Reverie Cuttress stepped into the barren apartment. Jaune wasn't kidding when he said he was a minimalist. Literally nothing pertained to any signs of personality. The only things that stood out were the little cradle that was obviously new and the framed photo of Jaune along with seven others she didn't recognize. All eight of them looked incredibly happy. Based on his personality, she doubted this was his little harem. Then again, he is a father.
She placed the plastic bags she was carrying down on the counter and held the door open for Jaune as he stepped in. Vanessa in one hand with the last bag in the other. He whispered his thanks and immediately began to prepare his daughter some food.
"Would you care for something?" he asked. "You helped me out, after all."
She waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. Who am I to walk away from a co-worker in need?" She stepped towards him and held her hand out, silently asking for permission. Jaune concurred and gently handed Vanessa over to her. "How old is she again?"
"She'll be about two months old soon." He scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry I never showed her to you until now. And this is only happening because we happened to run into each other at the store..."
"It's fine. Better late than never. Besides, we've only known each other for about three months anyway. I was surprised you actually let me hold her. You appeared to be the papa wolf-type. Especially since you mentioned you have seven sisters." She eyed the photograph. "These are friends, right?"
"Yeah, my friends from Beacon. Before I, you know..." he drawled. "If you're curious-"
"The Faunus is the mother, right?" she deduced. "The one with the bow?"
"How did you-"
"I'm psychic," she teased. "I can correlate some features Vanessa shares with her mother. The eyes are a dead giveaway."
"But... you know about Blake's heritage?"
"So that's her name...? I only convinced you of that based on what you've already told me. You mentioned your daughter is half-Faunus. And when I was handling your paperwork the other day, it didn't state anywhere about you being one yourself. So the mother had to be one." She gently stroked her finger against the little angel's cheek. The precious thing giggled in response. It made Reverie's heart flutter a bit. "T-That's basic technique you should use for questioning people. Keep that in mind and you'll be climbing the chain of command soon."
"Right. Thanks again for everything."
"It was a surprise to find out you'd be applying to my precinct," she admitted. "And here I thought I'd just be your guardian angel for one night before I wandered off to help someone else in need."
"That's... an odd way to put it."
"It's the truth; fact is often stranger than fiction."
Blake was hiding something. Pretty typical of her, but this was different. Jaune rose his glass towards his lips, careful not to stain his pristine mustache. Yes, pristine. He took good care in grooming it. Revy once said it made him look more approachable and older, which supposedly helped when they were doing their good cop, bad cop routine. He always enjoyed watching suspects cower at the sight of Revy with her saccharine smile.
Jaune held open the door to his office, allowing Blake to enter first. She whispered a thanks as acknowledgment and took the seat in front of his desk. Ah, he never moved that when he talked with Vanessa about her future. It was weird to set up the office in his apartment like his one down in the precinct.
"Apologies for the mess," he said. He pushed aside a few stacks of paper before sitting down, Crocea Mors lingering behind him in its place of solitude. "I was a bit desperate to finish all my paperwork before this weekend."
"Understandable," she dismissed. She eyed the retired weapon. "Crocea Mors, correct?"
"That's its name."
"Has it been getting any use as of late?"
"It has not. Vanessa hasn't expressed any interest in using a sword and a shield. If anything, she is rather fond of a style of another blonde." He smiled. "One far more bombastic than yours truly."
"Ah..." Her face darkened a bit. She shuffled in her seat and clenched her shoulder. "How is she?"
"Last I checked, she was frustrated she was going to miss this weekend due to some incompetent Hunters she got stuck with. Something along the lines of rookies not following through on their basic responsibilities."
Blake's eyes narrowed. "Is that a jab?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I-... No, I'm sorry. I'm just... You hate me, don't you?"
"Well, I never said it explicitly."
"You're just implying it." She sighed. "Always making me read between the lines..."
"You weren't exactly an open book back then, Blake."
"If you want me to leave, you can just say so. When I heard that Vanessa was striving to become a Huntress, I thought that maybe she could use some guidance. My style should fit with her agility and strength, don't you think?"
"Your guidance... That's actually quite funny."
"I... I'm not giving her life advice. She seems quite content and has Reverie for that. I simply wanted to offer my tutelage as her mother-"
"You're not her mother."
Blake flinched.
"Even Yang has been more of a mother," Jaune continued. "Though she's more of an honorable aunt that Vanessa adores. Yang fawned over Vanessa ever since she was a baby. If I didn't meet Reverie, I'm certain Yang would've taken her place."
"I'm trying my best, Jaune!" she cried. "I know there's so much I can't take back, but I want to be involved in Vanessa's life now."
"Do you really wish that? Or do you just feel obligated to? To satisfy your pride?" Jaune chuckled. "Maybe this is your way of proving to Sun you're not afraid of commitment-"
"Shut up!"
Blake slammed her hands down on his desk, causing a small crack to form. It'd probably collapse if he were to put all his weight on it.
"Why are you really here, Blake?" He wanted to ascertain the truth. "You simply could've told me you and Sun got engaged over the scroll or even a letter. That's not all there is to this, is there? You may be using Vanessa's aspirations as an excuse, but I've managed to pick up a few things over the years as an enforcer of the law. The way you'd try to hide your discomfort for one, and it's not the awkwardness of interacting with Vanessa for a change."
"I..." Her face curled up. "I'm pregnant, Jaune."
He wanted to scream.
Conflict arises!
Am I making Blake more pathetic than needed? Maybe. But hey, the more strongly you all feel towards Blake whether that be positive or very, very conflicted, and most definitely negative, it'll make further plot points all the more impactful.
-Colure
Next chapter: July 18th
