"Oh, Ruby." Pyrrha sighed when she caught his drift. Smiling wryly, Jaune shared a quick look with his partner. Her eyes were still red and puffy. There were still dewdrops in the corner of her eyes, her makeup was also ruined. Not completely, but it was obvious that she had cried. 'Or something else.' His monkey brain piped.
"Pyrrha. Your makeup." He whispered softly, taking her hand and stepping back to the balcony. He didn't know a lot about image or reputation for that matter. He was sure some could guess what had happened, but most of their classmates were also horny teenagers. Thinking with what was between their legs or their heart most of the time. Their wiggly thinking organ only serving two purposes, to be boiled when they crammed for exams or to be drowned in whatever cheap booze they could get their hands on.
"Oh, I completely forgot." Pyrrha whispered. Running a finger up her cheek and smearing some runny mascara over her fingers.
Reaching into his breast pocket, he conjured forth his bell. Giving it a little ring before Nora's makeup kit and vanity mirror appeared in his hand. 'I hope Nora will forgive me for this.'
Not needing to say anything, he popped open a compact. Giving her a light dusting on her cheeks to hide the mascara trails. With some quick brushstrokes the only sings of tears were her still red and puffy eyes. Unfortunately that would take time, and it wasn't something he could hide with what he had available. No matter how good he was with makeup, he coulndt perform miracles out of nothing.
"And there, your eyes might still be a bit red. But that can hopefully be explained away with waking up early. It's been a long day." Jaune finished, ringing his bell again. Nora's makeup returning right back where it came from.
"Thank you, Jaune. Truly. It completely slipped my mind that my makeup might have been ruined." Pyrrha sighed softly. Jaune knew intimately why it had slipped her mind. But he wasn't going to hold it against her. He still felt raw. Wanting to just forget it as quickly as possible and move on.
"Do you think you could help me tie my tie?" Jaune asked. A light pearl of laughter escaping his partner.
"You never cease to amaze, do you, Jaune?" Pyrrha giggled, with deft fingers she quickly tied it into a nice knot. Not to tight, but not too loose. There were still hurt in her eyes, but compared to the weight lifted from her shoulders it was nothing. Making his little plan to get her to focus on something else a grand success. It probably helped that Pyrrha leaped at the chance to think about something else for a little while. "Honestly Jaune, how come you can't tie a tie? You can dance, sing, cook, you can draw, you are great with makeup. How come you never learned how to tie a tie?"
"My mother always did it for me." Jaune blushed, a fond little smile on his lips. "And I guess I always thought she would be there to help me. So I never really saw a need to learn it."
"A real mamma's boy, huh, Jaune?" Pyrrha quipped good naturally. A soft teasing smile on her lips. A smile that fell as quickly as it came. Pyrrha frowning as she turned to look at the academy's central tower, leaning on the banister. "But Jaune. You always talk about your mother and sisters with such love. How come you never do the same for your father?"
Pyrrha had the decency to look away after asking that question. Keeping his face a mask of stone, he breathed out. "It's complicated." Jaune sighed, getting a soft look and a nod from his partner. Looking at her, he sighed heavily, deciding to be honest. Instead of lying which had become second nature. "I will only cry at one of my parent's funerals. And I will only attend one. Let's leave it at that."
"But enough about that. Let's go face the music." Jaune said softly. A frisk brisk blew past them. Making Pyrrha pull his greatcoat tighter around herself, fighting of a shiver.
"Yes, lets." She whispered, hurriedly stepping away from the balcony.
Ruby was nowhere to be found when they stepped back into the ballroom.
'Maybe that's for the best.' Jaune thought, still more than a little raw. It also gave him time to think about what he wanted to say with his best friend. 'But Ruby was never my best friend, was she?'
It was a realisation that stung.
Ruby had been Vomit Boy's best friend. Ruby and Vomit Boy had been two pees in a pod. They could talk about comics days on end.
Jaune didn't remember the last time he as much had touched a comic since waking up in the dream. Part of him missed it, the carefree enjoyment of having nothing better to do. Being innocently lazy, just living in the moment, waiting weeks on end for the next edition.
It wasn't wrong to say a distance had grown between them. He wasn't sure Ruby had noticed either. He hadn't noticed either and it gnawed at him that it had taken him so long to realise. 'Keeping her close will only hurt her, especially when she finds out more about me.' Ruby wasn't stupid, he had noticed some of the soft looks she had sent him. As if she was looking for someone else in his eyes. 'Pushing her away will also hurt her, but she will be safe. Safe from me, safe from the dream.'
Sometimes it felt as if he had contacted the plague, even if he didn't want to hurt those around him they would still be infected. 'Maybe my semblance isn't the Dream, it's manifesting the Dream around me.'
Quickly stopping that train of thought before he stumbled onto some uncomfortable truths, he bit into his tongue. He knew enough, he still wanted to be wilfully ignorant. At least for a little while longer.
Nervously running a hand over his neck, he wondered if he should change back into the floral gown. His three-piece-suit was another lucky find in the labyrinth. It was mostly to ignore the weird stares he knew he would be subjected to. However, he could admit that he was tired of always being the bigger person. The makeup on his hand wasn't cracking, but it had smeared slightly. Not enough to be a problem, just enough to see that he was hiding something.
"Time to face the music, I guess." Jaune mumbled, sharing a look with Pyrrha. Nora was first to spot them with Violet piggybacking on her shoulders. She lit up with a megawatt smile, jade eyes darting between him and Pyrrha. Then she blinked, the light in her eyes dimming slightly as she quickly lifted Violet down and made her way over to them. Splitting from his apprentice halfway and stepping towards Pyrrha with a soft look. Violet crashing into him with a giggle and sigh of relief.
Smiling softly, he lifted her up. Two slender hands latching around his neck as his apprentice hid in the crock of his neck. He hadn't 'sensed' any panic trough their bond, and he coulndt have been dancing with Pyrrha for more than five minutes. Neither had their conversation back on the balcony been long. 'But then again, being surrounded by so many people when it's usually just the two of us must have stressed her out.'
"What do you think of the dance so far?" Jaune asked, noticing how Nora whispered with Pyrrha. Before quickly taking her hand and not to subtly dragging her towards another door. Nora might smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. And it lacked its usual abundant energy. 'Thank You' he mouthed to her when they locked eyes. The pink bomber giving him a nod. Her eyes said that they would be having words, but now she was going to console Pyrrha.
Something he was grateful for. He could be her friend; he would be her friend. He could be a pillar of support, someone to listen, someone to give advice. But he coulndt help console her without coming of as condescending. Especially since it had been him that turned her down.
"How was Yang?" Jaune tried again, looking to Violet with a little smile.
"Punch tastes bad." Violet gagged. Nodding slightly as he registered her words. If Yang had given Violet spiked punch, he would break her the next time they sparred. It didn't matter of she was a 'party' girl or if she liked having fun. He could remember being allowed to take a sip from his father's glass, or his mother's wine, when he was younger. But that was always with adults surrounding him, watching over him with a bucket beside a pillow and blanket at the ready.
Alcohol was just as bad for children as it was for adults, often worse since they haven't finished growing. What could give Yang a light buzz could knock Violet right out. Especially if her alcohol tolerance was especially low. Something he knew Yang hadn't thought about, especially with how she stood and chatted with Sun and Blake.
Locking eyes, Yang gave him a nod, before continuing talking with a beaming smile on her face. Cheeks rosy from alcohol. Giving him all the confirmation he needed.
Letting out a deep breath, he crushed the anger that churned inside. There was a time and place for making a scene. And the dance wasn't it. He would spare his classmates that.
"Come on, why don't we take a look around." Jaune said, setting Violet down and taking her hand. Heading over to the 'kids' table, he took a little taste of the punch. Sighing relived when it wasn't spiked. Pouring Violet a little cup, he let his eyes roam the ballroom. Not really knowing what to do.
To say he felt out of his element was an understatement. He could dance with the best of them, he even had a medal to show for it back home. Unfortunately, he was still an introvert without a single social bone in his body. That his mind screamed at him that he didn't belong not helping him in the slightest.
"I think I saw Weiss sitting alone on a chair. Why don't we go and ask what's wrong?" He asked, slowly beginning to make his way over. Violet beaming, his hand in one hand, and her punch cup in the other. Some girls cooing at them as they walked past.
"Where's Neptune? I thought he asked you out?" Jaune asked when they got closer. Probably not the best of icebreakers, especially if the way Weiss sighed was anything to go off.
"He ditched me." Weiss huffed, shooting a glare at the man in question. Who for his sake also sat alone on a chair further down. Staring into the bottom of a plastic cup.
"Sorry for that." Jaune sighed, taking a seat beside her. "He asked if you had been asked for the dance, and I said no. If I had known it would end up like this should have said otherwise."
"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong." Weiss sighed, scooting a bit to the side so Violet could sit down between them. "I shouldn't have been so quick to accept. Maybe it was because he is handsome, maybe it was because I wasn't thinking straight. But I should have seen him as the flirt he is."
"He wanted a one-night stand, you wanted something else, huh." Jaune mumbled, smirking at the incredulous look she sent him. "What? I have seven sisters; you think I haven't heard it before?" Placing his hands over Violet ears, he continued. "I have listened to my elder sister and twin compare how their boyfriends are in bed. I have been there when my sister was dumped. I have also been there when my sister was dumped because she cheated. Which in hindsight, good riddance for Brick, he deserved better."
Removing his hands from his apprentice's ears, he tried to ignore the huff and glare Weiss sent him as Violet climbed up into his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he could practically feel how she radiated happiness, leaning back into his chest. He didn't need to look at her to know she smiled.
"All I'm saying is that you shouldn't beat yourself up. If you want to dance with Neptune, I can go over and talk some sense into him. If you want to dance with someone else, ask them. It's a dance after all, we are meant to have fun and mingle. If you want something more, then hint at it with them to see if they are of same mind, if not, then simply don't bother." Jaune shrugged. Sending a little smile towards Weiss. "Sometimes all you need is a little confidence. The world isn't going to end if you are turned down."
Letting his gaze wander, he stopped at General Ironwood. A misty cloud of swirling colours danced around his eyes. Following the misty thread with his eyes, he gazed into the two shining rubies. Nonchalantly breaking eye-contact he found Ren off to the side.
Iosefka must have whispered something in his ear because he stopped pouring himself another cup of punch. Gesturing towards the General, Jaune saw the moment Ren spotted the mist. Pink eyes quickly landing on the olive haired girl. Those two shining rubies darting between the two of them as some semblance of panic sat in. Once was a coincidence, twice was a pattern.
Looking up at the woman, he gave her a cheeky wink before activating a magic spell. The cloud of mist quickly dissipating. The girl in question acting as if a rubber band snapped in her face. Her eyes instantly turning bloodshot as a drop of blood trailed out of her nose.
"Be back in a bit." Jaune said over to Weiss, whispering softly before lifting Violet into her lap. What words she had on her tongue silenced by his actions.
Standing up he nonchalantly made his way over to Ren. Shooting the General another look. Noticing how he looked none the wiser. Allowing him to breath easily. 'Thankfully it wasn't anything harmful. But still. Better safe than sorry. Who knows what a drunk teenager could get up to.'
He hadn't wanted to use his magic, liking to keep a clean divide between the Waking World and the Dream. Neither did he want to paint a target on his back by being able to perform feats that should be impossible. Looking back up at the second floor, he saw how a silver haired boy looked at him with a raised brow. A placid apathy shining in his eyes. 'I hope it's just some kids being stupid.' Jaune thought to himself, not liking how his gut said otherwise.
####
"He did something to by semblance." Emerald hissed at Mercury. Quickly taking a handkerchief from her purse and drying her bleeding nose.
"Losing your touch, Em?" Mercury chuckled with his usual aggravating carefreeness. "The second Cinder isn't looking you mess up. My-my, what would she think of that?"
"Shut up." Emerald hissed at him; eyes bloodshot. "I don't know what he did, but he saw my semblance. He winked at me."
"And here I thought you were only interested in girls." Mercury chuckled, a mean-spirited smile on his lips. "Did the pretty man make you blush?"
"I will end you." Emerald whispered sharply, pulling his tie down so she could glare into his eyes. Reaching for her semblance came like second nature. Bringing it forth made another drop of blood trail down her nose as the it failed to take hold on Mercury. She willed flowers to bloom in his vision, spider lilies, but before the illusion could take hold it shattered. Disappearing like mist on a fine summer morning.
"You weren't joking, huh." Mercury mumbled, reaching for her hand and callously squeezing until her aura glowed slightly and she let go with a hiss. "That's less than ideal. Cinder will need to be informed. I don't think the General has noticed. Neither do I think he, or anyone else, will notice her late arrival."
"Expect them." Emerald said, trying not to glare as she looked down as the blond- and black-haired duo talked, making their way back over to the younger Schnee and her mini-me. Doing her best to not let her hostility seep into her glare. Knowing how sharp some huntsmen's instincts could be.
"That could prove troublesome…" Mercury sighed. "They will need to be taken care of." He shrugged nonchalantly. As if he was talking about the weather and not the death of two students.
"Yes." Emerald spat, a shiver racing down her back as she blinked the tears out of her eyes. "Arc did something. I'm not sure what. But I lost hold of my semblance. Lie also saw my semblance affecting the target. He didn't do anything, but that he can also see it is bad."
"I will see what information I can gather about them." Mercury whispered, his voice sounding almost eager. As if he was looking forward to what was going to happen. "Mint can be compromised at any moment if they can see trough illusions. Arc more than Lie as he can actively do something about the illusions. But both must be removed. Permanently if possible."
"On that we agree." Emerald muttered. Beacon would fall, Cinder would have what she wanted. But that goal would be far more complicated with one of their members benched. Not to mention the fact that anonymity was their best tool. If their enemies suddenly knew who they were, what their goals were. Cinder, and maybe Mercury, would live to see another day. Emerald knew that her luck and skills coulndt stand up to Atlas's army and all the active huntsman and huntresses in Vale. But above all things, she didn't want to let Cinder down.
####
"You will break his trust." Iosefka whispered in his ear, her constant presence something to keep his thoughts grounded as he went over all the ways this madness would backfire. There was no could about it. This was a monumentally stupid idea. But Ren was a loyal man to his principles, his friends, and his family.
"Misplaced loyalty that will see trust broken." Iosefka's haunting dual toned voice whispered by his side.
"Loyalty, like trust, is a two wayed street." Ren whispered back. Making sure he spoke softly so he didn't wake anyone. The dance had ended some hours ago, but he was still sat at his desk with a paper talisman lied before him. "Trust can't be given, only earned. One way loyalty is nothing but obedience. And I will not sit idly by as he is forced to shoulder burdens that will see most men crushed."
"The Kind Hunter isn't a common man." Iosefka whispered. "Hope blaze in his heart. A dream of a better tomorrow is in his chest. The hope of tomorrow is too young to understand, wanting to follow in her father's footsteps even if that is not her path. Most of Yharnam's hunter are contenders for their ambition, others are justiciars acting as judge, jury and executioner. With most crumbling in the face of madness and despair. The Kind Hunter knows his path. He walks it without hesitation. With a head held high. Hope blooms in his wake, even if the seeds left behind have yet to grow."
"Iosefka." Ren whispered softly; the ghost's mouth clacking shut as he levelled her a look. "Jaune, my friend, a man I consider as my brother, is a martyr for a city not his own. We both know that his so called 'path' only ends one way. With him buried six feet below. For your sake, don't romanticise his actions. My semblance calms spirit's, you don't want to find out if the reverse is true as well."
The spirit looked at him, mismatched eyes staring into his. The red on her chest darkening as she performed a polite bow. "Excuse my manners, Spirit Talker."
"You are excused." Ren sighed, standing and infused a strand of Spirituality into the talisman. He hadn't tested the talisman before, and neither was he comfortable with drawing it as it was something wholly out of his league. But he had struggled, and he had prevailed. Ending up with a Dream Walker talisman. 'This is a stupid idea.' His mind whispered, and he was inclined to agree.
Unfortunately, this was the only way he could see Jaune coming out of his funk. The only way he could feasibly make Jaune understand that they cared for him. He might not forgive him, but the message would be sent.
A soft smile graced his lips as he took in his sleeping family. Violet was sleeping draped over Jaune's chest, a thin string of droll escaping her. Pyrrha slept soundly, even if her feelings weren't returned, the simple act of confessing had removed a weight from her shoulders. As had her feelings stopped gnawing at her, giving her space to breath and not feel as if she was drowning. Nora slept soundly in her bunk, snoring for three.
"I just hope this works." He muttered as he slinked under his covers. He didn't get to close his eyes before he felt a tug in the back of his head. The tug growing stronger by the seconds. Breathing out heavily, Ren felt himself pulled out of his body.
####
"Where are they?" Aurora nervously asked, pacing back and forth by the tables end. Mr Arc's serrated throwing knifes laid before her, some were chipped, while others had splintered apart. Multiple books had clearly seen better days, victims of her practice. Her throwing arm and shoulder ached, but she felt satisfied in a way she hadn't before. "They have been gone for so long…" She whispered nervously. "Do you think they are dead? Oh the blood, what if they are dead?"
"Breathe a little Aurora." Arianna smiled softly at her, sitting in her chair with a bittersweet smile. "You are letting your nerves get to you. Mr Arc hasn't forgotten you."
Doing as her mentor had asked, Aurora took a deep breath. Some clarity returning, her panic melting away. Her nerves didn't. It felt as if she was walking on eggshells. That any moment the Hunter would return to bury her sister. 'The hunt was no place for young girls.' Her father had told her. Another pit formed in her stomach as she put on a brave face.
Her father had been a great man. He came to Yharnam a missionary from another faith. While he did not convert to the faith the Healing Church preached, he still joined them as a preacher. And when he saw nothing getting done, he joined the hunt with Henryk. He conducted funerals for the poor and the unfortunate. He cried when children smaller than Violet were laid in caskets.
He had been a great man, and an even better father. Whenever he was home, he did his utmost to make them smile, to spoil them in love and affection. She and Violet were born into a luxury few in Yharnam could understand, a warm home with loving parents. Even when the hunt got it's hold in her father, when they needed to play his favourite music box for him to remain in control, he had never laid his hands on them.
She had lied to the hunter. It was easier to mourn her father if she believed her own lies. That he had laid hands on her. That her blue eye was from a moment of weakness on his part. And not from defending herself from a too eager costumer. It made her feel cleaner, it made her forget that the only thing that really was hers had almost been stolen by a drunkard.
It did nothing for the guilt that gnawed inside.
"Howev-" Arianna stared with a soft smile, but Aurora tuned her out. Instead coming to an abrupt stop when a familiar smell tickled her nose. An unnatural smell. The softest hint of lavender, her mother's favourite perfume, tickled her nose. Wafting down from the staircase. Something which was impossible since the Hunter had left down the trapdoor.
"Aurora!" Arianna's shout trailed after her as she ran as fast her legs could carry her up the stairs. Heart slamming in her chest as she slowed down, not seeing the hunter anywhere inside the chapel proper.
"Have you seen the hunter?" Aurora asked, dashing to the old crone and waking her up. The old crone yawned; a smell worse than the outhouse escaping from her maw. Only a few yellow teeth remaining, her gums black.
Wiping the sleep out of her eyes, the crone looked at her like she was a bug. "No." She spat, wiping of herself as if something particularly disgusting had touched her. "I have not seen the hunter." She sneered at her, eyes shining with cruelty. "Don't go minding business that's not yours. Whores like you should only mind what is going on between your legs."
Aurora glared down at the old crone, clenching her fist. Her words stung. Every word laced with poison. 'Break her stupid face.' Her mind whispered, only to be quickly silenced by words not her own. 'Don't do it, your wrist will snap.' The Hunters voice echoed in her mind. Unclenching her fists, she saw the casual cruelty that shone in the old crone's eyes. Snarling at her, she spat out a clump of phlegm into her lap. Quickly turning away as curses exploded out from the old crone's mouth.
"If it's the hunter yer want, ya just missed him." The chapel dweller called out good naturally. Sincerity in his misty eyes. "I… please stay. He returns here. He always does. It is safe here."
Aurora was already long gone. Chasing after the scent of lavender. Panic setting in as she didn't find her sisters scent.
Her mary janes clacked loudly against Yharnam's paved stones. But Aurora didn't pay the sound any mind, part of her knew she was beyond reckless running into the night like this, the other part knew no beast would dare chase her. Stepping into a puddle of blood, her eyes shot wide open. Her foot sliding out from under her while the other was high in the air.
A cry of pain escaped her as she crashed into the ground. Hissing as she scrapped her knee. Quickly getting her legs under herself she took off again. Following the path of blood and corpses like a bat out of hell. Almost crashing into the railing as she raced up another set of stairs, having to almost throw herself to the side when the church giant's corpse took up almost the entire staircase. It's head impaled on the fence's railheads. One of its leg's cut cleanly off while it's axe was still held in a death grip.
Clamping down on her rising anxiety, she ran into the plaza. Leaving the blood coated streets away. Coming to a screeching halt when the carnage greeted her. A church giant had it's guts spilled out like a string of sausage. Another giant's had a hole in the shape of a sword trailing trough it's eye, with its two chain balls wrapped around its neck. Corpses of the church's own doctors laid scattered over the plaza. What felt like a hundred glassy eyes followed her as she made her way through.
Startling and jumping twenty feet into the air when a corpse lost the battle against gravity, splatting against the ground with a heavy thud. It's back shattered over a headstone. Aurora did her best not to hurl as maggots wiggled out of the corpse. Instead picking up the pace.
Her heart hammering in her ears, she had long since stopped feeling her legs. Only desperation pushing her on. She needed to know what happened with her sister. If she was alive. Why the hunter was alone. Her scent long since buried under the smell of blood and death and the hunters own perfume.
Swallowing her rising panic, together with what scraps of food she had managed to eat, she started running up the stairs towards the grand cathedral. Following the smell of blood. Spots were appearing in her vision, her chest burned like nothing she had ever experienced before. But she pushed on, sending pins and needles racing up her legs as she ran.
Almost collapsing again as she slipped on blood, saving herself from bashing her teeth in on the stone steps.
Swaying, she stopped before the grand cathedral. Daring to look up at the grand clocktower that could be seen from everywhere in the city. Terrible roars of beasts rang out from its depths. Sounding almost sacrilegious to her ears.
The Grand Cathedral, the seat of the Healing Church's power. Infected by beasts. It sounded like a bad joke. Everyone knew that spilling blood on holy ground was the highest of sins. That the Healing Church, the last bastion of faith in the city was infected was sacrilegious belief. Lies the mad whispered in damp alleys before mysteriously disappearing the following night.
Yet that didn't stop the beastly roars, wails, of pain from escaping.
Biting her lip until she tasted blood, Aurora swallowed her nerves. Against her better judgment she stepped into the Grand Cathedrals. It's doors already wide open. The many eyed watchers looking over her as she got closer and closer to the sound of combat.
'Sacrilege.' Her mind screamed at her as blood seeped down the holy steps. Aurora didn't know what madness compelled her to go forward, but she did. Setting foot in the liquid sin, walking up the holy steps with blood on her shoes. Coming up to the main hall, Aurora stood transfixed. Watching on in both amazement and horror as the hunter duelled two hulking beasts. One already lying dead at her feet, it's neck split open. It's antlers poking menacingly towards her.
With a silent scream of his own, the hunter dashed under one of the beasts, cleaving of its leg. The wolf like beast hybrid hiding in the back, sniffing the air, it's head flying towards her as a wicked grin split it's lips.
Then everything happened in slow motion. Rooted to the spot in fear, a tickle of something warm escaping down her leg, her mind screaming at her to move. On the other side of the grand chamber, Aurora saw the hunter cut of the beasts other leg before spearing his sword through the back of its head. Throwing himself into a mad dash, the wolf shaped beast already upon her.
Aurora felt as her stomach burned, how her skin tore as wicked sharp nails gutted her and lifted her up in the air. The beast grinning wickedly at her before flicking her towards the hunter as if she was a fly. 'Oh, that's my womb and kidney, isn't it?' Her mind supplied as she stared dumbly at the giant wolf creature licking it's claws. Cold wind flying through the hole in her stomach. Idly she noticed how her intestines, ripped apart and meshed together, was gripped by the wind and pulled out.
Aurora didn't feel as she crashed into the hunter, nor did she notice how his kind blue eyes turned an inhuman amber and split. She only felt cold. A hole in her stomach, a coldness that only grew and grew.
"Don't give up. I'll save you. You will survive." The hunter promised with determination. Fishing out a blood vial and pouring its contents down her throat. Aurora gurgling on the blood, eyes growing hazy as the hunter gently laid her down on the stone ground in the middle of the great hall. Floating in limbo, too weak to as much as move a muscle, she stared helplessly as the hunter stepped over her. Blood dropping from the edge of his sword inches from her eyes.
"How far the lofty as fallen, Vicar." The words sprang from the hunters mouth brough some semblance of horrified clarity. The beast snapped it's head towards the hunter, growling threateningly as it stepped forward in angry retaliation. Giving credence to the hunters words dripped with venom.
"To spill blood on holy ground? In a house of healing? Have you no shame?" The beast roared at the hunter, a golden light enveloping it as it clasped its claws together in a mockery of prayer. A scream that sounded like close to a garbled "Leave! Begone!" escaped the Vicar as the hunter snapped his fingers. The golden light that bathed her shattering like glass. Beautiful motes of light trailing through the air. For a beautiful moment bathing the grand hall in holy light.
A single mote of light floated through the air, melting on her tongue, making her for the first time in her life, truly see. In the place of the giant monstrosity, knelt the Vicar. A young girl not much older than her, desperately clutching a pendant of gold as prayers left her lips. Her veil having fallen, hair woven from the softest gold falling beside her, eyes of the softest blue looked heavenwards for answers.
In place of the hunter stood a grinning boy, dressed in blue pants and a weird but comfortable looking sweater with bunny motifs. His sword nowhere to be seen. Instead he was telling stories to small silvery shadows. Bending down and ripping of his arm and handing it to a silvery shadow in the shape of a child with a smile. Kissing it's forehead gently as it threw two arms around his neck, one off silver, one off gold. Electing a carefree and happy laughter from him. Looking around at the other small forms, he sat down and lifted another into a lap. Telling a soft story as he popped out an eye of blue. The shadow on his lap blinked, laughing innocently up at him and smiled. A silver eye and an eye of blue staring fondly up at him.
With another blink of her eyes, the golden warmth disappeared from her. A hazy form of beige's and browns dashed forward, dancing around a around a larger white and grey blur. Aurora felt the edges of her vision darken, everything growing a hazy grey as coldness seeped into her core. Beautiful splatters of crimson shining in her vision as she felt the soft embrace of death grow colder and colder.
Cobbled shoes on marble echoed in her ears. Counting down her last moments as the reaper came closer. Keeping her company in her last minutes.
A horrible death wail keened trough the cathedral, deep enough to rattle her bones. Then the familiar gentle warmth enveloped her as the hunter gently laid her head in his lap, staring down at her with the softest blue eyes imaginable.
"Come on Aurora, don't give up." He whispered hoarsely. Laying his gloved hand over her stomach. "Don't you want to see your sister again? She loves you. She'll be devastated if you die."
Aurora felt an ember of something in her heart, a gurgle escaping her as she failed to muster the strength to speak. Twitching as feeling momentarily returned to her stomach, a whimper of pain escaping her. Her organs bouncing against each other as her spine straightened itself, snapping back into place. Whatever spell the hunter had cast on her tried, and failed, to heal her. Even if it used the blood as a medium it didn't work. She had never had a blood ministration.
"Come on, don't give up now." The hunter whispered, stuffing another blood vial into her mouth. The blood doing nothing to warm her bones. Only tickling out of her stomach as quickly as it poured in. The spell he had cast on her momentarily holding life in her chest. "Don't do this. Aren't you the big sister? You can't protect your sister if you die now. Don't go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light Fight. You can still live. Don't give up now."
The ember in her chest sparked. Aurora didn't want to die. An ember of life, a flicker of determination burned in her chest. But it stood no chance against the cold grip of death that wrapped her. She felt her heart slow down, dew drops of tears appearing in her eyes as her last strength gurgled the blood in her throat. She had long since lost feeling in her arms and legs. Her stomach a bottomless hole if ice that swallowed every speck of warmth.
The hunters blue eyes hardened, the glove around his hand ripped away as he ran his palm over his sword. "I hope this works." Holding the bleeding hand over her lips, he laid his other palm over the hole in her stomach.
"Do you want to live?" The hunter asked, looking her straight in her eyes. "If you want, open your mouth, and swallow my blood."
Aurora fought to open her mouth, the last embers inside pushing her on. A silvery drop of pink blood landing on her tongue. A second wind of embers warming her up as the hunter spoke softly. His hand bathing the grand hall in soft gold.
"From the depths of your soul, let your aura rise. From dreams of slumber, let its power take flight. Through veins of life and spirit's flow, let life ignite. I release your soul, O child of mine, and by my hand, I grant you life, I grant you hope. A spark, an ember, a duty under moon's glow. Dawn come, and with it, life, and beginning anew."
Violet felt something warm in her chest, something holy. A light of pale white gold shone from her. Washing away the coldness in her chest, giving her comfort in her last moments. Aurora didn't want to die, neither did she believe the hunters lies. Instead she was grateful for his presence. She didn't want to die, but above all, she didn't want to die alone scared and afraid.
Dying bathed in gold in the grand cathedrals grandiose halls with motes of gold dancing in the air. It was more than a whore like her deserved.
Letting her eyes wander over the grand architecture, the grand and glorious altar who had been subjected to sacrilege. Red blood painted it, making some candles burn crimson, instead of carrying soft golden flames. Gentle moonlight bathed the altar in soft light. Even the sacrilegious coat of blood didn't take away from the feeling of holiness the alter exuded.
Her blue eyes wandered up to the beautiful ceiling tapestry. She wasn't sure if she lost her breath at the beauty, or if she had long since stopped breathing. But she didn't care. Instead she couldn't help but awe at the painted saints, holy men and women healing the poor and sick. Giving peace to the dying, and company to the suffering. Blinking, she saw her father sitting among the saints and preachers. Smiling softly down at her, scooting gently to the side as the golden form of the young Vicar sat beside him. Both smiling down at her as they waited for her to sit between them.
A tear slid down her cheeks, the blackness on the edge of her vision growing stronger as she for the first time in a long time felt content. Leaving her sister behind hurt, but the sting was lessened by the fact her family was lovingly waiting for her on the other side.
Closing her eyes, Aurora breathed her last. The last thing she heard was the soft sigh of the hunter, followed by a gasp escaping him.
Feeling weightless, all worries and other mortal tethers were washed away by holy warmth.
Cracking her eyes open, Aurora smile fell as she didn't see her mother or father anywhere. She laid on a warm floor, a white roof above her, the sound of sleeping drowned out by the sound of choking.
Aurora jerked up as her heart hammered in her chest. Panic that was only dwarfed by the monstrous pain in her stomach threatening to overwhelm her. The last thing she saw before the pain became too much and she blacked out was a man that looked suspiciously like the hunter dart out of bed. A small form dressed in a blue onesie that smelled familiar grumbling as she was thrown to the side. Then everything went black.
####
Ren was falling, forever falling. He had long since lost all sense of direction, falling freely through a never-ending pantomime of colours. He had fallen through the entire rainbow multiple times already. Hearing colours that humans, and faunus, coulndt possibly see. Crashing through mixtures of colours that made his soul hurt.
Falling through clouds of colours, lifelike blobs imitating life, dancing shadows recreating flashes of history.
'This was a stupid and reckless idea' Ren knew in the depths of his soul. If he wasn't already hurling, he was going to end up spiting puke everywhere.
Crashing through another cloud of impossible colour that made his mind scream, Ren felt his connection to his physical body strain. Catching him and stopping his wild descent. Giving him enough clarity to regret daring to look around.
Falling helplessly before a gargantuan eye, Ren felt his spirit churn. The eye blotted out the sky, the sea, the mountains, the clouds. Everything was miniscule compared to the eye that was everything he could see. It was a cloudy eye, looking as much trough him as it looked at him. It had been blue once upon a time, he 'knew' more than he noticed, a cold blue reminiscent of a winter's sky. The pupil was round, but there were signs of cracks all over the eye, a mirror image of his own eyes.
A shock travelled through him as life returned to the eye. Freezing him in free fall as the eye judged him. Almost drowning him under an onslaught of bloody slaughter. The screams of falling beasts echoing through his soul.
"I know you." The words revibrated through him as 'It' spoke. "My protégé speaks highly of you. Calling you a friend, a brother. I however find you lacking."
"Gehrman." Ren didn't know how he spoke; he would have long since raptured his vocal cords screaming himself hoarse if he had. The name wasn't as much spoken as it echoed out of him.
"So you know my name." Gehrman's voice whispered softly, almost drowning him under a sea of apathy. Flashes of memories lit up the colourless nothingness around him. Painting the world in grey, filling the world with apathy. Yet, there were two memories that stood out. Filling the space around him with a sickening feeling of disgust, and of familial warmth.
Faling through a memory, he saw, felt, the disgust in Gherman's eyes as he laid eyes on Jaune the first time. Disgust born from self-hatred. Innocent Jaune, tall and lanky stood terrified, taking in the dream for the first time.
Ren was wrenched out from the memory, instead finding himself floating through a beautiful graveyard. Silvery moon flowers as far as the eye could see, giving life to the dreary landscape filled with headstones. Desperately looking around, he saw the source of the gentle warmth. His own wild panic easing out of him as he was washed under the feelings Gehrman felt. Jaune, Violet, and Gehrman sleeping softly together under a large gnarly three.
The world tilted on its axis as he was thrown out of the memory. Apathic anger coming to life in the gargantuan eye that covered horizon. "I will not harm you, my protégé have need of your friendship. I will not help you either. You got yourself into this mess, you will get yourself out of this mess."
With those freezing parting words the eye disappeared. Leaving Ren to continue his forever falling free fall. His panic growing ever larger as he felt the 'pull' from his physical body become weaker and weaker. Almost as if the 'rope' could snap at any second.
A startled gasp escaped Ren as he felt his speed bleed of him, leaving him to land softly in two gigantic, cupped hands. The hands were split at the joints, livingly warm, but gave off porcelain's cold chill. Looking up, he saw a sky filled with never ending eyes. Soft violet eyes full of motherly warmth stared down at him.
"Forgive Gehrman, young Spirit Whisperer. You saw something he holds dear. Something you were not to see." A gentle voice whispered around. Wrapping a soft blanket around his shivering soul. "But you should not be here. You don't belong. I will not have you end yourself for some vain show of brotherly love or loyalty. My kind hunter values you too much for you to go throw your life away. Now, begone. Go home and forget this ever happened."
The instant the words were spoken, Ren felt the 'rope' connected to his body pull. Sending him flying, the world tilting as he raced through clouds of colours, mists of emotions dancing as he passes by, with shadowy figures nabbing towards him.
Ren woke up with a start, choking on his own vomit as he twitched violently in his bed. His aura shattering of him. His muscles spasming whenever he tried to move. Breathing felt impossible, puke coated his mouth as he desperately tried breathing.
Silvery motes gathered, materialising a young girl who just began her teenage years on their rug. A giant hole in her dress, showing of an all to thin waist as she looked around and fainted.
Before Ren could think any more, Jaune was over him. His usually calm blue eyes filled with panic. Dancing between him and the young girl, not knowing who he should check on first. Then a glass flask was pushed down his throat. A sickly, thick, concoction making its way down his throat. Bringing with it a slight hint of chamomile as he felt an unnatural calm settle over him. A calm more placid than even his semblance could create.
Removing the glass flask from his mouth, Jaune rolled him over onto his side. A waterfall of puke escaping him. His head pounded as he emptied his guts, his mind was a scrambled mess. His 'dream walk' more akin a nightmare of scrambled snapshots. The only thing he really remembered was the apathy in Gehrman's eyes, and motherly eyes. Everything else was a mess that hurt more to think about.
"Bloody hell." Jaune whispered under his breath, before grabbing him under the armpits and pulling him out of bed. Ren tried helping, tried getting his legs under himself, but all he could do was twitch, his legs refusing to obey him. Opening the bathroom's door and turning on the light, Jaune deposited him right between the toilet and the wall. Lifting the toilet lid and helping him have an easier time emptying his guts into the toilet.
A mutter of thanks was on his lips, drowned under another torrent of puke.
Carefully, Jaune sat who could only be Violet's older sister down on the other side of the toilet. Guilt and anger in his eyes as he looked at the suspiciously round splotch of reddish skin that was visible through the hole in her dress.
Sky-blue eyes shot open in wild panic as she desperately looked around. A panic that was quickly washed away as Jaune softly turned her to the toilet and puke escaped her. Red and filled with bloody chunks.
"What's happening master?" Violet asked softly, wiping the sleep out from her eyes as Jaune carried her into the bathroom.
"They are suffering the consequences of their actions." Jaune affirmed softly. Ren not missing the glare the boy gave him. "That the calming brew I made works on Spirituality is the only miracle that stopped you from dying, Ren. It doesn't matter if we could help you puke your guts out if your mind, body, and soul would shatter five seconds later."
Ren would have liked to blush, to defend his actions in any shape or form. But his guts clenched, his lungs contracted, and bile escaped into the water. Tears dewing his eyes as his throat burned.
"And don't get me started on your sister." Jaune hissed, the deathly pale girl shooting Jaune a terrified look as realisation flew through her eyes. "She thought it would be a brilliant idea to follow me in my hunt. Instead she got run through by giant nails and gutted. The only reason she is alive is because my desperate attempt at mixing the Aura awakening chant with the healing blood, my own healing magic, and by blood adopting her to tie her to me, and in doing so, make the dream see her as my apprentice. I didn't know that would work. It shouldn't have worked."
The girl glared at Jaune, conflicted eyes screaming at him. Ren didn't know if she had wanted to die or not. But she looked angry and grateful at the same time.
"What did it cost?" Violet asked softly, making confusion blossom in Aurora's eyes.
"More than I would have liked, less than I would expect." Jaune started, as tauntingly vague as he usually was when asked about what more he had learned in the Dream. "Organ's don't regenerate. Her intestines are a jungled mess on their way out. But every major organ below her stomach is gone. Or almost, she has one kidney left."
"I will never be with kids?" The girl asked heartbroken, tears trailing down her cheeks. Quickly turning to the toilet as more bits of her intestines came spilling out.
"Maybe. It depends." Jaune whispered. His brother ignoring his and the two girl looks. "There are multiple ways I can see that will heal you. Unfortunately I can't heal everything right now. The magic that is keeping you alive is still working overtime. And I don't want to try blending two wildly different types of healing at the same time. There is a chance you never can be healed, as all, or most, magic heals towards the 'normal state'. And your 'state' could be overwritten to how you are now, not how you were."
A choking silence fell over the bathroom as Jaune sat Violet onto the warm tiles before standing up. Ren saw the flash of indecision that was quickly replaced by determination in his friends eyes. "I promised your father in his last moments that I would care for you and Violet as if you were my own. A promise I plan to uphold. Just… think with your head, not your heart the next time."
The look Jaune levelled the young girl was one Ren was intimately familiar with. A look he sent Nora when they both knew she was going to do something stupid and get hurt, and they both know she would do it.
"Watch over them for me please?" Jaune smiled at Violet. "Someone has to clean up the mess. I don't want Nora to wake up the entire school by stepping in puke in the morning."
With that Jaune was gone. Sighing softly, Ren saw the conflicted look in Aurora's eyes. Questions warring with confusion. Before Aurora could ask her sister anything, the words were drowned out by another torrent of puke. The smell hitting his nose, and Ren joined her in emptying his stomach right after her.
####
Note: Many guessed what angle Ren was going for. And they were right. Unfortunately, contacting or even touching the Dream is something that is out of his league.
Note: Ren getting hit with the +20-insight boon. If that's good or bad, well there will be sings.
Note: Aurora's arrival is temporary dampened by her puking her guts out, literally, but Violet and Aurora are two different people. They are also different ages with Violet at 9 and Aurora at 12. Compared to her sister who takes everything at face value, not wanting to lose the feeling of safety, Aurora isn't afraid of speaking her mind. Neither is she afraid of doing what she 'feels' is right. After all, she was willing to apprentice herself under Arrianna so her sister could eat.
Note: And lastly, the first 'blow' between Team JNPR and Cinder's goons is sent. Both being made aware of each other.