Two months following the end of the Eradication campaign, news of the massacre was limited to the kingdom's labeling the Reaver tribes as fanatical cultists in their entirety, pushed from their land towards a central location to be kept a close eye on. An entire town was erected on the southern tundra of Solitas, of course, this was but a facade. The empty buildings were mere display, as the Reavers they were meant to house were no longer amongst the living. Though, in an interesting twist, the lands occupied by Reavers were almost instantly overrun with Grimm, forcing the kingdom forces to abandon their newly gained territories. Casualties were minimal, though, the wasted resources on the invasion and the retreat were to be a hindrance for years to come. To the world, the campaign was successful; Reavers were no longer a threat. Though, as with those with morals, many a few who participated in the eradication allowed specks of information to leak. Still, having complete control, the kingdom councils were quick to divert the public's attention. Save for Menagerie, where, while the information towards the campaign was open to the public, the entirety of the continent remained neutral on the subject. Not so much the people as the country's stance when compared to the other kingdom's participance. That being said, the surviving Reaver of the Eradication was taken to Menagerie, under the condition that those who took him would have to care for him or else face the heat of an angered Schnee.
If that little spout wasn't threatening enough, within the two months pass, a letter arrived for the chieftain, indicating that the Schnee woman would be keeping a close eye on the young boy. However manner she intended to go about this was something the chieftain payed little mind to. Rather, Ghira's concern was fearing where the young Reaver would escape to. For instance, if he was not watching or teaching the young blond, he'd have a guard or two keep a close eye on him. On some occasions, Kali would watch over Jaune, and while there were limited interactions due to the language barrier, it wasn't so much of a problem considering the boy rarely spoke. He came to understand simple gestures and words that his caretakers used, picking up a few phrases along the way as well. As it was, Ghira could awaken each morning feeling confident that the boy wouldn't wander off too far, considering the new environment. But, of course, that wasn't entirely the case.
Waking one morning, Ghira wandered into his home's kitchen, prepared to make himself a hot brew of coffee before continuing with whatever errands he needed to run that day. Though, as he was about to search for a kettle, he quickly took notice of a kettle already over the stove, an oddity, considering no one should be awake this early. Approaching the heated kettle, the chieftain kept his guard up, his senses on alert to pick up any irregularities.
"Good morning, Belladonna." The chieftain drew a blade towards the sound of the voice, stopping only when the tip of his blade neared the unknown's neck. Though. Upon taking an immediate glance, the man realized this was no unknown, but they weren't exactly welcomed in his home, considering her family's reputation. It slightly irritated him that she was able to sneak into his home like this, more so that she went ahead and made herself some coffee and waited for him patiently.
"Ms. Schnee." He greeted back, sheeting his blade whilst keeping a close eye around him for any more surprises.
"It's only me, no need to act so wary." She commented, rather calmly. Nothing like the way she was when he first met her. This Schnee was calm, collected, and seemed in control. Whereas the one from the forest was the complete opposite. Perhaps having had enough time meditate on the situation, she came to terms with her involvement in the campaign. Or so he first thought, upon first glance, she appeared calm. But taking a close look at her palms, the Faunus noticed her faint trembling. As were her eyes seemingly wavering.
"An unknown woman sneaks her way into my family's home and serves herself a cup of coffee whilst my kin and I slept; I believe I reserve the right to act somewhat wary." The chieftain responded, taking a seat across from the silver-haired woman.
His response brought about a faint grin, followed by a whisper-like chuckle. "Alright, I give you that. But we aren't exactly strangers anymore, are we?"
"Depends on your definition. Beside the idle chit-chat, what are you doing in Menagerie? This isn't the place I'd expect a Schnee to be found in, considering the tension between my people and your family." Ghira wasted no time for subtlety, the situation at the moment called for the two to be frank and speak of what was going to be planned out for the future, and who would be involved.
"I believe me letter expressed my intention to stop by every once in a while to check on the boy. I intend to make my visits whenever I'm on leave and perhaps for holidays as well. And yes, while my family does have a controversial history with the Faunus, I don't share the same views as my father. Which has in turn prompted me to seek my place in the world on my own accord...however..." Winter glanced towards her half-empty cup, her facade was collapsing. "Perhaps I should've explored my other options before settling with the military." The room grew eerily quiet as both the Schnee and chieftain made sound; only by the clearing of the Schnee heiress did the conversation regain footing. "That aside, how is he? May I see him?"
The chieftain took a minute to wonder whether allowing this woman to see the boy was going to have any repercussions, particularly since she was part of the force that destroyed Jaune's people. On that note, he did thank her for saving him, albeit with some hint of anger in his tone. Deciding to simply see how this would turn out, Ghira nodded and rose up to go fetch the blond. Just before leaving the kitchen, he turned back to the heiress. "His name is Jaune, or so my daughter tells me. He rarely speaks to me or my wife, but he does try. Don't expect him to hold a long conversation; his grasp on our language is basic at best." And with that, he walked off, leaving the Schnee with that bit of information.
For the heiress, she was content with finally having something to call him other than 'boy'. So much that she tested the name herself, calling it out softly. It seemed to roll off the tongue. "Jaune...Jaune...Jaune." It was short and sweet.
"Yes?" With widened eyes, the woman jumped, turning towards the source of the sound, only to come face-to-face with the source of the response; a familiar doll floating at eye level. Though, just for that split second, the Schnee yelped rather loudly, covering her mouth as she quickly realized who it was. Jaune awoke early, so it seems, and his little trick with his doll was ever so intriguing as it was mildly frightening. Though, the heiress took notice of the black bow on the doll's head. After catching her breath and regaining her calm composure, the heiress glanced around, noticing Jaune standing by a corridor, peeking into the kitchen. "Jaune, can you come here?" Winter gestured for him to approach her, but he remained in his spot. Winter heard a faint whisper coming from the boy's direction; he turned back to the hallway, as if to give attention to someone else, and then turning back to Winter. Very slowly, he emerged from hall, dressed in attire that drew attention to his more feminine features. Although, it didn't appear as though it bothered him. Rather, he hesitated when approaching her. It was understandable; of course he'd remember her. There was no way he'd forget, or forgive.
Although, to her surprise, as she expected him to simply turn away from her, she failed to take notice of one of his hands hidden behind his back. He revealed the item in hand, that being a doll similar to his. It had movable joints, made from wood and polished, the skin painted a pale-like tone, short milky white hair, and a one piece white dress, decorated in turquoise snow flake patterns. The object was handmade, per the bandages and minor bruises on his hands. And yet, for a doll in this condition, she was surprised. More of a surprise was him handing the doll to her, gesturing her to take it. Hesitant at first, Winter received the toy, noticing how detailed the face features were, almost as if staring at a miniature person. Glancing back to Jaune, she was startled to see the boy's doll lying idly atop his head. It was at this point that she noticed the eyes of Jaune's doll were not wooden; they were made to resemble actual eyes. It was an eerie sight, particularly since it appeared as if the doll was actually staring right at her.
"He's been working on that for a while." All eyes glanced behind the Schnee heiress, Kali stood by the doorway with a faint smile. "I can't tell you how many nights I've caught him working on that little piece." The matriarch walked calmly over, taking a stand just enough to stand between the unknown woman and Jaune. Her peaceful smile was soon replaced with an emotionless expression. Startling, and greatly unsettling the heiress. "And who might you be?" She asked while placing her hand protectively over the blond's head, pressing him towards her.
For a split second, Winter was at a loss for words. Or rather, she had no idea what she could say to this woman that wouldn't trigger any alarms. Of course, having snuck into her residence and made coffee for herself was enough to call upon the guards without the need for pleasantries. Still, what to say that kept damage at a minimal was an ongoing issue at the moment. In the hopes of keeping her identity to only a select few, she avoided using her name, and chose to simply avoid the topic. "I've come to check up on Jaune. I sent a letter to Ghira a while back." Better to throw in the husband who said nothing to his wife.
"I see, and what might your relation to Jaune be?" Kali asked, skeptically.
"I'm...his..." Jaune showed he knew her, as Ghira said; the blond was quiet and reserved most of the time, so him actually approaching her should've showed that she wasn't hostile. And yet, here stood the eldest Schnee, pondering what to say to this woman that would not lead to a brawl.
Entering at almost the perfect moment, Ghira took the attention of the two women as he entered the kitchen, Blake at his side. "I see Jaune is already up." He commented. "Blake, why don't you and Jaune go play outside for a bit?" Without needing to be told twice, the young Belladonna raced over to the blond and pulled him towards the backyard. The boy didn't resist, rather, he followed closely behind with his doll seemingly hovering over him.
To see him use his power at such a young age, the elder Schnee wondered how the boy's tribe would've fared if they had been prepared. Once the children were far from hearing range, the Belladonna patriarch cleared his throat and gestured Winter to join him as he sat down in the kitchen table. The heiress, while hesitant on account of the man's wife still giving her a cautious stare, sat across from the chieftain.
"Now then, you've seen him, what's your take?" He asked the heiress, his wife confused and a bit annoyed at being ignored almost instantly. She sat beside her husband, nudging him. "Oh, before that, allow me to introduce you; this is my wife, Kali Belladonna. Kali, this young woman saved Jaune in the forest, Winter Schnee."
Almost as if time itself had stopped, Kali was now privy to who this white haired intruder was; a Schnee. She'd heard the rumors of the latter's family corporation's treatment of Faunus, and yet here stood one before her. The atmosphere had grown cold, not with hostility, but rather with an unsettling silence. This heiress was but the same age as a first year huntress, and yet her posture demanded as much authority as her name did. However, the wavering doubt in her eyes were what crumbled her intimidating demeanor, at least for the Belladonna matriarch.
"Well...I'm...i...it's a pleasure, Ms. Schnee."
"You don't have to force yourself Ms. Belladonna." She assured the woman, keeping a sense of authority while also remembering who it was she was speaking to. Winter then turned her attention to the chieftain. "I'd like to speak with him, if at all possible."
"Of course, I'll have to come with you, there's still the matter of translation. He's picking up on our language, but I also want him to keep speaking his language. It's not something he should forget." The chieftain commented.
"I'm curious, how is it you know the Reaver language? I thought they were isolationists." Winter recounted as she and the chieftain arose and began walking towards where the children were, Kali not too far behind.
"They are...were." He quickly corrected. "However, in my travels, I came across a few Reavers, spent the better half of my travels with one particular. I was taught the language by my companion, mostly using it when passing through other tribal territories..." The chieftain chuckled softly; his wife was visibly uncomfortable, mostly on par for how she knew this story would end. The man stopped before the door, his lighthearted expression had shifted. "In a way, my companion, she guided me. And now it falls on me to guide her young." He muttered not so quietly. Upon opening the door to the backyard, the three adults were greeted to the sight of one of Blake's giant plushies being controlled by the young blond. The stuffed golden dragon was circling over a makeshift wooden castle, the Belladonna child was dressed in plastic armor whilst the blond Reaver was dressed in a black and yellow kimono, decorated in patterns representing either flames or lightening. Regardless, Blake appeared excited and nearly bursting with laughter as she raised a wooden sword to the dragon and shouted.
"Beast of the mountain, your reign of terror has come to an end! Fear not, young maiden, for your saviors have come!" Having little knowledge of the language, Jaune was unable to pick up a particular word the girl had shouted. Although, having been raised in the forest, at his age, being aware of his surroundings was a factor engraved into him. As such, he quickly picked up on movement around him. The dragon's body shifted, darting towards the rear end of the castle, jumping out from what appeared to be a bushel was a young girl with short brown hair and tanned skin. As the dragon chased after her, she giggled, all the while sporting a wide grin. It didn't take long for the blond to hear the small doors to the castle being fiercely pushed open. Blake had rushed in, and thanks to her loud entrance, the blond managed to use the two dolls he hid by the doors to ambush her. And they did, caught completely by surprise, Blake shifted backwards when she came face to face with Jaune's handmade dolls. They weren't dressed or fashioned yet, they were simply the skeletal figures of the dolls. Armed with wooden sticks, they charged at her. To the children this was as any game a child could play, but to the adults, they saw something else.
Blake wasn't exactly gifted with a sword and shield, but she held her own against the dolls, and it was a challenge indeed considering they mimicked the styles her father would use on her. While not as aggressive as he was, the two dolls still gave the young Faunus a bit of a skirmish. Jaune was testing the reach of his 'strings', at first being only a few inches, now extending to a few yards. Whilst seemingly quite a huge leap for so young a child, having done this almost every day since he arrived, it shouldn't be much of a surprise. As for the other child…
"Ilia! Now!" Blake yelled out, the Faunus in question almost instantly vanished into thin air. And yet, a ripple in the air could be seen, if paid enough attention to. The blond wasn't, so it seemed, as attentive as the Faunus girls, but he wasn't slow either. The dragon returned to its master's side. Jaune stood up high, the dragon foiled around him, acting as a shield. The two dolls as well retreated momentarily to the side of their master. "I see, so it was you, maiden, who was controlling the dragon all this time. You fiend!" Blake yelled out. The yellow dragon darted forward, Blake held up her shield as the toy clashed with her, pushing the young Faunus backs a few feet. Jaune wiggled about his fingers, the dolls then circled around him as his eyes scanned the area.
While simply being a toy, the plushy was still able to keep the young Belladonna in check. No matter how much she tried to push the dragon off her, she found herself being pressured downwards. Jaune had begun breathing heavily, signifying his limit being reached as their game went on. And yet, he continued to push further with no intention of losing this game.
Without so much as a warning, the blond was suddenly face to face with the chameleon girl as she had sprung from beneath him. She smiled while flicking his nose; the boy frowned as his fingers wiggled, causing the dolls and dragon to fall limply on the ground. He muttered something in his tongue, catching the attention of the chieftain.
[Jaune, language!] The blond flinched, albeit lightly. The girls giggled at him whilst he hid within the castle tower. The boy had still not gotten used to the Faunus' ability to hear better than a human. Thus, his little quiet tantrums didn't go unnoticed anymore.
The eldest Schnee looked upon this little display with a hint of admiration, but surprise most of all. "This almost felt like training instead of simple child's game." She commented, taking note of the way the children handled each obstacle.
The chieftain chuckled at her statement. "Yes, well, I suppose I am to blame for that. I wanted both Blake and Jaune to train, but I also wanted them to enjoy their youth. What better way then by having them use their semblances in their games. They train, and they enjoy themselves."
"Isn't that a tad dangerous? They're only children." Winter commented.
"I said the same thing." Kali muttered, lightly jabbing her husband's sides.
"On a separate topic…" The Schnee turned her attention to the girl giggling at Jaune's resistance to leave the tower. The boy gestured Blake to give him his tunic, to which she promised to oblige if he showed their friend the kimono. The boy's face had turned a mild shade of red as he did stand up; swiping his cloths away the moment the opportunity arose. "Who might that young one be?"
"Ilia Amitola, one of Blake's friends. The two have been close since they met, although…" Kali crossed her arms as she took notice of the chameleon girl pinching the blond's cheeks playfully. Almost too playfully, or rather, in a near sadistic-like manner. More so this behavior was seen when Blake's attention was on the blond boy. "I can't say she's too fond of Jaune." The adults watched as, whenever given the chance, Ilia would either tease the boy or ignore him completely.
While this could've been fed to the factor that Jaune wasn't adept in their language, Blake still seemed eager to hold a conversation with him, even if she couldn't understand him. Ilia just didn't seem to care regardless. Still, the blond either held in his annoyance towards her attitude rather calmly. That or he just didn't seem to care.
Speaking of which, Blake seemed overly excited about something as she suddenly dashed into her home, leaving her two companions alone. Which, while worrying for the adults, turned out to be rather interesting.
Ilia sat a few feet away from the blond, her attention focused on the castle and the toys. Her mind wandered around for a moment before noticing a doll lying atop the boy's head. This toy was one she never saw before, consider how attached her eyes were to it. Although, another explanation could've been the black ribbon tied to the doll's back. It didn't go with the ensemble the doll was dressed with.
Jaune was an anomaly to the faunus girl, whenever he was alone he'd either stay quiet and wait for someone to address him, or he'd be staring aimlessly at his doll. Another thing, why the boy was playing with dolls to begin with confused her. Adding to it, the fact that on more than one condition Blake and her would dress him up in many types of attire the two could get their hands on, and in no way did he fight back or argue.
Glancing away from the doll and at the boy, she recoiled a bit when she found his eyes on her. His expression was as emotionless as always, but for once in the small amount of time he knew her, he extended his arm and offered her his doll. "Want see?" he asked, his attempt to speak to her was met with quite of a bit of hesitation as he knew very little.
Out of curiosity Ilia took the doll, and looked it over with much interest. She was indeed impressed with the amount of work put into this toy. Although, she couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy whenever she was staring at directly into the doll's eyes, for some strange reason she felt it look straight back her. It wasn't until she turned the doll's head towards the side that the eyes suddenly gazed to her. The young faunus screamed as she slid away from the doll, dropping it as soon as the toy started moving on its own. The toy arose from where it was dropped, looked around and ran towards the blond boy whom picked it up and held it in his arms.
At first needing a moment to recollect herself, the young faunus' expression shifted almost instantly as she walked over towards the boy and pointed at him accusingly. "You're so such a…FREAK!"
"Freak?" Jaune parroted, confused by what the word meant. Though, not oblivious to the girl's growing anger as he backed away cautiously.
"Yes! A freak! What kind of boy plays with dolls? What kind of boy lets girls dress him up and not have a problem with it? What's wrong with you?" the girl's ever growing anger grew as she took one last breath before shouting at the young Reaver. "Why won't you go home already?!"
After her little outburst, silence quickly followed; however, the atmosphere had shifted drastically. Of course, the only one who could feel the sudden chill was due to being beside two very angry women. Kali had taken to the boy; he helped around the house, made an effort to learn to speak their language, was well-mannered, and was indeed active when he wasn't crafting dolls. Granted, she understood the boy's tendency to play small pranks, particularly with his dolls, Blake being the mastermind behind most of the schemes. To see him be picked on like this left her with a growing anger, regardless if the girl was a friend of Blake's. Winter's was partially similar to Kali's, though, hers and the Belladonna's anger grew when they saw the dejected look on the boy's face.
Feeling the need to intervene before the two women did, Ghira approached the two children, only to hear something that kept him frozen in place.
"Home…" Jaune mumbled in a whisper-like tone. "Home…burn."
Ilia's anger had subsided partially; confusion had taken over as she saw the emptiness in Jaune's eyes. "Home burn?" She asked, an aching feeling grew in her chest as she saw the boy's expression shift.
He nodded. "Home burn…family burn…everyone…burn." His voice grew shaky. "Humans burn us…" the boy's head drifted downwards as he recollected the events he lived through not too long ago. Ilia's anger had subsided; a look of shock had taken over. Granted, she didn't know much of the blond, but still, she couldn't help but feel a hint of regret for bursting at him, mostly for calling him a freak. As she looked up, she caught her friend standing behind her father, having heard what the boy had spoken, she too was frozen in place. Ignoring both the calls from Blake and the two adult women attempting to stop him at the doorway he continued pacing hurriedly to his room. He shed no tears; rather, he held them back.
-Jaune's room-
Before coming to the blond's room, the Belladonna patriarch had to sedate the two adults who seemed ready to chew out the young faunus, after which he sat his daughter and her friend down and explained, albeit partially, why Jaune was living with them, the look of regret instantly took over Amitola, whilst Blake was more or less pondering on this sudden revelation in deep thought.
Once having had the talk with the girls, Ghira made his way to the blond's room, stopping only when he was just outside the door. As he was to knock, he heard a voice from the inside, curious as to what it was he leaned ever so against the door. He picked up what appeared to be a humming of sorts, a lullaby if you would. If listened closely, an argument could be made that it belonged to the heiress. How she was able to sneak past the man's wife was something that both disturbed and intrigued the old Belladonna. But more importantly, he listened in, wondering what exactly would transpire between the two.
After a little while of listening in, Ghira attempted to take a quick glance inside. Once opening the door, he was greeted by what looked to be a small collection of dolls dressed in what could only be described as tribal clothing. The humming, for some reason unsurprisingly, was coming from the boy. He was humming to himself whilst moving his dolls about. They were dancing, the dolls, by control of the boy, danced to his tune. It was surprising, to say the least, while each doll wasn't as large as the one Jaune had with him almost always, the amount of them that he was able to control was still a feat to behold.
But, in less than a second, the dolls all fell lifeless; the blue rings around the boy's fingers had faded. All but one, the one controlling his personal doll. It hovered in front of him; its hand caressing his cheek, its expression had…changed. The brows had moved, as did the apparent eyelids that were just now seen on the doll. The way it moved, the manner in which it…comforted him sent a chill up the faunus' spine. If he didn't know better, he would've assumed the doll was actually sentient. Finding it odd that the boy would have his doll comfort him, the Belladonna patriarch decided to leave him be for now. Later he'd have the boy and Amitola reconcile, or try to at least.
What he didn't see before leaving, and perhaps best if he didn't, was the doll's head turning to him, its eyes focused on where he once stood. Within its seemingly empty eyes, where nothing should be, therein was something to be found; the secret of the Reavers. Oh so clearly, the doll, whilst not moving its lips, echoed from within its hallowed shell.
"Ruby."
And a new chapter is done. Real quick, I dug a bit more on what Jaune's semblance, thank you guys for filling me in as well. Be that as it may, I'm still keeping his semblance in my story different. And as for the Naruto puppet thing, I actually haven't seen Naruto in a long time…really long time now that I think about it, but I did look into how the ninjas from Suna use their puppets, and I gotta say, it was both a nice read and gave me plenty of ideas to use. Nothing to obvious, but enough to keep the whole thing interesting. In any case, what exactly Jaune's semblance is won't be revealed until much later on.