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Cardin looked out the window overlooking the club. He grinned as his mind went over what he would do once he took over the club. Cardin imagined Junior being a weak pushover and what he would do in this office. He could take whomever he wanted in here for his own private time!
Before Cardin could daydream some more, the door opened up with a bang. Cardin looked over to see that Junior was not a thin wrangly man that he thought could push over and bully. No, Junior was a full-grown man who was just as tall, if not taller than Cardin, with a full-on beard. Not only that, but clearly with a muscle definition that showed that Junior wasn't just some pencil pusher.
Cardin's attention, however, was sidetracked by the two twins that had walked in with Junior.
'Hehehe, twins', drooled Cardin mentally before managing to somehow pull himself back towards the main subject. Especially when Junior sat on his chair, pulling out a cigar a straight cutter. With a small sniff, Junior cut off the tip of the cigar, lighting it up with an expensive looking lighter. Taking a deep breath, Junior then slowly exhaled, letting a cloud of smoke escape his lungs.
"So, what brings the esteemed son of the Winchester councilman here?" asked Junior with a heavily ladened sarcastic voice.
Apparently, it wasn't heavy enough as it flew over Cardin's head as he puffed up his chest to look bigger and more important.
"So you know me," said Cardin, "Then you know know what sins you have done. The Winchester family has…."
'Oh Oum, he's seriously starting a monologue,' thought Junior as his eyes dimmed in boredom. Both Melanie and Miltia couldn't help but glance at each other in awe of how unaware of how much shit Cardin was in.
"... and that is why you need to pull all your support from that pathetic masseur, send a mass apology for daring to smear the Winchester name. As for reparations, I will take this club and those twins, and maybe, I'll find it in my magnanimous heart to forgive you," finished Cardin, puffing up his chest while closing his eyes to make himself look…. majestic. While he likened himself to a lion looking over his prey, he was more like a peacock trying to strut around without any feathers.
When he didn't hear any response, Cardin opened his eyes to see Junior looking through his Scroll, not even paying attention to him.
"You-" began Cardin, outraged he was being ignored, only for Junior to cut him off as he put down his scroll.
"Now that your done blowharding, let me tell you what's going to happen," said Junior calmly, "You obviously have far overestimated your own power and ego on what you can actually do. To be honest, you showing up here made my life easier than tracking and trapping you. I had debated on what to do to you personally, but since you so generously showed up in front of me all wrapped up, it lets me have all the time in the world to think what I can do."
Cardin stood up angrily, trying to grab his mace to threaten Junior, only to freeze. For you see, Cardin was now staring face first at Junior's bazooka, specifically the muzzle that threatened to blow him away.
"That's not fair," whined Cardin, not having noticed Junior's weapon, which had been beside him the entire time.
"I'm the underground crime lord here. What's there to be even fair about?" stated Junior sarcastically, "You think I'd let you in here with your mace without anything on me?"
"You better not try anything!" threatened Cardin despite his rather precarious position as he slowly backed up, "My family can still ruin you! I'll take those twins of yours and make them my personal maids and ruin them! I'll-"
Cardin didn't get to say anything else as an explosion of pain hit him from top and bottom. The twins ruthlessly kicked Cardin in the nuts while something hit Cardin's head from behind. While it would've been enjoyable to watch Cardin suffer, they would have to take it.
Junior sighed as he exhaled a puff of smoke, "I thought I told you two not to let her in so fast."
Miltia and Melanie shrugged as Neo held up a victory gesture while carrying a rather huge stick that Junior had no idea where she had been hiding it, nor did he care to ask.
"Now then, we have to make sure there's footage of this idiot leaving the premise," said Junior as he stood up and walked up, coincidentally dropping his bat on Cardin's head, "Neo, if you would."
Neo nodded as she used her Semblance to create an illusion of Cardin over herself before walking out of the door. Meanwhile, a hidden floor panel dropped open to reveal stairs leading to a hidden path.
With a nod, Junior had his men tie up Cardin before transporting him out of the clubhouse.
"Now then, I know you two have some aggression you want to dispense on him," started Junior, only for Miltia and Melanie to interrupt him.
"You bet we do!" said the twins.
"I'm going crush his balls," said Melanie as she adjusted her heels.
"I'll cut them off when she's done," finished Miltia as her claws gleamed in the light.
"And Neo will want a piece of the action, too!" chimed both twins at once.
"Yes, I know you three have plenty of grievances with him chasing out your favorite masseur, but leave this one to me. This one is personal," said Junior, his tone turning dark at the last statement.
Melanie and Miltia stilled at Junior's last word, sensing his tone. It was no secret that Junior spoiled his nieces, and the said nieces were strong, if not stronger than Junior in a fight. The twins had Junior wrapped up in their pinkies. But despite all that fact, Junior is the current boss of the gang, and his word was law.
Not to mention while the twins were very good at inflicting physical torment, Junior could do more lasting marks with mental, social, and financial damage. He had the connections, and he knew how to use them.
"Alright, but we get to help beat him up when it's time," pouted the twins.
"And you will," promised Junior, "Just not before I wring the little brat's neck and shake him for all that he's worth. Himself, not much. But his family…. Well even with the damage that was done, they'll still live. But this time, we'll tighten that noose up for sure."
As the twins left, Junior took some time to inhale, enjoying the taste of his cigar before letting it out.
"Still, didn't think I could do that much damage to them even with my blackmail material. The quote from that famous Mistralian girl was a surprise as well as the White Fang raiding the Winchester storage," hummed Junior, "And it's only going to get downhill from there. Even I know not to insult the 'great negotiator' and Vice-Headmistress of Beacon so blatantly."
Putting out his cigar, Junior went down the hidden stairs before the floor closed up behind him.
On the first floor, Cardin's bodyguards were already drunk. The bartender had secretly been using stronger alcohol in place of the usual order. Though they would lose some Lien off this, the more drunk the two were, the better.
Cardin woke up just to find himself tied up and hanging on a rope attached the ceiling.
"Hey, let me down! You can't do this!" shouted Cardin.
Cardin began yelling for a good twenty minutes as he struggled, trying to escape the ropes. In the end, he ended up hanging limply, having tired himself out with a sore throat. It was then that Junior finally entered in with some of his men.
With a nod, Junior had his men lower Cardin down to eye level.
"You-" began Cardin, only for Junior to grab him by his cheeks, silencing him with a squish.
"You're not in charge here. You've never been in charge," said Junior slowly, making sure Cardin understood his current position, enunciating each word with a squish to Cardin's cheek, "You're the embodiment of a stereotypical second-generation rich spoiled brat. Everything was handed to you on a silver platter, and you complain it's not enough. You think the world has to bend to your whim, otherwise it's not fair to you. Well then, I'm here to educate you on just how the world really works."
With that, Junior let go of Cardin's cheek before turning around to ignore him. Cardin couldn't even speak before he was gagged by Junior's men with a cloth.
Junior sat down on a chair, turning towards a holo screen that turned on, waiting for his call to go through. When it finally did, Henry Winchester was revealed on the holo screen.
"Well then, councilman Winchester, if you still somehow manage to retain that position," began Junior with a malevolent grin, "Let's start off with what's happening now. Your son barged into my establishment with the intent to threaten me and demanded that my nieces serve him."
Henry could be seen visibly paling before trying to regain control, but Junior pushed on, "He was seen publicly leaving my establishment, so there is no connection to me."
As Junior enjoyed watching Henry sweat, he decided to push forward.
"So then, councilman. Let us begin the negotiation, shall we?" said Junior as he leaned forward, "I can't promise your son to be returned unharmed, considering what he's threatened to do, especially to my nieces. They are family, after all, and I'm sure you understand why."
Henry could only sigh as he nodded. When Cardin had returned him covered in rotten fruits, he would've thought that was enough to dissuade him. He even warned him not to look for Junior later that night, something he failed to ensure. He had been too busy managing the fallout. And now, they were in a worse situation thanks to his son once more.
Jaune yawned as he woke up in his new room. Ozpin had promised an announcement in regard with his new position, so he was excited. Looking around, he knew though his current room was smaller than his original apartment, it contained everything he needed. A computer that had access to both his scheduling and the Beacon library. A bed and a bathroom for his personal needs. Though it had no kitchen, Ozpin promised that Jaune could use the cafeteria kitchen to cook his own meals, even using the ingredients from the food storage….. provided that he cooked for them once in a while.
Jaune had no idea why that clause was in there, but he did enjoy cooking, and if it meant just cooking a little more, that would be fine.
Jaune looked over at his weapons once more, pulling out Crocea Mors out of its sheath.
"Looks like I can finally get you that cleaning that you need," said Jaune as he inspected his sword.
Having access to Beacon meant having access to the forge that students used to repair or upgrade their weapons. Jaune, being a civilian, had no chance to find a forge to clean his own weapon, having to use civilian-grade items to try to clean and sharpen his sword. Sadly, none of the materials had any real effect on Crocea Mors, though Jaune had no idea why.
"Maybe I can ask Professor Port in regards to my sword," pondered Jaune out loud.
A small thought bubble popped up above Jaune's head as he imagined the scenario. Then he saw Professor Port beginning a story about his youth, going completely off-tangent from Jaune's question. Jaune's face turned blue as he could imagine Port rambling on and on, and with him trying to escape, only to fail.
"Maybe I should ask Dr. Oobleck instead, or maybe Vice-Headmistress Goodwitch," muttered Jaune.
"Jaune, are you ready?" asked Glynda as she knocked on the door.
"Coming!" shouted Jaune before opening the door.
For the announcement, Jaune was wearing a modified Beacon uniform to look more professional. After that, it was back to his scrubs for his work hours.
"How do I look?" asked Jaune.
"You should comb your hair a little more," said Glynda as she absent-mindedly brushed down some of Jaune's hair, "Otherwise than that, you're fine."
Jaune nervously clenched his hands as Glynda led him to the backstage of the auditorium.
Meanwhile, quite a few students had gathered in the auditorium. Though Ozpin had sent a public message to the students about the announcement of adding a member to the auxiliary staff, he had not mentioned whom nor made it mandatory. So a majority ignored it, opting to do other tasks.
Team RWBY was in the crowd, partly due to Weiss stating that as students of Beacon, it was only proper to attend as such. Team PLN, having nothing else planned, decided to attend it too. A few stray teams from the other academies decided to attend out of interest. One such team was team CMSN, aka Cinder's team. Neo hadn't attended, as she was too busy helping Junior toru…. convincing an idiot what it meant to cross her.
Cinder prioritized getting every single scrap of information that might affect her plans, so that meant attending whatever meeting that involved Ozpin.
Mercury was bored, wanting to leave, but Cinder forbade it. Emerald, being the loyal servant she was, made sure that Mercury didn't try to sneak away.
"What do you think this is about?" asked Mercury in a bored tone, "Can't be that important if this is optional."
"Any information, no matter how small, will always be useful in determining our next course of action," said Emerald.
"Correct," nodded Cinder with a sly voice, "I do not want to be blindsided from lack of information, nor disobedience. I don't need to remind you again, do I?"
"No ma'am," muttered Mercury and Emerald as Ozpin made it to the podium.
Ozpin cleared his throat before leaning forward, "Good afternoon. I'm sure this announcement may come as a surprise for most of you, as well as it being optional, but I decided it be best to let everyone know if they were interested. Due to the increase of students here, Beacon has decided to add another auxiliary staff member to our group. His services will be available for everyone during his open hours, but appointments are recommended. Especially for his other service, which is limited to specific days and hours. But enough of that."
"Please allow me to introduce our newest faculty member, Jaune Arc," finished Ozpin as he mentioned Jaune to step forward, "As some of you may have heard, he is a masseur. Due to recent events, we have managed to recruit him into our staff for the remainder of the year. Jaune's office will be located near Nurse Ivy's office. His hours of operations will be listed on his door. Students will be covered for one regular half-hour massage per month. Any extra will be paid from the student's own pocket."
Glynda stepped up to take over Ozpin's place, "Space is limited, so no complaints nor asking Mr. Arc for more time. If anyone tries to force him against his will, the culprit will be punished…. harshly."
Glynda snapped her crop down, causing the audience to stiffen up.
"Well, I shall let our newest staff member have a word before letting him finish setting up his office," said Glynda as she took a step back, motioning for Jaune to speak.
Jaune nervously cleared his throat for a second before leaning forward to the microphone, "Umm, I'm honored to be here?" said Jaune, "I'll be here to help those in need of a massage. Not sure how much I'll be of use, but I'll be able to help with in need of a massage. I can also give some advice on dealing with muscle cramps after working out. Thank you, and I hope I can be of use."
A scattered applause could be heard as Jaune quickly walked away, slightly blushing as he did so.
"Man, didn't think I'd have to give a speech," muttered Jaune as he walked off the podium.
Before he could think or say anything else, he heard his name being called out. Turning around, Jaune was about to greet whoever called him when he was suddenly greeted with a crushing hug from Nora.
"Jaune-Jaune! You didn't tell us you were coming here!" shouted Nora as she proceeded to crush Jaune's spine.
"Nora, you're hugging too hard. He can't breathe," said Ren, tapping Nora's shoulder, who immediately let go, letting Jaune collapse onto the floor.
"Oh Oum, I swear I felt my spine cracking and my soul leaving from that hug," wheezed out Jaune. He had to shake his head to clear out the many dots that blotted his vision from the lack of air before seeing a hand reaching out to him.
Jaune blinked before seeing Pyrrha's hand extended towards him. Taking the hand, Jaune was not expecting for Pyrrha to suddenly pull him up and forward towards her. Before he knew it, he was in another hug, though this one wasn't as soul-crushing body-breaking as Nora's… but it was becoming a close second.
"I thought you left!" whispered Pyrrha before pulling back, "How did you end up here?"
"As it turns out, Nora isn't the only one who has a habit of kidnapping me," chuckled Jaune, "Headmaster Ozpin had the pilot redirect my flight home to here at Beacon. It happened right after you called me. I took a nap before the pilot woke me up just to drop me off here. Then the headmaster gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. I offer my services here, and I get access to Beacon's facilities. That means getting a good head start into my studies, and hopefully, I can finally realize my dreams of becoming a Huntsman next semester."
"I'd be happy to help you out!" smiled Pyrrha, "Though I guess that depends on your hours. I'm sure we can find some time to figure it out."
"Yo, Pyrrha, you going to keep hugging him?" asked Yang with a teasing tone.
Pyrrha and Jaune looked down before realizing they were still in a rather intimate embrace.
"Sorry!" blushed Pyrrha as she pushed Jaune away, unintentionally using her Semblance to push Jaune further and harder than necessary.
"Ouch.." groaned Jaune before managing to lift himself back up, his Aura having tanked the hit.
"I'm sorry!" apologized Pyrrha once more.
"No worries, I held on too long too," said Jaune as Ren helped him up, "Anyways, you can see my hours on the website soon too. I'll be free when you guys have classes, so I'll probably be in the library to study. But what I really want to do is to get my sword finally sharpened up more, and maybe some upgrades."
"Did someone say upgrades!?" shouted Ruby as she suddenly appeared in front of Jaune, "Lemme see, lemme see! I'll whip up something! Maybe make it shoot fire or ice!"
"I'll stick to getting it sharpened first," chuckled Jaune as he held up his sword above his head while Ruby tried to grab it, "But first, I think it's time for your afternoon class? I can meet you in the forge if you guys have class sometime there today."
"Not today, but tomorrow," said Weiss, checking her schedule, "I'm sure you'll have time to work on that later. Plus, Ruby needs to finish up her homework before she can think about doing anything else."
"Aww, but, but-" complained Ruby, only for Weiss to drag her away.
Before Yang could laugh, Blake was already pulling her along, "And you need to do the same."
"Boo!" booed Yang as she was dragged away.
"Looks like it'll be just us!" grinned Nora, only for Ren to pop that balloon.
"You're still behind on the report for Dr. Oobleck. If we finish now, then we can have time tomorrow," said Ren.
Nora pouted until Ren bribed her with a promise of some pancakes.
"I'll see you tomorrow," waived Pyrrha, "I need a report to finish up, too!"
As they left, Jaune rolled his shoulders as he left to head to his office.
As soon as he arrived, he switched over to his comfortable scrubs before winding his shoulders around a bit.
"Alright, new workplace, here I come," breathed Jaune to himself. He was ready for the first patient, and he was excited to be at Beacon, albeit an alternative route.
Well then. Jaune's at Beacon. What's going to happen next? Find out next time!