So this was an idea that randomly struck me in a dream :v

Dunno if I'm gonna leave it like this or continue it.

"Speech"

Thoughts

Phantom of the Knight

A rare kindness. Something his parents shouldn't have shown him. And yet, Jaune felt grateful. Grateful that they allowed him to see an event such as this. An event that would surely distract him from his usual life.

Bathed in the spotlight, Weiss Schnee sang her heart out, about the burdens of one cursed with loneliness. Though Jaune had never known her, never heard about her, he felt like he could relate. No, he did relate. She couldn't be older than his own fourteen, yet she seemed as alone as he.

Jaune couldn't contain the sigh that escaped his lips as the heiress continued to sing. He felt his sorrows and melancholy melt away into nothingness as he stared at her.

"No."

Jaune flinched as he heard his father's quiet, yet strong word. Did he catch him staring at her longingly? The glare he received was enough to make shivers run down his spine. His father had that look to him that could probably very easily kill a Grimm.

Maybe that's his intention.

Why did they bring him all the way to Vale anyway? Just to make him suffer? Didn't they already do that enough at home?

Jaune let his gaze wander. The Schnee concert hall was grandiose, of that there was no doubt. The lights were dimmed, yet he could still marvel at the amazing decorations the building held. Taller than any building he had seen at home, the hall's impressive size took his breath away. The walls, even in the slim darkness, could still be made out, dotted with the Schnee logo as well as other forms of ice-related symbols. Why were they so obsessed with ice and snow anyway? Jaune preferred the sun and summer. They were warm. He hated the cold. Especially the cold that his father's look gave him.

Despite his misery, Jaune continued to enjoy the performance. Rouge, his baby sister, on the other hand, not so much. Jaune hushed at her, but she continued to squirm and whine, which was getting increasingly louder by the looks of it. Some people had even turned around to stare at them.

Wait, did Weiss Schnee just falter? Oh crap! She can hear us all the way up here?!

Harder than he intended to, he slapped his hand on Rouge's mouth, noticing the warning look of his family far too late.

A scream erupted from the child's mouth through his hand, loud enough that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare it to a Nevermore's. Startled, Jaune fell from his seat.

Right into the crowd below.

OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP GONNA DIEEEEEEEEEE

He was scared for his life, that much was sure. With a less than manly scream, he crashed into a few people, knocking them around and causing an even bigger commotion. Pain erupted in his body, especially the head which had taken the brunt of the fall. Stars danced in his eyes as he tried to re-orientate, reaching out to find any sort of hold.

If the high-pitched scream coming from the woman was any indicator, he had the wrong kind of hold.

The stars erupted into a small universe as his face received the hardest slap he had ever felt in his life. Then, a fist, no doubt from her husband, joined. Jaune's vision was getting blacker by the second. At this point, he could've assumed his eyes were permanently out of commission.

"Sorry, sorry sorry!" he slurred, trying not to bite his tongue in the absolute chaos that he totally didn't create.

Okay, maybe it was half my fault. It's also Rouge's fault though!

In a sort of strange pirouette, Jaune fought his way through the people who were less than keen on him touching them or bumping into them. He just wanted to survive, was that so hard to understand?! Besides, he couldn't really see at the moment, so they couldn't really fault him for all the bruises he would cause, right?

Oh, they totally will. I can already see the court cases on the horizon.

It was only after a strong hand took hold of his shoulder that he allowed himself a moment of relief. It felt like he had been swimming in a river with a current so strong it threatened to get him to a waterfall. The hand was his safety net, maybe a hanging branch or something.

"Thank you," Jaune said happily to the man with a smile as his vision cleared. Lips tightly sealed, a freezing gaze set on his face, Jacques Schnee seemed less than pleased.

"I can't believe you agreed to this! It was obvious he was going to be causing trouble!"

"I thought we'd make him happy for a change. Have you ever thought about what he's feeling, Enciel? Have you?!"

Jaune began to tune out his parents' fight. It was the same almost everytime he caused any sort of disturbance, even if it wasn't even under the influence of it. He should be used to this by now, but he wasn't and probably never will be. With a sigh, he turned away from the arguing couple in front of the cell and decided to stare at the drab grey walls instead.

To think the concert hall has a prison underneath...what sort of place is this? Or rather, was it?

A prison indeed. Sometimes that's what his life felt like. Trapped in unforeseen, uncontrollable circumstances. Cursed with a life that he always wished would be better. But he knew it wouldn't do well to dwell on dreams. To have them was fine, but...

"Jaune..."

Turning around to see Saphron try to press her hand between the bars, Jaune couldn't help but sigh.

"You don't have to force yourself, Saph."

Saphron had always been the most mature one. She had always been the one who tried to connect with Jaune despite his being different. And not in a "he's a bit strange" kinda way. Despite his circumstance, Saphron had always tried to be for him, let him know she cares.

Pretend like she cares, anyway. He didn't believe one bit of it. He could see the fear in her eyes even at that moment.

"No!" she exclaimed forcefully and managed to press her hand through the cell door.

And now she's stuck. Somehow I feel like this is also my fault.

"We love you, I promise. Your situation is just...complicated."

Saphron forced a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her blue eyes. With another shuddering exhalation, Jaune avoided her eyes, staring at the floor below instead.

Looks like somebody managed to escape this cell if this badly covered hole is any indication.

"Jaune..." Saphron almost whined. He kept ignoring her in favor of staring at a crack where the wall and floor connected.

Somebody was angry and kicked the wall. Must've hurt.

"Jauney..."

Okay, I give up.

Sighing, Jaune grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. With a relieved smile, Saph pulled her hand back.

Or rather, tried to. It was stuck. As expected.

"Uh, Saph?" Jaune asked. The girl just waved it off while laughing. She shrieked when Jaune stood up, causing him to flinch.

"I can help!" he yelled, desperate to do even one little thing right. Not a single time in his life had he ever done good. Everything he did was bad. Now was his chance! He reached out to the bars, and-

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

With a roar matching that of a ferocious tiger, the head of the Arc family stared Jaune down. Jaune flinched, retracting his hand as if he had been burnt. Felt like it too.

"I just-" Jaune tried to explain, but felt the words die in his throat. What did he want to try?

"I...I won't do it again. I'm sorry."

With a stern nod, Enciel Arc turned to one of the confused guards stationed outside the cell, negotiating for his release. Jaune felt guilt welling up inside of him. After all that, they still tried to help him? Him, the villain, the monster?

I probably won't ever understand.

After some harsh words were said (all of them towards him) and some money was lost, the family silently made their way back to the bullhead to get home. Night had fallen.

Jaune's mind was in turmoil. He had to keep his emotions in check, but it seemed an almost impossible task. He flinched when he felt a pain in his bandaged left shoulder, the source of all his troubles.

"You okay?" asked his second oldest sister Indigo, concerned. Jaune waved her off, feeling the slightest sense of joy that somebody actually cared about him. At least on the surface. But hey, you gotta take what you get.

Still, the sensations grew stronger. Jaune was beginning to breathe more heavily, eyes darting around to see if anyone noticed. Apart from Indigo, nobody seemed to pay attention to him, engrossed in some conversation about what things they're gonna buy once they all got home. It was a peaceful sight.

Jaune probably would have tried to join the conversation, but right now he was too busy fighting off the sensations he was feeling. Those...those cravings were getting stronger by the second. Somebody nearby...somebody...kil-

No! Snap out of it!

Jaune felt his knees weakening and crumbled to the floor.

His mother was by his side immediately.

"Jean!" His father snapped.

She just shot his father a look. Jaune's eyes fluttered shut, sensations upon sensations intruding in his mind. He felt bile rise up.

"B-bathroom," he whispered, and ran, ignoring the startled yelps from his mother.

He didn't come very far though, as he bumped into a drunkard who had just emerged from what appeared to be a bar.

"S-sorry!" Jaune hastily apologized, eyes darting around to find a public bathroom. The man's eyes narrowed as he stumbled and swayed, no doubt a victim of one drink too many.

"Watch it...kid, professional huntsmen don't take kindly to sudden attacks," the blonde huntsman said, terrifyingly reminding Jaune of his father, though the latter would never touch a bottle of alcohol in front of his family. "Might mistake ye fer a Grimm."

Jaune's blood ran cold. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that, right?" He chuckled nervously, sweat bathing his brow with moisture. He'd heard tales of huntsmen and huntresses, but he couldn't remember for the life of him if they could sense a Grimm's presence.

Please just go away, please just go away, please just go a-

"Run along kid," the man slurred, pushing him aside. "Got better things to do."

That was close. Jaune breathed a sigh in relief as soon as the man was out of sight. That was stressful. So stressful in fact, that they somehow made his earlier nausea disappear. Touching his shoulder idly, Jaune wondered what was going o-

It came back stronger than before. Unable to hold it in, Jaune threw up on the pavement, attracting the disgusted look of several people passing by.

Need to get...away from here...

Mind an endless haze of mist, Jaune staggered away, determined to escape the horrified looks of the humans.

Jaune blinked as he supported himself on a brick wall near a blacksmith, trying to clear his mind.

A dark alley in the middle of the night? Wonderful idea, Arc.

At least there was nothing around except an old piece of armor in a dumpster can that desperately required cleaning.

Wait, cleaning a trashcan? Seriously? Man, I must really be out of it. Or did I mean the suit of armor?

The dark emotions refused to part with him still. Jaune tried his best to keep them inside. If they were to ever erupt...that would be a very, very bad thing. He felt like that piece of armor. Discarded, too dangerous perhaps. Maybe that sword sticking out was too dangerous too.

Think of happy things, think of happy things, think of happy-

Jaune cursed when none came to mind. There had to be some, right? He was certain of it! So why wouldn't they come?

A female yelp nearby almost made him jump.

"What the-?" He called out, hiding behind the dumpster. His eyes widened at the scene before him.

Weiss Schnee? Isn't she supposed to be at the concert? What's she doing here?

That wasn't the main source of his concern, however. It was the drunk adult men reeking of alcohol grabbing her hand. So much even, that Jaune could smell it from his hiding spot several feet away.

"Give it up, beauty," one of the men grinned. "I've never had the honor of meeting a Schnee before. Heard they're pretty. Weren't lying, them rumors."

To her credit, Weiss didn't seem all too concerned.

"Hmph. Let go of me or else you'll be facing the wrath of the Schnee family, especially my sister, dirty animal." She grinned. Jaune's mind went blank. She might be acting strong now, but there were three adults, all seemingly towering over her in terms of size and even mass. Wait, was that a bruise on her cheek?

This could be my chance to be the hero.

Jaune blinked. But could it really? What if he lost control and hurt her instead of them? No, he wasn't strong enough. She was probably strong enough to take care of herself anyway.

With a sigh, he turned away.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Jaune lost control.

POV Change

Weiss Schnee was not stupid, no, she was smarter than anyone she knew. She was also way more skilled in the ways of the sword, her fencing prowess unparalleled. However, what wasn't so strong about her, was her patience, especially in the presence of mere commoners.

She had just wanted to get a breath of fresh air after that absolute dolt ruined her performance. Sure, it was humorous to witness her father's ire directed at someone else, but it also meant she had to perform again at a later juncture. She was already nervous enough before the first, now she had to do it again?

She gritted her teeth as she mentally stabbed that blonde kid with her training rapier.

The rapier I... forgot in my room in the concert hall...

She wasn't stupid! She just...people made mistakes!

It's human nature after all. Of course, I make fewer mistakes than others. That's a given. Besides, what dangers could lurk in a city such as Vale anyway?

Knowing full well that was and will be the only mistake in her life, she explored the city of Vale. It was a nice and quaint place, but couldn't be compared to her home back in Atlas, of course. Still, she supposed it had a sort of charm to it.

After avoiding someone who looked far too much like the troublemaker earlier -and who was throwing up on the road too- Weiss felt herself drawn to a blacksmith. Sure, they had master engineers back in Atlas, but she wanted to know how the simple folk made weapons. It was closed, but she still peered inside. She could make out a few simple weapons, ranging from swords to bows to a mace even. Weiss' lips formed a thin line.

How brutish.

"Oi, what'chu doin' here, girlie?"

Weiss immediately felt a shiver run down her spine as soon as the rough hand touched her shoulder. Ducking immediately, she prevented the person from getting ahold of her.

"What do you want?" She asked, eyes narrowing. The man was very, very unkempt and obviously drunk. She wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't seen a glass of normal water in ages. Not only that, he reeked like someone she really didn't want to think about at the moment.

"Woah there, girlie. I just want to talk. Not every day we see a beauty showing her face around here."

Weiss growled. She knew his kind, but only from observing. Those are the kinds of predators that Winter had warned her about. The ones that only care about their own satisfaction. Her eyes fell on the gun on the man's belt.

That's not good.

The situation got even worse when the man whistled and two others came, looking just as depressingly disgusting as he.

"I...I have somewhere to be," Weiss said, trying to remain calm, and pushed her way through the trio of drunkards. But she didn't get very far when a strong hand reached out and dragged her into the alleyway next to the blacksmith.

"Let go of me!" She screamed and tried to bite the hand of the man, to no avail. Either his aura was too strong or the man was just too drunk to notice. She tried harder. Still nothing.

But Weiss Schnee wasn't somebody who gave up easily! With a deep breath, she focused her mind, remembering the training she had undergone ever since she'd been a child.

Remain calm, Weiss. Don't let your emotions take co-

She didn't expect a fist to hit her so suddenly, breaking her concentration. This wasn't the first time she had been hit, but it hurt all the same. For the first time in her life, she felt afraid. As she looked in the terrifyingly furious look of the man and the sneers of the ones behind him, she sensed her will withering away like a Grimm after being slain.

"So you're a Schnee, aren't you? Don't try any funny business now," the man grinned after slamming her into the dead end of the alley, baring his teeth. Two of them were more pronounced and more canine than human.

A faunus. Of course.

That didn't help her fear in the slightest. Sure, he may not look like a White Fang member, but they knew how to conceal themselves. She'd heard enough stories about their terrible crusades to know that they would never be merciful. She'd seen enough friends and family members disappear.

Am I next? No, it can't be...I still have so much to live for!

With a deep breath, she focused her emotions and froze them, imagining the icylakes she had so often visited.

Calm, serene, in control. Try again.

Again, she could barely create the tiniest glyph before she got hit again. This time, she knew when to avoid it, but it still graced her, causing her to yelp.

"Give it up, beauty. I've never had the honor of meeting a Schnee before. Heard they're pretty. Weren't lying, them rumors."

That disgustingly lecherous smile of the faunus made her shiver. But a Schnee never backed down. Not even in the face of danger, a Grimm, let alone a mere animal. She needed a good threat. Thankfully, a certain person appeared in her mind. "Hmph. Let go of me or else you'll be facing the wrath of the Schnee family, especially my sister, dirty animal," Weiss taunted, feeling a smile blossom. Surely the Schnee name would be enough to incite fear in those brutes.

She was wrong.

With eyes wide, she struggled as the faunus' hand grabbed her by the chin, pulling her closer to him. So close she could even see the pores in his skin. She felt nauseous from the stench he was emitting.

"Heard she's pretty too. We're gonna go after her next, Snow Angel. But first," he licked his lips. "You're my prey."

He leaned in.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Weiss screamed.

He didn't get very far. With wide eyes she witnessed the animal go down almost immediately after a blow struck his head.

What was that?

She backed into the wall even further when she saw the other two go down. Their aura prevented any major injuries, so they stood up again, sluggishly, but went down again.

The knight kept striking them with its sword, over and over and over, until she could see their aura visibly vanish with a glow of light. He had been slow in his attack, but they were too drunk to defend themselves properly.

And then, they were simply...gone. Weiss fell to her knees, almost hyperventilating, trying to get away from the blood pooling before her. She'd heard stories of huntsmen slain in battle, but she never imagined a battle would be this horrid to witness. No, this wasn't a battle.

This was a massacre.

A squeaky, rusty noise made her jump.

"Wait, no..."

The shattered moonlight reflected off the knight's rusty silver armor, showing his completely empty eyeslits. He raised his sword, no doubt to cut her down as well.

With a yell, Weiss instinctively dodged, the sword narrowly missing her left eye.

Come on, focus. Glyphs, glyphs, GLYPHS!

She couldn't focus at all. Even as the knight prepared another strike, she couldn't move.

"This is it..." Weiss whispered, a lone tear streaking her face. She smiled. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough, Winter..."

The finishing blow never came. In shock, Weiss saw the knight struggle to hold his sword, finally dropping it with a clang.

MOVE!

It took Weiss every ounce of her willpower to run away. Even so, she dared to look back one last time to see the piece of armor collapse, revealing the Geist she had suspected took control of it. It turned towards her slowly, revealing the Grimm boneplate on its face. It floated in mid-air, slowly flying towards her, skeletal arms reaching for her as its single eye glowed menacingly.

Run!

After she had finally managed to escape it, she searched for the Vale Police Department in a hurry, not caring about anything else. Still, even during her account, she omitted one key detail that made her shudder as if a frozen wind had been blown through her entire body. She didn't want to remember. It must have been a trick of the light, right? It should be yellow, right?

The blue eye of the Geist still lingered in her mind.