Hey y'all! Nothing new to report other than a new chapter! Honestly, kinda got this from a review of the first chapter. The review showed as a Guest profile, so I can't credit you if you were the one to make this comment. If you want, just message me from your account and I'll be sure to credit you in the AN of the next chapter. At any rate, here is the next chapter: Neo for sister! P.S. I'm functioning based on the idea that Neo is only 3-4 years older than the Beacon Students.
From Sour to Sweet.
Neo grimaced as she looked around the small store. Having spent all eleven of her years on the street, she knew exactly how to case a score. The old Mom and Pop dust shop wouldn't have much on hand, but she was running low and needed to eat. At the very least they could buy lunch.
Neo suppressed a sigh as two more customers walked in. Of all the days, you're busy now? Both yesterday and the day before, not a single person came in. Neo shook her head in frustration as she moved to the exit, running down her mental list of possible targets. She didn't really like stealing per se, but no one else was going to have the slightest care if another street rat starved. She held her stomach and stumbled a little as she passed an Ice Cream Shoppe, the thought of the treat intriguing her. When she got the chance to be picky, Neo preferred sharper tastes like coffee, a beer she managed to snag, strong mints from hotel lobbies. But she couldn't deny she was curious about the dessert.
"Excuse me?" Neo jumped a little as she turned to the little boy who had addressed her. He was only a little younger than her, but she could tell he was brought up in a good family. Maybe not rich, but they were good. He was too soft. Neo let a small grin show as she sized up the boy, noticing the few bills of Lien tucked into his pocket.
Sorry buddy, but I'm gonna need that a lot more than you. Neo waved and pulled out a pen and paper.
"Hi there. I can't speak, so I have to write instead of talking. Did you need something?" She hated having to play polite, she was just gonna rob the poor kid. Even still though… food was food.
"You don't have any money, do you?" Neo's smile dropped and she narrowed her eyes. Alright, maybe you aren't quite so innocent. Very few pick up on that. She forced a smile back to her face and shook her head. As she moved to write a response, his hand grabbed hers.
And put his Lien into her palm.
"Here. My parents were letting me go get ice cream since I babysat my little sisters for a long time. You need it more than I do, right?" His blue eyes shown with… well, not pity, actually. It wasn't that he looked down on the poor street urchin, he just understood she needed help.
Neo stared at him for a solid minute, unable to understand the turn of events. People aren't just… kind. They don't do stuff like this. Neo turned her eyes from the money in her hand back to the kids face, finally taking the time to memorize his appearance. Tussled blond hair, bright blue eyes, soft face, pale complexion clad in a black hoody and worn jeans. Despite being younger than her, the kid was already almost an inch taller.
"Jaune! It's time to go buddy!" Neo turned to look down the street as a tall blond man waved in their direction. From his hair, to his eyes, to the goofy grin on his face, Neo made a pretty solid deduction.
Yup, he's Dad.
The boy, Jaune, waved back, letting the man know he heard. Jaune turned back to Neo and gently tapped her shoulder. I'm mute, not deaf. Well, I guess you technically don't know that.
"Hey, be here tomorrow, okay? My family's coming back into Vale then, so I should be able to bring you some more Lien then. That would help, right?" Neo nodded her head, still unsure of what exactly was transpiring.
The next day:
Why did I even show up? I should've known he was just being a kid, acting like he'd help someone. Maybe he's parents yelled at him for talking to the 'dangerous' youth. Either way, I'm just gonn-
"Hey, Miss!" You've gotta be kidding. Neo turned and saw the same blond head moving toward her. He stopped in front of her, clearly out of breath, and held out his hand.
"We didn't actually get to meet yesterday. I'm Jaune! Jaune Arc." On a whim, Neo reached out and met his hand, shaking it gently. She pulled away to write out her response.
"Oh, you uh, don't actually have to do that. I, kinda know sign language. My Mom is a Huntress, so she taught me. She said it would help someday, and I guess she was right." Once again, he stopped Neo in her tracks. No one here ever knows sign language, and even if they do, they never bother to actually use it.
"Thanks. My name is Neo. It's nice to meet you." She struggled a little with the signs. She had learned from a book she stole, same way she learned to read and write, but she hadn't ever had the chance to use the skill in conversation.
"Uh, right, this! I've got some more Lien. It should be enough for lunch and dinner." Jaune placed a few bills into her hand, gently, almost like he was worried it would disappear. Neo frowned and looked at him.
"Why are you doing this? I appreciate it, but why go through the trouble? No one else would." He grinned a little and shrugged his shoulders.
"That's exactly why I want to. If no one else will, I will. I'll see you tomorrow Neo!" With that, he turned and jogged away, his hoody flapping in the wind.
One and a half years later:
Jaune smiled as he ran up to Neo in their usual spot. He was glad he had convinced his Dad that he wanted to help around the house. Jaune's weekly allowance made an easy source of income to help his friend.
Neo returned his smile, this one being much more genuine than the one she had given him when they met. Over the months, the small ice cream Shoppe had become their favorite place to meet. After much insistence on her part, Jaune began using some of the money he brought to her so they could eat together.
"Hey Jaune! How is Rose? Did she get over her cold?" Jaune's smile brightened and he nodded enthusiastically. Neo blushed a bit as he wrapped her into a hug. Ever since Jaune had learned that she had no one else, he had made it a point to hug her at least once every time they met.
"She's doing a lot better! How have you been doing? Is the Lien still helping?" She giggled and patted his head. He always worried if he thought he hadn't been bringing enough to help get her through the days.
They went about their usual routine of getting something to eat, Neo teasing Jaune, Jaune poking fun (or trying to) at Neo, and just having fun together. As their time came to an end, Neo noticed that Jaune had fallen uncharacteristically quiet and had been stealing glances at her.
"What is it? Is something wrong?" Jaune averted his eyes and scratched the back of his neck.
"I know you've had to keep on stealing. The money I give you isn't enough to live off of." Neo's breath caught and she started to sweat. I've never mentioned it. I've actually tried very hard to not even insinuate that I'm a thief. He must've done some research and figured out that the Lien he gave couldn't support someone.
"But… Neo, if you didn't have to steal to live, would you wanna make a deal?" Neo cocked her head nervously, but nodded anyway. Jaune was never this serious, and she was intrigued. Maybe his Dad has a job for me? A way for me to honestly earn money?
"Neo, would you want to come live with us?"
Alright, wasn't ready for that.
"I know it's kinda sudden, and kinda weird. But, I know my parents would say yes. There's no way they wouldn't help, and that way you could actually go to school. You could learn, have a place to stay, have food all the time, and you would never have to steal." He turned back to face her, opening his arms and taking half a step towards her.
"Please, Neo?"
She couldn't stop her tears from falling as she nodded profusely. She allowed Jaune to pull her into another hug, and they both made their way back home.
Airship to Beacon, Seven years later:
Neo smirked as Jaune wallowed in his misery.
Seven years of us training, and he still can't hold his lunch. Seriously bro, get a hold of yourself.
She walked over to him and rubbed his back as he tried to keep his intestines internal.
"Thanks Neo." A pat of the head.
"So… Beacon. Think we're ready?" She grinned and flexed her biceps.
"Yeah, we got this." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight. They were confident they could handle whatever Beacon could hand them.
Alright, I intentionally made this one shorter. I've actually got some family matters to attend to, so I have limited time. However, I wanted to directly issue this as a challenge. If you're a relatively new writer and you'd like to take this one, feel free and make sure to send me the link to it! I want to see how you do with this! Anywho, that's it for now. I'll have a better update later on, though probably after Christmas.
Happy Holidays!