Chapter Four: The Winchester Part II
Jaune focused, summoning September from his own body.
"Rogue, sweetpea, close your eyes."
Rogue did so, oblivious to September charging forward. As it did so, Jaune infused its left hand with light, making it glow almost as bright as the swinging lamp. The moment it got close to Rogue's face, he saw some of the shadows disappear—others remaining.
"ARA!"
Its fist skated across Rogue's forehead.
As it did so, a black substance came with it.
Said black substance slammed against the wall to her left, rising in the form of a faunus-like shadow. It was currently bent over, clutching its stomach as the user no doubt did the same.
Jaune smirked toward it, telling Rogue it was fine to open her eyes. So that's why the shadow's on Rogue's face didn't match up with the lights. Explains why I couldn't hit you, too.
September charged forward, both hands glowing as the shadow held up its hands. Looking back, no longer caring about concealing his identity, revealed the faunus girl staring right back at him—one hand raised as the other clutched her stomach.
He mumbled beneath his breath. "Guess I can't really blame you…"
His eyes widened as he felt a tugging on his hand.
He looked down, heart skipping a beat as he saw a familiar black tendril pull the ring from his finger. He twisted his neck around, finding that the faunus girl's stand was still there—all of it clearly visible. "Wait, there are tw—"
Several tendrils wrapped around September's neck.
Jaune gasped, hands flying to his throat as he felt the tightening sense around it. His eyes flicked around, trying to find the user as several people rushed toward him.
From September's ears, he heard a deep voice speak.
"So you're the son of a bitch that's messing with my collection?"
He looked to September, eyes widening as the tendrils coiled around its arms—forcing them to the sides. He heard that same voice speaking again as a small, squid-like creature composed of dark purple with gray pieces of what looked like armor pulled itself from just out of his field of vision—latching onto September's shoulders.
It growled in his ears. "You destroyed my tendrils, you stopped me from picking pockets—you're going to pay for this! Song Bird's going to squeeze the life out of you!"
September smiled as Jaune did the same.
"What? What's so funny, wise guy?"
Through September, Jaune spoke. "Two things: The fact that you're a squid stand named after a bird for starters. The second is victory."
"Victory? What's funny about that?"
"You won't get it."
September kicked at the destroyed table, sending several long splinters of wood into the air. He felt the tendrils constrict tighter as several people were attempting the Heimlich on his body—not knowing it wouldn't work. He paid them no mind, focusing only on his stand. "You honestly think you can defeat me with some stupid wood?"
September grabbed one from the air, lodging it in Song Bird's eye.
"Yep."
A loud screeching came from the kitchen as the stand retreated, attempting to flee for the kitchen. Though, it only got a few feet when September lunged forward, grabbing one of its tendrils and holding it back near the center. "Wow, you're a lot weaker when you're not constricting my breathing."
"Ho—how? Only stands can hurt other stands!"
Jaune gave a faint smile as he told the people around him he was all right, September smirking as it slowly pulled it in by the tendril. "My stand doesn't just hit hard. It's got a nice little ability I call 'Infusion'. It lets me infuse a part of my stand into almost any object. All I had to do was infuse that piece of wood with some durability and suddenly it can hit your stand as easily as this: "
September tossed Song Bird up by its tendril, a look of sheer terror on the squid-stand's face.
"ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA!"
September reared back its leg. "ARA!"
The stand flew back through the kitchen, sending someone crashing out into the alley nearby.
Jaune sat down, staring in that direction as several other people dashed to go investigate. He looked back to his plate, seeing it mostly empty. He started twisting what was left of his spaghetti onto his fork, eating as he turned to look at the shadow-stand.
It wasn't bent over in pain anymore, standing there in what Jaune could somehow tell was shock—despite the stand not actually having a face. He reached forward with September, laying a light-infused hand on the wall and infusing its stomach with healing. "Sorry for attacking you. I thought those tendrils came from you."
The stand didn't move for a moment, looking away after a second toward what Jaune still figured was its user. Turning around revealed the girl staring in shock as well, only to stare in horror at something to the left of the restaurant—her stand suddenly seizing up and freezing on the wall.
Jaune frowned, recalling September as he stood. "Rogue, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."
"Okie-dokie!"
Jaune walked to the door, brow furrowing as he heard the commotion from the alley next to the restaurant. He walked toward it, September at the ready as he cautiously made his way around the corner.
His eyes widened as a black tendril slammed into the concrete in front of him.
He dashed around, eyes wide as he saw the chef standing there, covering his left eye with his hand as Song Bird coiled around him. Surrounding him were ten people, all with strangulation marks around their necks. Alive based on their breathing, but definitely worse for wear.
The man had a large sack in his left hand, filled to the brim with watches, rings, and other jewelry that glistened in the light. His remaining eye narrowed on him, gesturing to him with a large kitchen knife in his other hand. "You! You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? Couldn't let bygones be bygones?"
"You were stealing from innocent people. I couldn't just watch."
His lips peeled back in a smirk as he took a few steps back, revealing the faunus stand user behind him. She was wrapped tight in the tendrils, her mouth and throat covered by them. "Now I gotta frame the freak, kill you, and pay for so many damn repairs! You could've just let it slide, but no! Now walk over here," he held the knife to the woman's throat. "Or I'll slit this freaky bitch's throat right now."
Jaune stared on, beads of sweat beginning to form despite the chill. This could end badly. Her stand's still inside, and I'd have to be within two meters to use September. Wonder if he'll fall for the infusion trick twice…
He started walking forward, voice deceptively calm. "You stole my ring earlier too, didn't you? Right before you wrapped September?"
The man nodded, glaring at him. "What's it to you? You'll never get the damn thing back!"
Jaune gave a somewhat pathetic gaze. "Can I at least see it one last time? It was my father's ring before he died. I don't have much else to remember him by."
The man frowned, a spark of sympathy in his eye for a second before he hardened his resolve. "I'll put it on your corpse. Now keep walkin', nice and slow like."
Jaune tilted his head slightly, taping his chin as he stopped. "You know, did you actually steal it? Or did it fly off Song Bird's tendrils during the confusion?"
The man glared at him. "'Fly off'? Nothing just 'flies off' my Song Bird's tendrils! They'll grip onto anything and never let go!"
Jaune gave a faint smirk. "Really? Because I recall that ring flying off."
The man grit his teeth, pressing the knife into the woman's neck hard enough to draw blood. "Do you want me to murder her right now? I've got your damn ring, now shut up!"
Jaune looked away. "Sorry to say, but I think Song Bird's slipping. Maybe you're just not as good as you thought you were."
The man growled as he shoved his hand into the bag, digging for a moment before producing the very ring in question. "It's right here! See it! I stole it from you and didn't drop it! Now get over here and get murdered, or I'll take your little girl down with ya!"
Jaune looked down, hair casting shadows in his eyes. His voice was completely neutral as he spoke, his face void of any emotion. "You know, there's a funny story about that ring. I think you'd get a kick out of it."
The man's brows furrowed. "And what's that? Is it some kinda ancient heirloom?"
Jaune gave a faint smirk, crossing his arms before pointing at it with two fingers. "Nope. That ring came from you. See the inscription on the inside?"
The man's eye widened for a moment. What? Did this…did this kid seriously pull a fast one on me? Did he make me steal one of my own damn rings? That ain't possible, is it? I'd have noticed for sure! What's on that inscription?
He looked down, brows furrowing as he read. "'A.R.A'? Who the hell's—"
"ARA!"
September's foot slammed from the ring, kicking the man into the brick wall of the building across from The Winchester. Without missing a beat it emerged fully, slammed its fists into Song Bird and severing the tendrils binding the faunus girl.
Jaune walked over to the chef, giving him a faint smirk as September tossed him the ring. "I told you you'd get a kick out of it."
The man sat up, eye wide as he saw Jaune hold the ring up to the light. In it, he watched as it glowed a faint white, disconnecting and falling into a limp noodle of spaghetti, which Jaune promptly swallowed. "Like I said, it came from you. Right from your kitchen."
The man pressed flat against the wall, holding up his hands with a look of abject terror on his face.
Jaune glared at him, September cracking its knuckles as he did the same. "Really? You want to surrender after threatening to murder me, her, and my Rogue? You really are a spineless coward, aren't you?"
He nodded. "Yes! Yes, I am! I promise I won't go after you! You can take those rings—every last one of 'em! I'll disappear, you'll never hear from me ever again! All the money I've got's in a safe in the restaurant, you can have it all! Please just give me another chance!"
Jaune looked at the woman, holding out a hand and helping her up. He watched as a shadow that looked just like her appeared on the wall next to him, September glaring from its place at his side. "What do you think?"
The woman rubbed at the cut on her throat, glaring at him as her stand reared back a fist.
Jaune glared at the chef as September did the same. "Seems we both agree. A man like you,"
"Doesn't deserve a second chance."
"ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA! ARA!"
"SHADA! SHADA! SHADA! SHADA! SHADA!"
The two reared back their fists for a last punch, their stands imposed over their bodies as they dashed forward.
"ARA!/SHADA!"
The man flew through the brick wall, slamming into the concrete floor of the building across.
…
Stand Name: Song Bird
Stand User: Egat Winchester
Stats:
Power: C
Speed: B
Range: A
Persistence: D
Precision: A
Potential: D
…
The two walked out of the alley, the woman staggering slightly as she tried to catch her breath.
The moment they were on the sidewalk, Jaune held out a hand. "I don't think we've formally met yet. I'm Jaune Arc."
She looked at his hand for a moment before looking away. "Blake."
Jaune nodded, frowning as he stared at the cut on her neck. He reached forward, about to have September touch it when her hand snapped to his wrist—dragging it toward the ground. "What do you think you're doing?"
Jaune gulped. "Trying to heal you? That cut could get bad if it gets infected."
She stared for a moment before shaking her head. "No offense, but I'll take care of it myself."
Jaune nodded a few times, muttering 'fair enough' beneath his breath before looking back at the restaurant. "Are you hungry?"
"I was begging for food when you showed up, what do you think?"
Jaune looked away, face tinting pink. "Right, stupid question. Well, why don't you come back to Curative Cuisine with me and Rogue?"
Blake turned, brow furrowing as she stared at Jaune's innocent smile. They narrowed as she walked toward him. "What's the catch, huh? Why help the homeless, faunus vagrant?"
Jaune looked away once more, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, I feel bad about punching your stand in the stomach…and it is kinda my fault you got wrapped up—quite literally—in this mess with Song Bird. It's the least I can do."
She turned, glaring at him as she crossed her arms. "Fine—but don't expect me to think I owe you for this."
Jaune's brow furrowed. "Uh…I mean, you won't?"
"Good. Then we're on the same page."
Jaune stared at her for a moment before shrugging, walking back to the now thoroughly trashed restaurant. He pushed open the front door and hoisted Rouge from her seat, swinging his coat over his shoulder before laying a few cards of lien on the table—paying for their meal.
As they walked out, Rogue immediately noticed Blake. "You're that faunus lady from earlier!"
Blake looked away to conceal her smile, Jaune smiling openly at Rogue as he held her. "That's right, sweetpea. She's coming back with us to get something to eat, alright?"
Rogue pouted. "But we went out to eat so you wouldn't exhaust yourself cooking something, remember?"
Jaune chuckled. "I'll be fine, sweetpea. Now, let's head back home."
…
Stand Name: September
Stand User: Jaune Arc
Stats:
Power: A
Speed: A
Range: C
Persistence: A
Precision: B
Potential: A