As the afternoon wore on, more small victories were achieved.
Ruby managed to make her feather dance on the air for a moment, letting out a triumphant squeal.
Yang, after several failed attempts that involved a lot of grunting, finally got her pebble to bounce lightly.
Even Jaune, after much struggle, managed a wobbly lift of his vial, almost dropping it in surprise.
Arthur, who had been observing with a keen eye, let a small, genuine smile touch his lips.
He walked over to Nora, who was still beaming at her feather.
"Nice work, Nora," he said, his voice a little softer now, less formal.
"See? Told you it wasn't about shouting at it. Just a little whisper."
He then addressed the whole group, his gaze sweeping over their sweat-slicked, determined faces.
"Alright, everyone, listen up. You're doing great. I know this is probably way out there compared to what you're used to, but you're all picking it up faster than I expected. That's a good sign."
He chuckled lightly.
"Or maybe I just have really good students."
Ruby giggled, and Yang cracked a wide grin.
Even Weiss offered a faint, almost imperceptible curve of her lips.
"Seriously though,"
Arthur continued, his tone still relaxed but his words carrying weight, "this isn't some trick, and it's not a semblance. This is about getting in tune with something deeper. Think of your aura as a river, and you're learning to guide its currents, not just ride the rapids."
He paused, looking at each of them.
"It's gonna feel weird at first, maybe even a little frustrating. But trust me, you're tapping into something truly powerful. Keep at it. We've just scratched the surface."
The air in the training hall, once merely still, now felt charged with a subtle, nascent energy.
It was the energy of discovery, of understanding, of a world suddenly made larger than they had ever imagined.
The concept of "true magic," once a fantastical notion, was slowly, painstakingly, becoming a tangible reality for Team RWBY and Team JNPR.
They were no longer just Huntsmen and Huntresses in training; they were fledgling witches and wizards in case of Jaune, standing at the precipice of a power that could redefine Remnant.
The afternoon sun, now lower in the sky, cast long shadows across the training hall as Arthur dismissed them.
A collective sigh of relief, quickly followed by excited chatter, filled the air.
They gathered their things, a newfound spring in their step.
"I can't believe I actually did it!"
Ruby bounced, her eyes sparkling.
"My feather was dancing!"
"Mine too!" Nora chirped, practically vibrating with energy.
"Just like Arthur said, a little whisper."
Yang clapped Ruby on the back, a proud grin on her face.
"You were great, sis! And you too, Jaune. That wobbly lift was still a lift!"
Jaune, still a little dazed by his own success, managed a sheepish smile.
"Yeah, I guess so. Still, 'true magic'… that's a lot to take in."
Weiss, who had been quietly observing the animated group, finally spoke, her voice a little softer than usual.
"He's right though. It makes so much sense. It's not about brute force, but… connection."
She glanced towards the door where Arthur had just exited, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Ruby, ever eager to connect, turned to Weiss.
"See, Weiss? I told you it wasn't about shouting at it! It's about being gentle."
Weiss's faint smile instantly vanished, replaced by a familiar frown.
"Ruby, just because you can't shout at something doesn't mean it's the universal truth. Some things require more... assertiveness."
An immediate tension arose between them, a familiar dynamic of clashing personalities.
Ruby's youthful idealism and Weiss's more rigid, disciplined approach often put them at odds, especially when it came to something as abstract as "magic."
Ruby, feeling her authority as team leader subtly undermined, started to bristle.
"But Arthur said—" Ruby began, ready to pull rank.
"And Arthur also said it was about finding our own way to connect,"
Weiss interjected, her chin lifting slightly.
"My way might just be different from yours."
Just as the argument threatened to escalate, the door to the training hall reopened and Arthur re-entered, carrying a tray with several glasses of water and a plate of sliced fruit.
He paused, sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere.
"Everything alright here?" he asked, his gaze settling first on Ruby's frustrated face, then on Weiss's determined one.
Weiss, surprisingly, was the first to speak.
"Just a minor disagreement, Professor. Ruby believes her method is the only correct one for this… 'true magic,' and I merely suggested that perhaps our individual approaches might differ."
Her tone, though still firm, held a subtle deference that was noticeably absent when she spoke to Ruby.
Arthur set the tray down on a nearby bench.
"She's not entirely wrong, Weiss. And neither are you."
He picked up a glass of water and offered it to Ruby, who took it gratefully.
"Ruby, while your approach might be a good starting point, Weiss has a point too. This isn't a one-size-fits-all thing. It's about finding your personal resonance with your aura, not just mimicking someone else's."
He then turned to Weiss, a small, encouraging smile on his lips.
"And Weiss, while assertiveness can be a powerful tool, sometimes the greatest strength lies in subtlety. It's about learning when to push and when to simply guide."
He handed her a glass of water as well, and for a fleeting moment, a genuine warmth softened Weiss's features.
She took the glass, her fingers brushing his, and a faint blush touched her cheeks.
"T—Thank you, Arthur," she murmured, almost imperceptibly.
Ruby, watching the interaction, felt a pang of confusion.
Weiss rarely conceded so easily, especially not to her.
But with Arthur, it was different.
She saw the admiration in Weiss's eyes, the way her posture relaxed, the subtle shift in her tone.
A realization, slow but sure, dawned on Ruby: Weiss didn't just respect Arthur's teaching, she admired him.
And that, perhaps, was a shortcut to understanding between them that Ruby hadn't considered.
Arthur then looked at both of them, his voice gentle but firm.
"Look, you two are a team. And this journey into true magic? It's going to test you in ways you can't imagine. You'll need to rely on each other, understand each other's strengths, and even more importantly, understand each other's differences."
He paused, letting his words sink in.
"Your differences, when respected, can be your greatest asset."
The tension in the room began to dissipate, replaced by a quiet contemplation.
Ruby, seeing the subtle softening in Weiss, decided to take a different approach.
"He's right, Weiss," she said, her voice softer this time.
"Maybe... maybe we can figure out our own ways, but still help each other."
Weiss looked at Ruby, then back at Arthur, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Perhaps," she conceded, a hint of something akin to compromise in her tone.
"Perhaps we can."
The afternoon, once filled with individual small victories, had just yielded another, larger one: a tentative bridge built between two unlikely teammates, with a little help from a surprising catalyst.
...
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Currently @ Chapter 144