[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Jaune had asked for a brief break before meeting with his in-laws properly. This let Blake and her parents go into the conference room first. Jaune walked off to a bathroom. He went to the sink washed his hands. He stared into the mirror, and took a deep breath.

"Professor Oobleck?"

The glasses-wearing professor zipped into view behind him.

"Your Majesty."

Jaune sighed. Oobleck chuckled.

"You will need to get used to that eventually."

"Eventually," Jaune mumbled. He turned and looked at his professor. "So...?"

Oobleck sipped his coffee from a thermos. He hummed thoughtfully.

"You know as well as I do that nobody does anything for free in politics."

"Yeah, Empires at War taught me that," Jaune muttered. Oobleck smiled.

"Oh? You played that?"

"Yeah, the board game too," Jaune admitted, "Nana Arturia made me play it and Diplomacy, Stock Market, dozens of others. They were really brutal."

Oobleck chuckled again.

"Well, that's good to hear. I thought you were a complete novice, Your Majesty... And you are. But at least you've got some grounding in the game you are playing."

"But the stakes are real, and you can't reset the board," Jaune said quietly. Oobleck nodded. "So... What will they want?"

"Of the Aspirant Kingdoms that seek to become great powers like the Four? Menagerie is probably the closest to becoming the Fifth. Their economy has expanded by leaps and bounds, their cultural production is becoming fairly strong, and their industry is advancing. They are also one of the few Kingdoms that can actually project power through a Navy, though not easily. Deploying their navy all the way to Vale is no doubt very costly, as is deploying their forces and bringing in aid. They're mostly just replacing our existing logistics, but it's still expensive."

He sipped his coffee.

"And of course, they offered their daughter as your wife and our Queen. A full formal alliance is the least they will ask for, along with full diplomatic and trade ties. We can catch up, rebuild our military forces and the damage done... But they're here now. As the saying goes, it doesn't matter if you have a machine gun if it's at home and a man has a knife to your throat."

Jaune grimaced.

"Kind of an awkward saying."

"Well they can't all as pithy as 'never fight a land war in Animus', can they?" Oobleck smirked, "In short, Your Majesty, Ghira Belladonna has the opportunity to make Menagerie into the Fifth Kingdom. He will not squander it."

"And like you said... He's got a potential knife to our throats," Jaune muttered, looking back at the mirror and setting his hands down on the sink.

"I don't think he'll push too hard," Oobleck said, "But he's a canny political operator. He didn't get his kingdom to where it is by being soft. You are young and inexperienced. He will know this too. My suggestion? Be as open and honest as you can. Don't try to bluff. If you don't know something, admit it. But don't let him dissemble, don't let him be vague. Make sure you don't take vague or half-hearted answers. Be polite, but firm."

Jaune sucked in a deep breath and nodded quickly. He stared into his own eyes intensely.

"Right, right," he murmured.

Oobleck patted his shoulder.

"If it helps? I think he likes you," he said, "His daughter was a virtual hostage of the White Fang for years. The fact you are marrying her and working with him is probably more than he or his wife could have hoped for. He also respects strength. You've demonstrated that."

"And it's exhausting," Jaune sighed. Oobleck chuckled.

"Well, that's the nature of the world: There are nothing but tradeoffs. But someone's got to do the business of leading, and it is preferable that it is a good man: Or as good a man as can be found who takes possession of power."

"Yeah, my Nana Arturia said a lot of stuff like that," Jaune sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"And you listened! Good to know!" Oobleck nodded.

Jaune smiled at his professor and shrugged.

"Mostly. Thanks, Professor. You're a real help."

"We're all in this together, Your Majesty," Oobleck said, patting him on the back. "Now, go on. You have your in-laws to attend to."

"Thanks," Jaune sighed. "Also, uh... Check on Pyrrha and the others for me? I heard Pyrrha is going to try walking again, I want to be there for her."

Oobleck nodded.

"Of course, your Majesty," he said.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Despite the fact he was a rugged cowhand, Weiss did appreciate that Jaune Arc kept himself clean, neat and tidy. He rarely shaved, but it suited him somehow. It made him look older, more mature.

So it was a shock to see him walk up to breakfast with pink splotches on his uniform jacket. Pyrrha frowned as the blond young man sat down at his usual spot with his breakfast. His face was as calm and placid as ever though. Ruby leaned forward.

"Jaune? What happened?"

Jaune sniffed.

"It seems Mister Winchester thought ruining my laundry was a good practical joke," Jaune stated. Nora grinned.

"Want me to break his knees?"

Jaune appeared to give this serious thought. He then shrugged.

"Nah."

"A wise decision," Ren nodded. Nora pouted.

"His wrists?" She offered.

"Don't break anything on him until I say so," Jaune ordered firmly. Nora pouted, but nodded.

"Aye aye, Captain!"

Weiss shook her head, scowling a bit.

"He can't get away with harassing you, Jaune," Weiss sniffed.

"I agree, Jaune," Pyrrha added, "You should go to a teacher!"

Jaune huffed.

"When you've been on a few cattle drives, bullying's not something I pay much mind to," Jaune said with a shrug, beginning to eat his food, "Winchester's got his issues, but they ain't mine."

"Yes, but we don't like seeing you get bullied," Ruby pouted. Jaune shook his head again, sipping his coffee before he answered.

"My Pa and Mister Duke said there are only a few things a man should fight for. Some prissy jock who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth thinking he'll put me in my place ain't one of them."

"O-OW! OW!"

A loud female cry filled the cafeteria. All eyes went to a young rabbit Faunus girl. She winced and cringed in pain as Cardin Winchester yanked on one of her ears, his other teammates around her and laughing.

"See? Told ya they were real! She's a genuine freak!"

Jaune's jaw was set like stone. He set down his silverware, wiped his lips with a napkin, and stood up.

"Excuse me," Jaune stated, his voice quiet but there was a fury boiling underneath it.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked. Jaune stalked right up to Cardin Winchester. The redhead looked over at him and sneered.

"What do you want, hillbilly?"

"You. Me. Outside," Jaune stated coldly. Cardin scoffed.

"Really? Want to try to fight me like a man?"

"Big talk from the coward picking on a lady," Jaune stated coldly.

Cardin growled. He let go of the Faunus girl, who scampered away. Cardin smirked and cracked his knuckles.

"You've been asking for this for a long-!"

Jaune threw a haymaker that knocked one of the redhead's teeth out. He staggered back, putting a hand over his cheek in shock. Jaune didn't stop there, grabbing his shoulders and ramming his knee into the bully's crotch. The other three members of Cardin's team swarmed Jaune, punching and kicking him. He was put down on the ground, even as he kept swinging his fists and kicking his feet.

Pyrrha intervened, punt kicking one of the boys right in the face and sending him flipping off Jaune. Nora and Ren were next, slamming the bullies back. Cardin was back on his feet, as was Jaune. Cardin roared in rage and charged. Jaune took the hit from the big Huntsman in training, but returned a punch right to his gut. Other students got up and surrounded them in a ring, cheering and shouting...

Telekinetic force swept over them, and both sides of the fight were pushed apart. The other students parted like the sea before a boat, as Glynda Goodwitch walked up. Her glare was a thing of legend.

"Students! Who is responsible for this fight?"

Silence fell. Glynda's eyes narrowed.

"Who threw the first punch?"

Weiss opened her mouth. Pyrrha moved to step forward. Jaune shot them both hard looks. It was harsh, commanding, manly-No! No no no! Don't think like that!

"But Jaune, he-!" Ruby tried, but Jaune shook his head.

"Quiet."

Ruby pouted at him.

Jaune sucked in a deep breath, and let it out through his nostrils. He stepped up.

"I did it, Ma'am," Jaune stated, "I threw the first punch. This is my responsibility, and I'll take the punishment for it, ma'am."

Glynda stared intensely at him. Cardin gaped at him in shock.

Glynda then slowly nodded.

"Very well, Mister Arc. Detention with me tonight. You'll be helping me with paperwork."

"Yes ma'am."

Glynda waved her riding crop, and the damage to the floors and furniture wrought by the brawl was instantly repaired.

"Back to your meals, all of you," she stated, before turning and walking off. Jaune looked around.

"You heard her, back to breakfast," he stated flatly.

"Nothing to see here!" Ruby ordered as well.

The group broke up. Cardin shot Jaune another disbelieving look. The Faunus girl blushed as she looked at the blond as well. Jaune pointedly ignored both of them, as he sat back down to resume eating.

"That was very kind of you, Jaune. Very brave."

All eyes went to Blake Belladonna, who was looking intently at Jaune.

Jaune nodded slowly.

"Like I said. there are only a few things a man should fight for. A lady is one of them."

"Even if she's a Faunus?" Blake pressed. Jaune frowned.

"What difference does that make?"

Blake gave him a very small smile, and returned to her ever present book. Weiss frowned in confusion at her teammate.

What was that about?

"Also friends?" Nora asked, a bit softer than usual. Jaune smiled.

"Of course."

Pyrrha's own smile became much softer at that. It made Weiss's hackles rise...

Because her idol wasn't paying any attention to her, of course! Th-That's all it was!

- - -

Tsundere Weiss is so much fun to write.

GentlemanRogue Hope you enjoyed it.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

The man in black with redhair stood over her. She screamed in pain, the stump where her right arm was bleeding and burning with agony. She scooted back away from the man as he advanced, his red katana gleaming ominously.
"Time to finish what I started," he hissed. He held the sword up, brought it down upon her-
"AAAHHH! AAHHH! AAAAHHH!"

Strong arms held her shoulders against a bed as she thrashed. She opened her eyes, frantically looking around as a woman spoke to her.

"Calm down! Calm down! It's all right, it's all right, you're safe, you're safe..."

Yang Xiao-Long looked into blue eyes. They were kindly and compassionate, outlined by black framed glasses. She took deep breaths, her chest heaving as her heart threatened to beat right out.

"That's right, that's right, calm, calm," the woman said softly, "You're safe, you're safe."

The panic slowly subsided. She managed to focus her eyes as her heartrate slowed.

She was in a warm room, covered in red wood paneling. A large window, covered in blinds, was to her left. She was in a hospital bed, with several beeping machines on either side of her. The woman was older, curvy, but beautiful. Her light golden hair was tied in a bun. She wore green scrubs underneath a white labcoat. Her chin was pointed, her lips red, and her cheeks rather round with light freckles from the sun scattered across them.

She looked a few inches shorter than Yang, but her grip was so strong Yang couldn't even think of breaking free.

Then again, she thought, the ghostly feeling of nothing under her right shoulder, I... I'm not exactly in good shape myself...

The thought made something inside her break. Tears began to pour from her eyes. She clutched at her stump with her remaining hand, as sobs began to tear their way out of her throat.

The woman wrapped her strong arms around her, and hugged her tightly. She stroked her back, then rubbed circles into her shoulders.

"It's all right, it's all right," the woman murmured, "It's all right, I'm right here. You're safe..."

"... R-Ruby?" Yang gasped between sobs.

"She's safe, she's all right," the woman said, "Jaune got you, her, and a few others here. You're all going to be all right, I promise."

"Where... Where's here...?" Yang whispered.

The woman smiled against Yang's forehead.

"Radian, Gallia Province. North Sanus."

She held Yang as she cried, comforting her. It might have been drugs, it might have been the emotional exhaustion, but Yang slipped back into unconsciousness.

At the very least, she didn't have any bad dreams this time around.

She woke up some time later. The blinds had been opened, and sunlight streamed in. She blinked back against the glare, and her eyes slowly adjusted. Again, her hand went to her stump. Her heartrate skyrocketed again but she forced herself to calm. She breathed again and again, as deep as she could. She grit her teeth huffing and puffing through her nostrils.

C-Calm... Calm... Calm... Calm...
"Yang?!"

Yang opened her eyes. She looked at the open door. A small form in a blue sundress and ill matching black boots stood there with wide silver eyes and short black hair with red tips.

"Ruby!"

Ruby sobbed, and practically tackled Yang in her hug. Yang wrapped her arm around her, tears pouring down her cheeks. Ruby was ugly crying, loudly sobbing into her hospital gown.

"Y-You were so pale--I-I couldn't hear your heartbeat-The whole trip-I didn't-I couldn't-!"

She broke down into incoherent sobs, but all were very thankful and relieved. Yang hugged her little sister tighter, resting her chin on the top of her head as she cried too.

"It's okay, it's okay... It's okay... A-Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Ruby looked up and shook her head. She glanced over at Yang's stump, and winced. She buried her face in Yang's chest and sobbed again. Yang sniffled, but held her tightly.

"It's okay... I-It's okay," she managed, her voice choked with emotion.

The two sisters cried for a time. Yang didn't really know how long, but Ruby finally pulled herself together long enough to look up into Yang's eyes.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I... I should have-"

As painful as it was... Old instincts came to Yang. She shook her head.

"This isn't your fault, Ruby," Yang said firmly, "O-Okay? This-This isn't your fault..."

"I... I could have... I should have..." Ruby whimpered.

"It isn't. Your. Fault," Yang said firmly, even as her voice wavered, "It isn't... It isn't, okay?"

Ruby still whimpered and hid her face in Yang's chest again. Yang found her fingers going through her short hair, just as she'd comforted her little sister when she was much younger.

"It's okay, it's okay," she whispered. "It's okay..."

"Hello? Can I come in?"

Yang and Ruby looked back at the entrance. The blonde woman from before stood there, smiling gently.

"S-Sure," Yang managed. Ruby smiled and looked up at Yang.

"Th-This is Isabel Arc. Um, Doctor Isabel Arc," she said, "Jaune's mom."

Yang's eyes bugged out as the older woman walked in and began to check on the various machines plugged into her hospital bed.

"Y-You're Vomit Boy-Um, I-I mean, Jaune's mom?"

"Guilty as charged," Isabel said wryly, taking Yang's remaining wrist and checking her pulse. She then shined a penlight in her eyes. "Good, good... May I check your injury?"

Yang winced, but managed a nod. Isabel kept her eyes locked on hers, a kind, gentle smile on her face.

"It's all right, I'm just going to examine it," she said softly. She pulled up the sleeve, and ran her hands over the bandages that wrapped the base up. She sighed softly as she pulled some up, and checked the stump itself.

"Good, good... No infection," she said, "It's healing properly. We'll be able to attach the prosthetic properly."

"Prosthetic?" Yang asked, shocked. Isabel nodded with a small smile.

"Yes. We're relatively close to Atlas, so we get good rates on Hunter and Military-rated prosthetics. The neural interfaces take some getting used to... But you'll adjust, and be back to 100 percent."

Isabel nodded and squeezed Yang's other hand.

"I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now. And it will take time to heal in... Other ways..."

Yang winced. Isabel reached up and squeezed Yang's shoulder.

"But I promise... You're going to be okay again," Isabel said softly. "Okay?"

Yang looked down at Ruby. She managed a nod.

"O-Okay," Yang whispered.

"You-You mean it?" Ruby asked. Isabel again smiled warmly, and reached down to rub Ruby's head. For a moment, Yang saw another woman in her place. A redhead with silver eyes and different features, but the same kind, maternal warmth radiating from her.

"I mean it," Isabel said quietly. "Now... Do you feel up to another visitor? He's been very anxious since he brought you all in."

Ruby gave Yang a pleading look. Yang managed a slow nod.

"I... Sure," she murmured.

"Come on in, Jaune!" Isabel called. A moment later, a tall blond young man walked in.

For a moment, Yang was confused.

"Jaune?" She asked quietly.

The young man looked... Different. He wore a long brown coat over his armor and jeans, but his sneakers were replaced with muddy boots. His face was covered in thin stubble. There were bags under his eyes... Eyes that looked so hard for a moment.

Then, relief flooded his features.

"Yang? Y-You okay?"

He walked over to stand at her side. Yang managed a slow nod.

"I... As much as... Yeah," she finally decided on. "Mmph!"

Isabel shoved a straw into her mouth, a straw attached to a water bottle.

"Sip, sip, sip," Isabel ordered, and Yang obeyed. Ruby scooted out from under her arms to stand by Jaune. "Good, good... You're being hydrated by the saline but the old-fashioned way is best. You'll be getting meals from now on and you're going to eat everything you get, understood?"

"Mmph... Y-Yeah," Yang agreed, after sipping the entire bottle down, "How long was I out?"

"A week," Jaune said grimly. Ruby sniffled, and Jaune wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Ruby barely left your side."

Ruby flushed. Yang managed the tiniest of smiles at her little sister.

"The nurses will be bringing your food," Isabel said, sighing as she checked her watch, "We've got a lot more patients to look after."

She turned and hugged Jaune and Ruby tightly.

"Take it easy for a while you two," she ordered, "Or I'll find out and make you."
"B-But, Mom-" Jaune tried, but Isabel's steely glare shut him up.

"No excuses. For either of you," she stated. Ruby winced, but nodded.

"Y-Yes ma'am," she said weakly.

Isabel smiled, and strode out of the room. Jaune slowly walked to some chairs near the far wall, and dragged them to the side of Yang's bed. Ruby sat down in one, and Jaune took the other. Yang stared intently at Jaune, this feeling of disbelief still strong inside her.

"I... What happened, Jaune?" She asked. "How the hell did you get us all here?"

Jaune sucked in a breath, and rubbed his face. Ruby squeezed his other hand.

"Well... Pyrrha..." He paused for a moment. He gritted his teeth and didn't look her way.

"What... What happened to Pyrrha?" Yang asked. "What happened to everyone? What happened to Vale?!"

"Yang, I..." Ruby bowed her head and looked at the floor. Jaune forced himself to sit up straight and looked into her eyes.

"Beacon... Beacon was overrun by Grimm," Jaune continued, "Vale is... Vale is in bad shape. The CCTNet was hit pretty bad. We're getting reports from it sometimes, and the radio networks still work, but... It looks like at least half the city's been wiped out. The police, local militias and Hunters are being organized by the surviving members of the government and Professor Goodwitch. We're doing what we can, so are other provinces, but it's ugly."

Yang stared intently at him. Jaune shook his head.

"Pyrrha... Pyrrha went to fight Cinder on her own," Jaune continued slowly, as though he was trying to force the words out, "Shot me away in a rocket locker. I landed near the library. Some... Some of my friends from Radian had brought their own airship here to watch the Festival, and managed to get to me to lead us to where they'd landed. Nora and Ren met me, they'd fought their way with a few of the other students. We... We found you in the wreckage of the library with Blake. She'd bandaged your wounds as best she could, then handed you over to me before she ran off. I uh... I carried you to the Bullhead."

"I... I see," Yang murmured.

Jaune sucked in another breath. Ruby pressed her face into his shoulders and bit back a weak sob.

"Pyrrha... Pyrrha fought Cinder on the top of Beacon tower," Jaune said quietly, "But then a Grimm dragon broke out of Mount Axis, attacked the tower and..."

He bowed his head, before looking back up and staring right into Yang's soul.

"Pyrrha's dead. Cinder killed her," he muttered, his voice dead and empty of anything.

"Gods, Jaune," Yang breathed.

Jaune fell silent. Ruby hugged onto his arm, and he held her close, trying to comfort her.

"I... I saw her kill Pyrrha," Ruby whimpered. "I... S-Something happened, and... I-I blacked out..."

"The dragon turned to stone after that," Jaune took over quietly, "We managed to get to my friends' Bullhead. We crammed as many people as we could into it... Then your Uncle Qrow showed up and handed over Ruby. She was unconscious. He told us to take care of her, and he'd meet back up with us later."

"He-He has," Ruby said quietly, "He's helping us out. Dad's gonna come and visit soon."

"G-Good," Yang managed. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah..." Jaune took a deep, slow breath. "A-Anyway... Ren and Nora made it with us, along with Velvet, Cardin, Neptune, May Zedong, and a few others from the other schools. Weiss got taken by her dad's people to Atlas. Blake... No idea where she is. I'm sorry."

Yang shut her eyes tightly and slowly shook her head.

"I... I'm sure she's all right," Yang muttered, but her heart wasn't in it. She was a little grateful to Blake but... Where did she go?

"Anyway... Um..." Jaune tried, "We've been working with the militia. My dad runs it here in Radian. We've been rebuilding the outer walls, taking in refugees, fighting Grimm... Ruby was sleeping at my family house."

"They uh, they loaned me this dress," Ruby mumbled.

"The outer walls?" Yang asked. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah. Uh, Radian... Radian used to be a lot bigger when it was the capital of Gallia. We've got the current walls but outside of those are the old walls which we stopped using. But there's a lot of ruined houses and fields and rivers for people to stay in, so we've been rebuilding the old walls and clearing out any Grimm. We've been getting a lot of refugees. The CCNet sabotage and the panic caused by Vytal caused a lot of Grimm attacks. We have't been the hardest hit but... It's rough."

"I see," Yang whispered. Jaune managed a small smile.

"It's going to be all right. I promise," he said.

She knew the look in his eyes. It was a look she was familiar with. One she'd seen on her face in the mirror, dozens, hundreds of times, when Mom died and Dad just... Checked out.

He was holding it together. He was hiding his pain, and his fatigue, all for the sake of everyone else.

"I..." Yang shakily reached out her hand to Jaune. He stared at it for a moment, as though not sure what to do. He then reached out and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you," Yang whispered. Jaune shook his head.

"Don't," he said quietly, "You-You don't have to-"

"I do," Yang insisted, her eyes flashing red for a moment, "I do."

Jaune met her gaze, then slowly nodded.

He squeezed her hand back, tightly.

"We're going to make it through this, I promise," he said.

He said it with such conviction. The same conviction that was in his mother's voice.

Despite how empty and wrung out she felt right now, it was like a little candle lit up inside her.

"I know," she murmured. "I know..."

- - -

Bit random, but... How would this work out? What would happen? How would these characters manage in this situation?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

At breakfast, Jaune's Scroll went off. He opened it up, checked the caller ID... And groaned.

"Trouble, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked in concern.

"Yes," Jaune sighed.

"What kind of trouble?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just my family and-"

The Scroll screen changed, and a window opened. A doll-like blonde woman with very intense blue eyes glared out at Jaune. Jaune yelped.

"What the-?!"

"You were taking too long to answer, little brother," the young woman spoke coldly. Jaune winced.

"Um... I was just thinking about how to greet my wonderful sister after not seeing her for so long?" He said with a smile.

The woman's eyes narrowed to slits.

"You're an absolutely terrible liar."

"Well you didn't teach me anything now did you?!" Jaune demanded. The woman huffed.

"I did. You just didn't pay attention."

Jaune sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I should have called sooner."

"You should have," the girl stated.

"Who is that?" Ruby asked.

"My sister Tangerine," Jaune sighed.

"Tanya!" Tanya growled.

"It's what Mom and Dad named you!"

By this point, everyone had stopped pretending not to watch and had crowded around behind Jaune.

"And they named me wrong, so there," Tanya huffed, "Anyway, given that I ran off into the world to do my own thing, I can hardly fault you for doing the same. I'm glad you did."

"Oh... That's good," Jaune said with a nod.

"But I'm still annoyed it took you this long to pick up a Scroll," Tanya growled.

"I-I had to get a new one!" Jaune protested.

"Sorry, not good enough," Tanya stated, "Now you get your REAL punishment."

Jaune blinked, and paled.

"You didn't tell Mom. Please, tell me you didn't-!"

"Of course I didn't!" Tanya scoffed. "I'm not that sadistic! You'll have to work your shit out with her yourself!"

Jaune sighed in relief.

"Thanks sis."

"Don't thank me," Tanya coldly hissed, "I have a far worse punishment for you in mind."

"What kind of-?"

The image shifted to one of a very beautiful, matronly looking young woman with her blonde hair in a high ponytail. She was sitting in a comfortable looking living room, the walls covered in photos of the Arc family. She wore a blue and white farm dress, simple but elegant. She had the same features as Jaune and Tanya-The chin, cheeks, and eyes were nearly exact. But this woman looked so sorrowful it made Jaune feel like someone had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart.

"L-Lilac...?" Jaune whispered.

"Jaune... I missed you... S-So much...!" Lilac sniffled and sobbed. "I-I thought you were dead! I was so worried! We all worried for so long and looked for you-Ohhh Jaune...! How could you...?"

She sobbed so painfully that Jaune clutched at his chest. He bowed his head as shame filled every part of him.

"I... I'm so sorry Lilac! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... I just... I got so wrapped up...!"

"You brute!" Weiss sniffled. "She's devastated! How could you do that?!"

"Not cool, Jaune," Nora nodded.

Jaune sighed. Even Pyrrha was looking hurt. He turned back to Lilac.

"I am so, so sorry Lilac. I did you so much wrong... Please, forgive me, and I will do better. I promise."

Lilac ceased crying, as though someone had flipped a switch. She was all smiles.

"Oh, I can't stay mad at you, my snookie wookie pumpkin little brother~!"

Tanya stomped back on camera and glared.

"Damnit Lilac! That wasn't nearly long enough!" Tanya complained.

Lilac sighed.

"But he looked so sad, Tangy! I can't bare to see my pookie wookie baby brother so sad!"

"UGH! You're impossible!" Tanya groaned. "And it's Tanya!"

Lilac turned back to the camera, all smiles.

"Anyway Jaune, since you're gonna be a big strong Huntsman, I got you a gift!"

She pulled out a large rocket launcher and held it up proudly.

"Is that a Mk. 41 Spelunker Surface to Surface Missile launcher?!" Ruby gasped in ectasy.

"Where did you get that?!" Tanya demanded.

"My boyfriend Primo fixed it up when Mister Lopez wrecked it! He said we could have it! Though unfortunately, I don't think I can mail you the ammo. Apparently that's illegal." Lilac huffed. "Which is just so silly! How are you supposed to work the thing if they don't include the ammo?"

Tanya blinked.

"Wait, your boyfriend fixed it? He works on cars and motorcycles, not military hardware!"

"Oh come on, how much difference does that make?" Lilac laughed. She held up the rocket launcher scope to her eye. "Hm, I think this is the night vision button."

The launcher ignited, and a Dust powered rocket flew out the back of the launcher through the window. There was the sound of a distant explosion and a car alarm going off. Lilac blinked as Tanya and Jaune both gaped in disbelief.

"Well, that wasn't the night vision. I still can't see anything!"

Tanya scowled at Jaune.

"I'm going to fix this, but you're gonna get it even worse, you brat."

"Bye Jaune! Love you!" Lilac waved cheerfully.

The call ended. Jaune winced, and slowly turned to face his staring friends.

"... What?" Weiss managed.

"Is... That normal for your family?" Yang asked.

Jaune sighed, leaned back against the table, and shrugged.

"Prrretty much."

"And so much is explained," Weiss muttered.

Ruby grinned.

"I don't see anything wrong with this!"

"Me neither!" Nora cheered. "Can you adopt me, Jaune? Can you? Can you?!"

"We'll see," Jaune deadpanned.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



All the stands, games, and other activities were a bit overwhelming to Jaune. Sure, they'd had festivals in Radian like clockwork, but this was on a whole other level!



"Heh," Yang muttered, "Nobody would confuse you for a small town yokel, would they?"



Jaune coughed and blushed. He scratched the back of his head as multitudes of people bustled, played, and laughed around them. They were relaxing by a fountain near the entrance to the festival proper.



"I... Yeah, I'm not selling sophisticated, am I?" He asked.



He'd agreed to meet up with the teams at the festival. He and Yang had been the first to arrive, and she was not making things easy. She elbowed him playfully.



"Relax, I'll show you how to handle all this," Yang chuckled, "I mean, Ruby's gonna be overwhelmed so we'll both need to wrangle the teams, huh?"



"Yeah," Jaune nodded. He playfully elbowed her back. "Though I think Ruby's been doing more of that with you lately."



"Oho~! VB's actually joking back?" Yang laughed with a grin, "What has gotten into you?"



It was strangely freeing when he stopped pursuing Weiss. It let him see a lot more going on around him than his desperate need to prove himself. He shrugged.



"Just appreciating that I'm waiting with a pretty girl, who's a lot of fun, and I want to have fun too," he said.



Yang stared at him, her jaw dropped. Her cheeks went red. Jaune gaped back.



Huh? Is that... No way...!



She cleared her throat, and elbowed him a bit more sharply.



"Oof!"



He winced and held his side.



"Heh... D-Don't get too carried away, Jaune," she said with a wink, "But this is a nicer attitude than what you usually have. Keep it up!"



"Uh, sure?" Jaune blinked. Yang beamed.



"So, where shall we herd our kids to first, Papa Arc? Don't want them to get upset tummies, so no dessert until after dinner!"



"Sounds like a good plan to me!" A baritone male voice boomed cheerfully behind them.



Jaune yelped, as did Yang. Jaune winced.



Oh no, please, don't let it be...



He slowly turned around. Yang gaped next to him. He supposed he couldn't blame her: The pair before them were getting a lot of looks and Scroll photo shots.



A man well over seven foot tall and built like a brickhouse stood before him, wearing a well traveled brown duster over white and black plate armor. A truly gigantic twin-pronged railgun sword hung off his back, and a bastard sword only slightly shorter with one blade hung from his belt. His chin was like a lantern, and covered in a fine, well groomed beard. Faint scars were over his cheeks and above his gray eyes. His hair was short and neat, and just as blonde as his beard. He grinned broadly, his teeth shining in the sun.



His female companion was much shorter, only coming up to his shoulders, but was absolutely stunning. She was curvy but athletic, with wide curves and long, strong legs. She wore a green dress with a simple belt, stockings, and slim and elegant black boots. A white labcoat rested on her shoulders and waved slightly in the breeze. Her golden honey hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and her deep blue eyes were magnified by a pair of black rimmed glasses. Her face was slim with a pointed chin and light freckles over her high, aristocratic cheeks. Her expression was a mixture of relief and some annoyance, all directed at Jaune.



"Hey Jaune!" Ruby shouted, appearing right next to him. She beamed, then looked at the newcomers. The rest of their teams arrived. Weiss and Pyrrha stared intently at the tall man, both gaining slight blushes.



"Uh... So... Who are these people? Why are we standing around awkwardly?" Nora broke the ice.



Jaune cleared his throat.



"Um, friends? This is Nick and Isabel Arc... My parents."



- - -



For the fifth time, Pyrrha looked worriedly over at the trio of Jaune, Nick, and Isabel. They had moved some distance from the fountain to talk in privacy. The rest of the teams still lingered, wearing expressions ranging from concern to impatience.



"It'll be fine, Pyrrha, r-really!" Ruby insisted. "I mean... What's the worst they could do?"



"Pull Jaune out of Beacon so we never see him again?" Nora laughed... Then became very somber. Ruby and Pyrrha gaped back at her in horror. Nora winced.



"Y-Yeah, um, that's less funny right now, isn't it?"



"I'm sure they'll be fine," Blake said, though her tone was a bit more sullen than usual.



"Yes," Weiss stated, "I-I'm sure it'll be fine... Still... It's amazing to think he came from two such intense people..."



"And did you see his dad?" Yang grinned, and licked her lips, "Rowr. I think we're seeing the future there, ladies."



"Yang!" Ruby blushed brightly. Weiss and Pyrrha followed suit. Blake gave the two Arc men a once over and hummed.



"I can see the appeal."



"BLAKE!" Weiss cried. "D-Don't say such things, you perverted cat!"



"It's what you're thinking," Blake deadpanned.



"I AM NOT! I-I just think Jaune might look better with a beard, th-that's all," Weiss stuttered, "H-He needs all the help he can get!"



"Right, that's all you're thinking," Yang deadpanned, "Not what's under the beard... Or the armor-"



"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Ruby cried, covering Yang's mouth with her hands, "THIS IS SERIOUS!"



"They don't seem too angry," Ren observed calmly, "More that they're sorting things out. He did run off to Beacon without their permission, after all."



"You-You think so?" Pyrrha asked hopefully.



Jaune and his mother hugged tightly. He patted her on the back, and she pulled back just enough to smile at him. He smiled back, though wiped a tear from his eyes as discretely as he could. He then turned to his father, who looked very stern... Before he grinned and pulled his son into a tight bearhug, nearly taking him off his feet.



"See?" Ren said with a nod, as everyone became noticeably less tense. The Arcs walked back over. Jaune smiled a bit nervously, but the tension in his shoulders was a lot less severe.



"Hey guys, um... Yeah. Like I said, these are my parents. Mom, Dad, this is Ruby Rose, Pyrrha Nikos, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao-Long, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and Blake Belladonna."



Isabel's eyebrows shot up in shock. Nick blinked, still grinning.



"Ah... That's quite the group of friends you have, Jaune," Isabel observed, sounding a bit faint. She nevertheless shook everyone's hands politely.



Nick for his part just grinned broadly and gave a big hug to each of Jaune's teammates. Ren bore it stoically, Yang rolled her eyes but went along with it, Weiss blushed the entire time, Pyrrha beamed even through her red face, and Ruby and Nora were the most reluctant to let go.



"So good to meet you all!" Nick cheered happily, "Thank you for looking out for my son!"



Blake had to be held in place by Jaune when she tried to run.



"Trust me, don't run, he'll chase you down," Jaune muttered. Blake sighed, and accepted the hug with as much grace as she could. She scowled as Nick patted her on the head, and set her down. He looked them all over with a bright smile.



"So! Which one's your girlfriend, Jaune?"



"NICK!" Isabel hissed. Nick shrugged.



"What? It's just a question, dear!"



"Ah?!" Jaune gasped. "I uh, um-None! We're all just friends!"

"Y-Yes! Good friends!" Pyrrha insisted.



"Comrades!" Weiss added.



"Besties!" Ruby flushed.



"Breakfast Buddies!" Nora contributed cheerfully.



"Me," Yang offered with a wink and a wave of her hand.



"YANG!" Pyrrha, Weiss, Ruby and Jaune gasped.



"ALL THIS TIME AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!" Nora gasped. She narrowed her eyes. "I thought Blake-Blake was the ninja!"



Yang laughed.



"Nah, I'm just funning you, honest! We're just friends, Mister Arc..." She winked at Jaune as he blushed, "For now."



Blake silently approved of the shit stirring. She was a cat Faunus, after all.



"Well, you kids have fun," Nick said cheerfully, "We'll catch up later!" He waved his hand.



"Yes, we don't want to um... Cramp your style, do we?" Isabel asked with a more gentle smile. One that turned impish.



"Not until we bring out the baby photos, at least."



"OH KAY NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN LET'S GO!" Jaune shouted, somehow managing to shove both teams towards the festival entrance.



"B-But I wanna see-!" Ruby tried.



"I-I wouldn't mind-" Pyrrha insisted.



"Come on, it'll be great!" Yang laughed.



Blake took pity on Jaune and helped herd the rest of the teens through the gates. After all... Her mom kept baby pictures too.



- - -



Things managed to settle down a bit when they got into the festival proper. They played some games, got some snacks, listened to live bands, and generally enjoyed themselves.



Yang pulled Jaune onto the dance floor for a bit, then Ruby insisted on her turn, then Pyrrha insisted on it, then Weiss for some odd reason and Nora just dragged Ren onto it. Blake was then shoved onto the floor by Yang, who did a quick turn with Jaune and then just as quickly escaped.



After this, they sat at a ramen stand and enjoyed their bowls full of noodles. Blake went to town on a fish ramen bowl with such gusto Nora checked her for a fever. Blake hissed at her, and Nora wisely backed off.



"So... Everything is okay with your parents now, correct?" Pyrrha asked Jaune quietly, as he slurped up some noodles. He nodded.



"Yeah... I mean, we'll have to do some more talking but..." He smiled. "Yeah. We uh... We don't hate each other or anything."



"That's good," Weiss said quietly, "To not have issues with your parents."



"Yeah," Yang sighed wistfully.



Nora pouted. Ren stared into his bowl. Jaune turned and smiled at them.



"You're invited to stay at the farmhouse in Radian if you'd like? For the summer or after Beacon?"



Both looked up. Nora's eyes widened.



"Really?!"



"Yeah," Jaune said, "I-I mean, Dad and Mom were going to offer. I told them about you, how you guys were part of my team and my friends. They were all for it, since Saphron, Tanya and Aqua all moved out. Plenty of room."



"We... We'd have a home?" Nora whispered. Jaune nodded firmly.



"Yeah. If you'd like? I mean, you'd have to do some chores on the farm, nothing major, but-"



Nora leaped into Jaune's arms and hugged him tightly. Ren, moving more quickly than he ever had out of combat, got up and squeezed Jaune's hand.



"Thank you Jaune," Ren said sincerely, "That means... Everything to us."



"Urk... N-No problem," Jaune wheezed, "Nora?"



"Yes, bestest brother in the whole wide world?!" Nora cried happily.



"Can you let go? Can't breathe...!"



"Oh!" Nora loosened her grip and grinned. "Hear that, Ren? We're part of the family now! Sorry Pyrrha! Guess we win!"



"Win what?" Jaune asked between gaspes to get oxygen back into his lungs.



"N-Nothing!" Pyrrha insisted.



Jaune looked around at the rest of his friends with a smile.



"Same for the rest of you, um, if you'd like? I just told Ren and Nora first but um, you guys have different situations and-"



"Thank you Jaune!" Pyrrha cried, "Th-That would be wonderful!"



"So," Yang grinned, "Would I share your room?"



"Certainly not, you-you bimbo!" Weiss cried furiously. Yang smirked at her.



"Oh yeah. That's where you wanna be, right Weisscream?"



"I SWEAR TO THE GODS YANG I WILL SHIV YOU!" Weiss shrieked.



"Weiss Schnee!"



"Eep!"



Weiss slowly turned. An older woman in elegant white clothing stood there, a balding brown haired man in a black suit and mustache standing a few steps behind. Weiss flushed brightly.



"Uh, um... M-M-Mother?! What are you doing here?!"



"I'm here to see you in the Vytal Tournament," Willow stated flatly, "Where else would I be?"



Weiss bit back a response, though everyone could see the tension in her shoulders.



"I... Yes Mother, of course," Weiss managed, far more politely though her eyes remained narrowed, "It is... Good to see you." She looked over at the balding man and gained a small smile.



"Hello Klein."



"Miss Weiss," Klein said with a small but genuine smile. Willow looked over Weiss's teammates, her eyes cold. Ruby winced at her gaze. Blake and Yang glared back. Nora tilted her head to the side quizzically. Ren didn't react at all, and Pyrrha merely offered a polite smile.



When her eyes got to Jaune... They widened in shock.



"... Arc?" She asked.



Jaune coughed.



"Ah, yeah, I'm Jaune Arc, ma'am," he said, rising and letting Nora let go and fall back onto her feet, "It's nice to meet you."



He held out his hand. She stared at him like she'd seen a ghost. Weiss frowned deeply.



"He's the leader of our sister team, mother, and does a... An adequate job of it," she insisted. Ruby and Jaune stared at her like she'd grown a second head, while Yang hid a smirk and Pyrrha's smile became a bit tense.



"Son of... Nicholas Arc from Radian?" Willow breathed.



Jaune and Weiss both blinked. Jaune nodded.



"Yes ma'am?"



"Oh hey kids!" Nick Arc's voice boomed. All eyes turned to him. He wore a large crown made of multiple, brightly colored balloon animals, some cheap plastic necklaces, and had a big root beer float in a plastic skull mug with two straws in one hand. In the other he held his wife's hand. Isabel had a silly plastic crown as well, and held a large stuffed teddy bear under her other arm.



"Nick?" Willow gasped.



Nick blinked, and then grinned broadly.



"Wills! How's it going?"



"'Wills'?" Jaune and Ruby's teams all asked in varying levels of disbelief. Isabel's eyes narrowed.



"Willow," she stated, cold and unfriendly.



Willow's eyes narrowed right back.



"Isabel."



"Fancy meeting you here!" Nick laughed. He let go of his wife's hand and pulled the surprised Willow into a bear hug. "Great to see you!"



"Y-Yes... Wonderful~," Willow gasped, actually smiling in Weiss didn't even know how many years.



"Nick," Isabel hissed. Nick let Willow go, and smiled apologetically to his wife.



"Sorry dear, but it has! Oh, hey Klein! Still butlering?"



"As always, Mister Arc," Klein observed wryly.



"Great!"



"How do you know eachother?!" Weiss demanded.



"It's... A long story-" Willow tried, staring with warm eyes and red cheeks at Nick.



"A business rival tried to assassinate her and our team were bodyguards for her for a while when we were fresh out of Beacon," Isabel stated, tense and flat, "The end."



"There was more to it than that," Willow insisted, her smile far more tense as she glared at Isabel.



Isabel's smile became a thing of deadly beauty, and everyone could swear they felt menace radiate off of her.



"In your mind, perhaps," Isabel stated, clinging to Nick's arm.



"This is great!" Nick laughed. "So, things go well with that Jacques guy? You're still married, after all."



"Yes, you are, aren't you?" Isabel said, eyes like daggered behind her glasses. The white haired woman smiled back, death burning in her eyes.



"We have our difficulties," she stated easily, "Marriage isn't easy, after all. But new doors open all the time."



"What a wonderful optimistic attitude to have," Isabel replied tensely. "I'm sure it's doing wonders for your relationships."



Klein coughed.



"You know, there's an ice rink nearby. Why don't we all go there while you three catch up, ma'am?"



"Works for me, Klein," Willow said, warm eyes and blush back on as she gazed dreamily at Nick, "Thank you so much. I'll see you later, Weiss. I love you, sweetie."



"Um... Thank you?" Weiss managed, weirded out. The others accepted this offer and moved away to the ice rink. Even as they call got their skates on, everyone's eyes were still on the happily oblivious Nick, and the very tense Isabel and Willow.



"What was that about?" Jaune whispered to Klein.



"Ah, your parent didn't tell you?" Klein asked.



"Tell us what?" Weiss demanded.



"Your mother always had a... A special place in her heart for Mister Arc's esteemed father after he saved her from assassins," Klein stated, "But well... he obviously didn't end up with her."



Weiss gaped in utter disbelief. Yang grinned.



"Hey! Look on the bright side, Weisscream! At least you and Jauney Boy aren't siblings!"



"What?!" Weiss gasped. Klein nodded sadly.



"Yes... Nothing happened but he did leave quite the impression on her."



"I noticed," Blake deadpanned. Weiss winced.



"Klein, surely you could tell us this in private-?"



"It's hardly a scandal," Klein huffed, "Though your mother may soon turn it into one."



Weiss held her head between her hands.



"You... Mother likes your father?!" She gasped.



"Guess it runs in the family," Blake deadpanned.



"Huh?" Jaune asked.



"NOTHING!" Weiss hissed.



"Though clearly, Amazons and blondes do too," Klein said, looking over at Yang and Pyrrha with a knowing eye. Yang and Pyrrha blushed.



"We don't know what you're talking about," they said as one, before looking at eachother. Klein smiled wryly.



"Of course, ladies..."



- - -



This is pretty rough and stream of consciousness. It just wouldn't leave me alone until I got it out. The idea was that Jaune's parents have connections to all the parents of the various teammembers of RWBY and JNPR, including Ren and Nora. So far this is just Willow's connection. How about the others?

 

[Guikoi]

Fuck it. Based on my confusion over how the fuck Weiss' Semblance can possibly be inherited when it's a soul thing and not based on genetics whatsoever.

No, I do not believe in the soul trinity thingamabob.

I call it: "HOW DOES THE SCHNEE FAMILY SEMBLANCE WORK!? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"

Spoiler: Inspiration

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm2D7ohWos0&pp=ygUSa2luZyBjcmltc29uIG1lbWUg

---

Winter watched with pride as her younger sister dance around her opponent. Sure, Weiss wasn't the greatest combatant, but she was still only a first year and she was easily in the top ten of Beacon's first years. She would go far. Maybe one day Winter and Weiss can go all out in a spar together? That would be lovely.

The young boy who was defending himself fairly well against her younger sister's onslaught was the 'Jaune Arc' mentioned in her sister's letters? He didn't seem to be as bad as her sister made him out to be. He certainly didn't seem to be asking Weiss out right now.

Jaune lashed out with his sword, catching Weiss on the hip and sending her tumbling with her momentum. Yes, Jaune was able to fight her even with his crush. That was good. Maybe he'd grow up to be someone Weiss could depend on? Hopefully. Winter knew her sister needed more people in her life.

Weiss' team was fantastic from what the letters said. Despite some early hiccups, or maybe because of them, they are getting along very well. However, some friends outside of that team would always be a good idea.

Weiss formed a glyph under the boy and sent him skyward. More glyphs appeared and at the height of his journey upwards, he was sent crashing back into the ground. Even still, his aura held up exceedingly well. Was it his Semblance? Or was he just some kind of monster when it came to his aura reserves?

"Ugh." The Arc boy stumbled to his feet. "Snow Angel, do you think you can not do that?" He requested with a nervous smile. "Your Semblance is great. I wish I had something like it. It feels like it can do anything. It's elegant and powerful. It fits you." He nodded with a smile on his face. "But… I'd really rather not have another concussion."

"Hmph." Weiss held Myrtenaster perpendicular to the ground. "Of course my Semblance is great. It is the Schnee family's Semblance." She aimed the tip at her opponent and-

"Hold on a second. Snow Angel, what do you mean 'Schnee family's Semblance'?" His question gave her younger sister pause.

"I-I mean it's the Semblance of the Schnee family."

"What does that mean?" Jaune Arc insisted. "Do all Schnees have the same Semblance?"

"Yes." Weiss nodded.

"...I…" Jaune's eyes went wide. "So… Every single member of the Schnee family has the same Semblance?" He asked with his voice full of incredulousness. "That… That's…" He almost stumbled back as he processed what Weiss had said.

Winter… had never seen someone have this reaction to learning about the Schnee's inherited Semblance.

"How does it work?" Jaune seemed to calm down enough to ask. "I mean, how does the Semblance appear in every member of the Schnees?"

Weiss huffed. "It's an inherited Semblance. It's passed down."

"...Ha…" The Arc let out a quiet bark of laughter. "B-But… Aren't Semblances reflections of the soul? Like… Who you are as a person, as an ability?" He finally stepped out of the crater Weiss had made with his face. "D-Does it just… replace your original Semblance? O-Or…" He gulped and was left with a lack of words.

Winter began to worry for the boy. His breathing grew heavier and he was almost hyperventilating.

"U-Um… No?" Weiss, Winter noticed, seemed a bit thrown off by Jaune's change in behavior. "A-Are you alright?"

"..." The Arc took a great breath of air and then…

"I don't know how the Schnee Semblance works! It's inherited, but what does that mean!? If it's inherited, shouldn't you have two Semblances!? What does that mean, what do you mean it's inherited!?" Jaune Arc began to shout. He dropped both his sword and shield and took a step towards Weiss, and she stepped back in shock at his sudden outburst.

Even Winter was shocked by this. In Weiss' letters she noted that Jaune Arc never seemed to ever shout, or be angry, at least not to this extent.

"It's inherited but you don't get your own Semblance!? How do you know it isn't just overwriting your own Semblance!? It doesn't make any sense!" Jaune Arc threw his hands up into the air as he shouted to the heavens.

"You can't inherit a Semblance! YOU CAN'T INHERIT A SEMBLANCE! Fine, you can develop a similar Semblance or you can have a Semblance that ultimately does the same thing! But you can't inherit a Semblance, that doesn't make sense! IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" He stomped closer to her sister, and Winter almost flew out of her seat to protect Weiss.

"If-If you inherit a Semblance, you don't have your own Semblance! I don't know! I don't know! Someone tell me! Someone tell me how the Schnee Semblance works, I NEED TO KNOW! I NEED TO KNOW HOW THE SCHNEE SEMBLANCE WORKS!" Jaune Arc screamed out, almost sobbing at this point.

"PLEEEEASE!!!" Jaune Arc roughly grabbed hold of Weiss' shoulders and screamed, nay, begged. "PLEASE JUST TELL ME! I NEED TO KNOW!"

Winter stood up from her seat as Jaune began to throttle her little sister.

"SOMEONE EXPLAIN IT! IT'S CONFUSING, I DON'T KNOW! HOW DOES THE SCHNEE SEMBLANCE WOOOORK!?" The Arc's voice began to break, going higher and louder as he screamed. Winter feared for her sister's life as Weiss' head was rocked back and forth, the young girl gripping the taller boy's armored hoodie as if her life depended on it.

Winter leaped from the back of the stands overlooking the Beacon combat class' arena. She landed behind the young Arc and grabbed hold of his arms and attempted to pry them off her little sister.

And yet, the Arc's strength somehow surpassed her own, and she could not break his grip. He continued to throttle Weiss and scream his pleas to the heavens. "HOW DOES IT WOOOOORK!? HOW DOES THE SCHNEE SEMBLANCE WORK PLEEEEEAAAASE!? PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME!!! I NEED TO KNOW HOW THE SCHNEE SEMBLANCE WOOORKS!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

Suddenly the young Arc went limp and collapsed onto the floor. Winter saw the teacher, Glynda Goodwitch, groan as she rubbed her temples. "Ms Schnee wins. Someone… Someone please check whether or not Mr Arc has had a brain aneurysm again." She sounded tired.

Brain aneurysm? Winter and Weiss both gasped and turned their attention back to the Arc boy. The two sisters stared down at him as… blood started to drip down from his nose.

"Oh no." The sisters whispered.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



It wasn't like Jaune was antisocial. Not in the slightest. He was perfectly gregarious and got along pretty well with most people. There were a few guys on the cattle drive he never quite saw eye to eye with, and back in Radian, of course. Couldn't please everyone. But Jaune was not some anti-social loner.



That said, he had grown to love the moments where it was just him, Orleans, and the open world on cattle drives. When he went scouting or foraging, there was just something almost soothing about being out in the wild, only birdsong and the wind in the trees to be heard.



So as much as he loved his friends, he did need some time in more familiar surroundings.



So this Saturday, after he'd gotten some chores and his workout done, he'd mounted up Orleans and rode out into the Emerald Forest. Orleans had been happy for the break in routine herself. She'd crushed the skulls of a few Ursas, and the rest seemed to get the message to leave them alone (for now).



Jaune had gotten off Orleans in the middle of a meadow filled with wildflowers. He took her by the reins and led her to a sunny spot, where he slipped the bridle out of her mouth and let her go graze. He sat down on a big, sun warmed rock in the middle of the field, and sat down. He looked around at the bounty of nature, and closed his eyes to take in the sounds.



Squirrels chittering in the trees. Birds chirping and singing. A few insects buzzing around in the tall grass, which sent soft rubbing sounds into the air thanks to the wind.



Jaune smiled and just let himself be.



"Oh."



Jaune opened his eyes, had his revolvers out and cocked, and spun around in a split second. He blinked stupidly at a familiar pale girl with a black bow on her head. As well as an equally familiar pistol/short sword pointed at him.



Jaune lowered his weapons first and coughed. He tipped his hat.



"Sorry about that, Miss Belladonna," he said, "You uh, startled me."



Blake nodded slowly and lowered her own weapon.



"Sorry," she said quietly.



"Jest uh... Make more noise next time, please?" Jaune asked, "I'd hate to have to explain to Ruby how either of us got shot."



The ghost of a smile emerged on her face as she nodded.



"Agreed," she said.



Jaune fidgeted. Of all of his friends, he knew Blake the least. Wasn't for lack of trying, mind you. But she didn't seem inclined to talk a lot. So Jaune felt it impolite to force the issue.



"Need something?" He asked.



Blake shook her head.



"Just peace and quiet," she said.



Jaune nodded.



"Yes miss, I can do that."



She walked over and sat down on the rock. She pulled out a book, and began to read. Jaune stared at her for a moment, before mentally shrugging and just sitting down a few feet away from her.



Only the sounds of nature filled the air for a while. Jaune just added the sounds of Blake turning pages and humming every now and again to the orchestra he was registering.



It was a mite strange, but he could certainly understand the appeal. He was doing it himself, after all.



That said...



"If ya want to let yer ears loose, that's fine by me," he coughed. Blake turned and stared at him intently. He shrugged.



"My neighbors the Siths are all cat Faunus. You learn to tell certain things about 'em," he said. "If you're comfortable, or not. It's fine by me."



Blake continued to stare, her expression unreadable. Jaune coughed.



"Uh... Sally Ann wears a bonnet sometimes, so her ears don't get too hot in the sun, ya know?"



Blake continued to stare in silence. She then slowly reached up and undid her bow. She let it drop and revealed her ears, which twitched.



Huh. Cute, Jaune thought. He smiled at her and nodded.



"You won't tell?" Blake asked quietly. Jaune shook his head, leaning back.



"Nah. Ya got yer reasons. I respect that."



Blake hummed softly and then nodded.



"Thank you."



"Don't mention it, Miss Belladonna."



They returned to silent reading and meditation. No other words passed for over an hour.



After that time, Blake closed her book. She stretched her arms up over her head and looked over at him. She pulled her bow back on over her ears.



"Can I get a ride back?" She asked.



Jaune nodded.



"Course, Miss Belladonna," he said. He whistled, and Orleans galloped up. He reattached her bridle, and hopped on. He held out a hand to her with a smile.



"You can ride behind and-"



Blake took his hand, and then flipped herself up in front of him. She scooted back in the saddle, and placed the shocked Jaune's arms around her waist so he could take hold of the reins.



"This will work," she stated.



Jaune, bright red, managed a nod.



"Uh, er, um, y-yes Miss Belladonna."



Orleans neighed in annoyance. Jaune shook his head, and patted his horse's side.



"Come on girl. Let's get home."



Orleans shot Blake a glare from one eye, but whinnied and complied, galloping off. Blake held on tightly as she nearly lost her balance, but Jaune quickly wrapped an arm around her stomach and pulled her back against him.



"You all right?" He asked.



Blake shot him a coquettish look.



"Just fine," she nearly purred.



Oh Lord, give me strength, Jaune thought to himself as his face burned bright red.



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

How about Ren's family was basically Triads? Chinese Yakuza. And it took their remnants a while to find Ren, the heir to the family.

That gets you Ren and Nora having similar vibes as Joker and Harley but without the domestic abuse and psychological torture.

Also Ren is now a crime lord.

Ren: "Ahem... Jaune? I need advice."
Jaune: "Yes?"
Ren: "Any ideas on how to be a proper crime lord?"
Jaune; "..."
Ren: "Kind of on the clock here."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

The ride back to Beacon was pretty picturesque and calming... Even with Jaune pressed tightly against her back. Oh, she absolutely took advantage of it, enjoying his squirms and blushes. It felt good to be able to tease and have fun again. To not have her past weigh so heavily on her.

Blake knew it couldn't last, but she was determined to at least find some joy before things came crashing down again.

They always did.

"So Jaune," she commented, as Orleans navigated a bit of rocky terrain, towards the cliffs, "Have you noticed it yet?"

"Er, uh, um..." She could picture the mental calculations running through the rustic boy's mind as he held her, seeking out the least dangerous answer, "I'm afraid I do not know what you're talking about, Miss Belladonna."

Blake smiled inside.

"The affection you've attracted from a few girls," Blake observed.

Jaune tightened his grip on the reins and her, as Orleans seemed to grumble around her bridle. She didn't miss a step though, and neither did Jaune.

"I uh... Er... I'm very happy to have made so many friends, Miss Belladonna. Lady or man, friends are friends," he replied carefully.

My father would want him as a diplomatic attaché, that was very good, Blake laughed mentally. It helped assuage the guilt she felt over leaving her family, just a little.

"I think you know what I mean," she said softly, pushing back against him meaningfully. She felt his blush as he coughed.

"Er, um... I reckon I do," he said slowly.

"So...?"

"So what, miss?"

"Well," Blake shrugged, "Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Jaune was silent for a moment, chewing over her words. Orleans snorted in irritation and kicked a boulder out of the way. It went crashing down the ridge into a gulley some distance away.

"I mean... Er... I'm more in favor of courting a lady properly, miss," Jaune admitted, "Sure, lots of my friends dated, but a small community like mine? You mess around too much without matrimony as the goal, you break a lot of hearts and burn a lot of bridges. If I pursue a woman for that, it's for keeps, miss."

Blake's heart fluttered a bit. Not for herself personally, but she was struck by his sincerity. He genuinely meant it.

Just like Kenchi in Ninjas of Love: Volume 5, the selfless, old fashioned samurai would would only be with his true love.

That said...

"You shouldn't think of it that way," Blake insisted, "You should think of it as... Playing the field. I mean, you don't have to go all the way if you don't want to. But dating helps you learn romance. And romance in the wider world is much more complicated than it is in Radian." She glanced back at him. "You owe it to yourself and your future bride to be well rounded, don't you think?"

Jaune flushed but did give it some serious thought. Orleans grumbled a bit more, kicking some more stones as she navigated down slope, Finally, they got down off the ridge and onto the grassy plains they'd fought the Initiation on.

"Miss Belladonna?" Jaune said.

"Yes Jaune?"

"I will consider it," Jaune said with a nod, "Though uh... I wouldn't mind your advice. You're... Much more worldly than me, Miss." He flushed. "N-Not that I mean that as a bad thing! Not at all! So please don't take it that way!"

Blake smirked a bit as Orleans broke into a gallop, the wind rushing through their hair.

"Not at all. I'm very happy to help my friends."

Inwardly, she couldn't help a cackle. Part of her felt she should be doing more for her cause, doing more for Faunus... Yet seeing this young man stand up for a Faunus he didn't even know had made her pause a bit on that. Made her reflect on Headmaster Ozpin's advice to take time to enjoy herself and learn how to live life normally again.

Granted, stirring up the soap opera that was the lives of her friends may have not been the best choice, but... It was certainly better than brooding or being filled with fear and self loathing.

She still had those feelings, but... At least she could distract herself a little from them. Until reality intruded once more.

Orleans got them up the mountain and back to Beacon in no time. Blake though insisted they take Orleans around the main courtyard first, to let her see it and enjoy herself like them. Jaune had agreed, and soon they trotted up into the beautiful courtyard filled with fountains, trees, and sculpted marble.

Coincidentally, their friends had just gotten back from a trip out to Vale and were lounging in the courtyard. All perked up when Jaune and Blake on Orleans trotted by.

"Hey Jaune! Hey Blake! Hey Orleans!" Ruby said cheerfully. Blake could feel the intensity of the looks Yang, Pyrrha, and Weiss were giving her as she practically sat in Jaune's lap. Jaune dismounted, and Blake did so with him. Jaune held onto Orleans' reins, and patted his horse on the side. She whinnied quietly, as Jaune smiled at their friends.

"So, what have you two been up to?" Pyrrha asked, her smile a bit strained.

"Oh, uh, Miss Belladonna, Orleans and I just went out for a ride in Emerald Forest," Jaune said, smiling cheerfully.

Blake nodded, let the anticipation build, and then said:

"That was a lovely ride. You ought to take me for a spin next."

Many jaws dropped. Weiss's cheeks went bright red. Yang's eyes narrowed. Pyrrha's smile became downright terrifying.

Jaune, for his part, choked.

"Wha-I-?!"

Blake smiled guilelessly and reached up to caress Jaune's cheek.

"Really living up to that nickname, Stud. When can I expect round 2?"

The looks on everyone's faces brought true joy to Blake's heart. A joy she had thought long forgotten.

Also, Jaune really was very handsome when he blushed that shade of red.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Weiss Schnee held back a sigh as a familiar blue haired boy once again walked alongside her. His smile was charming, his looks fantastic, his style impeccable, all of these things were true.

"Come on Snow Angel! Let me show you a great time!"

Neptune Vasilias was indeed a Huntsman-in-Training that once upon a time, she may have fallen to with his flattery and charming smile.

"We could go out onto the bay, under the moonlight! Dance all night under the stars..."

Weiss sniffed.

She might have fallen for this cheesiness... If she hadn't gotten the same routine in Atlas from much wealthier suitors. All of whom wanted her for her power, her wealth, her looks... But never for her.

"Neptune, I do appreciate your... Forwardness," she said, deciding to be polite despite this being the fifth time she'd put up with it this week alone, "But I am simply not interested."

She made it to her dormroom door as Neptune kept pace. He smiled and winked.

"I know, maybe I'm coming off as a bit strong, but that's how I am! I can't let a beauty like you escape my sight before I've made my feelings clear."

He pulled out a bouquet of roses from his satchel and held them before her. Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"From the best florist in town," Neptune teased, "I know you've got gardens of the things, but... I put all this effort into getting this for you. Come on. Isn't that worth a date at least?"

Weiss sniffed the roses. They did indeed smell good, wonderful even. She'd always loved them.

"They are lovely..."

"Howdy Miss Schnee!"

In the JNPR dorm door, there was Jaune, standing in his "work clothes", as he called them. His ever present hat and poncho over his armor, jeans, boots, and gun belt. In his hands was a pot containing a few wildflowers.

Weiss instantly brightened and beamed at her friend.

"Hello Jaune, and haven't I told you to just call me Weiss?"

Jaune winced.

"Sorry Miss Schnee. Not sure I can do that, but I'll try. Promise."

"I'll hold you to it," Weiss smiled, never minding the scowl on Neptune's face. Jaune then nodded to Neptune.

"Mister Vasilias."

"Arc," Neptune sniffed. "You mind going somewhere else with those weeds? I'm talking to Snow Angel here-"

"Why did you get those, Jaune?" Weiss asked, curious. Jaune shrugged.

"I found some flowers out in the Emerald Forest I thought would brighten up the place. I got some for our dorm room and wanted to know if you wanted some. Pyrrha liked hers. I wasn't sure what you'd like, Miss Schnee, so I asked my sister for advice and got a few of the prettiest types."

Weiss flushed. She knew flower language quite well. Despite the cold, Solitas did have a floral culture and they had a great many meanings involved. Jaune's sister had put together a wonderful bouquet of various wildflowers. The message sent was of deep affection. Even love.

It was more than likely that Jaune had no idea of this. For all his wonderfully manly attributes, he had several blindspots in culture."

"I would love some!" Weiss said cheerfully, walking over to take Jaune's arm in hers. "How about you bring it into my dorm and we'll find a good place for it!"

"Er... If you're sure about that, Miss Schnee," Jaune said carefully, "I wouldn't want your reputation to suffer-"

"Not at all!" Weiss laughed, ignoring Neptune completely as she pulled him into her dormroom, "I'm always pleased to have you as company!"

"Ah, thank you Miss Schnee."

"Weiss!"

"Trying, miss." Jaune tipped his hat politely to Neptune. "Mister Vasilias."

Neptune's scowl and roses were forgotten by Weiss the moment Weiss shut the door on him.

- - -

"I'm telling you Sun, he's some kind of super playboy!" Neptune complained to his best friend Sun and the rest of their team at lunch later that day. They had gone to the cafeteria, since it was cheap and easy. Sun sighed as he ate his steak sandwich and gave Neptune a deadpan look.

"You've been hounding her all week. Isn't it obvious she's not interested?" Sun suggested.

"Not interested?!" Neptune demanded, nearly sending his salad off the table by slamming his hand down, "How could she not be?!"

"Maybe she's just into more rugged men," Sun suggested wryly. Neptune scoffed.

"That cornpone? Who does he think he's fooling, huh? He's more of a gardener than a gunslinger! I mean, his guns are so drab! They don't even mechashift!"

"So? A man's entitled to like simplicity in his weapons."

"Your nunchucks shoot shotgun shells!"

"Like I said, simplicity," Sun smirked.

Neptune scowled out across the quad. There was Arc again, with Weiss, Pyrrha Nikos, and even Yang Xiao-Long following him!

"How does he do it?!" Neptune demanded.

"He has a horse?" Scarlet suggested, eating some fries lazily.

"He's not a tryhard?" Sage submitted, meditating over the remains of his chicken tacos.

"Feh... They think he's hot stuff? Well, it's time for the big city to knock the little city back where it came from," Neptune smirked. He got up and headed for Jaune and his friends.

"Oh, this should be great," Scarlet opined.

"HEY! CORNPONE!"

Jaune blinked and looked around. Neptune scowled.

"I'm talking to you, Arc!"

Jaune blinked.

"Yes, Mister Vasilias?"

"Can the polite act!" Neptune snorted, "You're doing a fine bit, but the cowboy gag has run its course!"

"What gag?" Pyrrha asked, frowning a bit. Damn, even when she frowned she looked good.

"I... What?" Jaune blinked. "I was a cowboy. Well, cowhand."

"What, you also duel the bad and the ugly too?" Neptune scoffed.

"Who're they?" Jaune asked, genuinely confused.

"You literally look like the Man without Any Name!" Neptune groaned.

Yang looked Jaune up and down.

"Huh! Now that you mention it... You kind of do!"

"Man without what now?" Jaune asked, his confusion increasing. Neptune snorted.

"Still gonna play dumb, huh? Well, I'll make it simple for ya." Neptune held his hand over Tri-Hard. "Showdown at High Noon!"

Jaune blinked, still not comprehending.

"Er... You want to what?"

"Duel, you idiot!" Neptune growled. "I want to duel you!"

"It ain't combat class-"

"Doesn't matter! I'm calling you out, pilgrim!" Neptune stated in a terrible Rural Valean accent.

"Why? I kiss yer sister or somethin'?"

"This is ridiculous!" Weiss sputtered. "Students aren't allowed to have duels!"

"He accepts!" Yang smirked. "First one to shoot off the headwear wins!"

"What?" Jaune gasped, reaching up to his hat, "But my hat-!"

"I accept!" Neptune grinned, adjusting his goggles, "You're gonna have to find a new gimmick, tinhorn!"

Jaune gave Yang a long suffering look. Yang just smirked and winked to him, and the others.

"Relax Stud. You've got the equipment to bring this mule down," Yang licked her lips. "I should know."

"Miss Xiao-Long," Jaune groaned, blushing hard. Weiss shook her head and scowled at Neptune.

"If you think this will impress me, you're sorely mistaken!"

"You'll definitely change your tune when Cowpie here drops his act!" Neptune smirked.

Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"Jaune?"

"Yes Miss Schnee?" Jaune asked.

"By all means, remove his headgear," Weiss stated. "Er... Please?"

Jaune looked to Pyrrha, as though for some kind of sanity. Pyrrha smiled and shook her head.

"We both know some people only learn the hard way," she said. Jaune sighed, but nodded. He turned to Neptune.

"Fine... How we doin' this?"

"Thirty paces, then Snow Angel says 'Draw'," Neptune stated.

Jaune nodded.

"Fair enough, Mister Vasilias. As you wish."

Jaune and Neptune both backed up. The three ladies moved away but roughly in between them. A few other students gathered around, curious. The rest of SSSN joined to watch as well. Sun looked faintly amused, Scarlet was smirking, and Sage looked his usual stoic self.

"All right, Jauney-boy! I'm sending you home crying to your mommy!" Neptune snarked.

Jaune's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Neptune was reconsidering his actions. Those eyes were hard as diamonds, and seemed to be cutting right into him. He rested a hand on Tri-Hard, and sucked in a breath.

No... No, it was all an act. The second he was put in his place, Weiss would lose her interest and he'd swoop in!

"Are you ready?" Weiss asked. Jaune tossed his poncho aside, and set his hand over his revolver. Neptune held one hand over his gun. Sure it was bulky, but he could pull and fire in less than a split second. He'd trained very hard for this!

"Ready!" Neptune stated.

"Yes miss," Jaune replied.

"Then... DRAW!"

BANG!

Neptune yelped as a shot went right past his skull. His shattered goggles fell off his face and onto the ground in front of him. He stared down at them, and then back up at Jaune. The gunslinger calmly spun his revolver around his fingers, before sliding it into his holster.

What the-?! I didn't even see him DRAW!

"Wow!" Pyrrha cried, rushing up to Jaune's side, "That was incredible, Jaune!"

"Absolutely!" Weiss cheered, now on his other side, "How were you so accurate?"

Jaune blushed, looking genuinely bewildered.

"Er, um... Well, Pa put a gun in my hands when I was little... Bein' on a farm and all... Mister Duke had me practice a lot, and it comes in handy sometimes..."

"Heh, hope you're not as quick a shot in other areas of your life," Yang smirked, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"M-Miss Xiao-Long!" Jaune sputtered, now bright red.

Neptune gaped at this display, and then went to his knees. He stared at the remains of his goggles in disbelief.

Sun cleared his throat as the rest of the observers broke up.

"You okay there, Neptune?"

Neptune sighed heavily... Then reached up to run his hands through his blue locks.

"Does my hair look okay?! I think he might have singed it! Guys? Did he? Can you check?"

Silence ensued for a moment, before Sage broke it with his patented deadpan:

"He's fine."

- - -

Because sometimes I just wanna bully Neptune. But not too much.

 

[SharkCultist]

(damn it Jaune this is why you don't grab random stuff when joining a fighters academy)

Ruby: so Jaune where did you get your armor because it's kinda...bad?

Jaune: it belonged to another one of my ancestors, it was supposed to be one of a few sets of armor he had specifically for training.

*Weiss who is sitting nearby overhears and glances at Jaune before looking in horror*

Weiss: Arc do you happen to remember the name of that ancestor?

Jaune: uhhh Leon Nemia Arc I think?

*Weiss jumps up and starts smacking his head*

Weiss: you. Giant. Moron. Do you want to die?!

*Pyrrha grabs Weiss with a murderous smile*

Pyrrha: Weiss? I hope you have a good reason for assaulting my partner. A very good one.

Weiss: Leon Arc was a well known huntsmen from a few generations ago, the two most notable things about him were his love of lions, and his absolutely bullshit semblance.

Ruby: ooh oh! Did he shoot lasers? Summon the dead? Teleport.

Weiss: his semblance was called endless. It made it so his body didn't have a max threshold for its attributes.

Jaune: pretty girl use English please?

Weiss: *sigh* as long as he kept training his strength would go up forever. He didn't have to worry about hitting a limit. And that was for everything, strength, speed, all of it.

Pyrrha: fascinating but that still doesn't explain your assault.

Weiss: I didn't recognize it at first because I've only seen it in pictures but Leon Arc commissioned his training armors from my family. They're stuffed to the brim with dust. Forged into the plates, worked into the straps, even woven into the padding. All for the purpose of making training harder.

Everyone else: how much harder?

Weiss: this looks like the third version of the armor so a strength and speed reduction of around 60% and a simulated weight experience of 400 pounds.

Jaune: that sounds like a lot.

The girls: it is.

Jaune: so what are you saying? It's good armor?

Weiss: take it off before you kill yourself you moron!

A week later during his first combat class since ditching the armor Jaune accidentally underestimates his strength and speed without the armor and sends Cardin flying through three walls and Into the Forrest from initiation.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Alternatively, Pyrrha makes the bet that she'll do anything Jaune wants if he beats her... And he does!

Naturally Pyrrha made that bet in the desperate hope that Jaune would do something lewd to her... And Jaune just wants her to loosen up and be more honest and sincere.

Jaune: "Honestly Pyrrha... I want you to speak your true feelings. You don't have to hold anything back from me."

Pyrrha: "I-I just... I mean... Sorry-"

Jaune: "Seriously. Stop it."

Pyrrha: "What?"

Jaune: "That! We're friends! You can be completely honest and straightforward with me! Just tell me your true feelings!"

Pyrrha: "I-I don't... I-I mean... I don't know... Sorry, but... It's so hard and-!"

Jaune: "DAMNIT PYRRHA TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL! How far do I have to go?!"

Pyrrha: "I-I-I-!"

Jaune: "TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT!"

Pyrrha: bright red, shuts her eyes "I WANT YOU TO-TO SPANK ME BECAUSE I'M A NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY GIRL!"

Silence.

Jaune: "... Wait what?"

Pyrrha: "... You asked...?"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Taiyang had visited Beacon and checked on his daughters. He'd gotten to know some of their friends, too. He'd spent a long time with Jaune, as it turned out.

Before he had to go, he met Ruby and Yang in their dormroom with a broad smile.

Taiyang: "Well! I'm pleased with how well you two have been doing! Though uh... Two things, okay?"

Ruby: "Sure thing, Dad!"

Taiyang: "One? Cut down on the vigilante work, okay? You're gonna give your old dad a heart attack!"

Ruby: "Aw, Dad... Okay, we'll try."

Taiyang: "And second? And especially for you, Yang ... Don't. Date. Jaune. Arc."

Yang: "Eh? What's-We weren't-"

Taiyang: "I mean it, Yang! Do not date him! Don't get romantically involved! I don't even want you to think about it!"

Yang: "Wha-I wasn't-Why are you-?!"

Taiyang: stern glare "I mean it, Yang Xiao-Long! You are not to get near that Arc boy!"

Yang: "Can you at least tell me why-?"

Taiyang: "Because I'm your father and I said so."

Yang: glares "What kind of an answer is that?!"

Ruby: "Hey, that's not nice! What did Jaune do?! He's my best friend!"

Taiyang: glares at Ruby "Is that all he is to you? He'd better stay that way! Neither of my daughters are ever gonna get involved with an Arc, and that's final!"

Yang: "You're not the boss of me!"

Ruby: "Yeah Dad! You can't just tell us to do something and not tell us why!"

Taiyang: "Too bad! That's my word and it's final! Now, give me hugs and I'll see you later. Remember! No Jaune Arc!"

The two girls scowl, give very stiff hugs to their dad, and glare after him as he leaves.

Yang: "Who does he think he is, telling us we can't see Vomit Boy? What did he do?"

Ruby: "Yeah! ... Let's go see Jaune just to spite him!"

Yang: "Hell yeah!"

Later... In Vale...

Isabel: "So... It's done?"

Taiyang: "Yep. Now we just sit back and watch."

Nick: "I feel kind of bad setting our kids up like this..."

Taiyang: "Come on Nick! Didn't your monk father tell you not to go after Isabel?"

Nick: "No, he just told me to be a hero."

Isabel: sighs "This technique doesn't work on everyone, Taiyang... But I'm quite sure it'll work here."

Nick: "You're okay with this, Isabel?"

Isabel: "I'm not letting Athena Nikos or Willow Schnee get their claws into my precious baby boy! Better he marries a girl or girls from families we can trust!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Yang storms into the common room, furious, her hair smoking.

Yang: "That rat bastard Russel! I pouned him into the ground and-and he just-my hair-RRRGGGGHHH! I should have kicked him in the balls and shattered his ribs and-!"

Jaune grabs her shoulders and stared intently at her.

Jaune: "Calm. DOWN."

His voice is so firm and commanding, yet gentle, Yang stops in sheer disbelief. Jaune leads her over to the mirror over the sink, and sets her down. He pulls out a brush and runs it through her hair, calming her down.

Yang: "Wha... What are you doing...?

He then pulls out some scissors.

Jaune: "Don't move."

Jaune does some snipping, adds some product, and is done in a few minutes.

Jaune: "Voila. All done!"

The burnt tips have been cut away, and her hair looks great.

Yang: "Wha... VB, what was-?"

Jaune: "Seven sisters. I had to learn how to do haircuts."

Yang: "Oh... Wow... Um... Thank you?"

Jaune: "You're welcome." smiles "You have very pretty hair so it was a lot of fun to work with!"

Yang: Brrrright red

 

[AndrewJTalon]

One day in Oobleck's class, they are covering the history of Northern Sanus duing the Great War...

Oobleck: "And of course, one of the most fearsome warriors of all time was Queen Arturia Pendragon. The last Queen of Albion and last Empress of the Vytalian Empire. Records show she and her consort, Shirou Arc, slaughtered at least ten thousand soldiers of the Atlasian and Mistralian Armies besieging Camelot, the capital of the Vytallian Empire which once covered a quarter of Remnant!"

Jaune: "Oh hey! That's my great-grandma!"

Silence falls. Weiss scoffs.

Weiss: "No she isn't!"

Oobleck: "Actually, yes, she is."

All the other students stare. Neptune gapes. Jaune flinches.

Ruby: "Wha?!"

Oobleck: "Official genealogy records do indeed show that Mister Jaune Arc is the great-grandson of Arturia Pendragon-Arc and Shirou Arc."

Yang: "So, wait, Vomit Boy is royalty?"

Cardin: "BULLSHIT he's royalty!

Jaune: "I mean, not really. The last Arc to be king was Roland like, three centuries ago and he abdicated. And Nana Arturia abdicated at the end of the Great War so she and Papa Shirou could retire to Radian."

Weiss: "You're seriously descended from a bloodline that used to rule most of the planet?!"

Jaune: "Well... Yeah... But we don't anymore. So it's not that big a deal..."

Yang: "Your great-grandma solo'd AN ARMY!"

Jaune: "Not all by herself! My great-grandpa helped her! And my great-uncles and aunts were there too... She doesn't really talk much about that battle, huh."

Oobleck: "She did have a kill count of almost 10,000 soldiers."

Jaune: "Holy crap, really?! She's just a fencing instructor and teacher now!"

Weiss: "And what, your Papa Shirou is a househusband now?!"

Jaune: "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Weiss: turning red "That-That-You-!"

Jaune: "Well he has his own restaurant but that's more of a hobby than anything."

Weiss: "Oh gee, and I suppose you have an Uncle Lancelot too?"

Jaune: "Er, great-granduncle but yeah. He had to go through therapy but he's much better now."

Weiss: "GRAH!"

Jaune: "What? What'd I say?!"

- - -

Yes, the Fate Knights of the Round Table got a pretty happy ending here, too. So! What are they all up to in Radian? They would have retired with their Queen after the war and just worked on living quiet lives afterwards. Though Jaune knows all of them.

 

[FarmerKyle]

Yes, the Fate Knights of the Round Table got a pretty happy ending here, too. So! What are they all up to in Radian? They would have retired with their Queen after the war and just worked on living quiet lives afterwards. Though Jaune knows all of them.

Click to shrink...

Hmm... HMM...

Lancelot: Lifeguard/Swim Instructor (Married to Guinevere?)
Gawain: Cook/Farmer
Tristan: Musician/Poet
Mordred: Career Hunter or Bartender
Bedivere: Notary
Gareth: Also a Lifeguard (w/Lancelot)
Perceval: Cook/Farmer (w/Gawain)
Agravain: Part of the City Administration.
Mash/Galahad: Either would enjoy traveling, I think. Also means they don't have to be near Lancelot. Mash takes photographs, and her significant other(A Fujimaru) encourages Mash to share her experiences and travels. Mash is a blogger. Not sure about Galahad. Etiquette Instructor? Being the literal worst? Can't quite get a read on him.
Merlin: Something of a polymath genius, but mostly bums around bars and such telling stories.

Of course, all of them can and will kick ass as needed.

 

[SharkCultist]

Ren and Nora may have lied about his semblance.

It is definitely the reason they got out of kuroyuri, and it is certainly tied to his emotions...

Anyway Ren doesn't like to use his semblance so he keeps a cool and calm head. Most of the time.

Except his bed broke yesterday, he's out of tea, and Neptune keeps hitting on Nora. Normally that'd just be a minor annoyance except she's already shot him down three times and he just won't shut. The Fuck. Up.

To anyone except Nora Ren would look slightly annoyed. But Nora has known Ren for most of their lives.

So she can confidently say that he is absolutely seething in rage. The visual indicator of his semblance starting to act up, his pink hair strand starting to slowly turn red, also helps.

For Nora it's like watching a bullhead crash in slow motion. Horrible, devastating, and utterly captivating.

Snap.

And suddenly Neptune is flying through the air burning aura sticking to him like magma.

"I swear to the brothers if you don't shut up I'm going to do worse than just give you third degree burns on your soul!"

And just as quickly as it appears the heat is gone. Pink fades to red and embarrassment replaces rage.

Nora doesn't get to see this often but it's a treat when she does. Destruction and power here one second gone the next, just like lightning.

One more reason she's drawn to him.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Anyway. We've had a lot of Family for Jaune. How about Childhood Friends?

For instance, what if one of his childhood friends was a certain gamer/mecha pilot?

D.Va, aka Hana Song. She pilots combat mecha for a small nation near Solitas that is technically part of Atlas but not fully under their control.

(Basically South Korea.)

She met Jaune while online gaming and they've been meeting IRL a few times ever since. She shows up at the Vytal Festival to ask him to go steady with her. Shenanigans ensue.

- - -

Jaune: "Hana!"

Hana: "Jaune!"

They hug tightly.

Jaune: "It's great to see you! Look at you! In... A schoolgirl outfit?"

Hana: "What? I'm visiting you at your school, shouldn't I look the part? Oh hey! Pyrrha Nikos is your partner?"

Jaune: "Yup! Pyrrha, this is Hana Song! My best friend growing up!"

Hana's smile becomes tense and her eyes narrow at Pyrrha. Pyrrha's eyes widen, then narrow, even as she keeps her professional smile up.

Pyrrha: "Charmed to make your acquaintance, Hana."

Pyrrha: He's mine bitch!

Hana: "Oh, absolutely! It's such an honor to meet you! Glad you've been taking care of Jaune."

Hana: We'll see about that, whore!

Jaune: "I hope you two get along!"

Hana and Pyrrha; "Of course Jaune!"

 

[Unknown_One]

Had a small snippet in my head after thinking about Winter arriving in Radian in my post about Summer Break with Team RWBYJNPR:

"Oh, Sister! What are you doing here?" Weiss asked, as she saw her sister for the first time since before attending Beacon.

"I had some leave available, albeit only brief. Seeing as father has disavowed me from the house, I found where you were." Winter replied, before looking around the city-state.

The fences needed some more repair, but the grounds were still very secure. For the first time in a while, Winter seemed to relax and dropped her posture.

Right then, Isabel walked outside. "Ms. Schnee? I think you might need some cooler clothing soon. It's supposed to get rather warm today."

Winter thought for a moment, feeling the heat start to bear down on her uniform. Atlas clothing wasn't the best for summer work. The Specialist then looked back at Weiss. "Excuse me, Sister. I must head to a shop and retrieve some suitable clothing."

With that, the sisters split. Weiss went to the fields to help out the others, and Winter walked towards the market.

"Ms. Schnee?" Isabel called. Winter stopped and turned on her left heel.

"Yes, Mrs. Arc, may I help you?" Winter replied.

"You don't need to go to the market. I have some clothes I no longer wear that should fit you perfectly. And they're made for the hotter temperatures. No need to spend your money out here." The Arc Matriarch said.

"I don't want to be a bother." Winter replied again, giving a slightly off-character smile of gratitude.

"Nonsense, come on over. I have just the right outfit for you." Isabel said. Winter sighed softly and turned back toward the Arc household. After all, why not accept generosity if offered?

*****

A couple of hours, and a few minor alterations later, Winter looked out from the front of the Arc household. Her 'new' linen clothing fitting her toned body well. Isabel only needed to tighten the Sky-blue blouse about an inch around the torso and the White pants hemmed about half an inch. With a soft, pleased sigh, she gazed upon the grounds where everyone worked. Weiss working with Blake and Ruby was a bit of a surprise, given the former's reluctance for physical labor in her youth. She then saw Yang and Pyrrha working on placing large wooden stakes into the ground, providing fixed points to repair the fence. Nora was hammering them with ease, bringing out her weapon to do the job.

Winter smiled at the serene scene, until her eyes came across a couple of men carrying wood to the group. Her focus immediately went to the man whose blonde hair was slightly tussled and soaked in sweat. His shirt was discarded and his arms carried the lumber seemingly with ease as she took note of his flexing arms. He turned away from the house and bent his legs to place the wood down on the ground. She could see his back muscles flexing and relaxing as he did so. The laughter from Yang and bright blush from Pyrrha was evident before the blonde male turned back toward the house.

His broad chest, defined abs, trapezoid type body had her brain doing all sorts of tricks within her head. Was he the 'Jaune Arc' boy Weiss told her about? Was he a yoke-no, that was a man. Was he a huntsman? Was he single?

That last question made Winter shake her head. She didn't just have a schoolgirl moment with a boy at least 5 years younger than her, did she?

"Ah, I see you've seen my son." Isabel said, coming out of the house with some water for the group.

Winter nodded. "That blonde boy over there is your son?"

Isabel nodded. "Of course. Who else has so many women after his heart? I guess I should thank the God of Light for the hot summer. Him taking off his clothing helped me find out who actually likes him."

Winter wore a puzzled look. "What else can you tell me about him?"

The Arc Matriarch lightly chuckled. "I can tell you everything you want to know. After I give the kids some water."

Winter nodded as Isabel left, instantly trying to find ways she could extend her leave... and maybe try to find reassignment to Beacon. For security, of course.

*****

Take that for what you will.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Okay, one of the biggest disappointments of the JL/RWBY crossover... Among many of them... Was this thing. Which I am now correcting.

Diana sidles up to Bruce's side with a smile.

"So, Bruce... We're teenagers again."

Bruce slowly nods.

"I am aware."

"In a world without any of our usual issues," Diana continued, resting a hand on his broad chest. Bruce's lip twitched.

"So it would seem."

"And it's not like that one time when were were prepubescent fighting against Morgana's son."

"No. Well, sort of-"

Diana promptly ties Bruce up in her golden lasso, and carries him off over her shoulder with a smile on her face and a song in her heart.

"I'm not entirely opposed to this," Bruce grunted as Diana carried him off into a dormroom and kicked the door shut behind her.

Everyone else stared after them. Pyrrha sighed.

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"Same," Nora mumbled.

 

[FarmerKyle]

Guikoi's Expansion

Click to shrink...

Very nice, let's continue! I'll expand on at least my thought processes.

Mordred, I felt, would be one of the few that would genuinely go all-in on becoming a Hunter. I use Hunter as a nod to Mordred's aversion to being called a girl. In this case, Mordred doesn't think a distinction of titles between men and women in the Hunting business is needed. "You're either a Hunter or you're not. Why split hairs over what's between my legs?" About halfway through my post, though, and I realized everyone my be aged-up to fit their roles as Jaune's great-grand uncles and aunts. Not that age seems too much of an issue, but I thought I'd give a possibly more "mellow" and older Mordred a job that could still get rowdy, while also paying a nod to her being a... butler/doorman in BB's Summer Event in FGO like I did with Lancelot. So, bartender/tavern owner.

Bedivere: I was stumped with Bedi-boy here, and coopted out. He was the Steward of Camelot, so I made him a notary. Maybe he works with Agravain in helping the administration of Radian. I can also Bedivere and Agravain opening a law practice together, going about their cases in opposing but valid and successful ways. Bedivere in a way that emphasizes the spirit of the law and appealing to a person's better nature.

Gareth was another I wasn't too sure on, but after some digging found she held Lancelot up as an ideal to strive for, among other things. So yeah, lifeguard as well. Helps that at least based on images, this is essentially her Summer Form.

Perceval I also had to research. Besides his quest with Galahad and Bors that led them to the Holy Grail, Perceval was also noted as someone that all the other Knights trusted the most. Gawain is name-dropped specifically. Perceval was also noted to give out huge portions of food. With that in mind, Perceval and Gawain opened a restaurant and farm/ranch. Gawain mostly handles the farm and ranch, while Perceval focuses mostly on the restaurant. The place is known for its large portions, and making sure you don't leave hungry. Perceval tries to keep Gawain out of the kitchen, but isn't always successful.

Agravain, I figured, almost immediately as part of Radian's administration. But after a bit, realized he might not care for any administration that doesn't have Artoria at it's head. So he and Bedivere go into law. They may or may not be "rival" firms. "Rival" in the sense that they have opposing methods, and occasionally butt heads in court. Agravain would focus more on the letter of the law, and weeding out those that try to corrupt or take advantage of the system. He's very by the book, cold, and rather intimidating, but no one doubts he can get results. I like to imagine that both Agravain AND Bedivere work a lot on Faunus cases, exposing corruption and fighting for equal rights, but at the same time not shying away from those cases that genuinely find the Faunus at fault.

I kinda already went into Mash's pursuits in my last post, but I'll reiterate them here. I first wanted to put her into a researcher role, nodding to her time at Chaldea after her depowerment. But I realized that one of the more defining parts of Mash's character was learning and experiencing what it meant to be human, and the wonders she discovered. Also nodding to her inheritance of Galahad, I figured she'd travel as something as a knight-errant/Hunter, keeping a journal and pictures of her travels and experiences. After some goading by her close friend, she shares her thoughts and words on the CCT forums. She's gathered a following of fans, and minor celebrity, and has started a book series about a band of heroes traveling through time to save Remnant. To build on Guikoi's idea, Lancelot and Guinevere adopted her after the tragic deaths of her parents, Dr. Roman Archaman and Dr. Lisa Vinchi.

Galahad... I didn't really try for him. He's a pretty divisive character for one we don't actually know a whole lot about. I'd also think he'd travel, but more for the fact that with the rest of the Round Table Knights in Radian, he doesn't feel a need to stay to defend it. He's also someone I'd see as a Hunter, both as a young or old man, defending those whom can't defend themselves. He would stay for as long as he's needed before moving on. I also imagine he's well known in Mistral as the "Bandit Hunter," not because he's a Hunter that resorted to banditry like so many, but that he takes absolute umbrage at those that have and pursues them mercilessly.

Merlin, I imagine, as someone with a large and varied set of skills. He's a skilled blacksmith, a capable advisor and administrator, a tech wiz, etc. And while he COULD pursue any of those things as a career, he'd rather just drink at the bar, tell and listen to stories, and charm the ladies.

Next though, what about Morgan and, for fun, the Tam Lins?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Loud arguments in the RWBY dorm were usually a good sign that Jaune should just mind his own business. He'd learned that the hard way when it came to his sisters.

However, it was getting so distracting that Pyrrha's photogenic smile was straining, Ren's eyebrow was twitching, and Nora was reaching for her hammer more often. So Jaune decided, as team leader, he would at least inquire about the disturbance to prevent anyone from getting murdered.

He was conscientious like that.

He entered RWBY's common room, seeing Blake, Weiss, and Velvet Scarlatina in a large argument. Yang and Ruby were off to the side, just watching in silent horror and exasperation.

"And I'm saying you're wrong, Weiss!"

"HOW AM I WRONG?!"

"BECAUSE I'M NOT A RACIST!" Blake declared.

"YOU ABSOLUTELY ARE!" Velvet growled.

Blake sniffed.

"Says the girl who likes her human boyfriend to tug on her ears!"

"THAT'S BETWEEN ME AND HIM!" Velvet cried, her face going bright red. "YOU CAN'T KINKSHAME ME!"

"I TOTALLY CAN!"

"LADIES!" Jaune shouted. Ruby look gratefully towards him.

"Jaune! Thank the Gods, this is just getting out of hand!"

"It is NOT!" Weiss declared. "At least it's not MY fault it's gotten so ridiculous! It's Blake's!"

"It is not!" Blake growled, "Because I'm not a racist! Oppressed minorities can't be racist!"

"Oh really?" Velvet sniffed. She looked to Jaune. "Jaune? I want your unbiased opinion!"

"Uh, sure?" Jaune managed. Velvet narrowed her eyes.

"Do you think that rabbit girls are sexier than cat girls?"

Jaune blinked. He looked between the scowling Blake and Velvet, and to the glaring Weiss. Finding no help there, he looked over at Ruby and Yang. Ruby was cringing, and Yang was determinedly looking at a magazine.

"Er... I mean... I guess it depends on the girl?" He offered.

"Please!" Blake sniffed. "Cat Faunus are clearly sexier. All this human media is about cat faunus girls! All of this porn is about us! And why shouldn't it be? We're cats! We rule over all other Faunus sub-types because we're superior!"

"HOW IS THAT NOT RACIST?!" Weiss demanded.

"It's not racist if it's a fact!"

"It is NOT a fact!" Velvet argued. "I was able to turn a racist like Cardin into the sweetest honey of a boyfriend ever!"

"That's got nothing to do with your race and everything to do with you being weak to tsunderes!" Blake huffed. "Which is another rabbit Faunus trait! You're weak and you like to be dominated! Like all herbivores!"

"THAT'S SUPER RACIST!" Weiss cried in exasperated rage.

"IT IS NOT! All herbivore Faunus are more easily led around and more easily oppressed than the stronger willed carnivores!"

"What about Adam Taurus? He's a bull Faunus, isn't he? Yet he's also a violent psychopath terrorist?" Weiss pointed out sarcastically.

"That's bull Faunus, that's different!" Blake insisted.

"HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT?!" Velvet demanded.

Yang and Ruby snuck over to the door. Jaune held it open for them and closed the door behind them. All three sighed in relief.

"Wanna go get ice cream?" Jaune asked.

"Yes please!" Both sisters insisted.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune returned with his friends from Vale. He licked at his rocky road ice cream cone absently as he headed for the common room. The sun was just beginning to set, and the light was orange and purplish through the windows of the hallway.

"I can't hear any more arguing," Nora sighed in relief as she lapped at her strawberry kaboom.

"Maybe they worked out their issues?" Pyrrha suggested between licks of her pistachio.

"Or they killed eachother," Yang sniffed, licking her chocolate. "Either way, not our problem until Monday."

"Agreed," Ren said, enjoying a honey ripple cone.

"Not funny," Ruby pouted, eating some cookies and cream.

The door to RWBY's dorm flew open with a bang. Blake Bellandonna stood there, her eyes narrowed and locked onto Jaune. Jaune gulped down his ice cream. Yang cleared her throat.

"Um... Blake? Everything okay, sweetie?"

"You all think I'm racist, don't you?" Blake demanded.

Silence fell. Nora hummed.

"Yes!" She said. "Or no? ... What was the question again?"

"Well I'm not!" Blake stated firmly. "And to prove it?" She stalked up to Jaune and grabbed his shirt. She pulled the shocked knight into a kiss.

Ren dropped his ice cream cone in shock.

"Wat?!" Nora cried.

"What?!" Ruby gasped.

"Dwuwah?!" Yang managed.

"What," Pyrrha seethed, crushing her ice cream cone between her fingers.

"Mwah," Blake gasped, breaking the kiss, "We're going on a date."

"Huwmwah?" Jaune managed, as Blake grabbed his free hand and dragged him off. "W-Wait a second-Wait a minute-!"

"HA!" Weiss scoffed from the door, "That's the best you can do? Take Arc on a date?"

"It's further than you'll ever get with a Faunus Boy!" Blake sneered.

Sun mumbled a bit, poking his head out the door.

"What's all the noise-HWAH?!"

Weiss grabbed the monkey faunus by his sleeve and pulled him out into the hallway.

"HA! I'm taking Sun out for a date!" Weiss said mockingly.

"She's what now?" Sun tried. Weiss elbowed him in his perfect abs. "HURK! I-I mean, sure...?"

"YEAH! I've got your ex, Blake!" Weiss laughed. "Who's racist now, you stuck up kitty princess?"

"YOU ARE!" Blake growled. "You're just taking my old flame because you can't do any better! Petty bitch!"

"Feline strumpet!"

"Frigid sow!"

"ACTIVIST!"

"NEW MONEY!"

"FAT CAT!"

Blake gasped.

"WHORE!" She stomped off with the hapless Jaune in tow. "I'LL SHOW YOU FAT!"

"I'll show YOU frigid, bitch!" Weiss shot back, dragging the equally confused Sun off.

Silence fell upon everyone in the hallway. Yang rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Did... Did that really happen?"

"I think so!" Nora said, pinching herself. "OW! Yup, that's real!"

Ruby sighed.

"Geez... I can't believe I let this get so out of control... I'm a terrible leader!"

"Yes. You are," Pyrrha stated coldly.

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SO BLUNT!" Ruby cried.

"Where's Velvet?" Ren asked.

The rabbit Faunus emerged from the common room, stretching her arms up over her head with a yawn. She removed very bulky headphones.

"What'd I miss?"

Everyone glared at her. Velvet coughed.

"Seriously, what?"

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The real reason Salem was quiet for 20 years? The CCTNet was invented and she spent all her time gaming and watching videos about cats.

Salem: "COME ON DAMNIT! DON'T YOU LEEROY JENKINS ON ME-FUCK! WE PLANNED THIS RAID OUT, JERRY! YOU FUCKWIT! I'M GONNA HAVE GRIMM EAT YOUR HEAD, JERRY!"

Jerry: "Maybe you should git gud!"

Salem: "I DON'T SLEEP AND I PLAY ALL THE TIME YOU CUNT! FUCK YOU! YOU GIT GUD!"

Cinder: "Um, My Queen-?"

Salem: "WHAT?!"

Cinder: "Er... We're ready to begin the Vytal Operation?"

Salem: "Hm? Oh, sure, good. But on your way there? KILL THIS FUCKER."

Cinder: "Yes My Queen?"

 

[The Sleepless One]

I wrote some Cowboys of Remnant snips on SB. Crossposting them in diegetic order.

---

Cowboys of Remnant: Smoking Barrels

"The next match will be between Cardin Winchester and Jaune Arc," Professor Goodwitch called out.

Jaune started a little, surprised that he was being called up on the first day of class. Although, judging from the slight glare that the Professor was sending his way, it may have been because he'd been dozing a little. It wasn't his fault, honest! He always got a little sleepy after lunch and he'd had to stay up late last night to give Orly a rub down because she'd been acting up during Initiation and the bed in his dorm had been too soft so he'd been having trouble getting to sleep and then-

"Now, Mr. Arc."

"O-of course ma'am! Right away ma'am!" He stammered, jumping to his feet and hurrying down to the ring.

"Good luck Jaune!" Ms. Rose called after him.

"Knock 'em dead, Cowboy!" Her sister, Ms. Xiao Long, followed up.

"You've got this, Fearless Leader!" Ms. Valk- Nora shouted. Yes, she'd be very emphatic about being addressed as Nora.

Now in the sparring ring, Jaune took a moment to loosen up, limbering up his legs and stretching out his fingers especially. He swept his poncho up over his shoulder to free up his gun hand and waited for his opponent.

Cardin Winchester was a big man clad in a suit of half-plate armor. Jaune, already a tall man himself, would have had to look up to meet the redhead's eyes and there was no way that Jaune's lean physique, developed by years of living on the road, would have matched up to the other man's slabs of muscle. The big mace he carried said he was a close-range fighter, but the Fire Dust crystal embedded in the head indicated he was more than just a one-trick pony.

Don't let him get close then, Jaune mused to himself. And keep an eye out for any Fire attacks. Maybe I can-

"Hey hick!" Cardin's baritone rang out. "Try to put up a good fight!"

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "I'll do my best," he replied. "May the best man win!"

"Oh, I intend to," Winchester said with a smirk.

Well, I was polite, Jaune thought. Ma can't take fault with what happens now.

"Gentlemen, on my mark. The bout will continue until surrender, ring out, or Aura reduction to the red," Professor Goodwitch called out from the referee's stand. "Ready... BEGIN!"

Quick a flash, Jaune's revolver was out of its holster and he was fanning the hammer, sending all six Aura charged bullets screaming towards his opponent. The shots had been fired in such quick succession that the resulting bangs had all melded together into one report. To Cardin's credit, he took the shots head-on, not even flinching at the pain, and charged straight in. Jaune could see out of the corner of his eye that Cardin's Aura had taken a significant hit though, dropping by almost a fifth.

Couple more of those and I'll have this in the bag.

Slamming the cylinder of his S&W open, he dumped out the spent casings before placing it under a line of bullets on his belt. Sliding his thumb across the back of the bullets, he spun the open cylinder across his waist, loading a bullet into each chamber with the flick of his thumb. Less than a second later, he had his revolver reloaded and ready to go. He fanned the hammer once more, firing all six of the fresh bullets in less time than it had taken to load them.

Cardin was clever enough to not be taken by the same trick twice though. He continued his charge but leapt to the side as he did, barely avoiding Jaune's shots by a hairsbreadth. Taking his mace in both hands, the larger boy slammed it into ground and dragged it along for a few feet before lifting it back up. The floor of the ring distorted as a shockwave traveled towards Jaune but the cowboy didn't hesitate, jumping over the ground based attack while beginning another reload. That was when the fireball hit Jaune in the chest and knocked him sprawling.

Fortunately, his Aura had been more than capable of tanking the explosion, but the force had still sent him to the ground. More importantly though, the blast had torn his revolver out of his hands and sent it clattering out of the ring. As he clambered to his feet, the cowboy saw Cardin smirking at him from behind the smoking head of his mace.

Clever bastard.

Scowling, Jaune reached over his shoulder and drew Old Man Duke's gift to him: a steel-framed Winchester 76 lever-action shotgun loaded with customized Burn Dust rounds. It was a powerful weapon, but lacked the precision that Jaune preferred when fighting. Of course, sometimes overwhelming firepower was just what you needed.

Cardin's smirk was swiftly overtaken by a look of panic as he dodged out of the way of the pillar of flame that erupted from the barrel of Jaune's shotgun. Jaune could barely hear the exclamations of the audience over the roar of his weapon. He worked the lever, releasing a smoking shell and racking a new one, before taking aim and firing again. Cardin just barely managed to dodge out of the way of the second blast, but it was a close thing. The cowboy racked another shell and this time the shot he fired took Cardin in the chest and sent him flying out of the ring.

A buzzing ring sounded out as Professor Goodwitch called the match. Jaune lowered his shotgun, absently noting that the barrel was glowing a cherry red. Cardin got to his feet, groaning, but his Aura was still intact. Glancing over to the scoreboard, Jaune could see that Cardin's Aura Gauge remained over 60% while Jaune's hadn't dipped below 90%.

"A quick match," the Professor noted, as she fixed the crumpled arena floor with a wave of her riding crop. "Mr. Arc, excellent marksmanship, but you could stand to be more mobile."

"Thank you, ma'am," Jaune intoned, nodding to the Professor. "I think I've gotten too used to Orly doing the movin' for me. I'll work on that."

"See that you do."

He breathed a small sigh of relief and went to retrieve his pistol. while she turned to address his opponent. "Mr. Winchester, solid use of tactics but your maneuverability could use more work. Wearing armor is only effective if it actually protects you."

Cardin grit his teeth but thanked the Professor regardless.

"You may take your seats, gentlemen," she said, dismissing them. "Ms. Nikos! Ms. Xiao Long! You two are next."

As the two young men trudged back to their seats, Cardin growled under his breath, "This isn't over, hillbilly."

Jaune side-eyed the armored redhead before murmuring, "You're right. I reckon it ain't."

 

[The Sleepless One]

Part 2.

---

Cowboys of Remnant: Teacher's Pet

Weiss was almost certain that animals were not permitted inside classrooms, and yet there was a horse standing in the back of Professor Port's lecture hall. It was a familiar horse, as it belonged to one Jaune Arc, who happened to be muttering in low tones to her while feeding her a carrot. Weiss did not dislike Orleans. In fact, she loved most animals and Orleans herself was a beautiful chestnut mare with the softest nose. But Orleans did not like Weiss and was not afraid to make those feelings known, usually by biting the Schnee Heiress.

Undaunted, Weiss approached her fellow student and his mount and managed to catch the tail end of what Jaune had been whispering.

"-And no poopin' in class, alright? I don't want a repeat of the post office incident."

Orleans turned her head and gave her rider a baleful stare with one eye.

"Hey! That was entirely your fault. I told you those apples were bad but you ate 'em anyways."

Orleans snorted and tossed her mane.

"Fine, fine, it was totally my fault. But no poopin' here, okay?"

Orleans nickered her grudging agreement.

Weiss, a little disconcerted but very amused, cleared her throat, cause both Jaune and his horse to jump.

"Ah! Ms. Schnee! My apologies! I didn't see you there," the cowboy said, sweeping his hat off his head and bowing. Orleans, meanwhile, gave Weiss the dirtiest glare.

"Not a problem, Mr. Arc," Weiss replied, finding his rather old-fashioned form of address to her liking. "I was just wondering if Orleans was permitted to be here. I wouldn't have thought animals would be allowed in classrooms."

Jaune brightened, replacing his hat and giving Orleans a pat on the nose. "Ah, yup, most people would think so, wouldn't they? I checked with Professor Goodwitch beforehand because Orleans was gettin' stir-crazy and was insistin' on followin' me to class. Turns out plenty of Huntsmen have animal companions to help out in the field. One of the third years has a hawk and apparently the Headmaster has a crow? And since Aura Awakened animals are pretty smart, they can actually learn somethin' from these classes."

The mare nudged Jaune's shoulder, as his petting had ceased while he'd been speaking with Weiss, prompting him to return to rubbing the horse's face. Weiss swore that Orleans was giving her the smuggest look. It wasn't like she wanted Jaune to cup her face with his warm, calloused hands and run his thumb along her cheekbone- Weiss cut that train of thought off immediately.

"Are you alright, Ms. Schnee?" the blond asked, his face creasing in concern. "You're lookin' awfully red."

"I am fine!" Weiss definitely didn't shout. "Thank you for satisfying my curiosity, Mr. Arc. Please have a good day." She walked swiftly back to her seat, ignoring the questioning looks of her team.

"Twas no problem, Ms. Schnee. And a good day to you as well." The cowboy called after her.

---

Weiss would acknowledge that Professor Port's lectures were quite boring, but this was certainly a new kind of interesting.

"What a magnificent beast!" Professor Port's booming voice proclaimed as he lifted Orleans over his head to examine her, much to her and Jaune's alarm. "Horses are among the most valued animal companions a Huntsman can have, only matched by dogs! You've chosen well, Mr. Arc!"

"T-thank you, sir!" Jaune stammered. "But do you think you could put Orleans down? She's gettin' nervous."

The professor looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization and he carefully lowered the panicking mare to the ground. "Ah! Of course! I am very sorry, Ms. Orleans, I was carried away by your beauty. I hope you can forgive me."

Orleans gave the older human a glare before whinnying her acceptance of his apology. Weiss wasn't certain if she'd be as forgiving if the professor had hoisted her up by her midsection in front of the entire class, but she wasn't a horse.

"Actually, Ms. Orleans, while you're up here, would you be willing to help me demonstrate why an Awakened animal companion can be incredibly helpful in the field?"

The mare paused to look at her rider, who shrugged, before turning back and snorting her acquiescence.

"Excellent!" The professor boomed, pulling a remote from out of his coat pocket and pressing a button. A rattling cage containing a Beowulf rose from the ground as hardlight shields blinked into place around the front section of the lecture hall. The Beowulf snarled upon seeing Orleans and reached out through the bars with one clawed hand.

"Oh ho!" Professor Port laughed. "This one is awfully feisty! Are you sure you can handle it, Ms. Orleans?"

The horse tossed her head, her posture utterly confident. "The spirit of a true Huntress in this one!" The professor said with a smile. "Very well, BEGIN!"

The locks on the cage disengaged and the Beowulf burst out with a howl of rage. It bayed for blood as it charged the mare, claws outstretched, ready to rip the Awakened animal to pieces.

Orleans spun on her front legs and delivered a powerful kick with both of her back legs. With a deafening bang, her steel-shod hooves slammed right through the Beowulf's bone faceplate and pulverized the entirety of the head behind it. The Beowulf's corpse dropped to the floor with a thump, the momentum of its charge carrying it just past the horse that had so easily slain it.

There was a beat of silence before the lecture hall erupted into noise as the students clamored over Orleans' feat. The horse herself pranced in a circle around the slowly dissipating Grimm corpse. She caught Weiss's gaze with one of her eyes before tilting her head straight up, utterly prideful. Weiss's eye twitched.

"And there you have it, students!" The Professor shouted with glee. "An Awakened animal companion can be a powerful force multiplier! A Huntsman such as Mr. Arc could focus on shooting targets much further afield, secure in the knowledge that his mount is protecting his back! And that's not even covering such advantages as the increased mobility and carrying capacity a horse can provide when out in the field! There is a reason why the Valean Rangers prefer using horses. Additionally, horsemanship is an elective at Beacon, taught by yours truly. I hope that many of you will be interested in signing up after this demonstration."

Weiss could swear that Orleans was getting smugger and smugger with each word out of the Professor's mouth.

 

[The Sleepless One]

And Part 3.

---

Cowboys of Remnant: Sisterly Gifts

"That's a pretty big package you've got there, Cowboy." Yang said with a salacious grin.

Both Weiss and Pyrrha barely avoided spitting their drinks out. Blake looked up from her newspaper, interest suddenly piqued, and all other conversation at the joint RWBY and JNPR table immediately died out as everyone turned to stare at the blonde.

"Yang! That's inappropriate!" Shouted the Schnee Heiress, glaring at Yang.

"Indeed!" The Myrmidon agreed, matching her counterpart's glare. "Highly inappropriate!"

The boxer gave the two her most innocent look, "Inappropriate? What could possibly be inappropriate about Jaune's package?"

Jaune, carrying a large wooden crate in his arms as he approached, flushed and coughed slightly. "Please don't do that, Ms. Xiao Long. Folks'll get the wrong idea."

Yang's grin somehow grew wider, "That's the whole point, handsome."

"Ew, Yang, stop flirting at the breakfast table!" Ruby cried.

"Please, that was barely flirting," the taller girl scoffed. "This is flirting: hey boy, gimme- MPH!"

"Shutupshutupshutup!" Ruby had immediately slapped her hands across her sister's mouth, face completely flushed. "I'm so sorry about her, Jaune. How about a new topic? Like, what's in the crate?"

"Thank you, Ms. Rose," said an equally red Jaune. "And I don't rightly know yet. Just picked it up from the mail office but it looks like it's from home."

"Well, crack that sucker open, Jauney!" Nora demanded, jumping up on the table to get a better view. "Surprise presents are the best!"

"Nora, please don't climb onto the table, it's unsanitary." Ren requested calmly.

"Oops, sorry Ren!" The redhead climbed back down.

Jaune, meanwhile, had pulled out his knife and was prying open the top of the crate with the blade. With a SCRUNCH, the lid popped off, revealing... more boxes inside, as well as a letter on top. The blond gave the letter a quick read through before smiling softly.

"Looks like my sisters sent me some gifts as congratulations for gettin' into Beacon," he explained to his friends.

Pyrrha blinked, "But that was last semester? Why are you only receiving them now?"

"Half the Arc kids are spread out all across Remnant," Jaune elaborated. "It must have taken a while to get everythin' all bundled up."

Yang peered inside the box and whistled. "That's a lot of gifts."

"I've got a lot of sisters," he replied.

"How many is a lot?"

"Seven."

"Se-seven!" Weiss cried.

"Your parents must have a very healthy marriage," Pyrrha intoned with an innocent smile.

"Some would say too healthy," Jaune muttered under his breath, eyes suddenly very far away, before shaking himself and pulling the individual boxes out.

"Alright, this one's from Saphron," A small cardboard box a bit bigger than his fist.

"This one's from Tangy," A moderately sized casket that made sloshing noises when it was moved.

"This one's from Verdy and Coral," A heavy metal case with something dense inside.

"Lilac." Another cardboard box that rustled.

"Aqua," A large wooden chest that made dull clinking sounds when it was jostled.

"And Orchid." A long and thin metal case that also clinked.

"That's quite a few," Weiss noted, inspecting the gifts.

"Must be nice, having a lot of siblings who love you," Nora sighed wistfully.

"It has its ups'n downs," Jaune admitted, smiling softly at the Valkyrie. "I think you'd like them, Nora. I'll introduce you sometime."

"Really!?" Nora leapt over and gave Jaune an absolutely bone-crushing hug. "Thank you, Fearless Leader!"

"N-nora, please," the cowboy wheezed.

"Nora," came Ren's voice from behind her. "Please don't break our leader. We only have one of him."

"Oops!" The redhead chuckled. "Sorry Jaune!"

Jaune took a deep breath and straightened his neck with a crack, "N-no harm done! Just, ah, take a bit more care in the future?"

"Can do! Enough messing around, lets get to opening these presents!"

"Just a sec, the letter said they need to be opened in a specific order," Jaune said, picking said letter up again.

Weiss paused her inspection of Tangy's gift, looking up, "Why the coordination?"

Jaune smiled, "They're always doin' stuff like this. I think it's cause I'm the youngest. They always like makin' any gift givin' into a whole production. Anyways, looks like the first one is from Saphron."

Opening the case revealed a brand-new scroll and a small letter. Opening the letter, Jaune read it aloud. "'Dear Jaune, Terra and I were overjoyed when we heard the news and Adrian thought it was pretty swell too!' Ha, that's cute."

"What is?" Pyrrha queried.

"Adrian is my nephew and he's barely a year old. There's no way he knows what they were talkin' about."

Weiss smiled, "Ah, that is cute."

"'Terra helped me set this scroll up for you as a replacement for your old Mokia. You're going to need something more modern if you want to make it as a Huntsman! I expect to see you in Argus over your summer break! We can go sightseeing and I'll introduce you to my friends! Love, Saphron. P.S. Terra and Adrian say they love you too.'"

"Awww," practically everyone around the table cooed.

"Wait, your sister lives in Argus?" Pyrrha asked, her gaze suddenly calculating.

"She does indeed, Ms. Nikos. Why do you ask?"

"I'm from Argus. Maybe we can visit her together and I can introduce you to my mother afterwards?" She proposed coyly.

Jaune smiled, "That sounds wonderful. I'd love to."

Pyrrha felt her heart soar, in no small part due to the stinkeye Weiss was sending her way.

"Well, this is nifty," Jaune said, inspecting his new scroll. "Never been all that great with technology but I'll learn. Looks like the next one I'm supposed to open is from Tangy."

Seizing the casket, he lifted the lid off to reveal an ornate glass bottle filled with an amber liquid. Worked into the bottle's surface were the words "The Evil Brewing Company, Est. 80 AGW."

"Ha! Looks like Tangy's newest venture took off! Tangy is a pretty successful entrepreneur," he explained for the benefit of his confused friends. "She's got her fingers in lots of pies, from shippin' to security. And now apparently brewin'! Let's see what's in the letter..."

He unfolded the small square of cardstock, and read the short note inside. "Dear Jaune, Congratulations on being accepted into Beacon. This whiskey is part of the first batch from our new distillery. Please share it with Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos. Cordially, your sister Tanya.'"

"Tanya?" Yang asked. "I thought her name was Tangy?"

"Her name's actually Tangerine but we call her Tangy. She's not a fan of Ma and Pa's namin' style."

Weiss sniffed disapprovingly, "While it's nice to have some recognition, I hardly think it's appropriate for your sister to be gifting you liquor in order to promote her business."

"Can't say I agree, Ms. Schnee. Out on the trail, a shot of whiskey can do a fella a world of good, especially right before bed or right after a fight," Jaune replied. "Tangy might be a bit cold but she's clearly lookin' out for me with this gift. That she can promote her business too is probably just a bonus to her."

"I suppose," the heiress conceded. "I merely have a poor opinion of those who place business before family."

"As you should, Ms. Schnee, as you should," Jaune agreed readily. "But the thing about Tangy is that, when push comes to shove, she'll drop everythin' to be there for her family, and she knows we'd do the same for her."

"Hmm," Weiss hmmed. "I think I should like to meet Tangy at some point."

"I reckon she's mighty keen to meet you too. Now, the next one I'm supposed to open is... Lilac's!

Cutting open the cardboard box revealed...

"A coat?" Ruby asked.

"Well, I'll be..." Jaune murmured, his eyes wide as he pulled it out of the box and unfolded it. "It's just like Pa's!"

Standing up, the cowboy pulled his poncho off and swept his arms through the dark brown duster's sleeves. The cut of the coat was quite long, coming down to just past his knees, and stiffer than he expected. Tapping the coat, he could hear the dull clink of a harder material insde the lining.

"Lilac really outdid herself with this one!" Jaune laughed. "Even has the ceramic armor sewn in!"

"Nice trenchcoat," Blake teased, speaking up for the first time.

"Duster, Ms. Belladonna," Jaune replied with a hint of reproach. "It's a duster."

"Hm."

"I think it looks great on you, Jaune." Pyrrha said with an encouraging smile. "You look very dashing. Did Lilac make this?"

"Yep!" Jaune replied while twisting his torso around to get a feel for the coat's weight. "She's a great tailor, sewed a lot of my trail clothes. Sure, we can get mass-produced stuff out where we live but they don't stand up that well to wear and tear. If you want somethin' that'll last a long time, you gotta make it yourself."

Apparently satisfied with the fit of his new duster, he opened the letter than had been laying underneath the coat. "'Dear Jaune,'" he read aloud. "'Congrats on getting into Beacon! I'd been hoping to get this done before you set out from home but the stitching took longer than I'd thought. You might be disappointed at the lack of color, but I thought of that in advance. Check the inner pocket on the left side...'"

Jaune did so, pulling out a square of large blue cloth embroidered with a number of small white fleur de lys. With a smile, he immediately tied it around his neck.

"'A bandana!'" He continued to read. "'It should add that bit of panache you need.' There's a lot more but it's mostly stuff about Ma and Pa and how the neighbors are doin' and whatnot. I'll finish the rest of it later."

"Dang, Cowboy," Yang purred. "That looks mighty fine. But I'd bet it'd look better on the floo-" She was cut off as Ruby jumped on her back and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"I'msosorryJaune," Ruby babbled. "Shesnotnormallylikethis!"

"She absolutely is," Blake snorted.

"I-it's fine, Ms. Rose," Jaune blushed again.

Yang just grinned, completely unmindful of the venomous glares Weiss and Pyrrha shot at her, or her sister attempting to strangle her.

"M-moving on! The next one is from Aqua! It's... wow!" The cowboy was left speechless at the gleaming pieces of armor inside the chest from Aqua. "She really went all out."

"Solid workmanship," Pyrrha noted, inspecting one of the bracers inside. "Lots of Huntsmen choose not to wear armor as it can restrict your movement, but there's something to be said for the protective power of Aura-enhanced armor."

"Yep!" Jaune agreed with a rap to his current breastplate. "My Pa wears armor so I figured it was probably a smart move. I'll try this on later but let's take a look at her letter..." He paused upon seeing the small manuscript tucked into the lid of the chest. "On second thought, maybe I ought to read that later. Aqua usually has a lot to say. I think Orchid is next."

Jaune pulled the lid off of the narrow package, revealing... a white metal scabbard. "Huh. Wouldn't have thought Orchid would have gotten me something I already had," he tapped the leather sheath strapped to his side. "Lemme check her letter."

He unfolded the rolled up printer paper that had been stuffed into the mouth of the scabbard. "'Jaune. It's also a shield. Love, Orchid.' Wait, what?"

"Ahhh!" Ruby cried. "You got a mechashift! And I wanted to be the one to help you build one..." She pouted.

"Tell you what, if I ever build my own weapon, you'll be the first person I go to for help, Ms. Rose," Jaune promised, to Ruby's delight and Weiss and Pyrrha's annoyance. "Now, how do I..." With a little finagling, Jaune was able to attach the scabbard to his offhand and deploy it into a shield, revealing the twin yellow crescents of the Arc Clan on the front. "Huh, that might actually be really useful down the line. Better start practicin' with it."

Pyrrha cleared her throat, "I would be more than happy to show you the ins and outs of sword and shield combat, Jaune."

"If it's not too much trouble?"

"We're partners. I would be more than happy to."

Jaune gave her a warm smile and her heart skipped a beat, "Then I'll definitely take you up on that. Thank you, Ms. Nikos."

Ah, she probably wouldn't be able to stop smiling all day.

After swapping his new scabbard in and making sure Crocea Mors fit in right, Jaune approached the final package. "Alrighty, just the one from Coral and Verdy left. They stuck the letter on the outside of this one..." he pulled it off and began to read. "'Dear Baby Bro,'... It's gonna be one of those letters, ain't it?"

The snickering from around the table did not help.

He cleared his throat and continued reading. "'Dear Baby Bro, Congrats on getting into Huntsman school! Meet any cu-' Ah, I'm not gonna read that part. Or the next line. Actually, I think I'll just keep this one to myse-"

"'Meet any cute girls yet?'" Came a voice from over his shoulder. Jaune jumped and turned towards it, fist raised, only to freeze when he saw Blake's smirking face.

A chorus of stifled laughter came from the table behind him, as he lowered his hand. "It's very rude to read other folks' personal correspondence, Ms. Belladonna." Jaune said with a frown.

Blake shrugged, her lips still smiling. "Maybe. But I've never considered myself polite. The next line of the letter was 'Careful when playing that guitar of yours in public or you'll be fending off girls with a stick.'"

This time the laughter wasn't stifled.

"Would you like to read the rest of the letter for me, Ms. Belladonna?" Jaune asked pointedly.

Blake tilted her head, considering it, before smirking again. "No, I don't think I will." And returned to her seat.

Jaune sighed. "Well, most of the rest of the letter is just teasin' me about... things. Although, the last paragraph is different. "'Also, we decided that your peashooter ain't gonna cut it anymore and talked to Old Nell to convince her to come out of retirement for one last commission. Which you'll find in the box. Enjoy, Baby Bro. Love, Verdy and Coral.' Wait, they got Old Nell to make somethin'? There's no way. They've gotta be pullin' a prank."

The cowboy stared down at the box with wide eyes, almost unwilling to touch it.

"Uhhh, who's Old Nell?" Nora was, of course, the one to ask the question they were all thinking.

"Nell Goldstone," Jaune answered absently, eyes still locked on the case.

"NELL GOLDSTONE!?" Ruby shrieked, causing a good portion of the cafeteria to quiet down and stare at her. The little reaper immediately pulled her hood up and covered her face until people started looking away.

Jaune, unaffected by the outburst, nodded. "Yep, Nell Goldstone."

"Perhaps you could explain who this 'Nell Goldstone' is? For those of us who aren't in the know?" Weiss asked pointedly.

"You don't know who Nell Goldstone is!?" Ruby snapped incredulously. "She's the best weaponsmith on the planet! She pioneered dozens of techniques that are used in modern mechshifts! There's guaranteed to be at least one of her designs in all of our weapons, maybe more! She retired ages ago though. Said she was done making weapons and wanted a quiet life. Until now..." Ruby stared at the box, the hunger in her eyes deeply disconcerting. "Jaune, please open the box," she stated very calmly.

Jaune gulped before undoing the latches of the case, revealing a pair of shining revolvers. Ruby's squeal of joy was so high-pitched as to be inaudible, except to Blake, who winced.

"They're just revolvers," Weiss muttered.

"They're not just revolvers!" Ruby cried. "They're beautiful. Look at the tooling, it's all custom! Do you see that sheen? The frame is reinforced with Gravity Dust! The ivory grips with the maker's mark carved in! The cylinders, they're almost perfectly flush with the barrel! They're amazing! They're magnificent!" Ruby fell silent as she was overcome by paroxysms of joy.

Jaune quietly closed the box. "I think we oughta get Ruby to the Infirmary."

Ruby snapped out of it. "I'm fine! I'm fine! I was just... really excited."

"You don't say," Blake murmured dryly.

"Don't get me wrong, I reckon the only reason why I'm not reactin' the same way as Ruby is because it hasn't quite sunken in yet. Give it a few minutes." He began packing the boxes back into the big crate. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna get this stuff back to our dorm and try to process... all this."

"Here Jaune, let me assist you with that," Weiss said with a gracious smile, moving forward to help.

"Allow me, Jaune," Pyrrha intervened, stepping in Weiss's path. "I need to head back to our dorm regardless."

"Why you! You're only doing this to interfere!"

"Interfere? Interfere with what?" The champion replied innocently.

"You know damn well what!" The heiress declared, stomping up to the taller girl. "I won't take this lying down!"

"Fight Fight Fight!" Nora chanted and was subsequently joined by Yang.

"Guys, we shouldn't do this here!" Ruby tried to mediate, to no avail.

Blake sighed and went back to her newspaper.

As the conflict escalated, Jaune despaired at his chances of getting all of his things before violence erupted.

"We should get out of here before it devolves further," A quiet voice murmured from behind Jaune, causing him to jump for the second time today.

Turning around, Jaune saw Ren holding the rest of the packages from his sisters and tilting his head towards the door.

"Ren, you are an absolute godssend," Jaune muttered as they scurried out of the cafeteria. "Thank you."

"Anytime Jaune, anytime."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Ruby was fiddling with one of Crescent Rose's components out on the quad, her silver eyes focused intensely on the mechanisms within. She hummed and reached out for her toolkit. She rummaged around and pulled out a hook probe. She inserted it into the mechanisms and pressed down.

A loud beeping sound went off, and the component shot off some steam. Ruby yelped and then scowled as the device beeped angrily.

"All right, all right, that wasn't the right one," she huffed, putting the mechanism back in place to silence the beeping. "You're so temperamental today!"

She sighed and fiddled a bit more before she heard someone walking up to her table. She looked up, and smiled.

"Hey Whitley!" She chirped. The white-haired boy smiled back nervously and returned her eager wave with a shaky one of his own. He held something behind his back, which made Ruby frown.

"What have you got behind your back?"

"Ah... Uh... W-Well..." Whitley coughed, holding his fist up to his mouth, before he lowered it. He glanced off to the side. Ruby looked. All she could see was a tree nearby, with a hint of blond hair behind it. Whitley quickly moved in front of her, and held out the hand he'd been hiding behind his back.

"I... Found a new 3D printer model and decided to test it out," he said. He set down two items on the table then sat down next to her. Ruby's silver eyes sparkled in amazement as she picked up the items.

"Action figures?" She gasped. She turned a miniature version of herself over in her hands in wonder. Whitley nodded and held up his own small plastic doppelganger.

"Of us, yes. It-It seemed like a good means of testing the system," he said quickly. "See? The program even allows you to make articulated limbs!"

"Wow!" Ruby said with a grin as she moved the arms and legs of the figure, "Yeah! And this plastic version of my cape is spiffy! Little stiff, but that's just down to the plastic used and the weaving method!"

She beamed at him.

"I think it's a great printer!" She said honestly. Whitley nodded, and his face turned red.

"I uh... Um... It's at this tech expo this weekend-"

"Ooh, the Valean General Tech Demo Expo? I've always wanted to go!" Ruby said happily.

"M-Me too. So uh, I got us two tickets!" Whitley continued, pulling the items out of his pocket. "Would... Would you like to go with me?"

"Sure thing!" Ruby beamed, "You're a really great friend, Whitley!"

"Ah... Uh..." Whitley stammered. Ruby frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that... I-I'd like to... I'd like to go as... Um... M-More than friends," Whitley said nervously, sweat beading all over his burning red forehead. "U-Um... Y-You know... Like... Uh..."

Ruby blinked. She blinked again. Her own face turned bright red.

"Like... A-A date?" She squeaked, scooting back away from him. Whitley looked frantically behind him. Ruby tried to look, but Whitley again put his head in between her line of sight... Leading to their foreheads konking together.

"OW!"

"OOF!"

Of course, Ruby was much stronger than Whitley, and the heir to the SDC fell off the bench onto the stone tiling.

"AH! WHITLEY!" Ruby gasped. She slid off the bench to his side. "A-Are you okay?! Did I hurt you? I'm sorry!"

"N-No! No, it... It's fine," Whitley insisted, as Ruby helped sit him up. "It's okay, it-it was just an accident!"

"You're sure?"

"Positive! R-Really!" Whitley nodded quickly.

"I'm glad!" Ruby said with a relieved smile.

The two realized they were staring at one another, then looked aside as their blushes returned in force.

"U-Um... You... You mean..." Ruby mumbled, "You really wanna... Take me out on a... A date date?"

"Y-Yeah," Whitley muttered back.

"Are... I-I mean... There are probably lots of prettier girls around," Ruby squeaked, "And-And richer ones, too!"

Whitley again looked away from her towards that tree. He then took a deep breath, and took Ruby's hands between his. She squeaked a bit as her skin seemed to light up as red as her namesake. He looked into her silver eyes, shaking a bit out of nerves.

"I-I'm sure... Y-You're a beautiful, cool, and fun girl, Ruby! I-I can't imagine going on a d-date with anyone else!"

Ruby stared at him in total shock.

"I... You think... I'm beautiful?" She whispered. Whitley nodded hard.

"Y-Yeah! And cool! You're super cool! L-Like, the coolest! I-I think we could have a lot of fun! Y-Ya know, on a date! And stuff!"

Ruby stared at him intensely.

"Would... Would we... Kiss? A-At the end?" She managed, 'kiss' coming out as a tiny squeak. Whitley coughed, his own face bright red.

"O-Only if you wanted to... If-If not, that's cool! I-I just like spending time with you! Though kissing you would be cool! O-Only if you want to though! Th-That's the important part!"

Ruby nodded furiously, resembling a bobblehead on the top of a broken clothes dryer.

"Y-Yeah! Yeah! N-No kissing if we don't want to!"

"Yeah!"

Silence fell. Ruby looked shyly down at their joined hands.

"But... Y-You'd... Want to kiss me?"

"I do want to kiss you!" Whitley blurted out. "T-That's why I said it!"

"I... Um..."

"Do... Do you want to kiss me, too?" Whitley asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. Ruby shut her eyes.

"I um... I... I don't know..."

"That's okay!" Whitley said quickly. "Th-That's okay! That's the whole point of a date! To-To find out if you wanna kiss someone! R-Right?"

Ruby calmed a bit, and nodded.

"Y-Yeah! That makes sense!"

"Total sense!"

Ruby beamed.

"So um... Yeah. The date. Let's... Let's do that."

Whitley's jaw dropped.

"R-Really?"

"Yes!"

Whitley grinned, and Ruby had to admit, she liked how he looked when he was smiling. He did it so rarely!

"O-Okay! Um... I'm gonna go now!"

"O-Okay!" Ruby said. She looked down at their hands. "Um... Can you let go of my hands?"

Whitley looked down at them, flushed, and yanked his hands away.

"S-Sorry!"

"Don't be sorry!" Ruby insisted with a nervous laugh, "I-I uh, I-I liked it! But um, you-you can't go if you don't let go of-of my hands! And-And I need those!"

"R-Right! Of course you need those!" Whitley agreed with a nervous laugh. They both stood up, blushing, looking everywhere but at one another.

"S-So... I'll... See you then?" Whitley asked.

"S-Sure!" Ruby said cheerfully.

"C-Cool! See you then!"

"On-On the date!"

"Yep! B-Bye!" Whitley waved nervously then turned and headed off. Ruby gasped.

"Oh! Y-You want to take your figures-?"

"N-No! You keep them!" Whitley said quickly.

"S-Sure!" Ruby called back. She watched Whitley turn the corner. She turned back to the table and sat down, still blushing up a storm.

He... He wants to kiss me? He wants to...?

Ruby stared at the two action figures curiously. She then reached out and picked them up.

How... How would that work? How would it look?

She slowly pushed the two figures together... Their lips drew closer... Closer... Her hands shook... Closer...

"AH! I CAN'T DO IT!" Ruby cried, dropping the figures on the table. Her blush got worse when she saw how they had landed-On top of each other and yelped again. "AAHH!" She picked them up in her trembling hands.

"Hey Rubes! What's shaking?" Yang asked, leaning in over her shoulder.

"GYAHH!"

- - -

Some distance away, near one of many ancient marble statues dotting the grounds of Beacon, Whitley was panting like he'd run a marathon. At his side, Jaune Arc patted him on the back.

"You okay Whitley?"

"Y-yeah..."

"So... What'd she say?" Jaune asked with an encouraging smile.

Whitley looked up with a frown despite his cheeks still burning red.

"Y-You saw the whole thing-"

"Yeah, but it helps when you tell a bro how it went, believe me," Jaune said with a nod.

"So... We're... Bros now?" Whitley asked quietly. Jaune grinned.

"Yup!"

Whitley managed a nervous grin back.

"Then... Then... She said yes!"

"YES!" Jaune laughed, clapping him on the back, "Great job, Whitley! You did it!"

"Yeah!" Whitley declared. He did a fist pump-He'd seen some of the engineers at the company do it and it felt satisfying, "YEAH! I-I did it! She's going on a date with me!"

Whitley then paled.

"I... She said yes and she's going on a date with me," he whispered. Jaune laughed and squeezed his shoulder.

"You overcame the hardest part, Whitley! The date will be a breeze if you just focus on having fun! And don't overthink it!"

"R-Right... Don't overthink it," Whitley agreed. "Don't overthink it..."

"Now go on, start planning things out," Jaune encouraged him, "Don't make it too strict a schedule, but don't just be 'whatever'. You gotta find a good balance! Okay?"

"R-Right, I need to put together an itinerary, find the things she wants to see most, add in time for random browsing," Whitley began to mutter to himself as he walked off. Still, he was smiling.

Jaune sighed and chuckled.

"Thanks Dad... Maybe your advice hasn't worked for me yet, but it's letting me help others," he said.

He felt a very strong grip on his shoulder. A grip that turned him around. He stared into the burning red eyes of a furiously grinning Yang Xiao-Long.

"Oh? And what advice would that be, Vomit Boy?" Yang hissed.

Jaune gulped.

Crap...!

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

RWBY and JNPR did take meals in their common rooms from time to time. Jaune actually seemed to prefer making his own food, which Weiss thought was rather manly-Self sufficient of him. Yes. That.

She had tried some of his food. It was far more... Rough to her refined palate than the exquisite food she had grown up with, but that was part of why she liked it. Food he prepared with his own two hands, food he had gotten for her...

Ahem.

That said, one thing Weiss did not enjoy was...

"This coffee," Weiss made a face at the kettle on the stove. Jaune looked over at her from the counter, where he was making sandwiches for the day.

"Pardon, Miss Schnee?"

"This coffee is disgusting," she stated firmly, "How do you drink it?"

Jaune shrugged and offered a small smile.

"Well miss, it ain't somethin' I drink for the taste. Just to wake myself up in the morning."

Weiss shook her head. She hummed thoughtfully.

"Hang on a moment..."

She took some of her own coffee supplies and mixed them together in a percolator she'd gotten. It was for the field, a simple but elegant bit of kit that was still rugged. She'd had Klein buy one for her after seeing the modest kettle Jaune used for his own morning pick me up. She then poured a mug of coffee out on the counter.

Using a set of spoons (Tablespoon? Teaspoon? Those were actual measurements?!), she carefully added in the right amounts of sugar, cocoa, and milk. She mixed it all together then held it out to Jaune. She smiled imperiously, though behind that façade her brain raced with nervous thoughts.

Did I do it right? Will he like it? I-I memorized the instructions, it has to be right...! Please let it be right...!

Jaune took the mug and sipped the coffee. He smiled warmly at her over the steaming hot mug.

"Well, thank you kindly, Miss Schnee. This is great coffee."

"Oh, um, thank you," Weiss said with a smile, turning away to hide her blush, "I-I just saw you carrying around spices for cooking and thought, why don't I do that for coffee out in the field?"

"It sure is nice to bring along something to remind you of home," Jaune said with a nod. Weiss sighed a bit sadly, and looked out the window.

"Yes... I suppose it is," she murmured. She looked back at Jaune who looked at her with concern.

"Sorry Miss, didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"Oh, uh, no, you didn't," Weiss reassured him. Jaune grimaced, then sipped more coffee. Weiss felt an urgent need to fill the sudden silence.

"I-I just... My family and I... It's..." She closed her eyes. "It's... Complicated," she decided on.

Jaune slowly nodded.

"I see... My family wanted me to become a doctor, ya know."

Weiss blinked at him.

"Really?"

Jaune nodded.

"Eeyup. Had the grades, and thanks to the cattle drives ah had the money, but..." He shook his head. "Just... Not what I wanted to do, ya know? Ma is an amazing doctor, really and truly... But I wanted to be a Huntsman. I wanted to protect people and do good that way. She does lots of good, true... But she was a Huntress first, like my Pa. That inspired me. All the amazing things they did."

"I... I see," Weiss murmured. Jaune smiled at her, and reached out to pat her on the hand.

"So don't worry, Miss Schnee. You don't have to say nothing, but... I know all about family expectations and such. So I can at least listen."

Weiss blushed severely. Jaune coughed.

"Ah... Did I go too far? I'm sorry Miss Schnee, I didn't mean to-"

"N-No! No! That-That's perfectly fine!" Weiss insisted, waving her hands around frantically, "You-You can touch me! You can touch me all you like! That's fine!"

Jaune's own face turned red. Weiss's burned brighter.

"I-I mean within reason, of-of course!"

"Of course, Miss Schnee," Jaune said, nodding quickly. "Ah, uh, m-maybe I should-"

"I'll go!" Weiss said quickly, taking her coffee mug and scooting towards the door, "I-I have to get ready! Thanks for the food-Um-I'm sorry you have to clean up-!"

"I-I got it, it's okay!"

"No problem!" Weiss laughed nervously, quickly shutting the door behind her. She took a deep breath, and chugged her coffee down.

"Haa... G-Geez," she mumbled, bright red, "Why'd I have to tell him that?"

It wasn't like she wanted his strong, manly, calloused hands all over her or-or anything and she certainly didn't dream about it!

She looked up to the stares of the rest of her team. Yang smirked a little.

"You okay there, Weiss-cream?"

"Yes!" Weiss insisted, 'I-I just need to switch to decaff!"

Yes. That was it. That was absolutely it!

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune makes pancakes better than Ren's, and Nora is in crisis.

Jaune: "Hey Nora, I made you pancakes again-"

Nora: "WE CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS, JAUNE!"

Jaune: "Ha?"

Nora: sobs "Oh, it was... It was wonderful! I-I had no idea love could be like this! Things with Renny were always the same, nothing changed, and then you exploded into my life! Changed everything! Made me feel like a woman for the first time in so long..."

Jaune: "Uh..."

Nora: "But-But I can't! I can't do this! Renny... He's the one for me! He always will be! I CAN'T JUST THROW ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH AWAY FOR YOU! I-I JUST CAN'T! NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT WAS! I CAN'T JUST ABANDON RENNY!" sobs

Jaune: "But I-I just made them for you-"

Nora: "STOP TEMPTING ME PLEASE!"

Yang: "The hell did you do?!"

Jaune: "HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!"