Heh, a second chapter so soon after the first, I think my writer's block has started to chip away with since I started my vacation. Enjoy this one all, as I'm considering Weiss or Velvet to be the next one to hear Jaune's innocent rambles. I think the reason for me getting out of my slump is mainly due to the poetry I'm trying to incorporate. Though the structure of my poems doesn't really follow a proper format.
Till then, cheers and enjoy the read.
Searoar.
"Yang, stop moving!" Ruby whined as her older sister twitched while seated.
It was an unfortunate display of overconfidence and lack of patience, that Yang Xiao Long suffered the worst hair days in her career. Snow, mud, and twigs gathered in clusters amidst the long, blonde locks of the brawler, Yang scowled as she recounted the tragedy which had befallen her.
She was a good ten feet in front of Sun down the hill, on the new sled she'd bought for a very good price, only to choose the flashy route instead of the safe one, and was perturbed by a small hill in the snow. The hill was big enough to disturb Yang's balance, and though she made a strong effort to recapture her lead, it was evident that with the help of desire and momentum, that Sun would reach the bottom of the hill first.
Yang bit her lower lip and grunted when Ruby plucked another twig. She sat there, on the carpet of their dorm, brooding as to how she'd reclaim the title of "best sledder in Beacon" but as to how she would achieve this was a conundrum. For her trusty sled was now in three pieces, and without a hammer, nails, or experience with reassembling a sled; Yang was out of luck.
"And that's the last one!" Ruby declared with a triumphant smile. She'd managed to get most of the gunk out of her sibling's hair, but the young reaper could do nothing to salvage Yang's lost pride. Nor could she assist in the matter of easing the undeniable temper that Blake had amassed after her discovery of Yang's and Sun's wager. Which Ruby wanted to avoid, as a matter of fact.
"This sucks," Yang said finally and stood up, "I'll need a good Christmas present for Blake after she's gone out with Sun. What kind of books does she read again?"
"I believe her favorite title is Ninja's In Love," said a very upset Weiss as she turned from her desk and put down her pencil. The heiress had decided the dorm would be the best place to study before the start of winter vacation but was disappointed when her peaceful atmosphere was ruined by the grumpiness of a certain blonde and her sputtering black-haired sister.
"Thanks," Yang huffed and went straight into the shower after she gathered a new set of clothes. "The stores in Vale should still be open, right?"
"I believe you have another six hours before they close." Weiss rubbed her temples and breathed a sigh of relief when the bathroom door clicked shut and the sound of rushing water took over the grumpy silence.
"Hmm..." Ruby pouted at the mess that was left on the floor and the fact that Yang hadn't offered to help clean it. It was her mess to begin with, yet Ruby made quick work of the litter and gathered a dustpan and broom. With the aid of her semblance, cleaning was easy, but having control of the stray twigs proved to be a hurdle.
"Ahem!" Weiss frowned as a twig was now atop her scalp.
"Oops, sorry!" Ruby put away the broom and skipped over to her partner. She disposed of the twig eagerly, but her silver eyes were caught by an open book left on Weiss' desk. There wasn't anything weird about the book, however, the words within them did pique Ruby's interest.
"Are you reading something, Weiss? That doesn't look like the homework for Doctor Oobleck's or Professor Port's class..."
The heiress' cheeks flushed and she clamped the book shut. She met Ruby's curious stare with a hardened glare of her own, and eventually Ruby relented as she didn't want to start any drama before the movie tonight. Still, Ruby's eyes couldn't help but steal glances at the closed novel, as the handwriting within was that of Weiss'. No one in team RWBY used cursive, other than Weiss or Blake, but the way each girl shaped their letters was obvious and distinct.
"Alright," Yang emerged from the shower with steam flooding the dorm. "Rubes, wanna help your big sis in Vale? You're not doing anything today, are you?"
Ruby tried to bury her head in the comic book that she'd opened while seated on her bed, but a few pieces of flimsy paper were useless against a determined Yang. With a sigh, Ruby put down the comic and grabbed her red winter coat that hung beside the door, only to have the door open to reveal none other than Blake Belladonna. A smiling Blake Belladonna.
Yang froze as a clump formed in her throat. She struggled for an apology, but to her surprise and delight, Blake remained quiet as the cooling steam and sauntered over to her bed with a satisfied plop. The only thing that Blake did after that, was pull out a pen and empty notebook, then proceeded to scribble like a madwoman and filled the first page in three minutes flat.
"...Okay, so did the date with Sun go well?" Yang asked, though regretted the question when Blake's eyes narrowed and snapped upward from her writing.
"I never went, so it'll be your responsibility to explain to Sun how dumb you were to promise him something that I gave no consent to." Blake threw off her winter coat with exceptional marksmanship, and the black piece of clothing snagged itself on the coat hanger next to the window.
"Aw..." Yang slumped. She figured a nice book would be an easy ticket to her solutions, but she had no idea what Sun liked other than the chance of taking her introverted partner on a date.
"Hmm? What are you writing Blake? Are those poems?" Ruby peeked over the Faunus' shoulder with keen eyes and found the words she'd written to be charming and sweet.
"D-Don't look at it!" Blake shut her notebook shut and hopped off her bed leaving Ruby, who was kneeling, to fall forward onto a pillow face-first.
This got Yang's attention, and though she had a mission to apologize to Sun, it was rare that she saw Blake so flustered. Whatever was in her partner's notebook, had to be worth reading. If not, it was still good teasing material which Yang would love to bank for another day.
"Tsk," Weiss clicked her tongue as the dorm was soon overwhelmed by a scramble to get a hold of Blake's notebook. The heiress needed to focus, which she obviously was not going to achieve while confined to her headache-inducing teammates. Thus, she packed her things in her schoolbag and exited the room discreetly.
/-/
"Oh, hi, Weiss." Jaune waved to the small girl with a smile. "What's going on in your dorm?"
A loud bang, followed by several screams and maybe a few cuss words, Weiss simply dismissed Jaune's question and asked him to step out of her way. The boy saw no reason to keep Weiss from her endeavors and left her be with another polite wave and confirmation that he'd see her at tonight's movie in his team's dorm.
"Yes..." Weiss rolled her eyes and strutted down the hall. She was still sour over the Arc's attempt to woo her, but at least it appeared that he'd give her some breathing space from now on. She could only come up with so many ways to reject a boy in the span of a week, after all.
"Hah, guess she's still upset." Jaune joked, though his smile didn't have the same amount of brightness that it usually did. Nonetheless, he put aside his negative thoughts and opened the door to his dorm. Pyrrha and Ren weren't anywhere to be seen, but a certain Valkyrie was excited to see her leader.
"Jaune!" Nora exclaimed with a trophy smile. "Where were you? It's been hours since I've seen anyone!"
Jaune laughed and shrugged. "I was in Vale to pick up the rest of the decorations for our Christmas tree, then I ran into Blake in a coffee shop."
"Oh, is it because Yang lost the sled race? I remember Sun and Neptune doing a really cool handshake and dance after Sun won. The look on Yang's face was priceless too..." Nora said with a giggle.
"Haha," Jaune felt guilty for laughing at Yang's distress, but the brawler asked for it so there wasn't any harm in some light-hearted teasing. As Nora helped Jaune with his bags and boxes, the boy pulled out the plastic star and admired its complexion before setting it atop the Christmas tree that was pitched in the middle of the dorm.
Pyrrha, oddly enough, had objected to the tree being put there; though she was unable to voice the reason as to why so Ren and Nora went about setting up the tree originally as planned. The only thing the tree did was separate Jaune's view of his teammate's beds, which he had no issues with if he got to help decorate the faux pine.
The tree wasn't tall and stood at a humble five feet with preset lights that were a mix of gold and white. For decorations, Nora went about putting red and blue bulbs while Jaune carefully twirled lines of silver beads around the branches. After an hour, the tree was fully decorated and the star atop it shined brightly after Jaune turned on the lights.
"This is perfect!" Nora squealed and clapped her hands at the masterpiece she'd helped create.
"Thanks, it seems the decorations were worth every lien." Jaune grinned and hopped into the kitchen for a much-needed snack. However, when the Arc opened the refrigerator, he was glum to find it empty save for half a tray of eggs and a single strand of frozen bacon. He glanced over to Nora in the bedrooms, then at the pile of dishes that littered the sink.
"Nora-" Jaune didn't get the chance to finish as the Valkyrie had made a quick escape. "Guess I'll get her to clean the dishes later..."
Without the supplies for satisfying nourishment, Jaune saw to it that the cafeteria would be his next destination. He didn't need his winter jacket, but his clothes had gathered a few smudges of mud and snow. Thus, the Arc changed from his winter attire and adorned his Beacon uniform with pride.
With the click of the door and a rumbling stomach, Jaune wasted no time and hurried down the hall. His objective was simple but was impeded by his least favorite professor, Ms. Goodwitch. Jaune didn't dislike Ms. Goodwitch as a person, no sir, but there were times he felt as if she were picking on him at times due to his inexperience and lack of knowledge. Still, the more Jaune thought about it, with how he cheated his way into the prestigious academy, he understood that he rightfully deserved Glynda's scorn.
Jaune was improving, though not at the pace Glynda preferred, but the effort to better himself was unmistaken and had earned him a few extra lessons when it came to combat and the like.
"Hello, Mrs. Goodwitch," Jaune waved. His steps slowed, however, as the professor's pale emerald eyes narrowed on him.
"Um..."
"Mr. Arc," Glynda said as she frowned at the boy. "I ran into Ms. Valkyrie on my way to the headmaster's office, and it appears that you're the cause of her anxiety."
Jaune opened his mouth, then clamped it shut when he noticed the fresh coffee stains on Glynda's white blouse and the empty mug that dangled on the edge of her delicate finger. Jaune chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't annoyed with Nora to the point of veering Glynda's wrath on her and explained that he'd challenged her to a game of tag. This was a lie of course, and the professor's expression showed that she was not convinced, but she put her suspicions aside as the remainder of the paperwork she had to finish was too great a burden already.
"Well, at least Christmas is right around the corner, isn't it?" Jaune offered as he found his strides matching those of his esteemed professor. The elevators were down the same hallway that was directed to the cafeteria, so Jaune had the opportunity to converse and hopefully earn some good points with the stern teacher.
"So what were you doing in Vale, Mr. Arc?" Glynda sighed as the two rounded a corner. The elevators were within view, and the distraction of her student's speech was an oddly decent stress reliever for the storm of papers to come.
"Oh," Jaune snapped his fingers, "I was out shopping for Christmas decorations when I ran into Blake. We met in a café, and I started to explain to her how a poem would be a good way for Sun to get on her good side."
"A poem?" Glynda rolled her eyes at the thought as she and Jaune stopped in front of the elevator. She pressed a button and sighed when the elevator had to come down from the tallest floor.
"Yeah, though I don't think my mindless rambling did Blake any good. She was quiet all the way back to the school." Jaune scratched his cheek as he pondered if he'd offended the girl in some way.
"Poems are seldom seen in teenagers these days, most of the time they want to express their youthful grandeur by bragging about their grades or wins in combat." Glynda curled a brow as the talkative Jaune had suddenly gone quiet. Perhaps her words had been a tad insensitive, as she had put the boy through the wringer since his arrival, and maybe she'd allowed her migraine to influence how she spoke. Glynda aimed to fix her blunt delivery, only to furrow her eyebrows next to the pensive expression that Jaune wore.
His eyes roamed downward, then upward, and Glynda felt as if he were checking her out. This would not do, as it was inappropriate for a student to look at his teacher in such a way, but before Glynda could voice her disapproval, Jaune spoke.
"Hmm... maybe a poem that's more regal would suit your tastes?" Jaune cupped his chin and his serious and stoic face emerged. The same one he'd shown to Blake a couple of hours before.
"Mr. Arc?" Glynda's brows scrunched as the inner poet within the young man emerged...
"Ding!~" Chimed the elevator as its metal doors slid open.
"Oh..." Jaune smacked his forehead as a wave of embarrassment flushed his fair face. He'd been rambling again, and as expected, he was presented with a muddled visage similar to that of Blake's when he'd finished talking.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Goodwitch," Jaune said sheepishly. "I shouldn't keep you from your paperwork, so I guess I'll see you when classes restart after vacation?"
The professor replied in the affirmative, yet her tone was oddly uncertain, but Jaune dismissed this as Glynda wanting to keep a professional attitude despite her student's long-winded speech. With a wave and a polite goodbye, Jaune departed for the cafeteria that was only five minutes away, and as Glynda entered the elevator; she slumped against the wall when the doors closed.
Glynda shook her head and crossed her arms, then gently bit the tip of her fingernail. Why was she so flustered? Jaune was but a student, no more than a naive child, yet he'd managed to crack the stone demeanor that Glynda worked so hard to maintain in a matter of minutes. Was it because she hadn't heard such sophisticated poetry in a while? Or maybe it was because her ears were so tuned in on how deep Jaune's voice became when he announced his poem? And why were her cheeks so damn red and hot?!
"No..." Glynda thought as she recounted the young man's words. It was the way Jaune looked at her, the way his cerulean eyes were focused on hers as if Glynda was the only important person in that hallway who deserved the blonde's complete attention.
The elevator at its middle point, Glynda whispered the poem Jaune had recited that revolved solely around her...
Brave, loyal, and duty-bound.
My teacher is one who is most profound.
Yet behind that mask of stone she wears.
I cannot imagine that she does not care.
For behind that stern facade is an angel's heart.
That I, Jaune Arc, am blessed to impart.
My words are that of a novice.
For a naive mind cannot describe such an elegant beauty.
Though through my mentor's guidance I have become experienced.
I will cherish the lessons bestowed upon me.
Through pain and scar I wear my teachings with pride.
I thank you, Mrs. Goodwitch, for all that you've done.
As I am now a man who is proud to stand among you.
And perhaps beside you... one day?
The poem complete, Glynda's knees trembled as her stern mind dipped into fevered territory. "Silly boy, I'm Miss Goodwitch, not Mrs..."
"I'm sorry, what was that, Glynda?" Asked Ozpin as he stood in front of the elevator's open doors with a curious expression.
"N-Nothing!" Glynda shot upright and fixed the hem of her skirt and forced her arms to her sides. She glared hard at her superior, daring him to pry inter her personal matters, and was thankful the headmaster did not push the subject. However, the effect of her glare did not have the impact she desired due to her flushed cheeks and trembling lips, eyes, and slender legs.
Glynda strutted to her temporary desk on the western side of Ozpin's office, albeit clumsily, pushed her regular workload aside, and pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a fancy fountain pen. She... needed to jot down what Jaune had said, as to remind him to mind his mouth when in the presence of a woman. There was no other reason for this, as the task of minding one's manners was necessary for a youth.
"Is that... a love poem?" Ozpin asked as he peered over his friend's shoulder.
Glynda scrambled to fold the page and barked at the headmaster to leave the room. Ozpin tried to reason that the office the teacher occupied was his, but the threat of her breaking his favorite coffee mug proved too great a risk. Soon enough, Ozpin left his friend to her duties and decided a trip around the courtyard would be a nice break from his paperwork.
"Right," Glynda huffed as she alone occupied the office. "Where was I?"
With a series of elaborate flicks of black ink, Glynda filled the page with Jaune's heartfelt words and thanked Oum that Ozpin had only seen the first four lines.