"She actually did that?" Cuttress laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. She had to put down the half-eaten croissant as she coughed. "This Miss White must be quite the lady, eh? I can just picture it; she demands to meet you in person regarding Vanessa's behavior. Her office's lights are dim, some scented candles are lit, and her dress shirt has a few too many buttons undone..."
"You've been watching too much TV lately, haven't you?" Jaune mused. Cuttress offered her signature grin. "I am supposed to meet with her. But I insisted on waiting until next Monday since I wanted to keep today and the weekend reserved for Vanessa. I haven't been spending enough time with her."
"Why do I have the feeling you're keeping a closer eye on her just to make sure she doesn't get herself into more trouble?" Jaune's frown grew. "Hey, I'd be thrilled if I were you. Vanessa is the type of gal that'd get in trouble for pranks rather than drugs or underage sex. Most of the boys find her too wild, I bet."
Cuttress cackled as she slapped his back, making him wince. She adopted a more relaxed look when she picked up her mug of coffee.
"She's far better than me when I was her age, Jaune. If anything, I'd be proud to see how motivated she is to pursue her dreams. There's something admirable about seeing that spark in a young soul. It's either that or a lazy bum thinking he's entitled to everything in the world."
"Like I said, too much TV."
"So you're meeting this Miss White, then?" she said. "You gonna-"
"I'm meeting her at a coffee shop after school hours since she's quite a busy woman. Enough of this nonsense about her seducing me in her office. It's unprofessional."
"It's unprofessional," she mocked. "Quit being such an old man."
"I feel like one though... Shouldn't I act the part?"
"Oh dear me, sonny boy," she rasped. "I'm Jaune, I'm too senile to tell my favorite flavor of vanilla is ice cream. Oh, what's this? Is my dick finally going erect after years of-"
Jaune smacked his mouth over Cuttress's mouth. He grimaced when he felt her tongue run through his fingers.
"Really?" he deadpanned.
"I can use this bad boy on another part of you if you wish~"
"And we've lost any semblance of professionalism again." He massaged his temples. "How is it I'm always stuck with you after hours?"
"The captain must recognize the chemistry we have. No, no... He totally ships us and wants us to bang. Then we'd provide Vanessa a sibling and she can finally call me Mom, and-"
"Seriously, how much TV have you been watching?"
She stuck out her tongue. "At least I'm far more educated than you. No, cultured even. How the heck did you have Pyrrha Nikos for a partner, and remain completely oblivious to her fame for so long, anyway?"
Jaune coughed as his cheeks flushed.
"But for real," Cuttress continued. "You remember that one time you had me over for drinks after you got promoted a few years back? Well, I kinda had a dream about that night." Jaune's smile grew. "D-don't give me that look! I can feel you undressing me with your eyes..."
"Are you going somewhere with this?"
"Shut up, I'm getting there." She coughed into her fist and took another sip of her beverage. "I was referring to the time we had to pick up Vanessa from her friend's place after their sleepover got a bit crazy. You remember how she was still small enough for me to carry easily? When I cradled her in my arms, Jaune, she called me her mom. And I know she wasn't drowsy enough to mistaken me for her real mother."
Jaune fixated his gaze on the papers on his desk.
"I don't know... I just happened to remember that moment in a dream and it got me wondering about a few things." Her hand brushed over his own. He directed his attention towards the sudden contact before meeting her eyes. "You remember how we first met?"
"If I recall, you pointed out how I looked like absolute shit that night."
"To be fair, provoking you like that managed to get you to open up to me." She shook her head. "I saw a lost boy. And I felt the urge to get involved for some reason. Look where that brought us, Jaune. We're both adults with good careers, you have Vanessa, and I treasure what we have between us, you know? That urge I felt when we first met?" She leaned in closer, inches away from his face as she cupped his cheeks. "I feel it again. Do you feel just as flustered as you were the first time a woman approached you like this?"
"Reverie..." He tried to reach for something behind him, but he was only grasping at air. "Vanessa loves you... To be honest, she considers you an honorary mother or something along those lines. You uh... want to join us for her birthday dinner tonight?"
"I'd love that, Jaune."
"You look like shit," the girl said.
"Excuse me!?" Jaune cried.
"You've clearly been crying a lot. It makes quite a pitiful sight, you know."
"Shut up..."
"But am I wrong?"
"Must you kick me when I'm down like this!? It's enough that I... that I..." he trailed off.
"Do you want to get some ice cream?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"Do you want some ice cream? There's this nice place I always frequent. Figured it would help. Plus, I feel like you could use someone to talk to right now."
"Why would I want to talk to someone as insensitive as you?"
"Because I can be honest, unfiltered, unbiased... We're strangers, so I won't hold back on anything and can offer my honest advice. Plus, I feel like it's easier confiding in strangers when there's no ulterior motives. No strings attached..."
He began to chuckle.
"You're not losing your mind, are you?"
"No," he wheezed. "It's just that this reminds me of something my mother used to say... What was it?"
"The best and most genuine of friendships can begin just about anywhere?"
Something like that.
Next chapter will probably focus more on the dynamics between Jaune, Cuttress, and Vanessa. Considered a flashback about Cuttress and Jaune in their younger days, but that's going to be saved for a whole other arc I have planned.
Cheers.
-Mute