Here's a slightly early chapter, as a treat, for no particular reason.

Start Chapter 20

"I CAN SEE EVERYTHING!"

"Nora, please calm down."

"I CAN SEE SOUND, AND ENERGY, AND LIFE ITSELF!"

"You are seeing magic, girl."

"AND IT IS AWESOME!"

Jaune has to snicker under his breath as Nora continues to excitedly shout about her newfound ability to see the magics of the world, just as Jaune and Cinder had learned to do a week or so prior.

Pyrrha seems to be feeling similarly, if her laughter is anything to go by. On the subject of Pyrrha, the girl seems to be feeling better in general. Her heel has healed to the point that she's able to walk around without trouble, and she'll likely be joining them for training within a week or so's time.

Ren has his balance back, which is good, since Jaune knows it had annoyed his teammate quite a bit that his aim had become so shoddy, and Nora…

Well, Nora is being Nora. She is, also, surprisingly competent at magic, more so than either Ren or Pyrrha, both of whom have yet to grasp the abilities that Salem has been attempting to impart upon them all at Jaune's request.

Still, things are coming along nicely.

…Well, mostly.

Jaune turns, finally, to Cinder, who's sitting a way's away from the rest of the group, ostensibly meditating in the corner of the space that Salem had set for them to learn magic.

Jaune gathers that her work trying to harness the Maiden's power to further heights has been going… poorly.

Poorly, at least, relative to what Cinder expects of herself. Now, to be fair, Cinder expects quite a bit, and in Jaune's opinion, often too much. But even so, the frustration that had been leaking through their link lately had made him almost quick-tempered, and he'd more than once had to apologize for his emotions running high, despite the fact that his emotions hadn't been doing much at all.

He resolves to talk to Cinder later, when he gets the chance. About…

About quite a few things.

As for Emerald and Mercury, the two have taken to having off time a lot better than Jaune and his teammates had, and had both declined to learn magic, stating that they had their own fields to focus on. Jaune isn't going to complain about that, since this way, it's just his teammates and Cinder.

Just the people he really cares about.

Back in the present, Salem is calming Nora down – and Jaune can tell that his teammates are getting more used to this place, because Nora is acting like her usual self again, and actually going so far as to joke around with Salem, the Queen of the Grimm, bringer of the end.

Jaune isn't quite sure if that makes them brave, or stupid.

Perhaps both, though he feels the average person might lean more towards the latter.

"Girl, sit still, or your vision will fade."

Nora does so, pouting somewhat, and Salem simply rolls her eyes as she turns back to the rest of them.

"As your soulmate has grasped this ability," She looks at Ren specifically. "She may be able to help walk you through it, to some degree, as young Cinder did for her soulmate."

Ren peaks back at him briefly, and Jaune gives a nod, which seems to be enough for Ren to nod Salem's way. Nora sidles up alongside him, and gives him a smile, one which he returns with a quiet laugh.

They are off in their own little world in the next moment.

Jaune and Pyrrha smile at each other as Ren and Nora go silent, and briefly, Jaune feels himself growing the smallest bit sadder.

Pyrrha is his partner.

The reminder is not exactly a wanted thing, because Gods know that Jaune has enough things to be thinking about without adding another to the mix, but in truth, he's been neglecting Pyrrha for quite a while. After all, she's his teammate, she's his friend. Instead, he's been spending his time almost exclusively with Cinder.

He's sure Pyrrha understands why, and yet even so, he finds himself feeling guilty whenever he looks at her out of the corner of his eye, when she turns back to her own meditation, and continues to attempt to channel her magics into her eyes.

And it is in that moment that he feels another hot flash through his mind, and he looks over his shoulder to see Cinder's teeth grinding together, her lips pulled apart in a snarl as she attempts to reign in… something.

Jaune's not entirely sure what it is, only that Cinder is losing, or at least, that she feels she is.

And so, despite what he'd just been saying about neglecting Pyrrha, he crawls across the floor, and sits down beside Cinder.

He does not touch her, for he feels that would likely shock her out of her meditation, and make her have to start again, but he does his best to silently offer support; to channel positive emotions into their link, to try and get her to steady herself.

Whether or not that works, Jaune cannot entirely tell. It isn't really a thing he can ever be conscious of. His only point of reference for it is knowing that Cinder can course such emotions through their link, and so, likely, he should be able to do the same.

He thinks he gets a response of some sort a moment later, for Cinder takes a deep breath, and he feels her own emotions even out. A smile comes to his lips before he can really stop it, and he watches as the tiniest of curls affects Cinder's own.

It's a while before anything interrupts the silence that takes over the room after that. Jaune scans the room, quietly observing the way the various occupants spend their silence.

Mostly, though, his eyes are on Salem.

It's odd, really, the way she looks so serene with her eyes closed. The way that she hovers, just an inch or so, off of the ground, a gentle reminder that she is as close to the divine as one can come upon this desolate rock.

Power flows around her. The aura she gives off – not the same aura that they, as humans, possess, but an aura of magic – is almost incomprehensibly massive, to the point that Jaune's not really sure where it ends.

If it ends at all.

It encompasses the entire castle of Evernight, at the very least, for Jaune had activated his magical sight while sitting alone in his room at night, and he'd still been able to see Salem's aura, despite the fact that the woman had been at least two or three floors above or below him at that point.

It would have been impressive if it hadn't been so terrifying.

It is as he's thinking about such things that Ren, ever so quietly, gasps, and just before Jaune can congratulate him on finally figuring out magical sight–

"YOU DID IT!" Nora screams.

Jaune winces as he feels a spike of anger through his link to Cinder, and he watches as the woman's concentration is utterly broken by Nora picking Ren up off the ground, and spinning him around.

Cinder growls as she stands up, and exits the room without any further fanfare, despite Jaune calling for her. He lets out a sigh, even if Pyrrha seems to be the only one to notice.

"She seems frustrated." Pyrrha notes, and Jaune nods his head absently. "Perhaps you should go speak with her on your own. I imagine she would appreciate that, although I doubt she'd ever admit to such a thing."

Jaune let out a little laugh, because apparently he isn't alone in being able to recognize that Cinder holds her emotional cards as close to the chest as she can, before his expression dims somewhat, and he looks up at Pyrrha with a questioning glance.

"…Pyrrha, am I being a bad partner?"

Pyrrha's eyes widen somewhat. "What? What do you mean, Jaune?"

"I just…" He shakes his head. "No, sorry, what I said before was all… weirdly guilt-trippy. I guess I mean… You're my partner, Pyrrha. Before I met Cinder, you were my partner. And you're still my partner. You're my friend, and my teammate. And you deserve… I…"

He can't figure out how quite to end that train of thought, although luckily, the general feel of what he'd been trying to say seems to reach Pyrrha, for the girl smiles, and shakes her head.

"Jaune… yes, I am your partner. Yes, I suppose I would like it if the two of us could spend more time together. Or even if the four of us could spend more time together as a team."

Jaune winces.

"But," Pyrrha speaks, cutting him off from future self-flagellation. "I also understand why your priorities have been as they are. Because whether or not she's older than us, or more mature than us, or… or more powerful, or darker, or any other number of things… Cinder is also far more fragile, I feel."

Jaune finds his eyes widening as Pyrrha breaks down his soulmate in such a way. Effortlessly stripping away the armor she'd pulled up around herself, and revealing what's left underneath.

"She tries to project strength, but… I think she's hurting." Pyrrha says, frowning. "And I know that above all else, I would much rather someone else receive the help that they need, than for I to receive… I don't even know… fun? Satisfaction?" Pyrrha shrugs her shoulders, despite the way that Jaune almost wants to sanctify her. "Basically… I'm not going to take you away from Cinder, because she needs you, when I and the rest of our team only want you. Does… that make sense?"

Pyrrha is quite blindsided by the way he practically tackles her into a hug, but she responds to it with a little laugh, and then wraps her own arms around him.

"Thanks, Pyr."

"You're welcome, Jaune." She says with a laugh. "Now, shouldn't you be going after someone?"

He nods his head against her shoulder, before pulling away, smiling at her, and standing. In the next moment, he's pulling open the door, and rushing down the hallway after Cinder.

/

It doesn't take a particularly long time to locate Cinder, given that he's able to hear her long before he is able to see her.

The sounds of combat echo from out of the training hall that Salem had assigned to Cinder personally for use in training her Maiden powers. It's loud, and it draws him towards the room – although, in fairness, it's the first place Jaune had been planning to check anyways.

The live Grimm, however, Jaune hadn't been expecting.

His face pales as Cinder is beset on all sides by Alpha Beowolves, and he's about a moments away from charging into the arena to fight by Cinder's side before she lets out a yell, and the entire room fills with flame.

When it dissipates, Cinder is the only thing left standing, and Jaune finds himself rather glad he'd not been in there himself.

Cinder must see him out of the corner of her eye, for she turns to him, looking him up and down for a moment, before she huffs out a breath, and promptly sits down in the spot she'd been standing.

"What?"

Jaune can tell Cinder is definitely in a horrible mood, for that's the only time she's ever curt with him.

Or, well, that's not true. She can be curt a lot of the time, but there is always this sense of regret that flows through their link afterwards. Jaune has taken to understanding that Cinder doesn't quite know how to speak to someone she cares about, given she has never once had that issue before.

Of caring about someone, he means.

"You okay?"

"I am fine."

They both know that's a lie. Whether or not Cinder will admit it is another story.

"Okay." He decides to say after a few second's silence. "Well, you seem tired, so I'd imagine you're done training for the moment. Let's talk."

Jaune feels want filter through their link at that, and he can't help the smallest bit of pain from echoing out inside of him at that.

Because no matter what, whenever he offers to speak with Cinder, wants to discuss things with her and talk with her and just… just hear her, she always gets just that little bit happier. As if she has never had anyone want to hear her before.

And Jaune understands that that is likely the truth. That she has never felt such things before.

And it makes him so very sad to think that.

"If you want." Cinder responds simply, a glimpse at the mask she tries to put over her emotions, which burn so much hotter than one might've thought.

And so Jaune sits in front of her, in the center of the now charred arena, and just…

Well, he's had a few things he's wanted to talk about for a while. Some things that are difficult, but important.

"Can I ask you something? Something maybe… hard to answer?"

Cinder eyes him with a wariness unusual for him. She uses the look on others, on his teammates, even on Emerald and Mercury, but she does not often do so upon him.

"…I suppose."

He nods, gathers himself, and speaks.

"Did Salem… do something to you?"

Cinder's eyes widen, and internally, Jaune can feel the way Cinder wants nothing more than to close up into a little ball, and cease their conversation immediately. How she wants nothing more than to disappear entirely, or to destroy something, to distract herself from the emotions Jaune's brought to the surface with that line alone.

And he hates those emotions he can feel. Inadequacy, fear, isolation, and…

And fondness, too. A horrible mix that Jaune can't help knowing a bit about.

It's a mix of emotions that's rather common to find in children who've been in domestic abuse situations.

Jaune has a feeling that's not entirely far from the truth.

After all, according to Cinder's own telling, she'd been fifteen, at the oldest, when she'd been brought in by Salem. She'd been twenty-three when she'd first left Evernight to go and hunt Amber, and twenty-four, going on twenty-five when they returned here.

So, she'd had eight years here. Eight years that she'd…

…Jaune gathers from the way Cinder's guard has come entirely up that she is not going to answer his question.

"…I just… we're all here, and… I guess… does seeing us be so casual around her hurt you?"

Cinder considers that for a moment. He can tell she's actually doing so, because no emotion flows through their link.

"I… It's not that it bothers me when they do it. I couldn't care less about them." Cinder winces as she seems to realize how that probably sounds. "And I know they're your teammates, it's just… they're not you. But… when I see you talking to her like its normal, it… I'm afraid for you."

"…What are you afraid of in particular?"

Cinder shakes her head, and Jaune understands.

"Then… would you rather I didn't talk to her?"

"Too late for that now." Cinder says, sighing. "She's actively seeking you out, listening to your requests. She's far too intrigued by you to leave you alone. In a way, that might be good for you, but…"

Jaune can tell the very fact bothers Cinder, and he's not quite sure what to do about that.

"I… Salem is hard to understand. I don't. Understand her, I mean. She… sometimes, she can be kind, almost motherly. And others…" Cinder shakes her head. "Others she is the monster they paint her to be."

Jaune has never seen the latter himself, and he hopes he never will, as much as he wants to be able to understand Cinder's perspective. It is simply so hard to reconcile Cinder's words with the woman that he'd seen look upon Saphron, and Terra, and little Adrian so fondly.

But… Jaune supposes that's just how people are.

"There was something else."

Jaune's eyes widen as he looks up at Cinder, who's not looking at him.

"What do you…"

"Through our link." Cinder says. "There was something else on your mind. I could tell. Whenever you saw me, there was just this… twinge of something. I've learned to read the meaning behind those twinges, somewhat. I think you've probably done the same."

Jaune nodded his head, because he had indeed. Hell, he'd been doing it all day, using the feeling of their link to try and parse Cinder's thoughts.

"…It's… a bit heavy." Jaune speaks. "Are you–"

"Out with it." Cinder interrupts him, shaking her head, still not looking at him. "I'd rather… I'd rather clear the air than wallow in it, even if one is a lot easier."

Jaune supposes he can see the sense in that.

"…You've killed a lot of people, haven't you?"

Cinder stills somewhat, and Jaune can tell the question itself is not something she'd expected. She'd braced herself, expecting something heavy and potentially dark, but this, it seems, is beyond what she'd prepared for.

"…Yes, I suppose I have."

Jaune wonders how he can word what he needs to say next so that Cinder does not react horribly. He's not really sure he can, and given what Cinder's said, that she'd rather simply clear the air…

"How does it… how do you feel about it?"

"About… killing people?"

He nods, and Cinder must see it out of the corner of her eye because she continues.

"I don't feel anything."

"What does that mean?"

"I just…" Cinder shakes her head, letting out a pained breath. "It doesn't feel like anything. When I… when I first killed… it was my stepsister. I don't remember which of them it was. But I… I killed her quick. It was an accident, actually. She came at me, tried to grab Rhodes' sword out of my hand, and I…"

Cinder's eyes glaze over somewhat, and Jaune decides to simply listen.

"I cut out at her without meaning to. It struck her across the throat. It… I'd gotten used to fighting Rhodes. He had aura. She… didn't. The strike severed her spine, I think. She just… crumpled. I…"

Jaune feels a ball of nausea in his stomach, but he doesn't interrupt, no matter how much he doesn't want to hear this story.

He knows he needs to, and so he shall.

"And then… then the Madame electrocuted me. I was in pain, and… she wasn't stopping. I can't blame her. I'd just killed her daughter. I suppose she was in shock, and angry. But… her other daughter was just screaming. It was so… grating. I couldn't… I could barely breathe, with the lightning coursing through my throat, and I just… lashed out towards it."

Jaune nods, despite the bile quickly climbing his throat.

"It was quiet after that. I managed to get the Madame by the throat. I… I don't even remember what I said. It was something dramatic, probably, I've always had a flare for it. I just… crushed the life out of her. And then Rhodes was there. I was… so glad to see him."

Cinder speaks in a way that makes Jaune almost feel sorry for her, despite what she's just admitted to.

"And then he was going to cage me again. Deny me freedom, again. I just… I couldn't."

He understands. He hates it, but Jaune understands.

"And once I'd killed Rhodes, there was no going back. So, I ran. And Salem found me. She… raised me. Made me what I am."

Jaune senses that Cinder's finished, and so he decides to move onto the next stage of the question.

"Do you… enjoy killing people?"

Cinder purses her lips, but doesn't seem to have any difficulty in answering…

"No."

That… there's a bit of surprise at that answer. Jaune supposes he understands what she's saying, of course, but…

"Then why do it?"

"…Because it's easy."

It's so simple a thing to say that he almost can't accept it.

"That's it?"

"Sparing people is hard. Trying to do so under Salem's employ is almost impossible. Often, if I was in combat against someone, I had to kill them. It was me or them at that point. Amber, Ozpin, and so many others. But…"

And Cinder gets this far-off look in her eye, then, as she turns around, and gazes out of one of the violet windows, into the red and black sky, where the shattered moon illuminates the world.

"But sometimes I… there were sometimes I didn't."

"…Sometimes you didn't have to kill someone that you did?"

Cinder just nods, and when she looks back, she is unable to meet his eye.

"Until I met you… I don't think I… they didn't bother me." Cinder says, shaking her head. "But when you look at me that way… with fear and terror and disgust in your eyes… that is when I feel remorse for what I am. For what I have become."

Jaune nods, but there's a wriggling doubt hanging at the back of his mind, this thing that seems to call out that what Cinder's said shouldn't be the case.

"…That isn't enough."

Cinder seems surprised, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"You can't just…" Jaune shakes his head, unable to quite conjure the words. "You can't only want to improve as a person for my sake. It's important that you improve for yourself. If you don't want that… then any improvement you make will only be given up on later."

Cinder looks at him then like she's entirely uncertain as to what the hell he's trying to say, like she can't understand where he's coming from, and to be honest, Jaune gets it. This… he'd not really discussed it with Cinder. His desire to see her improve herself, to become a better person.

To become someone that, even if she had to, wouldn't have shot an arrow into Amber's pod. Wouldn't have slaughtered Ozpin as he gave them time to escape.

…Someone who wouldn't have nearly killed Pyrrha if not for Ruby's interruption.

And yet, when he looks back up at Cinder, it is to see her almost…

Almost glaring at him.

He's seconds away from asking her just what it is she's upset about, from hopefully solving this problem before it can become one, when the door to the training room receives a knock, and then opens.

In steps Pyrrha, of all people, looking rather uncertain.

"What?" Cinder addresses his partner rather unkindly.

"Er, well… Salem has a job for us."

That has both Jaune's and Cinder's eyes widening, and his soulmate stands just as he does, following behind the girl.

"What do you mean, job?" He asks Pyrrha.

"It's… she didn't explain a ton, but… according to her there are some… issues with some of our – her allies. She'd planned on sending Hazel to deal with it, but… apparently, she's intrigued enough by us that we're who she's sending."

From the look on Cinder's face, Jaune gathers that she knows exactly what it is they're about to be sent to do.

"Where are we going?" Jaune asks, and he receives his answer not from Pyrrha, but from Cinder instead.

"We're going to Menagerie." Cinder states, a deep scowl already forming upon her lips.

"To facilitate Adam Taurus' takeover of the White Fang."

End Chapter 20

Next arc - Menagerie and the White Fang!

I kind of wanted to keep the boys in Evernight, but I realized that there were a few things I wanted to do outside of it as well. Including a thing that's been planned for like the entire story. Ended up with this.

Anyways, I'll see you all in two weeks!