A Wager And A Maiden's Blush

The idea intrigued him. A lot more than he thought it would. Granted, he did feel a little restless since the initiation test. Those fights weren’t completely satisfying. Not that he was a combat junkie or anything. He just felt like he didn’t get the chance to show off what he could do. So, the prospect of getting to let loose was tantalizing.

As he was thinking it over Gray didn’t notice the rest of his team and JNPR discuss excitedly amongst themselves. They must also be interested in fighting. The rest of the room of students also seemed to be talking with each other about who should jump in and have a tussle.

However, before anyone came to a decision, a feeling of spontaneity took over Gray.

Why not? He told himself, and stood up.

It took a couple seconds for his team and JNPR to realize that Gray was volunteering to fight. When they noticed, a quiet moment of contemplation took them over as they wondered how a fight with him would go. Yang just smirked and wolf whistled at him.

Professor Goodwitch noticed Gray standing almost as soon as the girls did.

“Our first volunteer is Gray Farran of Team RWBY.” She announced while adjusting her glasses. She continued to observe the rest of the class for the second volunteer.

Chatter increased around the small stadium and Gray even heard someone call out from seats further up, “Yeah, get ‘em Gray!”

He turned around to catch Orrin wave at him with encouragement from beside his team. He also saw Tanner and Classius with their heads together discussing something very seriously. Gray knew that they were probably considering volunteering themselves. However, Gray had fought them before and wasn’t all that interested.

Gray let his eyes roam over the whole class and saw that others were looking at him and were also considering their options. They all seemed to be weighing him up, trying to guess how strong he might be. He took a breath and looked to his own team, and JNPR next to them.

If he were being honest, he would admit to wanting to fight all of them at least once. Some he might have trouble with, like Ruby with her **** stick or Pyrrha with her many tournament wins or Yang since she gave off a feeling of strength, but he still wanted to test himself. One thing that stuck with him though, was that he met Jeanne first. That and the impression he got that she had a lot that she wanted to prove. He had noticed her self-deprecation and wondered why her confidence was so low.

Also, he felt like it would just be a good fun fight.

So, he let his eyes roam over to her and saw that she was looking at him just the same as everyone else. She was wondering if they would be a good match-up, but he could tell that she was hesitating. She wasn’t thinking about volunteering, but still thought about what the potential fight would be like.

Gray turned to her fully and looked her dead in the eyes. She noticed his full attention was on her but looked a little confused, and maybe a little panicked. Like a deer caught in headlights. Gray tilted his head, making the message as clear as he could without saying anything.

Jeanne’s hands clenched in her lap. Her hesitation gripped her. Until a hand touched her shoulder. She jumped a little in her seat and looked at who was touching her.

Pyrrha, sitting beside her. She leaned in with a small grin and whispered something into her ear. The other girls were looking from Gray to Jeanne and back, and some of them understood what was happening. They looked to Jeanne and waited for her answer.

What Pyrrha said made Jeanne look a little timid. A complicated expression flitted across her face before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Pyrrha rubbed her back for comfort. Jeanne then straightened her back and opened her eyes. She still looked a little in over her head, but she looked as if she wanted to try. Gray smiled at her and the girl smiled back, a bit more confident.

She stood up.

“Our second volunteer is Jeanne Arc of Team JNPR.” Goodwitch announced, barely a couple minutes after announcing Gray. “Please make your way to your respective lockers to prepare.”

---

Gray strapped on his gun holsters and slid his daggers into place. He then clipped Obscurity to his belt and checked himself over for any final adjustments.

He had changed into his combat attire. He wore his grey and white knee-length coat open with the hood down. Some of the pockets held useful items. Items that he doubted he would use in a one-on-one fight, but you couldn’t be too careful. He also wore a simple dark grey shirt underneath the coat. The shirt was tucked into his somewhat scuffed, black combat pants. Those were then tucked into well-used combat boots that were almost as scuffed as his pants. Everything was still serviceable... just faded in color in places. Lastly Gray tugged on a pair of fingerless gloves for some extra dexterity.

His preparations finished, Gray closed his locker and glanced over to his friend.

Jeanne had changed out of her uniform too. She now wore something similar to what she had worn on that first day he had met her. Only, this time she wore denim shorts instead of a denim skirt. She still had her black hoodie and cute tennis shoes, though. Oh, and she also had a little bit of armor too. A white chest plate and shoulder spaulders with thigh and shin guards. Nothing too bulky that would slow her movements, but enough weak spots that would require enough skill and experience to protect.

The parts that revealed her legs made the outfit hot, though. Gray couldn’t deny that.

Gray also noticed the sword sheathed at her hip.

“A sword user, huh?” Gray mumbled to himself. Then he was reminded of the conversation he had with her and Ruby on the first day. Jeanne mentioned that she had a sword, shield and a spear. Yet all he could see was a sword. Perhaps there was Mecha-shift tech involved? Or she thought she only needed her sword?

Gray didn’t think that Jeanne was full of herself, so she probably wouldn’t limit herself like that. If anything, she seemed more like the type to hold back out of concern for a friend, but that didn’t seem like the case here either. Gray felt that she had something to prove, and so she wouldn’t purposefully hold back, even against a friend. She fought against Pyrrha a few times and those were in a tournament.

So, the likelihood of her weapon having Mecha-shift was far higher.

Gray walked over to Jeanne, turned on his Semblance, and squeezed her butt. His fingers sank into the firm, yet soft glutes as she was checking the straps of one of her thigh-guards.

Gray then had a thought.

“Jeanne,” He began. The blonde girl looked up, ready to listen to his Semblance-laced words. “No matter what happens in our fight, we’ll still be friends. Okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded, easily agreeing.

The only reason Gray thought this would be a good idea, was because of the small thought in the back of his head that told him that Jeanne might feel really bad if she lost this fight. Not simply because it would be a loss, but because of her obvious need to prove something. He had the distinct impression that Jeanne hadn’t won a single match against Pyrrha before. That was bound to breed a little bit of resentment and frustration, no matter how nice of a person you were. If she lost her fight with Gray, that could very well be the last straw.

Or Gray could be overthinking things.

Regardless, he wanted a friendly match. With no drama to go with it afterwards.

And if he were to be the one to lose... well... Gray liked to think that he had enough grace to accept defeat. Plus, he could always use his Semblance to lessen the embarrassment of defeat by indulging in some way.

That gave him another thought. But he would keep it to himself until just before the match started.

Gray released Jeanne’s butt and turned off his Semblance.

“So, you ready for this?” He asked.

Jeanne straightened up and placed a hand on the pommel of her sword. She took a steadying breath and answered, “I’m ready.”

Her previous hesitation was still there in her eyes, but she seemed to be showing a lot more resolve as well. That was enough for Gray. He nodded and they both turned back to the door leading to the classroom.

---

They now stood on the stage at the front of the combat room. They were a few meters apart with Professor Goodwitch standing in the middle and to the side while facing the seats. The Professor was speaking to the whole class about the rules of combat in a controlled environment. She also mentioned that some rules would be different for certain tournaments, including the Vytal Festival Tournament.

All through the lecture, both Gray and Jeanne were looking at each other. Now that they were moments away from fighting Gray could see all the uncertainty evaporate from Jeanne’s expression. She was sizing him up with a sharp look to her. She had one hand on the scabbard at her hip, just below the cross guard. Her stance was solid with her feet spread apart, her left foot in front of the other. Her eyes traced over Gray with calculation.

Gray just looked back and casually ogled her body.

Considering the commands he had given to the girls about letting him look at their bodies, Jeanne shouldn’t mind in the slightest.

Jeanne really was a pretty girl. The short blonde hair in the front and the sides, but a ponytail in the back was actually a really nice hairstyle. Plus, her choice of clothing really gave her a spunky tomboy appearance. Tomboys were great in Gray’s opinion. The body of a girl with a slight interest in more masculine things, but still very feminine; A very relatable personality; Usually more straightforward than other girls and less likely to partake in toxic gossip; And doesn’t bother too much with make-up.

Very nice indeed.

Not that there was anything wrong with the more feminine girls, of course. It’s just that tomboys seemed like they would be more relaxing to be around.

Anyway, Jeanne’s legs were sexy in those shorts.

“–over the course of the year, you should get a feel for the limits of your Aura. To the point where you will not have to refer to your scroll in the middle of combat to find out how much time you have left.” Glynda was telling the class. “However, in this controlled environment, I would advise that you take a glance if you feel that you are running low on reserves. Do this by placing your scroll on your arm, where it would be easy to quickly look without losing sight of your opponent.”

Taking the teachers advice, Gray took out his scroll and made sure the display was showing his vitals before minimizing the screen and fixing it to his inner forearm. Jeanne did the same.

Three bars appeared on the smaller screen. Each denoted something about his health in an easy-to-understand format. A red bar represented blood pressure and it would go down steadily if he were to lose blood over time from a critical hit. A green bar represented his overall stamina and would go down if he fought for long stretches of time without breaks. Lastly, a blue bar represented his estimated Aura reserves.

Aura reserves was the amount of Aura dedicated to protecting a person from physical attacks or accidents. This aspect of a person's Aura would blanket them in an invisible layer that would try to nullify the forces that were applied to it. The greater the ****, the more reserves needed to nullify it. If a person were to be shot by a gun, and if the Aura reserves of the victim were strong enough, they may still feel a bit of pain or pressure, but there would be no penetration of the skin.

Sometimes, in these moments of high pressure from attacks, a person’s Aura will become visible. This happens if an attack or accident would have been potentially fatal. It becomes visible again if their Aura shield breaks or is damaged. When it breaks there is this impression of something shattering before a wave of exhaustion comes over a person. When damaged, on the other hand, a portion of the Aura shield has become dangerously thin and their Aura reserves work to fill in the gap. This ultimately makes the whole shield thinner until the person can find time to rest and eat.

Small moments of contact between people, such as handshakes, fist bumps or intimate things like kissing, won’t affect someone's Aura by much. However, if something sharp were to be applied to someone’s skin slowly, that would definitely activate a person’s Aura shield.

Medical institutions were left frustrated as they discovered that many illnesses that couldn’t be combated by a person’s Aura, could in fact be aided by inserting a medicine directly into someone’s bloodstream. Normal people who could not utilize their Aura in any meaningful way were able to receive these treatments. The Aura of a Huntsman or Huntress, however, was a natural barrier to this medical breakthrough.

Until two important things were developed.

The discovery of metals that could channel Aura, and a technique that someone could learn to hold their own Aura shield back. Syringes with these metals were created and many illnesses were finally being treated. Huntsmen and Huntresses were able to be treated for things that they couldn’t have treated for with just their own Aura.

One other thing was developed from these discoveries that changed the world forever.

The creation of weapons and armor that could channel a wielders Aura. This, coupled with the dust infused technology of previous generations, changed the battlefield. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a Huntsman's weapons and armor were an extension of his body and soul. If you could channel your own Aura into your tools, then they were practically prosthetics.

Which was probably why prosthetics were so common and effective. A person could literally move a metal arm with their own soul.

Or in the case of armor, like Jeanne’s chest plate, spaulders and leg guards, one could effectively make their Aura shield thicker in some areas and thinner in others. Jeanne’s exposed legs could very well be more protected now than if she hadn’t worn armor.

This also made for a very interesting dynamic for women’s choices of armor and clothing. That was a wonderful development from Gray’s perspective, though.

Weapons also gained some interesting developments. One such was durability. Just like with the body and its Aura shield, that same shield could be extended to a weapon to make it last longer in a fight. Of course, this would lead to thinning out someone’s shield if it was used too much, though.

Another interesting thing for weapons and Aura was its use with Mecha-shift tech. When previously, people only had buttons and levers to deal with in the use of their weapons, now they could use small amounts of their willpower to activate certain aspects of their weapons. Or even just to give their dust-infused enhancements more oomph.

So, really, this fight could go either way.

Gray had no idea what this girl was capable of. She had already fought on a tournament level, so there was a strong chance that he could lose. Still, he wagered that it would be a good experience.

Speaking of wagers...

Professor Goodwitch had pretty much finished with her lecture and looked to the two combatants on either side of her.

“I trust that you both understand the rules.” She stated instead of asked.

“Yes, Professor.” Jeanne told her.

Gray just nodded.

“Alright. Prepare yourselves.” The blonde professor said, signaling the start of the match.

“Before we do, Professor,” Gray said, getting both of their attention. Gray looked at Jeanne. “Jeanne, would you like to make this more interesting?”

Jeanne blinked at him and tilted her head in confusion. “In what way?”

“A small wager.” Gray told her.

“I won’t have any gambling in my class, young man.” The professor told him sternly. Her eyes narrowed slightly at him and that made him feel a little nervous, but he powered on.

“It won’t be with money, Professor.” Gray said to her while keeping eye contact. As difficult as it was to stare down a teacher.

“What would you wager?” She asked after a long moment.

“If I win,” Gray began. He turned to face Jeanne. “We go on a date.”

Silence reigned... for all of five seconds.

The class erupted into wolf whistles and laughter. The boys hooted and some even clapped in respect. Girls squealed in excitement and gossiped with their friends. Gray even heard Yang call out, “Gray, you sly fox!” Of course, she sounded like she was laughing too. There were other people shouting. Probably his old friends in Team TCNO among others.

Glynda, off on the side, just gave a small laugh, closed her eyes and shook her head in resignation.

Jeanne, for her part, seemed to still be processing his words. There was a lot more blinking, her mouth slightly open and a small blush was creeping up her face slowly.

“And what do you want if you win, Ms. Arc?” Glynda asked to frozen girl with amusement.

The question made the girl jump as the implications finally settled in. Her eyes glanced over to the Professor and back to Gray as her blush finally exploded all over her face. Even her ears burned. Her mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water. Her fighting stance was ruined as she closed a little in on herself.

“...w–wha...” A sound wobbled out of her mouth.

“I said, what would you like if you win?” Professor Goodwitch repeated herself patiently.

“ASK HIM FOR A KISS JEANNE!” Someone in the seats bellowed.

The poor girl jumped out of her bones and became even more flustered. They all looked at where the shout came from and saw Nora standing and holding the railing as she hopped in place from excitement.

“MAKE THAT MAN YOURS, GIRL!” The hyper ginger bellowed next. The crowd responded and cheered.

“W–What...m–mine...?!” Jeanne muttered to herself in shock.

While she was having a moment, Gray gauged the reactions of the other girls. Yang and Nora seemed all in and excited. Pyrrha had her hands covering her mouth, even as her excited face was still obvious, along with a blush. Ren seemed interested in the scene but it was difficult to tell what she was thinking. Weiss had raised an eyebrow at the spectacle, though she also seemed amused by it. Blake... was oddly enthralled and was watching with a quiet, wide-eyed and blushing stare. Ruby was wide-eyed as well, and blushing. She also seemed a little bit flustered by the scene but it didn’t seem negative to Gray. There didn’t seem to be any jealousy coming from those girls.

He turned back to Jeanne and waited for her answer. He also drank in the cute display as he waited.

“...I...don...wha...I...” Other noises came out of her mouth that were less understandable than that. Her eyes shifted from the girls of Teams JNPR and RWBY back to Gray before shifting immediately away to the Professor, and then to the ground.

It really seemed like the girl was about to faint.

“Perhaps you should go with a safe one,” Professor Goodwitch chimed in out of pity. “Like studying together?”

Jeanne looked up as if she had found her savior, before nodding her flustered head rapidly at the offered suggestion.

Gray huffed once in amusement.

“Alright then, with that distraction over, would you both like to begin?” The Professor asked, her amusement having run its course.

“Yes, Professor.” Gray answered properly this time.

Jeanne could only nod, albeit in a jerky manner.

“Very well. You will begin when I give the signal.” With that said, she turned around and walked towards the far wall. Her heels clicked as she went.

Jeanne and Gray were left in the middle of the raised platform by themselves. Gray just confidently watched her with a small cheeky grin. By this time the class had simmered down and watched with anticipation. Jeanne, herself, had gotten some measure of control back over her face, except for the obvious red cheeks and the pursed lips. She looked like she was a little peeved at him, but also not?

No doubt she was feeling very complicated feelings, Gray thought as Glynda finally made her way to the wall and turned around–

A loud smack reverberated around the open space. It left behind a silence as the whole class stopped talking among themselves.

Gray blinked at what caused it.

Jeanne had just slapped herself. With both hands.

The girl removed her hands, only to bring them back with another smack.

Gray watched as her hands came away again, only to see that the flustered girl had vanished. In her place stood a person who had set aside meaningless things. Her eyes were hard and sharp. Her blush faded along with the red outline of her hands as her Aura healed her. She stared Gray down as any warrior would.

A shiver ran down his spine. A very pleasant one that brought out the rare competitive side in him.

Oooooh, yeah, that’s exactly what I needed, Gray thought. His own eyes focused as he set aside everything else. He placed his own feet in the stance he knew best and quieted his thoughts. The air between the two fighters grew noticeably thick with a promise of ****.

The Professor looked between the two and felt the atmosphere change between them. A considering look passed over her face before it was gone an instant later. She brought up her scroll tablet and tapped a few times. A holographic screen appeared above the fighters for the class’s convenience. Both Gray’s and Jeanne’s vitals were displayed there for all to see. Glynda looked up from her tablet.

“Draw your weapons.” She called out.

Jeanne instantly drew her sword and held it in a ready stance.

Gray unclipped Obscurity and gave a lazy flourish as he extended it behind him.

The two didn’t seem to blink as they watched each other.

Gray’s eyes bored into Jeanne’s. He allowed his head to run through all the things that could happen in this fight, before silencing those thoughts as instinct kicked in.

Jeanne shifted her two-handed grip only a little before becoming very still.

“On my count, you will begin.” Glynda said, eliciting no response from either of them.

“Three.”

The class might have collectively gulped.

“Two.”

There was only the silence.

“One, Begin!”