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Jaune was expecting a Huntsman's life to be tiring, but he didn't expect it to be this tiring. Even with all his Aura reserves, Jaune felt even more tired than a full workload schedule of massage. It was evident as he collapsed onto his bed.
"C'mon Jaune, it's not even 10 yet! We still have lots to talk about!" cheered Nora from her bed.
"How is she this energetic still?" groaned Jaune, looking up at a bouncing Nora. He jealously glanced over to Ren, who was already asleep with a nightcap on.
"Nora's always been like that," smiled Pyrrha apologetically, "Usually she hits the gym to tire herself out a little more, but she also has trouble waking up early. She's more of a night person."
"Nora! If you have enough energy, then you'll be taking the first watch!" snapped Aureville as he entered the room.
"Yes sir!" saluted Nora before rushing out with her beloved Magnhild, "I'll blow any Grimm that decides to enter the village!"
"That girl," sighed Aureville as he sat down, "She's much too energetic. How are you feeling, Jaune?"
"Tired," groaned Jaune, "And I don't know why. I barely used any Aura today, too. It was mostly patrols and taking out a stray Grimm to which I didn't really do anything."
"You stayed to make sure no other Grimm got past us," placated Pyrrha, "It allowed us to focus on what was in front of us."
"It's the mentality," said Aureville, "You're not used to the hi-tensions and stress Huntsmen and Huntresses face. You did well being alert at all times during a patrol. But now that you've let that tension go, it hits you all at once. You're just mentally exhausted, not physically. Something that a bit of tempering and time will help. I'll also be teaching you a little Arc secret trick."
"Really?" said Jaune excitedly as he pushed himself up.
"Yep. Works on people with big Aura reserves," grinned Aureville.
Jaune's smile began to fade a little, "High Aura reserves, huh? Grandpa, I don't think I have that much Aura. I can only do three Aura massages a day, and that's with taking every other day off."
Before Aureville could reply, Pyrrha responded by slapping both her hands onto Jaune's cheek, squishing his cheeks.
"Jaune, I've told you this before. You have a lot of Aura. I wasn't lying when I helped you unlock it. Those Aura massages that you give do, just doing one would drain any of us. The only ones who could match your current reserves are the professors at Beacon or senior Huntmen/Huntresses like your grandfather. Are you trying to make me a liar?" asked Pyrrha.
"No?" squeaked Jaune.
"Then believe in me and your grandfather when we say that you have a lot of Aura. The only reason you're tired is because you're mentally not trained in this work, something that can easily be remedied with time," said Pyrrha gently.
'It's also why those Vacuon girls keep harassing Jaune,' thought Pyrrha to herself with a grumpy voice, 'They want his reserves, and not the man himself.'
"Should I leave?" teased Aureville, "Seems like a nice romantic atmosphere here, especially with how close you two are."
The two blinked before realizing that their faces were indeed very close to each other, to the fact their foreheads were touching each other. Both their faces turned crimson before Pyrrha let go and quickly went to her bed.
"IfeelverytirednowsoI'llgotosleepgoodnight!" said Pyrrha in a very fast tone, pulling the sheets over herself.
"Alright, have a good night," smirked Aureville, "I'll take 2nd shift. Pyrrha, are you alright doing the third shift this time? I believe Ren did it last time."
A nod could be seen from Pyrrha's hidden face as Aureville turned to leave.
"Ah, I can take a shift," said Jaune, only for Aureville to stop him.
"You're not trained yet. I'll teach you a little more Aura tricks, but for now, get a good night sleep to counteract the mental exhaustion. It'll fade in time, but this is your first time in the field. Can't have you making mistakes until I get you up to speed. Don't worry, it won't take too long," said Aureville.
Jaune wanted to argue, but a good night's sleep sounded exactly what was needed. So Jaune put his head on the pillow and instantly fell asleep.
Jaune soon found himself being shaken up by Pyrrha, telling him it was time for breakfast. Yawning and stretching, Jaune managed to pull himself out of bed before realizing that he hadn't taken a shower, nor did he change out of his clothes. He was lucky that his armor could change forms, otherwise sleeping in his armor would've been uncomfortable. He was also beginning to realize why most Huntsman and Huntresses opted for leather armor or Dust-infused clothing with metal weaving. Though armor offered more protection, it didn't allow for mobility or easy rest. Since Huntsmen and Huntresses were most likely on the move, they needed to travel lightly, and Aura helped protect them anyway.
'So there are pros and cons,' hummed Jaune. He had once asked about the cost of his armor, only to almost faint in shock at just how expensive it was. Aureville and the Beacon staff had really wheedled Lien out of Ironwood for his trouble. Of course, considering if it had been released to the public that the Headmaster of a foreign academy as well as General of the Atlesian force broke into a massage clinic for no real reason and actually fired at a citizen… well the media would eat it up. Thus the coercion Lien was higher.
"Ren and Nora already went to buy breakfast while your grandfather is investigating an area where the locals had said there were some weird noises," explained Pyrrha when Jaune noticed there was nobody in the room.
"You guys must be sore if you have to camp outside," said Jaune as he finished stretching his muscles.
"Usually on missions, we have arrangements for bedding," clarified Pyrrha, "Though sometimes we do have to camp out, usually on search and destroy missions that may take several days."
"Must be rough," muttered Jaune before realizing something, "Wait, does this mean you guys are taking an easy mission because of me? Am I holding you guys back!?"
Pyrrha giggled as she calmed Jaune down, "No, this is actually a 1st year mission. Though granted this would be done without a Huntsman/Huntress, we're in a slight pickle due to our 3 man team composition. Your grandfather has taken us on a mission meant for 2nd years to show us the ropes as well as a sign of gratitude. My team along with Sky and Dove went with him."
Jaune felt a little better about that, and even better when Ren walked in with breakfast. Waffles with eggs and sausages and a pitcher of orange juice always made the day seem brighter.
"Alright, everyone in position?" ordered Aureville.
"Ready!" sang Nora.
"In position," replied Ren.
"Jaune and I are ready," said Pyrrha.
"Good, commence the plan," ordered Aureville.
Nora grinned as she took her hammer and swung down, smashing into the ground above a cavern, all while unleashing her payload. The impact shook the cave for a bit before the sound of howls could be heard, as well as rocks falling to the ground. Soon enough, Beowolves began running out of the cave. Before they could scatter across the lands, Ren shot down several trees that had Nora's grenades attached to them, creating a blockade that forced the Grimm into one path. Right where Pyrrha and Jaune were waiting.
"Alright Jaune, remember what I taught you," said Pyrrha calmly, "Shield up, lower your waist, spread your legs apart, and shift your center of gravity towards the ground. Use your Aura to reinforce your feet so that you don't slide, and also use your Aura to bolster your arms and waist."
Jaune nodded as he did as was told, taking a deep breath at the incoming Beowolves. Pyrrha was right next to him, her shield up as well. The two were tasked with blocking the Beowolves, trapping them in the area. Jaune gritted his teeth as the Grimm came closer and closer, his breathing becoming more labored. He glanced over to Pyrrha nervously, slightly afraid until she saw her gaze. It spoke of confidence, of strength, and of trust in him. Jaune clenched his fist as he turned his head back, ready to do his job.
The front Beowolf crashed right into their shields. Jaune gritted his teeth as he felt the impact, but with his Aura boosting his body as well as all the workouts he had done, he barely felt himself moving.
"Hold!" shouted Pyrrha, making Jaune follow her lead. The other Bewolves soon crashed right behind the first one, making the two shudder slightly. However, they had rocks that had been dug into the ground to allow them to push against with their feet to keep themselves from sliding back. Eight more clashed into the two before Pyrrha gave the order, feeling their momentum stop as the other Grimm managed to stop their momentum into crashing to the crowd.
"Push!" shouted Pyrrha as she and Jaune both pushed their shield forward before both of them stabbed the Grimm in front of them, dealing a killing blow with their stabs before quickly bringing their shields back in front of them.
The Grimm growled before they heard someone shouting "Banzai!"
Looking up, they saw Aureville and Nora coming down from the air with their weapons loaded with Aura or explosives, depending on the person. A few Waspers, the smaller Grimm version of Lancers, buzzed as they tried to aim their stingers at the two to fire, only to be swiftly gunned down by Ren.
The two slammed their weapons into the Grimm Horde, creating a huge crater as well as annihilating almost all the Grimm. The stragglers were quickly taken care of by Jaune and Pyrrha.
"Whew, that was good," grinned Aureville, "Nice plan Jaune."
"Indeed, it made this hunt easier," nodded Ren.
"This let me go all out without being lectured!" cackled Nora.
"I could not have thought of a better plan that played to our strengths," complimented Pyrrha.
From start to finish, the plan had been Jaune's idea. The original had been to fire into the cave to bait some Grimm out, rinse and repeat. However, that plan would've taken a lot more time, and they were wary of attracting too many Grimm out that some might escape. Going inside was too risky, as none of them had night vision like Faunus did. It was then that Jaune came up with the idea of forcing them all out in a controlled environment.
"It wasn't much," blushed Jaune, "You would've come up with it, since you're the leader. Plus, it needed ironing up from all of you."
"That it did, but the base idea was yours. Don't be too quick to discredit yourself," said Aureville. To be honest, he had come up with the same plan, but he couldn't be there to hold the Huntsmen/Huntresses-in-training's hands all the time. So he let them plan and followed along with it, making notes to tell them what they could do. So it was a surprise to him when Jaune had come up with that plan.
'Seems like Jaune would've been a natural leader, even without training,' hummed Aureville, pondering if Jaune had been accepted if he would've been the leader of this team, even with a famous fighter like Pyrrha Nikos.
Pyrrha shook her head, "I'm good at fighting and my academics are great, but I've never actually led before. It's not as natural to me as it is to you. It was nice to be able to do a two-man phalanx. My father taught me that formation, but I've never been able to use it with another person. I've been told it's much more effective with more people, but just to have another person by my side was enough."
Jaune blushed as he scratched the back of his head, feeling out of his depths here.
"Well, that's that! Let's head back to report the situation, and we can head back to Beacon tonight!" said Aureville.
"Yeah!" cheered all four members.
The group made it back to Beacon at nightfall after giving the full report to the mayor. While Ren and Nora wrote their own reports, Pyrrha wrote hers while showing Jaune how to properly fill out the mission forms as well as expense logs. Though she had the Lien, being a Beacon student meant that some supplies such as ammunition were subsidized for them.
"Wow, that's a lot to write," said Jaune as he looked over Pyrrha's report.
"It's the leader report," explained Pyrrha, "While Nore and Ren write their own, I have to confirm what they say is correct. Nora and Ren will need to resupply on their ammunition as they used quite a bit in this mission, but they'll get a bigger cut of the payoff."
What Pyrrha didn't say was that she always gave Nora and Ren a bigger cut since they were orphans. She had her sponsors who were always willing to give her what she needed in exchange for using her name, not to mention she got paid for her promotions, so she wasn't as strapped for Lien.
Pyrrha frowned for a second, "How do I include you in this report? You did help us out."
"Don't worry about that, I got that covered," laughed Aureville, "Just putting in my report that Jaune's my apprentice, and it'll take care of itself."
As he laughed, he winced slightly, trying to cover it up by rolling his shoulders, but Jaune caught it nonetheless.
"Grandpa, how about I give you an Aura massage? I don't think you've ever got one from me before, and don't think I didn't catch that wince. I still have plenty of Aura left over," said Jaune quickly.
Aureville would've refused if it wasn't for the fact he had heard quite a few things about Jaune's Aura massage. All positive, of course, from the staff at Beacon to the students. His muscles were complaining due to his old age and exertion.
"Well if you're offering," said Aureville slowly, "I have no reason to refuse."
"Great, then we should head over to my office," said Jaune, "Hope you don't mind that I didn't offer it to you first."
"No problem," smiled Pyrrha, "Your grandfather doesn't get to visit you too often, so it would be a nice bonding time."
'Not to mention I've already reserved a spot,' thought Pyrrha to herself as the two Arcs left.
Jaune never really looked at his grandfather's body, but now that he did, he could certainly see and feel his muscles as he was massaging him. Despite his age, the man was still spry for a semi-retired Huntsman wielding a greatsword. Also, there were a lot of knots.
"Ah, that feels good," groaned Aureville as Jaune tackled another knot, "This idea of yours is genius! Never thought of using Aura like this. What inspired you?"
Jaune hummed, "I think it was when one of my patients had a lot of knots on her back. Just a regular massage wouldn't have given me enough time, so I tested out using Aura. So far, anyone who has their Aura unlocked have enjoyed it, though any ordinary civilians hate it. I treid it on someone, and they said it felt intrusive."
"Well it is said that Aura is the manifestation of one's soul," muttered Aureville, "Could be because of that."
"Hey, if I use my Aura like this a lot, does that mean my reserves increase?" asked Jaune.
Aureville chuckled before answering, "Aura isn't like a muscle that you can exercise to increase its strength and durability. It would be bad for the soul to be ripped apart, wouldn't it?"
Seeing Jaune's pale face, Aureville let out a booming laugh before continuing, "A person's Aura reserves is pretty much set. There's no natural way to increase, and the artificial ways are too dangerous and not worth the risk. If I would have to say what can cause a person's Aura to increase, it would be age. As the body grows older, so does the soul, and it becomes stronger to a point. It's why we Arcs were warriors, our bodies seemed to have the genetic code for large Aura reserves."
"Some people complain about running out of Aura too fast, and always wanting to find some way to increase it. It's no use, but the best way to make sure you can spread your reserves evenly is by utilizing Aura control. Your friend Ren has excellent control over his. You're technically practicing your control right now with this massage. I can tell you're trying to use the least amount of Aura to get the most effective results."
Jaune slightly brushed as he tapped down another knot. Aureville didn't get to speak much after as Jaune tackled all the knots, causing his mind to blank out before falling asleep.
"Whew, that was a lot so knots to tackle," yawned Jaune as he finally finished his work, stretching and cracking his fingers, "Then again, I haven't given my grandfather a back massage in ages despite him coming to my clinic a few times."
Jaune managed to take off his armor, hit the shower, and slump into his bed before instantly falling asleep.
Cinder was lying on her bed when she heard her Scroll beep. Curious, she pulled it out, noticing that it was a file that Ironwood had put into his 'secret' server. Though not much of a secret to her since they hacked the CCT.
"Let's see what surprises you're up to," murmured Cinder as she opened a file, only to blink when she saw Jaune's face. She blinked a few more times, as if trying to make sense of this before deciding to see why Ironwood was interested in a mere masseur.
What will happen next? Hahahaha