Chapter 7: The Bloody Jewel
For a welcome change of pace, the blond Hunter was not having a nightmare. Instead, he had fallen asleep at peace, unafraid of the night ahead, and found himself in a pleasant memory. 'Ah, one of my favorites.'
In a rare occurrence, Jaune did not wear his usual armory of weapons, not his Old Hunter's Attire. Instead, he wore a tuxedo with a red bowtie, attending the wedding of Gomez and the soon to be Noire Addams. In attendance was the Arc family, as Gomez had no family.
Jaune's new brother was suave, aristocratic, and refined. He seemed to be a bit older than his bride, perhaps five or so years. He was well dressed in a black pinstriped smoking jacket and black trousers in a similar fashion. A red handkerchief was folded into the left breast pocket, matching his red waistcoat. Under the jacket were a white collared shirt and a black tie with a small ivory skull pin. On most others, it would have screamed, "Look at me! I'm rich!" but his relaxed body language made it seem like this was casual attire.
The man had a light tan, a skin tone common in the harsh desert sun of Vacuo. His black hair was slicked back, and adorned above his thin lips was an immaculate pencil moustache. Bright, sickly-green eyes surrounded by dark circles, attributing an image of mania, held now only adoration.
It was only Noire's desire to have a small, intimate wedding that stopped her now husband from arranging a grandiose affair that would be more suited for royalty, if there were any around in Remnant nowadays. 'Which reminds me, why are they still called kingdoms if there aren't any kings?'
Despite all appearances, she was the most devout to the Oum faith, but contradictorily, she was the first to believe and trust in Jaune when he confessed about Oedon's Blessing to his siblings.
The ceremony was held on Crystal Lake, after Hans had called in a favor with a local Huntsman to help clear the area of Grimm, of course. But if there were any, since they are attracted by negative emotions, this gathering would not have interested them in any way, given by the love radiating from the eldritch duo.
They had hired a priest with a rather impressive set of muttonchops, to preside over the… unorthodox ceremony. 'I think even Dad was impressed by that facial hair.'
The priest, wearing an overly ornate, ceremonial robe of white and gold, cast a final stare of mild disapproval over the final details of the ceremony. But, as it was their choice to do so, he complied under silent protest.
Looking first to the groom, "Do you?"
Gomez quickly replied with his usual passionate tone, "Yes!"
The priest then looked to the bride, garbed in her finest dress, in black of course, "Do you?"
, "I do." Noire languidly nodded With a cool tone.
The priest, finally at wit's end with this simplistic affair, officiated with a 'get on with it' tone, "Good! You're married. Kiss."
'Best wedding ceremony ever! I can only imagine the stupefied faces of the media vultures when they discovered that Gomez married, especially to Noire.'
The aforementioned groom, having been denied his usual interactions with his significant other all morning, as per her request, could not hold himself back any longer, and after a whisper of "Cara mia", kissed his wife with the passion of a desperate, howling demon. Not stopping, he picked her up and sprinted into the house for activities that their audience knew they'd rather stay outside for.
The young blond, along with the rest of the family, were by now used to the man's affectionate displays of affections, and were unruffled. 'Huh, I forgot that he actually managed to hold himself back for a whole day.'
Looking out to lake, perfectly still as if it were ice, he frowned in curiosity at seeing something different in his dream that would be currently impossible in reality. While the moon in the sky was in its usual shattered state, the reflection was as whole as it was in the Hunter's Dream. Not only that, the celestial orb was also tinged with red. 'Never had this happen before.'
As it was a dream of a memory, everything else played out exactly as it had happened in the past, expect Jaune was not reenacting the memory anymore. As he has been a Hunter of the Dream for some time, he had become an active dreamer, but chose to take a mental backseat during these pleasant respites.
However, instead of debating the pros and cons of Molotov cocktails versus dynamite with his father, the bearded patriarch held a debate with thin air as Jaune stood by the shore, staring into the reflection. Feeling an odd compulsion, he walked on the water's surface with nary a ripple.
As he approached the red moon on the water, he felt and saw a familiar fog obfuscate the dream. As he took the first step on the paleblood moon, Jaune suddenly found himself within a small arched corridor, with barely enough space to stand and walk without hunching over. The walls were all mirrored, so the Hunter looked straight ahead as to avoid seeing endless reflections of too many things to track.
After about two minutes of walking, he found the end of the corridor, and at the end looked to be a familiar figure standing in the room past the 'doorway'. Shrugging off his concerns, he stepped past the threshold, and began to hear a familiar violin tune.
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Turning around to try and see the corridor, only for a full-length mirror, no longer cracked and dull as it had been before, standing innocently besides the table bearing a tea set where it had always been.
"This one apologizes for interrupting your pleasant dream."
Turning back to Marie, he looked perplexed. "You brought me here? How? I didn't know that you could do that."
Shifting her gaze, his companion of the Dream responded almost bashfully, though without a hint of a blush, "Neither did thi- I. I did not tell you this earlier, but I use this mirror to observe the events around you in the waking world. I apologize for this breach your privacy if this one has offended you."
'Huh, so she's a bit of a voyeur. Did not expect that.'
With a kind smile, "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're thinking. At least I know that you have something to keep your interest. How long have you been able to watch?"
"For only a month of so. After last night's events, I wanted you here so I may congratulate you, and then the mirror started glowing, and you came through it."
She replied, more at ease from his reassurance,
"Well that must have been a bit strange, but this is a Dream, so logic can go fuck itself."
With a rare low-pitched giggle, she continued. "Not to worry, Good Hunter. I shall not abuse this ability, and I will summon you again only if it is necessary. You still need to dream, after all. As I was saying, well done on slaying your first Nightmare."
Feeling a bit nervous, he asked, "So how much did you watch in the past few days?"
"Most of it. I am quite pleased that you have found so many new friends."
"Thank you for the reassurance. Then you must have seen Azure, right? Did you recognize him at all?"
With a rare expression of a frown, Marie tried to recall. "I do not know. He seems familiar, as if from a distant dream. How passing strange…"
He waved it off, "Don't worry about it, I was just curious about him since he seemed to share the faith. He hinted at being able to use Blood Reinforcement, and he even recognized my pendant." Jaune pulled it out for emphasis, the tear gem glowing slightly brighter than when he first received it.
"Well, I'm going to upgrade a bit. I'm curious as to how many echoes a Nightmare will give me, not to mention the small horde I slaughtered before that overgrown bug."
As he passed the bookshelf, he felt his eyes lock on a new book that he had not seen be legible before, with 'Advanced Blood Channeling' written in gold along the black leather spine.
Whenever he came to the Dream, if there was ever a book that became readable, it was almost instinctual that Jaune would take notice of it immediately. Picking up the book, he briefly skimmed through the contents as he felt a familiar, and now less painful, rush of insight as he stopped on a random page titled Bloodletter. 'Well well, it would seem that I'm now able use Brador properly after all.'
In addition to the influx of information of how to properly use a mace, another well-received benefit from the book is how to store multiple bullets, with a max of three, in Evelyn, as well as a more efficient means of producing QS bullets. 'It's about fucking time! Constantly reloading after each shot was getting to be a bit irritating.'
He placed the book back in its place, right next to a tome titled 'Inscription'. He jumped down with haste to upgrade his stats.
'Whoa, check out this haul. Looks like I had a good Hunt!' He thought with satisfaction, looking at the amount of black swirling in the large basin.
Indeed he had, as the basin was fuller than Jaune had ever seen, coming to the halfway point. Jaune siphoned a third of it into his Blood Quality chalice, the goblet still mysteriously refusing to overflow despite the quantity poured into it.
Bringing it to his lips, he stopped just before his first sip. Raising it into the air, he toasted his fallen comrade. "Farewell, Azure Bell. Find your worth in the waking world." Without further ado, he guzzled the echoes with a greedy fervor, groaning in bliss at the sweet taste as he felt his body and mind shift from the sacrificial offering. 'At least I have more of a reason to invest in this now rather than OCD.'
Giving a thought to the other gift he received from his bloody confederate, he also invested into arcane half of the remaining echoes, with the other half going into vitality. He really didn't want to find out the hard way if he could respawn, so being able to take more damage would certainly help in that regard.
'Well, let's see what other goodies I can find.' After Jaune's usual routine of scouring the shelves for further knowledge, along with a shared cup of tea, Marie called for him to end his time in the Dream once more.
"I promise you once more that I will not use this newfound ability of mine carelessly."
"It's all right. I don't mind if you watch for entertainment. After all, you are my guiding moonlight." Jaune did not look worried in the slightest, and dismissed her concerns with a wave.
With the use of his most affectionate nicknames for her, he thought that the former doll's painted face looked just a bit more painted, but he might've been wrong.
"Remember to dream properly for at least a week."
Like it was responding to her request, the mirror he entered the Dream from shimmered and rippled slightly, silently daring the young Hunter to disagree. As he faded into the waking world, she heard him assent with a faint tone as he dissipated into fog. "As you wish."
Once more alone in the Dream, the one he called Marie thought, 'Now, I believe it is time for a rest. Calling him, however unexpected, was rather draining.'
And so the permanent resident of the Dream sat down on her chair and fell into a deep slumber, her realistic features fading, and looking once again like just a plain doll.
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XXXX Spring M1 W1 D6 XXXX
Blake was also dreaming vividly, but the subject matter was not so pleasant.
'What about them?' His response, both a question and an answer, was spoken with a callous and uncaring tone; dismissing her concerns as trivial.
With the training she had undergone in her past, Blake was accustomed to awakening early. For her, sleeping in was not a luxury that she was able to indulge in. That did not mean, however, that her slumber came easily.
'Goodbye.' She and another stared at each other as the train cars drifted away after having been detached. One with eyes full of regret and melancholy, and the other with unknown emotion, concealed as they were by a visor mask.
Unlike most repetitions of this dream, it faded into a more pleasant memory of sitting in the woods, listening to a haunting, yet inspiring melody.
Looking in, an outside observer would find her slumped on the floor at 08h, her back against the couch, her head resting peacefully against a source of warmth, as she was sleeping uncovered. Slowly, awareness returned to her with a wide, but quiet yawn and a pleasant, soothing sensation on the top of her head, guiding her to consciousness as she subconsciously nuzzled closer to the unknown source of comfort.
With her body unwilling to awaken, she gently swatted her hand at the source, and felt another hand. Waking up as if jolted by a stun baton, her eyes opened wide as the rest of her body jumped away from the possible threat, landing silently and turning about face as she did so to face any attacker, even though she was unarmed.
Looking down at her previous position, the black-haired beauty quickly observed that her heat source was a leg. Looking up, any hopes that she had gone unnoticed were quickly dashed as the owner of said leg looked back at her, smiling warmly with a wave.
"Good morning Blake." He whispered to be considerate, but whether for her sake or for everyone else sleeping, she didn't know.
From his perspective of the last few minutes, he awoke as quickly as usual from exiting the Dream; Jaune tried to stand up, but was unable to move as he felt several sources of slightly shifting weight keeping him in place. Opening his eyes and looking around, he saw the newly formed squad under his command all using the expansive couch as a bed.
'Damn, I guess we all crashed.'He saw that the TV was still on, though thankfully emitting no sound.
Ruby was on his left, using his shoulder as a pillow with an innocent smile on her face as she slept peacefully, though how that position was comfortable he didn't know. To his right was his partner in a similar position, her unbound hair obscuring half of her face, but he could still see her facial expression mirroring the other redhead. To his gratitude, neither of the two drooled in their sleep, nor did he have to use the restroom, so his morning was already going right for him. Looking down at mysterious weight number three, a large mane of gold covering the boxer using his legs for a similar purpose, with the rest of her draped over her younger sister. 'At least she's facing away. Wouldn't want this to be any more awkward than this might be already.'
The Hunter then became aware of a fidgeting weight clasping to his right leg. He slowly moved his head to look over Yang and could see Blake grasping his leg in a full-body hug, showing clear signs of suffering an unpleasant dream. 'I have plenty of experiences with those. Thankfully, I have just the thing.'
Sighing in resignation, he took his right hand and carefully reached out to gently stroke the back of her head, starting from behind the cat ears, still hidden under a black bow, and down as far as her could reach without moving any more than he already had. He had done this before to calm down Indigo after she had a nightmare, and he hoped that it would work here as well.
As he continued, it proved to be successful. Blake seemed to calm down, but cling to his leg even tighter. 'She really is like a cat. It's too bad feline Faunus don't purr. I bet it would be adorable.'
His 'petting', as it were, also had another effect as she began to wake up. Still asleep, she swatted a hand, colliding with his, and quickly jumped into action as if she believed herself to be under attack.
"Good morning Blake." He smiled warmly in an effort to put her at ease, quietly whispered for the dormant team's benefit. With her enhanced hearing, she should easily hear him. Before she could respond, he put a finger to his lips as a signal to talk at the same volume, shifting his gaze to everyone else on the couch to display why.
"Good morning." She responded. Pausing to stretch out her limbs, displaying her remarkable flexibility in the process, she asked, "What time is it?"
He quickly lifted his chin to point to the kitchen, indicating a clock on the top right corner of the television screen displaying 08h.
"Not used to sleeping in? Not to worry, I usually wake up at dawn as well." He asked, as if he could read her thoughts as she stared in disbelief at the time.
"How are you even able to hear me at this volume? Normal humans can't… oh right, Faunus father."
He nodded in assent. He lucked out as far as society was concerned, receiving some benefits with little discrimination in return. "Really annoyed Mom too when she found that out."
She had a rather lovely smile as she showed her amusement, but whether it was from his anecdote, or his current situation that she finally took notice of, Jaune was unsure. She asked while raising an eyebrow, "Comfortable?"
"Eh, I've had worse. I'd rather be in a bed, but beggars…" Her amused grin only grew as he realized the innuendo in that statement, but to her disappointment, he wasn't flustered, or at least didn't show it except for a small frown.
"Huh, I actually didn't intend that one." He seized upon the opportunity to mess with her back, grinning, "Or did I? How do I rate as a heat source, by the way? You were rather clingy before you woke up."
He grinned as she blushed in embarrassment, clearly marking him the winner of their little duel. It didn't last long.
"Did you touch my…" She asked nervously, pointing to her 'bow', as she seemed unwilling or unable to finish the question.
With a solemn face, he shook his head. "No. I guessed you wouldn't feel comfortable with me doing that, so I stuck with the back of your head. You looked like you were having a bad dream. So I tried to help you calm down like I used to do with one of my sisters."
"Thank you for understanding. I'm a bit traditional in that sense, and we've only met less than seventy-two hours ago. Thank you for you concern."
Smiling with the same warmth that he displayed in the beginning of their morning encounter, "No worries. We're squad mates now; I'm glad that I could help you out." She returned his smile in gratitude.
"Now, would you mind returning the favor?" He glanced at each of the three huntresses using him as a pillow to indicate his 'problem'.
It was finally her turn to smirk, "Sorry, boss, no can do. I'll put on a kettle for tea, instead. Any preferences?"
He would have shrugged, were his shoulders not currently occupied. "Jasmine, but only if it's loose leaf. I can't stand tea bags, bland little fucks."
Quietly giggling at his consternation as she put the kettle over heat, "Agreed. Why do they even bother?"
Feeling a new found sense of kinship, "Oh finally. I can't even begin to describe my relief. I had to buy my own at home, as Dad felt that bags were, and I quote, 'just as good. Coffee's better than that bitter water anyway' end quote. Ignorant heathen. Speaking of which, could you also brew a pot of coffee? I get the feeling that not everyone will want tea in the morning."
Opening a pantry shelf, she found coffee and tea of various flavors, even some hot chocolate, along with cheesecloth squares and butcher's twine. Looking back down to browse through the tea selection, she finally pulled out a canister of jasmine, set it on the counter, and looked on the shelf directly above the beverage shelf, housing eight mugs. Each one was color-coded and stamped with an emblem, labeling which was for whom.
Placing a black mug she identified as hers, as well as the blank red mug she deduced as her squad leader's, the white emblem matching the one on the pommel of his katana, on the counter as she measured a portion of tea leaves into two cheesecloth squares and tied them off with lengths of twine, leaving enough extra to hang over the mug to easily pull out the bag after steeping. The kettle heated much faster than Blake was used to, with it being on a modern stove, as it quickly began to squeal like a train's whistle for a few seconds. She took it off the heat, but the damage had been done.
Startled by the sudden noise, Yang rolled and fell off the couch, and if the squealing kettle didn't wake everyone, then the thumping noise of Yang's graceful introduction to the floor finished the job.
Grumblings of discontent filled the room as everyone completed their morning rituals to banish the last vestiges of slumber from their eyes. Well, all except for one.
"It's morning! It's morning! It's… MORNING!" Indeed it was, as the orange-haired girl as perky and bubbly as ever, thinking, 'What did Renny say that one time? Carpet Deem? Eh, close enough. Speaking of which, where is he?'
She didn't have to look for very long, as it seemed that a sleeping companion had trapped her as well. Only in her case, it looked like she employed her best friend as a substitute blanket, with him still desperately clinging to slumber like a sloth on a branch. Ignoring any other conversations going on next to her, cheerfully declaring in her 'indoor shouting voice', "GOOD MORNING REN!"
With a deep yawn, Ren opened his magenta eyes and looked back at his partner, "Nora, do you have to be so loud?"
Giggling in response, "Of course I do, silly. How else will you escape Sleepy Land? Think of me as your personal alarm clock." Poking his nose with an affectionate boop sound, she then sniffed the air, and cringed with disgust from the robust aroma. "Blegh."
Her magenta eyed partner and life long friend was not a religious man, and yet that question had him praising and thanking every deity that he knew and those he did not that she hated coffee.
'Moonstag's…' just the thought of what had occurred when Nora first tried coffee sent shivers down his spine. No better way to start the day than with a dose of terror.
To her left, she heard her hammer buddy's voice affirm her suspicions, speaking to the whole room, "Indeed. Blake put on some tea and coffee. We didn't know any of your preferences, so we put on both of each."
She was almost disappointed, until she heard the black-haired girl in the kitchen say, "There's also hot chocolate, in case you were curious." Turquoise eyes brightened with delight, and she couldn't have gone to the kitchen any sooner.
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With Yang now stretching lazily on the floor, and the redheads off of his shoulders doing their own wake up routines, Jaune stood up and twisted his back, making a few very satisfying pops and cracks. "Definitely sleeping in a bed tonight. I don't think I've slept in a proper bed for… three nights now? My, how time flies."
Hearing various responses, some grumbled and others more comprehensible, he went to grab his steeping tea. To Blake the brewer, he said his thanks before he sat down at the table and checked his scroll for any worthwhile news while waiting for his tea to finish brewing. However, celebrity gossip and the small price dip of SDC stock did not hold his interest. 'Still nothing after three months, damn it. It's bound to pop up sooner or later.'
His new roommates followed his example, preparing their beverage of choice before shambling over, with the exception of one skipping and humming a jaunty tune, and sitting down in what were now unofficially their seats. Opening his eyes, he looked at everyone else and their placement. On his left were the rest of JNPR, in order from closest to furthest, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora. On his right were Yang, Blake, and Weiss. As the other team leader, Ruby sat directly across from him, but whether this was by coincidence or design, he didn't know and wasn't too concerned.
What did hold his interest was extremely trivial, and he chuckled in accordance with that. "How the hell do none of you have bed hair? Is that yet another byproduct of aura or something?"
The overly cheerful hammer maiden, taking a sip of hot chocolate, if the moustache it left behind was any indication, asked, "Another? What do you mean?"
Putting out his theory, "Well, have you ever seen a person with a fully unlocked aura who was ugly or looked elderly? Ozpin looks barely into his mid-thirties, and I think he's at least 60. Gramps fought in the Great War."
Unwilling or unable to think about such complexities so soon after waking up, the winter-haired girl groaned with discontent, an action seemingly out of place for the usually prim and proper heiress, "Philosophical queries about the soul later, coffee now."
'Who would have thought she's addicted to burnt beans? I had her pegged for tea, a proper drink for high society.' He decided to see what everyone else was drinking. Blake had brewed a dark roast now being imbibed by both of their partners, as well as her monochromatic opposite. Donned in her red cloak over her pajamas, his fellow team leader sipped happily on hot chocolate, adorned with an identical moustache as the girl next to her.
'Which leaves the guys and the girl in a yukata as the only civilized ones in this chaotic bunch. Whatever's left of my sanity is soon to be gone forever.'He thought only semi-seriously, internally sighing in a dramatic fashion.
Focusing more on the mugs, instead of the contents within them, the flame-haired amazon remarked, "How do we all have custom mugs?"
The Valkyrie was quick to launch a few theories. "Maybe there are Beacon ninjas? Find out Ren. OR did they send someone from the future? Or MAYBE this was whole squad was planned in advance by some super secret organization dedicated to protecting the world in the shadows?"
Ren, accustomed to his partner's sugar-induced conspiracy theories, denied each of them in turn, "Ninjas aren't a thing… I think a time traveler would have better things to do… Too many unknown variables."
She had one more. "Maybe they got bored while we were in the forest and packed everything overnight."
Through this exchange, heads whipped back and forth between the two like watching an interesting tennis match, with them now swiveled in the male's direction, anticipating his delayed response. "Plausible, here's a marshmallow."
"Woohoo!"
Across the table from them, the heiress noticed and voiced her curiosity as to his emblem. "I would have assumed that you would use the Arc Family Crest, Jaune."
"I wanted my own. Respecting family history is commendable, but not at the expense of abandoning individuality. Now, who's ready to go and get some pancakes?"
"Me Me Me Me Me!" Nora chanted, particularly excited as she dragged her partner to immediately get dressed.
"Nora, shower first" Ren lectured her as the door closed.
"I guess she does." Jaune remarked, blinking in surprise at her enthusiasm. "Well, I'll get the other shower while you all finish." Standing up, he went to his room to pick up his outfit, minus the duster and hat, which were still on his chair, and carried them along to rinse off the remnants of Initiation down the shower drain.
After a few minutes, he stepped out of the steamy room, fully dressed, to the minor disappointment of the two still sitting at the table, having already cleaned last night and were dressed and awaiting everyone else.
"Aw, no free show? Lame~." Lilac eyes were framed by a mocking pout.
He was quick to respond. "Nope. Maybe next time."
He put his duster and hat back on. Before wrapping the scarf around his neck, his partner noticed a small patch of discolored skin peeking out above the collar of his shirt, and naturally she was curious about it, "Jaune, what's that on your neck?"
Yang grinned. "Ooh, is it a hickey? Who's the lucky girl? I didn't think my little sister would be so bold."
"Not quite." He shook his head with a grim smile not reaching his eyes. He undid a few buttons, before pulling back his shirt on the right side and leaned down to expose a rather gruesome scar. As his shirt had covered it the night before Initiation, they both gasped in surprise.
Just above a tattoo on his right shoulder was a thick half-circle scar of a deep, vicious bite mark, about twice the size a human mouth could make, starting from where Pyrrha glimpsed it on his neck, cresting to almost touch the black branching mark, and ending right where the shoulder met his deltoid. What concerned them more than the size of the bite was its color; a deep purple.
"Oh dear Oum, what happened?" His partner asked, concern deep in her voice.
Waving it off as he stood up and rebuttoned his shirt and completed his outfit, "It's fine. Let's just say that I did something stupid and leave it at that, all right?"
He spoke that last part in a clearly evasive tone, gripping his hat, and displaying clear signs of his desire to change the subject. Focusing back on his scarf, he adorned it in his casual style, with it wrapped twice around his neck and the two end going halfway down his back, looking to the other two like a priest's shawl dyed in blood.
His fellow blonde, having some things she would rather not talk about, was sympathetic to his plight and brought up a lighter topic with a teasing tone, "So Pyrrha, how did sleep last night? I see that you had a rather high quality pillow."
With her face darkening to a shade resembling her hair, she narrowed her green eyes and retaliated in equal measure. "Wonderful, thank you for asking. How was yours?"
"Fantastic. I think I might give it another go. Finally got a crick in my neck taken care of." The blonde appreciated the naissance of another opponent, cracking her neck to prove her claim.
"Said pillow is right here" The 'pillow' tried to chime in, even waving his hand for emphasis, but was ignored by the Huntresses.
To his relief, they simply stared at each other, seemingly communicating via facial expressions before taking their own showers as he turned back to his scroll. When everyone else was ready to go, except the now fully awake and caffeinated heiress had pointed out one possible obstacle. "Are we even able to leave campus?"
"I read all of the rules after unpacking yesterday." The black-haired male subtly jerked his head towards an oblivious head of orange hair, distracted by her sorrow of possibly being denied her breakfast ambrosia. "So long as we attend classes, and barring any punitive action, students are free to go to Vale whenever they wish. A bullhead shuttle schedule is even provided on our scrolls, and the next one is in 15 minutes. I suggest we depart for the landing pads now."
Ruby cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "Let's go Black Supernova! Operation Pancake Fun Day is a go!"
With a slight rain on their parade as they headed to the door, their leader called out in an authoritative voice, "Hold it! Why are you leaving unarmed?"
Turning back to him, his vice's white partner asked, "Why do we need weapons? We're just going to the city. I hardly think…" stopping at the familiar cold look on his face.
"Always keep a weapon handy, no exceptions." Exposing half of his dagger's blade to prove that he was armed, even in a safe place.
The Faunus in hiding nodded in agreement, and gripped her weapon on her back. "Grimm are not the only enemy to prey on those believed to be helpless. Best not to take any chances."
"… If you insist" Hearing her monochromatic opposite back him up, Weiss capitulated.
"You could have done that nicer." Giving him a semi-angry look, Yang admonished him for being harsh with her sister, even if it wasn't focused on her.
Adjusting his hat, he sighed, and continued with the same resolve in his voice, "You're probably right, but I'd rather eliminate that bad habit immediately, rather than have it cause an issue that could have been avoided." With his left hand, he lightly gripped his shoulder, right over the scar he had shown Pyrrha and Yang, and grimaced. "The foundation of the clusterfuck that left this little reminder is that I was unarmed at the time."
Now with a mental image of that scar, or worse, imposed on her little sister's body, she backed down, mumbling an apology. With the RW pair back, they headed out, leaving the slightly tense atmosphere behind.
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Having arrived at the landing docks and sitting in wait for the shuttle by themselves. Evidentially, most other teams had decided to sleep in even more then they did, or had left on an earlier shuttle. Ruby suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no!"
Her sister asked, "What's wrong sis? Did you leave something in your room?"
"No, I've got my baby with me. But… how are we going to pay for the pancakes, or for anything else we might do today in town?" As the little hood voiced her concern, it sent the pancake enthusiast of the group into a panic.
"WHAT? No pancakes? But that's not fair! We slayed hordes for that fluffy goodness! Hordes, I tell you! I shall not be denied!" She raised her hammer into the air dramatically, as if giving a rousing speech for an invasion, which she might have begun planning if her fearless leader didn't interrupt her scheming.
"Ren? Is there anything in the rules for that?" Right after their leader asked, he saw a notification indicating an audio text. He turned on speaker mode, after seeing that it was from Ozpin.
"For your considerable efforts during Initiation, I have rewarded you all an extermination level 4 missions' pay. The funds have been deposited to your accounts."
"As I was about to say, we receive pay for missions, if a bit deducted during our tenure. Since the Headmaster tasked us with an official mission during Initiation, it was only a matter of time before compensation was due." Ren added.
The sole member of Black Supernova wearing a hat thought that he should have a look at that rulebook again. "And if that didn't just happen with oddly impeccable timing, I have some funds for missions I went on."
"You went on missions? I didn't know Signal sent students on missions." Blake asked.
The sole Signal Academy graduate of the bunch, Yang, shook her head, "They don't. Come to think of it, Jaune, didn't you say that you didn't go to a combat school?"
"That's right. I apprenticed under my father."
The shuttle arrived, and they were quickly on their way to the City of Vale.
The heiress from the Atlas Kingdom, who had graduated among the top of her class from Chronos Academy, was rather surprised by his educational background. "Apprentices very rarely get accepted into Beacon nowadays, with the only thing rarer being accepted with Beacon alumni references."
With that little tidbit, Ruby, Blake, Nora, and Ren raised their hands, but were ignored as she continued. "I did some research on a whim a year or two ago, but I do not know of any veteran Huntsmen with the proper qualifications to take an apprentice named Arc, and I didn't recognize him in the photo you showed us last night.
Oddly, the usually stoic Blake, knowing full well the answer, to give her a funny look mixed with condescension and amusement over her book, that somehow remained unnoticed beforehand, "You ever heard of 'The Black Hammer'?"
It would seem that she had, and the reaction on her face caused said apprentice to laugh his ass off. "Oh boy, I've got to tell him that. He always hated that his epithet is more recognizable than his name. 'Takes the man out of huntsman' he said."
Yang asked the mostly silent Ren with a shit-eating grin, "So, it would seem that your girlfriend has found a hammer buddy who's been around. I hope you won't be jealous about all the pounding they'll be doing together. Just think of all those poor nails."
She emphasized her puns to really hammer in her point. 'Hah… comedy gold.'
To her dismay, her prey did not rise to her bait. "We're not, as she would put it, together-together. Besides, Nora's idea of hammer buddy is strictly for battle."
"Heehee… Splat!" Nora clapped her hands thinking about all the extra Grimm-cakes she could make now, proving his point.
With a gentle thud, the bullhead landed. With only one person knowing where to go, they trailed after Jaune, his scarf ends blowing in the breeze.
With an amusing image popping into her pun-tastic mind, Yang repressed a chortle. She went to walk next to Jaune, arms behind her back, and asked, "Hey, anyone ever tell you that you look like a steam punk priest? Maybe we should call you Father Jaune?"
Making eye contact through her aviator sunglasses, he asked with slight disappointment, "Really, that's the best you got? … But as a matter of fact, yes it has been brought up. I don't particularly care for the ring to that."
"But don't worry, you're free to call me Daddy anytime" Jaune offered a gleeful consolation to her lack of originality, chortling at his opponent who was blushing from the implications as well as from her frustration at being foiled once more. As he pulled out his scroll to send a quick text, she fell back next to her partner, the girl with the bow reading while walking.
"Is she like this all of the time?" Weiss whispered to her partner, who was concealing her face with her hood.
"It's mostly bad puns, but she doesn't back down at an implied challenge. So… this'll go on until she wins."
"Wonderful."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was a beautiful spring day in Vale. The sun was shining brightly with nary a cloud in the sky, dismissing any memories of the harsh winter that preceded it. In one more residential district of the city, the buildings were constructed closer together than more modern areas. Since it was too enclosed for most vehicles, the Old Quarter was deemed a pedestrian only area. Children played fearlessly in the streets under the large shadows that would be considered a godsend in the summer.
In this district, the exteriors of the buildings were in an older, more rustic style than the comparatively streamlined, modern style favored today. Even if the building had just been constructed yesterday, and contained all the modern conveniences money could buy, it would still have conveyed an atmosphere of a rich history.
Within this quarter, on Fleet Street, lay a peculiar building next to a barbershop, shown by a spinning column striped red and white. The storefront window was stained glass, crafted to form an image to be seen from the inside, making it difficult, if not impossible to see the interior from the street. Any passersby could hear soft jazz emanating from it. Above the wooden door was a crouched, snarling gargoyle gripping a chain in its stone claws, holding up a sign showing a logo of a large, cracked ruby, bleeding as it was clutched in the claws of a Nevermore with its full wingspan outstretched. Below that, the blood from the ruby trickled down to inscribe 'The Bloody Jewel', presumably the name of this establishment.
They stood with apprehension before the red-painted door; well, seven of them did at least, questioning their leader on bringing them here.
"Umm, Jaune, are you sure this is the place? This place seems…well…" His second in command was not reassured with her namesake on the sign, and it gave her the chills.
"This looks like a pub of ill repute, not a bakery café. Who in their right mind came up with that ghastly name?" Het partner cut right to the point Ruby was trying to say politely.
"Well, if you really want to know, you'll have to come in and find out. Trust me, you'll love it." Jaune smiled in a teasing manner. He held the now open door for them and gestured them to enter, a warm light and delectable aromas tempting them inside.
Pyrrha, having the most trust in her partner and leader, bravely went first inside. Suspending her disbelief, Blake walked in after a drooling Nora and her partner being dragged along, and the other girls soon followed.
What was once a subtle scent became a tidal wave of fragrances, and everyone deeply inhaled. Expecting this reaction, Jaune made haste in front of them and took a picture of them all, capturing their shocked and blissful faces with a teasing comment of, "Every time" extending the vowels.
The interior of 'The Bloody Jewel' gave an opposite impression of the outside. The walls were painted in thick stripes of warm gold and a deep blue, with a few pieces of art hanging. The floor was tiled in a rustic pattern and seemingly random, but not tacky colors. Cast-iron tables and chairs with cushioned seats were spaced out in the dining area, and padded feet to prevent any harsh noises if moved.
Looking to the large window, the image now visible shined with what little light began to hit it as the sun peaked over rooftops. It depicted a battle of huntsmen and huntresses, human and faunus alike, triumphing over a horde of various Grimm. In the back of the spacious room was an empty display case, a counter with a register, and a pearl-haired woman in a red dress with pink frills.
"Jaune! It's so good to see you!" She had not heard them enter over the sound of her humming to the music, but turned around at the sound of a familiar voice. The woman with white hair exclaimed with joy as she rapidly approached her youngest brother. With an unexpected strength due to her build, she easily picked him up with a hug from the back and shook him gently side to side like a ragdoll, her tight grip on him crushing his lungs.
Said doll complained to his older sister as well as he could, tapping her arm as his face turned a deep red from a lack of air. "Opal, it's only been four days, not four months or years. Down, please."
Coming to her senses, she complied with an apology, and gave a polite bow to her guests. "Welcome to the Bloody Jewel, I'm Opal. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Meanwhile, her brother stumbled away from the death grip, grabbing onto Pyrrha for stability as he mildly coughed into his other arm. Taking a deep breath, "Oh dear O, I think I saw Grandpa."
"Sorry, Jaune. I forgot my own strength again." Looking back to a guilty face as she apologized again. "So, who are your friends?"
He introduced them all in turn, pointing to each of them as he did so, before she addressed them directly, "It's nice to meet my little brother's friends. Come in and have a seat. Rouge will be out shortly with the pancakes."
Saying the magic word of the day, she was unprepared for the word vomit. "Oh my, how'd you know we were here for pancakes? Are you psychic? You're really pretty; can I pet your ears?"
"Nora, that's very rude."
"Sorry Ren, but they look so soft. It smells so good in here, why are we the only one's here? Why the grim name?"
At the pun, the blonde girl chortled. "Good one, Nora."
"Good what?"
"Ugh, never mind." It wasn't as funny to Yang if it was unintentional.
Taking this all in stride with a level of composure to make Noire proud, she answered all of her questions after the bubbly girl had finished. "Jaune called ahead. I don't believe so. Perhaps another time, we've only just met. And we're closed for the day, so it'll be just us."
"You're closed? On a Saturday?" Weiss asked with skepticism as she sat down after three tables were pushed together. Having experience in business, although not in this particular industry, it was most odd.
Opal's smile dropped a bit, but not by much. "Oh, we've been requested to do so, along with a few other things. As for the name, Rouge tells the story better. A lot of people ask the first time they come in."
Her brother did not look happy at the implications, but put it aside with a smile as the back door swung open for a redhead, equally as beautiful as her twin, carrying several full platters, curtly saying, "After breakfast."
As Rouge put the platters on the table and sat next to their sister, "No need to introduce yourselves, I heard everything from the kitchen."
She tapped her head next to her feline ears to answer how before anyone could ask. "Well, I didn't make these just so you could stare at them. Eat!"
Nora needed no more encouragement, and practically dove into them with a savage glee, and after everyone tried a bite, that intensity spread to everyone else who hadn't tried Rouge's specialty before.
Someone, it was impossible for Jaune know whom as their voice was muffled by food, whispered to him as he ate, "Does everyone in your family make such good food? If I can eat like this every day, I might actually start calling you Daddy."
As he was drinking some juice to wash down his third serving, he started choking at the unexpected comment. The guilty party, now identified as the other blond in the room, was sitting diagonally across from him, paying him no mind as she continued feasting, until she glanced at him with a glint of mischief and satisfaction in her eyes at her victory.
He smirked at her, giving her a toast with his glass, thought, 'Well played, Yang.'
All too soon, the once mighty towers of blueberry, chocolate chip, plain, and strawberry pancakes disappeared. With breakfast completed and hungers satiated, Jaune finally asked his sisters, "Today is usually your busiest day. Whom the fuck… requested you lose a large chunk of your business?"
While Opal considered how to put it delicately, her twin had no such compunctions, and angrily spat, "Those fucking gilded pigeons, who else? Came here last week with some demands, and if we didn't comply, they threatened to burn the shop down, with the option of us in it as well."
"Why not report it to the police?" Ruby asked, not well exposed to discrimination on that level, or much at all.
That made Rouge scowl even worse and she turned a mild glare at her that asked if she was stupid. "Every one knows that police are in their pockets, them and everyone else with coin to spare. At best, we'd be fined for 'slandering upstanding members of the faith and the community'. It's happened before."
While on paper, all four kingdoms re-established freedom of expression after the Great War, including religion, there were a couple of groups that wanted to change that, with the most prominent of these being the Golden Eagles. Long ago they started as a purely benevolent order, going door-to-door and peacefully preaching to spread the Scriptures of Oum across Remnant, adopting his sacred animal as its symbol.
Over time, they became frustrated with their seemingly slow conversion progress at the outskirts of civilization, and took to more… zealous methods; Silencing those who contradicted their interpretation, acts of terror against other religions they came across, and other acts that made those who paid attention wonder which fell from grace harder, the White Fang or the Golden Eagles. It was an open secret hidden behind the charity they still continued for humanity, or at least who they considered human.
But their most worrying trait amongst portions the populace was their belief that Faunus are abominations against God's will, and should be brought to heel as second-class citizens, at best. In fact, their prejudice is and obstructionism played a major factor into the beginning of the Faunus Rights Revolution, as well as the White Fang succumbing to violence.
"It happens all over for Faunus who dare commit the crime of trying to make an honest living in society." Blake added, as she had been discriminated against in a similar manner before using a bow.
"That's awful. Why would they do that?" Ruby looked sad at such hateful ignorance in the world.
"Because people are stupid and judge based on appearances." Surprisingly, her partner chipped in.
The baker snorted, "That's rich, a Schnee preaching equality."
"Don't be rude." Her twin scolded her, but Weiss took it in stride.
"It's fine. I know the reputation my family has. Father's not actually racist, you know."
Sarcasm dripped from the redheaded Arc. "Sure, because those quarries and mines full of Faunus being treated as slaves in all but name just screams that Jacques fucking Schnee believes in equality."
"My father may be many things, but racist is not one. He's more concerned with profits. If he could cut costs by doing the same with humans, he'd do it faster than you could blink."
That threw all those of Faunus heritage in the room for a loop, especially Blake.
Dispelling the awkward silence, Jaune continued his inquiry. "Well, putting aside that revelation, did those pigeons have an official edict? Like from the government."
Thinking back to yesterday, the two business owners shook their heads. Not seeing his point, they asked why. Ren pieced it together, "Then that means that your oppression isn't sanctioned by anyone with actual authority. So whoever came here bluffed, thinking you would just comply."
"The small percentage of GE actually worth the name can't do anything about those thugs, so I will. Where's the nearest pub?"
Yang answered, confused about his question, "I saw one down the street a bit, named The Silver Coin, why?"
Before answering, he stood up with a solemn face and brushed off his coat. "I'm going for a walk. Tell them 'the name' story, Rouge. I'll be right back."
"Hold on, I'll come with you." His partner tried to stop him, but he smiled to put her at ease.
"Relax, I'm just going for a walk. Besides, you'll miss the story. Ask about the glass too." He then stepped outside, leaving his squad and sisters to look at the door, wanting to follow him.
"Well, we might as well share how we got stuck with 'The Bloody Jewel' for a name. It wasn't our idea, mind you. We had some trouble purchasing this property, namely getting a loan to buy it." Rouge began.
"The three banks we went to had an issue with our heritage, but thankfully Noire heard of our plight from Mom and asked her then fiancé."
Blake, hearing a similar story from Jaune, remarked, "I heard about her publisher. Your brother-in-law's quite the philanthropist."
Opal smiled, "I'm just glad Noire found someone perfect for her. He's quite the character."
, "If you can ignore how he looks like an overdressed serial killer… actually, that is perfect for her." Rouge was a bit more blunt about her opinion of him, mumbling the last part. "But that's not the point. Anyway, now past the legal and financial bullshit, we now own what you see here mortgage free, but there was a catch."
The third Faunus, knowing of the author's tastes, "She got to choose the name and the sign?"
The two nodded, showing identical faces of grief. "Got it in one. No idea where she got the gargoyle and chain, and I don't want to know. We had to clean that clanking thing twice before hanging it up. Thankfully, we were able to convince her from her original idea, otherwise it would scare away more people than it already does."
Seeing guilty faces, "We know our first impression is less than ideal. But think about this, our sweet sister wanted a bleeding heart instead of a ruby."
Not at all curious about why cleaning a chain was necessary, Nora instead asked, "Who's Noire?"
Sighing, Rouge asked, "Blake, right? You seem to be a fan of hers, why don't you explain? I'll clean up."
Opal cut her off. "Nope, you cook, I clean, or vice versa. Those are the rules." She stubbornly set off to do just that, clearing off the platters and plates still sticky with syrup, at least the ones that haven't been licked off by Nora were sticky anyway.
"Noire Addams is a prestigious author in the horror genre."
"Horror is an understatement. I had nightmares for weeks after Lovecraft's Journal." Pyrrha shivered a bit, having read her most popular work. Needless to say, the title was misleading.
"The great champion of Sanctum, afraid of some words on paper? What would you fans say?"
Said champion did not find Yang's joke amusing. "Where do you think the term 'film noire' came from?" Yang, having watched one on a dare, felt her good humor die like a victim in said movie.
Having met said author previously, Weiss chipped in. "You actually remind me her in appearance a bit Blake, come to think of it. Even after my brief encounter, I can easily see that as her handiwork outside. How did you convince her to change her mind, Ms. Arc? She seemed like quite the stubborn woman."
"The gargoyle" was a short answer, but it filled in the blanks flawlessly.
"What about the window?" Ruby asked somewhat awkwardly, put off a bit with the reminder of her namesake in such a grisly state. "It looks pretty."
Rouge smiled affectionately, her usual scowl or stern visage absent. "That was just finished a few months ago."
"How did you get Mr. Draconis to commission? He's one of the best in the business, and he does not come cheap." Pyrrha asked. The huntress from Mistral was a big fan of the arts, and had donated a decent chunk of her tournament winnings to art exhibits and museums, to painters and sculptors, and even those who worked with stained glass. With her experience, she scanned the brilliant window with a critical eye, and recognized several motifs of the artist in question.
"You have a good eye. How could you tell?" Opal gave her an approving gaze.
Before she could answer, the door reopened as Jaune walked back in with a smug, satisfied look on his face with a small splatter of blood on it, and he brought company. Shambling and limping behind him, wincing with every step was a brown haired man with an average build and a brutish face, bleeding from his nose and a heavy black eye. He wore an off-the-rack suit, and dangling around his neck was a large pendant of a golden eagle. He sat down as Nora asked, "So how was your walk? Who's your friend?"
"Nora, I don't think they're friends." Her partner commented.
"Well, I'm waiting." The brutish man quivered at Jaune's statement, a dark spot slowly growing on his pants as he bowed his head to the twin Faunus and stammered with fear, "We're v-very sorry for inconveniencing you, ladies. I swear on His grace upon my immortal soul, we won't bother you again, and we will only enter your w-wonderful establishment as patrons."
"It's so nice to see someone treat ladies with the respect they deserve. Now run along." He waved his hand in a shooing motion, still not looking at the man. "You're friends looked like they need to be patched up. I'm pretty sure limbs aren't supposed to bend that way."
As the Eagle limped away as fast as he could, everyone else looked at Jaune with faces that clearly asked 'What the fuck?' His sisters just sighed in exasperation. "What did you do?"
Shrugging with an unapologetic expression, "What? I just went for a walk. I just so happened to come across some drunken pigeons, and it's only noon. They squawked like usual, and I… convinced them to do so elsewhere, if at all."
His team had experienced his aggressive behavior before, but only against Grimm. Seeing this casual attitude to violence against other people did not sit well with the more naïve members, especially the youngest in the room.
"Jaune, you didn't have to go so far…"
"See, I'm going to have to stop you right there, and completely disagree with you. If I didn't, then their antics would have gotten worse. Have you ever seen or dealt with bullies before, Ruby?"
Yang perked up in a foul mood. "She better not have. There was one girl that since she was a teacher's daughter, she thought that she was the bee's knees, but she decided to transfer to Umbra in Vacuo soon after I had a little chat with her."
"There you have it. Bullies are cowards who think they're untouchable. They don't stop until they are stopped. This was just the beginning for them before I nipped it in the bud. Frightening you is not my intention or desire, but this is my family, and I refuse to allow harm to come to them if I can prevent it. If that means getting my hands dirty from handling scum, then so be it." His voice was full of resolve and a peculiar glint in his eyes. Yang respected that, having family of her own that she wanted to protect. No other objections were raised.
"So, what were you talking about before I got back?" He picked up a light smile as if the last few minutes hadn't happened, wanting to change the subject.
"Well, I asked how they got Mr. Draconis to make that window for them, and I was about to explain how I knew it was his work." Pyrrha explained, picking up on the few social cues she had. "I've taken some classes in several mediums as a hobby. As for the window, look at the faces."
They did, and none of the humans and Faunus in the window had any details on their face, leaving them completely blank.
"It's his style. Most other experts in the medium use translucent paint for facial features, but he doesn't because he wants viewers inserting themselves into the image."
Jaune scoffed, "That, and he can't paint for shit."
"Don't say it like that." His pearl-haired sister was quick to the artist's defense.
"Why not? Because he's fucking both of you?" He retorted.
Unfortunate for Weiss, she was drinking some water at that moment, and sprayed it back out in a rather undignified fashion, going into a coughing fit as her partner patted her on the back.
"Must you be so crude?" After she recovered, she glared in such a way that must be taught.
"Indeed I must. It's too much fun." He replied with a chipper tone.
"So how'd that happen?" Yang asked. "If you don't mind, of course. Don't see many polygamous relationships in Vale."
"And none at all in Atlas" was added by a curious, but not disapproving Weiss. IT was oddly tolerant, considering that she hailed from the most conservative of the four kingdoms.
"Well, it ties into how we got the window. Al, his first name by the way…" Opal started off, uncharacteristically throwing a rather scary glare at her grinning brother, impervious to her attempt at intimidation.
"Short for Salmon, like his hair. I call him Pinkie." He started chuckling a bit after that; joined by a few light giggles from others and a raucous laughter from Nora.
"If I might continue? Al came in on a slow day, and we started talking. He was very nice, if a bit cheesy with his flirting. Rouge came out for a coffee break, he paid both of us a compliment as he was leaving, and she overreacted."
"Overreacted… how exactly?" Blake asked during a pause.
"I… threw him out the window." Rouge looked away, a bit flustered from admitting to not one of her best moments.
"Oddly enough, he apologized for breaking it, and said that he'd replace it. A week later, he came back with that. Needless to say, we weren't expecting that. After he installed it, he said that it was a gift before asked us out, and we said yes. The rest, as they say, is history."
"That sounds quite…romantic." Blake remarked in an unsure tone, half-asking her comment.
"Oh it was. He's very sweet."
"And you're just… okay with that?" Yang asked their brother.
He gave her a look that said 'I don't care' and said, "Not my business. People can do whatever they want in life, as long as it doesn't anyone else's right to do so. Besides, Pinkie's a decent enough guy. Even Mom likes him."
"Speaking of which, we've got a date with him in a few hours, so…" Opal trailed off, trying to subtly ask them to leave.
"Out." Rouge picked up where her more genial twin left off.
"Have fun you too. Give Pinkie my regards." Their brother gave them both a hug.
"Will do, Jaune. Come back soon!" Everyone said their various thanks as they departed, as well as a few promises to return.
"Wait! We didn't pay for…" Ruby said in a panicked voice.
Waving her off, the older redhead said, "It was a gift, and besides, Jaune already repaid the favor, however unorthodox. Come back soon, we'll have strawberry frangipane tarts as a special in two weeks."
She had noticed the petite girl had ignored the blueberry and the plain pancakes, and made a guess on her preferences based on that. Based on how she licked her lips, shuddering with delight as she skipped out to the rest of the group already outside, she had guessed correctly.
With an unexpectedly girly giggle from the redhead, she joined her sister in their apartment upstairs, happy that her brother had found some friends and had taken care of her problem, as she knew that he would. 'It made my day to see a pigeon piss himself. Payback is a bitch.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chapter End
For naming the two academies not mentioned in canon, I followed a pattern of similarity. Signal - Beacon, Sanctum - Haven, Chronos - Atlas, Umbra - Shade.
Also, the Bloody Jewel sign was a small nod to canon Initiation, just on a darker, alternate ending.
The film noire thing (horror as opposed to detective genre film), I want to show differences in their culture from ours, as well as in other ways.