The days after Jaune told Blake what the stone really was, the two of them dug through the texts, trying to figure out if there was any way to reverse it, or destroy the abomination that it was. Jaune felt almost sickly carrying it around with him, and decided to keep it in a chest that the two of them had gone out and purchased, locking the stone tightly within, before Jaune used alchemy to simply weld the door and turn the chest into an box with no opening.
The days of their semester break flew by, the two of them going late into the nights simply finding out more about the stone, with barely a day where they didn't crack open one of the tomes. It was on the last day of the break that Blake finally closed shut one of the books that she was reading, looking at Jaune.
"We should take a break." She said quietly, causing Jaune to tilt his head up in disbelief. Before he could object, she held out a hand, stopping him from speaking. "I know how important this is to you Jaune, and you should know that I don't like this either. But we can't keep ourselves holed up like this." Blake sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I'm probably the last person to say this, but we need to find a day to relax before our teammates come back and find us looking like… like zombies."
Jaune let out a sigh that almost matched Blake's and lowered his book, blinking slowly to try and bring his surrounding back to focus. Nodding reluctantly, he turned to look at the girl in front of him.
"Yeah," Jaune whispered quietly. "Yeah you're right. I mean, if you of all people are telling me to take a break, I guess I've got to listen."
Blake crossed her arms, raising a displeased eyebrow but also quirking a small smile. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked haughtily, turning her nose up at him. Jaune chuckled and gathered up the books in front of him, as well and tucking away his notes.
"It means that you're a workaholic." Jaune replied glibly, ducking as she tossed one of the tomes at his head. "Hey, that's a priceless artifact!" He said in protest.
"Well, you should learn how to be more delicate with the way you talk."
Jaune rolled his eyes again, turning to hand the books to Headmaster Ozpin, who nodded in thanks.
"You two enjoy yourselves out there." The man said, smiling. "You can't be young forever."
The two nodded at him, striding into the elevator and pressing the button to the main building. As the doors slid shut and the two of them started their descent downwards, Jaune turned to the cat faunus.
"So, what've you got planned for us?"
Blake blinked in question, looking back in confusion. "What makes you think I have anything planned out?" She shrugged, leaning against the elevator walls. "I just wanted us to get out of that room before the break started is all." The alchemist nodded doubtfully, rolling his eyes again.
"Right. I'm sure what you did was a spur of the moment kind of thing, and the past half a dozen times you were gaping like a fish was because you needed to find a different way to breathe." Blake winced, a small blush forming on her cheeks.
"Oh. You saw that?"
"No." Jaune replied back, drawing out the word. "That was a complete guess on my part. Nice to know it was right though." The girl shoved his shoulder, scowling at the laughing boy.
"You just think you're so funny, don't you?" She asked. The elevator slid to a stop and opened its doors, letting Jaune step out first. He threw out a casual grin and nodded energetically, standing in front of Blake.
"So Blakey. Where're we going?"
The girl shook her head and stepped out of the elevator as well. "Don't call me that. And I was thinking…. Maybe the movies?" That was a surprise, Jaune thought, blinking a little. Shrugging, he nodded, asking what she was planning to watch. To his amusement, Blake got a little redder, coughing into her fist.
"Actually, the Ninjas of Love movie came out a few days ago so…" She trailed off as she saw Jaune smirk. He shook his head, turning around again.
"I knew you had an ulterior motive for this." He said in false despondence. "Come on then, let's go."
As they walked towards the docks, Jaune wasn't able to see Blake's big smile, and her bow twitch happily.
## #
"What kind of movie theater is this?"
Jaune looked doubtfully at the shoddy building, having looked like it had been used as a battleground during the Great War. Even the posters didn't look all that great, and these were recent releases, peeling half off. The front was attended by an old, gruff man that didn't look like he wanted to be there. Blake turned to look at the alchemist, who had stopped walking, standing a few paces behind the girl.
"Can't we go somewhere else? Like," Jaune turned his head frantically, trying to find a suitable replacement. "That bar right there?" He pointed to a humble looking place, with what seemed like a single person manning the place. Jaune squinted, trying to read the small sign. "It doesn't look all that bad. What's it called? The—"
Blake tugged at his sleeve, turning him back around with a look on her face.
"You can't possibly be scared of going into this place are you?" Blake asked teasingly. Jaune gave a flat stare, not rising to the obvious bait.
"Actually yes. Come on Blake, it looks like a place that people get abducted and chopped up into little pieces. And not neatly either." He added, eyeing the man in the front in suspicion. The girl rolled her eyes and pretty much dragged him towards the ticket booth.
"You are a Hunter and an Alchemist and you're scared of a little movie theater?" Blake scoffed and continued to drag Jaune along. "Come on Jaune."
"Hey I lived this long 'cause I was cautious. Then I met you guys." Jaune gave her a flat stare. "You can't blame me for being a scaredy cat." Amber eyes met his, a frown on her face.
"Are puns part of having blonde hair or something?" Before he could respond, Blake swung him in front of the man, who looked at him menacingly.
"Whaddya want?" Came the grumpy question. Jaune stepped backwards, but was stopped by Blake standing behind him. She leaned over to the side and gave a small smile at the man.
"Hello there Mike." The man straightened up, his face clearing up and a smile brightening his face. Arms stretched wide, he stood up, laughing happily.
"Blake! So good to see you! How've you been little one?" Blake didn't move from her spot, but dipped her head in greeting, a smile on her face.
"I've been good Mike."
"Good, good. Where've you been all this time Blake? Have you found somewhere to stay?" Concern tinged his tone, a worried look on his face. The cat faunus nodded, .eyes flicking momentarily towards Jaune.
"I have. It's… a good place to call home." A pause. "Most of the times."
Mike nodded, noticing how close Blake was standing next to Jaune. He loud of a short snort of breath, eyes roving up and down Jaune, analyzing him. After coming to some sort of conclusion, the man scowled, folding his arms and towering over Jaune, back to looking as menacing as ever.
"I hope you've been treating her well young man."
Jaune nodded frantically, trying to back away even further. "Uh, of course I have sir!" Blake stepped in before any more words could be exchanged.
"Mike, as nice as it was meeting you again, I'm here to get two tickets for a movie? Ninjas of Love?"
The man snorted at the name and shook his head, letting go of the topic for now. He flicked his chin towards the entrance. "You and your smut obsessions. Go on in little one." Blake smiled, nodding as she strode past, Jaune quickly following behind her, trying not to glance behind him.
Going to the movies is almost a practiced motion, no matter who you are. You get the tickets, you grab the snacks and drinks, and you find a seat after struggling to slid past several people, mumbling apologies along the way. This wasn't exactly a typical movie experience for Jaune though. There weren't any tickets really, there weren't any snacks to be bought and any drinks to be drunk, and they were no people anywhere in sight in their theatre room.
Blake didn't blink at any of this, continuing to lead the way and find a good spot for the two of them to sit. As they settled into their seats, Jaune turned to Blake.
"I didn't realize you were a movie fan." He commented, after noticing how her motions seemed almost practiced. She turned to him with a small smirk.
"What, just because I enjoy books doesn't mean I can't enjoy movies?" Jaune shrugged at the question, not sure how to answer. "While it's true that most movie adaptations aren't very faithful to their source, I enjoy seeing another perspective of the story."
Jaune nodded at the explanation, and they fell into silence, watching previews and Jaune squirming a little, unused to having nothing to eat during a movie. "So how did you know the guy up in the front?" He asked suddenly, trying to find something to occupy his time before the movie started. Blake turned to him, eyes intent and her lips pursed. Finally she opened her mouth, beginning to talk.
"Before I got into Beacon and after I… left the White Fang, there wasn't much I could really do, being a teenager in the city with no money. I found ways to live by, and one day I found the movie theatre, with Mike holding down the front. Long story short, he let me stay for a few months at the movie theater until I left to go to Beacon." Blake turned to look at the screen for a few seconds. "I also watched a lot of movies."
Jaune nodded.
There was a lot that Jaune still didn't know about Blake, and there was a lot that Blake didn't really know about him. It was refreshing to see Blake opening up every once in a while, telling him things that very few others would know about.
"I didn't watch a lot of movies when I was a kid." Jaune admitted. "I was a little too busy trying to… you know." He held up his automail arm, the ungloved hand gleaming dully in the movie light. "All I had was my research and the old books about alchemy. I didn't really do much else." He turned to look at the movie screen, having turned black momentarily as the lights started to dim, signaling that the movie was about to start.
"I guess I'm just trying to say… that it's nice, going out and doing things I would have never done if I never went to Beacon." Jaune's eyes flickered over to Blake. "And I'm glad I'm doing it with you." He added impulsively, watching her carefully for her reaction.
There wasn't as much of one as he had thought, her bow twitching in surprise and her eyes widening for a moment, but other than that, there was nothing that even indicated that she had heard what he had said.
As the movie started to roll, Jaune decided that he would worry about a response later, turning his attention towards the big screen.
He was barely able to hold a surprised jerk as soft fingers touched his, and he couldn't help but peer over just for a second towards Blake, who acted like nothing had happened, but didn't stop her fingers from wrapping themselves around his.
This was actually the perfect place to go for a break, Jaune thought happily to himself. And the movie wasn't all that bad either.