So this was it. Beacon Academy.
As Jaune and his friends strolled along the courtyard, he couldn't help but mimic their behavior when they had been in Vale. Gawking at all the sights around him, Jaune wondered what could have been had he managed to attend this school instead of Salem's academy. What kind of team would he have wound up on? Who would his friends have been? Perhaps the most important question of all, would he have even been accepted, much less survived?
He didn't have Aura when he arrived at Salem's Grimm hybrid school. It was only because he had been thrown to the literal Beowolves that he had unlocked it in the first place. Would he have had a similar trial at Beacon in order to unlock it? Or would he have wound up a statistic of failure, like perhaps many other aspiring huntsman students did?
His eyes were drawn to a statue in the middle of the yard. Two heroes of a past age stood there, a man triumphantly hoisting his sword into the sky. A hooded woman resting the tip of her axe on the ground. Who were they? What incredible acts of heroism must they have committed in order to be immortalized in stone? Could he have one day done something of similar worth?
He would never know. As it turned out, that would not be his course in life. No, his path was far different to what he had ever imagined. A question that had long nagged him, and especially now that he was here at Beacon, would he change things if he had the opportunity?
A tug on his sleeve earned his attention, breaking him from his thoughts. Looking down he saw a pair of silver eyes staring up at him concernedly. They answered his question for him immediately.
"Jaune?" she asked worriedly.
No. He wouldn't change a thing. A different, and perhaps better path would mean never meeting Ruby. Weiss. Blake and Yang. Never having a chance to better their own lives as well. Condemning them to horrific and miserable existences in Salem's realm.
His expression softened, and he smiled down at Ruby. "Yeah?"
She moved close to him, grabbing onto his arm and leaning up to speak softly into his ear. "Are you okay? There's... a lot of negativity coming from you right now."
Sometimes it was hard to remember when they were in their human guises, but they could sense negativity still. They had once mistaken his own fear and apprehension for a pleasant aroma. Attraction. As it turned out, they had become attracted to him for reasons other than their draw to negativity. Except Blake. Blake... was a special case.
Jaune took a deep breath and tried to chase the doubts from his mind. He had to stay strong. Stay positive. For all their sakes.
"Yeah. I'm okay."
Ruby nodded, but didn't release his arm. He was fine with that, but surprised too that Weiss didn't immediately grab onto his other arm in order to make herself 'even' with Ruby.
"Thanks," he offered softly.
She smiled back up at him. He smiled back. Looking down at her, she seemed like just an ordinary girl holding a dog leash. Zwei stood happily next to her, oblivious to the fact that they were on a highly sensitive infiltration mission. Jaune wondered if pets were even allowed at Beacon at all. If they weren't he was sure Ruby would find a way to keep him. She loved that dog, despite the fact that she was a hybrid.
They continued on their way to their true objective. They were to rendezvous with Cinder in room 301 of the exchange student dormitory. At least there they probably wouldn't be running into any of Beacon's staff. Jaune wanted as little interaction with actual authority figures while he was here. It was hard enough to lie for himself and put on a good cover story. But having to do so for Ruby and Weiss as well? That would be taxing.
As they walked, it truly was astounding how different this school was from Salem's. It was like night and day. Literally. The sun was shining down on them, whereas in Salem's realm the sky was a perpetual red-purple twilight which made the passage of time impossible to perceive without the aid of a clock. Here Jaune could breathe in the fresh air. Hear the chirping of birds. The wind rustling the leaves.
After a few minutes they reached their destination, and Yang gave a nice firm pound on the door. It figured. Yang hadn't had anything to punch all day, and a nice, study, wooden door was as good of a target as any when there weren't any opponents around to fight. For that Jaune was thankful.
The door opened, and a familiar dark-skinned face greeted him. Emerald, that was her name, right? Like Yang, she wore the school uniform of Haven Academy. A look inside revealed that Cinder and Mercury did as well. If there was a fourth member of their team, they were not present.
Their professor stood up and motioned them to enter. "Good, you're here. Come inside."
The foursome did as they were instructed, and Emerald shut the door behind them. She moved to sit back down on one of the beds opposite Mercury, while Cinder remained standing. Presumably to be in a more dominant position while she addressed them.
"What took you so long?"
The accusatory question caught Jaune off-guard. True, they had made a couple of stops along the way... but he hadn't thought that getting to Beacon as soon as possible after Hazel dropped them off was that important.
Luckily before he was forced to come up with an excuse, Ruby came to the rescue. In her own awkward way.
"I wasn't buying Jaune a gift!" she blurted out.
Cruel golden eyes stared at the young hybrid. Yet deep down Jaune knew that this woman, no matter how strong she may have been, wouldn't be able to reprimand Ruby no matter how late they were. No, if the reverence from Tyrian was anything to go by, these hybrids, these children of Salem, sat higher on the food chain than even their professors.
"We stopped off for some grub," Yang followed up helpfully. A glance at the blonde showed casual indifference on her face. "Long flight and all. We were hungry."
"Famished," Weiss agreed. "So we enjoyed steak. Rare and bloody, a perfect harmony of human culinary prowess and the natural taste of cow meat fresh off the bone."
Emerald blanched at the description, while Mercury's nose twitched. Clearly those two had never seen a hybrid feed in their 'natural environment'. Cinder meanwhile held an even gaze at her charges. There was no trace of anger on her face. She couldn't stop them from eating, after all.
"Very well," she conceded. "Now that you are here, I am to give you your-"
"Professor Fall? Why are you wearing that?" Ruby asked, pointing a finger at Cinder's clothes.
Their professor glanced down at her Haven Academy uniform before looking back up to Ruby. "A valid question. Starting today I will no longer be your professor. I will be posing as a fellow student from Haven Academy."
The confirmation that she was indeed one of their 'classmates' made Jaune wonder again who the fourth member of their team was. However, that question was chased from his mind when Ruby spoke next.
"But you're so old," she remarked in her oh so innocent way.
Jaune's eyes went wide. He knew there were some things you never said to a woman. This was one of them. After this debacle he would have to inform the hybrids of that little detail about women.
"Nonsense," Weiss interjected. "Professor Fall looks like a natural in that uniform."
For once Weiss hadn't put her foot in her mouth. That in itself was progress when it came to the girl. Apparently Cinder appreciated the compliment as well.
"Thank you, Weiss," she seemed to say genuinely.
"Yes. She appears like one of the thirty-something year old actresses from my pornography documentaries that pose as teenage girls. It especially helps that she's wearing a plaid school girl skirt. Though usually I see such skirts bunched up around the female's waist while they lie on their backs or are bent over a table."
Time seemed to stand still, and a deafening silence had overtaken the room. Jaune could hear his heart beating inside his chest. And while it could have been a trick of the light, he could have sworn that Cinder's eyes had began to blaze with literal fire.
"However, I'm having a difficult time imagining Professor Fall on her back during intimate relations. I believe she would take a far more dominant position atop her mate in order for her to be the one in complete control of the pace and penetration."
It was a shame Jaune wasn't having the same difficulty imagining the scenario. Yeah. Cinder on her back in just that short black skirt of hers? Totally not a turn off or anything...
Emerald looked rightfully horrified. Mercury, who was thankfully sitting out of Cinder's line of sight, appeared to be struggling to hold back laughter. Jaune's own teeth were clenched tightly behind closed lips, not daring to move a muscle lest he involuntarily break out into a nervous and utterly terrified smirk.
Cinder flashed the most insincere smile he had ever seen in his life. More proof that she dare not lay a finger on her master's children, no matter how much they offended her. "Thank you, Weiss," she forced through gritted teeth. "As I was saying before... this was brought up, from this point forward you will refer to me as Cinder rather than Professor Fall. I am a fellow student from Haven Academy, as are Emerald and Mercury. Is that understood?"
Her gaze fell upon each of the hybrids, lingering there for a moment and not moving on to the next until they nodded their confirmation. Oddly enough she didn't bother looking at Jaune himself for more than a brief moment. Perhaps because she knew he was human? He honestly didn't know. The two of them never had a conversation in private where she made it clear she knew his secret like Tyrian or Hazel. However since they knew, did that mean that she was in on the secret as well? In any case, he would operate if that was indeed the case.
"Good. Now then," she continued, and gestured over to Emerald to hand her something. The green-haired girl produced a folder, and handed it to the older woman. "Your student identifications."
A card was handed to each of the foursome gathered before her, and Jaune looked down at the small plastic rectangle. Sure enough, his name and limited personal information was printed on it, along with a photograph of himself. Jaune Arc. Second year student at Haven Academy. Wait, second year?
"Jaune Arc," Cinder said. "Wren Slate. Rosalyn Rouge. And Yara Xanthic. You will use these names whenever you are in a public setting. Together you are Team AWRY, and you are second year students from Haven Academy. For the majority of the semester you have been out on an extended training exercise gaining live field experience in Anima. Such encounters include exploring the ruins of Kuroyuri to study Grimm attacks on smaller settlements, and minor skirmishes against members of the Branwen Tribe. Do you understand this cover story?"
Again, the other three girls nodded wordlessly. Jaune did so as well. He wondered why he didn't get a name change.
"Good. This will be used to explain why other students from the academy don't recognize you. I'll send the details to your scrolls later. If need be, I myself and my two subordinates will corroborate your story to lend credence to it."
A quick glance to said subordinates saw them nod in agreement with their master's statement.
"Now then. Are there any questions?"
Jaune held his breath, waiting for Weiss to say something stupid again. But thankfully it was Yang who spoke first.
"So what do you do for fun around here?" the blonde asked. "Is there anything to wreck? Anyone to fight?"
He couldn't help but smile softly. That was so Yang.
"You will be expected to participate in combat classes," Cinder explained. "I will be sending your class schedules as well, and you will attend these classes every day just as you did when you attended your old academy."
"But I assume I can't kill these kids," she smirked.
"No, Yang. You cannot kill them. Battles will be stopped before a student's Aura breaks. Please do not go overboard, as this will only do harm to your cover."
Yang shrugged, seemingly fine with the limitation. Jaune was pleased to know that no innocent students here would be put in danger by the savage monsters in human skin.
"There are training rooms where you may practice both your armed and unarmed combat skills. I suggest you take advantage of these in order to more familiarize yourselves with your new weapons. Other than that, you are free to roam the school grounds as you please. If you decide to go to Vale, do not go without having Jaune at your side. Are we clear?"
That stipulation seemed to confirm that she did indeed know that he was human. Either that, or his reputation as a humanized hybrid was so renowned that she trusted him to act as any of the girl's chaperone.
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Yang offered flippantly.
"We should definitely go out to eat more," Ruby suggested, shooting Jaune a hopeful look. "Maybe we can go tonight?"
He smiled down at her. "Maybe."
"Your scrolls are set to unlock your new dorm room. You are in room number 302, which is right next to this one. If you need any assistance or require any questions to be answered, come to me. This mission cannot be jeopardized by taking unnecessary risks. Understood?"
Again, a round of nods told Cinder that her orders were read loud and clear.
"Good. You're dismissed. Feel free to do as you wish until classes tomorrow morning."
Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as he and his new 'team' left Cinder's room. Now it was time to experience the genuine student life. The life he had once dreamed of living before being accepted into Salem's school. It was time to become the real deal. A huntsman. A hero.
One who would save the girls he loved so dearly.
After dropping their luggage as well as Zwei off in their room, no one wanted to be cooped up inside for any longer than necessary. This was a whole new world. A new and fantastic place to explore. There were sights to see. Foods to taste. People to meet.
It was that last part that worried Jaune the most.
As he stepped back out into the courtyard though, he couldn't help but agree with the sentiment of wanting to get out. He had been trapped inside for months, and he never knew how much he really did miss the simple things in life like sunshine and fresh air. Even if it was just strolling around the campus all day, it would be better than sitting inside their room.
"Jaune."
The boy froze, as did the girls at his side. Blood went cold. A chill ran down his spine. Was that...
Turning around, he saw an all too familiar sight leaning back against the wall near the door. He hadn't seen her when they exited the dormitory building, but then again there was no guarantee that she had been standing there at the time to begin with.
There, clad in a Beacon Academy uniform, was none other than Blake.
Jaune swallowed hard, taking a couple seconds to steady his jaw to speak. "Blake? Where... where did you come from?"
The girl, assuming her perfect faunus form, pushed off from the wall and sauntered over to him. "From shadows."
As usual such an statement did nothing to answer his question. But at the same time he couldn't complain too much. She wasn't a terrifying tentacle monster with viciously sharp teeth. No, here and now Blake was nothing more than a fellow student. A beautiful and alluring one at that. It was such an extraordinary sight to see her in her faunus form that such rarity only added to her beauty.
"But- but... how? When? How did you even get here?"
Her head tilted ever so slightly, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Why, the Bullhead of course," she answered matter-of-factly.
Of course it could have only been the Bullhead, but... but she hadn't been inside with them? Had she? There weren't enough shadows to conceal her without at least someone noticing!
"Where in the Bullhead?"
Blake stepped up to him, resting a hand against his chest. "You ask the wrong questions, my love. In the Bullhead, rather than on. Or under. Hitching a ride was child's play for me..."
And that settled things in Jaune's mind. She hadn't been inside the Bullhead at all. Rather, she had clung to its hull... somewhere. Somehow. Were her tentacles really that strong that she could survive an hours long flight between continents? She was either incredibly brave or incredibly insane to attempt such a journey.
Jaune knew which one he'd bet on.
"Yeah, but-"
"Shh," she purred, bringing a finger to hush his lips. "I'll always be in your shadow, Jaune. You can't escape me. I'll move mountains to get to you. Raze entire kingdoms to smoldering ruins. Bring about the downfall of humanity itself if it means getting to be by your side. All for you, my darling."
Terror the likes Jaune hadn't felt since leaving Salem's realm returned to his body and mind, and he knew that was exactly what Blake wanted. How she loved to bask in his fear and negativity. Her love for him wasn't like Ruby's or Weiss'. No, she seemed to love everything but his body. However, that didn't stop her from using his body as a useful tool for her own arousal and satisfaction.
"That's... great..." he nervously replied.
Her head tilted up to meet his. "Isn't it?"
"Okay, okay, that's enough of that!" Ruby spat, coming to separate the two with her hands.
"Indeed," Weiss agreed, coming on the other side of them to stand as a sentinel between Blake and what she had claimed as hers. "What are you even doing here, Blake? You are not on our team!"
"And where'd you even get the uniform?" Yang asked. "Much more colorful than ours."
Blake glanced down at the red plaid skirt. Even the jacket had a nice yellow trim going around its edge. "Oh this? I found it."
"Found it..." Jaune echoed.
She nodded innocently. "There are entire dressers and wardrobes filled with uniforms. So I took one."
"Those are other people's rooms..."
"Beacon should enhance their security protocols. I used to break into Atlesian military installations all the time."
"I see..."
She took another step toward him. "Do you, Jaune?" she asked, head tilting once more as a wide grin erupted on her face. "Do you really?"
He swallowed. "I... I don't know..."
Teeth flashed. Nothing like the predatory fangs she wore in her Grimm hybrid form, yet these human teeth of hers somehow seemed just as deadly. "There's the fear I love so much. How I've missed your pleasant scent..."
Blake was again forced back, this time by the combined efforts of Ruby and Weiss, with the former clutching onto his arm protectively. The maniacal grin remained in place, and Jaune knew why. She may have been thwarted out here in broad daylight, but Blake lived in the night. She lived in the shadows. And come tonight, the entirety of Beacon Academy would be her playground.
There would be a new bed for her to haunt.
"Wow, this looks like fun," a new voice said from behind them.
Turning around, Jaune saw as a smiling, blond-haired boy approached them. A faunus to be more specific. An unbuttoned shirt revealed impossibly hard and toned abs, and it wouldn't have surprised him if this boy wore such attire purely to show them off.
He wasn't wearing a school uniform, so did that mean he wasn't a student? Or was he maybe like Ruby and Weiss, deciding not to wear his at this time? Jaune didn't know. All he did know was that this innocent and naive faunus boy was approaching a hornet's nest and knew nothing of the danger he was in.
"What's up, I'm Sun," he greeted warmly. His vision focused entirely on Blake the next time he spoke, and his voice seemed to lower just a slight bit to sounds more... romantic? "And who might you be?"
To her credit, Blake did not immediately lash out and bite his head off. No, much to Jaune's surprise, she seemed genuinely interested in the boy who had begun flirting with her. "Blake," she offered warmly.
"Blake, huh? That's a pretty name. And I notice you're a faunus too," he said, pointing up to her exposed cat ears. The monkey tail protruding from behind him swished. "That makes two of us."
Jaune wanted to scream for the boy to run. Run away as quickly as his legs could carry him. But even if he could have done so, even if Sun would have listened to him, it was too late. Weiss had entered the fray.
"You, monkey-man," she said accusingly. "Do you have hand-feet?"
Oh gods. It was bad enough that she had called him a monkey-man. But now she was about to spew a bunch of racist garbage right to a faunus' face...
To his surprise and amazement, Sun took the remark in stride. "Nope, all I've got is a tail." Said tail flicked back and forth again to emphasize his words. "My mom does, though."
The boy may have joked about it, but Jaune was still mortified. "I'm so sorry," he said on Weiss' behalf. "I promise she's not racist."
"Nah, it's no big deal," the other boy dismissed casually. Even as Weiss was snooping around behind him, hunched over and examining the swishing monkey tail. "She's just curious is all."
Weiss' hand tentatively reached out, as if she wanted to poke at the tail. When it twitched again her hand retracted in surprise. Icy blue eyes remained glued to it though, like a cat being teased with a feather toy.
"She's blunt, but I can tell she's not mean."
Jaune had to laugh at that. "Oh trust me, she's very mean. Just not racist."
The words caused Weiss to perk up, and she stomped back over to where Jaune stood. She lowered her neck and headbutted him in the arm. "I am not mean!"
The act caused Sun to laugh this time. "She's feisty though. I like it."
Weiss whirled around at the comment. "I'm taken, monkey-man!"
The smile evaporated from the other blond boy's lips, and his gaze switched between Weiss and Ruby before finally settling on Jaune. Ruby was still glued to his arm, pressed up against him affectionately. "But you and the redhead... dude, you're not two-timing, right? Because that's not cool."
Ruby squeezed his arm. "Nah, we share him."
Weiss nodded emphatically, taking his other limb in hers. "He is our Alpha and our mate."
Jaune sighed. He was going to have a tough time explaining this to someone raised in a normal, monogamous culture.
Sun whistled. "Damn. That's... wow. Would it be wrong if I really wanted to bro-fist you right now?"
Jaune looked down. His arms were currently locked away by a girl on each side. "I would if I could. It's very tiring, especially with this one," he said as he motioned with his head to Weiss. "But I wouldn't change it for the world."
She headbutted him again.
"Or maybe I would."
Jaune had been so distracted with Weiss' shenanigans that he hadn't even realized Blake had vanished from his sight. Only when it was too late did she reappear, slowly rising up behind Sun as if she was about to stab him in the back.
"So, Sun, was it?"
The boy flinched, and even he had been unaware of the dark-haired girl's presence until just now. He turned, and the pair shifted around as Blake attempted to circle him like a predator might stalk its prey. Sun remained with her every step of the way, however, and the two spun in slow circles as they spoke.
"That's the name," he smiled warmly.
"I bet you get a lot of hate for being a faunus," she said excitedly.
Uh oh. Jaune knew where this was going...
The boy shrugged. "Yeah, sometimes."
"Tell me about it," she pressed eagerly. A wide grin had erupted on her face as she continued to stalk around him. "Tell me about all the hate. The prejudice. Tell me how it makes you feel..."
The husky, breathy tone she used in the last of her words made Jaune shiver. Yeah, she was going to totally get off to this. Alas, he could do nothing about it. Blake got what she wanted. She always did. Somehow.
Amazingly, Sun wasn't put off in the least by her awkward line of questioning. "Well when I hopped off the boat I took to Vale, the cops were hassling me. Called me a no-good stowaway."
"Mmmmm," the faunus moaned. "Sounds delicious..."
"Yeah, it was pretty funny!"
The grin was wiped off Blake's face in an instant. "No, it's supposed to make you feel miserable."
"Why? They were dumb. And I was a stowaway to be fair."
Blake shook her head. "But... but you're supposed to be offended by racism. You're supposed to feel oppressed when authority figures target you for being a minority. That's how it works."
"I mean, for some people maybe," Sun admitted. "But me? I had a great life in Vacuo growing up. They don't care whether you're a human or a faunus so long as you do your part and get the job done. And then when I went over to Haven, I found out that the headmaster there's a faunus too! I made some great friends, all human, and have been having a blast. Faunus or not, I've been given great opportunities in life and am working hard to become a huntsman so that I can help out those who are less fortunate than me."
It was then that Jaune saw something he had never envisioned seeing. For the first time ever, in those golden feline eyes of Blake, he saw it. He saw what she had always inflicted on others, but never felt herself.
Fear.
"Come on, Sun. Tell me about the hate. The way people stare and don't trust you for being a faunus. The stereotypes. How they think you're a part of the White Fang just for being you. Tell me. Isn't that what it's like for you too?"
The boy shrugged. "Honestly? Not really. I dunno, maybe I just got lucky being from Vacuo and finding an awesome team at Haven." His expression softened, and he gazed down on Blake with a loving and friendly smile. "But if that's been your own experience, Blake, I just want you to know I'm here for you. You'll never have to feel that way again as long as I'm your friend."
She took a step back from Sun, eyes wide as she stared up at him. "What... what are you?"
He smiled warmly. "I'm Sun," he winked. "Faunus, huntsman, and all-around nice guy at your service."
It was too much for the hybrid and she turned to flee, hiding behind Jaune and using him as a human shield in front of the other happy blond.
"Jaune. Jaune, he's too happy," she whimpered. "Make him stop."
This. Was. Beautiful. It was perfect. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and he wasn't about to let it pass.
After shaking Ruby and Weiss off of his arms, Jaune turned and reached out to the cowering Blake, taking her by the shoulders. But rather than comforting her, he instead gently pushed her forward and toward the cause of her dismay.
"Nah, I think you could use some positivity in your life," he said warmly. "I mean, look at that winning smile."
Sun flashed a toothy grin. "Bright and warm as the sun!"
"See? And funny too!"
"I hate him," she growled.
"Which is exactly why you need to get to know him." Jaune continued pushing forward regardless of the fact that her heels had planted themselves onto the ground, and her cat ears were flattened atop her head. "After all, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."
"I want him to stay a stranger."
"Nope. You need friends who aren't us, Blake. It'll be good for you."
A loud hissing noise was his only reply this time.
"Did she just hiss at me?" Sun asked.
"Yup. Cat faunus. You know how they are."
"I... kinda get the feeling she doesn't like me," the other boy said sullenly.
Well that just wouldn't do. The last thing they needed was for Sun to be sad or upset. That would in fact only make Blake like him more, and not in the right way. While what Sun said was true, it didn't mean that they couldn't have a little bit of fun at Blake's expense for a change.
"Oh don't read too much into that," Jaune dismissed. "She's just playing hard to get. She's, uh, really, really goth."
The girl he was shoving forward was not amused, and she turned her head to regard him with murderous intent. "Jaune, I will hollow out your skull and use it as a drinking chalice to wash down your entrails."
The blond forced out a laugh. "You see? Look at that terrible, dark poetry. Goth as goth can be."
"I will make you suffer for this," she snarled.
Jaune leaned down to whisper into her ear. "Not so funny when you're on the receiving end, is it?"
Her face twitched. Anger was still present, but it was fading. It was being replaced by something Jaune couldn't quite put his finger on. Was it... sadness? Defeat?
"My innocent little fly has started spinning webs of his own," she lamented softly. "I find this... strangely arousing."
The boy sighed. "Of course you do."
Jaune positioned the girl to stand before Sun once more. The faunus boy rubbed the back of his neck nervously, probably and rightfully not fully convinced by Jaune's attempted words of reassurance.
"So, uh, the Headmaster of Beacon is going to be giving a speech later today. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go with me? Since you're from Beacon and all, maybe you could show me around?"
The uniform Blake wore gave off the false impression that she was indeed a student here, but the reality of the situation couldn't be further from the truth. In all honestly Jaune had no idea what Blake would do if someone in charge questioned her presence here.
In an instant Jaune fell forward, the Blake he was holding onto no longer corporeal. The after image of her shadow clone flickered once before vanishing from sight.
When he recovered he turned to witness Blake fleeing the scene. Apparently Sun's positivity was too much for the girl to handle. Jaune couldn't help but smile at the knowledge. Another weapon in his arsenal against the stalker.
"Wow, I guess she really didn't like me," the other boy noted sadly.
Jaune sighed, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. "Don't take it personally. She... she doesn't really like a whole lot of people."
"Seemed to really like you. At least when she wasn't threatening to eat you."
He forced out another laugh. "Oh, that. Like I said. Dark, moody poetry and all. But the two of us go way back I guess you could say."
"I guess so, considering you attend different academies and all. Childhood friends?"
Nope. But he had lied this much already. "Yeah. Before she had to... move. To another home."
Sun nodded grimly. "Ah. Yeah man, that sucks. But at least you got to reunite here at Beacon. That's really cool."
In all honesty, it was a good thing that Blake had followed him here. At least now he could keep an eye on her and make sure she wasn't suffering. It also meant Blake wouldn't be tormenting Wesson back in Salem's realm out of boredom.
"Ah, well, can't win 'em all," Sun remarked, seemingly pulling himself out of his funk after being rejected by Blake. He stretched out his arms, rolling his head around to earn a few satisfying pops of his neck. "I should go find the rest of my team. There is that speech tonight, and I guess everyone's supposed to attend. It'll be a boy's night out or something."
And that was a far better fate than spending the night with Blake. Jaune knew that from experience. Had Blake not been so put off by the boy, it wouldn't have surprised him if the hybrid did give Sun everything he ever could have hoped for, and more...
Before devouring him like a praying mantis would her own mate.
"Well, I guess we'll leave you to that," Jaune smiled. "It was nice meeting you. Hope we run into each other again in class."
"Yeah, for sure," Sun replied, raising his fist for Jaune. With his hands free now he was finally able to give Sun the fist bump he wanted earlier. "See you around."
"Not so fast," Yang said.
Sun looked back, only to see the blonde girl sauntering toward him. "Oh hey, never did get your name," he smiled.
"Yara," she smiled back as she stood before the boy, looking him up and down. "So, Sun. You're strong enough to scare Blake away?" Lilac eyes narrowed dangerously. "I gotta say... I like that."
Jaune swallowed. This was another trap that Sun had no idea he was walking into. If there was one thing Yang valued above all else, it was strength. It wouldn't surprise him if she wanted to see just how strong Sun was.
"Well it wasn't my intention to scare her," he shrugged. "It was kind of the opposite in fact..."
"Still, you gotta have a lot going for you to make her afraid. And those abs... nice."
Red alert. Yang may not have wanted to eat the boy, but Jaune was sure there were other ways that the blonde girl could hurt the faunus boy. Even if they were ways that hurt oh so good.
"Thanks. And you look really nice too. Love the hair."
"Oh this old stuff? Yeah it's okay. But most guys would say I have nice tits."
Jaune's eyes widened. Unlike Weiss, Yang wasn't saying that out of innocent naivety. No, she knew she had assets and wasn't afraid to use them. To her they were just another weapon to use against humans who would love to get a glimpse of her... guns.
Sun was obviously put on the defensive with the comment, which had been Yang's intention. "Oh, um, yeah," he struggled to say. All traces of his former confidence with Blake were gone. It wasn't surprising with Yang's forwardness. "They're... nice?"
So this was what it looked like from the other side. Who knows how many times Jaune himself had reacted much in the same way to Yang's flirting?
"You and me," Yang said in a low, sultry tone. One of her fingers came out to trace circles around his exposed abdominal muscles "We should fight sometime."
"Fight?" Clearly that wasn't the act that he had been expecting Yang to suggest.
She nodded confidently. "Yup. You and me. One on one. I'll break you in half, little boy."
There was an eagerness in Yang's tone that Jaune recognized far too well. Her desire to fight strong opponents was well-known. The fact that she believed himself to be some sort of Leviathan Grimm that was too much for her to handle only made her want to duel him more.
Crap. He had promised her a fight here at Beacon, hadn't he? With any luck she might have forgotten. Or maybe she would be sated by fighting Sun...
He shook his head. No. He couldn't put his own problems on this innocent bystander. If he had to take the brunt of Yang's aggression he would do so willingly. No one else had to get hurt. Or worse.
"Little boy? You seem pretty sure of yourself, Yara" Sun smirked back. His head tilted down slightly to make up for their difference in height. Jaune was sure that the hybrid must have hated being looked down on in such a manner. "All right. I'm always up for a little fun."
Pearly-white teeth flashed, but their human appearance did nothing to lessen Yang's predatory nature. "Fun," she echoed. "Trust me, I know how to have fun. More fun than you can handle."
Jaune was worried over what she meant by fun. Was it mere fighting? Something sexual in nature? Or... maybe that Yang had killed a huntsman before, and she was eyeing Sun as her second? The troubling thing was it could mean any of the three. Or all of them together.
"But until then, maybe I'll see you at that speech tonight." She shot him a wink before turning to stride away. "I look forward to getting my hands on you."
Well, that happened. It was probably best that they all make a tactical withdrawal after all the awkwardness that had just gone down.
"Right," Jaune said hurriedly. "See you at the speech tonight!"
Ushering Ruby and Weiss to follow, Jaune went after Yang quickly. Maybe it was too early to explore. Maybe they should just stay in their room for a couple hours and get acclimated to their new home. And maybe while they were there he could explain a thing or two about proper human interaction.
And hopefully find Blake before the dead bodies started turning up.
The main hall of Beacon Academy was packed. Much like the air ship terminal, there were various degrees of negativity coming off from people all around her. Ruby supposed that was just a part of living amongst humans. They had emotions, both good and bad. Thankfully none were so strong that they caused her any distress. A glance over to her sister and Weiss showed no negative effects on them either.
Humans of all different sizes and colors stood around her. Some, like her, wore black uniforms. She supposed those were her fellow 'classmates' from Haven Academy. Others wore white, probably from that snowy kingdom to the north. Others still wore the black and red that she had seen Blake wearing. She hadn't seen the elusive hybrid since she had run off earlier in the day, but she hoped Blake was okay. And oddly enough, she hoped that Blake hadn't gutted some random passerby. Not simply because a murder would raise alarms around the school, but because she genuinely did not want to see some innocent human die.
What an odd sensation that was.
She nudged Jaune with an elbow, earning his attention. The tall boy looked down at her. "Yeah?"
"So... what's this whole speech thing about?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I dunno. Probably to welcome all the exchange students or something."
Ruby nodded in understanding. They, along with many of the other humans who inhabited the room right now had arrived recently. At least they hadn't been too late because of their eating escapade. The thought of food made her belly rumble. She wanted more steak. Or any other kind of meat.
"Serious waste of time," her sister commented. "I could be out kicking some ass and testing my strength against Beacon's huntsmen. Is this what they teach their students to do here? Welcome the Grimm and try to talk them out of fighting instead of killing them?"
Someone in front of them snickered. Ruby realized that they really had to keep their voices down in a room filled with humans. One wrong word and they could all be exposed.
She sent her other elbow into Yang's side. "Shh!" she whispered harshly.
Yang sent a sideways glare her way. Lilac eyes then moved on to the boy on the other side of Ruby. The redhead followed her sister's gaze, and saw that Jaune was staring back at Yang. He wordlessly nodded in agreement with the shushing.
The blonde girl merely clicked her tongue indignantly, but went silent nonetheless.
"I think it's fascinating," Weiss disagreed. "We're about to get an explanation of why we're all gathered here and why it's important to have this whole festival. Knowledge is power, and we should do our best to learn as much as we can."
Another person who stood in front of them turned. A boy with black hair and pink eyes regarded Weiss with admiration. "Well said."
Weiss nodded graciously. "Why thank you. At least someone around here appreciates my wisdom."
The first person, the girl who had laughed at Yang's remark, turned now. "Yeah, well, I agree with her," she motioned to the blonde. "I'd much rather be out hammering some Grimm. Or even other huntsmen in a spar."
Yang grinned. "See, this girl gets it. All work and no play makes Yara a dull girl."
"Yara, huh? I'm Nora," she said, offering a hand to her newfound friend. "And this is Ren," she motioned to the boy.
"Ren?" Weiss asked. "Is that spelled the same way as mine? Wren?"
The boy shook his head. "I don't think so. Gender-rules of naming usually have different spellings for masculine and feminine names."
"No way," Nora gushed. "Ren and Wren? And you two both like learning and stuff? That's so cool! It was meant to be!"
"Sorry, but I'm taken," Weiss said, clinging to Jaune's arm.
"Oh yeah? Well, sorry, but I'm taken too!" Nora exclaimed, similarly hooking herself around Ren's arm. "Only, like, not together-together and all. But he's my best friend and partner. Oh! Are these your other teammates?"
Ruby smiled and nodded. "Hi. I'm Rosalyn, and this is Jaune," she said motioning to the blond boy beside her.
It was odd using her cover name, but if Weiss and Yang could do it then she could too. She wasn't about to be the one who blew their cover.
"Ahhh! We should all totally hang out sometime!" Nora gushed. "And I'll introduce you to our other teammates! We could hang out and eat and fight and it'll be so much fun!"
"Fight?" Yang asked.
"Eat?" Weiss echoed.
"I guess we see where their priorities are," Nora smirked, nudging her own partner and friend in the ribs. "We're gonna get along juuuuust fine. Fighting and eating are like, my two favorite things in the world."
Ruby couldn't help but smile. To her surprise, Yang and Weiss were as well. At a human. If all humans were like Nora and Ren, were they really so bad?
Before she could think more on it, a loud voice echoed through the hall. "May I have your attention, please," the smooth, male voice said.
The redhead looked up and saw that a gray-haired man had stepped up onto the stage. Tall and lanky, his eyes were partially shielded by glasses. The all black attire he wore only exemplified his height and thinness.
"I would like to start by first welcoming all of the students and staff who made the long journeys here to Vale. It means so much to me, as well as everyone else here, that the four kingdoms of Remnant have come together once more for the 40th Biennial Vytal Festival."
A smattering of light clapping filled the room, and Ruby looked over to see Jaune had joined in. Oh well. When in Vale, do as the Valeans do. Weiss and Yang subsequently joined in, not wanting to stand out. She didn't know why they were doing this, but it was best to just go with it.
"The Vytal Festival was created to serve as a celebration of peace between the kingdoms. Every two years, a kingdom is chosen to open its doors to the world, allowing citizens from every corner of Remnant to meet and indulge in one another's cultures. To see our peoples peaceful bonds still so strong after nearly eighty years is a truly remarkable thing."
"Not for long," Yang whispered down softly into Ruby's ear.
She knew her sister's words to be true. Soon enough they would be the first of their kind to infiltrate the human kingdoms and engineer their downfall. This peace that the Headmaster of Beacon spoke of would soon come crashing down on them all.
"So please, make yourselves at home. Our kingdom is your kingdom, and we, the people of Vale, are at your service."
These humans, or at least this one, was so innocent. So naive. So accommodating. He had no idea that there were eight, well, technically nine infiltrators in his midst counting Blake. Ruby almost pitied the man and his ignorance.
"I look forward to seeing what the great peoples of Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo are capable of in the Vytal Tournament as well. While it is our patience and compassion that unites humanity, it is our strength which shields it from the threats that would tear us all asunder. At the end of this tournament we will all emerge victorious, for so long as the protectors of humanity stand united, we shall fear no darkness."
Clearly the man had never met Blake.
The speech went on, and to be honest Ruby grew a little bored with it. With him. A glance at Weiss showed her watching with rapt attention. Yang on the other hand shared the same glazed over expression as her sister, and wanted to get out as soon as possible.
Jaune... Jaune's expression was unreadable. She couldn't quite place what he was feeling either. His emotions were a whirlwind of both positive and negative.
"Thank you."
Another round of clapping sounded, stirring Ruby from her thoughts and signaling the end of the speech. Good. Time to get out of here and go back to their room. Zwei was probably hungry. She was too. Maybe she would go with Jaune to raid the kitchen to find food for them all.
"Well that sucked," Yang joked as they started moving.
"It figures that a barbarian like you would find nothing of value in such a speech," Weiss protested. "I happen to believe that the more we can learn about humanity and its history, the better."
"Spoken like a girl with only a single horn."
Silver eyes widened, and Ruby grabbed her sister's arm. "Yan- Yara!" She winced, nearly blowing her cover while chastising Yang for doing the same. Ruby covered her mouth before she could make another mistake.
The blonde girl sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. We'll do it the human way." She turned back to Weiss. "Spoken like a girl with small tits."
Weiss' face scrunched up in anger as they walked. "Jaune clearly isn't complaining since he took me as his mate instead of you."
The comment forced Yang to glare balefully at the boy. The boy shrunk under her intimidating gaze. That was true... Ruby looked down at her own chest, and knew it wasn't as big as Yang's either. Maybe Jaune was just into smaller girls when it came to both height and bust?
"Can we really not discuss this sort of thing here in front of all these people?" Jaune asked, motioning to the shuffling students.
Probably for the best. The number one rule of infiltration, as she had learned from Professor Fall, was to blend in. Don't draw attention to yourself. Discussing such personal and intimate details in public would definitely draw eyes and ears to them.
As they followed the herd of students and took a turn toward the main doors of the hall, Ruby caught a glimpse of the man who had come down from the stage. A tall, pale-blonde haired woman stood at his side. As did a giant clad in a white uniform, who she surmised was from the same place as the white-wearing students.
Hard brown eyes stared at her from over small, circular glasses.
Ruby swallowed hard. She looked away, and tried to hide behind Jaune's much larger body as she went along.
It didn't work.
"Miss," the familiar voice of the speech-giver sounded.
Ruby looked back over to see the Headmaster moving toward her. Staring right at her, letting her know that it was indeed herself that he had addressed. The other two adults followed in his wake, remaining a couple steps behind him at all times.
She could either run away and draw attention to herself, or stand her ground and see why the man had singled her out. Steeling herself, and grabbing onto Jaune's arm for support, she halted and turned to face the man.
"Oh, um, hello," she answered meekly.
"Thank you for coming today," he said, offering out his hand. "I'm the Headmaster of this academy. Please, call me Professor Ozpin."
Ruby looked down at his hand for a couple moments before reaching out to take it. It was massive, at least compared to hers. Much like Jaune's. She shook it with as much strength as she dared. She didn't want to seem too strong in front of the man.
"Um, I'm Rosalyn," she lied in return.
"Rosalyn," he repeated, letting the name linger in the air. "You have, silver eyes."
Said eyes blinked once. Twice. That was an odd thing to say. Ruby looked up to Jaune for help, and saw that his own eyes had gone wide, and it was good that they were looking away from the Headmaster. He said nothing, but Ruby could tell that there was something significant about what Ozpin had just said.
"Oh, um yes. Thank you."
Ozpin smiled down on her. "It was nice meeting you, Rosalyn. I hope we are able to speak again at a more convenient hour."
Ruby nodded hurriedly. "Yeah, sounds good. But right now we're hungry and wanna eat something."
The man chuckled, an amused smile on his lips. "Then please don't let me keep you. A warrior fights on his or her stomach after all. I think you'll find that Beacon Academy has some of the finest cuisine Vale has to offer."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Weiss blurted out, raising a triumphant finger into the air. "To the cafeteria!"
The quartet went on their way, and Ruby was eager to get away from the man who had singled her out.
A look back at Ozpin showed him merely conversing with his associates, seemingly not sparing her another thought.
She hoped it stayed that way.
Author's Note: And our cast of characters increases. New friends are made. I've been looking forward to that Blake and Sun exchange for months now, and had so much fun finally getting to write it. Also a callback to hand-feet. Grimm Weiss is the best.
As always I want to thank Burkion and Lightningstrxu for all the brainstorming and ideas. And of course, my thanks go out to all of you for continuing to support this story. I hope I can continue to write something that keeps you wanting more.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if you did!