Chapter 8: Everything as it Seems
Jaune was standing at the window of the dingy apartment he and his team were using as a temporary base. He was fully dressed with his white and gold breastplate on and a red sash around his waist. His old sword and shield were nowhere to be seen as he'd returned them to his family years ago. But in their place he had a bulky bracer on his left arm that had a few tricks folded away inside of it.
Outside, the afternoon sun was just beginning its descent toward the horizon. Jaune's gaze was fixated on the apartment building that was opposite his across the street as he contemplated the day's events. His meeting with Ruby and Weiss this morning had not gone as planned, and he didn't know what to do about it. But things never, ever seemed to go to plan, so in some sense, everything was normal. Jaune knew he'd figure something out, eventually. He always did.
The minutes ticked by, and Jaune finally turned away from the window. That was when he noticed Ren lurking about nearby, occasionally stealing a glance in his direction.
Jaune smiled and said, "It's okay, Ren. You can say what you want to say."
Ren did not say anything, but he also didn't look away.
Jaune walked over to Ren and put his hand on Ren's shoulder. He said, "You can hide from almost anyone. But not me. I know you've got something on your mind."
Ren said, "I think we're in over our heads."
"When haven't we been in the last three years?" Jaune asked, removing his hand. "When haven't I been in the last six?"
"This is different," Ren said.
"How's that?" Jaune asked. "Sure, Ruby and Weiss weren't exactly what we were expecting, but does that really matter?"
"It matters a lot. They're inseparable," Ren said. He pulled out his scroll and showed it to Jaune. He started swiping through a series of pictures of Weiss. All of them appeared to have been taken at various public events that Weiss had attended. Many of them even looked like officially publicized photos.
"What's this now?" Jaune asked.
"Wherever Weiss goes, Ruby's there too," Ren said. He pinched his fingers on his scroll's screen and zoomed into the background of one of the photos. There was a smudge of red that Jaune assumed was supposed to be Ruby.
Jaune frowned. He wanted to believe that Ren was exaggerating, but Ren didn't usually make mistakes. He'd become something of an expert at combing through publicly available information in recent years, always quietly and methodically figuring out what the team needed to know.
Jaune said, "I'm sure they don't spend all their time together."
"Then why hasn't Ruby been back to her apartment?" Ren asked. "And why did she say she 'used' to live there?"
Nora suddenly rolled by on an old, wheeled office chair. She kicked the chair into a spin and said, "It's because Ruby and Weiss are in loooooove!"
Jaune said, "I don't know about that."
"Come on!" Nora said. She stomped a foot down, stopping her chair from spinning. "The lonely heiress and her gallant bodyguard? It's a sure thing!"
Ren said, "Real life isn't like those romance novels you read, Nora."
"Oh yeah?" Nora said. She planted both of her feet on the ground and stood. "Then how do you explain this!?"
Nora emphatically pointed at the ring hanging on the chain around her neck.
Ren didn't respond right away.
"Say it!" Nora playfully demanded. She stalked closer to Ren.
The faintest hint of a bashful smile crossed Ren's face. For him it was the equivalent of emoting wildly.
"Saaay it!" Nora repeated. She walked right up to Ren, practically mashing her face into his.
"I love you, Nora," Ren said.
"Yeah!" Nora cheered. Then her expression changed from goofy to sweet in an instant. She gave Ren a doe-eyed look. Then she reached out and touched the tip of his nose, saying, "Boop!"
Ren leaned in closer to Nora and gave her a soft kiss which Nora enthusiastically returned. She even threw her arms around him and popped one of her feet into the air.
Jaune shook his head with a bittersweet smile on his face. He was happy for Nora and Ren. He truly was. But it was difficult for him to see them together sometimes. It was a reminder not only of what he'd lost but of what he would never reclaim. Still, if there was one thing he'd learned time and time again, it was that saving the world required sacrifice. There was no sacrifice Jaune wasn't willing to make. All that really mattered was that in the end the forces that truly threatened the world were stopped for good.
Nora and Ren were still locked in the same kiss. Jaune cleared his throat and said, "We need a new plan. What about that person Ruby was talking to? Yang? Or that Blake she mentioned? Does anyone know who they are?"
Nora finally released Ren who had apparently been running out of air. His face was red now, and he staggered a little. Nora giggled.
Ren quickly composed himself. He said, "I already did some searching on my scroll. The only thing I found connected to either Ruby or Weiss was a police report from earlier this year that accused a Blake Belladonna and a Yang Branwen of assaulting Weiss at a gala held at the Schnee Family mansion."
"So many B's!" Nora said.
Jaune said, "That doesn't sound like the kind of people who'd be calling Weiss's bodyguard. Or talking with Weiss."
"I agree," Ren said. "But they were all I could find."
"Hmm," Jaune said. He started pacing around the apartment.
Jaune didn't like how complicated the situation was getting. But he realized he should've expected that anything connected to someone like Weiss Schnee would inevitably become complicated. People like her were always embroiled in pointless politics and drama. And to make things worse, Jaune was pretty sure Weiss didn't like him. That part really confused him. He had met a lot of people like Weiss over the years, people with power or money or both. They usually went out of their way to appear to be his best friend, at least in public. Jaune didn't really get it, but it had happened so many times that he just had to assume it was good business for those in charge to pause for a photo op and be seen shaking hands with the leader of a world-famous team like his.
It was still unbelievable to Jaune that someone like him, who had cheated his way into Beacon Academy and then been powerless to prevent its destruction, was treated like anything other than the dirt beneath people's feet. But here he was, idol to some and hero to many. He wondered what people would think if they really knew what his life was like. Would they judge him for the decisions he'd had to make over the years? He supposed all of that was moot. He knew beyond doubt what his life's mission was, and he would stop at nothing to complete it.
Jaune realized he was getting distracted. He chided himself. Losing focus was dangerous. Losing focus got people killed. He stopped pacing. But when he looked up, he noticed that Ren was staring at him again.
Jaune said, "I know what you're thinking, Ren."
Ren crossed his arms.
"Come on. Say it," Jaune prompted. He wanted to hear this. He needed to.
"This isn't what Pyrrha would have wanted," Ren said.
"Of course it's not," Jaune said. "Pyrrha would have found a better way. But she can't. She can't because…."
Jaune trailed off. In his mind's eye he was back at Beacon six years ago on top of that tower after he'd clawed his way out of that locker. He saw the arrow pierce Pyrrha's chest. He saw her burn to ash. He felt the same feelings of abject helplessness. He saw the mocking contempt in Cinder Fall's eyes as she triumphantly rode away on her wyvern. He hadn't been good enough that day. He hadn't even been worth Cinder's time to kill. And while Cinder may have dealt the fatal blow, Jaune knew the truth. He was the one who'd killed Pyrrha. She was dead because of him.
Nora's worried voice suddenly cut through Jaune's dark thoughts. "Jaune?"
Jaune shook his head clear. He smiled, although there wasn't an ounce of happiness behind it. He said, "Pyrrha's not here. We're here. So we have to do the best we can. For her."
Ren said, "There has to be a better use of our time."
"Like what?" Jaune asked. "This is the only lead we've had in months."
Ren didn't say anything, and Jaune could tell that for once it was because he didn't have anything to say. He didn't have any answers.
Jaune sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He said, "Maybe it's time to look at the White Fang angle again."
Nora suddenly giggled. Jaune glanced at her. Nora was bouncing up and down like a young child who was desperately trying to keep a secret.
Jaune asked, "What is it, Nora?"
"Sienna Khan is dead!" Nora blurted out.
"What!? When?" Jaune asked.
"Yesterday!" Nora said.
Ren asked, "How do you know this, Nora?"
Nora put her hands on her hips and indignantly said, "You're not the only one who can dig through police reports, Ren!"
Jaune said, "Nora, I've seen you try. You get bored before you've even finished one."
Nora stuck out her tongue at Jaune.
"Oh," Jaune said, finally putting two and two together. "You've been talking with our 'special friends' again."
"We're pen pals!" Nora said. "Or…scroll pals?"
"Did they tell you anything else?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah! Councilwoman Hill's been secretly meeting with—" Nora started to say.
"About Sienna Khan dying," Jaune clarified.
"Oh," Nora said. "Rumor has it someone named 'Blake' killed her."
Jaune silently stood there. Surely there was no way that the Blake who Ruby and Weiss had been talking about could be the same one who had assassinated the head of a prominent terrorist organization. But then again, what else would prompt such an outburst from Weiss like the one Jaune had witnessed? But why would Weiss, whose family had regularly been victimized by the White Fang, be upset about Khan being killed? There was clearly a bigger picture that Jaune wasn't privy to. He really hated all the intrigue that surrounded the elites of society, and this was a prime example.
Ren unknowingly agreed with Jaune when he said, "This all seems very complicated."
"Yeah…" Jaune said. "But we'll just have to deal with it. We know what we need, and we know what's at stake."
"Sounds like you have a new plan," Ren said.
"As much of one as ever," Jaune said.
Nora said, "So…no plan?"
Jaune ignored Nora's pithy but not necessarily inaccurate quip. He said, "I think we can work with this. Nora, get in touch with our special friends. Tell them we have a new job for them."
Author's Note: Oh hey! Looks like Robyn won the election in this universe. Good for her!
I've been looking forward to getting to Jaune's part of the story. (Which is not a phrase I'd ever thought I'd type.) I'm sure some of you were expecting/hoping that Pyrrha would still be alive, but sadly, the circumstances of her death didn't involve Team RWBY at all. So no change. But what has changed is that Ruby wasn't there to form Team RNJR/JNRR and catch Jaune during his lowest moment. I've spent a lot of time thinking about how that would change the trajectory of his life.
By the way, I disagree with Jaune on his culpability in Pyrrha's death. But I'm sure not going to be able to change his mind. Especially not since he personally witnessed Pyrrha dying in this universe.
As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.
