Here you go, have fun
The room Jaune found himself in was grey and sparse if he was being generous. Bloody nose aside, he was sitting in a chair at the lone table that dominated the room. Frayed nerves from sitting in there for over an hour showed through the impatient tapping of his foot. This has to be some type of record for shitty luck. He thought, looking back at what happened in the past month alone. Well, not shitty from getting into Beacon and getting a new arm, but definitely overactive. Jaune just wanted a break from the hectic lifestyle to be honest.
A grating sound of a reinforced door opening signaled the entry of a newcomer. Ozpin strolled in with a cup of coffee and his signature cane, a small smile on his face. "Good evening, Mr. Arc." He greeted, sitting down across from him. The gentle clink of his mug landing on the table echoed in the room. "I hear you met someone interesting today." Jaune only sighed at the comment.
"Listen, I was just there because Qrow said to read up on prosthetic maintenance, and that was the only store I could find still open." The boy said, using the practiced excuse. "It's not my fault it got robbed. In fact," Jaune pointed to his bloody nose, "I did everything I could to stop it." Ozpin could only chuckle.
"Strange, must be a coincidence then." The Headmaster said examining Jaune, "Ms. Rose's testimony collaborated as much. Tell me Mr. Arc, what do you think of her?"
"Meh." The shrug came naturally from Jaune. "Didn't really have time to think between getting brained by a cane then being repeatedly kicked." Jaune leaned back in his seat searching for the events before everything went sideways. "I guess she seemed eager. She was ranting about a catalogue I picked out before this one guy started threating us."
Jaune watched Ozpin tapped his finger, appearing to be mulling something over. After a moment, Jaune spoke up again.
"I'm not in trouble, am I?" He asked, hoping that the law wouldn't come down on him for trying to be the good guy.
"No, you are not in trouble." Ozpin said, still tapping away. "I was able to convince the local law enforcement that Beacon students were merely doing their duty to keep the peace, given the situation." The Headmaster took a sip from his mug for a pause.
"She's a student too? Isn't she a little young?" Jaune asked. Sure, she was more than a capable fighter, but she couldn't be older than thirteen. Fourteen, tops.
"She is a student as of ten minutes ago. Ms. Rose will be attending with your class tomorrow." Ozpin said, stapling his fingers and looking over them at Jaune. "And I found the first assignment for you, as per our agreement." Jaune swallowed, not liking the look in the Headmaster's eyes. There's no way he could refuse, unless he wanted to be a cripple again with no way to be a Huntsman.
"And what would that be?"
"I need you to keep a constant eye on Ms. Rose. Originally, I planned for her to attend in two years when she was of age, but providence seemed to have other plans."
"Why do you want her specifically? You know, dad always says too much information can't hurt."
"Ruby Rose has… Unique potential against the Grimm, and it is my hopes to nurture that into a honed weapon." Ozpin explained. Jaune could only think that was weird to be spying on a girl two years younger than him, but really, he didn't have a choice in the matter.
"Uhh… Sure."
"This wasn't a suggestion."
"I know, I just feel weird about it." Ozpin only smiled at the statement.
"That's how I know I can trust you with it." He said, leaning back. "And not a word of this to anyone else. Not Qrow, not your father, not anyone. Understood?"
"I don't know, it kind of feels like you're grooming her…" Jaune said looking at Ozpin. Say what you want about him being sheltered, he still knew about the bad things that still happened in the world. Ozpin stopped what he was doing and looked visibly confused at the statement.
"For all purposes of clarification, what do you mean by grooming?"
"Well," Jaune started. "you know how you see those stories on tv about how older men manipulate younger kids to do horrible things and to act a certain way, it just sounds a lot like what you're doing." Ozpin took a long draw from his mug then set it down, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"You know what? That one is on me." He began, making eye contact with Jaune. "That is what I do not want. I am a lot older than I look, Jaune. And you will learn with age, that the older you get the more annoying everyone younger than you sound. I haven't had a proper partner for years!" He told Jaune throwing his hands up in the air. "Do you know what it's like to be so busy trying to keep humanity from killing itself that there is utterly no time for a relationship, let alone a one-night stand?"
"People these days use these new scroll apps for relationships and dating because they're to busy to go out. Did you know I used a couple? Each one ended in disaster because they were either too naïve, too annoying, or too vanilla. There was this wo-"
"Okay, stop, I don't need to hear any more about your failing sex life." Jaune interrupted, unable to bear hearing anymore of his boss's trials and denials of dating. "I'll do it, just please, for the love of god's, stop." Ozpin quickly collect himself from his ranting.
"Thank you, Mr. Arc. It's just been so frustrating. Personal issues aside, you are free to go. I look forward to you attending Beacon tomorrow." With that, Ozpin got up and walked out the door.
"Yeah." Jaune said, slumping in his seat. "Me too."
"This is so exciting! My little sister is going to Beacon with me!" Yang Xiao-Long jumped up and down, holding her younger half-sister in a bear hug.
"Yang… You're… Crushing me!" Ruby muffled from between her breasts. Yang let her go, still merry from seeing her sister on the same bullhead as her.
"Come on Rubes, it's just a lil' hug." Her older sister said. Yang's strength was notorious at signal for being able to break full grown trees with a single punch. When she was excited, she sometimes forgets to moderate her strength around other people. After regaining her breath, Ruby gave her signature glare. "Oh, lighten up, Rubes." She gently patted her sister on the back. "This year is going to be awesome! You, a prodigy going to Beacon two years before everyone else. Me," Yang started shadowboxing, "Being the numero-uno fighter in the school. It's gonna be a Yang."
Ruby groaned at the worst pun on Remnant, silently praying for the gods to save her from this misery. They answered, just not in a way they would expect. A familiar blonde boy pushed between both of them, searching for something. "Coming though!" He cried, holding one hand over his mouth and the other outstretched.
"You!" Ruby pointed at the man. Turning around, she could see the clear signs of sickness that was now aimed their way.
Oh no…
Yang's angry curses could be heard all the way to Beacon.
Motion sickness was a new thing to Jaune. Maybe it was the nerves getting to him. He would never know as he held on to the trashcan for dear life. Breakfast, snacks, and coffee were rapidly relocated from Jaune's stomach into the waste disposal unit. Wiping his mouth and standing up on unsteady feet, he finally got a good look at his new home.
Tall white spires and glorious archways overlooked the gigantic courtyard below them. The buildings seemed to congregate to one central tower that climbed up above the others. It looked like an ancient castle to Jaune, and the name Beacon seemed rightly deserved. A garden was to the side of modernized castle, helping accent it's beautiful architecture. A stone pathway led from the bullhead docks to the center, new students traveling in packs towards the academy. It wasn't lost on him that he didn't know anyone from his home here as well. An explosion and distant yelling shook him from his thoughts. Jaune could see the girl in red from the other night be berated by what he could only call a beautiful woman. She had snow white hair, done up in a side ponytail and an all-white outfit complete with skirt and jacket. Her skin ethereal and pale like warm snow, body slender and graceful.
It would have been love at first sight if he didn't hear the absolute scolding the girl was dishing out. Being chewed out was nothing new to Jaune, having seven sisters and an overworked stay at home mom. It just came with the territory. The tongue lashing was interrupted by a girl in a black bow, raven hair, and admittedly amazing figure. Long legs in black stockings stepped with cat like grace. The ass connected to them was the best he ever seen, supporting a thin waist and nimble torso. Are all huntresses' models or something? Did I miss a page somewhere? An argument accrued between the black and white women before they both separated in a huff. The girl in the center of it all slumped down into the crater she stood in.
Knowing that the coast is clear, Jaune made his way over to the girl. It was a pathetic sight he was all too familiar with, being scolded out and left to your misery. He extended a hand, hoping to help. "Hey," he said. "need a hand?" The girl looked up to see Jaune's face, recognition crossing her silver eyes. She took his hand as he helped her up.
"Thanks… uh… Vomit boy…" Jaune sighed at the nickname she gave him. Not even day one and he already had one. But two can play at that game.
"No problem… Crater Face." He responded in kind. As far as introductions go, this would have to be one of the top three in Jaune's life. Both shared a look of disbelief before they burst out laughing.
"Don't call me crater face! That's embarrassing!"
"Then don't call me vomit boy."
"...Why did you help me?" She asked as they began to walk away from the freshly made stone cavity.
"My mom always said that strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. The name is Jaune Arc by the way. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue and ladies love it." The girl could only stare at him in disbelief.
"Do they?" Jaune deflated at the comment.
"No, but first time for everything right? What's your name?"
"My name is Ruby Rose, and this," The girl proceeded to pull a gigantic scythe from thin air, lodging the blade into the ground. "is my baby, Crescent Rose. I made him at Signal." Jaune marveled and felt inadequate when compared to his own weapon.
"You made that?" The question came out before he could stop it. There was no way she actually made it.
"Yup! Took me a month of crafting the mechanisms and drawing blueprints. It's also a highly customized impact sniper rifle!" Ruby said with excitement. The combination of words left his mind jumbled. Jaune still didn't know what it was.
"What?" He asked again. Ruby chambered a round into her weapon.
"It's also a gun." Understanding finally reached Jaune as he nodded at the statement. "What's your weapon?"
"Oh, it's nothing special." Jaune reached down and pulled out his sword and expand his sheathe into a shield. "It's a hand me down from my great, great, grandfather during the war."
"Does it do anything else?"
"No, just the sheathe turns into a shield. It's not as impressive as yours, with all the moving gizmos."
"Nonsense! The classics are just as cool as the new generation. A lot of people don't respect what our gear used to be, but I think that we should never forget the beautiful weapons that came before us." She struck a pose, hand over her heart, cape billowing in the wind. "By the way, where are we going?" She asked. The awkward pair looked around, finding out they were in an unfamiliar garden.
"I don't know, I was following you." Jaune paused to think of some options. "You think they have like a map or directory somewhere?"
Both him and Ruby arrived at the auditorium just in time to see Ozpin take center stage and begin his speech. "Sorry, Jaune, gotta go. We'll talk later, okay?" Was all he heard from Ruby before she sped off into the crowd. Huh, guess that's the girl I need to keep tabs on. Doesn't seem like it'll be too hard. Finding a secluded spot at the edge of the auditorium, Jaune leaned against the wall and started flexing his left hand. It became a nervous tick for him since he got the new appendage, his brain making sure that it was still there. The pills he was prescribed from the doctor helped immensely with the bonding process. There was no more lag time between brain and arm anymore, and he could feel different sensations now.
Everything was still muted to a degree, but he would take what he could get. Training with his dad had been hellish, especially when Qrow stopped by to check on him. They greeted each other like old friends and the proceeded to turn up the crash course training regimen to eleven. He felt muscles he didn't even know existed during that hell week and could still feel the lingering aches. The speech and ceremony ended while Jaune was lost in his thoughts, the applause from the students brought him back to reality. Jaune had no idea what the headmaster just said or where everyone else was going. Maybe I should stop daydreaming so much…
A little while later Jaune was in a bathroom stall, riffling through his duffle to find his pajamas. Granted, normally he would be in the locker room changing with everyone else, but he still felt self-conscious about the fake limb and didn't want everyone else to see it. Trauma manifests somewhere and he intended to cope accordingly. Between his extra pairs of underwear and socks, he found his pajamas, just not the ones he packed.
It was a onesie that he swore he threw in the garbage months ago. It was bright blue and freshly cleaned if the smell of detergent told him anything. This was his sister's doing, he just knew it. Narrowing down the culprit would come later though, Jaune needed to get some sleep for the initiation test tomorrow. Accepting his fate to sleep in his jeans and jacket, Jaune walked back out into the open hall. Saying the place was crowded would not be inaccurate. Aspiring Hunters and Huntresses came from all over Remnant for a shot at attending Beacon. Quietly, he found himself a nice, lonely corner and rolled out his mat.
It was nice and lonely for a couple minutes before he heard a commotion happening a few feet away from him. Ruby's friend and that white chick that chewed her out earlier were going at it with a heated back and forth. Ruby herself looked lost between horrified and nervous. The spat was a familiar scene with is sisters and he had no intention to be part of it. Instead, Jaune sat up and waved his hand to Ruby's attention. It didn't take long since she was looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. After seeing him waving her down, Ruby silently left the two arguing women and sat down next to him.
"What started that?" He asked, making himself comfortable against the wall.
"Yang wanted me to make more friends. So, she dragged me to say hi to her," She pointed to the black bowed woman he didn't see sitting down near them. "and try to get to know them better. I've never been good at making friends and all the ones I had are still at Signal." Jaune hummed in agreement, understanding the plight.
"Sounds like a tough one. Yang a friend of yours then?"
"No." Ruby chuckled and shook her head. Short hair with red tips swinging side to side. "She's actually my sister. Well, half-sister. It's complicated." That was a surprise to Jaune, looking back and forth between the two. Ruby was short, had a slender frame and currently had pink polka dot pants with a white tank top on. Her eyes shined silver and her hair was dark red like dried blood. Yang, on the other hand, was taller, had long curly blonde hair, purple eyes, and a bombshell of a body. Sure, Ruby had that nerdy cute girl look down pat, but her sister looked like a damned supermodel with that perfect hourglass figure and generous bust.
"You look nothing alike." He stated, still trying to wrap his brain around that piece of information. Ruby giggled at the comment.
"Everyone says that." She confirmed. Both watched the two girls argue before eventually the girl in white turned her nose up at Yang with a Humph and walked away. The blonde bombshell placed her hands on her hips and glared daggers at the girl's back.
"Who put a stick up her ass? Am I right Rubes? Rubes?" She looked around to see her sister sitting next to him. Tentatively, Jaune waived his hand. The bombshell sauntered over to where they were sitting. Standing before Jaune, she leaned down to eye level with him, giving a generous view of her cleavage in the tank top she wore. Gods preserve me. Jaune thought, fighting the temptation to look anywhere than her lilac eyes. "Now who do we have here?"
"The name's Jaune. Jaune Arc." Extending his right hand for a shake and mustering whatever false confidence he had. "Pleasure." Yang took his hand, but instead of taking it, she lifted him off his feet. Where she hid that strength, he didn't know. The hand was like a steel vice.
"So," She began, examining him closer. "you're the famous Jaune I've heard so much about."
"Yang! Stop teasing him!" Ruby said from beside him. The older sister paid no heed to her though.
"Why you wear your street clothes, vomit boy? Going out on a midnight escape later?" Yang went to grab his left sleeve only for him to jerk it away, a quiet clinking of metal could be heard. His right hand was still in her grip.
"No." Jaune said, irritation flashing through him. "One of my sister's stole my pajamas, so I didn't have any." The lie was a half-truth, so it wasn't hard to sell it.
"You have sisters?" Yang asked, the strength in her hand fading. Only now could he feel the calluses on her palms.
"Seven of them, actually." A high-pitched whistle left Yang's mouth as she digested that bit of information. "And not to sound rude or anything, but could you please stop holding my hand?" He asked. It wasn't uncomfortable, per se, but it started to get awkward. Looking down, she noticed that she was still holding his hand a quickly let go. A faint blush crept up on her face.
"Heh, sorry about that. Older sister protectiveness, you know?" She scratched her cheek.
"Yes, I'm very familiar with that." The conversation stopped dead in its tracks, awkwardness raining down upon the three. Ruby giggled in amusement from her seat on the floor.
"Do you want to introduce yourself?" She said from below, basking in Yang's rare moment of awkwardness.
"Yes! My name is Yang Xiao-Long, also a pleasure. Well, it's been nice meeting you, but I think me and Rubes need to get some sleep." Reaching down and grabbing Ruby's arm, the older sister started dragging her away. The awkward girl waved at Jaune, doing nothing to help her sister.
Well, that was odd.
Morning came with all of it's groggy glory. In Jaune's case, a stiff neck and sore back from sleeping on the marble floor. Groaning from his sleep induced pain, he saw students moving towards the communal bathrooms to either shower, brush their teeth, or other morning rituals. Deciding that this was his only time for a break today, Jaune followed the mass of drowsy students.
After his own morning ritual, and fighting for an open sink, Jaune meandered his way to the locker room where the rest of his Huntsman gear lay. Call it caution or paranoia but Jaune made sure to double check his locker number. Better to be safe when you can than pay for it later, more of his father's wisdom. Locker 6429 was right where he left it, and so was his family's heirloom and gear. Locking the rest of his armor in place, Jaune was ready for whatever trials were ahead of him.
Walking away, he accidentally bumped into someone. "Sorry." He said automatically and continued on his way. Jaune didn't get very far as a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?" A familiar voiced asked of him. A jerk from the hand turned him around to see a very pale set of eyes, ears, hair, and about everything else. Oh, fresh hell, not this. "Do you have any idea who you just bumped into?" The girl in white asked, promptly pointing to a red head with vibrant green eyes and spartan outfit next to her. Her crimson hair was tied up in a pony tail, much like the woman scolding him now. She was tall too, as tall as him in her bronze armor, but that didn't subtract from her beauty. Undoubtedly fit, Jaune could only describe her as an amazon, a term on the internet for women who were extremely athletic and had feminine curves to match.
"Not a clue." He said, not recognizing her. There was no way he wouldn't recognize someone like her. It didn't help that he was starring. Giggles came from the taller woman, causing the girl in front of him to show a little redder in the face. Whether that was from embarrassment or anger, he would never know.
"Pyrrha Nikos?" She asked again.
"Nope." Jaune said with confidence.
"Up and coming huntress of our time?"
"Nada."
"Four-time winner of the Mistral tournament in a row?" She asked getting louder and more exasperated each time.
"Drawing blanks here, Snow Angel." He said, hoping to appease her by giving her a compliment. It always worked with his sisters when they were mad at him.
"Pumpkin Pete's!?" The white girl yelled. Now that she mentioned it, the redhead did look familiar. Everything clicked into place.
"I didn't even notice! You're the mascot!" Excitement ran through him as he finally recognized the idol of his favorite cereal.
"Yeah," Pyrrha said, "I did the sponsorship a year back. Too bad the cereal is really bad for you though."
"That is how you know her!?" the white girl said, nearly yelling at this point.
"Well, yeah. Everyone knows Pumpkin Pete's, Snow Angel."
"Stop calling me Snow Angel!"
"Maybe if you introduced yourself, we wouldn't have that problem. My name is Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue." Jaune was pretty sure the red in her face was rage right now, but his survival instincts were never the best when it came with women. "This is the part where you introduce yourself."
"I can't take this anymore! Pyrrha!" She yelled, balling her fists.
"Don't be rude, Weiss. He just wants to know your name." She commented, watching the exchange with barely contained glee. Gritted teeth were heard from the frustrated girl.
"My name is Weiss Schnee. Come Pyrrha, we have better places to be." Weiss turned around and left in a huff.
"See you later, Jaune." Pyrrha said, following her. Both were gorgeous as they walked away. If she doesn't kill me, then my hormones will.
"Now that was entertaining, lover boy." Yang said, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "I honestly thought she was going to kill you right then and there. You said you had seven sisters, right?" She inquired, still uncomfortably close. Ruby walked out next to him, sticking a tongue out at Weiss as she left.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Did you have any girlfriends by chance?" Now that Jaune thought about it, throughout his long seventeen years of life, he never really had one. Sure, he kissed a girl on a dare in high school, but that was about it. The Arc family gave him shit about it for weeks.
"Now that I think about it, no. Why?" He asked, looking at Yang.
"Oh, just everything making sense now. Come on! Time's a wastin'!"
Whatever Jaune thought initiation was going to be, this wasn't it. Students were lined up on the cliff edge, each standing on a panel in the ground while Ozpin and Goodwitch stood across from them. "The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years here at Beacon. There are relics across the forest that you and your partner must acquire in order to be accepted and put on teams. The Emerald Forest behind me is infested with Grimm. Do not hesitate, or you will die. Landing strategies are important in this line of work, so please be careful with yours." The Headmaster promptly took a sip from his mug. "Any questions?"
A hand came up from Jaune, only to be promptly ignored. "Splendid." Ozpin continued. "Initiation begins now." Students farthest away from Jaune started being launched into the forest like catapults from the early millennia. And slowly, the line was shrinking towards Jaune.
"Uh, Mr. Ozpin, what is a landing strategy?" He asked, hoping to gleam any information to save his impending doom.
"Your strategy for landing, of course." He replied, utterly unfazed by launching children into the Grimm infest woods. The sounds of springs snapping were getting closer.
"I was just wondering if we had like parachutes or something."
"Why would we use those? You have Aura." Jaune was beginning to sweat as the sounds of death by high velocity impact drew closer.
"It's just, none of this feels safe. Like at all."
"Why, Mr. Arc," Ozpin, the smug bastard, said with an easy smile. The student next to him was launched. "I have the utmost faith in you."
Jaune's screams as he was flung through the atmosphere were hilarious in the Headmaster's opinion.
Work has been killing me with these 12 hour shifts. but gotta make money somehow. see ya next time.