"Blake! Blake!"
Ruby's and Yang's shouting rang in Jonathan's ears. He kept a distance from them, his arms tugged close to his body. His eyes gazed at the pavement. Of course, he was worried about Blake as well. Especially since she'd been gone for the last few days. But his mind kept replaying the events of that field trip, like how their guts painted the walls, their blood gushed out from their missing limbs, or their bloodcurdling screams as their bodies bent violently. Nightmares, he could handle. Missing a few nights of sleep wouldn't kill him. But that sickening, twisted feeling continued gnawing inside him. His muscles tightened. The scent of a nearby bakery, the chatter of shoppers. All blended together. When he noticed a glance from Yang, he turned his head away.
Weiss huffed. "This is ridiculous. We should've asked the police."
"We're not letting them arrest Blake," Ruby said.
"And how is yelling randomly in the city going to help?"
He shook his head. This wasn't the time to feel bad about himself. After taking a deep breath, he speeded up and rejoined the group.
He said, "Weiss, White Fang or not, she's still your teammate. We can't just abandon her."
"She's a terrorist. She made her choice by joining them."
"I'm not saying she's a saint." He rubbed his temple. "But everyone deserves a second chance. There might be a bigger picture we're missing."
Weiss's eyes twitched. She opened her mouth, but Yang bumped into her and chuckled. She held her shoulders as if she was giving her a massage.
"Don't bother arguing with him. He's as stubborn as a Boarbatusk!"
"Yeah, sure." Jonathan rolled his eyes.
"Fine!" Weiss growled, breaking off her hold. "If no one is going to listen to me, I don't see why I need to be here."
"W-Wait, come back!" Ruby yelled before chasing after her.
Jonathan raised his head and let out a long sigh. Between the rows of buildings, there were thin layers of wavy clouds high above the blue sky. But it'd be very fitting if it started raining suddenly. He'd hoped something would go smoothly for once. Apparently, that was impossible.
He muttered, "Thanks for stepping in, I guess."
"No problem." Yang leaned a bit closer and whispered. "So, are you going to tell me what's inside that thick skull of yours?"
"…I don't—"
"Nuh-uh! Don't try to lie to me. I know something is wrong when you're not smiling."
He reflexively covered his mouth. A spectrum of emotions stirred inside him. On the one hand, he should be glad she was being attentive. But on the other hand, it was rather frustrating to be so predictable.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he shrugged. "It's really nothing. Just some personal issues."
Her smile vanished, replaced by a slight knitting of her eyebrows. She hummed and touched his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze.
"You know what I'd do if I were you?" she asked.
He looked at her flatly. "Punch everything in front of you?"
"Exactly!" She beamed. "But that's my way. You have yours. You just need to step back and ask yourself what you'd normally do."
He blinked. Then, a burst of laughter escaped him, turning a few heads on the street. She just kept surprising him, like always.
"You're terrible at pep talk." He lightly pushed her away.
She grinned and nudged his arm. "But is it working~"
"I'll keep you guessing." He smiled.
"…Ahem!"
He turned towards the voice, finding Ruby and Weiss staring at them. Their arms crossed in front of them. But it was their expressions that were most confusing. Ruby's lips were pressed into a pale line, while Weiss had a hint of a smirk.
"I can see why you're worried." Weiss glanced at Ruby, who gave her a nod.
He asked, "About?"
"Salutations!"
Jonathan bounced and landed a few metres away. A girl with short, curly orange hair seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Her age was probably similar to his. The pink bow on her head, her white, off-the-shoulder blouse frills, and her grey pinafore dress flew gently with the wind. A low whirr emerged from her silver backpack.
Ruby sighed and steadied herself. "Penny, where did you come from?"
But Penny dashed past her and went right in Jonathan's face, staring at him intensely. He caught his breath and found himself checking her faded freckles. Her mesmerising, jade-coloured eyes started drawing him in. His lips twitched. His face got warmer. He could even hear his quickened heartbeat in his ears.
"Your facial structure is highly standard!" she chirped.
"Ehm… Thanks? I'm Jonathan."
"Nice to meet you, Jonathan." She waved and leaned back. "What are you guys up to?"
He flinched when someone punched his shoulder. Rubbing his shoulder, he gave Yang a hard stare. But she simply winked at him, making him feel even more awkward.
"We're looking for our friend Blake," Yang replied.
Penny's eyes widened. "Oh, you mean the cat Faunus!"
"No, Blake is not…" Ruby's laughter slowly died out. "Oh…"
"So that's why she never takes off her bow," Weiss said.
Jonathan shook the embarrassment out of his head. "Never mind that. Have you seen her?"
"Nope! But I can help. A friend of Ruby is a friend of mine!" Penny looped her arm over Ruby's shoulder.
Ruby chuckled stiffly and slowly removed Penny's arm. She kept glancing at him like she wanted him to do something. But why? Penny seemed like a nice girl. He looked away. The shop windows around them suddenly became a lot more fascinating when Yang grinned at him.
Ruby made a strained smile. "That's really nice of you, Penny. But we're really okay! Right, guys?"
"Well, the more, the merrier," Jonathan replied.
Yang chuckled. "Of course you'd say that."
"Yang, I swear—"
A boom echoed in the distance, stopping everything around them. The passers-by turned their heads at a distant giant smoke cloud. Mutters about yet another White Fang attack started to spread. Then, more explosions and smoke appeared. The siren behind them became louder as a few police cruisers zoomed past them. If Jonathan had to guess, they were heading towards the docks.
Weiss pointed at the smoke. "Do you think…"
After looking at one another, they broke into a sprint. Jonathan clenched his jaw and barely passed the moving cars with the others. Bouncing on a few cars, Ruby's body turned into a trail of rose petals and overtook them. To his surprise, even Penny was keeping up with them. His heart raced, both from exertion and worry. It might not be related to Blake. But even so, a few Huntsmen-in-training would be helpful in any emergency. He just wished that they wouldn't be needed at all.
Author's Notes:
In my first draft, I made Yang and Weiss go away like in the show. But given what will happen in the next chapter, it'd make more sense if they stay.
Anyway, I should emphasise that the focus of this series is on personal and interpersonal development. If there's romance, it'll only be a subplot.
I can also guarantee this: GRPJ will only be friends at best. Not even good ones in some instances.
See you next week.