The students celebrated surviving Ozpin's gauntlet earlier. The gauntlet was intended to cull the weak from the strong and on paper, a certain teen should have failed the exam. Life doesn't follow the script everyone expects. Jaune managed to hang on by the smallest thread. Quick wits willed him to plan an attack on the nevermore Grimm and coordinated his allies to make the impossible happen. Few patted him on the back, others were happy the ordeal was done, and some wished he never spoke again.
The freshmen filled the cafeteria with laughter, gasps and gossip while they worked to put today behind them.
Jaune looked at his plate, a simple salad with fruits and water on the side. The thought of red meat made his stomach turn and twist with vile reminders and preferred to go on a new diet. His new teammate, Pyrrha, sat next to him and was the first to congratulate him.
"You did a great job back there." She said, and remained one of the two individuals to greet him warmly.
"Thanks, I still don't think I did anything crazy." He said, believing it was more luck than anything else.
"If you hadn't come up with that plan, we may have been stuck there or perhaps something far worse could have happened. It's okay to take some praise." She said, trying to fill her new partner with some confidence.
"Thanks. I hope one day I get to be as strong as you are. You were flawless." He didn't see anything wrong in giving an honest compliment. Pyrrha looked surprised at the comment but smiled softly, content with where things are. She then glanced down at her meal,A medium cooked steak with greens and mashed potatoes. She cut into the skin and then the flesh, the threads of muscles tearing apart. The pink center in the middle drip of light blood while Pyrrha cut again and again until she was satisfied.
Jaune shot up from his seat, tearing his eyes away from her.
"S-sorry, something came up." He left in a hurry, practically sprinting right to the nearest bathroom. He dashed into the first stall that was open and vomited once more. He clenched his fists and strove to push the memory but proved futile. No matter how he tries, blood will make him sick to his stomach.
—-
Earlier
Once again he is here, locked in the dark corners of the underground club. Jaune is trapped with one, not two vampires in the room. He thought this ordeal would go smoother but no, that thought was promptly squashed and scraped against the bottom of one's sole.
In her hand was a sharp knife, and she warned him to not fidget or tremble. One wrong move and there may be consequences even she couldn't fix. The sharp blade seeps into the flesh and draws blood from the cut. His nerves signaled pain and caused the young man to wince. How many times has he arranged a visit on their terms? A human boy whose surname and grandfather placed an unspeakable burden on him.
The dexterous fingers pull the knife back, satisfied with the cut and expects it to match with the other small marks she has done. Melanie was the sole vampire here at Junior's bar to ensure things run smoothly. Her sister needed to be elsewhere for family business.
"It's been ages since I can be selfish."
Those were the first words she said to him when he arrived on time. She swiftly and quietly hushed Jaune from prying eyes and noisy patrons who glared with wary eyes,
Cut
Cut
Cut
Blood dripped down the side of his palm into her waiting lips. He knew better than to speak or to say a word when she's in the midst of a feast. Yet, if he were to be honest, he did stand up to a nevermore and that took courage. Or dumb luck. Maybe both.
If he died, his family would soon follow if they were serious about their threats. That, and the knowledge vampires existed meant there may be crazier, scarier things he couldn't begin to imagine. The fear of the unknown held shackled his freedom to the Malachite's mercy
"Jeez, you're still at it? Keep cutting him and there will be nothing left for you." An arrogant and annoyed man spoke his piece when he checked the back room.. She stopped her next attempt to give Jaune's hand another mark with a glare. Her attention flipped to the intruder and made her point the sharp end of the knife at him from afar.
"Roman, you know better than to interrupt."She said, and was clear she wanted a reason why this knife shouldn't plunge into his heart.
"And you know my face is on a wanted poster all over Vale. You think I can dispose of a body because you're too careless to think about the end game." He challenged her with sass and equal annoyance for her ignorance.
Melanie lowered the knife from her target before she flipped it around. Her fingers held the stained blade and then placed it onto a nearby table, all while Jaune was held with her free hand.
"There, are you happy now?" She said to him with disappointment.
"I'll be happy when you're not making me second guess my decisions."
"Aw, don't be such a little baby. I am a big girl, and you are a big boy. We both can live with our silly mistakes, can't we Jaune?" She turned her attention onto her little pet and brought him into the mix.
The blonde boy opened his mouth in surprise and did not expect to be called upon for an answer. He soon closed his mouth and preferred to not have any input on this.
"Stop messing with him and find some other idiot to drain."
"Just go help Junior and leave me be. I won't cause you issues tonight." She shooed him away with her hand in the hopes Roman obliged her request.
"Good, and blondie, forget I was ever here." He pointed directly to Jaune to make sure he heard him and wasn't in a catatonic state yet.
"Um, who are you again" Jaune asked, which brought out a laugh from the orange haired man.
"My, he's quick to learn. Later." With that, he bowed out of the room and left the two alone. Melanie sighed and relaxed her shoulders. She let go of Jaune and rubbed her temples for ease.
"Ugh, what a bummer. He killed my feast with his nagging. Here, take some of this." She passed him a unique drink to aid his recovery. He could play twenty questions with her but who was he to deny her at this point?
"Thanks…" He chugged the drink, which was sweet to his senses. He soon tossed it to a nearby trash can, all while the vampire eyed him.
"Hey." She said to him, making him snap back to her.
"Yeah?"
"You wanted to become a huntsman right? To be someone who can fight enemies and save others."
"Y-yeah, my father forbid me to go down that route but I made it my decision. I wanted to follow in the Arc tradition as a huntsman." He had no idea where this question came from but it seemed genuine. The reply brought a satisfied smile on her lips.
"I see, so that means, if you succeed, you will be prepared to come and kill me and my sister, correct?" She spoke with charm and wit, ignoring how dark her claim may be and how it can push someone into a corner.
Jaune gasped, as he didn't know she would make that distinction or for him to think that was an option.
"Oh come on, don't be so surprised Jaune. How couldn't you? We drain your blood, we enjoy ourselves because of how weak you are. When you get to be a competent fighter, we both know you'll come after our heads. Or am I wrong to assume you won't have a grudge for calling you here all the time?"
"Ngh, I don't, I don't have a grudge. I don't like this arrangement, that's for sure, but more than being a huntsman, or an Arc, I wouldn't put anyone else in danger for my sake. So this is fine. If others get to live in peace, then I can suffer in their place."
There was a long pause as she listened to his response and nothing came out. She was quiet, concerned, pondering what to do.
"That's an interesting response. I don't think I had ever heard of a man being selfless. The countless others before you lied their butts off to get into our good graces. Guys like that are a dime a dozen. Yet you, you weren't lying. A man with character? In this age? I'm shocked, I tell you." She waved him off and giggled. A giggle that made her seem human and normal. She eyed him from top to bottom, eyes lost in her little world until she proceeded to continue. "You really would allow us to do this to you, drain your blood and hold no malice long as we don't hurt anyone you love. Right?"
"Right. You let me live when you could have disposed of me. Some might think I am crazy for believing in the words of a vampire, but I feel there is respect in agreements like this." Jaune chose not to waiver in her steely yet playful gaze."And who knows, maybe I save you two from a predicament down the road."
His statement brought her to raise a brow. Him, saving vampires? The thought almost made her fill the room with laughter, but the unusual, overflowing innocence from him made her reconsider.
"Now that was more intriguing than my little feast today. Thank you, I appreciate our little dinner chat." She got up from her seat and walked up to him. She pressed her index finger right onto his chest and applied pressure. The pressure was light and he needed to look down to meet her eyes but he knew she was in charge."I don't want you to promise anything, but hopefully, we are the last ones on your list to hunt when you do become a competent huntsman. Or, maybe we'll be dead by then." The free flowing nature of how she spoke made Jaune confused. Did vampires have a shelf life or did they have enemies he didn't know of? "But before you leave, I might as well help you out." She moved her index finger and middle finger to his left pectoral. She aimed for his heart, glowing from head to toe when she steadied herself. Her energy and aura was off the charts, far beyond than anyone he had ever met at Beacon.
And then,
Darkness.
"OI, Wake up, this isn't an orphanage for brats like you." A familiar, loud, brash sound jolted him awake. Jaune groaned while he got up from the cold floor. "Ngh, what did she do to me" he asked silently.
"Don't ask life's strangest mysteries to me, kid. I wonder to myself why women hurt me in such extravagant ways. Regardless, go ahead and walk back to where you came from, we're closing up for the night." He pulled out a lighter to lit a cigar between his lips. He had no care for the teen and blew nicotine smoke in his direction.
Jaune could tell only him and Roman remained in this building and not a vampire in sight.
"Where did Melanie go?" He asked the adult.
"Oh, her? She left a couple hours ago. She said to not bother you because you were asleep. But that's too bad because I am about to head out, so you need to scram runt."
"Oh, yeah, if they're not here, no need to stick around."
"Now you're using your brain. Start walking or else I am going to use you for my gain too."
"Haha, no thanks." Jaune thought it was a joke, but Roman scowled at him.
"You think this is funny kid" He pointed his cane at his face and quickly Jaune's demeanor changed.
"I don't have a choice like you where I can escape. Those two would hunt me down like prey if I did. And you are their new plaything. I am envious of you runt, that you can be so carefree. Just remember how lucky you are that you can walk out knowing all you have to do is offer blood and leave with no other scars on you."
Scars? After all those cuts she made on him, he felt like he would leave with some permanent marks and questions from concerned teachers. He looked down on his hand where he was cut and sliced and saw….
Nothing.
But how? It couldn't have been the drinks, so how did he heal himself so fast?
"Now, don't make me repeat myself. Get out of here!"
Jaune obeyed and quickly sprinted out of the bar, for he had no other purpose to entertain Roman at all. He checked his scroll while he exited out the back door. It's not curfew yet but if he's lucky, he'll be back with a few minutes to spare. Then, a sudden tap on his shoulder made him spin around fast. It was Roman again, but he then pointed to the dead end of the alleyway.
"And take him with you." Jaune stopped in his tracks and glanced in Roman's direction. There he saw it, another body, the life drained out of him. Worse yet, he didn't have his arm anymore. A clean cut through the bone until all that remained were muscle fibers. He remained frozen, eyes widened and felt time came to a stop.
He couldn't comprehend it, believe it, and wished he could erase it. Erase it all. That's when he imagined how Melanie did it, how she just sliced-
"Ugh, gonna vomit again?" Roman watched with disgust as the freshman heaved I to the nearby garbage bin. "Let's get one thing clear blondie. You better get used to this sight. Or else you're going to be sick to your stomach with how much you paint this floor. Good grief. I thought this new generation was stronger than this. And you're gonna be a huntsman. Pfft." Roman walked away to the tune of his cane and left Jaune to pick himself up, and the pieces of his mind.
And the pieces of a man that remained, who could have been a student, a worker, or someone with a family at home and now stopped because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.