[ ic contact ]

[beaconed]

"Helloooo! You've reached Jaune Arc! If I'm not answering, it means I'm probably off somewhere fighting monsters or... doing something really awesome like saving a cat, or the president's son! You know how it is, a leader's schedule can be really hectic nowadays, ha ha! Just kidding, I'm probably in school, but I'd totally do those things if I ha-- [BEEP]"



[ TEXT | VOICE | VIDEO | ACTION ]

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[corona]

Heh. Beanios. [ There is no feasible way that was right. ] Er– The bean one, I mean. I've never had a bean. Are you going to have some too, Jaune?

[beaconed]

[ WHOA SHE PICKED SOMETHING!! ]

I don't think I'll have a choice... [ B-But sharing this low-quality snack with her suddenly increases the appeal. ] Don't forget to press the button, okay? Now you'll finally get to the good part!

[ The part where vending machine finally gives you what you want. WHOA SHIT HE FORGOT ABOUT SOMETHING-- ]

--H-Hey wait, didn't you say one of these was cursed or whatever?

[corona]

[ Everything about her freezes. Smile, hovering finger, even her laughter, which was ringing high and clear as ever (aw), cuts out.

Turning to face him takes an eternity. ]

How... would we find something like that out? [ BECAUSE NGL CURSES SEEM TOTALLY PLAUSIBLE FOR THIS PLACE ] Is... there like - a curse authority?

1/2

[beaconed]

[ D-Don't look at him like that, now he's freaking out, too!! FUUUUUCK, TO BE CURSED RIGHT HERE AND NOW, that would be plausible for JAUNE ARC.




... And yet the machine still has his money. His pockets are empty. ... Wait, are they? ]

[beaconed]

[ The only thing he finds in his pocket is the leaf. The good luck charm. Heh. Looking at it, he's not even sure if he can say he entirely believes in it, but... Rapunzel believes in him, right? Maybe it's a bravery charm, but it's all the same, because his choice is made based on her trust in him. It's a far better feeling than anything else. ]

Only one way to find out...

[ He stands behind her again, as her hand hovers over the button she's afraid of pushing, Jaune presses the leaf against the back of her palm, and then gently pushes so that they press it together.



. . .



OH MY GOD WHY DID HE DO THAT, THAT MADE NO LOGICAL SENSE AS SOON AS HE DID IT, THEY COULD STILL BE CURSED AND DIE ;;;;; ]

1/2

[corona]

[ AHAHAHA WHAT THE HELL WHAT IS THIS FEELING THIS IS SO UNPRECEDENTED ]

2/3 why do i even try to guess anymore

[corona]

[ She shivers, swallows, and looks down at her feet to mask the hella sudden, hella dorky smile blossoming across her face, not seeing anything because she's gone blind with a weird kind of bubbly pleasure. AFFECTIONATE PHYSICAL CONTACT. Probably she should feel like a right moron, because that's what they are, trusting their fate to whimsical impulse like that, but– ]

How long do we have to–

3/3

[corona]

[ PLOP. ]




[ Rapunzel turns her head, ducking it at an angle so she doesn't run into Jaune's arm, and watches as a puddle of bird shit conceals on the ground next to them. ]

Huh. Good sign!

[ The fate of their bean thing is up in the air but DAYUM. ]

[beaconed]

[ Luckily for them, no curse!! Nothing apparent anyway. Unless you count the bag of chips getting stuck in the machine, because that's exactly what just happened. After all that build-up... ]

...

Oh. You've got to be kidding me.

[ MAKES STRANGLING MOTIONS AT THE MACHINE GRR ]

[corona]

[ Wilting like a magic golden flower here. ]

Uh. Jaune? Maybe we should, uh - not destroy any more school property for now? [ She tilts her head back a second time, though not as far. ] Just for now, promise. We can try kicking it, though, if you really want to! I bet we'd make a pretty good team.

...Or we can just - you know. Get food made by people that is not also in a loud, sticky wrapper.

[beaconed]

Yeah, some team we make... [ He sighs, feeling like a failure. Things have been so out of control today, haven't they? ]

I-I'm sorry, I really wanted you to have a fun first day, Rapunzel...

[corona]

HA! [ Ouch another outburst. ] Are you kidding? [ And there's absolutely nothing in her voice that betrays anything but glee. ] This was a blast!

I was going to suggest we try again because it was so much fun the first time but... you know. You... said you didn't have any money? Sorry. I'm - really not trying to embarrass you or anything, I should have money myself honestly, ha ha! [ Mumble train coming throoooough. ]

[beaconed]

[ asophnajbgf he jumps so far back at the outburst that he almost steps on the bird shit. DAMN. ]

R-Really?! But, but we were chased around all day, and... we forgot your books in that classroom... and my locker almost-- [ whoops, now he's mumbling, too. ]

[corona]

Well– Yeah! Of course we did! That's... part of what made it so much fun. [ Said matter-of-factly without ever quite reaching patronising.

Part of that might have to do with her laughter and the fact that she's leaning back against him now... ]

Your locker almost killed us. We were treated most unjustly by this vending - machine. [ Sneering at the machine in question ugh. ] If that is your real name. And... now you're going to buy me afternoon lunch, so. I'd have to be kind of a jerk not to love everything about today so far. [ She's effervescent okay. ]

[beaconed]

I'm buying you what-- A-Ah! [ ...ah. When it sinks in that she's leaning against him, it's as if he finally gets a clue for once. No way does it feel like he's being patronized or made fun of this time, which only makes this stranger. It's a mixed feeling of bliss and dread, this fear of losing something he doesn't even have, but also the hope of things working out for once.

It's hard to have an appetite in this whirlwind of teenage emotions, but her Semblance dictates that he can't say No to her. So that's that! GOOD THING HE STILL HAS A CREDIT CARD ]

Th-thanks. ... You make it easy, too, you know that? Most of the time!

[ But even when she doesn't, it's worth it. ]

[corona]

Heh. [ Her smiles stays right where it is. She also can't seem to stop laughing, which is actually somewhat distressing if she thinks about it too hard.

Which she does because she's Rapunzel.

Has he drugged her? No, he wouldn't do that. It might break his heart to think she'd doubt him that way, too... Can't let him find out about that! No chance. Maybe she's sick? ]

Have you been waiting all this time to say that to me?

[beaconed]

[ The next few noises he makes are just words that don't make sense, filler, the equivalent of a vocal keysmash, like so: aklsdoahagaprjqdas ]

W-Well?! You kinda just-- zipped down the tree when I wanted to say it, I-- and then things happened, and then I-- lockers, classrooms, sea otters, I get mixed up and then there's quarters and onion rings-- you... yeah.

[ He's not even sure where he was going with that. ]

[corona]

[ Holy shit he talks so much. ] I've never met anyone who talks as much as you do. You talk so much. [ HE DOES!!

Rather than looking totally repulsed, though, a look of odd, intense fascination comes across her face. It's bewildering now to see how strange it is to be behaving like this with him - with any person - as if it's something she's always been able to do. She opens her mouth and he listens. He looks hurt and she feels pain. He talks nonstop ] You talk nonstop [ and ] and –

[ And the urge to cover his mouth with her hands is overpowering.They both make decisions and they both deal with the consequences! How weird is that.

Ahem. Such as: another pigeon or something comes swooping by, narrowly missing Rapunzel's head with its laser-guided refuse. ]

[beaconed]

[ ????? W-What is happening? Did he say something wrong again?! Did he mess up? Why won't she let him speak? Why is there a pigeon or something flying in their direction? Why-- OH WOW A PIGEON OR SOME-- ]

Mmpphhmphh! [ Translation: Look out! ]

[ Though he just kind of pathetically raised an arm over her head, not that it did anything to help as the pigeon or something missed entirely on its own. His hand still hovering over her, he doesn't move or say anything while her own hands are covering his mouth.

This silence reminds him of that classroom. ]

1/2

[corona]

[ The fact that it's raining waste is temporarily shifted to the back of her mind. At the front of her mind: what does another person's face feel like? Strange, that's what. But - nice, wow. She touches his lips and his nose. Moves her hands to his cheekbones then his jaw. Man what is with people here and their eyes?? ]

...What colour are your eyes, Jaune? I thought they were violet, but... now they seem blue.

see above and present icon keywords

[corona]

[ Oh that's right PIDGEON SHIT. ]

E-Ew. [ She searches for Jaune's gaze, holds it, and unpeels her fingers. One by one they leave him the hell alone. Then, just as slowly, she steps away.

AND THEN ALL AT ONCE SHE STEPS AWAY FLEE!!! ]

Hey, uh, what's your favourite food anyway?!

who are you

[beaconed]

[ what the fuckkkkkkkkkkkkk is happening, why was his face being violated, did she turn blind? Was she blind all along? No, that's stupid, you're stupid, Jaune. Or is he? Also what the fuck did she mean about his eyes? Are his own eyes turning a weird color?! Is HE turning blind??? No, that makes even less sense. HNNNGH... His hand absentmindedly brushes past her hair as he drops it and she steps away.

but seriously, are they okay ]

...

......

I... don't know....... [ He's not even sure which question he's answering. Give him a second. ]

ditto

[corona]

J...aune? [ She's a little winded herself that was sort of a lot to take in. ] Are you, ah– [ s w a l l o w ]

...We don't - have to go if - if you don't want. That's fine.

[beaconed]

That's not... I... j-just, warn me next time, okay? [ Notice he's not telling her not to touch his face. ] I...

[ He's almost about to go into another ramble, but remembers what triggered this... Thing. That was a Thing. ]

...I'm sorry I talk too much. [ He does look genuinely conscience-stricken about it. Maybe the less he talks the better?? ]

Yes.

...
I mean, what am I saying --dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.

Not my eyes. The food.

I think I still have blue eyes? Maybe cornflower blue, if you ask me... s-something like that... annnd I'm doing the talking thing again. Great.

[corona]

Mm, no. [ shaking her head ] It's okay this time.

[ And here is the part where she does something unexplainable, baffling in that it comes from a place of complete and utter sincerity; she means what she says! But the tone and the delivery come from Elsewhere. Instinct, maybe???

Some better version of herself with a hunch that, right now, as they are, the thing to do to make this experience even more enjoyable (if totally insane) than it already is would be to turn to face him fully, to face him flush, smile a little wickedly, and move her hand near his face again. Not touching. But close. ]

It gives me an excuse to do this again before we eat.

[ She doesn't know where it comes from, but her heart is going a hundred times a minute and it's fun and scary as hell.

Author's Note Edit: It's called flirting, yes, and she's KILLING IT GIRL but lol this is gonna be the last time she's this cool for ages. ]