Jaune hardly got an hour of sleep in before he was interrupted by something else. It tugged hard at his bed sheets and refused to stop until his eyes opened.
"UGH!" Jaune groaned. "What do you want? I'm trying to—"
"Have a nice and peaceful slumber? I'm pretty sure each of us would like that," said Watts. He sounded even more disgruntled than usual and had large bags under his eyes.
Jaune's eyebrows rose as he saw the man himself. "What are you here for?" he asked.
"To give you a back massage," said Watts sarcastically. "What do you think? I have a message from Salem."
"What does it—"?
"Would you kindly shut up so that I can read the message?"
Jaune slumped back in his bed. He had a sinking feeling that the date was too good to be true. Salem was probably going to demand something in return. Maybe it would be his loyalty or one of his limbs. You never really knew what you were going to get with her.
"It reads as follow: Mister Arc. Dinner with you was a delight. It's odd to think that only two days have passed since we were paired together—"
"ONLY TWO DAYS?" Jaune screamed. "I swear it's been way longer than that! How can it only be two days when so much has happened?"
"You're forgetting which series you're a part of," Watts grumbled. "Six to eight months can magically turn into a couple of weeks in this timeline. Now stop talking before I strangle you."
"Oh…sorry."
Watts gave Jaune a hard stare before picking up where he had left off. "And I feel that you and I have come to understand each other a little better. Whatever differences we may have shall be put on hold for the time being. Just remember that I will go back to being your enemy after this is done with."
Watts folded the message and stuffed it in his pocket. Strangely enough, Watts seemed to always have the same clothes on for every occasion. It was like his outfit had become a parasite that lived off of his body.
"So…does that mean we're kind of cool but not really?" asked Jaune.
"The hell if I know," Watts mumbled. "Just go back to sleep so that I can try to get at least an hour of rest."
Jaune stared at his ceiling for a while after Watts had left. It was hard to even consider that maybe Salem was warming up to the idea a little and cutting him some slack. Had he done something to make Salem change her mind? It was really hard to tell and Salem probably wouldn't admit to such a thing if pressed. Whatever the reason, Jaune was just happy at the prospect of Salem being less harsh on him and he slept the rest of the night with a smile on his face.
Jaune awakened the next day with that same smile on his face. The thought of Salem possibly relaxing a little was still on his mind and Jaune was really excited to find out what that would feel like. He skipped changing out of his pajamas and ran down the long hallways and staircases to reach Salem. She was already awake and sitting in her special seat at the end of the table.
"Uh…. good morning," Jaune mumbled.
Salem turned her head towards him and—for a split second—smiled. "It's good to see you," she said with no emotion.
"Same," Jaune chuckled. "I…uh…just want to say thank you…. for dinner! Yeah…"
"Your thanks are appreciated," said Salem. "Perhaps I was too harsh on this pairing when it first came to my attention. I still plan on making things miserable for you and Team RWBY, but perhaps that could be put on hold."
"You know you're really surprising me when you say stuff like that?" said Jaune. "It's like you're e a different person all of a sudden."
"You misunderstand me. I'm kind to everyone as long as they show me respect. The people I wish to eradicate have done nothing but antagonize me and sabotage my plans. Don't you think I have a reason to be upset with them?"
Jaune fought the urge to groan. Now was not the time to get into an argument with Salem. He decided to just shrug his shoulders and let her carry on.
"Regardless of what you think," Salem said, "I'm sure you and I can put that aside for the time being. That is…if you behave."
Jaune nodded.
"Good. I think I'm going back to contemplate some more. Feel free to do what you wish."
And Salem left without saying another word. It was still so strange for Jaune to be in a position where Salem saw him as only being a little beneath her. He couldn't help but carry a big grin as he walked around Salem's place.
"What's with the smile?" asked Tyrian. "Did Hazel give you some of his stuff too?"
"No," said Jaune. "I'm just happy things are working out."
"Heh. We'll see how long that lasts. Aha…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Jaune just rolled his eyes and walked away. Nothing could stop his good mood, even Tyrian and his maniacal laughter. Things were going great and soon the pairing would end positively. Afterwards, Jaune could look forward to a nice and long vacation.
THWUMP.
Jaune stumbled backwards as something slammed against one of the windows of Salem's place. He got right up and went to open it. There was somebody lying facedown on the ground. It was hard to see whom it was because of how far they had fallen. Jaune looked back to make sure nobody else was looking and quietly made his way outside.
Salem's palace was very large and it took over ten minutes just to reach the side. Jaune couldn't think of who this person might be. Nobody every willingly came onto Salem's territory unless they wanted to die or were morally bankrupt themselves.
The person lying on the ground was now a lot easier to see. It was a girl and she appeared to still be unconscious.
Jaune walked closer to her and knelt down. He turned her around and fell backwards. This was somebody he recognized. The chances of ever seeing her again were thought to be very low. After all, she was one of the most popular characters in the verse. How she managed to find enough free time for a break was a mystery enough, but there was also the added mystery of having her visit Salem's palace of all places.
Jaune took one more look and felt his heart drop. The girl was none other than Pyrrha Nikos.