A/N: Hello, all you beautiful people. Thought I'd go ahead and upload the next chapter in this since so many were disappointed that I only had one chapter ready. I will say that the way I write my stories is kind of idiotic. I don't do outlines (Tried it once. It actually made it worse for me because I felt like I had to go by the outline. ADHD sucks, guys.) and I don't really know what I'm going to write from chapter to chapter (It's why I was going to put this one on pause. Agaain. I only had the initial chapter and this one thought up, so, again, going to be writing chapters for some of my older stories because I actually know what I want to write next.)

Enjoy!

RWBY is owned by Roosterteeth and the late Monty Oum

The Castellan

Chapter 2

Jaune was woken in the early hours of the morning as light spilled into the room and on his face. He groaned at that, feeling stiff from the previous day's activities but especially from the drive to get here.

After lying there for a moment, he rolled up onto his feet before standing upright and got dressed, not noticing the ambient mote of yellow light floating around him as he did so.

Nor did he see as the red and white figures seemed to fade away as soon as he rose and revealed his state of undress.

He looked around as he noted that the cat was not longer there then shrugged not really caring all that much. It was a cat. It was probably off doing cat things like hunting mice. He hoped it was doing something like that.

He'd hate to have to hire an exterminator for something like that.

He yawned and stretched as he made his way toward the kitchen. The mote followed behind, bobbing and weaving in the air in an almost happy manner.

Once there he opened the fridge and frowned, finding it empty. "Of course, it's empty, Jaune." He admonished himself. He shut the door and stood up as he said, "Welp, no use complaining about it. Guess I'll just have to go and get something then."

He returned to the room he had slept in and gathered up his things including his car keys then he walked through the house once more. He noted all that he'd have to take care of once more. Dust, was the least of it.

As he left the house the yellow mote remained behind. It hung there in the air listlessly and almost seemed to be sad that he was gone. So emotive was this reflection that the mote almost seemed to wink out of existence at the loss of Jaune.

An hour later as Jaune pulled back into the driveway the mote seemed to flash brightly with joy as it bobbed and weaved through the air once more excitedly. It vanished from existence as Jaune stepped up the stairs to the porch.

He didn't notice.

Once he got inside he loaded up the cabinets and the fridge with food before cracking a trio of eggs over a pan and made himself a cheese omelet with chives. A tall glass of milk later and he was done with breakfast.

A quick wipe down at the sink and he was ready for the day.

The first thing he needed to do was bring some more light in here. The overhead bulbs were barely doing anything as it was.

To that end he left the mansion and made his way back to the outbuilding where he found the water pump to look for a few tools. Once inside he found just what he was looking for, a crowbar and a couple of empty pails.

Once more he failed to note the figure in red as it watched him from the window before vanishing as he turned towards it. He blinked as he saw something at the corner of his eye and moved to look out the window.

All that was out there was the overgrown fields. He blinked once again at that before slowly moving away. Then he shook his head as he picked up his tools and made his way back to the house.

He looked back at the machine shop-cum-smithy before he left, wondering just what it was used for, and what he could do with it now. He didn't just want to sell off the equipment and tools therein, even if he'd probably get a good price on them. It, seemed wrong to him, to do something like that, for some reason.

/ /

Back at the house he filled the two pails full of water from the kitchen sink and got started with all the cleaning.

He started in the kitchen, seeing as he was already there. He hadn't bought the necessary cleaning supplies to treat the intricate wooden reliefs or the porcelain, but it would be enough for now. He just wanted to get the initial surface level of dust cleared away.

If he was going to live here for any duration, it at least needed to be sanitary.

He wiped down the central island and the counters in and around the five stoves - again, who needed that many? The shelves and cabinets, the two windows looking in and finally the floor itself. Scrubbing at it on his hands and knees.

Somewhere along the way he had taken off his shirt as he began to sweat from all the manual labor, and after an hour or two of work, he had developed a fine shine of sweat to his taller and slender yet surprisingly muscular form. It dripped from the matted hairs of his bangs and ran down in rivulets over the defined curvatures of his pecs and abs.

So ingrained in the work he was doing, Jaune failed to note that he was being watched from the shadows. The white figure loomed over him from the corners of the room. Never quite in the same place where a living being would stand, it always seemed to vanish before he moved to another location.

And, as he finished wiping away at the last spot before the entrance to the kitchen area, there came a knock at the main entrance. He looked up at that as he heard a familiar voice call out, "Mister Arc? Are you there?"

"Ah, hold on a minute!" He returned as he finished squeezing out the last of the water from the rag he had been using and tossed it down next to the pail full of dirty grey water before getting back to his feet with a wince at the pain in his knees and lower back and started towards the entrance with an almost eager, nervous energy.

The white figure unlike before, stayed manifested and floated softly behind him curiously.

Jaune turned the corner and smiled as he found Ms. Fall, the real estate agent standing there in the open doorway of the broken entrance. "Oh, Ms Fall! This is unexpected." He said on seeing her, smiling brightly. Then he frowned in thought as he stood there and asked, "Is there, something, I can do for you?"

"Ah, Mr Ar-Oh, goodness! My apologies, sir. I-I-I didn't know that you were busy." She started, blushing ferociously at his appearance and looked away. "I, uh, I can come back later, if you want?"

Jaune blinked at that and rubbed at his head, sprinkling droplets of dust-laden sweat over the floor as he said, "Oh, no. I'm not that busy right now. Just cleaning a bit. What can I do for you, Ms. Fall?"

"Oh, please, call me Cinder, sir." She replied with a bright, coy smile and shifted the purse she held in both hands for a bit, tapping her fingers upon it for a bit nervously, before tilting her head to the side as she asked, "I was just wondering if you've changed your mind about selling the estate yet?"

Jaune laughed boisterously for a bit before saying, "Well, it's only been one day, Ms fa-Cinder. Give it a few days. Let me at least try and tidy things up a bit and we'll come to a decision then. Alright?"

She stood there for a moment, a slight frown on her face before she nodded and said as she smiled, "Of course, sir. I come see how you're doing in a few days then." She then turned to leaving before looking back at him while brushing a hand through her gorgeous locks of hair as she asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you right now?"

Jaune frowned in thought for a moment before snapping his fingers as he blue eyes brightened and said, "If you could give me the information for a local work crew that would be helpful. It looks like I'm going to have a bit of work ahead in terms of repairs and possible reconstruction going forwards. Might need some help with that in the future."

She nodded as she quickly pulled out a spare sheet of paper and wrote down a number on it before handing it to him with a smile. Her hands lingered on his for a moment as she said, "Please, be sure to call me for anything, Mr. Arc." She rubbed her thumb over his as she said while looking up into his eyes under the veil of her hair, "I'm available for all your needs, Jaune."

He coughed and swallowed at that as he pulled his hand back and said, "Uh, ahem, uh, th-that's good to know, Ms. Fall. I'll, I'll be sure to call you before anyone else then, okay?"

She smiled and nodded before turning around once more and left, strolling down to the black Mercedes parked in the driveway behind his old beetle. Where she offered him a small wave of farewell before taking off.

Jaune gave an awkward wave in return before rubbing at the back of his head as he made his way back inside. That was… a thing he thought to himself before returning to what he was doing. The white figure continued to float behind him, only now its form which had previously been a single pillar of wispy white smoke now seemed to spike and pulse with agitation.

/ /

After a couple more hours of cleaning Jaune had cleared away the dust around the parlor, the living room connecting to the elevator and had started on the room where he had been sleeping. He had also torn down the boards covering the windows in the rooms illuminating the insides far more that the few remaining bulbs overhead.

It was beautiful inside, now that he could actually see. The carpet, where it was clean was still a rich brown while the walls were a warm and inviting red. Along the borders and edges of the walls were painted a rich gold color, too.

It made him smile as he saw it, being reminded of his parents' home.

He stopped for lunch, deciding to leave the house as he did so. While he was gone the golden mote floated around, seemingly joyful at all the light there was now filling the house as it positively pulsated with visible glee. The white figure wasn't as emotive, but it still seemed to be happier than its previously had as it began to float around the upper levels of the estate where the new homeowner had yet to visit and explore.

As it did, gliding along silently, a measure of the dust and grime on that level began to slowly disappear, fading away without aid. The same happened below. Wherever the golden mote made its way dancing through the hallways dust and grime vanished bit by by slowing healing the old estate.

When Jaune returned it was to find his new home somehow cleaner than he left it, at least not where he had cleaned it. He looked around inside at bit at that pondering how that could've happened. After all, he didn't know of any thief that cleaned one's home while they robbed it.

Finally, he shrugged it off, thinking that it only looked cleaner on his return, not that it actually was. And he went back to cleaning and tearing down more of the rotting boards from the windows of the lower level.

He took all the rotted boards of wood outside after he had done all that he could that day. He sighed, groaning as he took the still heavy piece of lumber outside, ignoring the cuts he had on his hands and arms.

He decided halfway down the driveway to instead take the lumber to the machine shop. He didn't know why he changed his mind but he made his way there all the same. Once there he began loading up the furnace there on the smithy side with as much as he could before attempting to light the wood.

It wouldn't light for some reason.

He didn't know if there was something wrong with the furnace or if the wood was too wet. It didn't seem to be. Eventually, he shrugged and left the outbuilding once more, going back to the house once more.

After he had left the red figure made its way inside the smithy from where it had been hiding outside. It seemed to pause at seeing some of Jaune's blood on the ground where he had cut himself on the way over to the forge's furnace.

The blood vanished at its unseen gaze, seemingly being absorbed into the stone of the building. After it was gone the figure turned to the furnace and the fuel left therein. It ignited without aid and began to burn merrily.

The figure vanished.

From there a rod of metal was shoved into the furnace as it heated up and a hammer was taken down from the rack of tools alongside a pair of tongs. More wood was shoved into the open furnace as the sounds of metal beating metal could be heard from within the outbuilding.

/ /

Late in the day Jaune was finally finished, too tired to clean or tear down anything else. He was back in the room he had slept in the night before and was just pulling off the sheets on the rest of the furniture in the room. Curious, as to what it all was.

He gasped as he removed the white cloth from the object before him, revealing a beautiful grand piano. He made to brush a hand over the shiny black surface only to pause as he noticed how dirty and cut up his hand was.

He frowned at that, not realizing just how hard he had gone at this project. How driven he had become.

"Best to clean up and go have dinner before I go to bed," he whispered to himself with a nod. He turned and left the room, going to the bathroom he had found earlier as he walked through the lower level.

As he left he failed to see the white figure staring down at him from the balcony overlooking the now revealed-to-be Music Room. It seemed… more real, more a person now. There was a distinct silhouette now. One that focused on him before looking at the piano down below. It smiled at that.

/ /

As Jaune was cutting up his dinner after cooking it he heard slight meow from his left. He looked to find the small black cat there, staring up at him and his food.

He sighed at that before smiling as he said, "I dunno. If I give some of this you might stay, and then I'd have to take care of you, huh?"

The cat merely meowed again in answer. Jaune laughed at that before putting a few pieces of fish on a small plate and placed it on the floor in front of the cat. It sniffed at it before meowing at him again and started eating.

Jaune chuckled again at that before saying, "Your welcome."

He made to take a bite of his own meal, the fork raised to his mouth, before he frowned and placed it back on his plate. He stood there in silence for a moment before finally said to no one in general, "You know, this reminds me of my mom's cooking. She made the best lasagna. The best fish." He took a bite of the fish in the echoing silence around him, tears in his eyes.

He dropped the fork as he began to weep in earnest while still standing there. The cat paused in eating and looked up at him as he did as the other occupants of the house.

"My parents… are dead." Jaune finally said, staring down at his food. "It was a stupid death, too. Now that I think about it."

The mote hover out of sight seemed to freeze at that as did the two figures, each now larger or more distinct. The cat watched him in silence, its food forgotten.

"It was a simple car wreck, you know? Wet streets. No one's fault. My parents have a bit of alcohol in their systems, not even enough to be over the legal limit." He looked up into the middle distance as he said, "Happened so fast that my father didn't even have time to activate his aura as the car collided with a tree. Died on impact."

Jaune said nothing else as he stood there. Eventually, he finished eating in silence and put both plates in the sink to be washed the next day. Then he went back to the Music Room to sleep.

The cat followed after him and leaped up to land lightly on his stomach as he laid down. He didn't bother to push it away as it curled up into a tight ball to sleep while looking at him with amber eyes.

He closed in his eyes and promptly fell asleep.

/ /

Cinder sighed in relief as she got out of the shower, a towel wrapped around herself, and finished drying her hair. She paused as she noticed the creature in her room, a floating orb with red tentacles ending in white barbs hanging below it.

She let out a small breath of air before stalking up to the Seer Grim. She looking into the swirling depths for a moment as she licked her lips before saying, "Mistress?"

The depths changed into an image of a room in some kind of building. One of gloom and dark stone. And in that room appeared the face of a nightmare. It was so white it couldn't even be determined as pale with pitch black veins. Above that face were a pair of demonic eyes, glowing red pupils in solid black sclera. The face smiled graciously at Cinder before asking in the regal, dulcet tones of a monarch of old, of a queen, "Cinder dear, have you found what we seek?"

Cinder flinched at that, fearing what was to come, before saying, "No, Mistress. The new occupant seems ignorant, and is, honestly, quite stupid. In my opinion. He doesn't seem to know anything about the estate's secrets and is merely there to take over."

"Patience, now. Let's see what is to come with the boy. I'm sure there's some secret involving a family member to solve the puzzle. Continue to act as instructed. Is that understood?"

Cinder dropped to a knee as she bowed and said, "Yes, Mistress. I understand. Without you, I am nothing."

There was a pause before she heard, "So long as you remember." Then the Seer suddenly died in as its insides burst forth and filled the room.

Cinder sighed at that, relieved to not be punished for her lack of success. But she knew that wouldn't last. Not with her master. She turned and started back towards the shower again, a flicker of flames at her eye.

After all that she was no longer feeling all that calm, and, seeing as there was nothing more she could do today, she might as well take another shower. After all, it wasn't her money, now was it?

A/N: Think Jaune is haunted guys. The ghosts seemed to be getting stronger. Is it the blood or the sweat? (Trick question. It's his energy. They be eating him like a Mistrali Yokai. At least, they're cute. Or, will be, once they fully manifest.)

And, what could Cinder be looking first? It's pretty obvious. I don't do subtle, guys. You know this.