3rd Aura | Action + Spoilers under the cuts

[aurabble]

[Action at the Estate, OTA]

[Jaune wasn't actively avoiding everyone for the past few days, but he wasn't talking as much either. He rarely went up to his room, except to take care of his puppy, Snow. He wasn't sure if he had been doing a good job of that lately, so he was trying to fix it today.

As big as the estate was, Snow didn't leave Jaune's room much. He figured he could use a walk outside. Refusing to stray too far, he stood outside, carefully watching as the puppy jumped around and sniffed everything to explore his surroundings. When Snow ran up to him for attention, he petted him behind the ears, but didn’t do anything else.]

Did you get enough to eat today?

[Snow just wags his tail a bit more. Thanks for the answer, Snow.]

[/Action]



[Closed to Pyrrha]

[He can’t avoid Pyrrha, and it’s not even that he wants to. He wants to see Pyrrha, to make sure she’s still breathing, that she’s not about to disappear or run away. But when he even begins considering it, he remembers the pressure, the second time she’s used his armor against him, the locker, the kiss, he remembers everything and he’s scared if he sees her she’ll push him away and go off running again. That he'll be helpless to do anything. Talking to her is going to take a lot of effort. Keeping it together when he does? Probably too optimistic a goal.

Still, he needs to see her. He had talked to others, and it was time to actually talk to her.]

Pyrrha?

[He peeks in her doorway. Not to make sure she’s alive or anything like that.]

Comments

[ruby_roses]

[Ruby had been trying to get her used to the jolt back to normalcy but seemed to be having just as much luck with that as Jaune was. As such, she decided to join Jaune outside with the puppy.]

Hey Jaune. ...How're you holding up?

[aurabble]

[A look of relief washes over his face when he sees Ruby is safe. She's unharmed...at least physically. It matches with the last thing he remembers, but he isn't sure if something else happened later.]

The same. What about you?

[Snow wags his tail and becomes a wiggly fluff at Ruby's feet, sniffing her curiously.]

[ruby_roses]

[Ruby bends down, petting the fluff ball gently as she chooses her words.]

The same. Just... trying to get used to... things here.

[She pauses, continuing to pet the pup.]

...Have you talked to Pyrrha recently?

[youfool]

What a coincidence, Ted liked walking his freaks animals too. Specifically, Cacturne, the one for whom all hugs are forbidden:

Strangely the cactus liked the rain and snow; never did get much hydration in the desert, where he supposedly hailed from. Speaking of hail, Ted hailed his fellow blonde outside. "Hello...Jaune, I think? How's my memory with names?" Truthfully this one piqued his curiosity concerning the nature of this world. But he'd make for the introductions for at least one minute before delving into existential curiosity.

[aurabble]

[Snow barks at Ruby. Yay attentiion!]

It must be hard. Seeing everyone here after that.

[Yang in particular. Looking at the ground is easier than making eye contact with Ruby.]

No...no I haven't.

[He wants to ask, has Ruby? Was Pyrrha doing okay, or as well as she could be? Had anyone even told her yet? He wants to ask her everything, but he's afraid to.]

[aurabble]

[Snow barks and starts to run toward them, but Jaune urges him back and tries to keep him distracted by petting him. Lifting up his head, he gives the Cacturne a vacant stare, and then glances at Ted. Okay, he doesn't recognize him from his world. So he's probably not a threat, but he's still on edge. It takes him longer for him to realize Ted asked him a question.]

...Have we met?

[ruby_roses]

[Puppy pets are something she's good at, and it helps her keep it together.]

Yeah it's... different. I mean, I'm glad everyone is safe and all but...

[She trails off, confident that Jaune gets where she's going with that.]

I talked to her for a little bit when I got back.

[She's silent for a while, hands slowing before standing and looking up at the sky.]

...She's going to find out. This isn't a secret we can just... dance around. If we don't tell her, it's going to be weird, and we'll end up just pushing her away, even if we don't mean to. ...And I think Professor Ozpin is going to tell her, mainly so we don't.

[She sighs a bit before looking Jaune in the eyes.] You shouldn't put this off. Even if she doesn't know yet. Go be there for her.

[aurabble]

[It's still a lot to adjust to. He nods in understanding. There's only a brief look of surprise before his expression goes blank again. So Ruby had talked to her. Pyrrha had probably needed that.]

I don't want her to be alone, Ruby.

[Not after everything.]

But I just... I don't know. [He gives up, frustrated with trying to find a reason to argue, one that makes sense other than the fact that he's hurt and afraid. How could he even begin to articulate his thoughts? How had Ruby managed to face her, when she had been the one who...

He didn't want her to be alone. He has so many conflicting emotions, but that's one thing he's still certain about. Even if it does hurt to face. He shakes his head, finally meeting Ruby's eyes. Honestly, he feels bad. Ruby had seen and dealt with some things that were bound to haunt her, and here she is, supporting him.]

I will. I'll do it today. Just...I need some time, first.

[monkeystowaway]

[Sun was out on the estate as well. He was standing next to a giant flaming horse, feeding it an apple. He has his tail wrapped around a banana too, but that's for him. Sun was an outdoorsy person himself, but given the recent ongoings and things he was dealing with him, even he could use some fresh air.

Rapidash looks in Jaune's direction when he nears, and Sun does too.]

Hey, Jaune.

[aurabble]

[Congrats to Sun because that actually elicits some emotion out of Jaune. So many fire...pokemon? at RWBY estate. Okay, so he only knows about two now, but it's enough to get him to blink and stare. Snow just seems excited, running around Sun and Rapidash to play.]

Hi Sun.

[monkeystowaway]

[Sun smiles down at Snow and then breaks off a small piece of his banana. He knew dogs could have them in small amounts and he offers it to Snow.]

Out for a walk? Or did this little fellow just need to get out.

[youfool]

"Pretty good then, judging by your expression!" He'd take it he got the guy pegged. "No, not formally. Let's fix that." He held out his hand. "Theodore Satchel. Vagabond. I knew who you were because you've been here once before. Don't worry, you haven't done anything infamous. At least, nothing public."

[aurabble]

[Jaune finds himself smiling faintly, and as for Snow? Sun is his new favorite. His whole body wags, including his tail, as he jumps up to eat the treat. Glancing at Rapidash, Jaune decides to hold out his hand in greeting. He's sure if the fire hurts, his Aura will handle it.]

He's definitely been restless. I figured he could get used to his surroundings, seeing as he hasn't had the chance yet. Oh. Snow, this is Sun. Sun, Snow.

Is this another Pokemon?

[fallsuccession]

[Pyrrha wasn't really sure what to feel right now. She was a little depressed, but finding out that you died is.... not exactly a happy thought. What really hurt was seeing all of her friends had gone through hell and the affect that Penny's and her own death had on all of them. And then there were the other injuries and issues to worry about, not to mention Torchwick and Mercury coming back. Who knew what other bad guys had made it here that she hadn't heard about yet?

But the thing that really sucked was knowing that she had died, but not the details. No one else seemed to know besides maybe Jaune and honestly...? She wasn't too sure about that either... Maybe it would be better to go to the Dream Docks...? She already knew that she had died, so how much worse could it really be? At least then she'd know what happened from her own point of view.

She was a bit lost in her thoughts when Jaune came by. Not that that was a surprise. Their rooms really weren't that far apart. It took her a minute to register that he'd called out to her though. Finally noticing, she glanced up to see Jaune peeking at her.]

Oh uhm... Hello Jaune..

[monkeystowaway]

Nice to meet you, Snow. [He wondered if Snow and Frost would get along. Rapidash looks a little uneasy as Jaune approaches.]

Yeah, he's one of the one I got to keep. Jaune, that's Rapidash. Rapidash, that's Jaune. He's my friend. [Rapidash relaxes when it hears those words and it leans closer to Jaune's hand. Jaune might have felt the heat before, but now he won't feel anything from the fire at all. It trusts Sun, and Sun trusts Jaune. So Rapidash trust Jaune. As long as it does, its fire won't hurt him.]

I have quite a few, honestly.

[aurabble]

[He's trying to remember what the word vagabond means. He quickly gives up.]

Yeah...some people have told me I was here. I don't remember any of it.

[He realizes Ted still has his hand out so he gives it a weak shake. Snow barks, running up to the Cacturne.]

[aurabble]

[Snow barks once.] Hi, Rapidash. [He waits until Rapidash relaxes. Tentatively, he begins petting Rapidash gently.]

A fire horse. That's pretty cool. Did all the Pokemon leave, other than the ones you got to keep? [Weiss told him a little about the pokemon, but he isn't sure how they got here. He hasn't been around long enough to see many events.]

Do you usually take them out here? [He hasn't really noticed them around the house.]

[aurabble]

[Absolutely nothing can prepare him for this. He's so afraid that Pyrrha will just...not be there anymore. He inhales a shaky breath, his vision swimming in front of him. Hearing her voice brings him to the last time they talked, the last thing she ever said to him.

I'm sorry.

It was and wasn't the last thing for her to say. Thinking about it was dizzying. Suddenly the room feels too small. He aggressively swipes at his tears as he forces himself to approach her.]

Pyrrha, I--

[Haven't seen her since everything went to hell.]

[fallsuccession]

[Pyrrha honestly didn't know what his intent was originally for coming to speak to her, but it wasn't exactly hard to guess what it was about. He had been acting strange around her too and the only explanation had to be that it was about her death.

How exactly do you say, "Sorry that I died?" Especially when you didn't really know the details yourself? She's heard from the others, but it's become clear to her that no one else really knows what happened besides Jaune and Ozpin at this point. She's heard Ozpin's side, so there had to be more to it on Jaune's end.

Seeing the way he was having trouble just speaking to her made her heart ache a little. Just what happened? She didn't remember the kiss or pushing him into the locker. And of course she was having a hard time learning about her own fate as well as the others. So until she really knew what happened with them, she wanted to do what she could to comfort him.]

It seems like.... you've been avoiding me lately. Gee, I wonder why that could be. [Said while trying to make the difficult situation less difficult and less awkward to talk about.] ...... but you're not the only one so.... I think we need to talk.

[ruby_roses]

[For Ruby, it hadn't been her choice. Pyrrha had approached her, and it was all she could do to keep from bursting into tears.]

I don't blame you. If she hadn't responded to my post when I got back, I probably would've tried to avoid her and Yang.

[Yang... She had to tell Yang. She couldn't keep holding her sister at arm's length...]

[...Don't mind Ruby, Jaune, she's just cringing at her own mental pun.]

Tell ya what. You talk to Pyrrha, and I'll talk to Yang. Deal?

[Yeah, you've already said you'd talk to her, but she needs something to force her into telling Yang.]

[aurabble]

So...you know then? [She must have at least had some vague idea of what had happened. Because what was more vague than btw, you died? He felt terrible that everyone was avoiding her. He could understand why. But that didn't make it any easier. He starts to reach out to take her hands, hesitating the last second. He lets his hands drop to his sides.]

Yeah...we should probably talk. Is here okay?

[aurabble]

You haven't talked to Yang yet?

[It's okay Ruby. Yang will probably need the extra hand in coming up with puns.

...

He still doesn't look 100% sure, but he nods. Ruby probably needs the motivation as much as he does. Otherwise, he'll just keep finding excuses to avoid it.]

It's a deal, Ruby. Let me know how it goes.

[ruby_roses]

Well... depends on how you define 'talk.' We've spoken, and she definitely knows what's up but she doesn't know...

[It's almost instinctive, but her left arm moves to hold her right arm. Just seeing Yang so broken, physically and emotionally both just made her almost sick, and there was nothing she could do to help her sister...]

...When you, Ren, and Nora came to pick me up... Yang still hadn't gotten out of bed. With Blake just... gone without a word, Yang lost more than her arm.

[youfool]

[Cacturne, being the lazy grass type he was, took the break in their walk to catch some z's. Don't get the pointy bits, Snow!]

"Huh! That's odd. It's like you're a completely different person, eh?" [Ted was feeling, here. If Jaune were curious, there's a chance he'd have looked up some of the archives when he was here before. Then he'd offer some insight as to how 'returners' differed from their originals. Hopefully; Jaune looked pretty out of it.]

"Not to pry, but are you feeling all right? You seem under the weather."

Are you okay with spoilers?

[aurabble]

Am I? I guess maybe I am. [A bitter smile crosses Jaune's features. None of his friends had come out of that exactly the same. Ted's observation isn't unfair.]

I don't know what it is you were expecting. Look, I'm sorry if you're disappointed, I'm sure you probably mean well. But I don't want to talk about it. And however I was like before? I don't care.

I'm not who I was before...so, Theodore, you'll just have to accept that.

[He isn't trying to burn any bridges. But he's beyond upset, which leaves him with little to no brain to mouth filter.]