Days Later
Unfortunately, with no Locust about, Jay just had to be content with the Grimm. He straddled the chest of a Beowolf, throttling it as it weakly tried to claw him. He continued to crush the Beowolf's throat with his hands as he had a crazed look behind his helmet. It didn't take long before the Beowolf finally expired. Jay huffed in annoyance as the Grimm below him deteriorated and was blown away by the wind. He stood up and looked around.
Every creature of Grimm he encountered died far too fast for his liking. But there was nothing he could do about it. Jay had been sent out with RWBY on a small extermination mission. The population of Grimm was starting to balloon close to a settlement outside the walls of Vale. He broke off from RWBY to hunt by himself. He was itching for violence and didn't want the girls around for it. They were too pure.
"Jay!" He could hear one of the girls call out for him. He took a deep breath to calm down. With most evidence of his brutality conveniently disintegrated, he didn't have to worry about them finding out his darker side. He stooped down and grabbed his Boltok off the ground. He could hear the rustling brush off to his side while starting to twirl the revolver on his finger.
Ruby came stumbling through the foliage with the other three girls behind her. He did one final flourish before stowing the Boltok in his thigh holster, "Hey there, Petals. How did you girls make out?"
"I told you to stop calling me that!" Ruby huffed before pouting.
"We managed to deal with the Grimm close to the settlement," Blake had answered for them. Jay nodded as he turned to face them.
"Good work, you four. Let's head back and talk to the elder," Jay recommended before he started toward the settlement.
"What about you, Jay?" Yang asked as she jogged to catch up to him.
"Terminated a Beowolf pack. Other than that, I didn't see a lot out here," He commented as he continued to look forward, not paying attention to the girls catching up to him.
"When are we going to do some target practice? You said we would," Ruby asked from behind him. Jay glanced over his shoulder at the brunette before looking forward again.
"Be patient. Ozpin has yet to tell me where I can even get more ammunition," Jay responded as he pulled out his revolver.
"Ammo shouldn't be a problem to come by. Dust-based ammo is plentiful as it is," Weiss commented, quizzically looking at Jay.
Jay snorted as he opened the cylinder to the Boltok and coaxed the bullets out, "Dust ammunition is shit. It doesn't pack the punch I'm looking for. Or what I'm used to."
Out of the six rounds that were in the cylinder, only one was fired. As the girls gawked at Jay, he stuffed the five unfired rounds in a pouch. He flicked the spent casing up in the air before catching it. He put the brass in a separate pocket before grabbing a live round, "Here, Petals. Take a look."
He threw the bullet over his shoulder toward the girls. Ruby frantically made a grab for the bullet before it hit the ground. She fumbled with the cartridge before finally getting a good hold on it. It felt heavier than a regular Dust pistol round. It was bigger too. It had no Dust nor a window into the cartridge to see what kind was in it. The other three had crowded around Ruby to look at the bullet. They had stopped in the middle of the forest to just stare.
They were quickly brought out of their amazement by the whistle of Jay. He never stopped walking. He shouted over his shoulder at them, "Don't get left behind."
They hurried after Jay, still trying to understand a bullet without Dust.
Settlement
The four girls were busy talking with the elder of the settlement while Jay stood near the edge of the hamlet. He absentmindedly rolled and twirled the empty Boltok casing between his fingers as he waited for them.
"Isn't that armour hot?" Someone asked out of the blue. Jay stopped the empty brass and found a young woman who managed to sneak up on him. She had pale blue hair and friendly red eyes. Jay could only shrug at her question.
"I've been wearing it so long that I never really notice anymore," He finally responded. The young woman only hummed as she continued to look Jay up and down.
"I'm Skye," She introduced herself.
"Jay," He responded as he watched RWBY walk toward them. He could already pick out the engines of the Bullhead off in the distance. He pocketed the spent casing before he looked over to Skye.
"Pleasure to meet you, but I think the team and I are done here for today," Jay addressed her before the Bullhead began its descent.
"Oh, okay…," She said dejectedly but quickly recovered. "If you ever have some time off, you should come back. Our little hamlet gets pretty lively."
"Thanks for the offer. We're off," Jay said over his shoulder as he climbed into the Bullhead, following RWBY. As the Bullhead lifted off, Skye waved at it.
"So, Jay. Who was that girl?" Yang asked with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.
"Woman named Skye. That's about all I know, Sunshine," Jay responded without looking up. He was busy making sure his weapons were still working correctly. Yang immediately clammed up and glared at him from that nickname.
"We have names, you know," Weiss said haughtily.
"It's an old habit of mine, Princess. It won't be broken anytime soon," He replied, still not looking up.
"What could have possibly happened to cause this habit?" Weiss asked incredulously. Immediately Jay stopped what he was doing. His hands were deathly still. He didn't look up at the girls.
"You don't want to go there," His voice was dangerously low as he responded. They knew immediately Weiss had stepped on a landmine. Ruby slapped a hand over Weiss' mouth to keep her from asking more questions.
"She didn't mean anything by it," Ruby said quickly, nervously chuckling. Weiss mumbled protests weakly from under Ruby's hand. But her eyes had become fearful because of what happened in the dorm earlier in the week. Blake hid behind her book while Yang stared at Jay.
"Did she now? Well, I hope you four understand I don't appreciate people trying to pry into my life. And we only just met as well," Jay said as he slowly started working again. They all quietly sighed in relief.
"You have to stop being so aggressive to him. He's part of our team whether we like it or not," Ruby harshly whispered into Weiss' ear.
"Yeah, we don't exactly have the best relationship with the guy yet," Yang whispered into her other ear, having slid between Weiss and Blake. They all looked at Jay. He had finished what he was doing and stretched out a bit. He was leaning back in his seat, head against the metal wall of the aircraft, with his arms crossed over his chest. His legs were extended with one foot over the other. They couldn't tell if he had started napping because of his helmet.
"It's been too long since I've had something stiff to drink," Jay muttered before sighing. It was unsettling how fast he could change gears from utterly terrifying to someone who sounded like he had a long day.
Ozpin's Office
"Excellent work, everyone," Ozpin congratulated RWBY and Jay. The four girls stood away from Jay as he stood in front of the desk. They looked like they were becoming more and more afraid of Jay. Glynda Goodwitch was also present, standing off to Ozpin's left behind the desk.
"Team RWBY, you're dismissed," Ozpin said before the silence could linger. The girls quickly filed out of Ozpin's office, leaving Jay behind. Once they were gone, Ozpin sat forward, placing his arms on his desk. He stared at Jay before exasperatedly sighing.
"Mr. Rodgers, scaring those girls to the point where they won't want to be around you wasn't what I was hoping for. I assigned you to that team because I believe you can help them."
Jay could only shrug before replying, "I will admit I have a rather hard time getting used to this place. I'm so used to where every day is just a struggle in and of itself."
"What do you mean by that?" Goodwitch was the one to ask a question.
"All I'm saying is that this all feels too peaceful," Jay responded, shifting his gaze to the woman.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Ozpin had asked.
"I suppose. But when you lived most of your life during a global war, eventually dedicating your life to fighting that enemy that started it, peace is hard to accept," Jay answered, reaching up and removing his helmet. This was the first time Jay showed his face to anyone on Remnant. Sure, he was tired of the Locust War, but he could never really accept that the Locust were nowhere to be found. He only wanted to bash or put a bullet in each Grub's skull. At the end of the day, helping people was just a byproduct of killing them.
"Let's… talk about the fact you decided to give Team RWBY nicknames," Ozpin started, having been taken aback. He could see in Jay's eyes that he was a nearly broken man.
"It's easier that way. It's an old habit of mine to nickname people. Made it easier to move on should something happen to them," Jay had answered. He said it so casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world. Goodwitch could only stare in shock.
"Jay, we're not at war with any nation. So, I have to ask you to make reasonable attempts at getting along with Team RWBY," Ozpin said with a softer look.
"I'll try," Jay responded simply.
"That's all I can ask. You're dismissed," Ozpin said, letting Jay leave the office. Ozpin took a deep breath before letting it out once Jay was gone.
"What do you make of him? There hasn't been a war like he described in decades," Goodwitch had started.
"I know, Glynda. All we can do right now is wait until he feels comfortable enough to open up more," Ozpin addressed her. She could only nod nervously.
RWBY Dorm
Jay had found his way back to the RWBY dorm. He knew he was letting his anger and rage control him too much. Especially when he was with Team RWBY. They didn't deserve it. But most of his life had been defined by the Locust. And with those beasts having taken pretty much everything he held dear, his rage was the only thing that really kept him together. Even if it led him into what could be considered suicidal situations.
In fact, his reckless abandon was what got him into the Onyx Guards in the first place. Accepting what were essentially suicide missions to only come back alive and assignment completed. He had been awarded medals several times because of it. Plenty of people called it bravery. But other more skeptical people had said he was chasing death. He couldn't really deny it, either.
He opened the door to the dorm and walked in. He barely even registered RWBY as they all sat on the bottom 'bunks.' Jay went straight to his duffel bag, crouched down, and unzipped it. Quickly pulling the Retro and its sheathed bayonet, he got up again.
"Jay," Weiss' voice behind him tried to get his attention.
"Yeah?" He decided to humour her as he affixed the bayonet to the rifle. It took a few seconds for her to gather herself.
"I'm sorry about being so antagonistic to you. It's an old habit of mine. I'm used to people only wanting to be my friend because of my name. It's always been hard to not be cynical to people because of it," Weiss explained as she nervously rung her hands.
"Don't worry about it, Princess," Jay responded as he ejected the rifle magazine.
"What?" Weiss asked, flabbergasted.
"I haven't been open with you girls since I got here. There's a lot of personal shit I've never bothered to sort through. I don't know if I ever will. Still, we have to build trust in each other first and foremost," Jay commented as he tapped the magazine of the Retro against the side of the gun a couple of times. He reinserted it before locking it into place again. Jay undid the sheathe and took it off the bayonet, dropping it on the duffel bag. With the Retro checked and ready, he pulled the Gnasher off his back and replaced it with the Retro.
"Besides, I'm starting to enjoy the time I spend with you four. I do feel bad about letting my anger take control around you. You don't deserve whatever shit comes from it. I'm sorry about that," Jay finally admitted as he faced the four. They all looked a little surprised. But before they could say anything, Jay turned and left the room.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Ruby called out.
"Bayonet practice. It's been a while since I've practiced my bayonet work," Jay responded over his shoulder as he walked out the door.
Jay had found an old practice yard and dummies that Beacon rarely used anymore, thanks to Ozpin. And with nothing to do, RWBY had followed him there. They stood on the sidelines as the girls watched him stab and slash the dummies multiple times. Sometimes he stabbed the mannequins in the gut, other times in the sides. They watched him wind up and horizontally slice a dummy across the neck with it on its knees.
The girls didn't know how to feel about how ruthless Jay seemed in his training. It looked like he wanted to inflict as much pain as possible before the killing blow. As time marched on, they became very uncomfortable as they continued to watch. Jay had forgotten that the team of girls had followed and started to go into his old habits.
His stabs were becoming more intent on disabling first, while his slashes were used to inflict as much pain and suffering as they could. His body went through the motions out of instinct as his mind wandered through old memories again.
"Hey there, son," An older Gear greeted as he came next to Jay. He leaned on the railing of the Assault Derrick like Jay and looked out over the landscape.
"Hey, Cap," Jay said back, the slight quiver in his voice giving away his emotions.
"What's got you so worried?" The captain asked as he looked over at Jay. Jay took a deep as he turned around, leaned against the railing and looked into the sky.
"I'm scared shitless because my sister is a part of this operation," Jay started, before quickly correcting himself, "Well, it's more because my sister is a Gear that has me scared shitless all the time."
"How old are you?" Jay's captain asked, not even looking at him.
"Eighteen. Joined when I was fifteen. She had also joined sometime after she turned fifteen, too," Jay said as he looked at his captain.
"Fuck, already sending kids off to war. Before they're even ready, no less. Sera has gone to the shitter in less than twenty years," The captain commented as he straightened up and turned back to the other Gears, "We're likely going to be up to our necks in Grubs once we get closer to Landown. Be ready. The Grubs are craftier than shit-."
Jay's breathing was haggard as he switched Lancers. Hollow Storm was branded into his memory for the rest of his days. The bark and rumble of a chainsaw cut through the silence of the training ground. He forced the saw through the dummy's shoulder to the opposite hip. He put the rifle on his back again before he stormed away from the practice targets. Jay's fists clenched as RWBY watched him leave the practice yard and disappear into the grounds of Beacon.
Everybody had steered clear of Jay as he wandered the campus. The rage practically cascaded off his shoulders even if no one could see his face because of his helmet. All it took was the helmet's dead, emotionless stare to make people keep their distance. In one instance, he had glanced at a passing team and stared a little too long at the rabbit Faunus girl that was a part of it. She had ducked behind the team's tallest member just to avoid Jay. And her whole team had glared at him, but he didn't care.
Eventually, he found a bench in a less trafficked area of Beacon and sat down. He stared at the ground, arms on his thighs and hands clasped together. He could hear the occasional person pass by but never looked up. He forced down the old memories again. The old feelings. Jay could only keep them down for so long before they came crashing back again. And now was possibly the worst time for them to come back. The sound of heels clicking against stone went unnoticed.
"Mr. Rodgers?" A voice cut through the fog of his mind. He felt a hand land on his shoulder, but he shook them off. He took a deep breath before letting out a tired sigh. He looked to his left to find Glynda Goodwitch sitting beside him with a worried expression. Jay understood that she was a teacher, and whenever Ozpin wasn't available, she was the one to go to.
"Ever feel like you're trapped in a never-ending nightmare?" Jay asked as he sat up straight, staring into the sky. That question had left Glynda speechless. Jay shook his head before looking down again, "By the Allfathers. I could use a drink."
Before Glynda could respond, Jay had gotten up and left her there. She had to wonder what had caused this man she had just met to act in such a way. He always carried himself like he was expecting something to happen, but it never came. And from what little she had seen of him fight, he used strategy, but there was a sense of recklessness. And his eyes, they held almost no life to them.
Glynda had to talk to him. So she stood up and followed him. She had to know what had caused a young man like him to become this way.
"So, what do you guys think?" Yang asked the others of Team RWBY. After they had watched Jay storm off, they returned to their dorm. Yang and Blake sat on Blake's bed on one side of the room. Ruby and Weiss were on the other side, sitting on Weiss' bed.
"It was… scary," Ruby commented, rubbing her upper arms nervously. Weiss and Blake nodded in agreement, all of them looking worried.
"What… why do you think he was so aggressive?" Blake asked hesitantly, looking between all of them. Yang only shrugged in response.
"Do you think it has something to do with how he said he has a lot of unresolved personal issues?" Weiss asked, biting her thumbnail.
"I think so," Blake responded.
"I don't know if I want to find out what his problems are," Yang commented. Ruby nodded sheepishly as she moved over to Yang. Yang put an arm around Ruby's shoulder and gently pulled her against her. But before anyone could say anything else, Jay entered the dorm. The four girls watched Jay as he gathered stuff from his duffel bag and entered the bathroom. Minutes later, he came out without his armour and helmet. He still wore his boots, pants, and belt. But he had replaced the long sleeve he usually wore with the armour with a short sleeve with a Crimson Omen symbol on one side of the chest.
Now they could see many scars on his arms and the one on his face. His skin was like a sick mosaic. Their mouths hung open in shock as they could finally see what was under that armour and clothing.
"You girls okay?" Jay had asked. RWBY's minds were on overdrive and clearly not thinking straight. They had felt Jay sounded concerned for them, and he had taken a few steps toward them. This wasn't the Jay they were used to.
"H-ho-how did you get those scars?" Blake was the first one to ask. She had stumbled over her words as she had gathered her wits. Jay had taken a second to look at his arms and seemingly sighed.
"Got these from getting too close with some… rather dangerous… monsters," Jay said as he drug the words out. He tried to find words that described the Locust without actually mentioning them. No one here needed to know about them.
"I've never seen you without your armour," Yang idly commented. The other three nodded in agreement as they continued to stare at Jay. Weiss was the next to speak up, "Are you going somewhere?"
"I figured a trip into Vale wouldn't be wrong. Along with the end of the week coming up fast, I thought it would be interesting at least," Jay responded with a shrug.
"I thought you were a student," Ruby said beside Yang. Her voice was small as she tucked herself into the blonde's side.
"Nobody is forcing me to go to class. And no one ever will. Fuck that," Jay finished crassly as he turned and started toward the exit of the dorm. No one tried to stop him as he left, and a couple seconds later, Team RWBY let out a collective sigh.
