Dedicated to Monty Oum

Title: City Life


(Music: Durarara OST – The Sought After Extraordinary)

On a peaceful night like any other, a tired boy in pajamas went up to his mother who was currently busy with a piece of cloth.

"Mommy? Can you read me a bedtime story?"

"Of course. Now get in bed so I can tuck you in."

"Okay..."

The boy wandered into his cozy room and crawled into bed while his mother sat quietly onto a nearby chair.

"Now, what story do you want to hear?"

"Um… I don't know" The boy muttered weary.

"Hmm, how about the one about a group of warriors fighting a big Deathstalker?" The mother suggested, arching her arms in a monster pose.

"But I already heard that one!" The boy reminded.

"Oh alright. Hmm. How about a story I've gotten from my mother?" The mother placed a finger to her mouth.

"What is it?" The boy asked.

"Let's see if I can find it…" The mother walked out of the room for just a brief moment.

"Ah! Here it is." She came back with a worn out book in tow.

The boy adjusted himself in bed while his mother sat down and opened to the first page.

"Now. Once upon a time, there was a simple goat herder-"

"Huh? That doesn't sound like fun…" The boy sounded confused.

"Shows what you know. This simple herder. This one man was actually the nicest man in the world.

"He was big and strong and had a massive heart of gold. Everywhere he went, his everlasting kindness could put a smile on anyone's face." The mother said in a wise tone.

"Did he actually have gold inside him?" The boy questioned.

She chuckles briefly, "no, that just means that he's a very nice man."

"Even nicer than Daddy?"

"Oh I wouldn't say that. I'd say they're about the same."

"Oh…"

"Anyway, this man, the nicest anyone could be, was walking along one day with his goats; until he heard a cry for help. 'Help! Help!', the man heard the cry and ran quickly to see a gathering of people surrounding a mountain cave. There were many rocks in the way inside and there was a massive stone door in the way as well.

"'My boy is in there! Save him, anyone!' a woman cried.

"'Do not worry! I am here!' the man assured.

"Using his big strong muscles, he made quick work of the rocks, but when he reached the door, it won't budge!"

"Why? Is it too heavy?" The boy interjected.

"No, it was sealed shut. Nothing could pry it open, not even the man's great strength!" The mother explained.

"What did he do?"

"He used the greatest weapon of Mankind."

"A sword?"

"No, his head. For days on end, he sat on a rock thinking and thinking for some way to save the boy inside the cave. Everyone who was worried gave him food to eat while waiting for the shepherd to figure out a way in." The mother narrated.

"Did he?" The boy brightened in anticipation.

"Yes, after three days and nights, he leaped over the cave entrance and landed on top.

"Then, he started punching.

"Down, down, down into the rocks. The man worked effortlessly to bash through to save the boy.

"And when he did, he found the weak, starving boy amidst piles of lost treasure.

"Using all of his strength, he pushed open the cave door from the inside, opening it with the boy tucked in one arm.

"But then, there was a sudden rumbling. The cave was collapsing and there wasn't enough time for the people outside to help!" The mother spoke in a grave tone.

"What happened next?" The boy said.

"Thinking fast, much faster than outside the cave, the man grabbed and ripped the massive door from its hinges and held it above him to protect him and the boy.

"There were several screams as everyone outside witnessed the cave collapsing. Some of the men there were sure that the two were done for." The mother continued.

"But they weren't, right?" The boy hoped. All signs of weariness were wiped off.

"Right, when the dust settled, everyone saw nothing but a pile of rocks. But then, the rocks crumbled and fell, revealing they were both completely unharmed!

"The boy's parents rushed over to their son and caressed him for their worries while the man was applauded by everyone around him, cheering for his fearless and incredible feat.

"After everyone said their goodbyes and thank you's and the boy left with his parents, the man looked back at the door.

"He was surprised to not see a single scratch on the door! In that moment, the man hefted the door to his back and decided to keep it as a shield.

"After that, returned to his goats and went on his merry way with a new shield in tow." The mother concluded.

"Wow… What was his name?" The boy anticipated.

"His name was-"

"Jaune! Can you come over and help?"

Jaune closed the book in his hands with a clap and a nostalgic smile as he heard Tukson call him from the back room.

Who would have thought that he'd find one of his favorite childhood books in Tukson's store? Every book under the sun, indeed!

Ah, this mere discovery brought a wave of reminiscences of his mother telling him stories before bed, back when he could still talk.

In fact, this story was one of the main reasons why he's the compassionate and friendly boy he is today.

Even though the shepherd was fictional, the tales of his charity and various feats had inspired Jaune to become the Hunter he is today.

Jaune took a quick look at his scroll to see Mute Radio's current number of members before checking with Tukson.

1500 users online.

The great wonders of the internet are wondrous, indeed. Information can go from one side of the world to the next in mere seconds.

At first glance, it would seem that there are so many members.

But actually, the number of Mute Radio members was much less than that.

However, Jaune had figured out that there were three types of 'members' after reading through the forums:

The ones who are quite serious and emphasize with Mute Radio's goals, but seemed to repeat the same dialogue: "EQUALITY FOREVER! WE ARE NICE PEOPLE!" "Alright dude. Chill out. Don't spam." "Let him have his fun..." "On the internet? How does that work?" "Just let it happen..."

Then there were the ones who weren't as serious and would just default to saying that they're Mute Radio in name only and just move on with life. "Oh yeah, I'm totally a radio head." "Sure you are..." "*cough*faker*cough*" "I know you said that." "*snicker*" "hahahahaha I'm loving this."

And there's the ones who just wanted to check out the website and never come back. Essentially lurkers. Or people who don't see eye to eye or think of Mute Radio as a joke.

That's all there is to it. Some are all for the cause. Some are not. But Jaune didn't mind at all. Everyone on there can do what they want with the site. He's just there to keep an eye on things.

He's also very delighted in how quickly and efficiently Professor Bartholomew was moderating Mute Radio's web site. The professor was fast on his feet, and apparently he's quick with his hands too.

"Jaune, can you put away your book and help?" Once more, Tukson called to him, pulling him from his thoughts.

Not wanting to make Tukson wait any longer, Jaune picked up the book and rolled his skates lazily to a gap on a nearby shelf, and slides the book into the empty slot.

Jaune turns with warm smile and skated away through the double doors to help Tukson. His mind was filled with thoughts of humanity and kindness.

If a person were to look back at Jaune's book, they would make out a name on the spine.

"Braum"


(Music: Durarara OST – He's Such a Coward that He Can Laugh)

A man was working hard in his shop, cleaning and wiping his counter and humming a tune.

It was around closing time and his windows were tinted down, indicating that it's almost time to leave for the night.

For the time being, however, he's just going to relax and enjoy the peaceful silence that is the last hours of the day.

A bell rung, the sound of the opening of the shop's door.

Oh! A customer!

The man looked up to his customer with a smile.

Said smile faded when he saw a gun barrel aimed between his eyes.

"Good evening. I would like to make a purchase." A voice pleasantly spoke.

"All of your Dust. You can keep the change." The voice changed to a rough tone, hints of charisma still present.

The store keeper looked up to see an orange haired man with a bowler hat, coat, and cigar. Several well-dressed men were behind him. The apparent leader of the robbers was smiling cruelly as he focused all his attention on the worker.

Then, the shop keeper smiled hysterically.

"Hey boss! There's no Dust!" "Yeah! Where's the stuff?" "What do we do, Roman?"

"Eh?"

Roman looked up from the shop manager to see a store devoid of crystals and powder. Nothing on the counter, nothing on the shelves, nothing in the wall canisters. All that was left were miscellaneous items.

But no Dust anywhere.

"What!?" Roman angrily growled and glared at the grinning shop keeper. He was just about to pull the trigger on him.

"Where's the Dust? I had good information that you got a huge dust shipment coming today. Where is it?"

The shop keeper grinned as if mad and raised his hands over his head, surrendering.

"You're kinda late. I'm sold out. As soon as I got the shipment, I got a request from an anonymous source saying that they want all my Dust for practically double for what I paid for it.

"I'd be stupid not to take that bargain." The shop keep chuckled, gaining a sneer from Roman.

'This guy is really pushing it.' Roman inwardly groaned.

"You know. I ought to blow your brains all over the place, but seeing as I'm the reasonable man I am, I'm giving you a chance to spill whoever it was that bought that dust from you." Roman offered, giving a bit of a push to the manager's forehead.

"Sorry, I can't tell you. Store policy." The manager grinned smug.

Police sirens sounded in the distance.

"Boss! It's the cops!" "We can still escape if we go now!"

Roman scoffed with grin as he had the same idea. Maybe these guys do know what they're doing every once in a while. Truly worth every Lien. At times...

"I suggest you better hurry. I slipped the silent alarm the moment you aimed your cane at me." The shop keeper smirked in the face of danger.

Roman lowered his cane in response and eyed the keeper in disdain. He was hoped this was going to be a simple hit and run. The mobsters behind him were prepping their knives and swords for insurance and the quick escape.

"I'm guessing those cameras up there were just installed too?" Roman backed away quickly, nodding his head to the wall cameras just hidden from sight.

"Good eye. Just installed them last night. Got footage of you and everything." The shop keeper laughed, crossing his arms.

Roman humphed and ran out the door followed by his henchmen. He could have robbed the smart aleck blind of all of his Lien or even shoot those blasted cameras out of spite, he thought, but didn't have the time or contempt to.

"Let's get out of here." Roman grumbled as they made their way to the an alley, walking past several graffiti depicting colorful White Fang symbols and several images of Humans and Faunus coexisting.

'Ouch. my pride...' Roman groaned to himself.

"None of you speak of this to anyone. Capeesh?"

"Y-yes sir!" "Gotcha."

That was all Roman's thugs had to say as he and his crew disappeared into the shadows of the city and its cacophony.

The police sirens continued to echo into the city.


(Music: Durarara OST - Hohoemi no Kage)

Jaune looked out the bookstore window as a police patrol drove past. The streets were flashed the usual red and blue as the car drove by. He was confused, but then threw away his worries. He knew Officer Burns could handle it, knowing the man personally, in a sense.

At least enough to know each other, maybe more. Being a police officer in Vale can take up a person's time, especially with how things were at the moment, with the robberies and all the White Fang activities. The bright side was that with officers so frequently patrolling, there was a definite decrease in crime lately. First response units for the win.

"Alright, here's your pay for today."

Jaune turned to see a tired but content Tukson handing him some Lien. As always, he accepted it with gratitude, bowing as a sign of respect.

"Alright alright. No need for formalities, thanks again for being here. You've helped out a lot for the past few weeks. You don't know how much that means to me." Tukson waved Jaune off.

Jaune merely smiled in response.

The book keeper paused briefly,"I will never get used to you being so quiet. How come you don't talk? Personal issues?" Tukson asked cautiously.

Jaune nodded and smiled wearily.

"Ah, I gotcha." Tukson replied with hints of guilt. "I didn't mean to pry."

Jaune raised his hand and shrugged. Tukson got the message.

"Anyway, you go ahead and go home. I have to close up shop. See you tomorrow, Jaune." Tukson quickly changed the atmosphere into one of lightheartedness and went off to finish up for the day.

Jaune nodded with a peppy smile and silently rolled his way to the door, going off without a single peep or sound. The door chime didn't even ring.

"I will never get used to that..." Tukson sighed, 'Just how am I suppose to know where the kid is if he's always so quiet!?'


(Music: Durarara OST - Oisugaru Kako wo Mitsumete)

Closing the door behind him, Jaune looked around the store front to see the nighttime streets of Vale filled with crowds and cars. Not something you'd see every day, but because of the decrease in crime people were out and about in full force. Sounds of engines and chatter were accompanied by waves of footsteps and the noise of holograms.

Much better than the desolate streets back when Jaune first entered Beacon.

He broke from his observations. The field trip to Forever Fall is tomorrow and he really needed to hurry back to Beacon.

Without wasting another moment, Jaune pulled up his hood, hiding his blond hair and blue eyes; tightened and tucked away his scarf into a muffler, hiding his dark secret and mouth with red; and stepped forward. His skates began to glide Jaune silently and seamlessly through the Vale crowds. No one minded the sight at all or even noticed over the sound of the city.

Jaune grasped the concept of skating quite well. It's definitely similar to dancing and parkour like people said. Balance with momentum. It wasn't that hard to learn. He's already made a few tricks to "totally knock their socks off".

He stopped at a crosswalk amongst a crowd. Looking around, he saw people of variety: Human, Faunus, Men, Women, Parents, Children, hair and eyes of the entire color spectrum, clothes of countless cultures.

They're a daily reminder of what every single other Hunter is fighting for.

The preservation of Civilization and its inhabitants.

And for Jaune: The silent struggle for an equal society.

Waiting for the cars to pass over the crosswalks, Jaune pulled up his scroll.

Mute Radio's website had been doing fine so far. No arguments. No trouble. No conflict. Just people talking and having a good time. Sharing pictures and conversations. Maybe a program here and there. A few debates. A person, or ten, telling everyone else of a current event.

The beauty of internet image boards, they "get shit done". It's amazing to see what wonderful things come from the internet every once in a while. Makes Jaune really appreciate the fact that he made Mute Radio. Like this one for example:

"Hey, all you radioheads. OP here. Here are video footage of robbers who aren't doing a great job of robbing me. I want to thank all of you guys for giving me advice to install cameras and a silent alarm!" "No problem." "Awesome!" "You got pics. Impressive . jpg" "Did you get the old camera series? The new brand is kinda crap. Just saying." "That's cool. Wonder when you're gonna make the local news." "Hey, isn't that the Torchwick guy in the video?" "I guess he is." "Crime doesn't pay, huh?" "Shows what it pays for. Police is probably close behind him." "Hope your business does well."

Yes, people are coming to work together. All according to Jaune's plan. Even if people are too lazy to go out of their homes, they can still make a change from the comforts of their chairs. Even if it's just a little.

'Phase two.'

The Phase of Amends. Right after the Phase of Omens. Where everyone comes together to make noticeable changes in the social order. Jaune will see to it to the end as always.

Jaune snickered to himself.

It's silly names like those that remind Jaune of who he was.

The cross signal lightened, making a ringing sound and the crowd around him began to move.

Slipping away his scroll, Jaune continued onwards. Weaving through the crowds like a shadow.

Just like what happened in Beacon. A shadow.

Jaune frowned as he grinds on a metal barricade, making its shrill metal sound sing out, and landed with a tap.

At least his friends still recognized him, he thought as he smiled. They certainly wouldn't forget about him! He's spent so much time with them, it would just be cruel to forget a friend like him! He knows it! He's even wondering why he's doubting the integrity of the bonds with his friends. How foolish!

Pyrrha, Blake, Ruby, Ren, Nora, Yang, Weiss, Velvet, even Andrew.

He can be absolutely sure that they wouldn't forget about them. The heroes in his books had taught him that.

'Insecurity is a waste of opportunities."

He remembered it in a paraphrased form, but Jaune knew better than to feel hesitant and timid.

He had certainly gotten much better with his emotions compared to when he came to Beacon, hasn't he?

Jaune swerved through a park, threading through gaps in the crowd. No one heard a peep from him.

"What do you mean I don't have enough?"

Jaune stopped when his ears caught a distressed voice.

"Sorry. Business is business. If you don't have the Lien, then no sell."

Jaune glided his way to the source.

A rural looking couple in casuals and an apron were at a grocery. A truck filled with produce and seeds was parked nearby.

"I was doggone sure that I had enough for this!"

"Well you don't. Sorry."

Apparently, the man doesn't have enough to buy the food.

"Can't you slide me the 20 Lien? I got mouths to feed!"

"Look. You may be a regular, but I have a business to run. I really want to give you this food. Your family are good people, but if I don't pay the bills by the end of the week. This place won't be here anymore for you or anyone."

"B-but!"

Jaune stood nearby, inspecting an apple and eavesdropping on the two. He can't help but feel for the man. Everyone has a reason to be the bad guy. For greed. For money. Or for just plain living. Ask anyone without any money and they'll tell you this:

"Money is the most important thing in the world."

Money is what gets food on the table. It can keep a roof over your head. It can essentially be the meaning of life and death. And Jaune didn't like this.

There are people out there with excess wealth and they're not doing anything with it to help, letting it gather dust in the bank while there are those who struggle to even provide the basic necessities of life. Jaune can accept the high class excuse of 'saving it for a rainy day'. He harbors no evil feeling for them being conservative, but he feels that they should do something, even if it's just a little.

"D-do I have to carry all this back inside?" The man shuddered.

"Yeah... Look... How about I help?" The woman suggested.

"... Okay..."

"Huh?"

The woman, carrying a box of potatoes, noticed a sum of Lien being handed to her. Looking up, she flinched and exclaimed in surprise.

She saw a man, or a teen, she couldn't tell, with a hood up, hiding his face as if there wasn't one.

The man twitched his hand with Lien at the woman, telling her to take it.

"What's this for?" The woman asked. The country man carrying a bag of onions noticed the hold up.

"What's going on?" The country man questioned grimly.

Impatient, the man shoved the Lien into the country man's hands and took the potatoes from the woman to put back on the truck.

"1-2... 20!" The man exclaimed as he snapped to see the giver taking the onions back to the truck.

"Are you just giving me this?" The man couldn't believe what was happening, he could feed his family!

The man putting away the onions turned to nod up and down, shocking the woman and making the man smile goofy.

Handing the 20 Lien to the astonished woman, the man sauntered over to his savior. He thrusted his hand forward and the savior accepted, shaking lightly.

"Thank ya! Thank ya such a bunch! It really means so much to me!" The man was near tears as he shook back with a heavy hand.

The country man then let go and went back to the woman.

"Sorry 'bout that. Did I pay enough now?" The man smiled with a silly grin, handing over the rest of the Lien.

The women smirked.

"Yeah yeah. You got enough. Get outta here. Enjoy dinner for once."

"You're not coming over?"

"Nah. I got my hands full enough. Maybe next time."

"Ah, gotcha. Bye then."

The man turned to leave, waving goodbye. The woman waved back before she went back inside her store.

The country man looking back at his truck noticed his savior sitting in his truck's passenger seat. He saw a thumbs up coming from him.

"You're coming with?" The man asked, sliding into the driver seat and slipping on the safety belt.

The hooded man nodded up and down again.

"I don't usually do this, but since you saved me and my family, I can make an exception." The man chuckled before turning on the engine. It roughly sputtered.

"Sorry about that. Ol' Betsy's been with me for a while."

The hooded man didn't say anything as he leaned back to relax.

After a short pause the man asked, "Do you want me to take you anywhere? It's the least I can do."

The hooded man perked and held up his scroll.

The country man saw Vale's air harbor.

Nodding with a grateful smile, the man shifted gears.

"You got it."

The truck ride was smooth enough for Jaune. The classics never lose their luster.


(Music: Durarara OST - Tsuioku no Mukou)

The car sputtered to a stop as the country man turned off the engine and parked near a cozy home in Vale's agriculture district.

"My boy!"

The man closed the car door and looked up to see an old woman running up to him, hugging him.

"Aw shucks, ma. You're embarrassing me in front of the missus."

The man looked up to see a grown woman, crossing her arms, standing on the porch.

"The kids are inside asleep. Where'd you get the Lien for the food?" The missus asked, walking over.

"My boy works hard! You should've known that when you married him!" The old woman retorted as-a-matter-of-factually, looking behind her.

"I know, but I don't remember him getting the money to buy this much." The missus replied.

"Oh a nice guy just came and helped pay for this! " The man explained as he carried a box of tomatoes off the truck.

"A random man just came up and paid for you? Why?" The missus asked, taking a bag of onions and oranges.

"Don't know. He just did. Never had the thought to ask him. I was too happy now that we can get a proper meal for the next week." The man chuckled.

"What a nice man..." The old woman muttered with a happy heart, helping by hefting a small box of spices.

"Well, did he say anything? Asking for a favor?" The missus questioned.

"Actually, he didn't say anything. Nothing! All he wanted though was a ride to the harbor. That's it. We waved good bye and that's that." The man plopped the box of tomatoes on the kitchen floor.

"Well... I suppose that's fine. Don't scare me like that again, you hear?" The missus sighed, setting the onions down in the fridge.

"Yeah I know." The man breathed with content as he stepped back out to carry more food inside.

'There really are angels walking among us, huh?' The man thought with a smile, looking up at the starry night sky.

The man felt a shake in his pocket and reached in to pull up a scroll.

"How do people work this again?" The man groaned. He never was the best with technology, but if it's for his job, he wouldn't question it. Being an analog in a digital world still has its problems.

After some fidgeting, the man figured out what the rumbling was about. He got a message!

'Do onto others what I have done for you. It's me. My name's not important, but yours is. I'm not asking for anything too big from you. I'm only asking for your help. All you have to do is spread the message to everyone you know and do anything you can to become a good citizen. You'll be helping the world become a better place by example. I thank you and I hope to see your impact on Vale soon. Here's a Link and Pass:

'La Chat est Noir.'

'Get accustomed to the site and get to know people on and off. Connections are priceless.'

'Welcome to Mute Radio.'

The man smiled as if he had a new purpose, even if it's small. He knows exactly what to do.

Carrying in the last of the groceries, he found his wife and mother putting away the vegetables, fruit, and meat.

"There you are, honey. What took you?" His wife asked as she closed the fridge.

"Oh nothin', hey Ma?" The man called.

"Yes dear?" The grandmother answered as she closed the spice cabinet.

"Do you think you can call over everyone in the neighborhood? I got some things I wanna share."


(Music: Durarara OST – Kyuujitsu no Shifuku)

Pyrrha looked out Juniper's dorm window, worried. Meanwhile Nora was performing a rigorous "stress test" on her bed and Ren was doing weapon maintenance on Stormflower on his bed, cross-legged.

"Pyrrha, he's fine. Jaune probably has a good reason for being out late." Ren assured his leader without looking up from his cleaning.

"Yeah! He has those cool skates! He's fast enough to outrun any bad guy!" Nora agreed, jumping high enough to touch the ceiling with her fingertips.

"I know, I'm sorry," Pyrrha started, "but the trip to Forever Fall is tomorrow and we need our sleep, Jaune especially. He's been working hard ever since he's gotten that job at the bookstore."

"Then why are you still up? Shouldn't you be sleeping by that logic?" Ren questioned, brushing Stormflower's gun barrel.

"I'm sorry. It's just that Jaune's my partner. It's necessary that I keep an eye out for him..." Pyrrha muttered as she pulled out her scroll, making use of the team radar. No sign of Jaune at all, not even his dot.

"Pyrrha, you're spoiling him." Ren groaned.

"I'm not." Pyrrha protested, switching her eyes between the scroll and the window.

"Helping him with his clothes, helping him with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Offering to train him even though you have NO time. Need I say more?" Ren droned a list as he checked his gun clips.

"You're like a big sis to him!" Nora chuckled as she did a front flip, earning a creak from the bed.

"W-well..." Pyrrha couldn't really deny it. Ever since she made sure that she harbored no romantic feelings with Jaune, she was trying all she can to be a big sister figure. She may be the 'best of the best', but that didn't include how to socialize as a sisterly figure.

"Pyrrha, Jaune's seventeen. He's responsible enough to take care of himself. I can understand your bond with him, but that sort of attention is unnecessary." Ren sighed, sharpening the blades.

"He didn't say anything about it though." Pyrrha pointed out, putting away her scroll.

"That's because Jaune didn't want to say anything, in both senses. He didn't want to hurt your feelings. We all understand this." Ren retorted, while moving on to polishing his blades.

"Jaune's that much of a nice guy! I mean, remember the time he helped Ren cook pancakes!?" Nora giggled as she idled to bouncing on her bed.

"I really appreciated his help I might add. But Nora, you need to learn how to chew more often instead of inhaling. Even with the two of us, Jaune and I can only make so much." Ren groaned in disbelief, polishing the gun barrel.

Nora only giggled while Pyrrha cracked a small smile and looked back out the window.

The distinct sound of a door opening and closing, followed by the sound of creaking bed springs caught their attention.

Turning their heads, the three members of Juniper saw Jaune face down in his bed. His skate wheels were rotating lazily in the air. It was obvious that he was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

"See? He's fine. Good night." Ren yawned as he puts away Stormflower and crawled into bed, just so.

Nora yawned loudly before plopping down on her bed, a snot bubble and an obnoxious snore came immediately after.

Pyrrha rolled her eyes with a simple smile, but at least she could sleep tight now that her team was all accounted for. She had the honors of cutting off the lights for the night.


Omake: Speed Reading.

(Music: Durarara OST – Walk on the Diagonal)

It was the middle of the day with people ambling by the store window. Tukson was busy setting up the new issue of X-Ray and Vav at the front of his store. Jaune was spending his downtime reading a book at the counter. Tukson didn't mind, Jaune had been doing most of the work lately. Tukson figured the boy deserved a break.

After setting up the first box, Tukson turned to open the next. When he looked up, he noticed that Jaune was reading with a small stack of books by his side.

Thinking nothing of it, Tukson opened the next box of comics to set up.

After that was done, he turned away for the next box. It was the next issue of the Horsepuncher.

And at the corner of his eye, Tukson noticed that the stack of books by Jaune looked a lot bigger than he remembered.

Tukson was confused, but thought nothing of it. He figured that old age must have been playing with his eyesight. But out of curiosity, Tukson paused a moment, and turned his head toward Jaune.

Nothing. The stacks of books by Jaune didn't change at all as the boy quietly read.

Tukson chuckled to himself, what was he so curious about? It was ridiculous in his own business, Tukson began to put away the last of the boxes: the newest issues of El Pizza Bandido.

After finishing up, Tukson picked up the empty boxes and turned. Piles and piles of books were all over the counter. Some of the book stacks even went up to touch the ceiling. And the nearby shelves were completely devoid of their books.

Needless to say, Tukson was astonished as he looked around. And when he looked behind him, he noticed that a lot of comics were missing from their places.

When he looked back at the likely perpetrator, said suspect had his head down on the counter over an open book. Tukson could hear a faint snore.

At first, Tukson opened his mouth to speak, but opted against it with little surprise.

Tukson merely walked his way across the store with an impassive frown and boxes in tow.

Passing by a sleeping Jaune, Tukson passed through the double doors with only a single thought in mind:

'Kid just keeps getting weirder...'


Author's Note: Took me long enough. I planned on making this longer, but then I realized that I made you guys wait long enough.

Also, Durarara's Music. Perfect for any occasion.

I'd like to thank Flycon for helping me edit and improve this chapter. He did a lot to help. I'd like for you guys to give your thanks. Seriously, he's a great guy. So are the rest of you guys. Especially Zaynal, the guy who put Mute Arc on RWBY's TV Trope's Fan Fic Rec page. You rock.

So Volume 2 came out and it's pretty freaking awesome! So much Fan fiction fuel. I really want to get done with Volume One and I know I promised, but I have to take things slowly. But I'll be fast enough where you guys won't hunt me down with pitchforks and torches for the plot.

Now a pat on the back for everyone who can figure out where the comic book names came from. It should be a snap for any Roosterteeth fan.

Also, HNNGG. I want to slap Canon Jaune for being a dense idiot, but I can't. I support JaunexWeiss. I really do, but the way Miles and Kerry are making Jaune out to be is just so cringeworthy that I just want Jaune to just forget about Weiss and focus on the girl who's ACTUALLY putting some effort into him. (psst it's Pyrrha.)

So future plans... Forever Fall next chapter. Hooray! How that's going to play out is but a mystery.
Also, I'm not going to focus on Mute!Jaune all the time. He's not going to be in the spotlight all the time. (Looking at you Y.A.R.N., KSLCross, Galerians. Love ya.)

Anyway, how do you guys like Mute!Jaune so far? Or at least my version of the character? Too powerful? Too weak? Too pure? Too brooding? Too much? Too little? Too ridiculous? Too bland? What's wrong? I'll even post a poll. Mute!Jaune. Yay! Or Nay! To the exact letter.

Until then, this is destinyTail0 signing off! Stay frosty.