Song of Jaune
By: Bubbajack
Beta/Co-author: Icysnowsage and Heliosion
Disclaimer: I'm only gonna say this once. I do not claim any ownership of the following: Fallout New Vegas, Final Fantasy VII, Gundam SEED, Mass Effect, Nier Automata, Code Geass, or The Dark Tower. They all belong to their respective owners. With that said, let's get on with the show!
Ch.1: A Knight Returns.
Forever Fall. A forest within the confines of the Kingdom of Vale named such due to the permanently crimson leaves due to the sap of its trees. Even as snow covered the ground in a layer of purest white, the trees were still covered in crimson foliage. The forest was silent and still, no birds chirped, there were no howling calls of Beowolves, not even an Ursa tearing at the bark of the trees to get at the sap , nothing was around when a cloud of green smoke and flashing lights appeared, and four people stepped out of the fog.
The first was a masculine figure bedecked head to toe in olive drab combat armor, with tan plates covering his knees, shoulders and forearms. The right arm of his armor from his shoulder to his wrist covered in a red stripe along with the logo of N7, while covering his head was a skeletal metal mask with copper wiring keeping the toothless rictus grin in place. On his back was a sleeveless black jacket that had the image of a two-headed bear on it. Also on the jacket were numerous straps for carrying the many blades he had on his person as well as a pair of pistols on his hips.
The main blade had it's handle was of vibrant yellow sandalwood whose scent lingered on the cold breeze, as the blade made of blue-grey metal had a yellow rose upon the hilt, along with stylized scrollwork spelling out the word 'White'. While lower down slung diagonally at either side, were a pair of serrated swords, with a simple machete looking weapon hanging low near his waist. While on his hips in makeshift holsters two folded up butchers cleavers sat, their handles folded over the back edge of the blades, waiting for deployment. The other blades surrounding the main blade were made out of a silvery looking metal one might mistake for stainless steel at first glance. Through the red eyes of his ghoulish skeletal mask with a rictus-like grin held in place by bits of copper wire, the futuristic Ranger looked around. "I think this is it Juliet! Hell I know it is!" He pointed to a jutting rock, "There's the damn rock I tripped over after killing that Ursa that caused this whole mess in the first place!"
The first of the Ranger's companion, a pale girl with her silver hair in a bob cut who was garbed in a little black dress that not only clung to her curves but also had a boob window that tantalizingly showed off her generous bust, thigh high sable stockings included a visor over eyes, and black heels which put her still only up to chest height to the Ranger and curtly replied.
"Sir, we've been over this, please refer to me as 2B." Floating behind her back were two swords, an ivory white katana, and a massive hunk of metal with a lion's head motif near the curving head of the blade.
"But Juliet, 2B or not 2B, that is the question, no?" The Ranger retorted a chuckle in his tone.
"No," She replied flatly. The Ranger could feel her deadpan glare through her blindfold. "It's really not."
The Ranger just laughed at her flat rebuke. Before he swept his gaze around the clearing.
"What's wrong sir?" the begrudgingly named Juliet asked.
"The Cross Continental Transmit System Tower. Even from here, you should be able to see it, it's huge." He said pointing off into the distance where even from here in a frosted over Forever Fall, the outline of the CCT tower should've been visible against the sky. Yet it wasn't there. Something was definitely wrong. The Ranger looked to his partner, and held out his hand, "We need to move!"
The second of his companions spoke up then. A woman garbed in a white dress that had a slit that went all the way up to her right thigh with a riding crop hanging from her belt slung across her hips. Her green eyes were cool and calculating and her blonde asymmetrical tresses hung down longer on the left side of her face than the right as she spoke. "Sir, we should investigate and if possible render aid."
The final member of the quartet scoffed. She was tall, buxom, with silver hair roughly shorn short and light blue eyes wearing a ripped black dress, torn stockings, and black heels. "You mean like you helped me by abandoning me and labeling me a traitor?"
"Alice!" The Ranger snapped at the belligerent woman, "Now is not the time to bicker with Gwynevere, we've got a possible situation on our hands. Juliet, with me, Alice, Gwyn, Alice, split up and do what you can."
Juliet took his hand and nodded. "Understood."
His arm glowing in blue-white light, the Ranger tossed the women into the air, and leapt after them soon afterwards catching Juliet in his arms as the pair of them rocketed towards Vale with Gwynevre and Alice trailing just behind them.
As the duo flew over the city of Vale, the ranger let out a hiss through his teeth. For Grimm roamed the streets. From the main thoroughfare to the back alleys. Packs of Beowolves, along with other more exotic Grimm he'd never seen before. Bipedal stub tailed giant lizards, ape-like Grimm, and to top it all off, a giant ass wyvern statue was sitting on top of the now clearly broken CCT Tower and it looked to be spawning Grimm?
'Okay, seriously, what 'the actual fuck' happened while I was gone?' The Ranger thought to himself. He glanced at his partner. "2B, take out the Beowolves, go for the Alpha's first that'll put the pack in disarray, I'll handle the Ursa's and whatever the fuck the rest of these things are. A2, and White, take out any Grimm bigger than a truck, and keep them off our six."
"Understood." The three gynoids knew this situation was serious for the Ranger only ever called them by their proper designations when the situation was dire.
Without any further preamble, the Ranger tossed the former YoRha operative at the closest pack of Beowolves while he drew the first blade off his back and angled himself towards an Ursa Major, diving down like a bird of prey through the sky, he drove his blade through its throat, before tearing it out, letting them shatter like so much glass, before he hopped off it and drew one of the pistols from holster at his side, drawing his big iron and took aim.
"Remember kid, a Gunslinger does not aim with his hand, he aims with his eye."
"I remember Roland." The Ranger muttered as he took aim at another charging Ursa, this one an Ursa Minor, and squeezed the trigger, blowing its head to bits as more of his mentor's words echoed through his mind.
"Don't shoot with your hand, shoot with your mind. Visualize where you want the bullet to go, then squeeze the trigger and send it on its way."
With every pull of the trigger, and blue flash of the muzzle, more Grimm fell to the ranger's onslaught. He blasted the arms off a Beowulf Alpha, shot the wings off thoses griffin looking things, crippling them and removing the Grimm's air superiority, and getting the occasional headshot on a Ursa when he could hear heads exploding. As the fight wore on, the Ranger drew his blades from his blade, coating them in a blue-white glow before snapping them to the main blade forming a massive single edged blade. With the Hollow Blade in his left hand and the completed sword in his right, before launching himself at his foes with a front flip.
"Do not kill with your gun. Kill with your heart. Make your heart as hard as any bullet you fire or the iron of your very sword, and do what needs to be done. Fail in any one of these tasks and you will have forgotten the faces of those you fight for, and the reason you fight." The final line of the Gunslinger's creed and its meaning as he swung his buster sword Deschain into the hoard of Grimm, first down then across, splitting a Griffin in half with the downward slash before finishing his cutting flurry of cuts and taking out several lesser Grimm in the process.
Hearing an explosion off to his left, he glanced back to see 2B getting flung through a building, a King Taijute quickly following behind her as Pod 042 did his best to provide her with covering fire from the two-headed serpent Grimm. He felt anger bubble up from within him. Anger at himself for not seeing the bigger threat while airborne, for letting his partner be put in such a dangerous position.
He took a breath. 'Don't let your anger run away with you. Harness it, control it,' He told himself. 'Just like you were taught.'
So thinking, he charged the King Taijitu, his body covered in a blue-white glow and his armor further reinforced by plates of metal that glowed bright orange and floated millimeters above word beginning to glow with golden energy as he closed in. The two headed snake reared its heads at him hissing menacingly. He blitzed the heads down, and as he neared the heads, the black one snapped out at him, fangs gleaming. Jaune held out his hand and released an electric shock from his palm that stunned the Grimm, giving him just enough time to leap frog from one head to the other before he brought his now gleaming golden sword, and cut the two headed serpent in half bifurcating it at the stomach, with Braver, and causing crimson mist to spew from its insides before its entire body went up in smoke.
Turning to his partner, he asked worriedly. "Are you okay Juliet?"
The gynoid rose to her feet and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you… I'm sorry you had to use a Braver to protect me, sir."
Jaune shook his head. "Don't ever apologize for needing help. Everyone needs it from time to time. Lord knows I needed plenty in my day."
2B nodded a ghost of a smile on her face. "Right."
An explosion went off in the distance, drawing the attention of them both and causing the Ranger to sigh, "We'd better go see what Gwyn and Alice are up to, and make sure they're actually killing Grimm and not each other."
"Suggestion," Pod 42 said, "Do not let Commander Gwynevere and A2 Alice fight together."
The ranger chuckled beneath his helm, "Yeah that would be a good idea but nine times out of ten if you force people who don't like each other to work together, they usually end up getting along."
"Inquiry," Pod 42 spoke again, "What about the remaining ten percent of the time Commandant?"
"They kill each other." The Ranger said with a shrug as another explosion went off in the distance. He sighed, "We'd better hurry and make sure that's not happening." The Ranger made his way towards the explosions with 2B following hot on his heels.
YorHa Attack Unit No.2 aka A2 or Alice as the Commandant deigned to call her, was doing what she was good at… that is to say, killing things. These Creatures of Grimm, these enemies of Humanity that the Commandant told them about, to have purpose and direction once again… A2 had never felt more alive! Even as the skull of a bear-shape Grimm caved in from her punch. Bum Rushing a two-headed snake, A2 had just given another bear Grimm, an Ursa she believed they were called, a one two combo consisting of a left hook and a right uppercut that made its head fly off when she noticed the commander out of the corner of her eye.
Saber in one hand and whip in the other, White or Gwynevere as the Commandant hailed her danced gracefully amongst a flock of small black birds, deftly dodging aside as they swooped at her, pecking at her eyes, only for her to slash at them with her sword, wasting no movement as she removed wings, heads or outright bifurcated some in the horde, seeming to dance on her feet as she dealt death in all directions at once.
Suddenly she was smacked into a building, due to being distracted. Landing amidst a now ruined desk and pulling herself out of the splinters and chips of wood, A2 cursed to herself under her breath, "Fuck that hurt! Thank goodness the Commandant unlocked my aura."
Her red aura flashed briefly before she glanced at her Pod, 142, that floated up to her, and spoke in a feminine monotone, "Suggestion: Dodge."
"Thanks for that, Pavlove." 2A snarked before she glared down at the monochrome serpent which hissed up at her, menacingly.
Aura flaring like a red hot coal, A2 activated her semblance. Her eyes going red, she engaged her Berserker mode, lacking the typical self destruct sequence of the B model YorHa models and beyond. That along with her Semblance of Rage Based Physical Empowerment, made her a true berserker on the battlefield. She leaped down at the King Taijitu with a furious yell peeling from her lips, as she reared back her right fist as she descended from the hole in the second story of the store she'd been smacked into her gauntleted hand impacting with the bone covered skull of the King Taijute with such force that it caved in on impact.
Yet the Grimm was not done, for it had another head, one not covered by bone plates. It snapped and hissed at her, yet empowered by both her Berserker Mode, and her Semblance, to A2, the Grimm seemed to be moving in slow motion, she almost casually walked up to it and backhanded it ripping off its lower jaw in the process before tearing off its bottom fangs, and impaling them in the eyes with them. It all happened in a matter of seconds but to 2A, it was moments. Then, her Semblance, and the Berserker Mode it was tied to both deactivated, and the android found herself huffing, the major drawback of her Semblance kicking in.
Due to the fact it was tied to her Berserker Mode, which already overclocked her systems, and her Semblance allowed her to take it even further for a limited amount of time, once her aura ran out, she was a sitting duck. No aura to protect her, with her internal circuits and servos pushed to the point of breaking down… 'The Commandant called me a glass cannon. Strong but fragile he said.'
"Internal structural integrity at sixty percent," Pod 143 stated. "Recommend replacement of phalanges in both hands, as well as left knee, and right foot joint and servos."
"Tch, shit. Stupid fucking semblance. The Commandant isn't gonna be happy about this. Probably gonna rip me a new asshole," A2 'Alice' she reminded herself as she cursed.
As if speaking about him summoned him, the Commandant appeared on the scene, with 2B in tow. He looked around, seeing the remains of Grimm turning into so much smoke, before barking out, "White, sitrep."
"Sir, enemies have all been rendered silent sir!" White replied crisply, coming to attention as she did so.
The Ranger saluted back. "At ease Gwyn." Suddenly, the soldier spun on his heel, blade in hand as a Sabyre pounced at him, only for it to be suspended in midair by a pink aura. Wasting no time, the ranger sliced the head off the Grimm with his main blade and turned to see a blonde-haired woman in glasses wearing a slightly torn and tattered white dress, her thigh-high boots were scuffed, and her usually immaculate blonde hair was in a messy bun rather than the tight stern bun he remembered her keeping it in, and there were black circles under her eyes framing her glasses. Glyna Goodwitch looked haggard, like she had seen better days. Still the Ranger couldn't keep the smile out of his tone as he commented, "You're looking a bit rough there ."
The woman blinked at him owlishly for a moment before asking, "I'm sorry, but have we met? Your voice sounds slightly familiar, but I can't quite…"
"Ah, sorry…" the man reached up and removed his mask, causing the former combat instructor to gasp.
"Mr… Mr. Arc?! Is that really you?" She asked, not believing her own eyes to the point she took off her glasses and cleaned them on her tattered cape before placing them back on the bridge of her nose.
It was him alright. He was standing there, his face missing baby fat, his jaw now chiseled, blue eyes bemused yet sharp, his blonde hair was slicked back on his head, except for this one strand that hung down in front of his face. He'd also grown a neat military-style mustache on his face. It was finely cut into two blonde squares on his upper lip. In fact, she looked at his bearing; he held himself straight and confident with his helmet under one arm. It was clear to her Arc had served in some form of military outfit.
She didn't care about any of that at the moment as she moved forward and pulled the young man into a hug with both arms. She felt him tense for a moment, likely in surprise, before he slowly snaked his arms around her. She didn't blame him. She wasn't exactly known for being… affectionate when he'd known her. Holding him at arm's length she smiled a bit and said, "It's good to see you again Mr. Arc."
Smiling cockily, he replied, "Mr. Arc is my father. Please, call me Jaune, Mrs. Goodwitch."
Returning his smile with one of her own, Glynda replied, "Then Glynda please. I insist. I wasn't your teacher long enough for you to be so formal."
Breaking away from her embrace, Jaune countered, "You were for a good three months."
The former teacher shook her head. "Not nearly long enough," The older blonde looked away guiltily, but soon cleared her throat. "But we should probably speak someplace safe, and I'm sure we both have questions for one another."
Placing his mask back on his head, Jaune nodded. "Yeah, you could say that. Lead the way."
Of all the things the ranger expected, he did not expect to be led into the damn sewers underneath Vale. He and his team followed his former professor through twisting passageways of slimy cobblestones, with a rank stench in the air until they came to a cistern that was bustling with people running a makeshift town. Humans, Faunus, young and old, all were bustling through small cramped buildings made of plywood and drywall, children in ragged dirty clothes ran around, while adults worked to build more ramshackle housing, usually dangerously and precariously on top of one another.
'The bunk beds in Team RWBY's doom look more stable than some of those buildings,' Jaune thought to himself as he followed Goodwitch down a narrow flight of stone steps into the cistern proper.
As they approached, some children a mix of human and faunus ran up to Glynda and grabbed her skirt. "Did you manage to find any food Mrs. Goodwitch?" A young blonde girl in a tattered dress asked.
"Did ya smack the grimm around for us?" a faunus boy with dalmatian ears asked excitedly.
"Vino!" the girl complained, "If we don't get food and stuff, we'll starve, or freeze to death. Beating up Grimm isn't all that important at the moment."
"Well, it's kinda important Maize," the Faunus boy countered, "The scavenging parties can't search for food and stuff with Grimm around can they?"
"I guess…" The girl, Maize trailed off.
Another girl, a little older with black hair and tanned skin and a boy who could be her twin spoke up. "Sorry Maize and Vino Mrs Goodwitch." She motioned to Jaune and his companions, "Who are these people? Friends?"
"Yes, Chipotle, they are, and it's fine. This," She motioned to Jaune, "Is a former student of mine. He and his companions weren't around for the Fall or Blackout Day and wish to know what's going on."
Chipotle looked him over, before crossing her arms and pouted saying, "So you're the one who stirred up the Grimm huh?"
"I'm the one who killed the Grimm, lil missie," Jaune replied easily.
Her male twin shook his head and replied, "It doesn't matter Mister, as long as that statue is around where Beacon used to be, more Grimm'll just keep showing up. Ouch!" He said this as Glynda gave his cheek a pinch.
"You've been eavesdropping again," Glynda noted with distaste.
Chipotle sighed. "Nice going Qdoba." She then glared at the stern former deputy Headmistress of Beacon. "Yeah, and why shouldn't we? No one'll tell us anything just because we're kids."
A hand landed on the preteen's shoulder. Everyone looked to see a rather short girl with long fluffy pink and brown hair, with white streaks running through it, and eyes that seemed to switch between brown, pink, and white on the fly. She was wearing a bowler cap on her head, a white half-jacket over a brown corset, her black pants were slightly torn on the left leg, and she had thigh high boots with black buttons. She was leaning on a closed parasol like it was a cane, hinting she might have some mobility issues.
"Big sis!" Chipotle said nervously.
The older girl silently glared at the younger causing her to squirm in place and look down at the soaked stone floor contritely. "Sorry Miss Goodwitch."
"It's alright dear, as for not telling you well… we don't want you or anyone else to worry, as worry begats negativity which could in turn draw the Grimm to us here."
Chipotle tensed then rapidly nodded. She looked up when the silent older girl squeezed her shoulder, then jerked her head behind her. "Okay Big sis. C'mon everyone let's go play."
The kids ran off leaving the adults alone. The mute looked at Glynda contritely bowing her head in embarrassment.
Glynda gazed at her cooly. "You have one job Neo, and that is to keep an eye on the children. So, do try to keep an eye on the children away from the pavilion when the meetings are taking place please."
Neo nodded meekly before cocking her head to the side and pointing at Jaune, and raising a quizzical eyebrow.
Pointing at himself Jaune said, "Me? I'm Jaune Arc. I'm… The guy who makes the impossible possible. Or so I've been told on multiple occasions," Thumbing behind him he added, "These are my teammates, Gwynevere, Juliet, and Alice."
Neo blinked at that. She then looked at Goodwitch, who shrugged. The older blonde spoke then. "Jaune if you would please follow me to the pavilion, I can brief you on our current situation."
Okay… seeya around Neo. Good luck with the munchkins," he said, giving her a wave as he passed her by which she silently returned.
The Pavilion was just a giant canvas tent housing a rickety wooden table that had a map of Remnant pinned to it, some equally shabby tables, and a cot in one corner. The place was kept lit by some simple lanterns hanging in the corners. Glynda took a seat at the head of the table and motioned for him and his companions to take a seat. The taciturn woman silently noted none of the other three made to move until Jaune himself sat down, and even then, one decided to stand arms folded directly behind him while the other two took a seat on either side of him. 'They're in a defensive triangle formation around him. Seemingly they value his life over their own,' Glynda noted.
If Jaune noticed this he made no comment on it, instead he leaned forward in his chair, folded his hands in front of him and locked eyes with her before speaking. "So, Glynda, what the fuck happened while I was gone?"
Not really knowing how to proceed, the woman decided to bring Jaune into the fold much like how Ozpin did herself when he brought her into his confidence many years ago. "Tell me Jaune, what is your favorite fairytale?"
The blonde man blinked at her. "My favorite fairytale? Forgive me if I don't know how that's relevant."
"What if I told you that some fairytales like that of the Maidens held a grain of truth? Also that Ozpin intended to transfer the power of one of the Maidens into your partner Pyrrha Nikos?"
Jaune sat up straighter, his blue eyes glinting like sapphires as he spoke in a hardened tone. "I'd say tell me more, and for your sake, leave nothing out."
It took all of Glynda's none too considerable combat experience and willpower not to shudder under the younger man's glare and hop to attention at the tone of his voice. She's only seen eyes like that in veterans of the Great War. Glynda didn't want to know what Jaune Arc went through to get a demeanor like that.
'I do believe I know why his comrades are so protective of him now however,' she thought to herself ruefully. Taking a breath to gather her flailing courage she spoke, "It is intrinsically connected to the Fall of Beacon, and it goes a little something like this…"
Jaune wanted to say he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Magic using Maidens? Soul transferring machines, and Relics left behind by Gods that had abandoned the world? To top it all off, a terrorist organization was going around trying to get both the Maiden powers and the relics because… reasons? It was… well it didn't surprise him all that much if he were being honest, not really. He'd been to other realities. He'd walked a world burned by nuclear fire, waged war across stars, fought a planet destroying sociopath, and more besides. He found it odd that he came back here and now though.
'Is this that Ka that Roland always spoke of?' Jaune wondered. He shook his head. He didn't believe in fate or destiny. Yet just the thought of the words caused the words of another to ring through his head.
"There is always a lighthouse, always a man, always a city."
His mood instantly soured. He didn't want to think of her. The thing she'd become was unrecognizable to him, when compared to the sweet innocent girl he first met when he quite literally fell into her life.
'Fucking Tears,' he thought.
"Mr. Arc, is everything alright?" Glynda questioned.
Snapping himself out of his fugue he slapped a smirk on his face and replied with, "I told you Glynda, it's Jaune, and I'm fine. I will say it's a good thing Pyrrha didn't go through with the aura transfusion at the end… because if she had, then died, and I came back and found out you and Ozpin's group got her killed well… The time for civil discourse would've passed."
The blonde woman nodded. She was under no illusions that Jaune Arc was stronger now than he had been before he disappeared. What she did question was his ability to beat her in a fight. With his teammates helping? He likely could defeat her. On his own? She had reason to doubt.
Jaune reached into his exterior pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes that still had grains of sand in the packet. Taking one out, he lit it by touching the tip with his finger causing an electric spark to jump from his finger to the tip of the now lit cancer stick, which he took a long drag.
Exhaling the man asked quietly, "So, can you tell me what happened to my teammates and Team RWBY?"
Glynda grimaced but compliant in handing over the necessary information. His weary words set a tone that she could not ignore or censor any detail the man required. Something hung deep like a musty smell that she couldn't help but relate to after so many months trapped in here trying to fight a battle that never seemed to ever end.
"Yang Xiao Long is currently residing on Patch at her family home, recovering from a wound she received during the Fall of Beacon. Blake Belladonna fled, likely back to Menagerie after Yang was injured trying to protect her. Weiss Schnee was brought back to Atlas by her father, and then… there is Miss Rose and your teammates."
Jaune's question should have been angry like a typical young man who had heard something awful while he'd been away and unable to help. Glynda shivered at the measured, nearly clinical rage, clean but ran hotter than a furnace came out instead.
"Who hurt Yang, and how was she hurt?"
Goodwitch looked away. "I'd rather not say. You'll have to speak to her yourself."
Slowly, Jaune swallowed his follow up question and conceded to her, nodding in the stead of him pursuing that line of enquiry further. Glynda was not an evasive person. He'd known that since the moment they clapped eyes on each other and the woman made it clear with an expression that she thought Jaune was better off going back the fuck he came.
He decided to attack the other Goliath in the room instead.
"Did it have something to do with her being a Faunus? Or the fact her parents founded the White Fang?" When Glynda looked at him in surprise he shrugged. "What, her bow never moved in the wind at all, it wasn't hard to figure out she was hiding ears under there. As for the White Fang bit, anyone who just searches the name Belladonna could find out who she's related to. It worked well enough for me when I couldn't shake the niggling feeling I'd heard her last name somewhere before."
"I… I see. Yes it was the latter."
"Well... shit," Jaune cursed. He closed his eyes and took a breath. "Okay, okay, okay... Tomorrow I want to go and speak with Yang, get debriefed on what went down."
'He's been in the military alright. The jargon proves it,' the witch thought bemused as Jaune stood up. "Well I guess I should find a rack and get some shuteye. Or failing that I've got a bedroll kit I can use. Before that though, I'm going to help with the construction a bit. Last thing we need is sheet metal falling on people in their sleep, and I've seen jenga towers more stable than this place."
She was about to protest, to ask about his own travels, wanting to know just where he went and more importantly, how… when a big burly man came into the tent carrying two girls by their necks. Judging by their identical appearances, long dark hair, and pale green eyes, and pale complexions, they were twins.
The one on the left was wearing a red dress trimmed in black lace with an off center black bow tied around her waist, armored black heels, red opera gloves covering her arms, and a black fur shawl around her shoulders with a matching choker around her neck that had an emerald affixed to it. In her hair was a trio of feathers, two white with a black one in the center. The raptor-like red claws on her wrists caught his eye too.
In the man's opposing grip was a similar girl garbed in white. White fur shawl, white gloves, a small bowtie right in the middle of her cleavage, and white thigh-high boots that had red lace up detailing the more interesting part about the boots though were the blades on the heels.
Glynda sighed. "Yes Yatsuhashi, what is it?"
'Yatsuhashi, I remember him, he's on Team CFVY,' Jaune thought to himself. "Still a big fucking guy even after I did the growing thing. Barret's probably damn smaller than this dude.'
"Caught these two…" He gave the girls a shake. The pair mewled like nearly drowned kittens in his tree trunk arms. "Trying to steal their weapons again."
Glynda fixed the two with a sharp glare. Jaune backed away on reflex. It was a standard survival tactic when Nora was caught doing some mad shit and the blonde got wind of it. "Ladies, we've been over this."
"We can help!" the girl in red protested.
"If you would just give us a chance," the white clad one said bitterly, a sour look on her face.
The twins, the huge guy and the blonde teacher had somehow forgotten his presence and entered their own little world. This did not seem to be a new thing but all the same he wanted to know what the fuck was going on.
Clearing his throat, Jaune asked, "Not that this isn't interesting but what seems to be the problem here Glynda?"
Flicking her riding crop towards them, the woman replied, "These two, are criminals. They claim to want to help but they go around breaking what few rules we have around here at every turn. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with."
'If I had a dollar every time someone told me something 'was not my concern' I would be both rich and dead.' Jaune thought to himself. 'If I can peacefully end the Geth-Quarian war, I can solve a dispute.' Jaune broke their little bubble the way any military guy did. He coughed so obviously nobody was in doubt that it was deliberate. "Ladies. What exactly is she talking about?"
"Um, who're you?" the one in red asked.
"The only one here in your corner at the moment. So stuff the sass and get to talking Missie before I change my mind." Jaune promptly replied, his cerulean blue eyes locking onto her light green for a moment.
Red shut up and White, took over. Her pout could sink a thousand ships. "We would like to help with the defense of this place, but due to our past, and not having official training, Miss Goodwitch isn't willing to give us any chance to prove ourselves."
Glynda's glasses glinted in the limited light. "You have tried to leave on multiple occasions, refused to tell anyone where you tried going each time you were questioned, neither of you have done anything to gain my or anyone else's trust and tried on numerous occasions to steal your weapons back which were only taken until you proved you could be trusted which believe me you haven't yet."
"That's enough Glynda." Jaune raised his voice only a little, finding her twisting the knife like she was a little heavy handed but it was enough to silence the teacher. He turned to the twins. His gaze was enough to have one of them, Red forget she wasn't military and stand to attention. Her twin ended that by elbowing her in the side. "Ladies, what do you have to say to all this?"
The two looked at each other before nodding. Red, surprisingly considering the obvious domination of her sister before spoke for the two of them now. "Well sir, we were going to raid a bolthole our mother set up for us in case something went wrong here in Vale. It's filled with Dust, food, drinkable water you don't need to boil first, you know that sort of thing. It was going to be our way of ingratiating ourselves to the people here…" Red shot Glynda a nasty look. "But every time we try to leave to pick up said supplies, Goodbitch here catches us and chews us out!"
Red's reward for swearing was another harder shake from Yatsuhashi. The bear was playing with his caught salmon it seemed.
Jaune sighed and rolled his eyes. Damn rookies in boot camp were smarter than this. "Geez, I wonder why? It's not like you weren't obviously going out into a Grimm infested city unarmed." Glynda opened her mouth to say something, likely to ask why they never brought up the cache before when Jaune beat her to the punch. "Unless I miss my guess Red, the reason you didn't bring this up with Glynda is simply because of a lack of trust. If she wasn't willing to trust you, then neither of you had any reason to trust her with the location of your cache or their contents correct?"
Red nodded grinning like the Saybr that ate the hunter. "Yep, and it's Miltiades Malachite by the way," She sent him a playful wink. The personality swap was jarring to say the least. "Though you can call me Miltia." She nodded to White. "This is my sister, Melanie."
"Hi," Melanie said, giving him a curt nod as she silently appraised him.
Jaune shot them a nod. "Ladies." He paused before saying, "I know you don't trust Glynda, she hasn't given you reason to." He ignored her squawk of indignation and continued, "However would you be willing to trust me?" He spread his arms. "I mean, I'm going to bat for you here."
Again, the Twins had a moment of silent communication that only they seemed to be able to do. They seemed to come to a consensus and Red was elected again to speak.
"We," Milita said.
"Have decided," Melanie continued.
"To trust you!" Both said at the same time, sending him a sincere smile as they did so.
This caused Jaune to smile himself. If it wasn't obvious they would roll with him because Glynda was a hardass even in her downtime. Ozpin probably Mistralled up those coffees he always drank when dealing with the stern teacher but it was probably her powers that stopped Beacon from being destroyed before the Grimm could.
"That's great!" He then spoke directly to Yatsuhashi, the silent bear that he was. He still said pretty much fuck all it appeared. "Put them down please."
"On one condition," the large man spoke, his voice coming out in a deep timbre that vibrated through the space. A man of few words but when they were spoken they stuck.
Jaune raised an eyebrow and smirked. The bear backed down when Jaune supported a posture to match the bear. "Which is?"
"You are Jaune Arc yes?" Upon receiving a nod, Yatsuhashi continued. "Then I would like you to come speak to one of my teammates. She would be… most pleased to see you alive and well."
Jaune had no idea why Coco Adel would want to talk to him, but he decided to roll with it. "Okay yeah sure. Now if we're done with negotiations can you please release the hostages?"
That earned a chuckle from the bigger man as he dropped the two girls, calling behind his shoulder as he left. "I shall let her know to expect you."
Jaune stood up as well, "Militia, Melanie, if you want to get a head start on earning some cred around here, you can help me with a little project before we head out tomorrow."
"What's the plan?" Melanie asked, head cocked to the side in a curious manner.
In response, Jaune looked to his left wrist and called, "EDI?"
His left forearm was suddenly encased in orange light as a hardlight gauntlet covered his arm and from a node in the center a small ball floated brightening as a robotic feminine voice spoke.
"Yes Jaune? How may I be of assistance?"
"I need a structural analysis of all the buildings here, if any are unsound I need you to let me know so I can fix them with omni-gel."
EDI happily complied to her orders. "Understood, may I deploy a drone to fulfill this task?"
"Of course." Seconds later, a white spherical machine the size of a bowling ball with a black grill on its face popped out of the device, and beeped in acknowledgement a couple of times before it floated out of the pavilion. Jaune turned to the twins who watched with interested faces as the interaction took place. "When EDI reports in I want you two to go to the houses she specifies and let the people know they need to leave. It's not a glorious job, but I think letting people know their temporary homes might collapse on them and are being fixed will go a long way to earning you two some goodwill around here."
The twins nodded. "Thanks," Melanie said, she didn't seem to be a big talker.
"What is that thing on your wrist and whose EDI is she a virtual intelligence?" Milita asked.
"I too have many questions Jaune, about where you've been, and who your silent companions are."
In response, Jaune sent the senior Huntress a smirk. The shift in dynamic worked in getting the blonde to back off from the topic. He wasn't ready for that just yet. "Sorry Glynda, but you're asking for pillow talk, and I don't give that out till at least the third date." His response caused all the women present to blush, "Seriously though, if you want to know about my past, you gotta be willing to wine and dine a guy. Don't you know a way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" He glanced left and right at Gwynevere and Juliet respectively, before shrugging, "I guess they just don't feel like sharing."
"We shall happily participate in repairs and resource retrieval tomorrow sir," Juliet replied easily with Gwynevere nodding along.
"Awesome, thanks ladies."
"Tch, whatever," The one behind him leaning on a post said.
Jaune glared behind him, his blue eyes aglow. "Don't think I don't know you activated your semblance Alice. That means I need to do maintenance before I can go to sleep tonight."
Alice looked down trying to hide the flush on her face.
"Sorry sir." She looked up when a hand landed on her head to see Jaune smiling at her.
"Don't apologize just be more careful in the future okay?"
"Okay," Alice muttered, refusing to meet his eyes.
The twins shared a knowing look.
Jaune sighed finishing off his second cigarette as he did so stomping it out on the ground as he waited for EDI to get back to him. "Anyway, as soon as EDI reports in we can get started."
"Jaune, I've completed my sweep and found no less than eighteen structurally compromised buildings," EDI suddenly piped up.
"Speak of the devil and she appears," Jaune muttered under his breath. "Roger that EDI, can you give me a map and outline the buildings?"
Moments later, a 3D map appeared; some buildings were outlined in red, while others remained orange in coloration. Of the eighteen three were on the ground level and in danger of collapsing due to all the weight being put on them, five were on the second story and the remaining ten were at the third level or higher.
Glynda's eyes widened as she looked at the map. Before she rapidly took to her feet. "I will personally deal with the ground level housing, this cannot wait." She turned to the Malachite twins, "You girls see to the evacuation of the upper floors. Tell them you have my authority if they ask."
With that the Huntress left the pavilion. Jaune lit his third cigarette as he said, "Well girls, looks like you have your mission parameters."
Milita gave a mock salute, "Aye aye sir, we'll get right on that," with Melanie silently doing the same before the twins too left the tent.
Now that they were alone, Jaune turned to Pod 142 and said "Status report on A2, 142."
The feminine Pod replied promptly. "Phalanges in both hands are damaged and require replacing, Servos in both knees and elbows are worn, and likely require replacement, overall mobility has been lowered to sixty percent. Combat ability is at fifty-two percent."
Jaune fixed Alice with a flat glare. A2 glared at her Pod muttering, "Fucking traitor."
"Jaune Arc is our XO, lying to him would be… ill advised," Pod 142 remarked.
Jaune held open the tent flap for his teammates, specifically Alice. "C'mon let's find a place a bit more private to do this. Anyone could come in here looking for Glynda."
Finding a nice secluded out of the way spot, Jaune turned to A2 and took a breath to brace himself before he said flatly, "Alright, you know the drill, strip."
A2 wasted no time and began peeling off her tattered clothing, as meager as it was. Once she was naked in front of Jaune, he had to actually take a moment to remind himself that A2 was actually an android and not a human being thus he wasn't being a pervert. She certainly looked human enough right now. Pale skin shining in a nearby trashcan fire, she held her arms below her full breasts and her smooth stomach wide hips that gave way to long legs that ended in dainty feet. She was gorgeous. A supermodel mixed with a vicious brawler.
Jaune gave his head a shake before he reached over and pressed her bellybutton. Unlike with humans, it was an actual button that allowed him to access her internal systems. Synthetic flesh peeled away, a Y-shaped seam opening up in A2's chest, causing the android to hiss as her internal systems were revealed to the world. Servos circuitry and mechanical guts mixed with something akin to blood. He was told by Pods 042 and 153 what most of their internals did and how to fix them. Yet despite that, he still didn't know what the device in their stomachs were for. It looked like some kind of incubator but he didn't know what for and neither Pod would tell him.
Shaking his head for letting his mind wander, Jaune proceeded to remove the faulty parts in A2 feed them into his omnitool to get some material back and then create new ones and replace them, it was long, messy work that if anyone stumbled upon him right now, would probably mistake him for some kind of demented serial killer.
"Is everything alright Jaune, you're not usually this quiet," A2 said as he continued to work. "Are…" she paused. "Are you upset with me?"
'Is that what she thought?' The blonde always found A2 was more open and honest when he was forced to do maintenance on her like this. He met her gaze and smiled. "No, I'm not. I do wish you'd be more careful though Alice. If you die here… there's no Bunker for you to upload to. You need to be more careful okay? I don't want to lose you."
The android looked away. "Alright…" A pause before. "Is anything else on your mind? It seems like nothing is how you left it. I… I know you were hoping for some peace and quiet once you got home."
"I guess it was the will of Ka that I found another war."
"You don't believe in fate or destiny," A2 said with a little laugh.
Jaune shook his head as he finished fixing her right hand before moving onto the left. "No, but that doesn't mean it doesn't believe in me."
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!"
Jaune turned to see Coco Adel staring at him in horror, her dark brown eyes wide as her shades had slipped down on her nose in her shock. A black jacket hung from her arms revealing she was wearing a sleeveless beige sweater, which contrasted sharply with the chocolate brown skirt and off center belt with brass buckle she was wearing. She had a full length brown boot on her left leg, while her right was bare, save for the brass stiletto heel she was wearing. As usual, she had her beret on her head. She mechashifted her handbag into a gatling gun and aimed it his way before she growled out, "Don't fucking move you sicko!"
"Uh, this isn't what it looks like?" Jaune said lamely, while holding up his hands in surrender… hands which were covered in synthetic blood.
Coco gave him a flat look and deadpan reply, "Sure it isn't. Move and I'll turn you into bloodier chunks than your latest victim." Reaching for her scroll, she opened it and dialed a number. By the third ring Glynda's face popped up on screen.
"Glynda Goodwitch speaking. This had better be important miss Adel, I'm dealing with a potential housing crisis at the moment. Had it not been pointed out to me by a new arrival many people could've died."
"Hey Goodwitch, Coco here... I kinda stumbled onto a murder scene."
"What?!"
Turning her scroll to face the culprit, she said, "See for yourself."
"Jaune?" Glynda said. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Hey Glynda," Jaune said, giving her a wave, "Coco and I seem to have had a bit of a misunderstanding."
Coco narrowed her eyes at the masked man. "Arc? Well, Bun-bun dodged a bullet I guess."
Looking to the android who was silently watching the scene take place Jaune said, "2A back me up here."
"I'm not dead you fucking morons," 2A called from the side as she seemingly lay there bleeding out, "The Commandant is just fixing some broken parts. Happens every time I use my fucking Semblance."
"Miss Adel, move your scroll closer please," Glynda requested.
Keeping Gianduja trained in the possible killer, Coco moved in moving her scroll over the girl called A2 as she did so.
What Glynda and Coco saw surprised them. "She's an android! Like Penny Polendina." Coco quickly realized.
"What the fuck is a Penny Polindina?" Jaune asked.
Shifting Gianduja back into a purse, Coco explained. "Right, you weren't here for the Vytal Festival. Long short of it is this. Polindina was an android given an aura by Atlas. She ended up fighting your partner during the singles match, and… well, Pyrrha tore her apart, literally."
"Huh, neat." Jaune's reaction was tempered by realizing he wasn't going to be shot now so Jaune got back to work fixing A2. He removed the false bones in her hands before moving on to her knees. Coco stayed there through it all, watching in morbid fascination. It was like watching a Bullhead crash. She wanted to look away, but couldn't. Not liking the awkward silence, Jaune spoke. "So Coco, why did you want to talk to me anyway?" Hearing the girl in question hum in curiosity, he continued, "I met Yatsuhashi earlier. He said you'd be interested in talking to me for some reason."
"Oh… Yatsu wasn't talking about me, but Bun-bun." He could hear the teasing lilt in the woman's tone.
"Bun-bun?" The connection wasn't made at first. The name only made him feel hungry for some Chinese food. "Wait! You mean Velvet Scarlatina, don't you? Why would she want to talk to me? As far as I'm aware, we've never spoken to one another."
Coco just smirked. That didn't bode well. "Well, you'll just have to go and see her yourself and find out, won't you stud?"
"Do you flirt with everyone you thought was a killer?" Jaune asked, glancing back at her and raising his mask on the top of his head, giving her a good look at his face. It was covered in scars. The right side of his face was marred by an arching almost lightning bolt like pattern that trailed all the way from his right temple down his jaw. Another went straight around his forehead and likely went into his hairline only to be covered up by his golden locks, but the most prominent scar she could see were two side by side bullet wounds in his left temple, like a gnarly figure eight carved into his skull.
"Nah, just the cute ones," Coco replied, winking at him. War wounds or not chicks digged scars in Remnant too it seemed.
'Women, I'll never understand them.' He thought to himself as he finished patching up A2. 'Female androids either.' Jaune leaned back to show his work was completed. "There you should be all set. Close it all up and get dressed."
It was only then that Coco realized A2 was naked. 'Well duh, of course she was, how else could he fix what was wrong with her? Still, for him to act so calmly android or no. He's seen it all before. Been with a woman, I wonder how Bun-Bun'll handle this.' She decided to do some digging. "So Arc, what's your story anyway?"
"Technically I've been travelling around." He said as he shook synthetic blood off his hands while A2's aura sealed her wounds shut.
"Technically?" Coco asked.
Taking a piece of cloth, and wiping his hands off on it as best he could before tossing it in the trashcan fire, Jaune replied, "It's too complicated to get into right now."
"Hmm, you got a place to stay?" Seeing him shake his head, Coco smirked. "Then follow me, and you and your team can shack up with me and mine."
"That's kind of you Coco, thank you… even if you're just trying to hook me up with Velvet for reasons I don't understand."
Coco's jaw dropped a bit. This was not the clueless Jaune Arc she remembered. 'He's really grownup hasn't he?' She put on her 'leader face' then, letting her glasses slide down her nose so she could fix Arc with a sharp glare, hands on hips. "Well, since you figured me out, I won't bother beating around the bush. You let Bun-bun down gently or else Yatsu, Fox, and I'll have something new to use for target practice yeah?"
"Juliet, stop." Jaune said in response. Moments later, Coco heard a loud thump behind her and turned to see a short girl in a black dress land behind her, white katana in hand. The glare she was sending her was palpable. Jaune sighed and wryly he stated, though it could be seen as a question too, "Juliet, what're you doing?"
"Protecting you, Commandant."
"I thought your protocols prevented you from harming humans?"
2B nodded, before speaking in her monotone. "It does, I can't kill humans but it said nothing about apprehending, subduing and disarming them if they are a danger to themselves or other humans."
"Any other friends I need to be made aware of?" Coco asked. Before she felt the point of cold steel being pressed up against her aura and the back of her neck."
"Just me." Gwynevere replied coolly.
"Play nice you two. Where were you anyway?" Jaune asked semi-annoyed he almost got shot while doing repairs on Alice.
"Surveying the area," Juliet replied, "There are so many humans here, and… humans with animal traits as well… What are they Commandant?"
"They're Faunus. Humans with a singular animal trait, and the ability to see in the dark. Some people see them as different species but personally? I see them as people no different from someone with a different skin tone."
Gwynevere nodded. "Understood we shall classify them as human and a non threat and to be protected under our protocols."
Jaune shook his head, putting all of any group into neat little boxes like good and evil was not only stupid, it could get them killed. "It's not that easy Gwyn. Some humans are good, others aren't. Same with Faunus. You need to learn to judge people on a case by case basis."
Coco's head bobbed up and down, in agreement with his sentiment.
Hesitantly, Gwynevere nodded in acceptance. "Very well sir."
Thumbing behind her, Coco joked, "C'mon stud, your princess awaits."
Jaune resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he followed after the leader of Team CFVY, his own squad following behind.
Words: 9,400 Number of Pages: 20 Date Completed: 11/11/2020 Cross Posted on FFN and AO3: 11/15/2020
AN: Hello one and all and Welcome to my second and hopefully better attempted at a RWBY fic! As I'm sure you've guessed already, Jaune is Out Of Character. Jaune is also due to virtue of experience and tech at his disposal, Over Powered. But fear not loyal readers! For I absolutely hate curb stomping! So with new powers come new (old for Jaune?) enemies that will even out the scales, but this'll be a gradual addition. This would usually be the part where I hand over the mic to Snowy and Heliosion who've both been helping me on this project, but both were unable to be reached for comment at this time.
That said, till next time everyone, This has been a Bubbajack, Heliosion, and Icysnowsage Production! Peace!