This felt weird. It felt wrong. So very wrong.
Jaune was not the most bashful or self-conscious guy in the world. His joking and carefree occasionally made him the center of attention back home in his earlier years. While he wasn't the typical class clown type who acted out for attention, he didn't shy away from it either. This, though, was on an entirely different level.
He felt like a piece of meat. Meat being ogled by a pair of piranhas in a sea of black, white and red. He wondered if being on stage did that to people, or if it was just him. Why had he agreed to do this?
Sitting on an elevated platform with his guitar in hand, Jaune was preparing to "show them his stuff", as Melanie had so flirtatiously put it. As a part of her seemingly never-ending ways to try and mess with him, she had suggested that he show off his talents with the guitar he had brought with him. The very guitar that was a part of his cover story for his parents about going to an art school rather than Beacon. To his surprise and dismay, Miltia had agreed with her sister's request.
Melanie claimed it could potentially be a form of entertainment for the club's patrons if there was another source of music besides the bass-heavy club mixes that the DJ played every night. Jaune had his doubts. This wasn't the type of scene for an acoustic guitar. Nor was it the place for his amateur singing voice. No, this was all about getting him on stage and doing something to get under his skin. He could sense it. He could feel it. He'd been here long enough to realize that with these two, nothing was ever surface deep.
With another couple of hours until the club opened for the night, he really had no escape from it outside of flat out telling them he didn't want to. He knew that Melanie would not react well to that. Knowing her she would tie him to a chair, tape the guitar to his hands, and threaten him under the pain of torture until he played. Miltia on the other hand...
She had been acting different lately. Something about her demeanor was off. In some ways she was more distant than she used to be. There were times where he caught her staring at him, only for her to turn her head as soon as their eyes made contact. It was weird. He knew that she was the more reserved of the two sisters, but she had never been that shy.
Jaune's mind went back a few weeks ago to a night like any other. Melanie had gotten drunk as usual, and she had all but forced him to come down to the bar to keep her company. That was when she had let some rather sensitive information slip. First about Junior's real name. Then about her sister's supposed feelings for him. He still didn't know whether she was simply messing with him again, or if there was any truth to the claim.
Not that he would have a problem if there was some truth to it. Both girls were undeniable beautiful. Exotic ladies with smooth raven hair and piercing emerald eyes. Girls who most guys could only dream of being friends with, much less being involved with romantically. Miltia having feelings for him... criminal or not, would be a dream come true. He wouldn't be an honest, red-blooded Valean male if he denied noticing how she was a little bit more well-endowed than her sister too. Especially when she wore that favorite low cut red dress of hers.
Jaune had always thought that twins would have identical body types. Then again he thought twins would have matching personalities as well. He couldn't have been more wrong when it came to that. He had been wrong about a lot of things when he came to those girls. Miltia's timid nature the times they had cooked together. Melanie's fun and playful side coming out when she was drunk. They weren't just criminals. They were human beings. Teenagers just like him.
With how Miltia had been acting lately, he didn't know what to believe anymore. If it turned out that Miltia did like him as Melanie had claimed, what would he do about it?
"Come on, Jaune!" Melanie said excitedly. "What are you waiting for?"
He was snapped from his thoughts as he looked down at the sisters below the stage. Melanie was armed, blades attached to her heels in preparation for the crowd tonight. After what had transpired the night he had first met the girls, Jaune understood her desire to always be prepared. To always expect the worse.
Miltia too had her weapons at the ready, a pair of claws sitting on her lap which could be fastened to her wrists at a moment's notice. Wearing them at all times was far less practical than heeled blades. It was however better to have them nearby rather than far away in case any kind of trouble broke out.
The moment his eyes met Miltia's he looked away. He could have sworn that he saw her do the same.
Jaune shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking of that kind of stuff. He had to focus. It had been months since he had last actually played his guitar. When the time came to eventually talk to his family again he had to look like he had made some progress.
Just as he was about to strum his first note, he was distracted once again by the crowd of two.
"Woooo!" the older twin cheered. "Take it off!"
With a roll of his eyes, Jaune lowered his hand and looked out to the noisy girl. "You know I'm not that kind of entertainer, right?"
Melanie scoffed at his comeback. "Bor-ring," she complained. "Come on. Give us a real show. Naked guitar with Jaune Arc. A private show for just the two of us." She nudged her sister with an elbow. "Get it? Private show?"
Miltia sighed. "You're fucking stupid."
"I am not about to strip for you," Jaune told the elder twin.
"For me," Melanie confirmed. She pointed a finger over to her sister sitting next to her. "How about for Miltia?"
Jaune's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't even bring himself to look at the other twin. Instead he looked to the floor in front of her.
He heard a dull smack, and in his periphery saw that the girl in question had swatted her sister's arm. "Would you shut up?"
"What?" Melanie asked innocently. "You know it'd be totally hot if the only thing covering him up was that nice, thick, wood..." She seemed to let the word hang in the air before finally finishing her sentence. "...en guitar."
A harder, even louder smack sounded in Jaune's ears. Laughter followed soon afterward. He didn't know about Miltia, but he felt as if his face was about to get as red as the girl's dress.
His voice came out higher than usual. "No, sorry. Not her either." Sitting up here under the bright lights must have been making his throat dry. Yes. That must have been it.
He was never going to get to play anything at this rate. Honestly it wouldn't bother him much. Being a bouncer was fine. He could even handle a little bartending. But being the live entertainment? That was something which he was both unfamiliar and uncomfortable with. It was never the path he would have chosen for his life. That was why he had dreamed and attempted to become a huntsman rather than a musician.
"Bet you would do it for Ruby," Melanie muttered. However she did so loudly enough so that he could hear the words. He was certain she had done so on purpose too.
The look Miltia gave her afterward screamed disbelief. Perhaps she was too shocked to even smack her sister for the third time in the span of a minute. "What is wrong with you?" she asked.
"What? I only said it because I know you wanted to."
"I did not!"
This was going nowhere fast. In a way he was glad that this was finally out in the open. Jaune had known about the twin's answering his scroll and talking to Ruby for weeks now. It simply wasn't a big enough deal to actually address. Like he had said before, growing up with seven sisters made him used to such trivial things.
Focusing on this also meant he didn't have to play for the girls. That was a plus to him. In the end he came out ahead. They just didn't know it.
Their sisterly squabbling went on another few seconds before Jaune finally decided to intervene. "So when's the last time you two answered my scroll?"
The silence which fell over the room was deafening. It only lasted for a few moments.
Miltia pointed accusingly over at her sister. "I didn't answer it. She did!"
At least Miltia had the decency to look guilty about it. He didn't doubt her sincerity either. Even if it hadn't been her who answered, she had been there. Perhaps she could have done something to stop her sister. Maybe that was enough for her to feel some level of guilt.
Melanie on the other hand maintained unwavering eye contact with him. There was a defiant and smug smirk on her lips that told him she wasn't about to apologize for the breach of his privacy. He wouldn't have expected any less from the girl.
He sighed and shook his head. "And for the record, no. I wouldn't."
The girl scoffed, rolling her eyes before looking away. "Whatever."
"No but really," Miltia insisted. "It was her."
"Shut up," Melanie snapped. "Snitches get stitches, remember? And so do bitches."
Well this was a golden opportunity if he ever saw one. This was his out. It wouldn't even be his fault too if he spun it the right way. Nope. It was all their fault for ruining the mood. For killing his desire to play anything. Maybe there's even be some sort of added bonus of convincing them to get along better in his presence.
However before he could utter a word about his cancelled performance there was a loud thud from the club's entrance.
Both girls looked over in the same direction. Melanie was already on her feet. Miltia was quickly fastening her claws to her wrists.
"The fuck was that?" Melanie asked as she began to move over towards the double doors. Miltia followed close behind her.
Jaune set his guitar down and reached over to touch his left hip. Crocea Mors wasn't there, and for a split second his heart skipped a beat. A reassuring look back to the 'audience' area showed his sheathed weapon leaning up against a chair.
Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst, Jaune went down to retrieve his weapon and join the girls in discovering the source of the noise.
Yang hadn't been lying when she said it was the bad side of town. It was... oddly familiar.
Ruby wasn't too familiar with Vale. She'd only been there a handful of times in her life. Most recently was the night she had gone to that dust shop, stopped a robbery, and met Jaune. Still, even though that place had been a live crime scene, it hadn't seemed bad. There had been civilians around. It was brightly lit. It was clean. It was... nice.
This wasn't nice. This was the opposite of all of those things in fact.
Trash littered the sidewalks and roads. Street lights here and there were burnt out and in need of dust crystal replacements. Buildings were dull and featureless. She couldn't help but feel that she had been here before.
That was when she saw it. A large building which looked little different than any of the others. Made of brick and with large arched windows, she could vividly recall a man crashing through one of them before landing on the pavement before. She had in fact been here. Both she and Yang had.
This... this wasn't good. She looked over to her sister, who walked with her usual carefree swagger. "Yang...?"
The blonde turned to her sister. "Hmm?"
"Isn't this... the place you messed up a while back?"
Yang shrugged. "Yeah, but it's okay. The guy who runs this place is a giant softie, and he has a soft spot for me. Trust me, I'd know. I've felt that soft spot."
"You what!" another voice screeched.
Ruby closed her eyes and winced. Weiss clearly wasn't amused by Yang's joke. The shrill tone of her voice made that apparent for all of Vale to hear.
"I do hope that's a figure of speech," Blake added.
A hopeful look over to her sister soon vanished, and Ruby felt her stomach drop. The shit-eating grin on Yang's face spoke volumes.
Weiss huffed in annoyance. Ruby didn't know if it was because she hadn't received clarification, or if she had taken the blonde's words at face value and was just displeased. Whatever it was, her annoyance was apparent in her voice. "I still don't see why we have to come along," she complained. "I've never even met this Jaune person."
"Oh, you'll like him," Ruby said excitedly. "He's super cool. And he wanted to be a huntsman. And he has a weapon. And he-"
"And he was able to put up with Ruby for more than five minutes so she latched onto him," Yang interrupted.
Ruby's face scrunched up as she glared over to her sister. "Yang!"
"What? It's true."
"No it's not!" she pouted. "Me and him are just alike. Two heroes who want to do the right thing. Helping the helpless. All that cool stuff."
"If he's so strong then why does he need our help?" Weiss asked.
Honestly Ruby didn't know if he did in fact need her help. She was guessing. It was an educated guess, based on his behavior the past couple of times they had spoken. It wasn't like him to be like how he had been. He sounded tired. Depressed. He talked about a lot of dark subjects. Like hurting people. Or even killing people. Ruby didn't know what was going on, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. For that reason alone she wanted to go see him. She had merely brought her team as backup just in case her worst fears turned out to be true.
In case he had gotten mixed up with the White Fang.
"I dunno," she admitted. "Just a feeling."
"Yes, but why-"
"Team bonding exercise!" she squawked, cutting off her partner. "That's why!"
Apparently her outburst did little to deter the heiress' interrogation. Ruby wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"I'm sorry, are you abusing your position as the team's leader in order to pursue your own personal interests?"
She was about to protest the question, but Yang stepped in before she could. "Ugh, I thought we were over this whole thing already."
Ruby thought so too. There had been some growing pains in getting the team together and working as a well-oiled machine, but it had finally happened. Early on Ruby's leadership had been brought into question. However that had been resolved thanks to some words of wisdom from their professors.
"I'm not saying that because I want to be the leader," Weiss said. "I simply feel that it is a valid point worth discussing."
A good leader had to listen to their subordinates. They had to admit when they were wrong too. Ruby wasn't too big or full of herself to ignore either of those lessons. "No, you're right, Weiss," she admitted. "This is personal. It's because he's my friend that I want to help him. Just like I'd do anything or go anywhere to help any of you," she said as she gestured to the three other girls. She then held her arms out as if putting the whole world on display. "Or even anyone not on our team."
She wasn't lying about either of the points. Sure, she had a vested interest in helping Jaune because they were friends. However helping people was simply what she did. It was who she was. It was what she wanted to do. If given the opportunity she would help anyone she could. Be they a friend or a stranger.
Weiss sighed, a frown forming on her lips before she spoke. "I suppose you make a good argument. We can't very well turn our backs on a civilian who is in need of our assistance. Especially if the White Fang is involved."
"And besides," Yang chimed in. "The guy in there still owes me a drink. It's a win-win for everyone."
While Yang's motivation was a bit more on the selfish side, Ruby wasn't about to argue it. She was here, and that was all that mattered. If the blonde girl just happened to be able to enjoy herself while out on this little fact finding mission, there was no harm in that.
The building looked different without a gaping hole in one of its front windows. Whoever owned the place had fixed it up nicely. So much so that it didn't look like there had been a huge barroom brawl in recent history. Ruby wondered what it looked like inside though. She knew one should not judge a book by its cover. Or a building by its... exterior.
Strolling up to the doors, Ruby gave the handle a tug, but found that it would not budge. She turned back to the rest of the group and shrugged. "It's locked."
"Great. What a waste of a perfectly good night which I could have spent studying," Weiss said.
Yang snickered. "That's your idea of fun on a Friday night?"
"Well it would have certainly been a lot more productive than this."
The blonde girl pushed past them to stand in front of the door. "You people give up way too easily. If you can't find a way, you gotta make one."
Before anyone could say another word Yang lashed out with a leg. Her foot made solid contact with the door's handle, and in an instant she had succeeded in making her own way inside. Whether the lock had been destroyed or the hinges, Ruby didn't know. All she knew was that they now had access to the inside of the club.
Still, such an action didn't sit right with the redhead. "Um, Yang? Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean if they're closed..."
Yang waved off her concern. "Like I said, I know the guy. I'm sure he won't be too mad about it. And if he is, well, we all know what happened last time."
Ruby knew indeed. Images of explosions, broken glass and one particularly broken body still lingered in her memory. Her sister's own recounting of the story added even more details to the picture.
"I certainly do not," Weiss stated. "What happened? And what exactly is your history with this place?"
Yang ignored the heiress' questions as they stepped inside. "Come on. Let's go find Junior and see if we can get any useful info."
A tiny hallway led to a pair of large black glass doors. As the group approached the doors slid open on their own to reveal the inside of the club. It looked familiar. Eerily so. Had Jaune not been in a similar place the last time he had called her? It had the same black floors and walls. The same glass decorations. The same white and red lights above. This... this was too familiar. Could this actually be the place where Jaune worked?
As Ruby looked around the room in wonder a loud and angry voice filled her ears. "Hey shit-for-brains, we're not op- oh what the fuck!"
Turning to the source of the voice, Ruby's eyes went wide as she felt a shiver run down her spine. It wasn't just because she recognized the girl who had made an appearance. Nor was it the fact that her red-clad twin was armed with a pair of cruel-looking claws. It was the fact that these girls had decided to charge headlong into them.
Ruby had little time to even reach for Crescent Rose before they were upon her team. The one in white made a beeline straight for Yang, and she was soon out of sight. Ruby had a foe of her own to focus on.
The shorter-haired girl came straight at her, claws slicing through the air with a deadly swishing noise as she lashed out. It took everything Ruby had in order to evade the strikes. As she very well knew, she was not skilled at all in combat without the aid of her treasured scythe. It was no surprise when a blow finally did find its mark, and Ruby was sent tumbling backwards on the floor.
She scrambled to get to her feet, expecting the worst as the girl in red pressed her advantage. The worst never came, and as Ruby looked up she saw that Weiss had engaged the girl in question. Myrtenaster clashed with wrist-mounted claws, and now that the element of surprise was gone the fight was a lot more even. In fact it had seemingly turned in Weiss' favor, as she began to push her foe back little by little.
As she assessed the situation as a whole, she saw that both Yang and Blake were battling against the girl in white. Ember Celica had been easy enough to activate, and Blake must have drawn her own weapon while Yang held their attacker at bay. Unless the mystery girl was a truly talented fighter, then that fight was as good as over.
Wasting no time Ruby finally finished deploying Crescent Rose. As she did she could have sworn she heard someone in the background screaming, and screaming her name in particular. However it did not sound like any of her teammates, and so she ignored the cries. She couldn't be distracted now. Not when her partner needed her.
Ruby hefted Crescent Rose and prepared to throw herself into the melee once more. Before she could, however, she felt a hand grab at her shoulder. Instincts kicked in, and Ruby spun as quickly as her Semblance would allow. She was ready to slice into whatever new foe had appeared, and she swung with all of the grace and skill which had been instilled in her by her uncle.
The scythe's blade had nearly made contact with its target before Ruby had to force herself to stop mid-swing. The sudden change of momentum sent pain shooting down her arms, but it was worth it. The alternative was too gut-wrenching to even consider.
Jaune stared down at her, eyes wide as Crescent Rose's edge was mere inches away from his neck. His hand which had been previously on her shoulder was still outstretched, now holding nothing but air. And his mouth, which might have been attempting to say something, now just hung open wordlessly.
Ruby nearly dropped her scythe at the sight of him. She had been so close to seriously injuring her friend. Her own mouth tried to form words, but she failed in her first few attempts. Finally however he was able to form a coherent thought. "J-Jaune?"
The boy nodded furiously, as if he needed to convince her that it was in fact him. "Yeah. I-it's me, Ruby."
She stared into his eyes for long moments before the gravity of the situation finally returned to her. Her teammates, her friends, were engaged in battle against those two girls. The ones from when she had called Jaune's scroll. What were they doing here? What was going on?
"We have to stop them," Jaune told her. "Call your friends off."
Ruby nodded hurriedly. "Right."
It turned out that her friends were not the ones in danger. The girl in white who was being double-teamed by Yang and Blake was on the ground and apparently nursing injuries she had suffered. The one in red, while in better shape against her sole opponent, was fighting a losing battle against Weiss. It wouldn't take long for the heiress to finish the job. If these girls were special to Jaune in some way, Ruby did not want any more harm to come to them. Nor did she want to risk the off chance of her own friends being harmed.
"Everyone stop fighting!" she shouted, hoping to be heard over the din of combat.
"Miltia! Melanie! Back off!" Jaune yelled.
The order was simple enough to follow for Yang and Blake. The two girls merely hovered nearby the fallen white-clad girl, their weapons at the ready in case she did decide to continue fighting. Meanwhile Weiss merely took a couple steps back, her rapier being held in a defensive posture ready to either parry an incoming strike or go on the offensive once more.
Silence finally settled over the room. It did not last for long as Jaune rushed to the center to try and form some sort of barrier between the two groups of girls. "Everyone, please," he pleaded. His arms were stretched out wide to give his human barrier more emphasis. "No more fighting."
The girls who had been engaged in combat only moments ago grouped back up on their respective sides of the room. The two black-haired girls had definitely taken the brunt of the punishment. Their appearance as well as their heavy breathing showed as much.
Yang was the first of the combatants to speak after the newly brokered truce. "They started it," she said, pointing her finger at the girls.
"Fuck you, bitch!" the one in white screamed. "What the fuck are you doing here!"
Jaune turned to face her, reaching down to place his hands on both of her shoulders. "Melanie. Calm down." He turned back to look at Yang. "You too Yang. Please."
The girl whose name was apparently Melanie did not take kindly to the request. Her face twisted in rage as she looked up at Jaune. "You know this stupid cunt?"
Yang didn't take kindly to the insult, her fists clenching as she took a step forward. "You wanna say that again? See what happens."
Ruby realized that this could spiral out of control very quickly if something wasn't done. Their previous brawl could look like it was just a warm up if her team was able to have their weapons fully deployed and be prepared for a fight. There's no way that Melanie or the other girl would stand a chance if they were faced with four on two odds.
A chilling thought entered Ruby's mind as a shiver ran down her spine. These girls... they were Jaune's secret girlfriends. Or at least that's what she had once believed them to be. She honestly didn't know what to believe anymore. However the fact remained that she and her team had just beaten them up. She could imagine that Jaune would not appreciate this fact. Nor would he react well to she and her team breaking into the club which he apparently worked at. At least he wouldn't once all of this violent tension died down.
Doing her best to deescalate the situation, Ruby rushed over to Yang, standing in front of her much like Jaune was doing with Melanie to block a further confrontation. The fact that her sister had a good six inches on her did little to stop the back and forth verbal sparring. "Yang. Calm down. Whatever's going on isn't worth it."
"Yeah you're real brave when you have all your friends here to back you up," Melanie spat.
Yang laughed. It wasn't out of humor, however. "Please. I already soloed you and the other one once already," she said pointing at the girl in red. "Want it to happen again?"
It looked as if Melanie was going to make another attempt to rush Yang, but Jaune to his credit was able to hold her back. Barely. "Mel, stop!" he pleaded. "How do you two even know each other?"
"This is the fucking bitch who trashed the club," she explained. "This fucking White Fang cunt."
The words confused Ruby, and if her sister's reaction was anything to go by, she was too. Words which might have otherwise prompted another outburst of anger from Yang left her furrowing her brow as she looked over to the girl who threw the accusation. "What are you talking about?" Yang asked. "I'm not in the White Fang."
Jaune was equally as confused as he looked over to her and Ruby for some sort of explanation. All Ruby could do was shrug. "She's not in the White Fang," she told Melanie. "No one on my team is."
Melanie's anger seemed to shift as she glared at Ruby. "Oh and here's Ruby fucking Rose," she said disdainfully. "What are you doing here?"
Ruby felt Yang try to push forward once more. "Don't talk to my sister like that you stupid bitch."
Okay, things were getting serious again. Yang didn't normally swear. When she did, that meant she was close to her breaking point. The last thing they needed was her Semblance activating and an all out war breaking out in this nightclub. Again... if their first trip to this place was anything to go by.
Ruby also knew that her sister had a soft spot for her. A protective streak which bordered on over-protective at times. If anyone could stop Yang, it was her. "Yang, it's fine," she told her. "They're just words. No more fighting, okay?"
"Wow, she's your sister?" Melanie asked. "Should have figured. One stupid bitch related to another."
"Melanie!" Jaune yelled. "Come on. We're trying to sort through this without any more violence."
"How can you be so calm right now? You saw what she did. You fucking walked in on it right after it happened!"
Ruby wasn't sure what that meant, but it was obvious that Jaune was indeed close to these girls. If he was comfortable and confident enough to be holding Melanie back the same way she was doing with Yang, then there was a certain level of trust and familiarity there. It made the fact that Ruby and her team had broken into the place all the worse.
"Look, I'm still trying to process all of this," he explained. "But for right now we don't want another incident like this happening again. Junior just got this place up and running again."
A comment like that made Ruby feel guilt by proxy. She hadn't seen the inside of the club the night she found Yang walking out of that warzone. She hadn't even participated in the action at all. However the fact that she was Yang's sister, and that some of Melanie's anger was being directed at her, did make her feel ashamed of what Yang had done that night.
"Then tell them to get the fuck out!" Melanie screamed. "They're your fucking friends, right?"
"Mel, calm-"
"No! Stop telling me to calm down when the girl who almost ruined our fucking lives is standing here like nothing happened!"
Ruby winced as she looked up at Yang. The blonde did not seem apologetic about her previous actions. Or at the very least she was not about to offer any sort of apology.
She brought her face as close as she could get to her sister's ear and spoke in a low whisper. "Yang, what did you do to these people?"
"Does it matter?" Yang asked. "They're criminals. I'm sure they had it coming."
Yang had not been trying to be nearly as quiet as Ruby had, and it was obvious that her words were heard. However to Ruby's surprise rather than either of the twins speaking up against Yang, it was Jaune. "Hey, that's not fair," he protested. "You don't know either of them. Not like I do."
"They work for a known criminal," she argued. "If you wanna choose this life you have to live with the consequences."
"That doesn't make what you did right either."
Yang shrugged. "Well it's not like anyone died. They're still here and were ready for round two."
"That still doesn't make it okay."
"Well if they're so innocent then maybe they should choose another job."
"And what about me, Yang? I work here too. Would you kick my ass if I tried to stop you from doing any damage?"
The question sent chills down Ruby's body. No. She was not about to let Yang harm Jaune. His words were chillingly familiar. There was a certain dark tone to them in the way he had spoken to her before over her scroll.
Yang did not seem to have an answer to his question. In fact she looked visibly uncomfortable with it. Ruby supposed that was a good thing.
She stepped forward to put herself between her sister and Jaune. While she did not thing they were about to come to blows, she did not want to take any chances. "Guys," she said. "Let's not even think about stuff like that, okay? You know you're not actual enemies, right? You're friends!"
"True," Yang admitted. She pointed a finger in Jaune's direction. "But what I do know is that you're in some sort of trouble. That's why we came here tonight in the first place."
Jaune gave her a confused look. "What? Who said I was in trouble?"
Yang looked down to Ruby. The redhead suddenly felt very small being the focus of everyone's attention. Especially due to the fact that Jaune had just denied being in any sort of danger. "Your buddy Ruby did," she explained. "She seemed to think you were mixed up in something involving the White Fang or something."
"Well he's not in trouble," Melanie told her. "In fact we were all fine before your stupid ass decided to show up here again and start breaking more shit."
"Well how was I supposed to know? Excuse me for trying to be a good friend. Especially when my friend works at a shady place like this."
"Oh look, a dumb bitch in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong info. What a fucking shock."
"Hey, come on," Jaune said. "Let's all try to get along here, alright? We can talk about this like adults."
"Fuck you. Fuck all of you."
And just like that diplomacy had failed once again.
To Jaune's credit however, he continued to try and broker an uneasy peace. "Um, how about we all try to talk this over some drinks? I'll make them?"
"Don't you even think about wasting any of our alcohol on them."
"Well what do you want from me, Mel?"
"I want you to stop being such an asshole and tell them to get the fuck out!"
Maybe it would be best if they left. Ruby had thought that he was in some sort of danger, but apparently he wasn't. All she and the rest of her team was doing was causing him trouble. He didn't need this sort of drama in his life. None of them did.
Still, Melanie had brought up the White Fang. She in fact thought that Yang was a member for some bizarre reason. There was some odd connection that the terrorist group had to Jaune. To this place. To this whole situation. Ruby had to know about that before she left.
"Jaune," Ruby started. "What does the White Fang have to do with all of this?" she asked as her arms spread out, putting the whole club on display.
He might have been about to answer. Then she saw his eyes go wide.
A tense situation which as teetering on the brink of disaster needed but another wrong moment to send everything crashing down once more. Just one wrong word. One wrong act. At first Jaune thought that it would be either Melanie or Yang who would cause the powder keg to explode. As it turned out he could not have been more wrong.
The people who just stepped inside of Junior's club was like the equivalent of throwing an entire supply of dust crystals onto an already raging fire. Their timing would have been comical if the situation was not already so dire.
A group of masked men and women, perhaps a dozen in total, had just entered carrying a variety of weapons. Rifles, swords and axes made it obvious that they did not come in peace. Even if this fact had not been made abundantly clear already, the fact that they wore the black and white uniforms of the White Fang made it clear to the world who they were and what they were known for doing. As to why they were here, well, that was obvious to Jaune. It was likely true for the twins as well.
"Everyone get down on the ground!" one of the new arrivals, presumably the leader, shouted. "We're looking for Junior! Where is he?"
In reality, Jaune didn't know what he should be feeling right now. It certainly was not fear. He and the girls had gone and raided a White Fang meeting by themselves only a week ago. They had been able to dispatch a dozen of the amateur fighters with relative ease. Now in addition to the trio of teens, they had an entire team of aspiring huntresses from Beacon here to back them up.
He didn't know if he should be feeling angry at the terrorists, or sorry for them for what was about to happen.
The reaction's of the girls were all different. Ruby and Yang looked concerned more than anything, considering the question Ruby had just posed to him.
The twins looked at the terrorists with the same disdain and hatred which he himself felt for them. He knew their reasons differed from his own, but the fact that they had no love for the faunus extremists was evident on their faces.
Then there were the other two girls. Girls who Jaune did not know. They had not spoken once since their arrival. The white-haired girl's beautiful face had become twisted in anger, with a hateful glare of her own which could rival Melanie's on her worst day. The one with black hair looked worried. It was an understandable reaction for one who was facing down a group of terrorists, but as a skilled huntress she was more than capable of facing them. Especially with her team by her side.
Weapons trained on the group of teens as the faunus man who spoke took another step forward. "Do you kids have a death wish? I said get on the ground now! And hands where I can see them! Do what we tell you and no one gets hurt!"
The poor fool did not know he had just stepped into a room full of armed and trained warriors who were all in the mood for violence. He had no idea what kind of trouble he was in. None of them did. To them it seemed like they were heavily armed and holding a few teenagers at gunpoint. Little did they know it was them who were outgunned. That the hunters were actually the hunted. They were about to find out.
The same faunus looked expectantly at the gathered teens, probably wondering why no one had followed his orders. His focus seemed to linger on the white-haired girl for some reason. "You..." he said pointing at her. "You look familiar. What's your name?"
The girl on Ruby's team seemed to tense up at the question. A look of pure hatred was etched onto her face. Icy blue eyes seemed impossibly cold. Even more so than they already were.
The situation was tense. Somehow ever worse than it had been before. Things were about to explode once more. Jaune glanced over to Melanie. If he knew her, and at this point he had a pretty good feeling that he did, blood was about to be spilled. She was about to revel in the dominance she had over those who were weaker than her. People who weren't Ruby and her team.
It happened in a flash. Melanie rushed forward, Miltia at her side as they dashed towards the White Fang members. The synchronization of the two was uncanny, and to Jaune it seemed like there had been some sort of unspoken command that they had given each other to commence the attack. It took only a couple of seconds for them to reach their prey. The intruders barely even had time to react to the unexpected counterattack.
"Get them!" the apparent leader of the group shouted as he raised his rifle.
There was no more time to think. As gunshots rang out Jaune wasted no time in drawing his blade and extending his shield. He couldn't let his friends get hurt. Not the twins. Not Ruby. Not even Yang. Despite what she had apparently done before.
He set his sights on the closest foe and ran. Fingers gripped his sword and shield tightly, his knuckles going white in the process. Here was a man who was spraying bullets from his rifle with no regard for the consequences. This thug. This terrorist. This murderer. He was content to shoot up a nightclub and be on his way. Just as he would be content to choke the life out of a bookstore owner and leave his corpse to rot. A snarl escaped Jaune's lips as he charged.
The man turned his attention to the charging teen and had only enough time to get off a few shots before contact was made. Bullets deflected harmlessly off of Jaune's shield, and as soon as he had closed the gap swung Crocea Mors with all of his might. The faunus raised his rifle to block the strike, and it was a testament to the craftsmanship of the sword, as well as Jaune's own strength, that he was able to bend the gun's barrel with his attack. At least it would no longer be a ranged threat. However, Jaune wanted to make sure that this man would not be a threat of any kind to his friends. Or anyone else.
With little room for a backswing, Jaune instead chose to reverse his momentum by striking with his shield. Leading with the edge of the device, Jaune heard the satisfying impact of metal on flesh, and a horrible cry of agony slipped through the faunus' lips. Blood splashed out from a long and savage gash on the man's face, going all the way from his temple down to his jaw line. The mask he had been wearing shattered from the blow, and as he tumbled to the floor Jaune had a clear look at the damage he had inflicted. He would undoubtedly be scarred for life by the massive facial wound. It was nearly enough to make the boy's stomach turn. Only adrenaline and hatred kept him going.
Had this man's Aura been so low or weak that it only took a single hit to take him out? If so, Jaune wasn't about to complain about it. It made his life easier. It made all of their lives easier. As he looked around for his next target he saw that there wasn't much choice left.
Bloody and broken bodies law strewn on the floor. Some were unconscious, lying face down in puddles of red. Others still clung to consciousness as they moaned softly in pain. And yet others clutched their bodies, undoubtedly trying to ease the suffering of whatever broken bones or internal injuries they had suffered at the hands of their betters. It was a stupid move to challenge the gathered teenagers tonight. It bordered on suicidal. Then again fanatical terrorists were never known for their foresight or intelligence.
It was over almost as soon as it had begun. Jaune saw how Ruby spun Crescent Rose with practiced ease as she looked around for any other foes. There were none. Yang was looking for any more signs of trouble as well, brandishing a pair of gauntlets which apparently doubled as ranged weapons. He had never seen them deployed before, having been kicked out of Beacon prior to their initiation test. The two other girls used differing types of swords. It warmed his heart to see that others apparently had a love for the classics... unless those too housed some sort of hidden firearms inside of them.
Jaune went to wipe away the wetness which stained his face, presumably his former combatant's blood, with his sleeve. It was a shame that he would need to get this fancy suit of his professionally cleaned after tonight, but it had been worth it. He had defended his new home. He had stopped another terrorist attack, and after tonight a good number of them would be off the streets and never able to hurt anyone again.
A sound from the distance alerted him, and he like everyone else there spun to see its cause. Pushing through the doors which led to the building's staircase, Junior emerged with a look that like a cross between confusion and pure rage. "What the fuck is going on down here?"
The man's eyes surveyed the room, and it couldn't have taken him long to realize what had just happened. Bodies clad in White Fang insignia lay scattered throughout the club. A few bottles and pieces of furniture had been struck by stray bullets and would need to be cleaned up and thrown away. His club had just been through a war for the second time in recent memory. It could not have sat well with the man.
His attention shifted and focused on Yang. After what Jaune had just learned he could understand why. Junior's voice was cautious, his previous anger gone. "Blondie," he said slowly. "You're here... why?"
Jaune had not doubted Melanie's word before, but this merely confirmed it. Yang and Junior did indeed have a history. It obviously wasn't a good one.
Despite knowing who he was and where they were, Yang still looked a little bit shocked to see the man. She raised a finger accusingly at him. "Wait, you're Jaune's boss?"
Junior's attention shifted over to the boy in question. "Yeah... how do you know him?"
"We met at Beacon. How do you know him? And why is he working at a shady place like this? You blackmailing him or something?"
"You're a huntress?" Junior asked, ignoring her questions entirely.
"Bullshit," Melanie interjected. "I'm telling you, she's in the White Fang. Chick comes in here, then a whole army of them show up right after. Fucking lie much?"
"I'm telling you I'm not in the White Fang!" Yang insisted. "None of us are. Do any of us look like a faunus to you?"
"Look like a fucking cow to me..." the raven-haired girl muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"Enough!" Junior shouted. "No fighting." He looked around at the bodies on the floor. "No more fighting," he amended. "If blondie here was in the White Fang I think she would have helped out her comrades rather than fight against them."
"See? At least someone here has some damn brains."
"Bitch," Melanie said pettily.
"Girls," Jaune said as he stepped forward. "Come on. We can settle this like mature adults. Seriously. Yang isn't in the White Fang. And I'm not here against my will. Does that make everything better?"
He really hoped it did. There had already been enough fighting here tonight. He didn't want to see Melanie or Miltia get hurt once more. They had already tried their luck once and failed. Even with the addition of Junior here, he did not think that they could win against Ruby, Yang and the other two. Especially if Yang had already taken them on by herself and succeeded.
"I guess," the blonde girl admitted. "So this was all pointless in the end." She looked down at the injured bodies of the White Fang members. "Well, I guess we did stop a terrorist attack. So that's a plus."
"Like we couldn't have totally handled it without you," Melanie grumbled. "So if you're not in the White Fang, then why did you show up here the first time and trash the place?"
It was a question Jaune wanted to know the answer to as well. Melanie and Miltia were working on the theory that it was to weaken Junior's hold on the criminal underground. That the White Fang, with Roman Torchwick as their partner, were moving in on Junior's turf and trying to become the new dominant player in town.
However now that he knew that Yang was the supposed 'hitman' who had been sent after them, he knew that the hypothesis must have been wrong. Or at least the girls were very mistaken over Yang's identity and motives.
Yang frowned and looked over to Junior. "I was looking for someone," she said. "And I figured that Junior here might have some info I was looking for."
Melanie's eye twitched. She looked up at Junior with a hard glare. "You knew?"
The man frowned as well. "What?"
"You knew this bitch was just here looking for some info? And that she wasn't trying to fuck us up so that the White Fang could move in on our territory?"
"What are you..." Junior started before shaking his head. "You know, in my defense I had just been punched through a damn window. My club got trashed. My weapon got destroyed. And worst of all, you and your sister were injured. Remembering a few words from blondie over there was the absolute last thing on my mind that night. In fact I had completely forgotten about them until just this moment."
"You mean we raided a fucking White Fang safe house for nothing!" Melanie screamed.
"You what!" Junior yelled back with equal fervor.
Jaune couldn't help but be mortified by the unfolding conversation. Not only did Junior have no idea what the three of them had been up to lately, but it had all been for nothing? Was this entire mess just one big misunderstanding which stemmed from Yang's wild night out?
Melanie ran a hand through her long hair. "We just started a fucking gang war for nothing," she whispered. Her voice was quick to pick up volume after that. "All because of your stupid ass!" she said with a finger leveled at Yang.
"Hey, don't blame me because you're stupid," Yang said.
Melanie looked beyond enraged now. She had a look on her face which screamed that she craved violence. She needed an outlet. A way to unload the burden of stress she was undoubtedly carrying now. For more reasons than one.
She looked down to one of the fallen White Fang members who was conscious. Placing a boot on his torso, she then turned her attention back to Yang. "So if you're not in the White Fang, you totally won't mind if I do this then."
The scream was ear-splitting as Melanie pressed her blade down on his stomach. A line of red soon colored his white clothing, and it was obvious that whatever Aura he might have possessed was gone.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" she asked as she eased the pressure on his body.
His breathing was ragged and hard. The pain from the new gash on his torso must have been agonizing. The only reason the girl wasn't keeping it up was because she wanted an answer from him.
"Payback," he spat out hurriedly. "For the meeting Junior hit."
"I didn't hit anything!" Junior shouted. He looked back and forth between Melanie and Miltia, and finally Jaune himself. "What the fuck have you three been doing behind my back!"
Jaune didn't have a chance to feel scared or regret over his actions. Or the consequences which might be brought down upon him by Junior. No, before he could even think of feeling anything, another scream pierced the air from the same man as before. Melanie drove her blade down deeper into his flesh.
"What's the White Fang doing in Vale then? What are your plans? Trying to move in on Junior's territory?"
She eased up again as the man panted heavily from the pain. He probably wouldn't be able to take much more of this before he passed out completely.
"I- I don't know!" he insisted. "We're just following orders! The- the docks!" he cried out, as if in sudden recollection. "Something about the docks tonight!"
"What about them!" she shouted as she applied more pressure.
He screamed once more. It was short-lived this time, however, as someone finally intervened in the impromptu interrogation session. One of Ruby's teammates, the black-haired one, shoved Melanie aside and away from the fallen faunus.
"Stop it!" she shouted. "That's enough!"
It was the first time Jaune had heard her speak tonight. Her voice was filled with anger. Her yellow eyes harbored hatred, and that hatred was focused on Melanie.
"Bitch, you'd better not do that again," Melanie threatened.
"You touch him again and I'll finish whatever Yang started."
The words seemed to give Melanie pause. She had already fought against the mystery girl once tonight. Things had not gone well for her.
Ruby's teammate bent down and began to apply pressure to his wound. At the same time she began to use pieces of his torn up shirt as some sort of makeshift bandage. "Hey," she said gently. "You're going to be alright. Okay?"
The man nodded quickly. He must have been nothing short of grateful to have a person intervene on his behalf.
"What the-" Melanie began, cutting herself off as her mind must have been struggling to process what she was seeing. "What are you doing? He's a terrorist!"
"He's a person!" the other girl insisted.
"Bullshit! If he had it his way we'd all be dead right now."
"That's not true. They came here looking for Junior, apparently because of what you did. They didn't start this. You did."
"Don't even try and paint the White Fang as the innocent ones here, Blake," the white-haired girl said. She stepped forward closer to the girl, whose name was apparently Blake. "As if they need a reason to target civilians. They probably would have spun it as some sort of political statement."
"Well they wouldn't be here right now if these people didn't go and attack them."
"Are you kidding? These people attacked a White Fang hideout, and they're the bad guys? Hello, Blake! The White Fang are terrorists!"
"That may be true, Weiss, but they don't deserve what this girl was just doing!"
Weiss. The white-haired girl was named Weiss. At least he had all of their names now. That would make life much easier.
"They're terrorists!" Weiss insisted. "Murderers! And they deserve no less than what they dish out themselves. I'm surprised you haven't read about it with all the reading you do, but the White Fang kidnap and execute people!"
"And that makes it okay to treat them like this? To literally torture them?"
"Like they haven't done worse! Do you have any idea what they've done to people?"
"Do you have any idea what people have done to them?"
Weiss folded her arms. "If they want to live by the sword then they had better be prepared to die by the sword as well."
Blake stood back up, her attention now focused squarely on Weiss. "How can you be so barbaric? I thought you were different from the rest of the Schnees. I thought you were better."
"I'm barbaric?" she asked incredulously. "Did you not just see these animals come in here ready to shoot up a nightclub full of what they thought were teenage civilians?"
"They wouldn't have done that!" Blake insisted.
"How do you know? Is your Semblance foresight? Can you predict the future?"
"I- I just do!"
Jaune had heard enough. "No," he disagreed. Both girls turned to look at the source of the new voice. "They would have."
"You don't know that."
"I do know that!" he yelled. He had witnessed firsthand the savagery of the White Fang. He knew what he was talking about. "They already murdered someone I knew. His name was Tukson. He owned a bookstore here in Vale."
Silence settled over the room for a few seconds. Blake's face looked conflicted. Angry. Worried. Uncertain. Weiss on the other hand looked vindicated. Like she had been proven correct with his own anecdote. It hadn't been his intention to take one side over the other. He was just stating the facts.
"I've seen what the White Fang has done," he continued. "And they're monsters. They are murderers. Just try to buy a book from Tukson's Book Trade. That's all the proof you need."
"Stop calling them monsters!" Blake shouted. "Stop calling them animals! Did you ever stop and think that maybe it's because people say these kinds of things that they felt the need to go to such extreme measures?"
Weiss' hands moved to her hips. "Why are you in such a rush to defend these lowlifes? Are you being contrary just for the sake of it? This isn't one of Dr. Oobleck's class discussions."
"If Dr. Oobleck was here maybe he would be able to tell you that the White Fang was formed in order to fight for equality!" Blake pointed over to Melanie, and then over to Weiss herself. "It's her kind of behavior, and your kind of mindset which fostered such extremism to begin with! People don't just become violent for no reason! They're driven to it!"
"People are driven to murder innocents? That sounds more like a psychopath than an equal rights activist. It sounds more like a serial killer."
"I never killed anyone!"
Blake visibly flinched after the words as if she had just been struck. It was obvious that she had not intended to blurt out what she had just said. It was too late now.
Weiss' eyes had gone wide, and if Jaune was correct, one of the hands on her hips shifted down slightly near the handle of her weapon. "What?" she whispered harshly.
The other girl shook her head. "I..."
She never finished her thought before she ran. Before anyone could say anything she darted through the doors she and the rest of her team had entered through. In her wake was a group of friends and foes who were all struggling to comprehend what had just taken place.
It wasn't surprising to Jaune that the girl's verbal sparring partner was the first to speak up. "What was that?" she asked nobody in particular. "What just happened?"
"I don't know," Ruby admitted. "But we have to go after her."
"No, seriously," Weiss continued. "Did she... did she just all but tell us she's in the White Fang?"
Jaune glanced over to Melanie, wondering how she would feel about the revelation if it was true. The girl's face hadn't changed from before. It was still filled with the same anger and disdain that she possessed for Yang.
Yang was the next to speak. "I don't know, but we need to go after her and find out."
"We don't even know where she's going," Ruby said.
"It doesn't matter! We have to try. She's our teammate. She's our friend."
Jaune looked around, not quite knowing what to do now that the conversation had shifted entirely. It wasn't his business anymore. Or anyone's who worked at Junior's club.
Finally his eyes focused on the injured man who lay near where Melanie stood. He recalled the man's words, and a realization dawned upon him. "The docks," he said simply.
Ruby and her teammates turned to look at him. The redhead was the one who spoke. "Huh?"
"The docks," Jaune repeated. "This guy here said the White Fang were doing something at the docks."
"Yeah, so?"
"So, if your friend is a part of the White Fang, it makes sense that she might go there, right? Where she has friends she can hide out with?"
Maybe it was his choice of words which earned the reactions that they did from the girls. Ruby looked visibly uncomfortable. Weiss looked upset. Yang though... Yang just looked angry.
"We don't know that she's in the White Fang," Yang protested. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions."
"It sure sounded like it to me," Weiss argued. "Who would bend over backwards like that to defend a terrorist organization that they aren't a part of?"
Yang threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know! That's why we need to find out."
"And what better way to find out than by heading to the docks?" Jaune insisted. "If she's there then we'll know."
There was an ulterior motivation as well. If the White Fang really were planning something at the docks, he wanted to stop it. He did not want any more innocent lives to be snuffed out by those monsters. He didn't want more casualties like Tukson.
Ruby nodded. "He has a point."
"I guess..." Yang conceded.
"Very well," Weiss agreed. "I won't be able to sleep tonight until I find out for sure whether or not one of my roommates is a member of that despicable organization."
Jaune nodded this time. "Alright. Let's go."
Before he could make it a few steps he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around to see Miltia standing there. Melanie was walking over to stand next to her.
"What are you doing, Jaune?" the younger twin asked.
The soft-spoken girl had been quiet throughout all of the preceding drama. It didn't surprise him that Melanie had taken the reins during the arguing. However Miltia had been right there next to her in the thick of the action when it had all begun. To someone like Miltia actions spoke louder than words.
He looked to the girl and her sister. Then over to Ruby and the others. He called out to the latter group. "Hey, could you give me a minute?"
Ruby seemed to fidget uncomfortably. "Uh, sure. Just one minute though. Blake already has a head start on us."
He flashed a weak smile. "Thanks. It won't take long."
Ruby, Yang and Weiss exited the building. It was a relieving feeling. It was as if a great portion of the tension had left the room along with them. However some still remained. He could sense it in the air as the Malachite twins stood next to him.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Melanie asked him.
"What?"
"You're going with them?" she asked disdainfully. "After what they fucking did?"
He shook his head. "This isn't about going with them. Didn't you hear what that guy said? The White Fang is planning something at the docks tonight."
"I don't care!" she shouted. "Were you paying attention during all that? All of this shit with the White Fang was just like, one big misunderstanding."
Jaune knew that prior to this night, all of the actions the twins took against the White Fang were for personal reasons. Mostly revenge. Revenge over something which had never been true to begin with. They didn't care about Tukson. They didn't care about justice. Their goals just so happened to coincide.
Besides, even if it was a misunderstanding, their actions had only escalated things beyond repair. The twins had wanted a war. They had gotten one. Things would likely only get worse in the future.
"Misunderstanding or not, they're still out there. And they're going to hurt more people."
"It's not our fight, Jaune," Miltia said softly. "This isn't our fight. And whatever's going on with their friend is none of our business."
"I still have to try and do something about it. You've seen what the White Fang does to people."
Melanie looked beyond frustrated now. "Wake up, Jaune! You're not a real huntsman! You got kicked out of Beacon before you even started!"
He knew she hadn't intended for her words to cut as deep as they had. They still did so nonetheless. She was right. He wasn't a huntsman. This wasn't his fight. At least not in any official capacity. Not in any legal one either. However he knew that he didn't have to be a huntsman in order to still be a hero.
"Yeah, you're right," he admitted. "I may not be a real huntsman. But I don't have to be in order to do the right thing."
"The right thing would be staying here tonight. With your friends."
He ran a hand through his hair. Why did this have to be so difficult? Why did he have to be stuck in the middle of this? It wasn't fair. Nothing about this situation was.
He knew what he had to do though. Or at least he knew what felt right. The twins were staying here. There would be no danger amongst the defeated White Fang members. The authorities would be called, and they would be taken away. After all, Melanie, Miltia and Junior were innocent victims in all of this. They had simply defended their home. They had committed no crimes. At least not on this evening.
"I know. I get that. I really do. But Ruby is my friend too. I have to help her."
"That's bullshit, Jaune! You met us first! You're supposed to be on our side!"
"You two and Ruby are both my friends. I can't take sides. Please try to understand where I'm coming from."
"Fuck Ruby!" Melanie snarled.
He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, she didn't do anything wrong," he said gently. "She's not guilty of her sister's crimes."
Melanie slapped the offending hand away once it made contact. "Whatever. Just fucking go then. Go be a stupid little huntsman. I hope you don't die out there living your stupid little dream, 'cause we're not coming with you. We're not fighting alongside that blonde piece of shit."
Jaune sighed. "I know. I'm not asking you to. I'll go out there alone if I have to."
In a reversal of what had just happened, it was Miltia who reached out to place a hand on his own arm. "Jaune, please. You don't have to do any of this."
There was a pleading look in her eyes. One which told him that she did not want him to go, but that if he did that she would not be coming with. He understood why. After everything that had been revealed tonight, he would understand if these two never wanted to see him again.
However he couldn't choose sides. He hated what Yang had done to these girls, but like he had just said, Ruby was not guilty of those crimes. She was still his friend, just as Melanie and Miltia were. If she was putting herself in danger against the White Fang, Jaune wanted to have her back. Just as he had the night they met.
"No," he agreed. "I don't. But I want to. I can't just sit back and do nothing if people out there might get hurt. Not if I can do something, anything, to stop it."
He was out of time. There was no convincing them that this had to be done. The White Fang were out there. They were planning something. Ruby was going after them. He would be by her side.
It was more than just hatred now. It was more than vengeance. It was about doing the right thing.
As he walked out of the club, he hoped that the twins would come to realize that.
Author's Note: I have to say, writing scenes where there's a large number of people is a little difficult for me. So I tried to focus on only two or three at a time. Hopefully it turned out alright.
I also hope that I got the point across that Jaune is in fact upset with Yang for what she did. He's not going with her and abandoning the twins because he's fine with everything that happened. It's his hero complex. It's his hatred for the White Fang. And it's his friendship with Ruby. I plan to have more with Jaune and Yang next chapter now that there will be a smaller group of people in the conversation.
As always, thank you for your continued support. I'm glad so many people enjoy this story, and enjoy my take on the Malachite twins. It means a lot to me to know that people are connecting with characters who aren't exactly popular or well-defined within the fandom.
Questions, comments or concerns? Feel free to let me know. Especially if there's any areas you think I should improve on.
Thanks for reading.