Chapter Text
Jaune Arc thought of himself as a very simple person, he got up, went to the forge, made some weapons for the shop, worked for a bit, trained himself, and then went to bed. Really, he thought it was that simple. Of course, he did study Magic. All of his family members did at a young age, hell he was pretty much one of the greatest. He applied his Magic in different ways from the rest of his siblings.
He was an expert at Healing Magic at a young age, he learned how to enchant in his pre-teens just recently, and that was pretty much it. He knew how to apply Magic to a sword but that was more of the Dust doing the word then anything else. He was smarter then most kids, if you gave him a topic to learn then he'll understand the subject in every way possible. He was smart like that, he can adapt to nearly anything.
He was also pretty good with machinery. He could work with gadgets and gizmo from night to dawn, he's even made himself a little steam-powered bike of his own making that he calls 'Mach Celero'. Yet he didn't expect to walk into the garage and see a starving green-haired girl rooting through their food storage and is looking at him terrified.
He was hungry and wanted to get a block of cheese... he likes eating hunks of cheese... people find it weird for some strange reason. Regardless, he was standing there staring at the girl with a calm look on his face.
"Umm... hi?" He said
The girl slowly backed away from the storage, Jaune held up a hand and she froze. This confused the young Arc, did she think he was going to harm her? He would never harm a woman without a good reason, it isn't in his nature.
"It's okay... so... why are you here?" He asked
"I-I... got hungry." The girl squeaked out
Jaune looked at her in silence, he carefully walked over to the food storage and pulled out a shiny apple. He held it out to her with a friendly smile on his face, she looked at him warily as if at any moment he would strike her.
She slowly walked over and quickly grabbed the apple, wincing soon after with closed eyes. She then slowly opened them to see... Jaune just standing there with that same friendly smile.
"...Go on, eat up." He said
She... carefully ate the apple, it wasn't poisoned since she wasn't dead. It wasn't laced with anything since he just got it out of his family's food storage, and he didn't seem intent on harming her.
After eating the apple, she looked at him in silence. Jaune then noticed the rags she wore, he hummed.
"Hey." He said
The girl looked at him warily still yet her eyes held... some semblance of trust in him.
"You look cold... come inside." He said
"A-are you sure?" She asked in a small voice
"My family is very friendly to wanderers such as yourself, it'd be a crime to let a girl like you be hungry and cold. Besides you look like you've seen better days to be honest." Jaune explained
"I-I guess." The girl said nervously
"Great! My name is Jaune... what's yours?" He asked
"I-I'm... Emerald." The girl said softly
Jaune smiled and nodded, he gestured for her to follow.
"Come on Em, let's get you something to eat and... well, you can sleep with me in my bed for tonight." He said
Emerald meekly nodded and followed him, he later reheated some leftover pasta they had and she enjoyed it. They talked for a little while and she got tired, she hadn't eaten that well in a while. Jaune took her hand and had her follow him to bed, they both slept in the same bed soon after. She smiled as he gently hugged Jaune while he slept, she closed her eyes as she felt safe.
Jaune woke up first and carefully got out of Emerald's grasp, she apparently was a very strong hugger. He got dressed in a white shirt with a dirty dark-yellow apron with a pair of plain blue work pants and black boots. He then gently shook her, she darted up immediately before settling down after remembering last night. She looked at Jaune quietly.
"Come on, I want to introduce you to my family." He said
"A-are you sure that's a good idea?" Emerald asked
"My family is an accepting people, if anyone can help you... it'll be them." Jaune said
Emerald... nodded and followed him, she wasn't really that talky but she was happy to listen to Jaune talk about his family on the way to the kitchen, they walked in, and immediately she saw two, in all honestly, gorgeous people.
There was a bulky man with a beard like a lion's mane that shined like the burning sun, he had confident teal eyes, a muscular angular frame, and generally a soft aura around him as he sat at the table with a digital newspaper.
Meanwhile, there was a woman cooking up breakfast with a happy him. She had long bright blonde hair, bright blue eyes, a body that would put any other being to shame, and generally a pep in her step.
Jaune cleared his throat and his parents looked at him, then they noticed Emerald.
"Ah, Jaune. You finally brought that girl, we checked on you last night and saw her there. We just figured you helped her." The man said
"Yeah Dad... this is Emerald, she was going through our food, she as hungry and I gave her some food." Jaune said simply
"I see... well young lady, make yourself at home." He said
Emerald nodded a bit shocked and did exactly that with Jaune joining her, the man went back to reading his newspaper while the woman had went back to working on breakfast. She looked at the blonde shocked.
"Why are your parents so... relaxed?" She asked
"Well, my parents have seen me help people before and have gotten used to it. I've helped out quite a few people cause... I just can't help but want to help them." Jaune explained
"Yes, like that one girl who got separated from her mother. You helped her at the light age of eleven, she was nine if I recall correctly. You didn't even know her mother was a famous Huntress and you still helped her. I'm still proud of you for doing that." The man explained
"Daaaddd." Jaune whined
"He's right, we're proud of what you do. Take some pride in it once in a while." Jaune's Mother said while setting down breakfast
"It's what I have to do, no pride needed." Jaune said humbly
Emerald was... shocked, most people she knew would do something for a price and others who did that sort of thing... well, they didn't last long. So seeing him act like this was... a bit of culture shock for her.
She ate breakfast and twiddled her thumbs for a bit before looking at him with a soft look as he finished up his breakfast.
"Umm... thank you for helping me. I should be on my way." Emerald said quietly
This caused the blonde blacksmith apprentice to look at her confused.
"Do you have a family to return to?" Jaune asked
Emerald morosely shook her head, he looked at her in thought. He then nodded with a determined gaze.
"Then you should live here." He said
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Emerald said
Jaune looked at his parents, they both nodded.
"Child, if you don't have any parents or relatives to return to then you should stay here. The streets are no place for a child." Jaune's father said
"B-but wouldn't I be a burden?" Emerald asked
"We're willing to help you every step of the way, besides. It isn't hard to work at the smithery, I think you would do well with selling the weapons and armor we make." Jaune said
"We?" Emerald asked
"Me and my son make the weapons, my other children helped us but ever since Jaune was born we haven't really needed to ask some of them. Others have been out being Huntresses in training." Jaune's father explained
"...How many children do you have?" Emerald asked
"Including Jaune? Well... we have a grand total of eight kids. Seven of them females." Jaune's Father said
Emerald's jaw dropped, Jaune had seven sisters? How did he even manage to live with that many females all at once? Jaune chuckled and shook his head.
"A lot of people use that same look, I managed to survive them if that's what your wondering." He joked
Emerald... then chuckled slightly which was... cute, very cute. Jaune smiled at this which caused the girl to notice and blush slightly while chuckling still. Honestly... she liked that smile. It made her feel... at peace.
"Well, we should get you to the shop. You can start your first day today." Jaune's father said
He got up and grabbed his apron, making his way out the door soon after. Jaune followed with Emerald following behind him soon after.
Later
Emerald was amazed as she saw Jaune work, his father wanted her to watch him work on some stuff while he tended to the front to get a feel for blacksmithing. Jaune... was really good at blacksmithing.
She saw as he gracefully pounded the flaming metal and then gently put it into the oil where it hissed with the flames appearing and disappearing, he lifted it up and looked at his handiwork. It was a sword blade, it had a silver sheen on it as he looked it over. He smiled to himself.
"One of my best yet, now I should put this in a hilt." He said
He got up and grabbed one of the many metallic hilts, he put the blade inside. He wrapped the handle with leather and he held it up, he swung it a few times for a good measure. He nodded.
"Another Standard Soldier's blade, Shortsword version." He said
He placed with other blades like it, he then went back to work. Hammering away at the tempered metal and quenching them, repeating this process with ease and skill. He breathed out as he placed another blade away. He looked at Emerald.
"I think we've worked hard enough for today." He said
He grabbed a virtual clipboard and looked through it, he then nodded and looked at Emerald with a smile.
"We've gotten all the orders taken care of." He said
"B-but I didn't do anything." Emerald said rubbing her arm
"Actually, you've handed me quite a few parts when I asked for them. You just didn't notice." Jaune said
Emerald blinked at this, she didn't notice... but she did know which parts were which and which ones to grab with what names. She kind of... memorized it and it sort of fell away for a bit.
"Oh..." She said
"Eh, that happens. Sometimes you just get into it and you forget." Jaune said with a smile
Emerald smiled back and nodded, the two left the forge and saw Jaune's father wiping down the counter. He looked over at the two and smiled.
"Ah, the orders are finished I see. Well, I'll just keep tending to the shop. You kids have fun." He said
Jaune nodded and left with Emerald, he decided that they should get some lunch since they worked so hard. The green-haired girl looked at the blonde confused after they walked out of the shop.
"Are all days like this?" She asked
"Not all of them, this was one of the easier days. Sometimes it can be harder with orders from Beacon Academy for custom armor pieces and weapon repairs. We do try and give out standard weapons since not everyone knows how to use a gun. Been an Arc tradition for longer then I've been alive." Jaune explained
"Oh... any other Arc traditions?" Emerald asked
"Well... there's the tradition of making your own weapon. Most, if not all of my sisters, had gone with Mechashift weapons of their own design specks. Some can turn into a gun while others are more traditional like bows and crossbows, regardless they went with those kinds of things." Jaune said
"...What kind of weapon do you want to make?" Emerald asked
Jaune stopped and looked at her, he then looked around. He then leaned in real close to her causing her to blush slightly, wait why was she blushing? She had no idea why she was so flustered about it.
She then went back to reality since Jaune was about to tell her something important, she can focus more on those... really weird thoughts another time.
"To tell ya the truth... I'm wanting to remake the Crocea Mors model." He said
Emerald looked at him confused, he wanted to remake a model of another weapon? Was that taboo in his family?
"I know it's strange but... my family tries to strive to be something original but I want to follow my Great-grandfather's tradition. I want to have a Sword and a Shield along with my own hammer." Jaune explained
"Your...hammer?" Emerald asked
"Another tradition is that when we are of age to leave the household, which is seventeen if I remember right, any children of the Arc household, related by blood or not, is given a hammer of their very own. It's meant to be a representative of their time as a blacksmith while also a meaning to forge out their own destinies." Jaune explained
"Wow... that's... cool." Emerald said
"Eh, most find it kind of weird but yeah, it is pretty cool. You get to leave the house and make your own life... it sounds... awesome." Jaune said
Emerald looked at him in thought as they continued to walk towards somewhere, she didn't really care much about the destination and was rather more focused on the conversation. After all, this intrigued her greatly and she had to admit the symbolism wasn't lost on her.
Even when she was on the streets, she still took the time to learn what she could, and while she isn't too big on understanding symbolism in things. She did know enough about the subject.
"So... what do you want to be when you leave?" She asked
Jaune looked at her and then looked at the sky, a determined gaze in his eyes as the clouds passed by over his head.
"I want to be a Hunter and be a part of The Grand Alliance." He said
Emerald remembered that The Grand Alliance is essentially a giant guild for the best of the best, formed by all of the governments of Remnant as a way of bringing people together against the common threat of Monsters and Grimm alike. She saw all the posters of men and women standing by with swords while saluting, she thought it was malarky.
But after hearing many powerful warriors have gone there and made their name known to all of Remnant, like Artemis Nikos who was one of the greatest Huntresses of all time. Or the legendary Raven Branwen, also known as the Black Bandit who has not been active in recent years. She started to think of them as people who did good for the great picture.
And Jaune wants to be a part of that, before she wouldn't have even cared but now... her mind has changed. With a tentative thought, she turned to Jaune with a curious yet somewhat wary gaze. She may not think the worst of Jaune but that doesn't mean she can't prepare for it.
"...Do you think I could be one?" Emerald asked
Jaune looked at her for a few moments... then he nodded with a smile. If it were anyone else giving that response, she'd think nothing of it but that smile felt so genuine. She couldn't help but believe him.
"You can be a Hunter. I wonder what class you'll be though." He said
"Class?" Emerald asked
"Ah right. Well you see, people are put into things known as 'Classes' which are based on their skill. Technology has made it a lot easier to tell what Class you are. I've known that I'm a Blacksmith but other then that... not much else, most children get an RC-Reader at the age of thirteen." Jaune explained
"Oh... what kinds of classes are there?" Emerald asked
"Well... practically anything can be a Class. Baker, Blacksmith, Bard, Mechanist, Mage, Librarian, and much more. Your options are limited to what you can learn, so if you were good at... swinging a sword then you'd have a tendency to go down that path. That doesn't mean you can't learn other things but it's important to keep that in mind." Jaune explained
"Huh... that's really neat." Emerald said
Jaune chuckled and nodded, the two then continued their way to get some lunch together with him holding her hand gently. Though Emerald wondered why her heart pounded so much around him, especially as he held her hand.
What was going on with her? Why did she feel this way? Why was it only around him of all people?
Was this... love she was feeling for him?
One month later
Emerald was wandering around the Arc estate, they had a fair amount of land since they are also considered nobles. It was more for the fact that they were strong warriors then political power but regardless, they were considered nobles meaning they had some semblance of respect from other people.
She was wearing some new clothing, she now wore an intricate white top and an olive-colored crop top, with an emblem in the shape of a cut gem that was bright green. She also had a pair of white shorts and leather sandals.
She was currently looking for Jaune since he's pretty much the only person she ever hangs out with, she likes Jaune and... well doesn't know how to feel about him still. Plus she wanted to know what to get him for his birthday since it was coming up in three months.
She wants to be... nice to him, she stopped walking and heard some grunting as she walked through a training area. She looked over and saw Jaune swinging a wooden sword... without his shirt, his physique was impressive for a twelve-year-old turning thirteen.
He swung one last time before stopping, he whipped his head of sweat and noticed Emerald. He smiled and waved slightly, she blushed and merely waved back. She then walked over as he sat down on a bench.
"So... Jaune... what would you want for your birthday?" Emerald asked
"Em... you don't have to buy me anything." Jaune said simply
"I-I uh... just want to get you something... you... helped me and for that... I have to pay you back." Emerald said meekly
"...Well, I've been saving up some money for some metal that I've been wanting to get for my weapon. We can't exactly afford it since it's... very expensive, it's a Type-0 Alloy. I figured it would make for a good shield." Jaune said
"What's it called?" Emerald asked
"I believe it's called Atherite. A metal that's a combination of bits of Aether with Adamantium." Jaune said
Emerald knew a little about Atherite, she's heard that even one dagger is strong enough to pierce through pure Iridium. Pure Iridium is no small feat to break or even crack and is nigh-impossible to obtain considering where it's located. Plus purity matters and it's usually found in giant clusters with only a few pieces being pure, other pieces are fine but nowhere near as strong as the pure stuff.
Atherite is hard to make and is sold at a high price that most people cannot afford, even the greatest of nobles could only afford ten bars much less the Schnee company which could only get twelve bars. She was amazed that she wanted something that strong for something as simple as a shield.
"...I see... how much do you have stored?" Emerald asked
"Well, one bar is usually one thousand Lien and I'm wanting to buy seven meaning that I'd need to get seven thousand Lien. I, currently, have four thousand Lien." Jaune explained
"...O-oh." Emerald said
She then had an idea, she knows that this area has a lot mines... maybe she can find a cluster of Aether and Adamantium and get someone to make it or at the very least find an expensive metal or some gems and sell them.
She nodded to herself, she knew what she had to do. She was gonna go mine for Jaune.
And it was gonna be the best damn gift she was gonna give.