Alright, here's an early Christmas present for everyone (Although I'm not sure if this really counts, since I was honestly scheduled to upload it sometime soon anyways). Happy Holidays to everyone as well!
Not much to say, other than I have maybe chosen a name for the Menagerie Academy. That will be revealed later if I end up going with it.
Now without further ado...
Chapter 3 - Ruby
It was often said that there was nowhere quite like the flying city of Atlas. With its technological marvels, and its… well… flight. It was often said that you could go anywhere else in the world without finding a place to match its grandeur.
Likewise, in a different way, Vacuo was the same. The sprawling desert, the megalithic ziggurat, the massive open markets. It all combined to be something truly magnificent. Something Jaune had never seen since he'd been there.
But there was almost something comforting about the exact opposite. For that, in essence, was Patch.
There were a thousand little towns just like it. Homes surrounded by greenery. Family's walking to and fro. A bustling city square with an arcade, an ice cream parlor, and a preschool. A hundred or so homes lined by poorly maintained streets.
Signal Academy was the island's biggest claim to fame, and even that wasn't exactly unique. There were a good eleven preparatory schools that led directly into Beacon.
But it was… nice, in a way that Atlas, nor Vacuo, could ever hope to match.
Besides, there was another advantage about Patch.
No one really paid him much mind.
Oh, sure, he received the occasional glance, the whispered word, even a request for an autograph once or twice, but that was nothing compared to walking around in Vale, or even during his trip during Menagerie.
After all, there was a far more important hero than him who was seen around quite often.
He smiled a bit as he hiked up his travelling pack, and marched towards the back of Patch. It was a lot closer than her old family's home had been to the village itself, and Jaune imagined that had a lot to do with her current occupation. She didn't want to be quite as far away as her father and uncle had been.
Still, getting there took a few minutes. By the time he finally stepped up to the door, he was smiling ear to ear, and, with a dramatic flair, he copied Yang's knock from a week or so ago, pounding on the door in a rhythm.
"Just a second!" A peppy voice called out.
Jaune's grin only got wider.
It did, indeed, take a second for the person who'd called out to him to answer the door, and when they did, it was with a pretty even expression.
Though that changed fairly quickly, her eyes widening into saucers.
"Surprise." He said, a tiny smile on his face.
"Jaune!"
Ruby ran up and tackled him into a hug. It was far less bone-crushing than Nora's, but then again, Ruby's semblance – which she had a habit of activating when she got excited, even without really meaning to – nearly bowled him over.
"Oh, it's so good to see you!" She said, laughing as she rocked the two of them back and forth for a moment, before pulling back and beaming up at him. "You said you'd be visiting, but you didn't tell me you'd be visiting so soon when you called me for my birthday!"
"Well, I was actually planning on coming by a bit earlier," Jaune explained, "But I decided that I was going to swing by Yang and Blake's place. It was a nice trip."
"It sounds it. Menagerie is practically the only place that's still beautiful this time of year." Ruby giggled. "I can't say I'd turn down a trip to the beach myself."
"That reminds me," He said, smirking. "Yang said she's more than due a visit."
"Bleh!" Ruby spat out, still showing a bit of her childishness. "When they promise to have better… habits, I'll think about it!"
They both laughed at that, and Jaune found himself following Ruby inside her home a moment later.
It was a rather cozy place. Far smaller than the Belladonna manor, far smaller than Nora and Ren's home as well. It was a place built for one or two people, and to be fair to Ruby, she'd never really been someone who used that much space.
Well, besides having an entire room devoted to weapon's building, tinkering, and repair, but that was, apparently, what the basement was for.
A big 'Danger' sign on the door that led down to it was warning enough of that.
Aside from that, though, it looked just like a normal family home. Comfortable furniture, a few pictures here and there, a giant scythe hung up on the–
Okay, actually, Crescent Rose mk. III did sort of refute his point.
Even he – with his less than stellar knowledge of weapons and the technology behind them – found himself admiring the design. It was a marvel; an elegant weave of metal and dust, with inner workings designed to shift into four different forms, and even an internal frame that could channel Ruby's silver-eyed magic into the blade to form an almost hard light edge, but one that was far deadlier to the creatures of Grimm.
It was also colored a vivid red, though Jaune supposed that made sense given… Ruby.
And, well, technically everything Jaune had just said had been about the II.5, which was the weapon that Ruby had used during their final battle with Salem. She'd modified her second Crescent Rose into a much more deadly tool, and carved into it the channels for the silver-eyes magic.
But really, it had been built upon the II's frame, with very few changes aside from that. The one he was looking at now had been built from the ground up with all those features in mind.
He didn't technically know what the newly completed variant was capable of.
"So, how've ya' been, Jaune?" Ruby said, turning to him and offering him a glass of juice, which he partook of happily. "Meet anybody new? Someone… interesting, perhaps?"
"Hah, Nora asked me the same thing." He shook his head. "No. I didn't."
"Phooey." Ruby pouted, drawing another little chuckle out of him. She let out a quiet yawn before she continued. "Well, we can talk more about that later. First…"
Ruby dragged him over to the couch, sat him down, and then turned to him with her eyes sparkling.
"How has Aurea been performing!? Is it meeting the specifications I intended for it? Oh, does the hard light blade have the sharpness required to cut through Grimm bone and flesh at the same time, and how about its different forms? I know you said you don't really use the shoulder mount on the shield very often, but I'm telling you, if you worked that into your fighting style more–"
/
Ruby eventually calmed down enough to show Jaune up to the guest room, which had changed a bit since he'd last seen it. Gone was the cot that had once constituted a bed, now replaced by a single twin mattress over a metal frame. It looked comfy, and Jaune found himself testing it immediately by flopping down into it, earning a giggle from Ruby behind him.
"I suppose that's one way to do it." She shook her head.
"Hey, I just road in a boat for multiple days." Jaune said as he buried his face further into the pillows. "Frankly, I deserve to be lauded as a hero. That I escaped with my life was a miracle."
"Ah, yes," Ruby took on a deep voice. "The brave hero Jaune, and his aversion to riding in anything that moves."
"It's a more common–"
"A more common condition than you might think." Ruby finished for him, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Jaune, you've only been telling me for the past seven years."
"I think I told you the day we first met."
"Eight years, then." Ruby said, smirking. "Alright, if you wanna' get set up in here, I've got some paperwork to do for class on Monday."
"Ah, right," Jaune pushed himself off of the mattress, sitting up in the bed and smiling up at his host. "How're things teaching at Signal, by the way? Everybody treating you well?"
"Ah, y'know, it's a bit odd." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck a tad awkwardly. "I'm the youngest teacher that's ever taught at Signal by like… four or five years? But then again, I'm kind of used to that by now, so…"
Jaune snickered, nodding his head to concede that particular point. Ruby had been moved ahead an awful lot in her life, and had still managed to keep up.
"It doesn't help that a lot of my colleagues were my teachers when I was there." Ruby laughed, shaking her head. "My old history teacher Mr. Wilkinson still calls me 'little Ms. Rose' every time he sees me, and I don't even think it's on purpose!"
Jaune laughed at Ruby's petulant tone, which drew a groan from the woman across from him. She eventually relented, deciding to just sit down on the bed beside Jaune, sighing.
"It's a lot. Dad and Uncle Qrow always used to say that teaching was only something you should get into if you love it, and now I sort of see why. I do love it, and even still, it's exhausting at the best of times."
Jaune nodded. "Yeah, I get that. Did I tell you that Saphron became a teacher too?"
"No, when?"
"A few months back. Officially got her degree and everything. Going back to school after being a mom isn't easy, but she did it. Mom and dad, hell, all of us, were so proud of her." He smiled fondly. "I think it was mostly because Adrian's old enough that she doesn't have to watch him twenty-four seven."
"Ah, yeah." Ruby murmured, yawning into her hand, evidently quite tired if the bags under her eyes were anything to go by. "Speaking of kids, how was Magni?"
"A mini-Nora." Jaune joked, and Ruby let out a joking lament. "Energetic to a fault. Already talking about wielding a hammer. But he's a kind soul. You can tell."
Ruby nodded, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment as her head briefly dipped. She fought valiantly against it, however, and managed to sit back up, shaking herself awake.
"Oh, right, Qrow's seeing someone!"
"Wait, actually?"
"Yeah, I said the same thing!" Ruby let out a little giggle. "He was pretty mad at me for that, but they sound nice from what he's telling me. Honestly, after the life he's had, I guess I just want him to be happy."
"Yeah." Jaune said, nodding along, gazing at Ruby's slumping form out of the corner of his eye, and narrowing his gaze. "Now, how about you let me tell you about my trip, hm?"
"Sure." Ruby said, eyes fluttering to stay open. "Go ahead."
Jaune did so. He detailed his trip across Mistral, his visit to Ren and Nora's. He talked of the ways that Kuroyuri was coming along, how proud he was of his teammates, and his eventual decision to head to Menagerie before here. He talked some of what Blake and Yang had told him – and left out other parts that were more personal to them – and then discussed the boat he'd taken to get here, to Patch.
And he was not at all surprised to find a very much asleep Ruby Rose when he looked back over. In fact, he was smiling. As gently as he could, he positioned the girl's head onto the pillow, and pulled the blanket up around her.
Ruby did wake up, but he was fairly certain she wasn't conscious. The only thing she did was grumble under her breath and hug the blanket more tightly around herself.
Jaune let out a quiet chuckle as he stood up, and walked over to the door.
"Sleep well, Rubes." He said, as he pulled the wood shut behind him.
/
"You let me fall asleep!" A voice shouted out from outside the living room about two and a half hours later.
"I did indeed." He answered smugly. "You fell asleep while I was talking."
"Yeah, and whose fault is that, Mister!"
It seemed Ruby had figured out his plan after all.
Ruby groaned as she massaged the sleep out of her eyes, yawning as she immediately moved towards the computer desk near the back wall, letting out a puppy-like growl.
"Jaune, it's the weekend, I'm not supposed to be sleeping!"
"Ruby, you looked exhausted." He decided to just come out and say it. "You needed a nap."
Ruby grumbled pettily, very clearly knowing he was right, but also demonstrating that she would never in a million years admit it.
"Gah, I still have so many tests to grade." Ruby let out a little groan as she rifled through a stack of papers. "I'm sorry you have to visit me now of all times. I'll try to hurry, but I probably won't be able to talk much, it's just–"
"No, no, I get it." Jaune said, laughing a bit. "But y'know, I am right here."
"Huh?"
"Why don't I help?" Jaune said, shrugging. "Two heads would make the job go by much faster, wouldn't it?"
"Jaune," Ruby shook her head, despite a small hint of something entering into her gaze. "I can't ask you to…"
"You're not. I'm offering."
Ruby very clearly wanted to accept Jaune's help. Even having taken a nap, it was clear the woman was overworked. She was, after all, in her first year as a teacher. She was still learning, whilst having to help others do the same.
So, well…
Jaune wanted help her through it.
"…If you really wouldn't mind–"
"I wouldn't." He said, smiling. "Now bring that over to the coffee table, and turn that answer key so we can both see it."
Ruby laughed, but acquiesced, standing from her desk and settling down on the couch beside him. She handed him half the stack with a grateful smile, and thus the night went on like that, the two of them trading small talk as they graded the papers of Ruby's students.
Jaune found it oddly relaxing. And when the sun set in the sky, the two of them retired to their own rooms.
Jaune slept soundly.
/
Jaune was awoken the following morning by Ruby very loudly calling his name. This was not a particularly novel thing to have happen in an ordinary circumstance.
The problem really was that it was at five fifty in the morning.
Jaune himself just groaned as he tried to pull the blankets back up around him, but Ruby wasn't having it. She came in, wearing nightwear that looked suspiciously like the kind she'd once worn in Beacon, and began to hit him with a pillow.
"Wake up! I have a cool idea!"
Jaune couldn't help thinking that he'd be a lot more open to this cool idea in roughly four to five hours' time.
"Come to Signal with me!"
Now that caught Jaune's attention. He turned to look up at Ruby, and saw her eyes gleaming.
"What?"
"Okay, so, I was feeling kind of awkward just leaving you here for the next like nine hours," Ruby said, scratching the back of her neck. "I kind of already used all my personal days on the RWBY reunion a few months back, so uh…"
"Ruby, it's fine, I can just throw on the TV or something. Or browse videos on my scroll."
"Yeah, but you could do that anywhere!" Ruby argued, hitting him again with the very fluffy pillow. It barely made him flinch. "C'mon, this'll be fun, we'll have a good time, and I'm sure my students would love to meet you!"
Jaune could already feel his resolve crumbling, the last of his resistance fading away under Ruby's puppy-dog-eyes – and really, one had never seen real crocodile tears until they'd met Ruby Rose – and just when he was about to admit defeat–
"Plus, if I bring you, no one will ever know that I forgot to make lesson plans last night!"
"Ah, there's the truth." Jaune snorted as Ruby stuck her tongue out at him. He just rolled his eyes as he finally pushed himself out of bed, and set off for the shower.
He had the odd feeling it was going to be a long day.
/
An issue that rarely came up for Jaune Arc was currently rearing its ugly head.
He did not have very many professional outfits.
Oh, he had his normal huntsman attire, and really, being a stylish black coat with white pants, and his white and gold armor, he thought he looked pretty damned snazzy.
The problem was mostly in the fact that he'd not done any deep cleaning on a single part of it in… going-on a month now. Oh, he'd washed it. But uh…
Blood and caked-on dirt didn't really wash out that well unless you were willing to put some effort into it.
So there Jaune was, standing before Signal Academy, Ruby Rose at his side, and trying to pretend like no one would notice the red and brown stains nipping at the bottom of his pants.
Even if he knew they probably would.
Or maybe they wouldn't, honestly, given the rather large device strapped to his friends' back. Crescent Rose Mk. III painted a rather terrifying picture of just what it was capable of, even when it was in its sheathed form, bobbing up and down in time to Ruby's steps.
And yet, its masters face betrayed none of its brutality. No, Ruby led him into the building with bubbly enthusiasm, and even despite his worries and internal ramblings, it was infectious. It was clear she was eager to show off her workplace, and even more clear than that was how proud she was of it.
She led him past a few students – who nodded to Ruby casually, saying "Good morning, Ms. Rose" – who, when they saw him, all seemed to be rather surprised.
He tried to keep things on the downlow as best as possible, waving back to them casually.
It did not work, if the exclamations of "Dude, was that him!?" From behind him were anything to go by.
They entered the teacher's lounge some two minutes later – and some rather childish part of Jaune was disappointed that the teacher's lounge was, in fact, just a room, and not some kind of secret hideout as his child-self had assumed – and Ruby immediately went about introducing him, which seemed prudent if he was going to be here all day.
"This is my friend Jaune." Ruby said, gesturing towards him, and giving him the chance to walk up and talk. "He's a comrade of mine from–"
"You're another of the Seven!" An older man, perhaps in his fifties, suddenly sputtered, taking a step towards him, and adjusting his bifocals as if to get a better look at him.
"Ah…" He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah."
"It's an honor!" The man said, taking Jaune's hand and shaking it with both of his. "Truly an honor. You're a hero, young man, just like Ms. Rose here."
"Thank you." He said, trying to disguise the frown that was doing its best to poke through his polite exterior. "And I'm glad you've been taking care of Ruby. She says she quite likes it here."
He'd said that in an attempt to get them off his back, and if Ruby rolling her eyes was anything to go by, she could tell. The crowd turned towards her, and the man Jaune had been speaking to visibly puffed up with pride.
"Well, we certainly strive to give our teachers the best atmosphere we can!"
"And you do a very good job, Principal Downing." Ruby said, before turning to the clock, and making a rather showy gesture. "Oh, look at the time, I had some things I wanted to show Jaune before my first lecture, you don't mind if I–"
"Of course not, girl." The Principal smiled down at the two of them, before waving them away. "Go on. Have a good day, the both of you. Again, it's been an honor Mr. Arc."
Jaune nodded once more as the two of them exited the room, and he allowed himself a breath as Ruby shook her head.
"Sorry about them, if I knew they were going to hound you–"
"Nah, they didn't do anything wrong." Jaune said, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I'm the weird one who can't handle praise."
"Hah, if you're the weird one, what does that make me?" Ruby muttered, before she turned the both of them towards a large, amphitheater-like room. "Setting that aside, though…"
She held out her arms, as if gesturing to the whole space.
"Welcome to my lair!"
He spent a moment looking about the place. It seemed to be rather similar in shape to Ms. Goodwitch's old combat classroom, although far smaller in scale, perhaps half the size. At the front of it all was a standing podium, alongside an L-shaped desk that took up space in the corner of the room. The former, Jaune assumed, for lecturing, and the latter for when Ruby set the students free on an assignment, where she could get her own work done while sitting.
All in all, it was quite nice.
Unfortunately for Ruby, she had announced it like a doofus. He couldn't not say something.
"So, you've become a mini-Salem in the time since I've been gone?"
"I didn't mean it like that!" Ruby laughed, despite the way her slightly red face betrayed some manner of embarrassment. "Ugh, you're all hopeless."
"Hey, I'm not as bad as Yang."
"No, you're not." Ruby said, "Which is part of the reason I never visit."
"Ooh, the plot thickens."
Ruby lightly smacked his arm as she walked past him, and turned the lights on. It lit the space up rather dramatically. A set of eight long integrated lights – the standard kind one found along the ceilings of most schools or large department stores – flipped on with an electric hum, and suddenly, Jaune had to squint.
"Yeah, sorry, they're a bit brighter than you'd think they'd be."
"You can say that again." Jaune muttered, gradually blinking his eyes until they adjusted. "So… this is the seat of your power, oh great and terrible queen?"
"Indeed." Ruby evidently decided to just roll with the joke instead of fighting back against it. "This is the throne upon which I spread my gospel."
Jaune laughed, even as his brain cycled to a question he had.
"So, walk me through what you teach again? It seemed pretty… broad."
"I teach Hunter Expertise." Ruby said, before wilting somewhat. "It is uh… kinda' broad. It ranges from all sorts of things. Making weapons, servicing weapons, aura handling, semblance training, occasional combat practices, theory and field knowledge, leadership, teamwork…" She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders despite it all. "It's a lot. "
Jaune could tell. At the same time, however, he was fairly sure he knew why the position had been given to Ruby.
She was, after all, just about the most qualified person in the world for the it.
"How's it been so far?" He asked as he leaned against Ruby's desk.
"Eh, it has its days, in both good and bad ways." He chuckled at Ruby's joke. "But at the same time, I like it. It's… I don't know. It's special, I think."
He nodded, before gazing up at the clock.
"So, I know before that you looking at the clock was just to get us out of the teacher's lounge," Ruby nodded, confirming perhaps the worst kept secret on Remnant. "But when does your class start, actually?"
"Oh, in about…" Ruby looked up, blanched, and then turned back to Jaune with an almost feverish energy. "One minute! Help me set up!"
And thus, Jaune did.
Students began to file through the doors once the bell rung. Jaune knew from experience that a few of them would likely wait until closer to the second bell – the one that actually marked you as late – to show up, so he wasn't too surprised that they filled the room gradually. It was good, too, since he and Ruby had only just finished up by the time the last bell rang, and the room was full.
"Good morning, class." Ruby announced to the teenaged crowd of students. She received a mild response, a few high-energy children, but mostly a bunch of kids who really wanted to go back to sleep. "Today, I have a rather special opportunity for you all."
She allowed the initial chatter to die down as the students stared at the both of them, their eyes unsure of who to focus on.
"I'm going to introduce you all, first, to a fellow leader in Remnants fight against the Grimm." Ruby gestured his way. "This is Jaune Arc."
There were some excited murmurs at that, spawning variants of "it is him!" and "I knew it!" from the majority of the student body. Ruby waited for them to quiet down before she continued onwards.
"Today, all of you will gain a special opportunity. The two of us," Ruby spoke, reaching behind her back and taking up Crescent Rose Mk. III. "Are going to spar for you all."
There was a crescendo of excitement then. A cacophony of energetic voices that all cried out at once. Jaune allowed the noise to wash over him as he shook his head, and turned to Ruby as he drew Aurea from his shoulder-mounted shield, before dislodging the shield itself and taking it into his left hand.
"You didn't tell me this."
"It's a lot easier to ask forgiveness than permission." Ruby said, sticking her tongue out at him, though rather pointedly disguising said gesture from her students. With a click of a button, the rows of seats that the students were sat in began to pull back, making room for a small arena in the center of the room. It was perhaps eight meters in diameter, and perhaps the smallest arena that Jaune would have ever fought in.
Regardless, that really only benefitted him, so he couldn't exactly complain.
"This will be only until one of us reaches the yellow." Ruby said, before she, in a rather showy manner, spun Crescent Rose out of its sheathed form, and slammed the pommel of her scythe on the ground below.
Many of her students 'oohed' and 'aahed'.
"Watch closely. Either way, this will likely end rather quickly."
Jaune found himself smirking, agreeing with Ruby's assessment even as he took a simple stance himself. He allowed aura to coat his body, using his semblance to sculpt it around his form, to enhance his muscles, and to allow him to strike both harder and faster.
He would need it to stand any chance.
And then the battle began.
To say that Ruby was a blur would've been an understatement. The woman's semblance had evolved to a degree that it would've been virtually unrecognizable to the semblance she'd first used when she arrived in Beacon Academy. The rose petals that remained behind were the only real similarity.
Her scythe slammed into his shield more than hard enough to stagger him, even having reinforced his body with his semblance. He could feel his aura drain through that alone. Even still, he knew Ruby wouldn't give him a single instant to recover. If he wasn't moving, he'd be defeated in that single instant.
And so, he cut across what was in front of him, doing his best to try and bait Ruby into dodging behind him, and then bash her with his shield. Instead, she backed out of his range entirely, and Jaune understood her plan immediately.
By knocking into him and sending him backwards, she'd forced him to one end of the arena. She loaded a clip into Crescent Rose and began to pelt at his exposed legs, forcing him to hiss lightly under his breath as he chose to kneel down, turtling there, and effectively creating a stalemate.
Jaune understood already that he'd lost.
Of course, in a real fight, this would not be the end. But in a fight simply to the yellow? Ruby could play incredibly conservatively and still finish him off. Instead of continuing the battle for no real reason, or delaying Ruby's lesson by dragging this on by continuing to turtle up, Jaune simply raised his right hand.
"I surrender."
The lights in the room flourished back to life, and a few students in the crowd applauded the two of them. Others seemed surprised that the fight had, effectively, ended in roughly five seconds. And some still just looked dumbfounded.
Someone even booed, amusingly enough.
Jaune could understand all four of those perspectives.
"That was a great fight, Mr. Arc." Ruby said, smiling over at him as she stepped across the arena, and then faced the class. "As you could probably tell, the both of us could have continued fighting, but the position I had taken was more than advantageous enough to secure a victory for me under the circumstances of our encounter. Seeing this, and knowing that we were only sparring, Mr. Arc saw fit to simply surrender, rather than draw the battle out."
Ruby explained effectively what he'd been thinking, and he nodded his head to show he'd intended just that.
"Now, I'm going to allow Mr. Arc here to give you all a quick rundown of our spar. Of the different things he might look at to try and adjust if the two of us were to fight again. This will be a rather enlightening experience for you all, so I suggest you pay attention."
She had put him on the spot a bit, but she obviously knew Jaune could handle this. Being able to analyze your own fight, point out the reasons that you'd either won or lost, and then alter your gameplan for future engagements, was a vital skill to have as a Huntsman.
And so, he cleared his throat, stepped forward, and began.
"The key difference between the two of us was what Ms. Rose immediately sought to abuse; her speed. I am, as you may've been able to tell, more of a supportive tank than a damage dealer, to use what may be familiar terminology." A few students nodded, and Jaune was glad the brief showing of his own nerdiness was not laughed at. "However, that doesn't mean that I can't hit hard if I'm allowed to close the distance. Ms. Rose is, comparatively, far more fragile. It was this potential weakness that she turned to her advantage."
"She utilized her ability to cut across my guard before I could even blink, and pushed me to one side of the arena. Then, making sure that she stayed outside of my range of attack, she pinned me down in one corner of the arena. Even more damning, in a fight outside of said small arena, she likely would've been even more effective. Able to dash away and use her weapon's sniper function to pepper exposed pieces and parts of my aura, to gradually drain me, force me to circle around and around endlessly. She would, then, fly in and finish me off when I'd been chipped down enough."
The students were writing down notes, then, and Jaune found himself smiling slightly.
"And what would you do, Mr. Arc," Ruby turned to him, smiling herself. "If the two of us were to face again. What adjustments would you make?"
Jaune considered that for a moment, before beginning to speak again.
"I would look to play to Ruby's strengths, actually." Some of the students seemed confused about that. "In the same way that Ruby used her weakness as a strength, I would do the same. I would take advantage of the one positive that I have going for me – the size of the arena, which inhibits Ms. Rose's movement to very quick bursts of speed, and I would look to take the fight to her. I can, after all, fight for longer periods of time, thanks to the relative size of my aura, and my semblance, which bolsters it even further. Because of this, I would strengthen my aura, and put away my shield, instead, focusing purely on offense. I would look to parry and riposte Ruby's – my apologies, Ms. Rose's blows as she charged me, and see if I couldn't catch her during one of them. If I did, she would be able to use her semblance to escape, assuredly, but every time she does that, it drains her aura away. In a match to the yellow," Jaune stated, turning back towards Ruby, and smirking a bit confidently, "I believe that strategy would result in my victory."
Jaune found himself a bit flummoxed as several students began to clap, and then even more so as the entire classroom – with Ruby joining in, the traitor – followed suit. He rubbed at the back of his neck as he laughed awkwardly.
"As you can see," Ruby spoke, still beaming over at him. "Mr. Arc was very often the brains of our operations against Salem. In but a minute, he's already deduced a counter strategy to take me on in a future engagement. Now, obviously, because he's told it to me, it would likely fail, as now I have time to formulate a counter to his counter."
Jaune rolled his eyes a bit pettily, letting out a quiet chuckle.
"Now, would you all like to ask some questions about our brief spar?"
Quite literally every hand shot up. Jaune briefly balked, though Ruby did not even hesitate to pick a hand.
"Yes, Rosemary?"
A girl with big, round glasses and some freckles on her face stood, jittering slightly.
"Uhm, you guys were so cool!"
"Thank you, Rosemary." Ruby said, smiling wider. "Your question?"
"Oh, shi– er, crap, sorry, Ma'am." Jaune winced for her. "I wanted to ask Mr. Arc something, if that's fine?"
Ruby turned to him. "Is that fine?"
"Sure." He said, stepping forward and looking towards the girl.
"Uhm, so, does your ability to assess Ms. Rose's combat capabilities lend somewhat to your foreknowledge of said capabilities from having fought with her before?"
"Of course." He answered, nodding his head. "Naturally, I'd be a lot slower on the uptake against an opponent who I had to fight fresh. Actually, I can give a brief example, if you all would like?"
It seemed quite literally everyone did.
"Well, during the battle of Atlas," Jaune could see students leaning forward off those words alone, and he had half a mind to laugh. "My team and I encountered a fighter with power over illusions. Obviously, in the moment? We had no clue what we were dealing with, and we were nearly completely trounced. I mean, in a four on one, she succeeded in stealing away some rather important information from us." He decided to leave out the part where said information was actually a lamp that contained godly magic. "However, each of us learned something from that. The next time I myself ended up facing her was in a…" It had been in Ever After, Jaune remembered. The two of them squaring off on that beach they'd ended up on. "Well, it was a rather different setting. Crucially, however, I was alone. So was she, but in pure combat capability, she blew me out of the water."
Several students seemed stunned that that was a possibility, and Jaune had half a mind to laugh at their thinking. He had not always been quite the fighter he was today. He was not afraid to admit that.
"So, one would think I wouldn't stand a chance in such an engagement. But I had learned of her semblance, and quite a bit of her fighting style. She played fast and loose, looking to weave in and out of your blows and pepper you with needle-like strikes. Death from a thousand cuts. She, on the other hand, knew virtually nothing about me. I was probably, in her mind, a dumb guy with a sword and a shield."
He earned some laughter from that, and he allowed it to fade before he continued his tale.
"So, I devised my strategy. I knew that in a sword fight, I had no hope. There was no way I was hitting her, let alone beating her that way. I had to think of something else. And so, I realized the advantage I did have. My opponent weighed around a hundred pounds less than me. She was about a foot and a half shorter than I was. I wasn't going to be able to hit her with a sword, but if she wanted to damage me, she had to get in close. I had one advantage. My size. And so, I used it by grappling with her."
Such had gone… well, not terribly well. Neopolitan fought like a beowolf, even when pinned beneath him and getting punched, and elbowed in the face, she'd stabbed him in the gut with a hidden blade enough times to nearly break his aura. Even still, however…
"Because of that, I was able to successfully disengage from my opponent once both of our auras had broken. Neither of us wished to die that day, and so the two of us broke off. I, somehow, had beaten an opponent far beyond me in terms of skill, using strategy that I had developed through a prior meeting, and a little on the fly thinking. Both of those things, being able to strategize, and being able to adapt in the moment, are crucial. One, however, can be taught, whilst the other can really only be gained through experience. And it is that which can be taught that you should focus on."
The girl who'd asked Jaune the question nodded emphatically as she took a seat, and Ruby nodded his way, a subtle 'well done', before she turned back to her students.
"Now, any other questions?"
Every hand in the room went up again.
Jaune just laughed.
Over the course of the next half hour, Jaune and Ruby spoke nearly nonstop, telling stories, sharing strategies, talking leadership and weapons, dust, and all other kind of things. By the time the bell rang, it seemed that a number of students were quite disappointed that they'd missed their chance to ask questions.
"Now don't be too sad." Ruby said as they began gathering their belongings. "Mr. Arc will be with us all week."
Multiple people perked up, and even though Jaune had had some idea that he'd be attending the next few days as well – given that he didn't think Ruby wanted him to sit in her living room and watch T.V. while she went to work – and frankly, neither did he – he was still a little amused at how quickly Ruby had signed him up without asking him.
"Oh, am I?" he whispered her way.
She rather pointedly ignored him. "I've written down who's already asked a question, so only those who haven't will be able to ask questions in the following days. Now, remember, you're still going to have that quiz in two weeks, so study up!"
And then the students filed out entirely, leaving the two of them behind. Jaune found himself almost exhausted already, and he chose to take Ruby's spinning desk chair – he did, in fact, briefly spin in it just to get that out of his system – and let out a breath.
"That… was a lot."
"Hah, now you see why I'm so tired all the time."
"That I do." He muttered, before shaking his head. "So, what do we do now?"
"Now?" Ruby grinned. "Jaune, why do you think we only fought to yellow?"
He had a funny feeling he already knew what Ruby was about to say.
"Now we do that same thing for another seven classes of students."
If he'd had the energy, he would've cried.
/
The rest of the day honestly went by quicker than Jaune had expected it to. It was mostly a blur of questions from students who seemed a lot more engaged than he'd been at their age. They'd stuck, largely, to questions about the fight, although a few more personal questions were interspersed, which Jaune did get some amusement out of.
"Are you guys dating?"
"Nope." They spoke simultaneously.
"Who wins in a fight between Yang Xiao-Long and Nora Valkyrie?"
"Depends on the day." Ruby said.
"What's the hardest you've ever been hit?"
"The God of Darkness threw a spell directly at my face." Jaune answered.
"Are you single!?" One overly eager girl – who couldn't have been any older than fifteen – asked him with a wink.
"I'm afraid I'm twenty-five, so no."
Come the end of the day, both he and Ruby had adjusted several times to one another's strategies. Ruby had won the second battle, proving herself right that she had, indeed, come up with a counter to his counter. Though in response, Jaune adjusted, and he won the third and fourth fights. Ruby took the fifth, him the sixth, and then her the seventh and eighth, ending the day.
Honestly, going 3 and 5 against Ruby wasn't half bad for him.
Though on a good day he was fairly confident he tie her, at the very least.
And so it was that the week went on like that. More questions – a few of them awkward. More duels – a good half of which Jaune won. And more teaching – which Jaune was a bit surprised to find he didn't much mind. In fact, come Friday, when the two of them were officially ending their little dog and pony show, Jaune almost found himself wanting to keep going the next week.
Well, he wouldn't be around the next week, so that would be a small problem.
He and Ruby retired back to her house, and they decided to go out to eat. It was nothing major, a Pizza joint that served greasy pepperoni, but Jaune had very rarely had time to go around eating greasy pepperoni pizza recently, and so it might as well have been the ambrosia of the gods.
"Aw, man," Jaune spoke through a mouthful of food. "This is the life."
Ruby snorted. "Glad to know you have such high standards, Jaune."
An hour or so later, he and Ruby were laid down on opposite ends of the sofa in her living room, his legs going one way, hers another. They talked a bit as they sipped from chutes of wine – which had been the only alcoholic beverage Ruby had owned, and easily a year or two old at that – and eventually, Ruby seemed to find herself rather interested in something.
"So, you're going around, visiting places, yeah?"
"Mm."
"Any rhyme or reason?"
"Hm…" Jaune thought about that for a moment. Everyone else had figured out that he was dealing with something, but Ruby didn't seem to have quite nailed him down to the same degree. Then again, their conversations hadn't been nearly as heavy as any of the others he'd had with Nora, Ren, Yang, or Blake.
"I guess I plan to visit everyone. So, I've gone and seen most of the gang already. I think I might drop by Beacon, actually, and then head to Atlas."
"So, you're going to see Weiss?"
"Yeah, even Weiss."
Ruby just nodded, not asking anything more than that.
The conversation stuttered for a moment then. Jaune felt no real need to restart it, though, given that he was still quite comfortable. They'd laid a blanket over both their legs, and were currently taking in the warmth from the fire that Ruby had set in her fireplace. Honestly, Jaune couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so cozy.
Maybe it was that feeling… that feeling there that made him think of the question he asked next. Combined with that odd sense of melancholy that'd been hanging about him for the last few months.
"You ever thought about shacking up with someone and starting a family, Rubes?"
"Huh?" His friends' eyes were rather wide. "Well, I mean… yeah. I've thought about it. Heck, I've been interested, in uh… in all types, if you know what I'm getting at."
He smirked. "Team RWBY always was shockingly queer."
Ruby snorted. "Yeah, and JNPR was almost painfully straight."
He raised his glass to that, and Ruby clinked hers against it.
"In all seriousness, though … I have a job, and a house, and I guess I don't have a ton of time at the moment. I've gone on a few dates, but none of them really… worked out that well. Not a ton of people really get past the hero worship." She said with an awkward rub at her neck, and Jaune winced, completely understanding the girl's plight. "So… I guess it's just… never really come to a head, y'know?"
Jaune nodded, definitely getting where the girl was coming from. He'd had a few brief trysts here and there with various women in a few villages he'd been by. But most had lasted but a single night, and then ended then and thereafter. The last time he'd genuinely gone out on a date had been…
"What about you and Weiss?" He questioned the girl to get out of his own head, watching as she sputtered a bit into the beverage she'd been drinking out of. "I kind of got the feeling she felt the same way, about both guys and gals, I mean."
"Hah…" Ruby was red-faced, and he had a feeling that wasn't entirely from the alcohol. Still, she recovered valiantly, pointing right at him, and smirking victoriously. "Well, then, what about you and Weiss!?"
He raised his own drink. "Touché."
Her inflamed face didn't subside as she mumbled under her breath. "Tell you mine if you tell me yours?"
He laughed, even as he leant back on the couch, resting his neck against the armrest, and nodded.
"Sure, I'll even go first if you want. I guess neither of us have ever really told the full story, have we?"
Ruby shook her head, even if she did so awkwardly, blowing bubbles into her drink.
And so… he told his story.
After the night they'd shared having survived the end of the world, he and Weiss had decided to go steady. It'd been… it'd been nice. Real nice, for a while. He'd moved into the Schnee manor, he'd gotten on with Whitley and with Willow. He'd even been accepted by Winter Schnee a year or so in, and that was one of his prouder accomplishments in life, that.
But… then Jaune had wanted something else.
It hadn't been on Weiss. He felt that deserved to be said. It hadn't, really, been on him, either. Looking back, he had no real regrets. They were just two different people, with two different desires for the future. He'd felt this… this incompleteness inside of him. This want to find himself. And Weiss… perhaps she'd known that she couldn't offer it to him. He wasn't sure.
They'd parted amicably, as friends, and they'd stayed that way, despite what the news would've had one believe. He'd been by the Schnee manor twice since then, though neither time for very long.
Jaune shook his head as he finished recounting his story.
"I'm glad you guys still get along." Ruby smiled his way, and he nodded.
"Me too." He rounded on her before he could get any more pulled into his own head. "Your turn. You and Weiss."
"Brbrl." Ruby grumbled into her drink, before downing the entire glass of wine to seemingly drown her shame. Or her liver. Really both. "I guess it's the same answer as earlier. I thought about it. I really did. We were close… and I could tell that Weiss looked at me the way I looked at her sometimes. But it just kinda' never… seemed right, y'know? By the time we beat Salem, and the adventure was over, you and Weiss were already a bit of a thing, everyone could see that. I didn't want to get between two of my friends."
"You pulled a Summer Rose, then?"
"Oi!" Ruby poked his knee, and he laughed as he tried to protect himself from her onslaught. "My mother's dating strategy may not have been foolproof,"
He snickered.
"But it worked out for her! And maybe it'll work out for m–" Ruby's cheeks darkened, blending in nicely with the cape she was scrunched up against. "I… er…"
"Go for it."
"Huh?"
"No, seriously." Jaune nudged her knee with his. "You two would be a good match. Weiss always needed someone who operated on a different wavelength, or, well, that was my way of thinking, anyways. Someone to tell her to take a break from working so much and force her to relax. Someone to buzz around her and annoy her a little. Someone to add a little bit of positivity to balance out all that…"
"Weiss-ness?"
He raised his chute, and Ruby giggled.
"Yeah." Ruby said after a few seconds, smiling in remembrance. "I guess… I guess that kinda' was me, huh?"
Jaune nodded.
"It's just… that doesn't sound bad. Asking Weiss out. I'm not sure she'd accept, but I could certainly give it a go. It's just…"
Ruby leant back against the arm of the sofa, and let out a frustrated breath.
"I don't know. I have a life here, I like teaching at Signal, and I kinda' get the feeling Weiss isn't going to be moving the SDC to the middle of Patch."
He laughed, even as he conceded that point. That had been one of the big reasons they'd parted initially. Jaune had wanted to travel, and Weiss was stuck in Mantle as long as she intended to continue helping her family and reforming the SDC.
"Well, do you need to teach at Signal?"
"I mean… no, but both my dad and uncle Qrow did, and I kinda' wanted to carry on the legacy." Her face once again tinged scarlet. "Plus, ever since I started working there, the principal says that attendance has, like, tripled, or something."
He wasn't surprised. Having the chance to let your kid learn under the Huntress who'd slain Salem herself? Who'd fought back against the Brother Gods? Who was basically the savior of the known world?
Yeah, he could see the ads Signal had assuredly already put out without thinking too hard about it.
"I can imagine."
"But… no. I don't think I need to teach there or anything. I guess I just kinda' am for the time being."
"Hm. Not your calling, then?"
"Not quite sure. I think teaching is pretty great if that's what you're asking. Maybe at one point I would've wanted to save as many people as I can, but training people means that every single one of them can go out and save people! …and it helps that I feel all of us have sort of earned a break from field work for a lifetime."
He'd drink to that.
"But I guess… I don't know. Something else could come up some other time, and if it felt better, and it helped people… then sure, I could do that."
Leave it to Ruby, even in her ideal job scenario, to think about other people.
She really was the best of them. In more ways than one.
"What about you?"
"Huh?"
"What do you think your calling is, Jaune?"
Oh. That was… a question.
He pretended to think about it, all the while trying to come up with some excuse to avoid said question. Eventually, when he felt he'd waited long enough, he chimed back in.
"Huh. You kinda' got me stumped, Rubes."
"Take your time."
He had to laugh.
"Not letting me run?"
"No siree."
And so, he sat back on the sofa, and this time, he well and truly thought.
What he was doing now, the wandering hero thing, that… that seemed to appeal to Oscar, and Jaune couldn't fault the boy for that, but it wasn't much for him. He was just kind of… doing it. Going through the motions. He found himself, often, wondering what it was all for.
He still didn't know.
So… what else?
He hadn't wanted a desk job at the SDC, that was for sure, and he hadn't really wanted to be a simple househusband either, which he definitely could've been with how rich Weiss was. Honestly, he probably could've lazed around like a slob and played video games until the day he died.
…Or, well, in a hypothetical world where Weiss Schnee wouldn't have given him a kick in the ass for that.
What had stood out to him as something he wanted to do?
He supposed he liked children. They were alright. He'd had so many siblings, including three or four younger ones, that he knew how to interact with children of all ages. And he liked being a huntsman, helping people, saving the day. He liked interacting with his friends, being a friendly, helpful guy. Being a healer. But…
"I guess… I guess I just don't know." Jaune said, smiling a bit solemnly as he sat back up, and met Ruby's gaze. "Sorry."
"Not your fault." Ruby said. "I'm just happy you gave it some thought. I guess… it's not exactly a secret that we've all been worried about you at this point, is it?"
"No, I suppose not." He said, before wondering. "Can I ask why?"
"Hm?"
"What prompted the worry?"
"…When you and Weiss separated."
"…Ah. Yeah."
"I guess… you guys just seemed so happy when we'd last seen you, and then…" Ruby shrugged. "And then it was just over one day. I'm not saying that was a mistake, or that you shouldn't have done it, or anything. I just… I just wanted to make sure you were alright. And if you weren't, find out why."
Jaune stared at his friend for a few moments after that, just sort of drinking in the feeling within his breast. It was let out in a breath of air over the course of the next few seconds, and he found himself laughing as he took up the wine glass and downed the rest of it.
"I'm doing alright, Rubes."
"Don't lie to me, Jaune."
Her voice was almost chilling in its simplicity. It was said in the same tone she'd once used to break him out of his funk nearly a decade ago, when he'd been being bullied by Cardin Winchester.
Even thinking about that man brought him to laugh. They were… he wouldn't call them friends, but certainly comrades. He and Cardin had more than made up, and hell, he'd gone to the man's wedding. Not as like a best man or anything – that had gone to Russel – but he'd certainly shown up.
He'd… he'd gone with Weiss. They'd had a nice time. They'd danced, and brought a rather extravagant gift, and Jaune had had to explain to her that not all people bought others tickets to an island getaway for two weeks at a wedding, mostly it was just small things, a bottle of wine, or plates, or other things, and she'd been borderline shocked, because she'd never been to a wedding that wasn't terribly high-class, and had apparently honestly assumed that getting the two a trip to one of Vacuo's manmade resorts was lowballing a gift.
He could remember laughing. Laughing for so long his chest had hurt, and Weiss berating him and getting all pouty and red from embarrassment. And then he'd hugged her against him, and told her to never change.
She'd caught the bouquet. He remembered that now, all of a sudden, and…
Jaune bit down on his bottom lip.
"Jaune?"
"I'm fine." He lied again, before shaking his head. "I just… I don't know. I guess I just don't know, Rubes."
Ruby went silent for a second, but she had this expression on her face like she was about to say something. She'd puffed up, like some kind of dog making the hairs stick up on its back to seem bigger, more intimidating, more ready for a fight.
He braced himself.
"…You miss her, don't you?"
It hit hard, even still. To be called out like that. For her to so effortlessly strip away at him. But…
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I do." He said, and it was true. "And yet… and yet even so… at the same time, I…"
"You don't want to go back?"
"…Yeah." Jaune admitted, and it was both freeing and damning all at once. "I miss what we had. I miss the time that we shared. I miss the way her hands were so small in mine, and how she was always so serious. I miss making that veneer crack, and I guess I just… I wish that I felt like I wanted to go back to that. Because that would be a simple fix. I could just… just go back there, and beg her to let me in, and I'm sure she would. But I just… I miss it, and I miss her, but I don't want it back. I don't… I don't know how to…"
Ruby just nodded her head. "Feelings are hard."
And that seemed like the best summary anyone was going to come up with that evening.
The two of them just sort of sat there after that. Jaune found words bubbling up to the surface, but not the energy to expel them for at least a minute or two after that. And then, finally, he did.
"I want her to be happy, even if that happiness isn't with me." Jaune said, and he was relieved to find it was the truth. "I… there's no one I trust more in the entire world than you, Ruby."
The woman opposite him looked shocked to hear that, and Jaune actually laughed.
"And I guess… I think the two of you would be great together, if you wanted. I think you could give Weiss the happiness she deserves. And I think she could do the same for you."
Ruby absorbed that for a while, and then said. "…Thank you, Jaune. And I'm glad you trust me so much."
"Mm." He laughed, and then said. "You're probably my best friend, honestly. I want you to be happy."
"Me too." Ruby said with a little chuckle. "I want you to be happy too, bestie."
"Ew, don't call me that."
"What do you mean, bestie?"
"Look just because you're not capable of being an adult about your emotions–"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, bestie."
"–Doesn't mean you should be able to call me what is, objectively, the single most horrible nickname ever conceived by man."
Ruby snorted.
…and maybe, in the back of his mind…
Jaune was kind of glad that Ruby had deflected his seriousness.
He was kind of glad he could run away.
He felt weak for it, though.
"Alright, I'm exhausted." He muttered, shaking his head as he stood from the sofa – briefly drawing the blankets off of Ruby's legs, and causing her to hiss like a cat – and began the slow walk up to his room. "I'm going to go get ready for bed."
"Same here, honestly." Ruby said, beginning her trek to the bathroom as well. "Eight spars in one day is a lot."
"Yeah, especially when you get beat as hard as you did."
"Hey!"
They brushed their teeth – Ruby even flossed, the over-achiever – and otherwise made themselves ready for bed. As Jaune found himself rounding the corner to the guest room, Ruby called out one final thing to him, and he could practically hear her shit-eating grin.
"Goodnight, my beshtest, beshtest fwiend!"
"Are you people ever going to drop that?" He called back, half complaining and half joining in on laughing at himself. "It's been like, six years!"
Ruby was, of course, referring to his first night drinking, and he'd drank. Then Yang had gotten out her scroll, taken a video of him crying as he hugged a very smothered – and also very sober, on account of her being too young to drink at the time – Ruby slurring out that she was his 'beshtest, beshtest fwiend', and nothing had ever been the same since.
He'd never forgive the blonde her sin, nor would Nora, apparently, if the woman's constant complaining that she was Jaune's 'beshtest, beshtest fwiend' in the group chat had anything to say about it.
Still, it was a good memory. One that had him smiling ear to ear as he laid down in the guest bedroom, and went to sleep.
/
It seemed like the weeks only passed quicker and quicker by the time he was set to depart Patch.
There he was, hanging near the 'landing pad', which was really more of a well-groomed plot of flat land, chatting with Ruby as they waited for the bullhead that'd be taking him into Vale to arrive.
"It was really nice to have you here, Jaune." Ruby said, smiling his way and bumping him with her shoulder. "Seriously, we should get together more often."
"Honestly, we should." Jaune said with a little laugh. "I guess I'd sort of forgotten how much fun it is to be around friends recently. Visiting everyone was a good idea. I'll have to come by more often."
It was at that moment that a gray speck on the horizon began to take shape, and Jaune nodded at Ruby as he recognized it as the shape of a bullhead.
"Alright, that's my cue."
"Have a safe trip." Ruby said, smiling as she backed away. "And tell Ms. Goodwitch I said hi."
"I don't know if I'll see her," Jaune said, unsure as to how long he'd actually want to be by Beacon. "But if I do, I'll let her know."
And then Ruby was away, waving back towards him as the bullhead landed, and he got in.
This was, obviously, not just a flight just for him, but there were very few other people leaving on this particular morning. About seven or eight others had packed into the seats with him, and when it was clear no more would be arriving, the pilot came on over the intercom.
"This is your captain speaking. One non-stop flight into Vale International. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready to roll."
And so, he did.
The view of Patch as they ascended into the sky was, very briefly, beautiful. Lush greenery that seemed to go on and on forever. Ocean waters that sparkled in the morning sun.
Of course, then Jaune felt a bout of airsickness coming on, and promptly forgot all about the great view as he tried rather desperately to keep the contents of his stomach inside his stomach.
A nearby passenger offered him a pill of airsickness medication, and he profusely thanked the woman as he swallowed the thing. It tasted horrible, but Jaune was willing to make just about any sacrifice imaginable to not wretch into the paper baggy under his seat.
And so it was that Jaune Arc, one of the Seven Heroes who'd saved the world, just barely managed to survive a flight without vomiting a single time.
And frankly? That was just as great a victory as felling the Brother Gods, in his book.
End Chapter 3
Still not a ton to say. Next chapter is Beacon, and perhaps, just maybe, something a little bit extra as well? Who knows.
All I'll say is that Jaune may be feeling slightly... nostalgic next chapter.
Anyways, see you all then!