The Cabin Club
Lie Ren had grown used to Jaune Arc’s strange behavior.
It had started after the Vytal Festival and when he returned from the year break. The change wasn’t immediate, but little things added up. Jaune’s sudden bursts of competence, his weird mix of serious and foolish behavior, and his occasional tendency to vanish without a trace.
Like today.
Jaune had missed breakfast. He had missed training. He had even missed Nora’s attempt to recruit people into her “Science Experiment But Don’t Ask Questions“ project.
Which meant Ren had to track him down.
So, of course, he followed the most logical lead:
The Emerald Forest.
Where he found—
A clearing.
A clearing that had not existed before.
And in the middle of that clearing?
Jaune Arc.
Building a damn cottage.
Ren stared.
Jaune, hammer in hand, didn’t notice him at first. He was completely focused, tapping a plank into place with an expression of deep concentration. He had already set up part of the foundation, and a framework for the walls was in place.
Ren blinked slowly.
Jaune stepped back, inspecting his work, and nodded like a man who knew what he was doing. “Looking good.“
Ren crossed his arms. “Jaune.“
Jaune jumped violently, nearly smashing his thumb with the hammer. “HOLY—Ren?!“
“Yes.“
“How long have you been standing there?“
“Long enough to question everything I know about you.“
Jaune coughed awkwardly. “Uh… I can explain?“
Ren narrowed his eyes. “I would very much like you to do that.“
Jaune wiped his hands on his pants, set the hammer down, and immediately started talking nonsense. “So, y’know… secret training.“
Ren sighed deeply. “Jaune.“
“The sands of Vacuo really change a man,“ Jaune continued dramatically. “The wind, the dust, the endless horizon—“
“Stop.“
Jaune shrugged. “You asked.“
Ren rubbed his temples. “Why are you building a house?“
Jaune blinked. “Why not?“
Ren inhaled slowly. “You do realize this is not allowed, correct?“
Jaune waved him off. “Pshhh. Is it not allowed? Or is it… highly discouraged?“
“Jaune.“
“Besides,” Jaune grinned, picking up a wooden beam, “no one’s caught me yet.“
Ren sighed again. “I caught you.“
Jaune winked. “Yeah, but you’re cool.“
Ren ignored that and pointed at the mostly-finished foundation. “How… did you even do this?“
Jaune hummed. “Well, first, you need wood—“
“I know how to build things, Jaune.“
“Oh! Then help me with the furniture!“
Ren stared at him. “What.“
Jaune gestured broadly at the clearing. “C’mon! Can’t have a cottage without good furniture!“
Ren sighed. “Jaune, I came here to bring you back to Beacon.“
Jaune nodded. “And now you’re here to build chairs. Besides, I heard Nora’s doing a science project… you really want to be involved in that?“
Ren opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Then looked at the mess Jaune had already built.
Then somehow found himself helping.
He had a good point, as expected of his leader.
Ren did not know how or why, but he was carving a table now.
Jaune had roped him in effortlessly, somehow convincing him that, “If you’re already here, you might as well be productive!“
And Ren, against his better judgment, had gone along with it.
To his surprise—
He was good at this.
His hands moved on instinct, shaping the wood with careful precision. He traced smooth patterns into the surface, aligning everything with an almost meditative focus.
Jaune, meanwhile, was cheerfully working on a chair, humming to himself.
“You’re suspiciously good at this,“ Ren muttered.
Jaune grinned. “Yup!“
Ren paused. “Why.“
“Made a village once,“ Jaune said far too casually.
Ren blinked. “What.“
Jaune nodded, still working. “Y’know. Helped rebuild after… uh, some stuff happened. Lots of carpentry involved.“
Ren stared at him. “I… am not going to question that.“
“Great!“
And so they continued.
Neither of them spoke for a while, too focused on their work. The sound of chiseling, hammering, and quiet concentration filled the clearing.
At some point, Ren forgot why he had come in the first place.
Because there was something genuinely peaceful about this.
Building something with his own hands.
No chaos. No fighting. Just simple work.
Jaune, apparently, felt the same way.
Because, at some point, he sighed happily and said, “Man. I kinda love this.“
Ren gave him a sideways glance. “You love… building furniture.“
“Yeah.“ Jaune smirked. “What, you don’t?“
Ren looked down at his own work.
He had carved an elegant pattern into the wood.
He sighed. “I will neither confirm nor deny.“
Jaune grinned. “Knew it.“
Time… kind of stopped making sense.
Days passed and they just kept working.
Jaune built another chair. Ren perfected the table.
They shaped, smoothed, and carved everything with an effortless rhythm.
It wasn’t until the sun started setting that Ren finally snapped out of it.
He blinked at the finished furniture. “…How long have we been doing this?“
Jaune hummed. “Dunno. A while?“
“We missed lunch.“
Jaune shrugged. “Eh, we were productive.“
Ren massaged his temples. “Jaune. We were supposed to be at Beacon HOURS ago.”
Jaune tilted his head. “Technically, we are in Beacon Beacon.“
Ren sighed. “You’re ridiculous.“
“And yet,“ Jaune gestured to their perfectly built furniture, “look at this craftsmanship.“
Ren stared.
Then sighed again.
“…We are not telling Nora about this.“
Jaune laughed. “Oh no. Absolutely not.“
Ren shook his head, standing up. “Fine. Let’s go before someone comes looking for us.“
Jaune stretched. “Yeah, yeah. But next time, we’re making a bed frame.“
Ren froze mid-step. “Next time?“
Jaune grinned. “We’re too good at this to stop now.“
Ren nodded his head.
And somehow, despite himself…
He didn’t hate the idea at all.
Lie Ren had no idea how this happened.
It started innocently enough—a small, secluded cabin in the Emerald Forest, originally built because Jaune Arc apparently had mysterious carpenter skills and an uncontrollable urge to create a home in the middle of nowhere.
Then, somehow—somehow—
It became a sanctuary of students.
Mostly boys.
At first, the cabin was just a quiet retreat.
Ren and Jaune would show up, do maintenance, occasionally add another chair, and just exist away from the usual Beacon chaos.
Then Sun and the few exchange students found out.
And then the second-years.
Now it was a full-blown underground hideout.
People just started showing up.
Some of them brought snacks. Others brought alcohol—which was absolutely not allowed, but since Glynda Goodwitch wasn’t physically present to enforce rules, nobody cared.
At some point, the cabin became a trading hub for contraband—
Mostly lewd things.
“I don’t even know where they get this stuff,” Jaune muttered one evening, watching as Cardin discreetly traded an issue of ‘Huntresses of Vacuo: Special Edition’ for a rare Atlesian magazine.
Ren, completely unbothered, sipped his tea. “I don’t care enough to ask.”
Jaune and Cardin somewhat made peace as of late... though Ren was sure that Lien was involved when they made peace.
The cabin should not have become this.
And yet.
It absolutely did.
Then—of course—
Someone suggested fighting.
Not sparring.
Not training.
Straight-up, no-Aura, bare-knuckle fights.
For money. For fun.
“This is a terrible idea,“ Ren had said.
Jaune, sitting cross-legged and counting a stack of Lien, nodded. “Yup.“
Then the first fight started.
And it never stopped.
At least twice a week, people would throw down in the clearing behind the cabin. No weapons. No Semblances. Just pure fists and the promise of easy cash.
Jaune became the designated healer—patching people up so they wouldn’t get caught.
“Alright, you’re good,” Jaune muttered, healing Sky’s busted lip.
Sky groaned. “Thanks, man.“
“No problem. That’ll be ten Lien.“
Sky scowled. “You charge for this?!“
Jaune smirked. “Of course I do. You think healing is free?“
Ren, meanwhile, was actively participating.
And he was winning.
“Alright, next fight!” Sun called. “Dove vs. Ren!“
Dove, cocky as ever, cracked his knuckles. “Alright, bring it, man. Let’s see what you—”
Ren parried his first punch effortlessly.
Then immediately struck him in the head.
Dove dropped like a sack of potatoes.
Silence.
Sun whistled. “Holy shit.“
Jaune sipped his tea. “That’ll be twenty Lien.“
The second-years were having too much fun with this place.
At any given moment, the cabin was being used for something.
Every now and then, Ren wondered if they had gone too far.
Then he would take a sip of tea, watch as Jaune healed a knocked-out fighter while counting his earnings, and decide—
No.
They were doing great.