A/N (5/29/2022): Ooof, was worried about the reception of the last chapter, but it seems fine enough.
Thanks for your reviews guys! Some people have pretty insightful things to say, and others I'm just happy to see you still reading!
Beta: Path of a Writer
/-A Requiem for a Gamer-/
Jaune blinked as he woke up back in the real world. He gave the ceiling a deadpan. "Couldn't you have waited until we finished our conversation?" He yawned. His muscles ached and body felt generally sluggish. "It's like you choose the most random of times." He glanced at his window. "Oh, it's the middle of the night? That must be why I'm feeling like shit."
Deciding to go back to sleep, he straightened up his sheets and covers and moved back to the middle of the bed. There, he got comfy, aiming to fall back to sleep and continue his conversation with Cardin.
Enemy types were something that he hadn't considered too much yet. From what he could tell, there was little that restricted the creature design other than requiring them to be mostly black with white highlights, and maybe having red eyes. He couldn't wait to see all the variations there were. Grimm cats, Grimm slime, Grimm hamburgers - the possibilities were endless!
What have I seen already? I believe the Beowolves… and the Ursas? The first are kind of like wolves standing on two feet, while the second was just a bear. He paused. Wait, you have complete freedom to make anything you want, and you make… basically a werewolf and a bear. He racked his mind for anything that stood out from the monsters, but nothing special came to mind. I guess the Beowolves were faster, and the Ursas hit like a truck, but that's like the most basic of basics! Where are the… um… the… dogs… with… helicopter blades… and uh… fire… monkeys? Damn it, I'm not saying I'm more creative, I'm saying you could be more creative, Light and Dark! He adjusted his sleep position, feeling a tiny bit uncomfortable in his previous one.
I suppose there is the 'Faunus' he mentioned to look forward to. While I can't say I'm a fan of subterfuge based games, it should spice things up a little. Zombies, vampires, that's a bore. Turning what should be innocuous, safe, or good things into horrifying monsters is a staple of horror. From Cardin's description, could these Grimm hide as cute dogs like corgis or something? Imagine trying to pet one but then it unfurls into an unspeakable monstrosity. Or maybe one could even hide in your bed, and jump at the moment you think you are the safest!
Jaune paused. He gently patted his sheets. "Please don't jump me."
Wait a sec, these Grimm… Can they really just have any powers? The ones I've seen are just physically strong. Cardin mentioned some elemental ones, and uh, some others, but they've got to have some limits, or maybe some reasons behind what they can do, right?
Where do they even come from? Are they spawned the moment I enter a new area? He gasped as something came to him. Can they have romance? Can Johnny ask Mark about his sex life?!
Important questions!
Really tho… What is a Grimm?
Cause now that I think about it, could their black and white color scheme say anything about their origins?
He laid there for a few minutes, considering it, before he abruptly sat up. "Fuck. I'm not falling asleep, am I?" He threw his covers aside and went to his desk. There, he ripped out a random sheet of paper from one of his literature notebooks and started writing.
What is a Grimm?
What can they do?
How can they do things?
Why can they do things?
He paused, contemplating the list for a second.
Why are we here?
…
Well that is one of life's greatest mysteries.
At least I'm stuck here, where I have Ren, Nora, and my games, than in some dumb empty canyon in the middle of nowhere.
Jaune lifted his pen off the paper. I think someone said that writing will help me organize my thoughts, but I think I just leveled up my ADHD. He placed a hand over his face again. Shit, it's the middle of the night, this ain't time for philosophy again.
He put it down, staring back at the ceiling.
Well, it's not like any of these questions are pressing or anything.
He continued staring at the ceiling. A few minutes later, he started wondering why it had all those lumps. Huh, something completely mystifying was right here and I have never really wondered.
…Kind of looks like pebbles… Or maybe popcorn?
He stared at the ceiling for a little bit longer.
"Let's play some video games." He decided instead.
/-/
"Jaune, you look dead tired. Has midterms been kicking your butt that badly?" Asked Ren.
Jaune rubbed the rim of his nose, grimacing and regretting everything. He had played a little bit, but then it had started getting really interesting and Kratos had seemed to get some character development. After playing God of War till he got bored enough to tell himself to stop, he then realized that there was this limited edition event going on in League, which he was about to miss since he wasted a whole bunch of free time on the gods. There, he might have gotten into a little, tiny losing streak… of seven matches… and then decided he'd quit when he won a match.
Before he knew it, it was noon and he had to rush to class.
Jaune raised his head to meet Ren's eyes. "...Yes. Midterms." The two of them, plus Nora, were walking to their second class of the day. Though they all had different classes next, Jaune's and Nora's were on the way to Ren's so they tagged along.
"Take care of yourself. Next time, remember to study earlier, right?"
He felt a bit bad for worrying Ren, but Jaune will admit that he'd probably do it again. Behind Ren, Nora was also giving Jaune a look, though this one was one full of… envy?
Ping!
Jaune glanced in reflex at the top right of his HUD, before snorting and taking out his phone.
[Nora Valkyrie][Now]: U luky bastrd
He glanced back at her, confused.
[Jaune Arc][Now]: What?
[Nora Valkyrie][Now]: Bet u stayd up all nite playing CSGO
[Jaune Arc][Now]: Don't worry about me. You can make bad decisions too.
[Nora Valkyrie][Now]: Ren would have my but
Ren lowered Jaune's phone. "I swear, what's with you two? The other day, Nora texted me about her laundry when I was in the room right next to her." He shook his head.
Jaune chuckled. "Well, that is funny."
He raised his phone back up.
[Jaune Arc][Now]: Didn't you stay up all night that time before that convention, drawing?
[Nora Valkyrie][Now]: Luck. Ren had a night shft. Some place called Freddies.
[Jaune Arc][Now]: I heard about that place. Didn't some kid get bitten?
[Nora Valkyrie][Now]: Nah. Tht's Chucky Cheese.
"It's your stop, Jaune."
Jaune looked up from his phone and it really was the classroom for his next class. "Oh! Thanks Ren!"
"No problem." Ren sighed. "Really, what would you two do without me?"
Jaune waved them goodbye and entered the classroom, heading to the front seats.
Prehistoric Aegean and East Mediterranean Art and Archaeology was the name of this class, taught by Professor Oobleck. It had quite the mouthful of a name and was also far harder than he'd thought it'd be. Worst of all, it had a midterm coming up next week on Friday in addition to the start of a new project. At least I'm lucky enough that my midterms aren't all on the same week, unlike some other people.
It was a small class filled to the brim, with about 30-40 students. He knew most of the people there by name - not that he talked to any of them.
Not anymore, at least.
He sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head, picking a random section of the long tables at the front to sit at. In this room, there were no singular desks. Instead, every row had a long table that extended from one side of the room to the other, split in the center in order to allow traffic through the middle. In addition, every row was elevated in order to allow people in the back to see better, so to head forward, he had to descend the central ramp. Arriving at his seat, he let himself melt into the chair before opening his eyes.
His head absentmindedly tilted to the woman sitting beside him, who he swore was staring at him.
"Weiss?! Oh - Fuck!" He jumped, scrambling to correct his posture, causing his toe to smash itself against the table leg.
It was the same toe he'd banged against his bed post yesterday morning.
"FUCK!"
"...Jaune." The white haired girl acknowledged with a raised eyebrow as Jaune gripped his foot painfully. "Are you fine?"
He continued to swear, until the pain subsided. "Yeah… fine now." It still throbbed.
"I meant in the head."
Most of the class stared at him, including the professor.
Jaune waved back reassuringly. The show having finished, everyone slowly went back to what they were doing.
Weiss gave him a look. "Just because I helped you with your prose, doesn't mean we're friends."
Jaune couldn't help but return her look with one of his own. Why's she so hostile? I know we had our… history, but it's nothing to be that mad at me over, is it? "Actually, I sat here by accident. Plus, it's not like there's that many seats left. If you want me gone, I'd be happy to - though not sure why you'd want that, since my company's pretty great, if I say so myself."
She stared at him, her sky blue eyes icy and cold. "…If you have no other intentions, then I suppose…."
At that point, the door at the very back of the room opened, the same one that Jaune had stepped through. Curious, he glanced back, and for the second time in the last minute, he was shocked once more. In stepped Ruby, in her… Gothic attire? Victorian cosplay? This time, rather than a lacy black and red dress, however, she wore a sort of maroon overbust corset, letting Jaune in on the fact that she most likely had a full wardrobe of this stuff.
What - Why's she here?! I would have noticed if there was a hardcore live action roleplayer in this class! Did she transfer in? I guess it could be - but isn't that too much of a coincidence?! Did Light bring her into my life again because of his game?! Or - A thought came to him. - Did he foretell that she would come and put her in the game because of that?! This was all assuming that this was the real Ruby to begin with.
A pale hand clasped on his arm, making him turn to face Weiss' very still and stiff expression. "Don't you dare leave."
"Eh?"
Ruby looked around for a seat. There wasn't one at the back, so she headed forwards, walking down the ramp that was in between the left and right side of the room. Jaune sweated as she seemed to be targeting one of the chairs on the left, opposite to the side he and Weiss sat at.
Murmurs came from the people around them. Jaune paid them no heed, trying to keep his head focused on the professor setting up the projector as much as he could. Realizing it might be better if he tilted his head away, he turned ever so slightly over to Weiss' side.
Thump.
Jaune blinked as he saw Weiss slam a thick 3" binder onto the table, vertically so that it could stand up, and then bury her head in it.
"...Are the words really that small?"
"Shut up." She hissed back.
"Wei - "
She shoved something into his hands. "Here, an expired chocolate bar. Now shut up!"
Jaune slowly blinked at her, bribe in his hands.
As Ruby sat farther down at the long table to their left, professor Oobleck took that as the cue to start. He adjusted his tie, took a sip of his coffee, and pointed at the powerpoint slides shown on the projector screen behind him. The students quieted down.
"Welcome, welcome. I see attendance is very high today. Good." He rapidly said without stumbling over any words. "I also see some new faces. Disappointing, as I have mentioned before, that class attendance is essential to doing well in this course. Reading the textbook and doing the assignment will not be enough to pass." He paused, letting the seriousness of his statement grow in the silence. "Maybe I should have a 5% participation grade next year, if only to encourage your learning."
Silence.
He was undeterred. "Regardless, like I have mentioned previously, the last fifteen minutes of today's lecture will be about your group research project." He went to the next slide, showing a picture of a map of the East Mediterranean area. "Before that, we have that section about the prehistoric Phoenicians artifacts."
As usual, the lecture was a bore, but graduating required a set of course credits in diverse areas. He couldn't do only what he liked. Forty minutes later, he woke up from a daydream, having only been partially listening as the slides changed to show a picture of the class syllabus, with the 'group research project' section highlighted right above 'midterm'.
"As I mentioned before, I do not think an online-only group formation is conducive to good teamwork, so that is why there was the 2% free mark for just showing up today. I'll scan your student ID cards after the lecture, when you leave." He pressed a button on his computer, moving to the next slide. This one was an overview of the task. There were three components: a live presentation about halfway through, an essay on the topic, and a video presentation. The topic of each group's project had to be chosen from a list prepared by the professor. Then, he continued to a slide about group formations. "Anyone who's registered their group before Friday last week can get started on picking from the list of topics. Otherwise, I have entered your names into a randomizer."
Jaune leaned back on his chair. Heh. Jokes on you. One, I totally forgot about that, and two, it's not like there's anyone in this class I'd prefer to be with anyways!
…
I… don't feel like a winner. Well, go on. Let's see the groups.
Instead of changing slides, Professor Oobleck placed a medium sized box onto the table where his laptop was resting. "Everyone who doesn't have a group, please come in front and pick up a number."
We're drawing lots?! What century is this?!
"After you get a number, mingle and find others who have the same number. You will be a group."
Jaune got up. "...So, what - " He stopped himself, remembering what Weiss had said. He turned to see if she'd get mad again for no reason, only to see her using… a full blown make up kit behind her binder? Hearing him, she turned to face him.
He flinched.
It was the most egregious makeup job he'd ever seen. Her cheeks were so red and unnatural that he was reminded of a pikachu, and her eyes looked like she got sucker punched by a slime monster made out of eyeliner. In fact, just looking at her made him queasy.
"Erm… Do you want my help…?"
"Can you recognize me?" She impatiently said.
"Your white hair's pretty distinctive."
"Other than that!"
"Hm, yeah, I think the answer's a no."
"Good."
"...I'll… Uh…" He pointed at the box. "Go first then."
She started putting all the stuff she had taken out away. "You are permitted."
It looked like during his conversation with Weiss, several others had already taken their slips. "Anyone else need a slip?" The professor called.
"Yeah, yeah, two more!" Jaune walked over and took one.
To be honest, I'm half expecting it to be me, Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha. Jaune looked up at the current slide, seeing if it mentioned the group sizes. I think he said that it would be four each… Though that could be for a different class.
His eyes widened.
Pyrrha! Now that's a person I have never even seen in real life before. He frowned. Could it be someone I've met but forgotten? Well, that'd have to be someone I've met less than once, cause I usually remember people's names well if it's more than that. I really wonder what Light's criteria for his NPC creation is. Still, chances are, Pyrrha could be in this room, right? A second glance around told him that no, Pyrrha was not here. Or if she was, she definitely didn't look anything like from the game. Or she could be one of the few still missing lectures, though ingame she didn't look like a person who'd do that.
Well, whatever, let's see what I got.
He unfolded his piece of paper.
It was a coupon for 1 free small coffee at McDough's.
"The fuck."
"A joke, a joke." A second piece of paper was placed into his hands, courtesy of the prof himself.
Jaune couldn't help but stare, before shaking his head. He opened his second piece of paper, getting the number '1'. Heh, just like me!
Nearby, Weiss had also picked hers, so curious, he went over to check.
"I got 1. How 'bout you?"
"Also 1." The woman admitted.
"Excuse me."
Jaune flinched.
Though it was clearly the voice of a woman, it was unmistakably Ruby. There was no doubt about it. Turning to face who would most likely be their third group member, he gave his best winning smile… and he opened his mouth.
At this range, her familiar features stood out so much he couldn't help but seize up. Her odd, almost glittering silver eyes, her cheeks, round, and full. The many words he wanted to say froze in his throat. He wanted to ask her how she was, but, strangely, he also didn't. The unease he had felt back when he had seen her in that forested part of campus came back. Something was stopping him.
So all he said was hello and his name.
"Ruby." She said, confirming his suspicions. So now, I can ask her, right? Isn't this the perfect time? He opened his mouth… Before taking a bite of his expired chocolate bar.
"It doesn't taste expired…" He said to Weiss. "Can chocolate even expire, Weis - "
"White." Weiss interjected. "White's my name, Jaune. I don't like being called anything else."
Jaune stared at her, taking another bite.
Wait, if you think about it, shouldn't Ruby also be recognizing me? I don't think I've changed at all. I shouldn't think that the ball's just in my court - shouldn't she be saying something too? Anything at all?
He gave no thought to Weiss' behavior, having given up trying to understand her.
The two women exchanged pleasantries.
/-A Requiem for a Gamer-/
Ruby was confused. No, it wasn't about the strange, white haired woman with the most intense makeup she had ever seen. It was about this Jaune look-alike.
Since returning from her home country back to Vale, she had always known the possibility of meeting her old friends again. In fact, there were times in which she had thought to contact them. However, each time, she chickened out.
I had changed a lot, after all. Experienced a lot. Would they… still want to be my fr - She had stopped herself from even thinking that extremely embarrassing phrase, even within the confine of her own mind. P - Plus I'm sure they are busy too… and isn't it kind of weird to communicate with people you haven't talked to since elementary? I would just be a bother, right?
She couldn't do it.
So, when she saw Jaune, Ren, and Nora for the first time two years ago, she had ducked behind a corner, her heart beating in her chest. She hadn't been ready, she needed more time. So, she waited, and dodged and weaved every other time, trying her best to stay undiscovered. Sometimes, she tried making up her mind and going up to them, but would always give up part way through and end up following them instead… secretly.
Which wasn't stalking, I swear!
And then today happened.
It was there, standing before the blond haired, blue eyed man, that she had realized.
This is another Jaune.
After all… is it really the same Jaune if he doesn't, to every new woman he meets, introduce himself and say that his name is short and sweet, and rolls nicely off the tongue?
Therefore, no awkward reunion! She patted herself on the back, mentally, for a job well done.
/-A Requiem for a Gamer-/
Jaune looked around for the fourth member. No one had come, and everyone else was already grouped up and discussing topic choices. To him, it seemed likely that the last person just didn't come to the lecture. That would be unfortunate, to be paired with a teammate like that, who wouldn't even take responsibility for their own grades.
Maybe if it was really Pyrrha, she was just really irresponsible in this world?
"Hey guys, I'll go ask about our last group member." He volunteered.
"Feel free."
"Sure."
He went up to the professor and asked. To his surprise, he was shown the empty box.
"Ah, Jaune! I think I have an inkling on who this might be." Professor Oobleck walked up the ramp, heading to the back, where he started talking to a ginger-haired girl sitting alone. Jaune had seen her in class before, but she always seemed to blend in with the background. After a bit of coaxing… or something, Jaune couldn't tell, she nodded and came down, following behind the professor.
In the game, the NPC versions of the people I know all have really vibrant hair colors. Nora's dark, more brownish red hair was translated to a bright orange. Weiss' white-ish silver dyed hair became a natural pure white. Ruby is technically the exception here, with her black hair and dyed tips matching closely with her otherworld version - though there is the dyeing part there too. Same thing with Ren. However, Pyrrha's ingame hair color was a red as pure as a rose's. I can't imagine that being possible in the real world without very expensive dyes and special effects. Maybe this woman was what Pyrrha looks like in the real world?
The woman that descended wore a hoodie and jeans that were very baggy. Her gaze nervously switched between looking at the ground and the three of them. Trying to reassure her, Jaune gave her one of his beaming smiles. It caused the opposite effect, however, making her shrink behind the professor's back.
She and Pyrrha shared no similarities in mannerisms.
…Do they have to share mannerisms? He paused. One of them is a creation made by a god in order to screw with me, while the other is the actual version that they made for… whatever reason they made reality - which I really should ask about at some point. I guess if we go by comparable examples like Ren, Ruby, and Weiss, I can't say there is no connection. Ren's overall personality is calm and collected. Ruby's fashion tastes are in the same ballpark. Weiss… He paused once more. I'm not sure what to feel about Weiss. Out of the three, I'd say the distinction between her two versions are the most notable. I think if I pay more attention, I should be able to give concrete examples, but for now, I'd just say the game version is nicer. They are both perplexing at times, though.
He considered that for a second longer.
Wait… Isn't it odd that the game versions and the real versions aren't more different? The difference between the two versions is basically an entire lifetime of memory. You'd have to assume that had to matter in a major way, right? Unless a person's general personality and demeanor had already been decided at birth. Did Light take a shortcut and just give them similar backstories then, or am I perhaps thinking more than Light did on his game?
Jaune snorted. The answer is probably yes.
But then something came to him.
Wait, wait! If they have similar backstories… Won't I be able to get some insight into what happened to the real Ruby by asking the game Ruby? His eyes widened. I - I guess that wouldn't help with making a connection with her in real life. Rather, it would just sate my curiosity a bit. He bit his lip, not liking that.
"...aune. Jaune!"
"Huh, what?"
"Were you listening?" Weiss appeared right in front of his face, making him flinch backwards.
Jaune took a step back. "Nope! Uh…" He took a look around. "Where's Ruby?"
Weiss placed a hand over her eyes. "She said she was busy, and didn't have much time. I did add her to a Facebook group though."
Ugh, Facebook? Only old or out of touch people use that now. But sure, sure. He grimaced. Dammit, I hoped to get to talk to Ruby. Well, if it's like this, then I can go with my current plan. I'll talk to game Ruby about her backstory, then ask the real Ruby…
"We still need to decide the topic, so I suggested a few times frames we can meet at on Saturday." Weiss stated. "Here, let me add you."
"Oh, at this time I've got a shift, so won't be free then." He also gave her his facebook name and added her as a friend. Then, he faced the probably Pyrrha redhead. "Hey. Didn't introduce myself, right?" Huh, she has freckles. A bit taller than me… And purple eyes?! Never seen that - outside of games, that is.
"Yes." Weiss flatly deadpanned. "You decided to space out and completely miss out on the conversation."
"You could have hit me or something…."
"I'll keep in mind that I have your permission."
He rolled his eyes. "Right. Ahem." He cleared his throat, turning back to the redhead, and placed one of his winning smiles back onto his face again. "The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."
Weiss smacked her palm right over her face again, distracting him.
"What?" He asked.
"Don't mind me. Just realizing that some people have no self-awareness."
Look who's talking. "I'm so sorry for her behavior." Jaune apologized to the redhead, ignoring the outraged 'my behavior?!' Weiss spat out. "Please, just ignore…" He blinked.
Her face was entirely bright red. "U-uh. A-Ah." She stuttered out, hiding a bit within the collar of her jacket. "I-I also need to wo." She winced.
Did she just bite her tongue? Did you mean… 'to go'? "Er, before you go, you do need to give me your name." Oh, wait, I can check the group chat. It's probably Pyrrha anyways.
"Y - you too." She stuttered out, before sprinting away.
"Eh?" He looked back at Weiss confused. "Er, have a nice day?"
Weiss did the third face palm of the hour. "Her name is Carina."
"Ah, Carina - " He did a double take. "Who the fuck is Carina?!"
/-A Requiem for a Gamer-/
A/N (5/29/2022): This chapter was supposed to progress the Cardin plot, the Ruby plot, and the Light plot. Sadly, I wasn't able to get it entirely finished, so enjoy this first part of chapter 10. A bit slow, I know, but we'll be getting to the meat and gritty part of the misunderstanding in the next part!
I also wonder how many of you guys know where this Carina thing is going…
Next Chapter: June 26th, 2022