Well, now that exams are under my belt, it's time to continue this fic, as stated in the previous update, please be aware that these are going to be slower than usual during the summer. See previous for further information. Thank you all for your reviews, support and patience. Well, it's time for the show.
Disclaimer: We here at PanickedMode don't own RWBY or anything else you might recognize.
Chapter Six: The Man In White
Now dressed in his outfit for the day, Jaune straightened the jacket he was wearing and stepped out of the airship that had just touched down in Vale. He had managed not to throw up on the journey and was immensely thankful for this. He reached out to grip the side of the wall and a heavy sigh tumbled from Jaune's lips. He felt Pyrrha's concerned eyes on him, but neither he nor the Spartan said anything regarding Jaune's situation. Jaune imagined it was rather unimpressive for Pyrrha to see what her leader had been reduced to thanks to a simple ride in an Airship but he wasn't going to comment on it if she wasn't. Would make things less awkward in the very least.
Jaune's hand moved onto the pommel of Crocea Mors, a spot he found oddly comforting to rest his palm, yet he had never really pinpointed the reason. Given that it'd only started feeling comfortable since he'd started attending beacon, perhaps it was because of the innate power possessed by the strange weapon and being closer to it could've possibly made him feel more protected. He turned his head back to Pyrrha and offered a smile, "They send you a message to let us know where they'll be meeting us?"
"Yes," Pyrrha answered immediately, "Outside a cafe in Vale called Vanilla Delights."
Jaune hadn't heard of that place before, but then again, his village hadn't been close to Vale and places like cafes were still a little foreign to him. His hands naturally moved to rest at the back of his head and he turned his gaze in front of him. The station was as one might expect, mostly white in coloration with several seats placed sporadically around the area. Towards the end of the bay there was a small building that Jaune could only assume was the ticket vendor, behind that though was the important spot for him and his team-mate, the exit.
"Well, I suppose we all had the right idea planning this trip," he said once they'd finally stepped out into the open area of the city, "This place is huge, we should've got our hands on a map or something. Do these people not think of Beacon students outside of the kingdom?"
"Er, yes, they do," Pyrrha interrupted him gently, she held up her scroll, "The internet is a thing, Jaune."
"Er, right," he answered her sheepishly. Well, that probably made him look extremely stupid now, didn't it? Trying not to sigh too loudly, Jaune's focus turned to Pyrrha herself. This was the first time that the two of them had spent time together individually and save for the recent...mishap, he really wanted to take the opportunity to get to know his team-mate better. Smiling some, he fell into step beside Pyrrha and asked, "You're from Mistal, right? What made you decide to come to Beacon instead of going to Haven?"
"That disappointed to have me on your team, Jaune?"
Jaune's face heated in embarrassment, he was so busy flailing his arms in indignation as he tried to come up with a response that he didn't notice the tiniest of smiles that had crept its way onto Pyrrha's lips. She playfully punched his shoulder, hoping to capture his attention, "Jaune... Jaune I'm joking."
"Er, right."
"The truthful answer is that," there was a sense of uncomfortability on Pyrrha's face and Jaune slowly moved a hand from the back of his head to the side of Pyrrha's shoulder. Her brows shot up and she turned his head to him, only to find a bright smile aimed in her direction.
"You don't have to tell me if it makes you feel uneasy. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything like that."
"No, no it's fine," Pyrrha tried to reassure Jaune, "I chose to come to Beacon because everyone in Mistral has an opinion of me and who I'm supposed to be. I just got tired of being on such a pedestal. Do some real good in the world as a Huntress... but the biggest reason I chose Beacon over Haven was because I was hoping it'd lead me to find friends who saw me as myself rather than Mistral's Invincible Girl."
"I see," Jaune answered, "Well, I know we've not known each other for very long but I consider you a friend and you're definitely cooler than some champion I've never even heard of." Jaune had barely finished speaking, his legs fell out from underneath him and a small yelp of alarm tumbled free from his lips, "What the-"
He was on the ground, that was one thing he'd registered immediately, but the rest of the scene didn't register with him until a couple of seconds later. Pyrrha Nikos was currently hugging the life out of him. Had she just hug-tackled him in the middle of Vale!? By the looks of it, she most definitely had.
"You alright, Pyr?"
She nodded, yet Jaune didn't get any indication that she was going to let go just yet. Shaking his head, he hugged her back, to which the Spartan smiled at and they released each other a moment later then both returned to their feet following this.
"What was that for?"
"Well, no one's ever said that to me before," Pyrhha admitted, "I don't think I've ever had a friend who didn't want to use me for money or status before and it's somewhat overwhelming. I'm sorry!"
"Don't apologize," Jaune rebuked, "I'm happy to be your friend, just preferaby don't hug-tackle me into the pavement next time. Not all of us are invincible girls." The final piece of his statement was said teasingly, which luckily, Pyrrha caught onto. The two of them would the fall into a companionable silence as they headed deeper into Vale, with Pyrrha's eyes occasionally drifting back down to her scroll to ensure that the two of them were on the right track. A few minutes later they would finally approach the cafe. Jaune thought it was a quaint little place with cream-colored exterior walls and a bright atmosphere within that shined so brightly Jaune almost felt like it was pulling him into the depths of the feeling even from this far away.
"There you two are!"
Jaune's head whipped to the side, and there they were. Yang was outfitted in denim booty shorts, a yellow tank top and yellow, black and white high-topped shoes. Her aviator sunglasses were currently rested atop her head. Blake on the other hand was dressed in tight black skinny jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt, finishing up her look was a pair of knee-high brown leather boots.
"Took you long enough," Yang bemoaned, "What were you doing?"
"Jaune didn't wake up for another half an hour after you left," Pyrrha said.
"Thanks for tossing me straight under the bus, Pyr."
"If you're going to be taking three pretty girls with you to Vale on a regular basis, We really need to work on your etiquette," Yang teased Jaune, elbowing him in the upper arm, "Though, I'm surprised you clean up so well. I was expecting vomit all over you in the very least and over poor Pyrrha at the worst-case."
"I only get the worst of the motion sickness on long trips," Jaune explained, playfully returning her shot with one of her own, which illicited a smile from the Brawler, "Besides that, my etiquette is just fine."
"Are you sure about that?" Yang fired back, "I'm not sure it is..."
Jaune laughed again, but he didn't answer her. This teasing and banter of a dynamic that had developed betweent the two of them in such a short while was still odd to Jaune, no matter how natural it felt. They seemed to be able to bounce off each other with such ease. Having that kind of energy on the team was rather refreshing, each of the girls brought something unique to Team ABYN and Jaune couldn't help but feeling like a fish-out-of-water at being chosen as their leader. He, who had faked his way into Beacon. He, who had done nothing of great mention in his life before. Okay, sure, he'd slain the Nevermore during initiation on his own but Jaune wasn't entirely sure about that either.
Right before the incident had occurred, he'd felt the sword vibrating and once the Nevermore had been slain, whatever power that had been released from Crocea Mors had vanished, along with the vibrations that had been present the entire time he was within the confines of the Emerald forest. He needed to learn more about the sword and its secrets. Seeing as he couldn't talk to his father about it, he knew he was going to have to speak to Ozpin at some point. Had the sword intervened on his behalf to preserve his life? Jaune had so many more questions than answers right now and he hated it.
"So, what's this surprise that Pyrrha told me you two were planning?"
"Nope."
This surprised Jaune, but he shrugged, the way she popped the 'p' was familiar to him, perhaps he'd heard Ruby use the word in such a fashion, was it a family thing? He had to wonder. Well, if Yang wasn't going to tell him then perhaps he could get it out of...nope, Blake's stern look was definitely an indication that he wasn't going to get anywhere as far as this was concerned. So, it would seem that he would have to wait until they were ready to reveal it for the time being.
"Now that we're all here, it's time for Team ABYN to finally set out and discover Vale," Yang declared, "First things first, we need to-"
"Coffee," Jaune responded simply.
"Are you serious, Lady Killer?"
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
Yang sighed. Given the state of ABYN's leader at breakfast the previous day when it came to coffee she had no doubt that Jaune was being one hundred percent honest. In the end she finally relented, knowing it was probably better to deal with this now so they didn't have to stop later. She folded her arms over her chest, heaving a sigh at the same time.
"Fine," she relented, "Let's go."
The cafe they'd all met up at would serve as the best spot to go, Jaune thought. They were here already after all. He led the group across the front of the cafe, a beautfifully decorated exterior dotted with various styles that reflected a comfortable atmosphere. There was also a quality which reminded Jaune of something he couldn't quite place his finger on, yet he was happy that the quality was there nonetheless. After a quick breakfast and the coffee that would prevent Jaune from being a pain in - I mean from feeling lethargic and uninspired for most of the day, Team ABYN left the cafe again and started walking the streets of Vale.
"Y'know, maybe it's cause we're early, but I was kind of expecting Vale to be busier," Yang observed, "It's usually just people as far as the eye can see. Wonder what's going on?"
"Don't ask me," Blake shrugged, refusing to elaborate further, though Jaune could pick up the slightest trace of relief in her voice. Did she really detest people enough that she was elated when they were scarce in number? He hadn't had much experience with Blake as a person yet, but taking her body language into consideration, Jaune could guess that was exactly how Blake felt. Naturally, The Arc's hands found their way onto the back of his head but he remained silent and didn't offer an opinion on the subject.
"Hey get back here! Stop Thief!"
The sudden shout drew the attention of the four of them, Jaune included as they spotted the figure running into the distance from the doorway on the left-hand side of the street closest to them. Pyrrha, Yang, Blake and Jaune all simultaenously sighed, knowing that none of them were going to be able to leave this alone even if they wanted to. Jaune became very aware that Crocea Mors hadn't started vibrating yet like it had in the Emerald Forest, but he saw no reason to worry. The power would come when he needed it and the situation would be easy from there. Maybe the sword's strange abilities would be enough to gloss over his own shortcomings and make him seem like a student deserving of his position.
Jaune Arc would soon come to realize just how wrong he was.
It'd started out ordinarily enough. They'd all drawn their weapons and gone after the thief, hoping to get their hands on him before he disappeared with the items he'd stolen, but the man had proven to be much more resourceful than any member of Team ABYN had given him credit for. He'd led them all on a chase through the streets of Vale, past the shopping district, past the industrial sector and all the way out to the docks. He hadn't been able to give them the slip entirely...but the length of the far longer than necessary chase had Jaune giving a rather large internal groan at the developing situ-
"Well, well what do we have here?"
The figure moved into the light, his beady black eyes narrowing in the presence of the four students. He was roughly two heads taller than Jaune from what he could tell, though this man had far broader shoulders and a particularly large reach. His outfit consisted of black leather trousers and a black shirt beneath a white leather jacket emblazoned with a symbol upon the right hand side at the front. This image depicted an 'M' contained within a hexagon with three lines with circles on the end of each. One was placed at the top, another was a section down from that and the final was on the final diagonal piece on the left toward the bottom.
"Anyone recognize that symbol?" Jaune hissed to his three companions.
"Nope," Yang hissed back, popping the 'p' slightly.
"It looks...familiar," Pyrrha murmured quietly, more to herself than her team-mates, "But I can't quite place it."
Prior to Blake being able to offer her own thoughts on the matter, the man straightened out to his full height and clenched his fists tightly, "You kids really shouldn't be here. Buzz off."
"We will," Yang countered, "As soon as your little pipsqueak of a friend gives us what he stole from that store."
This was enough to make the figure laugh, it wasn't a true laugh that would come from a joke of any kind though, Jaune thought it sounded very sarcastic as if he was daring them to try and do something about it. Yet, he still hadn't felt any vibrations from Crocea Mors yet, though he hadn't really done any research on it yet...so were the vibrations and that transformation even necessarily connected? At the very least, he could buy the others some time to escape. It didn't matter how powerful this guy was, his sword had allowed him to take down a fully grown Nevermore single-handedly. There was no way in hell that a human would be able to stand against it.
'Well, here goes nothing!'
"Jaune, what are you doing?" Pyrrha asked him sharply, but she'd barely got the words out of her mouth and Jaune was off again, sprinting as hard as he could towards the figure upon the other side of this makeshift battlefield.
"Not this again," Blake groaned.
Jaune clenched Crocea Mors as tightly as his grip would allow, willing with all of his might for the blade to undergo the same transformation as it had in the Emerald Forest. However, unlike with that day, there was no shimmer, not even a tremble of power. It was as if the sword was leaving him high and dry in his hour of need. He wouldn't allow it to show on his face, but a rush of fear ripped through his spine and Jaune felt his heart rate almost double from the panic. Why? Why wasn't it transforming? This wasn't how this was supposed to go!
"It's...it's not changing..." Yang observed, "Something's not right."
The panic on her leader's face also convinced her that something needed to be done and in that split second she made the decision to intervene. She'd held Pyrrha back during initiation but this was different, this time...this time Jaune wasn't in control of the battle. Heck, he wasn't even in control of his own weapon. Sure, Pyrrha was stronger and it would be better to send her to fight, but Yang was faster and Jaune was top priori- she was too late.
The strange figure side-stepped Jaune's incoming attack so easily it looked like it'd been done in slow motion, he was balanced, poised and ready to strike from the moment the kid had rushed in like an idiot and now he was going to teach him a lesson about stupidity. After rolling around Jaune's blind-side to avoid the blade, the man clenched his gloved hand and immediately golden metal unfolded from the glove, covering more and more of the man's arm until a rather large gauntlet had formed over the man's forearm. A trio of draconic-looking fingers erupted from the end tipped with large-blades where the claws would've been on an actual beast and then the only sound across the entire battlefield was Pyrrha's scream of horror.
Jaune's eyes widened, then he dropped.
End Chapter.
Sorry guys, I know this is on the shorter side, but with such an important chapter coming up after this, I really didn't want to combine them and take away from some of the themes that will be prevalent in the next chapter. Also Migraine season started far earlier than I was expecting this year and it was difficult to even get this out. Hope to see you on the next one whenever it releases. Thanks again.