Here's the next chapter. No excerpts this time, as those mostly appear when there is something that needs to be shown or explained. Without getting into a discussion on `would they, wouldn't they`, in response to the occasional review whining that this `wouldn't happen because the students aren't this violent`, I'd point out that a) it's fiction, b) it's a training initiative, and these do happen in some military organisations, and c) the characters in the show actually did show this level of `losing themselves` to fantasy before – namely in the food fight, where they smacked each other with melons, fought, destroyed scenery, and generally all got really involved in a silly fight. During that, they actedlike it was life or death, too.
I'm not saying they were trying to hurt each other, but my point is that they can be kids, and they can let loose and go a bit crazy at times. It doesn't mean they hate one another afterwards, and it doesn't mean that `team trust will be destroyed` after this entirely fictional fanfic – as the occasional drama queen has suggested.
Beta: College Fool
Chapter 3 – The Makings of a Tribe
"Don't be stupid. It would take a person of unparalleled charisma, courage and leadership to unite the scattered tribes. Who among them has all three? Vomit-boy!? Pft, yeah, right. Pull the other one."
Yang Xiao-Long, Captain of the Dragoons
Not for the first time, nor for the last, I had no idea what I was doing. It wasn't exactly a new state of being, since I'd basically been that way since I tricked my way into Beacon, but this one was a little more worrying because I didn't have Pyrrha, also known as the best partner ever, to drag me out of every little problem I got myself into. Ren tried, he really did, but it wasn't the same.
He couldn't slaughter entire teams without breaking a sweat, after all.
(Excuse me for that…)
The problem I faced wasn't so much a combative one as a planning issue, however, not that it made much of a difference. I was crap at that, too. At that moment, I sat upon a chair that was balanced on a table, giving me a height advantage as I looked down at a crudely drawn map of Beacon that Russel had made. It was about as detailed as one of Ruby's excuses for why she was late to class, and equally as effective. I could only tell the cafeteria was in the middle because there was a big picture of a cake on it.
Cardin and Ren knelt by the map, while the other members of Team CRDL, or my own personal retinue, I suppose, were busy fortifying the small room we'd claimed as our own. It was a tiny classroom I'd never seen before. I could only imagine it served for classes for later years, and probably some elective courses with less students. Either way, it had no windows and was out of the way, which made it perfect for our purposes. I.e. hide away and never face any trouble until the whole thing blew over.
Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to be reading from the same page on that.
"There isn't a male force at the moment," Cardin said, addressing both Ren and myself. "It's little more than scattered groups spread out across Beacon. Most of them keep moving to avoid capture and to try and find what food they can."
"They're like nomads," Ren mused, one hand under his chin. "They seek a home but there is none available. I wonder if we could use that in some way."
"My thoughts exactly." Cardin stabbed a finger down onto the map. "If we can set up a decent-sized base and make a name for ourselves, we might be able to count on those nomads seeking us out for protection. We could bolster our own forces, and the bigger we get, the more attractive we'll be. We'll be able to build an army!"
"And then what?" I asked. I had a sinking feeling I already knew the answer, but dared to be optimistic.
"Then you can take the fight to the enemy," Cardin cried, slamming his fist down on the cafeteria, the bastion of the feminine empire. "You will lead us to victory and we will reclaim what is ours. We will push them back, feed the hungry, and bring hope to our gender!"
Russel, Sky and Dove cheered happily.
I cheered, too, and hoped they didn't notice how similar to a whimper it sounded. Yep, that was exactly what I'd been afraid of. Cardin thought me some tactical genius that was going to be able to give them victory over the girls. I knew better, of course. It would take more than strategy to even the odds against people like Pyrrha and Yang.
The problem was that I couldn't say that. If I backed out now, or gave CRDL reason to believe they couldn't trust me, then our little alliance would fall to pieces. Ren and I would be back on our own, and Cardin would definitely take all the food we'd collected with him. We wouldn't be able to stop him. I didn't want to go back to being hungry. My stomach rumbled at the very thought of it, waking Zwei up from his place in my lap.
"Sorry, boy," I whispered, stroking him gently. He huffed and went back to sleep, leaving me to provide an answer to Cardin, who was looking up at me with a terrifying mixture of awe, adulation and battle lust on his face. "Don't you think that might draw the girl's attention?" I asked. "We'd need to make it obvious where to find us or the nomadic tribes wouldn't be able to, but if we're obvious then we'll be letting the girls know, too."
"You're right," Cardin said, earning a breath of relief from Jaune. "I hadn't thought of that. I suppose that's why you're the boss."
(Suffice to say, even with Jaune's self-perceived cowardice, his caution still was a valuable asset to our survival. It allowed us, at the very least, to temper some of Cardin's more aggressive suggestions.)
"I don't think it's a bad idea, though," Ren said. "Not the idea itself at any rate. Instead of passively drawing the desperate into our midst, however, we should perhaps focus on finding and convincing others to join us."
Oh, come on, Ren. Not you, too! I leaned forward to cut that idea off before it could start, but Cardin beat me to it.
"Perfect!" he barked. "Jaune can unite the tribes against the female host. Once people start to hear of someone bringing the scattered tribes together, they'll seek us out. This should let us stay relatively hidden early on though, and the girls won't figure out what's happening until later. By that time, we should have a force capable of holding our own." His eyes lit up. "Maybe even of taking the fight to them! Isn't that great?" Cardin asked, smiling fanatically at him.
"Y-Yeah," I replied back miserably. "I can't wait."
The two continued to plan and I continued to pretend to listen in, all the while thinking about the situation in my head. What they wanted me to do and what I was going to do were two very different things, but the actual idea of banding together with another tribe wasn't necessarily a bad one. More people meant more protection, and maybe even a way to gather more food. When they inevitably refused to let me take control, we could become a part of their group and I'd be free from this whole mess.
The actual act of trying to unite the tribes shouldn't be dangerous at all. If anything, it was a diplomatic sort of things that would probably involve a lot of sneaking around Beacon and staying out of the girls' eyes.
Well, better that than going back to what Ren and I had before. At least this way we have the food we stole from those Girl Scouts.
"Alright," I surrendered. "We'll give it a go."
It was better than taking the fight straight to the women.
/-/
The first group we came across was about what I expected. A ruined room with overturned beds and sheets flung about. It didn't so much look like a battle had been waged in the tiny dorm, but rather a full-blown war with numerous campaigns. The fact that the group of three guys we'd heard about being here weren't around spoke of who won. I hovered at the entrance, anxiously looking down the corridor, while Ren entered with Russel in tow. The safety of our classroom gone, the bravado that had overtaken them was gone, and we were all nervous.
"This is recent," Ren said, inspecting something only he could see – perhaps footprints, or some food crushed into the carpet.
"How recent?" Cardin asked.
"No older than twenty-four hours. That's as much as I can say."
Cardin hummed but didn't say anymore. A day wasn't really much to go on, not when the whole war itself had only been going for two now. Either way, it didn't look like the guys we'd been here for were still around. Whatever had taken them was gone as well.
"Do you think it was the Girl Scouts?" Russel asked quietly. In the silence we were trying to keep, his voice seemed to echo.
"They attack people they see wandering around, but I doubt they'd hunt people down." Dove slid into the room and looked around, his eyes narrowed. "This doesn't feel like them. I mean, the message we got said these guys were locked up in their room, right? Since when do Girl Scouts break the door down?"
"The doors are unlocked, remember?"
"Same story," he said. "Girl Scouts don't attack defended positions. It's a pointless risk for them."
No one argued, but we all knew why. There was no reason for them to risk themselves when they were already winning handily. The Girl Scouts just patrolled set areas and picked up any guys that stumbled upon them. They'd probably only found us because of the amount of noise we'd made.
"This could be something else," Sky whispered. "I've heard stories of shadowed monsters striking in the night."
"Grimm?" I asked, suddenly nervous.
"No, worse. Women."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that.
"Women who move like smoke and who can cover the Academy in less than an hour, who spread across the halls like shadow itself, striking and destroying any who dare-"
"Rumours," Cardin spat. "Those are nothing but rumours!"
"Y-Yeah, Sky," Russel laughed. "You've been spending too much time on the forums."
(The Beacon Forums were, as they sound, a collection of topics and posts between students in the Academy, and had existed long before we even came to the school. Normally, they'd be filled with general chatter, or offers of help with homework traded for a sparring partner, or even just notices to let people know if a specific event was coming up, or if lessons were cancelled. Everyone in Beacon used it at some point or another.)
"Those are still up?" I asked. I wasn't sure why I was surprised, but I was. I hadn't thought to use my scroll for anything other than checking the time, but since the girls were busy sending out propaganda to make us hungry, it technically meant we still had all the usual functions. I pulled mine out and accessed them, and quickly realised the forum had gotten just as involved in the war as everything else.
For starters, the female propaganda continued there, which was kind of impressive, really. They were definitely going all-out on that front. I wondered whose idea that was, and was flicking between the idea of Weiss or Blake. A little further looking showed that there actually were posts from guys too, however. There was no keeping them hidden from the girls, but there were little things like people warning where they'd seen Girl Scouts, or comments about what areas definitely didn't have any food in them.
Beyond that, there was also a section dedicated to those who had fallen, and it was that Sky directed me to.
"It's about knowing your enemy," he said. "The Girl Scouts have taken out a load of people, but they're just scouts, not even the main force. There are bigger things to worry about."
"Like what?"
"The Valkyries for one…"
I shivered instinctively at the name, and I wasn't the only one. Ren had a haunted look on his face, and there wasn't a shred of doubt in either of us as to who might be in charge of that unit.
"They're the Shock Troopers for their forces," Sky explained. "Wherever they go, men fall. If we run into them, our only chance is to run for our lives."
"Do you think this is their work?" Dove asked.
Ren shook his head. "No. Nora wasn't here."
"How can you tell?"
"I know my partner. There's not enough property damage."
There was a pregnant pause as we all considered that. Well, he was right. She'd have torn the room to shreds if she were involved. At the very least there would be scorch and burn marks on the floor, and the sheets would be in tatters.
"If not her, then who?" I asked.
"And why," Ren added.
"I told you, it's the Ninjas of Lo-"
"Those don't exist, Sky," Cardin repeated. "They're nothing but a myth. A rumour spread by the women to frighten us. It'll only work if you believe it. Ren is right. Instead of inventing enemies, we should focus on figuring out why this is happening and what it means for us."
"Does it mean anything?" I asked, kicking aside a discarded shoe. "These guys got found out and they sent someone to capture them. It's not unusual."
Sure, it was a shame they'd been caught before our group could chat with them, but that felt more like bad luck than anything. Or good luck, depending on how you looked at it. I'd rather they got caught before we arrived than while we were there.
"I think this was a targeted move," Ren whispered, eyes scanning the room warily. "More than that, I think it was us they wanted to catch. They know we're out there and they know what our plan is."
"Already, your name is instilling panic in the enemy." Cardin boasted. "They've moved against us, terrified of what it might mean if we're left free." He threw back his head and laughed, not at all giving such an idea the fear it deserved.
"How would they be onto us already? That makes no sense." I crossed my arms to ward off the instinctive spike of panic I felt. There was no need for it. We were completely safe. "The girls don't even know what we're doing; let alone what it might mean in the long run. There's no way they'd be chasing after us."
"Well we did take out one of their patrols," Ren pointed out.
"True," I allowed, "But that's not enough to warrant a response like this!"
"You also taunted them," Sky said. "I mean, did you really think they were going to sit still after the stuff you said?"
"I did what?" My eyes narrowed. "What stuff?"
Sky moved over to point out a specific topic, hidden at the top, and with plenty of people watching it. It seemed to be a general one for all purposes of the war, but there had been a flurry of activity in the last few hours. When I saw why, it was all I could do to stare at Cardin.
"Well," he explained, "We did need a way to find some of the other men. How do you think we knew where to meet these ones?"
"Looks like a spy passed the message on," Ren said. "I imagine there are plenty of captured men who would give over their account details for some food, freedom, or maybe their girlfriend. One must have sent these guys a private message and tricked them into giving up their location." He gestured to the chaos. "And the girls struck."
"More proof they're afraid," Cardin said, punctuating his words by slamming a fist into his open palm. "We have them running afraid and doing everything they can to stop us. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah," I groaned. "Great."
My eyes were still glued to the final message, a message which had been posted by a user known as `The Chosen One`. Beside it was my face, grinning stupidly.
"Going to unite the tribes, and lead them against the women, lol. Who's joining me?"
And beneath it, posted by Yang, a simple message.
"Good luck with that."
That didn't bode well…
/-/
It took us another three hours or so to find another group of guys, and only because Cardin was busy pretending to be me on the forums. I'd wanted to cut that off, but the damage was already done so it didn't matter. I'd become a wanted figure overnight, and all thanks to a single ill-thought comment. It didn't help that a lot of guys were already throwing their support behind the idea.
The idea, that was. Not me. My reputation was too well-known for people to think following me was a good idea. I always wondered why Cardin and his team seemed to have forgotten that.
Regardless, we didn't so much find the first group of guys as they did us. A personal message hit Cardin's scroll, and he alerted us to the fact we were near a small group of men operating under a local tribal chief.
"Tribal chief…?" I asked, just to make sure I'd heard correctly. "Cardin, you realise that was just a metaphor, right? We're not actually tribes."
"That's what it says on his post. I'm just reading it off."
(Although the title may have seemed rather foolish, it's important to note that morale was at an all-time low among the men. Titles like this, pointless as they may have seemed, helped to instil trust and confidence in a time when it was needed most. In time, Jaune would come to gain many of his own, but that is perhaps jumping ahead.)
I could feel a headache coming on, and desperately wished we were back in our classroom gorging on stolen sandwiches and chocolate bars. Those wouldn't last, however, nor would the team I'd surrounded myself with if I didn't do this. Plus, if Cardin really had gone and sicced all the girls onto me, then I needed protection.
The kind of protection that could only be achieved by surrounding myself with as many bodies as possible. I'd build a wall to keep them out! A wall built of hopes, dreams, and as many disposable people as I could get a hold of.
"Let's go meet this chieftain, then. I'll see what I can do."
"You'll bring them to our side," Russel said. "I just know it."
"I said I'll see what I can do."
"This is the beginning. The start of our revolution!"
There was no arguing with them when they were like that so I didn't bother. We must have made for a strange group as we headed through the halls, myself in the lead and five others trailing behind, fanning out in a V formation that made me look far more important than I had any right to. Our host's domain was indicated by several totems arranged in the corridors as we closed in, namely men's boxer shorts hung from door knobs and low ceiling lights. I wasn't sure if they were meant to ward off women, but I couldn't imagine Yang being too afraid of touching them if she thought a good fight was on the other side.
Eventually, we reached what Cardin assured me was the chieftain's headquarters. It was a woman's bathroom.
I felt a little disappointed at that, I'll admit.
"Hiding where the enemy would never think to look," Cardin said. "Impressive…"
Yeah, never think to look until they need a piss and discover it by accident, I didn't bother to say. Instead, I stepped under the archway, rolling my eyes as the others hesitated, afraid to enter what few men had before. Two men met us halfway. One was dark-skinned and wiry, the other a bulkier fellow with suspicious eyes set in a pale face. They looked me up and down, and neither seemed particularly impressed.
"You're the guy?" the pale one said. "You think you're going to be the one to unite everyone and bring us to battle against the girls? You think you can manage that?"
No.
"Yes."
"Tch," he spat to the side, into one of the sinks. If he meant it as a rude show of defiance, it failed. "Why should our boss meet with you? He brought us together, found us a home, and protects us even now. Why should we follow you instead of him? Maybe he'll be the one to unite everyone."
I rolled my eyes at what was fairly obvious intimidation and nodded for Ren to step forward. The two tensed, but quickly calmed down – and then started to salivate – when Ren opened a small pouch to reveal a pile of candy.
"It's a gift for your Chieftain," I said, pleased to finally have their attention. It had been my idea, based on memories of the best way to get my sister's attention when I needed it. There wasn't much they wouldn't do for chocolate.
"W-We'll take you to him. Can we…?"
I picked out a small, wrapped piece of chocolate and tossed it to him, and then one for his friend as well. They caught them quickly and swallowed them in one, barely pausing to remove the plastic. They groaned happily as they ate, bodies shaking.
A small bit of charity could go a long way, or so my Dad had often told me. I wasn't sure this counted as such, more of a bribe, but it certainly replaced their surly expressions with far more welcoming ones.
"Come on, come on. I'll introduce you." The pale man with a wide smile and chocolate-stained lips threw an arm around my shoulder and led me deeper into the restroom. "Bring your friends too. You're all welcome."
There wasn't much to their lair to describe. It was a bathroom in a school, which was to say it had tiled floors and walls, six sinks, six cubicles and some hand dryers. There were a few mattresses laid about, with sheets taken from nearby rooms, but for the most part it looked like they wanted to keep a low profile. That was probably why they'd survived as long as they had, really.
And there, against one wall, whispering into the ear of someone knelt nearby, was the leader of this rag-tag tribe of outcasts. His huge frame bulged with muscle, and he cut an intimidating sight, even sat in a corner of a woman's bathroom. His head rose when he heard them, and he smiled kindly as he stood.
"Welcome travellers. My name is Yatsuhashi Daichi, elected leader of the small group you see before you." He bowed from the waist. "It is an honour to meet fellow free-men. There are few of us that still remain."
"Uh, yeah." I tried to mimic the bow, but it didn't come off as well as I'd have liked. "Likewise. You're from Team CFVY, right? Velvet's team."
"I am, yes." The giant of a man sighed and slowly lowered himself back down onto his throne – which was, in fact, a toilet. "In the early panic of the war's outbreak, I sought to meet with my team, and Coco assured me we would stick together and not be driven apart by some silly game the headmaster plays. I trusted her, as any would their team leader."
I coughed awkwardly and looked around the bathroom. "I can see how that went."
"Indeed. It was not my wisest decision. My sword was stolen from me, Fox captured, and it was only by the grace of several men storming the main entrance that I was able to escape. In the chaos, they created a distraction."
He meant the distraction I'd caused when I convinced those guys to charge Coco so Ren and I could get away. Well, it was nice to know someone else had benefitted.
"Enough of pleasantries," Yatsuhashi said. "I know why you are here, Jaune of Arc. You seek to unite the tribes."
"Of Arc?" I echoed, vaguely confused.
"Your goals are just, but I fear idealism has clouded your mind," he continued, ignoring my question. "There has been no shortage of men like you; the forums are filled with them. While uniting is a worthy goal and might allow us to strike back, the logistics of such a move are not quite so simple. Have you given any thought to where we might gather, or how we would build supplies?"
Considering I'd been forced into this with no warning and no real motivation? No, not really.
"Then there is the issue of female reprisal. So far, they have remained somewhat passive in their approach, likely a sign of mercy since they are already sure to win this war. So long as we remain out of their way, we are allowed to exist. If we make ourselves targets, however…"
Then we'd be taken out like the guys we'd tried to meet with earlier. In fact, thanks to what Cardin had gotten up to under my name on the forums, it looked like we were targets already. There went the option of chilling out and letting the War Games pass without lifting a finger.
"Forgive me, Jaune," Yatsuhashi said. "You must wonder why I would invite you to meet with me if my intention was to reject your offer from the start."
"I did wonder," I lied. In truth, I'd not even thought about it all. Too busy focusing on my own survival, and wondering how I was going to get out of this mess in one piece. "But first of all, we came with some gifts."
Ren stepped forward with a small nod and presented the food we'd brought to Yatsuhashi. The large man's face lit up and he accepted it with a smile. He was a better man than I was, at least in terms of self-control, because instead of tearing into them, he split the pile equally and handed it out to his followers. For himself, he took only the smallest of chocolate bars, and even then, put it away for later.
"I thank you, Jaune. Times have been difficult for us. Rest assured that we will not forget this. How did you come across such bounty?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but Russel interrupted before I could.
"He took them from a team of Girl Scouts," the mohawk-wearing teen said proudly. "We were ambushed by them back when we were still enemies, but he brought us together, made us fight as one, and even led us to victory over the eight girls."
Yatsuhashi's tribe murmured between themselves. Many seemed awed, while some clearly didn't believe the story at all; the mere idea of any men beating the girls just about impossible. The food was hard to argue against, however. Where else would we have found so much?
"I'd heard rumours, but I thought it just that," Yatsuhashi said.
"It's no rumour. Without Jaune, we'd still be no better than staving bandits stealing from our fellow man to eat. He made us into something better. He gave us back our pride!"
"That's enough, Russel," I said, cringing. I really didn't deserve such awe.
"I can sense no dishonesty in his words. You have brought an impressive victory to your people, and also inspired them to greatness." Yatsuhashi sighed. "It is admirable, I will freely say, but I do not believe it will be enough to win this war. I am sorry, Jaune of Arc. I cannot risk my people's freedom by choosing to follow you. If it were myself alone, then perhaps… but that is not the case."
It was a no, then. That was fine. I swallowed what little disappointment I felt, but to be honest I was more relieved that I cared to admit. Yatsuhashi's view wasn't exactly the wrong one. Honestly, it was what I wanted to make. More than that, I could respect him for it – and this hadn't left me looking bad in front of Team CRDL, either. I'd tried to unite this tribe with mine, but it failed. Oh well, time to try another, and then keep trying until the five days were over and I could go back to Team JNPR and forget this ever happened.
Nice and simple. No risks involved.
Or so I wished.
"He can beat them!" Sky pushed past me and threw an arm wide, shouting at the top of his voice. "Jaune can beat the women. He can deliver us to victory!"
"Sky," I hissed.
He ignored me.
"Look at what he did with us. We're not the strongest team. We're just first years. If he can lead us to win against the Scouts, then think what he could do with a real army!"
"It's fine, Sky. He's already said no." I tried to pull him back, but was knocked off balance as yet another person pushed by me.
"Sky is right," Dove said, moving to stand beside his partner. "If you guys just want to sit here and hide in the toilets for the whole week, then fine. Don't come crying to us when you get found out and captured. Or worse, do you want to look back on this after the fact and think how you hid away like cowards while other men fought for their freedom? Is that how far your honour goes? Are you men or mice!?"
Yatsuhashi sighed. "I have to think of what is best for my people."
"Cowering in a toilet is what's best? Why not surrender? It's probably just as bad!"
"Stop, stop!" I pushed the two aside and strode though them, waving my arms in an attempt to calm everyone down before something altogether worse happened. Already, Yatsuhashi's people looked offended, and now I was throwing myself in front of them.
Better that then get stuck into a fight, I supposed. I was used to dealing with anger and difficult conversation. I'd been flirting with Weiss for months now. It was normal.
"No one is calling anyone a coward. Yatsuhashi, I'm sorry for what they said. Please don't take it seriously."
"What was said was spoken in the heat of the moment," the gentle giant said, calming his forces with an easy smile. "I take no offence. If anything, it speaks of the faith and belief they have in you, and your ability to inspire it."
No, it really didn't. It spoke of Team CRDL's idiocy.
"You must understand, however," he went on. "We have nothing to base our own belief on. We have no proof of your abilities, and no reason to trust that you can lead us to victory and not an inglorious defeat."
"I get it, it's fine. I wouldn't risk my life on a wild chance, either-"
"Then he'll prove himself to you!" Cardin declared. "If it's proof you want, he can deliver."
Wait, what?
"Proof?" Yatsuhashi rubbed his chin. "I'll admit that isn't an angle I thought of. You wish for me to set a challenge?"
"Yes. That's right."
"Cardin, wait-" I tried to grab his arm, but the taller man had already stepped forward, sweeping an arm before him.
"He can handle whatever you set forth, but you have to join us afterwards."
"If he completes it."
"When he completes it."
"Or, alternatively-" I said, only to get interrupted. Yatsuhashi pushed off his porcelain throne and stood tall.
"Very well," he said. "You have spoken, Jaune of Arc. We shall see how fit you prove yourself to be."
I haven't bloody spoken at all, you moron! That's exactly what you're NOT letting me do. I groaned to myself but kept my mouth shut. It was done now. I couldn't back out without everyone seeing me as a failure. Ren touched my arm and nodded in what he probably thought was support. It didn't help much. I wanted to smash my head against the nearest wall, but instead settled for sticking a panicked smile to my face – like this had somehow been my idea all along.
"My men have need of two things," Yatsuhashi said. "Food, and medical supplies. I care not which you choose to provide, but if you can bring me enough medicine to treat them should we be hurt, or enough food to feed the eight of us for two days, I will take that as proof you are able to adequately support and provide for us, and I shall pledge my support to your cause."
Food and medicine, huh? The cafeteria was out of bounds since it had been taken over at the start of the war, but I could recall the infirmary being declared a neutral zone. Maybe we could go there and get something from Tsune. I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy.
"Do this, Jaune Arc, and you shall have what you seek."
With a nod, I turned away, marching out of the bathroom with my retinue in tow. What I sought, huh? Not likely. Not unless Yatsuhashi could bring an end to this civil war and have me back in my dorm fretting over how to ask Weiss out and how I was going to avoid being called up for another spar by Miss Goodwitch.
It was only once we were outside once more that anyone spoke, and it was Cardin, turning to me with a wide grin on his face, and an even wilder light in his eye.
"That went better than I thought it would!"
I'd never wanted to punch someone in the face quite so badly.
This week has been a bit of a rush for me thanks to this show of mine, ugh. Things should be calming down a little moving forward, however, which is a relief. Anyway, here is the chapter, and Jaune's continued involvement in the Civil War grows.
On the "Beacon Forums", I just equate it to the kind of thing every University has, where you can chat, post notices, download resources, etc. An intranet, I suppose.
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur