Somewhat lengthy note at the bottom, but the chapter itself is the same length as ever. Nothing bad discussed and no issues, just answering points from reviews of last week.
Chapter 14
"So, you're a terrorist."
"Ex-terrorist," Blake corrected.
Did that actually mean anything? He wasn't sure. There was a part of him that wanted to point out that a criminal didn't stop being a criminal because they'd had a change of heart, but there was another part of time that didn't want to believe the girl he'd come to see as a friend could be some kind of racial supremacist. There was also another part of him that pointed out challenging a deadly ex-terrorist huntress in his own apartment with a dislocated shoulder also wasn't a good idea, but he mostly ignored that one.
If Blake wanted him dead she wouldn't have knocked on his door, drunk his coffee and dripped water all over his carpet. He hoped not, anyway. That would be pretty damn rude. Oh yeah, and she was apparently a faunus. That explained the bow.
Ugh, my head's not working straight. He glowered at the clock on the counter, whose decimal digits burned red light into his retinas. It was almost one in the morning. One in the morning on what would be a work day ahead of him, though thankfully a Tuesday – one of the least busy of the week. Still, Velvet would be coming over in five hours and he still wasn't in bed and he still had a terrorist – sorry, ex-terrorist – on his couch.
He'd also discovered that he got quite snarky when he didn't have much sleep. Who knew?
"I'm sorry for intruding like this, Jaune. I… I would have gone elsewhere if I could, or even slept outside. But the rain…"
"It's fine. You shouldn't be trapped out in this if you can help it. You can have my bed."
"No. I'll take the couch."
"If you're sure…"
"I am," Blake said, and he breathed a sigh of relief, not quite willing to admit that he really did want to sleep in his own bed.
"Alright. You get some sleep and I'll do the same. We can figure this out in the morni-" A hand caught his sleeve before he could stand. "Uh, Blake? Something wrong?"
"You can't tell my team."
And there was the real problem. Jaune sighed and sat back down. Blake's eyes didn't meet his but it wasn't hard to see how stubborn she was going to be. Talk about being difficult, he thought. How nice things had been when his greatest worry was tying his shoelaces one-handed.
"What can't I tell them?"
"Anything," she said. "Where I am. What I've told you. That you've even seen me."
"They're going to be worried," he pointed out.
"They won't be."
"And if they are?"
"They won't be."
It wasn't hard to see the argument coming. He sighed and leaned back, wondering how his mom might have navigated this if it were one of his sisters' legendary arguments. Those tended to run hot and cold all the time. Juniper worked with a mixture of stick and carrot in most cases, teasing apart arguments until they didn't make any sense or bodily throwing people together if they were being stupid about it. The latter wasn't exactly an option with Blake.
"Look, whatever argument you've had with your teammates I'm sure it'll work out. You can't tell me Ruby is going to keep a grudge. I'm not even sure she knows what one is."
"This is different… and it's not Ruby I'm worried about. Weiss is from the Schnee family, and our – the White Fang's – interactions with them haven't exactly been friendly."
"I'm sure Weiss won't hold a grudge, Blake."
"Very unfriendly…"
"She-"
"Kidnap, ransom, and murder unfriendly."
"Oh…" Jaune's mouth clicked shut, the easy words he'd been about to utter swallowed by the sudden chill in the room. He was yet again reminded of just how out of the way Ansel was, and just how out of touch he was with the Kingdoms and everything going on in it. He hadn't even recognised Weiss' surname until it was explained to him, let alone known how they interacted with the White Fang – who he only nominally knew as a terrorist group. Jaune winced and tracked his eyes slowly up to Blake's. "Did you…?"
Her eyes flashed angrily. "No, of course not!"
"I'm sorry!"
"How could-!? I…" The girl growled and looked away. "I shouldn't be angry at you. You're not the one to blame for this. The White Fang has done some terrible things but I wasn't involved in any of that, and I wouldn't have accepted it if I was. We… there are factions. We all want peace and equality, but some people were just… a little more willing to throw certain things away."
"Like morality?"
"Like morality," she agreed, "or innocent lives. You won't be in any danger," she quickly added. "No one knows I'm here in Vale, and it's only my team and yourself that know the truth about me."
He hadn't even thought of that, which was a little mortifying. Gods, he'd thought it was bad having friends in the local mafia. This was insane. "What's going to happen with your team, then?" he asked. "You can't ignore them forever. Wait, you're not actually leaving them are you?"
"No, no, no." Blake waved her hands before he could leap for his scroll. "Jaune, please, just listen to me. I don't intend to leave my team, or to leave Beacon. I… I said some things to Weiss and the others and I need to prove them true. I need to prove that the White Fang aren't evil like they think they are."
"Didn't you just say they don't care about innocent lives?"
"Not purely evil," she amended, flushing a little. "A lot of the White Fang is just misguided or desperate."
"But still killing innocent people, right?"
"Will you stop focusing on that?"
"I don't know. It feels like something that should be focused on. How are you going to prove they're not, anyway?"
"I need to catch them in a crime."
Jaune waited for the rest, but it was clear after five or so seconds that she was done. "Wouldn't that prove they are still evil?" he asked.
"Only if they actually do it. I'm sure they won't."
"Then how will you prove it to your team? If you have to find a case where the White Fang don't do something, then you'll never have any proof." Jaune scratched his head as he tried to find a way around the argument. Maybe he was just being dumb but it really didn't make any sense. "You're basically saying you'll look for places where they aren't, and then use that as proof that they're not criminals. That's like, impossible to prove."
"I'm not an idiot, Jaune," Blake said, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to find the people who are committing the dust robberies and prove that they're responsible, not the White Fang."
Oh, right. That made sense. "You think they're being framed, then."
"I hope… no, I'm sure they are. I'll prove it myself. I just need to stay here for one, maybe two, nights. I'll stay out of your way and not cause any problems. I'll be out during the night in most cases anyway, so you won't even see me. Just please, please, don't tell my team. I can't face them like this."
She was so desperate that his mind was made up before she'd even asked – and he knew that was a failing of his. I should tell Ruby and the others. It would be better that way. But better wasn't always what he was known for, and Blake looked so miserable. Damn it, man. Have some balls. Do the right thing for once.
"You realise this isn't fair on them," he said. "They'll be worried about you, and you're just going to leave them in the lurch while you investigate the White Fang."
Blake's head dipped. "I know. But… if I face them now it will only lead to another argument. I can't accept that the White Fang might be behind this, and Weiss won't accept that they're not. One of us is wrong but there won't be any peace until we know who."
"And if it's you that's wrong?"
"Then I'll beg for forgiveness on hands and knees."
/-/
The morning passed by in a blur. Velvet arrived, did her work, commented on how he looked terrible, and basically sent him back to get an extra hour's sleep since she knew how to get the café ready on her own by now. Blake was already gone by the time he trudged back upstairs, but she'd left the couch warm so he collapsed on that and caught some extra sleep. By the time Velvet woke him up an hour and a bit later, it was time to work.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Velvet asked.
"It's not like anything can be done if I'm not. You have your lessons and Russel isn't working today. Even if he was, he'd be in lessons by now." He yawned, and then looked down as Velvet hadn't moved. "I'll be fine, Velvet. Thanks for asking – and thanks for letting me get some more sleep."
In the end he'd had to practically shoo her out the door. It was weird to have people looking out for him again, and he'd almost forgotten what it was like. Sapphire or Sable had always been the ones to drag him out of bed, though if he ignored them they'd send in Jade and Hazel to be less gentle. Velvet was much better, even if he felt he probably shouldn't be sleeping on the job in front of his employee. Ah well, too late to do anything about it.
The morning rush came in as expected and the work helped stir some life into him – that and the coffee. He bustled about serving drinks and cakes, chatting with regulars and handing out change. The familiarity of it all helped to keep him awake, and he caught his second wind sometime around the lunch hour, the exhaustion fading altogether.
"At least I've got tomorrow off," he yawned. "I think I'm due a long sleep in after all of this."
"Now he's talking to himself," a familiar voice stage-whispered.
"I knew it, Melanie. He's lost his mind."
"Alas. I almost loved him."
"You'll get over it."
"Already have. Fish in the sea and all that."
Melanie and Miltia Malachite stood before him, the latter with her arms crossed and the former with both on her hips. Both smiled like the cat that had caught the canary.
"Nice you see you, too," he groaned.
"Aw, you look tired," Melanie cooed.
"Maybe he spent too long thinking of us last night, probably while beating one-"
"Not in my café, thank you," he interrupted, eyes wide and cheeks a bright red. "I wasn't doing that. I was just busy last night with something."
"Something, he says," Miltia giggled.
"Oh, I bet he was busy with something."
"Not someone, though."
"Nope. He's still innocent. I can tell."
"Did you two come over for a reason?" Jaune asked, trying to catch their attention before they could leap even further into the realm of teasing him. "You already sent Bill over for the morning order and it's too early for you to have run dry already."
"You'd be surprised. For a guy who works behind a bar, Junior sure has taken a liking to drinks ordered from someone else." Melanie and Miltia shared a quick look and a giggle. "But no, we didn't come here for more, not that we won't accept a slice of cake if it's on offer."
"It is," he said. "The offer is fifteen lien."
"Boo."
"I'm running a business."
"No wonder you're still a virgin."
"What does-?" He sighed. "No, I'm not going that way. What did you two come over for? I'm having something of a bad day, so can we not jump around confusing me even further?"
Melanie's smile fell. "You've heard the news, then?"
"News? What news?"
"Wait, you haven't heard?"
"I'm not sure what I have or haven't heard since the two of you aren't making any sense. Words," he begged. "Give them to me. Full sentences, please."
The twins exchanged another look between them, but this one wasn't teasing, nor was it amused. Miltia shook her head and that left Melanie to speak. "If you haven't heard then I've got a feeling your day's about to get even worse. Café Prime is opening a new diner."
"Why's that relevant to me?" he asked.
"It's on the end of Walker Street."
It took half a second for the name to click. "This is Walker Street," he said, sighing. "How close?"
"Not five doors down. They bought out the lease this morning. It won't be announced for a few days, but we have contacts." Melanie shrugged one shoulder. "We thought you deserved to know, even if it is, y'know, bad news and all."
Bad news, indeed. Jaune ran a hand through his hair, already feeling the pounding of a headache approaching. Walker Street wasn't exactly a main thoroughfare and certainly not a good spot for such a major brand. Then again, their intentions were hardly subtle.
"I suppose I should be thankful they didn't set up directly across the street."
"If you want we can delay them," Miltia offered. "They need to renovate the place and there are plenty of things that could go wrong. Missing materials, late deliveries, vandalism. I mean, this is a rough area. There's no telling what kinds of hooligans might come by." Her smile made it clear she had an idea.
He honestly considered it. Hopefully that was just a sign of how tired he was, and not that he was becoming as bad as them.
"No, leave them. I need to beat them at their own game. I can do it. I'm sure of it."
"Hmm, you're not half-bad when you're defiant," Miltia crooned.
"Well, except for the bags under the eyes."
"Yeah, except for those."
Ugh, did they always have to stick a needle into him when he was feeling good about himself? Jaune deflated and poured himself another cup of coffee, downing it so fast that it scalded his mouth. The caffeine kicked in, and not for the first time he wondered if this was what an addiction felt like.
I've already beaten Café Prime's first attempts to force me out of business. I can do it again even if they are closer. It wasn't like distance was the main reason he'd retained his customers, after all. Maybe once Stirling realised that, he'd back off. In the meantime, it was work as usual.
"So, you two want that cake? I'll do you a deal on a big order for the club."
Melanie's eyes narrowed.
Miltia's stomach grumbled.
"We didn't bring any money," Melanie admitted.
As he'd expected. "I wouldn't mind doing a trade for something else."
"Oh? Someone's getting cocky. Hm, okay, what is it you want?" She leaned forward and pursed her lips together, blowing him a pouty kiss. "Or should I ask who it is you want?"
"N-Not that!" he stammered. "I was thinking you could help me out, or maybe Junior could. He's an information dealer, right?"
"Among other things."
"But he can find out stuff."
"That's kind of implied in the job description," Miltia drawled. "Come on, cutie. You're not slow. If you want to deal with us you'll need to show us a little spine." For once there was no innuendo to follow that up; even if it was such an obvious one he could have predicted it. The girls were watching him intently, though not suspiciously. They looked more curious than anything.
"I need information," I said. "And I need you to keep it quiet that I'm looking. In turn, I'll give you – and only the two of you – a discount for the future. That's not for your regular orders, though. I can't afford to discount fifty or more cups of coffee a day."
"Junior won't be moved if he's left out of the deal," Miltia warned.
"Fine. You three, then. But only you three."
The girls shared a quick grin.
"Deal! What is it you're after?"
/-/
Lessons were over, finally. She hadn't been the only one desperate to get out, as she'd seen Team RWBY – oddly minus one member – rush out the moment Doctor Oobleck called the lesson done. They were arguing between themselves, or arguing with Weiss, but the three hurried off to the Bullhead docks so quickly that it looked like they were off into Vale in full uniform.
Pyrrha felt kind of the same way, but she decided to stop by her dorm for a shower and a change of clothes before she headed off. She wanted to make a good impression, after all. Would it be too casual to dress up, or does that make it look like I'm trying too hard? She paused, head in her wardrobe.
I'm being ridiculous. This is hardly a date and I'm just going to pay him back and stay at his diner for a little while. What does it matter what I wear?
The question burned but the answer wasn't easy. In the end she chose a brown jumper over a white blouse and finished it off with some black leggings and a skirt. It was casual enough so as to not look desperate, but plain enough that it drew attention up towards her bright hair and brighter eyes. That was dangerous, of course. Clothing could be used to distract attention away from a face, and it was her face that people recognised. On the other hand, if she was right and he didn't know who she was, then this would be the perfect chance to actually make a friend.
It was kind of embarrassing to think she was putting so much effort into dressing up for what other people did naturally, but there it was. She wanted to make a friend and she had so little opportunities that she wasn't going to ruin it by looking anything other than her best. She snatched up her jacket, pulled on her shoes – double, triple, and then quadruple checked that she had her money with her this time – and hurried to the door.
It opened before she could reach for it. Russel stood in the entranceway. His eyes met hers, before they drifted lower and took in her outfit. She squirmed, but it wasn't because his attention was unwelcome or creepy, but rather that he looked so disinterested. "Going out?" he asked half-heartedly.
"Yeah," she replied, just as excitedly, if not less. "Aren't you working tonight?"
"No. Tuesday and Wednesdays are days off."
"Ah."
"Yeah."
The clock in the room ticked ominously away.
"So…" Pyrrha began, and then trailed off when nothing came to mind. She could still remember how excited he'd been to be her partner. She could remember his wide smile and laughter. She could remember her response, too, and how everything had soon turned to ash. It was that which had her ducking her head. "I should go. I'll be back later."
"Yeah, sure." Russel stepped out of the way.
Nothing else was said as they passed, Pyrrha doing her best not to flee, even after the door had been slammed behind her. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did she have to be such an idiot? "Forget about it," she hissed. "Focus on what's ahead. Don't waste this opportunity as well."
The Bullhead ride into Vale was pleasant enough, mainly because the pilots didn't care for her identity and focused on the flight itself. They dropped her off at a bustling terminal, and that was where things became a little dicier. A young boy, around twelve or so, gasped when he saw her face, but she rushed past before he could tell his mom and dad.
She kept her face to the ground and a hand in front of her mouth as she ducked through the throngs of people leading outside. Red hair wasn't unusual, at least not enough to immediately draw attention, but the combination of that, her height, not to mention her distinctive ponytail, and it all sort of worked together. She'd tried wearing it loose and even hiding it under a big hat. It rarely worked. Still, Vale wasn't as bad as Mistral, and that was saying something. Almost three quarters of the people in Vale seemed to recognise her, but only half knew who she was. For the rest it was just a sense of her being `someone famous`. It was worse among huntsmen and huntresses, of course. Everyone knew her at that point.
But it was still better than Mistral, hence her reasons for coming to Beacon in the first place. Sure, it hadn't worked out and her team knew who she was, but at least the teachers didn't make a meal out of her. Those in Haven had, even on the brief meeting she'd had with them to try and determine where she wanted to go.
"We'd be honoured to have you among our students."
She didn't want them to be honoured. She wanted them to treat her like any other student. To their credit, Beacon's teachers did a good job of that. She had no complaints about the school itself, just… just the student body, really.
Pyrrha avoided the High Street as she made her way toward the diner. The crowds there would be too much, and once she was truly spotted it was hard to break free. She couldn't hurt anyone, and wouldn't if she could help it, and her Agent always said the easiest thing to do was stand still and get it all over with. Even so, she had something to do today and couldn't afford to have her time wasted.
Vale's alleyways it was, then. She earned a few weird looks from the people who frequented them, rough and messy men and women with hoodies and zipped-up tracksuits. Many sneered at the pristine and nice-looking girl who dared walk through their world, but she ignored them as best she could. If any tried to harm her they'd be in for a nasty surprise. Luckily (for them) none did, and she soon found herself in the middle of Walker Street. She checked her scroll just in case, not quite being familiar with Vale just yet.
The map said she'd got it spot on. Perfect. Pyrrha poked her head out to check left and right, scanning the street for anyone who might recognise her. There were a few people walking by but most had their attention on the path ahead or chatted among one another. No kids, no huntsmen, and no excitable teenagers – her three major demographics. She took a deep breath and stepped out into the street, quickly turning so that her face was half to the wall. She awkwardly walked down toward Jaune's diner and slipped inside with a relieved gasp.
Only to run face-to-face with Weiss Schnee, Ruby Rose, and Yang Xiao-Long.
Okay, maybe not face-to-face. They had their attention ahead, focused on Jaune, and Pyrrha's immediate panic was muted by the recollection of him saying they were friends and customers of his place. That was fine. They obviously weren't here for her, and even if Weiss had been just like everyone else at first, she'd not approached her since. Pyrrha crept over to a nearby table and sat down, shielding her face with a menu.
She didn't try to listen in, but Ruby wasn't exactly being quiet.
"You'll keep an eye out for her, though," she begged. "You'll tell us if you see her?"
"I will. Is there a message you want me to pass on? If I see her, I mean."
"Tell her we're all trying to find her," Yang said – earning a snort from Weiss. "We're all trying to find her," she repeated. "Ignore her. She's on the rag and being a bitch."
"Xiao-Long!" Weiss snapped. "How dare you!? I am not-"
"See what I mean? Total cow-bag. Anyway, if she isn't here she isn't here. Come on, Ruby. We need to make use of the time we have. Doctor Oobleck might have believed us saying she was sick, but that's not going to last."
"Whatever do you mean, Yang? She is sick," Weiss drawled. "Sick in the head."
"Funny, Weiss. So funny. I almost forgot to laugh. Come on, your royal bitchiness, we have some searching to do." The blonde dragged Weiss out of the diner, all the while the younger girl – still in school uniform – apologised and backed away from Jaune. When her sister called her name she apologised once more and hurried after her team. The door's bell tinkled as it closed behind them.
Were they looking for someone? It sounded like their teammate had gone missing, not that it was any of her business. Even so, she spared a worried glance in the direction they'd gone. I hope they find her. They've always looked like such good friends.
Pyrrha sighed heavily.
Jaune did, too, much to her surprise, and moved back around the counter while shaking his head and mumbling something to himself. He picked up a notepad and pen, came back out, and walked over to her table with a flimsy smile. "Welcome to Jaune's. What can I get y…?" He trailed off, recognising her as she glanced up and smiled.
"Hello."
His eyes widened, but not in the way some people's did when they recognised her. It was more like he was surprised she'd come back, but pleasantly so for a smile overtook his earlier melancholy. "Oh, hey!" he said. "You came back."
"I said I would, didn't I? It's good to see you again, Jaune."
"You too, - " He cut off with a pause, which quickly morphed into a panicked expression. His mouth hung open, eyes wide, and he stared at her like he was suddenly terrified. For a moment she worried, too, but his next words nixed that. "Polly, right?"
Pyrrha stared at him. She couldn't help it! Immense relief flooded her system, along with something else that really made no sense since anyone else would have been offended to have their name be forgotten after a single day. She began to snigger, hiding her face as one hand came up in a desperate attempt to stifle her laughter.
"I'm so sorry," Jaune said, cringing. "I've had a lot to think about and I was up all night. It's Penny, right? I swear it began with a P. I really am sorry."
Her eyes watered from her mirth, but she really did try to control it – if only so he didn't think she was crying or something. "I-It's okay," she said between her giggles. "I'm not upset."
"You're not?"
She should have been. Anyone else would have been.
"Not in the slightest. You have a lot of names to try and remember, I imagine. It's Pyrrha." Again, the name brought no reaction to his face, and her smile grew all the more. "Pyrrha Nikos, but just call me Pyrrha. It's a rare name. That's probably why you forgot it."
"It is pretty unique sounding. Is it foreign?"
"From Mistral," she said, "like me." Pyrrha paused, suddenly afraid that sounded a little too awkward. She really hadn't come here to talk about herself. "But what about you?" she asked. "You said you were from Vale, right? Have you ever been to Mistral?"
"I've been once or twice. We used to a visit a little place called Shion. It's a small village," he said when she didn't recognise it. "I think Dad knew some people there, but it was a trip we made every now and then." It sounded like a place far removed from the city, which might have explained why he hadn't heard anything about her. "Would you like anything to drink?"
"Oh, that reminds me." Pyrrha's cheeks flushed and she quickly reached for her purse. She pulled out some lien and pushed it into his hands. "I almost forgot; I'm sorry. Here, for what I had yesterday. Can I get a cappuccino for today, and maybe a slice of lemon cake?"
Jaune took the money and nodded, slipping back behind the counter and humming as he worked the machine. The moment's peace gave Pyrrha a chance to look around, and she was selfishly relieved to see that the diner was almost empty. That was bad for him, of course. She had to remind herself of that. She shouldn't wish him ill just so she could spend more time talking to him. In fact, she felt rather embarrassed to have thought it at all.
Is this what jealousy feels like?
She'd felt envious of people before, most noticeably those who got on with their teams and had a lot of friends, but envy and jealousy were two different things, and this felt more possessive. She shook her head quickly, dispelling it. She couldn't even count the man before her as a friend yet. She was literally the strange girl who didn't pay for her meal one day and came back the next. That wasn't exactly a stellar reputation she was building!
But he didn't seem to care. He smiled as he came back out, mug in one hand and the cake balanced on a plate trapped between his good arm and his chest. He knelt, making to slide the plate onto the table before he paused as she stood and helped him.
"Thanks," he said. "It's still a bit weird getting used to one arm."
"No problem, Jaune. You said you dislocated it yesterday. How did that happen?"
"It was an accident," the response was immediate, too immediate. "The doctor said it'll take a few weeks to heal. I'll be okay. Hey, did your problem ever sort itself out?"
The change in topic was so sudden she was left unprepared for it. "Huh?"
"You know, that issue you had with your friends."
"Ah…" Her team. "I'm afraid not. I think there are just too many differences between us. We can work together but I'm not sure we'll ever be considered friends."
"Ah, sorry. I'm just surprised. You seem like a really nice girl."
"Do I?"
"Sure. I mean you're honest, friendly…" He gestured to her and was about to say something, but cut himself off, "a-and nice," he finished weakly. "Not to mention you're a huntress in Beacon, which is the coolest thing ever. What's not to like?"
A thousand little Pyrrha's cheered in unison in her mind, while yet more tap-danced away in her stomach. It was all she could do to keep a vapid smile on her face, all the while resisting the urge to giggle like a ten-year-old or ask him to tell her more about how nice she was. Yes, Jaune, keep talking. That's grand, Jaune. She wasn't the only one who was nice. He didn't know who she was, he had no reason to be so kind towards her, and yet here he was being the perfect gentleman.
"I bet anyone would love to be your friend," he said. "Your team are the ones missing out."
"Forward, ho!" The tiny Pyrrha in control cried, thrusting forward on her metaphorical lever. She'd spent years planning her time at Beacon, from her team to having friends, to having a best friend, and maybe even more. That might have all fell flat but that didn't mean she couldn't see a cue when it was dangled in front of her.
"Then how about we be friends," she suggested.
Jaune blinked. "Eh?"
"The two of us," Pyrrha said, not willing to let go of the idea now that she'd caught him. Socialising wasn't her thing but she knew fighting. Once you had someone on the ropes you didn't let go. You had to drive the blade home. "I don't have many friends in Beacon and I'm new to Vale. You're new too, but I bet you know more about the area than I do. We could be friends. Real friends, I mean. Not just someone serving someone else. We could have a look around Vale together, or maybe just hang out. If you want to, I mean."
Did that sound too pathetic? She wasn't sure. It probably did – especially when she rambled on at the end. She cringed and prayed to any deities watching that someone would drop a cup like the last time and distract him. No Gods answered, and no more cups were smashed.
Instead, the man before her smiled.
"Sure. It would be nice to have a real friend around here."
And just like that, everything was perfect.
/-/
Blake kept her frustrations suppressed and her footsteps light as she crept up the stairs into another man's apartment. It sounded worse than it was. She just didn't want to wake him up after she'd already cost him so much sleep the night before. She worked the spare key he'd lent her into the lock and winced as it clicked. The door crept slowly open and she poked a head in.
"I wondered when you'd get back," Jaune said.
"You're still awake?" Blake pushed the door open and stepped through, locking it behind her. Jaune was sat on the couch in his tiny living-room area. There was something on the table in front of it. "I thought you'd be trying to get some sleep."
"I'll be having a lay in tomorrow," he said. "I wanted to wait for you to come back."
"You didn't have to."
"I know. I wanted to."
Blake hesitated at the tone of his voice. It was just a little too pointed, a little too sharp. Was he going to kick her out? If so, she'd go without trouble. He'd already put her up for one night and that was asking enough. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "If you want me to leave just let me know." It would be a bother but the rainstorms were gone. She'd be okay on the streets.
"I'm not throwing you out. I just wanted to talk a little more." He gestured to the couch opposite him and she padded over to sit down. While she didn't really like talking much, she figured she did owe him.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"Ruby, Yang and Weiss came over today."
Blake flinched.
"They were looking for you."
"Did you tell them where I was?" Her eyes flicked to the nearby doors, half-expecting her team to come flying out at any moment. No one did.
"I didn't tell them."
"Thank yo-"
"But I nearly did," he snapped. She jumped a little, not having expected the sudden anger from someone like him. "Do you know what it was like having to lie to Ruby? She was worried about you, Blake. So worried! She's my friend, too. My first friend in Vale. I had to stand there and lie to her face while she was worried, and all because of some stupid promise I made to you!"
Blake's head drooped. Even if Jaune didn't make for a very intimidating sight, what with his dislocated shoulder and messy hair, his words still bit deep enough to hurt. "I-I'm sorry. I know she's your friend and not me. I shouldn't have asked you to lie to her, but-"
"But I did," he said. "I did and it was my choice. Damn it. You know, it's only thanks to someone else distracting me for six hours or so that I didn't lose my cool and just call Ruby. You should thank Pyrrha for that," he mumbled, and though she caught his words she didn't recognise the name. "Either way, this can't continue. I'll bet Ruby's worried sick right now. This'll be the second night you've not contacted her." Jaune twisted the knife. "She probably doesn't even know if you're alive or not!"
"I know!" she cried, not at all trying to hide her shame. "I know and I feel terrible and… and it's my fault and my mistake. I know all this. But what can I do? I can't go back to them; there'll never be any peace. It'll be me or Weiss. One of us has to leave." Her hands bunched into fists on her knees and she bit her lip. "At least… at least if I can prove I'm not wrong, I can come back. Weiss isn't wrong either, but if I can prove that I wasn't involved in the killings, in the horrible things we did, then at least I can look her in the eye…"
"Is that what this is about?" Jaune asked.
"Of course. Did you think that I wanted revenge? Weiss called us monsters. She called me a monster. I… I have to prove her wrong, otherwise I'll be stuck in limbo my whole life. That's why I need to prove the White Fang isn't behind this," she said. "Or at least if they are, I need to know why. I can face being wrong about this, but… but I can't face not knowing. Once I do. Once I know… I'll go back to them, I promise."
Jaune let out a long sigh. The barista leaned back on his couch, eyes focused up toward the ceiling. His anger appeared to have faded, though his frown had not. "How long is that going to take? I don't like lying to Ruby like this."
"It'll take until I can find out about the White Fang."
"And then you'll contact your team?"
"Once I know for sure what's going on, yes."
"Then how about we make a deal?"
"A deal?" Blake eyed him warily.
"Yeah, a deal. An exchange." He leaned forward once more, over the table, and as he did he tapped his good hand against a white envelope upon it. "This contains information on recent White Fang activity, including their recent movements and recruitment plans."
She couldn't breathe. It was… what? Blake shook her head and lunged for it.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Jaune cautioned, whipping it away and holding it out of reach. He kept his eyes on her, even as hers tracked the envelope he held in the air.
"Is… is that real?" she whispered.
"It better be after the deal I struck for it. This cost me a lot, Blake. Stuff like this doesn't come easy, especially considering who I had to deal with for it." His words struck a chord, and a question. How in the seven hells did a barista find information on a terrorist group? In a single day, no less.
"Who did you make a deal with?"
"That's not important," he said. "And it's probably best I don't tell you, for you, me, and them. Point is, I have what you want here. It'll help you get this all over with quickly, right? You can find what you're looking for, move back out of my apartment, and get back to your team."
Blake's head bobbed up and down excitedly. She had to resist the urge to tackle and take it from him. It was only the fact he was injured that stopped her. Yang and Ruby would never forgive her if she made his shoulder any worse.
"Please," she whispered. "Give it to me. I'll finish this tonight!"
There was a click as something was laid down on the table. It was not the envelope. When she tore her eyes from what she wanted it was to see a scroll laid on the table between them, it's reflective surface glinting off the warm light in the apartment. It didn't move, but from how she leaned back, one might have thought it a poisonous snake.
"You know what I want, Blake. I have what you want, and you know what it is I'm about to ask in return."
She did. She just didn't want to admit it.
"I want you to call Ruby."
One-off Omake
"You know what it is I want, Blake."
"I do," she said, already unbuttoning her top. She paused when she heard a crash, Jaune having fallen over the back of the couch in his desperate attempt to escape.
"W-What the hell are you doing!?"
"I assumed this was what you wanted. That's what the scroll is for, right? You want nudes."
"I want you to call Ruby!" he screamed.
"Oh, right." Blake flushed and quickly pulled her shirt back over her breasts. She eyed the scroll, considered the options, and looked back up to him. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather have the nudes?"
"CALL YOUR TEAM!"
"Okay, okay. Sheesh."
Aaanyway, that little thing out of the way, lol. Last chapter's note about harems got some interesting responses. I think the conclusion I came to was that I just consider harems different to what others do, or that maybe people judge things harem too soon due to anime tropes and a lot of other fanfiction liberally throwing them in. A consensus seemed to be that it's a harem if multiple people like one person, but that distinction makes Romeo & Juliette a harem, and Beauty and the Beast harem, and Cinderella, and almost every other romance story that involves a "choice" option between romantic partners. Since most romance stories involve a "rival", that kind of casts the net wide.
That is often what I do in my fics, though not all. I have one or more people like someone, but only one pairing that is ever explored or taken seriously. Sadly, that normally means Pyrrha is shafted, but that's not often something I can avoid. After all, Pyrrha's feelings for Jaune are canon. That means by the definitions I was given, it's impossible to write a Jaune x Anyone that isn't a harem story, because unless you write Pyrrha out or change their meeting so that they don't develop feelings (like I did in NTF), Pyrrha will still like Jaune, which means that if he pursues anyone else it becomes a harem story. One Good Turn had Ruby like Jaune, but that was because I started writing it before I'd even seen an episode of the show, and I actually thought Ruby x Jaune WAS canon, the fanfic I read before having suggested it was.
I tend to consider a story harem myself when the point of multiple people liking one is actually the `focus` of the story, or plays a major part. That's not to say I forgive a harem if it suddenly brings out a single pairing ending, but if the main attention of the story is on the harem, then I consider it one. I.e. loads of girls liked Sasuke in the anime Naruto, but I wouldn't call it a harem so much as it was a bunch of young girls all liking the popular guy (kind of like in PA). In both stories, the fact multiple people like another was played for occasional comedy, not content. On the other hand, I'd consider Love Hina a harem because the shenanigans were always about the character being in romantic situations between loads of girls and it was a major focus of the plot.
Is Fate Stay Night a harem? It has multiple options (the game, and through routes the series), but I wouldn't necessarily call it a harem. It simply accepts that it's possible for people to form different relationships if you go left instead of right, or take a different route through life spending more time with different people.
Similarly, when I wrote Stress Relief, there was no actual romance between Pyrrha and Jaune, but I had to includePyrrha, because she's canon and I couldn't ignore her. I don't feel that made it a harem story, though. After all, 90% of the focus was elsewhere – on Cinder and Jaune's issues together – and the Pyrrha angle was just there as a nod to canon.
If that makes my stories harem, then meh. It can't be helped. As in, it literally cannot be helped. The only option is Pyrrha dies, the past is changed, or I write her dreadfully OoC and have her suddenly stop liking Jaune for some sudden reason. I normally avoid that and go for the more realistic approach; feelings not being reciprocated. It happens all the time, after all. I've had many of my feelings rebuffed, and I've rebuffed feelings in my time.
Ah well, these are my thoughts anyway. In the end it doesn't really matter. People can, and will, decide whatever they want.
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur