RWBY: LUCID

The hallway buzzed with the hum of conversation. Jaune could hear lockers clanging shut, and the steady rhythm of teenage shoes thudding on tiles. Students streamed between classes, laughter and chatter echoing off the high walls of building A's wing. Jaune, with Ruby at his side, made his way down the corridor, scanning the passing crowd for familiar faces.

"Hey! Jauney!" a voice called out.

He turned just in time to see Nora bounding up to them, her ever-present energy making her all but bounce off the floor. Ren followed closely behind, hands in his pockets, calm as always.

Jaune grinned. "There you two are."

"You ditched us this morning!" Nora accused, squinting dramatically. "We waited and waited… and you were nowhere! We were betrayed!"

"I didn't ditch you," Jaune said with a chuckle. "I just woke up early and took the earlier train."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "You woke up early? Didn't take you for a early riser."

"Miracles do happen," Ruby chimed in with a teasing smile.

Jaune rolled his eyes. "I'm capable of waking up on time. Occasionally."

"So what gives?" Nora asked, tugging at the strap of her backpack. "Why the early bird routine?"

"I slept a little earlier than I usually would yesterday. I went home this weekend," Jaune explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "To Ansel. I saw my family and helped my sister, Jade, pack up. She's starting at Vale University today."

"Right! You mentioned you were heading back. Wait—you have a sister?" Nora's eyes lit up. "Why didn't you say anything sooner? I want to meet her!"

"Why am I not surprised…" Jaune muttered. "But yeah. I have seven sisters, actually."

The three of them stopped to stare at him, amidst the rushing students. Jaune, suddenly self conscious couldn't help but laugh awkwardly.

"W-what?"

"Seven sisters! Your parents have eight children!" Ruby exclaimed with a shocked look on her face. Even Ren looked positively astonished from that info.

"That's amazing! How'd your mom manage? Did she have secret pancakes for fuel while conceiving all of you?" Nora asked with a gleam of curiosity shining in her her eyes.

"No! She was just... sturdy I guess? My parents always wanted to have a large family. Turns out, it was just bigger than normal. It all worked out pretty well in the end, afterwards anyway."

"We need to meet your super family and mom!" Nora continued amidst Ruby and Ren's amused looks.

"Heh. Maybe someday. You'll probably have a chance to meet Jade one of these days. She in Vale so maybe..."

"If she's anything like you, Jauney, I'd love to! Oooh... is she tall too?" Nora asked with a grin. Jaune's current height was 6 foot 1. Somewhat tall for a sixteen year old but he was sure to grow a couple inches in the future.

"Well... she's about the same height as I am," Jaune deadpanned. "But she's significantly meaner."

"Better and meaner? She sounds perfect," Nora said, her eyes sparkling.

"Where'd you get the better part from?"

Ruby giggled, nudging Nora. "Maybe you two could bond over pancakes."

"Oh! I make amazing pancakes," Nora declared. "Not like mister 'Oh no, the batter's too wet' over here."

"That happened one time," Jaune said, exasperated.

"And didn't you say that you still managed to glue the spatula to the pan?" Ren added coolly.

"It was an experimental batch!" Jaune protested. "Besides, my family liked them."

Ruby coughed into her fist. "Bet you that they were… crunchy."

"Exactly!" Jaune said, proud. "Textural variety!"

Nora leaned into Ruby, whispering loudly, "Never let him near flour."

Ruby nodded solemnly. "Noted."

They all laughed as they made their way further down the hallway. Jaune found himself relaxing into the moment—being back with his team, teasing and joking, just being… normal.

"So," Ren said, falling into step beside him, "how was the sword arts club?"

Jaune's eyes lit up. "Actually? Pretty great. There's this third-year—Grise. He taught me the basics last week."

Ren tilted his head slightly. "Grise… tall, grayish hair, looks like he belongs on the cover of some brooding fantasy novel?"

Jaune snapped his fingers. "That's him! He gave off 'mysterious loner swordsman' energy. Very intense guy but also quite kind."

"I think I've seen him before," Ren said. "He's always carrying that long, cloth-wrapped blade, right?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Said he used to train solo most of the time, but agreed to teach this year."

Ren looked thoughtful. "That's rare. Most upperclassmen don't like taking on extra work unless they're mentoring."

"I think he likes the club environment," Jaune admitted. "I'm excited to keep learning from him. I brought back a steel longsword from Ansel—dad made it forever ago. Finally get to put it to use."

"A real sword?" Ren asked, mildly impressed. "Not a wooden one like most students?"

"No bells and whistles," Jaune said. "Just good ole steel and stubborn tradition. Of sorts..."

"You do seem like the 'swing until it breaks or you do' type," Ren teased.

"Rude, but fair."

Up ahead, the bell chimed, signaling five minutes to class. The hallway buzzed louder as students picked up their pace.

"Well, looks like we're headed this way," Ren said, nodding to a side corridor.

"Intro to Civics," Nora groaned. "More like Intro to Snore-tastic Lecture Slides."

"Don't drool on the desk again," Jaune called after her.

"No promises! See you lunch time!"

Ruby tugged Jaune gently. "We've got Math in Building A, remember?"

"Oh right," he said, adjusting his bag. "Monday schedule. Let's go, partner."

"What, not bestie?" Ruby gave him a sideways glance, putting on a fake pout. "That hurts my soul."

"Sure, besties it is then," Jaune shrugged with mock seriousness. "Next step is to get matching jackets and synchronized our walks."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "We'll be the talk of the hallway. But only if we can agree on a video game, team name. And if we win tournaments..."

Jaune grinned. "Hmm, how about… Team Jaune! Named after me, the greatest leader!'"

Ruby made a face. "You? The greatest leader? I could be a better leader! Lets call it team Ruby instead!"

"Heh. Gotta beat me in chess first, Rubes."

She hummed. "Not chess. How about... tic tac toe. I go first of course!"

"Er... on second thought. How about just team names based on initials?" Jaune coughed out. He tried playing against Ruby on Friday and lost miserably. All 10 games in a row.

He was certain she was cheating somehow.

"Sore loser." She crossed her arms, teasing smile adorned across her features.

Jaune held up a finger. "Hey! It was luck! Luck, I tell you!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Right..."

Jaune shrugged. "So... how about...Team JRGR. Pronounced 'Jurger.'"

Ruby made a face. "Jurger? That sounds like a vacuum cleaner giving up on life. Also where'd the G come from?"

"What about Team GRJR?"

"Sounds like a bootleg software package. And... again, why's the G there. Isn't it supposed to be based on initials?"

Jaune held up a finger. "Okay, okay, hear me out—Team RUNG."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're literally just naming pieces of furniture now."

They chuckled all the way down the corridor, weaving between groups of students bustling toward their next class.

Behind them, Nora leaned closer to Ren with a mischievous grin. "Think they know they're flirting?"

Ren blinked. "Are they? I can't really tell."

Nora nodded and cupped her hands like imaginary binoculars. "I spy budding romance in the halls of Beacon~"

Ren gave her a long-suffering look. "Please don't start singing again."

Nora just wiggled her eyebrows. "I'm composing a ballad. 'Ruby and Jaune, sittin' in a tree—'"

Ren sighed. "Lets let them survive algebra first."

As they veered off toward their own class, Ruby and Jaune reached the stairwell that led up to Building A. They took the steps two at a time, still grinning from their back-and-forth.

"So," Jaune said, giving her a nudge, "team name negotiations to be continued?"

"Maybe," Ruby replied, mock-stern. "But only if you stop suggesting names that sound like IKEA furniture."

"No promises. Team HÖNJ?"

She snorted. "Now you're just adding umlauts for no reason."

They reached the second floor and filtered into their math classroom. Rows of desks stretched toward a whiteboard littered with equations from the previous period. The teacher wasn't in yet, and the room buzzed with low chatter.

Jaune dropped his bag next to a middle-row desk. Ruby slid into the seat beside him, still smiling as she pulled out her notebook.

"You know," she said lightly, "you're quite fun to hang around."

"High praise," Jaune said, feigning a bow. "From the cookie queen herself."

"Don't make me throw a protractor at you."

He grinned. "You wouldn't dare."

She reached for one.

"Okay, okay! Besties. Truce."

They exchanged a smirk as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. The teacher swept into the room moments later, clapping her hands together and calling for silence.

Still smiling faintly, Jaune glanced sideways at Ruby. She was already scribbling in the margins of her notebook—what looked suspiciously like a scythe doodle.

He shook his head with a silent smile and turned to his own notes.

And even as the math lesson began and the formulas filled the board, the hallway echoes, the teasing, and the warm rhythm of their banter still lingered in the back of his mind.