Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth. I own nothing.

Chapter 19. Beacon Days 09

Juniper Berries, the evening rush

So many problems, big and small. Yet, life goes on.

The Yomi Alliance, a name that made his teachers pale, retreated to lick their wounds after the 'War in the Warehouse' Incident. The damage dealt to the Mistralian gangs earned the Red Axes a reprieve, and showed the enemy's hand. All previous signs suggested their presence to be an exodus of small-time gangs running towards the greener pastures of Vale. Hindsight revealed these gangs as the Yomi's covert attempts to establish a foothold. With Nash's warning, Uncle Hei has begun making plans to counter future incursions, and charged a squad of the Red Axes' best with the task of shadowing the twins.

Other groups took note and laid low. The near destruction of the Blue Zee's rank and file served as a cautionary tale to any who believed the Xiong was weak.

Jaune's main concern revolved around what the Yomi had planned for the twins, along with the newfound danger to himself. In the temporary peace they've found, he set to improving his abilities. A text to Pyrrha returned with a training regime from hell. Another to Ruby confirmed an upgrade to his long knife. The last was sent to Weiss, and secured him steady supply of Dust to practice with. Expensive preparations, but necessary, because for all his bravado Jaune was not ready for what the East will bring.

For Melanie and Miltia, he had to be more than just lucky.

His return to Beacon brought its own challenges, although his punishment at Goodwitch's hand paled in comparison to that of Team RWBY. He'd lose a weekend to detentions. They'll be lucky if she released their sentence within two months. Moreover, in his brief absence, the malcontents among the student body reared their heads and were now hard at work chipping away at his influence.

But, again, life goes on.

The soothing sound of Lien flowing into the JNPR coffers certainly helped wonders to calm his nerves.

After grabbing a cup of coffee (cream, sugar, and a sprinkle of cinnamon) for himself, Jaune stood to the side and observed the little corner of Beacon he'd built. His partner ran the counter like clockwork, ringing up purchases from the looooong line of students. Her polite demeanor and enthusiasm suited this job well. Nora took to security work like a fish to water, especially once she saw Ren disappear under the onslaught of customers. Moving between the aisles, Sky of Team CRDL restocked the shelves. He managed to rope Dove Bronzewing into helping out, too. A sign that the efforts of bringing his gang to heel bore some fruits.

Good. He will need more people on-side before he felt confident enough for the next big push.

Something in entertainments, maybe.

Scanning the crowd, he saw another change to the landscape. The various delegations from other Academies have started to arrive. Even out of uniforms, their unfamiliar faces and, more importantly, their guileless smiles outed them as newcomers. No true Beaconite would walk into this battleground with such lax attitudes, or pass over a chance to get a bag of Velvet's cookies. They'll learn.

In the meantime they made fine customers, on the whole, except for one group. Jaune flicked his gaze near the display case of cakes and meals, and his ire piqued again.

The Atlas students were recognizable by the white-gray coloration and decidedly military bent of their uniforms, which most have donned even in their free time. The six or so boys and girls have spread themselves out in a loose formation in the center of the room, getting in the way of traffic. Every once in a while, one would adjust their cuffs or dust their jackets, and another would turn to present their best side. The clean and freshly-pressed clothing spoke of a pride in their uniform and what it represented, and their stances conveyed a sense of arrogance as they scoffed at the casual dress of the other schools' students and commented on the quaint feel of the store's décor. Clearly, they were slumming with the masses by coming to Beacon, their presence seemed to say.

How… vexing.

Arrogance has its place. But here, in his house?

Pffft. They wore those outfits well enough, he supposed. For amateurs.

Jaune could appreciate a good suit, but theirs had nothing on his. Near the end of his training, Melanie and Miltia went all out on his wardrobe and bespoke tailoring was the order of the day. He made sure to wear the more replaceable outfits for combat classes, and tried to do the same when he anticipated trouble elsewhere. On peaceful days, however?

Well, let's say there never were a better time than now for him to represent Vale.

He stepped forward between two ceiling lights, letting them illuminate him from all angles as he posed with arms akimbo before the crowd. At first glance, the muted sheen of the black suit contrasted unfavorably to the Atlesien uniforms that almost shined in the light. One might think that the suit Jaune wore came across as rather somber, or perhaps sinister. Those who understood their cloth would slap such a person.

*Slap*

Yes, like that.

Coco Adel, the only other soul he found in this land of fashion scarcity to understand the value of posing and strutting, held court in a group of second-years. She rubbed her stinging hand and berated a fool who has earned her displeasure with his thoughtless comments.

"It's cashmere, you barbarian! That crap those Atlas showoffs wear are only shiny because they're blending in synthetics. This kid gets it!" She nodded to Jaune in solidarity, one finger tapping the scarf around her neck.

Cashmere, with its plush softness and warmth, made the perfect material for a fall weather suit or, yes, a scarf. Yet, it had its issues. It was a finicky material that took expert tailors to create quality articles of clothing. A stubborn fiber, cashmere resisted any sort of deep color, like the charcoal-black of Jaune's suit. It was rare goods, too, and the cost doesn't end with the purchase either, requiring constant effort to maintain its condition year after year.

All that to say, cashmere was luxurious- No, it was decadent, a choice in self-indulgence that did not suggest arrogance so much as it embraced and exemplified such. Under the light, Jaune stood tall and arched his back to showcase how the supple fabric traced the contours of his body, how it conveyed a sleekness of form as he raised the cup of coffee to his lips. His left hand ran along his lapels, fingers caressing the embroidery there. Then, he straightened his suit, coincidently lifting the jacket for an instance to show the silk lining beneath.

A long, low moan emanated from within the group of second-years.

Jaune turned fully to the group of students from Atlas, and regarded them with contempt. The military style appeared impressive, until one realized that it hid the underlying mass-production technique. The thick, polyester-wool weave protected its wearer from the Atlas climates, sure. It also happened to be some of the cheapest fabrics on the market. A bit of padding added here, a fold or stripe placed just there, and the coarse seams became barely visible. An ensemble full of hidden flaws.

The visiting students bore his judgement in a silent but seething anger, until one of their ranks pushed his way forward. He attempted a pose of his own, a parade rest with his feet apart and arms clasped behind his back. From here, the boy deviated from military discipline to puff up his chest, turning so the Atlas Academy logo on his breast pocket glinted in the light.

Not a bad move, to emphasize the weight of their Kingdom.

Still…was that all?

Jaune leaned forward with one shoulder, directing all of his attention to the logo before running his eyes up and down the uniform. After a beat, a corner of his lips curled to form a sneer, exaggerated to show the full canine tooth, and he brought his every ounce of disdain to bear. It was gone in a flash, before his lips relaxed into a smirk and his chin tilted up on an angle to show an irreverent frivolity. As if to say, that their Kingdom amounted to nothing.

As if to say, that this was how to look like a proper asshole.

The crowd knew which they preferred between the bad boy look and the preppy elitist attitude. Jaune received their nods of acknowledgment, and even some blushes and shy waves, while the few who looked at the Atlesien showed pity or mockery in their eyes. It broke the other boy's spirit, for upon his turn he found not one flaw in Jaune's ensemble, only a superior make and a timeless style. Meeting the blond's scornful eyes revealed a certainty that his authority reigned supreme over some little Academy to the north. In the presence of arrogance perfected, the boy drew back to the safety of his friends, giving a last half-hearted scoff to save face.

And so, a battle was won. A battle fought with not a single blade bared, enemies cut down with not a drop of blood spilled. A victory, not by action, but of simply being. Indeed, this was why Yakuza wore suits, for it stood as the truest expression in the art of seeming.

With the dignity of Beacon thus safeguarded, Jaune returned to a state of tranquil repose once more.

Or not.

A blond boy in an unbuttoned shirt, tired of waiting in line, had dropped his items and Lien into the hands of his blue-haired companion and was walking to the exit. Fine and good, fine and good. Jaune disliked waiting, too.

The issue was, the blond boy used his monkey tail to snag an apple as he passed by the cases of fruits. Jaune's eyes followed the other boy's back as he strolled away. Upon arriving at the exit, he stepped over the threshold without a care.

No doubt about it, now.

"Hey, you there."


Beacon Corridor, five minutes later

It's always one thing after another.

Jaune suspected it'd be the story of his life in the foreseeable future. Barely a Yakuza, and international gangs were gunning for him. Barely established a reputation in Beacon, and the other Academies invaded. Barely opened his first base, and he's already being robbed by some-

"You will forever remember the day you almost caught the legendary thief Sun Wukong!"

Yes, that guy.

Putting aside the unoriginal line ripped from this summer's blockbuster, Jaune would posit that a true legendary thief would not shout what sounded like their real name out to the world along with showing their bare face. Such a thief should move unseen at the stroke of midnight, stealing national treasures and secret relics to shake the foundation of the Kingdom, disappearing like mist and leaving behind whispers and myths. What a foe that would be, a chase for the ages.

He wouldn't be committing petty robberies, was what Jaune was getting at.

Then he recalled the recent actions of 'Gentleman Thief' Roman Torchwick, and sighed. Standards were falling everywhere.

The one thing this Sun Wukong had going was his instincts. Time and again, Jaune had a wrist, a hem, or a tail within reach, only to see them jerk away from his grasp at the last second. He swore the boy had eyes in the back of his head. That, or this wasn't his first time thieving.

It didn't help that they were running through the hallways of Beacon. Jaune ducked past one student, and had to stop before another tying his shoes- in the middle of the road! -which widened the distance between him and his target again. The thief weaved his way down the corridor like the wind, with him charging after as best he could, always a step behind, a second too late.

Yet, a sharp-eyed bystander would note that Jaune didn't look all that worried. In fact, he had a little smirk on his lip that said everything was in hand. And why wouldn't it be?

This was Beacon, where opportunity waited just around the corner.

He wasn't speaking in idioms, either. Past the turn sat the cafeteria, and with this being shortly after 6:30PM, ahead should be-

The dinner rush.

The customers Juniper Berries had drawn away hardly put a dent in the flow of traffic meeting the bottleneck that was the sole entrance to the food hall, which formed a miserable daily pile-up. The cafeteria had an advantage over the store that few could resist, the allure of free food. The open doors carried the scent of nourishing cuisine (and grease) through the air, whipping the incoming students into a frenzy as they tried to push ahead. Their efforts were in vain, for the outgoing students, impatient to escape and enjoy their night, shoved right back without mercy.

Here stood Beacon's great sin, the biggest source of negative energy luring in the Grimm from the Emerald Forest to the school.

It stopped being his problem, ever since he kept a stock of boxed meals behind the counter for the team. However, a transfer from Haven wouldn't know of this daily occurrence. The crowd stretched quite a distance, and quick as the thief may be, there was no getting through it and no room left to dodge the grasping hand of justice!

Credit to Sun Wukong, he hesitated for an instant before boldly sprinting at the mass of bodies. Monkey tail wrapped around the apple, he hopped on the shoulders of a hungry soul and vaulted high over them to grasp the top of the door, swinging himself into the room rather than trying to get to the other side of the crowd. A deft maneuver, and in doing so he lost any shreds of honor he held.

The girl Wukong leapfrogged over was no one of consequence. Just another face in the backdrop that was this madhouse of four schools, slight of build and nondescript. The unexpected weight caught her by surprise and the hard shove of his legs sent her staggering. That thief has either forgotten the rules or never bothered to learn it.

And he had pushed a bystander into harm's way.

A Huntress can survive being trampled. It mattered not. Her Aura can heal any bruises. It mattered not. Wukong can say he was in a hurry or he was desperate or he didn't want to get hurt. It mattered not-

-because you don't involve innocents, you Oum-damned bastard!

Aura flashed in Jaune's eyes, two bolts of blue coursing their way down to his feet. He sped up on a collision course with the girl windmilling her arms, swearing to break the other boy's legs if she hit her head. Slamming his left heel into the ground hard enough to crack the tiles, he pivoted to bleed his momentum. The turn allowed him to pass the falling girl by a hair's breath, and he cradled her waist in his left hand with the other on her back. A gentle pull swept her off her feet and she joined him in the spin. His right leg stretched out in a lunge, bending to support both their weight as they finished in a dip, his face an inch away from hers. Aside from her disheveled hair, she was unharmed in his arms.

Thank Oum for his teachers' dance lessons.

"I'm sorry for the troubles, miss." The girl took a moment to answer, her eyes that lay half-hidden behind long bangs still swirling from the spin.

"It's, um, it's okay."

"It's really not, since that idiot was running from me." And now some heartless nobodies have pushed their way ahead of her. Solutions, quickly! "You know what? Drop by Juniper Berries and my team will have a meal waiting for you, completely free."

"There's no need-*growl*-" a grumbling tummy silenced the reddening girl's protest. "Ignore that, please."

Heh. Cute. "It's my apology for dragging you into my affairs. Tell them Jaune sent you and that it's an honor thing. They'll understand." Checking over her one last time, Jaune squeezed her shoulders gently and showed a beaming smile. "And I'll punch that idiot twice as hard in your place."

Stepping past the blushing girl, he let the good cheer fade. Anger bubbling beneath the surface, Jaune pushed his way through the crowd.

Somewhere past them, there's an impudent thief in need of punishment.

-o-

Good thing that girl couldn't see him flounder his way through the sweaty masses. Now he remembered all the reasons why the cafeteria sucked.

A scan of the room for a half-naked Faunus showed many eyes pointed in one direction. The cacophony of pots and pans behind the kitchen doors ended with a boy thrown out of the cooking area. He tried to reenter, but the cooks zealously guarded their domain against the stubborn intruder. A wave of a deadly ladle silenced his protests at last. Sulking, he stomped towards the windows instead, using a blind spot to snag a pudding cup from someone's plate along the way.

A vein on Jaune's forehead throbbed.

He dashed forward to intercept the unapologetic Wukong. Fast as that boy was, letting him reach the outside courtyards meant losing his trail altogether.

With a shout of "Got you!" Jaune spear-tackled the other boy to the ground, the two struggling in a whirlwind of limbs. Shoving a hand against Jaune's nose, the thief yelped.

"Dude, it's just an apple!"

Jaune slapped the hand aside, threw a wild haymaker at his face to disorient the boy (and to keep a promise), then went for a hold. Displaying his artful dodging once more, Wukong slipped out like an eel. He scrambled to his feet and reached for the window latch. Cursing, Jaune followed.

"It's not about the apple. It never was about the apple. Get back here!" He wrapped his arms around the thief's waist, lifting him up and tossing him over a shoulder.

Wukong's acrobatics came into play again, and he twisted to plant his feet on the ground. Turning around, he made to abandon the fight.

What an annoying opponent. Too wily for a hold, too willing to escape for anything else. More and more, he wished he accepted help from the girl earlier. He never got her name either.

Pounding after the boy, Jaune lunged with arms outstretched. His hand found a monkey tail, and squeezed.

That, might have been a mistake.

"Letgoletgoletgo-" Wukong screeched in pain, slapping at Jaune in a frenzy. "Stop touching my tail!"

Jaune dodged a boot, and shoved him against a table, its occupants long gone but leaving their meals behind. The other boy's hand closed around bottle of ketchup, which he smashed into Jaune's cheek. A mustard bottle slammed into his other cheek, and relish followed to complete the trifecta. Woozy, he loosened his grip, giving the tail its chance to pull free. It whipped his eyes, the irritating fur triggering tears.

As the Beacon blond wiped at his eyes, the foreign blond hopped on the table and began flinging anything he could grab, from utensils to plates to food. A soda can (People Like Grapes) impacted Jaune's forehead, knocking him to the floor. By the time the red-eyed boy sat up, the thief was gone.

Foiled thief, rather, because a few feet away lay a bruised and filthy apple with markings of a footprint on its skin.

And the other stolen item, the pudding?

It and much, much more can be found on Jaune himself, a layer of half-eaten food, condiments, and liquids covering his suit. Staining it.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. And whatever you do, don't cry.

First, it had been a matter of reputation. The apple held little importance in itself, costing a measly 2 Lien. That anyone stole at all was the problem. The act of theft carried a greater implication, in the same way that Yang's attack on The Club shook the foundation of the Red Axes even months later. Jaune had tied his name to Juniper Berries, the humble store serving as his kingdom. And as his good name affected the store, so too does the store reflect on him. What trust, what respect, can the people of Beacon place in him, if crimes ran uncontested? So, he chased.

Then, it became a matter of honor. Keep conflicts among ourselves, and let bystanders be bystanders. It wasn't that hard to follow, and Wukong not knowing the cardinal rule did not absolve him.

Now? Well, now he reflected on all the little things that led to this point. And he thought that it wasn't worth it, for an ending like this.

"Jaune, are you okay?"

He raised his head see Ruby, standing amidst a flurry of rose petals. Behind her, Weiss and the rest of their team pushed through the circle of spectating diners to watch Jaune with concern.

"I'm…no, not really, Ruby." His image, his precious image received irreparable harm this day. It protected him, weak as he was, and secured his place in a roster full of powerful peers. "I look pretty pathetic, huh?"

"We can take your suit to a dry cleaner. They'll have it looking new in no time." He doubted it, but accepted his friend's words for the kindness it was and let her pull him upright. "And-, and I didn't see why you were fighting Sun, but I'm sure we can talk it out." The earnest way she said those words could almost convince Jaune to believe it.

Hang on. Hang on.

"You know him?"

"He's a fri- Blake's friend."

"I wouldn't say that."

They must have seen something in his demeanor, to distance themselves from Wukong so quickly. Good instincts.

"You wouldn't happen to know where he hangs out, would you." His innocent look fooled no one. Their innocent looks didn't fool him.

Well, well, well. Today might not end in total failure, after all.

"He might have thought he got away," Jaune said, straightening his tie and pulling out his scroll, "But I suppose there's more than one way to skin a cat."

Looking into the distance, Jaune gave an anticipatory grin.

*Smack*

He whipped around, trying to spot who slapped his head. The blond saw three girls averting their gazes, whistling badly. And Yang giving him a thumbs-up.

What did he say that warranted such violence?


Team SSSN Dorm Room, International Students East Wing

Sun Wukong, legendary thief (self-proclaimed), lay back on his bed with an ice pack wrapped around his tail. His hand held neither apple nor pudding, bereft of a single prize to justify his escapades.

What a bummer.

He had come to the conclusion that Beacon was insane. His third day in the city, he became embroiled in a fight for his life. His seventh involved a chase through the school and a brawl to round out the week. Both incidents ended with a busted tail that needed healing and a hungry Sun that needed feeding.

And what was up with the blond? The other blond. The third one, if he counted Blake's partner.

Sun took an apple! On the streets of Vacuo, snagging a fruit was pretty much how you shop. In Mistral, the cops chased you for a block at most. And then there was Vale, where they apparently send Huntsmen to hunt you down.

The guy lacked polish, and had nothing on Sun of course. But that punch to his nose still hurt and it's been hours. His tail's not doing so hot either. Dude had no chill, boosting with Aura in a street brawl.

He might have gone a bit overboard for payback, but the guy can change his suit. Sun only had one tail!

Although…that suit.

When Sun moved to Mistral to attend Haven, Neptune told him something silly. He said that Sun should walk the other way whenever he sees a suit. His friend then stopped being cryptic and clarified that he wasn't telling Sun to avoid wearing suits (because that's a no-brainer), but he meant it in the sense of staying away from men in suits walking the streets of Mistral because those were dangerous people to cross.

Sun blew off that advice, too, because it still sounded dumb. Seriously, it ranked right up there with the one about never filling up a bathtub more than five inches.

Strangely, the rest of his team agreed with Neptune and said the same thing. Then Reese had grabbed his collars, shaking him while saying the same. Even Arslan, Top-of-Combat-Class Arslan, cautioned him not to mess with those guys.

Was there some conspiracy of fashion he didn't know about? If he bought (stole?) a set to wear, would that make him just a man in a suit, or a Man in a Suit?

Mistral's kinda weird, too, now that he really thought about it.

The real question was if that advice applied only in Mistral, or if it also held true here, because Neptune never said what happened if you do piss off guys in suit and tie.

…Okay, he's curious now. That's going to bug him forever until Neptune gets back.

*Knock, knock*

Neptune never disappoints!

Bounding over to the door, Sun threw it open for his partner. The question was halfway out of his mouth before he realized that Neptune wouldn't need to knock. He had the key loaded on his scroll.

That guy from earlier wouldn't have one for this door, though. And that happened to be the first person waiting for Sun in the hallway.

Flanking him were a girl caressing the biggest hammer he had ever seen (!) and The Invincible Girl (! !). A slender boy beside them looked at Sun with gentle eyes, as if in sympathy. Behind them, he saw Blake and her team, and he almost waved to her until he noticed their serious faces. In fact, the littlest one sported a frown that pierced his heart with guilt.

If that weren't enough, a woman in a beret grinded her teeth, looking at him like he murdered someone. A rabbit Faunus held her back with the help of a mountain of a man and his red-haired partner. A boy with blue hair and a vaguely familiar yet nondescript girl brought up the rear.

Of all the people in front of him, only one was smiling. The dude in a suit.

"Hey there, Sun Wukong. You ruined my favorite suit. Do you know what that means?"

Sun shook his head. He suspected that he won't have to ask Neptune, after all.

A pair of eyes shined with delight.

"I'll teach you."

-o-

"There can be no forgiveness without vengeance."

"Uh, Mel, I don't think it goes like that."

"Who's the student, gopher? You or me?"

"…"

"Yeah, I thought so."


Author's notes: Poor Jaune, his day started out so well. Poor Sun, for the same reason. This story has been three for three in making the blondes suffer.

We're never going to see her again, yet one of the background shadows of Beacon received a more romantic meet-cute than any of the main RWBYNPR cast. Is that a pairing option we can tag this story with, Jaune Arc/shadow-person?

On another note, a new idea received its first chapter. Captured by the White Fang, Jaune Arc sold his soul and became- The Agent. It's…probably not the kind you're thinking of.