Hello Everyone! Hope you enjoy this new chapter.
Whoops, forgot to post this chapter earlier. Sorry about that folks.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Roman as Jaune told his story about Ironwood breaking into his clinic.
"I fail to see the humor in that," grunted Jaune as Junior poured a mocktail he had just finished mixing.
Jaune had decided to visit Junior's club on his day off, dismissing Dove and Sky when they said they wanted to come for his protection, stating where he was going that he didn't need it.
"While I am a little peeved that the headmaster of Atlas Academy and general of the Atlesian forces decided to forcefully break into ony of my buildings for no real good reason, that part is overshadowed by the humiliation Ironwood must have suffered when he found out what he just did," smirked Junior, "You say that the Vice Headmistress Goodwitch threw him out on his ass?"
"She threw him out, yes, but on his ass? Not sure it was that bad," winced Jaune.
"Well, let's see it on the video then," grinned Roman as he pulled out his Scroll, accessing the security footage in Jaune's clinic.
"Wait, when did I have that?" questioned Jaune in confusion when he saw camera footage of the hallway and the front office.
"I had Neo install it after that incident," replied Roman whimsically, "Don't worry, I had Neo leave the bathroom and the patient rooms camera free, along with your rooms."
Though he knew Mercury and Emerald wouldn't dare attack Jaune again, it couldn't hurt to be safe and protect his… assets, yes that was what Roman told himself. He couldn't bring himself to admit Jaune was more than that.
"Ah, found it," grinned Roman as he found the footage, swiping it across to send it to Junior's bigger holoscreen to get a better view.
There, they saw James barging into the room, and much to Jaune's denial, a high-pitched scream. The two were glad that Dove and Sky tackled James before he could do anything, and slightly impressed when Jauen tanked what were clearly two Aura erasing bullets without having his Aura shattered.
Then their eyes grew big when they saw the nearly naked wet Glynda rushing out to stop James, committing to their memory. As annoying as they knew her to be, they both agreed she was hot. Then the two began to laugh outright when James was thrown out of the clinic.
"I should so upload this to the news network," grinned Roman as he began to make plans, only for Jaune to suddenly cover his Scroll with his hand.
"I'd rather not make such a big deal about this," sighed Jaune, "Glynda texted me saying that she would make sure he would be suitably punished, but I have no idea what that means. In the end, It would mean exposing Glynda to the world with that footage, something I'd rather not do. I respect her too much to do that."
"I could always edit it out," replied Roman, only to be caught off-guard when Jaune's facial expression turned cold.
"I said no," glared Jaune, his voice booking no-nonsense.
Both Junior and Roman were caught off guard by Jaune's glare and tone that they couldn't help but step back. Both glanced at each other for a good second before returning their gaze back at Jaune.
"Alright, alright, I won't do anything, nor will my associates," promised Roman, "It's a shame as it would've been great blackmail material."
Their conversation was suddenly derailed when Militia, Melanie, and Neo suddenly popped in and promptly mobbed Jaune.
"Ooh, I needed that," groaned Roman as Jaune kneaded his back, pouring Aura into his hands.
"How do you get all these stress knots so fast?" asked Jaune as he tackled a knot he knew he had undone before. Despite being his day off, he didn't mind giving massages to his benefactors and friends.
"Comes with the job working with underqualified employees," grunted Roman.
"There are underqualified Dust inspectors? Aren't they supposed to undergo a lot of training and be licensed before being able to inspect Dust?" asked Jaune, conveniently forgetting he was technically not a licensed masseur, and that the person whom he was massaging could create those fake licenses.
"No, they don't inspect, they just transport the Dust around, but they're so damn careless about it," replied Roman, "It's a damn danger to themselves and to me!
"Aren't they supposed to listen to you?" asked Jaune.
"Supposed to, yes. Want to, no," sighed Roman, "Their little pride gets in the way of a lot of things."
"Can't you hire others?" asked Jaune.
"Can't, I'm under contract to work with them," groaned Roman, "If I wasn't, I'd fire them on the spot, believe me. Neo's the only competent one."
Which was true, in a sense. Roman hated working with the White Fang. Every new member they got would always come swaggering in with some huge ego, disparaging any humans they saw in public. The idiots didn't know how to keep a 'low-profile', and it was frankly a miracle that the Valesian and Atlesian intelligence hadn't picked up on them yet.
Of course, these insults were also hurled at him and Neo while they were working with them, but they ignored it. To Roman and Neo, it was like a tiny chihuahua barking at them.
Then there were the idiots who tried to act upon their ego. Those that tried to attack Roman were quickly dissuaded by their superiors, telling them that Roman was a necessary 'evil'. Neo on the other hand….. well after the first one became a cadaver, there was now a specialized 'Neo' lookout to ensure none of the idiots got even close to her.
Roman so wished to cut ties with the White Fang, but thanks to his current 'employer', he was unable to do so.
Neo giggled, giving Roman a peace sign before pouting, as if telling Roman to hurry up with his massage.
'Don't look at me, he's the one in control,' replied Roman with a pointed look.
Soon enough though, Jaune finished up with Roman just to be dragged over by Neo, who had somehow already stripped herself naked without them noticing.
Meanwhile, Militia and Melanie were pouting at the lost chance of a massage. Not only had they lost the rock paper scissor competition, but Junior ordered them to finish up some vital jobs for the club.
A few days later
Jaune hummed as he began to prepare to open the clinic when he heard someone knocking on his door. Raising a questioning look, Jaune slowly but cautiously opened the door, his left hand opening it while his right hand held Crocea Mors.
"Hello Mr. Arc," greeted Glynda, standing in front of the door with a smile.
"Professor Goodwitch! What brings you in here?" asked Jaune.
"I came here to apologize for one of my colleagues," replied Glynda, giving him a small bow, "James, stop hiding and apologize like a man."
Jaune looked over to see James Ironwood looking away guiltily before coughing into his hand.
"I am sorry for rushing to conclusions," apologized James, "My only explanation is in my haste to ensure Glynda was safe, I failed to properly assess the situation. I thought this was a hidden White Fang base."
"It's alright," waived off Jaune, though slightly confused why his clinic would even be mistaken as a White Fang base, "Miss Goodwitch managed to fix up everything here."
"As an apology, I will purchase a large batch of Atlesian's finest massage spices," continued James, pulling out his Scroll to make the purchase.
Glynda, however, saw Jaune wince at James' statement, and so she quickly stopped James from placing the order before waiving at Jaune to continue.
"Atlesian massage spices aren't exactly…. the best tools to use," proceeded Jaune with caution, afraid to insult James' birthplace, "Atlas makes a lot of excellent things, but spices are not one of them."
Roman and Junior had been very explicit about who James was and his identity, so Jaune did not want to piss James' sense of nationalism if possible.
James honestly wanted to deny that claim, but couldn't bring himself to do so. He was well aware that despite all the technological and Dust advancements, they were rather behind in agricultural and other fields.
"Plus, I already have Mii Amo supplying me with spices and stuff, so I don't need any more extra spices," continued Jaune.
Glynda hummed before eying the blade Jaune had on him. Though a bit disheartening that he had to take that precaution, she understood that Jaune had been attacked before, and now was exercising caution.
"Perhaps James could use his connections to procure some Huntsman equipment for you," advised Glynda.
"Huh? Oh, yea, sure I can get you the latest in advanced armor and weapon," sputtered James before pausing over to process those words, "Wait, why would he need that? He's just a masseur."
"He's also a man whose Aura is unlocked and is interested in becoming a Huntsman," replied Glynda, pointing to Jaune's sword, "He actually managed to cleave through an Ursa Major with just that sword, right down the middle and through the bones."
"Really?" asked James, now interested in the story.
"I didn't really do much except put what Pyrrha taught me into effect. Not to mention I poured all my Aura into my sword and disabled my Aura protecting my body," blushed Jaune, "Not to mention you disabled it from moving."
"Still, it's an impressive feat. Most students wouldn't be able to do such a thing," complimented Glynda, "Though if that is your only weapon, then I'm afraid you'll be at a disadvantage when it comes to range. James could perhaps upgrade your blade, or if you prefer, a pistol to supplement your lack of ranged weaponry."
"The sword looks like it could use a whole remake," muttered James before clearing his throat, his hands held out in front of him, "May I?"
Jaune held his sword out in front of him, readying to place it on James' outstretched hand before warning him that the sword was heavier than it looked. James almost rolled his eyes at that. His customized revolvers were much heavier than most, and the fact the boy in front of him was holding the sword with just one hand made him doubt that.
That doubt vanished immediately when Jaune dropped it on his hands. It weighed far heavier than he had first estimated.
"Interesting," murmured James as he inspected the blade, only to find it in a rather good condition, "How old is this sword?"
"Dunno, I was told it was like my great-great grandfather's blade, and that it was used in a big war," shrugged Jaune.
"James," warned Glynda, already knowing that James wanted to take the blade and dissect its secrets. Most weapons didn't last that long without proper care and maintenance, but even then, a weapon's lifetime didn't last as long as Jaune's Crocea Mors.
"Just curious, that's all," frowned James before returning the sword back to Jaune, "I'd recommend getting the handle replaced at the least. As for some armor and such, I'm sure there are some spare standard armor that I can provide as well as a gun. I'll just need your measurements and perhaps some ideas of what sort of customization you'd want within reason."
"Thank you!" thanked Jaune with a bow.
"Again, it was my fault that you were attacked," sighed James, "I rushed to conclusions when I shouldn't have, especially a man of my position. Qrow is going to hold this over me for weeks now."
"If it helps, you're not the only one. Professor Goodwitch barged into my clinic before my grand opening," chuckled Jaune as Glynda blushed.
"While I admit I shouldn't have, your original clinic name was very suspicious," said Glynda as she lightly swatted Jaune's arm.
"What was it?" asked James, happy to hear some sort of blackmail material on Glynda that wouldn't make him feel too bad.
"Jaune's Massage Parlor," replied Jaune.
"... I don't see anything wrong with that name," blinked James, "Granted your current one sounds better, but I can't find anything suspicious about that."
Glynda sighed, "While in Atlas, it's very rare to encounter such a thing, but massage parlors are usually keywords for a vice of den."
James drew a blank face, causing Glynda to sigh before clarifying, "A whore house. It's more common to see it in the darker streets of Vale, or in Mantle in your case."
"Oh…. OH!" blushed James, never having thought of that. He was too busy dealing with external threats to think about internal matters.
"Still, though I may have barged into the clinic, I didn't actually break through the door and threaten the owner," huffed Glynda, causing James to drop his head in shame.
Jaune yawned as he relaxed in his office. For once, the clinic was actually quiet. Several patients had canceled at the last minute, leaving them all free for a little. Something to do with a presentation from the Atlesian military. The big rush from Pyrrha's quote was slowly trickling down, though, with the arrival of the new students from the other academies, it was going to pick up fast. Already he was booked solid for a week after tomorrow, most of them being students from the other schools. The only reason he knew this was because a majority sent in their patient questionnaire to expedite the visit, and most of them stated they were students from the other academies.
Maybe I should just close up early today," hummed Jaune before shaking his head. He had employees to think about, and he couldn't just cut their pay just so he could take some time off.
Luckily, his office manager seemed to be able to read his mind.
"Jaune, if you want to leave early and take a break, just go for it," called out Arvo, "We can finish up and lock up behind you."
Both Clementine and Elen looked up and nodded in agreement. The workload today wasn't rough that they needed Jaune. Arvo had been entrusted with a spare key to lock up the clinic, being the office manager. Though Junior and Roman insisted on installing a second door that led to his private residence. How they managed to have the door installed overnight with even heavier security than his front door was something he couldn't imagine.
Jaune whistled as he walked down the street, having decided to hit the bookstore for some comics. He had originally wanted to head to Tuskon's bookstore, only to find out from the local grapevine that he was gone, with the shop all boarded up. There were rumors that he had moved, or worse, killed, but Jaune just hoped that he was alright. The man had provided him with unique reading materials, especially about Aura.
So instead, he decided to just head to a comic book cafe, enjoy catching up on some comics, and maybe get some dinner at the new Northern Anima cuisine restaurant that just opened up.
After using the whole afternoon to catch up on the backlog of comics, Jaune stepped out of the cafe, stretching his limbs before heading over to the restaurant. Just as he was about to enter, he heard someone calling his name. Turning around, he saw Pyrrha running up to him.
"Pyrrha! What brings you here?" asked Jaune.
"I heard this place just opened and wanted to try it out. I admit I miss having some good food from my hometown. I didn't get to have any last time I went back due to meetings, so when I saw this place open, I decided to come," smiled Pyrrha.
"Then do you want to eat together?" asked Jaune.
"That would be grand," smiled Pyrrha with a bright smile, "I'll get us a private room so we can eat in peace."
The two of them entered the restaurant, not noticing that if they had stayed out a few seconds longer, they would've seen Blake and Sun being chased by Roman in the Atlas Paladin. It also took Pyrrha a few minutes before realizing that the current situation she was in with Jaune was almost like a date, causing her to suddenly turn red in the middle of dinner.
"So you'll be supplying Mr. Arc some supplies?" asked Ozpin as he, James, and Glynda were back in his office.
"Some supporting armor gear and a handgun, perhaps a revolver," hummed James, "I'll have to get him to take the necessary gun handling courses if he truly wants to use a gun though."
"Then perhaps yours truly can teach him," pointed out Glynda, referring to James.
"Wha…. I don't have time," blustered James, "I-"
Before he could say another word out, the elevator door opened. A second later, Aurivelle came surging out, grabbing James by the head with an iron grip before he could even react.
"What's this I hear about you trying to destroy my grandson's massage clinic!?" roared Aurivelle.
"I'm… sorry?" mumbled James as he tried to pry Aurivelle's grip off him, "And who are you?"
"That is Mr. Arc's grandfather, Aurivelle Arc. He's very protective of his family, as you can tell," explained Ozpin, not even batting an eye at the scene.
Glynda sighed as she figured it was her duty to prevent Aurivelle from further assaulting James, even if he did deserve it a little.
"James has already explained and apologized to Jaune for his rash actions. In fact, he's offered to not only supply Jaune with some armor and a revolver, but also tutor Jaune on gun safety and usage," explained Glynda.
"Really?" growled Aurivelle, his eyes never leaving James.
Seeing as he had no choice, James nodded.
"Excellent! I'm glad you saw the errors of your way," boomed Aurivelle, suddenly releasing his iron grip on James before snaking his arms around his shoulders, "Come, I've got some ideas about the gun that I want you to implement."
Before James could even voice anything out, he was led right into the elevator, where it closed behind them.
"You purposely told Aurivelle to come up, didn't you?" accused Glynda lightly, "You already explained the whole situation to him, too.
"I have no idea what you mean," denied Ozpin while sipping his coffee, "I merely informed him that his grandson had been attacked and that I would be available tonight, along with our esteemed visitor. Anything else that happens is out of my control."
Reminder, I have a pat reon, look up azndrgn making fanfic. Donators get to read my chapters earlier!