Chapter 27 - CHAPTER 026 = ∆

Jaune strode into the forest with the confidence of a man walking into his own home. He could feel the eyes on him turn away once the town left the range of his sight. There was no clamoring at the edges of his senses, no ceaseless activity made by man.

He took a deep breath of the clean air. It was different from the town. It was less cluttered, less full.

Jaune let his shoulders slump as he passed the tree line. Now, here? He was master here.

Jaune was most certainly out of place in the town. He could feel the eyes on him, mostly curious eyes watching a stranger in a strange land. Jaune supposed that it made sense, that the arrival of a huntsman was something to be curious about.

Jaune just wished they turned to team ARBN more than they turned to him. Maybe they did, and Jaune just didn't notice.

Jaune strode through the forest, about to dive into the dark woods and begin his great hunt.

"Jaune!" Arslan called, causing him to suddenly stop. "Are we not hunting together?"

Jaune blanked out for a moment. Oh right, he was hunting with people wasn't he? He turned to face team ARBN.

"Yes, I suppose we are." Jaune said slowly. "I will find and corral a pack to your position." Jaune decided, drawing out his bow.

Arslan blinked, not used to being the person who did not make the plan. "Wait, how will you find us?" Reese asked. If he was out in the middle of the woods, how could he find them?

"I will find you." Jaune said, before tilting his head. He listened to the woods. He listened to the breathing of the trees, listened to the living power of the forest.

The dream was windless, silent. There was no life there. It made for sharp ears to hear what did move there. And sharp ears jaune had grown.

He could hear something moving in the forest. Several things actually, each about a hundred pounds. Jaune spun, leaping into the forest.

"JAUNE!" Arslan yelled, reaching out to grab the ranger. But he was too quick, his cape blending into the dark forest beyond.

Bolin looked unimpressed. "Well, there goes our new found friend." He said, rolling his eyes. Arslan gave a nod. "Well…" She started "he did say he would be hunting. Perhaps he is a solo hunter?"

Bolin stared at the space where Jaune had disappeared to. "I would hope so."

Arslan couldn't help but agree.

Jaune dashed through the trees, scampering up into the low boughs of the oaks.

Jaunes armored boot deftly landed on a thick branch, stopping him on the tree. He leaned against the tree, listening to the pack as it moved. They meanandered at a slow and wandering pace.

Good. B said, smiling as he recalled the forest layout. We have the upper hand. We can approach and pick them at our leisure.

Jaune nodded, tilting his head. A followed the motion, searching for what Jaune was looking for. Team ARBN is to our left, twenty six meters away, at about a two hundred degree angle. . A noted. Give or take. Jaune considered the assessment, reevaluating the measurement.

You're off by three meters. They are twenty three meters away. Jaune corrected, drawing his bow. Good work on the angle though.

Jaune leapt off the branch, clambering and practically flying through the bramble. He circled around the grim, placing them between himself and team ARBN.

He looked at the pack of Grimm, a dozen or so Ursa's milling around. They didn't even notice the silent ranger crouching in the trees beyond them. "Oh wood, Oh bark, oh leaves of green, let those that seek me leave me be, let me disappear into dark, let me know they cannot see what they once could." He whispered, as the magic faded his image into the treeline and his soul melded into the forestry.

They did not notice as the ranger, hidden in the leaves, drew an arrow across his bow.

They did not notice as he lined up the shot, aiming to strike the terrible monster through the eyes.

They were blinded by the silence. They could not hear the ranger.

They could not hear their coming death.

The first ursa was utterly shocked when it felt the arrow break through its skull from the eye. It cried out, a short and deep shriek, cut off from its throat dissolving.

The rest of the bear grimm scattered, scampering away from the sudden death. They turned and circled, rapidly looking for what was hunting them.

It was a strange feeling for the grimm. It was not often that grimm were panicked. Not often was it that grimm were the hunted, instead of the hunter. It was a frightening experience for the soulless grimm. They stamped and trampled, turning and searching for a way to escape. One dashed off to the right, desperately trying to escape from the pack.

Jaune's head snapped to the break away, his bow shortly following the motion.

A whistling arrow shot forward, striking the Ursa in the leg, sending it tumbling. The second arrow found the spinal column, severing the monster's connection from the brain to the rest of its body.

The rest of the pack scrambled as Jaune started picking them off one by one. Only the oldest of them knew what was happening. The glowing ones had come for them.

The oldest Ursa roared, trying to regain control of the pack. If they found the glowing man, they could kill him.

But he must have been far away, if the ursa could not see him. The ursa began scouring the tree line, searching for the telltale smell of negativity. There was some scents a fair difference away. Too far to be the hunter shooting them.

The ursa gave another desperate growl, hoping to regain some semblance of control over the pack. Those closest turned to look at it, calming down that someone was taking control. Good. Perhaps there was hope

Jaune watched from his tree as one of the larger Ursa's began making noises, as though it were trying to command the grimm.

Jaune aimed his bow, drawing the string tight. That's our target. Jaune confirmed as the grimm began to slowly regain some composure.

Kill him now. That's the oldest grimm. B marked the grimm that was "speaking". A nodded, mimicking aiming a sniper rifle. That means it's the smartest, bucko.

"And it's the smart ones that are dangerous." Jaune whispered out loud, before closing his eyes and letting out a breath. "Dalu, guide my blade. Let it spill blood, let it still hearts. Let it fly true by let it smart." He muttered, letting the magic fall from his lips and onto the shaft of the dream born projectile.

Jaune let go, letting the enchanted arrow fly. Not that anyone could have, or would have noticed the prayer's magic. The arrow splintered into an infinite multitude of versions, scouring and searching the timelines in which the arrow struck true. Some missed, some hit but did not kill.

Almost a hundred it went through before the magic found what Jaune was looking for. The arrow flew forward through the crowd of ursa, striking the leading ursa in the throat. It gurgled as it felt its own blood pour down it's windpipe. It choked, the feeling of drowning overpowering the dissolving sensation, like it was turning to sand, that ment their doom.

Jaune watched in satisfaction as the grimm broke into another panic at the death of their rallying force.

There would be no moment for them to recover. No moment to rest. Jaune was Master of this hunt, and he wound not let his quarry rest, much less escape.

Another grimm broke off, dashing away from the desired direction that Jaune was hoping to herd them in. jaune shook his head in a disapproving manner. "No, no, no! You fool! You have only hasten your death!" Jaune cackled in a scolding manner. He shot the grimm, knocking it dead with a single blow.

The rest of the grimm ran away, in the opposite direction of which the last two arrows had come from. Jaune's eyes rolled up in relief. "About fucking time." He muttered, knocking another shaft onto the bowstring.

B nodded as Jaune started to move after the pack, ready to herd them back onto their path. Now is the time to see if ARBN was up to snuff. B said as they chased their quarry. Jaune assumed that they were, if everyone was roughly on the same level as Arslan.

Arslan stared at the spot where Jaune had disappeared into the forest. With a sigh, she started to march after him, muttering small curses under her breath. "Damn it, jaune. I should have expected that." She grumbled. Of course Jaune was a solo hunter. He had been on an exodus, whatever that meant, for at least a month. Probaby much much more than that. He had been, for the most part, alone on his hunts. Of course he would naturally go off on his own!

Bolin made a tisking sound. "What do we do now?" He said, his annoyance not hidden at all.

"We go after him." Arslan responded, as though that answer was obvious. Bolin took in a breath, as though he was holding in his exasperated anguish. "Of course," he sighed. "We go after the stranger, who just dashed off into the forest for no reason."

Reese flicked her pistols, the slight green glowing from the clips denoting the wind rounds loaded in. "He did say he would corral the grimm to our location." Reese said as she looked over her firearms. "So maybe we should, you know, wait here for grimm? Or don't move that far?" the skater suggested.

Arslan would have considered that, if she had known jaunes capacity as a hunter and a ranger. She didn't doubt that Jaune was at least moderately skilled in the hunt, but was unaware of his actual reliability. She had only known him for a day or so. "A fine idea." Arslan admitted. "If I knew what Jaune was capable of, I would take that advice."

Nadir nodded. "But because we don't know, we aren't taking that chance?" he confirmed. Arslan gave him a nod.

"Great." he sighed, anxiously shouldering his rifle. "You know what? I-i like Reese's i-idea. Let's stay here." He quipped with only a small stutter.

Arslan raised an eyebrow at him, but smiled none the less. Well, Arslan thought, At least he is trying. That was good for him.

She set off into the forest, hoping that she could find Jaune before he got into too much trouble.

He's probably ok. Arslan thought, recalling how he fought the last time she saw him in action. He fought like a second year, or perhaps even a third year.

Reese looked around, her fingers resting on the trigger of her pistols. "Can't you use your super smell or your semblance to find him?" She asked, glancing around for any sign of the ranger. Arslan sighed, shaking her head. "My semblance has a limited range, which he is beyond at this point. And my nose isn't that good." Arslan responded.

Reese rolled her eyes. "Coming from the person who can tell what we have in the fridge from the next room over." She muttered. Arslan rolled her eyes in return, scanning the forest for any signs of Jaune.

"Reese!" Arslan called out, her single word already conveying what she wanted out of the skater. Reese threw her pistols, locked together into her hoverboard, at the ground. She skated forward, gliding gracefully through the trees. The skater did not make it far before she was halted by a scrambling pack of Ursa's.

"Nope, nope nope nope, not going there." Reese said, quickly turning around and back tracking. "JAUNE SUCCEEDED!" She yelled back, desperately accelerating to get out of the range of the pack of grimm. "HE FUCKING SUCCEEDED! URSA'S IBMOUND!"

Arslan's eyes widened as Reese came back from the forest, dipping her board for her pistols. The four assumed a basic formation. Arslan and Bolin in front, Reese and Nadir in the back. Nadir shouldered his rifle, aiming down sights at the forest. A crashing sound came from in front as the pack of Ursa burst forward. Nadir opened fired upon the grimm, triggering the rest of team ARBN to engage. Bolin danced through the grimm, his staff slamming and bashing the grimm that surrounded him. He flowed like water through the grimm, ducking and weaving past them like a stream. Fitting for his blue theme.

Arslan took a different approach, instead letting the tidal wave of grimm break upon her like a river upon the mountain. Her fist slammed into the grimm, knocking it down to the side. It skidded off the ground, landing in front of Reese. Reese leveled her pistol at the grimm's face and shot it twice. The gun flicked up to the horde, as she unloaded the rest of her clip into the tanky grimm.

Reese started to skirt to the side, flanking the pack's left side. She aimed her loaded pistol at the side pack, using the cover fire as a chance to load her right sidearm. The Trurman K-IV Blaze round mag, denoted by the Truman Firearms company logo in red. Below the logo the words K-IV, and a small fire symbol with a circle around the bottom of it sat, emblazoned in that bright fire dust glowing red color.

Reese aimed, hoping to set the pack ablaze with the incendiary explosive rounds. Then she saw that Bolin was in the thick of it. Well within the blast radius of the dust packed rounds. Reese grumbled, backing up as a normal clip of ammo replaced the specialty rounds. Bolin spun, his staff whirling around like a whirlpool. It struck one of the monstrous bears in the head, sending the creature reeling. Bolin capitalized on the stunning strike, giving it a firm kick to the ribs. It wheezed as the aura infused blow struck it. He saw Arslan punch a grimm in the face, shattering the bone plating with her burning fists. He let out a sigh as he gazed at his closest friend. She truly was beautiful, contained and calm. Never wavering or argumentative. Her hair flowed through the wind, as gentle as she was.

Arslan pulsed her semblance, getting a feel for the battle field. She saw Bolin's aura surrounded by the dark holes of the grimm. One of the silhouettes raised a paw, ready to strike

She dashed towards him, hoping to intercept the blow and save her teammate. Her aura infused forearm rose up in an overhead block. The massive claw slammed down on her aura. She could feel the dip in her aura, as it flashes bright orange.

Bolin thrust his staff out, knocking the grimm up in the jaw. Arslan saw the opening that Bolin had provided, and slammed a blazing fist into the ribcage of the bear. Her fist buried itself into the carcass, all the way up to her elbow. With a wrenching motion, she ripped out the Ursa's heart from the ribs.

A little overly brutal? Yes, probably. But it was also very, very effective at rendering that particular grimm a non threat.

A grating burst of loud gunfire sparked Arslan's attention. The sound of Nadir's rifle was a distinctive one, due to its unique form factor. Most hunters and huntressess used mechashift weaponry, like Reese's pistols. Nadir, however, used a full forged rifle. No shifting parts beyond the trigger and gas chambers. Very unlike the modern hunter. The reason behind the unique sound of Nadir's fire was that the barrels of most all mechashift weapons were segmented, as they were too long to be kept in one piece. One huge problem for mechashift in their early days was that these segmented barrels would let the exploded dust gas, the propelling force of the bullet, escape the metal tube through the segmentations. That was until someone, namely a gunsmith of the name Sebastian Cortez, had the ingenious idea of putting what was essentially a condom on the inside of the barrel. It wasn't really a condom, but closer to a flexible tempered thin rubber tube.

So essentially a gun condom. A gundom it you will.

Nadir pondered this as he listened to his AK-42 fire off round after round. It was different from the other weapons he heard. He knew the reason: That rubber tube bounced the gas from the bullet around differently, giving it a more acoustic sound. It sounded more like a rubber band being sprung than Nadir's harsher, more simple and rubber lacking rifle.

He knew why it sounded different than everyone else's.

He pivoted, crouching behind the slowly dissolving corpse of an ursa that Arslan had snapped some important part of and thrown behind her. He would have to thank her for the temporary cover later. He pulled the trigger again, the gun clicking empty. I lost count. He thought, quickly trading out mags. I should not have done that. I should not have done that at all. He went over as the metal alloy rectangle clicked into place.

He pulled the trigger again, the rifle kicked back to life. A clear booming cannon heralding death to everything that dared stand in front of it. Nadir looked down his iron sights, seeing that ARBN was doing their part in tearing the pack apart. There were only a few Ursa left in the pack, and they were being dealt with. Nadir Shot at one that dared to lumber towards Reese, who was running around on the flanks like the wind. The rounds impacted, punching holes into the Ursa's side. It fell over, bleeding out it's thick black ooze that it called blood. Nadir scanned the battlefield, looking for an enemy that was not being dealt with by Arslan or Bolin. That seems to be all of them. He thought as he watched Arslan crunch one of the Ursa's skulls in between her clenched hands. Like a coconut.

Nadir shuddered, real confused as to what Bolin, or anyone really, saw in Arslan. She was a fine human being, sure. But he didn't understand the whole "I want her to step on me" vibe that people seemed to be obsessed with.

He didn't understand a lot of things about the "vibe", as Sun called it. To be honest, he didn't understand the "vibe" at all. Why did there have to be a "vibe"?

What was the "vibe" anyway? Was it the appeal of companionship? Was it the appeal of the flesh? Was it-

GROWL.

Nadir froze, his blood turning to ice

That was not a good sound to hear from behind you. Arslan spun around when she heard that sound, her eyes wide with panic. A towering Ursa rose onto its hind legs, looming over the pink haired hunter. Reese leveled her guns, about to shoot the ursa away from her friend.

There was a flash of frosty silver as something whistled past Nadir's head. An arrow materialized itself within the Grimm's chest, burying deep into the hide. There was a soft twanging sound, a rapid following of four snappings followed. Another four frosty silver sparks followed, landing in a perfect arc in the threatening grimm. The grimm swayed, it's growl dying into a confused grunt as it fell backwards. The four of them stared at the fallen grimm. There was a soft fwuft sound as a grey cloaked figure fell from the trees. Jaune looked around at the handiwork, before turning to Nadir. "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice seemingly unmuffled by the wooden mask.

Nadir gave a shaky nod. "Was-was that you?" He asked, nodding to the arrows. Jaune gave a silent single nod, slow and almost a bow to the gunman.

"Thank you." Nadir gulped, giving a side ways glance to the precise bowshots.

Jaune walked over to the corpse, looking down at the spread of his arrows. Not that anyone could see it, but was frowning at the arrow placement. That is… interesting. Jaune thought as he gazed at the semi circle carved out in arrows.

B agreed, crossing his metaphysical arms and squinting at the cluster. I don't think that is how we shot those at all.

We didn't. Jaune agreed. We were aiming for the chest, but arrows don't fly like that. Jaune crouched down, gingerly touching the wood shafts, as though they might dissolve. It did not, but rather remained sturdy. Jaune pulled them out, one by one and wiped the dissolving gunk off on his cloak. That is not natural. Not at all.

Jaune turned to Nadir, about to ask him about it. He saw that Nadir had already skittered away to the safety of Arslan and Reese.

It can wait. A said, watching the grimm dissolve still. There are more important things to do.

Jaune raised an eyebrow at his brain renter. Like food?

A nodded vigorously. Of course. I saw a cute bakery on our way out, and I've been craving a cannoli.

Jaune nodded, considering the suggestion. You know, going to a bakery does not sound like a bad idea. The ranger admitted. He had forgotten what a bakery smelled like. He knew that they sold breads of various forms.

Arslan looked at the handy work they did. "For such a small town, that should be all the grimm within the area." She said, as though asking the group to confirm. Jaune just mentally shrugged.

I dunno. What is the standard ratio for a per capita? Jaune asked his tenants.

B shrugged. You are using per capita as a unit of measurement. He said.

A made a confused expression at that. You mean it's not? He asked with a head tilt. B shook his head.

Nope. he continued. Per capita is a designation of measurement, but not a unit. Like per capita of ten versus per capita of a thousand. I think the standard is one?

Jaune nodded. "I suppose that makes sense." He muttered, moving to scratch at his chin.

Reese turned around to the sedentary Ranger. "YO, Jaune! We're heading back!" Jaune jolted at his name being called, his head snapping to look at the skater. Reese almost flinched as the mask stared at her. It was really weird, knowing that someone was behind that mask, but not really being able to see it.

Even with the mask off, it felt like she was looking at a slightly grumpy wax statue rather than an actual human face. It didn't seem to move the way most people did, or should.

She wondered just exactly who he was. He had mentioned being on an exodus to Arslan, and that he was a hunter going to Haven now, but was at Beacon.

He used swords, and apparently a bow? Not an uncommon combination, but very, very medieval style. He was about two hundred and thirty something years stuck in the past. It was like she was looking at a walking museum exhibit. Jaune started to move, his armor, which should have made at least a small clinking sound, moving silently along the forest floor. Reese looked at his feet, squinting at them. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn that the leaves under his feet were having the color leached out of them.

Reese shook her head. She would mention it to Arslan later, out of his earshot.

Jaune nodded, walking towards them with a strong stride. "Good. I have things to do."

Bolin made a choked look. "What things does he have to do?" Bolin asked, in a hushed whisper. Reese shrugged, not entirely sure if she wanted to find out.

-----------------------------

Oh my god this was so hard to write. I'm not sure why, but this chapter is really short and was a slog to get through. But I needed to get a chapter out soon and this and the next chapter are honesty filler until Jaune get's picked up

Anyway, chapter notes:

We see ARBN's fight as a complete team in a fight, a long with how Jaune approaches a fight, when he is left to his own devices. We have also seen everyone's semblance, except Reese's. We also see where each team member prefers or ends up being, and how they approach battles.

I tried, i really tried, to give a hint to Bolin's character. the chapter i get rid of him, i will have a character analysis at the notes, but that hasn't happened yet. We also see another hint of Nadir's character, and I'm pretty sure some characterization on everyone, and most everyone's viewpoints.

As always, please leave a comment. What you think of the story, constructive critism, what you think will happen, what you think should happen, character arcs and plot points that would be cool.

Someone mentioned bringing blake into the story, considering these implications that are now there with team RWBY, which is a fantastic idea that won't quite come into play, but jaune and blake will meet again at beacon.

Anyway, I will see you all sometime soon? i guess?

Chapter 24Chapter Text

Jaune trailed behind team ARBN, noticing that one of them constantly looked back, as although to make sure he was still here. He remained in sight, silently following them, like a ghost. Reese skirted up to Arslan, tapping her shoulder.

"Ars, buddy." She whispered, causing Arslan to look over her shoulder. "We need to talk about something."

Arslan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, about?" She asked. It was not often that Reese had concerns about her leadership or her decisions.

Reese looked back to Jaune. "About our new found friend."

Arslan closed her eyes and sighed. Gods damn it. She mentally groaned. "I have already heard enough from Bolin about his suspicions." She said, a hard tone in her voice normally enough to shut down the repeated tirade that Bolin had given her twice now.

Reese's eyes widened, blinking. "What-no? I'm not here to complain about him. He's just literally sucking the color out of the world around him." Reese said, giving the words a satirical flatness. Arslan rolled her eyes. "He might not be that personable but he is not that bad." She said, Reese shook her head.

"Not like that." She explained. "Like he is literally sucking the color out of the leaves. Either that or I am going insane." the skater continued. Arslan turned around, looking at Juane with no small amount of skepticism. Jaune's masked face tilted to look at her, like a parakeet at a zoo or some other equally curious animal. Arslan didn't quite see what Reese was getting at, he looked like the same Jaune to her. Arslan turned back to her teammate. "I think you're losing your mind, or need to get your eyes checked." the leader said flatly. Reese was about to respond with her own sarcasm, but instead just nodded.

"I'm sure, but still. It might have to do with his weird quiet thing." Reese responded. Arslan opened her mouth, only to close it again. She supposed that if Jaune seemed to absorb sound, he could possibly absorb color as well.

Arslan shook her head. She would find out later. The five of them exited the woods, Jaune lingering behind a few feet away from the woodline. Arslan turned back to the ranger, who was reluctant to leave his domain of solitude.

"Jaune, are you coming?" She asked tentatively, hoping to not scare him back into the shadows. He stood there for a moment, dreading the return into the crowded, screaming, clamoring air. Jaune shifted his gaze from the small peaceful town full of people to Arslan, who stood there waiting patiently. Jaune let out a sigh and walked out of the treeline to join them.

Arslan smiled as the ranger walked away from his forest's shadow and into the light.

Team ARBN began their walk to the small town. "Well, I have to meet with the magistrate, tell him the good news." Arslan said, adjusting her robe to fit better. Her honor mark and it's singular mark, the emblazoned red infinite knot she had earned many years ago, for leaving the temple as a fully fledged monk at such a young age.

It seemed miniscule and meager in comparison to Jaune's three plain stripes.

Arslan turned to address her team, tell them to go enjoy themselves. "Alright team." Arslan said as she spun. "Good job today, you all are free to do whatever you wish within reason." She said, giving Reese a particular side eye. "We ship out tomorrow, so be ready to leave tonight- wait." Arslan gave a quick scan of her team.

"Guys?" she asked, her looking becoming frantic. She got up on her tiptoes to see above the heads of her teammates.

Bolin perked up, seeing Arslan's distress. "Ars, what's wrong?"

Arslan turned to look at her teammates. "Where is Jaune?" She asked, seriously. Reese turned, eyes wide. "I could have sworn he was right behind us…" She trailed off, searching for the grayed ranger.

Jaune, on the other hand, had actually separated from team ARBN quite a while ago. Only a yard or so into town he saw the bakery he had been pondering about.

He turned, slinking off from the huntsman team. He was unnoticed by them as he made his way to the simple shop.

And a simple shop it was. A simple mortar and cobble stone box, terra cotta shingles making for a cute red fired roof. Smoke from a burning oven wafted out from a smoke stack. Jaune took in a breath, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the scent of freshly baked bread.

Ahhhh. A and B synchronize, letting out a satisfied breath. There is nothing quite like fresh baked bread. B sighed, and Jaune was inclined to agree with him.

Fresh bread really smelled like something else, wasn't it? Jaune walked into the bakery, as silent as the reaper, and the door barely made a sound as it swung open.

A young woman was manning the cashier, clearly no older than Jaune. It was not often that Jaune was really reminded of his height, but sometimes he remembered that he was particularly tall to most people. Now was one of those times as he looked down at her.

She was decidedly rather short for her age, assuming she was indeed roughly seventeen. She was busy fiddling with the old cash register, trying in vain to open the stubborn mechanical arm that held the bills inside. Jaune reached onto the counter, lightly tapping the countertop bell to alert the girl that he was awaiting service.

Ting~ The sound rang out through the quiet shuffling silence. It wasn't a true silence, but rather a background sound of small fires and the tapping of metal registrars that disappeared in your ears, there but not unnoticed. The sound was deafening in the room, tolling like the grave bells.

The poor girl froze, jolting her head to look at where she assumed her customer's head. Then she slowly looked up to meet the face of the towering man that stood before her. He was like some great tree, tall and seemingly impossibly vast, and yet thin at the same time, in his dark grays. Or was he closer to those wind spirits that the testaments spoke of? Imposingly tall, silent and stooping. Waiting

She felt like she had turned her blood turned to ice as her throat thickened. She gulped, mustering the courage to serve the customer. "Y-yes sir?" She asked shakily.

Jaune leaned down a little, making eye contact with the cashier.

"I would like…" the gray man rasped as he stooped to look at the menu. A gaunt face, weathered with decades of ash, scrutinized the hand written menu that was propped up on the counter.

It was a fairly small menu, with only a few items that could be bought.

Herbed bread, normal bread, more bread, scones, rye bread, Jaune listed off. That's a lot of bread. Jaune turned the page, looking at the offered drinks.

"I would like a Scone." He said, looking up to meet the cashier in the eyes. He was still stooped, giving him an almost vulture-like allusion. "And a coffee." he finished with a willowy whisper, as though he were afraid of the sound it made. Like he would disturb some sacred spell with his words.

Like a spirit's whispers.

The stiff girl gave a shaky nod, holding out her hand with a terrible shiver. "Y-your pay, sir?" She forced out, doing her best to be polite to the ghostly man, lest he take her soul.

Jaune reached down to his coin purse, pulling out a gold disk. He carefully placed the metal coin in her hand, turning away to clear the kiosk for when another customer might come.

The cashier looked down at the coin in her hand in complete and utter disbelief. "What the unholy fuck?" she whispered, staring at the weighty coin in her hand. It was about an inch and a half in diameter, and a fifth of that in width.

"One moment, sir." she squeaked out, before dashing to the back room. The back room was a very warm room, lined with stone and brick wood burning ovens. "Laquesha!" She called out into the seemingly empty room. There was a sound as a wry, thin, cream and coffee toned lady covered in soot and flour.

"Oh, Annebell, what is it now? Did Karuun come by to flirt with you again?" Laquesha teased, her hands on her hips with a wide smile. Annebell shook her head.

"No." She said, trying to control her squeaking voice so that the huntsman would not hear her fear. "One of the, uhh, huntsmen came in."

Laquesha beamed. That was fantastic news! Huntsmen had money, usually. And that meant that they could pay in line, and not in strange bargains for chicken eggs or free house work.

Laquesha blinked, her face shifted. "So, besides your crippling shyness-" She teased, causing Annebell to shuffle in place . "Why did you need me?"

Annebell held out her hand. "He tried to pay with this." She said, Laquesha walked over, peering curiously at the coin.

"Oh." She uttered, realizing what was being offered. "Oh. My. Lords." The baker picked up the coin, holding it to the light. "He paid in a gold coin?" She asked, dumbfounded. Who the hell uses gold as a currency anymore? Gold fell out of style some couple hundred years ago, at least. Since at least the great war, perhaps even sooner.

"What do we do with it?" Annabell asked curiously. She had never seen gold in her life, and now she was holding a coin that probably hadn't been used as a common currency in some several centuries.

Laquesha took the coin. "Well, I'm not entirely sure." The manager admitted. "If there was a bank around, we could trade it in, or we could sell it to a museum. But there isn't" She scratched her head. It still is gold, though, and gold was valuable.

Annabell peered at the gold coin. "So what are we doing?" She asked.

Laquesha walked into the counter, gaining the attention of the ranger that lurked in the corner of her shop.

"Sir?" She asked. Jaune gave a small nod, walking over to the counter.

"Is there a problem?" he asked. Laquesha made a hand gesture, rocking side to side. She put the gold coin on the table.

"You overpaid." She stated simply, pointing to the coin. Jaune's eyebrows raised an imperceptible amount.

And I thought they were going to make me pay in line. Jaune thought.

They still might. A said. It's not like gold is a currency here.

Jaune made a ticking sound, giving a momentary grimace. Damn. he responded, picking up the gold coin. I forgot about that.

Jaune cleared his throat,"Would you prefer lien?" He asked, shuffling around looking for his wallet. He knew he had it somewhere.

Laquesha looked at the old cash register. "Your total comes out to be eight seven lines." She said, cracking open the resiger with a blunted and dull butter knife. Jaune continued to search, patting down his pockets and the crevices of his cloak before he found it. The beaten and weary X ray and Vav wallet had certainly seen better days, and had taken refuge in the forgotten pocket of his hoodie. He cracked the aged fabric open, pulling out his various plastic cards of lien.

Jaune closed his eyes as he finished counting his cash. "I only have seventy three…" He groaned quietly.

Laquesha tilted her head, having heard the huntsman speak, but could not make out the hushed words. "Come again?" She asked

Jaune sighed, closing his wallet. "I only have Seventy Three Lien." he repeated, louder this time.

Laquesha nodded. So he's broke. She thought. Seventy Three lien couldn't buy you a gallon of milk at a supermarket, much less a coffee and a scone. The manager considered it. He was a huntsman, or at least in training, right?

That means that he kills Grimm for money, right?

"How much is the magistrate paying you for this trip?" She asked, leaning down on the counter. Jaune blinked.

Do we get paid? He asked his tenants.

A shrugged. No one mentioned no dough to me, bro. He said.

B gave a similar motion. I do not recall the mention of money. The figment admitted.

Laquesha laughed. "I would hope that you got paid." She admitted. "Everyone should be paid for their hard work. Not paying them just ain't right, is it?" She said, a mirthful twinkle in her eye. Jaune gave a solemn and silent nod. "I suppose."

Laquesha appeared to be contemplating something. She studied Jaune, and came to a conclusion. Jaune looked like shit.

Dark grayed eyes that betrayed the extreme tiredness Jaune held back. Bags under them that rivaled Laquesha's on her worst nights, when she was trying to drown herself in booze and hopeless dreams some years ago. A stooped frame, broken from trying to keep his back straight and his chest full of pride. Her eyes lingered on the scar on his face, clearly given by a human blade. It was too thin and clean to have been from the brutal claws of the grimm.

She wondered how he got it, because she had never seen a huntsman that had a scar. Not that she had seen many, and this group of five students was the most she had seen at once. But she had seen a few professionals come through town.

None of them had scars. And only the old ones had that look in their eye.

Laquesha had decided. This was a man who had fought in the name of duty, in the name of honor, in the name of his sacred oaths, whatever they may be, and had been broken for it.

She had decided. "How many grimm did you kill on your trip here?" She asked, genuinely curious about the answer. Not that she doubted the huntsman's abilities, but out of sheer curiosity.

Jaune stopped, having to think about it. "I would have to say about a dozen." He said, still holding onto his wallet. Laquesha made an impressive sound.

"That's a lot of grimm." She said, putting the coffee and scone down. "Anyway, here you go." The food was pushed to the other side of the counter.

Jaune gave her a blank look, but his eyes hinted at his surprise. "I can't pay you the full amount." he said, about to push his order back.

Laquesha laughed. "You already have sugar." She chuckled. "You did that by keeping this town safe. Now take it, before I force more food on you."

Jaune gave her a stunned look, before a small smile. It was a strange feeling, but a welcome one.

Like an old friend that had come for coffee.

"Thank you." he said, giving them a deep bow. "And may your kindness be returned. I would return it, but I am not sure how i could…" he trailed off, straightening up and grabbing the offered food.

He exited the small bakery, holding a warm coffee in his hand for the first time in what felt like decades, perhaps centuries. He sat down on the small metal chair that was just a little too short for his lengthy legs, and put his wrapped scone and coffee down on the table.

A rare moment of peace for the ranger. Jaune took a deep breath in, tasting the air. It felt less cluttered than it did before. Jaune took a sip of coffee.

It was strangely bitter, but in a comforting way. It was familiar, but only faintly.

The cup was put back down silently. Jaune took the moment and basked in it, much like a lizard on a warm rock, or a suburban dad on his freshly mowed lawn.

B just had to ruin Jaune's lounging by alerting him of something. We are being watched, he said. Jaune deflated, his senses perking up as he searched for his watcher.

He spotted them, huddled behind a crate of some equally small and insignificant shop.

You bothered me because of some children? Jaune sighed, listening to them whispering about something, probably him.

"Children." he said out loud, causing them to fall silent. "I know you are there."

One of the children stood up. "I told you he would see us!" he yelled at his partner. The other child stood up, sticking their tongue out.

"Only because you wouldn't shut up, dumb butt!" The second child yelled. They were a darker child, most likely male as well, but it was hard to tell.

The first child looked offended. "I am not a dumb butt! In fact, you are the dumb butt!" He responded with a particular loudness. Jaune sighed, a small smile on his face.

For a moment their faces were replaced with feminine blonde ones, their faces blurred and indistinguishable. Siblings, unlike the two squabbling friends in front of him today.

Blurred blonde faces that jaune could not remember. He remembered that they were blonde, like he was. But he could not remember their faces.

It saddened him that he could not remember those faces. They were sisters, after all. It should have made it easier for him to recognize them.

"Are you ok, mister?" A voice came from in front of her. Jaune jolted, his head whipping into focus. The two children had approached him in his pondering, peering over the small cafe table curiously, much like some small house animal. Jaune reeled back in his chair, almost losing his balance on the metal seat. His arms's flailed, trying to regain his balance. The left hand lept to the knife at his hips, ready to stab whatever dared startle him.

Gagh! Gremlins! A cried out, leaping behind his couch. Jaune forced his muscles to relax, and his hand away from the dagger on his belt.

"I…" the ranger started, about to say he was ok. But those words would have rang false.

Eh, Jaune shrugged, Wouldn't be the first time I would be lying to myself. He admitted. "Yeah, I'm ok." He said to the children.

The darker one's head tilted. "Really?" He asked innocently. "You kinda don't look happy though." he said. Yes, now upon closer observation, the darker of the children was indeed male.

Jaune's head tilted.

"Who said that I have to be happy?" He posed, taking another sip of coffee.

The children seemed confused by that. They looked to each other, then back to the gray huntsman.

"Why would you not want to be happy?" The lighter one asked, clearly taking the words for their most common hidden meaning. Jaune gave them a sad smile at the question.

"You misunderstand, child." he said, breaking his generously proportioned scone in half, offering the section to them. "Sit, and I will explain, if you wish to understand." he offered them. The two children did, splitting the other seat in front of the cafe. The darker one grabbed the offered pastry treat with a great haste, about to devour it with ravenous speed.

"Share, child." Jaune commanded. The offending gremlin stopped, about to take a bite. They had the decency to look sheepish, breaking their portion in half and handing it to their yang counterpart.

"I am assuming you have questions?" Jaune offered, taking a bite of his own portion of scone. The two looked at each other, before turning to the huntsman and exploding into questions.

"What kind of weapons do you use?"

"How do you use the huntsman magic?"

"How many grimm have you killed?"

"What kind of weapons do you use? Can we see them?"

"Why are you sad?"

"How did you get your scar?"

"You look tired. You should have some coffee, it makes mom wake up!"

"Do you have any other scars? Can we see them too?"

Jaune held his hands up to stop the onslaught of questions, giving a small laugh. "Children, please." He pleaded with a smile. "One at a time. Which questions do you want answered first?" He asked.

The two were practically bouncing at this point, so incredibly excited to be speaking with someone as rare and exciting as a huntsman. The darker one seemed to be so excited as to what he would ask, fumbling with his words until they tumbled out in a rushed form.

The lighter one, however, opened their mouth only to close it again. They pondered what they would ask, their face betraying their question.

"What kind of weapons do you use?" the darker one managed to enunciate.

"Why are you sad?" The lighter one asked, nibbling on their remaining portion of scone. The darker one had already consumed his broken fourth, the bread being inhaled almost the moment after it was split between the two.

Jaune's face softened at such wide eyed innocent empathy. He reached forward, about to grasp the lighter child's hand, but faltered.

No, that would be too much.

He instead curled his hand in on the other, clasping them together.

"You." He started, looking into the lighter child's deep green eyes. They were kind, innocent eyes that had yet to be exposed to the horrors one endured. And yet they were so thin, in that way children were. Perhaps they knew some of those horrors, and yet chose to be kind anyway. "You are kind. A kind soul gifted with a brimming heart full of empathy and passion for your fellow man." Jaune continued. "A gift, truly. Pray you keep it, child, for the world is indifferent. And indifference is the end of all innocence, of all kindness. You must look at the indifference of the world and decide to be stronger than it." jaune paused, letting the duo decipher and take in his words. "To be kinder than it. You will need that kindness in life. Others will need that kindness in life."

The two gulped, not expecting such a gravid and sobering conversation today. And Jaune met them with a shrug. "But as for why? I…" Jaune let out a sign, his eyes becoming downcast. "I suppose part of me forgot. Another part of me is afraid."

The darker one blinked. "But you're a huntsman!" He cried out, partially accusatory. "You can't be afraid of anything!"

Jaune raised an eyebrow at him. Can't be afraid of anything? I scoffed. Little shit doesn't know jack about anything, does he? Bitch don't know what we've been through, what we know, what we-

He was cut off by B, who hit him in the back of the head with a newspaper. He is but a child, A. He is innocent and young. He will grow, but to expect such growth or metaphorical height from him now is unintelligent, empathetic, and most certainly unbecoming of us. B berated the reactive figment. Go ahead Jaune, you can tell them. Me and A are going to have a philosophical chat about what it means to be human.

Jaune made a face at that. Well, have fun. Don't rough him up too much, ok?

Jaune leaned back, taking another sip of coffee and considering how he wanted to form his words. "I am afraid of many things." He said softly, his voice just caring though the world, more akin to light than sound, and more akin to the void than light. It tripped and jumped through space to reach those ears that were listening. The two children sat there, riveted by the ethereal and almost mystical man in front of them, like they had met a god of ancient times, who's name was long forgotten the tongue of man.

"Like what?" The darker one asked, his voice in a terrified whisper. What could scare a huntsman.

Jaune gulped, his throat closing. He knew what he was afraid of, deep down in his soul. He knew it far too well, but saying it out loud? Admitting those fears into existence? No longer having the bulwark shield that was ignorance and denial, putting on a mask to hide them away in the shadows of his mind?

That was scariest of all. The fact that he might have to, in accepting the existence of those fears, face them? That was far scarier than any grimm, drunken thing or demon he might dare to fight.

But they had asked, with their innocence and curiosity. The whims of children, perhaps one of the most insignificant things in the universe. Kingdoms did not bend to it, town did not yield to it, it could not curve the grimm or fend of bandits. It didn't make the rain pour or stop the bleeding, it was to the naked eye utterly inconsequential, insignificant.

And yet Jaune bent for it. And yet Jaune yielded to it, as though it were some undeniable act of physics, like gravity or the passing of time. He was bound to answer such innocence as best he could, to sate such curiosity to the fullest extent of his ability.

"I am afraid of the dark." jaune started with. Not necessarily true, but the dark was something to be respected, if not feared. "And I am afraid of what lurks in it." His voice was graveled and raspy, like that of a parched man. It was thick with burdens, the cracks formed in the wall Jaune held his shadows back with. Jaune closed his eyes, remastering himself. He would let that wall break in front of children. He needed to be strong.

He must be strong. For himself, if no one else.

"I'm afraid that when I sleep, I might not wake up." he continued, his voice becoming a forced monotone, failing to put on the invincible and strong facade he hoped it would. "Or not in the palace I fell asleep." The children were frozen, staring at Jaune with a mixture of fascination, awe, fear and an emotion akin to confusion. It was a sobering experience, a crack in their innocence. The price of a weathered soul, of the passing of time. The price one paid for being a part of this world. One jaune paid double for.

The lighter one gulped. His mouth unwittingly dry and open as he listened to the warrior speak.

"But do you know what I fear most?" Jaune asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.

"What?" The darker one asked, his voice a stunned mimicry of Jaune's own hushness.

Jaune steeled himself, knowing what came next. He would not like it, but the children had asked. They deserved the truth, if nothing else.

He did too, in a sense. He too deserved the truth, deserved to be truthful for once in his life.

"I'm afraid I'm not good enough." He swallowed, like a particularly large pill. It was indeed painful to admit. "That the day might come that I try my all, try my hardest, and I will fail. I will falter and fall, and be unable to rise up once more."

The darker one gave a stunned nod. "But you won't, right? You're a huntsman, you have the huntsman magic. You'll get back up, even if you fall, right?"

Jaune gave him a small, sad smile. "I don't know," he said softly. He was making them sad, something that he had not intended to do. He needed to do something quick. I wish A and B were here. He thought. They could at least try to bail me out. "But, you know what I do know?" The ranger asked, his voice uplifting and full of hope, drawing the conversation away from the painful truths.

"What?" the two asked in unison, morbidly fascinated with the conversation and Jaune's hopeful voice.

Jaune leaned forward, letting the duo unknowingly do the same. "I have always gotten back up so far, even when I was broken and beaten." he said, gesturing to his nose and face. "And I will never stop trying. Even if it kills me, I will never quit." he said. It did not have the same boisterousness that he might have given it some months ago, as though he was initiating some cheap generic anime protagonist, or his old friend Ruby.

It was softly spoken instead. Not a promise, but instead a fact. He would never falter, never stumble without struggling back to his feet. To his hands and knees if he had to. He would drag his carcass by his raw fingers if it came down to it. And that filled Jaune with a feeling that he had not felt in some time indeed.

That filled jaune with pride.

The two children looked at him, stars in their eyes and awed expressions on their faces. "So cool" one of them mouthed, drawing out the words. Jaune smiled, glad that he could put such an expression on their faces. "Now, I believe that someone has asked about weapons?"

The darker one's face lit up at the mention of weapons.

"Yes PLEASE!" He exclaimed loudly, his voice overcome with excitement. Jaune smiled, pulling his quiver off of his shoulder.

Jaune didn't quite know how much time he spent there at that small cafe, talking to two excited and impressionable little children about first his weapons and their various uses against the grimm, but it quickly moved onto his various battles and exodus across the world.

"And the massive serpent, at least five times the size of the small transport ship, rose from the ocean waves once more!" jaune said, putting his many years of storytelling experience to good use. His hands flew up into the air, mimicking the rising of the Jorgunmunder out from the oceans.

The two children stared at him, enraptured by the fantastical diegesis that was being spun to them. The lighter one was gripping to the darker one as Jaune reached the climax of the fight.

"It roared at me, bearing down with it's massive maw of sharp, sharp teeth ready to eat me up."

Jaune leaned forward for emphasis, before leaning back again. His face was masked with the seriousness of the story, but was clearly marred with unbridled joy at this experience.

"But I, thinking on my toes, took a desperate chance and threw the monster's tooth right back into its mouth, stabbing the creature in the back of the throat." he continued, miming throwing a blade into the distance. "Stunned, it fell flat onto the deck. And lo and behold, above it? Well, above it was the sail rack, held up by only a singular rope."

The darker one was practically vibrating through his chair. "What did you do?"

Jaune smiled. "I dashed to the side of the ship, cutting the rope that held that faithful sail. All two tonnes of canvas, wood and rope fell onto the Jorgumunder, breaking its neck in two upon impact." Jaune finished. "Like a toothpick." he made a snapping motion with his fingers, as though there were some invisible toothpick between them.

The two children looked at him with awe and wonder. Jaune looked up at the sky. "Well then, children." He said, standing up. "The hour grows late, and surely you have chores that need attending?"

The two deflated, sensing that this would be the end of their meeting with the gray stranger. "Awww, do we have to?" The lighter one whined. Jaune gave him a smile, peering down on the small child.

"I am afraid all good things must come to say goodbye, even if it is only for a moment." Jaune replied sagely. "Now, what were you two supposed to be doing before you stumbled upon me?"

The darker one pulled out a wad of lien cards. "We were going to buy some bread!" He exclaimed, waving the hundred and fifty or so lines around, as though to show it were real and not some masterful trick of the light. Jaune smiled.

"Is that so?" he said, picking up his now empty mug. "Well, it just so happens that I have a mug to return." He said, opening the door to the bakery. "Now come along, you shouldn't keep your mothers waiting." he said mirthfully. "Lords know I've done that long enough." He chuckled, mostly to himself.

The three of them approached the counter, where Annabell had taken a rather large pry bar to the stubborn cash register, struggling to open the cursed thing.

"Damned ancient rusted piece of shi-" she started, the word dying on her tongue once she saw the two small and skinny children that had just entered. "Shiddle sticks." She changed course, putting the pry bar down under the counter. "Hello! How can I help you?" she said.

Jaune put his mug down on the counter top. "I am just returning this mug." He said. "Those two," His head tilted to the side, pointing to the duo. "Have some bread to buy."

Annabell nodded. "Hello you two!" She smiled. "What would you like?"

The two children held out their cash laden hands. "Whatever this can get us, please!" The lighter one said.

Annabell took the two stacks, counting through them. "There's enough here to get you each a loaf and a half."

Their faces fell a little as they deflated. "Mom was hoping for more than that…'' The darker one whispered to himself. He knew that money was growing tight, but was hoping that he could get more for the hundred and sixty seven lien he was given. Annabell gave a sorry shrug, about to put it back below the counter. Laquesha could open and put it away later.

A rough, calloused hand stopped her. It wrapped around her wrist and prevented her from putting the money out of reach. Annabel frantically looked up, shocked and panicky at the sudden and unwanted contact.

"Give them their money back." Jaune said, slowly releasing her and letting his hand fall back to his side. "I will pay for them."

Annabell blinked. "Don't you only have like, sixty lines to your name?" She dared to ask. Jaune gave a confirming nod. He reached into his pouch, drawing two gold coins from it and gently placing it on the counter.

"I will buy however much this is worth." he said flatly. Annabell's eyes, for the second time today, bulged out of their sockets. She blinked, before disappearing back behind to the kitchen.

"LAQUESHA!" She called out as she ran, drawing the attention of her boss.

The dark woman looked up from her kneading. "What is it now, sugar?" She asked only slightly exasperatedly.

"The huntsman is back." Annabell answered. "He's trying to pay in gold again."

Laquesha blinked, before striding past Annaell. "Well, hello there stranger." She said upon seeing Jaune's towering frame. "Back again?"

Jaune nodded. "I would like to purchase as much bread as this will buy me." he said, pushing the two gold coins forward. Laquesha blinked, looking down at the two gold disks. It was probably worth more than her entire stock, hell, possibly worth more than her entire shop.

"You do realize how much you are overpaying, right?" She asked, shaking her head. This had to have been a dream, or perhaps some kind of joke?

But it was real gold. She had held these coins in her hand before.

Jaune nodded. He was aware that gold was valuable, and that a shop this size only had two to three dozen loaves of bread in stock, particularly so late in the day. "I am aware. And to be frank? I don't care." he said, his voice slowly shifting into that of a command. Laquesha nodded.

"I have twenty six loaves of bread in stock." She said, "I am willing to part with eighteen of them. I need to keep some for the other customers that might come in."

Jaune shook his head. "That won't do. I want all of them. Thirteen each." he said, giving a slight nod to the two children. Laquesha looked down on them. She recognized the gremlin like brats. The darker one had tried to buy some bread a couple days ago, and lacked the funds to do so. She caught him a couple hours later trying to pinch a loaf out of her oven. He was a clever brat, at the very least.

Laquesha shook her head. "Ten each."

Jaune took a coin out of the pile. "Twelve each," he said. Laquesha made a noise as she looked down at the reduced pile, down to a single coin.

"Why did you half your payment?" She asked, feigning shock and scandal.

Jaune gestured to it. "We both know that this coin alone is more than enough to buy 30 loaves of bread, much less 24." he said, his voice turning icey. It had lost any semblance of goodwill or civility, but had turned to a crushing, cold stone. This was the voice of a warrior, a fighter, and a killer. Laquesha gulped, letting out an involuntary shiver.

"Twelve then." She managed to get out. "Annabell, please get the huntsman his loaves."

Annabell scurried away, desperate to escape the terrifying and crushing weight that was the gray huntsman's presence.

She quickly returned with the loaves, wrapped and bundled into two strained and overstuffed bags. Jaune gave them to the two children, ushering them out the door.

The lighter one sprinted out, heading home like a bat out of hell. The darker one, however, hesitated, looking up at the ranger.

"Yes child?" jaune asked as he stepped out into the road.

"Mr. Jaune?" he asked, swallowing his fear. "I have a question."

Jaune looked at him softly. "Yes?" He asked, probing for this clearly stressing inquiry.

The dark child shuffled around, fidgeting with his bag.

"Am I a bad person?" He finally asked. Jaune felt a small part of his heart crack as he saw the crumbling of innocence before him. He fell to his knee, putting his hands on the child's shoulder. Even kneeling before such a small child, he was taller than the boy on his own two feet.

"Tell me, child." he said, his voice full of caring and tentative emotion. "What makes you think that you could be?"

"I-I-" the child started, moving to rub his eyes. "You said that Thomas was kind, that that was his gift." He started. "I wasn't kind, not kind. Or else you would have said so, right?"

Jaune waited for the dark child to continue, knowing that he had more to say.

"I-I've done things that I'm not proud of." he continued, tears welling up in his eyes. "Does that make me a bad person?"

Jaune let out a small breath, wiping away at his tears with his thumbs. "I've done things I regret." jaune started, gathering the child's attention. "I've done things I'm not proud of. I've cheated, lied, even killed to do what I wanted, to get what I wanted." jaune said, looking down at the ground as he remembered his sins. They weighed down on him, his shoulders slumping under the immense weight. "Does that make me a bad person?"

The child blinked. "What-no! You almost died on the fishing boat to protect them! You save those people in cages! You're a huntsman, you can't be a bad person!" he exclaimed, trying to shut down Jaune's question in the best way he knew how.

Jaune smiled. "You might even be right. But I too have done things no man should be proud of. Everyone has or will." Jaune continued, unwittingly about to utter the words that would shape this little child's view on the world for the rest of his life. "I have found that, for the most part, there are no good people. There are no bad people. People are just people, imperfect, flawed, and often afraid. And there is no shame in that. There has never been any shame to being afraid, to being angry, to being sad, to being imperfect. The only shame there is is not striving to be better. It's ok to fall, but you must try, try with all your might to get back up." he said, steading the child by his shoulders. He sniffed, wiping at his nose.

"That's why you're afraid," he said. "Of falling down."

Jaune nodded, getting back onto his feet. "That is why I am afraid." he confirmed, before patting the child on his head. "Now, off with you. Your mother is expecting your well earned bounty, I am sure." he smiled, sending the child scampering off after his friend. Thomas, was it?

"That was kind of you." a voice came from behind him, causing Jaune to jump almost a whole yard into the air.

He wheeled on the interloper, his hand on his knife. "Oh, it's you." he sighed, recognizing the voice's owner. "Don't scare me like that."

-----------------------

Whoo! Done!

I have to say, this might be a favorite chapter I have written for this story, just for this final scene. This was just so beautiful for me to write, and I hope you love this chapter as much as I did.

Jaune finds a moment of peace, and with it, perhaps an understanding.

my friend that I forced to read this story pointed out something that I was actually hoping someone would comment on, but maybe I didn't spend enough time to really hammer in: In JRR Tolkien's work, there are large sections of the story dedicated to the ordinary folk, as they are equally important to the world as Frodo and Aragon and the rest of the fellowship. I try, at least a little, to emulate this in my story here, and also as a neat juxtaposition about this world and the Lifeless dream.

Someone asked for some clarificaiton, which I figured that there are probably some questions people have that should be answered/ explained.

Assumed FAQ's:

About Jaunes OOC'ness. Jaune has, due to the dream and it's package deal of extreme stress, mental taxation, and isolation, Jaune has suffered several mental trauma that has shaped his personality beyond chapter four, and his other impactful interactions with other human beings. His OOCness before chapter four I am accounting to Jaune being really out of sorts, having his entire life pulled out from under him.

About the Dream: There is a lot about the dream that will be answered later (in this dream arc, acutally) but here are some things that won't be explicitly answered in the story proper, so I don't mind putting them here. The dream is not a semblance, nor is it an actual effect of a semblance. Jaune going there is unrelated to his semblance at all. Jaune has spend about twenty to thirty years in the dream, most of it being spend wandering, reading lore, or fighting "fodder" enemies.

magic: jaune is using magic that he is pulling from the realm of the dream directly. this is different magic than maiden, ozpin, or salem, or even brother god magic, and is also why he is yellow to Arslan. this will be addressed way later in the story, but I figured that it wouldn't hurt to put it here

About Jaune X Arslan choice: The only reason this is here is because I wanted it. there is like, four? on . and a dozen on AO3, but nine of those are single short smuts. i also wanted something way off the norm.

As for why this story is not just in a different world/ timeline and I have him jumping between the two, there are two answers.

The first: I wanted a Jaune x Arslan fic, and by all the gods above and below I'm going to have it.

Two: this was originally two separate fanfictions, with strong themes of a third. all of them were Jaune x Arslan. The first one, which this story follows the closest plot wise, was my Grimm Au jaune. jaune, being lauched by Cardin really far into grimm territory, fucking dies and is resurrected by a primal Grimm (A grimm that was alive pre salem, and thus not under her control) and imbues Jaune's corspe with all it's corruption and power, resurrecting him into a similar being to Salem, power wise. he proceeds to wander around, not sure where he is going and bumps into team ARBN. The story evolves from there.

The second story was an AU similar to the RPG Au's, inspired by Coul al aran's fic, forged destiny. Just with a deck building system instead of the leveling system. This, in combination with some strong darksouls themes, became the dream aspect.

The third one was a Starwars/ Hammers Slammers/ Space Opera Au that was going to be a trippy philosophical soul story about how the human soul relates to the universe that dealt with talking to gods, experiencing the Truth and the entirety of existence, what the idea of self is, so forth and so on. Mostly it was going to be that one fanfiction I can't remember the name of, but with Jaune having different space magic, and Jaune and Arslan. So that's why this fanfiction is such a mess, among other things.

Like hell i'm rewriting this. If you are confused, at least a little? good. that is the point right now. We are introducing more questions than answers, much like a darksouls game.

who, long notes today.

As always, please leave a comment, head cannon, character idea, scene, or constructive criticism, or really anything else. they are the fuel to this fanfiction and will make it more likely that I upload/ develop this story as I read your comments. I enjoy them and there are some gems in there.

Chapter 25Chapter Text

Arslan's scroll buzzed as she paced through town. She was looking for a six foot something, tall, lanky and gray huntsman that looked more like a homeless person. Arslan was still stunned that he had managed to escape her notice. She really shouldn't have been, considering Jaune's tendency to disappear into nothing. Frankly, it was impressive. Made keeping an eye on him a pain in the ass, but impressive nonetheless. She whipped out her scroll, checking what made it buzz.

It was a message from Reese. Found him By the tiny cafe on the west side. The message said. Arslan, when she had met Reese, was concerned that she was going to use a ton of emojis instead of words.

Turns out that was the Sun. Sun was the person who spammed emoji's like no tomorrow.

Arslan remembered that bakery, but only vaguely. She turned, briskly striding to the side of town. She would have to have a word with him about that. She was responsable, or at least felt like it, until she got Jaune back to school.

She was sure, on a basic surface level, that Jaune wouldn't cause any trouble. Or not intentionally at least. But still, there was some deep seeded fear that he would inevitably do something terribly stupid.

Maybe she was projecting Bolin and Nadir onto the strange ranger. They always seemed to get into trouble, for completely different reasons.

Arslan could feel her sandals clopping against the cobblestone roads, laid either only a decade ago, or some centuries. One or the other, as was common for these small towns.

At least they were small enough that navigation was easy, and directions were simple. All it took was a single question as to where a bakery was by a native stranger.

Apparently there was only one bakery in town anyway.

Arslan approached the bakery, expecting to see Jaune sitting drinking coffee.

She instead saw him ushering two children, laden with a massive amount of bread, out of the store. One of the children lingered, appearing to be uncertain about something.

Jaune looked down at them. "Yes child?" He asked the small boy.

"Mr. Jaune?" He asked, sounding timid and shy. "I have a question."

"Yes?" Jaune asked, letting the child speak their piece.

The child swallowed. "Am I a bad person?"

Arslan blinked. That was not a common question to come out a child. She leaned in, silently intrigued as to what Jaune's answer would be.

Jaune was an enigma to Arslan. Which was odd in itself, as Arslan was a pretty good judge of character, in her own opinion. She could often spend a couple hours with someone and get a good grasp of them.

Which is why Jaune was so incredibly interesting to her. Like a puzzle that just sat there, teasing her to try and pry apart the quiet ranger's brain.

Perhaps another key, as small as it was, to the complex and impenetrable lock that was the gray ranger. Arslan remembered a lesson she had at the temple: You cannot judge a man by their interactions with you, but with those of children and animals.

Now was time to see how he interacted with children. Arslan watched as Jaune's face fell, the words clearly having a deep impact on the ranger. That something so terrible, so awful, could come from something so innocent. A child.

Arslan watched as Jaune fell to one knee, grasping the child by the shoulder. It was a light touch, as to not harm him. A gentle touch made by rough hands.

"Tell me, child." Jaune said, his voice just above a whisper. "What makes you think that could be?" he asked them. The child sniffed, reaching for their eyes.

"I-I." They said, changing the composition of their words. "You said that Thomas was kind, and that was his gift." He sniffled, making a comparison to his lighter friend that Arslan had seen flee from her sight. "I wasn't kind, not kind." He corrected those words. "Or else you would have said so, right?" He pleaded, looking up at Jaune, hoping that Jaune would say that he was kind. That he was as good as Thomas.

Jaune waited for a moment letting him continue speaking. The child continued to blubber. "I-i've done things that I'm not proud of. Does that make me a bad person?" He said, his eyes welling with tears and his voice cracking.

Jaune gave him a tender sigh, his hands rising up to wipe at the child's tears. Arslan watched, tentative and curious. But silent all the same.

"I've done things I regret." Jaune started, looking down at the ground for a moment. He forced himself to look back up, to meet the child's eyes. "Does that make me a bad person?"

The question sounded like blasphemy to the child, who abandoned his pitiful sadness for an inflamed anger.

Jaune continued, cutting off the child's protests. "I've done things I'm not proud of. I've cheated, lied, even killed to do what I wanted, to get what I wanted." He said, with a soft somber tone. That tone sounded like it held all the burdens in the world.

Arslan supposed that it did, that it must have.

Another layer to the increasingly impossible puzzle.

"Does that make me a bad person?"

The child, seeing an opportunity to unleash their protests, opened their mouth. "What-no! You almost died on the fishing boat to protect them! You save those people in cages! You're a huntsman, you can't be a bad person!" They practically yelled. Jaune gave them a small smile, seemingly pleased at the praise.

"You might even be right. But I too have done things no man should be proud of. Everyone has or will." he said, still kneeling for the child. Putting himself as equal, no, perhaps even in service, to a child. To that child.

It could have been anyone. Arslan realized. Jaune would have done this for anyone. Comfort and care for, impart wisdom, and perhaps even entertain if the dark child's words were anything to go by. Not out of any humbleness, although that could have also played a part.

But out of this subtle desperation to connect with people. To feel human.

He and Nadir are not that different. Arslan mused to herself. Her attention was grabbed again as Jaune started to speak.

"I have found that, for the most part, there are no good people. There are no bad people. People are just people, imperfect, flawed, and often afraid. And there is no shame in that. There has never been any shame to being afraid, to being angry, to being sad, to being imperfect. The only shame there is is not striving to be better. It's ok to fall, but you must try, try with all your might to get back up." He said. Arslan blinked at the wisdom. It was unexpected, particularly from someone that was her age.

The child, emboldened and comforted by his words, wiped away his tears. Then they seemed to come to a realization. "That's why you're afraid of falling down." He said. Jaune gave him a small nod.

"That is why I am afraid." He whispered, before rising from his knees with a grunt. "Now, off with you." he said, shooing away the child. "Your mother is expecting your well earned bounty, I am sure."

Arslan, seeing that Jaune was done with his conversation, walked toward him. "That was kind of you." She said.

Jaune jumped at the sound of her voice, wheeling on her. She noticed that he was gripping the handle of his knife. He relaxed upon seeing that it was only Arslan.

"Oh, it's you." He said, his hand returning to his side. "Don't scare me like that." he said in a jovial manner, the intent was still clear however.

Jaune does not like being snuck up on. Arslan noted. Another thing to add to her list, and something to keep in mind for future reference.

Arslan stood by the ranger, sitting in an awkward silence for some time outside that small bakery in the middle of nowhere.

"What made you want a coffee?" Arslan asked, if only to break the silence.

Jaune shrugged. "It's been a long time." Jaune admitted.

"You could have told me you were breaking away from us to get coffee." Arslan said. "We could have joined you."

Jaune gave a slight humming sound, almost imperceptible in the ambiance of the small town. Arslan pulled out her scroll, giving a text to her team.

I found him. The circle spun for a couple minutes, before the message finally sent. Curse this place's shitty CCT connection. Arslan thought as she started to walk towards the inn. Jaune trailed behind her silently, more akin to a shadow than a person.

Arslan looked behind her constantly, making sure that Jaune was still there. He remained faithfully behind her. The duo stopped outside of the inn, where the rest of team ARBN was sitting. Reese rocked on her chair, tapping away on her phone again.

Nadir sat in front of a wooden chess board, etched into the table. He nervously fiddled with the black side of the board, a dark oak wood an interesting contrast to the pale pine white pieces. The pink gunner palmed the king piece, inspecting the woodwork.

Jaune gave him a nod, sitting down in front of the rifleman. "Good day." He said. Nadir perked up, looking at the grey ranger.

"A game?" He offered. Nadir gave a nod, straightening up at the prospect of the game. Jaune moved the queen pawns forward, taking control of the center.

Nadir's knight moved forward, protecting his future prospects. Jaune moved his own knight forward as well, moving towards the center. Nadir's pawn moved forward to the contested square. Jaune's hand hesitated over his bishop, considering putting the long range piece into play.

He moved his hand to his other knight and moved it forward, removing the option of taking his advanced pawn. Nadir's queen moved, standing in front of his king's bishop pawn.

A squinted at the board. Why did he do that? The figment asked, trying to figure out the future moves that Nadir could use.

Queen takes knight on F3, queen on any square on that black diagonal, shutting down his own black bishop's capacity on the left side. It was a surprisingly aggressive move, all things considered, as the normal route to check was blocked by Jaune's knight. Perhaps it was a show of force? Like a suffocating move, designed to remove options that Jaune could make.

Jaune shrugged. The next move for him was pretty clear for him. His left knight moved forward once more, threatening the curiously placed Queen. Nadir fled his queen to the side of the board, choosing to keep it in play rather than retreat it back to its starting position. Jaune grasped his bishop, gliding it across the board to sit behind his knight. Nadir, almost the moment his hand left the piece, moved forward to adjust the piece. Jaune raised his eyebrow, his head tilting in a curious manner.

Nadir thought that such a movement was unnatural for a human being, more associated with that of birds, or perhaps dogs. But not to human kind. Nadir looked down, retracting his hand away from the now centred bishop. "Sorry," he muttered. "It wasn't right."

Jaune was silent, his head still tiled to the side. But his eyes were no longer on him, but at the board below.

"It is your turn." jaune said after some moments of tense silence. Nadir nodded.

"I know." he said, instantly regretting the words. Was that to blunt? To harsh? He wondered has his hand reached for his king. Shaking his head, he instead moved his knight forward, attacking Jaune's own kingside knight. Jaune instantly knew how this exchange went, moving to take the offending copy of his own piece. Nadirs pawn took the knight, bypassing the roadblock that stood before it. Jaune took a moment to consider the board. He had a single move with guaranteed value, knight to C7, but it all but removed that piece from play for some turns.

Well, what else could we do? B asked. No other move has any particular purpose. Jaune grimaced at that unfortunate fact. Sure, he could move a pawn forward, perhaps even bring his queen into play, but for what reason? There was no follow up for those moves.

And so his knight leaped forward, bringing both Nadir's king into check and threatening his untouched rook. Nadir sighed, moving his king forward to bring him out of check.

Jaune took the rook without a second thought. Nadir moved his queen back to its original position on F6.

Jaune castled in response. Nadir gave a humming sound, his brain seeming to not be thinking about the next move, but rather recalling something. He moved his last knight into play, carefully placing it on the side.

Jaune leaned forward, looking at the board with interest. Nadir had an interestingly strong control of the left side of the board, mostly with his queen in such a strong position. Jaune returned his knight from the corner it had taken the rook from, hoping to bring it back into relevance. Nadir's eyes narrowed, as though he was witnessing some trick of the light or other magical illusion. His white bishop moved forward, landing on the left side to strengthen his position there further. It was also a dangerous piece that threatened to take Jaunes unmoved queen. Jaune rested a hand on his queen, considering saving the piece. He almost did, moving to the left. He almost moved his hand, sliding the piece away from the aggressive bishop.

But for some reason he couldn't. Not that he tried, and there was some invisible wall. But that it didn't feel right, moving that piece. A different piece felt right. His hand shifted forward, resting on the pawn in front of his powerful queen.

Jaune moved a pawn forward, to block Nadir's forward most pawn, and, more importantly, to open up a path of attack on the left side with his black bishop. The powerful white piece had a straight line against Nadir's last knight. Nadir should have looked surprised, he supposed as he took the queen with this kind of resigned finality, as though he knew how this entire game ended.

Jaune moved his own bishop, taking the last black knight on the board. He seemingly didn't care at all about the loss of his queen.

Nadir sighed as he stood. "I would like to surrender." he said, bowing his head and staring at the board in no small amount of disbelief. Reese, who was watching from the side with a bored kind of interest. The one someone gave when there was nothing else going on.

"What?" She asked, confused and almost insulted at the easy surrender. 'Why? Nadir, you were winning!" She exclaimed, gesturing to the board. In particular his newly taken queen and strong left position.

Nadir shook his head. "Because this game has already been played before." He said. Reese blinked.

"What?" She asked, her face shocked blank.

Nadir moved his hands, slowly moving the pieces through. "Thirty nine years ago, at the international championship semi finals, this exact game was played." he said as the black and white pieces danced around eachother. Rook takes bishop, pawn takes bishop, Rook moves to the opened file, bishop moves forward, rook advances on the white king. This went on as nadir monologued. "It was Arnold Karpathy of Atlas versus Romeo Whui of Minstral. Whui played the white pieces for this match." nadir continued to move the pieces, this time they had firmly entered the end game.

King captures queen, bishop takes knight, rook to open C file. "While Arnold Karpathy would go on to win the semifinal best of three, it was Mr. Whui who walked away with this match by surrender at this point." Nadir stopped at a rather interesting board. The white king was on the run from the black rook and bishop, while his own white bishop was working on forcing moves out of the black king, and the white rook trying to play both offence and defence. Jaune saw the natural progression of this board, and understood why Mr. Karpathy had surrendered here. Black would lose their rook for the sake of saving their king, and their bishop would be rendered useless on its own. "The game was never finished, as a mate was never found. But I think that it would have looked something like this." Nadir continued to move the pieces. White pawn was promoted, and soon after that forced black into a standard ladder mate.

"How did you know that Jaune was going to play this game?" Reese asked, a little lost but she understood the general idea of what was going on.

Nadir shrugged. "He had played the game perfectly so far, matching Kerpathy V Whui without more than a moment of hesitation." he sighed in defeat. "I had assumed he knew the game."

Jaune smiled, standing up. "Congratulations." He said, tipping the white king over.

Nadir and Reese blinked. "You earned your victory well."

"I don't know what's going on anymore." Reese groaned.

Nadir looked down at the board, and then back to Jaune. "But I lost? Right?" Nadir asked the ranger. "I surrendered?"

Jaune smiled. "You said you would like to surrender. But your king is still standing, and mine is not." he said.

Bolin scoffed at the scene. "Weakness." He whispered to Arslan, as though the insult was something to be laughed at, like some poorly executed joke at the expense of others.

Jaune raised an eyebrow, holding back all emotion from his face. Namely A's rather aggressive growling.

Weakness. He calls us weak? I'll show him weakness, COME IN THE RING WITH ME A FEW ROUNDS AND I WILL SHOW YOU WEAKNESS SO FAR UP YOUR ASS-

Jaune sighed, standing once more. He had just sat down too. "What do you believe the point of chess to be, Bolin?" Jaune asked him.

"To win." Bolin said simply, already revealing how wrong he was. "To obtain checkmate."

Jaune shook his head, sighing with no small amount of disappointment. "You're wrong already. You have identified the goal of chess, the end of the rules of which we are bound by. But you have completely missed the point of chess." the grey ranger said.

Bolin crossed his arms, giving Jaune an aggressively sceptical look. Jaune continued to speak, ignoring the blue monks seething.

"The point of chess is to prove your skill. To find the beauty in the game." Jaune said as he moved to the inn's entrance. "The game can end, yes. But when it ends, did you really win?"

Jaune closed the door behind him, its creaking the only sound that was heard in the silence.

Jaune shifted, feeling the weight of his armor. It wasn't a heavy weight to him, but once he had taken it off, its mass was suddenly rather noticeable.

Jaune's grey cloak came off, draped over the lone chair in the room. His armor, the cracked and stapled plate piece followed it, along with dark steel vambraces and bronze grieves. They made a soft clunking sound as he set them at the chairs feet. . Jaune let out a breath, collapsing onto the chair. He took a moment to enjoy the lonesome silence. It had been a while since he had last had a moment in silence, a moment alone.

It wasn't quite the silence he was used to, but was still silent. A human kind of silence. The forest had a different kind of silence. The forest was never quiet, alive and abuzz with small creatures.

Nor was it the silence of The Dream, with nothing inside it to dare disturb the silence. Nothing but him, anyway. Jaune contemplated the silence, distant calls of man and their shuffling lives became the buffering white noise. Jaune had at some point taken out a cube of wood, only a little larger than a rubix cube. He took his knife to it, carving out small divots and chunks from the unidentifiable wood. It was shaping up to be… something. Jaune wasn't quite sure yet. The scraping sound slowly faded into the distant bustle and busyness of the average life.

So very loud, unlike the silence Jaune stewed in.

The silence was broken as team ARBN entered. "Ah, that's where you went." Arslan said, seeing the quiet ranger. Jaune gave them a greeting nod, returning his focus to what was starting to suspiciously looking like a tree of some kind.

"Awww, damn." Reese said, noticing that something was wrong with her phone. "Hey, Ars?" She asked, looking up. Arslan turned to the skater.

"Yes?"

"My phone's dying. Can I borrow your battery pack?" The green girl asked. Arslan nodded, reaching into the nightstand. From it, she pulled out a massive, brick sized plastic box. It had a multitude of charging ports. Jaune counted six of them. He carefully put his carving down, standing up.

He strode over to the leader, shuffling through his pockets for his long abandoned scroll. He found it after a moment. "Ahem." he pronounced, causing for Arslan and Reese to spin on him, wheeling around at a surprising speed.

"Is there enough charge for mine?" He asked, holding out his battered and aging scroll, as if it were some identifying document. Arslan blinked, surprised at the fact that jaune even had a scroll. It really should not have, considering that Jaune was a huntsman from beacon.

She nodded. "Yeah, sure." She said, taking the scroll from his hands. It was plugged in, the screen glowing to life for the first time in some significant amount of time.

Jaune gave them an appreciative nod, retrieving his little project and sitting down on the bed. The scraping sound continued, disappearing into the ambient silence of the world.

After a few moments, jaune picked up his scroll. The screen flickered to life, a plain blue lock screen unaltered from the first day Jaune had gotten it, some half years ago.

Jaune swiped up, tapping in the remembered passcode he had dredged up in the back of his memory. The screen blinked, showing Jaunes homescreen. Jaune stopped, staring at what he had set as his background.

A total of eight smiling faces looked back at him. He recognized his own face, as strange as it was. Unscarred, unbroken. So very soft, untouched by the terrors of the world.

Those blue eyes sparkled brightly, all the hopes and dreams that one could have just barely contained within blue pools.

Those were the same eyes that the lone boy shared with his sisters. Vibrant blue, framed by golden blonde. He stared at the photo, carefully taking in their faces.

How could I have forgotten that Rose hated having her photo taken? He thought as he looked at the smallest of his sisters, who was pouting at the camera. Poppy was smiling from ear to ear, practically hanging off the Jaune. Alma and her twin, Asper, sat off to the side, pressed cheek to cheek together. How could he have forgotten that Rogue had that small cut on her lip? Or that Bridgette put flowers in her hair? His vision blurred their faces as he felt the wetness from his eyes grow.

How could I have forgotten? He swallowed, his face contorting for the first time into emotion. An ugly, hurt, raw and terrible painful kind of emotion.

He put his phone down, gripping at the bridge of his nose. "How could I have forgotten?" He whispered, feeling his hands get wet from his tears.

The question was unbearably heavy, crushing him under its weight. He stood, staring at the scroll. He felt the tears start to fall down his face.

He needed to escape this terrible weight. He turned away, seeking some kind of refuge. The door closed behind him, the sound deafening to the watching residents.

"What got him tied up in a knot?" Bolin asked. Reese gave him a wide eyed, shocked look.

"Bro." She said, astounded at his audacity.

The wind was bitingly strong on Jaunes face. He couldn't tell if it came from the world, or the speed of his gait. Little smiling blonde faces danced around in a taunting manner. Little laughs around a wooden dinner table, a soccer ball in seemingly endless fields of grain.

And another memory, unbidden by his grief, floated to his mind. A memory that was not his own, not one he recognized.

Jaune stood in front of a deep hole. No, not a hole. A grave.

Jaune tugged at his raven black hair, his eyes dried from his weeping. He looked down at the grave, a plain oak box in the hole.

"I am sorry to hear about your sister, Warden Arnold." A voice came from behind him. Jaune turned, his long black hair flipping around in the soft wind.

"High Archon Savune." He forced out, going to a salute.

The general shook his head. "At ease, warden." the commander said, raising a hand. The two stood in silence as the general walked over to the grave.

"Your sister, she died of the sickness, did she not?" The general asked, although he knew the answer. Everyone knew the answer. It was the only thing anyone died of anymore.

Jaune nodded. "She did." Everyone did. At least Jaune could guarantee she went easily.

The general stood there for a couple moments more, and turned to leave.

Jaune sat down, on the ground by the grave.

The sudden feeling of some fallen log, and not the fresh hallowed ground he expected, snapped Juane out of his remembrance. He looked around the forest he found himself to be in.

He looked around, steadying himself from a memory that was not his own. A memory about a sister he never had. And the memories of sisters he was afraid to forget.

He sobbed, collapsing into his hands. "I don't know anymore." he choked. "I just want a break."

Jaune sat there for some time. He had taken a bottle of some foul smelling spirit, holding it with shaky hands. What was worth a moment of rest? A moment of peace?

"I just want to rest." He sighed, uncorking the bottle and putting it to his lips. The glass started to drain in between both sips and sobs. There was no one around to judge, so who the hell cares?

The bottle fell out of Jaune's hand as he sank to his side, sliding off the log. Exhausted and drowsy, Jaune closed his eyes. And prayed that he may be given a break.

Because no one was around to care, no one noticed the spreading greyness, like a leeching fog, spreading from the drunken dreamer. Grass turned to ashen sculptures under him, altered and greyed fragments of a dream, cheap imitations of what they once were. Bark turned to plastered ash, and the air itself lost all fragrance but the color grey. As though Jaune were dreaming.

And yet Jaune still closed his eyes. But soft, to sleep.

------------------

So, more angst. yay.

But more importantly, we get to move back into the dream. Thank god. And don't worry, we only have a couple more chapters of angst before Jaune starts moving uphill.

I understand that this chapter was rather boring in comparisonto other chapters.

This last scene was actually not originally going to be in there, but one of the comments mentioned that it didn't make that much sense that he would forget, and I agreed in hindsight. So i decided to address that in a way that I think Jaune, in any variation, would react: with unimaginable guilt and grief. Jaune has always been a family oriented man, which is odd considering how unimportant Family seems to be to Cannon Jaune in his actions. They're mentioned like once as a whole, and the interaction between Saphron and Jaune felt a little lacking to me. (And yet I completelytry to avoid bringing up his family if possible)

This chapter mostly served as a Segwayinto the next dream sequence/ internal conflict set up with Jaune, and for a little more insight for team ARBN. I'm really excited for the next dream sequence. it's going to be a lot of fun for me, and hopefully you.

Anyway, please leave a comment. Your words of encouragement, questions, headcannons, scenes you would like to see or character arc ideas. They are fantastic to read and I cannot overstate how much joy they fill me with.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

________________________________________________

TO BE CONTINUED