After that came the nervousness and anticipation of another not-date with Cinder. Once I had gotten up and headed down to the dorm to get ready for bed, I got a text from her, detailing that she wanted me to come to her apartment. That was surprising, and kind of nerve wracking, but ultimately I decided that it wasn't that big of a deal. We weren't going to be doing anything scandalous, we were happy enough near each other, without needing to escalate things earlier than they should be.

I told the others that I was going to be catching up with Cinder the following evening since we hadn't talked in so long. They were teasing, because of course they were, but at that point I was good enough at acting and lying to just play it off and not get flustered. As far as they knew, Cinder and I were just good friends who hadn't seen each other in a few months. Besides, that's all we were, truthfully, because saying we were dating would be a bigger lie than saying she was just a friend.

If we tried, that would mean all sorts of trouble for Cinder, because there was no way to guarantee that Salem wouldn't find out. It would make me a target as well, there was no doubt about that, but I cared less about that than I did about her suffering those kinds of consequences.

Still, one night wouldn't hurt. Another not-date, just to catch up and enjoy each other's company.

So, the next day, I set about preparing for that night. Luckily it was the end of the week, so there weren't any classes to worry about. The morning and afternoon were mostly just spent with the team, playing games and talking about nothing of particular importance, other than the fact that finals were literally on monday and our plans for break.

Which was to say, Lunus and Ruby were going back to Patch to spend time with their family (and with each other, it seemed) while Jeanne, Violet, and myself were all staying in Vale. I came up with an idea to have a sort of cook-in one day, since I was going to be staying in my old apartment again, I was sure I could convince June to allow me to take over the place on Sunday when it wasn't going to be open anyway. From there, I could probably whip up a bunch of food and drinks for everyone, and it'd be a little celebration to mark the end of our first semester.

Of course, all three of them were for that, Lunus said he'd let Team RWBY know and Jeanne said she'd let Team JNPR know, so it was going to be a busy party, that was for sure.

Around five thirty I got dressed in my huntsman gear and started to where Cinder's apartment was. I would have not taken any of my actual gear, like last time, but not only was it raining, I was still going to Cinder's apartment. No matter our relationship, I couldn't exactly not prepare, in case something happened. I wasn't even thinking Cinder would do anything, but if one of her subordinates knocked on her door, I needed to be prepared.

I gripped my umbrella as I walked through the rain. It wasn't raining that hard yet but the weather report said that it was going to get heavier, and if that was the case I didn't want to get soaked.

Cinder's apartment was, just as I had suspected, not that far from the coffee shop. I had figured that she went there because it was close, once upon a time, and it was nice to have my thoughts confirmed. It was in an unremarkable brick and mortar building, with a reception area. I needed to be allowed through, so I told the receptionist who I was there to see and what room they were in, after I closed my umbrella of course.

The receptionist talked to Cinder over the scroll, got confirmation, and then allowed me to go to the elevator. Apartment four forty four, very convenient when it came to remembering which one it was. Once I was in front of the door, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before I knocked.

Not a second later, the door was opened. Cinder had a barely concealed excited glint in her eye. She was wearing a black T-shirt with artwork of a mug of coffee at the stomach, with the steam from the coffee rising up to form the name 'The Changing Seasons Cafe.'

…That was the cafe I worked at, where we met. I knew June sold some merchandise for it, but I never would have thought that Cinder would buy any, it made me smile.

She also wore a pair of gray sweatpants, and her hair was messier than was clearly very comfortable here, and she was clearly very comfortable letting me see her like this. I knew that was important, how many people got to see her like this? Very few, if any, I imagined.

She looked me up and down, her voice had the tone of someone trying to act casual but failing to conceal how excited they were, "My, all dressed up this time? What's the occasion?"

I showed her the umbrella and spoke casually, "It was raining, I didn't want my sweater to get wet." She stepped back and let me in, "Also the streets are dangerous, never know if someone's gonna try to jump you." She gestured to a coat rack next to the door, prompting me to take off my coat and hang it there.

It was warm in her apartment, so once the door was shut I took off my scarf and put it on the coat rack before I moved to pull off my sweater, my light blue shirt riding up my stomach a bit as I took off the sweater, although it didn't last long. I also removed my quiver and sheaths from my back, Dawn going with them. I left them near the umbrella holder that she had by the door, where I also left my umbrella. Once everything was off, I spotted Cinder staring at me with a dark red blush. Before I commented on it, she cleared her throat and gestured to her apartment, "Is it up to your standards, Neve?"

I looked around, it was a one bedroom, one bathroom affair with an open kitchen tucked into the left side. The floors were wooden, a dark mahogany color, and the walls were painted white. The living room had a couch against the back wall, and a holo-television placed on a table a few feet from it, with a coffee table in the middle. There were bookshelves along the wall as well, with a vast array of books. In the right corner, opposite of the kitchen, there was a small workstation with a sewing machine and a few other tools I imagined Cinder used to make the outfit I was wearing now.

The windows had their curtains open, although there was no sunlight to let in, just rain pouring and tapping against the window as it did so. It was soothing, this whole place felt like a warm blanket. The feeling of a home, not just a place someone lived, but a home.

The only thing off was the slight scent of something that was burnt, masked with an air freshener. I furrowed my brow, "Cinder… did you burn something?"

She laughed nervously and put her hands on my arm, "N-No, of course not. I would never! Cooking is trivial for me." She might have been a natural liar like me most of the time, but not this time, I could see right through her. My smile brightened as she saw I wasn't buying it and deflated, "...Okay, yes. I tried to make us something to eat and I burnt it. I… don't have a lot of… complicated food, I'm used to making simple things."

My smile grew warmer, and I couldn't help but find the idea of Cinder trying and failing to cook something for us adorable. I put one hand over hers, my face dusted red while hers remained a much darker shade, and I gently spoke, "Cinder… It's okay to mess up sometimes. I'll make us something to eat, and then we can watch some movies."

She started to protest, "A-Absolutely not!" She pouted and huffed, "I invited you here, you shouldn't have to cook something because I messed up! That's-"

I interrupted her by leaning towards her and placing a kiss on her forehead, causing her to let out an adorable squeak of surprise. Any arguments she had died then and there, I couldn't help but let the mixture of amusement and affection seep into my tone of voice, "No arguing, okay? I like cooking." Her blush was practically volcanic, and I would be lying if I said mine hadn't deepened as well.

She looked down and nodded before speaking in a strained murmur, "O-Okay…"

I felt my heart flutter, it had been fluttering through all of this, along with gentle jolts that told me I was loving every second of our not-date, and it hadn't even been that long yet. Another day where we could pretend to be normal people. I'd been wanting this for months.

I headed to the kitchen to search for things to cook, true to her word, there was very little in the way of 'proper' meals. It was all cup ramen, cereal, bread, and boxes of craft mac and cheese.

I clicked my tongue, certainly nothing I could make a 'fancy' dinner out of, but we didn't need that. We were both dressed casually, and we were going to be watching movies while sitting on her couch, not exactly fancy. So I grabbed some mac and cheese and set about making that.

It didn't take long at all, I heard Cinder moving about in the other room, although she didn't say anything to me during all of this. When the food was done and in two bowls, I gave it a flavor enhancement using prestidigitation. That spell would make something even as plain as this taste better, not too much, but enough. Not that mac and cheese needed much enhancing, it had its own charm, even as plain as it was.

I grabbed a fork for myself, and a fork and spoon for Cinder. Some people liked eating mac and cheese with a spoon, I much preferred a fork. Still, I wasn't going to make a guess, so I stuck my fork into my bowl and then just kept the two other utensils in my hands while I carried our bowls into the living room.

Cinder was sitting on the couch leaning back into the fluffy cushioning. Strangely, she was wearing my scarf. It was wrapped around her neck a few times and she kept it close to her face, concealing her mouth. It looked incredibly cute on her, I wouldn't lie, she wore it better than me.

Then again, she made sweatpants, a t-shirt, and messy hair fashionable, so I was certain she could make anything look good. Maybe I was biased. When she saw me walking over, her eyes widened and her face darkened red, causing her to pull the scarf up to cover more of her. She clearly wasn't paying attention, and she must have been embarrassed to be caught wearing my scarf.

I smiled warmly as I reached the couch and sat next to her, "Comfortable?" I set our bowls on the coffee table, along with her utensils next to it.

She closed her eyes and nodded, her voice was timid, "I-I was thinking about something, I was going to take it off before you came out but you snuck up on me. You're getting better at doing that every day."

Or maybe she was just letting her guard down around me more every day. She felt at ease with me, just as I did with her. I took the compliment and grinned, "Maybe eventually I'll get better than you." As I picked up my bowl, I remarked, "Next time we do something like this, you'll have to come to my apartment, I'll make us something a bit more complex."

Cinder nodded a few times and then reluctantly removed my scarf, folding it up carefully before setting it on an end table where she also had a lamp. The rain was a bit harder than before now. Cinder stood up, and I was going to ask her what she was doing before she turned on the lamps on the end tables on either side of the couch before walking over to the main lightswitch and turning it off, which made the room somehow even cozier.

She walked back over and sat next to me again, flicking on the TV with her scroll but keeping the volume low. It was on the weather channel right now, so it was purely white noise while she picked up her food and took a bite. She blinked a few times in surprise before she looked at it, and then at me, "This tastes better than normal… What'd you do to it?"

I smirked and shook my head, "That's a secret, and you already used your favor. Maybe I'll tell you some other time."

She huffed in response but didn't try to pry any further, instead we both started eating, with her asking a question between bites, "So what's your plans for your break, Neve?" She smirked, "Going to go back to work at the coffee shop so you can make me more frappes?"

I chuckled, "Maybe. I'm probably going to be staying at my apartment there, since there's really not going to be anyone at the dorm… Oh, that reminds me," I gave her an aside glance, "I decided that I'm going to have a… cook-in over the break. I'll be inviting my team along with two other teams that I know. Wanna come? There's gonna be free frappes, and I'll make some food to go with it."

Cinder's eyes lit up with excitement at the words 'free frappes', "Really? O-Of course, you don't even have to ask! When is it?"

She wasn't even trying to conceal her excitement this time, it made my smile brighten, "It'll be the first week of our break, so the week after next, and it'll be on Sunday. It's a celebration, since we're all basically guaranteed to pass all of our classes. It'll be nice to tie it up in a bow."

Cinder nodded along, "I'll be there early. Maybe I can help you get ready?" The tone in her voice made me believe that maybe she was looking to get some early bird frappes, which I had expected anyway.

I decided I'd tease her, nudging her with my elbow gently, "Now, when you say 'help me get ready' do you mean actually helping, or are you just trying to get frappes early?" Cinder blushed and looked down, not contesting me at all. I took one final bite from my bowl of mac and cheese before I set it down, "Either way, you're welcome to come early, just text me when you're on your way."

She nodded and then focused on eating the rest of her food.

Once we were both finished, Cinder offered to take the bowls to the sink, and while she was gone I thought over some things. Given the mood of the apartment being so cozy and Cinder being so at ease, it was easy for me to forget who she was and who I was. That was kind of the point of these not-dates after all, but I still reminded myself I couldn't get too caught up in the moment. Cinder knew as well as I that we couldn't be together as long as she worked for Salem, and there was no point in trying to ignore that fact.

I found myself wishing that I could just ignore my emotions, ignore my feelings, ignore all of that, it would make my job easier. However, I wasn't so lucky, while the System gave me many powers, that was not one of them. Besides, outside of situations like this, I didn't and don't think that living as what functionally amounted to a psychopath would be very nice.

I had to remind myself who she was, what she had done and what she could do, even if she was incredibly different around me. The possibility was still there, and for all I knew there were things she was doing that I wasn't seeing. At that point, though, I wasn't so sure that I would care much, anything less than murder and I would probably have made some excuse for it.

…I could probably even come up with some justifications for manslaughter, if you gave me enough time.

I was pulled out of my mental vibe check by Cinder coming back with a smile on her face, the bowls left behind in the kitchen. She sat next to me again, she asked with a relaxed tone, "Now, how about that movie?"

She opened a streaming service and selected a movie seemingly at random, a Mistrali movie about a moving castle. Well… it was a bit more complicated than that, but still, it was apparently a classic.

No sooner than when she put the movie on and put her scroll on the end table did she scooch closer to me. I didn't think anything of it at first, but I felt her gently bumping her shoulder into mine, much the same with her arm. This, I realized, was the same thing she had done on our first not-date, and while admittedly the first time it might have been wrong to get that affectionate in public, there were no such reservations to be had here.

I slipped my arm around her waist quietly. Once I did that, she leaned fully into me, her form fitting so perfectly against mine you would think we were made to be together, made to hold each other like this. She wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my chest while we watched the movie.

We stayed snuggled like that, between the movie and the rain, we had more than enough ambient noise. It was cozy, I was certain that if I let myself, I'd fall asleep right there. However, I knew that if I did, not only was I completely at Cinder's mercy, but if nothing went wrong, that would still be one hell of a thing to explain to my team without them making wild guesses.

Especially Violet, her imagination was wild, and I'd seen the stories she wrote on her scroll. Nothing about anyone real, thankfully, but they were… questionable, to say the very least.

After about thirty minutes of just comfortable silence while we watched the movie, Cinder asked softly, "Neve… What are we?" Hearing her ask that while we were both sitting like this made my heart flutter, yet the knowledge that the answer wasn't what we wanted it to be sent a pang of sadness through me.

I would have pulled her closer if we could have possibly been any closer, but we were already snuggled together as best we could without her climbing onto my lap, and I didn't think either of us was ready for that. Instead, I hummed and spoke in a melancholic mutter, "...Complicated. We are… complicated."

She hummed in wordless agreement, and a minute later she softly said in much the same melancholic tone I had, "...It should really all be so easy. I… I care about you, you care about me, but… Salem would never allow it."

I stared at the holo-screen for a moment before I responded, "Life isn't quite that simple. Not for us…"

Cinder closed her eyes and sighed, "Just… hold me." I already was, but there was a neediness in my voice that made me want to hold her tighter, if I could. She resigned herself to the truth and her voice reflected it, "It's not simple, you're right, but… whatever comes tomorrow, or next week, or in a month… Let it happen. That's… that's later. We're here, and this is now."

I nodded slightly in agreement and reached one of my hands up to her messy hair. I started to gently run my fingers through it, prompting her to relax further into my arms.

The movie continued to play, and there were no more conversations nor words passed between us. Instead, we just enjoyed each other's company, and the admittedly great movie. I wasn't sure what to expect from one of those Mistrali art-style movies, but this one was completely unlike the stuff Violet liked. Not that nothing she liked was good, but a lot of it was… trashy.

We started a second movie from the same studio and kept watching after the first one ended. I wasn't sure when it happened, before the second half or at the halfway point of the movie maybe, but regardless of the time, Cinder fell asleep.

It wasn't even that late, around eight thirty, but for all I knew she had to wake up bright and early every day, so maybe she normally fell asleep around this time. Or maybe she was just incredibly comfortable, I certainly was. I didn't try to move her, and towards the end of the second movie I even felt myself starting to nod off, but I knew that as much as I wanted to fall asleep in her arms, I couldn't. If I did and one of her subordinates or 'peers' came knocking, this whole thing we had going on would fall apart even more than it almost had with Salem warning Cinder to not talk to me.

The movie came to a close, and I realized that she was out cold. She looked… peaceful, comfortable. Nobody would believe me if I told them that she was half a Fall Maiden and an agent of the embodiment of evil right now. Right now, she just looked like a girl who fell asleep in her boyfriend's arms.

…Her boyfriend.

Something I couldn't be, although calling myself that felt wonderful. It would feel better coming from her, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. We might well kill each other before then, the time I'd been planning for was drawing closer with every passing moment and that was the day that was going to decide our fates.

We'd just see when they got there, though.

For now, I gently put my arms under her and lifted her up bridal style. She mumbled in her sleep, but nothing coherent. I carried her over to the door where her bedroom is and with the use of another spell I had learned (Mage Hand) I opened the door. With the hand dissipating, I looked around and took in Cinder's room.

Unlike the rest of the apartment, this place had a plush maroon carpet, the walls were still white. It was fairly utilitarian, there was a vanity where Cinder did her makeup, a dresser for her clothes, and a queen sized bed that was neatly made, with dark blue comforters and red sheets. There was also a nightstand on one side with a lamp on it, and a window with dark red curtains pulled over it on the right wall.

I walked to the right of the bed and once again used Mage Hand, this time to pull the covers down so I could carefully lay Cinder down and cover her up. Sleeping in sweatpants was probably not exactly orthodox, but like hell was I going to wake her up.

With Cinder comfortably tucked into bed, I turned to leave only to stop as I heard Cinder grumble. At first I thought she was waking up, but instead she started to hold a hand out to me after getting it out from the covers. She was clearly asleep, and whatever her dream was, it was clearly unpleasant. She sounded distressed as she spoke, "Don't…Don't leave me too…"

It was one of those half-conscious requests that she would no doubt forget in the morning. I could have ignored it and left and she wouldn't have known any better. She'd wake up in the morning and be able to deduce what happened. She wouldn't blame me for not staying, in fact she, like me, probably knew how great of a risk that was. Yet, my heart stung at the idea of leaving her to wake up alone, she looked so vulnerable, so… sad. Nothing like how content she was before. Still, I could have ignored her and I should have ignored her.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

But I didn't.

I resigned myself to dealing with the teasing and potential fallout this would cause and shut the door to the bedroom before I walked to the other side of the bed. I didn't have anything here I could wear to bed, which meant I was just going to be sleeping in my pants and T-shirt, because there was no way in hell that I was going to take my pants off while sleeping in a bed with her. At least I could take off my shoes and socks without any worry.

As I slipped into the bed, I found some consolation that at least the bed was comfortable. Cinder still looked unhappy, so I reached out and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me.

Thank God she was laying on her bed… Spooning sounded nice but it was a bit much for me right now, and who knew how Cinder would react if she found herself in that position come morning.

Cinder moved even closer to me once I had her in my arms, she rested her head on my chest and put one of her arms over me. She'd never do something that brazen if she was awake, but she wasn't. It was comfortable, and her behavior was making my heart flutter.

Maybe that was why I found myself drifting off to a dreamless sleep not long afterward.

I can't recall exactly what I dreamed that night, but I remember it involving Cinder.

What vague details I can recall are that I dreamed of her and I at Beacon together, she was wearing a proper Beacon uniform, much like I was. She looked a lot happier, and so did I. It was a great, if bittersweet dream. For want of a nail, lines in the sand are drawn and sides are taken.

Maybe if Rhodes had actually bothered to take Cinder out of that terrible hotel she 'lived' in instead of just training her, she would have turned out better than she did. Still, he clearly did something right in this timeline, because she was nowhere near as bad as I remembered her being.

When I woke up, some small streams of sunlight were getting in from the sides of the curtains, it seemed that the rain from the night before had ended. However, I wasn't thinking about the sun as my bleary vision began to clear.

I was thinking about how my view was partially blocked by Cinder's hair, and as I started to come back to my senses, I noticed that we were in the exact position I had wanted to avoid last night. My arms were wrapped around her waist, she was facing away from me, and her body was pressed against mine.

My face heated up, yet as I felt something soft pressing against my crotch I knew that if I didn't move my blood would be going south to Menagerie rather than north to Atlas.

Who was I kidding, its bags were already packed and that Bullhead had left the landing pad a few minutes ago.

My immediate reaction was to very carefully untangle myself from her. I heard her mutter in her sleep, but other than shifting slightly, she didn't seem to be reacting.

Well, that's what it seemed like at first.

She started to move, and I knew that soon she'd be awake. I did what I could to salvage the situation, there was no way she wasn't going to catch me in her room. So instead I turned around, closed my eyes, and faced away from her. Now at least if she killed me, it might be a quick and clean vaporization rather than a torturous inferno.

I heard her mutter, "Huh…? Oh… damn it…" She cursed herself, she sounded regretful, "I was too comfortable…" Cinder shifted before I felt her pause. Her breath hitched before she spoke softly, "N-Neve…?"

I blinked a few times and stretched, my acting skills were coming in handy once again, although the yawn was certainly not fake. I laid on my back and looked at her, she was sitting up in bed and her face was bright red, her hair was somehow even messier than the night before. Her slightly glowing amber eyes were wide open in shock and trepidation, "W-W-What are you doing here? We didn't…" She stopped and shook her head, seeming to get a hold of herself.

Cinder was smart, she could deduce that, since she was still wearing her clothes and I was still wearing mine, there was nothing done last night that a priest would call heretical. She relaxed, but her nervousness was replaced with confusion, her voice mirrored her expression, "Why are you still here? You know the risks…"

I smiled drowsily at her, "You asked me to stay, so I did." There was no reason to lie about that, it was true.

She grew embarrassed again as she looked away, "I…I did? I don't remember…" She shook her head as she tried to fight off her fluster, "Gah, whatever. Isn't your team going to ask questions about where you were?"

I grimaced as I sat up and nodded, "They knew I was coming here, I'll lie and say I decided to sleep in my old apartment, but I get the feeling they're going to make assumptions one way or the other."

Cinder frowned, "Sorry about that…" She apologized, and I could see that she meant it. I took a big risk, even if in my opinion it was worth it.

I shook my head as I got out of bed and put my shoes on, "Don't apologize, I did it because I wanted to, not because I had to." My face was perpetually stuck at a light red, moreso as I admitted that.

Once I stood up and turned to face her, I saw her smiling and looking down, "...Good, then I won't apologize. Now, shoo, I need to get ready. I've got business to take care of today."

I raised an eyebrow, "You mean planning more robberies," my tone shifted to teasing as I crossed my arms, "and what if I tried to keep you here instead of letting you go and do that?"

She chuckled and shook her head, "Oh, Neve… You and I both know you couldn't do that." she tucked a lock of hair behind her right ear and looked down, her next words were dripping with anticipation and want, "Besides, what exactly would you do to keep me here?"

That sounded like a challenge, she was daring me to do something, anything, to keep her there. I got the feeling that she'd stay with enough effort, it wasn't an unwinnable battle. I hummed, uncrossed my arms, and knelt on the bed, leaning towards her ever so slightly. I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing, I just sort of moved on what my gut told me was the right thing to do. My voice softened, "Name your price and I'll pay it."

My face had heated up even more, so had Cinder's. She looked me in the eyes and I could see that unfettered desire in hers. It wasn't lustful, instead it was needy. She placed one of her hands on the bed and started to lean towards me, her voice lowered to match mine, "A blank check? How generous…"

My heart was beating faster, some small part of my brain was telling me to back out, that continuing would just get me into some deep shit down the line. Yet the rest of me didn't care, the rest of me was closing the distance towards her.

Our faces were only a few inches away when suddenly a knock on the front door caused me to start and I pulled away. Cinder looked annoyed, but not at me, "There's only one person who'd be able to get up here without the receptionist noticing…" She pulled off the covers and stood up, "Stay here, I'll deal with it."

I nodded and sat on the bed while she left, opening and closing the door as she went. I decided to check my scroll to see what time it was and if I had any messages.

It was seven AM and there were no messages, I guess that's expected when we fell asleep so early. A few moments later I heard the front door open and Cinder answered with annoyance evident in her voice, "What is it, Neopolitan? You know how I feel about having people show up here."

Neopolitan? Oh, oh boy. I was going to have to be deathly quiet if I was going to avoid her noticing there was somebody in this room. It was at that moment that a realization struck me and caused my blood to run cold.

My outerwear was still out there.

I knew my scarf was on the end table next to the couch, my sweater was next to the coat rack, my coat was on the rack and my umbrella and weapons were there too…

Shit shit shit!

I just had to hope that Neo didn't look too far into the room and didn't ask any questions.

I heard Cinder's voice grow even more annoyed, "That scarf on the end table? What's that matter? It's a scarf, I tailor clothes sometimes, it's a hobby. Now what did you want?" Some silence, and then Cinder responded, "Seriously? Ugh, I should have known Torchwick would mess this up… don't give me that look, not only did he fail at the docks, now he's failed to keep track of his own men. Fine, I'll be there soon to fix his mess."

Not long after that the front door closed and I heard Cinder walking to the door, she opened it, looking as annoyed as she had sounded earlier, "Torchwick, I swear… if he weren't so entrenched in Vale's underworld I'd never work with that…" She took a deep breath and shook her head.

I stood up and walked over to her, slipping my scroll into my pocket as I went, "Well, guess you don't have much of a choice now, do you? I think I can let you off the hook this time."

Cinder looked downcast, "You're right, ugh…" I responded by pulling her into a hug, causing her to gasp as she had a habit of doing when hugged out of nowhere, before she wrapped her arms around me and sighed.

I enjoyed the hug for a few moments, "You know, if this whole criminal thing doesn't work out for you…"

She chuckled, "You know I'm not going to defect." She said that but there was a tinge of doubt in her voice, "This is just how it has to be, Neve." That little inkling of doubt was like the first rays of sunlight breaking through an unending storm, it was hope.

For now, though, that's all it was. Hope. I rubbed her back with my hand and sighed, "Yeah, I know…" Then we separated, she walked past me into the bedroom and I looked out to my outerwear that was in the living room, "I'll get going, maybe if I can get back to the dorm before too long nobody will ask any questions."

Cinder giggled, and playfully remarked, "Do that then, you dashing rogue. You make it sound like we're two teenagers sneaking around without our parents permission."

We basically were, except our parents weren't actually our parents. Instead they were two immortals. Ozpin might not have known Cinder was the one who stole the Fall Maiden powers, but if he found out that his mystery student with a relic was hanging around with someone like her, he might look into her, and start asking questions.

Questions that I didn't want to answer. The web of lies I had spent all semester building would burn as if someone held a lighter up to them, and I'd rather avoid that. I chuckled in response to Cinder's remark, "This isn't too different from that. I'll see you next week, okay?"

She agreed, and so I shut her door behind me and went about getting all of my outerwear on before I grabbed my umbrella and headed out, hoping to God that nobody got up early today for any reason.

Fortunately, everyone was still asleep by the time I got back.

Unfortunately, Violet had noticed that I didn't come back in time for bed and started asking a bunch of questions. I told her my cover story, Cinder and I hung out longer than I anticipated so I just ended up crashing at my apartment for the night.

It was a rock solid alibi, although that didn't mean that Violet's imagination wasn't going to wander. Still, as long as nobody asked any more prodding questions, I was in the clear.

Things went back to normal for a short while after that, we had our finals on Monday and that marked the end of the semester.

Semesters in Remnant were weird, since the school year started in March, the break started in June, lasting until mid August when the second semester started. I remembered in the old world that they usually started in May, but then again everything was shifted around back there, and I was slowly getting to the point where Remnant made more sense than whatever world I came from before.

That didn't stop the memories, the desire to see the people I'd never met. Yet even if I could, through some divine intervention, they wouldn't recognize me. So what was the point?

Even if really all I wanted to do was say goodbye… I felt an aching in my heart anytime I thought about my parents, but especially my mother. She was wonderful, she did everything she could for me, and I was certain her whole world came apart when I died.

Was closure really too much to ask for?

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.

Thoughts about my family continued to plague me every day, I was just better at ignoring them some days than I was on other days.

Regardless, I passed my exams, as did everyone else, which was a major payoff. Jeanne was incredibly nervous that she'd fail, but she passed with Cs, not the best but not the worst. Neither Lunus nor I wanted to tell her we passed with As, although Violet was happy to celebrate a B+.

She was so close to an A too, she just got one too many questions wrong on Oobleck's history exam. She always had trouble giving something her full attention, we'd have to work on that.

Jeanne was my partner so I felt I held some responsibility for not studying enough with her. Sure, she could learn on her own, but it always helped to have a study partner. I promised myself that I'd start training and studying with her more next semester, although there wasn't much I could do at that moment.

June was fine with me having a little party when the cafe was closed. I could even use the frappe and coffee machines, on the condition that I bought my own food, which was understandable, the only thing I could offer the guests that was already in the cafe was donuts.

Not to say I wasn't going to offer donuts, I knew the recipe by heart now, and fresh donuts were one hell of a way to celebrate, but I was going to cook everyone some burgers too. I considered offering alcohol, but ultimately decided against it. We could all legally drink as hunters-in-training, but nobody in our friend circle seemed the type to enjoy getting drunk at a party.

Well, except Yang, I was certain she would get drunk if given the chance, and that was honestly more than enough incentive to keep the party alcohol free.

I went all out on the burgers as well, deciding that freshly ground meat and newly made buns, along with the other ingredients being the best I could get, was a good way to show how much I cared about everyone, which was to say, I'd come to care about them a lot.

Sure, it took a chunk out of my savings, but hey, this kind of thing didn't happen every day. Go big or go home, as they say. Besides, I found that in a world of unending troubles that cooking was a good escape, a way to soothe my soul.

I had set the party to be during the afternoon, so I would have time to get everything ready. When the day came, I woke up early and got to work. Actually making these burgers wasn't going to be difficult at all, it just needed some extra time for making the buns from scratch. On top of that, I needed to check on some other things.

Things like the frappe and coffee machines, it had been some time but I still remembered how to work them, mostly because of how easy it was. Still, it wouldn't do for the tap to run dry in the middle of the party, so I double checked everything.

Cinder arrived early like she said she would, a few hours early to be exact. She had texted me when she was on her way and so her arrival wasn't much of a surprise. When she texted me that she was at the door, I headed down from my apartment, walked to the door, and opened it.

She was wearing the same T-shirt I had seen her in before, with the cafe's logo on it, a pair of blue jeans, and some running shoes. It continued to catch me off guard when she wore things like this, even if I should have expected it by now.

Meanwhile I was wearing my turtleneck with a shirt under it, my pants, and my boots. We shared a smile and she coyly placed her hand on my chest, applying a small amount of pressure and causing me to start walking back so she could come inside, she hadn't even been here for a minute and we were both already blushing, "It's been so long since I've seen my Coffee Boy in his natural habitat."

I smiled nervously and rubbed the back of my head as she stopped walking me back, "Ah, yeah." I looked over the cafe, its assortment of booths and circular wooden tables with matching chairs combined with the mild, warm lighting gave this place the feeling of home that kept people coming back. No matter how busy it got, the atmosphere was almost always relaxed. I started towards the counter and stepped behind it, "Well…" I leaned on it and smiled at her.

She got the message, strutting over to me and returning the smile, "The usual, Neve." Cinder's smile was playful, she derived as much enjoyment from reenacting our initial customer-employee interactions as I did.

It was nostalgic, in spite of the fact that it hadn't even been a year since I stopped working here. I kept up the act, "Coming right up." Satisfied with my response, she turned and walked over to her usual table.

…I nearly got lost looking at her swaying hips, but luckily I caught myself before she found out. At least, I thought I did, I wasn't sure because for all I knew she knew I was looking, and that's why she put more emphasis into her movements than usual.

…She was being incredibly saucy, just where had this come from? Was it that night that instilled her with some confidence? That was probably it.

I pushed those thoughts out of my head as I set to work making her 'the usual', her coffee, her donuts, and her frappe. Once it was all ready, I took them over to her and she smirked, "Thank you, Neve. Why not sit with me? If the other customers won't miss you too much."

I did as she asked, except unlike when I was an actual employee I sat next to her. I slipped my arm around her waist as soon as I sat down, having seen the way she was looking at me expectantly even as I moved to sit. She responded by leaning against me and sipping on her frappe. She spoke softly and nervously, "Next semester is the Vytal Festival, do you think you'll be participating?" I knew exactly why she was nervous, visions of what was to come played in my mind's eye and made me take a deep breath.

I nodded, "Yeah, I don't think the others would let me live it down if we didn't. Are you going to be watching?" I knew full well she was going to be participating if nothing changed, although if she was still committed to Salem by that point, I would need to give up on trying to turn her away from the path she was on. Instead, I'd need to fight her at every step.

If I didn't die doing what I had planned before then, at least.

Cinder hummed, "Yes, I will, so you'd better show the world what you're capable of. There's merchandise of teams every year, maybe if you do well I'll consider buying some Team CALM merchandise…"

I chuckled, "You say that as if it's a present for me." I lowered my voice to a whisper as I spoke in the best flirtatious tone I could muster, "Although I think the only present I want is you."

As corny as that line was, it worked. Her face heated up to a dark red and she focused intently on sipping her drink. It seemed that even if she'd gained some confidence, she still folded fairly easily. Granted, I did too, it's just that she didn't really know how to flirt. Neither did I at first, as my charisma score went up I found that I became more adept at all sorts of social situations. Not least of all, the very situation I was in now.

I decided now would be a good time to bring something up, even if the event was months off, "Next semester there's gonna be this dance, it's a pretty big deal."

Cinder blinked a few times, she looked like she was getting an idea as to what I was implying by bringing that up, if her face wasn't already red I was sure it'd be turning it now, "Are you… Are you going?"

I hummed and pretended to think on it, "I dunno… those kinds of things suck if you go on your own. I'd probably just stay at my dorm and play video games while everyone else is out slow dancing."

That was bait, bait that she took, "We could go together." She stated, staring at the table, "I-If you want to, that is… I know it might look strange for a Beacon student to end up on a date with a random Haven student." She had used that cover story to my team when she met them. She said that her team was lagging behind and that they'd be around by the end of the summer, another event I'd need to keep watch for.

I thought about Sun and Neptune and smiled, "Trust me, it's not as strange as you think it is. I'd love to go with you, it should be fun."

She seemed happy with that, smiling as she set her half-empty frappe down, "Good."

I knew that in the previous timeline she took Mercury as her 'date'. My hope was that if she and I were going together, then maybe I'd be able to keep her busy so she wouldn't be able to plant that virus.

Of course, that wasn't the only reason, I did genuinely want to go with her, but I wanted to have my cake and eat it too. If I could enjoy a night of slow dancing with Cinder while simultaneously preventing that domino from falling, then I didn't see a reason why I wouldn't go with her.

We sat there making small talk until I decided it was the right time to start cooking. Her food and drink were gone by then, so after I took care of her plate and mug while she discarded her cup, I headed upstairs and she followed.

This was the first time Cinder had ever been to my apartment, I supposed it was only fair for her to see it, given that I had seen hers, I knew she wouldn't be entirely satisfied with it, but hey, it was the closest thing to a home that I had.

Unlike her apartment, mine was a studio. My bed, which was just an extra-large twin-sized bed like the ones in the dorms, was placed against the back wall. There were two windows on the right wall, one closer to my bed and the other slightly further away. I had a couch, but no television. I didn't really need it since I didn't watch TV that much, if at all. I did have a circular dining table with four chairs around it just outside of the kitchen area, which was tiled, although that was a leftover from when the room was just for storage.

The walls had wallpaper on them, a blue floral pattern against a white background repeated around the place. It felt old school, because it was. June had said I could change it if I wanted, but I didn't mind, besides, I had other things to do. As we stepped further in, Cinder looked around and crossed her arms under her chest, "This place is… lacking." I more or less expected her to say that. She continued, "You have no decorations, no end tables, no television… The kitchen is the best out of everything!"

That was true, I had a lot of cooking related equipment in there. The countertops that were around the stove were filled with them, except for where I had my designated 'flat surface' area. The fridge was against the wall parallel to the stove, and next to it was a microwave. Everything in the kitchen was relatively new, it was one of the few areas I wanted to keep well equipped.

I shrugged as I headed for the kitchen, "I'm not very good at decorating, or painting, or anything like that. Just… never learned how to do any of that stuff. It's never bothered me."

Cinder shut the door and then paced over to me, "Well it matters to me, I refuse to allow you to live in a place like this without giving it a makeover!" She walked in front of me, stopping me from progressing further into the kitchen, and crossed her arms again, the look on her face was one of annoyance and concern, "A barren home is no home at all, Neve, I thought you knew this."

Her being so assertive was… new, to say the least. I smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his head, "Hey… you're not living here, so I figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal."

Cinder huffed, "Well, I certainly see more visits in the future, and if I'm going to be visiting you over the summer, then I'm going to see to it that this place is given the feminine touch that it is so sorely lacking." In spite of her annoyance, she smiled coyly, "I trust this won't be a problem, Neve?"

I shook my head and averted my gaze, "No, no not at all. If you wanna redecorate this place, then I'm not going to stop you. Just so long as you're not going to ask me to pick out what color I want the walls to be…" When I returned my gaze to her, I saw that she was giving me a deadpan look, and I sighed, "You're going to do exactly that, aren't you?"

She nodded and smirked, "Yes, yes I am." Then she stepped out of my way and grabbed one of the dining chairs, turning it towards the kitchen before she sat down and crossed her legs, placing her hands on her lap in her usual ladylike fashion, "Now, I'm curious to see how you cook, Neve. Show me."

…It was going to be hard to cast prestidigitation when she was looking at me, but I was sure I could sneak it in when she wasn't looking, or before I served anything.

So I got to work cooking, and just as I anticipated, while I was cooking, I received a series of texts. Lunus was coming along with Ruby and the rest of her team, Jeanne was bringing Team JNPR, and Violet was bringing her unending appetite.

Luckily it didn't take that long to cook everything since I had already prepared everything that wasn't cooking the patties or baking the buns. Once I had a whole tray of freshly cooked and assembled burgers, some all the way and others with just the cheese (I knew Violet and Ruby wouldn't enjoy all the extra stuff too much), I took everything downstairs, with Cinder not far behind me.

There were… a lot of burgers that I made, more than enough for everyone (and then some to account for the bottomless pits there were Violet, Ruby, and Nora) so all that was left was to wait for everyone to show up. I wondered if anyone was going to comment on the apron I was wearing, I found it at a thrift store and decided it was too good to pass up. A light blue apron with the writing 'Please at Maximum Hug the Cook' on it. Wordy and overly specific? Yes. Perfect for me? Also yes.

Not even a couple minutes after, I got a knock on the cafe door. I had set the tray of food on the counter, so I stepped out from my place near the register and walked over to the door.

When I pulled it open, I was greeted with Jeanne first and foremost who raced forward and tackled me into a hug. It took all the strength I had to avoid falling over as she exclaimed with her tail wagging at mach ten, "Neve! It's been forever, I missed you!"

I laughed and patted her back, "Jeanne, it's only been a few days…" I looked over her shoulder and saw that, sure enough, Team JNPR was with her. I waved to the assembled team, "Hey guys, come on in and grab a burger, I made plenty! I think we can get some music going on the cafe's speakers too…"

Ambient music would keep the mood leveled, at least that's what the book on hosting parties I read said, even if this was very much just a relaxed get together kind of party rather than one where we were going to be doing anything crazy.

Jeanne let go and headed inside with a smile, with Jaune entering after her with a wave, "Hey! You really set this whole place aside for a day? That's pretty neat." He smiled and immediately went over to where the food was set out.

I shrugged, "Benefits of knowing the owner so well, she's great."

Next up was Pyrrha, her hands held in front of her politely as she smiled at me, "Thank you for inviting us, it's a pleasure to be here." She stepped away from the door so the others could enter.

Next up was Nora and Ren, Nora gave me a bear hug, "Neve! You made so much food, you really know the way to my heart!"

I smiled and patted her back, "Just try not to eat all of it, alright?"

Nora let go and practically skipped over to the counter, happily declaring, "No promises!"

Between the donuts and the burgers, I had a feeling even Nora would have trouble eating everything I had on offer today, especially if she was also going to drink some frappes. Though maybe it would be best if I made sure she got the sugar free ones…

Ren was last, he looked at my apron and a small smile crossed his visage, "Nice apron. I have one like it at the dorm." He looked at the assortment of food I had set out across the room, "It's nice to know someone with similar taste and skill."

I kept my smile as I nodded along, "I saw this at a store and knew I had to have it. So the rest of your team doesn't cook?"

Pyrrha, who was still standing off to the side near me, likely with something to say, smiled an awkward smile. Especially as Ren shook his head, "Pyrrha and Nora are hopeless and the only thing Jaune knows how to make is grilled cheese. Anytime the cafeteria closes it's always me cooking." He shuddered as he envisioned doing just that. Cooking for Nora seemed like a full time job in and of itself, let alone for the other two as well.

I rubbed the back of my head as I remembered those days as well, "Yeah… I'm glad I got more than enough practice cooking at home. Violet lived off of instant ramen before coming to Beacon, Jeanne just gives me puppy eyes until I cook for her, and Lunus is just as hopeless as they are."

Ren's smile grew, "Next time you have one of these, you'll need to invite me to come cook with you, even Nora would have trouble eating everything we came up with."

That was surprising, Ren wasn't exactly the kind of person to hang out with people, but I supposed cooking was a passion of his. Still, my smile grew, "Absolutely, do you have my scroll number?" He shook his head and we traded numbers before he headed inside.

Sure enough, Pyrrha did have something to say to me, she was just too polite to say it while the others were coming in, "I just wanted to thank you for what you did for Jaune, I know it's been some time since then, but… I know he never thanked you, if he even knows you're the one who did it."

I placed a hand on my hip and shook my head, "What, with Cardin?" She nodded and I smiled meekly, "Eh, don't mention it. I honestly probably should have said something sooner, but uh…" I looked past her and saw that Jaune and the others were already taking seats to dig in, with Cinder leaning against the counter much like I was, as if she were the employee here, it made me smile. Then I turned my attention back to Pyrrha and lowered my voice, "All that macho business he'd always go on about at the table and during sparring? It was getting on my nerves. I figured he'd come out better for the experience. Especially because you're there to help him." I winked and she blushed, looking away.

She thought for a few moments before the smile that was on her face grew and she looked back at me, "There was something even further back that I never got to ask about…" I raised an eyebrow and she continued, "Back at initiation, those months ago, you took Jeanne with you when you could have easily taken Jaune as well. I know you said it's because you knew I was coming to get him, but… there was no guarantee of that, and yet you seemed certain. If I might ask, why leave it to risk?"

She was perceptive, perhaps a bit too perceptive. If anyone were to catch on to my foresight it would be her, but I just played it off with a casual wave of the hand and a smirk as my voice grew coy, "I saw the way you were looking at him. You had your eye on him from the start, didn't you?" Her eyes widened and her face heated up even more, I lowered my voice to a whisper once again, "Your secret's safe with me, but just between us, he's as dense as a bag of rocks. You're going to need to make it loud and clear that you're interested."

Pyrrha cleared her throat, "I… will keep that in mind." I'd clearly given her a lot to think about, "Thank you." She smiled warmly, "I'm going to go sit down now, I'm sure the others will be coming by soon, will they not?"

Right on cue, there was another knock at the door, so I waved her off as she left to go sit with Jaune and then opened the door again.

This time it was… everyone else. Lunus, Violet, and Team RWBY. Lunus came in first and he grinned at me, "So this is the famous coffee shop? Looks nice." I nodded and he patted my shoulder, "Thanks for inviting us."

Ruby sidled up next to him with a similar beaming smile on her face, "And for the food! Oh, does this place have strawberry frappes?" I gave her a nod and she gasped, "Oh! I'm going to want one of those, uh- Please!"

She only added that 'please' after both Lunus and Weiss looked at her, I smiled and nodded, "I'll start making the drinks once everyone's in." She nodded, Lunus and her went further in to get food.

Weiss was next, giving a polite smile, "Thank you for inviting us. I… we don't talk much, but… it's nice to be here." Well, she had certainly mellowed out!

I shook my head, "Don't mention it Weiss, why not try a burger?" She looked over at where they were curiously before heading over. I wasn't surprised to find that she had never had one before, she was certainly in for a treat.

Next up was Yang, who patted my back, "Hey! Any beer?" I shook my head and she pouted, "Awh, that's alright. It's still a party so long as Yang's here!" She grinned and I smirked in response as she made her way further inside.

Violet was next as she walked in, marveling at the cafe, "Woah, I didn't know you lived above a place this cool looking!" She pulled me into a hug, which was kind of awkward considering how short she was, but I returned it nonetheless, "You're the best, Neve."

That wasn't true at all, I'd been making a lot of mistakes this semester, and I had done a lot of things of questionable morality. Lying to people, manipulating them and doing it with a smile on my face, using the System felt like cheating, like I shouldn't have been as good as I was, but I was there. At least I hadn't stolen anything, but with my track record I was sure I'd need to eventually.

Still, I just grinned, "Don't sell yourself short, Violet. The team would be a lot more boring without you."

She looked up at me with a faint blush and a bright smile, "Awh, thanks…" Aura created a charcoal colored heart above her head, as it so often did when she was happy, "Now, food!" We broke off the hug and Violet hurried off to eat.

Last but not least was Blake, who entered and wore a small, yet noticeable smile, "I don't normally come to these things…" That much was obvious, "But I'd never hear the end of it if I missed it." She said that as if her tone of voice didn't betray the fact that she did, in fact, want to be here, "So, thanks."

I shook my head, "Don't mention it. I wouldn't want my sparring partner to miss out on a get together like this." She smiled a bit brighter and then headed inside.

Finally, that was everyone, so I shut the door and headed back behind the counter, where Cinder was. As I approached, she smiled faintly, looking out of her depth with all these people around, "You've got quite the circle, don't you?"

I looked out at the assembly of my friends as they took their seats, they'd all claimed some food for themselves, using the paper plates I had brought to stack donuts and burgers. Most of them were already gone from the counter, thankfully I could always make more in no time flat.

As I observed, I saw Lunus, Ruby, and Jeanne sitting together. Lunus was nodding along as Jeanne regaled the two of them with some story or another, waving her hands excitedly as she did so. Ruby seemed thoroughly enraptured in the story, whatever it was.

Nora and Ren were sitting together, Nora had three burgers on her plate and a stack of four donuts, while Ren was a lot more conservative with one burger and two donuts. Ren seemed to be reminding Nora to slow down as she took a giant bite out of the first burger, only to pout at him and then start to eat slower.

Weiss, Pyrrha, and Jaune were sitting together. Remarkably, Jaune seemed to not be flirting with Weiss, which was an unexpected development this early on. I wondered what changed? Maybe he'd just gotten the hint a bit earlier than usual.

Finally, Yang, Blake, and Violet were sitting together. Blake was silently eating while Yang and Violet were engaged in some excited conversation or another. I had no idea what they were talking about, but they seemed into it, and Violet looked absolutely enraptured by Yang far from than she would be with someone else. It was cute, I wondered if maybe…

Eh, who knew, maybe. I was sure I'd hear about it if that was the case.

After I took in the whole room, I found myself smiling a soft and contented smile, these were my friends. The people I'd come to know so well over just a short few months, when I had first joined Beacon, I had planned to try and make things better for them, but I never quite anticipated just how attached I would get.

Sure, I worked behind the scenes, they'd probably never know the full extent of what I was doing or what I knew, but that didn't mean I'd kept my distance. Maybe there was some notion of doing that at first, but it went out the window very, very quickly.

Then there was my team, people I'd never known and people that probably didn't exist in the original timeline. Yet I couldn't imagine a world without them. Lunus was always a pillar of support and common sense, Jeanne was the heart, her unending affection and love for us brightened even the darkest mood, and Violet was a little of everything, if I was being honest. She had her moments of incredible perceptiveness and awareness, but also her times of closeness and care.

She was a lot more subdued than Jeanne was when it came to affection, she was shy and uncomfortable with it most of the time, which is what made the hugs she did give all the more meaningful. Irony turned into a girl, for sure, you'd think that someone like her would be hugging all day every day, but she didn't. I knew that she had her skeletons in her closet, but she wasn't very forthcoming with them. Maybe someday…

And all of this wasn't even mentioning Cinder, who had been silently watching me while I looked out and smiled at my friends like a dope. Every step I took was made with the anticipation of the two of us finally needing to fight, some day, and yet I desperately hoped that such a day would never come. I cared about her a lot, if she were anyone else I would have already been dating her. Oh Cinder, Cinder… why did you have to be Cinder?

I pushed the melancholy out of my mind, this wasn't the time for that. I kept my content smile as, finally, I responded with affection evident in my voice.

"Yeah. Yeah I do."

Author's Notes

I don't do these a lot, but I felt like I should extend my genuine thanks and appreciation. I do read reviews, every one, and I appreciate them, along with everyone who just reads and maybe leaves a follow and or a favorite. This won't become a habit, so don't worry about me getting too talkative, but at least once I wanted to say how grateful I am. So, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you will continue to enjoy the chapters to come!