The first day of classes had finally arrived during the second week of September 1998 and Jaune was walking into his new school for the second time since moving here. This time he went in alone, walking casually and wearing a wearing a slightly out of style Guns and Roses shirt, faded blue jeans, a flannel over-shirt, and rocking his headphones so he can tune out the noise of the crowd while listening to some Offspring.

As Jaune entered he noted the principal greeting students as they came in, Ozpin was wearing an equally casual looking tie-dye shirt and slacks and was animated in greeting both new and returning students to the first day of school.

So far, as to be expected that was the only face Jaune had any kind of recognition of. Jaune saw Ozpin wave him over to talk for a second, and Jaune felt like he had to at least say hello.

Ozpin waited as Jaune pulled off his headphones before speaking "Hey kiddo, just wanted to let you know, that if you want, I can have your homeroom teacher meet up with me so I can help them explain your 'situation' to your class"

Jaune pulled out his note pad and quickly wrote out "I'm good sir, I want to keep my 'situation' on the down low for as long as possible, maybe if you want to help by telling my teachers to not call on me in class till I'm more comfortable with things round here?"

Ozpin read the note and responded to Jaune "It's your call, you are old enough to make your own decisions as to how we work with you here. Let me know if you need any help." He said as he patted him on the back and let Jaune continue on with his day.

Jaune sighed out and walked to where the signs said the cafeteria was located. As he walked as put his headphones back on. It was an old trick of his, he learned in Junior high that if your wearing headphones no one bugged you quite as much.

He eventually found an empty table to set up shop at and get some reading in before class, he passed by a few tables as he walked towards his own. He saw all the obvious cliques as he walked through, one table had some muscle bound teens wearing what looked like Letterman jackets from their previous schools. A second table was filled with some upper class-men, 2 boys and 2 girls who were pouring over fashion magazines. A third table he saw was being claimed by what looked like a handful of goth kids. He then finally found the the empty table which he swiftly claimed for himself.

The tables were all circular tables surrounded by the kind of hard plastic seats that you never wanted to spend too much time in if you could help it. Jaune noted that at least they were not those so called "ergonomic" chairs that only served to force you to sit up straight, he hated those things.

Jaune quickly pulled out the dog-eared copy of a Sci-fi book called "Consider Phlebas" and picked up picked up where he left off. It was another of Jaune's tricks to get people to leave you alone. Read something that would bore the shit out of most people.

Jaune also made sure to memorize where his classes were on a school map he was provided since, as he learned from the map, the school was unhelpfully laid out in three color coded "halls". the Three halls were, the northern "Blue hall" the Southern "Orange hall" and upstairs, or at least the part of the second floor that was in use was the "White hall". Each class had a number associated to them as well, so for example his homeroom class was in "Orange 16".

For Jaune that might as well had been "Gray hall" "Slightly different gray hall" and "White hall".

As he was carefully marking off rooms on the map where classes were in pen, he suddenly found himself no longer alone at the table. "God dammit, find you own spot!" Jaune found himself thinking as two girls, a tall well stacked girl with long light hair in what looked like a light colored tank-top and flannel shirt sat down with another girl who was short, maybe a head and change shorter than he was with short dark hair and a dark colored polo shirt on.

"Just ignore them, maybe they will take the hint if I don't acknowledge that they are there." Jaune thought to himself. He tried to ignore the pair of girls and focus on his reading, until he noticed the blonde girl hold her hands out in the same way one does when they are about to start signing.

[Okay, so you finally worked up the nerve to speak to him, tell me exactly what happened] the taller light haired girl started to sign out to the other girl.

The other girl leaned on the table on one arm and hand signed out with her free arm [Well I finally worked up the nerve to give Cardin that note I wrote over the summer, and while he was polite about it, he shot me down...]

[Well what did he say then?] The Taller girl asked, Jaune was guessing, friend.

The shorter girl brushed the hair out of her face and signed with both hands [He said I seemed like a nice enough girl, but with obligations to his team, he didn't have the time to learn a new language just to date some girl he barely knew.]

"What a dick!" Jaune thought to himself as face turned to one of mild disgust.

[What a dick!] the taller girl signed to her friend mirroring Jaune's thoughts.

[Like I said, he was nice about it.] the shorter girl signed as she leaned on the table.

By this point Jaune was barely focused on his book and took an interest in this conversation, partially out of shock that the two people Ozpin mentioned were sitting right at his table. It wasn't long afterwards that the bell rang signalling them off to class. Jaune noted as he stood up that the taller lighter haired girl taped the shorter girl on the shoulder and pointed at the bell to let her know it was time.

"So the short girl must be deaf, and the taller girl must be a friend that knows sign language or something.." Jaune thought as he stood up to head off to class in the opposite direction of the other two.


Jaune made it home that night and took and early shower before logging online to check his email and AIM account to see if anything came though, by this point he wasn't even upset to not see anything happening on either and just logged off to play some old NES games for a while. His mind however was on the two girls he encountered this morning. He debated into the night if he should just go ahead and introduce himself to them tomorrow.

As Jaune milled it over while playing Mario 3, he decided against it, he already had lost two friends in a way that was starting to feel like a betrayal, and a girlfriend who died far before her time. Pyrrha's death still ate at him, wrapping around him like an anchor. Every day the weight felt like it was pulling him deeper and deeper into a pit he couldn't pull himself out of.

"This is going to stop hurting at some point right?" Jaune thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep.


The next morning at school, Jaune found himself at the same table, the school only had about six hundred students tops, and so the school had a large enough area for everyone to be able to spread out and stake their claims. Jaune figured it helped that his "claim" was partially staked by a pair of girls that apparently choose to sit at the same spot as him.

Jaune reminded himself that he wasn't here to make friends, Friends only hurt you in the end. As the two girls signed away at each other, he worked on a sketch he started a few nights before of a large dragon engaged in a life and death battle against a girl in a cape and a large scythe. At one point as he stopped to change CD's in his Disc-man he caught a part of the conversation the two girls were having.

[He's a good artist...] the short girl was signing to her taller friend.

[Well people need to be good at something right? He's not good at talking to people as far as I can tell] The tall girl signed back.

"Are they seriously talking about me in front of me because they don't think I can understand them?" Jaune thought with a slight anger in his guts.

[Well, I don't mind, at least he's not giving us a hard time for Signing, maybe you should introduce yourself sis?] The Shorter girl signed to the taller girl.

"Oh suck my farts!" Jaune thought "I can understand what your saying and I want nothing to do with this!" Jaune closed his Sketch pad and carefully put it back into his book bag before pulling out his book to read instead.

[Nah Loner-boy switched to a book, I don't want to bother him.] The taller "sister" signed out as Jaune tried his best to ignore them both.

"Damn right I did!" Jaune thought to himself as he tried to read his book, he was so agitated however at the taller girls comments however that he couldn't even finish a single page before the bell rang. the three of them stood and they all split off and went about their days.


That evening was hard on Jaune, he pretty much laid in bed and stared off into space, his will to do much of anything was teetering on non existent. As Jaune listened to music, he didn't care what was playing on his Disc-man, he just put on whatever disc was already in there, he contemplated his life. He found wondering to himself if maybe it would be okay to make new friends. He wondered if he'd really be betraying Pyrrha if he went ahead and just said "hello" to the two girls that occupied his table in the mornings...

Neither the quiet darkness of his room, nor the blaring sounds coming from his headphones held the answers he was looking for...


They Next morning, the two girls didn't sit with him, Jaune saw them at a table across the cafeteria sitting with two other girls. He guessed they were friends of theirs, from the way they carried on. He tried he damnest to focus on his book, but he just found himself watching the taller girl interpret for the shorter girl as the four of them chatted in a way that close friends tended to.

He tried to convince himself that, this is what he wanted, he wanted to be the loner that stays in the corner, he wanted to be left alone to he could mourn Pyrrha in peace...

"So why in the hell is this bothering me so damn much!" Jaune thought to himself as he tried to discretely watch the girls as they "talked" away with their other friends...


That night Jaune laid in bed and reflected on a question Ms Goodwitch his English teacher had asked him. The Question she had asked him after class was simply "What do you want out of life Mr Arc?" To which Jaune didn't really have an answer at the time.

What he wanted, was his old life back, he wanted to wake up, go hang out with his friends, and hug Pyrrha and tell her how much he loves her. To feel that warm feeling in his chest that he felt when she was there again.

These days the only thing he could feel even on a good day is a numb void where she used to be. Even months after her death.

When he laid in bed, an answer to Ms Goodwitch's question drifted into in his head like a cold specter. What did he want out of life?

"For it to hurry up and end." The darkness would whisper back to him.


The Next day was Jaune sat alone as his table, he just stared at completed math homework to make it look like he was doing something.

He was surprised to see "the girls" as he was mentally calling them now sit down next to them and start signing.

Jaune found himself smiling a bit at having company. It didn't free him from the weight bothering him, and he felt a bit guilty for being happy that two girls were sitting with him this soon after Pyrrha's death, but he just couldn't help it.

He noticed that the shorter girl looked troubled. [God why am I so stupid Yang!] The girl signed out to his sister.

[Your not stupid, don't even think like that! You aimed for the moon and missed, that doesn't mean you can't try again!] The taller girl- No, Yang signed back

[I just can't believe that Cardin and that goth chick are dating now! Like days after he shot me down!] The Smaller girl signed between rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, damn I thought something serious had happened." Jaune thought as he tapped his pen on the desk which caught him a slight side-eyed glance by the taller light haired girl.

[Forget about Cardin Winchester, I've been telling you since 7th grade that guy is a jerk and not worth your time, there are plenty of other guys at this school that would murder their grandmothers for a couple of cute girls like us to show interest in them!] Yang signed to her sister.

Jaune couldn't help but silently chuckle to himself at the "Grandmother" part, though he tried to hide it.

[Okay, Yang, if your so wise with the guys, who do you think I should try to talk to, Cardin at least took the time to read the notes I wrote, and your not always there to translate!] The shorter girl gestured and signed with clear frustration in her movements.

[Well were sitting next to a guy right now, I mean sure he's super quiet, but I'm sure he's just happy for a couple good looking girls to even be gracing him with our presence.]

The shift in Jaune's mood was instant, going from quietly brooding to feeling a hot blooded anger in him at what the Yang girl just signed. "Excuse the fuck out of me bitch?" Jaune thought instantly as something in his brain snapped and he found himself shooting daggers at the light haired girl.

The bright haired girl seemed to catch onto this and said out loud "Can I help you?"

Wanted to chew out the Taller girl the best he could, Jaune just shook his head and Signed [Nah, I'm just feeling super thrilled that a couple girls graced me with their presence.]

The light haired girl was taken back pretty hard, much to Jaune's endless amusement. As Jaune then started to furiously pack his belongings, he found a firm grip on his arm as the bright haired girl was looking less than amused at him "Your telling me you knew sign language this whole time, you've been eavesdropping on us?"

[Oh I'm sorry, was I not supposed to notice you talking crap about me to my face?] Jaune finger signed with his free hand.

"Well why the crap were you being quiet this whole time!" Yang said to him.

[Oh I'm always kind of quiet, I can't really control that. being the super quiet boy at this table.] Jaune signed with a smart-ass smirk on his face

Yang looked like she was going to say something nasty when small hands started to wave in front of her face as her smaller friend started to sign [This is awesome, we found another person here who knows how to Sign, this is so awesome!] in a frantic manner that Jaune had a hard time keeping up with.

Jaune couldn't help but find himself smile slightly, his anger forced out of his mind by the feeling of the short girls infectious excitement at this new revelation. Jaune start to sign to the both of them [So I was kinda trying to keep quiet about my disability, I don't like people knowing about it.] Jaune paused for a second [But you managed to piss me off for me not to be able to hold back, good job?]

While the smaller girl was practically bouncing in her seat, this Cardin fella seemingly forgotten, the girl called Yang said "Yeah, I'm guessing then that your not deaf like my sister is then?"

Jaune signed back [My vocal cords were ruined in a drunk driving accident with my dad when I was three. but my ears work just fine]

"That's pretty harsh, I'm sorry to hear that. Anyways I'm Yang, that's Ruby making a scene."

Jaune finger-signed out [I'm Jaune]

"Well Jaune, looks like my sister adopted you so welcome to the group." Yang chuckled out

A flash of guilt crossed his mind tempering his mood as the faces of his old friends flashed through his mind as he signed out [Thanks. I guess.]

Ruby was suddenly in his face Signing rapidly [Where are you from? What school did you go to? What classes do you have? Do you live nearby here?] and so on.

Jaune smiled as he tried to follow and understand the hyperactive girl as he processed her questions one at a time signing out his answers [Uh I'm originally from Northern California. My last school was on the other side of the state. I just moved out here in June. I'll show you my schedule later. And I live about 8 blocks from here give or take.]

Ruby looked back and forth between him and her sister in excitement when Jaune and Yang her a cough behind them, the two of them turned their heads to see the Principal looking at the three of them "So, I don't mean to interrupt, but the second bell just rang, you three might want to get to your classes"

Yang quickly shouted a "yessir!" as she grabbed her sisters hand to get her to come along, Jaune just flashed a quick two finger salute as he started to make tracks as well.

"Hey Loner-boy, Meet us here after school, we'll hang out!" Yang shouted as they headed off, Jaune shot a quick thumbs up and sprinted off to his own class.

Principal Ozpin just looked as they all went there own separate ways with a mild chuckle as he went to go chat with the lunch staff.


Hey everyone, so looks like now we have our "Quiet" to Jaune's "Monochrome" in the story. We also managed to get this story going in three chapters which is nice. I'd expect allot more world building as we go, while I am basing the State this story takes place on one of the 50 States in America, I don't plan on spilling the beans on which one. the Town which I plan on leaving unnamed, however is a work of fiction.

So I don't plan on leaving Jaune in a sore spot this entire fic, the whole theme of this story is learning to overcome loss, which might come up in different ways through the story, I really can't wait to show you all some of the idea's I have in my head for this, and I hope you all enjoy the ride. As always, I'll see you all next chapter.