A Month in the Life of Jaune

[arcward]

Dying in Bed

This is the worst.

[Jaune’s voice cracks as he complains to the empty room. Three days he had been laid up with the flu. Fever, aches, a runny nose, a cough like he’d never had. His optimism that it will end soon is wearing thin at this point – if anything, it’s getting worse, since that cough hadn’t been there yesterday. At least, he thinks it was yesterday. The days kind of blend together when you sleep all day. He coughs miserably then grabs a tissue and blows his nose before tossing it weakly in the general direction of the trash can with the rest, not caring if it goes in or not.

It’s the first time he’s been sick and his mom hasn’t been there to take care of him, too, which really isn’t helping. She always made sure he had plenty of soup and tea. And while he could go out into the kitchen and raid the place for some, he’s really comfy and it’s just so much work right now. His moogle was… trying, he supposed, but it was clear he had no idea how to care for a sick human. He had considered calling his housemates, but Chrom and Donny always seemed so busy and Pyrrha… well, things were still weird between the two of them. Besides it wasn’t like he is actually dying, despite how it feels. He’ll get through this. It’s already been three days. It’ll pass soon, right?

He coughs again and has to sit up and bend over due to the force of it before flopping back down with a moan and curling back up.He sees Pumpkin Pete fly off, muttering something about getting someone because moogle medicine didn't seem to be working.]

------

Back Amongst the Living

[It’s been a week (he thinks) since he’s been out and about – the flu really did a number on him. But now that he’s all better, he’s going to enjoy some fresh air, something he never knew he missed, and grab some groceries for the house while he’s out. He takes his time going there, though, enjoying the weather and the people around him. He’s not really looking at anything in particular, oblivious to his surroundings as he strolls down the street.]

----------

Never a Dull Moment

[Jaune’s really didn't know how he got himself in these situations. He was minding his own business, taking a walk in the park, and the next he was being chased by a chocobo. He didn't even know what he did wrong. He had given it a pat on the beak as he passed by it, and it squawked and tried to bite him. So he booked it. And it gave chase.

To anyone else, it was probably a comedic sight, the teen running frantically and crying apologies for the unknown grievance. Jaune,though, was in trouble. The chocobo was much faster than him, and any second it would catch up to him. He looked around frantically for some sort of haven. A box, a pipe, anything would do. He nearly cried in relief when he saw an easily climbable tree. He scrambled up to safety, just barely avoiding getting his ankles nibbled and continued to cry at the beast.]

I'm sorry, okay! Now go away! Please?

Comments

[arcward]

Hey, watch out, Kupo!

[Pumpkin Pete's warning comes just a second too late, and Jaune trips over the neglected moogle, toppling to the ground and skinning his wrist. He groans, inspecting the scrape - it was pretty minor, thank goodness. The last thing he needed was to break a limb as soon as he was back up and about. Speaking of, what had he even tripped on?]

You need to watch where you're going! Not everyone is big like you, you know.

Hey, I didn't ask to be tall!

[He looks around and - oh. No wonder Pumpkin Pete was angry. He had tripped over a moogle. Now, he might be new here, but he was fairly certain that that behavior was generally frowned upon. He stands up and brushes himself off, mindful of his cut, before crouching next to the moogle.]

I am so sorry; I wasn't paying attention. Are you okay?

[not_most_days]

[For all of Pumpkin Pete's shouting, Bonnie herself has been dumped facefirst onto the ground. She pushes herself back up with her stubby little paws and rubs some dirt from her nose.]

Owwwww, kupo~ I'm okay but...AH!

[She flutters up into the air at full speed, looking around with a little frantic flailing.]

Ahhhh! He's gotten away, kupo!

[She zooms back down to where she left Jaune's face.]

Did you see a man wearing a blue bandana and pulling a cart, kupo?

[arcward]

[Jaune stumbles back a step, not expecting the moogle to suddenly be that close to his face.]

Uh... no?

[To be honest he had kind of zoned out the last few minutes of walking. He could have passed right by him (and probably had) and he wouldn't have noticed.]

[not_most_days]

[Bonnie seems to have completely forgotten about the incident as she continues to look this way and that. Finally she settles on a direction, fluttering towards an alleyway that runs parallel to the main street.]

This way! Come on, kupo!

[She zips along as fast as her little wings will let her but she also takes the time to vault over and slide under obstacles, going for excessive levels of parkour for a critter who can simply fly over them.]

[arcward]

W-Wait!

[Jaune scrambles after her, stumbling over walls and tripping on rocks - how is she so good at this?

Pumpkin Pete might have been laughing at him as he flew behind, but he isn't Jaune's primary focus at the moment.]

Where are we going? Who are you looking for?

[Hopefully she can hear his call - she has quite the lead on him]

[not_most_days]

That guy had a very important shipment, kupo! I need to get to it before anyone else does, kupo! [She bounces from a cart and onto an awning as the alley rejoins with the main drag. She keeps on her elevated run, but still clearly visible to anyone who knows she's there, or really just happens to look up.]

There, kupo! He's stopped!

[She drops down again, bouncing off of a cart full of hay, not quite heavy enough to fall into it, and then hides behind it, observing a man offloading crates behind a merchant stall.]

The fate of all moogles in Aqures Ixen depends on that cargo, kupo. Maybe even the Heroes, kupo.

[arcward]

[Jaune tries to follow, he really does, but it turns out humans weigh more than hay so he finds himself plummeting into the cart rather than over. After a moment of struggling and an apology to an angry shopkeeper, he stumbles down next to Bonnie.]

What's he got that's so important?

[He's in full-on leader mode as he observes the guy, taking notes of his actions so he can come up with the best way to make sure the shipment gets to the moogles with as little trouble as possible.]

[not_most_days]

[The moogle just flashes the universal SHHH symbol at Jaune as she waits. She's so close to her quarry. She doesn't want to give up the ghost now.

The man on the other hand doesn't seem to be up to anything sinister at all. He seems the same as any other vendor ready to sell his wares for the day. He begins to unload the crates, revealing one to be full of fruits and vegetables. So it continues for the next two crates.

But on the fourth Bonnie perks up.]

That's the one. We need to get to it before anymog else, kupo~"

[arcward]

[Jaune frowns, unsure. Fruits and vegetables? Sure, a well balanced diet was an important part of any hunter's diet thanks Ren, but the fate of the world? Something seems off.]

Are you sure he's the one? He looks pretty innocent to me.

[Pumpkin Pete looks at Jaune, then at the vendor. He should step in. He's pretty sure Bonnie's gone off her rocker. But this could be entertaining.]

I dunno, kupo... He looks suspicious.

[If anything goes wrong he can always run for help.]

[not_most_days]

[The others can think what they want. She knows what she's here for.

The man keeps checking his goods, but at the marked one he looks around before opening it. The lid comes off, revealing a full load of kupo nuts. The shopkeep does his count, nods with satisfaction and then closes it up. He shifts the box to the back of the stall and out of sight behind his other goods before he momentarily steps away to speak with someone nearby.]

Now's our chance! Let's go, kupo!

[And the little hooded moogle darts out on a clear path to theft.]

oh my god I'm dying hahaha

[arcward]

[Jaune groans when he sees the contents.]

Oh, you've got to be- Wait!

[Jaune reaches his hand out to try to stop her but misses. Looks like he has to do this the hard way. Wondering why it's always him, he sprints after her, hoping to stop her before she does any harm.

Pumpkin Pete, on the other hand, sees the prize and quickly switches sides. Just when Jaune is about to grab Bonnie, he trips him and sends him face first into the man's cabbage display. That should provide a good enough distraction for Bonnie.]

Re: oh my god I'm dying hahaha

[not_most_days]

[Bonnie is swift, but still not very fast. But she's nimble. She's worked hard to become a moogle who can live up to Assassin standards.

The crashing of Jaune is quickly followed by a cry of 'My cabbages!' and a brief uproar as the old merchant tries to extricate the Hero from his stock. The fruit vendor goes to help which gives Bonnie and Pete the chance to reach the crate.

She grunts as she uses her little body to push another crate away from atop it but the vendor isn't the only trouble to deal with. Other moogles are starting to gather, some there to buy and others with the same ideas as Bonnie did. They best work fast!]

[arcward]

[Pumpkin Pete grabs as many kupo nuts as he can, pushing through the hoard of moogles that have appeared. He feels a little bad about tripping Jaune, but he's sure he'll understand once he sees what he's managed to snag.

Jaune, on the other hand, is ready to strangle his moogle as he cowers from the reprimanding merchant. He could point out all of the thieving moogles, and probably should, but he can't even get a word in edgewise. He keeps starting to apologize, but the man just gets louder each time. The blond eventually decides to throw etiquette to the wind and just shouts back at him.]

I'm sorry, okay, but they're stealing your kupo nuts!

[He points behind the man and can almost swear he hears Pumpkin Pete mutter "traitor" before he sees his moogle start to fly away.]

[not_most_days]

[Bonnie was hoping to make off with the entire crate but as she hears Jaune's shout behind her she lets out a sharply turned 'Kupo'. She's not the one who threw Jaune under the bus but she hoped he wouldn't do the same to them. Gathering as many of the Kupo Nuts as she can she then vaults off of an incoming moogle and bounces off of an awning, taking her to the rooftops for her escape!]

Someone please make wanted posters for Jaune

[arcward]

[The merchant spins around, but the moogles have already vanished. He rounds back on Jaune, clearly angry.]

How could you let them get away! First you destroy my cabbages, then you let them take my kupo nuts. I'm ruined, I tell you, ruined! This is all your fault!

[Jaune pales. Luck was not on his side today. The man didn't look like he was going to stop anytime soon, so Jaune did the only thing he could think to do. He points behind the merchant.]

Look, they're back!

[They weren't, but the man turned his back to check, giving Jaune time to book it out of there. He's pretty sure he can hear the guy screaming at him, but no way is he sticking around.]