Remnant's Blonde Music Teacher continues.

Cover Art: Solace O'Autumn

Chapter 51

Jaune's lessons with Chae-young continued at what felt like a good pace to him, but apparently not to her. The young girl was exceedingly impatient, and always wanting to go faster when she wasn't ready for it. Worse, she often forgot why she was even listening to him in the first place, requiring Jaune to play another of Guitar Cutie's songs to win her over. Her grumbles would subside for about an hour of practice whenever he did.

As spoilt and impatient as she was, it wasn't anything he hadn't dealt with before, and it was much simpler than dealing with Lil Miss Malachite or the White Fang. He would show up, exchange polite words with Bon-hwa, and then keep his head down and agree to anything Ha-rin told him about when to stop lessons for her daughter having more important ones to focus on. The lady of the household appeared content that he didn't challenge her, even if it was obvious Chae-young wanted him to.

He wasn't going to get into a shouting match with her mother, let alone when she was the wife of a dangerous crime lord.

"Let's run through the three chords again. Show me a G." The girl's fingers pushed down on the strings, and her thumb on the back of the neck. "Good, but just slide the bottom string down a little." He helped her. "Better, now a C." This, she did a better job of. It was one of the most commonly used chords as well. "Finally, the D chord." Again, she did as he asked, though he did notice the oncoming scowl. "Perfect."

"It's three notes," she snapped. "This is too slow."

"Chae-young, those three chords make up the basics of a lot of popular songs." He played out a quick snippet of one to show her, alternating between the three chords. "There's more to the guitar than playing out the solos. I know they get a lot of attention, but the rest of the song is what ties it together."

"Hngrmblll…"

"I'll take that as you agreeing." Because if she wanted to disagree, she'd have used sharper words. "Now, let's start bringing those three chords together to play out the first thirty or so seconds of Cutie's first song."

It was insulting to call it that. The song had been a cover from an old band that were retired, a classic rock ballad, but Chae-young was a little girl and only knew the song as being one that Guitar Cutie played. A lot of young people probably did, and he was sure the original band wouldn't care too much, but from his perspective it felt a little too much like he was stealing the hard work of others. He hadn't written any of those songs.

"Watch what I do here. If we think of each section as three strums, then the chord progression is G, C, C, D, G, C, C, D. It repeats like that. G, C, C and D and then repeat." Jaune played it out for her, letting her hear the familiar melody. Chae-young finally looked excited, leaning forward. "This is the basic procession. What you can do after is tweak the way you strum to make it sound different, changing the timing of when you play the strings, but for now let's get the basic melody down."

"Hm! Kay!"

It was a rocky rendition from the young girl, but it was recognisable as music. Jaune felt grateful for that – especially since it made her face light up. Progress was progress and everyone needed to see themselves achieving it in some way or another. Too little of it and people got tired and stopped, thinking themselves hopeless.

"Good! Good!" Jaune made sure to clap. Positive reinforcement: his parents had always done their best to stick to only that, outside rare occasions where one of them had really done something that had to be punished. "Look at that, you're already grasping the intro to her first song, and after only a couple of days. That's impressive."

Her face lit up.

Even a spoilt little princess could look adorable when they smiled so happily.

But adorableness never lasted.

"Teach me the solo!"

"You've not even mastered the main song yet. Let's get that down before we move on—"

"No. I need to learn it all at once!"

And they were back to her demanding things again. Jaune sighed and prodded her into practice by promising to start the solo tomorrow if she could get the basic chord progression down in their current lesson. He'd have liked to have her feeling a little more confident with the chords before moving on, but she was the customer and he really couldn't afford to upset her.

It was a little after midday when the door opened and Ha-rin swept inside, her long black hair tied behind her in a luxurious braid. Chae-young pouted, but Jaune quickly got to his feet and bowed to her as Bon-hwa had instructed him. He didn't speak and waited for her to do so first.

"Teacher," she said, with a gentle smile. "I see you are hard at work as always."

"Yes Lady Ha-rin."

"And has my daughter been an obedient student?"

"She has. Is it time for Chae-young's other lessons?"

"It is. Come, Chae. Put your toys away."

Those were the words she always used and yet, for the first time, Chae-young challenged them. "They're not toys, it's an instrument – and I'm learning to play it!"

Jaune winced. Thankfully, Ha-rin dismissed him and stepped past toward her daughter. A benefit of being so beneath her attention was that she didn't hold him responsible for her daughter's outburst. Even so, he tensed. This was no ordinary mother, this was a criminal, and every movie and TV show ever had filled his head with ideas of what they would be like. He fully expected her to backhand her daughter and throw her to the floor.

She didn't.

"That's good then, isn't it? You'll be able to prove it." There was an unmistakable sense of mockery in Ha-rin's words, something that made it clear the statement was not supportive. Chae-young trembled angrily. "But that doesn't matter for now. You have lessons. Put your… instrument away." Derision dripped from her painted lips. "And come along. Or do you intend to go back on your word about your other lessons?"

"I haven't, have I? I've gone to them all."

"Good." The woman's hand came out to rest atop Chae-young's head. It almost looked like she would ruffle her hair, but then it slid down her cheek. "You'll a beautiful woman soon enough, Chae. You need to learn how to act like one."

"…" Chae-young looked so desperately like she wanted to say something, but knew it'd be a bad idea. "Yes mother."

"Good." The hand on her cheek slid to her neck, then over her shoulder to her back. Ha-rin gave her a gentle push toward the door. "Come along then. Thank your teacher for his time."

"Thank you, teacher."

Chae-young called him Jaune to his face, and at his request, but she never did in front of Ha-rin. He had the suspicion that was a kindness on her part. He was her music teacher, and any suggestion otherwise would be seen as a bad thing. He bowed his head. "Thank you for being such a good student today. Good luck with your other lessons."

Lady Ha-rin smiled pleasantly at him and followed her daughter out. Only once they were gone did Jaune relax. Even without the threat of physical punishment, the air had felt charged with so much tension. Chae-young didn't dare disobey her mother. Jaune counted to two full minutes before approaching the door, making sure he wouldn't be seen as following after them. Bon-hwa was waiting outside.

"Your lessons are through?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry if you had to wait for me."

"I did not. Lady Ha-rin summons me when she comes to collect her daughter." Bon-hwa gestured and Jaune followed across the gardens once more. "From what I hear, you are doing better. The lady does not protest your presence and the young lady considers you a good teacher. The lord has no complaints."

The lord. He obviously meant the man at the head of the family, Ha-rin's husband and Chae's father. He hadn't met them and, come to think of it, he didn't even know Chae-young's family name. That might have been on purpose. Was it a good or bad thing that he hadn't been taken to meet the man? Probably good. The more he could fade into the background, the safer he'd be. Bon-hwa and the others hadn't even told him the name of the criminal organisation he was working for. He was being kept in the dark – and that was perfect.

Of course, he could glean the name by using his Semblance on Bon-hwa. It'd probably give him the name of the crime group as well as his level and status. He didn't, however. It felt like ignorance was bliss, especially since he'd only be tempted to look them up online and then he'd worry over what he found. Besides, them giving him no information made it more likely they'd let him go at the end. If he didn't know anything, he wasn't a risk.

"How go the young lady's lessons?"

"Well enough. Chae-young is talented and passionate, but she is impatient. It's a challenge to get her to slow down and accept to learning the foundations. All she wants is to be able to play full songs straight away."

"It's understandable. There is less than two weeks until she must perform."

Jaune stumbled, one foot catching the heel of his other. He manged to right himself before he fell, but barely. "Wait, what? Perform…?" he blurted out, for once forgetting his manners. "What do you mean perform?"

Bon-hwa looked surprised. "She has not told you? Lady Ha-rin was against her learning the guitar as I told you, and Chae-young had to agree to numerous concessions such as perfect attendance and good reports in her other lessons."

"Yes, but you never mentioned anything about a performance."

"I had thought you knew. When Chae-young argued that she would learn the guitar faster than any could, Lady Ha-rin pounced and set a condition that Chae-young must prove her claims to the greater family by holding a live performance to the heads of the group, including her father. That is scheduled a little over two weeks from now."

A live performance so soon? Jaune knew she wasn't ready for that, not as a complete beginner only just learning how to string three chords together. Her mother must have known she couldn't do that as well.

"What happens if she can't or it's a bad performance?"

"Then Chae-young must accept Lady Ha-rin's wisdom and give up the guitar. Her studies and future will be put toward more traditional means." Bon-hwa turned away. "The young lady is spirited, but she is still a child. Lady Ha-rin outmanoeuvred her with ease."

It sure sounded like it. Jaune wanted to call his student an idiot but she was a little girl, and her mother really ought to have taken it easy on her.

"And her father? Did he agree to this?"

"Her father is a busy man and does not step between his wife and daughter often. He cherishes them both but has many responsibilities. Chae-young is proud, as you've no doubt seen. Do you truly believe she would run to her father over this?"

No. The girl was stubborn enough to try and do this on her own, and arrogant enough to think she could. Jaune groaned.

"I take it her chances are not good."

"No one's would be, Bon-hwa. You can't master an instrument that quickly – especially not when your practice is limited because your mother has you learning ten other things at the same time."

"Sadly, there is little that can be done. You should not fear too much. No one expects Chae-young to succeed at this, as cruel as that may sound. Everyone in the family knows that Lady Ha-rin will have her way. You will not be punished."

Maybe not. Ha-rin might even reward him for not letting her daughter upstage her. That wasn't the point. The point was that there was still no quest update telling him he'd be okay to let Chae-young fail, nor one to say he'd win out if she succeeded. The quest continued to give the same routes as before.

Serve as a criminal, take them over, or out them to the police.

That, or die.

/-/

"Oh, that poor girl."

Pyrrha hadn't seemed to like the description of Chae-young at first, calling her spoilt and asking a lot of questions about how she acted around him. There had been what looked like actual jealousy at first – but that was probably because Pyrrha wanted to spend more time with him. He knew she didn't have many real friends in Sanctum.

But it hadn't taken long for Pyrrha to fall for the young girl's plight. And Pyrrha had calmed down a lot once she realised just how young Chae-young was.

"I know," he said. "Her mother… I don't know if I can call her cruel, but she's definitely manipulative to put her own daughter on the spot like this."

"I've been there, too."

"Your mom—!?"

"No, no, no." Pyrrha laughed at the thought, and Jaune relaxed. Her mother had always been good to him and he was glad to see that was a silly idea. "It's the sponsors and event organisers. I wasn't the Invincible Girl all the time. Once, I was the rookie upstart that no one expected to win, and they threw me out as fodder before girls with more potential. I was sent into fights I was supposed to lose."

"Wait, like match fixing?"

"No. I was told to fight and do my best but… well…" Pyrrha shrugged. "It's like boxing. It's real, but the fights are scheduled in a way to boost one person's career. The goal is to make money more than it is show a fair competition, so they want to see the rising stars do well and become famous so they can make huge amounts of money. Those seen as having less potential are stepping stones. That's why if you look at so many boxers, they have unbeaten records. And yet the boxers with unbeaten records never seen to end up facing one another." Pyrrha rolled her eyes. "Convenient, isn't it?"

He hadn't thought of it that way though, to be fair, he'd never watched boxing. His parents didn't like putting any sports like that on the TV at home. His father had always been very vague on what it meant to be a huntsman as well, and they'd never been allowed subscriptions to those channels that showed huntsman competitions the likes of which Pyrrha would have been competing in.

Jaune couldn't decide if his father hated it because he saw it as a career and not a sport, or if he'd been actively trying to keep him and his sisters from following in his footsteps. Sometimes, it felt like it was the latter – especially when he'd kept refusing to even entertain the idea of training him.

"It sounds unfair."

"It is. But I was wheeled out in front of someone who was expected to make it far as a complete rookie. They thought I'd be someone for her to beat up and move on from, and the crowd were all cheering her name. Not only did they not expect me to win, but they didn't want me to." Pyrrha laughed at the memory, obviously not torn up by it anymore. "It was really stressful. I wanted to cry."

"Pyrrha…"

"I'm fine now!" she hurried, waving her hands before her. "But I was young then, and not as confident. A—Anyway, I won. Proved them all wrong. And it's not like the organisers punished me for it. They allowed me to win; they just never expected me to. The same as how every opponent I face nowadays is expected to lose. The crowd cheers my name and my opponents have to get over that psychological battle before the fight even begins."

"Honestly, that's why I've grown so tired of it. My fights nowadays feel like bullying – and not even in the sense that I'm bullying them by being better. It's the crowds, the organisers, the pundits, the commentators. Everyone just writes them off from the get-go." Pyrrha sighed. "It makes me feel guilty when I just want to fight them."

"Damn. Is there any way I can help…?"

Pyrrha smiled. "I'm free of it once I go to Beacon, so you don't need to. But let's focus on Chae, that poor girl. Isn't there any way you can help her do better?"

"I could teach her more – and I would if I was allowed to, but her mother is really strict on the other lessons. I get the feeling that even if I offered to do more, she'd stop me because she'd know what I was doing."

"Can't you use your Semblance to help her?"

"I don't…" Jaune paused, considering it. "Huh. I guess I might be able to. If my music can push Cinder into becoming confident enough to sing on stage and do well, then it might be able to help Chae-young. I'm just worried they might not let me play along with her. The whole point is to test her."

"No. The point is to humiliate her," Pyrrha said. "But you're right that it'll be the same. Her mother will want her up alone so she can break down on stage and have a fool made out of her."

"You're really taking this personally, aren't you?"

"Yes! That poor girl needs someone in her corner!"

He didn't disagree, and it was nice to see Pyrrha so animated. The problem really was Ha-rin, since she'd never let him on stage with her daughter. Even if he didn't try and play for her, there'd be the suggestion that he was leading her. A good guitarist could help mask the mistakes of a poorer one and pick up the slack.

"Speaking of Cinder, she's asked me to go to Haven and talk to her about the criminals," he said. "And she wants me to use Motivational Song on her as well."

Pyrrha frowned. "But she doesn't know about your Semblance, right?"

"No. Cinder thinks my Semblance is a musical one that lets me hurt people or make them stronger. She has no idea about the stats and quests."

"Good." Her frown disappeared. "You should keep it that way. I don't see a problem in showing it to her if she wants to test it, though. Maybe she wants to see if it can help her fight any of those criminals if they turn on you."

"I'm hoping I won't have to fight Chae-young at all."

"Hmm. I doubt it'll come to that. This group you're working with seems fine – and something I realised last night while thinking about it was that the quest doesn't specifically mention this new group. Does it? It only mentions criminals."

Jaune double-checked the quest after she said it. "You're right. It doesn't."

"Hm. So, the three routes you have might still be referring to this Malachite group. That might mean that even after you do whatever you can for Chae, this Miss Malachite woman is still planning to try and use you. If it was for these new people then the quest shouldn't have appeared until you met them."

"You're right…" That was how the quests had been before. "Damn. That means they're not planning on letting me go even after I do this. Damn it!"

"Why would she honour her word if she's a crook? But you know, it also means you don't have to move against Chae and her family – and you might even be able to make allies there. What if the route that involves taking over could be accomplished by letting them take over? They get rid of that woman, take over, and then they let you go as thanks."

"It's an idea. A good one, too. Or they might help expose their rivals to the police."

"If nothing else it means we should be wary about the Malachites – or the spiders. Whatever they're called. They're the ones who are looking to exploit and use you. These new ones might just be an easy music teaching job."

Wise words. Not for the first time, Jaune was glad he'd told Pyrrha the truth, because her input was proving invaluable.

/-/

Cinder was impressed and pleased with his Semblance when he used it on her – or what she thought was his Semblance. Motivational Song had her lifting more weights, running faster, and overall performing better in her mock spars with Emerald and Mercury. He then went on to show it on Mercury, and the results were replicable.

All of that happened in a training room in Haven with one of them watching the door at all times to keep people out.

"It really is incredible," Cinder marvelled, looking at her hand as she closed and opened her fist. "When you're playing, I can feel something different. It's a mental thing, as if my confidence rises and I feel capable of anything."

"I felt the same way," Mercury reported. "Just on top of the world. But I don't think I'd have noticed if I didn't know about it."

"Hm. The same with me." Cinder chuckled and gave Jaune an almost lustful look. He'd have felt a lot more embarrassed about that if he didn't know what she wanted. He couldn't blame her either. The rush of confidence had almost addicted Willow, so it was no wonder Cinder and Mercury found it pleasurable. "Your Semblance is really something."

"It proved addictive to Willow Schnee. You should be careful with it."

"I expect that was because she didn't understand it. Nor did you. Good feelings are always addictive, whether they come from alcohol, gambling, sex or music. It was likely worse for her because her life is so dull otherwise. It felt good to have that power, but there's no risk of me mistaking those feelings for anything."

That was true, he supposed. Pyrrha hadn't become hooked on it either; her interest was always more academic, wanting to test it and figure out the mystery. Maybe Willow had been bad because she was sad, or even because she was civilian. The White Fang had been hit hard as well, but Pyrrha and Cinder were high levels to his Semblance. Their own charisma (if they had any) would be higher as a result, giving them more defence against his Semblance. Willow had been a middle-aged woman without any love in her life beyond booze.

"I want to test something," Cinder said. "What counts as an instrument? You won't always have your guitar to hand, especially if these criminals decide to try and harm you. Can you try singing to activate it on me?"

Singing, huh? He hadn't tried but Cinder made a good point. "I guess I can give it a shot."

His attempts to sing proved fruitless, even after Cinder tried him with different songs. He just couldn't make it work. He'd assumed she would give up, but then Emerald presented him with a cheap drum she'd taken from the music room. Not a set, but a singular drum.

"Try and tap out a tune you're familiar with," Cinder said. "Something simple."

Jaune set the drum on his crossed legs and, once Cinder began her exercises, began to tap away at it. He didn't know how to make different notes with a single drum skin – it must have been where he hit it, but not knowing where would make which notes he just opted to beat the middle with his fingertips and go for an easy rhythm.

Against all odds, it worked. Cinder burst into action.

"I thought as much." she said, once they were done. "Your Semblance dictates instruments as a requirement. Not entirely unusual for Semblances. I've heard of some that require weapons to be used. Emerald's needs eye contact. Mediums like this aren't unheard of, but I've a suspicion yours might be down to your capability to make music. Try the drums again, but this time just hit randomly and make generic noise."

He did so, beating on the drum like a child on a saucepan.

As Cinder had predicted, it failed.

"Music," Cinder said. "It's down to what counts as actual music and not just noise. Your singing is… well, it leaves a lot to be desired."

Harsh.

Harsh but true.

"Your skill with the drums isn't much better but anyone can make something resembling a tune. I'd be curious if you could learn to whistle or tap-dance your Semblance to count as activation, but those might require a lot of focus, and they might not count as actual instruments."

The idea of a tap-dancing huntsman wouldn't leave his head. A hero jigging and heel-clicking his way through a horde of Grimm. His ancestors would roll in their graves.

"Emerald!" she called. "Bring those gloves I had made!"

The girl hurried over with a small felt box, which Cinder took and handed to him. Jaune opened them up to see a sleek pair of black gloves inside. They looked to be leather, with fur lining on the inside.

"Thank you. They're lovely."

"They're more than just for looks." Cinder took one and turned it over. "Here, look, on the fingertips. Do you see those small brown circles?"

He did. The black gloves had brow finger pads. They were little raised brown circles that looked to be made of slightly hardened leather, almost like what he'd seen on protective workwear gloves, though much less bulky. Cinder put on one glove and tapped her thumb and finger together.

A quiet little beat sounded.

Jaune's eyes widened. "Drums!?"

"You can hardly call them that," she said, taking it off and handing both to him. "But they're tiny percussion instruments all the same. It's quiet – which could be very useful for hiding what you're doing – but everyone knows how to tap out a tune with their fingers. If you can make your Semblance activate through that, you'll be able to use it with your hands in your pockets. No one will know." Cinder smiled coyly. "And this might just be a solution to the problem you mentioned with your new student, hmmm?"

"Chae-young! The performance! I could quietly use my Semblance to help her!"

Cinder had listened but had been far less sympathetic to Chae's plight. He'd had to tell her because she was involved in keeping him from the criminals. When he expressed Pyrrha's thoughts on the Malachites – without mentioning his Semblance or quests – Cinder had agreed, saying that it sounded like this new group wouldn't be the main problem. If they were content to have him as a music teacher, that was all well and good, but Lil Miss Malachite had marked him with a tattoo. She felt she owned him, and she wouldn't let him go because he taught some girl to play the guitar.

"Yes, it should help," she said. "No one is going to think it strange if you drum your fingers on a table or on your knee. You're just drumming along to the beat, or you're nervous because your student has to perform on stage." Cinder shrugged, smiling cunningly. "It's perfectly understandable you're too nervous to sit still. Little will they realise you're influencing the outcome."

"This is amazing!" Jaune said. He couldn't help rushing in and hugging her. Cinder tensed, but she soon returned it. "Thank you! Thank you! I didn't even dream of trying to use my Semblance without my guitar! You're a genius!"

"Hm. It's a huntress thing. We're used to learning the ins and outs of our Semblances. Knowing when you can and can't use it can save our lives. You're welcome. I'm sure you'll find some way to pay me back in the future."

"I will. Of course I will."

"Good." Her eyes crinkled. "Then you'll need to practice with that for now. Ask your friend to train while you do the same with the gloves. Learn some simple beats, and then test to see if the effects are greater with more complicated ones. Practice on drumming them out with your hands behind your back or even in your pockets. Maybe even see if you can snap your fingers to a beat using them."

All good ideas, all homework, but Jaune nodded along. Pyrrha would be stunned at this as well, and he knew she'd want to test it out. He almost wondered why she hadn't come up with it, but maybe it was a school thing. Pyrrha was still in a pre-academy and they were probably focused on the basics. It must have been Haven, or Beacon in Pyrrha's case, that would teach these kinds of things. Cinder was a year or more ahead.

"I'll practice all constantly!" he promised. "And I'll let you know if Lil Miss Malachite tries anything."

"Good. I'm asking around as well for information on her. I'm sure I'll have something by the time you're done with this student of yours."

"Right." Jaune smiled and hugged her again. This time, Cinder hugged back. "Thank you again, Cinder. You're the best."

He rushed out to show Pyrrha.

/-/

"Those were expensive to have made," Emerald said. "They're one of a kind. Are you sure this will be worth it?"

"It's an investment. Jaune's ability to make me – us – stronger is invaluable, but the limitation of using a guitar will leave him defenceless in a real fight. If he's going to be useful, he needs to be able to use it without alerting our enemies to the fact."

"Our enemies," Mercury said. "Not his. Will he really agree to fight with us?"

"We've time to win him to our cause."

"Gifts and hugs," Emerald grumbled. "This is a softer sell than what you offered us."

"Yes, well, Jaune doesn't fill our dorm with awful music and stupid posters of some internet thot," she replied, earning offended gasps from both of the idiots on her team. "Maybe if the two of you were less obsessed with some attention-seeking whore, I'd treat you with more respect."

"Guitar Cutie is not a whore!" Mercury gasped.

"LEAVE CUTIE ALONE!" Emerald cried. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

With a sigh, Cinder pinched the bridge of her nose. "I rest my case."

Jaune as inspired by Colonel Mustang, I suppose.

Except less cool by every metric. Snapping his fingers to throw out sick drumbeats.

Next Chapter: 15th December

Like my work? Please consider supporting me, even if it's only a little a month or even for a whole year, so I can keep writing so many stories as often as I do. Even a little means a lot and helps me dedicate more time and resources to my work.

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur