Chapter 204: Jaundice

Lunch for the members of RWBY and JNPR was starting off quite noisily. Not for any actual harsh noise coming from the bustling canteen, but because of Nora rattling off a story about her and Ren challenging dozens of ursai in the middle of the night. Ren correcting her at every turn to tell the rest of the crew it was in fact, the middle of the day, and two beowolves. Nothing more, nothing less. By his words its been a recurring dream of the hyperactive girl.

A few odd chuckles escaped the group, barring Weiss who was doing her utmost to ignore the irritance that was the Valkyrie constant gabbing. Looking to Jaune, Pyrrha frowned and sighed. He was playing with his food, leaning on one hand, and gazed at it lost and without any energy. Ruby had noticed it as well, she was equally as worried for the boy for one simple reason. A bully named Cardin Winchester.

Since the term had started Winchester and his team had gained a particular liking for bullying, one of their favourite targets being the very Jaune who was supposed to be leading her. Be it stuffing him into a rocket-propelled locker and sending him careening into the Emerald forest or simply knocking his books out of his hands. It was just a matter of time before Cardin went too far.

She knew she had to do something, but what? She couldn't right go and assault him, at least, not yet. Maybe later. Nor did she want to do anything that might upset Jaune, best she could do at the moment was talk to him and hope he let her help him.

"Jaune? Are you okay?" she said breaking Jaune from his stupor and got him to turn back to her.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine, why?" his words were disjointed and about as unethused as his slumped shoulders.

Ruby took the chance to bump in and talk, breaking the ice with a bit of emphasis, "it's just that you seem a little… not okay…"

The group paused their conversation and all eyes fell on him. He could feel the pressure sending a slight cold wetness down his spine. Tossing up a weak thumbs up he said, "Guys, I'm fine, seriously! Look!" it was as believable as stones were edible.

As he did so the tables 10 occupants—Ferry and Lili having taken up the furthest possible seating from them all in an effort of slowly—emphasis on the slowly—trying to recupe any form of goodwill left between them—and turned their heads up to CRDL, the four members coming to stand around a senior faunus girl with long brown ears jotting from the top of her head. They were mocking her, Cardin laughing while Lark mimicked her ears with his hands atop her head.

'Disgusting' Pyrrha thought with a scowl. Sharing a look with Ruby, Pyrrha then spoke, "Jaune, Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!" she argued.

"Who? Carding Winchester?" as if there were any other Cardin's in the first year, "Nah… he just likes to mess around! You know, practical jokes!"

"He's a bully." Added Ruby.

Jaune scoffed—it was a poor scoff, barely even a huff. "Oh please! Name one time he's bullied me." Crossing his arms like he was infalliable nigh the entire table cleared their throats and began to rattle of time after time of Cardin's fragrant abuse of the team leader. With each one the boy shrunk in on himself and jerked, especially when it came time for the talk of the rocket-locker incident.

"I didn't land that far from the school." He tried to argue and failed.

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask." When Pyrrha spoke, Nora suddenly slammed her hands down and rose to her feet, eyes sparkling dangerously.

"We'll break his legs!" she said with a little too much conviction.

"Guy's really, it's fine. Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone."

Answering his call their attention was grabbed by CRDL's laughter. The laughter soon blended with a pained cry as Cardin gripped one of the bunny girls ears and tugged. The girl pleaded him to stop but he didn't listen, instead tugging even more. Even going so far as to look to his cronies to hear 'what a freak!' come from Thrush.

"Atrocious. I can't stand people like him." Clenching her fist, Pyrrha was half inclined to bolt up and march over to give Cardin a piece of her mind or even take Nora up on the knee shattering plan.

Blake to glared their way, scowling as she hissed, "He's not the only one…"

At the end of the table Ferry shrunk down into a ball while Lili twitched with every laugh and cry of Velvet. Her hands trembled heavily, no, her entire body. She attempted to calm the rapid beating of her heart, to make those memories of those two men mocking her as they ripped of her clothing and defiled her, but she couldn't. No amount of clenching her fist could make those nightmares go away.

Then, out of nowhere a sudden snapping noise like a twig being stepped on resounded through the hall silencing each and every table and drawing their eyes upwards.

Cardin stumbled backwards, screaming as he clutched his limply dangling arm. Stood between him and Velvet their professor, professor Evans had appeared leaving a flurry of feathers in his wake.

"My arm!" Cardin cried out in pain but was ignored as the professors cold, emotionless glare stared him down. The professor turned his head back to Velvet and eyed the one hanging ear that Cardin had been tugging on.

"You know. I've never really understood you racists." Russel, Dove, and Sky rose from their seat and rushed to their leader still clenching his twisted limb. Fiddling with his cufflinks to straighten them out, he continued, "always so antagonistic and frankly stupid. I mean sure, I have some proclivities to disliking other races, mostly humans because well, humans. Though I always took things in stride, only hated those that deserved it, lumping them in with what I consider the 'animals' which I will say are much, much more animalistic and monstrous in comparison to the faunus."

"You broke my arm!" Cardin roared through bloodshot eyes and sweat laden brow.

"Yes. I did. Quite easily because you couldn't be assed to keep you're head on a swivel and head out of your ass. One thing I've learned in my very short experience with aura is that if you don't see it coming, and you're not prepared for it, you're basically fucked. Luckily for you…" Parc dug through his satchel pulling out a red glass bottle and sloshed the liquid within it around, "I won't let that be a permanent wound." Tossing out the bottle to the Winchester, Russel instead caught it and eyed it suspiciously. "Drink that."

Spinning around he looked down to Velvet who was patting at her ear and lightly shook his head producing another bottle, this one less lustrous then the one he tossed Cardin's way and held it out to her. Telling her to similarly drink it in a softer tone though.

Popping it open, Velvet first sniffed it, finding it smelt strangely fungal. Not unpleasantly, actually quite like baked mushrooms and cheese. Which considering it was a liquid meant to be drunk was still a strange sensation. Eyeing Parc, she soon took a light sip and rapidly felt the dull pain on her ear disappear.

"Keep the rest for another time."

"O-okay." She stuttered with a flush and quickly sped off to hide herself recalling their previous encounter and their undertable teasing.

Watching her back fade, Parc lifted his head and glanced all around. His focus being taken by the trembling Lili.

'Shit.' He thought. "Lili!" he called from his spot causing the girls head to bolt upright and her hazed fear ridden eyes to fall onto him. Gradually—over the span of a few seconds he chestnuts gained clarity and her body fell to only tremors every few seconds. Making his way to the table he crouched by her side and saw from her back her tail curling up and around her body in an attempt to protect herself.

"You okay?"

She didn't say anything, he didn't think she could. Her mouth may have opened, she may have squeaked out noises, but she couldn't make noise, she couldn't make a peep. Soon her breathing picked up, then slowed only to pick up again. It was clear to him she was trying to stop it, to stop their mocking laughter welling in her ears. TO stop that unbearable pain of their deeds. But she couldn't. Not after having let it well up for so long.

Gently holding her arm, Parc whispered to her, "come on, let's get you out of here." Lili slowly nodded and stood. A look to Ferry got a similar reaction. Parc smiled softly and turned to RWBY and JNPR, locking with a few sympathetic and worried eyes. Giving them a nod, he turned and began to guide Lili out of the canteen and to a quite place she could calm down.

By far he knew how deeply ingrained Lili's trauma was. No chance it wasn't. She was brave, headstrong, and undoubtedly resentful to the world for what happened to her and that made her very, very, self-reliant. To her own detriment. Ferry was likely a reason it had taken so long for Lili to have a proper breakdown. Something like Ferry being a type of support animal, which was a comical if not unusual sight to think of.

Their stride soon brought them out of the main building and into the yard where the odd few students could be seen sun bathing or munching on things they'd taken from the canteen. Setting the racoon on a bench, Parc seated himself besides her with Ferry taking the other seat. At first, they said nothing for there was nothing for them to say. If Lili wanted to talk, that would be hers to do. Whenever she wanted to. For now, though she just needed to know they were here for her. That if she ever needed a shoulder to cry on, they would both be there.

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Yeah not sure how much I like following RWBY episodes... I'll probably do the next 2 or so chapters following (loosely) the plot of jaundice 2 and the forever fall episodes then just following my own story and connecting it to the plot through mentions of happenings and all that.

Also, holy shit, i'm only now getting to Jaundice. Fuck.