So, here the chapter is – a day late because of my parents being burgled. Thanks for understanding, and I worked to get this out today without too much disruption. We don't know much about what happened yet, other than that they clearly knew my family were away – even though I visited the house every day to make it look occupied, empty bins and such. They do have a guard dog, by the way, but that lives with me while they are on holiday, as it can't exactly fend for itself for four weeks.
Anyway, police and insurance are being about as useful as you'd expect, with warnings not to expect anyone to be found or prosecuted before they even TRY to look, and insurance already determined to weasel out of it. Maybe the whole robbery is fake news, or maybe I'm just stating alternative facts to them – who even knows!? They'll cave, especially since my parents have CCTV. On the other hand, it proves as useless as usual since the crooks wore hoodies to cover head and wrapped cloth or bandannas around lower face. One even gave the camera the middle finger.
It's a pain in the ass to be honest, and I hate it all so much, but it's a reality of living in the countryside, because there's just too much open space and noise doesn't travel. Houses tend to be worth more too, and thus better prospects for thieves. All you can do is grit your teeth and keep going.
Enough angst…
To the one who asked, yes I write fics the night before in most cases (except NTF, it's too long for that). I tried to reply to your review, but you have PM disabled.
Note: you may have received two alert emails because the site went a little crazy. There are not two chapters.
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Kegi Springfield
Chapter 14 – A Sheep among Wolves
"It was all Remy's idea!"
Cinder rolled her eyes and ignored his silly attempt to shift the blame. She also had to resist the urge to point out that Grimm neither needed nor had names, but that was an argument she couldn't be bothered to get into. If he wished to name a parasite within his body, then so be it. She had bigger fish to fry. She ran a hand through her hair, and smiled when Jaune swallowed and looked nervous. She still had power over him. Good.
"I get the feeling you're a little upset with me," Jaune said with a little wince.
"Do you?" she asked. "My, your time here must have made you very perceptive, Jaune. You're right, I am upset. Fancy that." She tilted her head back so that she could look down her nose at him, a subtle thing to suggest her advantage. Like always, he bowed his head. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this was? You could have been killed before making it this far, and I dare say it's Salem's own luck you even survived this long."
"I did-"
"No." She cut him off with a finger against his lips. "No excuses. You are the prince of the Grimm, Jaune. You're not a normal human, you're not a huntsman, and you're certainly not equipped to study at a place like this! Why would you even do this?"
"I-"
"Your silly dream, of course," she sighed. "Become a huntsman, just like your father, even if it makes zero sense because of what you are." At any other time, she might have kept such truths to herself, but she had checked the room personally for bugs and found none. Mercury and Emerald knew better than to speak, and she could kill the other and Roman included if they became irksome. "This isn't a game and your mother is worried, which translates to her being furious – enough so as to nearly invade Vale and slaughter everyone!"
His eyes widened. "No, she can't!"
"Can't she? I think she can and you know it. Luckily for you, she won't – but only because I convinced her otherwise."
"You did!?" His face lit up and he covered the distance between them before she could dodge, summon a wall of fire or use Emerald as a human shield. His arms clamped about her waist and his face pressed against her neck. "You're the best, big sis!"
Cinder's teeth ground together as she tried to ignore it, only for her eyes to widen when she heard a snigger behind her. Whether it was Emerald or Mercury, she didn't know, but it quickly reminded her that she wasn't alone in the room. Her hands slapped down onto his shoulders as she tried to push him away, but he only clung on tighter. "Let go, fool," she snapped. "I didn't do it for you!"
"You did it for all the people of Vale?" Jaune gasped, putting two and two together and somehow coming up with a six-digit sum. "I always knew you had a heart of gold. You're the best, kindest and most wonderful woman I've ever known!
Did it for the people, kindest? Cinder felt sick to her stomach, even before she managed to pry a super-heated hand between them and start to leverage him away. Much like the rest of his family, he was stronger than he realised, so it took far more effort than any human would have – and left her looking a little out of breath when she finally escaped. Note to self, invest in a crowbar. She spared a furious glare back to her minions, just in case they thought this was a laughing matter.
Both steadfastly looked away – but both also wore barely concealed smiles. Damn him!
"No hugs," she ordered. "Not in here and certainly not in public! Don't think you're off the hook either," she added. "After what you did, I'm going to make yo-" she paused as a peculiar scent caught her nose. "Where were you before this?"
"Um, training?"
"Did you have a shower?"
"I had a short one bac-"
"Do you think you can rub all over me smelling like that?" Cinder's hand snapped to the side, finger pointed towards an adjoining room. "Take a shower, right now. Really, you're out of my sight for all of a few weeks and you already start to fall to pieces." She scowled as him as he skulked over to the bathroom. "There's a towel inside and don't forget to wash your hair!" she called as the door clicked shut. With a furious growl, she turned around and grumbled to herself. "What an idiot. Does he not even-?"
Emerald and Mercury's shoulders shook as they refused to look at her.
Her eyes narrowed. "Does something amuse you?"
"N-Nothing, ma'am," Emerald struggled to say.
"No, ma'am," Mercury managed, a little more in control of himself. "We were simply paying attention to how you discipline the target." For some reason that made Emerald lose it for a second, and the girl clamped both hands over her mouth. Fools, the both of them… she had no idea what silly thing had tickled their fancy, but she didn't have the time for it.
"I shall be setting some ground rules in regards to him," she said. "These apply to all of us, you included, Neo." Cinder looked the girl's way in time to see the girl look away from the shower her little brother had entered. The sudden interest in Jaune made her suspicion flare, but there was little she could do about Neo or Roman. Those two are necessary for now… I will deal with them later.
"We're listening," Mercury said.
Cinder nodded but waited for the sound of running water before she spoke. "First of all, there's to be no mention of our plans here, or about the maiden. As far as he is concerned, our purpose here is to protect and help him – nothing else. I don't want any mention of Roman, of the White Fang, of Grimm, invasions or anything of that nature."
"Isn't he on our side, though?"
"Yes and no," Cinder sighed. "Jaune is many things, but capable of keeping a secret is not among them. He has a bleeding heart, even before he's made friends with these people. There's too much risk and he's the kind of person who would spend the next few months trying to convince us to change our plans just because it might hurt a few people."
Cinder waited for any questions, but the two only nodded. The girl laid on her bed in the background seemed to perk up a little. Cinder's eyes narrowed but it wasn't like Neo could tell him anything.
"Secondly, he is to be protected at all times, but that's going to be socially as much as it is physical. I don't even doubt for a second, he hasn't done something to screw himself over, so it's going to be our – or more specifically, your – job to drag him out of any bad situations."
"How are we meant to do that?" Emerald asked. "It's not like we can follow him around every second of every day."
"I don't see why not," Cinder said with a devious smile. "After all, it's normal for friends to be close, is it not?" The green-haired girl looked agonised, but Cinder had no mercy. "The two of you are to befriend him in your own time, using whatever method you deem fit. Get close to him and those he calls friend, and make sure to report anything you hear back to me."
"You want Mercury to try and befriend normal people?" Emerald asked. "Ma'am, with all due respect… it's Mercury!"
"I'm sensing a little jealousy, Em. Don't worry, green may be your colour, but I won't leave you for just anyone."
"Die in a hole, please."
Cinder's patience snapped before it even had a chance to be tested. Now was not the time for their petty banter. She cleared her throat, and nodded when they both felt into immediate silence. A quick glare for good measure ensured they would not interrupt her again. "The third task," she said, "is to make sure no Grimm are able to abscond with him. I have already informed you of my mistress' plan for him, but that cannot be allowed to happen. Remember, our goal here is the maiden – not to return Jaune home as expected." She looked between the two of them with a stern eye.
"So, he's just a tool for the plan?" Emerald asked.
"Exactly," Cinder smirked. "While my position may label me as his sister, it does not denote any familial feelings. He is a pawn, nothing more, albeit one we cannot allow to be captured."
"Understood," Mercury grinned. "Heh, for a minute, I thought you actually cared for him. Still, if he's unimportant, wouldn't it be easier to get rid of him? We could claim a huntsman did it."
"No!" Cinder felt a flash of anger but forced it down. "I am the one in charge here, and you shall follow my orders. He is not to be harmed."
"My bad," Mercury apologised. "It was just a suggestion."
"Not one worth considering. Remember, keep him safe, keep him happy, and keep him blissfully unaware." Cinder paused as she noticed their wide-eyed expressions. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Keep me blissfully unaware of what?" Jaune asked from behind her.
"Blissfully unaware of what fate you would have suffered had you taken any longer to get here," she recovered, turning with a nervous tick above her eyebrow. Those fools; why had they not warned her he was standing right there? "Are you finished with your shower?"
"Yeah," Jaune nodded. "I didn't have any spare clothes so I got back into mine."
Cinder hummed as she looked him up and down. Hardly presentable, but the best she'd likely get. At least she didn't need to sic his stupid mutt on him like she had back when he'd been younger and treated bath time like it was the apocalypse. "Good enough. For a moment, I wondered if I'd need to wash you myself. Now that you're finished, we can get back to my explaining how much of a colossal idiot you are."
"Cinder, sis… I know what I did was wrong, especially the part where I didn't tell you, but you don't need to worry. I'm fine, see?"
Worry – about him? She wanted to throw back her head and laugh, but it would be a waste of time. She didn't care whether he risked his life or not, the silly fool, but he'd gone and compromised her plans for the maiden and Vale. The blasted city, maiden included, had been a hair's breadth from being crushed under Salem's heel. All of that because he decided being the supreme ruler of all evil wasn't quite as cool as being a stupid huntsman.
She snorted instead and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "I take it that you've not run into any problems, then?" she asked sarcastically. "You've not done anything strange or bizarre to arouse suspicion?"
"Uh…" A bead of sweat dribbled down Jaune's brow. "No?"
"Hm, strange… it must have been some other tentacled human-like Grimm monster I've been hearing about, then. Has Coral popped on by when I didn't notice? I did hear a rumour about it trying to sexually assault some young men."
"I didn't sexually assault anyone!" Jaune gasped. His face went white a second later, and not in a hereditary way. "I mean, not that it was me or anything…"
"Jaune…"
"It wasn't me."
"Jaune…" she echoed, this time with a dangerously raised eyebrow.
"It was maybe me?"
Cinder's shoulders fell as she let out an explosive sigh, tinged with all the frustration she had cooped up inside of her. She kept her eyes on him, glaring down as he shrunk before her. "Less than three weeks," she said, "and you've already managed to alert all of Beacon, and possibly all of Vale, to your presence. I dread to imagine what you would have achieved in as many months. You're not fit to be around normal people, Jaune. You don't know anything of interacting with them. You stick out like a sore thumb."
"That's not fair," he protested. "I've… okay, maybe I was bad at first, but I'm not an idiot, Cinder. I'm learning and I'm getting better. No one even notices anymore."
"Really? This, I have to see. Very well, why don't you go and introduce yourself to one of my teammates." Cinder turned and gestured towards Mercury, who looked startled for a moment but dutifully stepped forward to stand beside her. "Go on," Cinder urged. "Show me how you would normally speak to someone you've just met."
Jaune nodded at her and took a deep breath. He looked towards Mercury, but there didn't seem to be any panic in his eyes. Hm, a decent enough start, she supposed. The blonde stepped forward and held a hand out. "Hi, my name's Jaune. Jaune Arc."
"Mercury Black," her underling said, holding one hand out to shake her little brother's.
Hmm… maybe he wasn't so bad at this after all. Cinder allowed herself to relax.
"You have really nice knees."
Or not, as it were. One hand came up to massage the bridge of her nose, even as Mercury looked about awkwardly.
"Ouch, burn," Emerald snickered.
"Jaune," Cinder sighed, "why did you mention his knees?"
"Um, because he has nice knees?" It proved the final straw for Emerald, who fell back on her bed with muffled laughter. Mercury took the time to send her a pointed glare, but she didn't even notice.
"Jaune," Cinder sighed and strode forward. She knelt down and gripped the bottom of one of Mercury's trouser legs, pulling it up. "Mercury does not even have knees." She waited for the embarrassment, the apology and perhaps even the admission that she was right. What she got instead was neither of those things.
"He has robot knees?" Jaune whispered. "I take it back, you have awesome knees."
"Heh, thanks," Mercury preened just a little. "Most people are put off by them, but they're pretty useful."
"Why would anyone be bothered? They look absolutely amaz-"
"Jaune," Cinder interrupted with a growl. "You're missing the point. Why did you comment on his knees at all?"
"It's a custom of Vale," he said. Jaune looked at her with a cocky smile and rolled his eyes. "Seriously, did you not even know that? Maybe I'm better at this than you are."
She… she had no words. Something sounded like it might come out for a moment, but it turned out to be a breath of air while she ran her tongue about the inside of her teeth and tried to understand what her idiot adopted brother had just said. "This custom… Jaune, how many people have you said it to?"
"A few, I guess. Probably every girl I know, as well as a few others. I might have said it to some guys as well, but I can't remember the exact number. Why?"
"Just…" Cinder tried to hide her wince but wasn't quite able to. "Forget it. It's nothing…" It was too early in the day to deal with this, even if it was mid-afternoon. In fact, it was too early in the year to deal with it. If he wanted to run around making himself look like he was checking out people's legs, then more power to him. At this point, it would only look more suspicious if he suddenly stopped. "I might as well introduce you to the rest of the team. That's Mercury Black, as you know, and this is his partner, Emerald Sustrai."
Emerald didn't move from her bed, but did shoot him a fake smile and a wave. Jaune, naturally, didn't catch the duplicity and looked thrilled to wave back.
That idiot…
"We also have out fourth member, Neo." Cinder waved a hand towards the lazy girl, only to pause when she noticed the bed was empty. Where had the girl gone? Had she slipped out without them noticing?
"Oh wow, you're friendly." Jaune laughed.
What? Cinder's head snapped back so quickly her muscles spasmed. Jaune was stood in the same spot he'd occupied before, but before him now was the small form of Roman's enforcer, her tiny hands wrapped about Jaune's as she pumped it up and down and smiled at him.
Her paranoia kicked in immediately. The girl hadn't so much as paid attention whenever she said something, and seemed here on sufferance. For her to suddenly be interested in Jaune, spoke of hidden intentions. This reeks of some kind of plot. What are she and Roman planning? Her hackles rose when the multi-coloured girl didn't leave his side. Instead, she hovered beside him, one hand clutched to his belt as though to not let him escape. Mismatched eyes stared back at her innocently, but Cinder's narrowed. I'm watching you…
"Aw, she's adorable," Jaune cooed and patted her head with one hand. The psychopathic murderer, for Cinder knew her to be one, acted as a puppy might and butted her head against his palm. "Big sis, why didn't you tell me y-"
"Your eyes should be on me!" Cinder snapped. She was the one talking to him, she was the leading influence in his life – and if he thought he was in the clear after his little runaway episode, he was woefully mistaken. "Whether you believe yourself ready or not for this, and you're clearly not, it doesn't change the fact that you've made huge mistakes already. Your Grimm form is an obvious example."
"I didn't mean to reveal it. Mom sent a Beowolf after me."
Cinder's heart froze but she recovered quickly. So, Salem's special Grimm had arrived already. Clearly, he'd managed to fight it off, which was a lucky break. She could only hope she or her team would be around when more came, so they could prevent them stealing him away. "How many people saw you?" she asked. "We can try to keep it quiet if we have a rough idea. Obviously, there's nothing that can be done about the media, but they will lose interest when the next scandal hits. How many people in Beacon actually saw you in person?"
Jaune's face scrunched up as he tried to remember. She waited patiently when he counted out five fingers on one hand, but her eyebrows began to twitch when he moved onto his other, and she began to growl when he gave up on using his hands to count at all.
"You must be joking," she groaned.
"Things didn't exactly go to plan, okay?"
"Did you even have a plan?"
"Of course," he said. "The plan was to come to Vale and become a huntsman in Beacon."
"And then…?" Cinder asked. "You do have a plan beyond simply sneaking into this school, don't you?"
"Er…"
"What were you going to do when you graduated? How do you plan to balance your career as a huntsman with your family? What will you do if your secret is ever found out? What happens when you are asked to face and kill your sisters?" At each rhetorical question, Jaune's shoulders slumped a little more. "Yet again, you fail to look at the bigger picture," she sighed. "You can't just do things like this on a whim. This is exactly why your mother doesn't trust you to be out without my-"
"I do have a plan," Jaune whispered. "Or at least, I have a goal."
Oh? Cinder hid her surprise. Had he started to finally grow up and pay attention to her lessons? It was about time. She tilted her head back and regarded him. "Go on, then," she said. "Let us hear this end game of yours. I'm curious as to how it will solve all of your problems."
Jaune Salem Arc, her mistress' son, squared his shoulders. He looked up into her eyes and for a moment she imagined she could see the man he might once be. The fear had fled, replaced now with grim determination. He opened his mouth. "I'm going to make peace between humans and Grimm!"
There was a long moment of silence, in which Jaune's words seemed to echo about the unnaturally quiet room.
Cinder wasn't a woman used to being lost for words, nor one who was caught off-guard in such a manner. Her little brother had achieved both, though unfortunately for him, not in the way he might have wished. When her senses came back, it was just in time for her to bring one hand up to cover her face. "Jaune…" she sighed.
"People and Grimm getting on?" Emerald asked, and to the girl's credit, she tried to sound like she wasn't scoffing at the very idea of it. "That's… interesting."
"That's one way to put it," Mercury said.
Jaune, of course, failed to notice the sarcasm. Then again, she'd be surprised if he knew what sarcasm even was. "If I can prove to both parties that they can live in peace, then there won't be any need for me to fight against my family. It also won't matter if my secret gets out or what I do when I graduate from here. It will solve all the problems and bring peace to Remnant. It's perfect."
"It's madness is what it is," Cinder said. She looked down on him, but for once he met her challenging gaze. Where had all this defiance come from? Were these people already such a bad influence on him? No matter. She couldn't let this stupidity continue. "The Grimm have been the natural enemies of humanity since history began, Jaune. You cannot simply change that."
"Why not?"
"Because it's a fact of life," she exclaimed, throwing her arms wide. "Grimm hunt and kill humans, while humans constantly fight to exterminate Grimm and claim the land they inhabit. Even before your mother is brought into the equation, the two are natural enemies."
"Maybe," Jaune admitted, "but isn't it worth trying? We won't know if we don't give it a go."
Cinder's head throbbed, the onset of a headache palpable as she tried to fathom the depths of his stupidity. Did he even hear what he was saying? Where had she gone wrong in educating him? Okay, perhaps outsourcing a large proportion of that to leaving him in the library wasn't the best idea, but she doubted any of those books contained ideas this asinine. "It won't work," she said. "There's no way to even communicate between the two factions, let alone foster peace. Humans and Grimm do not get along together."
"Mom and dad do…"
"That's a ridiculous outlier," she growled, "not to mention a terrible example – your mother and father's relationship is not normal."
"Well, how about you and the Grimm?" Jaune pointed out. "You're a normal human, big sis, and they don't attack you."
"That's different and you know it. Your mother isn't going to extend the same protection to the people here. If they attempt to reason – or fight – the Grimm, then they will die. You need to pick a side."
"I don't want to choose between them."
"Then maybe you should have thought of that before you attempted this insanity," she snapped. "You've put yourself in a situation where you will need to fight your friends or your family, and that's not going to change. Your plans of brokering a peace are not only doomed, they're completely nonse-"
"You believe in me?" Jaune asked, paying no attention to her whatsoever. He sounded amazed, but also a little touched.
Neo bobbed her head up and down, a saccharine smile on her face.
Cinder saw red. "Stop that. Get off him!" She reached forward for the girl, only to growl when Neo ducked behind her little brother and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Whoah, whoah," Jaune waved his arms to stop her. "Sis, stop! Look at her; you're scaring her so much she can't even speak!"
Scaring her- can't speak? Neo!? The idea was laughable, but before she could point that out, her mouth fell open as she watched the clever little snit look up at him with watery eyes and bury her face in his stomach. Why, that manipulative little- She growled and took a threatening step forward, prepared to tear the girl away from him, but for Jaune's expression hardening.
"Cinder, stop it!"
"Jaune, you cannot be serious. She doesn't believe in your idiotic plan; she's manipulating you."
"It's not an idiotic plan. Just because it's not been tried before doesn't mean it won't work!"
"This is the real world," she snapped, "not a place for your childish fantasies. This is exactly why you've never been allowed away from home like some of your sisters. You're too idealistic, too naïve and prone to rash decisions – just like this one!"
"That's not fair! I'm learning – I'm getting better!"
"Oh, you're getting better, are you?" Cinder mocked. "I'm sure that will make all the difference when you get yourself killed."
"I'm trying my best!"
"Your best isn't good enough!"
"It never is!" Jaune roared. The blonde stomped one foot, and for a moment his eyes flashed black and red, but he dragged it back under his control. "It's never good enough for you." With a frustrated snarl, he turned away and stomped towards the door.
"Don't you turn your back on me, young man!" Cinder snapped.
Jaune paused for a second, but huffed and pulled the door open. It slammed behind him as he left. In the silence left behind, her furious breathing filled the room. In and out, in and out, as her eyes flashed and her hands curled into fists.
That… that absolute moron. How dare he? How dare he ignore her like that? He would ruin everything – he would get himself killed. She didn't care in the slightest about that, of course, but it could cause problems with his mother, so that was something to be avoided. Her concern for him was professional at best – nothing more. When I get him back home, I'll bend him over my knee and make him regret this. He'll learn to show me the respect I deserve. Over ten years of my life put into raising him, and this is the thanks I receive?
There was a nervous cough behind her.
"What!?" Cinder snapped, spinning to pin the offender with a murderous glare. Emerald wilted under it, sat on her bed with one hand over her mouth.
"N-Nothing," she whispered. "I had something caught in my throat."
Cinder scowled and turned to Mercury, "Anything to add?" she asked.
"No, ma'am," Mercury said, face locked onto the wall beside his bed and back unnaturally stiff. They both looked like they would have liked to be somewhere else, but neither dared move towards the door.
Deep breaths, she reminded herself, closing her eyes to calm herself. She wasn't used to feeling so angry, even less so to displaying such emotion. He'd managed to get beneath her skin, however. Curse him for that as well but he wouldn't ruin her plans any more than he already had. "The two of you have your orders," she said in a calmer voice. "He is to be protected, but do not reveal our plans to him." Amber eyes narrowed dangerously. "As for you, Neo…" She paused and looked about the room. "Where is she?"
Emerald looked to Mercury, who looked back to her as if to say she should be the one to answer. They both flinched when they heard Cinder's foot tap on the floor, however. The silver-haired teen turned to her with a nervous smile. "She… uh… she went after him."
Cinder's teeth ground together.
/-/
"I'm just saying it's weird," Ruby whispered to Weiss. The two of them were sat in the cafeteria, along with the rest of their team sans Jaune, and all of Team Ribbon, who had joined them for dinner. "It's been so long since we saw him. What if she's kidnapped him or something?"
"Ruby, while I appreciate that it's been a while, I think it's a little early to jump to a conclusion like that." The heiress poked at her food with her fork. "Really, you and Pyrrha only saw him talking with her. We don't know enough to make assumptions."
"It sounds to me like someone's jealous," Yang interrupted, resting an elbow atop Ruby's head and looking down at her. "Ah, young love – it really is too cute."
"Yang, I've told you it's not like that!" Ruby sighed, for what felt like the tenth time that day alone. Before, she might have flushed at the suggestion, but she'd heard it too much in the last hour alone. "I'm not in love with him. He's just a friend!"
"A friend who is-"
"A boy," Ruby sighed, "a boy who is a friend, a boyfriend, yes, I know – you've said that at least five times as well." The joke was old before it even began, and Yang's repetition didn't really help matters. Besides, she was telling the truth. She didn't like Jaune that way. She liked him, but she didn't like him. There was a big difference.
What did she have to be jealous of, anyway? Jaune liked her – and she did mean like there. Blood crept to her cheeks at the thought, but she did her best to hide it because Yang would totally misunderstand, like she did every other time. What was she supposed to do, though? She'd never had a guy interested in her before – she was the dorky younger sister of the hottest girl in Signal and her impressively bad social skills hadn't exactly helped. Having Jaune, her first real friend, constantly compliment her eyes, weapon and legs? Ruby's cheeks flushed, despite her best efforts to not let it.
She wasn't ready for this!
"Yeah, see… if you want to convince me, you'd best stop lighting up like that," Yang cackled.
"Oh, give it a rest, Xiao-Long," Weiss sighed, coming to Ruby's defence and earning a grateful smile for it. "Ruby, I'm sure Jaune will be fine. What's the worst that could happen?"
"She drags him back home and away from Beacon," Ruby said instantly. "He did run away, remember? If this girl worked for his mom, what if she sent her to pick him up?"
"If she's a student here, she must be of similar age to ourselves," Weiss pointed out. "It's unlikely she'd be an employee, not unless his mother follows particularly poor employment practises."
"Ahem!?" Blake coughed meaningfully in the background.
Nora's hands slammed down on the table as she stood up, eyes wide. "Blakey? Are you okay – are you sick!?"
"What? No, Nora, I'm-" The girl was cut off as Nora rushed over to hug her, place one hand to the girl's forehead and scream something about medicine, bed rest and Ren's famous chicken soup. Ruby blinked at it all but turned back to Weiss with a shrug.
"I have no idea," Weiss agreed. "Anyway, my point is, she's more likely a daughter or family member of one of his mother's employees. I doubt she could order this person to come and find Jaune. She probably came here of her own volition."
"So, what you're saying is that we need to find her reason," Ruby said.
"What? I didn't say that at all. Are you even listening?"
"Thanks Weiss. You're the best."
"I give u- ah, speak of the Grimm…" Weiss nodded behind Ruby, who turned in time to see their missing teammate in one piece, entering the cafeteria. She held one arm up to wave for him. It took him a second to catch it, but he waved back and moved over when he did. It wasn't until he got closer that she caught the look on his face and instantly quailed.
"Yikes," Yang said once he reached them. "Someone's in a bad mood."
"Huh?" Jaune blinked and looked at them. It looked like he'd been shouting, so red was his face, and his eyes were narrowed, eyebrows drawn down. "Oh, sorry, I'm… uh, I guess I am. It'll pass though, I promise."
Ruby cheered up a little when she realised he wasn't upset at them. His smile was a little tired, but definitely honest and she patted the space beside her on the bench for him to sit on.
"Thanks, Ruby," he said, sitting down.
"No prob-" Something bumped into her and pushed her aside, and before she could finish her sentence there was now another person between him and her. "-lem…?" Her silver eyes blinked as she looked at the girl, who was smaller than her – Ohmygodyes – but who somehow still managed to have a more womanly figure. Ruby glowered at that, but she'd take what victories she could.
Still, something unsettling pooled in her stomach as she realised the girl had knocked her aside. Had she eaten something a little out of date?
"Okay, I'll bite," Yang sighed. "Who is this?"
"Oh, right," Jaune slapped a hand to his forehead. "Everyone, this is Neo. She's… someone from back home, I guess." He then turned to each of them in turn and gave their names to the girl with the strange multi-coloured hair. She nodded and smiled at each one, though there was something about the smile that didn't quite seem to match her eyes.
"She's rather quiet," Pyrrha said. The girl brought two hands up to her neck, but Jaune beat her to it.
"Oh, she's just shy," he laughed. "She speaks a little at home, but you know – it's hard being somewhere completely new."
The girl blinked and looked at him, then tilted her head to one side. A second later, she shrugged and turned to them, nodding happily. Okay… that was a little weird, but maybe this girl was even more socially awkward than her as well. Small, socially-awkward, shy and cute, it almost felt like she was looking in a mirror – except she was a childhood friend, and had a better figure too. Was… Ruby swallowed… was Jaune going to spend less time with her now that his old friends had come to Beacon?
She didn't like the sound of that.
"Is that entire team from your home?" Pyrrha asked. "You said the taller woman was, but I thought you didn't grow up around many people."
"A-Ah, well, I didn't. Mercury and Emerald – that's the silver-haired guy and the green-haired girl – I never knew them before, but Cinder and Neo come from home, I guess."
"Are they daughters of your mother's estate agents?"
"Sure, why not. Well, Neo is, but Cinder was more adopted than anything."
Cinder... That must have been the name of the beautiful woman with the dark hair. Even now, hours later, the memory of her sent envy rushing through her. Now that was a figure she could admit to being jealous of, and she imagined Yang would say the same. "Did the two of you have a fight?" Ruby asked. "Is that why you're upset?"
"Well, I…" Jaune twisted in his seat for a moment before he sagged and let out a long sigh. "I guess we did," he admitted. It's nothing to worry about. We just… we kinda disagreed on what my future should be."
"Your future…?" Weiss asked, suddenly a little more interested. "Was she trying to determine it for you?"
"Well, my mom always had plans for what she wanted of us, you know how it is. I never really wanted to follow them, which was why I ran off to Beacon. I guess Cinder agreed with my mom's point of view more than I thought." He looked down at the table, lost in the woodwork for a few seconds. "It's nothing to worry about though – I'm not going anywhere. I just got upset. I'll be fine in a bit."
The new girl tugged on his arm and looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Ah, not that Neo ever tried anything like that," he laughed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that."
The girl smiled up at him and bobbed her head up and down.
"Oh, oh, I know what'll make you feel better," Nora crowed. "We're heading into Vale tomorrow to go and watch the people arrive for the Vytal Festival. You guys should totally come with us. We can stop off at an arcade~"
"Oh yeah," Yang said, "That sounds like a pretty cool idea. You guys should come with, the more the merrier, right guys?"
"Yeah!"
Ren shrugged.
Blake sighed.
"They said yes!" Nora cheered.
Ruby didn't think they'd said anything, but Jaune laughed either way. "I wouldn't mind," he said. "The last time I was in Vale, I didn't get much time to actually look around. Maybe you guys could show me around a little more?"
"We don't know either, but we can get lost together. It'll be epic~"
"I know my way around," Yang laughed. "Ruby and I come down to shop occasionally. What do you say, Rubes – come with us all?"
Ruby turned to Pyrrha and Weiss.
"It sounds like fun," Pyrrha smiled. Weiss didn't answer, lost in thought, but she nodded her head distractedly, and when you were dealing with Yang that was often enough.
"Sweet! We'll make a date of it. The arcade will be cool; Blake's been learning how to play. She might even give you a run for your money, Rubes." Blake groaned but didn't bother to argue.
"It does sound like fun," Ruby said. She turned to Jaune with a wide smile, only for it to fall when she caught him patting Neo atop the head. Ruby's cheeks puffed out but she forced herself to remain calm. "Jaune, you could have another match against Ren in the arcade," she said. "It'll be fun."
"Hm, I wouldn't mind," Jaune perked up at that and looked towards the other man at the table.
"I suppose it wouldn't be a bother," Ren said.
"Pft, Renny's going to beat you this time, Jauney. He's been practising every single night for this. He stays up late, just to get better to beat you."
"Nora, I wouldn't go that far," Ren chuckled and placed one hand on her shoulder. "It's just a game, after all. This isn't a competition."
"But Renny, you were watching professional players last night until three in the morning. I saw you awake in bed with a notebook."
"Y-You were imagining it, Nora."
"I don't think I was…"
"She wasn't," Blake said.
"I saw it too," Yang added. Ren coughed into his fist but managed to remain composed, even under the close scrutiny of his teammates. Ruby giggled at how funny her sister's team was, but also felt her mood lift a little as well.
So what if Jaune went off to spend time with some leggy woman, and what did it matter if he had a shy, childhood friend who ticked all the same boxes she did. She was still his teammate, which meant she could go out and spend time with him and everyone else. They could have fun at the arcade together, two best friends playin-
"Oh, Neo, you want to come as well?" Jaune asked, looking down to the girl who tugged on his sleeve. She smiled widely and nodded. "Neo can come too, right?"
"Sure," Yang smiled.
"S-Sure," Ruby echoed, teeth grit together and eyes flashing like naked steel. She wasn't jealous, she wasn't upset. She was totally A-Okay with this girl coming along to steal what time she had with her best friend. That was cool. No, it was better than cool; it was fan-flipping-tastic.
"Ruby," Weiss hissed under her breath. "Ruby!"
"In a second, Weiss," Ruby grumbled. She needed to finish her glare. Unfortunately, the heiress didn't seem to agree, for a hand settled in the back of her head and dragged her back. She was presented with Weiss' face, and Pyrrha's close by, the girl leaning in to listen. "What?" Ruby snapped, and then sighed when the two looked at her, wide-eyed. "Sorry… I didn't mean it."
"It's fine," Weiss said. "I just… what he said earlier, about his mother dictating his life for him, running away, about a future this girl didn't agree with." The heiress leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. "I think I know what it means."
Ruby and Pyrrha shared a quick look and leaned closer.
"It sounds," Weiss began, "like an arranged marriage."
Pyrrha gasped, but smothered it a second later. Ruby, meanwhile, had no such control and nearly fell off her chair. "What!?" she hissed. "Like, an actual arranged marriage? Who even does that anymore!?"
"You'd be surprised how many people do," Weiss sighed. "It happens a lot within dynastic families, those that want to pass a name or business down the line. The family likes to make sure that power and wealth remain within it, after all, and Jaune did say his mother owns a lot of land. It would fit."
"Have you faced similar?" Pyrrha asked.
"Not quite, but close…" Weiss glanced away and sighed. "My father could be quite controlling as well, and I fully imagine he would have suggested it in time. He didn't even want me to attend Beacon. In a way, Jaune and I are quite similar in how we came here without the permission or blessing of our families."
"Weiss…" Ruby whispered.
"It's fine, I don't regret it. The point I'm trying to make is that his family might have done the same, and if Jaune was home-schooled and didn't have much interaction with the outside world, then it's more than possible his mother might have tried to move things along, as it were."
"I'm not so sure," Pyrrha said. "From what we know, his mother is a really kind and sweet woman. She also obviously loves her husband," Pyrrha paused to flush a little at that, and Ruby didn't blame her. She still felt a little awkward about that story. "If his mother fell in love herself, then wouldn't she want the same for him? I don't think she would force someone on him if he said no."
"Hm, that's a possibility," Weiss said. Her eyes darkened a moment later. "Then again, it might not be her who is pushing for it."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it, Pyrrha… we know his mother has several people under her employ, and that she's wealthy and powerful. If this Cinder woman is a daughter of one of his mother's employees, then it would be a perfect chance for her to get close to him, maybe to try and marry her way into his money."
"A gold digger!?" Pyrrha gasped. Ruby's partner looked furious at the thought of it.
Ruby… she felt angry too, more so than she had for a long time. Jaune was her friend, her first friend at Beacon and one of her best. To imagine someone trying to force their way close to him, just to take advantage of him for their own personal gain? Her small hands clenched into fists and she took a deep breath. That was wrong. It was very wrong!
"I've seen it happen before," Weiss scowled. "You wouldn't believe how many people on the Board of Directors wanted to `introduce` their sons to me, or even their daughters. Just being a close friend of the boss' child can put you in a position of power. People will use anything to try and get ahead in life, even the feelings of other people."
"I know that full well," Pyrrha's eyes were shut, as she relived some distant memory. "More than I care to…"
Ruby leaned in a little closer. "Do you think that Neo girl is as well?"
"No," Weiss shook her head. "He seems indulgent of her, and he's obviously not upset to be close to her. I'd say she seems more like a younger sister to him."
Ruby's left eye twitched. "That's nice," she gritted out.
"Of course, I could be wrong," Weiss said, doing a quick reverse and shrugging her shoulders. "Perhaps I'm overthinking it, or maybe I've missed the mark. I suppose we'll have to ask him."
"Would he tell us, though?" Pyrrha asked. "I mean, he came back angry, which fits the theory, but if it's a personal problem, I doubt he would talk about it."
"Then we ask someone else."
"Who?"
Neo smiled as she pushed her face in amongst theirs.
"Wahhh!" Ruby cried, nearly falling back but for the girl catching her. "N-Neo," she gasped. "Don't sneak up on us. Wait, were you listening!?" The girl shrugged, not ashamed in the slightest. Ruby was about to tell her why that was wrong, but for Weiss gripping her arm.
"Wait," the heiress said, "she can tell us. Neo… you're a friend of Jaune's, correct - a friend from his homeland?"
The girl paused to think for a few seconds, before she shrugged her shoulders and nodded.
"That means you know this Cinder woman, right?"
Another nod, this one a little more intrigued. Ruby lost her patience, pushing Weiss' hand off as she leaned forward.
"Is she trying to seduce him?" she asked. "Is she some kind of horrid witch trying to take advantage of him for her own selfish desires?"
The girl blinked and looked at her for a long moment. The smile that slowly crept across her face was a little creepy. Too filled with teeth, and wide enough to split her face in two, if Ruby hadn't known better, she might have almost called it vicious.
"Well?" Ruby pressed. "Is she?"
Neo looked them each in the eye, and nodded her head.
/-/
Cardin glanced about the dark room and wondered where he was. Some back corridor of Beacon, had there been a power cut? He grunted and put one foot before the other, one arm held out to feel for a wall to guide himself, but there didn't seem to be one nearby. You'd think Beacon could pay their energy bills, he groused to himself, moving on in search of light but keeping a hand in front just in case. No one would get to see Cardin Winchester flat on his ass because he'd walked into a wall. He had a reputation to maintain… or the tatters of one, at least.
The corridor continued on for a few minutes, or what felt like minutes. His pace was slow and cautious and he had to concentrate to make sure he kept going in a straight line. He wished he had his scroll on him but for some reason it was missing.
"Cardin…" a soft voice whispered. He paused.
"Who's there? Russ, is that you?"
There was no response from the darkness, but for the echo of his voice. When the voice didn't return, he shrugged and moved on. Maybe he'd imagined it. It was dark enough to make a man think strange thoughts, but he wasn't one to get worked up over the bogey man. He was a huntsman – he hunted monsters down. Not the other way around.
"Caaardiiin…"
His heavy boots came to a stop, in the middle of the darkness itself. There was no denying that one, not when it sounded much clearer than the last. The way it dragged out made him roll his eyes. "Real funny, guys, why don't you jump out with a sheet over your head next?" He crossed his arms and turned towards where he half-thought the voice came from. "I'll give you guys hell in sparring if you don't turn the lights back on."
His teammates didn't respond, and as the seconds dragged on, he began to wonder if it was even them at all. He had plenty of enemies in Beacon, jealous idiots who dreamed they could be half the man he was or stupid animals who wanted to get their own back. It would be just like those beasts to attack in the dark, make use of their night vision as opposed to facing humans like true warriors.
"… ears…"
"Come on out," Cardin challenged. "If you want to start something, I'm right here."
"Touch…"
"What?"
"Touch them…!"
Cardin's pulse raced. He spun around but saw nothing, only to feel something behind him and turn back. There was nothing... "This isn't funny," he growled. "You think this is a joke?" He reached for his weapon only to find it absent. What the hell. Why didn't he have his weapon or his scroll? He reached for his pockets, only to pause when his hand met skin. "W-Where are my trousers!? Why am I naked?"
Two hands fell on his shoulders from behind. His heart leapt up into his throat, and as he turned around, his eyes widened in abject terror.
"Touch my ears," the horrific monster begged. Its red and black eyes bore into his. "Touch them-" Its tentacles rose and twitched in the air. "-and I'll touch yours~"
"Arghhh!" Cardin surged forwards with a cry, only to pause as warm air and bright light assaulted his senses.
He looked left and right, to see the warm grass of Beacon's gardens beneath him, and some students in the distance. One or two looked his way, having no doubt heard his startled cry. They giggled and moved on. Cardin panted and lowered his hands down into his lap. A nightmare… he'd fallen asleep on the grass and had a nightmare…
"How pathetic," he growled. With a grunt, he pushed himself up, an almost timid glance to check he was clothed. He was, of course, in his armour after a good spar with his team. They'd broken off for food, but he'd fought against all three and the grass had looked soft and inviting. One hand rubbed against his face. His skin felt clammy. "Kids have nightmares, man. This is ridiculous. I need to get it together."
The subject matter hardly helped, what with the image still fresh in his mind. He shivered at the thought of it, and then the memory, back at Forever Fall. No one believed them about that… no one believed what he'd seen with his own eyes.
That was fine, though. They laughed at him, they called him crazy – but they'd see the truth in time. "I'll show them," he growled and pushed his way through the trees. "I'll show them I'm not crazy. I'll prove what a monster he is, once and for all. They'll eat their words."
He'd make that bitch Xiao-Long do it on her knees, with her forehead pressed to the ground. Accuse him of being a fag, would they? He'd show them what a real man was made of. He'd even show Glynda Goodbitch – and make her publically apologise for doubting him and his team.
"But best of all," he growled, "I'll get my own back on that bastard. Just you wait, Arc… I'll make you rue the day you crossed me. I'll show everyone what kind of man you are…"
Cardin Winchester pushed on through the crowd, lost in rage. Such was his focus that he didn't even notice the person he'd bumped into, nor how they stopped to watch him leave. Reddish eyes blinked from behind green locks. The dark-skinned girl sighed.
"Great… this day just gets worse and worse." Emerald flicked her scroll open and dialled a number.
"Yo babe," Mercury answered, as aggravating as ever. "Miss me already?"
"Not even close. We have a problem."
"What, already? It's not even been a day. How do we have a problem already?" Emerald sighed, in complete agreement with the sentiment. "Please tell me it's not about that Jaune guy, I don't want to bring him up in front of Cinder for at least three weeks."
"Okay, it's not about him."
"It's about him, isn't it?" Mercury sighed the sigh of a man not paid enough for this. "How bad is it?"
"Someone knows the truth and maybe wants to expose and kill him. Does that sound bad to you?"
"We telling the boss?"
"If you feel brave enough, go ahead," Emerald offered. She wasn't… not after she'd seen the mood Cinder was in. Neither of them had ever seen her angry before, irritated, sure – but not like that. She didn't want a repeat and she doubted he did, either.
"Welp, on our own it is!" Mercury said. "I'll be over in a sec, let me just grab my shoes."
Emerald hung up and stored her scroll away, content to wait for her partner before they had to track this idiot down and figure out what to do with him. Not even a single day at Beacon and she'd already been through enough shock to shorten her lifespan by several years.
It was official. Beacon sucked.
Tried to make Cardin's thoughts just that little bit more antagonistic than usual, along with harsher language since he seems the type to use it, just to sound cool. As for Cinder, ah, you are a delight to write at times.
Of course, she is different from canon in that her history is a little different. I had someone ask her age in comparison to Jaune's in a PM, and how she related to Jaune when he was younger. That will all be revealed in time, but I'll say that she is a little older than him, and I think she is older in the show, as well, but pretending to be the same age as RWBY's team. Not by too much, I would imagine… maybe 19-22.
Next Chapter: 19th April (Back to Wednesday)
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur