"Yes!" Dr. Oobleck exclaimed as he zipped about the room. "Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War, humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing the Faunus population in Menagerie."
Jaune did his best to keep up with his teacher's pace, not wanting to earn the caffeinated instructor ire. He did not want a repeat of their first class.
Oobleck paused to sip from his thermos before continuing. "Now, while this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!"
Jaune spared a glance to the other side of the room, where the rest of his team sat. He noticed that Blake was paying special attention to this lecture in comparison to the last lesson.
The green haired man took a breath as if steeling himself before speaking. "How many of you have been a victim of discrimination because of your Faunus heritage?"
A beat passed, the weight of the question catching all of the students off guard. Slowly, a multitude of hands were raised, Jaune's included.
"Dreadful," He sighed as he noted the amount of raised hands. "Simply dreadful." His eyes seemed to lock onto Jaune's hand. Suddenly, the instructor was standing before the blond. "I'm surprised, Mr. Arc. I know you are one of the few humans born of an interracial union. I would have thought you'd be able to avoid such discrimination."
"That's true most of the time," he confirmed. He could hear Cardin scoff in the row above him. "But my sisters received their fair share of it growing up, and I was always defending them. There were many times where I found a shop I liked but they wouldn't serve my sisters."
"I see." Oobleck nodded in understanding. "That is often the case for many humans whose friends and family are Faunus. I'm sorry to hear that." He turned his head up to address the class as a whole. "Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence! I mean, just look at what became of the White Fang!"
Glancing at Blake once more, Jaune could see her stiffen.
Oobleck continued on after taking another sip of his coffee. "Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?" Weiss's hand shot up. "Yes, Miss Schnee!"
"The Battle of Fort Castle." She said confidently.
"Precisely!" He praised. "And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" His eyes scanned the room before pointing towards Cardin. "Mr. Winchester, perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject?"
The bulky teen smirked. "Well, I know they had help from a human traitor. Aerarius Arc drilled them in General Lagune's doctrine from when he served under him. It helped that he was training animals too, since that's easier than training soldiers."
Jaune bit his tongue, not rising towards the bait.
Dr. Oobleck also seemed to find the answer distasteful, shaking his head. "Incorrect. While Aerarius Arc's leadership during the Faunus War was a significant factor, that is not the reason why the Faunus prevailed in the battle." His eyes darted to another raised hand. "Miss Belladonna!"
"Night vision." She answered simply, her eyes boring into Cardin. "Many Faunus are known to have nearly perfect vision in the dark. General Lagune was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the General was captured." She smirked derisively at him. "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."
"You got a problem with me?" Cardin growled, palms slamming into his desk.
"She's merely educating her peer, Cardin." Pyrrha interjected, her tone measured and polite. She smiled politely at him. "You're not the most open-minded individual, are you?"
Cardin rose from his seat, teeth barred and fists clenched.
"Sit down, Mr. Winchester." Oobleck ordered. "I am willing to overlook your not-so-subtle attempt to disparage Mr. Arc's lineage, but I must remind you that not only have you lost your right to do so, but overt gestures of violence against your peers are strictly prohibited outside of Combat Class. Do not force my hand."
Scowling, Cardin sat back down, seething in barely contained rage.
The historian took a long sip from his thermos. "You can see me after class for additional readings. Now, moving on!"
Jaune tried his best to keep the smile off his face as he shot a thankful look towards his team.
{ I }
Dr. Oobleck sighed as he waited for the rest of his students to leave the classroom before turning towards Cardin. The burly teen returned his gaze with one of disinterest, having kicked his legs up on the desk.
"Mr. Winchester… Cardin. You have been struggling in my class since day one. I understand it is not for lack of interest—You seem to know quite a bit about Valean history, no doubt because of your heritage—but rather, a certain stubbornness. I know you and your family hold certain prejudices against the Faunus, but I must implore you to cease such disparaging comments. Being a huntsman requires that you set aside your own personal reservation to better the world as a whole. These very 'animals' you antagonize consist of some of your peers, people who you will be working with in the future and may require to assist you, maybe even save your life."
Cardin scoffed. "I can work with ani-" An intense stare from Oobleck forced him to amend himself. "Faunus, well enough, so long as they don't get in my way."
The history teacher shook his head. "No, that is not enough. You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best, so I expect you to act like it, especially from someone of such noble lineage. Mr. Arc has been improving by leaps and bounds, even if his mind wanders from time to time. You should endeavor to emulate his example."
"I refuse." Cardin growled, incensed that he was being compared to his rival and found lacking. "He is from a line of oathbreakers and traitors and I refuse to besmirch the honor of my house by being anything like him."
Oobleck gave another tired sigh. "You have the potential to do much good in the world, Cardin. Please, do not dwell in the past any longer. The grudges of a feud half a century old are not yours. Learn from the mistakes of the past, for if you do not, you are destined to repeat them."
The teen glowered, saying nothing further.
"… Pages 51 to 91." Oobleck said after a moment of silence. "I want an essay on my desk by next class." Taking another sip, the green-haired man gathered his belongings and made to leave the room. He gave one last pleading look towards his student. "You are dismissed."
When the bespectacled professor left, Cardin slammed his hands into the desk and yelled in pure frustration.
His family's grudges weren't his own?
Bullshit. Whoever slighted his family was on his shitlist for life.
Get along with Faunus?
Only if the filthy animals heeled to his order.
Follow Jaune Arc's example?
He'd sooner die.
Just the thought of the Arc scion filled him with rage. Uttering his name left a horrid taste in his mouth.
'I had him.' He thought, remembering the fateful duel. 'I had him by the fucking throat. I was about to win!'
But he hadn't. He squandered his chance with his gloating and let the Arc get the better of him. He sullied his family's honor by losing that duel, by losing to one of such filthy lineage.
The rest of Team AWBN was no better: That uppity, pretentious bitch Belladonna and that arrogant, holier-than-thou Nikos were just as bad as their leader. How dare they humiliate him when HE was in the right?
And the Schnee… How could someone of such prestigious pedigree lower themselves to mix and mingle with a disgusting mongrel like Arc? It made no sense!
He'll make them pay for crossing House Winchester, for daring to cross him.
"And I'll start with Jaune fucking ARC!"
{ II }
"Achoo!" Jaune sneezed, nearly dropping the jar of sap in his hands. Setting it down, he quickly pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his nose. "Gods, this is horrible."
"I'll say." Blake agreed, taking both his jar and his place by the tree they'd just tapped. "You've been sneezing non stop since we started collecting sap."
Team AWBN and a few other teams had been tasked with gathering samples of Forever Fall's tree sap for Professor Peach, one jar per person. The woman in question was somewhere in the vicinity, alongside Professor Goodwitch.
Since the sap they needed coagulated rather quickly after being exposed to air, they needed to bore and tap several different trees so as to avoid damaging the ecosystem. To speed the process along and avoid tapping the same trees, everyone had spread out over the area. Everyone was told to stay with their teams, since the professors could not monitor everyone at once.
"I think I might be allergic." Jaune sniffled. He was glad he had taken off his helmet before they started collecting sap, otherwise the interior of it would have been covered in a layer of snot.
"You don't say…" Blake replied dryly, sighing as the tree began to seal up. They were still on their first jar and the damn thing was only half full. Luckily, they still had a little under two hours to collect four jars between their entire team. While Blake and Jaune's progress was slowed due to Jaune's sneezing fits, Pyrrha and Weiss had just finished capping their first jar. The two of them worked together like a well-oiled machine when they weren't fighting over Jaune's attention and affection, so Team AWBN as a whole should still be able to finish with time to spare.
"Nora!" They heard Yang yell angrily. "Stop eating our homework!"
Turning their attention to the energetic pair, they spotted Yang swiping a nearly empty jar away from her partner. The orange-haired girl smiled goofily through a sugar high, the edges of her mouth stained purple with sap.
"It's so yummy though!" Nora replied. "This would go great on pancakes!"
"I don't care if this stuff tastes good!" Scooping some up with her finger, Yang let the sugary tree-blood settle on her tastebuds. "We need to-" Her lavender eyes widened in delight. "Oh, damn. This is delicious!"
"See!? I told you!"
"We need to save some for home!" The duo quickly set off to collect more sap, leaving Ruby and Ren shaking their heads.
"Those girls ain't right." Ruby stated as she swapped the full jar of sap at her partner's hands with an empty one.
"Mhm." Ren hummed as he bored and tapped another tree. A slurping sound from behind him quickly filled him with panic. He turned around to see Ruby sipping directly from the jar. "Ruby, NO!"
The gothic redhead zipped out of his range before he could stop her. "But it tastes amazing, Ren!"
Ren desperately chased after the speedy reaper, who darted away with her Semblance just out of his reach. "Ruby! Please, I know you're better than this!"
"Should we… Should we do something?" Pyrrha asked.
Sighing tiredly, Weiss gestured to the slew of empty jars nearby. "We'll collect some extra, just in case they end up short."
Nodding, Jaune made to bore another tree, but Blake caught his shoulder. "You'll just go into another sneezing frenzy if you try. Leave it to us."
"What?" Jaune exclaimed, appalled. "No, I couldn't."
"We insist, Jaune." Weiss called. "No need to torture yourself for something as menial as this."
Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "I think there was a stream somewhere close by. Why don't you wash up there?"
Outnumbered three to one, Jaune had no choice but to obey. "All right. I'll be right back."
The knight slowly disappeared into the foliage in search of the water source. His absence was quickly noticed by a vigilant gaze, who followed after him discreetly.
{ III }
Venturing a fair distance further into the forest, the blond finally came upon the stream. The water ran surprisingly clear, with a few red leaves perpetually flowing downstream.
Kneeling next to it, he took off his gauntlets and gloves and began washing his face. To his surprise, the small amounts of sap stuck to him readily dissolved in the water, coming off easily. He repeated the process for his hand garments when the sound of crunching leaving from behind caught his attention.
"What a surprise, the freak of nature gets rejected by nature."
Sighing, Jaune rose to his feet and turned to face the newcomer. "What do you want, Winchester?"
A tense smirk greeted him as Cardin answered. "I think you already know what I want, Arc."
"I can hazard a guess." Jaune replied, palming the hilt of his sword. "Though just to be sure…"
"I'll spell it out for you, then." The burly teen pointed his mace at Jaune. "You. Me. Rematch. Right here, right now. No bullshit ring outs to save you, no ref to stop us when our Aura hits red. We fight until empty or when one of us surrenders."
"We made an agreement with the headmaster." Jaune's royal blue eyes stared daggers into his rival.
"Fuck the headmaster." Cardin growled. "There's no way you can get off that easily. My pride as a Winchester won't allow it."
A singular cynical eyebrow raised upwards. "Yet that same pride is willing to go back on a binding agreement you yourself made?"
"Draw your sword, Arc." Cardin commanded, ignoring the slight for the moment.
"No. We're done, Cardin. I'm done." Jaune put on his gloves and gauntlets, still glistening wet, and made to walk past the brunette.
Cardin's mace swung down in his path, kicking up rocks and dirt. The scion of House Winchester stared into him, determined and resolute.
"Draw. Your. Sword." He said again, forcefully enunciating every last word.
A beat passed as a gentle breeze rustled the vibrant red canopy, neither one of them turning away from each other.
"… Very well." Jaune relented. Crocea Mors sang as it was unsheathed, shining under the noon sun. Pointing the blade at Cardin, he turned the flat parallel to the ground. "At your ready."
They stood there for a moment, still as statues, the only noise being the surrounding fauna of the forest. The chirping of birds, the gentle croaking of a toad, the buzzing insects…
With a roar, Cardin charged at him, Dust crystal glowing. His armored boots pounded against the ground like a warhorse, closing the distance with his arch enemy.
Jaune stood patiently, unmoving, waiting for his nemesis to come to him.
Then, just as his opponent was upon him, Jaune stepped to the side and sheathed his blade, letting Cardin swing nothing but air.
"I surrender." The blonde stated loudly and clearly.
Cardin came to a stop a few steps later, head whipping back once he heard those words. "What?"
"I surrender." Jaune repeated himself. "Those were the terms, right? 'Fight until empty or when one of us surrender?'"
"You…" Cardin was stunned, his jaw dropping in disbelief.
"You win. I lose." Jaune clarified as he began to walk away. "Congratulations, scion of House Winchester. You have redeemed yourself. May you continue to bring great honor unto your family for years to come."
Jaune strode away, eager to put the entire transaction behind him. He had given Cardin what he wanted. He had abided by the terms he had set to the letter. Surely that was enough to satisfy-
"RRRRAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"
The bestial roar behind him was the only warning he got before he was sent flying. He managed to land in a roll, pivoting on his foot to stare back at Cardin's heaving form, his mace buried into the ground where Jaune last stood. The Dust crystal within his weapon was glowing a furious red.
"How dare you try to humiliate me by just walking away!?" He bellowed, wrenching his mace out of the earth in a spray of dirt and sediment.
"Are you touched in the head!?" Jaune shouted furiously. "I surrendered! The fight is over!"
"I refuse!" Cardin spat, blitzing forward faster than he had any right to be. "There is no honor to be had like that! Stop running away and FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!"
Hastily activating Crocea Mors' greatsword mode, he just barely managed to deflect Cardin's reckless swing. Chambering Earth Dust, Jaune stabbed his weapon into the ground and fired off the cartridge. A pillar of rock shot up instantaneously, embedding itself into Cardin's stomach and launching him backwards.
The maddened teen landed on his back with a loud thud, kicking up a small cloud of debris. He climbed to his feet quickly, letting out a ferocious war cry as he charged back into the fray. He shifted his weapon into its shotgun form, slam-firing the weapon as he closed the distance once more.
Jaune swiftly reorientated his weapon as soon as he saw the mace begin to shift, deploying his shield just in time to block the barrage of lead pellets. Drawing White Rose from its holster, he peaked out from behind his shield and returned fire.
Cardin gladly let the bullets slam into him, letting his Aura deflect what his armor did not. Once he was in range, he shifted his weapon back into a mace, bringing it down to bear down on the blonde.
Jaune rammed the rim of his shield into Cardin's hands, redirecting the strike away before stepping into the Winchester's guard. He shoved his shield forward, pinning Cardin's arms to his chest before pistol whipping him across the face.
To his credit, Cardin took it like a champ, barely flinching as the improvised bludgeon struck him again and again. Feeling his Semblance empowering him further as his Aura lowered, he caught Jaune by the wrist and began to squeeze.
The knight gritted his teeth in pain as he felt the intense compression threaten to break the bones at the joint. Swinging his shield up, he caught Cardin in the chin, but the brunette refused to let him go.
Suddenly, Cardin's mace found itself buried in Jaune's side, the Fire Dust crystal detonating and launching the blond clear across the clearing and into the stream.
'KABOOM!'
Jaune skittered across the water's surface and tumbled through the various stones along the bank. His Aura flared as he came to a stop a dozen meters away, landing in a heap.
Groaning in pain, Jaune found his head throbbing in mind-numbing agony, having hit it against the rocks during his landing. His vision was blurry and doubled for a moment, the very act of sitting upright nigh impossible as the world around him spun senselessly. He began to amplify his Aura as he tried to regain his bearings, though the process was agonizingly slow.
Cardin sauntered up to the downed blond, grinning triumphantly. He held his weapon loosely in hand, letting it scrape against the ground so that Jaune could hear him coming closer. He wanted the Arc to fear his approach: to fear him.
He was nearly upon him now. The blonde's back was facing towards him, his body curled up in what the Winchester assumed was pain and suffering. Hefting up his weapon, Cardin would make doubly sure he was.
Just as Cardin was a step away from Jaune, the blonde rolled over, revealing White Rose's carbine form. Bracing the firearm against the ground, Jaune unloaded the magazine at full auto.
The sudden close-range mag dump caught Cardin completely by surprise, the powerful 12.7mm bullets impacting his body with significant force. One of the bullets would have caught him in the eye had he not raised an arm to protect his face.
Seizing the moment of blindness, Jaune boosted himself with his Semblance and launched himself from his prone position, dropping White Rose and jamming the point of his shield into Cardin's gut. Feeling the bulkier teen double over, he smashed his Aura-enhanced fist into the brunette's jaw. In the same motion, he grasped the hilt of his sword, drew it, then bashed Cardin in the eye with the pommel, sending him staggering back.
There was a small click from Crocea Mors as Jaune chamber another Dust cartridge. Ducking under Cardin's wild swing, he thrusted his sword into his opponent's armpit. Cardin closed his arm in an attempt to trap the blade against his side, but Jaune was hoping for that. With a single press of a button, Jaune activated the Lightning Dust in his weapon.
Cardin immediately began to seize up from the electric currents running rampant throughout his body. Every muscle in his body began to cramp and contract, robbing him of his motor functions. Unable to remove Jaune's lightning-infused blade from his persons, and the blond unwilling to do so, Cardin was forced to endure the torment until the Dust cartridge ran dry.
Once the Lightning Dust was finally exhausted, Cardin dropped to his knees and face planted into the ground in a smoking heap, his body convulsing in minute spasms as it attempted to discharge the excess energy in its system.
Panting, Jaune stepped back from Cardin and picked up White Rose from where he had dropped it. He reloaded the firearm, then aimed it at Cardin's downed form, just in case he rose for another desperate attack.
The sound of their labored breathing and pounding hearts echoed over the clearing.
"… Was it worth it?" Jaune half-shouted in anger and pity. "To sully your honor in a vain attempt to beat me?"
"It's not over yet," Cardin slurred, trying and failing to rise to his feet, his nerves utterly fried.
"It is!" Jaune roared. "It's been over for several weeks now! Why can't you just let it go and move on with your life!?"
"I had you…" Recovering enough of his faculties, Cardin managed to push himself onto his knees. "I had you by the goddamn balls, Arc! I should have won!" He pounded his fist against the ground. "And yet I was robbed of victory by a fucking ring out!"
"It's called playing by the rules, Cardin."
"Bull fucking shit!" The brunette howled. "That was a coward's victory! You couldn't beat me in a straight fight, so you had to use a fucking loophole!"
Jaune shook his head in disbelief. "You're delusional. I abided by the terms set and agreed upon by the both of us. I beat you fair and square." He gestured to their positions. "Just like I did now."
"You didn't beat me." Staggering to his feet and swaying unsteadily, Cardin shakily pointed his mace at Jaune once more. "I'm still standing, see?"
"You're on your last legs." Jaune corrected him. "I wanna bet your Aura's almost completely depleted." Shouldering his carbine, the knight began to walk away once more. "We're done here, Cardin. Call your team, get some help."
"Get back here!" Cardin shouted after him. "You fucking coward! We're not finished!"
{ IV }
"I said come back here! Arc!"
As Jaune's form got further and further away, tears began to stream down Cardin's face. His teeth gritted with rage and self-loathing as his defeat finally began to settle in.
He had lost again. Even worse than the first time.
He had thrown away his honor for nothing.
Falling to his knees, Cardin began to sob and despair.
"It's not fair!" He cried. "My cause was righteous and just, and yet I still lost!"
He was a Winchester! His whole family was honorable, distinguished, and above all, loyal to the Kingdom of Vale! And yet it is his family that is demonized for upholding the values of their time!
Where was the justice in that? How was it fair that a filthy turncoat and his dishonorable family are praised as the heroes in the history books? They were the victims of the Arc family's betrayal, yet no one seems to remember!
The Arcs were the villains! They were nothing but traitors, cowards, and oathbreakers! Their entire House deserved to fall to ruin at the hands of House Winchester! It was their right, his right!
So why?
Why?!
"WHY DID I LOSE TO AN ARC!?"
Unbeknown to the distraught Winchester, his despairing wails and negative emotions drew the attention of several Grimm in the area. Beowolves and Boarbatusks entered the clearing, headed by an Ursa Major. The lumbering beast towered over all of them, its bony armor adorned with a plethora of daunting spines and spikes all across its back.
Cardin finally noticed the surrounding Grimm, their baleful red eyes trained on him like a delectable morsel. Stifling his sobs, he raised to his feet, shoulders heaving with each unsteady breath.
"Come on!" He roared at them. "You think I'm scared of you? I'll take you all on!"
His Aura was low, but all that meant to him was that his Semblance was at full power. Even if he was still jittery from his earlier electrocution, his opponents were naught but base, unintelligent beasts. Loathe as he was to admit it, Jaune Arc was scarier than all of these Grimm combined.
The Grimm accepted his challenge readily, charging him en masse.
As one of the Boarbatusks rolled close, he golf-swung his mace, launching it back and into a Beowolf's head. he slammed his mace into the ground, Activating the Dust crystal and creating a shockwave that stalled the charge of the remaining Grimm and causing them to stumble. Pivoting on his heel, he swung again in a wide arc, knocking aside several Grimm as they lunged at him.
A Beowolf managed to close distance and latch onto his arm, but with a war cry, Cardin threw it to the ground in front of him and crushed its head under his boot. A Boarbatusk rammed into his back, causing him to lurch forward. He caught the creature with his mace on the backswing, caving in its ribcage. Another Beowolf leapt onto his back, but he shoved the hilt of his weapon into its mouth before it could bite down on his head, then fired off a shotgun blast down its throat.
Suddenly, the Ursa Major was upon him. With a swing of one of its massive paws, the bear-like Grimm knocked Cardin's weapon out of his hands and far out of his reach. Another swipe sent the teen flying away into the forest.
As he slammed into a tree trunk, his Aura flared for a final time, breaking with a distinct fizzle. Groaning in pain and desperation, Cardin struggled to get up. Now that his Aura was completely drained, the power-up he received from his Semblance was gone as well. Disarmed and Aura-less, he was prime prey for the creature of Grimm.
Laying against the tree, he glared at his would-be killer with dissatisfaction. Even with death staring right at him, he refused to look away. What was left of his pride would not allow him.
In the small, rational part of his brain, he knew this was a fitting end: An ignoble death for an ignoble son.
The sound of gunfire drew both his attention and the Grimm's. A hail of bullets panged off the back of the Ursa Major, chipping away at its bone armor.
"Hey, over here!"
Cardin recognized that voice. He couldn't get its damn owner out of his fucking head.
Jaune Arc stood across from them with his carbine raised. As soon as the Grimm began to turn around to address the new threat, he began to move, strafing to the side as he fired off another cascade of lead.
Roaring, the Ursa Major chased after the blond, leaving Cardin be for the moment. The large Grimm moved deceptively fast for its size, crossing the distance in a blink of an eye. Stopping on a dime, Jaune put away White Rose and drew his sword, just in time for the Grimm to catch up to him. As one of its paws came down to reave through Jaune, he brought up his shield, letting its claws skitter across the face of it before thrusting Crocea Mors into its belly. With a triumphant shout, he sliced upwards, splitting the Grimm right up the middle.
Immediately after slaying the beast, he ran over to Cardin and began to assess the teen's wounds.
"Why did you come back?" Cardin asked angrily, too weak to stop him. "You should have just let me die."
"You really are touched in the head." Jaune muttered, eyes roving over Cardin's body. "We're gonna be Huntsmen one day. How could I let someone be devoured by the Grimm?"
"If our positions were reversed, I would have let you perish."
Jaune's hands started to glow as he began to refill Cardin's Aura. "That's the difference between us, Cardin. I can set aside my personal grievances to focus on the bigger picture. Forget for a moment that we are Winchester and Arc. We are both humans, and our mortal enemies are the creatures of Grimm."
There was silence for a moment as Cardin's shame welled and grew exponentially within.
"… For what little it is worth, I'm sorry for what my family has done to yours." Jaune apologized suddenly, drawing his patient's attention. "What my grandfather did… It was abhorrent. There were plenty of ways he could have broached the issue regarding the betrothal, but he chose the worst one. He was a coward, and because of that, both of our families suffered."
"Heh…" Cardin laughed mirthlessly. "So nice of you to acknowledge what a piece of shit he was. But this changes nothing."
Another awkward pause fell between them as Jaune seemingly fumbled for something to say.
"Can there really be no peace between us?" The blond asked quietly. "Do you really want to spend the rest of your time at Beacon loathing me with every fiber of your being? Doesn't that sound exhausting?
The son of Winchester could feel a sudden fatigue wash over himself, Jaune's words ringing true. "It really does."
"Am I really worth all that effort?" Jaune pressed. "All of your effort?"
"… No," he replied in a soft epiphany. "No, you're not."
"I'm not asking to be friends." Jaune clarified. "I'm not even asking you to stop hating me or my family. All I want is for us to coexist and stay out of each other's way."
Jaune removed his hands from his classmate, having finished restoring Cardin's Aura to an acceptable amount. Standing up and stepping back, he offered to help Cardin stand up.
Scowling, Cardin slapped his hand away before pushing himself to his feet, leaning against the tree for balance.
Just then, a trio of figures broke through the tree line, revealing themselves to be the rest of Team CRDL.
"Cardin!" They exclaimed upon seeing their team leader, relief on their faces as they ran up to him.
"You were taking a while, man." Russel said. "We were getting worried."
"Is… everything good here?" Sky asked, eyes narrowed at Jaune.
"Everything's fine." Jaune said, raising his hands in surrender. "I got attacked by Grimm and Cardin came over to help me. Thanks again, by the way."
With that, Jaune began to walk away once again, the entirety of Team CRDL staring at his back.
"What a freak." Dove commented once he thought the blonde was out of earshot. Turning back to Cardin, he asked, "He didn't go preaching his bullshit at you, did he?"
"Oh, he preached all right," he replied, moving to retrieve his wayward weapon. "Did you guys finish up while I was gone?"
Dove nodded, raising a box that held four full jars of sap. "Got them right here."
A devilish grin formed on Russel's face. "You know, I saw that he's allergic to the sap we've been collecting. Wanna nail him with a jar?"
As the rest of his team began to nod and grin, Cardin placed a hand on his partner's shoulder and shook his head. "Leave him alone."
"What?" Sky said in confusion. "Cardin, I'd expect you of all people to want to get back at Arc."
There was a terse expression on the brunette's face. "I've spent too long thinking about that bastard. He's not worth the hassle." He strapped his mace to his lower back, then gestured for them to follow him. "Let's go turn our jars in. I'm sick of this place."
His team fell in line with him, causing him to smile. 'Forget Arc. I've got better things to do than waste my life on him.'
{ V }
As Jaune walked back to rejoin his team, a familiar voice called to him. "You handled that well."
He stopped, turning his head to see Blake leaning against a tree to his side. She was looking at him with an amused expression.
"You saw?" He asked.
"Only after your fight." She said, pushing off the tree to stand at his side. "I was the only one who heard the fighting. I figured it was prudent to check on you."
"Mmh," He hummed appreciatively, then gestured for them to walk with him. "You didn't tell the others?"
"It's you." She replied simply. "I didn't think you'd need much help. Bringing Weiss, or Oum forbid Pyrrha, would have been overkill."
He laughed in agreement. "That's good. They're better off defending our sap anyway."
"You have no idea." Blake said with a mirthful smile. Just before she went to check on Jaune, she had to alert the rest of their team of Nora's attempts to swipe one of their jars.
She glanced backwards to where Jaune had just left. "You think this'll be the end of it this time?"
He returned a non-committal shrug. "Hopefully."
"You know, an easy way to be rid of him is to go to the teachers." She offered. "Maybe even the headmaster. I can vouch for you."
"Yeah, it would be easier to just tell on him." Jaune agreed. "But I think everyone deserves a second chance."
"Really?" Blake said with a raised brow. "Even someone like Cardin?"
"Especially someone like Cardin." He confirmed with a nod. "He might be a racist asshole now, but he's still young. There's plenty of room for growth and change. Who knows, he might become a Faunophile with how much likes grabbing Faunus animal parts."
She scrunched up her face in disgust at the thought. "Ugh, I don't know which one would be worse. Don't put that thought in my head, please."
He nearly cackled at her reaction. "It's a good thing you keep your ears hidden. He might try to pet them."
"Stop it!" She shoved him playfully to the side, trying to hide the amused curl of her lips. He merely laughed louder. Looking at his joyous demeanor, Blake paused for a moment as she pondered on Jaune's earlier words.
Noticing the thoughtful expression on her face, he reined in his laughter. "Something wrong, Blake?"
"… Did you mean it?" She asked him. There was an almost desperate look in her eyes as she addressed him. "When you said that everyone deserves a second chance?"
"I do." Jaune replied readily." I believe that people can change; for better or for worse. They just need to prove themselves worthy of it."
She gave him a skeptical look. "I don't exactly think Cardin proved himself worthy."
"No, not really." Jaune admitted. "But considering that it was my grandfather that started this, I figured we could call it even and leave it at that."
"I see…" She trailed off, thinking to herself for a moment longer before nodding. "Thank you, Jaune."
"No problem?" He returned confusedly.
The disguised Faunus didn't give him a chance to think on it, striding ahead slightly and tossing him a look over her shoulder. "Come on, we should hurry back and relieve our teammates. I'm sure they could use a break after collecting our share of the sap as well."
"A-Ah, right!" Jaune exclaimed with embarrassment, picking up his pace to catch up to her.
{ VI }
When they made it back, they came upon quite the sight.
Weiss and Pyrrha were standing protectively in front of Ren with weapons drawn. The sole male of Team RRYN was huddled against the trunk of a tree, clutching a box of jars filled with sap tightly against his chest. Across from them, the rest of his team were staring predatorily at the box in his hands, poised to rush them.
"Back!" Weiss shouted at Nora, Myrtenaster thrusted out to ward the orange-haired girl off. "Back I say!"
Nora hissed at her, slowly circling them just out of the white-haired girl's range.
Ruby attempted to dart around them with her Semblance, but Pyrrha used her own to stop the red reaper in her tracks before she could steal a jar from her partner.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled, having spotted him and Blake out of the corner of her eye. "Oum, reinforcements at last!"
"What took you both so damned long?" Weiss yelled.
Yang, sensing an opportunity, composed herself; dusting herself off before strutting towards him in a seductive manner. "Heya ladykiller~! You wouldn't happen to have any sap to share with me, would you?"
Jaune, having finally registered what was happening before him, could only reply with one thing. "I hate this sap."
AN: And so the 'Jaunedice' Arc comes to a close. Jaune and Cardin aren't ever going to be buddy-buddy, but as least they'll tolerate each other a bit more now.
Let me just say this now, NO, THERE IS NO DEEPER MEANING BEHIND THE SAP. IT'S JUST SOMETHING I PLAYED UP FOR LAUGHS. I can never be too careful with you guys after the coffee jokes.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter. See you guys next time.