The ringing of bells woke Jaune as the boat came into harbor. The early morning sun bathed the entire harbor in light and he felt the first vestiges of what promised to be a warm and humid day. Rising to his feet, he followed Blake off the ship, taking in the sights as they walked.
Everywhere he looked, faunus walked freely, talking to one another as they went about their business, filling the air with steadily growing noise as the crowds grew larger and larger.
"I've never seen so many faunus in one place," he muttered to himself.
"This is the one place everyone can feel safe," Blake replied. "No matter who, or what, they are."
Jaune hummed as he observed the packed market full of people lining up in front of an assortment of stalls, their numbers so great that it became difficult to discern which line went to which stall. "Sure is crowded, though."
Blake's ears drooped as her eyes narrowed and Jaune had the feeling that he had annoyed her. "Yes, it is."
"Which I'm guessing isn't by choice?"
"No. Two thirds of the island is desert filled with wildlife more dangerous than seen in the other kingdoms. It makes expansion... difficult." Blake paused as they walked over a hill and Jaune caught a glimpse of the rest of the city. He took in the vibrant colors of the large houses poking up from between the endless trees and decided he liked it quite a bit more than the browns and greys found in and around the settlements of Vale. "We make the best of it, though," Blake continued, leading him down the main road and weaving her way through the crowds with ease. "Most everyone lives here, in Kuo Kuana."
"Is this where you come from?" He asked, before feeling regret as Blake stiffened slightly before forcing herself to relax.
"It is," she replied.
"Maybe you can show me around at some point while I hunt down some work then," Jaune offered, stamping down on the old habit of rambling before he made a complete fool of himself. "Where are we going anyway?"
"There." Blake pointed at the bottom of the hill where a massive, multi-level house stood over looking the main path. The building had wooden siding with brown roof tiles, and Jaune had to stamp down his rising nervousness once more as they approached the building and he spotted guards wearing brightly coloured robes and wielding spears standing near enough to the entrance to protect it without seeming conspicuous.
He wanted to ask Blake why they were heading towards what was undoubtedly the house of some sort of authority figure, but chose to keep quiet when he noticed how she seemed to become more and more tense with every step they took towards the massive sliding doors standing atop a stone staircase. They reached the door without incident and he watched as Blake rose her fist to knock, only to lower it once more, a hesitant look on her face.
Raising his own hand, Jaune hesitated himself, his guilt making him feel insecure about whether or not he should even try to help her, but ultimately, he decided to go for it when he saw the pained look on her face and the way her ears drooped sadly. Placing one hand on her shoulder, he forced himself to smile as he raised the other to grab the massive brass knocker.
"Whatever's on the other side," he said softly. "I've got your back."
Blake looked confused momentarily as she stared at him with piercing amber eyes, and he worried that he may have overstepped when the door opened and he tore his eyes away only to be met with an almost identical pair staring at them both. The woman standing before them had short black hair with a pair of large ears sitting on top of her head and golden piercings in thier sides. She was about the same height as Blake, with a similar facial structure, and Jaune started to find the resemblance uncanny before the urge to kick himself reared its head.
Seriously Jaune? He groused internally. Just because they're both cat faunus doesn't mean they look the same! How racist can you get? Especially after Blake offered to put a roof over your head until you can find some work!
"Blake?" The woman asked, her voice quivering wetly.
"Hi, Mom," Blake greeted slowly, a similar pain lacing her voice.
Oh, thank goodness, Jaune thought before kicking himself once more for being so caught up in his own insecureties while Blake and the woman before them seemed to be dealing with something pretty heavy. Wait, did she say Mom?!
"Kali?" A deep booming voice called from further within the massive building followed by a man who stood nearly an entire foot taller than Jaune. He wore a thick purple robe that exposed a hairy, barrel chest while covering arms that Jaune could alread tell were the size of his head, with jet black hair and a thick beard. He too had yellow eyes, though they had a distinctly predatorial gleam to them as he came to a stop behind the woman who had come to greet them. "Who is it?" His rumbling voice trailed off as he took in the two of them standing before him, though his focus was mostly on Blake, who was nearly shivering beneath Jaune's hand still on her shoulder.
With another supportive squeeze of her shoulder, Blake stepped forward with a sheepish smile on her face, belied by the sad droop of her cat ears. He watched with a sad smile on his face as the Belladonna family was reunited and couldn't help but think back to his own family as they were led through the richly furnished halls of the massive house. He wondered how his sisters were doing, and whether his mom was making sure not to overwork herself. Not for the first time since absconding in the middle of the night with a stolen Crocea Mors, he thought about how much he must have hurt her and the rest of his family, and guilt filled him once more. He had run away to be a hero, but all that managed to do was put the people closest to him in the most danger.
"And what about you, young man?" Blake's father asked with a critical stare, snapping Jaune back to reality. "We don't normally get many humans on our island. What are you doing here, and with my daughter no less."
"I'm just looking for work," Jaune replied, unable to summon the energy to be terrified by the giant man's piercing stare. "Blake offered me a place to stay while I find some Huntsman contracts. I didn't know I would be introduding upon her family, though. I'm sorry for any inconvenience I've caused." Jaune bowed his head and stared into his tea, watching the little particles swirl around in its depths while idly listening to Blake and her parents.
"Jaune was one of my classmates at Beacon," she explained. "He was his team's leader, and saved my life when a massive Grimm attacked the ship we both happened to be traveling on."
"Well, in that case, you have our gratitude, Jaune," Blake's mother replied, reaching over to place her hand on his own.
Jaune flinched slightly at the contact and shook his head. "It was no big deal," he said with a shrug. "Blake is one of the best fighters I know, I just stood in the way."
"Kali's right," her father added. "Anyone who helps keep our daughter safe is more than welcome under our roof. As it stands, I also happen to be the one in charge of things around here, so I'm sure I can provide you with some work after a good night's sleep in one of our guest rooms."
"That's very kind of you, sir," Jaune replied, raising his head to look the man in the eyes once more as a loud knocking rang through the room and Blake's father sighed.
"Damnit," he muttered under his breath.
"Is everything all right, Dad?" Blake asked, concern bleeding through her tone.
"Surely you can reschedule, dear?" Her mother asked.
"No, I've put them off long enough," he replied with a sigh, pushing himself to his feet and heading back towards the massive doors at the front of the building, Jaune, Blake, and her mother on his tail. When he opened the door, they were greeted by a pair of men standing with their hands together and their heads bowed. One of them had large furry ears sprouting through holes in the red hood concealing his face, while the other was slightly taller and had a bushy tail swishing behind him. Both had olive skin, though only the fingers of their hands and the bottoms of their faces were visible beneath the baggy, black and white robes they wore.
"Your Grace, we are grateful you deigned to meet with us," the taller of the two said in a soft voice.
"We had not been informed of the return of the young Miss Belladonna," the other said in a tone that told Jaune they had absolutely been informed of just that.
Something about them raised flags in Jaune's mind, and he found himself stepping in front of Blake before he knew what he was doing.
"How do you know Blake?" He asked suspiciously, making sure to hold his ground and not reveal anything when both men raised their heads and looked him up and down, revealing their long angular faces and narrow, brown eyes. Fast enough to be nearly imperceptible to anyone who hadn't spent months living with Lie Ren and his vast range of expressions, both men's faces contorted into masks of pure hatred before retunrning to their normal schooled expressions.
"Dad, what are you doing talking to these two?" Blake asked.
"This is Corsac and Fennec Albain," Blake's father introduced. "They represent the White Fang here in Menagerie."
"What?!" Blake shouted. "How could you associate with those monsters!"
"Blake, sweety," her mother said soothingly. "What are you talking about."
"The White Fang were at the Fall of Beacon," Jaune explained through grit teeth, never once taking his eyes off the two brothers. "They slaughtered innocent civilians and released Grimm inside the school."
Blake's father was silent for a moment before turning and glaring down at the two brothers. "Is this true?" He asked imperiously.
Both brothers exchanged a glance before bowing their heads, hiding their eyes behind the canine-like snout formed by their hoods. "It is," the taller one replied.
"However, the actions perpatrated by the more... radical individuals of our group were not done on the orders of High Leader Kahn. They were orchestrated by a splinter group led by Brother Adam."
Jaune noticed the way Blake flinched at that name, and figured she must have some sort of history with whoever this Adam guy was - if not the White Fang as a whole. He watched as she started to retreat on herself as her father dismissed the two brothers before storming off, and sighed sadly. Clearly, there was more going on with this personal business than she let on, but the more he thought about it the more conflicted he became. Whatever was going on was not his place to meddle. Instead, he allowed himself to be led to one of the many guest rooms within the Belladonna residence, thanking Blake's mother before throwing himself on the soft bed and catching some decent shut eye.
*(OoO)*
Jaune woke early the next day and made sure he was properly equipped and wrapped in his worn, brown traveling cloak before immediately setting out in search of Blake's father, roaming blindly through the twisting hallways of the Belladonna estate until he found himself on a balcony outside what he hoped was the man's office, like the guard he had asked instructed. Taking a moment to calm his nerves, Jaune knocked on the sliding door and waited, casting his eyes on the lush greenery surrounding the building before noticing a figure perched in one of the palm trees not far from where he was standing.
"Come in," a deep voice bellowed from behind the door, drawing Jaune's attention away, only for the figure to vanish when he looked back after opening the door.
"Good morning, sir," Jaune greeted as he stepped inside, filing the fact that someone was watching something in this general location away until he learned more.
"Good morning, young man," Blake's father returned, raising a massive, furry hand to the chair opposite him at the large wooden desk where he sat. "Come, take a seat. I trust you slept well?"
Jaune did as instructed, fighting down the wave of emotions the last time he had found himself sitting across a desk from so obvious an authority figure as he nodded. "Very much, sir, thank you."
"Please, call me Ghira." Once again, Jaune nodded, but chose not to say anything. "Now, as a student from Beacon, I take it that you have a certain type of job in mind when you say you are looking for work. Is that correct?"
"It is," Jaune replied. "I'm looking for contract work that will help me sharpen my skills while doing my part to protect people."
"Then why, may I ask, do you not go to one of the other combat schools?" Ghira's tone was conversational, but Jaune nearly flinched all the same at the probing nature of the question.
"Politics," he answered after thinking about it for nearly a minute.
"I'm not sure I follow," Ghira said after a moment.
"Whatever happened at Beacon was part of a bigger game that people who think they're way better than me are playing," Jaune elaborated. "Maybe they're right. Maybe they're playing with the fate of the world, even." He shrugged, reaching down to finger the red sash of fabric tied to his waist. "Either way, I don't want any part of it. I just want to go out, kill Grimm, protect the people who can't, and get paid. Going to another school just guarantees I'm a pawn once again."
Ghira stared at him, his amber gaze seemingly penetrating to the very depths of Jaune's soul, making the young man want to shift and fidget awkwardly before he leaned back in his high-backed chair with a sigh and nodded his shaggy head.
"Alright, then," he said, nodding. "In that case, I would more than appreciate your help keeping my people safe. The Grimm around here aren't too difficult to deal with, but Menagerie does not have the same infrastructure to deal with them as the other kingdoms. Our combatants are not equipped to deal with them individually."
"I'm happy to help, sir," Jaune replied with a forced smile.
"In that case, I would like you to begin near the western part of town," Ghira said, pulling a thin folder out of his desk. "There is something attacking the farmers living out there, but descriptions only tell of a dark beast with glowing red eyes."
"I will look into it," Jaune said, standing up to leave. Ghira nodded, and Jaune left, wandering once more through the estate until he found his way to the massive wooden doors where he ran into Blake and her mother, quite literally. Fortunately for him, he was quite a bit bigger than her, and had no problem reaching out and grabbing her before she fell. "Sorry about that, Blake. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"And where are you going, if we may ask?" Her mother inquired looking him up and down. "Surely you're not leaving already?"
"What? Oh, no!" Jaune stammered, looking down at himself. "I mean, I wouldn't want to intrude any longer than I have to... that isn't to say you don't have a lovely home, I just mean that I haven't actually got any money to afford a place of my own and I feel guilty, and want to help out so I asked Mister... er, that is, Blake's... I mean G-Ghira -"
"Jaune," Blake interrupted. "You can let go of me now."
"R-right, sorry," Jaune continued to ramble heat flushing from his cheeks down his neck. "What I've been trying to say is that I'm headed out to investigate some Grimm sightings."
"By yourself?" Blake's mother asked. "That sounds awfully dangerous."
"Don't worry about me, Ma'am," Jaune reassured her. "I might not be as good as Blake, but I still know how to handle myself." Without another word, he quickly stepped around the two of them and rushed out the door, only tripping once as he hurried down the stairs and away from this latest embarrassment.