Not much to say today. Trying to catch up on writing now that my house is relatively animal-lite compared to how it was before.

Just for reference, Blake runs away in a night scene in the show, and the next is daytime at the small cafe. This chapter takes place between those two events. So, RWBY haven't had their big search or met Penny yet, but it's a night in which Blake ran away.

Chapter 16

Vale could be a confusing city, especially for newcomers. The central areas were laid out in a structured manner, but outer districts had been planned far more carelessly, as houses popped up within ever-expanding walls that sought to keep the Grimm at bay. For someone like Yang, who lived in Patch all her life but visited on occasion, it probably felt like a maze. For someone who'd lived on the streets and then worked in the seedier parts of the city, it was home.

Jaune called it as such, even if his real home had apparently once been a frontier settlement far away. He'd not seen a forest until his teenage years and knew the back alleys and bars of Vale better than he did its schools and parks, though. He also knew plenty of the people who sucked the blood from the area too.

That was how it was in downtown Vale. No one prospered and no one did good work… you just sort of latched on and drained what you could. Beggars lined the dark streets between bars, but few of them were actually homeless. Those that were spent less time begging and more time scavenging and mugging people for food, much like he had as a child. Those on the street corners with collection boxes were career beggars earning their rent and booze through the pity of visitors.

Jaune looked down at his scroll again, smiling as he saw the return message from Ruby which explained that Blake was missing. Contacting Ruby and mentioning that he might have seen Blake was a calculated risk, but it was Crimson who knew about her disappearance, not Jaune. He needed an excuse should Yang ask how he knew, to which Ruby had just provided a convenient one. "I'll see if I can find her again," he typed back, "I only saw her in passing. I'll let you know if I find anything."

The scroll made a whooshing noise as the message was sent, and he stored it away in his pocket as he approached a run down, rickety building. His fist slammed on the wooden door, which creaked open to reveal an elderly woman with more black teeth than white. Her eyes widened, even if one was white and milky. "Hello young man," she crooned, "in a spot of bother, I see. Do you need a roo-" The crone finally recognised him and her face fell. "Oh, it's you…"

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Good to see you too, Mag. No happy greeting?"

"Not unless ya pay for it," the old lady groused. "It's late and I'm running a boardin' house. If yer not here for a room then ya can fekk off."

"Your accent is showing."

"Fekk off!" Mag slapped a bony hand against his chest. "On'y do tha nice voice for tha customers, yer fekker. Ain't no one got time for a runt like ya."

"I need a favour, Mag." Jaune said. He sighed when her eyes lit up and she instantly quietened. It hardly took a genius to know what she wanted, and he held out a hundred lien, which she snapped out of his hands with the vigour of a woman half her age.

"Only a hundred, my dear?" she crooned, back to her sweet, grandmotherly voice. "I'm not sure how far that will get you."

"There's another hundred in it if your information proves useful. I'm looking for a friend; someone who recently left her home on limited funds." Jaune sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "I doubt she'd be able to afford a proper hotel, so I figured she'd have to find a… less reputable place to stay."

"I run a reputable business, sonny," Mag lied through blackened teeth. "Still, I could see what I can do. Do you have a picture of her?"

Jaune nodded and brought out his scroll. He held it out to the woman but pointedly refused to let go when she tried to tug it from his hands for a better look. "Mag," he warned when she tried again, eyes narrowed.

"My eyes aren't what they used to be."

"Then I'll move it closer," he said, ignoring her grumbled complaints. The scrolls from Beacon were fairly high quality, and even second hand, they'd sell for a fair bit. She'd sell it for pittance to someone down the road, who'd unlock and wipe it and sell it to an electronics fence, who'd pass it on to a supplier to be sold back to an official store. Five or more people would profit from his kind `donation`, but only if he was stupid enough to let go. He wasn't.

"No trust," Mag sighed, "You'd think a woman never helped a boy out when he was a homeless waif."

"You stole my bread!"

"You stole it first," she pointed out. "Besides, I gave you a room and a hearty meal."

"I caught and ate a rat," Jaune growled, "because your rooms were infested, and besides, you kicked me out the next day."

"You couldn't pay rent."

"I was-" He took a deep breath and let go. No… it wasn't worth it. This was just how she was, how much of Vale's underground was. She smiled and welcomed you into her boarding house, then robbed you blind and kicked you out, as she had to a lost and frightened little child. "Have you seen her or not, Mag? I don't have all night."

"Memorable little girl, I think I'd remember seeing her." Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the picture of Blake, but Jaune knew the woman saw not the girl, but the valuable weapon and clothing she wore. Hunter equipment was worth its weight in dust. "A shame too. I could ask around my contacts… for the right motivation."

Another hundred crossed her palm, delivered with a suffering sigh. This was already proving expensive… he could only hope it proved worth the investment.

Mag looked down at the lien in her palm with greedy eyes. "Why don't you come in sweetie?" she offered, pushing the door wide open and revealing the dusty, dirty interior. "Have a seat and some tea while I ring around a few old friends."

"No tea…" he mumbled as the woman hurried away. He looked down the steaming pot on the stove and took a sniff, cringing at the acrid scent. "I'd rather not wake up naked in an alleyway." He remained standing too, if only because he half-expected the dusty couch to collapse if he sat on it. In a nearby room, he could hear his host's abrasive, expletive-filled, voice yell down a scroll at someone. It sounded like a competition of curses, a game of who could fit the most vulgarity into what might at the most optimistic be considered a conversation.

She knew the right kinds of people, though… or the wrong kind if you wanted to think about it that way. These boarding houses all worked with one another, if only to avoid competition or to share information that might lead to greater profit, all on the proviso that the recipient would return the favour further down the line.

Of course Mag's loyalty could be easily bought, as could theirs in return. For a hundred lien, she'd sell them out in a heartbeat, as she was about to now.

"Found yer runaway," she cackled and handed over a piece of paper with an address on it. It looked vaguely familiar but it wasn't until she spoke that he remembered why. "It's ol' Solomon's place," she grinned, "I'll bet the greasy fekker's pleased with himself."

Jaune's lips curled up as he sneered. "Oh, I'll bet he is," he scowled. "Thanks for the help Mag… here is a little something for your trouble." He handed over another hundred, the implicit bribe as to her silence evident. "Why don't you use it to buy some bleach," Jaune added with a disgusted look towards the nearby wall. It looked to have more plant life on it than the gardens of Beacon.

"I'll think about it dearie," Mag cackled. She leaned forward to lay a kiss on his cheek, grinning toothily when he recoiled in horror. "Now go and find yet little runaway, pet, and remember, if you ever want to earn some extra coin…"

"I'd rather sell my own kidney, Mag. Goodbye."

/-/

Soloman, overweight and dripping with sweat, took one look at his face and didn't bother to argue when he pushed his way into the building. "I'm looking for a black-haired girl with a bow," he said, "Mag told me she was here," he added when the man claimed to have never seen such a person.

Solomon's face twisted furiously after hearing that, "Backstabbing whore," he growled. The man froze when he heard Jaune's telling cough. "Bah, room ten, first floor… not worth the trouble to argue with someone like you."

Jaune nodded and moved away, content to leave the man behind as he walked down the rickety corridor, counting each room as he did. The walls were clean, which made it an improvement on Mag's place already, but Solomon sucked blood in his own way. He came to a door with an upside down one and a zero and knocked his fist against it.

Blake's eyes widened when she opened it and saw him.

"Hi Blake," he grinned and walked in, slamming a foot against the wood before she could close it on his face. "I thought it was you I saw in the area. It's a small world, huh?"

"Whoah!" There was another blond in the room, who stood up from where he was sat on a chair. The topless, or rather unbuttoned-top faunus, looked him up and down and reached for a long staff. "Who are you?" he asked, "A little rude to break into a girl's room, don't you think?"

He was armed but Blake seemed fine with him; he was probably an ally or an old friend. "I'm a friend from Beacon," Jaune said, holding his hands up to show he was unarmed. Crocea Mors was at his side, of course, but it was as unarmed as he was going to get. It seemed to calm the faunus down at least, and he lowered his staff. "Or more precisely, I'm a friend of her team," he added. "Blake and I aren't exactly personally close."

The use of her name seemed to startle the girl to life and she stepped forward with panicked eyes. "Jaune? What are you doing here – how did you-? Don't tell me Yang sent you. Is she coming?" The questions were fired off in rapid succession, but as much as he would have loved to agree to them, he couldn't. Yang had told Crimson about Blake, not him.

"Yang?" he asked with feigned shock. "No, I just saw you in the area and Ruby mentioned they were looking for you. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied.

"Then why are you staying here instead of Beacon?"

"It's… complicated. You needn't worry about it. You should get back to Beacon."

Frustration burned away inside him but he pushed it down. "That's funny," he said, "I sent a message to Ruby a while ago mentioning that I'd seen you and she seemed really worried for some reason."

Blake's expression fell. She looked away and wouldn't meet his eyes.

The other faunus looked between them and sighed. "She's run away from her team." he explained.

"SUN!"

"What?" the faunus whined. "He was going to figure it out eventually. The name's Sun Wukong by the way, nice to meet ya."

"Jaune Arc, and the same," Jaune said, shaking the other man's hand. "So, Blake… about me not needing to worry?"

"You don't need to," she repeated, arms crossed. "It's none of your business, Jaune. There is… our team is going through some personal problems. There's no reason for you to get involved."

"Yang got involved when our team went through the same. I thought I might return the favour."

"It's not needed!"

Jaune sighed and looked at her. "Blake… you've run away from your team, you've run away from your friends, hell, you're renting a room in a love hotel. I think something is needed here."

Her cheeks darkened, proving that she did in fact know what kind of place she was in. "It's only for a night," she growled, "and it's not like I'm here to do anything like that. I needed somewhere cheap and immediate; I didn't have much of a choice."

"Well you chose pretty poorly," Jaune said, "You used the bathroom yet?"

"No…" the girl blinked, "Why?"

"Good. I wouldn't if I were you. It's rigged with cameras." Jaune waved a hand dismissively, though he could admit to taking a little hidden pleasure in Blake's horrified expression. "If you'd bothered to have a shower, you'd have been Vale's newest amateur porn act."

"What!?" Blake shrieked.

"Yeah, he's a piece of work," Jaune pushed past her to close the bathroom door. "It's a love hotel, though, so most people come here for that. He records and sells it on for a little extra profit. What did he say when you both asked for a room?"

Blake didn't answer, eyes still wide, but the other faunus scowled and glared at random corners of the room. "He did look excited," Sun said. "What a creep…"

"A huntsman and a huntress," Jaune whistled. "I bet he thought he'd struck gold with that."

"And this is allowed?" Blake whispered. "No one says or does anything to stop him?"

"It's not legal but who's going to say anything? The people who come here are desperate, and usually for good reason." Desperate like she was, with limited funds and being chased by people she didn't want to speak to. "This isn't the kind of place you should be, Blake."

"I can't help but agree," Sun frowned. "I feel watched just standing here."

"I…" Blake's eyes scrunched shut. "How do you even know about this?" she asked. "You're a student like me, yet you know all of this?"

"I know it because I lived in places like this for years," he shrugged. "You start to learn the bad places… the ones to avoid." Jaune sighed and looked about the room, the broken bed and the hidden cameras he couldn't see. "Come on… I know a better place you can stay for a night. In return, I want to know what made you run away from your team."

Blake didn't seem thrilled at the prospect, but her secrecy quickly warred and lost against the disgusting nature of their current landlord. With a put-upon sigh, she nodded.

/-/

"-and that's how it is," Blake explained, sat down on a plush, clean bed in one of the Oyster's few staff sleeping rooms. They were saved only for emergencies, and usually when someone had nowhere to go or needed a rest, but they were clean and well-maintained. No one would watch her sleep, either.

Jaune sighed once the tale was done. Acting like he knew nothing the entire time was hard, but there had been a few other snippets of information, mainly Blake's point of view and reasons for what she did. In a way, he could understand it.

She ran away because her team discovered a truth she was ashamed of.

He'd have liked to think he wouldn't do the same if JNPR found out about his past, but he wasn't hypocritical enough to say for sure. It was easy to make bold statements but you never knew until the moment.

"I found her on the way out," Sun filled in. "She looked lost and about to go off the deep end. I figured I'd tag along and make sure she's alright. Faunus solidarity and all that."

More like barely concealed attraction, Jaune thought with a roll of his eyes. Sun's behaviour reeked of someone with a crush that outweighed his common sense. He seems harmless enough, though. Honestly, he's too idealistic and nice to be anything but a virgin. Sometimes, especially in his industry, you could tell.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked Blake. "You can't just keep hanging around in Vale. If you're not back in Beacon before the weekend is over, the faculty will get involved."

"I realise that, it's just… I can't return yet."

"Why not? Do you think they wouldn't accept you back? Blake, do you honestly think so little of th-"

"No!" The girl shook her head wildly. "No, it's not that. I know Weiss would be angry but I'm sure Yang and Ruby would listen. It's just… I need to give them an explanation and I can't do that without finding out the truth. I sided with the White Fang; I told them Weiss was wrong and that this couldn't be by them. If I go back now, the argument will just continue. I need to find out for myself if it's true or not. Then I can make a decision on what to do."

It was a twisted mess; that much was obvious. She wasn't wrong, per se, but she wasn't right either. She did have to make a decision before she went back to her team. They deserved an explanation, which would have to include some kind of resolution from Blake. If she didn't have one, or wasn't ready to decide, then there would be problems. But her mistake… "You don't have to do it alone," he said. "I understand what you mean about needing to find out the truth, especially if it's going to tear your team apart, but there's no reason you have to alienate yourself from them while you're doing it."

"This is my problem," Blake argued, "and I don't just mean that because it's personal. This is dangerous and I don't want to get Yang or Ruby in danger, not even Weiss."

"I get that, Blake, I really do, but what do you hope to manage in a single weekend? I mean, that's a pretty short deadline you're giving yourself here."

"I know… I'm not sure what I'll do. There has to be some sign. I'm sure I can find something."

Jaune groaned and rubbed his forehead. Talk about optimistic; her plan basically relied on luck. Maybe she had some knowledge as being ex- White Fang, but chances were that was far enough back to be useless. You could put her in touch with people, his brain hinted. You have contacts who might know… at the very least, Junior would.

No, no, no. There was no way he was getting involved in something involving terrorists! Blake wasn't even a close friend if he was being generous. She was Yang's partner… and Yang was his best friend, who'd already helped him so many times.

Ugh…

"We're okay to stay here, right?" Sun asked, probably more to fill the silence than anything. "This is a pretty swanky room, even has separate beds. I wasn't looking forward to sleeping on the floor; even less so if I was going to be recorded doing it."

"They're yours for the night," Jaune said. "I can't promise any further but if needs be, I might be able to work something out. I have to get back to Beacon though… it's gone midnight."

Blake's head shot up. "How do I know you won't tell the others where I am?" she asked. Jaune froze. That was a good question, and one he didn't really have an answer to since he totally intended to do just that. The hesitation cost him, for golden eyes narrowed and Blake stood up. "You can't!"

"Can't what?" he asked uncertainly. "Can't tell Yang, can't go back to Beacon?"

"Both! You'll… if you go back you'll tell Yang where I am. I know you're not my friend; you're hers. You'd being her here if she asked."

"I wouldn't," Jaune protested. Even he thought it sounded a bit weak, and from the way she rushed over to block the entrance, Blake might just have noticed the lie. "Blake… do you seriously intend to keep me hostage or something? This is ridiculous."

The girl hesitated. Confusion warred with fear in her eyes, more emotion than he'd ever seen in Blake Belladonna before. "I…" she looked at him in panic. "I can't speak with them… not until I have an answer."

They were at an impasse. Blake stood opposite him, blocking the door but with an expression that said there would be no resistance if he pushed past her. On the other hand, if he were to do so and call Yang, he knew full well Blake wouldn't be here when he returned. She was still away from her team, but she was safe, which would calm Yang down more than knowing she was lost in Vale again would.

What am I supposed to do? Yang would want her to be safe but that means leaving her here, but if I do, there's no telling if she'll ever go back to her team.

The staring contest was cut off as Sun stepped between them, a small smile on his face. "Calm down," the monkey faunus said, "No one's going to do anything crazy, okay? We're all friends here. We're just in a bit of a crazy spot. Why don't we talk it through like normal people, m'kay?" The blond walked over to Jaune and swung an arm around his shoulder, leading him aside. He leaned in to whisper. "Jaune, man… look, we're both pretty much in agreement that Blake ought to go back to her team, right?"

"Yeah…"

"The thing is, she isn't going to do that as things are. If you go back to Beacon, she'll be out the door and in Vale again. I'll go with her, but I already messed up and nearly let some perv video her in the shower. I don't want that to happen again." The faunus' eyes narrowed as he growled something beneath his breath. "Anyway, I've not been able to get through to her on my own, but with you along for the ride, maybe we can convince her to stop this… but that's only going to happen if she isn't scared and running for the hills."

"You want me to help?" Jaune hissed. "Are you insane? This is the White Fang. I'm a studying huntsman and a part-time bartender!"

"An' we don't need to fight," Sun laughed. "We just need to find out what's going on, find proof of whether the White Fang is or isn't behind this, then back out and bring Blake back to her team. That doesn't sound too hard, does it?"

Jaune's brow furrowed. Well… no, it didn't sound too bad. So long as there were no fights involved, it would be relatively easy. Again, he knew a few people who could help for the right price.

"So, what do you say?" Sun punched his arm lightly. "Help us out and we'll get this sorted out even quicker. That'll be good for your friend too, right?"

It would help Yang. In the end, as he looked back and forth between Sun and Blake, that cinched it. Jaune sighed and stepped out from under Sun's arm. He came to stand before her. "You just need to find out whether the White Fang are behind this?"

"Yes," Blake said, eyes filled with relief, but also a little hope. "I know you don't owe me anything, in fact, I'd owe you – but I don't want to leave my team. I want this to work out Jaune, I promise."

He knew how to read women. It wasn't perfect, but with how emotional and exhausted Blake was, he doubted she could have convincingly lied anyway. She was completely honest… he would bet his career on it. I'm about to bet my life on it.

"You know Vale," Blake continued. "You've already proven you know the area better than either of us do. It shouldn't be dangerous… I just need to find out whether they're involved. If they are, I'll admit to Weiss that I was wrong and take the blame. If they're not, then I'll have the proof needed to show I'm not a criminal."

"Either way," Jaune sighed, "you'll go back?"

"Absolutely… so long as I can walk, I'll make my way back."

She meant it to reassure him, but it did anything but. If she starts asking around about the White Fang then someone is bound to find out. She could be in for a world of trouble. Yang would be devastated if something happened to her, especially if I could have stopped it.

His mind was practically made up, but even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that he should have done better – that there should have been a way to convince her to end this without the need for danger.

Maybe that was just idealistic, he no longer knew.

"I'll do it," Jaune sighed, "I'll need to call my team to let them know I'm staying out, but I'll tell them it's for work and let you listen in," he added when Blake opened her mouth to complain. She accepted it with a grateful nod. "It's a weekend anyway," he said, "So they'll accept if I say the boss needed me to stay late and I was too tired to make the journey back."

"That's great. Thank you, Jaune. I owe you."

"I'm not doing this for you."

"I know you're not," she smiled. "You're doing this for Yang, I know. Thank you, still. You're a good friend to her."

"Don't thank me yet. I'll agree to all of this, I'll help you with everything… but there is a condition." He took a deep breath and fixed his eyes onto hers. "You have to send a message to Yang."

"I said I can't!" Blake cried. "That's not fai-"

Jaune cut her off with one hand. "I know you're not ready to speak with your team and I'm not asking you to," he said. "Right now, they're probably terrified that something bad has happened to you, though. Even if you're not prepared to return, the least you can do is not let them worry. My condition is that you need to send her a message telling her you're okay."

Blake looked lost. She fell back onto the bed, but kept her eyes on his. Her lips parted to speak, yet nothing came forth and she looked down to the red carpet.

"He's right, you know?" Sun's soft voice chipped in. "When I decided to stow away to get to Vale, I made sure to let my team know, and I sent them a message when I got here safely too, just to let them know I hadn't been caught." The last was delivered with a roguish grin. "They should know better than to doubt their glorious leader, but they're friends you know… they worry. Jaune's right; even if you're not ready to talk, how much can letting them know you're okay hurt?"

"I know," Blake sighed, head in her hands. "You'll help us find out about the White Fang?"

"I know some people who will have some information for us," Jaune promised. "If they are involved, they'll know for sure. You don't get any of that without doing what I ask, though. So… you in?"

/-/

Yang's scroll buzzed three times from beside her bed. Groggily, she reached out to draw it before her face and yawn. Her breath caught in her throat a second later, all thoughts of sleep gone as she gasped and stood up, slamming her head against the ceiling.

"Yang!" Ruby cried, sat up in her own bed with wide eyes. "Are you okay!?"

Yang didn't answer; at least, not with words. She started to laugh.

"Yang?"

"She's okay," Yang laughed in pure relief, fingers gripped around her scroll. "She's okay," she repeated.

"Who is?" Ruby asked curiously. Her eyes widened a second later, however, and she leapt out of her bed and quickly scaled onto her sister's. It wobbled ominously but she didn't care, scooting over to push her head beneath Yang's arm and look at the screen.

The name at the top of the message read simply; Blake.

"I'm okay," it read. "I'm sorry for running away and I'm sorry for no doubt worrying you. I'm also sorry for ignoring all your calls and messages, Yang. I'm not ready to return yet and I know that will annoy you. I need to find out for myself what is going on with the White Fang, but I promise I'll get back in touch before the weekend is over. Even if it's not with good news, I'll speak to you in person. I promise.

I'll repeat, I'm safe and okay, I've found a nice place to stay and I'll be in touch soon. I can't answer any calls, though. Forgive me for that.

-Blake."

"Thank god," Ruby sighed as she finished the message. Relief poured off her in waves. Yang must have felt the same, for she continued to laugh and hugged her sister, even when Weiss loudly complained about the noise.

It wasn't an end to this… but it was the best news they'd had all day.

Can't say I'm super sure on this chapter, but I wanted to explore a different angle of the docks incident. I see so many people in their own stories have Blake either lambasted as a fool or a hero, with very little middle ground. I always thought that it was a bit of a poor move by her, sure, but that her biggest mistake was quite simply what I wrote here. She didn't do anything to let her team know she was safe.

Jaune's helped with that, at least. As a note for those who have asked, this fic is paced quite fast, as some have noticed. I've done this on purpose because in all honesty, complaints on some of my others are of slow pacing. I wanted to try the opposite and write a faster paced story to see if people liked that more.

So yeah, the story is paced quite fast.

Next Chapter: 14th March

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur