The Grass is Always Greener 009 (Patreon)

Learning about Emerald’s past was certainly an eye opener.

Jaune always knew that he was luckier than most. In a world where Grimm attacks were frequent, and humanity and faunus-kind were constantly fighting for survival, it wasn’t unusual to meet people with deep emotional scars. To meet people with deeply rooted trauma. Knowing someone that knew someone that has lost family or friends to the creatures of darkness was a sad but accepted outcome of their world, and the fact that he had such a large and whole family was a blessing.

But Grimm weren’t the only monsters on Remnant, and Emerald’s story of her childhood painted a horrifying picture. People in many ways could be worse.

It had completely derailed his plans.

Jaune had been hoping to ask her to the school dance but after hearing all of that, he hadn’t felt it appropriate to ask the question. Nerves had been replaced with sympathy, and he had listened to her story until she could speak no longer.

She was so strong. Stronger than he was. To witness the worst of people and still want to help? To build a better future? His admiration and affection for her only grew larger after that.

It had been a few days since their picnic date and she had been on his mind constantly. They hadn’t spoken since other than a few greetings and some short texts. At first, Jaune had thought that maybe she felt bad about dumping all of that on him, or was even mortified at letting him know such deeply personal information but while their messages were short, they retained the same ease as before.

She wasn’t pulling away. That was good.

Jaune wasn’t sure what he would do if she decided their friendship was no longer acceptable, that she had shown him too much and now regretted it. His feelings for her were only becoming stronger, and any of the confusion he previously held was a thing of the past.

With Weiss, he had pressed too hard, too fast. He had tried to impress her with bravado he didn’t have, which in turn only drove her away. His fathers words had backfired on him, big time. Women liked confidence – but only if that confidence was real, and justified. This time, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake. This time, Jaune would be himself. So far, that had been more than enough. Their more intimate encounters spoke to that truth.

And if he got a little carried away and sent… certain pictures? Well, he was only a teenage boy, after all. Thankfully she had been more than willing to reciprocate.

He wanted to do something for her, though. Something to show that he cared, that this wasn’t just a fling for him. That as much as he enjoyed their physical encounters, Emerald meant more to him than a quick suck or a hasty handjob. He hadn’t known her long but this is how he felt. Jaune had a vague idea about how he wanted to go about this. It involved the dance, he was still going to ask her to attend with him – but also a present. A present that signified that he had been listening, a present that would return something valuable to her, something thought lost.

But he was unsure if that would be considered overstepping or not.

He needed advice – and there were two people he could ask, who were perfect for the task. Just as Emerald was an orphan, Ren and Nora held that in common with her. They understood that loss in a way Jaune could never comprehend. They could tell him if he was going too far.

After class, he would speak with them.

As of the moment, however – well, Pyrrha was being Pyrrha.

Jaune watched with pride as his partner moved with confidence and skill, her body constantly in motion. Her sword flashed, a spark of red and bronze carving through the air as she fought not one or two, or three – but four opponents, dancing through their attacks and countering with brutal precision. Team CRDL rushed her all at once, hoping to overwhelm her with numbers but she fought them off effortlessly.

Russel stumbled as he was deftly disarmed, his daggers clattering to the ground moments before a heeled boot slammed into his chest, Pyrrha executing a perfect sidekick. He rolled across the floor as Cardin charged in, swinging wildly with his massive mace, the Mistralian champion ducking, her shield deflecting a lunge from Sky’s halberd. Lashing out with her leg, Cardin shouted as he was swept off his feet, crashing the ground hard as she rose up, overpowering Sky and shunting his weapon aside before slashing him across the face. He flinched in pain as his aura flared in protection, hastily backing off as Dove intercepted her.

Jaune would give Dove credit. He went toe to toe with her, his sword whistling as he parried and countered, their blades clashing loudly, steel on steel. But he couldn’t keep up the exhausting pace, Pyrrha moving faster, a flurry of blows that drove him back. Executing a textbook riposte, Dove grunted as Miló tore across his wrist, hand spasming as he dropped his weapon. The edge of Pyrrha’s shield slammed into his jaw, and he flew back from the force of the blow, dazed.

She was picking them apart and no matter how hard they tried, their defeat was inevitable.

Regaining his feet, Cardin tried to catch her from behind but she twirled away, avoiding his heavy swing. He followed after her, swinging harder, recklessly. Russel tried to help but couldn’t get close due to Cardin’s rampage, having to step away to avoid friendly fire. Sky wasn’t so lucky, attempting to pincer her from the other side, only for Pyrrha to launch herself into the air, flipping over them as Cardin struck Sky in the chest, blowing him off the stage with a crack.

When Pyrrha landed, Dove tried to rush her but she spun, parrying his thrust before bringing her knee up into his chin, his teeth audibly clacking as his jaw was rattled with tremendous force. He couldn’t avoid it when Cardin came barreling in, his mace catching Dove in the side as Pyrrha swiftly stepped aside before hitting him with her shield, ringing his bell. He staggered and she advanced, systematically destroying him, sword carving swaths of aura from his body, her foot kicking out his knee until he knelt before her.

Cardin slumped as her fist pistoned into his face, his considerable bulk sprawled across the floor.

Only Russel remained.

He tried his best but it wasn’t enough, his lunge resulting in an elbow to the nose. Eyes watering, he was utterly helpless as she kicked his legs out from under him, his head slamming into her knee as he fell. His aura shattered in a shower of light, eyes rolling up into his head in defeat.

The silence of the crowd wavered – and then a thunderous applause tore through the room, people rising from their seats as they clapped. It didn’t matter what school they hailed from, their cheers raining down on her from above.

It was a masterful performance.

A performance worthy of respect.

Cardin and his friends weren’t the greatest fighters but taking on four opponents wasn’t easy. As skilled as some of the members of Team RWBY were, for instance – Jaune doubted they could so handily defeat them if placed in a similar position. Not that they couldn’t win. Yang could probably take them with the help of her semblance, as could Weiss with her dust and glyphs – but not with such ease.

She hadn’t been touched.

“Winner – Pyrrha Nikos,” Glynda Goodwitch announced needlessly.

When the applause died down, Pyrrha began making her way to the stairs to rejoin them in the stands when a hand shot into the air, drawing Goodwitch’s attention.

“Yes?” she asked.

With some surprise, Jaune noticed that it was Mercury – Emerald’s partner.

“I’d like to fight next,” he said.

Professor Goodwitch nodded, “Indeed. We do have time for another match. Mercury Black, yes? Come on down, I will find you an opponent.”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could pick my own opponent,” he then pointed straight at Pyrrha. “Her.”

A ripple passed through the crowd, whispers filling the air as Pyrrha blinked in surprise.

“Me?”

Goodwitch frowned. “Miss Nikos just fought. Choose someone else.”

But Pyrrha turned quickly. “No, it’s alright – I’d be happy to fight him.”

“Very well,” Goodwitch acquiesced, waving for him to come down.

As expected, his partner wasn’t one to shy away from a challenge. Jaune watched as Mercury Black made his way down onto the stage, his eyes darting away and resting on the familiar green of Emerald’s hair. Sitting next to her was her team leader, Cinder – their fourth still absent. Jaune had yet to meet them properly.

Maybe he should change that.

But first things first.

Mercury walked across the stage with an undeniable swagger, a smug expression on his handsome face. Pyrrha watched him carefully, full of focus as he took his place across from her. Jaune quickly scanned him and saw that he was carrying no weapons, at least in his hands. It was difficult to see but Jaune noticed that his boots were slightly bulky, something metallic glinting in the light of the venue.

Mercury dropped into a loose stance.

“You may begin,” Goodwitch said, and he wasted little time.

He charged forward in a burst of speed and Pyrrha met him, Mercury planting a foot and executing a spinning side kick. She tanked the blow on her shield before performing a spin of her own, lashing out with her blade at his load bearing leg. Mercury grunted as he was suddenly airborne, spinning from the momentum of her slash and landing flat on his back. But he didn’t hesitate to vault back to his feet, flipping up onto his hand and performing several back handsprings to create space.

Pyrrha didn’t follow, instead rising back to her feet calmly.

There was a moment of tension, and everyone leaned in to get a better look as Pyrrha took the initiative, dashing forward. He met her charge with a series of lighting fast kicks, his legs pistoning into her shield with force. Undeterred, she blocked each one and then slammed him back, his boots sliding across the stage as he forced back several feet.

They eyed one another, a brief standoff – and then Mercury advanced, his kicks becoming wide and sweeping, spinning through the air as he lashed out in a whirling combination that placed Pyrrha on the back foot. Creating space, Pyrrha changed to a reserve grip on her sword and Mercury charged in. He exchanged a series of furious blows with her, sparks flying off the face of her shield as she defended expertly. Pyrrha slashed, her blade missing him by inches, before she released her hold on the blade, her sword spinning before she snatched it out of the air and thrusting at his face. Mercury leaned back, a powerful knee shooting up at her jaw but Pyrrha spun away.

“He’s really good,” Jaune overheard Ruby say.

Closing the gap, Mercury leapt as he lashed out with his feet, a quick double-strike rasping across the face of Pyrrha’s shield. Switching her grip again, Pyrrha spun into him, going on the attack, his foot rising to parry her first slash before avoiding the second. Bringing her shield up, the edge missed his face by the barest of margins, and then her sword was spinning as she released her grip again, twirling with a backhanded fist that Mercury leaned back to avoid. Kicking out, his leg intercepted her hand before it could reclaim her weapon, and then he was spinning, another kick connecting with her sword and flinging it away. Miló sunk into the floor, pointed end first.

Pyrrha appeared surprised but only for a moment. Mercury dashed forward to take advantage but she easily parried his spinning back kick with her palm, Emerald’s partner stumbling as he was shoved back. Reclaiming her sword, she dashed, shield first. He met her with a drop kick, both feet planted on the face of her shield before he was blasted away, rolling across the floor before rising back to his feet.

Mercury went to speak, his mouth opening but before he could get a word in, Pyrrha was there in a blur of red and bronze, a whirl of steel. He was forced to hastily defend, ducking under her powerful slash before crossing his arms to block a powerful knee intent on striking him in the face. Kicking out, his foot passed over Pyrrha’s shoulder as she moved in, kicking out his stable leg with a brutal stomp to his knee. His leg buckled and Mercury quickly rolled away as she stabbed at him, the tip raking over his back and taking a chunk of his aura.

He barely had time to regain his footing when she was upon him again, corkscrewing in a side twisting flip through the air as she lashed out with a kick of her own. He blocked with raised arms, staggering backwards from the force, and then she was leaping at him from her crouched position, her knees slamming into his chest as she put all of her weight behind it.

Mercury flew across the stage and hit the wall with a crunch, a rush of air exploding from his lungs as he fell to the ground, wheezing.

There was a moment of suspense as everyone watched on. On the screen above, it showed that his aura was still in the green – a sliver just above yellow, but far from out of the fight. Pyrrha set her stance and waited, but then he raised a hand, giving it a little wave.

“I – I forfeit,” he managed to gasp out as he attempted to breathe. Somewhere down below, he heard Emerald let out a laugh, a high pearl of laughter that was unmistakable in its mocking quality.

Pyrrha’s face held a look of disappointment as she lowered her weapons.

“Winner – Pyrrha Nikos,” Professor Goodwitch called the match. “Mr. Black, in the future, I would recommend choosing your opponent more wisely.”

Pyrrha wavered, as if unsure before holstering her sword and attaching her shield to her back, walking over to offer a hand. Mercury stared up at her for a moment, wordless – and then he grabbed her hand, allowing her to pull him up.

“You’re very skilled,” Pyrrha complimented. “I hope we do battle again in the tournament.”

“That shall be all for today,” Goodwitch announced, checking the time. It was only a few minutes until lunch. “You may go.”

Jaune pulled Ren and Nora aside as they left the amphitheater, Pyrrha busy in the locker room, changing back into her school uniform.

“Jaune?” Nora tilted her head slightly. “What’s up?”

“I need some advice,” he said at once. He looked around and saw a bench underneath a tree, right next to one of Beacon’s many courtyards. “Do you guys have a minute?”

Ren and Nora exchanged looks.

“Sure,” Ren said. They made their way over to the bench and while they sat down, Jaune remained standing, his hands fidgeting. It was something that didn’t go unnoticed by them. “What do you want advice about?”

“So…” he drew out slowly, unsure how to begin. He just realized he was going to have to admit to his feelings if he wanted a proper answer, and that was a little embarrassing. “...there is a girl…”

Nora snorted. “Jaune – there has been a girl since the start of the year.”

“Not Weiss.”

She blinked at him, startled. “W-What? Oh… uh, okay…”

Even Ren appeared shocked. “...Go on.”

Jaune chuckled weakly. “Right. Okay. So – there is a girl and I like her. A lot. Even though I haven’t known her very long. And… I’m pretty sure she likes me too? At least a little bit…” he was confident of that much, at least. “And so – I’m going to ask her to the school dance but I also want to do something for her, something… big.”

Ren grimaced. “I don’t know if you should make any big declarations or something like that, Jaune.”

“Yeah, you saw how Weiss reacted to stuff like that,” Nora chimed in.

“What? Oh, no – nothing like that,” Jaune remembered that he’d been about to buy a new guitar to serenade Weiss with and cringed internally. Right, none of that. “I want to buy her a gift and I have a pretty good idea about what I want to get her, but I thought I should ask you guys first because – uh, well, it might be… a little too personal, and I wanted to get your thoughts.”

He could see the curiosity in their eyes.

“Why us, though?” Nora asked.

Jaune wet his lips and began pacing back and forth in front of them. “She told me a little bit about her past the other day,” he revealed. “And it wasn’t exactly peachy keen, if you know what I mean?” He was pretty sure she wouldn’t appreciate him going into much detail about what she’d told him, so he was going to leave all of that out. Only the broad strokes of the situation. “She’s an orphan.”

Comprehension dawned on their faces.

“Oooh,” Nora leaned back, face completely serious. “Okay, I get it now.”

Ren nodded solemnly. “So what did you have in mind?”

So Jaune told them.

“There was an important item, one that belonged to her mother,” he said, halting his pacing. “She lost it when she was younger but she described it to me. A gold chain with twin bluebells, a small pendant – it was the only thing she had from her parents, and I could tell how much it meant to her. She can’t remember them. She was too young when they died, so that was her only link to them.”

“So you want to replace it,” Nora looked a little teary eyed. “Oh, Jaune.”

Jaune swallowed. “Yeah – but I wasn’t sure if I would be overstepping or not. It’s really personal so – do you think this is okay or would I be out of line?”

It was Ren that spoke. “I can only speak for myself, not anyone else,” he began, meeting Jaune’s eyes. There was something there, hidden within that Jaune couldn’t put his finger on. Ren wasn’t an emotional person. Some may even call him cold. But Jaune knew in that moment that his words had touched his friend deeply, in some way. “Everyone is different and like you said, this is deeply personal. She may love it, she may hate it and feel like you crossed a line – I won’t lie about that.”

“Right.”

Ren then sighed. “But… if it were me, I would be very touched, Jaune. I don’t have many things left from my family. I’ve never told you this before but – do you know that dagger I sometimes carry around?”

Jaune nodded. He’d seen Ren with it a few times, mostly cleaning it and ensuring that it retained its keen edge. He always thought it was a little strange since he never used it in battle, or even in their survival lessons, so it wasn’t like it could be blunt since the last time he sharpened it. “Yeah, I know it.”

“That dagger belonged to my father.”

It suddenly made a hell of a lot of sense why he took such great care of it. “Oh, uh – I never knew.”

“Only Nora knew its significance,” Ren said, a small smile pulling at his lips as he glanced briefly at his partner before focusing back on Jaune. “...and now you.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

Ren nodded. “I wasn’t sure what to think of you when you became our leader, Jaune – but since then, you’ve shown me that you are a hard worker and a kind man. You aren’t perfect but you try. You are sincere and genuine, and I believe anyone that interacts with you sees this.”

“Except Weiss,” Nora quipped.

“Except Weiss,” Ren agreed, shaking his head. “What I’m saying is this; if I were to lose my dagger, or if I had lost it in the past, and I told you about it and you managed to purchase a replica, something close in appearance and use – because of the person you are, I would know the sentiments behind it. That you were truly thinking of me and wished to help. It is a simple gesture – but a heartfelt one, and if this girl knows you half as well as I do, I think she’ll understand that.”

Jaune felt relief at his friend's words. “You really think so?”

Ren nodded. “She told you her story, didn’t she?”

She did. Emerald had told him all this and more, allowing him to see her – the real her.

“I don’t think she would have told you such a deeply personal thing about herself if she didn’t trust you,” Ren continued. “It isn’t easy… to speak about these things in any detail. Telling others that you’re an orphan is one thing. Talking about specifics is another.”

“That doesn’t mean we don’t trust you,” Nora spoke up. “I know we’ve been secretive about things…”

Jaune waved off her concerns. “Hey, you’ve no reason to feel like you have to confide these things to me. When you’re ready, if you’re ever ready – you know I’m here.”

Nora beamed at him. “And that’s why you’re the best leader ever.”

Ren smiled, this time fully. “I think you know what to do.”

He did.

Lunch was spent scrolling through websites on his scroll, stuffing his face as he checked out every jeweler in the city of Vale. There were dozens of stores and yet what he was looking for was very specific, and there was a good chance that such an item just didn’t exist. After lunch was History, and he didn’t dare whip out his scroll to continue looking, he was already in enough hot water with Oobleck as it was but his mind was filled with terms like 10k, box setting, brilliant cut and more. Their final period was self study, and so he retreated to the library and continued his furious search.

There were plenty of brooches with flower themes, golden loops that formed rose petals, golden and silver bands etched with flower motifs, and even other flower pendants but he couldn’t find anything with bluebells.

It would be a shame if his idea just died a whimpering death before it could even get off the ground.

Evening was fast approaching, the sky darkening as the sun set beyond the horizon. The sky exploded with color, a gradient of bright orange and yellow in the west, transitioning into soft pinks and vibrant violet, streaks of red, magenta, and the deep blues shrouding what few clouds remained above. It was an awe inspiring sight and Jaune had the perfect seat for it, the high glass windows aligned with the setting sun and yet his eyes were not drawn by this picturesque occasion, instead glued to his scroll.

He almost gave up for the day, his luck rotten.

Almost.

Clicking on another link, directing him to a smaller store with an ancient website that looked like it hadn’t been updated in over a decade, he held little hope. And yet when he scrolled down, eyes passing over pictures of rings and necklaces and bracelets, he finally saw it.

Jaune blinked.

It was just as she described it.

A pair of twin bluebell bulbs upon a slender golden chain, the petals of each flower colored a beautiful violet-blue, much like the darkening evening sky above, right at this moment. Within each bulb were three delicate white-gold stamens, the ends peeking out from the bulbs just like the real flowers.

This was it.

There was no price, and no ability to purchase it online. The site had no such functionality, a relic of the past – but it had an address, and opening hours presented on the front page.

First thing in the morning, classes be damned, Jaune was going down to Vale to buy it. All that money he still had for that guitar he never purchased would be going towards this.

...now there was just one final thing to do.

With his heart pounding in his chest, he sent a text, asking Emerald to meet him. Not at the library, that wasn’t very romantic. Instead he picked the largest courtyard at the school, just off the main pathway that passed straight through the middle of campus. It contained the largest garden at Beacon, a captivating arrangement of flowers which he immediately approached when he arrived, scanning them quickly.

He went with the traditional, plucking a single rose from a bush. He snapped off all the thorns, leaving the stem harmless.

“Jaune?” a voice asked from behind, causing him to jump. “What are you doing?”

He spun around, his mouth opening and shutting again when he realized what she was wearing. This time it wasn’t the Beacon uniform, but the Haven one – a handsome black jacket with gray trim, and a gray and black checkered skirt. Her long, toned legs were on complete display, endless plains of smooth, mocha skin.

Jaune hadn’t seen her in the uniform of her school before. Even in class, she typically just wore her combat attire. It wasn’t against any rules, especially as she was from a visiting school.

She smirked, though Jaune thought he detected a hint of shyness in her voice when she gave a little twirl and asked, “Do you like it?”

When she spun, the skirt flared out, giving him a brief glance of her plump thighs a little higher up than was proper. It was a glorious sight to behold.

“Uh,” it took a few seconds for his brain to reboot. “I do. You look incredible.”

She giggled. “It’s only a school uniform.”

“Even so, it’s the person wearing it, you know?” He quickly held out the flower he picked. “For you.”

Red eyes blinked, clearly surprised. “Oh?”

Delicate fingers took the flower, lightly brushing across his hand as she did so. Jaune swallowed, butterflies going buck wild in his stomach. He’d had her hand and mouth around his cock, and yet he felt more disarmed than ever before. Asking someone out on a date over text was much less nerve wracking than doing it in person, and knowing what he had in store…

He just hoped he didn’t mess this up.

“So – why’d you want to meet?” she asked, peering at him curiously.

“What if I just wanted to see you?” he tried to deflect. “It’s been a few days…”

She grinned. “Miss me?”

He nodded seriously. “Yes.”

His quick reply took her aback. “Oh.”

What was he doing? Just ask the damn question already!

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something,” he managed to get out, firming his resolve. Reaching out, he grabbed her hands, rose and all, and cradled them between them. “Emerald – would you like to accompany me to the school dance?”

A million emotions and thoughts passed through her eyes in a second, completely unreadable. Jaune refused to look away.

And then…

“I’d love that,” she agreed. “Yes. I’ll go with you.”