Now she wasn't so sure she wanted to know, a treacherous feeling for the sake of preserving her own peace of mind.

Hindsight truly was twenty-twenty.

Tears brimmed in her eyes but she blinked them away. She tried to keep a steady voice as she spoke to him next. As much as she wanted to cry she held it in as best she could. Jaune hadn't broken down even once since she'd known him and she was not going to embarrass him any further.

"It doesn't change anything," she croaked out, silently cursing herself for her shaky voice, "If that's the case, then I'll read to you. Until I lose my voice if need be."

"Hey, you don't have to go so far," he said, looking surprised at her admittedly dramatic statement. Pyrrha shook her head.

"Maybe not," she admitted, "But our team isn't one to back down from a challenge, and definitely not one to let their friend down. So will you let us help you?"

Jaune let out another sigh, this time one of reluctant acceptance.

"I promise you Jaune," Pyrrha said, "I won't ever tell anyone about this. If you'd like, I can tell the rest of the team for you."

Truthfully, he might have an easier time telling them than she would considering how almost nonchalantly he had told her. But even if it hurt her more to say it, Pyrrha wanted to spare him even the slight embarrassment he would feel at admitting it again.

"Thanks," the blond told her with a weak grin, "Ugh, all this studying is going to suck, isn't it?"

Despite the distinct lack of humor she was feeling, Pyrrha humored him with a smile making him groan miserably.

"Well, maybe we should get back?" he asked, walking over to the exit and stepping into the hallway, waiting for her. Pyrrha walked up to him but stopped as she considered how she was feeling.

"I think I'll catch up to you in a little bit," she said, "Don't worry about explaining anything to the team, I'll take care of it. I'll see you later, okay?"

She watched as Jaune strolled away after saying goodbye, waiting until he was far enough before closing the door behind her.

Resting her back against the door, Pyrrha slid down to the floor and hugged her knees to herself as she stared out at the sky.

It was only once she had composed herself, that she felt like she could tell the team what had happened without losing her composure that she left. When she arrived at her quarters she noticed that Jaune was nowhere to be found, the rest of the team quietly conversing. They stopped when Pyrrha entered the room.

"Pyrrha!"

"Hello," she greeted, "Is Jaune not here?"

"He went to bed," Yang answered her, "How did it go?"

"It…" Pyrrha paused, considering her words as she pondered how to tell them, "He agreed to let us help."

"That's great!" Ruby exclaimed, "I was worried he was going to say no."

The redhead readied herself to tell the team the next bit, only to notice Blake looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"There's something else," the dark-haired girl said, "What's wrong, Pyrrha?"

"It's worse than we thought," she replied, taking a deep breath, "It's not just a lack of interest on his part. Jaune's… he's illiterate. He can't read or write beyond the basics."

Silence descended in the room as they processed Pyrrha's words. She knew that there would first be a sense of disbelief; Jaune had certainly hidden it well from them, masked by his disinterest. It had clicked almost instantly for Pyrrha, but perhaps they didn't have the same insight she had for her partner. Or maybe they willfully ignored it.

"But, someone had to teach him," Ruby said, "I mean, there are schools in the Wilds, right?"

"I don't think so, Ruby," Blake told her quietly, "As far as I know, he's been practically alone for a long time."

Pyrrha looked at Blake suspiciously. This was yet another time that the girl seemed to have information about her partner that nobody else knew. She had known Jaune was from the Wilds and while the girl was fair to everyone, Blake did seem to go out of her way to be extra kind to Jaune.

"How do you know that?" Weiss asked, asking what Pyrrha wanted to know.

"When Jaune was in the infirmary after our initiation," Blake said hesitantly, "I overheard a bit of the conversation Jaune had with his mentor. I came back early with Ren and Nora while Pyrrha was getting Yang and Ruby, remember?"

"How'd you hear that?" Nora asked curiously, "I couldn't hear anything through those doors."

"I have exceptional hearing, so I couldn't really help but listen in even if I didn't want to," Blake said, the tips of her ears reddening. Pyrrha got the impression it was something the girl didn't want to go into so she cut in.

"What did you hear?" she asked, "I wouldn't normally ask as it's Jaune's personal business, but…"

"Well, he said Jaune had been alone for a long time," she explained, "From what I understood, whoever he was with weren't the kindest of people. Jaune's mentor, Qrow, called them monsters."

Pyrrha's face fell at that. From what little she knew of Yang and Ruby's uncle, she could tell the man was well-travelled and had seen a lot given his brusque attitude. If he had called someone a monster, they must have been truly dreadful.

"Perhaps it would do us better to not dwell on this for the time being," Ren spoke finally, making everyone look at him, "Despite whatever happened to him before, he's here with us now. We decided as a group to help Jaune and I don't believe that has changed."

Pyrrha gave him an appreciative look; he was probably the most reticent person on the team but was very insightful. He was definitely right. They wanted to help Jaune and wallowing in depression regarding his past wouldn't help.

"You're right as always, Ren," Yang spoke up as she put a calming hand on the shoulder of her troubled little sister, "Well Pyrrha, what do we do? You're the boss."

"Well, I think we have some long nights ahead of us," Pyrrha explained with a smile, "We'll have to help Jaune learn to read and write, but we also can't let him fall behind in our classes any further."

As she and her friends started mapping out what they would do to help Jaune, Pyrrha could only hope that this would be the start of things turning out for the better for him.


Notes: And there we have it.

A very important scene obviously. Pyrrha is finally starting to realize the depths to how out of touch Jaune is. It'll be a tough thing, that's for sure. This scene was a long time coming; it should be pretty obvious but I'm curious to see if anyone can predict the next scene.

Something else I wanted to point out is Blake's confession. If you go back and read the story, you'll see the set up for it actually. Back in 1-3 scene iv, Blake enters the room contemplatively. In 1-4 scene iii, she overheard Jaune's comments about Professor Port. This is hinting at her sensitive hearing. In 1-5 scene i, Blake mentions Jaune's from the Wilds. We know Jaune didn't tell her; he only told Pyrrha,. Yet somehow, Blake knew it. Of course, I may have been too subtle about it, or perhaps some people might have thought it was a plot-hole, but here it is revealed. Just like this one, the story is riddled with hints and teases in the writing, some obvious, some not so obvious.

Anyway, if you refer back to the scene Blake is talking about, the 'monsters' Qrow was talking about were Grimm. Blake misunderstood that to be Jaune being raised by horrible people. So the group is kind of on the right track, but also not.

Moving on, thanks for all the comments, and I'm super curious to hear what you all thought of this chapter and of the foreshadowing regarding Blake's knowledge. Leave a review!

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