A Semblance of Emotion 029

Blake and Weiss were fused at the hip over the course of the following week, as if they’d been best friends all along. They did everything together, be it training or school work, and they even made a trip down to Vale together, Blake returning with a new hoodie and a pair of shoes that closely matched the ones she’d lost. At first, Jaune had been worried that they were trying to brute force a bond but as the days trickled by, he couldn’t deny the genuine closeness that was beginning to develop.

The groundwork had already been laid long before but now with everything out in the open, it gave them a chance to really connect. To their surprise, they actually had a lot in common. Weiss also liked to read, though her choice in literature was a little different than Blake’s. Weiss was also a big lover of seafood. It made sense since much of Atlas and Mantle’s traditional food culture was steeped in seafood. The icy continent was ill fitted for growing crops and raising livestock, and while modern technology meant that they could fulfill some of those demands now, for many decades, the sea had been their sole provider.

Their teamwork had also improved and it had already been at a very high level beforehand, even when they were constantly clashing. Now they moved in perfect sync, trusting each other in every decision they made, and it made their group training sessions much more intense than before.

That was saying something since they’d been pretty intense to begin with.

Jaune was happy that they were now becoming true friends.

Another change was that Blake was no longer wearing her bow, having decided to discard it for good. People had noticed immediately and it had been the talk of the school. The first time Cardin had caught sight of Blake, Jaune had seen the double-take followed by a scowl. He didn’t say a word, though. He was staying as far away from their teams as possible.

Ruby thought her ears were the cutest thing ever, and he could tell she wanted to pat them but refrained from asking. While she was socially awkward and unaware, even she knew that was a step too far.

With them spending so much time together, it also gave Jaune time to think.

Namely about Blake kissing him.

Jaune knew that Blake only did it because she felt like she owed him, and he wasn’t about to get carried away. Her emotions had been running high, and she even said it herself; she had no other way to express her gratitude. That should have been the end of it.

But it wasn’t.

While she wasn’t avoiding him, there was definitely a little bit of awkwardness present where there hadn’t been before. Sometimes he’d catch her watching him, only for her eyes to flitter away awkwardly. Their conversations always felt like there was something being left unsaid but whenever he tried to steer the topic towards that, she always changed the subject to avoid it.

Jaune didn’t want this to become a thing between them. He didn’t want it to fester but Blake wasn’t willing to confront it, and so he dropped it.

He could only hope that whatever was bothering her, she’d eventually come to him about it. All he could do was wait and see.

What were his own feelings regarding their kiss? That was just as confusing. He’d enjoyed it, he’d wanted it – and if she wanted to kiss him again, he would be more than happy to oblige. Did that mean he had feelings for Blake?

Maybe. Yes. He didn’t know. What he felt for Blake wasn’t exactly unique. Shouldn’t something like that be special? When he felt similarly for others, what did that mean?

At least he had something to take his mind off it.

Jaune tried to keep still as Professor Peach attached sensors across his bare chest and stomach but it was difficult. Not only was it ticklish, the gel used to keep them in place was ice cold. It also didn’t help that Peach was a very beautiful woman, and whenever she leaned in, he caught a whiff of her shampoo.

It smelt good. She smelt good.

“Mr. Arc?” she asked, head tilted in question. “Are you uncomfortable?”

“No,” he said, maybe a tad quickly. “I’m fine. Please continue.”

She smiled – that didn’t help, it only made her look prettier.

Ozpin gave him a knowing look, sipping on his cup of coffee.

The room they were in was large and filled with various equipment that Jaune couldn’t make heads or tails of. There were the obvious health related machines you could find in hospitals used to monitor the health of a patient, but then there were others that looked very alien to him. All he knew was that they were all used to help measure aura in some capacity; aura and semblance.

“The tests we will be running today will be simple,” Professor Peach said as she attached the final electrode. His entire torso, front and back were covered in them. “I want you to channel your aura so we can gather sufficient data about your baseline. After that, we will then conduct similar tests with you activating your semblance. From my understanding, you can control how much you amplify aura?”

Jaune nodded. “The longer I channel it, the more potent it becomes.”

“Excellent.”

“I have a question. I thought our scrolls already record this type of data?”

“They do,” she confirmed. “And they do so quite well, and are very accurate for most things. For this, we will require even more accurate readings. Any small fluctuation, any small difference, we want to observe and catalog. These,” she tapped the electrode directly above his heart. “These will tell us more while also recording how your body responds to the amplification process. That is something your scroll cannot do.”

“Right.”

Okay, that made sense.

“I’ve also been made aware that the amplification process also enhances your emotions?”

“That’s right.”

She hummed thoughtfully. “There isn’t really an easy way to monitor such a phenomenon scientifically short of conducting an MRI, though that will simply tell us you are feeling a certain thing, rather than how powerful you are experiencing it. We will simply have to rely on your word as you describe what it is you are feeling, and how intense it is.”

“Okay. Sounds easy enough.”

Professor Peach tapped away on a tablet for a few seconds before nodding at Ozpin.

“Mr. Arc – are you ready to begin?” he asked. Jaune nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then you may start. Call upon your aura without the aid of your semblance and bring it out so we may see it.”

Jaune did as he was told, bringing forth his aura. A shroud of white-gold appeared around his body, and Jaune felt the familiar warmth of his soul encasing him in protection. Peach hummed as numbers began appearing on her tablet and she watched closely, her eyebrows rising in clear surprise the longer she observed.

“Professor?” Ozpin inquired, noticing her surprise.

“Are you sure you aren’t using your semblance, Mr. Arc?” she asked.

He nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Hmm. We already knew from the readings on your scroll that you have an extraordinarily large aura pool. The largest at this school, and that is including your Professors – and even the Headmaster,” she shook her head. “But these numbers… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Jaune felt a little concerned. “In a good way, right?”

She nodded. “Yes. Not only do you have a lot of aura, it is very dense. If I had to explain it… for the sake of this explanation, I will assign the average aura user the numeric value of 1. Those that have slightly higher density in their aura would be assigned the number 1.1, or 1.2 – while those that have slightly less density would be assigned 0.9 and 0.8. Using this system, if I applied it to all students at Beacon and members of staff, the highest would be Headmaster Ozpin at 1.5. He has very dense aura.”

“And where would you place Mr. Arc on such a scale?” Ozpin asked.

“He would be a 2,” Peach sounded like she didn’t quite believe what she was saying. “At the very least. I expected something of this nature when he was using his semblance but without it? This is the densest aura on record – at least, that I know of. Doctor Oobleck would need to look over these numbers but… this is unprecedented.”

Ozpin smiled. “Indeed?”

It reminded him of something Weiss had mentioned to him.

“That explains why I can’t use Dust very well,” he told them. “Weiss theorised that it was because my semblance may passively increase the potency of my aura, and thus… the explosive results whenever I try to use any Dust.”

Peach seemed impressed. “Ms. Schnee – intelligent girl. Her expertise with Dust led her to this conclusion… it seems she may be correct, Mr. Arc. Even a drop of aura would set off a reaction that normally would require much more aura.”

Jaune spent the next ten minutes maintaining his aura shroud until she finally let him stop, having recorded enough data.

“Rest for a few minutes and then we will do the same thing, only this time with your semblance.”

When it was time, he focused on his aura and activated it before activating his semblance. The glow of his aura intensified greatly, losing much of the white and becoming a bright golden color that was a little difficult to look at. Shadows danced around the room as he bloomed like a miniature sun.

“Slightly elevated heart rate,” Peach observed. “Nothing dangerous. Consistent with light exercise. These numbers… they’re off the chart, Headmaster. The amount of aura hasn’t changed but the density… it has almost doubled.”

He continued to exert his semblance for ten minutes. He could feel himself becoming restless as he stood there, trying to think of nothing, the amplification making it feel like torture when it wasn’t. What should have been straightforward and simple turned into a battle for control, his annoyance spiking into unnatural levels.

“Mr. Arc?” Ozpin asked. “Are you well?”

“Heart rate is increasing.”

Jaune tried to clamp down on it, thinking of something else to counter balance it. He was annoyed so something happy or joyful.

A memory of soft lips and a lovely body, and her fresh, sweet taste.

“Heart rate accelerating. Breathing labored.”

Embarrassment flared hotly and his cheeks burned, driven by his semblance. Before it could get any worse, he canceled his semblance and felt a little woozy as his emotions whiplashed in the opposite direction.

He took a few seconds to gather himself.

“Mr. Arc?”

He waved Ozpin off. “I’m fine. It was just… the emotions. The longer I keep my semblance active, that’s what happens. The only reason I was able to hold it so long was because I’m not doing anything, I’m just standing here,” then he laughed, feeling the remnants of his heightened emotions still flowing through him. He was a little giddy, and could still feel the ghost of Blake’s mouth on his own. “I started to feel bored, and then restless – it snowballed from there.”

“Very much a double-edged sword,” Peach said. “The density of his aura continued to climb the longer he held his semblance. If I published any of this, no one would believe it.”

“You’ve got quite the impressive ability there, Mr. Arc,” Ozpin sipped his coffee and then made a face. It was cold. “I should very much like to see how far it can be pushed.”

After that, they put him through his paces. He ran a lap around the lab without the use of aura, and then with it, and then aided by his semblance. The differences were stark, as they expected. Next he lifted weights, maxing out without aura, with aura and then with his semblance, showing the differences in strength between stages.

Peach eyed him critically. “Aura aids in the healing of wounds. It stands to reason that this action is also amplified, and probably in ways you don’t even know. Regeneration of muscle tissue, for instance – it would have greatly aided in your training, and continues to do so.”

Jaune had noticed over the years that he tended to have a very short down time. When he was training with his teacher, he would swing his sword until his arms were dead – but after an hour or two, they’d be as good as new without any of the lingering pain other people suffered.

He also remembered when he was younger, his body had undergone a rapid transformation once he started working out.

“Is that normal for people with aura?”

“To an extent. As with everything else, your semblance would make the process greatly amplified even among Huntsmen.”

The rest of the afternoon was filled with the remaining tests. After speed and strength, they focused on his reflexes. He stood in front of some machine that routinely fired balls at him at random, and he was forced to catch as many as he could. The speed progressively got faster until he wasn’t able to keep up.

By the end of it, those balls were moving faster than bullets.

After that, they pushed his stamina to the limit. And then after that, they wanted to know if his cognitive benchmark rose. While they found he didn’t become more intelligent no matter how much he amplified himself, his ability to multitask and reason through confusing information became swifter.

By the end of it all, Jaune was starving.

“That will be all for today, Mr. Arc,” Ozpin informed him when he completed the final test. Jaune sighed in relief, setting down the pen. “We’ve gathered a tremendous amount of data that should carry us through until the end of the semester, wouldn’t you agree, Professor Peach?”

She nodded happily. “This will keep me very busy until then. We’ll continue to monitor you using your scroll, and those that you train with and use your semblance on. Should anything abnormal occur, please inform us as soon as possible.”

“Will do.”

“Then you are dismissed,” Ozpin said. “Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Arc.”

It wasn’t quite dinner time but it was close enough that he went straight to the dining hall. As always, there were already people seated at tables, waiting for the food to be put out, and he spotted two familiar faces.

“Hey Yang,” he greeted, cutting off whatever story she’d been telling her little sister. “Hey Ruby.”

“Jaune,” Ruby exclaimed. “How did it go?”

Her eyes sparkled with interest, and she leaned forward over the table eagerly as he sat down next to Yang. The blonde gave him a smile, one he returned.

“Yeah, give us all the deets. Are you some special super Huntsman or what?”

Jaune blinked. “Deets?”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “It means details. Yang, don’t use dumb slang. You’ll just confuse him.”

“It isn’t dumb. It’s not my fault you guys are out of touch,” Yang smirked.

“Oh, uh – apparently I have dense aura,” Jaune scratched his cheek. “Even without my semblance, they said it’s the densest they’ve ever seen. Weiss theorised something similar and that’s why I always blow up in Dust Usage.”

Yang’s smirk deepened. “So you’re pretty thick, then? I had a feeling.”

Ruby glared at her sister. “I know you’re being stupid somehow, I just don’t know how.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Yang sang, snickering at Ruby’s annoyed look. “I always knew Jaune had some serious mass, know what I’m saying?”

“I don’t! So stop!” Ruby pounded the table with her fist.

“I’m lost,” Jaune confessed.

“It’ll be one of her dumb jokes that no one laughs at.”

“Hey,” Yang frowned. “Everyone laughs at my jokes.”

“If by everyone, you mean no one – then yeah, everyone does.”

“How’d you get so cheeky?” Yang muttered. “We went wrong somewhere. Too much sugar? Not enough vegetables? She isn’t growing very well…”

Lilac eyes pointedly stared at Ruby’s chest.

“Hey!” Ruby snapped, crossing her arms defensively. “I’m growing fine, thank you very much!”

“Eh – if you call that fine.”

“I drink milk! Lots of milk,” Ruby stressed. “You’ll be sorry one day, you just wait.”

“Doubt it,” Yang fake yawned. “But keep believing that if it makes you feel better, sis.”

Watching them banter back and forth reminded Jaune of his sisters. He’d often watched from the sidelines as they tore into each other over the silliest things, only to be best friends again an hour later. That was being siblings in a nutshell, wasn’t it? He missed those interactions and wondered briefly what they were all doing.

Herding the cows for milking, judging by the time.

When they finally got back around to asking him how the tests went, he explained all the different things they’d made him do. Yang looked exhausted just hearing about it.

“They really put you through your paces, huh? Well – if it helps you get even stronger, I suppose it’s worth it. It sounds so boring, though.”

“It is, a little bit,” he confessed. “Maybe next time, they’ll want to see me spar – but they have enough footage and data from Combat Class, so probably not.”

“Do you think they’ll want you to amplify other people so they can see how it affects them?” Ruby asked curiously. “Because if they need someone, I want to help.”

“Oh?” Yang quirked an eyebrow. “You want to help, do you?”

Ruby poked out her tongue.

“I would think so. They’re going to be monitoring everyone I train with, so I can see that being the next step.”

“Dinners up!” one of the women from the kitchen roared. “Come get it!”

Food was being placed out on the counter, and people quickly lined up to get in first. Jaune’s stomach growled aggressively and Yang laughed.

“Hungry?” she teased.

“I could eat an Ursa,” he quipped back.

“Yuck, I bet they taste gross,” Ruby pulled a face.

They all lined up and were soon joined by Pyrrha, who looked freshly showered.

“Hey P,” Yang held out a fist. Pyrrha hesitated before bumping her knuckles against Yang’s, miming an explosion when Yang did it first. It was so adorably awkward that Jaune had to turn away so she didn’t see his stupid grin. Not that he would be able to do better. “Been at the gym?”

She nodded. “I lost track of time.”

Ruby giggled. “You do that every time.”

Pyrrha laughed awkwardly.

That was Jaune’s fault – sorta. Whenever they saw each other in the gym, they’d fallen into the habit of working out together and inevitably, it became a competition. It was unspoken like most things between them were but it existed, and Jaune found himself overworking himself even when he was alone just because he was so used to doing it on most days when Pyrrha joined him.

She must do something similar.

It was just another reminder that he really should try to speak to her about this. He just never found the right time to bring it up.

“Our little own gym junkie,” Yang said fondly. “I thought I was obsessed with working out but you take the cake.”

More people entered the dining hall, including the rest of their teams. Nora skipped up to them as if there wasn’t a queue formed behind them. A few of the people waiting opened their mouths before seeing who it was, and shutting them again. They didn’t want to deal with it.

Nora had a bit of a reputation.

Yang snorted while Jaune shook his head.

“Nora,” he chided gently before she could say anything. “You can’t just skip the line like that.”

She blinked at him innocently. “I’m with you.”

Ren appeared and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the back where Blake and Weiss were waiting. She wailed dramatically but didn’t fight it, and some of the other students laughed at the display.

Beacon provided an endless array of food, and Jaune found himself piling his plate with roasted lamb and vegetables, something heavy to fill the roaring chasm that was his stomach. It was also a little taste of home, and he made sure to add a generous pour of gravy.

“You weren’t kidding,” Yang needled as they sat back down at their table. She’d grabbed several pieces of fried chicken and a salad; lush lettuce, vibrant tomatoes and avocado drizzled with a dark vinegar dressing that tickled Jaune’s nose with its acidic tang. When she saw him looking at her food, she shrugged. “You inspired me. Me eat lots. Me grow strong.”

“If you don’t train harder, you’ll get fat,” Ruby jabbed like only a little sister could.

“You’re one to talk,” Yang snapped, eyeing Ruby’s plate. There wasn’t much; just a piece of chicken and some pasta. It was what was in the bowl next to it. Her dessert was twice the size of her main course; a thick slice of strawberry cake, covered in a healthy helping of whipped cream. “You won’t fit into that corset if you keep eating all that sugar.”

“I run a lot,” Ruby returned brattily. “I’ll be fine.”

They were in fine form today.

Pyrrha had chosen fish with a side of coleslaw. Jaune had noticed that her meals were rather conservative and controlled, though every so often she would cross the line and get something a little naughty. Every so often was tonight, for she’d also taken a slice of the strawberry cake. Not nearly as large as Ruby’s piece, and with only a small dollop of whipped cream compared to Ruby’s mountain.

When the rest of their teams finally joined them, Weiss was on him in an instant.

“How did it go?”

So he explained everything again for their benefit between bites of food. Occasionally he would glance Blake’s way and she’d instantly look down at her fish, picking at it nonchalantly as if she hadn’t just been staring at him without blinking.

“They are being thorough,” Weiss mused. “Good. I have been contacted by the Headmaster. They wish to see me tomorrow to put me through a similar process, I presume. I must ensure that I am in top form,” she continued haughtily before dropping the act, and smiling. “Though I must say that having my theory confirmed does make me quite pleased.”

Jaune grinned. “I knew you’d like that.”

“Yes – well, though confirmed, it still doesn’t change the fact that you still wield Dust like an unruly child,” she fired back, making his grin fade. “Nevertheless, we shall endure. We will make a novice of you yet.”

“You know, if you sold tickets, people would pay to watch Jaune blow himself up for a couple of hours,” Yang proposed. “You’d make a mint. Not that you need it but it’s just a thought.”

“Thank you, Yang – I’ll consider it.”

“You guys are hilarious,” Jaune deadpanned as they all laughed with the exception of Ren; his one true friend. “At least Ren won’t kick a man while he’s down.”

“Sorry, I was just wondering what price would work best to ensure maximum return,” Ren said with a straight face. Betrayal! Everyone laughed harder at Jaune’s expression.

After dinner, as they were making their way back to their rooms, Weiss subtly tapped him on the arm. When Jaune looked her way, she motioned with her head. That was simple enough to understand. Jaune slowed his pace and joined Weiss at the back of the group, and they watched as their friends continued on without pause.

“What is it?” he asked, already knowing that it must be serious if Weiss wanted to speak with him alone and it couldn’t wait.

They ended up stopping in one of the courtyards. The sky was transitioning from evening to night, the first twinkles of stars appearing in the dark as the sun set beyond the sea.

“Blake is struggling.”

At first, Jaune thought she meant about the kiss and almost panicked.

“The situation with the White Fang is bothering her, and the rumors about Roman Torchwick being involved with them. She doesn’t believe they would ever work with a human, especially a criminal like him – but she isn’t willing to rule it out completely, not after… everything.”

Jaune calmed down instantly.

“You’ve been talking about this?”

Weiss nodded and appeared slightly ashamed. “I apologize for not coming to you sooner but Blake insisted that it was just talk, and there was no need to alarm anyone.”

Perhaps her nervous glances didn’t have anything to do with what happened in the bathroom. That was actually a relief.

“You don’t have to apologize, Weiss. It’s just talk, right?”

Her mouth thinned.

“Weiss?”

“It has been so far, but I can tell it is really getting to her. And… she isn’t alone,” Weiss admitted, her brow furrowed. “We know the White Fang are targeting Dust exclusively – and we know from Ruby that Roman Torchwick also targeted a Dust store, and was only taking the Dust. These are things we know from first hand accounts. The problem is this – what are they doing with so much Dust?”

Jaune sighed. “Nothing good.”

Weiss agreed. “Nothing good. This much Dust… that is a lot of explosive power in the wrong hands. This might be a lot worse than anyone realizes.”

“A terrorist attack.”

She nodded. “Yes – but who or what is the target? They could do some serious damage if they gather enough. We’re talking city blocks, Jaune. Entire city blocks. Thousands – tens of thousands of lives.”

“The police will have already thought of that – and if not them, then the Headmaster would surely have pieced it together,” it left him feeling troubled, though. “I take it that Blake wants to do more than sit around and wait for something to happen?”

“She hasn’t said as much, not yet – but I can feel it coming.”

“And how do you feel?”

She hesitated. That was answer enough.

“You want to help her.”

“I do.”

“Because you think you owe it to her or because you think we can make a difference?”

She met his eyes.

“Both.”

“I see.”

“The police are in over their heads. An unfortunate truth,” she said reluctantly. “Ozpin will take it seriously, I’ve no doubt – but Blake knows how they move, how they think. They’re stepping up their game, becoming more bold. She thinks they’ll be looking for a bigger target, especially after we foiled their most recent attempt.”

A bigger target.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Only a hunch – but I can confirm it,” she then grimaced. “I’ll just need a couple of days.”

“Do I even want to know?”

Her expression was complicated.

“I have to ring home.”