[OPEN] Infinite in distance and unbound by death

[beaconed]

Who: Jaune Arc & You
When: IC: 7/18 - 19
Where: Various
What: Jaune can't even die properly and now he's out and about - strangely better than ever.
Rating/Warning: None!

---

ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ.

[ The last thing Jaune remembers is coughing up blood, his insides slowly rotting away while his weird immune system (read: Aura) tried fighting against it. Whatever Clarke gave him to drink also seemed to change him slightly, but that effect seems to have worn off by now.

Now, three days after apparently dying in one of the most painful ways, Jaune can be seen walking around the hospital. A strange sense of deja vu hits him as he recalls being bound to a hospital after his previous interlude experience, too. That time, he didn't die, though, and recovery was a little slower, which... makes this all the more strange. How does recovering from death make him feel better than ever?

In fact, should anyone decide to visit him, expecting to find him bedridden or hooked up on some IV, then they're in for a surprise. Jaune is walking around in his hospital garbs, greeting some of the staff members he recognizes and helping patients who are worse off than him.

You may find him doing various things as he waits to be discharged, from doing wheelies in a wheelchair that wasn't meant for him, cursing at the vending machine because it doesn't serve patients for free, or telling jokes to a group of patients who are probably high on painkillers. ]

...I looked at his burger, and then I said-- I said, man, you're gonna need a bigger mouth!

[ The audience laughs. ] I love these guys...


[ Alternatively, if your character is also hospital-bound, they could be sharing a room! ]

ᴠɪᴠɪᴅ.

[ Hospital shenanigans outside, Jaune isn't left unaffected as he appears on the surface. He's always been okay with the concept of dying-- or rather, he always knew what he signed up for. If there ever comes a day in which he needs to give up his life for the people he wants to protect, then that's just what a Huntsman is supposed to do. Which is why it bothers him so much that he got killed the way he did. It felt pointless. Why did his Aura, which is supposed to be a manifestation of his own soul, not fight back hard enough?

Could it be that he just didn't train hard enough? He's aware that he skipped more Aura lessons with Pyrrha than he should have, focusing on improving his swordplay instead. Now that she's gone, he needs to practice every department more than ever. Skill, Aura, leadership, teamwork... and what better place to do all that than in a game of ViViD?

So if your character is up for some gaming, they'll find themselves randomly paired with Jaune, who seems more focused and determined than usual. ]

Hey.

[ (If you choose this prompt, I'll try and write a unique scenario for every thread!) ]

ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍʏ.

[ Look, training isn't just about getting stronger physically! Education is important, too, which is why Jaune is quick to return to school so soon after his recovery. LEARNING IS IMPORTANT.

Haha, just kidding. It's only half a day later and he's involved in a food fight inside the cafeteria. Even though he normally doesn't do well in these, it's nice to be reminded of home a little.

Jaune flips one of the tables and jumps behind it like a barricade. There's a slushy dripping across the side of his face as he counts his "ammo" (just random food particles). Your character can either be hiding with him or firing from the other side. ]

Alright! I got seven nuggets!! [ He... eats one of them mid-sentence. ] --Six nuggets. And a carton of chocolate milk. Augh, where's the mashed potato?! I need it, I need it now!

sᴀɴᴄᴛᴜᴀʀʏ.

[ Normally Jaune doesn't spend too much time in the sanctuary, the place can get a little too tinfoil-hatty for a guy who naively takes everything at face value. More than that, he sometimes starts feeling strangely ill if he hangs out in it longer than necessary. It's probably just him, though.

He also figures there's going to be another mass gathering here in the coming days, assuming there were other people who got kidnapped as well. If not, then he needs to at least tell some of his friends about what happened. What if he randomly dies again without sharing everything he knows?!

This all sounds well and urgent, but if you happen to see Jaune in the sanctuary, he'll just be... mopping the floor and cleaning the walls. What? It's therapeutic! ]

More pizza leftovers... I wonder if we can order McCeres for the next group meeting... n-not that I, y'know, dislike pizza or anything. ... Also, why am I talking to myself.

ᴄʜᴜʀᴄʜ.

[ Jaune isn't religious by any means, and the building itself isn't dedicated to any particular god. What he does like about this place is the sense of community, as well as the idea of keeping faith and hope strong.

Jaune wonders if he started a trend here or if it's just normal thing that happens, but ever since he put up a small photo of a missing Pyrrha on the walls, others have been doing the same. Eventually it became a memorial wall for those who have fallen or gone missing from Cerealia, with Jaune even updating Pyrrha's status from Missing to... well, resting in peace. Around her picture are the names of his other friends carved: Sousei, Tenka, Peko, Zack, and many more. Rapunzel is the latest addition, and there was also Weiss' name, but it's been crossed out. Twice. ]

It looks like this place still isn't done with me yet, huh. Man, this is gonna get confusing...

[ Quietly, he wonders if anyone would even add him to this little shrine if he doesn't come back someday. It's not like he talks about this special place with anyone. ]

Comments

vivid

[notsogreedy]

[Ankh hasn't been back to ViViD since the beach, but at this point, he figures he may as well see what it's like if he chooses to use it normally. Eiji has work right now, Ankh doesn't, and he doesn't have anything better to do. It might even earn him a few credits, not that he expects to be paying for any popsicles any time soon.

He's a little surprised by someone else showing up along with him. When the stranger greets him, he gives him a look that's something between curious and skeptical.]

Is that how this works? I get a random partner?

(ooc: Ability permissions here, please take a look!)

i'll fill out the permissions as soon as i can!

[beaconed]

[ Yes, it's random! And so is the level that's currently being generated around them. While they wait for it to finish loading, Jaune greets his partner. ]

U-Uh. Some...times.....? You're here, aren't you?

[notsogreedy]

[He nods vaguely, and looks around, watching a new location materialise around them.]

I guess it isn't always that way, then. Wasn't sure what to expect since I haven't been in here by choice before.

[beaconed]

[ The level that materializes around them turns out to be a gladiator arena. ]

Heh, yeah, it can get weird sometimes. I mean, at least we got all our clothes this time!

...

[ Jaune inspects himself real quick just to make sure-- ] Yup!

I'm Jaune, by the way. Looks like this one's gonna be a little straightforward. [ Which is good. ]

[notsogreedy]

Ankh.

[He takes a look at the scenery.]

Just a regular fight then, is it?

[He's not sure he trusts it to actually be that straightforward.]

[beaconed]

Sure, what else could it be?

[ Suddenly a car spawns behind Jaune and proceeds to do a lap around the arena with them in the center of the fighting grounds. It also appears to have no driver, which is strange! ]

...
Um.

[ Okay, so it's not that straightforward, it seems. ]

Couldn't resist this reference

[notsogreedy]

[The car seems to be accompanied by some pretty epic background music. But for the moment seems to just be driving circles around them. Ankh watches it pass with a highly incredulous look.]

What are we supposed to do with that?

[beaconed]

[ Jaune catches himself bopping his head to the music. It's pretty epic! More importantly... ]

--s-sorry, I got distracted, I-- oh. Yeah! I... I think I had a dream about this. I mean!! I think it's gonna try and kill us, heh. C-Can you fight, by any chance?

[notsogreedy]

[Wow, what an idiot.]

Yeah. You?

[Please tell him you're not as useless as you look right now.]

[beaconed]

Nah, I just like to carry this heavy shield and armor to look cool in front of the ladies.

[ ... ]

T-That was a joke. Of course I can fight!! I hope I look cool, though.

[notsogreedy]

... You really are an idiot.

[Excuse him while he is very unimpressed. Meanwhile the car seems content to keep its course around the edge of the ring. It's that really the enemy?]

[beaconed]

[ That... hits home a little too hard. Unlike most lovable idiots, Jaune is aware of how he's perceived and hates himself for it. ]

...You don't have to be here, you know. I can do this alone.

[notsogreedy]

Tch.

[Struck a nerve, did he? He can't say he honestly cares, but it's noted. He raises his right hand, armored with its talons, and glances to that car.]

Put that sword to use, then.