The bar was more crowded than Jaune would have liked. There were a couple of groups sitting at the tables, chattering about whatever they cared about. Jaune moved up to the bar, trailing behind the jubilant team. The five of them spread out, like a wave crashing lazily against a dam. Sun knocked on the table, getting the attention of barkeep Ursa.
"Aren't you lot a little young for drinking?" She asked, already pulling several glasses.
Sun gave the faunus a wide, toothy smile. "Of course we are! You think they would take kids so young on a mission? That would be irresponsible!" He laughed. "Can we get some beers?"
Ursa nodded, pouring them whatever was on tap. Everyone passed around some lien to pay for their alcohol. Jaune gave the tan liquid a swirl, giving it a sniff. It was adequate. Not that Jaune expected anything stunning, but the artificially expired liquid bread tasted the same way urine looked. If Jaune closed his eyes and was told to guess the color, he would have guessed a slightly brownish piss color, and he wouldn't necessarily be wrong. He took another sip, letting the bitter beer rest on his tongue for a moment.
"Is there anise in this?" the ranger asked, causing the barkeep to jump slightly. His voice carried in such a way that for a moment, she thought that the dark clothed man had passed the bar to get behind her.
"You have good taste." She commented, wiping out a glass. "It's Able's monthly brew. I can get you the taste profile if you would like."
Jaune only gave her a silent nod, and she handed him a card. He scanned over it as team SSSN started to quaff down their alcohol with the immature gusto teens often have. Sun slammed down his tankard, giving his head a shake.
"Hey, jaune, dude." he started, cheeks started to rose up. "You're wild, you know that?" He smiled. Jaune for a brief moment wondered how Sun was already getting drunk. He rationalized it by figuring that Sun, despite his roguish nature, didn't actually drink that much. Not that Aura protected you from alcohol or other positions for the most part. It really was as Pyrrha described. A force field that protected you, and not much else outside of semblances, despite its notable regenerative power.
Jaune sipped at his beer, raising an eyebrow at the monkey faunus. "Really? I often try to avoid that descriptor." He said. Sun gave him a nod. Leaning on the counter, the mostly shirtless blonde nodded, before burping.
"Wooof." He said, letting the fire in his stomach out. "Seriously, dude. You're like, like…" Sun struggled to find the words he was looking for as he made his way through another half of his mug. "Like Sunjata! And Kurt Kobain!" He exclaimed.
Neptune, a little more sober than his partner, leaned over. "I think he means Chuck Norris." He tried to whisper, but ended up just sounding a little hoarse. Jaune raised an eyebrow, putting down his mostly empty cup.
"Really?" Jaune asked, looking down. "Well, I don't know who Sunjata is, but I am not seeing the Chuck Norris parallel." He admitted. He wasn't quite the build, or had the masculinity that Chuck Norris's infamous internet presence had. He didn't have rugs for chest hair, that's for sure.
Sun looked back up from his empty mug. "And Allbaka'mazzhre. Don't forget him!" Sun said, smiling. Leaning forward, he decided to inform Jaune. "He's a sorcerer. Like you!"
Jaune finished his drink with a swift tip. "That's a lot of people, Sun." He mused, looking at his empty tankard. He pulled out a flask, emptying the contents into his cup. He took a light sip, knowing that it would be significantly stronger. It still threw him for a loop sometimes. In the times when he wasn't downing health booze like it was crack, not having time to taste or appreciate its flavor.
"It's nuttier than I expected." Jaune said to himself. He sipped at it as he watched his classmates carefully. He picked them apart as he observed them, filing away bit after bit of information. Scarlett held his liquor the worst, already rosy cheeked after his first one. Sun and Neptune seemed to have the same amount of tolerance, although the blonde had drunk more in the time. Sage, due to his massive figure, was the sturdiest of the team. He watched as Sun draped himself over his teammates, laughing boisterously. Scarlett was slumped over the bar, laughing at Sun in between hiccups. It was like being at the Zoo, watching animals at play. Sun eventually stumbled his way over to Jaune. He fell over onto his fellow blonde, draping an arm drunkenly over the ranger's shoulder.
"Heeeeey, Jauney, my dude." He slurred, sloshing his drink around in his cup. "There just ain't enough music right now."
Jaune raised an eyebrow at the drunken monkey. "And how many of those have you had tonight?" He asked. He knew the answer, but he was hoping the question would shake some of the drunkenness. Sun looked around at the bar.
"Well, since no one ain't singing, not enough." Sun said, before looking at the ranger. "Do you sing, Mr. Gloomy?" he asked.
Jaune let out a sigh. "No. Not under usual circumstances." He answered. Sun just gave him a wide smile, turning over to look at his team.
"Did you hear that?" He cheered. "Under normal circumstansamances. That just means you haven't had enough drinks!" He pushed his cup into Jaune's hands. "Finish that, and I'll get us started!"
Jaune put the mug of beer on the table, sitting back as team SSSN began their drunkards song. Sun started with a simple tune, but it was Neptune that actually sang. "I once went to a pub, called it Stick and Rub. There was a lass who was so crass she bent her brass with that low low low low low." Neptune was having fun with this, dropping his hips with each repetition before hopping back up. "A horn she blew to show her tune, saying she was open. Oh may she blow her horn, heaving tits I would see in porn, oh may she blow a horn and my it be my own" It wasn't a song that Jaune recognized, and he doubted he would. It seemed to be made up on the spot. He figured that due to the shifting rhythm and rather crass subject. Scarlett managed to elbow the womanizer's side, making him shift his tune. "And when we've had our fill, find ourselves in the landfill, the world will spin and we will win another night alone." It went on in slightly disconnected rhymes about getting wasted before Neptune came to his end. The team shifted songs once the blue haired man ran out of breath. There was something almost magical about how well the team functioned as a cohesive unit, even when they shifted song, tune, or lyric. Scarlett started where Neptune picked off, belting out a sea shanty. Of course he did. Jaune thought, amused by the stereotype being fulfilled.
"Ohhh will the Wellerman Come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum, one day when the drumming is gone, we'll take our leave and go!" Jaune knew this shanty, as a sister of his had been. Peering over the top of his cup, he saw Nadir come down the stairs. The conglomeration of singing huntsmen stopped to greet him. "Yo, Nadir! Ya sing?"
The rifleman only shook his head, timidly walking to stand next to Jaune. "You seemed stressed." The ranger noted as he watched the entertaining team sing, albeit in the same key as most light switches. Off. Nadir sighed as he watched team SSSN jubilant nature.
"I envy them, sometimes." It was a wistful confession, like a poor man asking for the lottery. Deciding that he needed some explaining, Nadir continued. "Arslan and Bolin are fighting again."
Jaune nodded, ordering a beer for his friend. "I can cover the rest of the tab." He stage whispered to the barkeep, placing a golden coin down. Returning his attention to his friend, he mulled over what to say.
Friend. He thought. That's a funny word. It used to mean so much, and now I can't tell if it's worthless-. He thought back to Beacon, where he was surrounded by friends that dropped his ass faster than shit on a hot day. Or if that makes them worth more than gold. He thought of Nora, and to a lesser extent Arslan. Nadir was a friend, something he knew he had precious few of.
"Would you like to talk about it, or drink in silence and watch fools be merry?" The ranger asked, taking another quaff of his harder liquor. Nadir took in a breath, holding his beer up to his nose.
"Is the drink any good?" he asked the ranger, a known alcoholic and probably expert, and most certainly more knowledge on the subject of drinking than little Nadir.
"Eh." Was the definitive response. "If you don't drink, it is not worth drinking. If you do, you've had better beers." Nadir nodded, but raised it to his lips anyway. He gaged once it hit his throat, not expected at all to be burned by it. Hacking, he put the beer to the side. Sun looked over at him. Jaune took the opportunity to down the ale, since Nadir clearly had no interest in finishing it. He followed it with the rest of his pour, then made himself another.
"Ehh? Don't tell me you don't hold liquor, ehh!" He jeered, stumbling as he made his way over to the two. "But youse," He said, pointing at Jaune, "have had a'plenty. So com'on! Sing!" He said, pointing his mug at the ranger like it was a microphone. Jaune stared at it, unimpressed.
You must be drunker than I thought if you're considering this. B said. Jaune rolled his eyes, but decided to entertain his bright, cheery, and slightly schwasted monkey featured friend. "OOOOOOHHHH-" he started, finding his notes. Sun's face lit up when Jaune started singing. "There's an inn, an inn, a merry old in, across the old green hill. And there they brewed a beer so brown that the man on the moon himself came down one night to drink his fill." It was an old song, one that his grandfather sang on his own drinking nights. The rest of the bar, which had been watching with bemused attention, started to clap as on beat as they could. They knew this song. "The ostler has a tipsy cat that plays a five-stringed fiddle; And up and down he runs his bow, Now squeaking high, now purring low," Jaune said, dropping his voice to a tremor before jumping up to the normal, wistping tone. "Now sawing in the middle." At this point Jaune had gotten most of the bar clapping and singing, grateful for the free entertainment. Spurned, the ranger continued. "The landlord keeps a little dog that is mighty fond of jokes; When there's good cheer among the guests, He cocks an ear at all the jests and laughs until he chokes." Jaune led the bar, with team SSSN being the loudest. Someone had handed Jaune a beer, which he accepted graciously with a bow.
"They also keep a horned cow as proud as any queen." He belted out, his voice with a uniquely downed tremor that, if you were not looking at the scene, might have sounded like a song of mourning for a cheerful man. "As proud as any queen. But the music turns her head like ale and makes waver her tufted tale and dance upon the green!"
Jaune was about to continue on when he heard raised voices from upstairs. Quickly tagging Sun into the riff, he pushed his mug into someone's hands as he made towards the stairs. A poor waitress, carrying the remaining vestiges of a drinking party. Jaune's straight march was unfortunately unwavering, and the two collided. It sent
The mirage half drunken set of drinks flew through the air, being tossed upwards. It fell like rain onto the ranger, drenching him in the strong smelling liquid. The ranger looked down at the woman with cold eyes. The room was deathly quiet, the ice cold aura miasamating from Jaune strangeling out all sound. You could hear the beer drip off of Jaune's armor, creating an unsettling rhythm that only drove the pressure higher. The waitress looked at Jaune, who dominated her field of view. She gulped, knowing what happened with untouchable huntsmen who were angered. She had heard horror stories about people with superpowers getting bad service or not being treated like gods gift to earth. The huntsman infront of her, unnaturally proportioned in the hallowed torchlight, just looked down at her, his blue eyes contrasted the torchlight in such a way that made them practically glow.
The silence broke with Jaune giving a kind laugh, whittling at the air from the back of his throat. "My deepest and utmost apologies." He smiled, kneeling down. The hazy spell was broken, shattering the imposing visage into joined relieved laughter. "I didn't see you there." The poor waitress stuttered her own apologies, which Jaune waived away. "Nonsense. I should have stopped. Here, let me help you there." He worked at the pile, before eventually waiving it into a neat stack with a quick flourish of magic. The plates whisked themselves on top of eachother, as if pulled by invisible strings. Handing it off, he gave the waitress a smile, Jaune brushed past her towards the stairs. She shook her head, sure that she hadn't just seen something that came out of a fairy tale happen or if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Jaune made his way up the stairs, passing a fuming Bolin on his way downstairs to drown his woes, whatever his woes were. The two bumped shoulders, and nothing more. They met eyes for a moment, an unspeakable hair raising feeling passing between them before the blue monk broke away, making it to the bottom of the stairway. Jaune crested the top of the steps, and saw the chocolate lioness leaning against the wall.
"Big fight?" The ranger asked, making Arslan jump at his sudden voice.
She took in a sharp breath, letting it out slowly. Once she was calm, she gave Jaune her answer. "I suppose you could say that. It's just… a disagreement." Her face soured at that, chewing on her inner lip she pondered the validity of that statement.
Jaune raised an eyebrow, moving to stand in front of her. That's a normal thing right? Being close to people who need comfort? Do I need to be closer? Do I need to take a step back? Give her more space? He silently ran a freight train through his head as Arslan sighed again.
Jaune finally broke the silence between them with quite possibly the worst thing he could have said. "You've been having a lot of those recently."
What the fuck was that?! A screamed at him, pulling at his hair if he had any. Of all the things you could have opened with, you chose that?
Jaune cringed internally, wincing as A yelled at him. Sorry! I didn't know! I don't know how to talk to people! You know this! He responded.
B sighed. What's done is done. Go fix it.
It's not a pipe! Jaune yelled, wheeling to look at the frugal figment. I can't just whack it with a wrench and hope it undoes time!
Coming to the realization that A and B were relatively useless, he refocused his attention on Arslan, who had started talking.
"-and he acts like he's always right, no matter what! It's like he can't understand he can be wrong sometimes. It's so insane! It drives me up a wall!" She snarled, showing off her faunus heritage. Damn those are some pretty chompers. Jaune thought unbidden.
Yeah. A said wistfully. Just imagine her, curled around you, chest to chest, taking a chunk out of your shoulder. The way her fangs would bite into you, or how they could feel in other places. Just think about everything that could be done with those chompers-
Is now really the time? Jaune whined, pushing the mental image aside. As tempting as it was, Arslan was ranting and he really should be respecting the rant.
"I just-Ahhhrrrg, you probably don't want to sit here and listen to me ramble my anger away-" Jaune raised his hand, cutting the blonde lioness off.
"Everyone needs to vent sometimes." He smiled sagely. "It's alright. It's probably better than punching him."
Arslan gave him a coy and bemused smirk, crossing her arms. "That sounds like it comes from personal experience? What, they kicked you out of Beacon for punching an annoyance?" She asked, before wincing immediately after. Jaune's mouth pursed like he had just sucked a lemon. Opening his mouth for a moment, and then closing it in a rather catfish-like manner, he finally spoke.
"I would politely request that you don't speak of what you do not either know or understand." he warned, the air in the room becoming tainted lightly with the feeling of dry ash and the lightest scent of blood and ethanol. It faded when Jaune closed his eyes, recouping some control over his semblance Arslan thought with a gulp. Making a mental note not to so carelessly bring up things that were obviously sensitive subjects, she moved to apologize.
Jaune beat her to it. "My apologies, that was unnecessary. If you must know, it is actually the opposite." He gave a strained smile before dropping it. Those didn't work with Arslan.
Arslan nodded, before frowning as though that didn't make sense. "I know you just told me to not speculate on the subject," She sheepishly said, but forged ahead nonetheless, "But you were expelled for being… too peaceful?" That got a snicker, and Jaune shook his head.
"I wasn't good enough at violence." He admitted, scratching at the back of his head. Arslan raised an eyebrow at Jaune, not believing that for a moment.
"You? They must have some very high standards at Beacon, because you are quite possibly the most efficient person I know when it comes to violence." She admitted, shaking her head. "There is no way you were turned away because you were too bad at fighting."
Jaune shook his head again, a bittersweet sorrow in his eyes with a depth that Arslan had only now seen in him. "I have greatly improved in the mid months."
The conversation ended there for the moment, the two standing like the teenagers they were. It was one of those rare moments they got to have. Not as burdened adults, or soldiers too young, or incarnations of violence. Just as pubescent teenagers, awkward, lost, and finding their way. The kind of people with Kansas and Heart plastered over their lives. Jaune broke it again, not sure if it was the alcohol or just the familiarity that pulled him out of his shell.
"You seem like you could get a drink. Can I offer you a beer?" He asked. Arslan laughed, tilting her head back with a rancorous sound.
"You must have had a couple to be offering me that." She laughed, shaking her head. "I won't drink, but having a laugh at Sun and Co sounds fun." Jaune led her downstairs. She blinked for a moment, before looking at Jaune, stars of coy joy in her eyes. "Was that you singing?!" She almost squealed, a grin splitting her face.
Jaune gave her the straightest face he could muster. "No." He said deftly. They made it to the bottom of the stairs, where team SSSN was swaying to their off tune beat. Jaune gave the room another glance over. I could have sworn that Bolin was supposed to be down here… He leaned over to be at ear level with the lioness, whispering right to her. "Do you see Bolin? He should be down here." The ranger asked his friend. She gave a quick scan of the room, looking for the blue clad monk.
"I'm not seeing him." She confirmed, before turning to a mostly sober Nadir. "Nadir! Have you seen Bolin?"
He nodded. "Yeah. He left a couple minutes ago. Something about blowing off steam." Arslan closed her eyes, praying to her gods for patience.
"That little- Idiot!" She cursed under her breath when the gods evidently didn't grant her wish. "He's gone off in the middle of the night and probably gotten himself lost. And there's-" She stopped dead in her tracks, looking around at the happy civilians. "That issue." stressing the word "That", letting Jaune know exactly what the issue in reference was
Jaune nodded, knowing what he had to do. "I'll go find him." He sighed, uncapping a flask. Arslan gave him a skeptical look.
"If anyone should be looking for that idiot, it should be me. He likes me the most, at least." She pointed out. Jaune nodded, acknowledging the logic behind that particular point.
"Normally, yes. You would be the best choice." The ranger admitted, but held up a hand with three fingers. "However, you recently had a fight with him." Finger one. "We can't send team SSSN out." Finger two, team SSSN was smashed beyond reason. "And three, I am the second best, if not best, tracker we have." Finger three. "Ergo, I should go find the bastard." Arslan sighed, knowing he was right. She could argue, of course, but really didn't have the energy too. It was late, and she wanted to be in bed.
"Fine, but you have 30 minutes. Any longer and I'm calling the calvary." She demanded. Jaune gave her a nod.
"Yes ma'am." He affirmed, turning to head out the door.
Jaune was disgruntled, as he should be. If that bastard has taken so much as a yard away from that door, I am going to castrate him by hand.
Another chapter out! It's mostly build up, but it was fun to write the drinking scene. kind of wished I did more with it, but I am ok with where it stands at the moment. I almost had Arslan and Jaune drink together, but I don't think recreational drinking really fits Arslan's character. Atleast when she's on the job like this.
excited for the next chapter, and for the end of this arc. We really only have one, maybe two? more chapters left in this arc. significantly shorter than the last major arc, which lasted what, twenty chapters?
Anyway, short ending note this time. Please leave your reviews, comments, and ideas. I do read them and consider them.
I have to encourage you to write your own things, even if they are blatant mockeries of this story. I would read it, and there are pleanty of fantastic ideas that have been put forth by you lot that I can't fit into this story. Also chomping at the bit to read some more Jaune x Arslan written by someone that is not me.