Awwlright, so sorry about the delay again my peeps, I've been busy with sorting things out for my future career and Summer in general makes me slow down in terms of writing, which is a bummer. Despite that, you guys have been crushing it with the follows, favs and reviews! This chapter isn't combat heavy, nor will the next one be, but they're important to the story regardless and I hope I can get their points across in an interesting manner. That said, let's get into the Guest reviews before hopping into the chapter!
Guest 1: YEEEEEEE BUDDY, you better believe that I've got stuff for Genshin impact planned too! Thank you again for the support!
Guest 2: Shhh, don't give it away too easily (but yes they in fact are saberfaces XD) For the time being though, nothing much has changed... for NOW. Like Blake, their powerups are gonna be one more of a slowburn, but trust me when I say this, the shit I've got planned for them is WILD. Especially Ren, I think you'll be surprised what I've got for him. Thank you so much for the support!
Guest 3: Trust me, I totally understand why you'd think Shadowsun was Jaune's mom, but NAH, SHE BROKE MY MAN'S HEART - *ahem* - I mean to say that I have a bit of an issue working the Tau into the story, mainly due to how OP their tech is and how that'd work with Jaune's genes. Altria on the other hand I find shares a lot of similarities with Kitten and their characters work together surprisingly well. And so... Jaune :P Still, thank you for the love dude!
Now that said, let's hop back in!
Fighting Rose
Chapter 31
Improvements
"…hey, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked after she checked her shield one last time. She was glad that she managed to get it repaired before the tournament, but the fact that her semblance failed to reinforce it enough to withstand Erebus' attack in the first place…
"What's up Pyrrha?" He asked, looking up after having sharpened his sword.
His quick answer and earnest expression banished the bitter memory and brought a smile to her face, if only for a moment thanks to the lingering question hanging within her mind.
"…was it… was it really necessary to act that way towards your mother?"
He tried to play it off as casually as possible, bless him, but she could see just how hard he was gripping his sword. His face was soured now, his sharpening a bit more erratic. His entire personality had practically flipped.
"Well, apparently, all of my sisters are totally able to train and become great heroes but me? The child who 'wasn't supposed to be born' become a hero? It's BULLSHIT!" His free hand lashed out with such vehemence that it tore through the nearest locker door, Pyrrha almost yelping at his sudden, frankly uncharacteristic ferocity. "So what if I wasn't even a planned child, that's the fucking excuse they used to keep me from training!? I've done some really stupid shit, I won't deny that, but of AAAAAAALL the reasons to use, THAT'S THE ONE!? WHY!?"
His aura was suffused within his muscles and bones now, glowing even through his skin as his eyes began to water. It broke Pyrrha's heart to see him like this.
"I didn't ask to be born but goddamnit this is MY life! If they didn't see me as worthy then I'll do it MYSELF-!"
He stopped as he felt slim but taut arms wrap around him, a warm body pressed in from behind and holding him tightly.
"You're not alone, not anymore," Pyrrha said softly. "And you are worthy. All you needed was the right push."
She could feel his body tremble and his lungs hitch a couple of times, his hand coming up to grip hers like a lifeline. They were sitting now, Pyrrha having guided him to the nearest bench and gently rubbing his back as he steadied himself.
"…Geez, where would I be without you?" He chuckled wetly as he wiped his eyes.
"Well, let's not think about it like that," She said back with a smile of her own, "You're here now and that's what matters. Not to mention, you've grown and adapted far faster than anyone I've ever seen, so now it's time to prove to everyone and yourself that you coming here wasn't a mistake…" Her smile turned a bit more bashful, "…because I certainly don't think that's the case."
His eyebrows went up before they both chuckled, purposely hiding the slight reddening of their cheeks.
"Oh my goooood, get a rooooom!" Nora's sudden groan making the two of them leap away from each other in surprise, Jaune outright shrieking.
"WHERE DID YOU EVEN COME FROM!?"
"Before Nora makes it weird and says that she's been standing here," Ren said as he quickly Nora's already-grinning mouth, "We just got here. Managed to get that ammunition we were looking for, so we should have no worries about running low during the match."
"Okay… okay, good," He said, gathering himself. "The plan is still the same. Nora can open up with a smokeless grenade-barrage and then take on Nolan and Brawnz while Ren offers fire-support for her, Nolan's baton it only gonna charge her up with every hit he lands anyway so she should be fine. I'm best suited to take out Roy once I smash through his buzzsaws before I team up with Nora, he may be a brawler at heart but compared to Yang or Ruby, he doesn't have anything special. Pyrrha, you've got the most range, so you'll deal with May and her sniping. I can't stress enough, get her out of the picture with any means necessary as soon as you can. She's one-for-one when it comes to accuracy, and that rifle she's using has some nasty kick to it. After she's out, almost any one of us can take the remaining three just with the raw experience we've got. Especially after…"
The mood darkened for a bit, Jaune almost slapping himself upside the head for even daring to mention that.
"Point is that we stick to the plan, then we should be alright. It's pretty likely that there's gonna be some kind of terrain that'll help May conceal herself in the first place, so you'll know exactly where to go Pyrrha. Now, who's ready?"
"Understood," She nodded after everyone shook themselves out of the unpleasant memory.
"Ready as always!" Nora said as she hefted her hammer.
"Mm," Ren hummed, having been the first to calm himself.
"Then let's get this show on the road," Jaune said as they began their stride into the open, basking in the cheers of the crowd. Most of them were for Pyrrha of course, numerous banners, posters and flags held up in her honour. Jaune looked at Pyrrha as he felt… something overcome her. Her eyes looked glazed over, her features almost plastered on as she waved and smiled a plastic smile to the crowd. He nudged her shoulder, snapping her out of her trance.
"Hey, ignore them," He said with a smile of his own, "You aren't here to please them, just do what you do best and win."
Pyrrha nodded, her smile brighter, genuine, and constantly on her face as the buzzer rang and the two teams charged at each other.
…
Artu – Altria and Diodes Arc didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and though they could both tell how the other was feeling, they kept up their stoic but clearly happy expressions. That much they could clearly feel.
"H-hey, pops…" Mordred spoke up, "Is… is the other team holding back?"
"…Look at their expressions Mo'," He said after a moment, pointing each of BRNZ's faces out. "Not only has Jaune separated the ranged elements from their upfront fighting-force, but he's put his teammates in positions where their strengths shine and they do not need backup from the other. BRNZ is far too used to relying on their teammate for long-range support, and he's sent the most flexible person in order to deal with her. Without their sniper, you can see the panic in their movements."
"He's effectively broken down a solid formation that's been tried and tested time and time again," Altria spoke up, "While it's easy to say that BRNZ overused this strategy, it is still one that's been used to consistently win battles. Being able to break such a tactic is not something easily done."
"…Heh, damn nerd," Mordred grinned, "Told ya he was cut out for this, you just had to give him the chance."
"…yes," Diodes said softly, Altria simply nodding in agreement.
…
Jaune couldn't help but wonder if he was doing something wrong. With her raw strength and Magnhild's crushing reach, she'd already backed Nolan and Brawn into a corner against the face of the miniature mountain while Ren easily cut off their escape with gunfire and at times leaping in with close-range combat of his own, his aura-fuelled palm-strikes literally blasting them back into Nora's reach in a vicious cycle of violent pummelling. Pyrrha had almost entirely destroyed May barely thirty seconds into the match, having started off with gunfire from her rifle as the latter tried to hide in the forest-biome. After that, Pyrrha simply wreaked havoc on the poor girl: with the cameras and crowd unable to see her, she drew her blade and boosted the destructive power of each swing with her semblance, May screaming as the former closed the distance in a blur to cleave right through the tree she was hiding on in a shower of bark and the thunderous roar of shattered wood. From there, it had become a game of cat and mouse, if the cat had the destructive power of a grenade each time it swiped.
Jaune was matched up against Roy and making sure that his detachable saws wouldn't interfere with Ren and Nora's teamwork. Roy shouted with exertion as he dashed to the side to try and get past only for Jaune's shield to whack him upside the head, eyes watering and squeezed shut reflexively. He swung a right hook wildly as where Jaune's head was, still quite accurate despite his blinded state, though Jaune simply covered up with his shield at an angle, the wrist-saws scraping off the steel and the momentum sending Roy stumbling for a moment. Jaune grunted as he slashed up at an angle, slicing across Roy's ribs and sending him stumbling back as Jaune followed, keeping his shield up and stabbing past it again and again, though he missed a thrust and Roy was quick to exploit the opening, kicking Jaune in the gut and following up with a left hook to the face. His face went slack in surprise as Jaune barely flinched, made worse by the fact that with his previous set of armour destroyed and he was now wearing a simple Kevlar-padded shirt under his hoodie.
'…It…doesn't even hurt that much?' Jaune wondered. 'Is he holding back? Nah, maybe this armour's better than I gave it credit for.'
Roy roared in exertion as he unleashed a wild rush of punches, throwing his saws into the air in the middle of his combination to try and catch Jaune off guard as attacks came down from multiple angles. They were fast, heavy, and relentless, yet every single attack bounced off the wall that was Jaune's shield in a shower of sparks, Jaune still stepping forwards and constantly pressuring Roy to back up lest his punches became too stifled and left him open.
"Dude, gimme a BREAK!" He shouted as he lightly backstepped and swung a powerful right-cross, hoping that the weight behind it would be enough to knock Jaune off balance, only for the resounding *CLANG* and the pain racing up his arm to quickly understand that it was not going to happen. Jaune sharply flung Roy's arm out of the way, stepping in and smashing the edge of his shield into his face, blinding him once more as he went on a furiously cold assault of his own: downward cut on the collarbone, slash to the stomach, two stabs to each shoulder, another shield-bash to the chest sending him crashing into a boulder. Jaune didn't let up upon seeing the opening, funnelling aura into his muscles and gripping Crocea Mors with both hands as he raised it above his head. This had been among the first things that Pyrrha had taught him, the first drills that he'd practiced time and time again ever since he'd learned it, his body moving through the motions on its own. Roy barely managed to throw his arms up in a hasty guard as the sword came crashing down and ripped through his sawblades in the horrid shriek of steel being shorn. Even more than that was the explosion of force that came from the impact, the ground under Roy's feet imploding as the blade smashed him face-first into the floor completely unconscious with barely a sliver of his aura remaining, even the boulder behind him reduced to rubble.
"…Oh…" Jaune muttered in surprise as he stared at the unconscious form of Roy. "O-OH! I'M SO SORRY!" He yelped as he almost dropped his sword on the poor boy, fumbling in an attempt to put away his armaments for a moment before finally managing to pick Roy up. Expecting him to feel a lot heavier, Jaune practically yanked Roy straight up with far more strength than necessary, the former falling onto his backside but managing to keep a steady grip on the latter as he quickly got up and rushed him off to the side.
"I… didn't think he was capable of exerting that much force," Weiss said as she stared at the shattered boulder, which was once literally the size of a small bus.
"You've gotta remember, when we were fighting… that guy," Blake said tactfully, "He did manage to defend Ruby and hold off that massive chainaxe swing from someone who probably weighs as much as a car."
"…Huh. Yeah, come to think about it, he's gotten a lot stronger as of late…" Yang agreed. "…like, really physically strong. I mean sure he's been sticking to his training ever since he got started, but for him to grow that fast in a short period of time?"
Ruby caught the nervous glance shared between Diodes and Altria, and despite how well they hid it, Ruby could practically feel the tremble of fear coming from them. Fear of all things, these two people who were so much stronger than her and her entire team combined.
"When you think about it, his aura probably helps with that a lot," Ruby spoke up, "Just going off of raw quantity, he's got the most out of all of us. That and its healing properties basically help him cheat the rest and recovery phase when it comes to working out. Still though, no matter how strong he gets, he's still a complete doofus."
"A stronger dumbass is still a dumbass," Mordred agreed with a grin, her and Ruby snickering as Jaune continued to fumble with his weapons after having dropped Roy off to the nearest medics. It wasn't long after that Pyrrha eliminated May, throwing her out into the open air as she proceeded to rip through the last of the sniper's aura in a stunning aerial combination. A flying knee to the solar plexus, three slashes across the collarbones and stomach, a back-flip flash-kick to the chin that sent her head snapping up before finishing her off with a spinning downward slash that sent her crashing into the dirt utterly defeated.
"And now it's four on two folks!" Port announced over the roar of the crowd, "Team JNPR's performance so far has been one of absolute domination! It's hard to imagine how the remainder of Team BRNZ will fare, but the potential for a comeback-victory can never be denied!"
It was inevitable that a mistake or two would be made, such was the nature of the battlefield. As Nora swung Magnhild in another terrifying arc, Brawnz threw himself into the weapon's path early and used the momentum to launch himself at Ren like a bullet, roaring as he tanked the bullets with his guard up and crashed into Ren like a human missile. Tackling the smaller and lighter boy to the ground, Brawnz was quick to bat Ren's pistols away and begin trying to pummel him, naturally having Nora's ire and attention pointed directly on him.
"You better get off of him or you're gonna be sorry!" She cried as she prepared to charge, completely taking her eyes off of Nolan.
"Nol', HIGH VOLTAGE!" Brawnz shouted.
Nora couldn't react in time as Nolan jabbed his baton into her side, the flash of blue electricity blinding almost everyone there… except Nora.
"Well Peter, it seems like BRNZ's chance of victory have certainly gone down the drain now," Oobleck said as if reading an obituary, "Nolan has made the distinct mistake of hitting Nora with what appears to be his strongest electrical attack… and thus charging her semblance."
"Are you kidding me!?"
"Nope!" Nora said with a terrifyingly wide grin, "Why'd you think Jaune sent me after you? Now… looks like it's off to the shadow-realm, Jimbo."
"…Who the hell is-?"
"FOOOOOORE!"
In a clap of thunder, Magnhild exploded into Nolan's chest, the sheer force rendering him unconscious on the spot as he was flung clean out of the stage, much to the delight of the crowd. Taking advantage of Brawnz's shock, Ren quickly funnelled aura into his palm and struck the latter hard in the chest, flinging him off in a clap of violet light.
"Ren, you okay?" Jaune asked as he helped his teammate up.
"I'm alright, he only roughed me up a little bit before Nora distracted him," Ren said evenly as he picked up his weapons, staring at them for a moment.
"…You really need to upgrade those weapons of yours," Jaune joked, "At this point it's like you're undercompensating."
"He is!" Nora joked as she walked over to them while wriggling her eyebrows, "I've showered with him more than a couple of times, you should see his-!"
"NORA, PLEASE," Ren said firmly, though his entirely red face only served in making Jaune laugh.
"Nah really though, as good as you are with those, you're gonna need something that packs a bit more of a punch," Jaune hummed.
"I don't know Jaune," Pyrrha spoke up, "The idea has merit, but you know that Hunters spend a lot of time trying to master a style or weapon unique to them and them alone. Unless Ren gets a new weapon that he can use on the spot, it'd be impractical."
"The idea has some merit though," Ren said as he pat the dejected Jaune on the shoulder, "I'm sure you'll come up with something if I don't manage to."
"Uh, HELLO?" The team turned to face the flustered and annoyed Brawnz as he yelled, "We're in the middle of a fight! Stop chatting and get on with it!"
"Well excuuuuse me!" Jaune shot back haughtily, "But we're in the middle of a very important conversation!"
"U-um, Jaune?" Pyrrha giggled. "He means we're… all… in the middle of a fight."
"…Oh. OH," Jaune smacked himself in the head, "R-right, sorry about that!" He stopped for a moment, looking at Brawnz and wondering to himself. "Y'know… having all of us gang up on him would be kinda unfair."
He looked up into the crowd, easily spotting the cheering Mordred and of course, the silent observation of his father and mother.
"Guys, stand down and don't interfere. If I lose, go up one at a time."
"Jaune, are you…?" Pyrrha started before she chuckled, "…alright. Good luck."
The crowd began to cheer harder as the rest of JNPR stepped back, Jaune walking forward and simply point his sword at his opponent.
"Huh," Brawnz said before smiling, "… thanks dude, that's really cool of you. Thought I was about to get my ass jumped in front of everyone."
"Trust me, I get you," Jaune chuckled before his face turned serious, "…Still can't let you win though."
"Ha, wouldn't expect anything less!" Brawnz laughed as his put his fists up, "No hard feelings though. Win or lose, let's grab a bite to eat after this. Whadda ya' say?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Jaune shouted as he sprinted forward in time with Brawnz, his downward slash and the latter's right cross clashing together in the centre of the arena.
…
"KICK ASS BIG BRO!" Mordred cheered as the duel raged on.
Diodes and Altria could only watch on in muted shock, practically on the edge of their seats. Out the gate, it seems that Brawnz had the advantage with his greater raw strength and wider array of techniques. A flying superman-punch impacted Jaune's shield and sent him stepping back, a front-kick almost knocking him off balance and a right roundhouse crashing against his shoulder. From the way Brawnz's muscles looked physically bigger, it was clear that he was using a strength-based Semblance or auric-skill, one that outstripped Jaune's own augmentations. However…
"He's keeping a cool head," Altria noted softly.
"And he's chipping away at his aura," Diodes followed up. "But that alone isn't going to be enough."
Brawnz was a powerful combatant, but there was one fatal flaw that Jaune was quick to take advantage of in every exchange: the former relied on mighty but singular blows, Jaune making sure to angle his shield in order to redirect as much force as possible, leaving Brawnz open as his sword flashed out and bit across his elbows and shoulders. Jaune grunted as a right hook threatened to cave his head in, quickly turning his shield to redirect it as he sharply slashed up against Brawnz's ribs, the bigger boy grunting in pain as he continued to plough forward.
'Just because I got some good experience fighting the Traitor Astartes doesn't mean I'm suddenly that much stronger!' Jaune grit his teeth as Brawnz grabbed the shield and landed a crushing kick on Jaune's ribs, his body tumbling across the floor before he barely managed to right himself in time to block another attack. 'If I keep playing defensive, he'll crush me! I have to…!'
Brawnz charged forward and unleashed an overhand right, threatening to crush Jaune into the floor head-first.
'Take the initiative!'
He ground his teeth and gripped Crocea Mors with both hands, his feet cracking the stone as he rocketed forward and slashed at Brawnz's open stomach as hard as he could. A shockwave rocked the centre of the arena on impact, the bigger boy doubling over in surprise and pain as he felt a chunk of his aura practically ripped away. They both turned around and repeatedly charged at each other over and over again, some of Jaune's slashes managing to bite into whatever unprotected opening was available while some of Brawnz's blows struck home with bone-crunching force.
"…he's got this in the bag," Ruby said after a minute had passed. "That kind of strength semblance comes at a price. Even if Brawnz trained to maintain it, Jaune's been doing nothing but aiming for the body."
"And when the body falls…" Weiss started.
"The head will follow," Blake finished with a grin.
"Talk about balls!" Brawnz laughed with a noticeable wheeze in his voice as their attacks clashed directly this time, Crocea sparking against Fang, "You ain't only matching me with my Semblance, you're outpacing me?!"
"Not really matching," Jaune grunted with a grin of his own before sharply smashing his shield into his jaw, kneeing him in the stomach as hard as he could and slashing past him once more, betting everything on one last move. "Just fightin' smart!"
"Then try and outsmart THIS!" Brawnz sharply pivoted around and pooled his aura into his arm, muscles bulging under his skin as he threw his fist forward in a final right-cross, the air parting and warping around the attack. "BIG-BANG BLOW!"
Jaune knew that if the attack landed, he'd be knocked out completely. He breathed in, breathed out, and moved his body in another motion he'd practiced over and over again.
*THOOM*
Rather than the thundering boom expected from his fist hitting home, Jaune's shield moved in a sideways blur and impacted Brawnz's arm in a flash of black and an almost bell-like sound. His battered arm was thrown to the side, eyes wide in shock as the attack was perfectly parried leaving him wide open. Breathing in, Jaune stepped in, raised his sword before sharply cutting down on his collarbone, breathing out.
*SHNNNNG*
Another flash of black and the ground beneath their feet cratered inwards, drowned out by the sharp whistling as his blade even sliced into the ground. There was a moment of stillness before Brawnz's aura flickered and shattered, the boy almost collapsing to his knees before Jaune caught him.
"And in a final leader-on-leader fight to the finish, Jaune Arc wins in spectacular fashion! Team JNPR moves into the next round!"
Jaune was stunned at the cheers raining down on him, almost bewildered as he managed to catch a few of their words.
"An Arc? No wonder he's so good!"
"Hell yeah, another young superstar!"
"HAVE MY CHILDREN!"
That last one almost made him laugh if not for the absurdity of it all.
"Dude," Brawnz coughed as he managed to stand on his own, "You gotta do a victory pose."
"Eh?"
"Victory pose! Crowds love that kinda stuff!"
"Strut your stuff Jauney!" Nora shouted. His gaze switched from her to Ren, the nod and the small smile on his face speaking louder than words ever could. He looked at Pyrrha, his heart skipping a beat at the unadulterated joy on her face. Finally, his gaze rested upon his parents, and something in his chest twisted at their beaming smiles and wet eyes, both of them applauding him and saying one word that he could feel.
"Well done."
His face scrunched up, years of desires and repressed emotions almost spilling out as his sword-arm raised on its own, the cheers intensifying.
'I don't care if it's just to keep their image up,' He thought. 'I'll take what I can get before this dream fades away.'
In that moment, there was no place he'd rather be.
…
With Team RWBY opting to stay in the arena in order to watch Team SSSN's match, it wasn't long before JNPR ran into Jaune's parents again, though Mordred was naturally the first to fly in and tackle Jaune with a hug.
"Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" She laughed as she began to noogie Jaune with her knuckles, "I knew a scrawny squirt like you had it in ya!"
"Up yours Mordred, I had that in the bag from the very beginning!" He growled playfully as he dug his fingers into her neck and tickled her 'till she was howling. They stopped of course as his parents came into the picture, Diodes wearing the same blue hoodie and black track-pants as he towered over everyone there.
"Mom," He greeted, "Dad."
"Son," Diodes returned the greeting. There was a moment of tense silence that dragged on, Jaune himself a bit unsure of where to take this for a moment, before his face hardened.
"Not so bad for an unplanned accident, right?"
If the tension was thick before, now you'd need a sword to cut it.
"Damn, swingin' out the gates with that one eh?" Mordred muttered with a wince of her own.
"I'll say," A voice from behind JNPR said, the latter group (and Mordred herself) shrieking as a man a head taller than Diodes seemed to appear from nowhere, his exotic features, flowing red hair and crimson skin all the more striking. "Though, I think this is the part where I say I told you so Companion."
Excluding the Arc family (sans Mordred), the rest of JNPR could only stare in awe at him and the casual yet awesome presence he was radiating.
"Feels like everyone in his family is either really big or quite small," Pyrrha muttered.
"GEEZ, AT LEAST GIVE US A HEADS-UP UNCLE MARKUS!" Mordred screeched.
"Oh, hey unc'," Jaune waved with a small smile on his face. While Mordred was the one who actively tried to help him, uncle Markus had always encouraged him to be more rebellious and do things on his own terms, even if it was one small step at a time. Not to mention, he was always the most quick-witted in his bickering against Diodes and it was always pleasing to see his oh-so-perfect dad squirm.
"Don't start Markus," Diodes said, his voice both tired yet sharp, "Remember that I'm well aware of who provided those transcripts to my son in the first place."
Well, squirm most of the time.
"Aaah, yes, but look how Boy here turned out!" Markus shot back instantly, "You didn't trust my judgement or my examinations of him, which if I may remind you, I'm probably one of the best people on the PLANET who's qualified to consult on issues like this."
'Heh, good thing this is one of those 'most' moments,' Jaune thought with a bit of a smug smile as Diodes began to fiddle a bit, a pensive look on his face. His mother on the other hand was not so easily swayed.
"Markus, could you come closer?" She asked calmly, though from the way the red giant began to sweat, it was clear that he understood just how much danger he was in.
"Y… yes, dear sister-in-law?"
She suddenly grabbed him by the ear and pulled him down to eye-level, her face blank yet her eyes and aura thunderous as she made the giant squeal.
"Nobody is denying your expertise Markus," She said, "And you may be right in this argument, but do not blame my husband for the wounding of your pride."
"OwowOWOKAY I'M SORRY!" He whined as she abruptly let him go, "Sheesh… intense as ever Altria."
"I try," she said with a cheeky (if sharp) little grin, at least until her expression softened as she turned to face Jaune, the latter patiently waiting. "My son…" She hesitated, Jaune able to feel the mix of pride and shame radiating from both her and his father.
'Stop that,' He grit his teeth, 'Stop pretending you care.'
"… AAAAAGH GEEZ!" Mordred groaned as the silence stretched on, "Just freakin' say you're proud of him then give him the explanation he deserves dammit! You don't even have to give it to him now, but damn, promise him that much at least!"
Again, silence reigned as Markus watched over the proceedings with his iridescent eye, monitoring the shift from tense to sombre. It was then that the familiar charisma of Mordred began to shine through, the petite girl with a giant presence practically stomping her foot down between her parents and brother as her tone somehow became commanding yet compassionate at the same time.
"Look, clearly there's a lot of unspoken secrets and raw feelings going on," she sighed, "So before this escalates into a full-on brawl, let's clear some things up. Mom, dad, there's obviously more to you holding Jaune back for all this time other than 'he was born a boy', but whatever the reason, the fact remains that you seriously stunted his growth and denied him the one thing he was willing to put his heart and mind into."
She turned to Jaune now.
"Bro, you're angry, hurt that mom and dad turned their backs on you and… I think I understand what you're going through. Hell, your feelings are justified, but… mom and dad ain't stupid. No way in hell they're gonna give you such a flimsy-ass excuse without there being more to it. So please, at least hear them out. Give 'em a chance to talk."
"…been working on that Charisma of yours, eh Mordred?" Markus chuckled as the girl puffed up proudly.
"O' course! If I'm gonna surpass mom and earn her sword, then I gotta train up everythin' in my arsenal!" She quickly deflated as she continued, "Even if I'm not a fan of the political shit…"
"Trust me, I understand little one," Markus sighed as he pat her on the head before turning to Jaune. "…So what say you, nephew? Has your sister managed to convince you, or do you choose to continue down this path of silent scorn?"
Glancing back at Mordred, she nodded and gave him a small, imploring smile. As much as he hated to admit it… what she said made sense. It didn't change the fact that he was still mad at them though.
"Fine. Fine. I'll hear you out, not because I want to, but because apparently Mordred is the one to actually use her fucking common sense."
"You're welcome," She said smugly before her face twisted up in thought, "…hey wait a minute, the hell do you mean-?"
"And by god, you'd better have a goddamn good explanation. We clear?"
"Son…" Diodes started, the hurt flashing across both his and Altria's face making something in Jaune's chest pinch before he squashed the sensation ruthlessly.
"Are. We. CLEAR?"
"Very well," Altria said as she put a gentle hand on Diodes' arm, steadying him as they looked at each other for a moment. They were silently communicating, Jaune knew somehow, a testament to how long, how deeply they knew each other, before turning to him. Again there was that painful, hopeful feeling in his chest as their eyes turned a bit wet, their smiles small but so much more than Jaune was expecting as they fully opened up their emotions to him. Crude as his ability to sense emotions was, there was no mistaking this.
"Whatever it is worth… we're so sorry that our actions have affected not only your growth but also your dreams," Altria started.
"And we're so proud of how far you've come, how much you have grown in spite of it all." Diodes finished.
Jaune grit his teeth and dropped his head, hiding his own wet eyes from as many people as possible, emotions and questions running rampant through his mind. If they were so proud of him, why hold him back? Why tell him to quit? Why hide the truth away from him? Why treat him like fragile porcelain? But he could feel how they, in that moment, fully opened their emotions up to him, bearing their souls to him. They were proud of him, there was no faking that. And for a moment, that was all that ever mattered.
The ringing of Magnus' scroll made everyone jump in surprise, Diodes and Altria glaring at him as he sheepishly apologised and answered it.
"Hello? Ah, that's good to hear then… wait, wh-? Are you serious? Oh my goooood, DOOOOOOR. You're like nine-foot eleven door, just put a stop to it! No, you DON'T need to fortify whatever gets roughed up… fine, I'll bring Kitten and Saber. Yes, and boy too. Right, bye. Okay so, Door and Qrow just arrived on Beacon grounds…" He addressed Diodes and Altria.
"Oh that's good," Diodes said brightly.
"And Qrow immediately got into a fight with Winter Schnee." Markus finished with a sour face.
"That is not good," Altria sighed, "And let me guess, Door's currently trying to fix collateral damage as it happens?"
"You're a goddamn genius Altria, how could you have ever figured that out?" Markus deadpanned before turning to Jaune. "Time to meet more of the family then, if you've got the time."
Again, Jaune found himself wanting to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Everything was moving so fast, he almost didn't know what to make of it really. Sure things weren't perfect with his parents, but the improvements their relationship made today was something he'd never have thought would happen. And yet, here he was.
"Yeah... sure, why not?" He chuckled, wiping his wet eyes. "At least today won't be boring."
(TWBY Continued)
And so, little by little, a broken family is fixed by the one thing that some just refuse to do: talking to each other. Not to mention, finally giving some screentime to JNPR, especially Jaune! I've always had more of a preference to writing hand-to-hand fight-scenes, and while I feel like I've been improving with weapon-choreography, it's still one of my weaker-points, so I hope I managed to make this enjoyable! By the time this chapter is uploaded, I'll have hopefully responded to other reviews through your PMs, so be sure to watch out for that. As always, love you all and peace out!
