They found out what the jars were for the very next day.
Forever Fall forest was aptly named for its year around red, orange and brown foliage, as well as the crimson grass that carpeted the ground for miles around. Even the bushes and shrubs growing in the underbrush were red. It was the middle of spring and yet the trees all looked like they were in the grip of autumn. Reading about it and seeing it in person were two entirely different things. Jaune looked around in wonder as their class followed behind Professor Goodwitch, admiring the scenery.
It was beautiful – and unlike anything he had ever seen before. The walk from Beacon had been a bit of a hike but worth it for the scenery on display.
He wasn't alone. By his side, he caught Weiss taking a sneaky snapshot with her scroll, her face reflecting her admiration. Pyrrha was drinking everything in with wide eyes, a genuine smile stretching her lips. Even a pair of Valean natives like Yang and Ruby were in awe of their surroundings.
Leaves cascaded down from the canopy as they walked, falling down around them like twirling confetti. The box of jars in Jaune's arms clinked with every step and on his other side, Blake hauled the other box.
They'd been conscripted once again. Though they weren't the only ones. Cardin looked disgruntled as he carried a case of tools.
"Gather around, class," Goodwitch called out clearly, waiting for everyone to move closer. "We are not here to sightsee. Professor Peach has asked for all of you to collect samples from trees deep inside this forest. And I'm here to make sure that none of you die while doing so. It may appear beautiful but Forever Fall is crawling with the creatures of Grimm, so be careful and stay close to your teammates."
Green eyes surveyed them sternly.
"Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of sap. Mr. Arc, Ms. Belladonna – set those down here, please. Mr. Winchester, over here."
Jaune and Blake quickly set their boxes down next to Professor Goodwitch while Cardin trudged over reluctantly.
"Every pair claim some jars, a hand drill and a spile. Quickly now."
Nora pranced forward and began digging through the tool case, quickly finding a drill and a spile before claiming a pair of jars, one for each of them. Everyone else followed her example until everyone had a jar and a set of tools between partners.
"Stay on guard and be safe. I will remain here should you require my assistance. Try not to move too far away from this location."
This was definitely a strange thing to do for Combat Class, and Jaune couldn't help but wonder why Professor Peach didn't bring them out herself. This was an activity more suited to their Survival and Navigation classes. Not that he was complaining. It was nice to get outside.
"Shall we?" Weiss asked and Jaune nodded, following her as they picked a direction to walk. Nora skipped ahead, looking right at home as she kicked a pile of fallen leaves and spun around, laughing as a shaft of sunlight pierced the canopy where she stood.
It was very picturesque.
Blake arched an eyebrow. "She's certainly enjoying herself."
Jaune grinned. "Nora sure knows how to make the most of something."
He caught Weiss taking another picture, this time of his partner as she danced beneath the falling leaves.
"What?" she asked defensively when she caught him looking, cradling her scroll against her modest chest.
"Send that to me when we get back?" he asked.
Weiss blinked, surprised. "Oh – um, sure."
"Thanks."
"Come on, slow pokes~!" Nora called out, skipping further ahead. "I see some good trees."
"How does she know what a good tree is?" Blake questioned but hurried along.
Either it was a fluke or Nora really knew her stuff because the first tree they tapped produced enough sap for several jars. Being the prudent overachiever that she was, Weiss had taken more jars than required, and soon they found themselves surrounded in numerous jars of fresh, pink sap.
"Nora, what are you doing?" Weiss suddenly shouted, aghast.
Blake covered her mouth, stifling the laugh that attempted to escape. Jaune stared in surprise as Nora sheepishly lowered a jar, her lips smeared with sap.
"Uh… testing it?" Nora asked.
Weiss opened and closed her mouth, finger pointed – but she couldn't seem to get any words out.
Jaune decided to step in. "How'd it taste?"
Nora smacked her lips together, her tongue darting out to clean them off. "Mhhhmm~! It's sweet but not overpowering. A little like honey but it has a fruity note to it, almost like jam. It would go really good on toast!"
"I wonder why Professor Peach wants this stuff," Blake wondered aloud. "Do you think it's used for medicinal purposes?"
"I bet she just has a sweet tooth and is abusing her position as teacher to make her students gather a supply for her," Nora said before grabbing another jar and upending it into her mouth.
"Nora!" Weiss marched forward to stop her but Nora darted away, almost spilling it across her front. "Stop drinking it! You have no idea what that might do to you."
"It's yummy," Nora gathered a generous helping on her finger by running it around the inside of the jar before thrusting it into Weiss' mouth, almost causing the heiress to choke. "Here, try it."
Weiss spluttered as she jumped away. "Don't just thrust your finger into someone's mouth," Weiss snapped, furious. "That is a disgusting thing… to do…"
"It's good, right?" Nora smirked as Weiss became quiet, her lips pursed. "Doesn't it taste really good."
Weiss glared. "It… is agreeable."
"Aahaha, you're so funny. Just tell the truth, it's okay."
"I am not funny, thank you very much," Weiss corrected sharply. "And it tasting good doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't be shoving your finger in another person's mouth!"
Jaune found himself sniffling a little as they bickered back and forth, his eyes stinging. Rubbing his face only made it worse.
"Jaune?" Blake shot him a look of concern. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," he replied, clearing his throat. There was a sudden tickle there that didn't abate, no matter how many times he tried to clear it. "My eyes are stinging."
"Here, let me see – stop rubbing," Blake commanded, grabbing his wrists and pulling his hands away. Jaune felt self conscious as she leaned in, and he caught a whiff of her shampoo; a mixture of vanilla and something citrus, fruity. He didn't know where to look. If he looked her in the eyes, he could make out the subtle color variations of her iris. This close, the amber almost looked golden. If he looked at the rest of her face, he couldn't help but notice how smooth her skin was, how slender and cute her nose looked, and how pretty her pink lips were. "Your eyes are a little red."
She cupped his cheeks to steady his face and he froze, her soft hands caressing his jaw.
Jaune sniffled again.
"I think you might be allergic," Blake told him.
"To what?"
One of her fingers rubbed close to his mouth and Jaune shivered. When she pulled her finger away, it was slightly sticky.
"I think it might be the sap."
"What are you two doing?" Weiss thundered.
They turned and saw the heiress staring at them, outraged. Nora gawped at them, mouth slightly open in surprise.
"Jaune is allergic to the sap," Blake told them and their expressions changed at once, becoming serious.
"What?" Weiss joined them, moving in beside Blake to get a better look. "Oh, your eyes do look a little red. Jaune, how are you feeling?"
"A bit stuffy," he replied, trying to clear his throat again. That tickle was starting to get on his nerves.
Having Blake close was bad enough. Weiss arrived with a scent of her own, something soft and powdery. She was also a fan of vanilla but instead of it being accompanied by citrus, it was something floral; lavender, perhaps? Jaune found his eyes roaming across her face, admiring her sharp, attractive features. Her high cheeks and pink lips, her narrow but slightly rounded nose, her almond shaped eyes. This close, he could make out the damage of her scar more vividly. The raised and slightly puckered scar tissue, a slightly reddish pink line that passed across her left brow and down over the rise of her cheek.
Jaune felt like he'd thought this before but it didn't diminish her at all.
"I think we should head back," Weiss decided. "Nora, fill those jars back up – stop drinking it!"
Nora laughed as she lowered another empty jar, her mouth caked with sap. "Fiiine. You okay, Jaune?"
"I'm fine," he said, though now his voice sounded a little nasally. Blake and Weiss shot him identical looks of doubt. Why did they only ever agree at the most inconvenient times? "Really, I'm fine."
Weiss put her foot down. "You don't sound fine. You have no idea how bad this allergic reaction could get, so as our team's backup leader, I'm deciding that we go back. Now."
Blake quirked an eyebrow. "Backup leader?"
Weiss ignored her. "Come on."
She grabbed his arm before looping her arm through his, and Jaune stared at her in surprise as she began pulling him along. He didn't resist, allowing her to lead the way.
"As team leader, you need to know when to retreat," she said haughtily, chastising him. Blake hurried after them, moving in on his other side while Nora complained loudly from behind, attempting to gather all their jars together.
"Hey~! A little help?"
"We aren't facing down an enemy," Jaune grumbled.
"That is where you are wrong," Weiss looked entirely too smug. "Allergies are the enemy today."
Maybe she was right. As they walked, he felt the symptoms become worse. His face felt a little swollen, his eyes watering as snot began to gather in his nose, threatening to leak all over his face. His throat prickled unpleasantly and he was constantly clearing his throat in an attempt at alleviating the irritation.
"Okay, fine," he finally conceded, annoyed at the knowing looks Weiss and Blake kept shooting at him.
"Men," Blake said, amused.
"Men," Weiss echoed – and it gladdened him to see that his pain could unite them in common cause.
"Hey, you jerks~! Help me carry these~!" Nora screamed as she hurried after them with an armful of jostling jars.
"Apologies, Nora – we've currently got our hands full with this idiot," Weiss replied, smirking.
She was enjoying this way too much.
They came across Team RPRY first, Pyrrha drilling into a thick trunk with a very serious expression on her face. Ren was nearby, crouched in front of a tree that was leaking sap into a jar, while Yang and Ruby inspected their already filled jars.
"How do you think it tastes?" they heard Yang ask before they were noticed. "Hey guys – woah, what's wrong with him?"
Pyrrha looked up from her work and blinked, startled.
"That bad, huh?" Jaune said – or he tried. It came out in more of a croak, forcing him to cough to dislodge the mucus gathering in his throat.
"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, and for once she looked at him with genuine worry.
"He is allergic to the sap," Blake said. "We were going to head back to Professor Goodwitch and get him looked at."
Ruby came running over, silver eyes filled with concern. "Jaune?"
"I'm…" he hesitated when Weiss arched an eyebrow. "Uh… I've been better?"
Weiss nodded, pleased.
"Wait, where is Nora?" Ren asked, looking around.
"Right here," she groused, stumbling into the clearing. She dropped their jars on the ground, lucky that none of them shattered.
"...Why is your mouth covered in sap?" Ren questioned.
"Why do you think?" Weiss rolled her eyes. "She decided to drink our hard work away."
Nora scoffed. "You make it sound like it was difficult to collect the sap."
"Does it taste good?" Yang asked, interested.
"Yaaang," Ruby glared at her sister. "Look at Jaune! And you're interested in how it tastes?"
"It tastes great~!" Nora answered, beaming. "It's sweet and a little fruity. It'd go great with waffles or pancakes or something."
"We've nearly finished here," Pyrrha said, her jar rapidly filling up. "We can go together."
It happened within the blink of an eye. Jaune felt something shatter against his backplate and Weiss flinched, pink sap splashing across her white combat skirt and along the back of his neck. Another jar hit Ruby in the back of the head, cracking open and spilling its contents all through her hair, down her neck and inside the collar of her dress.
"Wha~!" Ruby exclaimed, stumbling as a hand cupped the back of her head. "Ow~! That hurt!"
Everyone stared at them, shocked. The broken jars at their feet told them everything they needed to know.
"Who the fuck threw that?" Yang roared – but before she could go on a rampage looking for the perpetrators, a loud buzzing filled the air.
"Watch out!" Pyrrha shouted.
It did little good. They were instantly swarmed and Jaune saw the long, needle-like stingers before anything else.
Rapier Wasps.
They weren't Grimm but were just as murderous. Jaune had encountered them before and it was advised that you avoid them at all costs because their desire to attack was unmatched. Their venom caused considerable pain and it wasn't unusual for a swarm to kill something as big as a cow in minutes.
"Ahh~!" Ruby screamed, waving her arms wildly as they flew around her and Jaune followed her example, feeling sluggish as his breathing became labored.
"Get away from her," Yang screamed, trying to wave them off but they would not be denied, drawn in by the sweet sap that coated their bodies.
Jaune couldn't focus, the allergic reaction from the sap hindering his thoughts and movements. He heard a few of the stingers ping off his armor before one found purchase on his arm, piercing through his clothing effortlessly and stabbing deeply into his skin. He grit his teeth as he ducked down, attempting to present a smaller target as he began running, a horrible burning spreading from where he got stung.
There were far too many to fight.
They weren't just swarming Ruby and Jaune. Weiss shrieked as they attacked her and Nora dashed after Jaune, several wasps following her. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just kept running. Another stinger found the back of his neck, another on his thigh. At first they weren't particularly painful, in and out, a pin prick though larger than what was comfortable. But then it felt like fire beneath his skin, ants crawling through his flesh.
It hurt. It hurt a lot.
Jaune ran until the ground disappeared and he fell into a river, gasping as he was submerged in ice cold water. For a brief moment, he panicked, flailing – but then he pushed himself up with numb hands, breathing heavily as damp hair hung around his eyes.
Seconds later, Nora ended up in the river with him. The Rapier Wasps buzzed angrily above their heads and they made sure to keep low, half submerged, watching warily as they grew impatient and gave up, flying back the way they came to find easier prey.
"Jaune," Nora crawled over to him, her white shirt plastered to her heaving breasts. He couldn't appreciate the sight, though, his strength wavering as he pitched forward. "Jaune!"
His face rested in her bosom, his tongue feeling oddly swollen. "Bleeerlb."
That wasn't good.
Drawn by the commotion, Professor Goodwitch arrived on the scene with a few other students.
"Mr. Arc, Ms. Valkyrie – what are you doing?" she demanded.
"Miss Goodwitch," Nora hauled him out of the water and dragged him to dry ground, setting him down. Jaune blinked blearily as all he could see were patches of sky between the red canopy. "We were attacked by Rapier Wasps and Jaune is allergic to the sap… and the wasps, I think?"
The anger on her face drained away in an instant, replaced by worry. Marching over, she knelt by their side. "Mr. Arc – how do you feel?"
"Blrrgh," he tried to speak but couldn't. Goodwitch took one look at his face and made a decision.
"We will be returning to Beacon at once," a series of roars sounded and she frowned. Grimm had arrived. "Of course, nothing can ever be easy. Ms. Stone, Mr. Wood – stay with Mr. Arc and Ms. Valkyrie while I attend to this problem."
Gray Wood – the guy Nora had almost unmanned in their very first bout – nodded, his partner stepping forward, the girl with the hulking arms.
"I will contact the school at once, an airship will be inbound momentarily. Inform them of the situation when they arrive."
Then she was gone, dashing away in a flash.
Jaune vaguely heard gunfire, someone engaging the Grimm. Nora leaned across his vision, her face filled with worry as she cradled his head on her lap.
"Stay awake," she said but after that, he couldn't remember a thing. The next thing he knew, he was waking up in a hospital bed, a tube connected to his hand feeding him fluids.
Jaune blinked, the brightness of the room causing his eyes to hurt. Groaning, he shuffled up until he was sitting against the headboard, pillows wedged behind his back. His eyes no longer stung and his throat was clear, as was his nose. His mouth felt like a desert, though, tongue impossible dry. There was a jug of water on the side table so he poured himself a glass, sighing as he greedily drank it down.
He felt a lot better but his thigh, the back of his neck and arm felt maddeningly itchy, begging to be scratched. They were all bandaged though, the white material smeared with some gross smelling green salve.
"Ah, you're awake," an unfamiliar voice called and Jaune jumped, startled. "How do you feel?"
It was a woman with long black hair, so long that it tickled the back of her calves as she walked even though it was braided. She was wearing a long white coat, a pair of red-rimmed glasses perched on her nose shielding bright blue eyes. Atop her head were a pair of slightly elongated oval ears, black in color to match her raven tresses.
Horse ears.
She was a faunus.
And really, really pretty.
"Uh…" he cleared his throat reflexively, the prior irritation absent. "I feel good."
He did. Other than the itchy skin where he was stung, none of his allergic symptoms remained.
"Excellent," she chirped, moving over to his side. Jaune felt too aware as she leaned forward, her sweater stretching across her large bust as she cupped his face, feeling his forehead. "No temperature."
"Um…"
Retrieving an ophthalmoscope, she held it up to his left eye. "Focus here, please."
"Oh, right."
Jaune stared into the light, squirming as she tested both eyes before pulling out an otoscope and looking into both of his ears. Next was a stethoscope, the ends placed into her human ears before she reached inside of his gown, placing the cold circular piece above his heart. Jaune tried not to move as she pressed it against his skin, listening to his heart before moving it lower.
"Breathe in deeply and hold it," she said and he followed her instructions, holding it until she told him to release it. "Very good."
Looping her stethoscope around her neck, she reached for a small container that housed flat, wooden sticks. Plucking one out, she plucked a small torch from her pockets. "Open your mouth and say 'ah'."
"Ahhhh," Jaune felt the stick depress his tongue, his throat opening up and she shined the light inside. It tasted a little strange.
"It appears that you are in good health," she claimed as she leaned back, tossing the stick in a nearby bin. "Can you call upon your aura?"
Jaune focused and within seconds, his aura surrounded his skin, infusing him with strength. The horrible itching faded while he channeled his aura but returned when he let it fade away.
She nodded, pleased. "You've made a full recovery. Here, let me remove this."
Jaune sat silently as she removed the iv line, pulling it from his skin. The hole healed over at once, his body still filled with the remnants of his aura.
"Your allergic reaction was the result of coming into contact with the sap produced by the tree's in Forever Fall," she told him, frowning. "I must admit, while many people do experience mild symptoms like that of hay fever from the sap, I've never seen such an aggressive reaction before. I advise steering well clear of it in the future."
Jaune grimaced. She didn't have to tell him twice. "Right."
"You're free to go whenever you like. You can find your clothes in the closet over there," she pointed, and then she swept from the room, leaving Jaune alone.
He hadn't even gotten her name.
Climbing out of bed, Jaune hissed as his bare feet touched the cold ground. His clothes were neatly folded inside the closet, his armor stacked at the bottom alongside his boots. Crocea Mors was casually leaning at the back.
Jaune dressed quickly, pulling on his armor and strapping Crocea Mors to his waist. Stepping out into the hallway, he saw several rooms on either side of the hall, most of them empty. Only the room closest to the elevators was occupied, an older student with his leg in a cast propped up in a sling.
Today was a day of firsts for him. He'd never had an allergic reaction to anything before, and he'd never been inside a hospital. His town only had a small doctors clinic and the apothecary, and he'd never been hurt badly enough to require treatment for anything serious. After he unlocked his aura, injuries were basically nonexistent.
This was a reminder that aura couldn't deal with everything.
Stepping out of the medical center, Jaune shielded his eyes as they adjusted. The sun was already hanging low in the sky, late afternoon approaching evening. Gaining his bearings, Jaune made his way to the dormitory building after checking the time. Classes were done for the day.
As he approached his room, he could hear raised voices.
"It has to be them!"
"Perhaps but we don't have any proof."
"We know enough! No one else would do something like that!"
"So what do you suggest? We take matters into our own hands and what exactly?"
"Something! Anything!"
"Any satisfaction would be short lived."
"Look what they did to Jaune – don't you care?"
"Of course I care! But we don't know if it was them, and without any proof, nothing can be done. We'll just end up in detention like Yang. How does that help Jaune? How does that help Ruby?"
Blake and Weiss were at it again, but this time it wasn't some petty squabbling. They were angry on his behalf. No, not angry. They were furious. He could hear it in their voices, even through the door. He'd never heard them so irate.
Was it strange that he felt so touched? Jaune knew he shouldn't feel happy when they were so clearly not, but he couldn't help it.
This was his team.
"I'll break their spines so they can never walk again," Nora suddenly spoke up, nothing but cold rage in her voice. That was his cue to step in.
Everything went silent as he swiped his scroll and opened the door. Three sets of eyes stared at him in surprise before Nora vaulted off her bed and rushed him.
"Woah, hey," he tried to back off but she wasn't having it, her arms locking around his torso as she hugged him furiously, almost bending him in half. "Nora! Too much!"
"Nora!" Weiss scolded. "Let him go or you'll send him back to the hospital."
Jaune groaned as she gave him one last squeeze before releasing him, her eyes glistening.
"I told you to stay awake!" she jabbed him on the chest plate angrily.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"Do you now know scary that was?" she jabbed him harder.
"Sorry," he repeated.
"Nora," Weiss sighed tiredly. "He couldn't exactly help it."
"I know! But it feels better when he says sorry," Nora pouted, jabbing him one more time. "...How are you feeling?"
"Good," he said.
They didn't look convinced.
"Really – I feel great," he waved his arms up and down. "Uh, well – where the Rapier Wasps stung me, it's really itchy but other than that, everything is back to normal."
"Tell me about it," Weiss lifted an arm and he saw a bandage wrapped around her forearm, that same foul smelling green salve coating it. "It is beyond unpleasant."
He wasn't sure if she meant the itching or the salve, or both.
"Cardin did it," Blake said at once.
Weiss rolled her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Blake."
"He did it," Blake snapped, incensed. "We all know it."
"What exactly happened afterwards?" Jaune asked, trying to calm everything down as the pair glared at one another. "I heard Grimm before I passed out."
"They were drawn in by our negativity. I took care of most of the wasps with some Fire Dust but then we were set upon by about a dozen Ursa."
"No one got hurt," Nora assured him at his alarmed expression. "Once the wasps were dealt with, Yang, Ren and Pyrrha went to town. And then when Professor Goodwitch showed up, apparently she annihilated them."
Blake nodded, still annoyed but no longer glaring at Weiss. "She took them all out in seconds. Even Pyrrha said she'd never seen anything like it."
That was some impressive praise from someone like Pyrrha.
"How's Ruby?"
"She's fine," Weiss answered. "She didn't even get stung. They couldn't catch her when she activated her semblance."
Jaune grinned. "Smart girl."
"I just don't know how I got stung, my aura failed to stop it," Weiss frowned. "That has never happened before."
"Rapier Wasps are pretty horrible. No one really knows why but their stingers can bypass aura."
Weiss shot him a look of surprise. "What?"
"We get a lot of nests around where I grew up," Jaune pulled a face. "They aren't Grimm but they're treated as if they are. The hunters go out at night during spring and summer, searching for nests to burn. They're dormant at night, so it makes it easy to take them out. During the day? No one is stupid enough to try."
"Oh – I didn't know that."
"Do you think Cardin knew?" Blake needled.
Weiss sighed. "Please, shut up."
"Goodwitch was pissed when we told her what happened," Nora filled him in. "We only just got back from the amphitheater. She held us in and we missed our final class, demanding to know who threw those jars but no one would own up to it."
"They targeted you, Jaune," Blake said seriously, meeting his eyes. "You and Ruby both. It's because of what happened yesterday."
Weiss looked between them. "What happened yesterday?"
"Cardin was bullying another student," Jaune told them. "A faunus girl, a second year. He had her ear and was squeezing and pulling on it, so I asked him to let her go."
Weiss scowled. "He really is an unpleasant person, isn't he?"
Blake looked like she was about to say something but thought better of it.
"So you think he was getting back at me for that?" Jaune asked.
Blake nodded. "You made him back down. You probably hurt his ego."
"I'll hurt more than his ego," Nora promised. "Just give me the word, Jaune-Jaune."
"I'd rather you not get in trouble," he said before sighing. "But this can't keep happening."
What could they do? Threaten them? They didn't even know it was them, even though it was highly likely. Yang punching Cardin in the face hadn't dissuaded them, so what would threats do? Threatening them wouldn't work unless they had something to threaten them with. Violence wasn't enough. They needed blackmail.
It was distasteful – but if it got them to leave Ruby alone, he was all for it. Jaune didn't care about himself. He was more concerned for his friend.
The problem was they didn't have anything to blackmail them with. Ruby's cameras were still their best bet but they were useless unless they made a move on her lockers again.
Looking at the mutinous expressions worn by his teammates, he hoped it happened sooner rather than later. Jaune wasn't sure how long he could keep them from doing something rash.
And here we are once again with the holiday season about to kick into overdrive. This will be the last update for Semblance of Emotion for the year as I go on break until the start of February. Over the next couple of months, I'll be posting chapters for some other works I've been writing so you can probably expect a few chapters in January for new stories.
So here is an early Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and I hope everyone has a good holiday season. Stay safe. :)
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