Author's Note:One would think that retreading old grounds would be easier. Then I realized that without Ozpin around, a lot of stuff is different so I gotta improvise and I did. Hope you enjoy.
"Whoa…" Jaune muttered as he looked out the window of the airship he was on as it flew over Vale. It was the first time he saw the city from the sky. Sure, he flew on the airbus before but it didn't have windows.
'Truly a magnificent view, isn't it?' Ozma said as he admired the city below. Humanity was truly industrious as he saw skyscrapers and structures that dwarfed the ones from his memory.
'Yeah…it is.' Jaune enjoyed the view more as his motion sickness wasn't rearing its ugly head thanks to the medication. However, his enjoyment was cut short when a holographic screen suddenly appeared right in his face.
Startled, Jaune jumped back a little a bumped into some of the other passengers gathering around the projection After a quickly apology, He turned back and saw a picture of a shop on screen. The shop front looked fine save for the broken door. Then another picture replaced it, showing the interior which had been ransacked of all its goods.
"Another robbery occurred last night at downtown Vale at the dust shop, Dust to Dust. The owner and employees were unharmed but the shop has lost thousands of lien in dust and property damage. This has been in the latest in the series of robberies on dust shops around Vale." the image was replaced by a mugshot of the man that Jaune recognized from the robbery a while back, "The robbery was led by nefarious criminal, Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you Lisa."
Ozma sighed in disappointment as the newscaster then brought up news of the White Fang's violent act though Jaune didn't notice as his thoughts had drifted back to the robbery a few days ago and its aftermath.
Thanks to Professor Goodwitch and Doctor Tsune, the charges against him and the girl were dropped. He didn't know how they did it but he was grateful all the same when they were released from police custody with a stern warning from Professor Goodwitch to stay out of trouble.
Speaking of the professor, the news feed was cut off as a hologram of her appeared in its place.
"Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch, headmistress of Beacon Academy."
Jaune couldn't help but wonder if the statement was aimed at him.
"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world."
The hologram then disappeared and everyone who had been watching could now see Beacon Academy coming into view in the distance. The other passengers around Jaune were in awe of the view and he shared the sentiment and yet he couldn't help but feel it was muted somewhat, almost as if he's seen the view many times before... He sighed when he realized what was going on.
'Ozma, you're bleeding through again.' Jaune said as he rolled his eyes. One thing he learned early on about Ozma is that his friend and mentor's memory would bleed into his own, making him feel an odd and disconcerting sense of deja vu.
'Sorry about that, Jaune. It's just that Beacon holds a strong connection to my history. I'll try to keep it under control but no guarantees.' Ozma promised. Jaune nodded before he realized something.
'Wait, then how come it didn't happen when I was here to take the test?' Jaune asked.
'Hmm, you were probably too preoccupied about the tests to notice. You couldn't hear me when I tried to call you, remember?' Ozma said. Jaune felt embarrassed but nodded slightly in understanding.
Then the holo-screen reappeared before a soft three-toned tune played from it. Then a cartoon rabbit appeared on screen wearing an airship pilot's uniform. The character waved at its audience.
"Hey there everybody! I'm Pumpkin Pete and I'm here with an important public service announcement from the VAA which is short for the Vale Aviation Administration, the folks in charge of keeping you and me safe whenever we fly in Vale. Today we're gonna about talk about the many useful features of the tickets you buy for your flights in Vale!"
Jaune didn't expect the Pumpkin Pete cereal mascot to appear on screen for a PSA. It made him remember his hoodie that his mother had insisted on leaving behind at home for some reason when he was packing for Beacon. Ozma had agreed with his mother and insisted him to obey but refused to explain why.
Still, since he had nothing better to do until the airship arrives at Beacon Academy, he decided to stick around and watch the cartoon rabbit talk. However, what he didn't expect next was to see himself on the screen, though his face was pixelated.
"And here is an example of what not to do when you're late for your flight! Let's watch!" the rabbit vanished as the screen enlarged and showed footage of Jaune shouting at the airbus that was taking off before it cut to him jumping into the air, missing the open ramp and faceplanting onto the top deck of the airship. The footage froze on him mid-faceplant, earning a few laughs from the other passengers.
"Oooh, that had to hurt but don't worry!" the cartoon rabbit stated, "I've been told that the fella is a huntsman-in-training so he can take a few hits. Though if he had known about the 'Wait' feature on his ticket, he wouldn't have taken that hit in the first place."
'How did they even record all of that? Do they have cameras everywhere or something?' paranoid, Jaune started looking around for hidden cameras.
'Just be glad that your face wasn't shown. Guess the VAA wanted to avoid a lawsuit.' Ozma pointed out.
Unfortunately, Jaune soon heard whispering and laughter around him, which more than likely meant that they've already connected the dots. He knew that this will spread like wildfire and he'll probably end up a laughing stock at Beacon before the semester even starts.
'Kill me...just kill me now.' Jaune groaned as he slumped his shoulders in resignation. He made the walk of shame down the long cabin towards a quiet corner, all while ignoring the whispering and laughter.
'Oh don't be so melodramatic. I've seen and experienced far worse.' Ozma scoffed though he refused to speak of these experiences to Jaune.
'Aren't you supposed to be offering me words of comfort and support here?' Jaune complained as he sat down and took out his scroll to distract himself.
'You reap what you sow, Mr Arc. You reap what you sow.' Ozma answered.
'Ugh, so much for making a good first impression here.' Jaune sighed.
'Don't worry about it too much, you'll have plenty of chances to make a better one once Initiation starts.' Ozma said in consolation which did little to cheer Jaune up. Then an idea popped into Jaune's head which intrigued Ozma though the fantasy that played out in the boy's head had him rolling his eyes.
'Hey Ozma, how much do you know about Beacon's Initiation?' Jauned asked.
'Quite a lot actually. Why?' Ozma asked, blatantly feigning ignorance though Jaune didn't notice as his excitement grew.
'Then could you tell me about it? Like how it works and what I'd need to do to pass it?' Jaune asked eagerly.
'I could…' Ozma smiled as he sensed Jaune's excitement rise, '...but I won't.' before it was promptly plummeted as Jaune was crushed by betrayal.
Jaune wanted to cry out in protest but stopped and calmed himself down before letting out a frustrated sigh.
'Good to see that you're getting better at keeping a cool head. I was sure I'd get a more verbal reaction out of you.' Ozma quipped jokingly.
'Not funny, Oz…' Jaune grumbled before he took a deep breath and calmed down, 'Now what do you mean you won't tell me?'
'It means exactly what I said, I won't tell you how Initiation works.' Ozma replied.
'Why not? You had no problem with telling me about the assessment tests, so why keep Initiation a secret?' Jaune demanded before his face went deadpan. 'Oz…I swear, if this is just to get some entertainment from my misery.'
'I'll admit that it is part of the reason…' Ozma confessed as he chuckled, much to Jaune's annoyance, 'However, the main reason is that even if you knew about it, it's far too random for you to prepare for. So there's no way for you to impress your peers like you had intended.'
'Ehe…was it that obvious?' Jaune asked sheepishly at being found out.
'Considering you forgot to hide it from me, very much so.' Ozma replied. 'Your plan has its merits but I doubt it would have resulted in women throwing themselves at you in admiration like you imagined.'
'Hey! A guy can dream, can't he?' Jaune retorted before he heard more whispering and laughter which soured his mood again. He buried his face in the palms of his hands and groaned. 'Come on Oz, throw me a bone here. Please, I'm begging you.' Jaune pleaded.
Ozma could feel the desperation from his host and cursed his soft spot for his host before he relented, 'Very well…'
'Really?'' Jaune asked, wary and yet excited.
'But I don't condone cheating so I will only give you a hint about Initiation and nothing more.' Ozma stated seriously, 'It will be up to you to figure out and how to use it. Is this clear?'
Jaune nodded eagerly as he waited for the hint.
When the airship docked, its passengers made their way off as they stopped briefly to admired the sight of Beacon up close. Some wandered off to explore a bit while others headed directly to the main building in the distance. Jaune was among the stragglers who got off, deep in thought about the hint Ozma had given him.
'How's my landing strategy? What kind of hint is that?' Jaune complained as he tried to figure out what the hint meant but he was stumped.
'I thought it was pretty generous of me to give you that hint.' Ozma stated while noting the cliffs around the school and grumbled at how dense his host was. He'll admit that the boy was smart but also the opposite in other matters like riddle solving as he just found out.
'Can I get another hint? This one's too hard for me.'
'I'm afraid not. We had an agreement. One hint and nothing more. It is up to you to figure it out.' Ozma firmly replied while wondering how long it will take for Jaune to find the answer if at all.
'Alright, fine but what does a landing strategy have to do with-' was all Jaune managed to say before he heard an explosion in the distance. 'What the…was that an explosion?'
'Indeed it was, shall we investigate?' Ozma suggested. Jaune agreed as he jogged towards where he heard the explosion came from. He soon reached the next docking bay area for another airship and looked around until he saw a crater in the nearby plaza where a familiar figure was splayed out on. 'Wait, isn't that the girl from the robbery?'
'Indeed she is. I believe her name is Ruby Rose if I recall correctly…well? What are you waiting for? Go help her already.' Ozma said insistently.
'Right…' Jaune said as he wondered why Ozma was so pushy just now.
'I heard that!' Jaune ignored that as he walked up to the girl and greeted her, "Hey Ruby right? Do you need a hand?" he then offered his hand down to the girl.
"Thanks." The girl said shyly as she took his hand and was pulled up from the floor. "Hey, wait a sec. How did you know my name?" she asked suspiciously.
"You really don't recognize me?" Jaune asked, wondering if she forgot about him.
"Sorry..." Ruby said sheepishly before she looked closer at him, "Wait…you do look familiar."
"Really?" Jaune asked and smiled as he puffed up his chest a little, thinking that he had left a good impression on her from before.
"Yeah! Aren't you the guy that faceplanted on the PSA earlier?" Ruby exclaimed while giggling.
Jaune deflated as his pride took another blow. Even Ozma felt sorry him.
'Oz...'
'Yes Jaune?'
'You sure I can't sue the VAA?' Jaune asked vindictively
'We can try but given our financial situation, I doubt we'll win.'
'Shit...'
'Watch your language... though you have my sympathy.'
"So did I get it right?" Ruby asked earnestly while smiling innocently. It reminded Jaune of his youngest sister, Amber so he didn't feel too upset with Ruby.
"Yeah, you're right, but that's not what I meant." Jaune said as he gestured for her to follow him as he headed down the plaza and towards the main school building where he saw the other would-be students heading.
"It's not?" Ruby asked, genuinely confused as she walked alongside him
Jaune smirked as he answered her, "Well, here's a hint for you…Little Rose."
Ruby stopped walking as her face went as red as her namesake at her nickname from home, "Wait! How do you know that…name." she trailed off as she finally put two and two together as her silver eyes lit up in recognition.
"Remember me now?" Jaune teased as he chuckled at the girl's reaction though he stopped when Ruby pointed a finger at him accusingly.
"You! You abandoned me back at the police station!" Ruby exclaimed.
'Guess she held a grudge over that.' Ozma commented. 'Do try your best not to antagonize her, would you?'
"She was your mom right? So isn't abandoned too strong a word, Little Rose?" Jaune teased.
"Gah! Stop calling me that!" Ruby exclaimed as she dashed forward and clamped her comparatively small hands over Jaune's mouth before looking around.
'Jaune, what did I just say?' Ozma said tersely.
'Sorry! She just reminds me too much of my sisters and did it out of habit before I realized.' Jaune explained in panic
Ruby then relaxed when she saw no one around and let go of Jaune, "Alright buster, no more using that nickname or you're gonna be facing the sharp end of Crescent Rose."
"Alright, alright. Sorry, won't happen again." Jaune said while putting his hands up playfully in surrender, "And my name's not buster, it's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet and rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."
Ozma groaned at the idiocy and hoped it won't drive the girl away.
"Do they?" Ruby asked while raising her brow skeptically at him.
"Don't know. You're the first girl I've tried it out on, you tell me." Jaune said jokingly which made Ruby giggle as she shook her head, "Guess my sisters were right about it being lame. Thanks for being honest at least."
"No problem!" Ruby cheerfully stated.
"Oh and speaking of names, what's Crescent Rose?"
"Oh! It's the name of my weapon. Lemme show you!" Ruby said excitedly as she reached behind her back and brought out a familiar boxy object which she mechashifted into the same scythe Jaune had seen her use back at the robbery. "This is Crescent Rose, a warscythe and customizable high impact sniper rifle.
"Cool…wait, did you say sniper rifle?" Jaune asked. Ruby smiled as she mechashifted a part of her weapon, revealing a scope and rifle's charging handle.
"Yep! I use the recoil to move around easier and to make my swings hit harder." Ruby eagerly explained.
"Whoa…so that's how you were able to move so quickly. Where did you get it? I kind of want one now. Does it come in a sword?" Jaune asked.
"Hehe, you can't buy it anywhere. It's completely custom made by yours truly." Ruby declared proudly.
"Wait, you made this? Wow, that's impressive." Ruby preened at the praise, which Ozma approved of for some reason. Weird.
"Yep! All students at Signal forge their own weapons! So…now that I've shown you mine, show me yours!" Ruby demanded excitedly while looking down at his waist.
"S-show you what!?" Jaune sputtered as he backpedaled from Ruby.
"Your weapon, duh!" Ruby exclaimed as if it was the only obvious answer. "What did you think I meant?" she asked while tilting her head curiously at him.
'Indeed, what did you think she meant?' Ozma chimed in. Jaune pointedly ignored him as he blocked his thoughts from Ozma.
"N-nothing…and sorry but I don't have it on me." Jaune answered. "I sent it ahead to Beacon since I don't have a license for it."
"Then what's that?" Ruby asked while pointing at his belts. He looked down and saw a handle.
"Huh, this?" Jaune said as he unhooked the handle and pressed a button and a red single edged blade sprung out. "I took it from one of the robbers you knocked out. Forgot I even kept it until now. Think I should hand it over to the police?"
"Maybe? But since the police didn't confiscate it, its probably okay for you to keep it."
'It would be useful to keep a backup weapon.' Ozma suggested.
Jaune nodded as he retracted the blade and hooked the handle back onto his belt.
"Sooo…can you tell me about your actual weapon?" Ruby asked.
"Sure though it's not as impressive as yours." Ruby preened at the praise, "It's a sword and shield that my great-great-grandfather used in the Great War. It's been passed down to my great-grandfather, then my grandpa, my dad and now…it's mine." Jaune summarized as best he could.
"Wow, does it have any special features?" Ruby asked curiously.
"Well, the shield can turn into a sheath for the sword so it'd be easier to carry around. Oh and my grandpa told me that the blade has never dulled despite how old it is."
"A blade that never dulls? That's so cool!" Ruby gushed excitedly.
"Thanks…didn't think you'd be impressed with the classic sword and shield." Jaune said bashfully.
"You gotta show it to me when you get the chance. If I can figure it out, I'll never need to sharpen Crescent Rose's blade ever again!" Ruby declared excitedly before she reeled her emotions back, "Er…if you'll let me that is."
"Sure, I don't have a problem with that and- huh, looks like we're here." Jaune said as he and Ruby entered the auditorium. He then noticed a beautiful blonde girl waving at them.
"Ruby! Over here, I saved you a spot!" The girl called out. Ruby waved back and stepped towards the girl before looking back at Jaune.
"That's my cousin, Yang. Guess I'll see you after the ceremony?" she asked.
"Yeah. See you later." Jaune promised.
"And don't forget to show me your weapon!" Ruby called out cheerfully before she zipped over to the blond haired girl who simply grinned at him before turning her attention to Ruby.
'I don't like the way she smiled at me…' Jaune said as he looked away. The look on her face reminded him too much of the ones his sisters would give him when they messed with him. He looked around the auditorium to distract himself and quickly noticed the sheer number of Beacon hopefuls here. 'There's so many people here…'
'Beacon Academy is one of the most prestigious Huntsman Academy across the Four Kingdoms after all.It's not surprising so many are hoping to attend it.' Ozma explained while showing some pride at seeing so many future defenders of humanity in the making.
'There sure are a lot of them…they probably attended combat school too… unlike me. Will…will I even make the cut?' Jaune asked himself as he felt doubt creeping.
'Now, now. I'll have none of that. Let's not forget that you passed the assessment tests which means that you meet Beacon's high standards.' Ozpin reminded. 'Banish those negative thoughts and focus on more important things such as Initiation.'
'Yeah. You're right.'
'Speaking of which, how are you doing with the hint I gave you?' Ozma asked. Jaune groaned in response. 'Not well I take it?'
'Nope. I just can't figure it out.' Jaune admitted, 'Looks like I'll be going into Initiation blind like the rest.'
'Given up already?' Ozma said in slight disappointment, 'Well, it is your decision so I'll respect it. Besides, I've known you for a long time so I know you'll do well in Initiation one way or the other.'
'Thanks for the vote of confidence.' Jaune then noticed a slight commotion and looked to see another girl with snow white hair talking with, or rather, at Ruby and her cousin before she pointed in his general direction.
"...talk about cute boys like tall, blonde and scraggly over there."
"Wow…she's beautiful…like…an angel." Jaune muttered to himself.
'Oh dear...' Ozma commented with slight trepidation though Jaune didn't hear him as he intended to approach the girl and introduce himself. However he forgot about it when the lights in the auditorium suddenly dimmed.
All chatter stopped when everyone heard the clacking steps of high heels coming from the stage, which lit back up and looked to see Glynda Goodwitch approaching the lone microphone stand on it. She cleared her throat before speaking into the it.
"Hello everyone. As you may already know, I am Glynda Goodwitch, headmistress of Beacon Academy." Jaune gulped when he saw the woman's gaze linger on him just a tad longer before moving on, "Many of you have travelled a long way to come here, some longer than others so I will keep this brief. You have come here today in search of knowledge, to hone your mind and body like never before so that you may grow. And when you are done, you will dedicate your life to the protection of the people, no matter who or what they are. Some of you have come to find purpose, direction in which you may forge your own paths forward while others already have their own goals in mind, now only needing the training and knowledge to reach for it."
Jaune eyes sparked with determination as he recalled his childhood dream of becoming a hero. Even Ozma felt an old feeling of heroism stirring within himself.
"Here at Beacon Academy, we will strive to do our best to provide you all with the guidance you need, to help you find your purpose and to arm you with the knowledge and skills necessary to accomplish them."
The auditorium was then filled with applause, many were enthusiastic, inspired by the speech while others were simply clapping for the sake of being polite. Jaune was firmly in the former as he clapped his hands enthusiastically. When the headmistress smiled at the students, the male half of the audience applause harder.
"Thank you and welcome to Beacon Academy." Professor Goodwitch stated before she walked off the stage. The lights turned back on and Jaune saw Professor Peach walk up to the microphone.
"You are to gather in the ballroom in the evening where you will be staying the night. In the mean time, you are free to explore the school and use its facilities, including the cafeteria and training rooms if you wish." excited whispers quickly spread throughout the auditorium at this but it stopped when Professor Peach raised her hand. "However, while you are free to train and spar, I advise you to conserve your energy and rest well tonight. You'll need it for tomorrow's Initiation. You are dismissed and again, welcome to Beacon Academy." Professor Peach stated before walking away as well.
The students took this as their cue to disperse and explore the school, something that Jaune intends to do as well since he didn't get to do it last time thanks to his panicked rush from before. He was about to leave when someone called out to him.
"Hey! You're John, right?" he turned around to see Ruby's cousin walking up to him, with Ruby in tow though the snow-haired girl was nowhere in sight, to his slight disappointment.
"It's Jaune actually. You must be Yang, Ruby's cousin, right?" Jaune greeted and smiled at Ruby who smiled back.
"Oh? So Ruby already told you about me, eh? Only the good parts I hope." she said as she leaned closer towards him, giving him a generous view of her cleavage.
"I…er…umm… I…" was all Jaune could stammer out as he did his best to fight back the blood rushing to his face as well as his lower half and failing miserably. 'Down boy, down!'
'Shall I take over?' Ozma offered while chuckling at his misery. Jaune was about to agree when Ruby jumped in and smacked Yang over the head.
"Ow! What the heck, cuz?" Yang complained while rubbing the back of her head.
"No teasing my new friend! You know you turn boys' brains into mush when you do that!" Ruby scolded before turning to Jaune, "I'm sorry about my cousin…she's weird. Ignore her."
"Er…sure. Thanks Ruby." Jaune said and Ruby was going to say something when Yang wrapped her arm around Ruby's head in a headlock.
"I'm weird? That's rich coming from a weapon nut like you!" Yang declared as she gave Ruby a noogie.
"Yang, no! Stooooop!" Ruby cried as she struggled to get out of Yang's grasp but she wasn't strong enough, "Jaune! Help!"
Yang grinned at Jaune, "Yeah, Jaune. Help poor little Ruby from the big bad Yang."
Jaune looked at the pleading look in Ruby's eyes and then back at the dangerously playful one twinkling in Yang's. He thought about before he made his decision.
"Nope." was all Jaune said before he turned around and walked away. He knew better than get in the way of a clearly familial teasing that he really didn't want to get dragged into.
"Traitor!" Ruby cried out before it was drowned out in cries of overly exaggerated pain mixed with equally exaggerated cackling from Yang. He promised to himself that he'll make it up to Ruby later.
"Come on, where is it?" Jaune muttered as he rummaged through his bag inside the locker room.
'Might I ask what you are looking for' Ozma inquired.
'My onesie.' Jaune replied while still rummaging through his bag.
'Your...onesie. You mean the rabbit themed onesie?' Ozma asked with trepidation.
'Yeah, I swear I packed it before I left Ansel but I can't find it anywhere.' Jaune grumbled as he kept looking until he felt something papery and took out to reveal a folded piece of paper,"Huh, what's this?"
'Seems to be a letter. Shall we read it?'Jaune shrugged as he opened the letter and read the message.
Hello Brother,
If you're reading this then your tacky onesie is gone. I had Hazel steal it from your luggage and place this letter while the twins and Amber were distracting you. You are probably annoyed at us as you read this but this is for your own good big brother.
You'll thank us later.
Lavender.
At first, Jaune was indeed annoyed with his sisters as Lavender predicted and confused at why they'd think that stealing his super comfy onesie was doing him a favor.
'Hmm, there seems to be more at the bottom.' Ozma pointed out while silently thanking Lavender for sparing his host the indignity of wearing the atrocious sleepwear. Jaune nodded as he unfolded the bottom and smiled when he saw the message.
P.s:All of us are rooting for you! Make us proud, bro! And don't get into trouble, mom's orders!
'You are truly blessed to have such a loving family.' Ozma said.
'Yeah, I do...they're major pains in the ass but I wouldn't change it for the world.' He then folded the letter back up and stuck it to the wall of his locker above the rest of his gear. As he closed the locker door, he realized that he didn't have any sleepwear for the night. 'Well, guess I'm sleeping in my hoodie and jeans tonight.' Jaune sighed before he left the locker room and headed for the ballroom.
When he arrived, he saw a table with rolls of sleeping bags and pillows and with a notice that said Take one each per person. As he hadn't brought one with him, he happily took them under an arm and entered the ballroom.
Inside, he saw the massive room with its many chandeliers on the ceiling and wall sconces bathing the room in a soft light that let its occupant sleep peacefully while still allowing them to see their surroundings. The large room had effectively been divided in two, one side for the boys and another for the girls.
Many of the students had already turned in for the night though more than a few were still awake and moving about or just playing around as he could see some shirtless guys showing off their muscles to the girls on the other side of the room.
Speaking of girls, he could see Ruby and Yang lying on their sleeping bags nearby, and they apparently saw him too as Yang waved him over. He then suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and soon realized that the other boys were giving him the stinkeye.
He sighed before he made his way over to Ruby and Yang, the latter grinning at him mischievously whilst the latter was busy with her scroll.
"Hey Jaune~" Yang greeted flirtatiously.
Jaune deadpanned at his fellow blonde, "Thanks for painting a target on my back."
"Whoops, my bad." Yang said unapologetically. "Look on the bright side, you can brag to people that you know such a lovely lady like me." she said as she ran a hand down her figure, which Jaune was suddenly very aware of and from the smirk on her face, she knew that as well.
Fortunately, Ruby came to his rescue again when she threw a pillow in Yang's face.
"Thanks Ruby." Jaune said but Ruby simply huffed and looked away from him.
'Seems she's still upset from before. I highly suggest that you apologize.' Ozma insisted.
'Was going to do that anyways. No need to be so pushy, Oz.' Jaune said before he cleared his throat. "Ruby, I know you're still mad at me and I wanted to say that I'm sorry for leaving you like that. If there's anything I can do to make up for that, just ask."
"Anything?" Ruby asked.
Jaune knew that such promises had landed him in trouble before, usually at the hands of his sisters but he didn't feel like Ruby would be the type of person to do that. "Anything, within reason of course." he quickly added when he remembered how they met the first time. He prayed that it won't be the norm with her.
Ruby just stared at him for a few moments before she let out a sigh, "Fine, apology accepted. Just don't leave me hanging when it counts alright?"
"Sure, you have my word as an Arc and an Arc never goes back on their word." Jaune promised as he smiled at her.
Ruby returned the smile but the moment interrupted by Yang who hugged her tightly.
"Awww, I'm so happy that you two made up!" Yang cheered before putting Ruby in another headlock, "But I don't appreciate being made out to be the bad guy here and you're gonna pay the price."
"Yang! Cut it out!" Ruby protested as she flailed against her cousin as she suffered another noogie attack. "Jaune! Help!"
'You did give your word as an Arc…' Ozma reminded.
"Alright, Yang how about we-" Jaune started as he when he saw someone else approaching Ruby and Yang. He completely forgot what he was going to say when he realized who it was, "…angel."
"What in the world is going on here!? Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!?" the snow haired girl demanded before she looked at the pair and recognized them.
"Oh, not you again!" Both her and Yang yelled at the same time, the latter releasing Ruby from her grip and stood up. Ruby did the same and quickly got between the girl and Yang.
"Shhh! Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep." Ruby stated nervously as she looked at the students who woke up from the yelling.
"Oh, now you're on my side." the girl scoffed.
"I'm not on anybody's side!" Ruby protested, "Look, let's all calm down and go to back to sleep before the teachers-Yang no!" Ruby yelped when Yang stepped towards the snow haired girl.
"What do you want?" the girl demanded heatedly.
"What's your problem with my cousin? She was just trying to be nice." Yang shouted
"She's a hazard to my health!" the girl retorted before the situation devolved into further arguing which Ruby was trying to mediate but failing miserably. Ruby looked to him with a pleading look in her eyes.
"I gave my word as an Arc…" Jaune muttered to himself as he stepped forward and tried to defuse the argument, "Excuse me but maybe we could calm down and-"
"Stay out of this!" both Yang and the snow haired girl yelled, startling Jaune as he backed away only to snag his foot on Yang's sleeping bag and tripped as he landed on his back. Ruby gasped as she moved over to check on him while Yang kept arguing with the snow-haired girl.
"Jaune, you okay?" Ruby asked in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry but I don't think I can help you much here."
"At least you tried…you let me handle this and go back to sleep." Ruby said apologetically before the shouting got louder. "Or try to at least…geez, where are the teachers?"
"Over there I think." Jaune said as he pointed towards a portly man with a bushy mustache approaching them. "I think he'll be able stop those two before they wake everyone up so I guess I'll go now. Goodnight Ruby."
"Goodnight Jaune, and don't forget to show me your sword tomorrow."
Jaune then gathered up the sleeping bag and pillow he dropped in his fall and gave Ruby one last look before wandering off in search of a spot to lay down for the night. He quickly found an open spot by the windows where he saw that he wasn't the only one going to sleep in their regular clothes as he saw a boy in green sleeping soundly nearby while a girl dressed in pink and white was snuggled up against him.
It was a rather cute scene so he made sure not to disturb them as he quietly unfurled the sleeping bag and laid down on it as he made himself comfortable. He looked back at Ruby and saw that the argument has already been settled and smiled as he looked up at the shattered moon through the window.
'Tomorrow is going to be a big day for you my boy. Best you rest up.' Ozma advised.
'I know but I'm too excited to sleep. I mean, can you believe it, Oz? I'm just one more step away attending Beacon Academy!' Ozma chuckled at his host's enthusiasm.
'Indeed I can but it is best for you to get enough rest tonight. Wouldn't want you to fail because you didn't get enough sleep now, would we?' Ozma asked. This did the trick as Jaune immediately shut his eyes and started counting sheep to lull himself to sleep. Ozma chuckled as he helped by sharing calming thoughts with Jaune.
'Goodnight Oz.' Jaune yawned as he felt himself drifting off.
'Goodnight Jaune.'
Author's Note: So... Jaune has escaped the moniker of Vomit Boy(for now) though he's suffered much worse humiliation in exchange. Problem is, I'm not creative enough to come up with a suitable nickname for his fail so I'll leave it to you the readers to come up with one. I'll pick the ones I like and give credit where it's due.
Also, I have a slight problem in deciding on who to pick as Glynda's second in command since I my mind had the dumb idea of coming up with backstories for three potential candidates instead of just one. And I'm cursed with indecisiveness so I'll make a poll for you to vote on. They range from the safe and vanilla option to something a tad more interesting. Whether it will affect the story overall...guess we'll see. Regardless, I'd appreciate some input or even suggestions if they're compelling enough.
Edit:Previously, the letter from Jaune's sisters told him not to get arrested but that didn't make sense due to it being written and placed there prior to Jaune leaving home. so edited to be something less specific