Hey guys, RGQC back here with another chapter for you all to enjoy, so yeah. I don't really have much to say, but are you guys ok with the story's slow pacing? Do let me know in the comments so I may know your thoughts on the matter.
Anyways, I have nothing else to say and as with all my other stories, I do not own RWBY, only my OCs in this story. RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.
Jade hummed a melody to himself that his mother had taught him a while back as he walked through the dirt streets of Kuo Kuana on his lonesome, and at the moment, he wore a faded green singlet alongside black shorts and slippers. And he also wore a notable forest green armband around his left arm.
And the main reason for going out by his lonesome? His mother had recently caught a flu from one of her recent patients and had to stay in bed to recover. Jade had to admit to himself that he finds it ironic that his mother, who was supposed to treat the sick, is the one whose currently ill.
Nevertheless, he did his best to help out around the house while his mother rested in her room to recover while his dad continued to work and train the locals. During this time, the cat Faunus also learned from his best friend that she would leave Menagerie soon to join the organised protests for Faunus rights overseas alongside her father, which Jade didn't mind.
At first.
And so, he waited for her to come back home. Days soon become weeks. And weeks became Months, and the poor cat Faunus grew ever more restless about his friend's whereabouts and overall missing her presence, though he kept that part to himself les he gave his and his friend's parents more teasing fuel. However, Aunt Kali assures him that Blake will eventually come back.
Even so, it brought a point to Jade that he only made a few actual friends in his years in school. He usually keeps to himself most of the time, and most of his 'friends' he made were just for convenience, as they would go to him for help with homework. Even then, due to his abnormality and uncanny maturity, most of his classmates avoid going near him unless they have problems with homework.
Though Jade will never say it out, he was deeply offended and upset by how they treated him but refused to let it bother him and mostly pretended as if nothing was wrong.
Shaking his head free of those thoughts, the main reason Jade was walking the dirt streets was that his mother had requested for him to buy some groceries from the market and with her currently ill and his father working, it left only him to go and purchase food for home. And while Jade has been on the streets alone before whenever he leaves the house to visit his best friend.
Though he's still rather tense about the idea of going alone to a place with many people, Jade could only guess that his solitary lifestyle made him uncomfortable in crowded areas. But he nevertheless pursued onward for his mother's sake. And it was crowded as it always was in the markets of Kuo Kuana.
Customers of all types of Faunuses could be seen mingling among themselves as Jade barely avoided colliding with another Faunus worker carrying logs of wood on his shoulder. With a sheepish grin, Jade apologised to the Faunus worker he nearly bumped into and went on his way before taking out a piece of paper from his pocket.
"Ok… I need to buy some loaves of bread and vegetables…" Jade stood at the side of the dirt road as he read through the shopping list. "Ok… cabbages, carrots… Wait. No fish today but pork bones? And lotus root? Is mummy planning to make soup for today?" Jade wondered in his head for a moment. Ever since that day, his parents learned that Jade could bake cookies. Whenever his mother returned home early, his mother occasionally called him to help make dinner.
And once, his mother even asked him to try and cook dinner by himself. To call it a disaster would be an understatement when they came back. The rice was dry, the soup was bland, the vegetables were overcooked, and the poor fish he tried to fry was charred black.
Melo was understandably pissed about the incident and how his son wasted money by making bad food. Still, Amranth stepped in and admitted that she was responsible and simply wanted Jade how to cook without them. And it was only through her words that Melo calmed down and accepted his wife's reasoning though next time, one of them would supervise him should they allow their child to cook again.
Amranth happily agreed, and they did their best to finish their son's cooking, including the little cat Faunus who visibly blanched at the sight of burned fish but did his best to finish everything he cooked.
Bringing himself back to reality after reliving that incident, Jade shook his head before pulling out some Lien from his pocket and began counting them. And Lien, the currency in this world, and it boggles his mind for reasons beyond him. It is just that Jade gets an uncanny feeling every time he has them in his hands as if they shouldn't be cards but paper.
Even more so when, apparently, Lien used to be denoted in paper notes, but a recent update on the currency from the four kingdoms requires everyone to convert their Liens into these plastic cards, which he doesn't get at all why they need to update them in the first place.
Jade's ears twitched as he kept the Lien before heading off to buy what he needed to get, still thinking about how there are things to question eight years after his birth in this world he calls home.
Jade POV
Another week passed, and Blake still hadn't returned from her trip overseas, and I was getting increasingly worried about her. It has been months at this point. I don't know how it was overseas, but must she be gone for this long? It's getting increasingly tiresome and lonely over here! And Blake still needs to continue with her homework! Definitely the homework.
And after that, I sat alone at the table doing my homework at home as mummy had recovered from her flu and had to return to work. So good for her, I guess. Well… That and all this homework are way too easy, and most of them were done in the span of an hour, which leaves me with plenty of time before my training with my father in the evening.
A walk outside would be nice to clear my mind from boredom... and I could go for a swim in the sea. That sounds like a terrible idea. I hate getting salt water on me. I shouldn't go into the water without supervision. Ok, I got a better idea!
"How about I explore the town a bit more before meeting with Father for training?" My thoughts wander briefly before I place the pencil back on the table, jump off my chair, and reach the main door. And once I was out of my house, I took a deep breath of the sea breeze before putting on my slippers and left.
It was cloudy but not dark enough to cause it to rain in Kuo Kuana as I walked through the streets to find something. Just something around here to entertain me. And I won't lie, once, I had entertained the idea of wandering in the jungles for a bit to see what I could find there, but my father says that my idea was terrible.
According to him, horrible monsters lurk within the jungles, and there are tales of children wandering too deep into the wilderness and never seeing the light of day again. I must admit, father's warning alone scared me straight, and I vowed never to venture there at all. It might be an overreaction, but that's how I felt after he explained it to me.
Anyways as I wandered through the streets aimlessly, I eventually stumbled upon a strange sight (According to me, at least.) of a couple of Faunus children around my age bullying another Faunus, which, at first glance, looked like a rabbit Faunus with brown hair on the ground surrounded by boys and girls. How strange.
This is the first time I see bullies here in a while, as the last time I did was a year or so back. Now they have returned to pick on the less fortunate of us here… How despicable that they do such things to others. With them distracted by their target, I shuffled close before leaning on the wall and peering around the corner. I picked up on their chatter, and it confused me greatly.
While most of their talking was dull and average, one thing stood out from their mouths.
Are they calling her a Half-breed? What the hell are they talking about?
Half-breeds don't exist on Remnant—only Human or Faunus, and while that is strange as a whole, it doesn't explain why they're calling that girl a half-breed. The only explanation is that it is mainly because one of her parents must be human. I must intervene and find the answers myself.
If nothing else, this should help me cope with my boredom without Blake or anyone around.
Stepping out from my cover, I brought my fist up to my mouth and let out an audible cough which garnered their attention. "What's going on here? Why are you bullying her?" I asked out as the biggest among them turned and faced me. And first glance tells me that he has canine fangs in his mouth.
Ok. That could mean he's a dog Faunus or other potential cousins that could have fangs like that. And as if by instinct, my cat ears perked up upon witnessing his sharp fangs, and I had this urge to run as far as I could. But I ignored and suppressed them, and it wasn't long till who I assumed was the leader of the bullies scowled at me.
"What do you want? This doesn't concern you at all, kitty cat." What I guessed was the leader of this gang spoke up. His other Faunus friends appear to be a mixture of mammalian, avian, and reptilian, with the majority being mammalian.
I gave my scowl back at the leader as I tilted my head to the side to see the poor rabbit Faunus still on the floor with tears in her eyes and the sound of her whimpering. I think she looked older than me by a year, and to drive it further that they bullied her, there were bruises on her arms and legs. Yet… Looking into her delicate facial features and brown eyes reminded me of something I didn't understand yet. Yet it triggered that same curious itch to know more. I hate it.
"What did she do to deserve it? She is a Faunus, is she not?" I then pointed out as the Faunus girl with a lion's tail scoffed at me with her arms folded.
"Her? A Faunus? More like a half-breed whose dad is a human."
"So?" I countered as I stepped forward with my eyes jumping over the bullies just in case they tried something against me. "From how I see it, you all are just being petty over here. And so what if her daddy's a human? She is still a Faunus, is she not? Why bully her for something she has no control over?"
My speech defending the rabbit Faunus first earned me glares from all six of them while I heard a soft surprised gasp coming from the rabbit Faunus on the floor, and second. The leader didn't like what I said as he snarled at me and showed his fangs at me.
Again, seeing him baring his fangs at me made my body stiffen as I felt my heart pumping at the possible fight that could happen and triggered my instincts again as I unconsciously took a step back. I don't like this.
"I'm feeling merciful today, so back off if you know what's good for you, cat." The bully leader said as he stepped forward while my eyes narrowed at his offer. Sorry to say it, but I'm not going anywhere. Though this might make mummy and daddy pissed about me getting into a fight, I'm sure they'll understand that I was simply protecting someone from bullies.
"Forgive me, but I cannot do that," I said as I brought my fists up and into my stance, which Father taught me during our training. "You guys are bullying someone over her parent's heritage, and I cannot let it go uninterrupted. So, allow me to give you an ultimatum. Leave while you can, and I assure you I won't make you all go home injured."
Silence overtook the situation before the leading bully barked out and laughed at my proposal. Yup, he's not buying it at all. Yet the Faunus boy with a single horn on his head recognised me.
"Wait, I know you. You're that cat Faunus, who's the son of that Huntsman who's training my dad as a Militia!" As the Faunus boy continued, he yelled out as his friends turned to him. "I remember watching you from the sidelines as he taught you how to fight with fists and a wooden sword!"
"Yup. That's me, kinda expecting word to spread out about me." A sly smirk grew on my face as I could tell that all of them were having second thoughts while the rabbit Faunus girl remained frozen on the ground, but her eyes were wide with surprise and were on me the whole time. "My offer's still available right now. You can leave now and be on your way while pretending that nothing happens over here. Or Imma beat you for bullying a fellow Faunus."
Yet, despite my hope for de-escalation through sacring them, it didn't work for their leader. Who disregarded his friend's words about me. "I'm not buying it. Come here!" He yelled as he suddenly charged and swung a fist at me. Rather sloppy, I must add.
Letting my father's training take over, I instinctively duck under his swing and send a counterattack as a hard slap to the face which thankfully sends him stumbling back. "You'll pay for that!" That bully cried out with rage as he swung another fist at me, hoping to hit me square in the face.
Unfortunately for him, his stance was all wrong, and I just had to take a step back as his fist missed me entirely, and he fell to the floor because of the awful positioning of his legs. I didn't even need to trip him! He did it himself.
Talk about an embarrassing display.
I couldn't help but raise my hands and address everyone watching. "I didn't do it. He just fell on his own." I said as that bully roared out with rage as he got back onto his feet and tried to grab me in the arm this time. That also didn't work, as I simply used my hands to push his hands away from me.
At this point, that bully was furious as he screamed and called me an annoying brat while demanding that I stand still so he could hit me. Is this guy serious? I danced around with the occasional deflecting for a few minutes while the others watched our dance silently.
And in the end, he tired himself out as I tripped him before stepping on his chest and leaning close to his face. "You've lost. Just give up already." I said in a bored tone as he didn't sound happy about it but knew that he was lost. With what I could guess was a resigned groan coming from his lips, I took my feet off his chest and walked past the bullies who ran to their leader.
And my eyes soon found themselves on the Rabbit Faunus, who still looked stunned that I 'defeated' her tormenter with ease. I'm still baffled that she never left at all. Instead, she looked at me with awe as if I were her hero. I'm kind of am now I think about it.
"Are you ok?" I spoke to the rabbit Faunus. My voice seemingly snapped her out of her astonishment that someone bothered to save her from bullies.
I think.
"Yeah… I'm good now." She muttered as I smiled at her and offered her my hand.
"I'm Jade Grayson. A pleasure to meet you." I said as the rabbit Faunus timidly took my hand into hers.
"Velvet Scarlatina." The rabbit Faunus officially introduced herself as Jade gently pulled her back onto her feet before she began to dust her clothes. Unknown to her and my utter confusion, hearing her name had given me a sense of Deja vu for some reason. Subtlety shaking my head, I turned around to see the bullies leaving us alone.
"More things I seemed familiar with, yet I do not know why…" I wonder for a second before I hear Velvet calling out to me.
"Um… Jade?" She said in a shy tone as I turned back to her.
"Yeah? They're gone now, so you should go home now." I explained as I glanced back to ensure they weren't there to attack Velvet as soon as I was gone. "Besides, why were they keep calling you a half-breed? That doesn't make any sense, doesn't it?" I then asked the rabbit Faunus who began to act hesitant before speaking.
"My… father is human…" Velvet said as if she was expecting me to respond negatively to her answer. I must find it fascinating that Velvet's dad is human. Then why is he doing in Menagerie in the first place?
"Huh. And they bully you just because you have a human father? That's dumb of them." A frown grew on my face as Velvet's face changed to one of surprise that I didn't care about her father's origins.
"You… don't care that I had a human for a dad?"
"Nope!" I shook my head as I swore for a moment. I saw Velvet's lips pulled up briefly before she acted timid again. "Let's get you home, and your mom probably would be worrying about your safety." I said as Velvet nodded at my proposal, and so we left.
As Jade and Velvet walked through the streets towards the rabbit Faunus' home, Jade would occasionally prod her with questions about her likes and dislikes while Velvet would respond to him. And while still on the way home, Jade asked a question that had bothered him since he met Velvet.
"Sorry if it sounds rather intrusive, but are you native to Menagerie?" The cat Faunus then asked as Velvet shook her head.
"I was born in Vale but recently moved to Menagerie with my mother for a while," Velvet explained as Jade nodded his head as she continued. "We rarely stay anywhere for more than a few years. We'll soon return to Vale so I can attend Pharos Academy." The rabbit, Faunus, explained as Jade paused with his eyes wide.
"Pharos Academy…" The cat Faunus murmured as he scratched his chin. "Isn't that one of the primary combat schools in Vale?"
Jade simply got a nod of confirmation from Velvet as it clicked on him. "You're planning to become a Huntress?"
"Yeah. Is it bad?"
Caught off guard by Velvet's choice of words, Jade could only shake his hands and head at such speeds you'd think they would have fallen off. "Wut?! No, it's not! My dad's a retired Huntsman from Haven." The cat Faunus explained as the rabbit Faunus's ears twitched.
"Oh? I remember I saw an advert to sign up as a local Militia and be trained under a retired Huntsman?"
"Yup! That's my dad!" Jade couldn't help but feel proud of his father as both Faunuses resumed their travels until they finally reached Velvet's home. And letting the rabbit Faunus take the lead, Jade stood beside the wall and watched the skies as his new friend knocked on the door.
"Hmm… I think I have an hour before I need to meet up with Father for evening training." The cat Faunus thought to himself before he heard footsteps approaching the front door, and soon enough, it opened to show a rather stunning brown-haired woman whose hair was bundled up into a bun and was a rabbit Faunus wearing what Jade's mother would wear in the kitchen.
"Velvet sweety?" The adult rabbit Faunus called out to her daughter as Jade suddenly felt bashful for reasons beyond him.
"Mommy!" As Jade observes from the side, Velvet says as she runs up and hugs her mother. That didn't last long as Velvet's mother noticed Jade watching them.
"And who's your friend you brought over here?" She then asked as Jade greeted her.
"I'm Jade Grayson. Your daughter was getting bullied by other children when I stumbled across them. I proceeded to fend them off and offered to escort her back here. She has bruises on her arms and legs and needs medical attention." Jade greeted with a bow before explaining to Velvet's mother, who was surprised that some kids chose to bully her adorable daughter.
"Oh my, how mature for your age." Velvet's mother said with interest before she knelt at her daughter's level and checked on her arms and legs. "I must thank you for helping my daughter, Jade. But why did they bully her for?"
"They call me a half-breed for having a human as a daddy and then bully me!" Velvet whined into her mother's shoulder as she could only shake her head in disappointment.
"I see…" Velvet's mother then adjusted her posture before introducing herself. "My name is Meg Scarlatina. You have my thanks for helping my daughter, Jade Grayson. Why don't you come in and rest? It is the best I could do, as thanks for helping my daughter."
Meg offered as Velvet sniffed and looked back at her new friend to help her, all while Jade was left in thought for a moment, and it didn't take long for a smile to grow on his face. "Sure. I can stay here for an hour after that. I need to be on my way."
"Of course, come. I wish to know the details and, perhaps, get to know you more after saving my daughter like that." Meg offered as Jade smiled as he removed his slippers and entered Velvet's home. Hopefully, Blake won't get jealous because of his choice to visit another Faunus besides her.
An hour quickly went by of Jade explaining the details to Meg about what he had seen, as the rabbit Faunus could only shake her head disappointedly that even her fellow Faunus would discriminate against those born from a human and Faunus. That was followed by Jade asking cautiously about Velvet's father, and the cat Faunus expected an adverse reaction from Mrs Scarlatina, yet he got none.
As it turns out, Velvet's father works in Atlas, and she and her mother only came here to have a vacation, and eventually, he would come to Menagerie to spend time with his family. This intrigued the cat Faunus to no end, and he ended up asking many questions about what the outside world was like since Meg and her daughter had been to many places, unlike him.
Meg was simply happy to see her daughter back and in good shape, thanks to Jade's intervention and even gave him tea and biscuits to snack on while they talked. But eventually, Jade had to leave, and Velvet asked whether they could meet again.
With a smile, Jade agreed that they could, and both left on good terms.
Now back on the streets, Jade began blitzing through the crowded streets as its time for his training lesson with his father. While many questions were answered thanks to Meg helpfully addressing his curiosity, others remain for the time being. But it still didn't bring him comfort that, for some reason, he swore he had seen Velvet somewhere before as he appeared to have recognised her face…
That alone adds to the fear that he is not who the person thinks he is. And the evidence keeps piling up, it seems.
Shaking his head to dissipate those thoughts because now's not the place to worry about it, Jade ran off and eventually encountered his father in a middle of a spar with one of his students as he elegantly traded hits before disarming the Faunus in one fell swoop. His opponent fell onto the dirt ground with a poof as Melo turned to see his son watching him with stars in his eyes.
And that made the snake Faunus bark out a chuckle as Jade ran up to him with his ears perked up. "Ready for today's training?" He asked as his son enthusiastically nodded his head.
'Yeah!" Jade grinned. "Soo… what are we going to be doing today?" He then asks as Melo rubs his chin as he hums out.
"Well, since you're curious, we'll be going to try something a little different for today, my kitten." The snake Faunus said as his son tilted his head confusingly before walking over to the weapon stand and pulling out a wooden spear as tall as his son.
"We're going to work on your ability to use a spear like everyone else here. Now do listen closely. A spear works much differently than a sword in combat, and today, we'll be dedicating it to how to use one." Melo explained before passing the spear to his son."
"Ok! Let us start!" Jade smiled with awe as Melo chuckled at his son's enthusiasm.
And we are done with this chapter! And yes, that's Velvet's introduction over here, and Blake's out of Menagerie to join her father's organisation. And before anyone could say it, it was revealed that Velvet's family moved between kingdoms frequently, and I figured she could have been to Remnant's Australia before.
So yeah, Jade is getting more echoes of his memories and is understandably freaked out by it. But other than that.
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With that, I'll see you all in the next chapter!
RGQC out!