Chapter 11 – The Island


Jaune shoved his arm through the sleeve, throwing the black hoodie over his head.

They'd made it early last night, when the sun had just vanished over the horizon. And they were met by a broad coastline, white sand obscured into black by the night sky. Dark trees and mountains over the horizon with the only natural light available being the moon's.

Oobleck opted to wait for the early morning

He could hear the man now, preparing everyone for to break through the forest. The cool of the early morning made Jaune want to drift back to sleep, but the scent of salt water kept his senses about.

Jaune reached for his socks and brown boots after slipping on gray jeans.

Looking to his left, he eyed a gray glove, metal handguards stretched up the forearm with the rest of the glove. For his dominant hand, Amber had said, to keep a better grip on his weapon as well as to help with climbing. Jaune then slung on a brown leather pauldron, a sheathe for his sword connected on the back.

He was ready.

It was just another mission; like the dozens he and Amber had been on before. Same stakes, same hopes. But hopefully not the same result. Jaune refused to let this expedition end up meaningless, it was a step in the right direction and Jaune wanted to ensure they got the most out of it.

Taking in a confident breath, Jaune strapped on his sword and left his tent.


~Event Horizon~


Jaune trailed behind the group, the slick brush occasionally hitting his face as they powered through the dense forestry. Over the sounds of his chatting party, the hisses, chirps and rustles of nature kept the world around them alive - sunbeams peeked through the canopy, lighting their path.

Oobleck's mouth was running a mile a minute of course, wild green hair somehow evading any foliage on the trail even while nose deep in the map. Thinking back on what Oobleck filled them in on, Jaune still found it hard to believe what they were looking for.

A lost city that could very well have unknown secrets and types of Dust. It was ambitious. Magical almost. It sounded fake, like the script of a cheesy kid's storybook.

Yes, there were loads of legends about where Dust came from, but none of them proven true. A few hours in had shown them nothing more than this cluster of trees, woven almost purposefully to keep people out. Old research regarding the Turu, told of villages built deep in the forests, but Jaune could only guess how long it'd take to reach them.

He cast a glance at the pair ahead of him, Amber in vibrant conversation with Ash. It was funny how well they got along, Ash was only a few years older than Amber, but they clicked surprisingly well. Ash was more abrasive and vulgar than Amber, but surprisingly more patient as well.

Except when it came to Geoff, then a whole war broke out.

At the very fore, Oscar walked just behind Oobleck, and when Jaune saw the crop of his black hair he felt his throat clot.

He didn't like beating himself up over it, and many a time did Jaune find himself wanting to apologize to Oscar. Hell, he'd been pacing around the room he shared with Amber that whole night, much to his friend's annoyance. But the blonde also didn't want to go back on what he said, not when he'd meant it.

He couldn't get a read on the younger boy unfortunately. Very rarely did Oscar meet his gaze, and when he did, he quickly looked the other way.

But he digressed, wondering why he ever expected a different result. Shelving his feelings on the mater, Jaune took his thoughts back to the objective at hand and hoped their first stop was soon.

The next hour in, the forest cleared.

Quiet and in shambles. The village was a dead landscape shaped like a huge cul-de-sac that connected to another. Homes were varied in size, but most were rather small, with thick straw roofs and wooden walls. All of them were built on even land just before a waterfall. The rush of water emptied into a huge basin and a wooden arch was built over it to cross into a section of land at the end.

A Turuii village, humble and barren. A place lost in history. To Jaune it didn't look all that amazing.

But Oobleck, the man was brimming with vigor.

"A perfect place for a search, I'd say," Oobleck stated, "Can you not smell the rich history and deep cultural philosophies in the mere air of this place?"

"Oh, I smell somethin' alright, and it ain't culture, Bart. " Geoff scrunched his nose.

Some of the others split off, looking through some of the homes themselves. Jaune opted to stay with Oobleck along with Amber and Oscar. The wood of the homes was worn and old, Jaune was surprised they even managed to stay up for... who knows how long. Nature had reclaimed them though, with mold and foliage now covering them and whole tree branches piercing the walls.

Inside wasn't much different. Patches of grass, straw and dirt weaved together in what Jaune assumed were beds. Spears and jagged blades made from wood and stone lying on the floor. It was a field trip for Oobleck.

"Oscar my boy," Oobleck whipped about, holding something up so he could observe it more closely, "Put your observation skills to the test, can you hazard a guess as to what this is?"

The young boy in response only raised an eyebrow. "A... rag?"

"Not incorrect, but it is so much more than that," Oobleck inspected the cloth, as if he was trying to find a secret message on its worn figure, "The Turu didn't wear much in the way of clothing. The believed that fully covering oneself hid true virtue from the open world. In fact, they only ever covered their unmentionables, that is where these waistcloths come in."

Jaune chuckled as Amber grimaced, the girl taking a step back from the object. "What? Scared of underwear?"

"More like I'm scared of whether that was washed or not."

Oobleck had put the cloth in his bag and was back on the hunt once more, taking a large blanket like object made of thick fur. "And these. During winter, they hunted animals to make fur comforters to stay warm. And once winter was over, they threw them away. The Turu were thankful for being provided with the animals - as they believed if they managed to catch the animals, it was due to the blessings of their goddess."

"Goddess?" Oscar questioned.

"Yes," the historian nodded, raising a knowing finger, "A being known as Ynissa. The Turu believed she was the center of nature, and that she created the foundations of animal life. She created the land with the milk of her breast, fertilized the very soil. She crafted animals using her own flesh, and made sure they were bountiful in it. They say the oceans were made because of the joy she felt upon seeing her creations come to life, overwhelmed, the cosmic being cried for twelve days and nights over the planet."

A goddess that created the land and oceans. It was very... bizarre. Surreal. Even as Oobleck described it, it sounded way too fantastic to be plausible. Jaune honestly couldn't wrap his head around the concept, not when he and his family grew up non-religious. In fact, Jaune didn't think he knew anyone who did believe in things like this.

They were different times back then. Was Jaune's immediate thought. The people probably had reasons for what they worshipped. Tradition, honor, or something else. In that Jaune supposed he could understand why, he just couldn't be sure it was real.

But if a whole tribe believed it... then it had to be, right?

Suddenly Jaune was reminded of the Gaia temple, spitting out his question immediately. "Doctor?"

"Yes, Mister Arc?" Oobleck was rummaging through a few tools lying on a bed.

"Have you ever heard of something called Daes Irae?"

The man whipped up for a second, rubbing his chin contemplatively. "No, I cannot say I have. Might I ask why?"

"Uh, no reason, just curious."

Oobleck accepted the answer easily enough, quickly going back to work. Jaune just shrugged at Amber who quickly returned it. It was mute curiosity, even though he did still find himself thinking back to the statues in the ruins.

Could that statue have been related to the Turu? To Tajahn?

His first thought was no, considering how far apart the places were, as well as the architectural differences. But that statue was perhaps a goddess, right? Did they connect or were they just two separate beliefs? Could only one be real?

Or both?

Suddenly Jaune was looking up at the ceiling; old and with small holes, it barely gave a visage of the sky. But Jaune didn't need it, his mind had wandered without the help.

Just the possibility of it. That there were powerful, transcendent beings floating far above his head. Who was to say they were even above? Maybe they were below, or right next to them, or in an alternate dimension. That's if they were even real. But there couldn't have been a way to prove them real.

Just as there couldn't have been a way to prove them fake.

"Hey, Amber," Jaune asked the woman, waiting for her to turn to him, "Do you believe in things like that? Gods, I mean."

The woman had a pensive look on her face, contemplating the question for a bit. "It's a hard question, honestly. It's not something I cared about growing up. There are plenty of deities that people believe in, and those beliefs must come from somewhere. Thing is, we just don't know. I don't think I can put stock into anything I can't see."

We can't see gravity. Jaune immediately thought. Yet he believed it existed all the same. Yes, gravity and gods were very different things, but the point remained the same.

"I don't think it matters though," Amber continued, "Everyone is different so everyone believes in different things. It shouldn't matter so long as it makes that group or even just one person happy. The Turu worshipped a goddess they believed in, best not to throw logic in that. They're long gone, so we won't get any definitive answers."

That was true, Jaune supposed. But he couldn't deny that it made him curious, wondering what the basis was behind beliefs like that. He shelved his curiosity though, favoring looking around some more with Oobleck and the others.

What more to find wasn't much.

The Turu didn't write or read. They had no need for it, and Jaune's stomach dropped the moment Ash had told him because that meant there was no scripture or texts to be found. No kind of diary or historical document. And as such, nothing that could lead them or give them a clue about Tajahn. The rest of the search hadn't gone too well after that, as the most of what they found was more of the same.

They'd moved on to the second half of the village, the land was on a steady elevation that led to a single house at the flat top. A section of earth was just above that, connecting to the cliffside that stretched through the rest of the village, providing the edge the waterfall fell over.

Another level of the forest, perhaps?

"Doctor," Jaune called out to his superior, "I'm gonna scout ahead."

"Keep your wits about you, Mister Arc!"

Jaune headed up to the house, quickly scaling its side before leaping off the roof and latching onto the cliffside. He hoisted himself up with ease, finding the slanted ground and quickly getting up. Looking down wasn't pleasant, not with how far the drop was, but ahead of him more forest opened. He had to wonder if it connected to other villages.

Nothing changed as he went through it. He could very faintly hear the waterfall, but the sides of the cliff were long gone. In the distance he saw the side of a mountain, but judging from the distance it was too far to reach.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been going, but Jaune soon stopped, convinced that he was headed nowhere. He decided he likely was just on a section of the mountain, there wouldn't be much to find other than animals.

And then he heard the sound.

A growl.

Ahead of him, in the shade of trees, red eyes clashed against the sunlight and a snout rose through the brush. Its head followed, baring nasty teeth, wide shoulders and thick hairy muscle.

The Beowolf frothed with hunger; like the moment its eyes laid on him, it remembered how starved it was. Jaune merely rolled his eyes, drawing his sword as the beast charged. It bellowed like the animal it was, jaw wide open, tongue lolling and saliva that…

was... green?

Jaune had no time to think before the beast pounced, Jaune ducking to his left as its heavy body hit the spot he previously stood. The weight rattled the ground, blood eyes still locked onto him as the green ooze dripped off its bottom jaw.

Jaune met it head on, dodging its swipe. The claws just barely reached his cheek. The blonde was poised to make his counter, if it weren't for the second paw mere inches from his face.

Jaune raised his arms, calling on his aura just in time to take the blow. A Beowolf's swing was strong, but not to hard to block. He'd gotten used to their strength, and it wasn't so hard to hold them back after fighting dozens of them.

He had to wonder then how the creature managed to shatter his guard.

The force of the blow crumpled Jaune, and he was knocked to the creature's feet, air blasted out of his lungs. But Jaune knew better than to lie there, quickly rolling to the side - letting huge claws bury themselves in the earth. Pushing back, Jaune swiped up his sword and jumped backward just as the creature's backhand came about.

He stared at the monster, and bar the green ooze, there wasn't anything unique about it. It was about a muscular as a standard Beowolf, and it certainly wasn't an alpha.

Then why?

Jaune had time and time again held strong against a Beowolf's strength. What was different about this one?

The distance was closed between the two once the Beowolf dashed toward him, tearing up grass in the process. It swung wildly, spit and green ooze flying about as it snapped its teeth at his face.

Jaune raised his sword again, cringing as he took another blow. Once again, his defense could not hold, even with his aura raised. The sheer strength of it knocked him into a tree, dazing him.

Why is this so difficult!? Jaune grinded his teeth together as he got back up. Speeding toward the monster, he opted to finish it off as quickly as possible.

He soon found the best he could do was trade blows.

Its hide was thick... unnaturally thick. When the blade cut, it didn't cut very deep - and Jaune strained to drive the blade through its flesh. He weaved to the right, and though the attack missed, it was quick to whip around using its momentum to bash his side with its tail.

Jaune capitalized on that.

Directing his aura, Jaune barely stalled the blow by raising both forearms. The mere strength of its tail dug his heels into the ground and Jaune felt his arms begin to ache. He pushed against it, letting out a strained growl before he finally staggered it.

Jaune slid under its left paw, pivoting off the ground to strike it in the leg with an aura charged foot. It had the desired effect, knocking the Beowolf onto it's back.

Jaune quickly drive his sword into its eye, knowing that would finally bring it down. But he couldn't be more wrong. The beast flailed and fought, still snapping its jaw as though it couldn't even feel what just happened. Jaune grimaced at its rancid breath but continued to drive the blade into its face, trying to keep his legs firm at the same time. It was a slow process, especially with the beast fighting back, but after a few seconds it began to weaken.

Until it finally stopped.

Its jaw wide open and Jaune's sword having ripped through the entire left side of its head. Its feet and fingers twitched, but it otherwise didn't move.

Letting out an exhausted breath, Jaune stepped away from the monster, dropping his sword as he fell against a tree. "Holy... shit..."

What had that just been? Had he nearly been killed by a Beowolf?

Amber would be laughing her ass off if she saw that. What would any of her training been for if he went and got offed by a lone Grimm? Honestly it was thanks to her aura training that he'd even been able to take the hits. Though strong, it thankfully didn't actually hurt him.

Jaune stared at the dead creature, still marveled at how much of a struggle it had been.

It was so weird. It didn't make any sense.

Was it a different type of Grimm? It looked exactly like a Beowolf though, so there was no way. But it wasn't like Grimm had to follow a strict type, there many kinds of Grimm out there that had strange abilities. But Jaune had heard of nothing like this. The green ooze pussing out of its arms, mouth and back. What could that be?

A soft melody reached his ears, Jaune pulling out his scroll to meet the face of his partner. "Yeah?"

"Where the hell are you? You've been gone for an hour."

Jaune looked back toward the Grimm, and the route they had taken.

"Sorry, I... got sidetracked by some Grimm."

"Are you hurt?"

"No, just... a little winded. I'm on my way back, okay?"

"Well," Amber grinned, "Oobleck wants to try and make it farther past the village so hurry it up. Only got a few more hours till nightfall."

"Alright, I'll be there."

Jaune closed the scroll before once again looking at the Grimm, it was fading away, as all Grimm did. He was still curious, especially about the ooze, but perhaps it was just unique to the Grimm on the island... or something.

He'd survived, he didn't care about much more than that.

Getting up Jaune headed back to where he came, but he found himself constantly looking back. He knew the Grimm was dead, but he kept looking back.

Just to make sure.


~Event Horizon~


Gray clouds covered the moon tonight, leaving a wide blanket of stars to shine some millions of light years away. Everyone was gathered around the fire, steam wafting from the pot perched above it. Even from here that fresh scent of Chenna's rabbit and vegetable stew, made Oscar's stomach grumble for more.

He sat furthest from the group, by the water's edge where the waves just barely touched his toes. Its cool grip made the boy shiver, a welcome distraction. It made it easier to forget what plagued his mind.

"I said to em, the stars are not in position for this tribute," Geoff chortled, deepening his voice to accentuate the story, "Fuckin' pitiful excuse. Who'd have thought the daft muppet actually believed me?"

Laughter filled the air, Oscar casting and envious gaze over at the fire as the group listened to the tale. So gruff, but the man was truly the heart of Oobleck's group. Even Amber and Jaune seemed rivetted, unable to contain their laughter amidst Geoff's bombastic personality.

He could help but swallow, the act felt bitter... empty. Reverting to shame just moments after. It couldn't have been easy on Jaune after all, Oscar didn't want to assume he just gave him the talk and acted like everything was okay.

Still, it hurt that Jaune could laugh while he felt miserable.

He'd gone over it in his head a million times, all day yesterday and today. And no matter how angry he got, no matter how much he wanted to go over there and tell Jaune what he thought - he never did it.

He wanted to, but he convinced himself against it. What could he even say? Nothing. There was nothing he could do to change anything.

So, Oscar opted to sit alone, too stubborn to even go back and get more supper. He'd rather they didn't see how down he was. Apparently, he wasn't very good at hiding it, as Oobleck had called him out earlier, convinced something was bothering him.

Lying to him didn't feel good.

It wasn't fair on Oobleck, and it wasn't fair on him. He'd be going home, Jaune would see to that, and that was all there was to it. Oobleck would likely agree with Jaune's decisions, anyway.

"Heya, kiddo."

Oscar didn't need to respond; the woman had slung him under her arm and drawn him close before he could voice his protest. She smiled down at him, blue eyes shining in the pale light and light brown hair loose around her shoulders.

"Normally you're listening to whatever story the old vech has come up with," Ash continued as she kicked off her boots, "Wanna tell me why you aren't?"

Oscar was quiet for a moment, that bitter feeling coming back again as he tried to free himself of her grip. Tried. "No."

"Tough shit, Oscar. You either tell me or... actually no, you'd better just tell me. I'm sure you don't want to deal with any consequences I come up with."

Oscar sighed, the act pressing his cheek into the side of her breast. She never seemed to care about that, even if it did humiliate him a little. But he'd gotten used to it the past few weeks, it was just how Ash was.

She seemed content to wait for him, which was one thing he never thought to expect from her. Yet the way she kept him still told him that she refused to let him be until she got what she wanted.

"Fine..." Oscar sighed, "But only because you're holding me hostage."

"Hostage." She drawled out the word, "You are too dramatic."

Adjusting his spot in the sand, Oscar looked over the ocean as he asked the singular question on his mind. "I guess it's that… I don't know how to prove myself."

"Hm? What do you mean"

"How do you tell someone that you're ready for whats coming to you?" He clarified, "What if there is someone you have to prove that to – that you have to tell the decision you made isn't a mistake?"

Oscar let his arms fall to the side in defeat. "There are people in my life who would never take me seriously when I tell them what I want to do. There is always some excuse. But it always boils down to 'I can't do this,' or 'I'm not allowed to do that'. They never believe in me. Never."

Tan fingers clenched the sand. "How do I tell them that they're wrong? How can I make it so that they do believe in me, that they understand where I'm coming from? Because all it feels like right now is that everything is just being taken from me. And I never get what I want in return."

Oscar hated sounding so whiny, like a toddler screaming at his parents for candy. That's what people saw him as, a kid. One that was in way over his head. If he were older people might not say such things. But Oscar couldn't wait that long, not anymore - he didn't want to wait. But he was being forced to.

And that hurt him more than anything else.

Then Ash finally spoke. "How you do it, I don't really know. It depends, I guess. But I do know you have to show them, not tell them."

Show them?

"If saying it doesn't help, then you need to do something to show them, so they learn not to underestimate you," Ash scoffed, "Geoff was on my ass nonstop ever since I joined - couldn't blame him, I was a scared, timid little shit back then. There was no way I was ready for what we were getting into. Geoff was a hardass for sure - and I went back and forth with him so much that I never bothered to pay attention to why."

The girl pulled the left side of her hair up, motioning to the side of her head. "This was my wake-up call."

The would had long since healed, but that didn't make it any less gruesome. It was a permanent scar across the side of the head. Like something had been dragged across her temple.

"That's from the first man that ever tried to kill me. He had a bow and arrow, just like me." Oscar watched as Ash's expression changed. The grin was gone, and a deep forlorn frown was in its place, "He was so close to me, and I remember it all so clearly. I could see his sneer, the joy of knowing he had me caught. He let that arrow fly, and I moved just fast enough for it to nick me."

Ash then made a motion of a bow and arrow with her own hands, her eyes narrowed as she locked onto her target. "I made sure that fucker couldn't shoot again.

Oscar felt his throat hurt as he swallowed, the images of her experience running through his head like a recurring nightmare.

"Geoff was a bit more lenient on me then," Ash relaxed her stance, "and then I knew, that was what he was trying to prepare me for."

"You talked to him?"

"Kinda." She waved her hand, "He's not really the type of guy to apologize unless he means it. Neither am I honestly. It was always kind of implied and it moved forward from that."

So she'd proved herself by not saying anything and simply doing what she had to? Incredible for sure, but it worried Oscar that she had to go to such an extreme just to make her point to Geoff.

"I... don't think I could do something like that."

"You may not have a choice if your hand is forced," Ash rubbered his shoulder, "I hope you never have to, but you might end up in a situation where you are forced to defend yourself. And the only way to get through is to fight, I'm not saying you have to kill, but it's the best way to stay alive out here. If you want to see the world, you have to be able to survive in it, Oscar."

Just as Jaune said, and it only drove that stake deeper in his heart when he knew she was telling the truth. She made it sound so simple, but Oscar wasn't sure. He'd killed animals and small Grimm before, but it was easy to do that. The animals were for food, the Grimm were for survival. Thinking about it so basically, it became easier to commit acts like that.

How could he do the same with people?

Oscar wanted to stay. He wanted to eat more of Chenna's great food, he wanted to keep getting annoyed at Ash and Geoff bickering again. He wanted Oobleck to keep teaching him more and more about the mysterious world they lived in.

He loved this. And intense heat burned inside knowing that happiness was threatened.

"And that applies in everything. Not just seeing the world and surviving in the wild. To get what you want, you've got to fight for it. Bottom line. That's what the best things in life require. If you need to prove that to someone, then prove it. How you do that is up to you."

"I don't think I know how."

"And that's fine, it's something you'll figure out, okay? You've got time."

He really didn't. Only the time they had on the island. If he didn't have an answer by then, then the only thing he had to look forward to was home.

"Okay. I'll try."

"Don't try, brat," Ash jostled him a little, "Just do it. Don't worry about if you can or can't. You'd be surprised what you can accomplish."

She smiled down at him, rubbing his shoulder once more. She didn't say much more, so they just sat there and stared over the ocean. But Oscar felt a little smile creep up on him, "Thanks, Ash."

Oscar didn't have the answers. And as he thought back on what Oobleck and Jaune said, he compared it to Ash. Then to Jaune. Oscar thought he needed his goal to be like theirs.

But no, it didn't have to be.

It wasn't selfless, or fair to his parents. And he never meant to discard how they felt or throw his life away. But he was tired of being told how he was supposed to live his life. So, he decided to take his future in his own hands, consequences be damned. He had to take what he wanted. Not sit around and wait for it to be handed to him.

Oscar looked at Jaune through the corner of his eye. He'd prove himself to him.

He had to.

"It's small fishing ship. Outdated." The man said to his superior, "Barely noticeable under comm tower's radar."

The man he spoke to kept his eyes on the monitor, fingers typing away. "An old model, no doubt. It must have a dated engine, using Dust that hasn't been in production for decades. Hard to believe that old energy is still lying around. Troublesome, indeed. Have you any clue as to who our guests are?"

"It's all the same to us, sir." The man responded, his voice dry, "Prisoners or food."

The superior grinned. "Good. Then I shall trust you to handle them swiftly."

The man nodded with purpose. Purpose to his lord, to the man who had given them a chance to be part of something great. This was his duty. His destiny. This was who he was, who he would always be. This was why he existed.

"This is what we do, sir." His voice slurred, reverberating like an overheated machine. But he didn't seem to notice, bowing his head before he made for the door.

The hunt began at dawn.


Another day, another chapter.

So for this we go into a bit more of the Turu, though we don't get much on Tajahn. But rest assured the discoveries are not over!

I wanted to put perspective on religious beliefs in the world of Remnant, just to make it feel more like our own. I'm a religious person myself, so I know what I believe in. But there are also people out there that aren't religious or don't get the reasoning behind religion.

Its not a bash on religion I promise, merely an example of how some people view it.

I always feel like I'm info dumping, which sucks since this is a story about adventure and discovery. There is nothing you can see other than words, so I try to make the dialogue and script as interesting as I can.

Jaune encounters a Grimm, but whats this? Green Ooze? Oscar's mind is made up, and he won't take his situation sitting down. And we also develop a bit on Ash, now while she's an OC, she's not overly important. But she does serve a purpose for Oscar, which you will see later.

By the way, any strange words I use will be explained in the A/N.

Vech, pronounced 'Ve-tch' - a term I came up with used to describe natives of Vacuo, think of it as slang for Vecchian.

If all this set up has bored you, fear not! The exciting bits are starting next chapter! So, let's keep it going! As a side note, Jaune's outfit looks exactly like the cover art.

Another Omake at the bottom, the title paying homage to my friend ThePhantomScribe and one of his most popular fics.

Thanks for reading!


GWS

Omake: The Gamer Girl

A rare girly squeal erupted from the lungs of Jaune's excitable partner.

Poor bystanders were knocked aside, some practically sent flying. For there was not a force this side of Vale that could stand in the way of Amber and anything she set her sights on. As for Jaune, he was left to pick up after her, profusely apologizing to all those she assaulted as she made for their hundredth stop.

The arcade.

The sound of classic retro music played from inside in the building. It had honestly been a while since Jaune had been here; the neon signs were faded and dead, making it seem like the place was stuck out of time.

As he went inside it didn't seem very busy, and at the counter Jaune could already see Amber harassing the lone employee. Leaving their bags on a bench, Jaune quickly caught up with the brunette.

"Okay, so how do I buy that?" Amber pointed at a large Ursa bear on the top shelf.

"Uh, its fifty lien if you want to purchase -."

"No, no, no!" Amber placed her hands on her hips, fixing the young man with a stern look, "If this is an arcade, then I have to play the games to win, right? I want to win it that way!"

The man looked shaken, looking toward Jaune. But he was a civilian that even Jaune couldn't save, so he shrugged, leaving him to face the woman alone. Amber was clenching the counter now, leaned over with an expression suggesting she was not playing around. "Y-you have to buy tokens then, ma'am!"

"Tokens!?" She marveled like she just heard of the word. Jaune wondered if Amber was even paying attention to how much... attention, she was drawing. If she did, she didn't seem to care.

"Yes, you buy tokens…" The employee spoke warily, taking a slight step back, "Four for one lien, and you use one to play the games. If you win, you get tickets and the amount of tickets you turn in decides what you can win."

"Awesome..." Jaune could only shake his head, Amber was totally enthralled. Like she was watching a meteor shower or just won the lottery, "Its settled. I want some tokens."

She slapped lien onto the counter, bills and coins flying about. "I want all of that turned into tokens. Keep the change if there is any. Jaune, my love, do you play these things?"

He used to be a local, though he'd gone less and less as the years went by. "Yeah."

"Great, now be a good husband and help me win a prize!"

She didn't exactly wait for the man to give her the basket of tokens, snatching it out of his hands, uncaring of how many she dropped and raced toward the machines. Jaune sighed as he picked up the fallen coins, but otherwise subjected himself to Amber's will.

How long has it been? Jaune wondered as he inserted a coin for Dragon Hunt. Such an old game, but it was one of his favorites. And he found himself smiling as the eight-bit dragon came up on screen, the title of the game brimming to life.

As Jaune worked the controls, the memories came back. And he remembered always begging one of his older sisters to take him. They didn't have the arcades back home and he didn't have consoles back then.

This was his world back then. His playground. Video games were serious business when he was younger.

Tickets came out of the machine as he cleared each game, Jaune smugly smiling as he reached the final level. "Haven't lost my touch." Jaune proudly stated. He'd always reached the final level of this game, but no matter how much he tried, he never beat the final boss. The dragon.

Today that was going to change!

Staring down the fire breathing beast, Jaune readied his character for the last level. He was older now, calmer, this monster was going down. Jaune settled his hands on the controls and –

"Fuck me!" A sudden outburst rocked Jaune, the boy turning to spot Amber at the Alien Gunner machine. The words 'You Lose' flashed on the screen.

He looked back toward his own game, the level was just about to start. But Amber looked frustrated, and it didn't look like she had any tickets either. And Jaune didn't like the idea of her losing her temper, as powerful as the woman was.

He could fight the dragon another time.

"Need help?" He stopped right next to her, earning her enraged glare.

"No! This game is just bullshit!"

Or she just didn't know how to play. But Jaune didn't see her admitting that.

"You've played this, right? Well come on then, smart guy, show me how to win." She ordered, throwing in another token and grabbing the controls. The game restarted, and Amber faced it like it had caused her the greatest dishonor.

"Aim for the boss," Jaune directed, "It's always the ship that's colored differently than the others."

"He's the one I aim at, he just doesn't die!"

"The boss has more health than the pawn ships; so you have keep your aim on him. But when the pawn ships come out, shoot only the ones that get in your way since they'll just try to crash into you," Jaune watched as she played. She was surprisingly good, and cleared a few of the levels quickly… though it wasn't without much difficulty and a bit of swearing, "And keep moving when you shoot, you can fire and move at the same time."

"Wh - you can!?"

"Yeah, try it."

Amber did so, letting out a diabolical laugh of as her enemies were destroyed. The level was cleared easily, and she readied for the next one.

Her victorious smile became one of concern.

"What the...?" Amber grumbled, fumbling with the controls as one of her lives were taken, "Damn it! How am I supposed to deal with this formation?"

"It has two stages, if you shoot the boss the group will spread out and surround you. You have to use the spin attack."

"Well how in the hell do I do that?"

"Circle the joystick counter clock wise and press the shoot button once you hit the bottom."

Amber did so, or at least tried. Unfortunately, she kept doing it wrong, and suffered the loss of her second ship. She shrieked as the enemies fired on her final life, depleting its health. "Ugh, I'm dying here, Jaune!"

"Like this," Jaune said as he reached over, grasping her hands in his own. He directed her over the controls, guiding her hand in the correct direction, "Once you hit the bottom of the joystick, press and hold the shoot button. Not before or after. It has to be at the same time."

"That's stupid, why is it so complicated?"

Jaune figured that was perhaps how the games were designed, to make it harder on the players and force them to use more tokens when they lost. Jaune angrily remembered his days of blind rage – the unbidden curse of any proud gamer.

"Oh my god, they're changing formations again! This game is cheating!" Amber yelped.

"No, it's just a harder level. You have to adapt." Jaune explained.

"Well help me adapt then! How to do I beat this big one?"

Jaune again showed her, guiding her through the secret path to victory. She cheered with excitement, and as she progressed further, she only wanted to play more.

It was funny how simple it was. But so fun at the same time. Jaune looked at her as she played, the way the emotions played on her face. From shock, to anger, to elated. He didn't ever look at her so closely, but Amber had a very pretty smile. Then Jaune looked back at the game; the woman breezing through the levels with incredible momentum. Tickets were practically shooting out of the slots as they cleared each level, but Amber barely noticed. She was having too much fun.

And so was he.