Biohazard: The Hunter Chronicles
Chapter 2: Taking Stock
The rhythmic thumping of the wiper blades upon the windshield was starting to get to Winter as it was the only thing she could hear as the trio within the cab fell into silence. The road ahead was dark and obscured by a constant snow and rain that blew right into their field of vision; the only lights were coming from the headlamps of the truck and the occasional light pole. She saw the buildup of ice on the truck's hood along with the smattering of hail on the chassis. The white-haired woman could see the wind carving its way through the snow as she felt the cab being buffeted by the powerful force.
"Helluva of a storm! You cannot even tell the sun just set." Murph commented.
"So... do you mind me asking then why you are risking your life driving is these kinds of conditions?" Winter asked with a raise of her brow.
"Well to be honest, Sysco does not do deliveries during holidays, so we have had a lot of backorders to get through once it was time to get back to work. And to be fair my boss has been on my back about this stuff so... I just do not want to deal with them bitching at me all the time, y'know?" Murph explains and then continues.
"I wasn't expecting the weather to change so suddenly, all my other deliveries around Arklay county were easy, hell my drive up Regason base was safer than this and that's saying something."
"Regason?" Jaune asked.
"It's a military base up past the Arklay mountains, you didn't know?" Murph asked while glancing over at the blond covered in thermal blankets.
"We're from out of town, came up for the hiking." Winter said quickly.
"Ah makes sense, well at least you are not stuck out there right now. How are you holding up Jaune?"
"Doing alright, considering the circumstances; I could use a nice warm drink right about now." Jaune replied before shivering.
"Heh, I bet. Well don't you worry about a thing, we are almost there; I just got to drive slow from here due to all this damn ice." Murph said jovially before grumbling the last part out.
"Is this kind of weather normal for the area?" Winter asked while glancing at Murphy who was frowning at her question.
"No, the last time there was an ice-storm this bad was back in the early seventies, now don't get me wrong mid-western winters can be a bitch sometimes, but it is usually mild in early January. Hell, the weather channel said it was going to be clear today." Murph explained while keeping an eye on the road. Winter listens intently while away some information for later.
"To be frank the timing of this storm is interesting." Murph commented.
"What do you mean by that?" Jaune asked.
"Well, when I was at the Mizoil filling up the tank, afterwards I went to the bathroom to take a dump. I was on the toilet when I heard what sounded like a bomb going off; it was like a huge boom! Wham!" Murph says while clapping his hands together quickly and loudly.
"So, I head on out after I finish my business and ask the cashier what the hell just happened. He says that it was a goddamn meteor shower! Can you believe that!?" Murph exclaimed.
"So that's what scared the cougar off." Winter says while looking at Jaune in the eyes. Jaune nods and hums in agreement.
"Thank God for miracles then, huh?" Murph said with a chuckle.
"Yeah." Jaune said softly.
"Anyway, after that I leave the gas station this storm starts, I didn't even know meteors could do things like that." Murph says and shrugs afterwards, then he perks up as he sees something in the distance.
"There she is, it's good to be back in Raccoon City." Murph says while smiling and gesturing to the city in the distance.
It was quite the sight to the now former specialist, and she imagined Jaune would agree with her assessment. A sprawling expansive city laid on the horizon, it looked to have started as a smaller town which quickly had expanded into an industrialized metropolis. Even through the snow and ice Winter could see it was a decent sized city as the truck got closer. It honestly reminded her of Mantle and parts of Vale, at that thought Winter frowned and shook away the dark thoughts that had started to creep in at the mention of the two cities. She looked over at Jaune who was also frowning at the shinning bright lights of Raccoon City, she could not even take a guess at what was running through his head at the moment. Winter then looked back to the ever-looming cityscape and noticed something that reminded her that she was on another world. Raccoon City was large when compared some of the places Winter has been before, from this distance Winter could tell it all the things a city could need except for one crucial detail. It screamed out at her so much that she had to school her expression into something she used when her father paraded her around at galas. There were no defenses whatsoever, no wall, no guards along the perimeter of the city, no vehicles patrolling. She could see some air vehicles flying above the city, but they did not seem like they had a defensive of military purpose; they were strange looking things, like a metal dragonfly without wings and a large propeller on top. The lack of defenses had implications that Winter would have to research about later. The former specialist looked back over to Murph who looked like he was thinking.
"Is something on your mind?" Winter asked.
"Hmm? Oh yeah sorry... I was just debating on which hospital I should take you to." Murph said while glancing over at Winter.
"How many are there?" Winter asked with a tilt of her head.
"Well, there are two major state of the art hospitals: Raccoon General hospital and the Spencer Memorial hospital alongside a few smaller clinics around town. The dilemma I'm having is that Raccoon General is closer to where we are currently which is the north end of the city, but Spencer Memorial is uptown which is nearby some of the places I have to deliver to." Murph explained.
"Oh... okay, if it's not too much trouble to ask; could you drop us off at Raccoon General? I'm a bit worried about Jaune's wounds getting infected." Winter asked while putting on her business smile from when she had been an heiress.
"Well, when you put it like that, I guess the choice is obvious. Raccoon General it is. Let's see we are on highway three-twenty-two right now, if we keep the course we will merge onto Raccoon Street, after that we continue until we hit Saint Michael's clocktower and then turn onto Mission Street and boom! Raccoon General!" Murph explained the route with enthusiasm.
"Sounds like a plan." Winter said with a small smile. "Thank you for this."
"It's my pleasure!" Murph replied in kind.
Before the truck entered the city proper it drove by a sign that pointed in the directions of a few locations. Winter read it to make sure she would be able to remember a few landmarks. Victory Lake and Victory Park were five miles outside the city, there was a waste management facility nearby as well. There was a zoo... the city was big enough to warrant such a format of entertainment, she paused briefly to think how the animals were fairing in these conditions. What caught her eyes the most was written underneath; Raccoon University and it was close according to the sign. She looked around outside but could not find what she sought. Jaune noticed this "Is something wrong?"
"Ah... no. The sign said there was a university nearby, I was just hoping to see it." Winter said with a sigh.
"I doubt you would be able to see Raccoon University in these conditions currently, but I highly recommend you visit it if you get the chance. The campus is beautiful, and the faculty of health sciences is wonderful." Murph smiled and reminisced while keeping his eyes glued to the road ahead.
"Did you graduate from there?" Jaune inquired.
"Me! Hell to the no! I am a working man through and through, but my niece is currently studying there. In fact, she is about to finish her last semester there. It's been a while since I last saw her, I've been on the road too much." Murph finished with a sigh as his voice got quieter.
"I'm sure you will be able to see her soon." Jaune reassured the bearded man.
"You know what, I'm going to take some time off, hang up my boots for a bit, catch up with friends and family. I didn't even get a chance to see any of them because I was so damn exhausted that I slept through the holidays." Murph said while nodding at Jaune. Winter smirked at the exclamation while she looked outside to see what the city was like, it seemed like they were in an older part of the town. Her attention was brought to a bridge that the truck was approaching, more specifically the fast-moving river underneath it; she saw broken sheets of ice drifting down the current at a decent pace.
"Reminds me of back home." Winter commented with a wistful smile.
"Lots of ice there?" Murph asked.
"Yeah... you could say that." Winter said while looking away. Murph noticed this and tried to change the subject.
"Well, if you like ice, I recommend the falls near Victory Lake, everything is frozen but the way the falls freeze makes it look like a moment frozen in time; it's really something else. I can't remember if Circular River connects directly to the lake, or it branches off before going further up into the mountains." Murph said while looking at the mentioned flowing body of water as the truck drove across the suspension bridge. On the left side of the road was a sign pointing to another street. The sign had several important places in the city listed out but the two that stood out the most were City Hall and the Raccoon Police Department. Murph saw her looking as they drove past the street and the one after that.
"That's Warren Street and that's Central, you take those all the way down to Ennerdale and bam you are in the heart of Raccoon City!" Murph said with enthusiasm, he looked like he wanted to continue speaking before Jaune cut him off.
"What the hell is going on over there?!" Jaune spoke with concern as he pointed out at a convoy of emergency vehicles cruising down the road at a breakneck pace heading in their direction.
"Oh shit!" Murph cussed while pulling over sharply to the side of the street alongside other cars on the road. The trio just stared as the large line of ambulances and firetrucks went past them and turned down onto Central Avenue. The red and blue lights casting an unsettling glow on the winter swept streets as their sirens wailed into the night. Jaune was the first to break the silence.
"Where do you think they're going? And why were they in such a hurry?"
"I haven't the faintest clue, I'm just as stumped as you are; I bet that the folks at Jack's bar know what's going on" Murph said while still looking in the direction the convoy went. Before he could pull back on to the road all three of them were startled by the chiming of the large clocktower in the close distance, the face of the gothic looking building said it was seven in the evening.
"I forgot how loud Saint Michael's can be, now let's get back to the road. Raccoon General is just up ahead." Murph said with a smile. With that the freight truck pulled back on the street and drove past the gothic form of the clock tower in the distance. A few minutes later the truck was turning onto Mission Street and right away the trio saw the massive multistoried building, with its
bright lights acting as a beacon in the frosty night. The emergency entrance casted a soft red glow over the nearby area along with more ambulances that were speeding away from the hospital in the same direction as the others. There was an overhang above the emergency entrance had a low clearance since it was only meant for emergency vehicles and the parking area alongside it was meant for the regular vehicles of ordinary citizens. It was packed to the brim as other cars had to park at the main entrance instead.
"Damn this place is like a sardine can; what the hell is going on?" Murph pauses before turning to his two passengers. "I don't think I can get my truck any closer, uh, here let me pull off to the side and I will walk y'all to the entrance." Murph said while switching his indicator on.
"Oh, you don't have to do that; you've already done more for us than most would. It's fine." Winter said kindly while hiding her intentions for her and Jaune to find a place to lay low. At that comment Murph looked over at the two secret huntsmen with concern written on his face.
"Are y'all sure? I just don't feel right leaving you without knowing y'all are being checked out, especially you Jaune!" Murph finished while nodding his head towards the blond whose face was still marred by the gashes of a claw before he turned his head back to the street. If Murph had been paying attention to the young man's face he would have noticed the wounds were getting smaller slowly as well as a strange shimmering light that became visible occasionally. Due to how dark it was and the lights coming from the hospital and passing ambulances the shimmering went unnoticed by the freight driver. While Murph focused on slowing the truck down Jaune spoke up.
"It's alright Murph! You gave us a hand when we really needed it, so thanks for that plus you still got your job to do right? I don't want you to get fired for being late with your deliveries, especially not for us." Jaune said while also making a good point. Winter watched Murph furrow his eyebrows as he was lost in thought before sighing and pulling off to the side of the street not too far from the hospital. He then took out a small leather journal and pen before scribbling something down on it; he ripped the paper out and handed it to Winter.
"This here is my contact information, promise me that you will call or text just to let me know you young folk are okay. Do we have a deal?" Murph asked with a raise of his bushy eyebrow.
"We promise." Jaune interjected before Winter could produce an excuse of why they could not.
"Well, alrighty then, I reckon this is where we go our separate ways huh?" Murph asked quietly.
"I guess it is, thank you very much, you have no idea how much you've helped us." Winter spoke with a grateful smile. With that Jaune and Winter got out of the truck's cab onto the sidewalk out in the cold. Once the door was shut Murph rolled down the window and nodded to his two temporary passengers. "Make sure you take care of yourselves, ya hear?"
"We will." Jaune said resolutely to the bearded man. With one last nod and wink Murphy Gallager rolled up the window and pulled his truck away from the sidewalk before cruising down the road out of sight as the truck turned a corner. With that Winter and Jaune looked to each other. The blond spoke first. "So, what do you think?" Jaune said while gesturing around him.
"I think we are in a very complex situation, and we need time and a place to regroup." Winter said while keeping pale blue eyes focused on the surrounding streets and at the nearby Raccoon General hospital.
"That's a little bit of an understatement, don't cha ya think?" Jaune replied with a hint of sass. Winter briefly glared at him before cooling her features.
"Regardless, we need to find a place to lay low, rest up, plan and discuss what our next steps are going to be." Winter said with authority as she kept her head on a swivel.
"Would a rooftop work?" Jaune suggested.
"No, it's too out in the open plus it's freezing outside." Winter said while shaking her head and looking at another firetruck that sped on by their location.
"How about a park?" Jaune asked while gazing into the distance.
"I beg your pardon." Winter said while looking at Jaune with squinted eyes.
"I saw a sign for a place called Raccoon Park while you were chatting with Murph." Jaune said while nodding to himself.
"And pray tell how does this help us? It's still out in the open." Winter said while putting a hand on her hip and using her arm to gesture around the two of them.
"I know! But you got to trust me on this, I got a hunch, just follow me." Jaune said in a hushed tone as he began walking back down the street away from the hospital. Winter with doubt in her voice.
"A hunch?"
"Yeah, just trust me!" Jaune insisted.
"What's the basis of your hunch?" Winter asked with a huff as she followed alongside Jaune.
"My older sister Fern, she loves the outdoors, she was the only one besides me, my parents or Saphron who loved our family camping trips. Anyway, uh, Saphron became a writer and moved out to Argus while Fern wanted to make a career out of her passion for nature, so she became a ranger." Jaune explained while they continued down the sidewalk.
"A ranger really?" Winter questioned with surprise evident in her voice.
"Yeah, I know, rangers are pretty rare, most kids grow up like me wanting to be a hero like huntsmen, soldiers or police officers. Fern on the other hand felt drawn to the wilds and felt at home in them, so she became a ranger. She scouted out potential areas for settlements for the kingdoms, helped in mapping expeditions, guided some teams of hunters who were not familiar with certain territory or terrain. She even got to work with some famous archeologists and paleontologists who needed a guide to get to their dig sites. She loved her work and enjoyed sharing her love for nature with others which is why she worked with the kingdoms in some of the national parks. Anyway, she told me once that there is always one or more maintenance buildings in a park that both rangers and park staff use for storing supplies and tools. I'm betting my hunch on her expertise." Jaune said with a fond smile.
"How long has it been since you last saw her?" Winter asked quietly, she saw a forlorn look pass over his face.
"I saw her before I left for Vale to become a huntsman, and then again after the fall of Beacon. Man, that feels like a lifetime ago. She helped Ren, Nora, Ruby, and I quite a bit... She gave us some great gear for roughing it in the wilderness along with a few maps of Mistral that had supply caches for rangers marked on it. As if that was not enough, she even managed to pull a few strings with an old friend of hers to get us on a ship bound for Mistral. I hugged her at the docks and that was the last time I ever saw Fern, so much has happened since then... I don't think I will be able to see her again or any of my family for that matter." Jaune said with heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry." Winter said while putting her hand on Jaune's shoulder.
"It's alright, besides things could be worse." Jaune said with a small smile.
"How so?" Winter asked curious how things could be worse than their current predicament.
"Could you imagine if either of us had landed on this world alone?" Jaune asked with a gaze into Winter's eyes. Winter gave a soft chuckle at his question.
"I suppose you're right; things could be worse." Winter acquiesced as the pair of them reached a gated entrance that was locked. Above the gate was a sign with Raccoon Park written on it.
"How's your aura?" Winter asked while looking around for anyone who could be watching.
"It's still really low but for this it should do the trick on this padlock." Jaune said while pulling out a small pocketknife and reinforcing it with aura before slashing at the shackle which went through with no resistance. Jaune then put his knife away before opening the gate to Raccoon Park with its hinges creaking in protest. While holding the gate open Jaune gestured for Winter to go in.
"After you milady." Jaune said in a fake posh accent. Winter chuckled and rolled her eyes before going through.
"Such a gentleman" she said with a small smile, Jaune also chuckled as he closed the gate behind them and made it look like it was still locked. The hunters then strolled through the park, as they walked down the cobblestone pathway Winter concluded that this park was more popular in the warmer months. There was snow and ice everywhere, a small stream running parallel to the path was frozen, icicles hung from the small bridges that crossed over. Any trees that were there were barren and haunted looking without their leaves, like skeletal hands reaching out asking why they had forsaken them, trying to ensnare the two of them in its grasp. To add to unsettling nature of this park they even found a graveyard in their continued exploration; eventually after traversing over a series of wooden paths on the frozen pond they found a maintenance building. Wanting to be stealthy, Winter snuck through a window she managed to unlock with Jaune's pocketknife; she then proceeded to the front of the building and open the door where Jaune was waiting.
"You know I could have just busted down the door, right?" Jaune said.
"Oh, I know, so could I, I just didn't want to attract unwanted attention from someone close by. Besides I doubt that you could have slipped in through that window, it requires a certain... flexibility." Winter explained.
"Oh, I'm plenty flexible, thank you very much." Jaune said with a smirk before entering the building after the white-haired huntress. They passed by a couple of garage doors with a few riding lawnmowers and a couple of carts parked nearby. There were some shelves with tools on them to help with maintaining the park alongside a few tables. Along the walls were several lockers and beside them were a quite a few lost and found boxes full of discarded clothes. Winter nods to herself as she takes in this area of the building, she then gestures for Jaune to put the rucksack on the ground before nodding to him.
"Good job, this place will be due for the time being." Winter says while taking out a tarp from the rucksack while also shrugging off the thermal blankets because it was warmer inside the building.
"And what are we going to be doing in the time being?" Jaune asked while Winter was spreading out the tarp on the ground.
"Wasn't I clear before? We lay low, gather information and regroup to plan accordingly." Winter said while pulling out two compact sleeping bags.
"So, we're not going to discuss anything?" Jaune asked with a frown.
"Discuss what?" Winter inquired with an annoyed looked on her face.
"Oh, you know... maybe about the fact we just got out of a war zone and somehow wound up on another world. Maybe reflect on everything that has happened in the past few days. Perhaps even just getting a chance to destress before we start preparing for what's to come, maybe something like that." Jaune said with a huff.
"That's not a luxury we can afford right now. We are in an unknown city, in an unknown country on an unknown planet. We cannot afford to relax because of what we do know is that there is an economy thanks to Murph. Someone paid the company he works for in exchange for their goods and services. Which means we do not have any form of currency for this world! There is a city hall, which means there is a form of government about which we have no knowledge of! There is a police station, which means there are police enforcing laws we know nothing about! We do not know the rules of this place! We passed by a graveyard in this park, which means they bury their dead, but we know nothing about their culture, history, customs or even religion! We got lucky in our conversation with Murph by being vague and indulging into what he thought our situation was, can you imagine if he mentioned something that should be common knowledge and we did not respond in kind! Oh, and let us not forget that this country has a military! We have so many unknowns here at this moment. It is a miracle that we landed on a planet that shared the same language! We cannot afford to take time to reflect, we need to use that time to gather information. Our current priority should be to take stock of our supplies, sleep, go to that university or a library to gather intelligence and then find a more permanent base to stay along with finding a way to make some money." Winter finished her tirade while breathing heavily and looking at Jaune.
"You think I don't know that already? Or the fact that Grimm might not exist on this world because if they did then this city would have some form of defenses or protection. Do you really think you are the only one feeling this intense existential dread right about now?! Look, I know we have a lot of unknowns at this moment, but I just need a moment please! I know I should be worried about our current situation, but I just cannot help but think about those back home. I just need to have a talk with a friend not a specialist. Please Winter." Jaune said with a sigh. With that Winter calmed down her breathing and nodded before walking over to the lockers nearby and sliding down to sit at the base. She tapped beside her with her gloved hand.
"Come on, so what do you want to talk about?" She asked softly while leaning back against the cold metal. Jaune sat down next to her and stretched his legs out. He gave a small laugh at that remark while rubbing a hand on the back of his head.
"That is a loaded question."
"Well, you were the one who wanted to talk." Winter said with a small smile as she bumped her shoulder against Jaune's. She watched him take a deep breath as his eyes unfocused for a moment before he looked at her.
"Do you think they are alright?" He asked. Winter did not have to ask who 'they' were.
"It's hard to say honestly, we did evacuate the majority of the two cities to right outside Vacuo but after that I don't know. I hope the situation doesn't become too chaotic, but I feel a bit optimistic." Winter said as she gazed into the middle distance.
"Why is that?" Jaune asked curiously.
"Well, you were knocked out during that part so I will forgive you for not knowing, but I feel optimistic because I don't think Salem can win now. The lamp and staff fell alongside us, they fell faster in the void, they fell into this strange glowing mass and then there was light. I felt us being pushed away from that mass as the light consumed my vision. The relics are in a different place than us, wherever that is, it is not Remnant. Vale's relic has still not been found and Vacuo is the most fortified place on the planet right now, so yeah I feel cautiously optimistic." Winter explained as she glanced back at the blond beside her. Jaune was frowning.
"Wasn't Atlas supposed to the most fortified place on the planet?" Jaune asked.
"It should have been, yes... but we were divided and the general's decision to isolate the kingdom from the rest of the world was a poor one. I should have spoken out against this course of action; it was my report on the status of Mistral that pushed him to make that decision. There's a lot of things I should have done, if I had acted then maybe so many people wouldn't be dead." Winter said while looking down at her gloved hands. Jaune bumped his shoulder against hers.
"At least we saved most of them." Jaune said with a wistful smile. Winter smiled at his attempt to cheer her up.
"Yes, we did." Winter said. Jaune nodded at her then seemed to come to a revelation.
"They all probably think we're dead then, huh?"
"Most likely..." The former specialist said quietly.
"I just wish I could've said goodbye to my family... Ren and Nora included. They are all that remains of JNPR now. What about you Winter any regrets?" Jaune asked while resting his head on the locker door and looking up at the ceiling of the building.
"There's a few, some I would like to keep to myself but at least I got to say goodbye to Weiss... I even got to have a moment with my father." Winter said while frowning at that thought.
"What did you say?"
"I made it clear that if it weren't for Weiss, I would've left him there after the evacuations. He died there because we were busy with all the chaos. Either that or the general killed him. Either way I'm honestly not too broken up about it." Winter said as she looked back to Jaune.
"What about your mom and brother?" Jaune asked while looking directly at Winter. The white-haired specialist let out a half-hearted chuckle.
"My relationship with my mother is a complex one, something that a psychologist would love to dive into; something I honestly don't feel comfortable talking about. No offence Jaune." Winter explained.
"None taken."
"As for my brother, well besides the large age gap which made it hard to have similar hobbies, the thing that prevented me from getting too close was that I saw too much of my father in him. I just did not want to deal with that or the other problems within my family, so I ran. I ran away to the military and now after everything I'm here." She said while gesturing around the two of them. Jaune was quiet for a beat before he spoke again.
"I think you are wrong about Whitley, he's a good kid, he helped Ruby's team out and helped come up with two different evacuation plans. I think you didn't really give him a chance to show you who he really was."
"Then... I regret being too blinded by anger for my father to see that." Winter said as she became lost in memories. Both were silent for a while as they internally reflected on personal things. Winter was the one to break the silence after tapping Jaune's knee.
"Come on, let's patch up your face so it heals properly, then we can take stock of our equipment and supplies. We rest up afterwards, just be ready to head out in the morning." Winter said as she got up and then looked around the rucksack for the medical bag.
"We're going to the university, right?" Jaune asked before he got up and walked beside her before he looked back to where they were sitting; Winter noticed his face appeared deep in thought.
"Yeah... It is our best bet for information. Most likely at its library." She said before pausing to look at the same spot where Jaune was looking then back at the huntsman. "Is something wrong?"
"Ah not really, well kind of but not. Anyway, I was just reminded of a regret." Jaune said as her tore his eyes from the spot.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked in a kind tone.
"No, not really. Anyway, you said at the university's library, why not a regular public library?" Jaune brushed her concern off before asking his question.
"Because if universities here work the same way as they do on Remnant, then that library is going to have access to a lot more information than a regular public one. And we are in dire need of intel as soon as possible." Winter explained as she looked back to Jaune.
"Got it, let's get to work then." The blond said. After that Winter cleaned up the knight's face so that his aura would take care of the rest overnight. They then spent some time going over their supplies as well as setting up for sleep. They took turns taking watch during the night.
...
Jaune woke up to see Winter rolling up her sleeping bag. He slowly got up as he stretched out the aches and pains from the past few days, and then gets up to help pack up their gear and supplies. As both are working, he looks around the room and spots the light coming in through the shuddered windows of the building. The light shines on him as he looks down at his huntsman attire, it was in bad shape. Parts of his shirt and pants had scorch marks on them alongside large tears in the fabric; he looked over at Winter to see her uniform was also in rough shape. At this he paused and looked around the room for the lost and found boxes he saw earlier, as he walks over to them, he calls out to his fellow hunter.
"Hey, just a random question, but um... we are trying to keep a low profile, right?" Jaune asked as he opens the boxes.
"Yes exactly, why?" Winter asked with her eyebrow arching.
"Well, if that's the case then... we probably don't want to look like we just got out of a warzone then, huh?" Jaune says as he looks back to Winter with a smirk while gesturing to both of their attires. Winter looks down and nods.
"Point made." Winter says and then Jaune notices that Winter seems uncomfortable suddenly.
"Is something wrong?" Jaune asks while noticing her discomfort.
"Well to be honest I've never really worn casual wear before."
"Are you serious? I mean in the military I can get but what about before you joined?" Jaune asked with an unbelieving look on his visage.
"At the manor, it was all semi-formal or formal, everything was custom designed. When I left for the military, I left those clothes behind, and started wearing the academy issued uniforms for all occasions. When I became a specialist, I got custom uniforms, but it was still a uniform." Winter explained while looking over her uniform.
"What about when you were off duty or needed to go to bed?" Jaune asked not really believing Winter.
"I was usually in some form of uniform when off duty and then I used the academy issued pajamas when it was time to sleep. Whatever money I didn't spend on clothing I either saved or spent on things I wanted like my brooch and earrings or on things I needed like undergarments and toiletries." Winter explained nonplussed about the situation. Jaune was gaping for a moment before he closed his then he went back to rummaging through the boxes of lost clothing. He looks back to Winter before nodding to himself and grabbing some articles of clothing. He then gave the clothing to Winter.
"Try these on, I think they will fit you; I don't know your shoe size there are a bunch of boots in there for you to try out." Jaune said before grabbing some stuff he picked out for himself alongside some hiking boots. He then went to change in privacy in another room. After he was done, he looks himself over and nodded. Black hiking boots, faded jeans, a yellow shirt over which he wore a black hoodie that had the logo for the Raccoon Sharks on it; he then wore a dark tan winter's jacket on top of everything along with a navy blue woolen hat that that name 'Tommy' written on it alongside a red and blue flag. He could not find a gloves for himself, so he just wore the same ones from his huntsman attire. He then went back to see how Winter was doing. She was just putting on a pair of boots that had a fur lining. She tested the boots while walking around, seemingly satisfied she looked back over where Jaune stood.
"Well?"
"You look different." Jaune admitted while looking her over. Besides the boots she wore jeans, a grey sweater over a shirt along with a forest green winter jacket with a fur lined hood. She wore a black woolen hat over her white hair which was still in a ponytail along with a pair of black gloves.
"Different how?" Winter inquired.
"Less intimidating, and shorter since you aren't wearing those heels of yours. But all in all, still eye-catching which may be a problem but there's nothing we can do about that since it's a Schnee thing." Jaune said while putting a hand to his chin.
"A Schnee thing?" Winter questioned, not really getting what he was talking about.
"Oh, it's just something Nora and I observed after getting wine thrown on Whitley at your father's gala.
"And that something is...?" Winter inquired.
"We observed that no matter what the situation is, somehow you Schnee's will look glamorous in spite of the circumstances." Jaune explained.
"And you're basing this on what you did to Whitley?" Winter asked with a confused expression.
"Well, that and a couple other things. Like, uh, your mom for instance who still looked great even after so many years under the bottle, a photo Weiss showed me of your grandfather covered in grime from working down in the mines and finally, the food fight that took place between my team and team RWBY back in Beacon... man those were some good times." Jaune said while he reminisced on that amazing food fight that he got knocked out of early.
"Anyway... shall we get going?" Jaune asked the gob smacked Schnee in front of him. He saw her shake her head before nodding. And so, after triple checking that all their gear and supplies were packed up and made to look inconspicuous, the hunters left the maintenance building. The duo then made their back to the entrance of the park before heading back towards the suspension bridge, they crossed the night before. Along the way they spotted a subway station and saw that one of its routes stopped at the university. With their destination clear they descended into the subway as they heard more sirens in the distance.
End of Chapter 2: Taking Stock
Biohazard: The Hunter Chronicles.
Author's Notes: I'm glad people seem to like this story! Special thanks to Ferric who has helped a lot with the planning and for bouncing ideas off. Special thanks to my friend Arkos4Ever for the support. Special thanks to MahinaFable who gave an idea that has been incorporated into this chapter. Special thanks to Trestwho for some solid advice. Anyway, I'm trying to get better with my dialogue, I hope I'm improving, please comment on anything I could improve. Please also comment on what you think will happen in this story... I enjoy reading your comments. This chapter was originally going to be much longer but due to a suggestion from Ferric I've decided to split it into two. Chapter 3: Breaking the Second Law will come out in about the same amount of time as this chapter. Also let me know if you guys are enjoying this kind of length for a chapter. Also, I'm stoked to see that Knight Chronicles has been updated! Thank you and have a lovely day!
Professor-MAD
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