White Knight Errant
A RWBY fanfic by Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: This is a fan based work of prose. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and WB Animation. Please support the official release.
"... For retrieving the black bishop pieces, Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Sky Lark, and Dove Bronzewing, I dub you Team Cardinal..."
Jaune yawned as he leaned back in his seat at the Beacon Auditorium. The team had been called up to the stage, announced by name, and given their team designation by Professor Ozpin. It was supposed to have a certain majestic gravity, he supposed, but right now it was just making him want to find a bed and crash.
Honestly, he was pretty beat. Healing himself and keeping himself going with his Aura like that all day was pretty tough, especially with all the trees he'd run into. Ruby looked about as exhausted. Everyone else in their little group seemed to be okay, though-Hell, Pyrrha was practically glowing.
Then again, she was sitting next to him, playing with her hands and hair, and shooting glances at him.
Before he set out for Beacon, some girl like this being into him? It would have been a dream come true. He could admit, he was desperately lonely.
Now... Okay yeah, he was still lonely, but not so lonely he would take advantage of a girl who was clearly messed up like him.
Well maybe not totally like him but still... Who knew what went on behind those green eyes? Sure, he'd seen Pyrrha in battle... She was ruthless, efficient, and deadly. Given all the crazy girls he'd run into on the way here? He just... He couldn't trust that she wasn't secretly a psycho.
One yandere chaining him up and holding him at gunpoint was more than enough for him, thank you very much.
Ruby was clinging to his other side, still resting against him. Poor girl. Sure, she was clingy, but his brotherly instincts wouldn't let him just ignore her. He kept an arm around her as she dozed.
He saw Pyrrha glance at Ruby. His instincts rose again.
"Pyrrha," he muttered, "You're not allowed to make Ruby into a skin suit."
Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock and horror.
"Wh-Wha-I would never do that-I swear-!"
"Kidding, Pyrrha, kidding," Jaune murmured. He shook his head. "Geez, how do you get through interviews?"
"Um, it's mostly pre-scripted," Pyrrha muttered back, looking down at her hands. Jaune sighed, and rubbed his forehead.
Goddamnit... I'm so tired...
"Look," Jaune said, "I'm... Fine with being your friend, okay? Your actual, sincere friend. I want to be that for you, even if I totally suck at it. Okay? Even if I'm an asshole, I'll never lie to you, which is a key part of being a friend... I'm told."
He looked her in the eyes as he said that. Pyrrha stared intently at him... And then smiled beautifully.
It looked good enough for a magazine cover, yet felt... Warmer?
"I want to be your friend too, Jaune," she murmured, squeezing his free hand tightly. "Sorry for coming off as crazy."
"See, that you can apologize for," Jaune said with a nod, "And I forgive you. Cause that's what friends do... Apparently."
Pyrrha continued to beam.
"Will you uh... Keep helping me, then? Maybe... Providing some negative reinforcement when I... I do the wrong things? Maybe that's not the right word. Maybe you could um... Instruct me? Punish me-?"
Jaune sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You're making it weird again, Pyrrha."
"Sorry."
"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkerie, and Lie Ren, please come up," announced Headmaster Ozpin.
Jaune slowly got up, but Ruby clung onto him. He very gently tried to pull away, but she held on with a fearsome tenacity.
"Just let her have your cloak," Yang suggested, "It'll keep her at bay."
Jaune stared at the green cloak. It was ragged, dirty, torn to hell, covered in patches... It was probably the rattiest thing he'd ever owned. He'd gotten it from a farmer when he'd been given a hot meal and a barn to sleep in for doing some chores.
It had seen rain, fire, wind, Grimm, and bandits. It had kept him warm and dry, and let him sleep. The green had let him hide among the foliage. It had let him escape getting shot a few times, the waving motion of the cloak throwing off the aim of those bandits. It had covered up his bright blond hair and kept him anonymous.
It had been as dependable and vital as his sword and shield.
He tightened his grip on it.
As silly as it sounded... The idea of just letting it go was... His brain wasn't letting him finish that thought or action.
Yang took his hand, and smiled gently.
"It's okay," she said softly, "You know we'll look after it for you. It's not going anywhere."
Jaune... Relaxed. He slowly pulled the cloak off. Yang took hold of it, almost reverently, and let her dozing sister take it. She wrapped her arms around it and held it close with a soft, happy sigh.
Yang nodded and smiled at him. He managed a smile back... Then hurried up to the stage.
Headmaster Ozpin didn't seem to care about how long it took him to join the others on the stage. He simply waited with that bland look of his, sipped his coffee, and nodded as Jaune finally got up there.
"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren... For retrieving the rook relic... You are dubbed Team Juniper."
All this attention on him wasn't really his thing, but Jaune could smile and nod at the polite applause. It was nice being recognized for something he did. Not his father. Not his mother. Not his family lineage. Him.
... Well, him and his team.
Best of all? No Weiss! He could take thing easy! Mostly! After all, Pyrrha was the champion, the Invincible Girl. She'd be made the leader and everything would work out-
"And for his performance during the Initiation, Jaune Arc is your team leader."
His eyes widened. Pyrrha beamed at him, as Nora gave him a bear hug and Ren nodded in approval.
"Congrats, Fearless Leader!" Nora squealed. "Now you can lead us into battle all the time!"
"Oh... Good... Great," Jaune muttered.
Well... He had had an inkling, but this definitely confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt:
He, Jaune Arc... Was fucked.
"JAAAAUNNNEE!"
He was running. Scratch that, he was sprinting like the Final Girl in a horror flick through these trees. He chanced a glance back over his shoulder-No... It was still after him.
"JAAAAAUUUNNNNEEE!"
Still screaming his name! Smashing through trees like they were made of plywood!
"JAAAAUUUNNNEE!"
He fell hard. He tried to get back onto his feet... But a powerful force flipped him onto his back. He looked up in horror at the furious figure standing over him.
"JAAAAUUUNNEE... WHY DID YOU RUN AWAY?!" His demonic looking mother bellowed as she cried tears of blue flame. "JAAAAAAUUUUNNEE!"
"GAH!"
Jaune sprang up in his bed, breathing hard, covered in sweat. He focused on his aura, on the energy within. That had often calmed him down-It was a technique used to help patients with aura stay focused when they were badly injured.
Something his moth...er... Had taught him.
He sighed and rubbed his face.
He took deep breaths to calm himself down further. Honestly... It was probably this damn bed.
For the last three months, he'd slept in barns, haylofts, and on the ground under shelters he had built. It had sucked at first, but like everything else, he'd... Gotten used to it. It was almost comfortable, even.
This bed though... Too damn soft. He kept feeling like he was going to be smothered.
Right... Right... But he wasn't. He wasn't. So... Let's focus on the positives.
Team JNPR and Team RWBY (Ruby's team, she was so ecstatic despite her tiredness) had been assigned connecting dorms in one of the older buildings. Two large dormrooms, separate bathrooms, all connected to a common living area. It was... A little weird, but given the large amount of empty dorms, Jaune supposed they had the space. That was actually nice, that he got to hang out with... With his friends.
Let's see, what else... Oh!
Being team leader meant he had to deal with a lot more paperwork. Sure, fine. Not too much of an issue, really. He'd helped his older sisters with hospital paperwork, this would be a relative breeze. The fact he was responsible for his teams'... Everything was annoying, but hell, he'd kind of asked for it by taking charge like that. He'd just gotten so used to stepping up and making decisions for himself, he'd started doing it for others.
But they didn't seem to mind. They... Trusted him. That was nice.
The extra attention on him? That was... Annoying. He could only imagine what his mom might think. Hopefully, Uncle Qrow had that covered.
He knew his mother would catch on eventually. He just hoped he could be established enough that she would accept it.
Because if she had been vehemently against him becoming a hunter for almost nine years, surely a few weeks or months of him being at Beacon would change her mind, right? Right?
He sighed. He had made himself depressed again.
... Maybe he was being completely stupid. But fuck it, it was his choice. He would own it.
Jaune sighed. He'd wasted enough time on musings. He could see just the tiniest hint of the rising sun through the window. As loathe as he was to leave his nice, warm, cuddly bed, he did have to-
Wait. Back up. Cuddly?
He looked over... And saw Pyrrha in his bed, cuddled up next to him. He carefully lifted up the blankets... And breathed a sigh of relief. They both still wore their pajamas.
"Pyrrha," Jaune muttered, "Wake up."
She stirred, and sat up, going from asleep to alert in less than ten seconds. Damn impressive, really.
"Ah, good morning Jaune," she said with a warm smile. "Sleep well?"
"... Mostly," he said. "Didn't we talk about the whole 'creepy' thing?"
"Ummm..." Pyrrha blushed. She pointed at Nora and Ren, who were tightly cuddled together in a single bed. "They were doing it, so, you know, I thought maybe-EEP!"
Jaune shoved her out of the bed onto the floor. She looked up at him in shock.
"Pyrrha," Jaune said calmly, "We ask people if we can cuddle with them in bed first."
Pyrrha flushed deeply.
"May... May I cuddle with you in bed, Jaune?" She asked. "Please?"
"No."
Pyrrha looked down.
"Sorry."
"This is kind of progress though, since you're only apologizing for things you have actually done," he said, focusing on remaining patient.
Okay, yes, cuddling with the super hot champion girl would be, in principle, awesome. But again, after a hot girl goes nuts on you, one violating your boundaries so soon after was not awesome.
It could become awesome, if you stopped being so paranoid, a somewhat whiny part of his brain suggested.
Shut up you! You're the one who got me into that mess in the first place!
"Can I... Can we cuddle in bed... At some point in the future?" Pyrrha asked.
Jaune stared at her.
"... I'll think about it," he said. Pyrrha beamed.
"All I ask."
Cardin Winchester was the son of one of the richest and most powerful men in Vale. His father was on the Council, and had held that seat for decades despite tenacious efforts to vote him out. Their family had started as Hunters in the distant past, then used that early fame to help build this very city.
'This city's blood flows in your veins, son,' his father had told him, many times, 'never forget that.'
So it was obvious that he should be the big man on campus already. He and his team had met in their preparatory school before, and had great coordination. He was the powerhouse, the rest supported him. They'd blazed through the Initiation, and gotten back first, only engaging a few Grimm.
After all, that was the point of the mission. Their orders had been to retrieve the relics, and kill anything in their way. They should have been heroes! They should already be basking in glory!
And yet... And yet. What was on everyone's lips in the cafeteria?
"Did you hear that Rose prodigy took down a Nevermore? So incredible!"
"I heard that Arc kid took down a whole Beowulf pack while he was out in the wilds!"
"No way! I heard he's the son of the Bandit King himself!"
"No, Ruby Rose is the Bandit Princess! She's here to destroy the school from within!"
It all sounded ridiculous... It was all ridiculous... But most importantly?
None of it was about him and his team.
Cardin wasn't about to pick on some fifteen year old midget. That would make him look bad.
But he could rough up this Arc kid. A little public humiliation, and he'd know his place.
So, he waited. He spotted Arc easily enough-The tall, shaggy haired blond had dumped a whole pile of food on his tray and was heading for a nearby table. A gaggle of girls awaited him: The Invincible Girl, that hammer chick and her quiet pink-eyed friend, the bombshell Xiao-Long, that quiet dark haired girl, the Schnee Heiress-And little Ruby Rose, waving at him with a happy grin.
Geez. This guy was shameless. Who did he think he was, some kind of playboy? It was disgusting. He was probably doing everyone a favor, cutting him down to size.
He stuck out his boot to trip him up. It was a classic.
Arc fell, his food going flying. He caught himself, but still went to his knees. Laughter filled the air, as Arc slowly got back up and brushed himself off.
"Better be more careful, Arc," Cardin chimed in, as his team laughed behind him, "Wouldn't want you to get hurt, now would we?"
Arc turned back. He was all smiles... But that smile gave Cardin pause.
"I'll say the same to you, Cardin," Arc said, "Let's not get carried away, shall we? It's only the first day."
That cheeky smile. That cheeky fucking smile.
He was asking for it. He was asking for it.
Arc turned and headed back to the buffet line, waving back at his teams with that same smile. Cardin growled. He got up and followed.
The buffet was in a small, separate hallway attached to the main cafeteria. As Cardin entered, he saw that no one else was inside-Only Arc. Who was setting up another tray of food.
Cardin smacked the tray out of his hands, smashing it up against Arc's uniform. Arc was frozen for a moment... Then slowly turned to Cardin. He was still smiling... But those eyes were hard. Those eyes were dangerous.
"Got a problem, Cardin?" Arc asked.
"Yeah, you," Cardin sneered. "Seems like you don't know the pecking order around here!"
Arc stared... And then laughed. He laughed, like he didn't have a care in the world.
"Wha-What the hell is so funny?!"
"Ah, sorry, sorry, not you," Arc snickered, wiping an eye, "I'm just... Feeling nostalgic. This kind of thing used to be my worse nightmare, but now? It's almost... Quaint. Isn't that weird?"
Cardin grabbed Arc by his shirt and snarled down at him, pulling back a fist.
"You don't want to do that, Cardin," Arc said calmly.
"No, no, I think I do," Cardin growled, throwing the punch-
Glynda Goodwitch entered the buffet alcove. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Mister Arc! What are you doing?!"
Jaune was helping Cardin up onto his feet, not an easy task for the much slimmer, shorter young man. But he turned and smiled pleasantly at Glynda as Cardin groaned.
"Oh, Cardin here just collapsed," Jaune said. "He fell and slammed my tray of food into me. I'm a bit of a mess. I'll drop him off at the nurse's office before I go change."
His smile didn't change. Glynda checked over Cardin with her Aura senses. Her eyes narrowed.
"Mister Winchester's aura is broken."
"Is it?" Jaune asked, blinked with wide eyed innocence. "Weird! Maybe he's got an aura related illness! I think my mom wrote some papers on those! Maybe he should take this as a warning, huh?"
Winchester twitched. Glynda's glare intensified.
"He may have soft tissue damage."
"Ouch. Well, I can't tell for sure," Jaune shrugged, "I mean, there aren't any obvious bruises."
Glynda raised an eyebrow.
"How do you know there aren't any bruises? Why would there be bruises?"
"Who knows? He can't really speak right now," Jaune said, "Sorry, my mom like to talk a lot about her cases. How she'd go through lots of different possibilities for someone's illness out loud until she found the right diagnosis. Guess I picked up the habit. Guess I should keep my mouth shut."
"Indeed," Glynda said dryly, her emerald-hard eyes boring into his.
He kept up that far too innocent smile.
She closed her eyes and focused on suppressing her headache.
"In any case," Glynda said, "Get Mister Winchester to the nurse's office, and then get changed. You don't want to be late for your first class."
"Not at all, Miss Goodwitch, thanks!" Jaune said, again far too cheerfully. He patted Winchester on the back, far too hard.
"Come on buddy! Let's get you fixed up! Wouldn't want something else bad to happen to you, now would we?"
Cardin groaned in response. He could have told Goodwitch everything... But the pain and the terrifying smile on his assailant's face suggested that that would be a bad idea...
Arc had covered for him. Arc had covered for him! WHY?!
Did the bastard want Cardin to owe him or something?! Did he think him that weak?! This kind of fucking insult-Oh nooo. It was going to be repaid, in full.
"We could shove him in a locker," Dove suggested, as he and the rest of CRDL headed for Combat Class, "Short sheet his bed? Maybe we could pants him in front of the whole class-"
"That's all fucking bullshit," Cardin snarled, hefting up his mace, "Kid's stuff. He's gotta pay, damnit!"
"Uhhh," Russel began, "Does he? I mean, right now? He did just... Kind of... Sort of-"
"I'm fine," Cardin snarled, "He pulled some Aura trick! In my full armor, in combat, I'll kick his fucking ass!"
Glynda Goodwitch had observed a few sparring matches in her combat class. As usual, she observed their performance and after the end of the fight, she would lecture the combatants on where they did well, and where they needed improvement. So far, there hadn't been many surprises.
Pyrrha Nikos, of course, fought brilliantly against Yang Xiao-Long, though the brawler gave a very good performance and even made the Mistral Champion work for it. Shade Lamont had tried to use her Shadow Semblance against Lie Ren with some clever moves, but Lie Ren was just at good at normal stealth as he was at emotional stealth from Grimm. So far, so good for a first year class.
"Who would like to fight next?" She asked. Nobody immediately volunteered, so she zeroed in on Jaune Arc. "Mister Arc?"
The blond had been in discussion with Ruby Rose and Xiao-Lang near the back of the class. He was back in his ragged green cloak again-Though at least he'd washed it. Honestly, while allowing the students to have their own combat outfits wasn't a terrible idea, his choice in clothing was a mishmash of things better used as cleaning rags. Ozpin had told her he'd arrived with just the clothes on his back, but she didn't think it was this literal.
"Hm? Oh, sure, cool," Arc said, getting up and heading for the fighting circle.
"Who would like to fight Mister Arc-?"
Cardin Winchester immediately raised his mace, and headed for the ring.
"I'm game, Miss Goodwitch!"
Glynda held back a sigh.
"Of course, Mister Winchester, by all means," she said dryly. She closely observed the two.
Arc was smiling again. That rather unconvincing and unsettling smile of his. Winchester was, predictably, murderously angry, but putting up a pathetic attempt at a friendly smile to try and cover it.
"I owe you one, buddy," Winchester snarled.
"If you say so, pal," Arc replied cheerfully.
Glynda felt the need for more headache medication. She'd get it after.
"Begin!" She announced.
Winchester stormed in, immediately trying to close the distance with Arc to hit him with his mace. Arc sidestepped and danced away, just as Winchester's mace slammed down on the floor. He sent a rumble through the floor with his Semblance, the shockwave nearly knocking Arc off his feet.
"Wow! You can make earthquakes?" Arc cried out, grinning, "That's cool! I'll have to be careful about that!"
"SHOVE IT, ARC!"
"That's what your mom said!" Arc taunted. "Or maybe it was the last three guys she banged-?"
"Shut up and stand still, Arc!" Winchester roared, again charging and slamming his mace down. This time he unleashed a burst of Fire Dust at Arc, trying to hit him while his Shockwave Semblance radiated out right at Arc.
Again, Arc stumbled around, almost drunkenly, and managed to tank the hit from the Fire Dust with his shield. Winchester charged again, closing the distance between them to take advantage of the smoke. It was a good tactic, though he could have used more Dust to throw up more smoke for the ploy. Winchester's rage was obviously making him impatient.
He brought his mace down. Arc tried to parry with his sword, but the greater weight and momentum of the mace trapped it against the floor. Arc let the sword go, and Winchester smirked nastily...
Just before Arc slammed his shield into his face.
"URK!"
Then Arc grabbed Winchester's shoulders and swung his knee into his crotch, his Aura blazing. Winchester squeaked loudly, falling... Into Arc's fists, which he used to pummel Winchester's eyes and nose. The larger boy got up, trying to defend as he dropped his mace. He swung a fist into Arc's face, staggering the smaller boy briefly, but Arc just rammed his foot into Winchester's ankle which brought him back down again.
Arc then took his shield in both hands and bashed it over Winchester's head, over and over, before kneeing him in the mouth.
"That's enough, Mister Arc!" Glynda shouted... And Arc immediately stopped. "Mister Winchester's Aura has hit the red."
"Oh... Cool... How bout that?" Arc managed, between deep, hard breaths. He wiped some blood off his cheek. "Yeah... That's gonna bruise..."
Winchester growled up at him, face far bloodier and bruised. Arc extended a hand to him.
"Take his hand, Mister Winchester," Glynda stated. Winchester grumbled curses under his breath, but accepted it. Arc leaned back, as the taller boy got back to his feet.
"As you can see, Mister Winchester employed good tactics to try and trap his much smaller, and faster opponent," Glynda announced to the class. "However... Mister Arc employed brutal, unconventional tactics to enrage Mister Winchester, and get in close enough to do him harm."
She looked over the students grimly.
"Take this lesson to heart: There will be battles that are desperate, and can only be won with sheer grit, determination, and what might be considered dirty tactics. While Mister Arc's tactics are... Inappropriate for formal dueling, never forget that in a real life or death struggle, your opponent will not follow the same rules."
It was a difficult lesson to learn. One she sometimes struggled to teach. But as brutal as Mister Arc was... She knew full well the trap of thinking that practicing tactics and forms were the only necessity to win a fight.
She had lost far too many students to that kind of thinking.
She could see some eyes light up with this new knowledge... And a fair number of scandalized faces. Still... It did give her some hope.
She looked over at the fighting ring... Where Arc and Winchester were still gripping eachother's hands and smiling in terrifying ways at each other.
"You may hit the locker rooms, Arc, Winchester," she stated. Arc smiled and waved.
"Thanks Miss Goodwitch! Great fight, Cardin. Let's do it again some time!"
Winchester ground his teeth, his smile so intense it was liable to break some of his teeth.
"Any time, buddy..."
Glynda sighed. Forget the headache medication-She needed a drink.
Dinner was a boisterous affair in the dining hall. All the students were relieved to be free of their first day of class, and were eating, talking, laughing, and otherwise relaxing.
Ruby again looked to Jaune in concern.
"Hey Jaune? You're not getting... Like... Bullied by Cardin, right?"
Jaune shook his head, sipping his drink and swallowing before he answered.
"Nah."
"He did trip you and smash food into your clothing," Ren observed. Jaune shrugged.
"Eh... It was an accident," he said.
"He also tried to brutalize you in combat class," Pyrrha said, sounding worried.
"That's kind of the point of combat class, right?" Jaune said.
"We could break his legs for you?" Nora asked, grinning eagerly. Jaune shook his head yet again.
"Nah... Well... Maybe. If he really pisses me off-"
"Jaune," Pyrrha said, in a mixture of exasperation and concern. Jaune looked away from her eyes-Goddamnit, he thought was immune to such manipulation!
He focused on Ruby... Who was doing the best damn puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen. Even his little sister Aqua's puppy dog eyes weren't this bad!
"Yang?" He asked, looking to her for salvation. Yang's lower lip wobbled, her eyes shone with tears... Before she broke down into laughter.
"Ahahaha! Sorry, sorry, I can't do it! Ahahaha!"
"YANG!" Ruby scolded.
"Still Arc," Weiss said, "While I certainly don't like you personally, you shouldn't lie to your teammates! And... Friends! Or acquaintances!"
Blake gave her an intense look. Weiss scowled.
"What?!"
"Nothing," Blake murmured, returning to her book.
Jaune sighed.
"Look, yeah, he's trying to bully me... But when actual people have tried to kill you? It's like... Ya know... Meh?" He spread his arms out. "How am I supposed to react?"
"I suppose that makes sense," Nora said with an eager nod, "Lots of people have tried to kill Renny and me! Bullying seems kind of lame next to that!"
"I know right?!" Jaune said, nodding happily, "See, Nora gets it! Why can't you all be more like her?"
Much staring.
"It... Even so, and we will talk about that later," Weiss said with a scowl, "And despite the fact you are a ruffian and lout... No one should have to put up with such things."
"It's actually kind of fun," Jaune said with a grin.
"You shouldn't bully him either!" Pyrrha scolded.
"I'm not bullying him," Jaune insisted, "He starts shit and I just respond. If he was actually trying to be a threat, then I'd do something serious. But he isn't, so I'm not. What's the worst he could do, make me do his homework?"
"OW! Pl-Please, quit it!"
"Or he could find a new victim," Weiss sighed. Jaune looked up. There was Cardin again, tugging on the ear of a rabbit faunus girl. A... Seriously hot rabbit Faunus girl.
Aw crap. Damnit hormones, not now.
Wait, hormones...
Jaune's eyes widened in realization.
That's it!
"Seriously, you shouldn't run around with these hanging out!" Cardin laughed. The rabbit faunus winced as he tugged harder. Ah, this was good. Some Faunus filth to take his anger out on.
"Pl-Please, don't! I didn't do anything!"
"You did plenty-!"
And a very strong hand was now on his wrist, squeezing pressure points and causing pain to scream through his arm. Cardin yelped, and released the Faunus girl. He looked over at his assailant-And snarled.
"Arc-!"
"Woah woah woah! Slow down, buddy!" Jaune said. He looked at the rabbit faunus girl apologetically, "I'm so sorry about this. I really should have talked with him before hand! You're the girl he's after, huh? What's your name?"
"V-Velvet Scarlatina," she managed, wincing as she rubbed her ear. Jaune smiled, and looked back at the enraged Cardin.
"Seriously bro: We're not in elementary school any more. You can't just tug on the pigtails-or ears in this case-of the girl you like!"
"WHAT?!" Cardin and Velvet cried in shock. Jaune nodded, and tightened his grip as his Aura flared around his hand. Cardin grit his teeth, paralyzed by the pain.
"Yeah! I mean, I know he looks like a big racist asshole, but I assure you, he's got a heart of gold! He's just ridiculously shy... Isn't that right, buddy?"
"Y-Y-Yeah...!" Cardin gasped. "I... I'm... Shy...!"
"See? He's tearing up!" Jaune said with a nod. He looked imploring to Velvet.
"I know you guys got off on the wrong foot. Again, so sorry. But if you could find it in your heart to forgive him, and give him a chance? I'm sure he can be a great boyfriend! The best!"
Velvet looked up at Cardin in confusion. Cardin for his part wasn't sure what kind of face to make, as Jaune dug into his pressure points harder.
"Smile, and apologize," Jaune muttered to Cardin. He managed a grimace. Velvet smiled back nervously, as though unsure how to react.
"I uh... Well... I'm... I'm sorry for tugging on your ears! Really, really sorry!"
"Now ask, come on, do it properly," Jaune said. Cardin bit back a groan.
"I... Would you... Like to go... Out with me... Sometime?!"
"He can take you to a fancy restaurant, with like, violins and stuff," Jaune encouraged, "He's got some pull!"
"I-I wouldn't really feel comfortable in s-such a fancy place," Velvet murmured.
"Something nice and simple then!" Jaune said cheerfully. "Like out to a park?"
"I um... I do like photography," Velvet admitted. "Um... I... I'll think about it." She smiled at Cardin.
"I forgive you for grabbing my ears... I should have known you were just nervous. But uh, I didn't really think a guy as big and strong as you could be nervous."
And now Cardin was blushing at the compliment. What the fuck was wrong with him?!
"I uh... Er...!"
"Oh, he's a big softie," Jaune laughed. "But thanks for not totally rejecting him. He'll do better next time, huh?"
"S-Sure," Velvet nodded with a smile. She turned and headed to her table, where her team was staring intently at Jaune and Cardin. A girl in a beret with sunglasses gave them a very intense look.
"Seriously Arc, what the fuck is wrong with you?!" Cardin muttered to Jaune.
"Do you want to be seen as a racist bully, or a cool guy who is trying to figure love out? Besides, I tried to hook you up with one of the hottest girls I've seen at this school," Jaune muttered back, "How am I the bad guy here?"
"B-But she's a faunus-!"
"Look me in the eyes," Jaune said, calmly letting Cardin's wrist go, "And tell me she isn't hot. Go ahead. Do it."
Cardin glared at Jaune. He grit his teeth. By all rights, he should be punching this asshole... He should be...
Velvet laughed. He looked up at her. She blushed, and looked back at her food.
... Fuck, that's cute, a voice in his head said.
"I uh... I..."
Arc smirked. He turned and headed back to his table. He waved back.
"Let me know how the date goes, buddy!"
There wasn't going to be a date. There wasn't going to be a date. His father would disown him. And...
Velvet was again looking at him shyly... And looking back at her plate of food.
Cardin slumped.
"Fucking Arc," he muttered.
Jaune sat back down at the table, and smiled at his disbelieving friends.
"And now we're friends. See? Problem solved!"
"How... What even...?" Weiss tried. "WHAT."
"That was... Nice of you, Jaune," Pyrrha said, "I think?"
Yang and Ruby were laughing their asses off. Ren rolled his eyes. Blake blinked several times, and tried to go back to her book.
Nora grinned.
"Teach me your ways!"
"Nope, it was traumatizing enough when I learned them," Jaune said.
"What, how to be an infuriating lunatic?!" Weiss demanded.
"I mean, I guess? They called it improv."
Elsewhere...
Qrow groaned quietly, returning to the world of the living with his brain threatening to beat its way out of his skull. He narrowed his eyes against the glare of the rising sun. He rubbed his face, muttering curses under his breath. He was on a lot more comfortable a bed than he thought he'd wake up in.
"Good morning!"
He smelled coffee. He looked over at a familiar blonde woman in an elegant bathrobe, still looking heartstoppingly beautiful. Qrow immediately ran his hands over his body-He was still clothed. Qrow let out a soft sigh of relief.
"Relax, my hotel suite has a guest room," Isabel said reassuringly as she handed over a full, steaming coffee mug to him, "You staggered in here at 3 AM and passed right out."
"Well... Thanks for letting me stay," Qrow said, sipping the coffee. He sighed softly as the caffeine did its job. He looked back up at her.
Isabel's keen eyes looked him over as she smirked.
"Disappointed?" She asked.
Qrow was suddenly right back at the wedding day. Isabel and Nicholas were at the altar, kissing passionately, as rice was thrown and people cheered. Taiyang and Raven were there, along with Summer and Glynda. Oobleck dashing around like a hummingbird. That time he'd gotten to dance with Summer... And they both kept laughing when they stepped on each other's feet.
It had been such a beautiful day. The kind of day that twisted a knife deep inside his chest now, like so may others.
"... Maybe a little," Qrow admitted, his eyes dipping to the hotel room floor.
"If it helps, I'm a little disappointed myself," Isabel chuckled. Qrow coughed, looking aside.
"I... It wouldn't be right-"
"Qrow," Isabel said softly, "It's all right to be attracted to me. I'm honestly glad. Means I'm not some old hag."
"With your Semblance, how could you ever be one of those cept by choice?" Qrow chuckled. Isabel closed her eyes, focused... And she shrank down in height and overall mass. In a moment, he was looking at an eighteen-year-old Isabel... Who still filled out the robe quite nicely.
Yup, Total Body Control was pretty amazing. Isabel had lucked out, and gone even further beyond with it: Figuring out that if she could use Aura to control her Semblance and alter things about her body, she could do the same to other bodies.
"You're sweet," she said warmly. She returned back to her usual form. Qrow let out a little laugh, and she raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"That's how you looked the day I tried to ask you out," he chuckled. Isabel flushed.
"Of course you'd remember that," she sighed.
"Sure was memorable for me," Qrow grinned, "You gave me a black eye."
"Hey! I did worse to Nick when he hit on me-Right after you did," Isabel said defensively, "Broke his nose!"
"And you ended up marrying him," Qrow pointed out with a grin. Isabel flushed and nodded.
"Yeah... Well... You were both jerks. But I liked him a lot more."
"Guess that's lucky for me," Qrow laughed. Isabel nodded slowly. She bowed her head.
"I'm sorry about Summer," she said quietly. Qrow worked his jaw and nodded.
"I'm sorry about Nick," he apologized.
Isabel sucked in a deep breath, and let it all out through her nostrils. She slowly sat down next to Qrow, her gaze far away as she sipped her coffee.
"I hated it."
Qrow looked over at the blonde woman.
"Everyone... Everyone told me sorry. Condolences. Told me he was a hero. Just like all the Arcs before. He married into the family but... You'd have never guessed," she murmured. "He fought with Crocea Mors like he was born to it. Just like my father Ander, who fought in the Faunus Revolution for freedom. Just like Uncle Adrian, the Yellow Star. Just like Lionel Arc, the Golden Lion, the hero of the Great War. Just like the legendary Jean de Arc, the founding matriarch, the Maiden of Fire, who fought against the Darkness."
She bowed her head.
"... And all I could think about was that Nick was dead, and I couldn't... I couldn't do a damn thing about it," she murmured. "I wasn't there for him. I'd been there for him for years, fighting alongside him, healing him. We'd have a few close calls, but we... We'd laughed those off. Moved on..."
Isabel thinned her lips and glared into her mug.
"I went through training when I became a field medic. More training when I became a doctor. It was simple... You can't take failure personally. If someone dies, and you did everything you could for them? You're not at fault. Death is not personal. Death is. If you take it personally, it will destroy you."
"But this wasn't just any patient, it was Nick," Qrow said softly. Isabel nodded slowly, her fingers tracing the rim of the mug.
"Yeah..." She sighed. "Every time Jaune spoke about wanting to be a hunter, just like his dad... Before that? I was happy. Proud. After? I... I couldn't hear it. I couldn't stand it. I did everything, everything, to push him in another direction."
She shook her head.
"He's got talent. He's smart. He's hard-working. He got into the medical training college, with almost a perfect score. He did all the internships I made him do, and he worked hard. But he wouldn't give up on becoming a Hunter. He told me he'd applied to Beacon, and... And I lost it."
She shut her eyes tightly, trembling.
"... I told him that his father died because he was stupid enough to keep being a Hunter. To not give it up. To still take it seriously, and not just retire and do something safer," Isabel whispered, tears again coming to her eyes, "That if he wanted to be stupid and die, just like his father, then he should go and do it. Why am I surprised he ran away after that? How could I say anything like that-?!"
"You were scared, and you were angry," Qrow said softly, squeezing her shoulder.
"That's no excuse," Isabel sighed miserably, "I'm such a horrible mother. A horrible wife. How could I say those things about Nick? I-I loved him! I loved him so much and I... I dishonored his memory like that...!"
Qrow grit his teeth. He hesitated as Isabel sobbed, before he spoke.
"I always... I always had a thing for Summer. We worked great together. She was fun, beautiful, smart, kind. She was... Everything I could ever want in a woman. After Raven and Taiyang settled down, I started working with her. We were a great team. I was... I was working up the courage to tell her how I felt. I mean... What if I ruined everything we had? What if I scared her off? I just kept putting it off."
Isabel stared at him, silent.
"Then Raven ran off, Taiyang was devastated, and Summer went to comfort him," Qrow sighed, "I stayed on the job, even tried to find Raven. When I got back... They were married."
He looked up at the ceiling.
"I remember thinking, 'Fucking Taiyang. Always getting everything I want.' He was the team leader. He was the ladies' man. He was the success, and me? Unlucky. Always unlucky. I told them I was happy for them both, and lied to their faces, while I seethed inside. Hell... For a moment... I wanted to kill him. Him. My best friend, my brother."
Qrow looked over at Isabel, who had stopped crying. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him tightly.
"I broke up the partnership. Told Summer I didn't want to be in the way of her new marriage. Semblance like mine, I stay away from people anyway, but them? It... It just gave me more incentive."
"You didn't get Summer killed, Qrow," Isabel said urgently.
"We all make stupid mistakes, Isabel," Qrow said quietly, "That was mine. If I'd been there-"
"You weren't," Isabel stated firmly, "Neither of us were there. And we have to accept it... Or we'll lose everything."
Qrow lowered his head.
"I already have-"
"You have me, Qrow," Isabel stated, "You... You have me. And Jaune! You found him, he'd better think well of you! Your nieces, and Taiyang!"
"Yeah... But..."
She squeezed his shoulders. Qrow glanced at her. She smiled softly.
"I took personal time to look for Jaune," she said, "I... I had a lot saved up."
"That makes two of us," Qrow said with a wan smile. She returned it.
"Yeah... But while I'm off, I... I'd like to connect with you. Talk with you. I have a lot of good friends in Radian and at the hospital, but..."
She shrugged.
Qrow nodded.
"They don't... Get it, do they?"
"No," Isabel admitted.
Her scroll went off. She got up and took it up, checking the caller ID before she pulled it open.
"Headmaster Ozpin? This is a surprise," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Is something wrong with Jaune?"
"No, Jaune is fine," Ozpin said.
"He's recovering and his application to Beacon is up in the air, last I checked, Ozpin," Qrow said, perhaps a bit too quickly. Isabel gave him a curious look, but Ozpin didn't miss a beat.
"Yes... He would not be able to begin the training program if he had been injured during his wanderings," Ozpin said, and again Qrow marveled at how Ozpin could say the absolute truth while still lying his ass off.
"Is he able to get up and about?" Isabel asked.
"He is recovering nicely, and has made some friends," Ozpin said, "I am sorry I can't keep a closer eye on him, what with my responsibilities-"
"No, that's fine, I understand," Isabel sighed.
"Actually, I was hoping to ask you for a favor," Ozpin said, "If you have a month or two of free time?"
Isabel frowned.
"I did turn down your offer to work as your agent before, Headmaster," she said, still polite, but there was distant thunder in her voice, "I'll turn it down again for the same reasons-"
"You would not be my direct agent. Think of yourself as an independent contractor," Ozpin said, "Qrow is investigating several Grimm attacks along the frontier. All very unusual. All at the same time as several strange crimes. Qrow is doing a very good job, but a woman with your talents would be very welcome."
Isabel hummed.
"It's a little vague, Headmaster," she said.
"I am aware," Ozpin said, "We can provide more information... But only if you agree to work with us. Personally, I feel Qrow would appreciate the company."
Qrow coughed as Isabel shot him a look. She looked back to the scroll, worrying her lower lip.
"I have been out of the field for a while-"
"Then you can simply support Qrow," Ozpin said, "In all honesty... I fear something big is on the horizon. I don't know what, exactly, but the more powerful allies I have, the better."
Isabel hummed, while Qrow hid his shock. Ozpin, being this direct? He must want Isabel on their side bad.
Not that Qrow could blame him.
"... All right," she said with a nod, "I'll do it. But! No secrets. You give me all the information you have, when you have it, as soon as you can. I am not walking into an ambush, and you shouldn't let us walk into one without doing everything you can to ensure it isn't. I don't care if it's partial or imperfect, I just want as much as I can. And no games, Ozpin."
Isabel narrowed her eyes, smoothly setting aside her coffee mug. She clenched a fist and held it up to the scroll camera.
"I may be out of practice... But I'm perfectly willing to repeat the Solstice Festival Incident."
Ozpin stared intently... And then slowly nodded.
"Agreed. Do you mind if I speak with Qrow in private?"
"Sure, I need to grab a shower anyway," Isabel said, giving Qrow a soft smile as she handed over her scroll, "I'll be right back."
"Thanks," Qrow said with a nod. She strode out of the room, and shut the door behind her. Qrow activated a jamming device, just in case-This was a woman who could make her ears as sensitive as a bat's if she wanted to.
"Not that I don't appreciate the back up, but my Semblance-"
"I meant what I said," Ozpin said, "We're going to need all the help we can get, and you can get her back into fighting shape. You also could use the assistance."
"And you want to keep her as far away from Beacon as long as possible, right?" Qrow said sarcastically. "Why? The kid?"
"Some parties of the enemy have taken an interest in Mister Arc due to his little adventure," Ozpin said smoothly, "He is much safer here where we can keep an eye on him."
"You do realize she is going to absolutely slaughter you when she finds out, don't you?" Qrow said dryly.
Ozpin sipped his coffee.
"Qrow, last time she was unhappy with me, she threw a city bus into my office," Ozpin stated, "No one, especially you, can blame me for trying to put off the inevitable for as long as possible."
"And what about me?" Qrow hissed, "What do you think she's gonna do to me when she finds out?!"
"That is one of the risks of being a field agent," Ozpin said.
"You're a dick, Ozpin."
"So I have been told..."
We're definitely going off the beaten path now...