Ruby shook her head. "Well, in that case, get dressed."

Jaune nodded, only for his brows to furrow at her. "Wait, you plan on training me in your PJs?"

"Don't worry—you won't be able to hit me anyway."

Jaune gave a faint smirk as he grabbed his jeans from nearby, slipping them on. "Is that an insult? I'm not that bad."

Ruby smirked right back. "No—that one's a fact."

Jaune pulled his hoodie back on, fixing his armor pieces back in place. At last, he grabbed his weapons, taking up a combat stance. "Really? And what if I do hit you?"

Ruby tilted her head slightly, tapping her chin. "Hmm…we head into Vale tomorrow. Loser buys lunch."

Jaune held out a hand. "Deal."

Ruby shook it, face taking on a rare, confident smirk that made Jaune suddenly see the resemblance she shared with her older sister. "You're gonna regret this."

"Probably."

Ruby stepped back, spinning Crescent Rose into its scythe form before gesturing to the arena. "Alright. Let's go."

The two made their way in, Ruby walking across the cold floor barefoot as Jaune's shoes thudded against the ground.

Ruby slid into a spot on the other side, weapon held behind her, ready to swing.

Jaune took up the opposite side, sword and shield gripped tight in his hands, a nervous smile on his face. "So, mind explaining what we're doing?"

Ruby dashed forward. "Testing your reflexes!"

Jaune's shield came up just in time, the tip of Ruby's scythe skating off the edge as his sword swung down. Though it hit only air, Ruby spinning away as a bullet flew from Crescent Rose, launching her back a good twenty feet. "Not bad."

Jaune turned to face her. "Pyrrha's a good teacher."

"Let's hope I am too!"

Ruby dashed forward again, feigning a low strike before jumping, firing a round into the floor to propel herself above Jaune.

Sure enough, he fell for it, holding up his shield only to see Ruby fly above him. In the split second he had to react he bolted backward, just avoiding the giant blade of Crescent Rose slamming into the space he just was, Ruby crouched next to it.

He bolted forward, swinging his sword at Ruby's back.

Ruby's head snapped to it, her hands ripping Crescent Rose (and some concrete) from the ground as Jaune's blade crashed against her weapon's handle. It shuddered in her hands, her eyes widening slightly. Woah. He's stronger than he looks.

Jaune was relentless, striking forward with a variety of slashes to try and break Ruby's guard, attempting to overpower her. That was his mistake, as Ruby would simply hop a little each time he struck, letting his attacks push her back a bit as Crescent Rose took the blows for her.

At least until he shield-bashed her.

Ruby jumped back, her stance uneven as Jaune's unexpected move knocked Crescent Rose from her hands. Her sweetheart clattered to the ground as Jaune's eyes sparkled, feet slamming the ground as he surged forward.

Ruby focused, time slowing to a crawl.

She dashed around him, grabbing Crescent Rose before leaping a good dozen feet behind him. She lowered her stance, tensing the muscles in her legs as she dropped her semblance. She watched Jaune stare at the ground for a second before turning, his eyes wide as Ruby pulled the trigger.

All he saw was a tornado of red.

Jaune held up his shield, skidding back a few feet as he hooked the curved blade of Crescent Rose with his shield, the tip mere inches from his neck. He turned to see Ruby, her eyes wide as she stared at him. "Not bad."

Jaune swung up with his sword.

Ruby dove back, doing a back handspring to avoid getting hit.

Though, that also left Crescent Rose in Jaune's grasp.

Jaune knocked Crescent Rose to the ground, placing his left foot over the trigger as he stared down Ruby. "Thanks."

Ruby took up an unarmed stance for a moment, wondering what to do. Let's see, he's got more training in close-range combat, he might be stronger than me, and—if I don't want to pay for lunch tomorrow—I can't get hit…hmm…

Jaune, meanwhile, simply lowered his stance, keeping his center of gravity low. His shield was raised, his sword pulled back the way Pyrrha had taught him as her words ran through his head. "Keep your legs spread and your stance strong. Your weapons are built for defending, use that to your advantage."

Ruby started circling around him, Jaune keeping one foot over Crescent Rose's trigger as he stepped around to follow her, eyes never once leaving. She wouldn't get the drop on him, he'd make sure of that.

Ruby darted forward.

Jaune readied himself, somewhat confused that he could still see her. She wasn't using her semblance, simply charging toward him like a normal person. What's her plan, here?

Jaune thrust his blade forward, Ruby sliding beneath it before delivering a sharp kick to his left leg. Though, despite the pain, Jaune's knee didn't buckle. He held his ground, turning around and striking back at Ruby.

She rolled out of the way, landing in a low crouch just behind him as Jaune turned around. She dashed forward again, dodging an upward slash from his weapon before grabbing his arm. Recalling what her father had taught her, she slammed her thumb against Jaune's right wrist.

"AAH!"

Against his will, it opened.

Ruby grabbed Crocea Mors, using her semblance to bolt back a few feet as Jaune's shield came down into a flurry of rose petals. His eyes flicked up to her, shaking out his wrist before balling up his hand into a fist.

The two stared each other down, sword and shield both glinting in the light. Jaune maintained his stance over Crescent Rose, unwilling to let the speed demon in front of him get her hands on it. She built Crescent Rose herself, she's comfortable with it. If I wanna win this—or at least land one hit on her—I can't let her be comfortable.

Ruby, meanwhile, shifted her grip on Crocea Mors, holding it ahead of her in both hands. Even just touching it felt wrong. The grip was so much shorter than what she was used to, the hilt was far larger than even the handle of Crescent Rose in its rifle form—and to top it off she'd had approximately zero formal training with a sword.

Still, she was far faster than Jaune had any hope to contend with.

She bolted forward, bare feet pounding against the ground as she held the blade to her right. Her arms strained with the unbalanced weight—her fighting style not accustomed to such a short blade. Her eyes narrowed on Jaune's shield, watching it rise to meet her as she bolted around him.

Jaune held strong, his shield deflecting Ruby's strikes with minimal effort. He let a small smirk slip onto his face. She's not so tough without her scythe. Still need to hit her somehow…

Jaune's eyes widened as a plan came to mind.

He tapped the side of his shield, standing relaxed as he stared at Ruby. His hands raised in a pale imitation of a hand-to-hand combat stance, his breathing heavy as he tried to remain calm.

Ruby, meanwhile, only felt her brows furrowing. Is he…is he going to try and disarm me? Why isn't he blocking—I can't do anything against a shield like that! What's he thinking?

She charged despite her reservations, not one to pass up an opportunity.

She struck toward his belly.

Jaune gasped as his own blade hit him.

Ruby's eyes widened. He…he let me—

His hand shot forward, a vice-like grip on Ruby's wrist. "Gotcha."

POW!

Ruby cried out, hand dropping Crocea Mors and flying to her face as Jaune's left fist slammed into her cheek. Her eyes watered as she looked up, only to feel Jaune charge her, slamming her back to the ground and pulling her hands behind her back. She felt his body weight on top of her as she struggled, kicking at his exposed legs. "Let me—go!"

It was about a minute before she let her face rest against the cool concrete.

Jaune stood, only to frown when Ruby didn't stand up after him. "Ruby? Uh, you okay?"

Ruby flipped herself over, hand reaching for her now bruising cheek as she stared up at him. Then, she gave him a small smile. "Nice hit."

She winced as she rubbed her cheek. "Ow."

Jaune leaned down, frowning as his hand trailed toward her face. "Oh man…" he looked away, face tinting pink. "Sorry, I uh…I didn't mean to hit you that hard."

"We were fighting—that's what you're supposed to do, dummy!"

Jaune's face tinted red. "Well, I mean yeah, but…you know what I mean."

Ruby held out a hand, Jaune taking it and helping her up before she walked over to Crescent Rose, holding her scythe near her and leaning her bruised cheek against the mostly cool metal. "Well, Jaune, the fact that you managed to hit me means you've done more than Yang usually manages to."

Jaune's eyes widened, a surprised smile on his face. "Really?"

"Yeah…okay, this is seriously starting to hurt—do you guys have any ice in your dorm room?"

"No—but Ren does keep some ointment for bruises somewhere."

The two made their way out of the arena, Jaune setting his weapons back in his locker as Ruby did the same with Crescent Rose. They made their way into the dark hallway, Ruby rubbing her cheek all the while. "Yeash, even getting shot didn't hurt this much…"

"Well, I mean, when you get shot your aura usually takes the beating."

Ruby's brows furrowed as she looked up at Jaune, still rubbing her cheek. "And it doesn't when I get punched in the face?"

Jaune nodded, holding out his hand as a faint, white glow surrounded it. "Well, yeah, actually. Your aura probably didn't sense my fist as something that would cause lasting damage, so it didn't trigger."

His brows furrowed. "Wait, weren't you in class today? Oobleck just did a lecture about this."

Ruby's face went red. "Uhh…did he happen to mention it when he drew the diagram?"

Jaune frowned. "You spaced out, didn't you?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Nora's my teammate, remember?"

The two shared a laugh, making their way toward the common space as Ruby moved to Jaune's left side. She looked over at him for a moment before clearing her throat. "Hey, mind if I borrow your arm for a second?"

Jaune blinked twice. "What?"

"Mind if I borrow your arm?"

"Is…are you—what is that even supposed to mean?"

Ruby sighed, wrapping her arms around his before leaning her face against the metal plate on his shoulder. Sure enough, a sigh of relief came from her as her face touched the cool metal. "This."

Jaune nodded a few times, realization dawning on him before he turned back. The two walked mostly in silence, Ruby's eyes closed as she occasionally moved her face when the metal heated up too much.

By the time they reached team JNPR's dorm, the pain had mostly subsided.

Jaune grabbed his scroll, unlocking the door to see only Ren awake.

While for Jaune it was completely normal, for Ruby it was a bit of an odd sight. Ren was wearing a dark-blue shirt with his legs hidden beneath the covers. In his hands he held a book—The History of Amora—which his eyes flicked across at speeds that rivaled even Blake's. He was also near the only light in the room, that being a small desk lamp next to his bed.

Nora, meanwhile, was clad in her normal dark-gray 'Boop' shirt. Unlike normal, her pink shorts with the white lightning bolts resting around her ankles, leaving her white underwear—patterned with pink lightning bolts—clearly on show. She was also horizontally on her bed, laid over the covers with loud snoring coming from her.

It was almost strange to see Pyrrha under the covers, sleeping like a normal person.

Ren closed his book after a second, setting it aside before laying his hands in his lap, staring at the two. "Pyrrha was worried about you."

Ruby's brows furrowed. "Why didn't she stay up?"

Jaune and Ren shared a smile, speaking in unison. "It's past her bedtime."

Ruby looked at the sleeping woman, smiling despite her disbelief. "Wait, Pyrrha Nikos has a bedtime? Are you serious?"

Jaune shrugged, a faint smile on his face. "I mean…kind of. There's nothing stopping her from staying up until one in the morning the way Ren does, but she's not uh…it's more like a…" Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose, snapping his fingers. "Gah, what's the word for it? Uh…Ren—little help here?"

"Habit?"

Jaune shook his head, muttering a few words beneath his breath. "Not exactly—close, but no. Crap, what's the Valean translation for Rūchin?"

Ren scratched his chin. "I'm fairly certain it translates to 'Routine'."

Jaune snapped his fingers, making a finger gun at the air. "Routine! Yes! Her routine has her set to go to bed at ten and wake up at six."

Ruby's brows furrowed. "Wait, you speak Mistralean?"

The two looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

"What?"

Jaune and Ren shared a glance, Jaune speaking for both this time. "Uhh…you do know we're from Mistral, right? Why wouldn't we speak Mistralean?"

Ruby's face suddenly matched Crescent Rose. "Oh…right."

Ren's eyes flicked over her as Ruby moved back from Jaune, eyes narrowing in on her cheek. Without a word he stood, walking over to his and Jaune's shared dresser. "I've got something for that bruise—provided I didn't use it all on Nora."

Ruby looked at Jaune—who was answering the question she'd yet to ask.

"She was adjusting the dust composition in her grenades…didn't end well."

Ren rooted through the drawer for a moment before producing a small, clear jar with a dark-green paste inside. He stepped back, walking over to Ruby before gesturing to the nearby bed. "Sit down. I'll apply it and place a band-aid over it so it stays on your cheek until tomorrow. That should clear up the bruise entirely."

Ruby's eyes widened as she sat. "Really? What is that stuff?"

Ren gave a rare, prideful smirk. "It's derived from several localized ingredients—"

Ruby'd never zoned out so fast.

She was snapped back to it by Ren applying the cool, soft salve to her cheek, causing her to involuntarily close her eye as he rubbed it in with his index and middle fingers. He dabbed a bit more on, layering it over before turning to Jaune.

Without a word, Jaune walked back to the drawer, producing a small first-aid kit from within before tossing it to Ren. From there Ren produced a large, square, cotton bandage. He placed it over her cheek, pressing gently to ensure it stayed on before stepping back. "Don't remove that bandage until morning—it should keep the ointment from smearing against anything else."

Ruby smiled, gently rubbing said bandage. "Thanks, doc!"

"Don't mention it."

Ruby stood, walking to the door before pausing with her hand on the handle. She looked back at Ren, seeing him going back to his book. "Wait, you aren't gonna ask how I got the bruise?"

"You two were sparring. He surprised you and managed to punch you in the face."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Woah…you're good."

"Nora could've figured that out, Ruby."

From the other bed, a louder snore came up. "Huh, pancakes?"

Ruby nodded, a faint smile on her face as she opened the door, closing it behind her before walking across the hall. She reached for her pocket, only for her eyes to widen when she felt nothing. She checked the other, turning them both inside out only to find the same result.

I left it in my combat skirt, didn't I?

Ruby knocked on the door, pressing an ear against it. It wasn't even eleven o'clock yet. Surely at least one of her teammates was awake?

Well, if they were, they didn't want to answer.

She spent almost a minute knocking on the door before turning back and knocking on team JNPRs.

There she got an answer in seconds.

Jaune stood there, clad in a pair of light-gray sweatpants with the same emblem that was on his shield stitched over his left pocket. Little blue strings were tied into a double-knot on the front, keeping them from falling down his legs. Above his waist, he wore a white, sleeveless tank-top. "Forget something?"

"In my dorm, yeah."

Jaune's brows furrowed for a moment before his eyes widened, a faint smirk on his face. "Locked yourself out, huh?"

Ruby glared at him. "It's not funny!"

"Oh yeah, and it was when I did it?"

"You did it three times!"

"And you laughed at me all three."

Ruby opened her mouth, holding up a finger to rebuttal…only to quickly close her mouth as she realized he was right. She deflated slightly, staring at the ground beneath her. She gripped her elbows, staring down at the floor. "I'm sorry. Could I please stay here for tonight?"

Jaune frowned as Ruby's expression shifted to a more somber one. He walked over, laying a hand on her shoulder and pulling her slightly forward. "Come on in. You can have Nora's bed for the night."

"Doesn't she need it?"

Jaune chuckled, slowly shaking his head. "Ruby, Nora can sleep anywhere." he started counting on his fingers. "Just last week she slept in Ren's bed, Pyrrha's bed, my bed, on top of the dresser, under all our beds, in the laundry hamper, and in the shower. You name it, she's probably slept there."

Ruby giggled. "Okay…so what about her?"

Jaune shrugged. "We wake her up and see where she wants to sleep."

The two walked over to Nora, seeing the sleeping girl staring up at the ceiling, a big, stupid grin on her face as she snored. Ruby stared at Jaune. "Uh…how do you plan on waking her up exact—"

"Nora!"

Said girl shot upright, bolting to her feet off the side of the bed.

She spun around, smiling as she saw Jaune and Ruby. "Oh, hey Cookie Dust! What're you doing here so late and/or early?"

Ruby frowned. "I got locked out."

Jaune nodded. "She's sleeping in your bed if you don't mind."

Nora glared at him for a moment before smirking, leaping at him. Jaune staggered back, Nora wrapping her legs around his waist, as Jaune's hands instinctively wrapped around her torso. "Fine, then I'm sleeping in yours!"

Jaune's face tinted pink as he smiled at her. "Then at least put your pants back on."

Nora's brow furrowed for a moment, only for her eyes to shoot open as she looked back, seeing her pantied bottom staring back at her. "Oh, whoops! Must've come off earlier."

Nora hopped down, casually pulling her shorts on before pulling back the covers on her bed, giving a wide, sweeping gesture of it while her other hand was held out to Ruby. "She's all yours, Cookie—"

Nora froze, eyes widening slightly as she saw Ruby's cheek.

She walked over and, with a gentleness Ruby would've never expected Nora to possess, took hold of her face in her hands, gently running a finger over the bandage. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah—just a little training bruise."

Ruby was genuinely surprised when Nora wrapped her arms around her, the shorter girl patting her back. "That must've hurt. 'Specially if Jauney-boy caused it."

Ruby couldn't stop herself from snorting. "Jauney-boy?"

Jaune looked away, face tinted pink. "Better than vomit-boy, at least."

Nora pulled back after a second, her eyes shining in concern Ruby'd sooner expect to see in Pyrrha, Jaune—even Ren for that matter. Then she casually walked over to Jaune's bed, crawling underneath the covers and laying her head on his pillow. "Say something if it hurts too bad, alright? Ren's ointment kinda burns sometimes."

Ren sat up, turning to face Nora. "That was only because you had an open cut and didn't tell me about it."

"It was on my back! How was I supposed to know?"

The two bickered back and forth as Jaune casually crawled into bed, pulling up the covers to his shoulders before turning to face Nora's bed. He gestured to it with his free hand, smiling at Ruby. "Might as well head to bed. They'll be at this for a while."

Ruby nodded a few times, laying back on the surprisingly soft bed before facing the ceiling, answering the call of sleep.

Huh…feels weird being so close to the ground.