A Well Intentioned Path

Ren cared about Jaune like a brother. The young man was one of his closest friends. When things between Jaune and Pyrrha ended, Ren was there for his brother. He offered the blond a place to stay, and the chance to get back on his feet. Over the first few weeks, Ren saw Jaune at his worst. The blond kept to himself for over a month, leaving Ren and Nora to simply watch their friend suffer.

There was a time when Ren feared Jaune would never feel the same happiness again. That life was all downhill for him.

Then Ren saw Jaune come back home after his second meeting with Ruby Rose, and he dared to hope that things could finally return to normal. Even after a night of sleep, Jaune was still talking about the mysterious girl.

"Seriously, you guys, she's so cool! And she's nice, and quirky, and she laughed at my jokes!" Jaune ate another spoonful of cereal, swallowing the chocolate treat. "She thought I was hilarious."

"She sounds very nice," Ren complimented, standing by the stove with a spatula in hand. He smiled at the sound of his friend's happiness, though most wouldn't recognize it.

"She really laughed at your jokes?" Nora wondered, arching a brow. "I mean, were you telling your jokes, or jokes you hear other people say?" The orange-haired woman snickered as Jaune pouted at her. She waved a hand in the air, beaming. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding!"

"For your information, Nora, I made a joke about canoes, and she thought I was hilarious!" Jaune grinned with pride, before his eyes widened. Ren quietly chuckled a Jaune recalled another happy memory.

"Oh, and we started playing air hockey together, and she was insane! She made these kung fu noises every time she hit the puck! It was awesome!"

"Did you lose?" Nora inquired.

"I… Yeah," the young man sighed. "She's really fast."

Nora chuckled at the statement. The three friends were assembled together for their traditional morning breakfast. Both Jaune and Nora were eating at the table. The young man was eating his cereal, while the ginger-haired woman was chowing down on another serving of pancakes. Ren stood away from them, quietly working on another round of pancakes.

"So when do we get to meet her?" Nora questioned, biting into another piece of her fluffy heaven.

"Ahem," Ren coughed into his elbow, glancing at his girlfriend. "There's no rush, of course."

"Right. No rush." The ginger-haired woman smiled at her boyfriend, who quietly sighed.

"Well, I… I don't know," confessed the blond. He scratched his head as he stared into his bowl. "I mean, I like her, but wouldn't it be weird to invite her over? We just met."

"You could play it cool. Y'know, just say you forgot something in your apartment, ask if she wants to come inside, and then she'll walk in, I'll pop the confetti, drop the banner, take out the cake, and introduce myself!"

"Nora." The raven-haired man walked over to the table, a plate of pancakes balanced on one hand as the other held a fork. He stabbed the top cake and pushed the sweet treat into his girlfriend's mouth, silencing her for a moment. "Your pancakes are done."

"Mmm! Fanks En!"

As Nora ate away at the pile of pancakes, Ren looked at Jaune. "As much as I would like to meet her, you might want to take it slow, Jaune. You mentioned she's attending Beacon, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Engineering. How cool is that?!" he grinned.

"Very." Ren resisted the urge to chuckle at Jaune's behavior. It was good seeing him so ecstatic. "Anyways, I'm sure she needs to do some studying. The school year is going to start soon. I know I need to get ready for Dr. Shirogane's class." His magenta eyes then glanced at his girlfriend, and they narrowed as he frowned. "And I'm not the only one. How's your homework look, Nora?"

"Boring," she replied, swallowing down a mouthful of syrup-covered pancakes before looking at Jaune. "Ren's right. She probably does need to study." Ren smiled at that, before noticing the spark in Nora's eyes. He knew that spark all too well.

"That's why we should have a party night! Just the four of us! A sort of, 'Let's be stupid and have fun before school starts' party! That'd be awesome, right?!" Nora beamed.

Jaune leaned back in his seat, a smile on his face as he nodded his head. "That would be pretty cool…" He was clearly being won over by the idea.

Ren quickly interjected, acting as the stick in the mud his friends sometime needed. "Just make sure she knows she can decline the offer," Ren added. "You don't want to pressure her."

Jaune nodded his head. "Right. I'll figure it out. We didn't really plan on when we'd see each other again. Maybe a fun night with my two best pals is a good idea. I'm sure she'd love you guys," he grinned. Nora beamed in response as Ren nodded in appreciation.

The blue-eyed man picked up his bowl and leaned his bowl back, drinking the rest of his milk. He clicked his lips, before wiping his mouth clean. "Alright, I'm done. You guys need anything before I head over to Hazel's?"

Ren shook his head as Nora smiled. "Have fun at work, son! Don't forget the lunch your mother made you!"

"How much longer are you going to use that joke?" Jaune wondered with a chuckle. He gave Nora a quick hug goodbye, before waving to Ren, and walking to his room to change.

The two heard the door closed, and the raven-haired man looked at his girlfriend. Ren hated being the realist of the group, but it was a role he needed to play. "Nora…" He crossed his arms as his girlfriend put on a smile.

"What? I'm trying to be supportive!"

Ren closed his eyes and sighed through his nose. He knew Nora meant well. He knew she just wanted Jaune to be happy, but he wasn't sure if Nora knew what that meant. She was optimistic, and that could lead to a painful reality check. "I'm just worried about you pushing too hard."

"I'm trying to be nice," she replied. "The party isn't just for her! It's for you and me too. Her coming is just a bonus."

"I know." He smiled at her, hoping she saw that he wasn't upset with her. "I just worry about you, Nora. I don't want you to get your hopes up."

"Bah. No need to worry about me. I'm tough." She grinned at him, but he worried it was just a mask. Before he could confront her about it, she continued. "Besides, I'm trying to listen to your advice. I'm not telling Jaune to get to third base with her or anything. What's wrong with a little dinner and movie among friends?"

The idea was sound. It could easily be an enjoyable night with friends. That didn't make his worry stop. Still, if Ren gave up every time he worried about something, he wouldn't be here, dating his best friend.

"Alright." He nodded his head. "I see your point. Just… go easy on her if Jaune invites her?"

"Promise." Nora held her pinky out to her boyfriend, and he wrapped his own around hers.


Ruby wasn't sure what to expect when Neon asked if she could come over to study. She half-expected the bright haired woman to bring a movie, or a six pack of beer. But no, Neon came over with actual homework and, and she sat on the couch with Ruby, quietly working.

Never thought I'd see her so… calm. Ruby thought, as she glanced up at Neon. Ruby hadn't known a lot about her before New Years, but every encounter felt like it was teaching her something new about Yang's best friend.

Neon was a music major. She was studying 'Commercial Music,' which was basically a class about producing modern music, like rock or pop. Neon explained that she wanted to be a songwriter when she graduated, and she even had a few songs up online with mostly positive reception.

Not only that, Ruby found that Neon really wasn't that bad to hang around, or even study beside. Neon barely spoke beyond a question or a snarky comment at her homework. They just quietly worked on their assignments for the first hour, allowing Weiss to remind Ruby what she needed to study up on.

Weiss was the most academically focused. She would have been out to study, instead of Ruby, but Weiss stated plainly that she didn't want to deal with Neon. That left Ruby to study, with Weiss barking in her ear every few minutes.

Sadly the silence did not last forever. Ruby caught Neon staring at one point, and the crimsonette looked back at her friend.

"Well?" Neon asked, fixing her cyan glasses.

"Um, well what?" Ruby replied, sweating under the predatory glimmer in Neon's eyes.

"Tell me how it went! I want to know all the deets! What did you two talk about? Was he nice? Was he a creep? Was he, like, creepy but in a charming way, or like in a Marilyn Manson kind of way? Did he pay for lunch? What did he have for lunch?"

Ruby blinked at the barrage of questions, before slowly replying. "Uh… Quiche?"

"You guys talked about quiche? Boring," the other woman gagged.

"N-no, he had quiche. We talked about, well, lots of stuff. Superhero movies, comics, me being at Beacon."

"You like superhero movies? Why am I just finding this out now?!" Neon pouted, to which Ruby chuckled nervously at.

"Guess it just slipped my mind..."

"So what cha thinking? Boyfriend material?" Neon questioned with a grin.

"W-what?" Ruby's eyes widened, and her pencil slipped from her fingers as Neon giggled.

"This Jaune guy! Is he boyfriend material? Like, was he hot or not? Swipe left or right?"

Ruby blinked a couple of times, processing the questions. Her cheeks began to glow a dark shade of red as she rubbed her neck. She turned her eyes away. "I don't know about boyfriend material. I mean, he's nice, but…"

The young woman wondered how much Neon knew about her past. How much did Yang tell her? Did she know about Adam? Or Sun? "Yang? Hello?" Ruby called out to her sister, but she didn't get a response.

"But he's kind of goofy-looking? Buck teeth? Pasty skin? Big nose? Big scar on his face?" Neon listed, tilting her head with a curious look in her eyes.

"What? No!"

"Ah. That's fair. A scar would actually be kinda hot," the orange-haired woman muttered.

"I mean, he's… We've just met, and…" Ruby called out to Yang again, but she didn't get a response. None of the alts were answering her, leaving Ruby alone with Neon. "Where is everyone?!" No response.

The crimson-haired girl took a deep breath, and sighed. She stared at Neon as she bit her lower lip. "Do you remember Adam?" Neon shook her head, remaining uncharacteristically quiet. "He's my ex-boyfriend. He wasn't… He wasn't a very good person." Ruby felt her body shaking. Neon was the first person, the first real person to hear about Adam since Ruby left Patch...

"Oh. I understand." Ruby could tell Neon was left hoping for details, but instead of asking, the emerald-eyed woman smiled. "You know, I've never dated anyone before."

She was trying to change the subject. Trying to shield Ruby from the pain of remembering Adam. It was a simple gesture, yet to Ruby, it spoke volumes. The two women stared at one another as Neon crossed her arms and smiled. It wasn't a smug smirk, or a cattish grin. It was a sympathetic smile. The kind friends gave each other.

"Really? No boyfriend?"

"Heh. No, no boyfriend. Closest thing I got to a boyfriend is my roommate. Flynt. You remember him, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Ruby had no idea who he was. "Flynt's a good guy…?" She tried not to frame it like a question, and thankfully Neon didn't notice.

"Right? Anyways, he's, like, my best boy. He and I have known each other for, like, five-ever. But would I ever want to date him? Bleck. It'd be like dating my brother. Gross."

"I get that."

"Yeah… Um." Neon chewed on her lip, staring at Ruby. "I'm sorry. About Adam. I-I won't ask about it if you don't want me to, but… I'm sorry." Ruby nodded her head, a small smile pulling on her lips as she saw a new side to Neon.

"Thanks, Neon." The two stared at one another, and she felt something familiar light up in her chest. Like she had found someone who really cared about her. It was a great feeling. Like a warmth in her chest. She felt it first with Jaune, and now she was feeling it again with Neon.

"No probs." Neon shrugged her shoulder, before lifting a single finger. She waved it at Ruby as her smile vanished with a firm scowl. "If Jaune, or anyone, treats you wrong, you give me a call, alright? I'll pick you up, and kick their ass. Not neccesarily in that order."

Ruby laughed at the reminder, nodding her head. "Right. Promise."

The two returned to studying, a new air of comfort and ease in the air. As soon as Ruby looked back at her book, a pair of familiar voices greeted her.

"Way to go, Rubes!" Yang beamed. "You were great out there!"

"Yang? What happened?! Where were you?!" Ruby shouted.

"The dunce wanted us all to keep quiet," grumbled Weiss. "She wanted to see how you dealt with Neon."

"And you did great, sis. Seriously, A plus!"

Ruby should have known. Yang was the kind of teacher who taught people to swim by tossing them into a pool, literally in Ruby's case. "You left me to talk to her all by myself!"

"I did," Yang proudly confessed. "And you did great!"

The silver-eyed woman wanted to be upset, but she just quietly sighed and took it in stride. Yang was right. Ruby held a conversation with Neon all by herself. She even brought up Adam without relying on the alts. Maybe she should be proud of herself.

"Right. Can we now get back to studying?" Weiss sighed. "Please?"

"Right. Sorry, Weiss."

"Sorry, Weiss-cream."


Nora walked into Jaune's room with a frown on her face. Her phone was in her hand, currently dying with a low battery. "Stupid charger," she grumbled. Hers was busted, but she was sure Jaune wouldn't mind loaning her his.

The blond was already at work, leaving his room empty for her to explore. "Where is that thing?" she mumbled, looking around. That's when she noticed something laying on Jaune's bed. "Uh oh." He'd left his phone by his pillow. "That's not good."

She picked the phone up and unlocked it with a swipe of her finger. Jaune is really bad at making passwords, she thought. There were no new messages, or any missed calls. Jaune would probably be on his way back as soon as he realized he had left it.

That's when a thought popped into Nora's mind. She turned to the bedroom's door, almost expecting her ninja boyfriend to be staring at her, but he wasn't there. She tapped on Jaune's contacts and scrolled down to find Ruby's name.

Ruby seems like a nice girl… And it'd be a good thing if I just gave her a call on my phone, right? That way Jaune wouldn't have to worry about inviting her…

She could practically hear Ren's voice in her ear. He was probably wearing an angel outfit, with wings and a halo. He'd probably sit on her shoulder, wagging his fingers. Now, Nora. You know you shouldn't do that! You might get hurt, or Ruby might be scared of you.

But another thought replied, like a little Succubus Nora on her other shoulder. Do it! Do it!

Nora shook her head, pushing her imagination aside. The truth of the matter was that Nora just wanted to help Jaune. It was that simple. She wanted to meet Ruby because she wanted to make sure the woman was good for Jaune. She wanted to invite her, because she wanted her friend to be happy.

She remembered Ren's warning. She knew her boyfriend wouldn't have approved, but… what harm could it do? Nora promised herself all she'd do was invite the girl over, and that was it. No matchmaking, no pushing, just a simple invite.

Nora quickly sent Ruby's phone number to herself, and she quickly called the number. She put Jaune's phone down as she waited, glancing at the doorway as if Ren was going to appear any second.

Come on, come on, come on!


Peace and quiet was not something Weiss had much of. It was simply how life was. She was literally nothing more than a voice in Ruby's head. Her existence was nothing but noise and thought. Still, she made the best of what she could.

After Yang's friend left, Weiss was adamant about studying by herself. It was good that Ruby looked over the textbook, but it was Weiss who was responsible for the group's grades. Ruby understood and the two switched, leaving Weiss in control of the body while Ruby rested inside.

It had felt like such a long time since Weiss had been in control. She lifted her arms up and down, adjusting to the sensation, before looking over the room. It was one thing to look at it through Ruby's eyes. It was another thing entirely to see it with her own.

Not that these are my eyes, she reminded herself. She stood up and prepared a cup of coffee for herself, before walking back to the couch. She opened the book as she left the cup on the table, with a coaster under it, of course.

Wished we had a proper desk to study at, Weiss thought. She adjusted herself to be as comfortable as possible as she quietly studied.

Weiss quietly read through the text, memorizing what she learned. When Ruby needed it, Weiss would relay the answers to the girl and she'd learn what Weiss did. It was difficult to describe the action. Despite being different personalities, they did still shared Ruby's brain.

She sat on the couch for over thirty minutes when Ruby's phone rang on the table. Weiss glared at the device, picking it up and answering without even looking at the number.

"Hi, is this Ruby Rose?"

"Speaking. Who is this?" she asked, her eyes still combing over the book.

"Hi there! My name's Nora Valkyrie, and I-"

"I don't want whatever it is you are selling. Do not call this number again." Weiss ended the call with a press of a button. Damn telemarketers. Before she could even put the phone down, it rang again.

She glared at the unknown number. It was the same girl as before. Weiss rolled her eyes and let it continue to ring. Ruby and Yang had procrastinated long enough. They needed to study before the semester started. Those two had all of break to goof off. Now was Weiss' time.

The phone stopped ringing finally and Weiss sighed in relief. Until it just started ringing again. Weiss frowned, reaching down to pick up the phone again. That same number…

She answered it, but before she could speak, the woman on the other end did. "I'm not trying to sell you anything! I'm Nora! I'm Jaune's friend!"

"Jaune?" Weiss didn't recognize the name at first. She didn't know any Jaune, before realization dawned on her. The call was meant for Ruby. "Oh! Right. Jaune. Just give me a second." She put the call on hold before the other girl could even respond.

"Ruby! Ruby!"

"What?"

"Someone is calling for you. They know Jaune."

"What?!" Ruby quickly pushed Weiss, and the alt frowned as she relinquished control and allowed Ruby to take back her body. Weiss quietly watched as Ruby stumbled back into control.

Weiss lingered, listening to Ruby talk to the stranger. She wasn't sure why she bothered. It wasn't as if the conversation had anything to do with her. Perhaps she was simply curious.


"Hi! Ruby Rose! I mean, I'm Ruby Rose! Uh... Hi!" Ruby wanted to smack herself in the face. What's wrong with me? She quietly wondered.

"Uh, hey. I'm Nora?"

Ruby combed through her memories for the name, before her eyes widened. "Oh! Jaune's friend, right? He mentioned you."

"Did he now?" The young woman could hear chuckling from the other side of the phone, before Nora spoke. "He's been mentioning you a lot since your playdate."

"D-date?" Ruby's eyes widened as Nora laughed again.

"Play date! I said play date," the woman corrected with a giggle. "Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with us! Jaune had this awesome idea to invite you over for a little party. Just the three of us, plus one Ruby! A little dinner, a little double feature action. How's that sound?"

"Really?" Ruby's eyes widened, and she felt a soft tinge of warmth poke at her cheeks. "I mean, okay. Yeah, that sounds like fun."

"If it's his idea, why isn't he calling?" Weiss wondered, clearly annoyed to have her study session interrupted.

Ruby tried to shoo Weiss away for a moment, but the alt did have a point. "Um, are you sure it's okay I come over? I mean, is Jaune sure? We just met, and-"

"Totally! He'd love to have you here!" Nora shouted back. Ruby could practically hear the woman beaming. "He just didn't have a chance to call you himself. He forgot his phone at home. You know him, total dork," she explained.

"Heh. That does sound like him." Ruby chewed her lower lip, hesitation still holding her back. "And you and your boyfriend are okay with me coming over? I mean, I know you three all live together, and I don't want to intrude! If you want, I can come over some other time, or something…"

"It's no problem! Really! Renny and I would love to have you here!"

That was all Ruby needed to hear. She didn't have any other reservations about going, beyond the general nervousness she felt around strangers, but Nora and Ren were Jaune's friends! He talked about them like they were his family. If he got along with them, so could she.

"Alright. Thanks for having me! When's the party?"

"Awesome! I'll come down tonight to pick you up around seven! Text me your address, kay?" Ruby's eyes widened, but before she could even say anything, Nora was hanging up. "Kay, see you tonight! Bye!"

The call ended, and Ruby was left with her alts to process the information.

"Well, looks like you've got another date on your hands," Yang commented. She tried to make the whole thing was some kind of joke, but all the girls could hear the shock in her voice.

"Tonight." Blake repeated the word with a hint of frustration. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Ruby? It's sudden."

"Not to mention we have work to do!" Weiss grumbled. "Are you forgetting about our homework?"

The silver-eyed woman glanced at the book on the table with a pout. "We can just do it later."

"There isn't much of break left," Blake reminded. "Today, tomorrow, and the day after. Three days. Two and a half, really. That's all that's left of break."

"That is hardly enough time to prepare us for Goodwitch's class!" Weiss angrily huffed. "Ruby, call that woman and reschedule."

But she didn't want to. She wanted to see Jaune again. How could she not? He was funny, and nice, and now they were going to have dinner and watch movies together? She used to do stuff like that back in Patch with her friends! She'd hadn't had the chance since moving to Vale… She technically had dinner with her alts, and technically watched movies together, but it was hardly the same…

"Ruby?" Yang watched her sister, waiting for her to speak.

"I want to go." Ruby uttered the words slowly, but firmly. No one raised any opposition. Blake silently bowed, Yang nodded her head and cracked a joke, while Weiss threw her arms up in frustration and walked away.


Nora sighed in relief, before staring at her phone. I did the right thing, right? She waited for an answer, only to steel her nerves. Course I did! She's going to have a great time, meaning Jaune's gonna have a great time!

True, Nora was kind of confused by how weird that conversation went. One minute Ruby's kind of rude, the next she's like a female Jaune in terms of awkwardness. Weird. She shrugged it off, though.

Jaune'll be happy, and things can start going back to normal…

Normal. Now there was a world with little meaning to the ginger-haired woman. It'd been so long since the quartet became a trio that Depressed Jaune was almost normal. Well, Nora refused to let that battle go unfought.

Nora was going to help Ruby and Jaune end up together, even if she had to do a little bit of lying here and there. It's not BAD lying. It's not like I'm saying 'I didn't forge my entry papers!' It's just little white lie. I'll make it up to both of them. And Ren.

The young woman shook her doubts from her mind. Her eyes lit up as she smirked, pointing a finger to the sky. "Commence Operation…" She paused, staring at the ceiling for a good name. "Uh… Ooh! Rose Knight! Yeah! Operation Rose Knight!"

First step, finding the right movies! And I have just the perfect ones in mind!


Jaune stretched his arms up as he walked down the hall. He took out his keys, and pulled the door open, smiling as he heard Ren cooking by the stove.

Ren and Nora's place was a pretty nice place. A kitchen, two bedrooms, and a living room where they had a table set in front of a large TV. Plus one balcony so you could look out to admire the city. It was a little tight with Jaune there, but it was still nice.

Once again, he thought about how thankful he was to have Ren and Nora in his life. They really were the best..

"Hey, Ren! How's dinner?"

"Good. Any problems at work?" The young man didn't take his eyes off the food he was preparing, but Jaune knew he was paying attention.

"Besides forgetting my phone? Nope. All good." Jaune smiled at his friend, before noticing the distinct lack of Nora in the room. Usually the woman was sitting at the table, staring at her boyfriend as he worked. "Where's Nora?"

"She said she needed to pick something up. Honestly, I just think she's trying to avoid doing homework," Ren replied. "She should be here soon. Will you help me set the table?"

Jaune nodded his head, walking over to help. "What's for dinner?"

"Tortellini soup. Nora insisted on a big dinner tonight."

"Huh. Any reason why?"

"I assumed she was just hungry." The raven-haired man shrugged as Jaune chuckled. The blond reached into the cupboard to take out a trio of bowls, plus the utensils they were going to need. He walked to the dinner table as the door was unlocked and a familiar voice greeted the boys.

"Renny! I'm home! And look what I brought! Can we keep it?"

Jaune felt a jolt of terror go through his body. He really hoped Nora didn't find a rat or raccoon on the way home again and decided to adopt it. It took Ren forever to convince her to let the last two animals go free.

When he lifted his head to look at the beaming ginger, he stood corrected. It most certainly wasn't a rat, nor was it a racoon. It was Ruby Rose, smiling at Jaune in a cute red hoodie, black skirt, and big, dark boots at the end of her legs.

She smiled at Jaune with a wave of her hand as his blue eyes bounced between the two girls. Nora's smirk was all the answer he needed for the 'How, why, and who' that popped into his mind.


"Hey, Jaune!" Ruby smiled at the boy, yet something inside her cringed. He didn't look happy to see her. If anything, he looked surprised.

Ruby glanced at Nora, who stood beside her with a wide grin. "Nora drove me over. She invited me over for a party? O-or something? Um… I can go, if this is awkward." She pointed to the door she just came through, when Jaune lifted up his hands.

"No! No, you're good. Sorry. I just didn't expect you so soon. Dinner's not even ready yet," he explained. He quickly put down the plates that were in his hand and he walked over to her. "Here let me take your coat!"

"I'm… not wearing a coat," Ruby replied, slipping her hands into her hoodie's pockets.

"Oh. Right." Jaune scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed as Nora patted Ruby's back.

"How's about you check out our place, Rubes? Feel free to look around."

The energetic young woman snapped her fingers, and beamed at Jaune as Nora gently pushed Ruby towards the blond. The crimson-haired woman didn't even have the chance to stand her ground. The other girl was deceptively strong…

"In fact, why don't you show our guest around, Jaune? We'll call you when dinner is ready."

"I… Sure." Jaune nodded his head. "Come on, Ruby. I'll show you my bedroom."

There was a moment of silence. The only thing that could be heard was Nora snorting, before she began to laugh outright. The man in the kitchen, Ren, Ruby assumed, sighed as Jaune smacked his forehead.

"Nora! Not like that!"

It took Ruby a moment, before she felt her cheeks warm up. She was lucky all of her alts were leaving her alone for the night. If Yang heard that, she probably would have tried to throttle poor Jaune.

Jaune did what he could to salvage his image as Nora giggled. She walked past the blond to Ren as Jaune motioned for Ruby to follow him. The two walked down a hall, and entered a room at the very end.

Ruby's eyes widened at the sight of the room. It was pretty cool, she thought. There were posters for some of her favorite movies, and games on the walls. In a corner was a small bed with dark yellow sheets. Across from the bed was a wooden drawer with clothes hanging out of it, and small figurines sitting on top.

The room was also pretty clean, something that surprised Ruby. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but Jaune actually kept his room pretty tidy.

"Wow, this is your room?" She looked around, smiling at the sight. "Cool figures!"

"Thanks." Jaune glanced down the hall, before looking at Ruby. He held up his hands as he began to apologize. "I am really sorry for all of that. I didn't know you were coming tonight-"

"Yeah, I gathered," Ruby replied, trying to brush the whole ordeal off. "I'm sorry, I really don't want to mess up your night. I can go, really, it's okay."

"No! I mean, I wanted you to come over, I just didn't think it'd be tonight. Nora mentioned it this morning, and… Well, I'm just worried I'm the one making things awkward for you."

"Hey, come on, it's not awkward!" Jaune stared at Ruby, and the girl fell under the pressure. "Okay, it's awkward, but that's not on you. I'm socially awkward."

"You're not the only one," he sighed. He sat on his bed and rested his head on his hand. "Can I tell you something kind… embarrassing?" Ruby nodded her head as she sat down beside him. "I've been having a hard time making friends since my girlfriend broke up with me. I mean, I was never really good at it, but it only got worse after things ended between us. Before you came around, Nora and Ren were my only friends."

Ruby immediately understood what Jaune was going through. Almost too well, in fact. She knew what it was like to not have anyone outside a small group of friends… She knew what it was like to be in pain after a relationship ended…

"I'm sorry to hear that, Jaune."

He nodded his head. "We had been dating for four years, before things just… ended for us. I know it's stupid. I mean, lots of people go through break ups, it's just she was my best friend. I knew her since we were kids. Now I don't even get to see her."

Jaune sighed, only to look up as Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. It's okay. I get it." She felt a familiar hesitation try to hold her back, but just like with Neon, she shared a portion of her past. "I've actually had some problems since I broke up with my boyfriend too."

"What? Seriously?" Jaune sat up, arching his brow.

"Yeah. I mean, I've always been kind of socially awkward," she admitted. "But I used to date this guy named Adam back in my hometown. Things between us ended badly, and it kind of affected my whole life. Suddenly I lost touch with all my friends, and… Well, then I moved to Vale for college. I haven't looked back since."

She was underselling the whole thing, but she just didn't feel ready to tell Jaune everything. It'd be hard to have a fun party if all Jaune could think about was how Ruby was abused by her ex-boyfriend. So she kept the details to herself as she gave the short version.

"Course, before you, I didn't really try to make friends. I mostly just kept to myself."

"I'm sorry," he replied, and things were quiet for a moment.

Ruby kicked herself mentally. She felt like she just butchered the mood even worse. What was wrong with her? Why did she tell Jaune that? She met the guy less than a week ago, and now she was just blurting out her past! Stupid! You've made it even more awkward! She thought, only for Jaune to smile at her. It wasn't a happy smile. More melancholic.

"I thought things would never change between my girlfriend and I, and then suddenly… Everything's changed." Ruby nodded her head, and Jaune held his hand out to her. She stared at it as he spoke. "I know how we met was kind of weird, and that this whole night be even weirder, but I want you to know that I had a lot of fun yesterday. It was fun."

The memories flowed into Ruby's head, and she grinned at them. "Yeah. It was fun."

"So you want to stay? I mean, Ren's a great cook, and Nora probably already picked out movies. It's up to you, of course, I just thought it'd be fun."

Ruby chuckled at the blond's flustered nature. He really was awkward, maybe even more than she was. "I'll stay. I'm pretty hungry." Her hand grabbed his, squeezing it in a firm handshake.

"Just wait until you taste my cooking. I'm not half bad myself," Jaune grinned, standing up.

"Great, cause I don't know how to cook I burnt my water once." The two laughed at her joke. Their hands were still connected, and Ruby giggled as Jaune helped her onto her feet. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Jaune! Ruby! Dinner's ready!"

"And that's our que. Coming, Miss Rose?" Jaune opened the door for her, and motioned her down the hall.

"Why, thank you, Mister Arc."


After the initial awkwardness, Ruby found herself actually having a pretty good time with Jaune and his friends. Nora was a lot like Neon. The two were both friendly, weird, and energetic. Ren, on the other hand, was just as friendly, only at a much slower pace.

"This soup is really good, Ren." Ruby smiled at the older man from across the table. He smiled back, nodding slightly.

"Thank you. It's a simple recipe. I could show you it, if you wanted."

"Heh. Thanks, but it might be a bit above my skill level," she replied, a faint blush on her cheeks. She delivered another spoonful of food to her mouth as Ren glanced at Jaune.

"I don't know about that. You seem very intelligent. You're attending Beacon, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Engineering."

"I'm attending the school as well. I'm in Dr. Shirogane's psychology class."

"Really? I heard he's pretty cool!"

"He's intelligent, if eccentric."

"Has to be better than Miss Goodwitch. She terrifies me," Ruby confessed.

"I've heard stories about her. My condolences."

"Yeesh. The Wicked Witch? Seriously?" Nora shuddered at the teacher's name. "I've heard horror stories about her class…"

"You go to Beacon too?"

"Yep!" Nora beamed, pressing a fist to her chest with pride. "I have no idea what I'm going to major in!"

"Oh. Uh…" Ruby wasn't sure how to respond to that. She glanced at Jaune, and she caught the man's slight frown. He must have noticed her, because he put on a toothy grin.

"So, are the stories true, Rubes? Is Goodwitch as bad as we've heard?" He tried to hide what he was feeling, but she knew he must have been upset.

"Um, she's pretty tough, I guess. Mostly just strict." Ruby couldn't take her eyes off of Jaune at first. I wonder how uncomfortable he is. Everyone's in college except him… It's probably hard for him, she thought. She could only imagine how small and lonely he must have felt.

Ruby turned her eyes around the kitchen, searching for something to change the subject. She found her answer on the fridge. A drawing stuck to the door with a round magnet. "Hey, Jaune, what's that?"

"Huh?" He turned his head.

The drawing was across the spacious room, but even at a distance Ruby picked up two facts about the drawing. The first was that the drawing was made up of four hand drawn figures, each of them smiling at the viewer with weapons in hand. They looked like characters out of a fantasy story. The second was that the drawing was beautifully made, like it was straight out of an animated film.

"Oh. That's just a drawing I made a long time ago. I made it for our Dungeons and Dragons party a long time ago."

"You guys played Dungeons and Dragons?" Ruby blinked, before jumping in her seat as Nora beamed.

"Heck yeah! We used to play all the time! We still do over the weekend. I'm a level 10 half-orc barbarian," Nora declared.

"Here." Ren stood up and walked over to the fridge, taking the magnet off and bringing the paper back to Ruby.

"You drew this…?" Ruby held the drawing in her hand with wide eyes. She wasn't much of an artist, but she still found the drawing to be amazing. The pencil-drawn figures grinned back at her, triumph in their eyes from a recent victory.

There was one girl who stood taller over the other three figures. She had short hair and a large hammer in hand. Ruby glanced at Nora, who posed similarly to the barbarian. It actually looked a lot like her, save for some small tusks that stuck out of the drawing's mouth.

Then there was an elf in robes, wielding small blades in each of his hands. He had long, black hair that as tied up in a ponytail. Of the four, his smile was the smallest. He didn't seemed annoyed or upset, he just appeared calmer than the four.

"Is this Ren?"

"Level 9 Monk. Elf," Ren stated.

"He's badass!" Nora shouted.

Beside the elf was a human with light hair. He wore full body armor, and there was a shield strapped to his back and a sword in hand. He was the most forward of the group, as if he was leading them.

"I usually play DM, but I like to make a party member join the team and help out. Level 7 Paladin. Human." Jaune scratched the back of his head, chuckling. "I was pretty weak compared to everyone else on the team."

"Weak, but essential!" Nora declared, giving the blond a thumbs up.

Ruby chuckled at that, before noticing the last figure. The woman had long, dark hair and she wore simple clothing that still revealed her gorgeous figure. She had a bow in one hand, and in the other was the paladin's hand.

"Is this…?"

"My ex. Yeah." If the answer stung Jaune, he didn't show it. He just smiled. "We were a heck of a party. She was the toughest though. Our Ranger single-handedly carried the team through some dungeons."

"Yeah! This one time, she nailed three crits in a row! Bang! Bang! Bang!" Nora fired her fingers into the air as Ren quietly finished his bowl.

"She had a bow," he reminded.

"Ptew, ptew, ptew, then!"

Ruby laughed at Nora, before looking at Jaune. "You're a really good artist. This is great!"

"Thanks. I try." Jaune smiled back at Ruby, before looking at Nora. "So, Nora, what movies did you get anyways?"

The ginger-haired woman beamed back at Jaune and Ruby, but there was a distinct glimmer of mischief in her eyes. "Oh, I got a good one! Asylum of the Damned! One and two! We're gonna have a horror movie double feature!"

"Awesome!" The blond then leaned over to Ruby and whispered, "You ever heard of them?"

Ruby shook her head, but she already had a feeling she wasn't going to enjoy it.


The movie was… well, it was everything Ruby was afraid it'd be. Yet somehow, also worse.

The intro of the movie made Ruby's skin crawled. It had a group of cops dragging a woman in a straitjacket into an asylum, pushing her towards the nurses and doctors. One of the officers dusted his hands, happy to see the criminal put away.

"Let her rot here. This place is full of her kind. Nothing but rapists, child killers, and degenerates. Wall to wall freaks."

Ruby imagined her mother in a place like this. There were cobwebs and dust, like it was some kind of haunted house, and the orderlies even went as far as molesting the patients. The inmates themselves were insane in the worst possible way, laughing and screaming and threatening to kill everyone at the drop of a hat.

It made her stomach sick, and despite how quiet they had been, the other alternates were still affected. Maybe they felt what Ruby did. If they did, Blake was most vocal about it.

"This is disgusting," Blake growled, her voice in Ruby's ear.

"It's just a movie…"

Eventually the inmates broke free, and took over the mental stabbed and slashed the orderlies, and they laughed with sadistic glee as they hooked innocent guests to electric chairs. They turned the chairs onto their maximum voltage; all cackling as the people were electrocuted to death.

"They're acting like having a mental diseases turns someone into a demon…" Ruby was getting angrier. Her fingers dug into her skirt as her teeth ground against each other. Her jaw clenched as she found it hard to breathe.

"P-please, Becky! I was good to you! I was-AHHH!" The woman dug her knife into the man's side, laughing.

"You're right! You're right!" She wiped her hair with her blood covered hands as she licked her lips. "The voices in my head are in agreement. We don't care."

"Blake, stop!" Ruby begged. She was dissociating. She felt Blake's anger mixing with her own, before overwhelming it, washing over it like a flood. "Stop!"

"I can't take this anymore!"

"Man, the effects for this movie are so bad," Jaune laughed, only for Ruby to steal his attention. She rose up and suddenly started walking to the door, a hand on her head as the villain of the movie cackled.

"Hey, what's wrong with her? Ruby!" Nora stood up after the woman, but Jaune was the quicker of the two. He took off after the crimsonette as Nora watched in confusion. "Ruby…?"


Jaune ran after Ruby. He wasn't sure what was wrong with her, only that he wanted to help her. One minute they were watching a B-movie, the next she just stood up and ran out the door. He didn't understand. What happened?

"Ruby!" He tried to be courteous to his neighbors inside the apartment, but he raised his voice every time Ruby ignored him. "Ruby, wait up!" She ran faster, rushing down the stairs as she went.

She was going too fast. Jaune saw her trip on the last step, before falling onto the hard floor between flights. "Ruby!" He ran to her side, crouching down beside her as he looked her over. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"

His hand fell on her arm, only to be smacked away. His eyes widened as she glared at him. It was like whiplash. One minute Jaune thought he knew Ruby, the next he felt like he meeting her for the first time all over again. The glare in her eyes was… intimidating. His eyes watched her push him away as she sat up.

"Don't. Don't touch me," she growled.

"A-alright. Sorry."

"I'm going home," she huffed, closing her eyes as she sat against the wall. "I need to go."

"Alright. I'll drive you."

"No. It's fine. I'll take a cab." She tried to stand up on her own two feet, but Jaune rose up to block her.

"You sure, Rubes? I mean, that fall looked a little nasty… I'm totally cool with driving you home."

"No." She threw the word down and glared at Jaune. Her silver eyes, usually so warm and kind, were dulled. Even cold. "Go back to your friends and finish your movie. I just want to go home."

"Is… is that what this is about? The movie? If you didn't like it, we can stop it! I don't… I'm worried about you leaving."

"You can't stop me from leaving!" She practically hissed the words at him, as if daring him to challenge her. "Get out of my way, Jaune. I don't want to be here."

"Can I at least get an explanation? I'd like to know what I did wrong before you walk out." Jaune replied, his own temper rising for a moment. His brow wrinkled as he glared at her, clearly frustrated.

"You want an explanation? Fine. That movie wasn't just bad. It was disgusting. It was insulting. It was trash!" Ruby explained.

"I-I mean it was bad, but-"

"It was crap!" she accused. "They act like the mentally impaired are some kind of monsters or something! That just because someone might have schizophrenia, or OCD, they're going to kill someone, or worse."

Jaune had never seen Ruby so enraged. Even the first night they met, she was more scared than angry. But here and now? Ruby seemed ready to punch someone. She clenched her jaws and ground her teeth as she shook her head in disgust.

"It's…" Ruby bit her lip, seething with rage as she began to pace back and forth.

"I never knew you felt so strongly about how those people are treated," Jaune admitted.

"Of course, you didn't. You don't know anything about me." He wasn't sure if the statement was meant to hurt, or if Ruby was just stating a simple fact. He looked at her, expecting regret, or even guilt, but he didn't see any. She just glared at him. "I'm going home."

"If you want to go, then fine." Jaune nodded his head, taking a deep breath. "You're right. I don't know why you, but I want to." He moved out of her way, and he stared into her silver eyes. "Ruby, I'm sorry… I'm sorry the movie upsetted you, and I'm sorry I didn't know it would. I'm sorry. If you want to leave, okay. I'll even pay for your cab, but if you stay, I promise I'll make it up to you."

Ruby didn't move. She just glared at Jaune like she didn't understand what he was saying. "Why do you even care? We barely know one another."

"I know enough. I know you love cookies, I know you love superhero movies, I know you're majoring in engineering under the scariest teacher as Beacon, and I know that you don't like talking about your past." He shrugged his shoulders as she continued to stare at him. "I don't know. For me, that's enough to say you're my friend, and I don't want to see you upset."

"You're too trusting. That kind of attitude will only get you hurt," Ruby scoffed.

"Maybe. But you haven't left yet." Jaune held his hand out to her, desperate for her touch. "Stay. Let's talk this out."


He was right. Blake hadn't left yet. She wasn't sure why, honestly.

Walking away would have been easy. He even offered to pay for the taxi. So why didn't she walk away? Perhaps she felt guilty.

Blake didn't mean to rip control out of Ruby's hands. But she refused to just sit by as they were forced to watch that trite. Ruby wasn't in pain anymore. Blake saved her from that. The young woman was just asleep.

Now Blake was the one in control, and the first thing she did was leave. She couldn't stand listening to that film. It was little more than exploitation. It insulted her to her deepest core.

Summer wasn't Blake's mother. As an alternate personality, Blake didn't have family. She was a voice in Ruby's head, but so much more than that. An alt's purpose was to protect the main personality from trauma and pain.

Blake refused to fail Ruby again.

"Fine. You can talk, but I reserve the right to leave whenever I want." She walked past him, but she didn't step down the stairs. She just waited for him to make his point as she pondered.

A sense of responsibility… That was why she was here. She wanted to protect Ruby. Maybe more than any of the other alts. Weiss was responsible for making sure Ruby's grades were good. Yang was the friendly, and supportive older sister.

But Blake was her protector. She was meant to guard Ruby from all that would hurt her. Whether or not that included Jaune was yet to be seen.

"Alright… Well, I'd like it if you stayed. You're obviously upset, and I want to help you feel better."

"Why?" Blake sighed, crossing her arms as she kept her eyes on the stairs.

"Because we're friends."

Words. Simple as that. They sounded nice, but in the end they didn't have any weight.

"Try again."

"What?"

"Try again," she growled. Ruby's too trusting. Who was Jaune, really? She had no memories of his supposed heroics. She had no evidence that he wasn't just a wolf in sheep's clothing. There was no reason she shouldn't just walk away.

"Fine. Because it's the right thing to do!" Jaune raised his voice, and Blake wasn't sure if she should have been intimidated or curious. "I was raised to always do the right thing, and help others. That hasn't changed."

He's too much like Ruby, Blake thought. Reality was bound to come crashing down on him, just like it did for them. "How can I trust you?" she muttered. She hadn't meant for him to hear, but he did.

"I'm not like your dad, or your ex-boyfriend…"

Those words caused Blake's eyes to widen. He knew? How did he know about Adam? Did Ruby tell him? Why would she do that?! Questions raced through her mind, leaving her speechless as Jaune continued.

"Whatever they did, I promise it won't happen again."

Blake felt something touch her face, and she dug her nails into her palms at the sensation. A tear. A tear was traveling down Ruby's face, and it came from Blake. She wiped her eyes quickly, damning her weakness.

Why? That was the first question that popped into her mind, but she wasn't sure what she was asking. Why did Jaune know about Adam or Tai? Why did she feel a twisting in her gut? Why was she still here…?

"Never bring them up again," she demanded.

"Alright… I'm sorry." Jaune stepped closer to Blake. "But I meant it. This isn't Patch. I just want to help you."

Blake heard those words before. Adam told them to her, before he crushed Ruby's heart in his hand.

Was Jaune any different? Maybe. Ruby thought so. Why else would she have told him about their past?

This should be her choice, Blake realized. The alt was Ruby's protector, but that didn't mean she could take Ruby's freedom from her. She refused to be like Adam.

Blake took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her mind melted back into place. She found where Ruby slept, and she pushed her sleeping consciousness back into place. When their eyes opened up again, it'd be Ruby in control, not Blake.

She would watch and wait. If Jaune was really who Ruby said he was, Blake would probably never see him again. No point in two protectors.

That was fine by Blake.


The first thing Ruby felt was a feeling of weightlessness. Then she realized she was falling towards the ground, and reality hit her like a cannon.

She had stumbled in place, her legs buckling under her weight. Something pulled on her arm, and she fell against something soft and warm.

"Whoa! Rubes, you okay?"

She opened her eyes, and she saw Jaune looking down at her. Her memories came back in an instance, and she felt a mix of emotions.

"Jaune…" Guilt for letting Blake take control. Anger at the alternate for taking it. Dread that Jaune saw her for the freak she was. "I'm sorry," she whispered, turning her eyes away from him.

"Hey, don't sweat it." He smiled at her. "Girls fall for me all the time."

She didn't say anything at first. He just smiled at her. Then she laughed, and he laughed with her. It wasn't a great sounding laugh. It was weak, more like a snort really, but it didn't matter. Ruby knew that Jaune didn't hate her.

It was a welcomed relief.

"Come on, easy does it." He helped her onto her feet, and they stared at one another. "I'm really sorry, Ruby."

"Sorry? For what? I'm the one that messed up." She looked at the walls of the room. They were in the middle of some stairs. Did Blake try running off…?

"For hurting you! I didn't know that movie would bother you so much. That's on me. I just hope you can forgive me…?"

She scoffed, and Jaune looked hurt for a moment. "No. It's not you. It's me. I just… a freak," she sighed.

"Hey. The only normal people are the ones you don't know well enough," Jaune replied. "You fit in fine here, if you ask me."

"Your roomates probably think I'm crazy."

"We live with Nora. Trust me, this is nothing. She's brought raccoons to the house before."

Ruby giggled at that imagery, a smile forming on her lips, but she quickly tried to hide it. She brushed her hair from her eyes as she mumbled, "I'm sorry. It's just… asylums, crazy people… Stuff like that gets to me, I guess."

"It's okay." His hand fell on her shoulder, and she followed it to look the blond man in his azure eyes. "You don't need to explain. I promise, it's okay."

At every turn she made to feel sorry for herself, Jaune blocked her. He made a joke, he made her laugh, he did everything he could to be there for her. With every word and smile, Ruby felt her spirit rise.

"I'm sorry," she muttered again.

"I'm sorry too," he replied. His hand slipped from her shoulder, but hovered between them. "Like I said, if you want to go, you can, I won't stop you, but if you want to stay and try to make something of the night, well…"


Nora sat on the couch, glaring at the paused movie. The slasher villain was currently machete deep in some teenage douchebag, but the young woman couldn't care less. She glared at the screen, blaming the movie for her frustration.

Stupid movie…! It had felt like such a foolproof plan. Rent a scary movie, Ruby cuddles up with Jaune, they get together. Pyrrha wouldn't let go of Jaune whenever the four saw horror movies together!

She never meant for Ruby to leave…

And the worst part was that there was nothing Nora could do about it. Jaune chased after Ruby to help. If Nora went, she'd probably make the whole situation worse.

No, the worst part was probably her boyfriend. He sat beside her, and she knew he was just waiting for the right moment to scold her. 'Stupid Nora. Dumb ol' Nora. Messed up again, I see… I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.' That's what she predicted she was going to hear from him.

"Do you want some tea?" he inquired, making her glare at him.

"Really?" she sighed. "Can I do something right tonight?!" Nora groaned in anger, burying her face in her hands as Ren raised his brow.

"I'm sorry?"

"No, I'm sorry! I just… I was just trying to help," she huffed, hitting her knee with a tight fist. "Clearly I messed up."

"Nora…"

"No, it makes sense. I couldn't help Pyrrha stay, and now I've scared Ruby away. What is wrong with me?!" The fellow redhead had been one of her closest friends. They grew up together! Everything felt so perfect when the four were together, and now what?

Ren had told Nora before that blaming herself was wrong, but what was Nora supposed to do now? There was no one else to blame.

"Nora."

"What?!" She glared at her boyfriend, only for him to hand a mug to her. She took it, confused at the warm drink. It was a hot chocolate with marshmallows floating in it, gently bobbing in the chocolate sea.

"I'm not going to scold you. I'm not going to tell you what you did wrong. I'm not going to tell you what to do next. All I want is to help you calm down and think this through." She stared at him with a blurry gaze as he quietly sipped his tea.

"I… Really?"

He nodded his head.

She blinked, before she lifted an arm to wipe her eyes. Nora sighed loudly, and closed her eyes. "I'm… not very subtle, am I?"

"As subtle as grenades tied to a hammer."

"I just wanted to help!" She looked at Ren, desperation in her eyes. "Is that so crazy?!"

"Of course not. Everyone wants to help their friends."

"But everytime I try to, I just mess up."

"That's not true." He sipped his tea. "You've helped me plenty of times." He smiled at her, and she tried to return the gesture, but she wasn't ready just yet.

"What if I just cost Jaune a friend…?" Ren didn't reply, and she scoffed with a bitter chuckle. "I'm asking for your help, Dr. Renny."

"We'll help him."

Nora nodded her head, before turning her head to the doorway. "And if they do come back?"

"Apologize and move on." That sounded so easy, Nora thought, but she wondered if it would be.

"Ren?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks…" She felt his lips touch her cheek, and his warm breath against her skin. "Always."

It didn't take long for Ruby and Jaune to return. They walked through the door and by the time it closed behind them, Nora put her drink down and leapt towards the two.

"Ruby! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to make you lea-" She was silenced as Ruby gave her a quick hug, squeezing her a moment.

"It's okay. It's my fault, really. Asylums… They-"

"Hey, don't worry about it." She lifted her arms up to hug Ruby back. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry."

"We're both sorry," Nora giggled. "Deal?"

"Deal." The two young women pulled apart from one another, and Nora glared at the TV.

"Alright, no more movie." Ruby opened her mouth to argue, but Nora put a finger in the air. "No buts. Okay?"

"Okay, but what do you guys want to do for the rest of the night?" Ren cleared his throat and the three turned to face the young man.

"Perhaps a game of charades then?"


"Ooh, ooh! A maid! A sexy maid!"

Ren shook his head, before he continued to sweep the ground, miming that he had a vacuum in his hand. Jaune, on the other hand, continued to fire his imaginary guns into the air.

"First person shooters! Overwatch! Cannons!"

Jaune shook his head, before he snapped his fingers, grinning. He sat down on the ground and began to pretend he was rowing a boat, kicking himself around the room.

"Oh! Ghostbusters 2! Ghostbusters 2!"

"She's got it!" Jaune grinned, jumping onto his feet with a card in his hand.

He handed it to Nora, who glared at it with a scowl on her face. Ren sighed, standing up as he nodded his head in further confirmation. The answer the boys were looking for was, in fact, Ghostbusters 2.

"That's five for Ruby and I, three for you and Ren."

Nora made a show of dramatically cursing the charade gods, but honestly?

It was the most fun she had losing in a long, long while.

END

I'm late updating, and I am sorry. (Bows my head) Sorry, folks. My bad. I stayed up until 3AM to try and get this story done as soon as I could.

This chapter sure had a lot drama in it, huh? I was happy to end it on a funny, humorous note. Fun fact, Ruby and Jaune's Ghostbusters 2 answer actually made a lot of sense. The two watched a certain cartoon when they were kids, and that sealed their victory.

I want to go over something before I say goodbye.

I want to thank all the people who want me to update the story faster. Really, it's very sweet to know you want me to. Thank you. Sadly, I'm working two jobs at the moment, and I have a lot of other stuff I need to work on for my Pat-reon. Polls, prompts, all that good stuff.

I'm TRYING to update faster. I moved the end of the month updates to the twenty-fifth to ease my way into that. I clearly still have a lot of work to do.

The best ways to make me update faster? Well, donating to my Pat-reon is a simple answer. It might be kind of selfish, or stupid, but it honestly is. If I got more money from my , I wouldn't need to work so much on my actual jobs. I could devote more time to writing this story. Or even if my Patrons just asked me to update this faster.

Another way you can help me update faster without paying a cent? Leave a review. Tell me how much you're enjoying the story. It helps, it really does.

Secondly, I want to explain Blake a bit. She was one of the hardest characters to translate into this story. Ghira and Kali aren't her parents in this world, and there are no Fanus. That said, she isn't too off from the canon one. She still has scars from Adam, and her desire for better Faunus rights was turned into better rights for those afflicted by mental disorders. Just imagine that movie with all Faunus villains, and it might help you see why she flipped out.

Thirdly, Dr. Shirogane is a reference to Persona 4, specifically my version of Yu Narukami. He took Naoto's last name, moved to America, and became a teacher at Beacon. That's my head canon. No nyeh. (Sticks out tongue)

Finally, the title is a reference to the saying 'The path to hell is paved with good intentions.' Case you missed that.

So long, folks. Stay strong, be safe, and know that you are loved. See ya next chapter.

Next Update: June 25th, 2018.