Jäger Chapter Twelve: A New Semester
MorgothII: Yes, this takes place at the start of Volume 2. Now, enjoy another chapter of Jäger! Also ties in somewhat with my newly-published story, Grandfather.
Two weeks later…
Jake raises an eyebrow in mild amusement as his friend and fellow team leader Ruby Rose deliver a monologue about her vision for today. Today was the last day of break, hence her eagerness to do stuff. The Jäger's smile disappears when he hears the buxom blonde at their table speak.
"I always kick off my semesters with a Yang," Ruby's half-sister says, grinning. No one laughs at it, instead opting to shake their heads or simply groan at the bad pun. To her credit, she had been behaving in a better manner towards Jake since that incident, and had quickly gone back to her old antics, aside from picking on him. "Ehh!? Guys? Am I right?"
Jake barely manages to muffle a chuckle when a bright red apple bounces off her forehead, having become distracted. Meanwhile Ruby continues her 'speech' about how their second semester would be great, but that classes were starting up tomorrow. Jake raises his eyebrow even higher when he notices Yang return fire at Team JNPR, with Jaune yelping in slight pain.
Inside the isolation of his mind, the Jäger winces when the pie that Nora had thrown and had been intended for Yang instead hits the now-standing Weiss Schnee in the middle of her mini-speech. '….shit,' He thinks to himself, activating his stealth semblance to leave the cafeteria before it gets messy.
It turns out that he had made the right call. Just before he enters his dorm wing, a horde of frightened students surge out of the dining hall. Jake shakes his head, smirking slightly as he swiftly returns to the privacy of his dorm room. Closing the door, he reaches underneath his bed, grabbing a long object wrapped in blue silk. Reverently, the Jäger places the object down in front of him, crossing his legs as he sits down. He delicately begins to remove the decorative fabric, revealing a sheathed sword, a katana made of the highest caliber steel. He grabs his bayonet as well, staring at the blade as he allows himself a rare moment of remembrance of his past.
Sometime later, Jake looks up from his sword bayonet, his very first weapon. He had been remembering of the night he had received it. The hilt and mounting may have changed, but the blade was the very one given to him by the old warrior. He sheathes both the short blade and the other sword he has kept hidden from all. The katana gifted to him upon the death of his mentor. He places it under his bed, hidden once more until he needs it.
The food fight in the dining hall is probably over, and the Jäger should rejoin Ruby and the rest of Team RWBY before they freak out over his vanishing act. Before he closes the door, he touches the hilt of his bayonet once more. "Thank you, Grandfather." The man wasn't really his grandfather, but he was much more of a father than Roman Torchwick would ever be.
As luck would have it, he bumps into the very team he was looking for within five seconds of leaving his room. He raises an eyebrow at the sight of their large smiles and food-stained school uniforms. Team JNPR is close behind, equally happy and messy. "So, did any of you get detention?" Jake asks in a slightly wry tone. To the rifle-wielder's utter astonishment, Ruby shakes her head rapidly, still smiling.
"Nope!" She says, popping the 'p' loudly. Jake shakes his head in mild wonder.
"So what is the plan now? It is later afternoon now," He asks, his voice carrying a genuine mixture of sincerity and curiosity. 'Argh! These girls are starting to rub off on me way too much!'
"Head to the library, we will be there within an hour, seeing that we gotta get cleaned up," His shorter friend replies. Then she turns to the other teenagers. "Last one there gets to have only cold water!" She says, activating her speed semblance before the minds of the others could even begin to format their denials.
Then a second, smaller stampede starts as said teen boys and girls jostle one another as they too surge towards the showers, trampling the roses left behind by the young scythe-wielder's sprint. "Oi vey," Jake mutters to himself, once again alone. Unlike the last time he had said it, this time he had no sourness behind those words. Then a frown appears on his face as he fully registers the expression on one of his friend's teammates.
Blake Belladonna looked like she had been chased up a tree (considering her mostly-secret fact of being a cat Faunus, the phrasing seemed rather appropriate to the Jäger), bags formed underneath her amber eyes. He had also noticed, but not commented on just yet, how she had been more withdrawn than she normally was. Eating less, sleeping little, it was a miracle that she hadn't collapsed yet. Key word of that sentence was yet.
The fact that this had only started the day after the incident with her former comrades, the peaceful activists-turned-terrorist Faunus group, the White Fang, now working with Jake's father, Roman Torchwick, on the docks of Vale. The same incident that restricted Jake's freedom of movement outside of the grounds of Beacon, having to be chaperoned. But this issue with Blake will need to be addressed, and very soon.
Hours later, Jake waits outside the dorm room of Team RWBY, listening to the muffled sounds of arguments between the girls after Weiss Schnee, AKA Ice Queen, yet again rejected Jaune. The reason why he was waiting in the hall was to act as a bouncer of sorts, keeping people from interrupting the much-needed team discussion. The seventeen-year old was also tasked with keeping Blake from trying to avoid the informal interrogation her teammates had been forced to do. The Jäger had participated somewhat in the board game known as Remnant. While there are only four kingdoms to choose from, for the most part he plays for Blake, trying to cover for her distraction for a little bit. It works, but only for a while. Once he stopped playing, the others noticed and finally broached the topic of Blake's mega-withdrawal from the world. And thus it resulted in the reluctant son of Torchwick's current predicament.
Suddenly the door next to him swings open, and his favorite black-and-red haired friend (Actually, his only friend he is close with at this moment) rushes out of the room, heading towards the library. Jake winces when she crashes into the dark-skinned, mint-green haired woman in her way. The newcomer doesn't stumble backwards or anything, but Ruby falls onto her backside, groaning slightly. Then she looks up, concern and slight embarrassment in her sliver eyes.
"Sorry," She says meekly while the other woman offers the 15-year old a hand, which she gratefully takes. "Are…you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just watch where you're going," She replies calmly as she helps Ruby up to her feet.
"Oh…right…sorry…" She says again, while Jake turns his head slightly, seizing up the newcomers. The Jäger sees that the woman has at least one, possibly two other companions. The one most visible to his brown eyes is a silver-haired man with a cocky expression just barely masked. Both wear school uniforms that indicate the fact that they are from Haven, and thus transfer students for the Vytal Festival. The third figure, however, is almost completely obscured for the moment, and Jake resumes listening to Ruby.
"Um…I'm Ruby! Are you…new?"
"Visiting from Haven, actually," A second voice, indicating that the third figure is a woman, says as the mint-haired student steps aside. Jake's eyes widen slightly for the briefest of seconds when he sees her. A girl with raven hair, and bright amber eyes that almost seem to glow with fire. She isn't wearing her red dress, but it is her. The Jäger says nothing however, pretending to be bored. Ruby stares with a look of slight concentration at the latest speaker, who gazes at her with a calm, but mysterious look. For a tense moment, Jake prepares for a fight, despite only having his sword bayonet on him at this time. Then Ruby breaks the moment, oblivious to the hidden threat.
"Ooooooh! You're here for the festival! Oh, but exchange students have their own dormitory."
"I guess we just got turned around," the silver-haired man replies to Ruby's comment.
"Don't worry, happens all the time!" She says, still oblivious to the suspicious tone, as the trio begins to walk down the hallway. "Uh, your building is just east of here!"
"Thanks," The obvious leader, the amber-eyed woman, says, stopping briefly by the scythe-wielder. "Maybe we'll see you around." Then she turns back around, following her two subordinates. Jake's head subtly tracks their movements as Ruby finishes talking to the 'students' from Haven.
"Yeah, maybe! Oh, and welcome to Beacon!"
'Ruby, you sweet innocent soul…you just welcomed one of the most dangerous individuals I have ever known. The devils are inside the walls. But that isn't the worst part. The worst part is that I can't reveal this to anyone just let. All I have is my gut feeling, and I doubt that will be enough. Fuck!' Jake vents mentally. Then he realizes that Ruby was talking to him.
"Um, come again?" He asks, feeling a tad bit stupid.
"We're going to sneak out tomorrow night and search for Torchwick and the White Fang. I wanted to invite you to come along."
A grin appears on Jake's face. "With pleasure," He says, almost purring.
'At least I can deal with this threat. But time is running out. The end game is almost here, I fear.'
And done! Posting this chapter a day early, sorry if it feels slightly shorter. Another builder-type chapter. Anyways, I'm leaving my latest poll open for another day or two, so you better hurry up! As always, thank you for taking the time to read my story, and please feel free to leave a review, thought, or comment down below! Really enjoy feedback! Have a wonderful week and until next time! Chapter Thirteen: Highway Showdown