RWBY: LUCID

Jaune showered quickly, letting the hot water pound over his skin while he tried to scrub off the remnants of sleep and dread. It surprisingly helped, quite a bit. His muscles were still loose from sleep, but to him, they felt tight from anxiety. 

Downstairs, breakfast was already waiting. His dad had made eggs, toast, and some slightly overcooked sausages. His father didn't have to leave extra early today, so he was still at home. However, Jaune felt that he liked taking the train, so he declined the invite for his dad to send him to school. They ate in relative silence, the clinking of forks and the low hum of a morning news report filling the gaps. Jaune tried to act normal. Tried to smile, nod and respond when prompted.

He wasn't sure if he pulled it off well because his mind was still racing with thoughts of the Nightmare.

Since he was already dressed, he waved goodbye, and grabbed his bag, leaving the house with it slung just under his arm. The morning air felt brisk and the sun was just starting to climb over the horizon.

It was normal and peaceful.

Real.

Jaune felt odd just looking at the surroundings. Seemingly minutes ago he had run through a dilapidated area, almost exactly the same as this, with creatures chasing him.

The fights were still circling his mind. 

The dream. The Beowolves. The system. The rules.

He'd almost died. Twice now, even. Which meant that if he wanted to survive another night, he needed a plan.

'No, he corrected. I need more than that. I need a checklist.'

His boots tapped lightly on the pavement as the tracks and station came into view. He mentally began to build his list, step by step:

Jaune's Pre-Night Checklist:

Shoes. Jaune needed something with grip because running barefoot sucked and it was starting hurt his feet.

Padded clothing. Elbow and knee protection. Something to reduce the scrapes and bruises so he would be able to fight without small injuries affecting his movements an concentration.

Food & water? He was uncertain whether edible items would be able to be brought within the dream. It was worth testing.

Weapon backup. The bat worked, but what if it broke? Jaune need something else, just in case.

Flashlight. That world was dark, and although the red moon provided light, it didn't help too much. If a flashlight worked in there, it could probably give Jaune an edge.

Notebook. He needed to start recording everything. Creature types, patterns, system quirks and everything else in-between. Jaune couldn't simply trust memory alone.

Rune plan. Jaune needed to figure out a system for stat investment. He was more inclined to focus on Body for now, but he needed to track returns and see if continuous investment in the stat would give diminishing returns.

Sleep timing. Jaune would also need to attempt to predict when the transition happened. Around midnight? Earlier? He wasn't certain. Perhaps sleep stages were the key. Another thing to consider was whether he could only access the dream at night or if it worked any time of day, as long as he was asleep.

Exit protocol. Three things that Jaune needed to remember. Know when to run, don't try to be a hero and always keep at least 1 Rune for an emergency escape.

He stared down at the tracks, brows furrowed. The list felt like a lifeline. A safety rope thrown down into the unknown. Something he could control. Because right now, that was the only power he had.

A sigh left his mouth.

"God, I don't know whether to be anxious or excited." he muttered.

But deep down… he knew exactly what feeling he was experiencing. He just didn't want to admit it.

The bullet train let out a sharp hiss as it pulled into the station. Jaune stepped aboard, choosing a seat near the middle. The train lurched forward smoothly as it always did, fast, quiet and almost clinical. The city outside blurred into streaks of and grey white.

Two stops later, the sliding doors opened with a soft ding—and in bounded Nora, looking for something.

For him, probably.

"Jauney!" she greeted cheerily, practically skipping down the aisle before plopping into the seat across from him. Her hair bounced with every step. "You're alive! Not that I thought you wouldn't be alive, but you know, you sometimes give off those 'I might die in an alleyway by getting hunted by monsters' vibes."

Jaune blinked. "That… feels oddly specific." 

Weirdly specific actually, because a scenario that mimicked that, had practically happened to him just yesterday night, his dreams. Minus the alley part, of course.

Was Nora psychic?

Ren followed close behind, looking half-conscious. He flopped into the seat beside her, let out a small sigh, and closed his eyes like the sun offended him.

"Didn't sleep much?" Jaune asked.

Ren offered a vague grunt that could've meant anything from 'yes' to 'please let me rest in peace.'

Nora leaned in closer. "He's not a morning person. I made the mistake of waking him up by jumping on his back. We are most definitely repeating that experience. It was fun."

She whispered that last part.

Jaune chuckled. "Noted."

"So!" she said, tapping her fingers on the window. "Did you get a good night's sleep, this time? No nightmares like how you mentioned before?"

There was a slight pause and Jaune gave her a tight smile. "Yeah. You could say I... ran some things off."

"Like a workout?" Nora's eyes widened. "Was it a midnight workout? Oh! Did you try the push-up-pull-up-sprint circuit I told you about?"

Jaune coughed. "Not... exactly."

Ren cracked an eye open at that but didn't say anything. Just watched Jaune a moment before leaning back again, face unreadable.

They rode in silence for a few more stops, the countryside giving way to city edges. Jaune let his eyes drift across the window, thoughts already drifting toward the checklist he'd mentally written. Towards the night that was inevitably waiting for him.

At the seventh stop, the soft automated voice called out, "Beacon Station." The three stood and disembarked.

The morning sun seemed brighter here. Warmth washed over the tiled walkways as the wind carried the scent of grass and morning dew. Beacon stood proud in the distance—towers gleaming, flags rippling.

Waiting at the school gates, as if by instinct or habit, were Ruby and Yang.

Ruby lit up the moment she saw them. "Hey, Jaune!" she called, waving with a smile that could pierce any bad morning.

Yang gave her usual confident grin and tossed a wave of her own. "Took you long enough, slowpokes."

"Blame Ren," Nora said instantly.

Ren, now walking at a slow but deliberate pace, gave a sigh of patient tolerance. Jaune, for his part, smiled faintly as he approached them. 

They fell into step as a group, heading up the walkway toward the main building. The campus had the usual buzz of students chatting, yawning, and trying to look more awake than they felt.

"So, this all-day sports thing," Jaune said, looking over at Ruby, "is that as weird as it sounds, or am I just not used to the whole Beacon schedule yet?"

"Oh, it's weird," Ruby said immediately. "Fridays are kind of a mess. But its suuper fun. You'll see"

"Technically it's called 'Active Development Hours,'" Yang added with air quotes. "It's rotated for Years 1-3. So second years have it on Thursdays and Third years have it on Wednesday, I think.... Or is it the other way round?"

Yang shrugged.

"Awesome," Jaune flatly jibed.

"You get used to it," Ruby shrugged. "They want everyone doing something physical before the weekend. Our class together pretty much involves all of the first years."

Jaune tilted his head. "So it's like gym class, but all day?"

"More like free-range gym class," Yang said. "Less rules but more chance to get a volleyball to the face. Well, that and we have to sign up for what activity we feel like doing for the day."

"I love volleyball," Nora said immediately. "The ball might always hit me in the forehead. But I hit back harder!"

Nora flexed her bicep and Jaune was secretly surprised at its size. He figured that she worked out more than a normal teen. She looked quite fit.

Ren nodded solemnly. "That she does."

Jaune chuckled under his breath. "Okay. So avoid volleyball. Especially if Nora's playing. Got it."

"Smart man," Yang said, giving him a finger-gun.

They reached the courtyard and slowed near the benches. The bell hadn't rung yet, so the group loitered like half the other students—some sitting on the low brick wall, others sprawled out across the benches or grass.

"You brought beacon's gym uniform, Jaune?"

"Yep. Packed it yesterday night when you texted me about it."

"Good." Ruby smiled, cutely.

The sun was still low, casting long shadows. A couple of kids were tossing a football in the distance and Jaune could faintly hear someone's phone playing lo-fi beats.

Jaune tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and rocked back on his heels. In the back of his mind, the checklist was still there. Gear to prep and several supplies to scrounge. Tonight wasn't going to be peaceful—not in the dream, at least.

Ruby looked over at him. "You good?"

"Yeah," he said, blinking back to the present. "Just thinking about how much running I'll be doing later."

Nora grinned. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's a bad thing when I forget to bring a water bottle," he muttered.

Yang snorted. "Better hydrate now, new guy. It's gonna be a long Friday."