Ruby's things were returned to her in the middle of the night, left in a pile outside her team's door. Jaune was the one to discover them in the early hours as he got ready for his usual morning jog. There were a number of pens, a small hardcover book that Jaune thought was her diary at first but instead was bursting with pages dedicated to drawings of various weapon concepts that he could see even when it was closed, a couple of loaded magazines from Crescent Rose containing valuable Dust ammunition, a bottle of half empty perfume and a bunch of other random, miscellaneous items.

And her pair of missing panties.

Presented neatly on top, they were black with little red strawberries patterned across the crotch and butt. They were tiny and for a moment, Jaune just stared at them uncomprehendingly. When he realized just what he was doing, he quickly looked away and fetched his scroll, sending Ruby a message to let her know that Sky had returned her things. A glance down the hallway showed that a couple of other rooms had piles in front of them, as well.

He'd been a busy little thief, hadn't he?

Stowing his scroll back in his pocket, Jaune was about to move on when Team RPRY's door suddenly opened, giving him a bit of a fright.

Ruby smiled at him happily, her silver eyes crinkling at the edges.

"Morning," she chirped.

"Uh – morning, Ruby," he returned. He hadn't expected her to be awake already. "What are you doing awake so early?"

She shrugged, her small black top lifting slightly to reveal the skin of her lower belly. "I dunno, I couldn't really sleep. I kept waking up all night. I guess I was excited to get my stuff back."

She looked down, giving a little cheer when she saw her stuff.

"He better not have done anything to these," she crouched and grabbed the tops of her panties between index and thumb, holding them up. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected them closely. "Hmm – I don't think I can wear these after he's had them."

Jaune cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah – that is probably for the best."

He may have been a sheltered country boy but Jaune knew that there really were only a few reasons why a guy would steal a girl's underwear, and none of them were good.

Ruby looked between her panties and Jaune several times before realizing something, quickly hiding them behind her back while her cheeks flushed a healthy rose.

"T-These are just a comfortable pair, you know?" she stammered, standing. "I-I don't usually wear ones like these, so…"

"What?"

Ruby bit her lip. "I know they're a little childish but they're comfortable," she repeated, more clearly this time.

Jaune felt heat creep up the back of his neck. "Er – I didn't, I mean I wasn't thinking – it doesn't matter what you wear, it's your choice."

"But I don't – these aren't what I normally wear – okay?"

"Sure, sure – but it's okay, you know – if it is?"

What the hell were they even talking about?

Jaune awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck while Ruby hid her face by turning to the side, though he could see her cute little ears turning scarlet. Clearing his throat, Jaune bent over and picked up the book bulging with drawings. From what he could see, they weren't just for her scythe.

"These look interesting," he said to change the subject, and he ignored how Ruby hastily pocketed her underwear. He wasn't lying, either. Just at a glance, he could see how incredibly detailed they were, complete with notes scrawled about the technical aspects and viability of any modifications.

Calming down, she held out her hands and Jaune handed over the book. "Thanks… I really like weapons. Duh, of course you already know that, but…"

He did know that and seeing how she handled herself in class let anyone know that doubted her that she was the real deal, but this was something else.

Ruby pulled out a few of the pages and showed him shyly. "What do you think?"

Jaune blinked, surprised to see that it wasn't just any weapon. It was Crocea Mors, the sword and shield lovingly drawn with supreme detail – right down to the small nicks and scratches, and the worn quality of the leather grip of the hilt. This was less a diagram and more just a sketch.

"Ruby…" Jaune breathed. "Wow. You draw really well."

"You think so?"

"This is amazing," he said emphatically, beyond impressed. This was not something you just picked up after a few weeks or months or even a year. This was years upon years of hard work and skill on display. "I'm being serious. This looks great."

Ruby beamed.

The next page was more of a diagram, detailing the parts of his weapon and shield, and a list of notes on potential upgrades. She'd even drawn a few concepts; there was one where the sword had a similar rotating Dust chamber to Weiss' rapier, another where a short barrel was grafted into the guard alongside a trigger situated just below, and then another where his shield had been modified with a Dust component, allowing for the use of various Dust types to defend or attack.

There was even one detailing the addition of a great sword form using the collapsed sheath form of his shield.

"Woah," he couldn't keep the awe out of his voice, staring at her drawings. "Ruby, these are… you've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"

She laughed, scratching her cheek as she tried to downplay it. "Um, maybe just a little bit…?"

It wasn't just his weapon she'd been theory crafting upgrades for, either. There was Ember Celica, Gambol Shroud, StormFlower, Manghild – all of their weapons, carefully drawn and expanded upon, the pages overflowing with ideas and different concepts.

"Ehehe," she giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sometimes I get a little carried away."

Jaune had never really truly considered upgrading his weapon before. Sure, there had been the odd thought every now and then but Crocea Mors was more than just a sword to him. It was an heirloom, a family treasure almost. The thought of changing it in some way almost felt sacrilegious. He'd be much more likely to just get a gun or something that he could carry around instead of modifying his great-grandfather's sword.

And yet...

"I guess I know who to come to if I ever want to upgrade," he said and the look on her face was pure bliss, her eyes sparkling.

"Really~?"

"Not that I'm thinking about doing anything, but—" he tried to say but it was too late, Ruby smitten with the idea.

"Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod, Jaune~! You'll really let me work on your sword?"

Jaune opened his mouth, then shut it again.

"I'll take real good care of it, Jaune. Trust me~! I'll make sure to treat it well, you'll never find another girl that'll take better care of your sword than me!"

Ruby was more dangerous than she realized.

"If I decided on something," he said slowly. "If – then I'll come to you."

She deflated a little bit but nodded quickly, her head whipping back and forth so fast, it was in danger of flying off.

"Sure, sure – if you do, I'll be right here, ready and willing."

...she surely wasn't saying it this way on purpose, right? She was Yang's sister, so it was possible.

"Riiiight."

"Which one did you like the most?" she asked, genuine in her curiosity.

Jaune didn't even have to think about it. "The Dust modifications to the shield. I think that would be the most useful, though… I'd have to learn how to better utilize Dust first."

Ruby grinned. "Yeah, you wouldn't want to blow yourself up. Hmm – that is probably the trickiest upgrade to do. First, I'd need to see the inside mechanisms of how your shield collapses and enlarges, and then find the proper components to fit. Since your shield is primarily used to block attacks, it'll require some type of shock dampener as well to protect the Dust or it might detonate prematurely. Powdered Dust would be best for ease of loading and space constraints. Oooh, Weiss could totally get a hold of some nifty tech – Atlas has all the best stuff~! And she's like a Dust Princess, so I'm sure she'd be happy to supply us with testing material."

She was getting completely into it, firing off things Jaune had little comprehension of and it didn't take long at all for him to get completely lost.

"—vent out the front without compromising the structural integrity of the shield—"

"—storage inside while in its sheath form—"

"—limited by types of dust—"

When she finally finished, she looked at him expectantly, as if he understood even half of what she'd said. Jaune stared at her blankly

"If," Jaune reminded her, covering up the fact that he had no idea.

Ruby sighed but nodded, still excited. "Right, right – if."

Jaune had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time he heard about this.

The fight between Yang and Cardin quickly became the talk of the school. Someone must have been recording it because a video of the bout made the rounds, and now it was known to everyone that Cardin wasn't quite the blowhard everyone thought he was. While he wasn't suddenly this amazing fighter, his semblance made him a tricky opponent for anyone. Theories about why he was hiding his semblance were rife, and what exactly his ability entailed.

Pyrrha had the most reasonable take, Jaune thought.

"The Vytal Festival is taking place this year," she said simply, neatly slicing her pieces of chicken into bite sized chunks. The dining hall was packed for dinner, and all Jaune could hear were people discussing Yang and Cardin's showdown. "He may have been trying to keep it a secret as a sort of trump card. To win such a tournament can do a lot for a prospective Huntsman's career. It isn't so unusual for fighters on the pro-circuit to do the same to gain any advantage they can."

Even Jaune knew what the Vytal Festival was. Every four years, the Kingdoms of Remnant that signed the Treaty of Vytal after the Great War came together in the spirit of peace and friendly competition. Vale was hosting it this year, and it was the largest event in the world by far, an occasion that pitted the words best athletes against one another, representing their countries in a variety of different sports and disciplines, capped off by the four Huntsmen Academies competing in a fighting tournament to decide who trained the best Huntsmen and Huntresses in the world.

Even a little country boy such as himself had grown up watching it on television.

Aside from the sports and fighting tournament, there was a massive parade and as the title suggested, a festival. A two week long festival that brought together the cultures of the world. Vale was going to be overrun by tourists.

He was looking forward to experiencing it.

"So that happens a lot, then?" Blake asked, genuinely curious. "They try to hide skills and abilities for as long as possible?"

"Mhm," Pyrrha nodded. "The more you use something, the more likely it will be that someone will come up with a counter to it. When I would prepare for a fight, most of the time I wasn't drilling my technique or working out. I was going over recordings of my opponents. You can learn a lot about a fighter by watching them fight."

"So he had big aspirations, huh?" Yang smirked, enjoying all the attention she was receiving from her classmates. "Too bad the cats out of the bag."

"It appears that Cardin let his emotions get the better of him," Ren said. "In his anger, he showed his hand."

Weiss hummed. "Typical. He got a little taste of his own medicine and couldn't take it. Bullies never can."

The specifics of his semblance were hard to pin down but Pyrrha also had a theory about that.

"At first, I thought maybe it had something to do with his helm," she revealed. "He rarely brings it to class and the only other times he has worn it, it was during team sparring sessions. When he was fighting against his own teammates."

Nora frowned. "There are semblances like that?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Some semblances can only manifest when used with a medium. I have come across many. One such person required a sword to bring out the full potential of his ability. His semblance was the ability to compress air around an object. He could use it to defend by shrouding his body or increase the cutting power of blades by focusing it using his sword."

Blake had an interesting expression, as if recalling something troubling.

"Blake?" Jaune asked.

She shook her head. "It's nothing. It's just… I knew someone that used a medium in a similar way. He could gather energy and release it with his blade, and it was… incredibly potent. At its strongest, I saw it slice straight through aura as if it wasn't even there."

That sounded powerful – and deadly.

"But I think Cardin's semblance is different. Rather than require a medium, I think it has to meet some kind of condition," Pyrrha continued. "Why were Yang's attacks so ineffective and yet worked on her desperate, last ditch effort? What was different about all those other times and the last one?"

"Hey, it wasn't like I was desperate or anything," Yang scoffed, trying to play down how close she'd come to losing. "I was putting on a show, that's all."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yang, you were totally pooping your pants. Admit it."

"I was not!" she said, outraged. "How dare you say such a thing about your super talented, beautiful older sister."

"Very modest," Weiss deadpanned. "Pyrrha, you were saying?"

Pyrrha laughed. "Right – well, there was one big difference. When Yang hit him that final time, Cardin's feet weren't on the ground. Yang had collapsed the stage with her punch, and it meant that he was airborne when she connected with her final punch."

"You're saying that Cardin needs to be standing on solid ground for his semblance to work?" Ren asked.

Pyrrha shrugged. "It might not even have to be solid ground. As long as his feet are planted, it's possible that any attack that strikes him can be ignored."

A powerful ability to be sure but with a glaring weakness that could be exploited. It made a lot of sense why Cardin would try to keep its use as infrequent as possible so no one could figure it out, and yet Pyrrha had seemingly pinpointed how to exploit it after one use.

"Damn, you're really something, aren't ya?" Yang sighed, shaking her head. "You really worked all that out from our fight?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure but I am fairly confident," Pyrrha said. "We will never know until one of us fights him again."

Jaune laughed. "Amazing."

Green eyes darted his way before drifting away, and he got the feeling that he shouldn't have said anything. Pyrrha appeared uncomfortable, spearing a piece of chicken and shoveling it into her mouth.

Why was it that whenever he praised her, she shied away?

"If this match has shown us anything, it's that we need to take our training seriously," Weiss said, turning to face him. "Jaune, I'd like to schedule some team training exercises."

He blinked. "Uh – sure, it's probably about time that we started doing those."

Other than the official sparring time they had in Combat Class, they'd all been training and working out individually.

Nora was all for it. "Yes~!"

Blake was far less enthused. "If we must."

"We must," Weiss scowled at her teammate. "As Pyrrha said, the Vytal Festival is this year and I aim to win it. For that, we need to progress as a team."

"Heh – you think you're gonna win?" Yang slapped the table, leaning forward cockily. "That's some pretty big imagination you have there, Weiss-cream."

"What did you just call me?" Weiss asked, confused.

"You know – Weiss-cream, ice cream – you're like, the ice princess – come on," Yang snapped when Weiss just continued to look perplexed. "It isn't that hard to understand! That was totally on the money."

Ruby started laughing as Weiss just shot Yang a look that clearly said 'this girl needs help'.

"My puns are top shelf, I don't give a shit what anyone says," Yang huffed. "And if you think you guys can beat Team RPRY, you've got another thing coming."

Jaune thought they matched up rather well – that was, if Pyrrha didn't exist. As depressing as it was to think about, Pyrrha was just heads and shoulders above the rest of them. She had yet to suffer a defeat; no, she had yet to suffer an attack landing on her. She was untouchable, and if Jaune was being perfectly honest, he wasn't completely over being trounced by her even though he felt a little better that he wasn't alone.

She trounced everyone she fought. Some more than others.

If Weiss was serious about winning the Vytal Festival, then they were going to have to defeat Pyrrha at some point.

It felt impossible.

"The Vytal Festival is still some months away," Ren spoke up. "It isn't until our second semester, so we have a lot of time until then."

"The earlier we start, the better," Weiss smiled at him. "Right, Jaune?"

He had no issues with it. Winning the Vytal Festival would be… honestly amazing. He was more than willing to put in the hard work. To win such an event was to be the strongest one competing and to become stronger was always his goal. To protect those that needed protecting.

"We can start tomorrow, if everyone wants?"

"I'm down," Nora said instantly. "We totally have to come up with team attack moves."

Ruby gasped. "Oh, oh – we need to do that too! Team RPRY – we're gonna train together starting tomorrow."

"Fine by me," Yang said, grinning. "We've already been training together, sis – more the merrier."

Pyrrha nodded, giving her team leader an encouraging smile. "That's a good idea, Ruby."

After dinner, as they were making their way back to their rooms, Jaune noticed Blake lingering behind. When he met her eyes, she gestured with her head, nodding to the side. He took the hint, slowing down and letting the others walk on ahead.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Not here," she said, motioning for him to follow. Now he was really interested.

They stopped in one of the courtyards, Blake taking a seat on a bench in front of an arrangement of flowers. Jaune joined her, giving her a curious glance.

"Is everything okay?"

She must have heard the concern in his voice, for she quickly nodded. "I'm fine – it's just… I wanted to speak to you."

"Right."

When she didn't say anything, he wasn't sure what to do.

"Uh… Blake?"

"Sorry, I'm just thinking," she said, frowning.

"I know you said you're fine but now you've got me a little worried," he confessed, turning to face her fully. "You know you can talk to me, right? Well – of course you do, you wouldn't have invited me out here if you didn't. What I mean to say is," he sighed. "Sometimes you just need to say it. I promise I won't take offence."

"I'm not – what I have to say shouldn't offend you."

"Thank god," he quipped. "I don't know if I could take it if you suddenly started insulting me."

It was small but he saw her lips twitch into an involuntary smile. It was brief, but it was there. That eased some of his anxiety.

"So – what's up, Blake?"

Her fingers picked at the hem of her skirt. "Do you think we're trying to do the right thing?"

"What do you mean?"

Blake waved an arm, as if gesturing at the entire school. "I mean… being here, studying to become Huntsmen. Do you think… this is the right way forward?"

"Well, that really depends," Jaune said slowly. "What is it that you wish to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean – why are you becoming a Huntsman in the first place?" he explained. "What is it that you are trying to accomplish?"

It was a simple question but simple questions didn't always have simple answers, and Jaune could see that Blake didn't really know how to answer him. Something he'd learned about Blake in the short time they'd known each other was that when she found something a little vexing, her nose would wrinkle up a little as she thought.

It was doing that right now.

"For me," Jaune continued. "I just want to help people. Like I said to you before, Grimm are the real enemy. Every day, the towns and villages on the frontier are threatened with destruction. Maybe it doesn't really seem that way. Most of the time, things are peaceful. But all it takes is that one time and bam," he clapped his hands, causing her to jump. "An entire town is reduced to rubble. Lives are lost. I want to stop that."

Blake stared at him. "Jaune… you can't possibly stop that. No one can."

Jaune laughed. "I know. It doesn't matter how powerful I become, how high I rise, I'm just one person. I can't be everywhere at once. Remnant is a large place, after all. But," and here he held her eyes, refusing to look away. "That doesn't mean I can't try."

"...but you'll fail," she said, confused.

"Yeah, I'll probably fail," he conceded, smiling wryly. "But I can help those in front of me. I can do everything I can to save those I can protect. And being a Huntsman is part of that. So, to me – it's worth it."

Blake looked away. "That's an admirable goal."

"Thanks," Jaune said, genuinely. "I'm sure it sounds a little naive but… I want to help in any way that I can, and this is my way of helping."

They sat in silence for a little while. Jaune saw that Blake was in deep thought, so he leaned back and gazed up at the darkening sky. A gentle breeze washed over them, taking the sting out of the lingering heat of the day. It was refreshing.

When some time had passed, he asked, "So why are you here at Beacon, Blake?"

"I don't know," she said, and Jaune could hear in her voice how much that bothered her. "I just… at first, it was because I wanted a new start. And like you, I want to help people. I want to defend them against Grimm, and against other people… but sometimes I wonder…"

A new start? Jaune felt his curiosity tingle at that but he wouldn't press. Just as he'd done with Ren and Nora, if she wanted to share, he was all ears but he wouldn't pry it out of her.

"About what?"

"When I see people like Cardin," she didn't quite spit his name but it sounded like a curse word all the same, coming from her. "Here, at Beacon. Huntsmen are meant to be protectors, they're meant to help those in need – and yet you've seen how he acts, what he and his team were doing… doesn't that, I don't know – shake your faith in the system?"

He'd never really thought about it that way before.

"So much bad still happens in the world," she continued, shaking her head. "Sometimes I wonder if we'll be able to help at all. And people like Cardin – they only make things worse. I can't help but think he'll abuse his power rather than use it for the right reasons."

Jaune spoke from the heart.

"We can only do what we can do," he said. "I don't know why Cardin acts that way he does and why he is trying to be a Huntsman, but Huntsmen aren't perfect. They're just people. I'm sure there are bad ones and good ones, just like everything else. All I know is that I'd rather be in a world with them rather than a world without them. We can't save everyone, Blake, just as you said – but those we do manage to help, they're people who may have been lost otherwise. Isn't that worth it?"

When it was clear that she wasn't going to answer, Jaune returned to gazing at the sky. Why was it that whenever he spoke to Blake, things got so heavy? It wasn't that he disliked it but… sometimes, couldn't they just kick back and relax?

"It is worth it," she finally said. "I just hate that someone like him is here. His type of thinking doesn't belong. I hope it doesn't get someone hurt in the future."

"Me too."

Blake smoothed her skirt out, looking a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry about being so dramatic. I know I shouldn't just dump on you like this but… you're a good listener."

Jaune shrugged. "Hey – I mean, I am our team leader. I suppose this is part of the job?"

Blake smirked. "I suppose it is."

"You can always go to Weiss if it would make you more comfortable."

Her expression nearly made him laugh. "No, thank you."

"I would like it if we could just talk about something unimportant once in a while."

"Like what?"

"I dunno," he thought about it a little bit. "You read a lot, right? Your books take up half the room."

"They do not," Blake shoved him playfully. "That is an exaggeration."

"Maybe a little one," he corrected, grinning as she shoved him again. For a moment, he was taken aback by her suddenly playful attitude but he liked it. "I was just wondering what your favorite book was, that's all. I've seen your head buried in a few different ones but I can't tell which one you like more than the other."

"You want to know what my favorite book is?" she asked doubtfully.

"Why not?" he shot back. "We're friends, right? I mean – we are friends, Blake. Not just teammates. At least, that's how I feel."

"I… feel the same way," she said quietly. "I – my favorite book… promise not to laugh."

"Why would I laugh?"

"Just promise me!"

"Okay, okay – I won't laugh."

"...Ninja's of Love."

Jaune stared at her blankly.

Her cheeks flushed hotly. "Say something!"

"I didn't think you'd be into romance," he said. "Wait, it is romance, right?"

Blake shot him an incredulous look. "Is it…? Jaune!"

"What?"

"...you don't know what it is, do you?"

Jaune grimaced. "Okay, so – to be fair, I'm not a huge reader and sometimes it takes awhile for popular series to get to us out in the sticks."

Blake started laughing and he didn't know why. For some reason, he felt like he was missing something.

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