sparkstrikes | empatheias IC contact. (archive)

So, like a shield.

[A magic shield, that is. It all makes much more sense now with an explanation like that. She'd wondered to herself why someone training to fight had no way of protecting themselves other than their own weapons and reflexes, but it's good to know that there is one. A relief, actually.

Lightning is pretty sure she gets it and she nods, signalling for him to continue.]

Yes! Exactly.

[ Flashbacks to Pyrrha explaining Aura to Jaune and him shouting "Like a force field". Lightning truly is the senpai Jaune never knew could exist. ]

While everyone has Aura and can easily learn to manipulate it, there's something else about us... something that makes each of us more unique. We call it a Semblance, and everyone's Semblance is different. Some can create illusions, others can teleport, absorb thunder, or block out pain... those are a little harder to discover.

Some can go their whole lives without knowing what their Semblance is. ... I thought I was gonna be one of those.

[ For a moment he looks down at his iced tea, feeling a little ashamed at how late he learned all of this, but his eyes do meet Lightning's again soon enough. He knows he shouldn't be feeling sorry for himself, and she wouldn't have any of it either. ]

... This is why I thought I'm not good enough. When we fought; and all those times before...

[As soon as he trails off, Lightning finishes with where she thinks he's going.]

You didn't know what it was.

[A proud smile pulls at her lips, in spite of her best efforts to will it away. Lightning always tried to remind him that there was no such thing as him being not good enough and as long a road as it appeared to be to accepting it, she would be there every step of the way when he needed it. Just like he has been for her.

The last thing she wants is for him to feel like she's undermining this in any way, because it feels as though this is a much bigger deal than what he's currently letting on, which is why she gives him a little verbal nudge.]

But you're not going to be one of those people, are you?

[Not that Lightning ever believed he was.]

H-Heh, I suppose not...

[ The story of how he had to discover his Semblance is a little unpleasant, but it ties in with earlier mention of Cinder. He holds his hands out in front of him, presenting them to Lightning, too. It seems as if just recalling that event is enough to make his hands glow, just like they did on that day. ]

Cinder... she had me pinned down and disarmed. She was furious that I almost got her - no, she was angry that I made her feel scared for a second. But... I didn't show her any fear when I was on the ground. I was willing to di... [ The realization of how careless he was with his life doesn't hit him until he says it out loud, but he tries to move on from it as quick as possible. ]

--because of that, Cinder targeted Weiss instead. To show me how helpless I am. Weiss... she was dying at my feet, and that's when this happened.

[ The glowing light in his hands intensifies. ]

My Semblance.

[There's a wrenching feeling in her gut where Jaune cuts himself off, but she says nothing, not wanting to bring any more awareness to it past a brief glance away. No, she's just glad he's here and he's safe, which is why she quickly turns her attention back to his glowing hands held out in front of him. She'll come back to the Weiss thing in a moment – for now, she's far too intrigued by what this could even mean to spoil the significance of it. It’s a pretty extraordinary thing, and whatever dread she may have been feeling earlier is chased away by pride.

His Semblance. There are a lot of things she thought made Jaune special, but this is different – this is the one thing he has that no one else does... physical proof that he's much more than just some kid who wiggled his way into some combat school with a sword and shield.

Lightning lifts a curious and tentative hand to touch the end of her index finger against his, but stops just short of it.]

What does it do?

Well, Aura doesn't just protect us... it can also heal our wounds over time. I guess it depends on how much you have, and how fast you can recover it before the wound settles.

[ It's why some people from his world (including Weiss) have scars, while others heal on the spot - like his. ]

My Semblance... I think I can give up some of my own Aura, to kickstart someone else's. Aura Amplification. That's... what I'm calling it anyway. Thanks to this, Weiss recovered her Aura by tenfold, and healed completely in no-time.

[ He's got some theories about what else it can do, such as that time Cardin almost beat him up, but he'll keep it to himself for now until he can test it out later. This whole thing still makes him nervous, the last thing he wants to do is get over excited. ]

Heh - go ahead!

[ She can touch the hand, if she still wants. He's pretty curious to see how it reacts to someone who doesn't have Aura. ]

[She tilts her head while she listens, her hand lowering briefly as she continues to watch the glow across his hands and up his arms. There's a slight furrow to her brow when he brings up Weiss again, and she tucks that away in the back of her mind for now.

It can't have been the most thrilling way to discover what his Semblance is – it's a little unfair, actually, for something so important to be tied to an experience like that. She can only hope that he's come out of it for the better, though... and not just because of his gift.

Lightning's lips press together in a thin line and she lifts her hand again, and this time she does poke him – gently – on the finger.]

It's warm.

[And she's got a smile to match it. There really isn't any other word to describe the sensation. It wouldn't mean much to him, but it reminds Lightning a little of what a Medica feels like, but a different brand of magic from a l'Cie's, or her own.

Her arm relaxes.]

I told you that you had it in you.

[ He smiles back at her, grateful for her kind words and encouragement. Her belief in him, inexplicable as he may find it, is more than his parents ever afforded him. They loved him, sure, but "I knew you had it in you" would not be words he ever expects to hear from them.

Their moment is brief, however, and Jaune quickly makes a pained expression on his face. ]

L-Light, wait!! You absorbed too much of it!! My Auraaaaa--!!!

[ He starts to cough violently, then falls off his stool to the side, hitting his head against the cold hard ground.

Don't worry, he's just messing with her!

... The head bump was real though. Ouch. ]

[He may be messing with her, but she totally falls for it, jumping back when his expression shifts and watching in horror when he falls, like she was the one to push him over herself (accidentally, of course). She hadn't meant to! She had no idea! If she had known it would happen, she could have caught him, or even slowed time to a crawl so she could break his fall a little! Why this!? She's so sorry!!

There's also a strange, overpowering sense of dejavu that comes over her in that moment. At least Jaune didn't break the chair? Wait, what?

The drop from the seat of the bar stool to the floor isn't a short one and when she thinks it's all over, Lightning gets on her tiptoes and peeks over the top of the counter.]

... Jaune?

[ By the time she peers over the counter, he already springs back up and nearly collides his head against something hard a second time -- the hard surface being Lightning's thick skull. Thankfully, he doesn't! He manages to stop in the last moment, then slowly backing away until they're at a polite distance. ]

--HAH! Got you!! Aw, man, you should see your face, h-hahah!

[And by the time he backs away, Lightning is staring over the counter at him, unamused and arms folded over her chest.]

Cute.

[Should she be laughing, because she's not laughing. She was genuinely worried that she had done something wrong! She pauses, drumming her fingers on the bar a moment before she moves out from behind it, walks right up to him...

... and pokes him in the middle of the forehead.]

Don't do that again.

[ Jaune swallows nervously, like he's about to get detention from a teacher, until she gives him the affectionate poke on the forehead and he smiles in relief. For a moment, he considers acting like she poked the part of his head that hurts the most, buuut he decides against it. He only wanted to lighten the mood a little, after talking about Cinder... ]

H-heh, sorry!

[ Rubbing his head, the sobers up a little and hopes there wasn't a larger reason why he couldn't make her laugh. Did he miss something in his absence? ]

...Are you alright?

[A slap on the arm before she just casually goes to steal the stool he was seated on now, and reaches for his iced tea like she's about to steal a sip for herself. She doesn't, but he'll have to earn it back! Fiddling with the straw and letting it spin around the rim of the glass, she nods her head with a faint smile.]

You worried me is all.

[And while there is a lot on her mind, she's not going to burden him with any of it... especially not after what he had just gone through. Discovering his Semblance was the fun part, but at what cost? That is something that Lightning is curious about, so she goes on to ask about it in a low, gentle voice.]

You mentioned something happened to Weiss?

[She doesn't know the girl as well as she does Jaune, but that doesn't erase the fact that she cares about her well-being as much as she does anyone else's. Sorry to dampen the mood again!]

[ Does he have to fight her for the drink?! He sighs, laughing softly because yeah, something did totally happen. ]

I guess there's no way to gloss over that, is there?

[ He doesn't want to downplay the gravity of her near-death, and the effect it had on both of them moving forward, but he also doesn't want to dramatize it too much either. ]

... Would it be easier to show you?

[ It's not something he will ever offer to anyone else, but he owes Lightning for the memories he got to look at in Selenium. In a way, it will bring them a little closer. There is a practical reason for it, too, and a very important one at that.

If Lightning is to protect anyone from Cinder and he's no longer around do it himself, then she needs to know what the woman looks like. ]

Not really, no.

[As much as she wishes she could unhear it, to go back to being blissfully ignorant to what these kids had to go through in such a short time, she knows that isn't how things work. There's no shaking her worry now, and she wonders quietly to herself how Weiss is doing, or if she's okay. He hasn't said anything to contradict that, which is a good sign...

However, Lightning knows what showing her will entail – showing her means having to remember it for himself, too... Telling it as a story doesn't have the same impact that having to almost relive it does, and while it isn't that, it's close enough that it makes her shift in her seat.

She's not one to turn down an offer, but she also doesn't want to make Jaune go through it if it's only going to be more demanding for him..]

You sure?

Nope. [ He says it a little too bluntly. ] But... I trust you.

[ He's more worried about doing this without Weiss' consent, but as he already said, he trusts Lightning. ]

It's just... you're not gonna like it.

[ Because he knows how much Lightning cares. In the time that he's known her, he has learned that she is capable of as much empathy as him, which can be a burden. Being happy for others is a wonderful feeling, but being angry or sad... that's a little harder to deal with. ]

[She scoffs.]

There're a lot of things I don't like. Have to put up with 'em anyway.

[That's just the way the cookie crumbles.

Lightning gives him a slight nod, hopefully enough reassurance that it's okay. She can handle anything he has to throw at her, and any burden this might put on her shoulders, small or large, she's prepared to carry it, even if all it'll do is take some of the weight off of his. If she can't, well... she'll do it anyway.

In the meantime, she slides his glass across the counter towards him and gives it one last nudge with the end of her finger.]

[ God damn it, why is she being so cool and suave with his glass, now he won't know how to hold it without looking like a flustered dork!!!

Thankfully (?), he has no need for it just yet, since they're about to get to business. As Lightning is still occupying his stool, and Jaune being a ridiculously tall teen, he positions himself next to her with his hand on her shoulder as he looks onward. This should be a little easier without eye contact, at least for the time being.

As promised, the scene plays out from Jaune's point of view, which will at various times be blurry and shaky from all those moments he cried. It starts from a very haunting "Are you gonna let her die, too?", showing Jaune's failed attempt to end Cinder, her resulting fury and psychological torment, all the way until Weiss collapses.

--and then it abruptly ends. ]

[That sensation of someone else's thoughts invading her mind is still so remarkably unaccustomed, but Lightning lets it happen anyway – her eyes close and she rests a hand on top of the one he has on her shoulder, holding it there under a sturdy grip. It's more staggering than she expected, especially with it being from Jaune's point of view, and Lightning's eyes shut tighter and her fingers squeeze his hand.

As the memory plays, she takes note of Cinder's face – the mask, the parts of a scar that show from behind it, as well as the clothes, her voice... every detail that Lightning can commit to memory, because should this woman ever dare show it in Verens, she'll have more than just these kids to deal with.

Even knowing what was coming, watching that spear pierce through Weiss at the other end of the room is still unsettling and it makes her stomach sink, and when it ends as abruptly as it does, she looks to Jaune and tries to blink back the tears that are staining the inner corners of her eyes.]

I...

[Sometimes, finding the right things to say in any circumstance is hard for her but no matter how hard she tries, there's nothing she can come up with. So instead of that, she spins on her stool and throws her arms over his shoulders.]

[ Even with her arms around him, Jaune doesn't react physically, but deep down he appreciates it more than anyone will ever know. It was only Pyrrha who hugged him since he came back, but that comes for granted between them. After a short moment of silence, he continues... ]

She was right, you know. I was in over my head. Maybe I saved Weiss in the end, but I couldn't stop Cinder from hurting her.

I can't stop her from hurting anyone...

[ And he can't always be around to heal those who fall victim to her. ]

[He doesn't need to react for her to know, but as soon as he goes on, Lightning lifts her head and moves back, keeping her hands on his shoulders. Solidarity, support, whatever it is he wants to take from the gesture, that's what it can be.]

No, she wasn't. Remember when you asked me if I believed everything I said? About changing fate?

[She shakes her head.]

It might be that, it might not be, but you keep telling yourself that you can't, and you won't. Just means you'll have to train harder, and fight harder.

Edited 2018-03-12 12:50 (UTC)

[ He nods, deliberately hiding his eyes under his fringe. He knows if he tries to speak now, he'll just cry like a baby. He doesn't want to dismiss Lightning's kind words, even though he has heard it many times before. Even Pyrrha says that she never met anyone who works so hard to get better, and yet he's always out of his league when it counts.

If Lightning and so many others believe in him, then why is it so hard for him to focus on the overwhelming encouragement, and instead keeps tripping up over what one person said about him being a failure? It shouldn't work that way. ]

... Y-Yeah.

[ No, if his friends believe in him, then he should do the same. Lightning is right. ]

[ He shakes his head quickly, shaking a rogue tear out of his eye. Once that's been taken care of, he looks at Lightning directly, drawing on his confidence as a leader. He may not fight as well as others, but he knows what he needs to do. And if not, he knows he'll figure it out eventually. ]

I'll do it. I'll train even harder... I'll push myself--

I'll become like you.

[ Oddly enough, the sentiment echoes Lightning's own self-confessed wish to be more like Jaune. Why can't these warriors ever just be happy with themselves? ]

[His declaration takes her completely off-guard, and her fingers squeeze his shoulders a little tighter. She would argue that, if she was ever in any place to do so, because she had said those same words once. So, her expression softens and so does her grip, but her hands don't lower yet. Instead, she gives him a nudge.]

Don't get too over your head.

[Joking, of course, but he should know better by now, even without the suggestion of her smile – she has more unwavering faith in him than she was probably ever ready to give. This is just her own strange way of trying to lessen the tension, even if she isn't a natural at it... not like he is.]

You know you can come to me for anything. I don't want you to be afraid to ask.

[There will be no more of this 'too many burdens to shoulder' crap.]

N-No, I know... I know I can count on you.

[ She's the first person he's sought out, apart from his fellow friends from Remnant, to tell her about his Semblance. Furthermore, he doubts he's going to tell anybody else about Cinder, they can't help with that kind of thing the way Lightning can.

It also occurs to him now just how much he missed her, now that his new memories are settling in. It feels like it had been two months... ]

It's just that-- I worry about you, too. [ As he should. Lightning isn't his hero; she's his friend, and that's what he does for his friends. ]

But, uh... since you're offering... is it okay if we trained more regularly?

[ He's got some new moves to show off, too! Ozpin bootcamp will do that to you. ]

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