Jaune and Courage the Cowardly Dog
Chap 1
Walking down the roads of the empty streets, I pulled my hoodie close to me as the cold, bitter night Vale winds hit me. The winds penetrated my hoodie and clothes, chilling me to the bone. Holding back a few tears, I continued my way down the roads to try and find any form of shelter. But I have yet to see any suitable ones. Not even materials to make a makeshift shelter to protect me from the winds. Clenching my jaw, I pressed on and tried to find anything I could use for the night. Eventually, I found an alleyway where the buildings blocked the wind enough to rest for the night. Moving the trash aside, I sat down and tried to get comfortable. Seeing some cardboard nearby, I pulled it close to me and placed it over me to provide some kind of protection against the wind. Not much, but it will have to do. Making sure I was covered, I tried to fall asleep.
You might be wondering who I am and why I am here in Vale trying to fall asleep in an alleyway. My name is Jaune. That's it. No last name. I used to have one, but my parents took that away after disowning me. Why they disowned me, you might ask? Well, it is because I got kicked out of Beacon. They had always wanted me to become a successful huntsman to carry on the proud line of the Arc family. But after getting expelled from Beacon, they labeled me a failure and no longer wanted anything to do with me. So, they kicked me out after disowning me and said I am no longer an Arc and can no longer use that name.
As to why I got expelled from Beacon is another story entirely. To put it as simple as possible, I was expelled from Beacon because of my forged transcripts. The reason why I used forge transcripts was that it was the only way to get into Beacon at this point as I had no real combat training, thanks to me always being busy handling other matters. I had to manage the Arc Family finances, do their chores, and help care for my younger sisters. But I also had to work two part-time jobs to help cover the expenses. Yet, I also had to make time to go to school and complete any homework I received. This left me little to no time for myself, much less train. And because of this, the only to enter Beacon Academy and please the Arc Family was to use Forged Transcripts.
But none of that matters right now. What I need to focus on now is finding a way to make some money to afford food and find a better temporary place to stay. Then after that, find a way to get out of Vale. Too many painful memories here. Not to mention a high chance of running into people I do not want to see again. Hearing a ringing noise coming from my side, I remembered I had my scroll on me. Taking it out, I immediately tossed it into the dumpster next to me and closed the lid. I didn't need any more heartaches or reminders right now.
"Get some rest, Jaune. You have a big day tomorrow." I told myself.
Pulling the cardboard closer to myself and hugging myself as tightly as I could, I tried to fall asleep to catch some rest. But I was unable to fall asleep. Not to mention, my bad luck seems to have gotten worse as the winds found me. And they seemed none too pleased that I found shelter as they became colder and more fierce. The winds easily penetrated my makeshift blanket and chilled me to the bone. Yet, my luck continued to grow worse as it soon started to drizzle, telling me that it would rain soon. Sighing, I looked around and saw some more cardboard. Thankfully, there was some more nearby. Grabbing them, I raised them above my head to block some of the rain. Unfortunately, it only lasted a few moments before the cardboard gave away and fell apart. Holding back some more tears, I was about to curse my luck when a sweet voice caught my attention.
"Oh, you poor dear. What are you doing here all alone?" The voice asked. Looking up, I saw a nice-looking lady seemingly worried about me. She had curly white hair and was wearing glasses. She was also wearing a dark yellow dress with a bright yellow apron and a pair of sturdy black leather boots. Looking next to her, I noticed she had some grocery bags as well. Thinking I didn't hear her, she asked again.
"Are you all right, dear?" She asked while coming closer to me. Moving the useless cardboard to the side, I gave her a weak smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I answered. Though she obviously didn't believe it, as evident by the frown on her face.
"Then why are you in this place when it very clearly is going to rain?" She asked, frowning but was also very concerned now. Sighing, I decided to tell the truth. Not like I had anything else to lose at this point.
"Because I have nowhere else to go. I got expelled by the academy and disowned by my parents." I explained, tears now threatening to come out, but I managed to hold them back.
"And why pray tell did the school expel you and your parents disown you?" She asked, clearly shocked at what she had just heard.
"The school found out about my forged transcripts and expelled me because of it. And my parents disowned me because they labeled me a failure for not being able to become a huntsman." I answered.
"Why did you use forged transcripts to get into the school?" She asked, curious.
"At this point, it was the only way to get accepted. You need to go through a whole process to get accepted into the academy. Unfortunately, I never had time to do so as I was busy helping my ex-family with various stuff they couldn't do themselves." I explained. At this point, I could no longer hold back the tears and let them come out.
"Oh, you poor dear. No one deserves such luck as you have had. Why not you come and live with me?" She asked. This shocked me to the core. A lady I don't know nor have ever seen before has offered to let me live with her. No one in my life has ever been this nice to me. Right off the back, at least.
"W-what? I t-thank you, but I d-don't want to cause you any t-trouble." I stuttered, trying to get out an answer. I was so shocked that my brain was having trouble processing what she offered me.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. It would be lovely to have another person in the house." She countered, her smile never leaving.
"I don't want to impose." I told her. Though, secretly, I did want to go with her. She seemed nice enough, and the thought of having a roof over my head sounds heavenly at this moment.
"Nonsense. It would be nice to have you with us." She said with a reassuring smile. Smiling, I got up and wiped off some trash that got on me.
"Alright. I will go with you. Thank you for the offer." I told her, barely able to contain my joy and happiness.
"Marvelous. Now, if you will follow me, we can head on to your new home." She said with a smile while bringing her hands together.
"Thank you for your hospitality." I thanked her. She smiled and nodded and was about to pick up her groceries, but I picked them up before she could. "Please. Allow me to help."
"You're a dear Mr..." She said, silently asking for my name.
"My name is Jaune." I answered.
"What a lovely name. I'm Muriel Bagge." She said with a smile, which I returned with one of my own.
She then motioned for me to follow her. Following her, we went around Vale and picked up a few more supplies that she said she needed to cook dinner. Afterward, we made our way to the airstrip and boarded one of the remaining bullheads. However, what stuck out to me was that we were the only ones there aside from the pilot as no one else was here.
"Muriel. If you don't mind me asking, where are we heading to?" I asked as we sat in our seats.
"Why, to our cozy little home in the middle of nowhere." She answered, smiling.
This shocked me greatly and put me slightly on edge. Hopefully, Nowhere was only the name of the town she lives in and not actually in the middle of nowhere. But I decided to put some faith in her. After all, she does seem like a sweet little old lady. And she has already proved nicer than most of the people I have encountered in my life. Looking out the window, I noticed that we were leaving Vale as the borders that protected the kingdom from the Grimm came into sight. It seemed that my wish to leave Vale was coming true. Leaning back into my seat, I tried to relax and take a nap until we reached our destination. Unfortunately, my stomach churned and grumbled angrily, reminding me that I get motion sickness easily. Placing my hand on my stomach, I was about to get up and head to the bathroom to throw up into the toilet. But before I could get up, a sandwich came into view.
"Here you go." Muriel said, handing me the sandwich.
"Um." I said, confused as I took the sandwich. Looking it over, I noticed that it was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But before I could fully ask, I felt another wave of nausea hit me. Luckily, it seemed she knew what I was going to ask.
"I noticed that you seemed a bit motion sick. So, I whipped up a little something to help." She explained.
"Thank you." I said, smiling before eating the sandwich. And to my surprise, the sandwich did help ease my motion sickness. But, as I ate it, I couldn't help but notice a strange yet not at all unpleasant flavor. "Delicious."
"Glad you like it." She said, smiling.
"Thank you. But I must ask, what was the taste as I am unfamiliar with it?" I asked, curious.
"Oh, it was just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." She answered. I still felt like something else there, but it could have just been a different brand I had not tasted before. "With just a wee dash of vinegar."
'Ah, so that explains the taste. Still good either way.' I thought as I finished eating the sandwich. Once done, I relaxed into my seat as my stomach finally settled down.
One Hour Later
The bullhead soon landed in a small little town that I had never seen before in my life. But despite being small and never seeing it before, it had an air of friendliness and coziness. Getting up, I grabbed the groceries and followed Muriel out of the bullhead and towards the nearby street, where she hailed a cab. Luckily, one was passing just as she did that. Putting the groceries in the back, we got in the cab where Muriel gave directions to the driver. As the driver took us there, I could not help but stare out at the town as it felt so different than what I am used to in Vale. Not to mention, I rarely traveled in my life. The farthest I have ever traveled in my life was to get to Beacon. But what took me by surprise was that the scenery changed from town to desert after a while. I became confused for a moment, but everything soon made sense when I saw a small, cozy-looking farm come into view.
'Guess she was being literal in both senses.' I thought, surprised.
While we were still in the town, I saw a sign telling me the town's name, Nowhere. And now we are going to a farm in the middle of nowhere. Soon, the cab stopped in front of the farm, with Muriel paying the driver before stepping out. Getting out of the cab, I went around and took the groceries out of the trunk. The taxi then drove away, kicking up a lot of dust, causing me to cough violently for a few moments. Yet, Muriel seemed unfazed by the dust as she calmly made her way to the house. I followed her to the door and set the groceries down while she pulled out some keys. She then unlocked the door and entered the house, with me following right after and closing the door.
"Eustace. Courage. I would like you both to meet someone." Muriel called out.
Soon, an older man came into view. He wore a pale-yellow shirt with olive green overalls with black buttons, a dark brown hat, and large black shoes. Hearing steps coming towards us, I looked to my right and saw a small pink dog with long thin black ears. He also had a black diamond-shaped nose, tiny limbs, and three black spots on his back. However, what caught my attention was that the dog was walking on his hind legs like a person.
"What!" The man asked, irritated. Already, I could tell he's an ass. But the dog seemed genuinely curious as to what was happening right now.
"Ah. There you both are. Eustace. Courage. I would like you to meet this nice young boy I found while I was out today. He had such a rough time and is now without a family or home. So, I offered him to move in with us." Murial explained to them. Hearing this, I felt guilt and dread return as I realized that not only did she take me in without hesitation, but she also never told the rest of her family about me. Mentally sighing, I prepared myself for them to say no and kick me out.
"Bah. You! What can you do? Can you cook? Clean? Fix a truck?" The man asked angrily. Though, his anger didn't faze me as I had been on the receiving end of far harsher words and glares.
"Yes. I know how to cook, clean, and fix vehicles, amongst other things." I answered. Little did anyone know that the part-time jobs I did when I was younger were repairing various things and working at a diner. The older man seemed to consider this before suddenly smiling for a brief moment.
"Works for me. Gah!" He said before sitting down in his chair and pulling out a newspaper from seemingly nowhere.
"Come, Courage. Meet the new member of our family." Muriel said to the dog. And to my surprise, the dog hummed a bit before walking up to me. He sniffed me for a moment, curious as to who I was before extending his paw to me. Not sure what to expect, I grabbed his paw and shook it.
"Isn't that sweet? Now, why don't you go upstairs to the bathroom and freshen up while I'll go and get dinner ready? Then we can all have a nice meal before heading to bed. Here are some towels." Muriel said before grabbing some towels handing them to me.
Thanking her, I went up the stairs and was about to enter the bathroom when I realized I had no idea which room was the bathroom. Luckily, and weirdly enough, the dog, Courage, came up to me and showed me where the bathroom was. Thanking him, which felt weird, I entered the bathroom and began to freshen up a bit. But as I splashed my face with water, I felt my mind race through a million thoughts a minute. Some about what could happen to me as I don't know these people. Others on what I could possibly do to repay Muriel for her kindness. Yet, I knew I could not waste this opportunity as it would allow me to have a better life, one where I can finally be myself and not have to worry about pleasing someone. But once that thought came to mind, I began to wonder what my former teammates are feeling right now. Shaking my head, I got rid of those thoughts as they would not help me now.
"No, Jaune. Don't dwell on the past. This is your chance to move forward in life. Be happy." I told myself. Turning off the sink, I dried my face and stepped out of the bathroom where Muriel was waiting for me.
"Ah, good. You're done. Come. I have prepared some delicious chicken dumplings." She told me before walking towards the stairs.
Following her, I felt my mouth drool a bit at the thought of chicken dumplings, which is my favorite food. And it seemed that it was Courage's favorite food as well. As evident by the fact that his mouth was watering heavily. Honestly, it reminded me of Nora when she saw a freshly made stack of pancakes with syrup on top. Silently chuckling, I followed them to the kitchen, where I saw Eustace sitting at the table, eating already. Muriel and Courage each took a seat before eating their food. Unsure of where to sit, I mentally sighed in relief when Muriel patted the seat next to her, silently telling me to sit next to her. Taking the seat, she served me a bowl of dumplings before returning to her food.
Taking a bite of the dumplings, I felt the flavor explode in my mouth as these were some of the best dumplings I have ever had. We ate in silence, which I greatly appreciated as I was still processing everything. Fortunately, the dumplings did help keep me calm when a depressing thought came to mind. After a few minutes, we finished our food. Gathering the plates, I placed them in the sink before returning to the table. Sitting down, I saw that Muriel had brought out some pie for us. And after being handed a slice and taking a bite, I felt like I was in heaven from how delicious the pie tasted. Even Eustace was smiling as he ate his piece. Courage, however, seemed to enjoy the pie the most. And it was easy to tell as most of the pie was on his face instead of his mouth where it belonged. I chuckled as it was a funny sight. But I nearly lost it when he gave me a big toothy grin and odd laugh. Once we were all done with the pie, Muriel helped me bring the plates to the sink, where we then proceeded to wash them.
"Follow me, Jaune. I will show you to your room." Muriel said, humming a bit before exiting the dining room.
Drying my hands, I followed her out of the kitchen and to the attic. Entering the only room there, I looked around and noticed that it was incredibly sparse. Aside from a window, computer, and bed, there was nothing else here. But that was fine as I didn't need much, nor was one for incredibly decorated places. However, I felt somewhat off-put by the computer, mainly because I felt that it was no ordinary computer. But instead, a very unique and strange type of computer that doesn't exist anywhere else.
"Here you are. A nice comfy bed. Tomorrow we can head into town and buy some clothes and sleepwear for you, dear." Muriel said, turning to me.
"Thank you for taking me in, Muriel. How can I ever repay you?" I asked while making my way over to the bed. I only sat down, and the bed was already better than the one the Arc Family gave me.
"Oh, you don't have to do that, dear. It will be a pleasure to have you here living with us. Now, we'll be downstairs in our room. Just yell if you need anything. Good night." She assured me with a smile. She then turned off the lights before exiting the room and closing the door.
Sighing, I took off my shoes before laying down on the bed. This week started terribly, but now, I'm with a new family, about to start a new life. It felt almost surreal when I thought about it. All my life, I haven't been able to live how I wanted as my birth parents forced me to become how they wanted. But now, I have a chance to be myself and make a life for myself. However, first things first. I have to find a job to help pay for my expenses while also helping Muriel and the others. While she said I didn't need to, I would not feel right if I didn't do something in return. Getting under the blankets, I decided to think about it more in the morning as I was tired from everything that happened today. But before sleep could take me, one last thought came to mind.
'I wonder if I can lead a normal life now or have a life full of adventure like I always wanted.' I thought before succumbing to sleep. Little did I know that my life was now bound for adventure and never going to be normal again.
Note:
Just something my gf requested I do for her.
Plot will mainly focus on the Courage the Cowardly Dog series rather than the Rwby series.
Some parts will be modified/changed a bit to make it flow better. Ex: Muriel and Eustace do not get turned into puppets by Fusilli.