Chapter 2: Pull the Fish From the Water

Ilia covered her eyes as dirt and wind were kicked in the air; the bullhead leaving the party at the onset of a rocky road. A road that snaked through the hills, weaved past mountains, to what would eventually lead them to the Eastern Mistralean Colonies.

"They couldn't have dropped us off, you know, in the village?" Amber drawled, "I'll be an old hag long before we get there."

Jaune nudged her. "You'll live, a walk will help you work off all that pizza you ate last night."

"Dear husband, are you calling me fat?" Amber countered with a smirk, "I'll have you know all that dough keeps my ass bouncy. Which you won't be getting any of if you keep this up."

"It's just sex on the brain with you, isn't it?"

"What else is there to think about?"

I dunno, maybe the mission? Ilia rolled her eyes. It quickly became clear that bantering and playing around was the regular thing with Jaune's group. And sure enough, it was no-holds-barred by the first step. Unending, even if it was a little entertaining. She might have pitied Oscar, as he seemed the least interactive initially. But that wasn't the case at all. While not as back and forth, Oscar did quip in from time to time. And when he did, his words landed.

They were a cohesive trio, through and through. From just watching them, it felt like each of them carried weight in the team. There were stories behind these three, and Ilia could only wonder how three very different people came together like this. It kind of made her inclusion feel static, an extra for the show.

Which was fine. The less attention they gave her the better.

It was a few minutes in that got Amber caught up in some subject with Oscar. Ilia shifted as Jaune backtracked to walk beside her, that same smile she couldn't help but think was forced. "Are you up for a game?"

A game? Was he serious? "What kind?"

"Its one Amber taught me. When I first started, I didn't know what to say to her - its kinda weird working with new people, right? So, she suggested we play a question game. Take turns asking, and we both answer them. Easy."

Ilia's eye twitched. Was he implying felt left out? Ridiculous. That couldn't be further from the truth in fact, she was relieved that she was left to her own thoughts. Off the top of her head, there was nothing substantial she had to talk to them about. However weak his attempt was to get her to interact, Ilia resigned in knowing it was best to be cooperative. "Alright, I'll play."

Jaune brightened as if she'd somehow just made his day. "Awesome, then I guess I'll start first. Favorite color?"

And it was a chain from there. Simple, informal questions, most of which Ilia kept short. But Jaune seemed riveted, blue eyes sparkling as though a child listening to grandpa's stories. She liked green, while he liked yellow. Ilia had a fondness for books thanks to certain someone, and could fully admit to not knowing much about what was on TV. Even less so about video games Jaune gushed about. The hell was Super Crash Brothers?

"You've never played it?" Jaune gaped at her, a blatant heretic for being so misinformed.

"Not really a gamer…"

"You don't need to be! Oh its so much fun, the three of us play it all the time. I've have to show you sometime."

"Maybe," Ilia doubted it would turn out how he hoped it would, but the man could dream, "Your turn."

He liked plain clothes, which made sense if his attire was anything to go buy. And one Ilia found herself relating to. Where she was partial to sweets, Jaune loved them. "Why do you think they call it a building if its already built?" he asked.

Ilia's eyes widened, and she fought off the tickle in her throat. "Who asks that kind of question?"

Jaune faltered, cheeks tinting red as he rubbed his neck. "I mean, I dunno. I just think about weird stuff like that sometimes. I blame Amber."

"They call me Corruptor," Amber affirmed with suitably wicked laughter, "Muahaha! I am here to teach your children curse words and encourage underage drinking! Sure little Timmy, its totally fine to take this shot of bourbon! You're only six? That's more than old enough!"

"She also likes to role play."

Ilia and she pursed her lips to stop a blurt, they were all strangely infectious. From there the questions were less ask and answer, something was brought up - be it stupid or profound - and then it escalated. Ilia barely noticed how quickly she'd forgotten to be curt, losing herself in the nonsense of the group.

At least until she asked a damning question, all but too late to stop herself.

"My family is pretty big. Seven sisters - god help me. Though even that pales to my extended family. I have a few aunts and uncles on both sides, and there are some cousins I've heard of but I haven't met before."

And suddenly Ilia felt a lot smaller than she did before, simply nodding in response. Juggling the number in her head, she could only guess what a childhood like that was like. Hectic. Unbalanced. But not lonely. She hoped Jaune wouldn't notice she didn't answer - or could at least tell she didn't want to. Such was not her luck.

"So...?" he implored curiously.

"So what?" She said with a bit more heat than she intended.

Jaune looked surprised for a second, turning his eyes from her as he coughed, "Nothing. Nevermind. Um... then how about this question?"

By then she tuned him out, responding when appropriate. Refusing to ask a question quickly killed whatever confidence Jaune had in the conversation, as he eventually went quiet and kept to himself. Any attempt to revive it ended much the same.

Their destination came to light as the rocky land turned to soil and grass. A stone arch welcomed them and ahead the village bustled with activity.

Eastborne.

For the cornerstone of the eastern colonies, it was rather plain. It was an assortment of disorganized homes of wood and brick, taking the temple-like origins of its old architecture and fusing it with modern innovation. Carts and cattle carried merch and crops through the dirt roads. Yukatas, tunics and dresses long outdated was the norm there, and the blend of colors left the crowds looking like a forest in the middle of fall. For a moment, Ilia found herself in awe.

She kept close to the others as they weaved through the marketplace - focusing on the back of Jaune's head just to keep from drawing attention. From a distance, likely no one would see her spots, and in such a crowd she doubted anyone would chance a second look. She'd debated simply changing her skin color, yet going down that rabbit hole again came with its own issues. Explaining the reason to Jaune, and having to hear whatever their perspective on the matter was. It wasn't worth the effort just to avoid some glares or comments.

On top of that, she'd promised herself to never again change the way she looked just to avoid a conflict. She wouldn't be like Blake and hide behind a bow.

The group broke the crowd soon enough, reaching a house past the town square. A worn sign at the top stated the single word, 'Mayor', which was everything that they needed to know. "Here we are," Jaune said, "Our guides should be here already, hopefully."

Inside, the air was warmer. The house was quaint, as Ilia had gotten a full scope of it after a once over - he main hall they they stood in and the smaller office in the back. An older man looked up from his paperwork and quickly rushed over to greet them. "It's been years since we've had an Archivist party through here, I'm Lowen - the Mayor of Eastborne. Nice to meet you all."

"Same to you, sorry we're a little late," Jaune said.

"Think nothing of it, you are actually here before your escorts," The man let out an exasperated breath, "Those boys, only ever reliable when I don't ask anything of them. But they should be here soon so if its all the same to you, shall we get down to business?"

With their seats taken, most of the conversation comprised of the Mayor, Oscar and Jaune. Amber caught Ilia looking at her, simply grinning with a shrug as she laid he chin in her palm. Letting the boys have their geek fest, Ilia assumed. Primarily it was talk over the changes in general geography of the region since the Dynasty period. A slog of information Ilia didn't bother trying to understand yet, if it became important she was sure Jaune would explain it later.

"Bluekeep is abandoned?" Jaune asked.

"Long time now," Lowen nodded, "It was a chain of issues ever since the Hao family was robbed. Neighboring countries found out and exploited debts the country owed. The Monohk eventually invaded and well, they used the keep, at least for a while. Eventually even they just left it behind."

"Weird," Oscar hummed, "It explains why Utahiko's theft spurred the end of the dynasty. But that the Monohk didn't stick around? I would think a huge castle like that would have some value."

"Well, all the treasures the kingdom had was looted. Can't really take a castle on the road with you. And the land isn't the best when it comes to terrain, its very bumpy and hard to navigate. Which is why they moved on, simply taking the territory in the middle of Mistral. What eventually split into bandit tribe territories."

"So there isn't anything left there?"

"Afraid not. Though i doubt your seeking an old legend like Utahiko in the place everyone has searched already."

True enough. If the castle had already been turned inside out looking for the treasure, then there was no way it was there. Utahiko breaks into the secret vault just to leave what he wants there? It made no sense.

"Okay, well I think that's all we need." Jaune finished penning some things down, before addressing everyone else, "I saw a lodging when we got here - beats having to rough it for tonight."

"Thank god!" Amber nodded happily, "Actual beds this time!"

"That um, may be an issue."

Jaune's eyebrows rose. "Huh? What does that mean?"

"Well…" Lowen fumbled over his words for a moment, eyes darting as if trying to figure out the best way to continue, "Please understand. I don't condone the behavior of the townsfolk, I can preach and suggest, but I have no authority without their support. So, as their representative, I must adhere to their... beliefs."

For a second his eyes met Ilia's, only to quickly turn away. Her fist balled instantly. "You've got to be kidding..." Jaune said.

"I'm sorry, but that's how it is here. Faunus treatment in the colonies is, to put it simply, unfair."

"There has to be something you can do, right? Maybe advocate for us?"

"I'm afraid not. The people here are raised in Mistral's old, traditional ways. King Hao's laws against faunus shaped their culture to its very core. Segregated villages, less opportunities, even slavery, for a time. While outright discriminatory practices have died out, and its not illegal for faunus to live in the colonies, very few would bat an eye if you were turned down from a restaurant or an inn."

Figured. Ilia just sighed, "I can just camp. It's not a big deal."

"No, we won't accept that. We'll all camp, that was the original plan anyway." Jaune said firmly, ignoring Amber's whine.

"I'm very sorry," Mayor Lowen's head dipped, "I wish there was more I could do."

Ilia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What a coward, instead of trying to change the town's ways, he just sat by and let them do what they wanted. That was probably the only reason he was still in charge, by playing to their hate instead of working against it.

Everyone turned to the door when it slammed open. Two young men, one with brisk shoulders and wide stride, a total contrast to his calmer, quieter other. At the fore, with a big grin on his face he practically yelled out the words. "Yo, whats up old man?"

"Randal, Midori. You're both late."

"So? We still made it didn't we? Y'all couldn't have been waiting long. What five? Ten minutes?"

"Thirty."

"What do you know, that's exactly how long it takes to get back here from the river. So cut us some slack... oh yeah, and our old boat sank."

"Get a new one from Harry," The Mayor sighed, "This is Team Horizon, the group you'll be escorting to the Bluekeep."

Midori was the kinder of the two, greeting everyone pretty normally. Randal much the same... only he conveniently managed to skip over Ilia. Better yet: his excuse was 'he didn't see her there'.

Right. Very subtle.

"Anyway, now that we're all best friends and stuff, let's get a move on. Storms roll in pretty randomly about this time." Randal took the lead, and all the power to him as his brother, Amber and Oscar followed close behind. And for a moment, Ilia lingered, rubbing her bridge of her nose in the hopes of warding off a headache.

She'd known coming here was a bad idea. The very moment Jaune told her Eastborne was the destination, she knew it was best to call it quits. She almost wanted to laugh. Maybe she was some of kind of masochist, actively seeking out this treatment for some stupid reason. A brief touch on her arm and she looked up at Jaune. The wane in his eyes as he looked at her, looked down on her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"But you -

"I said I'm fine!"

He flinched then, and immediately Ilia wished she could hide her face. She knew better. Reacting didn't help, letting humans see that they were affecting her only let them win. Jaune didn't say more, with a nod he let the conversation die there. He didn't believe her, Ilia wouldn't believe herself either. And somehow that angered her more than anything else. What was he even concerned for? Its not like this was something he could understand. It was past his understanding.

Before he could say more, Ilia forced herself to move, hoping the trip in the ruins would be a lot more accommodating than this damn village.

~event horizon~

Nice one, genius... Jaune held in what might have been his millionth sigh since they got on the river.

Water ran smoothly through the chasm, tall natural walls encased the river, ensuring its path was narrow and straight. He'd come to learn that Sam was avid about his village's history, as he had not stopped talking about since departure. Eventually Jaune stopped listening, thankful to be in the opposite boat with Ilia and Midori.

Oscar innocently listened, enthralled about anything history related. And Jaune smiled back as Amber desperately reached for him to save her from Randal's marathon mouth. Nah, he'd let her suffer a little longer. More importantly, Jaune's problem was the girl in front of him. Who sat quietly, running her hand through the water without so much as a peep. What was he supposed to say?

He hadn't considered that Eastborne would be so stuck in their own ways even after all this time. It was a quiet, damn near unnoticeable part of Anima cut off from society. And now he saw why, it was practically its own world, guided by outdated traditions that wouldn't be tolerated in the modern world. Would it?

Ilia seemed to handle it well enough, but to see it so actively with a member of his party just felt so disarming. He could only imagine feeling like a detriment to their mission simply because of his race. He just didn't know how to fathom that.

Try again. One side of Jaune pecked at the idea. Whether it was his better judgement, or the side hungry for punishment, Jaune decided to do so. "Il-

"Hey, leader guy! You listening?"

Miffed, Jaune turned to Randal. "Yeah, I am."

"Good, cuz I was just getting to the stuff about Utahiko. It's an old wives' tale for sure, but past the idea of magic, the treasure that was stolen was real. Heck, with that kind of gold, he could probably buy out an entire country." Randal chuckled, nudging Oscar, "Probably just wanted some bird seed though, right?"

"Uh..." Oscar awkwardly responded.

"In any case, finding the thief had been impossible. So he was presumed dead. And even though the capital got their hands on a cohort of his, he ultimately didn't give anything away."

"A cohort?" Jaune's eyebrow's rose, "What's his name?"

"Tomas, I believe... yeah, he was supposed to be a friend of his. Human, if you can believe it."

"What's so hard to believe about that?" Jaune griped, "Wait… you mean Utahiko was a faunus?"

"A bird faunus. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean any offense. Back then things were just different. If faunus were getting lynched, the humans that sided with them were getting lynched too. Not fair if you ask me - if only one side is getting screwed, why through yourself in if you're safe? That's why this Tomas lost his head... for siding with the bad ones."

The bad ones? Jaune heard a low sound from Ilia, he doubted it'd be very long before that growl became something louder. "Okay, I think its for the best that we stop this -

"I mean, really? Was all that gold worth it? In the end, it was a human that went down for a faunus's crime. Pretty messed up if you ask me, some supposed friend, you know? Couldn't blame the country then, it all but proved everything they already knew."

"I just said that -

"Damn shame though, faunus are kinda exotic in a weird way. Wouldn't you say, Miss uh, forgot your name. What are you like a snake? Frog? Suppose that helps since if you can't get normal food, you can always eat some bugs."

"I said stop!"

Jaune splashed water in Randal's face, instantly quieting him. Meanwhile, his other hand rested on Ilia's shoulder, quick to stop her the moment he thought she might stand. "Your job is to get us to the ruins, not to mouth off about this or that. I don't want to hear anything else, got it?"

The silence was staggering to the point that Jaune wasn't sure how long to hold the glare. And even though Randal didn't respond, he said nothing more afterwards. The only sound to be heard going forward was the running water. Jaune let out a thankful breath, turning to Ilia with a whisper. "Hey, I'm sorry that -

"Leave me alone."

"Look, I know its just -

Throwing off his hand put a stopper to his words, the girl crossing her arms. If there was anything growing up in a house full of women taught him was that from that point on, she'd no longer listen to him.

Surrendering, Jaune let his arms fall over the side of the boat. Desperate for a hero, he reached for his partner, hoping she would save him from this mess. Alas, the world was cruel that Amber should find her revenge. Savoring victory, Amber smiled and left him to his quiet, awkward fate.

Touche, partner, touche.

~event horizon~

With a slow breath and a splash of water in her face, Ilia felt like her heart had finally settled.

From the canoes, they found the cars, which took them through the bumpy mountain path. Jaune had the good sense to dismiss the brothers as soon as they reached their destination.

Good riddance.

The Bluekeep was the very definition of a relic, with eroded banners that had lost all semblance of identity over time. Some walls had fallen, but the majority of it stood the test of time. Nature had taken its course, vines and shrubbery coating the outer layers, by now it looked like it was meant to be weaved together that way.

"So this is Bluekeep Castle..." Jaune gathered everyone around, "That makes this our first landmark."

"What makes you say that?" Ilia had barely gotten the question out before Jaune opened the little clue book. "The Bluekeep. I was there, I remember that. And we went in the direction of the inner valley... near the mountains," he repeated, "That's the report of a soldier in King Hao's personal guard."

"He remembers being here while under Utahiko's trance?"

"Yeah, weird... I guess this is one of the few things he could recall. But then, why here? Why does he remember Bluekeep specifically?"

"The inner valley, that's just east of here," Amber pointed out, dragging her finger across its location, "A day or two from here, it should take us through the Stallion Premier."

An eager smile took up the entirety of Oscar's face. "We are stopping there, right?"

Jaune rolled his eyes with a laugh. "Sure, I guess. But not for long, we're only passing through."

"Yes!" Oscar cheered, only to stop and cough into his fist, "I mean uh, thats cool, I guess."

Ilia did not want to laugh. She just choked on some spit was all. "So Utahiko was here at Bluekeep, that must mean he was after the King's treasures at this point. That's why the guard remembers being here so specifically. And if they went into the inner valley..."

"The vault must be out there," Amber finished, "Which explains why the Monohk never found anything."

"Yeah, so where is the actual vault?"

And it suddenly dawned in Ilia why it was such an issue. The valley was a straight shot, with a subset of rivers cutting through. But from the narrow, it expanded into a great assemblage of mountains, which took up a great portion of Mistral's eastern edge.

"I think it goes without saying that it would take forever to be thorough around even one mountain. We have to narrow it down." Oscar said.

"Well," Jaune stated, wrapping up the map, "We know where we're headed for now, so let's get going before the sun starts to set."

And they were on the road again just like that. The sun came and fell, taking away their light just as they found a safe enough spot to rest for the night. Ilia could see the fire from her spot away from the others, not too close but not far off either. Amber and Oscar had gone to sleep pretty quickly, leaving Ilia alone with the stars.

She looked at the necklace in her hands, startled in hiding it as she heard grass crunch. Looking up, she held let out a breath in seeing it was just Jaune. Really, at this point he was practically a stalker.

"No Grimm. Anymore anyway." Jaune reported with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, well good. We can sleep easily then."

"Yeah."

Ilia wasn't unused to awkward conversation, if there was such a thing as getting used to it. Yet the palpable obliviousness that Jaune seemed to have as he shuffled where he stood put her on the spot, blue eyes darting about in desperation for something else to bring up. Ilia decided to kill that dream before it could fester. "I'd better get some sleep then. Good night."

"Wait, Ilia," Jaune called suddenly, he'd reached out for her, but drawn back just as quickly. "I'm sorry about all of this."

"What?"

"I mean that I didn't know the people here would be like this. I feel bad that your first outing with us had to turn out like… that."

"It's Mistral. I'd be surprised if it didn't happen."

"I get that, but still... I don't want you to feel like you're not important to my group. You shouldn't have to be the one camping alone just so we can have an inn, you know?"

"Well let me be frank with you then," Ilia stated, "I appreciate it, but I'm not looking for friends. I don't need your help or support. I can take care of myself just fine. I don't need a hu -" And Ilia paused there, wondering if it were perhaps too late to take it back. Jaune knew what she was going to say, and there was surprisingly little to no real reaction toward it. " - your help. I won't jeopardize the expedition, but I'd rather we just got it done and went our own ways."

"But -" And again, he stopped himself. This time without her need to make him. And there was hesitance from him, as if its not at all how he imagined the conversation would go, "Okay. As long you're okay, then I understand," Jaune stood, "Yeah so... good night, Ilia."

Ilia considering responding, but he was already by the fire before it was needed. From there all she saw was his back, the rest of him set aglow by the fire. Crazy guy. No one just became friends that easily. If he honestly thought she'd be won over just because he wasn't prejudiced, he had another thing coming.

Maybe he was one of the few who didn't hate faunus. Its not like Ilia didn't think humans like that existed, she'd run into plenty. But they all fell into a category. The ones who cause the hate, and those who let it happen. Whether that made Jaune as guilty as the brothers or not, Ilia didn't know.

It was in these moments, when she laid her head down and closed her eyes, that she'd think about the day as a whole. The trip, her teammates, the village, the mayor and brothers... it was a mix of good and bad, but mostly the latter. Yet Ilia found herself watching Jaune again, berating herself for staring instead of getting to sleep. Her brain wandered, looking for a word that would best describe a man like him. Eventually she acknowledged that she wouldn't stop staring if he was right in her field of vision and turned over.

It didn't work.

Ugh, why was this chapter such a pain?

I guess its because I wish there was more foundation for the racism in the RWBY universe than is 'shown' in canon. Unfortunately canon does not do the best job portraying the extent of racism in its universe so i didn't really know what to go with for this. All in all, this isn't my proudest chapter as I don't feel fully confident in it, but you can only edit so much before you're just stalling. Best to just post and see how others feel.

Its always this point in the story that gets me the most frustrated since I'm not in the stride of the storyline yet. But well, I'll get there, the next chapter should be much more exciting.

Hope ya'll are enjoying and I'll see ya in the next one.

ISA