genessia | 4th Aura

[he exhales deeply and visibly relaxes.] Probably...4 out of 3. Okay, they've helped. A lot. Now I feel like if I tried to make a sword I'd only break about half the stuff. And I kind of understand your fighting style better.

See? You're making progress. Learning to fight isn't solely about the physical, but the knowledge as well. You can swing that sword around and improve your stance all you want, but if you can recognize your opponent's weaponry and style, you're more likely to be able to pinpoint a weakness you can exploit in battle.

[ Weiss is tiny and not very strong, but she makes up for it in other ways. If Jaune starts to learn both, he'll be a stronger fighter in general. ]

So stop complaining about my lessons. Besides, if you can ace this according to my standards, I'll start you on the basics of Dust.

And pinpoint my friends' strengths. Okay, Weiss. For teaching boring material, at least you make it feel more like a competition which isn't as boring, so I'll give you that.

[His eyes light up a little in interest.]

Does that mean I can finally start using it?

And as a leader, learn to utilize those strengths to make your team's strategies more effective as well as be able to recognize what needs improvement. [ That's the point she's trying to make here, Jaune. She may not be her team's leader, but utilizing team strategies and support is something of a specialty for her now. ] Jaune, you'll get to the more exciting learning eventually. You have to build the knowledge foundation beforehand though.

[ She pauses. ] Especially with Dust. You're not using it until I'm satisfied you understand proper Dust safety and care, particularly since you don't have the option to use ammunition-based Dust. [ Considering his weapon is the only one that isn't also a gun, she's going to have to teach him to use it in its powdered form like she does, in its raw form which is even more dangerous, or get him to upgrade or infuse something of his with Dust. Since she heard his is a family heirloom, she doubts any alteration to Corcea Mors is an option. But just so he knows- ] My family is surrounded by it all the time and I still nearly got blown off the cliff my first day at Beacon because Ruby sneezed after some of my Dust spilled and my powders aren't even in the most volatile form. I'm not being strict because of you, I'm being strict because of the Dust. You can learn, it can't.

[This must be what combat school feels like. Wow he's so glad he never went.] I just thought Ruby's sneezes were really explosive. [He's being sarcastic, for once, even if he didn't know what Dust was at the time.] So do you live surrounded by Dust mines? How do you know which is more volatile? It looks the same to me.

[There's a more volatile version? He wants to find it and test it for himself. Maybe he can start with borrowing Weiss' Myrtenaster...]

Edited 2016-06-22 22:25 (UTC)

Imagine adding airborne red dust powder to that. [ She really hopes he at least knows color-typing correlations, but she'll agree that Ruby's sneezes are ridiculous. What kind of person sneezes so hard they ignite Dust? Honestly. ]

Of course not, I lived in a mansion. I've visited Dust Mines before though, and learned about Dust my whole life. Dust in its purest form is the most volatile, powdered is second, and then the ammunition-contained format is the safest to use. It's also possible to fuse Dust with clothing and weapons, or.. with your body, but I personally wouldn't recommend it. You can't undo alterations like that, so if you do it wrong or misuse it, it can cause problems. So while naturally occuring, pure Dust is the most volatile, I would say that body-alterations are most dangerous. Naturally, the more volatile and dangerous forms are the more effective when used by someone who knows what they're doing.

[ Buuuut.. ] You should focus on your foundations and weaponry before you worry about getting into Dust, Jaune.

[Thankfully, he at least knows that.] It could be useful, if you learned to use her allergies in battle.

So was your mansion filled with Dust? Like you'd just go and grab some coffee and have to avoid touching the Dust next to the coffee but sometimes you might be too tired and accidentally make Dust coffee instead of just coffee. [She said she was surrounded by it.] Ohhh, because your body might explode like when Ruby sneezed. I get it. But...if I learn to use Dust, I don't know, maybe it can make up for...other stuff.

I aced your exam, didn't I?

Jaune, you really don't understand metaphorical language, do you? [ Hang in there, Jaune. ] I wasn't literally physically surrounded by Dust all the time. Yes, if someone asked me I could have some within a minute, but it's not like it was just lying around. It was properly stored and treated with care and used appropriately. Only a slob with a death wish would store Dust next to coffee beans and accidentally mistake the two.

You got 2 out of 3. That's 66%. That's a D. Three questions doesn't prove you're ready for anything, it just proves that you've improved from when you couldn't even tell me what type of sword I carry.

I... [He's not even going to argue with that one.] That does make more sense, I guess. Obviously not that properly stored if you spilled it on your first day.

A D is still closer to an A than a F. [But he knows Weiss won't back down from her stance on this.]

[ Scoffs. ] Ruby face-first into my luggage and sent it flying across the ground. That wasn't my fault.

What? No it's not. It's 7% from a F and 24% from a low A. 34% from perfection.

No but don't you think it might be a good idea to plan for contingencies like a Ruby appearing and attacking your luggage?

...You can't measure perfection with numbers, Weiss.

I do now. That's how Ruby and I met. I wasn't aware anyone could be quite so.. clumsy, before you two.

[ That's the nicest way she can think to put it. ]

You can with test scores, Jaune. That's the entire point of having a numerical scoring system.

And yet when Ruby fights, she's...she's really skilled. I wouldn't expect her to be the same person who can barely walk in heels.

[Not nearly as graceful as Weiss, but she looks at home when she's fighting and isn't awkward or clumsy.]

Yeah it is. [Weiss: 1, Jaune: 0.]

Ruby's skilled when it comes to using her scythe and there's little I can offer toward improvement with that beyond unending practice, but she still needs to work on her balance and thinking before she acts when battle isn't imminent. Just like Blake is fast and can dodge easily but can't land heavy hits, and Yang can both hit and take heavy hits, but has difficulty with smaller and faster opponents like Neon or Neo.

[ And Weiss can't take or land heavy hits much at all, but she's got such intense agility and buffs that as long as she's careful it works out. But she's not going to say that because Jaune doesn't need to know that. Though if he comes to that conclusion on his own she'll be somewhat proud that he's learning.

Only 1. Really? ]

What about you? Your weapon isn't meant for powerful hits, and you're fighting style isn't like Yang's, but if you were to fight her you'd have the highest chance of winning since you're so fast and because you use Dust and your environment to your advantage. Yang and Blake are the distractions meant to take the hits or misdirect them, you and Ruby are the ones who deal the final blows.

[Okay maybe more than 1.]

Close. My advantages are largely precision, agility, and support. Instead of hitting hard, I hit where I know it'll do the most damage. My Dust use make me more adept to manipulating and using the environment, as you said, but my glyphs allow me to do the same with my teammates- I can enhance and support them to make the team win much more efficiently than I can if I'm the only one fighting. That's why I don't typically take the final blow unless we're fighting solo- most of the time, it's more efficient to just use a hard-hitter like Yang or Ruby for finishing blows, the same way your team utilizes Nora. It's also why I do much better in team fights than on my own, whereas in the same right if someone can catch me and land a hard hit or two, it has much more.. unfortunate circumstances. It's why Flynt's wide-ranged attacks are so effective against me, for example. I can't dodge them or get close enough to attack without getting caught up in one.

[ He got part of it though, so that means he's improving. It's the part that focuses on weaponry, too, so he just needs a lot of the background information. She really has no idea how he passed combat school like this. Anyway, back on point. Weiss straightens up and decides to let him in on why his answer based on solely her weapon didn't provide a complete overview. ]

The three primary components to how a person does in battle regardless of what skill level they are at are weaponry, physical capabilities, and aura. They're all three intertwined, which is why your answer was incomplete based on just my weaponry. There are other influential factors, of course, like practice, environment, team cohesion, emotional stability, personality, and so on but if you understand those three things about a person you're far more likely to be able to do well against them in a battle than if you know nothing.

[He looks like he's trying hard to focus on what Weiss is saying and take it into account.] I think I understand why you used Yang to finish the fight now. Even if it...didn't look planned that way. [aka trying to take Flynt down with magma.] But teamwork along with combat style is partially why Flynt and Neon were able to do so much damage. They were really in sync with eachother. How strong is your aura, anyway? [He understands how to monitor his and more about when to be defensive vs. offensive, but his comprehension of it is still more broad ideas and less detailed.]

Of course I didn't plan to get blown up, but we had a higher chance of winning of Yang lasted longer and I took out a huge chunk of Flynt's aura even if I had to take myself out to do it. I made a call, and it was the right one.

Pyrrha's been teaching you about aura, right? So you know it's used for offense, defense, instincts, and semblances. You probably noticed I use my semblance far more often in battle than most people do, so that's why less of my aura can be utilized for defensive strategies- which, as I said, is fine provided I avoid severe hits.

[ She really really really wants to know how he got through combat school. She can't think of any way to ask that isn't insulting though, and she's trying very hard to keep to her moderately non-insulting goals with Jaune since she finally decided he was worth not constantly insulting. Focus on aura, Weiss. ]

Aura recovers quickly enough as long as it isn't taken out completely, though. [ She hesitates for a moment and then points to the scar over her eye, then indicates the back of her left hand too. ] This is what happens when you keep taking damage after your aura is depleted. Though my aura has improved significantly since my first day at Beacon, but.. most of that goes toward developing my glyphs anyway. It helps that I already have a map for exactly where they're supposed to go since my family's semblances are genetic, so we've had a long time to develop them.

So to answer your question, my aura is strong but I use it differently than most people.

[If Weiss were to ask Jaune, he would tell her. He's been putting it off for a while, but with Cinder in prison, he feels like he can. He's being incredibly selfish and it will cost him, something he's aware of. He just doesn't know how to bring the subject up.]

Yeah, she has. I figured you might have a strong one because you can use your semblance so frequently. But that explains your lower defense. [And it maybe explains why he was so oblivious and had no instincts before Pyrrha unlocked his. Or maybe he's being too optimistic.]

I always kind of wondered why...I mean I expected Huntresses and Hunters to have more scars and stuff. I didn't know aura could be used for that until Pyrrha unlocked mine. But...can you make your aura stronger other ways besides practicing your semblance?

[ Unlocked. Pyrrha unlocked his aura. Pyrrha unlocked his aura. How did he even survive this long- ]

If you didn't even activate your aura until after you were accepted how did you pass the exit exams from your previous school?

[ She has to think about it. ] Well, obviously continual use as defense will help improve that, and practicing using different objects and weapons as conduits will exercise your control over your aura. Some people say meditation can also help since it helps you become more in-tune with yourself, though that's not really my preferred method. But there are plenty of ways. You might want to ask Yang for more help with that- her semblance only activates when she's nearly depleted, so she can't exercise it the same way I do to improve it, so she's more likely to be able to give better advice on that topic.

Edited 2016-06-23 22:30 (UTC)

...You know there's a funny story to that and you're probably going to hate me once you hear it. But you deserve it after everything.

I don't want to be in-tune with myself that sounds hard. But I think I've done that channeling thing before. I'll ask Professor Xiao Long.

What is it? [ A beat. God this was getting more and more suspicious. ] Why did you lock the video, Jaune?

It's not horrible to do once in a while. Though I do it slightly differently than most people. [ Wanna go get a blowout Jaune? That's how Weiss clears her mind. ]

Because...I don't want everyone else to find out like this and I want to tell you without anyone else getting involved.

[Take a deep breath. Yeah that's not helping so he just jumps into it, voice getting higher with his nerves.]

I didn't go to school. I always wanted to be a Huntsman but...my family didn't take me seriously. Finally I got fed up and faked some transcripts to get into Beacon and I know it was stupid now and I'm sorry and I'm sorry for not telling you. At the time, I didn't realize all the work involved or what fighting really meant. I put everyone in danger. And I'll always have that thought in the back of my head.

How do you do it differently? Ballet? [Yes he's all for a good blowout.]

[ Sorry Jaune. They'll have to get to blowouts (and, despite her sass when she first got to Beacon, getting her nails done) later. Because that's kind of huge. Before she says anything about it, he's already taken the words out of her mouth- that he put everyone in danger, that he cheated and was being stupid and didn't realize what it meant. He recognized what he did wrong instead of just expecting her to be okay with it. it took her a while to respond. After he got through that strange 'friendship' with Cardin he had for a little while, he seemed to have buckled down on improving and by the tournament, he'd been good enough that Weiss had even noticed he could hold his own. ]

I can see why you didn't tell me back home. I would've had you expelled within a day.

[ That doesn't sound encouraging. But she continues before he can say anything else. ]

Most of us have done things in the past that aren't exactly.. acceptable, Jaune. I spent an entire day trying to convince Blake that Faunus were garbage people who belonged in trash cans when we first met Sun because I grew up blaming the Faunus for everything I'd been through with my father. Blake has her own past that's not my place to speak about. Zuko, back when he was here, did a lot of terrible things to entire nations and families before he realized he was wrong. Ruby used to eat cookies in bed then sweep them off onto my bunk and not tell me so I would lay down in them right after I took a shower before bedtime. The one thing we all have in common is that we recognize that what we did was wrong and we're working to make it right and be better people. Don't do something like that again, do things the right way and learn from your mistakes, and you and I will be fine.

[He's scared to look at her. He hadn't wanted to tell anyone, but Weiss was one of the people he was most worried about, reaction-wise. He's so caught up in his own fear, that he doesn't even realize that she's admitting things he didn't know about up until now. he doesn't feel better because what they did doesn't make what he did less wrong...more wrong than he wants to go into. But he thinks he understands, that he can only learn from it. Like she said, they all have that in common and it's a good reminder. He finally meets her eyes.]

I'm sorry about Ruby. Thanks for still being my friend despite what I did. I won't do anything like that again. I promise. I know that probably doesn't mean as much as it did. [Even if Arcs always keep their promises.] But I still mean it.

Edited 2016-06-25 03:11 (UTC)

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