This story has been beta by TheMischieviousPuppyDog. Please enjoy and review!
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Jaune was sitting in the front desk, reading about some forms of sword techniques, pondering about his fighting style. Though Pyrrha had taught him the basics yesterday, both of them agreed that he needed to find one that suited him the most.
"Wonder how they're doing?" Wondered Jaune as he spun his pen before taking some notes when he heard the door open, quickly welcoming them before frowning. Standing in front of the door was none other than Sky Lark, the same man who had tried to bully him along with team CRDL.
"Can I help you?" asked Jaune in a rather chilly tone, surprised he could even do such a thing.
"Err," mumbled Sky, as if nervous and embarrassed, while looking down at his feet, "I made... an appointment?"
"An actual one or are you doing it to occupy time space again?"
"An actual one. My left shoulder has been acting up lately. Look, I'm sorry about that whole incident. I was under peer pressure, you know, since Cardin is my leader. I really have nothing against Faunus!"
Jaune gave him a cold stare as Sky seemed to sweat under it. He was a Huntsman, wasn't he? So why was he sweating under Jaune's gaze, who was just a civilian?
"Fine, then fill this out," sighed Jaune as he passed a Scroll tablet to him, standing up to get ready, "But this better not be some ploy to lure me away from the front desk and distract me while your team decides to come in and wreck the place."
"I don't think you have to worry about that," winced Sky, "They're serving detention right now."
"And why aren't you in it?"
"Professor Port is handling the detention today, and I told him about my left shoulder. He said that today's punishment involved exerting ourselves heavily, so he'd let me off just for today. Professor Port... emphasized I go here, not only to apologize but to make amends. I figured that I'd get a massage here and at the same time offer to help clean up the place once you're done."
Jaune narrowed his eyes for a bit before sighing, accepting the tablet back and sending it into Officemate.
"Your team will be alright without you?" asked Jaune
Meanwhile, back at Beacon.
"Mush! Mush!" yelled Port with his whip, riding on a cart.
"Why the hell are we running like this!?" yelped Cardin as the whip hit his back. He was wearing nothing above his torso, along with his other two teammates, and dragging the cart that carried Port and some crates. Cardin personally thought that it was heavy because of Port!
"Punishment!" yelled Port as he whipped Russel, "And training combined! I'll whip that attitude out of you yet! Such shame, showing such disrespect to a citizen. Not to mention, he's become my favorite masseur!"
"Why isn't Sky with us?" hissed Dove, thinking he said it quietly enough. It was obvious Port heard it as Dove screamed as a whip hit his back.
"Because young Sky Lark has an excuse," shouted Port, "His shoulder injury was getting worse, something your leader ignored. He told me, and I checked to verify that he was not lying to skimp out. I will not punish and aggravate an injury during punishment. He will be making this detention up, I promise you, but for now, he has gone to seek medical attention for his shoulder. Which brings me to another point. Mr. Winchester, you are the leader of your team. That means the overall health of your teammates is your responsibility!"
"Sky is man enough to-" started Cardin, but Port whipped him to interrupt him.
"No excuses! If you cannot accept that responsibility, then you are not fit to be a leader. Do you want to pass on the mantle of leadership to someone else? No? Then start taking responsibility!"
Cardin growled as he began to pull, along with the rest of his teammates.
"They'll be fine," said Sky without missing a beat.
"If you say so," shrugged Jaune as he finished uploading the information, "Says here you want an hour, right? And that you're allergic to hazelnut, even in oil form. So that takes out a few choices on oil. Including the scentless massage oil. Guess I'll have to buy another one with a different carrier oil for scentless."
"Err, I don't mind if it has a scent," said Sky, "Long as I can get rid of this pesky sore on my shoulder. And that the scent isn't too feminine."
"Alright, how about... green coffee?" suggested Jaune.
"That'll work," replied Sky.
"Good, just follow me into the changing room and take a shower," directed Jaune.
"Why do I need to take a shower?" asked Sky.
"To get rid of any sweat or dirt you've accumulated," explained Jaune patiently.
"I haven't sweated yet."
"Just do it."
"Why?"
"JUST DO IT!"
Jaune shouted the last part, forcing Sky to rush in and strip off his clothes, jumping into the shower. Jaune shook his head as he stretched, preparing himself when the door rang. He looked to see a Faunus girl with rabbit ears enter.
Small flashback cutscene
Velvet Scarlatina was a shy girl, no doubt about it. Even when she was bullied, she didn't do anything except take it. Coco and the others would've taken to arms to deal with anyone messing with her, but she managed to convince them not to do anything. She didn't want her bullies, aka Cardin and his cronies, to find a new and more vulnerable target to bully. She could handle them, as long as they didn't do anything permanent or lasting. That was the deal she made with her team, as long as it wasn't an injury lasting more than 24 hours, they wouldn't raise their hand. Of course, the gloves were off if she did get one, to which Coco and the others were slightly hoping for so they could exact vengeance.
It was harder to get a lasting injury as she was a Huntress. She had access to Aura, which protected her from most harm Cardin could do, which was really just grabbing her ears or flicking little objects at non-vital areas. It hurt, but nothing she couldn't recover from. Velvet thought she was doing well, her behavior and social interaction being decent. Her teammate Coco, thought otherwise.
"You're too shy," stated Coco, "You're letting Cardin walk over you too easily. And don't argue, you know it's true. I don't agree with you letting him take it out on you on the basis that he won't target others, but I'm willing to respect your view. However, you don't seem to talk to anybody else besides us!"
"That's not true...," said Velvet weakly.
"Fox, Yatsu?" said Coco, asking their other two teammates. To Velvet's dismay, the two nodded.
"She is right," said Yatsuhashi with his deep voice, "You rarely have contact with anybody else in our years or beyond."
"I'm in a club," said Velvet, losing confidence as the conversation went on. "And I'm the TA of Doctor Oobleck's class, so I talk with underclassmen."
"You're in the photography club, and even then, you barely speak to them. I have seen and heard that you just take photos, drop them off, and leave. As for your job as the TA, I know you mostly just grade homework and tests."
Fox nodded in agreement with Velvet, making her even more depressed. The quiet one of their group was agreeing that Velvet was too shy, and he couldn't talk!
"Don't even try to compare yourself with Fox," said Coco, predicting what Velvet was thinking. The speech bubble seemed to shoot through her chest as she winced. "Fox is in the same meditation club with Yatsu, and I know they talk to other people, even if Fox can only gesture or nod."
"Then what should I do?" sighed Velvet.
"Luckily, I have a solution," announced Coco before raising a very familiar flyer in her hands, "This place is actually looking for a part-timer! Mostly someone who works at the front desk. It's perfect for you! You can practice talking with other people, making some small talk, and earn Lien for it!"
Velvet slowly took the flyer and read the help wanted from Elysium Oasis before furrowing her eyebrows, "You want me to work at a spa?"
"It's more of a massage clinic, but yea," corrected Coco, "We're second years, so our classes are more flexible. You can work a some of the weekdays and offer protection to the owner, all while learning how to be more comfortable with speaking to others."
"How can I even trust this place?" frowned Velvet.
"She does raise a good point," agreed Yatsuhashi, "This is a massage parlor. In Mistral and Shade, they are sometimes more what meets the eye."
"Don't worry your head, big guy," smiled Coco, "I've already been there. Got my massage there and made sure it was a safe place. I mean, the guy even services to Faunus, so no worries about discrimination there. And he's way too innocent to do anything mean, and from what I know, there's only him. Plus, this means extra funds for that weapon you've been building. Some extra Lien would be nice to get some better parts."
That made Yatsuhashi relax a little. Velvet was his partner, and he sometimes worried her shy and kind nature could easily be abused.
"Maybe I should go with her still," said Yatsuhashi, "Just to make sure it's okay."
"No!" exclaimed Velvet and Coco, the two of them looking at each other in surprise.
"I mean, she has to learn how to do it by herself," coughed Coco, "She can't depend on you forever. I know you're partners, but you gotta let her develop some independence. Going to a job interview by herself is one of them."
"And, not to be mean," said Velvet meekly, "You would be... intimidating and imposing. He might not hire me with you over my shoulders."
Yatsu raised his eyebrow when Fox patted his shoulder and nodded his head, saying in silent he agreed with the girls. He sighed before agreeing to let Velvet go to the interview herself. Getting advice from Coco, Velvet was dressed in white blouse and black skirt.
"Also, you could definitely help bring in more customers with your looks," added Coco as she finished Velvet's makeup, "I'm sure he'd appreciate it."
"Coco!" hissed Velvet in mortification.
End Cutscene
"Can I help you?" asked Jaune once more.
"Umm...," hesitated Velvet, unable to say anything as her shy nature kicked in again.
"If you're here for an appointment, then just fill this out and wait," gestured Jaune, pointing to the tablet, "If you're trying to walk-in, then you might have to wait 2 hours later. That's the next available time."
"I'm ready!" shouted Sky from the changing room.
"Be right there!" shouted Jaune back before turning back to Velvet, "Sorry, duty calls. Wish I had a weekday worker for this place."
"Wait!" said Velvet, but Jaune had already walked away, "Dammit! C'mon Velvet, you gotta be more direct! Nothing to do but wait now."
Velvet sighed to herself as she sat down on a chair, taking out a pen and paper before sketching into it. She had brought a small suitcase with her in case she needed it. That and Coco said it made her look more professional and fashionable.
"OH MONTY OUM!" screamed Sky from the room, causing Velvet to jump up in shock. She heard groaning and other noises before packing up her stuff.
"Oh hell no, not today," hissed Velvet under her breath as she made to leave the door. She touched the door handle before stopping, taking a deep breath and calming herself down.
"C'mon Velvet, you can do this," Velvet told herself, "Don't be so scared. You're a huntress! You aren't supposed to be afraid so easily."
She sat back down and grabbed her supplies once more to occupy herself.
"Dang loud much?" asked Jaune from the room as he dug his elbow into Sky's left shoulder blade.
"Sorry," blushed Sky, "You surprised me."
"I warned you I was going in," deadpanned Jaune as he rotated the elbow in a small circle, "You got a lot of tension and some muscle damage there. What happened?"
"Err I use a halberd and I was trying out some new techniques when it backfired."
"... How?"
"I... er... well... tried to practice using my left hand as the dominant hand instead of my right and swung it really hard at a wrong angle while sparring against Cardin. He countered it with his strongest swing and almost wrenched my arm off, and to add it, used the chance and to smashed his weapon into my left shoulder."
"Shouldn't your Aura have protected you?"
"Not from his attacks," grunted Sky as Jaune began focusing on the levator scapulae, "I already took a beating when he shattered it. Even within the school, my Aura reserves are barely above the 40% of the student population of freshmen. Still, I still got time for my reserves to grow."
"Wonder how big mine are?" mused Jaune quietly.
Jaune continued to knead Sky's back, focusing mostly on his left side to help relieve the pain.
"Damn that feels good," sighed Sky as Jaune began to rub his left arm with his palm, rotating them in gentle circles, "Now I really feel guilty about following Cardin."
"Long as you know," said Jaune gently, as he really wasn't one to hold a grudge, "Though your teammates still need to apologize."
"Cardin might be harder," sighed Sky, "He's stubborn like that. Dove might be a possibility, but Russel is right behind his partner on almost everything. Especially since we all got detention and have to do community service during our break. And we're banned from the Vytal Festival Tournament. All because Cardin decided it was necessary to harass your shop."
"Ouch," winced Jaune, "Sorry?"
"Meh, it's our own fault, and you didn't even send the video or tell on us," waved Sky before groaning (ooh right there!), "I recognize what we did was wrong. However, Cardin doesn't seem to think so. So heads up, he might try something, though no more appointment holding. He's banned from doing that, and the school is tracking his Scroll and computer uses. If he does anything like that, it'll automatically flag him. But still, be careful. I'd hate for you to get hurt. Where else will I get my massages?"
The two boys chuckled as the timer rang, signaling it had been an hour. As Jaune went out to wash his hands, Sky was rotating his left arm and feeling much better.
As Jaune stepped back to the front desk just to see Velvet still waiting there with all her tools out. He took a quick peek at his OfficeMate to see no new patient information had been entered since Sky, which meant Velvet hadn't filled one out for an appointment.
"Err can I help you?" asked Jaune at first, but Velvet seemed to be concentrating deeply on her sketches. Usually, Jaune would've left her alone, but she was working in his office waiting room, which wasn't exactly a public place to do work.
Coughing twice, he raised his voice and asked her once more, this time closer to her. Velvet meeped and reacted badly, sending her suitcase that was on her lap right into Jaune's face. The suitcase send Jaune stumbling back into his bookcase, where he slumped down. Then the books themselves fell down on his head, starting with a simple magazine.
"Ow."
Then a heavier comic book fell.
"Ow."
Then a hardback novel about 300 pages long fell.
"Ow."
Then a hardcover textbook about Dust that was conveniently there fell.
"Ow."
Finally, the complete series of a boy and his adventures at a magical school that was 4,224 pages long in a hardcover fell.
"Urggg."
Jaune was almost knocked unconscious as the last book fell, his eyes in spirals as little Grimm looking dogs with stars floated over his head.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" apologized Velvet, trying to pick up the books.
However, this made things a lot more difficult as Sky walked right into the waiting room, ready to pay. He blinked as he saw an almost unconscious Jaune with Velvet standing over him with one of the heaviest books he saw, positioned right over his head, frozen for a bit that she had been caught in such a position.
"Oookkkk...," said Sky slowly, backing off from Velvet, now frightened out of his wits.
Velvet was someone... they had bullied in school. He was not proud to admit it, but it was the truth. It was mainly Cardin, but they were guilty of just laughing and not stopping it at all. And now it seemed like Velvet had just snapped and took it on Jaune, one of the nicest guys he knew. Sky was very conflicted. Should he help or flee for his life, as he was one of the primary antagonists? He made his decision.
"I'm just going to put the Lien for his services here," said Sky slowly, taking out his wallet in extreme caution to show he wasn't doing anything else, "I owe him 50 Lien for the massage, but I'm just going to put 200. This way, this will also pay for your massage. Just as long as you don't hurt him anymore... or me. For the rest of our years together in Beacon."
"Wai-" started Velvet as she raised her hands out to stop him. However, she was still carrying the 'murder' weapon when she did so.
Sky screamed and chucked the Lien on the countertop before fleeing.
"It's not what it looks like!" shouted Velvet, hoping it reached him, "Oooh what am I going to do? I made such a bad first impression! Ummm, ice! I'll get some ice for him for his head! Or a wet towel! That'll help him!"
Velvet quickly carried Jaune into a room before dashing into the changing room to get some towels.
While Velvet did so, Jaune had regained consciousness and gingerly touched his skull where it had been abused. There was a small bump that had grown from all those hits he had taken. Just as he sighed, he suddenly felt something warm wrap around his body. He looked down at his hands to see them glowing with white light, surrounding his whole body before fading. Jaune touched his head once more to find the bump suddenly missing.
"Aura is so useful," chuckled Jaune as he stood up and started to walk out the door, only for the door to slam into his face and the doorknob into the stomach.
"Why?" gasped Jaune as he slowly slumped down once more, though his whole body glowed white. His Aura had protected him once more, but the pain was still there.
"I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Velvet, completely embarrassed, her face turning deep red, now wishing she had bought Coco with her, "I went to get you some wet towels! I didn't think you'd be up so fast!"
"It's... okay," breathed Jaune, "I'm alright. My Aura protected me. Now, what is it you want? Before I get any more possible injuries."
Velvet was surprised that a civilian like Jaune had their Aura activated but pushed that away for now. Clearing her throat, she managed to stammer out what she wanted as she took out the flyer from her suitcase.
"I-I-I wanted to apply for a job in your office!"
Jaune slowly took the flyer to read it, buying him some time to think. He had already hired Ren, and didn't need another weekend worker. He felt bad just rejecting Velvet, though, seeing her all dressed up and bowing to him.
"What's your schedule like?" asked Jaune slowly.
"Weekends free, but I can work on some weekdays!" said Velvet quickly.
Jaune perked up at this possibility and decided to continue pursuing the current line of thought.
"You know, I never got your name," chuckled Jaune, "Do you have a resume?"
"A resume? Oh, yes!" nodded Velvet, very glad she had Coco help her out on that.
Jaune quickly skimmed over it and saw she was a second year at Beacon. He mused and concluded that the schedule for the second years was different.
"Can you work on a weekly basis?" asked Jaune.
"Err...," hesitated Velvet. She had missions with her team she still needed to go on with. She was a TA only because her grades were excellent, and they allowed her to skip some classes as long as she studied for them in her own time.
"You know what? Can I just call you to schedule you an interview? Sorry, but I don't have time right now, and the next customer is coming in. And I already have a weekend worker that I just hired."
Velvet nodded and made sure to point out her number, but inside she felt crushed. She knew in her mind she had botched up the first meeting horribly. Causing her potential employer to be injured, all done by her? Then not having a set schedule ready nor even calling in early to make an appointment for an interview? It was so unprofessional. She left, making sure her ears drooped AFTER she left the office. Meanwhile, Jaune managed to regulate his breathing back to normal before preparing to welcome the next guest that came in.
"So you get the job?" asked Coco as she looked up from her magazine, hearing the door click open. She tilted her head down to look at Velvet without her sunglasses and frowned, seeing her depressed state.
"What happened?" asked Coco. Yatsuhashi and Fox quickly entered to see a depressed Velvet and quickly assumed that it was Jaune's fault. After all, who could make such a sweet innocent bunny Faunus like Velvet cry like that? The only place she had gone to was that masseur place for a job interview. Team CRDL was busy with Professor Port.
"Hold it boys," commanded Coco, stopping them in their tracks, "First we get to the bottom of this. Then we can decide to viciously deal justice to whoever it is."
She turned back to Velvet and asked, "Was it Jaune?"
"Well..., not exactly," said Velvet slowly.
That was enough for Coco and the boys to rally up and ….. go intimidate Jaune for a bit.
"Stop!" shouted Velvet when she saw them starting to stand up to leave, "It really was my fault!"
"Velvet, how it your fault?" said an exasperated Coco, "It's obvious he did something to you! It's not like you injured him when you first met him!"
They all blinked when Velvet didn't respond, but instead looked down at her feet while her right foot was slowly attempting to dig a hole, going around in circles.
"Velvet, what did you do?" asked Yatsuhashi softly.
Velvet sighed and told them everything that had happened. By the time she was done, they were silent for a minute until Coco couldn't take it anymore and howled in laughter, releasing the dams of tears in her eyes. Even Yatsuhashi and Fox were laughing, trying their best to hide it but failing.
"It's not funny!" pouted Velvet.
"You have to admit, it is," said Coco as she tried to breathe and failing hard, "Especially that Sky guy. I'm sure team CRDL won't be bullying you after that now. "
"I think we should be more focused on the employer Jaune," said Yatsuhashi, trying to focus back on the apparently disastrous attempt on a job interview, "I'm sure that if you just go back again another day, you can apologize for everything you did. You can bring Coco with you, and even pay for a massage to show your appreciation for letting him interview."
Fox nodded and was about to ask if they wanted to risk the cafeteria tonight when Velvet's scroll rang. She quickly fished it out and answered it, not recognizing the phone number.
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Jaune Arc from Elysium Oasis. You were here asking for a job, correct? Sorry, I was simply too busy with customers to interview. Are you available tomorrow on Thursday around... say 5 o'clock in the afternoon for an interview? I have the day off, but I figured since you're a Beacon student that you'll have classes."
"Yes! I can make it tomorrow!"
"Good! If you can, try to have a set schedule with you. I know it's a bit of a rush, but it would help me out to know your schedule."
"Yes, of course!" exclaimed Velvet.
"Good. See you tomorrow. Oh, and on a side note, do you know Sky Lark? He overpaid for his services for some reason, and since you're coming here tomorrow, I figured I could hand the extra Lien to you to give back."
"I'll ask him about it later. Thank you for the opportunity!"
As Velvet hung up, she turned around to see her teammates smiling.
"Looks like we'll be celebrating tonight boys," announced Coco as she led her team to buy some takeout.
Yep. Sky and Velvet in this chapter! Hope you've enjoyed it, and look forward to the next chapter! It'll be... Puntastic.
Alright, that should be enough clue to see who's coming in next.
Again, I have a pat tre on page, feel free to come and donate, or even just check out the page. I'd like to thank those who supported me!
And finally, totally bummed/hyped for KH3! Saw the newest trailer, excited for it! And yet bummed because they pushed it back to 2019 instead of their promised 2018.