It's snowing outside, my stores is closed, and I'm in bed without my pants on. Just another night for good old NeoShadows.

So, this chapter is a little late. My Beta's been terribly sick so it's taken him a long time to edit all the chapters I've been sending him. Luckily he's better and we're back to business.

I've been busy as of late as well. I've had a good five days off the last month due to my deli going under renovations, so I've had a lot of time to finish writing. I even had time to finish coming up with the endgame of A Jaune of All Trades. We got an ending and now we're making our way to it. But once my vacation was over with I've gone back to work at one of our locations close by. My deli isn't some chain or the like, its a Delaware exclusive with five stores, so I've had to run back and forth until opening day. Now opening day is close and I'm busier than ever.

Thankfully Ch.4 is on its way to completion. I should have that ready in two weeks. So, continue being patient, my fans! All good things come to those who wait. Now, to Reviews!

Jaune Black Smudge: Well, if I go with the standard Harem route, it's loses its appeal in my opinion. Trust me, I was all for harems in my younger days. Now that I've grown as a writer it comes to me that writing a harem can be either too easy or to hard. I've tried with my Fairy Tail fic. Though I do love reading them when they're done right. I'll try to go for that here, but their will be a sole pairing at the very end. But that won't be for a long while. Who knows though? Things change. Golden Time, huh? I've heard of that. I'll add it to the Bucket List of Anime I got. I got an godly amount of unwatched anime on their sadly.

ThatOneRandomDude: Don't worry, all will be explained in time. I don't want to give away the plot just yet. For now, it's just a down on his luck blond trying to make ends meat. The world may appear to shit on Jaune, but he's still pulling through as he always does.

GhostAngel14: Aww, shut the fuck up, you're making me blush! And as a man, I demand you cease. That's just not right. And I don't know how I make such fine OC waifu for ya's. I just do, don't question it.

MegaDimension Forever01: I actually don't. Between you and me, I do have a story in mind pairing Jaune/Raven, but it's still in its beta phase. Who knows? If I ever go through with the idea of a story of one-shots, I would do just that.

Scalding Aura: I don't know. Honestly, I stopped reading Naruto fics a long while back. It just lost its appeal after scouring hundreds of that sect. I do like the idea of a RWBY/DDLC fic if done right. Sounds interesting and a challenge. I'd love to see it written properly.

FireFox614: Who knows? Oh wait, I do. And I ain't telling. Guess all you want, you won't find out until later on. You know, I do wish someone made a May/Jaune fic worth a read. We'll see what happens here. Also, Raven is my main girl in case you haven't guessed by this fic. I am a dude as well, so no trigger pulled. Not unless you mention Martha. Than all the triggers are pulled!

DarkLegendarySoldier: We'll see what happens. Glad to meet a Gintama fan, too few of us out there. Enjoy the harem hijinks for now.

FreddyLane1: That woman must be in the middle of nowhere in the desert because she's ready to chug, girl be thirsty. As for the OC's, pretty much. Except for May, still surprised so many thought she was an OC too.

And that's it for reviews. Keep them coming! Two chapters in and we're almost to a hundred reviews already. That makes me feel proud. So without further delays, let's get to scrolling!


Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, all rights belong to RoosterTeeth. You know, I just discovered Discord thanks to DragonManMax inviting me in to chat. Nice to know I'm not the only degenerate out there. Seriously, someone brought up the subject of hentai and everything spiraled down after that. Does anyone remember Bakugan by the way? Or the fact it had hentai too?

What? NO! I certainly was not the one to bring it up! What am I? A PERVERT?! If I wasn't in bed without any pants on while watching high school girls in sailor uniforms fight tentacle monsters right now, I would slap each one of you across the face.

I'm a saint, damn it.


Chapter 3: Intent.

In a dimly lit room illuminated by only the single large forty-inch hologram screen, several shadowed figures stood in front of the video as smoke lingered in the dark room. The small embers of a cigar grew dim while the smoker tapped away the useless ash and grunted.

"And that's pretty much it, Sir. May 12th's whereabouts are currently unknown and we have no way of tracking her down. Not to mention Vale is an uncharted city in our books. If it where anywhere in Vacuo it wouldn't be a problem, but we're still scouting the place as we speak."

A generic azure profile blinked, the person on the other end of the call sighed in frustration. The room went quiet with the exception of several clicks that could be heard from the other line.

"I am very disappointed with you, August. We were ordered to assassinate Mr. Mane on the night in question to stop the peace talks between Vacuo and Vale, but instead we've only delayed the situation. As of now, peace talks have been suspended for two weeks to distill the tension, something our client is not happy about. And mind you, they are not the most... understanding of individuals. Even worse is that their very, very, very large reward has already been spent." the voice was monotonous, speaking with an automated voice to hide their true identity. On the screen, several digital files were uploaded for those gathered in the room to see. "Note that information on display is very sensitive, detailing all our plans for this mission and several more to be completed on your return to the facility. Each member of your team has said information hidden on their person in a way no one other than themselves and my most trusted operatives can take. If anyone were to get their hands on, say a loose unit who's found themselves with a malfunctioning set of lips, then my little business would go under like that!"

The sound of a slamming fist didn't faze the head of the shadowed figures even as those standing by him twitched from the angered voice. Instead, he simply dragged a long puff of his cigar.

"I understand, Sir. And I take full responsibility for the unit's failure. Their Perfect Zoom seemed to have malfunctioned in the heavy rain that night. From our tracking of her location, she was on the run for several hours before stopping. Due to the large amount of police activity, we couldn't go after her. Rest assured, I'll have her back before you know it." August said with a lazy drawl.

"Hmm, don't take this the wrong way, but I believe that you'll need assistance." the voice said unconvinced, bringing a twitch of annoyance to the shadowed figure's face, "July 1st will arrive in Vale in two days to assist and speed things up. We still have a mission to finish after all. Whether we have May 12th or not. Understand?"

August bit down on his cigar with a scowl of annoyance. Great, July. Just what he needed. Sadly, he couldn't argue with the boss. Not when he was pissed. He could only go along and nod.

"Yes, Sir. I'll debrief July 1st once she arrives at our current HQ. Rest assured, the mission will be a success."

A sound of satisfaction could be heard over the line before the automated voice continued.

"Good. We have too much riding on this mission, so make sure no one interferes. And if you're lacking in man power, don't be afraid to hire some extra help that can be disposed of. Do whatever you must to ensure that the mission is complete." The profile dimmed, flickering before the screen went white. With their boss gone, the room seemed to relax.

Sighing, August stepped closer to the bright screen as he tapped away on the keyboard. August appeared with a sharp lightly tanned face, emerald green eyes, and a single ring piercing on his right brow. Two blond bangs hung by his face and his neck length hair was tied back in a ponytail that resembled the sharp leaves of a pineapple.

"You heard the big man, search for May 12th no matter the cost. And leave no trace of your presence." August commanded to those gathered in the room. The dark figures nodded without a word and moved to begin their search, leaving their leader alone.

August scratched the back of his head with a yawn as he idly searched the local news. His eyes perked up, catching something interesting before grinning.

Chipped Fang? Didn't that sound interesting?


Fighting another yawn, Jaune stepped out of the bathroom after he finished changing into his usual wear for the day. It was about time he got the shop ready for some guests before heading off to a few jobs. Not to mention he had to head to Vale for his construction contract today.

But first he had a certain tenant to check on.

Careful not to wake her, Jaune stepped into his room where May currently slept. He'd been sleeping on the couch for now while she had the only bed. He rubbed his sore neck before he gently cracked the door open and peeked inside. A smile made its way to his face as he found a head of rusty red sleeping peacefully.

It had been three days since Jaune had found May out in the rain. With a high fever, the poor girl was unable to move about for the first few days and she slept for most of the day. The only time she ever got up was when she had to use the bathroom. She hadn't really stepped out of the room for anything else and he fed her in bed. Quietly, Jaune stepped in to check on the girl's current temperature. The second his foot touched the inside of his room he wasn't surprised to find May's eyes snap open and glance at him. The girl had really sensitive hearing, it was almost terrifying.

"Hey, May. How are we feeling today?" he asked gently as he walked over to the bed.

Still glancing at Jaune, May turned away to stare up at the ceiling as she kept silent. She shut her eyes as she felt Jaune remove the dry towel on her forehead.

"...Better." May finally answered. She didn't put any fuss as she felt the cool tip of a thermometer enter her mouth.

Jaune was happy to hear that, even happier as he pulled back the thermometer. Her fever had gone down considerably this morning. She was definitely out of the woods now. All she appeared to have now was some lingering exhaustion, not to mention her sprained ankle. Feeling her forehead, he decided there was no need for the towel anymore and left it in the small bucket.

"Good to hear. I guess this means I don't have to change you out of your clothes anymore." Jaune said with a weak chuckle as he felt May's glare pointed at him.

He could still feel the elbow to the ribs from yesterday.

Coughing into his fist in hopes of ridding the underline tension, Jaune continued.

"Seeing as you're feeling better, maybe now we can begin searching for your family and-"

"No."

Jaune's face twisted in conflict, his line of thought cut off immediately as May answered with a blunt fidelity. This was always how their conversation dealing with any thought of returning her home would lead. She never explained why. She didn't even give him any reason as to why he should just leave it alone. It was almost as if she was ready to stay here for the rest of her life.

He asked before if she had a home. May's answer was that she had a home. Had. Past tense. So, did that mean she no longer had one to go home to? Getting straight answers out of the mysterious girl was an impossible task he had come to repeat for the last few days. She wouldn't give him any kind of information to her identity or origin. She would just reply with simple cut and dry responses. At this point it was becoming frustrating.

Honestly, Jaune should have just taken her to the hospital. They could deal with the stubborn girl better than he ever could. Then he'd be free to continue only worrying about himself as it should be. It was the smart thing to do.

But every time he thought about taking her to the hospital, to anyone that could help her, he thought back to that pleading look in her eye. The fear in that single eye stopped him every time. It pulled at his heartstrings.

Jaune was an older brother. And his instincts as an older brother told him to just stop complaining and help her however he could. To turn May away would be the same as turning away one of his little sisters. And he just couldn't do that.

Knowing that the current line of speech would get him nowhere, Jaune switched subjects.

"So, I'm going to have to head out again today. I have a few jobs lined up and I won't be back for some time. Which means I'm going to have to leave you in charge of the place while I'm gone!" Jaune said enthusiastically.

May glanced back at the beaming blond, observing him as she found herself doing that a lot lately. She searched deep into those blue eyes, spying for anything he was hiding. And as always, she found nothing.

No ulterior motive, no sign of any ill plans, nothing.

To her surprise, Jaune was just some ordinary teenager running his own odds shop. Albeit poorly.

For the past few days, he would leave her by herself, a complete stranger, in his own home/shop. Sure, she was sick and too weak to do much, but the very notion was hard to believe. What right minded person would leave a stranger in their home to do what they wanted? She could have been faking everything and robbed him blind. Or worse, killed him in cold blood. Yet he left her in bed, with some wrapped hot food by her bedside, and trusted her to still be there when he came back.

May's eye lingered after the blond boy, studying him thoroughly. In the end, she turned away with a soft sigh.

What did it matter? Once she was back on her feet, he would be nothing but a fleeting thought. One of many she left behind with the silent muffled bang of a rifle. She still had a mission to complete after all.

No witnesses could be left behind.

With a weak groan, May found the strength to sit up, causing Jaune to worry and fret over her as he moved to help. She shook her head, signaling him to stop. She looked down at her slightly shaking hands. Her eye was melancholic, practically empty to anyone with a sharp eye.

How long? How long until those hands were painted red again? Just how long was she going to continue washing her hands of the ugly, sickly, iron scented color?

May's visible eye widened slightly at the stray string of thoughts, taken back as her fists balled up with a shaken breath.

Such thoughts were taboo. Any signs of second guessing oneself would lead to punishment and tuning. And no matter how emotionless they would become they would still suffer at the sound.

The sound of what should be a melodious whistle, which only brought to their ears pure agony and suffering. Just the thought of the sound scratched at her brain like rusted nails slowly raking the folds of her brain with sadistic pleasure. It was enough for her to start trembling.

"Hey, are you alright!? May, what's wrong!? What's hurting, are you feeling sick again, do you need more medicine!?"

Broken out of her memory, May was startled to find Jaune's arms around her shoulders, giving the trembling girl a light shake. His worried eyes washed over her, the very sight causing something in her chest to throb. She hated it, but refused to show any hostility. She still had a cover to keep.

"I'm fine, just getting used to moving around without any pain." May lied, inwardly wincing at the terrible lie.

Jaune's face was still worried and cautious but dropped the matter with a smile. She was a lot braver than most her age, he had to give her that.

"If you say so. Really though, you shouldn't be moving around if you're still unwell." he chuckled.

May nodded, not truly listening to his words. She sighed deeply, her thoughts focused on a singular issue. Composure, she had to keep her composure in check. Any signs of weakness would lead to termination. Even now.

Now that she was feeling better, and remembering Jaune's words before, May grimaced as sniffed herself. She still smelled of rain water and trash. Even with a set of freshly washed clothing, she still reeked.

"You wouldn't mind if I showered, would you?" May asked with another grimace, feeling her skin with distaste.

"Go ahead, I insist actually." Jaune smirked, earning a small glare from the sick girl. He chuckled, raising his hands up in defense, "Don't worry, I got some soap and shampoo in the shower for you to use, plus a spare towel. So, help yourself whenever you want. You're also free to grab yourself something to eat. Lucky for you, I just stocked the fridge!" he exclaimed proudly.

May stared at the strange boy and his proud accomplishment. Someone was a little too proud of such a simple-minded task. It was like he won a golden medal.

Sadly, Jaune might as well have. It wasn't every day that his fridge was stocked up to feed more than one person.

"All I ask is that you watch out for the place, okay?" Jaune asked with a simple grin on his face.

May felt some irritation at that. What was she, a child? It was like he was talking down to her like she was his little sister being left behind at home while he went out for a chore.

Stretching his back, Jaune fought another yawn as he patted the annoyed red rusted haired girl's head while heading for the door. May was finally able to move about it seemed. No need for him to do everything for her. Before closing the door behind him, Jaune looked back to the stranger he had taken in from the rain.

"You know, if you don't want to leave, you don't have to. You're more than free to stay as long as you need. So, don't push yourself."

With the click of the door, May was left alone in what was once Jaune's room. She moved a stray lock of her short hair back, her empty eye staring ahead at nothing.

'All I ask is that you watch out for the place, okay?'

May sighed in relent as she got up and headed to the bathroom.

She supposed that she could at least grant him that one request for all that he's done.


Sweat, grime, and dirt coated just about every inch of Jaune's skin. The simple white work shirt he had been given clung to his chest, dirty and soaked in his own sweat as his arms bulged from the strain of lifting a boulder. He sucked in a deep breath and with one motion, hefted the heavy piece of boulder and tossed it into the large metal canister by his side. The boulder fell in with the collective pile of its kind as Jaune heaved a sigh of relief. He scratched the side of his scalp, lifting the yellow hard hat a bit. If there was ever a time to take a small moment to relax, it was now. If he didn't he felt his muscles were going to rip apart at the seams.

The cloudless blue sky greeted Jaune as he looked up, the bright and scalding hot sun above dropping its rays down onto him and the many construction workers working under the blazing sun. All around him you could see various workers going on about their own duties, from lifting piles of dirt with machine, mixing cement, breaking rocks, drilling into the ground, setting up pipes in the trenches, or whatever was needed to tear down the old structure and build a new one. With another tired sigh leaving his lips, Jaune turned back to the slowly dwindling pile of rocks by his side before going back to work.

This was Jaune's current job, the one he had found thanks to Yang's recommendation. It was a pure manual labor job that took more muscle than brain. But the pay was good, about 10Lien per hour. Sure, there were no health benefits, and he was constantly surrounded by danger, not to mention the hygiene around here wasn't what one would call sanitary, but work was work. Three days a week for about five hours netted him a hundred and sixty Lien without any taxes chipping away at his nice check. It was just too bad it would only last for a month. They only needed the extra pair of hands for this one site.

Unless Jaune could prove to them he was a good worker. He was sure that if he didn't mess up, did his job, with little complaints, and proved himself a valued member of the team, they would hire him again. Who knows? Maybe he could abandon his failing shop and go into construction? At least then he would have a steady paycheck. He couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous thought.

Tossing another boulder into the canister, Jaune cleaned off the dirt and sweat from his face with a white rag stuffed in the loop of his belt before a smirk of accomplishment rose up. That was the last of the debris for the moment. It may have taken him a good half hour, but it was done. He just wished his arms didn't feel like jelly. Rubbing the sore limbs, Jaune turned his head back with a shout.

"HEY, TURNER! THE DEBRIS IS ALL SET TO GO!"

With a good smack to the side of the canister to emphasize the task done, Jaune waited for the yellow dirt marked loader to arrive. He stepped to the far side, giving thumps up to the driver as the vehicle lifted the canister and carried off to dispose of. That was one job done, now onto the next. Jaune spun his head around, searching for the leader of their little demolishing party to be advised on his next task.

In his search, Jaune frowned lightly at the sight of a burly and muscled worker carrying an armful of tools. The man was oblivious to everything around him as his feet took him to his station, his hearing deafened by the white earbuds in his ears. The man nodded along to the tune with a grin on his face.

Jaune automatically felt sorry for the man, 'If the boss finds him walking around like that, he's going to be manhandled in front of the rest of the guys.' It was a rule to always be aware of your surrounding on the site. The place was full of dangers and deathtraps. It was no surprise to see many of the manly men working around the site with scars and stories to tell. And the head foreman was more than eager to share his own stories and make his own to the ignorant men around him. Jaune shivered at the sound of the man's cracking knuckles recorded in his memory. No one needed to warn Jaune of the consequences.

Ready to turn away from the poor soul, Jaune was suddenly taken back as several alarmed shouts blew up around him. His frown deepened as he noticed several men begin to run over to the ignorant worker before his blue gaze fell up. His eyes went wide in alarm. A gurney lifting several tree trunk like iron beams began to fall down onto the worker, the tight rope snapping by some bad stroke of luck. And the man listening to his tunes with a beat in his step was blissfully unaware of his own demise. There was no question, the man would die. Either killed by the force of the metal falling or from the wounds caused by the beams stabbing through him.

Jaune felt adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Said unaware man suddenly stopped, blinking as he watched several of his buddies run after him with panic and desperation. It was only than that his favorite song had stopped playing that he heard the shouts and took notice of the large growing shadow under him. He looked up and froze at the many iron beams ready to crush him. He couldn't move a muscle.

Something sped past the construction workers before they reached their coworker, like a blur of white. The frozen man below the falling beams suddenly gasped deeply as he felt two feet plant themselves onto his side. His brown eyes fell on the intense blue meeting his own before he felt the feet meeting his ribs kick him off his feet and off the spot. The man grunted in pain as he was pushed off and skidded on his back with a cloud of dirt kicking up. Another cloud rose, blowing up with the crashing beams missing him and digging deeply into the dirt with several metal clangs.

Everyone watching covered their mouths and coughed, the dirt cloud lingering before their eyes fell back at the center of the commotion. They weren't sure what they just saw, only remembering the blur that shot past them faster than they could react. The surprise wore off quickly as a few of the burly men ran over to check on their friend. Relief filled them at the sight of their friend slowly rise up and rub his aching side.

"What the hell just hit me?" the man grunted as he ripped off his earbuds. It felt like his ribs had cracked! Luckily, he was sure that he would only suffer a bruise come morning and some soreness. Better than the alternative.

The cloud of dirt slowly died down, allowing the workers gathered around to finally make out what had just sped past them. They fell into a stupor, stunned at what they saw.

Laying on his backside, Jaune gasped desperately for air as he leaned back on the dirt. A few inches away from the lanky boy you could see the large beams digging into the dirt ruthlessly from where the worker had once stood.

'I-I can't feel my legs! I think some dirt entered my lungs too!' Jaune was drained, completely. Forget how sore his arms had been, his legs were pudding! He flinched while trying to stand, only for his legs to protest. He hung his head in defeat, knowing he couldn't force what didn't want to listen. His own body was rebelling like some high school punk.

Jaune wasn't sure what had happened. In that single moment, adrenaline had filled him and his body moved without a thought. An instinct had taken over. And something odd had... boosted his actions? It reminded him of that odd feeling he would have when Raven had treated his wounds with a simple touch.

'Don't you see, Jaune? You have more than what it takes to be a soldier. All you needed was a proper instructor to push you. Continue to follow my example, and it won't be long until your father and sister have no choice but to allow you to follow them.'

An old voice from long ago, well-spoken and sophisticated, spoke to him in praise, greatly confusing Jaune as he held his head. He knew that voice. Right? Shaking his head, Jaune grimaced and his legs brought him back from whatever had come over him.

Fighting with his legs, Jaune finally gathered the strength to stand back up on his own two feet. His legs trembled, almost dropping him back down until Jaune steadied them. Groaning lightly, he finally took notice of the small crowd of tall, strong, intimidating muscled construction workers gathered around him. They stared at Jaune, making him feel uneasy. He gulped nervously.

"Uh, is something wrong, guys?" Jaune smiled with a tremble in his voice.

A strong palm smacked Jaune's back, nearly stumbling him forward as he blinked and cheers blew up. Now he was really confused.

"Did you see that?! The shrimp actually saved Bronz!"

"The boy was like a bullet for a second! Who knew the blond had it in him?"

"How the hell did you do that? Bronz would have been a goner if you didn't jump in like that!"

Jaune wasn't sure what to do in the face of all the praise fallen on him. He really didn't do anything, it was his body that had reacted for him. Scratching the back of his head, he simply stood there with an embarrassed grin as more of the workers gave him a pat on his back. At least they weren't treating him like a twig anymore. He remembered his first day here where just about everyone scoffed at his lanky appearance and treated him like a weight that had to be dragged around. Guess saving one of their own gave him some credit in their eyes.

Another pat had Jaune stumbling a bit and he turned his eyes to meet the thankful brown eyes of the worker he had kicked out of the way. The tan man was taller than Jaune, which was saying something since he was about 6 feet, with a shaved beard already growing back and a bald head under his hard hat. He looked like the kind of guy that would typically be seen wearing a leather jacket and riding a hardy bike.

"You saved my life, blond shrimp puff! I can't thank you enough for the save. Though, I wish you would have been gentler with those cannons you call legs." the man grinned ruefully as he patted his bruised side. Jaune felt some guilt at that but the muscled man just laughed, "Don't go being sad now! Rather a bruise than a tome stone. Trust me, my girls back home are more than happy to see some bruises than their old man bloody and dead." he said with a bittersweet smirk.

"It's your own damn fault, Bronz!" Another man chimed in beside the man named Bronz. This man had a beard that reached his neck, overweight with fat and muscle, sported brown short hair. He punched Bronz's arms with enough force to make the man groan before turning a big old grin Jaune's way, "Our thanks for saving Bronz. The damn idiot only started a week ago and still hasn't learned that he should be keeping his ears open. The hell were you even listening too?" he asked his friend.

"DimeBack."

"...Ya got some crappy taste in music, Bronz."

"Shut up, Dail."

Flipping his friend off, Bronz turned back to Jaune while the workers around them began to head back to work.

"Seriously though, thanks for the save. Is there any way I can repay you?" Bronz asked earnestly.

Jaune shook his head, still feeling embarrassed at all the attention he had received. It wasn't every day that people looked at you like some kind of hero.

"No, it's fine! As long as you're safe, there's no-" To Jaune's horror, and increasing embarrassment, his stomach decided to speak up with a barking growl. It decided to remind him that his breakfast was not the most satisfying. Too bad it would have to wait until he got home.

Bronz grinned widely as Jaune, knowing what he could do.

"Say, it's about time for our lunch break. How about you join us, shrimp puff?" Bronz suggested. He didn't wait for Jaune's sputtering denials as he began to lead the young man away.

Jaune was ready to protest, flailing his arms as both workers took him along.

"What about work?! I still got another hour and a half before my shift ends!"

The large man beside Jaune waved off the concern as he scratched his beard, "Nah, don't worry. Boss man will understand taking a small break. I'm sure even he saw what ya did. Otherwise he'd be shouting at us to get our lazy asses back to work."

There wasn't much fighting or protesting and Jaune relented with a sigh. Well, he supposed he could take a break after what just happened. At least so he could recover from the strain. He frowned in thought as he noticed something odd. The pain in his legs and arms had eased, almost as if they had healed themselves.

How the hell did that happen?


"Look at that fine lady! What a pair of legs on her!"

"Hey, sweet thing! How about giving us a little twirl? Come on!"

"YEAH! Shake that thang! Woo! Ya see that?! She winked at me!"

"As if! She was looking my way! Get that shit out of your eyes!"

"Oh, ya wanna go!?

"LET'S GO!"

Jaune grew nervous as the beam they were all sitting on began to wobble slightly with two of the workers eating with them breaking out into a small scuffle. He gripped the sandwich in hand tightly as one of them smacked his side by accident. His heart hammered in his chest at the contact, his eyes peering over the dangerous drop from his current position.

'Whose bright idea was it to eat on a beam?! This has got to be against regulations!' Up high in the air on a what they had assured him was a tightly secured rust colored beam, Jaune sat alongside Bronz and a few of his coworkers as they enjoyed their box lunches. They were up high enough to see on the other side of the fence close by, a nice little view for them to enjoy as they ate. If it wasn't for all the cat calls some of the guys were throwing out to every woman that passed by.

Having enough of the small fight, Bronz shouted at the two men to stop.

"Calm down, you idiots! We got a guest with us, no need to scare him! Besides," Bronz grinned smugly with a thump pointed at himself, "We all know she was looking at me!"

"Bullshit!"

"Ya already got a wife! Fuck off!"

"Like she would go for some bald bitch!"

Bronz felt a vein throb in annoyance as he shook his fist at the men jeering at him.

"Ignore them, shrimp. They're just jealous of my rugged good looks." Bronz's smirked as he bumped shoulders with Jaune. Taking a bite of his sandwich, he gave Jaune a quizzical stare as he watched the young man eat his own food at a steady pace and a gaze at the distance.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here, shrimp?"

Jaune gave the man he saved a griped pointed stare as he turned away from the nice view. "You know, my names Jaune. Not shrimp." he grumbled only for Bronz to laugh heartily.

"Everyone's a shrimp compared to me! Not to mention you're a lankly guy. Seriously, what are you doing around here? What are you, nineteen?"

"Eighteen, actually." Jaune answered, Bronz not being too far off the mark; he took a sip of the grape soda he was given. Both the drink and the sandwich were from Bronz, the man being kind enough to pay for the drink and share his lunch with him as a small thank you. Again, Jaune found himself staring off towards the city of Vale, eyeing the main buildings and construction sites close by with a far-off stare.

"As for what I'm doing, working, duh." Jaune shrugged nonchalantly.

Bronz rolled his eyes dryly, waving his hand around for the kid to continue, "And? Don't you have anything else to do other than hard labor? What are you, a drop out?" he asked curiously, only for Jaune to shake his head.

"I actually graduated and got my diploma."

Bronz and the other workers quirked their brows as they stared at the blond. That was more than half of them. Working hard labor wasn't exactly something many of them needed qualifications for. As long as they could deal with the labor and didn't complain, then they were in.

"Really? Where'd you go to school?" One of them asked.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, appearing nervous as he answered weakly.

"I graduated from Beacon Academy."

The men grew silent at Jaune's answer, their stares going blank as Jaune gulped. It was Bronz who shook off the shock first before looking at the boy dumbfounded.

"Beacon? Beacon Academy? One of the four most renowned schools on Remnant that can cost you an arm and a leg to get in? That Beacon Academy?" Bronz said slowly.

Jaune nodded with a sweating grin. Right, he almost forgot how well renowned Beacon was.

Beacon Academy. One of four schools on Remnant that taught the best of the best in just about all fields of education. The most well-known leaders, sports players, musicians, scientists, and etc. came from either Beacon, Haven, Atlas, or Shade. Those with dreams for the stars would reach for a position in either school. It truly was the best of the best. And Jaune was a graduate of said renowned school.

All the stars and bangles surrounding the school really didn't mean much to Jaune. Despite its reputation, Beacon was just an ordinary school. The only difference being the high-end facilities on campus. And the eccentric teachers and students that attended it. Despite Beacon being a well renown school, it was still just a school. That being said, it wasn't like he was accepted for being the best.

"Seriously, what are you doing here?" Bronz couldn't help but ask with a quizzical frown, "Anyone who's got a diploma from Beacon ought to have more options open for him than working freelance labor. Unlike the rest of us that can't find any better jobs. I know I would have given anything to have graduated from a place like Beacon." Bronz said wistfully while downing the last of his water.

"Tell me about it." one of the guys beside Jaune chortled at the thought, "I was dumb when I was younger and dropped out of school before my last year. Now, I can only get work doing labor like this. If I had me some fancy diploma, I wouldn't be coming home sore and dirty. Not to mention I wouldn't smell like a still." he grinned widely as he lifted his pit, causing everyone's faces to twist in disgust.

Jaune pinched his nose from the stench before laying back on the beam with a sigh. They were right, a diploma from Beacon would have helped him get whatever job he wanted. It was a like a golden ticket for some. All he needed was a goal. But that was the problem.

What the hell did he want to do with his life? He had only graduated with the help of his friends supporting him and average grades. It was a stroke of luck that he had made it past graduation. But in all that time he had, Jaune never thought too long on what he was going to do once he graduated. The only thing he had thought of was returning home, back where he belonged.

Back where his true dream had been dropped. Back where the memories and regret would greet him. Back to returning to his role as the stumbling older brother.

Back as the failure.

Combing back his hair with some frustration, Jaune released a solemn sigh, his blue eyes turned up to the equally empty blue sky.

"I wish I had an answer for you. I don't even know what I'm doing myself. Guess, I'm kinda lost at the moment." Jaune answered tiredly.

Right now, he was more focused on keeping a roof over his head. That's all that mattered. Where his future would lead him was on the back burner. As long as he kept the little shop of odd jobs up and running, that was enough. After all, he couldn't let down the man who had given him a purpose after he had lost it.

Bronz nodded with understanding as he let the matter drop. He could understand the kid. He himself wasn't sure what to do once he had graduated school either. Finding what you wanted to do with your life wasn't so simple, even if you had the accommodations to achieve whatever you wanted. Sometimes you were just lost. And a kid his age still had plenty of time to find what he wanted to do with his life.

"Don't worry, shrimp. We all stumble every now and again. Just keep moving and I'm sure you'll find your way. If an old thug like myself can find purpose again, then so can you." Bronz grinned ruefully. "I got a wife, three kids, a nice home, and a good job despite its lack of safety. And that's after being lost for a good twenty years! Just keep your head up high, and when you find something that gives you purpose, don't let go. Whether it's an idea or a person, keep hold of it and you'll find your purpose." he said warmly.

Jaune stared at Bronz's, taken back by the comforting words as the guys behind him sniffed.

"Aw, why can't you say that kind of stuff to us? I got problems too!"

Bronz scoffed at the men with a dismissive wave, his eye bored and unsympathetic.

"Some of you are almost forty years old. Go die and try again."

"That's fucked up!"

The words were enough to lift Jaune's spirits as he felt his shoulders lose their tension. Just keep moving forward? Even if he had no idea where it would take him? 'I guess that's all I can do right now. Besides, as troubling as my current path is, it has its comforts.'

He still had his friends, his family, and the roof above his head. Not many people could say the same. And Jaune was happy with his life even if he had his gripes. His future wasn't very clear, but he was content right now. And that was enough for a failure like him.

Glad to have taken the boy out of his slump, Bronz looked out to the street below them with an amused grin.

"Now that you're out of that funk, you should enjoy the view better. Who knows? You just might spy a nice pretty thing that has a thing for lanky blonds!" he teased while shaking Jaune's shoulder as the blond gained a flat expression.

"Yeah, no. If my mom ever caught me whistling at woman like pieces of meat, she would gut me." he said plainly.

"Hey! We're not perverts! We're simply admiring the finer things in life." Dial answered with a tone of sophistication. He suddenly grinned, spying an office woman passing by with the button of her suit undone to combat the heat, "Hey, baby! How you doing!?" he whistled with a jeer of hollers.

The office woman stuck her nose up at the sweaty and dirty construction workers before speeding up and ignoring the men.

"Yeah, how classy of you." Jaune said dryly before grunting as the heavy palm of Dial smacked his back. He glared at the fat neckbearded man as Dial smirked.

"Come on! Just one whistle! You can't say you're a man if you don't at least holler at one chick! Please, for old Dial?" the fat man's lips quivered, his eyes watering as he stared at Jaune pleadingly. Jaune felt his brow spasm at the sight. Was it rude to say the sight was disturbing?

Bronz laughed along with the others as Jaune was put on the spot, "Come on, Jaune! He's not going to let off until you at least whistle at one girl. It's not a crime and we promise not to tell your mom." he chuckled.

Jaune sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. Not like he could run either, literally being suspended in the air as they were. Unless he wanted to risk jumping to the ledge close by, he would have to play along. Just this once though, he was a gentleman after all. He nodded begrudgingly, getting a round of cheers from his coworkers as he waited for the next woman to pass by. He was in luck, he caught eye of another office woman walking by. He could only make out her slender figure and raven hair from the back before steeling his nerves.

Just one whistle and that was it. The worst he would get is a look of disgust before the woman left in a huff. He could do this.

With his fingers to his lips, Jaune shut his eyes tightly and released a high pitch whistle. The sound echoed in the air as the beam he sat suddenly rocked. He grew confused, opening his eyes to see what caused the motion before an odd foreboding hit him. He gulped, slowly turning his eyes down and meet leering blood red.

Raven Branwen, mother of his best friend Yang, looked up to see the object of her lust whistling down at her. She had no idea why Jaune was sitting on a beam out in the middle of Vale, but didn't question it as her eyes roamed his dirty and sweaty form. She licked her lips as her eyes locked on her prey.

Work could wait.

Jaune swallowed a shrill scream of terror at the sight of Raven of all people finding him. This was bad, really bad. Giving that woman any kind of ammo was sure to encourage her. He spun his head around for help form his coworkers, only to gape as he found himself alone on the beam.

'Those bastards! How could they leave me like this!?'

Faintly, Jaune could make out the snickers and laughs from his coworkers. They must have jumped off towards the ledge once he shut his eyes. Now he was all alone.

Without a second thought to his safety, Jaune followed along with his coworkers and jumped for the ledge, nearly slipping as he hastily ran to escape Raven's gaze. He began to sweat profusely as he heard several surprised shouts from down below as a certain raven-haired mother broke into the site.

"Hey, lady! You can't-"

SMACK!

Jaune grimaced at the sound but still made his way down and caught the sight of Raven knocking a large man out with a single swing of her briefcase. He whimpered as her eyes found him and a seductive smirk made its way to her lips.

"Oh, Jaune~!"

Thank god his legs were feeling better. Now if only he could repeat that boost from earlier. He'd be damned if he lost his virginity in a construction site of all places.


"Come on, Renny! If you don't hurry up, Jaune's going to come back before we even start! It's not every day that we can visit our old leader and greet him with a surprise lunch."

Laid back pink eyes followed the bouncing orange ginger form of his best friend as she skipped along the sidewalk with a spring in her step. The man had dark ebony hair that was neatly tied back in a ponytail that reached his back, a stray lock of hair dyed pink, a relaxed expression on his face. He was of eastern decent, that much you could tell from his looks alone and his choice of wear. He wore a green long-sleeved tailcoat with pink highlights and white slacks. He carried an air of calmness and patience, completely opposite of his girlfriend. Said girl was wearing a short sleeved black leather jacket over a pink shirt with a white heart stamped on her chest, and a frilly long pink skirt and roller skating boots.

His name was Lie Ren. And right now, he was being dragged along by his girlfriend to visit their friend after taking a day off their busy work schedule. At least he wasn't alone in this forceful visit. His magenta pink eyes glanced back, finding stoic yellow following behind as they carried a few plastic bags in their hands. The cat ears proudly displayed atop her head wiggled with the breeze.

"Are you sure we're not taking up any of your time, Blake?" Ren asked politely to the equally calm and patient cat faunus.

Blake quirked a brow at Ren, amused at the question before picking up the speed as Nora called out to them again.

"It's fine. I actually don't have much to do today, like you two I have the day off. And with everybody else busy, I'd thought I'd tag along too. It's been a while since I talked with Jaune anyways." Blake answered mirthfully. Currently, she was wearing a simple dark purple turtleneck to combat the approaching cold season, a pair of dark blue jeans, and ebony sandals.

The three had met up at the supermarket close by while Blake was out eyeing the discount fish. With her day free of any work or much else to do, she thought she could roam around the streets before her trusty nose for all things fishy caught a whiff of discount fish. When she had found out that the couple were going off to surprise their old friend with a lunch after he came back from work, she decided to join in. Like she said, it had been some time since she last talked with Jaune. It would be nice to see how he was doing since he made the wild idea to take up an odd jobs shop of all things. For a while, she had been worried about him after he had disappeared for a good month or so from their little circle. Only for the blond boy to come stumbling back as the proprietor of a freelance service.

Blake had questions. She was sure everyone else did as well. You just don't disappear for some time and come back as a shop owner like that. Not to mention the fact that she was sure Jaune knew nothing of running a business. It wasn't a surprise to hear word from Yang that Jaune's business wasn't exactly going smoothly. Last she got word of Jaune's business, he was constantly in the red.

Once upon a time, Blake would not have gone out of her way to butt into anyone else's business. She was a stoic person, her view on things could be jaded and cynical. It was a dog eat dog world after all. She had learned that much from her years as part of an organization that fought for equality. But since she had left and gone to Beacon with her mother's persuasion, she had gotten to meet a mix of odd people that would eventually become her closest friends. Those friends helped to brighten her world and see the world in a more positive light. Jaune just so happened to be one of those friends who had broken her out of her old ways.

If Jaune was in some sort of trouble, Blake wanted to help. Just as she did when he was having difficulty in his classes back when they attended Beacon. Funny, it hadn't been too long ago that they all helped one another in school. It seemed they would still be doing that even as they all began to slowly drift apart.

Blake felt a melancholic smile fall on her face. She had heard it before. How those friends you cherished and longed for in high school would eventually drift away in the years after. Everyone had their own dreams that would take them away to their own path. It had already happened with one of their own. Pyrrha Nikos, The Invincible Athlete, the Champion, their close friend, had already left them to pursue her own dreams of being the best Olympian in Remnant. She had returned home to train, despite her own reasons for wanting to stay. A small muffled chuckle left Blake's lips thinking to Pyrrha's sole reason.

Jaune just couldn't take a hint. Or simply couldn't make up his mind.

But it was happening. More and more, their little circle of friends found themselves seeing each other less and less. Weiss was busy studying at a local university, refusing to go back to Atlas to finish her studying for reasons. Yang was working at a local diner as a hostess and waitress at times while polishing her martial arts skills to enter the fighting circuit in the coming months. Ruby was still attending Beacon and coming into her final year before planning on leaving back home. And Ren and Nora were finally together-together, and planning on eventually leaving back to Ren's home in Anima. For the moment they were all together in the city of Vale, where they all met and became friends. But it wouldn't be long until Weiss left for Atlas to take over her family's company, Yang made it as a fighter and traveled around the world, Ruby graduated and left to work alongside her mother, and Ren and Nora went home.

As for Blake, well, the least said, the better.

But for now, Blake wanted to cherish what bonds they still held. Because it wouldn't be long until those bonds eventually faded. That was life, sadly. You just had to move on and enjoy the moments.

"We're here!"

Snapping out of her deep thoughts, Blake found themselves standing in front of a beaten down shop. At the front she could make out knick-knacks, foreign candies, and newspapers for sale. Her amber eyes glanced up, growing curious at the odd sign above that looked to be a simple breeze away from losing a letter.

'Crow's Nest?' The C was dangling, that wasn't her imagination.

Ren smirked in amusement at Blake's surprise and wariness, "I take it this the first time you've seen Jaune's business?" he asked politely, getting a slight nod as Blake turned her eyes back to the nonchalant couple.

"It's... quaint. Really, robust?" Blake said weakly with a small grimace.

"It's a rundown heap!" Nora brightly blurted with a wide grin, "No need to pretend it's anything else. Even our leader knows that."

"That doesn't mean you should state it to his face." Ren said flatly as he crossed his arms over his chest, "When we were first invited over, Nora had told him straight up that his shop was a worn-down heap. And when she learned that he was going to be living here and running it, she almost threw out the table and tied him up to kidnap him and take him with us. Something about not wanting our poor, lonely leader to die in a hole."

"But Renny~! He would make a great addition to our family! I'm sure An wouldn't mind if we brought home a cute and charming blond home with us!"

"You leave my mother out of this."

"Ah, ah, ah! Our mother."

Not this again. Ren fought with dragging his hand over his tired face as he exhaled.

Nora Lie Valkyrie. His best friend, adopted sister, and current girlfriend. There was something wrong in that sentence. But for his sanity, he would ignore it.

Standing awkwardly in front of the arguing couple, Blake coughed into her fist to get back their attention.

"So, how are we supposed to go inside?" She couldn't help but ask. If Jaune was smart, he would have locked up the place. And she trusted him enough to do such if he was now in charge of a business, however poor. "Did he give any of you a key?"

Nora blinked, puzzled at the word, "Key? Who needs a key!" she grinned brightly.

"Then how are yo-... No." Blake glared at the bubbly ginger girl as she ran up to the battered door. Nora wasn't listening to the sole faunus and brought back her leg with a maniacal laugh.

Ren stood to the side of his fellow stoic raven-haired friend, calm as ever.

"Don't worry, I'll fix it up for Jaune before he gets back." Was all Ren could offer. A good thing he had brought some tools along.

The door, no matter what material it could have been made up, could not stand against the almighty force that was Nora. With a kick to the door, Nora snapped the poor hinges off and cracked the frame as it swung open with an audible boom. Blake was open mouthed, gaping at the sight as Ren subtly glanced to the bag of tools in his hand.

"...I'm going to need to run back later for more."

Nora grinned in apology as she dusted off her skirt, "Yeah, I'm going to have to apologize to Jaune later. So, let's get cooking! The way to a man's heart is food after all! No one can be mad when they're stuffed like a turkey!"

Well, nothing they could do now. Ren shrugged, following Nora into their friend's shop. Blake eyed the door warily but followed nonetheless, thinking twice of her decisions to join Ren and Nora. This wasn't exactly how she wanted to see Jaune again. Idly, she noticed no alarms were going off as Ren tried to shut the door behind them. Various wares were on display to sell, snacks, books, drinks, and other random junk. She couldn't help but frown at it all.

"What does Jaune's service entail?"

"All sorts of things, really. Random jobs, selling treats, basically whatever a freelance job asks for. You know our leader, he's a jack of all trades. He's like an army knife!" Nora answered back with a giggle as she jumped over the register. Personal boundaries meant nothing to the girl and she popped open the register despite her friend's protests. She grimaced at the sight.

"46 bucks? That's not even enough to feed me lunch!"

"She's not kidding." Ren stated as fact to Blake.

Reaching into her pocket in her leather jacket, Nora smiled and dropped in another fifty Lien before shutting it with a ding. There, now her beloved leader wouldn't be so down. Might as well take some snacks while she was at it. He was running a business after all. She grinned to herself, proud of what little help she could do for her friend.

Ready to jump over the counter, Nora suddenly grew curious as her nose twitched. Something smelled, something good. She shut her eyes in concentration, taking in the familiar scent before her.

It smelled like chicken noodle soup.

Ren frowned as he picked up at the smell too along with Blake, growing tense as he eyed the way upstairs. No one was home. The smell was fresh, not something that had been left behind after Jaune left. He shut his own eyes and placed his hand on the wall of the room.

"Ren?" Blake asked warily, her faunus ears twitching.

The eastern man didn't answer, focused completely on whatever he was doing. It wasn't until a few seconds had passed did his magenta eyes snap open. His frown grew into a stern scowl.

"Nora, watch the front door. If Jaune arrives, keep him distracted and don't let him in without my signal. Got it?" Ren moved over to the stairs behind the counter, his shoulders squared as his muscles tensed. Nora didn't argue with her boyfriend, saluting the usually lax man with a smirk.

"If ya need any backup, just give me a shout! Ain't no one going to screw with our buddy."

Blake was confused at the sudden turn of events. What was Ren doing? It was almost like he was going off to a fight. Her ears twitched again, standing up straight as she finally made out the sound she was picking up above.

Footsteps.

There was an intruder stalking inside Jaune's shop. Other than themselves. Someone must have broken into the blond's home. The lack of any form of security made it an easy target for any thief. Never mind the odd fact that they were cooking, whoever broke in was now inside doing who knows what to their friend's place. It could be more than one as well.

Blake reached for her scroll, ready to dial the authorities to the trespasser before Ren's voice stopped her at the last digit.

"Don't. It would be too much of a bother for Jaune, especially since he's not here. Not to mention we broke in too." Stopping at the foot of the steps, Ren glanced back at Blake with a calm smile, "It's just one person. I'll handle them and we'll see what happens from there. Just watch out for Nora in case they slip past me. I don't trust her to leave them without a broken set of legs."

"Boo! Why do you get all the fun?"

Not waiting for Blake to reply, Ren headed up the stairs while his right hand slipped for his ankle. A hidden sheath could be seen as he moved the pants leg up and slipped out a small decorative dagger with a lotus insignia. He spun the blade in his hand, holding it in reverse. He reached the upper level without a sound, his magenta eyes peering into the dark living room, noting that the curtains had been raised to block out any light from entering. It appeared the intruder knew they had company.

Something cut through the air with a faint whistle. Ren moved quickly, leaning his head to the right as he caught something sliver nearly graze his cheek. A silver kitchen knife, normally too dull to cut anything other than soft bread, embedded itself deep into the wall behind him. Another whistle caught his ears and he leaned down and ran into the living room. The forks thrown his way missed but he didn't slow until he reached the middle of the room and flipped the wooden coffee table over himself. Another volley of cutlery smacked into the wood, threatening to break through. Which they did.

The intruder smirked as the next volley of silverware pierced the wood and hit their mark. Their joy was short lived however when they saw the forks and knives fall with a clatter, no blood in sight. It was like they hit some wall instead of flesh.

'Where did Jaune even get this many forks and knives? Who carries an army's worth in their kitchen?'

Having enough with simply blocking, Ren threw aside the coffee table and ducked under three forks heading his way. His eyes caught a figure in the darkness, leaping from the kitchen and heading his way. The small figure was fast, reaching him in seconds with a serrated knife aimed to slice his chest. A clang rang out as Ren met the knife with his dagger. The intruder's single blue eye was stunned as their attack was blocked before they leapt back. Ren clicked his teeth, only making out the stranger's small stature and blue eye. The girl was good. They were using the darkness to their advantage.

This wasn't some ordinary robber. Their movements were too quick and fluid to be that of some ordinary thug or punk who sought to break in for some quick cash.

Ren watched the intruder skirt around the modest living room like a dark blur. Again, Ren caught the faint whistle of a shooting knife and deflected it before jumping a few steps back. The intruder dove straight for the spot he had stood, stabbing her knife deep into the floor. The intruder suddenly hissed, sounding as if they were in pain. Ren watched the intruder struggle to stand back up from the diving stab with scrutiny. It looked like they were hurt. Well, that was too bad for them.

'Not now!' May sucked in a sharp breath as she reached for another kitchen knife tucked in her skirt. She glowered at the intruder standing a few feet away from her, their eyes meeting hers with equal disdain.

A few minutes ago, May had been in the kitchen, cooking some of Jaune's homemade chicken noodle soup that he had left behind before she heard the sound of the front door being kicked in. At the sound of multiple voices, she had automatically assumed that they were robbers. Criminals who had no right to be breaking into this house. Her hand had flown for the nearby knife and tightened around the hilt.

'All I ask is that you watch out for the place, okay?'

May's eyes had hardened before she gathered whatever silverware she could use at her disposal. In the hands of someone like her, even a spoon could prove a death sentence to whoever broke in.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten about her sprained ankle in the moment. The injured muscles cried out from the strain of her movements, nearly sending her stumbling as she readied herself to attack. In that moment, she was open.

Ren moved like snake, striking at the intruder with pinpoint accuracy. May bit back a gasp from her aching ankle and moved to block. Steel sang as the two swiftly and skillfully attacked and blocked one another. May moved a step back as Ren's dagger fell down in a straight line with such force she could make out a line of the glinting steel flashing. Her hand reached for another knife, a cleaver used for cutting through the bone of meat, and dual wielded blades. She used the cleaver to parry the next swing. Ren grimaced at the heavy blow, the force of the attacked shooting up his arm.

What the hell kind of strength did the girl possess? That wasn't normal.

The serrated knife spun in May's hand, the girl lashing out with a surprise swing. The attack landed true and cut a deep groove along Ren's shoulder. He scowled at the girl, refusing to take his eyes off of her despite the feeling of blood flowing down his arm. He watched the girl enter his personal space, allowing him a good look at the intruder, her single blue eye narrowing dangerously.

One cut along the jugular, and that would be it. She would have to clean up the mess quickly after dealing with the other intruders before Jaune came back. She couldn't blow her cover over a measly robber.

Anxiety. Fear. Depression. A cold sweat came over May's body as her eyes quivered. Her breath grew unsteady, shallow and desperate for air as her heart hammered against her chest. Her tearing up blue eye followed the intruder's arm, catching her arm before she could slit his throat in one motion. His cool magenta eyes bore into her, almost as if he was staring into her very being.

Ren sighed, his eyes watching the young girl fall to her knees with a face stricken with utter despair. The knives in her hands fell with a clatter, the girl on the verge of an emotional breakdown. It was a sight that made him feel some regret.

Some.

He was ready for it, the very second that his hand let go of the intruder and she regained some semblance of control of her emotions. Abandoning the weapons by her feet, she threw a fist his way with a snarl, the tears that had been building in her lone eye now falling freely. He easily blocked the attack and the next swing before kicking his knee up into her gut. She gasped audibly before spots bled into her vision from a lashing kick to the side of her face. Her body flew towards the three-seat couch, smacking against the cushions and toppling it.

May's vision spun as she laid back on the floor, her face bruising and her rusty red hair fell over her forehead. Her beanie had come off from the powerful blow, landing somewhere in the room. It was a small mercy that her left eye was hidden by her hair.

'W-What happened?' Idly, she could hear the intruder's footsteps coming over to check on her. Or finish her. One thing became clear though.

This man wasn't normal.

A foot planted itself on her bruising stomach, pinning her back onto the floor as she tried to get up. Again, she felt those negative emotions she had thought she had long abandoned surface at his touch. Panic and anxiety filled her being, her body quivering at the all but foreign emotions. Her eyes met those of her enemy, only a pathetic whimper escaping her lips.

"Why are you here?" Ren got straight to the point, keeping his foot atop the girl. His voice was cold and his magenta eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. "It doesn't appear as if you've stolen anything to my knowledge. The register below wasn't tampered with and the safe appeared to be intact. If you're not here for money, then why are you here? Answer carefully." his words seemed to grow colder, almost like the ice of Atlas.

"Your answer will determine your fate."

Sadly, May wasn't listening to a word Ren was saying. Along with the dread she was feeling, she was also filled with an anger that was only amplified by the strange force creating the negative emotions within her. Her sense of judgment was thrown out the window, a hidden knife in her sleeve slipped free and fell into her hand. Her face twisted into a furious snarl, her arm lashing out with the full intent of gutting the man before her.

Ren watched the sharp kitchen ware steel flash before his eyes.

It was all the answer he needed.

May didn't have any time to process what happened next before her vision went black. The knife fell from her hand, her thoughts gone in the dark lull of unconsciousness.

With a weary sigh, Ren moved back his striking palm and he released his foot from the young girl. Now that he had a good look at the home invader he felt the small guilt grow. Which only grew as he noticed the sweat on the girl's forehead along with the heat.

With a heavy sigh, Ren slipped out his scroll from his pocket while he roamed around the living room. The fight hadn't been long but it looked like they had done some damage to the place. It looked like he would have to make it up to Jaune later. Idly kicking the broken coffee table by his foot, Ren finished sending a quick text to Nora. He would need someone to tie her up and restrain her. And for once, he wasn't speaking of Nora. With that done Ren moved onto the next step as he brought up his contacts.

'Lie-C.'

Bringing in the authorities would be too much and would only trouble his friend. It looked like he was going to have to use a few cards he had in his sleeve.

Burnt chicken caused Ren to grimace as he turned back to the kitchen. Walking over he was surprised to find a small burning pot of what remained of chicken soup on the stove. He shut the burner off with a cough and waved away the black smoke.

'Why would a stranger break into someone's home and cook soup? That doesn't make any sense.' Something was off here. Not only did it seem like they didn't steal anything, but clearly, they were unwell, and they were reheating soup? Maybe she wasn't a criminal. For all he knew, she could be some homeless girl that broke in for some food.

The thumb hovering over the contact paused.

Still, the girl was obviously a threat. A normal person shouldn't have been able to move as quick as she could, especially in her condition. And the intent behind her single eye made him involuntarily shudder.

That was a gaze no girl her age should have.

What to do, what to do? At least Jaune wasn't home. That would only complicate things further.


"I... I am lacking words for what I'm seeing."

Jaune gawked at the door less frame to his humble store, his eye twitching at the torn hinges.

Work had come to an end and with his construction job done for the day and the other freelance jobs taken care of beforehand, he had gone straight home for a nice, long, well deserved shower. He was dirty, sweaty, smelly, and suffered several visible kisses on his face from a very affectionate raven. Even his skill in dodging and evading couldn't fully save him from the single mother. So, of course he was hoping to unwind after a long work day before opening up the counter for a few stragglers wandering into his place for some extra Lien.

But then he came to find his front door kicked in. He was at a loss of words right now. Was he being robbed? Or was that what already happened?

Scratching his head in frustration, Jaune made his way into his store with a growl and a pop of his fist. For their sake they better have been smart enough to leave. Rolling his shoulder for a confrontation with a scumbag, he was suddenly taken by surprise to find stunned and awkward amber eyes in front of the stairway.

"Blake?"

Said cat faunus waved a hand, not sure what to do as she hastily wiped the milk from her upper lip.

"Hi, Jaune?" Blake chuckled lightly with her eyes looking anywhere but at him.

Several moments went by in silence as Jaune stood in front of Blake, said feline friend blocking his way from reaching the living floor above. He waited patiently, crossing his arms with a quirked brow for his friend to explain herself. In the end, she wasn't saying a word and he sighed.

"So, how long's it been? What? A month since we last talked? Did I by chance do anything that would warrant you kicking down my door and raiding my store fridge for milk? Because I'm drawing a blank." Jaune said dryly as he watched Blake gain a blush on her face from embarrassment. The stoic girl could never hold her composure when she was caught red handed.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I wasn't the one to kick in your door?" Blake said weakly.

Jaune rolled his eyes with a sigh, "Then who did? Nora?"

"…"

Jaune narrowed his eyes and Blake chose to admire the floor. He held his gaze for a few minutes while the twitch in his eyes became more pronounced.

"She's here, isn't she." That was a fact, not a question. Seeing the slight nod from Blake, Jaune massaged his temple with a groan. Why couldn't it have been a robber?

Scratching his scalp again from the irritation, Jaune patted Blake's head while subtly moving her aside so he could go up the stairs. Well, that explained why he had gotten a text early in the morning from Nora asking what his plans for the day were. She was up to something and it scared him as to what his old friend could be doing.

"I really want to know why you of all people are here with Nora, and Ren I'm guessing, but right now I have to stop a certain bubbly Valkyrie from whatever mischief she's conducting."

Blake grew alarmed as Jaune made his way up the stairs, running after him as she grabbed his hand.

Nora had gone up to help Ren with restraining the robber and had asked her to watch out for Jaune if he came home early. It wasn't safe for their friend to go up right now.

"A-Actually, how about we just stay down here and chat!?" Blake urged nervously as Jaune glanced back at her in confusion, "It's been some time since we last spoke to one another, so how about we catch up? There really is no reason for you to go upstairs."

"...Oh, now I have to go upstairs." Jaune said adamantly, leaving no room for discussion as he stomped upstairs, dragging along a struggling Blake.

"BUT IT'S NOT SAFE!"

"OF COURSE, IT'S NOT SAFE! I'VE GOT A SUGAR JUNKIE OBSESSED WITH SLOTHS IN MY HOME WITH GIDDY INTENTIONS!"

Fighting against Blake's surprisingly strong hold, Jaune made it up and prepared himself for whatever mayhem awaited him. But as his feet touched the wooden floor leading to the living room, he made contact with something metallic under his shoes. He frowned and he looked down and found a few forks on the floor. Oh no, his beloved kitchen! Well, Qrow's beloved kitchen really.

"Nora! You got some explaining t-" Jaune's voice abruptly died as he stepped into his living room and found the place a mess. His sofas were torn by numerous cuts, his coffee table was smashed, his curtains were torn and forks and knives were embedded in the walls. Sadly, all that was the least of his worries right now.

Standing in the middle of the room where his coffee table should have been were both Nora and Ren. The energetic girl with ginger hair waved her hand at him nervously with a bundle of rope in hand while Ren stood to the side amid a conversation with his scroll, sparing him an apologetic glance. Again, that was the least of his worries. His eyes were solely focused on the rust haired girl in a school uniform sitting unconscious in a chair.

"MAY!? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU!?" Jaune shouted in alarm before running towards the sick girl. He ignored his friends and the looks of surprise as he patted her cheeks for a response.

Nora was the first to recover from the little bomb of information as she stared at Jaune incredulously.

"Wait, you know this chick? I thought she was some robber or something."

Jaune shook his head with a deep frown, his eyes still focused on May, "What? NO! May's not a robber or anything like that! She's a girl I've been taking care of for the last few days with a horrible fever! The hell made you think she was a robber!?" he practically shouted with a furious gaze.

Nora stepped back with a flinch before staring down with guilt. The bundle of rope in her hands was dropped as she rubbed her arm. Seeing that, Jaune let out a groan. Great, now he had a sad Nora. He really should watch his temperature. With a tired sigh, Jaune moved to pick May up in his arms and nudged his head to his friends to follow as he made his way to his room. He smiled thankfully at Blake who opened the door for him before settling the sick girl back in bed. Fixing the covers over her, he gently patted the girl's free rusty red hair and turned back to the questioning faces of his three friends.

Ren was easily the most confused. He had after all knocked the girl out. Now it turned out she was a guest? A girl like her? Did his friend even know that she was the one who caused all the damage in his living room?

"Let me get this straight." Ren said while pinching the bridge of his nose, "This girl right here is a guest of yours? A friend? A relative? Help me out here, Jaune. Because it isn't exactly normal for a guy to have some stranger living in his home."

"Especially some middle school girl." Nora noted helpfully.

"I'd like to add that I have nothing to do with any of this." Blake interjected stoically with a raised hand, wanting to be left out of whatever blame fell on them. If anything, she was an unwilling accomplice.

Another sigh escaped Jaune as he dropped to the ground and laid back against his bed. Today was exhausting to start with. Now this? Well, it wasn't like he was trying to keep this a secret to begin with. What harm could it do to let them in on the situation?

"Her name's May, and she's not really family. Or a friend. I guess she's more of a guest." Jaune said with a conflicted frown, "Truth is, I don't really know who she is other than her name. I found her about three days ago in the rain, passed out and surrounded by two... dirt bags with ill intentions." his eye grew dark at the memory, surprising his friends at the rare sight.

Jaune wasn't someone who could hate easily. He hardly ever showed any signs of meaning any ill will to even his bullies. To see such dark hostility in his eyes told them that he had come to see something that would cause even the mild tempered blond to lose his temper.

The look passed quickly and Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, "I was lucky to stumble onto them. After I dealt with them, I found that May was suffering from a high fever. Since the nearest doctor was a good hour away, I decided to take her back her to at least get her out of the rain. After getting her in some dry clothes and in bed, she eventually woke up and told me her name. And that's pretty much it. I've been taking care of her since then." he shrugged nonchalantly.

"That's it?" Blake frowned at the simple explanation. "Why haven't you taken her to a doctor, or better yet, her family? I'm sure she's recovered enough to be taken home. Her parents must be worried sick about her."

"That's the thing," Jaune scowled in conflict, looking even more stressed as he leaned his head back, getting a small glance of the redhead sleeping in his bed, "I don't think she has any parents. A kid like her would want nothing more than to go back to their parents instead of sleeping over some stranger's place. But she doesn't talk about them. She hardly even talks to me to begin with. It's become obvious to me that she doesn't have anywhere she's in a hurry to get back." he said sadly.

"As for taking her to a doctor? She's very adamant about not going. I even mentioned taking her to the police station in case her parents were searching for her, but she froze up and grew silent."

"She homeless." Blake deduced from the observation, getting a nod from Jaune. She could understand the hesitation to see a doctor or even the police if that was true. Sad to say, there were some orphans that would chose the life of the streets than the orphanage. Especially orphans her age. Either options would take her back into the system that caused her to brave the dangerous streets.

"She's a stranger. One who you know nothing about." Ren narrowed his eyes at the resting girl and moved his hand over to the tear on his waistcoat's shoulder. "For all you know, she could have been playing on your naivety and robbed you. Or worse. You shouldn't be so trusting."

Jaune glared at Ren, his tired blue eyes irritated at what he was hearing from his longtime friend.

"She's a little girl with no home. To the world, she was just another pile of trash in the alleyway. I'm sure Nora knows what that must have felt." he said bitterly.

A rare flash of anger passed Ren's eyes. He was more than ready to move on that fleeting emotion before he found Nora's hand falling on his shoulder. Her green eyes softly met his own magenta, calming him down.

"He's right." Nora said with a small smile, her eyes melancholic with thoughts of her childhood. She found herself looking back to May, feeling some small kinship with the ill girl, "Life for an orphan is difficult. Especially if she's past thirteen. Most people would rather adopt the small kids no older than ten. Once you're over, it's almost impossible to be picked up. Even though Vale is a big, prosperous city, it must have its own crappy system. Though I can't see whether the streets were any better than the wilds." she said brightly, albeit weakly.

Eyes falling back on Jaune, she gave the boy that she loved to refer to as leader a big old smile, her respect for the blond only growing further.

"I got to say, I'm happy that you of all people stumbled onto her. Not a lot of orphans are so lucky for a knight in white armor to come to their rescue."

The knight in white armor comment made Jaune groan and grumble.

"And suddenly I'm reminded of my high school years. God, I was loser back then too."

"What are you talking about? That was only a few months ago." Blake chuckled softly, the girl kneeling down to Jaune's eye level. She wore a fond smile at the troubled blond, reminded of the goof she had befriended in those halcyon days.

Jaune's eyes met with Blake's, causing a small smile to come to his lips. While he hadn't had the time to say it yet, he really did miss his old book loving friend. She and Weiss were hard to talk to these days with their busy schedules taking them away from their circle of friends. It was nice to see she hadn't changed at all, even if it had only been a month since he last talked with her. A month away from anyone of his friends felt like years.

Settling his own thoughts, Ren released a sigh before turning back to his scroll. The screen was lit up, signaling the call was still going on.

"Fall back. It was all just a misunderstanding."

Nodding and saying a few more words to the person on the other end, Ren shut off his scroll and turned his attention back to Jaune.

"So, what are you doing to do with her now?" Ren had to ask with a serious expression. He would love nothing more than to explain to Jaune how it was a bad idea to allow such a person in his home, but knew it would be a wasted effort. He would have to wait for some other time to deal with that problem, "If you're right, she has no home. And while she's unwell, she will eventually recover. So, what are you going to do then? Are you going to tell me that you're going to just continue to let her stay here when you can't even afford to support yourself?" he said.

Ren knew plenty of Jaune's current financial situation. Running an odd jobs shop wasn't exactly a profitable business. He had talked with Jaune plenty of times about his passed down business in the first two months since he had received it. Not to mention he had helped in sending over a few odd jobs Jaune's way from some of his contacts. The fact that Jaune was able to keep the roof over his place now was a commendation. But that was on his own.

Bringing someone else into his troubles, an orphan at that, would only put more stress on his pseudo brother's shoulders. And he would hate to see Jaune breakdown. Not again.

"Hmm, I'll guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Jaune answered simply with a lazy dismissive wave of his hand.

Ren felt a nerve throb at the careless attitude. He was this close to smacking some sense into their so-called leader.

With a grin plastered on his face, Jaune simply rose to his feet and stretched his back. His eyes wandered over to the sleeping girl oblivious to their conversation. He couldn't help but comb her hair back, his hand pausing as he caught a good look at her usually hidden left eye.

Horribly scarred tissue greeted Jaune, aged and faded by what looked like a gouging blow. He was almost afraid to know if she could even open it. Or if anything would even look back.

"I know I'm not the best person to be taking care of her. Hell, it would be a better idea if you and Nora took her in instead. I'm sure you could feed her properly and figure something out. Even Blake would do. I'm sure your mother would be ecstatic to take care of a stubborn girl like May." Jaune said humorously with his back turned to his friends, "She's scared. She's alone. And most importantly, she doesn't know what to do. Yet, she hasn't run away. I'm sure she could have left the very night I brought her in, even taken what she'd liked from me without me being none the wiser. But she's still here. That tells me that I have something I can't just let go of." he said strongly.

"And that is?" Ren asked quizzically.

"I got her trust. Trust from a girl who's turned her back on the world. Trust me, I know she's not exactly a normal girl." Jaune laughed nervously as he rubbed his wrist. He could still feel the monstrous grip she had on her. And her mannerisms weren't normal either. Not to mention that gaze in her eye.

That gaze. Why did it click with him so easily?

"She's probably got her own problems to deal with. She doesn't want help from others. But she'll stay here and let me take care of her. I don't know why, but she trusts me to do that right. So, I'll continue to do just that. I'll take care of her, protect her, with all my power! At least until she's ready to open up to me and let me help her however I can. Because I would regret it more that I left her alone then I would taking her in!"

The passion, the energy, and the determination in Jaune's voice was enough to silence them all. Blake and Nora stared at Jaune as if he had grown another head. And Ren?

The stoic eastern boy shut his eyes, a small smile birthing on his face at his friend's words.

'So? I don't care about the whole Lie name thing. Don't be like Weiss and think it's all about your name. To me, you're just Ren. The lazy guy who I honestly think is a ninja by night. I'd actually like to be friends with you too. If you can stand to be friends with an annoying blond like me.'

Simple Jaune. No need to question him. To him, it was just as simple as helping someone. Making friends out of strangers. Only his leader could do such thing so easily.

"Well if that's your plan, I can't say anything to dissuade you." Ren relented, "But you know, we're here too. If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask. I'm more than willing to help if you need a hand."

"Me too!" Nora practically shouted as she bounced on her feet, "I want to help the girl out too! I got some clothes from my younger days back at our place if you ever need them. I'm guessing she doesn't have anything else to wear than what she has on now." she said in sympathy.

Blake gave Jaune a smile as she offered her hand as well, "The same goes for me. I'm not sure what help I could be, but I'm here if you need me. I'm sure Yang and Ruby would be as well. And Weiss if you decided to be brave and let her in too." she said with a sly smirk.

Jaune automatically shook his head at the suggestion, "Snow Angel does not need to know. She'd just call me a dunce and go overboard. I'm lucky that Pyrrha's not here. She'd go mother hen all over this."

At the mention of the missing member of their friends, Nora leaned in with a wide grin and a wiggle of her brows.

"So? Did you answer her yet? Or are you still too chicken to say anything back?" she said knowingly.

Jaune's face turned bright red at what Nora was alluding to. His face began to sweat and he began to stutter and moved past them all to the door.

"H-How about we leave May alone? She's needs her rest and I need some help cleaning up the mess you made. What the hell were you even doing?"

"HEY!" Nora pouted as the three of them followed Jaune out of the room and shut the door behind them, "Don't change the subject! I need a damn answer! Pyrrha's still texting me day and night about how you're doing! It's bordering obsessive! Stop acting like a wimp and be a man! That girl needs a man!"

The sounds of commotion arose with the click of the door along with the sounds of struggle.

"Nora, put down the vase! That's the only thing that you haven't broken!"

"That was Ren's doing! You haven't seen what I'm capable of yet!"

"I'd like to add in that I am not involved in any of this... and there goes the vase. I'm not paying for that."

"I'm just going to move away and get to cooking while you all get to cleaning. Who wants pasta?"

The sounds of several more objects breaking and some struggling, caused May's eye to open slowly. She sat up with a groan, massaging the area Ren had struck before her eye fell down to stare at her lap emptily. The noise outside the room only continued to grow as a girlish shriek echoed inside the house along with a maniacal laugh.

In truth, she had been awake since Jaune had arrived. She'd only been pretending to still be out of it until they had left her. After her fight with the strange and dangerous eastern boy named Ren, she was planning on leaving the odd jobs shop. Her cover was blown. While they still had no idea to who or what she was, what little Ren saw was enough to ruin her facade as some innocent and down on her luck girl. Now would be the perfect time for her to leave out the window, damn her condition and wounded ankle.

So, why hadn't she?

Hesitantly, May's right hand wandered over her scarred eye. The reminder of a life in a war-torn land, filled with scoundrels and thieves. And the only place a tool like her could know.

Yet in this crappy home/shop run by a blond fresh out of high school with no idea to his future, she found herself feeling something odd. Something she never thought to feel in this world.

Safe. May felt safe and even... warm.

"Trust, huh? Could you really say the same for me?" May asked herself softly as she stared at her other hand while still ghosting over her scarred eye.

Could that naive blond trust her? To not dig a knife past his ribs and rupture his heart in an instant? Someone like her, you should never turn your back on, no matter what.

In her dwelling thoughts, May was unaware of an odd low whine in the room growing in volume. It wasn't until she felt the sharp pain in her left eye that she grew alarmed. The pain was intense, like a hot needle growing out of the damaged socket. She knew the reasons for the sound.

The fingers over her scarred left eye trembled. Just a few more seconds. That's all they needed and then-

Blood flew down May's fingers as they forcefully pried open her left eye and dug in. She wanted nothing more than to cry as her fingers glossed over the cool metal within until they found what they sought. With an agonized shout, May ripped out the whining origin and crushed it in one swift motion. The whining died.

"W-Why?" May's voice was hoarse, quivering as she held her bleeding eye. Her voice was full of self-confusion and despair. It had been so long since she felt such emotions. It must have been Ren's weird affects leaving behind an effect. It must have. Still though.

The three-inch cracked marble made of advanced tech in her bloody hand blinked from a tiny red light. A sob escaped her lips.

"Why am I still here? Why... why can't I leave?"

Someone outside the room must have caught the sound her little stunt and the door opened. May idly noticed amber eyes stare at her in shock before running off to tell the others. A blond blur ran in like the wind as she struggled to keep her eye open. The pain, it was too much. She felt caring, soft and firm hands on her face, moving her to look them in their concerned blue eyes.

Those blue eyes, they were too much.

This time, May did pass out in Jaune's arms, overloaded by the pain and her own doubts.

"MAY! What the hell happened!? What's wrong with your eye!?" Jaune shouted in concern as May shut her eye and grew quiet. Did she pass out? What the hell was with the blood dripping down her left eye!?

Running into the room with a pink apron still on, Ren was at Jaune's side a second later. He narrowed his eyes at the origin of the blood before glancing back at the door where Nora and Blake stood.

"Nora, get me my first aid kit. Blake, get some hot water and a towel. I'm going to have to improvise with what I have at the moment." he said calmly as he ordered the two, receiving nods in turn.

Jaune moved out of the way as Ren knelt by the bed. A small flashlight slipped out of his friend's sleeve, not surprising Jaune in the slightest. He watched Ren carefully inspect the wounded scarred eye on May's face, the sense of dread at seeing the girl like this never fading.

At times like this, Jaune was happy that Ren came from a long line of doctors and medicinal experts. Ren knew his way around a scalpel and graduated Beacon with all he needed to continue his education to become a great doctor. It was most likely why he was planning on returning back to his home country. Still, Jaune hated to be standing by like he was useless.

"Is there anything I can do, Ren?" Jaune asked urgently.

Ren didn't turn to respond, too focused on his task.

"If you want to help, play nurse. Do what I ask and don't question what I do. The first thing you can do is find me some clean nonlatex gloves. I can't do much without risking infecting her eye with any bacteria."

Jaune didn't say a word and ran off to find some gloves, leaving Ren with the dangerous girl. With no one around, he was free to do what he needed to do to make things go smoothly.

Laying his palm over May's head, Ren concentrated until he felt something react to his touch.

"It not anesthesia, but it'll do just fine." Ren said softly to May as her face seemed to relax. Next would be the tricky part, "It's a good thing I took that robotics class when I did." he said mirthfully.

Ren got a good peek at what laid underneath the scarred eye. Just what the hell had this girl gone through? Such thoughts could be dealt with later, his assistants finally returning. His magenta eyes were hyper focused on his task, leaving Jaune to hand him his gloves before he began to give out orders and instructions that the odd jobs blond followed diligently.

Their little lunch reunion would have to wait. It was time for some improvised surgery.


Smooth, creamy legs dangled in the air over a tall abandoned storage building within Vale's inner city. Grape purple hair, silky and curled at the tips fell over to her bare waist and mirthful dark purple eyes. Those orbs were focused on the scroll in her delicate hand. The woman wore a peach orange flashy silk skirt decorated with golden trinkets that reached her top knee, high heel sandals, a red revealing crop top that fought to hold her impressive bust and showed off her slim stomach, and a gold shawl over her shoulders. On her waist, two odd edged hoops were tied securely. Her face was smooth and free of any blemishes other than a small beauty mark on her left cheek, appearing as if she would be better suited posing for a magazine cover than staring out at the lower city.

"Hmm, it seems we've lost May 12th's signal. How vexing." the mysterious woman pouted as she shut her scroll. Raising her arms up, she stretched with a drawn-out yawn. The gesture caused her breasts to bounce, no doubt catching the attention of the company behind her. She grinned huskily at the gathered men staring at her as she arched her spine back enough for her see their wide eyes and leering gazes of lust. All but one that is.

Standing in front of the punk themed faunus with symbols of a chipped fan, Drake sneered at the voluptuous woman.

"Ya done, skank? If you wanted to be lusted after, then you should have gone to a seedy bar for a fun night with a bunch of lowlifes. I don't fuck with no thought." Drake growled in annoyance, his hands stuffed in his pockets, hunched over as he addressed the sex symbol of a woman.

Said woman pouted cutely at the green spiky haired lizard faunus before rising to her feet.

"Boo, I wanted to at least see you rise in attention! Guess I'll just have to work harder to get you harder." she purred as she sashayed over to the gang of faunus. She got the obvious reactions from the thugs, starring at her with hungry eyes and gulps of anxious breaths. But still, the leader of the small gang, Drake, didn't react to her seductions.

The sound of chains breaking loose caught the alluring woman's attention as she stepped closer to Drake. She stopped before she could take another step, her eyes catching several links of silver chains rushing out from Drake's leather sleeves and coiling around her like snakes. The well forged chains tightened, preventing her from moving another inch. The chains moved with a jerk, pulling her towards the glaring lizard faunus. Her cheeks puffed in annoyance in the face of the intimidating man.

"My, if you wanted to get kinky, you should have just said so. Ahh~! This reminds me of a rather naughty scene in Ninja's of Love! Hey, can you make them tighter?" she said eagerly like a child, her eyes sparkling at the thought.

Drake looked at the woman in disgust, spitting to the side as he lifted his bandanna over his lower face, "You give women a bad name, bitch. But if you want me to make them tighter, who am I to say no?" he said cruelly with a toothy grin, said chains reacting to his will.

The purple haired woman moaned, blushing to the shock of Drake's men. That was a freak if they ever saw one.

With a giggle, the woman leaned in close to Drake's face. Her gaze was sharp, full of mischief and hunger.

"Silly boy, if all you can do is bark and bite, then you're not ready for a woman like me. Not until you're ready to maul your prey and rip their limps off with a savage howl of blood lust."

The chains snapped, breaking apart as Drake watched the woman swing up the strange hoops that were responsible for freeing her. He noted the paper thin and sharp edge on the gold and silver hoops, recognizing them as chakrams. To break free took more than just a sharp edge, it took some serious strength. Just what the hell was this woman?

Eyeing the still blushing woman giggling at the bruises over her revealing skin warily, Drake fixed his sleeves while subtly readying another link of chains.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Drake stressed with a mad growl in his voice. He didn't like working with humans, let alone speaking with them. But the woman had found them while they were in hiding. She knew of their whereabouts and was skilled. Even a thug like him knew when to listen.

Grinning widely, the woman introduced herself with a low bow, revealing the bountiful skin of her breasts to the already riled up boys, her voice coming off with a soft, alluring tone.

"The name's July Un, and I've come bearing an offer by my employer. One of partnership as we search for a lost lamb. Won't you hear this poor woman out? I'll make it worth your wild, virgin's promise."

Drake scoffed with distaste, "I'd sooner believe that humans aren't at fault for my specie's suffering."

July giggled with a wink and cocked her hip to the side. She gave the gang leader a thumb's up, "Sharp! And not so trusting. You'll do nicely." she breathed hotly with a hand raking her slender neck. Spinning to face her back to the thug, she walked back to where she sat and leaned down provocatively before going back with a case in hand. She smirked as she faced the metal briefcase towards Drake and popped it open.

It was like the light of god had revealed itself to Drake and his men. Cleanly stacked rows of Lien greeted them, fresh as the dew of the morning. It was enough to make Drake nearly tear up.

"What is this? There's got to be 20,000L in here!" Drake breathed.

July pouted cutely at the number as she waggled a finger negatively, "As if! It's more like 60,000L." she said as if it was an everyday number.

"What do you want?" Drake got straight to the point, his expression serious. It didn't matter if she was human, Lien was Lien! The things he could do with just ten thousand. He could prosper the Chipped Fang into a legitimate organization like the White Fang. Or better yet, finally mingle the two together. He could finally get Sienna Khan's blessing!

Annoyance painted itself on July's face.

"Oh, so money catches your attention, does it? Tell me, do you lean the other way?" July asked bluntly, receiving an irritated scowl from the spiky green haired faunus.

"Fuck off. I got refined taste and shit. Now, what do you want?"

Grumbling under her breath, July got to business.

"My boss wants help in tracking down a lost member of our organization. No questions asked. We will provide you with whatever you might need in tracking her down and retrieving her. Dead, or alive. Your pick." she shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. Shutting the case full of Lien, July stepped back and tossed Drake the currency along with a black themed scroll with a gold crystal on the back.

"We'll communicate with you via this scroll. It's on a network hidden away from the CCT that still utilizes its main network. In it, you'll find the waning signal of our lost little lamb. While the signal is weak, it's still there. And if you need anything, just let us know."

Pocketing the scroll, Drake sent July a questioning look.

"Consider it done. But why us?" he asked suspiciously.

"Simple. Your gang knows the ins and outs of this city better than we do at the moment. And we want to get this over with as soon as possible. Just think of this as supporting the faunus!" July said brightly as she leaned forward with a jiggle of her breasts.

'Right. As if I can believe that.' Drake thought warily.

Done with her piece, July wandered over to the edge of the roof before her purple eyes glanced back at the Chipped Fang members.

That's when Drake felt it. The chilling intent behind those seductive and playful eyes. It was something that brought a cold sweat down his face as July smiled simply.

"Oh, and if you think you can just take the Lien and walk away, DON'T. I'd hate to show you my ugly side. It's rather nasty. And not the kind I'm so fond of."

With nothing more to say, July gave the thugs one last wink before hoping off. Vanishing to who knows where.

Now that July was gone, Drake finally sucked in a breath he had been holding. He turned back to his men, finding them on their knees and gasping for much needed air. It looked like they had been scared shitless.

Drake found his own right hand lightly shaking, his skin crawling with goosebumps. He clicked his tongue, lugging the briefcase of Lien over his shoulder as he moved along with his men back down to the safety of their hideout.

"Just what the fuck have I gotten myself into now?"

Well, they got paid in advance. Might as well get to gearing up. It was about time he got the new upgrade on his weapons. Man, was he going to go crazy on the design.

Not like he would need them anyways. It was a simple retrieval and they got an idea of the city along with a tracking signal. Besides, who would get in the way of the Chipped Fang? Only an idiot would stand in their way.


With what power you have, do what you believe is right. Even if it leads you down to a world you have no right to step into. Just beware the fangs ever coming closer.

Don't think. Act. It's what your body remembers after all.

Your Soul is calling.

I'll tell you, I struggled to get this chapter going at first. For like an entire week I just couldn't seem to get anymore words going past the beginning. Only then do I truly figure that I can only write when I'm away from home. Too many distractions and all that jazz.

From the sounds of it, it looks like shits about to hit the fan with our buddy Jaune. We're about to have some real action going on next chapter, so for you action junkies out there, like yours truly, I got something to treat ya. We'll also be diving into some history of this new strange Remnant as well to answer many important questions on the lore of this new world. And I'll also be hoping to finish a new Odd Job for the chapter detailing a little of Jaune's past life while attending Beacon. So please wait patiently for the next chapter.

Oh, and as I discussed before with a few people on Discord too, I'm still looking for an artist to help me with illustrations of my OC's. If ya got anyone in mind, let me know. I'd do them myself, but I'm still working on getting back into drawing. Going to take a lot more lessons before I can get back what skill I once had.

Remember to Read and Review! It's common courtesy.

NeoShadows fading in and out.