Here's the next chapter of White Sheep, and I hope you enjoy.
Beta: College Fool
Cover Art: Kegi Springfield
Chapter 28 - Little bo Peep
Jaune wasn't sure why he was in the doghouse, only that he was.
He had enough experience with his sisters to notice it. They ran the whole range of annoyed from Lavender's subtle cold shoulder, to Jade and Hazel's blatant glares – right through to Cinder, who could flit from cold to on fire at a whim, and who he really didn't want to annoy any more than he had to.
Compared to them, his team and Yang weren't so bad – and it was definitely only them he'd been thrown in the kennel over. Nora, Ren and Blake were as friendly as ever, which was to say very, partially, and not at all – in that order. Well, at least it was more indifference with Blake, as opposed to the irritated look Weiss shot him.
It had started when they woke up that morning, but had probably been caused before. Everyone had been in a bad mood after the White Fang mission, even if it had gone well. Ruby was aghast at fighting the police, while Weiss was annoyed at that and something else. Even Pyrrha, as nice as she always was, looked little fatigued with what had gone on.
It wasn't like he didn't feel the same. He knew he was naïve, but even he knew that coming to Beacon to save and help people was somewhat incompatible with defending a terrorist organisation against police officers just doing their job.
His attempts to cheer them up hadn't exactly gone to plan, and had instead earned their ire. To be fair, Remy had warned him against it. When someone was in a bad mood, sometimes the only thing you could do was not draw their attention onto you.
Jaune had decided to be stupid and ignore that.
He should have known better, really.
"Hey," he whispered, sidling over to sit by Ren.
"Hello, Jaune." Ren looked at him and smiled. "They're still in a bad mood?"
"See for yourself," Jaune said, indicating his team, sat in the library with Team RYBN. The four of them were playing Remnant once more, but this time he'd decided not to get involved – mostly because they'd likely throw everything they had at him. If he lost, they'd rub it in. If he won…?
Salem forbid... they'd never forgive him.
"I just don't see why it's all aimed at me," he groaned. "Yang was the one who brought the roof down on the police, and it was Blake's fault we went out and hunted the White Fang in the first place."
"I don't think it's entirely about that. If it were so, then I'd be getting the same treatment." Ren looked to him and smiled sympathetically. "I believe they're upset at the things that were… implied last night."
"Implied? What things?"
Ren chuckled and turned a page in his book. "I imagine it was about them all being your girlfriends. That, or them being a part of your harem."
"No woman wants to imagine being like that," Blake added, listening in. "I know it was for the disguise, and I'm sure they did, too. That won't stop them feeling embarrassed, however."
"And that's my fault?"
"No, but you're part of the problem." She looked up, and her amber eyes, while not sympathetic, weren't cruel either. "You'll notice they're not actively blaming you for anything. They're simply in a bad mood."
"It probably doesn't help that Weiss' hair dye didn't wash out fully," Nora giggled.
Yeah, not at all. She'd been ranting about that all night, and his automatic comment about it looking nice had earned him both a stink-eye, and a question as to whether he thought she was some kind of brainless bimbo. He'd winced and backed off. Complimenting his sisters always worked when they were upset, but it didn't have the same effect on Weiss.
Well… it was that, or she just hated the colour that much.
"She's ordered some specialist stuff to get it out," he said. "It should arrive tomorrow. At the very least, she'll be back to normal before the dance."
The mention of the upcoming event brought different reactions to the three before him. Blake sighed and slumped a little further over her book, while Nora perked up instantly, eyes sliding to her childhood friend. Ren just sat there and continued reading.
"I've heard about it," he said. "It feels strange to have a dance so early into our stay, but it's a mandatory event, so there's that."
"It sounds annoying," Blake grumbled. "I'm not interested."
"Oh, you're going," Nora said. "It's the perfect chance for the beautiful Blakerfly to spread her wings. I won't accept anything less!"
The Blakerfly in question groaned, but didn't argue. Maybe she just figured it wouldn't make a lick of difference, or she was just resigned to Nora winning out in the end. He sent her a pitying look, even if he didn't understand her reluctance.
He'd never been to a dance before. It sounded interesting.
"Yeah, it does," Remy said. "It will be a good chance for us to make connections, network with potential allies and secure of power base."
"Remy, we're not doing that."
"What? But your Uncle Watts always said that was what formal dances were about."
Yeah, but Uncle Watts was all work and no play, and not quite as cool as his Big Sis. Not that he'd ever say that out loud, since his Uncle would probably slump into a dead faint, and Cinder wouldn't let him live it down. There'd been a similar occurrence once where Jaune had admitted to liking Uncle Hazel's birthday gift more than he had Uncle Tyrian's. Uncle Tyrian had practically burst into tears, and then sulked in a corner for hours. He'd had to coax the man out with hugs, promises to train with him, and kind words. He'd been six at the time, but he'd soon realised it was safest to like everyone's presents equally.
"We're going to dance and have fun," he declared. "Besides, it's like a ball. I know from the stories that those are all about romance."
"Yeah, well good luck convincing the blonde to go with you when she won't even talk to you."
Ugh. Thanks, Remy.
"Hey there!" a voice called to them.
Blake quickly tried to slip behind Ren. "Hide me."
"Hey Blake!" the blonde faunus waved, slipping over to their group with another guy in tow. His eyes lit up the moment he caught sight of Blake, and he moved over to stand next to her. "How you doin'? Haven't seen you for a few days."
"Oh, I'm great," she said. "Thank you for asking... um…"
"Oh yeah, this is my partner and best buddy." He gestured to the blue haired teen next to him, only to blink when there was a curious absence of said person. "Oi, Neptune. Where are you?"
"He's over there," Jaune offered, pointing to the guy.
"Hello there," Neptune said, smiling charismatically down on a green-haired girl. He had one arm leant on the table, the other looking over the game before them. "Nice to meet you. My name's Neptune, and I'm here for the Vytal Festival." He chuckled. "I had to come a little early since my team leader rushed off without us, and I guess I need to keep an eye on him."
Weiss blinked at the attention, and looked around as though to make sure it was really aimed at her. When it was clear he wasn't addressing anyone else, her cheeks flushed slightly. "Ah, that's loyal of you. Welcome to Beacon. My name is Weiss Schnee."
"That's a beautiful name, but a little long… would you mind if I have you a nickname?"
Weiss giggled. "Not at all."
"Then I'll call you my Forest Sprite."
"Hrk." Weiss' blush vanished in an instant, replaced with a dangerous twitch beneath her left eye. The cards in her hands were gripped to tight it looked like they might tear. "That's… how nice… yes… I think I hear your team leader shouting for you, Mr Neptune. Why don't you go and talk with him?"
Jaune winced. The poor guy picked the wrong topic there. To his credit, Neptune caught onto the cue fast, realising he'd messed up in some way. He scratched the back of his head as he wandered over to their group. Behind him, Yang said something to Weiss that she clearly didn't appreciate, for she snapped something back and slammed both hands on the table.
"I don't know where I went wrong there," Neptune sighed.
"Ah, don't worry about it," the blonde faunus said. "Plenty of fish in the sea, right? Anyway, like I was saying, this is Neptune." He turned to them and introduced them in turn. "And this is Blake," he added meaningfully. "You remember? The one I told you about?"
"The one who called you a stalker?"
He choked. "T-That wasn't the part I wanted you to remember."
"Ha ha." Neptune stepped forward and grinned at Blake. "Sorry about my partner. He can be a handful but he means well. Trust me, I'd know if he was a stalker."
"Yeah, no problem." There was a curious expression on Blake's face, strained almost, like she wasn't sure about something and felt nervous. She tilted her head to the side, and the little bell around her neck tinkled.
"Huh, is that new?" Blake's cheeks darkened as her paramour leaned in to look at her neck. Her attempts to hide it only made it ring louder. "Is that a cat collar with a bell!?"
"It's not like that! R-Ren is making me wear it," she defended.
His mouth fell open. He turned to Ren, eyes wide. "Seriously!?"
"Guilty as charged." Ren said, barely even paying attention.
"Aw man, come on!" The faunus threw his arms in the air. "Can't I get a single bit of luck here? When did this happen!?"
"A few days ago."
"Damn it, damn it, damn it. Missed my chance." He sighed and opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. "I need a minute to process this. Nice to see ya again. I'll catch you all around." He didn't wait for a reply, but instead sulked away.
"I'd best go keep the poor guy company," Neptune said. "Nice to meet you all."
Well… that was weird. He turned to Blake for an explanation, but she still looked vaguely confused and troubled. She held a hand to her chin, eyes narrowed. With a sigh, she shook her head and picked up her book once more.
"Sun," Ren said.
"Ah, right." Blake tutted. "Now I remember."
Jaune's mouth fell open. "You didn't even remember his name!?"
"What? It's not like I have to remember the name of someone who stalks me. Why would I do that? Besides, I've had things on my mind." Blake flicked her head back, grimacing as the bell rang. She picked up her book and joined her team leader in reading.
Behind them, the game came to an abrupt end as Yang brought in an easy victory. Ruby and Weiss complained, but it lacked the same kind of energy as before. In the end, Weiss' scroll rang and she excused herself to take what she called an important call. The others didn't even come and join their group, and Ruby wouldn't meet his eyes when he looked over.
"I'm going for a walk," he sighed. "Maybe things will be a little easier to understand if I clear my head."
"Good luck," Ren offered.
Luck, eh? He could use it. That or a miracle. With a push of the chair, he stood and left. As he did, he heard Nora grumble something to herself.
"Renny never bought me a necklace…"
"It's a collar, Nora," Blake growled.
"Same thing, treacherous partner of mine."
"Ugh…"
Okay, maybe it wasn't just him having problems.
/-/
Emerald stalked the halls with a frown. Mercury was busy with his contact, and Cinder had gone out with Neo to meet with Roman – something about a red-eyed monster interfering in his business. She had no idea why he felt Cinder needed to help him with that, but her mistress had decided to go along with it anyway, probably because she couldn't trust him to do anything right.
Emerald would have gone with her, and had in fact offered, but Cinder hadn't wanted to raise suspicions by them all vanishing for the day, so here she was, stuck in Beacon without a single person to entertain or amuse her.
What a drag.
Why is Mercury spending so much time with that contact of his anyway? If he was here, I could at least knock him around the training rooms on the pretence of a spar, but nooo – he has to go and work with his contact. Pah!
She could have had a contact as well if she wanted one. She just didn't.
Idly, she wondered if she should pull some pranks on the Winchester idiot. He'd dyed her hair white, after all, and although that had worn out, she still felt sore about it. If he wanted to play with fire, she'd burn him. Illusions were good for that.
Hmm, maybe she could use Jaune for it since Winchester was apparently so terrified of him?
No, that would be a bad idea. It might cause trouble for the idiot, and that meant trouble for Cinder. She'd only just gotten back into her good graces, and even then, barely. Mercury still had his contact to wave over her head, and wave it he did, the bastard.
Emerald was deep in thought when she rounded the corner, which was why she didn't see the chest that hit her in the face. She bounced off with an oof and landed on her ass. Expletives that would have made a Grimm ignite shot to her lips, but she swallowed all of them when she saw who it was.
"Oh, hi Emerald," Jaune said. He held a hand out for her. "Sorry about that. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"No problem, Jaune," she said, smiling saccharinely as she took his hand. She wanted nothing more than to tear him to shreds, but he was her mistress's brother and charge, so that was out of the question. Instead, she slapped a stupid smile on her face and went with being… ugh… nice. "I was distracted as well," she simpered. "I was just looking for something to do. It's my fault really."
"Bored?" he asked, and smiled when she nodded. His eyes slipped a little higher. "I see your hair is back to normal. I'm glad. It didn't really look good in white."
No, it didn't. She'd spent hours scrubbing the damn stuff out, but as Cinder said, better her than him. She shrugged one shoulder, then remembered the rather generous offer he'd made before.
"You said you'd handle Cardin for me. Did you do something to him yet?"
He winced. "Ah, not yet. I was… busy… yesterday."
She caught the hesitation instantly, and cringed when she realised that not only had neither she nor Mercury kept an eye on him, but that his manner of speech almost certainly confirmed he'd gone and done something dangerous. Did she ask what? If she found out, she'd be beholden to tell Cinder – and then tell her that the two of them had screwed up.
But what she didn't know couldn't hurt her, right?
Ignorance was bliss and all that.
"Well, why don't we go and get our own back now," she suggested. It was an impulsive idea, but one she found herself warming too. Cinder wanted her to get closer to Jaune, and surely a little co-operative cruelty would work. "He dumped paint on me, and tried to do it to you. We owe him a little payback in my opinion."
"What do you mean by payback?" Jaune asked warily. "I know he crossed the line, but it was a prank gone wrong. I don't think he meant to hit you. I was just going to talk to him about it."
He wasn't wrong, but there was no way she was going to let Winchester go with a stern word. She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Wouldn't that just make it awkward for him, though? He'll feel really guilty and bad if he finds out he hit the wrong person." She saw him stiffen and knew she had him. For good measure, she stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm. "Like you said, it was just a prank. And what's the best way to respond to one of those?"
"With another prank, I guess…"
"Exactly." Hook, line and sinker. "That's why we should prank him back, not because we hate him, but because we're playing the game. Plus, you can make sure the prank only hits him, and that will remind him to keep innocents out of the firing line."
He was wavering, she could tell. He bit his lip and looked back down the corridor from the way he'd come. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "I guess you've got a point," he finally said.
Damn right, she did. Just in case, she struck the final blow.
"If we don't now, then he might try again. What if he hits Weiss, Ruby or Pyrrha? Would you want Weiss' hair to be dyed a new colour?"
Jaune's eyes widened.
"No way! Not again. Okay, okay, you're right. I'm in."
Heh, like taking candy from a baby.
"Have you got an idea for a prank then?" he asked. "I've got nothing and I've been too distracted to think of anything."
Emerald's smile was nothing short of vicious.
"Oh, I think I might be able to come up with something~"
/-/
"Coco's being a real nightmare lately," Velvet said. "She keeps seeing me leave early in the mornings and is getting really suspicious. It's ridiculous. I mean, aren't I allowed to leave the dorm whenever I want? Does your team leader always want to know where you're going?"
"Actually, Cinder is pretty much the same there." Not in the same way, but it wasn't like Mercury was going to go into detail on that. "She keeps tabs on us, and kinda runs the show. She's not quite as… uh… gossip hungry as Coco, though."
"I doubt anyone could be." Velvet said with a roll of her eyes. "Really, she's so annoying at times!"
Mercury laughed and continued to listen as Velvet went on about the recent goings on with her team. He'd only intended to meet with her to grab some of the photos she'd taken of the training sessions, but she apparently had a separate room on campus for those to develop, and it was on the other side of Beacon. Hence, he'd been dragged into a long walk and even longer conversation. Normally, that would have annoyed him to no end, but Velvet wasn't too hard to talk to, and with Cinder and Neo out, she was a better person to hang out with than Emerald.
Honestly, the little rabbit had her own mean streak, even if she kept it hidden. She wasn't the shy and weak upper year she pretended to be. Not when you got her to open up anyway.
"And Port just walked into my darkroom and ruined my photos!" she said. "I tried to explain what he'd done, but he just offered to let me take pictures of him! Ugh."
"Why do you have to develop your pictures anyway?" he asked. "Most people use their scrolls or more modern cameras."
Velvet's eyes flicked to his, and then down to the camera at her side. Her right hand gripped her left arm. "It's a hobby."
Yeah, like he was buying that. Clever as she might be, Vel wasn't the best of liars, and he caught the little signs. Well, it wasn't like he needed the answer, whatever that might be. "What else is going on with the team?" he asked.
"Oh, Coco has been put in charge of the dance!" Velvet laughed and slapped a fist into the palm of her hand.
"Oh yeah? I heard about that thing."
"You're going?"
"Probably. It depends on Cinder, really, but I've got a feeling I will be." At least if everything still went to plan. Hitting the CCT was an important part of Cinder's endgame, and that required a distraction. Even if it wasn't though, he had a feeling he'd be sent to the dance if only to keep his cover.
"You're going with her?" Velvet asked.
"Cinder? No way." He laughed. "Not unless she makes me anyway. There's definitely nothing going on there. She's… I wouldn't say taken. Hell, I'm not even sure she knows what she is, but it's complicated."
It hadn't always been complicated. Cinder was a monster mixed with a temptress, and that was that. If he'd gotten the chance, he'd go for it – but he'd held no thoughts that it might ever be romance. The best he'd ever get was a night he'd never forget, but even that seemed unlikely. She just hadn't cared for things like that.
Or at least he'd thought so.
Ever since they'd hit Beacon, she'd started to act… weird. Not different, not in any obvious way, but just plain weird. He had no idea what to make of it, and had honestly decided the best bet was just to back away and let the fireworks happen. If Emerald wanted to be close when it did, then more power to her.
"I'll probably be going on my own," he said.
"Not your partner?"
"Emerald? Hell, no. We may flirt, but I think I'd wake up with a dagger in my back if I tried to ask her to the dance."
Velvet laughed, no doubt thinking it a joke. It really wasn't.
"What about you?" he asked. "There some special someone you want to take along?"
"Ah… m-maybe." She looked away, not that it hid her crimson cheeks. "There's someone I like," she said, "but… well, I doubt I'll build up the courage to ask him out."
Mercury raised an eyebrow. "Anyone I know?"
"Maybe…"
A yes, then. It wouldn't be much of a maybe otherwise. Not like it's any of my business. She's just my contact. All I need to do is keep her happy so she helps me out with Jaune. The easiest thing to do would be to ignore this altogether.
"Is it one of your teammates?"
"What!? No!" Velvet's eyes widened and she waved her arms before her. "Yatsu and Fox are great, but I don't feel about them like that. Besides, it would be awkward to have romance on the same team. What if it didn't work out?"
"Then life sucks and you move on, but I get what you're saying." He wasn't sure why he cared either way, but there was no denying the curiosity. Maybe if he found out who it was, he'd be able to use the knowledge to manipulate her more easily.
Yeah, that's not a bad idea. I can hold it over her head if she becomes difficult to deal with.
"I could help you out if you needed it," he said. "You said you can't bring yourself to ask him out. Why? Is there something about him that makes you think he'd say no?"
"More like I freeze up whenever I try. Ugh, I just lose confidence at the last second and never manage it. Coco tried to help me, but that didn't go very well."
Hm, odd. The only time he'd ever seen Coco and Velvet together was when she was talking to him. He pressed a little more, but Velvet refused to answer. Eventually, he let it go, even if he didn't give up entirely. I'll do a little digging of my own. It has to be someone she talks to often, since she said she freezes up. It also needs to be someone relatively new, otherwise she wouldn't have just fallen for him now. Maybe a first year. He blinked and looked at her curiously. Or a transfer student.
Nah. That was ridiculous.
"This is the dark room. Be careful when you come in. There's a second door, kind of like an air lock but to keep the light out. Apparently, Beacon used to have a photography club, which is why they have this."
"Not anymore?"
"I'm not sure Beacon has any clubs anymore. Then again, it's not like there are a lot of teachers either. There's really just Port, Oobleck, Goodwitch and Peach."
Mercury looked for her in the dark, but saw nothing. "Who?"
"Don't ask. Peach is… odd. Anyway, here are the pictures I got."
There was a long pause as Mercury waited for something to be pushed into his hands, and Velvet probably waited for him to take them. Once the seconds ticked into a minute, Mercury coughed and felt for the nearest wall. "Uh, Vel. I'm not a faunus. I can't see anything."
"Oh, whoops…" Velvet laughed and took his hand in hers, guiding him out of the room. "Sorry about that. I completely forgot. Most faunus students hang with other faunus because of how people treat them."
"I thought it wasn't so bad here," he said. He let her guide him out, a little surprised at how strong Velvet's grip was. Her fingers were callused, which was a surprise since he'd almost expected her skin to feel like her namesake. Then again, she was a huntress and a fighter. The hardness showed it. "Apart from Winchester, I've never really seen any obvious racism."
"That's the problem. It's not obvious. Most of the students aren't racist, but they're not exactly tolerant either. They look at us like we're different, even if they wouldn't ever do anything cruel because of it. They're good people, but… they just don't talk with us. It's like they think faunus have different customs and interests or something. They'll say hello, open a door for you, but never actually want to get to know you." She laughed. "You're actually pretty rare for not being like that."
Mercury shrugged, and then winced when he bumped into the doorframe. "Doesn't make a difference to me if you've got animal parts. You can still kick ass. Besides, you're helping me out with all of this."
"Anything for a friend." Velvet tugged him out into the light and smiled. She let go of his hand, and offered a small stack of paper to him. "These are the developed shots of the training. I'm not sure if they'll be of any help, but… well, it's what you wanted, right?"
"Yeah, thanks, I-" Mercury froze as he looked at the first picture. In it, Jaune was topless and covered in sweat, posed in a fighting stance that drew the attention in a very non-family-friendly way. Mercury flipped to the next to see it much the same, but this time him on hands and knees after being knocked down by his opponent. Still topless, still very much the centre of the picture. He glanced up at Velvet and noticed her cheeks were very red.
"It's what you asked for," she defended. "You wanted pictures of him training. He's training."
"I didn't say anything…"
Velvet crossed her arms and huffed.
Mercury flicked through a few more, but they were all pretty much the same, and she was right, it was what he'd asked her to do. What use Cinder would find for them, he wasn't sure, but it was mission success as far as he was concerned. He turned to the last one and paused.
"Something wrong?"
"This one isn't of Jaune," he said.
"I took a few of the other teacher just in case."
"No, not that." Mercury looked down at the picture, a little surprised. It wasn't of Jaune or Qrow, but rather of him. He was leant against a stone pillar with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes focused off to the side, probably on the training. She must have turned to the side and snapped it, but he had no idea when or why. It was a good picture, and really caught his lackadaisical nature. "This is-"
"Whoops – sorry about that one." Velvet laughed nervously and snatched it out of his hands. She held it behind her and smiled. "The camera slipped, or my hands did. Definitely one of them. I printed it by accident, and well, I'll get rid of it." She laughed, but her eyes were fixed over his shoulder, and her ears were straight. "Anyway, I'd best run before Coco sends out a search party or assumes I've been kidnapped. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Huh? Yeah, sure. I'll come pick you up as usual."
Velvet nodded and hurried off, and the speed at which she managed it was enough to impress even him. She was gone within a few seconds, leaving him behind with a stacked set of pictures of another man in very little clothing. He stashed them away before someone could see and jump to a stupid conclusion.
I hope Cinder will make more sense of these than I can. I'm not sure she'll be interested in seeing pictures of her younger brother half-naked, though.
/-/
It didn't take long for Emerald to regret asking the idiot to come along and help her with the prank. In fact, it took precisely twenty-two minutes – and only then because fifteen had been wasted convincing him to go along with the prank anyway.
"I just don't know what to do," he said. "My team are annoyed with me, and I feel like I should do something to fix it, but I don't even know why they're upset."
Because you're an idiot, and annoying, maybe? Technically true, but not something she could say, Emerald instead sighed and placed the human-sized mannequin in the room. "Does this look close enough to the door?" she asked. "It needs to be the first thing he sees when he enters the room."
"Huh, yeah, sure… it doesn't look much like a person, though. I don't think it'll scare him."
Emerald chuckled to herself and put an improvised wig atop the training dummy's head. "Don't worry. I can fix that. He'll get a nasty surprise, trust me."
"What do you think about my team, though?"
"Huh, what?"
"My team," Jaune repeated. "You know, the thing I've been talking to you about all this time? I don't know what I should do."
Oh right, that thing. The thing she'd paid roughly no attention to since it sounded boring, and she had her mind on other things. Yeah, now she remembered.
Crap.
"You should do what you think is right."
Jaune sighed. "If I knew what that was, I'd have done it already. Do you think I should just apologise?"
"Yeah sure, go for it. An apology never hurt."
"What would you do?"
Definitely not apologise. The last thing she'd said sorry for was stealing someone's wallet, and that had been a sarcastic one, just to see the look on the arrogant mark's face. Somehow she didn't imagine he'd appreciate that.
"I'd… say sorry," she lied. "An apology can fix a lot of things."
"Even things like this?"
Sure, if the person's ego was so delicate they'd feel better because of two shitty little words. Whatever, it wasn't her business – and in fact, it might even help her if Cinder found out she'd put some time into supporting her little brother. Hm, now that she thought about it, that could be a good in for her.
"Okay, maybe I can help," she said. "In return, you need to do something for me, okay?"
"Like a favour?"
"Yeah, like one of those." Internally, she was already rubbing her hands together. A favour from him could mean a lot if he was as connected as Cinder said, plus it would be an easy get out of jail free card if she ever needed it. If she ever fluffed a mission to protect him, she could ask him to gloss over that when he talked to Cinder. Bonus! "So, run through the problem again for me – and make sure you fill me in on the details."
He did so, and she listened as best she could – even if she wanted to roll her eyes at some points. Mostly, it was the way he kept trying to hide what it was they'd been up to. She still couldn't figure out the full picture, but that was only because she was trying her hardest not to.
Ignorance is bliss, ignorance is bliss. If I don't know you did something dangerous, then I can't report it to Cinder and be told off for letting you.
Eventually, he reached the end, and what an end it was. "And then Pyrrha said she would take the fourth tentacle."
Emerald slapped a hand into her face. "Sheesh…"
"It's that bad?"
"Yeah, just a little. You don't get out much, do you?"
"Let's just say there are more people in a classroom than I've ever seen in my life before Beacon."
Yeah, that sounded about right. Talk about sheltered, but she supposed it wasn't his fault. If she'd grown up only knowing less than ten people existed, she figured she'd be a bit dense, too. Actually, he'd come out fairly well considering all of that.
"Look, even if they all knew it wasn't real, you probably shouldn't have encouraged the whole `harem` idea. They know it's not real, but the people you told it to don't, and that probably made the girls feel awkward as hell."
"But they're the ones who did it…"
"And since when has being technically right or wrong stopped someone being in a bad mood? It doesn't matter whose fault it is, only that you want it to end." She shrugged and stepped back from the dummy. It looked crap, but that was fine. It was just to throw Jaune off the scene. "Either way, you can take responsibility and apologise yourself and it might end, or you can do nothing, and it definitely won't end."
"So, you're saying it's better to try something than nothing at all?"
"Pretty much." Emerald smirked. Mercury would have never believed her if she said she was giving counsel and advice to someone, and even less if he heard what it was about. This whole assignment was weird. "What's the worst that can happen if you say sorry? If they don't forgive you, that's no different to what's happening now, but I've got a feeling they'll let it go."
"You do?"
"Yeah…" His friends all seemed sickeningly sweet like that. The thought of it was enough to make her choke. Not that Mercury would ever feel bad about anything, but if he did, then she'd have made him bend over backwards to win her forgiveness.
Gods, just the thought of it was enough to make her snigger.
That was wiped off her face as she heard footsteps approach. "Quick," she hissed, grabbing him and stepping out the door. She caught Winchester's eye down the corridor and quickly cast an illusion over him so that he didn't see them. "Stay quiet," she whispered. "Let's see how he takes it."
"I don't think this'll work…
Heh, she had a feeling it would.
/-/
Cardin worked his shoulder free of kinks as he strolled back to his dorm. The others were still busy in training; a quasi-punishment from him after the three had not only failed to best him in a three against one, but practically sabotaged and tripped over one another. What kind of teamwork was that? He'd told them to work on fighting together for an hour or until they could work together without being a health and safety hazard.
Still, it gave him time to catch a hot shower, and that was a bonus. He sighed and pushed open the door, idly wondering why it was ajar in the first place.
His question was answered a second later.
"Ah, there you are, my boy!" Professor Port practically yelled. "I needed the use of a shower after a particularly rigorous bout of training, and thought I'd use yours. I hope you don't mind!"
Cardin did mind, actually, and tried to say that – but the older and fatter man let out a quick curse as he lost grasp of his towel. It fell to the floor, revealing buttocks that would haunt Cardin's nightmares for the rest of his life.
"Ah," he cried, shielding his eyes.
Port turned around. Something swung between his legs.
"ARGH!" Cardin screamed, far louder.
"Why, my boy. It's nothing you haven't seen before. I bet you have one almost as impressive. Not quite, of course, but it's not a competition. Come; let us have a shower together." Port smiled and looked Cardin up and down. "We can wash each other's bodies like the huntsmen of old did."
"I-I-I…"
"I promise I won't do anything if you drop the soap."
It was too much. Cardin took one step back, and nearly fell over in his haste to take another. He didn't so much rush out the door as he did slam through it. It crashed back into his face, but he punched it off its hinges. He fled back towards the changing rooms, screaming the entire time.
He didn't notice the green-haired girl step out from nowhere, nor the blonde figure beside her. He didn't even notice the moustache-wearing huntsman he passed on route, who was both fully clothed and rather confused as to why one of his students was screaming something involving his name.
"Such excitable youths," the large man chuckled to the student being tortured – or regaled – with his stories. The young man had a stack of papers in his hands and a vacant look on his face. "Always running around like the devil is on their heels. Why, it reminds me of the time dear Tsune and I started dating. It all began when I-"
The student twitched violently.
/-/
"There was something more to that than meets the eye."
"I know, Remy." Jaune said. He'd noticed it, too. There was no way Cardin was weak-willed enough to freak out like that at the first sign of a training dummy… not when he smashed those into sawdust on a daily basis. Emerald had done something, not that he knew what or how to fix it. "I'll keep an eye on her, but there's nothing I can do now. I need to apologise to my team."
Remy clearly disagreed, but felt there was no point arguing about it.
Out of all the people he ought to talk to, Jaune figured Weiss would be the best bet. For one, she was his partner, which meant there was no avoiding her – and secondly, she was easily the most mature and least likely to snap at him. Pyrrha was a close second, but he had a feeling she'd hide her feelings, and he knew he wasn't quick enough to catch that.
"You know, there's always Penny," Remy said. "She wouldn't have done any nonsense like this."
"Yes, but Penny isn't here and my team is. Besides, Emerald said I should just apologise and get it over with."
"Need I remind you that Emerald is beholden to Cinder? She's probably not a good person."
Yeah, well that went without saying. He wasn't blind enough not to notice that, but at the same time, it wasn't like being on the wrong side necessarily meant she was useless at giving advice. She was a girl after all, so her ideas were probably better than his.
Finding Weiss was easy. She was almost always in their dorm when not in lessons – and he struck dust when it turned out she was alone. He pushed through the door and closed it behind him, wincing as her sharp gaze flicked over to him.
No greeting from her, but he'd not really expected one.
"Is there a reason you're staring at the back of my head?"
"Just that I'm trying to think of something to say…"
He could practically hear Weiss roll her eyes, and she fiddled with her scroll for a second before laying it down. "Whatever it is, make it quick. I'm expecting someone soon and don't really have the time for this."
Okay, that was fine. He could come back later- but no, he'd decided he was going to apologise now, and things would only be worse if he dragged it on. "I wanted to apologise."
"For…?"
Well, crap. That wasn't the response he'd wanted. He'd half-expected it, but desperately hoped it wouldn't come. He wracked his mind for an answer, but somehow he had a feeling saying `for going along with your charade` wouldn't endear her to him.
Weiss sighed and turned to face him, eyes flat. "You have no idea, do you? I'm not sure why I'm surprised."
"I… don't. Is it because I suggested you were my girlfriend?"
"No." Weiss shook her head. "It would be a little hypocritical of me to be angry about that when it was I who claimed you as my boyfriend. You handled it well enough, even if it was a little clumsy."
"I've never had a girlfriend before."
"Believe me, I can tell. To tell you the truth, I've never been in a relationship either, but last night certainly felt clumsy. Still, that's not what irritated me. Can you figure out what did?"
Jaune scratched his head awkwardly. By this point, it was probably clear he couldn't. He'd just sort of gone with the story they'd made up and hoped for the best. It worked, too. That should have been a good thing.
"Ugh, you're hopeless." Weiss threw her arms in the air. "I was upset because of how you made me look!" She stormed forward and pressed a finger into his chest. "I realise it wasn't completely your fault, but when the others started to pretend you were their boyfriend as well, it put me in an awkward position. Do you know what it feels like to have it suggested you share your boyfriend with three other women?"
"Um…"
"Like you're not good enough!" Weiss answered for herself. "Like I'm somehow insufficient or incapable of keeping a potential partner loyal… like I could only satisfy a quarter of a man."
Understanding dawned on him quickly, and he blanched. "I didn't mean it like that!"
"I know," she said, "and that's why I haven't torn you to shreds over it." Weiss sighed and rubbed her face with one hand. "Forgive me. I'm in a bad mood and it's not entirely your fault, but it isn't entirely not your fault either. I felt it might be best to avoid you until I calmed down lest I lash out." She laughed bitterly. "Like this. I'm not the most patient of people, and I know that. I didn't want to cause a scene, but it looks like I went and did so anyway."
"Ah, well…" Jaune ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I'm sorry, too. I didn't think about what it must have looked like to everyone else. I guess I was just too nervous to think things through, but that's not much of an excuse." He glanced up at her. "For what it's worth, I don't think of you like that. I definitely don't think there's something wrong with you, or that you'd need to share with anyone."
Weiss smiled weakly. "Thank you. I apologise as well. Like I said, it wasn't your fault and I didn't want to cause a scene. Perhaps I am just over-sensitive."
"Are we…?" Jaune gestured awkwardly.
"I think we are better. I just need a little time to get over it, but things will return to normal. I didn't want them to change in the first place. Now, you really must go. I'm waiting for someone and it's probably best if you weren't here when she arrives."
"A little late for that, Weiss," a new voice spoke.
Weiss' face drained of colour, even before she looked towards the door. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened, before she glanced back to him and saw how close they were. She pushed him away. "W-Winter, hello! Y-You're early."
The woman stood in the doorframe was so akin to Weiss, she had to be a relative. There was no other explanation for it. A similar skin tone, if a little darker from being out in the sun, identical hair – dye aside – and the way she carried herself just screamed of Weiss in five or so years' time. He watched her, and blinked when her eyes fell onto him.
"And who is this?" she asked. "I don't believe we have been introduced."
Training kicked in from the many times Uncle Watts and his Mom had insisted on manners. He stepped forward with a polite smile and extended a hand. "Hello. I'm Jaune Arc, Weiss' partner. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Yourself as well," the woman said, taking his hand and shaking it. "I'm surprised Weiss hasn't spoken of you. I'm not sure if that is a good or a bad thing."
"Maybe I'm just not noteworthy enough. I'm pretty normal."
"W-Winter," Weiss echoed, still a little lost. Her eyes shot between her sister and him, and she pushed forward to place herself between them. "This isn't what it looks like," she said. "Whatever you heard, it wasn't what you think. Jaune and I are-"
"Partners, no?"
"N-No! Not like that!"
Winter raised an eyebrow. "You're not teammates? Why else would you be in the same dorm room?"
"T-Teammates…?"
"Yes." Winter gestured to the room about them, and to the assorted beds behind. "I assumed that is why the two of you were together. Is it something else?"
"Nope, not at all!" Weiss laughed, so relieved that she didn't even realise she'd let Ruby's manner of speech slip through. "Actually, on second thought, this is exactly what it looks like. My, it must be hot in here. My mind keeps wandering." Weiss walked over to the window and opened it, and was nearly sucked out by the strong winds. It was a stormy day. "Ah, perfect," she said, green hair stuck up and out from the wind. "That's better."
Jaune blinked.
Winter looked to him for an explanation.
He shrugged in return.
"O-kay…" Winter said slowly. "Well, I can see that your time at Beacon has changed you somewhat. You seem more relaxed, though… I can't say I fully like the hair. I understand it is your choice, and that you might want to rebel from father, but-"
"The hair was a mistake," Weiss practically growled. "It was a… prank. I'm waiting for it to come out."
"Thank goodness…" Winter sighed. "For a moment, I feared you might have thought it looked good on you."
Weiss' eye twitched.
"Never mind that – it is good to see you, Weiss, and a pleasure to meet yourself as well, Jaune. I'm pleased to see Weiss has such a polite and dependable partner, and that you can work out any differences between you."
"Ah, you heard that?" Weiss asked with a wince.
"Only the tail end and enough to understand you've had some issues but are able to work through them. That is commendable." Winter nodded politely. "We can perhaps talk more on the issue later, but I only came by to say hello. I have my own mission in Vale."
"You mentioned something about that in your texts. Are you allowed to tell me what it is?"
"I suppose it is all over the news, so it couldn't hurt. I will have to ask you both to keep this quiet, however."
"You have my word," Weiss said.
"I won't tell anyone," Jaune added.
Winter watched them both for a second, before she nodded. "You have no doubt heard about the recent White Fang raid on an Atlas military convoy. Several military prototypes were stolen, and this has left Atlas in a… delicate position." The older woman sighed. "They are only prototypes, so it wouldn't be such an issue if they hadn't been stolen so close to Vale. Sadly, there are fears the White Fang might use them here, and as such Atlas has a responsibility to ensure that doesn't happen. We don't want our equipment used to harm an ally."
Yeah, that sounded about right. Uncle Watts had talked a lot about alliances, scandal and the political fallout they could cause. Normally, that was in how to use it to destabilise a Government, but it at least let him understand it in reverse. It was also a good thing, since it was one more thing off their shoulders. Weiss seemed to think so too, for she relaxed slightly.
"That's wonderful," she said. "I'm glad to hear Atlas is doing something about it. So, you are going to be hunting White Fang in the city?"
"I will be doing, yes. In fact, I already have an interesting lead in regards to a police sting on a recent White Fang operation."
Weiss' face froze. Her smile looked incredibly brittle. "You do? T-That's great!"
"Indeed," Winter said. "Unfortunately, the faunus leader was able to escape with some of his people, but we did receive descriptions of them from several police officers – and some of the captive faunus were also willing to barter information for reduced sentences."
Uh-oh. Jaune felt the sweat beading on his brow and looked to Weiss for advice. Apparently, he wasn't going to get it – since his partner looked like she was about to pass out. This is bad, he thought. This is really, really bad. His mouth was dry, but he still managed to ask, "Have you managed to find any leads on them, ma'am?"
"Please call me Winter, or Miss Schnee if you must." She smiled, and that at least told him he probably wasn't about to be arrested. "We have descriptions of the perpetrators, and some information about their faunus attributes." Winter looked around to make sure no one was listening in before she lowered her voice. "The worrying concern is that they each showed signs of aura and training advanced enough to place them at the level of huntsmen or huntsmen in training."
Weiss was still trying and failing to form words, so he filled in for her. "Really? That's terrible."
"Yes, well… it takes all types. Naturally, this means I have to extend my search into Beacon as well, but I don't expect it will be anyone from here. Ozpin runs a tight ship." Winter smiled at them, but it dropped away a second later. "That said, one of the faunus was described as having green hair, albeit a slightly darker shade than your new look, sister."
"R-Really!?" Weiss asked. "What a coincidence!"
It was a good job she'd managed to fade the colour somewhat by washing it twenty to thirty times in a row.
"Yes, quite." Winter rolled her eyes. "Obviously, it's ridiculous to believe it would be you of all people involved, but I have a feeling I would be in trouble if I didn't at least consider the possibility. Would you mind if I asked you where you were last night?"
"Last night?"
"Twenty-one hundred hours. The time of the raid," Winter explained. "It's just for my investigation, sister. I can already imagine the political fallout that would occur if I didn't at least show some signs of considering you a suspect. It's ridiculous, but it's what it is."
"Yes, well… I suppose I understand," Weiss stalled. "It is best to consider every angle, and I wouldn't want your superiors to assume anything but the best of you. Naturally, I'll be willing to help in any way I can. I certainly don't have anything to hide, after all."
"I'm glad you understand. So… where were you?"
Jaune kept silent but trusted Weiss to come up with a good answer. Obviously, she couldn't say she was here at Beacon, since all it would take was one person to come forward and say they'd seen her in Vale, leave Beacon – or just not be in their rooms. What was more, the Bullhead docks were watched by camera, and had almost certainly documented them all heading off.
"I was in Vale," Weiss said slowly. "I ate a meal at a small diner. Not a restaurant, but more of an ice-cream and snacks kind of place."
"At nine o'clock?"
"Well no. I arrived there around eight or so, and probably left a little after nine."
"And that involved your partner?" Winter asked. "I overheard you both talking about what you did last night, and something about that leading to an argument. It seems clear you were both together. What were you both doing at such a place?"
Weiss' eyes widened.
"We were just having a bite to eat," Jaune said, stepping in. "Right, Weiss?"
"Yes, of course. What else would we be doing at such a venue?"
Winter's eyes narrowed. He wasn't sure where, but they'd apparently gone wrong – and it seemed obvious she'd caught it. "You don't normally like sweet foods, Weiss." She took a step forward, and both he and Weiss took one back. "This is an official investigation. I need you to be honest with me. Please don't make me think you're somehow involved in this."
"O-Of course I'm not."
"Then what is it? You're hiding something."
"I-I am," Weiss acknowledged.
Jaune stared at her. What was she doing? Was she insane!? Weiss' eyes met his, and he could see the panic in them. She wasn't mad, just desperate and out of options. She tried to convey some message with just her eyes, but all he caught was a vague sense of hysteria.
"I am hiding something," she said again. "Forgive me…"
"What is it?" Winter asked. "Weiss, please don't tell me you are actually-"
Weiss cut Winter off – or to be more specific – he cut Winter off with a yelp as Weiss grabbed his arm and dragged him over to her. She pressed her cheek to his arm and tried for her best smile. It looked horrified instead, but with her red cheeks and wide eyes, it probably worked.
"I did lie earlier, Winter. I'm sorry, but I was nervous about what your reaction might be. Jaune is my partner, but he's also my partner in another sense."
Jaune's eyes widened. "W-Weiss, what-"
"The two of us are dating!"
Welp, poor Weiss, poor Jaune. Poor Sun, too, I suppose. Then again, his interactions in the show were always a little weak. Most of his relationship with Blake felt weak, mostly because he practically goes from being ignored to earning blushes with absolutely zero on-screen interaction. Plus, it always felt like they were thrown together because both are faunus, which somewhat slaps in the face of the whole "faunus inequality is bad", since it's like saying only a faunus can date another faunus.
Next Chapter: 3rd August
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur