Shock and awe. That was the only way Emerald could describe the place.
She had seen the dark spire through the window of the Bullhead as they approached. The black tower jutted into the sky, piercing the ominous clouds overhead so that the very tip of the building could not be seen. Who knew how far it rose into the air? Who knew what kinds of twisted architecture allowed such a structure to exist? Emerald thought she had seen the extent of madness before she ever disembarked from the air ship.
How wrong she had been.
But it would be okay. Cinder was here. The very thought of her mentor warmed the young woman's heart. Cinder, the woman who had taken her off the streets and given her purpose in life, was here. After months of separation she would finally see her rescuer again. Once she did it wouldn't matter what kind of environment this was. It wouldn't matter what kind of people she served. So long as she had Cinder by her side, Emerald knew she would be okay.
The large man who had picked them up and flown them here, Hazel, walked in front of them as they made their way down the halls. On the inside the place looked fairly normal. If it wasn't for the strange purple sky that filtered through the windows, it would have seemed like a normal academy. Not quite like Haven, but similar enough. There were dorm rooms. Classrooms. Common rooms. Even a cafeteria. However, it was odd that she hadn't seen any students yet. Maybe they had already departed for the upcoming Vytal Festival?
A glance over at Mercury showed his usual stone-faced demeanor. If he was affected by this place at all, he wasn't showing it. That meant that she couldn't show it either. Emerald was not about to let herself get shown up by that arrogant, infuriating boy.
The lack of students made her wonder just what Cinder had called upon her and Mercury to do. If it wasn't something that involved her peers, certainly it could have waited until they all arrived at Beacon, right? Not that she was complaining about having an opportunity to see Cinder again, but making a special trip to who knew where seemed a little bit pointless.
She decided to break the silence that had settled over them. Even at the risk of Mercury opening his big mouth.
"Hazel?" she asked the man who walked before them.
The massive man twisted around so that he could see her as he walked. "Yes?"
"Do you have any idea why Cinder asked us to come?"
A low grunt rumbled in his throat. "No."
Emerald frowned and nodded. Hazel obviously deemed their conversation to be over, and he turned back around as they continued on their way. He was obviously a man of few words. Mercury could learn a thing or two from him.
"Why are you complaining?" said silver-haired boy asked obnoxiously. "I thought you'd be jumping for joy at the opportunity to see Cinder again."
She was. Internally. Though she would never admit to such a thing. Especially not to Mercury.
"Shut up," she snapped. "I obviously wasn't complaining. I was just wondering, since we were called here for a reason."
A small smirk curled on the lips of the assassin. The very punchable lips of her companion. Emerald wasn't sure what the boy's Semblance was, but it would not surprise her if it was the ability to be annoying and get under people's skin. Specifically hers.
"Yeah, well, anything's better than having to pretend to be students at Haven," he continued. "I swear, if I had to wear that stupid black uniform another day I think I would have 'accidentally' broken someone's nose in sparring class."
Emerald snorted dismissively. "It figures you would have such an immature view on dressing classy for the first time in your life."
A dark eyebrow raised. "Oh? That's rich coming from the girl who wears... whatever sorry excuse for a shirt that sports bra is supposed to be."
Red eyes narrowed on the boy at her side, and a hand instinctively reached down for one of her holstered pistols. Before she could even think of drawing it, however, a deep voice cut through the air.
"Children," came the intimidating tone of Hazel. He had once more turned back to look at them. "Shut up."
Again, Emerald's first instinct was to turn to violence. Who did this guy think he was? Did he not know that she was Cinder's favored student?
In the end clearer heads prevailed, and Emerald rationally knew that Hazel was not one to be trifled with. He was clearly above her station, perhaps even near Cinder's own. It would simply not do to pick a fight with such an imposing figure.
Sadly that logic did not apply to both of Cinder's students.
"Oh yeah? You gonna make us, old..."
Emerald's focus had been turned to Mercury once his outburst began. So when she saw the words die on his lips and his gray eyes widen, it took her by complete surprise. She turned to see just what he was looking at.
Her own eyes followed suit.
There, standing in the path of the trio, was what appeared to be a young woman. A young woman with skin as white as snow with hair to match. Twisting black veins made their way up and down her arms and legs, while blood-red eyes glowed like a lighthouse guiding their ships to a rocky shore. But it was the single horn which jutted out of her forehead which made Emerald swallow in trepidation.
Her heart skipped a beat when those crimson eyes suddenly focused entirely on her. Just what kind of monster was this?
"Calm yourself," Hazel said unprovoked. "They can sense your fear."
They? Had Hazel just insinuated there were more of these... things? Emerald's head quickly looked all around, scanning for more of these creatures which may have been lurking in the shadows. Thankfully there were none present... at least that she could see.
"The fuck is that thing?" Mercury whispered, giving voice to her own thoughts.
There may have been a time when Emerald would have mocked the boy for his uneasiness. However, in this moment she could not bring herself to fault the boy for his nervousness. She had the very same feelings herself.
She... it appeared to be human, but at the same time it looked like a creature of Grimm. She would apparently find out soon enough, as it seemed that the thing was standing there waiting for the trio to approach. Emerald's hands once more fell to her hips, ready to grab her weapons at a moment's notice.
Emerald jumped with shock as she felt a hand clasp around her wrist. Turning, she saw Mercury peering down at her. He shook his head softly, sending a loud and clear message to her. She reluctantly agreed, and put an abrupt end to thoughts of reaching for her pistols.
"Weiss," Hazel said as the group finally reached the creature. "Can I help you with something?"
It's name was Weiss. Emerald couldn't help but stare at her now that they were up close. She really was a living and breathing creature. Smooth, porcelain skin clashed harshly with the black dress she wore. As did the glowing red eyes set in the pale flesh of her face. Just what kind of beast was this? What kind of horrible things might she want from Hazel?
To Emerald's utter surprise, the thing named Weiss curtsied. Her knees bent and her head dipped low as she stood before the trio of humans. "Greetings, my name is Weiss. It is truly an honor to meet the disciples of Professor Fall."
Professor Fall? Was that was Cinder was doing in this place? Posing as a teacher? But why? They would all soon be posing as students soon enough at Beacon. What could she possibly hope to achieve by acting like a teacher here?
A brief silence fell over the group before Hazel spoke. "This is Emerald and Mercury," he said, introducing the pair of shocked teenagers. The voice shook Emerald from her thoughts, prompting her to speak for herself.
"Y-yes," she said nervously, doing her best to keep her voice under control. "I'm Emerald. It's nice to meet you, Weiss."
More silence. Enough to cause Emerald to jab Mercury in the side with her elbow. The boy winced, but took the hint.
"Mercury," he said simply.
What appeared to be a genuine smile spread across Weiss' face. "How wonderful to have a pair of real life humans to learn from," she said happily. "I look forward to our lessons together. Professor Fall has told me that you have much to teach me about anatomy and biology."
A shiver ran up Emerald's spine. Was that some sort of veiled threat? Was Weiss planning to dissect them in order to learn about the human body?
Wait. Cinder had told her this? What was that woman thinking!
"Yes... that sounds like it will be good... fun."
"I must admit, I have had quite a hands-on education with the human body since Professor Fall set up our lessons." Weiss once more seemed quite pleased with the way she spoke of her previous experiences. Her focus shifted to Mercury. "Though it could not hurt to have further knowledge on what to do with certain parts of the male body..."
Emerald could practically feel how her partner's body tensed up, and she could not blame him. The subtle shift of his feet told her that Mercury was preparing for a combat situation. The boy was as quick as his namesake, and it took only a moment for his weaponized legs lash out like a coiled snake.
"Yeah, sure," he answered with as much false bravado as he could muster.
Weiss' hand clasped together in front of her, a serene smile still on her face. "Well then I won't hold you up any longer. Please enjoy your stay, and give the professor my best."
After another bow of her head Weiss moved past them down the hall. Every movement from her was smooth as silk. She carried herself with a sense of superiority as she walked. Weiss was a monster with a princess' grace. One whom Cinder apparently dealt with on a daily basis, if her mentor was truly a professor here.
The rest of the journey was like a blur to the girl. No more words were spoken between her and Mercury. No snide insults. No pithy remarks. Nothing. He must have been feeling the effects of the meeting with Weiss as much as she was.
It didn't matter anymore, however. They had finally reached Cinder's room. Everything would be better now that she was with them. Cinder would explain everything to them. Cinder would ensure that nothing bad befell them. Cinder would protect her from the monsters in this academy, just as she had saved her from the monsters who roamed the streets of Vale.
A pair of knocks on the door later Hazel departed, his escort mission done. Long seconds passed, and without someone experienced there to shield them from the unknown threats of the academy, Emerald felt vulnerable. Thankfully the door opened, revealing the woman who was there to rescue her once again. A wave of relief washed over the girl.
"Cinder!" Emerald smiled with unrestrained joy.
Her mentor's face betrayed no emotion, and she nodded in greeting. "Come inside."
The dark-skinned girl didn't need to be told twice, and she barged in ahead of Mercury when it appeared that he was going to take the first step inside Cinder's room.
Inside was a relatively simple setup with just the bare essentials for living. Cinder had never been one for material possessions. Money and frivolous trinkets had never been important to the woman for as long as Emerald had known her. It was good to see that this was still the case.
"I have so many questions," Emerald said once the door closed behind them. "What is this place? What was that... thing? Her name was Weiss."
Cinder abruptly put a hand up, halting Emerald before she could make any further comments. "You met Weiss?"
Emerald nodded, nervously wondering if that was a bad thing. If maybe she wasn't allowed to see such a creature. But that wouldn't make sense, considering the thing's comments about Cinder setting up lessons with them.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good, that introduction is out of the way then," Cinder breathed with a sigh of relief. Emerald frowned, wondering what had the woman stressed out about their meeting. Was Weiss truly a girl to be so feared? "You and Mercury have the responsibility of privately tutoring Weiss on a matter of... grave importance."
Red eyes widened. "Tutor? But Cinder, I'm not-"
"And I'm not either!" her mentor snapped. "Infiltration and espionage is one thing, but what that girl is asking of me is something I absolutely refuse to do. And that's where you two come in."
Emerald had no clue what Cinder was talking about. However, it was apparently something that Cinder was unable or unwilling to discuss with Weiss. The question was, if Cinder herself was unqualified to do so, what made herself and Mercury capable?
It was the boy who bit first. "Okay, so what is it you want us to teach her?"
Cinder took a deep breath. She turned away so that neither could see her face. "Sexual education."
Emerald blinked, and a long silence settled over the room. Had she heard right?
"I'm sorry, ma'am. Did you say-"
"Yes, I said sexual education," Cinder interrupted. "Your first lesson is tomorrow after class."
The younger woman was still at a loss for words. Of all the things she was capable of, with all the things she was knowledgeable about, Cinder wanted her to teach sex ed? Never mind the fact that Emerald herself had never even had sex!
"So you want us to give that freak 'the talk'?" Mercury asked. "Sure, why not?"
The green-haired girl whirled around. "How are you okay with this?"
"We show up to this freaky place filled with monsters, and all we gotta do is tell her how babies are made. Seems like a pretty sweet deal compared to what it could have been."
Though she was loathe to admit it, Mercury was right. At the very least she wouldn't be used for a live dissection in order to teach Weiss how the human body operated.
Oh gods, she hoped Weiss wouldn't want a live demonstration. Emerald didn't think she could stomach even the thought of herself and Mercury... doing it.
"Yes, that is all that will be required of you," Cinder confirmed. "Once you're finished you will be free to relax until we are ready to travel to Vale for the festival. Understood?"
Relax. In a place like this. Fat chance of that happening.
Regardless, it was a pretty sweet deal like Mercury had said. Emerald nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Good. You're dismissed until tomorrow. Hazel has a room for you two set up right next to my own. Go look around and try to get acclimated. It might help to meet as many of the students as you can in order to get used to them."
So there were others like Weiss. That didn't bode well for the girl.
Still, those were Cinder's orders, so she would obey. "Yes, ma'am," she repeated, and turned to leave with Mercury.
As she walked to her new room, Emerald wondered just how many of those creatures there were. She wondered exactly what they were, because they sure weren't human. She dreaded to ask herself the question of what others may look like. Of what they might want. Of how they may look at herself and Mercury.
Though if they were anything like Weiss, hopefully they would be respectful. As a 'disciple of Cinder', perhaps she commanded some sort of respect among them?
Emerald silently hoped that would be the case.
Things were... normal again. Normal. The thought amused Jaune.
Well, as normal as they could be in a place like this. As normal as they could be in a world where Ruby knew his secret and had accepted him for who he is. As normal as they could be after sleeping with Weiss.
As normal as they could be while all the students in the room whispered and stared at him.
Had this been a normal high school, the rumors and gossiping would have most likely been about his carnal relations with his classmate. Truth be told, Jaune could still hardly believe it himself. He had sex. Only... never in his wildest dreams or nightmares would he have imagined that it would have been with a Grimm hybrid. Up until a few months ago he had no idea such things even existed. Still, the whole experience had been so very... human.
Jaune had seen his fair share of adult movies and content. After all, what seventeen year old guy hadn't? As such, from his knowledge and expectations, the experience had been normal. Weiss had all of the parts he would have expected from a normal young woman. She reacted to his touches and actions as any human would have. As Ruby had once awkwardly shouted, she did indeed have a fully functional womb.
So what did this make him and Weiss now? What was their relationship status? Again, had this been a normal environment, they would have been in a relationship. They would have been dating. They would go out to eat, see movies together, hang out at home and 'experiment' some more. All the things hormone-filled teenagers would love to do in their private hours. However, Weiss was not a normal teenager. With Ruby as their roommate, they didn't exactly have privacy. And the idea of them being able to go out and do normal romantic activities together was absolutely off the table.
So then what was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to expect?
As it turned out, the normal horn prodding was still a thing. It was still the norm. Only now...
Jaune turned to the completely expected source of the pokes to see a pouting Weiss. She hadn't poked him hard. In fact, her blushing and almost docile face made it seem as if she did not wish to hurt him. She merely wanted his attention. She wanted to annoy him into looking at her. Perhaps she wished to rile him up again to the point of dominating her again...
That little quirk of her personality had been an absolute shock. Who knew that the domineering and controlling Weiss was in fact the opposite in the bedroom? Or rather, the kitchen. The room in which the act took place was just another example of how Jaune's expectations for his first time had been thrown out the window.
When his gaze turned to her, Weiss pulled back and stared at him expectantly with glowing red eyes. Jaune couldn't help but smirk a little bit at the satisfaction on her face.
"Yes, Weiss?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said, turning to face the front of the classroom again.
The smirk slipped into a frown. Was that it? Had she simply wanted him to acknowledge her?
What a strange girl.
As if that meant anything in a place like this.
Perhaps it was best that they didn't get entangled into any kind of drawn out conversation, as Hazel strode into the room. The burly teacher took his place at the front of the classroom, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against the edge of his desk.
"Look around," the man ordered. Jaune did as he was told and turned his head to the left and right. He saw his peers doing the same. "There are far fewer of you compared to the start of the year. The fact that you remain here in this school is an accomplishment that you should be proud of."
Was that genuine praise coming from their teacher? Jaune supposed that if anyone was going to hand out compliments that it would be Hazel. In comparison to the rest of the teachers here, he seemed like a good guy. One who actually cared for their well-being. More specifically Jaune's own. It had been Hazel who had given him advice on his survival the first time he had gone up to speak with Salem. It had been Hazel who told him to find something to live for. Had this been any other time and place, he was sure the man could have been a fine and upstanding member of society.
"Consider why your peers are no longer with you," he continued. "They were one-dimensional brutes whose only purpose was to fight. And like in the gladiator games of the ancient past, those who live only to fight will die the way they lived. Those in this classroom have something that the others did not. Do you know what that is?"
The question hung in the air, and even if Jaune had been tempted to raise his hand and answer it, he had no idea what that potential answer could be. In the end what separated someone like Cardin from Yang? What separated Dove from Blake? Those two girls in particular were two of the most monstrous of the hybrids, and yet they survived where others did not.
In his periphery, Jaune saw Weiss' hand shoot up in the air. She waited patiently until Hazel called on her.
"They were all brutish males," she answered confidently.
Jaune frowned when he thought about it. Was that true? Cardin, Dove, Sky, Russel, Nolan...
"No," Hazel answered, shooting down Weiss' answer and in the process interrupting Jaune's own recollections. "May, a female, is among the dead."
Jaune saw how Weiss' face contorted in thought, trying desperately to come up with a new answer. He knew the girl hated to be wrong. It wouldn't surprise him if she continued to answer incorrectly again and again in a desperate attempt to prove her superiority over her classmates.
In the end, however, Hazel decided to answer it himself. "You've all found something more in life than mere violence. You've all found something to live for."
The familiar words resonated in Jaune's mind. It had been the very same advice Hazel had give him at the beginning of his time here. As it turned out, the advice was for more than just him.
"As we've discussed before, finding and maintaining a hold on your humanity is a key part of maintaining your human form. It is an important factor in being able to manipulate your Aura, and not allowing it to destroy your mind." Jaune's thoughts went back to Blake, and her outburst when she had flared her own Aura. Her lack of humanity made such efforts dangerous and painful. "All of you here, in one way or another, have found and embraced something distinctly human."
Jaune flinched as something to his right touched his hand. Turning, he saw that Ruby had taken hold of his hand underneath his desk. She smiled at him, and his heart skipped a beat. The expression on her face was as bright and sweet as a sunset.
Gods, he hadn't seen the sun in months. It never shone in this twisted place. Would he ever see it again?
"The semester is drawing to a close, and the dance will be taking place in the near future. After that, a team of four will be selected to travel to Vale in order to attend the Vytal Festival. I want you to take time today in order to reflect on this past semester and think about why you are here and your late classmates are not. Think about what has separated you from them. Think about what you have found within yourself and others which motivated you to survive this long. That is all."
Hazel strode over to the exit and walked out. Unexpected, but not inappropriate for what was essentially a free period. It wasn't like there was homework to be done. It didn't really matter if the students talked among themselves. In fact, socializing in such a human manner was probably encouraged, if their teacher's words were anything to go by.
Jaune's attention was once more drawn to his right, this time as Ruby began to rub her horns up and down against his shoulder. Pulling back, she smiled once more at him. "Hi."
Her cheery disposition meant even more to him now than it had before. She knew and accepted him for what he was. Like she had said, just as he had with her.
"Hey, Ruby," he answered just as happily.
"So... about what Professor Rainart said," she said softly. "I think I know my answer."
The words warmed his heart. Ruby was indeed embracing her humanity thanks to him. Just as he had set out to do. Despite the fact that Salem had warned him against it, and that it would end in abject failure, Ruby was proof that it could succeed. He could succeed. All of the hybrids could succeed given the proper motivation and nurturing.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Me too."
Hazel had tasked him with finding something to live for. He had. As it turned out, it hadn't just been for himself or for his family. It hadn't just been to live another day. It had been for his friends. Ruby. Weiss. Blake. Yang. They were all dear to him in one way or another. They all needed saving. He had refused to give up on them, and he could see that his efforts were bearing fruit. Ruby was the first and only to know that he was human, but thanks to his efforts she didn't think any less of him for it.
A sharp poke from his left made him wince, and he whirled around to see a familiar look of displeasure on Weiss' pale face.
"I believe that your attention should be focused on me," she all but demanded in her usual haughty tone. "After all, what more motivation do you need than me?"
Motivation. Jaune knew exactly what the girl was implying. And if he was being honest with himself, with his dumb, hormonal, teenage self, the prospect of sex was indeed a very strong motivator for a growing boy and his needs...
The sound of a chair squeaking across the floor turned Jaune's attention back around, and to his surprise Ruby had stood up. "Why stare at one horn when he could have two?" she asked with surprising venom in her voice.
Weiss responded in kind, standing up from her own seat, trapping the still sitting Jaune between two upset hybrids. "Perhaps one horn is all that is required for satisfaction," she bit back. "I know that it only took one horn for me..."
Jaune nearly choked on his own tongue at Weiss' words. What would happen if Ruby found out about him and Weiss? Would she be angry? Jealous? Vengeful? Would she reveal his secret out of spite?
No. Not Ruby. Never Ruby. He had to trust and believe in her. After everything she had said and done, she would never tell his secret. She had even killed Cardin in order to preserve it.
Ruby's arm lashed out, pointing a finger accusingly at the girl on the other side of him. "Horn war!" she snarled.
Weiss' hands moved up to rest on her hips. "Accepted. The winner receives Jaune exclusively."
Said boy's lips began moving, while sounds and syllables of words began to sputter out of them. "W-what?"
"Don't worry," Weiss said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I shall not lose to this broken creature."
Another hand came on his other shoulder. "I'll save you from her," Ruby said comfortingly. "You'll never have to fear another poke from her one horn again."
He wanted to protest. He wanted to say that he didn't belong to Weiss, and that he wasn't some sort of prize to be won in a duel. However, he knew that such words would fall upon deaf ears. If there was one thing he had learned in this academy, it was that hybrids had a culture entirely of their own. One that humans such as himself might never fully grasp.
The girls moved over to a corner of the classroom and began moving desks out of the way for their makeshift arena. For all of Hazel's talk about needing move than violence to succeed, Ruby and Weiss were about to get right to it.
A familiar sight of the two girls circling each other with dipped heads filled his vision. The boy sighed, knowing that this would probably end up like the last fight where both girls wound up on the floor with injured heads.
"Aren't you mister popular?"
Jaune turned to see a grinning Yang standing behind him. Grabbing one of the recently vacated desks, she spun it around so that she could both sit next to Jaune and have prime seating for the hybrid duel.
She wasn't exactly wrong. When two girls were literally fighting over you, it did make you by default popular. However, it didn't mean that he had to like it.
"I guess..." he agreed.
Yang took a seat, resting her gigantic arm on the surface of her desk. "Can't say I blame them, though. After hearing about what you did to Cardin, you're pretty much the top dog in the class now."
Right. After what he did to Cardin. A rumor Ruby had spread in order to protect his secret. In order to make everyone think that he was indeed a creature who was capable of ripping apart a fellow hybrid with his bare hands.
"Yeah," he lied. "Cardin... he got what was coming to him."
By Hazel's own words, the boy had. He lived only for violence. Those who lived by the sword would die by the sword as well. Or by Ruby's scythe, but that little detail didn't matter.
"I wish I could have been there to see it," Yang continued. A finger from her human hand traced lines on his shoulder. "But for a Leviathan Grimm, I suppose it isn't too surprising. Cardin thought he was a big boy, but he ran into an even bigger one..."
He wasn't sure if there was supposed to be some sort of innuendo there. Yang had always been one of the most humanized hybrids, despite her overly monstrous appearance. If anyone understood implications and slang, it would be her.
"I'd offer to mate with you as congratulations, but I guess someone beat me to it."
Jaune's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to face Yang. "What?"
"Oh please, you don't think I can smell that? You reek of Ice Bitch."
"You can smell that?"
"Jaune, I can taste it. Weiss' scent is all over you, even after Ruby trying to cover you with hers."
Just how strong were these hybrid's senses? Did scent really do that much for them? He remembered Ruby once saying that sleeping next to him in bed was in order to keep Blake away. That if her scent was on him then Blake wouldn't be interested.
But if Yang knew... did that mean Ruby already knew as well?
Yang smiled before laughing softly. "I gotta say, I didn't expect you to form a pack of your own. You seemed so uninterested in all that kind of stuff when I offered. But I guess Alpha Males do what they want when they want."
Jaune frowned. Stupid confusing hybrid culture. What did that even mean to be an Alpha Male? And what was a pack?
Smile and nod, he told himself. "R-right. A pack. Well, it's like you said. I do what I want when I want. Like killing Cardin. And... mating."
He still didn't know how to feel about that. Of course he cared for Weiss, but he didn't know how Grimm hybrid relationships even worked, or if they even had relationships at all. When they took a mate, did they mate for life? Or did they just do it to procreate before moving on? What was Weiss expecting from him moving forward?
"Guess it only makes sense considering that you sleep with both of them every night. What I wanna know is where Blake fits in? Or does she?"
Yang was asking him questions he only barely knew the answers to himself. Questions that he could only take a guess at what they actually meant. Was she asking if he and Blake were...
The image of sharp teeth and a long tongue flashed in his mind. Sex with Blake. What a horrifying thought.
"Uh, no, not Blake," he said hurriedly. It was both the truth, and his true desire. "Nope. Sorry." He didn't know why he was apologizing.
"I guess two out of three isn't bad."
He frowned again. Two? What was she talking about?
Another crash of keratin and skulls saw both girls fall backwards onto the floor. Yes, much like their last duel, this would likely end in a draw. For all their words and bluster, they were both terrible duelists. Not that he had any room to talk, given that he wasn't even a hybrid. Still, even he could see how unproductive their attacks were.
This stupidity had to stop before both girls actually did become stupid from brain damage. Hopefully whatever primal urges they had gotten were out of their systems now. Hopefully the pain in their skulls outweighed any further desire to attack each other for his sake.
Jaune stood up and made his way over to the two hybrids who were currently nursing sore heads on the floor.
Ruby let out a sigh, absentmindedly poking at the slab of cow meat. It was freshly carved and soaked with blood. But after weeks of Jaune's cooking it was just not appetizing to her anymore.
Jaune…
The thought of her now human roommate was like being stabbed in the chest, she had resolved to accept him, had killed another for him.
So why wouldn't he mate with her?!
Her earlier duel against Weiss had ended disappointingly again. Once more, she and her classmate had fought to a draw. A draw which had been broken up by Jaune before it could continue. The question was, why? Was he doing it in order to protect Weiss? Did his bond with the other girl exceed her own?
Jaune and Weiss had obviously mated earlier in the week. The two of them absolutely reeked of each other that day, and Weiss was stupidly positive afterward. Almost as much as she was. That told Ruby two things. First, that Jaune was now receptive to mating, and second, he must be really good at it going by the dumb grin Weiss wore the rest of the day.
She knew that Jaune had always found Weiss beautiful. Ever since the first moment he had laid eyes upon her human form, it was obvious that Jaune was attracted to her. She wondered if maybe that was the key. Would Jaune be more enticed into mating with her if she assumed her own human form? If she did, would she even be able to hold it while she mated? What if she reverted back to her true hybrid form in the middle of it? Would Jaune lose interest?
What she had told Jaune earlier in Professor Rainart's class had been true. She had found something to embrace that was human. More than that. She had found someone to embrace who was literally human. She loved Jaune. She could hardly believe it herself, but what else could it be? She loved him! She loved him in a different way than she loved Yang, but it was love all the same. She wanted to express that love in the physical way that humans did, just like in that documentary Weiss had shown them that one time. She wanted to take him as not just her mate, but as her Mate.
Ruby wanted it badly. Badly enough to challenge her classmate to a horn duel. A duel which had sadly proven to be indecisive, and so the status quo remained. It wasn't fair. She had been Jaune's friend first. She should have been his first. Not Weiss.
Still, it didn't mean that Weiss had to be the only one.
"What's wrong?" Yang asked, concern laced in her tone. "You've barely taken a bite."
Ruby started slightly she had forgotten Yang was even here. She looked up from the bloody hunk of meat on the plate before her. "It's Jaune…" she said with yet another sigh.
"Trouble in paradise?" Yang chuckled. "Is Jaune giving you less of his lower horn now that Weiss is in on it too?"
Less of his lower horn? She hadn't gotten any of his lower horn! And it wasn't for a lack of trying either!
"But I haven't gotten any!" Ruby snapped. Despite her forwardness she had yet to rise to the challenge. "Ever!"
She hadn't meant to sound as angry and desperate as she had, but knowing that Jaune had mated with Weiss had made her feel angry. If not for the Cardin situation that had arisen right after, she was sure the feelings would have been even worse. She would have had enough negativity to make her sister proud.
The table shook as Yang's fist slammed down onto it. "What? But you said you and him were mates weeks ago."
That had been a little lie in order to get Yang to back off. The truth of the matter was that they were not mates. They may have slept together, he may have seen her naked, and she may have known his most personal secret, but they were still not on the level of mating yet.
And now she wondered if he ever would. After all, he had chosen Weiss and not her.
"I... may have lied about that," she admitted.
"So wait, you two sleep in the same bed every night and he's still not interested?"
"It's true! I can't get his attention no matter what I do. I don't know what Weiss did in order to get him to do it. It's so frustrating!"
Yang looked at her in disbelief. "Impossible! He's reeked of you for weeks now! Even before Weiss and her one horn got her tiny hands on him!"
"I know right!" Ruby groaned with frustration. "I've been scenting him all week, rubbing my horns against him and everything."
"Seriously nothing?" her older sister asked incredulously. Ruby couldn't blame her for that reaction. Horn nuzzling was the universal hybrid sign of being hot to trot. Ruby had been vigorously rubbing him extra often after killing Cardin too. The only way she could be more blatant is if she had shouted 'mate with me' at him.
"Did you remember to trill while doing it?"
"Of course!" Ruby smacked her head in realization. How could she forget to trill.
She also forgot how sore her head was from her earlier duel against Weiss. Her hand smacked a sore spot where both horn and skull had connected with her own. Ruby winced, sucking in a pained breath caused by her own hand.
"Owie..." she groaned.
"Look, Ruby." Yang placed a hand on her shoulder. "Obviously you need to try a different tactic."
"Tactic? Like what?"
"Maybe make it more clear what you want. After all, you do share a room with him. And a bed. It's not like you're lacking in opportunities to tell him what you want."
Ruby considered what Yang said. It was true that all of her attempts had been rather roundabout. She had always tried to tell him what she wanted without actually being the aggressor. All this time she waited around for him to make the first move. But it was obvious that he wasn't going to make it. Maybe she should take a page out of Weiss' book and be more aggressive.
"But don't worry, I'll have a little chat with him."
"A chat?" she asked worryingly. Yang didn't usually chat. She let her fists do the talking for her.
"Yup. A nice little chat. About how much better my little sister is than old one-horn over there."
"Thanks." Ruby nodded, although she didn't like the tone her sister spoke with, but if it got her closer to her goal that would have to be an acceptable sacrifice. But for now she just had to figure out a new seduction tactic.
Maybe she should just start sleeping naked again.
Author's Note: New players have entered the game. Should be fun to have a couple more humans in the academy now. Ones who don't know Jaune is also a human...
Also, Ruby fans. Don't be so quick to give up hope. After all, Alpha Males form packs at their own discretion...
As always my thanks go out to Burkion and Lightningstrxu for all their hard work and input. And to the rest of the Discord server for their continued support and suggestions.
And of course, to all of you for continuing to read and review. Your support of us and this story is truly amazing.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.