521Disclaimer: I own nothing of RWBY.
Salt
By: Imyoshi
Not just any idea, too, but a bloody amazing one.
Smoke Dust trailed out his mouth from the sudden sharp inhaling and exhaling of air. Exchange students, exchange students, exchange students! Travel between the four Kingdoms with new lands to scavenge Dust and locate Maidens? That idea just might be their golden ticket, their one-in-a-million chance. His feet all too soon stopped working with Yang following by example, quirking an eyebrow once she noticed his faraway look.
"Jaune?"
"Exchange students?" Jaune mumbled. He said it a second time. Then a third and fourth. "Yang? Yang! That's it! I got it!"
Her other eyebrow rose. "Got what?"
His posture brightened excitedly. "How we can travel across Remnant without anyone noticing! Exchange students, we can become exchange students. No one would look twice at us. It's the perfect disguise! Come on!" Jaune grabbed her wrist. "We have to talk to Ozpin."
She regrettably pulled him back. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Dust Boy, hold your horses. You're going from zero to sixty. Back up and start from the beginning."
"What's there to talk about?" Jaune sighed with smoke blowing out. "You asked about my plan to get around Remnant, I had none, and now I have one. Becoming exchange students solves all our problems."
Gears turned in her skepticism filled head. He saw it. He felt it! Crossed arms and sharpened lilacs were his opponents, but he wasn't afraid of them. Thinned lips faltered. Whatever internal arguments she made up for herself kept falling apart, and those impossibly headstrong firearms relaxed.
"Fair enough. It does make sense."
He chuckled. "See? That's why we need to talk to our Headmaster and see how fast he can make us exchange students?"
She blinked, checked the depressingly empty hallways of Beacon, envied all those that slept in their toasty beds, and foolishly opened her mouth. "Right now?" Yang yawned and moaned. "Can't it wait until the afternoon."
"We're already awake."
She resisted. "And what about Ozpin? He might be sleeping like any sane person."
He resisted her resistance. "Look, we'll check his office, and if he's not there, then I'll email him. In and out, real quick."
He held back a laugh when Yang groaned unladylike and threw her head back. She huffed and stomped her feet, too. Having friends was considerably improving his moods by the days. Such a shame he missed out on all this while studying the effects of Dust and acing said Dust tests. A depressing thought the longer he dwelled on it, except it was worth it considering those exams pushed him into Beacon Academy, and all that studying and dedication turned him into a Dust-Dust human. That almost made him forget about his Little Buddy eating him alive as a suitable food source. Another disheartening thought that forced him to peek down at the smoky Dust glow fuming in his chest.
Oh well.
No point in crying about it now, not with a new goal to pursue, so he grabbed her wrist for a second time and pulled her until she eventually walked on her own. Yang purposely groaned louder the closer they got to Headmaster Ozpin's elevator, and then deliberately trudged her feet as slow as humanly possible to the opening and closing doors. He rolled his eyes and physically shoved her inside.
"Stop acting like a drama queen. We could've finished already."
She threw a hand up with her feet dug into the friction approved floor as her leader pushed her inside the elevator. "I do this under protest."
"Duly noted. Now move your butt—no! Don't push all the buttons! Why?"
"Protest!"
Many floors above the two troublemakers, a wise man sipped the brew of his chocolate beverage with a lazed motion, using Aura to diminish the burning sensation of hot chocolate burning his tongue. Hate mail fluttered in from the distraught parents of the students that failed to meet Beacon Academy's qualifications, vastly concentrated on the subject matter of an unfair Dust exam requirement. Very few were from begging parents begging for another chance at initiation. Writing and responding to each one of these emails always demanded his partial attention during the first week to avoid legal trouble and any parents bursting into his clean office, demanding such-and-such.
Glynda refused to offer any help.
Not because she couldn't handle the increased workload, but because Huntsmen-in-Training's parents acted worse than their offspring from hell, her words, not his. Bribing her with an increment to her paycheck worked just as well as asking Doctor Oobleck to cut back on his coffee, and he trusted no one else to handle the matter, leaving him to shift through the headaches with copy-and-pasted replies. Right now, he welcomed a distraction from telling this parent that their child's Dust scores, above-average compared to last year's criteria, failed to meet the council's current requirements.
Ding!
The Headmaster of the prestigious and renowned Beacon Academy graciously glanced up from his documents. Odd. Ozpin couldn't remember if he had any meetings scheduled. Glynda typically made it her mission to avoid his office on a Saturday morning, and he expected even less from his students. James was away on other business, so too Qrow. Without those possibilities, he lifted his beverage and carefully prepared for the unannounced interruption to his workload. What were the chances Qrow returned early from his mission?
Unlikely due to how dreadfully early it felt.
Hangovers devastated even the mightiest of Huntsmen.
Imagine his surprise when two manes of blond dinged at the other side of his elevator. Miss Xiao Long and Mr. Arc? He discreetly checked the time on his Scroll—much too early. Fate and Destiny must be conspiring against him due to Jaune Arc's appearance. Hn? He briefly considered pushing the task of responding to these toxic emails to him since he caused this blunder, a genuine possibility due to their unscheduled interruption. Unscheduled reactions demanded unintended consequences, after all.
He rested the mail on his desk and kindly laced his fingers together in a steeple. "Miss Xiao Long and Mr. Arc, what do I owe for the unannounced entrance."
She shrugged. "Saturday detention."
Not another word.
Considering he only knew of one professor cruel enough to hand out Saturday detention so fresh into the semester, Ozpin openly smirked at the thought of Bartholomew releasing them as soon as they sat down. Ruining their Saturday morning served punishment enough for interrupting one of Dr. Oobleck's fascinating lectures. A harsh lesson only taught once. However, why had they intruded into his personal domain?
Fortunately, her leader picked up her slack. "Sorry to bother you, Headmaster, but we have a question."
A question? Ozpin carefully regarded his two students. Of all things to make the journey to his office, and nothing but an inquiry? Professors literally filled this institution, some more suited to deal with everyday issues, and yet they came to him. Call it a stroke of misfortune or his wish for a distraction biting him back. Nonetheless, they stood before him, Ozpin welcomed the intrusion and gently smiled.
"Go on."
"Can my team become exchange students?"
Tick-tock gears drummed in the background with Yang and Jaune smiling too innocently to be anything but childish. Ozpin ever so slowly unlaced his fingers. "Pardon me?"
Jaune attacked. "Exchange students. Beacon does have those, right?"
"They do."
"Perfect!" Jaune grinned. "So, can my team be part of that program?"
The towers little and big hand struck seven, yet Ozpin failed to hear the shifting gears. Experienced hands grabbed his steamy beverage, sipping some while a bellow of steam both escaped his mug and his student's mouth when he released a breath. Curious. Very, very unusual. Hazel eyes twinkled from the rim of his vessel. Rarely did students volunteer for the exchange program, vastly falling under the stipulation of hand-selecting candidates? Mandatory, of course. Which only irked his gut feeling as to why Jaune Arc, Dust prodigy of Team ABYS, asked for such a strange request.
He lowered his drink. "... If I'm not mistaken, the semester's only just begun. Exchange students ordinarily are reserved for second and above years or cultural festival gatherings, but not freshmen."
She brushed her thumb against her chest. "Well, we're here to break the norm!"
"Quite." Ozpin hummed. "May I ask why? Forgive me, but you don't appear to be the traveling type."
She carelessly flicked her hair before slamming her palms down on his desk. "That's where you're wrong, Ozpin. Team ABYS has been itching to get away from Beacon."
His finger lightly traced his cup's rim. Really? He had trouble swallowing such a transparent lie. Calling them out on it would change his morning routine for today, but his eyes stealthfully peeked down at his documents. Angry letters with more emails waited for him, all of them centered on Jaune Arc. As long as he remained attending his academy, acceptance levels expected a sharp decline due to the council's influence and penance for higher Dust scores. Fewer numbers were inevitable unless he shipped him away to someplace else.
Like an academy.
Maybe the one underneath Jame's thumb or Lionheart's tail? Why not send them headaches and allow them to handle the downfall? Some drama never hurt to spice up their friendship. A challenge. No! A game. Participation was mandatory, and he knew James accepted any obstacle thrown his way. Leo buckled under pressure, so no worries there. Once Jaune Arc admitted enrollment into their academies, come second and third semester, theirs would undoubtedly share the same Fate.
What a charming game of tag.
Now, to make the first move.
Ozpin lazily leaned back in his chair. "Very well. I can make arrangements if that's what you desire, but for next semester. It's already too late into the curriculum to switch."
"Really?" Yang asked with wide eyes. "It's that simple. Ask, and you shall receive?"
"Not everything requires strenuous effort, Miss Xiao Long. Sometimes things just fall into place. Accept your good fortune when it comes."
She hooked her arm around her leader's neck. "You bet I am! Let's burn rubber, Jaune. There's a bed with my name on it!"
Ozpin expanded his grin upon noticing how utterly comfortable Jaune looked between Yang's ironclad headlock. A common occurrence he was sure. He held his ground firmly as she pulled him toward the elevator, struggling against an unconquerable force. Soon his wobbling legs skidded toward the conveyor, and he spoke rapidly as the metallic doors closed.
"Thanks for everything, Headmaster—no! Stop pushing all the buttons!"
Ding!
Ozpin chuckled softly in the tick-tocking room, breaking his calm facade. Exchange students? What an enjoyable way to start this Saturday morning. Someone remind him to send a gift basket to Bartholomew when he finished responding to these letters, but first, he accessed Team ABSY's credentials and typed the required documents for the Student Exchange Program before it slipped his mind.
"I'm curious to how James and Leo will handle a decline in numbers? Should make a most interesting conversation."
Below the Headmaster—only three floors down from twenty—Jaune banged his head on the side of the elevator. Yang's volunteered muteness did not go unnoticed by her leader, and he shot her an exhausted glare with his temple pressed against chilly metal plating. Smoke past his lips once the doors opened on the sixteenth floor, dinging that oh-so-familiar sound with the cheesy elevator music stuck on a never ending loop.
"All the buttons? Really?"
She bounced her shoulders up. "Force of habit."
Jaune sighed. She rested lazily on the wall with her legs kicked out, arms behind her head. Another floor, another head bang. After the eleventh floor, he backed away from the wall and joined Yang on hers, mimicking her posture. The doors closed, and she scoffed playfully.
"So it looks like we're stuck in Vale until the second semester." Yang bumped his shoulder. "Stop looking so glum. That's what we wanted."
He returned the bump. "That just means we have to find out if there's a Maiden in Vale during that time." Jaune sighed and leaned against her shoulder. "That only leaves the problem of finding one. How are we supposed to hunt one of those Maiden's down?"
She sheepishly laughed. "I might know a thing or two about tracking people. My track record's not fantastic, but I'm betting it's better than yours."
Ever so hopeful. "You have a plan?"
Ever so realistic. "I have an idea."
Jaune grumbled. Oh well, an idea beat having none. Never hurt to have too many ideas. Becoming exchange students just showed how smoothly an operation could go with the right motivation and plenty of heart-clenching luck. Of course, knowing his partner, Weiss would not tolerate any half-baked plan. Precise detail required an equally meticulous plan. Already he expected a verbal tongue lashing like no other once they informed them of their sudden decision. Not so sure about Blake, better to leave Yang to handle her partner's outburst.
That only left the subject matter of breaking the news to them.
While they slept in peaceful slumberland, their respective partners turned their team into a traveling circus. Not a conversation he particularly craved. Ouch. Now they needed a plan to tell their partners about how their idea to become exchange students worked without a hitch. Ha. Someone please shoot him.
He pulled against her jacket sleeve. "We should probably tell Blake and Weiss first."
She offered him two finger guns instead. "You mean you should tell Blake and Weiss first. It was your idea, charismatic leader. I've got a date with my pillow."
"Yang!"
She held her hands up. "Fine, fine. Relax and let me do the talking. I've got a way of words that's always gotten me out of trouble."
Yang's harmless grin made the hairs on his neck stand.
...
"Exchange students!" Weiss Schnee roared. "You made a major team decision without consulting us?! And that decision was to make up exchange students?!"
Venom practically spilled out her mouth, but the effect was diminished due to Weiss using a chair as a stepping stool to make her point and demeanor indubitably clear. Pandemonium radiated in her Aura. She towered over Yang with the seat wobbling, arms crossed, and glare stern enough to melt tempered steel. Blake shared her views. Changing their next semester's plans to that of exchange students was, in fact, an important decision, one Jaune and Yang made so readily enough.
Yang skillfully held her arms up in mock surrender and delightfully pointed at her clueless leader. "Don't look at me. It was Jaune's idea."
If she thought Weiss' icy glare could molt steel, then her leader's broke mirrors. "Gee, thanks, Yang."
"Any time!"
Weiss horrifying gasped. "So it's true?"
Better shrug. "Yup. It was my idea to talk to Ozpin. We're exchange students now. Surprise... please don't hurt me."
Amazingly enough, Weiss held her breath and refrained from yelling. She thinned her lips and pinched her nose instead, figuring between the both of them, he acted more recklessly. Not a false observation. So far, his impeccable track record made Yang's paled in comparison. Jaune only waited while she took her time to hop off the chair and then sit on it. Then those icy blues opened and zeroed in on him with her hand waving in the air.
"Well?" Weiss demanded. "Explain your rash decision."
He jumped at the chance of proving his innocence. "Okay, hear me out. It's simple. I need to find these Maidens, and becoming exchange students allows us to travel without anyone raising any eyebrows."
Raised eyebrows brought up a good question. Blake glanced out the window. "About that, is anyone even watching us? No one else knows about your powers or Mother Nature's existent, except for this Salem person, and I'm not sure she knows about you."
Another valid point. Jaune sighed. "I'm honestly not sure, but I'm not trying to draw any attention to ourselves. And this way, we could travel between the Kingdoms, and it won't cost us a dime."
Yang threw her fist up. "Free rides? Places to travel? So far, so good. Sounds like a solid plan to me."
"You're only saying that because you refused to stop him before he made that plan." Weiss paused briefly. "But considering the idiotic nature of your decision making, I do see your point. Becoming exchange students would remove the obstacle of travel and expenses."
"And it's not like we're leaving tomorrow. We got a whole semester before that happens." Jaune sat on his bed and blew out a trail of smoke. "During that time, we should look for any leads for any Maidens in Vale."
Maidens.
An elephant-sized silence filled the room. Again, Blake glanced out the window before sitting on her bed too. "Speaking of these Maidens, how'll you know when you find them. How are we supposed to find them? It's not you're like some Maiden compass... are you?"
"Sorry, I couldn't tell you until we find one." Jaune cleverly pointed at Yang. "But Yang's got an idea."
"Throwing me under the bus, leader?" Yang shared a Cheshire Cat grin with him before shrugging. "He's right, though, I do have a plan. Let's just say I happen to know some less than savory folks—!"
"Criminals."
She ignored Frostbite. "Who might know a thing or two about Maidens. All they need is a little persuasion from Arm and Hammer, and they'll talk."
"The criminal underworld does have an extensive network of information at their beck and call. If anyone knows anything, they'll find out." Blake agreed with her partner but added more. "However, the same is applied to us. If we ask too many questions, then we'll paint a target on our backs."
"Then we won't ask too many questions." Yang trailed. "Or threaten them not to talk."
Weiss huffed. "I'm both appalled and intrigued to how casually you just said that, but I agree. Shorter is better."
Yang greedily opened her mouth to mock Weiss on the shorter is better comment, but the millions of years of survival perseverance existing in her DNA zippered her mouth needle thread shut. Poking their ticking time bomb of Dust and icy outbursts asked for their eardrums to rupture. Even Blake shook her head in a no gesture with her hand acting an executioner's blade over her neck. Message received.
Yang instead pulled her Scroll out and shoved the device with her target's address shown on the screen. "Here, Princess, the place you want to start is Junior's Club. I was there before the semester started, so they know me. If anyone's ever mentioned the word Maiden, his goons would know."
She nodded appreciatively. "I'm impressed. An information broker and means to travel. I guess your ill-placed decision making benefited us, after all."
"Even I have to admit it's rather ingenious, in a you lucked out sort of way." Blake added. "We should probably head over then since our time's now limited. A single semester will pass by faster than you expect."
Yup! Yang accepted the double praise and lunged headfirst into her incredibly inviting bed. "Cool! Good talk! Solid Plan. Wake me when you get back."
"Oh no, you don't!" Weiss grabbed Yang by the ankles. "This was your idea, so you're coming with us."
Yang woefully seized her bedpost the very instant Weiss had grabbed her ankles. Oobleck, Jaune, and now the Heiress? Why must everyone keep her from Saturday's beauty sleep? She pulled hard, but fatigue worked its nasty magic on her fingers, and one-by-one, her fingers loosened their grip. Strength failed her. Maybe spineless words?
"Leave me behind. My pillow! She calls to me. Do you have no mercy?"
She huffed. "Stop acting melodramatic. Haven't you heard of the expression the early Nevermore gets the Huntsman?" Weiss tugged harder. "Besides, this early in the morning is guaranteed to have no patrons in the club. Fewer people, fewer ears. So move your lazy behind."
"I refuse!"
More tugging. "You're the only one who knows where this club is, or what this Junior person looks like. You're coming with us. End of discussion.'
"You and Jaune are just alike!" Yang whined, holding onto her bedposts for dear life. "How can you be so awake on a Saturday morning?"
He snorted. "Growing plants required me to wake up early. I'm used to it."
Tug! "A proper lady doesn't oversleep."
"... I hate you both right now." Yang desperately turned toward her partner. "Blakey?"
Blake traitorously looked away. What Blake wanted to say and what she could were two different subject matters. Catnaps? She loved them dearly as much as Mr. Squeakers. Revealing her Faunus heritage could potentially divert her team's attention enough to buy Yang a precious few seconds of cuddling with her pillow. Nope, nope! Better to look away and out the window.
Yang humphed from the backstabbing. Her grip faltered, and Weiss seized the moment and pulled, separating her from her bed. Thud! Off the bed and onto the carpet, she lamented. Fine, fine! Rubbing her head, she grumbled and yawned loudly. The Sandman threw more of his sand into her face, the effect morosely diminished. She wiped it away and harshly narrowed her eyes at her target.
Yang purposely towered over Weiss. Screw survival instincts. Too tired to care anymore. "You're short."
"W-What?!" Weiss roared. "Excuse me! I'm fairly average."
She double-checked Weiss' proportions and snickered. "You got that right, maybe even less."
It took all of four seconds for Yang's double meaning to sink in, turning Weiss' snowy cheeks tomato red from embarrassment, denial, and swift fury. Blake and Jaune wisely backed away from Mount Schnee as Yang's sluggish mind failed to alert itself to the upcoming explosion. Ha-ha! Jaune purposely hugged the wall and cautiously retreated toward the door, inching closer to the handle when Weiss swiftly turned to freeze in place with her ninth circle of hellish glare.
"And just where do you think you're going?!"
He laughed meekly. "Dust scavenging. While you three are gone, I'll head around and check the parts of Emerald Forest I haven't checked yet. Got to act productive, am I right?"
Every particle of drowsy sand swept away from Yang's eyes as they grew in size. A bold smirk stretched across her dimpled grin, unable to wait for the tongue lashing coming for her dumb-dumb of a leader, only for Weiss to humph and flip her hair.
"Very well. We'll take care of Junior's Club."
That smirk flipped. Those eyes narrowed to that of poisonous snakes. At some point, Yang's eyes turned ruby red. Princess Dustchess gave Jaune the okay to just leave while she was stuck venturing out to Vale? Talk about playing favorites. Dust users! She couldn't trust anyone of them. Not on her much too early watch.
"Uh-huh. No, no, you got plenty of Dust." Yang pointed at him. "If I'm stuck heading to Vale, so are you."
"But I need Dust." Jaune weakly argued. "And I haven't checked all of the outskirts of Emerald Forest yet. I'm sure I missed some."
Yang half-expected Weiss to voice her outrage of him traveling alone, even if he was within earshot of the academy, but she only added to his growing fire of excuses, drumming her finger across her crossed forearms. From Yang's one-sided point-of-view, this was nothing more than payback from two scheming partners, one of those the lesser of two evils type of deals. They probably shared a telepathic connection? Dust nerds.
Then Weiss added to the growing pile. "Since you're remaining behind, I have a shipment of Dust thread coming in, and I need someone here to make sure it doesn't get stolen. Expect it to be here before this afternoon."
"Dust thread?" Blake questioned.
Weiss waved her hand dismissively. "I'll let you know on the way to Junior's Club."
Yang's jaw slacked.
In other words, Weiss needed Jaune to act as an errand boy while he frolicked around Emerald Forest looking for Dust, that was if he wasn't just sleeping when they left, leaving Junior and his goons to them.
Nope. "Not a chance. You're coming with us!"
Jaune inhaled.
Headlock provoking arms ventured toward the pinned to the wall Arc. Exhale. Not this time, Yang. He shifted his Smoke Dust to his hands and threw them in an Arc, applying push for smoke to escape out his pores and turned the room into a heatless sauna with a veil of smoke hiding his departure. Three sets of lungs coughed their breaths out as he breathed in the vapor without any repercussions. A door opened and slammed. Weiss then shoved the windows opened and hung her head.
"Next time, I'm banning him from making that Dust."
Yang coughed. "Ditto. And when I get my hands on him, I'm going to choke him out—and it's your fault he got away!"
Plausible deniability greatly benefited Weiss with her blank stare. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Jaune evaded you by using his Dust. I had no hand in it."
Yang almost wrapped her hands around Weiss' neck, twitching eyebrows foretold of the battle of wits happening in her cranium. Neither of them realized Blake stealthily stole first dibs on the shower.
...
Jaune phewed the moment his feet touched the cobblestone courtyard.
Decoy Dust!
A much better name for Smoke Dust, if only it left afterimages. Escaping Yang's infernal headlocks deserved a spot on the fridge. He exhaled a torrent of smog. That risky maneuver cost him a precious amount of Smoke Dust, probably peeved off his partner too. His significant glow burning in his chest, weaker from exploding ash everywhere, shone less brightly than before.
"So much for making it last."
All the more reason to search for more Dust cavities, and he moved toward the direction of Emerald Forest, toward an area he hadn't checked. A quick one-two of his Scroll summoned his weapons locker, and away he went exploring for Dust. A chilly morning masked his fog-like breath. Reaching the outskirts took some time. Most of the place was devoid of vegetation, only shielded by trees that blocked most of the sunlight from hitting the nutrient-deprived floor.
He investigated the area by moving from the top of a marked location, a line in the dirt carved by his matrilineal blade, and curved downward toward a position where he continuously enlarged with stabs into the terrain. This way, Jaune knew when he ventured too far and created a path back to Beacon. Long and arduous?
Sure.
Except he kept at it, creating a makeshift bridge of dirt and carves. Things progressed at a snail's pace. An hour into the adventure, once everything started looking the same, ergo trees and too much shade, he stumbled upon his first vein of Dust embedded in some boulder. Not that he knew it was a boulder until he removed some of the dirt. Why were huge rocks always buried in the earth?
A conspiracy.
Mother Nature teased him.
"I can say that." Jaune mumbled, removing more dirt. "I've met her. She definitely looks like the teasing type."
As soon as the last of the dirt covering the Dust fell, he absorbed the purple hue and boldly accepted the bitter amounts of Gravity Dust into his body. Smoke and gravity shared a space, much too weak to occupy his basis alone. Temporarily, he considered mixing the two variations of Dust. Smoke—an already combination of fire and water—and gravity? What kind of sick and twisted abomination would result from the two?
Ash weighing that of lead?
While very tempting, he decided not to waste the food source. He continued slicing Crocea Mors on the floor and extending his path. More Gravity Dust he found buried underneath his feet. Ha. Ha-ha! Why couldn't he absorb the energy through the soil irked him. Again, he blamed Mother Nature. Digging his hands into the dirt, he retrieved the glowing parcel and smirked at the hue of purple radiating and not radiating in the shaded trees.
Ah. Glowing Dust. How its illumination affected him less by the days, reminded him of trying on new shoes. Those took a while to break in, but once they accommodated to his feet, it felt natural. The same rules applied to Dust and their nauseating glow evidently. Hn. He greedily absorbed the newest addition into his body, almost pocketing the white husk of a crystal that remained. Its shell called to him. Childhood memories made him smile. For old time's sake, he shoved Aura into the worthless Dust shard before he pocketed the crystal. Not too much, and he expected the warming glow to vanish within a few hours.
Something to keep his body warm.
Half an hour past in the blink of an eye with nothing to show for it. Progress? Unsatisfactory. Only a few new pieces of Gravity Dust to add to his growing collection. Not even enough to supercharge that fragment into a purer strain. Almost, near the border of his sanity and insanity, he briefly, and just hypothetically, considered catapulting himself. From such a height and advantage point of soaring through the open air, he should be able to spot vaster quantities of Dust and avoid Grimm detection on the trip down. The run back kept him from trying such an idea.
At least not until he ran it by his team.
Useless.
Jaune threw his back into the nearest tree and slid down, extending his palm out to fragment a shard of Gravity Dust. A decent glow. Good enough for maybe for a day of nourishment. Flicking it up, he snatched it from the air, immediately detecting a radiance above his peripheral vision. Huh? Yes! He quickly jumped to his feet. A meek rainbow shined within the bark of the tree, about twenty feet off the floor.
"Why hello there. Where'd you come from?"
Tch! He smirked and shook his head. Dust expert here only checked the ground and whatever bushes he found for scattered Dust, never the trees. A mistake he prepared to slap himself on the back for later. Now, he walked around the tree and discovered a makeshift hole above a branch.
Oh!
A melting pot of Dust existed in that tree's opening. Probably a forgotten stash someone left behind? Excellent. Easy pickings. A few hiccups. Like how to reach it. Tree climber, he was not, and the idea of chopping down one of Mother Nature's trees sent never before felt shivers up his spine. She already buried boulders for fun. Cutting down a precious tree just begged her to drop it on him.
Flexing his fingers, he considered climbing the tree the old fashion way. Some elbow grease and using Crocea Mors as a stabbing tool to climb should suffice. He blew out a puff of smoke, more than ready to give a running start, only to shortly gaze at the fog hitting his face. His hand moved to flick it away, coming to a heart-stopping realization when his digits brushed the white haze. Fascination turned into infatuation. One palm extended out, aiming toward the far out of reach branch.
"That's right." Jaune recalled. "I can extend my limbs with enough push. Maybe I should try grabbing the branch from down here?"
Sounded insane with a high chance of wasting precious Dust in favor of tree climbing, but the urge to practice grew. Already he pushed against his palm, smirking at the wisps of smoke escaping the tips of his digits. Then he moved. Before he contemplated his decisions or focused his aim, he already cocked his arm back. Then he thrust forward.
Out went flying his hand!
A trail of smoke zoomed past where his elbow connected, extending the other half of his body part far. It flew. It zoomed. It glided through the air like a Bullhead. During the initial takeoff, he tested his reflexes and nerves, discovering his fingers still very much active. So he opened his hand. Palm touched wood with natural reflexes closing the gap.
Grasp!
There! His fingers grasped the branch. Such an odd sensation of touching something thrice its height distance wise. The trail of smoke acting as his limb only reinforced those goosebumps entailed thoughts, but he powered on through and tightened his grip around the wood. Now to reverse the process and hold onto dear life.
"Okay! One, two, three—aw!"
Whoa! Instead of pulling his limb back, he retracted his body to his hand and flew up the tree. Jaune laughed during the floating moment. Then he zoomed past that branch and crashed into another a few feet higher. Ouch! One right between the eyes. Lady Luck kindly humored him and allowed his starstruck body to collide with the targeted limb.
"Ha! Worked like a charm!" Jaune groaned. "Note to self: test propelling force of Smoke Dust and trees hurt."
He painfully laughed and sat up, yelping from the bruise forming. Ouch, ouch, ouch! A bruise for sure. Stubborn pain aside, he achieved his goal. He crawled toward the glows, making sure not to agitate the branch with his added weight. The gleams essentially brightened in front of Jaune, and he reached in and pulled a worn-out backpack from the hollowed tree trunk. Not too heavy, but not too light. Once he bounced the bag in his hand, hearing the telltale sounds of shards and gems crackling and smacking into another, he grinned.
"Bingo."
Jaune moved to sit on a sturdier section of the branch, dangling his legs over the edge while he searched the contents with the same fervency as a child in a candy store. Might as well be since an assortment of colorful treats awaited him. None of the glows radiating inside promised much in the use combatant skill, but each guaranteed a day's feeding. Then he realized some of the shines were duplicates. Possibilities awaited him.
"Let's see what's inside."
The riches laid inside varied. His first deduction proved gleefully wrong. He found enough shards to recreate a supercharged Frost Shard. Some Fire Dust to add to his already synthesized crystal. Bits of Barrier Dust, and a decent shard of Lightning Dust, not enough for status changes, but enough to turn his body up to eleven. Just what he needed! The Smoke Dust should last him the remainder of the day with the embers of Gravity Dust keeping him on his feet for the next two. Everything else was more than enough for combat usage. Could this day get any better?
Growl!
"Huh?" Jaune looked down and saw a Beowolf growling at his dangling legs. "Oh? Where'd you come from?"
The Grimm probably hid in the darkness of the trees.
It surged upward on its hind legs and attempted to gnaw on his feet as an answer. Razor-sharp teeth narrowly missed his mouthwatering legs, and he pulled them in closer. Another attempt followed, replaced with the Grimm clawing against the aged bark. Tree climber, the Beowolf was not. Hehe! Small world. Such a young thing, he noted its lack of a boney structure, except for its jaws and snout. Red eyes demanded an audience.
He inhaled.
Jaune watched the Beowolf circle the tree. It searched for a weak spot. Blowing smoke, he rested his arms on his legs and considered his options. Do nothing and wait for help? Yeah, nope. Stuck in a tree did not mean helpless critter. Jumping down sounded doable. With the right angle, he could pierce Crocea Mors down its throat and cushion his landing on ashy fur. Choices, choices, he cautiously rubbed his chin, only to glance down at his hand. Huh? Option three: Smoke Dust. When it came to combat, he had zero experience with Smoke Dust.
Extended limbs were worth pursuing.
He gripped Crocea Mors and angled the blade in a downward trajectory. "Why not. Not like it's gonna last me, anyway."
First he aimed. Then he narrowed his eyes. Finally, Jaune pushed against the feeling and stabbed the air with Crocea Mors, grinning when his limb extended in a trail of smoke with his blade still very much gripped in his hand. Soaring it went, catching the Grimm by surprise as it pierced its chest cavity and struck out the other side, hitting dirt. The creature of darkness didn't know how to react when he stabbed it or when he retracted his arm and jumped from the tree and landed squarely on its back. Brittle darkness overcame its vision as it turned to dust. Jaune whistled harmlessly, sheathing his sword with the bag of Dust thrown over his shoulder and simper growing.
"Well, that was exciting. I wish I kept a scientific log around to document all this."
He laughed. A quick peek down showed what little remained of the Smoke Dust glowing in his chest. Hardly anything to stave off starvation. Not even a wisp of smoke past his mouth anymore. Guessing, with what he learned so far, he estimated maybe half a day's of nourishment, conceivably two-thirds.
Anything more was borderline miracle.
Okay. Okay! He breathed and followed the direction of his man made path. What started horrendous ended up being a magnificent haul. Dust knowledge learned, and he vanquished a Grimm. Sigh! Reminded him of his youth. Only about two hours wasted, too. He only expected to consume another half hour returning, conceivably longer if he stopped to check every tree on the way back. So three hours in total.
Not bad.
"I wonder how the girls are doing?"
...
Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna engaged in the most stimulating of fashion trends.
"Hn? I see. You've thought of creating Dust-based clothing with a higher thread to Dust thread count by using Jaune's ability?" Blake approved of the possibility of Dust fabricated clothing. "And progress?"
"Early stages." Weiss grumbled. "He's only just getting the hang of his abilities. I'm not too nearsighted to think he'll have it figured out by the time we return to our dorm."
Blake grew quiet. "That still bothers me, not his lack of control, but his newfound abilities in general. Where they came from and who they belonged to, it makes it hard to believe."
She shared her sentiment. "Mother Nature existing is quite a troublesome pill to swallow, but I'm more concerned about this Salem person and her ability to steal life. She's the real threat to humanity."
Before Blake added more, Yang wrapped her arms around their shoulders. "Hey, hey! Don't sweat it. The way I see it, we beat this Salem person and fix humanity at the same time."
Her partner snorted playfully. "You make it sound so easy."
"Not everything's got to be complicated."
"Still, knowing such information troubles me." Weiss added. "I feel like we should tell someone."
"Maybe, but not now." Blake's bow twitched. "Knowing who to trust and who we can trust with such information is vital. Imagine if Salem got wind of this? She'd be right on us, and I heavily doubt we're a match for someone like that, amazing or not."
"We don't even know of her abilities."
Blake huffed. "Exactly."
"Enough already!" Yang unwrapped her arms and walked backward. "Stop with the heavy stuff. We're almost there. Just a few more blocks. So get your heads in the game!"
Weiss and Blake knew they were in for a treat when the streets had no one walking outside in the mid-morning sunlight. When the surrounding air tasted stale, adopting a desolate environment as its background, they both mutually agreed Yang held no fear. Trash littered the floors with a layer of smog. Not even animals chirped or barked in this part of Vale.
No wonder no Bullheads traveled to this part of town.
How Yang embraced the dystopian culture puzzled them. Wandering eyes unfocused. During the night, this place probably flipped the switch and turned into a buzzing twilight of human activity, music, dancing, shows, and everything in between. At the very least, it appeared Yang knew where her way around the streets, twirling and strutting with confidence. In little time she stopped in front of a club missing its sign, turning around to grace its presence with her humble appearance.
She pressed her hands to her hips. "Voila! Here's the place."
"This is Junior's Club?" Blake tilted her head at the substantial damage. "Are you sure?"
Weiss investigated some of the extensive damage, noticing, disapproving, and humphing from the lack of maintenance. Glass and debris everywhere! Without even asking, she knew her blond of a teammate was the culprit behind the destruction. Perfect lips curved ever so slowly in approval. Messy, sure, barbaric, absolutely, but those qualities made for an excellent companion against the Grimm.
She stepped toward the closed sign. "Shall we?"
Weiss or Blake never made it to the stairs. Yang pushed one hand away to hold them back. She grinned, cracked her knuckles, and put on her best Goldilocks smile.
"Stand back. I know Junior, so let me do all the talking."
Smash!
Twin heavy doors burst dramatically open with them flying across the establishment. Some unfortunate middlemen received the blunt end of the surprise attack, laying underneath the rubble, groaning with many Auras shattered. The leftover henchmen scrambled to reach their weapons. Meanwhile, Yang, along with her two ne'er-do-wells, waltzed inside as the dust began settling. Light shone past some of the floating particles, illuminating their darkened silhouettes in the cloud. Darkness fell over their collective conscious from the bellowing updraft.
Then a trio of Huntresses danced right inside.
Blake and Weiss made themselves scarce, heading toward the bar as their negotiator entered the dance floor. Yang openly threw her hands out in a mocking grander gesture, loving her handiwork. Mmmm! Booyah! She still smelled the gunpowder in the air with bits of broken glass crunching underneath her boots. Weaker wills faltered underneath her brilliance. Braver souls challenged the unstoppable force that was Yang Xiao Long, only to end up across the dance floor from a brutal haymaker or uppercut across the jaw.
Points for trying, minus a few for style.
Now to play the waiting game.
Her prey showed himself in record time. Out walked Junior Xiong, escorted by a pair of white-red clashed twins—Melanie and Miltia Malachite—with his bazooka rested upon his shoulders. All that bravado spontaneously crumbled the second he spotted Yang waving cheerfully, sitting on her favorite barstool, from across his club and pretending that she hadn't just broken the hinges off a reinforced door. First he lowered his weapon, lifted it back up, and then dropped it again to pinch his temples. Both the twins reacted differently, itching for a rematch.
Only his outstretched arm held them back.
"Don't bother. You'll cause more damage." Junior huffed and dragged his weapon behind the bar. Yang leaned on the barstool. "What do you want now, Blondie? We haven't even finished recovering from the last time you visited."
"Then let's make this fast. I need whereabouts."
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you? I haven't seen that woman before."
"Not that, Junior. We're here for other information. Although, if you have anything about that?" Yang leaned hopefully on the counter, only disappointed with his lack of a response. "Whatever. So, tell me big guy, what do you know about Maidens?"
He barked in laughter. "That there's no such thing. This place is crawling with girls that'll make your skin crawl."
"Errr! Wrong!" Yang shook her head with a timeout gesture. "Not that. I'm looking for Maidens. Magic. You know, I know you do."
Except he didn't. "Magic? You must be on something fierce, Blondie. I have no idea what you're talking about."
She leaned on the bar. "No idea?"
He accepted her lean with one of his own. "No fucking clue."
Weiss cleared her throat with one leg dipped over the other. Junior never glanced away, but the twin in white gave her a lazy look. "Ahem! Pardon me. I would like some Grüner Silvaner."
"Are you even old enough to drink?"
"Are you even old enough to serve?" Weiss bit back.
Melanie smirked. "Touche, Princess. Nice shade of white."
Weiss dutifully smothered her combat skirt. "Thank you. I appreciate the gesture. Your combat skirt suits those boots of yours."
Boots. Her choice of words did not go unnoticed by either of the twins. Weiss had effortlessly pinpointed her choice of weapon while the twin in red couldn't exactly hide her sharp claws. Melanie approved of her ruthlessness and offered Weiss her drink, using some of the fancy wine glasses for the rich or desperate.
"Weiss?" Yang finally looked away from her staring match. "I didn't peg you as a drinker."
"Normally, no." Weiss princessy sipped her wine. "But this week's been a hectic one. Nothing more than to calm the nerves."
"Isn't it a bit too early to drink?" Blake asked.
Her partner snorted. "Oh? Now it's too early? Where was your held back in the bedroom?"
"I'm just saying."
"Whatever! As Uncle Qrow always says, it's five o'clock somewhere!" Yang slammed her fist against the table. "One Strawberry Sunrise. No ice. And one of those little umbrellas. Please."
Junior grunted and figured it was better to serve her than go through another repeat of last time, even more so due to her backup, but before he fetched her drink, he glared at Miss Tall, Dark, and Gloomy. "What about you? We have a wide range of poisons."
Blake snorted.
"Watch it, Bow." Militia extended her paws out. "Kitty's got claws."
Junior examined her body, noticing the twitching bow. "Quiet. I know what she wants."
"I didn't order anything."
He laughed. "Trust me. I've dealt with your type plenty of times."
Yang carefully paid close attention to when he made her and her partner's drink—checking for possible drugs—tilting her head in immense confusion when he served her Strawberry Sunrise and Blake a warm glass of milk. Everything perfect about her drink tasted divine while Blake gulped down her heated concoction in one gulp, after resisting at first, almost too fast to notice. She never even looked in their general direction, keeping her composure calm as she licked her milk mustache away.
What the what?
Milk? Huh? She knew Ruby guzzled that stuff down like some demonic milk lover, substituting friendship and growing up for the liquidity growth spurt, but Blakey too? Must be the calcium. That stuff supposedly built strong bones. Yikes! Back to business.
"So?" Yang trailed, arching her eyes to roll. "About those Maidens?"
"I already told you, Blondie, I've never heard of them."
She playfully traced her finger around her cocktail. "Uh-uh! People say you know everything. Don't make this a repeat like last time."
At that, Junior shrugged. "Sure, I could look around, but what's it to you? In case you haven't noticed, you're not particularly on my good graces, Sweetheart."
"That's a secret."
"Well, that's too bad. Finish your drink and get out."
Her hands slammed on the bar. "Hey. Listen up—!"
"Can you children just stop!" Weiss swiftly dug into her coat and then slapped down a wad of lien. "Here!"
Every set of eyes blinked at the unexpected outburst with the Heiress casually sipping her wine. Pose befitted her. Glacial cold eyes glanced coldly over her wine's glass. Weaker spirits suspended in place. Mightier ones solely thawed. She tapped her drink against the bar with an echoing thud and deliberately raised a single brow at her bartender. Not a drop anywhere on her lips or a hair out of place, she then leisurely raised her eyebrow.
"Well?"
Yang opened her mouth. He grunted. Junior slammed his hand over the lien and counted the wad in front of them, tracing a finger over the sound of cold, lifeless paper flicking between his skin. No matter the side, justice, criminal, neither, only one hard truth existed in the criminal underworld and unforgiving streets. Lien made the world go round. Her point entirely when he calculated the bills a second time before pocketing the exchange.
Suddenly his whole demeanor changed. "Come back in a few days. I'll see what I can dig up."
Weiss humphed. "A pleasure doing business."
Yang blinked at the display of Weiss finishing her drink, peppering her mouth with a thin cloth, before she thanked Junior and the troublesome twosome for the beverages. She rose to her feet in perfect posture and shared a look between her teammates.
"Shall we head back now?"
"Yeah, sure..." Yang said slowly. "Uh, we'll be seeing you, Junior. And about that woman—!"
He waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, I'll look into it. Now leave before I sick our bear on you."
Said Bear cocked his machine gun. Retaliation radiated from that expressionless mask. Yang gingerly waggled her fingers at him. "Alright, alright, we're going."
Yang purposely flicked her hair before winking at the flustered Junior, tailed behind by Weiss and Blake. Bits of her drink remained with Weiss' wine finished and Blake's side accompanied by three empty glasses.
"Tootles." Melanie giggled. Militia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "What? It's called having fun."
Junior growled. "Quiet, both of you. I need to head out for a while, so watch the place while I'm gone. No funny business. We can't afford it!"
He cracked open his Scroll and frowned at the three retreating Huntresses. Information tracking for her of all people made his blood boil, but the money forced him to bite his tongue and flick through his list of clients. With the all the damages to their club, being picky wouldn't be good for business.
Militia leaned her arm on the counter. "Should we open up tonight?"
She received her answer when the disco ball fell from the ceiling and shattered. Monsieur Bear dropped his shoulders and shook that big, inflated head of his.
Melanie sighed. "I guess not. Bummer."
...
Jaune Arc only had one thought when he reached Beacon Academy.
A shower.
Exploring the woods for Dust sure built up a sweat. Now, in all fairness, he wasn't dimwitted enough to believe a drop of hot water awaited him. Knowing Yang's habits by now, he envisioned her running the hot water out on purpose. A classic prank of his childhood. His lips curled excessively from memories of tormenting his sisters the same way. His favorite still was when he switched their shampoo and conditioner to orange hair dye. It was all fun and games until their mother shared the sweetest, cherry popping smile with a mane of pumpkin.
Fond memories.
He raced inside the academy, dodging the now very awake student body with his feet dragging him up two flights of stairs in record-breaking time. Around the corner and in the hallway, he came to a screeching stop. In front of his team's room, a package laid against the door.
"What's that doing here?" Jaune checked out the box. He read the label taped on the top. "Oh. Right. Weiss did mention something about this."
True to her word, Weiss purchased more Dust thread. An entire box waited at the door with the Schnee Dust logo imprinted on the side, most likely ordered online and expressed shipped while he scavenged for more Dust. Just additional homework. Oh well. He walked inside the room and dropped the container on his bed, cutting the tape with the edge of Crocea Mors.
Inside he found what he expected, more Dust thread without any glows, meaning useless Dust, some thread rolled into small yarn balls, and a stack of Fire Dust. Nothing else. Well, that and a note in the center of it all. Even the machine typed language told him it belonged to his partner.
"Another note?" Jaune read dully. "Try to make some progress this time. Your ever-gracious partner, Weiss Schnee."
Ha. Jaune threw the note onto his bed, tossed his bag onto Weiss' bed, along with his weapon, and jumped into the shower first. After a nearly freezing adventure, he exited with damped hair. Distracting himself with his Scroll only worked until his hair dried. Then he tossed it and grabbed a ball of yarn. Before he even absorbed some of the Fire Dust inside, his exposed skin rubbed the unusual texture of the fabric. Smooth. Silky. Not so fragile in a single line.
It felt nothing like yesterday's thread.
He moved the ball closer, eyes growing. "No way."
How? The entire threading was purely Dust crafted, nearly one-hundred percent genuine crystal. Nothing like before, not remotely close, yet it moved like a string. Felt like string! Was string! What? None of it made sense. From what Weiss told him, he expected Dust thread of this quality to be hard to come across. Chances were he misunderstood her.
Not like the thread itself was anything out-of-this-world.
Not an ounce of Dust remained inside the fabric. Everything was devoid, precisely like a standard Dust crystal without any elemental properties. He held the ball higher. Did she expect him to transfer over the Dust in this shard over to the thread? Pushing Aura was one thing, but he never attempted shoving Dust into another Dust shard, only creating one from scratch.
He absorbed the Dust. "Only one way to find out."
First, he clipped off a piece, about an inch. Then he moved the fiery glow to his palm and aimed his hand toward the string, pushing out. Fire burst to life, but not within the strand, only on his fingers. The first try was a failure. Whatever! Trial and error! Jaune endeavored another experiment, holding the thread away while attempting to push Dust into the Dustless container. Again, the results showed nothing.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
At the very least, after going for attempts three, four, and five, ending with the same results, he theorized shoving Dust into other Dust wasn't feasible, but maybe only distance-wise. Jaune grabbed the string and laid it flat across his fire-free palm. Then he pushed. Fire sprung to life. For a second, he thought it worked, only for the thread to burst from coming in contact with ardent flames. Nothing remained of the string.
He snipped a second piece.
Another repeat, another same result, Jaune grumbled and nearly burned the nearest wall with a flinch of his fist. Even adding Aura into the mix accomplished zip, doing so only created a shard of Fire Dust above the fabric. Feasibly—given enough time—he potentially could reshape the Dust shards to resemble cloth and not just crystals. Even then, his gut disagreed. He wasn't so sure if the transfer of elemental properties between Dust was imaginable. Dust-Dust powers surely failed in that regard.
Jaune never stopped.
Call him insane, but he re-tried failed attempts in the hopes of practice made perfect results. However, the moment he used up an entire ball of yarn, he huffed and rested on his bed with his arms crossed behind his head. Thread? Fiber? Linen? Cloth? Whatever the correct term was, Jaune learned to despise all euphemisms for yarn. Applying Dust amongst worthless Dust fabric required control he never practiced or a technique far out of his reach. Either way, he could not do it. Not now.
Maybe not ever.
He sighed. "Nothings working."
Applying Dust to Dustless thread did not work. Insignificant or not, he needed some Dust to exist inside. Doubts still plagued him then. Weiss' fabric burst every time he applied his push. Dust never filled those fabricated gems. Aura made them react. Shoving Dust into this Dustless thread was, as far as he knew, impossible.
Jaune scoffed, created the remnants of the Fire Dust, tossed it into the box, and breathed. Dead ends hurt worse than neglected experiments or wasted resources. At least those last two things could be salvaged. Dead ends ended, and nothing changed. Silently, while counting specks of floating dust particles, he hoped his efforts weren't in vain.
He hoped he was wrong.
Huff! Enough with all the melodrama. Time for more uplifting thoughts. Jaune shot up on the bed and fetched the worn bag, dumping the contents on Weiss' bed. One by one, they dropped. Dust! Some required forging into singular pieces. He double-checked his pockets, finding the shard of Gravity Dust and something else. Something ragged, sharp, and heated.
Out he pulled the Dust shard he stuffed with Aura. Then he smiled. "Hey there, Little Buddy. I forgot about you."
Still so warm.
Before he threw that fragment onto the bed, he paused. Hold on a minute. Why was this shard still so warm? Jaune held the shard up and glared with all his Dust knowledge. He only added enough Aura to last maybe an hour, two tops. So why? Not a drop of Aura had naturally seeped out of the Dust shard. That entirely meager amount remained hot as ever.
He cautiously attempted to pull the Aura out of the Dust, just like any standard Dust shard, except that pulling sensation never beckoned to his call. Aura remained trapped inside the once fruitless Dust shard. A second attempt failed, followed by a third. Then he realized he tried to steal Aura away from the gemstone.
You can only give Aura, not use it.
Right, right. As Mother Nature said, he could only give life, not take it away. Aura classified as a lifeforce, so attempting to steal it from the shard asked for the impossible, meaning that his Dust-Dust fruit retained the ability to trap Aura inside Dust without any escaping. He pushed out life.
He pushed.
Pushing activated the elements trapped inside Dust. So if he forced, then did that mean Salem Trial pulled? Photosynthesis released energy. Respiration absorbed. By that logic, Salem would be able to absorb the Aura out of this shard. Supposedly, she used such a technique to harvest the lifeforce of others and birth the Grimm. A scary, frightening thought.
Sweat raced down his neck.
Okay. Jaune Arc pushed, not pulled, hence why Dust reacted whenever he pushed. That possibility tied in with his ability to activate Dust abilities and thrust them out of his body. So then that meant Salem stored Dust abilities and pulled them closer? How in the bloody mess did that work? No. No! If he kept at this charade of guessing someone's powers, he could be stuck at it all night.
Focus on the task at hand.
Aura trapped in Dust.
Somewhere, somehow, his Dust-Dust Fruit granted him the ability to not only push Aura into Dust but also hindered the backlash from oozing the Aura out. That only left the question of whether trapped Aura had any innovative properties. Never once had he ever considered using the notion of Aura trapped inside Dust due to its natural seeping characteristic. A hypothesis on Aura and Dust's relationships worked at his Dust knowledge, and not finding a common link between the two sounded so destructive of a lifetime opportunity.
Removing his glove, he felt around for any texture anomalies he might have missed. None found. Jagged edges pierced into his delicate skin, almost drawing blood. It felt like an ordinary Dust shard.
That only demanded more comprehensive testing.
If appearance-wise remained unchanged, he shifted back to his push mechanic. Dust reacted whenever he pushed at it. How much push could a shard filled with Aura take?
"Only one way to find out."
He cautiously placed the shard on the nightstand and took a few steps back. Simple. Jaune then aimed and pushed life, and its reaction glowed. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Excitement grew in him. Felt just like the first time his father taught him the joys of Dust. Only he kept pushing, and the Dust never reacted.
Eventually, it just stopped glowing with his pushing ability ceasing.
"Maybe two hands?"
Nope. Two hands accomplished nothing. No reaction occurred. Jaune even grabbed the shard and hoped that would allow for more Aura, alas wishful thinking. A heated crystal was his prize, one much hotter than anything he had ever synchronized previously to his Dust-Dust abilities.
He grinned nonetheless.
Dust Discoveries awaited him.
Time to experiment!
He dubbed the name an Aura shard before continuing. Unlike Dust, Aura never burst the shard into an explosion of elemental proportions. It merely stopped accepting anymore Aura, an odd sensation to one who pushed mentally and not physically. When he tested its reactive properties by throwing and shattering it against the floor, nothing followed. Test one showed no outward reaction to physical force compared to traditional Dust.
An oddity since he expected any backlash.
Test two had him adding Aura to different sized shards to see their maxed capacity, finding them oddly the same, regardless of shape or size. From that conclusion, it was more practical to stuff Aura into larger chunks than smaller pieces. Wasting Aura was wasteful.
He skipped test three entirely. Eating an Aura shard was an insane idea. Why he even considered the idea was ludicrous. More than once, he crossed off the concept on his notebook and progressed to Test Four. Sounded like something Nora might tell him to try. For that, he crossed it out a sixth time.
Consuming an Aura shard, nothing more than a backward step toward Dust science.
Test Four was nothing more than the waiting game. He grabbed some of his fully stuffed shards and recorded their time. Checking the time, he clocked it ten past nine and labeled them accordingly before proceeding to his final Dust test.
This exam demanded he moved more than a few steps back, placing a fully charged shard at the edge of the room. What remained of his Smoke Dust, he consolidated into a separate shard, adding to his pile. Physical force showed no promising variations, but what if he caused another shard full of elemental charged Dust to explode next to the Aura infused one? Would that potentially backlash a supercharged explosion of outlandish proportions? Never once had he considered the ramifications of trying the said idea in the confines of their small room. Only when he threw his shield over the targets, creating a chain reaction with the remaining Smoke Dust, did he consider himself on Lady Luck's good graces.
Smoke covered the entire bedroom. Every nook and cranny filled. Without any leftover in his body, Jaune waved away the excess and coughed. He opened the nearest window and gasped. Fresh air! He breathed, choked in laughter, and phewed at dodging another bullet. Facing Weiss' wrath was not on his list of things to do.
Once the air cleared out, he checked the floor for the remaining Dust particles. None of the Smoke Dust lingered, gone from the explosion, but everything of the Aura shard endured. Granted, in smaller fragments. Still, he thinned his lips and clicked his teeth once he noticed not a single piece hadn't reacted.
Nothing.
The Dust researcher frowned. "Nothing? Seriously?"
Physical or chemical stimulation showed no outward results. Had Jaune already stumbled into another dead end so early into his research? He sighed and mindlessly played with the Aura shard between his fingers. Now what? Aura shards reacted not with Dust or dynamic adjustments, alien characteristics compared to Dust. Pushing Aura accomplished nothing once it hit its threshold. What else was left? Aura reactions? Like when chemicals reacted with one another? Exothermic and endothermic reactions he understood with his plant-hybrid body.
Why not?
Until he tried every conceivable variable, calling it a dead end wouldn't be an appropriate label.
Jaune grabbed a fragment for each hand. "Aura reactions?"
Not his strong suit. His only experience with actively using his Aura came from shoving it inside worthless Dust shards. Other than that, it mostly stayed behind and acted as a subconscious force field in battle. So he wasn't expecting much when he focused on it, especially not a pulling sensation from one of his hands. Hn? That was new. He held up his hands, and quizzically stared at the one with the complex response.
None of his Aura drained from his gloved hand, free from devouring, whereas he felt his Aura channeled from his bare hand.
The reasons were clear. "Skin contact?"
Good. Good! Discoveries. He kept at it, concentrating his Aura with only his gloved-free hand having his energy sapped. A minute passed. Jaune then repeated his experiment of throwing his shield over the shard to conduct a chain of reaction, only to be sorely disappointed when nothing happened.
Again.
Another dead end. Not a problem yet! Jaune kept feeding the shard. Just like his pushing ability, he theorized the shard might eventually stop eating away at his Aura, only for that to be proved utterly false. Minutes quickly passed. Wowzers. It only ate more of his Aura. Aura shards acted nothing more than bottomless pits, just like the Dust-Dust fruit. It. Never. Stopped.
Pushing had limits.
Aura shards acted like gluttons.
Unable to react both physically and chemically, and Aura reactions only led to black holes of consumption? Jaune sighed and dropped his head. Aura shards were the equivalent of worthless. They ate Aura just like his body without any of the photosynthetic or respiratory properties to show for it.
What a waste of time and precious Smoke Dust.
Nothing hurt worse than a worthless discovery. Almost as insignificant as reinventing the wheel. Tch! He fell to the floor and dropped the pile next to his figure, grabbing some with his gloveless hand and gloved one. He angrily tossed the shard against the wall as hard as he could, almost shattering the stone. Then another, and another. None of them broke. He twitched and added Aura to his clothed hand, fragmenting that one. What happened when he threw an Aura shard in direct skin contact amazed him.
That shard not only shattered but pierced the dry wood and out the other side of the wall.
Freezing in place, Jaune blinked. "What was that?"
Curious, he added Aura to his next throw—controlled by his gloved hand—and shattered the Aura shard. So far, so good, nothing out of the ordinary. Then he gripped the other shard, the one where it drained his Aura and hurled it with all his might. Again it smashed against the barrier, or at least the wall behind the wall he threw it against, mirroring his earlier results.
"Okay?" Jaune raised a brow. "Now we're getting somewhere."
Progress with something worth testing. Observations showed an increase in physical strength. Just to be sure, Jaune seized the remaining fragments and gripped them tightly in his hand. Conclusive data needed better equipment, something to record the precise calculations.
Jaune Arc headed for the training rooms.
Finding his object of interest took no time. Next to the punching bags it remained untouched during a Saturday afternoon. Every once in awhile, he found Yang banging her fists against it, breaking numbers with the occasional machine from repeated blows. It recorded strength and nothing more.
An old-school punching machine.
Jaune increased the pressure on his grip and stood in front of it. Huh? He gently tapped his knuckles against the machine with a Newton force reading popping up. Not much. An expected reading due to his lack of force behind the blow. Okay! This time he formed a fist and threw everything he had into it with Aura empowering his muscles, striking an extraordinary intensity near eight-hundred Newton. That was much higher than a civilian's, but he expected as such from Aura's influence. Now to grab a few Aura shards and test out their merit.
He readily scooped up a handful and gripped them tightly. Concentrating, the shards devoured his surrounding energy, and he compressed a second fist filled with jagged crystals. His legs spread apart. His shoulders hunched. Jaune growled and then threw everything into this second jab just like before feeding Aura into both his body and Aura shards.
Slam!
Nothing felt different. Not off or right. Precisely the same with Jaune's shoulders squared and arm perpendicular to the machine. He only breathed as the numbers appeared on screen, flinching from the unexpected results popping up. Nine-hundred eighty Newtons? How? That almost made a thousand. That difference in force wasn't a few pounds, but nearly two-hundred, practically an overhaul on his muscular frame. Just to make sure no fluke took place, he delivered another punch, dropping the shards with his Aura fueling his body, and this time he hit seven-hundred fifty squarely. Okay. He believed that.
Once more, he grabbed the Aura quartz.
Repeat and then document. Jaune followed his exact movements and delivered one more strike with his Aura feeding the shards, smacking right down into the middle with a resonating sound of knuckles brushing fabric. Numbers spun on the machine, and he secretly wished the results turned promising. No flukes, no flukes! Beep! He gasped and dropped the shards.
"Over one thousand?"Jaune breathed, relaxing his hand. "Barely."
Results were results. Testing a third time would prove fruitless. Asking for different outcomes asked for insanity, and Jaune much fancied the current statistics. Seriously. Over a thousand! From an average range of seven-hundred fifty to eight-hundred to over a thousand Newton force. He thrust his arms inward, feeling the same way he felt during his first day with his Dust-Dust powers. Learning new and improved methods churned his blood and tickled his funny bone. He grinned down at the Aura shards filled with his lifeforce, attributed to his power to give life.
"Now that's more like it!"
Glorious! Aura shards consumed Aura to amplify the host's body. Precisely how the Dust-Dust Fruit devoured his lifeforce to grant him subjugation over Dust, only the properties given exerted physical attributes. So mind-shattering. From a technical standpoint, measuring the quantity versus quality ratio between one Aura shard and many sounded downright tedious and outside his expertise. Testing and retesting until he found the correlation demanded too much, otherwise he would have tried.
No.
Not worth pursuing. Knowing Aura shards amplified Aura was more than enough for him. Now, how to utilize such a technique to his arsenal Holding handfuls of Aura shards accommodated no one. They would undoubtedly shatter from the impact force and effortlessly dig and pierce the skin, but skin they needed to touch. Well, just in case, and he was already standing in front of a force machine. A few minutes and two almost identical punches later—one Aura fueled and the other not, both covered by a glove that indirectly disallowed direct contact—and his results were obvious.
"Definitely needs direct skin contact. Don't forget that."
Skin contact. Great. That just ruled out substantially everything in a Huntsmen's arsenal. Useless in weapons. Worthless hidden in pockets. Impractical when combined with any Dust. Unless if he knew a way to apply this Aura-Dust hybrid along a person's body, the uses limited in the worst possible way. Wasn't like Dust just so happened to come rolled up in people's sleeves like clothing.
Or thread—wait?
"Thread?" Jaune hiccuped. "Thread. Thread! That's it!"
He glanced down at the Aura shards, imagining these shards fitted into fabric resembling Dust stitching. Photosynthesis absorbed energy—or Aura in this case—and released energy. Applying the same principle to Dust thread should feasibly work.
He headed to his room for his partner's arrival.
...
Weiss Schnee knew something was up when she entered her dorm room and found Jaune Arc waiting for her, playing with a white Dust shard.
He asked first. "Where's Yang?"
"She went to join her sister for sisterly bonding." Weiss air quoted.
Only Jaune Arc knew that sisterly bonding translated to I'm going to help you prank Jaune, Rubes.
"And Blake?"
"She got dragged along."
"Ah." Jaune calmly added. "Got any leads?"
"None." Weiss noticed her shipment. "Any luck on your end."
"With the Dust thread?" Jaune laughed. "Nope. The thread you got me is one-hundred percent Dust without any actual Dust. I've learned I can't push Dust into empty containers. I need there to be some. Like the threads in your clothing."
She humphed. Oh well. Not a total loss. "So, no progress as late?"
He smirked. "Well, I didn't say that. What do you know of shoving Aura into Dust?"
Excuse her? "That childish parlor trick? Simple. By pushing Aura into used up Dust, you can make it glow and warm. Some combat schools use it as a way to teach control. Why?"
A breeze blew in from the opened window. "Aura doesn't implode."
"I assume it wouldn't since it's intangible and known property to seep out of Dust."
"Except mine doesn't." Jaune showed her the glowing gem. "I pushed Aura into this thread hours ago, and it's still just as warm as before. My Dust-Dust abilities can apparently keep it trap without seeping."
"And?" Weiss urged. Considering everything else she had learned, keeping Aura locked in Dust hardly warranted anything more than okay. "That helps us how?"
"Photosynthesis."
"... Photosynthesis?"
He jumped to his feet. "Exactly! The Dust shards stuffed with Aura has the capability to drain Aura from the user and amplify their abilities. Watch!"
Weiss scrunched her nose from the way he spread his legs and then tossed the shard out the window with an extraordinary force she didn't know he possessed. Not with those arms. Out the shutter! It soared through the air, bonked some unfortunate crow on the head, and landed in the fountain. Nothing stopped him from laughing, holding himself back from demonstrating a second time.
Impressive.
Hold the Scroll. He managed that because of the Aura trapped inside? "Are you serious right now?"
"Deadly." Jaune interrupted her before she asked more. "I thought you said it's too hard making Dust thread?"
A change in topic? She allowed it. "For quality Dust thread, yes, but not worthless thread, that's easy to manufacture. Dust thread is quite straightforward. The trick is maintaining the Dust's properties. What you have in your hand is nothing but a novelty. Thread without any elements stored inside. I thought it could help, but apparently, I was wrong."
Jaune tossed his Aura shard over to her. "So, what you're saying is you can make some thread from this?"
She caught the small sample. "I'll need more than one Dust shard, but correct." Weiss shook the tiny, heated scrap. "Jaune, if you're looking to be cost-effective, I understand—?"
"That's not why I'm asking."
Recognition filtered past her eyes. His demonstration reflected. "Oh, I see now. You're attempting to create thread from these—?"
"Aura shards."
"Aura shards." Wait. She paused. "Why not use the threading in here?"
He laughed. "I can, but I'm trying to get rid of the supply in my locker."
Fair point. Weiss knew how much of a mess his locker was with used up Dust shards. However, she refused to be distracted. "This isn't some ill-conceived joke? Right? These Aura shards can amplify power?"
"In exchange for Aura."
In exchange for Aura? Excuse her if that sounded straight out of a fairytale. She glared down at the warm crystal pinched in her digits, doing just that. Aura filtered immediately to it once she concentrated, draining away. Humph! She threw it against the wall, surprised how much her halfhearted throw pieced the drywall before shattering the Dust. Her partner only laughed.
"Amazing." Weiss choked, eyes growing. "You were telling the truth."
He playfully frowned. "I'm always serious when it comes to Dust."
She rolled her eyes. Grave or not, this discovery turned the pristine gears in her head. Dust thread made from Aura shards that wouldn't lose any of their luster or radiance and gave power in exchange for Aura? Her mask broke. She almost chuckled. All of this beat her earlier plans for Dust based clothing by countless milestones.
"Hand over all your leftover Dust. I'll send them to the manufacturer, and hopefully, hopefully, clean up that mess of a locker." Weiss crossed her arms and smugly smirked. "Be warned... I expect quality, not quantity. Exchange students are supposed to be representations of their academies, and I won't settle for anything less. You are a Dust expert, aren't you?"
Dumb-dumb scoffed and imitated Yang. "Princess."
"That's Heiress to you, Dust Boy."
Author Notes: Let the adventures begin!
