Once upon a time, several years before the Faunus War broke out, the House of Arc and the House of Winchester were amicable. They had a bond forged through blood and fire, having fought together for Vale during the Great War. They decided to tie their families together through marriage as well, formalizing a contract to wed their firstborn children: Aerarius Arc and Robin Winchester.
With their fate decided for them since birth, they were encouraged at every step to bond with one another, to foster love at a young age. They became the best of friends and each other's closest confidants. Eventually, the plan worked.
But only partially.
Robin had fallen in love with Aerarius, but Aerarius did not love her back, not in the way their families wished. To him, Robin was a sister. Kin. He could not muster romantic feelings for her, no matter how much he tried. He began to dread the day they would be wed, but as he was bound by familial obligation, he could not hope to have their marriage annulled.
Just as Aerarius became of age, the Faunus War began in earnest. Seizing the opportunity to postpone his marriage, he joined the military and was sent to Menagerie to quell the rebellion. Aerarius himself held no ill will towards the Faunus, but so long as he was fighting, he could avoid his fate at home. It was after a particularly disastrous battle that Aerarius was grievously wounded. So fervent in his desire to escape his marriage, he tossed himself into the nearby river and let the currents carry him away, consigning himself to death rather than be captured and possibly ransomed by the Faunus forces.
A trio of heron Faunus siblings who were fishing downstream of the battle saw Aerarius and rescued him. They brought him back to their home and revived him from the cusp of death. They were unsure of what to do with the human soldier. The middle brother, Reyson, wanted to turn him in to the authorities while the youngest sister, Leanne, wanted to nurse him back to health. The eldest brother, Rafiel, ultimately sided with his sister.
When Aerarius awoke, he was met with Leanne's gentle and kind care. She promised him he was in no danger, and that they would not turn him over to the army. Slowly, a trust began to form between them. Aerarius explained his circumstances to the heron siblings, and how he bore no hate for their kind.
Over time, Aerarius began to fall in love with Leanne, being smitten by both her beauty and her compassionate nature. When he recovered from his wounds, he began to court her, eventually earning her affections as well. He helped with fishing and the chores around their home, making himself useful and ingratiating himself with her brothers. He found himself happier than he's ever been, enjoying the quiet peace of their home.
However, that peace was not to last. The heron siblings' home lay in the human army's warpath. A contingent of human soldiers was sent ahead to scout for the Faunus forces and stumbled across the herons and Aerarius. Desperate to protect his new family, Aerarius took up his blade and turned it against his fellow humans, Alas, during the struggle, Rafiel was captured and taken prisoner.
With a newfound resolve, Aerarius hid his identity as a human and joined the Faunus army. Rising quickly through their ranks, he led several attacks on the invading human forces, and was eventually able to rescue Rafiel. His series of successes became one of the major turning points in the war that ultimately culminated in the victory of the Faunus.
When the peace talks finally began, Aerarius's humanity was discovered, causing a worldwide scandal that shook Remnant to its core. He was made to return home to his family, who had thought him dead for the duration of the war. His family didn't care that he had technically fought against their kingdom; they were just so glad that he was alive.
The same could not be said for the Winchesters, whose contract he had breached by eloping with Leanne. Robin, his closest friend and fiancé, was utterly devastated by his betrayal. She grew to hate Aerarius and, by extension, the Faunus as well for 'stealing' him away from her. The Winchesters could not endure such humiliation nor the insult to their family name, and so they cursed the Arcs and swore a blood feud between them.
{ I }
"That feud persists to this very day." Jaune finished.
His friends looked at him with mixed expressions of awe, surprise, and anger.
"Your grandmother was a Faunus…?" Pyrrha said with astonishment. "But… But you don't have any traits!"
"While the union of a Faunus and a human typically results in a Faunus child, that is not always the case." Blake explained. "Though exceedingly rare, there are times when the child is born completely human."
Jaune nodded in affirmation. "I am the only one of my siblings to not have wings. It's a shame, really. I always wondered what it would be like to be able to fly."
Weiss scoffed. "I dread to imagine how well that'd mesh with your air sickness."
"Hey, I'd make it work!" He defended himself.
"So, wait," Yang started. "This entire beef between you and Cardin is because your grandad didn't want to marry his grandma?"
Jaune winced. "It's… a bit more complicated than that, though that is a major part of it. In the eyes of the Winchesters, whose family has been completely loyal to Vale in all its actions, my grandad committed the unforgivable crime of treason. He betrayed their bond, their kingdom, and their race all in one fell swoop."
"So your grandad is in the wrong." Yang concluded with a frown. "This entire feud is his fault."
"… Yes." Jaune said with shame. "Yes, it is."
"So why are you partaking in this feud?" Ruby asked. "It doesn't make any sense."
"Because it's evolved far beyond the scope of his grandfather's actions." Weiss explained. "The Winchesters became staunchly anti-Faunus, garnering a history of hate crimes against them ever since then."
Jaune let out a heavy sigh. "My family knows that what my grandfather did was wrong. He even personally apologized to Robin, though she didn't accept it. But that doesn't mean we are willing to let them lash out at innocents in their justified anger towards us."
"So… What's gonna happen now?" Nora asked.
"Cardin and I are going to duel at the beginning of next week. The winner will vindicate their family's actions and finally settle this feud once and for all. Until then, neither I or Cardin are allowed to interact with each other or we will be expelled and forfeit the duel. Neither of us can get into any other kind of trouble either, or we'll be given a month of detention."
"That seems like a rather light sentence," Pyrrha remarked.
"It's because when our fathers were in Beacon, he tried everything else. It didn't work."
Weiss, for once, seemed surprised. "Wait, your fathers dueled too? Why is this still an issue?"
His eyes met hers. "Because the duel ended in a draw."
"A draw!?" The shock and disbelief in her expression was profound. "Against your father? 'Iron Angel' Ferrum?"
"I know, right? I was surprised when I was told as well."
"Woah, wait, hold on!" Ruby exclaimed with excitement. "Your dad's the 'Iron Angel!?' Oh my gods, he's soooo cool! His weapon-"
Yang placed her hands on her sister's shoulder. "Ruby. Not the time."
"Oh, right." She shrunk back sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Anyways," Jaune continued. "I'm gonna need to spend a little bit of time getting ready for the duel. Hopefully I can end this grudge of over fifty years in the making."
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ren offered.
"I could use some sparring partners," Jaune said. "Your team seems especially stacked with more strength-oriented fighters."
"Ooh, I can help!" Nora bounced to her feet. "Magnhild is way better than that stupid mace, but it's kinda the same thing! I can whack you with it so you know what to expect!"
"Me too," Yang said, punching her hands together. "My Semblance is a bit like his. You can train against me to prepare for it."
"I can help as well," Pyrrha said, placing a hand on Jaune's shoulder reassuringly. "You and I share a similar fighting style, and I do have quite a bit of experience. I'd be more than happy to give you some advice."
He gave them all a wide, grateful grin. "Thank you guys. I really appreciate it."
{ II }
Things quieted down after that as Team RRYN returned to their room. Jaune spent some time afterwards learning what he had missed during Professor Peach's class, which thankfully hadn't been much, as it was the first day. Surprisingly, it had been Blake who offered to help catch him up, taking him to the library for a bit more space than what the small desk in their room offered.
"Thanks again for doing this Blake." He flashed her an appreciative smile.
She returned it with one of her own. "Well, I just thought that Weiss could use a break from babysitting you."
Her quip earned a small chuckle. "Yeah, she's certainly earned it. I must have given her a heart attack today."
"You should have seen her face when Cardin punched you." She said with an amused smile. "I never knew a Schnee could snarl like that!"
"Weiss can get pretty scary if you set her off." Gods know how many times he's been on the receiving end of her genuine ire.
"She seemed ready to murder him then and there."
"Ha! Maybe I should let Weiss duel him instead!"
They shared a muffled laugh, minding that there were a few other students in the library as well. Jaune took a moment to appreciate Blake's mirthful features: It seemed to be a rare occurrence for her to express herself so unreservedly, so he savored it when he could.
Once they had calmed themselves, Blake stared at him with a soft smile. "You know, Jaune… I really appreciate what you did for that Faunus earlier. Most people wouldn't involve themselves, but you stepped in to stop it."
"It was the right thing to do." He said simply. "It doesn't matter if it was a human or a Faunus, bullying someone like that is wrong. I'm sure you would have stepped in too."
The joy in her amber eyes dimmed considerably at his words. She looked away from him, ashamed. "Unfortunately, you're wrong."
"What?" Jaune said, appalled. "Of course you would!"
"You don't know me as well as you think you do." She said bitterly, crossing her arms against her chest. "I'm a coward, Jaune. I'm not brave like you. I was content to let that girl be bullied because it wasn't me. If I stepped in, I'd have drawn attention to myself. I… I'm such a hypocrite."
Her bow tilted forward as the ears beneath made to flatten dejectedly against her head. Jaune frowned, staring at her sullen expression for a moment longer before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Amber eyes stared up at him with a curious gaze.
"Hey… None of that now." He put on a warm smile. "It's okay to be a coward, Blake. Smarter too: I mean, look at where being brave got me." He saw the corner of her mouth twitch ever so slight upwards at his joke. "Whatever your reasons are for not helping that girl, I'm sure they're important to you. Especially if it has anything to do with why you're hiding what you are."
"They are…" She whispered. "My reasons, I mean. I… I can't tell you why just yet, but-"
"Blake." He interrupted her with a small shake. "It's fine. You'll tell me when you're ready, and if that day never comes then so be it. I just want you to know that as your partner and team leader… as your friend, I'm here for you. If you ever need anything, anything at all, please don't be afraid to ask."
"I… I understand." A soft, grateful smile flashed at him. "Thank you, Jaune."
{ III }
Blake smirked amusedly as she watched Jaune collapse into his bed as soon as they returned to their room, exhausted by the entire day's ordeals. She couldn't blame him, either: The day seemed exponentially longer than normal.
She noticed Weiss, who was sitting with Pyrrha on the redhead's bed, pouting slightly; upset that he didn't wait for her before going to sleep. The white-haired girl turned her gaze to Blake.
"Is he all caught up?" Weiss asked her. When Blake nodded, she sighed in relief. "Thank you. It is good to know I can rely on someone else to help him with his academics."
Blake returned a small shrug. "I honestly didn't need to help him much. He seemed to grasp hold of it rather fast."
Weiss hummed, musing to herself. "I suppose plant knowledge is a rather important aspect of survivalism."
"You said Jaune is rather knowledgeable about that sort of stuff, right?" Pyrrha said, remembering her partner's words during initiation.
"He is," Weiss confirmed with a nod. "His father used to take him camping for training. If he was somehow stranded in the wilderness, he could most likely fend for himself. Maybe even thrive."
The thought of Jaune in a Wildman-esque attire, rugged from many days out in the wilderness with a deer slung over his shoulder, brought a smile to her lips and a light blush to her cheeks. It was not an unattractive thought. Judging from her teammates' similar expressions, they seemed to agree.
"So what have you two been doing while we were gone?" Blake asked.
"Just comparing notes," said Pyrrha. "I had missed a few things during Professor Port's lecture today, so Weiss offered to let me see what she caught."
"I think the only thing anyone gained from his class was more rest." Blake quipped.
"I'm inclined to agree." Weiss admitted reluctantly. "That said, there were a few valuable bits of advice within his tall tales. Like how a Boarbatusk's belly is unarmored and vulnerable to bladed weapons."
Her eyes widened slightly with surprise. Had the man been giving hints as to how to defeat the Grimm before the fight began?
"I see you also caught on." Weiss said, noticing her expression. "Professor Port may be lacking in his storytelling skills, but there is knowledge to be garnered from his lessons. It's just a chore to do so."
"… Mind if I join you?" She asked somewhat shyly. Considering that she hadn't really paid any attention at all to Port's lecture, the Faunus girl thought it'd be a good idea to find out what she missed.
There was a small pause as she and Weiss stared at each other before the heiress patted the spot to her left, shooting her a small, polite smile.
"Of course."
Pyrrha's bed creaked slightly under the added weight as Blake sat down, leaning over to look at Weiss' notebook.
The three of them spent the rest of the night like that until it was time for bed. Weiss slipped under the covers as Jaune instinctually rolled over to wrap his arms around her. Pyrrha laid on her back, facing the ceiling and quickly falling asleep. Blake smiled at her team before curling up herself.
'This… This is nice.'
{ IV }
The second day of classes started off considerably better than the first. Instead of enduring through Port's mind-numbing stories, they were doing something a bit more hands-on.
"Welcome to Weapon Crafting and Upkeep!" A short, burly man with curly dark-purple hair and a long, magnificent beard greeted them. "I am Professor Harold Mulberry. I'll be honest with you kids: This is less of a class and more of a weapon maintenance period. However!" He shouted suddenly, cutting off any preemptive cheers. "That does not mean I won't be teaching you anything! I will drive into your skulls the various dos and don'ts of weapon creation, upgrading, and handling! Rule number one! Make sure your weapon is unloaded before doing any sort of work on it! That means both regular ammunition and any sort of Dust within it. This applies to both firearms and melee weapons! Can any of you tell me why this is important?"
Ruby's hand shot up. "To prevent accidental discharge and Dust combustions!"
"Correct!" He bellowed approvingly. "Despite you kids having Aura, a stray bullet is STILL dangerous! Same thing with Dust! A big enough explosion is gonna ruin anybody's day, but ESPECIALLY MINE! Dust is volatile, dangerous, and most of all expensive! If you set off a Dust explosion, that'll be money out of YOUR pocket! Professor Goodwitch is a woman of many talents, but she cannot replace Dust! Am I understood?"
"Yes, Professor!" The students called back immediately.
"Good! Now, I know most of you already built your weapons in your preparatory schools. You know them best, so I ain't gonna get in your way. But if you ever feel like you want to upgrade it, or feel like it doesn't suit you anymore and wanna make a new weapon, you let me know and I'll help you out. Now, get to work!"
The room became a cacophony of clinks and clangs as the students began to take apart their weapons for maintenance. The main issue with mechashift weapons is that, with all the moving parts, there was so much to check over and clean. Any misplaced part or jam could render the entire weapon useless. Jaune was lucky his weapon was relatively simple in comparison to that of his classmates.
'Especially Pyrrha and Blake,' he thought, looking over the absolute mass of parts on their tables. He noted that both of their ensembles had some form of reliable sidearm they could use in the event their mechashift weaponry failed: Blake's sheathe doubled as a large cleaver while Pyrrha had a shield.
Weiss's weapon was arguably simpler than his, being a rapier that could cycle and fire Dust. The most complex component was the revolver mechanism. Beyond that it was just a sword.
As for Crocea Mors, originally it was just the Shielthe that had the mechashift function. Once the blade reached his grandfather's hands, however, the addition of the greatsword form was added, which aided in keeping the conspicuous blade unfamiliar to those who knew it while he was hiding his identity. Surprisingly enough, the main blade of Crocea Mors hadn't even needed to be maintained. The blade was as pristine as the day it was forged, and that was over a hundred years ago.
The weapon hadn't changed since then. Glancing at the plethora of weapons to gain inspiration from, he debated that maybe it was time for another upgrade.
"Hi Jaune!" Ruby popped up next to him, silver eyes sparkling with mirth as he nearly fumbled his shield in surprise. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Ruby!" He said, startled. "Gods, don't do that!"
"Sorry!" She giggled. "Are you done with maintenance yet?"
"Just about." He sighed, collapsing his shield. "You done with yours?"
"Yep!" She replied, cradling Crescent Rose in her arms.
Jaune whistled, impressed that she was able to finish so quickly with a weapon as complex as hers.
"As much as I enjoy your company Ruby, is there any reason you decided to come over?" He asked curiously.
"Yep!" She pointed to his weapon. "I wanted to see if you kept any other secrets from me!"
'Ah, right.' He remembered. 'I never told her about the greatsword form.'
To be fair, he thought it somewhat boring, especially in comparison to her and Yang's weapons at the time. After all, combining a shield and a sword to make an even bigger sword wasn't much of a step up from his sheathe becoming a shield in the first place.
"No, nothing else," he chuckled. "Though I am thinking about possibly upgrading it."
"Oooh, can I help?" Ruby bounced on the ball of her feet in excitement. "I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to weapons."
"I'm sorry," Weiss said as she approached from his right. "I couldn't help but overhear about upgrading your weapon?"
"That's right," he said with a nod. "I was thinking about how long it's been since Crocea Mors received its last upgrade. Maybe while I'm here, I can give it a tune up."
"If you're planning anything major, I'd advise against it until your fight with Cardin is over." Weiss stated.
"That makes sense." Jaune said in understanding. Too many changes and the weapon will feel foreign in his hands.
"What did you have in mind?" Ruby asked.
"I'm lacking a ranged option," He brought up his notebook and began writing down ideas. "So I was thinking of maybe introducing a firearm somewhere here. Maybe some Dust related function as well."
"Hmm…" The girls brainstormed together.
"It'd be next to impossible to modify the blade portion of Crocea Mors, so perhaps not that… Unless?" Weiss began to sketch out the hilt of the sword.
Ruby looked over at his shield and shook her head. "There's not gonna be enough room in there for all the firing components. Maybe we can do this?" Ruby also began to sketch out a diagram of his shield.
The three spent the rest of the class going over possible ideas and designs for Crocea Mors's upgrade. By the time it was over, they started to have a rough idea of what to do with the heirloom weapon.
{ V }
"That was an impressive fight, Weiss." Pyrrha praised her partner.
"More like a slaughter…" Blake remarked, flipping a page in her book. "Russel couldn't even get close to you."
Jaune winced, remembering the spar. Weiss had utterly decimated her opponent before the mohawk-haired teen could amount to anything.
"Hmph. He deserved it for harassing that poor girl yesterday." Weiss said scornfully, taking a small bite of her salad.
Blake smirked amusedly. "Are you sure it's not because his team leader punched ours in the face?"
"That is part of it, yes." She confirmed unapologetically.
"Yang also kicked some major butt today!" Nora piped up. "You totally destroyed that nobody!"
"Her name was Noh Wan, Nora." Ren admonished her. "And she put on a pretty good fight. It's just that Yang is… Yang."
"Yeah, she wasn't bad." Yang said with a shrug, then grinned. "She was up against the Dragon of Signal, after all!"
"See! Yang is just as cool!" Nora exclaimed.
"It's not a competition, Nora!" Pyrrha laughed as she attempted to appease the excitable girl. "Yang also fought excellently."
"Aww, thanks Pyrrha!" The bodacious blonde turned her attention to her sister, looming over her shoulder with a curious gaze as Ruby doodled in her notebook. "So whatcha working on, sis?"
"Jaune asked me for some help making him a new weapon." She closed the notebook and held it away from the blonde. "No peeking, though! We want it to be a surprise!"
"We?" Yang teased. "Are you gonna make a new baby with Jaune?"
"YANG!" Ruby flushed, slapping her sister with her notebook. "Don't say it like that!"
"But you call Crescent Rose your baby!" Yang laughed as she attempted to fend off Ruby's paperback attacks.
"You're making a new weapon?" Blake asked with surprise. "It looked like you were doing just fine with Crocea Mors."
"I am!" Jaune said defensively. "I wouldn't dare think about replacing Crocea Mors. Not until I have a kid of my own to pass it down to. I'm just… expanding my arsenal, I should say." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Ah, right, Blake. What caliber ammunition does Gambol Shroud use?"
His partner quirked a brow. "Most of the time, I use 10mm, but I can convert to 12.7mm as well. Why do you ask?"
"Ooh, 12.7mm. Good choice," Ruby remarked as she jotted down the caliber in her notebook, her eyes gleaming excitedly.
"One of the things I'm adding is a firearm. I figured I might as well make it in the same caliber as yours, since we're partners."
"Awww!" Nora gushed. "Sharing ammunition! That's so cute! I told Renny to make his weapon a grenade launcher too, but he said no!"
"You could have made Magnhild into a minigun." He reminded her.
"But big explosions are so much better though!"
Pyrrha frowned at her team leader. "But why the secrecy? We could help."
"Weiss and Ruby are already helping, and they're working on two separate things." Jaune explained. "Too many people working on this would get in the way, I think."
"You're already offering to train him," Weiss reminded her. "Since Ruby and I wouldn't be good sparring partners to simulate the upcoming duel, we found that this was the way we could help."
"I suppose that's true…" Pyrrha conceded reluctantly.
"It's not that I didn't want your help, Pyrrha." Jaune clarified, reaching over to put a hand over hers comfortingly. "It's just that these two offered first. I don't need anything else. You're helping me enough by offering to train me."
Pyrrha blushed as his hand laid over her. Gently, she grabbed it with both hands and smiled at him. "Okay. I understand. But please Jaune, don't be afraid to ask for my help either."
"All right," he said with a nod. "Next time I want to make an upgrade, I'll come to you first. Sound good?"
"Sounds grand." She returned.
"Hey, wait a minute." Yang said suddenly. "How come everyone is pitching in except these two!?" She pointed accusatory fingers towards Blake and Ren.
"Don't you know, Yang?" Blake asked, lowering her book and putting on a playful smile. "We're Jaune's morale support team. We're giving him our full support and cheering him on. Isn't that right, Ren?"
A small smirk graced his features as he nodded. "That's right, Blake. I'm directing all of my positive energy towards Jaune as we speak. Unfortunately, it is quite a tiring action, so we must take constant breaks."
"Oooh, Renny! Take some of mine too!" Nora glomped him, sending him falling backwards off his seat. "I have enough positive energy for both of you!"
"Serves you right, you lazy bum." Yang laughed.
"I was only joking…" Ren groaned from his place on the floor.
"I wasn't." Blake said, going back to her book. "Sending positive vibes."
{ VI }
"Good evening class!" A bespectacled man with wild green hair greeted ecstatically as he zipped around the front of the room, carrying a large green thermos filled with coffee. "I am Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck, but you may call me Dr. Oobleck or sir. I shall be your history teacher for your tenure at Beacon. Now I know you might be wondering 'What good is there in learning about the past? Isn't the present more important?' Well, to that I say, it is vital to remember that to progress we must learn from the mistakes of our past or we will be doomed to repeat them."
The man was speaking at a million words per minute, a pace that overwhelmed even Weiss at first.
Dr. Oobleck took a small sip from his thermos before continuing. "The first topic we will be learning about is the conception of the Huntsman Academies and how the profession of Huntsman came to be. That, of course, would begin with the Great War, one of the most horrific events to ever occur in Remnant's history."
As their caffeinated professor began his lesson, Jaune couldn't help but sigh tiredly. He already knew this chapter of Remnant's bloody legacy. After all, his great-great-grandfather Aureus was one of the war's most prominent figures. He grew up on stories of the man, the legacy he left behind, and the goal his descendants needed to strive for and overcome. The topic was so boring to him that he actually dozed off several times. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how one looked at it, Jaune was actually seated away from his team, so Weiss couldn't hope to keep him awake.
"-but by then it was already too late. With their supply line disrupted and completely surrounded, the Mistrali forces were forced to surrender, letting the Valean army seize Castle Ferox and isolating the Mantlese army from further reinforcement. Captain Arc's plan was a complete and utter success. The combined forces of the Vacuon and Valean armies went on to envelop the Mantlese army and rout it to oblivion, ending the terrible Great War once and for all.
"After this, the Huntsman Academies were established, each headed by one of Ozymandias' closest confidants. Our own Beacon Academy was placed in the hands of none other than Aureus Arc himself! The first generation of Huntsman were a force dedicated to eradicating the creatures of Grimm, which at that point in time threatened to overrun the kingdoms with the amount of negativity that flooded the entire world as a byproduct of the war. Thankfully, they were successful in stemming the tide and pushing the Grimm back, otherwise we wouldn't be here today!
"Now class, can you tell me what our primary objective is as Huntsmen and Huntresses?" Scanning the room, Dr. Oobleck's eyes found a raised hand and immediately called upon its own. "Mr. Winchester!"
"To slay the Grimm." He answered confidently, crossing his arms and smirking to himself.
"Incorrect!" the green-haired man rejected, shocking his student and a few others who shared the same thought. "That is one of our goals but not the primary one!" He scanned the crowd again. "Miss Rose!"
"To stop evil-doers and uphold justice!" Ruby exclaimed.
The teacher shook his head. "That is a goal we share with law enforcement. Again, not our primary goal, but you are getting closer!"
Suddenly, the man was in Jaune's face, startling the blond teen such that he almost tipped out of his own seat. "Mr. Arc, you've been awfully quiet. Would you care to answer?"
Jaune thought to himself for a moment. "… Our primary goal is to inspire the populace with positive feelings and to uphold the peace so that those feelings can prosper."
He was met with a smile. "Correct! Our role as Huntsman and Huntresses is to inspire the people and uphold the peace! We are to generate positive emotions such as hope and happiness, to promote safety and cooperation! Positivity is the greatest weapon to combating the Grimm and protecting the people of Remnant. Slaying Grimm and stopping criminals are just ways to go about achieving that greater whole!
"Excellent answer, Mr. Arc. So excellent, in fact, that I shall forgive you sleeping during my lessons."
The blond teen's face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and horror at having been caught and called out by his instructor. Cardin's laughter made him clench his fingers on the edge of his desk, and he could hear Weiss's disappointed sigh from across the room. His shoulders slumped: He'd definitely be getting an earful after class.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Oobleck. It won't happen again."
His professor took another sip from his thermos. "See to it that it does not. I understand it is likely that you are already well-versed in the topic considering your heritage, but nevertheless there might be some facets you may not be. It is important that you grasp the whole picture and not just the parts that pertain to you, young man."
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. "That will be all for today, students! Pages five through fifteen for readings! We will be covering the Color Revolution next class!
{ VII }
"BATTER UP!" Nora screamed as she slammed her hammer into Jaune's shield, sending him skidding back and nearly out of the ring with an explosion-assisted swing.
Jaune slowed himself by stabbing Crocea Mors into the ground, stopping just as his heels touched the edge. He shook his shield arm, wincing in pain as his bones rattled. "Gods, Nora. Remind me not to ever make you mad."
Holding Magnhild across her shoulders and rocking on her feet, she grinned cheekily at him. "Oh Jauney, you could never make me mad!" She thought for a moment with a cute expression. "Unless you steal my pancakes. THEN I'll be mad! Especially if Ren made them for me! Then I'll be SUPER mad!"
"Noted…" Jaune sighed, raising his shield and charging in once more.
After classes were done for the day, Teams AWBN and RRYN split off into two groups: Weiss, Blake, Ruby, and Ren returned to their dorms while Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Yang met in one of the numerous training arenas available to the students to begin Jaune's training. The room was similar to the one used for their Combat classes, except there were numerous sparring droids that laid in the sidelines for use in solo practice and simulations.
Nora had volunteered to fight Jaune first, and so far was giving the knight a run for his money. Her swings were powerful, creating shockwaves on impact when enhanced by her explosives. It was very hard to stop her strikes when they were in motion, and very dangerous if they managed to hit him dead on.
It was thanks only to Pyrrha's careful observation that he knew how to counter them, finding it much easier to either completely dodge the swing, or failing that, redirect them by striking at her leading hand. Striking at the head of the warhammer held the risk of detonating the explosion mid-swing, which is why he avoided deflecting her blows.
Jaune was blasted back again as Nora smashed the ground in front him, sending him ass over teakettle as he rolled to his feet. He sprang forward, rushing at Nora again, then slid under her swing and avoided getting hat tricked. He grabbed her ankle then pulled her leg out from under her, robbing her of balance and sending her frontside crashing into the floor with an audible "Oomph!" escaping her lips. She kicked at his wrist to force him to let go, but Jaune just dropped his sword and grabbed her other leg. Quickly rising to his feet, he whirled her around and tossed her out of the ring, ending the match.
Panting tiredly, Jaune fell back to sit on the ground, taking off his helmet. Explosions were not fun when you were on the receiving end of them.
Nora whooped as she jumped to her feet. "That was fun! Let's do that again!"
"Sorry partner," Yang called as she leapt onto the stage. "But it's my turn now! You ready to fight the Dragon, oh Sir Knight?"
"Give me… a bit longer, please…" Jaune begged. "Everything's starting to blur…" A cheeky grin split his face. "Was the dragon always a princess?"
"Can't sweet talk your way out of this one, Ladykiller." Yang grinned with a wink. "Besides, you're the one that asked for this."
A cool bottle of water was pressed into his cheek. Jaune turned his head towards it and was met with emerald-green eyes sparkling with praise.
"Thanks Pyrrha." He said gratefully as she tilted the water bottle into his mouth. As he began to greedily gulp it down, she offered a few bits of advice.
"That was good, Jaune. Getting in close like that was a great way to reduce Nora's options. Yang is going to be the opposite though, so try to take advantage of your blade's range. Be wary of her shotgun blasts, as well as her Semblance. However hard you hit her, she'll hit back exponentially harder."
"Hey, no fair!" Yang protested jokingly. "Where's my coach?"
"He has a weak right, Yang!" Nora yelled. "Punch him in the kidney! Break him in half!"
Jaune sighed in relief as he finished drinking, then pleaded in a soft voice, "Please don't do that."
"No promises!" She smiled.
Grunting, Jaune rose to his feet and slipped his helmet back on. Pyrrha gave him an encouraging slap on the back before exiting the ring. He fell into a practiced stance: shield raised and sword pointed forward.
"Is baby done with his bottle?" She said in a playfully demeaning tone.
"Yeah," He returned confidently. "It's not as good as drinking from the teat anyways."
She laughed. "Maybe if you beat me, I'll let you have a taste."
"Is that a promise?"
"I don't know..." She said teasingly, raising her fists. "Slay the dragon to find out~!"
The buzzer sounded as the two blondes charged each other, colliding in a storm of steel and gunfire.
A/N:Happy Valentine's Day. Hope you guys and gals had a nice holiday with your beaus. For the single readers out there, hey, discounted chocolate and sweets.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. See you next month.
Omake: Caffeinated Apology
Dr. Oobleck eyed the cup of coffee on his desk with scrutiny, unsure if he should be grateful or suspicious. Jaune Arc had come into his office the moment it was open to the students with the cup of joe in his hands and a sincere, apologetic smile on his face. His student offered the coffee as a token of apology for sleeping during his class, saying, "I'd like to make amends, sir. I'll do better from here on, so please accept this gift. I brewed it myself."
He accepted it, of course. He didn't want to hurt the young man's feelings. That said, his uncertainty stemmed from the drink being prepared by someone other than him. He had a particular method to his blend: Treble espresso with slightly less water than usual. The resulting liquid would be as black as pitch, but the high it would give him was simply wonderful, even if some would call him mad for it.
As he gently wafted the fumes of Jaune's apology into his face, he was pleasantly surprised by the comforting aroma it exuded. His usual mixture usually reeked of a harsh bitterness and heat, but it was his preferred way of drinking the beverage. He had forgotten how pleasant coffee could smell.
He peered into the cup, surprised to see his own reflection against the liquid's black surface. It seemed his student noticed his penchant for dark brew.
Everything seemed to be in order. He was certain the Arc scion had not done anything malicious with the drink either. Slowly, he lifted the cup to his lips.
XXX
"Dr. Oobleck?" Professor Ozpin knocked loudly against his co-worker's door with a worried expression. "Dr. Oobleck, are you in there?"
The man had been absent for his own morning lecture. Considering how speedy and punctual the man was, it certainly raised some eyebrows. If the man was sick, he would have arranged for one of the other professors to substitute for him.
When he was met with no response, Ozpin used his scroll to unlock the room to check for himself. As he was the headmaster of the academy, his scroll acted as a skeleton key for every room at the institution. Cautiously, he stepped into Oobleck's office, the grip on his cane tightening ever so slightly.
To his utter relief and bafflement, he saw the green-haired man sitting at his desk, a cup of coffee in his hands. How had the man not heard him?
"Dr. Oobleck, what are you still doing here?" Ozpin asked him. "You are aware that morning lectures have begun, yes?"
His co-worker did not respond. In fact, hadn't even turned his head towards Ozpin's direction; he was just staring blankly at the wall. Ozpin approached his colleague concernedly, calling his name once more. "Dr. Oobleck?"
Nothing.
His hand reached to touch the man's shoulder. "Bartholomew?
The headmaster's eyes widened as his hand passed through Oobleck's body like it wasn't even there. The history teacher's visage was still there, completely intact, but also intangible.
"What in Oum's name…?" Ozpin flinched back with a quiet fear.
A familiar aroma wafted into his nose, drawing his eyes to the cup in Oobleck's hand. He reached for it, and was surprised that unlike Oobleck, the cup was tangible. Looking into the container, his suspicions were confirmed, seeing the coffee stains against the white interior.
"Mr. Arc…" He sighed. It seemed Oobleck had ingested the clandestine Arc brew. On closer inspection, there were a few drops left in the cup.
In a paranoid fashion, Ozpin looked about the room for any potential witnesses before imbibing the rest of the liquid.
He closed his eyes, letting the taste wash over his tongue.
"-O IT!" Someone screamed in his face, startling him as the white-haired man quickly opened his eyes in shock.
"Bartholomew?" he asked as his colleague grabbed his shoulders with a tearful, panicked expression.
Oobleck seemed to start at that, and in fact seemed shocked that he could touch Ozpin at all.
"I-I can touch you?" Oobleck whispered almost inaudibly.
Gently pushing the green-haired man's hands off him, Ozpin replied, "Could you not before?"
Suddenly, the man was crying, full on sobbing as he embraced his employer in a desperate hug.
"Y-You can see me! You can hear me! Y-You, you can touch me!" He said between hiccups.
"Bart?" Ozpin said, slowly patting the man's back in a soothing manner. "What's going on?"
"That coffee!" Oobleck cried spitefully. "I-It… It did something to me! To us! We cannot touch anything! No one can hear us o-or see us, no matter how hard you try to grab their attention!"
"Ah, I understand now." Ozpin said sagely, softly prying the history teacher off him. "Mr. Arc gave you an extra strong cup today. Don't worry, Bart: it'll wear off soon, and the high you'll experience afterwards will make this all worth it."
Unexpectedly, Oobleck's arms slipped through Ozpin's form, the headmaster slowly fading away.
"W-What's happening to you?" Oobleck said, terrified.
"I'm slowing down," Ozpin said with a smile. "I only drank a few drops, after all. Don't worry, Bart. I'll take over your classes for today."
"No, no, no, no!" Oobleck desperately tried to grasp onto Ozpin's fleeting form, his expression morphing into one of complete panic and horror. "Don't leave me! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE LIKE THIS, PLEASE! OZP-!"
Oobleck's voice cut off as Ozpin staggered forward, leaning on the desk as he regained his bearings. Raising his head, he found Oobleck's afterimage still there, unnaturally calm and unmoving.
Smiling and fixing his glasses, Ozpin waltzed out of Oobleck's office with a spring in his step. He sent a cursory glance backwards towards the room before he continued on, twirling his cane in his hand as he went to cover his colleague's class.
He'll be fine.