"Soooo. Why exactly am I being strapped into a bed while wearing a leather outfit?" asked Jaune. Salem had taken him back to her place after the party without saying a word. Jaune had expected her to lay all the praise she could on him for taking the attention away from Team RWBY, but she'd gone silent after leaving. It was only after they reached the front door to her place that she finally spoke up.

"I'd like you to do something for me," she had said. Jaune willingly agreed and somehow ended up in his current situation.

"You're to stay here until Salem says so," said Watts. He'd been placed in charge of keeping an eye on Jaune and already seemed to be tired of it.

"But she said she was going to take things more seriously," Jaune whined.

"She said we were taking things more seriously," Watts said in a mocking tone. "Really, you're remarkably naïve if you really think Salem would turn to you that quickly. You merely did her a favor by humiliating the discount Powerpuff girls."

Jaune frowned when Watts said that. That sounded exactly like the sort of thing Salem would do. If there was one thing Salem was consistently good at , it was manipulating those around her to do what she wanted.

"Now please sulk away from me so I don't have to see your face any more than I need to."

Jaune groaned and looked away. There was nothing worse than being hungry while stuck in a room with Watts. He was about to think of a way out when someone walked in.

"Howa are you enjoying my little arrangement?" asked Salem.

"You've finally arrived," Watts shrugged. "This boy whines more than the cat faunus, and that's saying quite a lot."

"Thank you for your aid," said Salem. "Now please excuse me while I speak with my partner."

Jaune felt his heart pick up a beat after hearing Salem refer to him as her partner. It was only a day ago when she barely even acknowledged him.

Once Watts left the room, Salem looked up at Jaune and smiled.

"I apologize for saying nothing during our walk here," she said. There still wasn't a smile on her face. "I'd like to personally reward you for humiliating that insufferable huntress team."

"Uh, thanks," said Jaune. "But I'd really like to get out of here first. These straps are cutting off the circulation of my arms."

"Of course," said Salem. She made a gesture with her hands and the straps came off almost immediately.

Jaune took a deep breath and clasped a hand over his chest. The straps had been a lot tighter than he thought.

"So how would you like me to reward you?" asked Salem. "I'm not Ozpin. I always carry out what I promise."

"A nice normal date would be nice," said Jaune. It'd been a while since he'd had a normal date. Pairing requests often came with "date requests." These were specific requests that the shipper wanted their pairings to do during dates. This could range from dramatic dialogue to more promiscuous activity; depending on just how thirsty the shipper was feeling. All Jaune really wanted was a nice and quiet meal with no interruptions.

"That can be arranged," said Salem thoughtfully. "Very well. You are to come downstairs in approximately one hour. I'll be expecting you at exactly that time. Food will be prepared by me so you have nothing to worry about."

"Oh….thanks," said Jaune. "You aren't tricking me or anything?"

"Of course not," said Salem. "I made a promise, didn't I? Now please go and get ready while I do the same."

And she left without another word.

"I'm either dreaming or I actually made progress," said Jaune. He poked himself in the eye just to be sure. It was definitely real.

"So she just offered you anything you wanted?" asked Amber. Jaune had returned back to the room of forgotten Waifus where Tyrian lay unconscious in a dust-induced coma. The girls were all playing Combat Ready and reading doujin. Jaune found them to be a lot more helpful than the all of Salem's allies.

"Yeah," said Jaune. "I'm still having trouble taking it all in."

"I wouldn't trust her if I were you," said Amber.

"Would you please shut your Dora-the-Explorer looking ass up!" shouted the irritable voice of Whitley Schnee.

"What's he doing here?" asked Jaune.

"I'm practicing for my new role of best girl," said Whitley with a grin. "Every Schnee knows that the road to greatness starts from the bottom rungs."

Jaune shrugged and continued with his story. "So I just don't know what to do."

"You could always rant about her on Twitter and have it blow up in your face," said Glynda.

"What?"

"Nothing. Pretend I said nothing."

"Just be on your guard. That's really all the advice we can give you," said Amber. "Now get out and enjoy yourself."

"If you say so," said Jaune. He knew that he would have no chance against Salem and her allies if he tried to defend himself. But any damage done to him would be a big help for any lawsuit he'd file.

There was also the chance that Salem could have had achange of heart. It'dbeen a while since she'd actually tried to fight Team RWBY. Maybe there was some good in her coal-black heart after all. Even the most vile of hell spawn could have feelings.

"Now watch as I gracefully bend over and—" Jaune left the room before Whitley could continue what he was doing.

Jaune dressed in the same suit he had on earlier. The only changed he had made were the additions of black tie wrapped around his neck. The tie had various Grimm markings that he thought she'd enjoy. He also combed his hair a little. It became very messy after his incident earlier. With everything done and ready, Jaune took a deep breath and prepared to go downstairs. Salem would either surprise him in a good or bad way. He would only find out which by moving forward and finding out himself.