Capítulo 762: 105
Chapter 105:
Jaune watched as his father strained against the restraints for a moment. "Let me out," he growled.
"Even if I could, I wouldn't," said Jaune, glowering at Blaine, folding his arms over his chest. "I'm not about to release the man who just tried to kill my teammate, partner...and girlfriend."
Blaine froze, his eyes going wide. He gave Jaune an absolutely gobsmacked look. "Please tell me you're lying," he begged.
"No," replied Jaune. "Now...are you gonna tell me what the hell this was all about? Or is this another thing that you're going to leave me in the dark on, and then resent me for not understanding why you're mad about it?"
Blaine grimaced, reminded of the other thing he'd kept for Jaune, the thing that had driven such a tremendous rift into his family. However, his mind quickly returned to his previous consternation. "No son of mine is allowed to engage in a relationship with one of those fiends," he snarled. "Separate from that girl, now."
"You don't get to tell me to do that," said Jaune, frowning darkly.
"Like hell I don't, Boy!" snapped Blaine. "You'll break up with that monster right this instant!"
"Her name is Ruby!" snarled Jaune, rising to his feet, looming over his father, hands clenched into angry fists, looking almost as though he were prepared to attack the helpless man. "And I won't be doing anything of the sort."
"I won't permit anyone calling himself an Arc to associate with such filth," Blaine replied, unfazed by Jaune's actions. "If you won't separate from her, then you can say goodbye this family. I'm warning you-"
Blaine was cut off when Jaune held up a hand, a stony expression on his face. "Don't..." said Jaune firmly. "Don't try and make me choose between Ruby and my family, Dad. Because, right now, if you force me to make that choice, if you make it a matter of one or the other, I'd choose Ruby in a heartbeat."
Blaine's jaw dropped at the resolution he heard in his son's voice. "Jaune...you can't mean..."
"If you're making me choose," said Jaune darkly, "between the family who mocked and belittled me, who actively held me back and tried to sabotage every chance I had of achieving my dream, a father who didn't believe a word I said, until he had to get smacked in the face with the truth; and the girl who took an absurd risk on an untrained boy, who believed in me when almost no one else would, who put so much time and effort into helping me get stronger, who was willing see something even more than a friend and partner in me...then, yeah, I'm gonna pick Ruby, without a second thought."
Blaine slumped back in the bed, his body going limp. For a moment, he could only stare at his son. Jaune stared back, refusing to break eye-contact, wanting to make it absolutely clear that he stood by what he'd just said.
In the end, it was Blaine who blinked, turning his head to look out the window.
"If we're done with that, are you finally ready to talk about this?" asked Jaune. "Or are you going to just insist on making me decide, in which case, I'm walking right out the door, and leaving it up to Ozpin and Goodwitch to decide what to do with you."
Blaine shifted uncomfortably. "Like I told you, the Mibu killed your great-grandfather."
"How?" asked Jaune.
"It was a little after the Great War," explained Blaine. "Your great-great-grandfather fought in it, wielding the very sword you do now."
"I know that much," said Jaune.
Blaine sighed. "When the war ended with the treaty, we knew to expect peace. But peace didn't come with prosperity. Your ancestor accomplished some great things during the war. But that didn't translate into income afterwards. The Arc Family was destitute."
Jaune gaped a little. He'd always known that he came from a line of successful Huntsmen, whose collective work had left his parents with more than enough money to easily raise eight children. It was hard to imagine that, only a couple generations back, they had been impoverished.
"The Academies had only just been established," continued Blaine. "Your grandfather was actually the first to graduate from Beacon. Before that, your great-grandfather, Flavius, was technically a Huntsman. But the bounty system used in this day and age was still in the process of being set up, so it wasn't nearly as well-paying as it can be now.
"Then came word of the expedition. As part of the treaty, the four Kingdoms divided the territory and resources of the continent of Leng between them, to be shared equally. Vale and Atlas almost immediately began preparing expeditions to secure the resources in their areas."
Jaune nodded, having heard about this from Ruby.
Blaine turned his gaze up to the ceiling. "Those expeditions represented so much hope to so many people, including Flavius. There was so much potential in that new land; fields for farming, mountains brimming with untapped Dust. Flavius planned on setting up a new foundation for the Arc Family's future prosperity there."
"But someone was already living there," said Jaune.
Blaine snorted derisively. "Primitive squatters," he said dismissively. "We don't know where those bastards came from. They claimed to have always lived there, for millennia even. But that's ridiculous. The damn fools had already spread out across the entire land, claiming everything, leaving nothing for us."
"Because they were already there," Jaune pointed out. "However long they might have or have not been there, the fact is, they were there."
Blaine glowered at him. "But what had they done with that?" he asked. "They were sitting on fortunes of un-mined Dust, doing absolutely nothing with it. And then they attacked, slaughtering dozens of people, Flavius included."
"They attacked?" asked Jaune. "Or were they defending themselves when the members of the Valean expedition attacked?"
"Does it matter?" growled Blaine.
"I think it does," Jaune replied.
Blaine grumbled under his breath, shaking his head. "What matters is that your great-grandfather never had a chance. A comrade of his barely managed to bring back his weapon to our family, along with the story of how he died...torn apart by unnatural powers that these...Mibu...claimed came from Aura itself."
"You think they were lying?" asked Jaune.
Blaine scoffed. "Of course!" he said. "I don't know what kind of power they tapped into. But there's nothing natural about what they can do, and that includes that girl of yours.
"Your grandfather, Fulvio, vowed revenge, promised to one day go to Leng and exact justice for the murder of Flavius and his comrades. But then the Kingdoms closed off all access to the continent. Unable to do anything else, Father swore an oath that they would dispense punishment to any Mibu that dared set foot outside of Leng, a duty he passed on to me."
Jaune scowled. "So that's the root of all this," he said. "Great-Grandpa Flavius was part of an attempted invasion. The Mibu defended their territory, and he died because of that. That's the source of this grudge. You tried to kill Ruby over something like that?"
"I don't expect you to understand, Jaune," said Blaine. "This was before your time. But it's not just about grudges. This is a matter of duty! An Arc never goes back on his word."
"Well...you're either going to have to bend on that, or we're done here," said Jaune. "I won't let you kill Ruby...and I don't think anyone else here is going to care about your Arc-word either."
"Don't be a fool!" protested Blaine. "You have no idea just what kind of power they wield...how unnatural it is."
Jaune smirked. "Actually...I think I have a better idea than you do," he replied. "Ruby's been teaching me how to use that kind of power."
Blaine was struck silent for a moment. Then... "What?"
Jaune held up his hand, channeling his Aura into his palm, which began to glow white. "It really does come from Aura, Dad. And Ruby's been teaching me, teaching all of us, how to use it like she does. We won't be doing the exact same things she does, but we've learned to do incredible things without needing a speck of Dust. Thanks to Ruby, I've learned how to heal people. When Ruby was fighting you, I was supporting her using the technique she had shown me."
"Look...Jaune..." said Blaine, "...maybe it seems that way to you. But I'm sure you've just discovered your Semblance. A healing Semblance sounds like a good one, but..."
"Well...you're not wrong," said Jaune, giving Blaine a wry smile. "That's what the Mibu have developed instead of Semblances. They've learned to control and shape them. They call them Manifestations. And Ruby helped me to create mine, which I learned by imitating what she and her sister can do."
Blaine's jaw hung slack.
"Yeah, Ruby can heal too," said Jaune. "She says I'll be better at it, since I'm better-suited to it than she is. But she's the one who showed it to me first.
"She's also not the only Mibu I've met. You've already met Yang, Ruby's half-sister. But she has another sister, one from the Mibu, who came to visit a few months ago. She's supposed to be one of the best healers in their entire clan. I've also met Ruby's brother...who is something else, let me tell you."
Jaune held back from mentioning Kyo's presence at Beacon, figuring that the last thing Blaine should be hearing was that there was another Mibu present.
Blaine was gaping at him.
"You know, I hope to see it sometime," said Jaune. "I want to see Ruby's home, the place she grew up in, meet the people she grew up with, including the rest of her family. The Mibu aren't evil. They aren't monsters. They aren't perfect either. Ruby's shared that much too. But they definitely don't deserve this kind of sweeping grudge that Grandpa was apparently stupid enough to hold onto.
"And maybe we didn't become as prosperous as Great-Gandpa Flavius wanted us to be. Maybe we didn't become the SDC-Light, or something like that. But we're prosperous enough now, aren't we? Do you really need to resent an entire people for something like that?"
Blaine opened his mouth to argue...but found himself unable to say anything.
Jaune sighed. "Like I said, Ruby is my girlfriend. She's the girl I love. Nothing you could say or do, nothing you could threaten me with, could ever convince me to give that up. These months at Beacon have been the happiest of my life, and Ruby has been the biggest part of that. So...if you're gonna keep trying to follow through on this grudge, this stupid oath, you need to think very carefully. If you go after her, you're going to have to go through me."
For a moment, Blaine didn't even try to say anything, merely taking in the look on his son's face. This was very different from any of the expressions he'd seen on Jaune's face before; be it the goofy look of the happy child his son had once been, the stubborn set of a boy stating his intent to become a Huntsman, or the angry look of a boy who'd had enough of his family's mistreatment. This was a look of pure conviction and determination. Jaune was prepared to go through Hell for the sake of this girl...and if that meant making an enemy of his own father, he would do so without hesitation.
When did my boy become a man? wondered Blaine.
"Well...what's it gonna be, Dad?" asked Jaune.
Blaine sighed. "This isn't an easy thing you're asking."
"I don't care if it's easy or not," said Jaune. "This is about what's right."
"So it is..." grumbled Blaine. "Truth be told, I never actually expected to meet a Mibu in my lifetime. They've kept to themselves for so long that I figured it was like spending your life preparing to slay a dragon, wondering whether or not they're even real. And then...to just trip over one, just like that..."
"The Mibu are real enough," said Jaune.
With a final sigh, Blaine slumped back on the bed, his body and limbs going limp. "You strike a hard bargain, Son. But you win. I'll give this up."
"Really?" asked Jaune.
Blaine looked sadly at his son. "After spending most of your life not listening to you, these past two days opened my eyes to a lot of things. I can't claim that I'm just gonna suddenly start getting along with your girlfriend, but you have my word that I won't try attacking her again."
Jaune let out a relieved sigh. "That's good. As unhappy as I am with you, Mom, and the girls, I didn't want to cut ties if I didn't have to."
"Well, when it comes to the girls, they don't know a thing about this," he said. "You don't have to worry about them trying to suddenly attack your girlfriend. Though, once they finally get to meet her, I expect they'll swarm her in a different manner."
"Yeah..." said Jaune, his mind already bombarded by images, both frightful and amusing, of Ruby being dogpiled by his sisters, while being assailed by questions about her relationship with him, "...I can see that." As daunting as the image was, it was a fair sight better than the one of his father looming over her with an upraised sword.
"So...now what?" asked Blaine, pulling against his restraints.
"I don't know," admitted Jaune. "That's kinda up to Ozpin and Goodwitch. You did just try to kill one one of their students after all."
"I guess I can't argue with that," grumbled Blaine.
Jaune got to his feet with a groan. "Well...I'm pretty sore from training, and that was before you smacked me across the room, and forced me to help Ruby fight you. So I'm heading out. Hope they don't keep you here too long, Dad."
With that, Jaune turned off the light and made his way to the door, leaving the still-restrained Blaine to his own thoughts.
Jaune wasn't all that surprised to see Ozpin waiting for him in the infirmary's reception room.
"Your thoughts, Mr. Arc," said Ozpin.
"I think he's come around," said Jaune. "It took me being prepared to be disowned to get through to him, but I think he understands."
"I see," said Ozpin. "Considering the nature of the situation, your father's actions would legally constitute attempted murder, potentially resulting in up to twenty or more years of imprisonment, and the permanent revocation of his Huntsman license."
Jaune grimaced at that. Like it or not, his father had been the main breadwinner for the Arc Family for most of Jaune's life, his mother having been the stay-at-home sort, content to dedicate herself to the job of raising eight children. Without that income, things might get rough for the family fairly fast, even with all the extra funds they had squirreled away in bank accounts.
And that was nothing compared to how emotionally damaging it would be for his sisters to have to deal with their father being imprisoned, or his mother for that matter. All told, however justified it was, imprisoning Blaine Arc would have far-reaching and unpleasant repercussions.
"However, seeing as there were no injuries beyond a few scrapes and bruises, and the fact that it happened within the relatively private locale of one of our sparring rings, we have some leeway to control the narrative," explained Ozpin. "Considering that, it would be possible for us to...sweep this under the rug, as they say, and write the whole thing off as a particularly vigorous sparring match, with your team going up against your father."
"I'd be okay with that," said Jaune. "But, even though it's my dad, this isn't a decision I can make on my own. At the very least, I need to run it by Ruby, and probably the rest of my team too, first. We might have to talk with Team Rainbow too. I know that, even if Ruby agrees, Yang is probably gonna want you to throw the book at him, regardless."
"Though you didn't say so, you seem to take it for granted that Ms. Rose would be willing to forgive your father," said Ozpin.
"At this point, it's practically a given," said Jaune, smiling fondly. "Yang was a sticking point for a while. But, aside from that, she's one of the kindest people I've ever met."
"Very true," agreed Ozpin. "Do you believe it is permissible to release your father from his restraints? Or would it be best to let him 'cool his heels', so to speak?"
Jaune briefly entertained the thought of leaving his father bound to the bed in the infirmary for the rest of the night. "If you can trust him to behave himself, then you can let him go. It'd probably best to keep him away from Ruby for a bit though."
"Of course," said Ozpin. "As it is, he will be confined to the guest quarters he has been given. He will not be permitted to leave until his fate has been decided. On that note, it is my hope that you can reach a decision within the next two days."
"I'll back to you as soon as we do," Jaune promised.
Jaune wasn't all that surprised to find all his friends, both RASP and RYNB, waiting for him at the dorms, when he got back.
"So...ready to explain why your dad just tried to kill my sister?" asked Yang, cracking her knuckles, eyes flickering red as she glared at Jaune.
"Yang," said Ruby firmly, the authority in her voice making Yang freeze. "Stop that. It's not Jaune's fault."
Yang sighed, slumping down and settling onto the bed next to Blake.
"So...?" said Ruby, looking to Jaune.
"I think you could probably guess," said Jaune. "Apparently, my great-grandpa was on the expedition, and was one of the casualties. When he found out, Grandpa swore revenge. When the Kingdoms barred travel to Leng, he swore an oath that the Arcs wouldn't let any Mibu roam free on Sanus, or something like that."
"But Ruby's not a Mibu," protested Nora.
"I was pretty much raised and trained by them, so it's close enough," conceded Ruby. "So then...is he still dead set on killing me?"
"Actually, no," said Jaune, drawing surprised intakes of breath from everyone else in the room. "I mean, he was fairly determined at first, and he was really pissed, when he found out we're in a relationship. He threatened to disown me."
"But he didn't, right?" asked Pyrrha, her eyes wide.
"I wouldn't quite call what he did a bluff," said Jaune, "but I called it either way. Basically, if he was gonna try and make me choose between Ruby and my family, especially after everything they put me through, I'd pick Ruby in a flash."
The other girls in the room, even Yang, cooed, while Ruby's cheeks flushed bright-red.
"And how did he take that?" asked Ren.
"Well...that sure threw him for a loop," said Jaune. "I mean...certain exceptions aside, the Arcs are pretty big on family. So between realizing all the crap he put me through, and my willingness to walk away from it, I guess I shocked some sense into him. He backed down, and I think he's pretty willing to give up on that stupid oath Grandpa swore."
"That's good," said Ruby.
Jaune sat down next to her and she leaned into him with a sigh, prompting Jaune to wrap his arm around her shoulders.
"So...now what?" asked Weiss.
"Well...regarding what happens to Dad, that's kinda up to us," said Jaune.
"Really?" asked Weiss, surprised. "I'm pretty sure the law is clear about attempted murder."
"Yeah, but Professor Ozpin said it's our call to make," said Jaune. He explained Ozpin's suggestion.
"You want to let that bastard off the hook," demanded Yang, "after what he almost did to Ruby?"
"Like I told Professor Ozpin, I haven't decided," said Jaune, staring firmly back at her. "I couldn't decide until I consulted Ruby, at least, as well as the rest of you."
"What's there to decide?" demanded Yang. "Throw that jackass behind bars and call it a day. He can rot in Hell, for all I care."
"Enough," said Ren firmly, staring Yang down.
"B-but," Yang began to protest.
"If anyone has the right to decide the man's fate, it should be Ruby," said Blake, looking to Ren, then Jaune. "Right?"
"That's pretty much my idea," said Jaune.
"I agree," said Ren firmly.
Weiss sighed. "Well...I'm not completely comfortable with skirting the law like this...but we have done similar things in the past, and if Professor Ozpin is sanctioning this, then I have no reason to complain about what Ruby decides."
"I agree," said Pyrrha.
Yang looked around the room, shocked and irritated to find that no one else seemed to support her sentiment. Oh, they all probably wouldn't have minded if Blaine had been chucked into a deep hole. But none of them wanted it enough to contest whatever decision Ruby would make, and Yang could pretty much guess what Ruby's decision would be. All of them could.
Her sister was just too damn nice for her own good.
"So...what'll it be?" asked Jaune, looking at Ruby.
"Jaune, I..." Ruby blinked and looked away.
"Ruby, I'm okay with whatever you decide," said Jaune, reaching across to cup her cheek, and gently turn her head so that he could meet her eyes with his. Leaning in, he stole a quick kiss from her lips. "So forget about the fact that he's my dad, or anything else about him. Just decide what you think should be done."
Ruby frowned, looking down at her knees. "I...As long as he's not going to cause trouble again, I'll forgive him."
"Okay, I'll let Ozpin know," said Jaune.
Ruby sighed and slumped against him. Jaune pulled her across onto his lap, and hugged her tightly, running a comforting hand up and down her arm. The others looked on. Jaune could see that Yang was still unhappy about their decision, but clearly understood she had no place to protest.
"Well, the night is still young," said Nora, shooting to her feet. "I feel like we should party some, right Ren?"
"Huh?" Ren grunted. Before he could actually formulate a response, Nora had yanked him up by the arm and dragged him out the door.
"We should go too," added Blake, already pulling Yang up by her arm and steering her out the door. Yang didn't exactly look happy at the prospect, but still allowed herself to be led out.
Weiss and Pyrrha shared amused looks, before looking to Jaune. "I feel like some tea in the common room," said Pyrrha. "Would you care to join me, Weiss?"
"That sounds wonderful," replied Weiss, getting to her feet, the two of them heading out. The door swung shut behind them, leaving Jaune and Ruby to their own devices.
"You know...I don't think they could be anymore obvious if they tried," said Ruby with a giggle, blushing as she looked up at Jaune.
"Yeah," agreed Jaune. "But it was nice of them all the same. So what do you feel up to?"
"Me...I'm just tired," said Ruby, yawning. "I'm worn out. I'm surprised that Weiss and Pyrrha have any energy left either, considering they ran themselves dry."
"Yeah, but you ran your Aura down twice," Jaune pointed out. "I think that came back to bite you afterwards."
"Maybe it did," agreed Ruby, yawning again. "Really...all I feel like doing at the moment is going to bed."
Jaune found himself yawning as well. "Yeah...me too." Admittedly, he didn't feel all that tired. Even depleted, his Aura appeared to rebound quickly. The time he'd spent waiting for his father to regain consciousness, along with being fortified by a good meal, had helped him recharge a good bit. Still, he wasn't exactly topped out on energy either. Besides, considering it meant a couple extra hours cuddling with his girlfriend, he wasn't about to protest an early bedtime...not even on a Saturday.
"Well...let's get showered and changed," suggested Ruby.
It was the work of a few minutes. Jaune let Ruby go first, considering she was the most tired. After she emerged, he went through his evening routine as well. Emerging in his onesie, he half-expected to find Ruby already asleep in his bed. So it was something of a surprise to see that she was still awake, waiting for him. She scooted over as he slid under the covers with her.
Before he could slip his arm under her, Ruby suddenly shifted, actually climbing up to lie down on top of him, her beautiful silver eyes staring at his own.
"R-Ruby," stammered Jaune, shocked...and aroused...by the unexpectedly intimate contact.
Ruby slid her hands across his chest, her cheeks reddening. "Jaune...you really meant it, when you said you'd pick me over your own family?"
"Of course I did," said Jaune, sliding his arms up to wrap around her waist. "I honestly don't know what I would have done, if you hadn't found me, Ruby. You're pretty much my everything."
"Jaune..." His name was almost a whisper on Ruby's lips.
She dipped her head down to press her lips against his. Jaune reciprocated, his left hand sliding up her spine to reach the back of her head, and pull it closer to his own. Their lips parting, their tongues slipped out to engage with one another, twirling, twisting, and sliding against each other. A breathy moan escaped Ruby as the arm Jaune kept around her waist tightened, pulling her body flush against his own, allowing Jaune to revel in the feeling of her bust pressed against his chest.
As the kiss continued, Ruby's hands began to wander, sliding up and down his chest, before reaching down to explore the contours of his abdomen, through the fabric of his pajamas. Her legs shifted against him, rubbing her body up against his own, and grinding their hips together, prompting a moan to escape Jaune's lips now, as a part of him quickly grew harder, rubbing up against Ruby through the interfering layers of fabric.
Jaune's hands started to wander as well. His left relinquished its hold on the back of Ruby's head, instead drifting down to join his right, before his right moved to reach for Ruby's thigh, squeezing and rubbing along the toned muscles of her leg, as Ruby rubbed it against his own. Before Jaune even realized what he was doing, his hands returned to Ruby's waist, sliding under the fabric of her top, his fingers brushing against her skin, then slipped down together to slide beneath the waistband of her bottoms. His fingers slid over, then squeezed Ruby's pert behind, prompting an even more intense moan from her, as Jaune reciprocated her grinding, pressing himself up against her from below.
Abruptly, his hands let go of Ruby's butt. For a second, Ruby was confused. But then confusion was replaced by surprise and excitement as Jaune rolled them over, nearly throwing the covers off the bed in the process. Now Jaune was the one lying atop her, his weight pressing Ruby down into the mattress. Despite how restrictive the position made her feel, Ruby couldn't feel anything but breathless anticipation as Jaune loomed over her, before he brought his face down to kiss her hungrily.
Ruby reciprocated, bringing her hands up to tangle in his hair. No longer fondling her behind, now it was Jaune's turn to bring his hands up, sliding them under the hem of Ruby's jinbei top, exploring the taut contours of her own stomach, rubbing them enthusiastically. They continued to drift upward, his fingers gradually sliding around the curves of her breasts, and squeezing down.
Ruby released a shocked gasp into Jaune's mouth. Jaune pulled away. For a second, Ruby was afraid that he was going to stop. But then he descended on her neck, licking and kissing with an almost desperate excitement, making her squirm under him, his lips moving lower, as his hands left their hold on her breasts to pull the flaps of her pajamas apart, exposing her chest to the open air. Jaune's lips continued to descend, tracing along her collarbone, wandering lower...
"Ahem!"
The cough was far louder than it needed to be for someone clearing their throat, and a good thing too. In their fevered state, Jaune and Ruby likely wouldn't have noticed the sound at a more normal volume. As it was, they froze, their faces both heating up dramatically as they realized they were no longer alone.
Reluctantly, already knowing what he was about to find, Jaune lifted his head and looked over his shoulder, not at all surprised to see that Weiss and Pyrrha had apparently returned from their teatime already. He probably shouldn't have been relieved that both of them were blushing too, but he was. Weiss' demeanor was as stiff as ever, her arms crossed imperiously over her chest, though it was undermined by the pink of her cheeks.
Pyrrha, on the other hand, was far less dignified. Her face had turned completely red, her hands covering her eyes. It would have looked rather modest, were it not for the fact that her fingers were spread so that he could see a pair of emerald-green orbs peering between them.
"Um..." was all Jaune could think to say...not that he was in much shape to think a moment.
Ruby squeaked, then quickly pulled her jinbei's flaps back shut, hiding her chest once more. The move prompted Jaune to get off of her, the two of them awkwardly lying/sitting on the bed, mortified to have been caught getting carried away.
Weiss hands went to her hips. "Honestly," she said imperiously. "Do the two of you want me to revoke your weekend bed-sharing privileges?"
Ruby grunted, her expression hardening as she stared at Weiss.
Weiss sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Look," she said. "I understand, somewhat. It's clear the two of you are very much in love. I don't doubt that it's genuine, and that the two of you are fully competent to consent to such an act. However, there are two issues with the two of you getting sexually involved, particularly here."
She held up her index finger. "First, this is a shared space. All four of us live in this room, and that means that any such...activities...would require some degree of prior arrangement to prevent incidents...well...just like this one."
"Oh," said Ruby, her expression softening. She supposed it wasn't fair for her and Jaune to engage in an act that essentially monopolized the room, without at least getting Weiss and Pyrrha's acceptance and approval beforehand.
"Second..." continued Weiss, her middle finger joining her index, "...there is the matter of your age. I don't dispute your mental competence, Ruby. However, according to the laws that govern Vale, you are below the age of consent. While being a student of Beacon allows for some leeway, with regards to age-restricted activities, such as drinking and gambling, that does not extend to sexual acts with someone below the age of sixteen."
"Um...well...that might not be entirely true," said Pyrrha, looking to Weiss. "I think that refers to sexual acts where the perceived minor is not a member of Beacon's student body. Technically, since Ruby is a Beacon student herself, she is exempt from the law too."
"Uh...have you girls been looking into this?" asked Jaune nervously, a bit unnerved by the detailed knowledge that the pair of them seemed to have of the laws pertaining to his and Ruby's particular situation.
"Yes," said Weiss. "Honestly, I figured that, if this was going to be a situation, I might as well make sure that no one was getting into trouble." She frowned. "As for Pyrrha's argument...that might be technically true, but we can't be sure, as there's no established legal precedent for it. And the only way to set said precedent would be to bring the matter to court, which none of us would want, as it would likely lead to the public revelation of this relationship, and potentially dragging your reputations through the mud in the process. And, even if we did, if the court rules against the two of you, then Jaune potentially stands to be charged with statutory rape, which would mean the end of his career at Beacon, and his imprisonment.
"So, if the two of you do not wish to risk any of that, then that requires, unfortunately, that you control yourselves. So, until the occasion of Ruby's sixteenth birthday, you are to refrain from any sexual acts. Believe me, allowing you to sleep in the same bed on weekends is pushing it enough as it is."
Weiss' stern expression faded, replaced by a caring and pleading one. "Please! I know that the two of you love each other. I also know that, regardless of your age, Ruby, you are mature enough to make this kind of decision. But that doesn't change the law. I want the two of you to work out, and I want to do what I can to make sure of that. But that requires that I keep the two of you from getting carried away, like you were just doing. So...please...control yourselves."
Ruby's expression softened. "You're right," she said, a smile appearing on her face. "I'm sorry, and thank you Weiss."
Weiss smiled back. Walking closer, she leaned down to hug Ruby. "You're one of the best and truest friends I could ever have," she confided. "I want you to have the proper chance to be happy."
"Am I your friend too?" asked Jaune teasingly.
Weiss pulled away from her embrace with Ruby, giving him a wry smirk. "Well, since you and Ruby are a package-deal now, I suppose I have no choice."
Jaune smirked back. "So very nice of you, Snow Angel."
Weiss giggled. "Now then, let's get to bed...and hopefully sleeping is all the two of you will be doing tonight."
"Yes, Weiss-nee," said Ruby teasingly.
"Please don't call me that," said Weiss, adopting a mock-stern expression. "I do not need Yang attacking me in a fit of jealousy."
The four of them shared a laugh, before Jaune and Ruby slid back beneath the covers, Jaune pulling the blanket over them, before wrapping his arms around Ruby from behind. "Sorry," he whispered to her, "I guess we got carried away gain."
Ruby giggled, closing her hand over his. "It's all right," she said. "We'll get there someday. More importantly..." She looked over her shoulder at him with a look that made Jaune shiver. "...we're going to have to get you better pajamas. It's gonna be too much work to take that onesie off you."
Jaune flushed red. "R-right," he said, unable to keep from smiling himself.
Ruby laid her head back down on the pillow, letting out a soft, contented sigh, snuggling back against him. Jaune tightened his hold on her a little bit, pressing his face into her hair and kissing the back of her head, while inhaling her scent. A little later, both of them drifted off into a contented slumber.
With the arrival of Sunday morning came their usual routine. Getting up early, RASP headed through the courtyard to train, all of them working through a few of their weapon routines, mostly to keep from getting dull in any sense. It was something they'd been doing together for so long now that it had become engrained in their habits.
Having worked up a mild sweat, they returned to the dorm to get cleaned up for the day, finishing with plenty of time to greet RYNB, as their sister team finished their own morning routines, all eight of them heading for the dining hall for breakfast. As they did, they talked about their plans for the day.
Despite the risk, Ruby intended to make another go at heading into Vale with Jaune. The others, especially Yang, were more than a little worried about the prospect of another abduction attempt. But Ruby assured them she wasn't about to let anyone take her without a fight, and would be keeping her guard up. Jaune was going to go with her, mainly because they were going to be shopping for potential modifications to his combat outfit.
With some reluctance, the others agreed to let her and Jaune go. They were about to head to the air-docks, when Jaune got a message on his scroll. Opening it up, he saw that it was his father, Jaune having only just recently having un-blocked Blaine's contact.
"What's he want?" asked Ruby, looking over his shoulder.
"Looks like he's gonna be heading out in a bit," said Jaune. "He figures he's overstayed his welcome, so it's for the best if he just gets going and heads back to Ansel."
"Damn right he overstayed his welcome," growled Yang, smacking her right fist into her left palm. "How about I come with you, and see him off...with my boot up his ass."
"Yang, no," said Ruby firmly, staring her sister down.
Yang wilted under Ruby's stern gaze, while Ren nodded in agreement with Ruby's statement.
"I guess I should at least tell him goodbye," said Jaune.
"I'd come with you, but I guess we shouldn't risk it," said Ruby.
"Well, he's gonna be at the air-docks, so it's on the way," said Jaune. "Why don't you stay back, and I'll talk to him. Then we can go straight to Vale from there."
"Sounds like a plan," said Ruby.
A few minutes later, the pair of them were at the air-docks, having followed the directions Blaine had sent Jaune to find the pad that Blaine was leaving from. As they had agreed, Ruby hung a ways back, while Jaune approached, surprised to see his father checking over the rounded, aerodynamic form of a bullhead.
"We have a bullhead?" asked Jaune, approaching as his father inspected the engine struts.
"We got it not too long ago," said Blaine. "I didn't tell you about it, mainly because we kept it at Ansel's airfield. Didn't want you to get it into your head to go galavanting off in it."
"Right," said Jaune.
Blaine sighed. "Seems I can't even say goodbye to you right," he said, turning to face Jaune. Looking past Jaune, he saw Ruby standing back, a fair ways away. Blaine didn't even bother asking why she was hanging back so far.
He took a deep breath, looking Jaune in the eyes. "I don't have any right to say this, but stay safe, Son. Not that I need to worry that much. You're obviously in better hands than any of us could have hoped for."
"I will," said Jaune. "Have a safe trip, Dad."
"I will," replied Blaine. "I suppose that, now that you're on your way to becoming a Huntsman, I'll have to show you the ropes of flying this thing. If I can keep her intact, this might be yours someday."
Jaune blinked, feeling more than a little jarred that, in the space of just a couple of days, he'd gone from having a father who hadn't even believed he was a Beacon student to one who was promising to teach him how to fly a bullhead.
"I'll keep that in mind," said Jaune.
Blaine sighed. Then reached up to grasp Jaune's shoulder. "You're a better son than I am a father, I'll say that much. I'm sorry it took so much to get through to me, in regards to both you and your choice of girlfriend. I've got a lot to think about, and I'll have a talk with your mother and sisters."
"Thanks," said Jaune, resting his hand atop his father's.
Blaine let go, then climbed into the bullhead's cockpit. Jaune stepped back to the edge of the pad. The airship was silent for a few moments, as Blaine went over the preflight checklist in the cockpit. Then, with a growing whining sound, the engines ignited, jets of flame emerging from their nozzles, lifting the bullhead up into the air. The ship pivoted around as it rose, before the wings shifted configuration, sending it flying off over the horizon of Vale.
"Sounds like things went all right," said Ruby, coming to stand next to Jaune.
"Yeah," agreed Jaune. "I think we might be on our way to being a proper family again."
Ruby nodded. "Let's go," she said.
"Yeah," agreed Jaune.
"I see..." Eira hung up her scroll. "The target has finally entered Vale."
"They were bound to, sooner or later," said Mercury. "You can't scare her off that easily."
"She is wearing her combat outfit, as is her partner," noted Eira, relaying what she had heard from her informant.
"That doesn't necessarily mean anything," Mercury pointed out. "Lots of students use their combat attire as casual clothes. That goes for the pros too."
It was part and parcel to being a Huntsman or Huntress, after all. Combat clothes were worn as casual clothes, mainly because students were trained with the expectation that they could be called upon for an emergency at any time. Granted, there were times where they were more than willing to wear other outfits, mainly when they knew they weren't going to be expecting trouble. That was especially true for students, who were far less likely to get an unexpected summons for an emergency mission than any fully-licensed Huntsmen in the vicinity.
"What's the plan?" asked Mercury.
Eira moved to look at the screens that dominated the wall of the room in front of them. They featured an array of feeds from security cameras across the Kingdom, relaying real-time footage of Vale's streets and people. "My employer wishes for her capture as soon as possible," she said. "However, we underestimated both her and her companion the first time, so we need to observe them more."
"Yeah...that's gonna take some doing," said Mercury. "We got caught off-guard by the two of them too. Arc sure seems like a pushover, but then he pulls stuff that comes completely out of left field. We seriously underestimated them, and it cost my boss and co-worker big time."
Eira nodded. "Granted, there is little we can do from here. Our access is limited to security feeds from Vale itself. It would be best if we could access Beacon's cameras, but we cannot penetrate their systems, which would allow us to access the Academy's footage of her matches and combat assessments."
Guess they don't have their own Watts, thought Mercury, frowning. Then something occurred to him. Wait! Watts' virus is still there, and it has full access to anything that's linked up to the CCT in all of Vale and Beacon. If we could use that, we could get everything that we need.
There were a few substantial problems with that, however. First, Mercury himself had never been granted with the information needed to access and utilize the Black Queen virus that Watts had created, and Cinder had installed. Cinder had taken it upon herself to handle everything to do with the virus, leaving him and Emerald out of it. Second, the existence of the virus itself was meant to be a closely-guarded secret, not the sort of thing they could just let anyone find out about. Mercury was already going out on a limb by agreeing to work for and with these people in the first place. He was fairly certain that revealing that they'd seeded a Virus into Vale's CCT was potentially the kind of slip that Salem and her people would not overlook.
On top of that, there was the fact that, however underhanded their methods, these people at least firmly believed they were working in the Kingdom's best interests. In direct contrast, Mercury, and the people he was working for, had been working towards the end of the Kingdom's destruction. He and Eira might have a cordial enough relationship, but he suspected that, on a professional level, if she discovered who he really worked for, and got any inkling of their long-term goals, she wouldn't hesitate to take his life.
So, for the time being, he decided to keep his mouth shut about the virus. He'd gotten a pretty good look at Ruby's combat abilities on his own, though he could only say so much about her capabilities.
"So...what's the deal with her anyway?" he asked. "If there's one thing I learned about her, while we were at Beacon, it's that she's a goody-two-shoes all the way through. How is someone like that a threat to Vale?"
"Regardless of her disposition, the fact remains that we have uncovered evidence that she is affiliated with the Mibu Clan," said Eira.
"The who?" asked Mercury.
"It would seem you are not informed," said Eira. "Then I shall fill you in."
She laid it out for him. Mercury was floored. He'd always wondered why no one seemed to bother over Leng, despite it supposedly being ripe for the picking. He'd never imagined the truth that it was already inhabited, and by a group of people who could apparently send the militaries of two Kingdoms packing, despite being decades, if not centuries, behind in terms of technological development.
"And how do you know she has anything to do with these people?" asked Mercury.
"Mainly through what little of her combat we have observed," said Eira, using her scroll to interface with one of the screens, bringing up some footage. Mercury quickly realized that it was footage of the White Fang raid on the docks, a few months back. It showed snippets of Ruby's fight with Adam Taurus, lightning and red wind running along the blades of her swords.
The footage switched, this time to a distant shot of her second fight with Adam, in the construction site within the industrial district. She then switched to another shot, this one of RASP and RYNB fighting against the White Fang's stollen Paladin.
"On multiple occasions, she has been observed using elemental attacks," explained Eira. "Upon examination of the scene afterward, we found no Dust-residue that matched up with the effects we saw."
Isn't that because she's using magic? Mercury wondered. Out loud, he asked, "Couldn't it have been mixed in with the residue of all the other weapons being used?"
"We considered that," said Eira. "But we were able to place the composition and source of all the residue we did find at the scene, and none of that corresponded to the type that the girl would have needed to evoke those effects.
"The Mibu had reputedly developed the ability to produce elemental effects from their Auras alone, without the input of Dust. Though the mechanism is disputed by those who are actually willing to discuss the topic, this has been observed often enough that it is sufficient to allow us to identify someone who has been trained by the Mibu."
"Uh huh..." said Mercury absently, frowning. If that's true...then we were completely duped, he thought. Cinder was sure that she was using magic. But this changes everything, which means we blew our cover, got Emerald injured and Cinder killed...for nothing!
It was enough to infuriate him all over again. The impulse arose to go out, track down Ruby Rose, and stomp her face in. Everything that had gone wrong that night was the consequence of a completely flawed premise, the idea that Ruby was one of the Maidens, that she had been covertly tapping into her magic in her fights. This revelation changed everything.
It also brought to mind another question. Why didn't we know about this? Surely, if there was a substantial group of people out there, practically another Kingdom, then Cinder and her disciples should have known about these Mibu. Yet Mercury had never heard about them before now. The fact that they were capable of using their Auras to create phenomena similar to magic would have been critical information, something that they could have planned around, or at least known enough about that Cinder wouldn't have blown their entire plan on a false assumption.
Does Salem even know about them? wondered Mercury. The very question was laughable. Of course Salem knew about the Mibu. There was no way she couldn't. They weren't so completely secretive that she couldn't have known about them, if there were people in Vale who knew about them. While it was apparent that the existence of the Mibu wasn't openly acknowledged, the knowledge was there. Salem, who had been around the block more times than anyone, who had seen the rise of the Kingdoms, and the fall of whatever had come before them, had to have known about an entire civilization that had dominated a whole continent, possibly for centuries, even millennia, before the current Four Kingdoms existed.
But that begged the question of why Salem had never told them about it. Mercury didn't know if any of the rest of Salem's inner circle knew about the Mibu, but it was more than apparent that Cinder had not been told, considering that the possibility that Ruby was fighting with her Aura had never even been a consideration. It made Mercury wonder why they hadn't been told anything about this before, if it could have prevented such a catastrophic error.
Of course, perhaps the simplest reason was that Salem might not have had any reason to expect interference from anyone affiliated with the Mibu. From what Eira had told him, the Mibu were largely content to live in isolation on Leng, not concerned with the fact that the Kingdoms refused to acknowledge their existence, so long as no one was stupid enough to try and send another expedition. That being the case, Salem had probably assumed that no one with their kind of ability would be involved in the affairs of Beacon and Vale, much less enter Beacon as a student-Huntress.
There was another possibility, one that bothered him a great deal more. That possibility was that Salem had deliberately omitted information about the Mibu, when it came to teaching Cinder, and Mercury had a disturbing inkling as to why she would make such an omission.
It was no secret that Cinder had been obsessed with acquiring the Maiden's magic. She was obsessed with power in general, especially the kind of power she could lord over others to make them cower before her. Using demonstrations of magic to cow Torchwick and the White Fang had been as much about stroking her ego as it was about necessity.
Mercury had had a front row seat to Cinder's frustration at being unable to fully acquire the Fall Maiden's magic, been a part of her plan to wreck Vale and Beacon, all in part born of her desire to acquire the remainder. She'd put all of that into jeopardy for the chance to grab the magic she'd assumed Ruby had.
Yet, from what Eira had just shared with him, it apparently suggested that the Mibu were capable of similar feats, produced by their Aura alone; abilities that rivaled magic, that could be attained through effort and training. If Cinder had known such abilities existed, that she could obtain them simply through training, would she have been so obsessed with the Maidens? Would she have been so loyal to Salem?
That was the worrying impression he got from this. Salem might have kept the existence of the Mibu, and the nature of their power, a secret from Cinder, so that Cinder would remain obsessed with magic, power that she could either steal, or could have granted to her by Salem herself. It would have kept her dependent on Salem, who could easily promise to ultimately fulfill Cinder's desires. Mercury was led to the disturbing conclusion that Salem had omitted the knowledge of the Mibu's existence from Cinder as a means of maintaining her control, and Cinder's loyalty.
If that was the case, it was a source of frustration for Mercury. After all, that blind spot had wound up wrecking their plans for Vale and Beacon. But calling Salem out on it wasn't going to happen, seeing as he might as well kill himself to save her the trouble.
Still, at the very least, I can do something about this particular thorn in our sides, he thought, watching a camera feed of Ruby and Jaune making their way down the street, silently resolving to make her pay for ruining all their hard work...no matter what mysterious abilities she might possess.
One way or another, there would be a reckoning.
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