Jaune wasn't sure how long it had been after the fight in Haven. What he did know was he needed to get away, clear his head. Qrow had confronted him about losing his cool, about letting his anger get the better of him, and Qrow was right. Though he didn't really care, it could've cost him his own life if… Cinder hadn't decided to toy with him, but what he did care about was how it almost cost him to lose someone else dear to him. Ruby and even Weiss both had tried to convince him otherwise, but Qrow was right at least in some way.

So here he found himself walking through Mistral alone trying to clear his head. He stopped to take a look around. He'd been following the different canals that ran throughout Mistral to carry water. He hadn't really been sure of where he was going or where he even wanted to go either. Though he could tell by looking around he had managed to make it to the more seedier part of the city, given what Qrow had told them about it. He walked over to the canal and knelt down by the water, it looked terrible compared to the higher up parts of the city. It seemed the higher parts of Mistral really were just built on top of the old, the lower city itself left to be forgotten.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a group of kids messing with something close to the water. As he stood up to see them better he could see the thing they were messing with wasn't a thing but someone.

He ran over to the group yelling. "Hey leave them alone!"

As he got closer the small group of kids scattered darting this way and that, but he was frozen in place. Giving chase the furthest thing from his mind, because he couldn't believe his own eyes. Cinder Fall just laying there! How was it even possible? He knew she had went down below the fountain inside Haven, maybe it somehow connected to the other canals that ran throughout Mistral? Though it honestly didn't really matter to him.

He knelt down to check over her more closely, and she looked terrible to say the least. Her skin was even paler then when they had fought, if that was even possible. Her clothes had seen better days, torn and tattered in quite a few places. She was even missing an arm? Whatever the case with that was he could see she was still breathing, though it was slow and raspy. Yang hadn't said much about what had happened down below the fountain after she came back up. Only that Raven and Cinder were both gone with the door to the relic standing open. Though looking at Cinder lying here, he didn't think it'd be to far off to say she had lost whatever fight had ensued.

He sighed. "What would you do here right at this moment Pyrrha? What would any of you really do here?" He mumbled the questions to himself as he knelt there. He was certain Qrow and Ozpin would take the chance given to them to rid themselves of a powerful enemy, but Pyrrha, Ruby, or even the rest of their friends. Would they willingly take Cinders life with her in this state?

He stood, pulling out his sword, it would be all to easy. Pyrrha's death would be avenged and they'd have one less enemy to deal with. Yet here he stood, his grip on the hilt of the blade tightened. Was he truly as weak and powerless as she had claimed he was?

His grip of the hilt grew even tighter, no. He'd prove that he wasn't right here and now. He turned the blade the tip pointing down right at her heart or if she had one where it should've been. He stood there frozen once more, the scene looking for all the world like something out of one of the books his sisters had once read to him. A few people had passed them by at this point not one of them stopping to say or do anything to him. He wasn't sure if it was because they didn't care or just didn't want to get involved, either way he was glad. He could feel his hand starting to ache from how hard he was holding the hilt of his sword, but once more his grip tightened as he brought the blade slowly closer to her chest. He was only a few inches away now, just one quick motion and he could have what it was he wanted. As he stood there though steeling himself one final time Cinder coughed, and he felt his whole body tense. She opened her eye, she saw him standing over her holding his blade above her and smiled. She of all people smiled at this moment. He wanted her to say something, anything, to taunt him, to make light of him, to give him just one more reason why he was doing the right thing at this moment. Nothing came though as her head fell to the side, once more unconscious.

He let out a long breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, he tilted his head back looking up.

"Maybe I am weak, maybe I am powerless right now, but this... it's not who I was... And it's still not who I am is it?"

With the uttered question keft unanswered he sheathed his sword. Kneeling down he took her in his arms and lifted her up, carefully, gently. It was probably more than someone like her had deserved, but even with that thought he started walking. He remembered seeing an old worn sign for a small clinic further back the way he came. As he walked he realized how light she was, almost like she weighed nothing at all. He looked at her face resting against his chest, in another life she would've been another girl he probably would've tried and failed to hit on. He laughed slightly.

"I'm honestly not sure what it is I truly want from you at this point. Whether it's just some shot at bringing Pyrrha back, to avenge her death by killing you, or to just prove you wrong about me or the world... I don't know." He sighed, smiling. "I can say this though, you've taught me at least two things. The first, is I'm not strong enough, not yet anyways, to achieve whatever it is that I do want. The second, is unlike you I won't take some shortcut to achieving it. Even if it means making sure you get to a doctor to live. Even if it means I'm making a horrible mistake. I'll take that chance, if it means I can take you down at your best with my own strength... and who knows maybe by then I'll have grown enough to even change your mind."

After walking for awhile longer in silence listening to Cinders slow breathing he stopped. Looking at the door to the old clinic, it had definitely seen better days at some point in the past. He knocked at the door all the same. It was an old faunus a deer by the looks of his horns who opened the door.

Upon seeing Cinder the doctor stood to the side motioning with his hand, "Come in, come in, quick get her inside and away from this cold and grime out here."

Jaune walked by him entering the clinic.

After closing the door the doctor spoke up once more, "Lay her down on one of the beds back there if you would."

Jaune walked to the back of the single room clinic and laid Cinder down on one of the few beds in the place. The doctor walked up to the other side of the bed carrying a small bag in his hands and pushing a stool with his foot and sat down.

"By just taking a quick look at her I can see she's been through one hell of a fight. Looking at the color of her skin and hearing her breathing she also seems to have a fever. I don't have a way of reliably checking it, but I'd suspect her aura is dangerously low as well. That's not even getting into these... by the looks of them I'm guessing older wounds on her face and arm."

Older? Jaune thought to ask about it but shook his head. "Can you help her?"

"Sure I can take care of her and help with the fever, and any wounds she might have currently. A decent amount of rest should help with her aura, but I can't help with that arm or her face... I also can't really even guarantee you she'll make it if I do. This isn't really the best place to bring someone for injuries like this if I'm honest with you. Were you and her close?"

"No."

"And yet here you are bringing her in here, not many would do even that much here in the lower parts of Mistral."

Jaune just stood there quietly staring at Cinder laying there.

"Unfortunately I can't say to much about being all that decent myself either. I won't do anything for her, or keep her here without getting paid up front, and no, I don't do charity work any more either."

Jaune pulled out a lien card, "Will this cover it?"

Taking the lien card the old faunus got up and walked over to the counter closer to the front of the clinic to check the card and the amount on it. Traveling to Mistral Ruby, Nora, Ren, and he had done quite a few different jobs for people here and there, and even after the modifications to his weapon they still had some lien leftover so he hoped it would suffice. It was supposed to have been money shared between them, but he figured he could make something up about how he lost it.

The old faunus spoke up from behind the counter, "This'll be more than enough."

With that Jaune turned and started walking towards the door.

"You not staying to see how things work out for her?"

"No."

"Well do you want to leave a name for her? So she'll know who it was she has to thank for trying to save her life."

"She wouldn't care to remember it, so no."

"Well what about a message at least?"

Jaune sighed his hand resting on the door handle, "Tell her…" He took a moment to pick his words. "Tell her a foolish knight said not to die until he was strong enough to take her down himself." With that he walked out the door.

One of the first ever RWBY stories I wrote. This was also my first ever WPW prompt in the r/rwby Writing Prompt Wednesday thread. Jaune is always an enjoyable character to play with, lot of options for where you can take him I feel.

The prompt used for this piece:

"She's right in front of you ,Jaune. Take the vengeance you so desperately desire."