Jaune and Courage the Cowardly Dog
Chap 12: Courage and Jaune in the Big Stinking' City
Today was kind of a slow day. We didn't have anything to do today. We were in the living room while Muriel is checking the mail in the kitchen. I was in her chair with Courage sleeping on my lap. I was going through my scroll checking and replaying to the messages that Nora, Ren, Pyrrha and Velvet sent me. We have been talking with each other every time we get a chance and it made me miss them even more. Even though I saw Pyrrha and Velvet recently, and I have been in contact with Nora and Ren, I still wish I could see them in person again. Chuckling, I answered Nora's most recent message that asked if I had another 'fun' adventure recently and told her about the Cajun fox.
"Ugh, ain't nothing on." Eustace complained across from me. He was in his chair flipping through the channels trying to find something to watch. But apparently, he couldn't. "Nothing to watch. Nothing." I was about to retort but was cut off when Muriel shouted in joy catching our attention and waking Courage up.
"I WON! I WON!" She shouted as she came into the living room with a paper in her hand.
"What did you win Muriel?" I asked with a smile.
"I won the sitar contest." She answered with a smile as well. "I get to play my sitar on stage at Radio City Music Hall."
"Congratulations Muriel. I knew you'd win." I said as I clapped my hands.
'Yes!' Courage shouted in joy.
"Who cares?" Eustace interrupted angrily. Earning a glare from me. "There ain't nothing to watch."
"Boys, we're going to New York City!" Muriel declared ignoring Eustace's complaint.
'Where is that?' I mentally asked as I have never heard of New York City nor been there. 'Hopefully it's not as cold as the artic.'
Next Day in New York City
Loud, dirty, messy and polluted are the best words to describe this place. Not to mention, a maze. Had we not gotten that map earlier, we would have been lost easily. But luckily, we weren't. Right now, we were in front of Radio City Music Hall about to enter. Looking above the entrance, I saw the sign and smiled as it was welcoming Muriel.
"This ain't no place for me. I belong in my chair." Eustace said angrily as he ate a hot dog. He was about to take another bite but dropped his hot dog when someone bumped into him. "Hey!"
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING! YOU FOOL!" The man shouted before walking around us and continuing forward.
"Watch where you're going..." Eustace shouted at them man as he pointed at his hot dog. "...ya fool."
"You see Eustace, you're fitting in already." Muriel said trying get him to stay.
'How do you like New York Jaune?' Courage asked me getting my attention.
"I don't like it Courage." I told him honestly.
'Why?' He asked confused.
"Let me put it to you like this. I'm in a hostile environment. I'm totally unprepared. And I'm surrounded by people I don't know who probably want to kick my ass... it's like being back in Beacon." I explained.
'Don't be dramatic Jaune. I'm sure you will like it here by the end of the day.' Courage said with a smile trying to change my thoughts on this place.
"Maybe. Perhaps I'm just hungry. Or maybe tired as it was a long trip by bus to get here." I agreed with him. He smiled at this but his face quickly changed into a confused and surprised face.
"Courage, what's wrong?" I asked him. Instead of answering, he turned around and we saw another dog sitting right behind him. Courage then got on all fours and started sniffing the other dog. But as he did that, the other dog just sat there not at all fazed by this. Yet for some reason, I felt like I knew this dog. It was only until the dog ran up to me and started to rub himself against me that I remembered who he is.
"Good to see you Zwei." I said as I gave him a pat on the head.
'You know him Jaune?' Courage asked.
"Yeah. When I was in Beacon, from time to time, I would dog sit him when Team Rwby was not around or were in class or on a mission." I explained. Zwei barked at this before going around in a circle. I smiled and petted him some more.
'Aren't you gonna answer him Jaune?' Courage asked.
"Wait, he asked me something?" I asked confused.
'Yeah, he said that those were fun times and asked if you agree.' He answered.
"It does not surprise me that you can understand him. But anyway, yes Zwei, those were indeed fun times." I answered with a chuckle.
'...boy...Jaune...miss...you.' Zwei suddenly said catching me off guard.
'Something wrong Jaune?' Courage asked concerned at my wide-eyed expression,
"Yeah. Apparently, now I can understand Zwei. But it seems like only every other word instead of fully like with you." I answered.
'Not sure if that will make things harder or easier.' Courage said as he scratched his head.
"Complicated is the word I would use." I said as I watched Zwei look between the both of us.
'Wait, you said that Zwei belong to another team at your old school in Vale?' Courage asked as he realized something.
"Yes." I answered.
'Then why is he here in New York and where could this team be?' He asked. At this, a chill went down my spine and my face morphed into an expression of fear. Sweat even began to form on my head. I was about to say something to Courage, only to be stopped when I got tackled from behind.
"JAUNE!" The voice of Ruby shouted as she tackled me from behind. "WE FINALLY FOUND YOU!"
"Hey, Ruby." I said with a chuckle. She got off and helped me up. But like with Velvet, as soon as I was up, she kicked me in the shin.
"Ow!" I grunted in pain but my smile did not leave my face.
"That's for scaring me." She said before racing to me and wrapping her arms around me in a hug.
"And what's this for?" I asked with a chuckle.
"My way of saying sorry for what I said that day," She answered as a frown found its way on her face as she rubbed her head in embarrassment.
"It's fine Ruby. It's all in the past. And I understand the reason behind it." I told her with a smile as I patted her head a bit which caused her to blow a raspberry at me which made me chuckle a bit. She was about to say something, but didn't as her eyes widen. I was about to ask what was wrong when all of sudden, the world turned upside down.
"RUBY! I TOLD YOU NOT TO TALK TO THIS CHEATER!" Yang shouted as she held me by my ankle. Looking 'up,' I saw that Yang's eyes were basically blood red and her hair on fire. Hearing some mumbling from behind us, I turned as much as I can and saw Blake and Weiss looking over a map. And from what I could hear, it seems they were lost and trying to find a way back to wherever they came from recently.
"But Yang. He may be a cheater but he was forced to do that by his parents." Ruby said trying to convince Yang. But it failed. This certainly caught my attention as I never told her that.
'Maybe, Nora or one of the others told her that.' I thought as I tried not to lose focus from all the blood rushing into my head.
"Doesn't matter. What he did was unacceptable. And I don't-huh?" Yang started ranting but stopped when she felt something tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw Courage waving at her. She was confused but then let me go when Courage took out a large pie and threw it at her face. Miraculously, none of it landed in her hair.
'You okay Jaune?' Courage asked as he helped me up.
"Yeah, thanks for the save." I told him as I dusted myself off.
"I can see you have not taken of yourself Arc since being rightfully expelled from Beacon. Which is not at all surprising." Weiss insulted me yet not taking her eyes off the map.
"Weiss." Ruby chided. But Wiess simply ignored her.
"OKAY! WHO TOSSED THAT PIE AT ME!" Yand roared as she wiped the last of the pie from her face. Only to go quiet and confused when Courage gave a wave and laugh at her. "Um, did you get a dog Jaune? And why is he pink?"
"It's a long story. And that's how he naturally looks actually." I told her as I gave Courage a scratch behind the ear.
"You got a dog Jaune!? Now Zwei can have a friend." Ruby said as she picked up Courage and gave him a hug. Thankfully, his eyes stayed in his head this time. "Wait, have you seen Zwei Jaune? We lost him a few minutes ago and no one wanted to help us find him."
"Yeah. He's right here." I answered as I stepped to the side. Ruby immediately raced over and hugged him.
"So, what are you doing here Jaune? Trying to cheat your way into another place." Yang accused as she glared at me.
"Nope. Here to watch a play." I answered trying to keep myself calm while under her accusations.
"And what play would that be?" Blake asked frustrated as she nearly threw down the map in aggravation.
"Watching Muriel play the sitar in Radio City Music Hall." I answered as I pointed over to Muriel who was talking with Eustace and trying to get him to see the 'beauty' of this noisy and polluted place.
"OOH! Can we watch?" Ruby asked excitedly.
"Sure. It's open to everyone." I answered before Yang could interject.
"Thanks, but no thanks Arc. We'll pass this time. We still need to try and find a way back to the airstrip and back to Beacon." Blake interjected causing Ruby to whine at not being able to stay.
'Eh, your loss.' Courage said in response and I had to agree with him as Muriel's music is beautiful. Though, I did grow confused by Blake's sudden shock, confusion and worry.
"Did that dog just talk?" She asked with wide eyes. Instantly, an idea came to my head for a little fun and to get her back a bit.
"Are you alright Blake? You know dogs can't talk." I said with fake concern while trying my best to keep myself from smiling. Courage looked at me in confusion but he instantly got what I was doing when I winked at him.
"Don't mess with me Arc. Did that dog just talk?" She asked again threateningly.
"Wow Blake. I knew you didn't like dogs, but to go and say that they can talk is something else." I said trying even harder to hide my growing smile. At this, Blake actually hissed at me in anger which was enough to make me lose control and actually laugh along with Courage.
"For once, I agree with Arc here. Blake, I think you're not feeling well. A dog cannot speak." Weiss interjected while I ignored her insult with a roll of the eyes.
"Jaune. Does that dog actually talk or is Blake actually losing her mind?" Yang asked through narrow eyes.
"It's a bit of a long explanation in which I don't fully understand. But Courage cannot speak like us. However, I can understand what he is saying fully. Even Nora and Velvet who I met again recently understood Courage fully. You can even ask them when you get back. I was just messing with Blake a bit as I couldn't help it." I answered with a chuckle alongside Courage who was also chuckling. Yet, as I looked at them, they did not believe a word I just said and really, who could blame them.
"Okay, good one Arc. But before we begin, I have to ask, is what Ruby said true?" Yang asked as her eyes returned to being blood red again. Yet her hair remained the same. As in, not on fire.
"About the Arc Family forcing me to become a huntsman, yes." I answered curtly which caught them off guard.
"I noticed you said Arc family and not 'my family.' Why is that Jaune?" Yang asked. But before I could answer, Weiss answered for me.
"I'm assuming, considering how the Arc family is and the stories I have heard about them are, they disowned you after being expelled from Beacon. Am I right?" Weiss said looking to me.
"You're correct Wiess." I told her. At this, from the corner of my eyes, I saw Yang power down.
"So, it wasn't just to show off and put down others who worked their entire lives to enter Beacon?" She asked as her eyes are now filled with regret as she presumably remembered all that she told me that day.
"Nope. I never really wanted to be a huntsman. The only reason I went to Beacon was because the Arc Family forced me to. And since I never went to combat school before, because I never had time to as I was looking after many other things, forged transcripts were my only chance at the time. And you can see how well that turned out." I explained with a bitter tone. But Courage hugging me and Zwei rubbing his head against me leg cheered me up.
"OH, MY GOSH JAUNE! I'M SO-" Yang started but I cut her off.
"It's fine. It's in the past. Just, don't be so quick to judge and make assumptions. And never assume you know what the reason is behind something. As it can easily be something else." I told her.
"So, you live alone now Jaune?" Blake asked glaring at me. Still angry at me for messing with her.
"No, I got adopted." I answered.
"Adopted? By who?" Weiss asked curious.
"Them. Well, mostly her." I answered as I pointed over to Muriel.
"Are they nice Jaune?" Ruby asked.
"Well, Muriel is nice. Even nicer and sweeter than you Ruby believe it or not. As for the man whose name is Eustace, let's just say that Weiss's father and him would get along nicely if they ever met." I answered.
"You sure about that Arc?" Weiss said through gritted teeth.
"I am not exaggerating. His greed and selfishness is only rivaled by your father Wiess." I told her seriously. She seemed like she was about to retort with something, but luckily Muriel cut in. And just in time as my nerves and patience was starting to grow thin with them. Except for Ruby.
"I see you met up with some of your old friends Jaune. Isn't that nice." Muriel said as she walked up to us.
"I wouldn't say that miss..." Weiss corrected before silently asking for her name.
"Call me Muriel dear." She answered.
"Right. I'm sorry to say this but, I wouldn't call myself a friend of Jaune here. I would say more like an associate as we used to be classmates." Weiss corrected which earned a glare from both Yang and Ruby. Which surprised me a bit. Well, because of Yang to be exact. Did not expect her to change her opinion of me so quickly even after we cleared everything up. Blake remained silent on the sidelines still glaring at me and Courage.
"You know Jaune. I didn't know you knew so many pretty girls." Muriel commented not fully understanding what Wiess just said.
'Bless her pure soul and naiveness.' I thought with a smile. Only for it to be replaced by embarrassment real quick by what she said next.
"Are any of you by chance, his girlfriend?" She asked.
This caused a heavy blush to form on my face. Ruby on my left gagged at that as she was still a bit young for that. Weiss stuttered a bit and tried regain her composure while saying she couldn't possibly see me as anything other than a nuisance. Yang kept silent while looking down at her feet while she also had a heavy blush appear on her face. Yet, she moved slightly closer to me still. Blake kept silent. Either ignoring the question or not hearing it as she kept on glaring at me. Apparently, their silence and actions were enough of an answer for Muriel.
"Oh, that's too bad. Jaune is such a lovely young fellow and I'm pretty sure he would make any girl feel special and lucky." Muriel said causing me to blush even more. "Now Jaune. Be a dear and help us find the entrance to the place."
"Pssst! Pssst!" A new voice said getting our attention. We all looked around for the source and eventually found that it came from a giant hairy looking cockroach standing next to the building as if he was trying to hide from someone or something.
"Um, is that a giant cockroach? And how is it able to talk?" Yang asked confused and a bit grossed out.
"And hear I thought being near two dogs were my biggest problem today. I should have brought a flea collar." Blake said annoyed and bitterly
"The show don't go on for hours. But I can get you in real quick like." The roach said as he approached us. At this, Courage screamed in terror and fear while his fur stood straight up as if electrocuted. This caught everyone's attention. Except Eustace and Muriel's of course.
"Jaune. Did you dog really just do that?" Weiss asked confused and shocked.
"Yup. Like I told Velvet and Pyrrha a while ago, if you want to keep your sanity, don't question anything and just go along with it." I answered. They seemed a bit worried at what I was implying but nodded anyway.
"There it is. Now, aren't you glad I won the contest?" Muriel asked as Eustace and Muriel walked over to where the cockroach was ad saw an entrance. Though a bit too shady looking if you ask me. But then again, it could be normal for this place which wouldn't surprise me.
"Who cares?" Eustace complained.
"You won a contest? Then you can enter the special artist entrance." The cockroach said in clearly fake amazement.
'NO!' Courage exclaimed trying to get them to not go through the door.
"I ain't going through no door, I don't know what's on the other side." Eustace argued.
'Wow, for once he actually uses common sense.' I thought amazed.
"I got hotdogs." The cockroach bribed.
"Works for me." Eustace agreed.
"Wow. I thought you were just kidding Jaune. But I can definitely say he is as greedy as Weiss's father." Yang said in disgust at Eustace.
"Ignoring what Yang just said, I can see now why you say that Arc." Wiess said in agreement.
"Jaune. You think this is safe?" Ruby asked worried.
"No. I don't trust this at all." I answered.
"Then don't you think we should warn them?" Blake asked.
"Eustace would just ignore us. And Muriel is too pure to see that something has evil intentions. She would just think we are either not behaving, making things up or overthinking things." I explained.
"Then I think you might need some help Jaune." Yang said with a wink.
"You're willing to help me?" I asked confused.
"Of course. You're our friend even though it may not seem like that. But also, as part of an apology for what I said." Yang explained.
"Yang, like I said before, it's fine. It's in the past. Let's just move past it." I told her. She seemed a bit down at what I said but nodded anyway. We all began to follow Muriel, Eustace and the Roach inside the building. But as I was doing so, Blake pulled me by the arm to stop me. Turning to her, I saw her still heated glare on me.
"Jaune. Before we go in. I need to know. Can your dog actually talk, or no?" She hissed at me. I laughed at this before giving her an answer.
"What I said is true. Courage can talk. And it seems like only you and me in current group can understand him." I answered with a smirk.
"Great. I already can barely stand Zwei who is a regular dog. Now I have to deal with a talking dog that only you and I can understand." Blake fumed before turning around and entering the building. I smiled and followed.
Entering the building, we went down a narrow dark hallway. After a few minutes, an elevator came into sight. We all squeezed into the elevator with the door closing right after we were all in. The cockroach then pulled a lever. The elevator hummed to life before descending down.
"How exciting. I love show business." Muriel said in amazement at the elevator and how big the building is.
"By the way, name's Bushwick, but call me Shwick. Just Shwick. Don't ever call me Bushwick. Just Shwick" The Cockroach, now known as Shwick, said as he pulled down one of his antenna's and started biting it.
"Where are you from?" Muriel asked him.
"Bushwick. You can call that Bushwick. But not me. Me, you call Shwick, just Shwick." He answered.
"So, you parents named you after where you were born?" Blake asked as she had her back against the wall on the opposite side of the elevator.
"I don't know. Ever seen them, you can ask them." He answered.
After that, we entered a tense silence. The elevator continued its way down. And honestly, it made us wonder how deep we're going as it seemed we went down a hundred floors already. Yet it did not seem like we were going to stop anytime soon. Feeling a grip on my waist. I looked down and saw that Ruby seemed nervous about the whole thing. Even Zwei seemed scared as he kept close to me and looking between me and the bug. Thankfully, after a few minutes, we finally stopped and the doors opened a moment later. We exited the elevator and walked down the dark hallway and were soon in front of a room with a sign on it.
'Danger! Beware! Skull and crossbones! What happened in there?' I mentally wondered and panicked at seeing the sign. And I can tell that Team Rwby and Zwei were nervous and concerned as well.
'What...there...Jaune?' Zwei asked. Thankfully, even though I only understood three words he said, I got what he was asking.
"I don't know Zwei. And I'm not looking forward to finding out what it is." I answered.
"Um, Jaune. Why are you talking like that to Zwei?" Yang asked. From the corner of my eye, I saw Blake glare at me.
"Just making sure Blake doesn't think she is going crazy in thinking that dogs can talk." I answered. I could see that Blake started to fume at what I said and I had to restrain myself from laughing.
"This over here is the rehearsal room." Bushwick said as he pointed to the room. But he then quickly flipped the sign when Courage started muttering, trying to get Muriel to notice it. Which she did, but only noticed the new side which said 'Rehearsal room. Don't be afraid.'
"Such a warm welcome." Muriel said oblivious to what he just did.
"Why did you flip the sign Shwick?" Weiss questioned.
"We have that sign on the other side when we are cleaning the room. Just cleaning. But now it's clean so I flipped the sign." He answered.
"Uh-huh." Weiss said not convinced in the slightest.
Shwick then opened the door and we all entered the room. And once inside, I nearly had a panic attack. It looked like a torture room in a dungeon. There were bones all over the place. The wall had broken parts all over. The wallpaper was peeling off. There were even shackles on one side of the wall. There was a door and gigantic lock on one side of the room. The door seemed to be for a mouse but the locked suggested otherwise. The only 'normal' thing here was the table and chair, couch chair and T.V. There was only one window. But what scared me was the fact that 'help!' was written on the window.
"What is this? A prison?" Wiess asked nearly yelling.
"Homey." Muriel said looking around. Somehow, not seeing all the red flags that were there.
"Where's the hot dogs?" Eustace complained getting impatient already.
"Is he always like this?" Yang asked me.
"Not always. Only about ninety-nine percent of the time." I answered.
"Damn." She said realizing how Eustace can be.
"So, this here is the rehearsal room. You can rehearse. Just rehearse." Shwick said as he ran to the window and try to wipe away the writing.
"This is just fine." Muriel said with a smile.
"If your dead." Eustace complained as he looked around. But his attention was drawn to the T.V. "Hey! A T.V. You got a remote?"
"2000 channels." Shwick said after he wrestled the remote from a human skeleton that I somehow missed that was sitting on the couch chair. But the skeleton is now in pieces on the floor as Shwick threw it to the ground. "Go ahead. Knock yourself out."
"Make that hotdog a footlong." Eustace said as he sat down on the chair and started flipping through all the channels.
"I better get practicing for the big show tonight." Muriel said ash she took out her sitar, sat in a corner and began playing it. Courage and I were about to go over to her, but was cut off by Shwick placing his arms on our shoulders.
"Listen. I got an errand that needs some running; And I can't leave the premise because I got sweeping to do. Go to that address. They'll be a package waiting there. You bring that package back to me by curtain time, or it's curtains for the sitar lady." Shwick told us as he gave us a sealed letter.
'What on Remnant could he want?' I thought as I looked over the address and realized we passed by it on our way here.
"You see that door. You wanna know what's behind that door? You don't wanna know what's behind that door. You see these bones. You wanna know what made these bones? You don't wanna know what made these bones." Shwick threatened as he pointed to the bones and the small door that seemed to have growling coming from behind it.
'Guess we don't have a choice then if we want to keep Muriel safe.' I thought as I could feel some vicious aura coming from behind that door.
"I'm sending your kid and dog out for some coffee." Shwick lied to Muriel who was too busy practicing her sitar to notice the conversation we just had. "GO! And no cops."
We immediately dashed outside the room and down the hall to a door that had the sing exit. We quickly opened the door, went up the stairs that were on the other side and somehow, we were outside again. I took out the letter Shwick gave us and looked over the address again. While I know we passes it on our way here, I am not too sure on how to get back there.
"Any ideas Courage?" I asked him.
'Hey don't look at me. This is my first time here as well.' He answered with a shrug.
"Well, we have to think of something fast otherwise Muriel is in trouble." I said as I began to pace around to try and think of an answer.
"Perhaps ask someone for directions and get a cab?" Weiss suggested from behind us. Giving me a slight startle while scaring Courage. If by him jumping on top of my head in fright and shivering is any indication.
"Okay, anyone else confused how it was just one flight up the stairs yet took about twenty minutes to get down to the room with the elevator?" Yang asked confused.
"What are you guys doing?" I asked.
"Helping you of course you dunce. We're not going to let you go out there alone." Weiss answered with a huff.
"Thanks for the help then. Now we just need to find this place quick." I said as I looked back down at the envelope.
"What do you think was behind that door Jaune?" Ruby asked concerned.
"Not sure nor do I want to know. Also, where's Zwei?" I asked.
"He's with your folks. I told him to stand guard." Ruby answered cutely.
'Any idea's where to start Jaune?' Courage asked.
"No clue Courage. Perhaps asking some directions." I answered.
"I am not going crazy. Your dog is talking Jaune." Blake said glaring at us.
"No, he's not." I replied with a smirk which caused her eye to start to twitch.
"Directions would be a good place to star." Weiss agreed while looking over at Blake in concern.
"Okay, just need to find someone who might know this place," I said agreeing with her.
"Need some help?" A voice suddenly said next to us. We turned and saw a tall imposing police man with a bright orange mustache watching us with curious but suspicious eyes.
'AAAAHHHHH' Courage screamed at his presence and sashed off in a random direction.
"Courage!" I screamed as I ran after him.
"Wait up Jaune." Yang shouted as Team Rwby began chasing after us.
Courage ran for about a good ten minutes nonstop. Going through the streets, buildings and a park. All the while me and Team Rwby chased him. As we crossed the park, I spotted Courage jump in a wagon that was owned by two hellish and creepy looking creatures. And the horse that was at the front seemed a bit demonic as well. But I paid little mind to it as I jumped in after Courage. Soon followed by the rest of Team Rwby. As soon as they were in, the carriage began being pulled by the horse at such a fast speed that I was not at all expecting that caused me and Courage to scream a bit.
"Nice going you two. Now we don't know where we will end up." Weiss chastised us.
"Sorry. But I'm not leaving Courage's side." I countered.
"You and your dog are awfully close, wouldn't you say." Yang asked as she looked back and forth at us.
"Honestly, Courage is something like a brother to me. We've been through a lot together. And he has always been there for me. And I for him." I explained.
"Aww." Ruby said smiling.
"But now, your dog got us into this creepy looking carriage." Blake said through narrow eyes.
'Hey, I got scared, give me a break.' Courage said in defense. She seemed like she was about to say something about Courage speaking, but I cut her off.
"Yeah, Blake lighten up on him. Maybe your just angry because you're not feeling well. Especially seeing as you think he is talking now." I interjected. Blake huffed at this looked away in anger.
"Okay, so as soon as we get off the carriage, we need to ask for directions to find the correct place." Wiess said ignoring Blake. But as soon as she said that, the carriage hit a bump and we all were sent flying out of the carriage.
"OW!" We all shouted in pain as we hit the hard cold street.
"Is everyone all right?" I asked as I helped Courage up then Yang and Ruby.
'I'm fine Jaune.' Courage answered as he rubbed his head.
"We're fine Jaune. We've been through way worse." Yang answered with a cocky grin,
"The dog is talking again." Blake said annoyed.
"Okay Blake. When we get back to Beacon, I'm taking you to Peach to have her check you out as your clearly not okay. Dogs can't talk." Yang told her worried.
"Ok, so where are we now?" Ruby asked getting our attention.
"We are at..." I began to answer as I tuned to the nearby red, abandoned looking building and saw that we were actually at the correct address. "...the correct place." I turned to looked at Courage who just cackled at the sheer luck we just had. Yet his teeth were chattering in fear all the while.
"You're kidding, right?" Weiss asked as she took the envelope from my hands, read the address, looked at the building and became surprised to see that are in fact at the right place. "Talk about a coincidence."
"Well then, what are we waiting for." Yang asked as she walked up to the building. We followed her and saw that she was about to knock but stopped when she saw the condemned sign on the door.
"Wait, are you sure this is the right place?" She asked as she turned around to face us while pointing at the door. I was about to show her the address on the envelope when all of a sudden, the door slowly, creepily opened by itself.
"I guess that's your answer." I told her but shrunk back a bit when she turned and glared at me.
We went inside the building with the door closing behind us by itself. Once inside we began walking forward to try and find the correct door. As we walked, I noticed that the inside was in shambles and looked like it has not been cared for in many years. The lighting gave off an eerie red color. All the doors for some reason were boarded up and we could hear arguing coming from behind each door. We eventually came to the end of the hallway to a door that was not boarded up.
"Who would let people live in a place like this? I'm sure any kingdom back home would take notice and do something about this." Weiss asked as she noticed how this building looks like it could crumble down in one good hit.
"Different area, different way of living is all I can come up with Wiess." I answered.
"So, who's going to knock?" Ruby asked.
'I will open it.' Courage answered.
"I am not crazy. Courage is talking and I can understand him." Blake suddenly said.
"Sure, you can Blake." I replied in a smug tone. Chuckling when I saw her ears twitch underneath her bow.
"Let's see what behind this door." I said as Courage and I opened it. And we all got the scare of our lives.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" We all screamed at the top of our lungs at what we saw behind that door. Behind that door, was a three headed hydra that shot lightening out of its mouth and was destroying a city and people were heard screaming for their lives. Courage and I immediately slammed the door shut and braced ourselves against it with yang helping us to make sure it won't open again.
"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?" Ruby shouted in fear.
"DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THAT?" Weiss asked scared.
"You mean a giant hydra attacking a city that was somehow behind this door. Then yes. We all saw that." Yang answered as she tried to calm herself down.
"Not his door. Next door." I said as I rushed up the stairs with Courage.
"Wait for us." Ruby shouted as she ran up the stairs followed by the others.
"Okay, let's try this one." I suggested as I pointed at the door. But as I looked down, I saw a 'not welcomed' door mat and that immediately sent chills up and down my spine.
'Who's going to open it this time as it won't be me?' Courage asked. From the corner of my eye, I saw Blake tense up in anger again at hearing Courage speak again.
"Anyone want to open up this door?" I asked.
"I will." Weiss answered with a huff. She opened the door we got another hell of a shock.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!" We all screamed again before shutting down quickly again. This time, all of us bracing ourselves against the door to keep it shut.
"WHAT THE HELL IS AN OCEAN AND A GREAT WHITE SHARK DOING BEHIND THIS DOOR!" Yang shouted in fear and panic as she tried to calm her breathing down.
"Let's not question it and go to the next door." I suggested. They nodded in agreement and we went up the stairs again and saw another onboarded up door.
'I just know something bad is going to happen.' Courage said anxiously.
"Seriously, is no one going to address the fact that Courage can speak like us." Blake nearly shouted in frustration.
"Let's deal with this and then we deal with Blake. I'm really worried for her." Yang said to which Weiss and Ruby agreed while I kept my mouth shut while Blake glared at me in anger.
"Just open the door." Blake said losing her remaining patience. Courage nodded and braced himself before opening the door. And we were not expecting what was in the room.
"What?" Ruby asked confused. Inside the room, there was nothing except a girl with a bow on her head playing a violin while sitting down on a stool.
"Well, I rather take this than whatever was on the other two rooms." Yang stated as we listened to the girl play some nice music.
"And the music is quite nice as well" Weiss added and I had to agree with her there.
"Okay, I doubt what we need is here, so let's close the door and-" Blake began but got cut off when the most horrifying thing happened.
The violin girl stopped playing music and turned around to face us. And her face is the stuff of nightmares. Her eyes were blood shot and popping in and out of her head. Her hair went straight to the sides and started moving up and down like clay. Her face seemed to be made out of clay as well. She is also sticking her tongue that was moving like a snake. The teeth in her mouth seemed to be made out of clay as well. All the while she was roaring at us like some demonic monster.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!" We all screamed and quickly slam the door shut.
"What the hell!?" Yang screamed in terror, shock and confusion.
"Stand back everyone." Weiss suddenly said. We turned to her and saw that she had some ice dust. We quickly did so and as soon as we were clear, she used the dust to create an ice barrier on the door so it couldn't be open again. At least for a while.
"This place is crazy!" Ruby said as she tried to calm her racing heart.
"Let's just get what we need and leave." I told them as I made my up the last set of stairs. Once there, we saw that there was only one door this time on this floor. While this one is not boarded up, it's not a wooden door and instead seemed like a door that would be found in a bunker. There was a hole that was mostly likely used for people to see who is on the other side. But what caught our attention was the sign on the door.
"'Package is here stoopid.' Really?" Weiss asked stupefied at the sign.
"I feel like they knew we opened those previous three doors somehow." I suggested in explanation.
"Maybe. But who's going to open this door? And what do you think is behind this door?" Yang asked a bit nervous and curious. I was about to answer but Courage knocked on the door before I could do so. The door quickly opened and Courage was sucked into the room with the door closing not even a split second later.
"COURAGE!" I shouted in fear. I was about to start banging on the door and try to open it, only for it to be opened a second later with Courage being pushed out of the room. In his hands was a black package with chains wrapped around it. "Courage, are you okay?"
'Yeah, I'm fine.' He answered as he struggled to calm himself down.
"I AM NOT GOING CRAZY! COUAGE CAN TALK LIKE US! WHY IS NO ONE BELIEVING ME!?" Blake screamed in anger with her hands on her head as if she was ready to pull out her hair. That was to for me, I could not hold back anymore and began to laugh.
"What's so funny Jaune?" Yang asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I can't take it anymore." I answered.
"Can't take what anymore?" Weiss asked through narrow eyes.
"Guys, Blake is not losing her mind. She is actually understanding what Courage is saying." I explained.
"Wait, so what you said earlier is true?" Ruby asked in disbelief.
"Yes. I can fully understand Courage. So can Nora and Velvet. And it seems like Blake can understand him as well." I answered.
"So, Blake is not crazy and she fully understands what your dog is saying." Yang surmised still not fully believing me.
"That just about sums it up." I told her.
"And how come we don't understand him?" Weiss asked.
"To be honest, I don't know. At first, I thought I was just going crazy. But then Nora said she understood him. But I say she is the exception as she is a bit crazy. Then Velvet said she understood him and that made me think only faunus can do so. But that didn't fit as I'm not a faunus and the crazy part didn't fit either as Velvet is not crazy either." I explained. They took this in a turned a bit guilty when they realized they just assumed Blake was going crazy when she really wasn't.
"Sorry Blake." Ruby and Yang apologized at the same time. Blake didn't respond and simply huffed in annoyance and glared at me. But after a moment, she finally said something.
"Let's just get this over with. Now we just need to find a way to get back." She said as she turned to face me along with the others.
"Hey don't look at me. This is my first time here as well." I said defending myself.
'Actually, whatever was in that room gave me instructions on how to get back.' Courage said interjecting.
"That's convenient." I said as I took the package from him.
"What is?" Weiss asked.
"Courage said that whatever is in that room told him how to get back to Radio City Music Hall." I answered.
"Okay then. Let's go. I want to leave this place as quickly as I can as I feel like it's not done with us." Yang said as she looked around when she realized the sound of arguing from earlier suddenly stopped.
"Good call." I said and we all rushed down the stairs and eventually outside the building. But as we did so, we noticed that the door that had the violin girl suddenly disappeared causing us get even more spooked and pick up the pace.
'The things we do for love.' Courage said as we exited the building.
"So, how do we get back, um, Courage?" Weiss asked in a hesitant voice. Having a hard time believing that Courage could understand her and that some of us could understand him.
'They said there is a train station nearby that would take us directly to where we need to go. But it will take a bit.' He answered. Weiss seemed confused and looked towards me. I sighed realizing I would have to translate everything again.
"There is a train nearby that would take us back." I translated.
They all nodded in understanding. Courage then began walked forward with us following him. Unaware, that the policeman from earlier spotted us and is now following us. After a good five minutes, we reached stairs that led to an underground train station. And man did it smell bad. Not to mention, it was confusing as heck to get round. Luckily, Weiss spotted a map nearby that told us where to go to get on the correct train. We then moved through this maze and eventually found the correct platform. And just in time too as the train just arrived into the station. We entered it and took our seats. As far as we can also from the sleeping giraffe that was on board as well.
"So, it's just a straight shot from here to the place?" Ruby asked.
"That's what they told Courage." I answered.
"Um, guys. We may have some trouble with that." Blake said getting our attention.
"What do you mean Blake?" Yang asked.
"Seems the package we are delivering is illegal." She answered as she held up a newspaper and showed us the front where it read that the evil package is still at large followed by an image of the package. Which just so happened to be the one we are carrying.
"That's going to make this more difficult." I said as we now have to hide it from the authorities. Luckily, there were none here. But that changed as the door opening got our attention and from it came the cop from earlier. "Like that."
"Hmmm." The cop said in suspicion. Looking over to Courage, I saw that he had eaten the tag that apparently was there all this time that I did not see before.
'Quick, follow me.' Courage said as he got up, opened the train car door and moved to the next car. We did not hesitate in following him. Unfortunately, this caused the cop to get even more suspicious and began to follow us as well. Soon we came to the front car where the driver would be located at. But that did not matter as we had lost Courage all of a sudden.
"Where did he go?" Weiss asked as she looked around. We moved to the front of the car to see if we can find him but it seemed like he vanished into thin air.
"You don't think he abandoned us Jaune?" Ruby asked.
"No, he wouldn't." I answered as I continued to look around. But I stopped when we heard the door open. We looked behind us and saw the cop slowly approaching us. But just as he reached us, the train stopped as it came into another station with the doors opening up a second later.
*{Whistles}* Courage whistled as he appeared suddenly from the vertical bar that passengers use to keep upright. He was also holding a giant donut and waving it in the air as if you were giving a treat to a dog.
"Courage, that won't-" I began only to shut my mouth when suddenly, the cop got on his hands and feet and began to bark and act like a dog. Courage then tossed the donut out the doors into the station with the cop following it. The doors closed as soon as he left with the train moving forward again.
'You were saying?' Courage said as he sat back down. I just shook my head at him with a smile.
"That was just mean, demoralizing and stereotypical. But it worked this time so I'm not going to complain. Not to mention, that was the least weird thing I have seen today." Weiss said surprised at what she just saw.
"Let's not over think it Weiss. Let's just be glad he is gone for the moment." I told her as I sat down on the seat next to Courage.
"Vomit boy is right. Let's not overthink it Weiss cream and just enjoy the rest of the ride." Yang said as she sat down next to me. A little too close though.
"Right." Weiss said as she gave in and sat down as well.
"So Jaune, you seem a bit more accepting of everything that has happened. Why is that?" Blake asked.
"Long story. But this is not the first weird adventure I had. Not the weirdest or most dangerous but it is up there." I answered.
"What kind of adventures Jaune?" Ruby asked excitedly. I was about to answer but the sound of a window being pulled down caught my attention. I turned to where it came from and saw that the cop from before was entering the train again. His mouth white now from the cream of the donut Courage used to get him off the train.
"Move." I quietly told the others and got up and moved to the front of the car. Only to be reminded that we were already in the front car of the train already.
"Now, what Arc?" Weiss asked through gritted teeth.
"ITS THE EVIL PACKAGE! AAAAAHHHHH!" A voice suddenly said. We turned and saw that the train operator saw the package and was now panicking. But we immediately panicked when I saw the operator jumped out of the train through the window.
"DID HE JUST ABANDON THE TRAIN!?" Weiss screamed in horror. Courage moved into the operator room and jumped onto the seat.
"Courage, what are you doing?" I asked him confused. But before he could answer, the cop reached us and asked his own question. Though, not one I was expecting.
"Ok, let's see your license and registration." The cop demanded. I was confused by what he wanted, especially since we did not look like train operators. However, Courage jumped down and began to try and tell the cop that the operator jumped out the window. And it seems like the cop understood him somewhat.
"Hmmm. There's no driver. RUNAWAY TRAIN!" The cop shouted after realizing that train had no driver and began panicking.
"Looks like it's up to us." I told the rest. They nodded and we all squeezed into the small room where the operator was. Courage had jumped onto the chair again, but this time used the package to sit on to gain a bit more height, I looked over the controls and realized that this train was more complex than I could have ever imagined.
"Weiss. Do you have any idea on how to stop this train?" Yang asked.
"Of course not. I was never taught this. And even if I was, I would not know where to start as this seems like it's a new unique type of train." Weiss argued.
"Well, we have to try something." Blake said annoyed yet with growing fear at what could happen if we don't stop this train.
"How about this?" Ruby asked as she pressed a button on the consol.
"Ruby don't-" Weiss said trying to stop Ruby from pressing a button but was too later as she did so and a voice came from the speaker.
"Welcome to the nuclear-powered computerized bullet train." The voice said.
"WAIT! THIS TRAIN IS NUCLEAR!" Weiss shouted in growing fear. Ruby seemed like she was about to ask something but was cut off when the voice spoke up again.
"Sit back. Relax. And-" The voice began in a neutral tone before shifting to a yelling panicked one. "HANG ON FOR YOUR LIFE!"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" We all screamed in terror at what the voice just said. Courage even began to move back and forth a handle hoping that something would happen.
"HANG ON EVERYBODY!" I shouted as I heled onto the chair as Courage kept on the handle while screaming as well.
Blake, Ruby and Weiss huddle together while holding onto whatever they can to stay upright. Yang on the other hand, grabbed onto me tightly and the chair. Had our lives not been in danger, I would have asked a question, but since our lives are in danger, I didn't. The cop outside the room kept on screaming ignorant of whatever is happening. Soon the train seemed to slow down for a moment and I thought that Courage or someone had found the right way to slow this train down. Only for the correct reason to show itself in the form of the train going of the tracks and going through the walls. We all braced against each other tight to make sure we did not go flying nor get hit by something. I grabbed onto Courage and pulled him close to make sure he was safe as well. Had it not been so bumpy, I would have noticed that the train was no longer going straight in the previous direction and was not going straight up to the surface. A moment later, an even nastier bump and hit came to us. Chancing my luck, I looked up through the front window and saw that we had reached our destination but not in the way we wanted. We were quiet literally going through Radio City Music Hall all the way to the top because of the train. I continued to hold onto Courage as tight as I can, but another nasty bump caused me to lose my grip on the chair and send us up into the chair and to the back of the train.
"JAUNE!" The others shouted in fear when they saw me and Courage get sent flying to the back. After a few minutes, the train finally stopped going through the building just as we reached back of the train and hit the door extremely hard.
"RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL. LAST STOP." The p.a. system said as the train stopped and the door collapse which allowed us to exit the train.
"You okay Courage?" I asked him as I got onto my feet.
'Yeah, just winded. You?' He answered before asking.
"Same." I answered as I stretched my back and could hear a few bones pop followed by a few cracks which relived me of some of the pain until my aura could heal the rest.
"Courage. Jaune. You both made it back just in time for my performance." Muriel said not at all fazed that she was almost hit by the train.
'Your...Jaune...okay? Where...others?' Zwei asked. As he asked this, Shwick came up to us and took the package from us. He then opened it and pulled out a busted looking squeegee. Had I not been out of breath, I would have cursed up a storm right about now.
"We're fine Zwei. The others are fine as well. Mostly likely still in the front car of the train." I answered.
You broke my squeegee. Now it's curtains for the sitar lady. Nobody double-crosses Shwick." He announced angrily as he threw down the squeegee, went to the mouse door and unlocked before turning to us.
"OH!" Muriel suddenly exclaimed as Courage picked her up. Knowing what was going to happen, I immediately picked up Zwei and began to follow Courage through the busted-up train to avoid and angry Shwick who is chasing us quite fast if I'm being honest. Soon, we reached the front train car and I was relieved to see that Team Rwby was fine. They seem a bit shaken up but fine nonetheless.
"Jaune, you're okay! And you have Zwei!" Ruby shouted when she spotted me coming towards them.
I would have answered had I time to but since I'm being chased by an overgrown cockroach, I couldn't. We quickly reached the front where the door had also fall off and used it to exit the train. But once we did, noticed we were now in the theater where everyone was waiting for Muriel to play her music. Right after we stopped, a spot light came over us. Courage lowered Muriel as I moved back while still holding Zwei. Muriel then sat down and began to play her music and seemed liked the crowd loved it as they immediately started cheering for her. But it was at this moment that Shwick caught up to us. But as soon as he did, the curtains were pulled back to show a line of dancers. But what stood out most and gave us a bit of a surprise was the fact that the same cop from before was there dancing as well.
"I SAID NO COPS!" Shwick yelled at us. Only for the cop to the kick him with his foot in a giant red heel. The kick sent Shwick into the musical area where the instruments are playing the music. Except he landed in a giant tuba.
"Looks like we finally got ya, Bushwick." The cop said to him.
"SHWICK! SHWICK! IT'S JUST SHWICK!" He complained though it was a bit hard to take him seriously as he was still trapped in the tuba. Turning back to Muriel, I saw her continuing to play her music while Courage danced next to her.
"Jaune! You're okay!" Ruby shouted as she raced to me and gave me a hug again.
"I'm fine Ruby. But how about the rest of you?" I asked.
"We're fine Jaune. We've been through worse. Not as weird or crazy but still." Blake answered as she dusted herself off.
"I take it you four girls are Team Rwby." The cop suddenly said approaching us.
"Yes sir. We are. How do you know that?" Weiss asked through narrow eyes.
"Your teacher, Professor Port, who is my brother, contacted me and asked me to be on the lookout for you four. He is afraid you might be lost. He also told me to guide you all to the nearest airport to send you back to school." He answered.
"That would be most helpful sir." Weiss said, apparently not at all surprised that the cop is Port's brother after what she just went through.
"I'll take you back after the show as I need to take Bushwick to jail now." He said as turned around and went back to Bushwick and pulled him out of the tube before arresting him and taking him to jail.
"So, what now?" Blake asked.
"How about we just enjoy the show." I suggested. They looked at each other before nodding and we all went to the side to continue watching Muriel play.
Three hours later
"Do you think you will be fine Jaune?" Ruby asked. The show had finished and the cop had returned to take them to the airport.
"Yeah, I'll be fine Ruby. No worries.' I told her as I gave her a small pat on the head which made her stick her tongue out at me. She gave me a hug before going over to the cop.
"It was good to see you again Jaune. I do hope you take care of yourself." Weiss said as she extended her hand towards me.
"Thanks Weiss. Same to you." I said as I shook her hand. She nodded and let a small smile form on her face before schooling her features and walking over to the cop as well.
"That was certainly a fun time Jaune. We have to do it again sometime." Yang said as she walked up to me.
"Definitely." I agreed. She then wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. Yet, it did not feel like a regular hug as she seemed to get lost for a moment. But she quickly regained her focus before pulling back with a mighty blush on her cheeks.
"Well, I'll see you later." She quickly said before rushing over to the others. Blake then came up to me with a glare.
"While this was fun to an extent Jaune, mark my words, I will get you back for what you did to me." Blake threatened through narrow eyes.
"How about, I just take you to a really good fishing spot that's near where I live as an apology. Lots of different kinds of fish there." I suggested.
"That will certainly do. I will let you know the next time we're free so you can keep up your end of the apology. See you soon Jaune." Blake told me before turning around and leaving as well. Though I could easily tell that it was so I did not see her drooling a bit at the mention of a lots of fish. Feeling a paw on my leg, I looked down and saw Zwei trying to get my attention.
'Nice...again...Jaune. See...soon.' He said as he rubbed his head against my leg.
"See you Zwei. Take care of them, you hear." I told him as I rubbed his head. He nodded before dashing to the rest of the group. They then got into the cop's car which drove off at high speeds to the airport.
"Did you enjoy your time with your friends Jaune?" Muriel asked coming up behind me.
"Yeah, I did." I answered with a smile.
"Marvelous. Let's go home." She said before turning around and heading for the exit. I smiled and followed her with Courage walking next to me. But as we did, a thought came to mind. It was about what Muriel asked Team Rwby earlier which was if any of them were my girlfriends.
'Will I ever have a girlfriend? Maybe soon. Who knows?' I thought as we exited the building. Completely forgetting about Eustace. Little did I know, that answer would soon be answered.
Notes:
Pootis King (guest): Good idea. I'll keep that down for when I get to that episode.
Red (guest): When I finish this story, I will try that story.
Fox Boss: The currency is like that deliberately. While in Nowhere, the currency will be dollars. However, when in Vale or in any kingdom of Rwby, the currency will be Lien. Its more to match the area. I tried a practice chapter with some villains being grim and it did not work well aside from Katz spiders. He will have some of them as a grim hybrid of some kind. I might make a chapter where Pyrrha and the others train him. Just not sure which chapter and where yet. The animals shall remain as animals to add to the weirdness of Nowhere. Except maybe for the pigs from the episode Heads of beef. Maybe kitty and Kat might be faunus as well but not sure about that yet. And yes, I heard there will be a courage the cowardly dog and Scooby Doo crossover and I am excited for it.
Greeny Greens (Guest): Penny I think would be a good fit for Mega Muriel the Magnificent. Not sure about Glynda for Nowhere T.V. She might fit in better in another episode. But let's see what everyone else thinks of it.
Shinigami-Fallen: Yes, I'm planning on having the teachers appear in the story. Mainly Glynda, Peach and Port. Still trying to figure out how to put Oobleck. And Ozpin I am not sure how to. If you have an idea though, it would be much appreciated. And I had not thought about that. It can be just as an area that is magical and appear at different locations. Not sure but will have a definite answer for that soon.
Future characters that could appear in the story: Glynda, Peach, Coco, Winter, Saphron and her wife Terra along with their child Adrian. What chapters should these characters appear in?
Next Chapter will be stormy weather. Then So in Louvre are we two.
So in Louvre are we two is when the official pairing for Jaune will be in this story.
Currently it seems JaunexStorm Goddess. But could change still. Let's see.