Author's Note:Hello~ Been a while, huh? Hope all of you are in good health. Anyways, apologies for the delay with this update cause my brain went a little cuckoo overthinking plotpoints that ultimately got scrapped anyways. -_-...Anyways! Please enjoy the chapter. I'll blabber more on stuff at the end.
*Tink! Tink! Tink!*
The first week of lessons at Beacon had passed by and the weekend has started as many of the first year students had opted to either explore more of the school or go down to Vale to have some fun. And yet Jaune found himself spending his Saturday morning doing his homework instead.
Jaune sighed as he read the umpteenth chapter of the thick history textbook for Oobleck's reading assignment. He had been going through the textbook for the past few days and he still had a good number of chapters left to go through what Oobleck had assigned the class. It looked like he'll be burning the midnight oil tonight.
Thankfully, the assignments from the other classes were several times lighter in comparison and had been completed already. He idly wondered if the other teachers were taking it easy on the students since the semester just started or if it was to compensate for Oobleck's excessively heavy reading assignment.
*Bzrrt! Bzrrt! Bzrrt!*
Still, the main reasons he was able to finish the other assignments was thanks to Pyrrha who had been quite eager to help him with anything he had trouble understanding. His partner certainly proved why she graduated the top of her class at Sanctum. Well that and he also had Ozma to thank for his constant nagging-
'Well excuse me for trying to help.' Ozma grumbled.
-which he was actually grateful for.
'Better.'
*Clank! Clank! Thunk!*
"Aargh! Why isn't this working?!" Ruby screamed as she angrily slammed the mallet and chisel she had been using onto the table before leaning forward to glare at the object of her frustration. "Why won't you tell me your secrets?" she demanded but received no answer, which only made her more upset, "Don't make me break you!"
"Please don't break my sword, Ruby." Jaune sighed as he raised his eyes up from his textbook to see Ruby glaring at his sword which was being held in place by a vice on the workbench he was sitting across from.
"But Jauuune!" Ruby whined, "That's the problem! I can't break it! It's too dang strong!" she said as she pointed at the sword in exasperation before returning to glare at it.
When they had gone to the forge after leaving Oobleck's class that day, they thought that they'd only need to spend a few short minutes to chip off a tiny bit from Jaune's sword. They later realized how tough the Arc family's heirloom sword was after they had spent ten minutes chipping away at it with a hammer and chisel which ended up being the ones to get chipped instead.
At first, this made Ruby excited as she eagerly moved on to try the next tool and the one after that when it didn't work. He recalled how enthusiastic Ruby was about his weapon and was fairly certain that if he wasn't there to remind her to stop for dinner, she would have stayed in the forge overnight.
And so, for the past few days, Jaune resigned himself to a routine of Ruby dragging him to the forge after lunch where he would do his assignments or play games on his scroll while letting Ruby talk his ear off about weapons as she worked.
Sadly, Ruby's enthusiasm was slowly eroded by the constant failures and gave away to mounting frustration which rose to the point that she'd use the tools much more forcefully. It came to the point where Jaune started worrying Ruby might actually break his sword. Though after the numerous failed attempts to put even a noticeable scratch on it the last couple of days, his worries dulled to a cautious indifference.
"Maybe you could ask Professor Mulberry for help?" Jaune suggested offhandedly as he turned his attention back to his textbook. "He is the resident expert on weapons crafting after all."
"Good idea! Hmm, do you think he'd let me use the blast furnace to melt the blade a little?" Ruby wondered out loud. While she could use the tools in the Forge, the heavy machinery were off limits to first years.
Jaune snapped the textbook shut and stood up. "H-hey Ruby, you've been at it for quite a while already. How about we take a break and grab a snack at the cafeteria?" Jaune suggested, hoping the thought of food would make Ruby forget her idea of melting his family sword. "They might have a batch of fresh cookies for you."
"Deal! Ooh! I hope they have the double chocolate chip ones!" Ruby said eagerly while drooling a little, reminding Jaune once more of his sugarfiend of a sister, Amber.
He quietly suppressed his brotherly urge to dissuade Ruby from her cookie addiction, especially if it kept his sword in one piece. He waited as Ruby released Crocea Mors from the vice and handed it back to him, still in one piece.
"Phew." Jaune sighed in relief as he sheathed his sword and patted it reassuringly, "Alright Ruby, let's-"
"Hold it right there, you two." a gruff voice called out. The pair turned to see Professor Mulberry with his arms crossed. "Just where do you think the two of you are going?"
"Oh hey professor! Great timing I wanted to ask if we could use the bla-mmph!" Ruby said before Jaune abruptly covered her mouth. "Mmph! Hmph!"
"Actually, we were just heading out for brunch." Jaune quickly answered for them both while ignoring the stinkeye Ruby was giving him.
"No you're not." Mulberry stated.
"We're not?" Jaune repeated.
"Not until you clean up this mess you made!" the man said while pointing at the tools Ruby had used scattered haphazardly on the workbench.
"But we-"
'One should always clean up after themselves.' Ozma chimed in paternally.
Jaune sighed as he let go of Ruby, ignoring the angry pout she was giving him as he started clearing the mess before his friend joined in as well.
"Ugh, I'm beat!" Ruby declared as she and Jaune sat down across from each other in the cafeteria. It had taken them so long to clean up that it was now lunch time. Cleaning up the mess didn't take too long but stowing the tools away took much longer as Professor Mulberry wanted them to be put in their proper place but due to his inexperience, he kept getting it wrong and got yelled at by the professor. "Remind me to not make a mess like that next time."
"Agreed, I think my ears are still ringing." Jaune said jokingly as he rapped the side of his head playfully for effect before ravenously tearing into the turkey leg he got lunch. Who knew getting yelled at could work up such a big appetite.
"Sorry for dragging you into another mess again…literally." Ruby said sullenly while nibbling on her chocolate chip cookies, "My mom always scolds me how messy I get when I tinker with Crescent Rose."
"It's fine. I did make a promise after all and an Arc always keeps their word." Jaune assured her.
"Though I'd prefer it if you don't melt my sword down. I do need it to fight after all." he added before going back to eating.
"I was just joking about that!…mostly." Ruby muttered while blushing in embarrassment, "But, if it makes you feel better…I promise."
"What promise?" someone asked, startling the pair as Ruby jumped and dropped her cookie while Jaune almost choked on his turkey before washing it down with some water. They turned to see Yang with a cheeky grin on her face.
"Damn it, Yang! Don't sneak up on us like that!" Ruby complained.
"Oops, my bad." Yang said, her tone completely unapologetic. " So what's this about a promise? Is it something juicy?"
"Hmph!" was Ruby's reply as she pointedly ignored her cousin.
"Brrr, giving your own cousin the cold shoulder treatment?" Yang said while wrapping her arms around herself and shivered playfully before turning to Jaune, "What about you, Jumpman? Care to share?" she said while leaning forward and pressing her arms up, accentuating her bosom. Jaune gulped as his face went red which made Yang's eyes twinkle with mischief as she leaned in closer. "Something wrong, Jumpman?"
'This is getting dangerous!' Jaune thought as he tried to control himself. 'Down boy! Down!'
'How about imagining Miss Xiao Long as one of your sisters?' Ozma suggested, thinking that it would help his host.
Desperate to avoid embarassing himself, Jaune did so. Yang's blonde hair made it easier to imagine her as his sister but when he did so, he immediately felt like a bucket of ice cold water was dumped on him as the thought of his sisters doing this to him made him sick to his stomach as he visibly went green.
'Hmm, not what I had in mind…' Ozma stated, also feeling uncomfortable from the mental imagery himself. While he wasn't related to Jaune's sisters, he still felt a familial bond towards them after spending so many years with Jaune.
"Huh, never had that reaction before-Oww!" Yang yelped when Ruby smacked her over the head. "What the heck, cuz?"
"No! Bad Yang! Bad! No messing with my friend!" Ruby scolded while holding a spoon she had had hit Yang with.
"Geez. Come on, Rubes. I was just playing around." Yang said while raising her hands placatingly but her cousin wasn't listening as they started bickering with each other, leaving Jaune be as he recovered from the mental trauma.
He quickly shook his head to get rid of those thoughts before tuning out the two girls and went back to eating his lunch though before he could take a bite, he was interrupted by a familiar voice calling out to him.
"Jaune-Jaune!" Jaune turned around to see Nora jogging all while waving at him excitedly, uncaring of all the looks she was attracting.
"Hey Nora." Jaune greeted her while waving back lazily, "Where's Ren?" he asked, knowing that if Nora was here then her partner wasn't far behind. He got his answer when he spotted two large trays piled high with several stacks of pancakes, each as tall as a small child coming up behind Nora.
"Nora please, use your indoor voice." Ren's voice pleaded from behind one of the pancake stacks before placing it down in front of Nora who immediately went to work on the closest stack.
"Hello." Pyrrha's voice sounded from behind the second tray of pancakes.
'I doubt anyone's attention is on Miss Valkyrie.' Ozma said bewilderedly as he gawked at the amount of pancakes heaped onto the trays.
"Here, let me help." Jaune offered as he got up and briefly brushed his hand against Pyrrha's when he took the tray from her. Oof! These pancakes were heavier than he thought but nothing a little bit of aura couldn't solve.
"T-thank you, Jaune." Pyrrha stammered. Jaune thought she might be a little winded from carrying the tray and gave her a barely strained smiled before placing the tray down.
"Gotta ask, what's with all the pancakes? I know Nora likes them but isn't this is a bit much?" Jaune asked as he sat back down, scooching over to make room for his teammates.
"That's my fault, actually." Pyrrha raised her hand sheepishly, "Ren was making some pancakes for Nora and I offered to help…but I made too much batter by mistake and I didn't to waste it so…Sorry." mumbled embarassedly.
"Itsh shokay!" Nora said cheerfully between mouthfuls of pancake before swallowing, "There's no such thing as too many pancakes!"
"Nora, you shouldn't eat so many pancakes by yourself." Ren said admonishingly before turning to Jaune, "As you can see, we made too many. Would you care to have some?"
"Go for it, Jaune-Jaune! Renny's pancakes are the bwesht!" Nora declared as she popped more pancake into her mouth.
"Sure, I am pretty hungry…though I'm not sure if I could put a dent in that." Jaune said while staring at the massive pile of pancakes before he remembered the two bickering cousins, "Hey Ruby, Yang, do you two want some pancakes too?"
Hearing their names being called, the two stopped midfight with Ruby caught in a headlock and Yang was poised to give her a noogie. The two quickly disentangled from each other when they noticed the pancakes, as well as its smell.
"Count me in!" the two girls chorused together before they sat down and piled some pancakes onto Ruby's plate to share with each other.
"Mmmh!" Yang moaned as she ate a piece of pancake coated in syrup, "This is as good as the ones Aunt Summer makes, maybe even better!"
"No way! There's no way mom's pancakes can be beat!" Ruby said in disbelief before snatching her fork back from Yang and cut out a piece and popped it into her mouth, "Mmmmh!" she moaned in delight before she slumped her shoulders in defeat, "It is better than mom's…" she mumbled before popping more pancake into her mouth.
"Sthold Chyou!" Nora puffed up her chest proudly, all while holding a whole pancake in her mouth. "Wrenny's bancakesh are the bwesht!"
With such a glowing endorsement, Jaune's mouth watered as he moved to get some too only to see Pyrrha just set down a separate plate of pancakes in front of him. "Wow, these look really good. Thanks Pyrrha!"
"You're quite welcome, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled shyly before she focused back on her own plate, prompting Jaune to do the same though just as he was about to dig in, he heard a familiar voice.
"There you are, Ruby. I've been looking all over for you." Weiss Schnee stated as she walked over to the table, "I even asked Yang to look for you and-" she paused when she saw Yang happily eating pancakes. "-Oh.
"Hey, Weiss Cream, found Ruby for you." Yang waved as she patted the top of Ruby's head before her cousin swatted her hand away.
"I thought I told you not to call me that." Weiss said while crossing her arms.
"Whatever you say, Princess." Yang cheekily replied.
Weiss' eye visibly twitched with annoyance at the nickname, making Jaune glad he didn't call her Snow Angel. "How many times do I have to tell you, it's…nevermind." she sighed before turning to Ruby, "Anyways, Ruby I need to talk to you."
"Sure Weiss, what is it?" Ruby asked, giving her partner her full attention-
"It's about our class electives and-" Weiss started as she brought out a white binder.
"Nope!" -and lost it immediately after as Ruby turned away.
"Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed.
Ruby slumped down onto the table and groaned, "Come on Weiss, it's saturday! Do we have to talk about this? Can't we talk about something else? Like, video games, weapons…cookies?" she said while holding a cookie out to Weiss. "It has chocolate chips and macademia in it."
"First off, thank you." Weiss said as she accepted the cookie and took a dainty bite from it before turning back to Ruby, "Secondly, it's important that we talk about this."
"What's going on?" Jaune piped up curiously.
"Ah, Arc. I didn't see you there." Weiss stated frostily. Jaune blinked in mild surprise at the cold response
"Whoa, what's with the Ice Queen routine." Yang joked and got a stern look from Weiss, "Shutting up!"
"Er, did I do something wrong?" Jaune asked nervously as he wondered if he had called her Snow Angel by mistake recently.
"I'm not sure. I haven't been monopolizing someone else's partner for the past few days. You tell me." Weiss said pointedly.
Jaunce winced at the remark. He hadn't realized that he was causing problems for Weiss. "Sorry, Weiss. I didn't realize I was causing you trouble like that. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"
"You can start with this." Weiss pulled out a piece of paper from her binder and placed it on the table.
Jaune craned his head over to look at it and saw that it was a form with a picture of Ruby's smiling face on it along with her name. Below it were a list of classes as he saw Oobleck's History class and Professor Peach's Dust Studies among others. Those were the mandatory classes for first years like them.
Below that was the list for course electives like Plant Sciences taught by Professor Peach or Stealth and Security taught by a Professor Greene. Though as he looked down the list, he noticed that Ruby had only picked one course out of the list.
"Advanced Weapons Development and Modification? What's it about?" Jaune asked.
"Ooh! Ooh! Me! I'll explain it!" Ruby raised her hands excitedly, "The class teaches us about how different types of weapons are made and how to improve on them! We even get to test out the weapons made in class!"
"Huh, sounds like something right up your alley, Ruby. What's the problem then?" Jaune asked Weiss.
"The problem is that Ruby only signed up for one elective and the rules states that students must pick at least two electives to earn enough credits to pass the semester." Weiss explained.
'I did not know that.' Jaune thought to himself, 'Wait, why didn't you tell me about this?'
'It wasn't a thing when I was last here. Must have been added in recent years.' Ozma answered. 'Guess we'll need to go over the rules later in case we missed anything else.'
"But the other classes aren't as cool." Ruby whined. "Can't I just take the same class twice?"
"That's not how the rules work, Ruby. You have to pick at least one other class or else you'll fail first year and have to retake it and I will not tolerate having a slacker for a partner!" Weiss lectured.
"Relax, Weiss. You already know I'm a whizz at weapons. I can just earn the extra credit I need in Professor Mulberry's class. Easy peasy." Ruby assured confidently and turned to Jaune with an expectant look in her silvery eyes, "Right, Jaune?" Next to her, Weiss gave him a pointed look while tilting her head towards Ruby meaningfully.
'What do I do, Oz?' Jaune asked, hoping for some advice. While he did owe Weiss for the trouble he caused her, he didn't want to upset Ruby either.
Jaune wanted to ask Ozma for some advice but his friend had gone unusually quiet. Knowing Ozma, this was probably his way of getting him to do things on his own and learning an important life lesson. Either that or his friend was waiting to see if he'll mess up somehow for his entertainment
He grumbled at the thought before he sighed as he made his decision. He felt bad for what he was about to do but Weiss did make a good point. He'd be a bad friend if he let Ruby fail her semester
"I don't know Ruby, it sounds pretty risky. Professor Mulberry was pretty mad at us for the mess you made so he might not give you the extra credit."
Ruby's face went red with embarrassment when she heard her cousin snickering. "B-but…" she started argue but he didn't let up as he continued.
"Plus, there's also a chance you might lose a credit in the other classes. What happens if you fail a test and lose out on the credit?" he pointed out before glancing over to Weiss who nodded.
"You'll get held back and have to redo the entire first year courses all over again." Weiss pointed out.
"Oof, an extra year of listening to Port's stories." Yang said as she and everyone else at the table felt a shiver run down their spines…well, save for one person.
"I like his stories. They're funny!" Nora added, earning more odd looks though she remained unfazed as she happily kept eating her pancakes.
"Okay! Okay! I get it, quit ganging up on me already. I'll pick another class! Happy now?" Ruby grumbled.
"I'd be happier if you pick more classes." Weiss answered. "You should be more well rounded in your studies if you want to succeed as a huntress." Ruby went pale at the thought of taking on more classes, "However, I'll take what I can get."
"Phew, thanks Weiss." Ruby sighed in relief, "So, which elective should I pick?"
"It's really up to you but since you're asking, how about joining me in Professor Peach's Practical Dust Applications." Weiss suggested, "It teaches us the different ways we can use Dust more effectively, especially in combat."
Jaune's ears perked up at this as he had been trying to figure out ways to use Dust. Learning how to do it from a class about it sounds like a good way to start.
"Eh, guess it's as good as it's gonna get." Ruby mumbled, clearly not happy with being forced to sign up for more classes.
"Cheer up Ruby. Think about it this way, you might learn new ways to upgrade your bullets. Like combining air and fire Dust to make a bigger explosion or something." Jaune suggested while thinking about elemental reactions from the video games he played before.
Ozma sighed at his host relating video games to real life though he supposed Jaune was right in this instance as the effects of Dust do change with the right mixture of different elements. As much as he hated to admit it, video game logic actually worked in this instance. Not that he'll admit it of course.
"Oooh, that sounds like a great idea! I always wanted to make more custom ammo besides gravity rounds but I never could get the ratio right." Ruby said excitedly. "Hey Weiss, think you could help me if I have trouble understanding stuff?"
"Of course I can, I am your leader and partner after all." Weiss assured before a thought occurred to her, "Just promise me that you'll make your bullets away from our dorm. I prefer that our room not get blown up."
"Hey! That was an accident!" Ruby exclaimed but Weiss just kept staring at her, "Okay, fine..."
"Good." Weiss then turned to Jaune, "Thank you for settling the matter for me, Jaune." Weiss said, now more amicably. "Also, while we're on the topic of electives, I'm actually curious about the ones you picked."
"Er…about that. Between the assignments and helping out Ruby, I haven't figured what to pick yet." Jaune confessed as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
Weiss sighed and shook her head, "Why am I not surprised." she said as she gave Ruby a side eyed look.
Ruby winced before responding with a nervous, "Sorry…"
"Actually, mind if I ask which courses everyone signed up for?" Jaune asked, drawing attention from Ruby who slumped her shoulders in relief when Weiss looked away, "Knowing what you all picked might help me choose what I go for."
"Oh! Me first! I picked the same thing as Ruby." Nora jumped in enthusiastically, before miming her weapon in her hands, "Momma wants new ways to make grimm go boom!" Nora answered with a wide grin on her face, undoubtedly imagining exploding grimm in her mind. At least, that's what Jaune hoped it was.
Ruby instantly perked up at this. "Do you need any help with that?" she offered.
"Sure!" Nora agreed as she grabbed Ruby's hand and shook it so vigorously that Ruby was briefly lifted into the air before plopping back down onto her seat, "Just imagine it, all those grimm going boom when I use the super sneaky moves I'll learn from Ninja Class!"
"Ninja Class?" Jaune asked, not recalling seeing any class with that name on the list.
"Nora, it's Stealth and Security." Ren corrected before turning to address everyone else, "According to the course description, it teaches us how to scout locations while avoiding detection and securing locations, like settlements against threats."
"Yeah, Ninja Class!" Nora insisted and Ren just sighed in exasperation but said nothing to correct her.
"As for my classes, I also picked Stealth and Security since it fits my skill set." and to keep an eye on his partner which went unsaid. "Aside from that, I also have interests in medicinal plants so I signed up for Professor Peach's Plant Sciences supplemented by Doctor Kitsune's First Aid course."
Jaune felt a sense of dread radiating from Ozma, reminding him of how uncomfortable his friend was of the good doctor which meant the First Aid course was off limits. He then turned to Pyrrha and asked, "So what about you,Pyrrha? What classes did you pick?"
"Umm, I was busy with calls from my manager so I haven't picked my electives yet either…sorry." Pyrrha said sheepishfully.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you're a celebrity." Jaune said, earning an exasperated look from Weiss and a happy one from Pyrrha though both went unnoticed by him as he patted Pyrrha on the back, "Looks like we're in the same boat, partner. Maybe we can pick our electives together and who knows, we might even end up in the same classes too."
Pyrrha smile grew at this, "It sounds like a lovely idea."
"Great!" Jaune said as he thought how cool it would be if he and Pyrrha shared more classes together. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Weiss cough and turned to see her staring at him. "Er, yes Weiss?"
"Aren't you going to ask what classes I registered for?" Weiss demanded impatiently.
'Sounds like somebody is eager to share.' Ozma commented and Jaune agreed as he was reminded of his sisters, mainly Lavender who also acted like this whenever she wanted to show off but needed an excuse to do so.
"Oh right, what class did you pick, Weiss?" Jaune asked indulgently.
"I'm glad you asked- Silence, you two!" Weiss ordered when she caught Yang and Ruby snickering before sitting upright, "Now as you already know, I picked Practical Dust Application to further my understanding on Dust and its uses which will be useful when I take over my family's company."
"The SDC, right?" Jaune asked, vaguely recalling Weiss' words back in Initiation.
"Indeed and it's the same reason I'm also taking Professor Oobleck's class on Laws and Legislations." Weiss continued.
Inside his office, surrounded by old textbooks and documents on the Great War, Oobleck stopped reading the book on ancient nobility in his hands and looked around, wondering why he had the urge to shout before dismissing the notion and went back to reading.
"In addition, I also signed up for Professor Port's class on Military Strategy to help with leading my team."
"You sure picking Port's class is a good idea, Ice Queen?" Yang said skeptically and Weiss glared at her but said nothing of it.
"I understand your concerns about Professor Port's…eccentricities but I'm certain that it was just him trying to break the ice with some stories. He'll surely be more serious with classes from now on." Weiss said confidently though said confidence waned at the skeptical looks she got from everyone around her. "However, should Professor Port's class end up being…not what I expect it to be, then the Leadership course should compensate for it."
"Leadership course?" Jaune asked curiously while also piquing Ozma's interest as Beacon never had that class before in his time. It appeared that his knowledge about Beacon and how it operates has become more outdated than he realized.
"Yes. As you've probably guessed, it's a class for team leaders like us where we'll be taught the duties and responsibilities that comes with being a leader." Weiss explained before adding, "It also happens to be the only class taught by Professor Goodwitch."
'It does sound like a good choice for you.' Ozma suggested, thinking that Jaune would benefit from some proper guidance on leadership from someone other than him.
'Yeah…yeah it does.' Jaune agreed though for a different reason as he was more than happy to share a class with Weiss and give him a chance to impress her. "Sounds like a good class."
Ozma rolled his eyes and sighed. Still, as long as his host was motivated to learn and improve himself, he suppose it was with a no-nonsense teacher like Goodwitch teaching it, he won't need to do much to ensure Jaune concentrates in class.
"I'm glad you think so too. I take it that you'll be joining it as well?" Weiss asked.
"I guess I am." Jaune replied enthusiastically, missing the brief dimming of Pyrrha's smile.
"Then I look forward to seeing you there." Weiss nodded before looking to Yang who was still eating, "Ahem, Yang." she said while giving the blonde a meaningful look which went unnoticed until Ruby nudged Yang with her elbow before swiping the fork from her to get more pancakes.
"Huh?" Yang looked up and saw everyone staring at her, "Oh, guess it's my turn. Well, I picked Prof. Rainart's Wilderness Survival cause I like being outside and Aura control since he also teaches it so I thought 'Two birds, one stone' and that's it."
"That's it? There's no other reason for your choice other than convenience?" Weiss questioned and Yang shrugged in response. "What if it ends up not to your liking, what then?"
"Then I'll just change to another class and work from there." Yang answered nonchalantly.
Weiss raised a finger and was about to to say something before she let out an exasperated sigh, "I'm not going to bother lecturing you. As long as you maintain your grades and not drag the team down, it will stay that way. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear, Princess." Yang answered before snatching the fork back from Ruby.
"What about Blake, what class did she pick?" Jaune asked Yang.
"Why don't you ask me yourself?" Blake said, sitting right next to her partner.
"!" Everyone was startled at her sudden presence with some of them jumping from their seats though none had reacted like Ruby who had jumped onto Weiss and wrapped her arms around the heiress.
"Hold me!" Ruby cried but was denied as Weiss pried her arms off and shoved her back to her seat before she noticed it was just Blake, "Wait, Blake? When did you get here?"
Jaune nodded along with a few others, wondering how Blake had suddenly appeared like that.
"I've been here a little before Nora said something about ninja class." Blake answered nonchalantly before cutting up some pancakes for herself, "You were too distracted to notice me, that's all. Hmm, pretty good." she said as went for more.
"I know, right!" Nora cheered, happy that more people now know the joy of Ren's pancakes.
"Wonder if we should put a bell on you or something." Yang said jokingly though all she got were blank looks. "Sheesh, tough crowd."
"Wow! You're like a real life ninja!" Nora exclaimed excitedly as she leaned across the table and whispered, "Teach me your ways."
Blake raised one eyebrow at Nora and turned to Ren who simply placed a hand on his partner's shoulder and gently pulled her back to her seat.
"Nora, behave yourself." Ren admonished Nora while also hand feeding her some pancakes to placate her before nodding to Blake.
She nodded back before turning to Jaune, "So, you want to know what I picked for my electives?"
"Uh, yes? If you don't mind that is." he said politely.
"I don't. I picked Stealth and Security since I have some experience in it." Blake answered while ignoring Nora whispering "Ninja!", "Same goes for Wilderness Survival so I should be able to earn the credits I need."
"Sweet! Guess we can be survival buddies, partner!" Yang cheered while pulling Blake into a side hug.
"And we can be ninja buddies!" Nora added gleefully while Ren just shook his head while the corner of his mouth curled up ever so slightly.
"Guess that's everyone then. Thanks for your input guys. Guess me and Pyrrha will have plenty to talk about on our room later." Jaune said as he settled his attention back on his plate, "For now, let's eat!"
No one argued as they all dug into the pancake buffet, even Weiss who had been hesitant to try it though she quickly changed her mind after Ruby popped a piece into her mouth. His interest piqued by her reaction, Jaune cut out a big piece that glistened with a (un)healthy coating of syrup on it and put it into his mouth.
'Now to see how good this actually-' Jaune's thoughts came to a grinding halt when he tasted the pancake.
'So, is it as good as the ones your mother makes?' Ozma asked jokingly, wondering if the amusing scene Ruby displayed earlier will repeat itself here. He received his answer when Jaune let out a low moan of satisfaction followed by a wave of happiness, piquing his curiosity, 'Is it really that good?'
'Try some for yourself.'Jaune said before giving Ozma control of his body.
Ozma smacked Jaune's lips as he tasted some of the lingering sweetness from the syrup on Jaune's tongue. Curious, he cut a piece for himself and used it to mop up some syrup one the side before putting it into Jaune's mouth. He let out an involuntary moan as his borrowed tastebuds was suddenly filled with the warm fluffy texture of the pancake that was further enhanced by the rich sweetness of the syrup that made him feel oddly nostalgic as he vaguely recalled memories of tasting something similar before and yet he couldn't put his finger on it.
'So…what you think?' Jaune asked knowingly.
'We need to your teammate to teach us the recipe.' Ozma said in a serious tone.
'Definitely but let's eat first. Next bite is mine!'
Ozma didn't argue as he relinquished control back to Jaune, eagerly waiting for his turn to eat.
Omake(Music Suggestion:Lazy Afternoon from Kingdom Hearts II)
"Ooooh…so full." Jaune groaned as he laid there on the lawn outside the cafeteria building. His uniform jacket and vest was unbuttoned, exposing his bloated belly which was peeking out from under his shirt.
He had learned that there was truth behind the saying, too much of a good thing, as he was currently suffering the consequences of a pancake binge. Having the appetite of two individuals in one body didn't do them any favors as he and Ozma had literally bitten off more than they could handle. He had suggested that they took turns to share the suffering and lessen the burden but his friend had made himself scarce, leaving him to suffer alone.
"Eurgh…blegh." a voice groaned sickly beside him.
Well, not alone as Nora laid beside him, her body even more bloated than he was though it wasn't surprising as she had polished off a full stack of pancakes by herself while he and Ozma knocked back a quarter of a stack together.
"Nora, you okay?" Jaune asked.
"Ugh…where's the syrup…gimme!" Nora demanded deliriously while stretching her arms up as if to reach for something before she gave up and let her arms flop down to the ground and went back into her pancake induced coma.
'She'll be fine once your teammates get back with the antacid.' Ozma spoke up.
'Welcome back, traitor.' Jaune grumbled before he let out a groan, 'Ugh, too full to feel angry.'
'Glad I'm not in your shoes right now.' Ozma quipped.
'You know I can make that happen, right?' Jaune threatened.
'You wouldn't dare.' Ozma gasped dramatically.
'Try me.' Jaune retorted. Moments passed in silence before they broke down into chuckles though Jaune had to stop when his stomach cramped up, 'Ugh, hurts to even laugh…still worth it though.'
'Perhaps, though I think we'll need to control ourselves better next time.' Ozma advised.
"Mhm…" Jaune mumbled in agreement before he heard footsteps and turned to see Ren and Pyrrha coming back with some paper bags in their hands, "Hey guys, welcome back." he said as he sat up.
"Hello." Pyrrha greeted back before sitting herself down beside him, "How are you doing?"
"Stomach still cramping but better than before."
Pyrrha then brought out a clear plastic bottle filled pink liquid and held it out to Jaune, "Here, Doctor Tsune said that this should help. She said to take it easy until you recover."
"Thanks." Jaune said before he unscrewed the cap and took a swig of the liquid, noting a distinct minty aftertaste. He felt the minty coolness fill his insides as it helped settle down his stomach. He screwed the cap back and handed the bottle back to Pyrrha before laying back down to rest like he was told.
"Umm, Jaune?" Pyrrha called out to him and turned his head to face her.
"Yeah, Pyrrha?" he asked, quirking a brow when he noticed her fidgeting, "Is something wrong?"
"N-no, I was just wondering if you would…" Pyrrha stammered before she took a deep breath and said, "If you would like to rest your head… on my lap?"
'Oho…how bold.' Ozma thought to himself. He didn't know Jaune's partner was so forward. Maybe this will be enough to break through his host's thick skull.
"The ground isn't that hard but if you're offering, sure!" Jaune said, oblivious to the meaning of his partner's offer.
'Or not…' Ozma mentally face palmed himself.
Regardless, Pyrrha smoothed the creases in her skirt before patting her lap, inviting Jaune to come over and lay his head down. Jaune shifted over to her and laid his head down with a contented sigh.
"Comfy?" Pyrrha wondered.
"Mhm…" Jaune smiled at the comforting warmth of Pyrrha's body, reminding him of the time he'd rest on his mother's lap after tiring himself out playing with his sisters. He opened his eyes to look up at Pyrrha, admiring how the sunlight shined through her hair, bathing her silhouette in a gentle glow. It made him think how beau-
"Ooh! I want a lap pillow too. Please Renny." Nora's voice begged and the pair turned to see Ren obliging her as he let Nora use his lap as a pillow while also letting him give her medication. "Mmm, minty fresh!"
Jaune and Pyrrha looked back at each other before they laughed at the adorable scene. Ren simply smiled at his partner. Team JNPR then spent the rest of their lazy afternoon watching the clouds drift in the sky and pointing out interesting shapes they saw.
Though Ozma did question how Nora saw a sloth shaped cloud even though she never saw one before. And why did she call it Mr Scrabbles?
Author's note: For context, without Ozma/Ozpin in charge, Beacon's curriculum and facilities got an update so students could enjoy modern facilities that are only second to Atlas Academy. As such, Beacon now offers more classes compared to canon which are as follows as well as little tidbits of things I am unable to properly implement in the story for those who are interested.
Advanced Weapons Dev&Modding: While it does involve the development and modification of weapons, it also applies to huntsmen equipment, mainly in the field of mechashift technology, it also dips into the field of robotics which is technically an unsanctioned extra credit class that Professor Mulberry uses for his pet projects like the Drone Chimera Jaune fought so Ruby could have gotten the extra credit anyways.
Aura Control: Specially opened by Hazel to help students who have issues with their aura such as those who have low aura reserves and how to use it more efficiently or the opposite for those who have large aura reserves who seek to find ways to control their aura enhanced strength and handle delicate tasks without accidentally breaking something. Some second year students attend this course.
First Aid:Not a proper elective course as it involves teaching students basic first aid though Doctor Tsune does offer refresher courses for those who are interested though not many are, especially after being subjected to the fox faunus' proclivities for pain.
Laws and Legislation: While huntsmen enjoy special privileges thanks to Oswald/Ozma's support, they are still subject to the laws of the Four Kingdoms so this class is to teach huntsmen-in-training about the laws they need to keep in mind when out on missions or just out in public. Though thanks to Oobleck's passion for knowledge, anyone who passes this course have earned a degree in law and may take a Bar Exam to become a lawyer if they want.
Leadership: Exclusive to Team Leaders only, teaches students the duties and responsibilities that comes with being a team leader and different ways one could carry them out. Originally established to help first years, the class accepts team leaders from older years looking to improve themselves, especially after...unfortunate incidents. Collaborates with other courses at times for pertinent topics.
Military Strategy: On paper, it teaches huntsmen-in-training how the military operates so as to ensure they can cooperate with them more effectively. However, even though Atlas is the only Kingdom with a proper military, the knowledge can still be applied to the militia of a settlement out in the frontier. It also teaches how to survey combat situations and how to deal with them appropriately. On paper at least...but Port teaches it so it's essentially story time 2.0 where students are advised by senior students to just read through the textbook provided though Port does provide nuggets of wisdom once in a while, especially when Glynda does inspections.
Plant Sciences: The study and identification of plants such as medicinal plants like Ren pointed out as well as identifying those that are edible or poisonous. Often collaborates with Wilderness Survival. Something that Professor Peach often applies for whenever she takes the class out on a field trip.
Practical Dust Applications: Essentially an extension of Dust Studies where students will be taught the unique properties of Dust and their practical uses both in and outside of combat like for example, powering a device with Lightning Dust or putting out fires with Water Dust.
Stealth and Security: As Ren described, it involves scouting out locations as stealthily as possible for any dangers, be it grimm or bandits and to identify as weakpoints to exploit or reinforce in the case of a settlement's defenses out in the frontier, something that Ren appreciates. Only students who have the right qualities may apply for this class.
Wilderness Survival: Originally started to prepare students, especially those who have never left the city how to survive out in the wilderness for extended periods of time to prepare them for future missions. Students are taught the basics of camping, how to navigate their ways to safety, how to ration supplies and foraging in case the former is insufficient. Collaborates with Peach's Plant Sciences and Leadership course at times.
And that's it and as you can probably tell, I think too much on stuff but it's fun to do. Though not sure if I'll use all of this since Jaune isn't going to attend all of these classes. To be honest, it's not set in stone on which class Jaune will sign up for aside from Leadership Course so feel free to share your thoughts on what elective Jaune should go with and your reasons why. It might be enough to sway my decision.
p.s:I had originally wrote a draft for a segment detailing why Ozma felt nostalgic when he ate Ren's pancakes but it didn't fit with the flow of the chapter so I cut it out. To summarize it, in a past incarnation, Ozma was severely depressed and was drowning his sorrows with alcohol but collapses from starvation. He's rescued by the sect of warrior monks mentioned in earlier chapter and was fed food that included sweet syrup made by the monks. The recipe was passed down through the generations until it was taught to Ren by his parents. PM me if you'd like to read the draft or ask for it in a review.
Anyways, see ya next time folks!