The Grass is Always Greener 002 (Patreon)

Emerald got her first proper look at Jaune Arc the next day.

Combat Class was being attended by students of all four academies, the stands heaving with excitable students. While they weren’t strictly required to attend classes throughout the duration of their stay at Beacon, they were all welcome to join whenever they wished. The fact that every single student available had decided to pack themselves into the auditorium was for one reason, and one reason alone.

Emerald’s eyes quickly found the crimson hair of the most famous person in attendance. Pyrrha Nikos sat calmly while dozens of eyes watched her every move, some bold few even pointing their scroll cameras straight at her. From her expression, you wouldn’t be remiss in thinking that this was just another day for her and maybe it was. By now, it wouldn’t be so unusual that she’d grown used to this.

Emerald couldn’t help but wonder what being in such a position must feel like. Having every move scrutinized, every action you take judged, everyone paying attention to any mistakes. From everything she’d heard about her, she was perfect – and she would have to be with this level of attention. People always dreamed of fame and fortune but Emerald would rather have the fortune without the fame.

Emerald was used to going unseen, ignored. Her very soul had manifested an ability that allowed her to hide in plain sight. The very concept of being the center of attention all the time was alien to her.

“She isn’t even doing anything and she has all these chumps whipped into a frenzy,” Mercury commented from her side, arms tucked behind his head. “This is a little much, isn’t it?”

He said that but Emerald could tell he was excited, though for a different reason. If Nikos was called upon to fight, Emerald held little doubt that Mercury was going to issue a challenge. Sitting on Mercury’s other side, Cinder watched the unfolding chaos with disinterested eyes, chin in hand.

Despite appearances, Emerald knew that she was watching Nikos closely.

Next to Pyrrha, Emerald spotted her team. Nora Valkyrie was gesturing wildly while she spoke to Lie Ren who appeared unfazed by her enthusiastic movements, listening to her with a blank look on his face. A mop of messy blond hair sat to Pyrrha’s left, facing away from his partner as he conversed with Ruby Rose.

They were sitting too far away and the rowdiness of the other students ensured that Emerald couldn’t hear anything of what they were discussing. Next to Ruby sat Weiss Schnee, doing her level best to ignore everything that was happening around her by focusing on her nails, the very picture of vanity. Slumped in the chair next to her was Blake Belladonna, hunched over. Emerald couldn’t see her face but just her body language was enough to convey her exhaustion. Yang Xiao Long was last, trying to draw her teammate into conversation but didn’t appear to be having much success.

“Don’t be so obvious,” Mercury chided mockingly. “You’re staring a hole in them.”

“If you didn’t wake up so damn late, we could have gotten a closer seat,” Emerald snapped. “Where the fuck were you last night? Don’t tell me you’ve already found a girl stupid enough to sleep with you.”

Mercury scowled. “Sorry, Em – but none of these chits are my type, you included. Not enough fire for me.”

Did he forget she was there yesterday when he popped a boner for Xiao Long?

“And I thank the Brother Gods every day for that,” Emerald bowed her head. “Truly.”

“You’ve got jokes today, huh? Real cute.”

“I trust a joke to recognize another joke,” she quipped sarcastically. “Now shut up.”

A tall woman with blonde hair entered and walked across the stage, her heeled boots clicking loudly against the hardwood floor. At once, the noise died down until you could hear a pin drop, severe eyes scanning the crowd as she stopped in the middle, her posture immaculate. From the corner of her eye, Emerald noticed Cinder sit up, eyes locked on the newcomer.

“For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Glynda Goodwitch. You may refer to me as Professor Goodwitch,” she began, her voice carrying across the room without effort. “I am Beacon’s combat instructor and will guide those of you that wish to learn. If you choose to stay, you will pay attention and follow any and all commands. Failure to comply means you will be removed.”

Silence met her words.

“Very well, then,” pulling out a tablet, she tapped on the screen a few times until the large monitors mounted on the walls and hanging above the stage lit up. “If you wish to participate, please sync your scrolls now.”

Emerald didn’t bother, she was only here to watch. Mercury hesitated, glancing at Cinder, waiting for her go ahead.

She nodded, once.

Mercury pulled out his scroll and opened it up, connecting to the network with a press of a button. The symbol of Vale appeared on his screen, matching the ones on the monitors before a green tick appeared, confirming synchronization.

Professor Goodwitch nodded when everything was complete. “When your name is called, collect your combat attire and weapons from the locker rooms that have been provided and report to me at once. I will start with two Beacon students so everyone gets a feel for how we conduct our bouts. Yang Xiao Long, Dove Bronzewing, you are up first.”

Yang whooped as she leapt to her feet, pumped up for the chance to show off. Her opponent was a slightly chubby guy with short dirty blond hair and narrow eyes, his expression apprehensive as Yang cocked her fingers like a gun and took aim.

The pair left through a side door and were gone for around five minutes before returning in their combat gear. From what Emerald could see, Dove’s weapon was a sword-gun hybrid, a six shot revolving chamber built into the hilt with a trigger on the underside. He wore a set of armor; a chest plate and a back plate, pauldrons and vambraces with faulds around his waist protecting his pelvis and the tops of his thighs, and a pair of matching greaves and boots. Yang didn’t appear to have a weapon, at least not one Emerald could make out at a glance, and she certainly wasn’t wearing any armor.

With her midriff and legs exposed, her tight little black shorts and snug jacket and top, more than a few men in attendance were suddenly very interested in the fight that was about to take place. A few cat calls sounded and Yang lapped it up, giving her luscious hair a flick as she squared her shoulders and puffed out her chest.

Mercury whistled lowly. “Okay, I take what I said back about the girls here at Beacon. That body is all woman. That photo didn’t do her justice.”

Trust him to be into the bimbo. And that photo he was talking about had been more than enough for him to show his appreciation.

It was a chance to see one of their targets fight and she didn’t disappoint. When Goodwitch gave the all clear, it didn’t take long for Yang to put Dove squarely on the defensive. Despite his pudgy appearance, he moved quite well and was much more skilled with his sword than Emerald was expecting but he could do little against the raging tide of his opponent.

Yang moved with ferocity, the thin bracelets around her wrists mecha-shifting into a pair of gauntlets. While she had some skill, she overwhelmed Dove with pure strength, fists firing like pistons as she dismantled him. Any damage he managed to inflict was shrugged off, and when she nailed him with two lightning fast jabs followed by a brutal overhand right, he was sent careening from the ring and into the wall below the stands, the floor shaking slightly from the force in which he hit.

“And the winner is Yang Xiao Long,” Goodwitch announced needlessly.

Yang threw up her hands as everyone applauded, a few more cat calls raining down. She soaked it all up before spotting Goodwitch’s sour expression, quickly lowering her hands.

“Please return to your seat,” Yang quickly hopped off the stage and made her way back to her team, Dove dragging himself out of the hole the blonde had put him in. “Now – would anyone from Shade, Atlas or Haven like to volunteer?”

The following match was between a student from Shade called Gwen Darcy and a guy from Atlas simply called Ivori. This one went a little longer than the first one, dragging on until finally Gwen’s aura was forced below yellow. That was followed up by someone called Yatsuhashi Daichi from Beacon, a towering brute of a boy that must have been seven foot tall at least, and Neptune from Haven. Like the second fight, this one dragged on, Neptune making sure to keep his distance and using his ranged weapon while Yatsuhashi tried to close the gap between them to utilize his reach and strength advantage.

“Everyone is holding back,” Mercury commented. Emerald nodded.

“No one wants to tip their hand before the tournament.”

A handful of bouts later, and that fact still held true. The only one that hadn’t seemingly held back anything was Xiao Long but the lacking ability of her opponent meant they hadn’t been able to see any of her trump cards. What they did see only reinforced their first opinion. She only knew one way and that was full throttle.

She was exploitable.

“Jaune Arc,” Goodwitch called. “You will be facing Sky Lark.”

“Nikos’ partner,” Mercury leaned forward. “He’s gotta be pretty good, right?”

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

The desire was there, as was the training. His forms were rigid but sound, his footwork passable but what he lacked was polish. Polish that came with experience. It was clear to Emerald at once that this was new to him and he hadn’t developed the instinct required, his sword arm powerful but lacking in true intent.

He hadn’t yet developed the mindset of a warrior, or even that of a survivor.

She watched as Jaune probed the defenses of the other boy but due to his reach disadvantage, could not close the gap reliably. Sky’s weapon of choice was a halberd, the large bladed polearm a combination of finesse and power which he wielded with decent skill. Whenever the head slammed against Jaune’s shield, it threatened to drive him back but credit where credit was due, he was able to tank each blow and maintain his footing.

If nothing else, he appeared physically strong.

“What the fuck is this?” Mercury asked in disgust. “They really made him the leader of her team?”

Cinder also appeared perplexed.

But he was more cunning than they thought. When Sky attacked once more, Jaune blocked – only this time, his shield moved, coming free from the force of the blow. The lack of resistance took Sky Lark by surprise, his weight committed. He stumbled once, twice, only small steps in an attempt to regain his balance – but it was enough. Opening created, Jaune Arc darted in, slamming the hilt of his blade into Lark’s face in a brutal blow, rocking his head back before he slashed him across the chest. Aura flared in protection but he was still wide open, falling. Jaune capitalized on this, landing several more blows that quickly depleted his aura.

Just like that, the fight was won. A sudden shift in momentum was all it took.

“Winner – Jaune Arc!” Goodwitch called, raising her hand.

Mercury snorted. “Guess he has a brain in that skull of his.”

It had been an incredibly underwhelming fight and yet Emerald watched him all the way back to his chair, Pyrrha Nikos standing to congratulate him. She looked proud, smiling widely as she showered him in what Emerald could only assume were words of praise.

It was only a small moment but it was clear that Pyrrha thought highly of her partner. There didn’t appear to be any friction with his lacking skill.

There were a couple more fights before the bell rang, signaling the end of their class. Pyrrha Nikos wasn’t called to fight this day, much to the disappointment of the crowd and so Mercury stayed seated. They waited for most of the other students to file out before getting up and following, Cinder taking the lead.

“Be careful around Goodwitch,” she said when they were alone, voice low; a warning. “Ozpin’s right hand woman and a skilled Huntress. I’ve already had a run in with her once. She is not to be underestimated.”

That certainly placed Goodwitch in a new light.

“I suppose there is a reason why she is their combat instructor,” Mercury shook his head. “A lot of these brats are lacking conviction.”

Up ahead, Emerald spotted that familiar mop of messy blond hair. Jaune Arc moved through the crowd, his partner by his side. He may have been lacking in fighting ability but when they were together, they were quite the fetching pair.

“What class do they have next?” Emerald found herself asking.

Cinder peered at her curiously, intrigued. “I believe the first year students have Grimm Studies next.”

“Gonna go play student?” Mercury mocked.

Emerald glared at him. “I’m going to go do my job.”

Mercury was moments from returning fire when Cinder raised a hand, cutting him off cold.

“Have you found a way into their little group?” Cinder asked, a tinge of approval in her voice.

“I think I might have a way,” Emerald said after a moment, trying not to preen. “Nikos appears to be rather fond of her partner.”

Cinder hummed.

“I don’t know why,” Mercury scoffed. “Dude isn’t fit to lace her shoes.”

“Nevertheless,” Cinder graced her with a smile, a rare feat. “Continue to observe them and if you find a chance, take it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she tried not to let it show how her favorable words affected her, but she knew she’d failed by the expression on Mercury’s face. If he could tell, then Cinder could.

Grimm Studies was held in a large room with tiled floors and rows upon rows of seats and benches ascending towards the back of the room. On the walls were mounted trophies and weapons, the former of which had to be fake as Grimm left no corpses behind to harvest. Behind the teacher's desk were several white boards with scribbled notes and diagrams of several different species of Grimm; everything from the common Beowolf to the more elusive Deathstalker. They were quite detailed, listing various body parts and weak spots, and how to exploit them.

As far as she could tell, there was no assigned seating here, students sitting wherever they wished. Emerald made her way down the rows, slipping into a seat directly behind Team JNPR and RWBY.

“—totally kicked butt!” she caught the end of Ruby’s cheer, the small girl beaming at Jaune.

He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to deflect. “I don’t know about that.”

“Hey, man – a win is a win, take what you can get,” Yang reached around the back of Pyrrha and slapped him on the back, hard. Jaune jolted forward from the impact. “That was really clever how you faked him out with your shield. I didn’t know you were so sneaky.”

“You think so?” Jaune perked up, looking proud.

Weiss huffed. “I suppose it was a clever ruse but Sky Lark is hardly an opponent that should require such tactics. If you’d been paying attention in class, you would know that he has a tendency to hesitate when pressured on defense. You should have taken a more aggressive stance in your bout but you allowed him to set the pace.”

Jaune sagged and Emerald felt a mote of tension form, Pyrrha eyeing Weiss but remaining silent because Yang was well ahead of her.

“You really gotta be such a wet blanket, Ice Queen? He got the job done, didn’t he?”

“I’m just saying that he could have done a lot better, is all.”

“You don’t have to be such a bitch about it, though.”

Weiss glared at Yang, outraged. “What did you just call me?”

“I just said you didn’t have to be such a bitch about it,” Yang repeated carelessly. “Jaune did good. He’s improved a lot.”

That was improved a lot? Emerald eyed the back of Jaune Arc’s head, wondering just how bad he had to have been before if this was the much improved product.

“Just because I have higher standards than you do doesn’t mean that I’m being a – a – that vulgar expression was entirely uncalled for!”

“You were being a little mean,” Ruby said quietly.

“Guys, it's fine,” Jaune tried, shooting Yang a smile. “I know I have a long way to go. I just wasn’t very confident at attacking Sky straight up. His weapon hits hard so I wanted to get him off balance so he couldn’t defend.” He directed this last part at Weiss and she huffed.

“You do have a long way to go,” Pyrrha spoke up. “But you should also be proud of how far you’ve come. Weiss is being a little unfair in her judgment.”

Once so full of indignation, it only took those simple words from Pyrrha to take the wind out her sails. Weiss shrunk, looking away. “I didn’t mean for it to come across that way.”

Nora snorted.

While there was no friction between Pyrrha and Jaune, there was definitely some between Jaune and Weiss. Emerald recalled what she’d heard in the library when Ruby informed her partner that Jaune and his team would be joining them in Vale. For whatever reason, the heiress didn’t appear to be fond of him.

There was a story there, no doubt. Something to remember going forward.

“Welp, I thought it was pretty cool how you tricked him,” Nora said happily, giving exaggerated nods. “Yep. Even though I woulda just smashed him into the ground, your way was all thoughtful and stuff. As expected of our leader!”

“Er – thanks?”

“Nora is right,” Ren finally spoke. “You were able to think of a plan and execute it without issue. It was simple but effective.”

It was. Emerald was a cynical person by nature but even she saw the merits of his course of action. He identified a weakness and took advantage of it. He understood his limits and worked within those boundaries. It was smart.

Smart fighters were often more dangerous than simply strong ones.

Cinder was a strong fighter but what made her truly dangerous was her mind. Mercury – pig headed asshole that he was – was very good at directing the pace of a fight, establishing a rhythm that suited him and disadvantaged an opponent. Emerald herself used misdirection with feints and her semblance to fool enemies. They were all strong fighters but what made them better was their ability to out think anyone they came up against.

It was why they’d been able to take down a Maiden, just the three of them. Amber had been powerful beyond measure, able to control the elements with ease. She was a natural disaster in human flesh, and none of them held the raw power she did. If she’d really wanted to, she could have razed the entire forest to the ground with barely any issue. But they’d overwhelmed her by utilizing Emerald’s semblance and engaging in blitz tactics, outmaneuvering her until Cinder could strike the felling blow.

They’d beaten a myth with their minds.

If Jaune Arc was able to improve his skills, he was the type of opponent that could be difficult to match up against. As of now, though? Emerald could beat him with one hand tied behind her back and that was being generous.

As he said, he had a lot of work to do.

“I think Blake is falling asleep,” Ruby commented suddenly.

Blake Belladonna was the only one that hadn’t engaged in the conversation and it wasn’t only because she wasn’t interested in it. The hidden faunus was slumped over slightly, her head bobbing up and down as she struggled against the call of sleep. Her friends watched as she lost that battle, her head coming to rest on Yang’s shoulder as she began snoozing.

“Don’t wake her up,” Weiss said at once.

“I won’t,” Yang replied. “She needs all the sleep she can get.”

Unfortunately, sleeping in a classroom wasn’t the best place to get a good rest. The door down by the teachers desk slammed open and in walked a rotund man with a truly ridiculous mustache. Blake shot up in her chair, frightened half to death.

“Wha-What!?” she looked around rapidly, and Emerald got a good look at her face. Deep bags sagged beneath her eyes, darkened with exhaustion. “What’s happening?”

Yang tsked, shooting a glare at their professor.

“Class is about to start,” Pyrrha informed her, face filled with compassion. “I could take some notes for you, if you want?”

Blake shook her head. “I’m fine.”

She clearly wasn’t but it appeared that Belladonna was the stubborn sort of person.

What happened next must have been the most ridiculous hour and half of Emerald’s life, listening to a blowhard regale them with anecdote after anecdote from his past. On and on he went, Emerald becoming increasingly incredulous with every word he spoke.

This is what Beacon were teaching their students? And in Grimm Studies, of all classes. She looked around in disbelief, and saw that more than half of the students weren’t paying attention while the rest only seemed to half-heartedly keep their ear on the lesson.

“—and just when I thought my life was forfeit, that even I – Peter Port – could no longer hold out against the tide of darkness moments from sweeping me away into the abyss that is death, I found my salvation amongst the trees. Coconuts!”

What?

“A sea of coconuts, as far as my eyes could see! Weaponless no longer, I seized my opportunity. Scaling the nearest palm, I armed myself with as many as I could carry and proceeded to fight back, raining death and destruction down upon my foes! They had underestimated the resourcefulness of a Huntsmen and paid dearly, oh did they pay! I must have slain thirty Grimm in such a manner, hopping from tree to tree, one step ahead. When it was all said and done, I saved the village from annihilation and was even granted a warriors boon! I could have anything I wanted, be it a wife, weapon or artifact.”

That last part seemed to wake people up, several students making sounds of alarm.

“I gracefully accepted, of course – and this is what I picked!”

Reaching behind his desk, he pulled out a long wooden spear, the haft covered in numerous carvings, a runic script decorating every inch until the head. The head of the spear was also wood but flared out before tapering back into a sharp point. Just below the head were a series of feathers tied around it, as well as a single small bell that chimed when he swung it.

...there was no way in hell his story had been real, was there? No, she refused to believe it.

“You didn’t take a wife, Professor?” Yang asked as everyone settled down.

“Oho~! It was a tempting prospect, Ms. Xiao Long – but I am a Huntsman, and slaying Grimm is my one true passion. Any wife I had could only ever be second and I could not in good conscience subject a woman to such a travesty.”

“Lucky her,” Weiss deadpanned, causing her team sans Blake to giggle.

Several people laughed at his answer and rather than take offense, their teacher preened as if they were laughing with him, not at him.

The future Huntsmen and Huntresses of the world were doomed if this is what passed for education.

Emerald then noticed that Jaune Arc had been taking notes the whole time. His partner leaned in, reading what he wrote.

“Did you learn anything from his story, Jaune?”

“Boarbatusk’s are just as susceptible to attacks from above as they are from striking their unprotected underbelly,” he said and Emerald blinked, startled. “Their backs have little protection. Gaining the high ground is preferable if faced with overwhelming odds since they can’t climb.”

He wasn’t being serious, was he?

Pyrrha nodded, clearly impressed. “See? Sometimes it only takes a little thought to divine his teachings.”

Jaune sighed. “Couldn’t he just… I don’t know, tell us? Why does he have to dress it up with these stories?”

“It makes it more fun, don’t you think?” Nora chimed in, snickering. “Otherwise it’d just be, urgh – school work.”

“It is a little confusing,” Ren spoke in Jaune’s defense.

“It certainly makes you think about things, though, right?” Pyrrha smiled. Emerald quickly averted her eyes as Nikos turned her head, almost catching her staring.

“I suppose,” Jaune hummed. “I still think it shouldn’t be so difficult, though. We spent the first month thinking he was just talking a load of – uh…”

“Bullshit?” Yang supplied, overhearing them. “Yeah, dude needs to work on his people skills. At least he isn’t hitting on students any more.”

What…?

Okay, this was too much.

When Grimm Studies finished, Emerald filed out with the rest of the students and followed them to their next class. If she thought Professor Peter Port was the only eccentric member of staff, she was sorely mistaken. Doctor Oobleck didn’t harp on about stories of his youth but the man talked so fast, it made Emerald’s brain hurt attempting to understand him. He zipped around the classroom like a junkie, only his drug of choice appeared to be coffee and not crystal meth.

How he didn’t spill it everywhere as he zoomed back and forth, she didn’t know. It looked like Goodwitch was the only normal person employed by the school.

Through it all, though, she listened to her targets chat amongst themselves, picking up more and more of their personalities. Her decision to tail them had paid off. Emerald was confident she could make friends with them.

And her choice of target had been right on the money.