#//pyrrha's getting a good childhood whether anyone wants it or not | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rikudiora · 4 years

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Unintentionally Seducing Emotionally Compromised Chameleons

AN: This little piece of write fuckary has been bumping around in my head for a long fucking time now. I think I laid out the groundwork for the idea about a year ago, but I haven't seriously put work into it until the past couple of weeks. As usual, it's way longer than I originally had in mind, and probably not as funny, but I'm satisfied with it ultimately. And to address the elephant in the room, of course I know Ilia enjoys the muff, but if I can make Jaune into a girl to bang Blake, then who's to fucking stop me from doing this bullshit? Enjoy some fucking primo crackshipping!

Ilia Amitola had been utterly speechless when she'd watched the human rise shakily to his feet, but when he turned around and looked back at her, speechlessness was replaced by complete thoughtlessness, her mouth falling open partially and her stomach suddenly brimming with tingles.

She blinked and then blinked once more, trying feebly to process all she'd seen; all the emotions that welled up in her head, her heart, her entire body. She'd never felt like this before. It wasn't anger, not sadness, not jealousy, and not joy either. All of those she'd experienced in the past, and subsequently learned how to deal with, thanks in most part to Blake, at least until recently. Thoughts about Adam and how much he'd changed? Same thing; she could handle them. This, on the other hand? This was completely new. Completely alien.

Ilia was well and truly stumped. And all because of a single, bloodied and bruised, yet still brightly smiling blonde boy.

Just how had she gotten herself into this situation?

Well…

XXX

'She just… left… she left us… abandoned us...'

In the most secluded corner of the airship that she could find, the only thing keeping her company being the dull rumble of the engines, Ilia sat stewing in her thoughts, her face twisted in a scowl halfway between furious and heartbroken. While not the first, this was one of the very, very, very few opportunities she'd had since the betrayal to just sit down and think about what exactly Blake had done, the weeks following the announcement having been too busy for her to fully process everything. She'd been sent on mission after mission after mission ever since the Fang had joined forces with that Cinder woman, and days had begun blurring together as she did her work and then immediately fell asleep from exhaustion, only to wake up a few hours later to do it all over again.

Anger and confusion and sadness all tumbled around in her head, each emotion only lasting for a moment before it was replaced by one of the others, and Ilia hated every single second of it. She couldn't decide what feeling was the right one, and that only put her even more on edge. She'd felt flashes of all of these emotions coming over her during the past few weeks, but it was only now that there was nothing else to interrupt her that she could truly think about them. She didn't know whether to scream, to cry, or stare blankly at the floor in front of her—whether she wanted to pummel Blake bloody or throw herself into her arms as she wept.

Her anger was the most simple to understand; Blake had been her close friend, maybe even more—unrequited though her true feelings might have been—and yet Blake had said nothing to her regarding her plans. She hadn't even had the decency to tell Ilia herself through a message or something, it had been Adam who had broken the news to everyone.

For years, Ilia had thought that they'd been fighting for the same goal, that they were both equally dedicated to their cause, but no, Blake had given up on everything without a word to anyone in the Fang! Just how many lies had she told them if it had been this easy for her to abandon them all!

Ilia's hands clenched into fist tight enough that her aura sparked around her fingers, the pain she'd felt in her chest when Adam had returned alone from the mission stabbing through her like a jagged spike of fire once more, her fury draining out of her as quickly as it had blazed up, leaving her feeling hollow and vacant inside instead.

Blake had been her first true companion in the Fang, the person she'd turned to whenever her own convictions had been shaken, and the only person Ilia had ever felt she'd happily want to spend the rest of her life with. When Blake had gotten together with Adam, she'd been disappointed like never before, but deep down she'd known that the chance of the ravenette returning her feelings had always been slim and their friendship hadn't been damaged by it either, occasional pangs jealousy not withstanding. And now Blake was simply gone.

Just as her eyes started to grow watery, Ilia was shaken from her thoughts by the distinct, heavy sound of docking clamps being engaged and the feeling of finally coming to a stop. She got up from her corner and stretched mechanically, not really consciously caring about how stiff she'd gotten from sitting still for so many hours, before picking up her bag from beside her. Her face was downcast as she stealthily joined the other passengers when they began disembarking from the airship, pretending to be just another commuter, but she felt a pair of eyes on her as she walked by some of the airship staff and she set off in a run the moment the crowd around her dispersed enough. She wasn't interested in giving them a chance to call her out. This wasn't her first time sneaking aboard a transport vessel, nor would it be the last, and she'd since long learned to recognize the signs that meant someone suspected her of getting a free ride.

With practiced ease, she melted into the throng of people outside the airship station, willing her skin to lighten and hair to do the opposite. No longer was she the mocca-skinned brunette the airship personal would be looking for. Instead, she could blend into the crowd disguised as just another fair skinned, black haired girl.

'Just like Blake...' came an unbidden thought, and a streak of blue appeared among Ilia's new tresses.

It took more effort than she'd ever like to admit to keep herself from screaming out and making a scene, but Ilia ultimately kept walking along the streets until she reached what she assumed was the city square. As the crowds around her dissipated a bit, she turned her eyes to the horizon and the mountain that overlooked the city, atop which laid her final destination and mission objective.

The world famous Hunter school; Beacon academy.

Seeing the imposing spires and towers crowning the almost castle-esque structure reminded her of her childhood, albeit faintly. She'd heard stories about the school for as long as she could remember and many years ago, she'd secretly dreamed of attending it; learning how to become the greatest fighter in the world so she could protect all of Faunus kind from both Grimm and the humans that had pushed them down so many times. Those dreams had been abandoned the moment she'd joined the Fang, however. The world didn't need more heroes, she'd learned, it simply needed justice to be served, and she wanted to be one of the ones who delivered it.

But then Blake had left, and suddenly Ilia didn't feel so certain about her goals anymore. Not when the person she'd thought would be by her side through the whole journey had abandoned her.

A deep sigh left Ilia's lungs as she tore her eyes away from Beacon. A brief glance at a nearby shop window confirmed what she already knew; yet another streak of blue had appeared in her hair, and , she a new surge of annoyance started to bubble up in the pit of her stomach. She should have more self-discipline than this. Blake was gone and it looked like any of them would be seeing her again for a very, very long time, if ever. Ilia had allowed herself to think about what it all meant, how she felt about the situation, for almost the entire ride to Vale and now she needed to suck it up, accept that her best friend had left, and move on.

"Stop being pathetic, Ilia. You have a mission to do," she whispered to herself, though the words rang hollow even to her own ears.

Unless something or someone took her place in Ilia's mind, she knew deep down that thoughts about Blake would come back to nag at her.

For now, however, Ilia managed to bury the brunt of all those feelings in the back of her mind, her appearance returning to normal. With some concentration, she even managed to make the blue lines vanish, and with that, she set off for the safehouse she'd be staying at while on her assignment. Adam would want to debrief her fully as soon as possible, and she really wasn't keen on having him berate her for being late. Not today.

When she blended in with the crowds walking along the streets of the city, no one could ever guess that there was a White Fang operative among them, and Ilia made good use of this ability to appear human. When given the opportunity, she asked around about the comings and goings of Vale and, to a lesser extent, Beacon academy, taking mental notes of hotspots and places that people suggested she avoid respectively. She learned that Beacon had begun its new term only a week previously and that there were some rather famous individuals that had arrived with the new students. Pyrrha Nikos was one of them, but what interested Ilia more was fact that the Schnee heiress herself was attending Beacon at this very moment. Adam and Sienna would surely want to hear about that little tidbit of information, if they didn't already know about it.

As Ilia started to get closer to the safehouse, more or less content with her first intelligence gathering 'operation', she suddenly tensed up, feeling a distinct sense of trepidation run up her neck. She recognized it well—she'd felt the sensation earlier that very same day in fact; someone was following her.

Pretending like she hadn't noticed, Ilia kept walking for another block or so until she reached an alleyway that she deemed inconspicuous enough, ducking into without hesitation. Once she'd gotten far enough away from the crowded street, she turned back to find that a pair of humans had taken the exact same path as her. One of them was clearly a male, on the taller side and with a face that looked supremely punchable to Ilia right about now. The other was a woman, almost as tall as the guy thanks to a wicked looking pair of high-heeled shoes, with that were features twisted in a sickly sweet smile that couldn't look more fake if there was a person behind her literally pulling on her cheeks. Both wore clothes that reeked of money that hadn't been earned through honest work and Ilia body readied itself for what she knew would inevitably come. This wasn't her first time being accosted by scum.

"Howdy there little lady. Can't say I've ever seen someone like you around these parts before," the man said as he continued to advance towards Ilia, his tone sounding outwardly casual at first. "We couldn't help but notice you've been asking a lot of questions today under what I'd call 'false pretenses' and that just doesn't sit well with people like us you see."

The lady giggled as the man gestured to the two of them and the sound seemed to scrape along Ilia's eardrums. Slowly, she started to back away from the approaching duo, her fists balling up on either side of her body. Her first instinct was to kick in the teeth of both of them and hide the bodies in a dumpster where they could lay among the other trash until they woke up again, but that would be too to conspicuous, she knew. She wasn't supposed to be a fighter, just some random Faunus girl who'd just arrived into town, so all she could do was stay silent and keep backing up.

"A Faunus walking around disguised as a human, asking a bunch of questions? That's just something good, honest folk can't overlook." Ilia cursed mentally as she realized she hadn't been as stealthy in her appearance changing as she'd thought. "I think it'd be best for everyone if you came with us to the police station and told them what you've been walking around doing. Or, if you'd prefer, the two of us could take care of you instead?"

They'd reached the end of the alley by now, the man cracking his knuckles with a poignant glare in his eyes, his female companion's smile dripping with the cruelty that Ilia had known was always there from the start.

"It's your choice, you little pest. Pick wisely," the lady finally spat, and Ilia was just about to make a run for it, when another voice made all three of their heads swivel around towards it.

"Hey! You two better leave her alone or else!"

XXX

Jaune hadn't really had any concrete idea in mind as to what he was going to do in Vale, not being very used to big cities, but he'd figured there had to be something worthwhile checking out somewhere if he kept walking for long enough. A comicbook store or an arcade maybe. He definitely hoped he came across one of these places soon, though, since boredom was starting to take its toll on him and the temptation to call the day a bust and just head back to Beacon was growing.

That's when he happened to walk past a certain inconspicuous and outwardly ordinary alleyway. It was by mere coincidence that Jaune's eyes found themselves turning to look down the alley, but what he saw made every ounce of dullness he'd felt only moments before disappear.

The Faunus girl caught his gaze first, her expression and body language screaming discomfort to him, and he was already moving by the time he'd noticed the clearly threatening words coming from the two humans' mouths. He recognized their tones; it was the same way of speaking that he'd heard from Cardin. When he was halfway into the alley, however, the certainty he'd had about his actions suddenly shook in his gut, and hesitation crept into his steps. Was he really doing this? Was this the right thing to do?

Again, Jaune's eyes came to rest on the young female Faunus' face, and the answer become crystal clear to him. This was what heroes did. What Arcs did. What he had gone to Beacon for.

His voice echoed between the buildings on either side of them all before he'd even had time to think about what he should say, and he set his jaw when both the scumbag looking man and foul sounding woman stopped mid step before turning around to look at him.

For a moment, the two of them only looked at him, and Jaune did his best to keep his glare at them level and unwavering. Nervousness gnawed at his gut, but he refused to look away or turn his back on this now. After a couple of seconds that felt more like hours, the man sneered at him and cocked his head.

"Get the hell out of here kid. This has nothing to do with you. If you know what's best for ya, you'll run off and pretend you never saw us before. Otherwise, this'll get real ugly for you."

Jaune's hands flexed as he deliberately took another step forward, only now noticing that the bastard of a man was a fair bit bigger than him. He told himself it didn't matter; that he was a Hunter in training and that he'd seen far worse things already. This guy was nothing compared to a Deathstalker or Nevermore.

"I said to leave her alone. Or you two are gonna be sorry." Jaune could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Not even he knew where these words were coming from, but he stood by them, his resolve reaffirming itself whenever he glanced over at the Faunus girl.

"You threatening me, brat? Andover some stupid, lowlife Faunus?" the bastard growled back.

"The only lowlifes here are the two of you. Now leave. Her. Alone." Jaune could feel a fire begin to burn in his belly, adrenaline entering his system.

"Sympathizer trash," the bastard muttered and then both he and Jaune moved towards one another again.

It all happened in a flash, so fast that Jaune had a hard time keeping up with it. The bastard had thrown the first punch, but before it could actually hit him, the air right in front of Jaune's face had crackled with energy, stopping the blow. He still felt the impact, staggering back a step, but there wasn't any pain, realization dawning on him.

'My aura...' Jaune thought triumphantly, a swell of confidence rising up inside him as it was his turn to hurl a fist that took the bastard square in the chest. He could do this. He was a Hunter. Hunters fought Grimm—defeated Grimm! Ordinary humans couldn't compete with people like them!

As the bastard stumbled back with a loud oof, Jaune felt another feeling creep in the back of his mind his victory shortlived. Should he really be using this newfound strength on humans, regardless of if they were racist shitheads or not? The question rang in his head as he sidestepped the bastard's wild retaliation, the fire in his belly suddenly joined by a heaviness that unsettled him.

This new kind of uncertainty was just the kind of distraction Jaune couldn't afford to think about, he realized when the bastard took advantage of his hesitation and grappled him, shoving him back against the wall of the alleyway and following it up with a knee right into Jaune's gut. This time, there was nothing to protect him from the full force of the blow, and Jaune felt his breath get dragged right out of his lungs.

Suddenly, stars began to dance in front of his eyelids and pain exploded from his temple, the full impact of the punch he just received taking a second to register. It was quickly followed by another, this one square in the middle of Jaune's face, a wet trickle down his chin teaming up with the pain to further overload his senses.

"I told you this would happen, brat!"

The words were enough to finally knock Jaune out of his stupor, his eyes blinking open just in time to see the bastard next incoming fist. He gritted his teeth and did his best to endure the hit, not content with being a punching bag anymore.

Jaune could feel his split lip start to swell up and blood running running from his nose as he struggled to push the bastard away from him, but with a wall against his back, a hand gripping his collar tightly, and a dumpster to his side, he couldn't go anywhere. Pain throbbed dully in his head as the bastard's fist collided with his cheek again and again, the cruel laughter of the stupid lady ringing faintly in the background.

Eventually, Jaune felt himself stop squirming as his energy was draining out of him bit by bit with every blow to his face, strength slowly diminishing. At the same time, however, he also noticed the bastard's punches had also slowed down, the gap between them growing larger and their impact not shaking him as much. His vision was swimming, but Jaune could still focus just enough to make out the bastard's ugly mug, his unnaturally white teeth bared in a sadistic grin as he took deep, panting breaths. It was only a second's reprieve, Jaune knew, but it was all he needed. As the bastard's arm wound back again, Jaune grabbed his collar as well and slammed his forehead against the bastard's nose with all the might he could muster.

The wet crack that came from the bastard's nose being broken really shouldn't have been so damn satisfying to Jaune's ears, but right about now it really sounded downright musical. From his side, he heard the lady shout in alarm, but Jaune's focus was still on the bastard. Clutching his profusely bleeding nostrils, the bastard stumbled backwards enough for Jaune to deliver a haymaker into the bastard's exposed throat, the bastard letting out a strangled gurgle when he crumpled pathetically to the ground.

Jaune was just about to turn to see how the Faunus girl was doing when he too met the ground, a splitting pain arching up his spine and locking his legs. He barely caught the sight of the stupid lady rushing past him to where the bastard was writhing, the realization that she'd kicked him squarely in the back registering in Jaune's head.

With his world spinning and his legs not wanting to cooperate, Jaune could only watch as the stupid lady pulled the bastard up before they ran out of the alleyway, curses flying back over their shoulders, Jaune only now noticing the gnarled look of the bastard's knuckles. Finally, the pair of lowlifes rounded the corner, leaving Jaune and the Faunus girl all alone.

'Guess Noir was right, I really do have a thick skull,' Jaune thought to himselfas his vertigo passed, a tired chuckle leaving his lips.

With the help of the dumpster that had trapped him before, he got his legs underneath him and was pleasantly surprised that his balance wasn't that hard to find. His ears were still ringing a bit and his whole face hurt like hell, but none of that mattered. It all fell into the back of his mind when he saw the Faunus girl behind him was alright. Through the pain, the ringing, and the blood still dripping from his nose, a smile broke out on his features; bright and filled with relief.

He'd done it. He'd managed to protect her.

"You're not hurt are you?" Jaune asked after a moment of silence had passed between them, figuring that the Faunus girl didn't look like she was planning on saying anything. "I'd offer to show you to a hospital or something, but I don't really know my way around town yet, sadly, so I'd probably just get us completely lost." Concern marred his voice even as his smile remained and he tried to lighten the air between them.

That's when he realized he should probably introduce himself before it was too late.

XXX

When Ilia heard the boy speak, her whole chest felt like it suddenly flipped upside down, stunning her even further. There was none of the hardness in his tone that he'd used on the two other humans, no suspicion regarding what had happen, no anger from being injured because of her. Instead, all of it was replaced with by tentative, but undeniably cheerful words that made a small bit warmth blossom in the deepest recesses of her recently scarred heart, like a candle beginning to light up a darkened room. She'd never had a human speak to her like this before.

Never had a human fight for her before.

It was crazy, Ilia thought. After all this human had just gone through, he was now asking if she was okay when it was his face that was currently covered in both his own and the other, openly disgusting human's blood, followed by making a joke?

Just who the hell was this guy?

As if to answer Ilia's mental question, the human spoke up again.

"The name's Jaune, by the way. Jaune Arc. Rolls- never mind," her 'savior' said, though he seemed to stop himself mid-sentence with an awkward cough. Then he smiled at her again, and Ilia suddenly felt like her knees were growing weak.

'Jaune Arc...'

Ilia had lived practically her whole adolescent life by one principle that she thought would always be true: When push came to shove, humans would only look out for other humans, and as such Faunus were the only ones that would ever look out for other Faunus. She'd joined the White Fang for just that reason, to make sure her people were protected. But then here comes a human and gets himself beaten bloody just to protect her. It just didn't make sense

'Jaune Arc...'

Paranoia tried to worm its way into Ilia's head, but it failed to find any purchase. When she looked at the human—at Jaune—and his bright smile especially, she didn't detect any ulterior motives lurking behind his features. In the Fang, one of the things Ilia had prided herself the most on was her ability to read people and get information out of them, and right now, as her pale gray eyes met his strikingly deep blue, there wasn't any dishonesty for her to uncover. In one fell swoop, this strange boy had managed to all but steamroll right through how Ilia was used to perceiving the world around her, cracking it in much the same way as he'd cracked the nose of the asshole.

'Jaune… Arc… I like the sound of that name...' Ilia found herself thinking, her body slowly but surely losing the tension that had built up ever since she'd noticed the two other humans following her.

It was only then that she noticed just how long she'd spent being silent, and her mouth opened before she had the time to formulate any words herself.

"I-Ilia!" she exclaimed with all the grace of a flying washing machine, her cheeks flushing from just how strange Jaune was making her feel. 'Get a grip, Ilia!'

"I'm Ilia," she clarified after clearing her throat.

For the third time now, Jaune smiled at her, and for a third time Ilia felt something inside herself light up simply from seeing it. A light that she couldn't remember ever feeling before. It was just so different from how humans had treated her in the past—how she more or less thought they were supposed to treat her.

"I would say it's nice to meet you, Ilia, but I think we both know we could have met under far more pleasant circumstances," Jaune said with a small chuckle that did indescribable things to Ilia's insides, as did hearing her name coming from his lips.

Suddenly, just as she thought she might be able to relax slightly, Ilia felt a burst of panic in her chest as Jaune's eyes first flicked to the ground and he then began to walk towards her. She found herself frozen as he approached, unable to get her tongue working inside her mouth, the word 'don't' disappearing from her brain, but then Jaune stopped. She watched silently as he picked up the bag she'd been carrying with her all day long, dusting it off before crossing the last bit of distance between them, the two of them now standing close enough to touch one another if either of them tried. She hadn't even realized she'd dropped it until now.

Jaune offered her the bag with a slight twitch of his eye telling of the pain that lifting anything in his condition brought, but Ilia could only stare at him for a brief moment.

It wasn't some grandiose act of heroism, nor was it the first time someone had performed some manner of polite gesture for Ilia, but after all that she'd just seen Jaune do for her—not just a complete stranger but a Faunus on top of it all—and coupled with the stress of the past couple of weeks, it was as if something simply changed in her head.

Like a switch had been flipped.

In a world that only existed as a quasi-visualized amalgamation of Ilia's thoughts, dreams, wishes, and regrets, the crudely drawn face of one Blake Belladonna—an image that had existed in the very back of Ilia's subconscious for many, many years, albeit in numerous different forms—was abruptly and unceremoniously crossed out with something that looked like crayon. In its place stood a majestic portrait of a tall, blonde haired, sapphire eyed young man, seemingly detailed by the most masterful of brushstrokes. His upper body was bereft of any clothing, displaying his rippling and almost impossibly beautiful physique in perfect detail; powerful muscles that looked simultaneously hardened to a point where they could surely stop bullets and soft enough to provide the ideal form of comfort and warmth if wrapped around a loved one covering his broad shoulders and arms.

His face was that of a boy on the very cusp of manhood, with features that still carried softness but would surely soon harden into something unfathomably handsome and rugged. His eyes looked as deep as the very oceans themselves, as if one could get lost and drown in them if they weren't careful, all whilst hiding troves upon troves of emotions; alluring like they'd been carved from the very gemstone they could be likened with.

Held between his teeth, only further accentuating his inviting expression, was a single rose, a few beads of morning dew still clinging to its petals. Were one of these drops to fall, it wouldn't be difficult to imagine the twists and turns it would take running down the man's chest, drawing even more attention to his body if such a thing was even possible. The image was beauty itself, actually radiating its own brilliant golden light within Ilia's vivid imagination, and somehow she knew exactly what the only appropriate name for this portrait had to be.

"Jaune Arc."

From within Ilia's subconscious, the image of the young man was projected through her brain onto the boy before her, igniting fires throughout her body that she had never felt before. She dumbly accepted her bag and it was the jolt that suddenly passed through her when their hands brushed against one another that finally brought her back to the present.

Yet, for some reason, despite Jaune not looking anything like the picture that had just appeared in her mind, the heat that had sprung up in her chest and traveled out into every one of her limbs remained. If anything, it got even stronger as she looked at his blood smeared features and half-torn shirt. What he'd just done for her replayed itself before her eyes and slowly but surely the disbelief she'd held was being replaced by other emotions; emotions that only added coal to the fire.

"T-thank you..." she mumbled almost dreamily, her cheeks darkening. "For everything."

"It was nothing, really. Wouldn't have been right for me to just walk by and not do anything. Not when I could help," Jaune said, his sincerity once more leaving her feeling flushed all over.

'No one would have blamed you if you had, though… not when it was just a Faunus… you could have walked away… could have left me to fend for myself... but you didn't...'

It didn't matter to Ilia that she could have taken care of the situation herself, or that she was undoubtedly a more skilled fighter than Jaune; the mere fact that he had risked his well being for her sake continued to resonate in her heart. She found herself smiling up at him, only now realizing just how tall he was compared to her, though unlike the human from before or Adam, Jaune's size didn't seem imposing. Not to her. He just looked big.

And Ilia found herself liking that.

"I, uh, heard about how, well, bad life could be for Faunus here in Vale before I got here, but I didn't really believe it until today, honestly. I'm sorry. For what they said and tried to, you know, do." Jaune's tone had turned more somber and serious suddenly, the brightness on his face dimming too. "They- we are not all like that, I promise. There are good humans out there too."

"I know. I'm looking right at one," Ilia found herself replying almost immediately.

It was now Jaune's turn to blush and look away, one of his hands coming up to scratch the back of his neck, and Ilia's heart all but stopped for a second or two, as she was fairly certain she'd never seen anything more adorable in her whole life. She needed to see him do it again in the future, she quickly decided. In the near future preferably.

"So, Jaune... from what you said earlier, I take it you're new to Vale?" Ilia asked after a moment, silently berating herself for just how cliche the question was while simultaneously relishing in any excuse that possibly let her talk to him some more.

Along with enjoying the tingle she felt when she said his name.

"Yeah, something along those lines. I've never really been in a big city like this before, my hometown didn't exactly prepare me for it all," Jaune answered, only to hesitate for a split second before continuing. "I'm a... Beacon student, actually. Hunter-in-training and all that. Leader of team JNPR." Though he was still smiling at her, Ilia couldn't help but notice the oddly reserved way in which Jaune now spoke. There was pride in his words, she could feel, but something else too, and she couldn't deny her surprise that someone with his skills, or lack thereof, had been admitted to Beacon of all places.

There was clearly something going on here that went beyond just the surface.

"You're going to be a Hunter then?" Ilia did her best to keep the disbelief she felt out of her voice, quickly feeling relieved when Jaune nodded without showing any signs of being incensed by her question.

"I hope so," he said earnestly, his eyes taking on a far-off look for a moment. "My family have always been heroes in some way in the past, always fighting to keep everyone safe, and I just can't break that tradition. I need to be just like they were. Need to be one of them, you know? I want to protect people too, like us Arcs are supposed to do." When Jaune looked at Ilia again, there was a fire in his eyes. Conviction the likes of which she didn't think she'd seen before, born from the seriousness with which he spoke about heroes.

Ilia was no stranger to lofty speeches meant to inspire and stir the hearts of people. She'd listened more than she could over the past decade of her life, whether they be from fat-cat humans who wanted more power and money, or from her seniors in the White Fang when they tried to fill them all with the motivation needed to keep moving forwardi. She'd learned long ago how to filter herself through the bluster and grand exclamations to actually hear what was being said. That's why it shocked her when she didn't feel any need to pick apart Jaune's words.

Instead, thanks to the portrait that her subconscious had painted for her before, Ilia saw something different than just another human spilling hot air when Jaune spoke. On the fields of imagination that rolled eternally inside her mind, rode a knight in ornate, gold and ivory armor that gleamed in the brilliant sun shining from on above. His head was helmetless, a bright visage with a mane of hair that seemed to be made out of golden warmth itself. He had a smile that told of glory and victory, of safety and protection, and of strength tempered by unyielding resolve, and the eyes of a warrior who knew he fought for a good cause.

His horse was the purest of whites, unsullied by even a speck of dirt and with not a single hair from its mane out of place even as it billowed in the gentle breeze that flowed over the mind-born meadows. The steed too radiated strength, seemingly bolstered by its master's own convictions. The pair together looked like they could lead an army of a hundred thousand men and women into battle and return home with twice as many as when they left, not a drop of blood on any of them.

In short, Ilia's mind conjured an image of a hero. A hero whose form slowly melted onto Jaune Arc, with his eyes remaining as resolute as ever the whole time, the sight causing Ilia's blush to spread even further across her features, going so far as to darken her ears.

Somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind, the gestalt consciousness of Ilia's unaware cognition, whose appearance could be likened to that of a weird gremlin, rubbed its hands together with satisfaction, feeling very proud of its accomplishments that day, before going off to take an early lunch.

When Ilia once again came back from dream-land, she quickly realized that she must have stayed silent for too long, as Jaune had a look of embarrassment in his face much like the one that made her heart stop before. A phenomenon that repeated itself with no less intensity.

"I know it sounds silly, trust me, but it's always been my goal ever since I first heard the stories of my family. One day, I want my grand kids to be able to listen to tales about my sisters and I and maybe be inspired in some way too. If not, well, then I'm just not enough of an Arc and won't matter in the end," Jaune explained.

Ilia went to reply, to tell him that she'd had similar dreams of being a hero in the past too, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of bells ringing in the distance, announcing the new hour.

"Oh damn, it's that late already?" Jaune mumbled to himself, pulling out a scroll from his pocket and confirming the time for himself. He looked panicked suddenly and started to turn on his heel before stopping and swiveling back around to Ilia. "Sorry, but I have to run! The last Bullheads are gonna be leaving any minute now and I have no idea how to get back to Beacon if I miss them! It was really nice to meet youandIhopewecanseeeachotheragainokaybyeeeee!"

A blinking Ilia was left in the alley as she watched the first human to ever fight for her sprint off like he hadn't taken a severe beating not an hour earlier. She wanted to call after him, tell him thanks one last time if nothing else, but in the end she stayed silent, indecisiveness restraining her voice for what felt like the hundredth time today...

Only for an urge to burst forth inside of her that made an image appear in her head.

When Jaune had disappeared from her line of sight, Ilia felt as if she was left at a crossroads. If she looked down one of the paths, she saw Adam waiting for her, his permanently scowling face making her stomach curl. She could easily imagine what he'd say when she reported in, how he'd scold her for being late and not truly caring about her reasons if she chose to explain what had happened to her. In another life, it was a path that she'd never consider taking, regardless of if she was on a mission or not. She knew she had a duty to the Fang, but things were changing for all of them lately, and the organization that she'd once called her only home didn't feel like itself anymore.

Mentally turning her gaze to the other path, however, filled Ilia's chest with that strange warmth. Instead of Adam's cold, uncaring mug, there was a different figure, wearing a smile. A smile that had implanted itself deep inside of her heart already, and in the state that she was in currently, with everything that happened today and the weeks leading up to this moment, that was all that it took for Ilia to stash away her bag in a hidden enough location and head after the blonde Beacon student who made her feel all these things in the first place.

After all, Adam would yell at her no matter what, so what was the harm in her delivering her report a few hours late?

Or, perhaps, she could hand it in the next morning instead...?

XXX

Jaune grimaced as Nora dabbed at his sore nose with the disinfectant soaked piece of gauze in her hand, an apologetic look appearing on her face whenever he let out any sounds of discomfort. He'd tried telling everyone that it was fine, that he didn't need anyone looking over him, and that it didn't actually hurt anymore, but his team hadn't bought his lies, with Pyrrha all but throwing into a seat on the couch so that he could be examined thoroughly.

Currently, she was hurrying around the common room looking frantically for the gauze and bandages that both Nora and Ren had told her multiple times that they'd already found, but the information didn't seem to penetrate the almost visible layer of worry around her head.

It kind of reminded Jaune of how his sisters had acted whenever he'd fallen and skimmed his knee or something; all but panicking like he could die from spontaneous blood loss at any moment. He felt a bit guilty for finding the sight rather funny to observe, especially considering how levelheaded he'd thought Pyrrha always was. It was kinda refreshing to see that she couldn't contain herself all the time, a fact that Jaune put away in his brain for the future. He should never forget that Pyrrha was a human just like him, champion or not.

"Sorry Jaune, but this is gonna sting. A lot."

Despite Nora's warning, Jaune almost jumped out of his seat when she prodded hard at his cheek, a despairing groan shaking around in his throat.

"Yeesh Vomit-boy, how'd ya manage to get this roughed up? You look like an Ursa used you as a mattress," the voice of Yang rang out into the room with the eponymous blonde herself flopping down into a chair to Jaune's side. Along with her was Ruby and Weiss, both of them standing for the time being, but the team's fourth was nowhere to be seen at the moment.

"I- ugh! I-I kinda got into a fight while I was in Vale," Jaune replied with a pained smile, feeling a small bit of pride from his deed.

At the mention of the word 'fight', all eyes in the room suddenly snapped towards Jaune, and he didn't even have time to blink before both Yang and Ruby were right in his face, their expressions practically the perfect antithesis of the other's.

"Ohohohoho! You need to tell me everything that happened right now! Spare no details! How many guys were there? Did you knock any of them out? Did you break any legs?!" Yang demanded to know gleefully, stars practically shining in her eyes. Somehow, he'd managed to trigger her happy-mode, and as it stood, Jaune wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not considering how Yang was all but vibrating on the spotwith sudden excitement.

Ruby, meanwhile, looked like she'd just burst into the hospital room of her dearest friend that had just been in a horrific, 150 car pile-up on the freeway.

"You were in a fight!? With who?! What kind of monster did this to you!? Do you know where they are!?" she asked in rapid succession, gripping his hand with enough force that Jaune was sure he could practically hear his bones creak.

"I-it was just the one guy!" Jaune stammered out in quick response as he tried, and failed, to lean away from the distraught and respectively elated pair of sisters. "I saw him and some other lady threatening this Faunus girl as I was walking past an alley, so I rushed in and tried to get them to leave her alone. They weren't listening and just told me to get lost, but I stayed, and long story short, the guy and I fought until I headbutted him in the face and punched him in the throat. Then the lady kicked me in the back and they ran off."

As he regaled the assembled group of Hunter-in-training with his daily exploits, he saw a large swathe of different emotions across all their faces.

Ruby had turned from heartbroken to something that bordered on starstruck, apparently her turn now to be excited. To further prove the old adage about actions need equal and opposite reactions, Yang's fire was seemingly thoroughly doused by his words, however, and she didn't need to say anything for him to see the signs of distrust on her features. One glance at Nora told him that she shared Ruby's newfound energy, pride beaming at him from her wide grin, and it was impossible for him to not return the smile. Ren looked far more reserved, though that was to be expected, but he too had a slight upwards quirk to his lips, an approving air coming off him. Jaune's eyes had to search for a moment to find Weiss among the crowd, and his heart fell a little in his chest when he saw her almost bored looking expression and upraised eyebrow, her disbelief clearly written in her eyes.

Just a step away from all of them, a black aura of malicious energy begun to build around Pyrrha Nikos, her mind slowly filling with plots of murder and violence enacted upon those who had hurt her precious blonde bean. It was dispelled in an instant, however, when she heard Jaune let out a new, pained yelp, and she immediately returned to looking for any and all medical supplies available.

"That's amazing, Jaune. You acted just like a Huntsman is supposed to!" Ruby said enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" Nora agreed with just as much bubbly excitement, throwing an arm around Jaune's shoulders. "You're a total hero!"

Their celebratory mood was clearly dampened, however, when Yang chimed in, her tone clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

"Sorry to have to ask this, but was that really what happened, Jaune? It sounds pretty cliché, not gonna lie."

"What the heck Yang! Jaune wouldn't lie about something like this! And weren't you the one who wanted to know all the 'juicy details' not one minute ago?" Ruby protested before Jaune had a chance to do more than open his mouth, her face morphed into an aghast mask.

"I thought he'd ran into some bar-thugs or something who thought they could take on someone with aura! There are loads of those kinds of douchebags in Vale!" Yang quickly raised her hands in a placating manner when Ruby suddenly appeared in front of her in a flutter of rose petals.

"Yang is right, Ruby."

Again, all the heads in the room turned, but this time towards Weiss, whose face was practically ice cold as she regarded Jaune, the look in her eyes sending a very unpleasant shiver down his spine.

"Not you too, Weiss..." Ruby whined feebly, but her partner's gaze didn't move away from Jaune.

"Loathe as I am to admit it, Arc, you do have a remarkably large supply of aura, so the idea of a single ordinary human breaking through it to pummel you sounds awfully far-fetched to me. If what you're saying is the truth, then why weren't you able to pacify this braggart with little to no effort? I say it seems far more likely you simply tripped and hurt yourself that way."

Weiss' accusatory tone cut straight into Jaune's heart, but as much as he longed to avert his eyes and slump in his seat beneath her frosty disposition, he knew he was telling the truth. That what had happened with Ilia wasn't just some lie he made up to seem heroic.

"I did have my aura. At least at first," Jaune began, thinking back to the feeling of unease that had filled him when the asshole's first punch had just stopped right in front of his face. "He swung at me and his fist just seemed to skid off the air, and I hit him right back, which sent him stumbling. I didn't even use any real force in the shove, honestly, but he still almost landed right on his ass. But then..."

His hands balled in his lap as he recalled the surge of power he'd felt all throughout his body in that moment, how invincible he'd been compared to a normal human. And how wrong it had felt at the same time.

"My aura just kinda… shut down? I guess?" Jaune shrugged, cheek and nose hurting again from the memory that was so fresh in his head. "I can't really explain it. I started thinking about if using aura against a human, even if he was a racist scumbag, was really okay or not. The next thing I know he's got me against the wall of the alley, just punching me over and over again. I thought I was gonna pass out. I managed to headbutt him, though, when he stopped to take a breath. Broke his nose, I'm pretty sure. That's what happened, I swear on my mother's honor."

"Wait a sec, have you never fought other humans before?" Yang asked, sounding confused.

Instantly, Jaune realized he'd said exactly the wrong thing, revealing more of his inexperience than he'd intended.

"O-of course I have!" he lied hastily. "It's just that my hometown was really quiet and calm compared to a city like Vale so I haven't run into any people like that racist before. I've done sparring and stuff, naturally. Just never with someone who didn't also have aura."

His rapid thinking earned him a moment of respite as it seemed like everyone believed his explanation, with the exception of Weiss who continued to look at him with a suspicious glint in her icy blue eyes.

"So… this girl you saved, did you manage to get her name?" Ruby interjected after a moment of silence, letting Jaune relax slightly.

"I would very much like to know this too," Pyrrha agreed, speaking up for the first time since forcing Jaune to undergo a checkup, her arms filled with more syringes, dubious pill bottles, haphazardly wrapped bandages, and new gauze than Jaune thought any other person might reasonably carry, but somehow she managed without much effort, seemingly.

"She said her name was Ilia. Didn't catch her last name. I'm guessing she was some kind of lizard Faunus or something. Her skin was very odd looking and had these dots that kept changing colors. Mostly different shades of pink and red," as he described Ilia, Jaune went to take out his scroll, only to realize far too late that he'd forgotten to ask for her number or anything in his rush to catch one of the last Bullheads back to Beacon.

The knowledge saddened him for a moment, since even just from the small conversation they'd shared, he thought Ilia seemed nice, despite looking at him in a kind of weird way. He promised himself that he'd learn from their meeting, however. That there were some absolutely rotten people out there, people who were just as bad as the Grimm, and this wouldn't be the last time he ran into them. Next time, he needed to be more ready to use his aura, even against humans like that. He only had one goal here in Beacon, he reminded himself:

No matter what, Jaune Arc was going to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. Like his relatives had. Like heroes did.

Just as the tense air that had started to build up in the common room lifted and Nora went back to cleaning Jaune's face, Blake came wandering into the room, a book with an oddly blank cover held protectively in her hands. When her eyes landed on him and his injuries, Jaune could have sworn that he saw the ribbon on her head move like there was something living inside it, but he waved the thought off.

"What happened to you?" Blake asked.

"Jaune forgot how to use his aura mid-fight," Yang gleefully explained, much to both Ruby and Jaune's chagrin, not that the fiery blonde cared when they started protesting.

XXX

Clinging to the side of one of Beacon's myriad towers, a pair of binoculars covering her eyes, was one Ilia Amitola, her form disguised as an amorphous gray blob against the building. Through her binoculars, she could easily look through the window on the tower just opposite her, on the other side of which sat the boy who made her feel such strange things. She was glad to see that someone seemed to be taking care of Jaune's wounds, though she also couldn't help but notice how quickly the blonde seemed to heal on his own. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear what was being said, but from reading the body languages of everyone in the room—with the exception of the last person to arrive who she couldn't make out thanks to an awfully convenient glare in the glass—Ilia had to assume that it had to do with Jaune coming to her rescue.

How he'd been her glorious, strapping savior in shining armor, yet somehow still with his rippling, masculine physique revealed for the world, and her, to see and marvel at-

Ilia had to shake her head to stop her thoughts going down that rabbit hole for the millionth time that day. She had Jaune-watching to do, and she couldn't afford any distractions.

Especially not distractions in the form of her silenced scroll which was going off with messages regarding her whereabouts every few minutes. She could take care of them later. Or maybe the next day...

AN: Chapter 2? Yes? No? Go die in a fire? You decide! If y'all want more, I'll give you more!

Maxaro out!

#Orientation play #RWBY #Fanfiction #Jaune Arc #Ilia Amitola #Adam Taurus #Blake Belladonna #Humor #Romance #kinda #If you squint #Dorkmeleon

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littlemisssquiggles · 4 years

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Ok so. Oscar as Nene (got drag to supernatural stuff like Os got drag to become a huntsman) Ruby as Hanako (playful, deeper than you think, family issue🤣😂) Jaune as Kou Pyrrha as Mitsuba GO BRAINSTORM NOW YA KNOW THE STORY OF HANAKO KUN🤣😂❤️❤️❤️

Hehehe,indeed I do know the story of Hanako-kun,Ly. Especially now that I’m all caught up with both the anime and the mangaseries. Although I will say this though, theanime adaptation of the Mitsuba chapter was one hundred times moreheartbreaking to see play out in animated form. I mean it was alreadysaddening to read about in the manga when I first started but to see it now infull living colour…my heart. Dem feelsman!

Andto imaging Pyrhha Nikkos being Jaune’sMitsuba in a RWBY-inspired Hanako universe is so tragically fitting thatit’s bloody perfect. Y’know it was actually @mojo72400 who first suggested thepotential of a Rosegarden AU based on Hanako-kun. However at the time, I ridiculouslythought that Toilet-Bound Hanako-kunwas about a anime girl who had to survive the social ladder of highschool witha terrible condition that forced to suffer from infrequent trips to the toilet.That’s what the title made me think the story was about. I know that soundssilly in hindsight but can you blame with a title like that? Now imagine howpleasantly surprised I was to realize that TBH was definitely better than I canever imagined.

Anyways,that being said, now that I’ve familiarized myself with the Hanako-universe(and have officially joined its fandom community---Whaddup my toilet-bounddudes!) you can bet your bum that I’m definitely game for a Barn- Bound Ruby Rose RWBY Rosegarden AU and I second the idea of Oscar Pine being the Nene ofthis universe.

Oh!But instead of Oscar being afflicted with the Mermaid’s Curse, let say…that Oscar’s curse is called the Pumpkinhead curse.

Likeimagine…Oscar being a farm-bred countrypumpkin who had to move to the city to attend high school and becauseof this, he’s affectionately been christened the nickname of “country pumpkin” by his peers.

Let’s say…that much like Nene, Oscar’sstory was that he had a crush on one of his upperclassman and wanted to make awish to change his appearance so that his crush could finally notice him andmaybe become his girlfriend. Let’s say…that having grown up on a farm far outin the countryside, Oscar has always dreamed of living in the city and hadbasically dreamt up this little fantasy of what his dream “highschool experience”would be and for the sake of this AU, one of his ambitions was somehow becomingthe proud lovingly devoted boyfriend of the most popular girl at school.

Nowaccording to rumours around the school, Oscar’s crush liked “tall handsome city boys” so unfortunatelyfor Oscar, his small, cute farm boy look wasn’t going to cut it for him inwinning over the affection of his future girlfriend.

Atfirst Oscar thought that his luck with his crush might not change until heheard a rumour about one of the schools Seven Mysteries. Mystery No. 7---TheRuby Rose of the Abandoned Barn house in the back of the school compound.Basically the deal was that the Ruby Rose was supposed to be some kind ofsupernatural jinn who grant one wish to anyone who is able to successfullysummon it.

Longstory short, Oscar goes to the barn in hopes that he could successfully summonthe Ruby Rose. But to Oscar’s surprise, rather than summoning a super imposingmystical genie of the magic arts here to grant him any wish he so desired likehe had imagined in his impressionable overactive farm boy imagination, Oscarinstead finds a ghost girl dressed in a red hood who addresses herself as RubyRose.

Basicallythe idea I’m having here is that before making the choice to go live in thecity, Oscar lived a rather sheltered life in a small town where the only thinghe had to connect with were books that his aunt would lend him. So because ofthis, let’s say Oscar has a skewed,child-like impression of what the real world is. In a nutshell, he’s very naïve. Not stupid. Just gullibleenough to believe a silly school rumour about a supernatural being who cangrant him his wish to make him desirable enough for his crush to love him.

(YesI know that sounds silly and totally out of character for Oscar but since Oscaris meant to be Nene here I tried to give him the key Nene-isms---her thirst for the love of the oppositesex--- while maintaining some of his canonical RWBY traits).

Anyways;like I said---Oscar successfully summons Ruby: He didn’t really have to domuch. Just leave a plate of chocolate chip cookies and milk in the centre ofthe room while say “Ruby Rose” three times.

Howevershenanigans happen which result in Oscar failing to get his wish from Ruby who,as it turnt out, can’t really do anything to change Oscar’s appearance.

Thisthen leads to Oscar eating a cursed cookie that he took off of Ruby.Let’s say…the cookie is heart-shapedwith red velvet icing and strawberry hearts on one side while the other side wasdecorated like a Halloween pumpkin face.

Let’s say…the idea behind thecookie---the Cursed Pumpernickelcookie--- is that should two people share the cookie, they would be boundedtogether for all eternity and live a lifetime of love, happily ever after.However should the pair’s love not be mutually reciprocated with only one halfof the cookie being eaten, the recipient of the eaten half shall fall prey tothe Pumpkinhead curse.

Thisis what ends up befalling poor Oscar. The idea I had was that, much like Nene,Oscar pilfered Cursed Pumpernickel off of Ruby while she was sifting throughher pocket for another token to help him “woo” his crush.

Whenasked about the cookie, Ruby harmlessly informs Oscar about the “power” of thePumpernickel cookie, not thinking that Oscar would ever be so foolish enough to actually eat itknowing the details of its curse. However, unfortunately for Ruby, Oscar wasthat foolish and eats one of half of the Pumpernickel cookie with the intentionof giving the other half to his crush to bind them together forever.

Let’s say…in this AU, Oscar’s crush is Neon Katt. Like Oscarhas had a crush on her since his first day of high school, falling head overheels in love with her just because she and her friends were close with Oscar’supperclassman pals and Neo was always super nice and affectionate withOscar---y’know like your best friend being nice to your kid brother who has anobvious crush on her type of scenario.

SoOscar goes to give Neon the other half of the Pumpernickel but as he does,their moment is interrupted by Flynt. Let’ssay…in this AU, Flynt and Neon areclose childhood best friends who’ve secretly had feelings for each other foryears. (Because in the squiggle shire, we still ship Funky Cat or whatever the name of Flynt x Neon’s ship is). So Flyntconfesses his love to Neon and much to Oscar’s heartache, Neon reciprocates hisfeelings. She even forgets that Oscar was even standing there before Flyntreminds her of his presense.

Butas Neon goes to take the reaming half of the Pumpernickel that Oscar was aboutto offer her, Oscar, doing his best to hide his sadness, makes up some cock andbull story about the cookie being bad and no longer good enough to give Neonanymore. He then congratulates Flynt and Neon on their newfound relationshipbefore running off; claiming to be returning to class.

Assaid, Oscar is heartbroken---realizing how foolishhe had been for pursuing Neon. But before Oscar could lament on hisfoolishness, he is suddenly overtaken by the Pumpkinhead Curse. Oscar is turned into a pumpkin. Thenext thing Oscar knows he opens what he assumesto be his eyes, looking up to find Ruby standing over him. However for some oddreason, Oscar could no longer feel his hands or his legs. He suddenly feels very, very different.

Itis then when Ruby holds up a mirror to Oscar to show his new pumpkin body---asmall bright orange pumpkin with a fluffy head of leaves and vines which Rubyhad been kind enough to carve out his eyes and mouth so he could see and talkto her. She even took the liberty of carving out tiny holes where Oscar’sfreckles would be on his face.

WhyI like the concept of Oscar’s curse being the Pumpkinhead curse is, not justbecause it was inspired by the Oz character of the same name but mainly becauseof a quote that Jack Pumpkinhead said after he had first come to life:

“…It will take me alittle time to discover whether I am very wise or very foolish…”

Ilike the idea of Oscar winding up cursed because his affection for Neon and hisdesperation to have her return his feelings had made him foolish in his pursuitof love or something along those lines. I like this idea just as much as I likethe idea of those afflicted with the Pumpkinhead Curse ending up becomingpumpkins to be added to the patch of a supernatural entity known as the PumpkinKing.

Y’knowhow in Hanako, we had the Mermaid Queen apparition who told Nene that if shebecame her servant she would be loved by her and her fish people? Well for thisAU, my idea is that Oscar would become apumpkin in the Pumpkin King’s Patch to be marriedoff to one of his literal spoiled rotten pumpkin-headed children. Sobasically by being cursed, Oscarunintentionally set himself up to become the future groom to the Pumpkin King’s eldest daughter whose been knownto eat her husbands, much to the farm boy’s dismay since not only did henot want to be a pumpkin for the rest of the life but he certainly did not wantto be married off to a pumpkin either at the tender age of 14.

Soto avoid becoming the Pumpkin Princess’ latest snack and umpteenth deadhusband, Ruby makes Oscar a deal he couldn't refuse. Much like Hanako did withNene, Ruby binds herself to Oscar and becomes his "girlfriend" as a means of keeping the Pumpkin King fromclaiming him for his daughter (which basically becomes like a sort of runninggag with the Pumpkin King and his minions constantly trying to persuade orstraight up kidnap Oscar into becoming the future little Pumpkin Prince).

Andto seal to deal that they were now bound together, Ruby eats the other half ofthe cursed Pumpernickel Cookie before kissing Oscar while he was still inpumpkin form which turns him back into a proper human boy.

Sobasically Oscar also ends up losing hisfirst kiss to Ruby; much to the farm boy’s embarrassment.

Butbottom-line, Ruby and Oscar were now bound together through the PumpkinheadCurse. However, because she had went out of her way to help him, Oscar beingbound to Ruby almost meant that he owed her indefinitely.

Andconsidering that Ruby was now Oscar's quote unquote "girlfriend", she pretty much make lives up to that titleby ensuring that Oscar played the part of her so-called lovingly devoted“boyfriend”, wading on the jubilantly childish yet mysterious apparition handand foot while additionally assisting her in her maintenance of the balancebetween the living and supernatural world. Because in Oscar’s case, it waseither that or being a talking pumpkin head turned pumpkin groom married to hisgiant pumpkin wife in constant fear of being eaten for the rest of his life.And that’s my idea for Oscar’s Nene-inspired story for this AU which I guess canwork as a nice little basis for it. Y'know do something similar to the originalHanako series but with a squigglytwist to it, in a sense. Besides I love the concept of Oscar being a cutelittle pumpkin more than him being a fish like Nene. But that's my idea.

Asfor the rest of the RWBY cast as Hanako-inspired characters---Well... as Imentioned before, I really dig your idea of Jaune being the Kou of thisuniverse. We can even maintain the same idea by having him come from a longline of spirit warriors dubbed the Arc-Angels or “Arc Knights” (see what I did there) with his older sister Saphronbeing a more experienced one watching over her brother’s development whilesimultaneously acting as a teacher at his high school along with her wife:Terra Cotta who is the school librarian. I like the idea of Terra beingcompletely oblivious to her wife and her family’s connection to thesupernatural world due to Saphron wishing to keep both her wife and their toddlerson away from that kind of life style. Perhapsyou can even have an idea where Saphron abandoned her duties as an Arc Knightbecause she desired a normal life with a family of her own.

Perhaps…you can have somethingwhere the Arc Knights, being the only spirit warrior family within the mainsetting of the story, were the sworn protectors of the land of the living;working to exorcise any wayward apparitions.

Let’ssay Saphron estranged herself from her family, choosing to work more closely withthe apparitions to focus on maintaining better peace between the two worlds. Butbecause Saphron had left, her baby brother Jaune was forced to take her placeand the two share an interesting dynamic where Jaune wants to prove that hecould be a great spirit warrior who won’t quit like his sister did and Saphronhas to look out for him while feeling guilty for partially making Jaune thewarrior that he was now. That’s one idea.

Nowthat I think about it. This type of story could also work for Weiss and Winter. Like I can easilypicture Weiss being an alternate version for the Kou character of this universewith Jaune being her Mitsuba. OR…perhapsin this AU, the Schnees were a rival spiritwarrior/ exorcist family to the Arcs?

Perhaps…unlike the Arcs who were open to working inharmony with the apparitions, the Schnees were not. Instead the Schneesused their family power to enslave apparitions and use them as their pawns incombat.

Let’ssay, while the Arc Knights adhered to the old school spirit warrior code, theSchnees were necromancers---summoningthe dead to fight their battles for them with little respect their pasthumanity when they were alive which the Arc family greatly frowned upon. (Imean the Schnee family semblance is practically the RWBY equivalent ofnecromancy so in this case it works)

Perhaps…you can even have athing where Jaune and Weiss are rivals coming from strong spirit warrior/exorcistfamily bloodlines or clans so the two basically grew up opposing one anotherfrom birth.

Howeverlet’s say… Jaune secretly has feelings for Weiss and at first Weiss didn’tcare much for Jaune; choosing to focus mainly on maintaining her family’s honouras encouraged by her older sister Winter.

Howeverlet’s say…Weiss ultimately shows asofter side to herself, taking an interest in Jaune’s wellbeing as a “friendwho knew him” after he gets himself involved with a ghost girl named Pyrhha (whowas resurrected by darker apparition) and started committing some questionable acts. Or something alongthose lines.

Idefinitely dig the idea of the Arcs and the Schnees being rival clans whomaintain balance in the supernatural and living world---but while the Arcscoexist in harmony with the apparitions on parlayed allegiance with theMysteries (such as Ruby Rose), the Schnees have a different way of doing thingsdespite fighting for the same cause. And this rivalry is reflected in thecharacter dynamics of Weiss and Jaune (who are students of Oscar’s highschooland his fellow upperclassman) and also their older sisters---Winter andSaphron. I’m going to change my earlier concept. I’m going to make Saphron theschool librarian along with her wife Terra while Winter Schnee is the homeroomteacher of Oscar’s class. Yeah that’s better, I like that better.

Movingalong, I definitely like the idea of Norabeing Oscar's version of Aoi-chan. Since Oscar is the focal character herein Nene’s role, I think Nora can work really, really well as the person acts asthe closest thing to a best friend he has.

Or….maybeJaune can be Oscar’s best friend in this AU but Nora is still his Aoi-chan? Maybeyou can even add a little detail where Nora is Oscar’s foster sister. Like perhaps…in this universe, the Arcs arelong-time friends of Oscar’s family (meaning his aunt and uncle in the farcountry) who were more than willing to allow him to live under their roof whilehe’s in the city pursuing his high school education.

Sobasically let’s say, in this AU, Oscar lives with Jaune who is staying withSaphron and Terra. Baby Adrian alsoexists in this AU too so Oscar and baby Adrian interactions and hijinks canensue.

Ialso like the idea of Nora and Ren also beingtenants of the Cotta-Arc household. Let’ssay…Ren and Nora are basically Jaune’s best friends and adopted siblingswho were taken in by the Arc family when they were kids and ultimately movedout with Jaune to live with his sister.

Soin a nutshell, in this AU, Team JNPR 2.0 or ALPN live together with Jaune, Renand Nora maintaining their roles as Oscar’s surrogate big brothers and sisterand the closest thing to friends he has at school.

Let’s say…in this AU, due to hiscountry upbringing and his introverted demeanour, Oscar has been having a hardtime adjusting to the city and making friends in his new school and class. Butat least he had his big brother Jaune and friends to look out for him.

Asa matter of fact, I love the idea of Ren and Nora being the Aoi and Akane ofthis AU only with a small difference. Much like Aoi and Akane, Ren and Nora arechildhood best friends with Nora having an obvious crush on Ren.

Butrather than Nora being revealed to be one of the Mysteries like Akane, I'm moredigging the idea of Ren being partapparition and the first time he reveals this is to protect Nora. Like imagine…Nora constantly being the onepursuing Ren making her feelings for him obvious just like in RWBY but we don’tknow how Ren feels for Nora. We know he definitely cares for her but we're notaware of his love for her until he reveals himself as one of the Clock keepersto save Nora.

Likeperhaps Oscar, Ruby and Jaunebelieved that Nora might’ve been masquerading as one of the Seven Mysteries dueto her mysterious dark past sharedwith Ren only for Ren to intervene and reveal himself as the true supernatural.I think that can work.

Asfor who I think the Mysteries in this AU could be, that's definitely tricky---Iknow I definitely want Ozpin to be part of the Three Clock-keepers alongsideRen. Oz can be the Clock-keeper of the Past, Ren the present but I’m not surewho the Clock Keeper of the Future would be to stir up trouble. I kind of low-key want to make Zwei theClock Keeper of the Future. Why? Having a sentient doggo control the futureand wreak havoc? Sure why not XD

Asfor Mystery No. 2, I’m thinking maybe Blake? Perhaps her mystery could be called “The Staircase of the Beast”?Perhaps this title was shared by her and her “lover” in this universe beforethings turned Grimm when bad rumours started to spread about her lover whichturned them into a beastly monster as a result of it.

Likeyou can say that originally Blake’s mystery was called “The Belladonna Staircase” and it used to be a sort of romanticspot that blessed couples until the rumours turned her mystery into the“Staircase of the Beast” which only preys on couples.

Ithink that can work swimmingly. As for who would play Blake’s lover in this AU,I don’t care. I’ll leave that for you or anyone to insert whoever you shipBlake with, Ly. I’m not touching that can of worms =_=);

Movingalong, since we established that Pyrhha is the Mitsuba in this AU, she willbecome Mystery No. 3.

Asfor Mystery No. 4, I think Penny works excellently here. I can definitelypicture Penny P. as one of the Seven Mysteries. Not to mention that herpersonality certain reminds me a lot of Shijima Mei.

Thesame can be said for Qrow Branwen as Mystery No. 5. His personality definitelymatches Tsuchigomori the most, at least in my opinion.

Asfor Mystery No. 6, well since the manga is now getting to touch base on hischaracter and storyline as one of the Seven Mysteries, I don’t quite know muchabout him as yet. So I’ll hold off on my choice on who could play his role fromthe RWBY universe.

Lastly,as for who will be our broadcasting clubtrio in this AU; well I think it should be obvious. In my eyes, I’mthinking Cinder Fall could play a goodequivalent to Tsukasa Yugi. While she may not share the family relation asTsukasa does to Hanako/Amane Yugi, I still think that Cinder can work as Ruby’santithesis given their connection from the canonical series.

Notto mention that Cinder Fall is the one character who can match Tsukasa’s eerilymalicious nature, in my opinion. So with Cinder as Tsukasa, this puts EmeraldSustrai and Mercury Black as her versions of Sakura and Natsuhiko with Emerald,of course, being the one bonded to Cinder like Ruby is to the Oscar.

Ithink that aspect of it definitely works a lot. But again these are just only my ideas I’m spouting. Nonetheless, letme know what you think Ly?

Didthis squiggle meister deliver well onserving up enough good brainstorming food for ya ;) I hope I did. Cheers fam!

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

#squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #rwby rosegarden #rwby aus #toilet bound hanako-kun #lookyeekiti #squiggles answers

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texanredrose · 6 years

Text

Runner-Up

Because I can. That’s it, that’s the only justification.

It’s not that they’ve always been competitive. It’s just, within Team RWBY, they found unique ways of motivating each other.

When Yang suggested they make a bet to see who could and couldn’t get a date to the Rose-Branwen-Xiao Long annual picnic, Ruby thought it meant just motivating each other to go out and try dating, seeing as they were gearing up for graduation and all. Figuring out how to balance a social life with everything else- that was just a skill they’d have to learn, and what better way to drive the point home than with a little healthy competition and bragging rights?

However, as Ruby stepped onto the path leading to the hill that overlooked her childhood home, she had a feeling that this would either be the last competition Team RWBY held or the first in a never-ending escalating war that would threaten to destroy all of Remnant in one way or another.

“Calm down.” Fingertips lightly brushed the back of one hand, enticing her to interlace their fingers. “Everything will be fine.”

“That’s easy for you to say, Blake!” She leaned into her girlfriend’s side. “It’s not your family!”

Her other girlfriend pressed against her other side. “Well, Blake’s family is quite different in a number of ways.”

“Oh, I could say the same for yours,” the Faunus replied with a little smirk.

“And they’re both miles away from my family.” She whined. “Do you two have any idea how my moms are going to react to this?”

“Of course.” Blake nodded solemnly. “Summer will be overjoyed and Raven will threaten to kill us.”

“That does seem to be the most likely.” Pyrrha offered a soft smile, gently readjusting her red cape. “But we knew that when we started dating. Between your stories and Yang’s, it’s hard not to see how things will play out.”

Another groan left her lips as she reached up, pulling her hood over her head to try and hide her blush. Truthfully, she hadn’t intended to date both of them. She’d just... casually mentioned to Blake one day in the library that she thought Pyrrha was pretty, and kind, and sweet, and the Faunus agreed, even confessed to having a bit of a crush on the so-called Invincible Girl. It wasn’t until her heart clenched painfully at hearing the whispered words that it occurred to her that she maybe had a crush of her own, but she encouraged her teammate to pursue it anyway. She shouldn’t stand in the way of her friend finding happiness, right?

But then Blake admitted that she had a crush on someone else as well, and it would make her feel guilty to pursue one but not the other, and she didn’t really think either would pan out anyway. That led into a brief little debate about whether or not admitting to a crush would be a good idea and Ruby blurted out that she, too, had a crush on Pyrrha. Then, she saw the little bit of hurt in amber eyes, and followed it up with admitting that she had a crush on Blake as well, and she wanted them both to be happy.

That’s about the time that Pyrrha herself leaned over from the adjacent table and asked both of them on a date.

A week later, Yang proposed the little contest for their family picnic, and, well, she couldn’t not bring both of them to Patch. Blake already had an invite, on account of being part of the team, but getting Pyrrha out there without raising any brows...

“Oh, crap, Yang’s going to kill me.” Ruby groaned again.

“I’m sure she’ll take the news better than Raven.” They started up the hill, Blake squeezing her hand reassuringly. “I mean, she’s our friend and my partner. She’s not going to object-”

“But she might tease you a little bit for not telling her sooner.” Pyrrha pointed out, chuckling softly and slipping her hand into Ruby’s unoccupied one. “If she starts anything, I’ll challenge her to an arm wrestling contest.”

“Our knight in gold armor.”

Over her head, Blake and Pyrrha exchanged a soft kiss, and somehow seeing her girlfriends kiss made things a little better, because somewhere deep down, she knew both of them had good points. She really didn’t have anything to worry about; she’d just never brought anyone home before.

But, really, what did she have to worry about?

“Ruby! Blake!” She blinked, looking up to the top of the hill, where the light breeze had caught her mother’s white cloak while she smiled down at them. “And I believe that’s Pyrrha with you, isn’t it? Yang mentioned you’d be bringing... guests.”

Okay, that meant her sister had either told Taiyang the truth and he’d carefully worded it when he informed their other parents or had told Raven something vague and she’d repeated her verbatim. By the little smirk on the woman’s lips, though, she didn’t think it mattered; her mom had seen straight through it.

“Hi, Mom! I, uh, wanted to introduce you! To my girlfriends!”

“Like momma, like daughter, huh?” She opened her arms and it didn’t matter that she was just a few months shy of becoming a full fledged Huntress, Ruby immediately released her girlfriends’ hands and charged forwards, jumping into her mom’s outstretched arms. “Looks like you’re growing up, my little Rutabaga. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” She drew back a little bit, a bit of nervousness creeping into her smile. “Do you think Momma’s going to... well...”

“Oh, she went and dug out her mask the moment it clicked.”

Her shoulders fell. “She’s not going to make a scene, is she?”

“Now now, your mother’s dramatic, but I don’t think she’d intentionally ruin the picnic.” Silver eyes narrowed briefly. “At least, she better not, or she’ll have me to answer to.”

“And me!” Tai called out, carrying a tub of potato salad up the hill. “Good to see you, Ruby. And Blake, Pyrrha- Yang mentioned there’d be more than just us this time around! Glad both of you could make it!”

Summer, however, became instantly suspicious. “Tai, where’s our wayward wife?”

“Oh, I thought she was up here with you.”

“No, I haven’t seen her this morning.”

Ruby opened her mouth, because her Momma rather liked hanging out in the attic ever since last year, when Yang and Ruby combined their talents to turn it into a hybrid study and aviary. However, before the suggestion could leave her lips, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she had to bite back something that would get her a sharp look from her mom as a black portal tinged with red appeared. Slowly, a bone white mask with red lines emerged, burning red eyes peering out through the slits.

“So... you two are dating my daughters, is that it?” Raven growled out in that patented ‘I’m-a-threat-and-you-should-fear-me’ voice that had previously only come out during scary movies and Halloween.

Blake and Pyrrha, however, remained unfazed, one well adjusted to the shenanigans that regularly occurred within the Rose-Branwen-Xiao Long household and the other simply accustomed to more intimidating displays back home in Mistral.

And, sure enough, it was Pyrrha who first rose to the challenge. “Actually, we’re only dating one daughter.”

That brought Raven to a halt, halfway through her portal, the red of her blade just beginning to peak out. Not that she would actually draw the weapon, of course; it was probably just for show anyway. “Wait, which daughter?”

Blake’s ears twitched though she held her ground. “Ruby.”

“Oh.” Hopping out the rest of the way, she reached up and removed her mask, shaking he head and running a hand through her bangs. “Nevermind then. She’s not the one I have to worry about.”

“Momma! What does that mean?” Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. “Yang has good taste, you know.”

“I’m not saying she doesn’t.” Her lips curled into a little smirk. “But, between the two of you, she’s far more likely to bring a date for the express purpose of getting one over on someone, and I’m not getting pranked by my own kid.” The young team leader raised a brow until the woman relented. “Again.”

“She did get you pretty good last Christmas,” Tai said, checking over the old wooden table that could probably be replaced- they’d spent more time and effort trying to replace the benches and tabletop than making a new one would’ve taken at this point- and nodding to himself. “I thought it was hilarious.”

“Of course you would.” Clicking her tongue, Raven favored Blake and Pyrrha with a smile. “It’s good to see both of you again and I’m happy to hear you’re both dating Ruby. Be good to her, alright?”

Ruby put her hands on her hips. “Wait, so you were really doing the whole ‘I’m the terror of your nightmares’ thing just to scare off whichever inappropriate date you think Yang might be bringing?”

“I can’t believe you still remember that,” her Momma said, coming over and wrapping her up in a hug, careful not to catch the edges of her mask on her cape. “If I’d known it would’ve scared you that bad, I wouldn’t have done it.”

“Raven, she was six, everything terrifies a six-year-old.” Summer sighed. “Tai, talk to her; I’m sure Yang’s not going to prank her today.”

“I know my daughter; she’s plotting something.”

“Honey, she’s probably not.”

“Don’t take her side!”

As her parents began fussing with each other, Ruby turned her attention back to her girlfriends. “So! That was a thing.”

“Well, we didn’t get a death threat!”

“I’m genuinely surprised that all we got was a stern warning.” Blake then smiled, leaning down to peck her cheek. “We told you it would be fine.” Pyrrha curled her arm around Ruby’s shoulders, pulling her closer while the Faunus’ ears flicked back. “Oh, Weiss is here.”

“Is someone with her?” Although she couldn’t actually let it be too known, she’d worried a bit about her partner- specifically, the pinch that came to her brow when she accepted Yang’s suggestion for the contest. Sure, she had her suspicions that the former heiress had a crush of her own that she hadn’t yet addressed, but Weiss always got... touchy about discussing personal issues. So, she’d tried obliquely encouraging her, because, really, even if she could be a little... difficult from time-to-time, or dramatic, or both, Weiss had come a long way since their initiation! Who wouldn’t want to date her? “Oh, please tell me someone’s with her.”

“Someone is.” A slick grin crossed her face. “Someone we know, too.”

With a raised brow, she popped up onto her toes, trying to peer over the lip of the hill. When she finally caught sight of her partner and her guest coming up the path, she outright laughed. “Weiss! Coco!”

“Oh, calm down you dolt.” Of course she rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging at her lips and very, very light blush on her cheeks speaking more than her words. “I’m glad you remember our names, though.”

“Hello again.” Pyrrha waved. “How’s the Huntress life treating you, Coco?”

“Oh, it’s a blast.” Tapping her sunglasses to lower them enough for chocolate eyes to look at them, she walked over and pulled each of them into a hug. “I spent last week in a Vacuo desert chasing down an alpha duneworm- the thing was almost half a mile long. Managed to stop by a lovely village and pick up some nice scarves, though, for our big trip to Atlas.”

“Atlas?” Blake’s ears perked up as she tilted her head. “Weiss, are you really-”

“It’s not for my father, but I would like to see Klein and my mother again.” She shrugged, spreading her hands. “Winter swears up and down she talked some sense into the woman. I’d like to see it for myself.”

“And introducing your kickass girlfriend to them.” Coco threw her a look. “That is on the list.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Blue eyes darted between Ruby, Blake, and Pyrrha. “So... question. Pyrrha, who are you here with?”

“My girlfriends,” the redhead replied with a wide smile, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.

Weiss’ shoulders fell. “Girlfriends?”

“Uh... surprise?” Ruby offered a weak little smile. “It’s... pretty recent.”

Before the former heiress could start in on a lecture about keeping secrets, Coco wrapped her arms around Weiss’ waist and chuckled. “Oh no, my pretty pearl, you’re not about to get onto them for not telling when we’ve been dating for almost six months and you didn’t mention it.”

“I- I was- IT’S NOT THE SAME!” Weiss sputtered, either from genuine outrage or just being unaccustomed to open affection still. Through the years, she’d gotten better... but she still had some distance to go.

“It really is, though,” Blake said with a fond shake of her head. “You’re just being contrarian again.”

“Am not.”

“Hey, hey now, no fighting at the family picnic!” Tai warned, though there was warmth in his voice. “And when’s Yang getting here? Not like her to be fashionably late.”

“I’ll call her.” Ruby offered, pulling out her scroll.

A few moments later, her sister picked up, though the screen initially only showed the blue sky overhead while laughter rang out, Yang’s happy visage eventually filling the screen. “Hey, Rubes! Everyone there?”

Blake and Pyrrha pressed close to her while Weiss and Coco peered from the other side. “Yeah, where are you?”

“I had to pick up my date from the docks! Literally!” Her shoulders shrugged, jostling the person in her arms. “So, how’s our little bet going?”

“Well, Ruby brought two girlfriends, and I happen to be one of them, so I think we win,” the Faunus said with a smirk.

“What about Weiss?”

Suddenly, Ruby found her scroll being pulled from her hand as the former heiress glared at the screen. “I brought my girlfriend of six months, Yang. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t be able to get a date?”

“Nah, of course not! But, ya know, we gotta have a second place, and we have been together seven months! But, that’s kinda a silly way to judge it, so how about something else?”

“What do you propose?”

Silver eyes widened as she got that feeling again, the hairs standing up again, and she had to glance over to ensure Raven wasn’t about to pull something. Her Mom and Momma were a bit busy fussing over the chocolate chips cookies, though- one trying to sneak a few while the other played defense so there would be some for everyone- which meant it would be Yang pulling something this time around.

“Well, I’ve been carrying my sweetheart since the docks. Figure that’s enough of a headstart for you.” Lilac eyes danced with mischief. “So, you pick up your date, and the first one to drop their girlfriend is in last place.”

Ruby, Blake, and Pyrrha exchanged looks that ranged from curious to cautiously optimistic.

“You’re on, Xiao Long.” Returning Ruby her scroll, Weiss motioned for Coco to come over, the shorter of the two still managing to slip an arm beneath her girlfriend’s knees while the other supported her shoulders- a classic bridal carry. “There. Now, get here in some semblance of short order and accept your defeat with dignity.”

“Oh, I’m already here! Turn around!”

As one, they all looked back towards the path leading up to the hill, and Ruby could see it happening a moment before everything did.

Because her sister hadn’t shown up with just any date cradled in her arms, no.

She happened to be carrying Winter Schnee, Weiss’ big sister, who had traded her military uniform for board shorts and a tank top.

In pure shock, Weiss’ body went slack, which meant she immediately dropped her girlfriend to the ground with an undignified oomph.

“Weiss, how dare you,” Winter said, collapsing the scroll and tucking it into Yang’s jacket without looking. “You haven’t even introduced me to your girlfriend yet, and you’ve already dropped her, really, I raised you better than that.”

“Weiss, what the fuck.” Coco pushed herself up to her elbows. “Could you be a little less of a total mess?”

Now, the former heiress was caught between apologizing to her girlfriend, explaining to her sister, and yelling at Yang for engineering it. Amidst it all, Raven’s loud laughter could be heard, breathless explanations of how Yang’s pranks were good as long as they weren’t directed at her earning chiding remarks from both Summer and Tai while the former tried to keep his own amusement in check.

Meanwhile, Ruby slipped her hands into those of her girlfriends, smiling up at them, and unsure why she was ever worried in the first place. For all the craziness the past few years brought with them, they’d forged the sort of family and support system that could weather any storm, as evidenced when Winter was set back on her feet and immediately went over to warmly introduce herself to Coco while Weiss lightly smacked Yang’s shoulder in recompense.

“Hey,” she said, looking up into amber and emerald eyes. “I love both of you.”

“Love you too,” her girlfriends replied, pressing kisses to her cheeks.

Yeah... she really had nothing to worry about at all.

#Purruby #White Chocolate #Elderburn #TRR writes #Rosebird #Big Happy Family AU

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