Blake watched as Jaune got to work on his scroll. They both had had to deal with Roman Torchwick of all people. She still couldn't quite believe he was directly affiliated with Torchwick of all people. It could've been an interesting asset to utilize. For now though, he was an enemy with vast amounts of potential for pure destruction.

"As you know, Roman told me he has someone pulling the strings from the shadows. Some woman even he has to obey. It's a long shot, but it's clear she's a thorn in his side. Constantly demanding tall orders of dust, damaging his reputation and pride... Heck, my discussion with him revealed how she's ordering him to focus on the operation over Neo."

Blake shuddered at the memory of the petite woman. Jaune had dealt with her with his own contacts, supposedly. That still didn't settle the feeling lingering in her stomach though. She even started to keep Gambol Shroud on her person at all times.

"My plan is to garner information on this woman and deal with her discreetly." Jaune paused, analyzing her. "Yes, this is nothing new to me. Before Beacon, you were more than willing to work for blood money to get by. It's rough out there, Blake. And Ashlynn taught me everything necessary before she drew her last breath."

It was odd in a way. Jaune was willing to reveal so much more info with real weight behind it now. She wondered how Pyrrha would handle such info. It'd horrify her, surely. But would she still treat Jaune the same as always? That thought terrified him, so it'd be best to keep things from Pyrrha. If Jaune got overly emotional, there was no telling what he'd do. He was her best shot and handling the extra eyes on them.

What was more dangerous though? A man like Jaune, with something far too precious to lose? That being Pyrrha. Or a man with nothing left to lose - only able to offer destruction without a care in the world? Whatever his plan was, Blake tensed at the numerous scenarios where he lost it. He was a time bomb, and she'd have to find a way to safely defuse him. For her sake, and those she's associated with.

"So Ashlynn was there with you in Reverie... I take it you two wandered around Mistral on your own devices, then? I don't need to know why you two felt the need to do so, I can make up a reasonable explanation. What I want to know is why go through this? Ashlynn was important to you, there's no doubt about that. But why torment people the way you do? I doubt it's in her memory... That'd be cruel."

"She taught me how flawed humanity is, Blake. I want to correct the way Remnant views Huntsmen. Everyone is ignorant to it, we need change."

"How is this any different compared to the White Fang?"

"Because I'll make a difference. Once I'm done, no one will be the same."

Nothing useful...

"Then what?"

Jaune shrugged. "Then I'll rest. There's nothing else for me afterwards."

Would his plan succeed even if he died then? If he had no plans for the aftermath... she could only imagine what it actually was he had planned.

"And what about Pyrrha?"

"What about her?"

"What about them?"

Blake shook her head. No, this was nothing like...

"She's a good person, that's pretty obvious. And she clearly cares for you, so why throw that away?"

"Like you've deduced, she knows nothing about me. Should she learn the truth, I'd lose the Pure I have and only receive what you've given me; hatred. As I've said, Ashlynn's final wishes were our resolve. Should I go back on that, I'd be spitting on her grave. What's the point of everything we've worked up for if I betrayed Ashlynn for another woman?"

"Pyrrha isn't worth it then-"

"Of course she is!" Jaune slammed his scroll down on the desk he leaned against. He brushed aside some of his bangs and sighed, collecting himself. "Let's focus on this issue first. Roman will be on our tails once he's done with his tasks. If we can get Neo back to him and deal with the mastermind behind these dust robberies, he'll probably be more forgiving. He wouldn't ever forget what happened, but he does keep his word. And hey, if we fail, then good for him. We're dead and he'll finish her off for us."

"So what's the plan?" she asked. "We hunt her down and dispose of her? Then we're free?"

"You say that so casually..." he quipped. Blake sent a half-hearted glare. "If we manage to pull this off, we'll have these targets off our backs. After that, we're done, Kitten. You're free and I won't bother you so long as you don't say a word about me to anyone. And this goes without saying, but even if I had to expose you, I'd make your life miserable regardless."

Don't get baited...

"They're meeting tonight," he continued. "We lie in wait, handle her, let Neo walk, and we're good to go. And fear not, I have some insurance should this all go haywire."

There was an odd glint in his eyes.

"Let this partnership be a fruitful one." He cracked a smile. "This temporary partnership..."


"He ran...?" Yang patted Pyrrha's back. Red hair sprawled over her body as she muffled her confirmation into her pillow. "And I thought I was pretty blunt when I turned people down. Men and the ladies."

Pyrrha's laughter was muffled, but Yang smiled at the response. Maybe Jaune really was an idiot with a big mouth putting on an act. Beneath that mask was just some insufferable fool with no idea how to tackle a confession from a girl like Pyrrha. Yang didn't understand Pyrrha's taste, but hey. To each their own, yeah?

"What am I gonna do...?" Pyrrha groaned. "The look on his face... I saw nothing but fear, Yang! So this is how it's like to be rejected. Am in the friend area now? Is that what it's called...?"

"Eh, close enough."

"Yang..."

She didn't know how to go about this. If anything, her friends from Signal were pissed that their crushes would have feelings for her rather than them. Bitches...

"I'm sorry," she chuckled. "From what I'm gathering though, you kinda took my advice too far. I din't expect you to make a whole grand confession about your feelings for him. Heck, even I'm surprised that you feel that strongly towards him."

"It's just that... he's actually incredibly funny and fun to be around. When I'm near him, I feel like I can take on the world. It's nothing like winning a tournament or slaying Grimm. And yet, I can see there's darkness within him. I want to be there for him when he's sad. I saw how he's torn about something. And yet I feel so useless... What use are my skills if I can't make him feel better?"

Pyrrha stood up and looked down at her hands. She curled them into fists. A frustrated look appeared.

"There's something special about me, Yang. He sees me differently compared to others, I can tell. From what I gathered, he loves messing with people, but for me it's just playful. I've seen how he treats people like Professor Port; they get along just fine. But me, is this selfish or even stupid for me to say? He's different with me, and I want that from him. I want more." She held her hands to her chest. Her breathing grew heavier. "So why...?"

"If anything, I think he's just scared. From what you've said, I'm sure he feels the same, but doesn't realize it yet. He's sort of like the all bark, no bite type. He can say things to get a reaction out of you, but if you hit his weak point, you can turn the tables. I think his weakness if his feelings for you, P-Money."

"How should I go about this?" Pyrrha wondered. "I can't just leave things as they are again. I could try talking to him. Not as forward though, I can't scare him off. Or maybe I could just use my semblance to keep him in place, maybe hold him down? I know I'm stronger than him."

Some rather disturbing yet revealing imagery popped up in Yang's mind.

There were a number of ways to go about this she wasn't thinking of. Perhaps a discussion with Jaune could help. After all, she had questions for him and Blake regarding the docks.


The plan was simple: ambush this woman as she discussed business with Roman. The location was their usual meeting spot and even the place used to store the stolen dust. Jaune watched as Blake got into position in the shadows. Jaune had an overview of the layout of the place. He made a mental note of the exits and highly explosive dust. It was odd how there was a lack of security detail though. Didn't matter though.

All that mattered was cutting ties with Roman after making sure they were square. Forgive the little incident in exchange for dealing with a bigger nuisance. Roman knew about the plan, so he'd help out should things backfire. Jaune didn't want to risk bringing Neo in though. There was no telling what she'd do without Roman keeping her on a leash. Gods, he wishes he still had that photo of her... Second best night of his life.

His scroll buzzed. He reached for it in his back pocket, not taking off his eyes off Roman as he sat down on the couch below him.

"All on you kid. Once I give the signal, use your semblance and handle her. I'm warning you though; she's dangerous. You're only going to get one shot at this, so don't blow it."

"Have some faith in me, Roman. This isn't the first time I've done something like this, you know."

Roman hung up on him before trying to relax. It'd be suspicious if he were oddly tense, after all. Jaune fished for his pistol and made sure it was loaded. He didn't bother bringing his sword and shield since it this would be quick. Not to mention the noise it'd make on a metal container like this.

Blake was ready. She made a hand signal and had her own weapon out. Jaune waved his hand in response and lied in wait.

A few good minutes passed until Jaune began to contemplate a bit. It was rather odd how Roman wasn't smoking like usual. One little habit Jaune noticed Roman had was how Roman loved to smoke whenever he was stressed. Roman's back was towards him, but Jaune could tell he didn't have a cigar lit or anything. For some reason, Jaune couldn't shake this odd feeling that washed over him.

Jaune looked up at Blake and saw how she hasn't moved an inch. He was glad she was acting this disciplined, a lot was on the line regarding this job.

And that's precisely what bothered him.

Jaune fished for his scroll again and messaged her.

Anal tonight?

It took a good while before Blake reached for her own scroll and read the message. She didn't looked miffed or anything and began typing a response.

Focus, Jaune.

Jaune felt something crawl down his back. He turned on his camera. He made sure to turn off the flash and snapped a photo of Blake. For some reason, she didn't appear on his scroll when he took the picture.

No visible reaction from the message, not showing up on his scroll...

Shit!

Jaune rolled and tumbled down onto the container beside him before regaining his footing, pistol raised. His semblance activated. All he saw were blurs of green and gray as he got some distance between him and his assailants. He ducked under the shot Roman fired at him.

He'd been betrayed.

"Roman!" he called out. He hid behind some cover and checked his magazine. "And here I thought you were a gentleman."

"I wish I were sorry, kid. But when it comes to the girl I raised as my own, I'm afraid I don't take harm against her lightly. I'll force her whereabouts out of you if I have to. If the boss doesn't beat me to it, of course."

"Your boss..." Jaune snarled.

"Has played you once again," a familiar voice purred. Jaune tightened his grip around his weapon. The ghost before him was just as radiant as ever with that devious smile of hers. Jaune gulped, his knees growing weak. He could've sworn his vision blurred for a moment as those amber eyes stared into him. Those eyes, the dark hair... It tantalized him. "It's been a long time, Jaune."

He should've smiled. Cried. Anything but the fear stirring within him. He was staring at a stranger, wasn't he? So why... Why did this woman look just like her?

"Ashlynn...?" he croaked.

"Cinder," she corrected. "I abandoned that name ages ago."