First, and foremost, this is an anthology type of story - meaning it's going to jump around in terms of time, chapter length, and points of interest. Just to clear up for anyone who might be expecting this to be a full-fledged storyline.
I may not have been the biggest fan of Vol 4-5, but what I did really enjoy was RNJR itself - surprising considering Best Girl™ Weiss isn't a part of the team. I dunno', might be the idea of them going around and being a 'monster of the week' type of squad, or the fact that having a team be forged over necessity & pre-established bonds is better than just eye contact and chess pieces.
So, this is simply an anthology of scenarios & hijinks the four got up to in their travels before the make-shift team disbanded, because I want more RNJR damnit! Chapters may vary in length depending on the scenario. Also, due to it being years since I really sat down and watched those volumes, my memory on certain events is a little loose.
Still, enjoy!
"I'm just saying, it's still an option!"
"It really isn't!"
Ren had considered momentarily injecting that maybe it wasn't such a smart idea to be raising their voices in a Grimm-infested forest into the conversation - debate - but thought better at the amused look his blonde (maybe-not) leader had sent the pair of bickering girls as both he and Jaune trailed behind somewhat. He wasn't the most social creature, often relying on Nora for that skill, but even he could catch the relief that almost seemed to spill from his friend's gaze.
Maybe it wasn't abiding by the rules Goodwitch had instilled in them early on, but it was the most animated and talkative both Nora and Ruby had been in nearly a week - so just this one time he'd let it slide.
When most took notice of Lie Ren for the first time, they assumed him a man of solitude - the type to favor becoming repressed from social activity, to slink away to be alone or to become frustrated at anything or anyone that dared uproot the quiet with noise and energy. Of course, those who assumed as such had no notion of his past, his history, and couldn't be further from the truth.
Ren hated silence.
Oh, he enjoyed having time to himself, he had his own hobbies, but those often included the gentle caress of pages being flipped and creased or the knock of a knife hitting against a cutting board. Total silence, however, was a bane - it was unnatural, to have all sounds of life ripped away from around oneself. He had experienced it once; after the cries and pleads of those in his village had finally stopped, when the crackling embers fizzled into smoldering ash, how the girl who shone like a star with her smile clung to his arm, mute with naught a whimper . . .
"JNRR isn't even a colour!" He was - thankfully - snapped away from the ugly, fleeting memories by the embellished outcry of their resident scythe wielder, her arms outstretched in apparent disbelief, as Nora continued to keep her pace with folded arms and pout. Ren had to give her a point there, though one had to wonder where the tradition of the colour name scheme even originated from;
"Plus' it makes us sound like a bunch of kids', whose gonna' take team 'Junior' seriously!?" Ah, judging by the fiery tone of the former leader of their sister team, the connotation behind the title may be more of a factor than its lack of colour focus. Nora, never one to miss an advantage, sunk her claws into the opening with a cattish grin' slipping upon her face;
"I dunno', our leader would be waaaay' younger than us, kind of fitting don't you think?" It must've been a sore spot of sorts, judging by how the cheeks of the reaper expanded before she cried out;
"I turned sixteen' over a month ago! I'm old now! I'm only a year younger than you guys!" He might've pointed out that sixteen was very much not the definition of 'old', but he didn't want to be on the receiving end of flailing fists that hammered against Noras' back as she cackled.
"I'm eighteen, actually."
There was a fall of silence, and it took a few moments before it donned on him that three pairs of eyes were on him, to realize he had been the one to speak out. He blinked owlishly, not used to being under the gaze of others so suddenly and expecting to speak, but before he could even begin processing another response, someone had beat him to the punch;
"Right, that totally slipped my mind, we even had a small party for it." Jaune, for all his clumsiness, was rather adept at picking up when Ren was flustered; it was odd, many had told referred to him as an enigma to read, and his Semblance certainly didn't help matters - yet ever since their first semester, his blonde friend had little trouble stepping in when Ren struggled.
Odd, but comforting.
"Wha-, eightee . . a party?" Ruby seemed flustered at finding out that, yes, she was two years younger (and always would be due to how their birthdays lined up), and the new information being thrown in her face; "A party!? Why wasn't I invited, I love parties!" Somehow the thought of the hyperactive redhead enjoying a place of sugary treats and gifts didn't surprise him in the slightest. She almost seemed aghast at the mere idea that she hadn't been around for it;
There was a reason Jaune had wisely hidden their more sugary rations.
"You were away on a team mission Rubes'." It didn't need to be mentioned that it wasn't their team. "Plus' Ren had only told us on the day, which totally wasn't fair because I had to rush out to get a present on the spot!" Ren had tried to tell him it hadn't mattered - he hadn't truly celebrated his birthday since his village fell - but their team leader had all but forced them to spend the day engorging themselves on cheap cake and showering him in last-minute gifts.
He could still remember how both Jaune and Pyrrha had burst through their dorm door; having only rushed out an hour prior, their clothing was disheveled, and even the champion fighter glistened in a thin layer of sweat as both team members stumbled into the room and pushed crudely-wrapped gifts into his chest with beaming smiles and well wishes. He had been stunned so to speak, it had been years since he had received anything that wasn't from Nora herself, and it allowed him to realize that maybe, just maybe, there was a world beyond just him and his childhood friend.
It was a memory of a wonderful time. A better time. A time before The Fall.
"I knew it was his birthday', fearless leader.' ~" Jaune had only rolled his eyes in response to Nora's teasing, not raising to the bait - he'd learned his lessons many'a'times - only muttering something about it 'still not being fair' under his breath as they continued to move through the foliage of the forest. Ruby, still apparently upset at not being invited to a party she hadn't known existed, let out a small huff;
"New team rule! Birthday invites must be given out to everyone - no exceptions!" It was a humorous thought to imagine what would have occurred had the young huntress been invited to the impromptu celebration; part of him believed she might have actually attempted to rush through her mission if only to make it back in time. It was even more humorous that she was all but demanding to be invited to the next one; one could call it 'cute', and judging by the sparkles that almost seemed to radiate off of Nora, it seemed she had thought along the same lines.
"Last time I checked, orders can only be given out' by the leader, and since we don't have a team name . . ." A teasing tone and sly smile had slipped back upon the happy-hammer huntress's face as she delved back into the previous discussion - argument - once more;
"We are not doing JNRR!"
"Jaune-Jaune is already a great leader!"
"It's still not a colour!"
"Let's put it to a vote then. ~"
"There's three of you, that's not fair!"
"I'm hearing excuuuuses ~"
The two continued to bicker amongst themselves, Jaune and he continued to walk behind by a few steps but even he couldn't help hide the small mirth smile that crept upon his lips. It wasn't Beacon, it wasn't JNPR, but he held doubt anything ever would be - but as he watched as Nora dragged Ruby into a headlock, ruffling her hair with a beaming smile, how Jaunes' eyes watched on with something that wasn't grief or regret, he felt that maybe the trip to Mistral wouldn't be that bad.
Though one thing was for sure.
JNRR was a terrible name.
Ren PoV of the initial start-point of the teams' journey to Mistral and the all-important decision on deciding their name and a little bit of world-building on birthdays! Kind of short, but wanted it to be more of a stepping-stone, plus the entire point of this thing is to be just snippets rather than blocks of events chaining together.
On another note, I know the blonde himbo' dork of RWBY is popular for a reason, but it's a shame Ren doesn't get as much attention. Both of them deserve to have some crucial bro-moments. Maybe I'll write something up in this at some point.