Here we go.

Chapter 24

Jaune finished up at the bar by mixing two mojito and a rum and coke for himself, then swapping shifts with Tony to slide out the back and to freedom. For all that the average bar experience was a mass of pressing bodies akin to a zombie apocalypse, people made way for him so he could slide out. He'd have liked to say it was because he was a badass with a reputation, but the reality of it was that everyone – literally everyone – wanted to get on his good side in the off chance it would get them served quicker on future nights.

Jaune flashed them all a few smiles and kept repeating "thank you, thank you" as people let him by. It didn't hurt to be polite. After passing the mob there was an odd segment of empty space by the tables and toilets. By far the biggest congregations of people were at the bar and on the dancefloor, especially with the celebrity DJ on. People were stamping up and down as strobe lighting played across faces and raised arms. Off in the corner, imagining they weren't obvious, a guy and a girl were making out. He caught Melanie hovering nearby, not bothered enough to intervene for some petting, but prepared to ask them to leave if they went too far. She sent him a quick nod to say she'd noticed him and went back to leaning on the wall.

It wasn't hard to find Coco and Velvet. They were at a small table with a man leaning over it trying his luck. He didn't hear what Coco said but the man winced, offered a smile and a laugh and left them with a wave and some final words. They didn't look upset, so he must have been a good sport about it.

Barking up the wrong tree, mate. Not that I figured that out either. He wondered if Saphron would have been able to instantly tell Coco's preferences or if there were any social cues and clues at all. Coco saw him while he was deliberating.

"…!" Her voice had to be raised and even then he didn't hear anything over the music. She realised and waved her hand to bring him over. He stooped to place the glasses on the table, noting that there was another empty set. Velvet was on two so far, this being her third. Coco noticed his expression. "Don't worry. I'm watching her."

"You two…" Velvet whined.

"He's just taking precautions," Coco said. "These for us? How much?"

"They're on the house," Jaune said, taking the spot Coco offered by sliding around the circular seat to be close to her teammate. It was all one seat, stretched around the round table in a semi-circle.

"Oooh. Trying to score tonight, are you?"

"I don't think I'm your type."

"Ha!" Coco laughed and slung an arm over the back of the seat on his side, almost as if she was going to yawn and wrap it around his shoulders. She didn't and just hung there, body half-turned his way. It was difficult not to notice how pretty she was – fashionable and striking in a way that screamed confidence. Not interested in men, though. "I wasn't talking about me."

Jaune connected the dots.

So did Velvet. "COCO!" she shrieked, face burning bright red.

"What? I'm not saying you should or anything. Just that you could."

"W-We don't even know each other!"

He was more intimately involved with the contents of her stomach than he was her. Jaune felt just as embarrassed as Velvet by the suggestion, but he was also more used to this kind of thing from his sisters and managed to not blush. Besides, Velvet was doing a great job keeping the attention on her red face and wide eyes.

"Well duh." Coco rolled her eyes. "And now you're here and talking so you can get to know each other."

"Is that what this is?" he asked. "Are you trying to set us up?"

"Nah. That wasn't the plan or anything. Velvet really did want to come say sorry and I wanted to make sure she didn't use this as an excuse to never visit a club again." Her grin grew. "This is just an extra."

"Please ignore her!" Velvet begged from across the table. "Coco does this all the time. With everyone. Fox has been matchmade with half the school at this point."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she can't stand not being involved in someone else's love life. Maybe she should get her own instead!"

Coco chuckled as the tables were suddenly turned on her. Or maybe she'd decided to take mercy on them for what would have otherwise been an awkward conversation. It wasn't like Velvet was unattractive – quite the opposite; she was really cute – but their first interaction hadn't exactly been romantic. Would he have been against the idea? Probably not. Single and unlikely to find anyone interested anytime soon, he'd have probably jumped on the chance to go out with a girl like Velvet. That wasn't saying much, though. He would have done the same for any member of Team RWBY, either of the twins, Ruby's friend Pyrrha, Coco and a lot of other girls.

Does that make me desperate or are all girls from Beacon just that attractive?

"All I'm saying is that he saved you at a low moment in your life, offered his concern and helped you out. As far as first meetings go, that ain't a bad one. I've heard worse."

"If by helping her out you mean almost giving her alcohol poisoning," Jaune said, coming to Velvet's defence. She flashed him a grateful smile. "And I'm sure loads of people would have done the same in my situation. Or better."

"Hmmhmm." Coco acted like she didn't believe them. "Whatever you say, lover boy. Hey, I need the loo quick. Let me scooch over you, bun?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

Velvet tucked her legs in and let Coco worm her way out past her and the table's edge. Jaune got a great view of Coco's backside wrapped in her tight leather pants before looking down into his drink. It wasn't wrong to admire as long as he didn't try anything, right? He took another long drink as she sauntered off to the nearest toilets.

"Sorry about her," Velvet said again. Her ears drooped a little as she nursed her glass. "Coco means well but there's no filter between her brain and her mouth."

"It's fine." He flashed her a quick smile and an embarrassed laugh. "Not like I haven't had worse from my sisters. I won't take anything she says too seriously."

"Thanks."

"Did you sort out whatever had you down the other day?"

"What? Oh." Velvet sighed as she figured out what he meant. "Not really. It's still… well, not great."

"Ah. Sorry for asking."

"No. It's fine." Her ears slowly came back to stand straight. It was remarkable how much height that added to her and he couldn't help but stare. They were so expressive, brown like her hair and with a lot bigger range of motion than he imagined. "I feel better now," she continued, either not noticing or used to the attention. "Last night was just… It'd just happened. I'm better now."

"That's good to hear."

"And I am sorry about throwing up on your bar!"

"It's fine. Really. I'm the one who brought you here; if the club was going to blame anyone, they'd blame me."

If anything, that seemed to make her even more nervous. Her left ear drooped down, and she played with the tip with her fingers, tugging and rolling it around in her hand. "You… You didn't get in trouble, did you…?"

"No!" It suddenly made a lot more sense why she was worried. "No, no, no. There wasn't any trouble or reprimands. I'm… I guess I'm the Club Manager anyway, so it's not like they could throw me out."

"You own this place!?"

"I don't own it. I just make sure it stays running. Organising shifts, buying stock, arranging events if they come up. Stuff like that."

"So you're the boss?"

"In a manner of speaking." He was the boss of the business side of the club, but if Melanie or Miltia told him to jump, he would. "I run most things related to the club and bar side of things."

Velvet released her ear and smiled nervously. "That's impressive…"

"It really isn't all that big a thing. Not as cool as you being a huntress." His off-hand compliment threw her off for a moment. Her eyes grew wider and her cheeks darker. He caught her attention flick to the bathroom and knew he'd made her nervous. "I'm planning to apply to Beacon next year!" he said quickly. "I just find huntsmen and huntresses really cool because I want to be one."

"O-Oh." Her shoulders loosened a little. "Are you sixteen then?"

"Seventeen. I… decided to wait a year. Get a job and earn some money so I'd not be a pauper at Beacon."

"I wish I'd done that!" Velvet suddenly groaned, slumping a little. "Not that I'd want to miss out on my team or anything, but dust prices are through the roof right now."

That was news to him. "Are they?"

"It's because of all the robberies." Velvet failed to notice the way he tensed. Torchwick's robberies – the ones the Xiong Clan were being blackmailed into helping with. "I know the shops are running low because the shipments are being hit, but they're taking advantage by putting prices up. It's ridiculous."

Dust was a utility resources that everyone used to power their homes, but for Velvet and the others at Beacon it was also the primary source of their ammunition. Weapons ran on dust, with the more unusual and rapid-firing ones going through that much more. For someone who used a sword and shield like him, the rise in prices didn't mean much. Ruby would be spending lien with every shot she took, however, and he dreaded to imagine how much a rapid-firing weapon would cost.

"Have you ever thought of getting a part-time job?" he asked.

"It's not easy. It would have to be after classes or on weekends, and a lot of the good ones are already taken by everyone else. Fox works at a fancy restaurant Saturday and Sunday, and Yatsuhashi works at the docks driving forklifts."

"That's surprisingly mundane…"

Velvet shrugged one shoulder. "We can't earn money hunting until we get our licenses. I worked at a diner for a few weeks…" Her voice trailed off in a way that made it clear she didn't work there anymore.

"What happened?"

Her left ear came down again to be tugged at. "There was a complaint. I was let go." Her lips drew into a thin line. "Someone left an anonymous review saying there was fur in their coffee and how unhygienic it was to have animals there."

Jaune winced. "Because of your…?" He nodded to her ear.

Velvet scowled. "Yes."

"That's stupid," he said immediately.

"I know!" Velvet tugged on her ear harder, so much so that it must have hurt. "I-It's not like it's even fur. Animals grow fur because of their genetics. Even if these are based on rabbit ears, they don't grow fur. It's hair." Her anger, adorable as it was, mounted even further until she slapped her hands down on the table. "Look, see for yourself!"

The last thing he expected was for Velvet to suddenly half-stand up and push her head over the table. It had to be a product of the alcohol that she was so forward. With her brown hair spilling down over her face, all he could see was her long ears bobbing before his eyes. He wasn't sure what to do.

"They look fine…"

"Touch them!"

He wasn't sure if it would come across offensive to say no at this point. There was no denying a small amount of curiosity, too. He'd seen plenty of faunus both visiting the bar and working for the Xiong Clan, but he'd never had the courage to ask. Would they be sensitive? Was it insulting to bring them up? Was it the right thing to do to acknowledge someone's feature or should he act like everything was normal? No one ever explained and he just did his best not to cause issues.

"Okay…" Gently, he reached out, hand hovering for a second's hesitation before one of her ears. Was this forward of him? Was it intimate? Probably not if she was offering to let him do it. Don't be stupid. It's like touching someone's arm. If she's acting like it's not a big deal, it probably isn't one.

He was still careful to only rub a finger against her fur at first. Hair, he realised an instant later. When Velvet didn't make any untoward noises, he took the tip of one of her ears between his finger and thumb, rubbing it and marvelling at the texture.

"It's hair…" he said. "It really is just human hair…"

"Hmhm." Velvet let him touch her ears for a little longer, saying, "It's short hair and it grows on them, but it's not fur. If it was, I'd grow fur on my head as well. I'm a human with animal ears, not an animal with a human body."

That made sense. To be anything else would have required some funky genetical makeup where ninety per-cent of her scalp produced normal hair and then ten per cent fur. That was too weird to imagine happening. He continued to rub her ear, even reaching out to touch the other one. It really was soft and not at all strange, like playing with his sisters' hair when they asked him to do braids for them.

"Well, well, well." Coco's voice made them both freeze. "I leave for three minutes and come back to see this. Should I head on home? I don't want to be a third wheel."

"Eeep!" Velvet yanked her head back, sliding her ears out his fingers. "C-Coco, it's not what you think!"

"Babe, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to think." Laughing, she sat on Velvet's edge of the seat, bumping hips to force her around. It wasn't lost on Jaune that she'd effectively switched spots with her, making sure it was now Velvet sat next to him. "Chill. It's not a big deal." She flashed Jaune a grin. "Curious about faunus?"

"Velvet was just telling me about her part-time job."

"Ugh." Coco's smile turned to a scowl. "Assholes. I told you we should have filed a formal complaint! You could have sued for discrimination."

"I… I didn't want to cause a fuss…"

"You probably should have," Jaune said, making Velvet's brown eyes bulge. "I'm not saying you have to, but there must be laws against what they did. Were you at least given redundancy pay?"

"No…"

Bastards. He wasn't really sure if she'd have been working long enough to receive it anyway, but it was still a shitty deal. How ironic was it that the Xiong Clan – a literal criminal enterprise – treated faunus better than legitimate business did?

"See," Coco said, "Someone's on my side. Good to know you don't discriminate. Though with how you were smiling when you were feeling up Vel's ears, I think that's obvious."

Blood rushed to both his and Velvet's faces. She hadn't been able to see his expression because of the hair in front of her face, and he just knew Coco pointing it out was no accident. How obvious do you want to be with this plan of yours? Velvet isn't interested in me. Take a hint.

The fact that Velvet was stealing glances at him now only made it worse. Jaune tugged his collar, knowing that she was wondering if he really had been pulling such strange faces. "I-It was a new experience," he stammered. "I've never had the chance to touch…" That sounded wrong. "You know what I mean. I was just surprised at how nic- soft it felt."

"How nice it felt, huh?" Coco teased.

He caught Velvet's fist smashing into Coco's ribs. Sadly, Coco did not and almost inhaled her drink. Jaune gave Velvet an embarrassed but grateful smile and found one much the same returned. United in humiliation. It wasn't the best first impression he could have gone for, but it worked out.

"Coco." Velvet only slurred a little. "Shut up."

It was a novel experience being on the receiving end of a matchmaking attempt by a pushy older-sister figure. He'd always been the one being pushed before, not the target. Even more novel knowing about it in advance, though Coco was hardly subtle. He had a feeling Velvet had figured it out as well. That would explain the embarrassed looks she sometimes sent him.

"Maybe we should go dance," Coco suggested.

Velvet desperately shook her head. Dressed in his tight shirt, waistcoat and suit trousers, Jaune didn't exactly want to go and get sweaty either.

"Dance floor will be a mess tonight with this DJ here. It's not a good time for it unless you want a mosh pit."

Coco stuck her lips out. "Spoilsport."

For what, ruining her plan to force him and Velvet to dance? Neither of them were in the mood for that. "You could always go up there yourself if you want to."

"Ooh. And leave you two on your own?"

"The table would be more mature for it," Velvet sniped.

"What's that, little miss vomit and moshito?"

"It was one time…"

"One time that I shall never let you forget," Coco said. "Anyway, I'll go grab us another round, eh?"

Jaune stood up instead. "I'll do it."

"You got the last one." From the way Coco's eyes flicked to Velvet, she wanted to give them a little more time alone together. He honestly wouldn't have been against the idea, but for one thing.

"You'll be waiting in that queue for twenty minutes." He nodded to the packed bar. "I work here. I can walk in, make our drinks and be back in two. Perks of the job."

"Ah." Coco slowly lowered herself back down. "Yeah, that makes sense. Here, let me pay though. It'd come out of your wages otherwise, right?" She fished out some lien and handed it over. "Get me a strawberry sunrise. I hear good things."

"Sure. Velvet?"

"Um. Just another mojito for me. Thank you."

/-/

The moment Jaune left for the bar, Coco was on her. "He's cute, huh?"

"Coco, you are the literal worst person in the world." Velvet buried her face in her hands and stifled a scream. "I'm going to find a dictionary and staple the page with the word `subtle` on it onto the insides of your glasses. Also, you're a lesbian."

"Doesn't mean I can't tell when a guy looks good. He's not what you'd normally call hot – not rugged enough – but that waistcoat and suit combo does his figure good."

Trust Coco to pay more attention to a person's clothes. It was no secret she loved fashion and Velvet would admit, a little tipsily, that Jaune looked very handsome in his suit. Almost like a butler. Suave and sophisticated.

"You're drooling."

"I'm not!" Velvet checked her chin anyway just to confirm, then glared at her teammate.

"Got you to check."

"Die. Please die horribly."

"What's the big deal? He's cute, friendly, available-"

"How do you even know that?"

"I asked that cute bouncer by the bathroom." Velvet followed Coco's finger and lo and behold there was a short girl in a white dress perched by the wall. "She works with him and confirmed that he is one hundred per cent single. He's also definitely interested in you."

Every bit of blood in Velvet's body surged to her head and shoulders. The drunkenness didn't help. "Coco!"

"What? He is. Come on, babe, don't tell me you haven't noticed it? Guy can't take his eyes off you. He's interested, but he thinks you're not."

"I'm not!"

Coco raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, I'm not interested…"

The eyebrow rose.

"H-He's handsome but…"

"Hmhm?"

"C-Coco," she squeaked. "I barely know him! He seems nice, sure, but what if he isn't? I met him once, threw up on him and had to be rescued by you guys." Velvet tugged anxiously at her ears. "That's not a good first impression!"

"It's a memorable one."

"Not helping!"

"Look, it was a silly thing, sure, but it's not like we don't all do dumb stuff every now and then. He's obviously over it. And you can get to know him. That's what dating is for. But you're not even going to get a chance if you keep acting like you're not interested."

"What if I'm not interested at all?"

"Then you pick up a friend and we have a fun time." Coco leaned forward and smiled cattishly. "But I think we both know that's a lie. Or do you let any guy touch your ears now?"

"T-That was an impulse. I'm drunk!" she argued. "It's not fair to judge me on that."

"In Vino Veritas."

Guh. Velvet looked back to the bar in the hopes of rescue by Jaune. He was working his way through the mass of bodies, however. No help there. Okay, so maybe she was grateful for him helping her and maybe he was nice, both in personality and looks, and maybe – maybe – she agreed that his butt looked really good in those tight black suit bottoms, but couldn't that be said about a lot of guys? It wasn't like she hadn't appreciated some of the guys in class as well. Or the huntsmen competing on the TV. This was just the first time she'd sat down for drinks with a person like that and maybe thought it a possibility.

"What if he doesn't like me?"

"He likes you." Coco said bluntly.

"How can you be sure?"

"Bun. I have eyes. Just because I prefer the fairer sex does not mean I can't tell when a man is checking a girl out. Or vice versa. Sure, it might not work out, but it also might work out. What's the worst that happens? You try, it doesn't work and you stay friends. No big loss."

"Or I lose a friend."

"You've known him two whole days and one of those was spent spewing on him. Don't pull the friend card to get out of this." Coco glanced back to the bar and whispered. "Here he comes. Just try, okay? Smile a little and see how he reacts if you're so worried. No one's saying you have to jump his bones tonight. Just think about it. Be a shame to lose out on someone clearly interested in you just because of nerves."

Clearly interested in her. Velvet felt an odd mix of things twist in her gut. Some of it might have been booze since she wasn't sure if she wanted to giggle, smooth her hair down or run into the toilets to hide. Is he really interested? The thought was flattering, exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Okay. I can do this. Play it cool.

Velvet turned to face Jaune as he came back with three drinks. Whatever clever – and doubtless not clever – thing she had in mind to say was lost when a rough looking man swerved into Jaune's path, crashing into his front and knocking the drinks to the floor. The glasses didn't shatter on account of being plastic so close to the dancefloor, but the booze spilled down the fronts of both Jaune and the man.

They were a small distance away so Velvet couldn't hear what was said, but Jaune looked so shocked and panicked that when his lips moved, it couldn't have been anything but apologies that came out. The other guy wasn't hearing any of it. He shoved Jaune with both hands, shouted something and pointed a finger right in his face.

"Uh-oh." Coco said. "Looks like trouble."

"I-I'm sure it was an accident…"

"Of course it was. Looks like someone's had too much to drink if they're this angry."

"Should we help?"

"Bouncers are already moving."

They were? Velvet looked around and saw that Coco was correct. The girl in the white dress had slid along the wall to a point where she was close to the altercation, while two men in black suits with red shirts were coincidentally strolling nearby, hands leaving their pockets to hang at their sides. The clear intimidating should have put a stop to things.

Which was why everyone was caught off-guard when the man swung.

Coco slammed a hand down and made to leap up, but Jaune swayed out the way of the punch, bringing both arms up in time to catch what was by that point a weak blow. He moved swiftly back, clearly trying to deescalate the situation or just to give the bouncers room. The girl was already marching forward.

A flash of silver appeared in the man's right hand.

Velvet was ashamed to say she froze.

The knife lunged in for Jaune's stomach and everyone appeared to go still. Jaune's eyes widened. At the last second, when she was sure it would strike true, he twisted his body to the side, avoiding the thrust by an inch at best. His footing was poor, clearly unprepared, and it was all Jaune could do to shove the man away rather than go for the disarm.

It was enough. The girl in white slammed a heel into the back of the man's right knee to bring him low, wrapped a hand around his neck and hauled him away. The other bouncers lunged in and grappled his arms, wrenching the knife out his hand and, between the three of them, bodily dragging him through a door.

No one on the dancefloor even noticed, but for those sitting at the tables like them, there was a shocked silence.

Velvet leapt up, staggered a little and rushed up to him. "Jaune! Are you okay?"

He appeared shaken. Stunned. He swallowed and looked down on her, his pupils tiny pinpricks. Adrenaline, she thought. It was how they often looked after a fight.

"Y-Yeah." He swallowed again, breathed out in a rush. "A little shaken. Ha ha." His laugh was hoarse. "I did not expect that to happen tonight. Holy crap. I… I think I need to sit down."

Velvet steered him back to the table and Coco pulled him down. He was quickly sandwiched between the two of them and all teasing from Coco disappeared.

"He didn't catch you, did he?"

"No. No. I got out the way. Just. Aura would have protected me anyway…"

"But it's still a shock to the system." Coco said. "Trust me, I know. Fuck. Does stuff like this happen often here?"

"Never. Or never that I've seen…"

"One asshole then," she said. "You always get some. Can't believe he pulled a knife on you. And for what, spilt drinks?" There was no response, more evidence he was recovering from it. Coco must have realised because she kept talking, letting him listen and calm down himself. "You handled it pretty well for being surprised. Even the best huntsmen let their guard down. Don't let it get to you."

"Y-Yeah. N-Not my best showing. Sorry." He swallowed a third time. "I know I shouldn't be so panicked when it's over but-"

"It's fine, Jaune." Velvet touched his arm and squeezed. "Anyone would be."

"Vel's right. It's the adrenaline. Nothing to be ashamed of. Sorry we didn't help," she added. "I really didn't see that coming."

"It's fine." He managed his words without a stutter. "I don't think anyone saw that coming. Melanie will make sure he's kicked out and not allowed back. We sometimes get a punch thrown but this is the first time someone's drawn a weapon. Well, since I started working here anyway. There was one before…"

"Tell Velvet all about it." Coco said. "I'm going to go get us some drinks and I won't hear any arguments on that. If someone wants to try something on me, they can have a minigun shoved up their ass."

Both Jaune and Velvet laughed at that.

/-/

The rest of the evening went by without incident. Jaune was grateful for that. Tony made sure to have drinks delivered to them to save Coco having to venture the bar again, but the two huntresses didn't stay longer than an hour. Velvet's tolerance wasn't that high, and she obviously didn't want a repeat of the other night.

When they did part, it was with an awkward moment between them. He could just tell Coco was hoping for them to do something – exchange numbers, agree to meet up or maybe something more adventurous. If she hadn't been there, he might have tried asking her number. As it was, they were both too embarrassed to do much more than gingerly hug and mumble about coming again sometime.

Coco made her exasperation clear as they left.

"You could have taken the faunus home," Melanie said. Jaune jumped, having not heard her come or maybe having been too distracted by watching them go. "If you'd shown a little guts, that is."

He was used to her teasing enough to not be riled up. "I think I came close to showing too much of my guts tonight as it is."

"Yeah. About that." Melanie nodded her head to the side. "Come with me."

They went through a door and into the employee-only side of the club. The music was still booming and the DJ in full swing – it was about one in the morning, still two hours before closing. What was unusual was how many Xiong Clan members were lounging around, a good fifty in backrooms that would have otherwise been empty.

Melanie opened the door to the cellar, down where the kegs were kept by the garage doors leading to the back alley. It was cold down there, cold and still thanks to the large cooling units designed to keep the kegs at optimal temperature.

It was also not empty as it should be.

He could see the backs of several men and women in suits. A wall of black jackets surrounding brief flashes of a red dress. Miltia. The sound of a slap of flesh echoed, followed by an agonised groan. Jaune's heart began to beat faster, his feet carrying him forward. Xiong members looked back, nodded and parted for him.

Miltia backhanded the man who had tried to stab him, knocking a tooth across the concrete floor. His face was bloody, his shirt ripped off to reveal a body dotted and flecked with blood. Jaune froze, seeing the man's hands tied behind his back, his broken and badly bleeding nose, swollen face and the way he slumped forward, weeping loudly.

They were torturing him.

Jaune's body trembled. "Why…?"

"He made an attempt on your life." Melanie explained. "You are the boss, the head of the Xiong Clan. That is not something to be taken lightly. As the boss, it's your choice as to his fate. Miltia is just dispensing some discipline of our own."

At that very word, Miltia howled and slammed her shin into the man's cheek, sending him slamming to the ground. She completed her spin kick with a graceful pirouette, grinning viciously with blood dotted on her neck but most of it concealed against her red dress.

"This is insane…" he whispered. "You're going too far! It was an accident-"

Melanie slapped a hand into his chest. There was something in it, something pressed against his damp but drying shirt. Jaune looked down, touching what was a crumpled piece of paper. Melanie let go, giving him the chance to peel it off his chest and look down on it.

"Found it in his inside pocket. The same is on his scroll. New picture. No sender." She let out a loud, angry breath. "This was no accident."

On the crumpled paper, Jaune's own face smiled back at him. The picture was him behind the bar, taken what must have been several nights ago from a position within the club itself, likely on another scroll. The details were clear enough and even though there were several other people in the frame, it was clear that he was the focus.

"Someone has placed a hit on you."

Your first attempted assassination, Jaune. Congratulations. Not the best of ones, but what do you expect of street gangs? This isn't going to be extreme huntresses like Neo backflipping through guards. It'll be random attacks, shootings and the like.

Next Chapter: 1st July

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur