(-Weiss's POV-)
I'm not sure what it was that caused me to approach Jaune after the first week of our time here at Beacon. Maybe it was how he loosely reminded me of my late grandfather, with the casual grace and authority he moved with when not stuck inside that clunky suit of armor or unflattering uniform. There was just this "something" about him that made me feel safe and content. Two things I hadn't felt in a long time around anyone but my older sister, Winter, and our family butler, Klein.
Our first "real" conversation took place after our first class session in Professor Port's Grimm Studies where Jaune lightly scolded me for my admittedly poor attitude towards Ruby.
"Weiss, you're no leader," he stated matter-of-factly. And before I could interrupt, he continued. "You're a BOSS. You've been raised and conditioned into giving orders and telling everyone what to do. Leaders lead. They work with their people and get everyone on the same page. Their primary concern is their people's success. Not their own. Just as leaders are expected to put the well-being of their teammates first, as future huntsmen and huntresses, we're expected to put the lives of civilians before our own. All this hostility towards Ruby, who, might I remind you is a PRODIGY two years ahead of others her age, never asked for any of this, is not only showing how immature YOU are, but could potentially come to a head where you will have no-one backing you up when you really need it. If that's something you can't abide by, then it would be best for you to return to Atlas."
Having said his piece, Jaune promptly turned and left me to reflect on his words. And I found that he was correct. This wasn't Atlas, where my name held more weight than gold. This was Vale, the most independent of the Four Kingdoms. It was there in that hallway that I decided to ease up on my teammates and fellow classmates. That was also when I noticed something about Jaune that made him stand out from all the other young men I had met or known throughout my life.
I was just Weiss to him. Just like how Pyrrha Nikos, The Invincible Girl, was just Pyrrha. All my life, I had been courted by young men looking at me and seeing only my name and wealth. Just like how Father saw Mother. Yet in Jaune's eyes, I was just another fellow student. Not a prize, not a means to an end. Just Weiss.
I believe that, in the end, this was what warranted my attention on him. And anything that got my attention was studied. So, over the course of the following week, I studied Arc.
I learned that the young man named Jaune Arc was many things. Kind, sweet, honest, funny, genuine, patient, diligent, clever, deceptively muscular under that hoodie of his (Don't ask how I know, I have my ways.) ... These are the things that drew me to him, and before I knew it, I was the one doing the courting for once.
I had initially believed his quiet disposition was due to his utterly abysmal performance in Combat Class, and that was also to be the reason why he never reciprocated my romantic advances. But that was clearly untrue given yesterday's aforementioned demonstration where Jaune had casually pinned that brute, Cardin, in less than ten seconds.
Now, I wasn't quite sure what to think. Am I simply not his type? Am I too short? Not curvy enough? Does he prefer taller or more muscular women like Pyrrha? Perhaps he prefers more rugged women? Is he already in a relationship with someone in his hometown? Am I simply being too forward with him? Or is he just playing hard to get?
No. If I wanted him, I had to be aggressive. Sooner or later, Pyrrha or someone else was going to stop waiting around and make the first move themselves. Granted, this made things tense between Pyrrha and I, but I am a Schnee. And as a Schnee, I will settle for nothing but the best. And a man like Jaune was just that.
It's only a matter of time before I wear him down.Currently, it was my free period and I was in my dorm with Ruby, my partner and team leader, doing some extra studying for our upcoming test on the different variant species of Beowolves around the world in Professor Port's class.
Ruby was busy tinkering with her weapon when there was a knock on the door. Seeing as I was at the desk and closer to the door, I opted to be the one to answer. I could use the break anyway.
Opening the door revealed the knocker as one Jaune Arc. With an owl. A Valean Snowy Owl, to be exact. On his shoulder. It was beautiful and fluffy. Beautifully fluffy!
"Oh! Jaune! Hi!" I greeted the blonde young man. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Jaune sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"Hey Weiss," he said in his usual soft-spoken manner. "Is Ruby here?"
The younger girl nearly sent me face first into Jaune's broad chest when she appeared right behind me.
"Hey Jaune! Ready to hit the workshop?"
"Not yet," the frontiersman declined, holding up a few sheets of graph paper. "Got my schematics. I dunno how long it'll take to put this all together, so I figured we could just go over them..."
Schematics? Workshop? Were they preparing to create a new REAL weapon for Jaune? This was my in! As the resident Dust-expert, my knowledge would be invaluable in helping build whatever Jaune wanted!
"Oh, okay. Glad to see you putting some real thought into this!" Ruby accepted.
"Perhaps I could join you?" I offered. "I know just about everything there is to know about Dust..."
Ruby and Jaune shared a look and shrugged at each other.
"I don't think I'm quite ready to start using Dust yet, Weiss," Jaune admitted.
Welp... There goes that plan...
"But you're welcome to join us, I'm always open to new ideas."
'YES!!!'
(-LineBreak-)
(Jaune's POV)
"Hmmm..." Ruby pondered the diagrams, measurements, and designs with more seriousness than I had ever expected to see coming from her.
Lost in her own little world, Weiss and I were forgotten by the silver eyed prodigy.
I could feel Weiss's eyes on myself and Skadi.
Might as well answer the questions on her mind.
"Her name is Skadi, I raised her from an owlet, and yes, you can pet her."
I could hear Weiss squee in delight before she bashfully murmured her thanks with a deep blush as she moved to pet the white owl in my shoulder.Skadi graciously accepted Weiss's affections and hooted softly as the heiress's delicate fingers pleasantly brushed her feathers.
"So..." Weiss slowly began after a few minutes.
'Here it comes...' I knew this was coming.
"When is your duel with Winchester?" She asked.
"Friday, Combat Class. Apparently, Cardin didn't run things by Professor Goodwitch when he challenged me last night," I informed Weiss.
"That was stupid. How did she find out?" Weiss sniffed.
"I asked her about the details of my upcoming match, thinking Cardin had already made a formal request. He didn't. So whatever he has planned for Saturday ain't happening, and he's got detention for the rest of the week for trying to organize an unsanctioned duel," I explained.
"Hmph. Serves him right." Weiss nodded.
The two of us returned to sitting in silence as we watched Ruby continue muttering to herself.
"So does that mean you're free this Saturday?" Weiss spoke up once again.
'Ah, there it is...'
"Well, I think we're still on for whatever party Ruby, Yang, and Nora have in mind about my first victory in Goodwitch's," I reminded the heiress.
"Oh. Right..." She sounded slightly disappointed before perking up.
"What about Sunday?" Weiss asked.
"I have some alone time with The Master of Life in the morning, followed by taking my team to the zoo because Nora wants to see the new sloth exhibit," I listed off. I could almost hear Weiss cursing in her mind.
"Wait... 'Master of Life'? Is that what you call the God of Light where you're from?" Weiss asked.
"No," I shook my head before explaining. "We don't worship the Brothers where I'm from. We actually only worship one God. Others are simply respected and sometimes venerated but never actually worshipped. The Master of Life is one of the names or titles given to Aslan. He's also referred to as The Great Lion, King of the Wood, Lord of Creation, and a bunch of others. He is both the Son of AND The Creator incarnate."
"Oh! You're a practicing Narnian!" Weiss finally understood.
I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, while not widespread anymore thanks to the Church of the Brothers, Narnianism is still practiced today. But it's more common to see in frontier societies."
"I didn't know that." Weiss admitted. "I thought it was an extinct pagan religion by now. Would you care to tell me more about your beliefs later? We could do a project on it together for extra credit in Doctor Oobleck's class..."
I mulled Weiss's offer over in my head for a moment before answering.
"Sure, why not?"
Weiss lit up at that. "Really?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Really."
Weiss fistpumped in victory. "Yes!"
"Brilliant! Simple, but brilliant!" Ruby declared, looking up from my schematics.
"Jaune, can we get started on this now?" My fellow leader pleaded.
"Sorry Ruby, but I think our free period's over." I apologized, looking at the common room's clock.
"Boo." She pouted.
"But maybe after classes?" I suggested.
"Awesome!"
(-Time Skip brought to you by Chibi Jaune teaching Chibi Ruby and Yang how to throw an axe. Which bounces off the target when Yang tries and nearly decapitates Chibi Ozpin, who ducked just in time to dodge the flying axe.-)
"Whew! All done!" Ruby exclaimed before giving herself a sniff. "Eugh, we smell like butt."
After giving myself a sniff, I was inclined to agree. The two of us had gone straight to the workshop to get to work after classes let out at three. Ruby had switched from her usual outfit to a black tank top, smithing apron, and shorts, while I merely removed my hoodie and went at it in my jeans and light blue t-shirt.
Six hours. Six long, hot, and sweaty hours later, with nearly three quarters of an hour to spare before curfew, we had finally finished my new weapon.
"Well? Go ahead! Try it on!" Ruby urged me.
It was deceptively small and simple when compared to all the other mecha-shift weapons everyone else had, but that was fine by me. I wasn't looking to draw attention to myself, and this weapon allowed me to do just that. Stay unnoticed until it was too late for my target.
Strapping it onto my left arm, I waved it around to see if it was secure. Satisfied, I then activated its primary feature.
Kshnkt!
At first glance, one would think that it was merely a simple arm-brace, but when I clenched my fist while channeling my Aura, a small blade would extend over my fist. Giving me another option when I wished to be discreet.
"Thanks, Rubes," I turned towards my friend. "Can't wait to try this out tomorrow after class. I'll book a training room and give it a test run."
"No problem! Can I watch?" Ruby requested.
"I don't see why not," I shrugged.
"Great! See ya then!" Ruby cheered before yawning. "Night Jaune!"
"G'night, Ruby!" I waved the crimsonette off as I went to go put my new hidden blade in my Rocket Locker.
After opening it up, I heard the shuffling of feet and rustle of clothes. Perhaps Ruby forgot something?
Turning around, I came face to face with none other than a maliciously smiling Cardin Winchester and his team.
"What do you-?!" Before I could finish, I was cut off when Cardin suddenly pushed me into my own locker and slammed the door shut.
"Dammit Winchester! Let me out or-!" I was interrupted by Cardin speaking up.
"Or what? You'll hide behind Goodbitch or your teammates? You're stuck in there until this thing crashes. Adiós, fucker!" He cackled as he finished typing in the random coordinates for my locker to go.
And with that, my locker was sailing through the night sky to some unknown destination.
Bitch move, Cardin. Bitch move...
AND SCENE!!!
Okay, so Jaune's got a hidden blade now... Does that mean that this is an Assassin's Creed story? Not really. But I am taking a good bit of inspiration from the series. Particularly 3 and Valhalla.
And now, out of the blue, an omake for you. (Chibi-style.)
It was a peaceful Saturday afternoon, and all was well in Team RWBY'S dorm. Blake was reading her smu-er... "Adult Literature," Weiss was studying, Ruby was napping, and Yang was... bird watching?
"Mhmm... That's it... Show Mama what'cha got..." She muttered to herself.
Blake and Weiss put their things down to look at their blonde teammate who was still looking out the window with a pair of binoculars.
"Yang? What are you doing?" Blake asked her partner.
"The guys' locker room is right across the courtyard from here..." Yang absent mindedly answered, still not looking away.
"WHAT?!" Weiss screeched, waking Ruby up, causing her to fall off her bunk and hit her head. Knocking the little reaper out before she even realized what was going on.
"You stop this at once, Xiao-Long!" She continued. "This sort of behavior is both improper and a breach of basic decen-!"
"Holy Hell!" Yang exclaimed, interrupting Weiss, who she wasn't even paying attention to. "Jaune is JACKED!!!"
No sooner had she mentioned Jaune's name, was she instantly knocked over to the side as two pairs of hands snatched the binoculars out of the air. Pressed together side by side, was Weiss on the left and Blake on the right. They each spied through one lens to see what lay in the distance.
And there he was, Jaune Arc, in the middle of taking his shirt off. But due to his position, all Weiss and Blake could see was the blonde young man's upper arms, shoulders and pecs. All of which were exquisitely sculpted for a sublime balance between power and agilty.
However, there was one small detail that froze each girl in place.
Jaune was glaring. Right. At. Them. Then, he began to speak slowly and deliberately.
"Put. The. Binoculars. Down."
While neither girl could actually hear him, they were both well versed in the art of lip reading and both recieved the message loud and clear.
Slowly, and with pale faces, the girls complied.
"You know, he scares me sometimes..."