Chapter 24 - CHAPTER 023 = ∆

Mr. Derothoga led team AMBR to a nearby coffee shop, getting the huntsmen out of the rain.

"Well, the issue is that there is… something in the forests." The secondary Magistrate tried to explain.

Arslan leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "What kind of something? Grimm?" She queried. Archibald shrugged.

"I have no clue," he admitted. "The townspeople speak of an Arrbra Chelo that has moved into the forests."

Arslan shifted back in surprise. "An Arrbra Chelo?" She asked. Bolin phffted at the idea. "Phft- a forest spirit? Come on, those don't exist."

Arslan whacked him on the back of the head. "Please forgive my teammate." She said without missing a beat. "He doesn't know what he's saying."

Archibald gave Bolin a scalding glare, but subsided. "I understand." He said, before asking a question. "Gren'roth Feral?"

Do you speak feral?

Arslan nodded. "Alarsh Vymsghra. Queth falare?" I speak the language. Why?

"We will speak in feral, then." Archibald said. "As I was saying, the townspeople that enter the woods believe that an evil forest spirit has taken residence in the forest. I am sure that it is just a grimm of some form." The magistrate explained.

Arslan nodded. It was common for people outside of the large cities to be rather superstitious about these things. Grimm were being sent from the pits of hell to punish humanity and faunus kind for their misdeeds, spirits haunting places long forgotten, and men with semblances far beyond any reasonable possibility.

Arslan supposed it was just what happened when almost all the possible funding was sent to the big four cities. Ignorant people made up whatever explanation made sense to them, even if it wasn't right. Arslan was fortunate enough to be educated by the monks of Nortas Veles Monsestic temple.

Rheese leaned over, pulling Arslan out of her momentary musing. "So, what are you two talking about in languages we don't understand?"

"We were discussing the issue." Arslan said. "The prevailing theory is that it's the work of a grimm that has taken residence."

Arslan returned her attention to Archibald once more. "Is there any evidence of the… forest spirit?" She asked. "Tracks, territory markings, corpses that have been left behind, that kind of thing."

Archibald shrugged. "You would have to ask the locals that have seen it, or claim too."

The magistrate looked at the clock on the wall. "Excuse me, but I have someplace to be. Busy running a town and all that." He chuckled, excusing himself from the coffee shop. "And Team AMBR."

The four huntsmen looked up at the leaving magistrate.

"Good Hunting."

Team AMBR sat there for a moment, before Arslan stood up. She walked toward the door. The rain splattered on the ground.

A steel plated boot hit the muddied ground, the moss bending and sinking into the dirt beneath it. It was a boot of beaten leathers, a cord loosely wrapped around the cuff. Hanging from the cord were scraps of metal, old half broken coins, shards of blades, plaques with holes bored into them. It had a fisherman's charm effect, giving the boot a rustic kind of feel. It was caked in black blood and guts. At its end was a pair of worn, torn, and beat to hell jeans. The cuffs had been ripped off a long time ago, but that was hidden under the boots. Several stains, particularly at the knees and outer thighs, were stained in a large variety of questionable colors. Fortunately, most of it was covered with a flag wrapped around his waist. The flag was a reddy brown color, with three stripes on its leftmost side, tucked into the man's belt. The one closest to the edge was a bright orange, faded with ash and time. It stretched just a little beyond the halfway mark down the flag. Next to it, just under half a foot away was a solid blue line that crossed the entirety of the flag. And next to that, almost hidden with a moss grown grey cowl, a green line stretched upwards, making just above two thirds of the way up the brown background. Just above the wrapping a corded armor vest. The chest area was covered with a plate of metal that once was painted white. A massive set of staples was embedded into the plate armor, following a crack in the armor piece that stretched from the man's left shoulder to the center line.

That lichen infested cape rested on the shoulders of the man, who's face had withstood more punishment than most huntsmen would in a lifetime.

An unshaven jawline was covered in little blonde hairs, a singular hairline scar across his left cheek created a crater of untouched skin. A crooked nose, bent to the right, was accompanied with a small scar where the cartilage met the bone of the facial structure.

Tired blue eyes, almost grey in the shadows, scanned the rainy forest.

Of course, you couldn't actually see any of this, as it was all hidden by the hand carved mask. It was a rough carve job on the outside, painted in a similar manner to the dreamer flag. An orange stripe on the right most side of the mask, stretching just below the eye hole of the mask. Next to it, half way between the center and the edge, a blue stripe ran across the length of the mask. And finally, the left most side of the green stripe, mirroring it's orange counterpart, lined up on the center of the mask. He had carved it in his last extended stay in the dream two nights ago. It was woefully unproductive, all things considered. He hadn't even left the City in that dream. At least he had discovered another set of spells.

Jaune held a gloved hand out to catch the rain, collected into large drops from the trees above.

There was something satisfying about the rain. It was calming, purifying in a sense. It washed away the scent of alcohol. The scent of blood.

It was good to be free of the lingering stench of the Dream.

Not that the dream was useful. He had gotten some sleep a couple nights ago, and had discovered a whole slew of "ranger spells" wrapped up in the flag he wore around his waist. He had yet to find anything on either the portal to KrythHollin or any more information on the disease that wipes out the Eternal city.

But at least he got some new digs, so it was a win-win situation. Except for the dead man he pulled the waist flag off of. It was a loss for him.

Eh, he was already dead. A commented with the usual nonchalant air he had.

Jaune agreed with him silently, tilting his head back to catch the rain. His arms lifted to catch as much of the water as he could, letting each impact of the rain tear away a chunk of the ash that coated his self.

Jaune closed his eyes, letting the somber peace seep into his soul. Perhaps, even for a moment, he could rest. Take a break from his personal purgatory, and this flawed world. Then he felt something at the very depths of his instincts.

Something had entered his space.

Jaune sighed, pitying whatever Grimm had dared to enter his territory. Again.

Team AMBR looked at the old forest of pines. A deep fog rested, obscuring whatever visibility there was in the dense forest.

Bolin gave out a sigh as he pulled his staff out. "So, who's ready to walk into the clearly haunted forest?" he asked his team.

"Aye." Rheese said excitedly, twirling her twin guns.

Nadir shrunk under the glaring weight of the eerie forest. "No, not really." He muttered, nervously fiddling with his assault rifle.

Arslan shook her head, a small smile creeping on her face. She really should't take such amusement from her teammate's poor disposition to the forest. But damn it it wasn't kind of funny.

"Don't worry Nadir." Arslan schooled her face into a kind smile. "I'm sure that it is just some grimm. And if it is truly haunted-" Arslan was about to go on about figuring out how to kill a ghost as a team, but Rheese snuck up behind the pink haired man.

"WE'LL USE YOU AS A VIRGIN SACRIFICE!" She cackled, making the on edge huntsman jump out of his skin.

"GAH!" He cried out, turning on his green haired teammate. "Rheese! Don't do that!" he whined, fuming.

Arslan closed her eyes, forcing a chuckle down her throat. She would not embarrass Nadir any further.

"Rheese. That was unnecessary." Arslan used her Leader Voice. Rheese rolled her eyes. "Yes mom." She groaned in an overexaggerated tone, clearly poking fun at Arslan's tone.

"Rheese." Arslan warned.

Rheese turned to her pink haired friend. "Sorry for scaring you."

Nadir took a deep breath in, finding the will to forgive the nymph deep deep in his soul. "It's ok. I forgive you."

Bolin rolled his eyes with an audible groan. "Would getting a move on any time soon be possible? We have grimm to kill, and the sooner I can get out of this rainy outer town and back to Haven, the better."

Arslan turned, rolling her eyes out of his view. Lord help me. She prayed. She had known Bolin for most of her life, meeting him at a young age at the Temple. And he just kind of ended up sticking around. She wasn't sure why, really. But he always seemed to be in the same room one way or the other.

She supposed they became kind of friends due to sheer exposure to each other. It must have been some kind of cosmic law.

It really shouldn't have surprised her that he ended up on the same team as her. It must have fallen in accordance with that cosmic law.

With the begrudgingness you could only find in a teenager given responsibilities, Arslan trudged forward through the rainy mud.

Team AMBR walked through the forest, the mist clinging to them like wispy hands, grasping and clutching at the semblance of warmth. Nadir was practically shaking in his boots, his head on a rapid and twitchy swivel.

Bolin turned to look behind at the nervous gunner. "Would you relax? There's nothing here. It's not like that Caped Ghost the hunter was talking about is going to come out and eat your soul."

Nadir gave Bolin an unimpressed look, before hearing some small piece of wood snap.

"What was that!" he turned on a dime, leveling his gun in the general direction of the sound.

Rheese gave something akin to a mix between a chuckle and a sigh. "Relax Nadir," She said, patting his shoulder. "It was probably a squirrel or something."

Arslan walked towards the source of the sound carefully, her rope dart in hand. She moved the bush aside. A branch of decent size lay broken, fallen from the trees.

That's a little large for something the size of a squirrel to break. Arslan thought with a frown. Were they not alone in these woods? She looked up, but couldn't see anything in the fog and leaves.

Bolin walked over to his leader. "Anything we should be concerned about?"

"I don't know." Arslan said, looking down at the branch. "I can't tell if the branch fell on it's own, or if something else knocked it down. Something big."

Nadir perked up at that. "That sounds… concerning." he said, looking around the forest.

Arslan hummed, activating her semblance. Like a great bell underwater, the world was washed in a wave that turned everything it touched into a harsh black and white. The seemingly black and white world of her semblance, stretching around her like an all revealing circle, revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

Arslan's semblance was a useful one, Noble Presence. It allowed her to sense the energies of Souls, or in the case of the grimm, an empty black hole of a space, within about 10 meters or so from her position.

"There's nothing there." Arslan said after a moment, retracting the circle of aura.

Nadir relaxed at those words. Bolin gave a small huff, crossing his arms.

"Tell us something we don't know, Ars." he smiled. "Now let's go find this ghost."

The squad walked on, deeper into the forest. As they went deeper and deeper into the woods, they couldn't help but feel that it was getting colder. Darker. Oppressive, as though they were not welcome to this realm.

The team moved closer together, instinctively entering a loose surrounded formation. Every hair on Nadir's body stood up as the fog rolled in, denser than ever before.

"I don't like this. I don't like this at all. Not a single smidge of like here, No siree." he sang in a high tone under his breath.

Bolin turned, an extremely annoyed grimace on his face. "Would you stop that?!" he snapped at his pink haired teammate.

Nadir flinched away, hunching to seem smaller.

"Thank you." Bolin huffed. Arslan would have to talk to him about that later. Now was not the time.

They walked in silence just a couple minutes more, before Nadir broke it again. "Hey, Arslan? Could you please use your semblance again? I feel like something is watching us."

Bolin turned to face nadir. "Really? Really Nadir? Come on." He groaned. "Grow up and grow a pair already. No one cares."

Oh, Arslan would most certainly be having words with Bolin after this mission.

There was a sound of something moving in the trees, like someone had just steps on a slippery patch of moss. Nadir instinctively leveled his AR at the sound in the trees and shot a burst off into the bush.

The bullets sent leaves and wood bits flying everywhere as the mist was forced away from the impact.

The world stood still for the briefest of moments, with Team AMBR watching the spot intently

"I think I got it." Nadir said after a second, a nervous smile breaking on his face.

"Your friend has good eyes." an unfamiliar voice said from behind them. "And good aim."

Team AMBR jumped, wheeling to face the interloper.

Jaune moved through the forest with a fast grace, fueled by simply going at such a steady rate that nothing could impede him. He had taken up to striding as his default speed now, something he wasn't sure when it had started.

It felt like he had done it for years. Perhaps he had, at this point.

Jaune tilted his head, listening for the shifts in the mist. He could just barely make out the intruders direction. Pressing his ear to the ground, he closed his eyes and focused.

The world faded out of view as he closed his eyes, letting the earth tell him the numbers of his prey.

"Four sets of footsteps, varying weights." Jaune said to his comrades, finding the timid beat of their walking. "To our north left. eight beats…. They're human." he said with a sigh of relief.

Do we know how to even interact with humans anymore? A asked, his eyes wide and his face veering away at the thought.

Did we ever know how to interact with humans? B countered.

"I wasn't that bad." jaune said

Eh, I suppose you're right. A admitted with a shrug.

"You guys are mean." Jaune grumbled, striding towards the source of the footsteps.

He hopped up on the lowest branches of a tree. He proceeded to jump, scamper and climb his way to the humans that had entered the woods. They got louder and louder as he got closer and closer, the rain just barely masking his soft footsteps on oak and aspen branches.

He could see them! He could see actual human beings!

A group of four, clearly Huntsmen, or atleast armed with rather colorful and unique weapons and gear, were slowly making their way through the misted forest. The rain pattered down, making their steps squelch and splash lightly in the muddy puddles.

Jaune landed on a branch that had a bad case of rot. It snapped, tumbling to the ground. The sudden loss of the solid ground underneath him sent Jaune into a free fall.

Jaune regained his wits, Jumping into the mist and landing on a more solid branch.

The four huntsman, and now that Jaune got a closer look at them, they were probably students, like him. Anyway, the four huntsmen turned to the sound, obviously high strung.

"What was that!" The man with pink hair, tied in a long braid, cried out. He had some kind of modern looking firearm in a death tight grip, white knuckling the metal and plastic

He needs a fat rip on a bong. A noted. Jaune was inclined to agree.

One of the two females, with a head of bright shining platinum silvery blonde hair, and deep chocolate colored skin that reminded Jaune of Hot cocoa on cold winter nights, walked over to investigate.

She was surprisingly pretty, is the same way one might find a wild animal to be pretty. Taught muscles that could kill when exerted covered underneath a sun blazen skin. She moved with that undeniable lethality, as though she was the queen of this forest. As though she was an Apex predator, and she knew it.

It was not the same grace that Pyrrha moved with. That was practiced, polished and repeated until perfection.

Nor was it like Blake's or Weiss's, so undeniably high esteemed. So imbedded, like they were royalty of some kind. Jaune supposed Weiss saw herself as royalty, at least a little.

So undeniably human, as though it were to hide something.

But this? This woman, this huntress moved like she was exactly that. A huntress. A predator. Jaune found himself watching her with an intent that probably crossed into creepy territory.

She looked up to where Jaune had been just moments before.

Huh. her eyes are olive colored. Jaune thought, interested at the unique color. Sure, Ruby had silver eyes, and Yang's were purple, and Nora's was an interesting shade of blue. Heck, Ren's eyes were pink.

Come to think of it, a lot of people have really strange eye colors. B noted with a half invested interest.

"Anything we should be concerned about?" The other monk asked, clad in similar robes to the darker monk. But it seemed he chose his accent color to be a deep navy blue, instead of red.

"I don't know." The blonde dark skinned monk said, kneeling to inspect the branch Jaune had sent tumbling to the ground. "I can't tell if the branch fell on it's own, or if something else knocked it down. Something big."

The pink haired hunter perked up at that, looking nervous. "That sound…" He started, trying in vain to hide his fear and unease "Concerning." He finally decided.

The blonde straightened up, looking around.

She's looking for you. A noted. You should probably hide.

Jaune stood stock still, murmuring under his breath a ranger's poem. "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." his words tumbled out of his mouth like falling leaves, silent but for the smallest fluttering.

A feeling as though he had faded out, becoming less solid and more like the mist he crouched in, washed over him. It pulled him from his back, fading him into ashen greys.

There was a moment of dead silence, as Jaune dared not to breath lest it break the spell he cast.

"There's nothing there."The predator said with confidence.

Did she use a semblance? She clearly didn't actually look around for us. B questioned, curious about the certainess in her tone.

The pink boy relaxed visibly, as did the green haired girl on a hoverboard to his right.

"Tell us something we don't know, Ars." The darker haired monk said.

Ah. so her name was Ars. An interesting name.

It's probably a nickname, Jaune. A suggested. Jaune nodded, agreeing.

I bet you're right A. But what would it be short for? I can't think of any names that have the phrase Ars in them.

A and B looked to each other, coming up blank. They responded to Jaune's question with a shrug.

The male monk opened his mouth again. "Now let's go find this ghost."

Ghost? There's a ghost in this forest? A questioned, superstisously looking over his shoulder. B sighed, shaking his head.

No, you dimwit. Those don't exist. He grumbled, exasperated. I'll bet money it's a Geist or some other kind of supernatural-esc grimm species.

Ah. A nodded. That would make sense. We have been killing a lot of grimm in this forest.

Jaune interjected at this point. Yeah, but nothing like a Geist or a Kappa. Most of them have been Beowolves. Kind of interesting that there would be this many grimm in the middle of nowhere though. Jaune responded, stepping to a sturdy looking branch.

The Huntsman were moving again, deeper into the woods. Jaune was going to follow them. If they came here, that certainly mean that they came from somewhere. Perhaps he could hitch a ride? And besides. Jaune continued his train of thought. I was the one who did all the killing. You guys just sat back and watched.

A was offended at the insinuation he didn't do anything. HEY! I cheered you on.

And I did provide advice and information. B supplied his own two cents.

Back seat fighters. Jaune laughed in his head, quietly following team AMBR

He did that for a few minutes, the team in complete silence, before the pink one started to hum under his breath. "I don't like this. I don't like this at all. Not a single smidge of like here, No siree." he sang, high pitched and nervous.

The blue monk, Can we just call him blue? We can call the pretty one red. A suggested.

Blue then. Jaune corrected. Blue snapped on the pink one, causing him to flinch away. 'WOuld you stop that?!" He did in a half spit, half yell in anger. Upon seeing the smaller pink one's show of subservience: "Thank you." he huffed with a nod. He redirected himself, satisfied in his show of dominance. They continued on for a couple minutes more, the recent outrage keeping them in a tense silence.

Holy moly, if we hadn't killed all the grimm, these people would be drowning in beowolves. A commented with an uneasy laugh.

Jaune was inclined to agree. The tension could have been cut with a freaking log at this point.

The silence was broken by the pink one's nervousness. "Hey, arslan?"

Ah, so her name was Arslan. That made sense

Arslan. Aaaarrrslllan. Jaune rolled the name around in his mouth, tasting it.

It tasted spicy almost, like some kind of exotic wood. It also had a starchy feel to it, like some kind of exotic potato.

A spicy potato. A spice-tato?

But there was this fascinating undertone of sweetness, like a dark chocolate, or coco.

So more like Spicy hot cocoa, but in potato form.

He found he rather liked the taste of it.

Jaune refocued his attention to the four below. Blue, Green Skateboard girl, Arslan, and the Pink one.

"Could you please use your semblance again? I feel like something is watching us." The pink one said, rather timidly.

Blue groaned, turning to face the pink one. "Really? Really Nadir? Come on." he growled at him. Ah, so his name was Nadir.

A cooler name, like a cold drink. But with some oddly hops like undertones.

It tastes like brack water. B said flatly. You know, the kind you find clay in.

It did, didn't it? Or like coffee, but minus the caffeine, with a touch of beer hops. But cold? It was an interesting taste. He wasn't as much of a fan of it as Arslan, but he could see himself getting used to it.

"Grow up and grow a pair already. No one cares." Blue continued. Jaune squinted, leaning forward in his branch. He already didn't like Blue.

He seems kind of like an asshole. A commented, agreeing with Jaunes assessment of Blue. A didn't like him either.

The shift of balance made the branch bend down, rusting the leaves in the mist. The four Huntsmen jumped, instantly ready for combat. The pink one, Nadir B reminded him, actually pulled the trigger on his gun, firing off several shots. Jaune's eyes widened as he Jumped out of the way, disappearing into the mist. He landed with a soft and silent thud behind them.

They were too focused on the bullet ridden spot in the tree as Nadir lowered his rifle.

"I think I got it." He gave a small laugh, partially from nervousness, partially from stressed pride.

Jaune stood up from his crouched position. "You friend has good eyes." he said, brushing off his shoulders. "And good aim."

The four huntsmen wheeled on the voice, brandishing weapons. Jaune reflexively acted, drawing a sabre almost completely from its sheath. There was a metal clang as Blue's metal staff made contact with the blade.

Nadir's beyonce had thrust forward, forcing Jaune to lean aggressively to the side. His armored glove raised to collide with the gun knife.

"Do not be afraid." Jaune said, loud enough to clearly be heard. Not that it was that hard, considering he was within stabbing distance. "I am not your foe."

"Well, then just exactly who are you!?" Blue yelled, reading to strike at Jaune again.

Jaune sighed and sheathed his sabre, pushing the bayonet away from him.

Crap, how do you introduce yourself again? Jaune asked his head space mates.

Hello is a good start. B said, impressed and exasperated that Jaune had managed to forget how to introduce himself. And telling them your name is also a bonus.

Right. Jaune thought. Thank you.

"Hello. My name is Jaune ar- Just Jaune. It is nice to meet you."

Another chapter done! yay!

And finally new characters! Now, what will i do with them now?

I'm so excited that we are almost done with the first arc of this story? What did you think of it, and what do you think is going to happen next?

I love hearing your theories about this story, or you personal thoughts as to how the story should continue and unfold. If it's better than what I have, i just might write it in. Please leave a comment, as it fuels this story's progress.

Constructive critism so that I may improve going forward is always apricated.

Chapter 16Chapter Text

Arslan lowered her rope dart, watching the stranger with a critical eye.

What in the world is he wearing? She thought, looking at his rather interesting outfit. A ruined cowl that was hanging on just by a couple of threads hid him from the rain. Bits of, hold up, was that moss? Was moss literally growing on him?

Clumps of moss hung like leaching patches to the cape, which was only the start of the strangeness about him. His face was hidden by a hand carved mask, a rough paint job of three stripes on it. The mask had no other detail to it besides those three lines, orange blue and green.

His chest piece was absolutely ruined, a massive crack would split it in half if Jaune hadn't literally stapled it together. Large off colored metal stripes that looked similar to stitching lined the crack in the once white breastplate. Who in the world repaired armor like that? Anyone with a rapier or thin tipped spear would expose that chink in the armor so fast, it wouldn't even be funny.

Following the progression down Jaune's body, Arslan came to his waist wrap.

"You have a Sendal." Arslan said, surprised that he even knew what it was.

Jaune blinked. I have a what? He asked his compatriots, confused.

I think she said you have a Sandal. A said.

Jaune looked down at his feet. Nope, he was wearing boots. No sandals there.

"I'm wearing boots." Jaune responded, looking up. Arslan blinked, the oddly given joke taking her by surprise. It was so flat, like it was more of a statement than a joke. She supposed he was making a joke, even if it was a bad one.

Bolin cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the masked man. "So, what are you doing here?" He asked, a threatening grip on his staff. Just in case.

It was not something that went unnoticed by Jaune, as he shifted just slightly away from the black haired monk.

Jaune looked into Bolin's eyes, his head cocking to the side. It was like a confused animal being posed with a question. It knew it was being asked something, but wasn't sure what.

What does he mean? Like, what am I doing in front of them? What i'm doing in the forest? Or so far away from civilization?

B shrugged. I don't know. Just answer one of those and hope you're right? He suggested.

Sounds like a decent plan.

"I am on an exodus." He said after a momentary pause that took just a little too long for normal speaking patterns. Bolin squinted at the stranger, already suspicious of him.

He sounded too young to be a fully fledged huntsman, age 16 at most. But he was so tall, he had to be older than that.

Arslan narrowed in on that use of the word Exodus. Exodus, as in the biblical journey of Karmora, and others? Arslan looked around at the misty damp forest. Well, if he was Karmora incarnate, this would be the place to find him.

Arslan's more logical side of her brain interjected, shutting down that line of thought. He probably means a long trip. And besides, it's not like he could be Karmora. Karmora's a literal god, and he can't be a god.

Arslan hummed, accepting the reasoning. It was a foolish intrusive thought.

"Welp!" Bolin said, clapping his hands together. "We found our ghost. It was just some dude in the forest. Can we please go back home now? Or back to the Inn. I would love to get out of the rain."

Jaune's head cocked to the side again. "Is this inn nearby?" he asked, confused and hopeful at that.

Rheese answered that question. "I mean, yeah? Probably less than an hour away from here."

Jaune's face fell at that news into a long blank stare.

You mean we were this close to finding civilization again? Just a short walk away? He thought, kind of angry at himself that he hadn't noticed.

Wait, like an actual town? With an actual bed? A asked hopefully.

"Does this inn have a bed?" Jaune asked suddenly, causing team AMBR to almost jump, snapping their heads to look at him.

"...I would hope so?" Rheese said, the end of the phrase pitching upwards into a question. "If they didn't, I would be mighty pissed."

"Good." Jaune said, relieved at the promise of a bed. "I haven't had a bed in…" When was the last time he had slept in a bed? Must have been a month ago, at least. Perhaps more?

Time was not Jaunes strong suit, not any longer anyway.

"A long, long time." He finished his statement, getting a confused and concerned set of looks from his newly found fellow huntsmen.

Ok. Arslan thought to herself, watching Jaune slump slightly as they started walking, Bolin in the lead. That was immediately concerning. It sounds like he hasn't had a good long rest in a while.

Just exactly what kind of Exodus did he go on? Couldn't he have taken a bullhead or a caravan to get where he's going?

Where is he going?

Rheese, almost sensing Arslan's questioning gaze, turned to the ranger. "So, jaune?"

Jaune's head tilted to look at her, indicating that he was listening. It was unsettling, in a sense. Like it was a kind of bird of prey you were talking to, and not a normal human being.

Rheese gulped, refocusing her will. Something about him was just barely off putting. Perhaps it was the way he was too quiet, even his footsteps seemed to be overtly quiet. Like a cat perhaps.

"You said you were on an Exodus, right?"

Jaune nodded lightly, his hood shifting under the movement.

"So where is this "exodus" taking you, stranger?" Rheese asked, her voice hiding the innate fear.

Jaune turned his head, much like a hawk, to face the skater. "Haven. And please, call me Jaune."

Arslan blinked. "Haven? You're a student?"

Jaune nodded again, waiting a moment before he spoke. "Yes. I am a student."

Rheese and Arslan shared a look. From where?

"Where did you study?" Arslan asked, probing for information. She could see the forest thinning out, giving way to muddied greens and in the close distance.

"Beacon." he responded simply, his head on a swivel as he stalked through the forest.

Arslan blinked. He's from Beacon?

"You're from Beacon?" Rheese asked, surprised. Beacon was a major huntsman school. It was regarded by many as the "pinnacle of Huntsmen education" but Rheese personally disagreed. She thought that Beacon, while it had it's shining stars, produces mostly par huntsmen. Sure, you had your team STRQ's and BLKR's, but that wasn't the vast majority of them.

Although, why anyone would want to leave such a place of legend, Rheese didn't know.

"What made you leave? You say something inappropriate to the press or something?" Bolin asked bluntly.

Jaune froze for a moment, his momentary stop almost causing Nadir to walk into him.

The air became colder as Jaune mechanically started walking again.

Arslan and Bolin shared a look. "He has something to hide." Bolin whispered quietly to her.

Arslan tilted her head at him, exasperated. "So?" She whispered back. "It doesn't concern us"

Jaune closed his eyes as they walked onwards. He could hear them whisper to each other, but about what he couldn't tell.

Ohh, gossip! We should eavesdrop! They're probably talking about us! A said, his faux excitement betraying his inherent suspicion.

B sighed, understanding A's tone. Let them be. He said, putting a calming hand on A's shoulder. It was hopefully nothing.

Team AMBR and their tag along exited the forest, mist spilling out onto the grassy field like blood.

"Ah." Jaune said, looking at the rain fallen city. Stacks of smoke billowed out from chimneys, blending into the dark grey clouds. Small bits of the daily life of the town could be heard, from some children playing in the rain to a barking dog to their mothers telling them both to come inside the house and out of the wet.

Jaune stopped, taking in the visage for a moment.

He had forgotten what this looked like. How could he have forgotten such peace, such serenity? Jaune knew the answer, but feared what it might entail.

Arslan gave their newly found acquaintance a questioning look. He had stopped, on the edge of the field, basking in the rain.

Arslan walked up to stand next to him, giving him a side eyed view. Jaune's own blue ones turned to look at her from the corner of his mask.

Arslan, upon realizing she was being looked at, turned her eyes away with a sudden swiftness, focusing on the town.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She asked the ranger. The rest of team AMBR, upon seeing that Arslan was trying to strike up one of her sagely conversations, left the two for the town. In hopes of a warm room out of the rain. Something easily obtained.

"I had forgotten what this felt like." Jaune said after the more colorful set of huntsmen left them.

Arslan took on a confused look. "I'm sorry?" She asked, not sure what to make of that answer.

Jaune gestured to the town. "I forgot. The fires, the sounds. The life that is there. I forgot what it felt like..."

I don't know how, but I forgot. Jaune thought solemnly.

Arslan turned to look at him, her face shifting from confusion to concern to an expression somewhere between the two. She opened her mouth to say something, but what could she even say to that?

Closing it, she turned to look at the town. She supposed that it looked just about every other frontier town: small two story houses at best, sections of wall, palisades, and barricades littered the outer edges of the town. Cobbled roads faded into dirt pathways that spiraled off into the distant horizon, faded and concealed by the sheets of rain. Just exactly what had happened during that exodus that Jaune forgot what civilization looked like

Arslan returned her attention to her company, watching him with an interest one might approach a cryptic puzzle with, or perhaps a riddle.

"The stripes on your Sendal." She started, changing the topic to his Honor Mark around his waist. "What do they mean?"

Jaune blinked, reaching up to touch his mask. Arslan shook her head, nodding down to his Honor Mark. "no, silly. Your Honor Mark. I've never seen any one like it. So what do the stripes mean." Arslan was admittedly curious. Most Sendal's were intricate patterns, resembling glorious moments in their lives. Great battles, first victories, world altering events, that kind of thing. Circles and lines and shapes and animals and symbols would be stitched onto a cloth. Most Sendal's were in the Dhalka style, a pelvic curtain that had the most detail work, a foot long or so skirt wrapping around the rest of the waist. Of course, different styles of Sendal's ment something different, but that was the most general. Arslan had seen many Sendals, ranging from Kilt styles to the Traditional warriors wrap to a Dhalka. But never one like Jaunes. A wrap that covered Jaunes outer thigh, wrapping around to the other side, leaving his front open.

Yet another puzzle to try and pick apart about the strange ranger.

Jaune looked down, holding out the flag wrapped around his waist. He thought for a long moment.

What in the world is an Honor Mark? Jaune asked his head space renters. They just shrugged.

I dunno what in the world she's talking about, mate. A responded. She called it a Sandal, and as far as I know those go on our feet.

B looked at it from a logical perspective, taking the time to think and pick apart Arslan's words. It's called an Honor Mark, so I would assume it's kind of like a personalized Family Crest? Or something along those lines. Probably has to do with Honor.

Jaune shifted his balance from one foot to the other at the question his cocoa colored company asked. How did he answer that? How did he give an answer to a question when one didn't exist?

How do I answer this? Jaune asked, his mental voice pitching with stress and uneasy awkwardness.

I dunno, make something vague up! A cried back. And quick!

Arslan watched jaune's eyes carefully, as they were the only window into his emotion, the mask and heavy armor hiding his true self from the world. They flashed with worry. Anguish. Panic. A tiredness that Arslan didn't think could have been conveyed with eyes alone.

Oh. It wasn't an Honor Mark, was it?

"I'm sorry if i brought up something that i shouldn't have, I was just-" Arslan said, immensely regretful that she didn't recognize the mark for what it must have been. Or might have been. Judging by his reaction, surely it can't have been an Honor Mark, something one should take pride in.

Jaune moved to speak, turning to Arslan and cutting off her hasty apology. "It is fine, Arslan." he said, holding out the hem of the mark. "This means Guidance." jaune said, pointing to the green stripe. "Wayfinding. Undertaking the journey from disgrace onwards, and coming out stronger for it."

What in the world are you talking about?! B called out, calling Jaune out on his vague bullshit.

I'm just doing what A said to do! Jaune cried back, internally panicking.

B's eyes widened as his head fell forward. And since has listening to A ever been a good idea!

Hey! A combated, insulted at the insinuation that he had no good ideas.

What in the world am I even saying? "Wayfinding"?! What am going on about! Jaune panicked, talking to himself this time.

"And the blue one?" Arslan asked, enwrapped by the explanation. Redemption, or growth, was an uncommon mark on an Honor Mark, particularly one so vague. Most marks were actual events. Perhaps this was an event? This great journey to redemption? With any luck, the other marks will give more context to the green stripe. Arslan hoped.

Jaune gulped. Oh god, what did he want the blue stripe to mean?

Enchiladas. A suggested. B whacked him over the head with a condescending hand.

No you dumbass! B berated. It can't be fucking Enchiladas! It's not even enchilada colored!

Jaune closed his eyes. Shut it you two.

"The blue stripe?" Jaune asked, buying some time. "It stands for The Search."

Arslan's head tilted, the rain running down her face and dripping from her hair. It framed her in such a pleasing way, calm and collected and perhaps even kind, like the eye of a storm. The dull grey of the world around them, muddied and painted by the greens of life, created a sedative contrast with, if she were in a harsher, brighter light, the colorful and blinding lioness.

"The search?" Arslan asked. That was one she had not heard before. The search? The search for what? If it was a quest, wouldn't it be more detailed as for what the quest was for? Like a crown or something? "The search for what?"

"Answers." jaune responded automatically. His mind went to The Dream. Why was he there? What had he done that trapped him in this endless cycle of death and rebirth? What had happened to that desolate world, that it had turned it to dust and ash?

Thinking further back, why had Pyrrha, one of the few he had trusted, betrayed him so? He remembered their fight after Ozpin had given his ultimatum. Blurrily, but he still remembered. He remembered the screaming match, mostly. The yelling and the raw undeniable pain behind those words. Even if the words themselves slipped him.

"Meaning. Justification for my actions." he continued, dwelling even further down his memory lane. A large family of blonds, massive meals between and equally large feasters. The crowded beds and cluttered house, beaten by the trails of childhood. Failed dreams and broken promises, cold and sad blue eyes, and lonely nights, surrounded by a family he wasn't sure he even knew. "And for my suffering."

Arslan blinked, taken aback from that answer. This was by far the most intriguing, and least helpful Sendal she had been told about. Answers? No mark documented the search for answers. What Honor was there in that? What bragging rights were attached to the search for answers?

Arslan wasn't even sure if she wanted to know what the orange stripe resembled, if it was going to be equally confusing as the last two. "And the orange?" She asked, shying away just a bit from the answer.

Jaune looked down at the orange stripe. He knew what it stood for. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he knew that it stood for.

"Honor." he said solemnly. Arslan was surprised by the rather common symbolic nature of the stripe. Honor, while mostly associated with a particular event (as all marks were), was an incredibly common mark for an Honor mark.

"Protection." Jaune continued, not taking his eyes off the stripe. He swallowed, knowing what came next.

"Sacrifice." He choked out, his breath shaky. He closed his eyes, mourning that loss.

And for a moment, blood stained his hands once more, as the night sky burned with the scent of iron.

Arslan paled. Oh.

Failure was not an uncommon mark, nor were pyrrhic victories. But they were sad marks to have. They spoke of suffering, and those that wore them bore heavy burdens indeed.

What could someone so young have done to bear such sorrows? Arslan thought to herself, a wave of pitying tenderness washing over her, almost as strong and the soft chill of the rain.

"Oh. Jaune." Arslan said, compelled to add her support to the burdened man. She reached her hand out, hoping to give him some form of comfort, the tips of her fingers approaching the wooden mask.

Jaune flinched at seeing the hand come so close, causing Arslan to retract the offending appendage. "Sorry." She said quietly, turning back to the town.

"No- I'm sorry, i shouldn't have flinched- You just- I wasn't expecting it, that's all." Jaune hastily explained, tripping over his words.

Arslan hummed, smiling. The ranger reminded her of Nadir a little. Nadir never really seemed to know what to say, and what he did say was stumbling and came out wrong.

"It's ok. I know what you mean." Arslan chuckled, looking at the hooded ranger. "Why do you wear a mask?" She asked, changing the subject away from such a heavy topic. If it was something Jaune had no interest in being pried open, she should not bother him about it. Well, not yet anyway. There were other areas of interest that she could delve into.

Jaune gave her a blank look. "What mask?" he asked, not sure what she was talking about

Arslan gave Jaune a blank look. "The one on your face?" she asked flatly. He's joking, right? She thought to himself.

Jaune's hand went up to touch his face. It met the harsh carved wood from the dream.

"Oh! Oh!" Jaune laughed, reaching behind his hood. "I forgot i had it on."

The mask left his face, jaune let out a breathy sigh of relief as he felt the cold moisture of the rain air touch his face for the first time.

Arslan watched as the mask fell away, being tied to the loop of his belt.

Oh no. Arslan thought as Jaune's face met the light. blue grey eyes that looked like they would shine in the dark. A well built, stereotypical Valean Orleans face with skin stretched far too thin, gaunt with the wear of exhaustion and a long life on the road. His nose was broken in a way that only seemed to accentuate his facial structure. Deep bags under his eyes aged him far beyond his years. A hairline scar stretching from his jawline to his cheekbone was the only intruder on his unshaven, scruff covered jaw. A strand of blond hair fell from under his hood and down onto his face, betraying how long his hair must have been under that cape.

Arslan gulped. With a little rest and recovery, maybe a spa day, he would actually be really fucking hot. The more intrusive part of her brain thought.

Jaune looked up at the rain, the water washing away the ash and grime that had collected under the mask. "The rain is going to be stopping soon." he said, with far more ominous weight than he intended.

Arslan nodded, sensing the end of a conversation. "Well, you are welcome to join me and my team on the trip back to Haven, and for the remainder of the time until then." She offered, before walking towards the town. Jaune watched her retreat with interest, as one might watch a predator stalk into the woods on a documentary.

A whistled as she descended the hill. Damn, what an ass!

B gave a scandalized gasp, whacking A on the back of the head again. No! Bad! No sexualizing the scary muscle woman! Did you see those biceps?!

Jaune had to agree. What an ass.

Not you too!

-----------

So, a long chapter this time with not much happening. This was mostly for character development and to properly introduce characters to each other. Don't worry, next chapter will have some action, i promise.

I hope that this has given you a little window in to the character I want Arslan to end up being, at least a bit. Characters developing and ending up coming across the way i want them without being extremely exaggerated and almost satirical has always been hard for me.

As always, please leave a comment as to what you think happens next, scenes or events that you think should be written in, and or constructive critism. It fuels the progression of this story.

Also, expect the next chapter to be a little bit later. If i can control my procrastination, i will spending my time studying for my tests and not word vomiting on this google doc.

Chapter 17Chapter Text

Jaune walked through the town, turning and spinning to take in the life of this town. His hood had fallen off his head at some point, but Jaune was far too in awe to care. The rain had stopped just as Jaune passed the first barricade, as though the heralding of some angel was upon the small town.

Arslan watched the ranger look around, his face set in a stone mask of…

Not quite indifference? It was a neutral face, but not uncaring.

His hair had grown long, going just a bit past his shoulders. It was like looking at a blonde Aragon, or perhaps Borimir. His ratty armor, cracked and worn, a shell of a hunter, made him stand out in the town square like a sore thumb.

Man, when was the last time I even read Lord of the Rings? Arslan thought to herself as she led them to the inn.

"So, Jaune." Arslan started, drawing the stranger's attention from the town to her. "You're a student, right?"

Jaune nodded, twisting to the side so that his tall lanky frame didn't absolutely demolish a wayward child running down the street. The child still managed to bump into Jaunes knee, sending him carading off to the side momentarily.

"Sorry Mr!" the child yelled over his shoulder, not even stopping. Jaune reached out, pausing halfway through to a fully extended arm. Perhaps to stop the child, perhaps to wave goodbye?

It was hard to tell. Jaune sighed, moving away from the awkward moment.

"You were saying something?" jaune asked, turning to the lioness. Arslan considered asking him one of the many questions she had bouncing around in her head. She sifted through each curiosity, ranking and sorting them into what would be most likely to be answered.

"What year are you?" She asked after a moment, opening the door to the inn. A rusted sign hung above the door, a lizard wrapped around a frothing mug of ale burned into the bronze lined wooden plate.

Jaune stared at his, his face going slack. For a moment, it was replaced with a similar wooden sign, plastered in ash and faded by time, attached to a mostly broken brewery.

-Ok, Jaune?" A voice snapped him back to reality. He blinked, his head shaking a little as he refocused.

Arslan gave the blonde a concerned look. "You ok Jaune? You kind of blanked out on me for a moment." She asked.

Jaune nodded. "Ye-yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm all good." he rambled, for the most part unconvincingly. Arslan looked him over, before pushing the door open. "If you say so." the dark skinned huntress said, walking into the inn.

The inn itself was a pretty standard wooden building. A large open eating area lit by burning lamps made up the majority of the first floor. A bar that stretched across the majority of one wall was the only encroachment onto the single monolithic wooden room. It had a surprisingly homey feel to it, slightly worn with the ages of boys and men. The hardwood floor was covered in scratches from the scraping of chairs and tables, and the chairs themselves had clearly been well used over the ages. Only a couple of stragglers and alcoholics were left in the large room, making it feel surprisingly empty. Jaune cast his eyes around, instinctively marking out every possible exit in the room.

There are four total windows of escapable size. Two to the main road, one to the back alley and one to the side. One door that leads out to the road, and another that leads down to what I assume is the cellar and kitchen area. B analyzed. This room in particular is best suited for combat. It is large enough that all of our weapons are viable, but ranged weapons arn't. Beyond that, there is ample movable cover to hide behind.

Jaune blinked, his head turning on a swivel. You do know We use ranged weapons as well, right? Jaune asked the voice.

B froze for a moment, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had missed such a blaring and obvious. Damn it. Well, we can still hit them with our sword.

Sound thinking. A commented from his couch, munching on a bag of chips.

Jaune blinked. Wait, since when did A have a couch?

Since when did you have a couch? Jaune asked, confused as to how a shapeless voice could even sit on a couch, much less eat potato chips. A shrugged, emphasising his confusion with a crunch of unhealthy starchy goodness. A looked around, noticing that they were holding up traffic.

Yo, Jaune! Time to get moving. A called out, causing Jaune to start walking again. He made his way to Arslan, who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "Sorry, I got…. Lost in thought. You know, like a normal person." Jaune mumbled, just barely loud enough for the lioness to hear.

Arslan gave him the side eye as she walked up the stairs. "No problem." She said, just a little suspicious. She had to suppress a laugh at the poor blonde's awkwardness. The laugh died when she remembered

She knew that look on his face. It was the same look that she had seen whenever she watched some of her fellow peers fight in the arena. He was taking in the room, analyzing it, formatting plans. For what? It's not like he expects to be attacked, does he? Arslan pondered, noting his paranoia. He was like that as well, tense and prepared when they had met as well.

Jaune, in the meantime, felt like hitting his head on the stair bannister. Really? Really? Jaune berated himself. Like a normal person? Who even says that?

Not normal people, I can tell you that. A said nonchalantly, unmoved from his couch.

Jaune groaned internally. Fantastic. Jaune thought. Fantastic work jaune. Now she probably thinks you're some kind of weirdo

A looked up from his relaxed position. Oh look! Ass! He called out, distracting Jaune from his self criticism

Jaune looked up, seeing that Arslan's waist was right at eye level on the stairs. Oh, wow. She must be a runner. Jaune thought as he watched the muscle shift with her movement.

B wheeled on his counterpart, wielding a bat with righteous intent. NO! He cried out, physically wacking the couch potato voice on the head. We are not doing this! No Horny!

Jaune flinched, the imaginary impact of the bat resonating with a wooden bonk sound throughout his body. It made him falter, missing a step with the sudden flinch.

Arslan turned quickly at the stumbling sound, grabbing him by the arm. The ranger teetered at a precarious angle on the stairs. With a heave, the lioness pulled Jaune back onto his feet.

"Th-thank you." Jaune said, looking down. He really, really hoped that Arslan couldn't see his blush.

"No problem." Arslan nodded, making sure that the blonde was steady on his feet. "You ok? You look like you could do with some sleep." She asked, concerned. This was the third time in the several minutes she had met that Jaune had shown signs of exhaustion. She was, of course, familiar with the state. She had worked herself hard during her career as a fighter and a huntswomen, and bouts of exhaustion were not uncommon for someone as hardworking as herself. But she had never seen anything as bad as Jaune's case. Jaune stumbled, he paused, he was possibly paranoid, and he talked to himself.

She could see his lips move, without sound behind them. It was as though he was speaking to someone that wasn't even there.

Jaune gave a short laugh, one that betrayed his exhaustion. "Nah, i'm good." he chuffed.

Arslan gave him a skeptical look as they reached the top of the stairs. "Oh?"

Jaune nodded. "Yeah. my eyes close when I sneeze." he grinned at his joke.

Arslan, however, was not impressed. "No, seriously. When was the last time you slept?" She asked, crossing her arms. Nadir was bad enough, with his obsessive tangents that would keep him up at night, holed up in his room until he had exhausted the internet of every scrap of information related to his newest obsession-interest. But even he seemed to function better than Jaune.

Jaune gave her a blank stare, his brain trying to remember when he last slept. It must have been recently. Jaune thought, scratching his head.

It was three days ago, jaune. B said flatly. Have fun telling Arslan that.

Jaune gulped. He admittedly did not like that prospect, as he admittedly found Arslan a little intimidating. Who wouldn't? The girl looked like she was made of muscle, lean and taught cords of steel under that skin that looks like it felt like a hundred degrees to the touch. Jaune couldn't really see her legs, as that was hidden by rather baggy pants, but if her biceps were anything to go by, she could probably break skulls with them.

What do you mean probably? A asked. You saw that ass. She could totally break us with her thighs.

B groaned. Could we please not?

I mean, our head would just explode, like a watermelon.

B took in a deep, deep breath. Jaune leaned back a bit, the mental image was… interesting. Jaune looked down at her hips, hidden by her combat robe.

He wondered if she could break him like a melon. Arslan groaned, pinching her nose.

"Has it really been that long since you last got some rest?" She groaned.

"Uhhh…" Jaune toned. "Sure. Yeah, that's accurate."

Arslan sighed. "You know that's not healthy, right?" She asked, Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." he sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

Arslan led him to one of the rooms. "We're staying here for now, or at least until thursday." She explained, opening the door

Jaune's head tilted. "What happens on thursday?" he asked, curious.

"That is pick up day." Blue called out, sitting on the floor doing not much more than scrolling through the internet. His name was Bolin, right? Yes, it was Bolin. Not that far from blue, come to think of it.

Bolin blinked, looking up from his scroll. "Oh, what are you doing here?" he asked, standing up.

Arslan stepped forward between him and Jaune. "He is staying with us for a little while." She explained. "At least until pick up."

Bolin's eye twitched a bit at that statement. "Ars, i really think-"

"Bolin." Arslan said, her voice as cold and as hard as steel. She knew where this was going. "If you have something to say about my decision, we may converse outside."

Bolin nodded, before briskly walking out the door with excessive force.

I think the term you want there is storming, buddy. B noted, correcting Jaunes language. Arslan rolled her eyes, but followed him anyway.

Jaune turned to the more interesting colored members of team AMBR. "sooo…" he started, turning his head to the door. "What was that about?"

Rheese sighed, flopping from her bed onto the floor, her legs dangling in the air. "Eh, they're probably off to fight over nothing again." She said, tapping her scroll. It looked like she was playing some kind of game, judging off the reflections on her face.

Nadir looked up from his corner and nodded. He just as quickly, like a meerkat, turned his head down and disappeared into the corner once more. Jaune raised an eyebrow, walking over to where Rheese lay.

"Can i sit here?" He asked, looking down at the green nymph. She just shrugged, not looking away from her game. Jaune just continued looking down, not entirely sure what to do.

"Uhhhh…." He hummed, his hand moving to the back of his head. What does that mean? Go away? Go ahead? Indifference?

A's face contorted, the lower jaw muscles stretching down and the eyebrows raising. The expression was often accompanied by a shrug on most humanoids, and a general sound that can only be explained as the universal translation of "I dunno". However, as A is a figmental voice inside Jaunes brain meats, caused partially by stress, isolation induced insanity, and something jaune wasn't sure how it came into being, or even what it was. Anyway, as A is a figmental voice in Jaune's head, he couldn't really shrug, or make the universal translation of "I dunno". Sure, he conveyed such expressions in what could possibly be considered a "shrug", but that was only in the mental picture.

Jaune still wasn't sure where that couch came from however.

I have no idea how to interpret that. B admitted. And so jaune was left standing there for an uncomfortable amount of moments. Rheese looked back up at the blonde lanky giant, the angle making him appear a certified colossus rather than simply just really tall.

"You know you can sit down, right?" She asked, raising and eyebrow.

Jaune's head bowed as he turned a little red from embarrassment. "Thank you." he murmured, lowering himself to sit down next to her.

They sat there in silence for a couple moments, Jaune put his hapsack duffle bag container thing down from his shoulder with a loud, deep THUNK. Rheese and Nadir gave it a look, startled at the weight it had to it. Jaune opened it up, pulling out his various items he had collected from his travels.

A rock from the forest near Morralle that he thought looked cool. It had a slate blue color to it's greyness, along with a swirling pattern of lines that was probably caused by running water or tree roots.

The wooden coin he had carved from the Dream, along with his mask.

That tattered crested banner, a worn and ancient doll that had seen better days, plastered in ash and dust. A rolled smooth lump of glass. A broken helmet, an inscription in an unknown language outlining the brow. An artistically bent piece of metal. That harsh wooden set of Marrakech he had stolen from team worcestershire sauce. Man, it had been forever since he played it.

An unbidden memory floated to the surface of his head. Him and Nora were sitting in a Beacon dorm, wrestling and fighting over a little pebble. All because Nora rolled poorly.

We laughed so joyously, as though we would be able to do this tomorrow. Jaune thought sorrowfully.

Or perhaps they were laughing because they knew it would be the last time they could do so together.

Jaune sighed, turning the box over in his hands.

I miss Nora. He sighed, reminiscing fondly on the excitable girl.

Rheese watched Jaune slowly, methodically even, pull out various strange items out of his sack. She watched him pull out a wooden box, worn and beaten with harsh use. She watched him roll it in his hands, contemplating the thing with what seemed to be bittersweet memories.

Jaune put the box down, turning to look at her. Or rather, her scroll.

"Your scroll." he started, getting her attention. "What are you playing on it?"

Rheese's eyebrows hiked up slightly. "Kind of a weird thing to ask, John" She said, returning her attention to her scroll. Jaune blinked, turning to look at her.

"I'm sorry?" Jaune asked, confused at the statement. I mean, I guess I'm a little weird? I've always been kind of awkward… Jaune trailed off to his mental renters.

B shrugged at the statement, at a loss of what to do. I'm not good with whatever you guys call emotions. He offered, as though that actually explained or pertains to anything related to Jaunes question.

Is that why you continuously veto the idea of lewding Ars? A asked from his couch, leaning upwards to shout his question. Because I don't know any hot blooded man that wouldn't drool over that ass-

BONK came the increasingly familiar sound as B hit A over the head with a bat. Yes! Now stop it! He commanded.

A cried out, holding his hands up in a futile effort to protect him from the bat of bonk. Alright, Alright! Stop it! He scrambled, falling off of his couch to get away from the offending stick. You've made your point! You can't handle women!

Jaune rubbed his temples, hoping that it might quell his tenants arguing. I am the landlord of this brain space, and you will be within the noise level compliance! He yelled at them. They, fortunately, shut up.

Thank you.

"I'm playing Brick Breaker." Rheese said, not turning her attention away from her scroll.

Jaune squinted, wracking his brain. "That sounds familiar…" He said under his breath.

Did one of his sisters play it before he had to leave them? He wasn't sure anymore.

"It should." Nadir called out from his corner, looking up from his scroll. "It was the third most popular mobile game last year." He offered, his voice trailing off as he came toward the end of his sentence, laced with concern that no one really cared.

Jaune looked up and smiled at him. "Ah, thank you. You are Nadir, right?" Jaune clarified. Nadir looked shocked for a moment, but opted to rapidly nod his head.

"Thank you Nadir." jaune repeated, before reaching over for his large book of tactics. He opened it, seeing Nora's pancake recipe tucked inside. He smiled at the sight, before turning the page.

He had read this book so many times, from the road to the Dream, he might as well be able to recite the damn thing, word for word.

Is this what Will Murray felt like in Ground Hog day? Jaune pondered for a moment.

Arslan opened the door, fuming. The lioness stomped over to the windowsill, grabbing her rope dart.

"Going out?" Rheese asked, looking at her leader's steaming red face.

She was greeted with an aggressive sounding growl. "Ah. good hunting. Try not to collapse a building this time."

Jaune gave Rheese a very concerned look. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Oh yeah." Rheese said, still looking at her scroll. "She collapsed a building once. Admittedly it was a walking OSHA violation…" She trailed off. "Nadir?"

"Yes?" Nadir asked tentatively, knowing what she was going to ask.

"Could you watch Ars? Make sure she doesn't accidentally repeat the Gorgia incident." Rheese asked. Nadir slumped.

"Why can't you? You're more likely to survive." he argued.

Rheese tapped on her scroll again, biting the tip of her tongue. "I'm on the last level of this set! I'm so close i can taste that new personal best!"

Jaune sighed, standing up. He grabbed his satchel, leaving the items on the floor where they were, and walked out the door.

"Oi, where are you going?!" Rheese called after the blonde ranger. Jaune didn't answer, instead quietly closing the door after him. As he turned, he saw that he was face to face with Bolin, who looked almost as furious as Arslan. He glared at Jaune, who saw Arslan walking down the stairs. Jaune decided to push past, slipping by the blue monk. He grunted harshly, causing Jaune to twist to look at him. He, with overly aggressive force, pointed his two fingers at his eyes, and then flicked them to jaune. The universal symbol for "watch." His eyes flicked to the stairwell where Arslan had just disappeared down.

Ah, he wants me to watch Arslan. Keep her out of trouble. Jaune deducted, nodding and giving Bolin a thumbs up.

B squinted suspiciously. I am very sure that it is not what he means, but ok."

Jaune scampered down the stairs, just barely seeing the yellow flit of Arslan's robe disappear through the door. Jaune ran after her, bursting into the single road in the town. He saw the yellow flitter of her robe head toward the woods at a brisk pace. Jaune sighed, chasing after her.

"What has you going in such a hurry?" the ranger asked as he approached the lioness from behind. Arslan jumped, spinning in the air like a startled cat.

"Mothra Manta!" She cried out, clearly spooked. "jaune! You startled me." She breathed out, relieved that it was just the blonde ranger. Once her heart had stopped trying to give her a heart attack, she looked up at the tall man. "Jaune? Wait, why are you here?"

"I was told to stop you from destroying a building?" Jaune said, the statement turning into a question half way through. "You're not going to destroy a building, right?" he pleaded, really really hoping that it was merely an exaggeration. Arslan groaned, her fuming anger shifting to fuming embarrassment.

"I collapse one structural wall one time!" Arslan bemoaned through her hands, the despair muffled.

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Do… do i want to know?" he asked, hesitant as to what his answer would be.

Arslan sighed. "It's nothing. It's just Bolin is…." She trailed off, not finishing the sentence. "Nevermind."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. He might have been socially awkward, but he could tell when a woman was upset. He did grow up with eight of them, after all.

He also knew when to pry, and now wasn't the time. Arslan looked ready to deck someone at the moment, and Jaune would very much like it to not be him.

"Soo, where are we heading?" Jaune asked as they returned to walking. They were heading towards to forest where Jaune was found.

"I'm going to find something to punch." Arslan grumbled as they approached the tree line. "You don't have to come with me."

Jaune made a noncommittal noise. "I don't." he admitted, and yet he followed his new found friend.

Arslan rolled up her sleeves as she marched towards a tree.

"We should probably choose a tree deeper in the forest." The ranger recommended to her. Arslan turned, her brow furrowed.

"Why?"

"The trees are sturdier in the deeper forest. More punches per tree." The ranger explained. Arslan considered the logic with a small amount suspicion, but the logic checked out. "Fine." The lioness said. She could wait a couple moments longer.

"Lead the way Mr. Ranger."

Jaune nodded, striding into the forest.

Arslan stared after him for a moment. Why are his footsteps so quiet? She wondered as he soundlessly walked over the detritus. Arslan followed him into the green grey depths. Jaune stopped at a place he believed suitable, looking around. "Will this suffice?" He asked his guided friend.

Arslan turned, looking around the grove. "This is fine." She growled, excited at the promised outlet of her rage. She got into her stance, going through the motions slowly, like the build up to some old kung fu fight scene. Arslan stopped, her stance dropping a little. She could feel Jaunes piercing blue eyes watching her. She sighed, turning to where the ranger was.

Except he wasn't there. The gap between the trees that the blonde was once standing was empty.

A clicking sound came from above that spot. Arslan looked up to Jaune, who sat on a branch above the ground. Arslan blinked, shaking her head to dispel the illusion. She looked again.

Nope, he was still there.

"Wha-how did you get up there?!" She called out, confused at the sudden teleportation.

"I climbed." he said, his voice caring with an odd resonance. It was as though he wasn't a couple meters away, but right in front of her. Arslan filed it under "more questions to ask Jaune later".

Arslan cleared her throat. "Can you, uh, not watch?" She asked, shifting her weight on her feet. "I don't like people watching me vent."

Jaune nodded. "Understandable." he said, his voice travelling in that odd manner. He turned away, his back facing Arslan.

"Thank you." Arslan called out to the blonde.

Jaune made a cross on his chest, giving a satirical eulogy for the poor tree. Jaune heard the crack of wood, followed by a slew of expletive muttering.

Arslan swung her fist, ripping off a chunk of the tree with her orange-yellow aura covered fists. "Arrogant little know it all-" She cursed under her breath, following up the wide swing with a set of aura infused jabs. "Who does he think he is!" She huffed, her shin ramming into the tree, shaking it's very foundation with the strike. "Questioning my decisions at literally every turn! If he was supposed to be the leader, Lionheart would have made him so!" A head size chunk of wood was blasted into smithereens with an open palm.

She screamed with rage, the sound almost drowned out the constant sound of pulverized wood. The tree looked really quite worse for well, like someone had taken an ax to it. It was probably on the cusp of collapse, and would have toppled if not for some timely intervention.

An armored glove gently grasped her wrist, stopping the closed hand, glowing like hot steel, from completely blasting apart the poor tree.

"GRAAAA!" Arslan yelled, spinning to throw a punch over her shoulder. It made contact with flesh, followed by bones making a sickening crackling pop sound.

Jaune instantly regretted his decision as he felt his face get flattened with what felt like a brick that was approaching at concerningly rapid speeds. He flew into the ground with a painful sounding thud.

Arslan instantly dropped her combat stance, her hands going to cover her shame. "Oh my god!" She cried out, falling to her knees next to the now prone, and probably severely concussed Jaune. "Shit! Jaune, are you ok?"

Jaune only groaned, still trying to blink away the pain. "Nooooooo~" He groaned, his voice unsteady. His jaw felt weird, once he got used to the pain. Jaune reached up to grope at his face haphazardly. He was still woozy from the blow.

Oh. Jaune relized, feeling his jaw. That's not in the right place.

Yeah. B nodded. It's a couple inches to the right of where it's supposed to be, buddy.

Ouch. A said, wincing. Jaune forced himself up so he could reach into his satchel. Reaching around, his head swaying with every blink, he fumbled until his fingers met glass.

"What are you looking for?" Arslan said, concerned as to what the blinking ranger was reaching for.

"Alcohol." He answered, pulling out a rounded bottle that clearly held liquor.

Huh, i didn't know we could pull alcohol from the dream. B noted. A shrugged at that statement.

We can pull swords and other shit, why not health potions? The figment argued.

B closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, praying to whatever being above to give him patience. If I hear you call alcohol "Health Potions' ' one more god damn time, I am going to slap your ass!

A giggled at that. Ohh, Kinky!

NO! B yelled at his counterpart with every bit of force he could. Jaune teetered forward at the sound, before refocusing on the task at hand. Uncorking the bottle, jaune started chugging. The bottle drained at a rate that would have made even a particular transforming drunk crow proud.

There was no warm flowing feeling, or fizzing, or magical healing that came with it. Or if there was, jaunes absolutely fucked jaw and addled brain overpowered the feeling.

But the numbness that came with alcohol did come. And with that, Jaune put his knuckles to his off placed jaw. He closed his eyes in a tight squint, preparing for the pain he was about to put himself through.

His jaw snapped back into place with an equally painful sounded CRACK. Arslan's eyes bulged as jaune let his greyed aura wash over him, repairing the muscle and bone damage.

"On second thought." Jaune said, working and wiggling the recently healed appendage. "I probably should have called your name instead."

Arslan took a deep breath in and out, relieved that Jaune seemed to be ok. "You don't say! What in the world were you thinking?!" She cried out, her hands making contact with the ground as she leaned forward, even if it was to be a little more intimate via proximity.

"That you wouldn't absolutely demolish my facial structure?" Jaune asked, his head tilting to the side. He moved his jaw again, working the soreness out. "You have a good punch by the way."

Arslan gave him a concerned and flabbergasted look. Maybe I rattled his brain harder than I thought I did. She thought.

"Jaune, can you follow my finger?" Arslan raised a finger up, remembering her first aid training. Jaune's eyes followed it.

"Yes I can." he said, a soft smile on his face. "I'm fine, Arslan. Now, we have more pressing matters." Jaune sighed, nodding to the left. Arslan's head turned.

Oh.

"You could have opened with the fact that Grimm were coming this way." She said, a smile slowly crawling back onto her face. This was just what she needed. A good fight against some monsters. She activated her semblance, the wave of sensory energy expanded from her. It washed over the grimm, pinpointing their position and movement. Seven beowolves in total, four are breaking off to the left and right for a pincer. Arslan noted, her fists starting to slowly brighten once more as she filled them with aura.

She turned to look over at her blonde comrade, who was inspecting a katana with a bored kind of interest. His soul is so… dull. Arslan noted, his outline not the bright whiteish that most people possessed, but rather a muted yellow grey. Although i've never seen anyone with a hint of color. Another thing to add to the list of asking about later. They had a fight to win at the moment.

"They're breaking off into three groups. Left, right and center." Arslan called out as Jaune got into a stance. His head turned to the lioness, indication that he was listening.

"The center group has three beowolves, the others have two." Arslan continued, gulping to calm her nerves. She was always a little anxious before a fight. What if things go wrong? What if they are stronger than expected? What can happen, and what can i do about it? Were the thoughts that played in her head just before she got into combat. They were good thoughts to have, grounding thoughts that prepared her for the worst.

"Do you want the center of the flank?" Jaune asked, centering his sword ahead of him. Arslan wondered if that was the blade he usually used, considering the several sheaths at his hips and wrapped in his strange duffle wrap container sack on his back.

Arslan shook her head. If they had one more person, taking the zones would be an acceptable, heck, even great plan. But with two? It left a flank, front, left or right, open for exploitation.

"Let them collapse on us, but don't let them get behind." She ordered, deciding on a plan. Jaune raised an eyebrow, but conceded. It was a plan of action, even if it wasn't the one he would take.

"As you wish." Jaune said, taking a step back as the grimm approached. One got within lunging range, snarling and promising death to the blonde. Jaune surged forward, bringing the katana down in a two handed strike on the grimm's skull. With a heave forward, the blonde pushed forward. The grimm was forced up, exposing the grimm's soft underbelly. Jaune twisted, cutting a deep slash through the torso of the beowulf. It screamed as it started to dissolve, falling to the ground with a thud. But Jaune was already moving to his next victim. He approached the beowulf like water, flowing smoothly to try and strike. But the beowulf was faster, bringing a claw a incredible speed towards Jaune's face

Uh, no. Jaune thought as he re-angled his blade to block the claw. The metal jolted with the impact against two hundred pounds of muscle and fur. I've already been punched in the face once today, and that is most certainly enough.

Jaune glanced out of the side of his vision, seeing that the left flank was being pushed, and Arslan was busy absolutely evicerating a poor wolf grimm. Her blazing fist caught a swipe of it's paw, and with a squeeze the bones in that paw broke. Arslan put the screaming grimm out of it's misery by punching it in the face. It's skull mask collapsed under the iron fist like she just buried her fist in a cake.

Jaune flipped, spinning on a horizontal axis out of the way of another attack. He spun three throwing blades in between his knuckles. At the apex of his spin, the blades flew out at the encroaching left flank. His cowl flared out with the spin, much like those Spanish dresses.

One blade flew into the forest, missing it's mark completely and flying into the depths of the forest, probably never to be seen by Jaunes eyes again. The other two found their partner, being the side of a grimm. The throat and the side of it's ribcage, specifically. The grimm squealed as it stumbled and fell to the ground, already wheezing with labored breaths, bleeding out to death.

Jaune landed on his knees. He spun, dragging the tip of his blade just above the dirt battle floor. It was a dance, he supposed as the katana swung at and upwards angle, cutting off the paw of another grimm. The grimm reeled back, trying to clutch at the missing appendage. Jaune lept to his feet, driving his sword forward into a stab. The blade struck true, piercing the beowulf with extreme prejudice. Jaune stepped back, readying to stab the stunned and standing grimm again. He lunged forward once more, this time striking it in between the ribs. And again, and again, and again jaune stabbed until the grimm fell backwards with a thud.

Jaune turned to look how Arslan was holding up. She blocked a paw with her aura enhanced fore arm, ducked out of the way of a bite that would have taken her head off, and lunged forward, driving her knee into the ribcage of the offending grimm. Jaune heard the bone structure collapse under the impact force.

A beowulf lunged at Arslan from behind. The girl spun, surprised and taken unawares by the attack.

And for a moment, the sky was darker, the grimm was larger and more bearish, and instead of Arslan, there stood a light skinned dog faunus, scared and shaking.

Oh no. Jaune thought, his brain panicking as the world shifted under his feet. Not again.

Never again.

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DONE! Ok, this is a longer chapter than usual, at least page wise.

We see some of the team ARBN dynamic, and more importantly we see Jaune's social awkwardness kick in. I tried really hard to write jaune as being the kind of social awkward i wanted him to be. Quiet, not very good at picking up ques and out of it, so to speak, but not the cringy weird that he was in volumes 1-3. instead he's more like when we first meet Aragon in LOTR. Suspicious, dark, and dirty as hell.

Actually, come to think of it, There are kind of a couple Aragon comparisons already, isn't there? I really hope i did the inability to function in society normally aspect of Jaune justice in this chapter

in other news. we also see more of Arslan in particular, but don't worry, we will see the others in more depth next chapter.

As always leave a comment about what you think will happen next, long term plot devices, character arcs that you think would be fit in the story, or scenes that you think should be written in. I love reading them, and if they are better than what i have currently planned, or i find them particularly inspired, I might write them in. I already have one particular scene inspired by a comment planned out for about mid story.

Thank you so much for reading this and commenting, it means the world to me.

In other news, I'm not good at creating hooking blurbs, and was thinking about rewriting it. What should i rewrite it 

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TO BE CONTINUED