Kapitel 740: 83
Chapter 83
The pair of them enjoyed the opportunity to sleep in the next morning, relishing the fact that they still had three whole days until class resumed. Ruby was determined to make the most of them. Granted, they could have spent this extra time training. But they all deserved a rest and a break, after what they'd just been through, so a few days spent lazing around wasn't so terrible, in the grand scheme of things. If anything, Jaune's performance during the mission had indicated that his training was going very well.
Weiss and Pyrrha had come back sometime after Jaune and Ruby had fallen asleep. The pair continued to sleep, while Jaune and Ruby went about the process of getting ready for the day. After an easygoing breakfast, the pair made their way across the campus to the faculty quarters. Ruby glanced at the door to the Forrest Family's room as she and Jaune passed it, before the pair stopped to knock at the door to Kyo's room.
The door opened and Ruby's brother welcomed them with a cheerful smile. "Good morning, you two," he said. "I trust your date went well."
"It was great," breathed Ruby.
"I'm glad to hear it," said Kyo, beaming at them. "Please, come inside. I'd love to hear how it went."
"Pretty pleasantly," said Jaune as they settled on the couch in Kyo's living room, a near identical match for the one next door, where Ashley and her parents were staying.
Kyo busied himself in the kitchen, humming softly. Ruby glanced in to see him fiddling with the stove, before finding himself clueless. "Here, let me make the tea, Kyo-nii."
"But this is my first chance to really try a stove," said Kyo, beaming at her. "You know that O-Kaa-san won't let me in the kitchen at home."
"With good reason," Ruby teased, drawing a grunt from her brother. "Besides, the stoves in the Kingdoms work differently than the ones in Onmyo."
"Dust-powered, I presume," said Kyo.
"Uh huh," replied Ruby, adjusting the knob to the right setting, watching as red energy shimmered out from the metal ring that formed one of the stove's burners, before setting the filled kettle on it.
In just a few seconds, the kettle was already at temperature. One of the advantages of Dust stoves was that they could be set to an exact temperature, which was useful in a number of different ways. It was the kind of feature that Ruby would have definitely liked to have had, back in Onmyo. She also didn't need to perpetually focus on maintaining the heat with her Aura either, making it much easier to multitask. While steam spilled out from the kettle's spout, Ruby busied herself in the cupboards, looking for tea. She found that Ozpin, or whoever had set up this suite, had outdone themselves, and included a very fine selection of quality teas amongst the various foodstuffs stored in the pantry.
Blake would flip, mused Ruby, thinking that inviting her over to try some of the different teas that Kyo had been supplied with would go a ways towards soothing her tension around the man who'd slain so many White Fang soldiers.
Knowing her brother's preferences, Ruby found a good green tea, then measured out some leaves into the cast iron teapot that she'd found in another cupboard, before pouring in some water. From there, she set out the cups and pot on the tray, while silently keeping track of the minutes it would take for the tea to finish steeping.
"Ah," said Kyo, noticing the wire steeping basket left on the counter. "Didn't we need that?"
Ruby giggled. "Kaa-san says not to use those things. You've gotta let the leaves have room to bloom in the water, if you're gonna get the best flavor. There's a strainer on the tray."
"I didn't realize you knew so much about tea," said Jaune, as Ruby brought the tray out from the kitchen, Kyo following her, a comically defeated look on his face.
"The Mibu take their tea pretty seriously," said Ruby. "They're like Mistralians that way."
"Good tea is always worth the effort to make right," commented Kyo.
"As though you took the time to make any," commented Ruby, drawing another grunt from her brother.
Jaune laughed, drawing a laugh from Kyo as well. Ruby's expression went deadpan as she took in the sight of the two of them, their gesture of rubbing the back of their heads, while grinning sheepishly, looking nearly identical. I thought girls went for boys who remind them of their fathers, she mused. Then she thought about her father. Well, I can understand that. I guess my big brother would be the next best thing then.
Granted, Ruby doubted she would ever see Jaune grinning wildly, while cutting down dozens of opponents, which she didn't count as a bad thing. There was no need for Jaune to embrace the excitement and bloodlust of battle the same way Kyo did, even if Ruby didn't necessarily disapprove of Kyo's tendencies
She began to fill the cups, pouring the tea through the strainer to catch the leaves.
"It's done already?" mused Jaune.
"A lot of green tea types don't take long to steep," explained Ruby. "In fact, steeping them too long is pretty easy, which causes 'em to get bitter."
"Oh," said Jaune, picking up his cup and sipping gingerly from it. "It's really floral," he said, blinking. "A little sweet too."
"That means I didn't let it steep too long," said Ruby proudly. "I was a bit worried I'd gone rusty. Maybe I need to start hosting teatime with Blake."
"Why not," said Jaune. "Tea sounds like a nice hobby to get into."
"On that note, have you picked up any hobbies here, Ruby-chan?" asked Kyo.
"Well, Jaune's gotten me into comic books," said Ruby, making her boyfriend blush. "I forgot how much I missed those."
"We have those in Leng," Kyo pointed out.
"Yeah, and I like them too," said Ruby. "But Vale's are different. And they make me a little nostalgic."
"I bet the Mibu don't have X-Ray and Vav," said Jaune proudly.
"That they don't," agreed Kyo with a laugh. "I may have to see some of these comics for myself. They don't tend to be that easily available, out in the more rural settlements."
"Well, I can let you borrow mine, while you're here," said Jaune.
"I'd be most grateful," said Kyo. "So then...back to our original topic, how did your date go?"
"It went great," said Ruby. "I mean, it's not too different from the stuff we've already done together with our teammates. But it feels different for just the two of us to do it."
"So long as you're comfortable with things," said Kyo. "That's what's most important, after all, I suppose."
"We're plenty comfortable," said Jaune, taking another sip from his cup.
"So...there isn't a lot to say about yesterday," said Ruby. "The most interesting thing was when Jaune's sister called him."
"Sister?" Kyo raised an eyebrow at Jaune.
"My oldest sister, Saphron, lives in Argus, over in Mistral," said Jaune. "Right now, she's the only member of the family I'm on good terms with."
"Oh my...what's this about now?" asked Kyo, his eyes widening slightly.
Jaune exchanged a quick look with Ruby, who nodded encouragingly. With a sigh, he began to relate his story, telling Kyo almost everything, including his sneaking into Beacon with false transcripts. To it, he added the new information he had gained from Saphron, the previous evening.
"My...quite the situation," mused Kyo. "No wonder you and Ruby-chan bonded so well, coming from similar backgrounds."
"Yeah...that seems to be something of a trend with our peer group," said Ruby, her tone becoming sour. "Pyrrha's parents basically wanted to whore her out to any sponsors who would pay for her endorsements. They pretty much ordered her to leave Beacon, after our sparring match got spread across the network."
"And the less said about Weiss' dad, the better," growled Jaune. "That jerk basically blackmailed us into taking a mission to protect one of his ships by holding Vale's Dust supply hostage."
"Well, shared experience would help you bond better," noted Kyo, trying for the silver lining, with marginal success. "Still, the story about the situation of your birth makes me curious, Jaune-kun."
"It does...?" asked Jaune.
Kyo nodded. "You told me that your recovery was...miraculous, right?"
Jaune nodded. "That's the way Saphron put it. For the first year of my life, everyone was pretty sure I'd just up and die at some point, I was so weak. I don't remember any of that, of course."
"From the sound of things, it would almost seem that someone with the healing arts treated you," mused Kyo. "However, Sasame and I had not started wandering yet, and my parents had finished their wanderings long before that, not to mention that Tou-san never went abroad with a healer."
"What are you suggesting, Kyo-nii?" asked Ruby.
"Well...perhaps Jaune-kun has...special qualities," said Kyo pensively. "Ruby-chan, have you ever noticed anything unusual about him...not wrong per-say...but something that struck you as different?"
"Yep," said Ruby, drawing a startled grunt from Jaune, who looked at her worriedly. "First there's his Aura. His reserves are insane. I couldn't believe how much he had, when I first unlocked it. He's just a little ways below the Goyosei in Aura-level."
"Well now...that is something," said Kyo, scratching his chin idly.
"Is that...strange?" asked Jaune.
"The level of Aura-reserves Ruby-chan is describing normally takes several years of training and constant cultivation," explained Kyo. "For you to have so much, just upon having it unlocked, is rather unusual. It's not completely inconceivable, but definitely a good ways outside the norm...
"...Not in a bad way, mind you," Kyo amended quickly, seeing the look on Jaune's face. "There's nothing wrong with having so much Aura. In your particular circumstances, it's most certainly a definite boon to have that at your disposal, when you've lacked development in other areas for so long. It's gone a long way towards helping you catch up with your peers."
"Yeah," agreed Jaune, his concern waning.
"The other thing..." Ruby frowned. "During this last mission, Jaune healed my injuries."
"Really?" Kyo leaned back, surprised.
"Sasame said I have an affinity for the healing arts," explained Jaune, "though she didn't actually train me. Ruby gave me some pointers on what to do, so I was able to help her, when that pirate wounded her."
"That's quite impressive," noted Kyo, his smile widening. "To successfully heal even minor injuries, with nothing more than a little verbal advice, is definitely a sign of a strong affinity. But that's not all that strange, Ruby-chan."
"The strange thing is what came after," said Ruby. "He also figured out Sasame-nee's support technique. He helped boost my strength, when I was worn out from the fight."
"Again, impressive, but not-" Kyo began to observe.
"What's really strange was how powerful it was," continued Ruby, cutting him off. "It was almost nothing like Sasame-nee's technique. Jaune was boosting my power...amplifying it, not just supplementing it."
"Well now...that is different," said Kyo, "and quite interesting."
"Really?" asked Jaune.
"The basis of Sasame's healing arts is actually quite a simple thing," said Kyo. "The healing arts are based around supplementing a person's natural healing ability through their Aura. Through training, a healer learns to refine their precision, so that their Aura will only affect just the injured areas, without bleeding off into the regions around it. Through refinement, that allows a healer to treat an injured person faster and more efficiently, which allows her to help far more people. In a sense, it's little more than basic addition. Your Aura plus your subject's Aura, a simple case of one-plus-one equalling two.
"But what Ruby-chan is describing is more than that. Instead of one-plus-one equalling two, you can make it equal four, five, or even more. In fact, your own Aura might be capable of multiplying the strength of another person's."
"That sounds pretty cool," said Jaune.
"It is," agreed Kyo, "and it also gives me an idea about the circumstances of your first year of life."
"It does?" asked Jaune.
"If your power is capable of defying that basic limitation of the healing arts, then it might be capable of defying other ones as well," said Kyo. "I believe we can test that, right now."
"We can?" asked Jaune.
"Quite simply," said Kyo, standing up and going to the wall by the door, where a rack had been installed to hold his sword, another surprising act of hospitality by Ozpin.
"Uh...Kyo-nii?" asked Ruby, her eyes going wide with Ruby.
"I'm not threatening him," said Kyo, pulling his sheathed sword off the rack. "This is just a simple test. I won't go through with it, unless Jaune-kun agrees to it."
"Um...what kind of test are we talking about here?" asked Jaune.
"I'm going to cut you," said Kyo. "I'll inflict a cut too severe for your Aura to fix on its own, right away."
"I'm not sure about this," said Jaune warily, getting up and backing away from Kyo.
"Don't worry," said Kyo. "I won't sever anything important, just a minor laceration overall, nothing life-threatening. It would be the kind of wound Ruby-chan is more than capable of treating for you."
"Okay..." said Jaune.
"I'm not sure about this, Kyo-nii," said Ruby warily.
"You doubt my precision with a sword?" asked Kyo, looking at Ruby with an almost hurt expression.
"I'm just not sure about you cutting my boyfriend," said Ruby, standing up and planting her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "I don't care what your reasons are."
"Like I said, I won't go through with it, if Jaune-kun does not wish me to," said Kyo, turning his gaze back to Jaune. "That said, Jaune-kun, may I have permission to cut you? I believe this might be the key to understanding what happened to you as an infant."
"W-well...I'm still not sure this isn't some covert threat to warn me off from being Ruby's boyfriend," said Jaune.
"I wouldn't do that," said Kyo with complete sincerity. "I like you a great deal already, Jaune-kun. I think you are a fine companion for my sister."
"Um..." Jaune stared uncertainly at the naked blade in Kyo's hand. Even though Kyo was holding the weapon down and at ease, Jaune could sense a pressure from the blade, one even more intense than the presence he felt from Ruby's sword, when Akaibara was unsheathed. Still, he could tell that Kyo was being honest with him, at least. "Okay then."
"Very well then," said Kyo. "Pull back the sleeve on your left arm, and hold it up."
Gulping, Jaune followed Kyo's instructions, holding the limb up for his inspection.
"Good," said Kyo. "Now, try not to tense up. I'll let you prepare, and make the cut on the count of three."
I know this trick already, thought Jaune, having seen it in action plenty of times. Kyo would count, and probably cut him on "two," or even right at "one," to try and take him by surprise, before he could tense up in anticipation of the pain.
So it came as a surprise when Kyo's count made it to "three" without a single movement of his blade. Then Jaune's confusion compounded when Kyo went onto "four," then "five."
At "six," his sword flickered, the movement nothing more than a faint flash of the light off the steel. The next thing Jaune knew, a line of pain climbed up his forearm, a cut opening almost all the way up to the elbow, with blood spraying out in a brief arc. However, it wasn't the spurt of a cut vein or artery, just a spray pulled out by the speed of Kyo's strike. The pain was sharp, but incredibly light, a sign of just how fine a cut Kyo had made.
Ruby quickly slapped a cloth bandage from the suite's first-aid kit over the wound to mop up the blood, before any of it could reach the floor. She pulled it off, revealing the red stain on the previously-pristine white of the fabric. However, more blood quickly welled up from the cut running up the line of Jaune's forearm.
"Oooowww!" groaned Jaune, fighting the urge to slap his right hand over the cut, stopping mainly because he knew his hand wasn't wide enough to stem the blood along the entire length of the incision.
"Now then," said Kyo, sliding his sword back into its sheath, not a spot of blood marring the length of the blade, "remember what you did with Ruby-chan on the ship, and apply it to the cut on your arm."
"Kyo-nii! That's impossible!" protested Ruby. "You know the healing arts don't work that way!"
"Nor do they work the way you described Jaune-kun's working on the ship," noted Kyo. "Let him try."
"All right," said Jaune warily, holding up his right and, using Flow to channel his Aura into it. "Here goes."
From there, he brought it to the cut welling up on his left arm. No sooner had he begun to channel his Aura along the length of the incision, it closed up, vanishing with such speed that Jaune thought time might have turned backwards on his arm for a moment, the pain vanishing without a trace. "That was easier than I thought."
"Huh?" Ruby wiped away the blood that had welled up with a fresh bandage, revealing pristine and unmarred skin. "Wha-what the...?"
"Is it really that strange?" asked Jaune, looking at Ruby.
"It's not just strange!" protested Ruby. "That should be outright impossible! The healing arts just don't work like that!"
"As I thought then," said Kyo. "I think this may well explain the mystery behind Jaune-kun's miraculous recovery, during his infancy."
"What is it?" asked Ruby.
"To put it simply...Jaune-kun is a Shaman," said Kyo.
Weiss closed her eyes, smoothly cutting off the outward flow of her Aura. She started from the top of her head, then spread the effect down throughout her body, shutting down the flow of Aura out through her arms, then her torso, down her waist, then down to the tips of her toes. Within her, she felt the sense of power building.
All at once, Weiss snapped her eyes open, Projecting the accumulated power outwards, producing a surge of air around her, as her Aura blazed to its full, furious strength. Then she drew it back inwards, pulling it beneath the controlled sheath of her Temper once more.
Sweat beaded her brow, and Weiss was breathing a little heavier. After a few seconds, she recovered enough to start the exercise over again.
Over on the bench, Ashley watched Weiss with fascination. Even though her own Aura wasn't unlocked, she could still see the light of Weiss' Aura, when it was Projected outwards. The accumulated energy was visible to the naked eye of even someone uninitiated, like Ashley herself. The shimmering white field of energy that enveloped Weiss was something to behold, a sight so beautiful that Ashley could never get tired of seeing it. Likewise, feeling the surge of air produced by the explosive release of power was thrilling, making Ashley's heart beat faster.
"I'm sorry there isn't much more to see," said Weiss, after performing the exercise once more.
"That's fine," said Ashley. "It's amazing to watch. But I'm not sure what you're doing."
Weiss smiled and moved to settle on the bench of the practice ring, sitting next to Ashley, who handed Weiss a bottle of water. Weiss drank gratefully.
"It's something that Ruby taught me," explained Weiss. "The key to mastering my Summons is learning to master Suppression. By shutting down my Aura, I increase my ability to forcefully create more through Projection. It also enables me to hone my focus and intent, to ensure that my power goes to the construct I want to create, with less of it being wasted."
"Is it working?" asked Ashley.
"It's already worked," said Weiss.
Standing up, she once again moved to the center of the ring. There, she drew Myrtenaster. Closing her eyes, she once again initiated Suppression, closing down her Aura in that smooth, practiced action. When she opened her eyes again, she pointed out with her rapier, unleashing her Aura. This time, instead of letting it explode outwards in the usual Projection she practiced, Weiss focused the release of energy, channeling it down the length of her sword, her mind faithfully producing the shape she wanted her Aura to take.
With a flash, the sword-wheel of her Summoning Glyph appeared on the floor. The Glyph's spin accelerated, its glow intensifying as Weiss brought to mind the meaning she wanted this Glyph to hold. A blinding flash lit up the room for a handful of seconds. When it died down Ashely's gasp echoed out.
The kneeling form of Weiss' Arma Gigas Summon was now where the Glyph had been, the massive figure crouched down on one knee, its head bowed, the tip of its sword resting against the floor of the practice ring, looking to all the world like a giant knight, pledging fealty to his lady.
"It's beautiful," Ashley breathed.
"Thanks," said Weiss.
At her direction, the knight stood up, before turning to face Ashley. The sight of it walking towards her made Ashley tense nervously, her tail extending straight up the line of her back. Then the knight stopped, kneeling down again, it extended the hand not resting on the crossguard of its sword to Ashley, holding it out in an almost courtly gesture.
Hesitantly, Ashley raised her hand, and rested it on the knights, her hand dwarfed by the individual digits of the knight's extended fingers. Both Ashley and the knight rose to their feet. The towering figure was so high that Ashley had to extend her arm upwards a little to keep contact. The knight then led her out to the ring, where Weiss waited.
As soon as Ashley reached Weiss, the Arma Gigas dissolved into a cloud of glittering motes of white light, leaving Ashley and Weiss alone once more. Now it was Weiss who held out her free hand, Ashley transferring her fingers to it. Wordlessly, Weiss brought Ashley's hand up, so that she could brush her lips against the skin of the other girl's knuckles, prompting a furious blush from Ashley.
"W-Weiss..." she stammered, unsure of what to say.
Lowering their joined hands, Weiss smiled at Ashley. "I'm sorry," she said. "I can't take you on a proper date. This is the best I can do."
"It's fine," said Ashley. "I don't mind."
"You should," said Weiss. "It's not fair to you."
"It's not fair to you either," Ashley pointed out. "You're putting everything at risk for me."
Weiss tugged on Ashley's hand, bringing her closer, so that they stood pressed together, resting their foreheads against each other. "Even so, it's a risk I want to take," said Weiss.
"Me too," agreed Ashley.
They tilted their heads forward, bringing their lips together in a lingering kiss. After holding it for several seconds, they pulled away.
Silently, they went back to the bench, Weiss taking a second to sheath her sword, then taking Ashely's hand again. The pair of them leaned back against the wall.
"Have you heard from your father yet?" asked Ashley warily.
"Not yet," said Weiss. "Granted, it's only been a couple of days. I count that as a good thing."
If she was going to hear from her father right away, it would likely be because Jacques had decided she was unfit to inherit after all. That he was taking this long meant that he might have found other things to focus on, rather than questioning her fitness to inherit, which meant he was sufficiently satisfied by the results of the mission, and felt no need to comment on it further.
"Well, as long as things went the way they were supposed to," said Ashley.
Weiss nodded. "With the pirates and a healthy chunk of the White Fang out of commission, we shouldn't have to worry about Dust thefts for a while."
Or so she hoped. Granted, Weiss couldn't be sure of what state Vale's White Fang was in. Everything RYNB and CPPR had told her about the White Fang's operation in Mountain Glenn indicated that it represented an extreme investment of personnel and materiel on the part of the White Fang, most likely using up the majority of their more experienced members.
The only real concern was the reluctant conscripts, those like Ashley, who'd been drafted into the organization more or less against their will. However, from the look of things, they had not yet shipped out to Mountain Glenn yet. According to the tiny number of survivors that had been apprehended, the new recruits were being trained with the intent on shipping them out to the encampment on the eve of the attack itself, where they would provide their weight of numbers behind the operation. What had happened to those recruits themselves was still up in the air at the moment.
Of course, the problem was that, with it being unknown how many of the White Fang remained, they couldn't be sure that someone wouldn't come after Ashley and her family again. The fact that there were infiltrators, who had targeted her at Beacon, indicated that their influence was far-reaching. But continuing to keep Ashley and her parents confined to their suite wasn't feasible in the long term.
Still, most everything had been settled...for now.
She and Ashley leaned against each other, still holding their hands. They took a moment to relax, enjoying the peaceful ambience that had fallen over them, thanks to Weiss reserving the training ring for herself today. It was easier than usual, most students still being out on mission, meaning less competition for the rings. Only a tiny number of teams had returned early enough, and there were more than enough rings to go around, for those who actually wished to use them.
That peaceful atmosphere was interrupted by the sharp click of heels against the hardened floor. Weiss and Ashley sat bolt upright, their eyes going wide as the white-clad figure of Winter appeared at the entrance to the room.
"I was told I would find you here, Weiss," said Winter, a small smile gracing her features. "Is this the young woman responsible for all this commotion?"
"That's not fair, Winter," protested Weiss. "None of this is Ashley's fault."
"I suppose not," said Winter. "But it is important to identify her as a catalyst of our current situation, particularly the mission we just completed." She strode forward, her posture as stiff as ever, but her smile softening. "More importantly, I believe I said that I wished to meet the young lady who has become so important to you, Weiss."
"D-does she...?" asked Ashley, looking nervously to Weiss.
"She knows," said Weiss. "Don't worry. She's not Father."
"Well then, Weiss, introductions, please," instructed Winter firmly.
"Of course," said Weiss coming to her feet, smoothing her skirt, before offering a hand to Ashley and helping her up, not letting go as Ashley stood next to her. "Winter, this is Ashley Forrest, my girlfriend. Ashley, this is Winter, Senior Specialist in the Atlesian Military, personal adjutant to General Ironwood, and my older sister."
"I-it's an honor to meet you," said Ashley, unsure of how to properly greet Winter.
Winter held out a hand, which Ashley took after a moment's hesitation, accompanying the clasp with a firm squeeze, but not a painful one, before letting go. "The pleasure is mine, Ms. Forrest. I am glad that Weiss was able to meet someone she can bond so closely with." Her smile faded, her expression hardening. "I must caution you that this relationship will be fraught with risk. I know that Weiss has already warned you, and that you have already experienced some of that yourself. However, there is no denying that, if Father learns of this, Weiss' position as the heir to the SDC will be in jeopardy."
"I know," said Ashley, bowing her head slightly.
"If you both choose to proceed, knowing this, then I will do everything in my power to support you," said Winter. "I cannot do anything to influence the status of Weiss' inheritance, unfortunately. Should Father get a single whiff that this is going on, I have little doubt that he will not hesitate to immediately confer everything to Whitley." She sighed despondently. "I hope you are aware that, however hard you try, that may well be unavoidable."
Weiss and Ashley both swallowed nervously, the tension only increasing as Winter gazed at them all the more intently.
"Having said that, Weiss, my last question is for you," said Winter. "You have your goals and, despite your best efforts, in the future I expect that you will have a call to make."
Weiss' hand began to feel clammy in Ashley's grip.
"Keeping this relationship under wraps for the duration required for you to cement your claim is all but impossible," said Winter. "There is no way the two of you can keep this quiet for that long, no matter how hard you try."
Weiss began to shake.
"That being said, I shall put this question to you now...Weiss," said Winter, her eyes narrowing. "Are you truly committed to your relationship to Ms. Forrest? Should the situation require it, are you prepared to relinquish your claim to the SDC for the sake of remaining by her side?"
"I..." Weiss opened her mouth, then closed it. She had thought about this many times before. She'd talked to Ashley about it too. But it had always seemed abstract and hypothetical, which allowed her to entertain the foolish fantasy that there was, just maybe, a way for her and Ashley to pull this off.
But Winter was putting paid to that delusion, making it clear in no uncertain terms that Weiss had a call to make. She had to decide which she truly valued more, her relationship with Ashley or her claim to the SDC.
Winter sighed again, her expression still stony. "It is not too late for the two of you to call this off," she said. "This relationship is still very young, and the two of you still have a chance to go your separate ways, with minimal hurt. But Weiss...this is on you. If you are encouraging Ms. Forrest's feelings, only to be willing to be cowed into dropping this relationship, should it become a present liability to your claim, then I cannot approve of this."
"Ms. Schnee...Weiss wouldn't do that," Ashley protested.
The look Winter gave Ashley was stern, but softer than the one she'd given Weiss. "I appreciate your faith in my sister, Ms. Forrest. It is even well-placed. That said, this relationship is still in its infancy, for both of you. To say that both of you are willing to put your lives and futures on the line for this is an incredibly premature assessment. Weiss is not an ordinary person, and she has a very inordinate calling in her life. That status comes with expectations and responsibilities, which makes it extremely incompatible with you, Ms. Forrest.
"Like it or not, people will learn of this. And when they do, Father will learn of this. When he does, he will disapprove...to put it mildly. When that happens, Weiss will be faced with the decision of whether or not to continue, or throw this relationship aside to maintain appearances."
Once again, Winter turned her gaze on Weiss. "And so now...I present you with a choice, Weiss. Is your relationship with Ms. Forrest worth throwing away the goal you have worked towards for so long, sacrificing all that time spent, all the effort you've made? It is not fair to her in the slightest, if you are not prepared to do that."
"I...I..." Weiss opened and closed her mouth, completely uncertain of how to cope with such a terrible reality.
Winter rested her hands on Weiss' shoulders. "Please, Weiss," she implored. "I'm telling you this, because I care about you. More than that, I can see that you truly care about Ms. Forrest. Because of that, you have to be prepared to make this decision for her."
"I..." Weiss took a deep breath, closing her eyes, trying to imagine what it would mean, giving up her claim to the SDC.
Giving that up meant giving up any hope she had of changing the company for a better, of resolving the mess her father had made of things. The company would be in Whitley's hands...and Weiss didn't like the implications of that. Whitley was shrewd, manipulative, and cunning. Weiss knew for a fact that Jacques had always wanted him to inherit, with her status as second-eldest being the only obstacle, and had been mostly looking for an excuse to pass her over.
Even if the truth about her and Ashley's relationship never came out, it was all too likely that Jacques would find, or even engineer, a different excuse. Weiss was playing a game where the odds had been stacked against her from the very beginning. She could choose to drop this relationship, on the slim chance of being able to maintain her claim long enough to actually take the company from her father, or she could embrace the promise of genuine happiness an open and honest relationship with Ashley would bring.
"I choose Ashley," said Weiss finally, looking up at Winter, meeting her gaze with all the conviction she could muster, hearing Ashley's soft gasp off to her side.
Winter smiled once again, a smile filled with genuine warmth and affection. "I'm proud of you, Weiss," she said. "I will do everything in my power to support you, including doing what I can to protect Ms. Forrest against Father's reprisals."
"Y-you're not upset?" asked Weiss.
"Why would I be?" said Winter, lifting her hands off Weiss' shoulders. "The only reason you were ever burdened with this was because I chose to renounce my claim. I chose the military over the family, over dealing with Father's endless efforts to mold me into his puppet. I was disinherited as a result, and this burden fell to you. But it should not be a child's obligation to clean up their parent's mess. Truth be told, if I could get Whitley out of this, I would, and leave Father to lay in the bed that he has made."
Weiss nodded slowly and uneasily.
"That said, there is no harm in keeping things quiet a little while longer," said Winter, stepping back from the pair, "particularly considering that she is still marked for death by the White Fang. People knowing that she is in a relationship with you will only put a bigger target on her back. So it is best to probably keep this under wraps, until after the Vytal Festival is over."
"All right," said Weiss, slumping back onto the bench, Ashley almost collapsing next to her.
Winter took a seat next to them. "So then, please tell me about yourself, Ms. Forrest. I wish to learn more about the girl that my sister is willing to risk so much for."
"What's a Shaman?" asked Jaune, canting his head in confusion. He looked to Ruby, who smiled knowingly.
Kyo's smile faded slightly. "Shaman is a term within the Mibu Clan," he explained. "It is a blanket definition for those who are empowered in ways that we cannot explain through the mechanics of Aura or Dust."
Like the Maidens, thought Ruby, a bit surprised the notion had never occurred to her before.
"Even though it's a blanket definition, it's a bit overly generalized," said Kyo. "Shamans come in a variety of types, and are often as different from each other as they are from normal people.
"Some are distinct individuals, who manifest unusual abilities on their own. Others are hereditary, able to pass their traits from one generation to the next. Others are the recipients of such power from an outside force."
"What about me?" asked Jaune, frowning.
"That is difficult to say," said Kyo, still smiling, despite the strange revelation he was conveying. "There is no way, right here and now, to say where your unique attributes fall. It could well be that your abilities comprise a previously unidentified attribute of Aura, one that we are simply not aware of yet. Believe it or not, that is not so strange. Sasame's ancestor was one such Shaman."
"Really?" asked Jaune, while Ruby smiled, having already heard this before.
Kyo nodded sagely. "The founder of the Mitarai Family; Mitarai Tokichiro, who was often better known as Akari; was classified as a Shaman for most of her life. However, later on, she was able to interpret the mechanisms behind her healing art, and teach them to others. This enabled her to create the foundation for the healing arts the Mibu Clan has used ever since. You might well be of a similar stripe, Jaune-kun."
"That feels...weird," said Jaune, looking at his arm, where the cut Kyo had made had been. There was no trace of it now, not even a scab or scar.
"It might be strange, but it seems that this power can explain several idiosyncrasies," said Kyo. "Since it works differently from the healing arts, as we Mibu understand them, it is most likely the reason behind your miraculous recovery from your condition as an infant, though it implies some very interesting things."
"It does?" asked Jaune, Ruby sharing his confusion.
"Yes," replied Kyo. "Given what we saw right now, one might assume that your power uses your Aura as a medium for its use. However, that's unusual.
"You managed to heal yourself as an infant, but doing so did not unlock your Aura, as one might expect. That indicates that, while your power might operate through your Aura, it is distinct from your Aura itself. There is also the question of why it manifested right then and there, rather than the moment you were born. Granted, these are questions I am not equipped to answer, and might well remain unanswered, no matter how deeply we investigate."
"Oh..." said Jaune. "In the end...what does this all mean for me?"
"Well, that's still up in the air," conceded Kyo. "Much of this is speculation on my part. These are questions Sasame is better-equipped to field and answer, so it is best to put them to her, when she arrives for the festival. That being said, the immediate consequence is that it appears that your affinity for the healing arts is well beyond what even Sasame suspected. Should you manage to successfully hone that power, Jaune-kun, then you might well become an even more powerful healer than her, or even our Chief Physician. If that's the case, then there is no imagining the sheer scale of the good that you could do for the world."
"Wow..." whispered Jaune, looking down at his hands again.
"For the time being, the best choice would be to take your time and explore your potential," said Kyo. "At the moment, there are a great many things you are presently focusing on, so it's no crime to put this off for a little while longer, for now."
"That's true," agreed Ruby. "You're already kinda wrapped up with combat training, and mastering healing will come as you get better at basic Aura-control."
"I thought I was pretty good," grumbled Jaune.
"Certainly," agreed Kyo. "However, that skill is still nascent. Just as it is with your sword techniques, Aura-techniques must be continually practiced, so that they become an act of will, without any need for forethought. Once you reach that point, you will be prepared to further delve the more advanced arts."
"Weiss is doing the same thing," Ruby reminded Jaune. "She can create a Summon now, but the process is still too lengthy for it to be of any use in a regular battle, not unless she can hide behind us to buy the time she needs. So she's practicing basic exercises to refine them down to the point where her Summon can be used in straightforward combat."
"Right..." said Jaune, getting where Ruby and Kyo were going with this.
"Speaking of practice..." said Kyo, turning his attention to Ruby. "...have you been making any progress?"
Ruby abruptly looked down, abashed. "No..." she admitted. "I've been training this whole time. But I just don't get it..."
"Get what?" asked Jaune, blinking. Then he paused. "Wait, is this about that scroll you had, the lightning-sword thing?"
"That would be it," said Kyo.
Ruby sighed. "I've been thinking things over, but the words are still mostly words. I get some of the gist of what Sasuke has been talking about, but...I'm not really understanding it."
Kyo chuckled. "That's no terrible thing, Ruby-chan. Yes, Sarutobi Sasuke developed the Raikoken by the time he was twelve, but he lived a very different kind of life than you did."
"That Aokigahara place sounds pretty hardcore," noted Jaune.
"That's putting it mildly," said Kyo. "It was inhabited by monsters, not Creatures of Grimm mind you, but things far worse. They were, in fact, human once. However, they were twisted and corrupted, developing a love for human flesh, engaging in wanton murder and cannibalism."
Jaune and Ruby shivered.
"Aside from that, unless you were a cannibal yourself, food was very hard to come by in such a place," continued Kyo. "Sarutobi Sasuke was born into all of that. It's nothing short of a miracle that he did not grow to be as twisted and evil as many of the forest's other inhabitants. As a child, he survived there, mostly alone, constantly surrounded by enemies, and perpetually on the edge of starvation."
"That's...awful," said Jaune.
Kyo nodded. "In a sense, you could say that that forms the basis for his understanding. When he speaks of understanding the cycle of life and death, of being part of it, of stepping beyond it, he is speaking about his experience of living near death, of being faced with the threat of death, and walking that paper-thin line to find the way to continue living."
Ruby gasped softly.
Kyo smiled. "It's the same for you in battle, Ruby-chan. When you are fighting for your life, when you are faced with the prospect of death, you must move past your own limits, expand your awareness, and find the path where there was none before. Follow that path to find victory, and you have successfully stepped beyond life, as Sasuke would put it."
Ruby lowered her eyes, thinking back to her fights with Adam, those two times where she'd truly felt herself walking such a thin line, balancing on the knife's edge between victory and defeat. She'd been through a few fights like that, throughout her history, though not many stood out to her at the moment.
The image of a young woman with close-cropped hair, and a vicious smile, briefly surfaced.
"Of course, since Sasuke dealt with such things since his earliest years, it's no wonder that he grew to develop such an understanding, at such a young age," said Kyo, his expression and tone becoming mildly apologetic. "I hope you understand that, however much you might have gained from it, Sasame and I, your other teachers as well, have not gone to great lengths to place you in such situations, Ruby-chan. We may have allowed them to develop naturally, but never forcefully created them. Just because Sasuke lived in such a manner does not mean that you need to."
"I...understand," said Ruby, giving her brother a smile.
"If you can properly call upon the few experiences you've had, then you can use Sasuke's words as a bridge to arrive at the proper place, without needing to face as much hardship as he did," continued Kyo. "That is why people like him have left behind scrolls like yours, to enable you to benefit from his experience, without having to share it in its entirety, because, of course, he would never wish such a childhood upon another person."
Ruby nodded.
"Above all else, don't be in a rush," said Kyo. "Understanding will come, sooner or later, it does not really matter which. What matters is that you do it properly."
"Right..." said Ruby, smiling.
A pause came over the conversation, which was ultimately broken by Jaune. "Well...that got pretty deep."
"I suppose it did," said Kyo with a laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "So then...what shall we do now? I don't think you want to stay cooped up in here all day, however interesting out talks have been."
Ruby and Jaune frowned pensively, thinking over their options. Then Ruby's face lit up, her eyes going wide. "I know!" she exclaimed, looking up at her brother. "Spar with me, Kyo-nii!"
"Huh?" grunted Jaune, looking between the two with confusion.
To his surprise, Kyo's eyes twinkled with merriment. "Oh! That sounds like a wonderful idea," he said. "We haven't played together in a while, Ruby-chan. I'd love to see how much you've grown."
Considering what he knew about Ruby and her brother, Jaune supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that it had come to this sooner or later. But it was kinda strange, seeing the pair talk about a sparring match the way other siblings might have talked about a favorite game they hadn't played in a long time, not that Jaune could judge them for that.
"I should see if I can reserve a ring," said Ruby, already pulling out her scroll and looking through it.
This'll be interesting, Jaune thought.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein