I'm not dead, Life just hits harder than I thought.
Evaluations
"I'm fine mom, really."
"You don't sound like it, are you getting enough sleep?" Momma Arc asked him for the umpteenth time.
"Enough." Jaune hedged.
"Jaune Atticus Arc, you will be honest with me right now." His eyebrow twitched. He hated the middle name they gave him, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
"Four maybe five hours last night." Jaune sighed into the scroll mic. It was hard to get shut eye when memories and panic kept cropping up.
"Well, a growing boy needs more. How's your team doing? Jebidiah was it?" Another sigh escaped him as he glanced at the rest of his team. Two days had passed since he was discharged from the infirmary. His team were currently in the courtyard underneath the morning sun. Qrow had Yang and Ruby in a bear hug, both trying desperately to escape the drunk. Ruby was doing better, but she opted to sleep with her sister's team for the past couple nights.
Weiss and Blake were still tense around each other, which is why the ex- White Fang member was reading a book on a nearby bench while Weiss worked on homework underneath a gazebo. Strange in his mind how an academy had those. "As well as they can be. I got to go mom. I love you and I'll see you at the festival, alright?"
"I love you too, and no more getting into trouble!"
"I promise, I'll talk to you soon." Jaune hung up the call, finally done talking to all nine family members. His dad was the worst, chewing him out for a solid five minutes. It was bittersweet to talk to them again, but at least he'll be able to see them soon. "Hey Qrow, I'm done!"
"About time! Sorry girls, your best uncle has work to do."
"Aren't you a bit old for this?" Yang said while trying to push away from his iron embrace. Ruby wasn't fairing much better, smothered into his chest with a single hand waiving in mercy.
"I'm never too old for my nieces." With one last squeeze, he released the girls. Ruby fell to the ground, gasping for air. Yang was kind enough to drag her sister back to safety away from the smiling drunk, all the while glaring daggers. "Alright, Jaune. I like visiting my nieces, but what do you need me for?"
"There's something I'm worried about." Jaune said, changing the screen on his scroll. On it showed that his Aura was at 100%. "How much punishment should I be able to take?" Qrow gave him a confused look and cocked his head.
"With your reserves, it should be quite a bit. More than Yang, and I've put her through a wall before."
"I let you!" Jaune and Qrow ignored the girl in question.
"That's what I thought. It's just that I haven't won a fight yet."
"Don't beat yourself up about that. You're literally a beginner against everyone here." Jaune shook his head at Qrow's statement.
"It's not that. At the docks, it didn't much for me to go down. Ruby takes more damage in combat class and was fine." It was something Jaune was beginning to notice more and more. He allegedly had larger Aura reserves than most people. During combat class though, he could see students take more punishment than him and last longer as well.
"Really? How do you activate your Aura?"
"I usually just push it out." Was there a different way to do it?
"Show me." Jaune obliged him by doing just that. The familiar sensation of Aura coursing through his body was beginning to feel more familiar to him. "That looks right. Let me see your scroll." He handed it to him. Qrow flicked through the screens until coming across Jaune's Aura meter. "Fuck kid, no wonder you can't win." His mentor handed the scroll back to Jaune, displaying his current Aura level. Ninety-six percent and dropping.
"Oh…"
"Yeah, doesn't take a genius to figure out that's bad. You're literally leaking Aura."
"How does it stop leaking?"
"Plug the hole, usually." Yang sidelined. Qrow waived her off.
"Not exactly. You have to learn to control your Aura. We teach it to third years at Signal, so it shouldn't be too hard for you."
"So where do we start?"
"First," Qrow held up a finger to emphases. "You need to imagine your Aura as something tangible, like a second skin or armor."
"That's easy." Jaune could do that, imagining his Aura as a forcefield around him.
"Now, the second part is the hardest. Can you guess what it is?"
"Testing it?"
"Good! Now how do we do that?"
"More training." Jaune sighed, resigned to his fate.
"That's the spirit. Focus on keeping your Aura circulating around you instead of pushing it out."
"Yes, sir."
Ruby watched her uncle 'train' Jaune while seated on the soft grass nearby. It was more akin to a beating if she was being honest. With her scroll in front of her, Ruby monitored Jaune's Aura. He as lasting significantly longer than usual, Qrow taking away slivers of Aura instead of chunks. A loud clang followed by a grunt launched Jaune across the dirt, skipping the boy like a stone. "Huh, only took off two percent."
It was amazing how he could improve with a little direction. Jaune climbed to his feet and rolled his mechanical shoulder. After Qrow's teaching of how to control Aura, the Huntsman wanted to make sure he got the lesson through. Shield first, Jaune charged him again, eager to get back into the melee. "Gods, he needs a lot of work." Yang observed from beside her. Qrow sidestepped Jaune's charge and tripped him, lodging his face into the grass.
"He'll get there." Ruby saw his potential. He was her partner and leader for a reason. Always knowing what to do in her eyes, always dependable. "I sometimes forget he's brand knew at this."
"Yeah. His only saving grace is that he can take a beating." As if to emphasize the point, Qrow struck Jaune's head with his broadsword.
"Ow Qrow, that was my head!"
"Learn to duck." Ruby and Yang watched in silence as their uncle 'trained' Jaune. It was cathartic, watching someone else go through his brutal training.
"How are the nightmares?" Yang asked, still focused on the display before them. After the warehouse incident, Ruby started having nightmares. Each one was more morbid than the last. It started with her limbs falling off, one by one, twitching in the scarlet lake below her, to seeing some of her friends with open ribcages with missing organs. They were still alive and acting normal, and it was unnerving how she could dream such things.
"They're getting better." She lied. "I think I can sleep in my own dorm tonight."
"You sure? If you need more time, I'm more than happy." Ever since she got back, Yang had been mothering her incessantly. Her team had been more than happy, but Ruby felt like she overstayed her welcome.
"I don't think I can take another night of yours or Nora's snoring." That earned a shove from her sister.
"We don't snore! We talk to Ursas to keep them away. Nora told me that's how she rode one. Besides, I think your dorm is a bit catty right now." They glanced to where Blake and Weiss were pointedly ignoring each other. The atmosphere between them has been downright odd. Ruby didn't get social cues, but she could feel a room. Tense didn't begin to describe whatever the hell was going on. Not after Blake passed out in front of her.
"Think they'll make up?" Yang was always better at this stuff than her. A long moment passed with her just observing them.
"No idea." She shrugged. "I'm getting mixed signals, but I think it'll solve itself."
"You do?"
"Yup." Yang ruffled her hair, something she hated. Why does everyone do that? "Oh, don't pout. Things will get better, Rubes."
"I don't think so." Ruby hugged her knees to her chest. "I killed people, Yang. You don't take something like that back." Yang's arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling Ruby into her side.
"Your still my sister. And we Xiao-Longs are tough."
"My last name is Rose."
"Same difference." A snort came from Ruby at the casual dismissal. Truth was, they both thought Summer, Ruby's biological mom, was their mom. She doted on them, from what Yang told her. Dad said she was great when she was around, but it wasn't that often. Summer was the breadwinner, taking hunting jobs more often than not, and always on the road. That left Taiyang to be a stay-at-home dad. They loved him for it, he was Superdad in their eyes.
For the rest of the afternoon, they sat together, watching Jaune and Qrow spar in the open field. Their uncle eventually needed a drink and for someone to swap in. Jaune didn't have time to complain when Nora yelled 'Surprise Attack!' from behind him. Ruby and Yang agreed it was entertaining to watch him barely keep pace with everyone else. At some point during the fight, Ruby's thoughts went to modifying Jaune's arm, adding something to help with his limited range.
He didn't carry a rifle, handgun, revolver, or anything that used Dust for that matter. Maybe she could retrofit a barrel in his arm? Where would the muzzle be? How much room was there to work with and how would it load? How much weight could she use and how would he activate it? Blueprints and designs began to solidify in her mind. Next time she had a chance, she would be visiting the forge. And maybe dragging Jaune with her.
Honey poured into her cup of herbal tea, cooling the brew and adding some much-needed sweetness. Glynda watched the clock in her office, enjoying the peace before her students visit. Team Jabberwocky needed an assessment after their ordeal. Aspiring Hunters where always a mixed bag, no one went into this field of work with a few quirks. She herself, recognized a tendency for being controlling over many facets of her environment.
Becoming a Huntress was just something that allowed her the most control, semblance included. Hunting the beasts of the dark and an unstoppable evil just came with the territory. Teaching was only the natural progression. A knock from the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in." She said, setting down her porcelain cup. Blake Belladonna entered and closed the door behind her. Her posture was tense while her yellow eyes darted around the room.
"Blake Belladonna, I'm glad you could make it. Have a seat." She gestured to the couch before her. The student stood by the doorway for a moment before making her way towards the open seat. The leather cushion creaked under the new weight.
"I didn't have much of a choice. You have me on house arrest." Blake said, getting comfortable.
"For good reason. You have a history of fleeing anything that poses an inconvenience to you."
"I don't!" Blake's indignant response suggested otherwise.
"I had an interesting chat with your mother, by the way." Glynda's mention of her mother immediately had an effect on Blake. The normally bored expression she wore was now pale with distress, even her ears were laid flat atop her head.
"You didn't." She whispered.
"I did. And she was quite pleasant. I'm actually a bit disappointed in you that you didn't keep in touch with your parents. They were so supportive of you." Being a Huntress as long as Glynda has, she saw the telltale signs of someone about to run. Glynda shut the far window via semblance without taking her eyes off Blake sitting before her. The image on the couch vanished as Blake yelped near the closed window, fingers being caught on the edge.
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy. I have you for an hour. Please make intelligent use of your time." The glare Blake gave her while she rubbed her hand was expected.
"This isn't fair." Pouting, she sat back down on the couch.
"It isn't fair that you left your parents without telling them. Nor was it fair you left your team in a similar manner. The trend is even seen with the White Fang if Qrow's information is correct, and I believe it is. So…" Glynda poured a separate cup of tea and slid it to the edge of the desk. The steam from the fresh brew wafted from the blue porcelain cup. "Shall we do something useful with our time?"
Glynda rubbed her temples as Blake left to send in the next student. An hour with her only scratched the surface, but Glynda was pretty sure where a majority of the issues originated from. It wasn't from racism, funny enough, nor was it from her parents.
It was from a fucking boy.
From what little she told her, he was abusive, manipulative, and induced something akin to Stockholm syndrome. Blake eventually saw through it, but the damage was done. Glynda gentle stirred a dash of rum into a fresh brew of tea, thinking about how to proceed. The teacher had bad breakups before, but this one seemed to have altered her mentality on a subconscious level. If Glynda ever got her hands on him, the Salem would shudder at her torture.
That wasn't all either. Even after denouncing her former lover, (she kept calling him that) Blake wholeheartedly believed that the White Fang could be redeemed. Her trait for escaping confrontational situations came from the relationship, leaving when she could to escape his wrath. Glynda brought the strong brew to her lips, drank, then deeply sighed. She wasn't telling her everything, but it was clear that being with the terrorist group taught her to keep secrets closely guarded.
That would be a tough nut to crack. Her notes showed her thoughts on the recent patient. Paranoia, along with self-loathing and being in an abusive relationship, left her to be generally distrusting and reclusive to those around her. Forming relationships are difficult with the patient, being skeptical of anything people say or do. Glynda circled 'Paranoia' hoping that could be at least something to work on. The door opened with a new visitor.
"Are you ready to see me professor?" Weiss peaked her head in, her ponytail falling to the side. And there was the other stressor for Blake, Weiss Schnee.
"Yes, please come in." Glynda closed her notes and stashed them away in her desk, before bringing out a fresh pad. "Would you like some tea?"
"I'm more of a coffee person." Weiss said, tucking her skirt underneath her as she sat down.
"I see Ozpin has already corrupted you. You have my condolences." Weiss giggled at the comment, which was a good sign.
"Oh, I've been drinking this stuff since I was twelve. Ozpin has nothing to do with it."
"That is certainly a young age. Do you know why that is?" Glynda was curious of why anyone would start drinking coffee that early.
"It actually started with my father attending early meetings…"
The drumming of fingers on her desk echoed in the now empty office. Blake wasn't the only one that had psychological problems. Glynda knew there were problems with the Schnee family, having met Jacques a handful of times. He was a driven man, hellbent on getting what he wanted and doing everything in his power to promote the SDC.
Even indoctrinating his children.
It made her blood boil, and it was a miracle that Weiss and Blake didn't have a fallout before now. The two came from opposite worlds, conflicting even. Weiss's mother was an absent drunk, broken by Jacques mental abuse. Blake's parents sound so loving and affectionate in comparison. The White Fang having the moral high ground on the wrong side of the law, while the SDC has extremely questionable business practices but are following said regulation.
Inferiority complex, borderline narcissism, brainwashing, and ingrained racism. Weiss herself wasn't inherently racist, her action proved otherwise. Her distrust towards Faunus were from experiences, awful as they were. Compounded by the fact it happened at a young age to solidify the feelings, it would be difficult to overcome that hurdle. Not to mention the broken family life she had, ruining her image of what a 'normal' loving household looked like.
Her views are being heavily challenged by being partnered with Blake and vice versa, which was good news. But there was no breakthrough yet. There needed to be a catalyst to push both to alter their mental states, otherwise, they would be stuck in this limbo of doubt.
It wasn't normal for her to drink during work, but as she poured more rum into her brew, Glynda couldn't help to think that it would be needed. How did this get past Ozpin? It was normal for Hunters to have psyche evaluations, to make sure that they didn't end up on the wrong side of the law. Was he slipping in his judgements? Are the countless eons finally catching up to him? She didn't want to think about it.
Another knock on the door, another session. Fixing her hair and glasses to look presentable, she sighed and readied herself for the next visitor. "Come in." Ruby Rose, the youngest student in Beacon, slowly opened the door and looked in. She wore a worried expression, clearly unsure what to do. "Come in, Ms. Rose, I won't bite." Glynda gestured her inside. "And please close the door behind you."
"Okay…" Ruby still looked skittish as she closed the door and sat down. One stark difference she noticed was the lack of signature red cloak. That and bags under her silver eyes.
"Have you been sleeping well?" Glynda asked. Ruby could only look away at the question.
"Enough." She hedged.
"I see… How has the rest of your team been?" Maybe a different angle.
"They're fine." Ruby avoided Glynda's gaze, looking anywhere else.
"Noted." Getting an answer out of her was like pulling teeth. Not to mention she seemed incredibly tense. "Tell me Ruby, what's your favorite color?" She looked up at her confused.
"Favorite color?"
"Yes. What is it? I've noticed you're partial to the color of red."
"Yeah… Red… I don't like it that much anymore…" Ruby crossed her arms along her stomach and held herself.
"Why not? It's a great color in my opinion. Why the sudden aversion?"
"Vision?"
"No, aversion. It means to dislike something."
"Ooohhhh." Recognition dawned in her eyes. "I just…" She looked away again. "It reminds me too much of blood."
"From the other night?" Glynda could only assume there were no other underlying reasons.
"Yeah… I've been having dreams."
"About?" The professor folded her hands over the desk.
"What happened. Everything was going so well. We found Blake and Penny and I… Penny was just trying to help." Ruby's eyes looked shocked. "I started it all. I didn't even think if they had Aura. They were terrorists! Bad guys! How was I supposed to know? How was anyone?" Glynda could hear her voice becoming more frantic. "And I just wanted to be the hero, you know? Like in those comics or those stories dad used to tell."
"I can see where your enthusiasm comes from." Glynda commented, taking out a notebook and noting down some key details. 'Hero' and 'Self-doubt' became the focus. "What does being a 'Hero' mean to you?"
"Someone who helps, stops the bad guys and makes the world a better place." She answered. "But I didn't do that. I killed somebody. Penny did too, and Jaune. Gods, why didn't I listen to him? Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Self-berating was a new behavior from Ruby. How long has she been thinking this?
"It's not your fault, Ruby. The situation you were in was dangerous form the beginning and anything could have happened. It's a miracle that all of you are alive, if I'm being frank."
"But Jaune almost died! Because of me! Because I froze! And I'm the one who jumped in! I ignored his advice to stay hidden! He almost died because of me!" Tears were streaming down her face now. "Heroes aren't supposed to kill." It may have been the alcohol or a dormant maternal part of her, Glynda couldn't help but comfort her. Getting up from her desk, the professor walked around and sat next to Ruby on the couch.
"That's reality Ruby." She gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "The fact of the matter is, Huntsman aren't heroes. We protect civilization form the Grimm, yes, but that's not all. We are sometimes needed to help enforce the law, and sometimes that can be… messy. There was no right answer for the situation that night, because anyone could have died. All we can really do is use our best judgement."
"But…" Ruby sniffled and attempted to dry her tearstained face. "I started it. I provoked them." Glynda sighed at the fact.
"Yes, you did. And you should feel guilt about what happened. It means you're not soulless or desensitized to it. And Ruby, you're young. Far too young to be put in these situations, and I think Ozpin knows that. Which is why he was so lenient on you. Learn from this so it doesn't happen again. It's why we're talking right now. To make sure you understand what's going on. Have you talked to anyone else about this yet?"
"No… I've been thinking a lot. Everyone's been so nice, but I just want to be alone."
"That's understandable. Everyone processes trauma differently. Some people accept the fact and move on easily, others take time. And Ruby?"
"Yeah?" The student sniffled and looked back at her teacher.
"You're only fifteen. None of this is supposed to be easy."
"It's not? But everyone else looks so…" Ruby gestured with her hands. "Put together?"
"I'm sure they're handling it in their own way. Is there anything else you want tot talk about?" Glynda waited, watching Ruby think.
"Is it normal to have dreams about it?" She asked, concerned.
"I believe it is. Your brain might just be working through the details of it." Glynda glanced at the clock on her wall. "And I believe we are out of time. Thank you for coming."
"Yeah, no problem. Can ask you a question?" Ruby said while Glynda made her way back to her desk.
"Of course." Goodwitch adjust her glasses and took a sip of her tea.
"How long does it usually take for someone to go back to normal? After something like this?" Humming to herself, Glynda mulled over the question.
"Anywhere from weeks to months, I believe. Even years on occasion. It's dependent on the individual."
"I guess that makes sense. Thank you."
"Not a problem, Ms. Rose. Send in Mr. Arc while you're out there, if you would."
"He's not here." Glynda paused at the words.
"Coma again?" He was supposed to be here for mandatory counseling.
"He's not here." Ruby reiterated. "Uncle Qrow said that he would be taking him for guy rehab, whatever that is." The girl shrugged at the information. "I swear, he gets to have all the fun."
Glynda Goodwitch thought long and hard for a moment, just to be sure who she should be properly angry with.
The answer was Qrow.
It was always Qrow.
The liquid burned down his throat as Jaune knocked back another shot, slamming the empty glass on the table. "How is this supposed to help?" He couldn't help but ask his drunken mentor, who was downing his own alcohol. Qrow dragged him to this hole-in-the-wall bar that overlooked the sea, aptly named 'The Crowbar'. Jaune was starting to wonder if he owned the place and just named it for shits and giggles.
That, or he was named after the bar.
The later was more disturbing.
"To loosen those inhibitions!" He said with a satisfied sigh. A bartender stood in front of them, clad in his black suit vest and white button down. In honesty, he looked annoyed at the two patrons before him, Jaune and Qrow being the prime suspects. There were few other patrons in the small establishment, either drinking at one of the few tables or lounging in the booths along the wall. "That's the first step. Another round Elvis!"
"It's Ulysses." The bartender deadpanned but nevertheless, poured two more shots of whiskey.
"Tamato, tomato." Qrow waived him off as Ulysses put the drinks in front of them. Jaune already drank three of the cursed things and it didn't look like Qrow would be stopping any time soon.
"I don't think this a good idea." Jaune voiced his concern but went ignored, as usual.
"Good ideas don't have good stories. Now quit your bitchin' and knock it back." Sighing in resignation, he followed his mentor's lead and swallowed the insidious fluid. It was easier than before to swallow it, the burn in the back of his throat not so terrible. That didn't stop him from coughing afterwards, though. "See? That wasn't so bad." Qrow smacked his back hard, something that might have crippled a normal person.
"Why?..." Jaune groaned in pain. It wasn't enough that Qrow essentially used him as a practice dummy for two hours, but he had to drag him down here afterwards while the rest of his team went back to Beacon. Gods, why was he always in pain? In the background, he heard someone trip and fall over a chair, yelling at the wooden seat.
"Because if there's one thing I've learned in my long, magnificent life, alcohol solves many problems."
"I thought they caused them."
"Eh, fifty-fifty." Qrow shrugged at the statement. "How are you holdin' up?"
"Not bad." Jaune said, and he meant it. Other than the nightmares he was having and the lack of sleep, it wasn't too bad. Plus, as far as he knew, Ruby was having it worse.
"Bullshit. It was your first kill." He stared at him while leaning over the counter. "Two Rum and cokes." He ordered.
"Okay, maybe I haven't been getting much sleep. I think that's normal."
"It is, but you sound off your rocker, kid. What else is going on?" Jaune deflated at the question, slumping over the counter. Their new drinks were put in front of them by the bark keep, the dark, sweet liquid sloshing in the perspiring glass.
"Blake and Weiss are still fighting. I thought they would have made up by now, but no. They just had to keep insulting each other and making it worse. Fuck, even staying in the same room as them is tense, let alone sleeping."
"Most men would be envious of that situation." Qrow chimed in.
"They don't have to take care of them and resolve the issue." Jaune ignored him, finally venting. "You know Ruby's been sleeping with Yang's team, right?"
"Yeah, Yang told me." Qrow nodded, took a drink, and sighed to himself. "I think it's just starting to be too much for her. She's been through plenty already, now this…. Fuck, no kid should have to go through it."
"I'm just glad she has someone to fall back on." Jaune agreed, looking at his glass before drinking.
"It's always been like that. Between you and me, Firecracker is a better mom than her own mother."
"Gods, your family is so fucked up."
"It ain't all bad. Got some grade A training from me and Tai, a bomb cabin in the woods, and great stories. But my family aside, I'll ask again. How are you holding up?" Jaune looked over at Qrow to see that he was staring at him, waiting for an answer. Sitting up straight in the bar stool, the boy took a deep breath.
Fuck it.
"Like shit. I can't get any sleep; my team is fucking fractured. I don't even see my own partner anymore while my other teammates are at each other's throats. I have a fucking fake arm and I'm a shitty leader who killed people. I can't win a fight, I barely have any training, and Ozpin essentially blackmailed me into working for him." Jaune collapsed onto the counter and started banging his head against the wood. "I don't even have a girlfriend yet either. Fuck."
The old Huntsman looked upon his pathetic apprentice, pondering his words. He raised his glass.
"Fuck, dude. I'll drink to that."
Pulling up the collar of her overcoat, Glynda cursed Qrow, like she did a thousand times over already. Leave it to him to take a student drinking. He was a teacher for god's sake! The drunkard of a man should know better than this. Bastard wouldn't even answer his scroll either, adding to her boiling fury. Streetlights and passing cars lit the sidewalk she was walking on, keen on finding the duo. Qrow was an old friend of hers, the term 'friend' being complicated at best.
It was only a matter of time tracking them down. She was used to picking up the idiot at bars, so they real issue was finding which one he was at. So far, she had already gone through seven of his local haunts and was onto the eighth. The cold sea air chilled the city, a harbinger of the Fall to come. Pedestrians roamed the streets as she neared The Crowbar, one of Qrow's favorite place to be a belligerent menace.
The orange neon signed welcomed her with a warm glow, at odds with her current mood. Entering the establishment, her senses were immediately assaulted with the warm stale air of most bars, fogging up her glasses in the process. "Gods…" Glynda took them off, blurring her vision while she wiped them with her sleeve. "Qrow Branwen, Jaune Arc?" She called out, over the dull roar of the bar. If there was a response, Glynda didn't hear it. Putting the clear lenses back on, she could finally see the place clearly.
Glynda scanned the bar to see it absent of drunken Huntsman and blonde students. Then she glanced around the neighboring tables packed with patrons and otherwise tourists. It wasn't long before she found the corner booth, occupied by two certain idiots yelling at each other. Well one idiot, and one foolish enough to follow. Walking towards them, she could finally catch the gist of their conversation.
"Berry!"
"Yellow!"
"Yellow's not a food you idiot!"
"It is to me!"
"Drink!" Qrow smirked and Jaune huffed, taking a long draught of whatever dark liquid was in his glass. Glynda could only imagine. He slammed it down with a heavy sigh. "Your turn, kiddo."
"Names!"
"Fuck, we'll be here forever. Jim!"
"Michael!"
"Louise!"
Glynda cleared her throat loudly, putting a stop to the drunken charades. Both stopped their senseless ranting to see the esteemed Deputy Headmistress glaring down at them with and arched eyebrow. They at least had enough sense to show naked fear on their faces. And surprising enough, it was Jaune who spoke first. "It was his idea!"
"You rat bastard!" Qrow shot back. "After everything I've done for you!?" They began arguing about who to blame, ignoring Glynda's irritated presence.
A deadly mistake on their part.
Blake was alone in the dorm room at the moment, Weiss avoiding her for obvious reasons and Ruby said and quote: 'Gotta make a thing.' Well at least she was doing something now, better than her anyway. For the fifth time, she reread the passage in her book. Blake's concertation was shot, her mind still in chaos. After being interrogated by Ms. Goodwitch, she may have realized that she was being unfair to Weiss.
And her team.
And everyone else.
She could admit to being a bitch, alright? It happens to the best of women. The heiress just embodied everything she hated and fought against since she was little. Weiss, for her credit, tried to apologize and move forward. Mend the relationship to be partners again and have a functioning team.
Then Blake spat in her face by calling her a bitch.
Yeah, hindsight is twenty-twenty. Blake dropped her head into the covers and groan in self-loathing. Now that she had a clearer head, after being openly Faunus and having no negative impact about that, the memories of what she did the past week made her cringe. Great job, Blake. Really knocked it out of the park this time. No more burdens or secrecy about being an ex-terrorist, just her own stupid decisions.
At least she finally got rid of that accursed bow.
Her feline ears perked in response to noise coming from outside her dorm room. The bonus side of having an extra pair of ears is that her hearing was leagues above standard human, giving her the liberty to eavesdrop on many conversations. Beacon's rumor mill was a frightening and astonishing thing. Gossip was already flying thick and fast about their team's involvement. Everything from crackhead theories like androids and government conspiracies to the actual truth.
"I am severely disappointed in the both of you. Qrow I can understand, he's a reprobate with little morals as is."
"I am a gentleman!"
"But I expected more from you, Arc."
"Well maybe I wanted to blow off some steam, what's wrong with that? I'm an adult!" The dorm room door opened, revealing Jaune, Qrow, and professor Goodwitch. It was the first time seeing her in casual clothes, or as casual as she could be in a navy-blue overcoat.
"Barely." The professor helpfully supplied. "And with that, you have a standard to uphold. Like being on time to appointments." She motioned for Jaune to enter the room.
"We lost track of time, don't blame the kid." Qrow spoke from behind her in the hallway.
"I'm not blaming him; I am simply reminding him that he has responsibilities." Jaune walked into the dorm while Blake simply raised an eyebrow at the situation. Her leader looked tired and unsteady on his feet. He still had on his field attire, that being his grey jacket, jeans, and boots. "We'll reschedule your session, Mr. Arc. And please remember this time." It sounded like an order, not a request. Goodwitch stared at Jaune, pressuring him to answer.
"Yes, Ms. Goodwitch." He sighed in defeat, looking away.
"Good. Have a pleasant night." The door was shut afterwards, leaving a dejected Jaune with her. "You better have a good reason for this, you degenerate." Blake could hear the conversation from outside the room.
"I was helping the kid unwind. Not everyone needs a therapy session." The discussion faded out as they walked away, bringing her attention back to Jaune.
"Didn't peg you as someone to skip out on Goodwitch." Blake said from her bed.
"Well, we're just full of surprises, aren't we?" Jaune sat on his bed, taking off his boots in the process. After setting the footwear beside his bunk, he leaned back and wiggled his now free toes. 'You know what I don't get?" He asked.
Blake didn't take her eyes off her book. "What?"
"Why are you here?" The question stopped Blake from finally reading the passage in her book. Anger and irritation welled up inside her.
"Now? Seriously? I thought of all people, you would be the most accepting of a Faunus being here, but I guess I was wrong. It was stupid of m-"
"No, no, not that, you drama queen." He waived her off. "Jeez, it's just all about 'Faunus this, Faunus that' with you. You need a better hobby. Join a book club or somethin'. I'm asking why you joined Beacon."
"Oh…" Blake was at a loss for words with the casual dismissal of her life's work. I really need to stop jumping to conclusions. "How much did you drink?" She could smell the alcohol on him.
"Lost count. As your leader, I compel you to answer the question!" Jaune pointed at her wobbly.
"Well, that explains a lot. You know we banned you from drinking again."
"Don't change the subject." Damn. Blake mulled it over while Jaune just stared at her.
"Full discloser?"
"I wanna know."
"I panicked." Silence filled the room for four maybe five seconds before Jaune started chuckling. Then the chuckling turned into laughter. Embarrassment was a feeling that she felt rarely to say the least, but here she was being laughed at by her drunk team leader. Glaring at him didn't help, since he was now rolling on the bed laughing. "It's not funny."
"I'm… Ha…" He was failing to control himself, talking between his bouts of laughter. "I just can't picture it. The great, beautiful, stoic Blake, panicking! You've got to be lying." She wishes she was. Really.
"I'm not." She huffed, crossing her arms. "I just left the White Fang, alone in a new city with nothing to my name. Then Qrow drops in like a specter of death, scares me half to death. I was already dealing with a bad breakup, I wasn't thinking right, everything was just happening all at once, okay?" Blake tried to explain herself. It wasn't her proudest moment. Now that she thought about it, she had a lot of those.
"I believe you. Just… I didn't expect that. Oh, that makes me feel better." Jaune flopped onto his bed, not bothering to take anything else off. "Have you and Weiss made up yet?"
"Lacking tact as ever, I see." Blake said, glaring at him. "No, we haven't."
"Well, maybe if you apologized to her, this wouldn't be an issue." He said craning his neck to look at her.
"Easier said than done. Every time I look at her, I just want to argue out of principle." Blake couldn't stop herself when she saw her. It was reflex to antagonize her, another thing she hated about herself.
"Well tell me when you make that breakthrough. Me and Ruby are still waiting for our apologies." Taking off his jacket and throwing it on the floor, Jaune turned over to go to sleep. What he said left a pit in Blake's stomach. Her actions now had consequences to those around her. And remembering what she put her team through, an apology might be over do.
Her mother was going to kill her.
"Is it too late to say sorry now?" She asked. Jaune shuffled in his bed and sat up again, looking at her.
"Hmmmmm. No, but on one condition." He held up his metal finger.
"What?" It couldn't be too bad. Probably something normal, knowing him.
"Let me touch your ears. The cat ones."
"Um." Never mind, expectations shattered per usual. "Why?"
"I've always wondered how they felt, you know? Like that one girl in the cafeteria had those big rabbit ears, and I once had a pet rabbity named lucky. But then he had to go after Violet yelled at me for letting him chew on her favorite sweater." He was rambling. Awesome. "And now that we know you're a Faunus, the question has been burning in my head, and can please just touch them?"
He was looking at her with a poor excuse of what may be called 'puppy dog eyes'. Ruby could pull them off and have anyone wrapped around her finger in an instance, by stark contrast. Looking back at the door to make sure it was closed and locked, she brough her attention back to Jaune. Guilt easily overwhelmed her.
"Just this once." She said glaring at him. That didn't deter his excitement.
"Hell yeah. Let me see those ears." He reached out and Blake flinched away.
"Never say that again. I will promise you a tortuous death." The threat wasn't an idle one.
"Yeah, that's fair." He shrugged and waited for her to lean back in. She did so, granting silent permission to touch her Faunus ears. A warm human hand touched her left ear, the appendage, flicking in reflex. His fingers gently rubbed both sides of it, moving his digits from base to point. It wasn't entirely unpleasant. "It's fur? That's so weird. And it's different from your hair too. It's so smooth. Do you use like a Faunus special shampoo or is it naturally like this? Is there any-"
"Stop talking."
"Okay, shutting up now." The silence was welcome, while he continued to examine her ear. Funny thing about having four different ears, they are all sensitive as a result. Scientists said that because Faunus always have and extra limb, appendage, or whatever else, their brain compensates by making the nerve ending more sensitive in response. Something about that didn't sound right to her, but it was still true.
In the midst of her thoughts, Jaune began examining the other ear with his metallic hand. The flesh and metal digits worked in tandem, at this point massaging them. Blake closed her eyes, unconsciously relaxing at the ministrations. It was extremely pleasant, since she kept her ears constrained within a bow for what felt like an eternity. And just the way his fingers dug into the base and rolled outward was just…
"Nya~" The sound slipped from her mouth without warning, causing Jaune to stop.
"…Did you just?"
"NO." Blake shut down his train of thought, barely keeping her own wide-eyed mortification in check. One lapse in concentration was more than enough, even as her heartrate was spiking.
"But I swear I heard-"
"You're imagining it. Just your imagination." Trying to save as much face as possible and hide her blush of embarrassment, Blake barrel rolled into the covers of her bed, wrapping herself in them. "Goodnight Jaune." The faux cocoon even hid her face, well most of it from her leader. With her keen hearing, Blake could decipher the sounds of Jaune scratching the back of his head in confusion.
"Yeah, sure. Goodnight, Blake." His footsteps meandered over to his bed, putting much needed distance between them in her mind. "Damnit Jaune, why did you have to go for the ears?" He chastised himself. Blake finally accepted the fact that he was dangerous. It's too easy to let your guard down around him.
She'd have to be careful next time.
Yeah, sorry for the delay. Had my second kid, Work decided to beat me with overtime, and family just loves to visit when I'm trying to get some sleep. Also this chapter was more drama related because I cant, as a writer, continue the story without properly resolving it. Promise it'll pick up in the next chapter whenever I end up write that trainwreck.
Until next time.