14

So I've gotten sick, like really sick... Like I can barely get outta my bed sick. And looking it up all my symptoms line up with a certain virus that forced the world into quarantine...

Now, it's mainly fatigue, Aches and pain and a shitty fever that's keeping me from doing much.

So I decided to upload this since I doubt I'll be able to do much more until I'm feeling better.

So this is the first third of Pineapple uploaded, the first 12 of the 26 parts. Hope you like it, sorry but don't expect any uploads from me for at least a week...

"And you really think won't go back on this?" Jaunepool asked, smiling behind his mask.

"'Sigh' You're a lot of things… And I mean A LOT of things... But a liar ain't one of them and that honestly that both surprises and terrifies me considering half the things that've come outta your mouth."

"'Heh' So it's a deal, you get 32 new views and I get to put four peepers in here and show off my prowess at the fine art of unaliving myself!"

"Unaliving?"

"He can't say murder… don't ask." Blake conceded.

"Well, if you don't mind I still gots me a Death Battle to set up!"

"Wait? Then what were you doing before? Connecting four people's dream shouldn't be that hard?"

"Well duh, I was picking the views."

"Oh gods… You picked them?"

"Hey! Don't look at me like that, most of them are tasteful."

"Most?"

"I… Might've let my kitty pick some."

"I, you… Gods dammit… Fine."

I feel like the less I know the better

"Well then, put em there." Jaune stared at his insane counterpart's offered hand.

"I won't catch anything will I?"

"Nah, I'm wearing protection." He wiggled his gloved fingers and AJ sighed before reluctantly taking the offered limb.

"I feel like I'm making a deal with the devil…" Letting go the Merc gave a final salute before vanishing again. The group just stared while Jaune sighed hand over his face as the toll of having to deal with the annoying merc hit him.

"Just, start the next view Jinn, please." With a nod she complied, all too happy to reach out and seize one of the orbs between her fingers and clench her fist, crushing it.

(Pineapple by Imyoshi)

"Pineapple?"

What kind of name is that?

"Wait, that god's name…" Ruby lit up smiling as she remembered Jam, Neo and Pyrrha found themselves frowning for that very same reason.

Alone

Jaune Arc embraced the deafening silence.

No one in the auditorium cheered. Not a person spoke or whispered. Silence, heart-thumping, blood-churning, hair-raising silence greeted him and Headmaster Ozpin as he announced that he and only he had passed initiation.

The seven students watching blinked before Yang summed up what was perfectly on each of their minds.

"What!?"

"We all failed…"

How?

"There's no way I'd fail something that Dolt could pass!" To the Schnee's credit she looked down after realizing her words.

Some probably thought of it as nothing but a joke, a farce to Beacon Academy's academic standing, but when Ozpin concluded the ceremony by clasping his hand, well, teenagers were best at gossiping and spreading untrue rumors.

"Wait is this serious?" Jinn smiled the Belladonna's way, really wishing she had a question left just so she could waste it.

"We failed! How Renny! How!?" Nora shook her partner, the poor boy looked like his head my pop off from the unrelenting force. Weiss stilled looked in shock.

"I can't believe it, how could I fail something Arc succeeded in…" Neo's eyes narrowed on Bug-bite's.

'Maybe you're not as good as you think.'

The Schnee glared but all she received in turn was a challenging stare back and cocky Neo certified smile.

It wasn't his fault.

The goal for initiation had been simple enough. Retrieve the Relic and escape the Emerald Forest. Easy. Could people blame him for being the only one to conclude that those chest pieces were, in fact, Relics? Why else would they be sitting there in the middle of a Grimm invested forest? The others hadn't.

"Wait what!?" Nora whined right alongside Ruby.

"We wouldn't think that!" Ren sighed.

"I suppose that's this worlds divergence."

No, they chased and slaughtered those Grimm in an attempt to find a Relic chewed between those monsters' jaws. He forgot whose idea it was, maybe that Nora girl? Sounded about right, she had ridden in by mounting a Grimm bear hybrid. Craziness and her mixed together like cranberry and apple juice. Technically all juice mixed well together.

Ren sighed, he could sadly see just that happening… As for the others.

"I mean if we didn't see the relics then maybe…" Yang groaned.

"Dammit…"

Either way, he remembered grabbing a chest piece and hightailing it out of there with the others mowing down Grimm after Grimm.

"What! Fearless Leader abandoned us!" Neo rolled her eyes though.

Cool it Pancake Freak, by the looks of it I doubt he didn't think you lot couldn't handle yourselves.

Especially if that whole riding in on a Ursa shit is true.

In all honesty, he had expected to fail once initiation ended, not be the only one to pass.

Everyone staring in the audience must have thought the same, still quiet as mice. Gulp! He experimentally waved his hand, only for hush whispering to begin. Life spurned anew, except it wasn't mindless drivel. Okay, new plan. Turn around and escape before things turn from bad to worse. He turned, offered the Headmaster a weak smile, and walked off stage with his back turned to the judgmental stares. Every one of his hairs raised in fear.

"You'd think VB would be more ecstatic to pass." Pyrrha shook her head.

"Being the center of attention isn't nearly as glamourous as it first seems… Trust me."

Headmistress Goodwitch was kind enough to show him to his new room but never offered a word in-between. Just peachy for him, he spent the unnerving silence thinking about his circumstances. Things only fit into perspective when he entered the four-bedroom room. Two dressers, four beds, a luscious closet? When she left, it finally clicked. A team, a team of four no less, was supposed to be part of the Beacon experience, hence why some of the chest pieces matched, or why everyone turned into a mismatched mess when Ozpin announced his residential status. Ironic. Now nothing greeted him but a cold room with too much empty space. What a change from a household of ten.

"That…" Ruby finished for her big sister.

"Kinda lonely…" The thought of not having her team with her in Beacon made the Reapette's stomach go in knots. Her team shared a similar feeling. JNPR looked to the room, yep it was definitely there, Only now it was Jaune's alone. Without them looking rather alone in their cozy little place that now looked far too big.

A bitter smile graced his lips when he dropped his family heirloom on the nearest bed. Eyes without light inspecting the closet, hoping to hear some resonating sound. Not to say he wasn't overjoyed because he was, passing was his goal from the start, but knowing others deserved this room way more left an ashy taste on his tongue.

Nora groaned.

"No! No more sad Jaune-Jaune!"

Call it guilt, but upon seeing their faces when Ozpin revealed that they didn't pass struck a cord right where his heartstrings laid, especially that Ruby girl. All of them had appeared crushed in their own special way.

Each one of said students could imagine it, the idea of being told they failed… Of being rejected from their dream school. Even Neo could somewhat understand, after all all forms of rejections were hard pills to swallow.

Oh well, no point in fussing over it now.

After all, this was what he wanted, right, to be a student at Beacon to live his dream and become a Huntsman worthy of the Arc name, like his father and his father before him. He left home for that very reason, against his parent's wishes. So what if some people failed, there was always next year for them. Not everyone passed on the first try. Until then, he could only move forward with his dream.

Neo nodded, more than agreeing with his way of thinking. After all it wasn't selfish to not think about strangers, and that's all said other people sitting in the other seats were to the Arc on display, strangers.

"It kinda hurts to hear VB just push us aside like that." Ren nodded.

"True… but we didn't know each other very well back then if I recall." Nora was quick to agree and Neo seeing the chance nodded as a smile spread across her face.

'Yeah and at least he didn't leave anyone hung up in a tree,'

Weiss shot the smol assassin a frosty glare, but there was no real power in it, she knew she lost.

Still, pleasant thoughts aside, having three other empty beds in the room killed the mood effortlessly and made celebrating all the more depressing. What was the point in rejoicing when no one was around to share with the festivities?

Jaune sat down on an empty bed, staring woefully at his resting sword.

"Welcome to Beacon Academy."

"Well, this is shaping up to be a… 'Interesting' View." The others nodded to Blake statement.

"I hope it gets better for him, I don't like Jaune looking all lonely." Nora nodded to Ruby's words.

"Yeah, fearless leader should be happy not sad!"

Battle

The first day of classes went as well as anybody expected.

A mixture of students fluttered into their rooms with Jaune being the only Freshmen mixed in a class of second and third years. Grimm Studies was as riveting as watching paint dry, except, well, some people enjoyed watching paint dry.

Note a student in the room didn't snicker at that, entertaining Professor Port was not…

Dust class led to many accidental burns and explosions, but presumably, that was commonplace, still didn't make the subject matter any simpler to handle. He never used Dust, much less interacted with the glowing rocks, so the learning experiences were something else.

Weiss shook her head.

"Some things never change I suppose."

History bored him, but at least he understood something for once. Already it overshadowed his previous two classes, but when it came to combat class, things tilted.

Pyrrha winced already figuring how'd this play out for her partner without the aid of her training.

Professor Goodwitch ushered him out of the room before he made it in within two steps. Something about him lacking the fighting prowess—from observations she noted during his initiation—to combat against higher years. So he asked about class, and she pushed him toward the training arena to practice, and that was to be his combat class from here on out. Grades depended on how many bots he managed to defeat versus how many pummeled him to the ground by the end of the semester.

Yang forced a smile.

"Well, at least things will be easier for VB this way."

He thanked his lucky stars for such a break, knowing his lack of training would make him stand out.

That was until he fought against a level-one training bot.

It wiped the floor with him.

Weiss sighed.

"I swear, Arc really was rather… Underwhelming at the beginning of the year." Yang shrugged.

"No need to sugar coat it Weisscream, VB sucked, but it's not like it's his fault or anything, he didn't have his aura unlocked after all."

"Still, ain't it weird? I mean even in… 'That view' Jaune still managed to beat a few Beowulves. So why did the bot beat him so easily?" Blake shook her head.

"Perhaps this Jaune is even less experienced then our own." Weiss huffed.

"He did run after all, of course he's lose to a level one bot." Jinn sighed in disappointment, the action not going unnoticed by the eight. She was never a fan of people insulting her knight, unintentionally or not.

"How strong do you think level one is exactly?" Several eyes turned towards the giant who held a slightly annoyed gaze. Ruby was the one to take the bait.

"Whaddya mean? Aren't they as weak as Beowulves?" Her eye twitched at that, but she remained tight lipped, after all they didn't know so she couldn't say. She'd given her hint as Vague as it was…

"Level one Combat droids are on pair with the average first year at Beacon, do not think you are the norm miss Rose..."

The group froze surprised.

"Did anyone else hear that?"

"It sounded like Ms. Goodwitch."

"Wait what? But like, how?" Ren had a inkling though, speaking his thoughts out loud.

"Could this be related to that deal Jaune made with his alternative?" He then look straight at Jinn.

"That was not a question for you." The blue giant shrugged.

"Do you think I'm some sort of child who'd antagonize others?"

"…"

"'Sigh' I suppose I can be rather… immature in my smaller state." Nobody denied it, not even AJ mauch to her annoyance as much as she understood it.

"I think we're forgetting the part where that's meant to beat students in our grade." Pyrrha spoke up then seeming to realize it and feel guilty she hadn't before.

"Actually… Now that I think about we aren't exactly the standard in our school…" Neo rolled her eyes.

"Understatement of the year, aren't you literally called the Invincible Girl?"

Ren nodded looking to Nora.

"I suppose only I'd have difficulties with a droid below level 2 of us all… And most of our fellow classmates would be easier to face then that. Outside of our group of course."

"Well duh, cause we're awesome!"

"No, it's cause you better then other's your age." The teens looked to AJ.

"Do you think any other freshman's in Beacon could do what you do?" They paused.

"In some ways you outclass lower-levelled Hunters…"

"That's…"

"Yay! We're Awesome!" Ren and Pyrrha however could see the meaning of his words.

"And Jaune's not…" Pyrrha stopped Ren's thoughts though.

"No, he's inexperienced, in every way…" Obvious guilt showed in the Spartan's eyes, how had she not realized it sooner.

"Jaune's not weak, he's the average for Beacon Freshman…" Weiss readied to speak up before she thought about it.

"He always faces Winchester… A qualifier for Vytal." She didn't want to admit it but did that all but tie him with Ren as seventh among the first years in Beacon. Wasn't that simply to steep a challenge for any normal student, the ones Ms. Goodwitch didn't bother to have fight. Blake was quick on the uptake.

"'Sigh' We've been holding him to our standards and labeling him weak…" Ruby visibly grew somber and then straight out guilty much like Nora beside her, both naïve girls looking like pools of utter guilt.

"Thank Oum no one was around to witness that with classes going on. His body hurt from being tackled to the floor by a hunk of metal and wiring. Bruises formed with his breathing shot, and hair in disarray, but Aura fixed most of the injuries, minus his damaged pride. Huh? Aura? The vanishing injuries greeted him warmly. He never said thank you to that Pyrrha girl for unlocking his Aura, did he?

Pyrrha sighed.

Why couldn't I have passed too, then it would've just been me and Jaune… I, I might've noticed then if I hadn't been comparing him to the rest of us…

Next time he saw her, he would. Until then, Jaune pulled Crocea Mors out of the floor, frowning at the level-one bot mocking him. To lose to the lowest settings hurt in more ways than one, and Jaune knew he lacked training, but seriously, the level-one? No! Stop thinking like that, and try again. He made it to Beacon, that was the hardest part. Fighting this toy should be child's play, or so he thought.

A second fight ended with the same results.

Ruby frowned knowing her bestie well enough to know he was gonna be down on himself.

When he picked up Crocea Mors from the floor a second time, covered in greater bruises, he sighed and headed straight for the Mess Hall once his Scroll beeped for dinner. There was nothing wrong with losing. He made sure to repeat that mantra when playing with his food.

Not like he had anything else to distract him with how lonesome the empty table was.

"Awe, Jaune-Jaune looks so lonely…" Yang nodded.

"Yeah, not gonna lie still envy him but not as much."

For a Mess Hall brimmed with an abundant of students, it sure got lonely. The wandering eyes, hushed voices, and undiluted gossip assuredly isolated him from everyone else, a stranger alone in a room filled with faceless figures, but they beat walking back to an empty room.

"Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"That's sad…" Ruby looked down remembering her first day before Initiation. How lonely she felt,

Jaune must be feeling that right now.

Confidence

It was the only thing keeping him going.

Beyond the isolation, and wayward glances, it was all he had. He smiled for no one, talked to no one, nor hung out with anyone. Nobody wished to associate themselves with a first-year, especially not him, too many rumors circulated about him. Some of the more outlandish ones focused on him being the sole reason that all those students failed, sabotage or something along those lines, others thought of him a Faunus, and one said he was the son of Glynda Goodwitch, consequently why he passed, and everyone else failed, including Pyrrha Nikos. All of them were ridiculous, bizarre to a fault, but they each helped to keep people at arm's length. So between classes, lunch, breakfast, dinner and after classes, he sat alone at the tables with everybody else avoiding him like the yellow plague.

Pyrrha's heart reached out to her partner, all alone it had to be horrible, Ruby pouted at all the mean jerky next years avoiding Jaune. Where was Team CFVY when you needed them! Blake and Yang shared sympathetic gazes towards their blonde friend while Weiss couldn't help but hear something off…

~Darling~

Weiss blinked, was that a thought of her's… It sounded like her?

None of it mattered.

He would prove them all wrong, not just the rumors, but the doubts plaguing his mind. All he needed was confidence, good thing he already had plenty of that before leaving his home.

Neo smirked, after all stubbornness had its place in the bedroom.

Things wouldn't remain the same forever. They must change. By being the only one to pass, he felt compelled to change, to see it through to the end. If that required him to be a loner until the next semester, then so be it. Not like he had much choice in that regard, leaving him only with option B, make something of himself. A miserable sigh escaped him.

Ha! Easier said than done.

"Yet he's still pushing himself to do it."

"Of course! Cause Jaune-Jaune's awesome like that."

Confidence only got him so far. Maybe it got his foot in the door, but beyond that, well, the rest was up to him. Grades, training, appearances and everything else demanded sacrifice. Becoming a Huntsman required more. Confidence maybe only got him so far, but it bred courage in the darkest of times. Courage pushed the weak to fight back. It made him tackle that test without training. He knew from the moment he passed how lucky he got. Jaune Arc was soft compared to his upperclassmen. Heck! Compared to the people during initiation, he was but a child in their presence. All those things they did, those crazy moves and unmatched strength, showed him how much he needed to learn, to grow. Whelp, confidence and courage would help him overcome these obstacles. Time to take his studies more seriously! Time to prove everyone wrong.

Nora grinned, she loved training montages, if Ren knew what she was thinking he'd had reminded her this was a view into another world not a movie.

Loading up on carbs, he wolfed down his meal in record time before heading straight for the library. Self-loathing would have to wait. Their first test on Grimm studies was this Monday, followed by an exam on the Iron Age, and he planned to pass and hang those on the door, anything to give the desolate room more life. A little confidence could go a long way.

Besides, it wasn't like he had any friends to distract him.

Ruby looked down, her heart aching for her friend, she remembered when she stepped unto Beacon. She was excited, nervious… But also, lonely, after all unlike Yang she moved up early, she didn't have her friends from signal or anywhere… But that only lasted till she exploded, till she met Jaune… But Jaune had nobody. And in a way that made her sadder than her counterpart not making it into Beacon all together.

Determination

"Ah!"

After losing to that level-one training bot for a week straight, Jaune finally had enough and banged his fists hard into the floor. That little voice in his head told him not to give up, and that worked well enough for studying, but training physically proved to be a different challenge. A lack of experience made compensating for it now a nearly impossible wish. He said almost because he managed to land a strike or two on the training bot. So progress, slow, but progress nonetheless.

Yang winced.

"Poor VB, he's pretty much stuck without P-Money to train him." Pyrrha shook her head.

"Mistral wasn't built in a day." Ren spoke up next.

"Same applies to a week, especially with your first week on Aura, most have some actual combat training by the time it's unlocked." He spoke from experience, knowing how big an adjustment such was to have it unlocked when you lacked the means to utilize your aura.

Huffing, he reached for his sword and shield, getting into a position he remembered his father adopting, waiting for the bot to resume. His breathing haggard between each breath, but he met the machine's incoming strike with undaunted bravery. Sword met metal pole. Muscles strained against a consistent output. Feet tightened with the pole upturning to shift his blade into an awkward angle. Then, before the edge of his opponent's weapon met the side of his head, he ducked and swung his shield upward, landing a blow on the bot's chin, following up with a strike across its torso and then kick to its stomach, only for the machine to grab him by the hoodie and toss him to the floor.

By the time he opened his eyes, he had a weapon aimed at his neck. Surprise, surprise. Another loss, but he rejoiced at landing three strikes on the bot's body, one more than two, and better than when he first started, a grand accomplishment for a dolt like him. Still, made him wish that he had trained with his family, instead of wasting his youth doing nothing. Having someone to practice with would be an Oumsend, but only determination and dedication accompanied him, and he pushed the pole away to get into another battle stance.

Pyrrha pouted at the comment, after all she went through to finally get him to spar with her this version of Jaune looked like he might jump in joy at the chance.

The bot merely waited for ten seconds before charging forward, aiming a pole strike for his lower abdominal. He met the stroke, sliding his shield against the pole as sparks flew. Crocea Mors then moved diagonally down, only to be countered by the blunt end of the weapon, pressing his sword upward with the pole coming in for a swift-strike directed for his neck. He leaned back, narrowed his eyes upon the armament missing, and dropped his shield. One arm reached out and grabbed the steel staff, and the other posed Crocea Mors right at the droid's neck. A calm atmosphere filled the empty training room, and the bot's eyes lit up, dropping all pretense of attack.

"Yay! Jaune-Jaune Did It!" Weiss spoke then now knowing Arc's situation.

"And with no prior combat experience…." Pyrrha felt uncomfortable with the way she said that... Weiss on the other hand…

Stud, Stud, Stud, STUD!

Am I Going Insane!?

"Initiating: Level-two."

Suddenly, he was thrown off his feet, landing on the floor from a surprised sweep kick, and had the pole once again hovering over his neck before he had time to breathe. Emotionless eyes stared down at his dropped form, never judging him.

Blake winced.

"Well that didn't last long."

Despite the situation, he laughed. He laughed harder than he ever had ever since entering this academy. Again, slow progress, but progress. Reaching for his shield, he now stood up with a tiny smirk, time to put this level-two to the test and improve.

Whatever it took to stay out of that empty room.

The members of JNPR smiled, each nodding at the very Jaune-Like way of thinking.

Exchange

Okay!

Coming back to an empty room with no one to talk to was starting to get to him. He needed to talk to someone. Anyone! The training bot so far was his only companion. How sad was that? No. No, no! Jaune refused to accept that, pacing around the room with his feet digging into the carpet. Calling his family was out of the question, but other than that, and that old lady who paid him five liens to mow her lawn every other Saturday, he had no other contacts on his Scroll. He stopped pacing. Well, no, that wasn't entirely true, he managed to receive Ruby's Scroll number right before initiation, but what were the chances she might want to talk to him? Hell! What were the chances she even remembered his face? Still couldn't hurt to try.

"YES!" All eyes turned on the Reapette as she nearly jumped out of her seat in cheer while Pyrrha and Neo both showed visible signs of annoyance.

Flipping over to her contact, he typed a quick message before heading out to class.

Hey Ruby, how's it going? Beat up any bad guys lately?

Perfect. Straight to the point. Smiling, Jaune paused at the doorway to appreciate the B's poking back at him from the aged wood. Heh, they added some character to this dull room. Too bad most of the walls lacked the pizazz the door had, but he had plenty of time to change that. An hour later, between Grimm Studies and History, he received a message.

Jaune? Is that you? Oum, how's it going at Beacon?! Is it awesome! Please tell me it's awesome!

Yang smirked.

"Yep, that's sis alight."

"Yay I there now."

Suck it Pyrrha and Neo!... Huh? Where'd that come from?

He couldn't wipe off his silly smile.

Fine, Beacon's tough. And yes, it's awesome. There are classes, and books, and so many tests to study for, and don't even get me started on Professor Port's lessons. If you've ever needed a class to take a nap in, that's the one.

I still can't believe you passed and I didn't! So unfair! I killed so many Grimm, but nooooo, that dumb chest piece had to be the Relic! My dad was so surprised when Yang and I returned home empty-handed. Grr!

"You should've tried harder."

The members of RWBY glared Neo's way

Feeling bold, he smirked. You should've tried harder.

The mute blinked before smirking.

"See my Babies Daddy agrees."

She replied with a tongue emoji before he walked into Doctor Oobleck's mile-a-minute lecture. Hiding his Scroll from his professor's eyes proved challenging, and he almost got caught once or twice, but the rewards outweighed the consequences. For the first time, he talked to someone—outside of the professors—and that made frowning an impossible feat. Somehow his anxieties got to her, relating to the nervous tummy, and she offered him a figurative pat on the head. Not the best motivation opener, but better than anyone else in this academy or his circle of family granted him.

"Poor Jaune-Jaune." Pyrrha nodded worried about the toll this was having on her partner, if only she'd passed as well, then at least he'd have some kind of support.

At the end of the week, she sent him a photo of a cat hanging on a tree. It hung triumphantly over a bare bed, adding some flavoring to the comforters with the rays of sunshine making the eyes of the kitty poke out. It was tacky, cliché, and overall played out, but he hung it with pride.

Things were gradually starting to turn around.

"Oh great back to remembering how depressing VB's lonely life at Beacon is… Yay."

Fountain

No matter how he looked at it, tilted his head, squinted his eyes, or blinked, there was no denying that statue was of his great-great-grandfather.

Weiss stood in shock.

"What!?" Nora on the other hand rose her voice for a different reason!

"Woohoo! Jaune-Jaune's a Beacon legacy!"

"At the very least his family has some ties with Beacon it would seem."

"That's what I said Renny!"

"'Sigh' Guys Beacon ain't college." Blake rolled her eyes.

"Might as well be, considering what we've gotten up to in School itself."

Yup! Without a doubt his ancestor. Same hair, same sword, and the same sense of fashion. Unquestionably an Arc.

Pyrrha tilted her head.

"Now that he mentions it…"

"'Gasp' It really is Jaune! Hey Yang that means he's a Beacon second generation student like us!"

"Wait what!?" Ruby nodded to her partner.

"Yep, mom, dad and uncle Qrow went to Beacon and beat all the butts 'Heh'" Blake spoke then.

"Well considering that Jaune's ancestors has a statue I'm inclined to think his has a bit more pull in the school."

It made him laugh, not in the ha-ha way, but in the nervous, awkward grin when someone forgot a person's name type of way. All of his ancestors before him created a name for themselves by acting as heroes or amazing warriors during times of crisis, his father included. To see a statue of his distant ancestor in the middle of Beacon's courtyard made him forget to breathe. Not to say he wasn't proud, because he was, very much so to be part of the Arc family, except, well, living up to such a high legacy weighed down on his shoulders like cement in water. Pride made people attempt foolish things to fulfill their roles, like sneaking into Beacon Academy with fake transcripts.

Upon hearing their leader and friend's confession all except Pyrrha froze shocked by the info.

"Jaune-Jaune lied his way in?" Weiss couldn't believe it.

"HE WHAT!?" However, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made, Her partner and team leader beside her shared similar thoughts.

"So then… Jaune's a criminal?" Neo spared the Reaper a glance before shaking her head, she knew it. These kids were the black and white types.

"Is that so bad?" Turning to her the former three were surprised. Blake had made her decision, after all things considered she was far worse than Jaune.

"He may be a criminal for getting in falsely, but I was a criminal far before that." Weiss, Ruby and Yang looked back to the members of JNPR. Blake understood they were trying to protect her secret.

"Its fine they should hear this to." Looking at Ren, Nora and Pyrrha Blake spoke clearly. After talking to team RWBY she had wanted to let them in as well and this place was bound to show them eventually so why not now when her confession could help Jaune. After all she wanted to start trusting her friends.

"I was once a member of the White Fang." Ruby readied to speak in her defense but Blake rose her hand, she needed to make this point. Nora stared genuinely shocked while Ren eyes narrowed before nodding understanding Neo's and hers fight from earlier much better now.

"Blake… I had no idea." Despite her surprise Pyrrha impressions of Blake didn't change despite the new revelation. The reason was simple, because of her own partners crime. After all she had decided with Jaune that his past before Beacon didn't matter. looking to the older version Jaune she could tell he must have let her in knowing her background if Blake was still affiliated with that group, she was sure He would've ended her before their links could be established.

"I can't say I approve but… I know what your people have suffered, but please…" Pyrrha looked to the Faunus girl she had come to see as a precious friend pleadingly.

"Just please tell me you're not with them anymore. I need to hear it from you." Blake just stared wide eyed at Pyrrha. She hadn't. expected somebody to be so understanding and accepting so quick, even her own team's members weren't this quick to accept. Pyrrha smiled understanding her confusion.

"I-I'm not." Pyrrha visibly laxed before deciding and looked to the others.

"Blake was willing to out herself to us, so I might as well to." The spartan exhaled before looking to the others a glimmer of seriousness shone in her emerald eyes.

"I knew about Jaune's transcript, so you could say that because of that I'm his accomplice." Pyrrha's expression suddenly turned serious as the spartan stepped towards Blake. She stood before the shorter girl who struggled to maintain her gaze and then abruptly the Faunus across the face. Yang was about to get up when Weiss placed a hand on the brawler's shoulder to which she reluctantly obeyed.

"That's for not telling us, it was you and the rest of RWBY who have been fighting the fang recently." All four winced at that. Ruby then spoke up.

"We, we just didn't want to get you involved." Ren then gathered his wit and spoke.

"But we already are." They looked to him.

"We're humans living in Vale and aspiring huntsman as well, there's no why we aren't already affected by the White Fangs actions." Nora nodded with her partner before looking the four girl's way.

"Yeah, those big meanies are gonna let Grimm inside. We're plenty involved and I'm sure our fearless Leader will say the same." Ren smiled to her.

"So you still trust Jaune? Even though he lied to us." Nora shrugged.

"Jaune-Jaune never lied to us. He lied to Ozpin and the school, he just didn't tell us, which sucks yeah but now I'm super sure he's our fearless leader. After all he came to Beacon without even aura! That's super brave." Weiss sighed.

"Foolish and reckless if you ask me… but, I suppose also a bit courageous." Pyrrha smiled before adopting a serious face again and looked to Blake who stiffened at her gaze.

"Why wouldn't you ask us for help? I don't mean to sound rude but me and Nora are stronger than any one of you after all." Blake struggled for a reasonable reply to her but before she could think of one Pyrrha suddenly hugged her tightly.

"I've only just barely made any friends. Each of you are precious to me you're just like Jaune in the way you try to hide the choices your ashamed of and bearing it all. If both of you don't become more open something bad will happen, so please let us help. I don't have to lose any of you." Blake felt tears running down her face she couldn't even remember talking to Pyrrha and yet she already cared for her to this extent. Blake nodded before hugging her back. Ren looking at the display sighed.

"I suppose you had your reason… and so does Jaune." Ren would admit he was a bit annoyed and a tinge hurt by Jaune's reservation about his transcripts, not for himself but Nora. By lying he put her at risk, but at the same time, he remembered watching their leader fight the Alpha without aura. As he did he recalled his father, he was a brave and straight forward man and despite how he tried he couldn't see him faulting Jaune. His father never cared for complacency or giving up so he was sure he would at the very least begrudgingly accept Jaune and he would what right did Ren have to say no. resolving himself he looked to Nora.

"Are you truly okay with this Nora?" The Valkyrie however just smiled to him and nodded a grin plastered on her face.

"Yeah. Blakey isn't a bad person just a bit of a perv and neither is our fearless leader." Blake looked to the two and smiled before the entire group surrounded her hugging her. Jaune smiled at his friends, one of the things that never changed was how the group accepted Blake for her past and heritage it was always beautiful to see. After a few moments the group finally let her go Blake recomposing herself suddenly remembered the reason for her big reveal.

"My point was that Jaune's crime is nothing compared to my own why I can't enforce JNPR's feelings." Blake looked to her team.

"If you were willing to except me it would be ridiculous to no do the same for Arc." Both Ruby and Weiss seemed to understand and even looked legitimately guilty for each's moments of doubt in the blonde knight. Yang however smiled.

"Well it's not like I had anything against him after hearing about his transcript he is coming to help us even though he's shaking in his boots." Ren nodded.

"Agreed a single choice should not be the deciding factor for a person. Jaune's been a great leader and I can say I trust despite this."

"I still wish he had told us though. But I love our fearless leader too much to stay mad at him anyways." Weiss sighed.

"If I could give Blake the benefit of the doubt, I suppose that same kindness should be extended to all my friends, even Arc. everyone has their reasons after all." Ruby slapped her cheeks looking to have pumped herself up.

"We should talk to him about this and let him know we accept him." The other six nodded to Ruby while Neo clicked her tongue, there goes blackmailing the noodle into becoming hers.

Jaune looked to the little reaper and smiled seeing her accept him especially brought on a bit of nostalgia. He remembers how after hearing about his transcript she was the first to defend him soon followed by Oscar/ Ozpin. However, when he looked to Jinn, he decided to cut this sweet scene short, restored or not putting on view still put a strain on her, and they had a lot more to see now.

"You should get back to the viewing I thinks Jinn's about to pass out." after hearing the words the eight reluctantly sat back down to view the world once more

Yeah, pride, the sin that made fools die early and heroes quicker.

Yang deadpanned.

"Geez, way to inspire there VB…" Blake sighed though.

"He's not wrong though…"

Jaune sighed, dipping his feet into the brisk water. Most people ignored the oddity, either still wary of him or not caring. Whatever rumors that floated around died within the first three weeks, a blessing because he got tired of pretending he didn't notice the shushed stares, but every person venomously kept their distance. On the positive side, classes were simpler since he spent the majority of his time in the library or training room. The little victories mattered the most. Still, with Ruby at Signal, he received plenty of messages asking—demanding—he spilled what he learned so she could use the knowledge for when she retook the test.

Weiss nearly shrieked at the injustice of it! Why was that version of her Dolt of a partner so much more inclined towards studying then her own!?

Back off my man Pedo-Bait!

The heiress paused confused.

"Who was that?"

"Who was what Weiss?" Her eye twitched.

"N-nothing -/-"

Am I losing my mind!?

A double-edged sword. Ruby's thirst for knowledge practically forced him to listen to Professor Port's rambling and keep up with Doctor Oobleck's lectures. Thank Oum her proficiency in Dust matched his, or else she might have asked for a heads-up on that subject. Greetings, flammable Fire Dust.

Yang snickered.

"Sh-shut up! I'm a weapon nerd not a Dust Geek Weiss! /"

"Excuse you!"

"Eep!"

Regardless of future second-degree burns, having someone to talk to eased the tension and made studying and training much smoother. Heh! Just yesterday he reached level-three on the training bot, only for the blasted machine to beat him in two seconds flat. Bruised pride, anyone?

Pyrrha blinked surprised.

He already improved that much…

"Go Fearless Leader! Teach those Tin cans whose boss!"

Eh, kicking his feet in the water, Jaune reached for his Scroll to check the time, noting he had a few hours before the library closed and maybe another hour before Ruby stopped sending him funny cat videos or the latest update on Weapons Magazine. When would she learn that he had no desire to upgrade Crocea Mors? Hello! Classic!

"Boo! There's always room for improvement!" She would die on this hill! She'd seen too many cool versions of Corcea Mors to not tamper with it!

Sighing foolishly, he tossed his ancestor's statue one final glance before heading off toward the archives, feeling better about the whole ordeal of a family image and burdened expectations. A buzzing on his Scroll alerted him of a new message. A smile grew. Time to see what new photo Rubes sent him this time.

Huh, Jaune paused, studying the photo, a picture of Ruby snuggling up to a corgi with a bold caption written in doggy treats?

"Zwei?"

'Hiss!'

Yang deadpanned.

"Really Blakey?"

"Sh-shut up -/-"

Damn force of habit…

Grimm

Sooner or later, he knew his luck had to end.

Professor Goodwitch demanded to see progression on his training, except she wanted him to show off his skills in Emerald Forest, against a flurry of Grimm since he avoided most of them during initiation.

"Wait What!?" Worry filled the group, especially given what they saw last time they saw their blonde goof of a friend had fought Grimm in a forest…

"She can't be serious can she?" Neo frowned, really hoping this wouldn't be a repeat.

Something about testing out his aptitude and possibility of sparring with the second-years if he proved vital enough. Anyhow! None of the technicalities mattered, after classes ended, he found himself fighting a pack of Beowolves with his professor observing from a neutral distance.

"Well, at least he's being supervised…"

The first few minutes had been utterly terrifying, and then it dulled when he killed his first Grimm, a Beowolf blacker than a lump of coal, and as aerodynamic as one.

Not the powerhouse he expected from a creature of darkness, one of humanity's greatest threats. Not weak per se, a threat, but not too challenging. Fair was the best word to describe the beast. Maybe a fluke? Perhaps he got lucky? The next Beowolf would surely keep him on his toes. This one had only been inexperienced, except the second and third fell to simplistic strikes when they leaped into mid-air, getting severed in half from having no guard up.

The team stared confused, Ren being their first to notice it…

"The droids…"

The training bot would have shielded itself before attempting such a lousy tactic. Entertaining enough, he would have fallen for such a move during his first week at Beacon. Now a month and a half into his semester, he saw through the execution with experienced reflexes.

"Th-that Dolt manage this level of improvement in a month and a half?"

Impossible…

Sexy…

"Okay somebody surely heard that!" The others looked at her like she was mad and she was fearing might end up being the case…

Then things changed when Beowolves with bone-plating started marking their fallen brethren's tracks.

Suddenly they moved with higher velocity but never lunged without their guard up. Claws connected against blade and skin, his Aura worked overtime to compensate for the wounds, muscles strengthened when needed, and his teeth gritted with his feet dug into the dirt. Humph! Now he knew why those first wave of Grimm were easy pickings.

"I guess there is a reason to pay attention to Professor Port's lessons."

The ones that had eagerly lunged at him were the runt of the litter. Newborns. No common sense whatsoever. He should have noticed this with their lack of bone armor. No wonder they lacked precision or style.

Ruby nodded, remembering taking out a entire swarm of the soulless younglings back during last Dustmas…

He internally shrugged, oh well, less Grimm to fret over. Blocking a clawed strike aimed for his neck, by lifting his shield, Jaune thrust his blade forward and dug into the Grimm's stomach. He got shoved from behind, but drilled instincts made him roll to avoid the collision of black fur from above before he dashed forward and split the creature's neck from its spine. Blood splattered his cheeks, only for it to disperse, along with its ashy remains.

Pyrrha was speechless… Jaune could manage this on his own so quickly… Then again hadn't he done similar during the incident in forever falls with Cardin.

He huffed, finding only two more Grimm around. A quick sharp glance at the dissipating ash forced him to consider their threat level as he prepared for the last two. The common Beowolf was on average a level-two training bot, or so he believed. They fell equitably enough, going down between one to two slashes across the torso. Some moved faster while others needed more cuts to finish off the job, but level-two was where he concluded their strength. Such a discovery threw him into a loop as he dug his blade into the back of a grunting monster while shielding bashing another's jaw.

More ash, no more Grimm, victory belonged to him. His feet struggled to stay up. His body hackled between each breath, bruises and aches formed, yet none of it burdened him with doubt. He only glanced toward his professor when she cleared her throat, sitting on top of an Ursa Major's withering corpse.

"Adequate."

'Indeed…'

He grinned.

Ruby looked excitedly; she knew Jaune could do it!

"Renny Renny! Look Look! Jaune-Jaune Did It!" Usually, he might've hinted at her to calm down but honestly he could see the relief in her gaze and felt no less himself. After all, he was scared, scared the views might repeat themselves… That he'd see Jaune die again…

While most of the other's cheered Blake looked around curious, her ears twitching…

I know I've heard that voice before… It almost sounds like miss Goodwitch… No, couldn't be.

Humorist

Somehow Yang Xiao Long learned of his messages between Ruby and him.

Ruby froze.

"Oh no…"

Jaune only discovered this when he received a message from Ruby's Scroll while he read a book on his bed, a voice message, with a long and sing-songed hello that sounded nothing like Ruby's voice. More mocking with hints of undertoning mischief. Then he accepted a picture of a squirming Ruby stuck in a headlock, shaking her arms about as Yang smirked at the camera with Zwei wagging his tail in the background. She added a quick caption underneath, filtered with winking faces.

Oh, oh! So you're the reason Ruby's been extra-happy recently? Who would've guessed? She's been glued to her Scroll for weeks now, and here I thought she was fussing over some new weapon gizmo. Good to see ya, Vomit Boy! Hope Beacon's not kicking your butt too hard! Just wait until I get there!

Blake rolled her eyes, that was her partner alright…

Jaune blinked harmlessly at the message. He saw no problem with that, but evidently, Rubes had been keeping their back-and-forth a secret. Strange? All things considered, he saw why she hid it. He was an older brother by default, and he knew what to expect if he found his younger sisters talking to some boy. Trouble, plenty of it with threats or warnings guaranteed, but maybe being an older sister changed the rules because Yang sent him more winking faces instead of promises of pain.

"Well that's another difference in this world."

"Hey I'm not that bad right sis, sis?"

"I plea the fifth!"

"Oh C'mon!"

Then she called him.

"Yoo-hoo! Hey, Vomit Boy! How's it going?!"

"Yang!" Ruby yelled in the background. He heard the struggle from the other end of Ruby's Scroll.

"Gimme back my Scroll!"

"Uh?"

"Ignore Ruby. She's got to learn to share during some point." Yang laughed. It sounded like she was running with her breathing heavily between each other word. "So come on, tell me. How's Beacon? What am I missing? It's got to be a snore-fest without me there."

"Hmph, if by snore-fest you mean peaceful, quiet and a healthy environment then I'm sure it is." Yang deadpanned at her smug teammate.

"Geez Weisscream, tell me how you really feel…"

He snorted, folding his arms in an instantly good mood. "You mean other than the tests and boring classes? Plenty! There's homework, too. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten Saturday detention because Ruby sends me some message right when Doctor Oobleck starts talking."

Weiss looked to her partner.

"You would."

"Other Me! /"

"Doctor?"

"History professor. Talks faster than you can write. Moves faster than Ruby. Prefers to be called doctor. He's very enthusiastic when it comes to history."

"Sounds like it." Yang chortled, grunting in the background. It sounded like a body tackled her to the floor. A struggle went on. "But you're saying Ruby's been messaging you between classes? Ha! Now I know why dad keeps saying she's been distracted during class. He works at Signal as one of the professors. You should meet him. He's a total dork."

"Yang!" Ruby cried, only for her to laugh uncontrollably from the other end. "Ah! Stop it!"

"Oops, my finger slipped." Yang huffed, out-of-breath. "Listen, I gotta go, but talk to ya later, Jaune."

Click!

Yang ended up sending him a pillowcase, as in a pillow in the shape of a briefcase. Weird and so out-of-place in this room, but it brightened up that corner he tended to stay away from, and made looking at the side more bearable. The poster on the wall helped with his good grades covering the door.

Bleakness gradually turned to color.

"Ugh, even your presents are pun-oriented…"

"I know, awesome right?"

"More like horrifying…"

"Ow Blake, Kitty gots claws." Pyrrha sighed before looking on the bright side.

"Well, at least Jaune's room doesn't look entirely lonely anymore…"

Imagination

That picture book inside his head that made up convoluted ideas and plans.

For example, how to incorporate Dust into his skill set since he had yet to beat an opponent during Combat class. Professor Goodwitch rarely scolded him on his losses, using his first-year residency excuse as a reason for his terrible track record against a class of second-years, but her disappointment still hurt.

"Would id be mean to say this is one thing in common with our world…" Blake immediately folded when the members of (J)NPR glared her way. She'd yet to earn their ire and had no intention of starting now.

'Psst, psst'

'Bad Blake, Bad!' Said Teenage Faunus Ninja Catgirl jumped backed from her leader.

"Where'd you get a spray bottle from!"

Any rumors following after only threw salt into the wound, but he welcomed the backlash. Backlash made him act irrational, irrational made him turn innovative, and that led to his mind becoming more imaginative.

Neo smiled, Innovation was practically her and Roman's last name.

So he carried around extra vials of Dust from Professor Peach's class and set his sights on level-four combat drones.

No one expected him to use Dust considering Crocea Mors allowed none of that within its weapon design, so he would have to improvise ways. Should throw them off-guard. Ha! Sounded simple enough, but nothing in this academy ever proved to be easy. Now, how to pull it off?

Weiss paled.

"I can't see that Dolt using Dust without causing accident."

"Bitch…"

Her eye twitched at the voice she was beginning to fear might be in her head…

He owned no firearm to fire Dust rounds. His ancestor's blade revealed no hidden compartments, neither his shield. From what he learned in Dust class, after countless explosions and a mishap with Wind Dust blowing some girl's skirt up, Aura made Dust react. Adding Aura to his weapons might, possibly, a chance, maybe make the Dust respond if he found a way to implement it.

"See! Told you he needed to upgrade Crocea Mors!"

We Can Do It Together On Our Not-Date!

He shrugged. "Maybe it'll come to me when I'm fighting this bot?"

A level-four training bot patiently waited for him to cease his rambling before charging forward, weapon aiming for where his liver lived. He gripped the vial tightly in his hand, abandoning his shield to deflect the machine's strike by tilting Crocea Mors above his head. The droid quickly shuffled its feet, throwing a kick aimed for his chin, but he blocked that move by catching it with his palm, crushing the Dust in the process. Drat! Aura protected his hand from the shard of glass, but it still tanked to lose one of his vials so quickly.

He threw back the machine's foot, sprinkling Fire Dust into the air, before arching an Aura-charged slash for the bot's torso. It blocked easily enough, but a torrent of fire Dust infused in the air and burn marks appeared on the machine's chest from a wave of fire. Both the human and the robot stopped their fighting to stare down at the scorch marks on its chest, unsure how to react to fire spurting to life in the air.

The answer then came when specks of Fire Dust floated in Jaune's line-of-sight, some burning, others not. He stopped to catch some of the lingering ashes, blinking once as his imagination worked overtime as embers danced on his skin. Fingers gripped a second vial with Aura infused between his digits.

"Huh? Now that's an idea."

Nora smiled, she liked where this was going, unstable explosions were Always a good time after all. Ren of course paled because Nora was smiling...

Jumping back, he threw a pepper pocket amount of Fire Dust at the bot, and swung his blade with Aura infused inside, creating an arc of fire from the impulse of the swing clashing with particles of floating Dust. Momentum carried the flaming arch, cooking the assault droid in a cataract of fire. He managed two more swings in, sending out a diagonal cross, draining the hovering specks before not enough remained for a fourth swing, except to burn like tiny embers in the air.

Pyrrha smiled impressed, but not entirely surprised, her partner was quick witted if nothing else…

Did create an impressive pose, minus the part where some of the flames landed on his sleeve and started to burn the fabric.

"Ow! Hot! Hot! Hot!"

All eight snickered at their blonde dork knight's struggle.

Later, when he challenged a student during Combat class, no one expected a flurry of ice to appear in the air and hurl toward the unsuspecting fighter. When the second-year opened his eyes, he found Crocea Mors hovering over his neck with a grinning Arc holding a frozen handle.

Glynda Goodwitch proudly nodded at his first win.

"Booyah! In Your Face Weissy! Jaune Totally Awesome With Dust!" Said Heiress harrumphed but didn't make any retort otherwise.

Justification

Jaune Arc noticed the hushed whispers first.

That followed with the subtle stares and eerie silence he if so much as stopped walking in the Mess Hall. When he sat down to consume his lunch, he purposely slowed his chewing to listen. Not much made it to him, but some tables contained louder individuals than others, and soon his chewing stopped entirely for his eyes to grow and back to straighten.

What?

A quick swallow later and he resumed eating, skeptical to the words getting thrown around. Strong? Interesting? Cute? He almost choked on his steak at that last one. Luckily most people thought it nothing more than eating too fast, but the Arc visibly sighed, using his forearm as a makeshift napkin.

Blake's back bristled as she felt a slightly menacing presence right beside her, not wanting to look to her team leader who's eyes were fixed on the screen. Not far away Ren and Nora scooted away from their teammate who was in a similar state.

A heavy fork stabbed into his steak. What happened? No, seriously, what the heck happened? Only yesterday rumors floated around about how useless he was in class, not deserving his spot here, but now some people thought he was this brave, robust person? Snort! He almost laughed at the irony, choking practically a second time with his utensil rested between his lips. Level-four training bots still gave him a difficult time. No way was he this impressive guy they conjured up in their minds. Another snort! Rumors sure jumped the shark at any given moment. Must be the short attention spans of gossip-hungry teenagers. Something that lost its appeal with seven sisters.

Pyrrha sighed, 'very' familiar with gossip ad popularity, it was as nice to see it happening to someone else for a change as it was troubling to watch her partner go through it.

However, the minute he noticed one giving him a look, he regarded them all. Once someone's mind got set, it allegedly took hold like annoyingly catchy song lyrics. Hardly anything negative passed people's lips. Suspicion remained high, people weren't that easily swayed, but others started to offer him the benefit of the doubt. No more negative speculations or conspiracy theories, like being Glynda's son.

"Ridiculous…."

all eight froze in their seats at the stern sounding voice.

He was merely Jaune Arc, only first-year to pass initiation this semester.

Whoa? He took a slow sip of his water. Who would have thought one win could create such a spur?

"Well he did beat a second year in a matter of two months…" Yang nodded.

"Everyone loves a badass."

Public opinion on him began turning almost overnight. Suddenly, it wasn't look over there but look over there, look at the only first-year sitting alone.

Okay, he needed to cool off before this all got to his head. Overconfidence led to the downfall of many great warriors, something he read in his studies. Even Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck warned him of too much spirit. So he swiftly got up, threw away his leftovers, and headed for the training room to hopefully destroy a few level-four bots.

There were people in the training room, a bummer, but he pressed onward and challenged the nearest training droid to a spar. Unluckily, two noticed his attention and confronted him simultaneously. Oh boy! Crocea Mors blocked one staff with his shield halting the other. He thought about calling off the fight, but his grip on both his armaments tightened, and he landed a kick on the machine holding his sword in place, freeing Crocea Mors. An attempted slash aimed for the droid's next, except the robot maneuvered back to avoid his strike.

Pyrrha smiled.

"He's improving quickly." Ren nodded.

"It is a impressive amount of growth." Nora grinned

"Yeah Jaune-Jaunes awesome!"

Tch! He reached for a vial of Fire Dust in his pocket, prepared to throw it into the air, but the second bot reached him and punctured the bottle with machine-like precision. An ignition shook the room with a shield falling from the ceiling, but no Jaune Arc. Optic sensors searched for his body, unable to locate his mass in the risen temperature. Then a figure landed behind the toys, slashing a heated blade across their necks with edges of his hair scorched.

Neo clapped, underhanded tactics, attacking from behind… She knew she liked her Babies Daddy for a reason.

The first-year sighed, pinching out the flames on his hair as skin retained a healthy glow. Aura! What a lifesaver! One of the droid's heads rolled toward another person, and they stepped on it, looking between him and the downed machines. Time stopped, not a word got spoken, then, to his everlasting surprise, the second-year offered him a thumbs up with a stretched smirk, and he only exchanged an awkward grin.

Not an awful way to start his Saturday.

"Was that Coco?"

Kaleidoscope

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Groan! Jaune shifted aimlessly in his bed, covering his head with a pillow. Who called this early on a Sunday? Just ignore it until they stopped calling. Yeah, a solid plan, patent pending. When the beeping finally ceased, he felt no remorse for missing the call, figuring he would get a message or call back later, and drifted off back into dreamland, for all but five seconds.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Who do you think it is?" Ren smiled.

"He only knows Ruby and Yang's number, so it's either them or one of his family I suppose."

"Fine, fine! You win!" Jaune threw the pillow at the wall and reached out to snatch his Scroll off his desk, yawning as he rubbed the Sandman's dust from his eyes. "Hello?"

A pause on the other end.

"Hello? What? That's it? Didn't anyone teach you any manners? You're supposed to address who is speaking on the other line as you answer a Scroll. The proper etiquette is Hello, Jaune Arc speaking, may I ask who's calling?"

"How's Weissy get fearless leader's Scroll Number?"

"Geez Weisscream, calling VB at the crack of dawn, little eager aren't'cha?" Said heiress huffed displeased.

"Please, it's the Dolt's fault for sleeping in so late like the lot of you…"

He blinked once, twice, and made sure to pinch himself on the arm before tweaking his voice. "... Snow Angel?"

"Don't call me that! It's Weiss Schnee."

Several people snickered much to the heiress's embarrassment.

A third blink, another pinch, this time on the cheek. When he failed to wake up, he glanced out his window.

"Not to say this isn't a pleasant surprise, but why are you calling me? How'd you even get my Scroll number? I don't remember handing it out to you."

"I have many connections, Jaune, agents that will remain anonymous—!"

"Was it Ruby?"

"Don't interrupt me!" Weiss paused, sounding like she was pouting on the other line. Such an easy concept to imagine that it made him automatically smile. "But yes."

"I didn't even know you were still talking to Ruby. I thought you hated her?"

"I-I didn't her… -/- "

Bitch…

"WHO ARE YOU!?" All her friends scooted away much to her horror.

Oh Gods I said that out loud!

She ignored him entirely.

"As we're talking, a package should be arriving at your door any moment with a very significant pamphlet."

Right on cue, a precise knock rhythmed on his door. When he went to answer it, with the Scroll still connected, no one was on the other side with only a bare hallway to welcome him. Only a single pamphlet greeted him, taped to his door. Cautiously, he removed the booklet from the door, tilting his head as he read the title out loud.

"Dust for Dummies?"

Ruby smiled.

"I remember that…"

"Read it."

"You know, I have a Dust class." He envisioned the head shaking.

"Insufficient. That pamphlet will teach you safety Dust protocols. The instructor you have has been known to throw caution out the window. I should know, I looked her up." He balanced his Scroll on his shoulders, flipping through the brochure.

"Not to poke holes, but why are you doing this? You know, calling me, helping me? I know you didn't think of us as friends. You made that clear from the start." She sighed.

"Ruby's mentioned your hazard use of Dust, apparently you like to boast, and if something were to happen to you because of your mishandling, then I wouldn't hear the end of it. This is purely for my benefit. Now, stop dilly-dallying and read the pamphlet!"

"Pfft, yeah right Weisscream, you just don't wanna admit you care."

"Shut up! /"

"Okay, okay, sheesh!" Jaune flipped through the pages, frown impossible to stop.

"Aw! It says you shouldn't consume Dust. Whelp, there goes my fire-breathing idea." The other end of the line grew quiet, and he feared Weiss might have hung up, but a bitter tone huffed.

"... How you ended up passing and I failing is a greater mystery than why Dust doesn't work past the stratosphere."

"You should've tried harder."

"Pfft! Hahaha! Damn VB!"

"Yang,, don't laug- 'Snicker' At Weiss 'Pfft'"

"Watch it, Arc, I know where you live."

"Yeah, at Beacon Academy."

A second package arrived later in the day with a pair of fluffy drapes and a couple of belt holsters to carry Dust. How she knew his size, he would never know.

"Aw, Weissy Does care." Said heiress blushed.

"I wish you were still picking on Blake -/-"

Learning

Legs propped up, shoulders squared, Jaune Arc rested his back against a cozy corner with his head deep into some fine literature.

The library became his second home during his first week at Beacon, but it slowly turned into a sanctuary. Most wandering eyes and whispers stayed away from the archives, too grave of a place for gossip. Must be related to the librarian, a frail old woman who wasn't afraid to use her two-foot ruler to smack people on the side of the head. Everyone feared the supreme ruler.

"Does anyone else find it ironic how him being ostracized is making him a better fighter in this world…" Yang shrugged at her partner's response.

"Eh, when your right you right Blakey, facing bots cause he's on his own, studying in class for sis and hiding in the library. Who'd have thought a shitty School life would be so beneficial for VB?"

Truthfully, the need to hide in the library somewhat dwindled with the rumors working for him than against him, but he had grown accustomed to the smell of shag carpet and worn paperback. Well? If he was talking perfectly honest, now that people borderlined toward curiosity, rather than disgust, it made reading an arduous chore. Restless eyes raised the hairs on his neck. Whispers made concentrating a feeble dream. By now he would have thought people would have something new to talk about, but alas, anything newsworthy never happened in a hormonally-filled, superpowered academy.

Not to say he blamed them, because nothing strange, wacky, or weird happened around this place. Nothing exciting at least. Made studying a leisure activity. Too bad he lowered the book in disgust. Every once in awhile, when the reading became dull and lifeless, and the words refused to stick, he craved to read some comics. X-ray and Vav, how he missed those, but excellent grades didn't earn themselves. Look at his door. That all took blood, sweat and tears. No one was around to hold his hand if he slacked off. No, couldn't have that getting him expelled, not after he made it this far.

Back to reading.

The members of JNPR blinked in shock, well, Ren and Pyrrha.

"Heh' Fearless leader thrive in the face of Adversity!" It was hard to argue with the Valkyrie's statement all things considered…

Five minutes later, and he shut the book closed. Sigh. Studying for history tests was the worst. Professor Port's class was hardly any better, but the subject material could be interesting to read, more so since it involved killing Grimm, but this, this was dry! He would much rather be downstairs, challenging his newly acquired level-five training bot. Getting the stuffing beat out of him had to be more amusing than reading about the Gold Age. Chatting with Yang or Ruby also popped into his mind, but fought against such a temptation, knowing once either of them started that he might as well forget about studying altogether. Hmm? Something needed to change.

A different plan was in order.

He raised his head to peek around the room. Huh? Except for when people glanced away from him, nothing caught his attention, yet his mind remained jumbled? Perhaps a change in scenery might put his subconscious at ease? As much as he hated to say, and it felt like he was stabbing a trusted ally on the back, the library's once inviting atmosphere had dipped in quality. White walls became somewhat too much to support, hardwood chairs lost their glow, countless books remained distant, and the stillness slowly turned restless. Things changed. He laughed bitterly. Just like he wanted, right? For things to change?

Blake's ears folded and her she was starting to get invested in this version of their friend.

Right.

He got up, went to the front desk, and checked out the books he needed for next week's exam. Besides, his once empty room carried a more vibrant color.

"Eh, I wouldn't call VB's digs vibrant… Kinda depressing…" Blake sighed.

"I suppose it's a matter of perspective…" Nora groaned.

"Boo! No more sad stuff! I wanna see Fearless Leader kick more butt!" Ruby nodded right beside her.

"Yeah! Enough test and studying, I get enough of that from Weiss!"

"Hey!"

So your boring as shit too…

"WHO ARE YOU!" Again the members of her team sitting beside the heiress backed away that much more.

"W-wait I can explain! There's a voice inside my… Augh!"

Dammit!

'Snicker' Dumb bitch!

Quiet You!

Khoashex = Glad you liked it, after Pineapple the next react will be smut too, so hopefully I'll live up to chapter 6.

razmire = Yeah I can see how you'd think it was Weiss, her's won't be anytime soon but if you wanna see which one I'm thinking of using go to my index on my Tumblr (FatallyObessed) and Read The Arc's Arc (Basically Jaune's a Male Postitute)

Honestly, I'd rather do Resident Evil Outbreak then 2, since nobody's ever written those. And Dying Light but definitely will consider RE4.

I have to play Breath of the wild before I can really consider it.

duskrider = Glad you liked it.

EiNyx = While I can't say I kept it to the eight like you hoped that was more for some of the reacts I have planned later. For the rest of the session it remain these eight with vague comments from those who've been connected.

I fear character bloat too but honestly there are a lot I want Glynda or the Malachite to see too.

Gamelover41592 = Thankyou :)

Wolfang21 = I think I'll be going with that way, Jaune preparing himself to save Ruby (Ellie, while rememebing his daughter and such)

Guest Chapter 5, Jul 5, 2019 = I know, and I appreciate you reading it anyways despite the way I write my dialogue.

xhope14x = Oh does she ever, the next smut viewing might not be her but rest assured some Lancaster Fucking is soon to come, only question is which should I use.

Guest chapter 5 . Jul 3, 2019 = Shimoneta? Hmm? I mean I can see it... If we argue that Weiss and Bleiss are the same person in that universe... Don't expect it anytime soon though.

READER1O1O = No worries, I aimed for the first smut view to be as perverse as it was entertaining so glad I hit the mark there apparently.

Guest chapter 5 . Jul 3, 2019 = Eh, not everyone's gonna be a fan I guess...

Guest chapter 5 . Jul 3, 2019 = So sorry to say this but I've actually gone back and written this Salem and Ozpin switchign roles as good and bad guy already. It's called Only Human... And it's one of the earliest post on my Tumblr. When I'm feeling better I see about editing it and uploading it on here.

Shogo-06 =So Frosted Knight is Chapter 4 & 48 of my Jaune-Shots, Short-Stories and Parodies stories on here.

Guy passing by = Yeah, it'll be a minute but rest assured that ideas stuck with me ever since you first spitball it on the reviews.

Sergeant Soul Snatcher It's been nearly two years since you suggested it well, here it is, at least the first third.

Based d20 = She Did LOL, I really should feel worse than I do...

Guest chapter 6 . Jul 5, 2019 = That would be this react sessions's story Pineapple by Imyoshi.

EAST of HALO = Happy that someone noticed! Yeah I needed to lighten things but, but at the same time the effects of said universe won't just vanish as you can see in the continuing chapters.

2. Yeah, Weiss won't be the only one to feel these things either already we've seen Yang go through a very similar rush of shame and guilt not unlike the heiress...

3. Yeah I intend for them to look at these other world Jaune, some of them will compare and some will consider how their Jaune's are similar more might diverge and the like. Also I LOVE THE DANCE OF TIGERS And not just cause Jaune headshot Cinder.

I enjoyed your feedback immensely and I hope I'll continue to live up to your expectations if you decide to come back and read any more.

Elektre888 = Well I got good news for you the next parody chapter of Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism is already done and after Pineapple and the next 2 smut chapters it'll be reacted to next (That or Rising of the Shield Hero) if you want to read it its chapter 67 of my Jaune-Shots, Short-Stories and Parodies post on here.

Seven = Well than you'll be glad to know I have his permission to use all his fics and beside this one I've already used Jam in Chapter 9

Guest chapter 6 . Jul 4, 2019 = Eh, I'd actually kinda have to disagree there. I feel like it sadly very possible for Yang give that we do know she has anger issues, and is very much a hit first ask questions later sorta person. Don't forget the cause was that Yang didn't realize Jaune didn't have aura. She didn't go out with the intent to truly brutalize him...

karmakuntheassassin101 = Hahaha, I see you're a man of culture ;)

Guest chapter 4 . Jan 9, 2020 = Chapter 69 of my Jaune-Shots, Short-Stories and Parodies.

Guest chapter 5 . Dec 30, 2019 = Haha, bro do that's some pretty weak sauce. Do you have any idea how many Tumblr Anons have trolled me. Your gonna have to do better than that LOL

Guest chapter 4 . Dec 30, 2019 = Hmm? 244 people following here and 1,243 follows on tumblr or one person too cowardly to insult me on reviews as a guest instead of under their account. Yeah I won't say I'm the best writer but it sure as hell ain't gonna make me lose any sleep being called incompetent by someone anonymously

.1 = I don't know why but those four words made me bust a gut laughing... And then go into a coughing fit, fucking hate being sick.

SleepyKitten355 = So actually your wrong, the 'Drip' was tears. I love how you insist on the fight being edging and make a bunch of assumptions. And if you were right that by all means give yourself a pat on the back. But since you weren't it just made you look kinda arrogant and frankly look like a asshole.

Trust me I get that the first chapter isn't for everyone but how about not trying to be douche about something unless you actually read it. Cause I don't mind people telling me they don't like my works, I don't care when somebody trolls me but I can't stand someone making assumptions (Incorrect ones at that) without actually digesting the media their review, it's a disservice to the person who put int heir time to post something they put effort in. And I do hope I'm the last person you'll actually do such to as I feel people deserve to have what they written at the very least properly read before someone gives then any feedback, negative

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