Ruby installed the cameras in her lockers the moment they returned to Beacon. Now it was a waiting game. It might be a strange thing to think but they hoped that Yang's antics hadn't scared the perpetrators away. Ruby wanted to catch them more than have them stop cold since she wanted revenge for Crescent Rose. Even if it wasn't Team CRDL, they may have witnessed an older sister's fury and had gotten cold feet.

A pissed off Yang wasn't a laughing matter.

It had only been a couple of days but so far, they hadn't made a move. Ruby kept him updated on any progress and nothing had been touched, stolen or added to her lockers, and they hadn't even targeted her in other ways. It was all silent on the bullying front – at least, when it came to Ruby.

"Let go! Stop!" a pained voice sounded from down the hall. "That hurts!"

It was a familiar voice but one he hadn't heard in awhile. Jaune shared a look with Blake, the pair of them cradling large cardboard boxes filled with jars. Professor Goodwitch had requested them and they'd been chosen to collect them from Professor Peach's office. What she wanted the jars for, it was anyone's guess. There had to be around fifty in each box.

Maybe she was pickling a large batch of vegetables? That's what his mother used jars for. That and making chutney or relish. Goodwitch didn't strike him as the pickling or chutney making type, though.

As they moved closer, they heard mocking laughter.

"See? These things are real. Can you believe it?"

There was no mistaking that voice.

Rounding the corner, Jaune's fears were confirmed. Velvet had a very distinct accent, one he had never heard from anyone else. Almost in tears, a large fist gripped one of her bunny ears, tugging on it without care while a bunch of guys laughed. The hand belonged to Cardin Winchester. The guys were his teammates.

Jaune felt Blake tense by his side and knowing her views about faunus, he knew this was about to get messy if he didn't do something. It wouldn't just be Yang serving detention.

"Cardin," Jaune greeted loudly, causing Russel and Sky to flinch, spinning around to face them. Dove shot them a wary look while Cardin grinned, completely unashamed as he continued to pull on Velvet's ear.

"Arc," Cardin returned as if greeting an old friend. "What's up?"

Jaune frowned. "Not much, just delivering these boxes to Professor Goodwitch."

He could feel Blake's eyes on him as her head turned to face him, burning the side of his face. No doubt wondering why he was being civil.

"Got you on gopher duty, huh? That blows."

"Yeah, a little," Jaune made a show of staring at the hand that was tightening around Velvet's fluffy ear, causing her to whimper. "You mind letting Velvet's ear go? I think you're hurting her."

There was a tense moment of silence as Cardin stared at him, their eyes meeting. Jaune felt his heart begin to beat faster, muscles tensing as he awaited his answer, preparing for a fight if they decided to get aggressive. Cardin's teammates were watching with bated breath and when the moment passed, Cardin sighed before releasing his hold. Velvet quickly backed away, reaching up to rub at her abused ear.

"We were just playing around," Cardin defended, raising his hands in a placating manner. "I've never seen ears like that before, that's all. Normal people don't have them. I thought they might be fake, you know?"

"You should just ask next time," Jaune said calmly. "They must be pretty sensitive, right?"

Cardin hummed. "Right. Well, I'll let you teachers' pets get back to your duties. Come on, guys."

Jaune watched as they retreated, Sky and Russel shooting him disgruntled glances over their shoulders until they were out of sight.

Sighing, he turned to face Blake and saw her murderous expression, her fingers threatening to sink into the cardboard of her box as they tensed. Thankfully it wasn't directed at him. Ignoring her for the moment, he approached Velvet.

"Hey," he said.

Her teary eyes were filled with gratitude. "Hey…"

He hesitated, unsure how to proceed. This was a pretty awkward situation. Blake didn't have any such reservations.

"You shouldn't let him push you around," she said bluntly, causing Velvet to jump.

"W-What?"

"Cardin," Blake all but spat his name. "Don't let people like him push you around."

"What Blake is trying to ask," Jaune stepped in quickly, shooting Blake a warning glance, "is this the first time he has done something like that?"

Velvet looked between them, eyes darting back and forth before she said, "...he has never grabbed me before."

"But?" Jaune prompted gently.

"He has said some things," she revealed vaguely but they all knew what 'things' meant. They'd heard his snide comments in History more than a few times now.

"Bigoted prick," Blake hissed.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked kindly. "Did he hurt your ear?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt now," she then laughed bitterly. "Now I feel truly pathetic, being saved by my juniors."

"I could tell him to leave you alone, if you want," Jaune offered.

She sighed. "Don't bother. Guys like him don't listen to stuff like that."

Jaune thought that Yang punching him in the face might have dialed him back a bit but apparently not. It was going to take more than that to rattle his cage.

"He needs to be taken down a peg or two," Blake glared where Team CRDL had disappeared around the corner. "He needs to learn that he can't get away with harassing people like this."

Velvet was giving Blake an odd look, head tilted slightly as if sizing her up, her hands falling away from her ear. Giving her a once over, Velvet's eyes paused on her bow before widening slightly, as if something had just occurred to her.

"Velvet?" Jaune asked.

She quickly looked away. "Um – I'm fine, so I'll just be going now. Thanks, Jaune, for – you know, bye~!"

Jaune blinked as she beat a hasty retreat, confused. Blake looked as confused as he felt.

"Uh – that was weird," Jaune said blankly.

"I didn't mean to scare her off," Blake said quietly. "I just… I'm sick of Cardin acting the way he is. How can the teachers not know about it? He spouts his hatred in History and gets nothing more than a soft reprimand. It's ridiculous."

She was frustrated and frankly, Jaune felt the same way. Especially if it was Team CRDL involved with the harassment directed at Ruby. If it was them, it showed that their shitty attitudes weren't just a result of being prejudiced against faunus. Ruby was human – and the sweetest girl around. How could anyone want to bully her?

"It's a shame Yang didn't break his damn jaw," Blake muttered darkly.

"All we can do is let Goodwitch know what we saw," Jaune said tiredly.

"She probably won't even believe us," Blake returned bitterly. "Not after Yang went for his head. We'll be seen as guilty by association, that we have an ax to grind."

"No but at least we'd have reported it," Jaune began walking again and Blake jogged to catch up. "It's just our word against theirs but at the very least, she'll know about it. And I don't think it's that bad. Professor Goodwitch has always struck me as fair. She won't just dismiss us because we're friends with Yang."

Blake begrudgingly agreed.

When they delivered the jars, they told her what they saw.

"I see," Goodwitch said when they were done explaining, expression stern, eyes cold. "These are serious accusations."

"We're not asking you to do anything, we don't have any proof and Velvet probably wouldn't want us telling you anyway if she hasn't already said something," Jaune was quick to say. "We just wanted you to know. So you can keep an eye out."

Green eyes regarded them seriously. "Indeed. Your concerns have been noted," her face then softened. "I appreciate that you are looking out for a fellow classmate. That is commendable. Mr. Arc, Ms. Belladonna, if that is all?"

"That's all, ma'am."

They had Dust Usage next and as per usual, Jaune's experience was an explosive one. He was the only one in their year that couldn't seem to get a grasp of Dust, and if he was being honest, it was starting to get to him a little. Even Yang wasn't dousing herself in water or shocking her hair frizzy any more.

As frustrated as he was about his lack of progress, Weiss was even more appalled by it. There was very little the heiress didn't know about Dust. If she wanted to, she could teach the class herself. In the entire world, there probably weren't more than a handful of people that knew the intricacies of utilizing Dust better than she did. The perks of being a 'Dust Princess' – a name Yang liked to throw around just to antagonize his teammate, but one that had stuck. There was no quicker way to get her riled up.

But today, she appeared oddly excited.

"I think I've figured it out," Weiss told him smugly.

Jaune gave her a wary look. "You said that last time."

"A minor hiccup," she brushed away his concern.

"I ended up in a tree," he reminded her. Nora giggled.

Weiss glared at him. "You're ruining the moment."

"Right, sorry."

"As I was saying," she repeated sternly, waiting for him to interrupt. When he didn't, she continued, "I believe I have figured out your inability to use Dust. Would you like to guess?"

"His big hands?" Nora suggested.

Weiss frowned. "What?"

"You asked me to guess."

"...and why would the size of his hands matter, exactly?"

Nora shrugged. "I dunno. They are kinda big, though."

Weiss stared at Nora for a moment. "Stop speaking, please. Blake, would you like to take a guess?"

"...the size of his feet?"

Jaune felt a little self conscious. Why were they pointing out things like that?

Nora snorted at Blake's clear trolling as Weiss stomped the ground, thoroughly annoyed. "No, you nitwits! It's his aura!"

"The size of my aura?" Jaune asked uncertainly.

"No!" Weiss pointed at him, her finger almost jabbing him in the face. She then paused. "Well – maybe? Actually, it probably does affect its size."

Jaune was lost. "Weiss, can you explain it clearly?"

"It's your semblance," she huffed, crossing her arms. "Your semblance! It amplifies aura, correct?"

Jaune nodded. "That's right."

"And it amplifies all aspects of aura, right?" she pressed.

"Yeah."

"Well – there we have it, then. Your semblance is passively increasing the potency of your aura, meaning that anything more than the smallest amount is overcharging the Dust and causing it to detonate instantly. It's probably why you have so much aura to begin with, as well."

That… made sense.

"During initiation, when you used your semblance upon me, I did notice at the time that my usage of Dust required much finer control than usual," Weiss confessed. "If I wasn't so skilled, it may have blown up in my face but luckily, my talent overcame any shortcomings."

"Very humble," Blake deadpanned.

Weiss ignored her. "If you would be willing, I'd like to conduct an experiment."

"Sure, what do you need me to do?"

Suddenly, her smile held a few too many teeth as she turned her attention on Blake. "I would like you to amplify my partner here."

Blake stepped back cautiously. "Why me?"

"You've got impressive control of Dust for a novice," Weiss backhandedly praised her, still smiling like a shark. "I'd like to see if your skill can overcome the influx of aura Jaune will bestow upon you."

In other words, Weiss was hoping that Blake would blow up. She was being petty.

Nora thought it was a great idea and began clapping, and when Weiss hit her with, "Don't you want to help Jaune learn how to utilize Dust?", that was the end of her resistance. The good ol' fashioned guilt trip.

Blake didn't look very pleased about it, though.

"What Dust would you like to use?" Weiss asked sweetly.

Blake scowled. "Wind."

Water was safest but Wind wasn't far behind. Blake obviously didn't want to get wet.

Jaune tapped Nora on the shoulder, leaning in to whisper, "If Blake goes flying, try and catch her, okay?"

"Aye-aye, captain~!" she saluted, excited.

"What are you two whispering about?" Blake groused.

"Nothing," Jaune denied, stepping forward and offering his hand. "Are you ready?"

"No," she said but grabbed his hand anyway. "I hope you appreciate this."

"I do," Jaune told her earnestly. "Thank you, Blake."

She scoffed but didn't pull away. "Right. Well, whenever you're ready."

Gathering his aura, he activated his semblance. Blake gasped softly as power flowed into her body, her eyelashes fluttering, her fingers tightening around his hand. Weiss arched an eyebrow as a healthy flush rose upon Blake's porcelain cheeks.

"It seems like you are enjoying yourself," Weiss needled.

"Shut up and give me the Dust," Blake snapped, squirming as he continued to amplify her aura. Weiss held out a single green crystal and Blake snatched it away. "J-Jaune, that's enough."

He cut his semblance as her voice wavered and released her hand, stepping back. They remained gathered around her but took several steps back to give her room, something she noticed.

"Not helping," she told them.

Weiss entered instructor mode. "Blake, I want you to use as little aura as possible and activate the crystal. When that is done, pick a direction and throw it."

"Right," she said, face filled with determination. Cupping the Wind Dust with both hands, she took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

Massive gale force winds slammed into them within the blink of an eye, and Weiss ended up tumbling through the dirt as she was blown off her feet. Nora and Jaune fared better, stumbling, their ears filled with the roar of a furious tempest before it was replaced by Blake's screams.

They quickly found her, several dozen feet in the air.

"Nora!" Jaune commanded.

"I got her~!" Nora shouted as she dashed away, holding out her arms. Blake spun through the air and after a moment, just when it looked like Nora had her, she collided with Nora's face, the pair crashing to the ground in a tangled heap. "I… got her…"

Weiss hastily climbed to her feet, dusting off her skirt, her hair a little frazzled. "Well – that was much more volatile than I was expecting."

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, I'm fine," she assured him. They made their way over to Blake and Nora.

"I see stars," Nora moaned.

"You weren't meant to catch her with your face," Jaune joked before noticing the compromising position they found themselves in. Blake was face down, mounting Nora's body in the opposite direction, her skirt flipped up over her rather plump, shapely behind. All Jaune saw were two pale, soft globes and a flash of purple in between before he spun around to face the other direction.

...Blake apparently wore thongs, and had an ass to die for. That wasn't something he would be able to unsee.

"Blake, are you still with us?" Weiss asked.

All they received was a groan in response.

"Your panties are showing," the heiress commented and Blake quickly rolled over, almost kneeing Nora in the face while furiously pulling her skirt down. "It appears that my hypothesis was correct."

"I'm not doing that again," Blake said angrily, standing.

There was a tense moment of silence.

"Did you see?"

Jaune pretended he didn't hear her or that she was speaking to someone else.

"Jaune," she stressed. "Did you see?"

Well, there was no mistaking it when she said his name like that.

Weiss was zero help, shrugging when he briefly glanced her way. He was on his own.

"...Briefly."

When she didn't say anything, Jaune turned around and saw her mortified expression, her face entirely red.

"You could have lied," Weiss told him.

Nora began laughing from the ground. "Now you can't get married either."

"Nora!" Blake hissed.

"Hey Blake," Yang called out from nearby, giving them a thumbs up. Ren stood beside her, face palming. "Nice ass."

Pyrrha was covering her face while Ruby tried her best to muffle her laughter without much success.

Apparently he wasn't the only one that saw.

Blake refused to talk to any of them for the rest of the day but at least they figured out what his Dust problem was. How to conquer it was another matter. He wasn't actively using his semblance when he tried to use Dust and yet it appeared that there was a passive component, making his aura much more potent at all times.

But it wasn't an impossible hurdle to overcome. Weiss had shown that it was possible.

The downside was that she was a prodigy when it came to Dust and that wasn't the type of skill level you could easily attain. Jaune had a long journey ahead of him. Who better to teach him than the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company herself?

He was a lucky guy.

Depending on your point of view.

Their final class of the day was Weapon Crafting and Upkeep. Professor Harold Mulberry was an older gentleman with short cropped white hair, massive arms like tree trunks and even larger legs, his physique made of pure muscle. If there was ever a name that didn't match appearances, this was it.

"Today we will be sharpening the knives you've been working on," the man announced first thing, his voice another contradiction; soft, smooth, not at all loud or overbearing like you'd expect. "I will then commence grading. Those that score a passing mark can keep their knife."

This was Ruby's favorite class and it wasn't even close, the younger girl almost vibrating out of her shoes whenever they had it. She may have been the youngest present but she was by far the most skilled and knowledgeable in their year, having constructed Crescent Rose herself. On the opposite spectrum, Jaune had zero knowledge or skill when he first started, his sword was an heirloom passed down through his family. He'd never crafted a knife before, let alone a high-caliber sniper-scythe. Most of his friends had some know-how, having worked in some capacity on their weapons.

But apparently he had quite the knack for blacksmithing. There was something very pleasing about hammering molten steel into shape.

Jaune retrieved their current project from the lockers they were provided, inspecting the four and half inch blade. It was what was commonly called a drop point knife, characterized by a convex-shaped, sloping spine and a lowered point. The handle had been fashioned out of ebony wood, slightly curved to better fit the shape of his hand and allowing for a much better grip, held together by stainless steel pins. He already owned a similar knife, one he had brought with him from home, an old thing that had seen better days.

That one hadn't been fashioned by his own two hands, though.

The edge had already been grinded down to an approximation of a point, so now it only required a sharpening stone to hone it into a proper cutting edge. All the equipment had been laid out already; whetstones, lubricant and rags set upon their work benches.

Something Jaune did know how to do was sharpen a dull blade.

Each whetstone had a different grit level. Lower the grit, the more coarse the stone was. Coarse stones were used on brand new blades or damaged edges before transitioning to a higher grit level to hone and refine the edge. Grabbing the appropriate stone, he submerged it in the water provided before laying it out on a dry rag. Angling the blade across the stone, Jaune began applying even, consistent pressure as he drew the knife straight along the stone from heel to tip.

On his left, Pyrrha also began sharpening her knife. It was a little shorter than his with a slightly wider flat, the handle crafted out of cherry wood with brass pins complementing the color. On his right, Ruby smiled from ear to ear as she lovingly worked on her knife, using smaller, almost circular motions instead of the straight motion Jaune was using. Her knife was shorter still than Pyrrha's, and the handle was aptly chosen; rosewood. Like Pyrrha, she had chosen brass pins to hold it together, the color contrast attractive against the darker reddish wood.

For someone like Ruby, making a knife must have felt a little underwhelming after creating something like her scythe but you wouldn't know it from her expression. She just loved weapons, no matter what they were.

"What?" she asked, catching him watching her.

"Nothing. I just thought you look like you're having a lot of fun."

"You thought right," she began humming as she sharpened the blade, swaying a little from side to side. "Knives are cool."

Jaune grinned. "I've never heard someone call knives cool before."

"They might not be flashy or very big, but they are super cool anyway and don't let anyone tell you differently," she said very seriously, nodding her head. "Don't you think they're really cute how they do their job to the best of their abilities, no matter what? Knives are used for so many different things. As long as you take good care of them, it'll never fail you."

Cute? That wasn't exactly the word he would use for a knife.

"Don't get her started, she'll start gushing for hours," Yang said from behind them at her work bench.

"Shut up, Yang," Ruby fired back instantly though without any heat. "She's just dumb and doesn't understand. But you understand, right, Jaune?"

Jaune didn't understand. "Uh…"

"I knew you would. You have a sword, after all. You appreciate the simple things."

A few tables down, he heard Nora moan, "This is boooring. When do we get to make explosives?"

By her side, Blake worked silently.

Jaune made sure to regularly switch sides until he felt it was ready for the next stone. They spent the entire lesson honing their blades, the rasp of steel on stone filling their ears, and when he was finished, Jaune tested it on a piece of paper. It sliced through it with zero effort, razor sharp.

"Excellent, Mr. Arc," Professor Mulberry praised while inspecting his knife, holding it up and eyeing it along the spine. "A passing mark. Well done."

"Thank you, sir."

They all ended up passing, some better than others. Nora's blade looked a little misshapen but was still effective.

"Next lesson, we will be fashioning sheaths for your knives," he announced. "Then you will be free to take your knives and use them as you see fit. Class dismissed."

Another typical day at Beacon Academy.

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