AN: OK! Another day another chapter of The Apprentice! The story is now serialized and is updating regularly! This time we see what happened to Jaune and Ren when they were rescued from thier night! Thier teams have a fallout Weiss talks with Jaune's sister and there is a fight in the docks! Enjoy...
Weiss's couldn't see straight, her mouth hung open and fell. Her eyes twitched as her hands slipped into her sides. Her body shook, a wave of pure nausea washed over her. Her head spun, and her mouth felt like was going to snap!
Her tongue tied itself in knots as she felt her mouth go drier than the Vacuo dessert, her eyes losing focus for a time before narrowing, zooming in on the face in front of her. All her despair and disgust turned to sharp anger as her fist balled up, her back straightened and her shock turned into anger.
"What did you say?" Weiss's voice sounded like she was forcing it through her teeth, a fact as her mouth had slammed itself shut so tightly her teeth threatened to break as they ground against one another.
"I lost them." Weiss wanted to slap Yang, no she wanted to do much, much, worse things to her teammate and so-called friend. Her eyes flashed red, a dangerous tick developed on her face. Her breaths became harsh and haggard, her small chest heaving up and down as she fought and lost the battle to keep her temper cool, you did what!?"
Weiss screamed, her anger bursting past her lips, her temper reaching a boiling point as Yang held her head.
"I lost them; I lost them both..."
Jaune was not having a good morning. The boy's eyes fluttered open, and he instantly regretted it. His eyelids felt heavy like they were made of lead. The boy's eyes had to fight to flutter open, as the first rays of sunlight hit his face. Jaune screamed, or he tried, the light rays felt like small knives in his eyes. He instantly closed them again, as he rolled in his bed?
Jaune's head pounded it felt like someone was beating down on his temple with Magnihild, his head felt like it was being crushed and there was a loud ringing noise in his head that he could not explain. His head felt like it was being pounded and his guts wanted to be yanked out, leading him to moan.
"Yang? Ren? What happened to us? When did I get back to my bed-
Jaune paused even with a massive hangover he could tell that whatever he was on was not his bed. For one it was too damn conformable, while the bed in Beacon was by no means bad it was nothing compared to the slice of heaven Jaune found himself resting on.
Whatever bed he was in was impossibly soft and made him think that he was resting on a cloud. His hands tentatively streaked out feeling the soft square edges of the not bed, painting a mental picture of a couch.
"I'm on a couch?" Jaune asked now sure that he was not in his dorm and was somewhere else.
"Hello! Yang? Anyone! Dammit!" Jaune hissed in pain, his own voice making him feel like his ears were going to pop!
"Hello? Anyone? Ren?" Jaune asked no longer shouting his ears throbbing as he groaned, he rolled over to his left this time forcing his eyes to open. As he opened them, he saw a bizarre color coated room. The room was expertly, in Jaune's opinion, color coordinated. Nothing in all of the room was not a shade of brown, white or pink or some combination of all three. All of the furniture which was luxurious even to Jaune's amateur eye.
Each table, stool, chair, and hell even the napkins of the apartment? He was now sure he was in an apartment on the couch of some stranger was either pink, brown or white. And each one cost more Lien than most people ever saw in a lifetime. As Jaune moaned, his head was slowly shifting as he took in his surroundings. He was alone in a luxurious apartment by himself-
"My scroll!" Jaune hissed wincing in pain as his hands flew to his side. His scroll was not there, neither were his bombs?!
He left in his typical Beacon uniform, but he always carried some bombs on him at all times. Now they had been removed along with his scroll leaving him almost defenseless, and without a means to call for help should he need to that way.
Calm down Jaune you are ok. You are just drunk; you aren't hurt just hungover whoever has you here probably just wants to help you. Yeah that's it they just want to help-
Click! The sounds of a door clicking fill the air as the sound of an opening door greeted him. Jaune hear the shuffling of grocery bags along with the tell-tale tip, tap! Of high heels on hardwood. Jaune tilted his head ignoring the sharp pain in his neck as the tip tap! Got louder and louder as someone put a bag of groceries down as the high heeled person walked over to the couch.
Instantly a mesmerizing pair of brown and pink eyes looked down to him. A woman stood above him a beautiful woman. Her face was a perfect oval shape, and her mismatched eyes seemed to pull Jaune into them. The woman's ample chest that rivaled, if not surpassed, Yang's struggled to burst out of her fitting white leotard as she giggled.
"You are up?" The woman signed? She used sign language making Jaune's headache double, he knew sign and just didn't want to put the mental effort into analyzing her complex quick hand gestures.
"Who are you?" Jaune asked trying to sound polite as the woman giggled, walking around the couch, her small for a woman she was still half a foot taller than Jaune walked over to him. Her hips swung in a tantalizing manner gluing his eyes to her shaking rear that put Blakes own supple end to shame.
What? Jaune was a guy he looked, just because he didn't talk to the secret faunus as much as he would like didn't mean that he did not find her attractive. Hell, he found all of his team and friends attractive in some way or another.
"Who are you?" Jaune asked again as the woman giggled putting a hand on his forehead giving him an unobstructed view of her cleavage as she giggled. Jaune flushed unused to intimate contact with a stranger especially a woman and doubly so when he was injured.
"My name is Neo, thank you for asking Jaune." Neo signed as Jaune froze.
"How do you know my name?"
"How do I know it? You keep telling me it last night. You were really messed up when I found you, you know? I thought you looked in danger on the side of the building like that. So I brought you back to my home."
"My friends! I had two people with me! A boy and a girl!"
"Sorry don't know them. I saw you alone I have no idea who your friends are I'm sorry." Jaune deflated his mood dropping like a brick from a catwalk as he paused.
"My partner! I need to call my partner! She's probably worried sick-
Jaune's words blurred as his vision swam the room and Neo bled in a kaleidoscope of colors as he felt a wave of bile rise in the back of his throat.
"Oh, goddess... I don't feel so good." Jaune said groaning before something long cold and metallic was forced into his mouth. Jaune clenched his mouth involuntarily as he tasted cool metal, there was slight buzzing sound before Neo removed a small metallic rod from his jaw. Placing it on her scroll as a yellow light flashed out.
"Neo? What the hell was that?"
"Test." Neo signed offhandedly as her scroll flashed red, Neo frowned an irritated look on her face as she sighed.
"Yup, it looks like you got roofied last night." Neo signed as Jaune felt sick. His guts did a loop and he suddenly wanted to vomit.
"What?!"
"You got date raped. Be glad I found you before someone else did. I don't know how you would have ended up if I left you all alone."
"Goddess, I need to call my partner.'
"Good luck your scroll is trashed."
"What?!"
"Yeah it was soaked with liquor, I tried to fix it, but you wouldn't let me have it something about your scroll history?"
"I!"
"Anyways, after that, you tossed a bomb at me when I told you I was putting you to bed, luckily you were outside and missed me, but I confiscated your weaponry for the time being. It's in the closet since you are a hunter in training I'm guessing you have a license?"
"I do, but I need to talk to my partner."
"Later on you look like hell you know? For now? You can just sleep it off; you had a long day get some rest." Neo signed rubbing Jaune's head tenderly as he nodded and felt his mind force him back into slumber.
Ren was having a bad morning.
"BLAH!" Ren vomited hard into the porcelain bowl as he expected his stomach. He felt bile pour about and splatter onto the bowl, his world spun, and his head throbbed like Nora was bouncing on it again. He yanked into the bowl as a strong pair of hands stroked his back.
"There you go kid, let it out, you got this." A man said holding Ren's hair. "Just get it out of yourself," Roman said covering his mouth, the boy Ren was not in a good place. He had spent most of the night curled up in a small ball by the toilets where he had on several occasions vomited repeatedly and violently.
"You really need to watch you damn drinks kids. I mean what would have done if I was not in the club?" Roman asked rubbing the back of the boy's head. The long oddly feminine hair of the boy felt good in his hands as he shook.
"What did I drink?" The boy drawled before vomiting again as Roman sighed.
"That's called a roofie. You don't want them in your blood kid. You got a bit of date rape."
"I got r-
Ren vomited again making Roman wipe the air around his face getting the offensive smell off of him.
"Good god kid you really need a break you know that?"
"I! I need to call my partner!"
"You will need your scroll to do that."
"My scroll!" Another wave of vomit this one cause Roman to flush the toilet to save his nose the torture as well as the boy's face. The vomit had been about to overrun his nose and Roman had saved him.
"No idea kid. When I found you it was nowhere near you. You probably lost it."
"Great Nora is going to kill me." Ren moaned before vomiting again as Roman sighed.
"That your girl kid? She's probably worried her man is a Beacon student. Can't be easy being a guy there."
"She's my partner!"
"Oh? Are you dating your partner? Bad move kid, trust me been there done that. I got the bullet wound and flame scars to prove it. Dating your partner is never a good idea. Take it from me I've done that in the past. It never ends well for all parties involved." Roman said as Ren let out one last bit of vomit before groaning. Getting his head out of the toilet and flushing it.
"I need to get back to Beacon," Ren said his head shaking as Roman shook his head.
"What you need is to take a damn break. You are going nowhere until you get some damn rest ok?" Roman said as he helped Ren up. Ren nodded weakly.
"Ok."
"Good kid. Now come on let's get you on the couch. You look like hot shit you know?" Roman asked as he leads the boy away from the bathroom. He did not want Ren to stay in his hideout any longer than he needed to.
For one he was a hunter. In training or not Ren was on the right side of the law and Roman was... Roman and the law did not always agree on the finer points of the judicial system. So far Roman kept his nose clean of the more serious things, but recent events had turned up the heat, so to speak. He needed to get Ren out of his place as soon as possible.
Ding! His scroll rang as he put Ren down on the immaculate crimson couch his scroll going off as Neo texted him.
"You found one too?" Roman asked taking his scroll viewing his message as it looked like Neo had taken in her own stray…
"I don't see what the problem is." A calm voice said as a pair of crystal eyes twitched.
"Don't know what the problem is!? Your brother is missing!" Weiss screamed as Catherine Arc raised a questioning eye to the angered girl.
"And? What is that any of my concern?" Cathine asked looking up from her desk as Weiss resisted the urge to punch her in the face. Her hands twitched but years of training and suppressing her emotions kept her hands in place.
"He is your brother!"
"You've said that before. Why are you saying it twice?" Catherine said not a hint of concern in her voice as Weiss ground her teeth.
"He is your brother!"
"You have said that three times now. What do you think you will accomplish by repeating the same words?"
"That you will do something and go find him! You don't know what is happening to him or Ren! They could be in danger!"
"Weiss, if my dumbass of a brother can get his ass lost in the woods for six-plus years and come out alive he can handle himself for one measly day." Catherine drawled rolling her eyes as the petulant Schnee looked at her like she was the monster. I mean Weiss was a Schnee she was a literal monster in human clothing. Why did she care about her pet partner?
"He is alone!"
"He is with Ren, and last time I checked they both had their scrolls and weapons."
"Jaune only had some bombs! I didn't let him take any more than necessary!"
"And he beat a champion flawlessly in his first bout with her. What threat do you think the random civilians of Vale will pose to him?"
"He's a boy! He can be abused! Or taken! Or-
"Weiss. Calm down. He's my brother he's a dumbass-
"Stop saying that!"
"Saying what?"
"That's he's a dumbass! He is my partner and I won't have you insult him!" Weiss shouted at her teacher as Catherine froze. Her crystal blue eyes narrowed as she growled.
"Careful with those words Schnee, I don't know who the hell you think you are but if you want to sit here and lie to my face about how you actually care about my brother you can get the hell out of my office."
"I do care for your brother! He is my partner, he is my best friend!"
"A Schnee friends with an Arc? Hah! Now that is a joke I have yet to hear. It's good to know that even unsympathetic monsters like yourself have a sense of humor. I supposed it helps you sleep at night."
"I am no monster Arc."
"Your family are all monsters, Schnee. I don't care that your father took control of the company and is making things right so to is not a Schnee but the trophy husband your whore of a mother took when she realized no one else would so much as look at her let alone touch her bloodstained hands. That is a fact that no amount of Lien would change."
"This is my mother!"
"I know why do you think I'm insulting her?"
"Why are you being so flippant!? Your brother is in danger! Why are you not more invested!?" Weiss demanded her brain refusing to even begin to consider that Jaune's fool of a sister was not more emotionally invested in the well being of her younger brother!
"Why are you so invested? You are a Schnee why do you care about one of us?"
"One of you? Is that what this is about?! I don't care what you are Catherine!"
"That's Miss Arc now Schnee."
"Miss Arc! My partner is missing! I am worried about him and the lack of response from the staff if unacceptable!"
"You want your pet back is that right?" Catherine said as Weiss saw red, her jaw clenched and her teeth ground. Her fists clenched, her brain began to pound like a drum, as she felt her blood boil.
"Miss Arc-"
"Call me Catherine."
"Catherine! I don't care! Jaune is my partner. He is my friend, my best friend and I won't sit back when he is in danger!" Weiss's temper reached its limit her anger reaching the boiling point as she held nothing back.
"You don't even know he is in danger? Has he called you to say he needs help?"
"No, but-"
"Then what's your problem? He probably got drunk and is sleeping it off in an alley somewhere. He'll call you, later on, complaining about a headache and beg to be picked up. Which you will you would not want your property to get hurt would you?" Catherine asked as Weiss looked ready to strike her.
"How. Dare you."
"How dare I what?"
"Assume that I think of him that way!"
"What way?"
"Like that! How day you assume I think of him as my property! That is my friend you are talking about!"
"Don't play your games with me, Schnee, my brother is fine and your pet will be brought back to you soon enough."
"Fine?! Fine?! How do you know he is fine? He is a boy! He could be in all kinds of danger right now are you are not doing jack shit about it!"
"What? Is it wrong that I believe in my brother more than you Schnee?" Catherine said in a mocking voice as Weiss finally snapped.
"Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing."
"What?"
"Where was your belief when your brother ran away from home?"
"What did you just say?"
"I asked you where was your belief when Jaune ran away? Where was your so-called trust in him when he had to leave his own home? Where was your faith when your own brother whom you claim to love! A claim which I am doubting more and more with every second that I get to know you." Weiss said as Catherine snarled her face twisting into a vicious snarl as she ground her teeth.
"You don't know anything!"
"I know Jaune trust me more than you. I know he hates how you and your family treated him."
"You don't know a damn thing!"
"I know he hated it enough to run away without a word. He left you all in the middle of the night. Like the disposable pieces of garbage that you were."
"One more word Schnee and I'll toss you out the damned window!"
"Do it! You'll give me a head start on my search!" Weiss said turning on her heels and stomping out of the office.
"Schnee! Get your thin ass back here!"
"No! I'm going to find your brother because I actually give a damn!"
"Schnee! Don't you close that door!"
"Watch me," Weiss said slamming the door with a resounding whap! As the door frame shook Catherine called for her again as Weiss huffed and walked away...
"I yelled at a teacher," Weiss said head in her hands as she ate her modest lunch.
"She deserved it! How the hell can she say that?! Jaune and my Ren are missing! Missing! Who knows what could be happening to them right now?!"
"Nora I know you are worried but Jaune and Ren have their aura unlocked! They are probably fine!"
"Pyrrha! You have seen them! Ren needs me to keep him safe and Jaune!? He might jump into the first women's arms who gave him a hug and he was drunk!? You don't know who ran off with him!"
"Oh, dear goddess. He would jump into the arms of the first woman who flirted with him! You idiot! How could you be that dumb?!" Weiss said slamming her fists on the table, her face heated up and her temples pounding with fear.
"Jaune would do that! He would just jump into the arms of the first woman who smiled at him! What was I thinking letting him go like that?!"
"Calm down! All of you! We don't know what happened to them! It's only been one day." Pyrrha said once again trying to calm down their tense table and-
"A lot can happen in a day," Blake added before wincing instantly regretting it as the table gasped.
"Oh, goddess."
"We don't know anything!"
"We don't know anything because we don't have any actual information!" Nora said growling to her right where Yang sat her head held low. She couldn't meet the eyes of anyone at the table. She stared at her plate unmoving not knowing what to say as she had a low fisheye look to it.
"Um! Ok! How about this! We can go look for them!" Ruby asked the young leader already panicking. She was already stressed that her best friend was missing but her teammate?! Ren was her teammate she was his leader!
Ren was Ruby's responsibility and if anything happened to him!? What kind of leader would she be!?
"But Glynda said we could not look for them. Not until a missing person report could be filed."
"Forget that! Ren is my teammate and as his leader, I won't let him go missing!"
"For once... I agree with you Rose. Jaune and Ren are missing and I don't care what that bitch of a sister says about them! We are going to find them one way or another."
"Get up!" Neo signed as she gently took Jaune off the couch, the boy had been recovering from his drugging for a day, and was looking somewhat better.
The boy still looked like he might fall over the moment a breeze came his way but he could walk now. He was able to eat solid foods as well, the drugs he ingested must have been a cocktail of drugs, not just the roofie. The lack of energy, muscular apathy and overall length of lethargy lent Neo to assume that some type of exotic and rare tranquilizers along with additional psychedelics were added to the mix. Making Jaune's recovery slower than usual especially for one with aura.
"Neo? Where are we going?"
"To a mutual friend of ours and to meet your friend." Neo signed as she took Jaune under her arm as they began to walk.
"Ren?!"
"Jaune!" Ren said as a woman in tri-colored woman brought Jaune into the back room of Juniors, the boy limping in her arms as Ren smiled.
"Jaune! You are ok!" Ren said before gagging falling forward in his small white couch before a pair of thin arms gripped him back.
"Watch it! You can't get up like that!" A sharp feminine voice said as a girl pulled Ren back. She was tall with long flowing black hair that was a dead mimic of Rens. Her eyes flashed a sharp green and she wore a bright red dress. She was slender but very muscled. Her limbs while thinner than most women were compacted like coiled springs.
She had a bright red gauntlet on her right hand that looked like it could tear a woman in half. She also had a long crimson blade attached to her hips and a pistol on her non-gauntlet side. She carried herself like a fighter and Jaune knew she was dangerous.
As she pulled Ren back another girl with an identical look to the other but in a silver outfit appeared carrying a tray with two steaming drinks on it.
"Miltiades don't yank him. He's still woozy."
"He was about to fall Mel!"
"I know but calm. He's still out of it." The other girl the clear sister as Jaune knew what twins looked like when he saw them said as she rolled her eyes.
"Jaune! This is Miltiades and Melanie. They work in the bar, remember the bouncers?"
"The ones who flirted with us?"
"Damn right, how are you doing blonde and scrumptious?" The silver one Melanie? Asked letting Ren take a drink before walking over to Jaune.
"Here have this, herbal tea will help with your recovery from your drugs," Melanie said handing the adorable boy who besides a scar on his face was looking mighty scrumptious.
"Thanks," Jaune said as Neo took the drink giving it to him slowly as he nodded.
"Thanks," Jaune said gulping down the liquid, wincing it had the taste of cream soda but the texture of glue. He shivered gulping it down before Neo removed the cup from his mouth and gave it back to Mel.
"Thanks, Neo."
"You are very welcome cutie." Neo signed as Jaune blushed, Neo led him to the couch with Ren the boy smiled weakly his magenta eyes lighting up as he sat next to him.
"Jaune have you called Weiss yet?"
"No, I broke my scroll when we were out, have you called Nora or Ruby?"
"No... my scroll is lost."
"Great. Now they think we are dead."
"I doubt that. Nora has some faith in me but she is undoubtedly worried about me."
"You two can call your lovers later, for now, get some damn rest." A cool voice said as Jaune painfully raised his head. A man stood in front of him, a man in all white. With a pearl tux, a clean pair of pants a smoking pair of pale shoes and a white bowler hat stood smoking a cigar as Jaune passed.
"Hello?"
"Jaune that's Roman he helped me out of the bar and got me somewhere safe."
"Roman Torchwick kid, nice to meet you." The man said holding out a gloved hand his emerald eyes reminded him of the twins and his fiery red hair like Nora's.
"Jaune Arc, nice to meet you," Jaune said as the man's eyes opened in recognition.
"Jaune Arc? Didn't you die?"
"I ran away, there is a bit of a difference."
"Says you, what the hell made you run away from the lap of luxury?"
"What made you become a criminal?" Jaune asked as the room froze, Roman, the twins and Neo paused their bodies became tense as springs as Roman gave an off-kilter grin.
"What makes you think that I'm a criminal kid?"
"Takes one to know one.' Jaune replied as Roman cocked his head.
"Oh? Are you not on the favorable side of the law?"
"My weapons violate several parts of the Vacuo convention of human rights. I'm a walking war criminal protected by a hunter's license."
"And why are you saying this Jaune?" Roman asked a curious look in his emerald eyes as Jaune grinned.
"You smell like dust." Jaune saw the twins slowly pull out a pistol each both taking an offensive stance as he saw Neo disappear from his vision.
"And?"
"I would like to acquire some." At once the tension bleeds away a sigh was heard as the twins put their pistols back as Jaune felt a pressure removed from the back of his head as Neo titted back into his field of view. Her body jumped back her hands closing? Up her parasol as-
"So you want to do business with me kid? Tell me why should I sell?" Roman asked as he smirked willingly at Jaune as he leaned in.
Ruby was having a tense day.
"First Ren now Blake?! Ruby, our team is falling apart!" Nora said as Ruby wanted to tear out her hair! It was one thing to lose Jaune and Ren. That was bad enough, two days and no boys had not! Done either team any favor.
The loss of the boys was only made that much worse! Blake was Ruby's partner and despite! Her best efforts their relationship was rocky at the best of times. Blake did not talk much or at all. Which was not bad! By no means, Blake was a cold beauty!
Strong! Confident! And! And! And a total social pariah! Blake didn't contribute anything to team talks! And while that was fine! Nora talked more than enough for all of them! Blake was actually the worst for Ruby! She tried! She really did want Blake to like and open up to her but she just didn't! Now her partner was gone, her best friend was gone and her teammate was gone! It was a total mess!
"Ruby! You are our leader! What do we do?"
"What!?"
"What are we going to do!? It's been two days since we last saw Jaune or Ren! And a day since Blake went missing trying to find them!? What are we going to do?!" Nora asked as Ruby panicked.
Team Sapphire was not at its best.
"I can't believe this! Two days! Two days and nothing! Why can't they pull their heads out of their asses and see things for what they are?!" Weiss shouted her fists balled up, her heels had made a deep run in the Sapphire floor. The heiress had made a long ring on the red-carpeted floor as she paced.
"In less than a day, they will put out a search warrant Weiss. They will put out an APB along with a missing person report as soon as that occurs!" Pyrrha's false cheer did nothing to liven her team's mood. She was already stressed as is.
She had just gotten over the fact that Jaune was not dead now he was missing? Along with Ren and Blake? This did not bode well for either team. One team was down fifty percent and the other a quarter!
"Weiss we simply need to wait."
"I'm tired of waiting Pyrrha! Why is everyone so calm!?"
"They might be ok." The two girls froze, Yang's voice had not been heard in so long it sounded like a stranger. The girl had her head down looking at her knees.
"Don't you dare start to talk!" Weiss hissed stalking over to Yang pointing a warning finger at her.
"This is your fault that they are missing in the first place!"
"I know that! I know that it's my fault and I already feel like shit ok!?" Yang snapped back her head snapping up as her eyes began to flash red.
"Oh? You had your feelings hurt? Well, too bad! Because of you, my partner might be dead or worse! Or Ren! What if something happened to them!? What if they are hurt, in pain or someone took advantage of them? What then Yang?" Weiss said as Yang stood up towering over Weiss fire shooting from her eyes as she growled.
"I don't fucking know ok! If they are hurt I'll beat the ass of whatever bitch did it to them ok!?"
"No not ok! You can't just beat people up! We have courts for a reason!"
"What do you want from me, Weiss?! I fucked up! I made a mistake!"
"I Know that! Every day my partner is not in his bed I know that!"
"What do you want from me, Weiss? Do you want me to say sorry?!"
"I wanted you to be fucking responsible and not get so drunk that you lose two of your friends and my partner!"
"I'm sorry!"
"I don't care!"
"Enough! Both of you! Weiss, I know you are mad at Yang! I am not pleased with her either but yelling at each other solves nothing alright?" Pyrrha asked intervening before blows were thrown. A fight that while Weiss might have some agility one good hit by Yang would end it as soon as it began. The intervention was a timely one as both Yang and Weiss failed to notice how Yang's gauntlet the one that was held back in a punching motion glowed black as Yang growled slamming herself back down as she huffed.
"I! I can't look at her!" Weiss said stalking away as yang looked back down defeated.
"I fucked up partner, I fucked up bad."
"I... you made a mistake Yang. A serious mistake, but you don't have to let it stay that way. We'll find Jaune and Ren and when not if he gets back here Jaune will not want you to be sad when he gets back. Who else will he flirt with?" Pyrrha sked as Yang sighed.
"I mean you are drop dead gorgeous already. Why wouldn't he flirt with you? You never left him alone in a bar."
"I am not what you would call a people person. I can barely look Jaune in the eyes let alone flirt with him.'
"Don't sell yourself short, Jaune would have to be blind not to fall for you."
"Maybe but he does not flirt with me. He jokes with you more than anyone else. He cares for you and I think that if you get your act together and after you apologize I think he might take you a bit more seriously."
"Thanks, Pyr I needed that."
"No problem what are partners for?"
"OK! So you two are my new employees?" A tall man with a bald head and thick red sunglasses asked as Jaune and Ren nodded. Roman had offered to sell Jaune dust crystals for a cut-rate as long as Jaune was willing to test some experimental dust shards for him in return. Apparently, Roman was gathering dust for someone and had a surplus.
And whoever the hell he was gathering the dust for had a strange obsession with experimentation on it. Roman was asked and by that meant, coerced them into experimenting with dust crystals and in return for some first-person tests, Roman would give Jaune a cut rate on the dust.
"Yes, we are!" Jaune said as Ren sighed. The boy was not as enthused about his new job but Roman had saved his life. He could overlook some illegal actions as a result.
"I guess I will have a job as well as being a hunter. Joy." Ren added yawing once as Junior nodded.
"Ok here is your assignment. You two are waiters, bring food to the guests, make them smile and look pretty. Do that and you get paid in cash every week. Questions?"
"How many hours of work can we expect a week?"
"Ren? Well, you are students so only ten to twenty."
"That sounds doable, what is our pay looking like?"
"Same as everyone else in this business. Twenty-seven an hour."
"Twenty-seven!?"
"Yes, blondie twenty-seven lien. In case you haven't noticed our clientele can be a bit shady so you are getting an extra amount for discretion ok?"
"Works for me!"
"Why did I let Roman talk me into this?"
"Don't ask me, kid, you two are the newest employees here so welcome to the team!" Junior said as Ren sighed putting his head between his hands as Roman coughed.
"Jaune! A word." Roman said as Jaune nodded.
"Ren?"
"I'm still a bit sick, go without me."
"Got it," Jaune said slowly getting up his head still a blur of noises as Roman pulled him to the side before hissing in his ear.
"I like you blondie, I like a man with moral flexibility but we need to talk."
"Talk? About what?"
"Kid you are a hunter in training I am a criminal we need to establish some ground rules for our partnership."
"Ground rules? Like what?"
"Simple. We need to establish a hostile work environment."
"What does that mean?"
"Let me tell you..."
Blake was not having a good day. No, she was-
"So! Tall dark and gorgeous! What's it going to take for you to take me home? I can be a good boy you know?" The smooth voice of the irritatingly smug voice of Blake's latest tag along asked as she laid flat on a rooftop. The monkey faunus Sun who had for some reason become infatuated with her was not on her good list.
"Sun! Shut up!"
"But babe!"
"I am not you babe!"
"Blake! Sun! Look!" Jaune the actual object of her search said as Blake looked up. The roar of engines filled her ears as two bullheads flew above her head. The two craft flew over the docks and hovered once. Allowing Blake to zoom in with her eyes as they landed and several ramps were lowered as faunus in masks came out of them.
"So it is the Fang?" Sun asked the smaller faunus crawling up next to her, lying flat on his stomach. Sun was a small male faunus with a blonde monkey tail. The boy was around half a foot shorter than Blake and had a lithe but toned build.
His body lacked the muscles of Blake or really any woman but he was impossibly toned. His half-opened shirt was already a violation of Vale dress code showed off his near washboard like stomach, of tanned skin that Blake would admit stole her eyes more than once.
Sun was cute, in his own sense of the word. He was short toned and had a natural inclination towards submission that made Blake curious. In short, he was the perfect mate for her but Blake had more pressing matters than the potential father of her children like what was she going to tell Weiss or Nora when she only brought back one of their partners instead of both.
Finding Jaune was a stroke of pure luck, she ran into the boy while entertaining Sun at a coffee shop. The boy literally ran into them claiming he was trying to avoid a persistent ginger girl who was hell-bent on befriending him. Blake knew that some women could not take a hint and had wanted!
Oh, she wanted to take Jaune back to Beacon then and there but she needed to find Ren first. Sun said they should all go together and now? Now she, Jaune, and Sun were on a rooftop in the dead of night watching terrorist unloading crates of dust and-
'Ok! Ok, you lousy animals get a move on!"
"That voice?" Jaune asked his eyes narrowing as a tall man stepped out of the bullhead.
"A human?" Blake gasped as a man she recognized as Roman Torchwick stepped out twirling a cane and smoking a cigar.
"In case any of you lot have not realized we are not the most inconspicuous group of thieves! So get a move on so we can get the hell out of here!" Roman ordered as-
"The Fang taking orders from a human? That's new." Sun added blinking in confusion his prehensile tail flickering out as-
"Let's pay them a visit!"
"Hell yeah, Jaune!" Both boys said as Blake paled.
"What?! No! No! No! We are all going back to Beacon, we are going to find Ren and-"
"The last one down is a rotten egg!"
"You are on monkey boy!" Jaune said as he and Sun leaped down off the rooftop.
"Jaune! Sun! Goddess dammit!" Blake hissed drawing her weapon and jumping off the roof as they leapt down.
"Weiss is going to kill me!" Blake hissed already moving to protect the foolish boys who had just jumped into the meat grinder.
Roman was having a good night, well he was until he felt a blade pressed into his jugular.
"You got a reason to be pointing that blade at me girlie?" Roman asked his face a mask of slight irritation as he felt a blade press into the front of his neck.
"Brothers and sisters of the Fang! Why are you working with this human?!" The impossibly misguided faunus female shouted out as the grunts paused all masks looked to her as-
"Well? Is somebody going to shoot her or are you just going to stand there all night with those dumbass faces? Not that I can see your faces you lot do like your masks don't you?" Roman asked as the Fang snapped out of their confusion, drawing guns swords and even crowbars as Blake froze.
"Brothers!? Sisters!? What are you doing?"
"They are helping me faunus. You see me and the Fang are in a joint business venture right now so I would appreciate it if you would buzz off!" Roman said pointing his cane back baring at the feet of the girl.
There was a loud bang along with a wave of heat as Roman sent the girl back flying as Roman fire Melodic Cudgel blowing her back in a wave of fire.
"Ok, then ladies! What are you waiting for? Kill her!" Roman said as the Fang opened up and the docks exploded into gunfire.
"Blake!" An oddly loud masculine voice yelled as Roman raised his cane, a literal gun on a nunchuck? Wrapped around in pulling his cane down as a blonde blur appeared.
Bang! A shotgun fired pushing Roman back his aura flaring up as a money faunus with a blonde tail appeared yanking his cane down as he snarled.
"Back off her!" The monkey faunus yelled as Roman sighed.
"Kid you need to work on your timing!" Roman shouted yanking up his cane, tearing it free of the boys' grip smashing him in the face.
There was a sickening crack, that filled the air as the Faunus's neck snapped back his face twisting in pain as Roman tore free his cane from his grip.
"Sun!" The girl who probably had mommy issues said as Roman sighed. Raising his cane pointing it to the boy's chest and pulling the trigger.
The faunus flew back his aura shining brightly as the blast took him off his feet.
"You really need to work on your intro kid, I'll give you an eight! For style but a six for execution." Roman said taking time to replace his cigar as he took a deep drag-
"Bastard!"
"Whoa, there little kitty! You don't want to be waving something so dangerous around now do you?" Roman asked dodging the first strike of the blade as the cat faunus assaulted him.
"In case any of you want to shoot her! Now is the time!" Roman hissed as Blake pushed him back the Fang grunts to their credit did not want to risk a shot on their boss as the girl pushed him back.
The attack was soon doubled as Sun joined in his face a bit bruised and a black eye added to him made Roman sorely pressed as blade and nunchuck fell.
"I could use some help!" Roman yelled starting to feel the pressure of a dual attack. Some grunts raised their rifle but hesitated and that hesitation cost them dearly.
Fisht! A green ball of dust filled the air as a brown sack exploded in the middle of a gaggle of grunts. Jaune rolled in Blake luckily having the foresight to bring him some satchels that she stole from his room when their teams were out looking for him. Jaune tossed two of them into the gaggle as-
"AHHHHHH! It burns!" A horrifying scream filled the air as the caustic dust attacked-
"Oh, goddess! Help! Me!"
"My eyes! I can't see!"
"My face!" The horrifying screams of the woman filled the air as the dust attacked. One of the women had aura and that protected her the other three? They were not so lucky.
"My skin!" The dust ate through their armor quickly it could eat into the chitin of a Deathstalker and it did not so much as pause to tear into their paper thin armor making quick work of the limited protection the Fang offered their grunts.
Their masks, and padding dissolved in mere seconds and their clothes a second later leaving nothing but their unprotected skin to guard against the corrosive dust the skin did not last.
A shriek filled the air as the skin evaporated. Peeled off as if by miniature carving knives, the women's skin fell from the bodies revealing raw muscle and flesh. Fisht! Another dust bomb slammed into the now freshly skinned women coating them in even more of the caustic bombs affect.
"AIIIEE!" The women screamed as their muscles turned red, then green and began to quiver. The muscle sloughed off their flesh like some type of macabre molasses, falling onto the ground in wet sloppy clumps of shivering green matter. The sharp! White outlines of bone appeared on the women as-
"My eyes!" The eyeballs of the women seemed to pop! The dust eating into their sockets as they fell. The lack of muscles made standing impossible as they collapsed another fisht! Filled the air as the reaming people fell into a single coalescing bubbling caustic pool of green liquid as their bodies dissolved into thick green pools of slime as the women melted.
There were several minutes of tense horrified silence on the docks as everyone Fang or not tried to comprehend what they had witnessed.
"Holy fuck kid. That was terrible." Roman said the Fang grunt behind him vomited onto the docks, the other Fang took several steps back as even Blake and Sun looked like they might lose their lunch and-
Bang! A bullet caught Jaune in his chest, some grunt finding her mettle as Roman shook his head.
"Ok! That was fucking horrifying! Back to killing each other!" The man said raising his cane blasting the cat faunus in the head sending her flying off.
"Blake!"
"You're next!" Roman said turning on his feet shooting him in his chest, the boy screamed falling back as gunfire once again lit up the dock.
"Shit!" Jaune hissed several bullets found his chest, landing in a triangle pattern sending him teetering. His aura flashed and his semblance activated at once. Reducing the damage he received but still, it hurt like a bitch.
"Fuck!" Jaune yelled ducking and rolling the Beacon uniform offering nothing in the way of damage resistance forcing his semblance to do all the work.
Jaune tucked and rolled tossing satchels as fast as he could, landing precise shots in clusters of fang that seemed to have not learned from their comrades' messy demise.
The Fang that did not learn where unfortunately few and far between. The remaining Fang split into sparse groups of two or three enemies at most all focusing fire on the boy who had melted their friends.
BANG!
Two more bullets caught Jaune in his chest and one bomb hit a sniper on a shipping crate. Fisht! The woman screamed but her aura flashed making it all but assured she would live. Jaune on the other hand? He was not in such good shape.
"Dammit!" Jaune hissed twin bullets slamming into him as he was yanked off. He tasted the first hint of blood in his mouth as something cracked.
"I can't take much more of those." Jaune hissed kicking up. Roman was fighting Blake and Sun, the so-called surprise attack Roman had told Jaune to do had not gone as planned.
How was I supposed to know they didn't have their aura unlocked?! Jaune thought as another bullet shot in front of him narrowly missing his head as-
A scream filled the air, Ren appeared behind her him doing his part in the act.
Ren owed Roman and was agreeing to look the other way for some more illicit activities. As he attacked the Fang he bought Jaune some time but not enough. One more satchel flew the few that he had left after apparently tossing most at Neo in a drunken stupor, had long run out. And the ones Blake mercifully brought were almost out!
This is why I made the deal with Roman! He can get me the dust easier than others but no! I'm out of dust and I'm about to fucking die! Jaune thought as another sniper took aim-
"Friend in danger!" A voice yelled as Jaune hear the bang! But was spared the pain of a bullet impact as he was lifted off the ground.
Jaune felt his legs taken out from under him as a pair of emerald eyes on a ginger face looked down at him.
"Penny!?"
"Friend Jaune! Why are you engaging the White Fang!? Why are you not back in Beacon? Your missing person report was filed and I must insist! That you go back to school!" Penny said holding Jaune in a prince carry as she stood on a shipping container, oblivious to the fight around her.
"Penny!?" Jaune gasped as the strange ginger girl who hounded him earlier suddenly appeared holding him in her arms as she smiled widely at him.
"Yes, friend Jaune? Are you ready to go back to Beacon yet?" The girl asked as gunshots rang around her.
"Penny put me down"!
"As you wish!" Penny said dropping Jaune with a loud thud! Onto the container making Jaune groan as he fought to stand up.
"Penny in case you didn't notice I am kinda busy here!" Jaune said pointing to the fight unfolding around him.
"Jaune! There is a crime in progress!"
"You don't say! Now- Get down!" Jaune said pressing Penny to the floor or trying. He jumped in front of her to block a bullet only to hit a brick wall. Penny stood fast as a bullet slammed into Jaune's chest making him howl as he crumpled against her.
"Friend Jaune! You are injured!" Penny asked as-
Ting! A bullet impacted squared on her forehead as Jaune swore! He saw sparks? Flying as Penny paused her neck snapping otherwise ignoring the bullet. "Friend Jaune I do not believe these people are friends of ours."
"You don't say!" Jaune wincing as he stood up Penny helped him up as her eyes began to glow red.
"Fear not friend Jaune, I will deal with these non-friends of ours."
"And how do you plan to do that?"
"Simple, I am combat ready!"
Bang!
"Roman!"
"Oh fuck me! Red!? Is that you!?" Roman asked sweat on his face, fighting back the two faunus was hard enough and he had managed to work up a good sweat in the process! He was not as young as he used to be but he was still better than these two by leaps and bounds!
The multiple black eyes, bruised skin, and a limp in both of their steps proved that.
But! With the addition of fucking Red the fight might just turn against him, might.
"Red isn't it past your bedtime?" Roman asked blocking a strike from the girl only to eat a nunchuck to his side. The money boy paid for that with an elbow to the face as Roman sent him spiraling back.
"Sun!"
"Leave my teammates alone!"
"Red this is not a damn fairy-
FISHT! The sound of air burning and the screams of Fang filled the air as Roman swore he saw lasers.
"Who the fuck is shooting that!?" Roman shouted turning as he paused, there was a girl who was flying!? With literal floating swords shooting, slashing and in some cases implying. The unfortunate Fang who got in her way.
"Kids, just keep getting weirder and weirder!" Roman hissed jumping back now pressed on three sides, Red joined into the fight adding her ridiculous! Oversized garden tool to the mix, the massive scythe, along with the odd sword whip gun nunchuck were beginning to overwhelm Roman. Pushing him back more and more, and with no grunt support, things were looking pretty tight!
"Ok, to hell with this!" Roman said taking a hit from the scythe and barely grimacing in pain before shooting the ground. The blast knocked back the three of them at once. As Roman found some breathing room he shouted into his scroll.
"Everything has gone tits up! Get me the hell out of here!" Roman shouted as a roar of turbines was heard.
"Get down!" Ruby said pushing the boy to the group as she and Blake fell flat three bullheads soared over two doing a strafing run putting down a withering volley of suppressive fire. The bullheads forced the hunters back as one hovered low dropping a rope ladder as Roman sighed.
"Well, kids! It's been fun! But I got it-
A thunderclap filled the air. A piercing whine was heard as a line of green appeared. A laser shot the canopy of a bullhead blowing it apart the craft spun out engines whirring as it slammed into another. A second sun was birthed as a whap! Of concussive forced slammed into the docks forcing everyone who was not made of metal to the floor.
The ships exploded as Roman swore.
"Oh for fuck's sake! Get us out of here!" Roman yelled as his craft peeled off taking him out of that cluster fuck and into the night…
As the docks burned Ruby, Blake and Sun began to desperately look for Jaune and Ren, they searched everywhere looked over dead bodies much to Ruby's disgust and around every nook and cranny but even with Penny, they found nothing but bodies, no boys they were gone again…
Two days later and after a media circus Vale died down. The dock fight was covered, to no end. Every major media new outlet had an exclusive take from terrorist attack Vale, to war with Menagerie, Beacon students hold off Fang Lost men hold of vile terrorist and much more. Then when that died down the area was searched head to toe. The missing boys of Beacon had yet to be discovered and even with a police warrant out for their return, there was no progress on the case.
Well, no progress that was until a sound of shattering glass was heard outside of the Beacon walls as a woman in brown, white and pink supporting two boys appeared grinning like a fool as she began to lead her charges back to where they rightfully belonged.
"I believe these belong to you," Neo said as she stood in front of Opal. Teleporting into the headmistress office with two boys one blonde the other raven-haired on her side showing them off before depositing them to the headmistress as Opal's jaw dropped...
AN: OK! Another day another chapter! Jaune and Ren made some new friends! Roman and Neo are in the mix! Neo even made a good first impression! Weiss and Catherine are not going to be friends and a bit of a hint to Roman and Jaune's alliance. Until next time? Brave Sir Robinson is next! So until then? Thanks for reading.