"And by ring-out, Miss Belladonna wins the match." Pulling a ribbon, Blake pulled back her weapon, a black pistol with a double-edged sickle blade. Her opponent who she threw out of the ring with the kusarigama twitched in pain on the floor. Jaune and his teammates clapped as she shifted her weapon into a katana and sheathed it. As for her team, Ruby and Yang were cheering on their teammate while Weiss waved a flag with her team name, blushing. Glynda walked into the ring and addressed Blake. "Excellent control of your weapon there, Miss Belladonna."
"Thank you, Professor," said Blake with a bow, returning to her seat. Her opponent slowly crawled to her feet and tried to make her own way back, but was still a little dizzy after being thrown out like a rock from a sling. Her teammates ended up carrying her to her seat.
"We still have time for one more spar, class," said Glynda as she looked at her Scroll. Jaune was nervous. He had been here for a couple weeks, but he rarely participated in the Combat class practice matches. He wasn't a big fan of the one-on-one matches, the spotlight on both people with the entire class watching them. While his record was pretty split on winning and losing, he still dreaded the idea of making a fool of himself in front of everybody like that poor girl who was tossed out in seconds.
Normally he was able to stay in the back because the combat matches were decided by volunteering and accepting challenges. But today was different. Those who rarely fought, such as Blake, were being selected to show off by Professor Goodwitch. And that meant that he was going to be up last. The final match of the class with all eyes on him. After the awful first impression he had, Jaune wanted to keep the blows to his reputation to a minimum.
"Jaune Arc, how about you?"
Glynda's words made Jaune's entire body freeze up as he pointed to himself. "M-Me?"
"Yes, you. You've rarely participated in my class, so now is your chance to show what you can really do. I always find that team leaders should lead by example."
"You've got me there, Professor," said Jaune as he adjusted one of his vambraces. Glynda simply scrolled through her Scroll, looking at the other students.
"As for your opponent today… Cardin Winchester, would you and Mr. Arc come to the stage?"
Jaune turned to see the boy in question as he smirked, pounding a fist into his palm. He was a muscular guy an inch or two taller than the six-foot-one Jaune, and stacked with muscle underneath his Huntsman gear. He had burnt orange hair that was combed back and peaking at the front, and a pair of indigo eyes. He wore a black shirt with red trim and matching pants, a red sash tied around his waist. He was also heavily armored. Gray metal platings with gold trim covered his arms, shoulders, and thighs with thick metal boots on his feet. The most prominent part of his armor was the chest piece, a golden bird with outspread wings on display. Jaune gulped as he went to the right side of the stage, Cardin going to the left.
"Best of luck up there, Jaune!" cheered Pyrrha.
"Yeah, you've got this! Go Team JNPR!" cheered Nora.
"Just keep calm and you'll be fine," finished Ren.
'Easy for you to say,' thought Jaune, but he just smiled and nodded at his teammates as he unsheathed his sword and stepped up to the stage. Cardin followed, his own weapon resting on his shoulder. It was a heavy black and gray mace with ten black flanges made of titanium. Inside the head was a red Fire Dust crystal kept in place by four metal claws. The thing looked heavy, but Cardin proceeded to swing it around with one hand before he grabbed it with two.
"How's it feel?" asked Cardin, puzzling Jaune.
"Being up here? A little exciting, a little terrifying, the usual," said Jaune as he expanded his scabbard into a shield.
"No, not that. How does it feel to know that I'm going to pound you into ground meat in front of all your friends?" clarified Cardin with an overconfident smirk, bouncing the mace in his hand.
"We'll see," said Jaune. If the goal was to intimidate him, it was working. 'That thing probably hits like a truck, but I've also got the armor to worry about. I'll stick with my sword in my dominant hand and try to take him out fast.'
"Are both fighters ready?" asked Glynda. Two nods of confirmation caused her to tap a few buttons on her Scroll, setting the stage. Above the sets of stairs, two screens showing the combatants and their Aura gauges appeared. An invisible energy wall covered the front of the stage, preventing stray attacks from hitting the audience while providing space to knock the opponent out of the ring. Finally, the lights dimmed save for a spotlight on the two, Glynda stepping out of sight. It looked as though the two were completely alone. This helped to minimize distractions, but the knowledge of the dozens of eyes watching didn't help Jaune. "Begin!"
Once Glynda started the fight, Jaune made the first move as he sprinted towards Cardin. With his shield in front of him, Jaune swung his sword down. But Cardin blocked the strike with the shaft of his mace, pushing him back. Jaune quickly spun around, slashing across Cardin's chest while the mace user was preparing an overhead strike. This hit landed true, but it didn't seem to faze Cardin in the slightest. Once Cardin brought his mace down, Jaune raised his shield and braced for impact.
As the heavy head struck his shield, Jaune could feel the metal ringing. His arm ached even as Aura was poured into it, bolstering his defense. He could feel his knees buckling. As soon as Cardin slid the mace off, Jaune was quick to strike. He had to finish this fight quickly, as one good hit from that thing could shatter his Aura completely.
Jaune started swinging his blade as fast as he could, but Cardin was fast for somebody with so much armor. He kept blocking the swings with little effort, whether with his weapon or his forearms. Jaune felt himself sweating as he kept trying and failing to find an opening. Finally, he had a chance. Once Cardin pulled back for another swing, Jaune bashed him with his shield. Cardin stumbled for a bit, allowing Jaune to land two strikes to the stomach. Holding his hand back, he went for a stab to the head.
But Cardin was quick to adjust his body, turning so the blade bounced off his shoulder armor instead. Jaune raised his shield again just as the heavy mace crashed into it from his left, Jaune's arm feeling like it was about to break. The hit pushed him back, causing him to stumble a moment. He managed to stop himself from falling, leaning forward and putting his sword on the ground to lean on it. Jaune took heavy breaths as he tried to recover. How much longer could he last if even a perfect block hurt so much?
Looking at his opponent, the orange-haired boy was smirking as he held the mace in his left hand, once more leaning it on his shoulder. "Didn't think anybody here could take two hits from The Executioner and still stand. But all that means is more fun for me." He let out a short laugh, enraging Jaune.
Jaune snarled as he got back up, running at his opponent for another overhead slash. But rather than block the attack, Cardin sidestepped it and ran behind Jaune. The blonde's eyes widened as he turned around with his shield ready. As he expected, Cardin swung his mace. But he wasn't expecting an upward swing. The hit sent Jaune's shield flying and knocked him off balance, causing him to fall over as his greatest defense fell off the stage with a clatter.
Climbing back to his feet, Jaune charged forward with both hands gripping his sword's hilt. Swinging the sword, Cardin blocked it once more with the shaft of his weapon. Jaune was hoping that by using both hands, he could have enough strength in his swing to push back Cardin's weapon and line up a thrust. But he severely underestimated how strong his fellow team leader was. Cardin pushed back his blade until it was nearly touching Jaune's shoulder.
"This is the part where you lose," said Cardin with a smirk.
"Over my dead-" Jaune attempted to retort, but was cut off by a knee to the gut. Jaune dropped his sword and fell onto the ground as Cardin walked behind him. Rolling over and looking up, he saw the armored man step into view, the same cocky smirk on his face. Jaune tried to move, but his body wouldn't listen. All he could do was flare up his Aura and hope that he wouldn't get knocked out as Cardin raised his mace for the final blow.
*BUZZ*
"Cardin, that's enough!" shouted Glynda as a buzzer rang out, Cardin stopping his swing. The spotlight went out as the main lights turned back on. Jaune still lay on the floor as Cardin backed up, placing the top of his mace on the floor and leaning against it. Glynda walked between them as she tapped on her Scroll. "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match."
Jaune looked over at his team. Nora looked crushed, with Ren patting her back. But the worst was Pyrrha, looking at him with those sad eyes. Jaune felt even lower now. Not only did he lose, but he let his team down. Getting up into a seated position, he pulled out his Scroll and opened it up. Just as the professor said, his Aura was in the red. Catching a brief look at Cardin's gauge over the stage, it had a few slivers taken out from his attacks, but was still well in the green. The fight wasn't even close; he was curb stomped.
"Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now," said Glynda as Jaune looked up at her. "Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more… defensive strategy." Her words were like arrows hitting the bullseye in his mind. They hurt, but they were right on target. He was good at coming up with a plan of attack before a fight or when he had a reprieve, but he sucked at changing plans on the fly in the heat of battle. More than one Atlesian Knight capitalized on that and kicked his butt when he was training. "We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?"
"Speak for yourself," said Cardin as he rested The Executioner on his shoulder, walking off the stage. Jaune sighed as he stayed on the stage, not wanting anybody to see him slink down the stairs in defeat
Glynda kept speaking, this time addressing the rest of the class. "Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!" Jaune saw multiple students pumped up by the announcement. Yang was punching the air, Weiss had her fist shaking as she smiled, and Ruby was squealing with excitement as her whole body shook.
The bell rang as the students started shuffling out, eager to get to lunch. But four stayed behind for a moment. One was Jaune, who hung his head in shame. He made no attempt to get up from the stage, his legs feeling like lead. The others were his teammates, who got onto the stage with him.
"Here you go, Jaune!" said Nora, handing him his sword and scabbard while Pyrrha and Ren helped him to his feet. "It'd kinda suck if you lost these."
"That's an understatement," muttered Jaune as he took the two and sheathed Crocea Mors. "Thanks, Nora."
"Don't worry about this fight," said Ren. "Don't forget that there's always next time." Jaune just nodded with a shaky smile.
"Are you okay, Jaune?" asked Pyrrha. "You still seem a little out of it."
"I'm fine," lied Jaune. "Come on, I'm starving." The four got off the stage and made their way to the cafeteria. Hopefully some food would cheer him up.
~KRA~
As the cafeteria was abuzz with chatter, a student was making her way through the crowd with her tray, trying to spy her team. She was wearing the standard Beacon uniform, her brown hair going down her back as her brown eyes moved back and forth to find her friends. And most unusually, the long pair of brown rabbit ears on the top of her head twitched.
This was Velvet Scarlatina, a second-year student and a member of Team CFVY. She also happened to be a Faunus, a species native to Remnant that were essentially humans with a single animal trait. In her case, she had a pair of rabbit ears in addition to her normal ears, a trait she inherited from her father.
Velvet's ears twitched as she tried to listen for her teammates. Enhanced hearing definitely helped at times, especially for an aspiring Huntress. But while she heard many a conversation, none of them contained the voices of her friends. She also heard a soft ping, pulling out her Scroll and sighing as she saw the message. While teammates usually shared their classes as a group, Velvet was a special case due to taking a class out of order. As such, she had her classes before and after lunch switched so she could attend Remnant History for her fourth class of the day.
And unfortunately, that meant she had forgotten about Coco's plan to make a run to her favorite cafe between classes. Ironic, given her Semblance. The "Where are you, Bun-Bun? I couldn't stall the pilot any longer!" from her leader made Velvet realize she had forgotten to meet up with them, and they probably left without her to make the Bullhead.
Velvet: Sorry, I forgot that was today and already got my lunch :(
Coco: That's okay, I'll get your favorite for you. See you in Tactics class! ;)
Velvet closed her Scroll and looked around for an empty spot. At least her team didn't do it on purpose; they'd never pull something like that. Besides, maybe this wasn't so bad! Maybe she could talk to some of the freshmen, since first and second years shared their lunch period. Being on friendly terms with the younger students was always a good thing. If only she could find somewhere to sit!
Finally, she noticed a vacant seat at a table with four students, all decked out in their combat year and joking amongst themselves. She recognized them from the opening ceremony as Team CRDL. The tall, orange-haired fellow was their leader, if she recalled. Cardin Winchester.
He was talking with somebody who sported brown eyes and a shaved head, save for the messy sea green mohawk. His outfit consisted of a pale green long-sleeved shirt under a dark green hoodie with the sleeves cut off, dark gray pants, and brown steel-toed boots that reached his knees. A brown strap around his chest held a green spaulder with spikes to his left shoulder, and he had light green bracers around his forearms with silver birds on them. Velvet racked her brain trying to remember his name while he argued whether a King Taijitu could take a Nevermore in a fight. Russell… Crow? No, wrong bird. Thrush, that was it!
Across from Cardin was a boy with dirty blonde hair that was neatly combed with sweeping bangs, listening in on their debate with boredom. His eyes seemed closed, as though he was constantly squinting. He wore a black shirt and matching pants, a black scarf wrapped neatly around his neck. Over his chest, back, and shoulders were tan pieces of plate armor with matching bracers on his arms. He also wore a belt with a bronze bird on the buckle and four more segments of plating extending downward, knee-high metal boots finishing the suit. Dove Bronzewing, if she recalled.
Finally, a boy with blue neck-length hair and brown eyes was sitting next to Dove, eating a chicken wing as he watched the argument with a smirk. He wore a black V-neck shirt and pants, dark gray armor with light gray edges on his chest, back, and shoulders with similarly-colored bracers and boots. The boots seemed to curve up into a spike at the front of the opening. This was… Sky Lark.
Velvet hesitated for a moment, cautious. For her, meeting new people was much easier said than done. She was quiet, shy, and timid. The complete opposite of her best friend Coco. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to them. 'Just give it a try. They might be nice.'
"Hello there. Mind if I sit here?"
CRDL stopped what they were doing and turned around, Cardin spinning around and putting his elbows on the table. "Sure, why not?" he asked with a smirk. Velvet smiled as she sat between him and Russell, not noticing Cardin's eyes on her.
"Thanks! Oh, I'm Velvet, a second-year student. Um, how are you liking Beacon so far?" Nobody said anything, Russell taking a sip of his People Like Grapes as Sky looked at her with a smirk. Suddenly, she heard a stifled laughter coming from Dove, the armored freshman covering his growing smirk. "Hm? What's so funny? Oh, did I say something weird?"
"*snort* No, it's just, what's with those? Some sort of weird headband?" he asked as he pointed at her. Or more accurately, above her. Velvet felt her cheeks flush as a feeling of dread swept over her. She could only hope he was just sheltered and curious, nothing more.
"No, they're my ears," explained Velvet as said ears drooped a bit. "Is there something wrong with them?"
"Man, those things are hilarious! What a riot!" laughed Sky as he got out of his seat, putting his hands on the side of his head and bouncing back and forth. Velvet's cheeks became even redder as the others laughed. Sheltered, yes. But not curious. These guys were a group of punks. "What, do you have some sort of freaky Semblance? I don't think I'd be caught dead with those dopey things sticking out of my skull!"
"Nah, she's a Faunus. They're cool, I saw them all the time back home," said Russell as he put his foot on the seats. Velvet turned to the new voice with a smile. A voice of reason among his insensitive teammates. What a breath of fresh air. But before she could get a word in, his smirk turned predatory. "But then again, they had cool stuff like horns and wings. I've never seen one as dumb-looking as her before!" Velvet's smile vanished instantly. She had spoken too soon. Being impartial meant little if one was still a jerk.
"Ha! Herbivore! Nice one, Russ!" laughed Sky, Russell going to the other side of the table to receive a high-five for his unintentional pun. Velvet tried to keep calm, nibbling her sandwich. She wasn't the confrontational sort like her team, so she wasn't about to tell them off. Besides, even if she did, a second-year yelling at her juniors wouldn't look too good. And the relationship between humans and Faunus was shaky enough, so any students who took notice probably wanted to stay out of it.
"Dude, she even eats like a rabbit! That's awesome!" laughed Dove as he moved between his friends. Velvet stopped eating as she turned away in shame.
"Hey, ease up on her," said Cardin as he turned back around, putting a hand on her back with force. Velvet turned to see him with a malicious grin. "Hey, need help finding your owner? I'll keep an eye out for any silk hats." Velvet felt sick to her stomach now. He wasn't an indiscriminate bully like Russell or an insensitive jerk like Dove and Sky. No, he was worse than all three combined. He was a bigot through and through.
"On second thought, maybe I'll sit elsewhere," said Velvet as she put her cup back on her tray and stood up. Just because she didn't want to retaliate against them didn't mean she had to take their crud. She'd just walk away rather than give them the reaction they wanted.
"Seriously, those can't be real!" she heard Sky say as she started to walk away.
"Of course they are. Check it out!" And that was when a hand grabbed her left rabbit ear tightly and pulled. Hard.
~KRA~
"So! There we were, in the middle of the night!"
"It was day."
"We were SURROUNDED by Ursai!"
"They were Beowolves."
Pyrrha sighed as she listened to Nora's latest crazy story. The hammer wielder always had a penchant for telling these tales, this one being a dream that she kept having. As she regaled the lunchroom table, Ren corrected any embellishments on her part while he drank his coffee. Pyrrha wasn't particularly invested, but she listened anyway. It was the polite thing to do for a friend, after all.
"Dozens of them!" yelled Nora as she stood up.
"Two of them," corrected Ren.
Glancing around, she saw various other reactions from her friends. Yang was completely captivated, hands cupping her face as she listened in awe. Ruby seemed to be listening politely just like she was. Blake and Weiss were tuning her out completely, the former reading her book and the latter filing her nails.
And last but not least was Jaune, who was pushing a fry back and forth with his fork as he stared into space. Pyrrha looked at him somberly. It was clear that his loss was still affecting him. And that was far from the only thing. Ruby took notice as she also started to look at her friend with sadness.
"But they were no match… and in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" finished Nora, earning a sigh from her partner.
"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now," explained Ren.
"Jaune? Are you okay?" asked Pyrrha. Now that Nora was finished with her story, she could focus all her attention on helping her partner.
"Huh?" asked Jaune as he turned to face her. "Oh, yeah! Why?"
"It's just that you seem a little… NOT okay," said Ruby. The other members of RWBY and JNPR turned to Jaune, silently agreeing with the young leader. Jaune only looked more anxious with seven pairs of eyes on him.
"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" He held up a thumb while laughing, though his laughter was shaky and forced. All he was doing was reinforcing that he was far from fine. His laughter died out as his eyes wandered, Pyrrha turning to see the source. What she saw was Team CRDL laughing at somebody at their table, the poor girl not finding their antics very funny. And as such, the source of his strife was an elementary deduction.
"Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!" said Pyrrha.
"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah, he just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!"
"He's a bully," corrected Ruby sternly.
Jaune just scoffed and waved his hand. "Oh, please! Name ONE time he's 'bullied' me!" Pyrrha just kept looking at him sadly, three events that she had seen the consequences of coming to mind.
~KRA~
Jaune sighed as he made his way back to his dorm room to swap out his books. As cool as Grimm Studies could be, it could be a bit boring at times. Passing by Cardin, he suddenly felt his textbook being slapped out of his hands as it fell to the floor. Turning to Cardin, he saw the boy just shrug before going on his merry way. "Ah, come on," muttered Jaune.
~KRA~
Jaune was eager to get out of Weapon Crafting class. Another day, another five-minute lecture from Professor Mulberry about the condition of Crocea Mors. It wasn't like he caused those nicks and scratches, it was his ancestor! Well, at least most of them were already there. Besides, he sharpened and polished it daily! And like hell was he gonna reforge a family treasure!
Unfortunately, he was so caught up in his internal irritation that he didn't notice Cardin going through the door on the opposite side. The taller student pushed the shifting button on the sheath, unfolding it into its shield mode and getting the tip stuck in the wooden doorway, blocking the exit. Jaune crashed into his shield, groaning and trying to pull it free to no avail. "Come on!"
~KRA~
"Each of you will be assigned one rocket-propelled locker to store your weapons and extra armor," explained Glynda as the students gathered in the locker room the day before initiation. The launching codes had yet to be disabled, but none of the students had to worry about their codes yet. "Additionally, your locker can be sent to a custom location based on a six-digit code."
Before he knew it, Jaune was pushed into a conveniently open locker, catching Cardin's smug smirk before the door was slammed close. Jaune started to panic in the cramped space, especially when he heard random coordinates being entered on the keypad. "What?! No, wait, wait! You've gotta let me out of here! Please! Don't, don't! Don't do it!" But his words fell on deaf ears as the locker blasted off to an unknown location, Jaune unable to see anything as he soared through the air. "Ah, come OOOON!"
~KRA~
Pyrrha just stared at Jaune as she finished regaling him with the "practical jokes" she had witnessed Cardin pulling on her partner. He just laughed nervously and shrugged. "I didn't land far from the school!" he said with a cracking voice, trying to justify it to himself as much as the others.
"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask," said Pyrrha.
"Ooh!" said Nora as she was hit with a flash of inspiration, getting up with balled fists and a concerning smile. "We'll break his legs!" Pyrrha just gave a nervous grin. That would be a… backup plan. At best.
"Guys, really, it's fine!" said Jaune. "Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone."
"Ow! That hurts!" As if to drive the point home, Pyrrha and company turned to see the girl at CRDL's table trying to leave, only for Cardin to pull on one of her rabbit ears. He and his team were laughing even harder as she struggled to escape, only for him to pull harder. "Please, stop…" she said with a grimace.
"I told you it was real!" laughed Cardin, having no intention of stopping.
"What a freak!" said Russell as he shook his head in disbelief.
"Atrocious. I can't STAND people like him," said Pyrrha, tightening her grip on her fork and threatening to snap the plastic utensil in half. This was no prank, this was just despicable hazing of the poor girl.
"He's NOT the only one," said Blake bitterly, glaring daggers at the group.
"It must be hard to be a Faunus," said Yang sadly as she leaned her head on her hand. Pyrrha wanted so desperately to match over there and put Cardin in his place. However, this was a delicate situation that brute force wouldn't fix. Getting involved for somebody she barely knew could make her team a target, and the last thing she needed was poor Jaune being tormented by Cardin even more. And that girl could be treated even worse for standing up, as people like Cardin rarely gave up so easily.
A loud noise caught her attention, turning to see Jaune with his head down and his palms slapped against the table. Standing up, his eyes that were once unsure and fearful were now full of anger and resolve. "Excuse me," he said as he started walking away. Right to Cardin and his cronies.
"Jaune, wait! You don't want Cardin to pick on you even more!" said Pyrrha.
"Don't worry about me. This will only take a second." With that, he kept walking. Pyrrha and company could only watch in anticipation, ready to jump in if need be. Pyrrha silently wished her partner the very best of luck.
~KRA~
"Hey! Meathead!"
Cardin stopped his guffaws as he turned to Jaune, the noise in the cafeteria dying down as attention was drawn to him. The blonde was practically shaking with rage. He wasn't a particularly vengeful person. If somebody hit him, spat in his eye, robbed him blind, even cut off his limb, he'd just walk away or laugh it off. But that same principle didn't apply to others. He'd be damned before he let anyone else suffer when he could've done something. And right now, this girl who was trying her absolute hardest not to cry in front of her bullies needed his help.
"You say something, Jauney-boy?" asked Cardin. "Speak up! I don't have four ears like this freak!"
"She said to stop. So stop," said Jaune, not flinching in the slightest.
Cardin relented and let go of her ear, the girl dropping her tray on the table and cradling said ear with silent sobs as she looked at Jaune. He gave her a soft smile before he hardened his visage again, looking back at Cardin as the armored boy stood up. "What's gotten into you? Finally decided to grow a spine?"
"Don't bully people! That's not what a Huntsman is supposed to do!" said Jaune.
"And who the hell are you to judge me?" said Cardin with a cocky smirk. Now that he was right in front of Jaune, the leader of JNPR felt his resolve wavering. He didn't want to fight Cardin. He'd get pulverized! And if he used the Driver, he'd be exposing himself and using excessive force. The last thing he wanted to do was become the kind of person he told off Cardin for being. In his hesitation and fear, he took a small step back to get Cardin out of his face.
The other leader let out a baleful laugh. "Come on, Jauney-boy, what happened? Can't back up your big talk? Or maybe you just wanted a refresher of what happened in our sparring match." Cardin cracked his knuckles. "In that case, you better take notes. I don't want you to forget this."
"Forget what, exactly, Mr. Winchester?"
Cardin spun around as Jaune moved beside him, Glynda walking up to the group. Her heels clicking on the floor was the only sound in the cafeteria, the room eerily silent save for a few whispers. "P-Professor Goodwitch?" asked Jaune. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you boys the same question," said Glynda as she came to a stop in front of the leaders. "Care to explain what's going on here?"
"Nothing, Ms. Goodwitch!" said Cardin with a fake smile as he put Jaune into a headlock, causing the blonde to gasp. "Jaune and I were just having a friendly chat, you know?" Cardin's eyes briefly moved to Jaune, the message loud and clear. 'Squeal, and they'll never find your body.'
But Jaune's resolve was too great. "Friendly cha… you were pulling on her ears!" Jaune gagged as Cardin tightened his grip on his neck, Glynda's eyes widening.
"Is this true, Ms. Scarlatina?" asked Glynda as she turned to the girl, Jaune realizing that she had stayed around for the whole exchange. And he was thankful. Hopefully she'd be able to summon the courage to speak up.
"No way! Cardin wouldn't do something like that!" yelled one of Cardin's teammates. Jaune couldn't see who, and he couldn't remember their voices.
"Your willingness to stand up for a friend is commendable, Mr. Bronzewing," said Glynda. "However, I don't remember addressing you." She turned to the rabbit girl and did something Jaune never thought she would do: soften her voice. "Please, Ms. Scarlatina. Tell us the truth."
"I… I-I… it's t-true. They were making fun of me, of my ears. A-And when I tried to leave… he grabbed my ear. And he wouldn't let go when I asked him to." She was crying at this point, holding her ear as though it would fall apart if she let it go. Jaune felt the pressure around his neck move away as Cardin started to back away, Glynda turning on him with a MURDEROUS glare.
"Mr. Winchester, I am appalled. I don't think I need to say that this behavior will NOT be tolerated here at Beacon."
"But-"
"You're here to become a Huntsman, are you not? To become somebody who protects others? How would those you protect react to the fact that you belittle others, others who share that noble cause?" Neither Cardin nor his teammates answered the vice-headmistress. "Come with me, the four of you. Professor Ozpin will want to hear about this." The four freshmen looked at each other in disbelief before following her out of the cafeteria.
"D-Do you need me there? For my side of the story?" asked the girl.
"I'll be able to inform Ozpin of what you told me," said Glynda. "Besides, I think you've spent enough time around these boys." She proceeded to lead CRDL out of the cafeteria, Cardin giving one final glare to Jaune. The students went back to what they were doing now that the tense atmosphere was gone.
Jaune turned to the girl, who was wrapping her arms around her body. "Hey, you okay?" he asked. "Is your ear fine?"
"Um, it's a little sore, but I'll be fine. I think," said the girl.
"Hey, why don't you sit with my friends?" asked Jaune. "I promise we don't bite."
"Are you sure? I'd hate to be a bother," said the girl as she picked up her tray.
"It's no problem! Oh, the name's Jaune!"
The girl looked at him and gave him a soft smile. That little glimpse of happiness she had made all his efforts worth it. "Velvet," she said as she followed him to his table. Jaune was greeted with a round of applause for his actions (from Nora, anyway), while Pyrrha and Ruby gave him smiles. He was lying when he said he was fine, but he felt much better now.
~KRA~
Pyrrha's note-taking speed was put to the test every day after lunch, when it was time for History class. And that had to do with the professor, one Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. He was a tall beanpole of a man with round, thick-rimmed glasses. He had messy green hair that was combed back, slightly resembling a patch of grass. His outfit was very haphazard, as though he had attempted to set a record for getting dressed. His white button-down shirt had a raised collar and was partially tucked into his dark green pants, black bands around the sleeves. He had a slack yellow tie. And his shoes were two different colors; one was brown, and the other was black. On his desk was a green thermos with a dark gray bottom and handle, which he used to refill the cup that he took a sip from every couple minutes. Pyrrha assumed it was coffee, partially due to the fact that Doctor Oobleck was constantly racing around the lecture hall at speeds too fast for the human eye.
Turning to see her partner, she saw that he was fast asleep with his head propped up by his hands. Pyrrha could only sigh. After the first week, students had a tendency to spread themselves out a bit in the classrooms rather than sticking with their team the whole time. But now she wished she was next to Jaune rather than Blake. He'd need the extra help, considering this was his worst class. And his midday nap wasn't helping in the least.
"Yes!" shouted Oobleck as he zipped around the classroom, stopping in front of the board. A map of an island was hanging there with multiple photos connected by strings, looking like something out of a conspiracy nut's basement. "Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution - more popularly known as the Faunus War - humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." He held his pointer to the map, identifying it as Menagerie. He moved to the side of the room at a ridiculous speed before taking a sip of his coffee, then zipped back to the front of his messy desk. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively RECENT events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day! Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?"
A few of the Faunus students raised their hands, including a reluctant Velvet. Pyrrha felt nothing but pity for them. "Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is PRECISELY this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" said Doctor Oobleck with a sip of his drink. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the war?" He pointed to Weiss as she raised her hand. "Yes?"
"The battle at Fort Castle!" said the heiress.
"Precisely!" said Oobleck. "And who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?"
Pyrrha noticed Cardin, sitting in the spot behind Jaune with his feet propped up on his desk, flick a paper football that hit the back of her leader's head. He woke up with a start, grabbing the back of his head. "Hey!"
"Mr. Arc!" shouted Oobleck as he sped over to Jaune. Pyrrha bit her lip as she saw Jaune's look of surprise. He barely read the history textbook unless she urged him to. There's no way he'd know the answer, and now that thug Cardin had put him on the spot! "Finally contributing to class! This is excellent, excellent! What is the answer?"
Jaune looked lost. "Uhhhhh… the answer… the advantage, that the Faunus…" He looked over at Pyrrha as she coughed, pointing to her lips as she mouthed the answer: night vision. Unfortunately, Jaune didn't have the ability to read lips, she noticed. "…had over that guy's stuff…" Pyrrha decided to give him a sign, cupping her hands around her eyes. Hopefully, this would be the hint that saved him from embarrassment.
"Uh… binoculars!"
Jaune looked pleased with his answer, smiling at the professor. However, he earned nothing but laughter from the other students. And none were laughing as much as Cardin, who pounded his fist on his deck as he howled with laughter. Pyrrha could only sigh as she put a hand over her head. In hindsight, that signal was far from clear-cut.
"Very funny, Mr. Arc," deadpanned Oobleck from behind his desk, turning his attention to Cardin. "Cardin! Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject?"
Cardin just shook his head and shrugged, hands in the air. He had that same smug smirk that was asking to receive a punch. "Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an ANIMAL than a soldier." Oobleck just shook his head at the remark.
"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" asked Pyrrha.
"What?" growled Cardin. "You got a problem?"
"No, I have the answer," said Pyrrha simply. "It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark." Cardin just growled at her.
"General Lagune was inexperienced," added Blake, "and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured." She turned to Cardin with a glare, Pyrrha noticed. "Perhaps if he'd pay attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as SUCH a failure." Cardin was incensed at this, getting up from his seat and pounding his fist on the desk.
"Mr. Winchester! Please take your seat," said Oobleck, the leader of CRDL angrily sitting back down as Jaune laughed at his misfortune. The doctor suddenly dashed right into her leader's face, startling him. "You AND Mr. Arc can both see me after class for additional readings." He took another sip of coffee as Jaune slumped over, Pyrrha wishing she was able to comfort him. "Now! Moving on!"
~KRA~
Jaune sighed as he sat at the front of the class, Cardin at the adjacent desk. Doctor Oobleck was drinking his coffee in front of them, Jaune seeing his brown eyes behind his glasses dart between the two. "You two have been struggling in my class since day one! Now, I don't know if it's a lack of interest, or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is, it stops now! You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best, so I expect you to act like it. History is important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it, you're destined to repeat it. Pages fifty-one to ninety-one! I want an essay on my desk by next class! Now! Run along."
And with that, he took off in a blur. Jaune sighed as he got out of his seat and made his way to the door, Pyrrha waiting behind for him. But on his way out, he felt a hard shove as he was knocked to the ground. Letting out a cry of pain, Pyrrha helped him up as they saw the culprit, one Cardin Winchester, walk away while laughing.
"You know, I really will break his legs," muttered Pyrrha as she helped Jaune back to his feet. "Are you hurt?"
"My pride is, but that's all," said Jaune as he pulled something out of his pocket. It was the paper football that pulled him out of his nap. Unfolding it, he saw that it read "ANIMAL-LOVING COWARD" on the inside. Jaune sighed as he crumpled the note into a ball, chucking it over to a garbage can as it bounced off and hit the floor. "Come on, let's get going. Can't keep Professor Peach waiting." He grabbed the paper ball and dunked it into the can with a groan, Pyrrha not far behind.
~KRA~
Velvet sighed as she looked over her notes, taking a bite of the red velvet cake Coco brought her back. She had changed out of her school uniform and into her Huntress gear. She wore a brown crop top jacket with a golden zipper and a black picture of a stitched-up heart on the left, the cut revealing her black top. Golden spaulders that stuck up over her shoulders added some extra protection, as did a similar pair of cuffs. A brown pair of shorts with gold trim held up by a golden belt, along with a pair of black tights and golden flats, completed her look. She looked around her dorm room, seeing what her teammates were up to.
Meditating on his bed was a very tall and muscular boy with lightly tanned skin and very short black hair, almost a buzz cut. Over a black muscle shirt was a light green robe that went over one arm, a green five-layer sode on his left arm that was both flexible and durable. It had a decent amount of scratches from battle on it, as did his light green bracers. He also wore black fingerless gloves with green padding and had a brown strap around his back, though whatever it held wasn't on him at the moment. His robe was fastened by a brown belt with a pair of pouches, and he had a pair of brown pants and black and sea green boots. This was Velvet's partner, Yatsuhashi Daichi.
Lying on another bed was a boy with dark skin and messy burnt orange hair with a long fringe. His arms were littered with scars, and he had a vertical scar along his lips. His eyes were very cloudy, almost pure white. His outfit consisted of a sleeveless orange zipper vest with a high collar and black lining, black pants, brown shoes with orange accents, black gloves, and a black belt with multiple pouches. He was another teammate, Fox Alistair.
Finally, her fourth and final teammate was humming to herself at another desk. She was a fair-skinned girl with short brown hair that had a wave dyed with a caramel gradient, a black beret with a cocoa brown trim on the edge, and a pair of black aviator shades with wire rims over her dark brown eyes. She wore a light brown sweater with a ruffled collar that showed a little midriff and had a black scarf, two chain necklaces, and three bead necklaces wrapped around it. But the accessories didn't stop there. A black bracelet with black roses was around one of her forearms, and she had black gloves with no index fingers. A black waist cincher was wrapped around her torso, and she had two belts. One was black with gold studs, and the other was brown leather with a row of high-caliber bullets lining it and a buckle resembling crosshairs. Completing the fashionista's extravagant outfit was a pair of black pants with golden pocket linings and ribbons attached to zipper seams by the knees, and a pair of black high-heeled leather boots with golden buckles. This was Velvet's best friend and the leader of Team CFVY, Coco Adel.
"So, I heard through the grapevine that our favorite Bun-Bun here has a knight in shining armor," said Coco as she looked in a mirror.
"Who, me?" asked Velvet, pointing to herself. Yatsuhashi opened one of his brown eyes to look at Coco. Fox just flipped through his magazine, which was unusual on three accounts. One, Fox was blind, so he had no way of reading something that wasn't in Braille and certainly couldn't look at the pictures. Two, it was a women's fashion magazine that Coco was subscribed to. Third, he was holding it upside down, which Velvet didn't have the heart to tell him. He was clearly pretending to be busy to stay out of the drama.
"Uh, yeah! Who else— whoops!" said Coco as she realized she was about to apply lipstick with a bullet. "Look, your blonde hero swooping in during your time of need was major gossip!"
"Professor Goodwitch?" asked Velvet.
"Don't play dumb, Vel! I'm talking about that Jaune Arc guy. Total fashion disaster, but he's kinda cute in his own way!"
"Cute? The infamous skirt chaser of Beacon likes a boy? And here I thought you were only interested in chicks." This was Fox, who preferred speaking through his Semblance, Telepathy. Something about privacy between the team.
Coco scoffed at the accusation of her partner, snapping her compact shut as she lowered her sunglasses and glanced at him. "What, I can't like guys and girls?" She stood up and did a runway-worthy pose. "Do you honestly believe I'd deny anyone the chance to date the lovely Coco Adel?!"
"How generous of you," said Fox as he rolled his eyes. "You should be given a medal for your generous contributions to society."
"I know, right?!"
Velvet weakly smiled at her teammates' antics before going back to her cake and notes. She felt a hand on her shoulder, turning around to see Yatsuhashi looking at her with concern. "Is everything alright, Velvet? You seem unhoppy— I mean, unhappy!" he said, embarrassed by his slip of the tongue. He bowed. "I am so sorry, Velvet! I didn't mean to offend you!"
"It's okay," said Velvet with a sigh as she tossed the bag and plastic fork from her dessert into the garbage can. "And I suppose. I've just been thinking about CRDL."
"Yes, the bullies," said Yatsuhashi as he got on one knee, looking his friend in the eye. "If they keep causing you trouble, we'll help put a stop to it. You know that, don't you?"
"It's fine," said Velvet. "I… I can handle myself."
"Come on, Bun-Bun!" said Coco, getting up and walking over to her. "We're a team, aren't we? And that means that we look out for each other. So the next time that gang of goons decides to pick on our friend, we'll teach them to respect their superiors."
"No, Coco," said Velvet. "Violence breeds violence, remember? You might just make the bullying worse."
"Look, we're just trying to protect you. Is that so wrong?" asked Fox. Velvet sighed. No, nothing was wrong about it. But she still couldn't shake this feeling. This feeling of… worthlessness.
Getting up, she grabbed a wooden chest with a golden handle and trim, one with her heart emblem on the front. "I'm going to the courtyard. I want to practice my photography for a bit."
"Go for it," said Coco with a platonic slap on the rear, causing Velvet to yelp a bit. As she walked out with the camera case in tow, she could feel their concerned gazes on her back.
~KRA~
Jaune sighed as he flipped through the history textbook, skimming the pages in a lack of interest. He was spinning a pencil in his hand, a sheet of notebook paper beside him that only bore his name in the corner. Even if he wasn't in his pajamas, he'd still find it difficult to stay awake.
Deciding to curb his boredom a bit, he looked around the room. Ren was on his Scroll, browsing the net for something. He had changed into his pajamas like the rest of the team, having ordered a custom set after the first week of class. It consisted of a green yukata-like shirt, a red sash, baggy black pants, and a dark green robe with pink accents and pictures of lotus flowers on the shoulders. He was mumbling something about… smoothie recipes? And like that, Jaune was bored again.
Turning to Nora, he saw her with a pair of pink headphones, doing air guitar and dancing around on the rug. She was even making guitar noises. Pyrrha, who had been carefully polishing her circlet on her bed, looked up at her teammate. "Nora, could you please quiet down a bit?"
"WHAT?!" asked Nora, causing Pyrrha to mime taking headphones off. Nora did so, Jaune hearing the loud rock music even on the other side of the room. "What's up, Pyrr?"
"I asked you to please turn that down. What are you even listening to?"
"Only the hottest band in the history of Remnant! Bremen Town! Their new album dropped yesterday, and it's out of this world! Hey, you wanna listen to it?"
"Maybe later," said Pyrrha, "but right now, Jaune is trying to concentrate and— Jaune?"
Whoops. Busted. Jaune turned back to his book. "Uh, don't mind me. Just getting some writing done, you know?"
"I can see that," said Pyrrha as she peered over his shoulder at the nearly blank sheet of paper that was to be an essay by tomorrow's lunch. "Come on, Jaune, this is important! You got in as a Huntsman just as everyone else, so now you have to do the work."
"Yeah, but I can't get into this class for the life of me!" said Jaune, burying his head in his book. "Grimm Studies, Weapon Crafting, Combat, Stealth? Those all make sense for a Huntsman class! Even Plant Science does, considering all the times we'll likely be in some forest or jungle! But what does knowing about, I dunno," he said as he pointed to a random name on the page, "Lieutenant Shiro Khan have to do with being a Huntsman? It just doesn't make any sense!"
"You mean besides the fact that his granddaughter is the leader of the dangerous White Fang organization?" asked Pyrrha.
"Well, okay, that's ONE example," said Jaune with a shrug.
"Jaune, if your problem is your lack of interest in the subject, then let us help you," said Pyrrha, Nora and Ren walking beside her. Jaune spun around in his chair to face his teammates. "If we can get you to enjoy the subject, you'll find that you'll do much better."
"Maybe…" said Jaune. "But is helping me like this allowed?"
"We aren't writing your essay for you," pointed out Ren. "All we're doing is getting you more invested in the subject. There has to be something that catches your attention."
"Like all the cool battles in the Faunus War!" said Nora. "Can you believe that the grenades back then had PINS?! It was crazy!"
"That does sound kinda cool," admitted Jaune. "But I feel like I should do this on my own. It doesn't feel fair to you guys that you have to help me."
"Well, let me ask you something," said Ren as he gestured to Nora. "Do you honestly think that Nora here could pass Stealth class without my help?"
"Guilty as charged," admitted Nora with a shrug. "Besides, you'd do the same for us, wouldn't you?"
"Of course!" said Jaune. "Without question!"
"You see?" said Pyrrha with a soft smile. "It's perfectly fair. Teammates help each other. And just as much as a team helps one of its members, that member helps the rest of their team. And I'm sure you'll be able to repay the favor."
"Of course," said Jaune as he thought about it. "Hmm, since we'll be going over war stories, how about I tell you about my first Umbra fight? I'm sure Nora will get a kick out of me facing a fellow hammer user."
"Ooh, I can't wait!" said Nora. "Maybe I can learn some new moves from that!"
"After we help Jaune with his paper, right?" asked Ren.
"Of course!" said Nora.
"Well, in any case, let's get to work," said Pyrrha, grabbing the textbook. Jaune pulled his history notebook out, ready to actually use it. He thanked his lucky stars that this was the team he ended up with. "Let's start with the beginning, shall we? The roots of the Faunus Rights Revolution can be traced far before then, in the aftermath of the Great War…"
~KRA~
*click*
Velvet lowered her brown and gold camera, the round flash lowering and a door with her emblem closing over the lens. She sighed as she looked at the shot of Beacon. The sunset behind the green orbs of Beacon Tower was breathtaking, but it still couldn't get rid of this feeling.
'I just don't get it. They're only trying to be nice, so why does it make me feel so sad?' She didn't have to answer her question, as she already knew why. Velvet wasn't as strong as Yatsuhashi, as fast as Fox, or as brave as Coco. She was just kinda… there. And combat wasn't much different. She looked at her camera, which was actually part of her weapon when inside its case. Between Coco wanting to keep her powerful Semblance and weapon a secret, not to mention the high cost of using it, she wasn't nearly as useful in combat as she could be. Limiting herself to close combat limited her greatly compared to her teammates.
Of course, she was far from helpless. She was a decent fighter, a pretty good field medic, and her hearing made her an excellent scout. But she still felt like she was getting in the way at times, only there to be protected from threats by her teammates. And the feeling of being useless stung worse than whatever Cardin and his friends could do to her.
"Hello, what have we here?"
Velvet gasped as she heard a voice. Putting her camera away, she looked around for its source, walking through the courtyard. "Who's there?"
"Just somebody who noticed you looked a little sad."
"Yeah, I-I guess I am," said Velvet. She turned to the woods as she heard footsteps. But once the figure stepped into the light and onto the stone walkway, she gasped and took a step back.
The figure was some kind of Grimm, albeit one that she never saw before. Its legs were black with silver metal plating and film wrapped around them, as were its arms. Brown ruffled leather was on its upper arms, a rectangular camera flash on its right shoulder and a camera button on its left. But the most notable feature was a gigantic camera lens with a silver rim in the center of its chest. The Grimm held a black leister in its hand that resembled a tripod. And its face was concealed by a white and red mask with a wide smirk. Its right eye, a piercing red and yellow, was visible. However, its left eye was covered by an eyepiece with a red lens, one that zoomed in and out as if adjusting the monster's focus.
"Yes! Right there!" The Grimm set his harpoon down on its three tips, using his thumb and index fingers to make a frame around his eyepiece and looking at Velvet. "That look of terror and despair is exactly what I'm looking for!"
"Wh-Wh-Who are you? What are you?!" asked Velvet, getting into a martial arts stance.
"Call me the Camera Umbra! As for what I am, I'm just a photographer who wants to capture the image of pure woe!"
"That won't be happening!" said Velvet, jumping forward and planting a kick right below the Camera Umbra's neck. But while he stumbled for a bit, he seemed completely unhurt as a black smoke covered the point of impact. "What?"
"You'll have to do better than that," said the Grimm as he cracked his neck, throwing a series of jabs at the Huntress in training. Velvet dodged each punch, moving back as he advanced. Velvet threw a roundhouse kick at the Umbra, hitting his lens to no effect. She tried a kick to the face, but the Umbra grabbed his leister and caught her foot between the prongs. He flicked his spear and threw her across the courtyard.
As Velvet rolled across the ground, she got up and shook her head. But as she stood up, she saw the Camera Umbra laughing as he stepped forward. "This fight has been fun and all, but it's time to put my plan into action!"
"What… what are you—" said Velvet, only for a loud, high-pitched whine to start up as the camera lens started glowing.
"Say cheese! Photo Trap!" Velvet felt her body glowing brighter, ripping apart as she was turned into light particles. She screamed as her body was dragged into the lens, suddenly being surrounded by darkness. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was trapped in a dark, empty room. Empty, that is, save for the round window that displayed the courtyard as she heard the echoing laughter of the Camera Umbra.
"No! Let me out!" she screamed as she pounded on the glass. "Let me out, please!"
~KRA~
"No can do, mortal," said the Camera Umbra, smirking behind his mask as he willed away his weapon. "I have some despair to cause!" His body was suddenly covered in flashes as though he was being mobbed by paparazzi. Once the lights died down, the Camera Umbra was the splitting image of Velvet Scarlatina. Turning around with a smirk on "her" lips, the disguised Umbra started to walk towards the academy.
The new chapter is here! I had to split this one in half because of how long it was getting even before Aurum entered the picture. Will Velvet be able to escape the Photo Trap? Will Jaune escape Cardin's constant bullying? And will anybody tell Fox that his magazine is upside down?! Find out next time, and be sure to drop a review! Starpion out!