Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
Finding the Clues - 01
Jaune Arc let out a sigh in relief.
Big cardboard boxes lied near his feet, he just put them down. Despite having Aura to buff his physical strength, doing the heavy lifting for a whole day really exhausted him good.
"Um hmph~. Shelter here~. In my care~."
He could hear that motherly voice coming from downstairs.
Summer Rose enjoyed her cook as she hummed in the kitchen. Home was her favorite song ever since it came out a few years back. It did wonder to ease the spreading negativity around the world due to the Grimm Nests activities at the time.
Maybe Summer felt a connection to that song. Maybe it had something to do with the story of this house, too. That must have been why she loved it. It gave her the right motivation she always needed to reminisce the precious memories.
"Ms. Rose, where should I put away these things?" Jaune asked.
The humming stopped. Just like that, the atmosphere changed completely. Ah, maybe he shouldn't have done that. The song was very soothing.
"Bark!" Yeah. Even Zwei agreed.
"The attic, sweetie. You'll see a pull cord at the end of the hallway."
"Roger that!" Time to continue working. "Zwei. Out the way, buddy."
"Bark!"
"Alright." Jaune shrugged and carried the boxes. "Don't blame me if your tail is right where I step on."
The corgi turned. He ran ahead and made a jump at the string dangling between the ceiling. In a single shot, the attic ladder hit the ground.
Jaune froze, eyes widened in amaze.
"Battle corgi." The boy muttered under his breath.
He should have gotten used to that by now.
Cough! Cough!
"Dusty."
The attic was full of dirt. It was left untouched for months.
In a way, that made sense. The Xiao Long – Rose household had not seen the return of its owner until now. Summer Rose was a full-time Combat Instructor at Beacon Academy. There wasn't much opportunity for his professor to return home aside from semester breaks.
A three-week break was one of such. And then there was him, Jaune Arc, the apprentice who tagged along because she needed a good hand to help clean the house. Summer's idea, not his. Headmistress Goodwitch was there as a witness.
"Bark!"
"What? Zwei, no. I'm telling the truth!" A pause. "Okay! Maybe half the truth. I promised Ms. Rose to learn hand-to-hand combat from her after midterm."
Zwei sat on his butt, finally happy with the answer. It didn't take long for the air to pumped out his sensitive nose. Jaune noticed the sneeze. It was probably not a good idea for the corgi to be up here. He dropped the little companion at the hallway before going back to the attic.
Regardless, Zwei wanted to follow him.
Pop!
"Hey!"
So he jumped, attaching himself to Jaune's back, climbed over the neck and used that boy's head as a stepping stone to make a short landing at the top of the ladder. Jaune rubbed his head. Twitching sapphires warned the upcoming of one heck of a tickling match once everything is done.
"It's bad for your health. I'm serious."
"Bark!" The corgi bit on the handkerchief.
Message crossed. He wanted to help. Jaune had no way to decline.
"Fine. Let's see how you clean without opposable thumbs."
Crack!
It was loud.
Jaune trembled while Zwei cutely tilted his head in obvious to the disaster they just caused. The content of the box poured out the floor.
Most of the item was fine. Except one, the picture frame of the Xiao Long – Rose family.
It broke.
"Jaune, is everything okay?"
Summer heard the noise. She was already at the ladder, looking up the attic.
Zwei popped into view and jumped down. A violent shake and a few kicking on all four legs, he wiped off the dirt on his fur. All of sudden, the rumbling echoed on the attic. Someone was in a hurry to put back all the mess. It took a moment until the boy climbed back down.
"Jaune?"
His face was a little pale. One hand scratched the back of his head.
"I'm sorry. T-The frame is…" He came clean and showed her the broken item in his other hand.
"Oh."
To his surprise, the woman smiled as she stared at the picture inside the frame and took it. Her eyes brightened. Those silvers seemed to glow for a second.
"This takes back some memories."
A moment from years ago preserved in the old picture. It was a family of four on a picnic trip. The late husband and the wife, who were never married yet they had lived together as one happy family. On their laps sat two daughters. One was four and the other was barely two years old.
The husband and the children, Jaune recognized their faces. They appeared in similar pictures inside his mentor's office back in Beacon.
Tears formed in the corner of Summer's eyes. But she wiped it with her sleeve before they could fall.
"Ms. Rose, are you okay?" Jaune startled a bit.
"Yes. Yes, sweetie. I'm just glad to see this and remember the good time. You didn't hurt yourself while you were cleaning up there, did you?"
Like a caring teacher she was, his safety was her priority concern. He shook his head to ease her worry.
"Good. Don't worry about the frame, we can replace it." She said, keeping the picture with her and went back to the stair. The white cape fluttered in the air, followed her steps. "Dinner almost ready. Come down when you're finished with Zwei."
Jaune's eyebrows raised. Now that was a surprise. The battle corgi was entrusted with the cleaning tasks, too.
"You really can do anything, huh." He said to his little furry friend.
And "Bark!" was the only respond he got.
The Xiao Long-Rose household had plenty of rooms. But the one for guest was none of it.
Jaune had been given the privilege when he became her apprentice. He lied down on the bed in one of the unused rooms. A picture of Chrysanthemum hung on the opposite wall. A sunflower vase faced the window, where it could always share the sun's warmth in the morning. This place was once young Yang Xiao Long's bedroom, so he was told.
He could feel his tummy puffed out under the hoodie. Summer's cook was superb, so good he couldn't convince himself to stop at the first plate.
Knock Knock!
A few knocks on the door that left opened. His professor stood there, a tray in her arms.
"Would you like some extra snack before going to bed?"
Cookies and milk? Somehow, he had the feeling that rejecting such offer would be a crime. She placed the tray on the bedside table. He took one and slowly consumed it.
"So, do you still find everything comfy so far?"
"I have a good time resting here. I don't think I should ask more from your hospitality."
"Don't be modest. You're one of my students. Just let me know if you need something else. Treat yourself like you're at home. I would be devastated if my student is not having the good treatment in my home."
"Thank you, Ms. Rose." He smiled at her heart-warming generosity.
"Sleep tight, young man. Your hand-to-hand combat lessons starts tomorrow."
That smile dropped in a beat.
Jaune lied face-down on the bed, some bruises appeared around his arms and legs. Fatigues squeezed his muscles, rendered him motionless and vulnerable to the whole world. Luckily, the Aura was doing the healing.
He didn't expect the training to be so toughed. Not to mention that his professor didn't even use her Semblance yet. Summer Rose was a kind person, but she'd never go easy on her students. The world outside the kingdom's wall was a brutal place for human. This much struggle was still pale in comparison to the real deal.
"Bark!"
Like usual, Zwei was there with him.
"Yeah. It's kinda my fault, too. For asking so many rematches after all the beatdowns."
"You should have known when to stop, sweetie."
Jaune turned his head slowly, even the neck was aching. Summer came in with a cup of water and a plate filled with apple slices.
"Get some rest. Leave today's chores to me."
"I can help." He tried to get up, but the condition of his body didn't allow that.
"I know." She smiled kindly. "But I still want you to fully rest for now. I'd be happy to see you sleep all the way until the evening."
Jaune couldn't have the heart to disagree. The drowsiness sunk in, pulling his conscious away.
Before his eyes closed, sapphires managed to catch a glimpse of her hand gently stroking his hair.
The next day.
"Bark!"
"Hm?"
Jaune left the broom leaning against the wooden wall in the attic. There was a piece of folded paper stuck between the small gap within the floor. It never stood out to him until he saw Zwei pushing away those smaller boxes into the corner.
The corgi seemed to notice it first. His paw patted on the item as if he was trying to pull it out.
"Bark!" Or maybe the corgi was telling him to do it.
Jaune did as told, after giving Zwei a good rub around the chin.
Signal: behind the drawer - It read on the sheet that had turned yellow over time.
The young apprentice blinked and gave it some thought. It didn't sound like an encrypted message. But it didn't make much sense to him, either.
"Maybe Ms. Rose knows something about this."
That was a start.
/
Author's Note: This is an idea that also takes place in an AU where Jaune is Summer's apprentice, something like a prequel to Lost Contact (which I just updated the content) and Demon's Souls cross-over snippet. I intent to make this a one-shot, but I think I'm going to have more fun with it being multiple snippets.
Overall, this story gives a glimpse to the Xiao Long-Rose family's background in this AU.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.