A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for running a bit late today, was really tired last night. Anyway, here's the next chapter of JPLL, so I hope you all enjoy! Don't forget to review, favorite and follow, and I'll see you all next time!
Ozpin's office was rarely a place for commodities and noise. Despite the recent events, including Ironwood's visits becoming more and more frequent, as well as students being called in for misbehavior, the top floor of Beacon tower always held a serene aura to it, a tranquility that seemed to persist, as the troubles of daily life passed through it.
Of course, that peace was utterly shattered by the pacing Perci, going circles in his office, muttering to herself over and over and sneaking glances at her watch, only growing more impatient with each passing second.
Ozpin himself was knee deep in an argument about Perci, in fact. An argument dealing with her parole and its conditions, as well as the possibility she would be granted access to Vale once more. She had already filled out the community service requirement, doing various jobs around Beacon in preparations for the coming tournament. At that point, she could already find her way through the Amity Colosseum by heart, having scrubbed it for hours throughout the past few days. Though at the end of the day, she was sick of it entirely, wanting nothing more than to be able to go to town again, and not be afraid of cops coming to arrest her.
"Come on... Come on..." She muttered to herself, looking at the headmaster one more time. For as good as he was with words and charisma, Ozpin still had troubles getting around the council. Just last week they decided to cut the coffee budget to the school, deciding it was already large enough as it was, and that no sane human would need to drink this much caffeine every single day.
"...Alright then. I think that's agreeable. Thank you very much." She heard Ozpin say, as the holodeck closed up, the call over. She looked at him, hope gleaming in her eyes for a change, hoping that he managed to convince them to approve. Despite the urgency of the matter, she somehow managed to tune out the entire conversation, already thinking about the date she had that evening, and the reservations she made wouldn't last forever.
Looking up at Ozpin, and cursing herself for planning things so hastily and in advance, she waited for a moment, letting the silence in the room drag on for a little bit. "...Well? What'd they say? Pleasesayyespleasesayyespleasesayyes..." She repeated to herself, fingers crossed, desperation finding its way into her heart. As Ozpin nodded, she almost jumped in place, cheering wildly, though it dawned on her, as he coughed lightly, that this wasn't going to all sunshine and rainbows. Calming down, she gave her a dissatisfied glare, crossing her arms. "...Alright, Oz... What's the catch?" She should've expected this much. There was always a catch to these sorts of things, if her time on the streets taught her anything.
"Well... There will be two primary conditions to your extension. Besides not causing any trouble or going back to your old ways, of course." Ozpin started, though before he could continue, she was already rolling her hand, restless as ever.
"Yeah yeah yeah, I know, I do shit or go off the grid and it's done. Anything else I should know about?" She didn't have a lot of time at that point. All she really wanted was for him to finish his little speech and let her be on her way.
Despite her body language clearly showing her distress, Ozpin didn't hasten himself, taking a small sip of his cup. Figuring he might as well give her a small lesson in patience, he put the mug down, looking at her with his usual serene, though cryptic look. "Alright, then. First, you have to report to me each time before you leave for Vale." She groaned a bit, realizing that getting outside was still going to be a bitch. "At the very least, I don't have to report this to the council, but I am obligated to keep notes of when you left and came back." Hoping she'd appreciate the effort he had to put in for her, he could only see Perci growing more and more stressed out with each passing second.
"Yeah sure cool, anything else?" She spoke in one, sharp breath. Her breathing was getting quicker, and her eyes darted around, hoping for an escape, as each passing second felt like eternity passing.
"The second, and more important rule, is the curfew. You are to return to Beacon before ten in the evening. However..." A sly smirk appeared on his face, knowing that this time was gonna be an exception. "I will let it slide today. Just remember that you have classes tomorrow, Ms. Valiére. I don't want you to be late."
"Alright! You got it!" She nodded repeatedly, just praying inside he'd let her go already, looking at the clock one more time. If she headed out right there and then, she might manage to make it in time for their date, while slightly being fashionably late.
Ozpin let the moment draw on for just a few more seconds, before nodding with approval. "Alright, then. I hope you enjoy your date."
Taking a huge, deep breath, it took her less than a second before she was already in the elevator, already opening it up in advance, watching as it descended down to the ground level. "Comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon..." She muttered to herself again, and as the doors opened up, she ran out, heading straight for the dorms. Looking at the clock every few seconds, she had to run as fast as she could, getting to the dorm in record speed for almost any Beacon student of her year that wasn't gifted.
From there, it didn't take long before she was face to face with the door of team ACMM. She stopped running, pulling out a small bottle of deodorant and spraying her armpits, checking her breath and fixing her hair one more time, even beneath her hat. Making sure her tie and pin were set right on her suit, she took a deep breath, finally knocking on the door.
Instead of the lovely Melody opening it up for her, however, she was graced with Ash's taller form, looking as slouchy as ever. She eyed Perci, raising a single eyebrow, noting her overall cleanliness before sighing, smirking a bit as she did. "Well, then. You look dashing." It didn't take Perci long to figure out what was going on, giving Ash a small glare.
"Well, can I at least come inside why we wait? I guess at this point we'll be late regardless." Ash stepped aside, as Perci realized the space for the restaurant was all for naught at that point. "Ah man... I had to call there like, two months ago to get good seats. What do you guys think, try and make it or just go someplace else?" She fell over Ash's bed, finally calming down, as the inevitable nature of the night finally dawned on her.
Between the three present, only Ash and Undine sat next to her, Copper being busy writing up homework, efficiently finishing assignment after assignment in one fell swoop. "Well..." Undine uttered, looking over at the bathroom. "I don't think you two will make it. She wanted to look her best, y'know?"
Perci nodded once, rising back up to proper sitting. "Yeah, I know... Oh well, guess that's a lesson for me for the future." She couldn't help but chuckle lightly at a passing thought. "...Women, am I right?"
A mere moment later, Ash couldn't help but constantly chuckle, while Undine couldn't help it, laughing cheerfully at her statement. "I mean... It takes one to know one." Ash finally managed to utter after letting the laughter die down, returning Perci's snark with her own for a change.
Perci, not being one to refuse a battle of wits and banter, straightened her back. "I guess you can say that again." Undine was still giggling to herself, though before Ash could respond with another quip, the bathroom's door finally opened up.
"Alright girls, I-" Melody spoke, stepping out casually. Unlike her usual clothing, she had a magnificent, almost glittering sunflower yellow dress, going all the way down to her legs. Beneath them, she had a pair of high heels, though from the way she stepped back realizing Perci was there, it was clear she wasn't accustomed to wearing them much. On top of it, her hair was done and freshened up, and she even took the extra step of wearing makeup, from eyeliner, to blush, to red, striking lipstick. "Perci! I, uh..." Her blush, only complemented by her cheeks turning a nice shade of red of their own, intensified in hue, realizing she was caught off guard. "Well... Hi!" She called out, clearly inexperienced in the art of dating someone.
Luckily for her, Perci already knew the ropes. She stepped in, though still keeping a healthy distance from her partner for the night, tipping her hat like a gentlewoman. "M'lady."
As it dawned on her the horrible, horrible pun she just made, Perci's cheeks turned just as red as the person in front of her's. Standing in front of each other, flustered, she quickly shook it off, offering a hand for her date to come with. "A-And where will you be taking me, Ms. Valiére?" Melody asked, though her attempt to sound astute was lacking, at best.
"Oh, don't you worry Love." Perci bounced back. If there was anything she knew about dates, it was that showing confidence is key. The LAST thing she wanted was for Melody to realize she didn't have a plan. "I have juuuuust the place for us..."
LINEBREAK
About an hour later, at the industrial district, Melody couldn't help but stare perplexedly at the sight before her. While she didn't imagine Perci is the fancy upper-class restaurant type, taking her to a raunchy looking bar wasn't on her first guess either. Cheerful piano music came from the inside, while the faint smell of alcohol welcomed the two of them, as Perci, feeling far more at home out there, opened the door, letting her in.
"Oi look! It's the kingpin!" Some of the men, sailors for the most part, noticed her approach, cheering on at her as she walked inside, grinning. Realizing that she wasn't alone, however, made them all silent down, knowing smirks on their faces.
"T-They know you here?" Melody finally managed to speak, still shocked by the sheer energy the place held. As Perci walked inside like she owned the place, the creaking sound of the wooden floor and the right, vibrant smell of fried seafood hit her at the same time, though unlike what she expected from such a place, the smell was actually quite inviting.
Perci looked back at her, a victorious smile on her face. "Yyyyyup. Used to work 'round here a few years back. Only place that people are still nice enough to welcome me..." She chuckled, walking past the piano, where an elder man, with a stump leg, was playing lively, filling the entire joint with music. Some people were even around the main area of this small clubhouse, dancing and enjoying their time, and overall having a blast.
Perci led her date to one of the tables, with a great view, observing the rest of the bar. As Melody sat down on one of the couch seats, Perci looked behind her back, nodding to the man behind the bar, who nodded back, shouting something to the kitchen, though with his thick accent Melody could barely understand what he said. After waiting for a few more minutes, and realizing a menu isn't coming, she finally started to ponder on the matter, turning to Perci and tugging her shoulder. "S-So... What are we eating?"
As she asked, Perci only winked at her. "Oh, don't worry about it. I have this arrangement with the owner, he'll fix us something good." Perci's calm, smooth demeanor managed to set her heart at ease, to a degree. She figured that if Perci knew what she was going, she could at least trust her that it was going to be worth it.
About fifteen minutes of waiting and small talk later, and a rather short waitress came along to their tables, setting up plate after plate of almost anything Melody could think of. From fish to tries, to calamari and shrimp, it seemed that they were getting to royalty treatment, with all the food they could possibly eat. The smell alone already made her salivate slightly, having eaten nothing so far to save space for the meal in question. Hearing her stomach grumbling, Perci sat closer to her, taking a large shrimp, almost as big as her palm."Well, what're ya waitin' for? Dig in!" She exclaimed, biting down, the shrimp melting in her mouth as Perci dug in. Melody soon enough joined her, taking a few fries, and eating them shyly, not before dipping them in some home made sauce. Just as she expected, the taste was nigh divine, and soon enough, she found herself eating to her heart's content, with Perci by her side.
While eating their meal, Perci took a charmed glance at Meldoy, who was having a great time so far, never having eaten such well-made seafood. So far, Melody's experience with them came from her parents, ordering take out on weekends when her mother was too lazy to cook something. In fact, she never even imagined shrimp getting to that size, and as she guzzled down another one, almost moaning from the diving taste, Perci couldn't help but grin. "Here, try these." She took over the plate carrying the calamari rings, each of them roasted nicely, a delicious aroma escaping the cooked squid. Melody, lost to the wonders of the small bar, happily took a few of them with her fork, smiling as she bit down on all of them, stuffing her mouth full and chewing contently. "Well, what'd ya think? Pretty good right?" Perci asked her, the tone of her voice going to her usual, cocky mood.
Melody nodded, finally swallowing the calamari in her mouth. "...Yeah! This is all delicious!" She then realized something, and her mood fell, just a tiny bit. "But... How can you afford all of this? This food is the best..." She continued to eat, taking some more fries while waiting for Perci to explain. Something told her that this much food, of this good of quality, was going to cost Perci a pretty lien.
"What all of this? Oh, don't you worry about it. Seafood is actually surprisingly cheap, if you know where to look." She winked at her, taking a salmon steak on her plate and eating it slowly, being filled out to a degree. "And on top of it, I used to work here, remember? I got enough cred for a former employee discount." Nodding in understanding, a faint yawn escaped Melody's lips. While not being too tired per se, it was clear that she was full, and would have to rest a bit to let herself digest all of the food she just ate. Perci, keeping the ball rolling, let Melody's head fall on her shoulder, resting gently while the music played all around her.
By the time Melody fully got up, the food was already gone. Perci herself have had enough for the moment, and had the food taken away, while letting her date rest on her for as much as she needed. "Well, how was your sleep Love?" Perci asked her, grinning aloof as Melody gave another yawn.
"I-I'm... Fine. Yeah, I'm fine." Melody stuttered a bit, still slightly nervous around the delinquent, especially now that the food was gone and dealt with. She looked around, searching for a topic to talk about with her, before both her eyes and ears landed on the old man, still playing the piano at the center of the bar, keeping it up, song after song. "W-Wow..." She finally managed to utter, hoping it would help move things along. "He's still going, huh?"
Perci nodded in agreement, having known him for quite some time in her youth. "Yyyyyup. He gets paid in booze though, too. Actually, now that I think about it... You DO like music, don't you?" The question made Melody fluster, though Perci only grinned, getting up. "Well, seeing as this evening is turning on swimmingly so far... How about we give him a little break, eh?" Leaving Melody confused, she walked over, tapping him on the shoulder and pulling a small bottle of jack from her pocket, handing it to him. The old man cheered, getting up to enjoy his drink, happily letting Perci take the piano. She sat down, stretching her fingers, giving Melody one last look before her hands descended, slowly and gently letting the notes come to her mind.
Melody stared with awe at her date. Perci's playing was moving, deep and slow, moving the mood in the bar to a more somber, but relaxed one. At some point, she couldn't help herself, getting up and walking along to the piano herself, sitting down on the wing. She closed her eyes, listening to the song, and before she knew it, words came to her mind, as Melody let her inner muse manifest, singing joyfully to Perci's tune. The duet between the two of them only managed to drive the romantic undertones into the foreground, as the dancers around them happily adjusted, taking a slow, sensual dance. However, despite wanting to dance herself, Melody couldn't help but stare transfixed at Perci, who was lost in the song just as much as she was. The two of them looked at one another, emerald eyes meeting jade, as Melody's entire world condensed down to the beautiful music the two of them produced together. Each tone, each note that Perci brought forth, was already perfectly complemented by Melody's voice, adding a whole new layer to this duet between the two of them.
As the song drew to a close, the crowd around them clapped their hands, whistling and cheering for the two students. Melody started blushing, though before she could do something reckless like run away, Perci took her hand, gently pulling her closer. "You did great Love. I knew they'd love your singin'."
Taking the complement, she nodded, though her cheeks were still as red as ever. "A-Anyway... I-I think it's a bit late. S-Shouldn't we head back?" Perci raised an eyebrow, taking a peek at her watch, and upon realizing that it was, in fact, gonna be quite late when they get back, sighed and got up, keeping their hands held together.
"Well, that's all for tonight folks!" She waved her other hand, not unlike a celebrity, while the people in the bar each waved back, before returning to the usual mood at the small pub. Stepping outside, Melody could finally take in some fresh air. While the pub itself wasn't bad or anything in her opinion, the amount of things going on at the same time still caught her off guard, and she wanted to take the time to relax a bit. Perci walked next to her, letting her hand go, looking up at the moon and taking a deep, calm breath, sighing contently as the date so far was a total success. "So, Love..." She turned to her, wanting to make sure. "...How was the date so far?" Of course, the date wasn't over quite yet. The moment it would end would be when Melody would step inside her dorm room, leaving Perci on her own.
"it was..." Melody took a second, trying to catch her breath still. "...Fun!" Regardless, she had a great time. The food was great, the music was pleasant, and the little duet they held only managed to make Perci even better in her eyes. "I didn't know you can play the piano so well."
Perci shrugged, tapping her cane on the ground as she walked towards Beacon. "Well, guess that's one positive about my childhood. Mother had me learn a bunch of shit." She raised her left hand, tapping each finger as she counted. "Piano, dancing, multiple languages." She stopped for a moment, trying to recall some other high-class skill that was forced on her at the time. "I think there was... Cricket? Right, now I remember, totally cricket." Perci nodded, resuming her reminiscing. "And... I think there was horseback riding. Those are at least the ones that didn't get forgotten with time, though I haven't ridden a horse in like fuckin' years, so I probably can't do that."
"But let me guess, your cricket game is great." Melody joked, chuckling lightly, her angelic voice showing in everything she did. It didn't matter how many times Perci heard her talk, or sing, or laugh, there was just something in her voice that made it incredible. The perfect blend of pitch, length and so on.
Not missing a bit, she stepped in a bit closer. "Well, I may not really how to play cricket..." She took Melody's hands, looking up at the pale moonlight for a second. "But I do remember how to dance."
Getting the hint. Melody looked at her, the blush intensifying once more. "B-But I don't know how to-"
"Shh..." Perci stepped in closer, letting Melody lean on her. Luckily enough, the two of them were almost the same height, Perci being just a tad taller, meaning Melody had ample space to lean on. "Just follow my lead, alright? I might have been taught the female part of dancing, but that doesn't mean I didn't pick anything up."
It started with a single foot. Perci stepped forward, and Melody stepped back. Soon enough, she slowly got the rhythm of the dance, stepped slowly around the small plaza they were in with Perci, her eyes fixated on the girl. She never even imagined that Perci, the rude, loud mouthed bitch of Beacon, would be such a gentle, charming danced. After seeing that Melody got the steps, Perci decided to kick things up a notch, raising her hand and letting Melody slowly spin. She tried, figuring that if on TV they do it flawlessly, she could try it herself, but of course, before she knew it, she was falling headstrong into the floor, as the heel she was standing on bent over.
"Eep!" She yelped in fear, shutting her eyes tightly, though before she could feel the cold asphalt of the ground against her face, a pair of hands caught her right before. She slowly opened them up, looking as Perci stared at her, a mix of amusement and concern in her eyes.
"Oi Love... Gotta be careful there." She spoke gently, though Melody was barely listening to her words. Mesmerized for a brief moment, as the moonlight gave Perci the most brilliant aura around her of white light, she felt comfortable in her hands, forgetting that the two of them were still in a dance. Perci let her stay like that for a few more seconds, enjoying the awestruck expression on her face, though before long she pulled Melody back to standing, the two of them looking at one another with shared affection. "So... I'm guessin' that this means we'll have a second date?" Perci asked, grinning lightly.
Trying to keep her cool, and not jumping on the opportunity, Melody nodded. "Y-Yeah that sound good we can have a second date." She managed to utter through her blushing and stuttering, finishing her sentence with one short breath.
"Alright then, let's hea-" Perci came to finally conclude the dance, though something, a figure at the corner of her eye, managed to startle her. "Hold that thought." She quickly picked Melody to a bridal hold, running into an alleyway with her.
"P-Per-" Trying to protest, Melody's mouth got blocked with her hand, shutting her up for the time being. After making sure that the two of them couldn't be seen from the outside, she let Melody down, peering over from the corner of the wall. "Perci, what happened to you?" Melody came over, looking from above her at the ongoing sees. There she saw an older woman, with rich, violet hair, as well as a stunning, glimmering purple dress.
"That, right there?" Perci explained briefly, watching as the figure went past them, not noticing the two and walking off. "That... was Mother."
Melody's eyes narrowed in shock. She already heard enough about what kind of person she was, and not trusting her looks, she stepped back a bit. "S-So... What now?" She asked, worry in her voice, Perci turning to her, looking more relaxed, though still stressed out.
"Now? Now we go back to Beacon. She doesn't know I'm around, and I'd rather make sure she doesn't know. Ever." The two of them started to walk back into the alley, wanting to get out from the other end, though Melody would soon come to regret that, as thugs started to congregate around them, from both ends. Perci didn't lose her cool, putting on her more usual look. "Get out of my way."
"'Fraid we can't do that, butch." A scrawny looking man stepped forth. "See, blondie over there borrowed some money from us a while back, and the boss is running short on funds. Didn't expect to see her out here so damn quickly, but I guess it's as good time as any to pay." He then turned to Melody, trying to sound threatening. "Five hundred grand. If you would. Or am I gonna have to pay a visit to ma and pa?"
Before Melody could respond, shaking in fear and knees bucked together, Perci raised her hand, blocking her from speaking. "You people... SERIOUSLY think this is gonna happen, don't you?" She started to cackle, raising her cane. She took Melody's hand, holding it gently. "You mind, Love?" She asked, and Melody nodded, forfeiting her aura to the delinquent. "Alright, then..." Her smile grew, crooked and almost cruel. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we?..."
The fight was brutal, messy, through short. Before long, all the thugs were whimpering on the floor, and the apparent leader was in Perci's hands, shaking in place as she gave him a bored expression. "So, what did we learn?"
The aura-less thug fidgeted in fear. "D-Don't mess with the kingpin?" She asked, though instead of words he got the blunt side of the cane to his head, knocking him out.
"Ya got THAT right!" She got up, walking over to Melody again. "You alright love? I swear, people these days, so ru-" She came to give her usual spiel, bitching about thugs without aura being boring to beat up, though before she could, she Melody's arms wrapped tightly around her neck.
And as she felt her lips pressed tightly around her date's, Perci calmed down, sharing her first kiss with Melody.