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Jaune took a sigh of relief as he looked at Crocea Mors once more. Ruby had been a little too ecstatic for his liking when she had been tampering with the named blade. In the end, she had come through, giving it a nice polish after experimenting with a few different brands and sharpening the blade a bit with the forge grinder they had at Beacon that thankfully worked. Though Ruby did note how long it took to sharpen it, even with an industry-grade grinder. Luckily, it didn't take too long.
"I might suggest updating your hilt though," said Ruby, "It's a bit worn out. Changing even the handle could help out."
And so it was up to Jaune to write out the specifications. Which was a little hard, having never taken any sort of weapons design class. Still, with the help of others, he was getting some sort of design done.
But that would be for later. Now was the time to get to work once more! Jaune stretched his limbs as he prepared for his next patients. It had been a little slow at first, but soon everyone was scheduling appointments to see him. Though he did question why the teams from Vacuo, especially the girls, were so…..touchy. Dew and Octavia seemed especially proactive on that whenever they finished their massages. Some of the males did the same, but that quickly stopped thankfully. Dew and Octavia seemed persistent though. Each one of their movements seemed subtle, but always hinted of seduction. Such as pulling their towels down just low enough that if it went any lower, he would see more of their chest, or pull up their robes that one wrong movement would reveal some tantalizing secret.
'Luckily Pyrrha handles them for me,' thought Jaune as he remembered when Octavia was getting a little too close to comfort, only to be pulled away by Pyrrha. She whispered something into her ears, and instantly, Octavia lost all will for that day. Though he was curious about what Pyrrha was saying, he didn't bother asking.
'That also reminds me that I should thank the twins and Neo for all that training,' hummed Jaune to himself as he pressed down on a knot from an Atlesian male student, 'If it weren't for their own behaviors, I'd probably wouldn't have lasted long against such tactics. Speaking of which, I should make some time to head over to Junior's to let them know that I'm at Beacon now.'
"Damn, I didn't know I had that crick," yelped the student when Jaune took his arm and shook it once harshly, which resulted in a loud crack, "Feels a lot better though now."
"Good to hear," smiled Jaune, "Looks like we're almost out of time, so let's finish this up with a crack."
The Atlesian student blinked at that comment before Jaune shook his other arm, resulting in another loud crack.
"Alright, looks like I just have one more Aura massage appointment," hummed Jaune as he checked his schedule, "Looks like it's…. Huh, the name is blotted out. Why is that?"
He soon found his answer when the General of the Atlesian forces as well as the headmaster of Atlas Academy stepped into the room, looking around to avoid eye contact.
"So I heard from the staff that you give one of the best massages," said James evasively, "So I made an appointment. If you don't mind, that is."
James knew his reputation with Jaune was not exactly the best, considering he had barged into his clinic over a drastic misunderstanding as well as jealousy, though he refused to accept that latter emotion. He was just being considerate to Glynda…. That was all!
"Of course not," smiled Jaune as he waived James in, "If you've already made the appointment, makes no sense to cancel it. Did you already wash up before coming here?"
"Yes," nodded James before pausing, "I.. may have some complications that you will encounter."
Jaune raised an eyebrow as James took off his shirt to reveal his muscular stature… as well as his prosthesis that covered the right side of his body, up to his neck.
"Whoa. What happened there?" asked Jaune before realizing how rude his question was, "Sorry, didn't mean to ask. Just my first time seeing that."
"No worries, it's nothing new," said James, "Lost my right side due to a Grimm incursion when I was much younger. The amount of Grimm reported was underestimated, but I did what I had to do, utilizing my tactical experience and whatever I had on hand. I ended up detonating explosives to kill the Grimm, but I was too close. Lost my right arm and leg, but lived long enough for a rescue team to pick me up. I persevered through all of this and fought through everything to become the man I am today."
Jaune looked at James with respect and awe while James maintained his stoic face.
While the story was true, it was only responsible for the prosthesis for his leg and half his chest. He had lost his right arm due to a stupid dare involving alcohol, Dust, and some machines, along with a hot head, thinking Aura would protect him from everything. Certainly a humbling experience, but not a story he wanted everyone to know. He was much more content letting everyone think his battle against Grimm was the reason for all of his prosthesis.
As James laid on the bed, Jaune went about probing his muscles to figure out the best way. He was amazed at how the prosthesis melded into the skin and muscles, but noticed muscle tensions in key areas. Deciding on a plan of attack, Jaune warmed up his hands.
James pondered about this Aura massage. He had never heard of it before, and it sounded rather frivolous in his opinion. Aura was vital in fighting against the Grimm, used as a weapon. Every drop of Aura was important, never to be used so frivolously like a massage.
'Then again, he's not a Huntsman or military,' thought James, 'Maybe that's why he came up with such an idea. We educate the use of Aura in a fighting scenario, never in a civilian one.'
Before he could contemplate it more, he noticed the stream of Aura gathering in Jaune's hands. Now that he had the opportunity to closely observe Jaune's technique and reserve, James blinked. Those reserves… were much bigger than a normal person was supposed to have! It was bigger than most, if not all, the students at the academies. Though he suspected it when Jaune had tanked through two shots of the specialized stun bullets without having his Aura shattered, he didn't realize just how much left he had in reserve.
'If I can get him to work with Dr. Polendina with Penny, it could revolutionize his research,' thought James, 'He could help supply Penny with Aura to increase her-'
Any other thoughts were lost when Jaune pressed down. Ironwood, despite his stoic nature and face, had to fight to keep his face from changing, even if nobody could see it.
"There's quite a bit of knots here," noted Jaune, "Must be from the muscle pulling on the prosthesis. But it's less than I thought there would be."
"I keep a regime to ensure my muscles don't atrophy nor tense," replied James robotically.
'But I wouldn't say no to this sort of massage every now and then,' added James mentally. While it was true he did stretching exercises to ensure the muscles supporting the prosthesis were working correctly, the massage was doing wonders, especially with Aura added in.
Since Jaune only had to work half of the body, he got through faster, but he decided to use the remaining time to really drive into the muscles, especially around the neck area.
"An excellent massage," complimented James as he suited back up, "If you have any interest in moving to Atlas, just let me know. I can easily arrange an area for you to work at as a masseur."
Jaune blushed a little as he scratched the back of his head, "The offer is appreciated, but I really want to become a Huntsman. Being here lets me have access to resources to help on that path."
"If you want to, you can always train at Atlas Academy," pitched James, "We do have the latest hard light training simulation that you can use, along with all the technological advantages that Beacon doesn't have. Weapons that can be improved, such as your current gun and sword, along with easier access to Dust, as Atlas is the primary exporter of it. If you want, you can leave with us right after the Vytal Festival is over. With our training system, you could be prepared to join any Academy."
Jaune couldn't help but be tempted at the offer he was being given. It was true that Atlas was in the lead with technological advancements. His own armor piece and gun were from them, and he loved them. However, he did currently have a contract with Beacon until the end of the semester, not the end of the Vytal Festival.
"While that sounds nice, I have a contract with Beacon until the end of the semester, past when all the students return back to their respective Academies," replied Jaune.
James seemed to hum as he was thinking of something before nodding.
"Well I suppose one can't just break a contract for just any reason," nodded James.
'But maybe I can get it transferred to Atlas,' thought James to himself as he finished paying and waived goodbye.
James felt lighter than before. The Aura massage was certainly something that he did not expect to enjoy. Already he was making plans to form a team of masseurs trained in such a massage, or maybe a corps.
'Perhaps some retired Huntsman and Huntresses, or even those who are tired of such a life,' thought James, 'They already have the Aura training. All that's needed is to apply it to a massage. Or perhaps civilians who failed to gain entrance to the Academies.'
Before he could contemplate further, he suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air before being shot into a classroom, where Glynda Goodwitch was waiting with her crop out.
"Umm," began James, only for Glynda to stop him with a mere glare.
"I hope you're not thinking of kidnapping our staff away due to his Aura reserves," said Glynda with an icy tone.
James didn't answer as his mouth was still being shut by Glynda.
"Jaune is a vital staff member of Beacon. I would not appreciate it if you didn't try to steal him," continued Glynda, "Although you have been at least making reparations for your mistake earlier, it doesn't mean you can take advantage of him. Being a staff member, he enjoys the same protection as any staff here."
Glynda took a breath before continuing, "Despite all my colleagues' help, none of them are quite readily available to help me when it comes to disciplinary actions against my students. Most of it falls upon me to enforce it. Being the head disciplinarian as well as the Vice-Headmistress of a bunch of young adults with Aura running around, with some dorming with people of opposite genders, can be stressful, especially when it falls to me. But despite that, I enjoy raising and training students in hopes I don't have to see them fall anytime soon. However, despite all that, it does stress one's body. With Jaune's ability, it helps push it down immensely. Which is why I'm not very keen on letting someone take him before his contract with us is over. Is that understood?"
Seeing James not answering, Glynda finally let him go.
"That wasn't my intention, or at least not fully," said James as he picked himself up, "I was more of thinking of creating a program for semi-retired huntsmen and Huntresses, those who are tired of fighting, or students who have their Aura unlocked but failed to get into the Academies or don't want to fight. After that massage, I can see the attraction of Jaune's skills. Even if the new recruits don't have the same amount of Aura he has, even a little can make a difference. If we can incorporate this into our program, then the efficiency of our students could increase. The students could possibly get better rest in their breaks. Though we'll have to see if it's only Jaune's Aura capable of doing that or if others can do it."
Glynda looked at James with suspicion before letting her stern look fade away.
"It would be something to consider," nodded Glynda, "However, I'm not sure the council will allow such a budget for Beacon. Already they're trying to slash our funds."
James shook his head at this. It was vital, more so than ever, to have a strong standing force ready to fight the Grimm. Just because they were at a time of peace didn't mean they could relax. The Grimm were out there, always ready to invade, always learning. The breach should've been enough warning.
"Well I suppose I can go up again," smiled Glynda, causing James to shiver a little. If Glynda was going to argue the case, the council might as well just tell her to take their money and go.
While Glynda wandered off, thinking about the budget, James gave a sigh of relief. While his little speech was true, he was also interested in Jaune for his vast Aura reserves, and to see how it could be duplicated to Penny. If Glynda or Ozpin ever caught wind of that, there would be hell to pay.
"I should go visit Junior," said Jaune to himself as he cleaned up, "Haven't seen him in awhile, and I need to still thank him for the chance."
Before he could move, the door opened up once more.
"I'm sorry, but we're clos-" began Jaune as he turned around in time to see Aureville rushing up to him in a big hug.
"Jaune, I'm so glad to see you're safe and here," said Aureville as he gently put Jaune back down, "I saw your message and wanted to rush back home to catch up with you, but I was stuck finishing a job up. I just finished, and was about to head back home when Ozpin sent me a message saying that you were working at Beacon now. So here I am!"
Jaune smiled as he hugged his grandfather back, "Yea. Headmaster gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. I know you were eager to teach me, but at Beacon, there are some academic resources that I can use to study to still get into Beacon."
"And I'd say you would've been a fool if you rejected the offer," grinned Aureville, "I can teach you with Beacon's resources much easier and safer now. I'll go talk to Ozpin about setting up a schedule where and when I can teach you."
Jaune nodded before pondering about something.
"I'm actually going to head into Vale tomorrow for my break to visit Junior and the twins to thank them for all the opportunities they gave me," said Jaune.
Aureville hummed as he pondered about it. While wary of Junior and his gang, it was his gang that gave Jaune his little start-up with surprisingly little interest on the loans. While Aureville had no idea how Jaune managed to do so, he decided not to prod too deeply into that. Plus the twins clearly cared for Jaune, though whether that affection was deeper than friendship remained to be seen. Aureville knew that Junior cared for her nieces to the point of spoiling them rotten, and if the nieces liked Jaune, he was safe from Junior. Though Junior looked like he also liked Jaune, too.
"Oh, I should probably be careful to not let Cardin Winchester see my face," commented Jaune.
Aureville blinked as he looked over to Jaune.
'Does he not know what happened to him?' thought Aureville before realizing that Cardin's fate had not been disclosed to the public. In fact, not a lot of people knew what happened to him. The Winchester had kept it a secret that Cardin was in a coma, though they had lost a lot of their prestige and wealth now. There were already calls to expel Councilman Winchester out of office.
"I don't think you'll have to worry about him," said Aureville, "He won't be a threat anymore."
Jaune blinked in surprise before shrugging, choosing to believe in his grandfather. He was aware that Pyrrha had made a statement about the whole situation and thanked her for it.
'Maybe invite her over for dinner? She'd probably like that,' thought Jaune, mentally cataloging what to purchase for dinner.
Next day
Junior was whistling as he cleaned his wine glasses. He had gotten quite a large sum of Lien from his dealings that would help fund his club some more. Though cleaning wine glasses were somewhat below him, everyone had something that relaxed them, and for Junior, it was inspecting his wine glasses and wine bottles.
When he heard the door leading into the club open, he looked over in confusion. It was not yet opening time, so who would come in? Not to mention his men should've been watching the door. If someone was barging in, there would've been some sort of alarm. The fact there wasn't meant the person coming in was familiar to them all. But just who exactl-
"Hi!" greeted Jaune with a smile, almost causing Junior to drop the wine glass he was cleaning.
"Jaune? What are you still doing in Vale?" blinked Junior as he almost cursed.
"I work at Beacon now," said Jaune as he sat in front of the bar, "I work as a full-time masseur there now. Today's my day off, so I wanted to visit to thank you for everything you've done for me."
"Ah, don't worry about it," said Junior, scratching the back of his head, "By the way, I took care of the appeal and all that, and it got approved. The Lien was enough to pay back the debt that you owe, so consider us even now."
Jaune paused at that, trying to find a reply to that. He never imagined that the appeal would've been overturned so fast, even if Miltia and Melanie had said they would take care of it. He supposed they had connections that could bypass Cardin's work.
Before he could say anything, he felt his right and left arms instantly clamped by two hands each, followed by something soft pressing down on both arms. However, the perfume he smelled gave it away just who it was.
"Melanie, Militia," greeted Jaune.
"Jaune!" smiled the twins, "We thought you were gone!"
"I kinda got kidnapped on my way home," admitted Jaune with a chuckle, "Though an entirely new experience I suppose. Ozpin redirected my flight to Beacon before giving an offer I couldn't refuse."
"You'll have to tell us more," said Melanie as the twins began dragging Jaune away.
"Maybe a little massage while you do so?" suggested Miltia.
Junior could only chuckle as the twins dragged him away.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!
