The train had been going for four hours before stopping at a decently populated settlement named Domremy. Neo eventually found some clothes but they were either children's clothes, which was incredibly tight in 'some' areas, or they were too big for her in stature. She had no holster or even sheath for Rivers of Blood but nobody had really seemed to care. They most likely thought she was a Huntress-in-training.
Hopping off at Domremy, they saw that the train would be going under maintainance and investigation due to the lack of its back cars. Nobody in the passenger cars had heard or seen the fight between the robots and trio, so nobody thought to stop them for questioning.
"So where are we again? Looks like a town. Not really big enough to be the City of Vale, I think" Neo commented and walked next to Neo as they walked into the business section of town, where stalls were set up outside.
"You didn't hear the announcement? They said there'd be an emergency stop here at Domremy. I think the passengers that were going to Vale are taking a Bullhead there from here" Blake was looking everywhere but her new partner, due to her state of dress.
"I wasn't paying attention? I was changing into random stranger's clothes.. You REALLY think these are the best clothes for me at the moment..?" Neo gestured to her oversized jersey and the booty shorts under it. Combined with black and white socks with shoes too big for her.
"There.. was nothing we could do. I refuse to have you naked in public any longer.." Blake's face grew a shade redder at mentioning the last part.
"Might've been better though.. My nipples are rubbing up the fabric and it's so irritating" Neo fussed over the jersey uncomfortably as Blake nearly trips.
"Don't say that out loud! There should be a clothes store nearby, let's just get you something real quick" Blake dragged the still fussing Neo inside the nearest clothing store in a hurry before she ripped the jersey off and went topless.
They both entered a quaint looking shop with a pretty blonde woman at the register, who was talking to a younger blonde girl that looked to be her daughter. The younger girl looked to be about fourteen years old and the Mother looked to be in her fourties.
"Oh, Mom! Customers. OOOH! Huntress customers!?" The young girl ran over to the two with a sparkle in her eyes and started to bombard them with questions and statements.
"Are you heroes? Why are you dressed weird? I love your pink and brown hair! Oh my god, your eyes are different colors too! What kinds of weapons are those!? Are you guys like super cool female knights!?" She would have gone on but her Mother covered her mouth and sighed.
"I'm so sorry.. Aqua, don't pester the customers! You know better! Now go sort out the Fall wear like I just told you to" The Mother scolded her and faced the two again with a customer service smile.
"Please let me know if I can help you two! I'll be over here at the register so just call out to me if you need anything, okay?" She then returned to the register and gave cursory glances at Neo's state of dress.
"Thanks, will do" Neo nodded and dragged Blake over to the men's section.
"Hey.. do you have lien..?" She whispered to Blake as Blake made a face at the Men's clothes.
"Yes.. Not much but I have enough for your clothes. No, we aren't buying you guy's clothes.. They wouldn't even fit you" Blake now dragged her to the underwear section.
"This is going to be a pain in the ass.. isn't it?" Neo mumbled.
"Don't be a baby.. What's your.. cup size? I'll pick up something for you since you deem it a quote 'pain in the ass'" Blake looked at all the bras and judged.
"Uh.. not sure? Is there some kind of measuring tape here?" Neo looks around, only to be startled by the Blonde woman, who seemingly just appeared behind her.
"How are you unsure? Have you never worn a bra!? With YOUR SIZE!? Young Lady were you born in the wilderness!? And your clothes... No, this won't do.. I heard you're low on lien. So! I want to propose something" The blonde 'smiled' and held on to the short girl's shoulders.
"What would thaaaat be..?" Neo's eyes darted to Blake, who seemed lost in her own world of looking at bras with a red face.
~Blake they're just FABRIC for fuck sakes! You're acting like a twelve year old kid in a women's underwear section at TARGET!~
"You're Huntresses in training, right? Off to Beacon? Well, I'd like you to 'train' my son. See, he wants to be a Huntsman so bad.. To be a renowned hero. My daughter there, Aqua is all for the idea but he's.. He's never trained. Physically he's basically a noodle.. Mentally he's average. Dexterity, he's average. Coordination... Two epileptics could share a bowl of noodles with more grace. He's not fit for it. All he really has going for him is his will and morality. Can you train him really hard so he'll see that being a Huntsman just isn't for him?" The Mother pleaded at the last part.
~Oh god, I've stumbled into Jaune's family huh? Yeah, this can work~ Neo was quiet for a few seconds.
"Okay. I can do that if these clothes are on the house. I'm under five feet though so-" She was abruptly cut off as the Mother very quickly grabbed an arm full of clothes for her.
"I have JUST the right clothes for you! Trust me. First, let's get your measurements" The Mother again 'smiled' at her.
"I'll help!" Blake readily offered support as the Mother grabbed a measuring tool.
"I.. need an adult?" Neo muttered as she was dragged to the back by the two enthusiastic (for different reasons) women.
"I am an adult!" The Mother assured her.
-Arc residence, two hours later-
"Jaune! Hurry up, quick! Two cool Huntresses are here to train you! Mom asked them when they came to the store!" Aqua yelled down the hall to where Jaune's room is located.
Hearing a sudden stumble and crash, she sees Jaune quickly run out of his room with only half his shirt on and in sweatpants.
"Are you sure!? Oh man.. Oh MAN! Okay, calm down.. Prove that I'm cool and collected.. Heroes don't get flustered so easily."
Jaune started to give himself a pep talk as he walked out to the living room, where two of the most gorgeous girls he's ever seen were. Both standing by his Mom and talking to her. He just stood there, slack-jawed in awe as his teenage hormones did their work to make him look stupid in front of them.
"Jaune"
But he continued to stare. The black haired one with a bow had enchanting yellow eyes, a cute face and a slender but curvy body. All packed inside some form fitting clothing. The other one was gorgeous with an interesting style he'd call tomboyish. Tight but flexible black pants. Pink, white and black boots. A black dress-like shirt that shows her navel. And a pink and white varsity-looking jacket hanging by her arms.
"JAUNE!"
Hearing his Mom yell his name finally kicked in his self preservation. Standing up straight and replying as quick as he can.
"Uh y-yes, Mom!" Jaune almost saluted but still possessed the mental capacity to hold off on embarrassing him further.
"These are Huntresses in training on their way to Beacon. You wanna be a Huntsman? They can help. If they think you're up to their level, I'll talk your Dad into letting you apply to Beacon. Sounds fair?" His Mother folded her arms and sternly looked at her son.
"Really!? Yes, of course! I'll work really hard" Jaune spoke with the enthusiasm Neo got annoyed at as she rolled her tongue across her teeth.
~I know I'm not one to talk but come on.. You don't even REALIZE how hard Huntsman and Huntresses have to train. For YEARS too. You don't research it at all either. You don't even know what Mechashift weapons or Aura and Semblances are, man. I get you're supposed to be relatable to the common fan but Jesus...~ Neo rants in her head before seeing Blake walk ahead with Jaune, walking outside.
"Remember.. No mercy" Jaune's Mother, Joan, whispered to her.
Giving her a thumbs up, she follows Blake and Jaune outside and sees him already stumbling. He was trying to take Crocea Mors out of its sheath. Blake looked over to the exasperated face of Neo and allowed her to be the leader, since it was her clothes she made the deal over.
"Okay Jaune. First off, hit the button on the handle with your middle and ring fingers. Next, I wanna see your form. So swing at me with all your strength and speed once you're ready" Neo put on her stern voice and ordered the Blond.
~This should test my combat skill too. Oh boy, I already see like twenty flaws in his form. Guess that's a mix of future Neo's combat experience and the Advanced Swordsmanship at play here. I gotta keep myself humble here. I'd definitely be as bad as noodle boy here if I didn't come back as Best RWBY waifu~
Neo again went on a tangent as Jaune let out a 'manly' scream of battle intent and swung at Neo fiercely.
Though, to her it sounded like a screaming ten year old and looked like a screaming teenager who was flailing his arms holding a deadly weapon. All she did was sidestep every single one of his swings. He fell over multiple times due to him over reaching all of his swings. Neo decided to see if his defense was as bad as his offence.
It was just barely better, he tried to block a roundhouse to the face, which just ended up making part of the shield hit his nose, causing it to bleed.
"Ugh... ow.. Mind if I go clean this up?" Jaune grunted as he stood back straight.
"I do mind. Keep going. I'm here to test your limits, noodle-boy"
Neo started to walk towards him and batter him with kick after kick. High kick, Low kick, medium kick and back to high kick. She sent him sprawling to the ground with an Axe-kick to the shield.
"Come on, you can take more than this, right?" She commented as she jogged in place.
"Tired... hurts all over.." Jaune just lay there, too tired and bruised to even bother getting up.
"I haven't even used my sword yet.. But okay. You wanna hear my humble opinion?" Neo took a seat on a rock Blake was sitting on and reading at. More specifically, she sat on her lap Which flustered Blake, much to her amusement.
~I'll be nice since he's just naiive and ignorant~ She thought as she nodded like an old master appraising her student.
"You suck. Honestly, your body is undeveloped, your skills are subpar. Like a farmer waving a stick around to scare crows away from his crops.. if he was piss-drunk. Your coordination is an insult to your soft-untrained hands. Your footwork reminds me of those cartoons where the characters are drunk and swinging their legs and stumbling over themselves"
Neo hummed as she finished the assessment. Jaune looking like he took a few extra kicks to his gut. Blake was trying very hard not to crack a smile so she hid her face in her book.
"I-I can improve! I just need training.." Jaune tried to reassure himself.
"Sure.. if you had like four years of intense training you could be considered decent. But you don't. It's not just about the physical aspect though. Tell me, what do you know about Huntsman?" Neo crossed her legs and leaned back on Blake comfortably.
"They fight Grimm and use cool weapons. They protect the people, like the Heroes told in the old stories. My Dad is a Huntsman and told me all about it" Jaune seemed confident as he spoke.
"I figured.. Your Dad's trying to shield you from the truth about Huntsman. Huntsman fight Grimm, yeah. They fight and kill off Bandits and dangerous criminals too. They take lives, Jaune. They also utilize a power called aura. They use complicated weapons called Mechashift weapons. Say.. a sniper-greatsword or other crazy weapon combinations to combine long and short range fighting. They build their weapons and train for YEARS, Jaune. Your sword's a 'classic' but beyond its toughness, it's lacking. You aren't ready for a combat school like Beacon. I suggest either getting a job that suits your skills. Or getting an apprenticeship under a Huntsman or Huntress" Neo finished as she twirled her pink hair in her fingers.
"B..What..? It's been my dream to-"
"Dream huh? Then why didn't you train your body at all? Look up common information about Huntsman and Huntresses? You don't have your aura unlocked and the physique of a scrawny teen. I'm telling you this not because I hate you, Jaune. From what your Mom said about you, you're a good guy. But you simply aren't ready for this" Neo looked at Jaune, still seeing some defiance in his eyes.
"If you were thinking of trying to forge transcripts into Beacon, don't. The Headmaster is a very wise old man and will know you aren't trained. On top of Blake and I going too" At Neo's words, Blake nodded and looked at Jaune intensely.
"I... Damn it.." Jaune runs back inside the house with a quick sniffle.
"It's best to quash this now before he gets himself in trouble. You did the right thing, Neo" Blake assures her.
"Yeah. It just sucks seeing a dream being torn down. Maybe his Dad can teach him and he can eventually take the Huntsman test. Wanna say bye to Joan and get a Bullhead to Vale? It'll be late soon" Neo gets up and rolls her shoulders.
"Sounds like a good idea, partner" Blake slightly smiles and gets up after her.
Both ready to take the next step and head for the City of Vale.