Hey everyone, hope you're all doing well. Regarding things, it's mainly been rest, work and Tears of the Kingdom. Let's get to the feedback:
94blake: Thank you, I do plan on ironing that out, as it was my attempt at going beyond the typical setting and events of Beacon. As for the OOC statement, the argument is valid and I hope I can cover that soon.
Without further ado, let's begin!
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"I don't care about the past - I believe in the power to reinvent yourself."
Lex Luthor, 'Smallville (Season 1 Episode 7, 'Craving')'
Issue #3: Out of the Box
He knew that he had struck a nerve. He knew that Yang would not take this lying down… he knew he had to prepare. Was she going to tear up the academy? Maybe not, but she would make sure he walked away well-done. He was glad he was on fine terms with Weiss, at least when spitting the right kind of logic…
A few hours ago…
"Oh, you were talking about that good shit yesterday, Vomit Boy! Where's your macho now, huh?!" Yang shouted, as she along with her team was seated close to his in the cafeteria.
"Umm, on vacation?" he asked awkwardly.
"Well too bad, because I'm calling in!" Yang countered, her fist shaking as she looked at the blonde leader.
"As a leader who deals with Nora, I'll have to refuse. I don't think anyone here has the time for clean-up, especially since we're nearing Finals! That and also the second years and up being pushed up to help some of the staff make sure Vale is safe for the holidays, as well as possible family plans where being punished now would hurt our luck!" he quickly sputtered, looking at her as he held his hands in front of him as a sign to keep his distance.
The silence was unnerving, as Weiss gently put a hand on Yang's free hand.
"Xiao Long, please… he's right. We need to make sure we end the semester well, unless you want to spend time with remedials, detention, or both," Weiss pleaded. Ah crap, Weiss was asking her to stop rather than demanding. Surely it had to be raining cats and dogs if-
"U-um, Yang… can we please stop? I don't want to be punished," Ruby said, looking away ashamed. Well, that did it. To believe her sister of all things had to put a temporary end to things.
"You'll get it later, Vomit Boy," Yang threatened, only to be countered by Blake.
"Pass the exams first and stay out of detention first, I've lost my appetite," she ended, only to take her tuna sandwich and juice before rushing off. That lunch had been one of the most awkward experiences Ruby had experienced, though in Jaune's case, it was less awkward and more tense.
Flashback end.
The horrid memory out of his mind, the scraggly knight began to think, knowing combat with the blonde brawler was imminent. His earlier bravado was indeed gone, and one false move would lead to an awful outcome, one way or another. As much as he'd like to say he was alone in his dorm, he was not. With Pyrrha going for an evening jog and Ren enjoying a warm drink in the Beacon Courtyard, it had been a fairly short day.
As for Nora, she was on her bed, apparently watching some videos on her scroll with some headphones on. In the usual situation, he'd go for Pyrrha or even Ren for advice, but here? Time was of the essence, and sometimes another input helped greatly. After all, help often came from unexpected sources.
"Hey Nora?" he asked, looking at her from his own bed.
"Yes, Jaune Jaune?" she said, looking at him as she removed her headphones.
"Do you remember how I almost got decked by Yang earlier?"
"Oh yeah, and the Weiss-cicle had to save you!" the carrot-top barbarian countered.
"Haha, yeah…"
"Was that all?"
"No. You see, I may or may not be beaten up by Yang, but I feel as if my sword and shield won't cut it. What should I do?"
"It's easy, silly: build some distance! I went through the same thing you went through, and I had to find a way to make sure I could still be a threat from far away!"
"Oh, I guess that makes sense."
"Yeppers! Also, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I used to throw rocks before I modified Manghild."
"That sounds kind of annoying."
"Yeah, it became annoying after the first few times, but it took some time to rake in the money to modify my weapon, especially making the best bombs I could."
"Wow, I didn't expect that from you."
"Always expect the unexpected…" the valkyrie said with a conniving smile.
"Alrighty then… do you think Beacon would let me borrow some metal?"
"Nope, unless you want to test your luck with the scrapbox. I know it isn't much, but I got this," she answered, handing him a small ball of metal.
"What is this?"
"A steel ball. It might not be meant for bigger weapons, but I hope it helps," she replied, only to get a hug from her leader.
"Thanks Nora, I mean it."
"Oh Fearless Leader, you're making me blush!" she playfully jabbed.
"I didn't leave home for this…"
"You're fine, just make sure it's the best weapon money, or in this case scraps, can afford! I gotta get back to this stream, this guy is one hell of a zoner!" she said, her eyes returning to her scroll as he took a peek. Given the tournament she was spectating, an idea started to form in his head…
Beacon's Foundry
A couple hours later
Given the shift in priorities, the foundry was surprisingly empty excluding the adult that was usually there to keep an eye on said foundry.
"So bestie, what're we going to build?" Ruby asked as she looked up at her friend.
"Isn't 'bestie' usually for Weiss?" Jaune asked in return, raising a brow.
"It's either that or Vomit Boy."
"Say no more. Ok, long story short, I need something with a bit of range, but we're kind of on a bit of a limit. We only have the steel ball Nora gave me and this," he answered, pulling up a box of metal scraps. "I don't know what can be usable since Crocea Mors doesn't need much maintenance, so I'm sorry there."
"What? No, nonono, it's fine. I get it, you're still getting used to everything. Anything you'd want to avoid building?"
"A gun, I'll either run out of money pretty quickly, find a way to jam it or somehow shoot myself in the foot."
"Okay… Well, we can make a small one-handed weapon, like a knife!" Well, that or we could see what we can make. In fact, why don't you see what you can find while I see what we have in the scrapbox? I'll show you a bit on how to see what can be used and how."
"Got it, I'll check it out," he answered, walking around the shop and looking around. After rummaging the shelves and asking the man who ran the foundry, he returned with a sizable block of wood.
"Will this be enough? I mean, I don't know much about weapons so-" he said, only for him to be interrupted by Ruby.
"Purpleheart? This is going to be so awesome!" she said, grabbing the block of wood and checking it real quick.
"Care to explain it to the peanut gallery?"
"Oh, right! It's rare finding it here, only remember seeing it in Patch a couple of times. It's durable as it is purple. A bit hard to work with from what I'm told, but first…" she said, drifting off and pulling out her scroll, only to take a quick photo.
"Memories?"
"That and sharing it with my uncle."
"Right… Could you please make sure Yang does not find out? It kind of involves her… I'll explain."
"You got it, bestie!" she answered. "I hope you have nothing to do for the rest of the day, because we'll be here for a while! I'm going to make sure you learn something when it comes to weapon maintenance and all that fun stuff, just you watch!"
The evening would pass by fairly quickly. Jaune would find out just how hard being in a foundry could be. Despite him mainly being a source of strength for Ruby, he tried taking note of what she went over. Unlike his main weapon, this one would need a sense of maintenance, as it did not have the kind of work the iconic sword had. Carving a handle had been entertaining, as seeing her go on about the wood was quite funny and adorable. There were a few questions she asked that plagued him.
"What do you think about Blake? Am I not helping?" It did make sense that she would ask this, given what happened between him and Yang, as well as how the daughter of the Belladonnas had been spending more time with him.
"No, I think you're doing great. I'm sure you're just as good of a friend as you are a leader. Just, I think it's what I've said and seen before: there are certain matters that need a different kind of help, or in this case, a person.
"You didn't hear it from me, but I know she's hiding something. She tends to reach for her bow every now and then."
"Ah, so you noticed it too, right?"
"Yeah. Why do you think she hasn't told me, Jaune?"
"Well, trust is a tricky thing I think. I think most of us in RWBY and JNPR are, in a way, out of our element. I mean, the guy who barely has a lick in training is talking to the girl who skipped a couple years."
"Oh yeah…"
"She'll tell you when the time comes, that's all I can say. For now, I think we should be ready for the exams, and also make sure this is the best weapon we make," he added, smiling softly.
"You know, you're a great leader too, Jaune… don't let them get to you."
"Thanks Ruby, I really mean it."
"Me too, Bestie. Me too."
"I have a question.'
"Yeah?"
"I get that we had enough metal for the blade and the weight, but what about the chain?"
"Ah crap."
*Knock knock knock.* "Bla-ake~! Blake! It's your bestie, Ruby!"
"And Jaune."
"Can we come in?"
"I don't know why you're asking, this is your dorm…" a voice behind the door answered, said voice belonging to a certain feline Faunus.
"I don't, so what about that?" Jaune asked.
"Shush… come in, both of you." With this indication, both leaders entered the RWBY dorm, catching Blake in her sleepwear. "How can I help you?"
"Well, we were wondering if you could let us borrow a ribbon, a pretty long one."
"What for?"
"Well Blake, we have this kama," Ruby said, holding up the kama in question before showing the item in her other hand. "And this metal weight. Thing is, we couldn't get a chain or rope, and figured we could ask you to see if you had some ribbon, probably 3-4 meters? I mean, we don't mind it being shorter, just figured we'd try and-"
"Sure."
"Wait, you really mean it?" the blonde knight asked.
"Of course… I do want to help you, though we will have to train to make sure you're good at using it. Remember, it's a new weapon you have to master."
"Yeah yeah, I know. It could probably be tomorrow, since it is pretty late, I think we missed dinner… agh, starting to regret it." As he said it, Blake rummaged through her belongings and pulled out a sizable stretch of ribbon.
"It's the same kind of ribbon I use for my weapon, though you might try something else depending on your needs. I hope it's enough for now."
"This will do," the rose reaper said, quickly grabbing the ribbon. "C'mon Jaune, let's race to the kitchen and make some cookies before they close it!"
"O-oh, yeah. I'll swing by my dorm to see if my team is there, see if they need something as well. Anyways Blake, see you tomorrow?" Arc asked with a hopeful tone.
"Yeah, that would be great," she said, with a soft smile.
"Alrighty, let's go! Do you want something, Blake?"
"As long as it's not raisin cookies, I guess."
"Righty-o, let's zip, dork knight!"
"Oh it's on, Craterface!"
And so, the two quickly left the dorm, leaving a certain catgirl alone once more… or so she thought.
"By the way Blake, what should I call my weapon?"
"Oh, ummm…" she drifted off, looking around and eventually outside. Despite being a broken moon, it still looked beautiful like a- oh, she could work with that.
"Call it Wangetsu. It means crescent, kind of like the moon."
"Huh, never thought of it that way. Anyways, I better go, see you tomorrow!" he said, this time truly leaving.
It would be mere minutes until Weiss and Yang returned, and tomorrow's classes had come and gone in the blink of an eye. A somewhat tired Jaune looked over at Miss Goodwitch, who had motioned for the students to leave. Despite the matters, it did however lead to him making his way to her.
"H-hey Miss Goodwitch," Jaune said nervously.
"How can I help you, Mr. Arc?" the deputy headmistress asked.
"I know it may be a stupid question, but I was wondering if I could start fighting opponents that weren't Cardin."
"And why would that be?"
"Well, given what's been going on in the past few months, I feel as if time is weird. I'll only reach a certain level as is and-"
"I understand your concerns, Mister Arc, but there is a reason you fight Cardin."
"I-I know, Miss Goodwitch. Please, please hear me out. I feel like I should try a different method. I know I don't have the best record to request special treatment, but I'm asking to try things differently. Maybe I'll defeat Cardin, but is it due to me learning how to be a better Huntsman, or is it me learning how to beat him?"
This in turn earned a laugh from the headmistress, who was also somewhat relieved.
"That is new, really. To be honest, I wouldn't mind more of it. It's clear your friendship with Blake has helped you, and you're right: we all learn differently."
"Yeah, back to that… I was wondering if you could switch up who I face, because I don't think every foe will be Cardin. If the Grimm were like that, they probably would've been gone by now."
"Such maturity, are you sure this is not the same student who was assigned to lead Team JNPR after Initiation?" she asked, with a coy smile.
"Please stop messing with me…"
"No worries, your concerns are valid. I accept your request, and I do hope this helps you for the better."
"I'll do everything in my power to make sure it is!" he said, making his way out of the classroom. "Though, I do have one last favor to ask."
"And that is?"
"I feel like they've got a bone to pick with me so… think I could request a certain fight for Finals?"
OMAKE
"So, why were you teasing me, Miss Goodwitch?" Jaune asked, looking at her as they cleaned up the classroom.
"Just because I'm a professor does not mean I can't have a good laugh from time to time. After all, you tend to get bored after slaving away most of the year since Ozpin's your superior."
"Huh, never thought of it that way. By the way, why did you do it when we were alone?" he asked, broom in his hands as he looked at her. What awaited him was something that would frighten him more than any Grimm, Huntsman or assassin. It was something he would only reveal to those he held close while on his deathbed.
There, with a conniving smile upon her face was Glynda in all her strong and somewhat malefic splendor.
"Because no one will ever believe you, Jaune."
And that's that! I want to thank you all for waiting. I feel comfortable with where I'm cutting this off, as I'm trying to connect things. As stated before, I will be tending to things, but right now I still need to find where I'm headed with this. I don't want to act on a brief idea which in turn derails everything to the point I have nothing left, but enough of that. Next chapter is…
Issue #4: Jaune the Ripper. Here, we get a glimpse at more details regarding Jaune's weapon,
Expect a fight (or an attempt at it), some more stuff, and yeah, semester's end. Until then, I wish you all the best, and I'll see you next time.