Jaune's Pineapple Jam PART 2 Ch 1

Tukson gasped and tears pricked his eyes as he finally reached Menagerie’s shores. He even knelt reverently on the docks, not caring a single bit as passersby began to look at him strangely.

Reaching Menagerie’s shores shouldn’t feel like a religious experience like this, but he just couldn’t help it. What started as an easy journey from Vale felt like a pilgrimage once one recounted what he had been through.

The trip should have been easy. It was just a quick hop to the docks before getting on a ship headed for Menagerie. While there was no official route between Vale and Menagerie, some ships who traveled near the southern tip of Mistral would take on passengers that wanted to be dropped off on Menagerie for some extra fee.

Who knew however that the ship Tukson would take was actually working with an SDC recruitment company?! Which, by the way, was just a polite way of saying that he was caught by a slaving band!

Faunus like him who were excited to see Menagerie, instead found themselves dropped off on Mistral by their human captain in front of a waiting slaving band. From that particular perspective, it was almost too easy to see just why the so many Faunus hated humans.

Nothing embittered a person more than being betrayed and enslaved, after all.

Regardless, Tukson found himself captive for months, and throughout those months, he was kept in a cart with others as they watched scores of their people join their number. From duped travelers just like him to the vulnerable locals of Mistral, the slaving band captured the Faunus they could and avoided those they could not. Once, he even saw a 12-year-old girl with wolf ears get thrown into one of the other carts after having her father’s head get cut off in front of them.

It was a reminder how dark their world was that despite already having Grimm to contend with, they also had other people to avoid. Yet their salvation came from other people as well, regardless if they came from the most unexpected of sources or not.

Bandits. They were saved by bandits but no just any bandits. These bandits were part of the Branwen Tribe, notorious for being the largest and strongest bandit tribe in Mistral. 

The time Tukson spent with them showed him that the Branwen tribe was a tribe made up of Humans and Faunus and it was a bit jarring to see that a bandit tribe had less discrimination in it than the civilized cities. The Branwen Tribe’s only condition for their members was that they just had to be strong enough. 

It was a surprise to learn that they were willing to let go those who didn’t want to join them but as it turned out, bandits will always be bandits. Tukson was left with nothing but his shoes and the clothes on his back as he suddenly found himself dropped into the forest. They didn’t even leave him a sword or anything to fend off the Grimm but apparently, it was the price of leaving the tribe or something. 

One just had to be strong enough to live through it and reach civilization, and if they weren’t, then they died.

And so it was did Tukson travel the wilds of Mistral alone. Only his grit and his Faunus-blessed claws allowed him to survive as he reached village after village before ending up at the southern part of Mistral. At the end of it all, Tukson found himself hardened, battered, traumatized, but alive.

By then, it was a simple matter of getting on a ship on one of the ports in Mistral but this time he chose a ship with a Faunus captain. Which brought him to here, kneeling and crying in the middle of Menagerie’s port as strangers watched him curiously.

“Hey, you! You can’t cry here! You're disturbing our business!” A trader shooed him away and Tukson immediately scrambled upward with a bashful expression on his face.

“R-Right, sorry. I’ll just be on my way then.” He said embarrassedly, rubbing the back of his head even as the trader tsked behind him.

Despite that shameful display, however, Tukson could not stop smiling as he walked the streets of Menagerie. He was here. He was finally here! All it would take now was to walk towards the Belladonna Mansion.

Bang!

Tukson blinked as the loud sound echoed around when he banged the large door knocker. Dust floated down from the large wooden door and Tukson couldn’t help but peer closely.

That…..was not supposed to happen. Dust shouldn’t be gathering on the Belladonna’s door. Not when Ghira was still the Chief of Menagerie. People should be coming in and out of the house just for the chief to do his duty but as Tukson waited, he found none answered the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He banged again and just when frustration and worry were getting to him, he heard a voice from inside.

“Hey! What’s that racket out there?!” A male voice shouted from inside and Tukson watched as the door opened ever so slightly. The face that greeted him belonged to a heavy-set man with tusks curving upward on his face. 

Tukson blinked in surprise. While the man was wearing reminiscent of the Menagerie Guard, Tukson noted the haphazard and sloppy way the man was wearing it. He was sure Ghira and Kali never would have allowed such slovenliness in their home, so to see this only added to his confusion.

“So? Who are you and what do you want?” The man grumbled even as Tukson frowned confusedly.

“I’m…uhhh Tukson and I came to speak with Chief Ghira.” He answered, watching as the man suddenly looked confusedly at him. Before the man could answer, however, another voice called out from inside.

“Pumbaa! Is that Simba at the door?! I remembered ordering some food from him!”

“No, Timon! Simba’s at his honeymoon with Nala, remember?!” The man called Pumbaa turned to shout back while still looking confusedly at Tukson.

“What? Who was banging at the door then?” Timon, a short man who had a long thin tail peeked out from under Pumbaa’s arm.

“The name’s Tukson and I’m here to see the chief.” Tukson repeated, his eyes hardening as he stared at the two guards.

Based on their attires and attitudes, they were lazy, sloppy, and carefree. Traits that Tukson did not want to see on Ghira’s guards. Yet even as he began to glare at them, they only looked at him strangely.

“What? Have you been living under a rock? The chief is not here.” Timon answered as Pumbaa nodded beside him.

“Yup, not here at all.”

“Not….here?” Tukson blinked in confusion. “Like not in his house?”

“Nope, as in not in Menagerie at all.” Timon waved his hand casually even as Tukson’s eyes widened in shock.

“What do you mean he’s not in Menagerie at all?!”

“Ahhh, sheesh, man! Not so loud!” Timon winced, covering his ears even as Tukson moved to grab him by his collar.

No, no, no! This was not happening! He did not survive getting enslaved, kidnapped, and left in the wilds of Mistral for Ghira not to be here! He had a message to say! He had to tell him where his baby girl was! If not him, then at least his wife.

“How about his wife?! Where is she?! Where is Kali Belladonna?!”

“S-She’s gone too! Ghira took his wife and the rest of the Menagerie Guard with him more than a week ago! It’s just the two of us here taking care of the place,” Pumbaa answered for Timon as he tried to pry Tukson’s hand away from his friend.

“Last week?!” Tukson screeched, feeling faint as he released Timon’s collar.

Caretakers. They were just caretakers. This was actually happening. All his effort, useless as Ghira apparently left Menagerie more than a week ago.

“The chief actually wanted to leave earlier but he had to settle some stuff here first.” Timon replied, fixing his collar even as Tukson turned to him with wide eyes.

“Where did they go?”

“Sheesh, man. It’s like you really haven’t heard anything.” Pumbaa said as he tried to dust off Timon’s uniform.

“Where. Are. They.” Tukson growled, finally having enough of their casual attitude.

“Where everyone else is going.” Timon raised an eyebrow even as Tukson’s veins twitched above his forehead.

“Where?”

Timon and Pumbaa looked at each other for a moment before turning towards him at the same time.

“”Vale.””

—------

“Good morning, everyone! This is Lisa Lavender, coming to you live from the streets of Vale! Why am I on the streets, you ask? It’s simple, I’m here for the same reason everyone is! I’m here for the upcoming 40th VYTAL FESTIVAL!

Now, as excited as we are for the upcoming tournament next week, we need to remember that the Vytal Festival is as much about showcasing each kingdom’s culture during this reminder of unity as it is about games!

Vendors line the streets, offering exotic foods and trinkets from across the kingdoms. Artists and performers visit establishments, wowing potential patrons and costumers alike! And perhaps the most awaited people of them all, students! Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training, returning to Vale after Headmistress Glynda’s months of academic suspension!

Teams from Beacon, Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo have already arrived and more are arriving as we speak! Already, eager spectators from every corner of Remnant have come to flood the streets of Vale just to catch a glimpse of their would-be champions! Yet even as people buzz around the incoming students, one name has been on everyone’s lips.

Jaune Arc.

It has been months since the newly-branded Hero of Vale led the charge to protect our wonderful city during what is now colloquially known as The Breach, yet still, he is nowhere to be seen!

While rumors of his location have swirled around these past months, none could be reliably verified as they ranged from the sewers of Vale to the streets of Argus itself while some even suggested he was living in a cottage on the island of Patch!

Equally unseen however is the three other people who are also as sought-after as he is! Pyrrha Nikos, Weiss Schnee, and Blake Belladonna, the most influential women of the next generation, are all currently nowhere to be seen as well!

Even interviews with those close to them yielded no results.

While the Arcs were surprisingly not at their residence, and the Belladonnas cannot currently be reached, both Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee’s families could be approached.

When spoken to however, Ms. Nikos’ mother only had this to say with a laugh:

‘If my daughter is happy, then I am happy. Though she could do better at warning her poor mother first.’

When asked where Weiss Schnee could be, the SDC only had one answer:

‘No comment.’

The lack of worry, while reassuring regarding their safety, only raised more questions, however.

Where are they now? Who is Jaune Arc to be able to snag all these wonderful women? And is he currently living a debaucherous lifestyle with the three-”

Bzzt!

“Hey, I was watching that!” Qrow Branwen shouted before taking a sip of his beer as he lounged on the couch while watching the T.V. short-circuit itself to death.

“I will not be greeted by asinine rumormongering like that again!” Weiss Schnee fumed furiously with a blush as she kept aiming Myrtenaster at the T.V. from the doorway.

"Yes, Weiss, because we all know nobody is actually living a debaucherous life anywhere near us." Blake Belladonna sighed as she stretched her aching body languidly.

“You do know you have to replace that, right?” Yang Xiao Long greeted calmly, walking past her teammates as she went to get a pitcher of water.

“I’ll buy you guys a new one.” Weiss replied embarrassedly, making ice with Myrtenaster to cool the pitcher.

“You know you can’t keep shooting Lightning Dust at the T.V. every time they talk about you, you know.” Qrow quipped, taking note of the rough shape they were in, the dust on their clothes, and the tired slump of their shoulders. “Training did you rough, huh?”

“You could say that. Dad left after she….well, you know how they are.” Yang grunted irritatedly, trailing off as she furrowed her brows and softly rubbed her neck.

"Yup. That sounds like them." He replied absently as he watched Yang.

Qrow couldn’t even see the scar from this angle, but from what he knew, Yang would be feeling it all her life. You don’t forget injuries that could have killed you, after all. He could still remember how Yang looked when she got carried by Raven into the tribe all those months ago, deathly pale with blood on her neck.

He shook the image off his head. The important thing was that she was home with her family. Speaking of family….

“Where’s Ruby?” He asked, taking note of Ruby’s absence as the rest of Yang’s teammates froze and peered at him closely.

He rolled his eyes at that. When were they going to stop misunderstanding every single thing he did as parental concern towards Ruby? Tai was the one who was here. Tai was the one who raised Ruby. Qrow was just the cool uncle who occasionally came by to teach her some cool tricks. And he was satisfied with that, no matter how much his eyes liked to trick him into thinking she had the same smirk as his.

Nope, no daddy Qrow here. Just cool Uncle Qrow that’s worried about his cute little niece.

“You know where she is.” Yang sighed, closing her eyes as she savored the cold water that just ran down her gullet. “She’s been there every time we’re not training.”

“Do you think we should go get her? We should pack up soon if we want to get to Vale early.” Blake asked worriedly even as Weiss raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t be impatient There’s no need to rush. We know they’ll be here later this week, we’ll still beat them to Beacon no matter what.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You actually got fu-”

“Blake!” Weiss screeched but Qrow only shook his head as he leaned back on the couch with a smile on his face. He tuned out Team RWBY starting to bicker as he thought about where Ruby was.

Yeah, he knew where she was.

—-------

Ruby Rose lowered the bouquet she was holding and predictably, the wind blew them away as a strong breeze blew around her. She let her cloak flow freely against the wind, reading the words in front of her as a smile grew on her face.

Thus Kindly, I Scatter.

“Hey, mom.”


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