Hey guys. I just wanted to make you all aware of something, so please do read this – even if you normally don't. I'll Tl;dr it right now, and then explain. Ahem…
This fic will, after this week, always be updated on a Thursday instead of a Wednesday.
Now for reasoning. It's still going to be once a week, but the current deadline system doesn't work well with this. Originally, WS was supposed to be 5k a chapter at most, but it has ballooned out from that and also become quite the popular story. As such, I don't want to rush it, which is what I currently have to do. I slam this out Tuesday night – after Entertainer – when I'm already exhausted. College Fool rarely gets to see more than half, and that's a shame too.
Last week, the burglary mixed things up, but I actually found it easier to write this for a Thursday. College Fool got to see the chapter, I had time to go over it for mistakes, and the whole thing flowed better. As such, I've made the decision to make Thursday the new update day for this fic. Here it is on Wednesday this week, but from now on, it will be Thursdays.
This is actually quite an exciting step for me (which is ironic, since to everyone else it's a mere one day change). College Fool really does help, however, and a chance to have an extra day to write this and for CF to see it is going to let me up the quality.
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Kegi Springfield
Chapter 15 – Fleeced
Yang didn't know what to do.
It felt like a recurring theme, really.
She hadn't known what to do when it was time for them all to go out and hit Vale, and she opened the door to come face-to-face with another bouquet of flowers. She hadn't known what to do when Jaune looked at her expectantly, and she hadn't known what to do when she noticed several people in the corridor, watching the event with starry-eyed expressions.
She'd just sort of… gone with it. The flowers now had a new home within the grenade canister, the old ones having finally died the day before, and against all odds, the trip to Vale had now somehow become maybe, kind of, perhaps a date. She wasn't sure if it was official or not. She was confused, a little out of her depth, and currently walking with one hand linked with Jaune's.
She didn't know what to do!
He hadn't even asked her out, or at least not in any way she'd noticed. He'd just sort of come with flowers, complimented her, and then – while she was reeling – asked if she was ready for their date. She'd said yes, mostly because her brain had only been functioning at half-power, the rest suffering its own thermonuclear meltdown. Also, Blake could go to hell. Yang had looked to her for advice, only to see the dark-haired girl hide herself behind Nora. So much for teammates looking out for one another... she would remember this betrayal, the next time Blake needed a hand.
Okay, take deep breaths, Yang thought. Ignore his cologne too, even if it does smell kind of nice. No, bad Yang! She allowed Jaune to guide her, ears still tuned out from the others as she focused on calming her raging heart. This was okay, this was fine – she was in control. Okay, she wasn't, but she could pretend she was! There was nothing unusual about this. She was only holding hands with the guy, and that wasn't a big thing at all. Heck, she'd wrestled with guys in Signal and there'd been less drama. Holding hands was a thing she'd done with her dad when she was younger – it wasn't anything special.
And so what if he brought her flowers, twice now, and unlike any man had before. And so what if he complimented her and smiled, or held doors open for her to pass through. He treat her like a woman instead of a girl – or worse – a tomboy, but so what? That wasn't anything special, was it?
The thousand little voices screaming in her head said otherwise. They said a lot of things, really, since her mind was a battlefield at that very moment.
Didn't you always dream of finding prince charming?
I'm not prepared…
He's a perfect gentleman. He doesn't see you as a violent brute.
S-Shut up, me!
Oh gods, she was having a conversation with herself – that wasn't a good sign. Yang's eyes strayed to her right, in front and behind… anywhere that wasn't to the left where six foot of blonde held her hand and smiled honestly every time their eyes met. He even looked happy every time their eyes met, and that had butterflies fighting to the death in her stomach.
Would it really be so bad if this was maybe a thing?
Yang caught silver eyes looking her way and instantly felt it might be. Did the scenario feel familiar in some way? It certainly did. How many times in Signal had Ruby made a friend, only to introduce them to her and have them replace the younger sister for the older, cooler and more popular version? How many friendships had Yang accidentally ruined, no matter how hard she tried not to?
Ruby never held a grudge, and dad always said they couldn't have been very good friends if they did that, but it didn't stop Yang remembering each and every time. She'd promised to never do that again, which was why the original plan had been to ditch Ruby in Beacon and force her to make some genuine friends of her own.
And it worked! It worked really, really, well. She had Jaune, Pyrrha and Weiss, a whole team of friends willing to support her. She also had Jaune, a guy – perhaps the first guy – to show genuine interest in Ruby in more than a friendly manner. Yang could still remember how he'd complimented Ruby's eyes and legs, how he'd claimed to `like what he saw` and how he `wanted to get to know her better`. She could even remember Ruby's adorable questions about what she was supposed to do to find out if a guy liked her.
It was her little sister growing up, stretching her wings, and with a guy Yang could actually approve of. Jaune was way too innocent to do anything nasty to her – and had even been a perfect gentleman when Ruby gave him a love bite. I mean, Ruby was probably hoping for something a little more, but still – I'M pleased he was a perfect gentleman.
Except that now, she had his hand in hers, in front of her sister, who couldn't stop looking their way and shooting her strange looks.
I'm sorry! Yang wanted to shoot back. I didn't mean to!
How could she have known his interest would switch to her? Had she flirted with him? She didn't think so, except… no, she'd teased him once or twice. They joked together a lot as well, and he was one of the few people to laugh at her jokes but… had that been the first signs of his attraction?
She hadn't stolen Ruby's first friend at Beacon… she was stealing Ruby's first crush.
She didn't know what to do!
No… she did. She needed to fix this, and as soon as possible. This was Ruby's chance for happiness and she'd been the first to show an interest in him. She needed to make it so that Jaune fell for her little sister again.
/-/
Ruby didn't know what to do.
Yang kept sending her weird looks and wouldn't ever meet her eyes when she tried to look back. Her big sister's cheeks alternated between white and red, with occasional nervously pleased looks towards Jaune, who seemed all but unaware of what effect he was having on the normally confident girl.
Ruby knew, however, and that was what left her with such problems. Jaune thought it was a date, again – and it was Yang's fault, again. She'd said the magic word, and Jaune, being somehow worse than her at social cues – squeee – had taken it as meaning Yang was inviting him on a date. He'd done it the last time, and she hadn't had the heart to explain the reality to him.
Okay, and maybe a part of her had also been a little vindictively amused at watching her big sister squirm, but who could blame her? Yang barely ever got teased, and it was always herself who bore the brunt of it. Revenge had been sweet, blonde and six foot something. It had seemed so innocent too.
Now, it seemed anything but. Yang had gone past shock and was lost somewhere in catatonia, but unless Ruby read her face wrong – and she was fairly sure she hadn't – Yang wasn't as displeased with the idea as she had been before.
Yang, her sister, maybe liked Jaune, her friend, as more than a friend.
That…
That was awesome!
It was great news, wonderful, because it all fit together so well and meant she could be with them both and happy, and rainbows and other crazy stuff Ruby didn't really care about because it didn't explode, fire shells with pinpoint accuracy or cause a Beowolf's internal matter to become external matter.
Point was; it should have been a good thing that Yang liked Jaune.
Except for the rather one, bad, thing…
Jaune liked her, Ruby Rose. He always complimented her, always spent time with her and even got nervous and looked away every time she met his eyes. That was like; the list of ways you knew someone liked you. She knew because she'd checked, and Yang had even confirmed each one. It also kind of helped make it obvious that he'd as good as said he liked her that way and that he wanted to get to know her more. If it had gotten to the point where even Pyrrha and Yang picked up on it, then it had to be true. Jaune liked her… as in like liked her.
Ruby's cheeks darkened at the thought. Her dad, uncle and Zwei could never know!
The whole date thing was funny before, back when Yang's embarrassment was innocent and no one's feelings were going to be hurt, but if Yang was starting to develop feelings for him now, then things were getting complicated. She knew Yang hadn't meant to ask Jaune out on a date. If it had just been that, she could have laughed at Yang's misfortune and remembered this for prosperity. Unfortunately, Yang's reactions were way out of whack for what was normal. She never got this worked up about anyone else, even with the guys her sister hung out with in the past.
Jaune was different, special… perhaps because unlike those old people who fancied Yang, they didn't look at Ruby like she was some irritating hanger-on. Yang hated that, and wouldn't put up with anyone who considered Ruby a burden. Jaune didn't, and what's more, he treat them both wonderfully.
Had that sparked Yang's interest?
The problem is whether Yang realises Jaune is into me or not. Argh, this is terrible. Ruby shook her head in panic. The first guy Yang is really interested in and he's only here because he misunderstood what she meant. Her sister would be crushed if she realised that. And worse – Yang seemed to have an idea of it, because the looks she shot her were nothing short of agonised.
I'm sorry, Ruby wanted to shoot back. I didn't mean to!
She'd stolen her sister's first real crush.
But Ruby… she knew exactly what to do. It was simple, really. She'd seen it in movies all the time, and it always seemed to work. She needed to try and convince Jaune to fall out of love with her, and into love with her sister.
Honestly, that shouldn't even be hard, since Yang was pretty much perfect. She was tall and leggy, with big breasts, a full figure, long hair and other things Ruby had never been able to get. She'd even drunk milk like her dad told her to, and nothing.
It was just a shame Jaune hadn't ever really shown any interest in that.
Okay, think, Ruby. Yang's awesome, we know that. Given enough time, she could get him on her own, so all I need to do is play interference and make sure nothing gets in the way. That includes me, of course, but I can avoid doing anything to make him like me. Hmm, who else is a threat? Ruby's eyes trailed over the group. Weiss was his partner, but she didn't look like the kind of person to fall in love with anybody. Pyrrha was really pretty but there was no way she liked Jaune. Surely, she would have told Ruby by now. Nah, it's fine. I'd hate to accidentally hurt Pyrrha if she liked him, but she would have told me if she did.
No problems there.
Team Ribbon were fine too, since Ruby was sure Nora had… something with Ren. What that something was, nobody seemed to know, but it was definitely a thing and also definitely something Ruby did not want to get involved in. Blake didn't seem interested in Jaune, and she just read her books most of the time. No problems there, which was awesome. She didn't want to hurt any of her friends.
That left the not-friends, and to her frustration, that list was a little – okay, a lot – more extensive.
There was the Cinder woman for one, who they'd had confirmed was some kind of gold digger at worse and arranged marriage prospect at best. She was… she was going to be a problem, Ruby could tell. Long legs, slim figure, body as beautiful – if not more so – than her sister. To make matters worse, she had no idea how to approach that problem, either. Jaune seemed angry at her for now, though. Maybe that would work itself out?
I'm not sure about Cardin, she mused. I thought it was just a joke at first, but he pulled down Jaune's trousers. Ruby's eyes clenched shut as she tried not to remember or visualise anything about that. He also pretty much stalks Jaune… I'm starting to think he might actually be serious. Maybe I should add him to the list just in case.
It couldn't hurt to be safe. That left the one other person, however, and the one Ruby worried about the most. Following at the back of the group, eyes locked onto Jaune's back, the multi-coloured form of Neo had an almost calculating expression on her face.
Those mismatched eyes flickered over to her, and narrowed.
I'm onto you.
Ruby glared.
Neo grinned back.
/-/
Jaune couldn't help but be amazed when they reached the arcade. He'd heard about them, of course, but in his mind he'd imagined a smaller thing fit for maybe ten or more people, in which their group would take up most of the space. What Ruby led them to however, was a humongous structure several floors high, with bright lights and various beeping noises pouring from opened windows. There were easily a hundred or so people milling around the bottom floor and entrance, and it looked like several hundred more could have fit inside.
"This is the end of us, isn't it?" Remy asked. "You're going to enter and never leave. Someone will find you dead four days later, having refused to leave and eat."
"N-No… I mean, I'm on a date with Ruby's sister. It would be rude to run off and play games when I'm supposed to be making her happy."
"Any progress on that, lover boy?"
None at all, and he grumbled under his breath since the parasite knew it. His experience of dating was what he'd read in his books, and what his mom had told him. The latter was… perhaps a little more specific than what he needed or wanted. Salem never said how to date, only how he was supposed to end the date, that being with his date pregnant. I think I'll skip out on mom's advice this time, he thought. He'd gone with his dad's instead, the old `be confident and hope for the best` angle, which sounded bad but had admittedly worked out pretty well for the guy.
Still, he couldn't believe Yang had asked him on not one, but two dates now. Did that mean they were official?
"What should we do first?" Pyrrha asked. "I'll admit, I haven't spent much time in arcades like this, but it looks fun."
"Me neither," Blake sighed. "It's loud in here… isn't there anywhere for me to read?" The black-haired girl looked around, but crucially missed Nora, who snuck up behind her and grabbed her in a hug. It was a very tight hug, and one that seemed to cut off Blake's oxygen supply, for she waved her arms and started to go blue in the face.
"Ah, one of Amber's hugs, variant three if I'm not mistaken," Remy said.
"I'm surprised Nora knows it." Jaune nodded.
"Silly Blakey," Nora laughed. "You can't come to an arcade and read. We need to explore, develop your gaming skills." The orange-haired girl paused. "Develop your social skills too, I think. Ooh, ooh, and we need prizes!"
"I believe what she needs most is oxygen," Ren said, gently prying the girl from his friend's arms. Blake fell to her knees and panted for breath. "For those who aren't aware," the young man went on, "you can win tickets on the machines here, which you can exchange for prizes at the main kiosk. The more tickets you have, the better prize you can trade them for."
"What's the exchange rate?" Weiss asked shrewdly. She blinked when everyone stared at her. "What? It's a valid concern!"
"It's more for entertainment, Weiss," Ruby giggled. "You'll definitely lose money on how much the prize costs, but it's about having fun and the competition…" The girl's silver eyes grew wide and she slammed a fist into her open palm. "That's it! Jaune and Ren should compete for the biggest prize."
"We should?" Jaune asked. Well, it did sound like fun.
"Absolutely," Ruby agreed. She smiled at him from the corner of her eyes. "Plus, you should win a prize for Yang, right?"
"T-That's not necessary," Yang laughed and waved one hand before her. She would have waved two, but he still held her other hand in his. For some reason it felt overly warm. "Jaune doesn't have to do that. Ha ha, I mean, that's crazy – we're just having fun, right?"
"It's perfect!" Nora cried. "Ruby, you're a genius!"
"Yep."
"Renny and Jauney need to have their epic competition, but they keep drawing in games. If we have a race, whoever can win the main prize first, then we'll finally know for sure." Nora pointed towards a glass cabinet, where a large cuddly Beowolf toy sat on its hind legs like a dog. It reminded him of Mannie, and more than that, it looked cute and adorable in a way he hadn't thought most humans would depict Grimm. "If Jauney wins, he can give it to Yang. If Renny wins, he can give… he can give…" Nora's took a deep breath before she continued. "He can give it to the most important woman in his life!"
"Guys, wait," Yang protested. "You don't need t-"
"It's not a bad way to judge things," Ren said. "What do you think, Jaune?"
Honestly, it sounded like it could be fun. He'd never won a prize before, except for the occasional things Uncle Tyrion brought back, in which case the prize was often horrifying and, if he was unlucky, still half-alive. Still, Ruby was right as well. He definitely needed to win something for Yang. "I'm game," he said. "I'm not familiar with most of these games, but I'll do my best."
"Most are just tests of skill or reactions. Most of them are fairly self-explanatory when you see them. Throw a ball in the hoop or hit the Grimm with the foam mallet, that kind of thing."
Jaune was a little surprised at how calm Ren was. It sounded like he knew his way around the arcade, or at least was used to them. "Do you come to places like this a lot?" he asked.
"I'm friends with Nora," Ren said, as though that explained everything.
To be fair, it kind of did.
"On the count of ten!" Nora yelled.
"She can be so very dramatic," Ren chuckled. "I'm sorry you got roped into this silly competition, Jaune."
"Don't worry about it. It sounds like good fun." Jaune grasped the other boy's hand in his. "Besides, it doesn't mean we're enemies or something."
"Of course not," Ren laughed. "It's nothing more than a friendly competition."
"Precisely."
The two laughed between themselves.
"Two-" Nora's voice called.
Ren's eyes narrowed to slits.
Jaune's did the same.
"On- and there they go…" Nora laughed, her hair flapping to the side as the two of them sped off. The ginger-haired girl giggled as she reached over to snag Blake's collar, right as the girl was about to creep away. "Come on Blakey, it's time to test your skills."
/-/
Jaune's fingers hammered down on the buttons in time with the brightly-coloured flashes on the screen. He bit down on his lip, angled his head to the side (as though it might help), and narrowed his eyes.
"Jaune…"
"I've got this," he whispered.
"Jaune, pull out!"
"I'm so close!"
"You'll never make it!"
He ignored his advisor and gambled all his points on the final level. He could have cashed out then and there for fifteen tickets, but the jackpot promised fifty, albeit he had to slap the coloured buttons in time with an ever-increasing complexity. It was a risk… he knew that.
But he also knew he'd seen Ren with a huge roll of tickets, and that was something he couldn't accept. The lights flashed, the colours flickered, and his hands darted across the dash, slamming into each one in turn.
Blue, red, blue, green, red, yellow, white, blue, red- Jaune's eyes narrowed even further as he focused. The screen flashed, red, he slapped the red key. It went blue, he slapped the blue. It flashed white-
His hand missed the white key.
No!
Time seemed to slow as the inevitability of his failure loomed in on him. In his mind he imagined Yang, a pained smile on her face as she told him it was okay that he ruined her first date by failing to win a toy for her. He also imagined his mother shaking her head, Ruby in tears and for some reason an Ursa on the back of a Beowolf, but the last one seemed less pertinent to the current disaster. He'd failed…
"Not yet, you haven't!" Remy roared. It was a roar both within his mind and out, as the tiny parasite powered through his body and burst from the surface of his hand. Its tiny body hissed as it extended its mandibles to the sky.
-and then bodily slammed its face down onto the white button.
"WINNER!" the machine announced. It whirred and clicked as tickets were disgorged from the slot at the bottom. Jaune sagged in relief, even as the parasite quickly wormed its way back under his skin.
"Remy…" he whispered.
"This isn't over yet, Jaune. We're a team, and no pink-eyed wannabe is going to beat us at this kind of thing."
"You're right," Jaune nodded and steeled himself. "We'll win this!"
"Damn straight. We'll show him he's no match for our combined skill, be that on the button game, hoop-toss or that violent what a Grimm game."
"Yeah, we'll-" Jaune cut off as he felt something tug on his sleeve. He blinked and glanced down in time to see Neo smile back up at him. "Oh, hey Neo. Is something wrong?" The girl shook her head and held out one hand, a small line of tickets dangling from her fist. "For me?" he asked.
Neo nodded.
"I shouldn't acc-"
"Take the tickets!" Remy roared.
"W-What the hell, Remy? I thought you said we were going to beat him through skill?"
"I said we were going to win! I never said we needed to do it legitimately." Jaune could imagine the parasite rubbing its little claws together, but he was less sure. It felt like cheating… even if using Remy in the first place was probably already that. He was about to reject the kind offer, but for the parasite speaking up. "It would be a real shame if Yang didn't get a gift from you… a real shame…"
"Thanks, Neo!" Jaune stuffed the tickets into his pocket and rubbed a hand over the top of her head. She smiled proudly and jogged off. That left him to tally the number he had in his mind, picking his way through the crowd and towards the prize area. Hmm, I think it was two hundred and fifty tickets for the main prize, and we're around two hundred now.
Jaune stepped aside to walk around a small child crying to his mother about how someone mugged him for his tickets. Yikes, it sounded like some people took the whole thing even more seriously than he did.
In the distance, he caught Ren hunched over a machine, Nora cheering behind him. Jaune cursed and hurried on, nodding to Ruby as he slipped in next to her on what had to be the easiest, but also the most horrifying game in the arcade.
Whack-a-Grimm…
At least it's just a foam mallet, he told himself. Plus, the Grimm heads came back up, so it wasn't like the game was promoting actual violence against them. Also, Ursa and Beowolves didn't really live underground, but by this point he'd given up on understanding the people here for the day. He just needed to win. That was all.
"How's it going?" Ruby asked. "Do you have enough for Yang's gift?"
"Nearly," he whispered. His hand blurred out to strike the first Ursa on the head, and he whined in frustration at how slow it was to come down. The damn thing started off slow but sped up, which meant the beginning was torturous agony. What if Ren already had enough? "I just need a good score on this."
Ruby nodded and turned back to the watch him as he slapped down each mechanical Grimm-head as it popped up. The hammer made a loud squeak as he did, at odds with the fierce concentration and atmosphere. He felt sweat bead on his forehead but didn't dare wipe it away. Even a moment's distraction could prove catastrophic. Idly, he imagined summoning several tentacles, each with a mallet gripped in them.
He reached out to knock a Grimm on the left down, but cursed when the blasted machine decided to be random and brought one up on the other side. He reared back to try and catch it, but paused when a different hammer hit it.
"Heh heh," Ruby giggled nervously. "If it's for Yang, I don't mind helping a little…" Her small hand darted out at unnatural speeds to hit another, and then a third. "Or a lot," she added.
"Ruby…"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Let's do this."
Ruby's eyes sparkled, and such was his concentration, he didn't even feel afraid of them. One hand gripped the table, while the other wielded the hammer with terrifying force. Each blow shook the machine and the score grew higher. Ruby's darted in, beneath and between his arms, her Semblance-enhanced speed allowing her to reach to even the craziest of challenges the machine put forth. As the tempo increased, so did the points, and with the two of them working together, he was able to push it higher than ever before.
"Rarghh!" They yelled as one, both hammers meeting as they struck the final Beowolf down in unison.
There was a dull clunk from within the machine which heralded them knocking the mechanism loose, and the rattling whirr it emitted didn't bode well. Before it died, however, it spat out fifty tickets and a high score. Jaune drew a deep breath, eyes alight with the taste of victory. It was short-lived as Ruby's hands settled on his back.
"Go," she whispered. "Hurry!"
The prize! Jaune nodded, both in acceptance and thanks, as he pushed his way through the crowd and toward the jewelled throne where that most incredible of treasures lay. One or two children had their faces pressed to the glass, but none dared stand between him and the machine that would count and allocate his prize.
His hand slammed down onto it.
At the exact same moment Ren's did.
"Hmm…" Ren looked up to him, pink eyes meeting blue. "It seems we're matched again, Jaune. I take it you have the two hundred and fifty tickets required?"
"Yeah. You as well?"
"Naturally…" Ren looked to the machine and then back to him. "I guess that means our competition comes in as a draw. Somehow I can't help but think that sounds fitting."
"But there's only one top prize," Jaune said. He bit down on his lower lip. He'd worked so hard to try and win it for Yang, to fulfil the task almost every book he'd ever read had labelled as necessary for a date to be successful. You had to win a prize for whomever you took, it was just the law. Ruby's words had only forced that message home. He wanted to win it for Yang, even if this whole date thing was just a case of him being polite and accepting her offer. She was a friend and he still wanted to make her date a special one. "I don't know what to do," Jaune said. Ren smiled.
"I do." Ren pulled his hand away and stepped back.
"Ren…" Jaune's voice came out small and brittle, mixed with emotion he wasn't sure he could place. Ren was… he was going to stand back and let him have the top prize? There was something in his throat, and Jaune had to swallow it down before he could continue. "Are you sure?"
"The competition is a draw," Ren said, with a pleased smile. "The prize, however… you have a good reason to want it and I respect that. I don't have a date to impress, and as Yang's partner, I'd like to see her happy too." On the outskirts, Jaune noticed Yang waving her arms wildly back and forth in front of her. He waved back.
"Ren, I… that's… I don't know what to say."
"Perhaps I'll find someone like that for myself one day," Ren continued, "but until then, I think you should be the one to take the main prize. I don't have anyone interested in me that way who I could give it to."
"N-Nora," Blake gasped, struggling in the orange-haired girl's suddenly iron grip. "Y-You're c-choking me."
"Has no one," Nora whispered. "Give gift away… nothing for poor old Nora…"
Jaune looked back to Ren and smiled. He took a step forward and held his hand up. Ren met it, the two clasping fists as their wrists met. Jaune didn't think he'd ever felt closer to another man than at that very moment. Ren wasn't just a friend… he was a brother. "Thank you, Ren," he whispered.
"Remy. Make a note. We're going to introduce Ren to my sisters."
"Why? I thought you liked this guy."
"As a potential suitor, idiot."
"I repeat, I thought you liked this guy."
Bah, Remy didn't know what he was talking about. His sisters were wonderful and Ren would be blessed to have one of them fall for him. He'd need to take a picture of the team leader later and send it over to their scrolls. He's mature, so maybe Sapphire or Sable would suit him. He's fairly handsome too. I bet Lavender would blush up a storm. Hmm, that mysterious edge would probably get Coral excited too.
So many options... well, seven - but he could always consider his Big Sis too.
Jaune shook his head and stepped back, releasing his new metaphorical (and maybe one-day marital) brother. He turned back to the machine and filtered his tickets through the slot. The number beeped to tell him he had the requisite amount, and then asked him to put the code in for the prize. He did so with shaking fingers. The machine flashed.
"PRIZE NOT FOUND."
"Eh?" Jaune looked up, eyes wide. The stuffed Beowolf toy, which had been there less than a minute ago, was nowhere to be seen.
Someone else had claimed it while they'd been distracted.
/-/
"Report in." The voice echoed in the receiver in Mercury's left ear, the familiar, sharp tone that of the one he took orders from. He would have replied, but he knew it was not he, Cinder wanted a report from.
"They're at some kind of arcade," Emerald reported. "I've kept my distance as ordered, but they've been in there for a good three hours now, ma'am."
"An Arcade?" Cinder hummed. "I see. I take it he is playing games with his new friends. Is Neo there?"
"She is."
Mercury could practically hear Cinder's frustration at that, even if not a sound passed through the call. He could also imagine Emerald cringing too. Honestly, he was lucky she'd drawn the short straw and been sent to stalk after Cinder's brother. It could have just as easily been him.
"What is Neo doing, exactly? Is she making any unusual moves?"
"Nothing that I can see," Emerald said. "Honestly, she seems to spend most of her time glaring at the blonde girl he was holding hands wi-" His partner cut off immediately, but the damage was already done.
"What was that?" Cinder asked, voice sharp. "What was he doing?"
There was no response from Emerald for a moment, and Mercury imagined she was hoping he would chip in and bail her out. He snorted silently. Yeah right, like he was going to do that.
"He uh… he appeared to be holding hands with the blonde girl, ma'am. It looks like they're out on a date together."
The blonde? Xiao-Long, wasn't it? Mercury whistled silently. That was quite the catch – he more than approved. Of course, he wasn't quite stupid enough to voice that opinion out loud, but maybe he'd pat the guy's back when he had the chance.
"A date," Cinder murmured. "How nice… yes, that's nice. I'm pleased for him. I'm sure his mother will be thrilled. It's good that he's meeting other people. So… very… good."
"Um… ma'am?"
"Continue to track him," Cinder snapped. "Stay out of sight and if Neo attempts anything to harm him, deal with her. I have… I have research to do." There was a beep as Cinder cut herself out of the call, leaving the two of them behind. Mercury laughed.
"Nice, Em, real nice."
"Oh, like you would have done any better. Are you even fulfilling your side of the bargain?"
"I'm working on it," Mercury said, pushing himself off the wall he'd been leaning against and moving down the corridor. "Tracking this guy isn't easy when I don't even know what room is his. Do you have any idea how many strange looks I've gotten walking around asking for Winchester's room?"
"Oh, suck it up."
"Funny," he mused, "One of the girls I asked suggested I do that as well. Anyway, I'll find out what I can. Will you be okay if Neo goes rogue?"
"Is that concern for me?" Emerald asked. He snorted.
"Hardly. I just wouldn't want to be lumped with your share of the work if you snuff it."
"Pah, you're worried about me. What a little bitch."
"If that's what helps you sleep at night, Em." Mercury spied his prey ahead and pushed a finger against his ear. "I've got to go. I think I've found him."
"Whatever you do, don't cause a scene. Remember, we need to stay in Beacon for months yet. We don't need you getting expelled."
"Heh… are you worried about me?"
"Tch." Emerald ended the call with a loud beep.
Mercury pushed his hair back with a little grin. "She wants me."
He moved into the shadow of a small alcove before he reached the target. Winchester was with his cronies, and stood around someone else, and he didn't want to cause a scene. There was no telling what the guy knew or didn't know about the guy they needed to protect, but there was no point spooking him yet. He waited and watched, until the four guys walked off laughing.
He would have followed, but the figure on her knees in the corridor caught his eye. It looked like she'd been bullied, not that he gave a damn, but maybe she would know – and be more than willing – to share some info on the guy. Mercury pushed his way out and towards her, doing his best to pretend he'd only just come across the scene.
"Hey there," he grinned and held out a hand. "Need some help?"
"Oh, yes please…" The rabbit faunus took his hand and pulled herself up, and despite her rather frail form and the sight of her on her knees, he felt the calluses on her fingers. She was a fighter, this one. "T-Thank you for the help. Those four…" She shook her head. "They never learn." She seemed upset, and Mercury faked what concern he could.
"Were they causing trouble for you?"
"No more than usual. They're just racists." She sighed and smiled at him. "Thanks for your help, uh…"
"Mercury Black." He shook her hand with a grin. "I'm a new transfer student, only arrived a day or two back."
"Oh, really? My name's Velvet, Velvet Scarlatina. I'm a second year, so if you ever need any help finding your way around, feel free to ask."
"I will," he said. "Still, isn't it a bit weird for a second year to be bullied by a team of first years?"
"Ah well," Velvet glanced away. "I could fight them off, but then they would just pick on someone weaker and they wouldn't be able to. There are also four of them and only one of me." Her excuse would have been a little more convincing had she an ounce of fear in her voice. He had the feeling it was more a point raised than a valid reason.
Still, it meant she knew about him.
"What's he like, then?" Mercury asked. "I feel like I've heard his name thrown about. Is he well known?"
"He's… somewhat infamous."
"I'm guessing not in a good way."
"More like a complicated way." The girl shrugged one shoulder. "Some fear him as a bully, but he's also a little bit of a laughing stock lately. Apparently, he sexually assaulted this guy out on a field trip."
Mercury's mouth fell open. "Seriously!?"
"That's what they say. I wouldn't have believed it myself, but Coco – that's my team leader – had a detention with Miss Goodwitch, and she saw him leaving when she arrived. Then she noticed the board was covered in lines saying, `I will not pull my classmate's trousers down, no matter how much I believe a monster hides within`."
He snorted. He couldn't help it, the story was pretty crazy. "Who was the lucky guy?"
"Oh, it was a first year called Jaune."
Mercury's smile fell. Oh dear… oh buggering buggery – this was going to be a problem. Did he tell Cinder? Okay, no, he could just imagine what her reaction would be to that. Hiding ashes was easier than a body, but it would still be a daunting prospect. "Jaune Arc?" he asked, just to be sure.
"How do you know his name?" Velvet's eyes narrowed. "I thought you were new here."
"Oh, I knew him from before," Mercury half-lied.
"You were friends with Jaune before?"
Friends? Uh… Mercury thought back to their only real encounter, which to be fair, did involve the guy complimenting his prosthetics. In his book, that made the guy pretty cool. "Yeah, sure." he said. "Jaune and I go way back. Why? Do you know him?"
"Not as much as I'd like to," she smiled – with far too many teeth. She suddenly seemed a lot closer, and also quite a bit more self-assured. Mercury almost flinched back and couldn't help but ask himself whether she was cute, creepy or both. Okay, it was definitely both. "Jaune saved me from Cardin the first time but I never really got a chance to thank him." Velvet mumbled something under her breath but he didn't catch it. "Still, you can help me out, right? You can introduce us properly."
"Er…"
Did he really want to do that, really? It sounded like a lot of work, and if there was one thing he liked to avoid, it was work.
"I'll tell you everything I know about Cardin in exchange. I guess that's why you wanted to know about him, right? You must have heard about how he treats Jaune and you were worried."
"Well, yeah…" Not exactly inaccurate, given the circumstances – it was an excuse he could use if anyone asked, he supposed. On the flip side, it wouldn't be too hard to introduce the girl to Jaune, would it? Plus, she did seem to know a lot about this Winchester guy. Mercury sighed. "Okay, I guess I can bite. You better have some good information about this guy, though."
"Oh, trust me," Velvet linked her arm with hers and led him away. "You won't be disappointed."
/-/
Cinder sighed and flicked her ear piece away. What a complicated mess her little brother had gotten himself into. She didn't believe the rumour of a date in the slightest. He wouldn't know the first thing to do, and as for holding hands, he regularly held hands with her and his sisters – despite Cinder's best efforts to break him of the sickening habit.
"He's gone and messed things up," she mumbled. "I can tell…"
Worst of all, she still didn't know Neo's goal in all of this. Had she expected the runt to be such an issue, she would never have brought her along, but Roman and Neo played their cards well and she'd been too distracted to watch them. Cinder hummed and poured herself a glass of red wine, slipped into the school in their luggage.
She could kill the girl and disguise it as her being called away by distant family… that would remove Neo easily enough.
Cinder sighed and downed her glass. How nice the image was, but it just wouldn't work. She needed Neo for the later stages of her plans, and needed Roman currently as well. Until such a time as they became expendable, she wouldn't be able to harm either.
Jaune would complain as well, she could just tell.
"Don't kill her, Big Sis – she's nice and cute."
"Cinder! You're scaring her."
"Don't be mean to Neo, Big Sis!"
She growled angrily. Damn him, damn her and damn Salem for even having him in the first place. Hopefully Emerald and Mercury would come up with something on his friends soon, that way she could approach them or deal with them as necessity demanded. She placed the flute down on the table and turned about – only to freeze.
Since when had there been a six-foot tall stuffed Beowolf teddy on Neo's bed?
/-/
Ruby sighed and sat back on the plastic seat near the dining area of the arcade. So close… they'd been so close, and yet it had all been stolen away at the last possible second. It didn't seem fair. Yang was sat opposite her, looking almost relieved as she cradled a far smaller fluffy dog teddy in her lap. With the main prize gone, Jaune had tickets left over. He'd decided to use them to buy them all some little things, since the two-fifty went a lot further with medium-sized prizes.
Ruby adjusted her own gift, a pair of star-shaped and glittered sunglasses. She'd been pleased enough with them, but left a little red in the cheeks when Jaune said they looked good on her and he thought she looked cuter with them on. He'd said it right in front of Yang too!
"Argh," Ruby sighed. "I can't believe he didn't win you the main prize."
"No, no, no – this is fine," Yang said. "I've told you before; it would have been awkward to have something that big in my room anyway. This is much more acceptable, especially since he got a teddy for Weiss too."
"That's the problem," Ruby grumbled under her breath. She didn't want Yang to get the same gift as anyone else. This was meant to be a date, and Yang should have gotten the bestest and biggest gift of all, to properly show everyone just how amazing she was. I guess she must still be shy about the whole thing, Ruby realised. Yang had never really had a guy she'd been genuinely interested in before, so it made sense even her sister's vaunted confidence might have taken a hit. It was almost adorable, really.
Dad wouldn't agree – nor would Uncle Qrow, but Ruby thought Yang's stuttering was sweet.
"Sharing the prizes was a nice gesture," Pyrrha said. The redhead had a new hair ornament nestled between her red locks, a small, silvery flower made of metal that she'd weaved into her hair. She seemed rather proud of it. "I had a lot of fun today as well. I didn't realise how entertaining these kinds of games could be!"
"Yeah, they're great," Ruby laughed. "You were really good at the pinball too. How did you keep making the ball hit the right targets? It was amazing."
"Ah hah, well, you know…" Pyrrha trailed off with a nervous laugh. "Beginner's luck? A-Anyway, that's not important. What is important is that this was a great outing!"
That cheered Ruby up, enough so as to wipe away her frustration. "We can come again sometime," she said. "Just me and you, or the whole team – there's no reason we can't do this or other fun stuff on the weekends." Pyrrha smiled down at her.
"That sounds grand. Thanks for convincing me to come, Ruby. I loved it!"
"Aww… shucks," Ruby's cheeks darkened and she waved a hand before her. "What are partners for, eh?"
"Nora!" Jaune's voice came over the din, as the blonde jogged up with another small teddy bear in his hands. This one was of a dark feline with a top hat, and he held it out towards her.
"For me…?" Nora gasped, clearly surprised, and perhaps even a little touched. She held one hand to her mouth and stared at Jaune.
"I noticed you didn't have one yet." He grinned. "I know it isn't much, but-"
"No! It's adorable!" Nora snatched it and crushed the thing to her chest with a wide smile. "Ooh, Jauney you're so sweet! If only a certain stupid someone would do the same…" Her words drifted off into a dark growl.
"Is Nora he- oh…" Ren walked up to Jaune and Nora, a rather large stuffed green octopus in his hands. He looked at Jaune with an almost intrigued expression. "You got Nora a gift?"
Jaune nodded. "Yeah. I didn't realise you were already working on one for her. Sorry if I got in the way."
"No, it's fine." Ren hefted the five-foot tall octopus on his shoulder. "I checked the other floors to find one with a main prize for her, but it seems you beat me to the punch." Ren shook his head. "I wouldn't want to devalue your gift, however, especially since Nora looks so happy with it. Here Blake," Ren sighed and deposited the huge thing in Blake's arms, causing the girl to stumble back with wide eyes.
"Uh… thank you?" It was hard to see her past the huge, green thing, and the tentacles that fell down over her legs.
"Well, that's everyone," Ren clapped his hands together. "I have a few tickets left over, but I think I'll go hand them out among whichever kids look the most miserable. You want to come?"
"That sounds nice," Jaune nodded, following after Ren.
"How sweet," Pyrrha smiled.
"A-A little help here," Blake pleaded.
"They're both great guys," Yang agreed. "I remember when Ruby was younger, she used to beg people for any of their spare tickets. She was really good at it too. She used to make her eyes tear up, and people couldn't wait to hand them over."
"Yang!" Ruby whined, embarrassed. "I was a kid!"
"Ruby, that was less than two years ago."
"S-Seriously you guys," Blake called. "I-I need help. I can't see past this thing!"
"What happened to Jaune's childhood friend anyway? I haven't seen her since we arrived."
"I'm not sure," Yang said. "Maybe she got bored and went home?
"Hel-oof!" Blake collapsed to the floor, brought down by the weight of the tentacle teddy, which splayed over her body. She pushed it off with a growl and sat up. "Nora, could you help me up… Nora…?"
"Yes, Blake?" Nora growled, eyes wide open and face twisted into a strange smile. It had a mechanical, brittle edge, as though she were less human and more clockwork machine. "What is it, Blake? How can I help you, Blake? Is Renny's gift to you causing you problems, Blake? Nora isn't burdened down by love like you, Blake. How can Nora help you, Blake?"
"Uhh…" Blake leaned away warily. "You're scaring me, Nora."
/-/
Mercury hummed an amused tune to himself as he pushed the ear-piece back in and called his partner. It dialled for a few moments, but eventually patched through. As ever, her greetings were delightful.
"What is it now? This better be important, Mercury."
"Nice to hear your voice too, Em." He paused, just long enough that he knew she'd start to get annoyed. Right about the moment he heard her patience start to snap, he spoke up. "I managed to find something on our man."
"Really?"
"You sound surprised."
"That would be because I am. This is you we're talking about here. Please tell me you didn't walk up to him and ask him?"
Mercury rolled his eyes and smiled at a few passing students. He tapped his finger against the device, sending a quick beat through that Emerald knew as a cue to stay quiet and wait. They'd done this enough times.
"I didn't ask him," Mercury said once the people had walked by. "I did, however, find a little informant of my own."
"Wait, what?"
"I made a contact," he said proudly. His grin widened. "In fact, you might even call her a friend."
"You, Mercury Black, made a friend? Don't make me laugh."
"Now, now," he chided. "There's no need to be jealous."
"I'm not… ugh…" Emerald groaned and he could just imagine her with one hand pushed against her face. "Can you just stick to the script for a moment? Tell me what you were able to find out."
Mercury crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall behind him. Velvet had proven quite the source, actually, enough so to more than earn what little he'd fired back. None of her questions had been particularly intrusive, just things on what Jaune was like, what kind of person he was and such. He'd answered as best he could and they'd even made plans to meet up in a few days' time and see if they had anything else to share. She was pretty cool, for a good guy.
"Well, I think I found the reason why our little problem wants to cause trouble for Jaune. How's that for information gathering?" He waited for her praise, but decided to carry on when he caught her muted growl instead. "Anyway, it turns out the reason Winchester is after our old friend is because he wants to get into his pants."
"Wait… he's gay?"
"Pretty much confirmed." Mercury inspected his fingernails. "I even decided to verify it by asking a few people after I'd spoken with my contact and they all confirmed it. Cardin Winchester is in the closet for the guy we're meant to protect."
"That… that doesn't make sense, though. When I overheard him, he sounded like he hated Arc and wanted to make him suffer!"
"Well, that's the thing, isn't it? Apparently, Winchester's one of those bullies who cares too much about their rep. Long, traditional family behind him, the kind that wouldn't approve of a fruitcake of a son." Mercury grinned. "Finding out he swings that way must have been a shock, and it looks like he's determined to take it out on our boy."
"So… he's one of those people who likes someone but pretends they don't, and generally goes out of their way to insult and belittle their crush?"
"Yeah," Mercury agreed. "Kinda like you."
"Feel free to die at any moment, Mercury."
"Heh, and let you take advantage of my body? Not a chance."
"Idiot… so, this doesn't really fix anything, does it? We know why he is going to make a move against Arc, but he's still going to do it. That means we need to step in."
"Yeah, I figured. I take it we're doing this on our own and not telling Cinder."
"Do you want to tell her some guy is trying to half-molest, half-kill her little brother?"
Not really, and not anytime soon. Mercury sighed and looked up towards the ceiling, in the dire hope it might have the answers to this conundrum. It did not, but it appeared someone had sketched their initials into it, along with a drawing of a penis.
"I take it we're going to think up some plan when you get back?" he said. "How long are you going to be, anyway?"
"I'm already on my way back. They've finished at the arcade and I overheard them say they plan to walk to the sea-front, and then head back to Beacon."
"So you just left them?" he asked. "That's a bit ballsy, isn't it? What if Cinder finds out?"
"She won't if you don't tell her," Emerald said. "And you won't tell her if you don't want to accidentally ask Miss Goodwitch if you can screw her in the middle of class next week. Besides, what could they possibly get up to in the fifteen minutes it takes to walk to the docks and back?" Mercury shrugged and pushed off the wall.
"Yeah… I guess you're right.
/-/
"Quickly, after that rapscallion!" Weiss yelled.
"Why are we chasing him?" Jaune asked, sprinting alongside his partner with the rest in tow. The streets of Vale blurred past, along with people who ducked out of their way. Their prey was some blonde guy who looked like he'd been caught only halfway through getting dressed in the morning. Weiss hadn't really explained why they were following him, but she'd seemed worked up ever since they stopped by that burgled store a few minutes ago.
"He might be a member of the White Fang! We need to arrest him."
"You don't know that!" Blake yelled, and then nearly tripped on one of the octopus' tentacles. She caught herself agilely, but grunted under the teddy bear's weight. "You can't just make that kind of assumption."
"Then why are you chasing him?" Weiss returned. "My team can handle this on its own."
"Uh…" Blake struggled for an answer.
"He winked at Blake!" Nora yelled. "My partner just got propositioned!"
"N-Nora, nothing like that happened!"
"It was a wink-and-run." Nora growled and started to run a little faster. "I won't let him get away with that! If he wants to sass my partner, he can do it to her face. You can't just take advantage of Blakey and run away like it doesn't matter."
"You're completely missing the point!" Blake howled.
"Guys," Ruby called from up front. "I can barely watch where I'm going when you're all being so distracti-" Ruby shrieked as she collided with something. Weiss ran into her back, and Jaune into hers, followed by the others in quick succession with only Ren and Pyrrha being far enough back to dodge. Blake hit last, mostly because she hadn't noticed the pile-up at all thanks to her vision being mostly obscured by green fur. "Owie," Ruby groaned, somewhere at the bottom of the pile.
Jaune tried to ask if she was okay, but couldn't quite articulate the words past Yang's cleavage. The blonde girl giggled at the sensation, then shrieked and tried to kick him off. Weiss yelped as she took the blow instead.
Something shifted beneath them.
"Hmm, the people in Vale are certainly more enthusiastic than Atlas. Sensational!"
Oh dear… oh dear, indeed. So yes, to reiterate, Thursday next week and from now on will be the new upload date for White Sheep. That will give me actual time to work on it and get it across to College Fool.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, not to mention the shenanigans within. I'm not sure who I'm bullying more by this point, Blake or Nora. At least Neo won her desired toy, although I use the term `won` lightly. It's in the air whether she mugged children for tickets or just stole the teddy while everyone was busy with the bromance. Still, must be nice to have a teddy bear bigger than you are.
I suppose I should also throw out a little shout-out to Cyberthehedgehog, since I did catch that little easter-egg reference to White Sheep in your latest artwork. Cute, lol.
Next Chapter: 27th April
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur