Just to let people know, there's a new cute piece of art for Service with a Smile over on Kegi Springfield's DA. An image of Velvet when she was cornered by journalists. Feel free to check it out.

Other than that, here we go!

Cover Art: Jack Wayne

Chapter 37

"WHAT!?"

"I thought you knew. Or that you'd at least figured it out…"

"I-" Jaune ran a hand down his face and stalked back and forth, cutting a small circle across the floor of his diner. Roman sat alone on a table, the chairs having already been stacked atop them. Coming to a stop, Jaune rounded on the thief. "I figured Cinder was related to your work, sure, but I didn't think she was literally planning the end of Vale!"

"Eh. It's really more the end of Beacon. And a little bit of chaos in the city…"

"Oh good. Wonderful. Just a little bit of chaos. And just the big academy keeping us safe from the Grimm disappearing. No, no, that's fine. That's totally okay. Do you see my face, Roman? This is my `everything is okay` face."

"Kid, you're hyperventilating."

"Am I? Good! This way I won't have to deal with-"

And there went the last of the air in his lungs. Jaune bent over and gasped for breath. He winced when he felt Roman pat his back, the taller man striking him gently to help get him back on track.

"Look, I'm not exactly keen on this either, but I don't have much of a choice. As for telling you, I didn't intend to at first, bliss in ignorance and all that, but Cinder told me you weren't taking her hints to leave. Said you might be an unfortunate casualty."

"A-And you felt you had to help me?"

"Eh. I felt bad," Roman said, scratching his cheek. "But it was Neo giving me the glare of death for an hour straight that made me come out here. Got the feeling I'd find something unpleasant in my bed if I didn't."

"Like a frog?"

"Like an Ursa's head. And, if I was unlucky, with the rest of the Ursa still attached."

He owed Neo some coffee and ice-cream, quite a bit in fact. He also owed Roman a whole truckload of laxatives slipped into his. Holy shit. Cinder, the nice woman who had helped him when his shop had been broken into and even unlocked his aura, wasn't just a petty crook as he'd expected but a dangerous terrorist with plans to destroy the city.

And he was hosting her tomorrow night. And had hosted her before, multiple times.

"Oh my god, I'm complicit…"

"Meh. Really more of a you've been tricked kind of thing. Doubt it would stand up in court. Course, it wouldn't make it to court if you tried anything. Not me," Roman added, holding his hands up when Jaune suddenly looked afraid. "Ursa in the bed, remember? But Cinder would practically have to deal with you if you tried to talk. Reluctantly, mind, but she'd do it. She likes you."

"Likes me enough to leave me to die?"

"Hey, that's more thought than she's put into anyone else. Even said she tried to get you to up and leave."

Had she? Jaune wracked his mind, cringing when he realised when that had been. "She tried to push me to take a holiday for the Vytal Festival. Go back and visit my family. That's when this is happening, isn't it?"

"Yep. Any chance I can convince you to take that holiday?"

"None. I'm not leaving everyone else to suffer." Velvet, Russel, they studied at Beacon, which meant they'd be at the forefront of whatever happened. "I-I can't let it happen, Roman. I have to go to the police, even if there's a chance she'll kill me."

Roman caught him by the arm before he could slip past and dragged Jaune back. Pulling a chair down off the table, he pushed Jaune into it and stood in front of him, arms crossed. "I don't think you're understanding me here, kid. When you say `a chance she'll kill you`, you're not thinking about it right. Yeah, there is a chance. One hundred per cent. You've no proof, no evidence and not a shred of credibility. Meanwhile, she's able to slip out of Vale and the public eye at the drop of a hat."

"You report her, she vanishes. She doesn't change her plans, doesn't stop, but there's not a damn thing anyone can do to stop her. Worse, no one will believe you. They'll see it as her fleeing, and besides, Vale has more security than ever at the Vytal Festival. They're not going to cancel it just because you think it's a good idea. They'll keep going as usual and bam, the attack will happen as planned. Not that you'll be around to see it, since you'll have been murdered in your sleep. Anyone you tell? Dead as well."

A cold chill overcame him, and he rubbed his arms. Looking away, he said, "So what? I'm supposed to just sit on this…?"

"In an ideal world, you'd quit Vale for a couple of weeks."

"Not happening."

"I can see that. Damn it, kid. You're making this harder than it has to be. Just… don't do anything reckless, okay? You need to talk to someone, talk to me or Neo. Don't bring this up with any of your huntsman friends or this is going to turn ugly and there won't be a thing you or me can do about it." Looking oddly uncomfortable and unsure of what to say, Roman placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "I don't like this either. We're both in bad spots, but you're not involved yet. If I can, I'd like to keep you out of it altogether."

"Then why tell me? I kind of wish you hadn't now…"

"Because I'd rather you be uncomfortable now than dead later."

Gods. And the night had started off so good.

"Just tell me one thing, Roman. Miltia and Melanie…"

"Know nothing about this. They know what I am and know Cinder is someone like me, but they've no idea what's going on or what's planned to happen. They're innocent. Or as innocent as those two can be."

The assurance meant more than Roman knew.

/-/

Thoughts of Cinder and the meeting continued to haunt him into Saturday itself, but were quickly pushed back by the sheer amount of embarrassment he got to experience through the day, all thanks to the `wonderful friends and patrons` that he wanted to protect so badly. It started early, the moment Velvet and Russel arrived in fact.

"So," Russel said, not even having brought his second foot inside the door, "How did it go?"

"How did what go?" Jaune asked, genuinely confused.

"The date!" Velvet said, squeezing in behind Russel. "Where did you go? What did you do?"

"Did you do her?" Russel asked.

Velvet punched her colleague in the arm, though when Jaune's face became increasingly red, her eyes widened. "YOU DID!?"

"N-No. I just… Is this really the time?"

"Yes," they answered as one.

Cheeks heating up, Jaune looked away. "Don't you have to get the tables ready, Russel? And Velvet, we need supplies from Marron."

"Marron will ask me what happened on your date," Velvet said immediately. "If I don't have an answer, he'll just demand I go back and find one."

"The tables will ask what happened on your date," Russel parroted.

"That… doesn't make any sense…"

"Just tell us already!"

In the end, he'd been forced into compliance, going through the whole thing, minus – naturally – Roman's revelation at the end and just how forward Miltia had been. He had a feeling the two knew, having met Miltia more than enough times to get an idea, but it didn't stop Velvet's eyes sparkling or Russel patting his back like an old man might.

"That's so sweet!" Velvet whispered.

"I'm proud of you, boss. So proud."

Shoulders hunched, face a bright red, ego hanging somewhere around his ankles, Jaune buried his face in his hands. "Just… go prepare the diner or something." As the two laughed and moved to work, he shouted out, "And I hate you both by the way. Just letting you know."

He'd thought that the end of it, enough that his mind could return to Cinder and the meeting later.

The moment the clock hit eight, opening time, the door slammed open. Ruby and Yang entered as one – except the door wasn't really intended for that and they wedged themselves in it. Rather than back up and try again, Yang and Ruby decided to struggle harder, trying to push the other out as they fought to fit inside.

With a loud `pop` and a cry, the two collapsed through the doorway and landed face down on the floor. Yang cursed into the tiles as Weiss and Blake calmly walked over her body, using Yang as an entry mat.

"Jaune," Weiss greeted. "I thought to ask-"

"HOW DID IT GO!?" Yang all but screamed, pushing herself up desperately.

"Yes," Weiss said, coughing politely. "That."

"I hate you all so much…"

/-/

There wasn't much point in Mercury being at Jaune's for the day, but then there wasn't much point him not being there either. It was a Saturday, so Beacon was out and considering how close it was to the festival and the shit they'd be up to later, there wasn't any work to do. Cinder was busy contacting Adam, while Emerald was her usual pissy self. Probably upset that Cinder was paying more attention to Adam than her.

Basically, he was bored.

When he'd been bored in the past, he'd usually bait Emerald and see what kind of reaction he could get. Fighting was a handy alternative, even a spar if he could manage it, but Cinder wanted his legs to remain a secret, so that was out. He'd decided to head out to Vale instead and, without really thinking about it, he'd gravitated towards Jaune's.

Luckily, the entertainment was top notch as usual.

"So, how was your date?" some random girl asked Jaune.

"I-It went well, thanks," the proprietor replied, his face so red Mercury thought it might explode. "What can I get you?"

"Did she spend the night?"

"What can I get you?"

"I bet you looked cute together."

"Please let me get you something," Jaune begged.

"Snrk." Mercury hid his laugh in his hand, though it wasn't like he was the only one getting a laugh out of the poor guy's troubles. There was Team RWBY off to the side, who he knew Emerald had made contact with. The hot blonde was laughing, while the mysterious black-haired girl with the fantastic ass was smiling into her mug.

Jaune's was always good for a laugh. If it wasn't, it was usually good for a bit of a relax. The food was good, the coffee better and the room spacious. That it got him away from Cinder's authority and Emerald's bitchiness for a couple of hours was just a bonus.

It really would be a shame to see it go…

Don't think about it, he told himself, taking another long drink. Not like there's anything I can do about it, and I wouldn't even if there was. He didn't have any loyalty to Vale. Hell, he didn't have loyalty to anyone. His father had beaten that out of him.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder what things might have been like if he actually were a student here. Coming down to Jaune's on a weekend with a team, laughing and joking. He'd still be an ass, of course, but he might have had a teammate he could tease that wasn't a bitch. Then again, said metaphorical teammate would have probably knocked his block off by now.

A normal life, huh? Yeah, like that could ever happen for me.

Born to an assassin, beaten and raised to mistrust everyone and then drafted into a team of people determined to bring down not only Vale, but possibly all the Kingdoms. There hadn't been much of a chance to say no to that at the time, and after a while he'd stopped caring. Well, he'd never cared, but he'd stopped caring about the fact he didn't care.

The chair opposite him was drawn back. The diner was busy enough that it wasn't unusual for people to share tables, and when you came on your own it was all but expected. A single guy couldn't hog a table that could fit three or four people. Mercury looked up curiously, hoping it might be a hot girl for once.

"Just my luck," he grumbled.

"The sentiment is very much returned, human." Adam fucking Taurus replied.

"A sociopath and a terrorist walk into a bar. Sounds like the lead in to the world's worst joke."

"This is a diner."

"Same difference." Mercury paused as Jaune approached, taking Adam's order with a friendly smile. The normally angry faunus responded just as calmly. "Can I get a refill on mine as well?" Mercury asked once Adam was done.

"Sure thing. Any cakes between you?"

Cake. With Adam fucking Taurus? Eh. You only lived once.

"Sure. We'll take one of those platters."

"I am not a fan of cake," Adam said when Jaune left.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me one bit when it comes to you. Do you also wage a war on sugar, spice and all things nice, as well? Or just if they give faunus tooth decay?"

"You mock me."

"What was your first hint?"

Adam's eyes narrowed but he made no move to respond, which surprised Mercury a little. He'd really thought the guy would get up and walk. Seeing his confusion, Adam snorted. "I am not so foolish that I can't see your employer uses us for her own purposes. I hardly expect a sympathetic ear from you or yours. And I am not willing to cause trouble here of all places."

"Huh. Go figure." Mercury and Adam both paused as Jaune returned, tray in hand. "Eh, you're a lifesaver," Mercury quipped, stealing a small slice of chocolate cake before the plate was even put down. "Hm. Damn, man, this is good. Oh, how did the date go?"

Jaune groaned. "I refuse to answer that since I know you've overheard me answer it a hundred times by now."

"Heh. Guilty as charged." Mercury winked and the blond walked off muttering under his breath. Turning back to Adam, he lowered his voice. "Still surprised to see you here. I figured you'd be keeping a low profile, what with this being the main haunt for Beacon students."

"Ideally, I would be," Adam said, sipping at his drink. "There isn't much to do, however, and there are few places in Vale that freely cater to faunus."

"I thought law was people couldn't turn faunus away."

"Not turning them away and welcoming them are two different things. You would not understand, being human. Little signs, dismissive gestures and poor service. If I'm to refrain from causing a scene, I need somewhere I can relax." Adam looked about briefly. "I can't say I expected to find it here, but life works in strange ways."

"Yeah. I guess it does…"

Strangely enough, they fell into a comfortable, if not companionable, silence. Adam was the last person he'd have thought to spend time with over coffee, but then, he wasn't the last person Mercury would have wanted. Right now, as tired as he was, that was Cinder and Emerald. He wanted a break from work.

It seemed Adam did, too. The White Fang commander, or whatever his rank was, sat calmly and peacefully, never once taking part in the rambunctious nonsense happening all around them, but somehow taking it in. He'd never pegged the guy for a place as loud and busy as this, but Adam looked to find some weird comfort in it.

Mercury had never been good at patience, though. "You think you can give this place a free pass when the time comes?"

One of Adam's eyes opened slowly. "Hm?"

"Jaune's. Just… you know, with your boys intending to do what they're going to do, maybe you can ask them to skip out on places that don't discriminate against faunus. I figure if anyone could make that happen, it'd be you."

"I've already ordered it."

He refused to accept the sudden relief he felt well up inside. "Yeah?"

"Places like this are few and far between. I've made it clear that I will be displeased if it or its inhabitants are harmed."

Some good news, finally. Mercury nodded, not quite willing to thank the man opposite him, but knowing he'd get the message nonetheless. It might not be enough to ensure Jaune came out okay, but if the robots wouldn't go after him and the White Fang wouldn't, that only left the Grimm. Which would still be more than enough to end him. Fuck my life…

"You are not as I expected you to be," Adam said suddenly.

Curious despite himself, Mercury listened. "Yeah?"

"Given how single-minded your employer is, and her little pet-" Mercury had to snort at the nickname for Emerald, "I expected you to be much the same. Your previous behaviour did not suggest otherwise."

To be fair, he hadn't really spoken out much in front of Adam and that was on purpose. Cinder was the frontwoman for their group, Emerald the loyal follower and him… well, muscle, he supposed. It had never been his place to take centre stage and he felt no motivation to change that. Still, for the sake of appearances he shrugged.

"Who says I'm all that different?"

"I do. I have made a career off influencing the belief and loyalty of my men."

"You mean fanaticism?"

"Call it what you will. The point I am making is that I've seen someone lose faith in the cause. I've seen what happens when such goes ignored. I thought it did not matter, I excused the doubt I saw because the person was… close to me. That was a mistake, and I lost her, perhaps forever."

Nervously, Mercury leaned back. "What's your point?"

Adam placed his mug down on the table. "I can see that you are losing faith in your cause, Mercury Black."

Panic slammed into him. His muscles tensed, eyes flicking to the door as he contemplated making a break for it. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. What were his options? Flight? If Adam wouldn't start a scene here, he might be able to make it to the airport. Catch a flight out of Vale. Fleeing Cinder would be a must. Mistral was too obvious and Atlas wasn't much better. Vacuo? She'd expect him to flee where she had the least influence, but at least he could get lost in the desert there.

"Calm yourself," Adam said. "I am as loyal to Cinder as she is to me." Which was to say they were both using one another. "I could not care less if you betray her."

"Can you stop saying that?" Mercury hissed back.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Whatever you wish to call it, then. I've seen the look in your eyes before. It's the look of someone who is considering jumping ship, even if they have not made the decision just yet."

Despite the assurance, Mercury's fingers still tapped nervously on his mug. He snatched and ate a piece of cake, hoping the sugar would do something for his nerves. Not even that could get him past the sudden fear he felt. If Cinder or Emerald caught wind of this, he was dead. Cinder might not even wait long enough to find out if it was true or not. He didn't have a Semblance or anything that made him as invaluable as Emerald or Roman's pet, Neo. He could be replaced.

His first instinct was to keep denying it, but the look on Adam's face said that wouldn't work.

"You'll not tell her. I could make your life hell for the few days before I'm killed…"

"I have no interest in aiding her with her affairs," Adam said with a shrug. "We are allies by necessity and certainly not friends."

"You're pointing it out to blackmail me," he realised. "You're saying that I can turn coat if I want, but if I try and implicate the White Fang or you…"

"I see we've reached an understanding."

Damn it. Adam was a lot more cunning than Cinder gave him credit for if he could pull something like this. The guy had him by the balls, even if he made it sound like a generous offer. "Yeah, we have," he said, eating another slice of cake. "I've nothing against your lot."

"Good." For the first time, Adam took a slice himself and bit into it. "I'm curious as to what is driving your division, however. You did not strike me as the most caring of individuals."

Adam wanted his reasons? His life story? He almost snorted but, knowing that Adam could end him at a moment's notice, gave him what he wanted. "I'm not. Couldn't care less about anyone other than me, but I'm not actually getting anything out of following her. When she found me, she was looking for my dad, who I'd just killed. He was a piece of shit. She gave me the offer to join instead and… well, I wasn't exactly in a great position to say no."

"Assumed loyalty, then. A foolish mistake on her part."

"I think it's arrogance myself," Mercury said. "Not that I'd ever say it to her, but Cinder is so sure she has everything on lockdown that she doesn't even consider the fact I might run. Then again, maybe she just doesn't think it'd matter if I did…"

"Do you intend to?"

"Don't think so. Where would I go? What would I do? I'm not actually against her goals, so it's not like there's anything holding me back. If I saw something better to jump to, I might, but right now I'd be leaving her to do nothing. Run away and hide. Life wouldn't be any better that way." At the end of the day, his options just weren't the best. "Fuck me. Well, in for a lien. Long as we're being candid and you know I can't reveal anything you say lest you ruin me, what do you think of everything that's going on?"

Adam chuckled. It was, surprisingly enough, not an evil or condescending sound.

"There aren't as many secrets with me as you'd think. I believe in my cause, I fight for my cause and I am willing to do what I must for my cause. Cinder Fall seeks to use us and so long as our goals align, I shall allow her to believe she is."

"Doesn't that go against your whole thing, though? I mean, you're rebelling against humans controlling you, yet letting another do so."

"A true general knows that winning the war is more important than winning every battle. The compromise angers me, that's true, but the benefits outweigh my displeasure. If I cannot sacrifice my ego for the cause, then what right do I have to ask other men and women to sacrifice their life?"

Put like that, it made sense. Hell, put like that, Adam came across as one of the more rational people he knew, which was definitely saying something.

"If you wish to flee, your best opportunity would be when the attack begins…"

Mercury swallowed. "Yeah, I figured that out myself…"

"I would not stop you. You're not actually required for anything on my end, and, I'll admit, I would take some pleasure in seeing her face once she realises."

Despite the danger, Mercury laughed. He'd like to see it, too. Preferably from several hundred miles away.

"Do you ever regret it?" Mercury asked. "What you do?"

"Occasionally."

"Yeah?" He was surprised, to be honest. He'd thought Adam would laugh the idea off.

"I do not regret our cause, nor the steps we've been forced to take. Some things are necessary, but that does not mean I cannot regret being forced to take them. Despite the mask I sometimes wear, I am not a Grimm. Also, there are certain decisions I have made, certain words that went unsaid, that I regret more than anything else…" Adam trailed off, and then reached for his mug. "Regret is a part of life. Anyone who claims not to feel it lies."

"Yeah," Mercury said, reaching for his own. "I'll drink to that."

/-/

Jaune tried not to scream when Cinder tapped on the window of his front door. He did jump, however, before he hurried over with a strained expression and unlocked it. The woman stepped inside, one eyebrow artfully raised as she took in his quaking form.

"Did I startle you, Jaune? I apologise."

"S-Sorry. I was just on edge."

"Oh? Whatever for?"

Crap, crap, crap. What was he supposed to say?

"Café Prime?" Cinder asked, ironically giving him an out. "I've heard they've been quiet recently, but I thought it was more to avoid any more scandals."

"Y-Yeah. I was just afraid they'd try something… you know, get desperate."

Nodding, she placed a hand on his shoulder. The hand that wanted to destroy Beacon was comforting him, and Jaune was not sure what to think about that, or the sympathetic smile she offered.

"It is fine, Jaune. If anything happens, tell me. I will deal with it in my own way."

Images of Café Prime on fire and Alexander Sterling transfixed on a pike flashed through his mind. To his horror, he didn't feel much horror at the thought. "Um. Yeah. Thanks. I'm fine, though. Roman is inside," he added, nodding to the table set in the centre of the main room. "I've got drinks on the boil. Will Emerald and Mercury be catching up?"

"They are waiting for our guest outside. Don't worry. And thank you again for your hospitality, Jaune. I've been looking forward to a good drink." Patting his arm one final time, Cinder smiled and pushed by, strolling over towards Roman and Neo.

Jaune, meanwhile, slipped behind the counter, relieved to be able to hide his face behind one of his machines. He'd come up with absolutely no plan through the day. No great ideas, no inspiration and no out he could use to escape the current situation. In the end, his great idea was to play along – at least for tonight. One day really wasn't enough warning on Roman's part to find a way out of this, and there were still a few weeks until Vytal. No reason to immediately panic.

Once this was over, he'd have more time to corner Roman and try to find out more. For now, he'd follow the thief's advice and not tell anyone else for fear of what would happen to them, but Roman clearly wasn't into the idea of destroying Beacon either. Maybe they could find some common ground.

First things first, he needed to make sure Cinder didn't catch on to the fact he knew what she was up to. Which means I need to calm down. Calm. Calm. Stop jumping at shadows and acting like you've got a terrible secret you need to hide.

It wasn't easy.

When Mercury and Emerald eventually came back in, they were accompanied by a figure Jaune recognised. Red hair, a stern expression and horns hidden among his locks. The hoodie was down, but it was clearly Adam, another one of his regular.

He's involved in this as well? Why are all my customers either huntsmen or terrorists!?

Ducking his head, he prepared some cakes on trays and drinks to follow, bringing them out and serving to each of the criminals seated around the table. Roman met his eyes firmly, the message clear. Neo also watched, though her expression was unreadable. What it wasn't was the mischievous smile he was used to seeing.

"Thank you, Jaune," Cinder said. "We'll be sure to call you back if we need anything."

Dismissed, he made his way back over to the counter and fiddled with his accounts, keeping his eyes busy. The conversation that sparked at the table was… utterly mundane. Too mundane. The criminals talked about house prices, property figures and portfolios. It was so ridiculous that he knew it couldn't be real.

Did they have a way to change what was said? Was it all a ridiculous code? He might have believed that if they'd talked ominously about a `house market crash` coming up around the time of the Vytal Festival, but they didn't. Roman argued to sell more properties and liquidate their assets, while Cinder wanted to expand their portfolio and move into the rental market.

All the while, Emerald kept an eye on him for some reason. Jaune broke his gaze with her, embarrassed to have been caught, and focused on his tax returns once more.

/-/

"-Vytal Festival."

"White Fang prepared."

"CCT Tower."

"I shall handle the tower myself."

Ruby swallowed and pressed her ear against the door a little more, trying to catch more. The conversation down in the main room was telling, way too much so. They weren't even trying to pretend this wasn't illegal. White Fang, Vytal Festival, the CCT? She had to tell Ozpin.

But then, what would happen to Jaune?

He's letting these people use his diner to plan their horrible plots, a part of her said. But he wouldn't do that, and he's only letting them talk here, another countered, it's not like he can say no to dangerous criminals, right? He can't fight. It would have been easier to say that if he would have at least looked against the idea the first time. Ruby bit her lip and wrung her hands together.

Confronting them was a no-no. Weiss might call her reckless, but there was a difference between that and stupidity. No one was in danger of being killed, so she didn't have to rush down and save anyone. This was an information gathering mission. Nothing more.

"I want Blake."

Blake? What? Who? Why?

"You shall have her."

No, no, no. Blake was taken. Team RWBY wasn't up for negotiations.

"I need to use the bathroom," a new voice suddenly said.

Ruby froze.

"Ask Jaune if you can go upstairs," a woman replied.

Backing slowly away from the door, Ruby's eyes darted left and right, considering Jaune's dinky little apartment that she'd broken into. The window was still open, as planned, but hiding space was limited. Very limited. Footsteps echoed on the stairs, startling her all the more. Oh, come on! Couldn't Jaune have said no for once in his life?

Without thinking on it, Ruby dragged open the closest door that wasn't the bathroom, revealing a linen cupboard of some sort. Scrambling up onto the shelf, she huddled atop the folded towels and dragged the door shut, just as the main door connecting the apartment to the diner opened.

"I appreciate it, man," a male voice said.

"No problem," Jaune replied. Two shadows passed before Ruby's hiding place. She held her breath. "You know where it is."

"Yeah, I'm good."

A door opened and closed, probably the toilet. Ruby continued to hold her breath, wishing Jaune would move away from the corridor so she could make a run for it. She had everything she needed to know, and this was pushing her luck. Cramped as she was, she tried to shift her feet just a little bit to stop her boots digging into her butt.

Creak

Her eyes darted to the shelf beneath her, wooden and tilting precariously towards the closed door now. Slowly, with great panic, Ruby tried to lean backwards and balance it out.

C-Creak – Crack

The shelf shifted forward an inch, off the wall behind it. No, Ruby thought, eyes wide. Come on, shelf. You can do it. You're strong, powerful. I'm tiny! She locked her hands on the walls on either side of her to try and lift some of the weight. Stay strong. Just for another minute or two!

The wooden plank beneath her gave way. It wasn't the wood breaking so much as the shelf coming off the wall behind. Now tilted down, it slid free of its bindings and sent her tumbling into the door frame. Towels flew in every direction as Ruby, the shelf and most of the linen in the closet crashed out into the corridor, directly in front of Jaune's feet.

A white towel resting atop her head, Ruby looked up at her bestest friend nervously. He looked horrified.

"H-Hey."

"What was that!?" the guy in the toilet asked. There was the loud sound of someone struggling with their pants. It was followed by the door handle clicking down. Ruby's eyes widened, realising exactly what was about to happen.

"Nothing!" Jaune yelled. He stooped, grabbed a towel and brought it up quickly, blindsiding the guy trying to leave the bathroom with it, and also obscuring his vision past the white and fluffy fabric. "Just thought you might want a clean towel to wash your hands with."

Without giving the guy a chance to respond, Jaune threw the towel up and over his head. The guy fell back, stumbling and cursing.

As that happened, Jaune snatched Ruby by the arm and hauled her to her feet. No chance to talk, Ruby bit back a yelp as he dragged her back into the kitchenette and pushed her behind the fridge. It was a pathetic hiding spot, the person in the bathroom sure to see her if he tried to leave the apartment. Ruby held her breath.

"J-Jaune. What the hell?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking how you'd need to wash your hands. There's a towel."

"There was already one in there. Not to mention I already washed my hands."

Ruby stiffened. If he walked past…

"I used that towel to shower this morning."

Ruby blinked. What was that supposed to change?

"And…?" the guy asked, thinking the same thing as her.

"Well, it's just that I had a really big night the night before, you know." Jaune's face was an odd mix of white and red as he rambled on, pulling excuses out his butt. "Miltia and I didn't, uh, do anything, but I was pretty frustrated if you know what I mean. Relieved myself in the shower and used that towel to dry off."

There was a pregnant pause for a few seconds, before the door suddenly slammed shut and the sound of running water and a man going "arghhhh!" echoed through the apartment. Ruby's face was puce as Jaune dragged her out, rushing past the door to force her into his bedroom.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" he hissed.

"M-Me?" Ruby stammered back. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here!"

Oh, right. Yeah. Not what she'd meant! "With them," she added, pointing at the door. "Jaune, they're crim-"

The door began to open once more.

Jaune placed both hands on her shoulders and pushed. The door was already shut by the time she fell back onto his bed. "Oof," she grunted, bouncing on it twice. "N-Not nice." Better than being caught, but still.

"Thanks for that," the other guy said sarcastically. "Mental images I didn't need, not to mention thinking what that touched."

"Ha ha," Jaune's laugh was nervous. "I did try to warn you."

"Yeah. Speaking of warnings, mind if we have a word? Privately?"

"Um. Okay?"

"Not here," the guy said, "Wouldn't put it past Emerald to be listening in."

"Wait, not in there!"

With no warning whatsoever, the bedroom door's handle pushed down. Screaming internally, Ruby threw herself to the side, rolling off the bed with so much force that she flung off and hit the back wall with a soft thump. She'd only just hit the floor when the door opened, and two pairs of feet appeared on the other side of the bed. Ruby shimmied her way underneath it, relying on the overhanging fabric on the edges to keep her hidden.

"Not in here, what?" the guy said.

"I-I was afraid you'd think it a mess," Jaune reflected, relieve obvious in his voice. "I didn't clean up."

"Looks alright to me."

"I'm a demanding cleaner."

"You'd know more about it than me I guess." The mattress flexed above her as someone sat down, the imprint they left causing a bulge to come down beside her head. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Take a seat. I mean, it's your bed."

"Uh. Sure."

Jaune sat, and Ruby gasped as the bed came down directly atop her chest, squashing her breasts against her ribcage. N-Not there, she whined internally, struggling to slither free. Jaune was big, though. Big and heavy. Erk!

"I just wanted to give you a heads up," the guy said, flexing a little on the bed, enough so that his indent came over her shoulder, half-crushing her there as well. "You're a pretty cool guy and everything, but you need to invest in a little more security."

"Security…? You mean after the break in?"

"Yeah, I guess. But think bigger. There's a lot of Grimm out there. Don't you think you could do with some bars behind your windows or something?"

"Bars? Grimm?" Jaune laughed. "Mercury, there haven't been Grimm in the city of Vale for ages. I don't think anyone bars up all their windows. It would make the diner look like a prison."

"Maybe your apartment, then. It's just not very safe."

"It's also not mine," Jaune said. "I'm renting it and now that Café Prime technically owns it… let's just say I don't think they'll give me permission to install things like iron bars on the window, even if Sterling would love the idea of me in a cell. Why are you so worried about Grimm anyway?"

Y-Yeah, Ruby thought, struggling to breathe but still listening intently, W-Why the G-Gri- oh God, Jaune, you weigh a tonne! Lose some weight!

"It's just a concern."

Jaune was silent for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was different. Complicated. "Is it a concern I ought to be immediately aware of?"

The voice of the other guy hitched for a moment. When he spoke, it was eerily similar. Too calm, too casual. "Yeah. Yeah, I think it is."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for letting me know, Merc."

"What are friends for, hey?"

To Ruby's immense relief, the guy stood up, the mattress flexing back off her body. Jaune – weighed ten times her weight – Arc was still sat on her boobs, but she'd take what she could get. She'd also apologise for every time she'd failed to be sympathetic when Yang complained about the pains of having a larger bust.

"I'll leave you to clean up," the guy said. "Don't be too long, yeah? Otherwise Emerald get curious."

The bedroom door opened and closed once more, followed by the sound of the man's footsteps echoing down the hall and then another door, the one to Jaune's apartment. Jaune moved as well, the weight finally releasing her. Ruby let out a long, heavy sigh.

It was quickly followed by a squeak as the fabric was torn back and Jaune's face appeared – upside down – glaring at her.

"Hello Ruby. Fancy meeting you here. Care to explain?"

"Um."

Think fast. Quick excuse.

"I wanted another sleepover?"

/-/

Mercury hopped off the bottom step and down onto the ground floor once more. He walked back into the main foyer, immediately catching Emerald's eye. She was watching to see when Jaune came back so she could catch him in her Semblance.

"Where is he?" she asked. "I heard a crash upstairs. Something up?"

Humming, Mercury considered the question, stretching the silence out just to rile her up. Also, because it was expected. He supposed he ought to tell her about the girl from Beacon hiding under the bed upstairs. It wasn't as easy to hide that ridiculous red cape as she seemed to think it was, and he didn't think he'd ever seen another person wear a bight red cape everywhere they went.

Course, Cinder would send him and Emerald up to deal with her.

Mercury's eyes slid to Adam. The faunus was watching him.

Regret, huh?

Mercury grinned.

"Nah. I just knocked some shit over."

"Ugh. You clumsy idiot."

"Yep. That's me." Slipping by the irate girl, Mercury took his seat and nodded once to Taurus, kicking his feet back up onto the table as Cinder and Roman went over their plans. It was more of a whim than anything, but it was the first big decision he'd really made because he wanted to, not because his dad did, and not because of Cinder.

If he was being honest with himself, it felt good.

Real good.

Welp. This story isn't one that has a full plot per se, being a little more slice of life, but I really wanted to tackle Mercury in this once, since I've kind of left him a little lacking compared to some other characters in past fics. Only real way to bring some conflict re him, however, is to bring in the Cinder plot.

Poor spy-Ruby. Really not as great as you think you are.

Next Chapter: 29th January

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur