Volume 1 Episode 8: Forever Fall

Team JNPR except Jaune are in their room. Nora is jumping on bed, Ren is loading StormFlower and Pyrrha is looking out the window.

Nora: Why isn't Jaune here? We should be getting ready for our field trip tomorrow.

Ren: He must be with Cardin.

Pyrrha: I hope he knows what he's doing.

Nora: I hope so. Anyway, we should rest for now.

Nora lies on bed, Pyrrha looks worried.

Jaune is eavesdropping his teammates through the door, when they finish talking he sighs. Jaune turns and notices Ruby leaving her room.

Jaune: You!

Ruby tries to run away but Jaune grabs her hand.

Jaune: Don't be afraid Ruby, I'm not going to do anything bad to you.

Ruby: Really?

Jaune: Yes. I just want to talk with you.

Jaune and Ruby sit against the wall next to Team JNPR's room door.

Jaune: You know? When I talked with you for the first time, when I didn't know you were Ruby Rose, I thought you were a funny and nice person.

Ruby: I thought the same about you.

Jaune: What I'm trying to say is that we could be friends when nobody else is around. As long as no one sees us together and you pretend that you are not Ruby Rose, we could be friends.

Ruby: What?

Jaune: You know, everybody hates you so it would be bad for me if people see me with you. Since no one loves you I think you may be quite desperate to have a friend. What do you say? Think about it as a favor I'm doing to you.

Ruby: What you just said is completely disgusting. Even though Weiss hates me, she defends me and stands up for what she thinks is right. You claim to like me but you are asking me to pretend to be someone I'm not, you are just a coward Jaune.

Jaune: I'm not!

Ruby: Yes you are! If you weren't a coward you would stand up against Cardin.

Jaune: Why would I do that?

Ruby: He bullies you!

Jaune: No one bullies me!

Ruby slaps Jaune and stands up.

Ruby: I'm not going to be your friend Jaune. No matter how alone I am, I can't just be friends with someone who always runs away from his problems or denies them for selfish reasons. If you really wanted to be my friend you would do it without caring about what others would say.

Ruby leaves. Jaune looks down and starts caressing his cheek.

Jaune: (To himself) I'm not selfish.

Jaune receives a call to his scroll, it's Cardin.

Cardin: Hey Jaune, bro. How do you do? I know you're busy with my Dust project but I need to ask you a favor. I came up with an idea for an hilarious prank and I need you to get me a box full of Rapier Wasps with really huge stingers. You don't have to give it to me, just take it with you tomorrow for the field trip.

Jaune: Sure.

The call ends.

Glynda is leading the students through a forest full of trees with red leaves that are constantly falling.

Glynda: The forest of Forever Fall is one of the most beautiful places in all of Vale, but it's also full of grimm creatures. Professor Peach wants you to collect red sap samples from this forest and I'm here to make sure no one of you die while doing it. Stay by your teammates and come back here by four o'clock.

Cardin grabs Jaune by the shoulder. Jaune goes with Team CRDL while Pyrrha, Ren and Nora go with Team RWBY.

Team CRDL are sitting under a tree when Jaune comes with six jars filled with red sap.

Cardin: (Pointing at Jaune) Hey, look! We are five people but he brought six jars of sap! He doesn't know how to count!

Team CRDL start laughing at Jaune.

Dove: (Laughing) What an idiot.

Jaune: (Annoyed) Come one guys, you asked me to bring six jars of sap instead of five.

Team CRDL stop laughing.

Cardin: Right. Now follow us and we'll teach you what we are going to do with the sap and the Rapier Wasps.

Jaune follows Team CRDL somewhere else.

Team CRDL and Jaune are on the top of a hill observing at Team RWBY, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora while they collect red sap samples.

Cardin: There's our victim.

Cardin points at Pyrrha.

Jaune: Pyrrha.

Cardin: Indeed.

Cardin gives Jaune a sap jar, the Rapier Wasps box and a Ruby mask.

Cardin: Now you are going to get in front of Pyrrha while wearing that mask, throw the sap at her and open the box. Since you'll be wearing the mask Pyrrha will think that Ruby attacked her, so she will report Ruby to Glynda. We laugh at Pyrrha and Ruby gets expelled. We kill two birds with one stone.

Jaune picks up the Ruby mask and starts looking at it.

Ruby: (In Jaune's head) If you weren't a coward you would stand up against Cardin.

Cardin: What are you waiting for?

Ruby: (In Jaune's head) He bullies you!

Cardin: Just do it.

Jaune stares into the hollow eyes of the Ruby mask for a moment, then he looks at Cardin.

Jaune: No.

Cardin: What?

Jaune: No!

Jaune throws the Ruby mask at Cardin's face.

Cardin: Oh, you've done it now…

Team CRDL take Jaune somewhere deeper into the forest.

Team CRDL are beating Jaune.

Cardin: You are going to repent Jaune. When I report you to Glynda you'll be sent back home... In a coffin.

Jaune: Do whatever you want with me but I won't let you mess with my team.

Cardin: Do you think you're brave? Do you think you're a big strong boy for talking like that? Let's see how much of a man you really are.

Sky and Dove bend Jaune. Cardin takes down his pants and starts smiling while caressing Jaune's butt when suddenly an Ursa comes from between the trees.

Russel: That's a big Ursa!

Russel, Sky and Dove run away. Cardin tries to run with them but slips and falls to the ground. The Ursa starts attacking Cardin.

Yang and Blake are forcing Ruby to snort red sap while Weiss isn't looking at them. Ren, Pyrrha and Nora are collecting red sap, they see Russel, Sky and Dove running.

Russel: Ursa! Ursa! It's got Cardin!

Pyrrha drops her sap jar.

Pyrrha: Jaune!

Pyrrha runs in the same direction the boys came from. Weiss turns and sees what Blake and Yang are doing, she starts waving Myrtenaster to scare them away from Ruby.

Weiss: (Waving her weapon) Get away from her!

Yang and Blake run away from Weiss.

Ruby: Thank you Weiss.

Weiss: It was nothing. Let's follow Pyrrha, she might need our help.

Ruby: Yes.

Ruby and Weiss follow Pyrrha, Ren and Nora keep collecting red sap.

Pyrrha, Ruby and Weiss hide in the bushes and start observing Jaune. Jaune is fighting an Ursa to protect Cardin. The Ursa throws Jaune away and charges against him, Jaune charges against the Ursa too. Before they collide, Pyrrha uses her polarity to move Jaune's shield into the right position. After blocking the Ursa's attack Jaune beheads it with a single swing of his sword. Cardin gets in all fours.

Cardin: I was wrong about you Jaune, you're a great guy. You can take me as a reward if you want.

Jaune: The only reward I'll take from you is knowing that you won't mess with me or my team ever again.

Jaune leaves.

Jaune is on the roof at night, Pyrrha comes in.

Pyrrha: Why did you want me to come here?

Jaune: I called you here to tell you that I'm sorry for being a selfish idiot. I was a coward and an asshole. Will you forgive me and help me become stronger?

Pyrrha hugs Jaune.

Pyrrha: Of course I forgive you, and of course I'll help you train.

Pyrrha suddenly does an spinning hook kick, Jaune barely dodges it.

Jaune: What was that?

Pyrrha: Lesson one, always stay alert.

Pyrrha and Jaune start training.

Jaune, Ren and Nora are sitting around a campfire, in front of them there's a black-haired adult wearing a red cape.

Qrow: (Finishing a story) And that's why we have to protect the relics. Any question?

Jaune: Why didn't you protect Ruby?

Qrow: I tried to, I just didn't make it in time to save her.

Jaune: You could have saved her if you travelled with us.

Qrow: I had my own reasons to stay away from you.

Jaune: I see. You used Ruby as bait. You must have someone following that scorpion faunus wherever he takes Ruby.

Qrow: Don't say that! I would never do something like that to my niece.

Jaune: Of course you would, you don't care about her life, just like you didn't care about Pyrrha.

Qrow: She chose her fate.

Jaune: No, you forced her to become your fall maiden, it's your fault she's dead.

Nora: Jaune…

Qrow: Listen here kiddo, she chose to become the fall maiden, she chose to climb on Beacon's tower and she chose to fight Cinder. She's the only one responsible for her own destiny.

Jaune loses control and tries to punch Qrow in the face. Ren stops Jaune.

Ren: Don't waste your energy fighting each other, we have things to do.

Nora: Ren is right. The time you spend arguing is time we don't spend looking for Ruby.

Jaune sits again.

Jaune: You are right. We'll go to sleep for now and tomorrow we'll go back to Oniyuri to look for clues about where did the scorpion faunus take Ruby.

They all go to sleep. The scene fades to black.