Here we go. More chapter…

Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Kegi Springfield

Chapter 46

Velvet hovered nervously in the middle of the library. She took a look back to Mercury, who met her gaze from several bookshelves down and nodded his head. It was as clear a show of support as she'd ever seen, but that did precious little for her nerves. She wished he could be beside her to help – but that would be a little ridiculous. How was she supposed to ask her crush out if she had another man stood next to her?

That left her on her own, of course. That was fine. She just had to walk up to him, catch his attention and say the words. He would say yes, or he would say no, and whichever he chose, the world wouldn't come to an end.

Deep breaths, Velvet, she told herself. You can do this. You've practiced with Mercury. You've got this. After a few deep breaths, her eyes narrowed. She had this. It was now or never.

She tugged on the back of his sleeve.

"Huh?" He turned, his expression morphing from surprise to recognition, and then into a wide smile that made her feel so incredibly included. "Oh, Velvet. Hey! How's it going?"

"W-Well, thank you." Her stutter was back and she tried again. "I'm doing well. You?"

"I'm okay. I was just dropping by to see if they had the next issue of a comic I'm-" He paused and flushed. "Er, I mean I'm here on important schoolwork."

"I won't tell anyone," she promised.

"Thanks. So, what brings you here?" He did his best to stand still and much to her eternal horror she knew why. He thought she was skittish around him. It wasn't even something she could blame him for since the amount of times she'd walked up to him and run away was probably enough to convince anyone she had a phobia of handsome blond boys. "You here for homework?" he asked.

"Not exactly. I'm kind of doing the same thing as you…"

"Comics?"

"No, I mean… I'm here for something not school-related. Or not quite…"

"Oh?" He smiled easily. "Is it something I can help with?"

Yes, yes it was. Velvet's heart beat a little faster in her chest and she couldn't quite contain her small smile. She was doing it. She was actually doing it. Maybe she'd gotten a little braver, or maybe the constant exposure of her approach, run-away, approach, run-away back and forth over the last few days had helped her build up an immunity to being in his presence. Either way, it was finally about to happen.

"Jaune Arc," she said, surprising him at the usage of both names. "Will you do me the honour of accompanying-"

Something blurred between the two of them.

"Jaune!"

Nothing was going as intended. That was Velvet's thoughts as yet another attempt to ask her crush to the dance was thwarted, this time not by her anxiety, but instead by the arrival of one of his teammates, the girl in red. She came upon the two of them - Velvet with her cheeks flaming red and her mouth still poised to ask the question - and proceeded to stare.

"Oh," Ruby said, looking between the two nervously. "Am I interrupting something?"

Yes, she wanted to say – but the words didn't quite come out and even had the boy she liked not been there, she'd have never dared be so sharp to someone younger than her. "N-No, it's nothing…"

But it wasn't nothing. It wasn't nothing at all!

"Okay… it's just that I needed to ask Jaune something. I can wait, though. You were here first."

It was a generous offer, or at least it looked like one. Ruby smiled and stood stock still, watching the two of them with the clear intent of patiently waiting for Velvet to ask her question. Jaune was the same, looking at her like there was nothing unusual about it.

Ask him to the dance in front of his teammate? Where other people could see her shame if he rejected her? She tried – she really did.

"I-It's… I was just…"

Jaune smiled and nodded. Ruby fidgeted in place, clearly impatient.

Velvet's confidence crumbled like a house made of matchsticks. "Never mind," she whispered, visibly wilting. "I just thought… no, it's nothing. I'm sorry I got in the way…"

"Huh, okay…" Ruby shrugged and turned to her teammate. "Hey Jaune, I was wondering if I could ask you something this afternoon…"

"About what?"

"Um, about something coming up in a week or so. About us maybe doing something together… maybe…"

Velvet didn't catch any more but didn't need to. It was obvious enough she was asking him to the dance, and that stung doubly hard because it was supposed to be her chance. Would have been my chance if I had the backbone for it. That and the time before, and even the one or two times she'd tried to approach him since then, only to have her nerves play up and leave her scurrying away like an idiot each and every time.

She hated herself for that, she really did. It wasn't just because she was going to be left without a chance to confess to her crush, but also the fact that it made her feel like a coward. She was a proud huntress, and though one wouldn't know it to look she actually took a lot of pride in her hard-earned skills. The problem was that even then, she was never quite confident enough to show off. She won her fair share of fights in Miss Goodwitch's class, but that was because she could tune out the people around her when she was fighting. This was different.

And if Ruby's feelings for her teammate were what she thought they were – and she was fairly sure they were – then this had been her last chance. Jaune would totally say yes to Ruby, and that was the end of it.

She'd lost.

"Damn it…"

She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't.

Her eyes scanned for Mercury without thinking, little more than an instinct to find and report (and seek comfort) from him. She'd always been worried he would be annoyed at her repeated failures since he'd invested his time into helping her, but he never did. That didn't stop the fear she felt, but it had started to dim. Even now she was sure he would just shake his head, smile and tell her she'd have better luck next time. He was always willing to lie to make her feel better like that.

Velvet paused when she finally saw him – only to realise he was talking to a girl she didn't recognise. It wasn't one of his teammates, but rather one of the transfer students from Haven. Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly rushed over.

Mercury saw her before she arrived, pausing mid-sentence with the brunette and looking her way. It also drew the girl's attention, who turned to see who it was. The girl's eyes narrowed but Velvet slipped by and stood next to Mercury, subtly putting herself half-between the two of them.

"Hey," Velvet said, smiling to Mercury and stepping a little closer. "It didn't work."

"Again?" he asked. "Ah, I'm sure you'll have better luck next time."

Velvet giggled. It was as regular as clockwork.

"Excuse me," the other girl interrupted. She was quite pretty with a piercing on the left side of her nose and when she smiled she revealed a tiny dimple on her cheek. Velvet instantly disliked her. "I was just talking to Mercury," she said. "I was-"

"Sorry, but I kind of need him," Velvet said, not feeling very sorry at all. She flashed him an apologetic smile as she grabbed his arm and dragged him away, leaving the girl behind. Mercury stumbled to keep up with her, not quite having caught his footing before she hauled him away. He didn't get a chance to speak until they'd both left the library entirely and disappeared into a connecting corridor.

"What was that all about?" he asked once she'd let him go.

"Nothing," she said. "Who was that? Someone you know?"

"I don't think so. She just came up to talk to me. Why?"

"No reason." She smiled and laughed, before she recalled the real reason she'd sought him out. "I… uh… I messed up again."

"There's always nex-"

"There isn't," she said, eyes on the floor. "There… there won't be a next time. I think he's going with someone else. I saw him leave with her and… yeah…"

"Ah…" Mercury cringed and didn't know what to say. That was fine, really. She didn't know what to say either. He stood with a vaguely uncomfortable expression on his face, while she held one arm against her side and shuffled her feet.

"Sorry," she whispered. "You put so much effort into helping me and I messed it up."

"It's fine, I…" He paused, sighed, and then scratched his cheek. He often did that when he was out of his depth – which seemed to be whenever she was upset. She knew he wanted to help but didn't know how.

In a weird way, that was enough to help.

"Yeah, I don't know what to do," she admitted with a little shrug.

"Want to go read some X-Ray and Vav?"

She blinked owlishly for a few seconds and giggled. "That's a little random, isn't it?"

"Well yeah…" He grinned at her laughter and shot her his patented cocky smirk. She normally hated arrogant people but for some reason he always got away with it. It never really felt arrogant with him. "I figured you could use some being distracted."

"And you thought comics would be the best way?"

She'd never really been a fan of them.

"Sure. Read some comics with the coolest guy in Beacon. What kind of girl wouldn't love that?"

"I'll be sure to tell you if I ever find this `coolest guy in Beacon` you speak of," she said, earning a startled protest from him. She laughed and rolled her eyes, gripping his arm. "Come on, then. Let's go read your comics. You're such a man-child."

"Ah, but you still love me."

Velvet's cheeks flushed with colour and she punched his side. He probably didn't even realise what he'd just implied, or he'd meant it in some stupid way. She hit his arm again and glowered even more fiercely as he laughed.

He caught her third punch and twisted her arm around, spinning her so that he could throw an arm around her shoulders and pin her hand to her side.

"Peace," he said, still laughing. "Come on. Let's take your mind off that guy. Jaune probably doesn't deserve you anyway. Trust me, he can be an idiot sometimes. He has no idea what he's missing."

"Really?"

"Yeah, totally. Hell, a guy would count himself lucky to have you even smile in his direction."

Velvet laughed. "You're such a shameless flatterer."

"True, but is it working? Feel better?"

She grinned down at her feet and let him tug her along. Maybe just a little bit…

/-/

Ruby mentally slapped herself around the head as she watched Jaune go off to collect a can of soda for her. It was the latest excuse she'd come up with to chicken out of asking him, and although he'd seemed somewhat bemused at her request for him to accompany her to a soda machine, he'd accepted. Now he'd gone off to find her a grape soda since it had been sold out.

"What the hell was that?" Yang hissed, poking her head around the corner.

"I don't knowww!" Ruby wailed. "I tried but… but I panicked!"

"It was the perfect moment. You, him, alone in a corridor…"

Not totally alone, Ruby thought, looking to her sister. She'd known Yang was nearby since her sister had been pushing her to ask him, but that hadn't made it any easier. She wanted to blame her for that, but Ruby knew she'd have welched whether or not Yang was there.

"I can't do it," she said. "You like him as well. Why don't you ask him to the dance?"

"You know full-well I'm busy. Besides, you promised me you'd try and ask him."

"And I did. I failed."

Yang planted her hands on her hips. "Ruby…"

"The promise was to try. I tried!"

"Then try harder. Geez, you're such a spaz." She flicked Ruby's cheek and leaned against the wall. "What am I supposed to do with you, Ruby? You like the guy. He likes you-"

"That hasn't been proven yet."

"Ruby, no guy puts up with all this nonsense unless they like you. He's currently walking across Beacon because you said you wanted a grape soda. You've basically nailed down pregnancy during marriage without the baby. He's gone out to satisfy your first cravings."

That was such a ridiculous comment that Ruby thought her sister deserved the punch to the gut she got for it. Her cheeks were bright red and she glared at her. She wasn't pregnant and no way was she craving.

"I'm just saying you've got him wrapped around your finger," Yang said.

"So have you. He'd go all the way to Vale if you asked. He did before to buy you flowers."

Yang winced at the memory, though Ruby didn't miss the way her cheeks heated up either. Try as she might to deny it, Yang felt something for Jaune, and that made things weird. At least Weiss and Pyrrha were easy, or it would have been even more awkward.

"He'd buy you flowers as well if you asked him to the dance," Yang pointed out. "He's a romantic, Ruby. It's what he does. Look, I'm not asking you to marry him. All you need to do is go to the dance and see what you think. If you don't feel it then, I'll stop bothering you about this for the rest of your life. I promise."

Tempting. Very tempting.

"It's not like I'm dragging my feet on purpose, Yang. I swear I'm trying…"

Yang sighed and moved over to pull her into a hug, the two girls squeezing one another tightly. "I know, Rubes. I can see that. You're just wussing out at the last second."

"It's called being shy," Ruby grumbled.

"Wussing out, shy… same thing." Yang laughed to herself. "Point is, you need to take a leap of faith here. Tonight, when he comes back to your dorm, you've got to do it. No buts."

"But-"

"No buts!"

Ruby whined under her breath as she felt her face turn bright red. Tonight? In front of her entire team?

"Don't worry about what Weiss and Pyrrha think," Yang said, reading her mind. "They're not idiots. They know exactly what you intend to do, and how you feel."

Ruby whined even louder. Nooo….

"So, when he comes in – all you have to say is this." Yang pulled back and coughed, adopting a saccharine pose with both hands before her chest. "Jaune, I need to ask you something. The school dance is coming up and I don't have a date. There's someone I want to ask but I'm afraid of what they'll say. Repeat it."

Ruby did, with a few hiccups along the way. Yang made her do it again and this time it flowed a little easier. As far as things Yang could have told her to say, it wasn't so bad. At least it wasn't as humiliating as what she'd imagined. Plus, she could pretend she meant someone else while she was saying it, and that would make it easier.

"Okay, good. Now, he'll ask who it is."

"How do you know?"

"Ruby, just trust me. I know. Even if he didn't fancy the pants off of you, a good friend would want to know who so they could help you. He'll say something like this." Again, she coughed, and again she changed her voice – this time to the worst impression of Jaune that had ever been heard. "Who is it you wanted to ask, Ruby? Tell me and I'll make sure they take you to the dance!"

It might not have sounded much like him, but it definitely sounded like something he'd say.

"And I say `you`, I guess?"

Yang nodded and held both hands in a thumbs-up.

Ugh…

It's not so bad, she thought. I just have to say `you`, and that's only after I do all the set-up first. I can pretend I'm talking about someone else and just blurt it out, then say you afterwards. If he says no, he says no.

That didn't sound very promising. She looked to her sister.

"What do I do if he says no?"

"Don't worry. Your sis has this." She winked. "If he says no, you accept it but tell him you asked because you wanted to go as a friend. Jaune's so used to misinterpreting things that he'll totally assume he got this wrong, as well. He'll slap his head and apologise and there won't be a shred of awkwardness between you."

Wow. Yang really had thought it through. She was on point, too. If she told Jaune he'd got it wrong then he'd probably believe it since he was so bad at understanding social things. It was underhanded, sure, but maybe that was what she needed. The last thing either of them wanted was for hurt feelings to break the team apart.

As a three-part plan, Yang's idea wasn't too bad. Wait for him to return to the dorm room. Pop the question, wait until he asked who – say him. If yes, be happy. If no, claim it was as friends. Job done and all the awkwardness done and finished…

It was a perfect plan. Too perfect.

"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

"Brat!" Yang mock-growled, trying to grab her by the head for a noogie. Ruby was prepared however and ducked below, giggling loudly. "You're such a dweeb," Yang laughed. "You okay with the plan, though? You need to go over it again?"

"No, I've got it. T-Thanks, Yang. I really appreciate this…"

"Heh, no problems, sis. Promise me you'll do it tonight, though."

Tonight? That felt so close. Even so, she knew Yang had a point and putting it off any further would just make it all the worse. She owed it to not only herself but also her sister to do this once and for all. "I promise," she said. "I'll either have a date to the dance by the end of tonight, or I'll at least have his answer. I promise on Mom's grave."

"That's the spirit." Yang patted her shoulder and pushed away. "I've got to go catch up with Blake and the others. Tell me how it went tomorrow, okay?"

Ruby nodded and watched as her sister rounded the corner and was away. Only then did she let her breath out in an explosive sigh. Well… this was it. She'd promised on Mom's grave and that was the highest thing she could promise it on. Tonight, she made history.

No pressure, right?

/-/

"I'm surprised you're still here to be honest."

"General Ironwood still has use of my presence," Winter said to her sister. It was a rare moment after classes for Weiss, and Winter had asked to see her once more. The two sat at an ornate table in a section of Beacon reserved for visitors and dignitaries. Normally Weiss would not have been welcome in such a place, not for want of position but because she was a student. Exceptions were made however, especially if the visiting figure wished to meet a student in particular.

"I assume you cannot tell me what that is," Weiss said.

"You assume correctly, sister. You are a student of Beacon, so such things are beyond you." She made no apology of it, but then again Weiss took no offence and simply nodded. "I didn't bring you here to talk about me, however. How are your studies progressing?"

"Very well. Our team is performing well."

"And your teammate Ruby Rose?"

"She is also doing well," Weiss said with a hint of protectiveness in her tone. "She's a fast learner and has managed to catch up on much of the work she missed. I'm pleased with her progress."

Winter hummed something that might have been an assent. Her sister seemed quite defensive around the girl, but she would leave it be. Hopefully she wasn't allowing sentimentality to come in the way of her own progress, but that would be a lesson learned if it happened. She knew better than to press on it now.

And besides, there were other, far greater, concerns.

"I hope the upcoming dance has not impeded your performance any. I realise it's an important calendar date, but such events pass by. You must not let them distract you."

"I don't think that will be a problem, Winter." Weiss laughed and sipped her tea. "I've been asked to handle some of the organisation, so I've been busy behind the scenes. There's no one else Beacon felt they could trust with it. You understand, of course."

"Of course," she agreed. This was her sister after all. Who better to entrust with such a thing?

"As such, I'll be working on the night as well."

That caught her attention. "Working…?"

"Yang and I need to man the entrance – Yang is a friend from another team." She phrased the word `friend` in an odd way, but Winter paid little attention. A Schnee always had associates and acquaintances who could not easily be categorised as one or the other. Instead, she focused on what truly caught her attention.

"But if you are working the entire day, what time will you have for yourself?"

Weiss shrugged. "We'll be switching roles halfway through, so the two of us will still have time to enjoy the fruits of our labour if that's what you're worried about. It just means that we'll be busy. I've offered to take the first shift, while Yang will take the second."

All very reasonable, but if Weiss was to take the first shift, did that mean…?

Perhaps it did…

Winter hid her thoughts in the action of taking a long sip of her tea – middling quality at best – and daintily placing it back down on its saucer. She then poured herself some more, and held the ornamental teapot out towards Weiss.

"Please," Weiss agreed, nodding.

"I suppose with you being too busy to enjoy the dance, you'll be going without a date." She tried to keep her tone light and convey nothing of what she felt, but feared she might not have been as subtle as she would have liked.

"I suppose I will," Weiss said. "That should please you, at least."

The teapot clinked against the cup. It was a small thing but it was such an uncharacteristic mistake that they both flinched. "I'm sorry," Winter said, unsure if she meant the cup or her unsavoury sentiment towards her sister's love life.

"It's fine," Weiss replied.

And to her frustration, she had no idea which Weiss meant either. I've always wanted the best for my sister, she told herself. Sometimes what is best for someone isn't what they necessarily want. The argument was sound but felt like something their father might say, and that had her stomach twisting.

She did not approve of her sister and this Jaune boy, but she had chosen him…

"Could you not ask someone else to handle the job?"

"And deprive them of the opportunity? Come now, Winter. That would be unfair."

"It would be," she conceded.

"I shall be fine. As you say, it's only a dance. Given my name and position, I'll doubtless have to sit through a thousand more back in Atlas."

Yes, that was true. Their father certainly enjoyed his chances to show off, and the amount of balls, galas and fund-raising events he hosted supported that. In the end that was all they were, however. PR moves or him boasting of his wealth. It was repugnant, and she knew Weiss would despise them as much as she had.

But like her sister said, what could be done? She'd been asked to help with the dance and she had accepted. That must have been done knowing the consequences, and she was sure her sister's boyfriend (the term felt dirty in her mind) had agreed. It would be a shame, but both would have other times to enjoy such things.

And she was getting exactly what she wanted. She would not have to see the two being all lovey-dovey. That rendered the purpose for this light dinner all but moot, and Winter felt relieved to have avoided what she'd known full-well would be a difficult conversation.

"I'm afraid I have to meet with General Ironwood this afternoon," she said. "How about yourself?"

Weiss knew the polite question for what it was and nodded. "I have to train with my team," she said, moving to stand. "We want to perform well in the tournament, after all. Thank you for inviting me for dinner, Winter. We must do it again."

"I agree. Good luck, Weiss. I'll be hoping for your success in the festival."

The two went their separate ways after a few polite words and a chaste hug that contained far more meaning than either of them would dare admit. To outsiders they must have looked uncaring but that could not be further from the truth. She demanded much of Weiss, but only because it was expected.

Someone had to believe and push her on since their father clearly didn't care. He did not want a daughter who could excel and grow into a fine young woman. He wanted a poster child and a mascot to tout at his vaunted parties. It was the reason she'd sought her own independence in the military, and why she had not shed a tear at the loss of her place as heiress to the company. Sometimes she wished she were free enough to shout `good riddance` to it all, but even now appearances had to be maintained.

Still, as she made her way to Ironwood's quarters, she couldn't help but mull a little more on the fact Weiss would not be going with her paramour (a more elegant term, she felt). It was exactly what she had wanted, but much like she had feared, the taste of victory was bitter indeed.

It only made it all the worse that her sister could put on such an understanding visage. She acted as though the issue bothered her not a whit.

"Specialist," Ironwood greeted as she approached his room. She snapped a quick salute. "At ease, specialist. Please, come inside."

"Thank you, sir."

Once inside, the man's stern air faded somewhat, as it often did around the few people he felt he could trust. She felt honoured to be counted among them and had sworn long ago that she would not betray that trust.

"Did you have a good dinner with your sister, Winter?"

"I did, sir." Not the correct way to address him, but in private he had asked numerous times that she stop calling him "General". Sir was the closest compromise they could come to. "Weiss has given me much to think about. Nothing related to the investigation, I fear." The latter was added as an apology, but he shook his head.

"Don't worry. I didn't grant you time to dine with her for any such purpose. Besides, apart from your sister's connection to the Arc boy, she is all but irrelevant in the matter. A fact I am sure comes as a relief."

"It does, sir."

She had been worried at first to hear how many times Weiss had run into this "Hentacle" creature, and worried all the more after Ironwood's first-hand account of his strength. Fortunately, the dance had all but grounded her sister to Beacon, and that meant their encounters had been reduced to zero. Knowing her sister was safe from that creature? Ironwood was right. It was a great relief.

"Did your own investigation yield any results, sir?" she asked. "If it's not too much to ask, of course."

"I've told you before it's not, Winter. The whole point of us working together on this is that we pool what information we find." He gestured for her to take a seat, but his room being not an office but a spare room in Beacon, she was unsure where. The bed felt far too familiar - and far too questionable! She drew out a small stool and perched awkwardly on it instead.

When she was sat, he continued. "I found another chance to speak with the young woman he attacked at our recent encounter. She seemed startled still, or at least anxious around me. It almost felt like she was nervous I might discover something…"

"Do you think she could be a suspect?"

Ironwood shook his head. "No, I'm sure she's simply anxious over what happened. Given the threat to her life I think we can forgive the young lady being a little jumpy. What I did find interesting was his connection to Jaune Arc."

Winter felt an immediate frown burst out over her features. "Is she involved with him?" she demanded.

"I think she wishes she could be, but no." He paused to shoot her a concerned expression, and Winter coughed awkwardly. While it was all well and good to be a little defensive over little Weiss, lashing out at her superior officer – or accusing every woman that crossed her path of sleeping with her sister's boyfriend – was certainly not the done thing. "From what I learned she grew up with him, which might explain why she was threatened by Hentacle."

"You believe he might have been trying to take her as a hostage in order to trade for Jaune Arc?"

"Possibly, or it might yet be the other way around." He hummed and stroked his chin. "I did find it suspicious she was there alone with Hentacle and Adam Taurus of all people. She told me she saw a meeting and sought to interfere."

Winter's expression twisted. "An obvious lie, sir. The White Fang can be brazen, but no one would just `happen across` a meeting like that."

"My thoughts exactly…"

Winter waited patiently for her superior to think on the matter, the General pacing about the room as he put his great mind to work. When it came to strategy he was second to none, be it the battlefield or the darkest alleyways of Atlas. There was a reason he held such authority not only within the military, but the Academy as well.

"It seems to me that Miss Fall specifically sought out Hentacle herself," he eventually said. "And why not, I wonder. It's clear she is more capable than Mr Arc, and given what we know of Raven Branwen she would appreciate such strength."

"You believe she's been sent as something of a bodyguard for him?"

"That is my thought. By all reports she is a difficult woman but if she saw fit to have multiple children with Nicholas Arc then she must feel some affection to them. Cinder Fall may have been tasked with taking care of him; a reason which would explain her sudden shift from Haven to Beacon, and also why she was in an altercation with Hentacle."

"She was seeking to kill him," Winter whispered. "That is very brave, but also quite questionable."

"Indeed. I fear that loyalty and love have trumped common sense with such a decision. I also fear, given her clear aversion to answering my questions, that she may seek to do so again. There are many who fear for their own lives, but none are more dangerous than those who fear for the life of a loved one."

"If she faces Hentacle, she will surely die."

Ironwood smirked in her direction. "Unless I am there again to protect her."

Winter caught on quickly. "You seek to use her as bait? Forgive my impertinence, but she is a student. I didn't think you would ever consider such an idea…"

And she did not mean that as a compliment, as improper as it was for her to say it out loud.

"I do not mean it that way," he assured. "I simply mean that should she already have it in mind to put herself in danger, it is our duty to protect her where we can. If that should lead us to our quarry, then that would be two Nevermore with one missile."

The plan was sound, and also ethical enough given that they would not try to put the girl in danger. He only meant to identify the times she would do it herself and intervene, which was what the professors of Beacon should have been doing already. To their credit, they were distracted by the festival. She and the General were not and could aid in this matter.

"Do you want me to open surveillance on her, then?" Winter asked.

"That won't be necessary. I have already sent an infiltration agent to work her way into Miss Fall's circle of friends. She will report on anything that is discussed and alert us should she put herself in danger once more."

"A member of the ASF?" Winter asked, excited at the prospect. The Atlas Special Forces were good at what they did.

"Better," Ironwood said. "Someone who can fit in with ease."

Winter's spirits fell.

"You mean Penny, don't you?"

The General smiles like a proud parent. "I do."

She was less reassured, and with good reason, too. "Sir, while I cannot disagree that Penny is… well suited for the task of blending in, I'm not sure she has the capability to interact with someone you have already described as being untrusting."

Before she could put more of her worries into words, the door opened with a brief knock and a not-quite-human figure with orange hair entered. She nodded once to Winter and then saluted clumsily to Ironwood.

"I have returned from my mission to infiltrate the target's circle of influence," Penny reported.

"Good work. How did it go?"

"I have consummated my relationship with Emerald Sustrai, the target's teammate."

Winter's mouth fell open. She'd… what? Well, that was… that was certainly one way to go about it, she supposed. An interesting route… and a girl? Well, laying with a man would surely have revealed she was not entirely equipped for reproductive purposes, so that was smart of Penny, she supposed. Still… wasn't this a little much?

Or was she just misunderstanding?

"When you say consummated," Winter said.

"I mean that we just finished having intercourse," Penny replied frankly. "I believe it was a fulfilling experience all around. I looked forward to involving Cinder Fall into it, as well. The three of us at once would surely be sensational."

Good Gods above… Teenagers were certainly more open than she'd been at their age. Winter felt her cheeks heating as she coughed, looked aside, and tried not to show any of her discomfort. Maybe she should keep a closer eye on Weiss after all. There was no telling what would happen to her in a school filled with such debauchery!

/-/

Emerald wasn't sure if things were looking up or not, but she was in her room with Cinder and she was being entrusted with knowledge of their plans, so that was a good sign. She nodded along, sure in the knowledge that she wouldn't mess this one up. Mercury had gotten too far ahead of her and this might be her chance to get back into Cinder's good books.

"I shall slip off to disable the CCT while the dance is in progress. Your role will be to make sure no one feels the need to investigate and to deal with them if they do. Remember, we do not want to cause a fuss at this point."

"I'll use my Semblance on anyone who tries," she promised. "No one will interfere, ma'am."

Cinder nodded, though there was no real telling whether that meant she trusted Emerald or not. A few weeks back she would have been so sure, but life hadn't been kind to her recently. "We need to make this work during the dance," Cinder continued. "It's the only time when that foolish brother of mine will be distracted, and I just know his bleeding heart will interfere otherwise."

"You won't be telling him?"

"Our deal was to tell him what our plans involve and to keep his friends out of harm's way. I think I have done very well at that so far. What he doesn't know won't hurt him – or his friends."

She was sure Jaune would disagree, but that was only if he found out about it. She could tell him, but that would surely bind her future to his. As the only person other than Mercury to know of the plan, any intrusion by Jaune would point the finger firmly at her. Any route towards reconciliation with Cinder would be closed forever.

Better perhaps to remain silent and do her job.

"What about the dance itself?" she asked. "Will you be attending with anyone?"

"I'll simply claim Mercury as my date after I return," Cinder said offhandedly. "It will hardly matter once the CCT is down. The important part is that I be seen at the event to ward of suspicion."

"What about Jaune?"

Cinder paused, shoulders stiffening. "What about him?"

"I just thought… well, I…" Emerald wished she could have taken it back, but Cinder's gaze said such was no longer an option. She pushed ahead instead. "I thought you might want to attend with him, ma'am. I thought you didn't want him to go with one of those stupid girls?"

That was the impression she'd gained, anyway. Cinder was always so quick to call the Xiao-Long and Rose girls childish idiots playing at being women, and she was no less scathing in her impressions of Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos and just about anyone else who looked at Jaune with anything other than disinterest.

Emerald wasn't sure if her boss thought herself subtle or not, but neither she nor Mercury were idiots. It wasn't hard to notice how Cinder never insulted Nora Valkyrie or Blake Belladonna in such a way, and how those two just so happened to have no interest in her `non-blood-related` brother.

"Nonsense," Cinder snapped, turning away. "In fact, I'd be happy if he did go with that blonde bimbo. It will keep him distracted while I enact my plan. In fact, if she weren't taking care of the matter for me I might have instructed you to date him."

"M-Me!?" Emerald stammered.

"Is that a problem? It would have only been to distract him." The question wasn't so much a question as an accusation, delivered with a threatening glare from the corner of an eye turned towards her.

"N-Not a problem at all," she said. "I was just surprised." Surprised and horrified, that was. Her and Jaune…? Even if that was just a distraction, the concept was so bizarre she wasn't sure what to think. She could still remember being naked in the bathroom as his tentacles brushed against her skin – and that sounded a whole lot more suggestive than she'd meant it to! Her cheeks flushed and she shook her head.

No thinking about the tentacles or how they hadn't been quite as repulsive as she'd imagined and had actually felt almost nic- no, no, no. No thinking of them.

"It hardly matters now," Cinder said, either ignoring or – more likely – not seeing Emerald's internal struggle. "He'll be all but lost in that insipid girl. The chances of him noticing my absence are null and everything is falling into place."

Cinder chuckled to herself, smiling into her hand.

"Soon, the power of the maiden will be mine."

/-/

"Soon," Lavender chuckled, one hand before her mouth. "Soon, his heart will be mine." Her hand fell. "Or it will be if I can find a way into that dance. Argh!"

Roman watched the young girl (who was technically now his lord and mistress in a way) pace around the house he'd bought for her, shaking her head and muttering angry words under her breath. It was a bizarre scene, but a reminder that even if she was a half-Grimm, super-powered creature who could rip him in two with her tentacles, she was still at heart a young girl.

It didn't do much to improve his situation any, but it was worth a laugh or three.

"No luck yet?" he asked, fanning the flames.

"Nothing at all," she said, flouncing down onto her cough and clutching her hair. "Uncle Watts said the best way to catch his attention was to make a bold statement and that the first impression would matter most. He's already seen me once before when he caught me, but I need to make a proper first impression and it has to stick with him. That's what my uncle says, anyway."

Roman hummed as he puffed on a cigar. It sounded like her uncle – some Watts guy – was right on the money. He knew a thing or two about impressing women and the first trick was to make sure you didn't slip out of their mind. If you were forgettable, you weren't interesting, and if you weren't interesting, then they weren't interested.

The same probably went in reverse for girls and guys, too.

"So, you need to make a big splash with the kid. What did you have in mind?"

"It has to be romantic," Lavender said. "I want my intentions to be clear. I also need to look mature since I'm a year younger than him but I don't want that to dominate our future relationship. Obviously, I also need to look incredible."

"Obviously…"

"There's a dance coming up at Beacon and I thought that would be perfect. The mood is there, I could go in a beautiful dress and we'd pause in the middle of the dance floor, our eyes meeting across a sea of faces. He'd look surprised, amazed, and I'd gracefully glide towards him to lay my hand against his chest. He'd then take me in his arms and draw me into a slow waltz, my eyes drowning in his beautiful, pink depths…" She trailed off with a longing sigh, only to flush when she heard his muffled snort. "A-Anyway, that was the plan," she said. "I thought it was a good one. Don't laugh at me!"

"I'm not. I'm not. At least not at the plan." Just at her being such a girl, even if she was and was sixteen to boot. "Still, it's all there. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that the Beacon dance is for students of Beacon! I very much doubt I can sneak into it, and even your resources wouldn't let you fake the arrival and subsequent disappearance of a new huntress."

"True," he admitted. "I could maybe get you in if you wanted to stay there, but I'm guessing you don't."

"No. I'm needed outside of Beacon. That's the problem." Lavender sighed and lowered her face into her hands. "But if I'm not there, he might go with someone else as his date! What if they have their magical moment on the dance floor instead of me? He might fall in love with the wrong woman!"

"The travesty…"

"I know! What am I going to do?"

"Well, you could always just show up," he said, throwing out the suggestion as more of a joke than anything else. He should have known better. "I mean, there are a lot of students at Beacon, right? The teachers can't keep track of all of them, especially with transfers. Who would even notice if one more slipped in unannounced?"

Lavender froze. "That's it…"

"What?" He glanced over and cursed when he saw her expression. "No, no, no. I was joking. It was a joke. I wasn't being serious."

"But it's perfect."

"No, it's not."

"I could slip in without anyone realising," she said.

"No, you couldn't!"

"The plan is set," she said, slamming a fist into one hand and ignoring his tired groan. Fortunately for him, the doorbell rang before she could drag him further into it. She shot him a look and a nod to the side, a hint for him to hide in case it was anyone that shouldn't see him in person.

He nodded and stepped into the kitchenette, prepared to slip out the back door and away if needs be. Even so, he pressed his ear against the wall by the opening, listening in on what was happening. You never knew when such information might be useful.

"I'm coming," Lavender called when the door was knocked on again, more frantically this time. "Hold on a second, please. I won't be a moment."

He heard the door unlatch as she worked through the deadbolt and chain, and then a creak as it opened just a fraction. He wasn't particularly worried about her being in danger since he knew what she was capable of. It would be a very surprised home invader which tried to take her on. When Lavender gasped, however, he leaned a little closer. Was it her crush, perhaps?

"Hello dear niece," a tired voice replied. "Can I come in? It's been a rather tiring journey…"

"U-Uncle Watts!?"

There we go. Just so people know, I'm hoping to pick up the pace with this a little. College Fool and I are currently talking because I'm just not happy with the pace, and the focus, that this fic is currently on. It's a back and forth process, but hopefully it will see results soon enough. I'll be sure to pass on anything that we decide, but hopefully it will make the story better for it. I can't say I'm happy with where this fic is right now.

Next Chapter: 14th December

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur