35. Beacon Days 20

Mondays tended to be depressing, and Wednesdays were always a slog. But Tuesdays? In Jaune's experience, his Tuesdays usually turned out just plain weird. Like today, for instance.

"Watch where you're going, damn idiot!"

"Say that again with your two left feet."

Okay, his shoulder and another student's shoulder had bumped, causing both boys to stumble. A story retold a thousand times. Nothing strange to see here. At first.

"Wait a minute." The student's eyes first lit up in recognition, then in malice. "Hahaha, someone's brave today. Hey, I heard about this fight where Jaune Arc got taken out in one move. That you, or is there another weakling dumbfuck with the name strutting around Beacon?"

His team hooted and laughed like the boy had struck comedic gold. He waved them quiet and leaned forward, a mocking grin on his face.

"A bit of advice, wearing a suit doesn't make you hot shit." More laughter followed.

Jaune paid them the barest of acknowledgment. Something else had his attention. Unable to help himself, he darted his eyes down to check the boy's outfit again.

Nope, still an Atlesian uniform. No matter how many times he looked, it never stopped being surreal. An Atlas Academy student was cursing, like normal people. He had no idea they even knew how to pronounce those kinds of words. It was always 'uncultured swine' this and 'such a barbarian *disdainful sniff*' that. When physical contact occurred, it would not be uncommon to see a hand dabbing a handkerchief on the 'tainted' spot.

This one used his hand to flip the bird. The scene was bewildering and hilarious in one.

Far less hilarious was how boldly they acted while confronting him, and Jaune soon lost the last of his good cheer. The leader might be one thing, as a level of confidence (arrogance, even) should be expected for the position, but for the boy's subordinates to think they stood above Jaune, too?

Their attitude showcased a persistent dilemma stemming from his spar with Haven's Chloris. His air of danger and mystique had a big, gaping wound refusing to close. That this group challenged him without fear signaled a changing world, one he would be best served getting on top of before any and all nameless mook thought to try their luck.

Their insults invited a response. He intended to answer. And the best way he knew how, was by following to his teachers' Lessons. In other words, double down and puff up like a peacock.

Jaune placed his hands on his hips, elbows akimbo to take up space. His feet slid along the tiled avenue to widen his stance, his chest thrust out. He tilted back his head, all the better to look down his nose at the Atlas student and his team. Exuding boundless arrogance, he matched their glares with a lazy gaze.

"Tsk, tsk. Leave it to the simple-minded to buy into slanderous rumors." The ones Jaune propagated in his bar were clearly superior. It painted the spar in a much better light. "The number of foes I've beaten piled up as high as a mountain, my battles spanned the length of Vale. Better men than you have laid broken at my feet." He included fights against Auraless thugs to pad the boast, but he won't mention that.

A tinge of worry grew on the faces of the other party, but glances and nudges from each other emboldened them once more. Their leader waved a hand to dismiss the claim.

"Pheh! Anyone can talk a big game. You're not all that." The note of hope, as if he wanted to convince himself, belied his unease.

Jaune affected a sneer. He also checked one final time to make sure they were unarmed.

"If you believe yourself more capable, then your head must not be screwed on right. How about we step into that alley, and I show you how to get to the infirmary?"

"You know what? Gladly. I'm getting sick of seeing you swagger around like you own the place."

Heh heh heh, look who bit the bait. Huntsmen, like Yakuza, fought at the drop of a hat. But there's a world of difference between Combat Class... and a backstreet brawl.

-o-

The sprawling campus of Beacon could be called a city in its own rights. And like a city, it naturally contained many nooks and crannies hidden out of sight.

Turn down a certain alley, then go all the way to its end, and a person would end up in one such place. Tucked in between two residential wings laid a small courtyard. It bore a few trees and bushes, and had a bench for those looking to kick back (or sit primly, or lay down, or whatever they fancied; benches had uses).

What made it truly precious was the privacy such an area offered. On the main avenues, ones who kick up a disturbance shall suffer the wrath of the Witch. Here, hostile parties like Jaune and the Atlas team arrayed before him can settle their differences on the quiet, with the wider world none the wiser.

Having said that…

Jaune did a quick counting of heads, including his own. He did not come up with five.

…For a 'discrete' venue, there sure were a lot of spectators. The scent of entertainment must be aromatic, indeed, because a couple seconds after Jaune and the nameless mooks entered the courtyard, a small crowd had materialized out of thin air to encircle the two parties. Going by the clothes, each of the four Academies were represented to some degree. Jaune spotted one of Oobleck's bookies making the rounds to take bets on the fight's outcome. Snacks were passed around, a small bag of popcorn making its way to Ruby and Weiss in the front row.

The Atlas team eyed the two women with wariness, likely expecting them to step forward and fight by Jaune's side. Given how often they were seen in his company, it was a fair assumption. A wrong one, but that was because they did not catch Jaune shaking his head to get the girls to stay put.

"Alright, alright, alright! Have we got a show for you tonight!"

Into the encirclement strutted a person wearing a rabbit mascot helmet, the same one Jaune saw a few days ago in the Recreation Hall.

He then noticed the female uniform of Beacon along with a decidedly feminine figure, and blinked in confusion. He could have sworn it had been a boy who wore that helmet the last time. Were there more than one of these bunny-things running around?

Whatever the case, the rabbit adopted the role of announcer with a natural ease. She gleefully shouted into a paper megaphone.

"Two men walked down a long road, one heading east, the other heading west. They met at the center, neither gave way, that's the story so far now let's watch the rest. On this side, coming from our lovely host school and fittingly dressed like a host to boot, better guard your backs (and throats, and eyes, and balls, and kidneys), it's Jaune Arc!"

Ruby led the cheering, hopping up and down with her fists raised in the air. Weiss stood still for a bit before her shoulders jolted. Head darting left and right, she resorted to imitating her leader. Jaune chuckled at the sight.

Ahhh, Weiss was as sheltered and socially awkward as the day they first met. Her being paired with Ruby had been good for the both of them.

The Emcee cast a hand in the direction of the other team.

"Now, in the other corner of this cornerless circle, hailing from the coldest Kingdom, childhood friends from the same Mantle neighborhood, the..."

"Oh. Ohhhh. They're from Mantle." Jaune whispered to himself, tuning out the team's introduction. "Well, crap."

That was one mystery solved. He thought these were just more Atlas rich kids and it turned out they were denizens of Mantle. As in, the literal undercity to the floating metropolis, where crime and violence ran rampant, and people lived their days in the shadows. No wonder their insults rang so familiar; these were the company he tended to keep.

Did they still follow the rules of the street, or had Atlas Academy drummed it out of them? Depending on the answer, the probability of him getting punched below the belt rises significantly.

"...put your hands together for Team BLUM!"

"Soooo, B." Jaune said to the leader when the cheering died down. "If you-"

B raised a hand to interrupt.

"That's not my initial, actually. Atlas dropped a few of the naming conventions for teams. My name is-"

"Didn't ask for your life story. You're B for today's purposes." Jaune pointed the lone girl of the team on the left and called out over the spectator's din. "L." The hand swept over to the right. "U." It shifted to the last boy. "M."

M visibly cheered. "You got me right!"

"Am I good, or am I good?" He winked. "Anyways, if any of you want to back down, now's the last chance."

They displayed various levels of scoffing disdain. Probability rises, promising pain to one Jaune Arc.

The hard way, then. And since they turned out a tad more problematic than previously thought, he will have to go all the harder.

Jaune reached inside his jacket. Steel flashed in sunlight as he whipped out his long knife with a flourish.

"Whoa, the fuck!"

"No fair!"

"The side with a 4-to-1 advantage don't get to call foul."

He ignored them from then on, instead working through a series of hand motions, followed by stretches with his legs. He finished the exercise by miming backstabs with his knife.

Team BLUM followed the movements of his knife, wary of the offensive power it brought. They really should have been watching his hand. It might have let them recognize the purpose of the signals.

"Looks like both sides are cheaty cheaters who cheats. I have never been so disappointed in today's youths." The Emcee yelled, showing no signs of said disappointment. If anything, the prospect of a more exciting fight galvanized her.

Gamblers took in the new situation and placed their wagers with the bookie. The early betters, on the other hand, were in a frenzy because the odds have been well and truly tossed up in the air.

Jaune took up a loose stance, one foot in front the other and the knife bouncing against a leg; he wanted their eyes focused on its presence. The mere threat of a weapon had uses, in this case winning him the initiative. His enemies had already fallen in the mentality of reactionaries, formulating their plans based on what he would do rather than what their goals were. Jaune has earned himself a split second's time on every move.

On their side, Team BLUM adopted a diamond formation. B stood at the front, with U a ways behind. L and M spread themselves further out in what Jaune suspect would be a flanking maneuver.

"Let's get this show on the road, because our break's nearly over. I sure don't want to meet Goodwitch in the halls, so ready or not, it starts in 3..."

Jaune tensed.

"2..."

He leaned forward.

"1, and Fight!"

And he charged right in, because bringing a knife to a fist fight afforded a person the best defense, that of sweet, sweet offense.

"Arc wastes no time, but looks like BLUM's got a plan of their own!"

They scattered before him, fanning out to box him in. A pretty good move that took advantage of their numbers. Whether in people or in nature, there was an instinctual fear of being surrounded by enemies. It induced a sense of paranoia like none other, and makes a person want to put distance from his enemy, to retreat to the center. Mel and Mil loved it when people do that. As they liked to tell him: fall into prey behavior, be treated as such.

He had been 'treated as such' more times than he could count. So, when impulse demanded that he play defensive, the lesson learned from a summer's worth of spars told Jaune to keep up his sprint. U's eyes widened as Jaune bore down on him. He yelped in panic, and Jaune picked up the sounds of shoes scraping on the stone pavement as U's teammates changed course. Too late, Jaune winded back his arm.

The long knife came down in a mighty blow, and in the lack of better options, two arms came up to block it. Steel met flesh, sawing off Aura. It could not break skin but the pain transmitted nevertheless. U clenched his teeth, turning a scream into a whimper. Jaune took the chance to punch him in the nose, disorienting him.

Those footsteps were close now, and he had his back turned. Let's change that.

A grab, a pivot, and they traded places with U taking the brunt of L's tackle. Jaune stepped to the side to let them fly past. He left the two to disentangle themselves, already charging at his next target. B skidded along the ground, tripping over his feet as he tried to follow.

Remember, gopher. One against many, never stationary.

It was a lesson even Huntsmen adhered to, bouncing back and forth amidst a horde of Grimm like maddened chimpanzees rather than establishing a static position. Sharp changes in direction added a layer of unpredictability that made others hesitate. They needed the time to think, to react. He did not.

"Uh-oh. The lone gazelle has been drawn away from his herd. Run, little gazelle! Fight! Play dead! Too late, the lion pounces!"

Jaune set upon his target. Having gained a few seconds without interruption, now was the best time to deal meaningful damage. He swung his knife with abandon as M ducked and weaved.

A slash at the neck, blocked by an arm. M's Aura went down.

A second attempt, to the same result. M's Aura went down.

A punch at M's face, landing yet countered by a simultaneous punch hitting Jaune's chin. Jaune's head snapped back. M's Aura went down.

A cut down the length of the torso, dodged so that it merely grazed. M's Aura still went down.

What his opponent did mattered little. So long as an attack hit, it would shave off some Aura from a finite supply. The where of the attack only determined how much was lost. Keep working at it, and the supply will dwindle to the limit at some point.

A stab at his stomach struck true, and M doubled over. Jaune reset his stance, straightened his frame to gain height, and slammed the hilt of the knife down on the back of the boy's head.

Reversing his grip on the wakizashi, he prepared to drive the knife into M's back. A movement at the corner of his eye made Jaune glance behind.

Hurling through the air, B had a fist cocked back. Jaune saw a threat.

The midair boy's feet were tucked behind outspread knees. Jaune saw an opportunity.

He could go through with his stab on M. Its impact on his Aura would be significant, and worth taking the punch.

What he could do to B right now might well be devastating.

Jaune made his choice.

He cupped the base of the knife hilt in his left hand, the right gripping the hilt's center. The blade rose to line parallel with his arm, the tip tucked just under his armpit.

A moment from contact, Jaune slid one foot back, dipped low, and drove the knife on an upward angle past his body. Momentum met resistance, centered on one very vulnerable point.

"HOLY SHIT!" The Emcee shouted, mirroring what everyone else was likely thinking. "Owowowow, I hope Aura protected that!"

It did, though the heart-rending screams and rivers of tears suggested that to be scant comfort. Despite the absence of actual damage, the phantom pain fully transmitted the sensation of what should have happened.

Team BLUM's fallen leader stared up at Jaune. Hollow eyes asked one question. Why?

He thought it seemed like a good idea at the time! And it was! This was as close to an OHK as Huntsmen can do to one another. Yet, his legs crossed in sympathy at the sight, and guilt assailed his spirit. What he feared would happen to him, he had inflicted upon someone else. What has he become?

"You've probably thought of doing the same." The feeble protest was all he could muster.

"..."

Hang on, really? Jaune took a closer look at the other boy.

They really had meant to! There was agony etched onto that face, but also a sheepishness in the way he averted his eyes at the accusation. Nevermind, there were no innocents in this fight. Jaune was just the one to succeed in pulling it off.

"Wooow, Arc isn't the only heartless monster around." Oh, shut up, you rabbit. True monsters are worse than me. "And what's this? Sneaky, sneaky!" What is she-

Jaune discovered the answer when he felt boots on his back, and had the barest instant to lament his mistake. In causing such a disruption to the battle, he distracted his own self and failed to stay mobile.

What an amateur move.

M, down but not out, kicked out with both legs to launch Jaune over his leader, and towards his waiting teammates.

Learning from B's ill-advised maneuver, Jaune tucked himself into a ball. He landed between the two fighters, rolled, and almost got to his feet until a stomp put him on the ground again. U and L rained down kicks with glee.

Oof, my stomach! My handsome face! My fingers! My face again!

Jaune slapped a hand on the pavement, bracing his body. A shoe promptly crushed it, bringing tears to his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he pulled in his legs, then shot out a foot to meet U's heel coming down. From there, a simple push destroyed his balance and U windmilled his arms in an attempt to stay upright.

With the pressure eased, Jaune gave a blind swing of his long knife. It caught L on the shin. A press of a switch activated the Lightning Dust to zap the girl, and she jumped back.

Having found his bearing, Jaune swiveled on his hip and swept a leg out. It missed the girl, but cleared more space for him to get up. He glared at L, and M who had joined her. They glared right back in challenge.

He then pivoted on his heels and bolted towards the third combatant, making the other two give chase.

"Oh, come on!"

"This again?"

Yup. And again and again for as long as it took. The strategy broke down on his error, not on its merits. It bore repeating.

Lacking time, Jaune gave up on technique and battered away at his opponent with his knife, trading Aura for Aura as U retaliated with a barrage of punches. His free hand stayed on the collar of the Atlas uniform, pulling the boy this way and that to use him as a barrier against the other two fighters.

The Emcee called out a warning.

"Red Aura alert!"

For a second, it looked like the Atlesian would fight on anyway. Then, one fist yet raised, he halted in his tracks.

"Alright, I'm done. I'm out."

The boy relaxed his stance and Jaune released him. Raising his arms in surrender, the U of BLUM stepped off to the side, a smirk growing on his face. His absence revealed his teammates waiting in the wing, both of whom now had a clear shot at Jaune.

Clever, clever.

This close, there were no great tactic to employ, no tricks to be had. Jaune thumbed the switch and swiped the electrified knife in a wide arc. L and M reared back, then charged forward.

It became a scramble over control of the knife. M managed to grab his right arm, trapping it. Jaune passed the knife to his left hand, jabbed it in the boy's side, and shocked him to get free. He swung at L, hoping to catch her off-guard. No dice, L blocked him by the wrist and the blade could not touch her to give a jolt of lightning. Jaune disengaged. They followed.

A series of wild slashes held them back until M braved the barrier. He took the knife on a shoulder, barreled through the electric blast with a roar of pain, and held onto Jaune long enough for his partner to grab Jaune's hand. One by one she peeled back the fingers until the weapon dropped from his grip.

From there, it devolved into grapples and punches, with the occasional knee to someone's gut. He hit hard, harder than they could with how quickly Aura healed his knuckles, but the high number of blows he received meant his Aura still wound up draining away at a blistering pace. As the fight dragged on, the prospect of victory grew...uncertain. Much too uncertain for his taste.

So, he enacted his contingency plan. He decided between the two foes and raised his arm in the air, forming a hand gesture with two fingers curled.

Nothing happened, beyond everybody looking at him strangely. L took the opportunity to punch him in the mouth.

Teeth smarting painfully, Jaune tried again. Since it was pretty much offered for free, M trapped the arm in a vise grip.

Oh, come on.

He changed his mood quick, whooping in delight when something small, red, and above all fast smashed into the other boy, taking him off his feet and tearing off his hold on Jaune. He struck the ground, his body bouncing and scraping along the courtyard stone. Riding on his back…

"Dirtyyyy! Ruby Rose, out of nowhere, has taken the field to attack from behind! How can something so adorable fight so dirtyyyy!?"

Ruby stuck out her tongue at the Emcee. Her hands took hold of her human skateboard's hair, and shove his face into the pavement. The rough stone ripped through his reserves. After Jaune's earlier onslaught, multiple electrocutions, various punches and kicks, and now this, M succumbed to Red Aura.

Gaping like a fish as she tracked her partner's journey, L jerked when she felt something sharp pressing against the small of her back. Recognizing what it was, she sighed.

"You really don't play fair."

Behind her, thumb on the trigger of his recovered knife, Jaune beamed with a sunshine smile, his eyes merry.

"Again, someone who had a 4-to-1 advantage don't get to complain."

Zap!

The last enemy defeated, Jaune spun the wakizashi in a flourish. The blade came to a rest on his shoulder. Ruby arrived a moment later in a storm of petals. They slapped their hands together in a high-five.

"Good try, though. Next time, worry less about the knife you see, and watch for the one you don't."

-o-

"Just when we thought he has no more cards to play, he came out with this. In hindsight, 'no rules' meant exactly that. Victory goes to the Dirty Pair of Arc and Rose!"

Standing at the center of the courtyard, the winners of the bout basked in the adulation of the crowd. And the jeers. Like, wow, were some people jeering.

They had nothing on the taunting ability of Red Axes, though, so Jaune brushed off his detractors easily enough in favor of sating his curiosity. He nudged Ruby to get her attention. Leaning down, he looked into her silver eyes.

"Thanks for the help, Ruby."

"No problem!"

"Just one thing…why did it take you so long?" Jaune narrowed his eyes in feigned anger. "They were beating me like a drum after I gave the signal!"

Ruby placed her hands on her hips, her lips twitching as she tried to suppress a laugh.

"Well, sooor-ry! You need better signals."

"I had to strike a balance, you know. Vague enough so they can't figure it out, and understandable to you, it was pretty good for something made on the fly."

"Really? Because I thought you were doing an interpretive dance in the beginning. What was that hand-rabbit thing for, anyway?"

"Rabbit? No, that was to tell you to aim at M. See?"

He made the hand gesture again, curling two fingers in what was unmistakably… Okay, Ruby might have a point.

"It was a rabbit, Jaune. I was about to attack the Emcee until Weiss stopped me. And you're lucky I even remember who was supposed to be who."

"Let me guess. Weiss helped you?"

"Hehe, yeah." Ruby gave a sheepish chuckle. Weiss, you are amazing! Jaune shot said girl a thumbs-up. "I heard you assign the letters, but then they moved around and I got it mixed up."

Jaune's hand landed on her head, and he proceeded to ruffle her hair.

"You were great. Really saved my bacon. And we got a win, so all's well that ends well."

"Yep!"

"Now, what say we all go celebrate? My treat, of co-"

"Goodwitch's coming, run for your lives!"

All motion in the courtyard stopped. The good cheer vanished in an instant. Jaune glance at Ruby, she met his gaze, horror dawning in both.

Nine different voices, including those of Jaune, Ruby, and the rabbit, yelled out in unison.

"""SCATTER!"""

As Glynda Goodwitch marched down the alley, she heard screams of panic, the sounds of bodies colliding, plus a declaration of "Ninja vanish!" followed by dark smoke emitting in the distance.

When she reached the courtyard, it was empty. As if nothing had happened there at all.

Quiet, as it should be.

Author's Notes: Ruby Rose, corrupted by the cookies, bent to the Yakuza's will. Weiss screams in frustration as Ruby 'proves her loyalty' once again.

Multi-personnel fights are a confused mess of 'he' and 'she', but to come up with actual OCs is a pain. This was the compromise, combining a purpose with their identification. It was so Ruby knew who to attack.

Added another option I can use to describe the action, by having someone literally describe the action. Hence, an Emcee to provide commentary for certain fights from now on.