The sun had risen on the first day of Beacon's new batch of Huntsmen and Huntresses; though the rigors of the previous day left plenty of people wanting to stay in bed. With that however there were people who had morning training on memory; Pyrrha Nikos was one such person who did. She would change into a red and white tracksuit for exercise and for sparring before grabbing her weapons, however she looked to her leader's bed; confused as she noticed his bed looked like it had been made or at the very least not been slept on….though she did think it had something to do with his outburst from the night before.
She had decided to let him confront this at his own pace as she quietly snuck out of the dorm and made her way down towards the training grounds, she could hear sounds of exertion as she reached the seemingly empty grounds; around her was a sparse arena along with some equipment for both beginners and for the more seasoned warrior type. Once the sun shone through the window leading out towards the rest of Vale; Pyrrha could see Jae in his element, summoning up weapons to strike down dummies while he thought he was alone: he summoned up his sword to cut down a training dummy before retracting it and twirling his Beowulf Spear Fenrir to deflect dummy projectile fire, his body moving fluidly yet to it's own rhythm as he thrust the spear forward and made it elongate outwards and skewer the dummy shooting before pulling it back.
In awe, she kept quiet and watched as she saw his new weapons appear in both hands; the twin katars that he had obtained from the Deathstalker, they were a bone white along the outside claw like it's kin's pincers however the middle blade seemed to possess a golden shimmer like it's namesake's stinger. Jae seemed to move quicker as he delivered quick strikes and jabs with the claws on his arms. Though as Jae swung his right arm around for a back hit, his weapon collided against Pyrrha's shield with a resounding klang!
"So this was where you were this morning? I half expected you to rest until the midday." Pyrrha said jokingly to him as she held the pincer in place before they decoupled; she was impressed with the fact that he could move back and forth between fighting styles so seemingly easy but out of all the questions in her mind, this was the easiest to explain.
"Well, ever since I started training to be a Huntsman…I've always been up before sunrise to start my training….I guess it just sticks on reflex at this point, I guess." Jae shrugged as he reached down to grab a water bottle. the claws had since dissipated as Jae was currently wearing a dark red, long sleeved shirt and his green sweat pants. "Besides, since no one else is awake…I can train like this without prying eyes….or at least testing the full scope of these weapons." he would mention as he then saw Pyrrha giving him an inquisitive look.
"Well, I had hoped to catch up regarding what was said in the forest? you know….that whole thing about your aura, your weapons….that and how exactly can you make that spear stretch?" she asked him while stretching herself out, "You promised to tell me, remember? I won't be mentioning this to anyone plus I still hope you can trust me as a teammate enough to tell me that much." Pyrrha would say as she held a hand out to him; "In fact, why don't we make this a wager? Let's have a sparring match…..but every time that we knock each other down….we tell the other a truth."
Jae smirked a little as he got up and took her hand; "I never took you as the betting type…but sure, remember this goes both ways." he pointed out as they made their way to a ring and got into a stance. Pyrrha watched him as Jae made the first move with some quick punches and she made for some blocks to each one as they got into close quarters, a swift elbow from Pyrrha got caught but a sudden sweep under him got Jae knocked to the ground, giving Pyrrha the first win and her chance to ask more of him; "Alright, you win….what's your first question?" Jae would ask as he dusted himself off as Pyrrha helped him back up; "How do you summon up your weapons like that? I know you can make weapons but I've never seen anyone do what you do…. and since the beginning of the training mission, I've never seen you carry anything other then Dust." Pyrrha asked him.
Jae would sigh; "That's….one thing I don't actually know myself to be honest….." He would say causing Pyrrha to raise an eyebrow skeptically; "I'm serious, I've just…always been able to do it ever since I first picked up a sword….my dad put one in my hand and presto, I could shoot a sword out of my wrist…same with the other weapons." he would say and flicked his wrist to make his sword appear out of thin air before returning it.
Pyrrha nodded as she heard his explanation before starting the sparring with him again; "It's odd but do you think that your dad might have used his Semblance to give you that ability?" She would ask with a swift turning kick towards his face which got blocked when he ducked under her leg and swiped his own kick out to knock her down; "It's not uncommon for other people's Semblances to have side effects on another pers-ah!." Pyrrha mused but was then knocked on her back and gazing up at him; "I guess I have to tell a truth about me now I suppose?"
Jae nodded as he held his hand out; "Since you were so curious about MY Semblance…what exactly is your's?" he asked as he helped Pyrrha back up to her feet before grabbing a towel to wipe off the sweat from his forehead.
"Well…since it's only fair, my Semblance is Polarity…it allows me to manipulate a magnetic charge on metal so I can change trajectory for people's weapons coming at me or I can pull and repel metal objects." Pyrrha explained; surprised that she was comfortable with letting him know her Semblance….though she did know his and for some reason, she felt like she could trusted him to not blab about something like this.
"Magnetism….Man, talk about powerful and a smart use…..so that explains how you were able to win all those tournaments that Schnee was gushing about." Jae mentioned as Pyrrha blushed a little in embarrassment at Jae's compliments.
"You….You don't like Weiss all that much, do you?" Pyrrha would ask as she noticed the grimace on his face any time he mentioned Weiss or whenever the heiress was around him; she wasn't an idiot, she knew that Weiss could be a little rude and pompous but it looked like there was a little more to the two's spats then just that disagreement in the locker rooms.
He would sigh as he looked to Pyrrha; "I know that it seems dumb….but I've spent a good portion of my life being told I amounted to little or I was just a nobody, now I'm at Beacon….I don't have to accept just being a punching bag for snippy comments…I took the insults on the chin before but now I don't have to take it….not from anyone; least of all someone who's whole philosophy of a person is based on someone's look and reputation." Jae explained as he talked about his reasoning.
"Nobody in your foster care really gave you much of a chance…did they?" Pyrrha asked, realising that his behaviour towards Weiss made a little sense now at least but noticed he had a more sombre look on his face.
"Foster Care….right….we should probably get ready, we gotta get ready for classes." Jae would dismiss the comment as he grabbed his towel and started making his way towards the exit, leaving Pyrrha happier that she was learning a little more about him but still unnerved by the fact that he was still hiding something…though after what happened the night before with Jae's box and his panicked outburst, she really didn't want to push too much and ruin what progress she had made with him…plus the fact that seeing him sad like that made her heart ache a little inside.
The two noticed that most other students were just waking up and getting ready as they entered into their dorms; Nora was energetically doing sit ups as her morning exercise in the corner and Ren was pulling on his uniform jacket; "So where have you two been all this time? we were starting to get a little concerned that you ran off together." Nora asked Jae and Pyrrha with a playful grin which seemed to grow when she saw Jae's uncomfortable flush in his cheeks and Pyrrha's bright red face at the prospect.
"N-No, we weren't doing anything at all…we were doing some morning training in the courtyard, th-that's all…" Pyrrha said shakily as Nora's comment seemed to fluster her and put some interesting ideas in her head which certainly didn't help the budding feelings of tenderness towards him.
"Yeah, I was going through some training and Pyrrha stopped by to help spar." Jae seemed more steady with his words but the flush of pink still in his cheeks as he then grabbed his uniform and headed to the bathroom to change, Nora however was lightly bonked on the head by Ren with a lint-roller as he saw the cherry red face of Pyrrha.
"Don't mind Nora, she managed to find a stash of sugar packets in the cupboard for pancakes….Now she's jazzed up…" Ren sighed as he sat on his bed; "Still it looks like you and Jae have patched things up at least…" He added with a more positive tone.
"I'm not sure….he's talking to me about himself but I still don't know all that much about him, I want to ask more but I don't want him to think I'm being prying or judgemental…." Pyrrha would say as she grabbed her own uniform.
"It'll be fine…we've got four years here at Beacon, plus at the very least; he's not holding grudges against us for what happened, so don't worry…Jae might be private about this but he still wants us around as teammates just like we want him as a leader." Nora would say as Pyrrha went to the girls' bathroom to change.
Jae would soon come out in his Beacon uniform and grumbling in frustration as he held on to his tie; "I hate this thing…." he would growl softly as he looked to a mirror while fumbling with his necktie; Ren decided to try helping him out as he explained how to tie it and showed it to him by tying his own. After a few tries and a pep talk from Ren, Jae was now classroom ready as Nora eyed up the two, it was no secret to herself that she had a thing for Ren but seeing both Ren and Jae in close proximity to each other gave her an intrusive thought; "Oh yeah...I could see it work~" before another sudden mental image came into her mind that made her blush brightly and tried to distract herself from it.
"Two of my handsome boys all ready for school! I'm so proud of you~" She would say dramatically with a wide smile; Ren rolled his eyes as he was used to Nora's shenanigans and Jae rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as he was put in the spotlight like this, by the time Pyrrha came out, all three of them were trying to plan their classes up until they heard a very muffled but still very shrill "IT'S 8:55 YOU DUNCES, GET MOVING!" as a stampede of feet rumbled past their room.
Jae peeked his head out of the door to see Team RWBY rushing down the hallway before looking to his scroll and felt his stomach twist into knots when realised she was right, Glynda's warning about his conditions to be in Beacon stuck in his head and he wasn't going to find out if she had been bluffing; "Alright, first order of Team JNPR….Haul Ass!" he would yell out in a panic as he broke into a sprint with the other three followed after his pace with confused expression on their faces as to why Jae was so concerned.
Across the courtyard; Ozpin and Glynda were watching the two teams rushing towards their first class, both making sure that they were going in the right direction and also to ensure that Ruby and Jae were keeping up with their responsibilities. Panting heavily and nearly throwing up a lung; Jae had been slumped over his desk as the other three took their spots by him; "Ah! Team RWBY AND Team JNPR as well, I'm so glad that you both have the eagerness to learn from my class…" The portly yet equally jovial mustachioed Professor Port would chuckle as he checked his pocket watch; "And right before the bell too, you must really cherish your education Mr Cielo." He would praise the groups though the other seven were confused as to why the emphasis was on Jae when he mentioned this but they were also still trying to gulp down oxygen after their impromptu marathon across the school.
The remaining teams had started to fill in their seats after a few minutes; Jae and his team plus Ruby's team were sat in the front row as they grabbed their books for their first class of the day: "Grimm Studies and Hunting 101" was plastered across the chalkboard with Port's blunderbuss hung on a frame at the back wall alongside what looked to be some rolled up posters. "Well Students, I welcome you to Beacon Academy….I am Professor Port and I will be teaching you about Grimm, the proper way to hunt them and how to properly conduct yourself as the future generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses." Port would introduce himself and leaned himself low in a ceremonial bow; unsure of how to greet this or respond….plenty of students in the back halfheartedly clapped for him as he steadied himself back up.
"Now then, since this is your first ever lesson with myself; I shall start this off with the basic of basics as vigilance is the most important and most helpful lesson that I can teach you in these halls." Port would say as he reached over and tugged on a string, the sound of large unfurling paper could be heard as detailed sketches of the Grimm in Vale were unrolled;
"These are Grimm, they are monsters….Demons….creatures of the night and drawn across all of Remnant….however by the time you graduate, you will consider them PREY like I d-Oh, Ms Belladonna, you have a question so soon?" Port would ask as he was taken aback by the sudden raise of Blake's hand in the front row.
"Professor, I'm not really sure if it's a good idea to refer to Grimm as demons….in the past it was used as an insulting term to discourage and mudsling Faunus, plus I remember reading that Demons were a reclusive species and stayed in the mountains before they went extinct." Blake would say as she remembered reading a book on Demons in the past, this however peaked Jae's interest, noting down "Demons" and "Must study later" as he wrote notes.
"Oh, uh….I see, you certainly know your history, Ms Belladonna." Port would say as he was taken aback by Blake's surprising knowledge but then cleared his throat, "In any case….As future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it will be your sworn duty to fight back against the treacherous hold that Grimm have…not just on your homes or the kingdom…but the very world itself!" he would say dramatically to the group of students however most of them were either focused on keeping the topic or dumbfounded by how dramatic he could be.
While Port was "regaling" his stories to the students; Weiss was focusing but started to notice that Ruby was goofing off, doodling a crude picture of Port and rolled her eyes; "This is my leader? she really is a child…..Though what did I imagine from someone who spends her time around Ciel….o…." She grumbled in her mind as she gazed over to look at Jae, expecting him to goofing off just as bad but was confused when she saw that he was diligently writing in a notebook. Not just absent minded writing but he was full on writing out descriptions of the different Grimm that their professor talked about in his stories; "That…that can't be right, a rough minded lout like him would never pay attention like this…Though I guess I have to respect the fact that he at least pays attention in class…."
However as Port explained what it means to be a leader; Weiss was slowly growing more and more angry with the fact that Ruby was essentially going against everything that came with it, adding salt to the wound that she herself was passed over as a team lead. Furiously raising her hand to volunteer herself to fight a captured Grimm and then violently taking it down by the time that the bell rang with some….unwarranted help by Ruby.
"Bravo indeed, I can see that you are indeed capable of becoming a capable Huntress, however this marks the end of our class I'm afraid….remember to go over your notes and remember to stay vigilant." Port would dismiss the class as everyone started to disperse; Weiss was one of the first to go as she curtly ignored just about everyone with Ruby trying to follow after her.
"Trust a Schnee…." he would grumble to himself as he then stood up; he had his own plan in mind, "You guys go on ahead…I've got something to do." he would say to his team as they left with a confused look. Taking a deep breath and walking over to the other side of the class; he mustered up the courage to talk to someone else.
Blake was nonplussed by what had happened, she noticed something was wrong and decided not to add to the tension between Ruby and Weiss like Yang was trying to do as the blonde was going to try either sticking up for Ruby or reprimand Weiss for being abrasive to her little sister. As she put her books away however, she heard her name being called and looked up to see an uncomfortable looking Jae; "Jae? what is it?" she would ask him as he was standing by her.
"Blake….I was uh….I was wondering about something earlier in class….and I wanted to try talking to you about it." Jae would say, the taller boy had a rather unnerved look on his face but Blake didn't seem to mind it….or didn't seem to care considering that she didn't really show much expression outside of general boredom.
"Me specifically, why not talk about it with your team? maybe they can help you with what it is you want." she would say as she stuffed another book away.
"This is something that I uh….it's not something to do with the Grimm studies….I wanted to try learning with you in the library." Jae would try and fail to explain himself as Blake was starting to look more confused but then quickly changed into apprehension.
"Look, if this is your idea of trying to flirt with me, Jae….you're not exactly off to a good start." she said rather bluntly, "Why not just look it up in the library on your own?"
Jae would feel put on the spot as soon as she accused him of hitting on her; "Flir-No no…I'm not trying to, this is something that I wanted to try and do on my own and you're probably the one person who seems to know about it and where to look….about Demons, I mean" he would say to her, finally coming out with it.
Raising an eyebrow at both him trying to brush off the flirting comment and also the fact that he was curious in studying something that was long since outdated; Yang had gone to practice physical training and her other two teammates were too busy arguing to be around and frankly she could use the quiet of the library; "Alright….I can help you out with this but only because my Team's too noisy to be around right now." she would say as she got up and gestured for him to come with her; "Though I am serious about the flirting, if this is just an attempt to hit on me in the library….I will slap you." she would remark.
"Hehe…Good one, you won't have to worry about that." he would laugh a little nervously as he followed her, Blake's straightforwardness with this seemed to be refreshing though he wasn't sure whether she was serious about hitting him or teasing him, he wasn't going to test that.