[ CLOSED ] White Knight

[beaconed]

Who: beaconed Jaune & multiglyphs Weiss
When: Dec 14th, morning before class
Where: Residential District
What: Jaune is caught walking home in the early hours of a school day, what is he hiding?
Rating/Warning: None!

---

[ Another 2-6 AM shift down, Jaune can be seen disembarking the bus that came from the Pleasure District. He's wearing a suit, although he looks fairly unkept and tired from working all night, complete with a half untucked shirt and a loose tie. When you do what you do several times on a night, let alone a week, you kind of stop caring about how you're presenting yourself. All everyone seems to care about is what's underneath the clothes, don't they? And sure enough, they'll be coming off again soon.

The sun has already come up on his hour-long ride home, which means the residents, including Pyrrha, should be waking up to start their day soon. All he had to do was walk a few more blocks to reach his apartment, sneak inside and catch some sleep until noon. It's as much a routine as it is with what he does at work by now.

With his remaining (yet slowly fading) determination, he starts pressing his feet against the pavement, slowly one at a time. ]

Comments

[multiglyphs]

[ now jaune isn't exactly the smoothest guy around. this is hardly news to anyone. but even someone as squirrely as he can typically be has their limits, and weiss can't help but think he's gone so far over his now that his demeanor is actually stranger than normal.

the fact he doesn't even realize what time it is is definitely a red flag. ]

Five in the morning. [ wh-what. weiss likes to be the early bird, okay. ] I didn't think you even realized this time existed.

[beaconed]

Because I'm an idiot, right?

[ An idiot who picked the wrong career by accident, and now he's forced to lie to his friends about it. Jaune simply sighs, resigning himself to whatever abuse Weiss wants to throw at him today, it's surely better compared to what he imagines he'd get if she knew the truth, right? ]

Just get it over with.

[multiglyphs]

[ those are words weiss has never expected to hear from jaune arc. anyone else, sure. anyone else usually has a shorter thread of patience with her, and regardless her intent at times, sometimes weiss can just say the wrong thing at the wrong time. at least she's self-aware enough of that.

but jaune? mr. silver lining? something was definitely up. ]

Because you're 17. And no normal 17 year old would dare to be awake right now if they had the choice.

[ give her some credit, jaune. sometimes she deserves it. ]

What's going on? I don't think I've ever seen you this mopey. And I'm the one who kept rejecting you.

[ ... damn. so close. ]

[beaconed]

[ Ah. It must be Opening Old Wounds Day. Very well. ]

You're 17. What's your secret?

[ If he can't lie his way through, he can always deflect! ]

[multiglyphs]

I'm not normal.

[ said flatly, but with a resigned sort of edge to it that speaks of many years having to live with and accept this fact. weiss schnee knows she's different. most of the time, she tries to own it. other times...

it must be opening old wounds day after all. ]

Now tell me yours.

[beaconed]

[ He can't argue with that. Then again, when you're in Jaune's shoes, everyone you meet isn't normal, but rather... extraordinary. ]

It's nothing. I just... I've made a mistake...

I know, big surprise, right?

[multiglyphs]

[ normally, this would be around the time weiss crosses her arms in her typical i don't have time for this so just spit it out pose, but they're kind of laden with books now soooooo she opts to place a hand on her hip instead. the message is pretty much conveyed well enough anyway.

also witness how weiss does not take that very obvious bait. she can be mean at times, sure, but she likes to think she's never malicious unnecessarily. there's just no point in kicking a guy when he's down, or beating someone over the head with an issue they seem to have already learned their lesson over.

she knows better than anyone, after all, how we are often our worst critics anyway. ]

So fix it.

[beaconed]

[ "Fix it." She makes it sound so simple. But maybe that's what he needs, just like when Ruby or Pyrrha would offer him advice, it's always something that just reminds him how he over complicates everything by not being honest with himself and the people in his life. ]

I'm trying to, but what if I can't?

[multiglyphs]

Then you're doing it wrong. Everything's fixable, so just try another way.

[ an overly optimistic statement from weiss, sure, but she's lived her whole life in the shadows of her family's business. she'd never been able to afford simply accepting mistakes. ]

[beaconed]

I tried asking for less hours, but they only threatened to dock my pay if I bring it up again.

[ Yes, he's indirectly telling you this is about work. ]

[multiglyphs]

[ she cants her head a little, eyes searching his. ]

Your hours are too long?

[beaconed]

It's...

[ He averts his eyes, clearly the signs of a guilty liar, but more than that... eye contact with the Ice Queen was proving to be difficult for other reasons. He wonders, though, should he tell her after all? She seems to be in a nice mood this morning, and has been more encouraging than what he's used to from her.

Plus, Weiss is smart, it's one of her many qualities that far outweigh her negative ones, at least in Jaune's eyes. ]

Can you... keep a secret? Not just about what I'm gonna tell you, but the fact that you even saw me this morning.

[multiglyphs]

[ now normally, weiss responds one of two ways to the words, "can you keep a secret": one, she either scoffs haughtily and reminds the other person who she is, and the many family secrets she's holding close to her chest; or two, she stamps down an excited squeal because ohmygosh she's being trusted.

this morning, she doesn't react in either way. if anything, she feels only dread. it isn't starting to sound good, whatever it is that jaune is caught up in. weiss doesn't know how comfortable she'd be in keeping something from the other girls, especially knowing how close jaune and ruby are, but... if she doesn't say so, then he'd never tell her, right? ]

...of course.

[ it's probably not a good habit, to lie to your friends. even strange ones like jaune arc. but if it's for their own good, that's okay, right?

...right? ]

[beaconed]

I... [ This

is happening.

Why couldn't she just say no, and tell him to leave her alone? ]

...uhh.....

You remember when we had to choose a job when we first got here? I kinda... chose the one I didn't want.... [ Perfectly understandable, right? ]

[multiglyphs]

[ weiss... wasn't sure what she'd been expecting to hear, but she's certain it was something a lot worse than that. the way he's acting, she'd started to think he might have gotten caught up in something illegal or dangerous. ]

What did you choose?

[beaconed]

D-Dancing?

Of the exotic kind.

[ he mumbles a bit more afterwards, mostly inaudible stuff. ]

[multiglyphs]

[ squints





S Q U I N T S ]

You're an exotic dancer?!

[beaconed]

[ aofafuirbg CRINGE. ]

WEISS, keep it down!!!

[multiglyphs]

[ she blinks

and then suddenly all those books drop down to her feet, since she needed to free up her hands to start digging her the heels of her palms into her eyes.

HER EYES. SHE CAN'T UNSEE IT IN HER MIND. ]

Why! Why is this real?! You're seventeen!!

[ also. JAUNE. you're not supposed to be sexy!! ]

[beaconed]

[ you should see the tips he's been getting. ]

I'm almost eighteen!

[ ... ] WAIT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!!


Weiss, I don't know what to do!! I'm so royally screwed, if the others find out they'll probably never talk to me again!

[multiglyphs]

[ bleaches brain etc etc ]

That's what you're worried about?

[ she finally tears her hands away from her face, just so she can deliver a glare his way. ]

Jaune, you're being exploited!

[beaconed]

Wh-what... n-no, it's all above board... they explained it all in detail, it's all written on some 200 pages I had to sign..!!

[multiglyphs]

[ jaune she s2g she's gonna throw a textbook at your head soon ]

Did you even read it?

[beaconed]

My mind was kinda distracted about what happened to our world at the time...

How could they just expect us to adjust so quickly here?

[ ......Not that he would have read it anyway. COME ON. ]

[multiglyphs]

[ slowly, the chaos in weiss' mind starts to quiet. but with that is the gravity of the situation settling over her shoulders. ]

How long, Jaune? How long have you had to do this?

[beaconed]

Since we got here? I mean, I-I don't even know how long it's been now. [ It's getting harder to distinguish between night and day with this shift and his double-life. Two days can feel like one day sometimes.

Regardless, he bends his knees and starts collecting the dropped books for her. ]

[multiglyphs]

[ five days. he's had to do this for five days, and he hasn't said anything. to anyone. ]

Jaune Arc, sometimes you are so stupid, I can't actually believe it.

[ she isn't yelling, though she feels like she could scream. instead, she balls her hands into fists and walks around him without another word. the heels of her shoes give a decisive little click as she quietly heads towards where he'd come from... the pleasure district. ]

[beaconed]

[ That's a long way to walk, Snow Angel! Of course, Jaune has no idea where she's going specifically, and believes that by walking away, this is just her natural reaction to his disappointing existence. She's done it at least a hundred times to him by now. ]

W-Wait, Weiss..!! [ He stands up again, hoarding textbooks in his arms. ] Do you want me to take these back to your place, or...?

[multiglyphs]

[ she makes a mildly flabbergasted sound, already ten feet away. ]

We don't have time for that — school starts in two hours!

[ she gets to the end of the block, and stands there for a moment glancing left and right. an impatient tap of the toe of her boots. ]

Now hurry up and show me where this filthy place is!

[ you weren't going to let her go there alone, would you? ]

[beaconed]

Pardon?! Weiss, you—

[ He runs ahead of her, attempting to block her from going further towards her intended destination. He’s not okay with her going there period, but more than that, he just came from there and is on the verge of collapsing in about an hour.

On the other hand... he's oddly moved by her concern. This is the girl who used to leave him stuck in a tree! ]

I’m not gonna let you go there; it’s no place for someone like you, okay?

[multiglyphs]

Oh, and it's a place for someone like you?

[ he's taller, and bigger than her, but truthfully the textbooks in his arm are more intimidating to her than he'll ever be. she rolls her eyes at him, hands settling on her hips once more. ]

I'm not going to ask you twice.

[ not that she... technically asked him a first time... ]

[beaconed]

[ He gulps when she makes herself clear… why is he such a pushover?! But she seems determined to go either way, and he would rather she not wind up as a pole dancer… because somehow that’s what Jaune imagines would happen to her if she goes on her own.

Weiss as a pole dancer…

Ack!! He quickly shakes off his thoughts before they get out of hand. ]

Alright… I don’t know why you’d wanna see where I work, but… at least stay near me so they don’t think you’re alone.

[multiglyphs]

[ she's hardly a damsel in distress, jaune (let's not forget whose scores are better than yours in, oh, just about everything), but she seems too impatient to even throw out that little remark. ]

I don't see your feet moving, Jaune Arc.

[beaconed]

[ Ah, but who displayed finer leadership, Weiss?? ]

I don't either... [ You know, because of all the textbooks he's awkwardly carrying. He does, however, begin to drag himself back to the bus stop. He promised himself that he wouldn't mess up this friendship, and by some miracle she's still talking to him after all this... perhaps it would be best to keep his mouth shut for the rest of this trip.

More than that, once they're on the bus, maybe he can even shut his eyes for a little. That would be nice. ]

[multiglyphs]

[ the bus ride is a painfully long one. weiss can feel her anger continue to boil the longer it goes on, realizing just how difficult it must have been for jaune to make this trip day in and day out.

jaune arc, you absolute idiot.

to her credit, though, she keeps her anger to herself. and though she never once glances towards the boy sitting beside her, she is noticeably quiet the entire ride there. as if someone aware of his droopy, sleepy head. ]