Project Remnant
I do not own RWBY
~ 0 ~
"Thoughts"
"Speech"
'words with implied meaning.'
Regular text
Menu info
"Disembodied voice."
"Disembodied thoughts /Memories."
~ Ch 4 ~
~ What a day ~
"Oh my god~."
"What the Hell was that?"
"Did you see the Ether? It fucking stabbed him!"
"Is he okay?"
"He fell through the floor and disappeared."
"What? Are you serious! He just fell out of nowhere too."
"Look, he's just an NPC."
"Huh? Is this part of some event?"
"I didn't see anything scheduled on the forum or official site."
"Yeah, nothing in the patch notes, either."
"Hey! Excuse you, lady."
"Whoa!"
"Everyone, move!"
"Man, what's her problem?"
Jaune felt terrible. No, that was an understatement. He felt like he was dying. Well, not that he knew what that felt like, but god he fucking hurt. All the voices and shouting weren't helping either. "Wait… Voices?" He felt someone kneel next to him and start touching him around where the pain was the worst. "Oooow…"
"Hey. Hey!" The person started shaking him.
"Mmm." He winced, his face scrunching up in pain as he opened his eyes. He had to squint them because of the light shining down on him, but a face moved in front of his vision blocking out the sunlight. The light bounced off of her hair, giving it a golden tinge. "Yang?"
The face frowned down at him and then patted his cheek a lot harder than he felt necessary. He reached up, slapping her hand away weakly and struggled as he sat up. "Owe." He clutched his gut feeling the same numbness and throbbing pain from before everything went dark.
He looked down at himself, seeing his armor and clothes still destroyed and hanging off him awkwardly. He didn't know if armor worked like that generally in this game because it hadn't ever happened to him before. Just thinking about it made his head hurt. He let out an exhausted sigh and tried to lift his left arm, but it refused to move. He grimaced and reached down with his right hand pushing himself up off the floor.
"Hey, look, he's getting up."
"What is this? Seriously, is it an event?"
"I don't know, but hey…"
"He looks like the guy."
"Who?"
"You know. The guy on the case."
"Holy cow, you're right. But he looks like crap."
"Dude, this has to be a secret event."
"Yeah, it totally is."
"Wait Is that blood?"
"Damn, it is."
"He's totally and NPC. Only NPCs and monsters bleed."
Jaune held his head, trying to focus, but it was difficult. He swayed on his feet, feeling the room spin around him as he tried to focus. He looked out over the crowd that was building around him. They were all looking at him like he was some kind of spectacle. Well, he probably was. He winced as he took a step towards the crowd.
They all gasped and stepped away from him except for one.
He needed to get out of here and find a place to think. "What happened anyway? I was in that room with that girl and then…" His thoughts trailed off when the woman from before who'd led him to town took a step towards him. She was looking at him suspiciously, taking in his appearance. He frowned in return.
"You're just full of surprises now, aren't you?" She narrowed her eyes as he just stepped past her with a limp, ignoring her. She turned to face him as he limped by. "Hey!" He really didn't need this right now. Last time he'd seen her, she'd kicked him in the face with a smug smile, and he was done getting hurt today.
She grabbed his left shoulder as he passed her and gripped tightly, making him wince in pain. "What do you want." He said darkly with his bangs covering his eyes. "I gave you the item already." He pulled his shoulder out of her grip and staggered a few steps away from her. "We're done." He tried to keep going, but she grabbed his useless arm and started dragging him away.
"Shut up and come with me." She hissed out in a whisper as she pulled him through the crowd of players who were gathering. A few shouted as they pushed through.
"Hey lady, you can't just take the event NPC."
"Girl, shut up."
"What why?"
"Don't you know who that is? It's Raven. Guild leader of the bandit guild."
"Huh!?"
"Piss her off, and you'll be PKed next time you leave town."
"Event NPC? Bandit guild?" Jaune shook his head but stopped instantly. That had been a bad idea. Instead, he just closed his eyes and let Raven drag him wherever it was she was taking him.
"Hey, bitch, get back here!"
"You can't just take an event NPC somewhere."
"Can she do that?"
"What's the event?"
"Hey, shut up. That's 'The Raven.'"
"No way! This has to be an event if she's involved."
"Tch. Bandit guild always swoops in first here in Vale."
"Hey, where are they going?"
~ 0 ~
Jaune fell over, hitting the cobbled stone path. "Ugh. Get up." Raven grabbed his coat, roughly pulling him up. He stumbled and fell against a crate coughing a bit. "Are you really that weak? Get over it. The pain multiplier isn't even that bad." She looked down at him, glaring with her arms crossed.
He spit out some blood and wiped his mouth, turning to glare at her with an annoyed look. "Fuck you. I'm hurting pretty bad."
She smirked at him and slapped his shoulder, making him hiss in pain. "Sorry, but I don't fuck weak boys like you, I'm only interested in men."
He looked at her feeling his anger boiling. How he had thought this woman attractive was beyond him. He smirked right back, though, and pushed off the wall with his right arm. "Well, then I must be a man, or you're a liar because you won't leave me alone."
She frowned at his retort and folded her arms, looking away. "You have your uses. Or at least I hope you do."
He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself and opened his inventory, grabbing an elixir. Raven's eyes widened, but she stayed quiet as she watched him pull the cork out with his teeth before downing the golden liquid. The blood on his clothes stayed, but he seemed to stand up straighter, and his shoulder lifted from its limp position. She didn't understand it, but somehow he was taking damage like an NPC, and she'd seen him get stabbed before. He wasn't a wimp. Something was going on. To top it off, that was the second elixir she'd seen him pull out.
Ever since the end of the first Kingdom war, Atlas had refused to sell those to anyone not loyal to them, and they had a trade embargo with the other kingdoms stopping anyone from selling it to outside parties as well, and despite that, he had some. "He said he had just been in atlas before coming here but still. Was he affiliated with them?"
"Done?" She asked coldly.
He tossed the empty bottle, and it shattered on the ground disappearing in a shower of golden shards. "Yeah." He looked around at the road they were on seeing large doors flanked with large ornate flags with symbols on them down the path. "Where are we, by the way?"
She turned to look at the doors lining the road they were on and put her hands on her hips. "We're in the guild sector. This district is where the biggest guilds homes are at."
He looked at her suspiciously. "Okay. Let me rephrase. Why are we here?"
She looked at him, debating what she should do. After losing him, she'd gone back to the Auction house to get the Crystal appraised, just in case he was a hacker who duped an item. Surprisingly it had been real. Now, if he had more of them, then he would be a boon to have in the guild. Other people could say what they wanted about her band of PKers, but the point of the game was PVP, while everything else was secondary. Even if the other guilds sent hit squads after every member whenever they left town, if they had equipment made with Solid Dust Crystals, then it wouldn't matter. They could take the world by storm.
She thought back to their first meeting and how he hadn't cared much about her taking the items he'd earned. The call of the fight didn't get him going since she'd seen him try to avoid fighting already, and items didn't entice him. He seemed fine with parting with priceless items as well. What could he need or want that she could even offer?
She held her elbow in one hand while holding her chin in the other as she watched him. She wanted him in the guild, but he could always leave at any time. She needed him to stay and want to be there.
She let her left arm drop while lifting her right, opening her inventory, and pulled something out. It looked like a red card with a black outline that had a black circle in the middle with the shadow of a ravens head in black at the center. She looked at him and held out the item.
He took it slowly and turned it over several times, examining it. "What is this?"
She folded her arms and started walking away. "If you ever feel like something's missing in your life, come find my guild. I was going to take you there, but I changed my mind. See you around, killer." She waved over her shoulder and disappeared around the bend.
Jaune watched her as she left and then looked down at the card before lifting it to the sky, looking up at it. "A guild key, huh?"
~ 0 ~
A little while later, Jaune found himself back at the marketplace in the center of town. He was sitting by the fountain on one of the benches lining it. He let out a sigh, his head propped on his left arm as he watched the crowds come and go. There seemed to be a big commotion building up on the other side of the fountain.
He checked the time. It was almost 1:00 and Sun, still hadn't messaged him yet. He blew his bangs when a thought struck him. Was Sun even in the same town as him? He hadn't thought to ask before. He was about to open his messaging system when a message popped up in front of him. "What the?"
To: Holder of ticket item number 342290764
We are pleased to inform you that the item you decided to sell through us has been purchased. Please return to the Auction house in Vale-main-proper to receive your payment. Thank you.
When he finished reading the message, he sat up straight. "Huh. That was fast." He put his hands on his knees and pushed himself off the bench and onto his feet. He looked down at his gear and sighed. "Well, at least I'll be able to get all of this fixed soon now."
He rolled his left shoulder, expecting to feel some pain but nothing. He smiled. "Man, those elixirs are amazing." He took a deep breath and made his way around the giant fountain until the Auction house was in sight. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening at what he saw. "What the hell's going on?"
There was a massive crowd leading into the auction house itself that was so large he couldn't even see a way in with everyone so close together.
He scratched his head and figured he'd come back later. "Hey, sir. You in the busted up armor!" He turned his head to one of the balconies on the second floor of the building, where he'd heard the voice and saw one of the attendants waving at him. He looked around, and no one else was looking up at her. He turned back, pointing at himself. The crowd was getting even louder now, which drowned out the next thing she said, but she did nod at him and pointed to the ally next to the building.
With a shrug, he made his way around the crowd. A few people pushed back or shoved him as he tried to squeeze by into the ally, but he managed to get through when someone turned to yell at him only to grow quiet and grab the person next to them and point at him causing a few other people to do the same.
He had no idea what it was about, but he really didn't care all that much. As he got halfway down the alley, a door busted open right next to him, and a girl came stumbling out almost tripping. "Watch out!" She shouted, throwing her arms out to brace herself.
Jaune's eyes widened, and he stepped back but reached out to grab the girl as she fell. They almost tripped together and spun in place as he grabbed her, pulling her close the two finally steadied.
He looked down at the girl, and she looked back up at him with a ditsy smile sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth. She was short. Like, really short, with multi-colored hair and monochromatic eyes, one brown the other pink. She blinked up at him, her eyes switching colors, and smiled smugly before looking down. "Like what you're touching, sir?"
He looked at her curiously when her hands reached down, covering his making him squeeze. He blushed bright red as he realized where his hands were. He quickly pulled them back, making her laugh. "Don't worry. It was mostly my fault." She grinned evilly. "Though I'm expecting some ice cream at Gourmand's Bistro some time. This." She slapped her butt. "Is not free." She folded her arms, tilting her head as she looked up at him. "Or cheap."
Jaune grimaced, letting out a sigh. "Sorry."
She waved him off and gestured for him to follow her into the building swaying her hips more than he thought necessary. He took in what she was wearing and admired the detail. It was a red dress shirt with a black pencil skirt. She had black gloves on her hands with similar colored heels and stockings on that lead to a very smooth and creamy colored absolute zone. Just then, she swung her hips hard and stopped. He looked up at her to see her looking over her shoulder at him with a broad grin. "Pervert," She said in amusement.
He looked shocked. "Hey, I am not a pervert!"
"Says the guy who groped my goods and just checked me out." She said with a wink.
He opened his mouth to retort and folded his arms, looking off to the side, changing his mind. "Fine. I'll take you to Gourmand's Bistro. Just message me some time, and don't call me a pervert." He finished with an embarrassed flush.
She nodded with a satisfied look and led him the rest of the way inside. They turned a corner and walked down a long hall with costly looking items and a plush red carpet before turning to face a door. When it opened the sound of the crowd from before blasted them.
They walked out onto the main floor, and Jaune instantly felt terrible for the staff.
"Hey, what the hell is this! I thought they were all accounted for? I've been on the buy list for a month!" Some random guy shouted at an attendant.
"I'm sorry, sir, but it isn't on the list. It's a new item." The girl said, trying to calm him down.
"Bullshit! There are no more! You're lying."
Similar scenes occurred at every station with people reaching over each other and pushing past to yell at the employees.
The girl leading him sighed at the spectacle and turned, looking up to the second floor. "Hey Junior, where the hell is everyone who's on-call?" She shouted.
A big guy wearing an old fashioned number jocky's outfit leaned over the rails shouting back down. "Most of em can't log in due to server size. It keeps kicking them out halfway through loading in!"
The girl sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose and then shouted back an okay. "This whole thing is just one big mess we didn't need, especially after the last special event inflation fiasco."
Jaune feeling kind of lost tapped her shoulder. "Um, what's going on? Is this normal?"
She looked over her shoulder at him with a scowl and narrowed her eyes at him. She turned to face him and jabbed his chest. "This whole thing is your fault, you know."
He looked at her, confused. "Hey, I'm just here to get my money and get out of here."
She sighed, her glare falling, and she rubbed her temples, taking a deep breath. "It's more complicated than that."
He gave her an unimpressed look. "Why? I got a message telling me to come to collect my money, and that's it."
She shook her head and turned around, heading for some stairs waving for him to follow. "It has to do with the rarity of the item you sold. You have to be here to sign off on something before the transaction can be considered complete. It's for security reasons and to make a paper trail."
He grew quiet at that. It made sense. It was how many things in the real world worked. It was kind of interesting. "So why do I have to do it, though?"
The two walked up the steps and turned around the banister heading for the back of the auction house. She pointed to a wall with several pages held in glass cases hanging upon it. "It's a rule the players as a whole throughout the game agreed on. If you want to know the specifics read those in your own time. The short of it, however, is that since the item you're selling has a finite number, the player base wants to know where they all are. Including ones used to make weapons and armor or furniture."
He blinked in surprise. The economy in the game was serious. "Wow. I didn't expect the economy to be so...elaborate."
The girl shrugged. "It's mostly all based on this one trading group that's been around since day one. They aren't big, but they own more trade routes than any other group, and they can get you anything. The rules the game's economy works on are based on the rules in that trade group.
It helps people stay neutral or civil, even though the game is PVP based. It makes it easier for everyone to get what they need without any single nation or group hoarding everything without others knowing.
"Huh. Damn."
The girl looked back at him and grinned. "Yeah, we're also the biggest organization in the game too. Us Auction houses that is." Jaune almost laughed at that.
He moved a little faster to walk next to her and looked down at her. "So who bought the item."
She glanced at him and shrugged. "No idea who specifically it wasn't a single player but an entire guild that put the funds forward to buy it."
"What? Why would a guild spend that much money on it?" She looked at him like he was stupid, making him blush and rub the back of his head. "Sorry forgot for a second what its rarity was and what it could do."
She rolled her eyes at him. "Stupid adventurers no respect for business and economy. Just rushing in and killing stuff." She clapped her hands together, fluttering her eyelashes while plastering a sweet look on her face. "My hero."
Jaune stepped back, making a strangled noise. "Hey, I'm not some meat-headed adventurer I just don't know how the game works I haven't played it since the beta."
At his words, the girl stood still and grew silent, giving him a shocked look. She eventually cleared her throat and continued leading him wherever it was she was taking him. Was it something he said? Or was it something that was implied by what he said?
The girl started talking again without really addressing him, more so talking out loud about something for his sake. "Everyone outside is in an uproar about the item we're selling for you. Everyone thought they were all accounted for except for 53 that no one can find, and then yours popped up out of nowhere. Now everyone thinks that the big guilds are holding out on them."
He hummed, wondering just how serious this was. She continued as they climbed another flight of stairs and started walking down a hall lined with doors, a vast ornate pair at the end. "Our branch and the branch in every other kingdom checked with all current owners, but they all still had theirs or the items made with them. We even checked the records, but we couldn't find anything like people hoarding them or them getting passed around after someone decides to leave the game."
She stopped in front of the ornate doors and turned to look up at him.
Jaune got a horrible feeling about all of this, and he looked down at her. "What does that have to do with me." He said, pointing at himself.
She sighed and shrugged. "That's exactly what the guild leader of our branch wants to speak with you about." She put her hand on the door and smiled up at him, but he could see a slight malicious twist to it that made him shiver. He felt uncomfortable and pulled his hood over his head to hide his face drawing a giggle from the girl as she pushed the doors open.
~ 0 ~
He felt awkward walking into the room like he was walking into a hearing instead of a business transaction. What the girl had told him was putting him on edge. He walked into the room, and the door closed behind him. He turned to look at it and swallowed, feeling like his only lifeline was cut. He took a steadying breath and turned back around, making his way to the desk at the back of the room situated in front of a large stained glass window.
Behind the desk sat a strict looking woman with long pointed ears and her blond hair done up in a bun. She had black round glasses hanging by the edge of her nose, and she wore a white blouse covered by a vest the same red color as the other guild members. She also a black scarf wrapped around her shoulders that had purple inside. Across from her stood another woman, and much like him, she wore a hood, though her's connected to a cloak. The cloak itself was red, but the hood was black, and he could see raven-colored tresses poking out from it. She didn't turn to face him, so he never saw her face.
The woman behind the desk nodded at the two."Buyer." she looked at the other woman. "Seller." When she acknowledged Jaune, she gave him a distasteful look while glancing over his equipment, making him feel embarrassed. He shifted uncomfortably and pulled his hood down lower to avoid eye contact. He knew it was rude and bad business behavior, but hey, she insulted him first!
The woman cleared her throat. "My name is Holy. I am the leader and guild master of the Vale branch of the Auction house guilds. I'll be overseeing this transaction. Is that satisfactory to both of you?" Jaune and the other woman nodded while staying quiet. Holy turned to Jaune again while pulling out a slip of paper, and a text box popped up in front of her. "For the record." She tapped a recording button on the box, and a red dot appeared. She pushed the paper over to the two, a box popping up in front of both of them. "E-signature, please."
The two nodded, and the woman signed, but he couldn't see what she wrote even though he should be able to see it from where he was standing. She hit the enter link, and her box disappeared. He turned to his own and moved to enter in his real name but paused and put his character name Crocea Mors, instead. Once done, he hit enter, and his box disappeared as well.
With a nod, Glynda took back the paper, and a box popped up in front of her again. She scanned it, and her eyes narrowed. She looked up at him, and her expression became a glare. "Do you think this is a joke?"
She sounded pissed. Her voice reminded Jaune of his business professor. He flinched, stepping back while raising his hands defensively.
He had no idea what she meant. He swallowed and tried to use his business tone. "It's my character name. I've never used the auction house before. Was I supposed to put real information?" She watched him skeptically, going still for a second. Her eyes widened, and then she closed the box.
"My apologies," She excused before clearing her throat. "Well, then let us continue." She put the paper away and turned to the box that had the recording button on it and brought it between the three of them.
"Crocea Mors." She started.
Jaune frowned. "Just Arc."
Holy looked at him and nodded. "Mr. Arc" The way she said it made him shiver in a bad way. "You are the holder of the Solid Dust Crystal or SDC, and are selling that item, correct?"
"Yes."
She then turned to look at the woman. "And you are the representative from the guild Gods Bane correct."
The woman spoke in a sultry tone as she turned to look at Jaune, her hood still covering her face, but he could see the playful smile on her lips. "Yes. I am." She said in a husky tone that made him shiver.
Holy nodded again. "And your guild has amassed funds in the amount of fourteen-billion gold to purchase the item as mentioned earlier from seller Crocea Mors?"
Jaune's jaw dropped. "What the hell!? The appraiser told me it would net around 500,000,000 million at most." Which he'd found out couldn't even start a guild. It was insane for a newbie or low-level character, and still to those in the 200 level range. It was the equivalent of farming high-level grimm for days or weeks non stop. "But 14,000,000,000?"
He looked over at the woman like she was crazy. "How long did it take her guild to get that? And they're throwing it away on an item like this?"
He watched the woman as her smile widened into a grin seeing his jaw drop. She turned to face Holy and nodded. "Yes, that was the amount agreed upon in the auction."
Holy nodded and then turned to Jaune. "Is this amount acceptable to you, Mr. Arc?"
Jaune tried to say something, but his jaw wasn't working. He just nodded stupidly while Holy turned to the other woman with a stern business-like expression. She hit the record button closing the box while bringing up her messaging box and then typed out a message hitting send.
"Well, Ms. Fall, the item has been sent to your guild. They should receive it within the hour."
The woman dubbed Ms. Fall nodded. "Thank you, lady Holy."
Holy, hummed, and then looked between the two. "Now that the transaction has been decided, all that remains is the payment and receipt of ownership." She leaned back in her chair, fixing Jaune with a calm expression. "Mr. Arc, Due to auction, the item has sold for 14,000,000,000 as agreed upon just now. Due to the items original value being at around 1/28 of that sum, the guild Gods Bane has asked for leniency in appropriating the funds."
Jaune frowned. He thought they had everything. He kept quiet, though, waiting to hear the end of it. "The guild has credit in amount more than 14,000,000,000, so we are inclined to endorse them and assure you that you will be paid." She looked at Ms. Fall. "However, if you wish to receive all of your money upfront we have offered to subsidies the full amount in exchange for a weekly payment of 500,000,000 with a 2% interest rate should Mr. Arc refuse the payment plan your guild has set up with us."
She looked back to Jaune, who was honestly shocked and impressed. He hadn't expected the game to be this into it with the economy. He was floored. Ms. Holy looked at the two of them and then focused on Jaune. "So Mr. Arc, will you consent to the payment plans, or do you require the full amount?"
Jaune was shocked. He wouldn't even know what to do with that kind of money. And he had stacks of the item with a crowd of people arguing over them downstairs and spilling into the street. They were just the ones he'd seen too. "God." He said quietly.
Holy rolled her eyes, and Ms. Fall chuckled at his reaction. "I take it you see this as a large amount then, Mr. Arc?" Ms. Fall asked him with that husky tone.
He looked at her with a shocked expression from under his hood. "You're saying it's not?" She just laughed, and Holy cleared her throat.
"Mr. Arc, this amount is nothing but pocket change compared to what the top ten guilds spend on a daily, and yes, I mean that literally, daily basis. You simply have chosen a time, not even a day after the last Kingdom war, to sell your item, which for all intents and purposes, is a good strategy. Guilds are looking to recoup losses and build themselves up after those losses. With all the major guilds having exponential credit, they will be forced into payment plans such as this to do so. If you refuse her deal, you will be doing the Auction house guilds a service."
This drew a small growl from Ms. Fall, who folded her arms, turning her head towards him a bit. "But if you accept, it will mean a favor from one of the top ten guilds."
Holy sighed and waved her hand. "Yes, or you could get a good relationship with the Gods bane guild. So, Mr. Arc, do you accept or decline their deal?"
Jaune was stunned. 14,000,000,000 was pocket change to these people!? Holy shit. Now on the side of business, being on the Auction house's good side would be suitable for future deals if there were any, but having one of the top guilds owe you something because of a small favor like installment payments seemed more enticing. Money was essential to a degree but, if he were lenient with them here then down the line when he started his group, then they would be more inclined to do business with him.
He turned his head to look at the woman in the red cloak and held out his hand. "I'll take your deal. Nice doing business with you."
Ms. Fall smiled at him from under her hood and took his hand, shaking it. "Hmm. A patient man, I see. Well, let's hope to do business again in the future." She turned to leave, but before she walked off, she pulled her hood down and glanced at Jaune as she walked by. Her ebony hair fell in waves across her shoulders, and her bright amber eyes looked him over slowly. She held out something to him, and he took it while maintaining eye contact. "It seems you do indeed know how to choose your friends. Let's hope you can commit." and with that, she walked off.
Jaune stood there with a shocked expression on his face hidden mostly by the hood. He felt his stomach tighten and watched her go, feeling nervous. Then he looked down at what she'd given him. He frowned. It was a pale gray, almost white card with a dead tree colored in black with a shattered moon behind it. A guild card. He let out a sigh putting it in his inventory and turned to leave.
"Mr. Arc. Please do not leave yet," Holy said in a cold tone.
He turned back around, feeling like he was about to get a lecture. "Um. Yeah? What is it?"
She stood from her desk but remained behind it, fixing him with a disapproving look. "I hope you realize the gravity of the situation you've caused."
He honestly had no idea. Wasn't the crowd outside ordinary for an item like that? Had it been something abnormal? The girl said it wasn't, but he didn't know how much the crowd was exaggerated from regular. He decided to pull his hood down, and the woman behind the desk looked at him, stunned for a second. "Um. I have no clue. Today is honestly my first day back in the game. The last time I played was right before launch. I was in the beta."
Holy's eyes widened even more, and she took a deep breath. "This is going to be a problem." She pushed her glasses up in a very familiar way and then sat back down, letting out a tired breath as she closed her eyes. "Mr. Arc, the economy in this game is a crucial and fragile thing." She looked out the window behind her while rubbing her neck. "Even one item like the one you sold could cause chaos in the game." She glanced at him. "And it has. The community is in an uproar. I'm sure you were able to see some of it while coming here."
He nodded.
"The item you sold through us is used to make the best items and gear in the game as it's description reads." She turned to him with a glare. "You did read its description, didn't you?" She asked imperiously.
He quickly nodded several times, holding his hands up. This woman was starting to remind him of someone.
Her glare lessened, and she frowned. "Well, at least you learned."
He looked at her curiously. "Come again?"
She waved his question off. "As I was saying. The strongest guilds, as well as players who grind or no life the game for enough funds, fight over them ruthlessly. Whenever one is found or put up for sale, everyone scrambles to get a hold of them. They are, after all, a limited recourse. What you will not know or have guessed, however, is just how valuable they are. 500,000,000 is the highest an item can be appraised for though many go for far more, hence the auction houses initial purpose. To auction them off until someone offers the proper amount. An SDC and items made with them typically reach the tens of billions. The highest I've ever seen one go for was 37 billion."
Jaune balked at the number. She smiled at his reaction folding her arms across her chest. "It's good to see you have that reaction. Well anyways. Items made with them are valued so highly because they can alter the flow of guild sieges and help win entire battles during kingdom wars, in the right hands, of course. Due to this, the player base as a whole decided that kingdom wars are to be severely regulated so only other people with such items will face each other for the most strategic points." She trailed off, looking at him expectantly.
He blinked and then looked down. "And since there's a finite number, it's very probable to stack odds unevenly. Which I probably just did."
She smiled at his deduction and nodded. "Yes, that is correct. It is also easy to buy loyalty when items like those are in your possession. Guild members defect and rejoin other guilds frequently when things aren't going their way. Can you guess what they take with them?"
He let out a long sigh. "The special weapons."
"Again, correct. That, in turn, causes animosity, and infighting is very detrimental. Power structures can fall apart in minutes. Guilds often have hostile takeovers where they kill their members and take guild keys to stop old members from reentering. I have seen it happen many times, especially among newer guilds that get their hands on ore or a weapon only to have one person get greedy and take over then pledge loyalty to a bigger guild for profit or items."
Jaune winced at that and rubbed his shoulder. "Sounds bad."
"Indeed." She leaned over her desk, looking him in the eyes. "Can you form an idea as to what someone with several of these items could do and how game-breaking it would be." He shook his head, and she steepled her fingers together, nodding. "It would ruin the game. It would make things unfair and impossible for the other kingdoms to fight back should any singular guild take over. Something of this nature happened In the first month of the game's release, which is why the rules based around them were made."
Jaune paused, taking in the information. He felt weird. He'd just sold an item to one of the top ten guilds thinking he'd made a good business deal, and here she was telling him that everyone else in the game would be watching him and most likely not saying very pleasant things about him.
Holy made a humming sound drawing his attention. "Well, it seems you understand what it is you've done now."
He slammed his hands on her desk. "Why didn't you warn me!"
She scowled at him, making him flinch back. "It is not my job to council sellers in the repercussion of their actions, Mr. Arc. I am merely a glorified middleman. I am doing you a favor in explaining to you this much!" She yelled back from her seat. "Do not presume to have the high ground." He picked his hands up off her desk and stepped back, apologizing. She fixed a loose strand of hair and sighed. "Having said that, do you have any more, Mr. Arc?"
He felt like he was being put into a corner what with all the politics he'd just jumped into. He was a business student, not a political major. This was supposed to be a fun game to kill some time and help Sun's group make money. He wasn't trying to get involved in all this. Looking at Holy, he shook his head and lied. "No, I don't have anymore. I only had the one."
Holy hummed quietly and nodded before standing up suddenly and slamming her hands on the table. "That's a lie!" Her face was red, her hair falling into her eyes again, her glasses now hanging from a thin chain around her neck.
He flinched, moving back as she glared at him. "I don't know if you are aware of this, but a couple that plays the game together who happen to be in debt to us came in today and traded the guild one of the SDC for their debts to be paid off as well as to order all of the highest quality sewing and smithing equipment we can get our hands on so long as the crystal covered expenses."
Jaune flinched, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "What a coincidence."
"Bullshit!" She yelled, slamming her fist on the desk. They mentioned that a young man in blue with broken equipment gave it to them. Do you know anyone like that, Mr. Arc?"
He was starting to sweat now, and he pulled at his collar, offering a nervous smile. "Can't say I've seen anyone like that."
Holy gave a mirthless chuckle. "Cute Mr. Arc. It just so happens that another woman came in earlier today who had one appraised to see if hers was fake or a cheat item that was duplicated. Funny thing is she said she got it from a person named Crocea Mors whom she was trying to find as well."
Jaune cursed under his breath, grinding his teeth. "Raven, that bitch."
Holy sat back down, taking a calming breath while folding her arms and crossing her legs as she fixed him with a cold stare. "And here you are selling one yourself. That is three crystal, Mr. Arc. They come in a stack of 99, and according to the game developers, there are about 300 stacks of 99. 191 of these stacks are accounted for in full, with 53 unaccounted for in the only incomplete stack we know of. Well, 50 now." She eyed him dangerously. "You had 3 of them and gave them away like it was nothing. You also said you last played in Beta, if I recall correctly, which gives me a theory. So I will ask you one more time, Mr. Arc. How many more do you have?"
~ 0 ~
Jaune walked out of the side entrance to the Auction house with heavy steps. He looked up at the girl who'd walked him in and out, and she waved at him with a smile, holding her hand to her head like a phone before closing the door. They'd exchanged addresses, and she'd insisted on him getting better gear before she dragged him around town. She'd even said that she knew he could afford to spoil her with the sale he made, so there was no backing out. Now he didn't like being extorted, but technically it was retribution for being a perv even if he wasn't trying to be. He could let this one slide.
With a sigh, he turned to exit the ally and headed off for the Emerald Dragon for the second time today. What he didn't notice was the person wearing a red cloak watching him from further in the ally.
He made his way through the ever-growing crowd, which surprised him. It was already 2:30, and it just wasn't dying down. He thought back to the conversation he'd had with Holy after admitting to having more. Granted, he'd still lied and only told her he had one full stack and another of 20 now after selling 3, which had made her eyes bug out. She'd instantly told him he couldn't go selling all of those like he did the first because it would cause absolute chaos and even start a massive guild war. It was then that she'd told him that they didn't usually do this, but if he were willing, they would act as a bank for him and hold onto the crystals he had. And work on distributing them evenly for him.
He'd consented. It wasn't that he wanted to sell them or anything, but she'd said it would go a long way to fixing the situation he'd created. It would even help build up a few rumors about him as well. He almost freaked out at that and asked her why he'd even want that.
She'd told him it would be good to keep his identity as the owner secret but that they should make it known publicly that someone had found them and decided to make them accessible and was distributing them evenly. She explained how it would build trust and favor with the community while building up his image or shadow in this case since he was staying hidden to avoid trouble.
Holy had personally set up an official account for him with them and asked if he had an organization he affiliated with that they could mention as owning to divert attention from him as an individual.
He remembered that he was affiliated with something called Arc trading and told her which had made her freeze and then look up at him with this proud expression that he didn't think made any sense. With that, she'd told him everything would be done by tomorrow, and he'd left.
Now here he was contemplating the situation he was in. "God, I'm so screwed." He took a deep breath, trying to calm down when he looked at the time. His eyes widened, and he freaked out, pulling open his IM tab. He typed in Sun's info and hit call instead of a message, trying to get a hold of his friend. It was more than an hour past the time they were supposed to meet up and…
"Dude, Jaune, something came up. I can't hang with you right now. There's some crazy shit going on in the game, and everyone is freaking out. I know I said we'd play together today, but I can't. I'm really, really sorry. I'll hit you up in-game or text your phone when I'm free. I hope you have a good day, man. I promise I'll make it up to you."
Then the call ended, and Jaune stood there speechless. He slowly closed the IM tab and winced whispering an apology to Sun, knowing It was probably related to his SDC's. He let out an exhausted breath scratching the back of his head and looked up at the sun in the sky. "Well, you have a bunch of gold now, buddy. Might as well head back to the Emerald Dragon."
~ 0 ~
The bell to the Emerald Dragon dinged, and An Ren looked up from behind the counter. Her eyes widened, and she stood up, jumping over the counter before running up to the person who entered wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much."
Jaune looked down at the woman in shock and slowly placed his arms around her, returning the hug awkwardly. "Um. You're welcome?" She stepped back from him, beaming as a man walked out from a back room while wiping his hands on a towel giving the two a curious glance. An looked at the man and clapped her hands together, smiling warmly at Jaune before she grabbed his arm, pulling him over to the man. "Li, this is the boy who helped us. Can you believe he's friends with our boy? I knew Ren would make good friends while he was off at college!" She said excitedly.
The man's eyes widened slightly in realization after what his wife said, and he smiled, bowing deeply to Jaune as his wife did the same. "Thank you, young man. My wife and I are thankful for what you did. We didn't know how we were going to get out of our…" He trailed off.
His wife looked at him and frowned slightly before looking at Jaune and forcing a smile. "Our little problem."
"Yes, our… little problem," Li finished.
Jaune smiled at them and waved his hand. "You don't have to talk about it, I…" He paused as the two watched him expectantly. He didn't know if what Holy had told him was confidential or not, so he thought better of what he was going to say. "…Don't need to know. If I helped you guys, then I'm glad I could return the favor. You don't need to give me anything in return."
An and Li exchange curious looks and then fix him with conflicted expressions. Li put a hand on his shoulder. "There has to be something we can do to thank you." His wife nodded from behind him.
Jaune chuckled and gently took Li's hand off his shoulder, shaking his head. "There's no need. I was thanking you for doing so well in raising Ren." He used An's words from earlier. "After all, hard work and working hard pays off in the strangest of ways. It just so happened that you two working so hard at being good parents ended up with me getting one of the best friends I've ever had. Consider the item a token of my heartfelt appreciation."
The two gave him approving looks, and An wiped a tear from her eyes, nodding. "You're parents did a good job of raising you as well. Mr?"
The two looked at him, waiting for a response. "Arc."
Their eyes widened, and they looked at each other with surprised looks. Li smiled, folding his arms, and nodded at Jaune. "Well, I think I know a perfect way to return the favor, Mr. Arc."
He looked at them curiously and sighed. "You don't have to, you know. I'm glad I could help where I could."
An giggled and then looked at her husband, nodding. "I think I've made a decision, and it seems you have as well." Li nodded and grinned at Jaune.
He threw the towel over his shoulder, putting his hands on his hips and cracked his neck. "Well. If you don't want thanks from us, then you must have come back for our services. And no offense meant, but it looks like you are in dire need of them."
Jaune looked down at his equipment, smiling sheepishly while rubbing his neck. "Hehe. You got me. So how much will it cost me to get it upgraded?"
Li hummed while looking at Jaune's tattered armor and then shrugged. Hard to tell. I'll need to know what you want me to upgrade it with first and what level it is." He gestured for him to follow him to the counter, where he motioned for Jaune to put his stuff down.
He unequipped his armor, now scraps and broken straps, then placed them on the counter. Li took out some kind of monocle and examined the pieces thoroughly before smiling. "Now, this will be a good challenge. Never worked on Atlas made stuff before, and it's the highest level stuff I've ever been asked to upgrade. Most high-level players go to the palace for that."
Jaune tilted his head frowning. "I think I trust you more. Hell, maybe you're even better than the people up at the palace, and nobody knows it."
Li looked up at Jaune and grinned, puffing up his chest. "Of course I'm the best. It's just that nobody thinks small shops are capable of heroic grade equipment. Just you wait, it'll be twice as good when I'm done with it. Now just give me the items you want me to upgrade them with." There was a sound of several rocks hitting the counter, and Li looked down. His eyes bugged out, and he looked at Jaune in shock.
"Only the best materials for the best smith in Vale, right?" He said with a grin. Li just stood there in shock before he burst out laughing and took everything to the back room.
"An I like this boy, Ren did good!" He shouted from the back.
An rolled her eyes and leaned on the counter, watching Jaune with a warm, playful smile. "So." She said, eyeing his clothes. "Need me to fix those for you too." She said, gesturing to his torn hooded coat. He nodded and unequipped it as well now in the default clothes of the game. She took them and nodded at him as she turned to the shelves behind her.
Just then, Jaune's stomach growled, and An laughed. I see your avatar is hungry, Mr. Arc. Would you like something to eat? He looked at her with a sheepish expression and nodded.
"Actually, yeah. Something to eat and drink sounds wonderful. A bed would be nice too. I can pay if you want." He said, opening his inventory to which An waved him off.
"Don't worry, it'll take a few hours for us to finish, so if you want to eat something and put your avatar to bed, we have a spare room. A friend of Ren's is always welcome in our home. Be it here or IRL."
Jaune smiled at her appreciatively and bowed to her the same way she and her husband bowed to him earlier. She giggled at his attempt and waved him off, pointing to the stairs. "It's the second room on the left. I'll be back with a meal. Once you're done, you can use the bed. We'll send you an e-mail when everything is done."
Jaune nodded and sluggishly made his way to the second floor feeling everything catch up to him. Food and sleep sounded perfect right now.
~ 0 ~
"Ahhh. What a day." Jaune sat up from his bed, taking the AVRH off and looked out his window to see the sun on the other side of his window. "Man, I can't believe I was in there for almost seven hours." He slid off his bed and put his AVRH on his desk next to his PC and then stretched feeling way better now that he was out of the game. "God, I can't believe that I feel better now that I'm not in the game anymore." He frowned and reached up to rub his gut. "It felt so real."
He yawned, shuffling out of his room, feeling stiff, and moved into the living room looking around. "Penny." No response. "Penny?" He walked into the kitchen, not seeing her there or in the other bedroom. Scratching his head, he walked back to the living room. "Where could Penny be?"
"Mr. Arc." Ceres the automated V.I. beeped to life surprising him a bit. "Penny went out for her monthly inspection. She also left you a message."
He blinked at the little device sitting on the coffee table and blinked a few more times. "Well, Ceres, what's the message?"
Ceres beeped to life again. "I don't know. Penny left a written note on the front door.
"Oh. Thank you, Ceres."
"You are welcome, Mr. Arc."
He walked over to the door and grabbed the note stuck to the door once he was close enough.
Jaune, I've gone out to get my regular check-up and some groceries for the week. I'll be back around midnight. Please enjoy your day to the fullest.
P.S. I ordered pizza for you. It should arrive at 3:00 how you like it.
P.P.S. you should invite the pizza girl in. She seems nice.
P.P.P.S. Lots of love, Penny.
It was accompanied by a cute chibi drawing of herself waving at him with a heart around the whole thing. He smiled down at the note and laughed. Penny's drawing skills were getting pretty high up there, especially compared to his own. "I wonder what time it…" The doorbell rang. He blinked and looked at the clock in the hall. It read 3:00 exactly. "Huh? Would you look at that? I logged out at the perfect time."
He put the note in his pocket and undid the chain, flipped the deadbolt, and opened the door. Standing there in a black turtleneck with dark gray yoga pants and black high heeled boots was Blake. She smiled at him, holding out the Pizza box to him with an amused grin. "Is Jaune home?"
He grinned, shaking his head and opened the door all the way moving to lean against it while chuckling. "Yes, he is, and he's starving. He took the box. Opening it to see what she'd brought him. It was a cheese-stuffed-crust pizza that was half pineapple and Canadian bacon with the other being grilled chicken with spinach. He lifted an eyebrow at the pineapple half. Now he was a pizza lover and ate just about anything one would typically put on pizza, but it was not his favorite.
Looking up, he gave Blake a big smile. "Thanks, Blake." He pulled out his wallet. "How much do I owe you?"
She smiled back at him, waving him off. "It's all good, Jaune. It's been paid for. I got off early today and just brought this by because I live in the area."
His smile turned into a bright grin. "Awe thanks Blake, I really appreciate it, thanks a million."
Blake gave a small tilt of the head and smiled while she stepped back from his door and made to leave. "Well, I guess I'll get going then." She took a step and then stopped again, turning to wave to him. "Hope the rest of your day goes well."
He lifted his hand to wave, but instead, he pushed the door open against the wall and stepped to the side. "Hey, Blake." She let her hand drop and looked at him curiously. He scratched his cheek and looked to the side, feeling embarrassed. "Would you. I mean. If you aren't doing anything else, wanna come inside and hang out? It's still pretty early in the afternoon so we could make a thing of it. Maybe watch a couple of movies." He shrugged. "Catch up, er well get to know each other better. You know."
She blinked at him a couple of times and then rubbed her arm nervously before looking away. Jaune felt his hopes die a little, figuring she had somewhere to go. It wasn't like he was hoping she'd say yes or anything, but he hadn't hung out with anyone for a while, and Sun hadn't been able to meet up with him, so he kind of wanted to spend time with someone. To his surprise, she nodded. "All right, Jaune, I'll bite. What are we going to watch?"
He looked at her, shocked. Did he hear right? She actually said yes. He beamed at her making her flush in embarrassment at his enthusiasm. "Well, there's a few I've been meaning to watch that I haven't gotten around to. What's your favorite genre?"
Blake looked away from him and blushed, speaking quietly. "…"
He blinked and moved closer. "Sorry, Blake, I didn't catch that. Can you repeat it."
She took a deep breath and folded her arms. "Romance and romantic comedy." She said again quietly.
Jaune grinned. "How about Silver linings playbook?"
"What?" Blake blinked at him. "What's that?"
Jaune just looked at Blake with a look of disbelief. "Get in here now, were watching the Silver linings playbook."
She gave him a strange look and then smiled, shaking her head as he moved to let her in. She stepped past him as he closed the door. "Sorry for the intrusion." She said loudly."
He chuckled. "No one else is here, Blake, just."
"Hello," Ceres called from the living room.
Jaune closed his mouth, trying to stifle a laugh. "Me and my house system, I guess."
Blake rolled her eyes with a smile handing her coat to him as she reached down to unzip her heels. He put her coat on a hook inside the hall closet, and then they walk into the living room. "You can sit wherever but the couch is the comfiest." He said, placing the pizza box down on the middle cushion. She nodded, taking a seat on the couch and looked around. "Ceres, please put on the Silver linings playbook."
Ceres beeped. "Silver linings playbook, now playing."
"Great. Thanks." He turned to Blake and grinned, gesturing to the pizza. "Help yourself. I'm going to grab some drinks. Anything in particular you want?"
Blake looked up from the screen that was playing some random movie trailer. "Um. Yeah." She nodded. "I'd like some red wine or something fruity and strong if you have it. If not, tea or water is fine."
Jaune smiled with a nod giving her a lazy two-finger salute as he walked off. "I got ya covered."
She looked back to the screen, her eyes wandering every few seconds. She noticed how well kept the place was and smiled. She knew Jaune probably spent most of his time studying or eating at the pizza joint she worked at, so he didn't have the time to keep it this clean, dusting included. She figured it must have been the girl that everyone always mentioned hung around him.
She knew he was rich, having played together as kids when their parents were talking about business deals way back when.
She figured he didn't remember her though, considering when they'd been introduced to each other by Weiss, he'd acted like it was the first time they'd met. He was really nice back when they were younger, but she wondered if his family's money had made him turn out more like Weiss with her spoiled heiress attitude. So when he hadn't remembered her, she went with it.
To her surprise and delight, he'd remained the same lovable dork for the most part. He'd grown up as most people do, but something about him was different. He'd more than matured. Something had taken the awe and joy she'd seen in his eyes as an 8-year-old and replaced it with something less warm. It surprised her to learn during one of their conversations at her job he was paying for his education.
It had impressed her that despite having wealthy parents, he was doing something that made money to pay for his way through school. She was rich herself but had taken up the pizza job to see what it was like working as an entry-level worker, and it had been eye-opening. Granted, her parents paid for her classes, but they'd told her since she wanted to move out, she needed to learn responsibility, so rent for wherever she was staying, and food was on her.
She stretched out along the couch and pulled the pizza box on her lap, opening it up, hoping it wasn't his usual spinach infused muck. To her surprise, half of it was her favorite, pineapple, and Canadian bacon. She smiled to herself, shaking her head as she grabbed a slice. She stayed away from pizza so she wouldn't get tired of it, which made this unexpected coincidence all the better.
As she took a bite out of the slice, she wondered if she'd ever told him her favorite type of pizza. She looked over to the kitchen entrance hearing him put something on the stove and pop a cork. Now that she thought about it, he'd invited her in out of nowhere. Not that she was complaining, but had he planned this?
She shrugged and turned back to look at the screen, watching the next preview while munching on her slice, slowly savoring every bite. She couldn't help but let her mind wander, and she started thinking about how much she technically owed Jaune. He'd been extremely generous with his tips over the last three years what with his frequently given her 200% tips and even straight-up $100 frequently. She'd always refused, but he'd insist saying he knew she went out of her way to deliver to him because she was the only one who would. That was unless her boss ordered someone to do it on her off days so as not to upset such a good customer.
"He's stopped me from missing rent and going hungry on more than a few occasions." She thought while biting into the cheese-stuffed crust. She knew he lent money to lots of people too, so it wasn't like she was special, but it was nice to know Jaune was around. He was more reliable than people, like say her ex, Adam, by a landslide.
She'd been dating Adam for years, and he'd been a great guy at first, but he changed over time. He went from being a caring boyfriend who'd go out of his way to help her with any problem she had, but that stopped after he'd met her family. She sighed. "It was probably the money."
"All right, coming in," Jaune called from the kitchen.
She saw him walk into the living room, holding several bottles of wine, a teapot, and a pitcher of water as well as two glasses. She giggled and rolled her eyes. He always did bite off more than he could chew. "Here, let me get some of those." She placed the box back on the couch and slid her legs off, moving to stand, but he lifted a leg keeping her back.
"Naw, I got it. Watch this. I've been practicing." She stopped trying to grab the pitcher and teapot and moved to sit back down, giving him a suspicious look as he grinned at her. He tossed up the wine bottles while grabbing a TV tray next to the couch with his left leg. He swung it around in front of her, and it popped open. He quickly placed the pitcher and teapot down on it Just as the wine bottles were coming back. He caught them one by one, juggled them in a way she didn't understand while placing the glasses on the tray and filling them up as the bottles flipped upside down. With a flourish, he set everything down flawlessly with only the odd drop spattering the try. "Man and I'd finally done it without spilling a drop the other day." He said with a slight frown.
Blake looked at the tray with wide eyes and then up at Jaune with a stunned expression. She started clapping softly as a cheese-eating grin spread across her face. "Wow, Jaune, that was actually really cool."
He looked at her and smiled bashfully, rubbing his head in that nervous tick he'd had since forever. "Well, thanks. I've been learning useless skills like party tricks and stuff in my spare time."
He continued to go on about similar stuff, but she just smiled at him shaking her head. Jaune was one of a kind. A great guy that was well liked by his peers and his friends. He had a good head on his shoulders, he was also a hard worker, and he was the friendliest guy she knew. He had a 4.0 GPA, and instead of worrying about papers and finals, he was learning parlor tricks.
On top of all that, he genuinely cared about others. It had been one of the things that drew her towards him as a kid. It was the main reason she didn't understand his fallout with Ruby. She'd heard all about it, and had even been given the whole 'are you on my sister's side or his?' by Yang. But it didn't add up.
Honestly, from what she'd gathered from Ruby's version and Yang's, she thought Jaune was right, at least in his intent. He could have worded it better, but hey, it was Jaune. She could see why it would be a big deal though considering Ruby's passion and love for games as well as the fact her source of income was in being a good player in the hottest MMORPG, which was 'The world of Remnant,' right now, and would be for years apparently.
Still, she'd had to side with Ruby for the sake of not causing a rift in the group. It didn't help her conscience that it was her childhood friend and all-around great guy that she was siding against, however. It felt wrong, and she'd seen his personality becoming more subdued along with the signs of depression she'd seen him exhibit. She'd taken full advantage of the fact nobody, but he knew where she worked to make amends, at least in a small way. It had been by delivering to him even though he was outside of their delivery rout at first, but they'd started talking for minutes at a time, sometimes making her late on delivery routs, but it was worth it to gauge whether or not he was doing all right. It made things more comfortable when he started eating out all the time and call her crazy, but she had a feeling he knew what she was doing, but Jaune was one of the densest people she knew so probably not.
"Hey, Blake, you alright?" He rubbed her arm, trying to get her attention.
She blinked a few times and looked at him, confused. "Huh? What's up?" Damn it. She'd been doing it again. She had a habit of going off into her own world when thinking about something or reading. She put on a smile that she had to admit wasn't hard at all when she was around him and focused on his cobalt eyes. "Sorry, I was thinking. Were you saying something?"
He rubbed the back of his head again, and she had to resist the urge to slap at his hand and tell him to stop. It was cute when they were kids, but he really needed to grow out of it.
Jaune saw her look and followed her gaze to his hand, slowly putting his arm down before clearing his throat as he leaned back against the couch, sliding to the floor. Blake watched him and then swung her legs over his head, taking her lounging spot on the couch again as she looked at him. "Well, I was just saying that I started playing the game Ruby was all about. You know the fantasy PVP MMORPG."
"The world of Remnant?" Blake questioned.
He nodded. "Yeah, that's the one I. Wait, how did you…" He trailed off, seeing the playful smile she had on her face as the movie played in the background.
She shrugged, pulling the pizza box on her lap, taking another slice for herself while grabbing one of Jaune's disgusting spinach slices and gently sliding it into his hanging mouth. "I started playing it a couple of months back to…" She didn't want to mention Ruby and ruin the mood in the room, so she made a quick save. "…See what all the hype was about." He bit down on the slice in his mouth, and his eyes lit up at the taste as well as what she'd said. She giggled while taking her hand back. "What?"
"Nothing, nothing." He said, turning away to look at the TV, crossing his legs, and putting his hands in his lap as leaned back on the front of the couch, chewing on the slice she'd given him. "Just didn't expect you to be the type to play games. You always seemed more into the ninjas of love book series, animal rights like the protest the other week, and that kind of stuff is all. I think It's pretty cool that you play games too."
Blake blinked at him. What had he just said? "Hey, Jaune." She tapped his head with her foot drawing his attention from the movie. "What did you just say?"
He looked at her curiously and reached up, grabbing the slice from his mouth. "What? About playing games?"
She shook her head. "No. Before that."
He looked at her curiously. "The world of Remnant?"
She rolled her eyes and tapped his head with her foot again. "No, the part right before the last thing you said."
He scratched his head where she'd tapped him, making an expression that said he was actually thinking on it. She was about to sigh and forget about it when he spoke. "You mean the things you like? Like Ninjas of love and the animal rights stuff?" She looked at him, curiously and nodded. He let out a breath feeling confused. "What about them?"
She opened her mouth to ask if he was stalking her, but that was definitely not the cool thing to do. He'd never done anything like that before. She closed her mouth, deciding how to word her question. "How… do you know I like those things? We barely talk, and we may be friends of friends, but this is probably the first time we've hung out."
He looked at her with an amused smile. "Well, you have mentioned them in passing. Like when I eat at the pizzeria or when we talk when you deliver."
She looked at him, stunned. "And you remembered?"
He shrugged, turning back to the TV. "Yeah, I guess. I mean. You are pretty unique, and we are friends, right? I try to pay attention to the little things. It makes me seem kinda paranoid, or so my family says." With that, he took another bite of his slice while reaching for the glasses of wine and offering her one.
She took it gingerly and took a sip, all the while watching her blond-haired childhood friend. How could he remember things in passing that she didn't even remember saying yet he forgot about her?! It kind of sort of rubbed her the wrong way, but it was strangely flattering and sweet that he'd paid enough attention to their conversations. She felt heat creep up her cheeks and shook her head, focusing on the movie. She kicked his head for good measure getting an annoyed glance from him that she returned with a smug smile while telling herself it was the alcohol making her feel warm.
~ 0 ~
They finished watching the movie as well as several others while downing the alcohol and the pot of tea. The two had laughed and poked fun at each other and generally just enjoyed each other's company completely losing track of time. They both eventually saw the clock and cracked a joke, each about how late it was with Blake's being about work and Jaune's being about her missing her period, which had made her flush and kick his head again, pushing him onto his face while he just roared with laughter.
Blake tried to get up from the couch, but her foot caught the edge of the cushion, and with her alcohol addled mind, she tripped. She yelped and grabbed at Jaune, who'd just stumbled to his feet and was swaying himself. Her hands gripped his long-sleeve tightly, and she pulled him back down with her. They both fell over, leaning against each other laughing. They stumble back up, trying to get to the hall when Blake poked his cheek. "Hey, Jaune."
"Hmm?"
"You're a pretty cool guy. You know that?"
He shrugged. "I'm surprised you're single. You should go out more."
He laughed at that wrapping an arm around her shoulders, looking at her with a cheese-eating grin. "Why? I've got my girlfriend right here."
Blake stopped suddenly at his words, causing them to trip, and they both fell. She yelled in surprise, but she was held tightly as they crashed to the floor, her landing on top of him. She gripped Jaune's shirt tightly and looked up at him, her heart beating faster than normal. "Um… Jaune. What do you mean by that?"
She felt his arms release her, and she hated herself for thinking it, but she wanted him to keep them there. It felt nice. He smiled down at her and poked her nose. "My pizza girls with me, and that's all I need to be happy."
She looked away from him, a blush on her cheeks. She looked back at him and rolled her eyes, flicking his forehead. "Jaune, you're a dork." Feeling her heart beating faster, she pushed off him and tried to get up bust just fell over on her side, giggling.
God, she was drunk. She felt something poke her side and heard Jaune whisper. "Pst. Blake." She turned her head on the soft carpet to see Jaune gently poking her side with a stupid grin on his face. He laughed softly. "You're drunk."
She kicked him weakly with a playful frown. "And who's fault is that? Mr. three bottles of wine."
He shrugged while laying there, watching her, and smiled. "Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, you drank too. Don't act like I forced you."
She scowled at him in mock anger, propping herself up against the wall and kicked his legs, making him roll over lazily with a weak, "Nooo, stop it," as he slapped her foot softly.
She laughed softly, feeling her eyelids getting heavy as she took a deep breath while looking at him. He acted like such a kid, but she found it amusing, and he was really a great guy. Hell, he'd even offered to help out at the Pizzeria a few times, and he regularly did on holidays. He even covered for her when she was sick, which he didn't have to do.
He'd been a godsend for her. She didn't know why it had taken so long for them to hang out like this, but it felt nice. She smiled at him and closed her eyes, feeling sleep take her. "Thanks for being you… Jaune."
~ 0 ~
Authors notes.
Not much to say other than enjoy the edit.
~ 0 ~