It's been a while since Jaune felt this terrified. Roman was only a few feet behind him, guarding the only exit of the little room they were all confined it, glaring at him with malicious intent. He wasn't the main concern though. It was the ghost before him, quietly swirling a glass of wine in her hand. The way she eyed her drink, pressing the rim of the glass against her soft lips was enough to tantalize any man - any woman at that.
Blake sat next to him, bound to her chair and showing no signs of resistance. She didn't do as good of a job at masking her distress, which was a major concern since Cinder was going to resort to their old methods. Jaune knew how effective it was to sit down with someone and have an honest conversation with them, but he tried to evolve from that. Provoking people, forcing them to drop their persona and act by their true nature was the efficient means of drawing out one's true colors.
This though... Blake was going to either make mistakes or give the wrong impression. And Jaune was worried what Cinder would think once she figured out what kind of person Blake is.
"I'd allow the girl to drink if she weren't so tense," Cinder said. She placed her glass on the table separating them, tipping it a bit with her finger, threatening to spill the contents. "Young lady, I'd like to ascertain a few things about you. What makes Jaune take such an interest in you? He helped you foil some of my plans, after all. May I begin by asking for your name?"
"Blake Belladonna." The response was true and short. Jaune wasn't sure if this was the right approach. Giving too little information would make Cinder act more aggressively, making it easier for her words to get to Blake's head. Then again, Blake was getting straight to the point. It'd keep her responses consistent. She could at least tell there'd be consequences for lying though.
"What are your thoughts on Jaune?"
Blake bit her lip. "He's different."
Cinder smiled. "That's one way to put it. Elaborate, please." Cinder paused. "Actually, how do you feel about him?"
"I... I always feel fear around him."
"Fear...?" Cinder's grin grew. "Are you suggesting he has some power over you?"
"I fear what he's capable of, yes. It doesn't necessarily pertain to just me though. I've seen what he can do to someone with a far more powerful semblance than my own. Someone that is leagues ahead of me. And with his pragmatic way of thinking, he can accomplish whatever it is he desires."
"Would you consider that power something to admire then?"
"If the circumstances were different, then yes." She adjusted herself in her seat.
Cinder darkly chuckled to herself a bit. Not because she found anything funny, but rather amusing instead. She stood up and sauntered over to Blake, looking down at her as she lazily held her glass. Blake didn't dare look up at her.
"Your ears..." Cinder started. "May I?"
Blake slowly nodded. Cinder used her free hand to unveil Blake's Faunus ears. They twitched a bit when Cinder gently rubbed it between her fingers, savoring what he presumed was a joy to caress. Blake stiffened and resisted the urge to flinch. Cinder traced her finger downwards, gliding over a strand of Blake's hair. Her hand made its way down her cheek, stroking her cheek until Cinder made her way to cupping Blake's chin. She guided Blake's face to stare up at her.
"Thank you for that," Cinder said. "I do mean no harm, so please inform me of anything that could help you. In fact, I should treat you like a proper guest. Not some animal. Emerald? If you would..."
The red-eyed girl drew one of her blades and freed Blake from her constraints before immediately backing into the wall. She remained quiet, observing everything. Jaune had forgotten about her presence.
"Jaune, I should introduce you. This is Emerald Sustrai. Her and I met not too long after you and I went our separate ways. Oh, don't think I replaced you. I simply saw great potential in her when we met. And she has yet to disappoint." Cinder made her way to Emerald and gently patted her head. "I'm glad to have met her."
"Th-Thank you, Cinder..."
"And the boy over here is Mercury Black. I'm sure you remember a man by the name of Marcus Black? The unsavory one that gave me those disgusting looks when we worked as mercenaries back in Mistral. He's the son and killer of that poor excuse of a man. I sort of saw a bit of you in him; the drive and need for proper guidance. I was sure to tell these two a lot about you."
In other words, they knew to be careful of his semblance.
"Oh... Blake, your wrists are a bit bruised. Jaune? Would you be a doll and assist the poor girl?"
He knew what she was getting at. He took Blake's wrist and focused, allowing his semblance, his original one to do its work. Blake's eyes widened a bit once she realized her aura was beginning to surge. Cinder once described it as a sudden burst of energy, almost like adrenaline when your life was on the line.
"Is this a semblance...?" Blake whispered.
"So she didn't know?" Cinder wondered. "And yet she's aware of my parting gift to you? Interesting."
She was fishing for information. She could outright ask Blake for anything she wanted. She could get right to the point and Blake would likely comply. But no, Cinder was doing this to display what power she held over them. He hoped Blake wouldn't fall for her mind games.
"My semblance is Aura Amplification," he explained to Blake. "Nullification is simply something I inherited from Cinder."
"The two of us were never sure of the specifics," Cinder added. "I theorized it had something to do with how often he used his original semblance on me along with how I awakened his aura. Perhaps it had something to do with how our souls were often intertwined with one another. Regardless, I knew, for some reason, that I had to pass down my semblance to Jaune. To fulfill our legacy."
"Your legacy..."
"Have you pieced it together?" Cinder asked her. "So you're simply stringing her along, Jaune? Without confiding in her properly? That goes to show how much faith you have in her."
"He had plenty of reasons not to trust me," Blake admitted. "And yet, he stood by me when I was in peril."
Jaune relaxed a bit when Blake was quick to defend him. He could tell she was twisting her own feelings a bit, but she knew this was the best course of action on influencing Cinder's opinion.
"And what is it you wish to achieve through Beacon?"
"I wish to become a Huntress and traverse around Remnant, bringing awareness to the inequalities that many people remain ignorant, even apathetic towards."
"Ignorance truly is a plague among humanity, is it not?" Cinder suggested.
"Yes..."
Cinder's smile grew even more. It was warped, a sight he rarely wanted to see. She placed her glass down on the table and grew a bit ecstatic.
"You've found a worthy one, my dear Jaune... I'm quite proud."
The one admirable thing about Blake was how she strived to make her aspirations a reality. Despite how impossible it seemed, she wasn't one to abuse her power. She was proactive, a hypocrite, sure, but she knew what it was she wanted and wasn't afraid to take action to achieve that. And that's exactly what Cinder wanted to see in a potential ally. This could work...
"I think you two should have an honest conversation with one another after this." Cinder directed her attention towards him. "Be sure to let our dear message bird free after this, Jaune. I want us to keep in touch after all." She lowered herself, her lips dangerously close to his ear. He could feel her warm breath against his skin, promising dark pleasures that would bring him to his knees. "Let me handle the heavy lifting. I'll let you know what it is I intend to have you do once everything is in motion."
"My dear kitten," Cinder cooed. "My time is a bit limited right now, but we must continue this chat sometime in the future."
Blake slowly nodded.
"That was her?" Blake asked.
"Yes. At least, I'm fairly sure of it."
Jaune increased his pace a bit, he wanted to get some distance from that warehouse. He fiddled with his scroll, trying to organize everything in his head. This was too much for him. He couldn't just pry for info, Cinder was always ahead of him in that regard. He was going nuts about how she was still alive this whole time. To think she wouldn't bother informing him about her survival. He grieved for her. Killed for her and this...
"What is this supposed to mean?" Blake snarled. "Just letting us go so easily when we interfered with her operations? For whatever this grand scheme of hers was."
"I don't know." He clenched onto his scroll, coming to a halt just around a corner of a building. "She knows how to keep tabs on us though. And with Neo free, the midget could easily murder us in our sleep. Cinder will keep a tight leash on her though. So long as Roman's life is in the palm of Cinder's hand, we should be fine."
"So what? We go along with whatever it is she orders?"
"That's my plan at least. I must commend you for not screwing up back there, Blake. You knew how to give the right answers, allowing Cinder to come up with the ideal scenario in her head."
"This was the Ashlynn you knew, right? The same girl that Professor Port saved along with you all those years ago... If I garnered anything about her, it was how she had faith in you. But complete faith. It's been a while since you last saw her?"
"It was her. And yes, it's been quite a while."
"What is your plan then? Or what was it before we got caught by her?"
"I wanted to affirm our resolve. The Vytal Festival is meant to show off the aspiring Huntsmen of the academies. The ignorant, foolish children that are meant to be the future defenders of Remnant from the phenomenon we call Grimm. To unearth how flawed these fools with power are would stir questions. Thoughts would become actions, then habit, then change to the system. I've lost everything to fresh Huntsmen and their carelessness. And everyone turns a blind eye to it."
"Like how people are with discrimination..."
"I presume that's why Cinder took a liking to you and made the assumption that's what I saw as well. You acknowledged what I'm capable of and by extension Cinder herself. Whether or not you appealed to the fear we can induce or the potential we possess, it got the job done either way. You fell for a few traps, but didn't give in to her plot, thankfully."
"Jaune..." she said slowly. "What exactly are we up against?"
"We..." Jaune cracked a smile. "That's kinda funny. I take it you wish to go against Cinder? Sorry Blake, but I have no intention on doing that."
"I'm not suggesting we go against her. It's just that, what you had planned was going to stir some controversy, with whatever method you had in mind. Cinder though... She's gathering a large quantity of dust and gathering criminals such as Roman Torchwick to do her bidding. Do you not find that a concern?"
"Of course I do. But I know what Cinder is aiming for is the best for Remnant. I honestly want people to change for the better, Blake. To wake up and actually stand against their own hypocrisy. Cinder would probably just take it up a few notches." He sighed and slicked his hair to the side a bit. "We'll be fine so long as we don't disobey her. And you can return to your desired life once this is all through."
"And what about you?"
"I... now that I know Cinder is alive, that changes everything for me. Maybe I won't have to die now."
Blake said nothing.
"She's different though. She was once a sister to me. Then a mentor, and even a partner. Now though? I feel as though I was talking to someone that stole her body and ideals. That was not Ashlynn, but Cinder. And I don't know how to go about that, Blake." Jaune laughed. "To think I actually am confiding in you about this. What a ways we've gone, hm? Do you hate me less now?"
"You're only roping me into something far bigger than me. What do you think?"
"Jaune!" a familiar voice cried.
Jaune turned around, his instincts flaring to defend himself. Instead of a strike to the head, he was met with warmth. Pure had tackled into him, making him lose his footing. Her fiery hair had come loose and was sprawled over him as she embraced him, keeping him from moving.
"P-Pure!?" he shrieked.
"My, my, P-Money. Claiming what's yours so adamantly."
Pure ignored the quip and continued to hold him as he tried to sit up. Her grip grew tighter. He looked to see a certain bombastic blonde offering a toothy smile, her gauntlets engaged.
"And here we were worried about you two acting all suspicious in the slums of Vale. I guess I'll have to tell everyone it's a false alarm, but that's a relief. We got your little SOS, Jaune, and tracked Blake's scroll since I actually thought to set up the tracking thingy-mabob with Blake."
Yang looked down on him.
"Care to explain what that message was about then?"
"Oh... Blake had too much to drink and I was starting to lose my mind with how much of a nuisance she can be when she's drunk."
"Excuse me!?"
"See what I mean? She's getting defensive again."
"Jaune, you little-" Blake was cut off as Yang picked her up and held her over her shoulder. "Release me, Yang! I'm not some child!"
"I'll leave you two be." Yang winked and gave a thumbs-up.
Jaune watched as the odd duo disappeared around the corner. He sighed a breath of relief. He didn't have to resort to them in the end. It was a desperate move, and he should've thought more about the consequences of it. Had Cinder met Yang and Pure...
"I'm sorry, Jaune..." Pure mumbled into his shoulder. Confusion pooled within him. "I must've scared you. Admitting my feelings out of the blue."
"Oh, that..." he said awkwardly. "I was, I won't lie. Let me get one point across though." He pushed her away from him so he could meet her eyes. Those emerald jewels... "Under normal circumstances, I'd be the happiest man in the world. You're a capable young woman with this true to self energy I can't get enough of. And I honestly believe I don't deserve to have someone like you in my life like that."
"Jaune-"
"The last time I gave my life to someone, she died. And I..." Did he dare? "And I just found out it was all a lie."
"Is that why you were out drinking with Blake?" she asked. "Because you were deceived by someone you loved?"
"Yeah... I did everything for her, Pure. And I just... I can't believe I'm beginning to question everything up until now. I just feel... used. She went and replaced me and went on to continue her own agenda. I should probably word it differently, but..."
This must be how people like Velvet felt.
"I turned my back on you," he went on. "Am I just acting no different compared to her? I-"
He was silenced as he felt Pure's lips against his own. She was a bit sloppy, inexperienced. Before he craved something that was dark, promising, enticing even. This though? He couldn't help but feel his chest tighten and his cheeks flushed when the sweet girl raptured him. The kiss was shorter than what he would've liked, but the sight of Pure's cheeks matching the color of her hair was far more precious than anything a man could ask for.
"I can see how you're trying to change, Jaune. And I'm ready to help you with that."
Change...?
It's about time Jaune begins his little path of redemption. Some of you may recognize the formula I've got going here now that Cinder is revealed to be Ashlynn, and one person has already predicted something I have planned to further advance Jaune's change. Sort of scary how you guys can predict the more discreet hints of foreshadowing.
The path Jaune's heading down isn't going to be simple, obviously. But I wanted him to start some change after some serious contemplation and support from Pyrrha since she's literally everything he finds ideal in a person.
I look back and see how up until now I could've executed things differently, but that's just how I'll grow as a writer. Thank you all again for the support, I'm glad I can further develop myself as a writer on this site. It's only motivating me to finish my first real story.
And thanks again for being patient. I think my other story, Fatherhood, has been helping me with my method of tackling dramatic moments. Be sure to check it out if you can.
Cheers, everyone. Until next time.
-Colure
Next chapter: August 1st