Seeing Red

Chapter 10

To Jaune's dismay, aside from being slightly off-put by Eve's demeanor, Cardin hadn't seen fit to leave him alone for the rest of the week. For the next couple of days, things continued as they would have, with a few key exceptions – the trip to the Forever Fall was fast approaching, and Jaune hadn't managed to get a hold of Eve via her scroll at all. And that worried him – the last time they'd been on a call, she'd left an implicit threat for Cardin. And if there was anyone he knew who was ready and willing to follow up on a threat like that, it was Eve.

Eventually, though, the day came, and he found himself wandering through the Forever Fall along with the rest of the first-year students, his heart hammering in his chest the entire time.

"Stay close for now, class," Professor Goodwitch instructed. "We will need to spread out and set up a perimeter in a bit, but at the moment, stick together."

"Jaune, is everything alright?" Pyrrha asked, interrupting his thoughts as they walked.

"It's all fine, Pyrrha," Jaune said for what had to be the hundredth time that week.

Pyrrha frowned. "You always say that, and yet I can tell that something is wrong."

"Pyrrha, please, it's nothing."

"It's not nothing," she insisted. "Jaune, you know you can tell me anything, right? I'm your partner, yes, but even above that, I'm your friend. So are Ren and Nora, and Team RWBY. If there's anything bothering you-"

"Pyrrha, I appreciate it, but please," Jaune interrupted, "just let it go for now."

Pyrrha hesitated, but finally let out an exasperated sigh. "You're so stubborn… fine, I'll drop the issue. But you can't keep hiding this from us forever."

With that, she brushed past him, heading over to Ren and Nora. Dismayed, Jaune could only watch her go, though it only lasted until someone threw an arm over his shoulders. Irritation welled up inside him, though he didn't bother to check and see who it was; he already knew, even without looking.

"Cardin," he said. "What do you want this time?"

"Well, I'm so glad you asked," Cardin said with a sneer. "See, the assignment is to collect tree sap… I think that's a pretty stupid assignment, so me and the boys are going to head off and get some rest and relaxation in for a bit."

"And you want me to collect your sap for you." Jaune sighed tiredly. "Fine. Give me your jars."

Cardin grinned, patting him on the shoulder. "That's what I like about you, Jaune – you're always so servile. Not even a complaint out of you since the first day, save for that little incident with your pet cowgirl."

"She's not-" Jaune caught himself, then sighed. "...Whatever. Just let me do this thing for you."

Cardin and his boys loaded up Jaune's arms with their jars, just as the rest of the students began to split apart. He was alone, which wasn't surprising given how he'd been alienating his teammates and friends these past few days, but then again, what other choice did he have?

With another tired sigh, Jaune moved over to one of the trees and began to collect the tree sap, watching as it flowed into the jars. He had just filled the first of five when he felt his scroll begin to vibrate in his pocket. A chill went down his spine; he already had a rough idea of what to expect. Still, that wouldn't be enough to stop him.

With trepidation in his heart, Jaune put down the jar and reached for his scroll, not even bothering to check who it was first.

"Eve," he said, trying his best to keep a neutral tone. "It's been a few days."

"It has," she confirmed. "I'm here."

His heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I'm in the Forever Fall, Jaune, and I'm not far from the spot where your airship touched down. Head east for a few minutes, you'll find me no problem."

"Why are you here?"

"I said I'd come, didn't I? Don't sound so surprised. Anyway, don't be late, either."

"Why-"

The line went dead. Jaune stared despondently at his scroll, his reflection showing through the cracked glass. He looked terrible, like he hadn't slept in days, and only part of that was due to the late nights doing schoolwork, he knew. With a sigh, he pocketed his scroll and ran a hand through his hair.

Whatever Eve had planned for him, he knew he couldn't keep her waiting. He spared one last glance back at the empty jars of sap, then reluctantly tore his gaze away and began moving towards where she'd directed him.

Hopefully, this wouldn't take too long.

"Eve?"

Jaune's voice resounded through the empty clearing, echoing off several large trees in the distance. He frowned as he stepped into it; there was no sign of anyone there. Dismayed, he pulled out his scroll and went to check it, only for footsteps from behind to get his attention. He breathed a sigh of relief, only for it to fade when he turned around and saw Cardin.

"Hey, Jaune," Cardin greeted, flanked by his team, as always. "So, what brought you out here?"

"Nothing," Jaune hurriedly replied.

"Oh, come on, do you think I'm stupid or something? You've been so good about completing your tasks for us otherwise, so it had to be something important to get you to step away from collecting sap for a bit."

"How did you even know to follow me?"

Cardin shrugged. "Dove caught a glimpse of you through the trees as you began to walk off. We figured we'd follow you and see what was up." He looked around.

"So, what is this, anyway? Some kind of little getaway from work for you?"

"It's none of your business," Jaune retorted.

Cardin's gaze narrowed. "See, that's where we disagree, Jaune – we're making it our business. After all, you work for us, now."

"Is that so?" an all-too-familiar voice asked from the treeline.

Cardin and his team stiffened, looking through the trees once more. "Who was that?" he asked.

"Jaune, I must say, I'm disappointed," Eve added. "You really let this absolute buffoon and his trio of idiots boss you around like this over nothing? I thought you had more of a backbone than that. Clearly, more training is needed."

"Training?" Cardin echoed. "Who is she, your mentor or something?"

"Cardin, I'm begging you, turn around and go back the way you came," Jaune implored.

Cardin barked out a laugh. "Now, why would I do that? Things are just about to get fun." He peered past Jaune, his gaze settling on something in the distance as a wide grin split his face. "Really fun, even."

Jaune blinked, then turned around, his blood running cold when he saw Eve approaching from the treeline, one hand resting on her blade.

"Jaune," she greeted, though her tone was anything but jovial. It matched the deep scowl on her face. "I wish I could say it was good to see you again in-person, but this is embarrassing for you."

"And who are you supposed to be?" Cardin demanded.

Eve ignored him, instead focusing on Jaune. "So, here we are. Looks like I'm going to be fighting your battle for you, unless you intend to assist me?"

Jaune froze. "My transcripts-"

"Are irrelevant at this stage. At this point, these guys have successfully pissed me off." Eve turned her attention back to Cardin, focusing her one-eyed gaze on him. "I'll ask you this once, Jaune – hospital or morgue?"

"What?!"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

"Neither!" Jaune begged. "Look, they're a bunch of idiots, yes, but this is just stupid schoolyard bullying, okay? Don't take it too far and do something we'll both regret. Don't hurt them, please."

"That so?" Eve asked. "How noble of you. Of course, if you're that intent on letting them off with a slap on the wrist, then you're going to have to get involved, yourself."

"What do you-"

Eve motioned to Dove, Sky, and Russell. "You three… are you going to just stand there gawking, or do you intend to do something?"

The three boys exchanged a glance before Dove looked back to her. "Wha-"

That was as far as he got before Eve rushed him down, striking him with the flat of her blade. Despite the restraint showed, he still went flying back into a nearby tree, smacking into it spine-first hard enough that his Aura rippled across his body. Russell and Sky eyed him, their faces going pale as Eve stood up straight, then stared them both down.

"Well?" she asked. "Don't keep me in suspense."

That was the cue that shocked them out of their stupor. Both boys drew their weapons and rushed them down; Jaune heard the sound of steel clashing with steel a split-second later, and turned to intervene, but not before Cardin grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him backwards onto the ground. Jaune looked up and rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a strike from Cardin's mace.

"I should have known you'd planned something like this on that call a few days ago!" Cardin growled as Jaune scrambled to his feet, drawing his sword and shield. "Drawing us out so your crazy bitch of a mentor could take us out as a group… I'm gonna make you wish you'd never stepped foot into Beacon, Jaune!"

"You've got it all wrong!" Jaune protested. "This isn't-"

That was as far as he got before Cardin rushed him down with a feral yell. Jaune braced himself in time to block Cardin's incoming strike with his shield, but the impact still sent a wave of pain radiating through his arms. Jaune grit his teeth and bore it, however, and managed to summon all his strength to force Cardin off of him.

Cardin was relentless, however – Jaune had just started to try and respond to him when he rushed in once more. Jaune winced as he realized there was no way out of this except fighting. He braced himself once more, when he noticed something.

Cardin was big and strong, but he was a lot less faster than Eve was, and somehow, he didn't hit as hard, either.

As that realization crossed his mind, Jaune felt his body move almost in autopilot. He sidestepped Cardin's wild strike, which left his mace buried in the ground, and as he did so, Jaune lashed out with his sword, getting several good hits in that left deep gouges in Cardin's Aura.

Cardin managed to pull his mace out of the dirt, bringing it around in a wild, Aura-crushing swing. Yet again, he was slower and less-coordinated than Eve had ever been during Jaune's training with her; it was child's play for Jaune to once again avoid the attack and counter with several of his own.

"Damn it…!" Cardin spat as the two of them separated, then began to circle each other. "How did you get so good? You didn't even to go combat school."

"I had a good teacher," Jaune replied. "Are you ready to concede and end this?"

Cardin's face contorted in rage, and he rushed Jaune down, another yell erupting from his throat. For the third time, Jaune saw how telegraphed his attacks were – as Cardin closed in, Jaune brought his shield up at the last second just before he made impact, bringing it crashing against the underside of Cardin's chin. As Cardin reeled from the strike, Jaune brought the shield back around, smashing him in the stomach hard enough to send him sprawling. As Cardin rolled across the ground, Jaune sprinted after him, and when he finally came to a stop, Jaune was stood over top of him, the tip of his sword angled at Cardin's throat.

"Yield," Jaune demanded. "You've still got Aura, and I don't want to risk hurting you by breaking it."

Cardin winced, more out of embarrassment than pain, Jaune could tell, though he couldn't be feeling good right about now. He went to heft his mace, but Jaune stopped him before he could by slamming the edge of his shield down on Cardin's wrist, pinning it to the ground.

"Yield," Jaune repeated. "Give up, Cardin. It's over."

"Like hell it is," Cardin spat. "You think just because you beat me in a fight that this is the end of it? I'm gonna march right back to Goodwitch and tell her all about your transcripts."

"You will do no such thing," Eve said as she came up behind Jaune. "Unless you want to join the rest of your teammates."

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. "Are they-"

"Alive, though I'm sure they all wish they were dead right now; I made sure to aim for the groin with the flat of my blade." Eve stared down at Cardin, gazing at him with nothing short of sheer malice. "Take your teammates and get out of here. Leave Jaune alone from now on, too. If I hear so much as a whisper that you've all started making his life difficult again, then trust me, Beacon's entire staff won't be enough to save you four. Do I make myself clear?"

Cardin grit his teeth in defiance for a moment, but looked up to her nonetheless. "...Crystal."

"Good." Eve tapped Jaune on the shoulder, and he stepped off of Cardin, who scrambled to his feet and, after giving them both one final baleful look, marched over to his teammates and began to help them up, then ushered them out of the forest.

"So," Jaune said. "Think he'll leave me alone?"

"He will if he knows what's good for him," Eve grunted.

Jaune nodded. "Thanks for coming to help me."

"Hm. You did well, you know."

Jaune stared at her in surprise. "Against Cardin, you mean?"

"Yes. I was watching you during my own fight. You were dominating him the entire time."

A faint blush crossed Jaune's face at her sudden praise. "W-well… compared to you, he was nothing."

"Don't be modest," she chastised. "You earned that victory. Wear it with pride."

She gave him a pat on the shoulder, then went and began to walk away. She only made it a few steps before Jaune called out to her, though.

"Hey, wait!" he shouted, causing her to stop. "Where are you going?"

"I can't stay here right now," Eve said without looking back. After a moment, she began walking once more. "And neither can you, come to think of it – your group should be leaving soon. You've got to get back to them."

Jaune pursed his lips as he watched her go. "Will I see you again soon?"

"You will," Eve said right as she reached the treeline. "Count on it."

That was the last thing she said before disappearing into the foliage. Jaune stared in dismay at the place he'd last saw her, then let out a tired sigh and turned around to walk back to the others.

He was stunned to find Pyrrha standing just a few feet behind him, looking in the same direction he'd just been.

"Jaune," she began, "who was that woman?"

Jaune stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say or do. Pyrrha stared at him, clearly expecting an answer; it took him a moment before he realized he was going to have to give her one.

"That… was a friend of mine," he offered.

"Really, now?" Pyrrha asked. "She seemed a bit old to be a friend of yours…"

"She's in her early twenties, not much more than us," Jaune offered.

"How do you know her?"

"Met her on my way to Beacon." It wasn't a lie, at least. "Anyway, she's a friend of mine, Pyrrha."

"Is she the one you're always talking to over your scroll?"

Jaune winced. "That easy to tell, huh…?"

"You two aren't exactly subtle with how well you know each other. Though, I have to ask… what did she mean when she said she'd see you soon?"

Jaune hesitated once more, searching for a way out of the hole he'd somehow just dug himself into. Unfortunately, he couldn't find one. Finally, he sighed.

The truth was going to be painful, but it was better than piling on lie after lie, he supposed.

"We've been meeting up on the weekends," he explained. "When I told you I was going out to see my family? I was actually going to see her."

Pyrrha seemed taken aback to hear that. "Oh. Well, um, I must say, I'm happy you found someone, though I don't understand why you're so intent on keeping your relationship a secret like that-"

"Our relationship isn't like that." Jaune sighed. "We're just friends, Pyrrha."

"Truly? Because she was awfully physical with you back there, and she doesn't seem the type to do that with someone who's just a friend."

"Believe me, if I knew how Eve's mind worked, I'd be a lot better off."

"Eve?" Pyrrha echoed. "That's her name?"

Jaune blinked, suddenly acutely aware of his mistake. Another sigh escaped him. "Yes, it is…"

"That's a cute name. And she's certainly very attractive… are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?"

"Pyrrha, are you trying to tease me?" Jaune shook his head. "There's nothing like that between us."

"But then why all the secrecy?" she asked.

"She's… a very private person," Jaune explained. Again, it wasn't a lie, at least. "Eve really doesn't like having eyes on her, Pyrrha. I figured I'd respect her wishes as best as I could, you know?"

To his relief, Pyrrha nodded along with his statement. "I suppose that makes sense. Well, it's good to know that you're being a good friend to her, Jaune."

"Thanks," Jaune said. He gave a small, awkward cough. "Anyway, uh… I don't think I need to tell you that you can't mention her to anyone, right?"

"Don't worry, I'll respect your wishes," Pyrrha said with a nod. "Hers too, for that matter. After all, I know what it's like to want to be away from the limelight."

"Thanks, Pyrrha," Jaune said, relief flowing through him. He gave her a small grin, which she returned.

"Let's head back," Pyrrha offered. "You've been gone for longer than you should have been."

"Is that why you decided to come looking for me?" Jaune asked as they began walking.

"That, and I saw Team CRDL follow after you, and figured something was up. What was going on between you and them, anyway?"

"It's a long story, Pyrrha. Believe me, it's a really long story…"

What is up, my dudes? Sorry for the delay with this one, I had other stuff going on both in terms of life and other projects. But more on that in a bit.

Anyway, I know some of you are probably gonna be disappointed that Eve didn't outright murder Cardin and his goon squad or otherwise horribly mutilate them or something, but honestly, as cathartic as it may have been for some of you out there, I wasn't about to have her ice four people over schoolyard-tier bullying. Especially since doing so would basically call down the thunder upon herself. Cardin and his guys are assholes, sure, but they're still Beacon students, and killing them would paint a target on her back the size of Texas. At that point, the story would have shifted to something else entirely. I think having her and Jaune beat their asses with the implicit threat of her coming back if they continue to bother him is more than enough.

Anyway, that's my piece said. Who's up for something a little exciting?

As of last week, I have launched my first piece of serialized web fiction. It's called An Angel's Retirement, and you can read it over on Spacebattles, Royal Road, or or/HFY. In each case, it's been posted under my name, Obsequium Minaris. I'll try to link it here, but FFN's wordfilter may make that impossible. In any case, let's try it (remove the spaces):

www . reddit r/HFY/ comments / 18xythv / an_angels_retirement_chapter_1/

forums . spacebattles threads / an-angels-retirement.1137358/

www . royalroad fiction 79445 / an-angels-retirement

And the synopsis:

Captain Eric Anders thought his time in the military was over when the war with the Iprenians ended in a ceasefire. He was content to sit back, collecting his monthly pension and drinking his sorrows away. But everything changed when the government saw fit to drop one of its very own super-soldiers into his life. Suddenly, he finds his retirement interrupted by the need to babysit a socially-maladjusted killing machine who has known nothing but war for almost her entire life.

As it turns out, the war itself may be over for the two of them, but the wounds it left behind are very much still present...

It's a serialized work, so I'm trying to keep the chapters very short for the sake of brevity and ease of reading/posting - around 2k words each. It's not super long, and I'd really appreciate it if you guys wouldn't mind giving it a read-through and upvoting it or even commenting on it if you feel so inclined.

Anyway, because the chapters are so short and it's currently the only piece of original fiction I'm working on, I will be aiming for weekly updates for it. I hope to do more in the future, but for now, weekly updates seem like the way to go.

Also, a note: No, my fan fiction is not going anywhere any time soon. I still very much enjoy writing not only this fanfic, but also Auras and Alibis and Seeing Red as well. I just also wanted to get a start on my originals again very fucking badly, which led to An Angel's Retirement. But yes, I'm going to keep writing my fanfics as well, too, so no worries there.

But yeah, that's about all I've got for now. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I really hope you enjoy An Angel's Retirement, and I hope you all have an excellent day! I'll see you next time!

Enjoy my work and want to help me out a bit? You can support me, as well as read more of my writing, over on Amazon. My second original story is available for purchase now, you can find it by going on Amazon and searching for 'Dead World' by John Haruspex. The story is available now for three bucks in ebook format (or free with Kindle Unlimited) or twelve bucks in paperback format, if you prefer physical media. (Remove the spaces)

www . amazon Dead-World-John-Haruspex / dp /B0C2RPGXVC / ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1682982861&sr=8-2

My first original story is also still available at the following link as well:

www . amazon dp/ B0BLFL72MX