Jaune wasn't freaking out.
He wasn't.
Really.
He may be only a few minutes away from the Beacon Academy for Huntsmen and Huntresses—and arrest alongside subsequent imprisonment for forgery (and maybe theft), but really, what could he have to lose? Being stuck at home not able to do anything was like being in jail already. Besides, and if things went as planned, no one would ever be any the wiser.
Well, not including his family. They already knew that he had ran off with Crocea Mor; that'd be pretty hard to hide. But, but! They didn't know where he would be studying to become a huntsman. So, it would still work out. He hoped so at any rate. Oh, did he mention he was airsick?
And oh, boy…
That was just an understatement. His stomach twisted in on itself as he stared up through the airship's window. There was nothing he could do about this other than wait and hope this miserable experience ended sooner rather than later. Ideally, he could keep himself together until the end of it, but he honestly wouldn't put anything past himself right now.
So, he closed his eyes and let his head rest back against the wall, taking deep breaths. He focused his mind elsewhere, tried to think of anything but the nausea building up inside him.
However, it was not to be.
The sound of something hitting the floor echoed throughout the cabin—followed by and explosion and the sudden shaking of the airship. Jaune yelped, grabbing at whatever was nearby as he braced for whatever came next. The vibrations of the ship ceased as quickly as they had begun, leaving Jaune confused and frightened. What had hit them? Were there bad guys here? Was someone shooting at the airship? Was he dead?
It took several seconds before he realized he hadn't been hurt. In fact, aside from feeling nauseous and sore, everything seemed normal. Not even a single piece of debris flew past him or anything. It didn't feel like they were falling either.
But just in case…
He cautiously opened his eyes to take another look outside, squinting slightly from the harsh daylight rays. Okay, so they weren't all falling to their deaths. What a pleasant surprise, he thought wryly.
"You… you…. IMBECILE!" A shrill yell cut through the haze surrounding his mind, "Unbelievable! Were you trying to kill all of us, you dolt?!"
Jaune slowly turned his head toward the source of the voice. At first, all that greeted him was the sight of black smoke billowing up further down the room and obscuring his vision. He sniffed the air. It smelled smokey… obviously—and was that the scent of roses? Odd.
What followed wasn't any better though. The smoke grew thicker as a stranger began to emerge from underneath it, coughing violently. Jaune squinted harder to get a better view through both the smoke and the throng of people crowding around the commotion, and saw the silhouette of a girl in red. Just red. Red everything. From her hair to her boots, and almost all her clothes. All of which made no sense whatsoever to him. She was so… red. He'd never seen anyone so saturated in the color.
She continued to cough and wheeze for a few more moments before turning around, speaking through the smoke to someone unseen. "Uhhh… no?" That sounded more like a question. A few more clangs, thumps and the sound of something heavy falling over followed.
Another gust of air blasted past him as an explosion and more smoke filled the air once more.
The unknown female roared. Her voice rose to an octave that made him wince. It certainly wasn't the most pleasant thing to hear. "I am going to wring you myself with that blasted cloak of yours when we land! Do you hear me?!"
The girl in red squeaked. "Okay! I'm sorry! It was an accident, please don't hurt me!" She cried out and then suddenly vanished into thin air; a mess of rose petals left falling in her wake.
Huh. Was that where the smell came from? Made sense… even if it didn't really. Where did she—Red—go?
"You've got some nerve running away!"
The stranger's voice rang again, accompanied by another blast of wind. This time, the cloud was blown back and revealed a waif even shorter than the red girl he had seen moments ago. In a curious contrast, this girl wore all white; marred by soot and ash as it was. And she appeared angry. Really really angry. Angry enough to murder someone without hesitation apparently.
Well he couldn't blame Red for running now. He would've done the same in her shoes if he were honest to himself. But that didn't stop him from feeling relieved that it wasn't him dealing with that situation.
He looked away and let his gaze drift downward, focusing his attention instead on trying to ignore his own sickness. Did they make medicine for this sort of thing? Because that sounded very useful right about now.
"Where is she?!"
A flash of red caught his attention, as the girl from earlier paced about nearby, muttering nervously. "Yang… come on, where are you? Answer your scroll." She paused mid-step, looking around, and sighed deeply before continuing. "This isn't funny."
Yang?
What was a yang?
Another shout ripped through the air, causing the young teen to flinch and grab at the hood of her cloak. That sounded closer than the last time, Jaune noted. He shifted to get a better view. Yep, definitely coming this way… and fast.
Judging by the nervous glances the girl in red sent in the same direction, it seemed she noticed it as well. "Okay, okay! Don't freak out…" She was talking faster now, almost jogging along the floor in front of him. "Oh gosh," Red moaned, holding her face in her hand. "What do I do?"
He glanced at the door on the other end of the cabin leading away from the undercarriage of the airship, then over at the girl. She knew she could have just… left earlier, right? She probably would've been able to avoid whoever—"When I'm through with you, you'll be able to recite the SDC safety manual in your sleep!"—that was… and she'd definitely be safe! Or at least relatively safer than being stuck here and getting caught by the other girl on a warpath.
Before he could think of anything to say, however, she dropped her hands from her face and turned away from incoming commotion; as if she were not able to see the girl in white, then the girl in white would not be able to see her.
She faced him instead, and Jaune's breath caught in his throat.
Dark blue met silver.
On impulse, hefound himself reaching for her. He grabbed her shoulders gently and carefully pushed her behind him, putting himself between her and the approaching danger. She froze at his touch, eyes growing wide. He couldn't blame her—he was a stranger after all. "Careful. She's just around the corner." He said quietly as he held her in place; she was relatively hidden behind him, small as she was. If she tried to turn tail and run again though or made a scene, chances were they'd both get caught. Wait. Unless she could do another one of those vanishing acts?
Huh. He should really learn to think these things through.
Jaune was startled from his thoughts as the girl in white came within arms reach; forgetting himself momentarily in the process, he pulled Red a bit closer, before quickly turning back around. Her footsteps were light, quiet steps. Elegant, even. Dainty. She might have been a bit unhinged, however, he had to admit she was rather beautiful. Like, really truly breathtakingly beautiful. She looked like some kind of angel, or an ash-covered one in this case.
Maybe a snow angel?
Or maybe not. That whole thing about murdering Red? Well, that was just uncool. Anyway, she was pretty intimidating, and more importantly, she was marching straight toward the window—toward Jaune, glaring at him as she approached; snarling in apparent anger.
"Do you know who I am?" She stepped forward, her heels making little clacking sounds as she walked. "Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the largest dust conglomerate in the world; mining, refinement, application—the Schnee Dust Company does it all!"
The self-proclaimed heiress, Weiss crossed her arms, a mixture of a proud look and a sneer upon her face. "Not… a snow angel or whatever other drivel you're thinking."
He blanched. Had he said that out loud? Worse, he'd said it out loud and she heard him?! He felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment while he stuttered, "Ah, uh… I mean—sorry! I shouldn't have said that! But you're so—you're so pretty! Like… yeah, I mean… um…"
Her lips pursed together. "How utterly pathetic," she muttered as she rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. "But maybe you can be of use to me regardless. Tell me, have you seen a girl—a child… no. An idiot wearing nothing but red? Perhaps using a cloak with a hood to hide their face…" She gestured vaguely above her head, emphasizing her words with a glare.
He opened his mouth to answer, but ended up gagging instead.
His nausea made a violent return, as he doubled over to vomit violently onto the ground in front of Weiss. After a couple of seconds of calming his breathing, he managed to regain composure and answered, albeit shakily. "Ah—ah! Sorry!" He said quickly. "Um. N—no, I haven't seen her."
"Did you just… vomit on me?!" Weiss exclaimed, shocked at his lack of control over himself. "Get away, now!" She snapped angrily and shoved him forcefully away from her.
"B–but… you're the one who came over here…"
"Disgusting, useless cretin," Weiss spat out at Jaune before scoffing in obvious annoyance and walking past him and out of sight.
"I guess she has a point… " the boy mumbled weakly before standing up straight and wiping the saliva from his mouth with his sleeve. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Anyways." He scratched the back of his neck and chuckled, turning around to face Red. "Uh… hi?" Jaunce mumbled uncertainly.
The girl in red stood there, trembling. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. And then opened it once more, seeming unable to find the words to speak with.
"Why?"
"Uh, you see. I don't handle vehicles very well, and especially not airships, apparently. It's my first time in one, ya know? I can't say I'm a fan of it so far." Jaune explained. "I get motion sick in general whenever I'm inside a vehicle though. So it's nothing new."
The girl seemed to flounder for a moment, unsure what make of that. "No… why me? Why are you helping me? I don't know you. You don't know me. We're strangers."
Why… help her? What kind of question was that—why wouldn't he? He was baffled. "Well, my mom always says that strangers are just friends that you haven't met yet." He smiled softly, absently looking up at the air, recalling his mother's words from long ago.
The girl frowned somewhat in confusion, glancing down in contemplation at her shoes. "Friends?" She echoed.
"Yeah. My name is Jaune, how about you? That way we're not strangers anymore!" Jaune said cheerfully. "So, friends?"
…
He frowned at the silence and looked down again, only to catch a glimpse of red petals flying across his field of vision.
She was gone.
"Oh."
Was it something he did?
The airship was hovering over a dark forest with thick foliage surrounding its perimeter. It had come to an unexpected stop next to a cliff-side with a landing dock, from wherein the occupants aboard disembarked.
The trees swayed softly in the wind; his hair ruffled in tune. A warm, pleasant breeze caressed his skin; gentle and carefree. It was in contrast to the hairs upon his neck standing on end and the goosebumps that crept up his arm.
None had suspected to arrive anywhere but at Beacon, or at least, until the headmaster himself spoke otherwise during the last leg of their journey; he had appeared as a hologram, remotely briefing them. Jaune had never seen anything like it in his life on the frontier. It was incredible to watch; he had to remind himself repeatedly that the headmaster wasn't actually there more than a few times.
The novelties and frivolities of Vale City never ceased to surprise him.
But that was not the cause for Jaune's unease; rather, it was the headmaster's parting words that had left him in such a state.
"We will be watching your progression throughout the initiation; however, we will not intervene. Come what may."
His words ran across Jaune's mind yet still, even as he shuffled into place on the designated platforms for initiation as directed by the headmaster—who was now there in-person, standing off to the side with his deputy.
"Now that you are all present, let us start." The headmaster began. "To reiterate, your first task is simple. You must find your partner and then complete the assigned task. Each pair must prove their prowess and ingenuity in a trial of sorts. I trust that you all have been assigned scrolls for the duration of the test?" Here he paused, casting a glance back toward his deputy. She nodded, and he resumed speaking. "Excellent. I would suggest that you pay keen attention to it, as your mission parameters may be adjusted throughout the day. Any questions?"
It was silent for a moment. Jaune could hear someone fiddling around with something, but ignored it in favor of raising his hand.
The headmaster continued on without missing a beat. "We will now begin the initiation."
Wait, what? But he had a question! "Sir!" Jaune called out, waving his hand frantically. It was to no avail though, as he was casually disregarded once again. And no, he wasn't freaking out. Not one bit, okay? Even as the people around him shot off into the sky, he was cool and calm, confident. He could handle this.
Then he was launched into the air.
Jaune discovered that he could not, in fact, handle this.
He screamed, his legs kicking out in protest against the ascent. His stomach lurched and twisted in ways that caused his entire being to shudder. The wind whipped at his hair, making it stick upwards uncontrollably, obscuring his vision. He couldn't see a thing as he reached the apex of his flight, and then again as he plummeted downward; to the earth, with no plan whatsoever.
First he collided with a tree, which did absolutely nothing to slow down his descent—not even when the branches tore and stabbed at him, ripping through the soft fabric of his prized hoodie and leaving oozing gashes behind. Then he crashed into another tree, face first through its canopy, crashing past a cascade of leaves and twigs. The third one was what finally stopped his forward momentum as he hit its trunk with a hard thwack, his body sliding down the rough bark to the ground below.
His head hit the ground hard, sending a throbbing pain throughout his skull, but he tried to ignore it in favor of rising up. He groaned, rolling onto his back to look up at the sky from his uncomfortable position in a bush. His vision blurred with blood; his limbs were numb, and his head hurt. In short, he lay in a heap of agony.
In excruciating slowness, he attempted to lift himself up and off the ground, only to be rewarded with sharp pain erupting from the center of his chest for his efforts as his torso moved.
His fingers twitched involuntarily, against his wishes, as he tried again to lift himself up further onto his elbows; to no avail. He failed to find purchase in the dirt and instead, he tried calling out for someone, anyone, to help him—he didn't know what else to do. But his voice caught in his throat; every single breath felt as if he had inhaled shards of glass. He could barely breathe.
There was no answer. No one was coming.
And just as abruptly as it had began, the adrenaline wore off from the fall. The world began spinning and swirled into a dizzying vortex of darkness. His eyes drifted shut; consciousness slipped away from him.
The last thing he saw was the blurry image of roses falling to the ground.
It was warm and soft, a soothing embrace that enveloped his entire frame; a mixture of scents and sounds assaulting him. It took a second for the faint smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to register to his brain. Then came the rich aroma of the earth, strong and hardy; the refreshing mix of flowers and pine-needles. The feeling of grass tickling against his limp hands, the damp bark against his back, and the gentle touch of fabric wrapped across his torso.
Steady cracks of thunder filled the air in a rhythmic staccato; they rung out like distant bells, reverberating throughout his eardrums.
The bellowing roars to accompany it were loud and jarring. They made him want to open his eyes, but it was impossible—and as much as he struggled to remain conscious, he found that he simply could not. Instead, he succumbed to sleep once more.
…
The next time he stirred, the jolts and jostling of movement reawakened pain anew; he winced and instinctively curled closer into a ball at the sensations that crawled down his spine and across his skull. It was not to be, however, as he felt himself lifted off the ground and into the air.
"…Heeeey…" He managed weakly, trying to move an arm in a feeble attempt to shield himself from whatever was happening. But something grasped at his wrist instead, holding it gently.
"—aune, right?"
His eyelids slowly parted upon hearing his name, as his gaze shifted absently toward the source of the noise.
"—old on. Do you thi—can manage to—"
The familiar voice suddenly disappeared. The only thing he could remember were silver eyes framed by tresses of red. Everything faded to blackness once more.
…
Motion did little to stir his mind, even as his legs dragged along the ground beneath him. The first thing to register was a low hum. The sound was oddly familiar enough to be almost soothing, but not quite. And the warmth that enveloped him was not his own; rather, it belonged to somebody else entirely.
The scent of roses and cookies filled his nostrils with ease, calming him as he was carried deeper into the woods, his body limp and unmoving. His eyes fluttered open, but his vision remained hazy. He blinked, squinting in an effort to adjust.
Sunlight illuminated the foliage ahead, creating long, slender trails of light that cascaded over a small lake, reflecting off of clear water and showering its rays upon a clearing beyond; providing ample lighting in the dark shade of the forest.
"…Mm… Mmmph… Mmmm?"
The sound of the humming grew louder and clearer as Jaune struggled to wake up fully. His memory was somewhat clearer, but he was struggling hard to concentrate.
"I think we might be lost…" whispered a feminine voice, closer than it had any right to be.
In front of him locks of dark hair tickled at his face. A girl, he thought dimly. He was being carried by a girl. Who was she? He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but the words came out as mere mumbles. A wave of disappointment washed over him at his weakness, causing him to frown. This was going to be a long and painful trip if he couldn't even speak, let alone stand.
"Who… re… you…" he tried again, his voice fading out into the breeze. "What's going… on?" His words were muffled and his tongue too heavy to form the proper shapes. It took far more effort than he wanted to admit to even get even just that out. He tried lifting his head slightly, but pain seared along his temple with the motion, causing him to flinch violently and drop his head back down again.
The humming stopped immediately. "Oh no! Are you okay!?" The voice sounded young and frantic, her tone betraying her apparent distress. "Are you bleeding again? Do you need medical attention!? Can you walk? Should we call for the teachers?! Or should I take you back to the airship? Oh, this is so bad, ohhh, what am I gonna dooooo…." she trailed off, clearly unable to come up with a suitable solution.
Jaune didn't have the presence of mind to try and reassure her, and judging by her incessant babble, neither did she. "Can you… please… quiet down a bit?" he pleaded feebly, his brow furrowing tightly in pain. Her rambling ceased immediately; the worry lines etched into her face disappearing as she snapped her mouth shut.
She glanced up at him briefly before returning her attention to the path before them. Her hand tightened ever so slightly around his waist as she carried him along. "I really hope this thing has a map…" she muttered softly to herself, fiddling with something he couldn't see.
The heat radiating from the person carrying him was so comforting that the edges of his eyelids began to slip lower. Before he knew it, he was drifting back into unconsciousness. His last thoughts were of the warmth and the floral scent surrounding him.
…
Something tugged gently at the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer to rest on his head on something soft and yielding, his back flush against what felt like a wall. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, revealing bright silver orbs staring down at him. The stranger was kneeling beside him, her hands hovering uncertainly above his body, hesitant to make contact.
He blinked slowly, taking a moment to comprehend who the girl was sitting before him. She looked vaguely familiar—his mind struggled to process this information. It felt like she was… missing something. There should have been something wrapped around her, something red. But he didn't see it.
"Hey!" Her voice rang out sharply, catching his attention once more.
She looked nervous, anxious almost, as she gazed into his unfocused blue eyes before letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, you're actually awake this time." She smiled softly, seeming relieved with his sudden awakening. "How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?" She continued asking questions rapidly.
"Uh…" he began to say, but the words seemed stuck in his mouth, refusing to cooperate with the task set before him. He stared back up at her, his vision blurred and fuzzy, attempting to grasp the question that seemed to be swimming at the edge of his awareness. A pause followed as she waited patiently, still gazing down at him. After what felt like hours, his mind finally caught on the meaning behind the question "Um… " he turned his gaze elsewhere, searching for the right words to use. "My head hurts," he replied softly. "But otherwise I… don't feel too well. My arms… don't feel so great either. It feels like I was hit by a truck… or maybe a bus. And my legs…" He blinked rapidly, his eyelids burning from exhaustion as he sat up, a dull throbbing resonating all the way from the base of his skull to the tips of his toes. "Everything feels really… fuzzy."
At that, she placed a cool palm against his forehead; her fingers brushing aside strands of unruly hair. Her thumb gently stroked across the area between his eyebrows, but it felt muted—as if there were a layer of cloth separating his skin from her fingertips. But still, the sensation was enough to make him groan in pain.
She looked away momentarily, scanning the surroundings as if she were worried that something was going to jump out and attack them at any moment. "I'm sorry…" she whispered hoarsely, avoiding his eyes. "I—I didn't mean to hurt you… I just needed to check the bandages. I put them on in a rush earlier when—" she shook her head sharply. "I think you have a concussion. You hit the ground pretty hard earlier." Her lips pursed together, her expression turning somber. "You're lucky I was there. If I hadn't been… you… the grimm… I—" she broke off, biting her lip. A silence ensued for several moments, and then, "… do you think you can stand up?" She asked, her hand moving from his forehead to his forearm, where she clasped onto it to steady him.
He nodded, though his entire body protested the action. But he forced himself to try anyway, despite how every muscle in his body screamed in protest. Jaune attempted to raise himself up, allowing her to pull him forward into a standing position. Only, his legs—they didn't move. A sharp gasp of pain escaped his lips as he collapsed backward into the wall, his head drooping forward. She shifted slightly, steadying him while holding firmly onto his arm He frowned and tried again, grunting with effort as he pushed upward. He had as little luck the second time around as the first.
Her expression twisted in discomfort. The hand that she used to help him sit upright trembled slightly as she averted her eyes away from his face again. He frowned lightly as he watched, looking on as she attempted to hide a grimace. "I—um—that's… alright," she spoke softly, her voice trembling, as if her emotions were fighting with each other inside of her. There was hesitation in her tone that he could almost taste. "Do you think you can try to move your feet or legs at all?" Her eyes drifted downward as a look of panic overtook her features once again.
Jaune was startled by her reaction, but nonetheless complied with her strange request. He tried shifting them, but the pain that shot up through his entire body sent an involuntary cry to leave him lips. As he groaned, he noticed the girl shift nervously beside him. "Okay, um… good news! I saw it wiggle a little bit. So, no nerve damage… I think. I don't know, but they don't look broken either. Signal didn't cover this sort of stuff when they trained us." She gave him another smile, although it appeared forced to him.
He didn't reply to her commentary, instead remaining silent, lost within his own thoughts. His eyes fell shut for a few moments, before he slowly moved them again to observe his surroundings. Crumbling stone walls covered in moss, the sound of trickling water faintly echoing throughout the area; through a window, he saw there was a small bridge spanning across a deep chasm, leading somewhere far, far below—wow. Actually, that was a lot of bridges. Plural, not singular as he had mistakenly thought. The scene itself was rather eerie in his opinion, giving him an unsettling feeling despite it appearing calm and peaceful.
An uncomfortable silence descended upon them, broken only by the aforementioned noise of running water. Jaune let his gaze wander over the room, taking in its disorganized state. A couple of large pieces of rubble littered the floor here and there, broken ceramic vases and other pottery lay scattered haphazardly in the corners alongside a few solid pieces of glass jars. A thick coating of dust coated everything, which made the whole room appear even darker than it actually was.
Curiously, there were some newer additions closer to him. A few wooden crates, and from the looks of it one had already been opened. The contents of the crate looked like a mix of medical supplies. There wasn't much else apart from that, however, as far as he could tell.
"So… uh…" Her stutter drew his attention back to her again. "We've got a new assignment," she said after clearing her throat. She paused briefly before continuing speaking. "And seeing as how you aren't in any condition to move and fight…" she trailed off with a frown, "… it's probably better that you stay here. I know it'll be rough and dangerous, but I'll make sure to sweep the area for grimm before I leave and I'll be back quick!" She reassured him quickly, fidgeting with the ends of her hair.
He nodded wordlessly but didn't truly register what she was saying; she was talking too fast for his liking, and he couldn't quite focus on anything as it were. His eyelids felt heavy and weighed down with lethargy.
"No! Come on sleepyhead, you can't fall asleep again. It's not safe. Just stay awake until I get back. Okay?" She pleaded gently with him, shaking his shoulders slightly. "Don't worry, I'm super fast, trust me." She stood up suddenly, brushing some dirt off her clothes. "It won't take long at all."
He nodded reluctantly, opening his eyes once again, trying to keep himself awake. "… alright." Was all he could muster up, his voice slurred and weary. The next few minutes passed painfully slowly for him, as he struggled to remain focused. Even the simple act of watching her walk to the door—if it could be called as such without an actual door; more of a stone entrance-way, really—head through it, and disappear around the corner, seemed like a choreographed routine that took an age to complete.
For what felt like hours, he remained slumped against the cold, crumbling stone wall as he fought to stay awake. In the end, his eyes drifted shut again and despite his best attempts, he obediently allowed his mind to drift off to the soft lullaby of sleep; eagerly welcoming it with open arms.
Jaune awoke to someone tapping his cheek lightly. His ears twitched slightly to the sound of rustling fabric and felt a cold breeze drift past him as something was removed from across his torso. Then, a familiar scent invaded his senses: roses and baked treats. He raised a hand, attempting to swat whatever creature had taken away his comfort; even as his limbs felt heavy.
He was prodded rather aggressively for his efforts.
He groaned as he forced open his eyes, wincing at the sudden intrusion of light, only to find a face inches away from his own. With a start, he quickly sat up and scrambled backwards, knocking into the wall behind him, his heart hammering erratically in his chest as he stared back at her.
Her eyes widened, and she backed away, stumbling over her feet. "O-oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" She said, her voice high pitched and shaky. "I just brought up food and thought you might be… hungry, ya know?" She held up what appeared to be a few packages. "They aren't the best but, well… you take what you can get, right?" She grinned sheepishly at him. "Here. Try this one." She held out one package toward him. "It has some sort of meat in it, I think. Yang told me it wasn't horrible at least, so that has has to count for something."
He accepted it cautiously, still cautious of her behavior as he examined her. "Um… thanks," he managed to mutter, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Yang? He had no idea who she was talking about.
She smiled brightly before sitting down across from him, picking up her own packet of food and tearing it open. "I'm glad you're up though, we were all pretty worried when you just kept sleeping."
Jaune opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by someone else.
"Rubes is right. Honestly, we weren't sure if you were going to wake up. But, she believed you would and well, here you are. Awake and alive. And, you seem to have gotten some food! You've got quite the dedicated caretaker don'tcha?"
"Yang…"
Jaune's head whipped toward the voice, nearly dropping the package he held. His eyes immediately landed on a tall girl with blond hair and lilac eyes. "Rubes isn't very experienced in domestic matters, but she is really trying her best to be a good house-wif—"
"Yang!"
"Ahem, partner. Partner for you," the blond giggled. As he looked upon her, though, he realized that she wasn't alone. Two other people stood behind her, Another girl with short, ginger hair standing next to her taller companion. A man with sharp features and rather striking pink eyes. They were in the midst of their own conversation and paying no mind to the other—wait, was she holding a giant hammer?
Jaune stared.
"So, anyway. Take care of her and we'll get along swimmingly!" She winked. "Come on Ren, Nora. Let's get back to the action." She waved dismissively, leaving without looking back. Only to pause a moment later. "Wait a second."
She cupped her hands around her mouth, "psst, hey. Sleeping beauty over there…" Jaune froze at her call. "What do you call a Ruby who abandons you for cookies?"
What…?
"No answer?" She asked rhetorically. "A desserter. Ba-dum-tsh."
Jaune watched blankly as they disappeared around the corner, walking down a set of spiraling stairs and out of view. He wasn't entirely sure what all of… that… was about, but he did know that it had nothing to do with his currently growling stomach. His face warmed at the noise, flushing red.
"You should eat and uh, just ignore everything she said."
He turned back to face the remaining girl as she spoke to him; his gaze landing upon a familiar crimson cape after a brief moment. Red… red. Ah! A light-bulb went off in Jaune's head at the realization. This was the same person he had med earlier this morning. The girl in red.
"Yang is kinda…" her face twisted in discomfort. "Well, let's just say she tends to get carried away sometimes. But, ah…" she laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. "That's neither here nor there I suppose." She continued, "now come on. You know how much of a pain it was to get this stuff?" She pointed at the object in his hands. "Everyone was taking all the good food and I barely managed to snag this. So, eat up while you can!" Red urged him on enthusiastically, waving her hand wildly before tearing into her own opened container.
… she picked up a cookie out of it.
Was that what the strange blond from earlier was referring too? Jaune shook his head, forcing himself to pick up his packet and open it up. Some sort of beef strips in spicy tomato sauce, from what the packaging said on the side.
He bit into it hesitantly. It was… alright.
Not the best thing he'd ever tasted, but it wasn't bad. Definitely not enough to make him cry tears of joy or throw up. Nonetheless, he ravenously swallowed down every bite and finished it in short order. It felt better having eaten it than nothing at all.
Red, meanwhile, began humming a tune under her breath. He glanced up from his lap to watch her curiously; looking on as she bobbed her head slightly from side to side Her maroon locks hung loosely across her face, swaying slightly in tandem with her movements, while her silver eyes gazed down at the half-eaten treat in her hand.
She caught him staring a moment later. Her head tilted curiously, her face scrunching up into an expression of confusion as she looked at him. "Um…" the girl in red spoke, her voice wavering slightly. "Hi."
Jaune blinked. "Uh… hi?"
The girl in red nodded, seeming to regain her composure. "Yeah. Hi." She smiled weakly. "Do you still need anything? Water, maybe? Or, uh…"
Jaune shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
"I'm… uh…" She trailed off, glancing away. "I'm Ruby Rose." Ruby Rose. He finally had a name for her instead of just, you know, calling her by the color of clothes she wore.
"Oh, um… nice to meet you, Ruby Rose." He gave her a polite smile which caused her to return one in kind. "I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc." Hmm. He felt like he was forgetting to add something to that…
"I know—I mean… you told me earlier. Guess we're not strangers anymore, huh?" She said, fiddling with the hood of her cloak and pulling it down around her.
Strangers…? His brow furrowed in confusion. What was she talking abou—
"So, friends?"
Strangers are just friends that you haven't met yet.
Oh. That's right, he did say that to her, didn't he? "Sure. Yeah. Friends." He repeated slowly as a warm feeling swelled inside him. "We're friends."
"Awesome. Well, uh…"
He couldn't help but notice the way she shuffled her weight from foot to foot as she held out an arm for him to shake, which he does after carefully raising himself up.
Ruby smiled shyly. "It's nice to meet you, partner." She paused and amended herself, "properly this time."
Properly… oh yeah. "Speaking of that, what was that earlier? That girl seemed really pissed off at you," he asked, recalling the events from earlier that morning. "Did you blow yourself up or something?" He blurted out and immediately winced at the bluntness that came with it.
"I—… I did not blow up!" Ruby raised both her hands and brought them to her cheeks, turning bright pink with what seemed like anger mixed in with embarrassment. "And your 'snow-angel' seemed angrier at you anyway after you threw up all over her, vomit boy." She huffed, crossing her arms after angrily munching down on the rest of her cookie.
"V–vomit boy!?" Jaune sputtered as he flushed, his own cheeks burning now. His nose wrinkled in disgust at the memory. Flying. Ugh. There were some things he could do, but that wasn't one of them. Flying and Jaune did not mix, as had been proven today. "I told you I don't handle being in vehicles that well. I get motion sickness, and for some reason it's especially bad when I'm flying! And…" he paused, his lips pursing together. "Why am I explaining myself to you, crater face?"
"Crater face?" Ruby scoffed and raised an eyebrow at him. "If anyone's a 'crater face' it's you for landing headfirst into the ground," she retorted.
He glowered at her, but didn't have a response to her words. She wasn't… entirely wrong—and her own mishap left more of a dent rather than an actual crater. Damn it. "You… ugh. Fine."
"Hah, I win!" She stuck her tongue out childishly and Jaune grumbled incoherently in response. They fell silent afterward for awkward several minutes. Then she spoke again. "Hey!" She suddenly exclaimed, grabbing his attention as she turned towards him. "You still hungry?" She asked, offering him a cookie from an opened wrapper.
His stomach rumbled loudly, and he felt his face grow warm once again.
A giggle bubbled out of her lips as she gazed down at him. Ruby handed him the treat and he gingerly took it, trying to ignore how soft her fingers seemed to be against his own as they brushed past one another. He quickly scarfed the snack down, his cheeks burning even brighter as he noticed Ruby laughing quietly beside him.
"See? Not so bad huh?" She grinned widely, handing him another pastry
"Thank you." He finally mumbled, shifting around uncomfortably and—"Ah! Be careful, you're going to fall of the edge!"—looked back up just in time to see a pair of dainty hands grab onto his arms. Before he could even react she was already hauling him back onto solid ground.
"Ah… the cookie…" she pouted. "Jaune, you dropped the cookie!" Ruby exclaimed, pointing over a ledge. It turned out that the wall he had been leaning up against wasn't a wall at all, but a column instead. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
He peered around the room, noticing for the first time that they were overlooking the world from a rather lofty location. The room itself was quite spacious, though calling it a room was perhaps misleading; it had no walls, only a series of pillars that help up the roof above them. Jaune looked out at the world and quickly grew the slightest bit dizzy. That was quite the drop, and one he wasn't keen on taking again. No repeat performances for him, thank you very much. He glanced away from the ground and back at the world outside the tower they were perched on, taking in the evening hues; from crimson to purple to orange as night began to descend upon the ruins below.
"Wow… look at that," he mumbled, awestruck by the sight of it. He hadn't ever seen a sunset in this manner before, and he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the scene. A few people walked across the many bridges below, carrying boxes to and fro from the forest on the other side of the ravine, to the central tower itself, and then beyond to the stone structures build along—and inside of—the cliffs. Others, those that weren't busy, gathered below and in front of the tower he and Ruby occupied; settling around a lit fire-pit, either sitting or standing around chatting idly amongst themselves.
"—nant to Jaune. Remnant to Jaune!" A familiar voice rang out through the air and snapped Jaune out of his trance. "Ugh. Forget it!" she huffed as she plopped down on the floor beside him. "Just… forget about the cookie that you wasted."
Jaune sighed in disbelief. That's what she was focused on? It was just a cookie. "Fine…" he muttered. "I'll get you a cookie to make up for the one I dropped."
Ruby's ears perked up. "Really?!" She asked excitedly, her eyes wide.
Jaune blinked at her. "Uh. Sure. Whatever."
She jumped to her feet, practically skipping with joy. Her excitement almost made him laugh. "Thank you, Jaune! You're the best friend I coulda ever dreamed of having!" She squealed, punching her fists excitedly into the air.
"Don't mention it," he said as he turned back towards the view he had been admiring mere moments ago. His mind wandered as he watched the sky darken with the passing minute. The sunset was beautiful. But… he felt like he was missing something. What was it?
Jaune glanced around the top of the tower, noting the odd assortment of crates stacked upon each other on the other side of the room from them. Wait. Two familiar items stood out from the rest; a sword hidden away in a white sheath. "Is that my…?" He murmured weakly, squinting slightly at the objects lying before him.
"Hey, Ruby?" He suddenly called, breaking her attention from whatever it was she was doing. She glanced back at him curiously, waiting for him to continue speaking. He gave her a hesitant smile and shifted his gaze over towards the large pile of crates at the end of the room. "Did you grab my weapon when you found me by any chance?"
"Oh! Yeah, I sure did!" She answered readily. "I'd never leave something that important behind unless I had no choice." Ruby smiled widely at that, seemingly proud of herself. "Actually, I wanted to ask… is that actually the Crocea Mor? Ya know, the one from the Great War." Ruby wondered aloud, eyeing the sword that lay before them curiously.
"You've heard of it?" He replied in surprised.
She nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I've read stories about it back at Signal. It was mentioned in our lessons at the forge, our weapons course, in our history classes, in our…" Ruby blinked, "there was at least a blurb mentioning it just about everywhere now that I think about it."
"Well. Yeah, it is." Jaune mumbled absentmindedly, nodding his head slowly. His father had always said that their family heirloom was rather well known alongside his great-grandfather. Not to mention his grandfather's deeds or his even just his fathers. But, it was one thing to have it told to him and a whole different one to actually see it for himself.
That's… a lot of history for one weapon to hold, isn't it?
The guilt from his theft of it threatened to re-surge once more, but he pushed it aside as best as he could. There was little he could really do about it right now anyways, even if he was wiling to return it in the first place. So, he just let out a sigh, shaking his head.
"Wow. How does it work then?" Ruby leaned forward eagerly. "It transforms too, right!? Hey, what other tricks can it do!? How much does it weigh? What's it made out of!? Can I touch it? Is that allowed? Actually, can I hold it? Please? Please?" Ruby continued to ramble on, asking question after question. Request after request.
He held out a hand placatingly. "Okay, okay calm down," Jaune awkwardly chuckled, amused despite himself.
"Sorry," she murmured bashfully, averting her gaze. "I… like weapons a lot."
"I think that's an understatement. But, it's okay. If you want you can—" before he could finish his reply, however, a loud bang startled both him and Ruby and they snapped their heads towards the direction of the sound. Then back to one another.
"Grimm!"
They stared at each other for a moment, dumbfounded.
"Grimm are crossing the bridges again!"
The crack of gunshots rang out across the ruins, echoing thunderously through the evening sky.
Jaune cursed. "Crap! We gotta go help th—" Before he could even begin to move however, or even finish his sentence, Ruby shot past him, not even a blur to his eyes as she instead vanished from sight. The next he saw her, she had a large rifle in hand and set it resting against a column as she set out magazines full of ammunition next to her.
As quick as lightning, she swung the rifle around and lay it across the a few boxes near the ledge, angling it downward. She pulled the trigger twice in quick succession, the shots creating bellowing echoes throughout the tower chamber and lighting up the darkened sky with bright muzzle-flashes.
Several more soon followed.
Jaune, meanwhile, had been crawling. Grimacing at one painful movement after another as he made his way toward Ruby's position against the edge of the tower. It was agonizing, but he was determined not to sit this one out. Not when he had already been such a burden.
So, he crawled.
Even in the darkness of the tower chamber no longer lit by the evening sun, he could see how Ruby moved fluidly and swiftly; every motion well practiced and put to action. His hands shook slightly as he reached for a nearby crate and lifted himself up to his feet. He staggered for a second, but ultimately stood tall.
Jaune arrived right in time to find her slotting in a fresh magazine to her rifle and chambering the next round. Wasting not even a second, she took aim anew and fired. "Nice, Ruby!" He cheered, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the round tear through the center of one beowolf, and then another behind it.
Ruby paused, looked up, and beamed brightly at his words of praised before realizing just where he was. "What? Jaune!? What are you doing over here!?" she demanded, her gaze flickering quickly between her friend and the approaching monsters that were rapidly breaking across the treeline and the bridges both.
Jaune didn't answer immediately. Instead, he began scanning the area below them. Finally, he locked eyes with her again. "I'm going to go down and help hold the central bridge." He declared bluntly. "I'm not going to just stay here while everyone else is fighting."
"Hah? Wait a minute, Jaune!" Ruby cried out, placing her rifle down as she placed her hands on her hips. "You're hardly even able to stand on your feet," she protested.
"I'll manage." He stated plainly, shrugging his shoulders dismissively. "At the very least I can keep watch of the tower's entrance if I don't make it that far,"I hope, were the words he left unsaid.
"Then I'll come with."
"No. You just keep doing what you can fro—Ruby, look at that bridge," Jaune suddenly pointed, interrupting himself. "There's at least one alpha beowolf in that pack climbing on the side of it. It's obviously a bit more intelligent than the others. If it sneaks by…" he trailed off.
"They might be overrun." Ruby muttered dejectedly.
He looked back over towards her, offering her a sympathetic look. "You're needed up here Ruby, but I'm not." His shoulders slumped dejectedly. "I need to do something to help."
"Yeah, I get it," she muttered. "But I'm coming with anyway. You're supposed to be my partner and I wouldn't be a very good partner if I just let you go off on your own when you're injured."
His eye twitched. "No, you're staying here and making sure the rest don't get through and flank us." He insisted stubbornly. Jaune then squinted, "Ruby, look. Another."
She fired, but it missed this time.
Ruby hesitated. "Stay here." She rummaged around for a second, rifling around her garments for something. "Here. Do you know how to spot?" She waved around a pair of miniature binoculars.
He looked down at them briefly, taking the offered items from her grasp. "No," he denied. "Why?"
"Then pay attention because you're about to receive a crash-course then. If you're gonna be my partner for the next four years, you've got to learn this sort of stuff." She explained matter-of-factly.
"But—"
"Just trust me. Okay? It's not that hard. You were pretty much doing it already."
He swallowed hard, his dry lips cracking slightly. "Mmm… okay."
"Great!" The girl's expression instantly lit up, her eyes widening and a smile breaking across her face as she let out a happy giggle. "Now, come a bit closer," I need you to stay close to me," Ruby ordered, reaching forward and grabbing his shoulder to drag him forward.
"Okay, listen closely, alright Jaune? First you need to—" She cut herself off, glancing down. A brief glimpse of crimson caught his eye, followed by a flash of something silver. He squinted his eyes and peered closely at whatever it was that she held in her hand. It expanded and a green holographic screen appeared. Ruby tapped her thumb against the screen a couple of times before looking up at him.
"New assignment," she grumbled out, as if that explained everything.
"Huh?"
Jaune wasn't sure what had just happened, but clearly Ruby saw his confusion because suddenly a scroll was being shoved roughly into his hands; the content displayed. He blinked dumbfoundedly at the words on the screen.
Survive until morning.
