(no subject)

[no_love_potions]

[Just outside of every entrance to the Bay, new arrivals might find a magazine stand stacked with fliers, each one with a sign overhead saying "READ ME." On the flier itself is a message.]


DON'T PANIC
If you're reading this you've probably just woken up in a strange place and are very confused.
Welcome to the club.

What I can tell you is that you're safe, this isn't a trick, and, no, we don't know any way back yet. The packet you woke up with should give you more information and include some cash and an apartment key.

If you need help, give me a call on that communicator you got. Or you can come by my office in Everglade.



- Harry Dresden, Wizard.
Lost items found
Paranormal investigations
Consulting
Advice
Reasonable rates
No love potions, endless purses
Or other entertainment.

Comments

[short_n_sweet]

[Jaune was listening, but not listening that intently... at least until Harry mentions the red cape.] Yeah! That's Ruby! So... you met her, huh? Man, you get around quick!

[no_love_potions]

[Listen up, son, this is important now!]

Yeah. [He grunts.] I'm starting to think I should change my ad to include "unofficial welcome wagon."

[short_n_sweet]

Heheh! Uh... [Oh, maybe he shouldn't be laughing.] Well! Um... If you showed her around, then you know a place I can get set up? Because I'd be all for four walls and a roof.

[no_love_potions]

[It's okay. He's a funny guy, and mostly kidding about the welcome wagon thing.]

I can help you with that. What kind of place are you thinking about?

[short_n_sweet]

Well, I...

[Bah, there was something he just couldn't get off his mind.] Well... I was wondering what Ruby was going to do. If I could I'd wanna get a place closer to her because... Well because she's the only person I really know around here! But I guess anywhere is better than nothing. I'm on my own so I don't need much.

[no_love_potions]

[Jeez, man.]

I helped her get set up, I can point you towards the same building.

[At least he's not talking about sharing an apartment.]

Need a lift?

[short_n_sweet]

[Of course he's not going to share an apartment with Ruby! He's a man! An independent, seventeen-year-old not-really-an-adult-technically man. He could handle himself! Though he worried for her because she was a little clumsy sometimes, and only fifteen.]

Sure! I'm on... wait a sec'.

[He walks a short ways until he finds a corner.] 14th and... Laurel Avenue. Right by the Bay.

[no_love_potions]

[Aw, man, that's almost cute considering Ruby was worried about him looking after himself. Harry barely remembers being that young himself.]

Be there in a few minutes.

[And sometime later, Harry's beaten up old truck comes rolling down the street toward Jaune.

Dresden Chauffeurs, at your service, Mr. Arc.]

[short_n_sweet]

Cool! Alright!

[So he waited. Where was the magic? He expected the wizard to just teleport to him, to poof out of thin air... then maybe pull a rabbit out of a hat? How the heck did wizards really work anyway?

Instead, there was a beat-up truck, and inside it... a really, really big guy who looked like he belonged in one of those hard-broiled detective flicks. When Harry stopped in front of him, Jaune stepped up to the truck and looked inside curiously.]

... So you're Harry? Uh, nice to meet you. I'm Jaune. [Was he supposed to feel this terrified?] Let me just...

[He opened the passenger side door and tried to climb in, where the sheath of his sword promptly struck the side of the seat.] Oh, uh... [He tried again, twisting his body to try to accommodate the sheath, but to no avail. So, he just took it off his belt instead, because that was smarter.

... But when he sat down in the seat, the sheath sudden SPRUNG into its shield state in the boy's face.] GWAH! Oh, come on!

[no_love_potions]

[Jaune, you have a lot to learn about magic. Harry doesn't even want to think about the amount of time and energy a teleportation spell would cost. Nope, Jaune's getting the truck.]

Wizard Welcome Wagon. [He confirms. Wow, this kid looks kind of skittish. Harry just sits by while Jaune struggles with his sword for a few seconds.]

Maybe you should-- yeah, that.

[AND THEN HE GETS A FACE FULL OF SHIELD. Right in the jaw!]

HELL'S BELLS!

Actio- Oh my god. D:

[short_n_sweet]

AHH! Oh, jeez, oh man, sorry! Way sorry! [It takes Jaune all of 1.36 seconds to retract the shield and rest the sheath in his lap with one hand - his other hand is raised ready to block an incoming fist or fireball pitifully.] Pleeeeease don't turn me into a newt or something! It was an accident!

[Inner screaming intensifies.]

[no_love_potions]

[Holy crap, what was that thing loaded with? Harry was pretty sure his jaw had suffered worse, but right now he couldn't remember when.]

[While Jaune's apologizing, he's rubbing his jaw and flexing it a few times.]

I'm not going to... [just... you know what? Barely even worth it.] just toss that thing in the back while I'm driving.

[short_n_sweet]

[Great, great. Amazing first impression Jaune.]

[Jaune did as was asked, turning to put his sword and shield in the back. He then sat back down, bucked up, and was pretty quiet... Understandable, right? He just clocked some poor guy in the face by accident.]

Uh... heheh... so! You... sure can take a hit pretty well...!

[Heh... Heh... H'oh boy.]

... How long have you been here?

[no_love_potions]

[It was a great first impression. Unfortunately, when most people are talking about making a strong first impression, they don't mean make it in the side of the other person's face.]

[The comment about his ability to take a hit just gets a slow, sideways LOOK in response. Never speak of it again, Jaune.]

Awhile.

[short_n_sweet]

A while? Huh... that sucks. [Guess that means he better settle in for "a while" too. His mind quickly scrambled to try and rationalize why being stuck in Genessia isn't such a bad thing... but unfortunately, he couldn't. Seriously, people could have been looking for him back at Beacon right this second!]

... Do you stop worrying after a while?

[no_love_potions]

Nope.

[Okay, Harry, cut the kid some slack. It isn't like he never did anything stupid at that age, and not everyone had the luxury of knowing that people back home weren't worried about them.]

But you're asking the wrong guy about that, kid. I'm always worrying about something.

[short_n_sweet]

[Jaune looked defeated, but then... he looked defeated a lot of the time.] Oh, well... Well I'm sure everyone's fine. [One affirmative nod, and he'd focus more on where he was going.]

[It was a pretty quiet ride all the way to the building. Once there though, he waited until Harry made a move to step out of the truck before he followed suit.] Hey, not bad! Ruby lives here too? Sweet.

[no_love_potions]

[Damn. So much for being reassuring, great work there, Harry. Well, maybe having a friend around would lift the kid's spirits a bit.]

[When he gets to the building, he retrieves his staff from the back and climbs out of the truck.]

Yeah, this is one of the nicer places in town. Ruby's up on the fourth floor.

[short_n_sweet]

[Jaune grabs his sword and shield from the back of the truck as well before heading towards the building.] The fourth floor? Cool.

[No, he doesn't ask if there are places available - he doesn't even really wait up for Harry as he steps inside and crosses what lobby there was to reach the elevator that Harry had done so well in avoiding before. Once there, he just pushed the button for the fourth floor.]

Well then it's not all bad I guess. I suppose while I'm here I'll just... be an unofficial member of team RWBY for a bit. Yeah! That doesn't sound completely crummy.

Whoops. Lost this notif.

[no_love_potions]

[For the second time that day, Harry finds himself heading past the same set of elevators.]

Stairs, kid. Wizards and elevators are a bad mix.

[And as he heads for the door to the stairwell.]

Wait, there's a Team Ruby?

[Isn't she a little young for a "team."]

Re: Whoops. Lost this notif.

[short_n_sweet]

[Jaune looks understandably confused.] Wizards can't use elevators? [Now they were just trading questions, but he followed Harry anyway.]

Yeah, there's a Team RWBY. At our school, Beacon, we're training to be Hunters. We get assigned to a four-person team. See, Team RWBY sounds like I'm saying 'Ruby,' but it actually stands for R W B Y - or Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. That's her team.

Now me, I got team JNPR - sounds like 'Juniper,' but is actually J N P R, - stands for Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren. I lead that team myself! But yeah, Ruby? She got bumped ahead a couple years. Students at Beacon are like, seventeen years old to start, but she's only fifteen. It's kinda weird that even happened...

[no_love_potions]

[Harry just grunts anyway, not much in the mood to relive the elevator story a second time for the day and starts up the stairs. One plus side about elevators being death traps: cardio.

Not that he really got tired from physical exertion these days.]

[He listens through Jaune's explanation of how the team names worked, raising his eyebrows at the mention of Jaune leading a team himself. This kid leading a team of fighters? Well... it was true that some people showed you what they were made of when the chips were down. Not that Harry was willing to test that theory until his jaw stopped hurting.]

She mentioned taking the head off of something called a Nevermore. I'm guessing that might have something to do with it.

[short_n_sweet]

Nevermore... Nevermore... Oh! The big bird! Yeah, and while she did that, me and my team creamed a huge scorpion! [He pounded his fist into his hand as he recalled the tale, but then got a look of contemplation.] Er, well, more like Ren, Nora and Pyrrha did. I'm not as good of a fighter as they are.

I did take down an Ursa though - like, a huge Ursa. That's like a big bear, by the way. Honestly? I didn't even expect to near the end... But it was about to take out Cardin - a guy at school - so... Well I had to do something!

[no_love_potions]

[That would probably be what a Death Stalker was then. And that story about the Ursa all but confirms what Harry had guessed at just a minute ago. It wasn't just anybody who would throw themselves into a fight like that.]

Yeah, well, don't sweat it too much, most of the people I work with on a regular basis are better fighters than me. The important thing is that you and that other guy came out okay. As long as you can pull that off, it's a good day.

[short_n_sweet]

[He nodded.]

Of course! I might've gotten a few nasty bruises, but... well everyone was okay. After that, Pyrrha was going to help me practice, but uh... Well now I'm here. Only thing she really managed to teach me was how not to just fall over when someone hits me.

[He rubs the back of his neck a little.] Soooooo... Which one of these places is going to be mine?