Capítulo 332: My OC Stash #32 - The Arc Family Techniques by Cambrian (RWBY)

-Some good ole Cambrian fic~ Kinda sad that it's a monthly upload but it's better than nothing! This is my first time reading a RWBY fic from Cambrian and I gotta say he definitely nailed the plot/ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Synopsis: In which Jaune Arc is not the inept buffoon we see in canon. Rather, instead of just being completely worthless, the reason that his family doesn't want him to become a Hunter is very different indeed. Arc men are not made to be Hunters. Arc men are in fact made to BREED huntresses. But Jaune wants more than that, so armed with a massive aura and a stamina semblance, the young man goes to Beacon all the same.

Rated: M

Words: 56K

Posted on: https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/the-arc-family-techniques-rwby.9088/ (Cambrian)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1-3 (exceptional)

-x-X-x-

"Ohh, I can't believe my baby sister's going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"

While there are certainly plenty of other people on the observation desk of the Airship, many holding their own conversations, there's no denying that the incredibly bombastic blonde and the silver-eyed girl in the red riding hood are drawing the most attention. Which is just fine for one Jaune Arc, even as he leans against one of the few walls of the observation deck that isn't also a window, trying to avoid drawing any sort of attention to himself.

Not that he was succeeding all that much. Blondie and Red might not be paying him any mind at the moment, but Jaune could feel the eyes of more than one other woman on the observation deck were on him. He tried to pretend he didn't notice. Noticing and ducking his head or anything like that would just make them more interested than they already were. He certainly wasn't about to look up and interact with any of the handful of girls who'd found their eyes drawn to his naturally good looks and silent attitude.

Given that he technically wasn't even supposed to BE here, it seemed best to just lay low, or at least as low as someone like him could lay. His forged transcripts had been good enough to get him into Beacon, but if he made an utter fool of himself at any point, he could only imagine the scrutiny that would bring upon him. Especially since he was sure his family would eventually search for him. But truth be told, Jaune hoped they didn't. Still, his hand slides down to brush at the weapon at his side, Crocea Mors in its sheathe, and Jaune can't help but wince.

The theft alone might see them making a concerted effort to track him down, but Jaune knew he needed a weapon of some sorts, especially if he was going to actually do it, if he was going to actually become a Huntsman. He'd tried to diminish the loss by taking one of the older weapons, not wanting to steal the more advanced, more modern tools that his sisters and mother wielded.

Honestly, Jaune was banking on his father understanding, more than anything else. Hopefully, Nicholas Arc would see why he had to leave, why now was the time for him to go. It hurt to think about, but hopefully, his father would see the reason that Jaune had to stay away… especially after what happened.

-x-X-x-

"I want to be a hunter! Like mom, like my sisters!"

His father had sighed and though he'd crossed his arms over his chest, his tone had taken on a consoling, understanding quality. His words had been meant to reach Jaune, to try and make him see why things were the way they were. Jaune just wasn't in the mood to listen.

"Jaune… you know why that can't happen. You and I… we're not cut out for that kind of life. I've taught you everything I know, I've taught you how to be an Arc, but the moment you come face to face with a Grimm, what are you going to do? None of our techniques work on such creatures. Face it son, we have our place, and they have theirs. It is not your duty to stand on the frontlines and sacrifice yourself for the Kingdoms. Not when you can do so much more by staying safe, staying alive, and finding a good woman to settle down with."

Jaune had scowled, practically sneering his father down.

"There are plenty of men who become hunters! And my aura is already awakened! I know my semblance. Just because our family techniques don't necessarily have much combat potential doesn't mean I can't still learn to do battle with Grimm at an Academy!"

Perhaps his obstinance was finally wearing on his father, given that they'd been having this argument for weeks going on months now, or perhaps Nicholas Arc had planned this beforehand. But rather than continue the very vocal disagreement flowing between the two of them, Jaune's father had let out a grunt, followed by a sigh.

"Very well. You want to prove you can handle it? I will test you, and if you fail my test, you will cease this foolishness."

Jaune's eyes had widened, and he'd nodded eagerly, not quite catching the trap. Not for a moment did he believe his father would give him an insurmountable challenge.

"What then? Lay this test before me, and I'll show you what I can do! I'll fight a Grimm, if that's what you want of me! Saphron has been teaching me some things, you know!"

The mention of his older sister did not at all please his father, and Jaune knew the moment the words left his lips that he'd made a mistake. Nicholas Arc's eyes had flashed, and his lips had thinned out, before ultimately, he'd shaken his head.

"No, not a Grimm. Come with me."

Jaune had followed after his father, perhaps a bit trepidatious, but also brimming with energy and excitement. This was his chance, and he was not going to mess it up. Nicholas led him out into the family's training yard, where only one of Jaune's sisters was currently hard at work. But then, that made sense. The other six were all away on missions or at school, either learning to become huntresses or already BEING huntresses.

Saphron was the only one home at the moment, and Jaune couldn't help but admire her form for a moment, smiling happily as he watched her work through several different moves, sweat glistening on his brow.

"Saphron!"

Their father's sharp voice had cut through the air however, bringing an end to the fluidity of Saphron's movement. The blonde had moved away from the training field to join the two of them, smiling easily all the while.

"Father, Jaune. What can I do for you?"

Nicholas was not necessarily a cold man, not usually. He was a good father, and always had been. But right now, despite having uncrossed his arms, he was most certainly frigid as he nodded his head towards the rack of practice weapons off to the side, his hands currently clasped behind his back.

"Grab a couple of swords, would you?"

Saphron had frowned, noting the strange attitude from their father, and her eyes had darted to Jaune for a moment… but in the end, she'd done what she was told. Nicholas had held out a hand when she returned, and she'd offered him both, unsure of what exactly he was after. Their father had only taken one though, and then immediately turned and offered it to Jaune. As the blond boy excitedly took it, Nicholas had finally dropped the bombshell and revealed his challenge to both Jaune and Saphron.

"You will spar with your older sister. Your goal is to land a single blow on her before your aura runs out. Saphron… you will come at Jaune with all you have. If you give anything less than your all, I will know, and you will have caused your brother to fail this test."

Jaune's eyes were wide, while Saphron had glanced worriedly between him and their father, clearly not quite understanding what was going on. But upon seeing the determination in Jaune's gaze as his resolve had firmed up, he thought his older sister had gotten an idea of what was going on. With a simple nod, Saphron had led him out into the middle of the training field for their spar, while Nicholas had stayed on the sidelines, watching from afar.

Once they were out of earshot, Saphron had placed herself between Jaune and their father so that the older man could not read her lips. She'd made eye contact with Jaune then, even as she raised her weapon and he quickly did the same. The moment had decidedly not been like any of their prior sparring sessions, that much was for sure… and Saphron's next words had only confirmed that.

"Do not hold back, Jaune. Use everything tool at your disposal to bring me down. After all, an enemy will not care for honor or chivalry. An enemy will not take mercy on you for restraining yourself from using your entire arsenal. This is not a spar, Jaune… this is a battle. Win!"

And then she'd launched herself forward, and Jaune had been in the fight for his life from the very beginning. Taking their father's words to heart, his eldest sister had not held back even a little, clearly wanting to give Jaune the best chance to succeed… but at the same time, massively limiting his ability to do so. She was so much faster than him, so much stronger, so much more experienced… and to be fair, Jaune was still reeling from what she'd said.

The only thing that had made the challenge even remotely fair was the Male Arc blood flowing through Jaune's veins. Not because of the techniques that his father had spent years teaching him, but because every Arc man had massive aura reserves. It had to do with needing stamina and endurance to outlast… well, to outlast any huntress they happened to come across.

But of course, if the huntress was strong enough, which Saphron certainly was, they could easily overwhelm someone like Jaune, which Saphron had begun to do, right from the beginning. The thing was, his sister had told him to use everything, she'd explicitly told him not to hold back. Jaune knew what that meant, but he still couldn't believe she would… well, he didn't want to fail.

At first, he'd tried not to resort to such things, but Saphron was just too fast, too strong, and too skilled. It had quickly become apparent that Jaune was not going to land a blow with the meager combat skills that she'd managed to teach him in the past few weeks, and even more apparent that Nicholas had known this and set things up so that Jaune would get a hard lesson in his place in life.

But the blond boy had never been a very good student, and he'd always been a fairly slow learner. As things had gotten more and more desperate, Jaune had finally taken his sister's words to heart. Some of the Arc Family Techniques required physical contact… but not all of them. Not even the majority. On Saphron's next pass, Jaune had performed the simple act of making eye-contact with his sister. Blue eyes had met blue eyes, and Saphron's had barely had a single moment to begin to widen before Jaune had flexed that inner muscle in his ocular synapses that it was said only Arc Men had.

His blue eyes had twinkled as he used Eyes of Love on his elder sister, and Saphron had blushed profusely. It hadn't stopped her in her tracks or anything like that. It wasn't like her own eyes became filled with hearts, or she dropped to her knees and just knelt there slack jawed. If anything, it slowed her down by a half-second at best… but it was enough. It had been enough for Jaune to snag a blow, a simple strike with the practice sword across Saphron's stomach that they both had known did absolutely no real damage to her.

And then it was over, the two of them left panting. Except, Jaune had been the only one who took a significant enough loss to his aura to be panting. Before he'd used the Eyes of Love, Saphron hadn't even been breathing heavily. Still, he'd done it. He'd landed a blow on his sister, and at the time, in the moment, Jaune had thought he'd succeeded in his father's test.

"Did you think I would not notice?!"

And then Nicholas Arc had come stomping up, face contorted in a fury that Jaune had never seen from his father, not ever before. The man had looked apocalyptic as he loomed over Jaune, and Jaune had cringed back, eyes wide in shock and surprise. As his father reaches out and grabs him by the shoulders, Jaune is frozen in place, not sure how to react.

"Have I not told you, time and time again?! You do not use the family techniques on your sisters! You foolish boy!"

"Father, stop! I told him to!"

And then, just as suddenly as Nicholas had approached, Saphron had interposed herself between them, pushing their father away and cutting him off from Jaune. The fury had not been quelled, but it had abated slightly as the older man looked to his eldest child, his firstborn. Jaune had been observant enough to notice that when Nicholas spoke to Saphron, it was still with rage in his voice… but a colder, quieter rage.

"You what?"

Saphron had swallowed hard but remained a barrier between their furious father and her little brother all the same. Jaune, in that moment, had found himself fixated on just how RED the back of his sister's neck had been, as she explained herself to Nicholas.

"I told him not to hold back. I told him to use every tool in his arsenal. He passed your test, did he not? You have no right to be angry with him now."

"… You foolish, foolish child."

Before Saphron could say anything else, hell, before Jaune could say or do anything, their father had followed that up with a sharp, dismissive hand gesture.

"Go… go to your rooms. NOW!"

Jaune had hurried away, only stopping to push the weapon he'd used in the fight away on the rack before heading to his room. He wasn't sure what Saphron had done behind him, whether she'd obeyed as well or stayed to argue some more with their father. Either way, Jaune had known he'd stepped in it big time… and if nothing else, the near-silence of dinner a couple of hours later had been telling enough.

Later that night though, was when the true gravity of things had finally hit him. He'd been laying in bed, still wide awake, when he heard footsteps outside of his door. Confused, wondering if perhaps his father had come to finally dole out punishment, Jaune had swung his feet off of the bed, but remained seated on it, staring at the door, watching the shadows of legs wash out the light from the hallway. But no one ever came in, because the next thing Jaune had heard was his father's voice, a low, hissed whisper.

"Saphron! What do you think you're doing?"

The shadows coming from under Jaune's door had frozen, and he'd realized belatedly that it wasn't his father, but his sister that had been standing outside his room. Now though, they were both there, having a quiet hissed conversation, clearly trying to refrain from waking him up.

"I was… I-I was just checking on Jaune, father. You were too hard on him earlier. He deserves your support, you know."

"Is that so? Is that all you were planning on doing? Giving him your… support?"

There'd been an accusatory note to Nicholas Arc's voice that Jaune hadn't understood at first. At least not until the conversation had continued.

"I-I don't know what you mean, father. O-Of course I want to give my little brother my support. W-What else could I be doing?"

A long pause had followed, and when their father next spoke, his tone had been surprisingly pitying.

"Saphron. You are my daughter, and I love you. Jaune is my son, and I love him. But… we spoke about this. He used the Eyes of Love on you. You need to keep your distance. The Arc Family Techniques are as powerful as they are for a reason. Since time immemorial, we Arc men have been destined, designed even, to spread our seed and build a portion of the next generation of huntresses. But not with our own kin. Not with our sisters or our daughters."

Jaune's eyes had been so very wide then, as he'd sat on the edge of his bed and finally understood everything from his father's anger to his father's pity… and his sister's presence at his door. The silence had been most telling of all. Saphron had not offered any sort of immediate denial to their father's insinuations… rather, instead she said nothing for a long time. Too long.

"… Come, my daughter. Come."

The next thing Jaune had heard from his eldest sister was the sound of sobbing as their father led her away. And that was when Jaune had known he had to leave. What he'd done to his sister, what he'd almost made her do… it was unforgiveable. He had to go. He had to put distance between him and her, he'd needed to get as far away as possible.

The fact that taking Crocea Mors and running away from home also sent Jaune on the path towards becoming that which he so heavily desired to be… that was neither here nor there.

-x-X-x-

Or at least, that's what Jaune had thought at the time. He knew better now, the long days spent in travel as well as the hoops he'd had to jump through to get to where he was now forcing him to face himself in moments of quiet contemplation. Saphron had really just been the excuse for running away from home. He'd wanted to leave because, in that moment, sitting on his bed, listening to his sister cry, Jaune had known that his father would never give his blessing. Nicholas Arc would never endorse Jaune becoming a hunter.

Which meant it was time to go and seek his destiny elsewhere. And now here he was, standing in an Airship, listening to a buxom blonde with violet eyes thoroughly embarrass a shorter girl with red and black hair. At least, until the constantly running news broadcast was ultimately interrupted by something actually interesting.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon."

Jaune turned with everyone else to regard a rather beautiful woman with her hair done up in a bun, wearing a long-sleeved pleated top and a black, high-waist pencil skirt.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch, and you all are among a privileged few that have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredibly time of peace, and as future huntsman and huntresses, it is your duty to ensure that peace continues. It will be my job, and the job of my fellow Professors, to provide you all with the training and the experience you will need to protect our world."

And with that, the projection fades from view. There's some more chatter and conversation amongst the others on the observation deck, but Jaune is too busy looking out over the spectacular vista that is Vale… and the Beacon Academy beyond, where the airship is currently headed. He can't help smiling as they make their way ever closer. The rest of his life is right in front of him.

-x-X-x-

As everyone steps off of the airship and begins making their way into the Academy, Jaune can't help but be a little slower, lagging behind as he takes in the sight before him. Beacon has always been just a name in his head, not an actual place. That is to say, he knew it was real and not some fairytale or anything like that, but he's never actually seen it, not even in a picture.

Honestly, he's a little glad for that. It's beautiful in person, and as far as first impressions go, it's making a rather amazing one. However, as Jaune finally gets his head out of the clouds long enough to try and figure out what direction everyone else is going in, he realizes that the same can't be said for the small girl in the red riding hood he'd seen aboard the airship.

It seems her taller, more buxom blonde friend has abandoned her and is currently walking away with a large group of people. Meanwhile, in the short amount of time since they've been separated, it looks like Red has managed to run afoul of a very important woman indeed. Living in a family of huntresses, Jaune of course knows who Weiss Schnee is, though much like Beacon he doesn't know her by sight, only by name and reputation.

Still, who else could she be? Dressed in all white, with the Schnee Crest he's seen doubling as Schnee Corp's logo a dozen times on his sisters' dust cannisters across her back, the white-haired girl looks and acts every bit the snooty heiress. And it seems that Red has very much gotten on her bad side, if the luggage all around them is any indication.

Should he do anything? Should he get involved? He could perhaps help defuse the situation, in some way. Or he could ignore it, as the grand majority of people, bombastic blonde included, seem to be doing. If he sprinted, he could still catch up to her and her group and perhaps ingratiate himself with them. He would need to make some friends, if he was going to survive here at Beacon with little more than his aura and his outdated, ancient sword.

On the other hand, there was this other girl too, dressed in all black, with a matching black bow in her hair. She was reading a book, and it reminded him somewhat of one of his more introverted sisters. Maybe he could talk to her instead?

Standing there on the docks of Beacon with decisions laid out before him that could very easily slip through his fingers if he remained indecisive for too long, Jaune wonders just what he should do. He feels like… like he's making a decision far more momentous than the situation really seems to call for.

Chapter 2

-x-X-x-

If nothing else, he was chivalrous. Standing up for a pretty girl, even if that meant standing up TO another pretty girl… it was the bedrock of everything his father had taught him. As the Schnee is building up steam for a full-on meltdown, Jaune steps in, holding up his hands and trying to adopt the friendliest smile he can manage.

"Whoa! Ladies, please… it's our first day at Beacon, surely we're all on edge, right?"

Both Red and the Schnee girl turn to him in that moment, Red just looking relieved that someone stepped in, and the Schnee looking apocalyptic… until she actually sees his face and the smile on it. Jaune isn't using any sort of Family Technique here. No Eyes of Love, no Smile of Seduction. Really, he's not trying to get into anyone's panties on the very first day of school.

And yet, the moment that both Red and the Schnee look at him, there's no denying that the attraction begins immediately. The Schnee girl's head of steam all but evaporates and her face remains red for a reason besides anger, even as the other one joins her in blushing. Jaune is taken aback briefly, but forges on ahead nonetheless, smile still on his face.

"Really, I'm sure Red here didn't mean it. It was an accident, you know? Can you let it slide? For me?"

He's putting the full force of his charm behind his words, and that… actually seems to be having an effect? Jaune briefly wonders if his dad didn't tell him everything. He's never had such a strong reaction from any woman in his life, but then… all the women in Jaune's life were blood relatives. His sisters and mother. This is, as a matter of fact, his first time ever interacting with a girl outside of his immediate family.

… That probably says something bad about how sheltered he was in life, and Jaune finds himself already questioning his earlier thought of whether or not his dad would actually let him go or try to hunt him down and bring him home. Regardless, he's getting distracted from the problem at hand, namely the two girls both staring at him.

His words have the intended effect on the Schnee though, and she ducks her head as she blushes deeper still at his attention, self-consciously curling a lock of hair back behind her ear.

"I-I suppose… fine, yes. I'll let it slide. But just this one! You better watch where you're going in the future!"

That last sentence is fully directed at Red, who half-shrinks back at the other girl's vitriol. Only half, because most of her attention is still on Jaune, and it's clear she's only listening to the Schnee girl with half an ear. Huffing, the white-haired young woman turns and walks away, though Jaune doesn't fail to notice her glance back over her shoulder at him more than once as she departs.

Meanwhile, some men in suits and sunglasses come behind them and pick up the rest of the knocked over luggage, collecting the suitcases and following after the Schnee, who leads the way to Beacon. Jaune scratches the back of his head as he watches her go, wondering if he made the right choice in intervening. And should he have come down on Red's side like he did?

God, why did interacting with people outside of his family have to be so hard?

"So… um, my name's Ruby, not red. Ruby Rose!"

Jaune blinks and looks over at the self-proclaimed Ruby Rose as she smiles at him, blushing up a storm and looking like she's one glare away from breaking down or breaking into a run. Jaune's not about to add to her woes though, so he smiles and holds out his hand.

"Nice ta meet ya, Ms. Rose. The name's Jaune, Jaune Arc. Short and sweet and rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

He finishes his greeting off with a wink, and when Ruby reaches out, he takes her hand in his and applies a gentlemanly kiss to the knuckles. He doesn't miss the girl's gasp or the way her breath hitches, but he doesn't QUITE hear her murmur 'I bet they do' under her breath, before forcing a smile of her own onto her face. Jaune straightens up and lets go of her hand which she takes her time in drawing back, almost like she doesn't really want to.

"T-Thank you for stepping in. I don't… I didn't mean to run into her things, you know? And now I've made an enemy on my first day at Beacon! Ugh! What am I going to do?"

Jaune frowns slightly at that, rubbing the back of his head through his messy blond hair. He's not sure what to say. Does he give her a pat on the back and tell her it'll all be okay? He doesn't know if that's true, this is all new territory for him! In the midst of Jaune's introspection, he realizes that the girl from earlier, the one with the black bow in her hair… she's still there. In fact, she's the only one still left in the area, everyone else has gone inside by this point.

And she's staring at him. Jaune barely has time to meet her gaze with his own before her spine goes stiff and she looks away. Then, after a brief pause, she seems to decide that just looking away isn't enough, and she leaves too, heading in the opposite direction at what can only be described as a powerwalk sort of pace. Jaune watches her go, still fairly confused, even as Ruby fidgets beside him.

"Hey! Do you, uh… want to explore Beacon together?"

Jaune blinks at that, and only spends a moment considering the question. With a smile on his face, the young man offers out his arm to Ruby and gives her a nod.

"It would be my honor, Ms. Rose."

Ruby's face is incandescent, but after a brief moment of hesitation, she nonetheless hooks her arm in his and lets him pull her along for a bit. They move away from the landing platform at least, but honestly, Jaune has no idea where he's going, so he gets them lost pretty quickly. Ruby doesn't say anything though, and instead, they end up talking about this and that for what feels like forever.

And then there's an awkward pause, which the girl in the red hood decides to end by drawing a truly massive collapsible scythe from her back.

"And this is Crescent Rose!"

As the point digs into the ground maybe a foot away from him, Jaune nearly jumps out of his skin.

"H-Holy shit! That thing is gigantic!"

Ruby giggles and pulls it back, scraping the blade across the stone beneath their feet for a moment before pulling it up and twirling it behind her back.

"She's my pride and joy, if I'm being honest. Not only is she a scythe, she's also a High-Caliber Sniper Rifle!"

Jaune's eyes bulge at that. He may not understand all of those words, but he knows what a RIFLE is.

"That thing is a gun too?! That's amazing!"

Ruby preens under his honest praise, smiling beatifically for a moment before she's suddenly in his face.

"What have you got? What's your weapon like?"

This is clearly very important to the young woman, but Jaune can't help but feel completely inadequate as he draws Crocea Mors from its sheathe, wincing.

"Just this sword, and this shield-sheathe. It's… a family heirloom."

Ruby spends all of five seconds trying not to make a comment, trying to hold it in. He can literally see her twitching right before she finally breaks.

"You shouldn't be using an heirloom as a weapon, that kind of thing should be hung up on a mantle over a fireplace!"

Jaune lets out a sigh and shakes his head, even as he re-sheathes Crocea Mors.

"It's… a long story."

When he glances back at Ruby, she looks surprisingly conflicted, like she wants to say something else, but something is warring within her. Whatever wins, she bites her tongue and suddenly reaches out to grab him by the hand.

"C-C'mere…"

Jaune blinks in confusion and allows the petite girl to lead him along, his brow furrowed in confusion as she takes them around a corner, to a small out of the way alcove. Then, before he can react, he finds himself pushed up against the wall and a pair of lips on his own. Ruby is kissing him, and while the kiss is chaste, without even a hint of tongue, there's no denying the passion behind the act.

When she pulls away, she's blazing red in embarrassment, while Jaune is… Jaune is more than a little surprised. He knew the effect he could have on girls if he actively tried, but he wasn't even TRYING. What the hell was going on here?

"Um, I really appreciate what you did for me, Jaune. I want to pay you back…"

When she goes in for another kiss, it takes all of Jaune's willpower to stop her.

"Ruby, you don't have to pay me back. I did it because I hate seeing a girl in distress. And now we're friends, right? So, you can say I did it because I knew you were going to be a friend!"

Ruby scowls at that, before seeming to get an idea, her silver eyes lighting up.

"T-Then… if we're friends… friends do stuff together, right?"

Jaune blinks, not quite liking where this is going, but forced to nod anyways.

"Sure…"

"Then I want to kiss you some more, a-as a friend!"

The young woman's face goes atomic red as soon as she's made the declaration. Jaune gulps but can't really find the fault in Ruby's logic. And there's also the fact that he's currently trapped between the wall and her.

"… Well, I guess when you put it like tha-mmph!"

Ruby grabs him by his chest plate and pulls him down again, even as she's coming up. Once more, they kiss, but this time, it's clear that the girl in the red hood is feeling it, because even though she's inexperienced, her tongue slips into Jaune's mouth all the same, and he finds himself intertwining his own tongue with hers.

Truth be told, this isn't Jaune's first rodeo. While it was strictly for training purposes, Jaune HAS French-kissed a girl before. Namely, his mom. Yeah, talk about weird, right? Weirdly enjoyable too though… anyways, his dad had needed to teach him some of the more physical Arc Family Techniques, and you kind of needed a woman for that. Apparently, his mom was completely immune to such things, though now that Jaune thought about it, was she immune? Or was she just immune to HIM?

Anyways, Jaune's own kissing technique is loads better than Ruby's, and it's not long before he's taking charge. Having a sweet, beautiful, willing girl kissing him… well, of course Jaune takes her in his arms and holds her close. And Ruby seems to like it, given the way she squirms and presses herself into his chest. Their makeout session continues abreast for what feels like hours, but really can only be minutes given a need for air.

When they finally pull back, Ruby looks completely dazed, but also very, VERY aroused.

"Ruby, I…"

"I want more."

Jaune's eyes widen at the hungry tone in the petite girl's voice. He would not have expected her to be like this, but then, his father always said that women liked to put on a front, and sometimes that front was something that not even they realized they were doing. Sometimes, it took a good old-fashioned orgasm to bring out the real woman buried underneath. At least, that was what his dad said, while Jaune blushed at the idea of bringing a girl to climax.

Yet, he's pretty sure Ruby hasn't cum yet. She looks like she's ready to blow, but he doesn't think she's reached orgasm at this point.

"Please Jaune… m-more?"

Does she even know what she's asking for? Jaune has no idea, and yet… and yet, there's something that he's coming to think about, in this moment. The juxtaposition between his weapon and Ruby's. He can't stick with Crocea Mors forever. It just won't work, eventually he'll need to upgrade. And apparently, he's caught the eye of an insatiable minx of a weapon's designer within an hour of arriving at Beacon.

If he makes Ruby happy, she'll likely be all the more willing to help him later when he needs to design a new weapon for himself. It's pretty mercenary thinking, sure, but it's not like he's demanding it of her or anything. He's just… thinking ahead. Grabbing Ruby by the shoulders, Jaune spins the girl about, reversing their positions. Those gorgeous silver eyes widen and she gasps in surprise, but then his hands are sliding down her sides, and Ruby is squirming as he sticks one right beneath her flared-out combat skirt.

"You want more, Ruby?"

He's got his hand on her thigh now, inches away from the 'more' he's promising, and she's asked for. Even still, he waits for her to focus on what he's doing and then finally nod her assent before he advances any further. Jaune's fingers slide up Ruby's inner thigh and hit her panties, before slipping underneath them. When he finally makes contact with her mound, he finds her to be unbelievably hot… and undeniably wet.

"You're so wet down there, Ruby… gods."

Ruby whimpers, clutching at him but not trying to pull away or resist. If anything, she's humping his palm now, needily and urgently, whining for more. So Jaune gives it to her, he slips two digits past Ruby's lower lips right then and there, and then he curls them in a technique his father taught him that's not an ACTUAL Technique with a capital T.

The girl with the red hood cums on the spot, his curled digits provoking an orgasm that he has to cover her mouth to stifle as she shrieks her way through the climax. Her silver eyes go crossed, and Jaune wonders at just how BIG her reaction is. Are girls really supposed to be that sensitive? Are they supposed to cum that hard? Damn, she really looked like she enjoyed that.

Once Ruby's eyes have straightened out and she's no longer screaming, Jaune pulls his hand away, watching her as she pants and looks right back at him.

"That… that was…"

Jaune grins cockily.

"An orgasm, yeah. Like I said… ladies love it."

Ruby blushes brilliantly all over again, and bites her lower lip, her gaze filled with awe.

"An orgasm…"

The way she breathily says that… Jaune suddenly finds himself wondering if she's ever had an orgasm before. But surely, she has. She's his age, right? Girls had orgasms all the time by this point… right?

"A-Anyways, maybe we should start figuring out where everyone else went, Ruby. Don't want to miss anything, right?"

Ruby blinks at that, taking in his words and slowly nodding. Jaune pulls his hands back at that point, but as Ruby straightens up, her eyes zoom in on his messy palm and digits, where she squirted pussy juices all over his hand.

"I made a mess…"

It's Jaune's turn to blink, and as he looks down at his hand. Bringing it up, he prepares to laugh it off, but before he can say anything, Ruby is… sucking on his fingers. Jaune stares as the blushing girl locks gazes with him, seemingly acting on instinct, her cute little lips suctioned down onto his middle finger. Then, she moves to his index, and his thumb, and she even laps up his palm for good measure. Jaune doesn't stop her, that's for sure, but he's still a little dumbstruck as she finally pulls back, absolutely bright red with embarrassment at this point. But also… something else. She looks satisfied in a way she wasn't before, like she's proud.

"O-Okay. Now we can go."

And as Ruby leads the way and Jaune follows after, he finds himself seeing her as a lot more than just an easy way to get a kickass weapon. This girl… this girl is lewd.

-x-X-x-

"Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

Jaune stands off to the side as he stares up at the podium. For the briefest of moments, he thinks Miss Goodwitch's eyes meet his, but perhaps it's just wishful thinking, because her gaze sweeps away just as swiftly. The Headmaster himself, Ozpin, had just given a speech about wasted energy that honestly, Jaune found himself really getting into. That was why he was here after all, because his energy, his drive… it was wasted back with his family. He could do more as a hunter, and that was what he was going to be.

Regardless, they weren't assigned dorms yet, apparently that happened after initiation. Which meant they were all sleeping in the auditorium for their first night in Beacon. That was fine, Jaune had come prepared, he had his bedroll and the like. And he was all too happy to just curl up in it and go to sleep. But while Jaune is looking for sleep, he's surrounded by some very gorgeous young women… who are looking for something more.

Does Jaune wake up in the night to anyone in particular? Or does he sleep soundly, all the way through?

Chapter 3

-x-X-x-

It wasn't his first night away from home or anything like that. Getting into Beacon had not been the work of a day. But Jaune had always been able to find someplace to sleep for the night, even if some of the older women who he had to con into letting him in seemed a bit peeved that he was taking the guest bedroom, rather than sharing their bed. Even still, he'd made it out of all of that with his chastity largely intact.

But because of that, his first night at Beacon WAS his first night sleeping with a bunch of other people. So of course, Jaune had gone out of his way to find a place against a wall to situate his bedroll and his belongings, and then sleep there, sitting up. It'd just felt most appropriate, he really didn't think he was going to get much sleep anyways, so he might as well have a wall at his back for safety's sake.

His wall mate had actually been that black-haired girl from earlier with the bow in her hair, albeit dressed in a set of pajamas complete with a yukata-style shirt, a purple undershirt, and a matching skirt to protect her modesty. She'd given him a side-eye when he first sat down, but when Jaune gave her a smile and a slight wave, she'd just stared.

… He'd wondered if perhaps he was too close, but he'd made sure to sit a good fifteen feet away, along a stretch of the wall that was completely deserted! In the end, Jaune had decided that she was just going to have to deal. He considered going over and introducing himself to maybe break the ice a little, but if that was the response he was getting with a wave, he definitely wasn't getting any closer.

With that said, Jaune had begun trying to go to sleep. Bow-girl had returned to the book she was reading, and eventually… eventually despite his initial expectations, Jaune had indeed passed out, finally falling asleep with his head slumped forward and his body limp. His dreams were of course filled with failure, a surety that he would fail the exam tomorrow, or that he would just fail out of Beacon altogether. Or worse still, that they would find out about his forged transcripts and report him to the authorities or something.

Of course, Jaune had no idea what Vale's authorities even looked like, so in his dream, punishment for lying on his application papers came from the hands of one Professor Goodwitch. Needless to say, things took a very sexual turn from there, but rather than ACTUALLY punish him, the beautiful blonde woman got down on her knees and began sucking his cock.

Jaune had never actually had his cock sucked before, so there was a bit of an oddity there, because it felt good, yes… but more importantly, it felt real. And that led to Jaune questioning things, as the sheer strangeness made him realize he was in a dream, and slowly woke him up. It was still late at night as Jaune opened his eyes and looked out across the dimly lit main hall… but even now that he was awake, he could feel a pair of lips suctioned around his cock, and a writhing tongue going to town on his member.

Blinking dumbly, Jaune stares down at his lap, slowly realizing as his eyes adjust to the lack of light that it's bulging a lot more than it should be, even if he WAS erect right now. There's… someone's snuck into his bedroll! And they're… they're bobbing up and down on his knob! Jaune doesn't know what to do at first. His instinct is to let out an exclamation of shock or something, but he manages to contain himself, manages to hold it back.

His second instinct is to tear back the bedroll, but THAT might startle the person who currently has his prick in their mouth, and he doesn't want to do THAT either, not when their teeth are so close to the precious, if you know what he means. Managing to hold back from reacting too strongly, though he wasn't going to call it 'overreacting' because really, WAS there any such thing in this situation, Jaune finally reaches down, grabs the hem of his bedroll, and slowly lifts up the blanket so he can see who's between his legs.

Her knob-gobbling slows to a crawl as Bow-girl looks up at him with yellow eyes that glisten in the darkness, almost seeming to glow as they make eye contact, right then and there. Jaune stares at the girl who'd not even said a word to him yet across two encounters (though to be fair, he'd not made any effort to speak to her at the docks either) and she just stares right back. Then, tentatively, hesitantly even, the yellow-eyed girl darts her tongue along the underside of Jaune's cock.

It takes every ounce of his willpower not to react to the sudden stimulus after she'd stopped everything and just held his member in her mouth, but he manages it all the same, biting back the groan that threatens to tear its way out of his throat. God, how can no one have noticed this? Looking around, Jaune doesn't THINK he sees any eyes on him. To be fair, it's very dark. S-Surely no one could see what was going on anyways, right? All it would look like was a restless student, tossing and turning in his sleep o-or something.

Regardless, now that he's not actually saying or doing anything to stop her, bow-girl has gone back to bobbing up and down on his cock, swallowing his shaft and swirling her tongue around his tip every time she pulls back to the point that she's holding only it between her lips. She's… really good at this, if Jaune is being honest. He can feel his balls churning, can feel himself getting close to cumming.

Instinctively, Jaune reaches out and tries to place his hand in her hair, even as he holds back another groan. She flinches back, attempting to escape at the last second as she registers his approaching appendage, but she's too slow. He hits bow, and before Jaune even realizes what's happening, he's pulled the thing right off of her head.

Only as he stares at it and her, and she stares at it and him, does Jaune realize why it was so easy. She wasn't wearing an actual bow. She was wearing some sort of makeshift disguise bow, one that fit perfectly over two gorgeous black cat ears that twitch and tremble atop her head, before his eyes even now. Jaune swallows as she looks back at him, frozen in place at having her secret revealed.

Right, so not bow-girl… but rather, cat faunus. He'll eventually learn her actual name, but it's good to know the truth now, he supposes. Setting the bow aside very deliberately, Jaune reaches back up to the cat faunus' head, and rests his hand between her big, feline ears. She pauses for a second more, and then begins to bob up and down on his cock again, her eyes now fixed on his, never once leaving his face as she proceeds to suck him off, blowing him to completion.

And it is fast after that. Even as he tries to spread his fingers out and maybe scratch behind the cat ears a little bit, her tongue is swirling, and her lips are sucking, and her cheeks are vacuuming like never before. With as quiet a groan as he can muster, Jaune whispers down to the faunus.

"I'm getting close…"

He feels her ears twitch in his direction, and knows she heard him. She pulls back so that just his cockhead remains between her lips, and then she swirls her tongue around his tip, before pressing it against his bell end. And like that, Jaune begins to cum, his free hand dropping his blanket from where he'd been holding it up so that he can clap it over his mouth instead to hide the loud groan that escapes his lips. He manages to muffle most of it, and his other hand remains in the cat faunus' hair, in between her ears, as he feels her sucking and drinking his load down.

She doesn't waste a single drop, swallowing every last bit of his seed before finally letting his cockhead pop free of her lips. By that time, Jaune is able to pull up the bedroll again. She's about to pull away, so he grabs her more firmly by her hair, forcing her to look up at him again. She has an unreadable look on her face, and almost seems to shudder at his sudden forcefulness. Maybe she's about to attack or something, but Jaune has to know.

"W-Wait… what's your name? Mine's Jaune?"

She freezes for a brief moment, and actually seems to think about it. Jaune has to resist rolling his eyes, because really, they're going to be going to Beacon for the next few years together, right? There's no way she can keep it a secret forever, so why try now? Eventually, this realization seems to hit the cat faunus as well, because she finally gives him an answer.

"… Blake."

Smiling as politely as he can at the girl who just sucked him off and drank his seed like it was particularly tasty milk, Jaune reaches down to his side and grabs the bow he took off of her earlier with his free hand, holding it out to her.

"Nice to meet you, Blake."

Sure, she'd technically just sexually assaulted him, and perhaps Jaune should have been more upset about that… but he'd enjoyed himself, and she was a pretty girl… well, pretty faunus, as it turned out. Blake takes her bow back, places it over her cat ears, and then crawls out of his bedroll. Jaune watches to make sure the coast is clear as she does, but he doesn't see anyone watching them, while the cat faunus crawls back over to her own part of the wall.

What he DOES see, however, is Blake's round behind, framed perfectly in her skirt but not completely covered by it… as well as the fact that she's not wearing panties right now, and her pussy lips are positively glistening in the moonlight that streams in through the main hall's massive windows. Swallowing thickly at the sight, wondering if she was just fingering herself during the whole blowjob thing, or if giving head REALLY turned her on that much, Jaune eventually just shakes his head and tries to put it out of his mind.

As it turns out, this isn't too hard. Getting sucked off is a great way to fall asleep, and Jaune is slumbering once more soon enough… after he's tucked his johnson back in his pajamas, of course. While that was certainly an odd late-night encounter to say the least, Jaune can't say he didn't enjoy it. But he really did need his rest. Who knew what the morrow would bring?

-x-X-x-

After last night, Jaune had been… perhaps in a daze would be the correct way of putting it? He'd been a little out of it, especially when he woke up in the morning for real, only for Blake, as he now knew her to be named, to be unwilling to meet his gaze. The dusting of red across her pretty features, and the twitching of the black bow atop her head (now that he knew to look for it) were all the confirmation Jaune needed to know that yes, last night HAD happened.

Regardless, he'd gotten his gear and what not, and gone where they told him to. Eventually, this meant he found himself up on a cliff-face, standing on a square platform alongside a bunch of other students as the Headmaster gave some speech or other. Jaune knew he probably should have been listening to it, he knew he probably should have been paying attention, but after his interactions with first Ruby and then Blake, he had a lot on his mind.

So, suffice to say, the young man had absolutely no warning, so lost in thought as he was, before the spring trap he was unwittingly standing on suddenly went off, throwing him quite far through the air. As his scream fills said air, Jaune eventually realizes that he's not exactly alone… and everyone else seems to be much more ready for the trees coming towards their faces than he is.

Luckily, he has his aura unlocked, at least. He'll be able to tank the fall, hopefully, though Jaune isn't sure it'll be without a broken bone or two. And that won't be good, given what he now suspects about this exam. If only he'd been listening better to what the Headmaster was saying. However, before Jaune can spend any more time ruminating on his own failures, salvation comes in the form of a nearly fatal strike from a spear of all things.

Letting out a yelp, Jaune suddenly finds himself pinned to a tree by his hoodie, the spear having arrested the majority of his momentum and left him hanging. Though, not for long. Slowly but surely, the hoodie gives way, and Jaune finds himself falling further. Luckily, this IS a fall that his aura reserves can easily take, and he barely even feels it as he lands on the ground. He does still groan though, even while struggling to his feet.

"I guess we're partners now!"

And then there's a red-haired girl with green eyes landing in front of him, and it takes every last bit of Jaune's composure NOT to let out a distinctly girlish shriek. He registers the spear in her hands, the same spear that he just got pinned by, before he fully registers her words, and Jaune responds by grabbing Crocea Mors and taking a step back.

THEN, he processes what she said, as well as the oddly wide smile on her face, and the glint in her eyes.

"Um… what?"

Letting out a distinctly unsettling giggle, which she covers up with one hand like she isn't an Amazonian warrior from hell, the young woman just continues to smile at him.

"Weren't you listening to the Headmaster? The first person we meet eyes with in this forest… that's our partner."

Oh. That… that made sense. Wait, no it didn't!

"That's a shitty way of choosing partners!"

The red head's eyes widen, and Jaune is quick to follow up.

"A-Ah, that's not a crack at you, per say. You might make a wonderful partner. But we don't know anything about each other, right? So, it's not like just because we saw each other first, we're suddenly going to have amazing teamwork! This seems like a really ill-thought out strategy for making teams, honestly!"

Blinking at that, the red head's smile only seems to widen a bit.

"You know… I never thought about it that way. You've got a good head on your shoulders. But… you really don't know who I am?"

It's Jaune's turn to blink, even as he coughs and lets out a sheepish laugh, rubbing a hand through his hair. Oh no, had she introduced herself at some point and he'd missed it? That would be the worst.

"Uh… no, sorry. Should I?"

Rather than getting angry, however, his new partner just lets out another giggle behind her hand, her green eyes twinkling with something akin to excitement as she shakes her head.

"No, it's perfectly alright that you don't. As I thought, we're complete strangers to each other. How… exciting."

While Jaune is still processing that, the red head suddenly steps forward, holding her spear in one hand against her side while she pushes the other out for a handshake.

"My name is Pyrrha, by the way. What's yours?"

It's almost as if she's waiting for him to react in some way, like she's waiting for one last shoe to drop. But even as Jaune sees that in her eyes, he still doesn't recognize her name. So, with a shrug, he steps forward as well and takes her hand, giving her as best a grin as he can muster, under the circumstances.

"The name's Jaune. Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, and ladies love it."

And there it is. The blush that marks Pyrrha as a girl, spreading across her cheeks. Except, if anything, it seems more intense than say, it was on Ruby or Blake.

"Mm, I'm sure they do, Jaune. I'm sure they do…"

Well, that's certainly not ominous. But before he can piece anything together, Pyrrha suddenly takes him by the wrist and drags him forward, stepping past him in the same moment to cut an approaching Grimm, an Ursa to be exact, in two. Jaune stares, wide-eyed, having not even heard the large Grimm coming.

"W-Whoa… thanks for the save."

Pyrrha glances back at him and smiles more normally, even as her lashes flutter.

"Any time… partner. Now, come on! We've got a relic to pick up!"

Sounded like more of the lecture he'd missed while ignoring the Headmaster. Still, clearly, even if he hadn't actually had any hand in making it happen, Jaune had ended up with one of the stronger initiates. As Pyrrha drags him through the forest, any Grimm that cross their paths dies. Of course, his massive aura means that she doesn't have to spend as much time protecting him as she might otherwise. When combined with her skill and strength, they make excellent time to where ever the hell it is, they're going. That turns out to be a temple of sorts, and as Jaune walks up the steps with Pyrrha on his heels, he finds himself staring at a total of twenty pedestals, upon which sit a whole bunch of untouched chess pieces.

Blinking, Jaune glances over at Pyrrha.

"Are you sure this is where we were supposed to go, Pyrrha? Surely, we weren't the first ones to arrive… and yet, none of the pieces are gone yet."

Pyrrha just smiles and shrugs.

"You underestimate yourself, Jaune. We made good time. It's possible that the others are, mm… struggling where we did not."

She sounds pleased about that, as if she's particularly competitive when it comes to these sorts of things. Jaune just laughs it off though and looks back at the pedestals. Well… Pyrrha had gotten them here, in the end.

"Which do you want to take? We only need one…"

But when he looks over to Pyrrha to get her opinion, he finds her shaking her head back and forth, her red ponytail bobbing and swishing through the air along with her.

"I think you should decide, Jaune. This is important, after all. It should be up to you."

Huh? What did the decision being important have to do with making it his choice? Jaune frowns, almost wanting to fight it, but in the end, he can tell Pyrrha isn't going to budge. Which means… it means he's got to decide. Letting out a low sigh, Jaune moves over to the pedestals, trying to decide which piece feels right.

Oddly enough, it's not the pieces themselves, but the color that causes him to move away from the black chess set. It just doesn't feel right. Instead, he moves to the white-gold pieces, and here, he finds true possibilities. In the end, it boils down to Rook or Knight. One or the other… those are the two that feel like they're resonating with him, that feel like they belong to him. But he still can only choose one…

Rook or Knight. God, why does this have to be so hard?