*Pokes head out*
Hello? Anyone still there? Well, if anyone still is, I'd like to take a moment to explain why this took just over a year to update. You see, if you don't know, I suffer from occasional seizures; and this had put me into the hospital more than a few times.
Now, taking that into account as well as me moving around lot looking for a new home and you get about a quarter of the year wasted. Now add in the fact that one seizure sent me into a short coma, and you get some more time lost. Next, add in some writer's block that only makes you stare at a screen for hours, the outbreak of COVID-19 that leave you hospitalized…again, and you have yourself a fun time.
Joking aside…I'm sorry I took so long in updating this, but I'm not in the best of health. I have a lot of problems I'm dealing with and my priorities have shifted. I wasn't joking about the hospital stays and writer's block, but I feel like I owe anyone who's still reading this an explanation. This took a lot of effort to write this and I hope you enjoy.
To Better (K)nights
҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Vale Streets (The Night Before)¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉
Jaune let out a sigh as he lifted his finger and twirled the small keyring on his finger. There were only three keys on it, but the blonde had a feeling that the largest was the one he was supposed to use.
"I get the feeling that Pyre's doing more than just catching up." Jaune said with a sigh before he stopped. Looking at his surroundings, the blonde couldn't help but blink when he noticed where he was, and how abandoned and destroyed the streets seemed to be. Some of the shops had a few neon lights running, but there were also a few that were clearly not in use. "And here I thought Vale was a nice place." Just as Jaune said that, the blonde found himself being grabbed and roughly pulled to the side. The blonde didn't have enough time to open his mouth before he found his face planted on the floor with some weight on his back and what felt like a blade placed where his kidney would be.
There was nothing said as Jaune felt his attacker moving around slightly, their movements clearly telling him that they were ready for anything he might have pulled. His assailant's movements didn't end and Jaune found himself looking at a picture of him fighting Roman on the shipyard before the picture was quickly replaced with another showing him entering Pyre's shop. The blonde kept his mouth shut even when he felt a hand reach into his pocket and pull out his scroll.
"What do you want?" Jaune asked, only a hearing tongue clicking in response. No sooner as he heard that did the blonde see his scroll drop in front of him before the knife and the weight on his back were removed and he was free to move. Wasting no time getting to his feet, Jaune looked around for anyone before he looked at his scroll and the message that was sent to him along with a picture.
'Meet me here tomorrow.'
҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Abandoned Building (Present)¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉
"You want this?" Jaune asked, waving the picture around lightly before getting a quick nod from the girl. "And you think I can get it?" Another nod, this one causing her eyes to change from pink and brown to silver and pink. There was a moment of silence as Jaune looked at the girl before looking at the picture again. "Why do want it?" The two remained silent for a few minutes before the reached into her coat and pulled out a picture and held it towards Jaune. Jaune took it without saying anything and raised an eyebrow, the photo showing the girl next to Roman with a few police behind them. "Guess that explains you wanting that cane…" Jaune said, getting a nod from the girl.
Jaune took a second to look at the photo again before letting out a sigh. It was clear that the girl was close to Roman and clearly wanted something to remember him by, but on the other hand, he could just give her the weapon of the man who had tried to kill him a few days ago. There was also the fact that he could just as easily end up getting killed by the girl as soon as he got her Roman's cane.
"Listen, I don't know if I can help you," Jaune said, getting the girl to narrow her eyes. "but I can ask someone I know about that cane." The girl took a second to think before she nodded at Jaune. "C'mon we can meet her together." Jaune said before his attention was pulled towards an elderly woman's shout of surprise. Half a block away from him and the girl was an elderly woman who was currently using a platter to shield herself from a man.
"I won't tell you again grandma!" The man said as he casually waved a gun around. "Now you either come up with the money or this place is going need to be repainted."
"I said no! Now please leave!" The woman said, her arm moving to towards the door handle. Unfortunately, the man already had his foot blocking the door and simply smiled when he saw the woman during her best to close the door.
"See, that's not how this works." The man said, "I'm here to collect; so, give me the money!"
"You don't own these streets!" The elderly woman said, as she continued to try and close the door. Letting out a chuckle, the man moved his foot and watched as the woman slammed the door into her face before stumbling back.
"This will be your last warning." The man said before he lifted the gun.
"Hey!" Jaune didn't hesitate and picked up a nearby rock before throwing towards the man. The projectile hit its mark, the man's head, and caused the man to stumble to side as he fired the gun, breaking the glass in the door.
"Who did that!?" The man asked before he noticed Jaune and aimed his gun again. "Oh, kid, you just made a big mistake." The blonde could only blink when the girl rushed past him and jumped into the air, twisting her body until she managed to catch the man's temple with the heel off her boot. A second of spinning in place and the man fell to the ground in a heap with the gun he was holding landing a safe distance away. Jaune wasn't too far behind, stopping a few steps behind to check on the old woman.
"Are you alright?" The blonde asked, holding the door as the woman slowly got to her feet.
"I'm alright there, sonny." The woman said, dusting herself off when she was standing upright. "Nothing I haven't dealt with before." That got Jaune to look at the woman in disbelief before shaking his head.
"This is a regular occurrence?" The blonde asked, which was answered with a nod.
"Unfortunately, yes, this kind of behavior has happened before." The woman said, her casual tone not helping as Jaune stared at her again. "I see you're new to Vale."
"Kind of…" Jaune said before he pointed north. "…I was attending Beacon until recently." The woman nodded knowingly.
"Well, as you can see, these aren't the hustling bustling streets you've seen." Jaune nodded at that, "And that's because Vale's Council couldn't give a rat's ass about this place. If they had, then we wouldn't have been so dependent on Roman before he died."
"Roman owned these streets?" Jaune asked, getting the woman to lift and hand and tilt it back and forth in a 'so-so' manner.
"He didn't own them, but he made sure that anyone who set up shop around here was looked after." The woman said before she looked at the man on the floor. "And if I had to guess, since news of his death is spreading…many are going to try and capitalize on that." Jaune looked at the man before he heard the woman let out a sigh. "Roman wasn't a good man but he was reasonable. So long as we kept to ourselves, he found no reason to stir up trouble."
"Has it been rough with him gone?" The blonde asked, getting the woman to laugh.
"Honestly, it's been the same. Hell, the number of nuisances hasn't even doubled and that's because everyone's waiting." The woman said, as she watched the girl kick the man in the head again when he began to move.
"Waiting for what, exactly?" Jaune said, ignoring as the girl dragged the man's body to the side.
"To see who's going to take over." That got Jaune's undivided attention. "As I've said, the council could care less about these streets; they care so little that when Vale's finest are sent here, they're merely rookies. As you might expect, a gang of ruffians could hold their own against them." Jaune immediately connected the dots and nodded.
"And with Roman's Huntsman training, no one wanted to challenge him." The woman nodded at the before sighing.
"But now, this place might become home to an even worse people. That is, unless someone like Junior takes over." The blonde took a second to blink in confusion before turning to the woman.
"Junior? The guy who owns the nightclub?" Jaune asked.
"So, you've heard of him?" The woman asked getting a nod from the blonde. "Yes, that's the man I was talking about. Unfortunately, even he's in trouble."
"Why's that?"
"A few months ago, just before Beacon began, some ninny went to his club and put a lot of his men in the hospital." The woman said, getting Jaune raise an eyebrow. "I don't know the specifics, but she apparently wanted some information and didn't like it when Junior couldn't deliver. Needless to say, Junior's still recovering from the event and might have not the men to get a foothold aside from a few blocks beyond his own club."
"So, I'm guessing that it's going to get rough around here?" Jaune asked, which received a nod in return. "I honestly feel like I should do something to help."
"Well then, why don't you ask Junior?" The woman said, getting Jaune to raise an eyebrow at her. "He's in trouble, yes, but a he's also got a business to run. I'm sure if you help him out in a way to ease up some work, it'll benefit the rest of us. After all, our income mostly comes from that club he runs; if that goes down, then the rest of us are going to be dragged down with it." Jaune slowly nodded at the that before he turned to the girl, who had finished tying the knocked-out man like a pig and dragging him next to the door.
"Is it okay if we make a detour?" Jaune asked, getting the girl to nod before she kicked the man in the head again. "Will you be alright?"
"No need to worry yourself." The woman said before she entered the shop again, taking a second to also kick the hog-tied man next to her door.
҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Junior's Club¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉
"Hold it!" A guard said, holding out a hand to stop Jaune and the girl from entering. Jaune took a second to look at the girl, only realize that she was gone. "Club's closed. You got some business here?"
"Kind of? I met junior last night." The guard didn't say anything and simply stared at the blonde. "Listen, all I want to do is ask him about what's going around here." The guard waited a few more seconds before letting out a sigh.
"Alright. Just make it quick, the boss is already seeing someone else so you're going to have to wait." The guard said before he held open the door. Jaune gave the guard a nod and walk in, stopping a few from the entrance when he saw a familiar head of white hair talking to Junior.
"Weiss?" Jaune asked, getting the two to stop their conversation to look at the blonde.
"Arc?/Kid?" The two asked simultaneously as the blonde walked up to them. Jaune took a second to look at the heiress, noting that she was wearing clothes that looked more fitting on Blake than her. Her outfit consists of a white, V-neck, zip-up crop shirt with a black hem and three-quarter sleeves. She also wore black pants that have a vertical gray stripe on the outer side of each leg and a black belt. She was still in heels but this time they were black high-heeled boots, reaching to her mid-calf.
"I would ask what you're doing here but it's none of my business." Jaune said, taking a seat. There was a moment of silence before Junior turned back to Weiss.
"So…about this person?" The club owner started before Weiss shook her head.
"That's all the details I have." Jaune raised an eyebrow at that but kept his mouth shut while Junior let out a sigh.
"That's not much to go off of." The man said before Weiss set down some lien.
"Trust me, someone like that shouldn't be too hard to locate." The Heiress said before she turned around and walked away. There was another moment of silence once the heiress left before Jaune turned to Junior with a raised eyebrow.
"Did I ruin something?" The blonde asked, getting Junior to shake his head.
"No." The man said before he moved in front of Jaune. "So, what brings you back?"
"I heard about the power struggle that's happening." Jaune said, getting Junior to stiffen up. "I was wondering if there's something I could do to help." Junior took a second to look around before he leaned closer to Jaune and tapped the counter with his finger.
"Listen kid, I appreciate the offer, but this is not some fairy tale. There will be blood and I'd rather not have someone unrelated getting mixed in with the crossfire." The man said, letting out a sigh before he straightened up again. "I don't have the men to spare but asking for help is not something I'm going do, especially when that help's coming from a random kid."
"Considering that I'm the one who killed Torchwick and caused all this to start," Jaune said, "I think I should help out. I'm not asking to be put in the front, I just want to know if there's anything I can do that could help." Junior let out another heavy sigh when he saw Jaune staring at him intently.
"Fine." The man said, leaning forward again. "You want to help? Then why don't you go around and see who's willing to support me?" Junior said, getting Jaune to raise an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"If I can get the people support around here, they'll make it harder for others to move in." Junior explained. "That'll give me time to think of other plans and prepare for the worst. Anyone who isn't with me could let other gangs set up shop and lead me to losing more men." Jaune nodded at the explanation before he got up from the barstool.
"That sounds like a simple task." Jaune said, getting Junior to nod.
"Normally I'd send one of my guys, but with most of them still recovering from a senseless beatdown."
"I heard about that. What happened?" The blonde asked.
"It was a bit of a stressful night before some broad came in and started asking questions. She wasn't happy when I couldn't give an answer and tried use force." Junior said before rubbing his head. "Just remembering it is giving me a headache. Anyway, long story short, my guys tried to keep the peace and she ended sending most of them to the hospital. They weren't prepared for a huntress-in-training."
"Sorry for asking." Junior waved off the apology. "What did she look like?"
"Honestly? She could've passed as your sister." Junior said, getting Jaune to blink in surprise. "Same blonde hair but it was longer and she had purple eyes. Figure wasn't too bad, but it was clear she was dressed to catch your attention." Jaune couldn't help but nod slowly as the image of Yang appeared in his head.
"Small world…" Jaune mumbled, getting an amused grunt from Junior. "By the way, do you know any blacksmiths that can handle Huntsmen weapons?" The blonde asked, getting Junior to stop.
"Well, there are only three in Vale. Pyre is one of them, why don't you give her a call." The man said before he pulled out a small card. "Here, snatched a few of these a while back." Jaune took the card and pulled out his scroll as he walked away.
"I'll be back." Junior simply nodded as he watched Jaune walk away.
҉¯`•.¸¸.•´¯Pyre's Shop (With Blake)¯`•.¸¸.•´¯҉
"Remind me to give you and blondie a key." Pyre said as she walked away from the door. Behind her, Blake and the others entered the shop, the others taking a moment to look around while Blake followed Pyre to the counter.
"You seem better than before." Blake said, noticing how despite the loud conversation Nora and Ruby were having, Pyre wasn't covering her ears.
"Yeah, blondie left me a little gift before he dipped this morning." Pyre said, pulling out a little glass bottle; it was small and dark with a cork on top to keep its contents inside. "Hell if I know what it is, but it got rid of my hangover instantly." The Faunus said with a smile before she looked behind Blake and snorted dismissively. "So, I'm guess they're not here as customers." The Faunus said lowly.
"They're here to see Jaune." Blake answered back just as quietly before she looked back at the others. Ruby was currently looking over some weapon attachments with Nora while Ren and Pyrrha were looking at some sharpening stones. Yang was simply leaning against the wall near the door with her arms crossed. "Most of them anyway. Is he back?"
"Nope, he's been gone since this morning." Pyre said before she straightened her body a bit. "He did say he was going to meet someone, so he's probably still with them." The shopkeep said with a shrug before raising an eyebrow and leaning forwards, resting her weight on a single elbow. "Why not just call him? He has a scroll." Blake's ears flattened in response to that before she hung a her a bit.
"Because I don't have his number." The Faunus said, getting Pyre to let out a sigh. Before she could say anything, she pulled out her scroll and held it up to her ear. "Hello? Blondie?" Blake, and everyone else, looked at Pyre as she leaned against the counter. "How'd you get my number? Really? Alright, what's going on?" There was a moment of silence before the Faunus nodded. "I got nothing, but I can ask around. Also, kit-kat and a few of her friends are here to see you." Pyre said, before another moment of silence passed. "Got it. Don't do anything stupid, you just got out of the hospital." Pyre said before she removed the scroll from her ear.
"Was that Jaune?" Ruby asked, getting a nod from Pyre.
"Yep. Sounds like blondie's got some plans for today." The Faunus said before she smirked. "Guess life's always exciting with him around." The others shared a look with one another before they saw Pyre wave her hand. "Anyway, he said that he be out for a bit and that someone name Weiss was in Vale. I'm guessing she's a friend of yours too?"
"She's actually her partner." Blake said, motioning to Ruby. "But why is she in Vale?"
"Look, as much as I love the company, I do run a shop here." Pyre said before she gave a dismissive wave. "Could you talk about this somewhere else? Who know, you might run into blondie out there." There was a moment of silence before everyone left the shop, leaving Pyre by herself. "And guess that means I have to pick up my work." The Faunus said before she walked away from the counter.
Finally! That took so much longer than it should!
To those wonder, I kept calling Neo, 'the girl' because Jaune doesn't know her name.
I know it's rushed, but I think it's decent considering my circumstances. I don't know when the next chapter will come, but I'll try my hardest to get it up soon. Thanks to anyone willing to stick around and until next time, see ya!