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Jaune believed that life was a mixture of both struggle and happiness. Despite the fact that everyone suffered to a degree, he believed that the good things in life were more than enough to outweigh everything else. It was a combination of things, but ultimately you just had to appreciate the good times for what they were. This was what he had convinced Cinder of, that life's beauty could outweigh its horrors.
His back met the ground thunderously, the momentum causing him to carry onwards and skip across the floor like a pebble flicked across a pond. He carried on a few more meters, before finally managing to slam his sword into the ground, halting his momentum.
He also realized that he was completely and utterly wrong, and that life was nothing more than pain and misery.
He tiredly raised his head to face the origin of his torment. Lilac eyes stared back at him, gaze oozing mirth. Her cheshire smile promised only the worst of intentions. She strolled towards him, golden mane swaying with every step.
"Well well… not bad lover boy," A roguish voice teased. "You didn't trip on your own two feet this time."
Yang Xiao Long, the blonde brawler of Beacon Academy. Normally, he'd be training with Cinder or Pyrrha. But he knew that getting out of his comfort zone would be beneficial for him in the long run. It was with this in mind that he decided to approach Yang and Blake when they were off to the training rooms. He'd asked if either of them were up for a spar or something.
The devilish smile which spread across Yang's face should've been his first sign to flee.
Unfortunately, he ignored it.
So here he was… getting his ass kicked by Yang. All the while Blake watched half-heartedly, attention split between the book which lay at her lap and his 'fight.' If getting beat up by Yang could even be called a fight, at least it wasn't as embarrassing as losing to Cardin.
He groaned and pushed himself into a standing position. Better to get beat up while standing rather than giving up on his back. Besides, it was his fault for expecting Yang to have any restraint…
"And so he rises." Yang playfully jabbed, pausing to place her hands on her hips. "You sure you want to keep this going? I don't want Cinder to get mad because I broke her boy-toy."
"O-of course I do!" He sputtered, cheeks burning brightly. Ever since meeting Cinder, Yang had become utterly relentless with the teasing. Not that he expected anything less from her…
"Heh, good. Nice to know you're still as hard-headed as always." She grinned. "Now… where were we? Oh. Right."
Without warning, she lowered her arms toward the ground and released two rounds of powerful combustion dust, which in turn propelled her like a rocket directly towards him. He had just enough time to raise his shield and tank the eruption head on, gritting his teeth at the force on display. He had enough foresight to know that one attack wasn't Yang's style- and with a panicked frenzy- he spun around to block the follow-up attack aimed at his back.
"Not bad!" Yang yelled. "But how about we test out that upper body strength?"
She brought down her other gauntlet to strike his shield, releasing yet another explosive shell directly into his guard. She repeated this with her other arm- and before long he was being pushed back from a entire barrage of explosive strikes. His arms cried with agony, bones aching under pressure. It felt like he was being gradually weathered by an earthquake.
Dammit! He couldn't just parry her arm away because it would leave him open, but with how things were going he'd be unable to even lift his arms by the end of this.
Despite the fact that he managed to occasionally get the upper hand on an exhausted Cinder, it meant little when compared to organized fights like this. Those momentary wins were situational and only happened because of how well he knew her. This wasn't the case for Yang. He didn't know much of her style, and she was the second strongest student within their year- second only to Pyrrha herself. She was incredibly fast, and ridiculously strong. The power of her attacks knew no equal.
Unless…
Sapphire eyes narrowed into determined slits. He had been pushed back multiple meters, all the while Yang still doggedly pursued him like a shark that smelt blood in the water. It was subtle- but there was a split second in between her pulling her arm back that gave him a momentary second to react.
A moment that he took great advantage of.
Golden light rippled throughout his body and shrouded him within its grasp. And yet; unlike all the previous times in which the golden energy only encased his body… this time it pushed forwards, covering the entirety of his shield.
It was a minor trick, one that he gradually managed to learn after some practice, but it was enough. And to Yang- someone who had never seen him use such a thing- it came as a surprise. But that surprise didn't mean she could stop the momentum that she had already committed to.
Ember Cecilia slammed against the flat of an aura-amped Crocea Mors. The subsequent reaction of Yang's tremendous power slamming against his semblance was, well…
Loud.
Untameable luminance erupted throughout the arena, blinding all those in its vicinity. A deafening blare rang within his head, as though a blade had just been wedged into his eardrums.
Jaune stumbled back, but managed to catch himself before falling. The light which had raptured the arena gradually resided… giving him a clear view of the aftermath.
While Blake had once been seated off to the side. The Faunus was now kneeling forwards, her temple pressed firmly against the ground, hands furiously gripping her ears as though she was trying to tear them off. He felt kind of bad… he didn't mean for it to effect her as well. But the light and sound meant that there were some unfortunate effects for any cat Faunus.
Thankfully; it effected Yang just the way he wanted.
Roughly fifthteen meters away, Yang was laid flat on her back. Very much so conscious, and yet… dazed. Her blonde hair was left in disarray, she looked like she had been put through a blender.
Jaune couldn't hide his shock. While it was true that he'd briefly managed to gain the upper hand on Cinder… this was completely different. Cinder was someone so insurmountably stronger than he was, to the point where any advantage he gained over her was from throwing things at the wall till they stuck. Usually it didn't feel like he had really gotten better because of how great the gap between them was.
But him being able to do this to Yang? It was a lot closer, and it felt more real. For as long as he could remember, the bombshell was an unclimbable mountain to other students- students who frequently beat him soundly. She was an unstoppable force.
One which had met an immovable object.
His momentary shock wore off once he realized that his advantage was temporary, and that she was getting back up. The expression she wore was one of shock, and yet obvious annoyance.
Not one to let an advantage slip out of his hands, Jaune charged across the arena with his sword held at his side. He caught the brief widening of her eyes as he stabbed his blade towards her face, but she managed to swing her arm and redirect his sword with her gauntlet. Unwilling to let his advantage go to waste, Jaune used the momentum of her parry to spin his body around and produce a powerful side slash directly towards her head. But because Yang was in the process of standing, his blade carved directly into her side instead, coercing a pained grunt past Yang's clenched teeth. The power of his slash caused her to be carried back a few feet, but he pursued her; pressing his shield flush against his side as he body-checked her head on.
She was thrown backwards once more, but instead of accepting it- this time she curled her knees into her chest- and used the force to flip her body around and land steadily on her feet. She raised her arms and fired several pellets of dust directly at him. Jaune hastily raised his shield to tank the bullets head on, grimacing at the impact against his guard. But rather than accept the abuse again, Jaune charged forwards and accepted the strikes. Closing the distance before stabbing his blade down towards her feet. Yang hopped back, suddenly shifting before throwing a straight right towards his chin, a strike he promptly dodged.
A brief moment of calm was had within the mist of battle. The two blondes disengaged; Yang with her fists raised high, and Jaune with his blade held out diagonally across his chest. They circled around one another experimentally, poking and prodding to discourage one another's attacks. Despite the fact that he was still thoroughly losing… Jaune couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at how the battle had gone. Had they battled just a few short months ago… it would've only really consisted of him running away while Yang pummeled him into a pulp.
But that wasn't the case now.
He could see it within her eyes- they were narrowed- observant. She was taking him seriously now, she wasn't treating him like some half baked weakling.
It made him feel… good, really damn good.
It was that temporary wave of confidence that caused him to forget any trace of prodding and go for an all out assault. He charged forward, thrusting his sword towards her neck before then chambering it and bringing it back down into an overhand swing. Such an attack would be enough to completely bisect trees- but Yang was no slouch; she weaved around his thrust before raising both arms to block the overhand swing against the bluntness of her gauntlets. The force of his strike caused wind to repel around their bodies- whipping their blonde locks away from their faces.
He felt his muscles coil and ache as a sudden struggle for strength was had, with Yang pushing back against his sword, and Jaune struggling to force his blade down her guard. He pushed forward and leaned into his weapon- desperate to push every ounce of force into his attack.
But Yang had other ideas.
She pulled back suddenly, allowing his sword to harmlessly pass her. He caught himself before he could fall forwards, only to scramble as a devastating roundhouse was thrown towards his side, one he barely managed to block with his forearm.
She's so damn strong. He grimaced at the pain which ran up his arm. Each of her attacks left his body vibrating from the force of impact. And she was too fast for him to dodge directly. Yet… there was something he could do in this situation.
Before Yang could pull her leg away from the kick, Jaune hooked his arm around her foot and pressed it firmly against his side. She buckled her leg in a panic- but he was unflinching with his grip. With a fierce grin on his lips, Jaune pulled back his shield and rammed it into her jaw.
A dull thunk was heard from solid steel ramming into bone. Yang's face was violently thrown back from the force- but he kept her standing with his grip on her body. Unwilling to let the advantage go to waste, he pulled back his arm to do it again, swinging his shield towards her cheek. Yet in the place of flesh and bone, his shield slammed against bronze metal- producing a distinctive ringing sound. Yang had raised her gauntlet just in time to block his shield.
His eyes briefly widened- as from her odd positioning- Yang slapped his shield away and twisted her body forwards, ramming her elbow directly into his face.
Pain cascaded through his skull, pulsing with blunt agony which rippled through him. He cried out, releasing her leg as he stumbled back. His vision was blurred; with several white spots congested at the corners of his eyes. Cursing- he trusted his instincts and lowered his grip to his pommel, before thrusting towards his side.
It was pure guesswork, a game of chance. But there was no reason for Yang to hit him head on, and she wouldn't go around without using her dust.
His blade met something hard, and he felt her presence just ahead of him- wincing in pain. His body was bathed in relief for a mere moment- before a fist was pressed against his chest- and a round of combustion dust buckled against his core. Heat spread across his body as pain ravaged his chest, launching him back like a ragdoll.
He collapsed onto his back, rolling backwards until he was flat on his chest. His brain felt like it had been put through a blender, head aching all over. He clumsily stabbed his sword into the ground, and made to push himself up, but the sudden click of a trigger caused him to halt.
Yang stood before him, gauntleted hand aimed down at his head, a round of combustion dust ready to be fired out. The fierce grin on her lips let him know that she had no qualms about pulling the trigger. He blinked up at her with a tense expression, his grip around Crocea Mors slackening. He raised both hands into the air, a sheepish smile on his face.
"I… ah, heh. I yield?"
For a few tense moments, he was worried she'd actually pull the trigger. As it were, a cheeky grin spread across her lips, as Yang dropped her arms and clapped him on the back, hard.
"Whooo! I was not expecting that from you vomit-boy. You actually made me put some work in!" She complimented. "I mean… I wasn't worried or anything, but wow! That was awesome!"
"Loud is more like it." A miffed voice grumbled. Blake approached them with a pinched expression to her features, fingers gently caressing the roots of her bow- which he knew hid her ears. She blinked open her eyes, glaring daggers in their direction. "You two… It felt like my head was about to explode."
He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, both from the pain of having it smashed against the floor and because of his own embarrassment. "Sorry about that, Blake. Didn't think it would have that kind of effect."
Yet where he was apologetic and embarrassed, Yang simply took the Faunus' complaints and waved them off. "Pah, you'll live. Besides; you'll have to get used to it being my partner."
"Unfortunately…"
Ignoring Blake's words, Yang fixated her lilac eyes on Jaune with a curious look. "So, that was your semblance, huh?" She asked rhetorically, pulling her golden locks away from her face. She stepped around him, like a predator circling around its prey. "What's it do? A big aura block?"
He parted his lips to speak- but hesitated. This was the first time he'd talk about his semblance with people outside of his team. They'd all been supportive and happy for him of course; asking dozens of questions regarding what it did. But there was an underlying worry that it was… underwhelming. While Pyrrha could control metal, Ren could protect anyone from Grimm, and Nora became a lightning god… he blocked attacks. On top of that, he really wasn't sure what it even really was. An aura block? Redirecting damage? Something else? It was impossible to tell.
He knew he was being dramatic deep down. The semblance he had was… good. It helped him fight Cinder, it helped him now against Yang. Maybe one day he'd even save someone with it. Besides, a semblance was a reflection of one's soul wasn't it? There was no reason to complain about a semblance that was his own.
"I'm not sure what it does really," He finally said, shrugging his shoulders in uncertainty. "I know that when I use it- whatever hits me gets pushed back- and that I don't really feel any pain." Which in itself was different from standard aura; normally you still felt pain from attacks, it's just that said attacks wouldn't damage you in any way.
"Pretty cool semblance." Yang complimented. "Hit me like a truck, or well… a Yang. It's been a long time since I've gotten hit like that."
Never? That was… that was awesome. A look of excitement flashed across his face as he looked up at her. "Really?"
"Yup!" The blonde confirmed, popping the end of the 'P'. "Can you move while it's active?"
A crestfallen look took the place of his once clear excitement. The blonde dropped his face was a sigh. "No… not really."
"What do you mean by 'not really'?" Interjected Blake.
"Well, I guess it feels more like it's a sudden flash of light instead of something that stays on. Sometimes I can keep it together a little longer, but it goes away as soon as I make any fast movements." He shrugged. "And even then it only lasts a couple of seconds."
"Can you keep it on and move slowly?"
The question made him pause, could he? It wasn't like he's ever tried something like that before. "I don't really know," He shrugged. "But… What's the point? How is moving slowly gonna help me in an actual fight?"
"If you're being shot at by automatic fire." Blake retorted.
"Or walking through some fiery hellscape."
That… was a good point. A morbid one maybe, but something he could keep in mind at the very least. He still wished he had more ways to use it, but hey, any progress was good progress.
"I guess you're both right, I'll work on it."
"Better step on the gas then lover boy." Yang said smoothly. "Vytal begins tomorrow, and we're not gonna mess around."
He groaned, palming his face. "Don't remind me, I still don't think I'm ready to compete yet."
He had been training for less than a year for crying out loud. This would be his toughest challenge yet- and it was to be broadcast across all of Remnant. He was more than a little nervous to say the least.
"Pffft. Lighten up will you? It'll be fun! We're all gonna kick some ass. Right Blake?"
"I'm trembling in anticipation." Blake retorted dryly.
The blonde huffed, sagging her shoulders. "Welp, I'm gonna head to the showers. I'll see you two mood killers out." Said Yang, who sauntered off. She raised a hand to playfully wave them goodbye.
He watched her go, thinking back to her advice. Vytal really was tomorrow- the thought was pretty surreal, yet just as terrifying. Despite the fact that he was confident in becoming much better, he knew the competition was gonna be tough. Cinder would be competing too, and in all honesty she might have a chance of winning the whole thing.
The thought of his girlfriend caused a smile to stretch across his lips. They had a date tonight, and funnily enough she'd been the one to both suggest it and declare that she'd be figuring out where they'd eat. It caught him by surprise, but he couldn't say he was complaining.
The thoughts of his girlfriend soon caused his thoughts to think back towards another thing he needed to address. His eyes soon turned towards the person Yang had left him with- Blake. It wasn't as though the two of them talked very often; usually just idle conversation, or that one time she went to the Fall Festival with his team. Even if that was the case, he still considered her a friend.
It was with that in mind that he spoke up. "Hey, Blake?"
She did not respond audibly, instead her bright yellow eyes flickered towards him, expectant for him to continue.
He felt a wave of nervousness grip him. Despite the fact that she'd probably give the best possible advice for his situation… It was still a difficult topic to get through, especially when he knew she was more than a little… flighty.
"So, erm. You were a part of the White Fang?"
Probably not the best way to start things off… The question clearly caught her off guard, for the raven haired Faunus looked clearly taken aback by its suddenness. Her eyes darted around the room; checking to see if there was anyone else in their vicinity. She turned back to him a moment later, a rather defensive look to her. "Yes… as I mentioned a few months prior. Why do you bring it up?"
Yang had accidentally let it slip to his team that Blake was a Faunus, and soon after Blake herself opened up about the fact that she had formerly been a member of the white fang. She had explained that she originally joined the organization in hopes of achieving equality for Faunus, but that the group's increasingly violent ways caused her to abandon it entirely.
Everyone reacted to the news with support of course. Pyrrha took it with surprise but little negativity, Nora didn't really care, and Ren said he was glad that she had the self-awareness to understand her wrongdoings and do better.
He didn't really know anything about them at the time really, and Blake wasn't someone who he had spoken to often by that time either. But he trusted Ruby's judgment, and if she vouched for her then he saw no reason to doubt her.
Blake was someone who had done bad things, but tried to make up for it. She understood that what she did was wrong and wanted to be a better person. The question he had for her was… a little different though.
"Sorry, I get that the question is a bit random. I've just had something on my mind and… well I think maybe you could help me out?"
She didn't respond to him immediately, processing his words slowly. Eventually she nodded. "Well, what did you want to ask me?"
He sighed. What did he want to ask her? Things had been so hectic recently that even wrapping his mind around what to ask was tough. He decided to start things off slow.
"Were you surprised that Weiss, Ruby, and everyone else accepted it?"
It was Blake's turn to sigh now. She turned away from him, slowly sitting down a few feet away. Silence persisted for a few moments, before he eventually saw her nod.
"I was, I suppose I was so used to running that even the thought of being accepted sounded crazy to me. But they did, and I'm thankful for that."
He nodded, a small smile on his lips. The story she dealt with sounded a little similar to Cinder's. Two women running away from their past. He hoped that when the time came for his friends to learn a little more about her, that they'd be understanding like they were to Blake.
There were many things he still didn't know of Cinder, he knew that. She had been transparent about that fact. She's done bad things, she's hurt people. He wasn't some lovesick schoolboy getting pulled around, but he was willing to give Cinder a chance. He was willing to be the person who would finally give her what was denied of her for all this time.
Nobody else had given her anything like that. Not her step mother, her sisters, not even Rhodes. She'd been born to a world that punished her for simply existing.
The mere thought caused his anger to resurface. It wasn't fair, but things were better now, they could be better- would be better.
He knew he'd forgive her, but it was what came after that caused him to bring up his next question.
"Have you forgiven yourself?"
Team RWBY had forgiven her, his team had forgiven her. But did her past still haunt her? Did she still blame herself for everything?
Did Cinder still blame herself? Did she still see herself as a monster, despite what he did to try and help her?
The chasmic question caused Blake to spin towards her, black hair swishing wildly with movement. A quizzical expression was worn on her face, yellow eyes wide. "I… don't understand what you mean?"
She did, but she was avoiding it. "We all forgave you for joining, Weiss did too I'm guessing. But do you still blame yourself for everything?"
She stared at him, hard. Not with an expression of rage, but with the intensity of someone who was having things they hated thinking about being brought up. Her eyes briefly strayed towards the door, and for a moment he thought she would run.
"I… I guess I haven't." She said instead, shaking her head. "How could I? I can't. Not until I've made up for it."
"How do you plan to do that?"
"By stopping the White Fang." She responded quickly. "And by… stopping someone. Someone who needs to be stopped."
Probably a friend of hers, judging by the way she talked about them. "What if you don't have to stop them?"
A dubious expression formed on her face. "What do you mean?"
"What if you don't have to stop them?" He stressed. "What if— what if you can help them? Show them a better path?"
The question seemed to hit Blake even harder than the last. Her eyes widened considerably, mouth parting slightly. Then, just as quickly as the surprise came, she shook her head quickly, seemingly denying the thought.
"I… can't. It's too late now, they hate me."
"Even if they do," He continued, eager to show her at least a little of his thought process. She was a cynical person, likely too jaded from all that she's seen. Cinder was too, it was why he had to prove her wrong. "You can still try, Blake. If you ever see them again. Don't you wish things could be different?"
"Of course I do," She snapped. "But life isn't a cartoon, some people don't listen."
"I know it isn't, but that doesn't mean you should just give up."
"What do you know?" She snapped back defensively, shooting her gaze towards him. "You don't know these people like I do. You don't know what they're like. How could you possibly know what I'm giving up on?"
Her yellow eyes were narrowed in irritation, brows furrowed deeply. She was angry, that much was clear. And why shouldn't she be? To her he was just some guy acting as though he knew what he was talking about. She didn't know that he could relate to the same struggle. Getting through to Cinder had been hard, really hard. And yet… the sheer joy he felt in getting through to her had been amazing. The soul-shattering feeling of having temporarily lost her was the only thing that could compare in its intensity.
"Because I've helped people before." He responded calmly. "I've… helped someone who was on the wrong path. And it worked. If I hadn't… then I would've never forgiven myself."
Her eyes widened, angry features lessening. She turned away from him, a downcast look crossing her features. Still upset, and yet… more understanding. "Not everyone changes, some people don't want to no matter what you show them."
"You did."
The response seemed to shut her up. He felt bad, admittedly. He originally asked his question because he wanted to help Cinder more. But In the end it became something else entirely. He wasn't sure what it was that made Blake so certain that changing her friend wasn't possible, but he could at least put the idea in her head to try.
"Look, Blake-" He sighed. "-I know this whole thing is… tricky. But even if you do fail to win them over, at least you tried to help right, right? Even if they don't listen to you, even if you don't succeed… at the very least, you'll know that you tried your best to save them."
There was no response from the Faunus, instead Blake simply sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. It seemed as though his words had progressively gotten through to her. He doubted he had even really done much. Blake seemed like a really fair person, someone who cared about justice and what was right. She likely wanted to save her friend, but just didn't think it would work. She had lost faith.
Maybe detailing his own experiences had helped with that.
"I… you're right." She finally said. "Even if I fail, I can at least try. I owe him that much, after everything."
"That's right." He spoke with a grin, pushing himself into a standing position. "There's nothing wrong with at least trying.." He reached out towards her, offering her a hand. "You owe him and yourself that much."
She accepted his hand, now with a smile on her own face. "Thank you, Jaune."
He helped her up. "And remember this— you don't need to change things in order to forgive yourself. The fact that you even managed to change is great, Blake."
She smiled at him sadly, but nodded her head slowly. He doubted that he had convinced her of that much. But as it were, he did all he could've done.
It was all he could do.
/-/
Adam Taurus was not the most patient of men.
To his enemies he was a monster, a demon, an animal that needed to be put down. His soldiers saw him as a brutal warrior, but one which would bring them salvation. To the higher ups of the White Fang, he was a cruel necessity; a burning fire that was required to deal with their human oppressors.
How could he be patient? He was surrounded by weaklings; pathetic and oppressed. They were submissive to their human masters, gnawing at scraps and accepting of whatever leftovers were given to them. For years he watched as his people lost their fire, lost their will to fight. They became complacent.
The humans were the cause of this. The war for their rights had been rightfully their victory, and yet the sweet promises of equality were never honoured. They were humiliated, robbed of all their pride. They've become either docile pets or ferocious animals which had to be put down.
Despite the idea that Vale had little descrimination, they allowed Atlas to do whatever they wished. So while Vale didn't mistreat the Faunus directly, they aided Atlas in doing so. Mantle was a ruined war-zone of a city, Faunus slaved away in coal mines, and the SDC still did whatever they wished to the Faunus. And Vale allowed this because the Schnee's had the money.
How could he have patience when living in such a world? How could he be told to calm down when their justice had been denied?
The simple answer is that he wouldn't.
Their people had been used for far too long. He would not accept even another year of this torment.
It was with this… that he glared hatefully at the fuzzy image which was displayed at the screen of his scroll.
"What did you just say?"
The woman did not react to the livid tone of his voice. Instead she stared at him apathetically, taking the venom which he spewed without a hint of care.
"Did you not hear me, Adam? The attack on Vytal will not be followed through."
He snarled, dropping his hand to the hilt of his sword. "I heard you! But why?!" He spat. "Everything has already been set up. The White Fang has listened to your every request. We worked with Torchwick, we stole your dust, we fought your battles, and now you wish to quit? Now you wish to discard us after using us?"
She didn't have the right! He swallowed his pride in working with humans, he bit back his rage at the threats Cinder had insinuated, he allowed his men to die because of this.
Even if he had been coerced into joining her, he had made something out of this. With the money and opportunity that Cinder gave them, the White Fang could triumph. Everything had been set up for this moment. Finally the White Fang would be respected, finally the Faunus would be feared once more. The humans would no longer be able to use them, to look down on them. And after Vale suffered their wrath, so too would Atlas.
And now, after their obedience, after all that they had done… this human believed that she could simply toss them aside?
He bared his teeth like a beast, tearing his sword free from its sheath with a ferocious hiss. He lifted his clenched fist in the air, slamming it into a nearby wall in frustration. "No! I will not allow it." He seethed, "We are not your animals to be used and discarded!"
His words were spat hotly, every syllable practically shook with his rage. At that moment, all he saw was red.
And that woman, all she did was stare back at him impassively. As though she were dealing with a toddler throwing a tantrum, the thought only made him angrier.
"The attack is not being cancelled because I merely decided I had no interest in doing so. My invasion of the student body has given me a greater picture, one you couldn't possibly understand. If the attack had gone forward- we would have lost."
"Then what was the point of all of this? You simply choose to quit?"
"We will attack when given the opportunity, make no mistake. However, now is not the right time."
"Is that it then?" He asked hotly. "You're afraid? Too afraid to take what you forced us into. I shouldn't have expected any better of a human."
"I am afraid of nothing," She responded, a tinge of anger coating her words. "You would do well by not insinuating otherwise. Speak to me in such a manner again and I'll turn you into a corpse before Atlas has the chance. I'll contact you again, Adam."
And just like that, the screen turned black.
Adam screamed.
/-/
Cinder lowered the scroll to her desk, a steady sigh leaving her lips.
She knew that he'd be angry at the attack being called off, enraged even. But he didn't have any other choice but to accept her ultimatum. The Vytal Festival began tomorrow, and the attack itself was scheduled towards the end. Cancelling the attack had to be done today, least further complications arise.
As it were, Adam would have to remain loyal for now. From there she could utilize her position to sabotage the White Fang, and stack every deck within Beacon's favour.
It was surreal in a way. She'd spent years pursuing her goal, several sleepless nights agonizing over every detail. And now here she was, with the opportunity of victory at the tips of her fingers… and she was discarding it.
Even so, she wouldn't change a thing.
Perhaps it was wrong, maybe her old self would've referred to her as a love stricken fool, but as it were… she was content. She was happy. A word which long ago seemed so alien, was now something she could say constantly embraced her. Would the power of the maiden have given her the same happiness? Long ago she might have said yes, but now… she didn't believe so.
A sudden sound tore her mind away from her thoughts. She spun around towards a nearby window, one which was closed, and yet she knew what she had heard. It was subtle, a slight thump on a frame of some sort.
Someone might have been on the other side.
Golden eyes brimmed with energy as she tread towards the window cautiously. Fire danced dangerously along her fingertips, the resonance of her beating heart an endless chorus within her ears. Her fingers ghosted the cold surface of glass, and with a sudden thrust- the windows were pushed open.
The sensation of gentle winds graced her temple, cupping her cheeks within its embrace. She could see trees go on for miles, following the mountainsides. Stars were plentiful within the black night sky, the shattered moon shone brightly.
There was nothing else there.
The mute silence of the night was the only sound her ears could register. There was nobody there, in her haste and nervousness she had overreacted.
She closed the windows with a sigh, pressing a hand to her chest to steady her roaring heart. With the Vytal festival approaching, she was becoming increasingly anxious. One misstep, a slip of the tongue, a single error… and everything would fail. She supposed that the nervousness could be excused considering this, but any recklessness could cost her everything.
That wasn't something she could allow.
Thankfully, she had a date with Jaune tonight, and he was annoyingly proficient at calming her down. Although, unlike their previous nights out, she had been the one to suggest it this time. The blonde had been overjoyed at the idea, even if he tried his best not to appear overexcited. She wasn't sure what to call it, but perhaps… 'cute' was the proper word.
She approached a mirror and checked herself over. A scarlet dress hugged her body like a glove. The hem shimmered with her every movement like vermillion fire, cutting off at the halfway point of her thighs, giving a view of her long, smooth legs. The sleeves ran down her slender arms, fitting with the red nail polish at her fingers.
It was the choice of clothing she normally wore when outside of Beacon, part of her wished to pick something else entirely. And yet… it was rather poetic, wasn't it? A dress she wore to scheme, to kill, to hurt- was now being used for something else entirely. To go out on a simple date, to tease Jaune with its somewhat revealing angles. Her lips curled into a soft smile at the thought.
Though, that nagging feeling within her mind remained, It poked and it prodded at her insistently. The smile she wore gradually lessened into a frown. The same dress she used to kill was the same dress that Jaune's eyes would drag across. She wanted to hide it away from him, to keep it away from his eyes as though it were a nefarious secret.
But deep down, she knew it wasn't about the dress. It was about her.
Did she deserve to be doing this? Could a monster pretend that it was anything but? Jaune had accepted her, he fully embraced her. She knew that should have been enough, but…
A sudden thumping at her door cut through her thoughts, he had arrived. She no longer had the time to pick something different.
She pushed away the doubts which clouded her mind. She ignored the names she called herself, the names which she had been called. And with a deep, heavy breath, she reached towards the door- and pulled it open.
None of that mattered tonight.
Foots just about all healed, finally got back to training this week. Thank you to everyone's well wishes and kind words.
Welcome back, sorry about the extra wait. Bit of a set up/introspection chapter this time around from all parties- especially with Jaune and Cinder dealing with their own furry "friends." To all those who were confused about that Adam chapter way back when— I've had all this planned for a while. Not foreshadowing at all hm?
Near the end of the chapter (cinders part) and certain areas of Blake's part I unfortunately got into a bit of a weird funk going on, felt like I wasn't writing as well as I'm normally able to. Hopefully it didn't worsen the quality too much. Next chapter's quality will hopefully be better.
In regards to that part though, I want to try and explain Cinders part a little to not risk anyone misinterpreting it. Yes, Jaune managed to break past Cinders walls, yes- Jaune managed to get cinder to fall for him, yes he helped her get past her childhood and what happened to her- her thirst for power.
But getting through all that doesn't mean you're suddenly going to be one hundred percent good. Cinder is still struggling with the conflict of seeing herself as a monster, she's struggling with the idea if she can forgive herself even if she knows Jaune may forgive her. I wanted to highlight that just because someone has gotten through their past- it's going to take time before their doubts are vanquished. That's something that all relationships deal with, and generally it's due to consistency, time, and reassurance that manage to get through people's doubts. I hope I managed to show that well enough in my writing despite being in a bit of a funky state.
The dress part was of course thematic in a couple of different ways.
You're also seeing cinder take a bit of initiative here to do some things for Jaune in return, I know one of you is gonna like that even if it's more subtle.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. All your support is wonderful and we're doing amazing! Every comment, favourite, and follow has been a great lifeline to get me through this. Thank you to all my readers very much.
That's all folks.
