TM11: Ok, this one was funny and entertaining! Liked the interractions between Weiss and Jack. You really need to bring Jack back to the spot light. The guy is awesome and hilarious!
NeoNazo356: Funny, for the longest time I've actually been getting the opposite complaints.
GreyWing44: (Bone creaking noises) I...Am alive. I also apologize for not responding to the previous chapters. Life sucks, MOVING ON!
Ahh Yang you inspire us all with your wit and candor...Also Bumblebee shipper but I admit the thought of her Jack together isn't that bad but...meh. Also that pun actually was pretty good. Kudos!
Also it does make sense to me about Weiss's constructs. From the chapter title I was assuming you were going to do the Rwby chibi joke about taking Weiss to the pool. Jack would break free and Blake would use Yang's semblance to break her free. Loved the Rick and Morty reference last chapter! Peace!
NeoNazo356: I feel like if I did the RWBY Chibi joke where Weiss turned the pool into an ice-skating rink, it would've been too on-the-nose.
Also, outside of the Chibiverse, Weiss isn't so inconsiderate that she'd "inconvenience" everyone around her by turning the pool into a block of ice.
Oblivious IJ: Well... Weiss enjoyed herself
NeoNazo356: Well, that was the sentiment I was going for with all the double entendre. I think Donut would've been proud.
Also, was your Profile Pic always a Honey Badger, or did I have something to do with it~?
*NEW WORLD*
It was a brand new day, the birds singing as the sun rose in the distance. The room of Team RWBBY filling with light through the colored curtains, Ruby's eyes slowly fluttered open, the girl stretching her arms above herself and yawning cutely. Nothing could ruin such a picturesque moment.
Absolutely nothi-
*FWEEEEEEET!*
"AAUUUGH!" Ruby squealed, falling out of bed and onto the floor as a whistle suddenly blew into her ear.
"Good morning Teeeeeeeam Rubyyyyyyy~!" Weiss exclaimed chipperly.
"What the…? Weiss?!" Ruby gawked, looking up to see her teammate standing over her, already dressed with a familiar silver whistle in hand.
No, wait, it was a different whistle, made of actual silver, with fancy engravings all over it.
When, how, and why did Weiss have something like that?
"Up and at'em, sleepy bum! We have a wonderful day of school waiting for us!" Weis ssaid, her enthusiasm unchanged.
'This is karma, isn't it?' Ruby asked wondering if this was how Weiss felt on the receiving-end of an early-morning whistle-wake-up call.
"Someone's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed today," Blake hummed tiredly, sleepily rubbing her eyes alongside Yang who was similarly roused by the whistle.
"Yep! And it feels fan-tastic!" Weiss whooped with an agreeative smile and a swing of her arm. "Up and at'em, up and at'em!" she repeated. "The weekend is only a few hours away, and once we're done with classes, we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys!" she said giddily.
"Oh god… Is this what it was like when she met me?" Ruby groaned, an embarrassed flush coming across her face.
"No. Weiss seems far more coordinated," Blake hummed, causing Ruby to wilt further.
"What the hell happened to her?" Ruby gawked in light of the major paradigm shift taking place before her.
"The real question you should be asking is, what got into her~?" Yang purred, looking over her shoulder to Jack as she waggled her brow.
"Yang, that isn't even remotely what happened and you know it," Jack grumbled.
He was tempted to say "Weiss had a very productive day" yesterday since being able to Summon successfully was a huge milestone in her personal growth, but then Yang might make a "reproductive" joke, and he just didn't have the energy to deal with that so-early in the morning.
'Having a permanent address and a soft bed must be making me soft,' Jack thought to himself.
"Come on now, sleeping beauty! Now isn't the time to be napping!" Weiss said jumping onto Jack's stomach, emptying the air from his lungs as she bounced atop him.
And not in the sexy fun way.
"Okay, so, if you didn't give her a taste of the D, what did you give her yesterday?" Yang asked with a raised brow as she eyed her sister's partner.
Weiss' "peppy and energetic schoolgirl" face was super creepy.
On Ruby it was cute, but on someone as standoffish as Weiss it was super creepy.
"Herbal remedies and the fat of the land," Jack answered plainly.
"So, when you say 'fat of the land', do you really mean-"
"No, I'm not talking about 'the fat of' my 'land'," Jack grumbled tiredly.
"So then why wasn't she like this yesterday?" Blake asked.
"It was an overnight cure," Jack groaned as Weiss continued to bounce atop him excitedly, trying to drag him out of bed. "Okay, okay, I'm up, I'm up," he groaned, realizing this was a losing battle. 'Huh. That's an odd sensation,' he thought.
"What the heck did you feed her? Weiss is never like this," Blake hummed as Weiss zipped about, busy as a bee and thrice as energetic as she prepared everyone's school supplies.
" . . . Meh," Yang hummed. 'Too easy,' she eventually conceded.
"I'll just assume she's never had all-natural remedies before, and attribute it to some kind of high she couldn't get from all that artificial crap," Jack sighed rolling out of bed, watching as Weiss proceeded to strip her partner, scrub her raw in the shower, and get her dressed in a flurry of manic energy in the span of mere minutes. "Good goddess, I've created a monster."
"You think?" Blake asked as Yang of all people was stripped from her PJs, scrubbed raw, and dressed. "Ah! Jack! SAAAVE MEEEEE!" the girl shrieked, hands raking lines across the floor as she was dragged by her ankles toward the bathroom, against her will her ears twitching frantically beneath her bow.
Weiss' current demeanor was so eye-catching that even then, Blake's secret was still safe.
"Uuugh. Fiiine," Jack groaned. "Hey, Weiss!"
"What is it, Jack?" the heiress asked sweetly.
"It looks like you missed a spot," he said pointing lazily to the side.
"YOU TRAITOOOOR!" Ruby shrieked as she was dragged away in Blake's place.
"Jack, take me with you…" Blake shuddered, a pleading look in her eye.
"Hey, here's a crazy idea. Use the girls' communal restroom," Jack deadpanned, toiletries tucked under his arm.
" . . . Okay, that works too," Blake conceded, the two of them tip-toeing away as Weiss worked Ruby over.
And not in the sexy fun way.
*NEW WORLD*
"Uh… Guys… What happened to you?" Nora asked Ruby and Yang as the two teams sat together at breakfast.
"Weiss… was very enthusiastic about getting ready for school this morning," Yang said tiredly.
"Is that why your hair's glistening like spun sugar?" Ren asked looking between the two sisters.
True to form their hair did glisten like "spun sugar", looking the best it'd ever looked since Ren had known the two of them.
"Something like that… Weiss used some kinda high-end product in my hair this morning when she worked me over."
"In the sexy-"
"No. Not the sexy fun way," Yang cut Nora off, the girl whining like she'd just lost out on something interesting.
"Well, it's certainly nice to see Weiss so energetic after yesterday," Pyrrha hummed, a small smile on her face as she watched Weiss eating her breakfast with a pep in her step and a merry tune on her lips. "I guess the Jack Braxton Guarantee is the real deal~" she chuckled turning Jack's way.
"For better or worse," Jack mumbled.
While he was pretty sure the sight of his scar-covered "roadmap" of a body would be enough to sober Weiss up, he didn't want to subject her to something like that just yet.
He'd already opened one (or more) can(s) of worms with Yang and Blake respectively. He'd let the proverbial can-opener rest for a bit before dragging anyone else down the badger hole.
"So uh… Weiss," Jaune said interposing himself into the conversation. "You wanna go by the mall after school today?" he asked hopefully.
"Sure, I'd love to."
"Oh. Okay. I understand-Wait, really?!" Jaune gawped, realizing he hadn't been shot down, Pyrrha spit-taking off to the side.
"Of course!" Weiss replied beautifically, Jaune's expression turning absolutely giddy with a squeal to match. "I was going to take all of Team Ruby shopping after school today for some new clothes. Thank you so much for volunteering to carry the bags!" she said happily, hands clasped together, her head tilted at an adorable angle whereas Jaune's fell.
' . . . Just take the win,' the blond told himself.
"Just take the win," Nora muttered, mirroring his thoughts.
"Yeah… That sounds… great," Jaune replied, deciding to-in-fact, "take the win".
"Hey, what about us?!" Nora suddenly asked.
"I'm sorry, Nora, but this offer only extends to my own team," Weiss apologized.
"If you want, I could treat us," Pyrrha offered. "I may not be as wealthy as Weiss, but my own fiscal saving are still quite significant."
She was still receiving royalties for Pumpkin Pete's on top of all the other stuff she'd sponsored like sports insoles, hair products, and so-on.
After winning the Mistral Regional Tournament enough times, the offers, and money, just poured in.
"That sounds nice," Ren hummed. "We can make a day of it."
"I couldn't agree more!" Weiss said happily.
"Let's hope she doesn't come down before paying," Yang chuckled, Weiss' offer stoking the fires of her own greed.
"I'm pretty sure this can only end in disaster," Jack hummed as he ate.
"Hey, c'mon now, what could possibly go wrong?" Yang asked.
"Famous last words," Blake hummed, though a little envious of Yang's glittering hair.
*NEW WORLD*
The day of school to come was like all the others; lecture, in-class work, homework assignment, rinse and repeat.
However, there was a rather odd pattern being established.
Right before the bell, their teachers would assign an exorbitant amount of homework (Brick went as far as to give them step-trackers), far more than usual, and the sum of which was enough to snuff out almost the entirety of the coming weekend if not more.
When asked why they were being given so much homework, the teachers' common response was-
"You'll have time during the break."
This raised the question of what break, since there weren't any upcoming holidays in the Valian calendar that would apply to Beacon.
The summons that all the Freshman HITs received after final bell would serve to answer those questions.
*NEW WORLD*
"Freshmen, welcome," Ozpin greeted, via hologram, in the same amphitheater he'd greeted all the Hunter aspirants over a month ago. "As I'm sure you've all noticed, a rather… disproportionate amount of homework has been given today in comparison to the Fridays of your previous term."
Several students nodded their heads in kind.
"The reason for that… will be revealed right now," he stated, everyone's attention immediately piqued after a pause for effect. "For the next two months, following each week of classes, each of you will receive a week-long break to do with as you wish."
At this, an excited clamor spread through the room, plans of many a lazy day swirling about their thoughts.
"You could use this time to complete your given assignments, deepen your bonds with your allies, or…" he trailed off. Raising a hand, with a snap of his fingers, bulletin board-sized holograms began to rise from the emitters set into the base of the spectator stands encircling the amphitheater. "You could accept Quests from the Mission Boards to earn funds, extra credit, and most-importantly, renown," he said as countless mission types began to appear around them. "Not only would this enable you to get a head-start on your respective careers by getting your name out there, but it'll give you some much-needed real-world experience. Experience which may give you the edge you need to excel in the coming Vytal Festival Tournament."
At the very mention of this globally-acclaimed festival, the tension in the room began to thicken. How one performed there could make, or more-worrisomely, break an aspirant Hunter's career. Making a name for yourself in the Vytal Festival was often all that separated a graduate Hunter from being able to retire to a nice home in the countryside with a picket fence, or working until you died struggling to make ends meet as you fought your fellow Huntsman for scraps.
Suffice it to say, any edge was welcomed with open arms. Some would train their entire lives just to do well in the Festival, because doing well there could easily guarantee a life of success, and even excess.
And of course, they'd had nearly eight whole decades to tweak the rules and procedures so they could rout out cheaters before they even stepped out onto the arena floor, so suffice it to say, cheaters really didn't prosper.
In fact, it'd been more than ten years since the last time someone had tried, because the last person to get caught had been utterly ruined by the scandal.
"However," Ozpin hummed, that one word drawing everyone's attention back to him, "as such access to the Mission Boards is premature in nature for first-year students like yourselves, more an impromptu decision based around the stellar recommendations from a recent associate of mine than anything else…"
At this, a certain Faunus shifted where he stood.
"For this reason, none of you will be receiving any support from a professional Hunter as you would in the period before the Vytal Festival. For all intents and purposes, you will have only yourselves to rely on," he continued. "That being said, the missions you are able to accept have been limited in selection to reflect your aptitudes, both as individuals and as a team, and also to prevent you all from missing any schoolwork," he clarified. "True, the work is not glamorous, but it's work that needs to be done, and if you don't take Beacon's teachings to heart, any one of these missions could very well be your last."
"Wait a minute, why aren't we receiving aid?" Dominic asked, finding his voice.
"As I said before, during the one-week break after each set of weekday classes, you're free to do with them as you wish. If you aren't confident in your ability to perform, you could spend your time in other, less productive fashions," Ozpin answered in turn.
Some would think it was a trick of the light, but it almost seemed as though Ozpin were turning up his nose at the leader of Team DIRT.
"While all of you do have access to the Mission Boards, don't forget your obligations to your teachers, and to one another. No penalty will be given to those who opt out of mission participation, it is merely an optional choice for those of you that wish to take to the field and put what you've learned into practice," Ozpin went on to say. "Some of these missions might be carried out within the walls of Vale, while others will have you taken out of the Kingdom for several days. But no matter what path you choose, be it the sword, or the scroll, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."
The next moment Ozpin's hologram disappeared, leaving the gathered teams to list nervously together, staring warily at the mission boards as they wondered just what path they should take in the sudden free time they now had.
"Oh, and one last word of advice," Ozpin spoke up as he re-appeared, those who'd let their guard down jumping out of their skins. "Try not to die. Good luck~" he hummed charmingly before disappearing altogether.
" . . . Well that was fucking cryptic," Nora said aloud after several moments.
"Yeah, no shit Nora," Jaune shuddered.
Even the promise of a kind-of-a-date couldn't lift his spirits after that major downer.
Ozpin's final words were too-similar to Glynda's own about him getting "gobbled up" by a Beowolf if he didn't shape up.
"So… Seeing as we have the next week off… What kind of mission do you wanna take?" Yang asked. "You wanna stay in Vale and do something easy, or go off the beaten path and have a real adventure?"
"Nothing too crazy, if you don't mind," Blake hummed aloud voicing her opinion.
"With what Ozpin said, I doubt we'll be able to choose anything 'too crazy'," Ren hummed aloud.
"Ruby. Pop quiz," Jack stated as he eyed the Mission Boards. "How are Grimm classified in the official capacity?" he asked, knowing the very first thing the kill-happy bundle of cookies and ammo would want to do is kill Grimm with her over-sized weapon.
"Oh! I remember this!" she said excitedly. "Grimm are divided into six separate classes; E-Class, D-Class, C-Class, B-Class, A-Class, and S-Class," she said raising up six fingers. "E-Class Grimm are those that anyone with a broom or a pitchfork can dispatch without any prior combat training, like a Vermin or a Nevermore, whose strength is entirely proportional to their size."
At this, the image of a "Villager" wielding a broom or pitchfork to shoo away a Grimm-like rat or crow came to mind.
"D-Class Grimm are above the ability of a single civilian to handle, but still beneath the notice of a trained Huntsman. If anything, all a D-Class Grimm requires in terms of manpower to stop is a group of civilians with decent aim and conventional firearms."
At this, the image of several "Villagers" wielding guns and taking out a Boarbatusk destroying fields came to mind.
"C-Class Grimm are beyond the level of civilian intervention altogether, and almost always require a trained Hunter on-site to prevent massive loss of life."
At this, the image of the same "Villagers" that killed the Boarbatusk before came to mind, the collective running away from a Beowolf only to get cut down by a suspiciously-familiar red-cloaked individual wielding an enormous gun-scythe, the "Villagers" cheering.
"Above them are B-Class Grimm. While a single trained Hunter can dispatch a B-Class on their own, it's almost always advised that unless you have the terrain advantage, you operate in a pair or even a group."
At this, the image of the suspiciously-familiar red-cloaked individual struggling against an Alpha Beowolf before she and all her friends appeared and soundly defeated it came to mind.
"At the top of the conventional hierarchy are A-Class Grimm. These specimens require either a small army of Hunters to dispatch, or a single closely-knit group of expert hunters who can play to their strengths and cove one another's weaknesses. That, or a lot of luck and/or a lot of outside variables working in their favor."
At this, the image of the Giant Nevermore and Giant Deathstalker they'd encountered during the previous term came to mind.
"And above all that are the S-Class Grimm. The stuff of legend and nightmare, a single S-Class Grimm is more-akinned to 'a living natural disaster', capable of destroying entire villages and even countries if left unchecked, such specimens remaining dormant for decades if not centuries, only becoming active when a substantial surge of negative emotion rouses them from their slumber. A Grimm of this nature would usually require the sum might of a country's military strength to dispatch, no holds barred, all-or-nothing. That, or a really big 'silver bullet'," she tacked on.
At this, a rather ambiguous mass of writhing darkness and fire-colored eyes descending upon a Kingdom like a tidal wave came to mind.
"Very good," Jack said rubbing her head, the girl preening.
"Yes, that was very good," Weiss hummed aloud, most of the manic energy of the morning gone and mellowed. "Tell me, how do you know all that? We never went over it in any of our classes."
Or maybe they did and Port's droning just drowned it out. Who knows.
"Are you kidding? Going out on missions is something I've always wanted to do, ever since I was a little girl!" Ruby said excitedly. "Going out on a simple C-Ranked mission, only to have it jump up in rank by unforeseen circumstances, overcoming the odds and then sharing good drink with good comrades. They're the sort of adventures I've always dreamed of."
"Good drink?" Yang asked with a raised brow. "I don't have to worry about you turning into a 'social drinker' like Qrow, do I?"
"What?! Of course not! Why would I drink that smelly apple juice ever again?"
"Apple juice?" Blake asked with a raised brow.
"One time Ruby mistook a beer for apple juice, and she did not like it," Yang chuckled, thinking back to a six-year-old Ruby spitting uncontrollably after that mishap.
"Hey, it was an honest mistake!" Ruby pouted, puffing out her cheeks cutely.
"Sooo…" Jaune hummed, Team JNPR following after him as the circle of friends gathered together. "What do you girls make of all this?"
"I'm like a girl who just got a new toy!" Nora said with a manic grin on her face.
"That's nice," Ren hummed plainly, imagining her finding the biggest, nastiest, meanest land-based Grimm she possibly could, beating the crap out of it, and saddling that puppy up.
The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
"Honestly… I'm a little shocked," Blake hummed aloud. "I'd heard that HITs participated in missions during their schooling, but that was usually only in their second years barring a few exceptions. To be given access to the Mission Boards now…" she trailed off. "Just who was able to convince Ozpin that we'd be ready for this?"
"I think we're ready," Yang said aloud.
"Some are more ready than others," Jack said, his eyes listing toward his old team as the three initial members bickered over what kind of mission to get; something glamorous, something safe, or something profitable.
Terrence, the newest freshman HIT, wisely stood off to the side and went with the flow.
As stagnant a-flow as it was, at least.
"Yo, Cardin!" Jack called out. "What kinda mission are you guys getting?"
"Eh, probably some border patrol, get our feet wet, you know?" the large teen hummed.
"As good a start as any," Jack nodded. "Try not to die out there, aside from Ren, I have no other guys at Beacon I can talk to."
"What about me?"
"No other guys I can talk to," Jack repeated, completely ignoring Jaune.
"Awww…"
"What about your team? What kinda trouble will they get into?" Cardin asked.
"We're right here you know," Ruby huffed.
"To be honest, I'll probably just wander off and take a very enthusiastic 'walk'," Jack answered with a shrug.
"Wait, you aren't going on missions with us?" Blake asked, a hint of disappointment in her tone.
"Not all the time, but if I'm always there to fight the biggest bad guy, you won't get any stronger. Me going with you would be like playing a dungeon crawler on Easy Mode."
"And what if we meet something too strong to handle?"
"Running away is always an option," Jack answered simply. "Even if your pride is hurt, if you live to fight another day, a bruise on your ego won't matter."
"I guess that's true…"
"Don't worry, Jack. No-one's going to die on my watch!" Yang boasted.
"I should hope not," Jack nodded. "Of course, you will tell me where you're going in advance in case you need backup, right?"
"Y-Yes, of course we'll keep you in the loop!" Yang returned nervously.
"Good! Then I don't have anything to worry about," Jack returned with a nod. "Oh, and Cardin."
"Hm?"
"If you ever find yourself in a bind, give me a call and I'll haul ass."
"Heh. Thanks, man," Cardin returned with a smile, the two bumping fists before parting ways.
"I still don't like this."
"What?"
"You. Being friends with Cardin," Ruby pouted.
"Has he bullied Jaune or anyone else since becoming friends with me?"
"Well, no, but-"
"Then there's no reason for you to be petty, now is there?" Jack asked poignantly.
"I guess…" Ruby pouted, shoulders slumping at the dressing-down.
"Look, I'm not asking you to be friends with him if that's what you're thinking. All I'm asking is that you be professional about this."
"What about them?" Yang asked, pointing to Team DIRT off to the side.
"Oh, you can hate them all you want; go to town. Go to every town if you feel like it."
"Aye aye, captain!"
"Hey, I'm the team captain here!" Ruby protested.
"Still, that does leave the question of what kind of missions we'll be able to participate in," Weiss hummed. "As freshman HITs, regardless of how skilled we all may be as a unit, we'll be lucky to get access to anything close to a C-Rank Mission," she sighed.
"Hey, it might not be glamorous, but D and C-Rank missions are still work that needs to be done," Blake cut in. "You can indulge your pride after you graduate. Tackle an A-Rank mission then."
"I'm not saying we should tackle those kinds of missions right now," Weiss huffed. "I'm just saying, not just any old mission will 'do'. We may be students, but we still have our dignity to think of."
"Yeah, because dignity never got anyone killed," Jack hummed cryptically.
"Hey, Jack. You're the big money-maker around here. What do you think we should hit up?" Yang asked turning to the most-experienced, and objectively the most-jaded, member of their team.
"Well, when it comes to mercenary work like this, and make no mistake, this is mercenary work," he said towards those with romanticized ideas about what being a Hunter meant, "the missions are divided into easily-recognizable categories that'll give you a pretty good idea of what to expect," he said walking over to one of the holographic boards. "Search and Rescue, Escort, Perimeter Defense, Search and Destroy, Village Security, Investigation, Re-Supply," he listed off as he eyed some of the work available to them as freshman students. "You could take on missions like hunting down a wanted fugitive, but that tends to fall within the category of what a Sweeper or Bounty Hunter does. If you want to 'help people', I'd just stick with what Ozpin deigns you're capable of handling."
"And what about you, mister?" Yang asked, hands on her hips. "What are you going to be up to when you aren't hanging out with the rest of us?"
"Probably hunting down a wanted fugitive or two," Jack shrugged. As the middle-ground between the other three Kingdoms, Vale had more than a few of those to go around; and even if some of them managed to hop the border by land, sea, or air, there were always more coming into Vale trying to get away from somewhere. "Play your cards right and I might let you ride along."
"Oh, I can think of something I want to ride~" Yang purred, getting into his personal space and running a finger down his chest.
"Yang, behave or I won't buy you anything at the mall."
"Wait, we're still going?!"
"Yes, Yang. We're still going," Weiss sighed. "I might not be as 'bright-eyed and bushy-tailed' as I was this morning, but I still remember the sentiment. We haven't really done anything recreational as a team outside of Beacon, so this is as good a chance as any," the heiress admitted.
For obvious reasons she didn't count them tailing Jack and Coco on their quote/unquote "not-a-date" because things went totally FUBAR at the end when Molotov Cocktails started flying around.
"Oh, Weiss, I always knew you weren't a total stick-in-the-mud!" Yang said happily, throwing her arms around the heiress and smothering her within her ample bosom.
"That's hot," Nora panted.
"Yes. Yes it is," Ren said neutrally.
"Well what're we waiting for?" Ruby asked. "TO THE BUSSES!"
"THE BUSSES!" Yang and Blake crooned excitedly, Weiss and Jack rolling their eyes, Pyrrha chuckling nervously, Jaune slouching as he looked away, and Ren trying to reign Nora in.
*NEW WORLD*
AN:
Team RWBY only ever did one mission in any formal capacity via the Mission Board; everything after that was self-appointed. I feel like the Mission Board could've been ripe with potential for many adventures, so I decided to do something like this until the advent of RWBY Volume 2 (within the context of Giant-Slayer) in place of missed opportunities. Obviously, this means that "The Stray" and "Black and White" won't be happening any time soon, but given there was an unspoken Timeskip between then and "Foreverfall, Part 2", this should've been seen coming.
While I'm not disparaging Rooster Teeth for their choices, having a huge timeskip with nothing in it, nothing even implied beyond their schooling, seemed like such a missed opportunity. But that's just my humble opinion.
If anyone can think of any unique Grimm that you'd like to see fought, maybe broach it to me on the Review column and a chapter might be based around it.