Which of the other starter choices do you want to see interludes from most?

  • Dishonored

    Votes: 3 7.0%
  • Legend Of Zelda

    Votes: 9 20.9%
  • Shadow Of Mordor

    Votes: 2 4.7%
  • Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

    Votes: 4 9.3%
  • Preacher

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

    Votes: 8 18.6%
  • Fist Of The North Star

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Kill Six Billion Demons

    Votes: 12 27.9%
  • The Zombie Knight

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Mob Psycho 100

    Votes: 2 4.7%
  • Author's Choice

    Votes: 3 7.0%

  • Total voters
    43
  • Poll closed .
Can we not mess with the moon? Fucking with tidal patterns stands a pretty good chance of going all Noah on Menagerie.
:V :V :V
 
Can we not mess with the moon? Fucking with tidal patterns stands a pretty good chance of going all Noah on Menagerie.
:V :V :V
Don't worry. By the time we can repair the moon, I'm pretty sure The Process will have control over the tidal patterns. :V
The list uses an inverse correlation. The lower down the list, the more powerful you would be overall. Hence why Shigeo 'fuck everything I'm basically a physical god with the emotional skin of a ball of mozzarella' Kageyama is at the bottom of the list. If I'd realised the thing I've realised now, I would have put Transistor lower down the list because it would have been more powerful.

Is it confusing? Yes. Does it make it impossible to talk about? Yes. Do I regret it? Not one bit, confusing myself is one of my few ways of deriving entertainment from my own idiocy.

As for the how to of godhood... someone will figure it out.
The Transistor is known as The Brush. Where is the paint? What is the canvas? Who is the artist?
I still think it's hilarious just how badly @Prok misjudged the Transistor option power level. Especially since he put it as the third lowest, with only the Mark of the Outsider and the Hero of Hyrule Reborn below it.
 
I mean, the Mark can do some terrifying things, too. It's essentially an applied form of super speed in two of its most well known applications: Blink and Stop Time. Stop Time in particular is horrendously broken because you move faster than *anything but light*, including electricity, which is how it bypasses Walls of Light: exiting them before the electricity in the circuits can trigger the damage.
 
I mean, the Mark can do some terrifying things, too. It's essentially an applied form of super speed in two of its most well known applications: Blink and Stop Time. Stop Time in particular is horrendously broken because you move faster than *anything but light*, including electricity, which is how it bypasses Walls of Light: exiting them before the electricity in the circuits can trigger the damage.
Any one of the options would've come with the potential for Jaune capable of great destruction, but Royce!Jaune is the one with the greatest potential for creation.
More seriously, yeah, you're... not even gonna have to roll to mess with any of those things. You picked the only option that's a straight up hard counter to whatever the hell Cinder pulled off, and one of the only options that can properly understand what Penny is.
Even if he didn't have the Process, Jaune would still be an automatic counter to the Black Queen Virus and capable of understanding Penny, but with the Process the possibilities are endless.

I've read plenty of RWBY quests about being a badass Huntsman(-in-training), but Jaune with the Transistor can save the world in entirely different way than I'm used to seeing. It's why I'm so excited to see what Cell the "hyper-advanced Roomba" will develop into.
{Couple movie stars, a few politicians, some tycoons, a couple political writers, surprisingly... hrm. Weird. There are two rooms, the penthouse and one on the seventh floor, they're occupied, but... nothing on them. Well, the penthouse has their preferences filled out, coffee white with three sugars, bath run at 5, bedding changed while they're out, just no name, but the seventh-floor room is completely blank. Just a sign that it's occupied and nothing else.}
Unrelated, but something I spotted on a reread. Weiss is in the penthouse, but the seventh-floor room remains a mystery. Is it just where Ashford is staying or is this someone else?
 
I found an off handed comment about the Fall when I followed a link back in time and I want to know if it's plausible.

@Prok if we're desperate enough if/when Kevin the Grimm Dragon shows up during the Fall, can we go SuperUser and do something with the CCT to botnet together enough processing power to call up The Spine? Because that image is stuck in my head now and I just...

I want it. It'll probably lay us up in the hospital afterwards but I want it. It might just be enough to save Beacon, and if Beacon doesn't fall then we're in a much stronger position than RNJR was at the beginning of v4.

A few weeks of downtime in exchange for the mere possibility of Pyrrha and Ozpin living, and the bonus of summoning The Spine? Oh, baby.
 
Can we not mess with the moon? Fucking with tidal patterns stands a pretty good chance of going all Noah on Menagerie.
:V :V :V
I think I read that Remnant's moon is further away from the planet and doesn't effect the tides at all. Someone asked why the broken moon can have a full moon phase and it turns out that their moon doesn't work like ours anyway.

Any one of the options would've come with the potential for Jaune capable of great destruction, but Royce!Jaune is the one with the greatest potential for creation.
In the interest of fairness, Jaune Ten Meti also leads to a K6BD-fused Remnant which means the Key of Kings is floating around, among other things. Then again no one in K6BD creates anything other than weapons, so eh.

I've read plenty of RWBY quests about being a badass Huntsman(-in-training), but Jaune with the Transistor can save the world in entirely different way than I'm used to seeing. It's why I'm so excited to see what Cell the "hyper-advanced Roomba" will develop into.
Part of the fun is that Jaune wants to be one of those badass Huntsmen-in-training, but his natural skillset puts him in a support role. He's largely gotten to where he wanted to be in the first place, but it pretty much took all of Signal to do it.

Unrelated, but something I spotted on a reread. Weiss is in the penthouse, but the seventh-floor room remains a mystery. Is it just where Ashford is staying or is this someone else?
It's not Penny?
 
I found an off handed comment about the Fall when I followed a link back in time and I want to know if it's plausible.

@Prok if we're desperate enough if/when Kevin the Grimm Dragon shows up during the Fall, can we go SuperUser and do something with the CCT to botnet together enough processing power to call up The Spine? Because that image is stuck in my head now and I just...

I want it. It'll probably lay us up in the hospital afterwards but I want it. It might just be enough to save Beacon, and if Beacon doesn't fall then we're in a much stronger position than RNJR was at the beginning of v4.

A few weeks of downtime in exchange for the mere possibility of Pyrrha and Ozpin living, and the bonus of summoning The Spine? Oh, baby.
It's a question that has come up before.
Speaking of which, does Jaune know that he can create the Process? And how would we create, say... the Spine of the World?
And for your second question, by the sounds of it, some great bass work, some snares, and Pyrrha. More seriously, you'll find out when you find out.
Basically, we'll need either patience or spending points in the Fate Shop to get answers about how to make The Spine.

Either way, Cinder's canon plan is already pretty much doomed. Jaune won't even have to roll dice to counter the Black Queen Virus, which means Cinder won't be able to rig the Vytal Tournament to her advantage. No knee-capping, no gruesome murder, no mass panic, no Atlas mechs turning on Vale, nothing.

And if she's ever within the range of the Transistor's LOF (Local Omniscience Field) when she pulls any shenanigans, then we'll find out. Or just in range if it turns out that her half of the Fall Maiden's power is detectable when not in use, in which case we'll have another way of finding her out.
Part of the fun is that Jaune wants to be one of those badass Huntsmen-in-training, but his natural skillset puts him in a support role. He's largely gotten to where he wanted to be in the first place, but it pretty much took all of Signal to do it.
I know, it's great. I suspect that by the time Jaune gets to A+ Rank badass through hard training and Functions(), he'll also be S++++ Rank support at that point. Hopefully he can be happy that way.
I hadn't considered that possibility, but it could be.
 
Speaking of Luna, her name brings up an interesting question. How long until the Process is strong enough to fix the broken moon? Is that kind of stuff Endgame or Epilogue content?
Just getting to space is gonna be a hassle and a half. By the time you've got that kind of capability, the Process will probably be a Kingdom unto itself.

I still think it's hilarious just how badly @Prok misjudged the Transistor option power level. Especially since he put it as the third lowest, with only the Mark of the Outsider and the Hero of Hyrule Reborn below it.
Yeah, yeah, rub it in, why don't you. In fairness to my past self, the Process was a very last-minute addition- pretty much up until the first vote was closed, the order was accurate.

Personally, I find it hilarious that it's only when people want to bring up how I put the Transistor too low on the list that that invisitext shows up. Nobody brought it up when it was actually relevant.

I think I read that Remnant's moon is further away from the planet and doesn't effect the tides at all.
No, it must have some effect- unless the shattering is fairly recent, or there's something else doing the whole tide thing, that would leave Remnant's oceans... basically stagnant. There'd be next to no sea life, for one thing, which would mean no fish, which would mean no tuna for Blake. Or anybody else.

So unless the solar tides are super fucking strong, or something else is doing it, either Remnant has a moon that pulls its weight, or tuna is actually a black market commodity on par with uranium-235, and how Ruby found out that Blake likes it is a story worth telling her grandchildren.

... Shit, I'd read it.

Unrelated, but something I spotted on a reread. Weiss is in the penthouse, but the seventh-floor room remains a mystery. Is it just where Ashford is staying or is this someone else?
Let a QM keep some secrets, will you~

Anyway, the vote's closed, and @Chlof's vote wins! The update will be up on Thursday at the earliest since I'm going out to get another budgie tomorrow.
Adhoc vote count started by Prok on Jan 9, 2018 at 7:30 PM, finished with 2035 posts and 49 votes.

  • [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[x] In the long run, having Weiss Schnee in your debt is probably going to be worth a lot more than a new car. The warm fuzzies are a nice perk too. It's certainly more than you were expecting when you arrived at the hotel either way.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[X] "I'm sorry Mr. Ashford but my integrity is not for sale."
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    [X] Now... hear me out here. He hired you to fix her Scroll, her laptop, and to keep silent about what was on them. Spyware was never mentioned, doesn't factor into the original agreement. You've done steps one and two, but let's be honest, he's paying you 200 grand for step 3.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[x] You've done, and will do, what they actually agreed to pay you for. Oh, you still aren't expecting them to follow through... but they're the ones who'll have broken the agreement, not you.
    -[X] "I'm sorry Mr. Ashford but my integrity is not for sale."
    [X] (Write-in)
    -[X] Plan Bounty Hunter.
    -[X] Track down the creator of the virus. Alter current agreement with SDC and offer to serve as an expert witness in prosecution of the Viral Villain. Do not wipe anything because we need the evidence. Negotiate payment.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    [X] If we can Turn() without provoking anyone, since we already have the Transistor nearby and have used Aura and Restore(), do so. We need time to think if we're going to pull this off. Having the time to actually think through our argument instead of flying by the seat of our pants is useful.
    -[x] "I've been hired to fix her computer and Scroll. Miss Schnee views this spyware as undesirable, and, since she is the owner, she has the right to request it be removed."
    -[x] "That said, I do appreciate your desire to keep her safe, but a grown man hijacking the webcamera of a young woman?" Leave off exactly here because going any further belabors a point.
    -[x] "I'm sure Miss Schnee is perfectly capable of bringing outside threats to your attention, as her bodyguard." Again, leave it alone. Bodyguard is obviously not true but it's what Weiss said so it's probably what they want people to think.
    -[x] Write down your contact information for Weiss. "If you need me again, feel free to call."
    -[x] Exit the room as politely as possible.
    -[x] Pet Cell. It's adorable and needs pets.
    -[x] Locate Umbrella.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[x] You've done, and will do, what they actually agreed to pay you for. Oh, you still aren't expecting them to follow through... but they're the ones who'll have broken the agreement, not you.
    -[X] "I'm sorry Mr. Ashford but my integrity is not for sale."
    -[x] Locate Umbrella.

Adhoc vote count started by Prok on Jan 10, 2018 at 6:38 PM, finished with 2036 posts and 49 votes.

  • [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[x] In the long run, having Weiss Schnee in your debt is probably going to be worth a lot more than a new car. The warm fuzzies are a nice perk too. It's certainly more than you were expecting when you arrived at the hotel either way.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[X] "I'm sorry Mr. Ashford but my integrity is not for sale."
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    [X] Now... hear me out here. He hired you to fix her Scroll, her laptop, and to keep silent about what was on them. Spyware was never mentioned, doesn't factor into the original agreement. You've done steps one and two, but let's be honest, he's paying you 200 grand for step 3.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[x] You've done, and will do, what they actually agreed to pay you for. Oh, you still aren't expecting them to follow through... but they're the ones who'll have broken the agreement, not you.
    -[X] "I'm sorry Mr. Ashford but my integrity is not for sale."
    [X] (Write-in)
    -[X] Plan Bounty Hunter.
    -[X] Track down the creator of the virus. Alter current agreement with SDC and offer to serve as an expert witness in prosecution of the Viral Villain. Do not wipe anything because we need the evidence. Negotiate payment.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    [X] If we can Turn() without provoking anyone, since we already have the Transistor nearby and have used Aura and Restore(), do so. We need time to think if we're going to pull this off. Having the time to actually think through our argument instead of flying by the seat of our pants is useful.
    -[x] "I've been hired to fix her computer and Scroll. Miss Schnee views this spyware as undesirable, and, since she is the owner, she has the right to request it be removed."
    -[x] "That said, I do appreciate your desire to keep her safe, but a grown man hijacking the webcamera of a young woman?" Leave off exactly here because going any further belabors a point.
    -[x] "I'm sure Miss Schnee is perfectly capable of bringing outside threats to your attention, as her bodyguard." Again, leave it alone. Bodyguard is obviously not true but it's what Weiss said so it's probably what they want people to think.
    -[x] Write down your contact information for Weiss. "If you need me again, feel free to call."
    -[x] Exit the room as politely as possible.
    -[x] Pet Cell. It's adorable and needs pets.
    -[x] Locate Umbrella.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[x] You've done, and will do, what they actually agreed to pay you for. Oh, you still aren't expecting them to follow through... but they're the ones who'll have broken the agreement, not you.
    -[X] "I'm sorry Mr. Ashford but my integrity is not for sale."
    -[x] Locate Umbrella.
 
Last edited:
Anyway, the vote's closed, and @Chlof's vote wins! The update will be up on Thursday at the earliest since I'm going out to get another budgie tomorrow.
Technically @Silversun17's plan won, but some people had other additions to it, which makes them show up as different votes when you tally by None or Block. Not that the details really matter that much, since "Take your return to poverty like a champ" was basically unanimous. Principles, warm fuzzies, doing the right thing. All the good stuff.

Also, a moment of silence for @z3r0gamer's "befriending Weiss" plan. It was too good for this world. We can only hope that we'll still pet Cell for being a good AI.
Adhoc vote count started by Ashmaker on Jan 9, 2018 at 6:27 PM, finished with 2034 posts and 49 votes.
 
Depends on if you tally by line or by block. I've seen quests do both.
Adhoc vote count started by Redshirt Army on Jan 9, 2018 at 6:28 PM, finished with 2034 posts and 49 votes.

  • [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[x] In the long run, having Weiss Schnee in your debt is probably going to be worth a lot more than a new car. The warm fuzzies are a nice perk too. It's certainly more than you were expecting when you arrived at the hotel either way.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[X] "I'm sorry Mr. Ashford but my integrity is not for sale."
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    [X] Now... hear me out here. He hired you to fix her Scroll, her laptop, and to keep silent about what was on them. Spyware was never mentioned, doesn't factor into the original agreement. You've done steps one and two, but let's be honest, he's paying you 200 grand for step 3.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[x] You've done, and will do, what they actually agreed to pay you for. Oh, you still aren't expecting them to follow through... but they're the ones who'll have broken the agreement, not you.
    -[X] "I'm sorry Mr. Ashford but my integrity is not for sale."
    [X] (Write-in)
    -[X] Plan Bounty Hunter.
    -[X] Track down the creator of the virus. Alter current agreement with SDC and offer to serve as an expert witness in prosecution of the Viral Villain. Do not wipe anything because we need the evidence. Negotiate payment.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    [X] If we can Turn() without provoking anyone, since we already have the Transistor nearby and have used Aura and Restore(), do so. We need time to think if we're going to pull this off. Having the time to actually think through our argument instead of flying by the seat of our pants is useful.
    -[x] "I've been hired to fix her computer and Scroll. Miss Schnee views this spyware as undesirable, and, since she is the owner, she has the right to request it be removed."
    -[x] "That said, I do appreciate your desire to keep her safe, but a grown man hijacking the webcamera of a young woman?" Leave off exactly here because going any further belabors a point.
    -[x] "I'm sure Miss Schnee is perfectly capable of bringing outside threats to your attention, as her bodyguard." Again, leave it alone. Bodyguard is obviously not true but it's what Weiss said so it's probably what they want people to think.
    -[x] Write down your contact information for Weiss. "If you need me again, feel free to call."
    -[x] Exit the room as politely as possible.
    -[x] Pet Cell. It's adorable and needs pets.
    -[x] Locate Umbrella.
    [X] Take your return to poverty like a champ. Fix her stuff up sans spyware and walk. Gain the gratitude of the daughter of a very powerful businessman, at the cost of pissing off the businessman himself, maybe.
    -[x] You've done, and will do, what they actually agreed to pay you for. Oh, you still aren't expecting them to follow through... but they're the ones who'll have broken the agreement, not you.
    -[X] "I'm sorry Mr. Ashford but my integrity is not for sale."
    -[x] Locate Umbrella.
 
Schneenanigans()(1)
Depends on if you tally by line or by block. I've seen quests do both.
Well, I haven't started being consistent with this story yet, and I'm not going to start now.

... Wait-

|||

The bodyguard blinks, taking in what he's been told with a certain composure.

"... Well then." Ashford offers after a moment, seemingly at a complete loss for words.

"Did you know?" Weiss asks him after a moment. There's no hint of betrayal, not even anger, just... a question.

It occurs to you that you've become way too comfortable calling an internationally acclaimed singer and heiress to a company with enough money to technically be counted as a Kingdom unto itself if you go by purely economical metrics by her first name, even if it's just in your thoughts.

Still, somehow it hurts more to hear her approaching the subject so calmly rather than if she'd sounded like somebody had just shot a dog in front of her. As if she was... used to this.

"I..." He starts, trailing off. "... had my suspicions, when I received a call from someone higher up the ladder telling me that I needed to get somebody to repair the computers and not to buy new ones. But I didn't... know."

She simply nods, not saying anything else.

{He's... not lying. I don't know what it is, but I can't get a read on this guy. It's like telling half-truths is so ingrained in him that he does it without even thinking anymore. It's like... compulsive lying by omission.}

"... I assume you're installing the stripped versions, then?"

"Yeah." You tell him simply. You're not particularly in the mood for glibness or opening yourself up to offers.

hhhhhhhhh-

{Stay strong. You are a bastion of good morals that will not be broken.}

You are very much not that

{Ok, plan B- you're going to say no unless you want us to start looking up weird things about tailed Faunus and then send them to Creme.}

You very pointedly do not give your sword a wild-eyed stare that screams of the fear of embarrassment and imminent pain.

{'Oh, no, that was the AI in my sword trying to get me to not take a deal for 200,000 lien to install spyware on Weiss Schnee's laptop, but I couldn't stop myself so that's why it sent you a bunch of very questionable videos.' Sounds believable, doesn't it?}

... Your sword is a monster.

Your sword is a goddamn monster that knows you are a weak man who needs the incentive of not losing one of your few friends and possibly avoiding being turned into a smear on the wall in order to weather this temptation.

We're only cruel because we love you.

"... Ok." He says simply, walking past you and flopping into a chair, leaving you and Weiss both to just blink in confusion.

"... Ok? Just, ok?"

"Well, I'm hardly going to try and barter with you while the person they're trying to bug is in the room. I know when I'm beat, and it was never my fight in the first place. My job is to keep Ms Schnee safe and to take care of her while her eye heals. Nothing more, nothing less."

You stare at him, genuinely unsure what to make of him right now. Weiss makes a small noise of embarrassment at the mention of her injury but otherwise says nothing as well.

Of all the things that you expected to happen when he came in here, him basically admitting defeat was... not high on the list.

Either way, you get to work, deleting the junk data you replaced the virus with and installing the clean versions of each backup. After a few moments, her Scroll turns back on, the cheery bootup jingle chiming away, the SDC logo flashing on the diamond for a moment, both computers booting into safe mode at your mental command. You open it and her laptop and find password screens on each of them. Entering the generic sysadmin password for SDC products, you unlock them and start working.

First things first- hunt down whatever could be left of the virus and kill it with virtual fire. You set Bracket to scan the hard drives for any sectors marked as damaged, and find a fair few, actually- a deeper look reveals a couple of reinstallation packages the virus left as a goodbye present, which you quickly nuke, before dealing with the other bad sectors, overwriting the logical ones while Reboot() and Bridge() take care of physical ones.

Now, you've done a wipe and reinstall...

Anything else worth doing?

{They're both clean as the day they were bought. Cleaner, probably. No traces of the virus, just give her your phone number for personal consultation, and we can leave.}

Alright then. You open the contacts on her Scroll mentally, and add your number under 'Cute Computer Guy' before changing your mind at the last second and going with 'Jaune Arc.'

Because despite everything, you're just a bit too much of a coward to unironically try and pull that off.

"And, uh, that should be everything. I've taken the liberty of putting my contact details on your Scroll, if you ever have computer problems, please, go ahead and call me."

Weiss snaps to attention, and you realise she'd actually started to space out while you were working. Wait, how long did that take?

{About half an hour.}

... Shit, really?

{Time flies when you're having fun.}

"Oh, uh, thank you." She says somewhat absent-mindedly. "Um... how much do you, normally get paid for this kind of job?"

... Well, your normal rate's 500 lien, but...

{Jaune. No jacking your prices up for the 1%.}

Fiiiiine.

"500 lien. Granted, I've never worked with something quite as... toxic as this, but that's my normal rate."

You're somewhat surprised that the question even crossed her mind, probably because you'd completely resigned yourself to getting out of here with no money at all, so at least it's a pleasant one.

"Oh, is that all?" She asks, sounding almost surprised, before pulling a light blue purse out of her jacket pocket. "Cash or credit?"

You blink, before deciding to try your luck anyway.

"Do you have MoneyBuddy?"

|||

You step into the elevator a whole 500 lien richer than you were and find the operator's gone.

Huh. Weird. Must be on his break or something.

You press the button for the ground floor, the door closing and leaving you with a slight floating sensation courtesy of the sudden jolt of motion as you make your way downstairs.

"... Oh my God I just fixed Weiss Schnee's laptop." You breathe out after a moment, the reality of the situation not exactly crashing into you, more... settling into you.

{You put your number in her Scroll. You almost put it in as 'Cute Computer Boy.'}

Holy fuck you did too what were you thinking oh wait that's right you weren't.

A nervous, shuddering laugh pulls itself from your throat, the sound almost like somebody taking strands of anxiety and whisking them through the air like spun sugar- thin, thready, airy, and you find yourself leaning against the wall for support as it slowly turns into a wild cackle at the thought of actually going through with that.

sysadmin? areyouok?

{Jaune, calm down buddy. It's been a weird day for you, I know, but let's try and keep you out of the hospital again, ok?}

The concern in Blue's voice cuts through your small bout of mania, and you breathe deeply for just a moment.

Just in time to hold your breath as a small cloud of ash makes its way through the crack in the door.

As the ash flows through the door crack, you start looking for a maintenance shaft-

"For what it's worth-" The ash cloud starts, an echoey, wispy rendition of Ashford's voice cutting through your planning to get out and stab the man in the back for trying to suffocate you. "I'm glad you cleaned it. Integrity like yours is a rare thing, Mr Arc, and I do hope we meet again, under less... clandestine circumstances."

You stare at it for a moment, realising that Ashford is using his Semblance to send you one last message. You stay silent, unsure if he could hear any response you would want to give him.

Before you can decide whether or not you should, the ash whips away, flowing through the crack in the door just in time for it to open on the ground floor.

... Well.

{Huh. You know what, he's not a bad guy, honestly.}

... Yeah.

You step out into the lobby and make your way to the front door, only to see the rain trying its damnedest to pound its way through the concrete tiles outside.

"Agh... do you think anybody has a spare umbrella?"

{Maybe. Ask reception?}

You go over there and ask if they know where you could get a spare umbrella, and they tell you politely they only hand out spares to guests and workers. You suppose contractors don't exactly count, but still, ouch.

... Guess you're waiting it out then.

You decide that waiting outside under the awning is the best place to stay out of people's way, you walk outside and try to enjoy the sound of rain hitting the ground.

{Ugh. At least you're not using me as an umbrella.}

"Oh, you're waterproof, get over it."

{I am now, thank you very much.}

How were you supposed to know that your sword would short out?! It's not like you plug it in at night to charge!

We all learned an important lesson that day. Wait, is Cell waterproof?

You blink, looking around for your little friend, and find it floating about in the rain, gazing at everything with somehow even more wonderment than usual.

... itfeelsnice! littledropsofcoldonmychassis!

Heh.

{But are you gonna be ok?}

naturallyhydrophobic. willbeok.

Well, that's that answered.

You watch it splash about in a puddle for a bit, your reverie only interrupted by the sound of an umbrella opening. You turn to see Ashford holding an umbrella open for the Schnee heiress herself. When she notices you looking at you, whatever momentary softness graced her features is replaced with a mild scowl you can't quite place the emotion of.

"... I told you I only came back for my umbrella."

"And your bodyguard, apparently."

"I couldn't leave you two to your own devices in good conscience." Ashford pipes up, the slightest hint of a shit-eating smirk on his face. Weiss begins to say something, before apparently deciding it's not worth the effort, instead turning back to you.

... Wait what's he-

Oh.

{Yes, oh.}

Oh.

You feel a slight flush to your cheeks despite the cold, and quickly try your best to force it down.

"Anyway," Weiss says with slightly more force than necessary, "I... figured, since you seemed kind of surprised by the rain, that you didn't have an umbrella, and I was leaving anyway, so... I suppose I can let you share mine for a while."

Oh. That's.

Well.

Um.

{Just say ok, ask if she's going by Caredhina, and start walking.}

You do so, and find out that your destinations are the same, which makes things much easier.

You walk along, you two huddled along underneath the umbrella while Ashford takes his soaking like a man. You consider offering him some shelter with the Transistor, before realising he'd probably object to 300 kilos of solidified maths hovering above his head.

The Cell is still happy to roam around, hydroplaning all over the place like a little speedboat. You can't help but smile watching it, and Weiss cracks after a few seconds, giggling as it bobs past her, camera down, flower petals up, doing a surprisingly accurate rendition of a loose buoy.

"What is that thing, anyway?" She asks.

Of all the questions she could have asked.

|||

On the seventh floor, a raven-haired man watches from his balcony as an heiress, a computer expert, his computer, his new pet, and a slowly soaking bodyguard walk away, the sounds of excited chattering snatched away by the constant rattling drone of droplets hitting concrete.

He reaches into the breast pocket of his vest, pulling out a thin pack of even thinner cigarettes and lighting one. He takes a light drag, watching the end shift from ember-red to a bright yellow, travelling down the pencil-wide tube, leaving only ash in its wake.

Only when he exhaled, letting go a plume of smoke which was quickly consumed by the downpour, did he decide to comment, even if it was just for himself.

"Hm."

Almost unbidden, a smile pulls at his face, and he finds himself quietly laughing, focusing in on the small robot playing in the rain.
He takes a moment to finish his cigarette before he pulls out his Scroll and sends off a single message. His job fulfilled, he puts it away again and goes back to enjoying the rain once more.

|||

Once you reach the station, Reboot()ing Ashford's clothing so the poor man won't end up with pneumonia, you take the train home and decide as you walk in the door that, even if it is only 3 pm, you've earned yourself a good, long, na-

"Jaune, come through here for a moment please. We want to talk to you."

-aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh dammit you should've seen this coming.

Walking through to the living room, you see, thankfully, it's just your parents, Jools, and Jaana that are there.

"Uh, what's wrong?"

"Well, let's start with the fact that you managed to turn your brain to mush again and go from there." Your father says.

"Really? I thought we were starting with the fact that he apparently created artificial intelligence, at least twice, and didn't think to tell us." Your mother interjects.

"How about the fact that his sword broke a door in half trying to follow him?" Jools continues.

You look at Jaana, expecting her to round out the quartet of accusation.

"... No, I think they've covered everything."

Fair enough.

"Uh... I'm sorry, I'm still not sure what you're focusing on first here."

"Let's start with this morning. What happened, what is that thing, and why did making it almost kill you?" Your mother asks.

"Ah..."

What? Cat got your tongue?

[] Everything, A Very Much Not Brief History Of- doesn't matter if they don't believe you, you need to get some stuff off your chest. The Process. The Transistor.
-[] Ada. Boriah.
-[] Weiss. Ashford.

[] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.

[] Almost Nothing, It's Basically A Pamphlet At This Point- Admit that you didn't think they'd believe you, go into soppy bull about how scared it was, trapped in your head, but don't actually... explain anything. Bit manipulative, but you have your secrets to keep.

[] Fuck It, Write Your Own Book (write-in)

Adhoc vote count started by Prok on Jan 15, 2018 at 2:09 AM, finished with 2061 posts and 22 votes.

  • [X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.
    [X] Everything, A Very Much Not Brief History Of- doesn't matter if they don't believe you, you need to get some stuff off your chest. The Process. The Transistor.
    -[X] Ada. Boriah.
    -[X] Weiss. Ashford.
    [X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.
    -[X] Also Boriah. Your sister is part of the force that is following him, knowing what he might be after will help them catch the guy and/or protect Ada.
    [X] Almost Nothing, It's Basically A Pamphlet At This Point- Admit that you didn't think they'd believe you, go into soppy bull about how scared it was, trapped in your head, but don't actually... explain anything. Bit manipulative, but you have your secrets to keep.
    [X] Everything, A Very Much Not Brief History Of- doesn't matter if they don't believe you, you need to get some stuff off your chest. The Process. The Transistor.
    -[X] Ada. Boriah.
    [X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.
    -[X] Also Boriah. Your sister is part of the force that is following him, knowing what he might be after will help them catch the guy and/or protect Ada.
    -[X] Leave out the eventual ramifications of Cell. When it comes to what is essentially world conquest, infosec is the name of the game. Semblances are bullshit.
    [X] Everything, A Very Much Not Brief History Of- doesn't matter if they don't believe you, you need to get some stuff off your chest. The Process. The Transistor.
 
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[X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.
 
[X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.

I'm fine with telling them everything about the transistor, but not about the man we plan to kill, or the 200,000 we nearly accepted for the low price of someone's privacy forever compromised.
 
[X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.
 
[X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress'sbodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.

Everything feels like a bit much. I'm okay with some of it now and potentially easing them through it later.
 
[X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.
-[X] Also Boriah. Your sister is part of the force that is following him, knowing what he might be after will help them catch the guy and/or protect Ada.
 
[X] Everything, A Very Much Not Brief History Of- doesn't matter if they don't believe you, you need to get some stuff off your chest. The Process. The Transistor.
-[X] Ada. Boriah.
-[X] Weiss. Ashford.


I appreciate the value of information control, but there's a time an a place for everything and this is our family. Jaune isn't from a messed up home where people throw him under the bus. He's got seven siblings and two parents who love him and support him, and he needs their support, especially if his life keeps getting weirder. Keep secrets from everyone else? Yes. Ask them to not talk about Ada's baggage in public? Definitely. But our family? They don't get put in danger for knowing this stuff, and we don't gain anything from hiding it. Even if they try to forbid us from going after Lee, we're leaving for Beacon soon and they can't house-arrest us there.
 
[X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.
 
[X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.
 
[X] Everything, A Very Much Not Brief History Of- doesn't matter if they don't believe you, you need to get some stuff off your chest. The Process. The Transistor.
-[X] Ada. Boriah.
-[X] Weiss. Ashford.
 
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Alright then. You open the contacts on her Scroll mentally, and add your number under 'Cute Computer Boy' before changing your mind at the last second and going with 'Jaune Arc.'

Because despite everything, you're just a bit too much of a coward to unironically try and pull that off.
B-But waiiiii

I needed this so badly in my life ;_;
... Well, your normal rate's 500 lien, but...

{Jaune. No jacking your prices up for the 1%.}
What??!?

That is exactly the sort of people you do it to.
*grumbles about science with morals*

naturallyhydrophobic
OhsnapJaunegetthatbab-

Oh wait, you meant the scientific definition.

Carry on then, go and be adorable.
I was leaving anyway, so... I suppose I can let you share mine for a while.
X3

The tsundere...it hurts so good!

You get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir!
Okay Willy Wonka :V

[X] Not Everything, A Much Briefer History Of- don't talk about everything it can do- fess up to making AI, yes, but maybe keep the whole... you know, 'almost shot an heiress's bodyguard in the face' thing a secret. Among other things.
 
[X] Everything, A Very Much Not Brief History Of- doesn't matter if they don't believe you, you need to get some stuff off your chest. The Process. The Transistor.
-[X] Ada. Boriah.
-[X] Weiss. Ashford.
 
I'm not sure how much of it is "A Thing In-Universe" vs. RWBY's runtime causing structural problems, but people don't seem to talk about Semblances. Pyrrha volunteered hers, but everyone else holds it back or leaves people to extrapolate. IIRC Jaune didn't know what Ren's did until v4, which is... what, a year into them being a team?

Actually, @Prok, was Jaune aware that his Semblance is Calculation, precisely, prior to manifesting the Process? Because him thinking the Transistor was part of his Semblance rather than a separate creation of it is an entirely logical deduction to my thinking.

-[X] Also Boriah. Your sister is part of the force that is following him, knowing what he might be after will help them catch the guy and/or protect Ada.
Jaune doesn't know that. Also saying a word about Boriah... will probably pull Ada in to Vale's witness protection program and could get her therapy? Huh. Huh.
 
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