Project Remnant

by Aworldnotsosimple00

"The world of Remnant?" Jaune said holding the case in his hand. He looked up at Sun who grinned and gestured for him to keep reading. He rolled his eyes and looked back down at the case. "The world of Remnant is a sandbox-oriented massively multiplayer online role-playing game." He looked back at Sun. "Why do I get he feeling you want me to play this with you?"

7. Chapter 7

Project Remnant

I do not own RWBY

~ 0 ~

"Thoughts"

"Speech"

'words with implied meaning.'

Regular text

Menu info/ abilities, skills, combos

Enemy and ally info/ abilities, skills combos

"Disembodied voice/ Messages."

"Disembodied thoughts /Memories."

~ Ch 7 ~

~, A friend in need is a friend indeed ~

Jaune kicked his shoes against the sidewalk as he came to a stop at the nearest crosswalk. The light was green, and the no walk indicator was flashing. He sighed, turning around as traffic flew by. He pulled out his phone and clicked it on. It was almost 9:00 pm, and he still hadn't gotten a notification from Blake or Scarlet. He pocketed his phone with a sigh and looked up.

"Huh." His eyes traveled over the engraved plaque bolted on the wall. He was standing just outside the south entrance to the cities public park. Granted, it wasn't much of a park. It was really only a giant augmented reality simulator that you could walk around in. You just walked up, put in your Citizen ID number, and then picked the simulation you wanted. Most people used it to experience walking through actual parks and forests. He'd used it for the same thing himself a few times. It brought him back to his childhood when he lived out in the countryside and had to get driven an hour to get to school.

The woods and forest around his house had been a comfort to him in his youth. He smiled to himself, remembering the days he'd spend exploring them. That old dirt road almost absorbed in foliage. The massive mansion deep in the woods. He'd always go there and play with Penny. Pain lanced his brain, feeling like a hot needle stabbing into the base of his skull as an image flashed through his mind. A bright smile and deep green eyes. He staggered, gripping his head.

"Wait. That. That can't be right." He felt his head pound, and he winced. "I just met Penny half a year ago, when dad told me she'd be there to help out for my last year of college. So I could focus on studying and tests." A couple of teenagers, wearing the same high school uniform he'd worn a few years ago, ran by nearly running into him. There was a boy and a girl. The boy chased the girl but stopped when she ran into the park. He typed in their numbers on the panel, the girl looking around like she was seeing something other than the drab gray surrounding her. She looked at the boy and waved at him. "Hurry up, John. Come on, let's go!"

The sharp pain grew ever more prevalent in his head. He looked up, blinking away tears from his watery eyes. He saw the two teens, but the girl looked different. No, everything looked different. There were tall trees all around her that faded in and out of focus. She giggled and waved at him, a large pink bow on her head that swayed as she bounced up and down. Come on, Jaune. It's this way."

"Penny?" He said in a subdued tone as he stumbled over to the panel. He fell against it clutching his head. He felt like something was boring into his brain, and he felt heat spreading through his skull. He felt like he was about to be sick and that happy giggling wouldn't stop. He felt someone grab his shoulder and pull on it. Suddenly everything stopped, from the pain in his head to nausea and the hallucinations. He spun around, pressing himself against the wall to the park, coming face to face with Sun Wu Kong. "Sun?" He said in a dazed tone.

His friend shot him a look of concern. "Hey Jaune, Are you alright? You look kinda out of it." He patted Jaune's arm and looked over into the park seeing the teens who'd just gone in.

Sun quirked a brow. "Thinking about love and girls?" He grinned at Jaune, who blinked and looked back over to the kids. He made to say something, but no words came out. "That bad, huh? Man, I told you you should just go for it. I mean, you aren't to bad with the ladies from what I've seen. Especially that beauty with the golden eyes." He finished in a whisper.

"Sun."

The other blond boy paused when Jaune called his name. He took in Jaune's appearance and noticed the distracted look about him. "What's up, man?"

Jaune looked away from the teens back to his friend, a confused look on his face. "Did we know anyone named Penny, when we were younger?"

Jaune looked back at the teens, missing the shocked look on Sun's face, or the fact that he stiffened up. Jaune kept watching the two kids walking around in the park and winced as he rubbed his temple. Sun looked around nervously while Jaune wasn't looking, trying to find something to use to change the topic. "What makes you ask something like that?"

Jaune took a breath and shrugged. "I don't know. I just...I get these flashes sometimes. And my maid. She."

Sun's eyes widened, and he grabbed onto that. "Whoa! You have a maid? No way, dude!"

Jaune lost his train of thought and looked back at Sun with a confused expression. "Yeah. I've had her for about six months now. I thought I'd told you?" He held his chin, trying to remember if he had. It was faint, but he definitely remembered telling Sun a couple of months ago in the library.

"Nope. You never did. Come on, man. Tell me. What's she like? Is she cute?"

Jaune was pulled from his thoughts by the random question and blinked at his friend. "Um." He paused. "Is Penny cute? I mean. She does look cute, I guess. The way she carries herself reminds me of mom a little too much, though. I feel kind of creepy thinking about her like that. Though she doesn't look like my mom at all. But she's not human either." He looked back over to Sun. Yeah, I guess she's cute."

Sun smacked his face and groaned. "Oh come on, Jaune, you have to have a real opinion. She's your maid for crying out loud."

He shrugged and pushed off the wall, making Sun step back. "Hey, I don't know, man. I just feel weird thinking about it. She's an android. It's kind of weird saying she's cute."

Sun rolled his eyes. "You know, by that standard, you shouldn't call anime and manga girls cute or sexy either, yet they are." He slapped Jaune's back and laughed. "It's a simple yes or no." Sun finished with a shrug as he threw an arm across Jaune's shoulders.

"Um. Then yes?"

Sun sighed and pulled Jaune along across the now lit up crosswalk. "Well, I guess that's an improvement. Can't say you aren't trying. I mean, you used to blush when people said swear words."

Jaune scowled at Sun. "Hey, I haven't done that for a long time."

Sun gave Jaune a flat look. "Freshman year in high school, Jaune."

Jaune looked down, heat rising in his cheeks. "Shut up."

Sun slapped a hand on his chest and laughed before he let go of his friend, skipping ahead a couple of steps before turning around and walking backward. "So. How are you doing? In the game, I mean. I know we couldn't meet up yesterday but we. I mean my guild and me. Got everything sorted out…mostly. So we can play today if you want."

Jaune stopped walking and gave Sun an awkward smile. "Um, sorry. I kind of promised Blake I'd play with her today. We can play tomorrow."

Sun almost tripped when Jaune said that. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa. You. Jaune Arc. The guy I had to convince to play with moi, is not only playing the game willingly, but you're meeting up with a total babe?" Sun put a hand over his heart and sniffed dramatically. "I'm so proud of you."

Jaune rolled his eyes and walked by Sun. "Yeah, whatever. Come on. I need to get back pretty soon. I'm just." Jaune's phone went off in his pocket, and he pulled it out, seeing a notification from the game. He tapped it, seeing a message from Blake just as one from Scarlet popped up, each showing their avatars face next to the text. He touched the one from Blake.

Now…
"Hey Jaune, I know we aren't too close, but I kind of."

"Whoa!" Sun slid up next to Jaune, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, getting uncomfortably close while pulling the phone closer. "You got two hotties messaging you? You sly dog."

Jaune groaned and pushed Sun off of him before putting his phone away. "Yeah. I mean, no. I mean, they're both pretty cute but. Argh. Just shut up, Sun." He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I gotta get home. Need to get back on the game."

Sun blinked at Jaune as a grin broke out across his face. "Oh, I understand. Say no more, let's go."

Jaune put his face in his hands and growled. "Sun, stop it. It's not like that."

Sun just shook his head and waved him off. "I'm just messing with you, man. I'm Just pleasantly surprised is all. I really am proud of you for going out and hanging out with people. It looks like you made a new friend too."

Jaune gave Sun a friendly smile and rolled his eyes. "If you say so. Oh yeah, I did hang out with Blake last night too. We hang out and watched movies all night."

Sun let go of Jaune and gave him a flat look. "You know you don't have to rub it in the right?"

Jaune shrugged with a smirk. "You know you don't have to tease me, right?"

Sun held his chin and gave Jaune a sideways glance. "Touche." Jaune grinned triumphantly as Sun went on. "So, what did you guys watch?"

Jaune smiled, eyes closed, and a finger pointing up. "We started the evening with the Silver Linings Playbook."

Sun gave Jaune a gaping look. "You watched a romance movie with her?"

Jaune frowned at Sun. "Hey, it's a good romantic comedy. One of my favorite movies. Besides, it's a classic."

Sun rolled his eyes. "Says who?"

Jaune pulled up his hand, ticking fingers off one by one. "The Museum of Cinematic History. It won an Oscar for best lead actress. It Had an Oscar nominee in every other category. Got a Golden Globe because of the lead actress, as well as the lead male getting a nominee for the Golden Globe and best screenplay nominees. It also won Several AACTA awards." Jaune looked over at Sun with a smug smile. "Besides, my parents love it, and it's the first movie they ever saw together."

Sun grinned and gave him a sly look. "Oh ho ho. Is Jaune trying to get a serious girlfriend?"

Jaune looked at Sun in confusion. "What?"

Sun put his arms behind his head and laughed. "You said Silver Linings Playbook was the first movie your parents saw together right." Jaune nodded. "Well, it's the first movie you watched with Blake too. There something you ain't telling me old buddy old pal?"

Jaune spluttered and pushed the Back of Sun's head. "What?! No way, man. It's just a good movie. Besides by that logic I'd be going for Yang and Ruby. I watched it with both of them too."

"You Bastard!"

Jaune jumped. "Huh?"

"You greedy, Bastard!"

Jaune couldn't even begin to figure out what Sun was on about as his friend poked his chest while glaring at him. "Not only are you going for the cities next lightweight champion, but also her little sister, the gaming prodigy, and the hottest pizza girl in town!"

Jaune was at a loss for words. He felt confused, shocked, and a little scared Sun had just shouted at him like that. He opened his mouth to retort and tell him he was getting the wrong idea when Sun grinned at him with a snicker. "You're a real jerk. You know that Sun?"

Sun, burst out laughing, grabbing his belly as he used the building next to them for support. "Dude, the look on your face." Sun wiped a tear away while trying to get a breath. "Priceless."

Jaune rolled his eyes and kicked Sun's ankle, making the boy drop and grab it in exaggeration. "Yeah. Guess I don't owe you anything anymore, huh? That means I don't."

He was cut off when Sun suddenly jumped and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Dude, I just remembered why I walked over to you!"

Jaune blinked a few times, feeling taken aback. "I. You. Wait. What? I, You had a reason for walking over other than to say hi?"

Sun clapped his hands together and got on his knees in a begging motion. "Jaune. You're my best friend in the whole wide world."

Jaune looked down at him with an unimpressed look. "After what you just did, I'm not so sure, and what about Neptune?"

Sun flinched. "My best friend, who isn't a self-proclaimed intellectual or a redemption-less horn dog?" He offered with a nervous smile and an uneasy chuckle.

Jaune folded his arms and shook his head. "What do you need? Old buddy old pal." Jaune said in a sarcastic tone.

Sun grinned up at him and hopped to his feet, dusting off his pants. "You know how I've been busy what with what happened in the game." Jaune nodded, and Sun took a deep breath speaking his next words very quickly. "CanIpleasecopyyourpaperforprofesorportsclasstomorrow?!"

Jaune let out a tired sigh as he pulled his report from his pocket, holding it out in front of himself. "What do you say?"

Sun's eyes twinkled, and he wiped away an imaginary tear. He took it gingerly and put a hand on Jaune's shoulder while sniffling. "I, I love you, man."

Jaune pushed Sun back and chuckled. "Yeah, no, thank you. I don't swing that way."

Sun scowled at Jaune. "Hey, fuck you."

Jaune walked past Sun and laughed loudly. "This gonna be a repeat of Friday?"

Sun spluttered while putting Jaune's paper in his pocket. "Hey, go fuck yourself, man."

Jaune waved over his shoulder as he headed back to his apartment. "Just make sure to change yours from mine, so we don't get called in again."

As Jaune walked off, Sun grumbled and made a point of kicking the trashcan next to him for dramatic effect, getting a laugh from Jaune just before he turned the corner. Once Jaune was out of sight, Sun's expression fell a bit. He took a deep breath and rubbed the side of his neck, looking back at the park with a frown. "Just try and stay happy, man. We don't need you falling apart." He looked up at the dark October sky and took a tired breath. "Not again."

~ 0 ~

Upon arriving at his apartment complex, Jaune paused as his phone went off. He pulled it out and saw that he'd gotten two more messages from Blake and winced. "I really should read them. Better get back and." He looked up, and his thoughts halted. Standing there at the entrance with her phone out was Blake Belladonna. She had a suitcase next to her, and she wore a worried expression. Blake looked up and scanned the area, her shoulders dropping in relief when their eyes met. She smiled at him, but it fell quickly afterward, and she made a face as she stood there. He quirked a brow and made his way over, wondering what she was doing here. "Um. Hey Blake. What's up, and why are you here…with a suitcase?" He asked, looking down at her suitcase.

She fidgeted while putting her phone away and sighed. "I guess that's a no then. Sorry. I'll just get going." She let out a tired sigh and grabbed the handle of her suitcase and turned to the only car parked in the front-drive.

Jaune opened his mouth, wondering what that was about as he watched her go, feeling like he'd missed something. He reached out and grabbed her suitcase handle. "Hey, Blake, wait. I have no idea what you're talking about. What's going on?"

Blake blinked and gave him a suspicious look. "What do you mean you don't know what's going on. I sent you a few messages, like an hour ago. It said you read it, but you never responded. I didn't know if you were ignoring me or if you were just busy. Since I don't have your number, I came to see you and ask in person, but you weren't here either. I've been waiting for about half an hour."

He looked at her in confusion. "I never got to read it. I was hanging out with my friend Sun, and I kinda got interrupted before I could." He pulled out his phone, and it opened up to the message from Blake.

9:02 pm…
"Hey Jaune, I know we aren't too close, but I kind of need a favor. I'll tell you more details when we meet up, but for now, I'll leave it at I need a place to stay for a couple of weeks. I already asked a few people, but they don't have an extra room or even a couch to spare. Let me know if you're willing to help me out."

There was another.

9:55 pm…
"Um, Jaune. It's been almost an hour, and I haven't heard back from you. Everyone has to get out of their apartments. I've already gotten most of my stuff packed, but I don't know where I'll go. I already paid for this month's rent, and I can't afford a hotel.

And another.

10:17 pm…
"Jaune, please. Answer me. I'm waiting outside your place right now. It's getting late, and I still haven't had any luck asking anyone else. You're the only person I know with a spare room or a couch even."

Jaune closed the messages, letting his hand drop. He looked up at Blake, who was rubbing her arm and looking away with a frown on her face. He didn't know what to say. "I. Um. Well, I." He let out a breath and walked around to get in front of her. "What happened?"

Blake folded her arms and looked down at her feet with a dower expression. "I'll tell you if you agree to help, if not, I'll let you know when I know I won't be spending the night in my car."

He took a deep breath and looked over to her car. It wasn't a cheap-looking thing by any means, but It was…compact. The back seat looked barely big enough to fit three people, and that was without the two boxes, clothes hamper and another suitcase in there. The front seat had sports seats with harnesses installed, and the passenger seat was occupied by a crate and a rig along with a couple of monitors wrapped in bubble wrap. He blinked at the sight of everything and turned back to Blake. Had she been packing almost this entire time that they'd been logged out? And she hadn't asked for help? He didn't know what was going on, but he couldn't leave a friend hanging. His mom had always stressed the importance of being a reliable person and a good friend.

He let out the breath he'd been holding and returned his attention to Blake. "Blake." She looked up at him with a vulnerable expression. "It's alright." He gently took her wrist and removed it from her suitcase while offering her a warm, inviting smile. He nodded to her and tilted his head in that stupid way he did, making him resemble a loyal dog. "Welcome home."

She felt him put something in her hand, and she looked down. In her palm was a key. Her head snapped up, and she looked at Jaune with wide eyes, her expression one of shock as she stammered out a quiet, thank you. She watched him give her a nod and then head to the entrance of the complex, her suitcase in tow. She blinked a few times before shaking her head, walking after him. She knew he was a decent person and a great guy that always helped his friends out when and where he could, but she hadn't expected this. He'd just read her messages after admitting to not having read them, and then he just said welcome home. Not a yes, not maybe, no conditions. Just a smile and a key. It honestly made her worry about him if he would open his place up just like that, but she supposed it worked in her favor.

She smiled at the back of his head and quickly caught up to him, the both of them reaching the door at the same time she moved to open it, but without even batting an eye, he grabbed the handle and opened it for her with a crooked smile. She thanked him and slipped inside, quickly followed by him. The building wasn't any different from when she'd left this morning, but it certainly felt different now. Jaune walked past her, and she looked at his back when he paused. The blond looked to his right, and she followed suit as he waved at the lady behind the large ornate receptionists' desk. "Hey, Amber."

The woman looked up with an annoyed expression that quickly melted into a friendly smile. "Oh, hey. Good evening Jaune." She looked at him curiously and then down at the monitor in front of her. She scratched her cheek and looked back up. "You usually aren't out this late. Any particular…" The woman trailed off, seeing the suitcase next to him and just now noticing Blake standing next to him. Amber's smile brightened, and she gave him a thumbs up. "Well, Mr. Arc, I do believe congratulations are in order. And a suitcase means it's serious. Good job. Better than that blue-haired gigolo on the third floor."

Blake gaped at the woman behind the desk. Surely she wasn't supposed to speak about the tenants like that. She'd never really talked to her on her many deliveries either. Not to mention what she just said. Her and Jaune, a thing? They weren't even that close. Especially considering he didn't remember them being childhood friends. Blake raised her arms and waved her hands in rejection. "Sorry, you've got the wrong idea. I just need a place to stay for a couple of weeks, and Jaune's a friend, so I asked if he could…well."

She looked up at Jaune, who smiled back confidently and nodded before turning to Amber. "What she said." He looked back to Blake, offering an apologetic smile. "Sorry Blake, Amber, she likes to pry into everyone's love life. Don't let her bother you." He looked back over to the receptionist. "And Amber. Blake is just going to borrow my spare room for a bit until she gets her living situation sorted out."

Amber made a suggestive humming noise while leaning back in her chair. "Uh, huh. Two college students are moving in together in their last year of school. One of which delivers Pizza outside of the delivery range for the other. Not just that, but I saw you come in last night and leave earlier today." Amber leaned forward, resting her head on her hand with a grin tapping her fingers along her cheek. "Totally platonic, no doubt."

Blake flushed from the insinuation the woman made. She scowled back. Jaune sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist and dragged her to the elevators."Very funny, Amber. Don't turn my life or my friend's into your romantic comedy."

Amber waved at the two, giving Blake a thumbs up and a wink when she turned around to shoot her the glare she'd meant to. She opened her mouth in disbelief at the woman and made to flip her the bird, but Jaune pulled her arm down and guided her into the elevator. Blake huffed as she threw herself against the back wall, folding her arms while muttering quietly. Jaune shook his head and smiled as he typed in the code for his floor and hit the button to go up before he leaned against the adjacent wall giving Blake a half-smile. "Come on, Blake. Don't let her get to you. She means well. Besides, You've got a place to stay now, relax a little." He finished with a shrug.

Blake resisted the smile that fought its way to her face but lost and looked to the side so the blond dufus couldn't see it. She released a sigh and looked back at her friend with a half-lidded, annoyed expression and forced her smile down. "Shut up, Jaune." Her response was a quiet laugh that she hated to admit, but it made her smile just a slight bit more.

~ 0 ~

About forty-five minutes later, Jaune, found himself helping Blake finish setting up her rig after getting all of her things up to his apartment. It had been a rather quiet event with just the odd huff and grunt from either of them while moving things around with an occasional request from Blake to put something somewhere. They'd, or more so he had rearranged the room per her specifications, while she unpacked her stuff into the closet and what furniture she'd brought along with the spare furniture Jaune had in the place already.

It was a bizarre moment in his life, to say the least. He'd never really thought about what it would be like to have someone move in, but he'd imagined it to be a big thing. In reality, it had been rather anti-climactic. He shrugged as he stepped back from Blake's rig. "Alright. Well, that's everything, right?" Jaune asked while dusting his hands as he stepped back into the middle of his spare, er well, Blake's room. He looked around and hummed to himself.

Honestly, it seemed like Blake had more personality and stuff packed into the room he'd loaned her than he had in his entire apartment. Knick-knacks and photos were covering every shelf top and books of all genres filling said shelves. The bed, her new mattress, had been stripped of the bland gray and white sheets he'd had, and been replaced with purple and black silk ones. She'd asked if she could use the pillows, and of course, he'd agreed not seeing a reason not to, and so she tossed out her old ones after taking the pillowcases off them. They were the same color scheme as the bedding.

She'd replaced the bedside lamp, now sitting in the living room, with an ornate black and purple light that she could bend towards the bed for reading purposes. The alarm clock she'd decided to let stay, but the curtains and the door placard had been switched for her own. She'd even had a thick, plush, fuzzy rug rolled up in the trunk of her car that now lay across the foot of the bed on the right side of it. Jaune leaned backward, looking out the door and folded his arms. From where he stood, he could see the shoe rack Blake had brought and how she'd put his three pairs of shoes on it along with her's and sixteen other pairs. He would never understand women and their many shoes.

Next to that was an umbrella bucket with both of their umbrellas in it. Blake even brought a welcome home mat. He looked over at her and took a breath while watching her finish making minor adjustments to her set up before turning to face him. She dusted her pants off and looked up at him curiously. "What?"

He walked backward out of the room and looked into his bedroom and then around the living room, which had a few more of her things as well. Then he made his way back into her room and looked back at her with an amused expression. "Blake. I'm going to be honest with you. It looks like you're the one who lives here, and I'm the one borrowing a room."

She looked up at him and flushed in embarrassment, turning to her new desk and her rig to avoid eye contact. She didn't know what to say. It was a bizarre situation she'd admit. She'd just moved all of her things into his apartment, and it was a lot. Not to mention it seemed like a whole lot more than it was because Jaune apparently didn't own much outside of necessities. He seemed to focus on the essentials and practical things like basic furniture, hygiene, towels, linens, dishes, and cooking utensils.

It made her feel like a kid in comparison, what with her colorful and hobby oriented belongings. You could look around and tell she loved the color Black and purple as well as books and animals. Earlier, she'd asked Jaune if he had a spare shelf for games because she'd used an alcove in her apartment to store her's. He said to grab the one in his room. To her horror and chagrin, he'd had a grand total of 3 games, while she, on the other hand, owned about 15.

Not only that, but she'd brought a rice cooker, which he already had a better version of. A grand total of two bowls, one plate, a handful of forks, spoons, and butter-knives, none of which matched, and a pan — no cups or glasses. Jaune, on the other hand, had a fully stocked kitchen. He'd told her she could keep her kitchen things packed and just use his. It felt a little bit like what she imagined moving back home would have felt like. "Um. I'm sorry. I can pack up and look for somewhere else if I'm bothering you." She said while avoiding looking at him.

To her surprise, Jaune started laughing, and she heard the bed shift. Looking up, she saw him smiling at her while stretching out on the bed as he let out a yawn. "It's alright, Blake. I just thought it was ironic. You're welcome here. I don't want you to leave or anything like that." He sat up and patted the spot next to him and nodded his head. "Besides, I'd be a complete jackass if I let you move in just to kick you out because you've got more personality than me." He grinned. "Come on, take a seat. You still haven't told me what happened that made you have to leave your apartment."

She just looked at Jaune like he was some kind of exotic animal. He just didn't let anything phase him. She sighed. He was really throwing her off. People like him were few and very far between. It warmed her heart that he was such a great person. She did get that nagging in the back of her head that made her wonder what happened to him. It was subtle, but even without being told, she could see he was rarely in high spirits, just going through the motions, day in and day out while trying to keep his friends.

He was still the same Jaune she grew up with and went fishing with during their families' joint vacations, but something was off. He was a lot more guarded and careful with what he said, and not in a mature way but in an antisocial way. Like he was afraid of saying the wrong thing. The way he'd handled the lady, Amber, downstairs wasn't rude, but he didn't talk that way usually. The way he'd kept such a pointless secret earlier and argued with her over it was just one more indicator. To top that, she couldn't help but notice that out of all the guys she knew, including the gay David Scarlet, that Jaune showed next to no interest in relationships outside of friendship.
With that in mind, the situation with Ruby and Yang was an anomaly. It was almost like he wanted to avoid them to stop worsening the situation.

She shook her head, clearing it of her musings, and walked over to take the seat next to Jaune, before crossing her legs and propping her head on her hand. "Well, the story isn't too interesting. The owner ran off with everyone's rent for this and last month during the night. The authorities came in just after I logged off earlier. They told everyone we had to vacate immediately for safety purposes. Apparently, the owner was involved in some shady stuff."

Jaune quirked a brow. "Oxymoron much?"

Blake smirked at him and slapped his arm. "Shut it. I'm trying to tell you what happened. Besides, it's not an oxymoron its irony. All I meant was you shouldn't worry about it."

Jaune rubbed his arm and smiled at Blake, but she could tell his heart wasn't in it. He sighed and shook his head as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Blake. Of course, I'm going to worry. I'm your friend. Not just that, but you lost your place, and it wasn't your fault. I. I just hope you're taking this seriously, Blake. It's not like my situation in the game."

Blake looked at him in surprise, a heat slowly creeping up her cheeks. She grimaced and looked away, punching him in the arm this time. "I said, don't worry about it. I'm doing alright." She took a calming breath and smiled while looking around the room. "I've got a pretty good friend I can rely on after all."

Jaune rubbed his arm with a wince. "Alright, I trust you. But I have a question." She looked at him curiously. "Why do you keep hitting me? First, last night with the kicks and then this morning with the choke-hold, and now you're slapping me and punching me? Abuse, I say," He said with a small smirk as he tapped her head with his middle and index fingers.

She swatted his hand away, unable to stop the eye roll she gave him or the bright smile that came to her lips as she let out a light giggle. "Jaune, stop it. I'm serious here."

Jaune folded his arms and nodded several times with his eyes closed. "Mm-hmm. So am I." Blake flicked his nose and mock glared at him, trying to keep a straight face, but he just leaned back with a grin while rubbing his nose and then poked her nose gently. "P.S. …smile, Blake."

That did it. Blake just couldn't fight the full-blown smile from spreading across her face as she rubbed her nose. She shook her head as she took a breath, wondering where Jaune had been for the past ten years of her life. "That's cheating."

Jaune shrugged while watching her with a lazy expression. "I'd say it worked. You're actually smiling like usual now."

She punched his side playfully as she stood up and moved over to her rig. She picked up her AVRH and tossed it up, catching it while shooting him a confidant smirk. "My hero. Thank you for saving this fair lady's smile." She moved to the bed, putting on the headset before glancing at him through the tinted visor wearing a smirk. "Well, dork night. Are you ready to get back in the game? It's already 11:00 we've got about an hour until the event starts. Well, two since we use the central server while we're east. We need to pick up my gear too."

Jaune gave her a thumbs up and nodded as he got off the bed to let her lie down. "Before she hit the power button on the side, he grinned and saluted her. "See you on the flip side, Kitkat." Blake opened her mouth to tell him off about the nickname, but she'd hit the power button already, and the feeling of her body becoming weightless took over as she fell back, and everything went dark.

He smiled at her and shook his head. She really was pretty fun to mess with, granted he'd probably get punched for it again, but it was worth it. After all, friends teased each other, right? On his way out of her room, he glanced around at everything. It really was funny how she had so much stuff compared to him. Then again, it was hard to collect things you liked when you couldn't remember half of your youth. Hobbies and likes were hard to build on when you had memory loss from head trauma. Sometimes he found himself jealous of other people for having so many likes and hobbies. It was funny, but one of the reasons he liked Ren so much was how the boy was very spartan in his lifestyle.

"That reminds me. I should get in contact with Nora and try to." He paused. There on the bookshelf, by the door, stood several photos. One that he hadn't noticed before. In the picture, there were five people. The most notable was a much younger Blake, maybe around 7 or 8. Her parents were sitting behind her on the left of the photo. On Blake's other side next to her parents was a woman who's head was out of frame with only her long blond hair hanging down into the picture.

What threw him off was the young blond boy that Blake was practically on top of. He was almost pushed out of the frame because she was pushing his head down to be the center of attention in the photo, but there was no mistaking it. "Is that?" Jaune felt the same pain shoot through his head from when he'd been in front of the park. He rubbed his temple and grimaced. "Whatever. I need to get in the game."
He left her room and closed the door before he headed into his own.

~ 0 ~

When Jaune opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the sign hanging outside of Scarlet's shop where he'd logged out earlier. "Huh. So the game does log you back in where you logged out. That's actually pretty convenient." He folded his arms and thought about it for a second. "But thinking on it, if the power cuts out in the middle of a mob or if someone logs out in the field where a mob used to be, it could get annoying."

Just then, there was a shout from the shop that pulled him from his musings. "Oh shit, that's right." He quickly moved towards the shop and pushed the door open to find Scarlet, and Blake, glaring at each other.

~ 0 ~

"What do you mean I can't have it. The gear is mine, and you know it!" Blake shouted at Scarlet, who stood behind her counter with her arms folded.

Scarlet glared right back and shook her head. "Sorry, they may be for you, but as far as I'm concerned, they belong to Jaune because he's the one who paid for them, and he's the one who set up the deal." Scarlet put her hands on her hips and huffed. "If you don't like it, love, then tough."

Blake crossed her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at the bunny Faunus. "He's going to be here any second now. Can't you just hand them over so I can equip them before he does show up? I don't wanna." They were cut off by the jingle of the bell above the door.

The two turned to see Jaune standing there with an awkward look on his face. He smiled sheepishly and walked in. "So. What are we shouting about?" He asked as he got to the counter, his gaze shifting between the two.

Blake put her hands on her hips, mirroring Scarlet but avoided Jaune's gaze. "She won't give me the armor or the weapons. Said she wanted to wait for you to get here even though they're for me."

Scarlet narrowed her eyes and folded her arms as Blake had earlier. "Well, it's only right that I wait for the person who paid for them. I sent him a message earlier asking if I should just give them to you, but he never responded, so I decided to wait."

Jaune flushed and reached to rub the back of his head but stopped at the look Blake gave him. Angling his hand to his cheek, he scratched that instead and gave a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, I didn't read it. I was sort of busy with Bla- I mean Bella's, um. Well, I'm here now, can't the two of you just let bygones be bygones and let it go?"

Scarlet raised an eyebrow at the little slip. He'd almost used what must have been her real name, and he mentioned helping her after she'd logged out. Did these two know each other IRL? Scarlet glanced at Blake before fixing her gaze on Jaune along with the other girl. They stared at him for a few seconds before they both let out a breath and relaxed. They glanced at each other and then back and nodded. Jaune grinned at them with a relieved expression. "Great. Glad that's worked out."

Scarlet sighed and shook her head while smiling as she turned and made her way to the back. "I'll get the gear. You two just wait here for a second. I'll be back in two shakes."

As she disappeared into the backroom, Jaune stepped over to Blake, and she frowned at him. He looked down at her nervously and gave a weak laugh. "What's up, Blake?" She turned to face him, looking deep into his eyes with an annoyed expression on her face. She punched him in the gut, making him double over and cough. *Cough cough* "Why?" He asked in a strained voice.

She turned away from him and the counter with folded arms. "I told you not to call me Kitkat."

Jaune rubbed his gut and smiled. "Sorry, not sorry. The look on your face when you realized what I said was pretty cute, though. It was worth it."

Blake pulled her hand back to sock him again and opened her mouth to tell him off about the whole flirting thing when a cough sounded from behind her. She quickly dropped her arm and spun around, coming face to face with a brightly smiling Scarlet. "Here you are. This is everything." Blake looked down at all of the equipment on the counter, and her eye's widened. It looked amazing.

"Talk about fashion Remnant," Jaune said from behind Blake, who nodded in agreement.

Scarlet grinned and folded her arms while puffing her chest out. "I worked hard on these. I modified them a lot. I did away with the leather plates for the armor and exchanged them for actual steel to give you better puncture and slash resistance. You won't need the magic defense that leather grants because the crystal level is maxed due to the SDCs infused into them. I also took the liberty to dye them. After you left, Jaune, mentioned how you prefer Black and Purple over the browns, reds, and grays usually associated with leather and cloth armor.

Blake nodded while looking down at the armor, her hands sliding over the slick, cold steel in awe at the change to the gear. "How did." She looked over her shoulder at Jaune, who was smiling at her and tapped his head. (Italicized - "Of course I'd told him about my favorite colors before, and it would be like him to remember and put in that request for me.") She smiled at him. "Only you, Jaune."
He gave her a curious look, and she just tilted her head, using the 'happy' emote to make her cat ears twitch. "I appreciate it." He flushed and looked away, offering her a, you're welcome.

Scarlet cleared her throat, drawing the attention of her two customers back to her and the equipment. "Okay, so a bit about the product, before you get it equipped. That way, you know what to expect. Now you know more or less what the dagger and short sword do. The only changes I made to those were reforging them."

She pulled the dagger and short sword out, putting them in front of Blake. The dagger's blade was now a single edge and about the length of her forearm. The metal was two-tone with the body being a reflective silver and the keen edge a dark purplish-black that swirled while glowing dimly. The handle was a swirl of black iron that extended into the pommel. The knives hilt was small with something resembling a gun trigger hanging below. Scarlet pointed at it and grinned. "That part right there is new. If you pull it while it's stabbed into someone, it'll extend the blade just a bit, and the game will register it as a second hit and an automatic critical hit."

Blake's eyes widened, and she picked it up in awe while pulling the trigger seeing it shoot out a couple of inches before quickly retracting. Scarlet folded her arms and smirked before nodding down at the short sword. It was a double edge with a flat square top and one of the sides going all the way down to the bottom of the handle with no pommel. It extended the blade to act as a punching weapon and doubled as a full handguard. It was a sleek shiny black with several diagonal grooves near the handle. Its length was almost the length of Blake's arm. This one also had a trigger on it, and Blake looked up with a curious expression after seeing it.

Scarlet held out her hands, asking for the dagger, and Blake handed it back. "Now, this is something new that came out in the latest update. It's a mecha-shift weapon. It works in tandem with the dagger, like this." She pulled the trigger on the short-sword, and there was a click. Scarlet then slid the dagger into a slot on the bottom of the sword that Blake had missed, then the girl pulled the trigger on the knife, and the blade shot up into the sword and pulled it back down. There was another click, and the grooves near the swords handle extended out a couple of inches, each revealing three white strips of metal the glowed, and Scarlet smiled.

"They can be connected and turned into a straight sword. This is kind of broken, in my opinion, and I'm sure the devs will patch it sooner or later because this adds the attack of the weapons and stacks their abilities. It also has the function of adding another unrelated ability without taking up an upgrade slot. When it's a straight sword, it gets the extra ability to deal increased damage based on how many negative status effects are afflicting the target and augmenting magic, like a flame sword, etc. Now to be upfront, they did drop in damage a little bit, but their debuff effects went up to 99%. So now the short sword will always chip away at armor, and the dagger will always do piercing damage. And you got another weapon for free!" The bunny girl chirped.

She set the weapon down on the table and took a breath. "If you go up against anyone with low durability, defense, and resilience, you'll make short work of them if you land a direct crittical — a real assassin. I think the only classes you'd have problems with are high evasion classes like yourself, or tanks and brawler types. But when you go up against those classes turning it into a sword and augmenting it with magic will help against people with low magic defense."

Scarlet smiled down at the weapons with a faraway look in her eyes. "Just about any class in the game will fall to you in a straight one on one with the right skills if you're good. Honestly, I think magic assassin builds are going to become the meta soon. With all the new updates coming out recently and the ones lined up, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone picked up a magic subclass or magic variants to their job extensions."

Blake's expression brightened at Scarlet's words, and she reached down, picking up the sword. So far, Scarlet was right about the meta, which is why she was building towards a magic scrapper of sorts. With a weapon like this, they just might be able to get this mark taken care of now. Magic damage, armor damage, and piercing. Plus, she was a hard hitter. But the weapon seemed too perfect. Like it was made just for her. She looked up, meaning to ask how she knew how to make the weapon the way she did only to see Scarlet grinning at her. The arms and armor maker's grin turned into a smug smile. "I took the liberty of using a new skill I got after meeting Jaune, to check your character out. I designed the weapon and armor for your character specifically, so it fits what it looked like you were building." Blake narrowed her eyes at that, feeling a little self-conscious now and glanced at Jaune, who smiled sheepishly and offered her a shrug. She returned her attention to Scarlet and asked what those modifications were. Scarlet clapped her hands together and beamed. "Well, thanks to Jaune's help, I found myself with an abundance of experience, and so I bought every skill I could that's related to identifying items, NPCs, environments, and characters."

She held up a hand against her tilted head with a v for victory gesture. "I'm officially this games number one outfitter and resource gatherer now. At least in abilities and skills anyways," She said with a happy shrug. "So, as I was saying. Using a new skill, I saw that you're a rogue who job extended into an Assassin with a secondary class in Blade Brandier with a job extension into a Curse Knight."

Blake eyed her warily as Scarlet folded her arms and hummed with an impressed look while tapping her chin. "I was surprised. Not even level 200 yet, and you've got two job extensions already. You either have someone telling you how to build, you're fortunate, or you're just that good. Either way, you're doing great, and so I figured with the way you were going, you'd job extension the assassin to a ninja and then Curse Knight into Dark Knight, class meld it with Ninja, and become either a Witch Blade or a Wave Knight."

Blake blinked in surprise as Scarlet continued. "Well, with that in mind, I made the perfect gearset for either of those classes. So if you ever build up to them, you can stick with this and never worry about getting new things, just upgrading," Scarlet finished with a nod as she patted the breastplate. "Now come on, try it on. I wanna see how it'll look on you." Scarlet almost squealed. "I've never seen someone wear a full set of crystal armor. It's supposed to have a visual effect on it that can give advantages in combat or be flashy to show off In town. I want to see, I want to see. Please, ~?"

Blake looked at Scarlet feeling a bit overwhelmed, and a bit insecure knowing this girl could find out so much about her character with whatever skills it was she'd gotten. After a second, she let out a breath and nodded while thanking the other girl. She reached up and opened her inventory, but before she pressed anything else, she turned to see Jaune watching intently. "Jaune, turn around so I can unequip everything and equip the new stuff."

Jaune blinked at her and stood up straight. "What? Why?"

Scarlet and Blake flushed with the latter letting out a tired sigh while gesturing to herself and Scarlet. "Well, the Faunus race is a fanservice avatar. It doesn't get class bonuses or even a special advantage in any craft like the Elven, Dragoon, Witch, or Demon races. They were added in after the second month as popular demand, and they keep adding in different sub-species so they can't balance special skills for them all."

Scarlet nodded and continued for Blake. "So in short, our avatars are purely for cosmetic purposes. Not just that, but our avatars, the Faunus in general, have rather risque default clothes, because of some perverted design choices."

Blake folded her arms, watching Jaune intently. "Like she said. What makes things worse is how most people model their avatars after themselves, so." Blake trailed off and looked away from him with a red tint in her cheeks. "I don't wanna show you what I look like in my underwear because my character is modeled after me." Jaune had a surprised look on his face and couldn't resist the dip his gaze took. He flushed while checking her out, then slapped himself mentally for checking out his friend and turned on his heel before making a beeline for the door saying he'd wait outside.

Blake covered her chest with an arm and growled at the fact he'd just checked her out and waved a fist after him. "Look through the store window, and you die, Arc!" He tripped on a barrel and almost fell over but caught himself and looked back to see Blake unequip her breastplate and expose a thin, low-cut, white blouse that just showed a tight black silky bra underneath. He paused, and the two girls looked back at him. Blake shouted at him to get out. He stuttered out a 'Yes ma'am!' while pulling his hood over his eyes, slamming the door shut with a loud crash after he slipped out.

Blake huffed and unequipped the rest of her things while examining the armor on the counter before putting it in her inventory to equip it. "He's a bang-up guy, likes to tease and can appreciate a pretty girl, but he's bashful in a cute way. Not to mention he was willing to give up so much for a friend," Scarlet said as she rested her elbow on the counter as she watched the door. Blake shot Scarlet a curious look out the corner of her eyes and turned to face her as she quipped the new gear. "He's also charming in a friendly way, and he doesn't mind helping people out. I wonder if he'd join my guild?"

Blake finished putting on her new equipment and frowned at Scarlet's comments. "If you're interested in him then ask, I'm sure he'd agree. It's just the kind of guy he is." She adjusted the armor straps and shifted them around until it felt right. She nodded and turned to look at herself in the mirror Scarlet had set up by the counter. She was impressed.

The clothes that Velvet had provided for the armor to replace her old blouse and skirt were a silk and cotton dress. Cloth hung down to her knees in the front and back while leaving slits up the sides that reached the top of her hip. The front of the dress had a part over her chest that was made of a thick, sturdy cotton that cupped her breasts and held them in a place like a bra while the rest of the dress was solid black silk. The cloth near her throat folded over into a collar, protecting her from the metal of the breastplate.

The rest of the dress wrapped tightly around her neck, reaching her jaw and the base of her head. It left the shoulders and the small of her back exposed. The clothes included a pair of white silk arm sleeves that went up to armpits and stopped at her palms. Included was a pair of black silk stockings that went up to her mid-thigh with a garter belt that was hidden by the dress for the most part.
All in all, it was comfy and very sexy if she was honest. It also felt similar to her sleeping yukata. She really liked it.

As for the armor, It was all a dark black, and she really liked that part. The cuirass was form-fitting in the right places with a good amount of space in the breast area to avoid pain from taking a hit. It was practical, unlike a lot of the gear she'd seen some girls playing wear. The armor was angular in design with several layered plates around the waist and back that added to the aesthetic. Several plates were made to slide and overlap to allow for high flexibility along with angled parts that would stop blades and such from glancing off and pushing up to her head or her shoulders. There was also a tace with tullies that wrapped around her waist and covered her exposed thighs. To her delight, there was a dark purple cloth that hung from the sides and back, adding a little extra cover.

The arms were covered in epaulieres that only covered the sides of her shoulders and wrapped around her upper arms. What covered her shoulders was a black cloth that wrapped around her arms, meeting in the back. It laced through the cuirass, running down until connecting at the small of her back folded into a large bow, covering the hole in the dress. Her left arm had an elbow guard, bracers, and a gauntlet that all shared the uniform angular design of the armor, while her right arm only had the shoulder and gauntlet. Both hands had black leather gloves with plates attached to protect the tops of her hands and her fingers, with the plates on the fingertips extending into short claws.

To her delight and surprise, the leg armor was very stylish and functional. They were comprised of black, four or five-inch, thigh-high, heeled leather boots that left some of her stockings showing. The boots had straps and plates attached to them. The knee guards were made of plate armor as well with the same angular design as the rest with cotton cushioning inside so she wouldn't feel the floor when she dived and rolled around during combat. Connected to them was a part that went up to her thighs, stopping a few inches below her boots and stockings. The grieves wrapped around her legs. Much like the cuirass, they had layered plates around the knee and ankle as well as above her feet. The sollerets were pointed and had plates covering the top of her feet that angled over the leg armor.

Scarlet clapped while beaming at Blake. "It looks amazing on you, but you're missing this, here. It's a gift from Jaune. He bought it and asked me to upgrade it for you too. It's got a 22% chance of nullifying all detrimental status effects." Scarlet held out a black ribbon to Blake, who looked at it curiously before taking it. She put it in her inventory and equipped it. Blake felt her hair shift and looked in the mirror to see it appear in a loose bow hanging behind her head. She smiled at her reflection. A few cherry blossoms started appearing in the air around her and fall to the floor before disappearing. "Ooh, That's a unique aura effect."

Blake nodded as she ran her hands through her hair and fluffed it up, admiring herself. She really liked the way she looked and moved it a bit, adjusted the way it set across her body. Blake continued this until everything felt just right. She wondered what Jaune would think. She finally reached up and touched the bow. "You know, he designed that himself. Told me how he wanted it to look when equipped. Said you would like it."

Blake's hand dropped from the bow, and she looked over at Scarlet. She smiled to herself and then looked back into the mirror. "Thank you, Jaune."

"Don't mention it, Blake. It suits you really well. Beautiful in a word."

The two girls whirled around to see Jaune leaning on one of the shelves with a happy expression on his face. Blake felt her stomach fill with butterflies at the compliment but pushed the feeling down. "What are you doing here? I could have still been changing."

Jaune held up his hands and smiled sheepishly. "Well, it's a game, so changing doesn't take to long for one, two I knocked and called, but neither of you answered, so I just came in. You guy's didn't hear the bell?" He asked while pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

The two flushed, with Scarlet bashfully tapping the tips of her fingers together while Blake folded her arms. The pale amber-eyed beauty scowled at him, making him sweat a bit. "Whatever." She looked away with a mixed expression. "I told you to save the compliments for your girlfriend. when you get one anyways."

The blond knight held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. I don't want to fight. It was an honest compliment. I believe that when a girl gets a new look or tries to look pretty, you should let her know. If you like it, you should be honest too. Least, that's what my sisters told me."

Blake sighed and let her head fall in defeat. He just had to add in that last part. "I know you mean it, Jaune. It's just." She looked out the shop window and smiled weakly. "I've never been good with compliments, but I'm flattered. Thank you."

Scarlet made a humming noise, and the two turned to see her smiling at them. Jaune rubbed his chin and walked up next to Blake and looked at the rabbit Faunus curiously, asking her what she was smiling for. The shop owner stood up straight and put her hands in her back pockets as she shook her head. "Mm, nothing. Nothing you need to worry about anyways," She finished while glancing at Blake with a small curl to her lips. He shrugged, offering a friendly smile as he took a couple of steps back and reaffirmed that he'd keep his end of the deal about the other items they talked about.

"I'll see you later, Scarlet." He turned to leave and walked to the door while Blake stayed behind, looking at Scarlet suspiciously. The bell to the door jingled, and Jaune stepped outside, turning to look back at his friend and waved. Blake glanced from Scarlet to him and then back to the girl, but decided that Scarlet's comment hadn't meant anything.

Just as she made to head for the door, Scarlet grabbed her arm, making her turn her attention back to the rabbit Faunus. "If you aren't careful, someone else is gonna steal him."

Blake pulled her arm back and narrowed her eyes at the other girl. "What's that supposed to mean," She said in a cold tone. Scarlet gave her an unimpressed look and then glanced at Jaune before returning her attention to Blake. The cat Faunus rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed breath. "What makes you think that I'm interested in Jaune, at all?"

Scarlet raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. "I've seen a lot of people come and go through that door. Every time they make sure they look cool, not pretty for their partner."

Blake glared at the outfitter and took a step back. "Stop reading into things. I was just fixing the equipment."

Scarlet smiled. "Says the girl who didn't adjust the bow from her boyfriend. But if he isn't, and you aren't interested, then you wouldn't mind if I asked him out then. Say to tonight's festival event?"

Blake paused, her eyes wide as she worked her mouth, but she couldn't find anything to say. To her luck, Jaune called out to her, drawing both of their attention to him. She shut her mouth and looked back at Scarlet with an angry expression. "Thanks for the hard work." And with that, she left.

Scarlet watched Blake walk out with a huff but offered a wave to Jaune, who returned it with a bright smile. His companion grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away. Scarlet watched the two walk by the store window noting how Blake was walking closer to Jaune than when they'd come in before. It was closer than people usually did, to begin with, and now it looked like they were together. Her smile fell, and she leaned on her counter, placing her chin in her hand as she closed her eyes, smiling to herself. "Maybe I will ask him."

~ 0 ~

Jaune was feeling pretty good. The morning had started nice, what with his breakfast with Blake. The afternoon not so much with the girl who attacked him in-game, and then the fight he'd had with Blake. Meeting up with Ren, Coco, and Sun had been short, but pleasant and he felt at ease knowing things between him, Coco, Ren, and Nora at least, were just as they had been. Even waiting for Scarlet to finish upgrading and outfitting Blake's new equipment had been worth it. He looked down at his companion in her new gear and smiled. She really did look good, to begin with, but now. Now she was just wow.

Blake glanced up at him and met his appraising look with an uncomfortable one before glancing away. He frowned at her reaction just before her fist shot out and smacked his shoulder, making him stumble. He rubbed his arm and asked her what the hell that was for with a wide-eyed expression. Blake's gaze drifted over to him again, and she pursed her lips while folding her arms. "That's for embarrassing me in front of a stranger, and for calling me beautiful so nonchalantly." She turned to face him and punched his shoulder again. "You can't just say things like that out loud, because it'll make women feel self-conscious." She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "You really can be dense sometimes, Jaune.

Jaune let his hand drop from his shoulder as he took a breath. He looked away and shrugged while offering her an apology. "Look, Blake. I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable. I didn't mean to make you feel like that. I just. I really did mean it, you know. You look beautiful." She shot a scowl at him from over her shoulder, and in an angry tone, she told him to just stop. He flinched back and held his hands up in a placating manner. "Alright. I'll stop." He looked down and to the side with a sour look, letting out a tired breath. "Let's just go."

Blake stopped in her tracks, feeling a little guilty about snapping at him and hitting him. He wasn't like Adam or Weiss' ex Neptune. Jaune threw compliments around like they were going out of style. He did it because he was honest and a kind person at heart. He didn't deserve the spite she was throwing at him. It was just tricky hearing compliments on her appearance after what Adam would say to her. The devil had a silver tongue, or so they say. She turned to look up at Jaune, and took a deep breath, closing her eyes before looking down and exhaling. "Jaune. I appreciate the compliments, but…" She paused. She didn't want to bring Adam up, and he didn't need to know. She took another breath and offered him a friendly smile. "Could you please stop. I'm not your girlfriend, and it comes off as disingenuous. It feels similar to how Weiss' old boyfriend Neptune would compliment every girl he came across".

Jaune blanched and quickly shook his head. "Blake, I'm not like Neptune, I didn't mean to come off as a prude just throwing compliments around. I was trying to be nice while being honest, but when you put it like that, I feel like a jerk now. Since you want me to stop, I will." She eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds before a smile spread across her features. She nodded and then turned around, heading off with a lighter step and waved for him to follow, and the two of them headed off.

~ 0 ~

To Jaune's concern, before the two of them left the city Blake, had told him that if they were going to make it back in time for the opening of the festival event tonight, then they'd have to finish this up asap. He'd wondered just how they were going to do that as they stepped out of the city. Blake's answer was to hand him a whistle from her inventory. She told him to blow it before doing so with her own. He looked down at it and shrugged before following suit. To his surprise, a couple of horses appeared from the stable near the gate and trotted over to them. A brown and white dappled one stopping in front of Blake while a solid gray one stopped in front of himself. He remembered Blake laughing at the look on his face as he patted it and got on his own. He'd done the same thing Sun had done to him earlier and sniffed, faking a tear while telling Blake he loved her. She'd spluttered and told him to shut up, but damn was it funny. He completely understood why Sun did it to people now.

After a little over half an hour of hard riding, and avoiding mobs, the two made it to the top of a hill with a road that led down to the small port town of Cliffside. There was a bend in the dirt road that led to a tree line. Said treeline obstructed the line of sight of the city, but from their vantage point atop the hill, Jaune and Blake could see the beginnings of the latest attack on one of the caravans making their transit from the town to Vale. A carriage and a couple of carts stood in a semi-circle with a few players and a couple of NPCs standing with weapons out. A few torches had been thrown around to increase the field of vision with a bonfire at the center. A knife that flew from the treeline found its mark in the chest of a girl wielding a katana.

Several of the players down the hill screamed or backed away from the instantly downed player, and Jaune winced as he glanced over at Blake. "So, I take it that our target is down there?" Jaune asked with trepidation. Blake nodded and dug her heels into her mount as she let out a 'ha' and went shooting down the road towards the caravan under attack. Jaune let out a tired sigh and looked up into the almost pitch-black sky. "I've got a really bad feeling about this." With that, he dug his heels into his mount and followed after Blake.

~ 0 ~

Authors Notes

Well, I'm back. Last time I was active, I got a friend to help me with editing and such so hell yeah. I was hoping to start moving forward faster, but when I sent her all of my rough drafts, the file got corrupted somehow, and my little brother deleted everything on my PC to download Minecraft and Warframe.

Over 70 pages of details on all my stories like plot and events… gone. All of it. I wanted to cry. But I couldn't let you, readers, down. I know the stories are different, and from what I hear Pretty good. Good things are hard to find, so I put in some extra work to try and get everything back or rewritten.

As of now, I've got this, and the next chapter for this story ready, and next is The Dying Light of A Borrowed Star, ch 6, followed by When things are the other way around, ch 2. Those two are almost done, and then I'll be dropping the next ch for MY persona crossover fic along with the first chapter of Cinder's story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you enjoy the next, which should be up in a couple of hours once I get it from my friend.

~ 0 ~

Now for this story specifically, I am going back and changing the format of a couple of things on the recommendation to clean up the stories, so there's less to read in terms of repetitive information. Like only posting things that change with Jaune's avatar after ch 2. Such as EXP and getting new skills/ abilities.

As a parting question to my readers, would you like to see other characters' stats and skills at the end of chapters or only Jaune's? And would a separate post with the skills/ abilities and details be preferred?

Now, this little bit will be for Blake's new equipment. I kept her weapon/s the same for the most part but made the mecha-shift more simplistic for now. As for her armor, I have a few history buff friends who were telling me that wearing plate and even full plate armor isn't heavy or weighs you down much. Something about being able to sprint and do flips in it with the right sets and practice. With that in mind and a few hours of research, I felt the design I settled on for Blake's equipment fits well. It'll change periodically through the story, but I plan on making it like anime/ manga where outfit changes symbolize character growth.

Finally, after taking so much time to go over my ideas and having to rewrite them, I figured a better way to write the story for ch 7 8 and 9 would be to spread out ch 7 to 7 & 8 to add a better fight scene than making Ch 9 longer. So to the people, I promised a lighthearted end to ch 7 and a happy 8th chapter it's been changed to those as mentioned earlier.

Till next time.

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