"So we can breathe underwater now?" Jaune looked back at the restless waves, still unable to believe what he had just done. It was a comparatively small distance when looking at a map, but actually walking across the sea floor gave a taste of the true immensity of Remnant's oceans.
I thought I clarified everything during the trek? Or were you too distracted by the leviathan that was inspecting us?
"Hey, that thing was massive! It easily could have swallowed us whole!" They weren't able to see anything so deep underwater, but Whitback's advanced sense of hearing and touch "learned" from the unique deep-sea life allowed them to experience everything first hand.
And, of the many different shapes the Grimm took in the depths, the leviathan had to be the most imposing Jaune had seen.
That was a much older Grimm, it understood what would happen if it had tried to devour us.
"...Why can't I learn about things by absorbing them, like you can? Like what you did with the fish you caught." Jaune changed the subject, thinking about how Whitback had said his brain was a part of its own body. Shouldn't that mean he could control Whitback's body like it could? Tendrils and all?
You should be able to, but I admit my knowledge is as limited as yours in this respect. Even James knew very little about us.
My best guess is that your mind is having trouble adjusting to its new surroundings and, as a result, is only accepting information that it finds familiar.
Jaune looked down at his pearly white hands, flexing the white material that wrapped thinly around his new flesh like a full body glove. It helped to cover up his darkened veins, which were now both far more numerous, and infinitely more noticeable when uncovered
Dont worry too much about things we can't change, we should focus on our current goal. Jaune nodded, Whitback was right; they shouldn't be standing around wasting time.
"Of course, but… where even are we?" He had no idea where they had ended up, only that the buildings around them looked to be much dirtier than he would've expected from such a big city. Some even looked to be falling apart.
If Atlesian maps are accurate, we should be on Vale's western most shoreline. Though, from the lack of activity, I would guess this area has been left abandoned. Perhaps we should look for a more populated area to ask for some information? I'll cover our more noticeable features with clothing.
That sounded like a good idea. Even with the flexible, white material covering his body, the veins that covered a large portion of his face were still clearly visible alongside his brightly glowing eyes.
"I think we'll also need a mask." Jaune suggested as he began walking, "So we can actually speak with people without scaring them. We need to avoid that smell as much as possible." He had also scared Ruby with his voice, should he avoid talking as well? Maybe people would just think he was older? Or hurt with how rough it sounded?
I believe we should avoid speaking as much as we can… But I see your point.
The blacked veins on his face pulsed as the mask grew directly from his skin. The material shifted and hardened into the shape of a simple, featureless mask. A thin veil of black material moved behind the eye-holes to cover the red glow his eyes gave off.
To help blend in, Whitback also reformed their armor into a thick, hooded cloak that left nothing uncovered.
Satisfied with his new outfit, Jaune continued to walk down the deserted streets looking for someone who might need help. And while that remained his plan, it wasn't long before the vastness of Vale started to get to him.
"How big is this place…?" Jaune had trouble holding the awe from his voice. He had been walking for at least an hour now and the city only showed them more people and buildings the deeper he went. He had seen massive buildings before in Atlas, but the sheer number of people shocked him.
Where did they keep coming from? Did Atlas have this many people? He was never able to wander the streets so he had no idea. All he knew was that the strange prickling sensation that swam beneath his skin only seemed to worsen the more crowded the streets got.
A pungent mixture of street foods, perfumes and body odors hit his nose hard enough to make him stumble. The noise that struck a moment later stripped the rest of the world away, leaving him gasping for air while desperately looking for an escape from the fire and smoke that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
A secluded alleyway acted as a sanctuary from the noise and smells of the big city. A sanctuary Jaune all but ran to the moment he saw it, barely feeling the people he pushed past to get there.
Gripping the nearby alley-wall, he forced his breathing to steady while desperately trying to block out the smell of burnt flesh.
"Deep breaths, Jaune." James' lessons repeated in his mind. "You control your body, not the other way around. If you're struggling to keep yourself in the present, remember that your senses will be your best anchor. Stop thinking and focus on them."
Breathing in through his nose brought with it the smell of oil and garbage, making him cringe. It was bad, but still preferable to burning flesh.
Next he moved his hands, rubbing at cement below him. Mostly small rocks greeted the palm of his hand, though a shard of glass made its presence known with a small cut. Painful, but better than the burning heat that he had felt so long ago.
Once he had calmed some, Whitback spoke up with an apology
I-I'm sorry Jaune… It said with a rare stutter. I tried to filter out the excess information, but there was just so much. So many people. So many potential threats to sort through.
"It-it's alright, Whitback…" Jaune took one more deep breath as he felt Whitback force their heartbeat to slow. Even if he didn't need to breathe, Jaune found the familiar motion helped.
"You know," A voice drew his attention back to where he had entered the alley. "I've never seen someone so short knock a full grown man over like that. You must be a lot stronger than you look. You a Huntsman?" The orange haired man asked while his cane lazily spun around his hand.
\-/
"No…" The mysterious hooded figure spoke in a voice that set Roman on edge immediately, but he didn't let it show, forcing the face of a calm gentleman. He knew a potential recruit when he saw one, someone who could easily knock over people twice their size could be useful in his line of work.
"Fantastic! Glad to make your acquaintance then. My name is Roman Torchwick" he took a bow, tipping his bowler hat to the masked stranger and hoping for an introduction in return.
"Why can't I see your friend? I can smell her beside you, yet I don't see anything there." How was that possible? He had… smelled her? Oh yea, that wasn't creepy at all.
Neo shattered into view a moment later with her tri colored outfit matching her pink, white and brown hair perfectly. She was also wearing a smile that showed off more than just a hint of curiosity. Rarely did she meet someone who radiated such an ominous presence.
"Let me introduce, Neopolitan. she's a little shy and doesn't talk much, but she's harmless." Neo curtsied a bit overdramatically, but still kept a critical eye and the masked person in front of her.
"My name's Jaune, and I won't hurt you either." He mimicked the curtsy slightly, as if unsure what to do. Maybe he was a recluse or some kind of hermit? Roman didn't think it really mattered. He could use someone with such a threatening presence, that's what mattered. A victim would think twice about playing the hero with someone like him around.
"I'll cut straight to the chase, Jaune. How would you like to work for me? I could use the help of someone strong like you."
"...Work for you?" Did the stranger not understand what that meant? Had Roman found an idiot? That could prove useful, a dumb strongman was oftentimes easier to control than someone with some brains. That said, Roman hated hearing the excuses idiots tended to make when they inevitably fucked things up.
"Never had a job before eh? It's simple really: you help me, and in exchange I give you lots of lien." He tried not to sound condescending but who had never heard of working before?
Jaune stayed silent while tilting his head upwards as if he was listening to something else.
"I don't need anything like that." He finally answered with a careless shrug.
"You… don't need money?" Roman couldn't believe his ears, there must have been some mistake. Something was lost in translation, otherwise it just didn't make sense! Lien could make your life a hundred times easier. You could, quite literally, never have enough of the stuff!
How could this man not need that?!
"...Then what do you want?"
"I want to protect people! To stop the bad people from hurting the innocent."
Roman could only stare in disbelief. Did such a chilling, even monstrous voice, really just say something so childish?
Protect the innocent?! What the fuck did that even mean?! Innocence? In this world?! HA!
"You want to… Protect the innocent?" He heard an odd wheezing noise beside him before realizing Neo had started silently laughing uncontrollably while pointing at the dumbfounded look he knew to be on his face.
"What? What did I say?" No matter the depth of his voice, Roman could hear the honest confusion in it. The figure had no idea how foolish he sounded telling the criminal mastermind, Roman Torchwick, that he wanted to "stop the bad people".
"Nothing at all, she just has a screw loose." He recovered quickly, glaring at Neo while she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Unrelated but… How old are you?" Of course it was related, but depending how young the idiot was, it wouldn't matter.
"Fifteen, why?"
"No reason." Roman shrugged off the question, but couldn't help but think this just got a whole lot easier.
"Look, I can help you protect the innocent." He took a step closer. "But I'm wondering, who are these "bad people" you want to stop?" First he would make the child question himself, confusing and leaving him vulnerable to manipulation.
"What do you mean? The people who hurt the innocent, of course." Jaune sounded so sure of himself that Roman could almost taste the naivety. This kid did not grow up in the city, no way someone so stupid would survive long enough to get such fine looking clothing.
"But those bad people often have no choice. Whether it be through threat of death or the promise of aid, bad people are oftentimes innocent people forced or tricked into doing bad things." He wasn't even lying, such tactics were incredibly useful for getting work done without dirtying one's own hands.
"Then… I'll stop the person forcing the innocent to do bad things." Jaune argued, but Roman could hear doubt begin to grow in his voice. It was obvious that the boy hadn't thought his idea over very much.
"What happens if you hurt an innocent person by accident? People lie all the time, how will you know who is innocent in the heat of the moment? How will you know who is actually "bad" and who is just being forced to do bad things?"
"I-I…" The words were having an effect. One more push should be enough to tip the scales in his favor.
"I get where you're coming from kid, I really do, but your goal isn't realistic." Roman continued moving closer as he spoke, the boy seemed too distracted by his inner thoughts to notice.
"How about this?" He stopped right in front of Jaune, who looked up at him slowly. "You work for me, and I'll teach you about how things work around here. Just until you figure out who you actually want to protect." Roman extended his free hand to Jaune. "deal?"
Jaune hesitated while staring at the hand in front of him silently but Roman knew he would accept. The kid was confused now, and without a firm goal in his mind anymore, it was only a matter of time before he reached out and accepted the "help" being offered.
"...Fine." The boy reached out and grabbed his hand in a firm handshake. Roman was about to give his most convincing "you can trust me" smile, before the hand holding his suddenly pulled him closer, bringing him inches from the boy's mask.
"But allow me to warn you," His entire demeanor changed in an instant. The anxious boy who wanted to fight for good seemingly disappeared. Replaced by something so cold, it made even Neo shiver.
"I am not anyone's tool."
\-/
Somewhere over the beaches of Patch flew a lone crow, frantically flapping from one end of the shoreline to the other before landing on the sand. A moment later, Qrow Branwen stood in its place, the look of frustration plain on his face.
"Freakin brat… not taking a boat or bullhead like a normal damned person… Making me look like an idiot." he mumbled under his breath.
He had been searching all over Patch for any hint of where the brat could've gone but there was no sign of him anywhere! It was like he just jumped into the ocean!
Damnit, how else could the kid have left the island? What abilities did he have that James didn't know about? Hell, even if he did kow, would that stingy General actually tell him any of it?
The beeping from his scroll distracted him from his lamenting. He looked at it to see a message from Ozpin with an image attached to it.
"Oz couldn't know I lost the kid already, right?" He tapped the message and went bug eyed at what he saw.
The image displayed showed a figure dressed in a white cloak, that looked suspiciously similar to Ruby's, and a pearly white mask covering its face walking through the streets of Vale.
The message below read "One of my drones snapped this image just outside the industrial district. The mighty Qrow isn't getting too old to do his job, is he?"
Qrow all but threw his scroll into his pocket. Did Ozpin really just call me old? Must be nice standing inside that glass house of his! Reincarnation didn't count as an age reset in his books, whether Oz liked it or not.
With a loud sigh Qrow took off into the sky, once more in the form of a crow and heading directly east over the ocean back towards Vale. At least he had a solid idea where the kid was, now he just needed to catch up to him before something went wrong.
How hard could that be?
\~/
Another short one, this time because I kind of accidently put a part of this chapter into last chapter. Doesn't change much, but it does make this chapter the second shortest just after the first. Also was in a bit of a rush doing my final check over of this chapter so might be a some errors, sorry about that! Hopefully the upcoming intensity will make the wait worth it. As usual, if ya got any questions or concerns please lemme know! Reviews will be seen faster than Private Messages but i should answer to either. Hope you enjoy the morning/evening!
