Part 2?

Let's go!

As it just so happens, jail is not a fun place. Even if the high windows were rather generous when coupled with the midday sun, dispelling the usual woes of the dark, dingy holding cell. Well, the dark part at least, this concrete block was still a mess of cracked walls and water stains.

There was also something rather putrid dripping down in the far corner of the room, hence why Ilia was resting up against the bars furthest from it. Jaune had long since ceased his efforts to offer the girl a spot on the bench, her refusal to be anywhere closer to the "pool of filth" made quite adamant.

"Is it really that bad," the blonde asked, tilting a brow towards the placid puddle. There was certainly a scent in the air but he'd grown numb to it after the first hour.

Not breaking her unblinking focus on the brackish water, Ilia returned, "Be grateful for your duller human senses. I'm only just ceasing to be able to decipher individual smells."

Jaune grimaced, scooting himself fully into his own corner of the cell. A short scoff sounded from outside the cell, drawing the boy's attention to the rather casual looking guard resting beyond the bars. The rather stocky man was leaning far on the back legs of a wooden chair, his feet propped on a steel desk and a self help book opened in hand.

"You know," their watcher drawled, "you don't have to be in there, miss."

Ilia's features tensed though she never looked away from The Pool. "It's fine. I should be in here." The guard just shrugged, easily falling back into his reading.

A period of silence followed, Jaune's sight flatly fixed on the faunus girl resting against the adjacent corner. Her attention appeared still on the dripping intake of stained water, her gaze very much not meeting his own. She had a bit of a tell though, Ilia's tanned skin slowly shifting to the same, greyish hue as the walls of the jail.

She definitely noticed him staring.

"What," Ilia spoke, already sounding tired of interaction. Jaune, on any other day, might have awkwardly played it off, retreating from he conversation. But when you're locked up, there's really not much else to distract you.

"He's right, you know," the blonde gestured to the guard, the silent man offering a quick wave of acknowledgment, "you don't have to be in here. I'm the one who fucked up-"

"And I let you." The statement was a cutting one, effectively shutting the boy up. Ilia's eyes slid – reluctantly – from The Pool and onto her cellmate. "I watched you beat that sack of shit to a bloody pulp. I just watched. I should be here."

A short pause followed.

"… you stopped me."

Ilia snorted, turning her eyes to the floor. The brief ting of a droplet falling into The Pool snapped her attention back to the tainted corner. Unamused smile in place, she spoke, "Eventually, sure. Didn't want you to kill the fuck-"

"There," Jaune barked, aided by a snap of fingers that belted about their concrete cube. Ilia actually flinched at the sudden set of sounds, her sight shooting to the blonde. The guard kept reading unimpeded, quite unconcerned by the noise.

Ilia quirked a brow and Jaune continued, "You thought about me. When I was wailing on that asshole, there wasn't so much as a thought in my head." The faunus girl gave a little huff as their watcher, still focused on his novel, worked his heavy jaw in a dramatic way. Both of them were covering up a desire to make "There's clearly never a thought in your head." comments.

Jaune never noticed, "See? That makes you a better person than me."

This time Ilia did let out a laugh. "So being a better person than Jaune Arc is an automatic get out of jail card?"

Her cellmate fucking beamed, "Heck yeah! That's a real tall order right there, one only the highest caliber of person can hope to achieve!"

By this point, Ilia was fully drawn into the act. Still seated, she swept an arm across her belly and sunk into a light bow. "Oh, a most gracious honor," she spoke in a posh accent, "to be judged worthy by one of such high pedigree."

"Okay," Jaune's hand shot forth, "I have to draw the line at imitating aristocracy. That's a rabbit hole I don't want to fall down."

"Aww," groaned a voice from just outside the cell, "but being all hoity-toity is so much fun!"

Ilia sat bolt upright, palms fisted in her lap and a mortified expression fixed in place. Jaune hissed out a breath and rolled his eyes as Nora stepped into view. And, like clockwork, Ren appeared a second after.

"How long were you listening," Jaune asked, unblinking. Ren nodded in appreciation for his friend's flat affect..

Nora bounced, "We were here the whole time! Can you believe I stayed quiet that entire time!?" Ren's hand touched down on the top of his girlfriend's head, rubbing over her orange mane. Nora absolutely preened.

A look beyond at their literature loving warden revealed a set of ear buds firmly in place. Man was officially disconnected from reality.

Still stroking his girlfriend, Ren regarded their blonde leader, "We're here to get you out."

"Prison break time," Nora whisper-yelled, drawing a spoon from her jacket. Ilia cringed at the chocolate pudding stain still streaked across the polished steel.

"No Nora," her green clad partner declared, his affectionate gesture rapidly bringing her back under control, "no break out needed."

This got Jaune to perk up, but it was Ilia who asked, "They're letting us out?"

"Technically-" Ren couldn't even get out a second word before the former terrorist dismissed the sentence with a sharp wave. Yeah, she knew she didn't have to be in here, let's move it along.

The red head broke free of her stoic partner's head pats. "The guy Blake took down talked! We know where their base of operations is and the police want us as backup!"

When Jaune sent a look between Nora and Ren, the latter added, "We traded our cooperation – yours included – for leniency on your offense. They'll drop all charges if we help in the raid."

"Sheesh," Ilia breathed, "I'd heard that local forces had their hands full even before Haven, but for it to be this bad…"

Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose, face pointed down. For the government forces to be so thin they were relying on unlicensed students – "violent" ones in his case – was just abysmal optics. Just how many of Mistral's hunters had Lionheart sent to their deaths?

"To be fair," Ren clarified, claiming Nora's spoon as she ominously approached the bars, "they weren't going to hold you for more than a few days. Excessive force against a violent offender is considered rather low priority at this point in time."

Ilia leveled herself fully upright, rocking lightly as she settled on her feet. She spasmed slightly when another droplet plopped down into the fetid pool of the cell. She covered this by arcing backwards, stretching out her frame and loosing a brief sigh.

The chameleon girl glanced towards the guard, "What they say the truth?" In spite of the obvious ear buds, their watcher responded quickly, swiping something off the desk in front of him and pitching the jangly thing at Ilia.

She snatched the small ring of keys right out of the air, the toss gliding them smoothly between the cell's bars and into her range. Going for a bit of flair, Ilia poked her finger through the ring and gave the set of keys a couple swift twirls. Nora enthusiastically applauded, Ren adding his own, more sedate clapping several seconds after.

Ilia tossed her new friends a short grin, then turned to Jaune. Her smile swiftly matched the boy's own soft expression, the faunus girl reaching her hand towards the blonde.

"Well, you gonna show me just how 'great' a person Jaune Arc is?"

The young man's gaze shifted between Ilia's jade orbs and the offered palm before him. He held out just long enough to make it awkward, for another droplet to splash into the tainted pool. When Ilia shivered at the sound, Jaune finally took hold of her hand.

"You'll have to show me how much 'better' a person Ilia Amitola is in exchange."

Ilia, Nora, and the "inattentive" guard snorted at that. Ren stared off towards a corner of the ceiling, questioning his life decisions.

A bit of Ilia and Jaune interaction here. I threw Nora and Ren in at the end as a small taste of how their group dynamic might be. Maybe if I write more in this "timeline," we can have another piece focusing on them as a "proper" team. Spoiler, but there won't be a lot more character interaction after this.

Well, no real conversations, at any rate.

The Pool unnerves Ilia. Can't imagine being stuck in a concrete block with foul water dripping into a stagnant puddle would vibe well with someone who has superior senses. Just goes to show how down the girl feels about her "crime of inaction." Good thing Jaune, at this point, has enough leader clout to pick up the mood and pull her into a little stupidity. Laughter is the best remedy.

Mistral's situation gets touched on again here with local law enforcers readily willing to rely on hunters in training to aid their efforts. Again, events have consequences even if this story is overall meant to be very simple.

Unfettered Warden (need to remember that name) is a small joy to have here. Wish I'd used him later, maybe I'll bring him back somewhere down the line…

But that'll be all for now. See you tomorrow for the finale.