[ Penny and Jaune might have casually run into each other inside the Beacon house in the past, but today Penny will find a strange sight.
It's Jaune, camping out in the front lawn of their shared house. It's daylight, too, and he seems to have been out here for at least two days, with no signs of packing up. In fact, it appears that he's going to have lunch, but when he reaches for two-minute noodles from his plastic hobo bag, he realizes that he doesn't even have a mivrowave at the moment. ]
Aw, nuts! I guess I'll wait for her to leave the house again...
[ it certainly is strange! at first penny had just taken it as jaune wanting to get some fresh air, but two days does seem to be a bit excessive. on top of that, everyone else in the house seems to be acting pretty strangely, too...
so of course, she's ready to investigate! in true penny fashion, she pops up behind him with no warning whatsoever. ]
Well, as you can see-- [ Jaune gestures to his laundry hanging on a line next to his shabby tent. ] --I live here now ever since Queen Weiss banished me from our humble abode.
[ He glares at the house, at the window where he sometimes catches Weiss glaring back at him. Nobody is there for now, so he looks back at Penny again. ]
[ penny might be naïve, but she knows that she would never date jaune. that in itself is just plain wrong. ]
I've been just swell! Though I'm not sure I can say the same about everyone else... I've noticed that Ruby hasn't been acting like herself, either. Is something like this normal?
[ Jaune really has no idea what she'll bring back, but he sets up a picnic blanket near the tent anyway. Whether or not Penny can eat doesn't even cross his mind just yet, but there will be space if she chooses to join him. ]
[ and in good penny fashion, she emerges from the house with a whole pile of things! but it's more of a hodgepodge that doesn't make for a very good human meal - lunch meats, a bowl of sugar cubes, a bottle of ketchup... and a bag of pretzels.
this is regular human food, right? right. totally normal. not suspicious at all. ]
[ Someday, hopefully soon, Penny won't have to keep making up these half-truths to someone who knows she's half-lying. It's very endearing that she's trying, though! GOTTA PROTECT SWEET ROBO CHILD...
Jaune waits for her to sit, grateful for the company, as he starts to eat this monstrosity of a lunch. ]
So, Penny, what made... [let him rephrase that] --what makes you wanna be a Huntress? Did you always wanna be one?
[ phew! dodged a bullet on that one... she relaxes, sitting down on her knees next to him. he poses an interesting question, mostly because the real answer is that it's why she was created. at the end of the day she was a weapon with an aura, but what she's wanted to do more recently has gone beyond something like a "purpose". after all, she's already decided that she wants to stay at beacon - who knows how things could go from there? ]
I know that I want to protect people - I always have. But I've learned so many new things since I arrived in Vale, and it makes me want to keep learning as much as I can... I thought that going to a school and learning how to be a Huntress could help me do both.
[ Jaune frowns slightly, knowing Penny's true fate in the end. She really deserved so much better. ]
Yeah, well... a lot of good that did you.
[ ... ]
T-To all of us, I mean. [ Look, he's kind of salty about the education system lately. FUCK OZPIN!!! ]
But you're here now! Like... like all of us. I guess I just want you to know that you don't need Vale or Beacon to learn new things. You'll grow up soon enough.
[ though jaune's pessimism isn't very heartening, penny tries to keep a positive attitude through it. she knows that things got rough in vale after the tournament, but the important thing is that everyone here is safe! ]
I think you're right. After all, I've learned lots of new things in my time here, and it's hardly been a month... Can you believe that?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action.
It's Jaune, camping out in the front lawn of their shared house. It's daylight, too, and he seems to have been out here for at least two days, with no signs of packing up. In fact, it appears that he's going to have lunch, but when he reaches for two-minute noodles from his plastic hobo bag, he realizes that he doesn't even have a mivrowave at the moment. ]
Aw, nuts! I guess I'll wait for her to leave the house again...
action.
so of course, she's ready to investigate! in true penny fashion, she pops up behind him with no warning whatsoever. ]
Hello, Jaune!
action.
[ By sheer reflex, Jaune jumps away and throws his unopened cup of noodles at Penny... and misses her completely. ]
Penny! Hi. We reeeaaally gotta talk about this sneaking up on people thing.
[holy crap]
action.
It wasn't intentional, I promise you. [ but more importantly... ] What are you doing out here?
action.
[ He glares at the house, at the window where he sometimes catches Weiss glaring back at him. Nobody is there for now, so he looks back at Penny again. ]
...You like it?
action.
[ there aren't many things that deserve banishment to the front yard! she'll have to speak to weiss about this. ]
It's very... humble.
action.
[ No, his living conditions are crappy and he knows it. :( He's hungry... ]
Weiss thinks I did something to her. It's... it's not her fault, really. I'm sure it'll blow over!
[ People are very strange these days. ]
action.
So... you didn't do anything? [ ??? ] That's very weird!
action.
[ As far as Jaune is aware, Weiss isn't the only one with false memories in the city. He wonders if Penny is okay, too... ]
By the way, uh... how do you... feel about things? Ugh, that sounded weird. -- I mean, how have you been? Nothing weird in your life lately?
action.
[ penny might be naïve, but she knows that she would never date jaune. that in itself is just plain wrong. ]
I've been just swell! Though I'm not sure I can say the same about everyone else... I've noticed that Ruby hasn't been acting like herself, either. Is something like this normal?
action.
[ What a cute robot child question. ]
By the way, uh... c-can I ask you for a favour?
action.
[ understatement of the century, penny. but at his request, she straightens up! ]
Sure thing! What can I do?
action.
[ While Penny straightens up, Jaune kneels down to meet her eye level 'cause he's so fuckin tall. ]
I have an important mission for you.
...
[this looks serious]
Could you... grab me a snack from the house? Weiss is gonna freak out if I go in...
action.
but without hesitation, she salutes! even if she can't cook, she can definitely procure some sort of snack fit for consumption. probably. ]
You can count on me, Jaune! You won't go hungry under my watch.
[ and off she goes into the house! what will she bring? ]
action.
[ Jaune really has no idea what she'll bring back, but he sets up a picnic blanket near the tent anyway. Whether or not Penny can eat doesn't even cross his mind just yet, but there will be space if she chooses to join him. ]
action.
this is regular human food, right? right. totally normal. not suspicious at all. ]
I'm sure this will be sufficient!
action.
Well, beggars can't be choosers... heh...
...
Would you like to join me?
[ can she even eat... ]
action.
I'm not very hungry. [ it technically isn't a lie, so she doesn't hiccup. she's getting better at this. ] But I will gladly keep you company!
action.
Jaune waits for her to sit, grateful for the company, as he starts to eat this monstrosity of a lunch. ]
So, Penny, what made... [let him rephrase that] --what makes you wanna be a Huntress? Did you always wanna be one?
action.
I know that I want to protect people - I always have. But I've learned so many new things since I arrived in Vale, and it makes me want to keep learning as much as I can... I thought that going to a school and learning how to be a Huntress could help me do both.
action.
Yeah, well... a lot of good that did you.
[ ... ]
T-To all of us, I mean. [ Look, he's kind of salty about the education system lately. FUCK OZPIN!!! ]
But you're here now! Like... like all of us. I guess I just want you to know that you don't need Vale or Beacon to learn new things. You'll grow up soon enough.
action.
I think you're right. After all, I've learned lots of new things in my time here, and it's hardly been a month... Can you believe that?