Chapter 1.
…
"Is everyone ready?" Ruby asked, giving each friend a look.
"I am," Ren said with a nod.
"Of course!" Nora exclaimed, standing tall on her toes. Her exuberance deflating much too quickly.
"Yea." Jaune uttered only when he noted Ruby's eyes stopping solely on him. Adding a nod as if to prove she didn't mishear him.
She took a moment before saying, "Alright" and then gave her house another, prolonged look.
"I don't care. Just do whatever you want."
She quietly bit her lip, then shook her head and turned the other way.
"I guess it's time to go then. It's a long journey ahead of us, after all," She said, mustering the best smile she could. Took half a step forward and stopped. And waited.
"Yep," Nora said simply and pulled on Ren's sleeve. He nodded, and just as he was about to move he stopped. His eyes, much like Ruby's and later Nora's as well, all pointing at Jaune now. He was the only one who didn't even try to move forward. He looked lost in thoughts, but what kind of? It was impossible to tell from the blank mask of his face.
"Let's go, Jaune." Ruby was the one to speak up.
He blinked. Slowly, as if utterly tired.
"Yea," He said flatly, nodded a couple of times and then partially turned but suddenly stopped. His eyes fixed on a single window, something resembling an actual emotion buried deep in his blue.
"Jaune?" This time, it was Nora who spoke.
"..."
He didn't say anything for some moments to come. Just continued to stare, while a pair of eyes similar to his stared back. Until their owner blinked, made a face which spoke of anger, perhaps pity, maybe disappointment and even all three at once. And maybe nothing not all, he could have just seen things but she certainly looked away from his blue. Regardless, he stared just a bit more, then blinked as well and noticed a strange feeling within himself.
"I..." He started with just a word. Maybe he'd make a sentence, perhaps he was feeling something resembling a desire or else, and then he turned to his friends. "I'm staying here," He said, and only a moment later realized himself that he did.
They all froze like statues at first. Until slowly but surely started to realize what he just said. Feeling dumbfounded as they did, and only then exchanged looks with each other.
"What, why?" Ruby asked, confused and concerned.
"I don't know, I just...I want to stay here," He explained vaguely, yet he sincerely couldn't do it any better than that. And just before they would try to reason with him, he looked back to that same window.
She was still there. Only this time around, she wasn't looking at him. In fact, he'd even say she wasn't looking at anything at all. She just pointed her lilac at the far distance, her face a blank mask.
Rather.
Lost and defeated. Hopeless and helpless.